A deadly Russian strike on a crowded supermarket in Kharkiv has killed 14 people and wounded dozens more.
Ukrainian prosecutors said the death toll is still rising on Sunday morning after two guided bombs hit the Epicentr DIY hypermarket on Saturday afternoon.
The strikes caused a massive fire which sent a column of thick, black smoke billowing hundreds of metres into the air.
Forty-three people were injured, the local prosecutors’ office said, adding that ten of the twelve dead had still not been identified.
Andriy Kudinov, director of the suburban shopping centre, told local media the hardware store was full of shoppers buying items for their summer cottages when the attack happened, while Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said about 120 people had been in the store when the bombs struck.
It took 16 hours to fully extinguish the fire at the centre, which had raged over an area of 13,000 square metres (15,548 square yards), Interior Minister Klymenko said.
The past week has seen an uptick in strikes on the city after Russian troops stormed across the border, opening a new front north of the city.
Key Points
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Death toll in Kharkiv attack rises to 14
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A week of attacks in Kharkiv
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Zelensky urges Biden and Xi to join peace summit
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Putin is ready to freeze war along current battlelines
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Zelensky says Ukrainian forces now control area where Russia pushed into Kharkiv region
US announces $275M in new military assistance for Ukraine
17:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The Biden administration announced on Friday an additional $275 million in military aid for Ukraine as Kyiv struggles to hold off advances by Russian troops in the Kharkiv region.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the package, which was previewed on Thursday by two U.S. officials, “is part of our efforts to help Ukraine repel Russia’s assault near Kharkiv.”
“Assistance from previous packages has already made it to the front lines, and we will move this new assistance as quickly as possible so the Ukrainian military can use it to defend their territory and protect the Ukrainian people,” Blinken said in a statement.
US announces $275M in new military assistance for Ukraine
They escaped Russia’s deadly assault on Kharkiv – now these Ukrainians face another catastrophe
17:09 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
People from villages and towns around the region have been forced from their homes by fierce fighting, reports Tom Watling:
The Russian assault on the Ukraine’s northeastern region of Kharkiv threatens to leave thousands of newly-displaced civilians without homes, UN officials and aid workers have told The Independent, as the United Nations grapples with an “extremely worrying” shortage of humanitarian aid.
They escaped Russia’s deadly assault on Kharkiv – now they face another catastrophe
Why are top Russian military officials being arrested
16:36 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied.
The arrests began after President Vladimir Putin began his fifth term and shuffled his ally, longtime Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, into a new post.
Why are top Russian military officials being arrested
Lithuanians vote in presidential election overshadowed by Russia
15:53 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Lithuania holds presidential elections on Sunday, with incumbent Gitanas Nauseda expected to win after a campaign dominated by security concerns in the European Union and NATO member next door to Russia.
The Baltic nation of 2.8 million people has been a staunch ally of Ukraine since Russia‘s 2022 invasion. Like other countries in the region, it worries it could be Moscow’s next target.
Nauseda, 60, a former senior economist with Swedish banking group SEB who is not affiliated with any party, won the first round of the election on May 12 with 44% of the votes, short of the 50% he needed for an outright victory.
In the run-off, he is facing Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte, 49, from the ruling centre-right Homeland Union party that has been trailing in opinion polls. She was the only woman out of eight candidates in the first round and came second with 20%.
Polls close at 8 p.m. (1700 GMT), with results expected before midnight.
Just over half of Lithuanians believe a Russian attack is possible or even very likely, according to a ELTA/Baltijos Tyrimai poll conducted between February and March. Russia has regularly dismissed concerns that it might attack a NATO member.
Nauseda told a debate on Tuesday he sees Russia as an enemy. “Our enemies – who even call themselves our enemies, who are enemies of us and all the democratic world – are attempting to destabilise our politics, and we must do all to resist.”
Blinken will head to eastern Europe as concerns mount about Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia
15:23 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to eastern Europe next week as concerns mount about Russia’s advances in Ukraine, potential Russian interference in neighboring Moldova and pro-Moscow legislation being promoted in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, the State Department said Friday.
Blinken will visit the Moldovan capital of Chişinau on Wednesday before attending a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Prague on Thursday and Friday.
That meeting will be the military alliance’s last major diplomatic get-together before leaders meet at a summit to celebrate NATO’s 80th anniversary in Washington in July.
Blinken will head to eastern Europe as concerns mount about Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia
Russia says its forces take over village in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, TASS reports
14:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russian forces have taken over the village of Berestove in Ukraine‘s northeastern Kharkiv region, the TASS news agency cited Russia‘s defence ministry as saying on Sunday.
Reuters could not immediately verify the battlefield reports.
In pictures: Deadly Russian attack in Kharkiv
14:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
G7 officials make progress but no final deal on money for Ukraine from frozen Russian assets
13:44 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Finance officials from the Group of Seven rich democracies said they had moved toward agreement on a U.S. proposal to squeeze more money for Ukraine from Russian assets frozen in their countries. But the ministers left a final deal to be worked out ahead of a June summit of national leaders.
“We are making progress in our discussions on potential avenues to bring forward the extraordinary profits stemming from immobilized Russian sovereign assets to the benefit of Ukraine,” the draft statement said, without providing details.
Despite the progress made at the the meeting in Stresa, on the shores of Lago Maggiore in northern Italy, a final decision on how the assets will be used will rest with the G7 national leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, next month at their annual summit in Fasano, in southern Italy.
G7 officials make progress but no final deal on money for Ukraine from frozen Russian assets
The death toll in Kharkiv attack rises to 14 as Zelensky warns of Russian troop movements
13:18 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Sunday that Russia is preparing to intensify its offensive along Ukraine’s northern border, as the death toll rose to 14 in an aerial bomb attack on a large construction supplies store in the city of Kharkiv.
The bombing of Kharkiv on Saturday afternoon also left 43 injured and 16 missing, Kharkiv Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said.
In a video statement from Kharkiv, Zelensky said that Russia is preparing offensive actions 90 kilometers (55 miles) northwest of Ukraine’s second largest city. He said that Russians “gather another group of troops near our border.”
The death toll in Kharkiv attack rises to 14 as Zelenskyy warns of Russian troop movements
Russia smashes train tracks in a battered Ukrainian border region where children are being evacuated
12:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A nighttime Russian attack destroyed train tracks and rolling stock in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, officials said Friday, and authorities organized the evacuation of children from the area that is being pummeled by the Kremlin’s forces in a powerful new offensive.
The overnight strike also damaged buildings and freight cars, according to Ukraine’s national railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia. No injuries were reported.
Authorities have evacuated more than 11,000 people from the Kharkiv region since Russia launched an offensive there on May 10, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said. Officials on Friday announced the mandatory evacuation over the next 60 days of 123 orphans and children living without their parents in the area.
Russia smashes train tracks in a battered Ukrainian border region where children are being evacuated
14 now confirmed dead in Russian strike on Kharkiv supermarket
12:27 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A Russian strike on a crowded DIY hardware store in Kharkiv killed 14 people and wounded dozens more, Ukrainian prosecutors said on Sunday morning, the death toll rising as the country’s second-largest city reeled from two attacks a day earlier.
Two guided bombs hit the Epicentr DIY hypermarket in a residential area of the city on Saturday afternoon, Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on national television.
The strikes caused a massive fire which sent a column of thick, black smoke billowing hundreds of metres into the air.
Urgent meeting held at desolate Antarctica airbase amid fears over Russian control
12:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Officials from Chile have met at the bottom of the planet in a bid to bolster claims in Antarctica as tensions escalate over Russian movement in the area.
Members of Chile‘s parliamentary defence committee flew to a desolate air base for a meeting billed as an assertion of national sovereignty.
Singling out Russia as posing such a threat, committee member Camila Flores said: “We are going to be sitting in Antarctica in an act of sovereignty, of safeguarding and supporting our national integrity in the face of any threats.”
Urgent meeting held at desolate Antarctica airbase amid fears over Russian control
Zelensky urges Biden and Xi to join peace summit
11:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Sunday to join an upcoming peace summit as his country struggles to stave off unrelenting attacks by Russia in its 27-month-old invasion.
Moscow’s forces have in recent weeks advanced on the battlefield and stepped up air strikes on cities, and Kyiv hopes the June meeting in Switzerland will help pile international pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In English-language video recorded inside the charred remains of a printing press destroyed on Thursday in a Russian air strike, Zelensky said the summit would “show who in the world really wants to end the war”.
“I am appealing to the leaders of the world who are still aside from the global efforts of the Global Peace Summit to President Biden, the leader of the United States, and to President Xi, the leader of China,” he said.
“Please, show your leadership in advancing the peace, the real peace and not just a pause between the strikes.”
These Ukrainians fear they will be the next target for Putin’s forces – but they will fight to the last
11:11 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Askold Krushelnycky reports from Sumy, near the border with Russia. About three hours drive from the fierce battles around Kharkiv, the area is preparing for its own assault by Moscow’s troops:
The city of Sumy is about 100 miles north of Kharkiv, but a similar distance from the Russian border. It is here that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and his military and intelligence chiefs, as well as western intelligence, believe could be the next target for Russian forces to attack.
Read more here:
These Ukrainians fear they will be the next target for Putin’s forces
Kharkiv DIY hardware store full of shoppers when strike hit
10:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Andriy Kudinov, director of the suburban shopping centre, told local media the hardware store in Kharkiv was full of shoppers buying items for their summer cottages when the attack happened.
It took 16 hours to fully extinguish the fire at the centre, which had raged over an area of 13,000 square metres (15,548 square yards), Interior Minister Klymenko said.
Rescuers, medics and journalists occasionally had to rush away from the scene of both strikes on the city and take cover on the ground, fearing another strike, as has occurred during several recent Russian attacks.
Dmytro Syrotenko, a 26-year-old employee of the DIY centre, described panicked scenes.
“I was at my workplace. I heard the first hit and … with my colleague, we fell to the ground. There was the second hit and we were covered with debris. Then we started to crawl to the higher ground,” said Syrotenko, who had a large gash on his face.
Syrotenko told Reuters he was taken to safety by a rescue worker who helped him, several colleagues, and shoppers.
A week of attacks in Kharkiv
10:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The past week has seen an uptick in strikes on the city after Russian troops stormed across the border, opening a new front north of the city.
Russia has bombarded Kharkiv, which lies less than 30 kilometres (20 miles) from its border, throughout the war, having reached its outskirts in a failed bid to capture it in 2022.
President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a plea to Ukraine‘s Western allies to help boost air defences to keep the country’s cities safe. French President Emmanuel Macron, writing on social media platform X, denounced the attack on the store as “unacceptable.”
A separate early evening missile strike hit a residential building in the centre of the city of 1.3 million. The number of people wounded by that strike had climbed to 25 by Sunday morning.
The missile left a crater several metres deep in the pavement at the foot of the building, which also housed a post office, a beauty salon and a cafe.
Emergency workers ushered away residents of nearby apartment buildings. Some of the injured had blood on their faces.
Just over the border, in Russia‘s Belgorod region, the regional governor said four residents died in Ukrainian attacks on Saturday.
Russian attack on Ukraine’s Kharkiv kills twelve as death toll rises
09:33 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A Russian strike on a crowded DIY hardware store in Kharkiv killed 12 people and wounded dozens more, Ukrainian prosecutors said on Sunday morning, the death toll rising as the country’s second-largest city reeled from two attacks a day earlier.
Two guided bombs hit the Epicentr DIY hypermarket in a residential area of the city on Saturday afternoon, Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on national television.
The strikes caused a massive fire which sent a column of thick, black smoke billowing hundreds of metres into the air.
Forty-three people were injured, the local prosecutors’ office said, adding that ten of the twelve dead had still not been identified.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said about 120 people had been in the hardware store when the bombs struck.
“The attack targeted the shopping centre, where there were many people – this is clearly terrorism,” Terekhov said.
In a post on the Telegram app, Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said 16 people were still missing after
12 Russian missiles and 31 drones destroyed in Ukrainian attack
09:00 , Stuti Mishra
Ukrainian forces destroyed 12 missiles and all 31 drones launched by Russia during its latest overnight air strike, Ukraine’s air force said on Sunday.
Two hypersonic Kinzhal missiles remained unaccounted for, but authorities did not immediately provide details of where they had struck.
The air force said the missiles and drones had been shot down over parts of southern, central, western and northern Ukraine.
Six killed in Russian attack on Kharkiv
08:30 , Stuti Mishra
At least six people were killed and nearly 60 were injured after a Russian missile struck Ukraine’s Kharkiv, including two guided bombs that struck a hardware store in the city’s residential area.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said about 120 people were in the hardware store when the bombs struck.
“The attack targeted the shopping center where there were many people. This is clearly terrorism,” Mr Terekhov said.
Hungary will seek to opt out of NATO efforts to support Ukraine, Orbán says
08:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Hungary will seek to opt out of any NATO operations aimed at supporting Ukraine, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Friday, suggesting that the military alliance and the European Union were moving toward a more direct conflict with Russia.
Orbán told state radio that Hungary opposes a plan NATO is weighing to provide more predictable military support to Ukraine in coming years to repel Moscow’s full-scale invasion, as better armed Russian troops assert control on the battlefield.
Hungary will seek to opt out of NATO efforts to support Ukraine, Orbán says
Four Russians killed in Ukrainian attacks
07:30 , Stuti Mishra
Ukranian attacks killed four Russians in southern Belgorod region were on Saturday, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
Three people were killed in the village of Oktyabrsky and a woman working in her garden was killed in the village of Dubovoye, Mr Gladkov said on Telegram.
Twelve people, including a child, were injured in the multiple rocket attacks.
The governor said the Ukranian military also shelled the town of Shebekino near the border and damaged several homes.
G7 officials make progress but no final deal on money for Ukraine from frozen Russian assets
07:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Finance officials from the Group of Seven rich democracies said they had moved toward agreement on a U.S. proposal to squeeze more money for Ukraine from Russian assets frozen in their countries. But the ministers left a final deal to be worked out ahead of a June summit of national leaders.
“We are making progress in our discussions on potential avenues to bring forward the extraordinary profits stemming from immobilized Russian sovereign assets to the benefit of Ukraine,” the draft statement said, without providing details.
Despite the progress made at the the meeting in Stresa, on the shores of Lago Maggiore in northern Italy, a final decision on how the assets will be used will rest with the G7 national leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, next month at their annual summit in Fasano, in southern Italy.
G7 officials make progress but no final deal on money for Ukraine from frozen Russian assets
Why are top Russian military officials being arrested
06:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied.
The arrests began after President Vladimir Putin began his fifth term and shuffled his ally, longtime Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, into a new post.
Why are top Russian military officials being arrested
US pushes for Ukraine aid, united front against China’s trade practices at G7 finance meeting
05:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The U.S. sought to build support for squeezing more money for Ukraine out of frozen Russian assets and for uniting against China’s trade practices as finance ministers from the Group of Seven rich democracies opened a two-day meeting on Friday on the shores of northern Italy’s scenic Lago Maggiore.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is pushing at the meeting in Stresa for “more ambitious options” to unlock money from some $260 billion in Russian central bank reserves frozen in Europe and the U.S. after the Feb. 24, 2022, invasion.
US pushes for Ukraine aid, united front against China’s trade practices at G7 finance meeting
US announces $275M in new military assistance for Ukraine
04:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The Biden administration announced on Friday an additional $275 million in military aid for Ukraine as Kyiv struggles to hold off advances by Russian troops in the Kharkiv region.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the package, which was previewed on Thursday by two U.S. officials, “is part of our efforts to help Ukraine repel Russia’s assault near Kharkiv.”
“Assistance from previous packages has already made it to the front lines, and we will move this new assistance as quickly as possible so the Ukrainian military can use it to defend their territory and protect the Ukrainian people,” Blinken said in a statement.
US announces $275M in new military assistance for Ukraine
Blinken will head to eastern Europe as concerns mount about Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia
03:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to eastern Europe next week as concerns mount about Russia’s advances in Ukraine, potential Russian interference in neighboring Moldova and pro-Moscow legislation being promoted in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, the State Department said Friday.
Blinken will visit the Moldovan capital of Chişinau on Wednesday before attending a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Prague on Thursday and Friday. That meeting will be the military alliance’s last major diplomatic get-together before leaders meet at a summit to celebrate NATO’s 80th anniversary in Washington in July.
Blinken will head to eastern Europe as concerns mount about Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia
02:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
European Central Bank policymaker Fabio Panetta had clear instructions for Italian banks on Saturday telling reporters that lenders must “get out” of Russia because staying in the country brings a “reputational problem.”
Raiffeisen is the largest European lender doing business in Russia, followed by UniCredit. Another large Italian lender, Intesa Sanpaolo is working to dispose of its Russian business.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s new secondary sanctions authority gives the Treasury the power to cut off banks from the U.S. financial system if they are found to be assisting the circumvention of primary sanctions against Russian and other entities over Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Yellen and other U.S. Treasury officials have said that Russia‘s economy is increasingly a “war economy” making it more difficult to distinguish between civilian and military or dual-use transactions.
The existence of the secondary sanctions has already chilled banks’ engagement with Russia, but Yellen has expressed concern that Russia is managing to find avenues to acquire goods needed to boost its military production, citing transactions through China, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.
European banks in Russia face ‘awful lot of risk’, Yellen says
01:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Reuters that European banks face growing risks operating in Russia and the U.S. is looking at strengthening its secondary sanctions on banks found to be aiding transactions for Russia‘s war effort.
“We are looking at potentially a tougher stepping-up of our sanctions on banks that do business in Russia,” Yellen told Reuters in an interview, declining to provide specifics and not identifying any banks at which they could be aimed.
Speaking on the sidelines of a G7 finance leaders meeting in northern Italy, Yellen said that sanctions related to banks’ dealings in Russia would only be imposed “if there was a reason to do so, but operating in Russia creates an awful lot of risk,” she added.
Asked whether she would like to see Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank International and Italian bank UniCredit pull out of Russia, Yellen said: “I believe their supervisors have advised them to be extremely careful about what they do there.”
Putin arrives in neighboring Belarus for a two-day visit with a key ally
Sunday 26 May 2024 00:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived Thursday in Belarus for a two-day visit as part of several foreign tours to kick off his fifth term in office, underscoring close ties with a neighboring ally that has been instrumental in Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
Putin traveled to China earlier this month, and is expected in Uzbekistan on Sunday. Earlier on Thursday, the Russian president hosted Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in the Kremlin.
In Belarus, Putin is to hold talks with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko. Lukashenko greeted him on the tarmac, and then the two sat down for a “short conversation” at the airport, the Kremlin reported. Lukashenko promised to discuss “security issues at the forefront, and tomorrow we will discuss economic issues together with our colleagues from the governments.”
Putin arrives in neighboring Belarus for a two-day visit with a key ally
They escaped Russia’s deadly assault on Kharkiv – now these Ukrainians face another catastrophe
Saturday 25 May 2024 23:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
People from villages and towns around the region have been forced by their homes by fierce fighting, reports Tom Watling:
They escaped Russia’s deadly assault on Kharkiv – now they face another catastrophe
Zelenskyy says Ukraine has taken back control in areas of Kharkiv region, aerial attacks continue
Saturday 25 May 2024 22:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Ukrainian forces have secured “combat control” of areas where Russian troops entered the northeastern Kharkiv region earlier this month, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
Meanwhile, two people were killed Saturday in an aerial attack on the city of Kharkiv, which is the region’s capital, according to local officials.
Kharkiv is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Russian border. Moscow’s troops have in recent weeks captured villages in the area as part of a broad push, and analysts say they may be trying to get within artillery range of the city. Ukrainian authorities have evacuated more than 11,000 people from the region since the start of the offensive on May 10.
Zelenskyy says Ukraine has taken back control in areas of Kharkiv region, aerial attacks continue
Russia begins nuclear drills in response to ‘provocative statements’
Saturday 25 May 2024 21:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russia’s Defense Ministry has said it began a round of drills involving tactical nuclear weapons.
The exercises were announced by Russian authorities this month in response to remarks by senior Western officials about the possibility of deeper involvement in the war in Ukraine.
It was the first time Russia has publicly announced drills involving tactical nuclear weapons, although its strategic nuclear forces regularly hold exercises.
Russia begins nuclear drills in response to ‘provocative statements’
Why are top Russian military officials being arrested
Saturday 25 May 2024 20:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied.
The arrests began after President Vladimir Putin began his fifth term and shuffled his ally, longtime Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, into a new post.
Why are top Russian military officials being arrested
Putin’s military purge ramps up as another Russian general arrested
Saturday 25 May 2024 19:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The deputy head of the Russian army’s General Staff has been accused of taking bribes and arrested, investigators have said – the latest in a slew of high-profile cases of alleged corruption to shake Vladimir Putin’s top brass.
The arrest of Lieutenant-General Vadim Shamarin is the fourth detention of a high-ranking defence figure within a month, starting on 23 April when Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov was placed in pre-trial detention for suspected bribe-taking.
Since then, Lieutenant-General Yuri Kuznetsov, head of personnel at the defence ministry, and Major-General Ivan Popov, former commander of Russia‘s 58th army, have also been arrested.
Putin’s military purge ramps up as another Russian general arrested
Norway further tightens its restrictions on the entry of Russians
Saturday 25 May 2024 18:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Norway on Thursday said it will further tighten its restrictions on the entry of people from Russia, saying those with tourist visas issued by Norway before regulations were tightened in 2022 or issued by another European country will be barred from entering the Scandinavian country as of next week.
Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl said the tightening was a response to “Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.”
Norway has a 198-kilometer (123-mile) -long border with Russia in the Arctic.
Norway further tightens its restrictions on the entry of Russians
Saturday 25 May 2024 17:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Witnesses described panicked scenes at the shopping centre after Russian strikes targeted a crowded DIY hardware store in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
“I was at my workplace. I heard the first hit and … with my colleague, we fell to the ground. There was the second hit and we were covered with debris. Then we started to crawl to the higher ground,” said Dmytro Syrotenko, who had a large gash to his face.
The 26-year-old told Reuters he was taken to safety by a rescue worker who helped him, several colleagues, and shoppers.
Immediately after the strike, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy issued a fresh plea for more air defence to be able to protect the city of about 1.3 million people.
Moscow denies deliberately targeting civilians, but thousands have been killed and injured during its 27-month full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russian strikes on Ukrainian city of Kharkiv kill at least two
Saturday 25 May 2024 16:58 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russian strikes on a crowded DIY hardware store in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Saturday killed at least two people, wounded many more, and triggered a huge blaze that fire crews were battling to contain, regional officials said.
Oleh Syniehubov, Kharkiv regional governor, said via the Telegram messaging app that two guided bombs had hit the DIY hypermarket in a residential area of the city. He said 24 people were injured along with the two confirmed deaths.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said many people were unaccounted for but gave no immediate figures. Officials said up to 200 people could have been in the hypermarket at the time of the strikes.
“The attack targeted the shopping centre, where there were many people – this is clearly terrorism,” Terekhov said.
Reuters video footage showed huge clouds of dark smoke rising into the sky from the site with firefighters’ vehicles and rescuers heading to the scene.
Rescuers, medics and journalists rushed away from the building and lay flat on their stomachs, fearing the possibility of a second strike – a common feature of Russia‘s recent attacks.
Putin arrives in neighboring Belarus for a two-day visit with a key ally
Saturday 25 May 2024 16:27 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived Thursday in Belarus for a two-day visit as part of several foreign tours to kick off his fifth term in office, underscoring close ties with a neighboring ally that has been instrumental in Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
Putin traveled to China earlier this month, and is expected in Uzbekistan on Sunday. Earlier on Thursday, the Russian president hosted Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in the Kremlin.
Putin arrives in neighboring Belarus for a two-day visit with a key ally
G7 officials make progress but no final deal on money for Ukraine from frozen Russian assets
Saturday 25 May 2024 15:54 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Finance officials from the Group of Seven rich democracies said they had moved toward agreement on a U.S. proposal to squeeze more money for Ukraine from Russian assets frozen in their countries. But the ministers left a final deal to be worked out ahead of a June summit of national leaders.
“We are making progress in our discussions on potential avenues to bring forward the extraordinary profits stemming from immobilized Russian sovereign assets to the benefit of Ukraine,” the draft statement said, without providing details.
Despite the progress made at the the meeting in Stresa, on the shores of Lago Maggiore in northern Italy, a final decision on how the assets will be used will rest with the G7 national leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, next month at their annual summit in Fasano, in southern Italy.
G7 officials make progress but no final deal on money for Ukraine from frozen Russian assets
They escaped Russia’s deadly assault on Kharkiv – now these Ukrainians face another catastrophe
Saturday 25 May 2024 15:21 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The Russian assault on the Ukraine’s northeastern region of Kharkiv threatens to leave thousands of newly-displaced civilians without homes, UN officials and aid workers have told The Independent, as the United Nations grapples with an “extremely worrying” shortage of humanitarian aid.
Tom Watling has more:
They escaped Russia’s deadly assault on Kharkiv – now they face another catastrophe
US announces $275M in new military assistance for Ukraine
Saturday 25 May 2024 14:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The Biden administration announced on Friday an additional $275 million in military aid for Ukraine as Kyiv struggles to hold off advances by Russian troops in the Kharkiv region.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the package, which was previewed on Thursday by two U.S. officials, “is part of our efforts to help Ukraine repel Russia’s assault near Kharkiv.”
“Assistance from previous packages has already made it to the front lines, and we will move this new assistance as quickly as possible so the Ukrainian military can use it to defend their territory and protect the Ukrainian people,” Blinken said in a statement.
US announces $275M in new military assistance for Ukraine
European Union criticises Russia for removing Estonian buoys, demand an explanation from Moscow
Saturday 25 May 2024 14:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Friday called the removal of Estonian buoys by Russian border guards on a river separating the Baltic country from Russia “unacceptable,” and demanded an explanation from Moscow and the immediate return of the orange floating devices.
Early Thursday, Estonian border guards noticed that their Russian counterpart had removed 25 of the 50 buoys that Estonia had installed on the Narva River to prevent boats from accidentally crossing the border.
Borrell said the incident “is part of a broader pattern of provocative behavior and hybrid actions by Russia.”
European Union criticizes Russia for removing Estonian buoys, demand an explanation from Moscow
Hungary will seek to opt out of NATO efforts to support Ukraine, Orbán says
Saturday 25 May 2024 13:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Hungary will seek to opt out of any NATO operations aimed at supporting Ukraine, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Friday, suggesting that the military alliance and the European Union were moving toward a more direct conflict with Russia.
Orbán told state radio that Hungary opposes a plan NATO is weighing to provide more predictable military support to Ukraine in coming years to repel Moscow’s full-scale invasion, as better armed Russian troops assert control on the battlefield.
“We do not approve of this, nor do we want to participate in financial or arms support (for Ukraine), even within the framework of NATO,” Orbán said, adding that Hungary has taken a position as a “nonparticipant” in any potential NATO operations to assist Kyiv.
Hungary will seek to opt out of NATO efforts to support Ukraine, Orbán says
Yellen says Ukraine loan plan has support, more work needed
Saturday 25 May 2024 13:21 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Saturday that a loan for Ukraine backed by the income from frozen Russian sovereign assets is the “main option” for G7 leaders to consider in June but added that she doesn’t want to “take anything off the table as a future possibility.”
Yellen told reporters at the end of a G7 finance meeting in northern Italy that the plan has broad-based support and there is “quite a bit of work to be done” to make it a reality, adding that the 27-member European Union needs to endorse it.
“It needs to be fleshed out within the EU so that it can become a proposal that the EU endorses, and that’s a lot of countries,” Yellen said. “It’s not a given, so I’m not saying this is a totally done deal.”
Why are top Russian military officials being arrested
Saturday 25 May 2024 12:48 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied.
The arrests began after President Vladimir Putin began his fifth term and shuffled his ally, longtime Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, into a new post.
It immediately raised questions about whether Putin was reasserting control over the Defense Ministry amid the war in Ukraine, whether a turf battle had broken out between the military and the security services, or whether some other scenario was playing out behind the Kremlin’s walls.
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Why are top Russian military officials being arrested
Russia will reciprocate if West illegally uses its assets, minister says
Saturday 25 May 2024 12:08 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russia will reciprocate if Western countries illegally use its assets, the TASS news agency cited Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov as saying on Saturday.
Siluanov was commenting on plans by the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialised democracies to use income from frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine.
Russia says its forces take over village in eastern Ukraine, Interfax reports
Saturday 25 May 2024 11:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russian forces have taken over the village of Arkhanhelske in Ukraine‘s eastern Donetsk region, the Interfax news agency cited Russia‘s defence ministry as saying on Saturday.
Russian forces are also advancing in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine, having repelled two counter-attacks by Ukrainian forces, the ministry said.
Hungary will seek to opt out of NATO efforts to support Ukraine, Orbán says
Saturday 25 May 2024 10:56 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Hungary will seek to opt out of any NATO operations aimed at supporting Ukraine, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Friday, suggesting that the military alliance and the European Union were moving toward a more direct conflict with Russia.
Orbán told state radio that Hungary opposes a plan NATO is weighing to provide more predictable military support to Ukraine in coming years to repel Moscow’s full-scale invasion, as better armed Russian troops assert control on the battlefield.
“We do not approve of this, nor do we want to participate in financial or arms support (for Ukraine), even within the framework of NATO,” Orbán said, adding that Hungary has taken a position as a “nonparticipant” in any potential NATO operations to assist Kyiv.
Hungary will seek to opt out of NATO efforts to support Ukraine, Orbán says
Putin’s military purge ramps up as another Russian general arrested
Saturday 25 May 2024 10:36 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The deputy head of the Russian army’s General Staff has been accused of taking bribes and arrested, investigators have said – the latest in a slew of high-profile cases of alleged corruption to shake Vladimir Putin’s top brass.
The arrest of Lieutenant-General Vadim Shamarin is the fourth detention of a high-ranking defence figure within a month, starting on 23 April when Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov was placed in pre-trial detention for suspected bribe-taking.
Since then, Lieutenant-General Yuri Kuznetsov, head of personnel at the defence ministry, and Major-General Ivan Popov, former commander of Russia‘s 58th army, have also been arrested.
Putin’s military purge ramps up as another Russian general arrested
Ukraine forces say 10 Russian attacks repelled in area around Kharkiv
Saturday 25 May 2024 10:08 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The Ukrainian military’s General Staff, in its evening report on Friday, said the situation in Vovchansk, Kharkiv was “tense but controlled by the defence forces”.
“The Russian army today launched air terror against this town — eight guided bombs hit the town,” it said. Attacks were launched on at least two other settlements north of Kharkiv.
A late-night report by the General Staff said Ukrainian forces had repelled 10 Russian attacks in the area, including around Vovchansk.
It also noted Russian forces had achieved “partial success” in areas near Kupiansk, further east in Kharkiv region, and the Pokrovsk sector where heavy fighting has been taking place further south in Donetsk region.
Ukrainian military bloggers said Ukrainian troops had been holding their ground around Vovchansk and Russian forces were using less infantry in the area and instead firing from a distance, with limited accuracy.
Zelensky says Ukrainian forces now control area where Russia pushed into Kharkiv region
Saturday 25 May 2024 09:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that Ukrainian forces had secured “combat control” of areas where Russian troops staged an incursion this month in northern parts of Kharkiv region.
“Our soldiers have now managed to take combat control of the border area where the Russian occupiers entered,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address.
Zelensky’s comments, after holding a meeting of military and regional officials in Kharkiv, Ukraine‘s second largest city, appeared to be at variance with comments by Russian officials.
Viktor Vodolatskiy, a member of Russia‘s State Duma lower house of parliament, was quoted by Tass news agency as saying Russian forces controlled more than half the territory of the town of Vovchansk, 5 km (three miles) inside the border.
Vodolatskiy was quoted as saying that once Vovchansk was secured, Russian forces would target three cities in Ukraine‘s eastern Donetsk region — Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Pokrovsk.
G7 will try to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine
Saturday 25 May 2024 09:09 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The G7 will explore ways of using the future income from frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine, finance chiefs from the Group of Seven industrial democracies said on Saturday, according to a draft statement seen by Reuters.
The G7 froze some $300 billion of Russian assets shortly after Moscow invaded its neighbour in February 2022.
“We are making progress in our discussions on potential avenues to bring forward the extraordinary profits stemming from immobilized Russian sovereign assets to the benefit of Ukraine,” the draft statement said.
The statement will not undergo significant changes before a final version to be released later on Saturday, a G7 source said.
The ministers will be joined on Saturday by Ukraine‘s Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko, whose war-torn country is struggling to contain a Russian offensive in the north and the east, more than two years after Moscow first invaded.
The finance ministers and central bankers meeting in Stresa, northern Italy, aim to present options on the issue of Ukraine funding for G7 heads of government to consider at a summit in mid-June, the statement said.
“Consistent with our respective legal systems, Russia‘s sovereign assets in our jurisdictions will remain immobilized until Russia pays for the damage it has caused to Ukraine,” the statement said.
Allies should ‘lift restrictions’ to let Ukraine strike inside Russia, says Nato chief
Saturday 25 May 2024 08:23 , Stuti Mishra
Nato boss Jens Stoltenberg, whose 10-year stint in charge is coming to an end, says it’s high time for allies to reconsider the restrictions they have put on the weapons supplied to Ukraine, to let Kyiv strike inside Russia.
“I think the time has come for allies to consider whether they should lift some of the restrictions they are put on the use of weapons they have donated to Ukraine because, especially now when a lot the fighting is going on in Kharkiv, close to the border,” the NATO chief said in an interview with the Economist.
To deny Ukraine the possibility of using these weapons against legitimate military targets on Russian territory makes it very hard for them to defend themselves”.
Jens Stoltenberg, Nato secretary general
He said Russia is waging a war of aggression and Ukraine has the right to defend themselves.
“And that includes also striking targets on Russian territory,” the NATO chief said, noting that some allies have already lifted such restrictions and “it is time for other allies” to consider this.
Mr Stoltenberg emphasised that self-defence is “enshrined in the UN Charter”.
“It is legal, it is legitimate, and we are helping Ukraine with upholding that right and that should include the ability to also strike targets on Russian territory,” he said.
Zelensky visits Kharkiv region amid Russian attack
Saturday 25 May 2024 07:00 , Matt Mathers
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has visited the northeast region of Kharkiv amid Russia’s fresh assault in the area.
The Ukrainian leader said he discussed the frontline situation, particularly in the town of Vovchansk, which has become a primary defensive position near the border with Russia.
The governor of the region, Oleh Syniehubov, and the mayor of the region’s namesake capital, Igor Terekhov, were both in attendance.
Today I am in Kharkiv.
I held a meeting on the regional situation and heating season preparations. I also received updates on defense operations, particularly in the Vovchansk area, as well as the recovery of damaged energy infrastructure.
We paid special attention to the… pic.twitter.com/LwrlHwSLIH
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 24, 2024
Six killed in Russian attack on Kharkiv
04:56 , Stuti Mishra
At least six people were killed and nearly 60 were injured after a Russian missile struck Ukraine’s Kharkiv, including two guided bombs that struck a hardware store in the city’s residential area.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said about 120 people were in the hardware store when the bombs struck.
“The attack targeted the shopping centre where there were many people. This is clearly terrorism,” Mr Terekhov said.
ICYMI: US pushes for Ukraine aid, united front against China’s trade practices at G7 finance meeting
Saturday 25 May 2024 06:00 , Matt Mathers
The US sought to build support for squeezing more money for Ukraine out of frozen Russian assets and for uniting against China’s trade practices as finance ministers from the Group of Seven rich democracies opened a two-day meeting on Friday on the shores of northern Italy’s scenic Lago Maggiore.
Treasury secretary Janet Yellen is pushing at the meeting in Stresa for “more ambitious options” to unlock money from some $260 billion in Russian central bank reserves frozen in Europe and the US after the 24 Feb invasion.
US pushes for Ukraine aid, united front against China’s trade practices at G7 finance meeting
Four Russians killed in Ukrainian attacks
04:56 , Stuti Mishra
Ukranian attacks killed four Russians in southern Belgorod region were on Saturday, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
Three people were killed in the village of Oktyabrsky and a woman working in her garden was killed in the village of Dubovoye, Mr Gladkov said on Telegram.
Twelve people, including a child, were injured in the multiple rocket attacks.
The governor said the Ukranian military also shelled the town of Shebekino near the border and damaged several homes.
Ukrainian forces now control area where Russia pushed into Kharkiv region, says Zelensky
Saturday 25 May 2024 05:00 , Stuti Mishra
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Ukrainian forces had secured “combat control” of areas where Russian troops staged an incursion this month in northern parts of Kharkiv region.
“Our soldiers have now managed to take combat control of the border area where the Russian occupiers entered,” Mr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.
His comments, after holding a meeting of military and regional officials in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, appeared to be at variance with comments by Russian officials.
Russian forces pushed into border regions of Ukraine‘s Kharkiv region this month and Russia’s Defence Ministry said they had secured control of about 12 settlements.
Kharkiv supermarket attacks sees at least 14 dead and more wounded
18:23 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
