Russia has fired a missile at a Liberia-flagged civilian ship entering a port in the Black Sea region of Odesa, according to the Ukrainian army. A harbour pilot was killed and four of the ship’s crew were injured in the attack on Wednesday. “The missile hit the structure of a civilian vessel flying the Liberian … Read moreUkraine says Russia struck civilian ship near Odesa
Russia sought to break out of its diplomatic isolation, resupply its dwindling weapons stockpiles, and take back the military initiative it lost this year in the 86th week of its war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to celebrate the 10th anniversary of China’s Belt and Road initiative, which … Read moreRussia attempts to seize military, diplomatic initiative against Ukraine
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to meet Vladimir Putin on Monday, hoping to persuade the Russian leader to rejoin the Black Sea grain deal that Moscow broke off from in July. The meeting, to take place in Sochi on Russia’s southern coast, comes after weeks of speculation about when and where the two … Read moreWhat’s at stake in the upcoming Erdogan-Putin meeting?
A Russian tanker was damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Black Sea, the second such strike in 24 hours, in the latest sign of Kyiv’s growing focus on naval warfare. Russia’s chemical tanker SIG received a hole in the engine room near the waterline, Russia’s marine agency said on Saturday. Tugboats were deployed … Read moreRussian tanker damaged in new water drone attack
Ukraine’s coastal region of Odesa was rattled by Russian drones which hit grain storage facilities in the south of the region, according to authorities in Kyiv. The grain port of Izmail, an inland port across the Danube River from NATO-member Romania, was the main target of Moscow’s drone attack. About 40,000 tonnes of grain destined … Read moreRussia targets Odesa port, angering Ukraine and nearby Romania
Ukraine may have launched a major new thrust of its counteroffensive in the 74th week of the war, even as it tried to convince its Western allies to supply more long-range weapons. Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had fended off “a massive assault” on June 26 by three mechanised battalions. The thrust of the … Read moreUkraine may have launched a new push, but seeks longer-range weapons
In the Lithuanian border town of Barvoniskes, a small group of elderly residents gather at a local church for the Sunday service. As they settle into their seats, a priest dressed in flowing cream-coloured robes takes to the altar to deliver the weekly sermon, followed by a short prayer for peace and security in the … Read moreLithuanian border towns grapple with threat of Russia-Ukraine war
There are a “number of ideas being floated” to help get Ukrainian and Russian grain and fertilizer to global markets after Moscow quit a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain, the United Nations said on Tuesday. The Black Sea deal was brokered by the U.N. and Turkey in July last year … Read moreUN says ideas ‘floated’ on how to get Ukraine, Russia grain to world
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has returned home, from a visit to Turkey, with five commanders of Ukraine’s former garrison in Mariupol, a move Russia said violated the terms of a prisoner exchange deal engineered last year. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday that Ankara had promised under the exchange agreement to keep the men … Read moreUkraine’s Zelenskyy brings home Azovstal commanders from Turkey
The United States has made no adjustments to its nuclear posture following Russia’s deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus and denounced comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow could “theoretically” use nuclear weapons if there was a threat to its territorial integrity or existence. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that … Read morePutin confirms nukes in Belarus, US slates Russian sabre-rattling