Today
Saturday 15 July 2023
17:22
Russia claims it is considering attacks
The Russian Security Services (FSB) claim to have prevented the assassination of Margarita Simonian, one of the main voices in the Kremlin media machine, and Ksenia Sobchak, a famous influencer criticizing the offensive in Ukraine. In a press release, the FSB claims to have arrested members of a neo-Nazi group called “Paragraph-88” in Moscow and Russia’s Ryazan region and hired them to be hired by the Ukrainian services to kill those two targets. These claims cannot be independently confirmed, AFP said.
“If it is true, then many thanks to all departments involved. But if it’s not true and the idea was just to put myself in a sentence with Simonian, then it’s just ordinary meanness,” Ksenia Sobchak reacted on her Telegram account.
15:36
Grain Agreement
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a phone call with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday that the key objective of Ukraine’s grain deal, which expires on July 17, has not been met.
“Vladimir Putin stressed that the commitments laid down in the Russia-UN memorandum on removing barriers to the export of Russian food and fertilizers are still not being fulfilled,” the Kremlin said. “The main objective of the agreement, the supply of grain to countries in need, especially on the African continent, will not be achieved.”
15:13
HELP FROM SOUTH KOREA
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol pledges to increase the volume of humanitarian and non-lethal military aid to Ukraine after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kiev.
Seoul “will increase the amount of support provided over the last year when we provided materials such as helmets and bulletproof vests,” Yoon Suk Yeol said. His country’s humanitarian aid to Ukraine will increase from $100 million in 2022 to $150 million in 2023, he added.
14:47
ZELENSKY THANKS HIS SOUTH KOREAN COUNTERPART
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday for his “meaningful” first visit to Ukraine. “Today, during this first visit of the President of the Republic of Korea to Ukraine in the history of our relations, we discussed everything that is important for people to lead normal and safe lives,” said the President of Ukraine and added: “Thank you for these meaningful conversations. Thank you for your active support.”
11:21
UKRAINIAN STRATEGY
We come back to the revelations of Valeri Zaloujny, the chief of the armed forces of Kiev, in the Washington Post columns ↓
International
Posted today at 11:04 am.
11:19
Belarus is preparing an “Action Plan”.
The Belarusian Ministry of Defense states that it has received “numerous requests regarding the training” of the Wagner militia officers. So much so that he says he is in the process of developing a “roadmap for training and transfer of experience between units in the various branches of the army.”
10:42
Russian drones shot down
The Ukrainian Air Force claims to have shot down four of the six Russian drones launched in the south of the country for the fifth straight night of attacks. Russian forces attacked the Zaporizhia and Mykolaiv regions, injuring at least one civilian, local authorities said in the morning.
10:30 a.m
UPDATE ON THE SITUATION
We look back at the highlights of the last 24 hours ↓
International
Posted today at 8:31am.
10:05
THE SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT IN UKRAINE
Yoon Suk Yeol traveled to Ukraine for the first time on Saturday for talks with his counterpart, according to media reports from the South Korean presidential office.
09:01
UKRAINIAN MISSILES IN RUSSIA
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhnyi recognized his strategy of attacking Russia. In an interview with the Washington Post, the man who led the Kiev troops for more than 500 days says he used weapons made in Ukraine in the attack behind the lines. A strategy that circumvents the condition imposed by the West on the weapons it supplies not to be used for attacks on Russian soil.
“It’s our problem and it’s up to us to decide how to kill the enemy. It is possible and necessary to kill in a war on its territory. If our partners are afraid to use their weapons, we will kill with ours, but only.” What is necessary, he argued. The commander-in-chief of the Kiev Armed Forces added that he wants to liberate Crimea as soon as he can afford it. “I’ll do something.” I don’t care, nobody’s going to stop me.
08:33
CRITICISM OF THE RUSSIAN COMMAND
In its latest report, British intelligence reveals that a Russian general’s devastating attacks on the Kremlin could have a snowball effect. In a video released on Wednesday, Ivan Popov, the commander of Russia’s 58ᵉ Army, claims he was fired from the Defense Ministry after denouncing his men’s problems. In particular, he accuses the leaders of the Russian Defense Ministry of “brutally beheading the army at the most difficult and intense moment.”
07:08
WHAT FUTURE FOR WAGNER?
Belarus has announced that Wagner Group mercenaries are now serving as “instructors” for their own army. This announcement by the country allied with Moscow comes after weeks of uncertainty about the future of this paramilitary group, which had led an insurgency against Moscow.
07:05
RUSSIAN SPY
Vadim Konoshchenok, a suspected agent of the Russian secret service, has been remanded in custody on American soil. The individual, who faces up to 30 years in prison, is accused of “supplying Russia with advanced American technologies and ammunition intended for its unlawful and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine,” said Andrew Adams, director of the KleptoCapture teams that reports to the Department of Justice. According to US authorities, more than 450 kg of ammunition were seized in connection with this case.
The extradition of this suspect comes as Washington seeks to negotiate the release of several American citizens detained in Russia, including Paul Whelan, a former Marine Corps corporal, and journalist Evan Gershkovich, both accused of espionage.
07:04
THE COUNTER-OFFENSIVE PENALTY
Several Ukrainian leaders admitted on Friday that the counterattack, which had been announced for many months, was difficult to achieve. But this failure is only relative and temporary, they say. Explanations of Yuryi Sak, Advisor to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on LCI ↓
07:01
WELCOME
Hello and welcome to this direct edition dedicated to the war in Ukraine.