An hour ago
Russia says Israeli call for its citizens to leave North Caucasus is ‘anti-Russian’
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday that Israel’s recommendation that its citizens leave Russia’s North Caucasus region after a violent anti-Israel protest in Dagestan on Sunday was “anti-Russian.”
Pro-Palestinian protesters storm an airport terminal in Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia, on October 29, 2023, in this screenshot from a video obtained by Portal.
Social Media | Via Portal
In a briefing with reporters, Zakharova said Israel’s warning against travel to the predominantly Muslim regions of the North Caucasus had “no connection to reality.”
Dozens were arrested after hundreds of protesters stormed Dagestan’s Makhachkala airport on Sunday, searching for Jewish passengers aboard a plane arriving from Tel Aviv.
—Portal
An hour ago
Ukraine blocks Russian advance attempts near Vuhledar
Ukrainian forces have repelled the latest Russian attack near the strategic town of Vuhledar in the eastern Donetsk region, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday.
Ukrainian-held Vuhledar has long been a hotspot of fighting because it lies between the eastern and southern fronts.
“There was an attempt by the enemy to advance towards Vuhledar, but our soldiers stopped it and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy: dozens of vehicles, many killed and wounded,” Zelensky said on Telegram.
Ukrainian soldiers fire at targets on the front line towards the town of Vuhledar in Donetsk, Ukraine.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
“Defensive measures in Avdiivka and our offensive operations in the south also continue,” he added. Zelensky said Ukraine’s Defense Ministry reported the arrival of shells, rockets and equipment at the front. CNBC was not able to immediately verify Zelensky’s comments.
Defense analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said Wednesday that the fighting around Avdiivka is now reminiscent of an unsuccessful offensive against Vuhledar last year.
“The current situation near Avdiivka is a microcosm of the Russian General Staff’s general failure to internalize and pass on to other force groupings throughout the theater the lessons learned by Russian forces in previous failed offensive efforts in Ukraine,” Das said ISW in its analysis.
“Various Russian elements conducted similarly catastrophic infantry-led frontal mechanized attacks on fortified Ukrainian positions along several different axes throughout 2022 and 2023,” it said.
“Russian forces previously suffered significant personnel and materiel losses during an unsuccessful offensive against Wuhledar… in the winter of 2022-2023, which was characterized by multiple waves of mechanized attacks against fortified Ukrainian positions.”
– Holly Ellyatt
2 hours ago
Russia rejects Ukraine’s claim that the war has reached a “stalemate.”
Russia rejected claims by Ukraine’s top military commander that the 20-month-old conflict in Ukraine had reached a dead end.
“No, it has not reached a dead end,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday, RIA Novosti news agency reported.
“Russia is consistently conducting a special military operation. All set goals must be achieved,” said the Kremlin press secretary. Russia calls its invasion of Ukraine a “special military operation.”
A New Year’s decoration in the style of the “Kremlin Star”, a tactical badge of Russian troops in Ukraine, on January 2, 2023 in Moscow.
Natalia Kolesnikova | Afp | Getty Images
“In fact, the Kiev regime had to understand a long time ago that it is absurd to even talk about prospects for the Kiev regime’s victory on the battlefield. The sooner the Kiev regime realizes this, the sooner prospects will open up,” Peskov added.
The Kremlin’s comments came after Ukraine’s commander-in-chief acknowledged that there had been little success in Ukraine’s five-month counteroffensive to retake Russian-occupied territory.
Ukrainian General Valeri Zaluzhny compared the current state of conflict to World War I, in which battles were often fought over a few kilometers of territory at the expense of large numbers of soldiers, and said the war had reached a dead end.
“There will most likely not be a deep and beautiful breakthrough,” he told The Economist magazine in an interview published Thursday.
– Holly Ellyatt
3 hours ago
The Wagner Group reportedly begins recruiting again after Prigozhin’s death
According to Russian media reports, the Russian mercenary group Wagner has started recruiting fighters again several months after the death of its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin.
After stopping following Prigozhin’s failed military uprising in June and his subsequent death in a plane crash in August, recruitment will resume in at least two regions months, the Moscow Times reported, citing other media outlets in Russia.
A member of the Wagner private mercenary group pays tribute to Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitri Utkin after their apparent deaths in a plane crash on August 23, 2023.
Vladimir Nikolayev | Afp | Getty Images
“According to online news outlets 59.ru and NGS.ru, the private military company has begun recruiting fighters as part of the Russian National Guard (Rosgvardia) in the central Perm region and the Novosibirsk region in Siberia,” the English-language version said newspaper said the news agency.
“The emblems and symbols remain the same,” an anonymous Wagner spokesman was quoted as saying by 59.ru, while Novosibirsk broadcaster NGS.ru was told by another Wager source that the new “contracts will not be signed with the Defense Ministry, but “Rosgvardia.”
Prigozhin’s 25-year-old son Pavel will reportedly lead the new National Guard unit under the name “Wagner,” the Moscow Times reported.
The Wagner Group mercenaries fought alongside regular Russian units in Ukraine, but Prigozhin rejected plans by the Russian Defense Ministry, announced earlier that year and of which he was highly critical, to invite Wagner fighters to sign contracts with the ministry to force.
Russia denied allegations that it played a role in Prigozhin’s death and said it was investigating the plane crash that killed him.
– Holly Ellyatt
3 hours ago
According to the United Kingdom, Russia has lost at least four long-range missile launchers in the past week
A rocket launches from an S-400 missile system at the Ashuluk military base in southern Russia on September 22, 2020.
Dimitar Dilkoff | AFP | Getty Images
According to the British Ministry of Defense, Russia likely lost at least four long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) launchers to Ukrainian attacks last week.
Russian media reported that three Russian SA-21 launchers were destroyed in the Luhansk region of Ukraine in late October, while Ukrainian sources reported further Russian air defense losses in Crimea in recent days.
“Russia has long placed great emphasis on large-scale, high-tech, long-range SAM systems as a key component of its military strategy,” the UK said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“The recent losses highlight that Russia’s integrated air defense system continues to struggle with modern precision strike weapons and will most likely increase the already significant burden on remaining systems and operators,” it added.
The ministry assumes that there is a realistic possibility that by replacing the destroyed systems in Ukraine, Russia will weaken its air defense in other operational areas.
– Holly Ellyatt
4 hours ago
Ukraine’s top military leader admits war is in a ‘stalemate’
Valery Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, at an event commemorating Ukraine’s Independence Day on August 24, 2023 in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Ukraine’s commander-in-chief has admitted that the war against Russia has reached a “stalemate” and there have been few successes and progress in Ukraine’s five-month counteroffensive.
Ukrainian General Valery Zaluzhny compared the current state of conflict to World War I – in which many long and intense battles were fought, sometimes over a few miles of territory and at the expense of large numbers of men – and said the war was ultimately a dead end.
“Just like in the First World War, we have reached the level of technology that puts us in a stalemate,” he told The Economist magazine, adding that it would take a huge leap in technology to break the impasse.
“There will most likely not be a deep and beautiful breakthrough.”
Ukraine launched its much-anticipated counteroffensive in June, hoping to break Russia’s influence over an area in southern and eastern Ukraine. However, Russia had months in advance to consolidate its positions, and Ukraine struggled to overcome layers of deep defensive lines of minefields, trenches and anti-tank obstacles while simultaneously being attacked by Russian artillery and air power.
Ukraine has repeatedly said it needs longer-range weapons, more air defense and its own air force to effectively fight Russia. While its allies have donated huge amounts of equipment, decisions on other weapon parts, such as tanks, have been a laborious affair and deliveries have been slow.
Ukrainian military personnel receive tank maneuver training on German-made Leopard 2 main battle tanks at the Spanish Army training center in San Gregorio, Zaragoza, March 13, 2023.
Oscar Del Pozo | AFP | Getty Images
Zaluzhny told The Economist that he made a mistake when he thought he could stop Russia by bleeding its troops dry. “That was my fault. Russia lost at least 150,000 dead. In any other country, such losses would have stopped the war.”
Russia has shown it can mobilize thousands of men quickly and at will, and is estimated to have over 420,000 troops stationed in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian defense intelligence, with troops having varying military skills and training. For example, some Russian units are made up of former prisoners who are offered the opportunity to fight in exchange for reduced sentences and wages.
Russia launched a partial mobilization last year and called up around 300,000 people. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in October that Russia had no plans for additional mobilization, with more than 335,000 people having signed up to fight so far this year.
– Holly Ellyatt
Wed, November 1, 2023, 6:29 am EDT
Ukraine has experienced the most attacks in one day since the beginning of the year
A Ukrainian soldier drives a car near the front line as the Russo-Ukrainian war continues in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Oct. 27, 2023.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Russia has increased the intensity of its attacks on Ukraine. A minister said the country saw the most attacks in one day since the start of the year on Tuesday.
Russian troops shelled 118 settlements in ten regions of Ukraine last day, causing deaths and casualties, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram on Wednesday
“This is the largest number of towns and villages hit since the beginning of the year,” he said, adding: “During the night the occupiers launched massive shelling on the territory of Ukraine, there were dead and wounded.”
Klymenko said a number of regions had been attacked, including Poltava, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson and Mykolaiv.
– Holly Ellyatt
22 hours ago
As Portal reports, the Italian prime minister discussed international “fatigue” over the Ukraine war with pranksters
As Portal reported, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a phone call with Russian pranksters in September that there was international “fatigue” with the war in Ukraine.
“I see that there is a lot of fatigue, I have to be honest, from all sides. We are on the verge of the moment when everyone understands that we need a way out,” she reportedly said.
“The problem is finding a way out that is acceptable to both without destroying international law,” she added.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Antonio Masiello | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Meloni also noted that Italy is not receiving enough help from other nations to cope with the large number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean.
Two Russians released the 13-minute audio of the call online on Wednesday after pulling several similar pranks designed to trick Western politicians and celebrities into making off-color remarks.
“They all agree that only Italy has to solve this problem on its own. That’s a very stupid way of thinking,” she reportedly said.
Meloni’s office said the fraudsters posed as heads of the African Union Commission.
—Hannah Ward Glenton
23 hours ago
Russia claims that all F-16s delivered to Ukraine will only last “about 20 days.”
Russia’s defense minister claimed on Wednesday that any F-16 fighter jets the West is supplying to Ukraine will last only about 20 days if Russian air defense systems operate effectively.
The United States has announced that it will begin flight training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.
Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
In a conference call with military officials, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed that Russian air defense systems shot down 37 aircraft last month and that this was almost twice as many F-16 aircraft as expected by Russia’s Western allies.
“That is, with such work, our air defense systems will work [would have] “About 20 working days,” he said in comments posted on the Russian Defense Ministry’s Telegram account. CNBC was unable to verify Shoigu’s claims.
Several of Ukraine’s allies in Europe, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Norway, have pledged to supply Kyiv with F-16 fighter jets, although the time frame for training and delivery, as well as the number of aircraft donated, varies from country to nation and is not yet fully confirmed.
Denmark is expected to supply Kiev with 19 jets, but deliveries will take place in tranches, with the first six scheduled for delivery in March or April 2024.
– Holly Ellyatt
Wed, November 1, 2023, 8:36 a.m. EDT
Ukraine says Russian warplanes are dropping explosives on shipping routes in the Black Sea
Ukraine said on Wednesday that Russian warplanes had dropped “explosive objects” three times in the past 24 hours on the likely routes of civilian ships in the Black Sea, but the fledgling shipping corridor was still operational.
Ukraine is trying to build a new shipping route without Russian consent to boost its vital sea exports. Russia said it would view any ship as a potential military target after it canceled a United Nations-brokered deal in July that allowed some food exports to flow despite the war.
The first cargo ship to use new shipping routes in the Black Sea leaves the southern port of Odessa on August 16, 2023. Ukraine said the first cargo ship to use the shipping lanes left a southern port, despite threats from Russia that its navy might attack ships leaving the country. “The first ship is moving along the temporary corridors established for civilian ships to and from Black Sea ports,” Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said in a statement. (Photo by STRINGER / AFP) (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)
Stringers | Afp | Getty Images
“The occupiers continue to terrorize the routes of civilian shipping in the Black Sea with tactical aircraft and drop explosive objects into the likely routes of civilian shipping,” the southern military command said.
“Three such drops were recorded in the last 24 hours. However, the navigation corridor continues to function under the supervision of the Defense Forces,” it said.
The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The spokeswoman for Ukraine’s Southern Command said on Tuesday that Russia regularly drops guided bombs, sea mines or other yet unknown explosive devices near the corridor, public broadcaster Suspilne reported.
—Portal
Wed, November 1, 2023, 7:59 am EDT
Two Russian tanks explode on their own mines, Ukraine claims
View of a captured Russian T-72 tank hidden in a forest near Kivsharivka, Ukraine.
Michael Brochstein | Light rocket | Getty Images
Ukraine claimed two Russian tanks exploded on their own mines as they retreated after an attempt to storm Ukrainian positions.
“In the Kupiansk direction, after another unsuccessful attack on our positions, two enemy T-72 tanks returned to the original line and exploded on their own mines,” the 15th Mobile Border Command “Steel Frontier” said on Facebook on Wednesday.
“One of them exploded immediately, the other just ‘took off’ and damaged the track,” said the post, which also included a video showing an explosion.
The department wryly said it had sent two drones to the damaged tank to perform “explosive maintenance” and that “both tanks are now beyond repair.” CNBC was unable to verify the information in the post.
The Kupiansk region in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine is one of the war’s fighting hotspots, with fighting in the region increasing significantly in recent days, defense analysts say. Ukraine says Russian forces are trying to reoccupy the city of Kupiansk because it is a key logistics hub.
– Holly Ellyatt
Wed, November 1, 2023, 6:55 a.m. EDT
Ukraine will be defeated despite NATO help, claims the Russian Defense Minister
Russia’s defense minister claimed on Wednesday that Ukraine was facing defeat despite massive military support from the Western military alliance NATO.
“Despite the supply of new types of NATO weapons, the Kiev regime is suffering defeat. The group of Russian troops continues to conduct active defense and inflict effective fire damage on the enemy,” Sergei Shoigu said in a conference call on Wednesday, RIA Novosti news agency reported.
Shoigu then claimed that Ukrainian forces tried “desperately and unsuccessfully” to attack in the direction of Zaporozhye, Donetsk and Kherson, but that this resulted in heavy losses.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) speaks with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (R) during the annual Navy Day parade on July 30, 2023 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Contributor | Getty Images
“The Armed Forces of Ukraine are becoming exhausted and the demoralization of personnel is increasing,” Shoigu claimed, without providing evidence. In the meantime, Russian units had advanced, he said.
Russia has increased the intensity of its attacks on Ukraine, with the country’s interior minister noting on Wednesday that the country had seen the most attacks in a day since the start of the year on Tuesday.
Defense experts tend to agree that Ukraine’s counteroffensive launched in June has not been as successful as hoped, as the front line has changed little and fighting remains extremely grueling.
Analysts at the Institute for War Research said on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces continued offensive operations near Bakhmut and in the western Zaporizhzhia region, while “Russian forces” continued offensive operations along the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna line, near Bakhmut, near Avdiivka, in the west and continued southwest of the city of Donetsk, in the Donetsk-Zaporizhia border area and in the west of Zaporizhzhia Oblast [region] and advanced near Avdiivka.”
– Holly Ellyatt
5 hours ago