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The Freedom of Russia Legion and the Siberian Battalion both announced on their Telegram pages that they had launched attacks into Russia from Ukraine.
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The Freedom of Russia Legion said in its Telegram post:
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We will take our land from the regime centimetre by centimetre.
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Reuters could not independently verify the claims.
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Russian officials could not be immediately reached for comment on the claims on Tuesday.
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In the past, Russian officials have cast the groups as puppets of the Ukrainian military and US Central Intelligence Agency, which Moscow says is trying to foment chaos in Russia.
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Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence, told Ukraine’s 24 Channel the groups were conducting the operation on Russian territory independently of Ukraine.
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Yusov said a third group, the Russian Volunteer Corps, was also participating in the operation.
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The legion’s post appeared to refer to the upcoming Russian election, which will take place this weekend, stating:
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The people will vote for whom they want, not for whom they have to. Russians will live freely.
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The Freedom of Russia legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps have previously claimed responsibility for other cross-border raids into Russia from Ukraine.
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important events
The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said there were no direct security concerns due to Ukrainian personnel being prohibited from entering the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, but Ukraine It called it a “grave concern.”
IAEA Director General Grossi said in an interview with Reuters:
This situation is not sustainable in the long term. At the same time, the current configuration during the shutdown allows the staff there to do their jobs.
Asked whether there were any safety issues arising from employees not being allowed into the factory, he said: “Not directly.”
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, formerly managed by the Ukrainian state-owned company Energoatom, was seized by Russian forces during the invasion of Ukraine two years ago and remains at the forefront of the war.
Last week, the IAEA Board of Governors voted to require Russia to withdraw from the plant and return it to the control of Ukrainian authorities.
Currently, some Ukrainian staff are working with Russians to run the factory, and some Ukrainians have been banned from the factory for refusing to sign a new contract with Russia. There is.
Grossi puts the number of holdouts at about 100. Ukraine’s Energy Minister German Galushchenko said this was “another Russian lie” and that the real number was 380, adding that the shortage meant the situation was “moving towards a nuclear disaster.” There is,” he added. ”.
“This is a bit of a subjective matter,” Grossi said Tuesday when explaining the discrepancy in numbers.
The comments came after Grossi met with the Russian president. Vladimir Putin On Wednesday, they will discuss, among other things, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Grossi said that during the meeting, President Putin confirmed his cooperation in ensuring the safety of nuclear power plants.
Grossi said the IAEA had conducted a technical assessment of the current situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and discussed plans for its future restart in light of the current situation, but he did not provide further details.
U.S. President Joe Biden today met with the president and prime minister of Poland to show solidarity with Ukraine in the fight against the Russian aggressor and discuss ways to increase funding for NATO against the continued threat from Russia. discuss.
Biden’s White House meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk comes as Biden seeks to break through Republican hardliners in Congress who are holding up $95 billion for Ukrainian weapons and aid to Israel. It took place during the campaign.
The White House noted that the three leaders will be coordinating ahead of the annual NATO summit to be held in Washington from July 9-11.
Leaders reaffirm their unwavering support for the defense of Ukraine against Russia’s brutal war of conquest.
A White House official said the three leaders would celebrate Poland’s 25th anniversary of joining NATO and discuss “the deepening defense relationship between our two countries, which has grown closer over the past two years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
Duda wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin has put Russia’s economy into war mode, allocating $30 to force NATO members to spend 2% to 3% of GDP on defense. He wrote an opinion piece calling for an increase in the number of foreign nationals, setting the stage for talks. % of the annual budget is spent on armament.
he wrote:
It is impossible to return to the previous state. Russia’s imperial ambitions and aggressive revisionism are pushing it into direct confrontation with NATO, the West, and ultimately the entire free world.
Russia’s NORSI refinery’s main crude oil distillation unit (AVT-6) has been damaged, meaning at least half of the refinery’s production has stoppedAn industry official told Reuters.
European Union leaders support changes to the European Investment Bank’s lending policy, allowing the European government-owned giant to finance defense projects.says the draft conclusions for next week’s summit.
The Executive European Commission last week called on the EIB to change its lending policy, which currently explicitly excludes lending to purely military projects, to help Europe expand defense production in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But some EU governments, particularly neutral ones, are reluctant, fearing that funding defenses could harm the EIB’s top credit rating and leave it unable to address the issue of long-term contracts rather than lack of funding.
The draft conclusions, seen by Reuters, read:
Strengthening defense preparedness will contribute to strengthening the European Union’s sovereignty and improve access to public and private finance for the European defense industry, including through the European Investment Bank, in particular by reconsidering dual-use goods and the definition of defense. additional efforts will be required. Industry lending policy.
Armed group based in Ukraine claims to include Russians and announces launch of invasion of Russia
At least two Ukraine-based armed groups claiming to be made up of Russian opponents of the Kremlin launched an incursion across Russia’s western border on Tuesday.according to their social media pages.
The Russian Free Corps and the Siberian Battalion both announced on their Telegram pages that they had launched attacks on Russia from Ukraine.
The Russian Free Corps said in a telegram:
We are taking land from the regime centimeter by centimeter.
Reuters could not independently verify this claim.
Russian officials could not be reached for comment on the allegations Tuesday.
Russian authorities have in the past characterized the group as a puppet of the Ukrainian military and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, and the Kremlin claims the group is trying to stir up chaos in Russia.
Spokesman for Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Service, Andriy Yusov, told Ukraine’s 24 Channel that these groups operate independently of Ukraine on Russian territory.
Yusov said a third group, the Russian Volunteer Forces, was also participating in the operation.
The Corps’ post appeared to refer to Russia’s elections taking place this weekend, saying:
People will vote for who they want, not who they have to vote for. Russians will live freely.
The Russian Freedom Corps and Russian Volunteer Forces had previously claimed responsibility for other cross-border attacks from Ukraine into Russia.
Russia, China, Iran begin joint naval exercises in Gulf of OmanThe Russian Ministry of Defense added that the exercise focused on protecting maritime economic activities.
rachel hall
Hello. Welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the Ukraine war.
Russian authorities have reported that a fleet of Ukrainian drones has targeted Russia, causing explosions and fires at fuel refineries, cutting off power supplies and reaching areas in and around Moscow.
Russian fuel facilities in the Oryol and Nizhny Novgorod regions caught fire on Tuesday after a drone attack, local governors and media said. RIA state news agency quoted Russia’s Ministry of Defense as saying that air defense systems responded to 25 drones launched by Ukraine over several Russian regions. It was not immediately clear whether all the drones were destroyed.
Nizhny Novgorod is located about 1,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border and about 400 kilometers east of Moscow. Oryol is about 150 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
At least two Ukraine-based armed groups claiming to be made up of Russian opponents of the Kremlin launched an incursion across Russia’s western border on Tuesday, Reuters reported on its social media pages.
The Russian Free Corps and the Siberian Battalion both announced on their Telegram pages that they had launched attacks on Russia from Ukraine, but the news agency could not independently verify the claims.
Other important developments include:
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The International Red Cross Movement is under pressure to take action against the Russian Red Cross (RRC) over its close ties to the Kremlin’s war and propaganda machine.
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Russian military advance into Ukraine ‘blocked’about the situation along the front, according to Volodymyr Zelensky in top condition within 3 months. Zelenskiy said in an interview with France’s BFM television that Ukraine had improved its strategic position despite the lack of weapons. Without new supplies, the situation could change.
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This was after the Russians captured Avdiivka and then advanced on nearby villages. Last week, the Ukrainian military said: Russian troops no longer advanced, Ukrainian troops improved their positions. Zelenskiy mentioned Ukraine’s downing of a Russian fighter jet and sinking of targets in the Black Sea. “We have recovered from the situation in the east.””
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The EU is Plans to rush 2-3 billion euros to Ukraine this year from profits from frozen Russian assetsreported the Financial Times.
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China provides economic and security assistance Vladimir Putin’s war effort by Supporting Russia’s industrial baseaccording to an annual assessment by the U.S. intelligence community.
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Josep BorrellThe EU’s top diplomat called on Europe to increase defense production. CNN reported Russia produces about 250,000 shells a month, or about 3 million shells a year. In contrast, Together, the US and Europe could generate about $1.2 million annually in Ukraine.A senior European intelligence official said.
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Ukraine summons Vatican envoy to Kiev rear Pope Francis suggests Ukraine should consider raising a ‘white flag’ against Russia. “According to the statement of Pope Francis, the apostolic legate has been invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine,” the ministry said, adding that envoy Visvardas Kulbodas had heard from Kiev: “I was disappointed in the Pope’s words regarding the ‘white flag.””
