Russia’s Ministry of Justice has labeled two prominent journalists, BBC correspondent Ilya Balabanov and Russian science reporter Asya Kazantseva, as “foreign spies.”a British broadcaster, report. Balabanov has written extensively about Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Wagner mercenary group, and Kazantseva signed an open letter from Russian scientists and science journalists calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. The BBC condemned the move, saying: “The BBC has a global reputation as a trusted and independent source of news.” He added: “…our priority now is to support Ilya and all his colleagues so that they can all continue their work reporting on Russia at such a critical time.” Both Balabanov and Kazantseva currently live abroad.
Future Ukrainian fighter pilots likely to fly US F-16 aircraft are undergoing initial training in the French Air Forcethe French defense minister said on Friday, amid a European training push.Pilots received “general Alpha Jet training” [a Franco-German military aircraft]This will allow Ukrainian pilots to learn the basics of fighter jet operation,” Sébastien Lecorne told Ouest France newspaper. After the U.S. gave the green light, other countries including the Netherlands, Denmark and Romania are seeking support for Ukraine’s F-16 pilot training.
China is helping Russia carry out its biggest military expansion since Soviet timesAccording to the U.S. assessment, Russia is ramping up sales of machine tools, microelectronics and other technology used to produce missiles, tanks, aircraft and other weapons for the war against Ukraine. With German Chancellor Olaf Scholz heading to Beijing this weekend and G7 foreign ministers meeting in Italy next week, U.S. officials hope the disclosure will prompt European allies to put pressure on China. Officials announced the results of the U.S. investigation and said China is assisting Russia in producing drones, space exploration capabilities and machine tools essential to making ballistic missiles.
The Netherlands plans to provide 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) in military aid to Ukraine this year, with 3 billion euros planned for 2025.said the interim Prime Minister of the Netherlands. This year’s additional support will bring the total amount to 3 billion euros in 2024, complemented by 400 million euros in aid to support Ukraine’s economy, Mark Rutte said on Friday. The Netherlands has been one of Ukraine’s major military backers since the Russian invasion.
A Russian-appointed official in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhya region claimed that six people were killed in shelling by Ukrainian forces.There are also children in Tokmaku town. Prime Minister Vladimir Rogov said on Telegram on Friday that at least 20 people were injured. He posted photos of damaged homes, one of which was reduced to rubble. His account could not be independently verified.
Washington and London ban metal exchanges from accepting new aluminum, copper and nickel produced by Russia. It also banned imports of metals into the United States and Britain. Friday’s actions are aimed at disrupting export revenues for Russia, a major producer of aluminum, copper and nickel.
Russia summons French ambassador over comments Written by Stéphane Sejournet, the French Foreign Minister said that Paris is not interested in dialogue with Moscow because statements by Russian officials contain false information. Russia’s Foreign Ministry claimed the remarks were a “deliberate action” that undermined the possibility of dialogue between the two countries.
Belgian prosecutors have launched an investigation into alleged payments by Russia to members of the European Parliament. The Belgian Prime Minister made the announcement following intelligence gathering in Brussels. Alexander de Croo said Russia’s aim was to weaken support for Ukraine in Europe. “Belgian intelligence services have confirmed the existence of a pro-Russian interference network operating in several European countries and here in Belgium,” he said. The Russian government’s aim is to help elect more pro-Russian candidates to the European Parliament and to strengthen certain pro-Russian discourses in the European Parliament. That’s very clear. ”
After months of delays, U.S. House speaker is negotiating with the White House on a push for war funding for Ukraine – The package would be a departure from the Senate’s $95 billion foreign security package and include several Republican demands. Mike Johnson is under increasing pressure over his support for Ukraine, not only from President Joe Biden but also from far-right members of his own party who remain adamantly opposed to any additional aid to Ukraine.
Thousands of Russian soldiers have fled the war in Ukraine and are lying awaiting the outcome of their asylum applications in Western countries. This is the case in Germany, France, the United States, and other countries, the Associated Press reported. Asylum claims from Russian nationals are rapidly increasing, but few are winning protection, with fewer than 300 Russians receiving refugee status in the United States in fiscal year 2022, compared to 5,246 whose claims were processed last year. Less than 10% of people received any protection. German authorities. In France, asylum applications rose by more than 50% in 2022-23 to around 3,400 people.
Local police are searching for Russell Bentley, an American and Russian supporter who went missing in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine. Bentley moved to the Donetsk region in 2014 to fight for Russian separatist militias fighting Ukraine. According to his biography on X, he was a correspondent for the Russian state news agency Sputnik News and a citizen of the Russian Federation.
Ukrainian rescue workers pull five puppies alive from under the rubble of a destroyed buildingThis was revealed in a video released by the country’s emergency services on Friday. Officials said the puppies were rescued from a fire in a non-residential building in the northeastern city of Sumy, near the Russian border. Video showed the puppies shrieking as firefighters cradled them in their hands and rinsed them with water.
Ukrainian authorities search for high-ranking priest of Moscow-linked church. The premises of Grand Priest Mykola Danilevich, a senior official of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the Moscow Patriarchate, were searched by Ukrainian security services on Friday morning, the Kiev Independent newspaper reported, citing sources. The Moscow Patriarchate church has been repeatedly accused of collaborating with the Russian government, which the church denies.
