“This Russian competitive action is acceptable,” the French defense minister said.
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At least four other people were killed in Kyiv after a fatal overnight attack in which Putin’s forces launched a barrage of drones and missiles early Saturday.
The four died after a missile fell in the Shevchenkivskyi district, said the head of the military administration of the city of kyiv, Timur Tkachenko. Debris also fell in the Desnyansky district, he said.
Overnight, Russia launched 39 Shahed drones, other simulator drones and four ballistic missiles, many of which were shot down by Ukraine’s Air Force.
It comes as France accused Russia of “intimidation” after its air defenses blocked a French patrol over the Baltic Sea.
The French maritime patrol plane was part of a NATO operation and was detected through the radar of an S400 surface-to-air defense system, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said in X.
“This Russian competitive action is acceptable. “Our militaries will continue to act to protect freedom of navigation in foreign airspace and seaspace,” Lecornu added.
Three people were killed early on Saturday in the centre of Kyiv in a nighttime Russian attack, said Timur Tkachenko, head of the Ukrainian capital’s military administration.
Tkachenko posted on the Telegram messaging app the deaths in the city’s Shevchenkivskyi district.
He added that falling debris had also hit the Desnyanskyi district, across the Dnieper River that runs through the capital.
Three lawyers who represented the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny were sentenced to years of criminal imprisonment in a Russian penal colony, as part of Vladimir Putin’s crackdown on dissent, which has reached levels not seen since. the Soviet era.
Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin and Alexei Liptser – already detained – were imprisoned between 3 and a half and five years after being arrested in October 2023, accused of participating in extremist groups, which the Russian State designates as opposition groups.
Before his sudden death in a penal colony last year – which Western leaders have blamed Putin for – Mr Navalny slammed the arrests of his lawyers as “outrageous”, describing it as a plan to further isolate him in jail. Despite his imprisonment, Mr Navalny was able via his lawyers to post on social media and file frequent lawsuits over his treatment in prison, using the resulting legal hearings as a chance to keep speaking out against the government and the war.
Full report here:
Alexei Navalny’s lawyers have been accused by the Russian government of passing him data while he was in prison.
Russia hopes that a ceasefire in Gaza will lead to long-term stability in the Middle East, president Vladimir Putin said on Friday.
At a joint news conference with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Putin said it is vital not to weaken efforts toward a comprehensive settlement of the conflict and the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Pezeshkian expressed hope that the ceasefire would be implemented.
Ukraine has introduced a new counterattack in Russia’s Kursk border region as it seeks to gain as much territory as imaginable ahead of imaginable peace talks, with U. S. President-elect Donald Trump saying he needs to end the war as temporarily as possible.
The attack began over the weekend, with unverified footage posted by Russian military bloggers showing a column of Ukrainian tanks and armored vehicles heading toward the village of Berdin, a small outer domain where Ukraine was recently in Kursk.
Tom Watling reports:
Russian military commentators are ‘worried’ about the multipronged Ukrainian attack in the border region
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has warned Russia to be expecting the United States to prevent supporting Ukraine’s defense after President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Scholz has spoken to Trump twice since the election, he said, adding that there is an “intense” diplomatic discussion between Germany and the new administration.
“We can therefore hope that good cooperation between Europe and the USA will continue to be successful in the future, including on the issue of support for Ukraine,” Mr Scholz added.
“So I don’t expect the U.S. to stop supporting Ukraine in its defence.”
Ukraine will have to be placed in the “strongest position imaginable” by 2025, Sir Keir Starmer said on his first vacation in Kyiv as prime minister.
The stopover comes just days before Donald Trump enters the White House, which could signal a shift in the U. S. war effort over Ukraine toward a peace deal.
In a sign of the dangers facing Ukrainians on a daily basis, reports from Kyiv indicated a Russian drone flying over the city shortly after Sir Keir and Volodymyr Zelensky laid flowers at a site of remembrance for those killed since the 2022 invasion.
The Kyiv Independent reported that explosions were heard as an air raid alert.
Full here:
Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to Ukraine comes ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration and a potential push for a peace deal to end the war with Russia.
At least 12 Indians have been killed while serving in Russia’s armed forces, India’s foreign ministry said on Friday.
Eighteen others continue to serve in the military; Russia has classified 16 as “missing. ”
Last year, India said it had uncovered a major human trafficking network which was luring young men to Russia with the promise of jobs – before forcing them into fighting Russia’s war with Ukraine.
The UK only deserves to host a state stopover with Donald Trump if he “gives in” to Ukraine, Sir Ed Davey has said.
The Liberal Democrat leader described the concept of the state as “leverage” that the UK would have over the president-elect when he returns to force next week, in a speech in central London.
Concerns have been raised about the consequences Trump in the White House will have on the US for kyiv. From the first days he had expressed his preference for ending the confrontations.
In the same speech, Sir Ed called on the government to “negotiate a new deal with the EU this year” that would have “in essence, a new customs union between the UK and the EU”.
Full here:
At least four other people were killed in a Russian attack on the south-central Ukrainian city of Kryvy Rih, the regional governor said.
Three people are in a serious condition in hospital with at least two others injured in the attack, Serhiy Lysak, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, said on Telegram.
Two five-story buildings were damaged, along with a residential building and a facility, and one of them caught fire, Lysak added.
Witnesses described on social media hearing several explosions in the city after Ukraine’s air force warned of the risk of ballistic missiles coming from Russian-occupied Crimea.
Russia has not commented on reports of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s attack on Kryvyi Rih.
Russia expects the United States to ease sanctions on Russian oil when President-elect Donald Trump takes office, the Kremlin said.
This follows Trump’s selection of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said he “100 percent” supported expanding sanctions on Russian oil manufacturers if asked through the new president.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia expects the United States to fundamentally replace its position.
Three people were killed early on Saturday in the centre of Kyiv in a nighttime Russian attack, said Timur Tkachenko, head of the Ukrainian capital’s military administration.
Mr Tkachenko posted on the Telegram messaging app that the deaths had occurred in the city’s Shevchenkivskyi district.
He added that the falling debris also affected the Desnyanskyi district, on the other side of the Dnieper River that runs through the capital.
Three lawyers who represented the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny have been sentenced to years in a Russian penal colony, as part of Vladimir Putin’s crackdown on dissent that has reached levels unseen since Soviet times.
Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin and Alexei Liptser, already detained, were sentenced to between three and a half and five years in prison after being arrested in October 2023, accused of involvement in extremist teams, what the Russian State calls opposition. as.
Before his sudden death in a penal colony last year, which Western leaders blamed on Putin, Navalny called the arrests of his lawyers “scandalous” and described them as a plot to further isolate him in prison. Despite his imprisonment, Navalny was able, through his lawyers, to post on social media and record common demands about his prison remedy, using the resulting court hearings as an opportunity to continue speaking out against the government and the war.
Full here:
Russia hopes that a ceasefire in Gaza will lead to a long-term ceasefire in the Middle East, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian, Putin said it was important not to weaken efforts towards a comprehensive settlement of the conflict and the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Pezeshkian expressed hope that the ceasefire would be implemented.
Ukraine has introduced a new counterattack in Russia’s Kursk border region as it seeks to gain as much territory as imaginable ahead of imaginable peace talks, with U. S. President-elect Donald Trump saying he needs to end the war as temporarily as possible.
The attack started over the weekend, with unverified footage circulated by Russian military bloggers showing a column of Ukrainian tanks and armoured personnel carriers heading towards the village of Berdin, a small area outside of what Ukraine currently controls in Kursk.
Tom Watling reports:
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned Russia to expect the United States to stop supporting Ukraine’s defense after President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Scholz has spoken to Trump twice since the election, he said, adding that there is an “intense” diplomatic discussion between Germany and the new administration.
“Therefore, we can expect that intelligent cooperation between Europe and the United States will continue to bear fruit in the future, especially with regard to Ukraine,” Scholz added.
“So I don’t expect the U. S. to stop supporting Ukraine in its defense. “
Scholz and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at a joint press conference after their meeting at the Berlin Chancellery
Ukraine will have to be in the “strongest position imaginable” by 2025, Sir Keir Starmer said on his first holiday in kyiv as prime minister.
The stopover comes just days before Donald Trump enters the White House, which could signal a shift in the United States toward Ukraine’s war effort to strike a peace deal.
In a sign of the risks Ukrainians face daily, reports from kyiv said a Russian drone flew over the city shortly after Sir Keir and Volodymyr Zelensky laid flowers at a memorial site for those fallen since the 2022 invasion.
The Kyiv Independent reported that explosions were heard following an airstrike alert.
Full report here:
At least 12 Indians have been killed while serving in Russia’s armed forces, India’s foreign ministry said on Friday.
Another 18 continue to serve in the military, Russia has classified 16 as “missing. “
Last year, India said it had exposed a primary human trafficking ring that lured young men to Russia with the promise of jobs – before forcing them to combat in Russia’s war opposed to Russia. ‘Ukraine.
The UK should only host a state visit with Donald Trump if he “delivers” on support for Ukraine, Sir Ed Davey has said.
The Liberal Democrat leader described the concept of state as “leverage” the UK would have over the president-elect when he returns to the force next week, in a speech in central London.
There have been concerns over what Mr Trump’s return to the White House will mean for US support for Kyiv. He had previously laid out a desire to bring an end to the conflict in his first days in office.
In the same speech, Sir Ed called on the Government to “negotiate this year a brand new deal with the EU” that would have “at its heart, a new UK EU customs union”.
Full report here:
At least four other people were killed in a Russian attack on the south-central Ukrainian city of Kryvy Rih, the regional governor said.
Three people are in a serious condition in hospital with at least two others injured in the attack, Serhiy Lysak, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, said on Telegram.
Two five-story buildings were damaged, as well as a residential building and facility, and one of them caught fire, Lysak said.
Witnesses described on social media hearing several explosions in the city after Ukraine’s air force warned of the risk of ballistic missiles coming from Russian-occupied Crimea.
Russia has not commented on reports of the attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Kryvy Rih.
Russia does not expect the US to soften sanctions on Russian oil when president-elect Donald Trump takes office, the Kremlin has said.
This follows Trump’s pick for Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, who said he “100%” supported expanding sanctions on Russian oil manufacturers if the new president asked him to.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia expects the United States to fundamentally replace its position.
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