Month: November 2024

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Russia’s use of a fast, powerful new missile to attack the city of Dnipro on Thursday, calling it a “nuclear adventure” and a stark escalation in the war. The attack has ignited fears of a dangerous new phase in the war. In a nationwide address, Russian President Vladimir Putin later confirmed the use of a medium-range ballistic missile in the strike. Zelenskyy pointed to the strike as a sign of Moscow’s broader strategy, stating, “It is obvious that Putin is using Ukraine as a testing ground for weapons that threaten the world.” His remarks underscored …

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Twelve people have been arrested in connection with a roof collapse at a railway station earlier this month that killed at least 15 people in the city of Novi Sad, Serbian prosecutors said Thursday. Novi Sad’s Higher Prosecutor’s Office said the suspects, who were not identified, were arrested on suspicion of committing criminal acts against public safety. One suspect remains at large. If convicted, they face up to 12 years in prison.  Fourteen people were killed on the day of the November 1 incident and three were injured, one of whom died Sunday. Former Novi Sad Mayor Borislav Novakovic said …

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HELSINKI — Police in Finland said Thursday they had detained five suspects in connection with deadly violence in southeastern Nigeria and were seeking a court extension of the detentions. The police did not identify the suspects, only saying that a dual Finnish-Nigerian citizen, born in the 1980s, was under criminal investigation. However, Simon Ekpa, a Nigerian linked to the Biafran separatist movement, lives in Lahti, where the Paijat-Hame District Court will consider a request from the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation to keep the suspects in custody. Ekpa is one of the leaders of the Indigenous People of Biafra separatist group …

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The U.S. Treasury Department announced Thursday a new set of sanctions targeting Russia’s financial sector and its ability to fund its war with Ukraine, hitting Gazprombank as well as many other internationally connected financial institutions, entities and individuals. In a statement posted to its website, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said the sanctions designate Gazprombank — Russia’s largest remaining unsanctioned bank — plus more than 50 other Russian banks, more than 40 Russian securities registrars and 15 Russian finance officials. The Treasury department said Gazprombank is a conduit for Russia to purchase military equipment for its war …

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Washington — A new survey of public opinion in Ukraine indicates that for the first time a slight majority of Ukrainians say they are ready to concede their lands for peace; however, other recent polls indicate opinions may be more complicated. The Gallup polls released Tuesday, conducted in August and October, found that 52 percent of Ukrainians want their country to negotiate a quick end to the war, while 38 percent want to keep fighting until victory. Although media reports about the survey said it reflects a shift in popular opinion from the outset of the war, when most Ukrainians wanted …

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London — British Defense Secretary John Healey is expected to face lawmakers’ questions Thursday on media reports Ukraine used British-donated Storm Shadow missiles on targets deep inside Russia for the first time Wednesday. Healey is to appear before the parliamentary Defense Committee Thursday morning. The hearing was scheduled before Wednesday’s reported attack. Both the British and Ukrainian governments have refused to confirm or deny reports that Ukrainian forces fired up to 10 Storm Shadow missiles at targets in Maryino, a village in Russia’s Kursk border region. Social media images purport to show Storm Shadow missile fragments in the vicinity. The reports …

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Ukrainian officials reported damage Thursday to an industrial site in the Dnipropetrovsk region after a series of Russian attacks. Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak said the attacks hit the city of Dnipro and also caused several fires. Volodymyr Artiukh, governor of Ukraine’s Sumy region, said on Telegram that Russian forces shelled areas along the border between the two countries and attacked with an aerial drone. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses destroyed two Ukrainian drones over the Rostov region and two drones over Volgograd. Yuri Slyusar, the acting governor of Rostov, said on Telegram there were no casualties and no …

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