Month: October 2022

Євросоюз

Russian Strikes in Zaporizhzhia Region Raise Death Toll, Safety Fears 

Russia concentrated its attacks Friday on the area around Zaporizhzhia, one of the four areas of eastern Ukraine that it claims to have annexed. The Ukrainian governor of the Zaporizhzhia region said that Russian forces had fired more missiles at the regional capital on Friday and had used Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones there for the first time. The death toll from earlier missile strikes on apartment buildings in the city of Zaporizhzhia rose to 12. In other Moscow-annexed areas, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported its forces had repelled Ukrainian advances near the city of Lyman and had retaken three villages elsewhere in …

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Євросоюз

UN Council Appoints Special Rapporteur to Monitor Human Rights in Russia

The U.N. Human Rights Council has appointed a special rapporteur to monitor human rights in Russia. The resolution was adopted on a vote of 17 in favor, 6 against, and 24 abstentions.   The debate on the initiative began just as a Belarusian activist and two humanitarian organizations based in Ukraine and Russia were announced as co-winners of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.    The significance was not lost on those attending the council session.   Before the voting began, many delegates expressed concern about the worsening human rights situation in Russia. They deplored the severe restrictions on people’s fundamental …

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Євросоюз

2 Russians Seek Asylum in US After Reaching Remote Alaska Island

Two Russians who said they fled the country to avoid military service have requested asylum in the U.S. after landing in a small boat on a remote Alaska island in the Bering Sea, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office said Thursday. Karina Borger, a spokesperson for the Alaska Republican senator, said in an email that the office has been in communication with the U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection and that “the Russian nationals reported that they fled one of the coastal communities on the east coast of Russia to avoid compulsory military service.” Thousands of Russian men have …

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Євросоюз

COVID Wave Looms in Europe as Booster Campaign Makes Slow Start

A new COVID-19 wave appears to be brewing in Europe as cooler weather arrives, with public health experts warning that vaccine fatigue and confusion over types of available vaccines will likely limit booster uptake. Omicron subvariants BA.4/5 that dominated this summer are still behind the majority of infections, but newer Omicron subvariants are gaining ground. Hundreds of new forms of Omicron are being tracked by scientists, World Health Organization officials said this week. WHO data released late on Wednesday showed that cases in the European Union (EU) reached 1.5 million last week, up 8% from the prior week, despite a …

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Євросоюз

Putin Faces ‘Most Perilous Moment’ as Russian Forces Retreat in Ukraine

The war in Ukraine is likely entering a critical phase as Kyiv’s forces advance in the south and east of the country, forcing invading Russian troops to retreat. In recent days, Ukrainian troops have broken through Russian lines in the southern region of Kherson, liberating several villages along the Dnieper River. Kyiv’s forces now control settlements about 30 kilometers beyond previous front lines. Reuters reported that Ukrainian forces are trying to cut off supply lines for 25,000 Russian troops deployed on the west bank of the river. ‘Superior’ forces Russia’s Defense Ministry admitted Monday that “superior tank divisions” near the …

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