Month: April 2023

Russian Forces in Crimea Brace for Possible Ukraine Assault

The Moscow-appointed leader of Crimea said Tuesday the region is on guard for what may be an impending Ukrainian counteroffensive. Sergei Aksyonov told reporters that Russian forces in Crimea had built “modern, in-depth defenses” and had “more than enough” troops and equipment to repel a possible Ukrainian assault after 13 months of war following Russia’s full-scale invasion. “We cannot underestimate the enemy, but we can definitely say that we are ready [for an attack] and that there will be no catastrophe,” he said. His comments came days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reaffirmed Kyiv’s intention to take back the Black …

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Earthquake Survivors Living on Turkish Sleeper Trains   

The Nur mountains loom over the Iskenderun railway station, an imposing reminder of the tectonic forces that devastated this corner of Turkey and Syria a little more than two months ago. While regular rail service still rattles through the station, two of the tracks are occupied by sleeper cars. The wagons allude to adventure and escape but these night trains are going nowhere. The passengers are homeless, survivors of the February earthquake that left their houses or apartments damaged or destroyed. Some 700 people are living on board the cramped wagons. Among them is Sevil Uygur, who is in her …

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Two Still Missing as Marseille Building Collapse Probe Begins

Rescuers were on Tuesday searching rubble in the French Mediterranean city of Marseille for two people still missing after a deadly building collapse two days before, as investigators began work to ascertain the cause of the blast that brought it down.    They have so far recovered the remains of six people known to have been in the four-story apartment block when it was destroyed in the early hours of Sunday.    The explosion shook the whole Camas neighborhood, a few hundred meters from Marseille’s historic old port.    “The toll is unchanged and operations are continuing,” a fire service spokesman told AFP …

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Парламент прибрав податки на пошкоджену або зруйновану агресією РФ нерухомість

У лютому в уряді повідомляли, що через застосунок «Дія» українці передали понад 325 тисяч повідомлень про знищення або пошкодження житла внаслідок російської агресії …

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Latest in Ukraine: UN Says Confirmed Civilian Deaths in Ukraine Near 8,500

Ukraine and Russia exchange hundreds of prisoners of war. Some of the freed troops from both nations are reportedly in poor shape and will likely require medical care.  Belarus is asking for security guarantees from Moscow. The president of the country, which is hosting a contingent of Russian troops, wants assurances that Russia would defend Belarus if it was attacked.  Russian official claims that 75% of Bakhmut has been seized. The ongoing battle for the besieged city has been one of the bloodiest in the 13-month war.   The United Nations said Tuesday the number of confirmed civilian deaths in Ukraine …

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На будівництво до Маріуполя звезуть в’язнів із Білорусі – радник мера Андрющенко

На будівельні роботи до окупованого Маріуполя планують звести в’язнів з Білорусі, засуджених за нетяжкі злочини. Про це в ефірі «Свобода. Ранок» (проєкт Радіо Свобода) повідомив радник міського голови Маріуполя Петро Андрющенко. «Буквально вчора ми отримали додаткову інформацію, що ухвалено рішення, що не лише росіяни будуть. Збираються привезти найближчим часом вже з Білорусі людей, які засуджені за нетяжкі злочини для того, щоб вони також займалися будівельними роботами на території Маріуполя», –сказав Петро Андрющенко, який перебуває на підконтрольній Україні території.    На яких саме умовах білоруські в’язні виконуватимуть роботи у Маріуполі, радник міського голови не уточнив. Однак щодо російських будівельників, які нині масово …

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Russia Pounds Eastern Ukraine, Kyiv Reported to Rethink Counteroffensive After Leak

Russian forces pressed attacks on front-line cities in eastern Ukraine on Monday, while Ukrainian officials played down a report that Kyiv is amending some plans for a counteroffensive due to a leak of classified U.S. documents. The Russians were pounding Ukrainian positions around besieged Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region and other cities and towns with air strikes and artillery barrages, Kyiv said. “The enemy switched to so-called scorched earth tactics from Syria. It is destroying buildings and positions with air strikes and artillery fire,” Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, said of Bakhmut. The small and now …

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Biden Travels to Northern Ireland to Mark Anniversary of Peace Accord

U.S. President Joe Biden travels to both sides of the Irish border this week, taking part in commemorations to mark the 25th anniversary of Northern Ireland’s Good Friday peace accord as well as making a pilgrimage to the towns of his Irish ancestors. Biden’s visit comes as the durability of the peace accord is being tested by political disagreements and occasional attacks carried out by dissidents. The latest violence came just Monday when masked youths pelted police vehicles with petrol bombs during a march in Londonderry. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to greet Biden when he arrives Tuesday …

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Kremlin Critic Facing 25 Years in Jail Says Regrets Nothing

Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza said on Monday he stood by all of his political statements, including against the Ukraine offensive, that led him to face 25 years in jail. “I subscribe to every word that I have said, that I am incriminated for today,” Kara-Murza said, citing his fight against the Ukraine offensive and President Vladimir Putin. “Not only do I not repent for any of it — I am proud of it,” he said in his last words to the court, which were published on journalist Alexei Venediktov’s Telegram channel. Kara-Murza, 41, is accused of several charges including …

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