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  • Saturday, October 15. Russia’s War On Ukraine: News And Information From Ukraine

    Saturday, October 15. Russia’s War On Ukraine: News And Information From Ukraine

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    Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 234.

    As Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues and the war rages on, reliable sources of information are critical. Forbes gathers information and provides updates on the situation.

    By Polina Rasskazova

    The Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine announced serious consequences the morning after Russia launched a missile attack on the Kyiv region. As a result of the Russian attack, an energy infrastructure facility was severely damaged. There were no deaths or injuries. Residents were urged to use electricity rationally, limiting use from 5 to 11 p.m. “But, if this advice is not followed, we will have complications and will have to take out the candles again and suffer all the consequences associated with the lack of electricity.”

    Dnipropetrovsk Region. The Russian army once again struck the city of Nikopol. The attack was carried out with an BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket system, the BM-27 Uragan and heavy artillery on three communities — Nikopolska, Marganetska and Chervonogrigorivska. “More than 50 Russian shells were fired at Nikopol at night. Two people were injured — a 35-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman. Both are in hospital, in serious condition,” wrote the head of the Dnipropetrovsk State Administration, Valentin Reznichenko. More than 10 high-rise and private buildings, a transport company, several shops, a garage cooperative, cars and several offices were destroyed in the city. Reznichenko later announced that 3 more people had been injured.

    Zaporizhzhia Region. At night, Russian forces bombarded Zaporizhzia during four airstrikes by drones, and in the morning another 10 S-300 missiles were aimed at the regional center. “The enemy continues the systematic terror of our region,” reported the head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration. As a result of the Shahed-136 UAV attack, infrastructure in the city of Zaporizhia was destroyed. “Fires broke out, which were contained in time by rescuers.” There no information about the victims at this time.

    Kharkiv Region. As a result of Russian shelling of the region over the past day, a 66-year-old civilian was killed and a 74-year-old man was hospitalized with injuries in the Kupyansk district, reported Oleh Synyehubov, the head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration. “Pyrotechnic units of the State Emergency Service continue demining the territory of the region. During the day, 558 explosive objects were neutralized.” Synyehubov added that mine danger in the Kharkiv region remains very high. In the Chuhuiv district, a 65-year-old man was seriously injured when his car drove over a Russian mine.

    Joe Biden announced the allocation of a package of military aid for Ukraine in the amount of $725 million, stated a memorandum on the website of the White House. This decision was made following the meeting of US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin with Defense Ministers of 50 countries within the framework of the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine in Brussels. The aid package includes: additional ammunition for HIMARS; high-precision artillery shells and shells for remote anti-tank mine (RAAM) systems; 5 thousand units of anti-tank weapons; high-speed anti-radar missiles (HARM); more than 200 high-mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicles (HMMWV) and others.

    The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine thanked the Allies for the powerful military assistance. “This weapon in the hands of the Armed Forces is the best and most effective contribution to establishing peace in Ukraine, restoring the territorial integrity of our state within internationally recognized borders, and protecting the civilian population from attacks by terrorist Russia.”

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    Katya Soldak, Forbes Staff

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  • Is The U. S. Policy Towards OPEC+ Short-Sighted?

    Is The U. S. Policy Towards OPEC+ Short-Sighted?

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    The unanimous decision by OPEC+ to cut productions has come under fire by the U.S., with Saudi Arabia facing criticism for being short-sighted. However, the growing hydrocarbon industry in Africa is sending a message to America: Engage, or business will go to China and India.

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    University of Houston Energy Fellows, Contributor

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  • Saturday, October 8. Russia’s War On Ukraine: Daily News And Information From Ukraine

    Saturday, October 8. Russia’s War On Ukraine: Daily News And Information From Ukraine

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    Dispatches from Ukraine: Day 227.

    As Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues and the war rages on, reliable sources of information are critical. Forbes gathers information and provides updates on the situation.

    By Polina Rasskazova

    A fire broke out on the Crimean Bridge, which connects occupied Crimea with Russia, on the morning of October 8. The bridge across the Kerch Strait was illegally built by the occupying Russian authorities and is part of the Kerch – Novorossiysk road. The automobile section of the bridge was opened in 2018, the railway part in 2019.

    Russian news reported that the partial destruction of the bridge occurred due to the detonation of a truck, which ignited a fire that caught on to 7 fuel tanks of a railway train on the rail portion of the bridge, heading to Crimea. The advisor to the office of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy published a post on Twitter saying: “Crimea, the bridge, the beginning. Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled.”

    As a result of another shelling by Russian troops, the last line connecting the Zaporizhzhia NPP (nuclear power plant) with the energy system of Ukraine was damaged. The Minister of Energy of Ukraine, German Galushchenko, says that currently the operation of the ZNPP is provided by diesel generators, which have enough fuel for 10 days. “Perhaps this is another rate hike by the Russians on the occasion of Rafael Grossi’s visit to Moscow. After all, the Director General of the IAEA, after meeting with the President of Ukraine, made a statement that the ZNPP is a Ukrainian plant.” He also added that now, only the professionalism of Ukrainian nuclear workers is a safeguard against a possible nuclear accident.

    During this week, the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated 776 square kilometers of territory in the east and 29 settlements, including six in Luhansk Oblast, from the area claimed in Russia’s pseudo-referendum, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyi said in a video message. In total, since the beginning of the Russian war, 2,434 square kilometers of Ukrainian territories and 96 settlements have already been liberated. “And each of the Russian attacks, all manifestations of Russian terror – against Zaporizhzhia, against Kharkiv, against Mykolaiv, against Donbas and all our other territories – only prove that the liberation of our entire land is the only foundation of peace and security for all Ukrainians.”

    Donetsk Region. During the day, the Russian army launched rocket attacks on several communities in the region. The Donetsk regional military administration reported one dead person in the city of Bakhmut, seven more were injured. Six private houses and three high-rise buildings, kindergartens, a sports complex, an entertainment facility and an administrative building were damaged.

    A rocket attack also took place in the city of Kurakhove. As a result of the attack, three people were injured, and six high-rise buildings were damaged. “The Russians are hitting civilians every day and every night – it is unwise and dangerous to stay in the Donetsk region!” The head of the Donetsk regional military administration called on local residents to evacuate.

    Kharkiv. At night, Russian forces launched several strikes with S-300 missiles in two Kharkiv districts. A 45-year-old man received shrapnel injuries, and his condition is pronounced average. The head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration announced the rockets originated in the Russian city of Belgorod. “The sports complex, non-residential premises, farm buildings, cars, garages were damaged, and there were hits in open areas.”

    In the Kharkiv region, Russian troops attacked several towns. According to the regional Center of Emergency Medical Assistance, six people were hospitalized during the day: one man in Kharkiv, one injured in Kharkiv district, four in Izium as a result of mine explosions.

    On The Culture Front

    Due to the continuation of military operations in Ukraine, the winners of Eurovision 2022 — Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra — have agreed to give Britain the opportunity to host the Eurovision Song Contest. The 67th Eurovision Song Contest, set to kick off May 2023, will be hosted by Britain, in the city of Liverpool. The Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will take place at the Liverpool Arena by the River Mersey on Saturday May 13, with the semi-finals taking place on the 9th and 11th. Eurovision Song Contest Executive Supervisor, Martin Österdahl, welcomed the news: “This will be the first Eurovision Song Contest to be held in the UK in 25 years and, as we work with our host broadcaster, the BBC, to celebrate Ukraine’s victory, this unique production promises to be a very special one indeed.”

    The number of destroyed cultural sites in Ukraine by the Russian forces continues to grow. Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine announced the damage and destruction of 161 objects of cultural heritage. “Among them: 23 monuments of national importance, 129 monuments of local importance, 9 newly discovered objects of cultural heritage and 143 objects of valuable historical buildings.” A total of 540 objects of cultural heritage, cultural institutions and religious buildings have been officially damaged in Ukraine.

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    Katya Soldak, Forbes Staff

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  • Biden presses the alarm button, says Putin’s nuclear threat could bring risk of ‘Armageddon’

    Biden presses the alarm button, says Putin’s nuclear threat could bring risk of ‘Armageddon’

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    US President Joe Biden has warned that Vladimir Putin’s threat to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine might bring the world closer to “Armageddon” at any time since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Biden said, “We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis. For the first time since the Cuban Missile Crisis, we have a direct threat to the use of nuclear weapons, if in fact things continue down the path they’d been going.”

    Biden said that the prospect of getting defeated in Russia-Ukraine war could make Putin use nuclear weapons. If in case the 70-year old takes this step, it would be the biggest risk faced since US President John F. Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev faced off over missiles in Cuba.

    Biden added that it was no joke when Putin talked about using tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons, because his military is underperforming according to him.

    Zelenskiy in a video address on Thursday said that Kyiv’s forces recaptured more than 500 square kilometres (195 square miles) and dozens of settlements in Kherson in October. Putin had proclaimed the annexation a week ago, but Ukraine has already recaptured the main Russian bastion in northern Donetsk, along with a swath of west bank territory in Kherson.

    Putin called on hundreds of thousands of reservists after losing the territories. The move sent thousands of men fleeing the country to escape the draft. A suspected Russian missile demolished an apartment block in Zaporizhzhia yesterday. However, Ukraine still controls the city, which is the capital of a province claimed by Russia.

    Bodies were carried out of the rubble, Reuters journalists witnessed. Zelenskiy in an online address accused Russia of targeting the same spot twice to kill responders.

    In its defence, Russia said it does not target civilians. Russian news agency, RIA reported that four civilians were killed and three injured by a Ukrainian missile that hit a bus in the Russian-controlled city of Kherson.

    It’s been seven-month since Putin forces invaded Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that Kyiv’s forces are swiftly recapturing more territory.
     

    (With input from agencies)

    Also read: ‘There will be catastrophic consequences’: US warns Russia if nuclear weapons used in Ukraine

    Also read: TikTok and Biden Administration may close a deal to avoid its sale

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  • Russia opens border draft offices as exodus continues in response to military call-ups

    Russia opens border draft offices as exodus continues in response to military call-ups

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    Russian authorities are opening more military enlistment offices near Russia’s borders in an apparent effort to intercept some of the Russian men of fighting age who are trying to flee the country by land to avoid being called up to fight in Ukraine.

    A new draft office opened at the Ozinki checkpoint in the Saratov region on Russia’s border with Kazakhstan, regional officials said Thursday. Another enlistment center was set to open at a crossing in the Astrakhan region, also on the border with Kazakhstan.

    Earlier this week, makeshift Russian draft offices were set up near the Verkhny Lars border crossing into Georgia in southern Russia and near the Torfyanka checkpoint on Russia’s border with Finland. Russian officials said they would hand call-up notices to all eligible men who were trying to leave the country.

    Over 194,000 Russian citizens have fled to neighboring Georgia, Kazakhstan and Finland — most often by car, bicycle or on foot — since Russian President Vladimir Putin last week announced a partial mobilization of reservists. In Russia, the vast majority of men under age 65 are registered as reservists.

    The Kremlin has said it plans to call-up some 300,000 people, but Russian media reported that the number could be as high as 1.2 million, a claim that Russian officials have denied.

    Background: Putin’s ‘all instruments’ remark perceived as nuclear threat as Russia mobilizes some 300,000 reservists

    Russia’s Defense Ministry has promised to only draft those who have combat or service experience, but according to multiple media reports and human rights advocates, men who don’t fit the criteria are also being rounded up.

    The official decree on mobilization, signed by Putin last week, is concise and vague, fueling fears of a broader draft.

    In an apparent effort to calm the population, Putin told Russia’s Security Council on Thursday that mistakes had been made in the mobilization. He said that Russian men mistakenly called up for service should be sent back home, and that only reservists with proper training and specialties should be summoned to serve.

    “It’s necessary to deal with each such case independently, but if there is a mistake, I repeat, it must be fixed. It’s necessary to bring back those who were drafted without proper reason,” Putin stressed.

    The mass exodus of Russian men — alone or with their families or friends — began Sept. 21, shortly after Putin’s address to the nation, and continued all this week. Airline tickets to destinations abroad have sold out days in advance, even at unprecedentedly high prices.

    Long lines of cars formed on roads leading to Russia’s borders. Russian authorities tried to stem the outflow by turning back some men at the borders, citing mobilization laws, or setting up draft offices at border checkpoints.

    The bus stations in Samara and Tolyatti, two large Russian cities in the Samara region, on Thursday halted service to Uralsk, a border city in Kazakhstan.

    See: Officials say 98,000 Russians enter Kazakhstan after military call-up

    Finland announced that it would ban Russian citizens with tourist visas from entering the country starting Friday. With the exception of Norway, which has only one border crossing with Russia, Finland has provided the last easily accessible land route to Europe for Russian holders of European Schengen-zone visas. The Nordic country has taken in tens of thousands of people fleeing the military call-up in recent days.

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