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Tag: Russia's war in Ukraine

  • Latest news: Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death, Russia’s war in Ukraine

    Latest news: Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death, Russia’s war in Ukraine

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    Ukraine’s forces are making more progress in the country’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, while Russian troops have intensified attacks in areas surrounding the embattled city of Kupiansk on the eastern front line, the Ukrainian military said Sunday.

    Around Kupiansk: Russia “has significantly increased the number of attacks. As of yesterday, the enemy shelled the positions of our defenders 620 times and carried out 15 airstrikes,” Illya Yevlash, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s forces on the eastern front, said on national television.

    “However, the enemy’s emphasis has changed somewhat. They are shifting their focus from the Kupiansk sector to Novoiehorivka,” Yevlash added, referring to a village northeast of Kupiansk.

    Ukrainian forces repelled 10 attacks in the area over the past day, the spokesperson said.

    Russian shelling around Kupiansk has been so intense in recent weeks that it has prompted one of Ukraine’s largest-scale evacuations of the conflict.

    Near Bakhmut: Ukraine is still on the offensive in the Bakhmut direction, and continues to advance “meter by meter,” Yevlash said. Over the past day, Russian forces shelled Ukrainian positions 590 times, using multiple rocket launchers and cannon artillery of various calibers, according to the spokesperson.

    A total of 14 combat engagements took place on Saturday, Yevlash said. “The enemy is resorting to counterattacks, trying in vain to regain lost ground,” he added, noting that Russia’s tactics “remain virtually unchanged” in the area.

    Since the Wagner private military group claimed to capture the eastern city in May, Ukraine has maintained that it is still fighting for Bakhmut and picking up gains in territory immediately surrounding the city.

    Zaporizhzhia region: In southern Ukraine, Kyiv’s forces continue to advance near the village of Robotnye, said Oleksandr Shputun, a Ukrainian military spokesperson for units in the region.

    Ukrainian troops are advancing in the direction of Novoprokopivka — another village, located just south of Robotyne — and north toward the settlement of Mala Tokmachka, Shputun said on national television Sunday.

    “Recently, the enemy has increased the number of airstrikes,” he said. “But this also means that other firepower is no longer able to hold back the progress of our troops.”

    Ukraine has claimed successes in Robotyne and surrounding areas over the past several days, with social media video and images showing troops had entered the village. Almost no buildings are still standing in Robotyne, Kyiv’s forces say.

    Here’s where the state of control stands in Ukraine:

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  • Russia’s war in Ukraine

    Russia’s war in Ukraine

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    A dump track unloads grain in a granary in the village of Zghurivka, Ukraine, August 9, 2022. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)

    The European Commission denounced a decision by Poland and Hungary to ban imports of grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine.

    “Unilateral actions are not acceptable. In such challenging times, it is crucial to coordinate and align all decisions within the EU,” EU Commission spokesperson Arianna Podestà told CNN in a statement Sunday.

    Podestà said trade policy is an “exclusive competence” issue, referring to the alliance’s policies around decisions that must be made as a group, and not by individual member states.

    The commission is requesting more information from the involved countries to assess the measures, the spokesperson said.

    The bans in question: On Saturday, Poland banned imports of grain and other food products from Ukraine “to protect the Polish agricultural market against destabilization,” the Polish prime minister’s office said in a statement.  

    Hungarian Agriculture Minister István Nagy announced Sunday that Budapest would take similar steps, temporarily banning the import of grain, oil seeds and other agricultural products from Ukraine.

    “The government is committed to representing the interests of the Hungarian economic society,” Nagy said in a Facebook post Sunday, adding he was taking the step “in the absence of meaningful EU measures.”

    What led up to the bans: When Russia invaded Ukraine, it blocked ports and sea routes used to export Ukrainian grain to Africa and the Middle East. Fearing widespread famine, the European Union lifted duties on grain from Ukraine to ease distribution to those global markets.

    Ukrainian grain has since flowed into Poland, but much of it has remained in the country, bringing down the price and causing Polish farmers to suffer significant financial losses.

    That’s spurred protests and calls for the European Commission — effectively the EU’s cabinet government — to intervene. But the international body only spurred further anger when it announced a draft decision to extend duty-free and quota-free imports of Ukrainian grain until June 2024.

    CNN’s Mariya Knight and Jonny Hallam contributed to this report.

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  • Around 300,000 people still without power in Odesa after “technological accident”

    Around 300,000 people still without power in Odesa after “technological accident”

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    Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov holds a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 5. (Oleksii Chumachenko/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

    Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov was asked to comment on rumors that he could be replaced.

    “No official stays in office forever. Not a single one. So one should be ready at any time for this stage to end,” Reznikov told reporters in Kyiv on Sunday.

    “The decision whether I will be or won’t be the Minister of Defense is made by one person – the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky,” Reznikov said.

    “Therefore, I will make certain decisions only upon the decision of the President of Ukraine. And then, again, I will do what the President of Ukraine offers me, I will do everything for our victory.” he added.

    The formal process to replace Ukraine’s defense minister requires that Zelensky first ask parliament to remove the minister. Ukrainian lawmakers then hold a vote on the proposal. Afterwards Zelensky will then propose a new defense minister which the lawmakers also need to vote to approve. This could happen in the coming days.

    On Wednesday last week, officials from the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said they had charged the Ministry of Defense’s former head for procurement with embezzlement over the purchase of thousands of substandard protective vests.

    The official spent the equivalent of $2.7 million on almost 3,000 “bulletproof vests” for the Ukrainian armed forces which were later found to be unable to “properly protect Ukrainian soldiers.”

    The SBU said that the official was charged with “misappropriation, embezzlement or seizure of property through abuse of office,” obstruction of the armed forces, and “committing a criminal offense by a group of persons.”

    The SBU said that the individual faced five to eight years in prison and had recalled the sub-standard body armor.

    “In addition, the SBU is conducting investigative actions against other officials in the security and defense sector who may be involved in illegal activities that harm state security. This is a set of measures aimed at strengthening the defense capabilities of our state,” the SBU said at the time.

    The charges come after Zelensky fired a slew of senior Ukrainian officials since late January amid a growing corruption scandal linked to the procurement of war-time supplies, in the biggest shakeup of his government since Russia’s invasion began.

    CNN’s Yulia Kesaieva, Mick Krever and Jack Guy contributed reporting.

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  • Russia’s war in Ukraine

    Russia’s war in Ukraine

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    Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov holds a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 5. (Oleksii Chumachenko/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

    Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov was asked to comment on rumors that he could be replaced.

    “No official stays in office forever. Not a single one. So one should be ready at any time for this stage to end,” Reznikov told reporters in Kyiv on Sunday.

    “The decision whether I will be or won’t be the Minister of Defense is made by one person – the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky,” Reznikov said.

    “Therefore, I will make certain decisions only upon the decision of the President of Ukraine. And then, again, I will do what the President of Ukraine offers me, I will do everything for our victory.” he added.

    The formal process to replace Ukraine’s defense minister requires that Zelensky first ask parliament to remove the minister. Ukrainian lawmakers then hold a vote on the proposal. Afterwards Zelensky will then propose a new defense minister which the lawmakers also need to vote to approve. This could happen in the coming days.

    On Wednesday last week, officials from the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said they had charged the Ministry of Defense’s former head for procurement with embezzlement over the purchase of thousands of substandard protective vests.

    The official spent the equivalent of $2.7 million on almost 3,000 “bulletproof vests” for the Ukrainian armed forces which were later found to be unable to “properly protect Ukrainian soldiers.”

    The SBU said that the official was charged with “misappropriation, embezzlement or seizure of property through abuse of office,” obstruction of the armed forces, and “committing a criminal offense by a group of persons.”

    The SBU said that the individual faced five to eight years in prison and had recalled the sub-standard body armor.

    “In addition, the SBU is conducting investigative actions against other officials in the security and defense sector who may be involved in illegal activities that harm state security. This is a set of measures aimed at strengthening the defense capabilities of our state,” the SBU said at the time.

    The charges come after Zelensky fired a slew of senior Ukrainian officials since late January amid a growing corruption scandal linked to the procurement of war-time supplies, in the biggest shakeup of his government since Russia’s invasion began.

    CNN’s Yulia Kesaieva, Mick Krever and Jack Guy contributed reporting.

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  • Russia’s war in Ukraine

    Russia’s war in Ukraine

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    Ukrainian forces will resume “active counteroffensive actions” when the ground freezes, making it easier to transport equipment, Kyiv’s defense minister said. Follow live updates here.

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