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Russia has accused NATO of fuelling tensions as the western military alliance launches its annual nuclear drill involving 2,000 troops.
NATO launched the ‘Steadfast Noon’ drill in northern Europe on Monday, which also includes 60 aircraft from eight bases and 13 nations. The drill will be led by Belgium and the Netherlands, and will last around two weeks.
The exercise will largely be held 900 kilometres (560 miles) north of Russia, in the North Sea.
But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has accused NATO of fuelling tensions in light of a “hot war” raging in Ukraine.
“In the conditions of a hot war, which is being waged within the framework of the Ukrainian conflict, of course, such exercises lead to nothing but further escalation of tension,” Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian media.
He also said it would not be possible to hold nuclear arms talks with the US, because of what it perceives as both direct and indirect involvement in the Ukraine war from western powers.
Joe Biden said in a statement yesterday that he is ready to negotiate with Russia, China and North Korea on nuclear issues “without preconditions to reduce the nuclear threat”.
Russia captures southeastern village of Levadne, its defence ministry says
Ruyssia’s Defence Ministry says its forces have taken control of the village of Levadne, around 125 kilometres west of the eastern city of Donetsk, Russian state-owned news agency Interfax reported.
The village, in the region of Zaporizhzhia, was captured early on in the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, before it was retaken by Ukrainien forces during the 2023 summer counteroffensive.
The battlefield report has not been independent verified.
Alex Croft14 October 2024 13:08
Pope’s envoy to Ukraine arrives in Moscow
Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, an envoy to Ukraine of Pope Francis, arrived in Moscow on Monday according to the RIA state news agency.
RIA cited a source in the Holy See as saying a visit is possible between Zuppi and Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and a close ally of the Kremlin.
Zuppi last visited Moscow in June 2023.
Alex Croft14 October 2024 12:46
One killed and two civilian vessels damaged in Russian attack on port
A Russian missile attack has damaged two civilian vessels, killed one person and injured at least eight, Ukrainian authorities said.
The attack on Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa also damaged a grain storage, according to Reuters.
Deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba announced on Telegram that Palau-flagged bulk carrier Optima and Belize-flagged NS Moon were both damaged in the strike.
Two of the injured people were left in a serious condition, according to regional governor Oleh Kiper.
Alex Croft14 October 2024 12:14
Kremlin rejects German claim that Russia could attack NATO by 2030
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has refuted the claim by a German intelligence official that Russian forces “should be in a position to launch an attack on NATO by the end of this decade at the latest”.
Peskov said on Monday that it was actually NATO who threatened Russia, referring to multiple rounds of NATO expansion.
Alex Croft14 October 2024 11:53
Kremlin: NATO nuclear exercise is fuelling tensions
Russia has accused NATO of fuelling tensions with their annual nuclear exercise in light of the “hot war” raging on in Ukraine.
The western military alliance kicked off the drills on Monday, which will include 2,000 troops and 60 aircraft from eight bases, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday it would not be possible to hold nuclear arms talks with the US, due to what it describes as direct and indirect involvement in Ukraine from western powers.
“In the conditions of a hot war, which is being waged within the framework of the Ukrainian conflict, of course, such exercises lead to nothing but further escalation of tension,” Peskov said according to Breaking The News.
Joe Biden said recently that he is ready to negotiate with Russia, China and North Korea on nuclear issues “without preconditions”.
Alex Croft14 October 2024 11:36
Russia launches no Shahed drones overnight for first time in nearly 50 days
For the first time in 48 days, Russia did not launch any Shahed drone attacks at Ukraine overnight from Sunday going into Monday.
The Ukrainian Air Force did not comment on why there was a sudden lull in drone attacks from the Russians, who launched 1,300 Shahed kamikaze drones in September according to the Kyiv Independent.
Yurii Ihnat, acting Head of the Communications Department of the Air Force Command, said earlier this month that Russian forces were increasingly using drones of an unspecified type, which have been frequently downed by Ukrainian electronic warfare systems.
Alex Croft14 October 2024 10:54
US ready to talk to Russia about nuclear security, Biden says
The US is ready to talk to Russia, China and North Korea to address security issues, president Joe Biden has said.
Speaking in the Nobel Peace Prize winners’ congratulatory statement, Biden said it is vital to move towards the day that the world can be completely and permanently free of nuclear weapons.
He said the US is ready to negotiate with Russia, China and North Korea “without preconditions” to diminish the nuclear threat, Ukrainska Prava reported.
Biden said: “There is no benefit to our nations or the world to forestall progress on reducing nuclear arsenals. Reducing the nuclear threat is important not despite the dangers of today’s world but precisely because of them.
“These nuclear risks erode the norms and agreements we have worked collectively to put in place and run counter to the vital work of today’s Nobel Laureates.”
It came after Japanese nuclear bombing survivors’ organisation Nihon Hidankyo won the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts in pushing for a nuclear free world and demonstrating that nuclear weapons must not be used.
Alex Croft14 October 2024 10:29
In pictures: Ukraine’s ‘Bulava’ unmanned aerial vehicles unit test new FPV drones
Alex Croft14 October 2024 10:09
Russia will be able to attack NATO by the end of this decade, head of German intelligence says
Russian forces will have the capacity to attack NATO by the end of this decade, the head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service said on Monday.
“Russian forces should be in a position to launch an attack on NATO by the end of this decade at the latest,” Dr Bruno Kahl, Bundesnachrichtendienstes (BND) chief, told a parliamentary committee in Berlin.
We’ll bring you more detail on his comments as they come.
Alex Croft14 October 2024 09:48
Five killed and eight injured in past day, Ukraine says
Russian attacks on Ukraine have killed five people and injured eight others in the past day, regional authorities confirmed this morning.
Four people were killed in the region of Donetsk, after attacks on gthe town of Chasiv Yar anf the villages of Zvanivka and Vyshneve, according to the region’s governor. Three more people were killed in the region.
One person was killed and four were injured in the Kherson region, after putin’s forces targeted eight settlements, including the regional capital of Kherson, according to governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
Three high-rise buildings, six houses, gas pipelines and a warehouse were all damaged in the region, Prokudin added.
Alex Croft14 October 2024 09:24