Nato intercepts russian jets

A Russian missile strike on a crowded mall in central Ukraine killed at least 16 people Monday in what Group of Seven leaders branded “a war crime” at a meeting in Germany where they looked to step up sanctions on Moscow. The leaders vowed that Russian President Vladimir Putin and those responsible would be held to account for the strike in the city of Kremenchuk, carried out during the shopping mall’s busiest hours. “Indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime,” they said in a statement condemning the “abominable attack.” Ukraine accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians, with President Volodymyr Zelensky calling it “one of the most brazen terrorist acts in European history” in his evening broadcast posted on Telegram. “A peaceful town, an ordinary shopping centre — women, children ordinary civilians inside,” said Zelensky, who earlier shared a video of the mall engulfed in flames with dozens of rescuers and a fire truck outside. Emergency … [Read more...] about G7 Denounces ‘War Crime’ as Russian Strike Kills Shoppers

Georgia says it’s determined to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as soon as it fixes its “territorial problems” with Russia . Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili made the announcement at an economic conference in Qatar on Tuesday, telling the crowd that the country’s “motivation is to become a member of NATO.” But he said Georgian leadership is “not naive” in its ambitions, and that it understands it must first “resolve” issues with its breakaway regions before joining the alliance. The country has long sought to join NATO, and although it’s considered a close partner to the Western alliance and regularly takes part in allied military drills, plans for accession have largely been viewed with skepticism because thousands of Russian troops are currently stationed in the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. “Our government’s policy is to restore territorial integrity and sovereignty through peaceful negotiations. We have not been in contact … [Read more...] about Georgia Sticks It to Putin: We Still Want to Join NATO

MADRID (Reuters) - About 30 anti-war activists protested on Monday in front of Pablo Picasso's historic Guernica painting about the horrors of war at the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid, hours before the start on Tuesday of a NATO summit in the Spanish capital. The protesters blame the military alliance for stoking the war in Ukraine and argue that "security is not achieved with more weapons", protest organizers Extinction Rebellion and Fridays For Future said in a joint statement. In pictures and a video posted on social media, a dozen activists could be seen lying on the floor, corpse-like, in front of Picasso's masterpiece, inspired by the bloody air raid on the town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. Some carried signs with the words "War is the death of people. War is the death of art". The protest in one of Europe's most famous museums lasted about 10 minutes before museum staff removed the protesters, organizers said. The museum declined to comment when contacted … [Read more...] about NATO summit protesters play dead in front of Picasso war painting

A partial blockade of a Russian exclave ensconced between Lithuania and Poland along the Baltic coast could cause a dramatic escalation in the Ukraine war. The Kaliningrad region is sandwiched between the two NATO member countries, and it has been Russian territory since the end of World War II in 1945. Its eponymous capital was formerly one of East Germany's main cities before it was captured by then-Soviet Union in April 1945, with the Potsdam Agreement later that year placing it under Soviet administration. The region, which is armed with nuclear-capable missiles, has about one million residents. The exclave could spiral into a new flashpoint of the war in Ukraine, as the Kremlin has warned Lithuania of "serious consequences" for its application of European Union sanctions on certain products, including Russian coal, iron, oil, and steel. However, the Baltic state has vowed to stick with the blockade, which is part of the EU 's sanctions response to Russia's invasion of … [Read more...] about How Kaliningrad blockade could spark escalation of Russia-Ukraine War

In 2018, Russia reportedly sent nuclear-capable missiles to Kaliningrad, a region sandwiched between NATO members Poland and Lithuania that does not share borders with Russia but is still part of the country's territory. Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted a senior lawmaker as saying that the Iskander missiles had been deployed to the exclave on the Baltic Sea, Reuters reported at the time. ( Newsweek was not immediately able to locate the original RIA report on the deployment of the nuclear-capable weapons.) The quote in the RIA report came from Vladimir Shamanov, a retired colonel-general of the Russian armed forces who leads the State Duma Defense Committee. He did not specify how many of the missiles had been sent. "Yes, they have been deployed," RIA quoted Shamanov as saying, according to Reuters. "The deployment of foreign military infrastructure automatically falls onto the priority list for targeting." While the Iskander missiles reportedly remain in … [Read more...] about Putin missiles in Kaliningrad, 50 miles From Polish border, nuclear-capable

Leading economic powers conferred by video link with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday as they underscored their commitment to Ukraine for the long haul with plans to pursue a price cap on Russian oil, raise tariffs on Russian goods and impose other new sanctions. In addition, the U.S. was preparing to announce the purchase of an advanced surface-to-air missile system for Kyiv to help Ukraine fight back against Vladimir Putin’s aggression. The new aid and efforts to exact punishment on Moscow from the Group of Seven leaders come as Zelenskyy has openly worried that the West has become fatigued by the cost of a war that is contributing to soaring energy costs and price hikes on essential goods around the globe. Leaders were finalizing the deal to seek a price cap during their three-day G-7 summit in the German Alps. The details of how a price cap would work, as well as its impact on the Russian economy, were to be resolved by the G-7 finance ministers in the coming … [Read more...] about G-7 leaders confer with Zelensky, prepare new aid for Ukraine

Law enforcement raids on hundreds of Ukrainian establishments over the weekend resulted in summonses and arrests for individuals breaking curfew or being in possession of illegal drugs. Law enforcement officers and military commissars from the National Police in Kyiv, as part of consolidated mobile groups, reportedly carried out raids of 420 establishments in order to verify citizens' compliance with martial law restrictions and to prevent violations during curfews. "Under martial law, citizens must comply with curfew restrictions," said Ivan Vyhovsky, the Kyiv police chief, according to an English translation of his statement. "Thus, Kyiv police together with military commissars patrol the city streets, squares and parks at night, as well as focus on inspections of night entertainment venues." Vyhovsky said that, of the establishments inspected, two were operating at night and that 413 individuals were found to have violated curfew. Of those 413 people, men of conscription age … [Read more...] about Ukraine police send hundreds of men to military office after club raids

Pope Francis sparked outrage last month by suggesting NATO might be to blame for Russia’s war in Ukraine—and now he’s dug himself in deeper with newly released remarks saying the war may have been “provoked.” The pontiff made the comments in a conversation with editors of Jesuit media last month that was released in full by the journal Civilta Cattolica on Tuesday. A transcript of the interview shows Pope Francis condemning the “brutality and ferocity” of Russian troops while at the same time appearing to argue that Russian aggression is not the main problem in the war. “What we are seeing is the brutality and ferocity with which this war is being carried out by the troops, generally mercenaries, used by the Russians.… But the danger is that we only see this, which is monstrous, and we do not see the whole drama unfolding behind this war, which was perhaps somehow either provoked or not prevented,” he was quoted saying. Acknowledging that he might be labeled … [Read more...] about Pope Francis: Russia’s War Against Ukraine Was ‘Perhaps Somehow Provoked’

Russian missiles struck the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Sunday, a day after a key eastern city fell to pro-Russian forces in a major set-back for Ukraine and as world leaders gathered in Europe to discuss further sanctions against Moscow. Up to four explosions rang out in central Kyiv in the early hours, in the first such attack on the city in weeks. Two more blasts were heard on the southern outskirts of the city later in the day, a Reuters reporter said. "The Russians hit Kyiv again. Missiles damaged an apartment building and a kindergarten," said Andriy Yermak, head of the president's administration. Ukraine's police chief, Ihor Klymenko, said on national television that five people had been wounded. As Europe's biggest land conflict since World War Two entered its fifth month the Western alliance supporting Kyiv was starting to show signs of strain as leaders fret about the growing economic cost, including surging food and energy prices. British Prime Minister Boris … [Read more...] about Russia strikes Kyiv as G7 summit opens

The G-7 leaders have pledged to continue supporting Ukraine “for as long as it takes.” In a joint statement Monday after a video link session with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the leaders underlined their “unwavering commitment to support the government and people of Ukraine in their courageous defence of their country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” President Joe Biden is set to announce that the U.S. is providing an advanced surface-to-air missile system to Ukraine, as well as additional artillery support Russian forces were fighting on June 27 to achieve one of their strategic objectives in Ukraine as Moscow-backed separatists said they were pushing into Lysychansk, the last major city still held by Ukrainian troops in eastern Luhansk province. Lysychansk's twin city of Sievierodonetsk fell on Saturda y in a victory for Moscow's campaign to seize the eastern provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk on behalf of pro-Russian separatists. Russia invaded Ukraine on … [Read more...] about Russia-Ukraine crisis live updates | G-7 demands Russia ‘immediately’ return Ukrainians taken by force