Ukrainians

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called on the United Nations to ensure security at the Zaporizhzhia power plant, where increased fighting has raised fears of a nuclear incident. “The UN must ensure the security of this strategic object, its demilitarisation, and complete liberation from Russian troops,” Zelensky said in a statement after meeting UN chief Antonio Guterres in Lviv. The Ukrainian leader also criticised “deliberate” Russian attacks on the facility. Ukraine and Russia have been accusing each other of targeting the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant — the biggest in Europe — which Russia seized last March. Tensions around the power plant have fuelled global fears of a nuclear disaster. The two leaders also discussed grain exports, after a deal brokered by the UN and Turkey allowed their resumption this month. Exports had been blocked following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “We agreed to continue the coordination of the grain initiative … [Read more...] about Ukrainian Prez Zelensky Calls on UN to ‘Ensure Security’ of Nuclear Plant

German weapons manufacturer MBDA is developing a missile that could help Kyiv's forces in the fight against Russia, according to reports in Ukraine. The Ukrainian military has been using U.S and German-supplied HIMARS (high mobility artillery rocket systems) to repel Russian forces and to go on the offensive. The joint fire support missile (JFS-M) being developed by MBDA could increase the range of weapons fired by Ukraine from 300km (186 miles) to 500km, according to news site Obozrevatel. Two key bridges into the Russian-occupied city of Kherson , which Kyiv has been working to retake, were heavily damaged by strikes last week, the British Ministry of Defence said. Ukrainian authorities reported on Saturday that the last working bridge over the river in the country's southern region had been damaged, further crippling Russian supply lines, according to the Associated Press. The JFS-M has a high subsonic speed that ranges from 600km/h to 1000km/h, according to MBDA. Two of … [Read more...] about New HIMARS missiles could give Ukraine forces major boost

I first learned about the Rage on the Red Sea boxing match between heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Olexandr Usyk in around February 2022. That's when myself and my husband, and manager, Richard had the idea to campaign my promoters and the Saudi Arabian organizers to allow me to compete there, and help create positive change. After many months of annoying Frank Smith, my promoter's CEO, we finally got the call we had been waiting for; that I would be fighting against Dominican boxer Crystal Garcia on August 20 in the first ever professional female boxing match in Saudi Arabia. It was an amazing feeling to be part of such a historic moment and a cultural shift towards equality in the region. This fight is the seventh since I began my professional career in 2020, and it's probably both my hardest test in terms of competition and the most important outside of the ring as well. I'm not just representing myself but also all women in combat sports; so the world can see that we deserve … [Read more...] about Ramla Ali: “Working with Meghan Markle changed my life”

As tensions between Ukraine and Russia grow over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Russia's Defense Ministry said on Thursday that the facility could be shut down if Ukrainian forces continue targeting it and named three countries in danger from radioactive fallout in the event of an incident at the plant. The Zaporizhzhia plant—the largest in Europe—has been under occupation since March, when it was captured by Russian troops, though it is still run by Ukrainian technicians. There has been concern over the fate of the power plant stuck in the middle of a brutal conflict and the risks it could pose to the entire European continent. The Zaporizhzhia plant has been the target of several military strikes since the end of July and both Kyiv and Moscow have accused each other's forces of shelling the facility. During Thursday's briefing, the head of Russia's radiation, chemical and biological defense forces Igor Kirillov said Zaporizhzhia's back-up support systems had been damaged … [Read more...] about Russia names three countries in nuclear danger over shelling of plant

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan heads to Ukraine Thursday as the most likely peacemaker in a war that has pitted NATO and the European Union firmly against Russia. Erdogan and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the western city of Lviv, with the nascent UN-Turkish-facilitated Black Sea grain export deal likely top of the agenda. The Turkish president may also be carrying a message from Russian President Vladimir Putin , who he met in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi earlier this month. Erdogan—now needed by both Ukraine and Russia—may yet play a key role in any eventual ceasefire, though for now an end to the fighting looks unlikely. In the meantime Erdogan—ambitious, opportunistic, and pragmatic—will deal with both sides, seeking to stabilize its region, its beleaguered economy, and grow its international influence. "Turkey is trying to find a middle road," said Fatih Ceylan, … [Read more...] about Turkey’s Erdogan jostles to be Putin’s partner, Ukraine peacemaker

Ukraine has said a bridge connecting Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea will be dismantled, "voluntarily or not." The Crimean Bridge, also called the Kerch Bridge, is a pair of two bridges, one road and the other rail, connecting the Kerch Peninsula in Crimea to mainland Russia. Stretching 11.8 miles they are the longest bridges in Europe, and the longest bridges Russia has ever constructed. Russia invaded and annexed Crimea , which Western powers still recognize as sovereign Ukrainian territory, in 2014. Bridge construction began two years later, with the road bridge opening in 2018 and the rail bridge in 2019. On Wednesday, Mikhail Podolyak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky y, vowed the bridges will be destroyed. He tweeted: "Regarding 'Kerchen bridge'. It is recorded in international law: Crimea is Ukraine. And that's why this bridge is a banal object of illegal construction, permission for the construction of which Ukraine did not give. "It … [Read more...] about Why Putin’s bridge has become Ukraine’s top target

NATO has touted exercises in Europe that it says show the military strength and unity of the alliance amid concerns in the bloc that Russia could widen its invasion of Ukraine beyond its borders. In a series of tweets, the U.S. mission to NATO shared images and video of recent drills in Poland , the Mediterranean and the Adriatic Seas , as Moscow continues to portray its invasion of Ukraine as a wider battle with the alliance. "Check out this live-fire exercise with troops, which took place in Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland, where America's forward-deployed corps in Europe train with our Allies and partners," one of the tweets said, with four images of military hardware being tested. Another tweet described how ships from the reaction force, NATO Maritime Group Two, had finished exercises in the Adriatic and Mediterranean seas and how alliance members "work every day to ensure strong maritime capabilities to deter aggression" as well as "preserve safety and security of the … [Read more...] about Photos show U.S., NATO military drills for “combat-readiness” in Europe