Contents tagged with Russia

  • Six Russian regions attacked by drones

    Russian air defences intercepted and destroyed 12 UAVs overnight on Friday, June 28, in Bryansk Oblast, nine in Smolensk Oblast, two in Kursk Oblast, and one each in Voronezh and Rostov Oblasts, the Russian Ministry of Defence reported.

    Bryansk Oblast Governor Alexander Bogomaz reported on his Telegram channel that six UAVs were shot down over Karachevsky District, in addition to drones brought down over Navlinsky, Suzemsky, Trubchevsky districts and Bryansk city.

    According to Bogomaz, the …

  • North Korea to send engineering troops to Russian-controlled Donetsk

    North Korea is set to send engineering troops to the Russian-occupied regions of Donetsk in July 2024. The troops from the DPRK will assist the Russians in "rebuilding" the damaged infrastructure. According to sources from the South Korean TV channel TV Chosun, the Kremlin will pay each North Korean soldier up to $800 for their services.

    South Korean intelligence reports that the North Korean army has 10 engineering brigades and intends to deploy up to half of them to Ukraine. Pyongyang has …

  • Russia and Iran near landmark strategic partnership agreement

    Russia is on the verge of signing a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Iran, one of Israel's primary adversaries. This announcement was made today by Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during a briefing. The draft of the new interstate agreement between Russia and Iran is in the final stage of approval, and it is expected to be signed during one of the upcoming meetings between the presidents of Russia and Iran.

    Zakharova highlighted …

  • Ukraine narrows firepower disparity with Russia to 1:3 ratio on frontlines

    The disparity in fire volume between Ukraine and Russia on the frontline has narrowed to a ratio of 1:3, LIGA.net reports, citing sources in Ukraine’s General Staff.

    A source from the General Staff told LIGA.net that, during the summer of 2023, Russians fired between 10,000 to 15,000 rounds per day, compared to 10,000 by Ukrainian troops, achieving what was then termed "relative parity".

    However, between August and the end of 2023, the Russian troops ramped up their daily fire to 20,000 …

  • Hamas deputy leader to hold discussions in Moscow as Russia seeks release of hostages

    Hamas' Deputy Head of the Political Bureau, Musa Abu Marzouk, is scheduled to arrive in Moscow tomorrow, June 24, for talks, according to the Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

    "Abu Marzouk will arrive in Moscow on Monday," an informed source told the agency.

    According to the source, Marzouk has meetings lined up at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    During his previous visit to the Russian capital on March 1, Abu Marzouk met with the Russian President's Special Representative for the …

  • Vietnam affirms strategic partnership with U.S., casting doubt on Putin's recent diplomatic gains

    Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son has described the United States as a strategic partner for his country. The key diplomat made this declaration during the visit of U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink to Hanoi. This visit came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin's trip to Vietnam.

    According to the newspaper VietnamPlus, Bui Thanh Son emphasized that Vietnam continues to regard the United States as a strategically important …

  • Quiet dismissal: FSB's 5th Service Head ousted over Ukraine offensive failures

    General Sergey Beseda has been dismissed from his post as the head of the FSB's 5th Service, widely considered to be chiefly responsible for the failure of Russia's blitzkrieg in Ukraine. The dismissal took place quietly, with General Beseda being replaced by Alexey Komkov, who previously held a senior position in counterintelligence, reports the news outlet Important Stories, citing two sources close to Russian intelligence services.

    Rumors about Beseda facing significant problems began …

  • US shuts down Russian visa centres in major cities and revokes diplomatic tax exemptions

    The United States is closing two Russian visa centres in Washington and New York, in addition to stripping Russian diplomats of their tax exemption privileges, reported the head of the Russian diplomatic mission, Anatoly Antonov, as cited by TASS news agency.

    "The Americans have sent us notification of the closure of the visa centre. Now, additional responsibilities will fall on the shoulders of Russian diplomats and consuls," he said. Despite this, the Russian ambassador pledged to "put all …

  • Ukrainian Forces target Russian military bases near Mariupol: significant damage and casualties reported

    On the afternoon of June 22, explosions rocked the temporarily occupied city of Mariupol in the Donetsk region. Notably, a base of the Russian Armed Forces was damaged, repotted Petro Andryushchenko, advisor to the Mayor of Mariupol, on Telegram.

    Preliminary information suggests that today's strikes in the occupied city hit a Russian military base.

    The attack resulted in damage to five pieces of Russian equipment and an air defense system. 

    Andryushchenko also reported that additional …

  • Jailed Russian actor Mikhail Yefremov offered parole in exchange for volunteering in Ukraine war

    Popular Russian actor Mikhail Yefremov, who is serving a prison sentence for a fatal car accident, has been offered parole in exchange for participating in the war against Ukraine. The veterans' organisation "Veterans of Russia" has said it will support the actor "if he repays his debt to the motherland", according to the Telegram channel Shot.

    "The decision for parole is made by the court, but Mikhail Yefremov should know that he can count on our petition for his release if he wishes to …