Ukraine and Russia have become used to being at the center of global media attention after 19 months of war, but that shifted over the weekend after the Islamist militant group Hamas launched the deadliest attack on Israel in decades.
Over 1,000 people have now died in both Israel and Gaza after Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes on the Palestinian territory. On Monday, Israel said it was still fighting militants in “seven to eight places” on its own territory and the fate of hundreds of hostages taken by Hamas militants remains unknown.
Russia has traditionally trodden a fine diplomatic line between Israel and Arab countries and on Saturday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry called on both sides to reach a cease-fire but also blamed the West for blocking international mediators, including Russia.
Russia is likely to try to use the eruption of violence in Israel to distract from its operations in Ukraine, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said on Saturday. The Kremlin said Monday that it was “extremely concerned” by the situation but said Russian President Vladimir Putin does not yet plan to contact Israeli or Palestinian officials to discuss the security crisis.
Fire and smoke rise after an Israeli airstrike targeted the National Bank in Gaza City, on Oct. 8, 2023.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv would support Israel as it fought Hamas, which was designated as a terrorist group by the U.S., U.K. and EU.
“It is very important that the whole world – the whole of it – does not stand aside from what has happened now and responds in the most principled way possible,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Sunday
In pictures: Gravediggers create new graves after missile attack
An aerial picture was taken of gravediggers creating new graves for victims of a Russian missile strike in the village of Hroza.
In an aerial view, gravediggers make new graves for the victims of a recent Russian missile strike at Hroza cemetery on October 09, 2023 in Hroza, Ukraine.
In the attack on Thursday, a missile crashed into a cafe in Hroza as people had gathered to mourn a fallen Ukrainian soldier, Reuters reported at the time. Hroza was captured by Moscow shortly after the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year. Ukrainian forces recaptured it in Sept., 2022.
Ukraine replaces the commander of its Territorial Defense Forces
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the commander of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces and appointed Major General Anatoliy Barhylevych to replace him.
Major General Anatoliy Barhylevych
Ihor Tanstsyura was dismissed, a decree published on the presidential website said, and Barhylevych appointed with no reason given for the change in command. Tanstsyura had held his position since May 2022.
Since last year, Barhylevych had been serving as chief of staff of troops in eastern Ukraine, Reuters noted Monday.
The Territorial Defense Forces are responsible for protecting critical facilities, organizing resistance units and combating enemy sabotage and intelligence forces.
Kremlin: Western taxpayers are asking how their money is being spent on Ukraine
Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov attends the Eurasian Economic Summit on November 9, 2022 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Leaders of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia gathered in Kyrgyz capital, hosting the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) Summit.
Contributor | Getty Images
Western taxpayers are starting to ask questions about how their money is being spent in helping Ukraine’s armed forces, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
Asked at a regular news briefing about Western fatigue over the Ukraine conflict, Peskov said that sooner or later Western support for Kyiv would start to decline.
Kyiv says Russia is planning disinformation campaign to discredit it in the Middle East
Kyiv’s Saint Sophia Cathedral.
Joern Pollex | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images
Kyiv said Russia is planning to launch a disinformation campaign to discredit Ukraine in the Middle East, claiming Moscow was planning to allege that Ukraine had supplied Western-supplied weapons to Hamas militants.
“The special operations units of Russia are conducting a campaign to discredit Ukraine in the Middle East,” Ukraine’s main intelligence department said on Telegram Monday. It said Russia was looking to exploit the Palestinian militant group Hamas’ attack against Israel in order to undermine Ukraine.
The intelligence department claimed that the Russian army had given Hamas “trophy weapons manufactured in the USA and EU states, that were captured during the hostilities in Ukraine.”
“The next step, according to the plan of the Russians, should be fake accusations [involving] the Ukrainian military in the alleged sale of Western weapons to terrorists on a regular basis.”
“As part of the Kremlin’s disinformation campaign, these fakes should form the basis of a number of ‘revealing publications’ and ‘investigations’ in the Western media,” the intelligence department added.
It did not provide evidence for its claims and CNBC was unable to verify the information.
Ukraine said Russia “aimed at discrediting the Armed Forces of Ukraine and [encouraging] the complete cessation of military aid to our country from Western partners.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, having offered his support and condolences for those killed in deadly attacks that erupted in the country after Hamas launched an audacious and large-scale attack on Saturday.
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy criticizes Iran’s role in Ukraine and Israel conflicts
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday linked the assault by Hamas on Israel with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and criticized Iran over both conflicts.
Israel was caught off guard on Saturday when the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched a devastating attack.
“The only difference is that there is a terrorist organization that attacked Israel and here is a terrorist state that attacked Ukraine. The intentions declared are different, but the essence is the same,” Zelenskyy told NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly in Copenhagen via video link.
Iran has denied it has supplied Russia with Shahed kamikaze drones for use in Ukraine and has said it is not involved in the weekend’s attacks on Israel. Ukraine said about 1,000 Iranian-designed Shahed drones were used by Russia over the past six months.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi greets Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 19, 2022. Putin likely wanted to show that Moscow is still important in the Middle East by visiting Iran, said John Drennan of the U.S. Institute of Peace.
Sergei Savostyanov | AFP | Getty Images
“Iran can’t say it has nothing to do with what is going on in Ukraine if it sells Shaheds (drones) to Russia. Iran can’t say it has nothing to do with what is going on in Israel, if its officials claim the support of what is going on in Israel,” Zelenskyy said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there was no evidence Iran was behind the latest attacks on Israel but he said there are long standing ties between Tehran and Hamas.
Zelenskyy urged Western unity in the face of global events. “This is not the time to withdraw from the international arena into internal disputes. This is not the time to isolate ourselves. This is not the time to remain silent or pretend that the terror on one continent does not affect global affairs,” Zelenskyy said.
Source : CNBC
