Ukraine’s navy announces Black Sea humanitarian corridorUkraine’s navy said a new temporary Black Sea “humanitarian corridor” had started working and that the first ships were expected to use it within days.Oleh Chalyk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, told Reuters that the corridor would be for commercial ships blocked at Ukraine’s Black Sea ports and for grain and agricultural products.The navy said in a separate statement that the risk posed by mines in the Black Sea and the military threat from Russia remained.Click here to share on social media
1h ago (09:08 GMT)Yandex co-founder Volozh slams Russia’s ‘barbaric’ invasion of UkraineThe co-founder of Russian internet giant Yandex, Arkady Volozh, condemned what he described as Russia’s “barbaric” invasion of Ukraine.Volozh described himself as a “Kazakhstan-born Israeli tech entrepreneur” on a personal website, drawing some criticism in Russian media and on the Telegram messaging platform for apparently playing down his links to Russia.“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is barbaric, and I am categorically against it,” Volozh said in a statement. “I am horrified about the fate of people in Ukraine – many of them my personal friends and relatives – whose houses are being bombed every day.“Although I moved to Israel in 2014, I have to take my share of responsibility for the country’s actions,” wrote Volozh, who holds both Russian and Israeli passports.Click here to share on social media
3h ago (07:54 GMT)Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant switched to reserve power line: EnergoatomUkraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant again lost connection to its last remaining main external power line overnight and was switched to a reserve line, state-owned power generating company Energoatom said on Thursday.Energoatom said that Europe’s largest nuclear power plant was on the verge of a blackout as the reserve line had less than half of the power capacity of the main power line.“Such a regime is difficult for the reactor plant, its duration is limited by the project’s design, and it can result in failure of the main equipment of the energy unit,” Energoatom said on Telegram.The nuclear power plant, with its six reactors, has been controlled by the Russian military since the early days of Moscow’s invasion in February 2022.The plant has become one of the focal points of the conflict, with both sides blaming each other for shelling around the plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been trying to set up a safety mechanism to prevent accidents.None of the plant’s six reactors produce electricity.
3h ago (07:18 GMT)Poland to send thousands of additional troops to Belarus borderPoland is planning to move up to 10,000 additional troops to the border with Belarus to support the Border Guard, Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak has announced.“About 10,000 soldiers will be on the border, of which 4,000 will directly support the Border Guard, and 6,000 will be in the reserve,” the minister said in an interview for public radio.“We move the army closer to the border with Belarus to scare away the aggressor so that it does not dare to attack us,” Blaszczak said.Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Wasik said on Wednesday that Poland would send 2,000 additional troops to its frontier with Belarus.Poland has worried increasingly about the border area since hundreds of battle-hardened Wagner mercenaries arrived in Belarus last month at the invitation of President Alexander Lukashenko.Belarus continues its military exercises near the border this week, and Lukashenko has said several times that he was restraining Wagner fighters who want to attack Poland.
4h ago (06:46 GMT)West imposes new sanctions on BelarusWestern powers on Wednesday imposed new sanctions on Belarus, three years after mass pro-democracy protests against President Alexander Lukashenko.Lukashenko, an ally of Moscow who has ruled Belarus since 1994, was widely accused of falsifying the results of the August 9, 2020 election to give himself a sixth term.The fallout led to the biggest protests in recent Belarusian history that were put down with force. Three years on, nearly 1,500 people are in jail, and tens of thousands more have fled the country.The US, which already has sweeping sanctions on Belarus, said it was taking further action including against state carrier Belavia, making business dealings with the airline a crime, and blacklisting a tobacco mogul close to Lukashenko.The State Department said it was also banning visas to 101 Belarusian officials, judges and others accused of subverting democracy.“The United States continues to stand with the brave people of Belarus as they seek a country grounded in the rule of law, respect for human rights and an accountable, democratically elected government,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
4h ago (06:39 GMT)Fuel depot in western Ukraine destroyed in drone attackAn apparent Russian drone attack targeted a fuel depot located in the western Rivne region of Ukraine.Rivne’s Governor Vitaliy Koval wrote on the Telegram messaging app that the depot had been destroyed, but no casualties had been reported.The governor said that 45 rescuers and 14 vehicles were working on site and that a fire train had been dispatched.“The chemical and radiation background is normal,” Koval said. He also said there would be no evacuation of the area.
4h ago (06:34 GMT)Fatal missile attack on ZaporizhzhiaThree people have been reported dead in an apparent Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.Zelenskyy posted a video of the attack on social media. In the post, smoke can be seen billowing from burning and badly damaged buildings next to a church. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence reported two people dead, on social media.
4h ago (06:27 GMT)More than a dozen drones downed near Crimea and Moscow: Russian MoDRussia claims to have downed 13 Ukrainian drones seeking to attack the largest city in Russian-annexed Crimea, and Moscow.Russia’s defence ministry said two drones were struck by air defence systems near Sevastopol, the city in Crimea which serves as Russia’s Black Sea naval base, and nine more were jammed and crashed into the Black Sea.One drone was shot down as it approached the Russian capital over the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, and another was shot down over the prestigious Odintsovo district of Moscow region, the defence ministry said.
