Russia claims more advances after Ukraine ground offensive

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Ukrainian residents from Vovchansk and nearby villages wait for buses amid an evacuation to Kharkiv due to Russian shelling on May 10, 2024. (REUTERS)
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Updated 11 May 2024
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Russia claims more advances after Ukraine ground offensive

  • Russia’s defense ministry said its troops had ‘liberated’ five border villages in the Kharkiv region
  • The Kharkiv region has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September 2022

UKRAINE: Russia on Saturday said it had captured six villages in Ukraine’s east after launching a surprise ground offensive that prompted mass evacuations.

The defense ministry said its troops had “liberated” five villages in the Kharkiv region near the border with Russia — Borisivka, Ogirtseve, Pletenivka, Pylna and Strilecha — “as a result of offensive actions.”

The village of Keramik in the Donetsk region was also now under Russian control, it said.

Ukrainian officials said Russian forces made small advances in the area it was pushed back from nearly two years ago, the latest in a series of gains as Ukrainian forces find themselves outgunned and outmanned.

“A total of 1,775 people have been evacuated,” Kharkiv governor Oleg Synegubov wrote on social media.

He reported Russian artillery and mortar attacks on 30 settlements over the past 24 hours.

Groups of people could be seen coming in vans and cars with as many bags as they could carry at an evacuation arrival point outside the city of Kharkiv.

Evacuees — many of them elderly — registered and received food and medical assistance in makeshift tents.

“We must disrupt Russian offensive operations and return the initiative to Ukraine,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday.

Ukrainska Pravda quoted military sources saying the Russian assault had resumed on Saturday near the village of Glyboke in Kharkiv.

The report could not be independently verified.

The Kharkiv region has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September 2022.

A senior Ukrainian military source said on Friday that Russian forces had advanced one kilometer into Ukraine and were trying to “create a buffer zone” in the Kharkiv and neighboring Sumy regions to prevent attacks on Russian territory.

Ukrainian forces have multiplied attacks inside Russia and Russian-held areas of Ukraine, particularly on energy infrastructure.

Moscow-installed authorities in the Russian-occupied Lugansk region in eastern Ukraine said four people were killed by a Ukrainian strike with US-made missiles on an oil depot in Rovenky.

Governor Leonid Pasechnik said the strike “enveloped the oil depot in fire and damaged surrounding homes.”

In Russia, two people were reported killed by Ukrainian strikes in the Belgorod and Kursk regions.

Ukrainian officials also reported a total of six civilians killed in Russian shelling in the Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson regions over the past day.

Officials in Kyiv had warned for weeks that Moscow might try to attack its northeastern border regions, pressing its advantage as Ukraine struggles with delays in Western aid and manpower shortages.

Ukraine’s military said it had deployed more troops and Zelensky said Ukrainian forces were using artillery and drones to thwart the Russian advance.

“Reserve units have been deployed to strengthen the defense in this area of the front,” it said.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War said on Friday that Russia had made “tactically significant gains.”

But the main aim of the operation was “drawing Ukrainian manpower and material from other critical sectors of the front in eastern Ukraine,” it said.

ISW said it did not appear to be “a large-scale sweeping offensive operation to envelop, encircle and seize Kharkiv” — Ukraine’s second biggest city.

Washington announced a new $400 million military aid package for Kyiv hours after the offensive began, and said it was confident Ukraine could repel any fresh Russian campaign.


EU almost on track to reach 2030 climate goal

Updated 7 sec ago
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EU almost on track to reach 2030 climate goal

  • The analysis shows governments have upped their efforts to curb emissions in the last two years
  • Brussels faces a political backlash from some countries demanding the EU weaken its green agenda
BRUSSELS: The European Union is nearly on track to reach its main climate target for this decade, with countries’ existing CO2-cutting plans set to bring the bloc within one percentage point of the goal, the European Commission said on Wednesday.
The EU is on course to reduce its net greenhouse gas emissions by 54 percent by 2030, compared with 1990 levels – just shy of its legally-binding goal of a 55 percent cut, the Commission said in an analysis of existing policies in the EU and its member countries.
The analysis showed governments have upped their efforts to curb emissions in the last two years, even as Brussels faces a political backlash from some countries demanding the EU weaken its green agenda.
Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with crop-wrecking floods and deadly wildfires linked to climate change hitting EU nations with increasing frequency.
But with industries reeling from high energy prices after Russia slashed gas deliveries in 2022, and the prospect of US tariffs, the EU faces mounting calls from governments to soften green measures for struggling businesses.
EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said the EU would invest more in clean technologies to ensure industries can prosper from Europe’s green transition.
“Emissions are down 37 percent since 1990, while the economy has grown nearly 70 percent, proving climate action and growth go hand in hand. Now we must build on this momentum,” Hoekstra said.
By 2023, the EU had reduced its emissions by 37 percent from 1990 levels, the latest available data show.
The Commission cited strong progress in the energy sector, with renewable sources covering 24 percent of EU energy consumption in 2023.
Agriculture and transport are among the sectors lagging behind, it said.
Farmers staged months of protests across Europe last year, criticizing EU green policies. The agriculture sector has largely escaped EU climate measures, and Brussels weakened some environmental rules for farmers in response to the protests.
The environmental impact of land use – which includes farming and forestry – has also been exacerbated by record-breaking wildfires, which deplete the land’s ability to store carbon. The EU’s “sink” of carbon stored in natural ecosystems like grasslands and forests is now not expected to improve by 2030, the Commission said.
The EU’s 2030 climate goal is one of the most ambitious among major economies worldwide. The Commission is preparing to propose a 2040 climate target, but has delayed the proposal for months amid political pushback.

Germany’s Merz to meet Zelensky in Berlin on Wednesday

Updated 32 min 34 sec ago
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Germany’s Merz to meet Zelensky in Berlin on Wednesday

  • Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit will focus on ‘German support for Ukraine and efforts to secure a ceasefire’
  • Berlin visit comes days after Russia launched some of its heaviest missile and drone attacks on Ukraine

BERLIN: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Germany on Wednesday for talks with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has pledged strong backing for Kyiv in its fight against Russia.

Zelensky’s visit will focus on “German support for Ukraine and efforts to secure a ceasefire” with Russia to end more than three years of war, spokesman Stefan Kornelius said in a statement.

During their Berlin talks from noon (1000 GMT), Zelensky and Merz were also expected to discuss EU efforts to levy more sanctions on Moscow amid a lack of progress so far toward ceasefire and eventual peace talks.

After a joint press conference with Merz, Zelensky was due to meet German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who was to greet him with military honors at his Bellevue Palace.

The Berlin visit comes days after Russia launched some of its heaviest missile and drone attacks of the conflict on Ukraine, and as US President Donald Trump has voiced growing frustration with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

Conservative Merz, since taking office on May 6, has vowed to continue strong backing for Ukraine in concert with Paris, London and Warsaw.

He has also pushed to ramp up German defense spending to create Europe’s “strongest conventional army.”

Taking over from center-left leader Olaf Scholz, he has changed the tone in Berlin and voiced harsh criticism of Putin who, Merz charged this week, “obviously sees offers of talks as a sign of weakness.”

Merz, speaking last week in Lithuania – where Germany is building up a tank brigade to help guard NATO’s eastern flank – declared that “there is a threat to us all from Russia.”


Australia whistleblower who exposed war crime allegations loses bid to reduce prison sentence

Updated 53 min 42 sec ago
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Australia whistleblower who exposed war crime allegations loses bid to reduce prison sentence

  • The three Australian Capital Territory Court of Appeal judges unanimously rejected the 61-year-old former army lawyer’s appeal against the severity of a five years and eight months prison sentence
  • The documents became the source of a series of Australian Broadcasting Corp. reports in 2017 called the “Afghan Files.”

MELBOURNE: Australian army whistleblower David McBride, who leaked allegations of Australian war crimes in Afghanistan to the media, lost a court bid to have his prison sentence reduced on Wednesday.
The three Australian Capital Territory Court of Appeal judges unanimously rejected the 61-year-old former army lawyer’s appeal against the severity of a five years and eight months prison sentence imposed a year ago.
The judges also rejected McBride’s argument that as a military officer he had sworn an oath to Queen Elizabeth II and therefore had sworn duty to act in the “public interest.”
“To the contrary, the oath obligued the appellant (McBride) to discharge his duties ‘according to the law,’” the judges said in a written summary of their ruling.
McBride said through his lawyers that Australians would be outraged by the Court of Appeal decision.
“It is my own conscience and the people of Australia that I answer to. I have kept my oath to the Australian people,” McBride said in the lawyers’ statement.
McBride pleaded guilty last year to three charges, including theft and sharing with journalists documents classified as secret. He faced a potential life sentence.
Rights advocates complain that McBride remains the only person to be imprisoned over allegations of war crimes committed by elite Australian special forces troops in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016.
A military report released in 2020 recommended 19 current and former soldiers face criminal investigations over 39 unlawful killings in Afghanistan.
Former Special Air Service Regiment soldier Oliver Schulz was charged in March 2023 with murdering an unarmed Afghan in 2012. Schulz pleaded not guilty to the war crime and has yet to stand trial.
Former SAS Cpl. Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia’s most decorated living veteran, lost an appeal two weeks ago against a civil court ruling that he unlawfully killed four unarmed Afghans.
Roberts-Smith said he would appeal his loss in the High Court. He has not been criminally charged.
McBride’s lawyers also said they would take their appeal to the Hight Court.
“We believe that only the High Court can properly grapple with the immense public interest and constitutional issues at the heart of this case,” the lawyers’ statement said.
“It cannot be a crime to expose a crime. It cannot be illegal to tell the truth,” the statement added.
Whistleblower’s lawyers call for a government pardon
The lawyers also called on Attorney General Michelle Rowland, who was appointed after the Labour Party government was re-elected on May 3, to recommend McBride be pardoned.
“It is now time for the attorney general to show leadership. To show Australians that this Labor government will no longer jail whistleblowers,” the lawyers said.
Rowland did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
The documents became the source of a series of Australian Broadcasting Corp. reports in 2017 called the “Afghan Files.” The reports detailed allegations against Australian soldiers including the unlawful killing of men and children.
The appeal court judges noted in their summary that McBride began taking home copies of hundreds of secret documents after becoming “dissatisfied with what he perceived to be vexatious over-investigation of alleged war crimes by Australian soldiers.”
McBride declined to have further dealings with a journalist after the reporter revealed he intended to use the classified information for a story exposing war crime allegations, the judges said.
McBride can be considered for parole after he has served two years and three months, meaning he must remain behind bars until at least August next year.


Trump says Putin ‘playing with fire’ as sanctions pressure grows

Updated 55 min 54 sec ago
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Trump says Putin ‘playing with fire’ as sanctions pressure grows

  • Donald Trump’s latest broadside showed his frustration with the stalled ceasefire talks
  • Diplomatic efforts to end the war have intensified, but Vladimir Putin has been accused of stalling peace talks

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump warned Vladimir Putin Tuesday that he was “playing with fire,” taking a fresh jab at his Russian counterpart as Washington weighs new sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine war.
Trump’s latest broadside showed his frustration with stalled ceasefire talks and comes two days after he called the Kremlin leader “absolutely CRAZY” following a major drone attack on Ukraine.
Moscow, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, insisted it was responding to escalating Ukrainian strikes on its own civilians and accused Kyiv of trying to “disrupt” peace efforts.
Diplomatic efforts to end the war have intensified in recent weeks, but Putin has been accused of stalling peace talks.
“What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!” Trump said on his Truth Social network.
Trump did not specify what the “really bad” things were.
But the Wall Street Journal and CNN both reported that the Republican was now considering fresh sanctions as early as this week.
Trump told reporters on Sunday he was “absolutely” weighing such a move.
The White House said Trump was keeping “all options” open.
“This war is Joe Biden’s fault, and President Trump has been clear he wants to see a negotiated peace deal. President Trump has also smartly kept all options on the table,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
Biden, Trump’s Democratic predecessor, imposed sweeping sanctions after Russia’s invasion. Trump has so far avoided what he says could be “devastating” sanctions on Russian banks.
But Trump’s recent rebukes mark a sharp change from his previous attitude toward Putin, of whom he often speaks with admiration.
His frustration at his failure to end a war he said he could solve within 24 hours boiled over at the weekend after Russia’s drone barrage killed at least 13 people.
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!” Trump posted.
Russia has kept up attacks despite a phone call eight days ago in which Trump said Putin had agreed to immediately start talks.
Moscow did not react to Trump’s comments on Tuesday, but it earlier sought to blame Ukraine for the impasse.
“Kyiv, with the support of some European countries, has taken a series of provocative steps to thwart negotiations initiated by Russia,” the Russian defense ministry said.
Civilians including women and children were injured in what it said were Ukrainian drone strikes. Russian air defenses destroyed 2,331 Ukrainian drones between May 20 and 27, it said.
Fresh drone attacks were also reported overnight to Wednesday.
Russian authorities said almost 150 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted, including 33 heading toward Moscow.
Ukraine said it was Russia that had targeted civilians.
“We need to end this eternal waiting — Russia needs more sanctions,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak said Tuesday on Telegram.
US lawmakers have stepped up calls for Trump to slap sanctions on Russia.
Veteran Republican Senator Chuck Grassley called for strong measures to let Putin know it was “game over.”
Two other senators, Republican Lindsay Graham and Democrat Richard Blumenthal, also called for heavy “secondary” sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil, gas and raw materials.
Trump’s Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg told Fox News that the next peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, if they happen, would likely take place in Geneva after Moscow rejected the Vatican as a venue.
The aim would then be to get Trump, Putin and Zelensky together “and hammer this thing out,” he added.
The Swiss government would not confirm that it would host the talks.
“Switzerland remains ready to offer its good offices,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that it was “in contact with all parties.”
Russia and Ukraine held their first direct talks in more than three years in Istanbul in early May.


Indonesian and French leaders meet for defense and trade talks

Updated 28 May 2025
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Indonesian and French leaders meet for defense and trade talks

  • Emmanuel Macron is on a week-long trip to Southeast Asia focused on strengthening regional ties
  • Military cooperation between Indonesia and France has grown in recent years

JAKARTA: French President Emmanuel Macron met with his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday in a visit aimed at boosting defense and trade cooperation as part of his roughly week-long trip to Southeast Asia focused on strengthening regional ties in an increasingly unstable global landscape.
Macron arrived in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, on Tuesday evening with French First Lady Brigitte Macron for a three-day visit to Southeast Asia’s largest economy. It was the second stop in his tour of the region after Vietnam, where Macron signed a deal to sell Hanoi 20 Airbus planes.
“We are very excited to meet again with my brother, President Prabowo,” Macron told reporters shortly after arriving at Jakarta’s Halim Perdanakusuma air force base late Tuesday, “He is a great friend of mine and the relationship with your country is a very strategic and friendly one.”
Military cooperation between Indonesia and France has grown in recent years, while Subianto was serving as Indonesia’s defense minister.
The two leaders met last November on the sidelines of the 2024 G20 Summit in Brazil, where they discussed Indonesia’s plans to buy fighter jets and submarines from France.
Indonesia finalized an order for 42 French Dassault Rafale fighter jets in January 2024, and the first delivery is expected in early 2026. The country also announced the purchase of two French Scorpene Evolved submarines and 13 Thales ground control interception radars. Five of the radar systems are expected to be installed in the country’s new capital, Nusantara.
Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said the two leaders will oversee the signing of letter of intent for the procurement of strategic weapons systems including fighter planes and submarines.
“The essence of this (visit) is to strengthen defense cooperation between Indonesia and France,” Sjamsoeddin told reporters after welcoming Macron and his wife at the air force base on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Subianto hosted Macron and Brigitte in a ceremony at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta before the two leaders led a bilateral meeting.
Indonesia has embarked on a drive to upgrade and modernize its arsenal and strengthen its domestic defense industry.
Subianto has crisscrossed the globe since he was appointed as defense minister in 2019, traveling to China, France, Russia, Turkiye and the United States in a bid to acquire new military weapon systems as well as surveillance and territorial defense capabilities.
The Indonesian Air Force currently operates a mix of fighter jets made in various countries, including the United States, Russia and Britain. Some of those aircraft have reached or will soon reach their end-of-life phase and need to be replaced or upgraded.
During the visit, Macron is also scheduled to meet with ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn to discuss regional issues, and to give public lectures at Jakarta State University.
On Thursday, Macron and his wife are expected visit Borobudur, a 9th century Buddhist temple in the center of Indonesia’s Java island and to visit a military academy before heading to Singapore, where he will speak at Asia’s top defense conference, the annual Shangri-La Dialogue.