Ukraine-Russia war – live: Kyiv troops advance on two fronts as Putin’s air defences ‘struck in Crimea’
Ukrainian troops have made confirmed advances near Bakhmut, Donetsk, and Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia, according to the Institute for the Study of War. “Geolocated footage posted on 30 October shows that Ukrainian forces have advanced northeast of Kurdyumivka (10km southwest of Bakhmut),” it said. Ukrainian forces have also “marginally advanced” west of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia, according to geolocated footage seen by the think tank. It comes as Kyiv said it had “successfully hit a strategic object of the air defence system” in western Crimea. Russian sources said the attack was carried out using “combined” long-range weapons like ATACMS, storm shadow missiles and sea drones. The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed its air defence systems destroyed eight Storm Shadow cruise missiles over the peninsula. If confirmed, this would be the first time Ukraine has used the top-tier missile system provided by the US to hit targets on the Crimean coast. Meanwhile, Russia has bulked up its forces around the devastated city of Bakhmut in the east and has switched its troops from a defensive posture to taking “active actions”, a Ukrainian military commander said. Read More Ukrainian officials say Russian shelling killed a 91-year-old woman in a 'terrifying night' The storming of Dagestan airport: How a thousand protestors caused shutdown and carnage in Russia Moscow succession: What would happen if Putin dies?
2023-10-31 16:24
Russian soldiers accused of killing family of nine as they slept in Russian-occupied Ukrainian town
Russian forces allegedly gunned down an entire family of nine, including two young children, as they slept in their beds in the Russia-occupied town of Volnovakha in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk, officials in Kyiv said. Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said Russian soldiers killed all members of the Kapkanets family on 27 October after the civilians refused to give them control of their house. According to the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office in Donetsk, the attackers were in army uniforms and had demanded the family house be vacated, leading to an argument. "According to preliminary information, the occupiers have killed the whole of the Kapkanets family, who were celebrating a birthday and who had refused to hand their own house over to occupiers from Chechnya," he said on his official Telegram channel. The suspects came back later as the family slept and gunned down the members, as per media reports. Mr Lubinets said that the “Russians’s bloodied hands were involved” in the killings, “just as traces of Russian torture were discovered in Bucha, Irpin, Izyum and other Ukrainian cities”. The Ukrainian Donetsk Region Prosecutor’s Office alleged multiple family members were shot while in their beds, still tucked in each others arms, according to CNN. Two children born in 2014 and 2018 were among the victims. Russian authorities have said two Russian soldiers were arrested over the killings. “According to preliminary information, the motive for the crime was a domestic conflict,” Russia’s official Investigations Committee said in a statement. The suspects were “Russian military servicemen from the Far East serving under contract”, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Donetsk People’s Republic said in a statement. An investigation was launched in connection with the murders, the committee said. Multiple Russian news channels on Telegram who have spoken to the neighbours of the victims blamed the Russian military for the deaths. “All of the neighbours are saying that the killers were in the military,” one neighbour told Astra, a Russian news channel, adding that locals in the area were scared. The Ukrainian town Volnovakha has remained under Russian control for more than 20 months after being captured just weeks after the full-scale invasion began. Read More Kyiv troops advance on two fronts as Putin’s air defences ‘struck in Crimea’ – live How much money does the US give to Israel, and is there more to come? GOP vows to bring Israel package to floor this week – without Ukraine funding Oil prices could reach 'uncharted waters' if the Israel-Hamas war escalates, the World Bank says If Putin dies, this is what would happen in Russia Putin ally Lukashenko calls for ceasefire in ‘stalemate’ Ukraine war
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The storming of Dagestan airport: How the mob in search of Jewish passengers unfolded
More than a thousand pro-Palestine protesters stormed a Russian airport on Sunday evening after rumours swirled that “Israeli refugees” were arriving from Tel Aviv. The group stormed into the Makhachkala airport, located in the Republic of Dagestan, and rushed onto the landing field, chanting antisemitic slogans and seeking passengers arriving on the Tel Aviv flight, Russian news agencies and social media reported. Authorities quickly closed the airport in the capital of the predominantly Muslim region and police converged on the facility. Dagestan’s ministry of health said more than 20 people were injured, with two in critical condition. It said the injured included police officers and civilians. The local leader has since blamed Ukraine - he claimed he had “reliable information” that the rumours of refugees was started by a Telegram channel outside of Russia - but has not provided any evidence. Here is everything we know about what the Russian authorities are calling a riot. 7pm: Crowds gather in the car park of the airport Tensions arose when, the previous day, a local Telegram channel with more than 64,000 followers claimed that Israeli refugees were staying at a hotel inland near the border with Chechnya. They called for demonstrations in the centre of the Makhachkala, managing to encourage only small crowds to attend. Planned demonstrations for a second day, this time at the airport, escalated after the channel posted a screenshot from a flight tracker showing a Russian plane descending across the Georgian border into Dagestan. The screenshot was posted at 6.56pm local time (3.56pm GMT). Demonstrators had already gathered outside the airport prior to this message. The Independent has reviewed the flight history of (Red Wings) RWZ4728 and can confirm that it did arrive from Tel Aviv. It arrived in Makhachkala just after 7.15pm local time. At 7.01pm, the channel wrote: “Everyone to the airport!” 8.10pm: Someone surrounded and accosted by the swelling crowd A video emerged of a crowd of men surrounding someone they suspect of being from Israel. The channel that had called for the demonstration had urged the crowds to check the passports of those leaving the airport. “Every car must be followed by our car - we must identify everyone,” it wrote. In the video, the suspected Israeli’s passport is flicked through as others film the ordeal. Images show a woman holding a sign nearby that reads: “We are against Jewish refugees.” Videos showed the group shouting: “Death to the Zionists.” 8.20pm: The crowd storms the airport Just after 8.20pm, the first videos emerged of the protesters inside the airport. They appear to have stormed the entrance to the international terminal, from where they had moved after gathering in the car park. At 8.25pm, the channel urged people to return to the car park. They wrote: “Attention! Brothers! What we have done so far is enough! Just go back to the exit and be there checking the cars! “There is no need to engage in vandalism!!! Tell everyone on the spot!” This appeared to have no effect on the crowd. Five minutes later, they could be seen attempting to kick down a fence to the side of the terminal. The channel posted this video alongside the caption: “This is unnecessary! Come back to inspect every car!” It then abruptly stops publishing footage of the incident before authorities temporarily shut it down. A group of Dagestani men are seen inside the terminal at 8.30pm, according to footage posted by another channel. Fifteen minutes later, the crowds are seen running through the airport, towards the runway. 9pm: Crowds reach the runway The first videos of the protesters on the runway emerged just after 9pm. One video, taken from the stairs up to the back entrance of a nearby plane, shows a few demonstrators running around the parked planes looking for flight RWZ4728. At the airport car park, where crowds continue to swell, riot police equipped with shields arrive and begin to circle the group. 9.10pm: Airport runway is closed Local media reports suggest the Makhachkala airport authorities closed their runway just after 9pm. 9.20pm: Crowds reach a Red Wing plane A portion of the crowds, now being labelled rioters by the local authorities, surround a flight they believe to be RWZ4728. It is unclear if it is the exact flight that left Tel Aviv earlier that day, but it is a Red Wings flight, and only one RW flight travelled from Israel to Dagestan that day. Russian media reports suggested that the flight from Tel Aviv was only connecting at Makhachkala before heading to Moscow, but the flight did not leave Dagestan, according to flight tracking information. 10pm: Rioters start fighting with police Minister of National Policy of Dagestan Enrik Muslimov arrives at the airport, according to local reports. One Russian state media outlet wrote: “Now the crowd has been pushed out of the runway, and almost everyone has been removed from the airport building.” Outside the building, footage shows rioters rocking a police vehicle. The Investigative Committee of Russia for the Republic of Dagestan announces it has formally opened a criminal case for organising mass riots (212 Criminal Code) Video later emerges of rioters being arrested under the Red Wings plane. It is unclear when these detentions took place. 11.30pm: Crowds start throwing rocks at security officials Videos emerge of rioters throwing stones at security officials guarding the resecured fences. There are various reports of gunfire. Footage then emerges of hundreds of rioters marching along the runway. It is unclear what time this videos were taken. According to one local state media outlet, a passenger blocked at the airport reported “riot police, military, protesters, all in a heap”. According to another outlet, about 500 police officers were sent to Makhachkala airport to contain the riots. The word “pogrom”, a reference to the killing of Jewish civilians, is appearing in multiple Russian reports of the riots at Makhachkala. Midnight: Dagestan head calls for deescalation The head of the Republic of Dagestan, Sergei Melikov, laments the situation in Gaza facing Palestinians but calls for de-escalation in Makhachkala. A military chief from Chechnya makes a similar statement. Melikov wrote: “All Dagestanis empathise with the suffering of victims of the actions of unrighteous people and politicians and pray for peace in Palestine. “But what happened at our airport is outrageous and should receive an appropriate assessment from law enforcement agencies! And this will definitely be done!” 2am: Airport cleared, injuries sustained The local health ministry says roughly 20 people are injured, including at least two security officials. At least 60 people are detained and 150 rioters are identified as the main perpetrators. Crowds are then dispersed while local authorities remain at the airport. The response Mr Melikov, during a press conference, blamed the riots on Ukraine without providing evidence. “Attempts to destabilise the situation in Dagestan, including using prohibited methods associated with inciting ethnic hatred, are being carried out by our enemies, opponents of our country,” he said. “Today we have received absolutely reliable information that the channel ‘Morning of Dagestan’ is administered and regulated from the territory of Ukraine - by traitors, Banderaites.” Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelensky responded on Monday morning, pointing to Russian antisemitism. “This is not an isolated incident in Makhachkala, but rather part of Russia’s widespread culture of hatred toward other nations, which is propagated by state television, pundits, and authorities,” he said. “Russian antisemitism and hatred toward other nations are systemic and deeply rooted. Hatred is what drives aggression and terror. We must all work together to oppose hatred.” You can read a full breakdown of the response here. Read More Sunak chairs Cobra meeting as police chief says terror threat ‘accelerating’ Jewish people in UK experiencing fearful time, says minister Biden wants to move fast on AI safeguards and will sign an executive order to address his concerns Live updates | Israel deepens military assault in the northern Gaza Strip Israel expands ground assault into Gaza as fears rise over airstrikes near crowded hospitals Cornell University sends police to Jewish center after violent, antisemitic messages posted online
2023-10-30 18:52
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Putin ally Lukashenko calls for ceasefire in ‘stalemate’ Ukraine war: ‘No one can do anything’
Russia and Ukraine were locked in a serious stalemate in Moscow’s continuing invasion of the country and needed to sit down for peace talks, Belarusian president and Vladimir Putin’s close ally Alexander Lukashenko said. “There are enough problems on both sides and in general the situation is now seriously stalemate: no one can do anything and substantively strengthen or advance their position,” Mr Lukashenko said. “They’re there head-to-head, to the death, entrenched. People are dying,” he said over the weekend. This marks the first time the Belarusian president has come forward seeking truce in the conflict and called for a “stop” command. "We need to sit down at the negotiating table and come to an agreement," Mr Lukashenko said in a question and answer video posted on the website of the Belarusian state news agency BelTA. "As I once said: no preconditions are needed. The main thing is that the ‘stop’ command is given," he said. A geographically closer nation to Russia, Belarus’s territory was used as a launch pad for the Russian preident’s full-scale invasion in February last year. He is also the only international leader to have frequently met Mr Putin since the conflict engulfed Ukraine. He said that Ukraine’s demands for Russia to quit its territory needs to be resolved at the negotiating table so that “nobody dies”. In June this year, Mr Lukashenko said his country had started taking delivery of Russian tactical nuclear weapons, some of which he said were three times more powerful than the atomic bombs the US dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Mr Lukashenko has relied on Russian subsidies and political support to rule the ex-Soviet nation with an iron hand for nearly three decades. In what is a purported exchange for the strategic ties between Belarus and Russia, he allowed the Kremlin to use Belarusian territory to send troops into Ukraine in February 2022 at the start of the invasion. Russia deployed forces to Belarusian territory under the pretext of military drills and then sent them rolling into Ukraine as part of the invasion that began last year. Mr Lukashenko also publicly supported what Mr Putin calls a “special military operation” inside Ukraine, alleging at a meeting with Mr Putin in early March that Ukraine planned to attack Belarus and that Moscow’s offensive prevented that. He said he brought a map to show the Russian president from where the alleged attack was supposed to take place, but offered no other evidence to back the claim. The vast war frontline in Ukraine has moved little in the past year despite Kyiv’s gruelling months-long offensive. Major military warfare is concentrated in eastern and southern Ukraine’s pockets. Ukraine has continuously rejected the proposal of peace talks and imposed pre-conditions that Russia withdraws every single of its military personnel from Ukrainian soil without keeping the territory from where Russian troops fire missiles. Ukraine said it will not rest until it ejected every last Russian soldier from its territory. It said the invasion was an imperial-style land grab by Russia, the world’s biggest nuclear power. American president Joe Biden said last year that a direct confrontation between Nato and Russia would mean the Third World War. On Saturday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said his 10-point peace plan, which includes calls for the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, is the only way to end the war. Read More Russia-Ukraine war: Putin ally Lukashenko warns of ‘serious stalemate’ Crowd storms Russian airport in search of Jewish passengers from Israel flight If Putin dies, this is what would happen in Russia Crowd storms Russian airport in search of Jewish passengers from Israel flight If Putin dies, this is what would happen in Russia Ukraine bombards Russia with drones as Putin suffers losses in fight for Avdiivka
2023-10-30 15:51
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