8 May, 2023 08:34

Massive drone, missile strikes reported in Ukraine

According to local authorities and media, blasts were heard overnight in Kiev as well as the Odessa, Chernigov and Dnepropetrovsk Regions

Ukrainian officials and media reported a series of Russian drone and missile attacks in the early hours of Monday, sparking air raid sirens sounding across the country.

The Ukrainian military claimed to have shot down35 kamikaze drones over Kiev alone. Authorities in the capital said falling debris injured five people and damaged an apartment block along with approximately 20 vehicles. In addition, a diesel tank was punctured, although this did not lead to a fire, officials said.

Citing military sources, Ukrainian media reported that at around midnight local time, Russian Air Forcebombers launched eight missiles, at least one of which struck a warehouse in Odessa Region.

The head of the local military command, Yuri Kruk, said Monday morning’s bombardment caused a massive fire, and that one person is unaccounted for.

Commenting on the overnight strikes, Vladimir Rogov, a senior official in Russia's Zaporozhye Region, claimed on his Telegram channel that amissile strike had destroyed an ammunition depotused by the Ukrainian military.

https://www.rt.com/russia/575949-ukraine-russian-drone-missile-strike/

8 May, 2023 07:48

West must be ready for unfavorable outcome in Ukraine – Czech president

Ukraine will suffer “terrible losses” no matter what happens with its planned counteroffensive, Petr Pavel has warned

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine may not end in victory for Kiev, and its Western backers should prepare for such an outcome, Czech President Petr Pavel has told The Guardian newspaper.

“I think we should do anything… at our disposal to encourage Ukrainians and to support them to be successful. But internally, we should also be ready for other contingencies,” said Pavel, who was in London for the coronation of King Charles III.

A lot will depend on the outcome of Ukraine’s planned spring counteroffensive, explained the Czech leader, who has a background in intelligence and served aschairman of the NATOMilitary Committee between 2015 and 2018.

Kiev shouldn’t “underestimate the Russiansbecause they have enough manpower, they still have enough equipment,” he added.

“And of course, being in defense makes it easier for them because Ukraine will have suffered terrible losses, even if they are well prepared. So attacking an enemy like Russia will be difficult andRussians will not be caught by surprise.”

The Czech president, who visited Kiev with his Slovak counterpart Zuzana Caputova in late April, said Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky had been asking them for ammunition. Those in Kiev believe they stilldon’t have everything they needto launch the counteroffensive, he added.

There “might be a temptation to push them, for some, to demonstrate some results,” but the Ukrainians must be allowed to fully prepare for the assault on Russian lines, Pavel warned.

“It will beextremely harmful to Ukraine if this counteroffensive fails, because they will not have another chance, at least not this year,”he stated. (Why not press Kiev to negotiate, or maybe this is his way of telling them they should negotiate now. Ukraine fatigue has set in)

In late April, Zelensky assured foreign journalists that the “counteroffensive will happen” and expressed hope that it would be successful. Ukrainian Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov also said Kiev’s troops were “generally ready for the push” and were only awaiting orders from senior officials.

However, a report by Politico a few weeks ago claimed that Ukraine’s prime backer, the US, had concerns that the impact of the counteroffensive could fall short of expectations.

Russia, which has been building fortifications along the frontline for the past six months, has been saying that it’s ready to repel the attack. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin warned last week thatthe counteroffensive would have “deplorable consequences” for Kiev.

https://www.rt.com/russia/575948-ukraine-counteroffensive-pavel-zelensky/

8 May, 2023 09:48

EU plans to punish China for trade with Russia – FT

A new sanctions package will reportedly target seven Chinese firms

The European Union is seeking to tighten its economic screws on Russia by sanctioning Chinese companies that conduct trade with Moscow, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

Seven Chinese businesses have been named in a new package of restrictions that the EU member states will discuss this week, the report says, citing a copy of the sanctions list seen by the paper.

According to the FT, the list includes two mainland Chinese companies, 3HC Semiconductors and King-Pai Technology, and five from Hong Kong, including Sinno Electronics, Sigma Technology, Asia Pacific Links, Tordan Industry, and Alpha Trading Investments.

To take effect, thenew sanctions need to be unanimously approved by all 27 EU memberstates.

The businesses have reportedly been accused of selling equipment that could be used by Moscow in weapons manufacturing. Some of these companies have already been placed under sanctions by the US.

The European Commission believes it is “appropriate” to target certain entities “in third countries involved in the circumvention of trade restrictions” against Russia, the FT quoted the sanctions proposal as saying.

Until now, the FT noted, the EU has avoided targeting China, saying there was no evidence that Beijing was directly providing weapons to Moscow.

The EU has so far imposed 10 rounds of economic sanctions against Russia over its military operation in Ukraine.

The EU’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, admitted last month that the bloc had nearly exhausted its options for punitive measures against Moscow.

Since then, it has been reported that EU lawmakers are considering targeting third countries that re-export goods to Russia, thus helping Moscow to circumvent trade restrictions.

China is insisting on a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine conflict, and proposed a 12-point peace plan in February, calling for the security concerns of each side to be addressed. Josep Borrell dismissed Beijing’s proposals last week as “wishful thinking” and insisted that any peace plan must be based on Kiev’s demands.

(The EU is beholden to China and all their companies, I doubt they will get 27 members to vote for this. EU is playing a dangerous game that will backfire.)

https://www.rt.com/business/575950-eu-sanctions-china-russia/

8 May, 2023 10:56

Türkiye reiterates stance on Russia sanctions – media

Ankara is putting its own economic interests first, the country’s top diplomat has explained

Ankara has no plans to support the Western economic restrictions against Russia, foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview on Monday.

Türkiye’s top diplomat made the comments to the Lider Haber TV channel in the run-up to the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections, due to take place on Sunday.

“We are not going to join the unilateral sanctions imposed against Russia by the US and the EU.Our own benefit and prosperity come first,” Cavusoglu explained, as quoted by the TASS news agency.

The minister also criticized the opposition presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who has said he would give priority to developing ties with the West. According to Cavusoglu, the rival to incumbent president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has shown himself to be inconsistent in his statements; at one rally, Kilicdaroglu reportedly said that nothing would endanger the relationship between Türkiye and Russia.

Reports emerged in March of Türkiye blocking some transit shipments destined for Russia, in response to recent pledges by Brussels and Washington to enforce anti-Russian sanctions and to stop the supply of sanctioned products via third parties. Türkiye’s Ministry of Trade provided no official confirmation of the move. It was later reported that Ankara had resumed the transit to Russia of some sanctioned goods of European origin.

TheEU has repeatedly voiced concern about the country’s refusal to participate in Western sanctions against Russia, and accused the Middle Eastern state of becoming a ‘transit hub’ for Russia, thus enabling the economic blockade to be circumvented.

Ankara is one of Moscow’s main trading partners, with both sides having pledged to deepen economic cooperation and expand bilateral trade.

Last year, Türkiye and Russia signed a roadmap for economic cooperation that envisages bringing bilateral trade turnover to $100 billion a year. The two have also agreed tointroduce the Russian ruble as a settlement currency for bilateral trade, including for Russian natural-gas supply.

Data shows that, around this time last year, Türkiye became one of the top fiveexporters to Russia. In 2021, it ranked 11th, ahead of theUS, France, Japan, Poland and Italy. (Kek, hypocrite countries)

https://www.rt.com/business/575953-turkiye-stance-russia-sanctions/

7 May, 2023 09:28

Kiev (Whines again and) retaliates against Moldova grain ban

Chisinau had previously joined the EU’s embargo on Ukrainian grain

Ukraine is planning to impose a complete ban on imports from neighboring Moldova, in a tit-for-tat response to restrictions introduced this week by Chisinau on Ukrainian grain.

On Saturday, Moldova’s agriculture minister, Vladimir Bolea, said that the nation had joined a month-long EU embargo on some Ukrainian grains, while allowing their transit. Bolea claimed thecountry’s warehouses are already fulland local farmers are under pressure from an influx of Ukrainian grain. “They are worried that they will not have spaces for the new harvest,” he explained.

Criticizing the move, Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture Taras Kachka said Kiev had “informed Chisinau that any restriction on the part of Moldova will be consideredan extremely unfriendlystep and will entail an immediate ban on all imports from Moldova.”(Ukraine should get used to the idea, that no EU country likes them)

The EU ban that came into effect on May 2 includes imports of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed, and sunflower seeds. The measure is expected to alleviate bottlenecks related to these goods in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.

It also supersedes the state-level embargoes enacted by Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, along with other countries that border or are close to Ukraine, in the face of the glut of Ukrainian grain.

Last year, Brussels abolished tariffs and quotas for Ukrainian agricultural products, and worked to facilitate exports in an attempt to support Kiev financially. However, Eastern European nations have faced protests as local farmers struggled to compete with cheaper imports.

(Russia and Ukraine agreed to the UN negotiation to ship their grains to poorer countries in 2022. Ukraine violated the agreement to needy countries in Africa, etc. and they took advantage and only shipped to rich countries. Meanwhile Russia honored the agreement and shipped to poor countries, many times for free.And them attacking Moldova is a bad strategic move. Ukraine will never be admitted to the EU and NATO, no matter how many times they have been promised this.)

https://www.rt.com/business/575915-kiev-retaliate-moldova-grain-ban/