Category Archives: Europe

Putin’s military reshuffle is more about politics than a change of strategy

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The Russian president may have put Gen Gerasimov in charge of the invasion to balance tensions between the army and the Wagner group

Another month, another Russian military reshuffle: Vladimir Putin changes the general in charge of his forces in Ukraine with something of the frequency of a Premier League club desperate to secure immediate success.

It is obvious that such inconsistency demonstrates that the Kremlin is dissatisfied with the conduct of the war but the decision to put Gen Valery Gerasimov, the head of the armed forces, in charge of the invasion is eye-catching for other reasons too.

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Hundreds of civilians trapped in Soledar amid fierce fighting, Ukraine says

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Donetsk governor says 559 civilians could not be evacuated, while Ukraine claims troops are ‘holding on’ to city

Hundreds of civilians remain trapped in Soledar, Ukraine has said, as bloody fighting continues over control of the largely destroyed salt mining town in eastern Ukraine.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Donetsk, told Ukrainian state TV that 559 civilians remained in Soledar, including 15 children, and could not be evacuated.

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Anger brews in Italy over Ireland’s plans for alcohol health warnings

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Critics say warnings are a ‘direct attack’ against Italy as a key exporter of wine

A plan by Ireland to put stark health warnings on bottles of wine, beer and spirits has caused anger in Italy.

Ireland is free to go ahead with the measure, which would warn consumers about the risks of cancer and liver diseases linked to alcohol, after a deadline passed for the European Commission to oppose it.

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Russia replaces general in charge of Ukraine war in latest military shake-up

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Valery Gerasimov to replace Sergei Surovikin, who was appointed in October, as Zelenskiy mocks claims of Russian victory in Soledar

Russia has appointed Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, as its overall commander for the war in Ukraine, in the latest of several major shake-ups of Moscow’s military leadership during the stumbling invasion of its neighbour.

In a statement on Wednesday, the defence ministry said that Gerasimov’s appointment constituted a “raising of the status of the leadership” of the military force in Ukraine and was implemented to “improve the quality … and effectiveness of the management of Russian forces”.

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Ukraine military denies Russian forces have captured Soledar

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Claims by Wagner mercenary group come as Poland announces transfer of German-made Leopard 2 tanks

Ukraine’s military has denied that Russian forces have encircled and captured Soledar after claims by the head of the Wagner mercenary group that the eastern city had fallen.

The claims about the status of the fighting on the eastern Donbas front were made by Yevgeny Prigozhin as Poland announced that it planned to transfer 10 German-made Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, in a move with wide significance.

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Russian conscript sentenced to years in prison after rebelling against superiors

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It is the first known ruling against a soldier who criticised Kremlin’s unpopular mobilisation

A Russian conscript has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison after getting into an altercation with his superiors over poor training conditions, in the first known ruling against a soldier who criticised the Kremlin’s unpopular mobilisation.

In a widely shared video filmed on 13 November, draftee Alexander Leshkov is seen shouting profanities and shoving Lt Col Denis Mazanov at a training ground outside Moscow.

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Ukraine war pushes civilian casualties from explosive weapons to four-year high

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Reported casualties in Ukraine were eight times more than Afghanistan – and real figure likely to be much higher

Civilian casualties from the use of explosive weapons soared by 83% last year because of the war in Ukraine, according to a monitoring organisation that counts the number of deaths caused by conflict and war.

Action on Armed Violence (AOVA) said the total number reported killed and injured in 2022 was 20,776, the highest level since 2018, with 10,381 casualties in Ukraine alone, based on reports from English language media.

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Russia-Ukraine war: Putin replaces general in charge of Russian forces in Ukraine – as it happened

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This live blog has now closed, you can read more on this story here

Politico reports that Germany is facing pressure from France and Poland to supply Ukraine with the powerful Leopard 2 tanks.

Politico reports:

Supplying modern western tanks such as the Leopard 2 would be a big boost for Ukraine’s military, as Kyiv’s allies have so far only been willing to send older Soviet-era tanks that had still been in the stocks of eastern European countries, as well as other weapon systems such as howitzers and air defences.

A French official told Politico that Paris is turning the screws on Germany in the hope of extracting an agreement from Berlin to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine ahead of a Franco-German summit on January 22, the 60th anniversary of the Élysée partnership treaty between the two nations.

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Head of Russia’s Wagner group says his troops have taken control of Soledar

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Yevgeny Prigozhin poses with some of his mercenaries in Ukrainian town renowned for its salt mines

The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group has claimed his forces have completed the takeover of the Ukrainian town of Soledar, which if confirmed would mark Moscow’s first major battlefield success since last summer.

“Wagner units have taken the whole territory of Soledar under control,” said Yevgeny Prigozhin in an audio message released on his Telegram channel late on Tuesday.

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Last king of Greece, Constantine II, dies aged 82

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Constantine was forced into exile in 1967 after clashing with military rulers, who later abolished monarchy

Greece’s former King Constantine II, whose nine-year reign coincided with one of the most turbulent periods in the country’s political history, has died at a private hospital in Athens, his doctors announced late on Tuesday. He was 82.

Constantine, a cousin of British monarch King Charles III, died “of a stroke”. He was admitted to an Athens hospital last week with breathing problems, Greek media reported.

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Family of Briton missing in Ukraine ‘very worried’ about him

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Chris Parry and fellow Briton Andrew Bagshaw had been helping people evacuate from frontline

The family of one of the two British men missing in Ukraine have said they are “very worried” about his disappearance.

Chris Parry, 28, was last seen on Friday with fellow Briton Andrew Bagshaw, 48, heading to the town of Soledar in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine.

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Andrew Tate loses legal appeal to end detention in Romania

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Romanian court denies challenge and rules he must serve full 30 days along with brother and two female suspects

A Romanian court has rejected Andrew Tate’s appeal against his detention, ruling that the former kickboxer, influencer and professed misogynist must remain in custody while an organised crime investigation continues.

Tate, 36, his brother Tristan, 34, and two Romanian female suspects were arrested by prosecutors on 29 December on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group to exploit women. Both men have denied wrongdoing.

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World Bank walking tightrope as it mulls increased lending to poorest

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Campaigners say bank should rush to rescue countries facing recession – but can it do so without resulting in mass debt write-offs?

Not since the early 1990s has the world faced such a period of low growth.

Discounting the havoc caused by the financial crash of 2008 and the initial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Bank says that by the end of 2024 it will have been 30 years since the global economy grew at an average of less than 2% a year.

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Family of Briton missing in Ukraine ‘very worried’; German foreign minister pledges more weapons – as it happened

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Missing British men named as volunteers Andrew Bagshaw and Christopher Parry; Annalena Baerbock makes surprise visit to Kharkiv. This live blog is now closed

The Russian energy ministry says it is working on additional measures to limit discounts to international benchmarks on Russian oil prices, Reuters reports. The move comes after the west imposed price caps.

Last month Vladimir Putin signed a decree that banned the supply of crude oil and oil products from 1 February for five months to nations that abide by the cap.

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‘Astonishing’ Pompeii home of men freed from slavery reopens to public

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House of the Vettii features ornate and erotic friezes – and a fresco of the god Priapus with a huge phallus

An ornate house – containing a fresco featuring a huge phallus – that was owned by two freed men freed from slavery in the ancient city of Pompeii has reopened to the public.

The House of the Vettii was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD74 before being rediscovered in a largely preserved state during excavations in the late 19th century.

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Vatican reopens investigation into teenager who went missing in 1983

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Emanuela Orlandi case has triggered several theories but never yielded any concrete answers

The Vatican has reopened an investigation into the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi, a case that has gripped Italy for almost 40 years and embroiled the powerful Holy See.

Emanuela was 15 when she vanished on 22 June 1983 while making her way home from a flute lesson in Rome. The Orlandi family lived in Vatican City, where her father was a lay employee in the papal household.

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