Media is barred from hearing as 71-year-old man appears in closed session over attempted assassination of prime minister
The suspect in the shooting of Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico appeared in a closed court hearing on Saturday outside Bratislava amid growing fears about the future of the deeply divided nation.
The media was barred from the hearing, and reporters were kept behind a gate by armed police officers wearing balaclavas.
Continue reading...Researcher uncovers vast Facebook campaign and accuses Meta of ‘lack of willingness’ to counter it
The stories are doom-laden, laced with vitriolic sneers about Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Ursula von der Leyen. Ukrainians are “ready to depose” their leader, Macron is breaking French “rules” with aid to Ukraine, an “uncontrolled influx” from the east is “seriously harming the Germans”.
According to new research, these are just a few examples of a vast pro-Russian propaganda campaign washing over Facebook accounts of French and German citizens, before the European parliament elections next month.
Continue reading...Ukraine’s president says air defences must quadruple to halt Russian advance as morale falls among troops
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said he expects Russia to step up its offensive in the north-east and warned Kyiv has only a quarter of the air defences it needs to hold the front line.
Russian forces, which had made only moderate advances in recent months, launched a surprise assault in Kharkiv region on 10 May that has resulted in their biggest territorial gains in a year-and-a-half.
Continue reading...The country’s foreign ministry said the supply of long range weapons to Ukraine by the UK and US had led to an escalation in the conflict
A long-range Ukrainian strike on the Moscow-controlled Belbek airbase in occupied Crimea destroyed three Russian warplanes and a fuel facility near its main runway this week, US commercial satellite company Maxar said.
The company cited satellite imagery taken on Thursday as showing that two MiG-31 fighter jets and an Su-27 fighter jet had been destroyed. It said one MiG-29 fighter aircraft also appeared to have been damaged.
Continue reading...‘Adversaries know migration is our vulnerability,’ says Kaja Kallas, spelling out negative consequences to Europe of Ukrainian defeat
Vladimir Putin is seeking to weaponise the threat of mass migration to divide and weaken Europe as supporters of Ukraine struggle to maintain unity to defeat Russia, Kaja Kallas, the Estonian prime minister said on Friday.
“What our adversaries know is migration is our vulnerability,” she said. “The aim is to make life really impossible in Ukraine so that there would be migration pressure to Europe, and this is what they are doing.”
Continue reading...Adrian Coghill ordered to leave in response to UK expelling Kremlin’s attache to London for alleged spying
Russia is expelling Britain’s defence attache to Moscow in the latest diplomatic tit for tat, after the UK accused it of sponsoring espionage and hacking attacks against top British officials in a years-long campaign of “malign activity”.
The Russian foreign ministry said it had declared the British defence attache, Adrian Coghill, as “persona non grata. He must leave the territory of the Russian Federation within a week.”
Continue reading...Russian leader praises ‘comradely’ talks with Chinese president ahead of concert to mark 75 years of ‘friendship’
Russia and China have announced they will deepen their already close military ties, as Vladimir Putin met Xi Jinping in Beijing on his first foreign trip since being inaugurated for a new term as Russia’s president.
It is the latest in a string of statements and signals that the warm relationship between the two countries is as strong as it has ever been.
Continue reading...Ukrainian military says its has forced Russia to reduce tempo of offensive; Russian president thanks Xi Jinping for ‘trying to solve Ukraine crisis’. This live blog is closed
Vladimir Putin has said that Russia-China cooperation is not directed against any other power and is a stabilising factor for the world, during his meeting with Xi Jinping.
It is of crucial significance that relations between Russia and China are not opportunistic and are not directed against anyone. Our cooperation in world affairs today acts as one of the main stabilising factors in the international arena.”
In our new journey we intend to remain good neighbours, trusted friends and reliable partners, consistently strengthening the relationship between our two nations … defending international equality.”
Continue reading...During the Russian leader’s two-day visit, the war in Ukraine, energy and trade will be on the agenda
President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Beijing for talks with his Chinese counterpart and “old friend” Xi Jinping as he seeks to deepen ties after launching some of Russia’s most significant incursions into Ukraine since its invasion in 2022.
It is Putin’s second visit to Beijing in less than a year, and his first foreign visit since being sworn in for a new term that will keep him in power until at least 2030. The visit will also celebrate 75 years since the Soviet Union recognised the People’s Republic of China in 1949.
Continue reading...Volodymyr Zelenskyiy has cancelled all foreign trips after Russia launched a major surprise offensive last week
Ukraine’s troops have withdrawn from several areas of the country’s north-east amid mounting pressure from a new Russian offensive, as the president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, postponed all foreign trips underscoring the seriousness of the threat.
The moves came as the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, said Moscow’s latest operation was “going to plan” and Russian forces were improving their positions daily even as the US rushed to resupply arms and ammunition to Kyiv.
Continue reading...Official suggests US funding could be pulled as new ‘Kremlin-inspired’ law provokes mass protests
Georgia has been warned by the US not to become an adversary of the west by falling back in line with Moscow, as its parliament defied mass street protests to pass a “Kremlin-inspired” law.
Washington’s assistant secretary of state, Jim O’Brien, spoke of his fears that the passing by Georgia’s parliament of a “foreign agents” bill on Tuesday could be yet another “turning point” in the former Soviet state’s troubled history.
Continue reading...US secretary of state promises long-awaited $60bn Ukraine aid package will make ‘real difference on battlefield’
The US secretary of state has arrived in Kyiv delivering a message that Washington remains committed to supporting Ukraine as the country’s forces face their toughest situation on the battlefield for months.
In recent days, Russia has launched an offensive in the north-eastern Kharkiv region, forcing thousands to flee their homes, and on Tuesday hit the centre of Kharkiv, the country’s second biggest city, with airstrikes.
Continue reading...Mission by US secretary of state comes shortly after Congress approved a long-delayed $60bn package of aid
In Kyiv, the American secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said a new weapons package is already arriving and more more is coming, Reuters reported.
“That’s going to make a difference,” he said.
Continue reading...Loyalist economist who ‘thinks years ahead’ inherits Kremlin’s biggest challenge as it prepares for the long haul in Ukraine
In 2014, Russia’s bloc of economic strategists was panicked by Vladimir Putin’s decision to annex Crimea and foment a war in east Ukraine, a move that led to western condemnation and sanctions against Russia that were seen as potentially ruinous.
But his adviser Andrei Belousov was a rare economist who publicly stood by his side, calling the damage manageable and western sanctions “insignificant” in terms of the Russian economy.
Continue reading...In today’s newsletter: A major new attack on territory known for Kyiv’s biggest victory has led to a sense of Ukraine’s prospects viciously unravelling, town by town
• Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First Edition
Good morning. In September 2022, Kharkiv province was the site of the greatest Ukrainian victory of the war so far: the lightning counteroffensive that liberated at least 12,000 square kilometres from Russian control, pushed Moscow’s artillery out of range of Kharkiv city and provided real hope that Vladimir Putin could not just be slowed down, but defeated.
Over the past few days, Kharkiv has been the location of a very different shift. This time, it is the Russians who have made larger daily advances than at almost any other point in the war, and are now moving further forwards. Civilians who had come home are fleeing once more in their thousands, and even Kyiv admits that the situation is “difficult”. Further attacks could draw sparse Ukrainian resources from along the frontline, deal a heavy blow to Ukrainian morale and redraw the map before the resources belatedly provided by the US last month are in place to do anything about it.
Medical research | A weight loss injection could reduce the risk of heart attacks and benefit the cardiovascular health of millions of adults in what could be the largest medical breakthrough since statins, according to a study. Trial participants who took semaglutide, sold as Wegovy and Ozempic, had a 20% lower risk of heart attack, stroke, or death due to cardiovascular disease.
Housing | Rent rises should be capped for millions of people struggling to afford soaring rates, according to a landmark report commissioned by Labour. Leaked proposals from the independent report will put pressure on Keir Starmer to adopt measures that could ease pressure on tenants who saw an average 9% increase in rates last year.
Donald Trump | Donald Trump told his one-time fixer Michael Cohen only weeks before the 2016 election to bury Stormy Daniels’s account of an alleged sexual liaison, demanding that he “just take care of it”, Cohen told the former president’s trial on Monday. In hours of testimony, Cohen linked Trump to a $130,000 hush money payment and said: “Everything required Mr Trump’s sign-off.”
Gaza | Israeli settlers attacked an aid convoy headed into Gaza on Monday, throwing packages of food into the road and setting fire to vehicles. The incident, condemned by the US as “a total outrage”, came as Israeli troops continued their offence across Gaza in the most intensive round of fighting for weeks.
Women’s health | Women in labour have been mocked, ignored, fobbed off with paracetamol and left with permanent damage by midwives and doctors, a damning report by MPs has found. The UK’s first inquiry into birth trauma called for the appointment of a maternity commissioner and the creation of new specialist postnatal services to address the problems.
Continue reading...Ban, to begin in about 90 days, is White House’s latest effort to apply pressure on Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine
Joe Biden has signed into law a bipartisan bill that bans the import of enriched uranium from Russia, in the latest effort by Washington to apply further pressure on Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine.
The ban on imports of the fuel for nuclear power plants begins in about 90 days, although it allows the Department of Energy (DOE) to issue waivers in case of supply concerns, up until 2028.
Continue reading...Kyiv replaces commander overseeing north-eastern Kharkiv frontline in effort to turn the tide as fighting continues
Russian forces continued their advance on Ukraine’s northern Kharkiv region on Monday, achieving “tactical success”, Kyiv said, as fears grow that Moscow will achieve its biggest breakthrough since the early days of the war.
Some of the fiercest fighting is being conducted on the outskirts of the Ukrainian town of Vovchansk, which before the war had a population of 17,000. Ukrainian and Russian reports have confirmed that Russian troops have advanced into the outskirts of the town, where gunfire has been reported in industrial areas.
Continue reading...Kharkiv region’s governor says Russia is attempting to stretch front line; Ukrainian commander responsible for north-eastern frontline replaced
Russia’s new defence minister Andrei Belousov has said that soldiers need better access to housing, hospitals and welfare benefits.
Reuters reports:
We rejected that at the time and I think the same applies to the different requests that are now being made.
Continue reading...As Putin’s forces press towards ruined Chasiv Yar, Ukrainians try to survive under bombardment in the shadow of the frontline
For months, Serhiy Gorbunov has been trying to persuade residents of Chasiv Yar, Russia’s current target in eastern Ukraine, to leave. “There’s intense shelling. The place is being bombarded. It’s a difficult situation,” he said. “People are living underground in basements. We tell them: ‘Please go.’ They answer with excuses. Most say they don’t want to abandon their homes. We try to help but they refuse.”
Gorbunov is the head of the city military administration in Kostiantynivka, the nearest functioning city to the frontline. That is 7 miles (11km) from his office, reached via a dusty and potholed back road that climbs up to the heights of Chasiv Yar. The Russians, who have been besieging the town for well over a year, have now reached its eastern outskirts and are trying to surround it.
Continue reading...Results put Gitanas Nausėda ahead but he will face Ingrida Šimonytė in a run-off election on 26 May
Lithuania’s president, Gitanas Nausėda, appears on course for a second term after a first round of voting, following a campaign dominated by the war in Ukraine and fears over neighbouring Russia.
Nausėda won 44% of votes cast in Sunday’s election, electoral commission data showed, while prime minister Ingrida Šimonytė won 20%. As no candidate won more than 50% the pair will head to a run-off election on 26 May.
Continue reading...