Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted Kim Jong Un’s invitation to visit North Korea, stoking U.S. concerns that a revived Moscow-Pyongyang axis could bolster Russia’s military in Ukraine and provide Kim sensitive missile technology.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets Russia’s President Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny ?osmodrome in the Amur Oblast of the Far East Region, Russia, September 13, 2023 in this image released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency. KCNA via REUTERS Acquire Licensing Rights
The invite was made during a summit in eastern Russia at which they discussed military matters, the war in Ukraine and helping North Korea’s satellite programme.
Calling each other “comrades”, the two leaders toasted their friendship on Wednesday with Russian wine after the 70-year-old Putin showed Kim, 39, around Russia’s most modern space launch facility and they held talks alongside their defence ministers.
“At the end of the reception, Kim Jong Un courteously invited Putin to visit the DPRK at a convenient time,” KCNA said, referring to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s formal name.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin “gratefully” accepted the invite and that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would travel to Pyongyang in October. Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Putin has rarely travelled abroad.
For the United States and allies, the burgeoning friendship between Kim and Putin is a concern. Washington has accused North Korea of providing arms to Russia, but it is unclear whether any deliveries have been made.
Both Russia and North Korea have denied those claims, but promised to deepen defence cooperation. During a visit to North Korea in July, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was shown banned ballistic missiles by Kim.
The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday the Biden administration “won’t hesitate” to impose additional sanctions on Russia and North Korea if they conclude any new arms deals.
On Thursday, the top national security officials of the United States, South Korea and Japan discussed the Putin-Kim meeting in a call.
A White House statement said U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan and counterparts Takeo Akiba of Japan and Cho Tae-yong of South Korea noted that any North Korean arms exports to Russia “would directly violate multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, including resolutions that Russia itself voted to adopt.”
South Korea’s National Security Council (NSC) said on Thursday North Korea and Russia would “pay a price” if they violated U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Kim is due on Thursday to visit military and civilian aviation factories in the Russian city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur and to inspect Russia’s Pacific fleet in Vladivostok, Putin said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin with Prime Minister Narendra Modi File
President Vladimir Putin has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative and said Russia can emulate the success stories of its partners like India in promoting the growth of its domestic industries.
Putin made these remarks on Tuesday while speaking at the Plenary session of the 8th Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, a major port city in sanctions-hit Russia’s Far East region.
While responding to a question on Russian-made cars, Putin said, “You know, we did not have domestically made cars then, but we do now. It is true that they look more modest than Mercedes or Audi cars, which we bought in vast amounts in the 1990s, but this is not an issue. I think that we should emulate many of our partners, for example, India.”
Prime Minister Modi launched the ‘Make in India’ campaign in 2014 to facilitate investment, foster innovation, enhance skill development, protect intellectual property & build best-in-class manufacturing infrastructure.
The “Make in India” initiative is based on four pillars, which have been identified to give a boost to entrepreneurship in India, not only in manufacturing but also in other sectors.
“They are focused on the manufacture and use of Indian-made vehicles. I think that Prime Minister Modi is doing the right thing in promoting the Make in India programme. He is right,” the Russian leader said.
He further added that it is absolutely fine to use Russian-made automobiles.
“We have (Russian-made) automobiles, and we must use them; this is absolutely fine. This will not lead to any infringements of our WTO obligations, absolutely not. It will concern state purchases. We must create a certain chain regarding what cars different classes of officials can drive so that they will use domestically-made cars.” Putin also said that the ‘India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor’ (IMEC) will in no way affect Russia in fact it will benefit the country.
The IMEC was launched during the G20 Summit in New Delhi. On Saturday, the ambitious India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) was jointly announced by the leaders of the US, India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Italy and the European Union on the sidelines of the summit in New Delhi.
Putin did not personally attend the G20 summit because of his “busy schedule”.
“I think it is for our good; it will help us develop logistics,” Putin said while responding to a question about if the IMEC initiative will affect the implementation of Russia’s and Chinese projects and what it means for Russia in general.
Kim Jong Un left Pyongyang on Sunday afternoon for Russia via his private train, state media KCNA reports; declassified intelligence shows that Russia targeted a civilian cargo ship in the Black Sea with multiple missiles last month, Rishi Sunak has revealed.
Pic: @primamedia via AP
Possible sighting of Kim Jong Un’s train in Russian Far East
A picture has emerged of a train resembling one previously used by Kim Jong Un travelling through Russia.
The screenshot, from a video released by Russian Telegram channel Prima Media, shows a green train with yellow trimmings steaming near Khasan, some 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East.
His first visit to the country as prime minister is being described as an “historic moment” – but a post-Brexit trade deal with the country is still some way off.
Rishi Sunak will urge Narendra Modi to use his influence to help bring an end to the war in Ukraine, as he embarks on his first visit to India as the UK’s premier.
The British prime minister will be meeting his Indian counterpart for one-to-one talks at the G20 summit, which he hopes will also smooth the way for a post-Brexit trade deal in the coming months.
But Downing Street has made clear there will be no changes to UK immigration policy as part of the deal – although short-term business visas will be up for discussion.
The Russian invasion – which India has refused to condemn – threatens to overshadow the summit of the world’s wealthiest countries, which is being hosted in New Delhi for the first time.
As Mr Sunak set off for the trip, the prime minister’s spokesman said: “We will use every opportunity to show our support for Ukraine and further foster global support as well.
“India has a vital role to play as the world’s largest democracy in calling out Russia’s assault on human rights and indeed democracy itself.
“We will use meetings with Modi or elsewhere to encourage them to use that influence to bring an end to Putin’s brutal invasion.”
Trade deal
Hopes of securing a trade deal between the UK and India during this trip – which would be the biggest agreement post-Brexit – have faded, but there are hopes of a later breakthrough.
Former prime minister Boris Johnson had promised a deal would be done by Diwali of 2022, but the autumn festival came and went, and significant issues in the negotiations remained.
However, government insiders are cautiously optimistic that the talks, now in their 12th round, are nearing the end, and a deal could be done later this year, with political will on both sides.
Mr Sunak is understood to be planning a second trip to India towards the end of the year. His spokesman said they did not have a firm deadline but it was expected the free trade agreement will be discussed with Mr Modi at this summit.
“The prime minister is committed to concluding an FTA [Free Trade Agreement] with India, which delivers for the British people, and this focus on delivering will run through all his engagement at the G20,” the spokesman said.
Among those sticking points is understood to be the issue of visas, with India said to be seeking assurances on student and business visas.
Insiders say that Russian despot Vladimir Putin is desperately hoping a change of power in the White House could lead to the US pulling support for the war in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin is pinning his hopes on a Trump election victory next year followed by the US lowering support for Ukraine , western officials believe.
The Kremlin believes that if Donald Trump regains the White House he could dump US backing for Kyiv and weaken resolve against Russia ’s invasion. Even though Russia has been hit by a string of military losses, culminating in a slow withdrawal from Ukraine, it will be the biggest and possibly most deluded gamble of Putin’s war.
On Wednesday western officials confirmed that Ukraine’s counter-offensive was slower than had been hoped but said, even so, that Russian troops were being driven back. One official said: “I think that it’s slower progress than we would have anticipated a couple of months ago. That’s not a criticism of Ukraine.
For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US .
Officials say Putin is hoping for a Trump win in the next election ( Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“If we obsess about how many hundreds of metres Ukraine has achieved today that becomes a metric for what is a substantial war that challenges euro-Atlantic security.
“One that has been a catastrophic failure for Russia because it has failed on all of its broader strategic objectives and military objectives. NATO is much stronger, Ukraine has got a bright future.
Vladimir Putin with Yevgeny Prigozhin before the head of the Wagner paramilitary group died in a plane crash ( Image: SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)
“Putin thinks he has time. I think if you’re Putin you are basically gambling that Donald Trump wins the next election. But that is a long way away.”
The official added that Russia slowing down Ukraine’s advance does not point towards a major problem for Ukraine and its western allies. And he highlighted the fact that a recent Wagner Group attempt by leader Yevgeny Prigozhin to launch an uprising indicated a failing Russia.
North Korea has previously denied having any “arms dealings” with Russia, however, the US has imposed sanctions on three entities it accused of being tied to arms deals between the two countries.
Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin, pictured together in 2019
Kim Jong Un could travel to Russia to meet president Vladimir Putin, according to a US official.
The North Korean leader could make the trip as early as this month, according to the unnamed source, with the port city of Vladivostok, near to the border between the two countries, believed to be a possible meeting point.
It comes as the US claims the Kremlin is attempting to acquire military equipment for its war in Ukraine.
National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said on Monday that Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu had travelled to North Korea’s capital of Pyongyang last month.
It is believed Mr Shoigu attempted to persuade North Korea – one of the most militarised countries in the world – to sell artillery ammunition to Russia.
Ms Watson said: “We have information that Kim Jong Un expects these discussions to continue, to include leader-level diplomatic engagement in Russia.”
She added that the US is urging North Korea “to cease its arms negotiations with Russia and abide by the public commitments that Pyongyang has made to not provide or sell arms to Russia”.
It comes after Mr Shoigu also said on Monday that Russia and North Korea may hold joint war games.
“Why not, these are our neighbours,” Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted Mr Shoigu as saying.
“There’s an old Russian saying: ‘You don’t choose your neighbours, and it’s better to live with your neighbours in peace and harmony’.”
When asked about the possibility of joint exercises between the two countries, he said they were “of course” being discussed, the agency said.
North Korea has previously denied having any “arms dealings” with Russia, however, the US has imposed sanctions on three entities it accused of being tied to arms deals between the two countries.
Russia’s diplomats were once a key part of President Putin’s foreign policy strategy. But that has all changed.
In the years leading up to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, diplomats lost their authority, their role reduced to echoing the Kremlin’s aggressive rhetoric.
BBC Russian asks former diplomats, as well as ex-Kremlin and White House insiders, how Russian diplomacy broke down.
In October 2021, US Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland went to a meeting at the Russian foreign ministry in Moscow. The man across the table was Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who Ms Nuland had known for decades and always got along with.
Mr Rybakov’s American counterparts saw him as a practical, calm negotiator – someone they could talk to even as the two countries’ relationship frayed.
This time, things were different.
Mr Ryabkov read Moscow’s official position from a piece of paper and resisted Ms Nuland’s attempts to start a discussion. Ms Nuland was shocked, according to two people who discussed the incident with her.
She described Mr Ryabkov and one of his colleagues as “robots with papers”, the people said (the State Department declined to comment on the incident).
And outside the negotiating room, Russian diplomats were using increasingly undiplomatic language.
American diplomat Victoria Nuland was said to be shocked by Russian diplomats who were “talking like robots”
“We spit on Western sanctions.”
“Let me speak. Otherwise, you will really hear what Russian Grad missiles are capable of.”
“Morons” – preceded by an expletive.
These are all quotes from people in positions of authority at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in recent years.
How did we get here?
A new Cold War
It might be hard to imagine now, but Mr Putin himself told the BBC back in 2000 that “Russia is ready to co-operate with Nato… right up to joining the alliance”.
“I cannot imagine my country isolated from Europe,” he added.
Back then, early in his presidency, Mr Putin was eager to build ties with the West, a former senior Kremlin official told the BBC.
Russian diplomats were a key part of Mr Putin’s team, helping resolve territorial disputes with China and Norway, leading talks on deeper co-operation with European countries, and ensuring a peaceful transition after a revolution in Georgia.
But as Mr Putin became more powerful and experienced, he became increasingly convinced he had all the answers and that diplomats were unnecessary, says Alexander Gabuev, the director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, who is living in exile in Berlin.
Prigozhin and Putin: How a long friendship turned ugly
The first signal that a new Cold War was beginning came in 2007 with a speech Mr Putin made to the Munich Security Conference.
In a 30-minute diatribe, he accused Western countries of attempting to build a unipolar world. Russia’s diplomats followed his lead. A year later, when Russia invaded Georgia, Moscow’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reportedly swore at his UK counterpart, David Miliband, asking: “Who are you to lecture me?”
Western officials still thought it was worth trying to work with Russia. In 2009, Mr Lavrov and the then-US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pressed a giant red “reset button” in relations, and the two countries seemed to be building co-operation – especially on security issues.
But it soon became obvious to US officials that their Russian counterparts were simply parroting Mr Putin’s growing anti-Western views, says Ben Rhodes, deputy national security advisor to former US President Barack Obama.
Ben Rhodes (L), deputy national security advisor to President Obama, says Putin increasingly ignored his own foreign ministry
Mr Rhodes recalls President Obama having breakfast with Mr Putin in 2009, accompanied by a folk orchestra. He says Mr Putin was more interested in presenting his view of the world than discussing co-operation and that the Russian leader blamed Mr Obama’s predecessor, George W Bush, for betraying Russia.
As the Arab Spring, the US involvement in Libya, and the Russian street protests unfolded in 2011 and 2012, Mr Putin decided that diplomacy wouldn’t get him anywhere, Mr Rhodes says.
“On certain issues – Ukraine in particular – I did not get the sense that [diplomats] had much influence at all,” says Mr Rhodes.
As an example, when Mr Lavrov, the foreign minister, was appointed nearly 20 years ago he had an “international perspective and his own position”, a former senior Kremlin official told the BBC.
The Kremlin used to consult him even when it knew he might have a different view to Mr Putin, says Mr Gabuev.
But when troops were sent into Ukraine in 2022, Mr Lavrov only found out a few hours before the war began, according to a report in the Financial Times.
Putin was said to be more interested in expressing his world views to Obama in 2009 than discussing co-operation
Andrei Kelin, Moscow’s ambassador to the UK, rejects the idea that Russian diplomats have lost their influence. He has worked on relations with Western countries throughout his diplomatic career.
In an interview with the BBC, he refused to concede that either Moscow or individual diplomats bear any responsibility for the collapse of relations with the West.
“We are not the ones doing the destroying,” he said. “We have problems with the Kyiv regime. There is nothing we can do about it.”
He says war in Ukraine is “a continuation of diplomacy by other means”.
Diplomacy as a spectacle
As foreign policy officials became less and less influential, they turned their attention back to Russia. Maria Zakharova, who became the ministry’s spokesperson in 2015, is a symbol of this new chapter.
“Before her, diplomats behaved like diplomats, speaking in refined expressions,” says former foreign ministry official Boris Bondarev, who resigned in protest over the war.
But with Ms Zakharova’s arrival, foreign ministry briefings became a spectacle. Ms Zakharova often yelled at reporters who asked her difficult questions and responded to criticism from other countries with insults.
Spokesperson for the Russian foreign ministry Maria Zakharova is known for “theatrical” press briefings
Her diplomatic colleagues were going the same way. Mr Bondarev, who used to work for Moscow’s mission to the UN in Geneva, recalls one meeting where Russia blocked all proposed initiatives, prompting colleagues from Switzerland to complain.
“We said to them: ‘Well, what’s the problem? We are a great power, and you are just Switzerland!’
“That’s [Russian] diplomacy for you,” he says.
This approach was aimed at impressing Russians back home, says Mr Gabuev, the foreign policy analyst.
But an even more crucial target audience for diplomats is their own bosses, according to Mr Bondarev. Official telegrams sent to Moscow after foreign meetings are focussed on how passionately diplomats defended the country’s interests, he explains.
A typical message, according to him, would be something like: “We really gave them a hard time! We heroically defended Russian interests, and the Westerners couldn’t do anything and backed down!”
If everyone writes about “putting Westerners in their place” and you write that you “achieved consensus”, you will be looked at with disdain, he says.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, was listed as a passenger on a private jet which crashed on Wednesday evening north of Moscow with no survivors. (Prigozhin Press Service via AP/File)
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Friday said he warned Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin twice to keep an eye out for threats to his life.
Speaking to Belta, Belarus-owned news agency, Lukashenko said that the first time he warned was soon after the Wagner’s forces foiled a bid to march on Moscow to mutiny against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The first time was when I phoned him and negotiations (were taking) place while they were marching on Moscow,” Lukashenko said.
Lukashenko told Belta that he told Putin’s former caterer: “Yevgeny, do you understand that you will doom your people and will perish yourself?”
Prigozhin reportedly said: “I will die then, damn it!”
Lukashenko said the second time he warned Prigozhin during a meeting between him, Prigozhin and Dmitriy Utkin, a long-term lieutenant of Prigozhin.
Russian state media outlets this week showed footage of a private plane crashing into a field northwest of Moscow while en route to St. Petersburg. The plane was purportedly carrying Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose private army has been instrumental in the ongoing 2022 Russo-Ukrainian war.
Leaders say the allies are ‘fully demonstrating their invincibility’ and pledge to bolster security ties as US accuses Pyongyang of supplying weapons to Moscow.
North Korea leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged letters pledging to develop ties into what Kim called a “long-standing strategic relationship”.
The letters mark the 78th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule, which is also celebrated as a national holiday in South Korea.
In his letter to Putin on Tuesday, Kim said the two countries’ friendship was forged in World War II with victory over Japan and is now “fully demonstrating their invincibility and might in the struggle to smash the imperialists’ arbitrary practices and hegemony”, state news agency KCNA said.
“I am firmly convinced that the friendship and solidarity … will be further developed into a long-standing strategic relationship in conformity with the demand of the new era,” Kim was quoted as saying in the letter.
“The two countries will always emerge victorious, strongly supporting and cooperating with each other in the course of achieving their common goal and cause.”
The United States has accused North Korea of providing weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine, including artillery shells, shoulder-fired rockets and missiles. Pyongyang and Moscow have denied any arms transactions.
‘Deeply concerned’
Moscow and Pyongyang – both increasingly isolated from the West and weighted with sanctions – have drawn closer since the Kremlin deployed troops to Ukraine and commenced large-scale hostilities last year.
Last month, Russia’s defence minister stood shoulder to shoulder with Kim as they reviewed North Korea’s newest nuclear-capable missiles and attack drones at a military parade in the capital Pyongyang.
Washington remains “deeply concerned” about North Korea aiding Russia’s war effort in Ukraine and believes Moscow is seeking to increase its cooperation with Pyongyang, US Department of State Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said.
“Any kind of security cooperation or arms deal between North Korea and Russia would certainly violate a series of UN Security Council resolutions,” Patel said at a regular news briefing.
Putin, in his message to Kim, also pledged to bolster bilateral ties.
RUSSIAN doctors are in despair as Vladimir Putin’s troops fighting in Ukraine are returning home as “aggressive zombies”.
Soldiers – many of them mobilised against their will – are behaving like “animals” after being psychologically warped by the horrors they have experienced.
Soldiers mentally scarred by the atrocities of the war have turned into ‘animals’Credit: Social MediaRussian doctors say they are overwhelmed by an influx of disturbed soldiers who have become dependent on drink and drugsCredit: Social MediaMedics have warned Russia will face an apocalypse at the hands of zombie-like troopsCredit: Getty
Many have turned to drink and drugs to cope with the memories of brutality and merciless cruelty, a shocking new report says.
But they are bringing the horrors of the frontline to their own doorsteps, as they have returned with a chilling thirst for violence.
A senior health official who is treating a legion of disturbed Russians warned: “Aggressive zombies will soon fill the streets of our cities.”
The doctor told news outlet Novaya Vkladka: “They will massively beat and even kill passers-by.
“And how to prevent it, I personally do not know.
“I just do not see other scenarios for the development of the situation with those who returned from the special military operation.”
The calamitous human cost of Putin’s war has stoked fears that Russia will face a “cheap zombie apocalypse” – fuelled by booze and drugs.
More than a quarter of a million troops have been killed or physically maimed in the brutal war since it began 18 months ago.
But those who make it home alive are returning to a different kind of warzone altogether.
The anonymous health official said he is surrounded by “wounded, amputees, drug addicts, alcoholics, [and] people with mental and psychological problems.”
Despite working in Kemerovo, a Siberian region four times zones east of the war, he says it has been overwhelmed by traumatised troops.
“Injuries, PTSD – this is all, of course, a problem, it needs to be dealt with, but the main, in my opinion, problem in terms of prevalence and potential danger is addictions,” he said.
“Simply put, a lot of those who returned [from the war] are either alcoholics or, more often, drug addicts.”
World War II troops infamously went into battle drugged up to their eyeballs on methamphetamines in the hopes of being more alert.
It has been claimed that Adolf Hitler himself was a “super-junkie”, who was routinely injected with cocaine and a heroin-like opiate.
The medic said available doctors in Russia are each expected to handle between 200 and 250 unhinged war returnees each month.
He claimed the main substances being abused by fighters are amphetamines, including speed.
“And here everything is much more complicated and sadder in terms of the prospects for treatment and subsequent socialisation.”
Chilling footage showed several soldiers in a trance-like state while being awarded bravery medals for their role in the invasion.
‘HOPELESS’
The wounded troops sat silently in a row of wheelchairs with disturbingly blank expressions while deputy defence minister Alexander Fomin hailed their war efforts in March.
Some demoralised and disillusioned soldiers have fled the frontline in tears or surrendered without a fight to escape the savagery.
The doctor revealed “almost every other person” returning from Putin’s bloody war admits to the use of psycho-stimulants.
He described the fight against the crisis as “hopeless” due to a huge shortage of doctors, with many medics leaving due to the intolerable pressures.
“This special military operation [war] is like another tombstone on the grave. There are almost no doctors left,” the health chief said.
A large portion of Russian doctors are being forced to work in the war zone in occupied Ukraine, or face losing their jobs.
Under an order from the health ministry, neuropathologists are each expected to take on 300 war returnees a month on top of their existing caseloads, said another medic.
He told how a stormtrooper in the notorious Wagner mercenary army had become hellbent on inflicting violence.
“He had never beaten [his wife] before,” the doctor explained.
“He came back from the war a different person. The woman filed for divorce.
“This patient is really extremely aggressive, cannot control himself in the company of other people, and is constantly looking for conflict.”
It is like a cheap zombie apocalypse, where it is scary for a normal person.
Russian Doctor
He said the prognosis for treating the soldier wasn’t hopeful, “given the degree of drug dependence and early stages of PTSD”.
The doctor – also anonymous for fear of retribution by Putin’s regime – asked: “What we can do?
“Only remove the acute condition with sedative drugs. Again, long-term work of a clinical psychologist is needed.
“But this, I am almost 100 per cent sure, will not happen. There are thousands of patients and a handful of doctors and psychologists.”
He discussed his fears that the troop could overdose, harm an innocent member of the public or harm themselves.
The first health official pointed out that they have been trained to inflict extreme pain and “have learned to kill.”
He continued: “Their psyche has changed, including by drugs.
“Moreover, many of them went to war not to defend their ‘homeland’ but in order to get out of a pre-trial detention centre or a penal colony early.
“So it was difficult to call them angels before. And now they are mostly animals, sorry to put it so harshly.
“It is like a cheap zombie apocalypse, where it is scary for a normal person.”
The Ukrainian President previously raised concerns as Russian troops were dispatched on “suicidal” blind charges on the frontline.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday claimed that the war-torn country has killed at least 21,000 Wagner mercenaries and wounded another 80,000.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky(AFP)
Days after Vladimir Putin witnessed one of the biggest challenges as Russian premier after the Wagner Group chief launched a mutiny against the top leadership, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday claimed that the war-torn country has killed at least 21,000 Wagner mercenaries and wounded another 80,000 so far.
Speaking during a press conference with a Spanish media, Zelensky said that the “private military company has suffered enormous losses, particularly in Eastern Ukraine”, reported CNN.
Calling the Wagner mercenaries as “mostly convicts who had nothing to lose”, the Ukrainian President said that the fighters are “motivated staff of the Russian army”.
“Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rebellion has greatly affected Russian power on the battlefield and could be beneficial to Ukraine’s counteroffensive…We need to take advantage of this situation to push the enemy out of our land,” Zelensky said, adding that he would not rush the counteroffensive as he values human lives.
On being asked if he fears for his life amid the war, Zelensky said that it is “more dangerous for Putin”. “…It’s only in Russia that they want to kill me, whereas the entire world wants to kill him,” he added, reported CNN.
Vladimir Putin Limping: The visit was termed “reunification” events by Kremlin and marks nine years since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin Limping: Russian President Vladimir Putin (C), flanked by Metropolitan Tikhon Shevkunov (R), chairman of the Patriarchal Council for Culture, listening to Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev (L) are seen.(AFP)
In his first appearance since an arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged war crimes, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Crimea. The Russian leader was seen walking with a visible limp in Crimea as he inaugurated a school and children’s art centre. Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014, a move which was internationally condemned.
Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, shared a video to social media claiming that Vladimir Putin was “visibly limping” during his visit. In the video, Vladimir Putin can be seen walking alongside his aides with his head bowed down as they brief him.
It turns out Putin came to Crimea to open an art school.
At least that’s what occupational authorities sY about his visit. And they report he drove there himself… pic.twitter.com/Namm0rOuyv
The visit was termed “reunification” events by Kremlin and marks nine years since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. Earlier, the Russian President was expected to take part in the events via video conference but was later seen on state TV in Sevastopol, news agency Reuters reported, adding that Vladimir Putin arrived in Crimea’s biggest city driving a car.
Dragging the Russian president to the dock will be extremely difficult – but the move may be the start of a wave of prosecutions over the Ukraine invasion.
Vladimir Putin arrest warrant seen in a press release from the International Criminal Court in The Hague.NURPHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Russian president Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.
World leaders have been indicted before, but it is the first time the independent international organisation has issued a warrant against a leader of one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
Issuing its first warrant during the Ukraine war, the court called for Putin’s arrest on suspicion of unlawful deportation of children and unlawful transfer of people from the territory of Ukraine to Russia.
The tribunal, which sits at The Hague in the Netherlands, also issued a warrant for the arrest of Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, the Russian commissioner for children’s right, on similar allegations.
Russia, which is not a party to the court, said the move was meaningless. Moscow has repeatedly denied accusations that its forces have committed atrocities during its invasion of its neighbour. It was welcomed by Ukraine as a major breakthrough.
What is the International Criminal Court?
The ICC, which has 123 member states, was established in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression when member states are unwilling or unable to do so themselves. A war crimes investigation can focus on soldiers, commanders and heads of state.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine is a member of the ICC and Moscow does not recognise the tribunal. But Ukraine has given its approval to examine alleged atrocities on its territory dating back to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. ICC prosecutor Karim Khan has visited four times since opening an investigation a year ago.
How is a war crime defined?
The ICC defines war crimes as “grave breaches” of the post-Second World War Geneva conventions, agreements which lay out the international humanitarian laws to be followed in war time.
Breaches include deliberately targeting civilians and attacking legitimate military targets where civilian casualties would be “excessive”, legal experts have said.
What investigations has it carried out?
The ICC is conducting 17 investigations, ranging from Ukraine and African states such as Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya to Venezuela in Latin America and Asian nations, such as Myanmar and the Philippines.
The ICC has convicted five men of war crimes and crimes against humanity, all African militia leaders from Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali and Uganda. Terms range from nine to 30 years in prison. The maximum possible term is life imprisonment.
What happens now?
The arrest warrants for Putin and Lvova-Belova theoretically mark the first step towards an eventual trial. It will be up to the international community to enforce them as the court has no police force of its own to chase down suspects.
The court’s president, Piotr Hofmanski, said: “The ICC is doing its part of work as a court of law. The judges issued arrest warrants. The execution depends on international cooperation.”
Although the court is supported by many United Nations members and the European Union, other major powers including the US and Russia are not members, arguing it could be used for politically motivated prosecutions.
In its latest intelligence update, the MoD said local counterattacks have hampered Russian attempts to reorganise its forces, amid fears Chernihiv could become the next Mariupol.
An armoured vehicle painted with the Z of pro-Russian troops near Mariupol in southern Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has admitted it would be “impossible” to completely force Russian forces out of Ukraine, amid fears Vladimir Putin is seeking a Korea-style split.
The head of military intelligence in Kyiv said the Kremlin wanted to split the country like “North and South Korea”, securing itself a region controlled from Moscow after failing in its bid for a complete takeover.
Speaking hours later, Mr Zelenskyy appeared to acknowledge his government would have to concede territory.
He said attempting to completely force Russia out “would lead to a Third World War”.
Mr Zelenskyy said he was seeking a “compromise” with Moscow over Donbas, the region which has been partly controlled by Russian-backed separatist groups since 2014.
It’s been suggested that the Kremlin wants to hold “referendums” in such areas to determine whether the people living there want to be part of Russia.
But Mr Zelenskyy wants Russian troops out of parts of the country they’ve occupied since last month’s full invasion, saying a deal is “only possible” if they are withdrawn.
Smoke rises after an airstrike in Lviv, Ukraine, on Saturday. (Image: REUTERS/Vladyslav Sodel)
Vladimir Putin should no longer be the leader of Russia, said United States President Joe Biden on Saturday during his visit to Poland. “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” Biden announced at the very end of his address delivered to a crowd at Royal Castle in capital Warsaw.
He had called the Russian president a “butcher” while meeting Ukrainian war refugees earlier in the day. He also issued a stern warning to Putin: “Don’t even think about moving on one single inch of NATO territory.”
Lviv, meanwhile, was hit by rockets on the outskirts, said the city’s mayor, describing it as the first attacks within city limits since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Here are the top 10 highlights of the conflict, which has now entered its second month:
Moscow: A Russian court on Tuesday found jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny guilty of additional charges and extended his sentence to nine years in a higher security prison as Moscow seeks to wipe out remaining pockets of dissent. The sentencing came on the 27th day of what Moscow calls its “special military operation” in pro-Western Ukraine, with thousands killed and some 10 million displaced.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny
Following the verdict, President Vladimir Putin’s most vocal domestic critic who has been behind bars for more than a year said the Russian leader was afraid of the truth. “Putin is afraid of the truth, I have always said this. Fighting censorship, relaying the truth to the people of Russia always remained our priority,” the 45-year-old opposition politician said in a post on Instagram after the sentencing.
With his trademark sense of humour, Navalny took the extension of his jail time on new charges of embezzlement and contempt of court in stride, joking that his “space flight is being extended — my ship has gotten caught in a time loop.” He also urged Russians to resist “these war criminals”. He stood trial inside his penal colony in the town of Pokrov outside Moscow.
“Navalny committed fraud — the theft of property by an organised group,” judge Margarita Kotova said, according to an AFP reporter present at the hearing. The judge also found Navalny guilty of the less severe charge of contempt of court. Navalny will serve his new sentence in a strict-regime penal colony, which will place him in much harsher conditions.
His lawyers, Olga Mikhailova and Vadim Kobzev, were detained by police following the verdict but were later freed. Navalny’s defence team said the new sentence replaces the one he is currently serving, meaning that he will not be freed for another eight years, instead of a year and a half.
– ‘People are afraid’ –
Last year the opposition leader was sentenced to two and a half years for violating parole for old fraud charges while recovering from a poison attack with Novichok nerve agent that he blames on the Kremlin. Navalny will also have to pay a fine of 1.2 million rubles ($11,500) and upon his release he will have to abide by various restrictions on his movement and activities for a further 1.5 years.
He appeared for Tuesday’s hearing in the makeshift court wearing his black prison uniform, with journalists watching via a video link. He listened closely as judge Kotova read out the verdict, sometimes smiling. Navalny has denied the charges against him, saying they were punishment for challenging 69-year-old Putin.
While Australian PM Scott Morrison called for holding Russia to account for its Ukraine offensive in the virtual summit with PM Narendra Modi, Australia also expressed understanding of India’s position on Ukraine, as foreign secretary Harsh Shringla said after the meeting.
However, even as Modi and Morrison expressed serious concern over the conflict and the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, they agreed that that the conflict in Europe should not divert the Quad countries’ focus from the Indo-Pacific with Morrison underlining the need to ensure what is happening in Ukraine never occurs in the Indo-Pacific.
Modi briefed his counterpart about the situation at LAC and reiterated there cannot be normalisation of ties with China till peace and tranquillity along the border is restored. Morrison also spoke against Chinese activities in South China Sea. Shringla said a significant outcome of the summit was to institutionalise an annual bilateral summit mechanism. India had annual summits only with Russia and Japan till now.
While the 2 countries signed several agreements including one for co-investment in Australian critical mineral projects, an area Australia is looking to compete with China in, a joint statement by the 2 sides was still awaited till late in the night. Australia is looking to increase its investments in India by Rs 1500 crore with the fresh agreements.
While Modi didn’t mention Ukraine in his opening remarks, Morrison brought up Russia’s “unlawful invasion’’ saying the tragic loss of life underlies the importance of holding Russia to account. “But cooperation between like-minded liberal democracies is key to an open and inclusive and resilient and prosperous Indo-Pacific, and I welcome your leadership within the Quad to keeping us focused on those important issues,’’ he said. While Japan had publicly said after the summit with India on Saturday that PM Fumio Kishida asked Modi to take up with President Vladimir Putin the need to main a “free and open international order’’, there was no such pronouncement by the Australians after the summit.
It was a notable shift for the president and the first time he has labeled his Russian counterpart’s actions in Ukraine in such a way.
President Joe Biden speaks on Ukraine on March 16, 2022, in Washington. | Alex Wong/Getty Images
President Joe Biden on Wednesday called Vladimir Putin a “war criminal.”
It was a notable shift for Biden and the first time he has labeled his Russian counterpart’s actions in Ukraine in such a way. The president, who has skirted questions on whether Russia has committed war crimes in Ukraine and often refers to ongoing investigations, didn’t mince his words on Wednesday.
“I think he is a war criminal,” Biden told reporters.
The comment followed Biden’s announcement earlier on Wednesday that the U.S. would send an additional $800 million in military aid to Ukraine. His commitment to more aid, which brings the total to $1 billion allocated to the country this week, came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered an emotional address to Congress. Zelenskyy pleaded with the U.S. and its NATO allies to do more to help his country, whether by enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine or sending jets to aid in its war against Russia.
Biden, during Wednesday’s speech, addressed the nature of the “difficult battle” Ukrainians have faced in the three weeks since Russia launched its assault. The Ukrainian death toll has continued to climb as Russian bombing expands toward the country’s west. More than 700 civilians have been killed the past few weeks, according to the United Nations, and dozens of children have been confirmed dead as of March 15, though these numbers are difficult to track and are likely considerably higher.
A U.S. official said Russia asked China for military equipment to use in its invasion of Ukraine, a request that heightened tensions about the ongoing war ahead of a Monday meeting in Rome between top aides for the U.S. and Chinese governments.
Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi, speaks at the opening session of US-China talks at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska, March 18, 2021. President Biden is sending his national security adviser for talks with a senior Chinese official in Rome on Monday, March 14, 2022. The meeting comes as concerns grow that China is amplifying Russian disinformation in the Ukraine war. Last week the White House accused Beijing of spreading false Russian claims that Ukraine was running chemical and biological weapons labs with U.S. support. The White House says talks between national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Yang Jiechi will center on “efforts to manage the competition between our two countries and discuss the impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine on regional and global security.” (Frederic J. Brown/Pool via AP)
In advance of the talks, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan bluntly warned China to avoid helping Russia evade punishment from global sanctions that have hammered the Russian economy. “We will not allow that to go forward,” he said.
The prospect of China offering Russia financial help is one of several concerns for President Joe Biden. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said that in recent days, Russia had requested support from China, including military equipment, to press forward in its ongoing war with Ukraine. The official did not provide details on the scope of the request. The request was first reported by the Financial Times and The Washington Post.
The Biden administration is also accusing China of spreading Russian disinformation that could be a pretext for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces to attack Ukraine with chemical or biological weapons.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put China in a delicate spot with two of its biggest trading partners: the U.S. and European Union. China needs access to those markets, yet it also has shown support for Moscow, joining with Russia in declaring a friendship with “no limits.”
In his talks with senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi, Sullivan will indeed be looking for limits in what Beijing will do for Moscow.
“I’m not going to sit here publicly and brandish threats,” he told CNN in a round of Sunday news show interviews. “But what I will tell you is we are communicating directly and privately to Beijing that there absolutely will be consequences” if China helps Russia “backfill” its losses from the sanctions.
“We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country anywhere in the world,” he said.
In brief comments on the talks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian did not mention Ukraine, saying that the “key issue of this meeting is to implement the important consensus reached by the Chinese and U.S. heads of state in their virtual summit in November last year.”
In his latest speech, the Ukrainian leader hinted that future peace talks with Russia could take place in Jerusalem. He also took aim at NATO, saying the alliance has lacked “bravery” in its response to Putin’s invasion.
Widespread damage and impact craters have been seen in Moschun, a town northwest of Kyiv. Pic: Maxar
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Russia can only take Kyiv if it “razes it to the ground” – as he suggested future peace talks could take place in Jerusalem.
Mr Zelenskyy also said he doesn’t see “common consensus” for Ukraine to be accepted into NATO, before adding that the alliance has lacked “bravery” in its response to the invasion.
In his latest speech, Mr Zelenskyy said Russian and Ukrainian negotiating teams have started discussing concrete topics rather than exchanging ultimatums during peace talks.
However, he said the West has so far not been involved enough in the negotiations.
He said around 1,300 Ukrainian troops have been killed since the start of the war, and that on Friday, up to 600 Russian soldiers surrendered.
Mr Zelenskyy also said he hopes Israeli leader Naftali Bennett will have a “positive influence” on peace negotiations as he hopes for talks to take place in Jerusalem.
Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron called for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict during a 75-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.
“The conversation is part of ongoing international efforts to end the war in Ukraine,” a German government spokesperson said.
Mr Scholz had earlier spoken to Mr Zelenskyy about the situation, the spokesperson added.
