Ukraine, Russia exchange fire, at least seven dead
Ukraine, Russia exchange fire, at least seven dead/node/2499171/world
Ukraine, Russia exchange fire, at least seven dead
Ukrainian servicemen of the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, fire a BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket system toward Russian troops near a front line in Donetsk region on Apr. 24, 2024. (Reuters)
Ukraine, Russia exchange fire, at least seven dead
The uptick in civilian deaths came as Russian forces are pressing in hard in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine
A Ukrainian attack drone left two dead in Zaporizhzhia and two more were killed by Ukranian artillery fire in Kherson
Updated 25 April 2024
AFP
MOSCOW: Ukrainian and Russian forces exchanged drone and artillery fire on Thursday, leaving at least seven dead, regional officials on both sides of the frontline announced.
The uptick in civilian deaths came as Russian forces are pressing in hard in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine, ahead of events in Moscow on May 9, hailing the Soviet Union's victory in World War II.
A Ukrainian attack drone left two dead in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia and two more were killed by Ukranian artillery fire in the southern Kherson region, officials said.
The Kremlin claimed to have annexed both regions in late 2022 even though Russian forces are still battling to gain full control over them.
"A man and a woman were killed as a result of a strike on a civilian car. Their four young children were orphaned," the Russian-installed head of Zaporizhzhia, Evgeny Balitsky, wrote on social media.
He said the children would be taken into care and provided with psychological assistance.
The Russian head of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, said separately that two more people were killed by Ukrainian fire in the village of Dnipryany.
The two frontline regions saw intense bouts of fighting in 2022 and the summer of 2023, when Ukraine launched a counteroffensive that failed to meet expectations in Zaporizhzhia.
The brunt of the fighting has since moved to the eastern Donetsk region, which is also claimed by Moscow as Russian territory.
The Ukrainian head of the Donetsk region, Vadim Filashkin, said three people had been killed in separate bouts of shelling in the villages of Udachne, where two people were killed, and in Kurakhivka, where one person was killed.
"The final consequences of the shelling have yet to be determined," he said.
Lawyer for Turkish student at Tufts University detained by feds calls for government to produce her
Updated 5 sec ago
The request was made a day after Rumeysa Ozturk, 30, was stopped by masked federal agents after she left her home in Somerville A federal judge presiding over her case ordered lawyers representing the government to respond to the motion Thursday morning
BOSTON: A lawyer for a Turkish national and doctoral student at Tufts University who was detained by US Department of Homeland Security agents filed an emergency motion Thursday requesting that the government produce her. The request was made a day after Rumeysa Ozturk, 30, was stopped by masked federal agents after she left her home in Somerville, Massachusetts. A federal judge presiding over her case ordered lawyers representing the government to respond to the motion Thursday morning. Video obtained by The Associated Press appears to show six people, their faces covered, taking away Ozturk’s phone as she yells and is handcuffed on Wednesday. “We’re the police,” members of the group are heard saying in the video. A bystander is heard asking, “Why are you hiding your faces?” US District Judge Indira Talwani initially issued an order giving the government until Friday to answer why Ozturk was being detained. Talwani also ordered that Ozturk not be moved outside the District of Massachusetts without 48 hours advance notice. The US Immigration and Custom Enforcement said Thursday that Ozturk was being held at a detention center in Basile, Louisiana, and has spoken to her lawyer. A senior Department of Homeland Security spokesperson also confirmed Ozturk’s detention and the termination of her visa. “DHS and (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) investigations found Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans. A visa is a privilege, not a right. Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be terminated. This is common sense security,” the spokesperson told the AP. The DHS did not provide examples of Ozturk’s support of Hamas, which is designated by the US government as a terrorist organization. The arrest appears to be part of President Donald Trump’s pledge to deport students who, he said, engage in “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity,” applying it broadly to those who criticize Israel and protest its military campaign in Gaza. Hamas’ invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 hostages. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 50,000 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, and destroyed much of the enclave. Ozturk, who is Muslim, was meeting friends for iftar, a meal that breaks a fast at sunset during Ramadan, her attorney, Mahsa Khanbabai said. She said no charges have been filed against Ozturk. “We are in touch with local, state, and federal elected officials and hope that Rumeysa is provided the opportunity to avail herself of her due process rights,” Tufts University President Sunil Kumar said in a statement Wednesday night. “The university is actively working to support the Tufts community as it mobilizes its collective resources and contacts to ensure our students’ safety and wellbeing.” Ozturk was one of four students last March who wrote an op-ed in The Tufts Daily criticizing the university’s response to student demands that Tufts “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide,” disclose its investments and divest from companies with direct or indirect ties to Israel. After the op-ed was published, Ozturk’s name, photograph and work history were published on the website Canary Mission, a website that describes itself as documenting people who “promote hatred of the USA., Israel and Jews on North American college campuses.” Friends of Ozturk’s say she did not play a prominent role in campus protests that erupted last spring against the Israel’s military in Gaza. “There’s a very important distinction between writing a letter supporting the student senate and taking the kind of action they’re accusing her of, which I’ve seen no evidence of,” said Jennifer Hoyden, a friend and former classmate of Ozturk’s at Columbia University’s Teachers College. “She came to this country seeking to expand her knowledge and contribute to a peaceful society,” Hoyden added. “I cannot stress enough how peaceful and kind and gentle she is as a human being.”
Finnish government seeks to extend ban on migrants seeking asylum on Russia border
“The threat of instrumentalized migration at Finland’s eastern border remains high and unpredictable,” Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said
The exceptional emergency law was part of the government’s response to more than 1,300 migrants from countries such as Syria, Iraq and Yemen
Updated 9 min 10 sec ago
Reuters
HELSINKI: Finland’s right-wing government has asked parliament to extend until the end of 2026 a law that allows it to reject asylum applications from migrants crossing its closed eastern border with Russia and to send them back, it said on Thursday.
NATO member Finland has accused Russia of weaponizing migration by encouraging migrants from third countries to cross their shared border, an assertion the Kremlin has repeatedly denied.
“The threat of instrumentalized migration at Finland’s eastern border remains high and unpredictable,” Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said in a statement, adding the situation at the border was tense but stable.
While Finland’s non-discrimination ombudsman says the law is at odds with international human rights commitments and EU asylum rules, the government of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has said it must be extended to prevent possible future arrivals.
The exceptional emergency law, initially approved for a year in July 2024, was part of the government’s response to more than 1,300 migrants from countries such as Syria, Iraq and Yemen entering Finland from Russia in 2023. That phenomenon also prompted Finland to close the border with Russia.
The flow of migrants stopped after Finland closed down all official border crossing points at the end of 2023, and in 2024 only eight people crossed the border illegally after January, interior ministry data showed.
The government needs the support of three quarters of lawmakers in the 200-strong parliament to secure an extension of the law, a high bar reflecting the fundamental principles at stake.
The independent senior official charged with overseeing the legality of government actions said this month that the proposal to extend the asylum ban had insufficient reasoning, emphasising that emergency legislation must only be temporary in nature.
The official, known as the chancellor of justice, also said the threat assessment regarding migrants was insufficient and urged the government to explore alternatives.
The current emergency legislation expires on July 21.
UK’s Starmer: Now is not the time for lifting sanctions
Starmer met leaders of countries involved in the so-called ‘coalition of the willing’
“There was absolute clarity that Russia is trying to delay,” Starmer said
Updated 28 min 19 sec ago
Reuters
LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday that now was not the time to lift sanctions against Russia, speaking after a meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and other leaders in Paris.
Starmer met leaders of countries involved in the so-called ‘coalition of the willing’ to discuss strengthening Kyiv’s position and what role the coalition might play if a peace deal is struck with Russia.
“There was absolute clarity that Russia is trying to delay, is playing games, and we have to be absolutely clear about that,” Starmer said, standing alongside Zelensky.
“And that has meant three outcomes. Firstly, more support for Ukraine to make sure Ukraine is in the strongest possible position.... Second, complete clarity that now is not the time for lifting of sanctions, quite the contrary.”
He also said the group discussed military and operational plans for the coalition of the willing.
Ukraine state railway says online services partially restored after cyberattack
An outage was first reported on Sunday
“The online sales system of Ukrzaliznytsia has been restored,” Ukrzaliznytsia said
Updated 32 min 36 sec ago
Reuters
KYIV: Ukraine’s state-owned railway Ukrzaliznytsia, the country’s largest carrier, has partially restored online services after a large-scale cyberattack hit passenger and freight transport systems, the company said on Thursday.
An outage was first reported on Sunday when the rail company notified passengers about a failure in its IT system and told them to buy tickets on site or on trains.
The company later said its online systems had been subjected to a large-scale targeted cyberattack.
“The online sales system of Ukrzaliznytsia has been restored in a backup format for the purchase of new train tickets and their refund,” Ukrzaliznytsia said on Telegram.
“As the system is currently experiencing peak loads, there may be temporary technical interruptions, so we ask passengers to use the application only if they need to travel urgently.”
The company said the first 12,000 tickets were purchased through Ukrzaliznytsia’s online services after their restoration.
Russia hails ‘record’ Arctic shipping as sanctions pivot trade to Asia
Competition over Arctic resources has heated up as a warming climate opens up previously iced sea lanes
Updated 27 March 2025
AFP
MURMANSK: Russia on Thursday hailed “record” cargo volumes through its Northern Sea Route, which cuts travel time between Europe and Asia, as Arctic ice melts and helps Moscow redirect trade hit by sanctions over Ukraine.
Before launching his Ukraine offensive, President Vladimir Putin had promoted the Arctic route as a strategic priority, with Russia developing a fleet of eight nuclear icebreaker ships.
“Last year ended with a record, with around 38 million tons,” of cargo shipped via the route, said Alexey Likhachev, director of Russia’s nuclear agency Rosatom, which operates the icebreakers.
Putin was due to address the issue later on Thursday at a forum on Arctic development in the northern Russian port city of Murmansk.
Competition over Arctic resources has heated up as a warming climate opens up previously iced sea lanes.
And US President Donald Trump’s campaign to annex Greenland has also intensified the geopolitical and security dimensions of the tussle for influence in the region.
Moscow has invested heavily in the Northern Sea Route, which can cut travel time for cargo ships by 15 days compared to sailing via the Suez Canal.
Climate change has meant Russia’s nuclear icebreakers can pass along its entire northern coast, though at times with difficulty.
Vladimir Panov, a special representative for Arctic development at Rosatom said Moscow has seen “shippers in summer and autumn redirect their cargoes” via the route to Asia.
“In the last two years, for the first time we have switched to year-round operation of icebreakers,” he said at the forum on Wednesday.
Russia has also clashed with the West over its ambitions for Arctic development.
Foreign ministry official Vladislav Maslennikov on Wednesday accused the West of having a “provocative” Arctic policy.
“Under the guise of protecting the environment and combating climate change, we are witnessing ongoing attempts at de facto unfair competition,” he said.
Despite increasing volumes of cargo transported, Moscow has faced a series of logistical issues on the route.
In 2018 Putin had set a target of 80 million tons a year in annual cargo by 2024.
