Russia’s most-advanced £4 million tank destroyed by Ukraine
The House of Representatives passed a $40bn aid package for Ukraine on Tuesday evening, with lawmakers signalling a bipartisan commitment to thwart the Russian aggression.
The legislation was passed with 219 Democrats and 149 Republicans voting in favour of it. Only two Democrats did not vote for the legislation at all but 57 Republicans voted against the legislation.
The bill would provide Ukraine military and economic assistance, replenish weapons the Pentagon has shipped overseas and provide $5 billion to address global food shortages.
Meanwhile, on the south coast, Russia fired three hypersonic missiles at Odesa as part of a barrage on the major Black Sea port city, according to the Centre for Defence Strategies, a Ukrainian think tank tracking the war.
One person was killed and five were hurt in the barrage, which hit a shopping centre and a warehouse on Monday. The centre identified the weapons used as Kinzhal, or “Dagger”, hypersonic air-to-surface missiles.
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Russia severed satellite internet in Ukraine, claims west
Russia was allegedly behind a massive cyberattack against a satellite internet network that took tens of thousands of modems offline, western nations said on Tuesday.
British foreign secretary Liz Truss called the internet hack “deliberate and malicious” and the council of the European Union (EU) said it caused “indiscriminate communication outages” in Ukraine and several bloc member states.
“After those modems were knocked offline it wasn’t like you unplug them and plug them back in and reboot and they come back,” Rob Joyce, the US National Security Agency’s Director of Cybersecurity, told Reuters.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar11 May 2022 06:01
Lithuanian foreign minister calls for regime change in Russia
Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said the only way to remove the threat of a dangerous Vladimir Putin is to remove him from power.
“From our standpoint, up until the point the current regime is not in power, the countries surrounding it will be, to some extent, in danger,” the top diplomatic told the Associated Press on Monday.
“Not just Putin but the whole regime because, you know, one might change Putin and might change his inner circle but another Putin might rise into his place,” Mr Landsbergis added.
Officials of the Baltic state have been outspoken about their fears but Mr Landsbergis’ calls for regime change go beyond what most Nato allies have been willing to express.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar11 May 2022 05:48
UN Security Council expected to meet this week over Ukraine
The United Nations Security Council is likely to meet on Thursday over the humanitarian situation in Ukraine at the request of France and Mexico.
Although no vote is scheduled, the UN Humanitarian Office and UNICEF are expected to brief the council, CNN reported.
The 15-member body would meet on Wednesday to hold a discussion on North Korea amid Washington’s bid to strengthen sanctions against Pyongyang.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar11 May 2022 05:17
Putin could go nuclear if he thinks Russia is losing Ukraine war, says US spy chief
Russian president Vladimir Putin could use nuclear weapons if he feels that he’s losing the war in Ukraine or if he perceives his regime to be under threat, the US intelligence chief has warned.
US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines appeared in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, testifying that Mr Putin may become more “unpredictable” and “escalatory” in his invasion of Ukraine that began on 24 February.
The spy chief added that Mr Putin is preparing Russia for a “prolonged conflict” in Ukraine that could involve Moldova and he may impose martial law to get his way.
Gustaf Kilander has more.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar11 May 2022 04:58
Congress passes $40bn military aid package for Ukraine
Congress has approved a $40bn (£32.4bn) Ukraine aid package on Tuesday as lawmakers beefed up president Joe Biden’s initial request, signalling a bipartisan commitment to thwart the Russian aggression.
The bill received overwhelming support, with the measure being cleared in the House in a 368-57 vote
.The bill would give Ukraine military and economic assistance, help regional allies, replenish weapons the Pentagon has shipped overseas and provide $5 billion to address global food shortages.
“The Ukrainian people, they need us, they are in desperate need of our support,” said Rep Rosa DeLauro, chair of the House Appropriations Committee.
“Vladimir Putin and his cronies must be held responsible. This bill does that by protecting democracy, limiting Russian aggression and strengthening our own national security.”
The new bill would bring the US support for Ukraine to nearly $54bn.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar11 May 2022 04:42
Artwork containing Ukrainian blood live-streamed
A dissident Russian artist says an image of an anti-war sculpture containing the blood of Ukrainian fighters has been live-streamed in and around Moscow Red’s Square, as Vladimir Putin oversaw the Victory Day parade.
Artist Andrei Molodkin recreated the sculpture ‘Putin Filled With Ukrainian Blood’ using acrylic and the blood of eight Ukrainian men he knew, who had joined other volunteers fighting to defend their country.
Molodkin told The Independent he had hatched a plan to make use of augmented reality (AR) technology, combined with the old-fashioned courage of his friends, to stream the anti-war image.“As a Russian soldier I understand what is meant by propaganda, to give your blood for a criminal and criminal regime,” he said.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar11 May 2022 04:29
State Department says Russian cyber war against Ukraine began in January
The Biden administration on Tuesday formally blamed the Russian government for a series of cyberattacks targeting Ukraine’s government and private sector that occurred in the days leading up to and amid the ongoing invasion (John Bowden writes).
A statement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Moscow of conducting “denial-of-service attacks, and cyber attacks to delete data from computers belonging to government and private entities”.
And according to the secretary, Russia’s actions had “spillover” effects into other countries around Europe.
According to the State Department the attacks began in January, weeks before Russian forces began surging into Ukrainian-held territory on 24 February.
Liam James11 May 2022 03:00
Boris Johnson to visit Finland and Sweden today
Boris Johnson is set to visit Sweden and Finland today to discuss the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
He is scheduled to meet leaders of both countries before returning to Britain tonight
With Queen’s Speech debates in the Commons meaning there is no Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Mr Johnson will take the opportunity to refocus the spotlight on Europe’s response to the war in the east of the continent.
The visit comes as Sweden and Finland consider whether to apply for Nato membership in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
No 10 said it was “disinformation” to suggest Mr Johnson was seeking to put pressure on them to join the western military alliance.
Liam James11 May 2022 02:00
Italy’s Draghi meets with Biden
Italian prime minister Mario Draghi, in a meeting with Joe Biden on Tuesday, said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had made ties between the United States and Italy stronger, a sentiment Mr Biden said he agreed with.
Sitting down with Biden in the Oval Office, Mr Draghi told reporters the two leaders would discuss energy and food security during their White House meeting.
Liam James11 May 2022 01:00
Putin preparing for a long war, say US officials
Vladimir Putin appears to be preparing for a long war in Ukraine, top US intelligence officials said.
“The Russians aren’t winning and the Ukrainians aren’t winning and we’re at a bit of a stalemate here,” Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, the head of the Defence Intelligence Agency, said before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Russia, which calls the invasion “a special military operation,” poured more troops into Ukraine for a huge offensive last month in the eastern part of the country but its gains have been slow.
US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, also appearing before the Armed Services Committee, said: “We assess President Putin is preparing for a prolonged conflict in Ukraine during which he still intends to achieve goals beyond the Donbas.”
She added that Mr Putin was counting on the Western resolve to weaken over time and as the conflict continued, there was concern about how it would develop in the coming months.
“Combined with the reality that Putin faces a mismatch between his ambitions and Russia’s current conventional military capabilities, likely means the next few months could see us moving along a more unpredictable and potentially escalatory trajectory,” she added.
Liam James11 May 2022 00:00
Source by www.independent.co.uk
