The war between Ukraine and Russia-Crimea-US Sanctions Warning to Turkey-World War III
The war between Ukraine and Russia-Crimea-US Sanctions Warning to Turkey-World War III
2022.08.20 22:22
The war between Ukraine and Russia-Crimea-US Sanctions Warning to Turkey-World War III
Budrigannews.com – A drone struck the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet in “occupied” Crimea on Saturday, days after unexplained explosions at nearby military facilities. No injuries were reported. Several Ukrainians, including children, were injured in a Russian rocket strike north of Mykolaiv.
The latest tranche of military aid to Ukraine, announced Friday, sees total US commitments reach $10.9 billion. The offer includes more HIMARS rocket systems, credited with helping Kyiv slow Moscow’s advance over the summer.
Grain exports continue from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports a month after a safe-transit agreement was reached. A Turkish official estimated total shipments so far at over 656,000 tonnes.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is approaching the six-month mark, and the past week saw minimal changes in territorial control along the front line in the Donbas. Ukrainian air defense shot down four Russian Kalibr cruise missiles near the city of Dnipro, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said on Facebook. Russia continued to bombard the Kharkiv region with barrel and rocket artillery in roughly ten settlements. Russian shelling hit an apartment block in Voznesensk, to the north of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine, wounding nine people including at least four children, regional governor Vitaliy Kim said on Telegram.
Austria Summons Russian Envoy Over Tweet
Austria’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s envoy to the nuclear talks with Iran due to a tweet he sent in response to the US sending additional military aid to Ukraine.
“No mercy to the Ukrainian population!” Mikhail Ulyanov said in a tweet late Friday that he later deleted. He claimed it referred to the Ukrainian government’s reluctance to enter peace talks.
Austria summoned the Russian diplomat for Sunday, calling the remarks inhuman.
US Warns Turkey About Russian Ploy to Bypass Sanctions
A top US Treasury official on Friday warned his Turkish equivalent about Moscow’s attempts to bypass Western sanctions via Turkey, according to a Treasury readout.
Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo raised with Yunus Elitas, Turkey’s deputy finance minister, “concerns that Russian entities and individuals are attempting to use Turkey to evade sanctions put in place” by the US and 30 other countries, according to the readout.
Moscow Accuses Ukraine of Poisoning Troops
Russia’s defense ministry said it had evidence of chemical substances having been used against its forces in the Zaporizhzhia region in late July.
Tests on sickened soldiers in Vasilyevka area showed the presence of botulinum toxin type B, the ministry said. It didn’t explain how troops could have been targeted in the occupied region.
Ukrainian interior ministry adviser Anton Geraschenko said on Telegram that the troops may have been sickened by their own supplies. “The poisoning could have been caused by expired canned meat, in which botulinum toxin is often found,” he said.
Action in Crimea With Drone Strike, Air-Defense Systems Triggered
A drone struck the roof of Russia’s Black Sea fleet headquarters in Sevastopol, Crimea, on Saturday, the region’s governor said on Telegram. No injuries were incurred, according to the Russian state news service Tass.
Air-defense systems were triggered locally during the incident. Sergey Aksenov, the Russian serving as the head of occupied Crimea, said people in the area should “remain calm and trust only official information.”
Crimea, annexed by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces since 2014, has been the subject of several attacks and strikes in recent weeks. Ukrainian officials haven’t commented on Saturday’s incident.
Another Seven Vessels Arrive to Load Grains, Vegoil, Minister Says
Seven more vessels entered Ukraine’s Black Sea ports on Friday to load more than 66,000 tonnes of grains and vegetable oil, said Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov.
Two grain vessels departed early Saturday from Ukraine’s Chernomorsk, and additional vessels traveling to and from Ukraine are set for inspection, Turkey’s defense ministry said.
The movement of grains and other foodstuffs continues a month-long ramp-up after a safe-transit agreement was signed in late July. Rising export volumes have started to alleviate global food shortages caused by the blockage of Ukraine’s exports since February.
Germany’s Scholz Warns Russia Over Repression
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz used the second anniversary of the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to warn about Moscow’s crackdown on the freedom of expression.
“We should think about that now. Because the war that Russia started against Ukraine is a war that also has consequences for Russia,” Scholz said in a video message on Saturday. “Freedom and democracy were already threatened before. But now freedom of expression is even more at risk.”
Navalny was poisoned two years ago and treated at a hospital in Berlin. He was arrested upon returning to Russia and is serving a lengthy term in a high-security prison. Navalny has repeatedly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Details of Nuclear Plant Visit Being Developed, Zelenskiy Says
Ukrainian diplomats, the UN, the IAEA and others are working on details for a mission to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeast Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said late Friday. No timing has been set.
In his nightly video address, Ukraine’s president accused Russia of “blackmail” at Europe’s largest atomic power plant, which Moscow is currently using as a military base, warning that “this summer may go down in the history of various European countries as one of the most tragic of all time.”
“Not a single instruction at any nuclear power plant in the world envisages a procedure in case a terrorist state” turns the plant into a target, Zelenskiy said.
