2023-08-29 08:13:14
Russian forces have thwarted new nighttime attacks by Ukrainian drones in the Tula and Belgorod regions (west), Moscow said on Tuesday August 29. Two “unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed by air defense on duty over the territory of the Tula region”, located south of the Moscow region with which it borders, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram.
Another aircraft was also shot down in the Russian region of Belgorod, bordering Ukraine, on Monday around 11 p.m. local time (2000 GMT), the same source said earlier on Tuesday. The ministry did not provide information on possible injuries or damage.
Two US drones detected near Crimea
Russia also claimed on Monday that it had launched two of its fighter jets to intercept two American reconnaissance drones over the Black Sea, near Crimea.
After “detecting a flight heading for the Russian state border”, Moscow sent two fighter jets to “prevent a possible violation of the border” and “counter the reconnaissance (mission)” of the drones, said the Russian Ministry of Defense on Telegram.
He added that these American unmanned craft, a Reaper and a Global Hawk, “were carrying out aerial reconnaissance in the region of the Crimean peninsula” annexed in 2014 by Russia. After the arrival of the Russian planes, the drones “changed their direction of flight and left the areas where aerial reconnaissance was being conducted”, the ministry added.
A former Russian employee of the American diplomacy indicted
The Russian security services (FSB) announced Monday that they have charged a Russian citizen, a former employee of the American diplomacy in Russia, arrested at the beginning of the year and accused of having transmitted to the United States information on the conflict in Ukraine .
In mid-May, Moscow announced the arrest of Robert Chonov, a former employee of the American Consulate General in Vladivostok (Far East), accused of “confidential collaboration with a foreign state”. On Monday, in a press release, the FSB confirmed that Robert Chonov had been charged with this count, punishable by eight years in prison.
The Russian news agency Ria-Novosti broadcast a video on Monday, shot by the FSB, showing the arrest of the suspect at the bottom of a building. Snow is visible in the streets, suggesting that the arrest dates back to spring or winter. In this same video, the suspect, seated at a table, microphone attached to his polo shirt, then confesses to the camera.
In its statement, the FSB said that Robert Chonov had gathered since September 2022, until his arrest on an unspecified date, information for American diplomacy.
Ukrainian Defense Minister accused of corruption
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov on Monday dismissed fresh accusations of bribery over army supplies, as media outlets denounced purchases of uniforms at inflated prices amid the Russian invasion.
According to a survey of several Ukrainian media, the Ministry of Defense in the fall of 2022 signed a contract with a Turkish company for the supply of winter uniforms, the price of which tripled after the signing.
Ukrainian journalists have also determined that winter uniforms can be purchased in Turkey at prices well below those paid by the ministry to this Turkish company, one of whose owners is, according to them, Oleksandre Kassaï, a nephew of Gennadi Kassai, member of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s party.
Defense Minister Oleksiï Reznikov on Monday denounced false accusations, assuring that the prices charged corresponded to what was offered by manufacturers in Turkey.
Russians reintegrated into esports
The International Esports Federation has decided to reinstate Russian players, who will be able to take part in international competitions under their flag and their anthem, the Russian federation announced on Monday.
“Delegates rescinded the April 18, 2022 congress decision that Russian athletes could not participate in international competitions under their own flag,” she said in a statement. “The Russian national computer sports team will again be able to participate in competitions under its own flag and its own name”, still welcomed the Russian federation.
Putin will miss the G20, India says
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the G20 summit next month in India, and will send his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov instead, the office of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Monday.
Narendra Modi’s office said he had spoken to Vladimir Putin on the phone, and “expressed his incomprehension” at his decision not to join the summit scheduled for September 9-10.
Cereal Restrictions
Ukraine’s foreign minister on Monday slammed neighboring countries for plans to limit grain imports from his country beyond the EU ban, with Kyiv threatening to “fiercely defend” its rights.
Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria (which is not a direct neighbor of Ukraine) said last week they wanted the EU to extend the ban, which is due to expire on September 15, until the end of the year, to defend their own farmers. These five states have threatened to take nationwide action if the EU does not extend the restrictions.
“We categorically oppose it, as this measure would violate the rules of the common market,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said during a visit to Prague.
Erdogan “soon” in Russia to meet Putin
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will “soon” travel to Sochi, Russia, to discuss with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin the resumption of the agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain, his party’s spokesman announced on Monday. Omer Celik.
No date has yet been communicated by the Turkish or Russian authorities concerning this visit. According to the Bloomberg agency, the Turkish head of state could visit Russia on September 8, before his departure for the G20 summit.
Wagner in Belarus
Warsaw and the Baltic states on Monday demanded that Belarus expel the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said.
“We have asked the regime (of Belarusian President Alexander) Lukashenko to immediately expel the Wagner group from Belarus,” said Mariusz Kaminski after a meeting with his Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian counterparts. According to Warsaw, thousands of Wagner’s mercenaries are stationed in Belarus, and the country’s strongman recently wished that number to rise to 10,000.
#War #Ukraine #Russia #thwarts #night #drone #attacks