Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war, 95 Russian soldiers for 95 Ukrainian soldiers, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on the Telegram social network. Ukraine has not yet commented. According to Russian sources, the United Arab Emirates helped mediate the exchange, which, according to available data, has done so for the ninth time.
Illustration photo. | Photo: Reuters
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22:41
Russia and Ukraine swap prisoners of war today, 95 Russian soldiers for 95 Ukrainian soldiersthe Russian Ministry of Defense announced on the Telegram social network. Ukraine has not yet commented. According to Russian sources, the United Arab Emirates helped mediate the exchange, which, according to available data, has done so for the ninth time. “At present, all Russian soldiers are in the territory of Belarus, where they are provided with the necessary psychological and medical assistance, as well as the opportunity to connect with relatives. All freed soldiers will be transported to Russia, where they will undergo treatment and recovery at the facilities of the Ministry of Defense,” added Moscow .
20:18
Ukraine’s gross domestic product increased by 4.5 percent year-on-year in January-September. It was mainly supported by the agricultural sector, transport and construction. This was announced today by the Ukrainian Ministry of Economy. In September itself, the Ukrainian economy grew by 3.8 percent. “Despite the problems of the war, the Ukrainian economy continues to recover,” said Minister of Economy Julija Svyrydenková. “In September, agriculture showed the largest growth thanks to the early harvest of late crops. We also saw an increase in transport and construction.” Svyrydenková added that business sentiment in retail, industrial production and construction continues to improve, mainly thanks to the better situation in the energy sector.
20:10
Ukraine will move to an alternate “Plan B” in the event that American policy on military aid to Kiev changes after the November presidential election in the United States. This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to the Unian agency. But at the same time he said that no one can predict what will happen after the elections. Ukraine is defending itself against Russian aggression for the third year.
20:06
Russian soldiers in the village of New-York in the east of Ukraine shot a captured Ukrainian soldier, who had previously most likely been injured and was lying defenseless on the ground. The Ukrainian authorities are investigating the incident, which happened at the beginning of September, as a war crime, the office of the Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin announced today. “The murder of a prisoner of war is a gross violation of the Geneva Convention (on the treatment of prisoners of war) and constitutes a serious crime,” she wrote on the social network.
19:26
501 bodies of killed soldiers returned to Ukraine. This is probably the biggest exchange since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Most of the soldiers died in the fighting in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, especially near the town of Avdijivka, which the Russians captured in February this year, the AP agency reported, citing Ukrainian authorities. According to the media, 89 bodies of killed soldiers were returned to Russia. The authorities, together with forensic technicians, will now identify the bodies and then hand them over to their families.
18:23
Vladimir Putin claims that even before the outbreak of the war, the Ukrainian leadership talked about the fact that Ukraine should have nuclear weapons. Today he also declared that the “Ukrainian crisis” was caused by the West, which he also blamed for starting the war in 2014.
18:12
Germany will support Ukraine as long as it is needed. This was stated by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a statement before today’s meeting with US President Joe Biden. He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin had miscalculated in his war plans and promised that NATO would protect every inch of its members’ territory. Biden thanked Germany for its support for Ukraine and called on Berlin to continue its efforts to meet the NATO goal of investing at least two percent of gross domestic product (GDP) annually in defense. After their joint conversation, Biden and Scholz also held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
18:11
During the meeting with the ministers, Rutte also outlined the priorities of his mandate. “Strengthening deterrence and defense is the highest priority of this alliance, keeping a billion people safe is NATO’s most sacred duty,” the head of the alliance emphasized. He called increasing the capacity of the defense industry, the importance of secure supply chains and also the development of new technologies as essential for ensuring NATO security.
18:11
The NATO Secretary General said that work is continuing to establish a new command of the North Atlantic Alliance to coordinate security assistance and training for Ukraine. The new structure will be based in Germany and will employ around 700 people. NATO is also on track to fulfill its military aid commitment to Ukraine in the amount of 40 billion euros (a trillion CZK) this year. Rutte reiterated that Ukraine’s path to membership in the alliance is irreversible. “Ukraine will be a member of NATO, there is no doubt about that, and until that happens, we will make sure it has everything it needs to win,” he said.
18:10
According to new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, support for Ukraine is not charity, it is an investment in one’s own security. Rutte said this today at the end of the two-day meeting of the defense ministers of the North Atlantic Alliance, which he chaired for the first time as the new head of NATO. According to him, everyone in NATO knows that Ukraine will become a member of the alliance. He did not mention when that might happen.
16:37
Russia will not allow nuclear weapons to appear in Ukraine under any circumstances, Russian President Vladimir Putin said today. According to Reuters, he also admitted that it is not clear when Russia will win in Ukraine, but assured that it is ready to continue the fight until victory is achieved. The bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II, which Putin unleashed in February 2022 with his order to invade a neighboring country by Russian troops, continues today on its 968th day.
15:36
The Hungarian state-owned company MOL warns of the risk of fluctuations in the supply of fuel in the Czech Republic in connection with the end of the exemption that the Czech Republic has for the import of Russian oil products. The company announced that it is not certain that it will be possible to ensure sufficient supplies of products from non-Russian oil to the Czech Republic in the period after the end of the exception. The exemption expires on December 5.
MOL gas station in Hungary. | Photo: Reuters
15:34
Donald Trump harshly attacked Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing him of starting the war.
15:33
Ukraine’s entry into the North Atlantic Alliance will force Russia to stop the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with the Financial Times. “An invitation to join the alliance would greatly boost the morale of our soldiers and all the people of Ukraine,” the president said.
15:27
At least 208 civilians were killed in Ukraine in September due to fighting with Russia, and another 1,220 were injured, the highest number this year, the UN said.
13:10
NATO cannot confirm the presence of North Korean troops in Ukraine at this timesaid Alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte.
12:38
North Korea has decided to send 12,000 soldiers to join the war in Ukraine on the side of Russia. This was reported by the Yonhap agency, citing South Korean intelligence. According to the agencies, the transfer began on October 8, and the DPRK has already sent 1,500 troops to Russia. A security meeting was convened in South Korea with the participation of the president.
12:01
11:46
Ukrainian soldiers captured an Egyptian who is fighting on the side of Russia near the front line near the city of Kurachov. The interrogation revealed that he came to Russia to study IT at the university, but after he received a Russian passport, he was sent to the front. This is reported by the news website RBK Ukraine with reference to the spokesperson of the Ukrainian 79th Airborne Brigade.
11:46
News from Friday, October 18
11:45
Dear readers, we welcome you to the new online broadcast of events in Ukraine and Russia. Previous reports can be found in the attached online broadcast.
Zahraničí, Reuters, ČTK
Updated 1 hour ago
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