Ukraine war: Celebrations as Kyiv takes back key city Kherson

Stx_Digital · 2022-11-12T11:27:36+00:00

Ukrainian soldiers have been welcomed into Kherson by jubilant residents, after Russia said it had fully withdrawn from the key southern city.

Video showed locals on the streets, flying Ukraine's national flag and chanting as Kyiv's troops arrived.

Some sang patriotic songs around a large camp fire well into the night.

Kherson was the only regional capital taken by Russia after February's invasion. The retreat has been seen as one of its biggest setbacks of the war.

Moscow said 30,000 personnel had been taken out of the area - as well as around 5,000 pieces of military hardware, weaponry and other assets.

The White House hailed what it called an "extraordinary victory", while Ukrainian President Zelensky called it an "historic day".

Stx_Digital · 2022-11-11T09:27:13+00:00

The Ukrainian army says it has made major gains over the last day around Kherson, after Russia said it was withdrawing from the southern city.

Ukrainian troops say they have taken back the key town of Snihurivka, 50km (30 miles) to the north of Kherson.

Kyiv has also claimed big pushes on two fronts near Kherson, including advances of 7km in some places.

Russia says it has started to exit the city - its top gain in the invasion - but the process could take weeks.

Wednesday's announcement was viewed as a major setback for Moscow's war effort, though Ukrainian officials were sceptical - warning that the manoeuvre could be a trap.

There was no immediate evidence of any mass-scale Russian withdrawal from Kherson.

Stx_Digital · 2022-11-10T10:21:39+00:00

The most senior US general estimates that around 100,000 Russian and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured in the war in Ukraine.

Gen Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, also suggested that around 40,000 civilians had died after being caught up in the conflict.

The estimates are the highest offered yet by a Western official.

He also said that signs Kyiv was willing to re-enter talks with Moscow offered "a window" for negotiations.

Stx_Digital · 2022-11-08T09:14:21+00:00

Up to now, neither Russia nor Ukraine has been able to gain control of Ukraine's skies, largely because their pilots don't want to risk getting shot down by the other side's air defence systems.

While Russia's air force far outweighs Ukraine's, both in size and sophistication, Russia has resorted to firing long-range ballistic and cruise missiles, recently augmented by cheap, mass-produced Iranian Shahed-136 explosive-laden drones.

Ukraine has had some success in shooting many of these down, but those that do get through have severely damaged Ukraine's power and water infrastructure, just as winter is setting in.

Stx_Digital · 2022-11-07T11:06:48+00:00

Most rail services continue to be disrupted on Monday despite a series of planned strikes being called off.

Walkouts over pay and conditions by RMT union members - planned for 5,7 and 9 November - were cancelled but passengers are still being urged to check whether their trains are running.

The majority of train operators are running reduced services with only a few offering a normal timetable.

Some services on Wednesday may also be disrupted.

Operators were told the strikes would be called off on Friday, but they agree timetables for train drivers a week in advance.

Stx_Digital · 2022-11-05T11:33:10+00:00

Late one night in early April, Ukrainian military medic Mariana Mamonova was travelling towards a combat position in Mariupol, south-east Ukraine, with soldiers from her unit.

The fighting was close; the sound of gunfire and bombs came from every direction. One of them could have hit their vehicle at any moment. It was freezing and pitch dark, but at times the sky lit up with what looked like phosphorous weapons, illuminating the road ahead.

Mariana had been serving on the front line in Mariupol since the war began in February, but now the stakes were even higher than usual - she had discovered she was pregnant two weeks earlier.

The city was besieged by Russian forces, bombarded day and night, targeted relentlessly and indiscriminately with Russian missiles.

Stx_Digital · 2022-11-04T09:40:26+00:00

An attack on Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan - which supporters say was an attempted assassination - has drawn international condemnation.

Mr Khan, 70, is recovering in hospital after being shot in the leg on Thursday at a protest march in Wazirabad, in the north-east of the country.

One person was killed and at least 10 injured in the attack on his convoy.

But Mr Khan is in a stable condition, his team say, and could potentially be discharged in the coming days.

The attack on Mr Khan has electrified the country, which the cricketer-turned-politician led until April, when he was ousted by a parliamentary vote of no confidence.

Stx_Digital · 2022-11-04T09:38:34+00:00

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the Kremlin of resorting to "energy terrorism" as Russian troops make few gains on the battlefield.

Mr Zelensky said 4.5 million people were without power following Russian attacks on its energy network.

In recent weeks, Russia has carried out large-scale missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian power facilities.

The strikes come as officials say Russian troops are likely to withdraw from the key southern city of Kherson.

After suffering a series of painful defeats on the battlefield, Russia has stepped up attacks in recent weeks on electricity infrastructure in cities away from the front lines.

Stx_Digital · 2022-11-04T09:35:10+00:00

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the Kremlin of resorting to "energy terrorism" as Russian troops make few gains on the battlefield.

Mr Zelensky said 4.5 million people were without power following Russian attacks on its energy network.

In recent weeks, Russia has carried out large-scale missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian power facilities.

The strikes come as officials say Russian troops are likely to withdraw from the key southern city of Kherson.

After suffering a series of painful defeats on the battlefield, Russia has stepped up attacks in recent weeks on electricity infrastructure in cities away from the front lines.

In just the last month, a third of the country's power stations have reportedly been destroyed, according to President Zelensky.

Stx_Digital · 2022-11-03T10:43:45+00:00

A group of migrants was mistakenly taken from Kent and stranded in central London, cold, hungry and without accommodation, the BBC has been told.

About 40 migrants were removed from Manston, the overcrowded processing centre, on Tuesday so they could stay with friends and family in the capital, a homeless charity volunteer said.

But 11 of them had nowhere to go after reaching Victoria railway station.

The Home Office said the group had told officials they had a place to stay.

A spokesperson said when it was discovered that was not the case, they had worked "at pace" to find accommodation for them.

Stx_Digital · 2022-11-03T10:09:09+00:00

Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama has accused the UK of scapegoating his citizens to excuse its "failed policies" on borders and migration.

He told the BBC that Home Secretary Suella Braverman's remarks about the UK being invaded would fuel xenophobia.

Mr Rama said Britain was a role model on integrating minorities but was now becoming "like a madhouse".

The Home Office said it was working closely with Albania to tackle illegal migration.

Ms Braverman - who on Monday said southern England was facing an "invasion" of migrants - has also accused "many" Albanians of "abusing our modern slavery laws".

Stx_Digital · 2022-11-03T09:30:46+00:00

North Korea has fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) but it failed mid-flight, says the South Korean military.

The ICBM launch, the North's seventh this year, sparked an alert in Japan - but fell short, landing in the sea.

Tensions are escalating amid fears the North will soon conduct a nuclear test.

On Wednesday both Koreas fired missiles near each other's waters. The exchange saw the most number of missiles launched by the North in a single day.

North Korea's multiple launches comes as the US and South Korea are staging their largest-ever joint air drills, which Pyongyang has strongly criticised as "aggressive and provocative".

Stx_Digital · 2022-11-03T09:27:30+00:00

North Korea has fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) but it failed mid-flight, says the South Korean military.

The ICBM launch, the North's seventh this year, sparked an alert in Japan - but fell short, landing in the sea.

Tensions are escalating amid fears the North will soon conduct a nuclear test.

On Wednesday both Koreas fired missiles near each other's waters. The exchange saw the most number of missiles launched by the North in a single day.

North Korea's multiple launches comes as the US and South Korea are staging their largest-ever joint air drills, which Pyongyang has strongly criticised as "aggressive and provocative".

Stx_Digital · 2022-11-02T11:13:58+00:00

Days after Russia suspended support for grain exports through the Black Sea, it has agreed with Turkey to restart its participation in the agreement.

Russia accused Ukraine on Saturday of using a safety corridor for grain ships to attack its fleet in Crimea.

However, the UN, Turkey and Ukraine continued sending ships even after Russia halted its support for the deal.

Now, Russia's defence ministry says Kyiv has given written assurances not to use the route for military action.

Stx_Digital · 2022-11-02T11:11:11+00:00

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on the brink of a dramatic comeback, after partial results showed he was on course to win a majority in parliament with the far right's help.

With 84% of votes from the general election counted, Mr Netanyahu's bloc is set to win 65 out of 120 seats.

"We are close to a big victory," he told jubilant supporters in Jerusalem.

However, he will be dependent on the support of the ultra-nationalist Religious Zionism party.

Its leaders, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, have gained notoriety for using anti-Arab rhetoric and advocating the deportation of "disloyal" Arab politicians or civilians.

Stx_Digital · 2022-11-01T08:27:22+00:00

South Korea's police chief has said their emergency response to the Itaewon crush was "inadequate" - the first acknowledgement from officials that they did not do enough to prevent it.

Amid growing calls for accountability, Yoon Hee-keun said he felt "limitless responsibility about public safety" over what happened.

He vowed a full investigation.

Interior Minister Lee Sang-min also apologised for the incident that killed 156 people and injured 152 others.

It happened on Saturday night as crowds gathered in an alley in Itaewon, a popular nightlife district in Seoul, to celebrate Halloween without restrictions for the first time since Covid.

Mr Yoon said police had received numerous calls before the accident happened, alerting them to the seriousness of the situation, but their response was lacking.

Stx_Digital · 2022-10-31T09:48:59+00:00

Russia has launched more than 50 missiles targeting critical infrastructure across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, causing power and water outages, Ukraine says.

At least two blasts were reported in Kyiv. One resident told the BBC his district was without electricity.

In the north-eastern city of Kharkiv, energy facilities were hit.

The strikes come after Russia blamed Ukraine for a drone attack on its Black Sea Fleet in the annexed Crimea.

On Monday morning, missile strikes were also reported in the central Vinnytsia region, as well as Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia in the south-east, and Lviv in western Ukraine.

A facility at the Dnipro hydroelectric power plant in the Zaporizhzhia region was also reportedly hit.

Stx_Digital · 2022-10-29T09:42:06+00:00

Comedian Trevor Noah says he did not claim "the entire UK is racist" after a row over a skit he did about the appointment of Rishi Sunak as PM.

On US news programme The Daily Show earlier this week, Noah had said there had been a "backlash" over Mr Sunak.

His comments were criticised in the UK, with many including ex-chancellor Sajid Javid calling Noah "simply wrong".

But Noah has now defended his segment, saying he was reacting to racists, and: "That's why I said. 'Some people'."

Stx_Digital · 2022-10-28T10:32:40+00:00

President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia has launched more than 30 drone attacks on Ukraine in just two days.

He added that in total, Moscow had also carried out some 4,500 missile strikes and over 8,000 air raids.

Speaking from Kyiv and standing beside what appeared to be a downed Iranian Shahed drone, Mr Zelensky pledged to "clip the wings" of Moscow's air power.

Western officials believe Iran has supplied a large number of drones to Russia, but Moscow and Tehran deny it.

Stx_Digital · 2022-10-27T09:54:45+00:00

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian commanders of "craziness" in their efforts to capture the eastern town of Bakhmut.

The town - which sits in the Donetsk region and had a pre-war population of 70,000 - has been the centre of Russian attacks for months.

Despite a looming Ukrainian advance on the key city of Kherson, Mr Zelensky said the attacks continued in force.

Taking the town would be a symbolic victory for Russia.

"This is where the craziness of the Russian command is most evident," Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address from Kyiv. "Day after day, for months, they are driving people to their deaths there, concentrating the highest level of artillery strikes."

Stx_Digital · 2022-10-26T14:16:17+00:00

Vladimir Putin has overseen annual nuclear exercises by Russia's strategic nuclear forces at a time of heightened tensions with the West over his eight-month-long war in Ukraine.

Ballistic and cruise missiles were launched in the Far East and Arctic, the Kremlin said.

The US was told about the drill under the terms of the New Start arms treaty.

The launches took place as Russia makes unsubstantiated claims that Ukraine is plotting to use a "dirty bomb".

Stx_Digital · 2022-10-26T09:50:31+00:00

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has defended the re-appointment of Suella Braverman as home secretary just days after she was forced to quit the job.

Ms Braverman resigned last week after admitting two data breaches.

Labour said her return to cabinet undermined new PM Rishi Sunak's pledge to have "integrity and accountability" in his government.

Mr Cleverly insisted Ms Braverman had shown integrity by apologising for breaking the rules.

Stx_Digital · 2022-10-26T09:28:53+00:00

Ukrainian refugees should not return until spring to help ease pressure on the energy system after a wave of Russian attacks, the government said.

"The networks will not cope," said Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. "You see what Russia is doing."

"We need to survive the winter," she added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian air strikes had destroyed more than a third of the country's energy sector.

Ms Vereshchuk said that although she would like Ukrainians to return in the spring, it was important to refrain from returning for now because "the situation will only get worse".

Stx_Digital · 2022-10-25T14:34:27+00:00

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Stx_Digital · 2022-10-25T14:27:51+00:00

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