Cruise missiles fired by Russian strategic bombers struck a
southeastern Ukrainian city late Friday, killing at least three people and
wounding 15, as air raid sirens went off across the country, officials said.
The attack on Dnipro came a day after a Russian missile
strike killed at least 23 people and wounded more than 200 in Vinnytsia, a city
southwest of Kyiv, the capital.
Russia’s military campaign has been focusing on the Donbas
in Ukraine’s east, but Russian forces also have been pounding other parts of
the country in a relentless push to wrest territory from Ukraine and soften the
morale of its leaders, civilians and troops as the war nears the five-month
mark.
Ukraine’s air force said several Kh-101 cruise missiles
fired from Tu-95MS strategic bombers over the Caspian Sea hit a factory about
10 p.m. in Dnipro, a major city on the Dnieper River. Four incoming missiles
were intercepted, it said. Videos posted on social media showed fiery
explosions and towering plumes of dark smoke.
The regional governor, Valentyn Reznichenko, said the
missiles hit the factory and nearby streets, killing at least three people and
wounding 15.
One of the dead was a bus driver who had just finished work
and was returning to the depot when a missile struck, said Ivan Vasyuchkov, a
member of the city council. The emergency service said two vehicles were burned
up and 10 others were damaged. The missile strikes also set the factory on fire
and blew out windows in nearby apartment buildings.
Airstrikes also were reported in Kremenchuk, another city
along the Dnieper River south of Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged everyone to
heed air raid sirens and seek cover.
“The occupiers are realizing that we are gradually becoming
stronger and the purpose of their terror is very simple — to put press on us,
to put pressure on our society, to intimidate people, to cause maximum harm to
Ukrainian cities, at least while the Russian terrorists are still capable of
doing it,” he said in his nightly video address to the nation.
The attack on Vinnytsia by cruise missiles launched from a
Russian submarine was the latest to fan international outrage since Russian
President Vladimir Putin began the invasion on Feb. 24. The dead included three
children: a 4-year-old girl, and two boys, 7 and 8.
“She was reaching for her daughter, and Liza was
already dead,” the mother’s aunt, Tetiana Dmytrysyna, told The Associated Press
on Friday. “The mother was robbed of the most precious thing she had.”
A video of Liza playing earlier in the day and a photo of
her lifeless body have gone viral worldwide.
Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said Friday that Russian forces
had conducted more than 17,000 strikes on civilian targets during the war,
killing thousands of fighters and civilians and driving millions from their
homes. The invasion has also rippled through the world economy by hiking prices
and crimping exports of key Ukrainian and Russian products such as grain, fuel
and fertilizer.
As the fighting raged, Russia noted progress in talks on a
possible deal to allow Ukraine to use the Black Sea to export millions of tons
of grain that could help feed a world facing shortages and higher food prices.
Alluding to talks in Istanbul this week among Russia,
Turkey, Ukraine and the United Nations, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lt.
Gen. Igor Konashenkov said a final document had been prepared and that other
participants had “largely supported” Russian proposals to help ease grain
shipments through Ukrainian ports.
He said work on the “Black Sea initiative” was to be
completed shortly to allow shipments of food “while excluding the use of those
logistical chains for the deliveries of weapons and military equipment” to
Ukraine. He also said the plan seeks to “prevent any provocations.”
About 22 million tons of grain have been stuck in Ukraine
because of the war.
It was the most extensive Russian comment yet on the grain
talks, which mostly involved military officials. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres said Russia and Ukraine had taken “a critical step” toward ensuring
exports of the desperately needed grain.
After Thursday’s strike on Vinnytsia, nearly 200 people
sought medical attention and 80 remain hospitalized, the emergency service
said. Zelenskyy said four people were still missing. Search teams were poring
over two sites Friday — an office building with a medical center and a concert
hall near an outdoor recreation area where mothers with children often stroll.
“Russia deliberately hit civilians and all those responsible
for the crime must be brought to account,” said Vinnytsia Gov. Serhiy Borzov,
denouncing the “barbaric behavior by Russia that tramples on international
humanitarian law.”
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, a deputy head of the Ukrainian
president’s office, said three missiles were used.
“There is no answer to the question why yesterday, and why
in Vinnytsia,” Tymoshenko said. “We expect every second and minute that this
could happen in any corner of Ukraine.”
After initial silence about the missile strikes on
Vinnytsia, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Friday that its forces had struck an
officers’ club — the Soviet-era use of the concert hall.
Konashenkov, the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, said
the Kalibr cruise missiles landed as the “military facility hosted a meeting
between Ukrainian air force command and representatives of foreign weapons
suppliers.” He said attendees were discussing prospective supplies of warplanes
and weapons.
“Participants of the meeting were eliminated in the strike,”
Konashenkov said.
His claim couldn’t be independently verified. Ukrainian
authorities have insisted the site had nothing to do with the military.
A Ukrainian singer reported that she had been scheduled to
perform in the concert hall Sunday and that her sound engineer was killed in
the missile strike. The singer, Roxolana, said on social media that another
member of her crew was seriously injured.
In the Donetsk region, the governor reported that eight
civilians were killed and 13 wounded Friday when several cities came under
Russian shelling. The Donetsk region and the neighboring Luhansk region — now
nearly totally controlled by Russian forces — make up the broader Donbas.
“The situation in the Donetsk region is exacerbating every
day, and civilians must leave because the Russian army is using scorched-earth
tactics,” Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said. It appeared that the cities of
Kramatorsk and Sloviansk were next in line for attacks by Russian forces.
Elsewhere, authorities in Mykolayiv said at least 10
explosions occurred in the southern city early Friday, accusing Russia of
hitting universities. Mykolayiv Gov. Vitaliy Kim posted a video of smoke rising
over the strikes.
The Russian news agency Tass, citing Russian-backed
separatists, reported Friday that two civilians were killed and six injured
after they said Ukrainian forces shelled a bus terminal in the city of Donetsk
a day earlier.
Also, a British aid worker detained by the Donetsk
separatists has died in captivity, a separatist official and a U.K. charity
involved with his case said Friday.
Punitive political actions over the war continued, with
Russian state news media reporting Friday that the Kremlin had barred 384
members of Japan’s parliament from entering Russia, citing retaliation for
Japan’s sanctions against Russian parliament members.
– AP/UNB
Russia Ukraine Southern Ukrainian city Missile Attack
Comment
American and British forces carried out a fresh wave of strikes Saturday against 18 Huthi targets in Yemen, following weeks of unrelenting attacks on Red Sea shipping by the Iran-backed rebels.
The strikes "specifically targeted 18 Huthi targets across eight locations in Yemen" including weapons storage facilities, attack drones, air defense systems, radars, and a helicopter, a joint statement said.
It was co-signed by Australia, Bahrain, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand, who gave unspecified "support" to the new round of strikes, the second this month and fourth since the rebels began their attacks on ships in the region.
"The Huthis' now more than 45 attacks on commercial and naval vessels since mid-November constitute a threat to the global economy, as well as regional security and stability, and demand an international response," the statement said.
Huthi-run Al-Masirah television reported "a series of raids on the capital Sanaa," while AFP correspondents in the rebel-controlled city in western Yemen said they heard several loud bangs.
"The United States will not hesitate to take action, as needed, to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways," Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said in a separate statement after the strikes.
"We will continue to make clear to the Huthis that they will bear the consequences if they do not stop their illegal attacks, which harm Middle Eastern economies, cause environmental damage, and disrupt the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen and other countries."
Huthi military spokesman Yahya Saree was defiant, vowing in a social media statement that the rebels would "confront the American-British escalation with more qualitative military operations against all hostile targets in the Red and Arab Seas."
The UK Ministry of Defence said four Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s targeted "several very long-range drones, used by the Houthis for both reconnaissance and attack missions," on Saturday, at a site north-east of Sanaa.
Saturday's operation comes after several merchant vessels were struck this week in the region, including the fertilizer-filled Rubymar, whose crew had to abandon ship after it was hit Sunday and began taking on water.
Apart from the joint operations with Britain, the United States has also carried out unilateral strikes against Huthi positions and weaponry in Yemen, and downed dozens of missiles and drones in the Red Sea.
- Anti-ship missile downed -
Earlier on Saturday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that an American Navy ship had shot down an anti-ship ballistic missile "launched into the Gulf of Aden from Iranian-backed Huthi controlled areas of Yemen."
The missile "was likely targeting MV Torm Thor, a US-Flagged, owned, and operated chemical/oil tanker," CENTCOM said on X, formerly Twitter.
US forces on Friday also shot down three attack drones near commercial ships in the Red Sea and destroyed seven anti-ship cruise missiles on land, CENTCOM said.
The Huthis say they are targeting Israel-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war.
Following previous US and UK strikes, the Huthis declared American and British interests to be legitimate targets as well.
The Huthis will "persist in upholding their religious, moral and humanitarian duties towards the Palestinian people, and their military operations will not stop unless the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted," military spokesman Saree said.
Anger over Israel's devastating campaign in Gaza -- which began after an unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7 -- has grown across the Middle East, stoking violence involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Comment
Israel launched air strikes Thursday on southern Gaza's Rafah after threatening to send troops into the city, where around 1.4 million Palestinians have sought shelter from around the territory.
Global powers trying to navigate a way to end the Israel-Hamas war have so far come up short, but a US envoy was expected in Israel on Thursday to try to secure a truce deal.
International concern has spiralled over the high civilian death toll and dire humanitarian crisis in the war sparked by Hamas's October 7 attack against Israel.
More than four months of relentless fighting and air strikes have flattened much of the Hamas-run coastal territory, pushing its population of around 2.4 million to the brink of famine, according to the UN.
International concern has in recent weeks centred on Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, where more than 1.4 million people forced to flee their homes elsewhere in the territory are now living in crowded shelters and makeshift tents.
The last city untouched by Israeli ground troops, Rafah also serves as the main entry point via neighbouring Egypt for desperately needed relief supplies.
Israel has warned it will expand its ground operations into Rafah if Hamas does not free the remaining hostages held in Gaza by next month's start of the Muslim holy month Ramadan.
- 'My daughter' -
The war started when Hamas launched its attack on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
Hamas militants also took about 250 hostages -- 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including 30 presumed dead, according to Israel.
Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 29,313 people, mostly women and children, according to the latest count by the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory.
War cabinet member Benny Gantz said Israel's operation in Rafah would begin "after the evacuation of the population", although his government has not offered any details on where civilians would be evacuated to.
In the early hours of Thursday, AFP reporters heard multiple air strikes on Rafah, particularly in the Al-Shaboura neighbourhood.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said early Thursday that 99 people had been killed around Gaza during the night, most of them women, children and elderly people.
Abdel Rahman Mohamed Jumaa said he lost his family in recent strikes on Rafah.
"I found my wife lying in the street," he told AFP. "Then I saw a man carrying a girl and I ran towards him and.... picked her up, realising she was really my daughter."
He was holding a small shrouded corpse in his arms.
- 'Possibility of progress' -
Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, was expected to arrive in Israel Thursday -- his second stop in the region after Egypt as part of US efforts to advance a hostage deal and broker a truce.
Hamas's chief Ismail Haniyeh was in Cairo for talks as well, according to the group.
Israel's Gantz said there were efforts to "promote a new plan for the return of the hostages".
"We are seeing the first signs that indicate the possibility of progress in this direction."
Matthew Miller, US State Department spokesman, said Washington was hoping for an "agreement that secures a temporary ceasefire where we can get the hostages out and get humanitarian assistance", but declined to give details on ongoing negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted the army will keep fighting until it has destroyed Hamas and freed the remaining hostages.
Israel's parliament on Wednesday overwhelmingly backed a proposal by Netanyahu to oppose any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.
The vote came days after the Washington Post reported that US President Joe Biden's administration and a small group of Arab nations were working out a comprehensive plan for long-term peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
It included a firm timeline for the establishment of a Palestinian state, the report said.
Separately, a report by an Israeli group that fights sexual violence said Hamas's October 7 attack also involved systematic sexual assaults on civilians, based on witness testimonies, public and classified information, and interviews.
The report came the same week UN rights experts called for an independent probe into alleged Israeli abuses against Palestinian women and girls -- which Israel rejected as "despicable and unfounded claims".
Israeli officials have repeatedly alleged the militants committed violent sexual assaults during the attack -- something Hamas has denied.
- 'Waiting for death' -
Combat and chaos have stalled sporadic aid deliveries for civilians in Gaza, while in Khan Yunis -- a city just north of Rafah -- medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said an Israeli tank had fired on a house sheltering their employees and families.
Two relatives of MSF staff were killed and six others injured, it said, condemning the strike in the "strongest possible terms".
When contacted by AFP about the incident, the Israeli army said its forces had "fired at a building that was identified as a building where terror activity is occurring", adding that it "regrets" harm to civilians.
In the same town, the Palestinian Red Crescent said another hospital was also hit by "artillery shelling".
Israel has repeatedly said Hamas militants use civilian infrastructure including hospitals as operational bases -- claims that Hamas has denied.
Comment
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today stressed the need for expanding business between Bangladesh and India using their own currencies.
"We can do our business through exchanges of Bangladeshi Taka and Indian Rupee. It has already started, but we have to expand it further so that we can increase our businesses," she said while Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar paid a call on the Prime Minister.
The meeting was held at Hotel Bayerischer Hof, the conference venue, here on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2024, this morning.
Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud briefed newsmen about the outcome of the meeting upon its completion.
The Foreign Minister said the Bangladesh Premier and Jaishankar attached importance to doing business between the two friendly countries through their own currencies to reduce dependency on other currencies like the US dollar.
He said Bangladesh and India have excellent bilateral relations and it has elevated to another height under the leadership of the prime ministers of the two countries.
"The relations between the countries are getting stronger day by day," he said, adding that the two leaders discussed the issues during the meeting.
Quoting Jaishankar, Hasan said, "Our relations will further be closer in the days ahead."
Bangladesh Ambassador to Germany Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan and PM's Deputy Press Secretary Md. Noorelahi Mina were present during the briefing.
Bangladesh Prime Minister arrived in Munich on February 15 evening on a three-day official visit to join the Munich Security Conference 2024.
Upon completion of the tour, Sheikh Hasina will leave Munich tomorrow night and is scheduled to reach Dhaka on February 19.
(BSS)
Comment
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called upon all concerned to find ways to stop Russia-Ukraine war while holding a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy here.
"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina always says we are against all kinds of war. Today, she discussed time and again about how the war can be stopped while holding talks with Zelenskyy," said Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud at a news briefing after the meeting.
The meeting between the two leaders was held at Hotel Bayerischer Hof here on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2024, this morning.
Hasan also said that they also discussed how the attacks on innocent men and women in Gaza can be stopped.
The Premier reminded all that war can't bring wellbeing for any one.
"Others can be benefitted from the war. But the war cannot bring welfare for the countries involved in war and their people have to be affected by the war," said Sheikh Hasina.
In this connection, the Prime Minister recollected her memories about the sufferings of the countrymen and she herself faced during the Great War of Liberation in 1971.
She recalled her inhuman sufferings and the birth of her only son Sajeeb Wazed Joy under the captivity of the Pakistani occupation forces during the War.
"Bangladesh's foreign policy - 'Friendship to all, malice to none’ - prominently came up in the discussion between Prime Minister and Zelenskyy," the foreign minister said.
Replying to a query, Hasan said the friendly relations between Bangladesh and Russia which got foundation during the Liberation war , will not hamper at all.
"Our relationship with Russia is very wonderful. Russia stood beside us during the Liberation War and played a pivotal role in rebuilding Bangladesh after the war," he said.
He said they only discussed how to stop the war.
Bangladesh Ambassador to Germany Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan and PM's Deputy Press Secretary Md. Noorelahi Mina were present during the briefing.
Bangladesh Prime Minister arrived in Munich on February 15 evening on a three-day official visit to join the Munich Security Conference 2024.
Upon completion of the tour, Sheikh Hasina will leave Munich tomorrow night and is scheduled to reach Dhaka on February 19.
(BSS)
Comment
Comment
American and British forces carried out a fresh wave of strikes Saturday against 18 Huthi targets in Yemen, following weeks of unrelenting attacks on Red Sea shipping by the Iran-backed rebels. The strikes "specifically targeted 18 Huthi targets across eight locations in Yemen" including weapons storage facilities, attack drones, air defense systems, radars, and a helicopter, a joint statement said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today stressed the need for expanding business between Bangladesh and India using their own currencies. "We can do our business through exchanges of Bangladeshi Taka and Indian Rupee. It has already started, but we have to expand it further so that we can increase our businesses," she said while Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar paid a call on the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called upon all concerned to find ways to stop Russia-Ukraine war while holding a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy here. "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina always says we are against all kinds of war. Today, she discussed time and again about how the war can be stopped while holding talks with Zelenskyy," said Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud at a news briefing after the meeting.