Russian defences fail as Ukrainian counteroffensive ‘breaks through in south’ – live

A Ukrainian courtroom ordered tycoon Ihor Kolomoisky to be held in custody for 2 months on suspicion of fraud and cash laundering on Saturday, a hanging transfer in opposition to one of many nation’s strongest businessmen.

The detention of Kolomoisky, who’s underneath U.S. sanctions and is a one-time supporter of President Volodymyr Zelensky whose election he backed in 2019, comes as Kyiv is attempting to sign progress throughout a wartime crackdown on corruption.

Defence attorneys mentioned Kolomoisky would attraction the ruling, questioning its legality, however that he wouldn’t submit bail of just about $14 million with a view to safe his launch, broadcaster Radio Liberty reported.

After a listening to at a district courtroom in Kyiv late on Saturday, Kolomoisky, one in every of Ukraine‘s richest males, was proven being led away in a blue tracksuit jacket in tv footage. He couldn’t be reached for remark.

The Safety Service of Ukraine introduced the case in opposition to Kolomoisky on Saturday morning, publishing images on Telegram Messenger exhibiting him being served paperwork by safety officers and signing them.

“It was established that in 2013-2020, Ihor Kolomoisky legalised greater than half a billion hryvnias ($14 million) by withdrawing them overseas and utilizing the infrastructure of banks underneath (his) management,” the company mentioned in a press release.

After the ruling, Zelensky appeared to allude obliquely to the case in his night tackle, thanking regulation enforcement businesses for exhibiting resolve in bringing long-running circumstances to justice.

“Definitely, there might be no extra decades-long ‘enterprise as normal’ for individuals who plundered Ukraine and put themselves above the regulation and any guidelines… The regulation should work,” he mentioned.

Drone strikes on Russian soil are solely set to extend as Ukraine brings Moscow’s invasion residence, a senior Kyiv official has mentioned.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned that it has elevated strikes on Russian-occupied areas and would additionally ramp up assaults inside Russia itself. Kyiv doesn’t usually straight declare assaults outdoors of Ukraine, with Mr Podolyak saying such strikes could be carried out by “brokers” or “partisans”.

“As for Russia … there may be an rising variety of assaults by unidentified drones launched from the territory of the Russian Federation, and the variety of these assaults will enhance,” Mr Podolyak advised Reuters. “That is the stage of the battle when hostilities are regularly being transferred to the territory of the Russian Federation.”

Chris Stevenson has extra:

Lengthy-range strikes by drone and missile and a raid on territory in occupied Crimea that took Russian forces without warning – all a part of Kyiv’s latest push in the direction of the peninsula that may be a image of Vladimir Putin‘s territorial ambitions.

Maybe most important of all is the seize of the important thing village of Robotyne, about three hours drive east of Crimea. Gaining that foothold will assist Ukraine construct a basis to punch by means of to the shoreline of the Sea of Azov.

Kyiv has been stepping up drone assaults on Crimea because it seems to interrupt key provide strains from the Russian-occupied peninsula, writes Askold Krushelnycky in Ukraine:

Russia has mentioned that Moscow’s RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), nicknamed “Devil II” – able to carrying ten or extra nuclear warheads – has been rolled out on “fight responsibility”.

The top of Russia’s house company Roscosmos mentioned that the missiles had entered energetic responsibility, the state-run information company RIA reported. In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned that Sarmat missiles could be deployed for fight responsibility “quickly”.

Previous to that, defence committee deputy chairman Aleksey Zhuravlyov had used it as a risk when he was interviewed by state broadcaster TV Russia 1 in Could relating to Sweden and Finland’s aspirations in the direction of becoming a member of Nato in gentle of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Finland joined the alliance earlier this 12 months, whereas Sweden remains to be ready to be ratified.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an indirect reference to authorized proceedings in opposition to a Ukrainian enterprise magnate, thanked regulation enforcement our bodies on Saturday for his or her resolve in bringing long-running circumstances to justice.

“I thank Ukrainian regulation enforcement officers for his or her resolve in bringing to a simply end result each one of many circumstances which were hindered for many years,” Zelensky mentioned in his nightly video tackle.

Clad in white shirts and carrying bouquets, kids throughout Russia flocked again to highschool Friday, the place the Kremlin‘s narratives concerning the battle in Ukraine and its confrontation with the West had been taking an much more outstanding spot than earlier than.

College students are anticipated every week to take heed to Russia’s nationwide anthem and watch the nation’s tricolor flag being raised. There’s a weekly topic loosely translated as “Conversations about Necessary Issues,” which was launched final 12 months with the objective of boosting patriotism.

A brand new highschool historical past textbook has a chapter on the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and the “particular navy operation” — the Kremlin’s euphemism for the battle, and a few fundamental navy coaching is included in a course on self-defense and first assist.

Dasha Litvinova has the complete story:

Serving as a key provide route for Kremlin forces throughout its battle in Ukraine, the bridge has been attacked repeatedly, Russian authorities declare. In October, an explosion involving a truck bomb purportedly killed three folks, with a subsequent assault in July killing a pair and significantly injuring their daughter. Part of the highway was additional left hanging in a precarious place.

A Ukrainian courtroom on Saturday ordered enterprise magnate Ihor Kolomoisky, accused of fraud and cash laundering, taken into custody for 2 months with the choice to submit bail of greater than 509 million hryvnias, equal to greater than $13 million.

Tons of of Bosnian Serbs waved flags of Serbia and Russia and banners of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday as they staged a protest in help of their separatist chief who seeks union with neighboring Serbia.

The protests had been held on the unmarked inner border in Bosnia that separates the nation into two entities — the Bosnian Serb Republika Srpska and the Bosniak-Croat federation — as known as for underneath the U.S.-mediated peace deal that ended the nation’s 1992-95 battle.

The Serb protesters chanted slogans in opposition to Bosnia being a single state. They briefly blocked visitors between the 2 entities, however there have been no main incidents reported.

The Nobel Basis on Saturday retracted its invitation for representatives of Russia, Belarus and Iran to attend this 12 months’s Nobel Prize award ceremonies after the controversial determination “provoked robust reactions”.

A number of Swedish lawmakers mentioned Friday they might boycott this 12 months’s Nobel Prize award ceremonies within the Swedish capital, Stockholm, after the personal basis that administers the celebrated awards modified its place from a 12 months earlier and invited representatives of the three international locations to attend.

A few of the lawmakers cited Russia’s battle on Ukraine and the crackdown on human rights in Iran as causes for his or her boycott.

The Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson advised media retailers Friday that he wouldn’t permit Russian representatives to attend the ceremony to attend Nobel award ceremonies this 12 months if given the selection.