russia - The African Mirror

Nov

2022

Russia abandons Ukrainian city of Kherson in major retreat

MARK TREVELYAN RUSSIAN Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered his troops to withdraw from the occupied Ukrainian city of Kherson and take up defensive lines on the opposite bank of the River Dnipro. The announcement marked one of Russia's most significant retreats and a potential turning point in the war, now nearing the end of its ninth month. In televised comments, General Sergei Surovikin, in overall command of the war, reported to Shoigu that it was no longer possible to keep Kherson city supplied. "Having comprehensively assessed the current situation, it is proposed to take up defence along the left (eastern)…

Nov

2022

By The African Mirror

From Russia with cash: Georgia booms as Russians flee Putin’s war

WORLD

JAKE CORDELL AS war chokes Europe, a small nation wedged beneath Russia is enjoying an unexpected economic boom. Georgia is on course to become one of the world's fastest-growing economies this year following a dramatic influx of more than 100,000 Russians since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin's mobilisation drive to drum up war recruits. As much of the globe teeters towards recession, this country of 3.7 million people bordering the Black Sea is expected to record a vigorous 10% growth in economic output for 2022 amid a consumption-led boom, according to international institutions. That would see the modest…

Nov

2022

By The African Mirror

Russia to ship food and fuel to Mali

NEWS

MALI expects Russia to send shipments of fuel, fertiliser and food worth around $100 million to Mali in the coming weeks, the West African country's economy minister, Alousseini Sanou, has said. Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the provision of such supplies with his Malian counterpart in August - a sign of deepening ties as Bamako's relationship soured with its long-time ally and former colonial ruler, France. Speaking on national television from Moscow, Sanou said Russia was going to send 60,000 tonnes of petroleum products, 30,000 tonnes of fertiliser and 25,000 tonnes of wheat. Mali's ruling military junta came to power in a…

Oct

2022

By The African Mirror

Zelenskiy calls on West to warn Russia not to blow up dam

WORLD

JONATHAN LANDAY UKRAINIAN President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on the West to warn Russia not to blow up a huge dam that would flood a swath of southern Ukraine, as his forces prepare to push Moscow's troops from Kherson in one of the war's most important battles. In a television address, Zelenskiy said Russian forces had planted explosives inside the huge Nova Kakhovka dam, which holds back an enormous reservoir that dominates much of southern Ukraine, and were planning to blow it up. "Now everyone in the world must act powerfully and quickly to prevent a new Russian terrorist attack. Destroying the…

Oct

2022

By The African Mirror

Russia hits Kyiv apartment block in drone attacks on Ukraine cities

WORLD

PAVEL POLITYUK RUSSIA attacked Ukrainian cities with drones, killing at least four people in an apartment building in downtown Kyiv during morning rush hour, and targeted infrastructure across the country in the second wave of air strikes in a week. Ukrainian soldiers fired into the air trying to shoot down the drones after blasts rocked central Kyiv. An anti-aircraft rocket could be seen streaking into the morning sky, followed by an explosion and orange flames, as residents raced for shelter. A pregnant woman was among four people killed in the attack on the residential building, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Ukraine's Interior…

Jul

2022

By The African Mirror

Africa mulls how to circumvent western sanctions as it chooses to cooperate with Russia

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

ABBEY MAKOE RUSSIAN lawmakers have met with African diplomats in a virtual conference to thrash out mutual ways to mitigate the food security challenges in the wake of the looming global supply shortages aggravated by the ongoing Ukraine conflict. The US and EU economic sanctions against Russia have targeted food and fertilizer exports in an effort to cripple the Russian economy. However, the Ukraine conflict has also restricted the capability of the Kyiv administration to export particularly grain. This has triggered fears at the UN level that the international community is on the brink of a hard-hitting hunger and famine,…

Jul

2022

By The African Mirror

Russia says it’s stepping up operations as more rockets hit Ukraine

WORLD

TOM BALMFORTH and MAX HUNDER RUSSIA has ordered its forces in Ukraine to step up operations, its defence ministry said, as rockets and missiles pounded the country in the latest of a series of bombardments that Kyiv says have killed dozens of people in recent days. In the latest strikes, missiles hit the northeastern town of Chuhuiv in Kharkiv region, killing three people including a 70-year-old woman and wounding three, regional governor Oleh Synehubov said. To the south, regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko said more than 50 Russian Grad rockets fell on the city of Nikopol, on the Dnipro River. Two…

Jul

2022

By The African Mirror

Ukraine and Russia: What you need to know right now

WORLD

UKRAINE said an agreement to resume grain exports blocked by Russia appeared close as Turkey hosted four-way talks, raising hopes of an end to a standoff that has exposed millions to the risk of starvation. Several Ukrainian cities meanwhile reported heavy Russian shelling. ECONOMY/DIPLOMACY * Delegations from Ukraine, Russia and Turkey met U.N. officials in Istanbul to discuss resuming exports of Ukraine grain from the Black Sea port of Odesa. Kyiv believed a deal was "two steps away", Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba was quoted as saying, though other participants seemed less optimistic and Turkey's defence ministry gave no details of…

Apr

2022

By The African Mirror

Russia warns of nuclear, hypersonic deployment if Sweden and Finland join NATO

WORLD

GUY FAULCONBRIDGE ONE of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest allies warned NATO that if Sweden and Finland joined the U.S.-led military alliance then Russia would deploy nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles in an exclave in the heart of Europe. Finland, which shares a 1,300-km (810-mile) border with Russia, and Sweden are considering joining the NATO alliance. Finland will decide in the next few weeks, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Wednesday. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said that should Sweden and Finland join NATO then Russia would have to strengthen its land, naval and air forces in…

Apr

2022

By The African Mirror

Kremlin says Russia’s operation in Ukraine could end ‘in foreseeable future’

WORLD

THE Kremlin said that what it calls Russia's "special operation" in Ukraine could end in the "foreseeable future" since its aims were being achieved and work was being carried out by both the Russian military and Russian peace negotiators. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also said Moscow understood that some countries that had tried to adopt a balanced position had been subjected to pressure to vote on Thursday to suspend Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council. The U.N. General Assembly on Thursday suspended Russia from the Council over reports of "gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights" in…