Russia-Ukraine struggle information: Kyiv makes new push in southern battlefield Lalrp

Swedish officers accused the Kremlin of backing a disinformation marketing campaign to discredit Stockholm — which is ready to hitch NATO quickly — within the eyes of Muslims. Copies of the Quran have been burned at demonstrations within the nation, triggering outrage amongst Muslims, together with in Turkey, a NATO member nation that was gradual to conform to Sweden’s accession to the transatlantic alliance. The Russian Embassy in Stockholm didn’t instantly return a request for remark early Thursday.

Right here’s the most recent on the struggle and its ripple results throughout the globe.

Ukraine’s navy made advances south of the city of Orikhiv within the nation’s southern Zaporizhzhia area, The Washington Put up reported, citing Ukrainian officers who spoke on the situation of anonymity to debate delicate navy issues. Kyiv is “progressively advancing” within the course of the southern cities of Melitopol and Berdyansk, Ukrainian Deputy Protection Minister Hanna Maliar mentioned, with out providing additional particulars.

Ukraine’s counteroffensive just isn’t a stalemate, however it’s not progressing as shortly as hoped, Nationwide Safety Council spokesman John Kirby informed reporters on Wednesday. The Ukrainians are “not simply frozen. The Ukrainians are shifting,” Kirby mentioned.

Russian-backed actors are “amplifying incorrect statements similar to that the Swedish state is behind the desecration of holy scriptures,” Swedish Civil Protection Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin mentioned, according to Reuters. The disinformation marketing campaign is aimed toward hurting Swedish pursuits and residents, he informed reporters. Sweden has insisted that it doesn’t help burning the holy e book, but it surely can’t block such acts throughout protests due to free-speech legal guidelines.

The White Home is exploring “much less environment friendly” land routes to export grain from Ukraine, after Russia withdrew from the Black Sea grain deal final week. The US expects Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports to final “for a while,” Kirby informed reporters, including that truck or rail options weren’t as environment friendly. Washington is in talks with European and Ukrainian companions to search out overland routes, Kirby mentioned.

The aim of Ukraine’s newest navy push is to achieve the Sea of Azov. Efficiently attaining that might enable Ukraine to sever Russia’s land bridge to Crimea, a strategic strip of territory that was annexed by Russia and a key conduit for shifting Russian forces and gear into Ukraine.

Air alarms sounded in Ukrainian cities early Thursday, however there have been no quick reviews of casualties. Moscow fired cruise missiles throughout Ukraine the earlier night, according to the Ukrainian air force, which mentioned it shot down 36 of 39 missiles launched. There “had been just a few hits, and a few missile fragments fell,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned in his nightly address.

Moscow and Kyiv acknowledged intense combating across the city of Robotyne. Russia’s Protection Ministry mentioned an assault on the Russian-held space in Ukraine was repelled. It added that its troops had destroyed 20 Ukrainian tanks and 10 armored personnel carriers, and killed 100 Ukrainian troopers. The Russian pro-war navy weblog Zapisky Veterana reported extra modest Ukrainian losses. A Ukrainian official mentioned the nation’s forces had suffered some casualties however denied Russian artillery had pushed them to retreat.

Russia has partially destroyed 5 civilian vessels and 26 items of port infrastructure since withdrawing from the Black Sea grain deal, a senior Ukrainian official said. Russia can also be proscribing delivery close to Crimea and the territorial waters of Bulgaria, the official mentioned.

The US will cooperate with the Worldwide Legal Court docket’s investigation into struggle crimes in Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned Thursday in New Zealand. Washington — which isn’t social gathering to the Rome statute that arrange the ICC — has lengthy saved the tribunal at arm’s size. “We’ve made clear that there must be accountability for individuals who have dedicated struggle crimes in Ukraine,” Blinken informed reporters. “We help the ICC’s investigation. We’ll be cooperating with that investigation.” The Pentagon has been hesitant about such cooperation, fearing that it would set a precedent that exposes U.S. personnel to investigations for actions elsewhere.

Russian Protection Minister Sergei Shoigu handed a letter from President Vladimir Putin to North Korean chief Kim Jong Un, North Korean state media reported. Shoigu is on a go to to Pyongyang, which is marking the seventieth anniversary of the armistice of the Korean Conflict. Protection Minister Kang Solar Nam mentioned Pyongyang totally helps the “simply wrestle of the Russian military and other people,” in accordance with North Korean state media.

Putin courts Africa at summit, however many African leaders keep away: Russian President Vladimir Putin will host leaders from Africa in St. Petersburg on Thursday, in a gathering designed to painting Moscow as a terrific energy with many world buddies, report Robyn Dixon and Katharine Houreld. However solely 16 heads of state will attend, fewer than the 43 that got here to the primary Russia-Africa summit in 2019, in an indication of the area’s dismay a couple of struggle that has raised meals and gasoline costs, hurting susceptible populations.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed the West for the diminished quantity, claiming there had been “brazen interference” from the USA, France and others.

Michael Birnbaum in Wellington, New Zealand, contributed to this report.