WARS
Saturday, 20 May 2023 04:20
All we know after Day 35 of battles of Sudan military factions
'Where is the state?': Mass looting engulfs Sudanese capital Mass looting by armed men and civilians is making life an even greater misery for Khartoum residents trapped by fierce fighting between Sudan's army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), witnesses said. While the RSF dominates the capital on the ground and the army conducts frequent airstrikes, the witnesses said police had simply vanished from the streets when the fighting started in Khartoum on April 15. "Nobody protects us. No police. No state. The criminals are attacking our houses and taking everything we own," said Sarah Abdelazim, 35, a government employee.…
Friday, 19 May 2023 05:00
What to know after Day 449 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Russian forces in retreat near Bakhmut, Ukraine and Wagner say The Ukrainian military and Russia's Wagner private army both reported further Russian retreats around the city of Bakhmut on Thursday, as Kyiv pressed on with its biggest advance for six months ahead of a planned counteroffensive. Ukrainian troops near the front line said Russia was bombarding access roads to slow the Ukrainian assault, which has shifted momentum after months of slow Russian gains in Europe's deadliest ground combat since World War Two. "Now, for the most part, as we have started to advance, they are shelling all the…
Friday, 19 May 2023 04:59
All we know after Day 34 of battles of Sudan military factions
Witnesses recount gunmen's raid on church in Sudan's capital Over four terrifying hours last weekend, masked gunmen affiliated to one of Sudan's warring factions raided one of Khartoum's oldest churches, opening fire at church officials as they searched for cash, gold and women, two witnesses said. The raid was one of many targeting homes, factories, banks and places of worship that residents have often blamed on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been battling the army across greater Khartoum over the past month. RSF fighters have spread out through many residential areas as the army has targeted them…
Thursday, 18 May 2023 04:11
What to know after Day 448 of Russia-Ukraine war
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Russia fields new artillery system Russia’s first-ever wheeled self-propelled howitzer, the 2S43 Malva, has successfully completed trials and will enter service, Director of Uralvagonzavod Aleksandr Potapov said on Wednesday. The weapon has been described by the media as Moscow’s answer to French-made Caesar howitzers, some of which were delivered to Ukraine last year. “Yes, the Malva should soon join [the troops]. Everything is fine with it,” Potapov told TASS news agency on the sidelines of the MILEX-2023 arms expo in Minsk, Belarus. Equipped with a 152-mm gun, the Malva (Mallow) is designed to fire at a wide range…
Thursday, 18 May 2023 04:11
All we know after Day 33 of battles of Sudan military factions
UN seeks $3 billion for Sudan as fighting rages in Khartoum The United Nations said on Wednesday more than half Sudan's population now needed aid and protection, as civilians sought shelter from air strikes and sporadic clashes between rival military factions in the Khartoum area. Residents said power had been cut, food was in short supply, and drinking water scarce due to the violent power struggle, now in its second month despite international mediation efforts. Launching an appeal for some $3 billion in aid, the United Nations said 25 million people needed help - the highest number ever recorded in…
Wednesday, 17 May 2023 04:32
What to know after Day 447 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Patriot missile defense system in Ukraine likely damaged - US sources A U.S.-made Patriot missile defense system being used by Ukraine likely suffered some damage from a Russian strike, two U.S. officials said on Tuesday, adding that it did not appear to have been destroyed. The Patriot system is one of an array of sophisticated air defense units supplied by the West to help Ukraine repel a Russian campaign of air strikes that has targeted critical infrastructure, power facilities and other sites. One U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity and citing initial information, said Washington and…
Wednesday, 17 May 2023 04:32
All we know after Day 32 of battles of Sudan military factions
Air strikes, artillery fire escalate as factions battle in Sudan capital Air strikes and artillery fire intensified sharply across Sudan's capital on Tuesday, residents said, as the army sought to defend its bases from paramilitary rivals it has been fighting for more than a month. The air strikes, explosions and clashes could be heard in the south of Khartoum, and there was heavy shelling across the River Nile in parts of the adjoining cities of Bahri and Omdurman, witnesses said. The conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has triggered unrest elsewhere in Sudan, especially in…
Tuesday, 16 May 2023 04:15
What to know after Day 446 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Russia launches air raid on Kyiv 'exceptional' in intensity Russia launched an exceptionally intense air attack on Kyiv in the early hours of Tuesday, using drones, cruise and probably ballistic missiles, city officials said, as the Ukrainian capital suffered its eighth air raid this month. "It was exceptional in its density - the maximum number of attack missiles in the shortest period of time," Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's city military administration, said in comments posted on the Telegram messaging app. "According to preliminary information, the vast majority of enemy targets in the airspace of Kyiv were detected…
Tuesday, 16 May 2023 04:14
All we know after Day 31 of battles of Sudan military factions
Sudan grandmother's death shows struggle to help those stranded in war As she tried to save her ailing grandparents stuck amid fighting in central Khartoum, Azhaar Sholgami put in calls from New York to Sudan's two warring factions, aid workers, and embassies near her grandparents' home, but her efforts were in vain. Sholgami's grandmother died alone, her body still lying unburied at the family home. Her grandfather was shot three times while out seeking supplies and remains stranded with his wounds in Khartoum. Her story echoes those of other desperate members of Sudan's diaspora and those outside the capital struggling…
Monday, 15 May 2023 04:00
What to know after Day 445 of Russia-Ukraine war
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Here are the Zelensky ‘treason’ quotes the Washington Post deleted The Washington Post has deleted a large tract of an interview with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in which he lashed out at alleged “traitors” in his ranks. RT is publishing the entire section that the US newspaper would rather keep hidden. The following section appeared in an interview with the Ukrainian president published on Saturday. By Sunday it had been removed with no explanation. After discussing a trove of recently leaked Pentagon documents, which revealed – among other things – that the US monitors Zelensky’s communications, the newspaper…
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Sunday, 14 May 2023 03:34
What to know after Day 444 of Russia-Ukraine war
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Zelensky dismisses Pope’s peacemaking efforts Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has rejected Pope Francis’ offer to help negotiate an end to the conflict in his country. Zelensky previously banned all contact between his government and Moscow, and has since rejected all offers of foreign mediation. “With all due respect to His Holiness, we don’t need mediators, we need a just peace,” Zelensky told Italian talk show host Bruno Vespa on Saturday, after a meeting with the pontiff in the Vatican. "It was an honor for me to meet His Holiness, but he knows my position: the war is in…
Sunday, 14 May 2023 03:32
All we know after Day 29 of battles of Sudan military factions
Sudan talks to resume in Saudi Arabia amid heavy fighting Khartoum residents described fierce battles on Saturday with fighters roving the streets and little sign Sudan's warring sides were respecting an agreement to protect civilians ahead of ceasefire talks due to resume in Saudi Arabia on Sunday. Fighting has rocked Khartoum and adjoining areas as well as Geneina in the Darfur region since the warring army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary force agreed a "declaration of principles" on Thursday. "It was much worse this morning compared to the past two days. You could clearly hear the tanks and the…
Saturday, 13 May 2023 04:10
What to know after Day 443 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Ukraine says it has retaken territory near embattled eastern city of Bakhmut Ukrainian military commanders said Friday that their troops had recaptured more territory from Russian forces at the scene of the war’s longest and bloodiest battle, for the eastern city of Bakhmut, but it wasn’t clear if this marked the start of Kyiv’s long-expected counteroffensive. Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said Ukrainian forces had stepped up attacks north of the region while denying speculation by Russian military bloggers that the Kyiv forces had achieved “defense breakthroughs.” The 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) of territory that Ukrainian forces south of…
Saturday, 13 May 2023 04:09
All we know after Day 28 of battles of Sudan military factions
Warring Sudanese factions fight on after failing to agree truce Air strikes and artillery pounded Khartoum on Friday after Sudan's warring army and Rapid Support Forces paramilitary failed to agree to a ceasefire despite committing to protect civilians and allow humanitarian access. A so-called declaration of principles was signed in Saudi Arabia late on Thursday after nearly a week of talks between the two factions, which had shared power before falling out over a transition to civilian rule. RSF adviser Moussa Khadam told Sky News Arabia the group would abide by the principles agreed to and aimed to reach a…