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Ukraine, Russia, hard to reconcile on Black Sea, Turkish FM says
Ukraine and Russian have positions on the Black Sea that are "difficult to reconcile" to end the attacks there, Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Saturday in a television interview.
Exasperated by the ongoing Black Sea attacks, Turkey sent a proposal to Russia and Ukraine to end strikes on civilian ships, a Turkish diplomat told AFP on Thursday.
"We sent proposals to both sides," Fidan told NTV. "We received responses from both sides.
"We are trying to reach a conclusion. Frankly, both sides have demands and positions that are difficult to reconcile," he added.
"Our first priority is the extraction of grain from the Black Sea," said Fidan.
"Countries around the world need it. Grain is a product that both country sells. But there are difficulties to overcome.
Turkey's diplomatic initiative follows a sharp increase in attacks on commercial ships in the Black Sea in recent months, often by drones, with many Turkish vessels among those targeted.
Elections with ‘no surprises’
Russians are voting to elect members of the Duma in what Alexander Titov, lecturer of modern European history at Queen’s University Belfast, calls an “unusual election”.
The Kremlin does not want to have “any surprises”, notes Titov. President Vladimir Putin “wants to show that elections can take place during wartime” in a pointed jab at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, “who says elections can’t be held during wartime", he explains.
Russian election observer loses consciousness during arrest by police, opposition party says
Russia’s liberal opposition Yabloko party has said that one of its election observers lost consciousness while being arrested by police at a St. Petersburg polling station on Saturday.
Yabloko said that officials at the polling station accused a party election observer of attempting to “disrupt the elections” and called the police, which “used force” against him.
It was unclear whether he received prompt medical attention after falling unconscious, the party said in a statement on Telegram Saturday, adding that he was taken to a police station and charged with disobeying police orders.
Russian officials didn't immediately comment on the incident.
Yabloko, the only registered political entity that dared to criticize Russia's war with Ukraine, was removed from the ballot last month by Russia’s Supreme Court, and only has a few dozen candidates in the single-constituency races.
Russia cannot sway French through 'intimidation', Le Pen says
French policies will not be influenced by Russian "intimidation", far-right leader Marine Le Pen and her party's chief Jordan Bardella has said as they positioned themselves ahead of elections next year.
The two politicians from the National Rally (RN) party -- seen in the past as friendly towards Moscow -- condemned Russia's "hostile" acts against France.
Voter surveys put Le Pen as the front-runner in the first round of France's presidential election to take place in April next year, despite an appeals court upholding a graft conviction against her. Bardella is expected to become her prime minister if she ends up winning.
Their joint statement putting distance between themselves and Moscow came after the Kremlin this week ordered Russian subsidiaries of several big French businesses seized, along with the subsidiary of Swiss food giant Nestle.
Moscow said the move was a blow against "unfriendly countries" that back Ukraine, which it has invaded and is fighting to conquer.
French President Emmanuel Macron -- who is not contesting next year's election, having reached his two-term limit -- on Friday hosted a meeting of French political leaders to discuss the growing threat from Moscow. Le Pen did not attend the meeting.
Moldova suspects drone in 'unacceptable' airspace violation
Moldova has said it suspected a drone was behind an "unacceptable" violation of its airspace on Friday that resulted in an explosion near its capital Chisinau.
The incident, which caused no reported casualties or damage, "represents a new and serious consequence from Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine", Moldova's foreign ministry said in a statement.
It added that "any unauthorised entry into Moldovan airspace is unacceptable and constitutes a serious violation to our country's sovereignty".
The explosion occurred Friday in Colonita, a village close to Chisinau. Police said in a Facebook post they found debris apparently from a drone near the blast site. Authorities did not give the origin of the suspected drone.
Several drone incursions have been reported with increasing frequency in recent months in eastern European countries that have been attributed to the ongoing war in Ukraine launched by Russia in 2022.
- US State Dept approves $2.7 billion sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades
- Russian glide bomb hits apartment in Ukraine's Sumy, killing at least two and injuring seven
Ukrainian children learn ancient warrior skills amid modern war
Ukrainian children are learning the skills of 17th-century Cossack warriors – the communities known for their military skills and horsemanship that played a central role in Ukraine history. But for these students, it is more than a history lesson. It is a chance to escape the reality of growing up during war.
France’s Macron warns of Russian ‘hybrid’ attacks, seeks to step up energy defence
Russia reports cyberattacks on second day of parliamentary vote
Russia said that its electronic voting system in Moscow had been hit by "powerful" cyberattacks overnight, as tightly controlled parliamentary elections entered a second day.
Ella Pamfilova, chair of Russia's Central Election Commission, did not give details on the nature of the attack or who was responsible.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday accused Ukraine of trying to "hinder" the vote, an accusation to which Kyiv has not responded. Ukraine has called the election farcical.
Poland concludes air operation with no airspace violations recorded
Poland has concluded the preventive military aviation operations that it started earlier on Saturday amid Russian strikes on Ukraine, the Polish army said in a post on X.
Ground-based air defence systems and radar reconnaissance were returned to standard operational activities after the army activated them for a state of readiness, it added.
There was no violation of Polish airspace, the army said.
Russia hits Ukrainian cargo ship, tanker in Black Sea and Ukrainian port, Interfax says
Russian forces struck a Ukrainian cargo ship and a tanker located in the Black Sea and in one of Ukraine's ports, the Interfax news agency reported on Saturday, citing the Russian Defence Ministry.
FRANCE 24 could not independently verify the battlefield reports.
Poland starts preventive military aviation operations as Russia strikes Ukraine, army says
Poland has started preventive military aviation operations to protect its airspace on Saturday amid Russian strikes on Ukraine, the Polish army said in a post on X.
The military has activated a state of readiness for ground-based air defence systems and radar reconnaissance systems, it added.
US State Dept approves $2.7 billion sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades
The United States approved a potential $2.68 billion sale of air defense equipment to Ukraine on Friday, after Kyiv made repeated pleas for support to fend off Russian attacks.
The State Department said in a congressional notification that it made "a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Ukraine" for buying air defense development upgrades and related equipment and services.
Kyiv has requested to buy equipment including multiple types of missiles, launchers, counter-drone radars and trailers, according to the State Department.
The proposed sale is subject to congressional review.
"If the proposed purchase is concluded, Ukraine would finance it using a combination of European contributions and US Foreign Military Financing appropriated during the prior Administration," the State Department said.
"The estimated total cost is $2.68 billion."
Russia holds parliamentary vote in areas it seized from Ukraine in the war
Putin stressed the importance of voting in the regions.
Russia’s parliamentary election for the first time includes residents of regions that Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine after the start of its full-scale invasion more than 4 1/2 years ago, part of Kremlin efforts to cement its gains.
Officials in Kyiv vigorously denounced the action as illegal, and a human rights activist described residents there as being coerced to participate in the election.
Russian glide bomb hits apartment in Ukraine's Sumy, killing at least two and injuring seven
A Russian glide bomb hit an apartment building in the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Friday, killing two people and injuring seven, three of them in serious condition, Regional Governor Oleh Hryhorov said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the "absolutely inhuman strike" on the apartment block and said residents could still be under rubble. He said Russian forces had also hit a clinic in the central city of Pavlohrad and a logistics centre outside Kyiv, but provided no details on casualties.
Yesterday's key developments:
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A morning Russian drone attack has injured five people, including three children, in the Kyiv region around the Ukrainian capital
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The European Union slammed Russia's tightly controlled parliamentary elections on Friday, accusing the Kremlin of using repression to deprive voters of "a genuine choice about the future of their country".
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French President Emmanuel Macron said he had ordered measures to protect France's critical infrastructure and defence industry sites from "Russian hybrid attacks".
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
