Russia Declares State of Emergency at Port after Ukrainian Drone Attack on Novorossiisk
The mayor of the Russian port city of Novorossiisk declared a state of emergency on Saturday after local authorities said a Ukrainian drone attack had damaged a grain terminal and several residential buildings, injuring five people.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine, whose air force said Russia had attacked Ukraine overnight with 183 drones and two ballistic missiles, Reuters reported.
Andrei Kravchenko, the mayor of the Russian Black Sea city of Novorossisk, was shown inspecting damage to three apartment buildings in video released on his official Telegram account.
The video showed debris scattered in front of apartment buildings, a crushed car, blown out windows and balconies hanging off the buildings' facade.
Kravchenko said one of the injured people, a woman, was in hospital in a serious situation. Two children had also been injured, local authorities said.
The governor of Russia's southern Krasnodar region Veniamin Kondratyev said that debris from falling drones had also damaged three storage units at a grain terminal in Novorossiisk, sparking a fire.
Nobody had been injured, he said.
Delo Group, the owner of the damaged grain terminal, said in a statement that a clear-up was underway and that a fire there had been extinguished.
"DeloPorts terminals is operating normally in accordance with internal instructions and the instructions of relevant authorities and agencies," the company said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Saudi Gazette
an hour ago
- Saudi Gazette
Prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine under way
KYIV — A prisoner exchange is under way between Russia and Ukraine, governments in Moscow and Kyiv have confirmed. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said the exchange would unfold "in several stages" over the coming days, adding that the wounded, seriously wounded and soldiers under 25 were being returned. Writing on Telegram, Zelensky said: "The process is quite complicated, there are many sensitive details, negotiations continue virtually every day." Russia said a "similar number" of prisoners of war had been returned to Ukraine, though neither side provided an exact figure for how many people had been exchanged. Russia's defense ministry said "the first group of Russian servicemen under the age of 25 were returned from the territory controlled by the Kyiv regime" following an agreement reached between the warring countries last week during talks in Turkey. As with past exchanges, Moscow said the exchanged Russian soldiers were receiving psychological and medical assistance in the Ukrainian side, relatives of prisoners of war and the missing gathered in the Chernihiv region, close to the border with Belarus, to greet the released prisoners and, in many cases, seek news of others still in week, Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of disrupting the planned repatriation of the bodies of dead late May, Russia and Ukraine each handed over 390 soldiers and civilians in the biggest prisoner exchange since Russia launched the full-scale invasion in war continued overnight, with Moscow launching a record 479 drones at Ukraine, including on the western region of Rivne that had been largely spared from defence ministry said it had targeted Rivne's Dubno base and described this as "one of the retaliatory strikes" in response to Ukraine's audacious drone attacks on Russian airfields on 1 overnight Russian launches caused damage in several Ukrainian regions but there were no reports of has recently escalated its attacks on Ukraine, with each week bringing a new record of drones fired at the its part, Kyiv said it attacked another Russian airbase in the Nizhny Novgorod region, which lies 400 miles from the Ukrainian said the base houses planes that launch hypersonic missiles and that it had damaged "two units of enemy aircraft".It also targeted an electronics factory that Kyiv says manufactures equipment to guide drones and aerial shows one of the explosions caused by an attack drone, and a large fire at the plant. Production there has been suspended. — BBC
Saudi Gazette
3 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
Israel intercepts Gaza-bound aid ship, detaining Greta Thunberg and other activists
JERUSALEM — Israel has intercepted a Gaza-bound aid ship carrying Greta Thunberg and other prominent activists, detaining those onboard and taking them to Israel. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said the Israeli military had 'attacked' and 'unlawfully boarded' the 'Madleen,' which was attempting to deliver aid to Gaza – where more than 600 days of war, and an 11-week Israeli blockade of all aid, has pushed the enclave's 2.1 million people deeper into a hunger crisis. Climate activist Thunberg and Rima Hassan – a French member of the European Parliament – are among those on the 'Madleen.' '(The vessel) is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries,' Israel's Foreign Ministry said in a post on X early Monday local time. The foreign ministry posted a video showing members of the 'Madleen' crew sitting side by side wearing orange life jackets while a solider offers them bottled water and plastic-wrapped sandwiches. Thunberg can be seen sitting near the front of the group. The FFC had earlier said the ship had come 'under assault in international waters,' in a Telegram post. 'Quadcopters are surrounding the ship, spraying it with a white paint-like substance. Communications are jammed, and disturbing sounds are being played over the radio,' the FFC said. A video posted by Israel's foreign ministry appeared to show a Navy staffer sending a radio message to the vessel saying the 'maritime zone off the coast of Gaza was closed.' In a video livestreamed from the boat, activist Yasmin Acar showed a white substance on the deck, saying it had been dropped on the vessel. Acar was later heard saying it was affecting her eyes. The FFC group also posted a video on Telegram, showing members of the crew sitting inside the boat with their hands in the air. After losing communication with the vessel, the FFC began posting pre-recorded video messages from Thunberg and others onboard. 'If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel,' Thunberg said in her video. In a statement, the FFC said Israel had acted with 'total impunity' and that the vessel's cargo, which included baby formula, food and medical supplies was 'confiscated.' Israel said it would transfer the goods to Gaza through humanitarian channels. 'Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard the Madleen,' said Huwaida Arraf, human rights attorney and Freedom Flotilla organizer. 'This seizure blatantly violates international law and defies the (International Court of Justice's) binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza.' Israel had repeatedly vowed to stop the aid boat from reaching Gaza, and described the ship as a 'selfie yacht' carrying 'celebrities.' 'I have instructed the IDF to ensure that the 'Madleen' flotilla does not reach Gaza,' Israeli defense minister Israel Katz said on Sunday. After the flotilla crew members were detained, Katz said in a post on X that he had instructed the military to screen videos of the Hamas attacks on Israel from October 7, 2023 to the activists upon their arrival at Ashdod Port. Israel's foreign ministry said the group 'attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity.' 'There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip – they do not involve Instagram selfies,' it added. In an earlier statement on Monday, the ministry said 'unauthorized attempts to breach the blockade are dangerous, unlawful, and undermine ongoing humanitarian efforts.' Hamas demanded the immediate release of the activists and condemned their detention in a statement, calling the interception 'a flagrant violation of international law, and an attack on civilian volunteers acting out of humanitarian motives.' As the 'Madleen' was taken to Ashdod, some 15 activists protested the ship's seizure in the city. The demonstrators carried signs reading, 'resist genocide,' 'release the Madleen activists now' and 'stop state terror.' While small, the protest and the messaging it carried are a rare sighting in Israel since the war began in 2023. 'We... have come to express our support and solidarity with the Madleen as part of the Freedom Flotilla, whose activists were abducted by Israel,' one activist is heard saying in English. The demonstrators were interrupted by a passerby who shouted in Hebrew, 'You're living in Israel,' calling the protesters 'bullies' and 'hooligans.' The 'Madleen' is part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an organization that has campaigned against Israel's blockade of Gaza and tried to break the siege by boat. The crew, which had publicized the location of the ship with an online tracker, began preparing for the possibility of interception by the Israeli military. On Monday morning, the UK-flagged civilian vessel was north of Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea, slowly approaching the coast of Gaza, but the tracker has since appeared to have stopped. 'We know that it's a very risky mission and we know that previous experiences with flotillas like this have resulted in attacks, violence and even cases of death,' Thunberg told CNN on Saturday. Israel imposed a full humanitarian blockade of Gaza on March 2, cutting off food, medical supplies, and other aid to the more than 2 million Palestinians who live in the territory for 11 weeks. Faced with growing international pressure, Israel began allowing a trickle of aid in late May. But humanitarian organizations say it is only a fraction of the aid that entered the enclave before the war, and have warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis and the growing risk of widespread famine. A UN-backed report warned in late April that one in five people were facing starvation. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed over the past week while on their way to try and obtain aid from a new US-backed group commissioned to deliver aid to Gaza, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The group is intended to replace the UN-led system of distributing aid in Gaza. The United Nations has warned that the new distribution mechanism has become a 'death trap' for desperate people seeking food in the strip. Last month, another vessel from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition came under what its organizers claimed was an Israeli drone attack off the coast of Malta in international waters. The group did not provide evidence that the drone was Israeli, while the Israeli military has declined to comment on the alleged attack. The ship, the 'Conscience,' was heading to Malta, where a large contingent of activists, including Thunberg, were due to board before it departed for Gaza. The later voyage on the 'Madleen,' which was intercepted by Israel, departed from Sicily last Friday. — CNN
Leaders
5 hours ago
- Leaders
Iran Threatens to Unveil Sensitive Israeli Nuclear Data
Iran has threatened to reveal sensitive data regarding Israel's nuclear program after seizing what it called a 'treasure trove' of classified documents, reported Reuters. On Sunday, the Iranian Intelligence Minister, Esmail Khatib, said that Tehran would soon release sensitive Israeli documents that would bolster Iran's strategic position and strengthen its offensive capabilities. Sensitive Data Speaking to Iran's state TV, Khatib said that these documents contain data related to Israel's nuclear facilities and its defensive capabilities, as well as to its relations with the US, Europe and other countries. This followed reports by Iran's state media on Saturday that Iranian intelligence agencies had seized a large trove of sensitive material from Israel. 'The transfer of this treasure trove was time-consuming and required security measures. Naturally, the transfer methods will remain confidential but the documents should be unveiled soon,' Khatib said, adding that 'talking of thousands of documents would be an understatement.' So far, Israel has not acknowledged the operation. According to Reuters, the operation might have links to a reported hacking on an Israeli nuclear facility last year. Nuclear Talks The announcement came as Iran and the US are engaging in talks to reach a new agreement on Tehran's nuclear program. The US President, Donald Trump, has repeatedly threatened of military action if negotiations failed. However, he blocked a planned Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites in April, favoring a negotiated deal. On the other hand, the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Wednesday ruled out abandoning uranium enrichment, saying it was '100%' against Iran's interests. Restoring UN Sanctions Western nations accuse Iran of enriching uranium up to 60% purity – close to the 90% weapons-grade level. Later this week, Western countries will likely submit a proposal to the IAEA's Board of Governors to declare Iran noncompliant with the UN nuclear watchdog, according to the Associated Press (AP). This, in turn, could lead to triggering the so-called 'snapback' of UN sanctions on Tehran by one of the Western countries involved in the original 2015 nuclear deal. Short link : Post Views: 1
