Belarus opposition leader Tsikhanouski freed from jail, his wife says
VILNIUS, June 21 (Reuters) - Belarus opposition leader Syarhei Tsikhanouski has been released from prison, his wife Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said in a post on social media X on Saturday.
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Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Belarus opposition couple to keep fighting for release of political prisoners
VILNIUS, June 22 (Reuters) - A leading Belarusian opposition figure freed from prison by President Alexander Lukashenko said on Sunday his wife would continue to lead the exiled movement, and urged supporters to keep fighting for change and the release of political prisoners. In a U.S.-brokered deal, Siarhei Tsikhanouski was pardoned by Lukashenko on Saturday after more than five years behind bars and driven across the border to Lithuania for a reunion with his wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. "He's alive, thank God we are together, and together we continue our fight for our homeland and the freedom of the rest of the political prisoners," Tsikhanouskaya told a press conference in Vilnius on Sunday. "I want to thank (U.S. President Donald) Trump and his administration. Without their help, this moment would have been impossible," she said. Lithuania said on Saturday 13 other prisoners had also been released after talks between Lukashenko and U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg, in the most significant move so far by Lukashenko to try to ease his isolation from the West. Tsikhanouski, 46, a video blogger who was arrested in 2020 when planning to run against Lukashenko for the presidency, called on Belarusians to carry on fighting against the president. "I want to tell all Belarusians: if you were waiting for a sign, here it is," he said, raising a fist. But Tsikhanouski added that he would not seek to become leader of the exiled movement following his release. "The leader of the opposition is Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, my wife," he said, breaking into tears as he described how their young daughter had not recognised him when they were reunited on Saturday. "Now (the children) are getting used to the feeling that their father is here again," Tsikhanouskaya said.
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Ukraine fighting 10,000 Russian troops in Kursk region, Ukrainian commander says
KYIV, June 22 (Reuters) - Around 10,000 Russian soldiers are fighting in Russia's Kursk region, about 90 square kilometers (35 square miles) of which is controlled by Ukraine, Ukraine's top military commander said. "We control about 90 square kilometers of territory in the Hlushkov district of the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, and these are our preemptive actions in response to a possible enemy attack," Oleksandr Syrskyi said without elaborating, in remarks released by his office for publication on Sunday. The Ukrainian military said the activity in this area prevented Russia from sending a significant number of its forces to Ukraine's eastern region of Donetsk, where some of the heaviest fighting has taken place in the more than three-year-old full-scale invasion. Syrskyi's troops are repelling Russian forces along the frontline, which stretches for about 1,200 km, where the situation remains difficult, the Ukrainian military said. Russian gains have accelerated in May and June, though the Ukrainian military says it comes at a cost of high Russian casualties in small assault-group attacks. While the military says its troops repelled Russian approaches toward Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region borders last week, the pressure continues in the country's eastern and northern regions. The Russian military also continues its deadly drone and missile attacks on the Ukrainian cities further from the front, prompting Ukraine to innovate its approaches to air defence. Ukraine's military said it currently destroys around 82% of Shahed-type drones launched by Russia but requires more surface-to-air missile systems to defend critical infrastructure and cities. The military said the air force was also working on developing the use of light aircraft and drone interceptors in repelling Russian assaults which can involve hundreds of drones. Ukraine also relies on its long-range capabilities to deal damage to economic and military targets on Russian territory, increasing the cost of war to Moscow. Between January and May, Ukraine dealt over $1.3 billion in direct losses in the Russian oil refining and fuel production industry, energy and transport supplies as well as strategic communications, the Ukrainian military said. It also dealt at least $9.5 billion more of indirect damages through the destabilization of the oil refining industry, disruption of logistics and forced shutdown of enterprises, it added. It was not clear whether the Ukrainian military included the damages from its operation "Spider's Web" which damaged Russian warplanes -- and Ukraine said cost billions in losses -- in the estimates.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Ukraine still holds ground inside Russia's Kursk, commander says
Ukraine's top military commander says its forces are still defending a small area of territory inside Russia that it captured almost a year August 2024 Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into the Kursk region, capturing more than 1,000 sq km (386 sq miles) of Russian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky said 10,000 Russian troops are attempting to drive his forces Russia has repeatedly insisted it had recaptured the entire region, Syrsky said on Sunday that Ukraine is still holding around 90 sq km (56 sq miles) in the Kursk region. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Syrsky vowed to increase the "scale and depth" of strikes on Russia."Of course, we will continue," he said."Given that we are not fighting against the population, we are fighting and destroying purely military targets." Ukraine seized dozens of villages in the Kursk region shortly after its incursion started on 6 August Volodymyr Zelensky said the Kursk operation established a buffer zone which prevented Russian forces from being deployed in key areas of the front in eastern Kyiv's advances stalled after Russia rushed reinforcements to the area - including thousands of troops from its ally North recent months Ukrainian forces have been in retreat in Kursk after facing 70,000 Russian troops and heavy drone attacks as part of Moscow's drive to regain the territory. Last autumn, North Korea sent an estimated 11,000 troops to Kursk to fight off the Ukrainian cross-border officials told the BBC in January that at least 1,000 North Korean troops in Russia had been killed in just three this month, the government in Pyongyang promised to send thousands of mine-clearing troops and builders to Russia's Kursk region to restore damaged infrastructure.
