Azerbaijan cancels Russian events over the killings of 2 citizens in Yekaterinburg
Azerbaijan has canceled all cultural events planned by Russian state and private institutions in protest over the deaths of two Azerbaijani citizens during police raids in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, Azerbaijani officials said Sunday.
Azerbaijan's Culture Ministry wrote on X that concerts, exhibitions, festivals and performances were canceled on account of 'the demonstrative targeted and extrajudicial killings and acts of violence committed by Russian law enforcement agencies against Azerbaijanis on ethnic grounds in Yekaterinburg.'
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Toronto Sun
3 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Russia launches the biggest aerial attack since the start of the war, Ukraine says
Published Jun 29, 2025 • 3 minute read FILE - A Russian drone attacks a building during Russia's massive missile and drone air attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, June 17, 2025. Photo by Efrem Lukatsky / AP KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched its biggest aerial attack against Ukraine overnight, a Ukrainian official said Sunday, part of an escalating bombing campaign that has further dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the 3-year-old war. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Russia fired a total of 537 aerial weapons at Ukraine, including 477 drones and decoys and 60 missiles, Ukraine's air force said. Of these, 249 were shot down and 226 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed. The onslaught was 'the most massive airstrike' on the country since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, taking into account both drones and various types of missiles, Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications for Ukraine's air force, told The Associated Press. The attack targeted several regions, including western Ukraine, far from the front line. Poland and allied countries scrambled aircraft to ensure the safety of Polish airspace, the country's air force said. Three people were killed in each of the drone strikes in the Kherson, Kharkiv and the Dnipropetrovsk regions, according to the three governors. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Another person was killed by an airstrike in Kostyantynivka, local officials said. In addition to aerial attacks, a man died when Russian troops shelled the city of Kherson, and the body of a 70-year-old woman was found under the rubble of a nine-story building hit by Russian shelling in the Zaporizhzhia region. In the far-western Lviv region, a large fire broke out at an industrial facility in the city of Drohobych following a drone attack that also cut electricity to parts of the city. Ukraine's air force said one of its F-16 warplanes supplied by its Western partners crashed after sustaining damage while shooting down air targets. The pilot died. Recommended video Russia's Defense Ministry said it had shot down three Ukrainian drones overnight. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Two people were wounded in another Ukrainian drone attack on the city of Bryansk in western Russia, regional Gov. Alexander Bogomaz said Sunday morning, adding that seven more Ukrainian drones had been shot down over the region. Meanwhile, Russia claimed Sunday that it had taken control of the village of Novoukrainka in the partially Russian-occupied Donetsk region. Russian forces have been slowly grinding forward at some points on the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, though their incremental gains have been costly in terms of troop casualties and damaged armour. In other developments, Russia's foreign intelligence chief, Sergei Naryshkin, said he had spoken on the phone with his U.S. counterpart, CIA Director John Ratcliffe. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I had a phone call with my American counterpart and we reserved for each other the possibility to call at any time and discuss issues of interest to us,' Naryshkin said in remarks to state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin, who posted them on his Telegram channel on Sunday. Sunday's attacks follow Russian President Vladimir Putin's comments two days ago that Moscow is ready for a fresh round of direct peace talks in Istanbul. Two recent rounds of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul were brief and yielded no progress on reaching a settlement. Zelenskyy withdraws Ukraine from an anti-land mine pact Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree to withdraw Ukraine from the Ottawa Convention banning antipersonnel land mines, a Ukrainian lawmaker said Sunday. The move follows similar recent steps by the Baltic states and Poland. The 1997 treaty prohibits the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of antipersonnel land mines in an effort to protect civilians from explosives that can maim or kill long after fighting ends. 'This is a step that the reality of war has long demanded,' said Roman Kostenko, secretary of the Ukrainian parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence. He noted that Russia is not a party to the convention 'and is massively using mines against our military and civilians.' Sports Sunshine Girls Toronto Maple Leafs Sunshine Girls Columnists
Toronto Star
6 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Azerbaijan cancels Russian events over the killings of 2 citizens in Yekaterinburg
Azerbaijan has canceled all cultural events planned by Russian state and private institutions in protest over the deaths of two Azerbaijani citizens during police raids in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, Azerbaijani officials said Sunday. Azerbaijan's Culture Ministry wrote on X that concerts, exhibitions, festivals and performances were canceled on account of 'the demonstrative targeted and extrajudicial killings and acts of violence committed by Russian law enforcement agencies against Azerbaijanis on ethnic grounds in Yekaterinburg.'
Winnipeg Free Press
6 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Azerbaijan cancels Russian events over the killings of 2 citizens in Yekaterinburg
Azerbaijan has canceled all cultural events planned by Russian state and private institutions in protest over the deaths of two Azerbaijani citizens during police raids in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, Azerbaijani officials said Sunday. Azerbaijan's Culture Ministry wrote on X that concerts, exhibitions, festivals and performances were canceled on account of 'the demonstrative targeted and extrajudicial killings and acts of violence committed by Russian law enforcement agencies against Azerbaijanis on ethnic grounds in Yekaterinburg.' According to Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry, Russian law enforcement raided homes of Azerbaijani residents in the industrial city in Russia's Ural Mountains on Friday. Two Azerbaijani citizens were killed, it said, along with several others seriously injured and nine detained. The ministry on Saturday summoned the Russian Embassy's chargé d'affaires in Baku, Pyotr Volokovykh, demanding a full investigation and prosecution of those responsible. The victims were identified as Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov, both around 60 years old. Their brother, Sayfaddin Huseynli, told Azerbaijani public broadcaster ITV that the men were tortured to death 'without any trial or investigation, despite their innocence.' He described the raids as 'savagery,' claiming that others were beaten and subjected to electric shocks. 'The so-called Russian law enforcement agencies broke into houses in the middle of the night, beat and took people away like animals,' Huseynli said. The Azerbaijani government also announced the cancellation of a planned visit by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk. 'The government of Azerbaijan does not consider it appropriate under the current circumstances for Overchuk or any other official representative of Russia to visit the country,' state media reported. In a statement, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said it expected 'that the matter will be investigated and all perpetrators of violence brought to justice as soon as possible.' Without commenting on the reported deaths, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Saturday that the raids formed part of an investigation into previously committed crimes. Tensions between the two countries have been strained for months. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declined an invitation to attend Russia's Victory Day parade in Moscow in May. In contrast, Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga visited Baku later that month, signaling closer ties between Baku and Kyiv. Relations between Moscow and Baku cooled after an Azerbaijani airliner crashed in Kazakhstan in December, killing 38 of 67 people aboard. Aliyev said it was shot down over Russia, albeit unintentionally, and rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare. He accused Russia of trying to 'hush up' the incident for several days. Putin apologized to Aliyev for what he called a 'tragic incident' but stopped short of acknowledging responsibility.
