Latest news with #CenterforCounteringDisinformation
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Russian propaganda made up personal meeting between heads of Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul – Center for Countering Disinformation
The Center for Countering Disinformation has denied reports by Russian propagandists on an alleged bilateral meeting between the head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, and the Defence Minister of Ukraine, Rustem Umierov, before the talks in Istanbul. Source: Center for Countering Disinformation on Telegram Quote: "Russian propaganda has launched a campaign to discredit the Ukrainian negotiating team. Putin's aide, Vladimir Medinsky, announced an alleged 'bilateral meeting' with Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umierov before the talks in Istanbul. This information is not true". Details: It is reported that the meeting was actually held in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who acted as a mediator. "The statements about the alleged 'secret agreements' reached at this meeting are a manipulation aimed at undermining the credibility of the Ukrainian negotiating team," the Center for Countering Disinformation said. The Center also warned that Russian propaganda is preparing a two-pronged information attack against Ukrainian representatives at the talks in Istanbul. In particular, disinformation about the delegation's alleged personal ties with Russians will be spread within Ukraine. Western audiences will be told that Ukraine is "delaying the peace talks". However, it is Russia that systematically avoids ceasefire agreements. "Russia's goal is to replace reality and impose a narrative in which the aggressor poses as a peacemaker," the Center for Countering Disinformation stressed. Earlier, the Russian propaganda media outlet TASS reported that Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation, and Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov had held a bilateral meeting before the talks. Background: The meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations lasted just over an hour and was the second after the negotiations on 16 May. Prior to the talks with the Russian delegation, Ukraine's First Deputy Foreign Minister Serhii Kyslytsia and Oleksandr Bevz, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, met with representatives of three of Ukraine's European partners – Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. Following the talks in Istanbul, the Ukrainian and Russian delegations agreed on an all-for-all prisoner exchange of seriously wounded and young servicemen. On the evening of 2 June, Russian state news agencies published the text of the Russian "memorandum of settlement", containing proposals for a ceasefire, including Ukraine's neutrality, elections and withdrawal from four oblasts. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Sky News AU
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Russia launches largest Ukraine drone strikes since start of war days after face-to-face peace talks
Russia has launched what is thought to be the largest drone strike on Ukraine since it invaded the country in 2022, just days after Friday's peace talks. A total of 273 exploding drones and decoys were fired by Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces on Saturday night, Ukraine's air force said. The attacks targeted the area around the capital, Kyiv, as well as the Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions in the east of Ukraine. A 28-year-old woman was killed and three others, including a four-year-old child, were wounded, Kyiv regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk posted on the Telegram messaging app. Hours earlier, nine civilians were killed and seven wounded in a separate Russian strike on a bus in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region on Saturday. Horror photos from the scene show the mangled wreckage of the bus with pools of blood on the road around it. 'This was a deliberate killing of civilians,' Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X, as he called on further pressure to be 'exerted on Russia to stop the killings.' Much of the eastern half of Ukraine remained under air raid alerts on Sunday morning. The number of drones fired by Russia is greater than the previously reported record. That happened in February when Russian forces launched 267 drones on the eve of the third anniversary of the start of the conflict. Of the drones and decoys used, 88 were intercepted and a further 128 are believed to have been lost due to electronic jamming, Ukraine said. The fresh assault came after Friday's US-mediated peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv — the first between the two countries since the start of the conflict. The two sides failed to agree to a ceasefire. Ukraine has accused Russia of stepping up its attacks in the wake of the collapsed peace talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul. 'It's been a tough night. The Russians have always used war and attacks to intimidate everyone in negotiations,' the head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, wrote on X on Sunday. Ukraine has blamed Russia for the collapse of the peace talks, accusing Moscow of introducing 'unacceptable demands' not previously discussed, including calls for Kyiv to withdraw from vast swaths of territory they control. Russia 'deliberately wants to throw nonstarters on the table in order to walk away from today's meeting without any results,' a Ukrainian official told The Associated Press. Ukraine remains focused on achieving an immediate ceasefire and a pathway to real diplomacy 'just like the US, European partners and other countries proposed,' the official added. President Trump has said he will speak to Russia and Ukraine's leaders over the phone on Monday in a fresh bid to end the 'bloodbath' in Ukraine. Attention has now turned to whether a direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky — the first since 2019 — could go ahead. President Zelensky challenged his Russian counterpart to meet him in Turkey this week, but Putin sent a team of aides instead. Meanwhile, Zelensky met with JD Vance in Rome on Sunday for the inaugural mass of the new American Pope Leo. It was the first face-to-face meeting between the pair since they clashed in the White House in February after the US Vice President accused Ukraine's leader of being ungrateful for America's support in the war. The pair smiled and shook hands as they greeted each other during mass, ahead of Pope Leo's private meeting with President Zelensky on Sunday. Originally published as Russia launches largest Ukraine drone strikes since start of war days after face-to-face peace talks
Miami Herald
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Ukraine Drone Raids Spark Chaos in Russia
World Ukraine Drone Raids Spark Chaos in Russia Ukrainian drone operato. A Ukrainian drone operator tests fly a Ukrainian-made Vampire drone on February 21, 2024 in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, drones fired into Russia have hit military facilities and airbases, disrupted airports, caused internet outages and forced school closures, it has been reported. Telegram channels have reported the chaos caused by Ukrainian drones ahead of Moscow's May 9 Victory Day celebrations in the Russian capital's Red Square. Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment. Why It Matters The drone attacks by Ukraine come as Russia prepares for Victory Day celebrations marking the end of World War Two. Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyhas said Ukraine could not guarantee the safety of foreign officials planning to attend the Red Square event which will be leveraged as a propaganda tool for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Victory parade preparations appear to include drills on how to evacuate top officials from Red Square, according to east European news outlet NEXTA amid likely nervousness in the Kremlin over whether it's biggest annual display of military might can pass off without a hitch. What To Know For a third consecutive day, Russian authorities reported how air defenses had downed Ukrainian drones that were approaching Moscow. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defenses repelled nine Ukrainian drones overnight Tuesday. Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, said drones struck Russian strategic defense industry facilities, including weapons and military technology sites. He said a drone strike hit a plant in Saransk, in the Mordovia region, which produces fiber-optic systems used in military communications, with fires and explosions reported by local residents. Local authorities announced the closures of schools, colleges and universities on Wednesday. The Ukrainian telegram channel Exilenova+ reported drones attacked the Kubinka military airfield which hosts Sukhoi Su-27 and Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jets. Russian authorities rarely acknowledge strikes on military sites but the pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Flightbomber reported the hit on Kubinka, saying areas where personnel and equipment involved in parade preparations were hit. The Shaikovka airbase in Kaluga region, home to Tupolev Tu-22M3 bombers and storage for missiles like the Khinzal Kh-22, was also struck, according to the Kyiv Post. Civil Aviation Disrupted The pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Mash said Ukrainian drones forced mass flight delays and diversions at airports around Moscow. The Strana Telegram channel said some flights had been delayed for more than 13 hours with dozens of planes queuing on the tarmac for departure and passengers stuck on board without food or water. Passengers on a flight from Antalya, Turkey were stuck sitting on the plane at St Petersburg's Pulkovo airport, for seven hours after landing and passengers from other flights were forced to spend the night on planes. Meanwhile, one drone strike hit the airfield in the Moscow region, where aircraft and personnel participating in the parade on May 9 were stationed, according to one Russian Telegram channel. Drone attacks caused internet outages in Russia's Tula, Yaroslavl and Tver regions, where people have complained of disruptions in phone coverage and ATMs, according to the Telegram channel Ostorozhno Novosti, although there are no reports of casualties. Ukrainian telegram channels said the Tula attacks had targeted a multiple launch rocket systems manufacturer. What People Are Saying Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Wednesday: "The air defense forces of the Ministry of Defense repelled a drone attack... flying towards Moscow." Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation: "Important enterprises of the military-industrial complex were attacked in Russia." What Happens Next There will be anticipation over whether Ukraine will continue with drone strikes as Russia gears up for the Victory Day celebrations on Friday. The Kremlin confirmed Wednesday that it will maintain a ceasefire between midnight May 8 and midnight May 11, a pledge which Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed as a "theatrical performance." Related Articles 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC. This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 9:50 AM.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Unknown drones attack Zvezda space reconnaissance system in Russia
Drones have targeted a military space intelligence unit in Russia's southern Stavropol Krai, specifically the Zvezda facility, which serves as one of the key stations in Russia's space electronic intelligence system. Source: Andrii Kovalenko, Head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, on Telegram Quote: "Unidentified drones have successfully reached a military unit of Russian space intelligence, known as the Zvezda facility, in the Stavropol Krai." Details: Kovalenko stated that the Zvezda system dates back to the Soviet era of the early 1970s. It was developed for global interception of satellite transmissions, intercontinental communications, and the exchange of signals between foreign military installations. He added that the Zvezda facility operates as a space information analysis centre under the Main Intelligence Directorate of Russia's General Staff. Its focus includes electronic surveillance of orbital signals and foreign satellite communications systems, including those in the commercial sector. Kovalenko emphasised that Zvezda is not merely a technical installation, but a strategic component of Russia's intelligence infrastructure. It monitors military zones and supports information and psychological operations, in addition to playing a role in cyber espionage. Background: Russia's Defence Ministry claimed that on the night of 1-2 May, its air defence units had destroyed 121 "Ukrainian drones" over occupied Crimea and several Russian regions. However, Telegram channels reported explosions in various settlements across Crimea. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Turkey rejects reports claiming 'weapons-filled' planes aid to Pakistan amid tensions
Türkiye's Communications Directorate on April 28 denied media reports claiming that Ankara had sent six plane loads of weapons to Pakistan. In a statement on X, the directorate's Center for Countering Disinformation said that the claim, which has appeared in some media outlets, is untrue. Refuting the 'misleading' reports, it was said that the cargo plane made a stop in Pakistan for refueling. Addressing a cabinet meeting in Ankara, President Erdogan on April 28 sought de-escalation of Pakistan-India tensions. Notably, the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22 at Baisaran meadow, killed 25 Indian nationals and one Nepalese citizen. It was one of the deadliest attacks in the region since the 2019 Pulwama strike, which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel. Show more Show less
