Latest news with #IranianShahed
Gulf Insider
3 days ago
- Business
- Gulf Insider
Russia To Build Eight Nuclear Power Plants In Iran
It's been no secret that Russia has been getting more heavily involved in Iran's nuclear program, and interestingly at a moment Moscow has offered to mediate between Washington and Tehran on the question of uranium enrichment and a new nuclear monitoring deal. On Monday, in a surprise headline given the massive, ambitious scope, Iranian state sources have said Russia will construct eight nuclear power plants in Iran, two of which are already under construction. 'Russia is contracted to build eight nuclear power plants in Iran, including four in the southern city of Bushehr,' Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the national security and foreign policy committee, announced on Monday. This marks a monumental leap forward in the Iran-Russia relationship, after the two have deepened military cooperation in relation to the Ukraine war (where Russian forces have heavily relied on Iranian Shahed drones), given that a mere several years ago, Moscow was not even ready to sell Iran nuclear fuel. But EIGHT? Some critics have denounced this as but PR nonsense and a disservice to the Iranian people, given that by some estimates Russia has already taken over a billion dollars from Iran for rebuilding just one Bushehr nuclear site with hardly any progress to show. For example, of prior problems and severe timeline setbacks one industry source described: Iran has one operating nuclear reactor, a 1,000-MW Russian-designed VVER unit at the southern port city of Bushehr, on the coast of the Persian Gulf. Two more VVER-1000 units are under construction at the site. Work on Unit 2 began in 2019, with commercial operation now expected in 2029 after earlier reports said the unit could come online last year. Iranian media reported that installation of safety equipment in Unit 2 began earlier in February, along with excavation works for the water cooling pump houses of both units. Russian state media appears to also be confirming the announcement and hugely ambitious agreement: Russia to build EIGHT nuclear power plants in Iran — Tehran's National Security spox — RT (@RT_com) June 9, 2025 According to a broader background on Iranian and Russian energy cooperation from Arms Control Association: The conclusion of an agreement in which Russia will supply Iran with nuclear fuel for a 1,000-megawatt light-water nuclear power reactor marks the latest step in a decade-long Federal Agency for Atomic Energy Director Alexander Rumyantsev announced Feb. 27 that Tehran and Moscow had finally signed off on a deal to supply fuel for the reactor near the southern Iranian city of Bushehr for a period of 10 years. Although the United States has long opposed the reactor project, the Bush administration did not publicly criticize the 1995, Russia agreed to finish the reactor project, which is widely reported to be worth about $800 million. The original German contractor abandoned the project following Iran's 1979 revolution.A final deal was delayed several times as the two sides negotiated a provision that requires Iran to return the spent reactor fuel to Russia. The arrangement was designed to reduce the risk that Iran will separate plutonium from the spent fuel. Separated plutonium can be used as fissile material in nuclear weapons. (See ACT, October 2003.)Iran does not have a known facility for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel to obtain plutonium, although Tehran has conducted related experiments. Russia and Iran have in recent years strengthened their bilateral cooperation around energy, with President Putin touting that two countries have achieved a 'comprehensive strategic partnership' which sets 'ambitious goals and outlines guidelines for deepening bilateral cooperation in the long term.' Iran is expanding its Bushehr nuclear power plant by building the second and third units of the reactor is designed in accordance with the standards of the International Atomic Energy — Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) June 9, 2025 All of this is of course set amid the backdrop of biting US-led sanctions targeting both Russian and Iranian economies and societies. Both have relied on BRICS and non-aligned countries to meet their growing military-industrial needs. Also read: Sultan Of Oman Ratifies Visa Waiver Agreement With Russia
Daily Maverick
08-05-2025
- Daily Maverick
Russian firm recruits young African women, including from SA, to build drones for war on Ukraine
Some recruits complained of racism and harassment. Others said they were subjected to excess surveillance and had to sign non-disclosure agreements about their work. A Russian firm is fraudulently recruiting hundreds of young foreign women — mostly from Africa, including South Africa — to manufacture drones which it is using to attack Ukraine, according to a new report. The women, aged between 18 and 22, though in the past some have been younger, are not told they are being recruited to Russia to make drones, according to the report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC). The report, 'Who is making Russia's drones? — The migrant women exploited for Russia's war economy', said the women were recruited by a private company, Alabuga Start, with promises of good salaries and educational opportunities. The company is part of the Alabuga Special Economic Zone (Alabuga SEZ), an industrial park in the city of Yelabuga, east of Moscow. It has been manufacturing Iranian Shahed drones since late 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, in a deal with the Iranian company Sahara Thunder — a subsidiary of the Iranian Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces, says the report. No mention is made in the recruiting of the migrant workers that they will be contributing to Russia's war against Ukraine, nor that they could face danger, says the report. The production site in the Alabuga SEZ, where Iranian Shahed 'kamikaze' drones and Albatross reconnaissance drones are made, was attacked by Ukrainian drones in April 2024, injuring several African migrant workers. GI-TOC said Alabuga Start participants and other workers at the site described exploitative, repressive and punitive working conditions. Some recruits complained of racism and harassment of African workers. Others said they were subjected to excess surveillance and had to sign non-disclosure agreements about their work. Some workers claimed that they were not paid what they had been promised (around $500 a month), although others expressed satisfaction with the pay. The report noted that Alabuga Start had at times been pitched as a work-study programme and some recruits had been promised they could continue from the Alabuga Polytech alongside the factory, to study at Russian universities. But, reportedly, these opportunities did not materialise, and several workers complained that they were given the least-skilled, most menial work. Euphemistic descriptions GI-TOC found that up to 90% of the migrant workers ended up on the drone assembly line, while the rest did jobs such as cleaning in the factory. Meanwhile, the advertising for recruits contained 'euphemistic or generic descriptions about working as a 'production operator' or 'technician' in otherwise unnamed production lines'. The report's authors found documents which included staffing plans which 'set out three categories of personnel: specialist technicians (Russians); 'Tajik' engineers; and 'mulatto' workers, a derogatory term for the African migrant workers'. The report quoted Timur Shagivaleev, CEO of the Alabuga SEZ, who said the programme was aimed at relieving Russia's labour shortage as 'Russians are simply not ready to work for 30,000–40,000 rubles ($300–400) … in Third World countries … the starting salary is very low – about $200. And that's why foreigners from exotic countries are ready to work for such money.' The report said its research showed that the most recent starting salary was now about $500 per month. Shagivaleev was also quoted as saying Alabuga Start only recruited women because they were more 'accurate' in their work and easier to work with than men. According to Alabuga's figures, the programme recruited participants from 44 countries in 2023, said the report. It added that it identified recruits from at least 32 countries, though there were likely to be more. GI-TOC's list includes South Africa as a source country for workers, but does not provide details. The report noted that the drones produced at Alabuga were central to Russia's war effort, as it has been launching attacks on Ukraine using Shahed-type drones almost daily. The Shaheds are called kamikaze drones because they don't carry separate weapons — they are the weapons. Which means Russia needs lots of them. Alabuga is a private company, and GI-TOC said it had found no evidence that the fraudulent recruitment of migrant women was directed by the Russian government. However, it said the company had close government links — as Moscow is a financial backer and the only user of the drones. Strategic interests It added that Alabuga 'is in line with Russia's strategic interests of growing its presence overseas, including in countries in Africa, and it has often made use of private business to achieve these objectives (including in the case of Wagner)', referring to the private military company founded by Russian President Vladimir Putin's confidante Yevgeny Prigozhin, which helped him fight his battles in Ukraine, Syria and Africa before he mutinied in 2023 and died in a suspicious plane crash with his senior commanders. The report also discovered evidence that Russian embassies in Tanzania and Central African Republic were involved in the recruitment of workers from those countries. It said that Alabuga Start primarily recruited online, but also through recruitment partners in source countries, some of whom claimed they did not know the workers were being recruited to make drones. GI-TOC found that the governments of some African countries had assisted in the recruitment of their nationals for the programme. A damaged car at the site of Russian shelling near a residential building in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, 07 March 2025, amid the Russian invasion. At least eight people were injured after Russian missile strikes hit near a three-story building and a critical infrastructure facility in Kharkiv, the Mayor of the city Ihor Terekhov wrote on telegram. Russia launched 194 attack drones and 67 missiles across Ukraine overnight, with Ukrainian air defenses shooting down 36 rockets and 186 drones, according to the Air Force Command of Ukraine. EPA-EFE/SERGEY KOZLOV It noted, though, that as the complaints from participating workers and others increased, Alabuga Start had become more politicised, and some host countries in Africa had begun to take action against it. It said Burkina Faso had apparently halted recruitment, while Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania had made moves to regulate recruitment. The report said Uganda had created a bilateral labour agreement with Russia that could cover Alabuga Start, while Kenya and Tanzania had reportedly discussed creating such an agreement. GI-TOC noted that though recruitment initially focused on Africa, it now ranged further, including Asia and particularly Latin America. GI-TOC said that according to the definition of the UN Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime, Alabuga Start 'does not constitute a clear-cut case of human trafficking … but something that is more akin to fraudulent exploitation'. It found that Alabuga's failure to inform the recruits that they were going to Russia to make drones did amount to an element of human trafficking under the convention. However, there was not a wholesale denial of the participants' rights, including because they did receive pay and other benefits that were promised. And they were allowed to leave after their contracts ended. The ambiguity was reflected in participants' divergent views, 'which varied from feelings of exploitation to acceptance of the working conditions'. Highly irregular The report concluded, nevertheless, that 'the Alabuga SEZ recruitment programmes constitute an exploitative use of juvenile and migrant labour to support the Russian war economy. It is a highly irregular arrangement that shows the lengths to which Russia is having to go to sustain its military supply chains. 'There is a clear disjoint between the upbeat promises of the glossy marketing campaign made to young women from predominantly the Global South and the harsh realities of the working conditions, and the deception, coercion and risks to safety that the work exposes them to. 'By concealing the true nature of Alabuga's role in producing military drones it denies potential recruits the opportunity to make an informed decision about what they are undertaking as applicants.' The report recommended that countries from which Alabuga Start participants had been recruited should: Contact these participants through their embassies in Russia to ensure their welfare; Investigate the programme and the safeguards for participants; Identify the local intermediaries and ask them to stop promoting the programme; and Stop issuing travel documents to prevent their citizens from participating in the programme. International partners of these countries should share information with source countries of Alabuga Start participants about the company's role in the war economy and the treatment of migrant workers. They should also support the development of alternative work and education opportunities for migrant workers. Daily Maverick did reach out to Alabuga Start for comment, but had receive not response at the time of publication. Their comment will be added should they choose to comment at a later stage. DM
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine updates: Kyiv skeptical of Putin's 'Easter truce'
Putin has offered truce until for Saturday evening and all of Easter Sunday The offer might be Putin signaling to US President Donald Trump, DW correspondent says Russia, Ukraine engage in new prisoner swap Top Russian general claims 99% of Kursk region taken back from Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was also skeptical of Putin's declaration. "As for yet another attempt by Putin to play with human lives — at this moment, air raid alerts are spreading across Ukraine," Zelenskyy posted on X. "At 17:15, Russian attack drones were detected in our skies. Ukrainian air defense and aviation have already begun working to protect us. Shahed in our skies reveal Putin's true attitude toward Easter and towards human life," he added. Russia has frequently used Iranian Shahed drones to attack Ukranian cities from the sky. DW's Kyiv correspondent Nick Connolly has been hearing from Ukrainians on the ground after Vladimir Putin announced an "Easter truce." Here's his analysis of the current situation: There is huge skepticism here in Ukraine about Putin's motives in calling this pause in fighting. Most people you talk to — soldiers and civilians alike — are convinced that is merely about Putin wanting to keep Trump onside, rather than ending hostilities. After weeks in which Russia kept adding new demands before agreeing to any longer ceasefire, this looks a lot like an attempt to win goodwill without giving up on the goal of occupying more Ukrainian land. When Trump's diplomacy eventually fails, Putin doesn't want to take all the blame, that's an opinion you hear a lot in Ukraine right now. Even if this ceasefire is extended beyond Easter Sunday, monitoring its enforcement effectively along over 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of front-lines without boots on the ground will be near impossible. Many Ukrainians will tell you that they expect Putin to claim Ukraine has broken the truce and restart the fighting whenever it suits him and no one will be able to conclusively verify who opened fire first. Russian political analyst in exile Dmitry Oreshkin that Putin's offer is "blatant hypocrisy." Talking to DW's Riga bureau Oreshkin said that "if this were truly about a genuine desire for peace, the conversation would at least be about a ceasefire for Easter week or even two" and the talks would start far before the holiday. In Oreshkin's interpretation, the truce offer could be Putin's attempt to placate US President Donald Trump. Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February, 2022. US President Donald Trump's administration is currently seeking an end to the conflict in Ukraine. According to Oreshkin, "the Kremlin is clearly trying to keep the issue suspended: without outright rejecting anything on Trump's agenda, but also without making any serious moves toward de-escalation. Which means that while Putin doesn't dare to openly clash with Trump, he's hoping to drag out the process — meanwhile nibbling off small pieces of Ukrainian territory and strengthening his bargaining position." Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha responded skeptically to Russian President Vladimir Putin's plan for a 30-hour "Easter truce." Putin said Russia would stop fighting in Ukraine at 1800 [1500 GMT] on April 19, with the ceasefire ending on 0000 on April 21. However, Putin said the Russian military was ready to repel possible "provocations by the enemy." Ukraine in March had agreed to a US proposal for a full ceasefire in Ukraine for 30 days. Sybiha said Kyiv still stands by that proposal. Ukraine's position remains clear and consistent: back in Jeddah on March 11, we agreed unconditionally to the U.S. proposal of a full interim ceasefire for 30 days. Russia refused, and the Russian refusal to the United States has already lasted 39 days. Instead, the Moscow… — Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) April 19, 2025 "We know [Putin's] words cannot be trusted and we will look actions, not words," Sybiha said. "Russia can agree at agree at any time to the proposal for a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire, which has been on the table since March." Welcome to DW's coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on April 19, 2025. This blog will bring you the latest news and analysis related to the war, along with multimedia content and perspectives from DW correspondents on the ground.
The Guardian
20-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Russia and Ukraine exchange aerial attacks amid ceasefire confusion
Russia and Ukraine exchanged aerial assaults overnight amid uncertainty over the timing and terms of a limited US-brokered ceasefire agreed this week. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Russia launched nearly 200 Iranian Shahed drones overnight, wounding at least 10 people, including four children, and damaging 'residential buildings, a church, and infrastructure'. 'Russia's strikes on Ukraine continue despite its propagandistic statements … With each launch, the Russians show the world their true attitude toward peace,' Zelenskyy said in a morning statement on Telegram. Russian forces also struck a village in the Sumy region and carried out a series of airstrikes on a town near the city of Kharkiv. Ukraine launched its own mass drone attack on Russia, appearing to hit an airfield near a key airbase about 435 miles (700 km) from the frontlines. The airbase in the Russian city of Engels hosts the Tupolev Tu-160 nuclear-capable heavy strategic bombers that have frequently been involved in strikes against Ukrainian cities. 'Engels today suffered the most massive UAV attack of all time,' Roman Busargin, the governor of Russia's Saratov region, wrote on Telegram. Busargin said the attack left an airfield on fire and that nearby residents had been evacuated. He did not specifically mention the Engels base, but it is the main airfield in the area. Images shared by Russian Telegram channels showed thick smoke rising from an area west of the airfield, with reports suggesting that an ammunition depot cruise missile exploded. Regional officials said 10 people were injured in the strike. Zelenskyy on Wednesday said he had signed up to a partial ceasefire that Trump agreed with Vladimir Putin a day earlier after what the Ukrainian leader had described as a 'positive, very substantive and frank' call with the US president. But there was confusion over what exactly Trump and Putin had agreed, as Moscow and Washington gave very different readouts in the aftermath. Trump, in an initial post on Truth Social, said the partial ceasefire would apply to 'energy and infrastructure', giving the impression that it would extend to all civilian infrastructure. Zelenskyy, after his call with Trump, spoke about 'ending strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure'. However, Putin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said on Wednesday the ceasefire would only apply to the energy sector, and a White House statement on Wednesday also referred only to energy. In a Zoom call with journalists late on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said he 'received signals' from the US that the ceasefire would include energy facilities as well as civilian infrastructure. Zelenskyy said his team would draw up a list of the kind of facilities they felt could be included and would present them to the Americans at upcoming negotiations. The Ukrainian leader also said that he and Trump had discussed the US proposal to take ownership of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. US control over the plant as part of a potential peace plan depended on whether it can be restored and brought back into operation, Zelenskyy said. The Ukrainian president added that he was discussing with Washington the possibility of an agreement under which the US could take the lead in its recovery. There is also uncertainty over when US and Russian officials will meet next. Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said a new round of talks between the US and Russia was set to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Sunday. On Thursday, Peskov said the discussions would focus on ensuring safe shipping in the Black Sea, though the exact date of the meeting remained unclear. 'It may not be Sunday itself … it could be at the start of next week,' Peskov told journalists in Moscow.
The Guardian
17-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy replaces head of general staff of the armed forces
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has appointed Andriy Gnatov as chief of the general staff of the armed forces, replacing Anatoliy Bargylevych, who has been moved to chief inspector of the defence ministry. 'He [Gnatov] is a combat guy,' Zelenskyy said. 'His task is to bring more combat experience … Everything that our brigades have learned from the war should be implemented 100% at the planning level.' Ukraine's defence minister, Rustem Umerov, posted: 'We are systematically transforming the armed forces of Ukraine to enhance their combat effectiveness. This involves restructuring the command system and implementing clear standards.' Russia launched a drone attack on Kyiv, its mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said early on Monday, adding that Ukrainian air defence units were responding. Reuters said its witnesses heard blasts that sounded like air defences in action. On Sunday, Kyiv said Moscow had launched 90 Iranian Shahed drones on to nine Ukrainian regions. Emmanuel Macron has said France, the UK, and other nations providing security guarantees for Ukraine after any eventual ceasefire would not be aiming to deploy a 'mass' of soldiers but instead could send contingents of several thousand troops to key locations in Ukraine without needing Russia's permission. From Paris, Angelique Chrisafis writes that the French president insisted: 'Under no circumstances can the Ukrainians make territorial concessions without having any security guarantees.' Macron said Russia 'does not give the impression it sincerely wants peace'; on the contrary, the Russian president was 'escalating the fighting' and 'wants to get everything, then negotiate'. Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are expected this week to discuss the ceasefire proposed by the US and Ukraine, write Edward Helmore and Shaun Walker. Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff said he thinks 'the two presidents are going to have a really good and positive discussion this week', and Trump 'really expects there to be some sort of deal in the coming weeks, maybe, and I believe that's the case'. Moscow said the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, had called his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. 'Sergei Lavrov and Marco Rubio agreed to remain in contact,' the Russian foreign ministry said, with no mention of the proposed ceasefire. Witkoff claimed Putin accepted the 'philosophy' of the ceasefire. However, Putin has been vague about what terms he would demand or accept. Late on Sunday, Zelenskyy said he had spoken with Canada's new prime minister, Mark Carney. 'The prime minister made the right points about how we need to step up pressure on Moscow,' Zelenskyy said. 'The shadow fleet, the banking sector. We must impose all-out sanctions on everything that provides Russia with funding for its war. Only then can we force Putin to a just and lasting peace.' Carney is due in France on Monday for talks with Emmanuel Macron that will cover the war in Ukraine, before travelling to London to meet Keir Starmer, the British PM. Lithuania on Sunday backed an EU proposal to pledge up to €40bn in military aid for Ukraine this year and said a similar amount would also be needed in future years. While some EU countries have responded cautiously to the initiative, Lithuania's foreign minister, Kestutis Budrys, said long-term military support for Ukraine should not depend on the outcome of any peace talks as it was already clear Kyiv would need to maintain strong 'deterrence forces for Russians not to return'. Lithuania spent 2.85% of GDP on defence in 2024, according to Nato estimates, and has committed to raising that figure to 5% to 6% between 2026 and 2030. Russia would demand that Nato members exclude Ukraine from membership and that it will remain neutral in any peace deal, Alexander Grushko, a Russian deputy foreign minister, has told the Russian media outlet Izvestia.
