Latest news with #Russian-appointed
New York Post
13 hours ago
- Business
- New York Post
Russia captures key lithium deposit in Ukraine in move that could impact US mineral deal
Russian troops have seized control of a key lithium field in eastern Ukraine despite fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces — in a move that some analysts speculate could potentially impact the United States' mineral deal. President Vladimir Putin's forces captured the village of Shevchenko in the Donetsk region, which is close to the lithium deposit, within the last few days, Russian officials declared Thursday. The deposit, which is located on Shevchenko's eastern outskirts and covers roughly 100 acres, is believed to be one of Ukraine's most valuable lithium deposits and sits at a depth that would allow commercial mining. Ukrainian servicemen of the 101st Guard Brigade Of General Staff prepare to fire a 122-mm howitzer D-30 toward Russian positions on the frontline in the Donetsk area on Wednesday. VITALII NOSACH/EPA/Shutterstock Some industry analysts warned of possible impacts to the US-Ukraine mineral deal given that the seizure deprives Kyiv of a critical asset it could have offered up as part of the long-awaited partnership. 'If Russian troops go further, capture more and more territory, they will control more and more mineral deposits,' Mykhailo Zhernov, director of the US company Critical Metals Corp, which previously held a license at the Shevchenko deposit, told the New York Times. 'It's an issue for this deal.' The deal, which was inked in April, created a joint fund to boost the reconstruction of the war-torn nation and gave the US preferential access to investment in Ukraine's oil, gas and rare mineral industries. Analysts suggested the ongoing Russian advancement and subsequent occupation of Ukrainian territory — including the likes of the Shevchenko deposit — would prove to be a challenge for the deal. Workers operate machinery at an open-pit titanium mine in the Zhytomyr region back in February. AFP via Getty Images Russian forces have been inching toward the Shevchenko field for months and, at one point, were advancing on it from three different routes, according to open-source mapping from Deep State, an authoritative Ukrainian military blogging resource. 'The village of Shevchenko, which is located on the border with the Dnipropetrovsk region, is another settlement that has a lithium deposit,' Igor Klimakovsky, a Russian-appointed official in Donetsk, was quoted by Russian state media as saying. 'This was one of the reasons why the Ukrainian armed forces sent a huge number of their soldiers to hold it.' Russian-backed officials have previously suggested the Shevchenko field will be developed when the situation permits. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine in the wake of the Shevchenko capture. With Post wires
Gulf Today
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Russia, Ukraine accuse each other of breaching ceasefire
Russia and Ukraine on Sunday accused each other of violating an Easter truce announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces were continuing their shelling and assaults along the front line despite Putin announcing the surprise truce. The 30-hour truce starting Saturday evening to mark the religious holiday could be the most significant pause in the fighting throughout the three-year conflict. The Ukrainian air force did not report any drone launches or missile attacks overnight. But Zelensky accused Russia of having kept up its attacks on the front line after the truce started. Russia's defence ministry in turn said it had 'repelled' attempted assaults by Ukraine and accused Kyiv of launching hundreds of drones and shells, causing civilian casualties. 'Despite the announcement of the Easter truce, Ukrainian units at night made attempts to attack' Russia's positions in the Donetsk region, the ministry added. A woman and two children were wounded by a drone attack in Russia's Belgorod border region, the governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, said. The Russian-appointed mayor of Gorlovka in the occupied part of the Donetsk region, Ivan Prikhodko, said two civilians had been wounded without giving details. Zelensky said Ukraine saw hundreds of attacks and drone launches on Sunday. 'The Ukrainian army is acting and will continue to act in an absolutely mirror image' of Russia, Zelensky said. The Russian defence ministry insisted its troops had 'strictly observed the ceasefire.' Putin's order to halt all combat over the Easter weekend came after months of efforts by US President Donald Trump to get Moscow and Kyiv to agree to a ceasefire. On Friday, Washington even threatened to withdraw from talks if no progress was made. Ukrainian soldiers said that they had noticed a lull in fighting. A drone unit commander said that Russia's activity had 'significantly decreased both in Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions,' the war-torn areas in the south and northeast where the unit is active. 'Several assaults were recorded, but those were solitary incidents involving small groups,' the commander said, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'Fewer guys (soldiers) will die today.' Russian 'artillery is not working. it is quiet compared to a regular day,' Sergiy, a junior lieutenant fighting in the Sumy border region, wrote to AFP in a message. 'Drones are flying, of course. Those are mostly reconnaissance drones, not strike ones.' Ukrainian troops 'are on the defensive', he said. 'If the enemy doesn't move forward, they don't shoot.' AFP journalists standing on a high vantage point in eastern Ukraine heard fewer explosions than usual and saw no smoke on the horizon. Putin announced the truce from 6pm (1500 GMT) Saturday to midnight Sunday (2100 GMT Sunday) in televised comments, saying it was motivated by 'humanitarian reasons.' While he expected Ukraine to comply, Putin said that Russian troops 'must be ready to resist possible breaches of the truce and provocations by the enemy.' Zelensky said Ukraine would follow suit, and proposed extending the truce 30 days beyond Sunday to 'give peace a chance.' He said Sunday that Russia 'has not yet responded to this.' Putin earlier rejected a proposed 30-day full and unconditional ceasefire. Previous attempts at holding ceasefires for Easter in April 2022 and Orthodox Christmas in January 2023 were not implemented after both sides failed to agree on them. In Kyiv on Sunday, as Easter bells rang out, people expressed doubts over whether Russia would observe the truce or agree with Zelensky's proposal to extend it. 'They've already broken their promise. Unfortunately, we cannot trust Russia today,' said 38-year-old Olga Grachova, who works in marketing. Agence France-Presse
Korea Herald
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Russia, Ukraine trade blame over truce as Trump predicts 'deal'
KRAMATORSK, Ukraine (AFP) -- Russia and Ukraine on Sunday accused each other of violating an Easter truce as US President Donald Trump surprisingly announced that the war rivals could make a "deal" this week. The 30-hour truce from Saturday, announced by Russia's President Vladimir Putin, had been meant to mark the religious holiday. But Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had carried out hundreds of frontline attacks. "The Ukrainian army is acting and will continue to act in an absolutely mirror image" of Russia," he warned. Later Zelenskyy said on social media: "The Russian army has violated Putin's ceasefire more than 2,000 times." "However, there were no air raid alerts today," he added, proposing a halt to "any strikes using long-range drones and missiles on civilian infrastructure for a period of at least 30 days." He made a similar proposal at the beginning of the weekend in response to Putin's announcement of the Easter truce. Trump had also made a ceasefire proposal to Russia, which was accepted by Ukraine but rebuffed by Russia. Trump said on Friday that he would end US efforts to halt the war that started with Russia's February 2022 invasion unless the two sides moved toward an accord. Then on Sunday, he came out with a new startling announcement. "Hopefully Russia and Ukraine will make a deal this week," he said in a short message on his Truth Social platform. "Both will then start to do big business with the United States of America, which is thriving, and make a fortune," he added. The White House did not immediately give any further details on the president's announcement. Russia, which has called the ceasefire talks "difficult", accused Ukraine of breaching the truce. Moscow said it had "repelled" Ukrainian assaults and accused Kyiv of launching hundreds of drones and shells, causing civilian casualties. "Despite the announcement of the Easter truce, Ukrainian units at night made attempts to attack" Russian positions in the Donetsk region, its Defense Ministry added. Russian troops had "strictly observed the ceasefire," the ministry insisted. Rescue services in the eastern town of Kostyantynivka said they had recovered the bodies of a man and a woman from the ruins of building hit the previous day by Russian shelling. The Russian-appointed mayor of Gorlovka in occupied Donetsk, Ivan Prikhodko, said two civilians had been wounded there. Ukrainian soldiers told Agence France-Presse that they had noticed a lull in fighting. A drone unit commander said that Russia's activity had "significantly decreased both in Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions," combat zones in the south and northeast where the unit is active. "Several assaults were recorded, but those were solitary incidents involving small groups," the commander told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Fewer guys (soldiers) will die today." Russian "artillery is not working. it is quiet compared to a regular day," Sergiy, a junior lieutenant fighting in the Sumy border region, wrote to AFP in a message. Ukrainian troops "are on the defensive," he added. "If the enemy doesn't move forward, they don't shoot." AFP journalists monitoring in eastern Ukraine heard fewer explosions than usual and saw no smoke on the horizon. Putin had announced a truce from 6 p.m. Saturday to midnight Sunday Moscow time, saying it was motivated by "humanitarian reasons." Zelenskyy responded that Ukraine was ready to follow suit and proposed extending the truce for 30 days to "give peace a chance." But he said Sunday that Russia had not responded to the offer. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin had given no order to extend the truce. In Kyiv, as Easter Sunday bells rang out, people doubted Russia's good faith. "They've already broken their promise," said 38-year-old Olga Grachova, who works in marketing. "Unfortunately, we cannot trust Russia today." Natalia, a 41-year-old medic, said of Zelenskyy's 30-day proposal: "Everything we offer, unfortunately, remains only our offers. Nobody responds to them." People in Moscow welcomed an Easter truce and hoped for more progress toward an end to the war. "We dreamt of course that peace would come by Easter. Let it come soon," said Svetlana, a 34-year-old housewife. "I think that this awful thing will end at some point, but not soon," said Irina Volkova, a 73-year-old pensioner.
Arab News
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of breaching Easter truce
KRAMATORSK: Russia and Ukraine on Sunday accused each other of violating an Easter truce announced by Russian President Vladimir 30-hour truce had been meant to start Saturday to mark the religious holiday, but Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of keeping up its attacks on the front Ukrainian troops told AFP that fighting had eased, Zelensky said Russian forces staged hundreds of shelling and drone assaults along the front line despite the surprise truce.'The Ukrainian army is acting and will continue to act in an absolutely mirror image' of Russia,' he also renewed a proposal for a 30-day said it had 'repelled' assaults by Ukraine and accused Kyiv of launching hundreds of drones and shells, causing civilian casualties.'Despite the announcement of the Easter truce, Ukrainian units at night made attempts to attack' Russia's positions in the Donetsk region, its defense ministry troops had 'strictly observed the ceasefire,' the defense ministry services in the eastern town of Kostyantynivka said they had recovered the bodies of a man and a woman from the ruins of building hit the previous day by Russian Russian-appointed mayor of Gorlovka in occupied Donetsk, Ivan Prikhodko, said two civilians had been wounded there, without giving launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and now occupies around 20 percent of the order to halt all combat over the Easter weekend came after months of efforts by US President Donald Trump to get the war rivals to agree to a on Friday, Trump threatened to withdraw from talks if no progress was soldiers told AFP that they had noticed a lull in fighting.A drone unit commander said that Russia's activity had 'significantly decreased both in Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions,' combat zones in the south and northeast where the unit is active.'Several assaults were recorded, but those were solitary incidents involving small groups,' the commander told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.'Fewer guys (soldiers) will die today.'Russian 'artillery is not working. it is quiet compared to a regular day,' Sergiy, a junior lieutenant fighting in the Sumy border region, wrote to AFP in a troops 'are on the defensive,' he added. 'If the enemy doesn't move forward, they don't shoot.'AFP journalists monitoring in eastern Ukraine heard fewer explosions than usual and saw no smoke on the announced a truce from 6:00 p.m. (1500 GMT) Saturday to midnight Sunday Moscow time (2100 GMT), saying it was motivated by 'humanitarian reasons.'Zelensky responded that Ukraine was ready to follow suit and proposed extending the truce for 30 days to 'give peace a chance.'But he said Sunday that Russia 'has not yet responded to this.'Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin had given no order to extend the Kyiv, as Easter Sunday bells rang out, people doubted Russia's good faith.'They've already broken their promise,' said 38-year-old Olga Grachova, who works in marketing. 'Unfortunately, we cannot trust Russia today.'Natalia, a 41-year-old medic, said of Zelensky's 30-day proposal: 'Everything we offer, unfortunately, remains only our offers. Nobody responds to them.'People in Moscow welcomed an Easter truce and hoped for more progress toward an end to the war.'We dreamt of course that peace would come by Easter. Let it come soon,' said Svetlana, a 34-year-old housewife.'I think that this awful thing will end at some point, but not soon,' said Irina Volkova, a 73-year-old pensioner.'All is not going well for us in Ukraine,' she added. 'People are dying, our guys are dying.'Moscow said this weekend that it had now recovered 99.5 percent of its Kursk region, which Ukrainian troops occupied in a surprise offensive in August.
Daily Tribune
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Tribune
Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of breaching Easter truce
Russia and Ukraine on Sunday accused each other of violating an Easter truce announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces were continuing their shelling and assaults along the front line despite Putin announcing the surprise truce. The 30-hour truce starting Saturday evening to mark the religious holiday could be the most significant pause in the fighting throughout the three-year conflict. The Ukrainian air force did not report any drone launches or missile attacks overnight. But Zelensky accused Russia of having kept up its attacks on the front line after the truce started. Russia's defence ministry in turn said it had "repelled" attempted assaults by Ukraine and accused Kyiv of launching hundreds of drones and shells, causing civilian casualties. "Despite the announcement of the Easter truce, Ukrainian units at night made attempts to attack" Russia's positions in the Donetsk region, the ministry added. A woman and two children were wounded by a drone attack in Russia's Belgorod border region, the governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, said. The Russian-appointed mayor of Gorlovka in the occupied part of the Donetsk region, Ivan Prikhodko, said two civilians had been wounded without giving details. Zelensky said Ukraine saw hundreds of attacks and drone launches on Sunday. "The Ukrainian army is acting and will continue to act in an absolutely mirror image" of Russia, Zelensky said. The Russian defence ministry insisted its troops had "strictly observed the ceasefire". Russia launched its full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022 and now occupies around 20 percent of the country.
