Latest news with #provocation
Russia Today
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Moscow accuses Kiev of planning false-flag attack ahead of Trump-Putin summit (FULL TEXT)
Russia's Ministry of Defense has alleged that the Ukrainian government is preparing a high-profile provocation intended to derail the upcoming Russian-American summit scheduled for August 15. According to Moscow, the plan involves staging an attack in a frontline city and blaming it on Russian forces in order to create a damaging international media narrative. The Russian side asserts that Western journalists have already been brought into the Kharkov Region in order to produce civilian-focused reports. On April 1, 2022, the Zelensky government accused the Russian military of massacring civilians in the town of Bucha near Kiev. Moscow maintains that the alleged massacre in March 2022 was a Ukrainian false-flag operation designed to derail peace talks which were taking place in Istanbul at the time. Moscow insists that the killings took place after its forces had left the town, and has called for a UN investigation. Below is the full text of the statement by the Russian Ministry of Defense. According to information obtained through multiple channels, the Kiev regime is preparing a provocation aimed at disrupting the planned Russian-American talks scheduled for August 15 of this year. To this end, on Monday, August 11, a group of foreign media journalists was transported by the SBU to the city of Chuguev in the Kharkov Region, under the cover story of 'preparing a series of reports about residents of the city in the frontline zone.' Directly before the summit, on Friday, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are reportedly planning a staged strike using drones and missiles on one of the densely populated residential areas or a hospital, with a large number of civilian casualties. The Western journalists brought in are expected to immediately 'document' the incident. As a result of this provocation by the Kiev regime, all responsibility for the strike and civilian casualties will be assigned to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, with the goal of creating a negative media backdrop and conditions for derailing Russian-American cooperation on resolving the conflict in Ukraine. Provocations in other settlements under Kiev's control are also possible.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Korea warns of ‘negative consequences' for U.S.-S. Korea military drills
SEOUL, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- North Korea's defense chief on Monday condemned the upcoming large-scale Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercise between the United States and South Korea and warned of "negative consequences." The North "strongly" denounces the allies "for their provocative moves of clearly showing the stand of military confrontation with the DPRK and making another serious challenge to the security environment on the Korean Peninsula and in the region," Defense Minister No Kwang Choi said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea. "[We] solemnly warn them of the negative consequences to be entailed by them," No said. The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, which includes live field maneuvers, computer simulation-based command post exercises and related civil defense drills, will be held from Aug. 18-28. No called the exercise "not only a direct military provocation against the DPRK but also a real threat to amplify the unpredictability of the situation on the Korean Peninsula." The North will "strictly exercise the sovereign right of the DPRK at the level of the right to self-defense in a case of any provocation going beyond the boundary line," No said. Pyongyang regularly condemns the allies' joint drills as rehearsals for an invasion and has at times reacted with missile launches and other provocations. A representative of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command on Monday emphasized that the exercise, which will involve around 21,000 personnel, is "defensive in nature." "All professional militaries train," the representative said in a background briefing with reporters. "North Korea trains, we train. Our training is designed to protect everyone living inside the Republic of Korea. They fire missiles and rockets -- it's not the same." The CFC representative noted that the tone of No's statement was relatively measured, however. "If you actually look at North Korea's statement, it's a little bit tame compared to historical norms," the representative said. "They basically said: 'Whatever you do, just don't go across our border.'" The exercise comes amid efforts by the administration of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to improve frayed relations with Pyongyang. Last week, the South's military removed loudspeakers that had been installed along the DMZ to blast anti-Pyongyang messages across the border. On Saturday, North Korea began removing its own speakers in some forward areas, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a message to reporters. Half of Ulchi Freedom Shield's 44 planned field training exercises have been rescheduled to next month, the CFC representative confirmed Monday, citing an ongoing heatwave and flooding damage to training areas as the primary reasons. According to local media reports, the move is also being made in an effort to avoid provoking Pyongyang. The CFC representative said that the changes would have "minimal impact." "There shouldn't be any loss in readiness or defensive posture from rescheduling those events," the representative said. "The most important training is being conducted as planned." Solve the daily Crossword
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
North Korea warns of reprisal against South Korea-US drills
North Korea has denounced a major joint exercise planned by the South Korean and US militaries as 'direct military provocation' and warned of counteraction, despite signs of easing tension across the border under a new leader in Seoul. North Korea's Defense Minister No Kwang Chol said its military has an 'absolute mission' to defend national security against the large-scale 11-day drills by South Korea and the United States, which he said posed a real and dangerous threat. 'The armed forces of the DPRK will cope with the war drills of the US and the (South) with thoroughgoing and resolute counteraction posture and strictly exercise the sovereign right,' No said in a statement issued via the KCNA state news agency on Monday. DPRK is short for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name. No said the drills staged under the pretext of defense against threats were additional proof of the confrontational intent by the two countries that raises hostility and further destabilizes regional security. North Korea routinely denounces military drills by the South and the United States, having called some previous exercises 'a rehearsal' for nuclear war on the Korean peninsula, even as Pyongyang conducted a range of missile tests and live fire artillery exercises. South Korea and the United States said last week the annual exercise would begin on August 18 to test command control and troop mobilization under an upgraded security strategy against a heightened threat of nuclear warfare by North Korea. However, the allies said a major part of the field exercise would be postponed and conducted separately next month, citing weather conditions. The postponement was widely seen as prompted by South Korea's liberal President Lee Jae Myung, who won a snap election in June, to ease tension with Pyongyang. Ties between the rival Koreas had plunged to some of the most hostile points in recent years, as the North pressed on with developing nuclear attack capabilities and dramatically boosted military ties with Russia. While Pyongyang has publicly rebuffed renewed outreach by Lee and Washington for dialogue, it was making moves seen as reciprocating some South Korean actions to ease tensions. South Korea said on Saturday it had detected the North's military removing some loudspeakers at the border, days after the South began dismantling similar equipment that had blared propaganda across the border. North Korea also seemed to have used a more restrained tone in criticisms about the US South Korea joint exercises, said an official at Seoul's Unification Ministry, which oversees ties between the Koreas. Pyongyang 'appears to focus on expressing its position on the drills, rather than making military threats,' ministry spokesperson Koo Byoungsam said at a briefing on Monday.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
North Korea warns of reprisal against South Korea-US drills despite signs of tensions easing
SEOUL, Aug 11 (Reuters) - North Korea has denounced a major joint exercise planned by the South Korean and U.S. militaries as "direct military provocation" and warned of counteraction, despite signs of easing tension across the border under a new leader in Seoul. North Korea's Defence Minister No Kwang Chol said its military has an "absolute mission" to defend national security against the large-scale 11-day drills by South Korea and the United States, which he said posed a real and dangerous threat. "The armed forces of the DPRK will cope with the war drills of the U.S. and the (South) with thoroughgoing and resolute counteraction posture and strictly exercise the sovereign right," No said in a statement issued via the KCNA state news agency on Monday. DPRK is short for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name. No said the drills staged under the pretext of defence against threats were additional proof of the confrontational intent by the two countries that raises hostility and further destabilises regional security. North Korea routinely denounces military drills by the South and the United States, having called some previous exercises "a rehearsal" for nuclear war on the Korean peninsula, even as Pyongyang conducted a range of missile tests and live fire artillery exercises. South Korea and the United States said last week the annual exercise would begin on August 18 to test command control and troop mobilisation under an upgraded security strategy against a heightened threat of nuclear warfare by North Korea. However, the allies said a major part of the field exercise would be postponed and conducted separately next month, citing weather conditions. The postponement was widely seen as prompted by South Korea's liberal President Lee Jae Myung, who won a snap election in June, to ease tension with Pyongyang. Ties between the rival Koreas had plunged to some of the most hostile points in recent years, as the North pressed on with developing nuclear attack capabilities and dramatically boosted military ties with Russia. While Pyongyang has publicly rebuffed renewed outreach by Lee and Washington for dialogue, it was making moves seen as reciprocating some South Korean actions to ease tensions. South Korea said on Saturday it had detected the North's military removing some loudspeakers at the border, days after the South began dismantling similar equipment that had blared propaganda across the border. North Korea also seemed to have used a more restrained tone in criticisms about the U.S.-South Korea joint exercises, said an official at Seoul's Unification Ministry, which oversees ties between the Koreas. Pyongyang "appears to focus on expressing its position on the drills, rather than making military threats," ministry spokesperson Koo Byoungsam said at a briefing on Monday.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Vance calls out Democrats over Epstein files, reignites push for transparency
By Alejandra Jaramillo , CNN US Vice President JD Vance speaks at the US military's Pituffik Space Base in Greenland on March 28, 2025. The visit is viewed by Copenhagen and Nuuk as a provocation amid President Donald Trump's bid to annex the strategically-placed, resource-rich Danish territory. (Photo by Jim WATSON / POOL / AFP) Photo: JIM WATSON Vice President JD Vance pushed back against criticism of the Trump administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files , accusing Democrats of political opportunism and failing to act when they held power in an interview released on Sunday. "President Trump has demanded full transparency from this. And yet somehow the Democrats are attacking him and not the Biden administration, which did nothing for four years," Vance told Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures," defending the administration's approach to the unreleased documents. "I laugh at the Democrats who are now all of a sudden, so interested in the Epstein files . For four years Joe Biden, the Democrats did absolutely nothing about this story," Vance added. "We know that Jeffrey Epstein had a lot of connections with left-wing politicians and left-wing billionaires," he claimed, adding that Democratic political leaders "went to Epstein Island all the time." Vance did not give more details or provide evidence of that allegation. Vance's comments come amid renewed public pressure to unseal documents related to the Epstein case after the Justice Department announced in a memo last month that there was no evidence the accused sex trafficker kept a "client list" or that he was murdered. After the Fox News interview aired, clips of Vance's remarks gained traction across social media, with users across the political spectrum posting: "Release the Epstein files!" The vice president reiterated that full disclosure remains a goal of the administration. "The president has said very clearly, because we've had other meetings about that, is that he wants us to be fully transparent," Vance said. "So we're working to compile the thousands and thousands of documents that are out there for full transparency," he said. The Justice Department told two federal judges Friday it wants to release grand jury exhibits in Epstein case, in addition to transcripts, with "appropriate redactions of victim-related and other personal identifying information." However, it's unclear how much information in the grand jury transcripts and evidence is already not in the public sphere. Vance also denied that the Epstein files were the subject of a meeting previously reported by CNN, held at the White House last week between Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, the vice president and others. "We did meet at the White House," Vance said. "We have a great FBI director and a great Department of Justice lead, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and we met to talk about how to ensure we have justice for the American people." "We actually didn't talk about the Epstein issue," Vance added. Vance and his office denied on Wednesday that a meeting on Epstein was taking place, as CNN previously reported, but a source familiar with the logistics of the meeting said the attendees discussed a number of topics, including the Epstein case and potential next steps. Trump administration officials are weighing whether to publish an audio recording and transcript of Blanche's recent conversation with Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, CNN previously reported. Meanwhile, the House Oversight Committee last week issued a dozen subpoenas to the Justice Department and high-profile Democratic and Republican figures for files and information related to Epstein. - CNN
