Mysterious aircraft dropped bombs near a base for Russia's Wagner Group mercenaries fighting in Central African Republic
Wagner fighters have been blamed by the UN for numerous atrocities and human rights violations in the Central African Republic, among other countries.The attack occurred Monday morning local time at a base in Bossangoa, which is a town located in the middle of the country, nearly 200 miles north of the capital city Bangui, according to multiple reports. It was not immediately known where the aircraft came from, or from which entity it may belong to, nor was it clear how many casualties the group suffered.
© Contributor/Getty Images Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (L) seen during the Navy Day Parade in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on July, 31 2022. Contributor/Getty Images - Russian air bases have faced deadly drone attacks thought to be carried out by Ukraine.
- The UK Defense Ministry said these attacks could mark the worst force protection failures of the war.
- The attacks occurred hundreds of miles into Russia territory, far from the front lines.
Drone attacks on Russian air bases — far from the front lines in the Ukraine war — could be viewed by Moscow as the most glaring force protection failure since the invasion of Ukraine was launched in late February, the British Ministry of Defense said.
EXPLAINER: Can Ukraine pay for war without wrecking economy?
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Even as Ukraine celebrates recent battlefield victories, its government faces a looming challenge on the financial front: how to pay the enormous cost of the war effort without triggering out-of-control price spikes for ordinary people or piling up debt that could hamper postwar reconstruction. The struggle is finding loans or donations to cover a massive budget deficit for next year — and do it without using central bank bailouts that risk wrecking Ukraine's currency, the hryvnia.
"The causes of the explosions have not been confirmed. However, if Russia assesses the incidents were deliberate attacks, it will probably consider them as some of the most strategically significant failures of force protection since its invasion of Ukraine," the British defense ministry said Tuesday, adding that "the Russian chain of command will probably seek to identify and impose severe sanctions on Russian officers deemed responsible for allowing the incident."
-
Candlelit dinners and grocery shopping in the dark: Life goes on for Ukrainians amid Russian-triggered power outages
- Blackouts continue throughout Ukraine amid Russian attacks on the country's energy infrastructure.
- Hundreds of thousands of people were left without water and power after a Monday barrage.
- Photos show how Ukrainians are adjusting to life increasingly in the dark.
About 80% of people in Kyiv were left without water on Monday following a devastating barrage of Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure that left scores of people across the country without power as well.
Ukrainians hid orphaned children from Russian deportation
KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) — Hours after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, health staff at a children’s hospital in the south started secretly planning how to save the babies. Russians were suspected of seizing orphan children and sending them to Russia, so staff at the children’s regional hospital in Kherson city began fabricating orphans’ medical records to make it appear like they were too ill to move. “We deliberately wrote false information that the children were sick and could not be transported,” said Dr. Olga Pilyarska, head of intensive care. “We were scared that (the Russians) would find out … (but) we decided that we would save the children at any cost.
Government officials on Tuesday said water had been fully restored, but some 20,000 apartments in the Kyiv region remained in the dark — an increasingly common reality for many Ukrainians as Russia targets the country's energy and power sources in an effort to freeze the country out as autumn turns to winter.
The Monday assault is the latest attack on Ukraine's energy sources since Russian forces began launching a series of airstrikes on power stations and gas and water supplies starting in early October.
Ukraine has said it continues to shoot down the majority of Russian missiles, but officials said the ones that make it through have caused lasting damage to nearly 40% of Ukraine's energy infrastructure, according to The Associated Press.
But for many Ukrainians, the unpredictable blackouts are just one more side effect of more than eight months at war. And life goes on — even in the dark.
Russia is tearing through its munitions stockpiles faster than it can refill them, top US intel chief says
The US Director of National Intelligence said Russia is expending its stockpiles "quite quickly," which she said is "pretty extraordinary."Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, told the Reagan National Defense Forum on Saturday that Russia is burning through its munitions stockpiles "quite quickly," though she did not elaborate on any precise figures.
-
Hundreds of thousands of people throughout Ukraine were without power and water on Monday following a Russian barrage.
The city's water supply was fully restored as of Tuesday, and utility crews continued to work on power outages, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
But rolling blackouts were expected to continue in Kyiv and parts of Kharkiv in order to "reduce the load on the networks" following the spate of recent attacks, Ukraine's electricity-transmission-system operator said, according to The Wall Street Journal.
-
Russian attacks started triggering outages throughout Ukraine in early October.
Yaroslav Vedmid, a 44-year-old Ukrainian business owner in Bilohorodka, told the Associated Press that the power cuts are growing longer — up to almost 12 hours a day.
"When you're relying on electricity, the worst thing is that you can't plan … Psychologically, it's very uncomfortable," he told the outlet.
Russia wants 'hundreds' of ballistic missiles from Iran and is offering 'unprecedented' military support in return, UK envoy says
According to reports, senior Biden administration officials say Russia may give Iran air defense systems and helicopters as part of its support."Russia is now attempting to obtain more weapons, including hundreds of ballistic missiles. In return, Russia is offering Iran an unprecedented level of military and technical support," Barbara Woodward, the UK's permanent representative to the United Nations, told reporters after a Security Council meeting.
-
Hours without power have made work difficult for business owners in Bucha and beyond.
-
Places Where $150K Is More Than Enough To Retire
Ad Microsoft
Energy companies have begun publishing daily schedules for expected outages, but the system is far from reliable.
An uptick in Russian attacks have hindered energy companies' efforts to prepare people for blackouts, the AP reported.
-
But as the unpredictable blackouts become increasingly common, Ukrainians are learning how to live in the new normal.
-
People prepare meals by candlelight.
-
And gather to share meals near a flame.
-
But a sudden demand for candles and other remedies have left shortages in certain regions.
Residents are stocking up on heaters, generators, blankets, candles, and other tools ahead of winter, according to the AP.
-
The power outages mean many are left without internet service or other forms of communication.
While unreliable connection can be frustrating for many, Vedmin's wife Olena told the AP that she's begun reading during the outages as opposed to checking the internet for updates on the war, which has helped her anxiety.
Ukraine Situation Report: Putin Makes New Nuclear 'First Use' Threat
On Thursday, Reverend Rob Schenck spoke in front of the House Judiciary Committee at a hearing regarding alleged ethical breaches at the Supreme Court. Rep. Ted Lieu was at this hearing and joins Katie Phang to discuss.
-
These Celebrity Mega-Mansions Are Now Almost Worthless: Listed
Ad Microsoft
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday delivered his nightly video address in the dark.
The president addressed the Ukrainian people as "warriors of light."
"We are not afraid of the dark," Zelensky said. "The darkest times for us are not without light, but without freedom."
-
Ukrainian officials have indicated that the blackouts and attacks are unlikely to end anytime soon.
But Zelensky had a pointed message for their Russian foes in his Monday speech.
"Russian terrorists do not have such missiles that could hit the Ukrainian desire to live," the Ukrainian president said. "There will be a response on the battlefield."
-
-
Two air bases in Russia were attacked on Monday in incidents that were followed by a drone strike on Tuesday at an oil facility near an airfield in Kursk — located on the border with Ukraine. Monday's drone strikes occurred at Engels-2 air base in Saratov, roughly 315 miles from Ukrainian territory, and the Dyagilevo air base in Ryazan, approximately 285 miles from Ukrainian territory and roughly 130 miles from Moscow. The airbases house Russian strategic bombers.
Three Russian military personnel were killed in the attacks on Monday, and aircraft were also damaged, Moscow said. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility, but Russia blamed Monday's attacks on Kyiv.
82K Ukrainians living in US under special program; Russia hopes to reload with Iranian missiles: Updates
Over 82,000 Ukrainians and their family members have been "paroled" into the United States under the "U4U" — United for Ukraine — program. Updates.The program allows Ukrainians to stay in the U.S. for two years. According to the United Nations, nearl8 million Ukrainians, or 20% of the population, have fled since Russia invaded in February. Most have settled, at least temporarily, in Poland and other European countries.
"The Kyiv regime, in order to disable Russian long-range aircraft, made attempts to strike with Soviet-made unmanned jet aerial vehicles at the military airfields Dyagilevo, in the Ryazan region, and Engels, in the Saratov region," the Russian defense ministry said, per Reuters.
Russia fired yet another barrage of missiles at energy infrastructure across Ukraine on Monday,
Mikhail Podolyak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a cryptic tweet said that the Kremlin should know "if something is launched into other countries' airspace, sooner or later unknown flying objects will return to departure point."
The drones involved in attacks on two Russian bases on Monday were launched from Ukrainian territory, the New York Times reported, citing a senior Ukrainian. The official also told the Times that special forces aided in at least one of the strikes.
"Ukrainian forces likely conducted strikes on two Russian strategic airbases on December 5, inflicting light damage while demonstrating Ukraine's ability to strike Russian rear areas and possibly disrupt Russia's campaign of strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure," according to an assessment from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which has closely tracked the conflict in Ukraine.
"Ukrainian forces likely sought to disrupt Russian strikes against Ukrainian critical infrastructure and demonstrate Ukraine's ability to target Russian strategic assets," ISW added.
Ukraine has largely avoided striking targets within Russia since the war began, excluding Ukrainian territory that Russia illegally annexed. The attacks on Russian air bases seemingly mark a new chapter in the conflict.
Samuel Bendett, a military expert with the Center for Naval Analysis, a Washington think tank, told Insider that Russia's inability to protect its airbases is "baffling."
"Why didn't Russian air defenses track and identify the targets so deep inside the country?" Bendett said in discussions with Insider's Charles Davis.
Mick Ryan, a retired major general in the Australian Army, tweeted that the drone attacks were a "a psychological strike against Russia."
"This attack on a military target deep in Russia will cause consternation among a public who thought they were safely insulated from the war," Ryan added. His comments reflect Ukraine's stated aspirations with previous attacks in Russian-occupied Crimea — bringing the war closer to the Russian people.
Russia: US air defense systems could be targets in Ukraine .
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia's Foreign Ministry warned Thursday that if the U.S. delivers sophisticated air defense systems to Ukraine, those systems and any crews that accompany them would be a “legitimate target” for the Russian military, a blunt threat that was quickly rejected by Washington. The exchange of statements reflected soaring Russia-U.S. tensions amid the fighting in Ukraine, which is now in its 10th month. Russian Foreign MinistryThe exchange of statements reflected soaring Russia-U.S. tensions amid the fighting in Ukraine, which is now in its 10th month.
Wagner fighters have been blamed by the UN for numerous atrocities and human rights violations in the Central African Republic, among other countries.The attack occurred Monday morning local time at a base in Bossangoa, which is a town located in the middle of the country, nearly 200 miles north of the capital city Bangui, according to multiple reports. It was not immediately known where the aircraft came from, or from which entity it may belong to, nor was it clear how many casualties the group suffered. 
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Even as Ukraine celebrates recent battlefield victories, its government faces a looming challenge on the financial front: how to pay the enormous cost of the war effort without triggering out-of-control price spikes for ordinary people or piling up debt that could hamper postwar reconstruction. The struggle is finding loans or donations to cover a massive budget deficit for next year — and do it without using central bank bailouts that risk wrecking Ukraine's currency, the hryvnia. 
KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) — Hours after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, health staff at a children’s hospital in the south started secretly planning how to save the babies. Russians were suspected of seizing orphan children and sending them to Russia, so staff at the children’s regional hospital in Kherson city began fabricating orphans’ medical records to make it appear like they were too ill to move. “We deliberately wrote false information that the children were sick and could not be transported,” said Dr. Olga Pilyarska, head of intensive care. “We were scared that (the Russians) would find out … (but) we decided that we would save the children at any cost. 
The US Director of National Intelligence said Russia is expending its stockpiles "quite quickly," which she said is "pretty extraordinary."Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, told the Reagan National Defense Forum on Saturday that Russia is burning through its munitions stockpiles "quite quickly," though she did not elaborate on any precise figures. 
According to reports, senior Biden administration officials say Russia may give Iran air defense systems and helicopters as part of its support."Russia is now attempting to obtain more weapons, including hundreds of ballistic missiles. In return, Russia is offering Iran an unprecedented level of military and technical support," Barbara Woodward, the UK's permanent representative to the United Nations, told reporters after a Security Council meeting. 
On Thursday, Reverend Rob Schenck spoke in front of the House Judiciary Committee at a hearing regarding alleged ethical breaches at the Supreme Court. Rep. Ted Lieu was at this hearing and joins Katie Phang to discuss. 
Over 82,000 Ukrainians and their family members have been "paroled" into the United States under the "U4U" — United for Ukraine — program. Updates.The program allows Ukrainians to stay in the U.S. for two years. According to the United Nations, nearl8 million Ukrainians, or 20% of the population, have fled since Russia invaded in February. Most have settled, at least temporarily, in Poland and other European countries. 
