- Sputnik International, 1920, 25.02.2022
Russia's Special Operation in Ukraine
On February 24, 2022 Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people's republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev's forces.
Donetsk People's Militia units fire heavy howitzers at Ukrainian positions outside New York. - Sputnik International

LIVE UPDATES: NATO Secretary General Urges Western Countries to Prepare for Long Support of Kiev

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Moscow started a special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022 after the people's republics of Donetsk and Lugansk asked for help in protecting their citizens against increased attacks from Ukraine.
In October 2022, Russian military began targeting Ukrainian infrastructure after Ukraine's terrorist attack on Russia's Crimean Bridge. There have been strikes on power, defense industry, military command and communications facilities across Ukraine.
On 9 March, Russia's armed forces delivered a massive missile attack on the military infrastructure of Ukraine in response to the terrorist attack organized by Kiev in the Bryansk region, including the use of hypersonic air-to-surface Kinzhal missiles.
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03:32 GMT 23.03.2023
US Says Decision to Send Older Abrams Tanks to Ukraine Will Not Impact Foreign Sales
The United States' decision to provide Ukraine with older variant of the Abrams main battle tank will not impact other US foreign military sales, Defense Department spokesperson Pat Ryder said.

"There are no impacts to other Foreign Military Sales cases," Ryder said in a statement on Wednesday. Ryder declined to comment further on the matter due to protecting details about the foreign sales for the tank.
02:27 GMT 23.03.2023
NATO Secretary General Urges Western Countries to Prepare for Long Support of Kiev
01:16 GMT 23.03.2023
Image captures moment that CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin was forcibly removed from a Senate committee hearing during testimony given by US Secretary Antony Blinken. - Sputnik International, 1920, 23.03.2023
Americas
Videos: Anti-War Activists Disrupt US Senate Hearing With Blinken, Call for Peace in Ukraine
17:11 GMT 22.03.2023
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a Foreign Ministry ceremony in Moscow on February 10, 2023. - Sputnik International, 1920, 22.03.2023
Russia's Special Operation in Ukraine
UK's Delivery of Depleted Uranium Shells Will Affect Ukraine Agricultural Sector, Moscow Says
17:10 GMT 22.03.2023
Ukraine Loses Over 300 Military on Donetsk Direction - Russian Defense Ministry
Ukraine has lost more than 300 military in the Donetsk direction over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
"In the Donetsk direction... over 300 Ukrainian soldiers have been eliminated over the past day," the ministry said in a statement.
Additionally three armored combat vehicles, three cars, an Akatsiya self-propelled artillery unit, and a D-20 howitzer were also destroyed.
17:10 GMT 22.03.2023
Depleted Uranium Shells Unlikely to Give Decisive Advantage to Ukrainian Troops - Expert
The use of depleted uranium shells which the UK has vowed to supply to Ukraine would not give a decisive advantage to the Ukrainian troops and could merely be dangerous for the forces using these shells and for environment, military expert Pierre Henrot told Sputnik.
"One of the most recent technologies in artillery, is the artillery shells containing depleted uranium. The most important quality of these 'arrowhead' shells, available for decades already, is that the very dense metal that is uranium is much harder than steel, just like tungsten for example ... These depleted uranium ammunitions are very effective in destroying modern tanks and armored vehicles, but I don’t think such ammo would give a decisive advantage to the army using them in Ukraine," Henrot said.
The expert, who is also a former nuclear battery commander in NATO and UN Blue Helmet officer in the Balkans, stated that these shells were widely used by the US and NATO armies in the wars in Kosovo and Iraq or during the operation in Libya. Since then, there has been a debate within NATO as to whether the shells could be dangerous for the troops using them and for the environment in general, according to Henrot.
"In NATO armies, there is a debate about the danger represented by the radioactivity and irradiation that can be caused by these shells in the confined space of a tank. The armored units soldiers don’t like the idea of remaining a long time with the shells in the confined space of a tank. If it is a danger for the tank crew, it is also dangerous of course for the area where the enemy tank has been destroyed. The radiation caused by the remnants of the shell and the tank debris remains for a long time in the immediate environment," Henrot argued.
The military expert also cited independent studies carried out by various non-governmental organizations showing excess cancer mortality in the regions where bombardments with depleted uranium shells have taken place. Henrot mentioned anti-nuclear organization "Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament", which condemned the UK government's decision to send uranium shells to Kiev, saying that it would be an "additional environmental and health disaster for those living in the heart of the conflict."
At the same time, both the UK and the US are not interested in the publication of reports on any negative effects of this type of ammunition on health and the environment, according to the expert.
"The US and NATO have every interest in claiming that depleted uranium munitions are harmless and that the radiation emitted is negligible. To admit otherwise would lead them to pay huge damages to the people of Kosovo, Iraq, Libya ... Only Belgium has banned this type of ammunition, showing that the perception that these ammunitions are dangerous, is very real," Henrot explained.
If these shells were used by Ukraine, Russian forces would have the means to retaliate, including reaching for its own large stock of depleted uranium, though Moscow was unlikely to have any intention of polluting Ukraine with radioactive materials, Henrot concluded.
17:09 GMT 22.03.2023
UK Pushes Kiev to Escalate Conflict by Supplying Depleted Uranium Shells - Russian Mission
London is pushing Kiev to escalate the ongoing conflict by supplying ammunition with depleted uranium, thus hurting numerous civilians, Russia's permanent representative to the UN in Geneva said Wednesday.
"By provoking the Kiev regime to use ammunition with a nuclear component, London is pushing the current Ukrainian authorities to further prolong and escalate the conflict with Russia, regardless of the suffering and casualties among the civilian population," the statement read.
17:08 GMT 22.03.2023
Zelensky Adviser Suggests Squeeze on Russian Oil Price Cap to $10-20 Per Barrel
Oleg Ustenko, an economic adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, has proposed slashing the price cap on Russian oil to $10-20 per barrel from the current $60, a American media reported on Wednesday.
Ustenko said that Kiev wanted to cut the cap price in half to about $30 per barrel, while he personally saw a $10-20 price cap as possible, the US weekly reported.
The adviser noted that Russia was receiving "much less revenue" compared to the situation before the imposition of the oil price cap, according to the report.
"It's ridiculous if it will not be done. It's going to have serious and significant effects ... Let's squeeze the current price cap to a much lower level," Ustenko told the newspaper.
After Russia began its military operation in Ukraine a year ago, Kiev's allies actively searched for ways to limit Moscow’s energy-related income, notably from oil and gas. The effort culminated in a $60 price cap imposed by the G7 member states and Australia on December 5.
10:17 GMT 22.03.2023
One Killed After Ukrainian Shelling of Russia's Belgorod Region, Governor Says
08:48 GMT 22.03.2023
Western Governments Must Prepare for Long-Term Conflict Amid Ukraine Crisis, Scholz Warns
Russian artillery in Donbass - Sputnik International, 1920, 22.03.2023
World
Western Governments Must Prepare for Long-Term Conflict Amid Ukraine Crisis, Scholz Warns
08:47 GMT 22.03.2023
IMF Says Reached Staff-Level Agreement on $15.6 Billion Loan Program for Ukraine
International Monetary Fund (IMF) - Sputnik International, 1920, 22.03.2023
Economy
IMF Says Reached Staff-Level Agreement on $15.6 Billion Loan Program for Ukraine
08:47 GMT 22.03.2023
Supply of Depleted Uranium Shells to Kiev Could Lead to Global Tragedy, State Duma Speaker Says
caution sign - Sputnik International, 1920, 22.03.2023
Russia's Special Operation in Ukraine
Supply of Depleted Uranium Shells to Kiev Could Lead to Global Tragedy, State Duma Speaker Says
08:46 GMT 22.03.2023
Historic Project Publishes Oldest Document With List of Victims of 1943 Khatyn Massacre
Khatyn memorial complex in Belarus - Sputnik International, 1920, 22.03.2023
Russia
Historic Project Publishes Oldest Document With List of Victims of 1943 Khatyn Massacre
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