Ukrainians are reacting with skepticism to the latest claims that Ukraine may be linked to the attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022. The allegations are also raising concerns about Ukraine’s relations with Western allies. Anna Chernikova reports from Kyiv. Videographers: Serhii Rozov, Vladyslav Smilianets …
At least 8 migrants drown trying to cross river from Serbia to Bosnia
BELGRADE, Serbia — At least eight people drowned after a boat carrying migrants overturned while crossing the Drina River from Serbia to Bosnia, officials in the two Balkan countries said Thursday. Serbian police received a call around 5 a.m. from their counterparts in Bosnia and a citizen who reported the accident, said Interior Minister Ivica Dacic. It was not immediately possible to confirm the exact number …
2 still missing from Mike Lynch’s sunken yacht in Sicily
PORTICELLO, Italy — Search efforts off the coast of Sicily for two remaining bodies missing from the sunken yacht belonging to the wife of British tech magnate Mike Lynch were due to resume early on Thursday. On Wednesday four bodies were retrieved from the wreck and transported to nearby hospitals, in the city of Palermo. A source said a fifth body might have been located late …
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy considers ban on Russia-linked religious groups
WASHINGTON — A new Ukrainian law aimed at removing the influence of the pro-Moscow Russian Orthodox Church enjoys broad popular support in Ukraine but is being viewed with reservations by international advocates for religious freedom. Passed on Tuesday by Ukraine’s parliament, the law banning religious organizations that maintain ties to Moscow follows years of controversy over ties between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox …
Ukraine says it hit pontoon bridges in Russia with US-made weapons
kyiv, ukraine — Ukraine said Wednesday that it had destroyed Russian pontoon bridges with U.S.-made weapons to defend its incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, while Moscow said its forces had halted Kyiv’s advance there and had gained ground in eastern Ukraine. Kyiv has announced a string of battlefield successes since it crossed unexpectedly into the Kursk region on August 6. Moscow has steadily inched forward in …
RFE/RL journalist marks 1,000 days jailed in Belarus on charges viewed as bogus
washington — A journalist with VOA’s sister outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on Wednesday marked 1,000 days in jail in Belarus on charges that he and his employer reject as politically motivated. Andrey Kuznechyk, with RFE/RL’s Belarusian Service — known locally as Radio Svaboda — has been jailed in Belarus since his arrest on November 25, 2021. He was initially sentenced to 10 days in jail …
British military: Greek oil tanker drifting and ablaze after repeated attacks in Red Sea
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A Greek-flagged oil tanker traveling through the Red Sea came under repeated attack Wednesday, leaving the vessel “not under command” and drifting ablaze after an assault suspected to have been carried out by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the British military said. The attack, the most serious in the Red Sea in weeks, comes during a monthslong campaign by Houthis targeting ships over …
Search resumes for six missing after Mike Lynch’s yacht sank
PORTICELLO, Italy — Divers resumed a search on Wednesday for survivors after British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch’s yacht sank off the coast of Sicily amid an intense storm two days ago, though hopes dwindled of finding the six missing people alive. The British-flagged Bayesian, a 56-meter-long superyacht, was carrying 22 passengers and crew and was anchored off the port of Porticello, near Palermo, when it capsized …
Moscow comes under largest Ukrainian drone attack yet but destroys them all, Russian authorities say
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Ukrainian forces take more Russian terrain
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the country’s forces now control 92 settlements and more than 1,250 square kilometers in Russia’s Kursk region, after Ukrainian responses to Russia’s cross-border attacks evolved into a surprising offensive. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has the latest. …
A ‘huge number of people’ did not burn alive in the Donetsk shopping mall
The Kremlin-appointed governor of Russian-controlled Donetsk in Ukraine said 11 people suffered moderate or minor injuries during the Galaktika mall fire. …
Latvia advocates for use of Russian assets to support Ukraine
Germany and other G7 countries are developing ways to support Ukraine through loans financed with the proceeds of frozen Russian assets. The German Finance Ministry announced the effort on Tuesday. Latvia, once a sanctuary for Russian money, is a strong backer of the plan, as VOA’s Myroslava Gongadza reports from Riga. Videographer: Daniil Batushchak …
Day after Putin visit, Azerbaijan applies to join Russia, China in BRICS alliance
Baku, Azerbaijan — Azerbaijan formally applied Tuesday to join the BRICS bloc of developing economies, a day after Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s visit to the oil-rich South Caucasus country to shore up regional ties and secure Moscow’s under-pressure trade routes. The announcement from the foreign ministry in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, comes as the BRICS alliance has seen a major expansion. For over a decade, the bloc …
Russian sources: Ukraine has destroyed or damaged all three bridges over Russia’s Seym River
Kyiv, Ukraine — Ukrainian forces have either destroyed or damaged all three of the bridges over the Seym River in western Russia, according to Russian sources, as Kyiv’s incursion into western Russia entered its third week Tuesday. Kyiv’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region is changing the trajectory of the war and boosting morale among Ukraine’s war-weary population, though the ultimate outcome of the incursion — the …
King Charles visits UK town where child stabbings sparked riots
Southport, United Kingdom — King Charles III on Tuesday visited the town in northwest England where a devastating knife attack that killed three young girls sparked nationwide anti-immigration riots. The 75-year-old monarch inspected a vast sea of floral tributes to the victims and will meet children who survived the attack in the seaside town of Southport. Buckingham Palace said he wanted to thank “frontline emergency staff …
After yacht sinks off Italy, search resumes for six missing
PALERMO, Sicily — Rescue teams in Sicily on Tuesday resumed a search for six missing people, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter, after a luxury yacht was struck by a violent storm and sank on Monday, killing at least one on board. The British-flagged “Bayesian,” a 56-meter-long sailboat was carrying 22 people and was anchored just off the port of Porticello when it …
Russia court rejects US soldier’s appeal of jail term
Moscow — A Russian court rejected an appeal Monday by a U.S. soldier who has been jailed for three years and nine months for alleged death threats and theft. Gordon Black was sentenced in June by a court in Russia’s Far Eastern city of Vladivostok, where he was arrested in May while visiting a Russian woman he met and dated while serving in South Korea. The …
1 dead, 6 missing after luxury superyacht sinks in storm off Sicily
Rome — A luxury superyacht carrying foreign tourists capsized and sank off Sicily in bad weather early Monday. One body was found, six people remain missing and 15 people were rescued, including a 1-year-old girl, authorities said. The sailboat had overturned sometime before 5 a.m. off the port of Porticello, near Palermo, where it was anchored. It had a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers …
Germany proceeds cautiously in issuing warrant for Ukrainian in 2022 Nord Stream sabotage
Germany has issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian national in the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines that carry natural gas from Russia to Western Europe. At question is whether the Ukrainian government was involved in the 2022 attack, which many say contributed to a global spike in inflation. Elizabeth Cherneff narrates this report from Ricardo Marquina in Berlin. …