Oorlog in Oekra�ne #930 RIP Zwarte Zee Vloot

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Rebuilding Ukraine could cost $500 billion as experts tally repairs
How much money is needed to rebuild Ukraine after the war? The World Bank estimates the current cost at $486 billion

The World Bank, together with the European Commission, the UN and the government of Ukraine, increased the assessment of Ukraine's needs for post-war recovery. It now stands at $486 billion, according to the third Third Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA3).

The RDNA3 evaluation covers the period from February 24, 2022 to December 31, 2023.

It showed that the direct damage from a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine amounts to almost $152 billion.

The housing sector, transport, trade and industry, energy and agriculture were the most affected. The main damage is concentrated in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, Kherson and Kyiv oblasts.

In 2024 alone, Ukraine needs up to $15 billion for urgent priority measures. Only a third of this amount has already been financed by international partners or the state budget.

The first estimate was published in September 2022, when the amount of needs was estimated at $349 billion. A second assessment in March 2023 increased this amount to $411 billion.

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FT: Hungary blocks EU's 13th sanctions package against Russia
Hungary has blocked the approval of the 13th tranche of EU sanctions against Russia, according to unnamed officials speaking to Financial Times.

Source: European Pravda, citing Financial Times

Details: Sources said that during yesterday's meeting of EU ambassadors, Hungary was the only country to not support the 13th package of sanctions aimed at nearly 200 individuals and organisations from Russia, China, and other countries believed to be assisting Moscow in its war effort.

One official revealed that Hungary objected to the new sanctions due to the inclusion of Chinese companies in the list.

Another government official, knowledgeable about the negotiations, diplomatically characterised them as "a very fruitful exchange," delicately detailing Hungary's blockade. He said the Hungarian ambassador requested "a bit more time to analyse the content of the proposals."

The spokesperson for Hungary's mission to the EU did not respond to requests for comment.

Sources suggest that discussions will continue, and ministers of member countries will likely raise this issue in next week's meeting.

Supporters of the sanctions package hope to reach an agreement by next Wednesday to meet the deadline of 24 February.

Background: The 13th tranche of EU sanctions against Russia is expected to be adopted by the foreign ministers of EU nations in Brussels on 19 February, but its content may still change. Media reports indicate that it may also include sanctions against North Korea for providing Russia with missiles used against Ukraine.

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Russian POW discusses underground raids into the rear of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Avdiivka
The captured Russian shared that they managed to make a raid into the rear of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Avdiivka.

He discussed this in an interview with Volodymyr Zolkin.

According to him, they used a water pipe to get to the rear of Ukrainian units. This required serious engineering preparation.

In particular, the Russian military set up an entrance from the detached house suburbs, from where they went underground to the pipe.

In addition, they were divided into groups that had different points of departure. According to the prisoner, his group was the last to leave, and to get out of the pipe, they had to dig their way to the surface.

He also noted that they lacked air and water during their stay in the pipe. In addition, there was high humidity and waist-deep water, which made it impossible for some to go on, and they were left behind.

In total, they stayed in the water-running pipe for about 10 hours.

It should be noted that this operation was not successful for the invaders as, after the departure and approach to the settlement, they came under fire from the Ukrainian defenders and suffered losses.

First, according to the POW, a sniper started shooting at his group. And then the place where they were hiding was shelled with a heavy machine gun.

Finally, Ukrainian defenders started clearing the area, after which his entire group was destroyed, and he surrendered.

Militarnyi previously reported that the control and artillery reconnaissance battery of the 110th Mechanized Brigade demonstrated the defeat of the Russian infantry group in the Avdiivka direction.

When Russian infantrymen tried to hide in the buildings, drone pilots started dropping ammunition precisely into the cracks in the roofs of the buildings.

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Supreme Court rejects Boris Nadezhdin’s appeal against disqualification from ballot
Russia’s Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the first of three appeals submitted by anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin against the decision of the Central Election Commission (CEC) not to register his candidacy in March’s presidential election, Nadezhdin’s Telegram channel said.

On February 8, the CEC refused to register Nadezhdin as an official candidate on the ballot after 9,147 of the 105,000 signatures of support his campaign submitted were found to have various deficiencies, a higher amount than permitted.

Judge Oleg Nefedov rejected the argument put forward by Nadezhdin and said that the signatures of support submitted by the Nadezhdin campaign had not complied with the CEC rules.

“In any case, life goes on,” Nadezhdin said while waiting for the court ruling, according to Telegram Channel Politika Strana. Upon hearing that the appeal had been rejected, he said he would appeal the Supreme Court’s decision at the Constitutional Court.

A second appeal lodged by the Nadezhdin campaign on separate grounds is due to be considered by the Supreme Court later on Thursday.

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Op donderdag 15 februari 2024 14:14 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/02/15/7441956/
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Waarom heeft die gast nog VETO recht? Ze hadden deze de laatste keer al van hem moeten afnemen toen er gestemd werd over het hulppakket van 50 miljard voor Oekra�ne.

Hopelijk valt er daadwerkelijk met hem te onderhandelen deze keer. En zullen ze de deadline halen.

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Explosion Reported at Russian Space Agency's Rocket Engine Plant in Siberia
An explosion has been reported in southern Russia, prompting speculation that a Russian defense manufacturing plant sustained damage early on Thursday.

Viktor Shchygrev, mayor of Biysk in the country's Altai region, said in a brief post to Telegram on Thursday that residents had "heard a bang in the area of ​​the industrial zone," but wrote there was "no reason to worry." He did not provide any additional details.

Footage circulated online shows a column of smoke rising into the sky, but it is not possible to independently verify when and where the video was recorded.

Russian sources claimed the site of the explosion was a state-run military research center in Biysk, described by a local Telegram channel as a "high-security plant." The plant is named by Russian sources as the Federal Research and Production Center in Altai.

A screenshot from a widely-circulated video, appearing to show the aftermath of an explosion at a defense facility in Siberia. Russian sources claimed the site of the explosion was a state-run military research center in Biysk, described by a local Telegram channel as a "high-security plant." The plant is named by Russian sources as the Federal Research and Production Center in Altai.

The site is owned by Russian space agency Roscosmos, according to independent Russian outlet Meduza.

It "produces, among other things, ammunition, solid propellant charges for rocket engines and explosives for industrial purposes," Meduza said. The weapons research and production facility has been sanctioned by Ukraine, the U.S. and the European Union.

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Six dead and 17 injured in missile strike on southern Russian city of Belgorod
At least six people, including a child, were killed and 17 others, including four children, were injured in a missile strike on the southern Russian city of Belgorod on Thursday, the Belgorod region Ministry of Health reported.

Missile reportedly struck a shopping centre, a playing field while debris from a downed missile is believed to have landed on a school, according to local Telegram channels.

Earlier on Thursday morning, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced an air raid warning had been activated in the region and urged local residents not to approach their windows and to shelter in place.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said that 14 missiles were shot down over Belgorod.

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Explosions in Russia's Belgorod Spark 'New Weapon' Fears
Amystery new weapon may have been used in a strike on the eastern Russian city of Belgorod that damaged a shopping center and left a number of people dead and injured, according to local reports.

Powerful explosions were reported on Thursday in Belgorod, which houses several Russian military bases and training grounds. Russia's state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported that a shopping center on Plekhanov Street was heavily damaged as a result of a missile attack on the city.

The Belgorod region has been rocked by explosions and mysterious fires throughout Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, with local authorities regularly reporting unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the area.

Moscow Telegraf said in a post on Telegram that locals reported hearing "sounds they've not heard before", fueling speculation about a new type of missile.

"Local residents are writing in chats that a new type of weapon was used," the channel said.

RIA Novosti reported that at least two people were killed. It said the shopping center was severely damaged. Windows were shattered and the fa�ade of the building and cars parked nearby were damaged.

The news agency cited the Russian defense ministry as accusing Ukraine of attacking the region with Czech RM-70 Vampire multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS). In January, Moscow said it thwarted an attack using the same missiles launched by Kyiv.

Telegram channel 112 reported that four people were killed and a further seven injured as a result of the attack. Telegram channel Mash reported that six had been killed and 10 were wounded.

The Baza Telegram channel, which is linked to Russia's security services, said at least five people were killed in the strike.

"One of the [missiles] hit a shopping center. Doctors and police are at the scene," the channel said.

Ukraine hasn't claimed responsibly for the attack. Kyiv rarely comments on strikes that occur on Russian soil.

Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has yet to comment on the attack, but he said earlier on Thursday that a "missile warning siren" had been set off in the region.

"If you are at home, do not go near the windows. Take shelter in rooms without windows with solid walls (hallway, bathroom, toilet, pantry). If you are outside, go to a shelter or other safe place," Gladkov said on his Telegram channel.

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Op donderdag 15 februari 2024 13:43 schreef SillyWalks het volgende:

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Bron?

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Russia commented on plans to deploy nuclear weapons in space
The Kremlin said that the information about Russia’s plans to place nuclear weapons in space is a “trick by the White House.”

This statement was made by Putin’s press secretary Dmytro Peskov.

“I cannot comment on this in any way. Let’s wait for this briefing, maybe there will be some information. But it’s obvious that the White House is trying to push Congress to vote on the bill on allocating money to Ukraine, that’s obvious,” Peskov said.

As you know, the day before, the chairman of the intelligence committee of the US House of Representatives, Mike Turner, provided the members of Congress with intelligence about a “serious threat to national security” related to Russia.

Assistant to the President of the United States for national security, Jake Sullivan, will hold a closed briefing for Congress today, February 15.

US has new intelligence on Russian nuclear capabilities in space

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Large-scale fire in Moscow: Izvestia Hall on fire

The Izvestia Hall building in the centre of Moscow is on fire, and a metal dome has collapsed inside.
Source: Rg.ru, RIA Novosti

Details: The fire in the administrative building of Izvestia Hall on Pushkinskaya Street has engulfed an area of 1,500 square metres. The editorial office for the newspaper Izvestia used to be located there.

The administrative building, which was undergoing reconstruction, is on fire. There may be gas cylinders in the building.

The fire is likely to have engulfed two buildings in the yard and has been assigned the third level of severity out of five.

Three of the street’s lanes are closed due to the work of emergency services. In addition, two exits from Pushkinskaya metro station are closed.

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Putin trolls ‘soft’ Tucker Carlson
Russian president takes aim at the ex-Fox News host, saying he had wanted hard questions during an interview, “but he chose a different tactic.”

He was ready for a heavy hitter, but he got a bantamweight.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said he “didn’t get complete satisfaction” from last week’s interview with Tucker Carlson, because the right-wing U.S. pundit failed to take him to task.

Speaking to Russian state TV, Putin said he had thought Carlson was a dangerous person, “because I honestly thought he would be aggressive and ask so-called sharp questions. And I wasn’t just ready for that, I wanted it, because it would have given me the opportunity to respond sharply in kind … But he chose a different tactic.”

Of course, had Putin actually wanted to go toe-to-toe with a formidable opponent, the Kremlin wouldn’t have hand-picked Carlson for his first interview with a Western journalist since he launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Carlson, the famously Russia-friendly ex-Fox News host, is known more for a penchant for cozying up to autocrats than for probing reportage.

Putin, who famously enjoys trolling Western figures, smirked while describing Carlson’s passivity to Russian TV propagandist Pavel Zarubin: “He tried to interrupt me several times, but still, surprisingly for a Western journalist, he turned out to be patient and listened to my lengthy dialogues, especially those related to history, and didn’t give me reason to do what I was ready for. So frankly, I didn’t get complete satisfaction from this interview.”

During the over two-hour-long Carlson interview, Putin delivered a 20-plus-minute soliloquy about Russian history and mocked Carlson over his failed attempt to join CIA.

Putin also took the opportunity to troll Joe Biden while speaking with Zarubin, saying he would prefer to see the current president reelected than a return of Donald Trump following the November ballot.

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