Category Archives: Vladimir Putin

‘This Could End Very Badly’: Russia Issues New Threat As West Considers Sending Long-Range Missiles To Ukraine

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A Russian diplomat has issued a bleak warning to the West after the UK and the US hinted that they could allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles.

Allies have yet not supplied Kyiv’s forces with such weapons out of fear that Moscow would perceive it as an escalation, and the regional conflict would spiral into a war with Nato, or go nuclear.

However, US secretary of state Antony Blinken claims Iran has now sent short-range ballistic missiles to Russia – although Tehran denies doing so – suggesting Moscow was already taking the fight to another level.

While the West has not yet publicly changed its stance on Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles, Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Moscow is ready to retaliate.

According to Russian state news agency TASS, he said: “This is just another potential escalation move by Washington.

“The US has total control over Kyiv, which cannot make any decision without the approval or support of the US and other Western allies.”

He claimed: “It is alarming, dangerous, and threatening.

“However ,our determination to achieve all of the goals of the special military operation is stronger than ever.”

He then suggested that Russia is still confident “the adversaries on the battlefield will be defeated, and that no enemy objectives will be accomplished”.

The diplomat claimed the US “live in a world of self-made dark dreams, haunted by phantoms, one of which is the belief that it’s possible to defeat a nuclear power like Russia on the battlefield”.

He concluded: “This could end very badly or them and for anyone who ignores this harsh reality.”

Blinken and his UK counterpart David Lammy arrived in Ukraine today for meetings with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The UK revealed it was giving more than £600m in funding and weaponry to Ukraine to help it fight back against Russia.

The UK and the US have also announced co-ordinated sanctions against Russia and Iran this week, while the UK, France and Germany issued a joint statement and cancelled bilateral arrangements with Iran.

But Russia does not quite seem to have caught up with what the UK calls its “unwavering” support for Ukraine,

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova claimed on Wednesday that London should consider dropping sanctions against Moscow.

According to TASS, she said: “it is time for Britain to admit “their sanctions policy against Russia has ended in a complete failure for London.”

She claimed the sanctions have been “inefficient, counter-productive for those that come up with them and imposes them on Russia.”

The UK currently has sanctions against almost 2,000 Russias, including government officials, and more than 300 companies.

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Bizarre Russian Press Speculation About The UK’s Sanctions Awkwardly Undermined By Labour Move

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One Russian newspaper claimed today that the UK could lift sanctions against the state, only for the Foreign Office to issue a new crackdown hours later.

The British embassy in Russia reportedly told national newspaper Izvestia that the UK is considering watering down sanctions, introduced due to the Ukraine war, against Moscow.

Izvestia (in which the state-owned company Gazopram has a controlling share) did acknowledge that the House of Lords has warned the UK will stay in step with the US and not lift sanctions – but still suggested such measures cannot be lifted if they do not serve a purpose.

This claim was then reported by the Russian state agency TASS, too.

The UK has imposed sanctions on almost 2,000 Russians, including government officials, and more than 300 companies.

Although there have been concerns the sanctions are not having the desired effect, those fears centre around the measures not being hard enough.

Plus, any rowing back on these measures would be a major shift in the UK’s long-term support for Ukraine, which is highly unlikely.

However, the Labour government appeared to have already inadvertently quashed such claims via the foreign secretary David Lammy’s latest announcement.

The UK declared new and significant measures against Iran and Russia on Tuesday.

It came after Iran sent new ballistic missiles to Moscow for use on the battlefield against Ukraine.

Iran has sent hundreds of drones to Russia since the war began, and is one of the country’s primary military backers.

So the UK and the US have announced co-ordinated sanctions against the two countries, while the UK, France and Germany also issued a joint statement and cancelled bilateral arrangements with Iran.

Russian cargo ships have been sanctioned for their role in transporting military supplies from Iran into the country, too.

UK parliament is also looking to strengthen trade sanctions on Iran this week in a further blow to Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Lammy said: “Iran supplying Russia with ballistic missiles to fuel its illegal invasion of Ukraine is a significant and dangerous escalation.

“We have been clear in that any transfer of ballistic missiles by Iran would face a significant response. Today, alongside our international partners, we are calling out this behaviour and its attempts to undermine global security.

“Iran must stop supporting Putin’s unprovoked, premeditated and barbaric attack against a sovereign democratic state. The UK will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

Meanwhile transport secretary Louise Haigh said: “We will continue to use every lever at our disposal to put pressure on Iran to end its support for Putin’s illegal invasion.”

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Now Trump Has Decided He Is ‘Very Offended’ By Putin’s Endorsement Of Kamala Harris

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Donald Trump has spoken out, yet again, about Vladimir Putin’s endorsement of Kamala Harris.

The Russian president seemed pretty sarcastic on Thursday when encouraged his supporters to back her, bizarrely praising how the Democratic nominee and current vice president “laughs so expressively and infectiously”.

It’s widely expected that a second Trump administration would be much softer on Putin and his brutal invasion of Ukraine than another term of the Democrats, so it’s unlikely the Russian authoritarian meant what he said.

But the ex-US president, who has often spoken very highly of Putin’s “genius”, did not seem to see it that way.

On Friday, he seemed unsure about how to react, telling his fans in New York: “I don’t know exactly what to say about that. I don’t know if I’m insulted or he did me a favour?”

But, by Saturday, he was telling a rally in Wisconsin that he was “very offended” by Putin’s endorsement of Harris.

He said: “I knew Putin. I knew him well. And you know, he endorsed, I don’t know if you saw the other day, he endorsed Kamala. He endorsed Kamala. I was very offended by that.

“I wonder why he endorsed Kamala. Now, he’s a chess player.

“Should I be upset about that? Was it done with a smile? I think it was done maybe with a smile. Who the hell knows.

“No one is going to figure it out. They’re about 19 steps ahead of us, this whole Russia thing. Nobody was tougher on Russia in history than Trump.

“And the person who knows that better than anyone was Vladimir Putin.”

But, the Republican nominee still found time to defend Russia as a whole.

He dismissed new concerns from the US’s Justice Department that Russia is trying to interfere with the upcoming election, just as it did in 2016.

Trump told the crowd, “the whole world laughed at it this time” when the new fears were revealed earlier this week.

“Oh no, it’s Russia, Russia, Russia, all over again,” he said, according to The Hill. “But they don’t look at China and they don’t look at Iran. I don’t know what it is with poor Russia.”

“Russia would never have happened if I was president, attacking Ukraine, it would never have happened,” he claimed, and promised: “I will have that war finished, settled, before I get to the White House, as president-elect I will get that done.”

Trump has repeatedly claimed he can resolve the Ukraine war but has not explained how he intends to do so, sparking worries that he will allow Russia to formally seize the Ukrainian territory it is already occupying.

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‘Time For Decisive Action’: Volodymyr Zelenskyy Calls On UK To Help Stop Russian ‘Terror’

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Volodymr Zelenskyy has made a fresh plea for help from western nations – including the UK – after a wave of Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president said “the time for decisive action is now” as he urged his country’s allies to “help us stop this terror”.

Moscow launched around 200 missile and drone attacks on targets across Ukraine, including a reservoir, amid warnings that “millions” could die as a result.

In a video posted on X, Zelenskyy said: “Like most Russian strikes before, this one was equally insidious, targeting critical civilian infrastructure.”

Keir Starmer has insisted that the UK will continue to provide weapons to Ukraine, and British tanks were used earlier this month during Kyiv’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.

However, the government has so far rebuffed Ukrainian pleas to use British-made Storm Shadow missiles to launch attacks against Russian targets.

But Zelenskyy said it was now time to allow Ukraine to use western arms in any way they see fit to defeat Russian president Vladimir Putin.

He said: “Putin can only act within the limits the world sets for him. Weakness and inadequate responses fuel terror.

“Every leader, every one of our partners, knows the decisive actions required to end this war justly. Ukraine cannot be constrained in its long-range capabilities when the terrorists face no such limitations.

“Our defenders cannot be restricted in their weapons when Russia deploys its entire arsenal, including “Shaheds” and ballistic missiles from North Korea.

“America, Britain, France, and our other partners have the power to help us stop this terror. The time for decisive action is now.”

Among the Ukrainian infrastructure targeted by Russia was a dam north of Kyiv.

Yaroslav Trofimov of the Wall Street Journal said: “If the dam breaks, millions of people downstream can die.”

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North Korea Is Blaming 1 Country For The ‘Nuclear Threat’ – And It’s Not Russia

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North Korea has claimed the US is to blame for the concept of the “nuclear threat” in a bizarre statement.

It comes after reports US president Joe Biden approved a classified strategic plan back in March, calling for a focus on China instead of Russia, as a strong nuclear opponent.

Supposedly US forces were urged to prepare for a possible coordinated attack between Russia, China and North Korea.

In a statement reported by the Russian state news agency TASS, North Korea’s foreign ministry appeared to respond by saying it “keeps a close eye on the behaviour” of the US.

It claimed Washington DC “continues to fabricate someone else’s ‘nuclear threat’” while being “obsessed with ensuring unilateral nuclear superiority”.

The ministry said: “We express concern about it as we strongly oppose and reject it.

“The move to update the nuclear policy of the US – a country that has the largest nuclear weapon arsenal in the world – will have a significant negative impact on the security situation and the nuclear disarmament system.”

According to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Russia actually has the most confirmed nuclear weapons with over 5,889 nuclear war heads.

The US comes in second, with 5,224 nuclear weapons.

All other countries known to have nuclear weapons – including the UK and North Korea – have under 500 in comparison.

China comes in third place, with 410 nuclear warheads.

Still, the North Korean foreign ministry claimed: “The US likes to speak about ‘nuclear threats’ from others without any context, while it is the US that is the most irresponsible player and the rogue state provoking a nuclear arms race and increasing the likelihood of a global nuclear conflict.

“Had the US refrained from creating and using nuclear weapons, the concept of nuclear threat would never have emerged.”

Moscow has repeatedly threatened to deploy nuclear weapons against the West ever since invading Ukraine in 2022 – the US and Europe have offered financial and military backing to Kyiv over the last two years.

At the end of July, Vladimir Putin said it would take just 10 minutes for Russian missiles to hit their intended target.

As Reuters reported, the president claimed: “We will take mirror measures to deploy, taking into account the actions of the United States, its satellites in Europe and in other regions of the world.”

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Russia Facing ‘Costliest’ Period Of War Yet With More Than 1,000 Casualties Per Day, UK Says

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There have been more than 1,000 Russian casualties per day among the troops fighting against Ukraine over the last three months, according to UK intelligence.

The ministry of defence reported over the weekend that “poorly trained Russian soldiers are being used as cannon fodder in an attempt to overwhelm strong Ukrainian forces”.

More than 1,000 soldiers have been killed or wounded soldiers each day on average throughout the summer, the British department claimed, meaning the last three months has become “the costliest” period for Russian forces since the war began.

The MoD tracked the losses going back to March 2022, shortly after Russia first invaded Ukraine in a land grab.

Throughout the first year of war, Russian losses averaged at under 550 per day.

In 2023, the average increased to just under 800 per day.

The MoD speculated that more than 56,250 Russian personnel are likely to have been wounded or killed over the past three months.

Moscow rarely reveals how many casualties have been caused by the war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in June that the ratio of “irretrievable losses” between the warring countries was one to five in favour of Moscow, but did not offer exact figures.

In April, the BBC reported 50,000 Russian soldiers have died since the invasion in 2022.

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For the past three months Russian military casualties have been averaging more than 1,000 killed or wounded soldiers a day.

Poorly trained Russian soldiers are being used as cannon fodder in an attempt to overwhelm strong Ukrainian defences.#StandWithUkraine #SlavaUkraini pic.twitter.com/mxH36XNQgd

— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) August 16, 2024

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Poorly trained Russian soldiers are being used as cannon fodder in an attempt to overwhelm strong Ukrainian defences.#StandWithUkraine #SlavaUkraini pic.twitter.com/mxH36XNQgd— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) August 16, 2024\n\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","title":"Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 on Twitter / X","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1824446652423237794","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"originalEdition":"uk","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"66c1d1bce4b05da5552844c7","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/uk-russia-facing-more-than-1000-casualties-per-day-in-war_uk_66c1d1bce4b05da5552844c7","entryTagsList":"russia,ukraine,vladimir-putin","sectionSlug":"politics","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.politics","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb","clickToPlayPlayer":"5a777b9b-81fe-41a6-8302-59e9953ee8a2","videoPagePlayer":"19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":9},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"66c1d1bce4b05da5552844c7","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"Russia","slug":"russia","links":{"relativeLink":"news/russia","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/russia","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/russia"},"relegenceId":3691301,"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Ukraine","slug":"ukraine","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukraine/"},{"name":"Ukraine","slug":"ukraine","links":{"relativeLink":"news/ukraine","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukraine","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukraine"},"relegenceId":3696312,"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Ukraine","slug":"ukraine","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukraine/"},{"name":"Vladimir Putin","slug":"vladimir-putin","links":{"relativeLink":"news/vladimir-putin","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/vladimir-putin","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/vladimir-putin"},"relegenceId":3697205,"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/vladimir-putin/"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

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For the past three months Russian military casualties have been averaging more than 1,000 killed or wounded soldiers a day.

Poorly trained Russian soldiers are being used as cannon fodder in an attempt to overwhelm strong Ukrainian defences.#StandWithUkraine #SlavaUkraini pic.twitter.com/mxH36XNQgd

— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) August 16, 2024

The MoD update comes shortly after Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia earlier this month, which has infuriated the Kremlin.

Kyiv has now taken 445 square miles (1,150 sq kilometres) of Russian land – a fraction of the whopping 42,000 sq miles (109,000 sq kilometres) of Ukrainian land Moscow has illegally annexed.

According to the UK’s MoD though, Russia has been cracking down on access to information for its own population to limit criticism over its invasion.

Moscow has limited WhatsApp and YouTube use by “deliberately slowing traffic” and increasing state control of communications and media.

YouTube may be blocked completely by autumn, the MoD predicted.

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Russia is restricting access to information to limit criticism of its destructive invasion of Ukraine.

Communications channels are being pulled away as the Kremlin tightens its grip on free expression.
#StandWithUkraine🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/GvRZTasHpF

— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) August 17, 2024

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Russia is restricting access to information to limit criticism of its destructive invasion of Ukraine.

Communications channels are being pulled away as the Kremlin tightens its grip on free expression.
#StandWithUkraine🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/GvRZTasHpF

— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) August 17, 2024