Day: May 4, 2023

A growing number of countries continue to evacuate their diplomats and citizens in the third week of fighting between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan’s capital of Khartoum and its surrounding areas. So far more than 50 countries, including Trkiye, China, Russia, the US, UK, France, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Egypt, have evacuated thousands of diplomats and citizens by land, air, and sea amid the war that broke out on April 15 and a temporary cease-fire between the two warring government forces. Regarding the ongoing violence in Sudan, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Trkiye has evacuated at least 2,061 people, including 1,763 of its nationals and 298 from 22 different countries, from Sudan amid weeks of fighting between the army and the paramilitary force. Trkiye’s Embassy in Khartoum would also be temporarily relocated to Port Sudan, a city and port on the Red Sea in eastern Sudan, from which evacuations would take plce, Cavusoglu added. The following are specifics about international evacuations from Sudan: Azerbaijan The Foreign Ministry announced that 26 Azerbaijani citizens in Sudan had been evacuated with the assistance of Trkiye. US State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said on Monday that three convoys led by US government have arrived in Port Sudan since Saturday, assisting in the evacuation of over 700 individuals, their family members, and nationals from partner countries. The US is working “tirelessly and around the clock” to ensure that those seeking US assistance in Sudan are aware of all evacuation options, Patel said during a daily press briefing. Russia Moscow announced that it had evacuated more than 200 diplomats and citizens from Russia and former Soviet republics, as well as some other states, as the conflict in Sudan entered its third week, according to the Russian Zvezda TV channel. France The Foreign Ministry announced in late April that 936 people had been evacuated, including French nationals, British, Americans, Canadians, Ethiopians, Dutch, Italians, and Swedes. UK While it is estimated that approximately 4,000 people with British passports are in Sudan, the UK made its first evacuation flight on the 10th day of the conflict. The Foreign Office said 21 flights were made from Wadi Sayyidna Air Base in the north of Khartoum as of April 25. A total of 1,888 people were evacuated, it said, adding that they will continue to provide consular services to citizens traveling to Port Sudan and neighboring countries. Germany The German army announced on Twitter that 311 people have been evacuated so far. An army spokesman said the planes carried both German and foreign citizens. Canada Canadian evacuation flights from Sudan have ended, Defense Minister Anita Anand announced on Sunday, adding that the military has evacuated over 400 Canadians in the last two weeks. Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced on April 24 that they had airlifted all of their citizens, and some foreigners, who wished to leave Sudan. About 150 people, including 107 Italians, were evacuated from Khartoum to Djibouti and then flown to Italy by Air Force aircraft. The Netherland The Foreign Ministry announced the evacuation of 150 Dutch citizens. The Netherlands conducted the eighth and final evacuation flight from Sudan to Jordan on Saturday, the ministry said. Belgium More than 1,000 Europeans, including eight Belgians, were evacuated, Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said. About 30 Belgians remained in the country because they do not want to leave, he added. Spain The country evacuated 100 people by plane, including 30 Spaniards and 70 citizens of Argentina, Colombia, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Mexico, and Venezuela, the Spanish government said in a statement issued on April 23. Sweden The Swedish Armed Forces had completed the rescue operations in Sudan, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced in late April. Kristersson said at a press conference that a total of 160 people, including 60 Swedes, were evacuated by the forces. Switzerland The country closed its embassy in Khartoum for security reasons, and its Swiss staff and their families were evacuated and are safe, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said on April 21. Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said all Japanese citizens who wanted to leave Sudan have been evacuated. Japan safely evacuated 45 people , including eight from different countries, on April 24, Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa said in a late April statement. The ministry also announced that the embassy in Sudan would be temporarily closed. South Korea A military aircraft carrying 28 South Korean and many Japanese citizens landed at the Seoul Air Base located in the city of Seongnam, according to the South Korean president’s office. China The Foreign Ministry said 1,300 Chinese citizens left Sudan, some on warships and others on different means. India The Foreign Ministry announced that 2,400 Indian citizens have been evacuated since the conflict in Sudan began. They will continue to evacuate other citizens who have become stranded in the country, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said. Pakistan The Foreign Ministry announced that all of Pakistani citizens who were stranded in Sudan had been evacuated. The ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that more than 1,000 Pakistanis had been evacuated from Sudan and that evacuation operations had been completed. Saudi Arabia The kingdom administration announced on Saturday that 4,879 people, including Saudi nationals, stranded in Sudan were evacuated. According to state news agency SPA, 12 Saudis and 1,866 other nationals were evacuated by ship from Sudan to Jeddah. Qatar All Qatari citizens were evacuated from Sudan, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said in a statement on April 23, without specifying the number of people. Kuwait The Foreign Ministry said that 25 Kuwaiti citizens had been evacuated with the assistance of Saudi Arabia. Kuwaitis returned home after being evacuated to the Saudi city of Jeddah. Palestine Iyad al-Buzm, a spokesman for the Hamas-run Interior Ministry told Anadolu that 250 Palestinians have been evacuated. Jordan Seven Royal Air Force aircraft evacuated 576 people from Port Sudan International Airport, according to the Foreign Ministry. It said 423 of the evacuees were Jordanians, while 153 were Egyptians, Palestinians, Syrians, Iraqis, Lebanese, Yemenis, Tunisians, Americans, British, Japanese, Canadians, Germans, Dutch, Norwegians, Italians, Irish, and Portuguese. Iraq The Foreign Ministry said on Monday that about 300 Iraqi citizens had been evacuated. Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kenani said 65 Iranian citizens have been evacuated since the conflict began in Sudan. Lebanon Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said Lebanon has completed the citizens’ evacuation first of phase. Habib said 44 people, including 12 Palestinians, were brought to the country from Sudan. The Foreign Ministry separately said a convoy carrying 51 Lebanese citizens has reached the Port Sudan by land, and they will first cross to Saudi Arabia by sea before flying to Lebanon. Mauritania The country announced that it had evacuated 120 Mauritanian citizens who were stranded in the middle of the conflict, by sea, with the support of Saudi Arabia. Yemen The Yemeni government has evacuated about 200 people via Port Sudan. Yemenis evacuated by a Saudi Arabian ship were first taken to Jeddah and then flown to Yemen. Egypt Over 5,300 citizens have been evacuated since the conflict began, according to the Foreign Ministry. On Friday, another 2,648 people were brought to the country as part of the evacuation efforts. According to the ministry, there are over 10,000 Egyptians living in Sudan. Libya The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that 105 Libyan citizens were evacuated from Port Sudan by a Saudi Arabian ship on April 25. It was reported that the evacuated Libyans were flown back to their home countries. Morocco The number of Moroccans evacuated has risen to 447, following the last operation in which 154 citizens were evacuated, the Foreign Ministry said. Tunisia The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that as part of the evacuation operation launched on April 24, a plane carrying 46 people, including the Tunisian Ambassador, landed at Carthage International Airport. Algeria Diplomats and citizens evacuated from Sudan arrived in the country on an Algerian Air Force plane from Port Sudan, according to the Foreign Ministry. It added that 13 Palestinians and 22 Syrians were among those evacuated. UAE The Foreign Ministry announced that it has successfully evacuated nationals from 16 different countries, including all of UAE nationals. Somalia The Foreign Ministry that it has evacuated 150 citizens since the conflict began. Djibouti Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf announced that Djibouti has evacuated its diplomatic staff and citizens from Sudan, including Ambassador Isa Khayri. Kenya Over 500 Kenyans have been evacuated since evacuation operations began, while over 2,000 others remain stranded in the conflict. Tanzania The government announced that 206 Tanzanians had already returned from Sudan. Uganda Uganda’s Ambassador to Khartoum Rashid Yahya Ssemuddu said in late April that 300 Ugandans were evacuated via Ethiopia and returned home. More than 50 Ugandans remain in Sudan, and evacuation efforts are ongoing. Ghana The Foreign Ministry announced the successful evacuation of 82 citizens via Ethiopia. Chad More than 200 people have been evacuated from Sudan to Chad, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Nigeria The government is working to evacuate about 3,000 Nigerian citizens in Sudan. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) announced on Wednesday that the first convoy of 13 buses had crossed from Khartoum to Egypt. South Africa The government said so far 61 of total 77 South African citizens have been evacuated. According to Sudanese Health Ministry statements, more than 550 people have been killed and over 5,000 have been injured since the start of the clashes. A disagreement has been fomenting in recent months between the army and the paramilitary force over RSF integration into the armed forces, which is a key condition of Sudan’s transition agreement with political groups. Sudan has been without a functioning government since Oct. 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a ‘coup.’ Sudan’s transitional period, which began in August 2019 following the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, was set to end with elections in early 2024.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Data released by Eurostat shows a significant reduction of imports of oil and petroleum products from Russia in 2022 compared to 2019, with other countries such as Brazil, the United States and Angola increasing imports to meet the unmet demand. According to the same data, over the last few months oil and petroleum products are imported to Cyprus mainly from Algeria and the US. With Russia being the largest supplier of fossil fuels to the EU, oil was one of the energy mix components most affected by the conflict, and while demand stayed stable, imports of oil and petroleum products from Russia decreased from 15.724 million tonnes to 6.248 million tonnes in just 12 months. Compared with 2019, oil imports from Russia dropped from 207.070 million tonnes to 133 380 thousand tonnes in 2022 (-36%). This created space for other import partners to increase their supply. Compared with 2019, the United States increased their annual export to the EU by 25.813 million tonnes (+63%), Norway by 16.695 million tonnes (+37%), Brazil by 8.711 million tonnes (+194%), Angola by 4.140 million tonnes (+57%) and the United Arab Emirates by 1.435 million tonnes (24%). In addition, the EU allowed for two emergency stock releases in 2022 (1 March, 1 April) to stabilise the market. In Cyprus, the main source of imports for oil and oil products was Russia and the United States, and to an extent Algeria and Libya, with Russia being the main supplier in 2022 until August. Afterwards, the main supplier was Algeria, along with the US.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

While the imbalance in housing supply and demand in major European cities is causing record increases in rental payments, rising construction costs due to high inflation and interest rates are worsening the situation. Although governments try to find solutions such as limiting the rise in rents in the European continent, where half of the population live in rent in some countries, it is predicted that high inflation will continue to suppress the rent and housing prices. According to research by Eurofound, an institution affiliated to the EU, while especially private sector tenants are experiencing housing insecurity, high inflation, rising interest rates, and increasing construction costs are exacerbating the housing shortage. The expenditures of families on housing and heating exceed 50% of their monthly income in some provinces. As the pressure on rents has increased tremendously in recent months with immigration from Ukraine, those looking for flats to rent in big cities, such as the German capital Berlin, need should be prepared for a months-long stress test. In many European cities, from Berlin to London, families see buying a house as “impossible.” Germany In Germany, which has a population of 84 million, around 700,000 new residences are needed to alleviate the pressure on the real estate market. The housing shortage in the country is at its highest level in 20 years due to rising construction costs, high interest rates, and an influx of refugees. According to experts, construction investments are less attractive in many areas and that the sharp increases in construction prices and interest rates in recent months have negatively affected many construction projects, causing the housing shortage to reach its highest level in 20 years. The arrival of Ukrainians to Germany, after the start of the Moscow-Kyiv war on Feb. 24, 2022, caused an additional demand for 200,000 housing units. In Berlin, the state government held a referendum to expropriate thousands of houses from real estate companies due to protests against rent increases. Some 56.4% of the voters said “yes” for the expropriation of more than 240,000 apartments. The companies own more than 550,000 residences worth pound 100 billion in Germany, where half of the population lives on rent. Average rents in the capital Berlin have increased by more than 100% since 2010, while new apartments being rented for at least pound 26 per square-meter. Austria In the Austrian capital Vienna, where rents have risen sharply due to the increase in housing demand, the rental cost per square meter for an apartment varies between pound 17 and pound 20. While many low incomers live in state-backed council housing in Vienna, registrations for these housing units with increasingly longer waiting times have increased by 26% in the last three years. Denmark Denmark amended its laws to make it harder for institutional investors to significantly increase rents when purchasing real estate, while the government passed the so-called “Blackstone Act” three years ago, aimed at curbing rent rises. The US real estate giant Blackstone had bought tens of thousands of apartments in Denmark in previous years, while tenants complained about the lack of repairs and heavy rent increases of over 100%. The group also tried to persuade tenants to terminate the lease by paying severance pay. The Blackstone Act now prohibits landlords from increasing the rent for five years after purchasing the property. The law was celebrated as a “landmark” against excessive rental costs in Denmark, while Blackstone said the company makes up only 0.5% of Copenhagen’s rental market. Despite this move, the housing constraint in the city did not disappear. In Denmark, a quota for affordable housing is also planned, and 25% of apartments in new buildings are planned to be rented at reasonable prices. France Rent is the most important monthly expenditure of the French people. Increasing housing prices in the capital Paris have pushed low- and middle-income families to the suburbs over the years, making it difficult to find rental housing. The report, published on Feb. 1 by the France-based charity Abbe Pierre Foundation, revealed that as of 2022, 4.15 million people in the country were struggling with housing problems or living in inhumane conditions. According to the report, the number of homeless people in France has increased to 300,000 and this rate has increased by 140% in 10 years. French President Elisabeth Borne said last week that she wants to make it easier for all citizens to access housing in areas where supplies are short by easing financing facilities, even with 0% interest rate. The Netherlands The housing shortage in cities such as Amsterdam, Utrecht, The Hague and Rotterdam, which receives the most immigrants and is populated by students and tourists, continues. The government’s inability to meet the increasing housing needs causes protests every year. In Amsterdam, where large-scale protests were made against the housing restriction, the demand for room rental increased rapidly, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. The rent for a room in the city is around pound 800-900. UK In the UK, one of the countries with the highest housing constraints and rent increases in Europe, the average rent of a house increased by 9.4% in the first quarter of this year, reaching £1,190 ($1,494). According to data from the British online real estate company Rightmove, the average rent in the capital London hit an all-time high at £2,501 per month, up 14% over the same period. The number of rentable houses in the UK real estate market is 46% below versus the 2019 level. Spain In Spain, the government seeks measures against the increasing housing problem every year, intervening in the rent increases for the first time in the country’s democracy history. According to the housing bill adopted in the parliament, the rent increases will be limited to 2% in 2023 and 3% in 2024 instead of the inflation. In addition, property taxes for residences that have been vacant for more than two years will be increased by up to 150%. Also, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez promised to build a total of 113,000 houses in three separate projects for affordable renting for young people and families in financial difficulties. The housing problem in Spain is experienced in the cities of Madrid and Barcelona, which host the highest number of immigrants, students, and tourists. It is calculated that only one room’s rent is between pound 500-600 in these cities and the demand for room rents has increased by 40% compared to last year. Greece With the economic crisis in Greece after 2009, a serious decrease was observed in real estate sales prices and rents in the 2010s, but this situation has been reversed in recent years. The increase in rental prices in the country in the last five years has exceeded 30%, and this increase will continue in 2023 and will be between 3% and 7%. The short-term rental method is seen as one of the reasons for the increase in rental prices in Greece. Especially in the crisis period, the short-term rental of houses for tourism purposes, which are bought cheaply from the central regions, especially the capital Athens, and renovated, causes a decrease in the supply and an increase in rents.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Hungary will not allow the EU to impose sanctions on the Russian nuclear energy industry, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told journalists on Thursday following an EU ministerial meeting in Brussels.

Though Budapest is facing tremendous pressure over the issue, this will not affect the nation’s position, he said.

“Here and now, I would like to state again that this will definitely not happen,” Szijjarto said. “Hungary will not [agree] to nuclear [industry] sanctions of any kind, even minimal,” he added.

The minister indicated that the expansion of Hungary’s Paks Nuclear Power Plant is crucial to the nation’s energy security. Hungary earlier struck a deal with Moscow to expand the facility. Budapest will block any initiative to restrict cooperation with Russia regarding nuclear energy, he added.

According to Szijjarto, restrictions on Russia’s nuclear sector were touted as part of the bloc’s 11th sanctions package, which is currently in the works. The minister claimed, however, that other EU members that use nuclear energy also oppose the idea.

Hungary blocked a similar initiative in February, when the EU adopted its 10th sanctions package over Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. At the time, Szijjarto also said that the package would exclude the country’s nuclear energy sector.

Moscow and Budapest struck the Paks expansion deal in 2014. Russia is about to build two new power generating units under its state-of-the-art VVER-1200 pressurized water reactor project, which is up to the highest modern safety standards.

The Paks plant already produces a sizable portion of the energy consumed by Hungary, and the expansion would see its share in Hungary’s total energy production double, according to RIA Novosti.

The developments come as the EU struggles to find new areas of the Russian economy to target with restrictions, an issue which was acknowledged by European Council President Charles Michel as early as February, during the bloc’s previous sanctions drive.

The restrictions that the US and its allies have placed on Russia since the beginning of the conflict have been “tougher than expected,” according to Moscow. However, they failed to bring Russia’s economy to its knees and the nation’s economic outlook has been improving, according to both the Russian central bank and the World Bank.

Source: Russia Today

World air traffic grew 52.4% from a year earlier in March, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Thursday. Air traffic – measured in revenue passenger kilometers, or RPKs – was 12% lower than its pre-pandemic level in March 2019. ‘Ticket sales for both domestic and international travel give every indication that strong growth will continue into the peak Northern Hemisphere summer travel season,’ Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general, said in a statement. International traffic jumped 68.9% from last year, with RPKs reaching 81.6% of the March 2019 level. “This — the surge in international traffic– was led by a near-tripling of demand for Asia-Pacific carriers as China’s re-opening took hold,” Walsh said. Asia-Pacific continued to post the strongest annual hike among other regions, up 158.9% year-on-year in March. Nearing its pre-pandemic levels for months, domestic air traffic rose 34.1% compared to a year ago, reaching at 98.9% of the March 2019 level. Separate IATA data showed global demand for air cargo, measured in cargo ton-kilometers, dropped 7.7% annually. March performance slipped back into negative territory compared to pre-COVID levels, down 8.1%, the IATA added. Capacity – measured in available cargo ton-kilometers – rose 9.9% compared to last March.

Source: Anadolu Agency

A fire broke out overnight at an oil storage facility in Krasnodar Region, Russia, following a suspected drone strike, TASS news agency reports, citing a source in the local emergency services.

“A second restless night for our emergency services,” Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on Thursday morning, confirming that dozens of firefighters are working to contain the blaze at the Ilsky oil refinery.

No injuries have been reported, and local residents are not in danger, Kondratyev added. The fire was fully contained and extinguished by 5:30am.

While the governor did not reveal the suspected cause of the incident, a source told TASS that a fuel storage tank caught fire early Thursday morning allegedly “due to an attack of an unknown drone.”

Witnesses reported at least one explosion in the area shortly before the blaze started around 2:40am local time, according to the Baza Telegram channel.

The incident comes a day after another oil facility in Krasnodar Region caught fire, also due to an alleged drone strike. The authorities, however, have yet to officially confirm the cause of the incident in the village of Volna, 10km north of the port city of Taman and close to the eastern end of the Crimean Bridge.

In late April, Ukraine claimed it was behind the attack on an oil terminal in the Crimean port of Sevastopol, which destroyed four oil tanks, according to the local authorities. Kiev stated that the raid was meant to lay the groundwork for its long-planned spring counteroffensive.

Early Wednesday morning, two UAVs exploded over the Kremlin and the Russian Senate. The authorities said they were brought down by the air defenses. There were no injuries or reports of damage in the attack, which Russia blamed on Ukraine. The Kremlin stated that it reserves the right to retaliate in a manner, place, and time of its choosing.

Source: Russia Today

Trkiye’s defense industry will reach a product range that can create an air force from scratch thanks to the development of the basic trainer Hurkus, jet trainer Hurjet and national combat aircraft KAAN, the chief test pilot of Hurkus said. “Trkiye has made a magnificent move, starting with Hurkus in manned aircraft and Anka in unmanned aircraft, starting with Atak in helicopters and continuing with Gokbey,” Murat Ozpala told Anadolu. He stressed that Hurkus has carried out more than 2,000 hours of test flights to date. On Monday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that KAAN would be the name of Trkiye’s fighter jet which was previously known as the national combat aircraft. KAAN will take off for the first time after completing high-speed taxi tests. The fifth-generation aircraft was developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) with an aim to replace the Turkish army’s aging F-16 fleet. Hurjet, Trkiye’s first indigenous supersonic combat aircraft, made its maiden flight at the end of April. The aircraft is aiming to replace aging jet trainers and to be “used as Advanced Jet Trainers due to the increasing number of 5th generation aircraft (TFX, F-35, etc.) and their changing configurations,’ according to Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).

Source: Anadolu Agency

Russia has drastically ramped up the production of the BMP-3, its main armored infantry support vehicle, the state-run defense corporation Rostec said on Thursday. The news comes as Ukraine is preparing for the much-touted counteroffensive.

Rostec, which oversees defense production, said the Kurganmashzavod plant to the east of the Ural Mountains manufactured as many infantry fighting vehicles in the first quarter of 2023 as it did throughout the whole of 2019.

Described by Rostec as “the queen of infantry,” the BMP-3 was designed in the 1980s and has since become one of Russia’s main vehicles used to both transport soldiers and support them with firepower. The tracked vehicle can operate on difficult terrain and cross waterways. It is armed with a 30 mm gun and anti-armor rockets.

“The Kurganmashzavod is transferring infantry fighting vehicles practically every month, and the number of deliveries is growing,” Bekkhan Ozdoyev, Rostec’s director for weapons and ammunition, said in the statement. He explained that additional parts and metals were shipped to the plant in order to ensure an “uninterrupted production process.”

Ozdoyev also reported a boost in hiring, as nearly 1,200 new workers were brought in during the first few months of 2023, compared to over 1,000 in total last year.

President Vladimir Putin instructed the government to ramp up defense production last year after Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine. In March, Putin declared that Moscow planned to produce or upgrade over 1,600 tanks, and that the country would have more than three times as many tanks available as Ukraine. Last month, Russian media outlets reported that the newest T-14 Armata tanks were being used in Ukraine for the first time.

The equipment deliveries take place as Kiev is gearing up a counteroffensive, whose success Ukrainian officials said would heavily depend on shipments of foreign arms, including main battle tanks and aircraft. Kirill Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, claimed it would be “a crucial battle.” However, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has urged everyone not to view the planned offensive as a decisive operation.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who now serves as the deputy head of the country’s Security Council, said Moscow should respond to the counteroffensive with the “massive destruction” of Ukraine’s troops and equipment.

Source: Russia Today

Intelligence reports from Russian security services squarely blame Kiev for orchestrating this week’s drone attack on the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, has revealed.

“It was the data we have, the data obtained by our special services,” he told journalists on Thursday.

Peskov did not offer any details about the intelligence, but claimed that Washington shares responsibility for the attack.

“Such decisions – choice of targets, choice of means, etc. – are dictated to Kiev from Washington,” he stated, warning that the incident could trigger an escalation.

Russia has accused Kiev of attempting to assassinate President Vladimir Putin with two drones directed at his residence in the Kremlin. The Russian leader was not on the premises at the time, Peskov explained.

Ukrainian officials have denied any involvement in the incident. An aide to President Vladimir Zelensky claimed, without offering evidence, that an unidentified Russian guerilla force was behind the incident.

US officials who spoke to Politico reportedly claimed that Washington was not warned about the operation, and did not attribute the attack to Ukraine.

Peskov dismissed the denials as “absolutely laughable.”

The spokesman also described the damage done by the drones, saying copper sheets covering the Kremlin Senate building dome must be replaced, he said.

Moscow has accused the US and its allies of waging a proxy war against Russia, with Ukraine serving as one of the tools.

Source: Russia Today

The Russian Foreign Ministry has expressed confidence that law enforcement can find and hold accountable those who launched the drone attack on the Kremlin on behalf of the Ukrainian government this week.

“Such crimes should not be left unanswered,” the ministry said in a statement on Thursday. The perpetrators will face “a stern and inevitable punishment.”

The ministry said it had no doubt that the “Kiev regime” was behind the incident, since it “has been deliberately supporting and using terrorist methods against civilian infrastructure and the peaceful population for a long time.”

It cited the bombing of the Crimean Bridge last October as an example of such tactics employed by Kiev. The Ukrainian government denied masterminding the attempted sabotage of the bridge, which claimed three civilian lives. It likewise rejected Moscow’s accusations regarding this week’s drone incident.

The Foreign Ministry argued that the latest episode confirmed that Kiev is not interested in peace, thus proving the necessity of continued military action against Ukraine.

“No threats to our security should emanate from the territory of Ukraine and no acts of terrorism should be committed [by it],” the statement said.

The ministry reiterated that Russia reserves the right to retaliate as it sees fit, in accordance with “the threat that Kiev created for the leadership of our nation.” Moscow described the drone attack as an attempt to kill President Vladimir Putin.

The drone incident happened on Tuesday night, when Putin was not at the Kremlin, according to his press secretary, Dmitry Peskov. When asked on Thursday how the Russian government had attributed the attack to Kiev, the spokesman cited intelligence reports. He also claimed that such an operation must have received a blessing from the US.

Source: Russia Today