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Russian air forces destroyed a tracking radar station of the Ukrainian army in the Mykolaiv region and six weapon and missile depots in the eastern and southeastern parts of Ukraine, TASS quoted the Russian defense ministry as saying on Saturday.Russian air defense systems downed 13 Ukrainian drones and destroyed five HIMARS missiles in the air, the ministry said, according to state news agency TASS.

Governments bet billions on burning timber for green power. The Times went deep into one of the continent’s oldest woodlands to track the hidden cost.Burning wood was never supposed to be the cornerstone of the European Union’s green energy strategy. When the bloc began subsidizing wood burning over a decade ago, it was seen as a quick boost for renewable fuel and an incentive to move homes and power plants away from coal and gas. Chips and pellets were marketed as a way to turn sawdust waste into green power. Those subsidies gave rise to a booming market, to the...

Dear G20 / WEF-approved “elites” – word from the wise: the reality distortion field only worked for Steve Jobs. Elizabeth Holmes learned that the hard way.What is the reality distortion field power that our “elites” seem to think that they master? It is the belief that if you want something hard enough and shout enough at the problem it somehow bends to your will. In Steve Jobs’ case it worked as a) he was a genius and b) he “merely” pushed the envelope of what was thought possible in the realm of design and marketing but did not try to...

During a portion of an interview with NPR aired on Friday’s broadcast of “Morning Edition,” Francois-Regis Mouton, who is the EU Affairs Director for the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers, said that Europe won’t be able to supply its gas demand even if it boosts all other alternatives for the next four, five years. While speaking with NPR Correspondent Eleanor Beardsley, Mouton said, “Even if you boost any other alternatives from now on to 2026, 2027, Europe will not be able to supply its gas demand.” Beardsley added that this will mean that “some businesses won’t make it....

Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-appointed leader of Chechnya, has criticised the Russian army’s leadership after it appeared to be caught off guard by Ukraine’s fightback against the Russian invasion in the north-east. In a sign that the Kremlin may face serious fallout over the loss of territory that the Russian occupation administrations had repeatedly stated they planned to keep “for ever”, Kadyrov also suggested that Vladimir Putin might not be aware of the real state of affairs. “They have made mistakes and I think they will draw the necessary conclusions,” Kadyrov said in an audio message posted to his Telegram channel...

Most Americans are unaware how close Russia and Ukraine came to ending the current war in April. Last March 27, Ukraine president Zelensky told his people "Our goal is obvious – peace and the restoration of normal life in our native state as soon as possible." He was hinting at what went unsaid: Ukraine and Russia, brokered by NATO member Turkey, reached a tentative fifteen-point peace plan to end the month old war. Key points were Russia withdraw from all Ukraine except for breakaway Donbas and Crimea. Ukraine would pass on future NATO membership, pledging neutrality between Russia and NATO....

Pope Francis has been steadfast in his opposition to the war in Ukraine, decrying the violence that it has wrought on innocent civilians. At the same time, the pope suggested there was blame for the war to go around beyond Russia and Vladimir Putin. On Tuesday, an Italian newspaper published an interview with Francis where he declined to state what he believed was Putin’s exact motivations for launching the war against Ukraine on Feb. 24. However, the pope suggested that the West could bear some responsibility for what he says may have been its provocation of Putin. "Maybe it was...

How the Situation in Ukraine Could Get Far More Dangerous: After days of a withering Ukrainian counteroffensive, the Russian defense ministry announced that it was withdrawing its forces from two areas in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. In a video statement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky quipped, “The Russian army in these days is demonstrating the best that it can do — showing its back.” Ukrainians celebrated, and rightly so. While Russian spokesmen said that Russian forces were “repositioning” ahead of a new offensive, reporters on the ground cast doubt on such pronouncements both because they mirror Russian statements as it abandoned its...

Russian forces have withdrawn from key eastern towns, as a rapid Ukrainian counter-attack makes further gains. Ukrainian officials said troops entered Kupiansk, a vital eastern supply hub for Russian forces, on Saturday. Russia's defence ministry then said its troops have retreated from nearby Izyum to allow them "to regroup". The ministry also confirmed the withdrawal of troops from a third key town, Balaklyia, in order to "bolster efforts" on the Donetsk front. The Ukrainian advances - if held - would be the most significant since Russia withdrew from areas around Kyiv in April. Izyum was a major military hub for...

Russia’s defense ministry on Saturday admitted its forces had retreated from key towns in northeastern Ukraine after a stunning advance by Ukrainian troops. The Defense Ministry said it had pulled forces out of the village of Balakliya and the strategically crucial city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region, after a decision to “regroup” and transfer them to Donetsk in the south.” The retreat represents one of the biggest setbacks for Russia since President Vladimir V. Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. “In order to achieve the goals of the special military operation, a decision was made to...

Moscow abandoned its main bastion in northeastern Ukraine on Saturday, in a sudden collapse of one of the war's principal front lines after surging Ukrainian forces threatened to encircle the area in a shock advance. The swift fall of Izium in Kharkiv province was Moscow's worst defeat since its troops were forced back from the capital Kyiv in March, and could prove a decisive turning point in the six-month-old war, with thousands of Russian soldiers abandoning ammunition stockpiles and equipment as they fled. The head of Russia's administration in areas in Kharkiv it controls told all residents to evacuate the...

This falls under the category of too good to check. As Ed Morrisey pointed out this morning, the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the east seems to be shaping up as a genuine disaster for Russia. I came across this animation which shows the territory Ukraine has retaken in the past few days.AFU 🇺🇦 counter-offensive in Kharkiv region for the last three days 🔥 pic.twitter.com/8Mpj3fVPqB— Tarmo Juntunen 🇨🇿 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 NAFO (@TarmoJuntunen) September 9, 2022Wednesday there were reports of an even bigger loss for Russia. This has not been confirmed yet but it’s possible that Ukrainian forces have captured a Russian Lieutenant...

Blaring headlines such as “US bans ‘advanced tech’ firms from building facilities in China for a decade” and “China’s zero-Covid policies are crippling its economic outlook” distract from more mundane but arguably more important corporate news coming out of China. Those new developments include the start of production at BASF’s new industrial complex in Zhanjiang and the final commissioning of ABB’s state-of-the-art robotics factory in Shanghai, big new European investments that buck the trend of US “decoupling” with China. On September 6, BASF announced the inauguration of the first manufacturing plant at its Zhanjiang Verbund industrial complex in China’s southern...

The global shift to cleaner sources of energy is not yet a casualty of Russia's war in Ukraine, according to new research showing power generation has become less carbon-intensive, and clean energy investment has climbed since the conflict started. European nations that led the transition away from fossil fuels in recent years now find themselves scrambling to secure new sources of natural gas ahead of winter as Russia squeezes supply lines. In one of her first major policy announcements, new British Prime Minister Liz Truss promised to approve more North Sea oil drilling, and lift a ban on fracking to...

UKRAINSKA PRAVDA — FRIDAY, 9 SEPTEMBER 2022, 17:15 Russian soldiers on the southern front are resigning in large numbers, raising riots, and rapidly replenishing Ukraine’s POW exchange fund by surrendering to Ukrainian captivity. Source: Natalia Humeniuk, the head of the United Coordinating Press Centre of Security and Defence Forces of the South of Ukraine, on air during the national 24/7 newscast on 9 September Quote: "The POW exchange fund is being replenished quite intensively compared to previous days. Russian soldiers are rioting within their units, they are rising up against their command and writing reports [requesting resignation] in large numbers."...

The Russian-installed chief administrator of Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine’s Kharkiv region recommended on Saturday that all its inhabitants evacuate to Russia “to save lives,” according to the Russian state-run TASS news agency. Vitaly Ganchev said official representatives were ready to provide the refugees with food, heat and medical care, according to TASS. The Russian Defence Ministry said it was pulling troops out of Izium and Balakliia – crucial military supply hubs in the Kharkiv region – as Ukraine claimed rapid advances. Ganchev had said on Friday that civilians were being evacuated from several towns that had come under heavy pressure...

Work behind the enemy continues! In the southern direction, while conducting special reconnaissance in the temporarily occupied territory, a combat group of the MTR of Ukraine came across an enemy position. The Russian armored personnel carriers and personnel of the invaders found there were destroyed instantly in a matter of minutes. After that, the operators of the MTR of Ukraine division went on, continuing to perform their main task.

Dear Ukrainians, I wish you health! We have good news from the European Union. The provision of EUR 5 billion of macro-financial assistance to our state has been approved. It's very important. And secondly, there is a decision of the Council of the EU to suspend the visa facilitation agreement signed by the EU and Russia. This decision will be effective from Monday. And there are specific recommendations of the European Commission regarding visa restrictions for citizens of Russia. This is the protection of Europe, it will make it difficult for those who do not want to change anything, do...

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had taken control of more than 30 cities and towns in Kharkiv Oblast. Quote: "Our army, intelligence and the Security Service of Ukraine continue active operations on several fronts. And they are doing it successfully... At this time, the Armed Forces have liberated and taken control of more than 30 cities and towns in Kharkiv Oblast. In some villages of the Oblast, measures to check and secure the territory are ongoing; we are gradually taking control of new villages and towns, everywhere we are returning the Ukrainian flag and protection...

Scott Ritter, [9/9/2022 7:19 AM] [ Video ] Scott Ritter, [9/9/2022 7:40 AM] Some Comments on the Military Situation in Ukraine as of September 9, 2022 I have been asked to comment on the situation in eastern-southern Ukraine following the commencement of a major counteroffensive by the Ukrainian armed forces (UAF). Given the fluidity of the situation on the ground, I will avoid trying to conduct a detailed analysis of the specific actions that have taken place, are taking place, and will take place. I am thousands of miles removed from the battlefield and am in receipt of incomplete and...