
More than 900 of Putin’s soldiers killed in past 24 hours, claim Ukraine officials
At least 930 Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine in the past 24 hours, Kyiv’s officials claimed. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its battlefield update on Thursday morning also claimed Vladimir Putin has lost approximately 302,420 military personnel since the invasion began on 24 February last year. The Independent has not been able to verify claims of the battlefield casualties. Kyiv claimed that in addition to the casualties, 43 armoured vehicles, 42 artillery systems, 18 of Russia’s tanks and one aircraft had also been damaged in the same period. Russia has not confirmed the total personnel losses it has suffered in Ukraine. Similarly, Ukraine has also not confirmed its own military personnel losses in the continuing war. This comes as Ukraine attacked Russian positions over the Black Sea and Crimea in an early morning attack on Thursday. The Russian ministry of defence said its air defence shot down six aircraft-type drones over the region, of which five were shot down over Crimea. The fighting has intensified on five fronts of the battlefield in the past day, Ukrainian military officials said. Russian forces have attacked Ukrainian positions on the Kupiansk, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Marinka and Shakhtarsk fronts in Donetsk but failed to make any success, the General Staff said. It added that a total of 57 combat clashes took place on the war frontline, including 5 missiles and 75 air strikes. Russia also fired 56 rocket strikes using Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) at the Ukrainian positions and other settlements. The Russian troops have also targeted residential buildings and civilian settlements, it said. Accounts from the Russian ministry of defence and its active military bloggers claimed its forces shot down two Su-27 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force and also targeted two Leopard tanks. The war frontline, despite surges in fighting on multiple occasions on several fronts this year, has largely remained static. While the Ukrainian counteroffensive successfully restored some of Kyiv’s territory back from Russian control, the region has seen concentration of fighting along multiple axes with no major gains. The war is now “gradually moving into a positional form”, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Valerii Zaluzhnyi told The Economist in an interview. He said there was a stalemate on the battlefield similar to that seen during the First World War, owing to technological and tactical parity between Russian and Ukrainian forces. To break this stalemate, Ukraine will need to gain air superiority, breach Russia’s mine barriers in depth, increase Kyiv’s effectiveness of counterbattery combat, create and train necessary reserves, and build up electronic warfare capabilities.
1970-01-01 08:00

Adani Flagship Posts 50% Fall in Profit as Revenue Plummets
Adani Enterprises Ltd.’s quarterly profit slipped 50% signaling headwinds persist for billionaire Gautam Adani’s flagship firm after it
1970-01-01 08:00

Italian PM tells pranksters posing as diplomats of ‘fatigue’ on all sides over Ukraine war
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni told Russian pranksters posing as African diplomats that there is "a lot of fatigue" over the war in Ukraine. In a 13-minute recording released by pranksters “Vova and Lexus”, Ms Meloni claimed that Kyiv’s counteroffensive “didn’t change the destiny of the conflict” and that the time is approaching when Europe will “need a way out". The Italian PM believed she was speaking to senior African Union officials in the call on 18 September, a day before the United Nations General Assembly in New York, but her office later admitted that she “had been deceived”. They also confirmed the authenticity of the audio published by Vova and Lexus, whose real names are Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, on Wednesday. During the interview, Ms Meloni said: “Everybody understands that [the war in Ukraine] really could last many years if we don’t try to find some solutions.” Speaking in English, she added: “I see that there is a lot of fatigue, I have to say the truth, from all the sides. “We (are) near the moment in which everybody understands that we need a way out. “The problem is to find a way out which can be acceptable for both without destroying the international law. “I have got some ideas about how to manage this situation, but I am waiting for the right moment to put on the table these ideas that I have got.” Mr Kuznetsov and Mr Stolyarov are prominent in Russia and have pranked numerous world leaders, including Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau in 2020. Sir Elton John, Ben Wallace and the Duke of Sussex have also been tricked into giving up controversial opinions in phone conversations. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, without mentioning the audio clip of Ms Meloni, said in his nightly address on Wednesday that Europe was a continent of “cooperation, not disagreements”. “We value our Europe, the Europe of cooperation, not confrontation, the Europe of people, not ideologies, because only in this way can our continent protect and defend human lives both in European countries and in the world,” he said. “I am confident that Ukraine will make our Europe stronger than ever, and we are working actively to remove any obstacles to our accession to the European Union. “I am also confident that no matter how events unfold in the world, among our partners in the United States and elsewhere, unity will prevail. Unity, not division. Unity, not calls for isolation.” Mikhail Podolyak, an advisor to Mr Zelensky, suggested in a statement to X, formerly Twitter, that European fatigue, and its apparent resultant willingness to negotiate a ceasefire, was “absolute propaganda fiction promoted only by authoritarian regimes similar to the Russian one”. Read More More than 900 of Putin’s soldiers killed in past 24 hours, claim Ukraine officials Ukraine says more than 260 civilians killed after stepping on mines and explosives Ukraine suffers most intense bombardment of Russian shelling this year, Kyiv says North Korea has likely sent missiles as well as ammunition and shells to Russia, Seoul says Putin’s troops ‘trying to regroup’ for attacks on besieged town - live Putin is expected to seek reelection in Russia, but who would run if he doesn't?
1970-01-01 08:00

Turkish Central Bank Raises Inflation Forecasts in Clue to Rates
Turkey’s central bank lifted its inflation outlook sharply higher for the next two years on Thursday, a shift
1970-01-01 08:00

European Gas Fluctuates on Uncertainty Over Demand and War Risks
European natural gas futures swung between small gains and losses early Thursday amid lingering concerns about the Middle
1970-01-01 08:00

China Railway to Negotiate Tanzania-Zambia Line Concession
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1970-01-01 08:00

US, China to Hold Nuclear Arms Talks Before Xi-Biden Meeting
The US is set to hold rare nuclear arms control talks with China amid growing concerns over Beijing’s
1970-01-01 08:00

Novo Nordisk’s Earnings Surge on Frenzy for Obesity Drugs
Novo Nordisk A/S sales surged in the third quarter as demand continued unabated for its obesity and diabetes
1970-01-01 08:00

Swiss Inflation Holds at 1.7%, Boosting Case for SNB Rate Pause
Swiss inflation stalled in October, delaying an anticipated rebound and strengthening the case for Swiss National Bank officials
1970-01-01 08:00

World’s Largest Pension Fund Posts $4.5 Billion Quarterly Loss
Japan’s state pension fund, the world’s largest, posted a loss of ¥683.2. billion ($4.5 billion) on total assets
1970-01-01 08:00

Five SMBC Debt Capital Markets Bankers Leave Hong Kong Office
SMBC Nikko Securities Inc.’s head of capital markets APAC ex-Japan and four of the firm’s other bankers have
1970-01-01 08:00

ING Plans €2.5 Billion Buyback as Higher Rates Buoy Profit
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1970-01-01 08:00