التصنيف: أخبار

Russian forces have taken complete control of the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka after months of intense fighting, the defence ministry has said.

President Vladimir Putin congratulated troops on the development, labelling it a “success” and “important victory” just days away from the second anniversary of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, informed the Kremlin that forces were working to clear the final pockets of resistance, the same day Ukraine’s military chief said he was withdrawing outnumbered troops from the city.

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It comes as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy implored the West to increase supplies of military aid and suggested the withdrawal was partly caused by a lack of weapons.

“Now, [the military] will replenish, they will wait for the relevant weapons, of which there simply weren’t enough, simply aren’t enough,” he said, addressing the Munich Security Conference.

“Russia has long-range weapons, while we simply don’t have enough.”

He later expressed hope that Congress in the US would make a “wise decision” and pass the package to resupply Ukrainian forces, which has met fierce resistance from the Republicans.

“We hope that the House of Representatives will make decisions to ensure further necessary US support for Ukraine,” Mr Zelenskyy wrote on X.

“We must win this war.”

The White House blamed the withdrawal from Avdiivka on “dwindling supplies as a result of congressional inaction” that had forced Ukrainian soldiers to ration ammunition and resulted in “Russia’s first notable gains in months”.

Later, in a phone call with Mr Zelenskyy, Mr Biden underscored the US’ commitment to supporting Ukraine.

The taking of the southern city is Russia’s biggest advance since it took Bakhmut last May, and could be key in Russia moving a step closer to securing full control of the two provinces that make up the industrial Donbas region.

In a telegram, Mr Putin paid tribute to soldiers who had died in the campaign, saying: “Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in fulfilling the tasks of the special military operation!”

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Russians dropped 60 bombs a day

Russian forces have been trying to advance on the town since October last year and have surrounded it on three sides, leaving limited resupply routes for the Ukrainian troops dug in there.

In recent days, Rodion Kudriashov, deputy commander of the Third Assault Brigade, gave an insight into the situation on the ground, saying Russian warplanes had been dropping about 60 bombs a day, relentlessly shelling the area and launching assaults with armour and infantry.

The city, once home to around 30,000 residents but now thought to have a population of just over 1,000 people, is located to the north of Donetsk.

It was home to a large industrial facility producing chemicals and the coal-based fuel known as coke, but the plant has been largely destroyed in the fighting, according to its owners.

The takeover hasn’t come easy to the Russians, with footage appearing to show bodies of about 150 soldiers, most wearing Russian uniforms, lying scattered along tree lines where they sought cover.

Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron is set to visit the Falkland Islands – amid renewed calls in Argentina for talks on their future.

The visit – the first by a cabinet minister since 2016 – is being touted as a high-profile demonstration that the remote South Atlantic archipelago remains a “valued part of the British family”.

It comes after Argentina‘s new president, Javier Milei, thrust his country’s long-running claim over the British overseas territory back into the spotlight by calling for the islands to be handed over to Buenos Aires.

However, Lord Cameron said their sovereignty was “not… up for discussion” while islanders wished to be British.

“The Falkland Islands are a valued part of the British family, and we are clear that as long as they want to remain part of the family, the issue of sovereignty will not be up for discussion,” he said in a statement ahead of the trip.

“The Falkland Islanders should be proud of the modern, prosperous community they have built.

“The islands are a thriving economy, where as well as farming and fishing, there is a priority given to conservation and sustainability.”

Mr Milei, a radical libertarian, swept into office in December off the back of an election campaign promising wholesale changes to Argentina’s state and economy.

He also pledged the country would gain sovereignty over the islands – known as Islas Malvinas by Argentines – and has suggested the UK should approach the issue in a similar way to the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997.

That agreement, however, followed the end of a 99-year lease.

The Falklands have been under British sovereignty since 1833, barring the three-month occupation by Argentina in 1982, which resulted in the Falklands War, in which 255 British servicemen, three islanders and 649 Argentinian personnel died.

In a 2013 referendum, 99.8% of islanders voted to retain their status as a UK overseas territory, something often cited by British politicians to dismiss Argentina’s claim.

Last month, Lord Cameron met with Mr Milei at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where the debate over the islands was discussed.

Following the meeting, the Foreign Office said the pair had a “warm and cordial meeting” and on the issue of the Falklands “they would agree to disagree, and do so politely”.

On his visit, Lord Cameron will pay his respects to the British forces who served and those who lost their lives during the conflict in 1982 and thank the UK personnel based on the islands today.

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Lord Cameron will meet leaders of the Falkland Islands government during a visit to the capital Stanley and other sites around the overseas territory.

He will also visit environmental projects and see some of the penguins that depend on the vital island habitats.

He is expected to travel to the Falklands before visiting Paraguay – the first time a British foreign secretary has travelled to the South American nation – before travelling to a meeting with G20 counterparts in Brazil.

غزة – وكالات:

أعلنت وزارة الصحة الفلسطينية في غزة، ارتفاع عدد ضحايا الهجوم الإسرائيلي على قطاع غزة إلى نحو 29 ألف شهيد وحوالي 69 ألف جريح.

وقالت وزارة الصحة الفلسطينية في غزة في بيان إن القوات الإسرائيلية ارتكبت 9 مجازر ضد العائلات في قطاع غزة راح ضحيتها 83 قتيلاً و125 جريحاً، وذلك خلال الساعات الأربع والعشرين ساعة الماضية.

وأضافت أن «حصيلة العدوان الإسرائيلي على القطاع ارتفعت إلى 28858 شهيد و68677 إصابة منذ السابع من أكتوبر الماضي».

وأشارت إلى أنه ما زال عدد من الضحايا تحت الركام وفي الطرقات يمنع الجيش الإسرائيلي وصول طواقم الإسعاف والدفاع المدني الوصول إليهم.

وكانت تقارير أفادت بمقتل 10 أشخاص على الأقل باستهداف الجيش الإسرائيلي لمنزل عائلة يونس خلف بركة الشيخ رضوان بمدينة غزة.

وأطلق الجيش الإسرائيلي النار تجاه الأهالي شرقي حي الشجاعية بغزة، فيما قصفت مدفعيته مواقع شمال مدينة غزة، بالإضافة إلى المناطق الجنوبية الشرقية من دير البلح وسط القطاع.

سياسياً.. حمل رئيس المكتب السياسي لحركة حماس إسماعيل هنية، في بيان إسرائيل مسؤولية عدم إحراز تقدم في التوصل إلى اتفاق وقف إطلاق النار في قطاع غزة، مشددا على إطلاق سراح الأسرى الفلسطينيين الذين يقضون أحكاما لفترات طويلة في أي اتفاق تبادل مقبل.

وقال هنية في بيان: «لن نرضى بأقل من الوقف الكامل للعدوان وانسحاب الجيش الإسرائيلي خارج قطاع غزة ورفع الحصار الظالم عن شعبنا وتوفير المأوى الآمن والمناسب للنازحين والمشردين بسبب جرائم الاحتلال وعودة النازحين خاصة إلى شمال القطاع ووقف سياسة التجويع الهمجية والالتزام بإعادة الإعمار».

القاهرة – رويترز:

أعلن الجيش السوداني تحقيق أول تقدم كبير له منذ بداية الحرب قبل عشرة أشهر، إذ استعاد السيطرة على جزء من مدينة أم درمان من قوات الدعم السريع.

وقال الجيش إنه نجح في ربط القاعدتين الرئيسيتين له في المدينة، في تقدم احتفل به الجنود والسكان. ونفت قوات الدعم السريع أن الجيش أحرز التقدم.

وبدأ الصراع بين قوات الدعم السريع والجيش من أجل السيطرة على السودان منذ أبريل – نيسان في حرب أسفرت عن مقتل الآلاف وتشريد ما يقرب من ثمانية ملايين وأثارت تحذيرات من حدوث مجاعة.

وحافظ الجيش على السيطرة على معظم قواعده في العاصمة لكنه لم يحرز تقدماً كبيراً حتى بداية العام عندما قال سكان إنه استخدم الطائرات المسيرة بشكل أكبر.

ورغم انقطاع الإنترنت لمدة أسبوعين، ظهرت صور من المدينة تظهر مدنيين وجنوداً يحتفلون.

ويقول سكان أم درمان والخرطوم ومدن أخرى إن قوات الدعم السريع أجبرتهم على الخروج من منازلهم، كما يواجه الجيش الذي نفذ حملة واسعة من الضربات الجوية اتهامات بارتكاب جرائم حرب. وينفي كل من الجيش وقوات الدعم السريع هذه الاتهامات. وتقول قوات الدعم السريع إن الجناة المارقين سيقدمون إلى العدالة.