nasty tour 2022

Kehlani Announces Blue Water Road Tour

Featuring Special Guests Rico Nasty Across North America Dates and Destin Conrad Across All Shows

Tickets on sale starting friday, may 20th at 10am local on kehlani.com/tour.

Following the release of her critically acclaimed album, Blue Water Road , Kehlani has announced her Blue Water Road Tour featuring special guests Rico Nasty on North American dates and Destin Conrad across all dates. Produced by Live Nation, the 28-city North American leg kicks off on July 30th at ​​Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh, NC making stops across the U.S. in Miami, New York, Houston, and more before wrapping up in Oakland at Oakland Arena on September 30th. Her tour then continues through Europe, see full routing below.

TICKETS:  Tickets go on sale starting Friday, May 20th at 10am local time on kehlani.com/tour .

PRESALE: Citi is the official card of the Blue Water Road Tour U.S. shows. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning Tuesday, May 17th at 10am ET local time until Thursday, May 19th at 10pm local time through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete presale details visit www.citientertainment.com . 

BLUE WATER ROAD TOUR DATES: 

Sat Jul 30 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater

Mon Aug 01 – Miami, FL – FPL Solar Amphitheater

Wed Aug 03 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy

Fri Aug 05 – Charlotte, NC – Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre

Sun Aug 07 – Washington, DC – The Anthem

Tue Aug 09 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall

Fri Aug 12 – Boston, MA – Leader Bank Pavilion 

Sat Aug 13 – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater

Mon Aug 15 – Philadelphia, PA – Skyline Stage @ The Mann Center

Tue Aug 16 – Pittsburgh, PA – UPMC Events Center

Wed Aug 17 – Cincinnati, OH – The Andrew J Brady Music Center

Fri Aug 19 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory

Mon Aug 22 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre

Wed Aug 24 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage! 

Fri Aug 26 – Chicago, IL – Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom 

Sun Aug 28 – Indianapolis, IN – TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park

Tue Aug 30 – Houston, TX – Bayou Music Center

Thu Sep 01 – Austin, TX – Moody Amphitheater

Sat Sep 03 – Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom

Tue Sep 06 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium

Fri Sep 09 – Las Vegas, NV – The Chelsea @ The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas 

Sat Sep 10 – Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theater

Wed Sep 14 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Federal Theatre

Thu Sep 15 – San Diego, CA – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre

Sat Sep 17 – Portland, OR – Theater of the Clouds @ Moda Center

Sun Sep 18 – Seattle, WA – WAMU Theater 

Wed Sep 21 – Vancouver, BC – PNE Forum!

Fri Sep 30 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena

Fri Oct 21 – Honolulu, HI – Waikiki Shell*!

* Not A Live Nation Date | ! Citi Presale Not Applicable

ADDITIONAL EUROPEAN DATES:

Thu Nov 17 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Grey Hall

Fri Nov 18 – Stockholm, Sweden – Annexet

Mon Nov 21 – Oberhausen, Germany – Turbinhalle*

Tue Nov 22 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom*

Thu Nov 24 – Zurich, Switzerland – Komplex 457

Sat Nov 26 – Vienna, Austria – Gasometer*

Sun Nov 27 – Munich, Germany – Zenith*

Tue Nov 29 – Milan, Italy – Fabrique*

Wed Nov 30 – Paris, France – Salle Pleyel

Sat Dec 03 – Tilburg, Netherlands – O13

Sun Dec 04 – London, UK – Brixton Academy

Wed Dec 07 – Dublin, Ireland – Olympia

Fri Dec 09 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy

Sat Dec 10 – Birmingham, UK – Academy

Mon Dec 12 – Manchester, UK – Victoria Warehouse

*Not A Live Nation Show

ABOUT KEHLANI:

Kehlani will open your eyes, open your mind, and open your heart. For as blunt as she may be about life, longing, lust, and love, her music occupies an elevated state above even the best high—yet accessible by simply listening. The Bay Area-born two-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated multi-platinum songstress unlocks this place anytime she picks up a pen or grabs a microphone. Since 2014, her light has only continued to glow brighter. Thus far, she has picked up over twenty gold and platinum RIAA certifications, tallied 5 billion streams, and garnered a pair of GRAMMY® Award nominations in the categories of “Best Urban Contemporary Album” for the gold-certified mixtape You Should Be Here and “Best R&B Performance” for the platinum single “Distraction.” Beyond blockbuster collaborations with Cardi B, Justin Bieber, Post Malone, Kiana Ledé, Teyana Taylor, and Kyle, she has appeared on soundtracks such as Suicide Squad: The Album, The Fate of the Furious: The Album, and more. Along the way, she received the “Rule Breaker Award” from Billboard Women In Music and performed at Voodoo Music + More, Coachella, and beyond. She reached a critical and creative high watermark with her sophomore offering, It Was Good Until It Wasn’t. It not only bowed at #2 on the Billboard Top 200, but it also concluded 2020 on over a dozen year-end lists from Billboard, Esquire, Hypebeast, Nylon, Seventeen, Spin, Stereogum, The Guardian, and many more. Now, she welcomes everyone into the rapture of her third full-length album, Blue Water Road [Atlantic Records].

About Live Nation Entertainment

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Sponsorship. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com .

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Courtni Asbury | [email protected]

Cara Hutchison  | [email protected]

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The Loft is a very small venue which makes it great for the meet and greet. Overall 10/10 for Rico’s performance. She had a great set and a great opener Malibu Mitch. There was a mosh pit and some people were injured but that’s to be expected. Loved the show, Loved Rico

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Amazing performance! She got through alot a songs which i was very pleased about. The energy from Rico AND the crowd was through the roof! Im already anticipating her return to London next year

This show was crazy. I had such a good time, there weren't many people there but everyone what having a good time. You should definitely go see rico nasty if you get a chance.

Found her on Instagram been listening for awhile now yo.. her mind is different give her a listen u won’t regret NASTY MOD period gonna see u soon baby cakes <3

Never heard of her or her music until I saw a poster at a venue while I was seeing another show. Nine days and two shows later I'm so hardcore Nasty Mob!

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Rico Nasty Maps Out 2023 North American Tour

She'll play Toronto in April

BY Megan LaPierre Published Feb 15, 2023

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Yesterday (Feb. 15), Rico Nasty announced she will be the next headlining artist for the forthcoming “Monster Energy Outbreak Tour.” The journey will kick off in Toronto, ON on April 16 at Toybox Nightclub and stop in major cities like Brooklyn, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles before wrapping in Detroit on May 26. Previous headliners for the tour series include Flo Milli, Latto, and G Herbo.

“After hearing so many requests, I am finally going back on tour HEADLINING the ‘Monster Energy Outbreak Tour.’ I can’t wait to see all my fans! Let’s rock it!” Rico shared via press release.

Back in July of 2022, the DMV artist unleashed her most recent project, Las Ruinas, a 17-song album that saw assists from Bktherula, Teezo Touchdown, Bibi Bourelly, Marshmello, and more. She also joined Kehlani a few months afterward on the “Blue Water Road Trip Tour.” To cap off an eventful year, her Kenny Beats-produced “Smack a Bitch” hit received an RIAA Platinum certification.

Las Ruinas followed Rico’s 2020 Nightmare Vacation album, a 16-song offering with appearances from Gucci Mane, Don Toliver, Aminé, Trippie Redd, ppcocaine, Sukihana, and Rubi Rose. Nightmare Vacation went on to top Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. Outside of her own releases, she can be heard featured on recent tracks like “Scary” by Megan Thee Stallion, “Ain’t No Way” by Denzel Curry, and more.

Presale tickets are available now and will be made available to the general public tomorrow (Feb. 17) at 10 a.m. local time. Fans can access tickets here . Be sure to check out the full list of dates down below.

April 16 – Toronto, ON

April 18 – Boston, MA

April 19 – Brooklyn, NY

April 20 – Philadelphia, PA

April 23 – Washington, D.C.

April 25 – Nashville, TN

April 26 – Atlanta, GA

April 28 – New Orleans, GA

April 29 – Houston, TX

April 30 – Dallas, TX

May 2 – Phoenix, AZ

May 3 – Las Vegas, NV

May 7 – San Diego, CA

May 8 – Los Angeles, CA

May 11 – Oakland, CA

May 12 – San Francisco, CA

May 14 – Santa Cruz, CA

May 16 – Seattle, WA

May 17 – Portland, OR

May 19 – Salt Lake City, UT

May 21 – Denver, CO

May 23 – Saint Paul, MN

May 24 – Chicago, IL

May 26 – Detroit, MI

• Consequence

Rico Nasty Announces 2023 North American Tour Dates

Supporting her 2022 mixtape Las Ruinas

Rico Nasty is taking las ruinas across North America in 2023: The rapper has today announced a run of tour dates for this spring in support of Las Ruinas , her mixtape from last July. It’s the latest installment in the “Monster Energy Outbreak Tour” series.

Rico will commence her tour at Toronto’s Toybox on April 16th. The 24-date trek will then take her to major cities including Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, and more before she wraps things up in Detroit on May 26th.

A pre-sale for tickets is ongoing over at Ticketmaster — use code CHORUS — with general on-sale following this Friday, February 17th at 10:00 a.m. local time. After that, you can alternatively grab your tickets over at StubHub . See Rico Nasty’s full 2023 tour schedule so far below.

Las Ruinas —  which  Consequence  named one of the Top 15 Rap Albums of 2022 — is the follow-up to Rico’s 2020 LP Nightmare Vacation . She’s also been confirmed to appear on the forthcoming season of The Eric Andre Show   sometime this year.

Rico Nasty 2023 Tour Dates: 04/16 – Toronto, ON @ Toybox 04/18 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair 04/19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 04/20 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts 04/23 – Washington DC @ The Fillmore 04/25 – Nashville, TN @ Eastside Bowl 04/26 – Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage 04/28 – New Orleans, GA @ Republic NOLA 04/29 – Houston, TX @ Bronze Peacock at House of Blues 04/30 – Dallas, TX @ The Studio at the Factory 05/02 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom 05/03 – Las Vegas, NV @ 24 Oxford 05/07 – San Diego, CA @ SOMA 05/08 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre 05/11 – Oakland, CA @ The New Parish 05/12 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall 05/14 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst – Atrium 05/16 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos 05/17 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre 05/19 – Salt Lake City, @ UT Soundwell 05/21 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater 05/23 – Saint Paul, MN @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall 05/24 – Chicago, IL @ Avondale Music Hall 05/26 – Detroit, MI @ El Club

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Trailer Palooza Tour

Nasty Little Man

The smile: debut north american tour 2022.

THE SMILE THOM YORKE, JONNY GREENWOOD & TOM SKINNER   DEBUT NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2022 First Ever U.S. & Canada Dates On Sale To The Public From June 17   A LIGHT FOR ATTRACTING ATTENTION OUT NOW DIGITALLY AVAILABLE ON CD AND VINYL FORMATS JUNE 17TH

With their current UK/Europe tour underway — including a recent UK performance described by Clash magazine as “a masterclass and a privilege to behold” — The Smile has expanded its 2022 tour to include an extensive North American run.

Tickets for the newly announced dates will be on sale to the general public from June 17. A full listing of North American tour dates is below. For further information, pre-sales, etc., go to  thesmiletheband.com .

Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Tom Skinner’s first tour of the U.S. and Canada as The Smile comes in support of the new band’s debut album,  A Light for Attracting Attention , which was released digitally May 13 (and will be available in physical formats June 17th), via XL Recordings to unanimous accolades including:  “… a leaner take on Radiohead’s longstanding thoughts of alienation and malaise, pushing rhythm into the foreground” —THE NEW YORK TIMES “… a remarkably assured debut… The Smile contain multitudes.” —PASTE “Alternately combats the horrors of modern life with roiling anger and Zen-like serenity.” —PITCHFORK “Some of the songwriters’ most easily enjoyable music in years” —ROLLING STONE “A most welcome vibe flip from musicians who absolutely refuse to shy away from the unknown.” —SPIN “Sounds impeccable, perfectly balancing the delicacies of Greenwood’s circular, minor-key licks and Yorke’s choir-boy trilling with the more bombastic elements of the orchestra and brass sections… Skinner is too good of a drummer to be reduced to mere sideman… His spirited syncopations echo throughout the record, giving the music a relentless pull even when the music slows to an atmospheric, piano-based crawl.” —UPROXX “… an exceptional record… inhabiting a sound world of its own.” —WALL STREET JOURNAL

 Produced by Nigel Godrich and featuring additional critically acclaimed singles “You Will Never Work In Television Again,” “Skrting On The Surface,” “Pana-vision,” “Free In The Knowledge” and “Thin Thing,”  A Light For Attracting Attention  features strings by the London Contemporary Orchestra and a full brass section of contemporary UK jazz players including Byron Wallen, Theon and Nathaniel Cross, Chelsea Carmichael, Robert Stillman and Jason Yarde. The Smile began their 2022 European tour on May 16th in Croatia with UK dates in London, Edinburgh, and Manchester, before heading back into Europe, finishing their headline shows in Taormina, Sicily, on July 20thand with a final UK date in London’s All Points East on 28th August. 

THE SMILE North American Tour 2022

Mon Nov 14 – Providence, RI @ Veterans Memorial Auditorium  Wed Nov 16 – Boston, MA @ Roadrunner  Fri Nov 18 – Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre  Sun Nov 20 – New York, NY @ Hammerstein  Wed Nov 23 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem  Fri Nov 25  – Montreal, QC @ MTELUS Sat Nov 26 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall   Mon Nov 28 – Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple Theatre – Tue Nov 29 – Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theater  Thu Dec 01 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre  Sat Dec 03 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium  Sun Dec 04 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern  Tue Dec 06 – New Orleans, LA @ Orpheum Theatre Thu Dec 08 – Dallas, TX @ The Factory in Deep Ellum Sat Dec 10 – Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom  Wed Dec 14 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall   Fri Dec 16 – Seattle, WA @ WaMu Theater  Sun Dec 18 – San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium Wed Dec 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Auditorium

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Janet Jackson Gets ‘Nasty’ While Dancing to Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ on Tour: Watch

"Kendrick introduced a whole new generation to Janet. Of course she gon ride for him!" one fan tweeted.

By Michael Saponara

Michael Saponara

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Janet Jackson kicked off another leg of her Together Again Tour, and she’s spiced up her intricate dance routine with Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” being mixed into her “Nasty” breakdown.

Kim Kardashian Wears Janet Jackson’s Exact ‘If’ Music Video Outfit to…

The first concert of the 35-show trek launched in Palm Springs, Calif., on Tuesday night (June 4) at the Acrisure Arena, where Nelly is serving as the tour’s opener.

Trending on Billboard

“Who’s that in that nasty car? Nasty boys/ Who’s that eatin’ that nasty fruit? Nasty boys/ Who’s jammin’ to my nasty groove? Nasty boys,” she sings over Mustard’s West Coast production.

Fans had plenty to say about Janet’s “Not Like Us” stirring the pot on X. “It’s gon be a long year for Aubrey. HBCU season still coming,” one person wrote.

Another chimed in , “Kendrick introduced a whole new generation to Janet. Of course she gon ride for him!”

K. Dot and Jackson have yet to collaborate. However, Lamar did sample the iconic singer’s “Any Time, Any Place” on “Poetic Justice.” The Good Kid, M.A.A.D City classic reached No. 26 on the Hot 100 in 2013.

A month after it’s release, “Not Like Us” is still a staple in hip-hop and permeating different areas of pop-culture. Earlier this week, a Houston meteorologist incorporated lyrics from the Drake diss into his weather report.

Drake & Kendrick Lamar’s Rocky Relationship Explained

Janet’s 2024 Together Again Tour continues to run into the summer, with stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, St. Louis Cincinnati, Cleveland, Boston, Detroit, Toronto, Brooklyn, Tampa, Orlando, Atlanta and New Orleans before finishing off on July 30 in Phoenix.

Watch the clip of Janet Jackson dancing to “Not Like Us” below.

THEY NOT LIKE US QUEEN I STAN !!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/dF5LfpHEo1 — ⊹₊ᴋɴᴛʀʏ ɴɪᴀʜ 𐚁₊⊹ | 𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲 👩🏼‍💼 (@daydreamdlor) June 5, 2024

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What to know about Russia’s growing footprint in Africa

FILE - This undated photograph handed out by French military shows Russian mercenaries boarding a helicopter in northern Mali. Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov went on a tour of the Sub-Saharan region of the Sahel this week, as Moscow seeks to grow its influence in the restive, mineral-rich region of Africa. (French Army via AP, File)

FILE - In this photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and Guinea’s foreign minister Morissanda Kouyate shake hands near a portrait of Guinea’s President Mamadi Doumbouya during their meeting in Conakry, Guinea, on June 3, 2024. Lavrov went on a tour of the Sub-Saharan region of the Sahel this week, as Moscow seeks to grow its influence in the restive, mineral-rich region of Africa. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP, File)

In this photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Burkina Faso Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré smile posing for a photo during their meeting in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Tuesday, June 4, 2024. Moscow pledged more support to Burkina Faso in fighting extremist military groups, as the Russian foreign minister continues his whirlwind tour of West Africa in an attempt to fill in the vacuum left by the region’s traditional Western partners. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Burkina Faso Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré smile posing for a photo during their meeting in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Tuesday, June 4, 2024. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and Republic of Congo’s President Denis Sassou N’Guesso shake hands during their meeting in Oyo, Republic of Congo, Tuesday, June 4, 2024. Any French military instructors in Ukraine would be a “legitimate target” for Russian armed forces, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday as he continued his latest tour of Africa, where frustration with the West has swayed several countries toward Moscow. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during the talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Burkina Faso Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré in Oyo, Congo, Tuesday, June 4, 2024. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and Congo’s Foreign Minister Jean Claude Gakosso shake hands after a joint news conference in Oyo, Congo, Tuesday, June 4, 2024. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attends a meeting with Republic of Congo’s President Denis Sassou N’Guesso in Oyo, Republic of Congo, Tuesday, June 4, 2024. Any French military instructors in Ukraine would be a “legitimate target” for Russian armed forces, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday as he continued his latest tour of Africa, where frustration with the West has swayed several countries toward Moscow. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Republic of Congo’s President Denis Sassou N’Guesso attends a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Oyo, Republic of Congo, Tuesday, June 4, 2024. Any French military instructors in Ukraine would be a “legitimate target” for Russian armed forces, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday as he continued his latest tour of Africa, where frustration with the West has swayed several countries toward Moscow. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP)

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DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Russia’s top diplomat pledged help and military assistance while on a whirlwind tour of several countries in Africa’s sub-Saharan region of Sahel this week, as Moscow seeks to grow its influence in the restive, mineral-rich section of the continent.

Russia is emerging as the security partner of choice for a growing number of African governments in the region, displacing traditional allies like France and the United States. Sergey Lavrov, who has made several trips to Africa in recent years, this week stopped in Guinea, the Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso and Chad.

Moscow has aggressively expanded its military cooperation with African nations by using the private security company Wagner and its likely successor, Africa Corps , with Russian mercenaries taking up roles from protecting African leaders to helping states fight extremists.

The Polish Institute of International Affairs said in a study this month that in “creating the Africa Corps, Russia took an assertive approach to expand its military presence in Africa.

Moscow is also seeking political support, or at least neutrality, from many of Africa’s 54 countries over its invasion of Ukraine. African nations make up the largest voting bloc at the United Nations and have been more divided than any other group on General Assembly resolutions criticizing Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

Russia-linked entities also spread disinformation to undermine ties between African states and the West, the Africa Center For Strategic Studies, an academic institution within the U.S. Department of Defense, wrote in a March report. Moscow has been “sponsoring 80 documented campaigns, targeting more than 22 countries,” it said.

Here’s a look at how Russia is expanding its influence in Africa.

WHY ARE AFRICAN NATIONS TURNING TO RUSSIA?

Russia has taken advantage of political unrest and discontent in coup-hit nations, capitalizing on popular frustration and anger with former colonial power France. Military coups have ousted governments seen close to France and the West and doing little to alleviate grinding poverty, unemployment and other hardships.

Russia offers security assistance without interfering in politics, making it an appealing partner in places like Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso , all ruled by military juntas that seized power in recent years. In return, Moscow seeks access to minerals and other contracts.

Violence linked to extremists allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group has been on the rise in Sahel for years, despite efforts by France, the U.S. and other Western allies to help fight the jihadi groups there. In 2013, France launched a near decade long operation in Mali to help fight militants , which expanded to Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad. The operation ended nine years later but the conflict did not, contributing to anger with the West.

The U.S. has further lost its footing with key allies for forcing issues — including democracy or human rights — that many African states see as hypocrisy, given Washington’s close ties to some autocratic leaders elsewhere.

While the West may pressure African coup leaders over democracy and other issues, Russia doesn’t meddle in domestic affairs, Rida Lyammouri, a senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, told The Associated Press.

WHAT IS RUSSIA’S INTEREST IN AFRICAN COUNTRIES?

Africa is rich in minerals, oil and other resources, which come with political and legal challenges. Its resources are increasingly central to economic and national security, such as cobalt, which is used in electronics like mobile phones, or lithium, which is used in batteries.

Russia has thrived in countries where governance is limited, and has signing mining deals through companies it controls. An EU parliament study showed that Russia secured access to gold and diamonds in the Central African Republic, cobalt in Congo, gold and oil in Sudan, chromite in Madagascar, platinum and diamonds in Zimbabwe, and uranium in Namibia.

The U.S. based non-profit Democracy 21 group said in an analysis last December that Wagner and Russia may have made about $2.5 billion through the African gold trade alone since invading Ukraine in February 2022.

Though Russia is increasingly a partner to African countries in the oil and mining sector, it lags far behind as an overall trading partner. For example, data by the International Monetary shows less than 1% of Africa’s exports go to Russia, compared with 33% to the European Union.

WHERE DO RUSSIAN CONTRACTORS OPERATE IN AFRICA?

The first reports of Wagner mercenaries in Africa emerged in late 2017, when the group was deployed to Sudan to provide support to then-President Omar al-Bashir, in exchange for gold mining concessions. Wagner’s presence soon expanded to other African countries.

In 2018, Russian contractors showed up to back powerful commander Khalifa Hifter in eastern Libya who was battling militants. They also helped Hifter in his failed attempt to seize the capital of Tripoli a year later.

In the Central African Republic, Russian mercenaries have been providing security since in 2018 and in return have gained access to some of the country’s gold and diamond mines.

Coups in Mali in 2020 and 2021, in Burkina Faso in 2022 and in Niger in 2023, brought military juntas critical of the West to power. All three eventually ordered French and other Western forces out, and instead turned to Russia for military support.

Niger ordered the U.S. to withdraw its troops and close its multimillion dollar flagship investment in a sprawling military and spy base in Agadez earlier this year, after a meeting with a U.S. delegation ended poorly. The decision has upended U.S. counterinsurgency operations in Africa’s Sahel.

Weeks later, Russian trainers arrived in Niger with new defense equipment .

AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

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Denmark’s pm mette frederiksen attacked in copenhagen, man arrested.

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Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was attacked by a man in the center of Copenhagen, according to local reports.

Copenhagen police confirmed that one person was arrested in an incident involving the prime minister in Kultorvet, a public square in the capital city’s old town.

The prime minister’s office told the Danish state broadcaster DR that Frederiksen was “shocked” by the assault, but it’s unclear if she suffered any injuries.

Officials have not yet said what led to the incident, but it comes just days before the European Union’s parliamentary elections on Sunday.

Frederiksen has been campaigning with the Social Democrats’ EU lead candidate, Christel Schaldemose. Danish media reports the attack was not linked to a campaign event.

Fellow European leaders condemned the assault.

“An attack on a democratically elected leader is also an attack on our democracy,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson tweeted .

Charles Michel, president of the European Council, posted that he was “outraged” by what he called a “cowardly act of aggression.”

Ahead of the EU elections, there have been several violent incidents targeting politicians.

In May, a candidate from Germany’s center-left Social Democrats was severely beaten while campaigning for a seat in the European Parliament.

Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico survived an assassination attempt on May 15, shocking the country and its European neighbors.

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Moscow court orders French NGO worker Laurent Vinatier to be held in 'foreign agent' case

The Moscow court ordered the French citizen, accused of gathering Russian military information, to be held in pre-trial detention on Friday, in the latest case of a Western citizen being detained in Russia.

Le Monde with AFP

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Laurent Vinatier, a 47-year-old who works for a Swiss conflict mediation NGO, was arrested on Thursday, June 6, and officially charged with breaching Russia's "foreign agents" law, charges which carry up to five years in jail.

Vinatier, who was held in a metal cage at the back of the courtroom, accepted the accusations against him. "I have accepted that I am guilty," he told the court. "I present my apologies." The court session was a hearing on selecting a measure of restraint, not a review of the case against him. The judge ordered Vinatier sent to jail until at least August 5, pending trial.

Investigators accuse the Frenchman of gathering military information that could be used against Russia by foreign states. Under Russian law, people who collect, report or share information related to Russia's military or security services are required to register as "foreign agents."

Vinatier is an advisor with the Geneva-based Center for Humanitarian Dialogue and a veteran researcher on Russia and other post-Soviet countries. The Center for Humanitarian Dialogue "works to prevent and resolve armed conflicts around the world through mediation and discreet diplomacy," according to a statement on its website. After his arrest on Thursday, it said it was working "to secure Laurent's release." French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday demanded the immediate release of Vinatier, saying the "propaganda" against him "does not match reality".

'Against the organization'

Appearing in court in a dark shirt and jeans on Friday, Vinatier spoke Russian and French during the hearing. "What happened is not against me, it's against the organization as a whole," he said. The Swiss foreign ministry said the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue was an NGO that was "funded by several states." Switzerland said it "does not finance its activities in connection with Russia."

Vinatier's lawyers had argued for him to be placed under house arrest and said he could stay at his wife's apartment in Moscow. "I have no intention of obstructing the investigation. Yesterday I had a great conversation with the investigators, proof of my good intentions," Vinatier said when questioned in court.

He faces up to five years in prison if convicted, although Russia has previously used "foreign agent" charges as a pretext to arrest people before leveling more serious charges. The law has typically been used to target Russian citizens and domestic critics of the Kremlin, such as activists, campaigners and independent journalists, rather than foreign citizens. US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva was arrested on a similar charge last year before a more serious case of spreading "false information" about the army was leveled against her.

On Thursday, Macron said he was aware of Vinatier's arrest and added that he had no connections with the French government. "It is one of our citizens working for a Swiss NGO... it was in no way someone who was working for France," Macron told French television in an interview Thursday.

In Russia, suspects can spend months on pre-trial detention pending a trial, with the period in jail regularly extended by a few months in court hearings.

Westerners arrested in Russia

Russia has also arrested several Western citizens in recent years, drawing accusations that Moscow is holding them to trade in prisoner exchanges for Russians jailed abroad. US journalist Evan Gershkovich was arrested on "espionage" charges last year and former US marine Paul Whelan has been in prison for more than five years, also accused of spying.

Both reject the charges and have been designated "wrongfully detained" by the White House.

US basketball player Brittney Griner was freed in a prisoner exchange for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in 2022 after she was arrested at a Moscow airport with medicinal cannabis oil.

Vinatier's arrest came days after France's domestic intelligence agency the DGSI detained a 26-year-old Russian-Ukrainian man on suspicion of planning a violent act after he injured himself in an explosion.

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What to know about Russia's growing footprint in Africa

Russia’s foreign minister is visiting Africa’s sub-Saharan region of the Sahel this week as Moscow seeks to grow its influence in the restive, mineral-rich region

DAKAR, Senegal — Russia’s top diplomat pledged help and military assistance while on a whirlwind tour of several countries in Africa's sub-Saharan region of Sahel this week, as Moscow seeks to grow its influence in the restive, mineral-rich section of the continent.

Russia is emerging as the security partner of choice for a growing number of African governments in the region, displacing traditional allies like France and the United States. Sergey Lavrov, who has made several trips to Africa in recent years, this week stopped in Guinea, the Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso and Chad.

Moscow has aggressively expanded its military cooperation with African nations by using the private security company Wagner and its likely successor, Africa Corps , with Russian mercenaries taking up roles from protecting African leaders to helping states fight extremists.

The Polish Institute of International Affairs said in a study this month that in “creating the Africa Corps, Russia took an assertive approach to expand its military presence in Africa.

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Moscow is also seeking political support, or at least neutrality, from many of Africa’s 54 countries over its invasion of Ukraine. African nations make up the largest voting bloc at the United Nations and have been more divided than any other group on General Assembly resolutions criticizing Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

Russia-linked entities also spread disinformation to undermine ties between African states and the West, the Africa Center For Strategic Studies, an academic institution within the U.S. Department of Defense, wrote in a March report. Moscow has been “sponsoring 80 documented campaigns, targeting more than 22 countries,” it said.

Here’s a look at how Russia is expanding its influence in Africa.

WHY ARE AFRICAN NATIONS TURNING TO RUSSIA?

Russia has taken advantage of political unrest and discontent in coup-hit nations, capitalizing on popular frustration and anger with former colonial power France. Military coups have ousted governments seen close to France and the West and doing little to alleviate grinding poverty, unemployment and other hardships.

Russia offers security assistance without interfering in politics, making it an appealing partner in places like Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso , all ruled by military juntas that seized power in recent years. In return, Moscow seeks access to minerals and other contracts.

Violence linked to extremists allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group has been on the rise in Sahel for years, despite efforts by France, the U.S. and other Western allies to help fight the jihadi groups there. In 2013, France launched a near decade long operation in Mali to help fight militants , which expanded to Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad. The operation ended nine years later but the conflict did not, contributing to anger with the West.

The U.S. has further lost its footing with key allies for forcing issues — including democracy or human rights — that many African states see as hypocrisy, given Washington’s close ties to some autocratic leaders elsewhere.

While the West may pressure African coup leaders over democracy and other issues, Russia doesn’t meddle in domestic affairs, Rida Lyammouri, a senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, told The Associated Press.

WHAT IS RUSSIA'S INTEREST IN AFRICAN COUNTRIES?

Africa is rich in minerals, oil and other resources, which come with political and legal challenges. Its resources are increasingly central to economic and national security, such as cobalt, which is used in electronics like mobile phones, or lithium, which is used in batteries.

Russia has thrived in countries where governance is limited, and has signing mining deals through companies it controls. An EU parliament study showed that Russia secured access to gold and diamonds in the Central African Republic, cobalt in Congo, gold and oil in Sudan, chromite in Madagascar, platinum and diamonds in Zimbabwe, and uranium in Namibia.

The U.S. based non-profit Democracy 21 group said in an analysis last December that Wagner and Russia may have made about $2.5 billion through the African gold trade alone since invading Ukraine in February 2022.

Though Russia is increasingly a partner to African countries in the oil and mining sector, it lags far behind as an overall trading partner. For example, data by the International Monetary shows less than 1% of Africa’s exports go to Russia, compared with 33% to the European Union.

WHERE DO RUSSIAN CONTRACTORS OPERATE IN AFRICA?

The first reports of Wagner mercenaries in Africa emerged in late 2017, when the group was deployed to Sudan to provide support to then-President Omar al-Bashir, in exchange for gold mining concessions. Wagner’s presence soon expanded to other African countries.

In 2018, Russian contractors showed up to back powerful commander Khalifa Hifter in eastern Libya who was battling militants. They also helped Hifter in his failed attempt to seize the capital of Tripoli a year later.

In the Central African Republic, Russian mercenaries have been providing security since in 2018 and in return have gained access to some of the country’s gold and diamond mines.

Coups in Mali in 2020 and 2021, in Burkina Faso in 2022 and in Niger in 2023, brought military juntas critical of the West to power. All three eventually ordered French and other Western forces out, and instead turned to Russia for military support.

Niger ordered the U.S. to withdraw its troops and close its multimillion dollar flagship investment in a sprawling military and spy base in Agadez earlier this year, after a meeting with a U.S. delegation ended poorly. The decision has upended U.S. counterinsurgency operations in Africa’s Sahel.

Weeks later, Russian trainers arrived in Niger with new defense equipment .

AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

Charges against off-duty National Guardsman who pursued tour bus to Falmouth dismissed

An off-duty National Guard officer from Joint Base Cape Cod was cleared of all charges Monday relating to a September 2022 incident in which he pursued a tour bus carrying seniors to their East Falmouth hotel believing it was transporting migrants due to a "Tallahassee, Florida" sign on its side.

Christopher Hoffman, 53, faced multiple charges , including driving under the influence of alcohol, negligent driving, possessing an open container of alcohol in a vehicle and disorderly conduct. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Hoffman recorded his pursuit of the bus on Facebook Live. Defense attorney John Diamond could not be immediately reached for comment.

Falmouth District Court Judge Paul G. Pino dismissed all charges Monday against Hoffman due to lack of prosecution, officially ordering the dismissal on Wednesday.

Walker Armstrong reports on all things Cape and Islands, primarily focusing on courts, transportation and the Joint Base Cape Cod military base. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @jd__walker.

The  Cape Cod Times is providing this coverage for free as a public service. Please take a moment to support local journalism by subscribing.  

Ukraine-Russia war – latest: Moscow ready to strike French troops as UK sends Kyiv 1,000 drones

LIVE – Updated at 10:48

Russia is ready to strike French troops if they are sent to to Ukraine to help train Kyiv ’s soldiers, the Kremlin has suggested.

Ukraine’s top commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said French trainers would come to Ukraine “soon” last week, which was downplayed by both Paris and Kyiv .

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: “No instructor involved in training the Ukrainian military has immunity. It doesn’t matter whether they’re French or not .”

In February, French president Emmanuel Macron said the situation in Ukraine was “dynamic” and nothing could be ruled out.

It comes as Britain is seeking to send 1,000 first-person view drones to Ukraine as part of an international support coalition.

The appeal, worth £300,000, calls for the procurement of up to 15 batches of 20 “first-person view racing quadcopter style drones”.

Meanwhile, Russian sources claimed that Ukraine fired American weapons at Belgorod for the first time after Washington lifted a ban on Kyiv using its weapons inside Russia.

The Ukrainians reportedly fired the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, at bordering Belgorod city, Russia’s defence ministry and military bloggers said.

Russia prepared to strike French troops in Ukraine, Kremlin suggests

• Russia warns US against 'fatal' miscalculation in Ukraine

Britain seeking to send 1,000 first-person drones to Ukraine

Russian soldiers’ wives demand putin return their men from war.

• Zelensky says China pressuring other countries to not attend peace talks

Investigation claims Russian Orthodox Church ‘Russifying’ abducted Ukrainian children

An investigation has found the Kremlin-backed Russian Orthodox Church has played a role in “Russifying” the identities of Ukrainian children.

War monitoring think-tank The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) cited the investigation by Russian opposition student journal DOXA and open-source outlet Kidmapping.

The report found that in the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, officials deported children from orphanages and boarding schools in occupied Donetsk Oblast to Russia’s Rostov Oblast.

It was here that the report claims the children were visited by senior clergyman Metropolitan Mercury who encouraged them to consider baptism into the church. 

Ukrainian children were also placed at shelters run by the church, where clergy and affiliated officials held “military-patriotic” events in an effort to encourage pro-Russian sentiment among the children and “cut the children off from their Ukrainian identities”.

Russian sociologist loses appeal against 5-year sentence for ‘justifying terrorism’

A Russian sociologist and activist had his appeal to overturn his five-year prison sentence on charges of “justifying terrorism” rejected.

Russia’s Supreme Court rejected Boris Kagarlitsky appeal on Wednesday after a petition calling for his release was signed by intellectuals and politicians from around the world including former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn

Kagarlitsky, 65, is a longtime political dissident and has spoken out repeatedly against the conflict in Ukraine in a magazine he edited and on his YouTube channel.

A former teacher at the prestigious Moscow Higher School of Social and Economic Sciences, Kagarlitsky was designated a “foreign agent” by the Russian government in 2018 and was last year added to a register of “terrorists and extremists”.

A Russian court handed him a 600,000-rouble fine in December 2023 after finding him guilty of “publicly justifying terrorism” in a video commenting on a Ukrainian attack on the bridge linking Russia to annexed Crimea in October 2022.

Russia is ready to strike French troops if they are sent to to Ukraine to help train Kyiv’s soldiers, the Kremlin has suggested.

Ukraine’s top commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said French trainers would come to Ukraine “soon” last week, which was downplayed by both Paris and Kyiv.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: “No instructor involved in training the Ukrainian military has immunity. It doesn’t matter whether they’re French or not.”

Britain is pushing to deliver 1,000 first-person view drones to Ukraine as part of an international coalition in support of Kyiv.

According to a tender notice posted on the Government’s website, industry providers have been invited to submit bids to provide drones and equipment that can be fitted with armour-destroying munitions.

Ukraine says use of western weapons to strike inside Russia is ‘vital'

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff has said that using Western weapons to strike inside Russia was a vital step that would impact Moscow’s tactical aviation and its capability to operate in border areas.

Following pressure from Ukraine and some of its European allies, the US agreed last week to change its policy and allow Kyiv to strike inside Russia with Western weapons as part of its campaign to repel Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Kyiv said the move would help push back Russian advances and better defend territory in the northeast Kharkiv region.

“Permission to use Western weapons on the territory of the Russian Federation is a vital decision,” Andriy Yermak said on the Telegram messaging app. “This will impact the conduct of the war, planning of counteroffensive actions, and will weaken Russians’ abilities to use their forces in the border areas.”

The decision would also help to better fend off Russian aerial attacks, Mr Yermak said.

Russia has ‘robbed normal life for an entire generation of Ukrainian children’, Zelensky says

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has shared an emotional video depicting some of the children who have been killed since the start of the war.

He said: “Many little Ukrainians will never grow up because they were killed in Russian attacks.”

“Thousands have been kidnapped, transferred from Ukraine to Russia, and scattered among strangers. Most of them are unable to contact their families,” he added.

“The way Russia treats Ukraine and its people is a deliberate and calculated genocide.”

Ukraine shoots down 22 of the 27 Russian drones launched overnight

The Ukrainian air force said it downed 22 of the 27 Shahed-type drones launched over five Ukrainian regions in Russia’s overnight attacks.

One person was injured and an industrial facility was damaged in the attack in the region of Poltava, its governor, Filip Pronin, said on the Telegram messaging app.

The Ukrainian military destroyed six drones over the southern region of Mykolaiv, its governor said.Debris from one of them destroyed a private home, and damaged about 10 more, but no casualties were reported, he added.

Four drones were shot down over the southern region of Kherson and four more over the central Dnipropetrovsk region, the regions’ governors said.

The attack also targeted the northern region of Sumy, with no details of damage reported by regional authorities.

On Monday, Ukrainian forces claimed they struck inside Russian territory with Western-supplied weapons and hit a Russian S-300 missile system.

“It burns beautifully. It’s a Russian S-300. On Russian territory. The first days after permission to use Western weapons on enemy territory,” Ukrainian government minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

She posted a picture of the alleged attack on Facebook.

Russian-linked hacker group 'targeting Paris Olympics'

The Paris Olympics are being targeted by a Russian-linked disinformation campaign, according to Microsoft.

Since last summer, efforts have been under way by a hacker group named Storm-1679, according to research.

The hackers “are trying to cultivate an anticipation of violence”, said Clint Watts, the head of Microsoft’s Digital Threat Analysis Centre. “They want people to be fearful of going to the Olympics.”

US embassy in Ukraine issues warning to dual citizens

The American embassy in Ukraine has announced that US-Ukrainian dual citizens will no longer be able to leave the country.

The notification comes after the Ukrainian government reportedly removed the exception that allowed some Ukrainian males between 18 and 60 to leave the country, as long as they could prove they were resident abroad.

“Previously, dual US-Ukrainian citizens in this group could enter and then depart Ukraine if they had deregistered their Ukrainian residency and registered their US residency,” the embassy statement reads. “According to our information, this exception was revoked as of 1 June.”

The Ukrainian government also passed a bill on the mobilisation of men into the military in April as it faces a shortage of manpower amid the ongoing war with Russia.

Eight including two children injured after Russian missile attack on Ukraine’s Dnipro

A Russian missile attack on Ukraine‘s central city Dnipro injured eight people, including two children, and damaged civilian infrastructure yesterday, Ukrainian authorities said.

The Ukrainian air force said it shot down two Iskander-K cruise missiles over the region. The missile debris damaged civilian infrastructure, causing a fire and injuring residents, according to Serhiy Lysak, the regional governor.

A month-old boy and a seventeen-year-old were among those injured, in addition to six adults, based on preliminary information from the governor and the state emergency services.

The attack damaged cars and knocked windows out in residential buildings and a hospital, Lysak wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Dnipro mayor Borys Filatov added that at least 47 residences and a school were damaged.

Emergency services put out the fire caused by the attack.

Russian forces also launched four drones in the overnight attack. The Ukrainian air force said it shot down two of them over the northern region of Chernihiv.

Missile threat alert across Ukraine after aircraft intercepted

A missile threat alert was announced across the country after a MiG-31K aircraft took off overnight.

The Ukrainian Air Forces said they monitored the MiG-31K, an aircraft that can carry the Kinzhal hypersonic ballistic missiles that are being used by Russian forces to attack Ukraine.

China pushes Beijing’s version of Ukraine peace plan after snub to Switzerland

The Chinese foreign minister has continued to push Beijing’s potential role as a mediator in Ukraine-Russia peace talks, days after China withdrew from an upcoming peace summit in Switzerland.

Wang Yi told reporters that both Russia and Ukraine have separately indicated their support for the peace plan laid out by China and Brazil last month.

Mr Wang said the two countries have “affirmed most of the content” of the plan that called for an international conference, inviting both Russia and Ukraine.

He said 26 nations have agreed or expressed interest in the plan and a total of 45 countries have given “positive feedback” to the idea.

China is seen as a close ally to Russia, a fact that puts into question its ability to serve as an independent mediator, though Ukraine has not entirely ruled out the idea.

Biden to skip Switzerland’s Ukraine peace summit

US president Joe Biden is set to skip the upcoming Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland despite the Ukrainian president’s direct appeal to his most significant ally.

The US will instead be represented by vice president Kamala Harris and Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan during the two-day event on 15 and 16 June in Lucern, the White House said in a statement.

Mr Zelensky had said that only Vladimir Putin will “applaud” Biden if he fails to show up in Switzerland.

“I believe that the peace summit needs President Biden, and other leaders need President Biden because they will look at the US’s reaction,” Mr Zelensky said at a press conference in Brussels last week.

Mr Biden’s absence “would only be met by an applause by Putin – a personal, standing applause,” he added.

China has already pulled out of the summit after it expressed concerns over Russia not being invited.

The Kremlin has pressurised its allies not to take part in the summit, claiming it lacks clear goals and that it was absurd to hold it without Russia.

As Russia’s forces edge ever closer, Kharkiv’s mayor has a defiant message for Putin

Britain to deliver 1,000 first-person view drones to Ukraine

The UK is expected to send 1,000 first-person view drones to Ukraine, according to a tender posted on the government’s website.

The government is inviting bidders to provide drones that are “capable of carrying varying payloads depending on their propeller size”, reported The Telegraph.

The notice called for 15 batches of 20 “first-person view racing quadcopter style drones” worth £300,000.

The potential delivery would be part of an international coalition launched by Britain and Latvia in February to supply unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to the front lines of Ukraine.

Russia calls French military instructors in Ukraine ‘legitimate target’

Russian foreign minister Sergi Lavrov said any French military instructors in Ukraine would be a “legitimate target” for Russian armed forces amid reports Paris was considering sending trainers to Kyiv.

During his Africa tour yesterday, Mr Lavrov claimed French instructors were already on Ukrainian territory.

“As for the French instructors, I think they are already on the Ukrainian territory,” Mr Lavrov said, referring to the military instructors that France could send to train Ukrainian troops. “Regardless of their status, military officials or mercenaries represent a legitimate target for our armed forces.”

Ukraine‘s top commander said last week he had signed paperwork allowing French military instructors to access Ukrainian training centres soon.

But French president Emmanuel Macron said last week he would not comment on “rumours or decisions that could be made.”

He said he would elaborate on France’s support during the 80th anniversary commemorations of D-Day later this week.

Mr Macron’s office said it would not comment on Mr Lavrov’s remarks.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that “instructors who train the Kyiv regime’s troops don’t have any sort of immunity, and it doesn’t matter whether they are French or not.”

Biden to meet Zelensky during France visit

President Joe Biden will meet Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky in Normandy during his D-Day celebration visit to France, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.

He confirmed that the US was not planning to send American military trainers to Ukraine.

“For our part, we’re not planning for a training mission in Ukraine,” Mr Sullivan said.

“They need more air defences and we are working on that and they need a continued flow of weaponry which we will supply to them.”

The US president’s remarks in Normandy, both on Thursday at the formal 80th anniversary ceremony and on Friday at the famed Pointe du Hoc cliffs, will centre around the dangers of isolationism and the need to stand up to dictators, Mr Sullivan said.

They escaped Russia’s deadly assault on Kharkiv – now these Ukrainians face another catastrophe

They escaped Russia’s deadly assault on Kharkiv – now they face another catastrophe

The Russian glide bombs changing the face of the war in Ukraine

The war against rabies in Ukraine and the race to stop it crossing borders

The war against rabies in Ukraine and the race against time to stop it spreading

Putin’s forces killed his brother. He takes revenge using hundreds of suicide drones to blow Russian troops up

The Ukraine politician avenging his brother’s death with hi-tech ‘suicide drones’

Zelensky accuses China of helping Russia sabotage Ukraine peace summit

Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers prepare to hit Russian forces in Dontesk

UK vows action over hundreds of Ukrainians with disabilities vanished into Russia

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused China of helping Russia to disrupt an upcoming peace conference on the war in Ukraine.

Speaking at Asia’s premier security conference in Singapore, Mr Zelensky alleged Russia had been using Chinese diplomats in the wider Asian region to influence and dissuade countries from attending the peace summit, due to be held in Burgenstock Resort, central Switzerland, on 15 and 16 June.

“Russia, using Chinese influence in the region, using Chinese diplomats also, does everything to disrupt the peace summit,” said Mr Zelensky at a news conference at the Shangri-La defence forum.

“Regrettably this is unfortunate that such a big independent powerful country as China is an instrument in the hands of [Russian leader Vladimir] Putin.”

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Kremlin says Swiss summit on Ukraine is waste of time without Russia

The Kremlin said it was understandable that some countries were declining to take part in a Swiss-hosted peace summit on Ukraine this month because the gathering lacked clear goals and it was absurd to hold it without Russia.

Ukraine says more than 100 countries and organisations have agreed to attend the summit on June 15-16, to which Moscow has not been invited.

“This is a completely absurd activity, this is an idle pastime,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He said it was obvious the meeting was not geared towards results, and “that’s why many countries don’t want to waste time.”

Over the past two years operating along the Ukrainian front line, Khrystyna Drahomaretska has gained a veteran’s understanding of the battle tactics employed by the invading Russian troops.

During the day, the 27-year-old explains, they will freely dispatch cheap kamikaze drones to kill anyone on sight. At night, however, the high-value drones equipped with hi-tech sensors are used more sparingly to target vehicles instead.

That was the calculation she made two weeks ago while conducting a daring night-time rescue operation a few hundred metres from the Russian positions near the city of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region where Putin’s forces are currently pushing towards.

Mindful of the night vision drones, she ditched her van and crept towards her target on foot. But the enemy started firing anyway, with more than a dozen missiles launched towards her position.

Hiding behind a copse of trees, one exploded nearby sending a knuckle-sized piece of shrapnel searing straight through her leg.

Many soldiers will insist that killing their enemies is not personal. But when Stepan Barna’s suicide drone unit takes Russian soldiers’ lives, he does not disguise his feeling that every killing is a very personal payback for the death of his brother last year.

Stepan and his older brother, Oleh, were both well-known Ukrainian politicians long before Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Stepan had been the governor of the Ternopil region in the country’s west.

Oleh had been a member of the Ukrainian parliament. He gained notoriety in 2015 when he grabbed the then prime minister, Arseniy Yatseniuk, whose politics he disagreed with, while Yatseniuk was addressing the parliament, and dragged him off the podium.

Moscow could ‘attack Nato in three years’

Nato only has two to three years to prepare before Russia regains its ability to launch a conventional attack on the alliance, Norway’s top general said.

“At one point someone said it’ll take 10 years, but I think we’re back to less than 10 years because of the industrial base that is now running in Russia,” General Kristoffersen said.

“It will take some time, which gives us a window now for the next two to three years to rebuild our forces, to rebuild our stocks at the same time as we are supporting Ukraine.”

Ukraine using Western weapons to hit targets in Russia won't lead to escalation, says German chancellor

Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied weapons to strike targets in Russia will not “contribute to escalation,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said.

Germany has long opposed lifting the ban on Ukraine’s use of Western weapons to target Russia, but changed course last month.

“We are certain that it will not contribute to an escalation because, as Joe Biden has also described, it is only a matter of being able to defend a large city like Kharkiv,” Mr Scholz said.

Putin asks Xi to ‘snub’ Switzerland peace conference

Vladimir Putin reportedly asked Xi Jinping to snub an upcoming peace conference in Switzerland which Russia is not attending.

Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba stated on June 3 that Russia is trying to discredit the upcoming Ukrainian peace summit by convincing other states that the summit is insignificant.

Other Ukrainian officials have recently emphasized that it is imperative for both the United States and the PRC to attend the June 2024 peace summit as their participation is “decisive” in compelling Russia to participate in the process of restoring peace and security.

Russia and China in ‘disagreement’ over gas pipeline

Moscow and Beijing are in disagreement over a planned gas pipeline connecting Russia with China despite a public show of allignment, according to reports.

China and Russia disagree about the details of the PS - 2 gas pipeline, with Beijing wanting to pay prices near Russia’s subsidised domestic gas prices and to only commit to buying a small part of the pipeline’s planned capacity, the Financial Times reported.

Gazprom boss Alexei Miller did not accompany Russian President Vladimir Putin on his recent visit to the PRC due to the disagreements over the pipeline.

Russian missile attack on Dnipro injures seven, including two children

At least seven people, including two children, were injured as a Russian missile hit the central city of Dnipro, local officials said.

The missile attack in the early hours today by Russian forces also damaged civilian infrastructure.

Ukrainian air force said it shot down two Iskander-K cruise missiles over the region. The missile debris damaged civilian infrastructure, causing a fire and injuring residents, according to Serhiy Lysak, the regional governor.

Two boys were among those injured, in addition to five adults, based on preliminary information from the governor.

The attack damaged cars and knocked windows out in residential buildings and a hospital, Lysak wrote on Telegram.

Russian forces also launched four drones in the overnight attack but the Ukrainian air force said it shot down two of them over the northern region of Chernihiv.

Nearly 1300 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine in past 24 hours

Russian forces have lost 1,290 soldiers and more than 200 pieces of military equipment in the past 24 hours, senior Ukrainian military officials said in a daily update this morning.

A total of 512,420 Russian military personnel have been killed or injured since the invasion in February 2022, the update from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.

The General Staff also reported 126 combat clashes took place on the war frontline over the past day.

“During the day, the Russian occupiers launched two missile attacks on the territory of Ukraine using six missiles and 37 air strikes using 51 UAVs, and launched 359 kamikaze drones. In addition, the occupiers fired over 2,100 times at the positions of our troops and settlements using various types of weapons,” it said.

The Russian Ministry of Defence does not comment on the casualty count of its troops shared by Kyiv.

White House says Ukraine has no stronger backer than US as Biden misses peace talks

Asked Monday if president Joe Biden was sending the wrong message globally by forgoing the peace summit to attend a glitzy California fundraiser, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said: “There hasn’t been any single leader around the world who has supported Ukraine more and more stridently than Joe Biden.”

He said vice president Kamala Harris will be attending the summit “because of our desire to be represented around that table” and her presence will help demonstrate that “Ukraine has no stronger backer than the United States”.

“No matter who represents the United States at this summit,” Kirby said during a virtual briefing with reporters, “It can’t be said that the United States has in any way walked away from supporting Ukraine.”

The US confirmed vice president Harris will represent Washington at this month’s global peace summit on the war in Ukraine. The summit, organised by Switzerland, will be led by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

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Kamala harris to represent us at swiss ‘peace summit’ for ukraine.

US vice president Kamala Harris will represent Washington at this month’s global peace summit on the war in Ukraine. The summit, organised by Switzerland, will be led by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russia has not been invited, raising questions about what purpose the summit would serve without the participation of one of the parties to the conflict. China has declined to attend for this reason.

The White House said Ms Harris would attend the meeting in Lucerne on 15 June. President Joe Biden is scheduled to be at a campaign fundraiser in Los Angeles hosted by actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts.

“The vice president will underscore the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to supporting Ukraine’s effort to secure a just and lasting peace, based on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and the principles of the UN charter, said her communications director Kirsten Allen.

She said Ms Harris will also “reaffirm support for the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against ongoing Russian aggression”. Mr Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, will join Ms Harris as part of the US delegation.

Mr Zelensky has heavily boosted the summit and encouraged world leaders to attend, even as he has accused Russia of trying to undermine the meeting with China’s help.

A disease which has been largely eradicated from Europe, rabies is suddenly raising its head in Ukraine where millions of abandoned pets are now running wild.

Ahead of a film exposing the public health crisis,  Joe Shute  talks to Khrystyna Drahomaretska who caught the disease during her work inoculating feral cats and dogs roaming the streets in the wartorn country:

Nato has two to three years to prepare for confrontation with Russia, says Norway’s top general

Norway’s top military general has warned that Nato’s window of preparing against Russian aggression has dwindled from 10 years to two-three years.

“At one point someone said it’ll take 10 years but I think we’re back to less than 10 years because of the industrial base that is now running in Russia. It will take some time, which gives us a window now for the next two to three years to rebuild our forces, to rebuild our stocks at the same time as we are supporting Ukraine,” said General Eirik Kristoffersen, the head of the Norwegian Armed Forces.

He said Russia’s positions near his country’s borders have not changed significantly over the past year and this allows Oslo to strengthen defence capabilities agreed upon within Nato.

“So we can fulfil those plans and those decisions with content in the next years, but we need to speed up. We need to do it in two to three years to make sure that we are ready for whatever might happen,” the top military official told Bloomberg.

Vladimir Putin’s defence minister Andrei Belousov has been asked by a group of Russian women to return their mobilised husbands from the war frontline in Ukraine, in a rare protest against the Kremlin.

One of the woman at yesterday’s protest, who gave her name as Paulina, said a group of 18 women had gathered to appeal personally to Belousov, an economist by training whom Putin appointed to the job last month.

Paulina, who said she was 20 years old and had a husband fighting in Ukraine, said the women want Belousov to impose strict limits on how long soldiers can serve before they must rotate out of active duty.

Pictures and videos Paulina published on Telegram showed women holding signs with slogans including “Please bring Papa home”. Several had brought along their school-aged children and toddlers in pushchairs.

No ministry officials came out of the building to speak with the women, Paulina said.

The protest showcases the anger and despair that has gripped some soldiers’ families as the war in Ukraine grinds on into its third year, with no end in sight.

The women’s protests are sensitive for the authorities, given that the Kremlin presents what it calls the “special military operation” in Ukraine as having the overwhelming support of the Russian people.

For months, different groups of Russian women have organised sporadic demonstrations to exert pressure on authorities to return their husbands, sons and brothers who were mobilised after a decree by Putin in September 2022.

Poland has arrested 18 people on allegations of planning hostile acts on behalf of Russia, Belarus

Poland has arrested 18 people on allegations of pursuing hostile activities or planning sabotage on behalf of  Russia  and Belarus, including plans to assassinate Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the interior minister said Monday.

Ten of those arrested since December were directly involved in planning various forms of sabotage across Poland, Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak told a news conference.

Polish authorities have linked some recent arsons or attempted arsons to Russian-sponsored agents. Polish, Belarusian and Ukrainian nationals are among those arrested in recent months, according to the Internal Security Agency’s communiques.

Italy to send second air defence system to Ukraine for Russian ballistic missiles

Italy will send a second SAMP/T air defence system to Ukraine, its foreign minister said in a radio interview, responding to Kyiv’s pleas for greater help to fend off Russian missile attacks.

The system, also known as MAMBA, is a Franco-Italian battery that can track dozens of targets and intercept 10 at once. It is the only European-made system that can intercept ballistic missiles.

Rome and Paris jointly delivered a first system in 2023, but in recent months Ukraine has repeatedly called on partners to provide more help with air defence as it faces an increasing barrage of attacks on cities and energy infrastructure.

“It is known that we will send SAMP/T, which is an instrument of air defence, therefore of protection, that Ukraine itself asked us for,” foreign minister Antonio Tajani told state broadcaster Rai, confirming earlier media reports.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Italy has approved eight support packages to the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky. Mr Tajani said the SAMP/T will be part of a ninth package under preparation, but did not give a time frame for delivery.

Russia intercepts 20 Ukrainian drones in Kursk

Russian air defence units intercepted 20 Ukrainian drones in southern Russia’s Kursk region bordering Ukraine, regional governor Alexei Smironov said last night.

The governor claimed that the Ukrainian forces attacked four villages in his region using attack drones and helicopters, but no injuries were reported.

In Belgorod region, to the southeast, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said air defence units had downed “several airborne targets”. Roofs of some dwellings were damaged.

Zelenskyy will participate in G7 summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will participate in the G7 summit later this month his spokesman has confirmed

He will attend the summit in southern Italy either online or in person from 13 to 15 June to participate in discussions about ways to use profits from frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine.

“Unfortunately, I cannot confirm or deny that the President will physically participate in the G7 summit, but in any case, whether online or physically, there is no doubt that he will be there,” the president’s spokesman, Sergey Nikiforov told Ukrainian television.

Unsafe to restart Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, UN official says

It will be unsafe to restart the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine as long as war rages around it, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Monday.

Grossi held a meeting with Russia on the issue last week after officials including President Vladimir Putin told him Moscow hopes to restart Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant, where the six reactors are now shut down as the International Atomic Energy Agency has recommended on safety grounds.

“The idea, of course, they have is to restart at some point. They are not planning to decommission this nuclear power plant. So this is what prompts the need to have a discussion about that,” Grossi told a news conference on the first day of a quarterly meeting of the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors.

Russia said after last week’s meeting it is not currently planning to reactivate the plant. Grossi said some important steps need to be taken before it can restart safely.

“In terms of what needs to happen ..., there shouldn’t be any bombing or any activity of this type,” Grossi said.

“Then there should be a more stable assurance of external power supply. This requires repairs, important repairs of existing lines, which at the moment, and because of the military activity, are very difficult to envisage.”

Energy shutdowns hit Ukraine after Russian attacks target infrastructure

Ukraine imposed emergency power shutdowns in most of the country on Sunday, a day after Russia unleashed large-scale attacks on energy infrastructure and claimed it made gains in the eastern  Donetsk  province.

The shutdowns were in place in all but three regions of Ukraine following Saturday’s drone and missile attack on energy targets that injured at least 19 people.

Ukraine’s state-owned power grid operator Ukrenergo said the shutdowns affected both industrial and household consumers.

Italy likely to send second air defence system to Ukraine, source says

Italy will likely send a second SAMP/T air defence system to Ukraine, a source close to the matter told Reuters on Monday, responding to Kyiv’s demands for greater help to fend off Russian missile attacks.

The source, who declined to be named, confirmed newspaper reports that Italy was preparing to send a SAMP/T system which is deployed in Kuwait, but is soon due to return to Italy.

However, he did not give a timeframe for any delivery.

Corriere della Sera newspaper reported on Monday that the government could green light the new supplies after a summit of leaders of the Group of Seven major democracies, which Italy will host on June 13-15.

1,270 Russian casualties in 24 hours, Ukraine claims

Ukrainian officials have claimed Russia has suffered 1,270 casualties in the past 24 hours.

If correct, this would be one of the highest daily casualty figures since the war began in 2022.

Ukraine imposed emergency power shutdowns in most of the country on Sunday, a day after Russia unleashed large-scale attacks on energy infrastructure and claimed it made gains in the eastern Donetsk province.

Germany aims to order two more frigates to bolster defences

The German government wants to buy two further frigates provided parliament approves the deal, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Monday, as part of a policy shift to bolster its defences after Russia‘s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking in the Baltic port of Wolgast at a keel-laying ceremony for the first of four F126 frigates already ordered, he said he had reached a deal with the finance ministry to present parliament with a draft budget for two additional ships.

The F126 frigates comprise a core element of Germany’s so-called “Zeitenwende” (sea change) in defence policy initiated by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Germany needs six, not just four of them, Pistorius said.

“It (the frigate) was developed to play its part in our collective defence, it is crucial for a credible deterrence, in particular for the protection of our northern flank,” Pistorious told reporters at the ceremony.

The first frigate of the new type is expected to be delivered to the German navy in 2028. It will be capable of striking targets above and under water.

The first four ships will cost some 6.2 billion euros ($6.72 billion) and be built in the ports of Wolgast, Kiel and Hamburg with Dutch shipbuilder Damen as a general contractor.

The contract includes an option for two further ships.

Ahead of a film exposing the public health crisis, Joe Shute talks to Khrystyna Drahomaretska who caught the disease during her work inoculating feral cats and dogs roaming the streets in the wartorn country:

Poland has arrested 18 people on allegations of pursuing hostile activities or planning sabotage on behalf of Russia and Belarus, including plans to assassinate Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the interior minister said Monday.

Nearly 1,000 people honor a young Ukrainian journalist and volunteer combat medic killed in action

Nearly 1,000 people attended a ceremony Sunday honoring the memory of Ukrainian journalist Iryna Tsybukh, who was killed in action while serving as a volunteer combat medic a few days before her 26th birthday.

Tsybukh was killed while on rotation in the Kharkiv area, where Russia started its offensive nearly a month ago.

She had left a note describing how she wished the ceremony to be held, asking people to sing Ukrainian songs and attend in vyshyvankas — traditional embroidered shirts — instead of black clothes.

Zelensky: Parts of Russia’s weaponry still come from other countries

Sri Lanka says 455 citizens duped into fighting for Russia in Ukraine as 16 go missing in action

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Sri Lanka and Russia are starting talks to resolve the issue of Sri Lankans fighting alongside Russians in the war against Ukraine , after at least 16 people were reported missing in action.

On Thursday, Junior Foreign Minister Tharaka Balasuriya said that the Sri Lankans, mostly retired soldiers, had been duped into traveling to Russia with promises of good salaries and privileges including Russian citizenship.

“The situation in Russia is very unfortunate,” Balasuriya told reporters, adding that he is working with the defense ministry to ascertain the number of people fighting in Russia.

Sri Lanka reports 455 men duped into fighting for Russia as 16 go missing