Connect with us

Headline

Russia Bombs Second Military Factory In Ukraine’s Capital

Published

on

Russia stepped up air strikes on Kyiv on Saturday, hitting another military factory a day after Moscow warned it would renew attacks following two weeks of relative calm in the Ukrainian capital.

Smoke rose from the Darnyrsky district in the southeast of the capital after what Moscow said were “high-precision long-range” strikes on the armaments plant.

Advertisement

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said authorities were still determining whether anyone had been killed or injured in the attack.

A heavy police and military presence was deployed around the factory, the day after a similar strike on a plant that produced the Neptune missiles Kyiv and Washington say sunk Russia’s Black Sea naval flagship on Thursday.

Russia, which used sea-based long-range missiles to hit the Vizar plant on Friday, says that the Moskva missile cruiser sank while being towed back to port after ammunition exploded on board.

Advertisement

Amid escalating tit-for-tat sanctions since President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine on February 24, Russia on Saturday said it was banning entry to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and several other top UK officials.

READ ALSO: Russia Bans Entry To Boris Johnson, Other Top UK Officials

“This step was taken as a response to London’s unbridled information and political campaign aimed at isolating Russia internationally, creating conditions for restricting our country and strangling the domestic economy,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Advertisement

The ministry accused London of “unprecedented hostile actions”, in particular referring to sanctions on Russia’s senior officials.

“The British leadership is deliberately aggravating the situation surrounding Ukraine, pumping the Kyiv regime with lethal weapons and coordinating similar efforts on the behalf of NATO,” the ministry said.

– Sanctions –
Britain has been part of an international effort to punish Russia with asset freezes, travel bans and economic sanctions, and Moscow’s new entry blacklist includes Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.

Advertisement

Saturday’s strike on the Ukrainian capital was among the first since invading Russian forces began withdrawing from regions around Kyiv last month, instead turning their focus on gaining control of the eastern Donbas region.

Kyiv regional governor Oleksandr Pavliuk said there were at least two other Russian strikes on the city Friday and that civilians thinking about returning should “wait for quieter times.”

Residential areas of Kyiv were struck repeatedly at the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from late February. Moscow has denied intentionally striking civilian infrastructure.

Advertisement

– ‘Big blow’ –
A Pentagon official said that the sinking of the Moskva, which had been leading Russia’s naval effort in the seven-week conflict, was a “big blow” for Moscow, while the fate of its crew of more than 500 was uncertain.

The official said survivors were observed being recovered by other Russian vessels, but Ukrainian authorities said bad weather had made rescue operations impossible.

READ ALSO: War: Putin Signs Decree, Enlists 134,500 Young Men Into Russian Army

Advertisement

“It’s a big blow symbolically,” the Pentagon official said. “There is a pride aspect.”

Losing the Moskva – one of just three Slava-class cruisers in Moscow’s fleet — creates a “capability gap” for the Russian navy in southern Ukraine, he said.

Under the Montreux convention Turkey keeps the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits closed to warships in times of conflict, meaning Moscow cannot dispatch a replacement for the Moskva to the Black Sea.

Advertisement

Russia’s Black Sea fleet has been blockading the besieged port city of Mariupol, where Russian officials say they are in full control although Ukrainian fighters are still holed up in the city’s fortress-like steelworks.

The United States pledged a new $800-million military aid package for Ukraine this week, including helicopters, howitzers and armoured personnel carriers, and on Friday the German government said it plans to release more than a billion euros ($1.1 billion) in aid as well.

US media reported that Russia had sent a formal complaint to Washington about its support of Kyiv this week.

Advertisement

In the diplomatic note, Moscow warned the United States and NATO against sending the “most sensitive” weapons, saying such shipments were “adding fuel” to the situation and could come with “unpredictable consequences”, the Washington Post reported.

– Focus on east –
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Friday that Russia might use nuclear weapons out of desperation as its invasion falters, echoing recent comments by CIA director William Burns.

“They could do it, I mean they can,” Zelensky told CNN. “For them, life of the people is nothing.”

Advertisement

READ ALSO: Russian Invasion: 3.8 million People Have Fled Ukraine – UNHCR [See Breakdown]

For now, Russia’s military focus seems set on seizing the eastern Donbas region, where Russian-backed separatists control the Donetsk and Lugansk areas.

This would allow Moscow to create a southern corridor to the occupied Crimean peninsula, and Ukrainian authorities have been urging people in the region to quickly move west in advance of a large-scale Russian offensive.

Advertisement

AFP

Advertisement

Headline

Medical Plane Crash Kills Six In Kenya

Published

on

A medical light aircraft crashed into a small residential block near the Kenyan capital Nairobi, killing at least six people and injuring two seriously, a local official said Thursday.

The plane took off from Nairobi’s Wilson airport at 2:17 pm local time (1100 GMT) and was en route to Somaliland when it came down in Ruiru, Kiambu County, shortly after 3:00 pm (1200 GMT).

Advertisement

READ ALSO:FULL LIST: Ghana Releases Identities Of Helicopter Crash Victims

We have lost four people, including the pilot… it was all fatal,” said Kiambu County commissioner Henry Wafula, adding that two people were killed on the ground. He said another two had been “seriously injured”.

AFP

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Headline

FULL LIST: Ghana Releases Identities Of Helicopter Crash Victims

Published

on

The Ghanaian Government has released the names of individuals who died in Wednesday morning’s military helicopter crash.

The crash involved a Z-9 helicopter belonging to the Ghana Armed Forces, which lost contact during a flight from Accra, the capital, to Obuasi, a gold-mining town in the south, where the crew headed for an official engagement.

Advertisement

In a post via its official X handle on Wednesday, the Ghana Armed Forces said the victims comprise eight people.

The names and portfolios of the victims are listed below:

READ ALSO:Ghana Defence, Environment Ministers Killed In Helicopter Crash

Advertisement

1. Edward Omane Boamah – Minister for Defence

2. ⁠Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed – Minister for Environment, Science and Technology

3. Muniru Mohammed – Acting deputy, National Security Coordinator and former Minister for Food and Agriculture

Advertisement

4. Samuel Sarpong – Vice- Chairman, National Democratic Congress

5. ⁠Samuel Aboagye – Former parliamentary candidate

READ ALSO:Human Trafficking: Police Rescue 40 Ghanaians, Arrest Three In Ondo

Advertisement

6. Peter Baafemi Anala – ⁠Squadron leader

7. ⁠Manaen Twum Ampadu – Flying officer

8. ⁠Ernest Addo – Sergeant

Advertisement

Following the sad development, Ghanaian President John Mahama described the incident as a national tragedy and suspended activities upon receiving the news.

He also directed that flags fly at half-mast to honour the memory of the victims.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Headline

Bodies Of Helicopter Crash Victims Arrive In Accra

Published

on

The Ghana Armed Forces on Wednesday confirmed the arrival in Accra of the remains of the victims of the Z-9 military helicopter crash, which claimed the lives of eight personnel.

It stated that the victims’ bodies were transported from the crash site aboard a Ghana Air Force Casa aircraft and received at the Air Force Base in Accra on August 6, 2025.

Advertisement

According to a statement issued by the Acting Director General, Public Relations, Ghana Navy, Captain Veronica Arhin, government officials, military personnel, and sympathisers led by the Chief of Staff at the Presidency, Julius Debrah, were present to receive the bodies.

READ ALSO:Ghana Defence, Environment Ministers Killed In Helicopter Crash

The statement said the remains have since been deposited at the 37 Military Hospital for preservation and preparations for burial.

Advertisement

It noted that all eight bodies were recovered from the crash site located in the Sikaman area, near Adansi Akrofuom in Ghana’s Ashanti Region.

The Ghana Armed Forces extended its appreciation to the people of Sikaman and the security services for their support during the recovery operations.

READ ALSO:Human Trafficking: Police Rescue 40 Ghanaians, Arrest Three In Ondo

Advertisement

The Deputy Minister for Defence, Hon. Brogya Genfi, and the Military High Command extend their deepest condolences to the families in this difficult national tragedy,” the statement added.

The crash involved a Z-9 helicopter belonging to the Ghana Armed Forces, which lost contact during a flight from Accra, the capital, to Obuasi, a gold-mining town in the south, where the crew headed for an official engagement.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending