Russia Stages Scaled-down War Games With China, India

Russia is staging joint war games with China and India on Thursday, boasting far fewer troops and hardware than previously amid Moscow’s six-month campaign to capture territory in Ukraine. The 50,000 troops announced for the Vostok-2022 (East-2022) military exercises compare with 300,000 who had participated in the previous drills that took place in Russia’s Far East four years ago. Vostok-2022 will also deploy 140 warplanes and 5,000 pieces of military equipment, a fraction of the 1,000 military aircraft and 36,000 equipment involved in Vostok-2018. “This is going to be the smallest strategic-level exercise in years because the entire ground forces potential is engaged in operations in Ukraine,” Konrad Muzyka, director of the Poland-based Rochan military consultancy, told Reuters. Muzyka estimates that up to 80% of Russia’s eastern military district manpower had been deployed in Ukraine, saying it is more likely the Russian military has freed up 10,000-15,000 troops for the Vostok-2022 drills.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Vostok-2022 brings together airborne troops, aviation forces, as well as Federal Security Service (FSB), Federal Guard Service (FSO) and interior and emergencies ministry representatives across nine firing ranges in Far East Russia. A total of 6,000 foreign troops from member states and partners of the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) of ex-Soviet republics, it added. India is sending a 75-member detachment for the drills, including Gurkha troops and navy and air force representatives, according to Bloomberg. China is deploying army, air and naval forces at Vostok-2022, which state-backed media say will focus on U.S. threats in the Pacific. Russia's Defense Ministry says the two countries' navies will "assist ground troops" in the coastal area of northern and central parts of the Sea of Japan, and "defend maritime communications and areas of maritime economic activity." Beijing and New Delhi have refused to criticize Moscow’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, though both countries have steered clear of incurring secondary sanctions by providing Russia with military assistance. “Today, soldiers and officers from 10 countries are standing in single formation, and a total of 14 countries are taking part in the exercise,” Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov said at the opening ceremony Wednesday. “We’re connected not only by the need to strengthen military security near our borders, but also by the long friendly relations between the countries,” Yevkurov said. The Sept. 1-7 war games are divided into two stages.  The first three-day stage will practice repelling enemy airstrikes, engaging them in fire and conducting defensive and offensive actions in Russia’s Primorye region. The second four-day stage will manage a “strategic operation in the eastern direction and during the defeat of the enemy.”

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No talks if Russia stages 'pseudo-referendums' – Zelenskyy

Russian forces begin assault on two key cities in eastern Donetsk region, Ukraine's military and local officials say, as fighting enters its 165th day.

Ukraine has charged 135 people in the alleged war crimes since Russia's February 24 assault on the country. (Reuters)

Sunday, August 7, 2022

No talks if Russia stages 'pseudo-referendums' – Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that if Russia proceeded with referendums in occupied areas of his country on joining Russia there could be no talks with Ukraine or its international allies.

"If the occupiers proceed along the path of pseudo-referendums they will close for themselves any chance of talks with Ukraine and the free world, which the Russian side will clearly need at some point," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.

Russian and Ukrainian officials held several sessions of talks soon after Russian forces launched their attacks on Ukraine but no meetings have been held since late March, with each side blaming the other for the halt to contacts.

Ukraine probing thousands of suspected war crimes cases

Ukraine is investigating almost 26,000 suspected war crime cases committed since Russia's February 24 assault on the country and has charged 135 people, its chief war crimes prosecutor has said.

Of those charged, around 15 are in Ukrainian custody and the remaining 120 remain at large, Yuriy Bilousov, head of the war crimes department of the Prosecutor General's office, said in an interview in the capital Kiev.

Thirteen cases have been submitted to courts and seven verdicts have been issued, he said.

First ship since Russia's attack arrives in Ukraine — ministry

The first cargo vessel since the start of Russia's attack has arrived at the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Chornomorsk for the future transportation of grain to international markets, Ukraine's Infrastructure Ministry has said.

Earlier on Sunday, four ships carrying Ukrainian foodstuffs sailed from Ukrainian Black Sea ports as part of a deal to unblock the country's sea exports.

"Bulk carrier FULMAR S has arrived at Chornomorsk port and is ready for loading," the ministry said on Facebook.

Ukraine: worker wounded in new Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant 

Ukraine's state nuclear power company Energoatom has said that a worker was wounded when Russian forces again shelled the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the biggest in Europe.

The site of the plant's dry storage facility, where 174 containers with spent nuclear fuel are stored in the open air, was hit by rocket attacks, Energoatom said on the Telegram messaging app.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had raised grave concerns on Saturday about shelling the previous day at Zaporizhzhia, saying the action showed the risk of a nuclear disaster.

Russia-backed official in Ukraine's Kherson dies after attack

An official with the Russian occupying authorities in Ukraine's Kherson region has died after an assassination attempt, local Moscow-backed authorities say.

Vitaly Gura, the deputy chief of the Kakhovka district, "died of his injuries", local official Katerina Gubareva, said on Telegram.

Gura was attacked at home on Saturday morning and was gravely wounded by bullets, a source in the Russian-backed administration told TASS news agency.

Russian official re-elected head of chess body FIDE

A Russian former deputy premier has been re-elected as head of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), seeing off a Ukrainian challenger who said his position was untenable because of Moscow's "military operation" in Ukraine.

A total of 157 out of 179 national chess associations voted in India to re-elect Arkady Dvorkovich as FIDE president, said Roberto Rivello, the chair of the body's electoral commission.

Russian attacks on the Zaporizia nuclear plant increase risk of a leakage leading to a nuclear disaster. TRT World’s Melinda Nucifora has more from Ukraine’s Odessa pic.twitter.com/DJkcxeAI3d

— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) August 7, 2022

Russia's Gazprom will ship 41.3 mcm of gas to Europe

Russia's Gazprom has said it was shipping 41.3 million cubic metres (mcm) of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Sunday, versus 41.6 mcm on Saturday. 

Zelenskyy denounces Russia's 'terror' after damage to nuclear plant

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of using the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant "for terror" after the operator of the facility reported major damage at the site.

Energoatom, operator of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the south of the country, said that parts of the facility had been "seriously damaged" by military strikes and one of its reactors was forced to shut down.

Kiev and Moscow have blamed each other for the attacks on the plant, Europe's largest atomic power complex.

Zelenskyy, in his nightly address, once again accused Moscow of terrorism, saying, "Russian terrorists became the first in the world to use the power plant... for terror."

For live updates from Saturday (August 6), click here

Source: TRTWorld and agencies

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PTI stages nationwide protests against PA Dpty Speaker ruling

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyhlkDkDWcg[/embed]

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers protested across the country late Friday night against the ruling of the Punjab Assembly's deputy speaker that helped Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's (PML-N) candidate to retain his chief ministership of the province.

Disappointed with what happened during the run-off election in the provincial assembly's session on Friday, Chairman PTI Imran Khan gave the protest call in his late-night speech. The PTI chief said he was "in a state of shock" to see the incidents in the Punjab Assembly during the run-off election.

Imran Khan said that Article 63A of the Constitution states that it is the head of the parliamentary party, whose decision is binding on the members to vote.

Responding to his call, the PTI workers took to roads and streets in different cities and staged protest demonstrations. The PTI activists and supporters gathered in Islamabad at D Chowk and F9 Park and Lahore's Liberty Chowk and Karachi's Shahra-e-Faisal.

The demonstration of the PTI workers caused massive traffic jams from the nursery to the Baloch Colony Bridge owing to the road closure. The protest demonstrations were staged in other areas of the metropolis including Teen Talwar.

Peshawar's Hashtnagari also witnessed protests where the PTI workers set tires on fire to block the road for traffic. They raised slogans against the election of the Chief Minister of Punjab.

Protest rallies were also taken out at Chandni Chowk in Rawalpindi, Manan Chowk in Quetta, Ghanta Ghar Chowk in Faisalabad and Sialkot. Similar protests were held in other cities including Gujranwala, Gujrat, Faisalabad and Multan. 

In Hyderabad, the situation turned volatile when the workers of the PPP and PTI came face to face while shouting out slogans at Hyder Chowk. Police resorted to baton-charge to break up the confrontation. 

Friday's Dramatic PA session

In Friday's dramatic session of the Punjab Assembly, Mazari announced the win for Hamza Shahbaz. After waving a letter from PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain who disallowed the party's members to take part in the vote, he cited Article 63A of the Constitution and rejected ten votes cast by PML-Q lawmakers.

The deputy speaker's ruling frustrated the bid of Pervez Elahi to become the Punjab CM. He was the PTI's candidate for the chief ministership. Having bagged 186 votes against Hamza's 179, Elahi lost the contest as his own party's ten votes were declared invalid.

Challenging the deputy speaker's ruling, PTI leader Raja Basharat said Shujaat is not authorised to take such a decision for his party under Article 63A as Sajid Bhatti is PML-Q's parliamentary leader.

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