KYIV: Russian and Ukrainian forces exchanged missile and artillery barrages that killed at least six people Thursday as both sides refused to concede any ground despite recent military setbacks for Moscow and the toll on the invaded country after almost seven months of war.
Russian missile strikes in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia left one person dead and five others wounded, Ukrainian officials said. Officials in the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk said Ukrainian shelling killed at least five people.
Demonstrating that neither side was ready to ease up or pause the fighting, the exchange of fire came hours after the two sides made a major prisoner swap and the day after Russian President Vladimir Putin called up reserve troops to supplement his forces.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy of the Ukrainian president’s office, said a hotel in the central part of Zaporizhzhia, said a hotel in the center of the city was struck and rescuers were trying to free people trapped in the rubble.
The governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, Oleksandr Starukh said Russian forces targeted infrastructure facilities and also damaged nearby apartment buildings. The region is one of four where officials installed by Moscow plan to hold referendums starting Friday on becoming part of Russia, but the city itself is in Ukrainian hands.
Meanwhile, the mayor of the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk, Alexei Kulemzin, said at least five people where killed when Ukrainian shelling Thursday hit a covered market and a passenger minibus.
Just hours before Thursday’s attacks, a high-profile prisoner swap saw 215 Ukrainian and foreign fighters exchanged — 200 of them for a single person, an ally of Putin’s. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov wouldn’t confirm if the lone Putin ally — pro-Russian Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk — was part of the swap.
Among the freed fighters were Ukrainian defenders of a steel plant in Mariupol during a long Russian siege and 10 foreigners, including five British nationals and two US military veterans, who had fought with Ukrainian forces.
A video on the BBC news website Thursday showed two of the released British men, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, speaking inside a plane. It said they had arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“We just want to let everyone know that we’re now out of the danger zone and we’re on our way home to our families,” Aslin said in the video, as Pinner added: “By the skin of our teeth.”
The speed with which the Russian missile attack came after the swap suggested that the Kremlin was seeking to dispel any notion of weakness or waning determination to achieve its war aims following recent battlefield losses and setbacks that gravely undercut the aura of Russian military might.
Those losses culminated Wednesday in Putin’s order for a partial mobilization of reservists to bolster his forces in Ukraine. The order sparked rare protests in the Russia and was derided in the West as an act of weakness and desperation.
The partial call-up was short on details, raising concerns of a wider draft that sent some Russians scrambling to buy plane tickets to flee the country.
Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said the mobilization was needed because Russia was “de facto facing all of NATO,” a reference to the military aid and other support that alliance members have provided to Ukraine.
A senior Kremlin official on Thursday repeated Putin’s threat to use nuclear weapons if Russian territory comes under attack.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, said on his messaging app channel Thursday that strategic nuclear weapons are one of the options to safeguard Russian-controlled territories in eastern and southern Ukraine. The remark appeared to serve as a warning that Moscow could also target Ukraine’s Western allies.
Pro-Moscow authorities in Ukraine’s Russian-controlled regions are preparing to hold referendums on becoming part of Russia — a move that could allow Moscow to escalate the war. The votes start Friday in the Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions.
Foreign leaders have called the votes illegitimate and nonbinding. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said they were a “sham” and “noise” to distract the public.
One person was killed during Russian shelling overnight in the center of Nikopol city, across the river from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, according to Dnipropetrovsk region governor Valentyn Reznichenko.
The office of Zelensky’s office said five people were killed by shelling in the Donetsk region over the past day.
No let-up in hostilities in Ukraine despite prisoner swap
https://arab.news/cwrzh
No let-up in hostilities in Ukraine despite prisoner swap
- Russian missile strikes in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia left one person dead and five others wounded
- Demonstrating that neither side was ready to ease up or pause the fighting, the exchange of fire came hours after the two sides made a major prisoner
Bangladeshi music stars prepare to light up the stage in Dammam
- Lineup features heartthrob Imran Mahmudul and rock legend James
- James debuted in Saudi Arabia during last year’s Riyadh Season
DHAKA: Some of Bangladesh’s most popular artists are showcasing their pop culture to an international audience as they headline a cultural festival in Saudi Arabia this week.
Organized by the Kingdom’s General Entertainment Authority, the month-long event, “Your Passport to the World,” is held in the city of Alkhobar in the Dammam metropolitan area.
The festival, which began April 9, is focused on showcasing the rich cultural heritage of four countries: Sudan, India, the Philippines and Bangladesh.
The last leg of the event, which began Wednesday, features Bangladeshi artists, with the lineup of musicians saying they are ready to put on a spectacular show in the Kingdom.
“I am well-prepared now for the show. As a part of preparation, I have made some new compositions for some of my popular numbers as the audience will listen to my live performance for the first time,” singer and composer Imran Mahmudul told Arab News.
Mahmudul, who will perform in Dammam on Thursday and at another iteration of the festival in Jeddah on May 8, is performing for the second time in Saudi Arabia, after making his debut in 2023 at the Riyadh Season — an annual series of entertainment, cultural, and sporting events running in the Saudi capital throughout winter months.
“That was a hugely good experience for me. More than half a million people enjoyed that show. Half of the audience couldn’t enter into the show as it was fully packed. It’s the biggest concert I have ever performed,” he said. “It’s a nice initiative to showcase Bangladeshi culture for the international audience.”
The 33-year-old heartthrob was looking forward to playing for some of Bangladesh’s 3 million expats who are living and working in the Kingdom.
“Most of the Bangladeshi crowd are very emotional, especially when they find the Bangladeshi stars at their places … Whenever they get the opportunity to experience this kind of show with Bangladeshi stars, they don’t miss it.”
For her first-ever live performance in Saudi Arabia, singer Dilshad Nahar Kona said she is looking forward to putting on a show for fellow Bangladeshis in the Kingdom.
“I am feeling very proud to be a part of this grand event initiated by the Saudi government,” Kona told Arab News.
“With this initiative, I would be able to reach our people (Bangladeshis) in the Kingdom. It’s a big initiative where Bangladesh will be showcased for 3 to 4 days. Definitely, it’s a nice initiative by authorities in the Kingdom.”
Kona said she has been preparing to put on a great show. “We are fully prepared to offer the audience a marvelous show. With my performance, even if I can entertain them for a few moments, that will bring satisfaction in my mind as our efforts are nothing compared to the hard labor of our migrants’ work.”
The concerts will also feature other popular musicians from Bangladesh, including rock legend James, one of the most popular artists performing in Bengali, who has been widely celebrated since the 1990s and who debuted at Riyadh Season last year.
Ahead of the concerts, the Bangladesh expat community has been brimming with enthusiasm.
“I am a great fan of James and Imran. I am very excited to watch the live performances of these Bangladeshi music stars,” Abdul Hannan, a construction worker who lives in Dammam, told Arab News.
“We will join the Bangladesh events all four days as we get this sort of entertainment opportunities here very rarely. It’s kind of a get-together also for all the Bangladeshi migrants who have been living in this part of the Kingdom.”
Salma Hossain, who has been living in Saudi Arabia for the last three years, is planning to make the most of the festival.
“I have been counting the days for this Bangladesh event,” Hossain told Arab News.
“As a Bangladeshi citizen, I feel proud of this event. With the shows, now the people in my neighborhood will come to know that we also have a rich culture and heritage. We also have world-class music stars.”
Pakistani nationals leave India as tensions between the two nations escalate over Kashmir attack
- Deadline for Pakistani citizens to leave the country – with exceptions for those who are on medical visas in India – passed on Sunday
- But many families still scrambling to the Indian side of the border in Attari town in northern Punjab state to cross into Pakistan
ATTARI, India: Dozens of Pakistani nationals living in India headed to the main land crossing between India and Pakistan on Wednesday, following New Delhi’s decision to order almost all Pakistani citizens to leave the country after last week’s deadly attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
The deadline for Pakistani citizens to leave the country – with exceptions for those who are on medical visas in India – passed on Sunday, but many families were still scrambling to the Indian side of the border in Attari town in northern Punjab state to cross into Pakistan.
Some were arriving on their own and others were being deported by police.
“We have settled our families here. We request the government not to uproot our families,” said Sara Khan, a Pakistani national who was ordered back to Pakistan without her husband, Aurangzeb Khan, who holds an Indian passport.
Waiting on the Indian side of the border crossing, Khan carried her 14-day-old child in her arms. She said Indian authorities did not give her any time to recuperate from a caesarean section and that her long-term visa was valid until July 2026.
“They (authorities) told me you are illegal and you should go,” said Khan, who has been living in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 2017. “They gave us no time. I could not even change my shoes.”
Tensions between rivals India and Pakistan have escalated after gunmen killed 26 people, most of them Indian tourists, near the resort town of Pahalgam in disputed Kashmir.
At least three tourists who survived the massacre said that the gunmen singled out Hindu men and shot them from close range. The dead included a Nepalese citizen and a local Muslim pony ride operator.
India has described the massacre as a “terror attack” and accused Pakistan of backing it. Pakistan has denied any connection to the attack, which was claimed by a previously unknown militant group calling itself the Kashmir Resistance.
The massacre set off tit-for-tat diplomatic measures between India and Pakistan that included cancelation of visas and a recall of diplomats. New Delhi also suspended a crucial water-sharing treaty with Islamabad and ordered its border shut with Pakistan. In response, Pakistan has closed its airspace to Indian airlines.
As tensions escalate, cross-border firings between Indian and Pakistani soldiers have also increased along the Line of Control, the de facto frontier that separates Kashmiri territory between the two rivals.
Kashmir is split between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety. New Delhi describes all militancy in Indian-controlled Kashmir as Pakistan-backed terrorism. Pakistan denies this, and many Muslim Kashmiris consider the militants to be part of a home-grown freedom struggle.
Meanwhile, India’s cabinet committee on security, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, met on Wednesday. It was their second such meeting since the attack.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in separate phone calls with India and Pakistan, stressed the need to “avoid a confrontation that could result in tragic consequences.” The US State Department also called for de-escalation and said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be speaking soon to the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers.
The two nations have frequently come to blows over Kashmir in the past, but last week’s massacre has escalated tensions and Modi has repeatedly vowed to pursue and punish the attackers.
Early Wednesday, Pakistan said it had “credible intelligence” that India intends to carry out military action against it in the “next 24-36 hours on the pretext of baseless and concocted allegations of involvement in the Pahalgam incident.”
There was no immediate comment from Indian officials.
Sweden arrests suspect after fatal triple shooting
- Tuesday’s shooting took place in broad daylight, a day before the Valborg or Walpurgis spring festival
- The Scandinavian country has struggled for years to rein in shootings and bombings between rival gangs
UPPSALA, Sweden: Swedish police have arrested a suspect in a shooting that killed three young men at a hair salon, authorities said on Wednesday, amid heightened nerves over gun violence in the Scandinavian nation.
Tuesday’s shooting took place in broad daylight, a day before the Valborg or Walpurgis spring festival which draws more than 100,000 people to the city for celebrations, many of them students.
“One person has been arrested suspected of murder,” police commander Erik Akerlund told a press conference a day after the shooting in the city of Uppsala, 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Stockholm, that shocked Sweden.
Swedish media reported that at least one of the dead had connections to organized gang crime, though police would not confirm those reports.
The Scandinavian country has struggled for years to rein in shootings and bombings between rival gangs.
Akerlund said several people “considered of interest in the investigation” had been brought in for questioning.
North Korea’s Kim watches missile test-firings from country’s first destroyer
- The official Korean Central News Agency said Wednesday that Kim watched the tests of the destroyer’s supersonic and strategic cruise missiles, anti-aircraft missile, automatic guns and electronic jamm
- North Korea and Russia have been sharply expanding military and other cooperation in recent years, with the North supplying troops and conventional weapons to Russia
SEOUL: North Korea said Wednesday leader Kim Jong Un observed the test-firings of missiles from a recently launched destroyer — the first such warship for the North — and called for accelerating efforts to boost his navy’s nuclear attack capabilities.
North Korea last week unveiled the 5,000-ton destroyer equipped with what it called the most powerful weapons systems built for a navy vessel. During Friday’s launching ceremony at the western port of Nampo, Kim called the ship’s construction “a breakthrough” in modernizing North Korea’s naval forces.
Outside experts say it’s North Korea’s first destroyer and that it was likely built with Russian assistance. They say North Korea’s naval forces lag behind South Korea’s but still view the destroyer as a serious security threat as it could bolster North Korea’s attack and defense capabilities.
The official Korean Central News Agency said Wednesday that Kim watched the tests of the destroyer’s supersonic and strategic cruise missiles, anti-aircraft missile, automatic guns and electronic jamming guns earlier this week.
He appreciated the ship’s combination of powerful strike weapons and conventional defenses and set tasks to speed the nuclear-arming of his navy, the report said.
During the ship’s launching ceremony, Kim said the destroyer will be deployed early next year. He said the acquisition of a nuclear-powered submarine would be his next big step in strengthening his navy. He underscored the need to beef up North Korea’s deterrence capability to cope with what he called escalating US-led hostilities targeting the North.
An analysis of photos of the warship shows that its anti-air radar system is likely from Russia, said Lee Illwoo, an expert with the Korea Defense Network in South Korea. He said the warship’s engine system and some of its anti-air weapons systems also likely came from Russia.
North Korea and Russia have been sharply expanding military and other cooperation in recent years, with the North supplying troops and conventional weapons to support Russia’s war efforts against Ukraine. The US, South Korea and their partners worry Russia will likely in return provide North Korea with high-tech weapons technologies that can enhance its nuclear program as well as shipping other military and economic assistance.
South Korea’s military said Wednesday that South Korean and US intelligence authorities were closely monitoring North Korean warship development. South Korea’s spy agency separately told lawmakers that North Korea won’t likely be able to deploy a nuclear-powered submarine anytime soon without Russian support.
In March, North Korea unveiled a nuclear-powered submarine under construction. Many civilian experts said at the time that North Korea may have received Russian technological assistance to build a nuclear reactor to be used in the submarine.
Lee said the deployment of a warship with an advanced radar system off North Korea’s west coast could sharply bolster its air defense capabilities for Pyongyang, the capital. Lee said South Korea, which has 12 destroyers, still vastly outpaces North Korea’s naval forces. But he said the North Korean destroyer, which can carry about 80 missiles, can still pose a big threat, as South Korea’s navy hasn’t likely braced for such an enemy warship.
Russia begins building road bridge to North Korea
- The new road bridge, which has been under discussion for years, will be 850 meters (2789 ft) and link up with the Russian highway system
MOSCOW: Russia and North Korea on Wednesday began construction of a road bridge between the two countries that will span the Tumen river, part of an effort to strengthen their strategic partnership, Russia’s prime minister said.
The bridge is being built near the existing “Friendship Bridge,” a rail bridge which was commissioned in 1959 after the Korean war.
At a ceremony dedicated to the start of the new bridge’s construction, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said it was a significant event in Russian-North Korean relations, the TASS state news agency reported.
“The significance goes far beyond just an engineering task,” Mishustin was quoted as saying. “It symbolizes our common desire to strengthen friendly, good-neighborly relations and increase inter-regional cooperation.”
The new road bridge, which has been under discussion for years, will be 850 meters (2789 ft) and link up with the Russian highway system. Its construction was agreed during a visit by President Vladimir Putin to North Korea in 2024.
Russia’s Kommersant newspaper said the bridge will be ready by the summer of 2026.
Mishustin said the bridge “will allow entrepreneurs to significantly increase transportation volumes and reduce transportation costs, ensure reliable and stable supplies of various products, which will contribute to the expansion of trade and economic cooperation,” TASS reported.
About 600 North Korean troops have been killed fighting for Russia against Ukraine out of a total deployment of 15,000, South Korean lawmakers said on Wednesday, citing the country’s intelligence agency.
