World

Down a trench in Ukraine’s Donbas region, Dima admits it took him time to adjust to the sounds of war, to living with fellow soldiers and to the flies everywhere.

Now, the 25-year-old soldier with an easy smile is quietly confident and says everything is fine, despite the constant boom of artillery.

His nickname “Moryak” (Sailor) is scrawled on his uniform, along with the slogans used by soldiers at war: “Born to Hunt” and “Si vis pacum para bellum” (If you want peace, prepare for war).

After serving on the frontline in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions in northern Ukraine, Dima was deployed to a position in the Izyum region.

This part of the frontline lies to the northwest of Kramatorsk — the administrative centre of Donbas, an industrial region Russian troops are attempting to conquer.

Since he arrived, Dima has been digging into the black earth — like everyone else in his unit.

Their trench measures several dozen metres — a labyrinth littered with shovels and pickaxes and underground shelters where the men sleep.

“We hide when they shell, we dig when it’s calm,” says one soldier.

– ‘No pasaran’ –

Russian forces are just a few kilometres away.

“No pasaran!”, exclaimed the head of the unit, Ahil, an experienced soldier of few words.

Asked how many men are in the unit, he replies: “The number we need.”

The situation? “It could be worse”. Weapons? “We never have enough”. Morale? “Good”.

Ahil says he has been fighting in the Donbas since 2014 when Russia-backed separatists first seized control of part of the territory.

He believes the situation now is completely different.

“Today, there is total war,” says the soldier, hoping to “rest when it’s all over”.

“If I get to that point,” he adds.

Before saying goodbye to a group of journalists, Ahil removes his helmet to reveal a shaved head except for a large bunch of hair on one side.

“It’s a Cossack haircut. It fits the moment,” he laughs.

– ‘Remained here forever’ –

This part of the frontline has been one of the most active since Russia invaded on February 24 but it has become calmer in recent weeks as Russian troops attempt to advance elsewhere.

“This place has been one of the bloodiest,” admits “Grizzly”, another commander with a beard and tattoos who wears a woolly hat despite the heat.

“The previous unit lost many men. Up to 40 percent of them remain here forever,” he says.

Dima has also seen his comrades fall in battle.

“It’s sad of course when it happens to friends you share a life with in the trenches.

“But at the same time it motivates you even more to remove these bastards that nobody wants here,” he says

Asked if he thinks about death, he replies: “Of course, I think regularly that it’s maybe my last cup of tea or the last time I go to bed.”

– Kilometre by kilometre –

Outside the trench, the countryside stretches out in a landscape that would be magnificent except for the vast scorched fields.

Unexploded ordinance lies on the roads, which are pockmarked with craters and lined with burnt out vehicles.

Some rare military vehicles can be seen. A T-72 tank kicks up a cloud of stones and dust as it turns.

A few kilometres back, the brigade’s headquarters are set up in an abandoned farm.

Chickens wander through the ruins, a cat sleeps on an abandoned chair and bees fly out from their untended hives.

A Tochka-U missile lies in the courtyard.

At the bottom of a small staircase, the officer in charge is at work in a 15-square-metre room full of maps and radios to communicate with the positions.

Three men lie in the darkness of the room, staring at their phones absent-mindedly.

Oleksandr, the officer, a jovial man of 34, says the situation is “under control”.

“We have been here since the end of April and, after several attempts by the enemy to advance, we are the ones advancing, kilometre by kilometre.”

The aim? “Total victory”. Asked if he could envisage a ceasefire, he replies: “No, no, no”.

The US and Israel signed a new security pact on Thursday reinforcing their common front against Iran, as President Joe Biden pledged to use “all” American power to stop the Islamic republic from acquiring nuclear weapons.

The Jerusalem Declaration on joint security was inked by Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Biden, as the US leader was making his first trip to the Middle East as president.

It commits the United States to “never to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon”, stating that it “is prepared to use all elements of its national power to ensure that outcome”.

A landmark deal that imposed curbs on Iran’s suspect nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief was torpedoed in 2018 by former US president Donald Trump. Efforts to revive the accord have been stalled since March.

Asked on Thursday how long the US was prepared to give those efforts, Biden said “we’re not going to wait forever” for a response from the Islamic republic.

Israel, which has the Middle East’s sole but undeclared nuclear arsenal, is staunchly opposed to the deal with Iran, which has always denied seeking the bomb.

Lapid warned “words” and “diplomacy” were not enough to thwart Iran’s alleged nuclear ambitions.

“Diplomacy will not stop them. The only thing that will stop Iran is knowing that if they continue to develop their nuclear program the free world will use force. The only way to stop them is to put a credible military threat on the table,” Lapid told reporters alongside Biden.

Iran’s ultra-conservative President Ebrahim Raisi warned Wednesday that if Biden’s trip to the Middle East was aimed at safeguarding Israel’s security, he was destined to fail.

US “efforts will not create security for the Zionists in any way,” said.

– Saudi oil –

Biden touched down in Israel on Wednesday, his 10th visit to the Jewish state since 1973, when he came as a newly elected senator.

He is scheduled to meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog and an old acquaintance, opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu later Thursday, before holding talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in the occupied West Bank on Friday.

Air Force One will then make the first publicly acknowledged direct flight between Israel and Saudi Arabia, where Biden will meet Arab leaders.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will remain a top priority for the Biden administration during his regional tour, with volatile oil prices due to be the focus of talks with Saudi officials.

The president will seek to persuade Saudi Arabia to pump more oil in order to drive down prices, which have fuelled US inflation to the highest levels in decades.

– ‘Israel wants peace’ –

Since landing, Biden has repeatedly renewed Washington’s long-standing call for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but made clear Thursday that he has no plans to reverse Trump’s controversial decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Lapid is serving as caretaker prime minister ahead of elections in November — Israel’s fifth vote in less than four years — and is therefore not expected to launch new talks with Palestinians.

But the centrist premier restated his support for a two-state solution.

“I haven’t changed my position. A two-state solution is a guarantee for a strong, democratic state of Israel, with the Jewish majority.”

“We send with you, to all the nations of the region, including of course the Palestinians, a message of peace. Israel wants peace and believes in peace. We will never yield an inch of our security,” Lapid said alongside Biden.

A US official said the administration would announce during the visit “a significant funding package” for hospitals that serve Palestinians in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, which Palestinians claim as their future capital.

It will also announce measures towards providing 4G internet access in the West Bank and Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip, the US official said, addressing a persistent Palestinian frustration.

But, with Israel in political limbo ahead of its election, Biden is not expected to push Lapid for significant policy changes regarding the Palestinians.

“We are not going to come in with a top down peace plan because we don’t believe that would be the best approach,” the US official said.

But, “if the two parties are prepared to talk, we will be there,” the official added.

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Sri Lanka’s president arrived in Singapore Thursday, as protestors who chased him from his residence demanded he keep his promise to step down over his country’s worst-ever economic crisis.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa landed in the city-state on board a Saudia airlines flight from the Maldives, which he had fled to early Wednesday.

As president, Rajapaksa enjoys immunity from arrest, and he is believed to have wanted to go abroad before stepping down to avoid the possibility of being detained. 

But there was still no announcement of his resignation, more than 36 hours after he left his country.

In Colombo, demonstrators left several of the emblematic state buildings they had overrun in recent days, after Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe instructed security forces to restore order and declared a state of emergency.

“We are peacefully withdrawing from the Presidential Palace, the Presidential Secretariat and the Prime Minister’s Office with immediate effect, but will continue our struggle,” a spokeswoman for the protesters said.

Witnesses saw dozens of activists leave Wickremesinghe’s office as armed police and security forces moved in. 

Armoured personnel carriers patrolled parts of the capital which was brought under a curfew.

Rajapaksa, his wife Ioma and two bodyguards were named on the passenger list of Saudia SV788 from Male to Singapore, seen by AFP.

He is expected to look to stay in Singapore for some time, according to Sri Lankan security sources, before potentially moving to the United Arab Emirates.

However, Singapore said Rajapaksa was on a private visit and would not be granted asylum.  

Hundreds of thousands of people have visited his compound since it was opened to the public after he fled and his security guards backed down. 

By Thursday afternoon, the gates were closed with armed guards placed in and outside.

Earlier in the day, business owner Gihan Martyn, 49, accused the president of “playing for time”.

“He’s a coward,” he said outside the president’s palace. “He ruined our country along with the Rajapaksa family. So we don’t trust him at all. We need a new government.”

Police said a soldier and a constable were injured in overnight clashes with protesters outside the national parliament as security forces beat back an attempt on the legislature.

Protesters also left the studios of the main state television station after breaking in on Wednesday.

The main hospital in Colombo said about 85 people were admitted with injuries on Wednesday, with one man suffocating to death after being tear-gassed at the premier’s office.

The military and the police were issued with fresh orders Thursday to firmly put down any violence, and warned troublemakers they were “legitimately empowered to exercise their force”.

But student Chirath Chathuranga Jayalath, 26, said: “You cannot stop this protest by killing people. They’ll shoot our heads but we do this from our hearts.”

– Green light –

Rajapaksa is accused of mismanaging the economy to a point where the country has run out of foreign exchange to finance even the most essential imports, leading to severe hardships for its 22 million people.

Security sources in Colombo said Rajapaksa’s resignation letter had already been prepared. 

“No sooner he gives the green light, the Speaker will issue it,” a source told AFP.

Maldivian media reported that he had spent the night at the Waldorf Astoria Ithaafushi super luxury resort, contrasting the opulent accommodation with the plight of his compatriots — four out of five Sri Lankans skipping meals because of the country’s dire economic crisis.

Sri Lanka defaulted on its $51-billion foreign debt in April and is in talks with the IMF for a possible bailout.

The island has nearly exhausted its already scarce supplies of petrol with the government ordering the closure of non-essential offices and schools to reduce commuting and save fuel.

Diplomatic sources said Rajapaksa’s attempts to secure a visa to the United States had been turned down because he had renounced his US citizenship in 2019 before running for president.

Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:

– ‘Greatest challenge’ –

As G20 ministers prepare to start talks in Indonesia, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says Russia’s war in Ukraine poses the “greatest challenge” to the global economy.

Moscow’s invasion has sent inflation soaring, threatening widespread hunger and poverty.

“We are seeing negative spillover effects from that war in every corner of the world, particularly with respect to higher energy prices, and rising food insecurity,” she says.

– High-stake grain talks eye deal –

Russia and Ukraine make substantive progress in their first direct talks since March on a deal to relieve a global food crisis caused by blocked Black Sea grain exports.

The high-stakes meeting involving UN and Turkish officials in Istanbul last just over three hours and break off with an agreement to meet again in Turkey next week.

– Strike kills at 12, Zelensky slams ‘act of terrorism’ –

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky lashes out at Russia for carrying out missile strikes that kill at least 12 people, including a child, on Vinnytsia in the centre of the country.

“Every day, Russia kills civilians, kills Ukrainian children, carries out missile attack on civilian facilities where there is no military target. What is this if not an open act of terrorism?” he says.

The strike on the central Ukrainian town also sparks a large blaze being fought by dozens of rescue workers and emergency services say 90 personnel are on the scene.

– Global outlook darkened’ –

Yellen’s comments ahead of the G20 meeting echoes earlier ones made by the head of the International Monetary Fund, who said the global economic outlook had “darkened significantly”.

This was due to Moscow’s invasion and comes just months after the IMF revised down its global growth forecast for 2022 and 2023.

The IMF is “projecting a further downgrade to global growth” in 2022 and 2023, the fund’s chief Kristalina Georgieva says in a blog post.

– Nod to Ukraine on Bastille Day –

The war in Ukraine makes its mark on Paris’s traditional Bastille Day military parade as France honours its eastern European NATO allies.

“The parade is marked by, and takes account of, the strategic context,” says an official in Macron’s office. 

“The idea is to highlight the strategic solidarity with our allies.”

Russian missiles struck the city of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine on Thursday, killing at least 12 people in what President Volodymyr Zelensky called “an open act of terrorism”.

Ukraine’s emergency services said there were “12 dead, including one baby, and 25 wounded” and dozens of rescue workers were fighting to put out a large blaze sparked by the strikes.

The news came as EU foreign and justice ministers prepared to meet in The Hague for a conference on alleged Russian war crimes.

Zelensky said he would be addressing the meeting via video call and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is set to attend.

“Every day, Russia kills civilians, kills Ukrainian children, carries out missile attacks on the civilian facilities where there is no military target. What is this, if not an open act of terrorism?” the Ukraine leader said in a statement on social media.

– War crimes tribunal? –

Zelensky has vowed to hold Moscow to account and has called for a special war crimes tribunal to be set up in the Netherlands.

The International Criminal Court in The Hague opened an investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine just days after Moscow’s forces invaded and it dispatched dozens of investigators to the country to gather evidence.

Its prosecutor Karim Khan also later visited Bucha, a town outside Kyiv where AFP journalists discovered 20 bodies in civilian clothing lying in a street, and where officials later said hundreds of other people had been killed.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 and the conflict has raged since then, killing thousands of people, destroying cities and forcing millions to flee their homes.

In recent weeks, Russian strikes in central Ukraine away from frontlines in the east and the south have become relatively rare.

But the war has raged around cities like Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine near the Black Sea which the presidency said was hit by a “massive missile strike” earlier on Thursday.

“Two schools, transport infrastructure and a hotel were damaged,” the presidency said in its morning military update.

The skeletal insides of one building gutted by the strikes was visible in images distributed by local officials, with municipal workers clearing bricks and rubble strewn after the attack.

Fighting in Ukraine has focused on the industrial Donbas region in the east, but Kyiv’s troops have been pressing a grinding counter-offensive in the south to retake Kherson.

The presidency added — without elaborating — that residents along the southern front in the Kherson region were reporting an “increase in equipment and the quantity of Russian troops.”

– ‘Total victory’ –

In east Ukraine, Moscow-backed troops said they were closing in on their next target.

“Siversk is under our operational control, which means that the enemy can be hit by our aimed fire all over the area,” a pro-Moscow rebel official, Daniil Bezsonov, was cited as saying by Russian state-run news agency TASS.

At a Ukrainian trench position along the eastern frontline, a 25-year-old soldier who goes by the nom de guerre Moryak was working to fortify defences.

“We hide when they shell, we dig when it’s calm,” he told AFP journalists.

A fellow combatant in their trench dismissed the idea Ukraine and Russian forces could reach an agreement to halt fighting, explaining their goal was: “Total victory”.

– High-stakes grain talks –

Several rounds of negotiations to end the fighting at the beginning of the conflict fell through, but delegations from Kyiv and Moscow met in Istanbul this week to discuss unblocking Ukraine’s grain exports.

The high-stakes meeting involving UN and Turkish officials in Istanbul broke up after slightly more than three hours with an agreement to meet again in Turkey next week.

“The success of this story is needed not only for our state, but also — without exaggeration — for the entire world,” Zelensky said in his evening address Wednesday after the talks.

The conflict in Ukraine has pushed up grain prices and Europe is suffering from sky-rocketing energy bills stemming from sanctions on Russia and Moscow’s move to limit gas flows to Europe.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday that Russia’s war in Ukraine posed the “greatest challenge” to the global economy, as G20 ministers prepare to start talks in Indonesia.

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