World Briefing: August 26, 2024
In one of the largest attacks of its kind to date, Russia unleashed a massive barrage of some 200 rockets and drones over Ukraine starting in the early hours of the morning. At least six people have been killed and scores injured, including children.
In all, 15 oblasts were targeted officials said and there are reports of deaths and injuries. Several pieces of critical infrastructure were hit, resulting in power outages. In the capital, the 408MW Kyiv hydroelectric power plant was struck: video on Telegram shows a large fire and rubble.
Rockets flew as far as western Ukraine. Officials said some of the flying objects entered the air space of Belarus. In Kyiv, air raid sirens continued to sound into the afternoon. In Odesa alone, seven people were injured - including three children. "It was one of the biggest attacks — combined. More than a hundred missiles of various types and about a hundred Shahed drones,” — President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
At least 14 regions in Ukraine will suffer power outages up to 18 hours daily, UA media channels report. Some major supermarkets without power in Kyiv and many neighbourhoods have generators running. One store owner said around 70 percent of the capital without power. The attack came as Ukrainian officials began voicing confidence about resuming exports of excess electricity in the coming days and weeks.
Moldelectrica, the state-owned enterprise of Moldova, announced that the country had recorded interruptions in the energy system. The problems arose after Russia's early morning attack on critical infrastructure in Ukraine, during which the Russian army used hundreds of drones and missiles.
Israel and Hezbollah traded their most intense fire for months overnight before pulling back hours later, with both sides saying they wanted to avoid further escalation. Hezbollah claimed to hit an Israeli military intelligence site near Tel Aviv in a barrage of hundreds of rockets and drones. Israel claimed its attacks in southern Lebanon had been pre-emptive to avert a larger assault by Hezbollah - Sky News
As the situation between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon escalated, scores of commercial flights in and out of Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Air were cancelled or delayed Sunday. All US airlines - as well as many European carriers - have temporarily suspended service to the city
A member of the Reuters news team covering the war in Ukraine was killed, and two others have been hospitalised after a strike on a hotel in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk. In an earlier statement, the news agency said that the Hotel Sapphire, where a six-person Reuters crew was staying, was hit by a strike yesterday. “One of our colleagues is unaccounted for, while another two have been taken to hospital for treatment," the agency said. "Three other colleagues have been accounted for. We are urgently seeking more information, working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and supporting our colleagues and their families. We will give an update when we have more information," it added. Media workers - as well as hotels or cafes where they tend to congregate - have been frequently targeted by Russian forces since the war began in 2022.
Ukraine wants permission from the west to use long-range Storm Shadow missiles to destroy targets deep inside Russia, believing this could force Moscow into negotiating an end to the fighting. Senior figures in Kyiv have suggested that using the Anglo-French weapons in a “demonstration attack” will show the Kremlin that military sites near the capital itself could be vulnerable to direct strikes. The thinking, according to a senior government official, is that Russia will consider negotiating only if it believes Ukraine had the ability “to threaten Moscow and St Petersburg”. This is a high-risk strategy, however, and does not so far have the support of the US. Ukraine has been lobbying for months to be allowed to use Storm Shadow against targets inside Russia, but with little success. Nevertheless, as its army struggles on the eastern front, there is a growing belief that its best hope lies in counter-attack - The Observer
Russian lawmakers hit back at arrest of Telegram chief Pavel Durov in France. The ‘Mark Zuckerberg’ of Russia was arrested by French cops while alighting from his private jet at an airport north of Paris. It’s believed the tech tycoon is wanted in multiple criminal charges related to misinformation, drugs and money laundering. Durov has said he’s been the target of law enforcement agencies for quite some time. Separately, media outlet Baza reported that employees of several Russian law enforcement agencies have been ordered to delete correspondence on Telegram; as well, the Putin administration and Russian government officials have received the relevant orders.
Nigeria’s presidency has defended its purchase of a multimillion-dollar jet that has swelled the presidential air fleet to almost a dozen carriers even as the country endures its worst economic downturn in decades. President Bola Tinubu flew out of the capital Abuja this week for what his office described as a “brief work stay” in France, giving Nigerians a first glimpse of the customised Airbus A330 aircraft. It is at least his fourth visit to France since he took office last year. The images from the tarmac prompted a barrage of criticism, with many perceiving the plane as the latest in a string of extravagant acquisitions by Tinubu’s government, which is increasingly seen as detached from the daily realities of struggling citizens. Oby Ezekwesili, a former education minister, described the new jet as a symbol of the “fiscal recklessness and rascality” of the administration since it came to power in May last year. Former presidential contender Peter Obi called for honesty. “The government will lose nothing but respect if it fails to provide adequate information . . . to the people whose money is being deployed,” he wrote on X. - FT
