Russian ‘double-tap’ strike on shopping centre in Ukraine kills 16 and wounds 130

 By Reuters | Posted by TOE At least 16 people were killed and more than 130 wounded on Friday when several Russian drones ‌struck a shopping centre in central Ukraine, authorities said, with President ‌Volodymyr Zelenskiy promising a response to what he called an “act of barbarism.” Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said ​that 22 children were among the wounded in the daytime attack on the city of Kryvyi Rih, which is Zelenskiy’s hometown. “There are 29 people in serious condition, including five children,” Hanzha said. He posted a photo of black ‌smoke billowing from a large ⁠industrial building. In an update early on Saturday, Hanzha said nine people were preliminarily considered missing, including two children, and ⁠that rescuers were continuing to clear the rubble of the shopping centre. Zelenskiy called the attack “absolutely cynical and despicable”, saying that a second Russian drone hit the shopping ​centre ​half an...

Finland finds drag marks on Baltic seabed after cable damage

 Finnish police said they had found tracks that drag on for dozens of kilometres along the bottom of the Baltic Sea where a tanker carrying Russian oil is suspected of breaking a power line and four telecoms cables with its anchor.

The Cook Islands-registered Eagle S was boarded by Finnish police and coast guard officials on Thursday and sailed into Finnish waters where the crew of the impounded tanker is being questioned.

Baltic Sea nations have been on high alert after a string of outages of power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. NATO said on Friday it would boost its presence in the region.

A break in the 658 megawatt (MW) Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia occurred at midday on Wednesday, leaving only the 358 MW Estlink 1 linking the two countries, grid operators said. They said Estlink 2 might not be back in service before August.

Finnish police suspect the Eagle S caused the damage by dragging its anchor along the seabed.

Investigators have identified a “dragging track” but have yet to find a missing anchor, Sami Paila, tactical leader and detective chief inspector of Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation, said in a statement.

“The track is dozens of kilometres in length,” Paila said.

Photos taken of the Eagle S on Friday showed the vessel missing its port side anchor.

Finland’s customs service believes the ship is part of a “shadow fleet” of ageing tankers being used to evade sanctions on exports of Russian oil.

The Kremlin said on Friday that Finland’s seizure of the ship was of little concern to it.

Russia has denied involvement in any of the previous Baltic infrastructure damage incidents.

SOURCE: REUTERS AND AGENCIES



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/aR85bno

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Myanmar earthquake death toll rises as fresh tremors further complicate rescue efforts

Israel says situation on Lebanon border ‘not sustainable’