Ukraine war: Kyiv has estimated its losses amid the Russia offensive at $100 billion dollars.
Even as Russia claimed a big win and said it had seized the last holdout in Ukraine’s Mariupol – the Azovstal iron and steel works plant – the United Kingdom on Saturday said the country is fast losing UAVs (Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles) that will hit its operational effectiveness.
“The Russia-Ukraine war has seen Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) playing a pivotal role for both sides although they have suffered a high rate of attrition. UAVs have proved vulnerable both to being shot down and to electronic jamming,” the UK’s ministry of defence said in its latest inputs on Twitter, citing intelligence.
“If Russia continues to lose UAVs at its current rate, the Russian forces intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability will be further degraded, negatively impacting operational effectiveness,” it said in another post.
The Ukraine war is set to enter the fourth month next week and Volodymyr Zelensky, in his nightly address on Friday night, said that Moscow could pay for the damages the country has suffered amid the conflict.
Kyiv estimates its losses to be around $100 billion.
Meanwhile, the UK has also said that Russia’s bombardment of Ukraine is blocking the export of critical food supplies, “increasing prices for the most vulnerable around the world.” “The Kremlin must end its barbaric war, and let Ukrainian farmers help feed the world again,” a government statement read.
The United Nations too has raised concerns about the food crisis emerging globally due to the war.
Another impact is the fuel and gas shortage. In the latest developments, Russia has blocked gas supply to Finland amid the neighbouring country’s bid for membership of the US-led NATO defence alliance.
Less time to read?
Try Quickreads
-
Facebook slammed for ‘spreading Putin’s Propaganda’ in NATO member Slovakia
A flood of posts pushing misinformation in Slovakia is putting the spotlight on Facebook for facilitating the spread of pro-Russian theories on the war in neighboring Ukraine, ranging from claims that Kyiv is secretly developing biological weapons to questioning whether President Vladimir Putin’s invasion even happened at all. According to the GLOBSEC security think tank, the intensity of false messages is worse here than anywhere else in ex-communist central Europe.
-
Biden says US has offered North Korea Covid vaccines but ‘got no response’
US President Joe Biden said Saturday that America had offered North Korea Covid vaccines but “got no response” despite a spiralling epidemic in the isolated country. READ MORE: North Korea sees 219K new ‘fever’ cases, US offers help: 10 global Covid updates “We’ve offered vaccines, not only to North Korea but to China as well and we’re prepared to do that immediately,” he said at a press conference in Seoul.
-
Thousands of Covid-negative Beijing residents sent to quarantine
Thousands of Covid-negative Beijing residents were forcibly relocated to quarantine hotels overnight due to a handful of infections, as the capital begins to take more extreme control measures resembling virus-hit Shanghai. The Omicron variant has infected over 1,300 since late April, leading city restaurants, schools and tourist attractions to be closed indefinitely. China’s strategy to achieve zero Covid cases includes strict border closures, lengthy quarantines, mass testing and rapid, targeted lockdowns.
-
Monkeypox FAQ: Symptoms, treatment and vaccines explained
An outbreak of the monkeypox virus in Europe – with cases also reported in the United States, Canada, and Australia – has raised red flags worldwide, even as these and other nations still fight the Covid pandemic. Monkeypox FAQ: The monkeypox virus – what is it? The monkeypox virus is a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae.
-
‘Tourists who want exciting time’: Video of Sri Lanka PM joking goes viral
Tourists coming to Sri Lanka can even take part in protest, PM’s reply goes viral In an interview with Sky News, Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said tourists who are looking for an exciting time can visit Sri Lanka as there are several options now in the strife-torn island country.