Russia’s navy will soon receive hypersonic missiles that will allow it to strike at enemies with “lighting speed”, President Putin has warned.
Speaking on Russia’s annual Navy Day today, Putin hailed the development of the new Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles that the Kremlin says can travel at nine times the speed of sound.
“The key thing here is the capability of the Russian navy. It is able to respond with lightning speed to all those who decide to infringe on our sovereignty and freedom,” Putin said in a speech during a naval parade along the Neva River in St Petersburg.
Russian officials and VIPs sail along the Neva River for the Navy Day parade
PAVEL BYRKIN/ALAMY
The Kremlin says the missiles, which Russia has been developing for a number of years, can reach 6,140mph with a range of up to 600
European governments have eased back on efforts to curb trade in Russian oil, delaying a plan to shut Moscow out of the vital Lloyd’s of London maritime insurance market and allowing some international shipments amid fears of rising crude prices and tighter global energy supplies.
The EU announced a worldwide ban on the provision of maritime insurance to vessels carrying Russian oil two months ago, expecting co-ordinated action with the British government. However, the UK is yet to introduce similar restrictions. UK participation is pivotal to the effectiveness of any such ban because London is at the centre of the marine insurance industry.
Meanwhile, Brussels in late July amended some curbs on dealing with state-owned Russian companies, citing concerns over global energy security.
A joint UK-EU prohibition on maritime insurance would constitute the most comprehensive restriction to date on Russian oil, ending access to much of the global tanker fleet for Moscow’s exports.
But US officials have expressed concern that an immediate global ban on maritime insurance would push up prices by pulling millions of barrels of Russian crude and petroleum products off the market.
European and British officials told the Financial Times in May that the UK had agreed with the EU to co-ordinate a ban on insuring Russian oil cargoes.
However, Britain’s latest sanctions against Russia, approved by parliament in July, only prohibit providing insurance to vessels carrying Russian oil to the UK, and only after December 31. The legislation was introduced after the government promised to outlaw the import of Russian oil from the end of the year but does not ban the provision of services to shipments from Russia to other countries, UK officials said.
“There is no current UK ban affecting global shipments of Russian oil,” said Patrick Davison, underwriting director of the Lloyd’s Market Association, an industry group for insurers at Lloyd’s. “Given the global nature of the [re] insurance industry, the existence of the EU restrictions may well impact appetite for Russian oil shipments in London.”
He said Lloyd’s was in close contact with [the UK government] “and will work with them on any future sanctions they seek to introduce.”
The UK Treasury said it was still exploring the best course of action. “We stand ready to impose further sanctions on Russia and are working in conjunction with our allies at pace to ensure these can be implemented with maximum effect on the Russian economy,” it said.
The EU’s insurance ban was introduced on June 4 and remains in place. It prevents companies in the bloc from writing new insurance for any vessel carrying Russian oil anywhere. Existing contracts remain valid until December 5, when all such business will be banned.
However, the EU has amended part of its own sanctions to permit European companies to deal with some Russian state-owned entities, such as Rosneft, for the purpose of transporting oil to countries outside the bloc.
European companies will no longer be blocked from paying the likes of Rosneft, “if those transactions are strictly necessary”, for the purchase or transport of crude or petroleum products to third countries, a European Commission spokesperson told the FT.
The EU said in a statement that the measures were taken to “avoid any potential negative consequences for food and energy security around the world”.
The White House has been working since June to push G7 countries to support a price-cap mechanism that would allow some Russian oil to reach third countries as long as they agreed to pay a below-market price for the cargo.
Officials in Washington said the US and UK still plan to ban maritime services, including insurance, by the time the EU’s ban takes full effect in December. But they want an oil price cap in place first. US President Joe Biden is keen to reduce gasoline prices before midterm elections in November.
Sanctions lawyers said the EU appeared to be soft-pedalling its efforts to stem the global flow of Russian oil, and that there was new uncertainty among traders over the UK’s commitment to a global insurance ban.
Sarah Hunt, a partner at HFW, a law firm, said trading houses were inquiring whether it was now legal to buy Rosneft oil to ship to countries outside the EU.
“The new EU sanctions effectively permit the lifting of Russian crude by European companies. We were surprised by this,” she said.
Leigh Hansson, partner at Reed Smith, another law firm, said the EU’s sanctions amendment was a “big retreat”, adding that lawyers had also been expecting “more robust” measures by now from the UK.
Additional reporting by Alice Hancock and David Sheppard
Vladimir Putin's annual Navy Day parade looks impressive from the banks of St Petersburg's Neva river; it looks even better on state TV.
No expense spared when it comes to showing the people of Russia quite how big and shiny their navy and armed forces are.
Think back to April though and the loss of the Moskva - the flagship warship of Russia's Black Sea fleet.
A direct hit Ukraine's defence ministry said; a fire onboard according to Russia.
A significant blow both to Russia's prestige and its Black Sea capabilities. Nor is it the only loss for the Black Sea fleet, against a Ukrainian navy massively diminished since the annexation of Crimea and largely barricaded inside its ports, just like its commercial shipping.
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The Black Sea blockade has been a major strategic win for Russia, forcing Ukraine to mine itself in.
Stasis at Ukraine's ports has left huge swathes of the world without grain, most significantly, but also fertiliser, sunflower oil and a host of other exports which would have brought much needed cash into the Ukrainian economy.
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Despite the grain deal struck in Istanbul, still no ship has set sail. It is an indication of the profound lack of faith in Russia's intentions, especially after its missile strike on the port of Odesa with the ink on the deal barely dry.
Image:The Russian corvette Aleksin fires missiles during the parade
Image:Warships seen during the celebration in Novorossiysk. Pic: AP
Today Putin promised more big guns.
The long touted Tsirkon hypersonic missile will be delivered to Russia's armed forces in the coming months.
The Admiral Gorshkov frigate which has already test-fired the missile will be its first recipient. According to Putin, the Tsirkon missile systems will have "no equal in the world".
The crowds along Palace Embankment may not have taken that in particularly but they loved the parade and aerial flyby.
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Putin promises hypersonic missiles
"Did you hear the people cheering when Putin came out?", said Janna, whose dislike of all things British was palpable. "I hope you heard, I don't think you have such a strong leader".
"I believe that you have set us against each other, two brotherly peoples", she said pointing her finger menacingly. "I hope you can understand what the Russian spirit is when you're here".
Natalia in a 'Z' T-shirt, merchandise which is ever more frequent to see, told me she was sure of victory. When I asked her what she meant by victory, she said "Victory over fascism, over the Nazis, for peace!".
"What does the word 'Nazi' mean to you?", I ask.
"People who are only for their own nation, and do not accept others", is the answer.
That is a broad definition. It is no wonder it has caught the imagination of so many in Russia. It is a world removed from the notion of death camps and the appalling atrocities of Nazi Germany.
"Denazification was fair for Hitler but there is no Nazism in Ukraine", says Oleg.
"This war is Putin’s last attack on the world. The personal attack of a mad dictator against the whole world because the whole civilised world is now against this outrage that is happening".
A lone voice in today's crowd. Perhaps too, in today's Russia.
But there may be many more like Oleg who don’t attend events like these but who feel deeply uncomfortable with the events of the past five months, their reservations overwhelmed by the mighty force of patriotism which Vladimir Putin whips up so well.
The EU should designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs said, after an attack that killed dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war on Friday renewed calls to further isolate Moscow on the international stage.
“We see all the brutality of Russian forces, that actually resemble a lot of ISIS, who we have been always calling a terrorist organization,” Rinkēvičs told POLITICO in a phone interview on Sunday. “Let’s call a spade a spade,” he said.
Ukraine’s military has accused Russia of deliberately shelling a jail containing Ukrainian POWs in the eastern Donetsk region, while Russia’s Defense Ministry has accused Ukraine of striking the prison. On Sunday, Russia said it formally invited the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross to investigate.
Rinkēvičs said that Europe should double down on efforts to isolate Russia.
“The only way to move forward is to strengthen the current strategy, which is support to Ukraine, send more military aid,” he said.
The minister also called for the confiscation of Russian government assets and for EU countries to restrict issuing visas for Russians, with an exemption for humanitarian reasons.
“Society needs to feel it,” Rinkēvičs said, arguing that the majority of Russians support the Kremlin’s policies. “If we condemn countries like Iran,” Rinkēvičs said, “Russia is not different.”
Ukraine’s government has asked its Western partners to designate Russia as a “terrorist state.”
“Our state received many signals from different countries condemning the Russian terrorist act in Olenivka,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video message posted late Saturday.
Zelenskyy, who is urging civilians to leave the Donbas area, said that the “world sees the truth” and “there must be legal steps on the part of the world community against the terrorist state.”
“Formal legal recognition of Russia as a terrorist state, in particular, recognition by the U.S. Department of State,” he said, “is needed not as a political gesture but as an effective defense of the free world.”
The comments by Rinkēvičs come after Russian gas monopoly Gazprom on Saturday said it was stopping deliveries to Latvia for an alleged breach of contract terms. “Today Gazprom stopped gas supplies to Latvia within the framework of the July order due to the violation of … conditions,” the company said in a Telegram post, without providing further details.
China has escalated its threats over Nancy Pelosi’s potential visit to Taiwan this week and conducted naval exercises across the region, just hours before the US House Speaker was expected to arrive in East Asia.
Pelosi’s office announced that a Congressional delegation headed by the Speaker had departed on Sunday for Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. The statement did not confirm if or when Pelosi would follow through with her plans to also visit Taiwan, the self-ruled island that Beijing claims is an inalienable part of its sovereign territory.
The purpose of the trip, which has further strained fragile China-US ties, is to “reaffirm America’s strong and unshakeable commitment to our allies and friends in the region”, Pelosi’s office said. The six-member delegation includes the heads of the House foreign affairs and armed services committees.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore has said it will be holding an in-person event with Pelosi on Monday afternoon.
Last week, during their first video call since March, Xi Jinping told Joe Biden that the US was “playing with fire” by not stopping such visits by American delegations, which the Chinese government regards as “interference by external forces” in its internal affairs.
In a Chinese social media post on Saturday, Hu Xijin, an outspoken former state media editor, said “it is OK [for the People’s Liberation Army] to shoot down Pelosi’s plane” if it was escorted to Taiwan by US fighter jets.
In an earlier post on Twitter, the former head of a tabloid published by the Chinese Communist party’s flagship newspaper group said that China should “punish” Pelosi if she did not cancel her planned visit to Taiwan. “[The] PLA Air Force will surely make her visit a disgrace to herself and to the US,” Hu added.
“Pelosi is one of the most important national leaders in the US,” said Lu Xiang, a US expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing. “For people in her position, every move comes with consequences. If she visits Taiwan without the consent of China there would be serious consequences, including military consequences.”
In a demonstration of its capabilities, the PLA conducted live-fire exercises on Saturday in Pingtan, a coastal area in southeastern Fujian province about 125km from Taiwan. State media also broadcast footage of a Chinese destroyer firing its weapons in the South China Sea, which the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier group is believed to be sailing through after visiting Singapore.
China’s Maritime Safety Administration has warned vessels that the PLA will conduct more live-fire exercises in another area of the South China Sea on August 2 and August 3.
Additional reporting by Xinning Liu and Maiqi Ding in Beijing
It's the amount of water that passed through these rural Kentucky creeks that is so astonishing.
I'm standing by the banks of the river which runs through the town of Hazard.
I'm at least 30ft above the current water level. Yet there is mud and debris all around. The water level two nights ago was 10m (30ft) higher than it is now.
And that extraordinary extra volume of water was cascading through communities all over this part of Kentucky.
No wonder the power of the torrent was so huge.
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A little down the valley, Eunice Howard showed us what was left of her home.
The house she built 27 years ago with her late husband has been ripped apart.
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"I heard a noise and I raised the window and I saw the water and I knew I had to get help."
Image:Eunice Howard
She began to sob: "I was in the house... I said 'well my house will be okay'…"
She doesn't really know how she managed to escape and had she not, she would certainly have lost her life.
Eunice's granddaughter, Cortney Clemons, wanted to show us the power of the water.
As we walked up the river bank from where the half intact house now sits, I realised what she had been trying to explain, because the house wasn't built where where it now sits.
A few hundred metres away, she showed us a patch of ground with some cement gridding. It was the foundations of her grandmother's home.
Image:The foundations of Eunice Howard's home
The building had literally been picked up and carried downstream.
We put our drone up and it became clear: a path of destruction. It was one snapshot of so many communities destroyed.
I asked Eunice and Cortney if they had ever seen this sort of flooding before.
"Not at all... not in all our time here," said Eunice who has been in this valley for more than 50 years.
Cortney added: "It's just very very sad to see the house you grew up in and everything get washed away. Memories... all that stuff you can't get back."
She said they would go 'creek fishing' to find things belonging to her late 'pop'.
Two things strike me on every extreme weather story I report on - and there have been many recently.
The first is that it's always the poorest hit hardest. So often the weather does discriminate.
In New York last year, the dead were those living in the basement apartments.
Here in Kentucky, the communities are not well off and their homes are not well built.
And that's the second thing - governments need to wholly rethink building and planning regulations with much more urgency.
Homes are not built to withstand the extreme weather that is now increasingly the norm.
There is lots of talk about funding for climate adaptation, but it's too late for every community hit, now seemingly with such regulatory.
Fighting climate change is about much more than cutting our emissions.
Russia has invited the United Nations and the Red Cross to investigate the deaths of dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The prisoners were being held by Moscow-backed separatists at a jail in the town of Olenivka, in eastern Donetsk, when it was hit by rockets early on Friday.
Russia's defence ministry said 50 prisoners were killed and another 73 were injured, adding that it wanted to act "in the interest of conducting an objective investigation" into the attack.
It claims Ukrainian soldiers had used a US-made high mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS) to target the prison.
Ministry spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov said "all political, criminal and moral responsibility" rested with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, "his criminal regime and Washington who supports them".
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But Ukraine said Russian artillery had been behind the attack, using it to hide the mistreatment of prisoners.
Mr Zelenskyy said: "It was a deliberate Russian war crime, a deliberate mass murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
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"There should be a clear legal recognition of Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism."
UN and Red Cross ready to head to prison attack site
According to reports, among those killed were Ukrainian soldiers captured in May after the fall of Mariupol, a southern port city where they famously held out against a months-long Russian siege.
The UN had earlier said it was ready to send experts to investigate the prison attack if both parties agreed.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it had requested access to the prison to "determine the health and condition of all the people present on the site at the time of the attack".
It added: "Our priority right now is making sure the wounded receive life-saving treatment and that the bodies of those who lost their lives are dealt with in a dignified manner."
Night-time attacks
Meanwhile, Russia launched night-time attacks on several Ukrainian cities.
Rockets hit a school in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, with another attack about an hour later.
Mayor Ihor Terekhov said there were no reports of injuries.
One person was killed and six injured in shelling that hit a residential part of Mykolaiv in the south, the region's administration said.
A bus station in Sloviansk was also hit, according to the city's mayor Vadim Lyakh.
Meanwhile, people in the UK who have housed more than 100,000 Ukrainians during the conflict will get a letter of thanks from the Ukrainian and British governments.
The letters will come from Ukraine's ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko and Refugees Minister Lord Harrington, praising households for contributing to the UK's "largest offer of help to people fleeing war since 1945".
About 104,000 people have arrived in Britain since the Ukraine visa schemes were launched in March - 31,300 under the family scheme and 72,700 under the Homes For Ukraine sponsorship scheme.
There have been almost 200,000 applications, meaning just over half who have applied have arrived in the UK.
The letter is expected to say: "You have saved lives, given hope, and offered sanctuary to people in desperate need.
"This represents the UK's largest offer of help to people fleeing war since 1945."
