riverboat days 2023

Join Us for Yankton's Riverboat Days Festival

No pets, no bikes, no coolers, no motorized vehicles at Riverside Park.

2023 entertainment.

Riverboat Days Parade

Schedule of Events

Welcome to Terrace Riverboat Days

August 4 - 13, 2023.

Riverboat Days is the largest community festival in northwest British Columbia, highlighting the culture and heritage of the region. 

Sports Tournaments

Riverboat Days Parade

Concerts in the Park

Movie in the Park

Drag Racing

And much more!

Riverboat Days is an annual event, starting every August long weekend. We hope to see you there!

Entry deadline:

Saturday, July 29th at 11am!

Submit your entry by email to:

  [email protected] ​

Join the parade!

Music on the skeena, events calendar, registration.

Planning is now underway for Riverboat Days 2023.  Register today!

Bump, dig, set, SMASH!

Register for MR MIKES Beach Blast Volleyball Tournament

It's that time of year again - registration is now open for the 21st Annual MR MIKES Beach Blast Volleyball Tournament!

Guess who’s back? Back again! 

Riverboat Days 90’s & 2000’s Dance 

Don’t miss BAM is taking it back to the old school! Don't miss out on the party of the year with your favourite throwbacks from the 90’s & 2000’s!  

2023 Riverboat Days to kick off in Marietta

14 stops are scheduled this year, with the American Countess kicking off the 2023 season on May 28th.

MARIETTA, Ohio (WTAP) - The unofficial start of summer in Marietta is when the first riverboat docks at the Ohio River Levee on Front Street.

The American Heritage is scheduled be the final visit of the year on September 20th.

The American Queen, hailed as the largest steamboat ever built, will not be visiting the river city in 2023.

Emmy Strauss, with the Marietta-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the riverboat season supports many local businesses throughout Marietta.

“With it being so close to downtown and front street, all of the local businesses see an increase of people. From people that are dining to come view the boat and the people on the boat that shop and want to bring back souvenirs from their time in Marietta.”

Visitors are not allowed to step on, tour, or ride any of the visiting boats. All dates and times are subject to change without notice.

Copyright 2023 WTAP. All rights reserved.

High school teacher in Wood County suspended amid investigation

Judge issues two orders in case against former Wood County sheriff, other officials

Obituary: Ezell, Michael Jason

Crews respond to fire at Kemper Street Apartments

Obituary: Wells, Timothy Lee

Latest news.

West Virginia Racing Heritage Festival Car Show is at the Mall Right Now!

Neal Brown signs contract extension

Ohio River Valley Red Cross kicks off Red Cross Month

Calhoun Schools closed Tuesday after DUI-related school bus rollover crash

This year’s WV Racing Heritage Festival Car show is largest Grand Central Mall has hosted

Summer Arts Festival

YAA's Summer Arts Festival is the premiere, three-day arts event of the region held in conjunction with the annual  Yankton Riverboat Days  Celebration. The festival is held in picturesque Riverside Park which borders the mighty Missouri River.

Held annually on the third full weekend in August this juried arts & crafts show features over 120 fine artists and craftsmen from around the country. Each year an estimated 100,000 people attend this community celebration.

2024  Dates

The 41th Annual Summer Arts Festival will be held August 16-18.

Vendor Booth Hours:

Friday, Aug. 16 6:00PM - 8:00PM (optional)

Saturday, Aug. 17 9:00AM - 6:00PM

Sunday, Aug. 18 9:30AM - 5:30PM

Stop by our YAA booth for festival info, YAA merch, and to learn more about our organization 

2023 Best of Show Winners

Frank Costanzo Pop Art

Best of Show - Fine Arts

Honorable Mention - Fine Arts

Jolene Steffen Gallery

Fritz Wood Design

Best of Show - Crafts

Warm Hearth Creations

Honorable Mention - Crafts

Front Porch

Dukes Bee’s

We Need Volunteers

We are looking for volunteers to help make the Sumer Arts Festival a success. Click the link below to see areas where help is needed and sign up!

Be a Vendor

Applications for the 2024 show will open on January 1, 2024

Information & Rules

Yankton’s Riverboat Days 2023

Erebus - Kelso, WA

Portland Playhouse - Portland, OR

McMenamins Kennedy School Theater - Portland, OR

Colwood National Golf Course - Portland, OR

Star Theater - Portland, OR

Portland rose - Portland, OR

Tom McCall Waterfront Park - Portland, OR

Bossanova Ballroom - Portland, OR

Jaja PDX - Portland, OR

Polish Falcon

Clackamas County Fairgrounds - Canby, OR

Yamhill County Fair & Rodeo - McMinnville, OR

Skamania Lodge - Stevenson, WA

Red Hawk Avalon - Pe Ell, WA

Historic Fort Stevens Park - Hammond, OR

Country Boom

Louisiana Peach Fest

Kitty Coleman Gardens

Lakeview Terrace Resort, RV Park & Campground

Idaho Central Legacy Fields

Truckee River Regional Park

Find a Place to Stay: Hotels & Rentals Near Yankton’s Riverboat Days 2023

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Can Draymond Green Find Peace?

The NBA’s most combustible competitor is trying to maintain his fire while avoiding another explosion. And like another volatile NBA champion before him, he’s putting in the work. “The reality is we all got trauma,” says Green.

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If you followed the NBA in the mid-2000s, the mere mention of “Ron Artest” would likely evoke a very specific array of images—of anger and volatility, frustration and violence, a player out of control. A menace , even.

If your NBA fandom instead commenced in the early 2010s, the mere mention of the name “Metta World Peace” would conjure a much different portrait—of quiet intensity and steadiness, enthusiasm and warmth, a player who, true to his chosen surname, had found serenity. A role model , even.

The first player ignited the most violent player-fan brawl in NBA history, drawing an 86-game suspension and the label of being a “thug.” The second player became one of Kobe Bryant’s most beloved teammates, a fan favorite, a mental health advocate, and, ultimately, an NBA champion—a moment he celebrated by thanking his therapist on live TV as confetti fluttered around him.

A fan who tuned out after 2005 might hardly recognize the beloved bruiser with the unique name on the back of his Lakers jersey. A young fan in 2010 who’d never heard of the “Malice at the Palace” would be shocked to see the unbridled rage from the familiar-looking figure in a Pacers uniform.

They are, of course, the same individual, Artest and World Peace, though not exactly the same person . Even before he officially changed his name for the first time in 2011, Artest had begun a journey of self-reflection, self-understanding, and self-forgiveness; an evolution. He learned to harness the aggression that made him a star. He learned to walk the line, instead of obliterating it.

“Basketball was essentially at the center of my life,” World Peace says now. “But as I was becoming complete, I started to learn about myself: Why am I so emotional? Because you got that emotion on the court, then you got that philanthropic side off the court. So you got two sides of a player, and I wanted to bring it together. How do you (control) that passion or that emotion that you’re bringing to the court? Why do you let it spill over? Why can’t you just play basketball, have a good time, and just be a good person, and just enjoy your life?”

As he confronted those questions later in his career, World Peace says, “I started to become the player that I wanted to become.”

If there’s anything the former Ron Artest has learned through his journey—if there’s anything he has taught all of us—it’s that everyone can evolve; that even one of the most vilified athletes in modern history can redeem himself; that even a player who thrives on aggression and physicality can tamp down his emotions, without losing what makes him great.

Metta World Peace found a healthy equilibrium. Dennis Rodman seemingly never did. And Draymond Green? He’s working on it.

“I’m rooting for him,” World Peace says, “to find a balance.”

That balance has been elusive throughout Green’s 12-year NBA career—never more alarmingly than during a 28-day span this past winter, when the Golden State Warriors star was ejected and suspended twice for violent acts: the first, a chokehold of Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert, leading to a five-game ban; the second, a swinging whack to the jaw of Phoenix’s Jusuf Nurkic, resulting in an indefinite suspension on Dec. 13. The NBA also ordered Green to complete a list of conditions for reinstatement, which included counseling. The suspension lasted about a month, costing him 12 games.

Since returning, Green has generally maintained his composure and resumed his elite defensive play, helping spark a midseason Warriors revival. They’re 14-7 with him back in the lineup, and one of the NBA’s hottest teams over the past six weeks.

“He’s just perfectly finding the line, walking the line,” coach Steve Kerr recently said of Green. “We didn’t want him to come back passive. We still wanted him to yell at the refs; we just didn’t want him to get kicked out. He’s one of the great competitors in the game. So he has to play with fire, energy, and passion. And he’s doing that, but he’s just walking the line beautifully.”

Indefinite suspensions in this league are rare. But NBA officials considered Green’s messy history, which includes punching then-teammate Jordan Poole during a practice in October 2022 and stomping on the chest of Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis in a playoff game last spring, along with an extensive catalog of technicals and flagrant fouls over the past dozen years.

Physicality, aggression, ferocity, and a general edginess have long defined Green. Those traits—along with his intellect and playmaking—helped fuel his remarkable rise, from a 2012 second-round draft pick to all-world defender, four-time champion, and lock for the Hall of Fame. It’s what made him Draymond Green —pillar of the Warriors dynasty, Stephen Curry’s playmaking soulmate, and one of the most respected players of his generation.

Except, of course, when all that passion and aggression spill into chaos. Green isn’t the first NBA star to struggle with intense emotions, self-control, and occasional mayhem. Artest and Rodman were serial offenders in their time. Vernon “Mad Max” Maxwell—who won two rings with the Houston Rockets in the mid-’90s—once went into the stands in Portland to punch a heckler. Charles Barkley had numerous scraps on the court and was twice arrested for punching people off the court—once in a bar, once in a parking lot. (Green was also arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault and battery for slapping a Michigan State football player in July 2016; he paid a $500 fine as part of a plea agreement but served no jail time.)

In sports, we celebrate players for their intensity, toughness, and tenacity. We even cheer the hard fouls and sneering and taunting—at least, if it’s coming from a player we like. These things are encouraged, cultivated. And if a player sometimes crosses the line, well, teammates and coaches might say, “You have to let Dennis be Dennis,” or “Let Barkley be Barkley”—as if taming their impulses might snuff out what makes them special.

Nonsense, says Barkley.

“We’ve all crossed the line many times,” says the Hall of Fame player, now a TNT analyst. “And you have to say, ‘Man, you know what? I gotta stop the bullshit.’ Because when is it overboard? When it hurts the team. That’s what you gotta ask yourself.”

And that, Barkley says, is where Green finds himself now. The Gobert and Nurkic incidents resulted in Green missing 17 games—plus an additional four while he regained his conditioning in January. The Warriors went 10-11 in those games—a big reason why they’re currently 10th in the Western Conference, jockeying for a play-in spot instead of a guaranteed playoff berth.

The Warriors are dominating again now, looking very much like a potential contender—if Curry can sustain his MVP-like play, if young studs like Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski can stay steady, and if Green can stay on the rails.

It prompts a natural question: How will Green control himself now, when he’s failed so many times before? Why will this time be any different? Pundits and cynics all have their own answers: He can’t. Or, he might, but then he’ll lose what made him great. Or, he’s just doing and saying the right things (including counseling) to protect his money (a $100 million contract signed last summer).

To which Green responds: I can change , I will still be me and no, it’s not about the money —or even entirely about any obligations to Kerr, Curry, and Klay Thompson.

“It’s fear of letting my family down,” Green says. “Fear of letting my kids down. Fear of my kids having to deal with things, more than they already have to deal with just being my kid. Fear of what my wife has to deal with. That’s what it is for me.”

When Green, speaking on his podcast in mid-January, alluded to thoughts of retirement during the darkest days of his suspension, it was his family—wife Hazel Renee and their young children—that were weighing on his psyche. “One hundred percent,” he says.

“Obviously, I have obligations to this team, to guys in particular—Steph, my word that I gave to [team owner] Joe Lacob, my word that I gave to Steve Kerr, [general manager] Mike Dunleavy, my teammates—obviously all of that matters. And that’s right at the top of the list. But not letting my family down is above all.”

The “how” in these matters is harder to define or describe. The most notorious moments of Green’s career, the things that got him ejected or suspended—a swing, a punch, a stomp, a tirade—are split-second decisions, if you can even call them decisions at all. The common refrain, “What was Player X thinking?” is probably the wrong question entirely. Because these are moments of impulse, not thought.

For Green, this discussion gets a little existential. As he tells it, there are effectively two Draymond Greens—and yes, he’s aware of how that sounds.

“The person that I am, sitting here talking to you, is not the person I am on the basketball court,” Green says, lounging in the visitors locker room at Madison Square Garden after a recent victory over the Knicks. “They’re not the same person. And it’s almost like”—and here Green stops and chuckles—”I know I probably sound crazy talking to you like this, like I got an alter ego or something, but when I’m competing on the court, when I’m doing my job, that’s not the same person you’re going to deal with on a daily basis. … And I’m totally fine with that.”

All of which is evident, if you’ve ever listened to Green’s press conferences, tuned into his podcasts, or watched his periodic contributions on TNT’s Inside the NBA . Off the court, he’s long been one of the NBA’s most thoughtful, intelligent, and yes, likable personalities. There’s a reason why Curry, who might be the most universally liked player of the last 20 years, remains so loyal to Green despite their vastly different on-court personas. The real Draymond has a lot more in common with Curry than the Draymond who sometimes loses control on the court.

“I tell people all the time: If I had $1 for every time someone said to me, ‘Wow, you’re nothing like I thought.’ … It’s because you were judging me (from) the basketball court,” Green says. “If I had $1 for every time someone said that, I’d be way richer than I am now.”

Asked what he thinks when he watches a replay of his own worst moments, Green starts to answer, then pauses for a full five seconds. “I think it’s more of, Where was I in that moment? Because in those moments, me who’s talking to you right now needs to be there sometimes. … You have this guy who plays basketball, who fucking does whatever he has to do to win. Then you have this guy who’s extremely thoughtful, who’s intelligent, who’s aware of everything. Sometimes that guy has to show up for this guy. Because the reality is, that guy [on the court] isn’t as thoughtful.”

Every player who’s ever been stamped a troublemaker , a line stepper , an agitator , or to use Barkley’s term, a knucklehead , has faced a moment of truth: control yourself, or risk losing everything.

For Barkley, it was after one of his arrests, though he can’t recall for sure which. He thinks it was after his Orlando bar fight in 1997 , which ended with him throwing a 20-year-old patron through a plate-glass window. He would soon be summoned to Manhattan, to the offices of NBA commissioner David Stern.

“I went over the edge many times,” Barkley recalls. “Then David Stern told me to grow the fuck up and quit doing it. ... He says, ‘You got to make a decision. Do you want to be a great player? Or do you want to be a sideshow?’”

Barkley says that was the critical moment of his career. For World Peace, it was more of a gradual process—though his season-ending suspension for the Malice at the Palace in 2004 was surely the main catalyst. After that came years of therapy and learning new techniques for regulating stress, including yoga, breathing exercises, and meditation.

“I had to take off of my intensity,” World Peace says, “because when I was talking to my therapist, intensity was not a safe space for me. Your body doesn’t understand the difference between emotion at a high level, whether it’s positive, or at a low level, if it’s negative. It’s just high emotion.” And when he retired in 2017, he says, “I was actually really relieved, because I have nothing to get emotional about.”

During his latest suspension, Green says he received valued advice from Kerr, a heartfelt chat with Commissioner Adam Silver, and wisdom from another friend and confidant, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue.

“Coach Kerr, he’s always been talking to me about finding that balance: `You have to find the line, and I know you’re capable of finding the line,’” Green says.

The NBA, Ranked

Click here to read the The Ringer ’s 2023-24 NBA rankings.

Lue cautioned Green that he can’t change his demeanor entirely, reasoning, “It’s what’s gotten you here.” But Lue said something else that resonated. “He said, ‘But it can’t be everything. You can’t be going at your coaches, going at your teammates, going at the other team, going at the referees. It can’t be everybody. So what of those can you cut off?’” Lue noticed that Green had stopped chewing out his own coaches. And his role as the Warriors’ defensive conscience and emotional leader requires him to challenge his teammates. As a competitor, he’s still going to get into verbal scrapes with opponents.

So, Lue concluded, leave the refs alone. “Referees don’t change calls,” Green says, repeating Lue’s advice. “They don’t get every call right. So that’s what can change. He’s like, ‘And if you change that, you’ll be just fine.’ And that was huge for me, because that is walking that line. I think I still walk the line, right? But I don’t think I’ve gotten near going over it. And I think that’s a big reason why.”

Indeed, in the 21 games since returning from suspension, Green has been on relatively good behavior while remaining as feisty as ever. He’s picked up two technicals—one for trash-talking Jazz rookie Keyonte George (who also got a tech) and the other for jawing back and forth with Nurkic after a foul in a mid-February rematch.

And there have been some close calls. In his fourth game back, Green clobbered the Lakers’ Anthony Davis across the face with an overzealous intentional foul in the final seconds of regulation; he then barked a profanity at the Lakers’ Jarred Vanderbilt, who was calling for a review and a flagrant. But no flagrant foul was called, and things quickly settled down. In a February 14 game, Clippers center Mason Plumlee hammered Podziemski with a hard foul, setting off a minor fracas, with Green being held back by teammates. Kuminga got a tech for going after Plumlee. Lue was ejected. But Green? Unscathed.

“He knows that for us to succeed, he can’t lose his mind and go berserk,” Kerr says. “We’ve had that discussion.” They also agreed on some limits, especially regarding the referees. “If he starts going at a ref, I’m going to take him out of the game,” Kerr says. “He wants me to do that.”

If techs and flagrants and general outbursts are mostly about self-control, it’s safe to say Green has struggled with the on-off switch for years. Coming into this season, he’d accrued 129 technical fouls over the prior nine seasons (not counting playoffs)—an average of 14 per season, or one every six games, among the highest rates in the league. He’d also earned 10 flagrant fouls in that time, about one per season, all of the flagrant-1 variety. Until the incidents with Gobert and Nurkic this season, Green hadn’t earned a flagrant 2 in the regular season since 2013. (He did earn a flagrant 2 for his stomp on Sabonis in the 2023 playoffs.) He’s been suspended six times in a 12-year career and ejected 20 times, nine shy of Rasheed Wallace’s record.

But if the question is Can Draymond Green self-regulate? , the answer is yes. Put another way: He’s played in 951 games in the NBA, regular season and playoffs combined, and in the vast majority of them did not earn a tech or a flagrant. And incidents earlier in his career were mostly garden-variety infractions and dustups—not nearly as violent as the more recent episodes.

“Even the most impulsive people can control their impulses,” says Dr. Mitch Abrams, a sports psychologist and expert in anger management and sports. “But sometimes it’s harder (for some) than others. And if you are so motivated, and the consequences are severe enough, you’re going to change. But I would bet that from Draymond’s point of view, the reward for his aggressiveness far outweighs any suspension.”

As Abrams sees it, the NBA and the Warriors gave Green too much latitude in the past, allowing his behavior to escalate unchecked. But then, it’s also the nature of professional sports to tolerate and even encourage a certain brand of aggression.

“I think that that’s where he’s been failed, that he has not been held accountable in a way that would get the behavior to disappear,” Abrams says. “Now, that said, you could also make the counterargument that if he was held accountable, and he toned down the aggressiveness, he might never have gotten to be as successful as he is.

“There’s so much systemic stuff that goes into reinforcing his aggressiveness,” Abrams adds, “that it is completely understandable for him to lose track of where the line is.”

Abrams, who works with all types of clients, from athletes to prison inmates, says it’s also important to distinguish between types of aggression—one that’s more goal oriented (e.g., pursuing a loose ball) and one that’s more reactive (e.g., shoving an opponent after a hard foul).

“What we’re trying to do in anger management, we’re really not talking about anger management—what we’re trying to do is reactive aggression prevention,” Abrams says. Although he has not worked with Green, Abrams says his approach would be: “I don’t want him to not be aggressive. I just don’t want him to engage in reactive aggression, because that’s what leads to the technicals and the suspensions and all the rest of that stuff.”

Green has crossed the line and come back before, with earnest promises of better behavior. But Kerr says this time feels different “because of the stakes. Because this is the first time where we’re really talking about severe consequences.” Silver might not have torn into Green with threats and f-bombs, the way Stern once did with Barkley (“No, he did not,” Green confirms, chuckling), but the possibility of a longer ban, or worse, was clearly in play.

“In the past, he didn’t care if he got suspended for a game,” Kerr says. “And I didn’t care either. Until the Jordan Poole punch last year, pretty much everything was just, like, inconsequential. … Even when he and I got into it in OKC (in February 2016, at halftime in the locker room), and that was well publicized, it was just a screaming match. I can handle that. But what’s happened over the last year is serious. The Gobert choke, the swinging at Nurkic, punching a teammate, the Sabonis stomp, all that. That’s been a different level.”

As different as Green and World Peace are—as players, as people, even in the degree of their transgressions—they relate to each other’s quest to find balance, and what that journey sometimes entails. World Peace speaks openly about growing up poor in a crime-riddled part of Queens, New York; about the days he went hungry, the way it all shaped him and put “an edge on my shoulder.”

“As I learned more about my history, I stopped blaming myself,” World Peace says. “I learned about my family history, and I dug deep in terms of learning about my culture. And I learned about where I was from. I even went down my family tree, I learned about the history, I went through the history of America, I went through the history before we got to America. Because all of that has played a part in the road to today. … Now you’re being developed into a ‘tough kid from the projects.’ When you understand that, now you start to understand yourself. I’m not going to blame myself anymore. I’m going to accept anything that was in the past.”

When all of that is relayed to Green, he nods in agreement. “Exactly,” he says. Like World Peace, Green says he’s been confronting and processing his own history in therapy, which is ongoing—and which, he quickly notes, is not the sort of thing people embraced during his childhood in Saginaw, Michigan.

“That’s not something I want to stop,” Green says of therapy, “because bettering myself is always something that I’m working on. And those are things that have helped me better myself. And continue to move forward in different things in my life, not just basketball.”

“The reality is we all got trauma,” Green says. “How do you deal with that trauma? Sometimes that trauma is touching you, and you don’t even know it’s touching you. You start doing this work, you find shit that you’re like, ‘Hold on, where the fuck did that come from?’ Now I uncovered this shit, now you can’t just leave the shit sitting there. Now you got to do the work. You start doing all these things. And you start uncovering shit that you did not know you were looking for.”

That’s the work Draymond Green is doing now, in the quiet moments between games and practices and shootarounds. It’s the commitment he’s made to the league, to his teammates, to his family, and to himself. It doesn’t mean everything is magically fixed, or that he won’t screw up again along the way—just that he’s doing what he can to be better, one day and one possession at a time, ever mindful that his time on this stage is finite.

“I’m far closer to the end than I am the beginning,” says Green, who turned 34 on Monday. “Do you want the end to look like complete shit? Or do you want the end to look closer to how it looked in the beginning? Do you want to leave gracefully? Or do you want to leave like a fucking asshole? Do you want your legacy to be a guy who couldn’t contain himself, a guy who couldn’t finish the job? Or do you want your legacy to be a guy who did it his way, yes, but did it the right way? I think that’s what it boils down to.”

Nearly two decades ago, it was Ron Artest who was confronting similar questions and a career-defining challenge, albeit under far more extreme circumstances. His evolution didn’t erase any of his sins, but it did give him the chance for a rebirth of sorts (with or without a name change), and an opportunity to make a positive impact on the public stage.

We already know Draymond Green, the defensive maestro and NBA champion. We’re well acquainted with Draymond Green, the chaos agent and provocateur. Which Draymond Green we ultimately remember is up to Draymond Green.

The Upcoming Oscars, a Riverboat Question, and MVP Power Rankings

The mvp race, and where does lebron fall on the all-time lakers list, tatum hobby takeover. plus, brandon verzal on the hobby’s first tv show..

Letitia James

Attorney general james releases top 10 consumer complaints of 2023, top frauds included retail, housing issues, automobile, banking and credit, and consumer services ag james offers tips to avoid scams, urges new yorkers to report fraud to her office, march 4, 2024.

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James kicked off National Consumer Protection Week by releasing a list of the top 10 consumer complaints received by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in 2023. The top complaints range from price gouging of essential goods and services to housing issues, online banking fraud, and travel related issues. Attorney General James also provides a variety of tips on how consumers can avoid common scams. 

“With families struggling to make ends meet, consumers expect and deserve quality products and services for their hard-earned money,” said Attorney General James . “As Attorney General, I take my responsibility to stand up for New York consumers against fraud and abuse as a top priority. When New Yorkers raise concerns and file complaints with my office, we take action and work to hold bad actors accountable. As always, I urge New Yorkers to stay vigilant, and to keep my office informed about scams and violations of consumer protection laws.”

During 2023, Attorney General James took historic actions to protect New York consumers, address complaints, hold bad actors accountable, and ensure New York laws were upheld. Attorney General James successfully defended New York’s Rent Stabilization Laws . Additionally, Attorney General James protected homeowners and tenants from discrimination , deed theft , fraud , lead contamination , and abuse . Attorney General James proposed rules to protect consumers and small businesses  from corporate profiteering and strengthen New York’s price gouging law, and also issued consumer alerts warning against price gouging  during states of emergency . Attorney General James sued Credit Acceptance Corporation (CAC) , one of the nation’s largest subprime auto lenders, for deceiving thousands of low-income New Yorkers into high-interest car loans. Additionally, Attorney General James and a coalition of 17 other attorneys general called for a national recall of unsafe Hyundai and Kia vehicles and issued a consumer alert  to protect New Yorkers from car thefts. To protect New York consumers against identity theft , Attorney General James held companies accountable for data breaches , and provided a guide on how to better protect New Yorkers’ personal information . Attorney General James also sued SiriusXM radio for trapping consumers in subscriptions and maintaining deliberately long and burdensome cancellation processes.

Attorney General James urges New York consumers who have been the victim of deceptive or fraudulent practices to file a consumer complaint online .

The following are the top 10 most common types of consumer complaints received by OAG in 2023 by category: 

• Be aware of scammers that operate on online marketplaces. Before you buy from a seller listed on a marketplace, check out the individual seller’s history for their rating and any complaints or negative reviews. Also check the seller’s shipping fees and refund and return policies. Always use safe payment methods like a credit card. Never pay with wire transfers, gift cards, or cash reload cards. Finally, don’t buy from any seller who wants you to pay outside the marketplace’s payment system.
• Consumers should pay close attention to the prices charged on goods and services following any major weather event or other abnormal market disruptions. New York law prohibits businesses from taking unfair advantage of consumers by selling goods or services that are vital to health, safety, or welfare for an unconscionably excessive price during emergencies. New Yorkers should report price gouging to OAG by filing a complaint online or calling 800-771-7755. When reporting price gouging, consumers should provide the dates and places that they saw the increased prices, copies of their sales receipts, and any photos of the advertised prices.  
• Your landlord must return your security deposit within 14 days of you moving out. If your landlord takes any money out of the security deposit for damages, they must provide an itemized receipt describing the damage and its cost. If your landlord doesn’t give you this receipt within 14 days of moving out, then they must return your entire security deposit, whether there is damage or not. If your landlord fails to comply, you may be entitled to up to twice the amount of the security deposit. If your landlord does not give you back your security deposit, you can sue the landlord in small claims court or you can file a complaint with the New York Attorney General by using the online Rent Security Complaint form . 
• Landlords of buildings with six or more units must deposit a tenant’s security deposit into an interest-bearing account in a bank within the state that pays a prevailing rate. The landlord is required to provide notice to the tenant of the name and address of the bank where the security deposit is located. If you do not have this information or if your landlord is not placing your security deposit in an interest-bearing account, you can file a complaint with OAG by using the  online Rent Security Complaint form . 
• You should find out whether you are in a rent-stabilized apartment and thus are entitled to one- or two-year renewal leases at your option and at percentage increases that are established each year by the Rent Guidelines Board. You can find out if your apartment is rent stabilized by filing out  this form  on New York State’s Housing and Community Renewal’s (HCR) website  and selecting “Apartment Rent History.” From the rent history, you should be able to determine if the rent went up in accordance with the rent stabilization guidelines. If it has not, and you believe you are being overcharged on the rent, you can file an RA-89 Form  with HCR. 
• Avoid signing back-dated documents from your landlord or the building management company, such as back-dated leases that were not offered to you in a timely way. Not only is signing a back-dated document inaccurate, it may also result in negative legal consequences down the road.  
• If you are having trouble paying your rent, please contact your local Department of Social Services (DSS). Check DSS’ website to find their offices across the state . New York City residents can call 311 and ask about rental assistance programs. More resources are available on the OAG website . 
• If you’re a Kia owner or lessee, you should check Kia’s website or call Kia directly to check the status of your vehicle’s eligibility for a software upgrade or free steering wheel lock. You can contact Kia’s Customer Care team toll-free at 1-800-333-4542 or online via its Owners Portal.
• If you’re a Hyundai owner or lessee, you should check Hyundai’s website or call Hyundai directly to check the status of your vehicle’s eligibility for a software upgrade or free steering wheel lock. You can call Hyundai’s customer care agents toll-free at 1-888-498-0390 or visit its website for more information.
• Contact your Hyundai/Kia dealer to ask about having the software on your vehicle upgraded to repair the vulnerabilities that make the vehicles uniquely prone to car theft.
• Request an anti-theft steering wheel device from Hyundai or Kia if your vehicle is not immediately eligible for a software patch that would repair its vulnerabilities.
• Check your mail regularly and be aware of any notices from Hyundai, Kia, or government agencies regarding any mandatory or voluntary recalls of vehicles or additional safety measures that may become available for your vehicle.
• OAG continues to receive reports of scammers attempting to steal consumers’ hard-earned wages, crucial benefits, and life savings. Common scams include attempts to convince consumers to send money electronically or through purchases of Amazon cards, Apple gift cards, or Google Pay cards, as well as efforts to pose as representatives of banks, government agencies, or other trusted entities to obtain consumers’ personal or security information to access their accounts and steal their money. The OAG reminds consumers: (i) never send money to unknown parties by electronic means or through purchases of online cards or cryptocurrency, particularly in response to unsolicited or unexpected phone calls; (ii) your bank will never ask for your security information over the phone; (iii) if you ever have any doubts about who you are speaking with on the phone, hang up and call a trusted number, such as the one on the back of your debit card; and (iv) if you believe you’ve been a victim of a scam, contact your bank immediately and file a complaint with OAG. 
• “Junk fees” are unnecessary, unavoidable, or surprise charges that increase the cost of a good or service while adding little to no value for that good or service. These fees may include overdraft fees (fees charged for overdrawing on an account), bounced check fees, and fees charged to make a mortgage payment online or through the phone (also known as pay-to-pay fees). If you believe these fees have been wrongly imposed, you should call the company and dispute them. You should also file a complaint with OAG.  
• Certain payment providers, including app-based banking and payment services, may be making it difficult for consumers to report unauthorized transactions using their financial and payment apps or otherwise not honoring their legal obligations to investigate and reimburse unauthorized transactions. The OAG urges consumers who have been the victim of unauthorized or fraudulent activity on their accounts — including bank accounts, financial accounts, and payment apps — to immediately notify their providers of such activity and to file a complaint with OAG if providers fail to reimburse losses. 
• OAG has seen an increase in foreclosure lawsuits being filed on “zombie second mortgages,” mortgages where the homeowner has not made a payment or heard anything about the mortgage for years. Under New York law, mortgage companies generally can only collect on the last six years of missed mortgage payments; seeking to collect beyond that may be illegal. Please contact the New York State Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP), which includes free legal services attorneys, by visiting their website or calling (855) HOME-456. 
• Homeowners who need a mortgage modification, or are looking to refinance their current mortgage, should work with a HUD-approved, nonprofit housing counselor to assess their options. Please contact the New York State Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP), which includes free HUD-approved housing counseling, by visiting HOPP’s website or calling (855) HOME-456. 
• Hard money lenders have begun targeting vulnerable homeowners who are afraid of losing their home to foreclosure. Hard money loans are based solely on the value of the property securing the loan, and do not rely on underwriting to determine if the payment is affordable to the borrower. They often have extremely high interest rates and short repayment terms. Hard money lenders often require homeowners to transfer their property to a limited liability corporation or other corporate form in order to obtain the loan. If you are approached by a hard money lender, use extreme caution and report any suspicious offers to OAG. 
• Always pick up your mail promptly when delivered. Do not leave it in your mailbox overnight. If you are expecting checks, credit cards, or any other financial items, ask a trusted friend or neighbor to pick up your mail.
• If you did not receive a check or any other valuable mail you were expecting, contact the issuing agency immediately.
• If you change your address, you should immediately notify your respective post office and anyone with whom you do business with via mail. 
• Inform your post office when you’ll be out of town, so they can hold your mail until you return. 
• Consider signing up for USPS’ Informed Delivery service, which provides email notifications for incoming mail and packages.
• If you suspect your mail was stolen or see a mail theft happening, contact police immediately and then report it to Postal Inspectors by calling (877) 876-2455. 
• If you see glue, tape, or any other sticky substances on a mailbox, report it to your post office, Postal Inspectors, or the New York Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). The USPIS can be reached at (212) 330-2400. 
• Strong Passwords: it is important to have a strong and unique password for each of your online accounts. The password does not need to be long but has to be complicated enough, utilizing a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters.
• Multifactor Authentication: enable multifactor authentication, when possible, on your accounts. Multifactor authentication provides an extra level of security when signing into an account. 
• Notification of Account Changes: enable notification of account changes in real time. This will alert the user to any changes such as password updates or login attempts, allowing the user to take prompt action if the changes were not authorized. 
• Antivirus Software: make sure your antivirus software is up to date with the latest virus definitions. Maintain a routine of running your antivirus software periodically to catch any malware, such as a keylogger, on the computer. 
• Check Breached Credentials Database: check websites, such as https://haveibeenpwned.com/ , to monitor which accounts of yours have suffered a data breach incident. Knowing which accounts have been compromised can help you take corrective actions, such as changing your passwords, as soon as possible.
• Know your rights: A new law requires utilities to bill residential and commercial customers no more than three months after the service is used, with utilities having no right to ask for payment after that period, unless the billing delay was the consumer’s fault.
• New Yorkers recently saw considerable and sudden increases in their gas and electric bills. Any consumer who believes they received a high utility bill as a result of a billing error should report it to OAG by filing a complaint online or calling 800-771-7755. If you have trouble paying your energy bill, contact the utility company. Resources are available for consumers who may need help paying their utility bill. Utility companies offer programs and payment plans to help. In addition, the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) helps low-income individuals pay the cost of heating their homes. Information on how to apply is available at https://otda.ny.gov/programs/heap/  
• Be wary of anyone who shows up at your door unsolicited and offers to do home repairs.  
• Non-local contractors may be difficult to track down if they perform work incorrectly, or if you later have additional problems you want the contractor to fix. 
• Use a contractor with a name, address, and contact number you can verify. 
• Don’t fall prey to high-pressure tactics. A legitimate contractor won’t pressure you to sign a contract and hand over a deposit on the spot. 
• Never give a contractor a cash deposit before you sign a contract. 
• Ask for references and follow up by checking with them.
• Ask the contractor for proof of insurance.
• Check the Better Business Bureau website for complaints.
• Search online for any evidence that the contractor is disreputable. 
• Home-improvement contractors must be licensed in New York City, Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland counties, and the city of Buffalo. Before you hire a contractor, check to make sure the contractor is licensed or registered in your county.
• Be cautious about paying in full for trips well in advance of your departure date. Some companies offer appealing discounts if you do this, but they then hold your money and could have trouble repaying you if the trip is canceled, or if the company changes the dates or locations to ones that don’t work for you. 
• Travel insurance: If you choose to buy trip insurance, make sure you know who you are buying from. Some travel companies make it sound like you can buy travel insurance through them, but in fact they are using a travel insurance company to administer any claims the travel company receives. The travel company itself is paying the claims and the travel insurance company won’t be responsible if the travel company can’t pay. Make sure you understand what you are paying for: some travel insurance policies only cover the trip once you get to your departure destination, such as a port in Europe where an ocean liner or riverboat will depart. Not covered in those policies are your airfare to get to Europe, hotels there while you’re waiting to depart on your trip, and any upgrades you may have purchased. 
• Purchase tickets directly from the event organizer or an authorized ticket reseller. Be aware of scammers that set up fake websites. Carefully check the website’s URL to make sure it is a legitimate, authorized reseller and not a spoofed website. Check for the lock symbol in the website’s address which indicates it has enhanced security and encryption in place.
• Avoid purchasing tickets from individual sellers on social media or unauthorized ticket resellers. Never pay using mobile banking apps, debit cards, gift cards, or cash. Use only protected payment methods such as a credit card or an online payment system that won’t disclose your credit card or banking information. 
• If the event is cancelled, contact the venue or reseller for information about a refund. In New York state, ticket sellers are required to refund the cost of the ticket if the event is cancelled. This applies only to event cancellations, so find out from the seller what their policy is if the event is postponed. 

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Russia-Ukraine war – live: Putin to give shock G20 speech as Moscow troops desert Donetsk frontline

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

Vladimir Putin will set out Russia ’s view of the “deeply unstable world situation” in a shock G20 speech this week, the Kremlin has said, as Ukraine claimed growing numbers of Moscow’s troops were deserting the frontline in Donetsk .

Ukraine’s military has been bracing for a “third wave” of Russian assaults on the key city of Avdiivka – but a spokesperson claimed Moscow was being forced to rely increasingly on penal recruits and reservists due to its soldiers refusing to take part in casualty-heavy assaults.

Further south, Kyiv ’s forces claimed to have pushed Mr Putin’s forces three to eight kilometres back on the banks of the Dnipro River , in what would mark the first significant advance by Kyiv’s forces months into a grindingly slow counteroffensive.

Ukrainian and Russian forces have been entrenched on opposite sides of the vast waterway in Kherson for more than a year, until Kyiv claimed last week to have finally established multiple footholds on the river’s eastern bank.

Ukrainian army pushing Russian forces back at Dnipro river

Russia launches waves of drone strikes on Kyiv for second night

Cluster bombs in battle for Avdiivka fuelling stalemate on frontline, says UK

Ukraine establishes 'several bridgeheads' on eastern bank of Dnipro

Russian defence minister claims Ukraine failing to cross the Dnipro River

11:08 , Tom Watling

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu has claimed that Ukraine have failed to carry out a landing operation in the Kherson region, the Interfax news agency reported.

The Russian politician, a senior figure involved in the “special military operation” and an integral member of Vladimir Putin’s siloviki (inner circle), was echoing dismissive claims made by the official channel of his own ministry earlier today.

Andriy Shevchenko urges the world not to forget Ukraine: ‘The cold is coming. Russia will try to hit our energy’

10:45 , Tom Watling

Almost two years into Russia’s devastating invasion, one of Ukraine’s most famous exports is desperate to keep shining a light on his country’s plight, writes Lawrence Ostlere , as global attention shifts to the Middle East.n

Andriy Shevchenko on Ukraine: ‘The cold is coming. Russia will try to hit our energy’

Russia says co-existence not possible with Ukraine's current 'regime'

10:20 , Tom Watling

Russia cannot co-exist with the current Ukrainian “regime” and will resist the might of the NATO military alliance for as long as Moscow needs to achieve its aims, a senior Russian foreign ministry diplomat said on Tuesday.

“The current regime is absolutely toxic, we do not see any options for co-existence with it at the moment,” Russian Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik told reporters in Moscow.

Miroshnik said Ukraine had carried out crimes against civilians and that NATO had supplied forbidden weapons to Ukraine but that the West would eventually lose interest in Ukraine.

“We can resist NATO just as much as we need to fulfill the tasks that the president has formulated,” Miroshnik said.

European Council president arrives in Kyiv to discuss ‘next steps’ of EU accession

09:54 , Tom Watling

Charles Michel, the European Council president, has also arrived in Kyiv ahead of talks about Ukrainian accession to the European Union.

Moldovan leader Maia Sandu arrived in the Ukrainian capital earlier this morning, as did German defence minister Boris Pistorius.

In a statement on X, Ms Sandu said that “discussing the next steps in EU accession of Moldova and Ukraine” was on the agenda for discussions.

She added that “enhancing regional security” as well as discussion on the “EU’s continued support of reforms and development in our countries” would also be a part of meetings today.

Mr Michel was greeted by the EU’s ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova, at Kyiv’s railway station. She can be seen shaking Mr Michel’s hand below in a picture posted by the European Council chief to X. He captioned the photo: “Good to be back in Kyiv - among friends.”

Good to be back in Kyiv – among friends. pic.twitter.com/w9cAQzqYyo — Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) November 21, 2023

‘It’s like Covid’: Zelensky says Putin has made ‘five or six’ attempts on his life

09:48 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that at least “five or six” Russian attempts to assassinate him have been foiled by his security services.

The wartime leader, speaking from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, said the volume of attempts had turned him almost numb to the danger. He compared the later attempts to catching the Covid-19 infection.

“The first one is very interesting , when it is the first time, and after that it is just like Covid,” he said in a new interview.

You can read the full story here.

Ukraine air defence downs 9 out of 10 Russian drones

09:35 , Tom Watling

Ukraine air defence shot down one missile and 9 out of 10 drones in a Russian overnight strike, the nation’s air force has said.

The air force said in a statement the Russian forces launched Iranian-made drones from Russian territory on several directions.

US announce $100m aid package for Ukraine

09:17 , Tom Watling

The US have announced that they will send an additional $100 million in security aid to Ukraine.

The pledge follows US defence secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit to Kyiv yesterday, during which he promised American support “for the long haul”.

Included in the latest package is one High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and an unspecified number of shells.

Ukraine’s ministry of defence welcomed the package in a statement on X. The amount, however, is minimal to the point of nominal; Ukraine has been using billions of dollars worth of munitions and heavy weaponry every month.

While the US Congress remains frozen without a fiscal plan for next year, they are unable to send more significant packages to Ukraine.

🇺🇸 @DeptofDefense announced additional security assistance for Ukraine valued at up to $100 million. Thank you for supporting Ukraine in our struggle against russian aggression. The capabilities in this package include: ◾️1 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and… — Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 21, 2023

Moldova's president Maia Sandu arrives in Ukraine

09:09 , Tom Watling

Moldova’s President Maia Sandu have arrived in Kyiv, the Ukrainian presidential office said on Tuesday.

Sandu and Ukraine‘s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy honoured the memory of people who died during the Revolution of Dignity 10 year ago, the office said on social media platform X.

German defence minister Boris Pistorius also arrived on Tuesday morning in Kyiv.

Today marks 10 years since the start of Euromaidan, a defining moment for Ukraine’s European path. Together with @ZelenskyyUa and @ZelenskaUA , I honoured all those who stood for freedom and those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Their legacy lives on. pic.twitter.com/2cti4oFGR2 — Maia Sandu (@sandumaiamd) November 21, 2023

Here are some of the latest pictures from Ukraine

08:30 , Tom Watling

Good morning. Below are some of the latest pictures from Ukraine as German defence minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv this morning for a secret visit.

His visit comes as snow has begun to fall in eastern Ukraine amid fears of a stalemate on the frontline.

General Valery Zaluzhny, the chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, wrote an article earlier this month in which he said the battle had descended into “positional” warfare and that there would be no major breakthrough such as the one many had hoped the summer counteroffensive would achieve. He met with US defece secretary Lloyd Austin yesterday.

Russia says it scuppers more Ukrainian attempts to cross the Dnipro

07:53 , Tara Cobham

Russia said on Tuesday that marines, aviation and artillery had scuppered more Ukrainian attempts to gain a foothold on the eastern bank of the River Dnipro and on islands at the mouth of the river in southern Ukraine.

Ukraine said this month that its forces had crossed the Dnipro and established several bridgeheads on the eastern banks of the river, though Russia said it was pummelling the Ukrainian positions.

"Black Sea Fleet marines are stopping all attempts by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to carry out amphibious landings on the Dnipro islands and the left bank of the Dnipro River," Russia's defence ministry said.

The Russian defence ministry published a video which it said showed marines from the 810th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade defeating Ukrainian forces. Soldiers were shown firing a variety of weapons, though the result of the fighting was unclear.

It said Ukrainian forces were suffering heavy casualties and losing equipment in unsuccessful attempts to land on islands in the Dnipro. Reuters was unable to immediately verify battlefield accounts from either side.

It is still unclear how significant the Ukrainian attempt to gain a foothold on the eastern bank of the Dnipro is. Crossing the Dnipro leaves Ukrainian units exposed between river and marshland on one side and heavily fortified Russian lines on the other.

Russian strikes kill two and wound six in eastern Ukraine, say officials

07:42 , Tara Cobham

Two people were killed and six were wounded in overnight Russian missile attacks and shelling in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday.

Missiles hit a hospital in the Donetsk town of Selydove and a coal mine, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on the Telegram messaging service.

"Two buildings of the hospital were damaged, six civilians were injured. There may be victims under the rubble, search operations continue," Klymenko said.

One worker was killed in the attack on the coal mine, he said.

"Four buildings, 19 vehicles and a power line were damaged. 39 miners were trapped underground. As of now, all miners have been brought to the surface," he said.

Invading Russian forces have occupied much of Donetsk and Russia has said it intends to take over the whole region.

In Kharkiv, one person was killed in Russian shelling, the region's governor, Oleh Synehubov, said.

Bodies of Ukrainian and Russian troops exchanged

07:00 , Alexander Butler

The bodies of Ukrainian and Russian troops have been exchanged.

The Coordination Headquarters on the Treatment of Prisoners of War said around 94 Ukrainian troops were returned to Ukrainian-controlled territory.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine said forensic examinations will now take place to identify the bodies.

The bodies of Russian troops were also handed over, in accordance with international humanitarian law.

Russia may begin full mobilisation after 2024 presidential election, says senior security official

06:00 , Alexander Butler

Russia may begin full mobilisation after the 2024 Russian presidential election on 17 March, the secretary of the national security and defence council of Ukraine, Oleksii Danilov, has suggested.

Danilov said in a speech to the International Security Forum in Halifax, Canada: “Russia has managed to adapt, and constantly injects funds into its defence sector. Russia proved to be more resilient to the west’s sanctions, as expected.

“Russia is increasingly putting its economy on a war footing. Total mobilisation may follow the 2024 presidential elections.”

Russia lodges protest against Finnish ambassador as country threatens more borders will close

04:00 , Alexander Butler

Russia’s foreign ministry has said it has lodged a formal protest with the Finnish ambassador in Moscow over the closure of four busy border crossings between Russia and Finland.

On Saturday, Finland closed crossings on the shared border in a bid to halt the flow of asylum seekers that it says was instigated by Moscow.

Only four crossing points remain open, which the Russian foreign ministry said has impacted tens of thousands of people in both countries.

Russian drones target Kyiv as UK Defense Ministry says little chance of front-line change

03:00 , Alexander Butler

Russian drones targeted Kyiv on Sunday as the British Defense Ministry said there were “few immediate prospects” for major change along the Ukrainian front line as the war enters its second winter.

Russia launched 20 Iranian-made Shahed drones overnight, targeting the Ukrainian capital and the Cherkasy and Poltava regions, according to a military statement. Ukrainian anti-aircraft systems shot down 15 of the drones.

The overnight strike on Kyiv is the second attack on the Ukrainian capital in 48 hours, said the city’s Military Administration spokesperson, Serhii Popko.

NATO committed to Bosnia's territorial integrity condemns 'malign' Russian influence

01:00 , Alexander Butler

NATO supports Bosnia‘s territorial integrity and is concerned by “malign foreign interference,” including by Russia, in the volatile Balkans region that went through a devastating war in the 1990s, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday.

Sarajevo is the first stop on Stoltenberg’s tour of Western Balkan countries that will also include Kosovo, Serbia and North Macedonia.

“The Allies strongly support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina,” Stoltenberg told reporters. “We are concerned by the secessionist and divisive rhetoric as well as malign foreign interference, including Russia.”

At least 11,000 children in ‘re-education’ camps in Russia, UK ministry of defence says

00:01 , Alexander Butler

Russia is holding at least 11,000 Ukrainian children across 43 “re-education” camps, the UK ministry of defence said.

“At least 11,000 Ukrainian children are reportedly being detained at 43 re-education camps across Russia, thousands of miles from home. Their simple right to life and liberty is being impacted,” the ministry said on X.

At least 11,000 Ukrainian children are reportedly being detained at 43 re-education camps across Russia, thousands of miles from home. Their simple right to life and liberty is being impacted. #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/Dk7Lh9E935 — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) November 20, 2023

Russia bars Moldovan nationals, summoning ambassador

Monday 20 November 2023 22:00 , Alexander Butler

Russia barred entry to a number of officials from Moldova on Monday and complained about moves by its pro-European government to block Russian media outlets ahead of local elections earlier this month.

The moves were the latest in a series of acerbic exchanges between the two sides and allegations by Moldova that Russia has been exerting pressure on the ex-Soviet state’s affairs and President Maia Sandu’s drive to join the European Union.

A Russian foreign ministry statement said Moldovan Ambassador Lilian Darie was summoned to be told of the decision.

“The Moldovan side was presented with a decisive protest in connection with the continuing politically motivated persecution of Russian media in Moldova, including the blocking of access to their Internet sites,” a ministry statement said.

The US is with Ukraine ‘for the long haul’, defence secretary tells Zelensky

Monday 20 November 2023 20:13 , Alexander Butler

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said the country remains behind Ukraine as it continues its war with Russia. It comes after announcing a further package of defensive aid worth $100m.

“The message that I bring you today is that the United States of America is with you. We will remain with you for the long haul,” Mr Austin said.

He added: “I think they are prepared for combat in the winter. They did a great job last year. This year we expect them to be, just based on what President Zelensky has said, them to be even more aggressive.”

Ukrainian sniper ‘breaks world record after killing Russian solider nearly 2.5 miles away’

Monday 20 November 2023 18:12 , Alexander Butler

A Ukrainian sniper claims to have broken the world record by killing a Russian soldier almost 2.5 miles away, with a custom rifle called ‘Lord of the Horizon’, Holly Evans reports.

The previous record was held by a Canadian special operations sniper at a distance of 2.2 miles in Iraq in 2017.

In a press statement, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said: “The SBU sniper set a world record for a successful shot.

“He hit a Russian soldier from an incredible distance.

“SBU snipers are changing the rules of world sniping, demonstrating the ability to work effectively at fantastic distances.”

Ukrainian sniper ‘breaks world record after killing solider nearly 2.5 miles away’

Full report: Russia puts Ukrainian winner of Eurovision Song Contest on wanted list

Monday 20 November 2023 17:14 , Andy Gregory

Russia has placed a Ukrainian singer who won the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest on its wanted list, state news agencies reported Monday.

The independent news site Mediazona said singer Susana Jamaladinova was charged under a Russian law adopted last year which outlaws spreading so-called fake information about the war in Ukraine.

Russia puts Ukrainian winner of Eurovision Song Contest on wanted list

Volodymyr Zelensky meets with Lachlan Murdoch in Kyiv

Monday 20 November 2023 16:46 , Andy Gregory

Volodymyr Zelensky has met Fox Corp chief executive Lachlan Murdoch in the Ukrainian capital, in what Kyiv described as a “very important signal” of support at a time when global media attention has shifted from the war in Ukraine.

“The Head of State thanked Lachlan Murdoch for his visit and emphasised that it is a very important signal of support at the time when the world’s attention is blurred by other events,” the Ukrainian president’s office said.

Mr Zelensky was quoted by his office as saying it was vital to keep the world’s attention focused on the war in Ukraine, adding: “For us, for our warriors, this is not a movie. These are our lives. This is daily hard work. And it will not be over as quickly as we would like, but we have no right to give up and we will not.”

Fox News journalist Benjamin Hall, who was badly wounded covering the war in Ukraine last year, and Sun journalist Jerome Starkey were also invited to the meeting with Rupert Murdoch’s eldest son, who was named the sole chair of News Corp in September.

ICYMI: Zelensky invites Trump to Ukraine after claims he could stop war in 24 hours

Monday 20 November 2023 16:24 , Andy Gregory

Opinion | Ukrainian victory is all but certain – so long as its allies do not seek a ‘way out'

Monday 20 November 2023 16:03 , Andy Gregory

In this Independent Voices piece, James Nixey of Chatham House writes:

Calling the war a stalemate is an obvious example of self-defeat: if it is believed that Ukraine cannot win the war, then Ukraine will not be given weapons to win the war which, in turn, means … they will not win the war. It takes rare political courage to imagine Ukraine’s victory, although EU officials Ursula von der Leyen and Josep Borrell have managed this.

Ukraine’s EU accession, likely and in progress, and Nato accession, less likely in times of war and very dependent on US backing, will be a hollow victory if its resources dry up. Russia has had a poor war – its Black Sea fleet has retreated from Crimea, meaning it will have problems defending the peninsula, and Ukraine’s counter-offensive at Avdiivka has been costly for Russia.

But Russia can absorb costs like no other. Its industry is war-mobilised and its soldiers are dispensable, replaceable commodities. Depopulation and brain drain are problems for another day and arguably affect Ukraine more. Nor should a bad plan be mistaken for a bad army that does not learn from its mistakes. Russia does. And it may have been forced to turn to North Korea to fill a “munitions gap”, but that too has worked.

Vladimir Putin’s ideology is delusional of course, but he remains deeply committed to seeing his war through to a successful conclusion: “all in” and long since recovered from the Prigozhin affair, he surely believes he can win.

But it also remains the case that a Ukrainian victory is possible – more than possible. In fact, it is all but certain; but only if Western countries do not “get tired”, do not look for a “way out”, and if Ukraine is given the tools to finish the job.

Russia’s plan B in Ukraine is working – the West must not turn away now

‘Double standards’ in Israel-Hamas conflict have ‘undermined fight' for Ukraine, says Varadkar

Monday 20 November 2023 15:38 , Andy Gregory

Irish premier Leo Varadkar has said there is “double standards” from the EU and some Western powers in relation to Israel and Palestine.

The Taoiseach said the stance of some Western countries in response to the Israel-Hamas war had “undermined the fight” to garner support for Ukraine as it battles against the ongoing Russian invasion.

Here is the full report:

Varadkar raises concerns about EU ‘double standards’ on Israel and Palestine

Kyiv hoping for Poland talks over lorry driver protests

Monday 20 November 2023 15:09 , Andy Gregory

Kyiv hopes to hold a new round of talks with Poland and the European Union this week to resolve an issue with Polish lorry drivers holding protests to block border crossings, a Ukrainian trade representative has said.

“This week we hope to have negotiations in a trilateral format,” Taras Kachka told broadcasters.

Yesterday, some 3,000 mostly Ukrainian lorries – including those carrying fuel and humanitarian aid – were caught on the Polish side of the border due to a more than 10-day blockade by Polish hauliers, Ukrainian officials said.

The hauliers are protesting against what they see as government inaction over a loss of business to foreign competitors since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

US defence secretary meets with Zelensky in Kyiv

Monday 20 November 2023 14:32 , Andy Gregory

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin has said he was “honoured” to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky during a surprise visit to Kyiv today – his second since April 2022.

Washington will “continue to support Ukraine’s urgent battlefield needs and long-term defence requirements”, Mr Austin said.

I was honored to meet with President @ZelenskyyUa in Kyiv today to reaffirm the United States’ steadfast support for Ukraine. We, along with our allies and partners, will continue to support Ukraine’s urgent battlefield needs and long-term defense requirements. pic.twitter.com/Odv6ClgcrP — Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) November 20, 2023

Russia places Eurovision winner on its wanted list

Monday 20 November 2023 14:03 , Andy Gregory

Russia has placed the 2016 winner of the Eurovision Song Contest on its wanted list.

An Interior Ministry database lists Ukrainian singer Susana Jamaladinova – who uses the stage name Jamala, and is of Crimean Tatar descent – as being sought for violating a criminal law, Russian state news agencies reported.

She won the Eurovision contest with the song “1944,” whose title refers to the year the Soviet Union deported Crimean Tatars en masse. Russia protested the song being allowed in the competition, saying it violated rules against political speech. But the song made no specific criticism of Russia or the Soviet Union.

The independent news site Mediazona said Ms Jamaladinova was charged under a Russian law adopted last year to outlaw the spread of so-called fake information about the Ukraine war.

Watch: Lazarus Project star says series predicted Russia-Ukraine war

Monday 20 November 2023 13:35 , Andy Gregory

Top Ukrainian cyber defence officials sacked amid corruption probe

Monday 20 November 2023 13:22 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine has sacked two high-ranking cyber defence officials amid a probe into alleged embezzlement, a senior government official said.

Yurii Shchyhol, head of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine (SSSCIP), and his deputy, Viktor Zhora, were dismissed by the government, cabinet chief Taras Melnychuk said on Monday.

The firings coincided with an announcement by anti-corruption prosecutors that they were investigating officials in cyber defence positions over their alleged roles in a six-person plot to embezzle 62 million Ukrainian hryvnia (£1.38m) in 2021.

Prosecutors did not identify either official by name, and the SSSCIP did not immediately respond to a written request for comment.

Jailed Russian nationalist Girkin hopes to challenge Putin in presidential elections

Monday 20 November 2023 12:56 , Andy Gregory

Pro-war Russian nationalist Igor Girkin has announced that he wants to run for president – despite understanding the upcoming March election will be “sham” with the winner already clear.

Mr Girkin – who is in custody awaiting trial for inciting extremism – has repeatedly said Russia faces revolution and even civil war unless Vladimir Putin’s military top brass fight the war in Ukraine more effectively.

A former FSB officer who helped annex Crimea in 2014 and organise pro-Russian militias in eastern Ukraine, Mr Girkin said before his arrest that he and his supporters were entering politics.

“I understand perfectly well that in the current situation in Russia, participating in the presidential campaign is like sitting down at a table to play with card sharps,” he said in a letter published on Telegram entitled: “I am going to run.”

Mr Girkin said that he did not think that he would be allowed to take part in the election, but hoped that his attempt to unite patriotic forces would disrupt the Kremlin’s plan for a “sham election” in which “the only winner is known in advance”.

Analysis | Russia’s plan B in Ukraine is working – now is not the moment for the West to turn away

Monday 20 November 2023 12:27 , Andy Gregory

In this Independent Voices piece, James Nixey – director of Chatham House’s Russia and Eurasia Programme – writes:

When Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, was fooled recently by two well-known Russian “comics” – surely paid-up Kremlin agents – into saying she was “tired” of the war in Ukraine and that everyone would soon be looking for a “way out”, too many of her counterparts in the West would have tacitly agreed (and perhaps sympathised: she is hardly the first to be pranked by these two).

But Ms Meloni deserves no sympathy. She thought she was talking to the head of the African Union Commission so this should have been a chance to exercise statecraft and reason with the supposed representative from the Global South and argue that Russia’s war in Ukraine is nothing if not colonialist itself – a desperate attempt to maintain its empire.

But Ms Meloni’s admission was worse than just not showing moral leadership. She was also playing into Russia’s hands by parroting its narrative: being tired and looking for a way out of the war is precisely what Vladimir Putin now wants from the Western world.

Nato concerned by secessionist rhetoric and Russian influence in Bosnia

Monday 20 November 2023 11:58 , Andy Gregory

Jens Stoltenberg has said Nato is concerned by secessionist rhetoric and Russian influence in Bosnia, after months of Serb leaders increasingly saying they want to split and join Serbia.

Bosnia emerged from civil war in 1995 with a federal structure uniting a Serb-dominated republic and a federation of Croats and Bosniak Muslims. But the leader of Serbian entity, Milorad Dodik, has increasingly said in recent months that he aims to secede and join neighbouring Serbia.

“We are concerned by secessionist and divisive rhetoric as well as ... foreign interference including Russia,” the Nato chief told reporters in Sarajevo, during a tour of the western Balkans region.

“This undermines the stability and hampers reform,” Mr Stoltenberg said, adding that all political leaders must work to preserve unity, build national institutions and achieve reconciliation.

Nato had deployed about 60,000 troops in Bosnia after the war, which were replaced by an EU peacekeeping force in 2004. Last year, the EU almost doubled its size to 1,100 troops, amid fears that instability from the Ukraine war could spill over to the western Balkans.

Putin to address G20 summit this week, Kremlin says

Monday 20 November 2023 11:15 , Andy Gregory

Vladimir Putin will set out Russia’s view of what it sees as the “deeply unstable world situation” when he addresses an upcoming virtual G20 summit, the Kremlin has said.

Russian state TV presenter Pavel Zarubin said on his Telegram channel on Sunday that it would be the “first event in a long time” including both the Russian president and Western leaders.

According to the state RIA news agency, the G20 virtual summit will be held on Wednesday.

Russia relying on penal recruits to stem increase in deserters on Donetsk frontline, Ukraine claims

Monday 20 November 2023 11:06 , Andy Gregory

Growing numbers of Russian soldiers are deserting the frontline in Donetsk, Ukraine’s military has claimed as it braces for a long-awaited “third wave” of attacks by Moscow’s forces in Avdiivka.

The Institute for Study of War think-tank cited Ukrainian Colonel Oleksandr Shtupun as saying that Russia may soon intensify artillery preparations for the new wave of assaults on the strategically key city.

Moscow’s forces have not actively used heavy military equipment Avdiivka in recent days, have decreased aviation use in the area, and are increasingly using infantry, he said, claiming that Russia’s significant losses mean only 10 to 15 percent of some detachments’ original personnel remain.

In remarks on Sunday, Mr Shtupun claimed there were growing numbers of Russian deserters and personnel who refuse to conduct offensive operations, leading Russian commanders to use physical force and barrier troops to push Russian forces to fight, with an increased reliance on mobilised reservists and penal recruits.

EU sanctions tend to have ‘boomerang effect’, Russia claims

Monday 20 November 2023 10:54 , Andy Gregory

The Kremlin has claimed that European Union sanctions tend to have a “boomerang effect”, as Moscow faces the prospect of an EU ban on imports of Russian diamonds.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that such a move had been anticipated for a long time, but was likely to backfire.

“As a rule, it turns out that a boomerang effect is partially triggered: the interests of the Europeans themselves suffer. So far, we have been able to find ways to minimise the negative consequences of sanctions,” he claimed.

EU diplomatic sources told Reuters last week that the proposal under discussion was to ban direct diamond imports from Russia from 1 January, and to implement a traceability mechanism by March which would prevent imports of Russian gems processed in third countries.

Exclusive: Andriy Shevchenko urges the world not to forget Ukraine

Monday 20 November 2023 10:29 , Andy Gregory

On the morning of 24 February 2022 – a date etched in every Ukrainian’s mind – Andriy Shevchenko was woken by a phone call from his mother. She told him through tears that Russia was invading. Shevchenko was in London, where he lives with his wife and four sons; his mother and wider family were in Ukraine, under attack.

Shevchenko has barely slept since. “It’s almost impossible,” he says. “It’s going to be almost two years since the full war started, and every day I wake up, check the phone – what’s the news? Are we going to be attacked in Kyiv? Are we going to be attacked in a different city? How many drones? How many rockets? Where have the rockets hit? And then, talking to my friends – who’s dead? It’s a normal day for us.”

Shevchenko is using his platform as one of Europe’s greatest footballers, a Ballon d’Or winner and a Chelsea cult hero to keep the spotlight on Ukraine at a time when the world’s attention has turned to the Middle East. In the West, the initial shock caused by Russia’s invasion has subsided, and a sense of normalisation has crept in. He is understandably worried that Ukraine’s cause might be forgotten.

“I hope not,” he says. “Because for us, it’s everything. For us, it’s exist or not exist.”

Our senior sports writer Lawrence Ostlere has the full exclusive interview here:

Andriy Shevchenko on Ukraine: ‘Every day I wake up, check the phone. Who’s dead?’

Kremlin ‘deeply regrets’ Finland’s border closures

Monday 20 November 2023 10:08 , Andy Gregory

The Kremlin has said it deeply regrets Finland’s decision to close crossings along the two countries’ vast border on Saturday.

Finland closed four crossings on Saturday in a bid to halt the flow of asylum-seekers, having accused Moscow of funnelling migrants to the frontier in retaliation for Helsinki’s ascension to Nato and increased Western military cooperation since the invasion of Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied Finland’s accusation on Monday and insisted that Russian border guards were carrying out their duties in line with the rules.

Asked about the closure of the four crossings, Mr Peskov told reporters: “This causes nothing but deep regret, because we had long-standing, very good relations with Finland, pragmatic, based on mutual respect.

“And of course, we regret that these relations were replaced by such an exclusively Russophobic position, which the leaders of this country began to espouse,” he said.

Moscow protest shows lengthy Russian deployments to frontline ‘unsustainable’, says UK

Monday 20 November 2023 09:44 , Andy Gregory

Protests in Moscow by the wives of Russian soldiers show that their lengthy deployments to the front line are increasingly viewed as unsustainable, Britain’s Ministry of Defence suggested.

Russian wives and mothers have been making daily online appeals protesting against the conditions of their loved ones’ service since the invasion of Ukraine last February.

“However, Russia’s draconian legislation has so far prevented troops’ relatives from coalescing into an influential lobbying force, as soldiers’ mothers did during the Afghan-Soviet War of the 1980s,” said the ministry”.

But on 7 November, they held a rare street protest in Moscow’s central Teatralnya Square, unfurling banners demanding the rotation of their partners away from the frontline.

Police broke up the protest within minutes, according to the ministry, which added: “However, the protestors’ immediate demand is notable.

“The apparently indefinitely extended combat deployments of personnel without rotation is increasingly seen as unsustainable by both the troops themselves and by their relatives.”

US defence secretary’s visit to Kyiv is his first since early months of war

Monday 20 November 2023 09:21 , Andy Gregory

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin has made an unannounced visit to Kyiv today, as he pushes to keep money and weapons flowing to Ukraine.

Mr Austin travelled by train from Poland, and is scheduled to meet with senior Ukrainian officials.

It marks his second trip to Kyiv – with his first having taken place in April 2022, just two months after Russia’s invasion.

Two killed in Kherson after Russia shells parking lot, officials say

Monday 20 November 2023 08:55 , Andy Gregory

Two people have been killed this morning after Russian forces shelled a parking lot in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, according to officials.

Regional prosecutors said they had opened a war-crimes investigation into the artillery strike, which occurred at around 9am and injured one other person.

Kherson governor Oleksandr Prokudin said the two dead were drivers for “a private transport business”.

Images posted on Telegram showed firefighters dousing cars that had been blasted apart, one day after a separate strike on the city wounded five people, including a 3-year-old girl.

Russian forces have regularly shelled Kherson from across the Dnipro River since the city was liberated last November by Ukrainian troops – who are now seeking to push Moscow’s troops away from the river after establishing a foothold on the opposite bank.

Second drone in as many days shot down near Moscow as Russia and Ukraine exchange attacks on capitals

Monday 20 November 2023 08:29 , Andy Gregory

Russia and Ukraine sent drones targeting each other’s capital cities over the weekend in signs of renewed intensity for their aerial warfare, my colleague Arpan Rai reports.

Drones were shot down on both Saturday and Sunday in areas around Kyiv and Moscow. Air defence systems for both sides intercepted attacks and no casualties were reported.

Multiple drones that were heading for Moscow and Russia’s border areas on Sunday were downed by Russian air defence systems over the weekend, officials said.

Kyiv has promised to wage a major drone campaign against Russia this winter, as bad weather conditions make it difficult to conduct operations on the ground.

Russia under Ukraine’s drone attack for two nights in row as Moscow remains on target

Zelensky dismisses Ukraine’s military medical chief

Monday 20 November 2023 08:11 , Andy Gregory

Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Major General Tetiana Ostashchenko as the commander of Ukraine’s medical forces, as he demanded rapid changes in the operations of the country’s military medical system.

“In today’s meeting with defence minister [Rustem] Umerov, priorities were set,” the Ukrainian president said in his nightly address on Sunday. “There is little time left to wait for results. Quick action is needed for forthcoming changes.”

He added: “The task is clear, as has been repeatedly stressed in society, particularly among combat medics, we need a fundamentally new level of medical support for our soldiers.”

A wide range of improvements are needed, Mr Zelensky said – from better tourniquets, to improvements in digitalisation and communication.

Ms Ostashchenko was replaced by Major General Anatoliy Kazmirchuk, head of a military clinic in Kyiv.

US defence secretary arrives in Kyiv

Monday 20 November 2023 07:45 , Andy Gregory

US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin has arrived for a visit in Kyiv.

I just arrived in Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian leaders. I’m here today to deliver an important message – the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine in their fight for freedom against Russia’s aggression, both now and into the future. pic.twitter.com/1D96aeeACl — Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) November 20, 2023

Two killed as grenade explodes in Kyiv apartment

Monday 20 November 2023 07:26 , Andy Gregory

A Ukrainian soldier and a woman died when a grenade exploded in an apartment in Kyiv, injuring a second man, police said.

Explosives technicians and investigators were working at the scene of Sunday’s explosion in the Dniprovskiy district, Kyiv police said in a statement.

“A citizen contacted the police with a report that an explosion rang out in a neighbouring apartment,” they added.

Earlier this month, an aide to Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, General Valery Zaluzhnyi, died when a grenade given to him as a birthday gift blew up.

An orphaned teenager who was taken to Russia early in the Ukraine war is back home with relatives

Monday 20 November 2023 07:00 , Holly Evans

An orphaned Ukrainian teenager who was taken to Russia last year during the war in his country returned home after being reunited with relatives in Belarus on his 18th birthday Sunday.

Bohdan Yermokhin was pictured embracing family members in Minsk in photographs shared on social media by Russia’s children’s rights ombudswoman, Maria Lvova-Belova.

Andrii Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president’s office, confirmed that Yermokhin had arrived back in Ukraine and shared a photo of him with a Ukrainian flag. Yermak thanked UNICEF and Qatari negotiators for facilitating Yermokhin’s return.

Read the full article here

Putin could face new war crime case as evidence suggests starvation of Ukraine was pre-planned

Monday 20 November 2023 05:30 , Holly Evans

Russia was actively preparing to steal grain supplies and starve the Ukrainian population of food for months before Vladimir Putin ordered last year’s invasion, according to new evidence compiled by human rights experts.

When Russian tanks did roll across the border on 24 February 2022 they deliberately targeted grain-rich areas and food production infrastructure first, the new report by international human rights law firm Global Rights Compliance found.

GRC found that Russia’s defence contractor began purchasing trucks to transport grain, as well as three new 170-metre bulk carrier cargo ships, as early as December 2021, evidence of advance planning for the pillage of Ukrainian food resources “on an unprecedented scale”.

Putin could face new war crime case over ‘planned’ starvation of Ukraine

Wife of twice-poisoned Briton held in Kremlin prison fears ‘time is running out’

Monday 20 November 2023 04:30 , Holly Evans

The wife of a British-Russian national held in a Krelimn prison says she fears time is running out, and has called for the UK to take more urgent action to free him.

Vladimir Kara-Murza survived two near-fatal poisonings, in 2015 and 2017, which resulted in organ failure and polyneuropathy, a condition that causes nerve damage.

The Vladimir Putin critic was jailed for 25 years in April this year on charges of treason and spreading “false information” about Russia’s war in Ukraine .

Zelensky calls for rapid operation changes and sacks commander

Monday 20 November 2023 03:30 , Holly Evans

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday demanded rapid changes in the operations of Ukraine’s military and announced the dismissal of the commander of the military’s medical forces.

Zelensky’s move was announced as he met Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, and coincided with debate over the conduct of the 20-month-old war against Russia, with questions over how quickly a counteroffensive in the east and south is proceeding.

“In today’s meeting with Defence Minister Umerov, priorities were set,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address. “There is little time left to wait for results. Quick action is needed for forthcoming changes.”

Zelensky said he had replaced Major-General Tetiana Ostashchenko as commander of the Armed Forces Medical Forces.

“The task is clear, as has been repeatedly stressed in society, particularly among combat medics, we need a fundamentally new level of medical support for our soldiers,” he said.

This, he said, included a range of issues -- better tourniquets, digitalisation and better communication.

Umerov acknowledged the change on the Telegram messaging app and set as top priorities digitalisation, “tactical medicine” and rotation of servicemen.

Plight of one Ukraine village illustrates toll of Russia’s invasion

Monday 20 November 2023 02:30 , Holly Evans

Kamianka lies in a charming valley of bright flowers and lush trees. It used to be portrayed as a model village for a contented life in rural idyll. It was also a place of archaeological and geological lure, with its rare bronze age and Scythian sites and Jurassic limestone cliffs attracting visitors from afar.

The settlement , set in a sleepy hollow, was established in the 18th century by a count from the Tsar of Russia ’s court who had returned from Britain with new methods of farming and an English bride. Keen to put his new knowledge into practice, he allocated land, built a mill, constructed roads and funded a church and a school.

But Kamianka, in eastern Ukraine , also has a dark history of violence.

Read the full article from Kim Sengupta here

Russia’s plan B in Ukraine is working – now is not the moment for the West to turn away

Monday 20 November 2023 01:30 , Holly Evans

hen Italy ’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni , was fooled recently by two well-known Russian “comics” – surely paid-up Kremlin agents – into saying she was “tired” of the war in Ukraine and that everyone would soon be looking for a “way out”, too many of her counterparts in the West would have tacitly agreed (and perhaps sympathised: she is hardly the first to be pranked by these two).

But Ms Meloni deserves no sympathy. She thought she was talking to the head of the African Union Commission so this should have been a chance to exercise statecraft and reason with the supposed representative from the Global South and argue that Russia ’s war in Ukraine is nothing if not colonialist itself – a desperate attempt to maintain its empire.

Russia, with an abundance of chutzpah and an absence of shame, claims that it is the West that is being colonialist in forcing its designs on Kyiv (even supposedly “Nazi-ruled Kyiv”). You have to apply to join Nato and the EU, of course, but facts like these are irrelevant.

Read the full article from James Nixey here

Moscow mayor says air defence units intercept drone targeting city

Monday 20 November 2023 00:30 , Holly Evans

Air defence units in Moscow intercepted a drone targeting the city on Sunday, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

Sobyanin, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said units in the Elektrostal district in the capital’s east had intercepted the drone.

According to preliminary information, falling debris resulting from the operation had caused no casualties or damage, Sobyanin said.

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• FightCenter #
• DEEP 57 Impact DEEP 57 Impact
• Hasumi vs. Tomozane Hasumi vs. Tomozane

Hikaru Hasumi vs. Tatsuya Tomozane

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Hasumi vs. tomozane fight predictions, fight predictions, tapology community picks: 0, bout information, event poster.

Fight Details

• Event: DEEP 57 Impact
• Date: Saturday 02.18.2012 at 01:00 AM ET
• Referee: Akira Shoji
• Venue: Tokyo Dome City Hall
• Enclosure: Ring
• Location: Tokyo, Japan
• Bout Billing: Main Card (fight 1 of 16)
• Pro/Am: Professional
• Weight: 66 kg (145.1 lbs)
• Hasumi Total Disclosed Pay: Hasumi Disclosed Pay: None Disclosed
• Tomozane Total Disclosed Pay: Tomozane Disclosed Pay: None Disclosed

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Hasumi vs. Tomozane

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First refuelling for Russia’s Akademik Lomonosov floating NPP

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The FNPP includes two KLT-40S reactor units. In such reactors, nuclear fuel is not replaced in the same way as in standard NPPs – partial replacement of fuel once every 12-18 months. Instead, once every few years the entire reactor core is replaced with and a full load of fresh fuel.

The KLT-40S reactor cores have a number of advantages compared with standard NPPs. For the first time, a cassette core was used, which made it possible to increase the fuel cycle to 3-3.5 years before refuelling, and also reduce by one and a half times the fuel component in the cost of the electricity produced. The operating experience of the FNPP provided the basis for the design of the new series of nuclear icebreaker reactors (series 22220). Currently, three such icebreakers have been launched.

The Akademik Lomonosov was connected to the power grid in December 2019, and put into commercial operation in May 2020.

Electricity generation from the FNPP at the end of 2023 amounted to 194 GWh. The population of Pevek is just over 4,000 people. However, the plant can potentially provide electricity to a city with a population of up to 100,000. The FNPP solved two problems. Firstly, it replaced the retiring capacities of the Bilibino Nuclear Power Plant, which has been operating since 1974, as well as the Chaunskaya Thermal Power Plant, which is more than 70 years old. It also supplies power to the main mining enterprises located in western Chukotka. In September, a 490 km 110 kilovolt power transmission line was put into operation connecting Pevek and Bilibino.

Image courtesy of TVEL

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For the first time Rosatom Fuel Division supplied fresh nuclear fuel to the world’s only floating nuclear cogeneration plant in the Arctic

The fuel was supplied to the northernmost town of Russia along the Northern Sea Route.

The first in the history of the power plant refueling, that is, the replacement of spent nuclear fuel with fresh one, is planned to begin before 2024. The manufacturer of nuclear fuel for all Russian nuclear icebreakers, as well as the Akademik Lomonosov FNPP, is Machinery Manufacturing Plant, Joint-Stock Company (MSZ JSC), a company of Rosatom Fuel Company TVEL that is based in Elektrostal, Moscow Region.

The FNPP includes two KLT-40S reactors of the icebreaking type. Unlike convenient ground-based large reactors (that require partial replacement of fuel rods once every 12-18 months), in the case of these reactors, the refueling takes place once every few years and includes unloading of the entire reactor core and loading of fresh fuel into the reactor.

The cores of KLT-40 reactors of the Akademik Lomonosov floating power unit have a number of advantages compared to the reference ones: a cassette core was used for the first time in the history of the unit, which made it possible to increase the fuel energy resource to 3-3.5 years between refuelings, and also reduce the fuel component of the electricity cost by one and a half times. The FNPP operating experience formed the basis for the designs of reactors for nuclear icebreakers of the newest series 22220. Three such icebreakers have been launched by now.

For the first time the power units of the Akademik Lomonosov floating nuclear power plant were connected to the grid in December 2019, and put into commercial operation in May 2020. The supply of nuclear fuel from Elektrostal to Pevek and its loading into the second reactor is planned for 2024. The total power of the Akademik Lomonosov FNPP, supplied to the coastal grid of Pevek without thermal energy consumption on shore, is about 76 MW, being about 44 MW in the maximum thermal power supply mode. The FNPP generated 194 million kWh according to the results of 2023. The population of Pevek is just a little more than 4 thousand, while the FNPP has a potential for supplying electricity to a city with a population of up to 100 thousand people. After the FNPP commissioning two goals were achieved. These include first of all the replacement of the retiring capacities of the Bilibino NPP, which has been operating since 1974, as well as the Chaunskaya TPP, which has already been operating for more than 70 years. Secondly, energy is supplied to the main mining companies in western Chukotka in the Chaun-Bilibino energy hub a large ore and metal cluster, including gold mining companies and projects related to the development of the Baimsk ore zone. In September 2023, a 110 kilovolt power transmission line with a length of 490 kilometers was put into operation, connecting the towns of Pevek and Bilibino. The line increased the reliability of energy supply from the FNPP to both Bilibino consumers and mining companies, the largest of which is the Baimsky GOK. The comprehensive development of the Russian Arctic is a national strategic priority. To increase the NSR traffic is of paramount importance for accomplishment of the tasks set in the field of cargo shipping. This logistics corridor is being developed due regular freight voyages, construction of new nuclear-powered icebreakers and modernization of the relevant infrastructure. Rosatom companies are actively involved in this work. Rosatom Fuel Company TVEL (Rosatom Fuel Division) includes companies fabricating nuclear fuel, converting and enriching uranium, manufacturing gas centrifuges, conducting researches and producing designs. As the only nuclear fuel supplier to Russian NPPs, TVEL supplies fuel for a total of 75 power reactors in 15 countries, for research reactors in nine countries, as well as for propulsion reactors of the Russian nuclear fleet. Every sixth power reactor in the world runs on TVEL fuel. Rosatom Fuel Division is the world’s largest producer of enriched uranium and the leader on the global stable isotope market. The Fuel Division is actively developing new businesses in chemistry, metallurgy, energy storage technologies, 3D printing, digital products, and decommissioning of nuclear facilities. TVEL also includes Rosatom integrators for additive technologies and electricity storage systems. Rosenergoatom, Joint-Stock Company is part of Rosatom Electric Power Division and one of the largest companies in the industry acting as an operator of nuclear power plants. It includes, as its branches, 11 operating NPPs, including the FNPP, the Scientific and Technical Center for Emergency Operations at NPPs, Design and Engineering as well as Technological companies. In total, 37 power units with a total installed capacity of over 29.5 GW are in operation at 11 nuclear power plants in Russia. Machinery Manufacturing Plant, Joint-Stock Company (MSZ JSC, Elektrostal) is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of fuel for nuclear power plants. The company produces fuel assemblies for VVER-440, VVER-1000, RBMK-1000, BN-600,800, VK-50, EGP-6; powders and fuel pellets intended for supply to foreign customers. It also produces nuclear fuel for research reactors. The plant belongs to the TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom.

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