by tyler | Jun 6, 2023 | CNN, europe
An Air India flight from India to San Francisco was diverted due to a technical issue with one of the plane’s engines and has landed safely in Russia’s Magadan airport, in the country’s far east, according to a statement from the carrier.
Flight AI173 was carrying 216 passengers and 16 crew. The airline will operate an alternate flight carrying everyone from Magadan to San Francisco on Wednesday.
“Air India will operate an alternate aircraft from Magadan to San Francisco on June 7, 2023 carrying all passengers and crew of AI173 who are presently accommodated in local hotels in Magadan,” an Air India spokesperson said in a statement.
“The authorities are extending all cooperation in our effort to ensure that passengers safely reach their destination at the earliest,” the spokesperson added.
Russia has banned numerous western countries from operating in its airspace, though some carriers like Air India continue to fly over Russia.
Russian aviation agency Rosaviation said Tuesday that it has issued a permit to Air India to send a reserve aircraft to Russia’s Magadan airport.
“The departure of the aircraft from Delhi to Magadan is scheduled at 21.35 Moscow time on June 6, 2023, the planned landing time is 06.00 Moscow time on June 7, 2023,” the agency said in an updated statement on its official Telegram account.
The United States said it was monitoring the situation. “We are aware of a US-bound flight that had to make an emergency landing in Russia, and are continuing to monitor that situation closely,” said State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel.
While Patel could not confirm how many US citizens were on the flight, he said it was “of course likely that there are American citizens on board.”
Patel also said it would be possible if needed for the US to take steps “in assessing manifests and passengers who may be bound for the United States.”
Patel would not say if the US would need to exempt any replacement parts for the plane from sanctions on Russia.
The diversion comes amid a debate about the use of Russian airspace by some carriers.
Air India’s CEO defended its use of Russian airspace on Monday, telling an airline summit that “we operate in the accordance within the ambit of what’s provided to us by the nation of India.”
He added: “Not all nations agree. And so there are going to be different outcomes as a consequence. I think we’ve seen over the past few years the consequence of aviation not being able to connect people and economies and cultures and support all of the other things that we spin off.”
Meanwhile, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby on Monday predicted possible dangers of a plane being forced to land in Russia with American citizens on board while speaking to reporters, Reuters reported.
by tyler | Jun 6, 2023 | CNN, europe
A major dam and hydro-electric power plant in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine suffered a collapse early Tuesday, prompting mass evacuations and fears for large-scale devastation as Ukraine accused Moscow’s forces of committing an act of “ecocide.”
Residents downstream from the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River in Kherson were told to “do everything you can to save your life,” according to the head of Ukraine’s Kherson region military administration, as video showed a deluge of water gushing from a huge breach in the dam.
The critical Nova Kakhovka dam is the largest reservoir in Ukraine in terms of volume. It’s the last of the cascade of six Soviet-era dams on the Dnipro River, a major waterway running through southeastern Ukraine. There are multiple towns and cities downstream, including Kherson, a city of some 300,000 people before Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor.
Here is what we know about the crisis.
Two videos posted to social media and geolocated by CNN showed the destroyed dam wall and fast-moving torrents of water flowing out into the river. Multiple buildings at the entrance to the dam were also heavily damaged.
It is unclear what caused the dam to collapse, which came as Ukraine geared up for a widely anticipated counter-offensive. Both Ukrainian and Russian officials said the dam collapsed in an explosion and are blaming each other for it.
The Ukrainian military intelligence said an explosion occurred at 2:50 a.m. local time on Tuesday (7.50 p.m. ET Monday), when “Russian terrorists carried out an internal explosion of the structures of the Kakhovka hydro-electric power plant.”
Meanwhile, the Russian-installed mayor of Nova Kakhovka, Vladimir Leontiev, initially denied the dam had collapsed in an interview with Russian state media RIA Novosti, calling it “nonsense.” He later confirmed the destruction of parts of the dam in what he called “a serious terrorist act” but said there was “no need to evacuate.”
CNN was not immediately able to verify the claims made by Ukrainian and Russian officials.
The Kremlin on Tuesday rejected the accusations. In his regular call with journalist Dmitry Peskov said the attack was “planned and carried out by order received from Kyiv, from the Kyiv regime.”
Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, said Russia “unequivocally” believes the attack was “a deliberate sabotage” by Ukraine, aiming to “deprive Crimea of water” and that the Ukraine’s caused the damage because “having launched large-scale offensive operations two days ago, now the Ukrainian Armed Forces are not achieving their goals. These offensive actions are choking.”
The dam holds back around 18 cubic kilometers of water in the Kakhovka Reservoir, about equal to the Great Salt Lake in the US state of Utah. Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior Ukrainian official, said the water level in the reservoir was falling “rapidly, about 15 centimeters per hour.
The damage appears to be vast and the potential devastating impact – both upstream and downstream – is worrying. Multiple towns and cities downstream from the dam are at risk of severe flooding and Podolyak had previously urged citizens to “collect your documents and most needed belongings” and wait for evacuation buses. “I ask you to do everything you can to save your life. Leave the dangerous areas immediately,” he added.
The country’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram that there were “about 80 settlements in the flood zone” and that he has ordered evacuations. The cities include Kherson, a city that was home to some 300,000 people before Moscow’s invasion.
Around 16,000 people on the west bank of Kherson region are in a “critical zone,” Oleksandr Prokudin, the Ukraine-appointed head of the Kherson region military administration, said. As of 11 a.m. local time, 885 people had been evacuated from Kherson region according to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry.
“Water is coming. The situation is complicated by the fact that some roads are being washed away. This makes it impossible to drive to some settlements. Evacuation teams are looking for other ways,” the ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine’s Energy ministry said in a statement that almost 12,000 people in the Kherson region have lost power due to the flooding and that “there may be problems with water supply.”
Meanwhile, Andrey Alekseenko, a Russian-installed Kherson official, played down the threat saying the situation along the banks of Dnipro was “under control.”
“There is no threat to people’s lives,” Alekseenko said, adding that Ministry of Emergency Situation staff are in control of water levels in the river.
“If necessary, we are ready to evacuate the residents of embankment villages, buses are prepared,” Alekseenko added.
The damage is also affecting the area north of the reservoir, where the water levels are falling.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is under Russian control, lies upstream from the destroyed dam. The reservoir supplies cooling water to the plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power station, and is crucial for its safety.
The International Atomic Energy agency said there was “no immediate nuclear safety risk” at the plant, adding that the agency’s experts on site were “closely monitoring the situation.” It said the main line of cooling water is fed from the reservoir and pumped up through channels. It said it is estimated that the water through this route “should last for a few days.”
Ukraine’s nuclear agency Energoatom said that while water from the reservoir is needed for the “replenishment for turbine condensers and safety systems” of the plant, the cooling pond is “full” and as of 8:00 a.m. local time “the water level is 16.6 meters, which is sufficient for the plant’s needs.”
Throughout the course of the war in Ukraine both Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of plotting to blow up the Soviet-era dam. In November, the Nova Kakhovka dam was damaged in shelling and satellite images from Maxar Technologies obtained by CNN showed water flowing out of three sluice gates at the dam.
In recent days Ukraine’s forces have increasingly taken the fight to Russia’s entrenched frontlines in the south and east ahead of a widely expected summer counter-offensive.
Podolyak, who is a senior aide to Zelensky, said the dam’s destruction would “create obstacles for the offensive actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”
“This once again confirms that the Kremlin is not thinking strategically, but rather in terms of short-term situational advantages. But the consequences are already catastrophic,” he told CNN.
Ukraine’s military accused Russia’s forces of blowing up the dam “in panic.”
The Crimean peninsula has had a history of water supply issues since it was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, after Ukraine cut the water supply. Russia forces captured the North Crimea Canal and began restoring the water supply in the days immediately following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Sergey Aksenov, the Russia-appointed head of the annexed region, said the canal which connects the reservoir to Crimea will “become shallow,” but added that currently there are 40 million cubic meters of reserves in the canal.
Aksenov said “there is more than enough drinking water,” and work on “minimizing the water disruption to supply is being carried out.”
by tyler | Jun 2, 2023 | CNN, europe
Controversial internet personality Andrew Tate has given his first interview with a major broadcaster since being released from police custody in Romania into house arrest in April.
In a fiery sit-down with the BBC’s Lucy Williamson on Thursday, Tate was challenged on his ideology and the allegations leveled against him, which include organized crime, human trafficking and rape.
He insisted he is “absolutely and utterly sure” he is innocent.
“I know the case better than you, I know it intimately and you don’t, I have seen all the criminal files and the evidence against me and you haven’t, I know the truth of what happened and you don’t,” he told Williamson.
“And I’m telling you absolutely and utterly, I’ve never hurt anybody, that the case that’s been put against me is completely and utterly fabricated and I’m never gonna be found guilty of anything.”
When confronted about claims his views on women fueled misogyny in society, the former kickboxer claimed to be a “force for good in the world” and a “positive influence.”
“I preach hard work, discipline, I’m an athlete, I preach anti-drug, I preach religion, I preach no alcohol, I preach no knife crime, every single problem with modern society I’m against.
“I’m teaching young men to be disciplined, to be diligent, to listen, to train, to work hard, to be exactly like me.”
Tate also spoke disparagingly to his interviewer during the conversation, telling Williamson that she was “saying silly things” and suggesting she “do some research.”
Tate’s words will likely fall on deaf ears for many, with condemnation of the influencer rife from sectors of society ranging from human rights campaigners to school teachers and police figures.
The Chief Executive of Rape Crisis in England and Wales, Jayne Butler, earlier this year said she was “deeply concerned by the dangerous ideology of misogynistic rape culture that Mr. Tate spreads.”
Tate has been making headlines in recent months after he was arrested alongside his brother in Romania in December 2022.
In April, he and his brother Tristan were moved out of jail and placed under house arrest amid an ongoing criminal probe into allegations of organized crime, human trafficking and rape.
Tate denies the allegations against him, insisting “there’s no evidence in my file because I’ve done nothing wrong” and proclaiming “everybody knows I’m innocent” when he and his brother were taken for questioning by Romanian authorities in January.
The American-British former kickboxer has sparked debate this past year, with many adults including school teachers expressing their concern over his viral online commentary and the impact it could have on teenage boys.
Emory Andrew Tate III is a 36-year-old professional fighter-turned media personality from Chicago who has racked up billions of views online for his rants about male dominance, female submission and wealth. He first found fame in 2016 when he was removed from British reality TV show “Big Brother” after video emerged that appeared to show him attacking a woman with a belt.
In the years since, he has become a divisive online content creator with the self-proclaimed “misogynist” suspended from all major social media platforms.
Tate was banned Twitter in 2017 for saying that women should “bear responsibility” for being sexually assaulted. In August 2022, he was banned by Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube for violating their policies, Britain’s PA Media news agency reported. His removal followed a campaign by British advocacy group Hope not Hate, which fights against racism and extremism.
In November, however, his Twitter account was reinstated after Elon Musk took over the company, and Tate currently has a following on the platform of more than 6.7 million.
Before being taken down, his TikTok account racked up around 11.6 billion views – with many adults including school teachers voicing alarm about his misogynistic ideas taking root in the minds of young people across the world.
Tate and his brother were taken into custody, along with two others, in Romania on December 29 as part of an investigation into human trafficking and rape – allegations the pair have denied. Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) alleged that the four suspects formed an organized criminal group that stretched from Romania to Britain and the United States, for the purpose of committing the crime of human trafficking.
Shortly before his arrest, he sparked a Twitter spat with Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who told Tate to get a life after he tweeted at her about his numerous cars “and their respective enormous emissions.”
In January, a Romanian court extended its detention of the brothers until February 27, Tate’s lawyers told CNN affiliate Antena 3. Separately, Romanian authorities announced they had seized nearly $4 million worth of assets belonging to Tate. Among the 29 seized assets were motor vehicles, luxury watches and sums of money in several different currencies, the country’s Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ANABI) said.
Tate has been accused of pedaling hateful views online and making his controversial lifestyle appealing to young and vulnerable audiences. Hope not Hate told CNN it has been monitoring Tate for years due to his close links to the far right.
Georgie Laming, campaigns and communication director at the advocacy group, said Tate’s confidence and the lifestyle he promotes are particularly harmful.
“Tate’s misogynist, homophobic and racist content is seen online by millions of young people. His confidence, his money and his lifestyle are all carefully crafted to make his brand of hateful content inspiring and aspirational,” Laming said.
It seems clear that his ideas have taken root in the minds of countless young men who see him as a role model of masculinity.
Social media spaces dedicated to teaching have featured accounts of students as young as middle schoolers parroting his diatribes and harassing female classmates, while incidents of sexual harassment in schools in the UK and Australia have been blamed on Tate’s influence.
Alicia Drummond, an adolescent psychologist, believes that Tate’s form of toxic masculinity can be particularly destructive for boys exploring their individuality.
“Adolescence begins at 10 and the developmental drive of this stage is for identity and independence. They are programmed to experiment and test different aspects of themselves as they seek their adult identity,” Drummond, a therapist and founder of the website “Teen Tips,” told CNN.
While explaining why children may be particularly vulnerable, Drummond said problems can arise when young people come under the influence of destructive influencers such as Tate.
“The more they access his toxic material, the more exposure they will get to similar viewpoints,” she explained, before adding that social media algorithms contribute to the situation because they make it less likely for young people to come across views which might give them a different perspective.
“When fed a daily diet of misogyny at an early age, patterns of thinking and behavior are established that are unlikely to serve them well in the long term,” Drummond added.
Critics say Tate’s commentary and content is harmful in and of itself. However, it does not exist in a vacuum.
As Laming explained, his ideas can be tied to far-right ideology and the worldview of the so-called “manosphere” – a loose collection of forums, blogs, vlogs and organizations concerned with men’s issues and certain interpretations of masculinity oriented around opposition to feminism.
Tate is known to have links with the far-right, including British far-right activist Tommy Robinson. He has been pictured with British far-right YouTuber Paul Joseph Watson and appeared on a podcast hosted by far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for his fringe media organization InfoWars.
“Parts of the ‘manosphere’ are highly misogynistic and have, in recent years, grown increasingly extreme and close to the far right, utilizing racist conspiracy theories to explain perceived societal issues,” Laming said.
“Tate is able to bring followers in with his misogynistic content and then introduce them to his far-right friends and his dangerous conspiracy theories.”
It may be difficult for parents to know how to talk to their children about Tate and the dangers of online misogyny, but experts say such conversations are important.
“As parents we are highly influential on teen decision-making and, believe it or not, young people want to hear from us,” Drummond explained. “If we outsource education to the likes of Tate, they will internalize messages that are unlikely to lead to the happy, healthy relationships they deserve, and that we all want for them.”
Drummond offers advice to parents looking to raise such issues. “Let your child know that if they come across content they find upsetting or confusing they can always talk to you. Introduce the topic by saying you have read about Andrew Tate and ask if they have heard of him,” she suggested.
“If yes, ask what they think of his views and listen carefully. If no, tell them why you are concerned about his content. Discuss misogyny and how it can impact relationships and behavior. Help them see the subject from different angles, for example how girls might feel reading his views.”
Concerned parents can also talk to their child’s school to check if they are aware of Tate and address the topic to ensure messaging is aligned. According to Drummond, schools are being proactive in starting conversations that allow adolescent males to explore issues surrounding Tate and his ideology.
“Most of the schools we work with are doing an excellent job of initiating the discussions that will allow boys and young men to explore this topic. They are running workshops exploring masculinity, misogyny, consent, relationships and radicalization,” she said.
She adds that where more work can always be done is by “ensuring that there is a culture in school that does not tolerate the lower-level sexist and misogynistic behavior that can lead to established patterns.”
According to Laming, educators are under enormous pressure after the pandemic and are poorly equipped to tackle far-right extremism in the classroom. “The language and nature of the problem shifts quickly and without proper training and guidance teachers can’t keep up,” she says. Hope not Hate is working to fill that gap by offering workshops and resource to support teachers, pupils and parents to help them recognize and tackle the signs of hate, Laming added.
by tyler | Jun 1, 2023 | CNN, europe
Here’s a look at the life of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Birth date: August 30, 1954 (some sources say August 31)
Birth place: Kopys, Belarus
Full name: Alexander Grigorievich Lukashenko
Father: name unavailable publicly
Mother: Yekaterina Lukashenko, milkmaid
Marriage: Galina (Zhelnerovich) Lukashenko (1975-present)
Children: with Galina (Zhelnerovich) Lukashenko: Viktor and Dmitry; with Irina Abelskaya: Nikolai “Kolya”
Education: Mogilev Pedagogical Institute (now Mogilev State A. Kuleshov University), history, 1975; Belarusian Agricultural Academy, economics, 1985
Military service: Soviet Army
Religion: has called himself an “Orthodox atheist”
Has ruled Belarus, a small country between Russia and European Union member Poland and an essential east-west trade route, for more than a quarter of a century.
Was elected president in Belarus’ first democratic election in 1994, but subsequent elections have been marred by allegations of strong-arm tactics and voting irregularities and were won by suspiciously wide margins.
Has been described as “Europe’s last dictator.”
Lukashenko has maintained his country’s close political ties to Russia, restricted opposition movements and censored media.
1975-1977 – Drafted into the military and serves as an instructor in the border guard along the western border of Belarus.
1980-1982 – Serves in the Soviet Army.
1987-1994 – Head of the Gorodets state farm in the Mogilev region.
1990-1994 – Member of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR) Supreme Council, where he becomes a deputy and later founds a faction called Communists for Democracy.
1991 – Only member of the Belarusian parliament to vote against the agreement that leads to the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
July 10, 1994 – Is elected president of Belarus with 80% of the vote, defeating Prime Minister Vyacheslav Kebich in the country’s first presidential election.
May 1995 – Is behind a referendum that increases integration with Russia, including making the Russian language equal to Belarusian and replacing the national flag and state symbols with ones similar to those of the former Soviet Union. The referendum also gives Lukashenko the right to dissolve the parliament.
November 1996 – Is behind a referendum that revises the Constitution to give more authority to the presidency, including limiting the authority of the Constitutional Court and extending Lukashenko’s presidential term. An impeachment effort fails, and Lukashenko signs a new constitution.
1997-2021 – Head of the Belarusian Olympic Committee.
1999 – Signs a treaty making Belarus a “union state” with Russia.
September 9, 2001 – Is reelected president with 75% of the vote.
October 2004 – A referendum is passed to eliminate presidential term limits.
April 20, 2005 – US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice refers to Belarus as “the last remaining true dictatorship in the heart of Europe,” in an interview with CNN.
March 2006 – Is reelected president with over 80% of the vote.
December 2010 – Is reelected president with almost 80% of the vote.
October 2015 – Is reelected president with 83.5% of the vote.
March 28, 2020 – Speaks about coronavirus after playing ice hockey in front of a packed stadium in Minsk, Belarus. Specifying no scientific evidence, he says the “fridge” like area is a “real anti-viral cure.”
March 29, 2020 – Recommends that people not only drink vodka but wash their hands with it and take saunas to combat the coronavirus.
July 28, 2020 – Lukashenko says he contracted coronavirus but recovered without suffering any symptoms, according to a report from state-run news agency Belta.
August 9, 2020 – Lukashenko is reelected with 80% of the vote. His main opposition candidate, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, receives about 10%. She was standing in for her husband, Sergei Tikhanovsky, after he was jailed in May in the run-up to the election.
August 10, 2020 – Demonstrations over the presidential election result in dozens of people being injured during clashes with police, the interior ministry says in a statement seen by state-run news agency Belta. Tikhanovskaya rejects the preliminary election results and files a complaint with Belarus’ central elections committee demanding a recount of the votes. She leaves for Lithuania soon afterwards.
August 16, 2020 – Lukashenko gives a speech claiming Belarus is being threatened by foreign interference.
August 17, 2020 – Visits a factory in Minsk, Belarus, according to videos posted online by local news outlets and addresses the election. “You talk about dishonest elections and want to hold new elections,” he tells protesting workers. “We held the elections and until you kill me, there won’t be any new elections.”
September 23, 2020 – Lukashenko is inaugurated for a sixth consecutive term as president in an unannounced ceremony in Minsk, Belarus, according to state media reports. Opposition politicians describe the ceremony as a “thieves’ meeting” and a “farce.” The United States and a number of European Union countries issue statements rejecting the legitimacy of Lukashenko’s win.
September 24, 2020 – The European Union releases a statement regarding the Belarus presidential election. “The European Union does not recognise their falsified results. On this basis, the so-called ‘inauguration’ of 23 September 2020 and the new mandate claimed by Aleksandr Lukashenko lack any democratic legitimacy.”
December 7, 2020 – Following an investigation “Concerning athletes, officials and sports in Belarus,” the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspends the Executive Board of the National Olympic Committee of Belarus “from all IOC events and activities, including the Olympic Games.” Lukashenko’s election of his son Viktor Lukashenko to be replace him as president of the Belarusian NOC is not recognized, according to a March 8, 2021, IOC statement.
May 23, 2021 – A Ryanair flight traveling from Athens to the Lithuanian capital Vilnius is intercepted and forced to land in Minsk, Belarus, as it is about to begin its descent. When it lands, prominent opposition activist Roman Protasevich and his Russian partner Sofia Sapega, who are on the flight, are detained. Protasevich is one of dozens of journalists and activists campaigning in exile against Lukashenko’s 26-year rule. Lukashenko later claims that the flight was diverted because of a bomb threat that had originated in Switzerland, allegations that Swiss authorities refute. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda later tells CNN that the email indicating a bomb threat was sent 30 minutes after Lithuanian officials received the signal from Minsk to land the plane.
May 24, 2021 – The European Union calls on airlines to avoid Belarus’ airspace, responding to the forced landing of the Ryanair flight. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the bloc is “closing our airspace to planes from Belarus” and calls on EU airlines not to fly over the country.
May 24, 2021 – The US National Security Council releases a readout of a call between national security adviser Jake Sullivan and democratic opposition leader Tikhanovskaya. Sullivan “strongly condemned the brazen and dangerous grounding of a Ryanair flight between two EU member states on May 23 and the subsequent removal and detention of journalist Raman Pratasevich.” He demands Protasevich’s immediate release, fair elections and states “that the United States, in coordination with the EU and other allies and partners, will hold the Lukashenka regime to account.”
May 27, 2021 – The International Civil Aviation Organization says it will carry out an investigation into the diversion of the flight, while at least two European carriers say they were refused permission to fly to Moscow by Russian authorities after they requested to fly an alternative route bypassing Belarusian airspace.
May 28, 2021 – Russian President Vladimir Putin cements his support of Lukashenko in a meeting, saying the West’s reaction to the interception and forced landing of a passenger jet “was an outburst of emotion.” The same day, US aviation authorities warn airlines “to exercise extreme caution” when flying over Belarus.
August 9, 2021 – While answering questions from local and foreign media, Lukashenko denies that state repression exists in Belarus. In response to a question on repression and the imprisonment of political opponents, Lukashenko accuses the US of “lawlessness,” citing the January 6 insurrection and invoking false claims about the US presidential election result.
March 15, 2022 – The US sanctions Lukashenka and his wife for gross human right abuses, and playing a key role in aiding Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The US previously applied sanctions to members of Lukashenko’s family in December after a migrant crisis on Belarus’s border with Poland, which also led to accusations of human rights abuses.
May 28, 2023 – An on-camera interview is released in which Lukashenko claims that nations who are willing “to join the Union State of Russia and Belarus” will be given nuclear weapons, days after confirming the transfer of some tactical nuclear weapons from Moscow to Minsk had begun.
by tyler | Jun 1, 2023 | CNN, europe
NATO officials are in a race against time to avoid the embarrassment of seeing the alliance miss its own stated aim of admitting Sweden to the alliance by July 11.
Both Sweden and its neighbor Finland stated their intent to join NATO through its open-door policy in May last year, just weeks after Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Finland was finally accepted in April of this year, doubling the alliance’s border with Russia, but Sweden’s accession is currently blocked.
It is generally accepted that Sweden’s armed forces are compatible with NATO. Sweden has a permanent delegation at NATO and is considered a close partner to the alliance, meaning joining should be relatively straightforward.
So why can’t Sweden join?
The problem is Turkey – a strategically important NATO member due to its geographical location in both the Middle East and Europe, and the alliance’s second-largest military power – which is blocking Sweden’s accession for a number of reasons.
Most importantly, that nation claims that Sweden allows members of recognized Kurdish terror groups to operate in Sweden, most notably the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Sweden changed its terrorism laws earlier this year, making it a crime to be part of these groups, though it’s still unclear if this is enough for Ankara.
Turkey also claims that the Swedish government has been complicit in far-right protests where people burned copies of the Quran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. Most recently, Turkey has said it wants Sweden to act after Swedish lawmakers projected the flag of the PKK onto the parliament building in Stockholm in protest at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s re-election on Sunday. A spokesperson for the Swedish parliament acknowledged that people had projected images onto the side of the building, but had no specific evidence about what was projected or who was responsible, according to Reuters.
Finally, there are concerns at how willing Erdogan is to describe himself as a friend of Putin’s. Shortly before he was re-elected, he told CNN that he and Putin share a “special relationship.”
NATO officials and people within the Swedish government are now becoming concerned that missing the July 11 deadline – the date of its next official summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius – would send a dangerous message to the alliance’s adversaries. These include Russia, and although nowhere near the North Atlantic, North Korea and China.
“If it’s missed, it tells people like Putin that there is a weak link in the Western alliance. It gives them time and space to cause trouble,” one NATO diplomat told CNN. “That could be anything from cyber attacks to funding and encouraging more Quran burnings to cause division in Sweden.”
An Eastern European diplomat told CNN that as well as “emboldening the enemies” of NATO, any delay risks “giving the the sense of Erdogan’s power over the alliance.” The diplomat added that “Erdogan will use the moment to squeeze every drop from this situation and will throw the ball to Sweden – making them hostage of their (own) anti-terrorist laws.”
Officials from most NATO states are optimistic that a deal can be done before July, but are aware it could come with a price attached.
Multiple officials point to the way that Erdogan struck a deal with the European Union that saw it hand Turkey 6 billion euros ($6.4 billion) among other perks in exchange for Turkey hosting Syrian refugees who were en route to Europe. Erdogan, European officials have repeatedly said, knew that he had Brussels over a barrel as he could effectively “flood” Europe with refugees at will.
What could NATO allies give Erdogan that might get him to change his mind over Sweden?
For starters, Turkey wants the US Congress to approve its purchase of US-made F-16 fighter jets. While US officials are reluctant to tie the Sweden issue and F-16s overtly, officials say that behind the scenes there is an obvious deal to be done.
Diplomats are also well aware that Turkey’s economy is in dire straits, with soaring inflation and a collapse in the value of its currency against the dollar, and that both the US and EU currently have sanctions imposed on the country.
While there is room for a deal to be done – and the allies in favor of Sweden joining do have leverage – there are a couple of issues that could see July 11 come and go without NATO getting it wants.
The first is Erdogan’s unpredictability. Sunday’s election was the closest he has come to losing power in 20 years, which allies fear means he might double down on Sweden when it comes to its anti-terror policy.
Sweden is unlikely to introduce anything that looks as authoritarian as Erdogan would probably like to see in place, especially when it comes to the Kurds; at this point the only resolution could be that Erdogan claims the changes Sweden has already made to its terror laws as a personal victory and moves on.
The second is that Turkey isn’t the only fly in the ointment: Hungary also objects to Sweden joining NATO.
These two issues at some level interact with one another: if Erdogan were to accept Sweden’s anti-terror laws as sufficient – only for Hungary to block the whole thing risks making him look weak by comparison, European officials fear.
For their part, the pro-Sweden allies – including the United States and United Kingdom, arguably the two most influential NATO members – are doubling down on July 11 and privately offering Sweden assurances that it is their priority, no matter what Turkey does.
Sweden joining NATO would be the latest in a long list of good news stories for the alliance since Russia invaded Ukraine. Officials have been surprised at the level of unity in the alliance since the war began and have been delighted at renewed pledges on defense spending and strengthening the alliance.
Russia launched its war in the first place partly due to NATO’s expansion, a move that shows no sign of slowing, with Ukraine now also wanting to join the alliance. Even the Japanese are shifting towards NATO, with the country’s foreign minister telling CNN earlier this month that it is in talks to open the first NATO liaison office in Asia.
For all the talk of NATO facing what French President Emmanuel Macron called “brain death” not so long ago, it’s undeniable that the alliance has a renewed sense of purpose and is confident about its future. That’s precisely why officials are so concerned about Turkey vetoing Sweden’s accession on NATO’s own timetable.
Just as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, an alliance is only as united as its latest act of unity. In the modern world of diplomacy, signals and subtext matter a huge amount. And while it might seem insignificant exactly when Sweden does or does not join NATO, Turkey giving the alliance’s enemies the faintest whiff that members can be picked off would, officials believe, upend months of good work that have brought the alliance closer together than at any other time in recent memory.
by tyler | Jun 1, 2023 | CNN, europe
Three people, including a young girl, were killed in Kyiv on Thursday while desperately trying to take cover in a closed bomb shelter amid fresh Russian strikes, in an incident that sparked anger in the Ukrainian capital.
Internal Affairs Minister Ihor Klymenko condemned the incident as a “crime” in a statement shared by Ukraine’s National Police, adding that an investigation had been launched.
Russia launched a total of 10 missiles at Kyiv early on Thursday morning, all of which were shot down, the Ukraine Armed Forces said.
However, falling debris from the skies killed three people – a 9-year-old girl, her 34-year-old mother, and a 33-year-old woman – according to the national police. Fourteen others were injured.
The husband of one of the women told public broadcaster Suspilne that when they heard the air raid alarm, people ran to the shelter but found it locked. “People knocked… They knocked for a very long time… There were women, children. No one opened. My wife and child [were there]. The child is fine, but my wife died,” he said.
“I just ran to the other side, calling for them to open. And just at that moment everything happened, at that moment something flew – I don’t know, fragments or something,” the man, named Yaroslav, added.
Another eyewitness named Kateryna Didukh said: “They ran here to hide, but unfortunately it was closed. This is the largest bomb shelter. They were all standing at the entrance. There is a polyclinic and a kindergarten here, and it fell right between them.”
An image taken in the aftermath of the incident shows the grandfather of the nine-year-old victim, who was killed alongside her mother, watching over her body.
The photographer, Serhii Okunev, said in a Facebook post the man “sat on his haunches for several hours, then a chair was found for him.”
Lessons would have to be learned from the incident, minister Klymenko said in his statement. “The 16th month of full-scale war. It would seem that during this time, responsible officials should have identified and fixed all the flaws in the issue of people’s safety. The enemy continues large-scale shelling of cities. But some shelters still remain closed during the air raid alarm.
“Closed bomb shelters during the war are not just indifference. It is a crime,” he added, calling for shelters to be kept open around the clock.
In response to the incident on Thursday, Kyiv’s Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said police would now patrol bomb shelters in the city during night-time air-raid alarms to check they are open.
In a Telegram post, Klitschko said a missile fragment fell near the entrance to a clinic in the Desnianskyi district of the capital, “4 minutes after the air raid alarm was announced. People were running to the shelter.”
“Now the investigation is establishing whether the shelter was open. Whether there were people in it,” he said.
“I gave a separate order to the heads of the capital’s districts to immediately check all bomb shelters,” he added.
Klitchko said he had asked for the head of the Desnianskyi district to be removed from his duties while the investigation into the shelter at the clinic is underway, adding that the head of the medical institution should also be removed.
Ukraine, meanwhile, unleashed an early-morning strike on Russia’s Belgorod region Thursday, a day after Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov lashed out at Western countries for not condemning recent strikes inside Russian territory.
“Shebekino is under incessant fire: at 12 a.m., 3:40 a.m. and 5:15 a.m., the Ukrainian armed forces fired Grad missiles at the center and outskirts of the city,” Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladlov said on Telegram.
Gladkov added that of the five injured, three people have been hospitalized, one woman was treated at the scene, and “there is information about a man who is unconscious with multiple shrapnel wounds. An ambulance team is transporting him to the hospital.”
Residential and administrative buildings were damaged in the strikes, according to Gladkov.
Belgorod – which borders Ukraine’s Kharkiv region – has recently become a hotbed of straying violence, marking a new turn in a conflict that is increasingly coming home to the Russian people.
In a regular call with journalists on Wednesday, before the overnight strikes, Peskov said the Kremlin was concerned about the situation in Belgorod.
He said: “We have not heard a single word of condemnation from any one from the collective West, so far. The situation is rather alarming. Measures are being taken.”
Meanwhile, the Russian Volunteer Corps – a group of anti-Putin Russian nationals aligned with the Ukrainian army – has denied shelling civilians as it claimed its “second phase” inside Russia had begun on Thursday.
In a video message, a fighter from the Russian Volunteer Corps claimed they were “once again fighting on Russian territory.”
The Freedom for Russia Legion posted a video online, claiming it shows the “detonation of ammunition and mortar of the enemy after a precise artillery work on them.”
CNN has geolocated the video of an explosion to Shebekinsky District, in Belgorod, but cannot verify the claim of a successful strike.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday that together with the Federal Security Service (FSB) it had prevented an incursion across its border by Ukraine, saying tanks and two motorized infantry companies attempted to enter the Belgorod region.
According to the daily briefing by the Russian MoD, around 3 a.m. Moscow time (8 p.m. Wednesday ET), “after intensive shelling of civilian targets in the Belgorod region, Ukrainian terrorist formations with up to two motorized infantry companies, reinforced with tanks, attempted to invade the territory of the Russian Federation near the settlement of Novaya Tavolzhanka and the Shebekino international automobile checkpoint.”
The Russian military repelled three attacks by Ukrainian terrorist groups, MOD spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said, adding that “terrorists of the Kyiv regime were pushed back, suffering significant losses.”
“Violations of the state border were not allowed,” he added.
The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, also denied these latest claims of a border incursion.
“There was no enemy on the territory of the Belgorod region and there is none,” Gladkov said in a Telegram video message Thursday.
“There is massive shelling. Of course, the lives of civilians, the population is under threat. Mainly, in Shebekino and in the surrounding villages,” he added.
The Russian Volunteer Corps, alongside another anti-Putin group known as the Freedom for Russia Legion, last week claimed responsibility for an incursion into Belgorod.
