Hotel bombing in Bakhmut leaves at least one person dead and others injured
A hotel has been bombed in the Donetsk city of Bakhmut, leaving one person dead and others injured.
The two-storey building was partially destroyed during the strike which took place at 7am local time this morning, Donetsk emergency services said on Facebook.
“At 9:25 a.m. during the search and rescue operations, a rescuer rescued a man from the rubble, who was hospitalized in a health center. In general, since the beginning of the works, the scene has been found the body of 1 dead. , and 4 people were injured. Separate acoustic contact is maintained with one injured, the body of the other dead person is seen. Debris demolition work continues.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the head of the Donetsk regional military administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said in an operational update that Russian forces had targeted a hotel and that there were dead and wounded, and that a rescue operation was underway . CNBC could not immediately verify the reports.
Bakhmut is a key target for Russian forces trying to advance into Donetsk, part of Donbas in eastern Ukraine. The nearby towns of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk and surrounding villages have also suffered heavy fire.
—Holly Elliott
Ukraine confirms attacks on vital Kherson bridge, Russia tries to play it down
Ukraine confirmed that it attacked the Antonivka road bridge, also known as the Antonovsky bridge, which is a key supply route for Russian forces in the occupied city of Kherson.
The attacks on the bridge, reported overnight, were confirmed on Wednesday by Natalia Humeniuk, spokeswoman for the Southern Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who said it was vital for Ukraine to regain control of transport routes seized by Russia .
“This does not allow them to maneuver or carry more personnel or ammunition,” he said, according to an NBC translation, implying that the attacks on the bridge were not intended to destroy it completely, but to render it unusable.
“I also want to emphasize that we value all our infrastructure even when it is under occupation. We do not destroy the infrastructure itself, but the enemy’s plan. The work of our artillery is aimed at demoralizing the enemy. There were strikes on the bridge, but they were sophisticated,” he said.
Ukraine’s armed forces posted a video on social messaging site Telegram last night purportedly showing several missiles hitting the bridge, which is considered a vital supply route for Russian forces in the city, and which they used to keep them supplied with ammunition and other weapons and heavy equipment. Ukraine has previously attacked the bridge, as seen in the image below.
A photo taken on July 21, 2022 shows a car driving past a crater on Kherson’s Antonovsky Bridge across the Dnipro River caused by a Ukrainian rocket attack, amid ongoing Russian military action in Ukraine.
Stringer | Afp | Getty Images
Russian media also reported on Wednesday that the Antonoskyy Bridge had been damaged as a result of a Ukrainian attack, but tried to play down its significance.
“There are hits on the bridge, the bridge has not been destroyed. More holes have been added,” the Tass news agency quoted the deputy head of the Russian-installed civil-military administration in the region as saying. from Kherson, Kirill Stremousov.
“At the moment, the bridge is completely closed to traffic,” he added, telling Tass that the attacks were carried out by U.S.-supplied Ukrainian HIMARS light multiple rocket launchers.
The official stationed in Russia claimed that the damage to the bridge had “affected only the civilian infrastructure and created inconvenience for residents of the Kherson region” and said that “the attack on the bridge does not affect the situation in the Kherson region”. Repair of the bridge will begin soon, he added.
—Holly Elliott
Nord Stream 1 gas flows fall to 20% of capacity, as expected
The Nord Stream 1 pipeline, through which Russian natural gas has flowed to Germany since 2011, will be closed for about 10 days for scheduled maintenance work.
Alliance of the image | Alliance of the image | Getty Images
Gas flows through Nord Stream 1 from Russia to Germany were reduced to 20% of the pipeline’s capacity on Wednesday, as Gazprom had previously warned.
Gas network operator Gascade said 1.28 million cubic meters per hour, or about 20% of Nord Stream’s maximum capacity, has been transported via Nord Stream 1 in accordance with nominations as of 8 a.m. local time, Reuters reported Wednesday morning.
The supply cut came into effect just two days after the pipeline’s majority owner, Gazprom, said it would cut supplies through the route, which was already operating at severely reduced capacity and only reopened last week after of 10 days of annual maintenance, saying that he had done. additional maintenance to be done on a turbine.
The drop in flows is causing concern in Europe, and in particular Germany, which is still heavily dependent on Russian gas as it struggles to reduce its reliance on such supplies due to the Ukraine war.
EU countries agreed on Tuesday to cut their respective gas consumption by 15% from August to March, as fears settled over the winter outlook. The agreement provides for EU states to make voluntary cuts to their own gas demands, but could become mandatory if energy rationing is not implemented correctly.
—Holly Elliott
Yellen discusses Russian oil price cap with Britain’s Nadhim Zahawi
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a press conference in Bali on July 14, 2022. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen highlighted a proposed Russian oil price cap in a call with the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, Nadhim Zahawi, on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department announced it in a press release issued the same day. The proposed price cap aims to ease the impact of Putin’s war on global energy prices and reduce Russia’s war income.
Sonny Tumbelaka | Afp | Getty Images
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen discussed a proposed Russian oil price cap with UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi, according to Treasury reading.
Yellen previously said a cap on Russian oil prices would “deny Putin the revenue his war machine needs.”
The two also discussed US and UK support for Ukraine, as well as “opportunities to take advantage of the historic sanctions imposed on Russia,” according to the Treasury readout.
—Natalie Tham
Ukraine reportedly bombs bridge supply route to occupied Kherson
Ukrainian armed forces have reportedly shelled the Antonovsky Bridge leading to Russian-held Kherson in southern Ukraine.
The armed forces released a video on social messaging site Telegram last night that allegedly showed several missiles hitting the bridge that was seized early in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The reports could not be independently confirmed by CNBC.
The bridge is considered a vital supply route for Russian forces in the city used to keep them supplied with ammunition and other heavy weaponry and equipment. It is not the first time the bridge has come under attack as Ukraine tries to retake the city.
Ukrainian shelling last week left the bridge partially damaged and some reports suggest it may have been destroyed last night, but this has not been confirmed and the condition of the bridge is unknown.
—Holly Elliott
Zelenskyy says Russia is using gas prices to terrorize Europe
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends the NATO summit via video link, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 29, 2022.
Presidential Press Service of Ukraine | via Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is using gas prices to terrorize Europe.
“Among other things, the planned increase in gas prices above $2,000 per 1,000 cubic meters in European markets is enough experience to expand sanctions against Russia,” Zelenskyy said during an evening speech.
“Because it is clear to everyone that this is Russian price terrorism against Europeans. With Gazprom, Moscow is doing everything possible to make this coming winter as hard as possible for European countries. We need to respond to terror, impose sanctions,” he added. added
— Amanda Macias
US Defense Secretary Austin talks with Ukrainian counterpart about more military aid
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks at a news conference at the Pentagon on July 20, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia.
Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart and provided an update on the latest US military aid package.
Austin assured Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov that the United States is moving as quickly as possible to deliver equipment to Ukraine. Reznikov also updated Austin on the situation on the battlefield.
The latest security package will include additional High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS. HIMARS, manufactured by defense giant Lockheed Martin, are designed to fire a variety of missiles from a mobile 5-ton truck.
— Amanda Macias
US Deputy Treasury Secretary Meets French Counterparts to Discuss More Sanctions Against Russia
Wally Adeyemo, Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, November 8, 2021.
Ting Shen | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo met with his government counterparts in Paris this week to discuss additional sanctions imposed on Russia over its war in Ukraine.
Adeyemo also spoke with the executive director of the International Energy Agency about a price cap on Russian oil and other ways to restrict revenue to fund the Russian military.
“Additionally, Deputy Secretary Adeyemo met with financial services executives as well as economists and scholars to analyze the economic outlook in the United States, France, Europe and globally, and the impact of Russia’s illegal war, especially in global energy and food prices. insecurity,” according to a reading by the Department of…