Friday, March 8, 2024 10:22 AM EST
Microsoft announces intensifying attacks from Russian intelligence services
Microsoft announced Friday that the Russian group Nobelium, which the company calls Midnight Blizzard, is attempting to gain access to internal systems and source code repositories.
“In recent weeks, we have seen evidence that Midnight Blizzard is gaining or attempting to gain unauthorized access using information originally leaked from our corporate email systems. This includes access to source code repositories and some internal systems,” Microsoft said in a blog post.
Microsoft said Midnight Blizzard is attempting to gain access to secrets, including secrets shared between Microsoft and its customers, and that it is reaching out and assisting affected customers.
“Midnight Blizzard increased the volume of some of its attacks, such as password spraying, by as much as 10x in February compared to the volume already seen in January 2024.”
Microsoft first announced in January that it had detected a cyberattack from Nobelium, where a Russian group hacked the emails of executives.
— Sophie Kiderin
Friday, March 8, 2024 9:48 AM EST
Ukraine's military says there were 86 battles between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the past day
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said in a post on its Facebook page that there had been at least 86 combat clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the past day.
“The enemy launched a total of 4 missile attacks and 74 air strikes, as well as 101 rocket volleys,” the post reads, according to Google translation from Ukrainian. The post added that residential areas and other civilian infrastructure were damaged.
“At night, the Russian invaders again attacked Ukraine, launching 37 Shahid-type unmanned aerial vehicles. 33 of these attack drones were destroyed,” the update said.
— Natasha Tulak
Friday, March 8, 2024 8:18 AM EST
Czech Republic initiative raises funds for 300,000 shells to Ukraine
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said the Czech Republic's efforts to raise funds for Ukraine's ammunition supplies had raised the equivalent of 300,000 shells.
“I would like to thank all the countries that have so far participated in Czech efforts to purchase ammunition for Ukraine,” Fiala said in a post on social media platform X.
“We were able to raise enough money to purchase our first batch of 300,000 shells, but our goal is to provide even more.”
“Our work and support for Ukraine does not end here. We continue to look for partners so that we can continue to support Ukraine in its brave fight against the Russian aggressor,” he wrote. .
— Natasha Tulak
Friday, March 8, 2024 7:29 AM EST
Nuclear watchdog governors approve Ukraine-led draft resolution on Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
Soldiers stand guard near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant during the Ukraine-Russia conflict on August 4, 2022, on the outskirts of the Russian-controlled city of Enerkhodar in the Zaporizhia region of Ukraine. A Russian flag was attached to his uniform.
Alexander Yermochenko | Reuters
The board of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, has approved a draft resolution by Ukraine's Ministry of Energy calling for the urgent return of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Details of this news were revealed in a statement on the website of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine.
“The Russian Federation has openly shown hostility towards the agency and is deliberately undermining confidence in the non-proliferation system,” Ukraine's Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko said in a statement. “By supporting the resolution drafted by Ukraine today, countries will send a clear signal to Russia to stop its illegal activities.A vote on this resolution will support the IAEA's commitment to It shows the need to restore safety to the country.”
The factory, located in the Zaporizhzhya region in southeastern Ukraine, was taken over by the Russian military in March 2022, shortly after Russia launched a full-scale invasion. In October of the same year, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the region annexed by Russia, a move widely considered illegal under international law.
“The world's future nuclear power development could be halted by even a small accident at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,” Galushchenko warned.
— Natasha Tulak
Friday, March 8, 2024 6:51 AM EST
President Zelenskiy visits Turkey for talks with President Erdoğan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (left) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (right) meet at Potocki Palace in Lviv, Ukraine, on August 18, 2022.
Turkish Presidential Palace | Murat Cetin Muhrdar | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
According to Reuters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to visit Turkey to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The news agency quoted Turkish government officials as saying that Turkey would emphasize its support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and “convey that it is continuing its efforts to end the war as soon as possible on the basis of negotiations.” I told him.
Turkey took the lead in brokering grain trade between Russia and Ukraine for the first 18 months of the war. This allowed Ukrainian grain to enter the export market, but the agreement was suspended by Russia in July 2023. Erdogan has managed to maintain good relations with both Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, even as Turkey sees a boom in trade with Russia.
— Natasha Tulak
Friday, March 8, 2024 3:43 AM EST
Chinese delegation meets Ukrainian officials in Kiev
Head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine Andriy Yermak met with a Chinese delegation led by Li Hui, China's representative for Eurasian affairs, in Kiev. This is Li's second visit to Kiev in the past year.
“We held a briefing session regarding the security situation.” [in Ukraine] and other current affairs for delegations. [China] Led by Special Representative Lee Hui [Chinese] Government for Eurasian Affairs,” Yermak wrote in a post to X, accompanied by a photo of the delegation seated at a long table.
While China maintains that it remains neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war, showing support and friendship to Russia, domestic media largely places the blame for the conflict on the United States.
— Natasha Tulak
Friday, March 8, 2024 3:28 AM EST
Biden “determined'' not to send US troops to Ukraine
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address in the House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol on March 7, 2024 in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images News | Getty Images
President Joe Biden said in his State of the Union address Thursday night that he is “determined” not to send U.S. troops to Ukraine.
“They're not looking for American soldiers. In fact, there are no American soldiers at war in Ukraine. And I'm determined to keep it that way,” Biden said.
He also argued that Kiev can defeat Moscow if the US supports Ukraine and “provides it with the weapons it needs to defend itself.”
The president reiterated his call on Congress to support new aid for Ukraine.
“If anyone in this room thinks President Putin is going to stop by Ukraine, I assure you he won't,” he said.
— Natasha Tulak
Thursday, March 7, 2024 11:31 AM EST
Sweden officially joins NATO
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken receives the NATO ratification instrument from Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson during a ceremony at the US Department of State as Sweden officially joins the North Atlantic Alliance on March 7, 2024 in Washington, DC.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images
Sweden officially joined NATO on Thursday, nearly two years after it first applied.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson traveled to Washington, D.C., on Thursday to hand over the document finalizing Sweden's membership in the military alliance, after all NATO members approved Sweden's membership in the military alliance, according to a government statement. was.
March 8, 2024, unspecified – Logistics Commander Major Anders Eklos gestures with the NATO badge during an interview at a supply depot during the Nordic Response military exercise in the EMEA region.
Leon Neal | Getty Images
Meanwhile, the Swedish government on Thursday voted in favor of becoming NATO's 32nd member. NATO's central principle is that an attack on one member state is an attack on all members.
Sweden first announced its intention to join the military alliance in May 2022, shortly after the outbreak of the Ukraine war. However, Sweden's NATO membership was postponed after Hungary voted in favor of joining the alliance just last month.
Stig Kvarnlid (left), CEO of flag manufacturing company Flaghuset, and seamstress Tove Rikke fold a newly printed NATO flag at their factory in Akelsberga, outside Stockholm, Sweden, on March 7, 2024.
Anders Wiklund | AFP | Getty Images
Thursday, March 7, 2024 10:56 AM EST
Photos showing the aftermath of shelling of a shopping center in Ukraine
Images show a shopping center set on fire and destroyed by Russian shelling in the southern Ukrainian city of Nikopol.
A man walks in front of a shopping center damaged by Russian artillery fire in Nikopol, Ukraine, on March 7, 2024.
Yury Tinny/Saspine Ukraine/JSC “UA:PBC” | Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images
Firefighters extinguish rubble at a shopping center after Russian shelling in Nikopol, Ukraine, March 7, 2024. On March 6, Russian troops attacked a warehouse next to a shopping center with paint. The fire spread from the warehouse to the shopping center itself.
Yury Tinny/Saspine Ukraine/JSC “UA:PBC” | Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images
A self-checkout machine is burned at a shopping center after being shelled by Russian artillery in Nikopol, Ukraine, on March 7, 2024.
Yury Tinny/Saspine Ukraine/JSC “UA:PBC” | Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images
Rescue workers clear rubble from a shopping center after Russian shelling in Nikopol, Ukraine, March 7, 2024.
Yury Tinny/Saspine Ukraine/JSC “UA:PBC” | Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images
Friday, March 8, 2024 3:14 AM EST