The US Justice Department has opened an investigation into the leak of documents on Ukraine and other security dossiers that appeared on social media. Security analysts contacted by the New York Times believe that in addition to the papers on Ukraine, there are also sensitive information slides on China, the Indo-Pacific military theater, the Middle East and terrorism
-
Media: Kiev tried in vain to retake Zaporizhzhia
Last October, the Ukrainian army tried in vain to reconquer the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant: the Times reports. In late October, pro-Russian officials in the occupied territories and the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the Ukrainian armed forces had attempted an amphibious assault on the plant, writes the British newspaper. Kiev had not officially admitted to the operation, but representatives of the Ukrainian special forces and military intelligence and the Navy told the newspaper – on condition of anonymity – the details of the operation. According to the Times, on the night of October 19, about 600 Ukrainian servicemen on 30 boats loaded with weapons – including large-caliber machine guns, MK-19 grenade launchers and anti-tank weapons – attempted to land on the left bank of the Dnipro River. “The idea was that only infantry could participate in battle. They won’t be able to use artillery against us, as this is a nuclear power plant,” the newspaper quoted one of the soldiers as saying. The Ukrainians, therefore, did not expect to face such strong resistance. “The Russian army has built up a very dense defense, undermined everything. There was a three-hour firefight with the Russian army on the outskirts of Energodar, but then they (Ukrainian soldiers) were forced to retreat.”
-
Zelensky attends the evening dinner during Ramadan
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended iftar together with Muslim Ukrainian soldiers, leaders of the Crimean Tatar People’s Mejlis and representatives of Muslim clergy in Ukraine: “Today we are starting a new tradition for Ukraine, Iftar, just at an official level. Together with our soldiers, our heroes, current Muslim soldiers, together with the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, together with representatives of the entire Muslim community of Ukraine. And with this, we show that Ukraine appreciates every person, values every community”.
-
Media: Moscow bans government officials from leaving the country
Il Russian prime minister Mikhail Mishustin has banned government officials from leaving the country without special permission: the Kyiv Independent reports, citing the Russian media The Bell. Permits can be issued by Mishustin only for official travel, and restrictions do not apply to employees of the Presidential Administration. The news follows reports published by the Financial Times earlier this week that Russia’s security services are confiscating the passports of senior officials and executives of state-owned companies to prevent travel abroad, “as paranoia over leaks and defections are rife in President Vladimir Putin’s regime.”