Ukraine Says Situation Unchanged in North after Prigozhin Flight to Belarus

 Ukrainian soldiers work during a combat operation on the frontline near Kreminna, Luhansk region, Ukraine, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP)
Ukrainian soldiers work during a combat operation on the frontline near Kreminna, Luhansk region, Ukraine, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP)
TT

Ukraine Says Situation Unchanged in North after Prigozhin Flight to Belarus

 Ukrainian soldiers work during a combat operation on the frontline near Kreminna, Luhansk region, Ukraine, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP)
Ukrainian soldiers work during a combat operation on the frontline near Kreminna, Luhansk region, Ukraine, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP)

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday the security situation in northern Ukraine was unchanged and under control after Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin flew into exile in Belarus.

Prigozhin flew from Russia to exile in Ukraine's northern neighbor on Tuesday following an aborted mutiny, and Russian President Vladimir Putin said fighters in Prigozhin's Wagner mercenary group would be offered the choice of relocating there.

"Wagnerites are in occupied territory in Ukraine - they were and are in the (eastern) Luhansk region," Zelenskiy told a press conference, confirming that some of the group's fighters remained on Ukrainian soil after fighting in the east.

Asked about the presence of Wagner mercenaries in Belarus, he said: "I don't think this contingent will be very big."

"Our army believes that the situation in the north of our country is unchanged and is under our control," he said.



Iraqi Shot Dead in Sweden Ahead of Verdict over Koran Burning

Police carry out operations in Sodertalje, south of Stockholm, on January 30, 2025, following the shooting of Koran burner Salwan Momika in an apartment. TT News Agency/Jonas Ekstromer via REUTERS
Police carry out operations in Sodertalje, south of Stockholm, on January 30, 2025, following the shooting of Koran burner Salwan Momika in an apartment. TT News Agency/Jonas Ekstromer via REUTERS
TT

Iraqi Shot Dead in Sweden Ahead of Verdict over Koran Burning

Police carry out operations in Sodertalje, south of Stockholm, on January 30, 2025, following the shooting of Koran burner Salwan Momika in an apartment. TT News Agency/Jonas Ekstromer via REUTERS
Police carry out operations in Sodertalje, south of Stockholm, on January 30, 2025, following the shooting of Koran burner Salwan Momika in an apartment. TT News Agency/Jonas Ekstromer via REUTERS

An Iraqi refugee was shot dead in Sweden late on Wednesday, just hours before he was due to receive a court verdict following a trial over burning the Koran, a court document showed on Thursday.

Salwan Momika, 38, was shot in a house in the town of Sodertalje near Stockholm, public broadcaster SVT reported, citing unnamed police sources.

Momika had burned copies of the Koran in public demonstrations in 2023 against Islam.

A Stockholm court had been due to sentence Momika and another man on Thursday in a criminal trial over "offences of agitation against an ethnic or national group," but said the announcement of the verdict had been postponed, Reuters reported.

The other defendant in the same court case posted a message on X on Thursday, saying: "I'm next.”

Police confirmed that a man was shot dead in Sodertalje around 2200 GMT on Wednesday but did not comment further.

"We are following the development of events closely to see what impact this may have on Swedish security," a Security Service spokesperson told Reuters, adding that it was a police matter and they were leading the investigation.

Swedish media reported that Momika was streaming live on TikTok at the time he was shot. A video seen by Reuters showed police picking up a phone and ending a livestream that appeared to be from Momika's TikTok account.

Sweden in 2023 raised its terrorism alert to the second-highest level and warned of threats against Swedes at home and abroad after the Koran burnings, many of them by Momika, outraged Muslims.

While the Swedish government condemned the wave of Koran burnings in 2023, it was initially regarded as a protected form of free speech.