Russia, Ukraine Accuse Each Other of Overnight Air Attacks on Border Regions

 A resident walks with a bicycle past a building destroyed by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the village of Yampil, in Sumy region, Ukraine September 6, 2024. (Reuters)
A resident walks with a bicycle past a building destroyed by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the village of Yampil, in Sumy region, Ukraine September 6, 2024. (Reuters)
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Russia, Ukraine Accuse Each Other of Overnight Air Attacks on Border Regions

 A resident walks with a bicycle past a building destroyed by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the village of Yampil, in Sumy region, Ukraine September 6, 2024. (Reuters)
A resident walks with a bicycle past a building destroyed by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the village of Yampil, in Sumy region, Ukraine September 6, 2024. (Reuters)

Ukraine and Russia accused each other of overnight air attacks on their border regions, with Ukrainian officials saying that two people died and four were injured in the Sumy region, and Russia saying three civilians were injured in Belgorod.

Two children were among those injured in Sumy, the military administration of the northeastern Ukrainian region said on Sunday on the Telegram messaging app. Several residential houses and cars were damaged, it said.

Across the border, in Russia's southwestern region of Belgorod, three civilians, including two children were injured in Ukraine's air attack, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the region, said on Telegram.

He said two residential buildings were destroyed and more than 15 buildings in total were damaged.

The Russian defense ministry said on Telegram that it destroyed two Ukraine-launched drones over Belgorod overnight.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

Both Sumy and Belgorod regions have been subject to frequent attacks. Both sides deny targeting civilians, saying the attacks are aimed at destroying each other's infrastructure critical to war efforts.

Thousands of civilians have died in the war, which Russia started with full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022. Millions of Ukrainians have also been displaced, while their cities and villages have become piles of rubble.



India’s Navy Launches Submarine, Warships to Guard against China’s Presence in Indian Ocean

A view of the Indian Navy's three frontline vessels during the commissioning ceremony in Mumbai, India, 15 January 2025. (EPA)
A view of the Indian Navy's three frontline vessels during the commissioning ceremony in Mumbai, India, 15 January 2025. (EPA)
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India’s Navy Launches Submarine, Warships to Guard against China’s Presence in Indian Ocean

A view of the Indian Navy's three frontline vessels during the commissioning ceremony in Mumbai, India, 15 January 2025. (EPA)
A view of the Indian Navy's three frontline vessels during the commissioning ceremony in Mumbai, India, 15 January 2025. (EPA)

India's navy on Wednesday simultaneously launched a submarine, a destroyer and a frigate built at a state-run shipyard, underscoring the importance of protecting the Indian Ocean region through which 95% of the country's trade moves amid a strong Chinese presence.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said that the Atlantic Ocean’s importance has shifted to the Indian Ocean region, which is becoming a center of international power rivalry.

“India is giving the biggest importance to making its navy powerful to protect its interests,” he said.

“The commissioning of three major naval combatants marks a significant leap forward in realizing India’s vision of becoming a global leader in defense manufacturing and maritime security,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while commissioning the vessels at the state-run Mazagon dockyard in Mumbai.

The situation in the Indian Ocean region is challenging with the Chinese navy, India’s main rival, growing exponentially, said Rahul Bedi, a defense analyst.

Bedi said that the INS Vagsheer submarine, the sixth among a French license-built Kalvari (Scorpene)-class conventional diesel-electric submarines, is aimed at replacing aging Indian underwater platforms and plugging serious capability gaps in existing ones. India now has a total of 16 submarines.

The P75 Scorpene submarine project represents India’s growing expertise in submarine construction in collaboration with the Naval Group of France, Bedi said.

India’s defense ministry is expected to conclude a deal for three additional Scorpene submarines to be built in India during Modi’s likely visit to Paris next month to attend the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.

However, the first of these boats, according to the Indian navy, is only likely to be commissioned by 2031.

India commissioned its first home-built aircraft carrier in 2022 to counter regional rival China’s much more extensive and growing fleet and expand its indigenous shipbuilding capabilities.

The INS Vikrant, whose name is a Sanskrit word for “powerful” or “courageous,” is India’s second operational aircraft carrier. It joins the Soviet-era INS Vikramaditya, which India purchased from Russia in 2004 to defend the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal.