Global News

[ad_1] Tensions are mounting at the border between Ukraine and  Moscow-allied Belarus , as officials in Kyiv warn of a Russian spring offensive amid ramped-up military attacks from the Kremlin. In rare access since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, a CNN team visited Belarus’s southwest border near northwest Ukraine, accompanied by state border officials. Ukraine shares a 1,000-kilometer frontier with Belarus, a country that has played a key role in aiding Russia’s attack. CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen and his team were 100 meters away from the Ukrainian side, where they saw the Belarusian government’s fortification of the border area with barbed wire in a carefully orchestrated and tightly controlled press tour. According to the CNN team on the ground, the Ukrainian side of the border is heavily barricaded with several layers of barbed wire and earth mounds to stop anyone from going through. Belarusian officials told CNN the border crossing from their side in the small town of D

[ad_1] There is one thing that Russian and Ukrainian accounts agree upon: The fighting around the eastern city of Bakhmut is relentless, and the casualties — on both sides — are high.  A fierce fight in the streets: Until a few weeks ago, the battle was waged largely with tanks, artillery and mortars. But Bakhmut has increasingly become a field of urban combat, with every street and building in the suburbs and surrounding villages contested. Russian forces — including fighters from the Wagner private military company — have edged toward the center of the city from the east, south and north. Ukrainian units have launched frequent counter-attacks to try to reclaim some territory and preserve their precarious access to Bakhmut from the west. That access has become gradually more complicated as routes into the city have come under control of Russian forces. Ukrainian soldiers on unofficial social media accounts have said they are increasingly reliant on dirt roads to reach — and l

[ad_1] Challenging weather conditions are exacerbating the stress on Ukrainian power systems, the country's state energy agency has said. It comes after relentless Russian strikes ravaged the country's power grid late last year. "Electricity consumption in Ukraine has increased due to low temperatures exacerbated by strong winds in most regions," Ukrenergo said Tuesday. Supply limits in many regions have already been "exceeded," so emergency outages are now in place, the company said. High wind gusts had caused "damages to distribution system operators" and repairs were underway, the company added. Some context: Moscow has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure and left many residents without access to heat and power. Amnesty International previously said Russia strikes on critical systems were "unlawful" and amounted to "a war crime." "Russia’s targeting of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure is unla