Volodymyr Zelensky vowed a response after claiming that “mercenaries” from China, Pakistan and some Africa nations were fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.
“We spoke with commanders about the frontline situation, the defence of Vovchansk, and the dynamics of the battles,” the Ukrainian president said on X after visiting a frontline area in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
“Our warriors in this sector are reporting the participation of mercenaries from China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and African countries in the war. We will respond.”
The Kremlin, meanwhile, urged caution about nuclear rhetoric after Donald Trump ordered a repositioning of US nuclear submarines.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov played down the significance of Mr Trump’s announcement last Friday that he had ordered two submarines to be moved to “the appropriate regions”.
“In this case, it is obvious that American submarines are already on combat duty. This is an ongoing process, that’s the first thing,” Mr Peskov said. “Of course, we believe that everyone should be very, very careful with nuclear rhetoric.”
Explained: India’s purchase of Russian oil which has left Trump fuming
India is the biggest buyer of seaborne crude from Russia, importing about 1.75 million barrels per day of Russian oil from January to June this year, up 1 per cent from a year ago, according to data provided to Reuters by trade sources.
India began importing oil from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, the Indian spokesperson said, calling it a “necessity compelled by global market situation.”
The spokesperson also noted the West’s, particularly the European Union’s, bilateral trade with Russia: “It is revealing that the very nations criticising India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia.”
Despite the Indian government’s defiance, the country’s main refiners paused buying Russian oil last week, sources told Reuters. Discounts to other suppliers narrowed after Trump threatened hefty tariffs on countries that make any such purchases.
Indian government officials denied any policy change.
The country’s largest refiner, Indian Oil Corp, has bought 7 million barrels of crude from the United States, Canada and the Middle East, four trade sources told Reuters on Monday.
The unpredictability of the Trump administration creates a challenge for Delhi, said Richard Rossow, head of the India program at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
“India’s continued energy and defence purchases from Russia presents a larger challenge, where India does not feel it can predict how the Trump administration will approach Russia from month to month,” he said.
Trump amps up pressure on India with harsh tariffs over Russian oil purchases
US president Donald Trump has again threatened to raise tariffs on goods from India over its Russian oil purchases as the trade rift between the two countries deepens.
Last week, Trump has said that from Friday he will impose new sanctions on Russia as well as on countries that buy its energy exports, unless Moscow takes steps to end its war with Ukraine.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has shown no public sign of altering his stance despite the deadline.
In a social media post, Trump wrote, “India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine.”
“Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA,” he added.
A spokesperson for India’s foreign ministry said in response that India will “take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.”
“The targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable,” the spokesperson added.
Russia ‘building new drone base in occupied Donetsk to strike Ukraine’
Russia is reportedly stepping up efforts to launch more drone attacks on Ukraine from occupied territories, according to new satellite analysis.
A Ukrainian Telegram channel said imagery from July shows construction work at Donetsk City airport in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine.
Fortifications on the runway have been partially cleared, and workers appear to be preparing parking areas, possibly for fuel tanks, according to the reports shared by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The Ukrainian open-source intelligence group CyberBoroshno added that the images suggest Russian forces are building closed storage near the destroyed terminal, as well as manual drone control points, warhead unloading areas, and surveillance posts.
CyberBoroshno assessed that the site could soon be used to launch Shahed-type attack drones, Gerbera decoy drones and potentially Geran (Shahed) jet-powered drones.
Using long-range drones from areas closer to the frontline could shorten the response time for Ukrainian air defences, the group warned.
Kremlin warns US over nuclear rhetoric after Trump moves submarines into region
The Kremlin has warned that everyone should be careful about nuclear rhetoric, after Donald Trump ordered a repositioning of US nuclear submarines.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov played down the significance of Mr Trump’s announcement last Friday that he had ordered two submarines to be moved to “the appropriate regions”.
The move came after former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev made remarks about the risk of war between the nuclear-armed adversaries.
“In this case, it is obvious that American submarines are already on combat duty. This is an ongoing process, that’s the first thing,” Mr Peskov said.
“But in general, of course, we would not want to get involved in such a controversy and would not want to comment on it in any way,” he added.
“Of course, we believe that everyone should be very, very careful with nuclear rhetoric.”
Mr Peskov said that Russia did not see Mr Trump’s statement as marking an escalation in nuclear tension.
He also declined to answer directly when asked whether the Kremlin had tried to warn Mr Medvedev to tone down his online altercation with the US president.
‘Mercenaries’ from China, Pakistan and other countries fighting for Russia, says Zelensky
Foreign “mercenaries” from China, Pakistan and parts of Africa are fighting alongside Russian forces in Moscow’s war in Ukraine, the war-hit country’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said, vowing a response.
“We spoke with commanders about the frontline situation, the defence of Vovchansk, and the dynamics of the battles,” Mr Zelensky wrote on X after visiting a frontline area in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
“Our warriors in this sector are reporting the participation of mercenaries from China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and African countries in the war. We will respond,” Mr Zelensky said yesterday.
The Ukrainian president has previously accused Moscow of recruiting Chinese fighters for its war effort against Ukraine, charges Beijing denied, and had issued the first signs of North Korean soldiers fighting Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region.
Embassies of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan in Kyiv have not issued a comment immediately.
