Military Conflicts
The war in the eastern Ukrainian Donbas region continues. Yesterday, the OSCE extended its observation mandate in Ukraine by one year. But their job on the front line is not getting any easier: the Ukrainian army reported eight enemy shellings yesterday, the breakaway "Donetsk People's Republic" two. Grenade launchers and heavy machine guns were used.
The OSCE has already registered almost 14,000 violations since the ceasefire began in summer 2020. Just last Friday, four Ukrainian soldiers were killed. "We have to answer fire," the newspaper Levy Bereg quotes Kiev parliamentarian Sergiy Rakhmanin as saying. "The snipers should work without having to wait for orders."
The Ain al-Assad airbase in Iraq has become the target of a missile attack. At least ten projectiles hit the military base. Iraqi security forces are investigating the missile attack, a US military spokesperson said.
The base hosts Iraqi forces and troops of the US-led coalition in the fight against the terrorist militia "Islamic State" (IS). The USA did not give any details on possible casualties. Iraqi security forces spoke of "no significant casualties".
The Norwegian army also said there were no casualties among the 30 or so Norwegian soldiers stationed there. All of them were safe, a spokeswoman said, according to the Norwegian news agency NTB.
According to the UN, the two opponents in the civil war have signed an agreement for a ceasefire in Geneva. Military representatives of Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj and General Khalifa Haftar had been in Switzerland since Monday to prepare political talks on Libya's future.
The internationally recognized government of Sarraj, based in the capital Tripoli, has been fighting for years against Haftar and a counter-parliament in Tobruk in eastern Libya for power. According to experts, about 1400 Russian mercenaries are currently fighting in Libya.
The Prime Minister of Armenia has announced that there is no diplomatic solution in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and subsequent war with Azerbaijan. He has vowed to fight "until the end".
After around ten hours of talks between diplomats from Armenia and Azerbaijan, both countries have agreed to a cease-fire in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. It came into effect only hours later at noon local time on Saturday.
The negotiations had been initiated and taken place under Russian supervision. The cease-fire happens "on humanitarian grounds for exchanging POWs and other detained persons and dead bodies" according to a statement.
The foreign ministers of China and India announced an agreement to ease tensions after recent clashes on their contested Himalayan border.
Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi and Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar met in Moscow on Thursday and issued a five-point statement aimed at ending a simmering confrontation.
Wang Yi said, "it is normal for China and India to have some differences as two neighbouring powers, but to put the differences in the proper place in bilateral relations."
S. Jaishankar stated "India does not want to see an escalation of tension in the border areas between India and China. India’s China policy has not changed, and I believe China has not changed either."
After experiencing several explosions at key military and nuclear facilities in Iran the country allegedly put parts of its air defense system on "high alert". According to CNN, the Unites States has "several" intelligence indications from satellites, planes and ships that routinely operate in international airspace and waters.
Following current assessments, the alert status in Iran is not part of a current training exercise but a fear of an unknown threat as the reasons for the recent explosions are still unknown.
Satellite images indicate that construction work is underway on both the Indian and on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control, the disputed area along the Galwan River Valley. Both sides have previously publically stated through their diplomats that they had agreed to disengage from a standoff. According to experts, the Indian side apparently has built a wall and the Chinese side has expanded an outpost camp that is connected to additional military bases deeper into Chinese territory.
During the border clash between India and China at the Galwan Valley at least 20 members of the Indian army and 43 members of the Chinese army have died. The location of the stand-off between the two forces is located on high altitude terrain which exposes the soldiers to temperatures below zero putting additional strains on them. The Indian side claims that China unilaterally tried to change the status quo in the region and couches to protect the Indian border.
For the first time in 45 years, soldiers have died in the highly disputes Kashmir border region as Chinese and Indian military forces have clashed. India has stated that one officer and two soldiers had died, with both sides saying that "no shots were fired". Indian local media outlets have reported that the soldiers have allegedly been "beaten to death" - with confirmation still pending. China claims that India has crossed the border twice on Monday. According to the Indian army, both sides are "meeting to defuse the situation".
In May Polish soldiers crossed the border to the Czech Republic and set up camp in the foreign country. The soldiers then turned away Czech citizens who wanted to visit a church. The Czech Foreign Ministry has stated that Poland claims that the situation was "merely a misunderstanding" with the soldiers originally being ordered to guard parts of the closed border between Poland and the Czech Republic due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The "Polish soldiers are no longer present" but the Czech Republic still awaits a formal statement from Poland on the situation.