Taiwan Slams ‘Dangerous’ China-Indonesia Naval Drill Near Island 
Strait of Hormuz Shipping Near Standstill After New Vessel Attacks 
Trump Imposes New US Tariffs on Drone Imports Over National Security Concerns 
North Korea Slams US-South Korea Drills, Vows Stronger Nuclear Deterrence 
Nigel Farage Faces Count Binface in Clacton Election Test 
Iran Eyes New Development Bank Membership as BRICS Pushes Local Currency Trade 
Israeli Troops Enter Qusra Homes as West Bank Settler Siege Continues 
Canada-US Trade Talks Gain Momentum Ahead of Aug. 19 Tariff Deadline 
Trump Orders U.S. Navy to Return to Steam Catapults for Aircraft Carriers 
North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile as US-South Korea Drills Near 
Bashar al-Assad Sentenced to Death by Syrian Court 
Israel Warned US of Alleged Iran Plot to Assassinate Trump 
US Presses Netanyahu to Condemn West Bank Settler Siege 
Missile Threat Forced Trump to Secretly Switch Air Force One in Turkey 
Colombia Earthquake Death Toll Hits 265 as President Announces Emergency Fund 
Peggy Flanagan Wins Minnesota Democratic Senate Nomination 
Iran War Escalates as US, Houthis Target Ships Near Key Oil Routes 
Add as a preferred source on Google
Ukrainian security forces carried out a raid on the country’s 1000-year-old Russian-backed Christian Orthodox church monastery in the capital Kyiv. The raid aimed to intercept potential activity by Russian forces.
The Ukrainian intelligence service SBU issued a statement announcing that it has carried out a raid in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery in the capital. The world heritage site, which overlooks the Dnieper river, also serves as the base of the Russian-backed faction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the Moscow Patriarchate.
The SBU’s counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism service said the search was part of its efforts to “counter the subversive activities of the Russian special services in Ukraine.”
The SBU said the raid aimed to prevent the use of the monastery as “the center of the Russian world” and was carried out to look into the suspicions “about the use of the premises…for sheltering sabotage and reconnaissance groups, foreign citizens, weapons storage.” The SBU said another raid was being carried out in the Rivne region 240 kilometers west of Kyiv.
“Russian world” refers to Vladimir Putin’s concept of a new foreign policy doctrine to protect the Russian language, culture, and religion. This was often used to justify interventions all over the world.
The raid by the SBU also follows a November 12 service at the Pechersk Lavra complex when a Ukrainian priest was filmed talking about the “awakening” of Russia. The agency said it was investigating the details of the incident that took place in the monastery, where songs about the “Russian world” concept were being sung.
Russia continues to bombard Ukraine’s energy infrastructure across the country, leaving most parts of Ukraine without power. The recent barrage of Russian attacks has resulted in even parts of the neighboring country of Moldova without power.
In a video address to the United Nations Security Council Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attacks on the energy grids a “crime against humanity.”
“When we have the temperature zero and scores of millions of people without energy supplies, without heating, without water, this is an obvious crime against humanity,” said Zelenskyy during the meeting.
