Europe

MOSCOW, August 29. /TASS/: Russian forces delivered a missile strike, wiping out a Ukrainian military train with ammunition in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.

BELGRADE, August 29. /TASS/: Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic has said he is on friendly terms with Russia’s ambassador Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko and rejected accusations that he was meeting with the Russian diplomat to report to him.

ROME, August 29. /TASS/: Dialogue between Moscow and the Vatican on Ukraine continues, relations between Russia and the Holy See are characterized as mutually respectful and constructive, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the Italian news agency ANSA.

She emphasized that Moscow "highly appreciates the Vatican's balanced line on the Ukrainian conflict and the efforts of the Holy See and Pope Francis personally aimed at a peaceful settlement, which unfortunately are openly rejected by the Kiev regime."

ST PETERSBURG, Russia, Aug 29 (Reuters) - The funeral of Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was killed in a plane crash last week, was held privately at a cemetery on the outskirts of his hometown St Petersburg, his press service said on Tuesday.

"The farewell to Yevgeny Viktorovich took place in a closed format. Those who wish to say goodbye may visit Porokhovskoye cemetery," it said in a short post on Telegram, accompanied by a photo of Prigozhin.

27 August 2023; MEMO: Russia on Sunday confirmed that Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the mercenary Wagner Group, was among the 10 deaths in a plane crash last week, Anadolu reports.

In a statement, Russia’s Investigative Committee said that it completed genetic identification of those who died in the private jet that crashed in the northwestern Tver region.

BUDAPEST, August 28. /TASS/: Hungary calls for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine because it is convinced that the conflict cannot be resolved militarily, Hungarian President Katalin Novak said in an interview with the Index online publication. She was speaking about her meeting with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Kiev on August 23.

MOSCOW, August 28. /TASS/: The Russian Navy delivered a multiple-launch precision strike, wiping out a Ukrainian aircraft armament and ammunition site over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Monday.

"Last night, the Navy delivered a multiple-launch strike by seaborne long-range precision weapons against an aircraft armament and ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army," the spokesman said.

The goal of the strike was achieved. "The site was destroyed," the general stressed.

PARIS, August 28. /TASS/: France is set to support any efforts, including military intervention, made by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to restore constitutional order in Niger, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday.

"We support the diplomatic and, if it is decided, the military activity of ECOWAS," he said, adding that Paris will not drop its support for legitimately elected President Mohamed Bazoum.

ATHENS, Aug 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Four migrants died Monday when their boat capsized off the Greek island of Lesbos, while 18 people were rescued, the coastguard said.

A patrol picked up 22 people in the Aegean but four of them were dead, a brief statement said.

The survivors were transferred to Mytilene, the main city on Lesbos, along the main passage route for migrants coming in from Turkey.

No details were given about the nationalities or the condition of those rescued.

KYIV, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, responding to calls by a US senator this week to announce elections in 2024, said on Sunday voting could take place during wartime if partners shared the cost, legislators approved, and everyone got to the polls.

Elections cannot currently be held in Ukraine under martial law, which must be extended every 90 days and is next due to expire on Nov. 15, after the normal date in October for parliamentary polls but before presidential elections which would normally be held in March 2024.