Europe

MOSCOW, August 15. /TASS/: Ukrainian air defenses cannot fight Russian Kh-22 cruise missiles, Ukraine’s Air Force Command Spokesman Yury Ignat said in a live broadcast on the Rada television channel on Tuesday.

"Not a single [Russian] Kh-22 cruise missile has been destroyed by Ukrainian air defenses not only over the past night but also over the entire period of military operations," he said.

MOSCOW, August 15. /TASS/: The Russian battlegroup West has repelled five Ukrainian counterattacks in Kupyansk area over day, Sergey Zybinsky, the battlegroup’s spokesman, told TASS.

"In order to regain lost positions in the Kupyansk area, the enemy launched five counterattacks on our positions by units of the 14th independent mechanized brigade and the 95th independent airborne assault brigade. All counterattacks were thwarted by the group's artillery. The enemy's losses amounted to up to a platoon of infantry," he said.

KUBINKA /Moscow Region/, August 15. /TASS/: Russia and China maintain communication between the two countries’ military at a high level and conduct joint land, naval and air drills, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Tuesday.

PATRIOT PARK /Moscow Region/, August 15. /TASS/: The Western countries ignore all sobering signals from Russia about the risk the weapons being supplied to Kiev may spread around the world, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security.

MOSCOW, August 15. /TASS/: Most countries are prepared to stand up for their sovereignty and the times call for the international community to work together in shaping the world of the future, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a video address to participants and guests of the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security.

"We are seeing consistent movement toward the emergence of a multipolar world order. Most countries are prepared to stand up for their sovereignty, national interests, traditions, culture and way of life," he emphasized.

WARSAW, Aug 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki wants to hold a referendum on irregular migration, asking citizens whether they support accepting irregular migrants as part of a European Union relocation plan.

Morawiecki announced his plan for a vote on Oct 15 – alongside the country’s parliamentary elections – in a new video published on social media over the weekend, which included scenes of burning cars and other street violence in Western Europe.

LONDON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Merchant ships remained backed up in lanes around the Black Sea on Monday as ports struggled to clear backlogs amid growing unease among insurers and shipping companies a day after a Russian warship fired warning shots at a cargo vessel.

Russia said its Vasily Bykov patrol ship on Sunday fired on the Palau-flagged Sukru Okan vessel after the ship's captain failed to respond to a request to halt for an inspection. After an inspection, the vessel continued its journey towards the Ukrainian port of Izmail along the Danube river, Russia said.

WARSAW, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Poland's biggest military parade since the Cold War takes place in Warsaw on Tuesday as the NATO-member country flexes its military muscle in what the government hopes will be both a message to Moscow and to voters ahead of elections in October.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has made boosting the armed forces a priority for Poland's ruling nationalists Law and Justice (PiS), and with the election campaign in full swing the immense display of military hardware provides a chance to burnish their security credentials.

LVIV, Ukraine, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Russian air strikes hit two western regions of Ukraine bordering NATO member Poland and other areas on Tuesday, killing three people in a factory and wounding more than a dozen, Ukrainian officials said.

Local media said the attacks were the largest air assault on the Lviv region since the Russian invasion in February 2022.

MOSCOW (AP) — U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy on Monday made her third visit to Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been behind bars in Russia since March on charges of espionage.

Tracy last visited Gershkovich in early July.