Mediaboss Marketing

First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Emine Dzheppar emphasized Ukraine's readiness to share with the international community its experience in combating Russia's information aggression.

The statement came as the deputy foreign minister was speaking at the "Official Conversation" TV show on Dom TV, Ukrinform reports.

"We have decided that, given that weve been on the front not only of physical war but also of information war for eight years already, wed like to establish our leadership and expertise in this topic. Along with a number of countries that have become sponsors at the United Nations, we have held events on negative narratives, fact-checking, and information warfare, using the experience Ukraine has. We also joined the media week, initiated by some Baltic countries," she said.

According to Dzheppar, the authorities intend to position Ukraine as a country that has much to share in terms of experience gained in infowars.

"This is about, on the one hand, preserving freedom of speech, which is a value for us, and on the other hand ensuring security," Dzheppar added.

As reported earlier, in spring 2021, the Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council and the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy were established.

im

Continue reading here:
Ukraine ready to share experience in tackling Russias info aggression Deputy FM - Ukrinform. Ukraine and world news

KYIV 5 August 2021

Based on information from the Monitoring Teams as of 19:30 4 August 2021. All times are in Eastern European Summer Time.

Summary

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 44 ceasefire violations, including eight explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 121 ceasefire violations in the region.

In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded eight ceasefire violations. In the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded three ceasefire violations.

The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske.The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to localized ceasefires to enable the operation of critical civilian infrastructure.

The Mission continued following up on the situation of civilians, including at four entry-exit checkpoints and the corresponding checkpoints of the armed formations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The SMM monitored a gathering in Kyiv.

The Missions freedom of movement continued to be restricted, including at three checkpoints of the armed formations near Staromykhailivka, Nova Marivka and Staropetrivske, all in Donetsk region.*

More:
OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) Daily Report 181/2021 issued on 5 August 2021 - Ukraine - ReliefWeb

Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Serhiy Korsunsky believes that trade with Japan will grow by 30 percent this year.

According to Ukrinform, Korsunsky said this in an interview with Dom TV channel.

"Despite the pandemic, our trade is growing. It grew last year, and this year we expect a 30% increase in about six months, which is not bad because the Japanese market is extremely saturated," the ambassador said.

Korsunsky also announced his intention to start free trade negotiations with Japan.

"President of Ukraine Zelensky wrote a letter after a phone conversation with Prime Minister Suga. We have identified a very ambitious plan for bilateral interaction. And we are now very actively working on all these points," the diplomat assured.

In addition, he noted that he is optimistic about trade and economic cooperation with Japan, and promised to start implementing plans after elections are held in Japan and a new government is formed in the fall.

ish

Read the rest here:
Ukrainian ambassador predicts a 30 percent increase in trade with Japan this year - Ukrinform. Ukraine and world news

Afghan government forces are battling the Taliban in three key cities

Ferocious fighting is taking place in a major Afghan city, amid fears it could be the first provincial capital to fall to the Taliban.

Lashkar Gah in southern Helmand province is under heavy assault from the militants, despite persistent US and Afghan air strikes.

The Taliban are said to have seized a TV station. Thousands of people fleeing rural areas took shelter in buildings.

"There is fighting all around," a doctor told the BBC from his hospital.

Hundreds of Afghan reinforcements have been deployed to battle the militants. The Taliban have made rapid advances in recent months as US forces have withdrawn after 20 years of military operations in the country.

Helmand was the centrepiece of the US and British military campaign, and Taliban gains there would be a blow for the Afghan government.

If Lashkar Gah fell, it would be the first provincial capital won by the Taliban since 2016. It is one of three provincial capitals under attack.

An Afghan military commander in the city warned that a Taliban victory would have a "devastating effect on global security".

"This is not a war of Afghanistan, this is a war between liberty and totalitarianism," Maj Gen Sami Sadaat told the BBC.

On Monday, the Afghan information ministry announced that 11 radio and four television networks in Helmand province had stopped broadcasting due to what it described as Taliban "attacks and threats".

Attempts by the militants to capture Kandahar, Afghanistan's second-largest city, have continued after rocket strikes hit its airport on Sunday.

Seizing control of Kandahar would be a hugely symbolic victory for the Taliban, giving them a grip on the south of the country.

In a third besieged city, Herat, in the west, government commandos are battling the insurgents after days of fierce fighting. Government forces have taken back some areas after a UN compound was attacked on Friday.

Videos shared on social media appeared to show residents on the streets and rooftops of Herat shouting "Allahu akbar" ("God is greatest") in support of the government's gains.

Story continues

Map showing areas of full Taliban or government control, updated 29 July 2021

As government forces struggled to contain Taliban advances, President Ashraf Ghani blamed the sudden withdrawal of US troops for the increase in fighting.

"The reason for our current situation is that the decision was taken abruptly," he told parliament.

Mr Ghani said he had warned Washington that the withdrawal would have "consequences".

Although nearly all its military forces have left, the US has continued its air offensive in support of government troops. Strikes targeting Lashkar Gah continued late on Monday.

President Biden's administration announced on Monday that because of the increase in violence, it would take in thousands more Afghan refugees who worked with US forces.

The US and UK have accused the Taliban of committing possible war crimes by "massacring civilians" in a town captured near the Pakistan border.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had seen reports of "deeply disturbing and totally unacceptable" Taliban atrocities.

Gruesome videos that emerged from Spin Boldak apparently showed revenge killings. The Taliban have rejected the accusations.

Read the original here:
Afghanistan: Street fighting rages as Taliban attack key city

Taliban fighters continue to seize territory in Afghanistan as the militant group mounts new offensives in the northern part of the war-torn country victories that have come as the US prepares to withdraw its troops by Sept. 11.

There have been reports of intense fighting between Taliban and Afghan government forces surrounding the northern provincial capitals of Kunduz, Faryab and Balkh in recent days.

Militant forces were closing in on Kunduz on Monday and had overrun the district headquarters in Imam Sahib and taken control of the police headquarters, Inamuddin Rahmani, the provincial police spokesman, told the Associated Press.

Since the Biden administration announced in April that it would pull the remainder of US troops from Afghanistan, ending Americas longest war, the Taliban have moved beyond their southern strongholds in Helmand and Kandahar and begun taking control of areas like Imam Sahib, which islocated near the border with Tajikistan and on a key supply route from Central Asia.

The latest offensive comes as peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan officials in Qatar have stalled and just days before Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah, will visit President Biden at the White House.

The talks on Friday will focus on how the US will continue to provide support for the Afghan people following the withdrawal, including offering diplomatic, humanitarian and economic assistance, the White House said.

The United Nation Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Afghanistan said she pressed the Security Council to urge both sides to begin negotiations again.

Increased conflict in Afghanistan means increased insecurity for many other countries, near and far,Deborah Lyons said.

But while the talks are halted, the Taliban continue to advance their military presence in the north.

The Talibans strategy is to make inroads and have a strong presence in the northern region of the country that long resisted the insurgent group, a senior Afghan security official told Reuters.They would face less resistance in other parts of the country where they have more influence and presence.

And while the fighting has been fierce in places, the Taliban have also begun paying Afghan government forces to return home.

A senior police official told the AP that many of the police in his district come from poor families and havent seen their financial conditions rise despite the trillions of dollars the US spent during the 20-year war.

They have not seen changes in their lives and are indifferent so they see no difference. They want to save their lives just for today, the official said.

Many observers fear that the Taliban will overrun the country once US and NATO troops leave Afghanistan a predicament that could lead to the rise of al Qaeda in the country again.

The US overthrew the Taliban in 2001 for allowing the terror groups leader Osama bin Laden to use Afghanistan as a base of operations as they planned the Sept. 11 attacks.

At a Senate hearing last week, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were questioned about the possibility that al Qaeda could regenerate and once again become a threat to the US.

I would assess it as medium, Austin said. I would also say, Senator, that it would take possibly two years for them to develop that capability.

Milley said he agreed.

I think that if certain other things happen if there was a collapse of the government or the dissolution of the Afghan security forces that risk would obviously increase, but right now I would say medium and about two years or so, hesaid.

With Post wires

See the original post here:
Taliban fighters continue to grab territory in Afghanistan