#russiaukraine-war

#russiaukraine-war

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla is accused of luring men to Russia in the latest scandal rocking the prominent Zuma family. A daughter of South Africa's former president, Jacob Zuma, on Friday resigned as a lawmaker after explosive allegations that she tricked 17 South African men into joining a Russian mercenary group to fight in Ukraine. Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, who joined parliament in 2024 under her father's opposition uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, is officially under a police investigation, but she denies allegations of involvement.

Kremlin spokesman says talks ongoing as US President Donald Trump pushes for an end to the conflict. Russia says the United States-brokered talks to end the war with Ukraine are serious, but its officials caution that an agreement is a long way off and Moscow would offer no major concessions to Kyiv. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in televised comments on Wednesday that the negotiations were ongoing and the process is serious.

The trip, where he is scheduled to meet Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is an attempt to revive talks with Moscow seeking an end to the war. "We are preparing to reinvigorate negotiations, and we have developed solutions that we will propose to our partners. Doing everything possible to bring the end of the war closer is Ukraine's top priority," Zelenskyy said of the visit.

The goal is to cause an energy crisis and trigger a new refugee wave to destabilise Ukraine's European allies. As winter approaches, there is much anxiety in Ukraine. Last month, the so-called Coalition of the Willing, a group of Ukraine's allies led by France and the United Kingdom, agreed to mobilise significant resources to help Kyiv maintain its supply of electricity and central heating in big urban areas.

Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Moldova has been popping up in the news with increasing frequency. The Republic of Moldova is a small country on Ukraine's southwestern border, and in the spring of 2022, it seemed possible that Russia might also invade and occupy it. This would have opened up a second front for Ukraine and brought Russia right up to the southeastern border of both the EU and NATO.