KYIV, Ukraine: Russian forces launched a missile attack on the Kyiv area for the first time in weeks Thursday and pounded the northern Chernihiv region as well, in what Ukraine said was revenge for standing up to the Kremlin.
Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, announced a counteroffensive to take back the occupied Kherson region in the country’s south, territory seized by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces early in the war.
The Vyshgorod district on the outskirts of Kyiv was targeted early in the morning, and an “infrastructure object” was hit, regional Gov. Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram. There was no immediate word on any casualties. Vyshgorod is 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of the capital’s center.
Kuleba linked the strikes to the Day of Statehood, a commemoration that President Volodymyr Zelensky instituted last year and Ukraine marked for the time on Thursday.
“Russia, with the help of missiles, is mounting revenge for the widespread popular resistance, which the Ukrainians were able to organize precisely because of their statehood,” Kuleba told Ukrainian television. “Ukraine has already broken Russia’s plans and will continue to defend itself.”
Chernihiv regional Gov. Vyacheslav Chaus reported that the Russians also fired missiles from the territory of Belarus at the village of Honcharivska. The Chernihiv region had not been targeted in weeks.
Russian troops withdrew from the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions months ago after failing to capture either. The renewed strikes come a day after the leader of pro-Kremlin separatists in the east, Denis Pushilin, urged Russian forces to “liberate Russian cities founded by the Russian people — Kyiv, Chernihiv, Poltava, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Lutsk.”
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, also came under a barrage of shelling overnight, according to the mayor. The southern city of Mykolaiv was fired on as well, with one person reported injured.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military kept up a counterattack in the Kherson region, knocking out of commission a key bridge over the Dnieper River on Wednesday.
Ukrainian media quoted Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovich as saying the operation to liberate Kherson is underway, with Kyiv’s forces planning to isolate Russian troops and leave them with three options — “retreat, if possible, surrender or be destroyed.”
Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said the Russians are concentrating maximum forces in the direction of Kherson, warning: “A very large-scale movement of their troops has begun.”
The British military said Ukraine has used its new, Western-supplied long-range artillery to damage at least three of the bridges across the Dnieper that Russia relies on to supply its forces.
Ukraine’s presidential office said Thursday morning that Russian shelling of cities and villages over the past 24 hours killed at least five civilians, all of them in the eastern Donetsk province, and wounded nine.
Fighting in recent weeks has focused on Donetsk province. It has intensified in recent days as Russian forces appeared to emerge from a reported “operational pause” after capturing neighboring Luhansk province.
A missile struck a residential building in Toretsk early Thursday morning, destroying two floors.
“Missile terror again. We will not give up. ... We will not be intimidated,” Donetsk regional Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Telegram.
Military analysts believe Russian forces are focusing their efforts on capturing the cities of Bakhmut and Siversk in Donetsk province.
Zelensky instituted the Day of Statehood to remind Ukrainians about the country’s history as an independent state. The commemoration honors Prince Vladimir, who made Christianity the official religion of the medieval state of Kyivan Rus more than 1,000 years ago.
The Kremlin also lays claim to the heritage of Kyivan Rus. In 2016, Putin erected a monument to Prince Vladimir near the Kremlin.
Russia attacks Kyiv area for the first time in weeks
https://arab.news/pysx4
Russia attacks Kyiv area for the first time in weeks
- Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, announced a counteroffensive to take back the occupied Kherson region
- The Vyshgorod district on the outskirts of Kyiv was targeted early in the morning, and an “infrastructure object” was hit
Indonesia threatens to ban Musk’s Grok AI over degrading images of children and women
- Grok has been complying with user requests to alter images of real people
- Other countries, including Malaysia and France, have also threatened action against X
JAKARTA: Indonesia’s Communications Ministry threatened on Wednesday to ban Elon Musk’s X and its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok after degrading pictures of women and children generated without consent surged on the social media platform.
Grok has been complying with requests from X users to modify images of real women and children stripped to their underwear, creating a viral trend that has sparked concerns across the globe.
A preliminary investigation found that Grok “does not yet have explicit and adequate regulations to prevent the production and distribution of pornographic content based on real photos” of Indonesian citizens,” Indonesia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs said in a statement.
Indonesia has strict laws against the production and distribution of pornography, with the government regularly instructing internet service providers to block access to websites containing such content.
“The obligation to comply with Indonesian laws and regulations applies to all digital platforms operating in Indonesia,” the ministry said.
“Should there be non-compliance or lack of cooperation, the Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs may impose administrative sanctions, including termination of access to Grok’s AI services and the X platform.”
Indonesia has joined a growing list of countries, which includes Malaysia, India and France, that are calling for investigations and threatening action against Grok.
Concerns grew after a December update to the chatbot made it easier for users to post photographs of people and ask for their clothing to be removed.
In a report published on Tuesday, European non-profit organization AI Forensics said Grok is “systematically ‘undressing’ women.”
Its analysis of 20,000 images generated by Grok between Dec. 25 and Jan.1 found that 53 percent of them contained individuals in minimal attire, with 81 percent of them being women, while two percent of the images depicted persons appearing to be 18 years old or younger.
Indonesia’s Communications Ministry said AI service providers and users are also subject to administrative or criminal sanctions under Indonesian law if they are proven to have produced or distributed pornographic content or modified personal images without permission.
“Every digital platform must ensure that the technology they provide does not become a medium for privacy violation, sexual exploitation or the degradation of a person’s dignity,” said Alexander Sabar, director-general of digital space at the ministry.
“We urge all parties to use artificial intelligence technology responsibly. The digital space is not a lawless space; every citizen’s privacy and right to their image must be respected and protected.”
