Ukraine increases attacks on the Sea of Azov

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0:42Hello to you. Welcome to News Out from the BBC World Service. I'm Sean Lay and I'm talking to you live from the BBC World Service studios in London. We begin this hour in Ukraine. Europe's top official has been in Kyiv the capital Wednesday, pledging extra support from European Union countries in the production of drones. It's a weapon with which Ukraine has seemed to enjoy an advantage over Russia in recent months, especially useful in its attacks away from the war's front line, notably around Moscow and St Petersburg. Speaking in the Ukrainian capital, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said she'd been talking with Ukrainian officials about the new drone deal.

1:22And today I'm glad to announce a new disbursement of another 1 billion euros for drones specifically. But of course more is to come because we have just approved a 10 billion euro disbursement plans for more drones, for missiles and fighter aircrafts. So as I said, this is really just the beginning. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said it would allow his country to double drone production. Developments in drone technology have only recently put the Sea of Azov in range. It's on the eastern side of Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, eight years before it began its attempt to invade Ukraine.

2:02BBC's Southern and Eastern Europe correspondent Sarah Rainsford was based in Moscow and she has reported extensively from Ukraine. She joins us now from Kiev. Sarah, before we talk about drones, we should talk about the man who effectively used to be in charge of them, the defence minister, because he's resigned tonight. What's the background to that? Why has he gone? Yeah, this is a big deal. It's the talk of the town and it has been for a few days as the rumours were flying that Mikhail Fedorov was about to lose his job. Certainly this is part of a big government reshuffle. The president has essentially removed the prime minister and so the whole cabinet is being reformed.

2:39But the fact that Fedorov has lost his job is quite a shock to people here. He had only been in the job for six months. He's in his 30s. He came from the digitalisation ministry. And he was seen as the sort of the new guard, the young guard, the modern ones who were there to reform. And he kind of shook things up quite a lot. But I think one of the things he's most known for and noted for is the fact that he could get the kit to where it needed to be very, very quickly. So he changed the procurement methods. He brought transparency to the whole procedure. And he was the kind of person who said, look, we'll bring money from what's supposed to be spent on salaries in December.

3:13And we'll use it now in July to buy drones because we have a window of opportunity that we need to exploit on the front line. And we need the money for that. And we need the kit for that. But he's gone. And that's quite a big shock, I think, and disappointment to many, many Ukrainians. He's posted on social media in the last hour or so. On the day the government was dismissed, a ballistic missile developed under the Ministry of Defence was successfully tested, adding, we fundamentally revised the technical requirements, achieved maximum accuracy and we reduced the cost by 30%. He clearly doesn't think, you know, there are grounds for getting rid of him by the sound of what he's saying.

3:49No, I don't think he thinks he's done a bad job. And I think the president, when he finally comments on it, which he declined to do today, will probably say he's done a good job. I think behind the scenes there's been a conflict, although it's denied, but there seems to have been a conflict between him and the commander in chief, Alexander Sierski. Some tensions with the top brass, basically. And I think he's ruffled quite a few feathers with the way he does stuff. And there's also question marks because the new man in the job is going to be the former or the current interior minister. And because Ukraine has a big problem at the moment in terms of mobilising troops, getting people to go and fight for Ukraine because it's becoming much tougher to do that.

4:23I think there's a sense that bringing a policeman essentially into the job who will have good relations with the interior ministry might help that process. But again, that's a big issue, a big problem, a bit of a Pandora's box. Sarah, let's talk about Crimea. First of all, what's been happening down there? These attacks, I've talked about the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov flows into the Black Sea. Why is it so critical around there to Crimea? I think there's been a lot happening in and around Crimea in recent weeks, and it is really important. First of all, we should point out, because it's very important to Vladimir Putin, it's the territory that he annexed illegally 12 years ago, and it means a lot to him.

5:02But strategically, it's important too. Yeah, the Sea of Azov flows into the Black Sea. It goes through the Kirch Strait, which is the sort of eastern tip of the Crimean peninsula, very close to Russia. And basically, there are reports, there have been reports that Ukrainian drone strikes are closing the straits and kind of stopping any transport getting through there, any vessels getting through there, which means Ukraine, Russia can't export grain that way. It can't get its tankers through. It's struggling both to reach Crimea, but also to get beyond to the Black Sea and out to the export market.

5:35So that's having an economic impact. And it's also fundamentally, I think, importantly for Ukraine, it's affecting Russia's ability to resupply troops in Crimea, but more importantly, through Crimea to the southern Ukraine, where they're fighting in occupied eastern Ukraine. So that's part of a much bigger campaign to squeeze the logistics there through Crimea. And what is Ukraine's objective? Because I suppose you could argue that's not, although it may have some effect on supplies to the front line, it isn't actually the front line itself. Why is it so important to Kiev? Is it just psychological because this was the first bit that was taken from Ukraine?

6:12If you ask people here, as I have done from the defence ministry and from the foreign ministry and from everywhere else, essentially, they'll say, first and foremost, it's about the military. And it is important because everywhere is a front line and because missiles are launched from Crimea, because fighter jets and bombers are based in Crimea. and because from Crimea, the troops who are on the front line in southern and eastern Ukraine are supplied and all their logistics come that way. So it is important, but it is massively important psychologically to Vladimir Putin too. You know, this is the kind of gift that he gave Russia.

6:43Of course, it's his stolen jewel in his crown, but he did take it. He gave it to Russia and it was one of the biggest and most popular moves he made of his presidency. So I think for Ukraine to kind of chip away and to challenge his authority and that sort of foundation stone of his rule, I think for Ukraine too, that is a big deal. For people in Crimea, how difficult is daily life becoming? Harder, not impossible, but I would say it's somehow familiar to what people in Ukraine have been experiencing for a few years. So there are power blackouts. We've been looking at telegram channels and these statements from the energy companies there talking about blackouts in large parts of the peninsula.

7:22I've spoken to local residents who've confirmed that And also, you know, the problem with fuel shortages, I think, are becoming a growing problem and one that's affecting everyday life and people there. BBC Southern and Eastern Europe correspondent Sarah Rainsford. Sarah, thanks very much. To get an idea of what life is like on the Crimean Peninsula, the BBC's James Beersworth has been speaking to a man in the Crimean capital, Sevastopol. We're not naming him in order to protect his identity. Now it's changed drastically. Drones are flying, rockets are flying like every week. And logistics have been damaged to the point where we have no petroleum right here.

8:03And we have some shortages in various goods. And when you wander out onto the streets of Sevastopol and you see life, how is it different now? You obviously talk about the fact that, you know, there's a shortage of gas. Are things more expensive? Are food prices more expensive? Have you had shortages of things like electricity and lighting? Shortages of electricity only if drones are attacking power plants. If that is happening, then yes. When they repair power plants, electricity is like normal. And everything is like normal and people are trying to live their normal lives. But it's becoming harder and harder each day because more goods and more like war things are happening.

8:50like again drones and rockets it has been harder and harder to live a normal life but people are trying when i walk around savastopol i see people smiling see people walking with their kids and animals pets i think many people want to live many but not many can because it's important move if i I might say so. And it takes a lot of money and effort to do something like that. And not many of people are willing to risk their lives elsewhere and start from scratch and something like that. A view from inside Crimea. Well, Elizabeth Braw, a fellow at the Washington-based Atlantic Council think tank, has been studying Ukraine's maritime operations.

9:42What does she make of what the country is doing in the Sea of Azov? It is extraordinary to see how Ukraine is targeting and successfully attacking merchant vessels in the Sea of Azov. And there has been several dozen attacks, over 100 attacks now in the past few days. And this is completely new. And what the Ukrainians are doing is using drones to harm merchant vessels, not to sink them, not to kill people, but to harm them so that they can't go about their business of transporting those things that the Russians need. So although Kyiv says it's targeting Russian oil exports, actually, it's choosing ships that are transiting the Sea of Azov.

10:24And are they more likely to be carrying supplies into Crimea than oil out of Crimea? They are carrying supplies and especially oil into Crimea. And we should remember that the oil that Russia exports out of the country leaves Russia via the Baltic Sea, which is why the shadow fleet is such a big problem there. But the Russian troops around the Sea of Azar and especially in Crimea and as well as other Russians there do need oil. And it's transported on these vessels, oil and other supplies. And it is really an extraordinary development that we are seeing because these attacks are not just happening.

11:03They are already having an effect on Russia's ability to supply its citizens there. So although Russia has annexed Crimea more than a decade ago, it's now struggling to support the population. It has that. I mean, could this, though, in any way change the conduct of the war since this isn't the front line? This is not the front line. And it's interesting to see that Ukraine has decided to target merchant vessels. Now, you're not supposed to target merchant vessels in war. But the argument that Ukrainians are making is Russia has been violating all kinds of rules of war and international laws and conventions and treaties.

11:45is why should we follow the rules when Russia does not? And Russia has, in fact, also attacked merchant vessels in the Black Sea over the years and during these past four and a half years. So what Ukraine seems to have decided is that merchant vessels that supply Russia with, for example, oil in the occupied territories, that they are a legitimate target and the shadow fleet that exports Russian oil above the price cap and as a result generates money for the war, that those ships are also legitimate targets. And now that Ukrainians are targeting them. And from Russia's perspective, is there much it can do about this?

12:23There isn't really. But what Russia can do is get better drones itself. It has been slower on the uptake with drones than Ukraine. But obviously, it's learning from the Ukrainians. So Russia could and is likely to target Ukrainian vessels, merchant vessels linked to Ukraine, I should say. But still, Ukraine has the upper hand. And also, I think, psychologically, it has achieved really quite a surprise in frightening Russians around the Sea of Ozov, and especially in Crimea, and made them realize that maybe they are not safe. Maybe they won't be able to get the supplies they need. That is Elizabeth Braw, fellow at the Washington-based Atlantic Council think tank, talking to me about Ukraine's latest strategy in its war with Russia.

13:14You're listening to the BBC World Service. This is NewsHour.

13:39Coming up as Argentina play England, hoping for a place in the World Cup final, we investigate their long footballing and sometimes political rivalry. The blue and white striped Argentinians are eager to be the first foreign side to beat England at home. And none more so than Ruggillo, the goalie with a deadpan face. And here's a chance for him as Jackie Milgan fires in. Argentina comes to London. And if you look at the previews in the Argentinian press, they all coach it in terms of we are the pupils going to take on the Masters. More from the British Pathé Archive and from Jonathan Wilson in 15 minutes.

14:15And in that semi-England's Anthony Gordon has scored 10 minutes into the second half after an ill-tempered start. Players in both teams have received yellow cards. A score 1-0 to England. We will have an update in the rest of NewsHour. Do please stay with us.

14:39I'm Sean Lay live in the BBC studios in London and this is NewsHour. Iran has threatened to block further trading routes in the Gulf region as the US launches a fresh wave of strikes on military targets. Wednesday, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said the Strait of Hormuz would remain shut until the US ended what it called acts of aggression. The IRGC also threatened to close off other regional oil and gas export routes. CENTCOM, the US military's central command, has just confirmed it's began a fresh wave of strikes. It said it had carried out drone, air and naval strikes on Wednesday morning.

15:15Iranian students are in the middle of their summer exams right now. The Education Minister Ali Reza Kazemi has resisted calls for a postponement of this, despite bombing and airstrikes affecting southern and southwestern Iran. Mr Kazemi said contingency plans were in place to adjust exam schedules to avoid periods of what he called heightened tension and to accommodate extended power cuts. Speaking to the BBC, this student was unimpressed.

15:46Around seven or eight in the morning, the explosions begin exactly when our exams are scheduled. You could be sitting already in the exam hall or you could be on your way. And yesterday the bombing began while we were taking our exam and everything was just suspended. Everybody was just crying. Everybody was just so fearful. And this is not fair. And I don't understand why the Ministry of Education hasn't found a solution to this situation. Our lives are at risk. And really, the situation is fundamentally unfair. Well, just before the latest wave of American airstrikes began, I asked Sivash Adalan of BBC Persian TV, what's been happening today?

16:28Some of what we do know is what the Iranian authorities are saying, some of which CENTCOM has denied. And the other parts is what we are actually seeing on videos and what's being published by Iranian Instagram users in those local communities in the southern parts of Iran. For example, the Iranians are claiming that a mineral water factory was hit or that a wheat silo was targeted by the Americans. I don't know how, if that's true, that would, according to CENTCOM's words, degrade Iran's ability to target ships in the Strait of Hormuz. But they're also targeting military bases as well and all the military assets that Iran has concentrated in those areas.

17:09But life is very difficult today for those people in the southern parts of the country who have already, many years ago, if you remember back in the 80s, they went through the Iran-Iraq war. Many of those areas have not even been reconstructed yet, but livelihoods are being destroyed. You have a huge fishing community in these areas. Their boats have been destroyed. The ports are ruined. So it seems like what the U.S. is doing, despite threatening that they will eventually destroy Iran's bridges and power plants, is that they're already degrading gradually Iran's infrastructure in those very fragile areas that Iran relies on for its commerce and for providing the basic services to those communities.

17:54Why is Iran continuing to hit ships in the Strait of Homburg? Well, it goes back to the ambiguities that lie within that memorandum of understanding, which envisages that Iran, with the cooperation of Oman, will find arrangement that would govern maritime shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, but allow shipping within that 60 days that was meant to give enough time for Iran and the U.S. to engage in negotiations. But the Iranians apparently freaked out when they learned that the Omanis and the Americans were plotting, in their words, to establish an alternative route in the Strait of Hormuz, very close to the Omani coast, through which shipping can pass.

18:37Effectively, without Iran's consent. In other words, take away their advantage in the Strait of Hormuz. Absolutely, because now it's almost common knowledge that the Strait of Hormuz is Iran's main leverage, even more powerful than the nuclear program. So it's not something that the Iranians would accept. And they didn't want to see that the power, the strength of that leverage erode because they thought, well, imagine that we don't reach an agreement with the U.S. And if they attack us again, we lose that leverage. So it all goes back, perhaps, to that deep, deep mistrust that exists between the two sides.

19:13Mohammed Halabaf, the Iranian chief negotiator, has been speaking in the last few hours. What's he had to say? Today, what he tried to do was to appease both constituencies within Iran, those hardliners who feel that any talks with the murderer, with the killer of the supreme leader, is itself sacrosatin, that they even shouldn't be talking with the U.S., that they should be forcing the U.S. to completely surrender and, you know, give up its arms and leave the area, trying to appease them, saying we will not give in to U.S. pressure. On the other hand, appeasing, I guess, the majority of Iranians who are saying, look, how far do you want to take this?

19:54You know, Yes, we, you know, the U.S. is attacking us, but maybe it's time that we started reconsidering some of our policies that has created this mess. Sivash Ardalan of BBC Persian TV. The CIA has been carrying out covert operations around the world for decades. How has it shaped how people feel about the U.S.? I'm Asma Khalid. And I'm Tristan Redman. And together we host the Global Story podcast from the BBC. As part of our series to mark the United States' 250th birthday, we're exploring the CIA's hidden history. Do you think the word of the United States will be trusted in years to come?

20:35For more, check out the global story on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. Decisions made in Washington can affect your portfolio every day. But what policy changes should investors be watching? Listen to Washington Wise, an original podcast for investors from Charles Schwab, to hear the stories making news in Washington right now. Host Mike Townsend, Charles Schwab's Managing Director for Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, takes a non-partisan look at the stories that matter most to investors, including policy initiatives for retirement savings, taxes and trade, inflation concerns, the Federal Reserve, and how regulatory developments can affect companies, sectors and even the entire market.

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21:36Welcome back to NewsHour. Well, there have been lots of accusations that President Trump has politicised the Department of Justice, what's known there as the DOJ. So it's not surprising today's Senate confirmation hearing for new attorney general was a testy affair. Tom Blanche has been acting up in the top job since the previous attorney general was dismissed. Tom Bateman is our correspondent in Washington. Well, I mean, this was the first part of what will be a very lengthy Senate confirmation hearing. It extends over two days. There will be multiple witnesses tomorrow, including, for example, survivors of Jeffrey Epstein.

22:18Now, that entire case has been one of the big issues, particularly the Democrats have put to Todd Blanche today because Todd Blanche was the deputy attorney general. He then became acting attorney general when Pam Bondi was fired in part over that issue or her handling of it by Donald Trump. So Democrats wanted to know why, for example, there had been these apparent mistakes in the release of the file, the failure to redact the names of some victims, their assertion that many, many files were still being withheld, that potentially the names of perpetrators were being redacted or withheld. And crucially, at least one Democrat suggested that there had been an effort to try to shield Donald Trump from being implicated in the release of these files.

23:03A big part of the DOJ's work had been to try to remove paperwork, he asserted. Now, Mr Blanche denied all of this. He did apologise for some of the mistakes he said that were made, particularly over the failure to adapt the names of some victims. But it shows you the degree to which the whole issue of the Epstein files is hanging over this crucial appointment. And also the way in which Democrats assert that Todd Blanch is Donald Trump's former personal defence lawyer, now running the entire justice system in the United States, being used as sort of personal protector of the president, rather than what he should be doing, which is working according to the rule of law.

23:43And again, he pushed back very firmly at all of that. But he has his work cut out, really, to try and get a majority vote on this. And he didn't get a free ride from Republicans either. No. And I think that's the critical issue here, because it's pretty clear to me now. I was in the room this morning. I think, you know, the Democrats on the committee are not going to recommend his nomination. They're going to vote to reject the confirmation. So that means that this when it comes to the vote in the Senate will be split across party lines. So he needs every Republican to vote for him to be confirmed.

24:13But there are a couple, John Cornyn and Tom Tillis, who have been pretty sceptical about Todd Blanche, were asking some very difficult questions, particularly over the issue of the so-called anti-weaponisation fund that Mr Trump set up. Now, Mr Blanche tried to distance himself from that. One of the Republicans who's been sceptical over him said at the end of his questioning, you've done a good job today. So it felt to me like he's got one of those two crucial swing voters on side. He'll need the other one. But this is clearly going to be a very, very tight vote for him. BBC's Washington correspondent Tom Bateman.