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A6 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 3 May 2023

Russian defense chief wants wartime missile output doubled

By DAVID RISING ing their own counterof-
Associated Press fensive and stockpiling
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Rus- ammunition to sustain it
sia’s defense chief on along potentially long sup-
Tuesday urged a state ply lines.
company to double its mis- Ukrainian Defense Minister
sile output, as a possible Oleksiy Reznikov said Mon-
Ukrainian counteroffensive day that the “key things” for
looms and both sides in the the assault’s success were
14-month war reportedly “the availability of weap-
experience an ammunition ons, prepared, trained
crunch. people, our defenders
Russian Defense Minister and defenders who know
Sergei Shoigu, speaking at their plan at their level, as
a meeting with top military well as providing this offen-
brass, said the state-owned sive with all the necessary
Tactical Missiles Corpora- things shells, ammunition,
tion had been fulfilling its fuel, protection, etc.”
contracts in a timely man- “As of today, we are enter-
ner. But, Shoigu added, ing the home stretch, when
“right now it is necessary to we can say: ‘Yes, every-
double the production of thing is ready,’” Reznikov
high-precision weapons in said in televised comments.
the shortest possible time.” A Ukrainian army sniper looks on near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 2, 2023. In Russia’s Bryansk region,
Analysts have been trying Associated Press which borders northern
to figure out whether Rus- scribed Washington’s latest how the intelligence com- said Russia was continuing Ukraine, an “unidentified
sia is running low on high- estimate of Russia’s losses munity derived the num- to concentrate its efforts explosive device” derailed
precision ammunition, as in Ukraine as “spun out of ber. “Washington doesn’t on offensive operations in a freight train, Gov. Alexan-
its missile barrages against thin air.” The White House have the opportunity to Ukraine’s industrial east, der Bogomaz said Tuesday
Ukraine have become less said Monday it now esti- give any correct num- focusing attacks around evening.
frequent and smaller in mated that Russia had suf- bers. They don’t have such Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka Russian Railways confirmed
scale. fered 100,000 casualties just data,” Peskov said. and Marinka in the coun- that “illegal interference”
The U.K. Defense Ministry since December, including Later Tuesday, the Ukrai- try’s Donetsk province. caused 20 cars of the
noted in a Tuesday assess- more than 20,000 killed, as nian military reported that The prosecutor’s office in freight train to derail. No
ment that “logistics prob- Ukraine rebuffed a heavy Russian forces launched 30 Ukraine’s southern Kherson casualties were reported.
lems remain at the heart assault by Russian forces in airstrikes, three missile strikes province reported that Rus- An explosive device also
of Russia’s struggling cam- eastern Ukraine. and eight attacks from mul- sian shelling in the regional derailed a freight train in
paign in Ukraine.” White House National Se- tiple rocket launchers, re- capital, also called Kher- Bryansk on Monday. There
“Russia does not have curity Council spokesman sulting in casualties among son, and several villages were no immediate indi-
enough munitions to John Kirby said the U.S. es- the civilian population and killed three people and cations who set off the ex-
achieve success on the of- timate was based on newly damage to civilian infra- wounded five. plosives, but Bryansk has
fensive,” it said. declassified American intel- structure.The General Staff Ukrainian forces, mean- received sporadic cross-
Kremlin spokesman Dmi- ligence. He did not explain of Ukraine’s armed forces while, say they are ready- border shelling during the
try Peskov on Tuesday de- war. q

Bolivian Jesuits apologize for alleged abuse by late priest

Associated Press announced an investiga- back to the 1980s. died. conference that they have
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bo- tion into a late Spanish priest “We apologize for the pain Bolivian officials have not asked El País for a copy of
livia’s Jesuit congregation who allegedly abused sev- this has caused,” said the released the number of Pedrajas Moreno’s dairy,
apologized Tuesday and eral minors in Bolivia dating Rev. Bernardo Mercado, victims nor the dates in and that all information
head of the Catholic re- which the alleged abuse gathered in their probe will
ligious order known as La took place. But earlier this be shared with the Attor-
Compañía de Jesús. He week Bolivia’s top prosecu- ney General’s Office.
said the congregation has tor Wilfredo Chávez said on This is not the first complaint
launched a probe that Twitter that he would seek against priests for abusing
seeks to bring justice for the information from the Span- minors in Bolivia, but few
victims and called the situ- ish consulate on the case, cases have been thor-
ation an “embarrassment.” so it can be investigated in oughly investigated and
The case of Jesuit priest Bolivia. brought to justice.
Alfonso Pedrajas Moreno The congregation is inves- In 2015, a rural priest was
came to light over the tigating two cases, one sentenced to 15 years in
weekend in a report by the which concluded in April prison for the abuse of 12
Spanish newspaper El País. and determined the “ve- minors.
It published excerpts of the racity” of that allegation, A short time later he com-
priest’s dairy, where he al- and a second one which is mitted suicide in jail. In 2009
legedly admitted to having ongoing. a priest was sentenced to
A woman, framed by a doorway of the Merced Catholic
Church, walks past in La Paz, Bolivia, Tuesday, May 2, 2023. abused at least 85 children Audalia Zurita, a lawyer for 22 years in prison for similar
Associated Press while he was a teacher in the Jesuit congregation, crimes.q
Bolivia until 2009 when he said Tuesday at a press