🔺Life sentence for first Russian found guilty of war crimes in Ukraine
The first Russian soldier to be tried for war crimes in Ukraine has been sentenced to life in prison by a court in Kyiv.
Vadim Shishimarin, 21, commanded a Russian tank in the Kantemirovskaya armoured division. He was escaping Ukrainian artillery fire in a stolen civilian car with four other soldiers when they passed Oleksandr Shelypov riding his bicycle.
The shaven-headed Siberian sergeant had previously pleaded guilty to killing Shelipov, 62, saying that the 62-year-old had been using his telephone and that the group believed he would give away their position in the Sumy region, northeast Ukraine.
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The first Russian soldier to be tried for war crimes in Ukraine has been sentenced to life in prison by a court in Kyiv.
Vadim Shishimarin, 21, commanded a Russian tank in the Kantemirovskaya armoured division. He was escaping Ukrainian artillery fire in a stolen civilian car with four other soldiers when they passed Oleksandr Shelypov riding his bicycle.
The shaven-headed Siberian sergeant had previously pleaded guilty to killing Shelipov, 62, saying that the 62-year-old had been using his telephone and that the group believed he would give away their position in the Sumy region, northeast Ukraine.
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🔺Russian GPS jamming in Ukraine pushes Britain to seek alternatives
Britain and the United States are seeking alternatives to GPS that do not rely on satellites amid concern that future wars could be fought by signal jammers without a shot being fired.
Jeremy Quin, the defence procurement minister, said the government would “need to be alert” to the threat of satellite meddling as Russia uses the war in Ukraine to test its GPS jamming.
“There is a whole range of capabilities that are being deployed on both sides,” Quin told The Times. “We need to learn the lessons from that and continue our own innovative work in the field.”
Britain is reviewing alternative navigation systems including OneWeb, which uses space, and the American brand NextNav, which is in talks with government about deploying its ground-based technology in London and Manchester.
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Britain and the United States are seeking alternatives to GPS that do not rely on satellites amid concern that future wars could be fought by signal jammers without a shot being fired.
Jeremy Quin, the defence procurement minister, said the government would “need to be alert” to the threat of satellite meddling as Russia uses the war in Ukraine to test its GPS jamming.
“There is a whole range of capabilities that are being deployed on both sides,” Quin told The Times. “We need to learn the lessons from that and continue our own innovative work in the field.”
Britain is reviewing alternative navigation systems including OneWeb, which uses space, and the American brand NextNav, which is in talks with government about deploying its ground-based technology in London and Manchester.
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🔺Assassins tried to kill President Putin, says Ukrainian intelligence chief
President Putin has cancer and assassins tried to kill him two months ago, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence claimed in an interview published today.
Kyrylo Budanov said the attempt on the Russian leader’s life was carried out by “representatives of the Caucasus”, according to the Ukrainian news website Ukrainska Pravda.
“This is non-public information,” Budanov said. “Absolutely unsuccessful attempt, but it really took place . . . It was about two months ago. He was even attacked in the line of, as they say, representatives of the Caucasus not so long ago.
“Once again, he was unsuccessful. There is no publicity about this event, but it took place.”
However, Andrei Soldatov, a Russian security services expert and senior fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, said that he was highly sceptical about the assassination claim.
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President Putin has cancer and assassins tried to kill him two months ago, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence claimed in an interview published today.
Kyrylo Budanov said the attempt on the Russian leader’s life was carried out by “representatives of the Caucasus”, according to the Ukrainian news website Ukrainska Pravda.
“This is non-public information,” Budanov said. “Absolutely unsuccessful attempt, but it really took place . . . It was about two months ago. He was even attacked in the line of, as they say, representatives of the Caucasus not so long ago.
“Once again, he was unsuccessful. There is no publicity about this event, but it took place.”
However, Andrei Soldatov, a Russian security services expert and senior fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, said that he was highly sceptical about the assassination claim.
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🔺Russian general shot down in battle for key eastern city
A retired Russian general flying an attack aircraft has been shot down over Ukraine, becoming the highest-ranking pilot killed in the conflict so far.
Major General Kanamat Botashev, 63, was pulling out of an attack run when he was hit by an anti-aircraft missile fired by Ukrainian paratroopers. He had no time to eject and was killed instantly in the explosion.
Botashev had a history of unauthorised flights, a trait that ended his career in the military.
In June 2012, he crashed a Su-27 two-seat fighter jet he was flying without permission.
Although not qualified to fly it, he ordered a subordinate officer to transfer the controls to him while on an exercise and then tried to perform an aerobatic stunt.
The jet went into a tailspin and the two men baled out at 500m as it plummeted towards the earth.
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A retired Russian general flying an attack aircraft has been shot down over Ukraine, becoming the highest-ranking pilot killed in the conflict so far.
Major General Kanamat Botashev, 63, was pulling out of an attack run when he was hit by an anti-aircraft missile fired by Ukrainian paratroopers. He had no time to eject and was killed instantly in the explosion.
Botashev had a history of unauthorised flights, a trait that ended his career in the military.
In June 2012, he crashed a Su-27 two-seat fighter jet he was flying without permission.
Although not qualified to fly it, he ordered a subordinate officer to transfer the controls to him while on an exercise and then tried to perform an aerobatic stunt.
The jet went into a tailspin and the two men baled out at 500m as it plummeted towards the earth.
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🔺Third world war may have begun, George Soros tells Davos
The invasion of Ukraine may spark a third world war, George Soros, the international investor and philanthropist, has warned.
Speaking at his annual dinner at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the billionaire warned that “the invasion may have been the beginning of the third world war and our civilisation may not survive it”.
He said: “The invasion of Ukraine didn’t come out of the blue. The world has been increasingly engaged in a struggle between two systems of governance that are diametrically opposed to each other: open society and closed society.”
President Putin, he said, appeared to have recognised that he made a terrible mistake when he invaded Ukraine and was “now preparing the ground for negotiating a ceasefire” but the ceasefire was unattainable “because he cannot be trusted”.
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The invasion of Ukraine may spark a third world war, George Soros, the international investor and philanthropist, has warned.
Speaking at his annual dinner at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the billionaire warned that “the invasion may have been the beginning of the third world war and our civilisation may not survive it”.
He said: “The invasion of Ukraine didn’t come out of the blue. The world has been increasingly engaged in a struggle between two systems of governance that are diametrically opposed to each other: open society and closed society.”
President Putin, he said, appeared to have recognised that he made a terrible mistake when he invaded Ukraine and was “now preparing the ground for negotiating a ceasefire” but the ceasefire was unattainable “because he cannot be trusted”.
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🔺Russia will allow Ukraine grain exports if West lifts sanctions
Russia has said that it will end its blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports only if the West agrees to lift sanctions.
Andrei Rudenko, the Russian deputy foreign minister, said today that Moscow would be willing to create a “humanitarian corridor” for vessels carrying food to leave Ukraine, in exchange for the removal of trade sanctions and financial restrictions.
About 22 million tonnes of grain are currently stuck in Ukraine, one of the world’s biggest producers of wheat.
“Solving the food problem requires a comprehensive approach, including the removal of sanctions that have been imposed on Russian exports and financial transactions,” Rudenko said.
The senior diplomat also demanded that Ukraine remove mines which Russia itself planted in the Black Sea in the weeks after the invasion.
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Russia has said that it will end its blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports only if the West agrees to lift sanctions.
Andrei Rudenko, the Russian deputy foreign minister, said today that Moscow would be willing to create a “humanitarian corridor” for vessels carrying food to leave Ukraine, in exchange for the removal of trade sanctions and financial restrictions.
About 22 million tonnes of grain are currently stuck in Ukraine, one of the world’s biggest producers of wheat.
“Solving the food problem requires a comprehensive approach, including the removal of sanctions that have been imposed on Russian exports and financial transactions,” Rudenko said.
The senior diplomat also demanded that Ukraine remove mines which Russia itself planted in the Black Sea in the weeks after the invasion.
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🔺School hit as Russia shells more than 40 towns in eastern Ukraine
Russia shelled more than 40 towns in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, destroying nearly a dozen high-rise buildings and damaging a school.
Moscow’s forces are intensifying bombardments as they encircle Ukrainian troops in the twin cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk.
At least five people died and 12 were wounded in the latest round of artillery and missile strikes.
Relentless shelling has forced Ukrainians to bury civilian casualties in mass graves, it has been claimed, as officials predicted the next week would be “decisive” for the battle.
A total of 151 children have been killed or injured in the Donetsk region as a result of the conflict, according to a statement made by the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office on Telegram.
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Russia shelled more than 40 towns in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, destroying nearly a dozen high-rise buildings and damaging a school.
Moscow’s forces are intensifying bombardments as they encircle Ukrainian troops in the twin cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk.
At least five people died and 12 were wounded in the latest round of artillery and missile strikes.
Relentless shelling has forced Ukrainians to bury civilian casualties in mass graves, it has been claimed, as officials predicted the next week would be “decisive” for the battle.
A total of 151 children have been killed or injured in the Donetsk region as a result of the conflict, according to a statement made by the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office on Telegram.
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🔺Nine lions saved in daring rescue from Odesa zoo by British ex-soldier and wildlife activists
Nine lions have been rescued from a zoo on the outskirts of the Ukrainian city of Odesa following a risky mission by a British ex-soldier and wildlife activists.
Moving the pride had become urgent after a Russian missile strike on the nearby airport, three miles from the Biopark zoo, raised fears that a direct hit could allow them to escape. They were also in danger of starving without the tourist income that funded their care.
“There had been a lot of shelling in the area and the lions were traumatised,” said Lionel de Lange, who organised the dawn rescue on Tuesday. His charity, Warriors of Wildlife, was determined to liberate the lions “under the noses of the Russians” in case the invading forces encircled the city and put the zoo on the front line.
The plans for the operation were kept secret until the very last moment.
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Nine lions have been rescued from a zoo on the outskirts of the Ukrainian city of Odesa following a risky mission by a British ex-soldier and wildlife activists.
Moving the pride had become urgent after a Russian missile strike on the nearby airport, three miles from the Biopark zoo, raised fears that a direct hit could allow them to escape. They were also in danger of starving without the tourist income that funded their care.
“There had been a lot of shelling in the area and the lions were traumatised,” said Lionel de Lange, who organised the dawn rescue on Tuesday. His charity, Warriors of Wildlife, was determined to liberate the lions “under the noses of the Russians” in case the invading forces encircled the city and put the zoo on the front line.
The plans for the operation were kept secret until the very last moment.
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🔺Elite Kremlin troops ‘poorly equipped’ for Ukraine war
President Putin’s elite airborne forces have suffered heavy casualties after being thrown into battles more suited to heavier armoured infantry units, according to British intelligence.
The Ministry of Defence said the VDV paratroopers had been involved in “several notable tactical failures”. They included the failed crossing of the Siverskyi Donets river in eastern Ukraine and the storming of Hostomel airport outside Kyiv.
VDV paratroopers carried out an assault on the airport using about 30 helicopters, but their victory was short-lived, as it was retaken by the Ukrainians.
The MoD also cited the airborne forces’ “stalled progress” towards the city of Izyum.
“The VDV has been employed on missions better suited to heavier armoured infantry and has sustained heavy casualties. Its mixed performance likely reflects a strategic mismanagement of this capability and Russia’s failure to secure air superiority,” the MoD said.
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President Putin’s elite airborne forces have suffered heavy casualties after being thrown into battles more suited to heavier armoured infantry units, according to British intelligence.
The Ministry of Defence said the VDV paratroopers had been involved in “several notable tactical failures”. They included the failed crossing of the Siverskyi Donets river in eastern Ukraine and the storming of Hostomel airport outside Kyiv.
VDV paratroopers carried out an assault on the airport using about 30 helicopters, but their victory was short-lived, as it was retaken by the Ukrainians.
The MoD also cited the airborne forces’ “stalled progress” towards the city of Izyum.
“The VDV has been employed on missions better suited to heavier armoured infantry and has sustained heavy casualties. Its mixed performance likely reflects a strategic mismanagement of this capability and Russia’s failure to secure air superiority,” the MoD said.
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🔺Russia is winning battle to control the world’s wheat
When President Putin began his war, he did so in the hope of subsuming Ukraine and dividing the West. So far, however, his biggest gain to speak of has come in the form of wheat.
Russia’s blockade of ports along the Black Sea has not only placed a stranglehold on Ukraine’s economy but also hobbled a key competitor in the world grain market.
More than 20 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain is rotting in silos and commercial vessels around the country, unable to reach its destination.
Ukraine is the fifth-biggest exporter of wheat and the blockade has sent the price up by 60 per cent since the start of the year, to a near-record high.
Russia, the world’s top wheat exporter, has been only too happy to fill this gap, selling not only more of the commodity but at a higher price. President Zelensky has said that Russia is also attempting to sell grain stolen by its soldiers from farms in occupied regions.
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When President Putin began his war, he did so in the hope of subsuming Ukraine and dividing the West. So far, however, his biggest gain to speak of has come in the form of wheat.
Russia’s blockade of ports along the Black Sea has not only placed a stranglehold on Ukraine’s economy but also hobbled a key competitor in the world grain market.
More than 20 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain is rotting in silos and commercial vessels around the country, unable to reach its destination.
Ukraine is the fifth-biggest exporter of wheat and the blockade has sent the price up by 60 per cent since the start of the year, to a near-record high.
Russia, the world’s top wheat exporter, has been only too happy to fill this gap, selling not only more of the commodity but at a higher price. President Zelensky has said that Russia is also attempting to sell grain stolen by its soldiers from farms in occupied regions.
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🔺Hard right has no place backing Putin, says Italian populist leader
The Italian hard-right champion Giorgia Meloni has defended the supply of arms to Ukraine, creating a rift with fellow populist politicians in her country but furthering her chances of becoming prime minister next year.
As Italian howitzers start to show up on the battlefields of Donbas, Meloni threw her weight behind the consignment, despite being a former admirer of President Putin.
“I am backing this because Italy should not abandon its international allies,” she told The Times. “I think Italy should show it is a faithful, solid and credible ally, above and beyond the Ukrainian cause, which I support.”
Pushed through parliament in March by the prime minister Mario Draghi, the dispatch of artillery and anti-tank weapons has been opposed by the populist Five Star and League parties, even though they are members of his coalition.
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The Italian hard-right champion Giorgia Meloni has defended the supply of arms to Ukraine, creating a rift with fellow populist politicians in her country but furthering her chances of becoming prime minister next year.
As Italian howitzers start to show up on the battlefields of Donbas, Meloni threw her weight behind the consignment, despite being a former admirer of President Putin.
“I am backing this because Italy should not abandon its international allies,” she told The Times. “I think Italy should show it is a faithful, solid and credible ally, above and beyond the Ukrainian cause, which I support.”
Pushed through parliament in March by the prime minister Mario Draghi, the dispatch of artillery and anti-tank weapons has been opposed by the populist Five Star and League parties, even though they are members of his coalition.
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🔺100 days of war in Ukraine — and it’s still not clear who’s winning
After almost a hundred days of war the Russian offensive in Ukraine is finally beginning to look more coherent, if not yet strategically wise or sustainable. Russian forces have secured a land bridge between the Donbas region and Crimea which will be hard for the Ukrainians to liberate — though equally hard for the Russians to pacify. And after humiliating defeats around Kyiv and outside the northern cities, the Kremlin has openly committed itself to conquering the whole of the Donbas region — the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts — where it claims, in the face of all evidence to the contrary, that ethnic Russian Ukrainians have to be protected from the Nazis in Kyiv.
Ukrainian armed forces have conducted a remarkably successful dynamic defence over this time, not holding static lines but hitting Russian forces at their points of greatest vulnerability and counter-attacking them when and where it really mattered.
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After almost a hundred days of war the Russian offensive in Ukraine is finally beginning to look more coherent, if not yet strategically wise or sustainable. Russian forces have secured a land bridge between the Donbas region and Crimea which will be hard for the Ukrainians to liberate — though equally hard for the Russians to pacify. And after humiliating defeats around Kyiv and outside the northern cities, the Kremlin has openly committed itself to conquering the whole of the Donbas region — the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts — where it claims, in the face of all evidence to the contrary, that ethnic Russian Ukrainians have to be protected from the Nazis in Kyiv.
Ukrainian armed forces have conducted a remarkably successful dynamic defence over this time, not holding static lines but hitting Russian forces at their points of greatest vulnerability and counter-attacking them when and where it really mattered.
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🔺Eurovision winners sell trophy and singer’s hat to raise £1m for Ukraine drones
The Ukrainian winners of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest have auctioned off the crystal microphone trophy for £712,000 to buy drones to defend the country against Russia.
The rap-folk band Kalush Orchestra, who won the competition earlier this month on a wave of popular support, sold the trophy in a Facebook auction led by the Ukrainian TV presenter Serhiy Prytula. He said that more than 31,000 people from 56 countries took part.
The money, raised in digital cryptocurrency, will be used to buy the PD-2 unmanned aerial system, which includes three aircraft and a ground control station, Prytula said.
WhiteBit, a European cryptocurrency exchange, put in a successful bid of 500 ethereums to secure the trophy, valued at $900,000, or £712,000. The band also held an online raffle for the lead singer Oleh Psiuk’s signature pink hat, at $5 a ticket, raising an extra £293,000.
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The Ukrainian winners of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest have auctioned off the crystal microphone trophy for £712,000 to buy drones to defend the country against Russia.
The rap-folk band Kalush Orchestra, who won the competition earlier this month on a wave of popular support, sold the trophy in a Facebook auction led by the Ukrainian TV presenter Serhiy Prytula. He said that more than 31,000 people from 56 countries took part.
The money, raised in digital cryptocurrency, will be used to buy the PD-2 unmanned aerial system, which includes three aircraft and a ground control station, Prytula said.
WhiteBit, a European cryptocurrency exchange, put in a successful bid of 500 ethereums to secure the trophy, valued at $900,000, or £712,000. The band also held an online raffle for the lead singer Oleh Psiuk’s signature pink hat, at $5 a ticket, raising an extra £293,000.
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🔺Putin is not ill, says Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov
Russia’s foreign minister has denied that President Putin is ill, dismissing speculation about his physical condition from former spies, sources close to the Kremlin and assessments of his television appearances.
“President Vladimir Putin makes public appearances on a daily basis,” Sergey Lavrov, 72, told French television. “I don’t think that a sane person can suspect any signs of an illness or ailment in this man.
“I’ll leave it on the conscience of those who disseminate such rumours despite daily opportunities for everyone to see how he and others look like.”
Discussing the health of Putin, 69, is a near taboo in Russia today but abroad speculation has been rife over whether he is suffering from a serious illness, as alleged by Ukrainian officials since Russia invaded.
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Russia’s foreign minister has denied that President Putin is ill, dismissing speculation about his physical condition from former spies, sources close to the Kremlin and assessments of his television appearances.
“President Vladimir Putin makes public appearances on a daily basis,” Sergey Lavrov, 72, told French television. “I don’t think that a sane person can suspect any signs of an illness or ailment in this man.
“I’ll leave it on the conscience of those who disseminate such rumours despite daily opportunities for everyone to see how he and others look like.”
Discussing the health of Putin, 69, is a near taboo in Russia today but abroad speculation has been rife over whether he is suffering from a serious illness, as alleged by Ukrainian officials since Russia invaded.
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🔺Russian army loses a generation of young officers
Russian forces are likely to be less effective on the battlefield in future because of a lack of junior military leaders following devastating losses among the army’s lower ranking officers, according to British intelligence.
The Ministry of Defence said that brigade and battalion commanders were being deployed into harm’s way because they were “held to an uncompromising level of responsibility for their units’ performance”.
Junior officers have also been forced to lead low-level tactical assaults because the Russian army lacks the cadre of highly trained non-commissioned officers who fulfil that role in western forces, the assessment said.
“The loss of a large proportion of the younger generation of professional officers will likely exacerbate ongoing problems in modernising its approach to command and control,” the MoD said.
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Russian forces are likely to be less effective on the battlefield in future because of a lack of junior military leaders following devastating losses among the army’s lower ranking officers, according to British intelligence.
The Ministry of Defence said that brigade and battalion commanders were being deployed into harm’s way because they were “held to an uncompromising level of responsibility for their units’ performance”.
Junior officers have also been forced to lead low-level tactical assaults because the Russian army lacks the cadre of highly trained non-commissioned officers who fulfil that role in western forces, the assessment said.
“The loss of a large proportion of the younger generation of professional officers will likely exacerbate ongoing problems in modernising its approach to command and control,” the MoD said.
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🔺Britons fight and die like cannon-fodder in Ukraine, says teenage volunteer
A British teenager who volunteered to fight in Ukraine has warned that the country’s foreign legion is “disorganised mayhem” and “the reality is you will be used as cannon-fodder”.
Those who answered a call for foreign fighters to help defend Ukraine have suggested that as many as 20 UK nationals have died in the conflict, although the claims have not been verified.
Ben Atkin, 18, who is the youngest known Briton to travel to Ukraine to join the war, told Channel 4 News that he felt lucky to have escaped alive after being told he would be sent to the front line in the east just hours after arriving in the country, despite a lack of weapons training.
“You can’t trust these people to look after you,” Atkin, from Scotland, said. “It’s disorganised mayhem, you are ill-equipped, you’re poorly armed . . . You will be used as cannon-fodder.
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A British teenager who volunteered to fight in Ukraine has warned that the country’s foreign legion is “disorganised mayhem” and “the reality is you will be used as cannon-fodder”.
Those who answered a call for foreign fighters to help defend Ukraine have suggested that as many as 20 UK nationals have died in the conflict, although the claims have not been verified.
Ben Atkin, 18, who is the youngest known Briton to travel to Ukraine to join the war, told Channel 4 News that he felt lucky to have escaped alive after being told he would be sent to the front line in the east just hours after arriving in the country, despite a lack of weapons training.
“You can’t trust these people to look after you,” Atkin, from Scotland, said. “It’s disorganised mayhem, you are ill-equipped, you’re poorly armed . . . You will be used as cannon-fodder.
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🔺US rockets will more than double Ukraine’s artillery range
The United States will supply Ukraine with advanced rocket systems that will more than double its artillery range after Ukrainian officials warned their military was in danger of being outgunned by Russian forces in the east.
President Biden announced his decision to provide Ukraine with multiple launch rocket systems in a newspaper editorial overnight, saying these would allow the Ukrainians to “fight on the battlefield and be in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table”.
The high-mobility artillery rocket system, or HIMARS, will have a range of some 48 miles, compared with the previously most advanced American-supplied artillery, a howitzer system with a range of 18 miles.
Underlining the sensitivity of supplying the new systems, Ukraine’s leaders were asked for assurances they would not use the weapons against targets inside Russian territory, which could provoke a wider conflict with Moscow.
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The United States will supply Ukraine with advanced rocket systems that will more than double its artillery range after Ukrainian officials warned their military was in danger of being outgunned by Russian forces in the east.
President Biden announced his decision to provide Ukraine with multiple launch rocket systems in a newspaper editorial overnight, saying these would allow the Ukrainians to “fight on the battlefield and be in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table”.
The high-mobility artillery rocket system, or HIMARS, will have a range of some 48 miles, compared with the previously most advanced American-supplied artillery, a howitzer system with a range of 18 miles.
Underlining the sensitivity of supplying the new systems, Ukraine’s leaders were asked for assurances they would not use the weapons against targets inside Russian territory, which could provoke a wider conflict with Moscow.
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🔺Ukrainian refugee in UK spots family’s possessions on top of Russian tank
A Ukrainian refugee in the UK has said she recognised her boiler and bedsheets being looted from her home by Russian soldiers in a photo.
Alina Koreniuk, a policewoman from Popasna in the Donbas region, left Ukraine with her children in early April and is staying with a British couple in Nottinghamshire under the Homes for Ukrainians scheme.
The picture, taken recently, shows a tank laden with cardboard boxes and blankets rolling past bombed-out residential buildings in the town, which was captured by Russian forces on May 8.
Koreniuk says one of the boxes in the photograph contains the new boiler that she bought and planned to install before the war started. Other items on the tank include a tablecloth from the family’s summer house, new Disney bedsheets for her children and a red blanket.
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A Ukrainian refugee in the UK has said she recognised her boiler and bedsheets being looted from her home by Russian soldiers in a photo.
Alina Koreniuk, a policewoman from Popasna in the Donbas region, left Ukraine with her children in early April and is staying with a British couple in Nottinghamshire under the Homes for Ukrainians scheme.
The picture, taken recently, shows a tank laden with cardboard boxes and blankets rolling past bombed-out residential buildings in the town, which was captured by Russian forces on May 8.
Koreniuk says one of the boxes in the photograph contains the new boiler that she bought and planned to install before the war started. Other items on the tank include a tablecloth from the family’s summer house, new Disney bedsheets for her children and a red blanket.
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🔺Allies send long-range rockets to target Putin’s war machine
Britain and America will send long-range weapons to Ukraine to try to turn the tide of war in the east of the country amid warnings it will last “at least” until the end of the year.
The US said Russia had “brought this on itself” as it announced that it would send the M142 high-mobility artillery rocket system, which will more than double Ukraine’s artillery range and allow it to strike targets 50 miles away.
Britain will send its M270B1 multiple launch rocket system, which uses a 200lb high explosive warhead to destroy targets as far away as 43 miles, defence sources have said. Fewer than ten will be supplied but a senior Whitehall source said they would be accompanied by “lots” of ammunition.
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Britain and America will send long-range weapons to Ukraine to try to turn the tide of war in the east of the country amid warnings it will last “at least” until the end of the year.
The US said Russia had “brought this on itself” as it announced that it would send the M142 high-mobility artillery rocket system, which will more than double Ukraine’s artillery range and allow it to strike targets 50 miles away.
Britain will send its M270B1 multiple launch rocket system, which uses a 200lb high explosive warhead to destroy targets as far away as 43 miles, defence sources have said. Fewer than ten will be supplied but a senior Whitehall source said they would be accompanied by “lots” of ammunition.
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🔺Luhansk teeters as Russian forces destroy Severodonetsk ‘block by block’
Russian forces have seized most of the eastern city of Severodonetsk despite the main road into the city probably remaining under Ukrainian control, according to British intelligence.
The fall of the city would bring nearly the whole of Luhansk province under Russian control and would allow the Kremlin to shift focus to the Donetsk Oblast.
The Ministry of Defence said Russia had continued to make steady local gains, enabled by a heavy concentration of artillery. “This has not been without cost and Russian forces have sustained losses in the process,” the MoD said.
Close to 80 per cent of the regional centre, including the eastern quarters of the city, is now occupied by Russian forces, Serhiy Haidai, head of the Luhansk regional military administration, wrote on the messaging app Telegram.
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Russian forces have seized most of the eastern city of Severodonetsk despite the main road into the city probably remaining under Ukrainian control, according to British intelligence.
The fall of the city would bring nearly the whole of Luhansk province under Russian control and would allow the Kremlin to shift focus to the Donetsk Oblast.
The Ministry of Defence said Russia had continued to make steady local gains, enabled by a heavy concentration of artillery. “This has not been without cost and Russian forces have sustained losses in the process,” the MoD said.
Close to 80 per cent of the regional centre, including the eastern quarters of the city, is now occupied by Russian forces, Serhiy Haidai, head of the Luhansk regional military administration, wrote on the messaging app Telegram.
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