In Kherson city, sympathies for Russia complicate reintegration into Ukraine
KHERSON, Ukraine — When the Russians occupying her city came for the maritime college where she worked, Maryna Ivanovka refused to fall in line. The 60-year-old administrator was fired and banned from campus. Her house was raided and her phone, computers and passport were confiscated. A pro-Russian underling was installed in her place.
Months later, the occupation of Kherson suddenly began to crumble. Russian soldiers fled. And so, too, did the woman who had taken her job and office.
No sooner had Ukrainian authorities swept the college for booby traps than Ivanovka was back at her desk on Wednesday, sifting through the evidence her Russian-backed replacement had left behind: a ledger of employees who had worked for the Russians, a list of students who had voluntarily gone to Crimea and, peering from beside a potted plant, a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Read the full story here.
KHERSON, Ukraine — When the Russians occupying her city came for the maritime college where she worked, Maryna Ivanovka refused to fall in line. The 60-year-old administrator was fired and banned from campus. Her house was raided and her phone, computers and passport were confiscated. A pro-Russian underling was installed in her place.
Months later, the occupation of Kherson suddenly began to crumble. Russian soldiers fled. And so, too, did the woman who had taken her job and office.
No sooner had Ukrainian authorities swept the college for booby traps than Ivanovka was back at her desk on Wednesday, sifting through the evidence her Russian-backed replacement had left behind: a ledger of employees who had worked for the Russians, a list of students who had voluntarily gone to Crimea and, peering from beside a potted plant, a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian energy systems on brink of collapse after weeks of Russian bombing
After six weeks of intense bombing of energy infrastructure, Russia has battered Ukraine to the brink of a humanitarian disaster this winter as millions of people potentially face life-threatening conditions without electricity, heat or running water.
As the scope of damage to Ukraine’s energy systems has come into focus in recent days, Ukrainian and Western officials have begun sounding the alarm but are also realizing they have limited recourse. Ukraine’s Soviet-era power system cannot be fixed quickly or easily. In some of the worst-hit cities, there is little officials can do other than to urge residents to flee — raising the risk of economic collapse in Ukraine and a spillover refugee crisis in neighboring countries.
“Put simply, this winter will be about survival,” Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, regional director for the World Health Organization, told reporters on Monday in Kyiv.
Read the full story here.
After six weeks of intense bombing of energy infrastructure, Russia has battered Ukraine to the brink of a humanitarian disaster this winter as millions of people potentially face life-threatening conditions without electricity, heat or running water.
As the scope of damage to Ukraine’s energy systems has come into focus in recent days, Ukrainian and Western officials have begun sounding the alarm but are also realizing they have limited recourse. Ukraine’s Soviet-era power system cannot be fixed quickly or easily. In some of the worst-hit cities, there is little officials can do other than to urge residents to flee — raising the risk of economic collapse in Ukraine and a spillover refugee crisis in neighboring countries.
“Put simply, this winter will be about survival,” Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, regional director for the World Health Organization, told reporters on Monday in Kyiv.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Kyiv’s regional governor urged residents to heed air raid sirens on Wednesday and stay in shelters, as officials reported strikes in the capital.
- Neighboring Moldova experienced “massive blackouts” Wednesday, including in the capital, Chisinau, after Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu wrote on Twitter.
- Russian energy giant Gazprom said it would reduce natural gas supplies to Europe through a pipeline that runs through Ukraine.
- Millions of Ukrainians could face life-threatening conditions without power, heat or running water this winter, after attacks on energy infrastructure have battered Ukraine to the brink of a humanitarian disaster, The Washington Post reports.
- The European Parliament voted Wednesday to label Russia “a state sponsor of terrorism,” citing “the deliberate attacks and atrocities” in Ukraine.
More live updates here.
- Kyiv’s regional governor urged residents to heed air raid sirens on Wednesday and stay in shelters, as officials reported strikes in the capital.
- Neighboring Moldova experienced “massive blackouts” Wednesday, including in the capital, Chisinau, after Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu wrote on Twitter.
- Russian energy giant Gazprom said it would reduce natural gas supplies to Europe through a pipeline that runs through Ukraine.
- Millions of Ukrainians could face life-threatening conditions without power, heat or running water this winter, after attacks on energy infrastructure have battered Ukraine to the brink of a humanitarian disaster, The Washington Post reports.
- The European Parliament voted Wednesday to label Russia “a state sponsor of terrorism,” citing “the deliberate attacks and atrocities” in Ukraine.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he expects a “strong reaction” from the world after Russian missiles blasted energy and civilian infrastructure in Kyiv and other major cities.
- Kyiv’s regional governor urged residents to heed air raid sirens and stay in shelters as officials reported missile strikes on the capital. Three people were killed in a strike on a two-story building, according to the city’s military administration.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin is “weaponizing winter” as a strategy to harm Ukrainians, said U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield at the U.N. meeting. “He has decided that if he cannot seize Ukraine by force, he will try to freeze the country into submission,” she said.
-Ukraine’s Air Force reported it shot down 51 of 70 cruise missiles that Russia had launched Wednesday from planes and ships in the Black Sea.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he expects a “strong reaction” from the world after Russian missiles blasted energy and civilian infrastructure in Kyiv and other major cities.
- Kyiv’s regional governor urged residents to heed air raid sirens and stay in shelters as officials reported missile strikes on the capital. Three people were killed in a strike on a two-story building, according to the city’s military administration.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin is “weaponizing winter” as a strategy to harm Ukrainians, said U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield at the U.N. meeting. “He has decided that if he cannot seize Ukraine by force, he will try to freeze the country into submission,” she said.
-Ukraine’s Air Force reported it shot down 51 of 70 cruise missiles that Russia had launched Wednesday from planes and ships in the Black Sea.
More live updates here.
Missiles strike Kyiv as E.U. brands Russia a state sponsor of terrorism
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia on Wednesday pounded Ukraine with another barrage of missiles, striking critical energy infrastructure and residential areas and setting off blackouts across the entire country, including in Kyiv, the capital, and Lviv in the west.
At least four people were killed in the Kyiv region, Gov. Oleksiy Kuleba said, and at least 34 were injured, including five children.
As Moscow persisted in its relentless bid to leave millions of Ukrainians without electricity, heat and water during the cold winter months, the European Parliament in a symbolic vote on Wednesday designated Russia as a “state sponsor of terrorism,” citing its “brutal and inhumane acts” against ordinary citizens.
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia on Wednesday pounded Ukraine with another barrage of missiles, striking critical energy infrastructure and residential areas and setting off blackouts across the entire country, including in Kyiv, the capital, and Lviv in the west.
At least four people were killed in the Kyiv region, Gov. Oleksiy Kuleba said, and at least 34 were injured, including five children.
As Moscow persisted in its relentless bid to leave millions of Ukrainians without electricity, heat and water during the cold winter months, the European Parliament in a symbolic vote on Wednesday designated Russia as a “state sponsor of terrorism,” citing its “brutal and inhumane acts” against ordinary citizens.
Read the full story here.
Russia criminalizes ‘promoting’ LGBTQ relationships with new legislation
The lower house of Russia’s parliament has passed the third and final reading of a bill that bans the promotion of “LGBT propaganda” to children, expanding on a previous law that was adopted in 2013.
Under the latest package of legislation, any attempt to promote homosexuality — including in cinema, books or advertising — could incur a severe fine.
The bill aims to ban Russians from promoting or “praising” homosexual relationships, as well as gender reassignment surgery, or suggesting that these are “normal.”
Read the full story here.
The lower house of Russia’s parliament has passed the third and final reading of a bill that bans the promotion of “LGBT propaganda” to children, expanding on a previous law that was adopted in 2013.
Under the latest package of legislation, any attempt to promote homosexuality — including in cinema, books or advertising — could incur a severe fine.
The bill aims to ban Russians from promoting or “praising” homosexual relationships, as well as gender reassignment surgery, or suggesting that these are “normal.”
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine
— Fifteen regions in Ukraine are struggling with water supply problems after repeated Russian strikes against civilian and energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
—Efforts continued to restore power, but Kyiv’s mayor said that 70 percent of the city was without electricity.
— In the Dnipropetrovsk region, around half of residents remain without power, the head of the local military administration said. Almost 3,000 miners had to be rescued after being trapped underground during the blackouts, he said.
More live updates here.
— Fifteen regions in Ukraine are struggling with water supply problems after repeated Russian strikes against civilian and energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
—Efforts continued to restore power, but Kyiv’s mayor said that 70 percent of the city was without electricity.
— In the Dnipropetrovsk region, around half of residents remain without power, the head of the local military administration said. Almost 3,000 miners had to be rescued after being trapped underground during the blackouts, he said.
More live updates here.
Flow of Russian gas and cash entangled German state in dependent web
SCHWERIN, Germany — When Matthias Warnig, chief executive of the company building the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, arrived for a meeting at the historic lakeside state chancellery building here, he carried a bright bouquet of flowers.
It was August 2020 and Trump administration sanctions on the nearly constructed pipeline under the Baltic Sea had caused final work on the project to grind to a halt. Warnig, a former officer in the Stasi, East Germany’s secret police, was looking for ways around the U.S. action.
His quest — and his gift of sunflowers and snapdragons — found a receptive audience.
“It is outrageous,” said Manuela Schwesig, head of the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, of the U.S. move to target any firm helping to complete the pipeline. Two gas routes — Nord Stream 1 and 2 — came ashore in her northern German state.
Read the full story here.
SCHWERIN, Germany — When Matthias Warnig, chief executive of the company building the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, arrived for a meeting at the historic lakeside state chancellery building here, he carried a bright bouquet of flowers.
It was August 2020 and Trump administration sanctions on the nearly constructed pipeline under the Baltic Sea had caused final work on the project to grind to a halt. Warnig, a former officer in the Stasi, East Germany’s secret police, was looking for ways around the U.S. action.
His quest — and his gift of sunflowers and snapdragons — found a receptive audience.
“It is outrageous,” said Manuela Schwesig, head of the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, of the U.S. move to target any firm helping to complete the pipeline. Two gas routes — Nord Stream 1 and 2 — came ashore in her northern German state.
Read the full story here.
Putin tells mothers of soldiers fighting in Ukraine he ‘shares’ their pain
As anger over the drawn-out invasion simmers in Russia, President Vladimir Putin on Friday held his first public meeting of the nine-month-long war with mothers of soldiers who had been fighting in Ukraine, a move likely aimed at quelling discontent.
In a clip broadcast by Russian state media, Putin is seen sitting down with a group of women around a table adorned with ornate tea cups and fresh berries for a talk coinciding with Russian Mother’s Day.
“I want you to know that I personally, the entire leadership of the country, we share your pain,” Putin said, pausing and clearing his throat. “We understand that nothing can replace the loss of a son, a child, especially for the mother, to whom we all owe the birth.”
Read the full story here.
As anger over the drawn-out invasion simmers in Russia, President Vladimir Putin on Friday held his first public meeting of the nine-month-long war with mothers of soldiers who had been fighting in Ukraine, a move likely aimed at quelling discontent.
In a clip broadcast by Russian state media, Putin is seen sitting down with a group of women around a table adorned with ornate tea cups and fresh berries for a talk coinciding with Russian Mother’s Day.
“I want you to know that I personally, the entire leadership of the country, we share your pain,” Putin said, pausing and clearing his throat. “We understand that nothing can replace the loss of a son, a child, especially for the mother, to whom we all owe the birth.”
Read the full story here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine
—Patients were evacuated from several hospitals in Kherson, after Russian strikes on the southern city recently liberated by Ukraine, authorities said.
— Across the city, at least 10 people were killed and dozens injured, the regional governor said on Telegram.
—Many Ukrainians continued to lack assured access to power and water, with 6 million customers suffering from blackouts, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, as the country entered what NATO’s chief called an “already horrific” winter.
Read more updates here.
—Patients were evacuated from several hospitals in Kherson, after Russian strikes on the southern city recently liberated by Ukraine, authorities said.
— Across the city, at least 10 people were killed and dozens injured, the regional governor said on Telegram.
—Many Ukrainians continued to lack assured access to power and water, with 6 million customers suffering from blackouts, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, as the country entered what NATO’s chief called an “already horrific” winter.
Read more updates here.
The latest from Ukraine:
— In what he called “a very busy diplomatic day,” President Volodymyr Zelensky solidified his Grain from Ukraine initiative, hosted world leaders in a summit on food security, and elicited European nations’ support for Ukraine to join NATO and the European Union.
— Rainy, muddy conditions were hindering Ukrainian and Russian troop movements and contributing to a battlefield slowdown, according to a Western military research group, which predicted the pace of fighting to grow in the coming week as temperatures drop and the ground freezes.
— In what he called “a very busy diplomatic day,” President Volodymyr Zelensky solidified his Grain from Ukraine initiative, hosted world leaders in a summit on food security, and elicited European nations’ support for Ukraine to join NATO and the European Union.
— Rainy, muddy conditions were hindering Ukrainian and Russian troop movements and contributing to a battlefield slowdown, according to a Western military research group, which predicted the pace of fighting to grow in the coming week as temperatures drop and the ground freezes.
Ukrainians remember suffering inflicted by Stalin, Putin 90 years apart
As Ukrainians lit candles and observed a moment of silence on Saturday to remember millions of their countrymen who died in a 1930s famine, European leaders gathered in the Ukrainian capital, accusing Moscow of using “hunger as a weapon of war against Ukraine.”
The prime ministers of Belgium, Poland and Lithuania, and the Hungarian president, met with Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, for an “international summit on food security.” The gathering was brought about by Moscow’s continuing squeeze on Ukrainian grain exports, which has created food shortages across the globe. The German and French presidents and the head of the European Commission also spoke via video, news reports said.
Saturday was also the day that Ukrainians remembered the victims of the “Holodomor” — or “death by hunger” — a Soviet-orchestrated famine in 1932-1933, which Ukrainians commemorate annually on the fourth Saturday in November.
Read the full story here.
As Ukrainians lit candles and observed a moment of silence on Saturday to remember millions of their countrymen who died in a 1930s famine, European leaders gathered in the Ukrainian capital, accusing Moscow of using “hunger as a weapon of war against Ukraine.”
The prime ministers of Belgium, Poland and Lithuania, and the Hungarian president, met with Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, for an “international summit on food security.” The gathering was brought about by Moscow’s continuing squeeze on Ukrainian grain exports, which has created food shortages across the globe. The German and French presidents and the head of the European Commission also spoke via video, news reports said.
Saturday was also the day that Ukrainians remembered the victims of the “Holodomor” — or “death by hunger” — a Soviet-orchestrated famine in 1932-1933, which Ukrainians commemorate annually on the fourth Saturday in November.
Read the full story here.
Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei dies ‘suddenly,’ state says
Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei has died, the foreign ministry said Saturday, providing scant detail.
On Facebook, the ministry wrote Saturday that Makei “died suddenly today.” It also posted a picture of Makei on Twitter, writing in English that he “has passed away,” without saying where or how he died. He was 64.
The ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. State media outlet Belta reported his death, citing a ministry spokesperson, but also did not provide further details.
Makei had for years been in the orbit of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, becoming foreign minister in 2012. Previously, Makei served as an assistant and later as chief of staff to Lukashenko, according to a biography on the ministry’s website, which says he was married and had three children.
Read the full story here.
Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei has died, the foreign ministry said Saturday, providing scant detail.
On Facebook, the ministry wrote Saturday that Makei “died suddenly today.” It also posted a picture of Makei on Twitter, writing in English that he “has passed away,” without saying where or how he died. He was 64.
The ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. State media outlet Belta reported his death, citing a ministry spokesperson, but also did not provide further details.
Makei had for years been in the orbit of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, becoming foreign minister in 2012. Previously, Makei served as an assistant and later as chief of staff to Lukashenko, according to a biography on the ministry’s website, which says he was married and had three children.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned Ukrainians to brace for more Russian airstrikes, as the country reels from a barrage of recent attacks that has left its civilian infrastructure in bad shape at the onset of winter.
- Across most of Ukraine the electricity situation is now “under control,” with only scheduled stabilization blackouts in effect, Zelensky said, after energy workers rallied to repair the damage from a barrage of airstrikes on infrastructure last week.
- The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces repeated Zelensky’s warning about further strikes in an update Monday morning, saying critical infrastructure throughout Ukraine remains under threat.
- Russian forces may be preparing to exit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Energoatom President Petro Kotin told Ukrainian media on Sunday.
Read the full story here.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned Ukrainians to brace for more Russian airstrikes, as the country reels from a barrage of recent attacks that has left its civilian infrastructure in bad shape at the onset of winter.
- Across most of Ukraine the electricity situation is now “under control,” with only scheduled stabilization blackouts in effect, Zelensky said, after energy workers rallied to repair the damage from a barrage of airstrikes on infrastructure last week.
- The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces repeated Zelensky’s warning about further strikes in an update Monday morning, saying critical infrastructure throughout Ukraine remains under threat.
- Russian forces may be preparing to exit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Energoatom President Petro Kotin told Ukrainian media on Sunday.
Read the full story here.
Pressure builds to step up weapons tracking in Ukraine
Emboldened by their success in the midterm elections, House Republicans, who will hold a slim majority in the next Congress, have warned the Biden administration to expect far-tougher oversight of the extensive military assistance it has provided Ukraine.
The administration, anticipating such demands as the commitment of military aid under President Biden fast approaches $20 billion, has worked in recent weeks to publicize its efforts to track weapons shipments. Both the State Department and the Pentagon have outlined plans, including more inspections and training for the Ukrainians, meant to prevent U.S. arms from falling into the wrong hands — initiatives that have failed thus far to quell Republican skeptics calling for audits and other accountability measures.
Read the full story here.
Emboldened by their success in the midterm elections, House Republicans, who will hold a slim majority in the next Congress, have warned the Biden administration to expect far-tougher oversight of the extensive military assistance it has provided Ukraine.
The administration, anticipating such demands as the commitment of military aid under President Biden fast approaches $20 billion, has worked in recent weeks to publicize its efforts to track weapons shipments. Both the State Department and the Pentagon have outlined plans, including more inspections and training for the Ukrainians, meant to prevent U.S. arms from falling into the wrong hands — initiatives that have failed thus far to quell Republican skeptics calling for audits and other accountability measures.
Read the full story here.
Western sanctions catch up with Russia’s wartime economy
When Russian President Vladimir Putin launched last month a new council for coordinating supplies for the Russian army, he seemed to recognize the scale of the economic problems facing the country, and his sense of urgency was palpable.
“We have to be faster in deciding questions connected to supplying the special military operation and countering restrictions on the economy which, without any exaggeration, are truly unprecedented,” he said.
For months, Putin claimed that the “economic blitzkrieg” against Russia had failed, but Western sanctions imposed over the invasion of Ukraine are digging ever deeper into Russia’s economy, exacerbating equipment shortages for its army and hampering its ability to launch any new ground offensive or build new missiles, economists and Russian business executives said.
Read the full story here.
When Russian President Vladimir Putin launched last month a new council for coordinating supplies for the Russian army, he seemed to recognize the scale of the economic problems facing the country, and his sense of urgency was palpable.
“We have to be faster in deciding questions connected to supplying the special military operation and countering restrictions on the economy which, without any exaggeration, are truly unprecedented,” he said.
For months, Putin claimed that the “economic blitzkrieg” against Russia had failed, but Western sanctions imposed over the invasion of Ukraine are digging ever deeper into Russia’s economy, exacerbating equipment shortages for its army and hampering its ability to launch any new ground offensive or build new missiles, economists and Russian business executives said.
Read the full story here.