Alleged ‘terrorist’ attack in West Russia fuels hard-line pressure on Putin
RIGA, Latvia — More than 24 hours after a strange incursion near the Russian-Ukrainian border that President Vladimir Putin labeled a “terrorist attack,” there was no new clarity about the incident, in which the authorities said two people were killed.
But that did not prevent government officials and propagandists on Friday from seizing on the episode, in the Bryansk region of western Russia, to buttress their own positions, starting with Putin who, along with state television commentators, fanned Russians’ fears that the nation is under a constant threat of attack by terrorists.
Pro-war Russian hard-liners demanded revenge and a tougher approach, with mercenary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group and a trenchant critic of Russia’s military, saying Russia’s “red line” — that it would not tolerate attacks on its own territory — had again been crossed.
Read the full story here.
RIGA, Latvia — More than 24 hours after a strange incursion near the Russian-Ukrainian border that President Vladimir Putin labeled a “terrorist attack,” there was no new clarity about the incident, in which the authorities said two people were killed.
But that did not prevent government officials and propagandists on Friday from seizing on the episode, in the Bryansk region of western Russia, to buttress their own positions, starting with Putin who, along with state television commentators, fanned Russians’ fears that the nation is under a constant threat of attack by terrorists.
Pro-war Russian hard-liners demanded revenge and a tougher approach, with mercenary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group and a trenchant critic of Russia’s military, saying Russia’s “red line” — that it would not tolerate attacks on its own territory — had again been crossed.
Read the full story here.
Analysis: An awkward tension lies beneath the West’s support for Ukraine
At the end of last week, the world marked the grim anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Speaking to American and European top officials, my colleagues stitched together a powerful oral history of Feb. 24, 2022 — a day that saw the start of the largest land war on the European continent since 1945, a sprawling series of battles along what’s now a 600-mile front line that has forever changed the West’s geopolitics.
“What I understood in that moment, when I was getting dressed, I thought about the rockets flying over my children, over all of our children,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told The Washington Post, referring to what he felt after being notified by an adviser of the start of Russia’s offensive. “This means that there will be a huge number of deaths. It was clear.”
Read the full analysis here.
At the end of last week, the world marked the grim anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Speaking to American and European top officials, my colleagues stitched together a powerful oral history of Feb. 24, 2022 — a day that saw the start of the largest land war on the European continent since 1945, a sprawling series of battles along what’s now a 600-mile front line that has forever changed the West’s geopolitics.
“What I understood in that moment, when I was getting dressed, I thought about the rockets flying over my children, over all of our children,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told The Washington Post, referring to what he felt after being notified by an adviser of the start of Russia’s offensive. “This means that there will be a huge number of deaths. It was clear.”
Read the full analysis here.
American veteran killed in Ukraine wanted to ‘make a difference,’ father says
On Tuesday, Andrew Peters’s parents received a call from his unit informing them that the 28-year-old U.S. Army veteran serving on the front lines with the International Legion of the Defense of Ukraine was missing in action.
“If someone is missing in action, that usually means one of two things: Either they are dead, or they were taken prisoner,” his father, John Peters, who also served in the U.S. Army, told The Washington Post in an interview.
That same day, the family in Marshfield, Wis., received a call from U.S. officials saying he had died. The veteran, who had also served as an infantryman in Afghanistan, was killed on Feb. 16 during combat. His body had been located. Citing security concerns, his unit and officials did not disclose the specific location where he died, John Peters told The Post. The unit told him that the family would eventually learn those details.
Read the full story here.
On Tuesday, Andrew Peters’s parents received a call from his unit informing them that the 28-year-old U.S. Army veteran serving on the front lines with the International Legion of the Defense of Ukraine was missing in action.
“If someone is missing in action, that usually means one of two things: Either they are dead, or they were taken prisoner,” his father, John Peters, who also served in the U.S. Army, told The Washington Post in an interview.
That same day, the family in Marshfield, Wis., received a call from U.S. officials saying he had died. The veteran, who had also served as an infantryman in Afghanistan, was killed on Feb. 16 during combat. His body had been located. Citing security concerns, his unit and officials did not disclose the specific location where he died, John Peters told The Post. The unit told him that the family would eventually learn those details.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest in Ukraine:
- Nearly 4,000 residents are believed to be living in shelters in Bakhmut without enough electricity or water, the city’s deputy mayor, Oleksandr Marchenko, told the BBC on Saturday.
- Ukrainian troops in Bakhmut are running short on key supplies such as ammunition, The Post reported, while Britain’s Defense Ministry said Saturday that Ukraine’s defense of Bakhmut “is under increasingly severe pressure” in and around the embattled city.
- The United States signed an agreement designed to expand information-sharing regarding alleged Russian war crimes, involving Ukraine, Lithuania, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia and Romania, Garland said Friday.
- President Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated support for Ukraine and their determination to “impose costs” on Russia, the White House said after their meeting Friday.
More live updates here.
- Nearly 4,000 residents are believed to be living in shelters in Bakhmut without enough electricity or water, the city’s deputy mayor, Oleksandr Marchenko, told the BBC on Saturday.
- Ukrainian troops in Bakhmut are running short on key supplies such as ammunition, The Post reported, while Britain’s Defense Ministry said Saturday that Ukraine’s defense of Bakhmut “is under increasingly severe pressure” in and around the embattled city.
- The United States signed an agreement designed to expand information-sharing regarding alleged Russian war crimes, involving Ukraine, Lithuania, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia and Romania, Garland said Friday.
- President Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated support for Ukraine and their determination to “impose costs” on Russia, the White House said after their meeting Friday.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
— A grueling seven-month battle for the front-line city of Bakhmut is coming down to street-by-street fighting and skirmishes on rural roads and settlements on its outskirts, where Ukrainian forces are digging narrow trenches to fortify their positions. Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have not yet seized full control of the city.
— Kyiv is planning to use confiscated Russian assets to help fund the country’s rebuilding, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
—Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu met with deployed troops in a rare visit to the front lines in eastern Ukraine, according to statements and videos posted on Telegram by the Russian Defense Ministry.
More live updates.
— A grueling seven-month battle for the front-line city of Bakhmut is coming down to street-by-street fighting and skirmishes on rural roads and settlements on its outskirts, where Ukrainian forces are digging narrow trenches to fortify their positions. Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have not yet seized full control of the city.
— Kyiv is planning to use confiscated Russian assets to help fund the country’s rebuilding, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
—Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu met with deployed troops in a rare visit to the front lines in eastern Ukraine, according to statements and videos posted on Telegram by the Russian Defense Ministry.
More live updates.
Russian propagandists said to buy Twitter blue-check verifications
Accounts pushing Kremlin propaganda are using Twitter’s new paid verification system to appear more prominently on the global platform, another sign that Elon Musk’s takeover is accelerating the spread of politically charged misinformation, a nonprofit research group has found.
The accounts claim to be based outside of Russia, so they can pay for verification without running afoul of U.S. sanctions. But they pass along articles from state-run media, statements by Russian officials, and lies about Ukraine from Kremlin allies, according to the research group Reset, which shared its findings with The Washington Post.
One of the accounts describes itself in English as “No woke. No BLM. No gender pronouns … Just Anti-Imperialism.” Purporting to be based in San Francisco, its profile picture shows a blond woman wearing a fur hat with a hammer and sickle badge.
Read the full story here.
Accounts pushing Kremlin propaganda are using Twitter’s new paid verification system to appear more prominently on the global platform, another sign that Elon Musk’s takeover is accelerating the spread of politically charged misinformation, a nonprofit research group has found.
The accounts claim to be based outside of Russia, so they can pay for verification without running afoul of U.S. sanctions. But they pass along articles from state-run media, statements by Russian officials, and lies about Ukraine from Kremlin allies, according to the research group Reset, which shared its findings with The Washington Post.
One of the accounts describes itself in English as “No woke. No BLM. No gender pronouns … Just Anti-Imperialism.” Purporting to be based in San Francisco, its profile picture shows a blond woman wearing a fur hat with a hammer and sickle badge.
Read the full story here.
Opinion by Timothy Snyder: You can’t understand the war in Ukraine without knowing history
Teaching a lecture class on Ukrainian history last fall, I felt a touch of the surreal. The war in Ukraine had been going on for half a year when I began. A nuclear power had attacked a state that had given up its nuclear weapons. An empire was trying to halt European integration. A tyranny was attempting to crush a neighboring democracy. On occupied territories, Russia perpetrated genocidal atrocities with clear expressions of genocidal intent.
And yet, Ukraine was fighting back. Ukrainians resisted the nuclear blackmail, scorned the vaunted empire and took risks for their democracy. At Kyiv, Kharkiv and, later, Kherson, they beat back the Russians.
We were at a historical turning point. But where was the history? The television screens were full of Ukraine day in and day out, and the one thing any viewer could say with confidence was that the commentators had never studied Ukraine.
Read the full opinion here.
Teaching a lecture class on Ukrainian history last fall, I felt a touch of the surreal. The war in Ukraine had been going on for half a year when I began. A nuclear power had attacked a state that had given up its nuclear weapons. An empire was trying to halt European integration. A tyranny was attempting to crush a neighboring democracy. On occupied territories, Russia perpetrated genocidal atrocities with clear expressions of genocidal intent.
And yet, Ukraine was fighting back. Ukrainians resisted the nuclear blackmail, scorned the vaunted empire and took risks for their democracy. At Kyiv, Kharkiv and, later, Kherson, they beat back the Russians.
We were at a historical turning point. But where was the history? The television screens were full of Ukraine day in and day out, and the one thing any viewer could say with confidence was that the commentators had never studied Ukraine.
Read the full opinion here.
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These two maps show how the war in Ukraine has evolved
Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine one year ago, weapons have punctuated the landscape: Missiles streak through the skies, drones explode outside building windows, and the booms of artillery echo through the days and nights.
As Russia retreated from Kyiv and the north last spring, the fighting became consolidated in the east, forming what is the current front line. Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project organization shows how the battlefield changed over the year. While not comprehensive, the information gives a sense of how conflict’s geographic focus and intensity have evolved.
Read the full story here.
Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine one year ago, weapons have punctuated the landscape: Missiles streak through the skies, drones explode outside building windows, and the booms of artillery echo through the days and nights.
As Russia retreated from Kyiv and the north last spring, the fighting became consolidated in the east, forming what is the current front line. Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project organization shows how the battlefield changed over the year. While not comprehensive, the information gives a sense of how conflict’s geographic focus and intensity have evolved.
Read the full story here.
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These Ukrainian villagers live in Cold War nuclear bunkers — and plan to stay
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, there are only 50 residents left in the southern village of Luch. And most of them are living together in Cold War-era Soviet bunkers.
Svitlana Gynzhul, 55, is one of them — and has no plans to leave anytime soon.
When Russia occupied the village, situated 25 miles northwest of Kherson, residents turned to the bunkers for safety. “When shells flew overhead, we had our comforts down here,” Gynzhul told Reuters. “And now we still live here.”
Luch was once home to 935 people before the war, the outlet reported. The bunkers were initially a place for residents to seek refuge at night during heavy shelling at the start of the war.
“From the first day, when everything started, we started to clean up the bomb shelter. And it was very good that we started doing that because on February 24 last year, at night at 11 p.m., a shell exploded in our village,” Gynzhul said.
Read the full story here.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, there are only 50 residents left in the southern village of Luch. And most of them are living together in Cold War-era Soviet bunkers.
Svitlana Gynzhul, 55, is one of them — and has no plans to leave anytime soon.
When Russia occupied the village, situated 25 miles northwest of Kherson, residents turned to the bunkers for safety. “When shells flew overhead, we had our comforts down here,” Gynzhul told Reuters. “And now we still live here.”
Luch was once home to 935 people before the war, the outlet reported. The bunkers were initially a place for residents to seek refuge at night during heavy shelling at the start of the war.
“From the first day, when everything started, we started to clean up the bomb shelter. And it was very good that we started doing that because on February 24 last year, at night at 11 p.m., a shell exploded in our village,” Gynzhul said.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest in Ukraine:
- A grueling seven-month battle for the front-line city of Bakhmut is coming down to street-by-street fighting and skirmishes on its outskirts, where Ukrainian forces are digging narrow trenches into the muddy ground to fortify their positions.
- Russian forces appear to have conducted a “turning movement” in parts of the city, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War think tank said — a military maneuver intended to dislodge Ukrainian troops from their defensive positions — but have not yet forced their withdrawal or encircled the city.
- The head of Russia’s Wagner Group said that if its forces were to retreat from Bakhmut, “the entire front will collapse.” Yevgeniy Prigozhin made the comment in a video that circulated over the weekend, in which he also complained of an ammunition shortage, according to media outlet Ukrainska Pravda.
More live updates here.
- A grueling seven-month battle for the front-line city of Bakhmut is coming down to street-by-street fighting and skirmishes on its outskirts, where Ukrainian forces are digging narrow trenches into the muddy ground to fortify their positions.
- Russian forces appear to have conducted a “turning movement” in parts of the city, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War think tank said — a military maneuver intended to dislodge Ukrainian troops from their defensive positions — but have not yet forced their withdrawal or encircled the city.
- The head of Russia’s Wagner Group said that if its forces were to retreat from Bakhmut, “the entire front will collapse.” Yevgeniy Prigozhin made the comment in a video that circulated over the weekend, in which he also complained of an ammunition shortage, according to media outlet Ukrainska Pravda.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine.
- Ukrainian troops are “continuing to inflict high casualties” against Russia’s military and mercenary forces in Bakhmut, according to the Institute for the Study of War, even as they may be conducting a “limited fighting withdrawal” from the area. Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have not seized full control of the city.
- Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas’s center-right party appears to be on track for a resounding election victory, according to the early results of Sunday’s poll. Kallas has been a vocal backer of Kyiv, and the vote was considered a test of the Baltic nation’s strong military support for Ukraine.
- Russia launched four missile strikes and 23 airstrikes on Sunday, according to Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces.
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned Beijing there would be consequences if China supplies lethal military aid to Russia.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian troops are “continuing to inflict high casualties” against Russia’s military and mercenary forces in Bakhmut, according to the Institute for the Study of War, even as they may be conducting a “limited fighting withdrawal” from the area. Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have not seized full control of the city.
- Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas’s center-right party appears to be on track for a resounding election victory, according to the early results of Sunday’s poll. Kallas has been a vocal backer of Kyiv, and the vote was considered a test of the Baltic nation’s strong military support for Ukraine.
- Russia launched four missile strikes and 23 airstrikes on Sunday, according to Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces.
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned Beijing there would be consequences if China supplies lethal military aid to Russia.
More live updates here.
Zelensky calls fight for east ‘painful’ as options dwindle in Bakhmut
Ukrainian forces clung to their positions in Bakhmut on Sunday, fiercely resisting a Russian push to encircle the city in the eastern Donetsk region and prolonging a fight that has become a symbol of Ukraine’s battlefield defiance.
Ukrainian officials have described their grip on Bakhmut, a small industrial city, as increasingly tenuous in recent days, suggesting they may need to withdraw to prevent their troops from being trapped by Russian fighters advancing on three sides.
The fate of the city, which military experts say holds little strategic value, assumes outsize importance a year into President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale war, as Ukraine prepares for what is likely to be a grueling spring offensive and Western leaders scramble to deliver arms and ammunition they hope will tip the scales in its favor.
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian forces clung to their positions in Bakhmut on Sunday, fiercely resisting a Russian push to encircle the city in the eastern Donetsk region and prolonging a fight that has become a symbol of Ukraine’s battlefield defiance.
Ukrainian officials have described their grip on Bakhmut, a small industrial city, as increasingly tenuous in recent days, suggesting they may need to withdraw to prevent their troops from being trapped by Russian fighters advancing on three sides.
The fate of the city, which military experts say holds little strategic value, assumes outsize importance a year into President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale war, as Ukraine prepares for what is likely to be a grueling spring offensive and Western leaders scramble to deliver arms and ammunition they hope will tip the scales in its favor.
Read the full story here.
Talking to children who left Russia about the war in Ukraine
YEREVAN, Armenia — After last year’s invasion of Ukraine, academic freedom was among the first casualties. In wartime Russia, schoolchildren are now required to attend compulsory “patriotism” classes, teachers face jail time for expressing antiwar opinions in their classrooms and, in some kindergartens, there have even been weapons demonstrations.
But outside the country, in Russia’s emigre communities — swelled by the hundreds of thousands who fled in response to the invasion or to avoid military conscription — newly established Russian schools are grappling with a different challenge: how to talk to children about the war, which has displaced their families but also spurred a wave of anti-Russian sentiment.
Vladislav Povyshev, a history teacher from Siberia, said he left Russia after it became clear he would not be able to teach in the way he wanted.
Read the full story here.
YEREVAN, Armenia — After last year’s invasion of Ukraine, academic freedom was among the first casualties. In wartime Russia, schoolchildren are now required to attend compulsory “patriotism” classes, teachers face jail time for expressing antiwar opinions in their classrooms and, in some kindergartens, there have even been weapons demonstrations.
But outside the country, in Russia’s emigre communities — swelled by the hundreds of thousands who fled in response to the invasion or to avoid military conscription — newly established Russian schools are grappling with a different challenge: how to talk to children about the war, which has displaced their families but also spurred a wave of anti-Russian sentiment.
Vladislav Povyshev, a history teacher from Siberia, said he left Russia after it became clear he would not be able to teach in the way he wanted.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- A victory for Russia in Bakhmut won’t change the tide of the war, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Monday, as the battle for the eastern Ukrainian city intensified.
- Ukrainian energy and defense officials will “do everything to be ready to face any threat next winter,” Zelensky said in his nightly address.
- Russia’s defense minister visited the occupied city of Mariupol, according to videos and a statement by the Defense Ministry.
- Ukraine made a rare claim of responsibility for an attack behind Russian borders.
- Russia is deploying decades-old battle tanks amid heavy losses of more contemporary ones, Britain’s Defense Ministry said.
- Russia launched 15 attacks against Ukraine overnight using Iranian-made drones, Ukraine’s air force said.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed last week’s attack on two villages in Russia with his security council, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
More live updates here.
- A victory for Russia in Bakhmut won’t change the tide of the war, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Monday, as the battle for the eastern Ukrainian city intensified.
- Ukrainian energy and defense officials will “do everything to be ready to face any threat next winter,” Zelensky said in his nightly address.
- Russia’s defense minister visited the occupied city of Mariupol, according to videos and a statement by the Defense Ministry.
- Ukraine made a rare claim of responsibility for an attack behind Russian borders.
- Russia is deploying decades-old battle tanks amid heavy losses of more contemporary ones, Britain’s Defense Ministry said.
- Russia launched 15 attacks against Ukraine overnight using Iranian-made drones, Ukraine’s air force said.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed last week’s attack on two villages in Russia with his security council, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
More live updates here.
Russia advances in Bakhmut by sending waves of mercenaries to certain death
DNIPRO, Ukraine — It takes Ukrainian troops little more than a glance to tell if Russian fighters advancing on their positions near the fiercely embattled city of Bakhmut are seasoned soldiers or recent recruits.
The men enlisted to fight for Russia’s Wagner mercenary force — composed of many convicted criminals recruited behind bars and sent to fight in Ukraine in exchange for their freedom — are “dirtier and they don’t have the same military uniforms or flak jackets like regular Russian soldiers,” said Dmytro Vatagin, 48, a Ukrainian soldier stationed in the neighboring village of Ivanivske with the volunteer 24th Battalion.
The mercenary fighters typically move on Ukrainian positions early in the morning, he said, attempting attacks in irregular and unpredictable patterns, seemingly without any clear strategy, which makes them seem “unprepared” for battle.
Read the full story here.
DNIPRO, Ukraine — It takes Ukrainian troops little more than a glance to tell if Russian fighters advancing on their positions near the fiercely embattled city of Bakhmut are seasoned soldiers or recent recruits.
The men enlisted to fight for Russia’s Wagner mercenary force — composed of many convicted criminals recruited behind bars and sent to fight in Ukraine in exchange for their freedom — are “dirtier and they don’t have the same military uniforms or flak jackets like regular Russian soldiers,” said Dmytro Vatagin, 48, a Ukrainian soldier stationed in the neighboring village of Ivanivske with the volunteer 24th Battalion.
The mercenary fighters typically move on Ukrainian positions early in the morning, he said, attempting attacks in irregular and unpredictable patterns, seemingly without any clear strategy, which makes them seem “unprepared” for battle.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukraine does not have plans to withdraw from Bakhmut, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address Monday, adding that top military commanders had unanimously backed reinforcing the city over withdrawing from it. “There were no other opinions,” he said.
- China’s foreign minister accused the United States of double standards over international arms sales on Tuesday, when he compared U.S. military support to Taiwan with warnings from Washington for China not to send “lethal aid” to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- Russian forces are continuing offensive operations against Bakhmut despite heavy losses, Ukraine’s general staff reported early Tuesday.
- Fighting in Bakhmut has intensified, with the two sides engaging in hand-to-hand combat at times, The Post reported.
More live updates here.
- Ukraine does not have plans to withdraw from Bakhmut, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address Monday, adding that top military commanders had unanimously backed reinforcing the city over withdrawing from it. “There were no other opinions,” he said.
- China’s foreign minister accused the United States of double standards over international arms sales on Tuesday, when he compared U.S. military support to Taiwan with warnings from Washington for China not to send “lethal aid” to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- Russian forces are continuing offensive operations against Bakhmut despite heavy losses, Ukraine’s general staff reported early Tuesday.
- Fighting in Bakhmut has intensified, with the two sides engaging in hand-to-hand combat at times, The Post reported.
More live updates here.