Ukraine’s allies debate how to squeeze more from frozen Russian assets
BRUSSELS — The European Union has taken a small step toward its pledge to “make Russia pay” for the war in Ukraine, formally agreeing Tuesday to use windfall profits from frozen Russian assets to get Kyiv about $3 billion more this year.
But with Ukraine in serious trouble and questions about U.S. funding looming, there is already a fresh push to unlock much more of the nearly $300 billion seized in 2022 — and quickly.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen will try this week to rally finance ministers from the Group of Seven wealthiest countries around proposals to squeeze more money from the assets.
Read the full story here.
BRUSSELS — The European Union has taken a small step toward its pledge to “make Russia pay” for the war in Ukraine, formally agreeing Tuesday to use windfall profits from frozen Russian assets to get Kyiv about $3 billion more this year.
But with Ukraine in serious trouble and questions about U.S. funding looming, there is already a fresh push to unlock much more of the nearly $300 billion seized in 2022 — and quickly.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen will try this week to rally finance ministers from the Group of Seven wealthiest countries around proposals to squeeze more money from the assets.
Read the full story here.
Russia slams Kharkiv with missile barrage, killing printing plant workers
KYIV — Russian forces pounded the northeastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv with 15 missiles Thursday, local officials said — the latest brutal attack in a Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine.
At least seven people were killed when a missile hit a printing plant in Kharkiv city, the regional capital, and at least 40 others were injured in the strikes, local officials said.
Russia’s new offensive has displaced thousands and has increased pleas by Kyiv for Western partners to provide more air defense systems.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — Russian forces pounded the northeastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv with 15 missiles Thursday, local officials said — the latest brutal attack in a Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine.
At least seven people were killed when a missile hit a printing plant in Kharkiv city, the regional capital, and at least 40 others were injured in the strikes, local officials said.
Russia’s new offensive has displaced thousands and has increased pleas by Kyiv for Western partners to provide more air defense systems.
Read the full story here.
Exclusive: Russian jamming leaves some high-tech U.S. weapons ineffective in Ukraine
Many U.S.-made satellite-guided ammunitions in Ukraine have failed to withstand Russian jamming technology, prompting Kyiv to stop using certain types of Western-provided armaments after effectiveness rates plummeted, according to senior Ukrainian military officials and confidential internal Ukrainian assessments obtained by The Washington Post.
Russia’s jamming of the guidance systems of modern Western weapons has eroded Ukraine’s ability to defend its territory and has left officials in Kyiv urgently seeking help from the Pentagon to obtain upgrades from arms manufacturers.
Russia’s ability to combat the high-tech munitions has far-reaching implications for Ukraine and its Western supporters — potentially providing a blueprint for adversaries such as China and Iran — and it is a key reason Moscow’s forces have regained the initiative and are advancing on the battlefield.
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Many U.S.-made satellite-guided ammunitions in Ukraine have failed to withstand Russian jamming technology, prompting Kyiv to stop using certain types of Western-provided armaments after effectiveness rates plummeted, according to senior Ukrainian military officials and confidential internal Ukrainian assessments obtained by The Washington Post.
Russia’s jamming of the guidance systems of modern Western weapons has eroded Ukraine’s ability to defend its territory and has left officials in Kyiv urgently seeking help from the Pentagon to obtain upgrades from arms manufacturers.
Russia’s ability to combat the high-tech munitions has far-reaching implications for Ukraine and its Western supporters — potentially providing a blueprint for adversaries such as China and Iran — and it is a key reason Moscow’s forces have regained the initiative and are advancing on the battlefield.
Read the full story here.
Russia bombs market in Kharkiv, killing at least 4 and wounding 40
KYIV — Russian bombs struck a commercial facility in Kharkiv on Saturday, killing at least four people and wounding 40, local officials said. The deadly attack on Ukraine’s second largest city comes amid a Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine and two days after a barrage of missiles killed seven people at a printing plant.
Around 4 p.m. local time, two glide bombs hit an Epicenter store — a home improvement and supplies chain similar to Home Depot in the U.S. — launched from Russia’s neighboring Belgorod region, Kharkiv’s regional prosecutor’s office said in a post on Telegram.
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KYIV — Russian bombs struck a commercial facility in Kharkiv on Saturday, killing at least four people and wounding 40, local officials said. The deadly attack on Ukraine’s second largest city comes amid a Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine and two days after a barrage of missiles killed seven people at a printing plant.
Around 4 p.m. local time, two glide bombs hit an Epicenter store — a home improvement and supplies chain similar to Home Depot in the U.S. — launched from Russia’s neighboring Belgorod region, Kharkiv’s regional prosecutor’s office said in a post on Telegram.
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These Ukrainians were musicians before the war. Now they fight with song.
After Yurii Ivaskevych, 51, lost a leg when his unit came under shelling, he was recruited by another branch of Ukraine’s military: the Cultural Forces.
The members of the Cultural Forces, all professional musicians before the invasion, are now back at their craft, traveling across Ukraine’s increasingly pressured front lines to try to give people a flake of their old lives and some diversion from the grinding Russian assault. They play everything from Ukrainian folk songs to Metallica, tapping into a Ukrainian tradition of using music as a form of resistance to Russian rule.
Read the full story here.
After Yurii Ivaskevych, 51, lost a leg when his unit came under shelling, he was recruited by another branch of Ukraine’s military: the Cultural Forces.
The members of the Cultural Forces, all professional musicians before the invasion, are now back at their craft, traveling across Ukraine’s increasingly pressured front lines to try to give people a flake of their old lives and some diversion from the grinding Russian assault. They play everything from Ukrainian folk songs to Metallica, tapping into a Ukrainian tradition of using music as a form of resistance to Russian rule.
Read the full story here.
NATO chief and European allies urge U.S. to let Ukraine strike inside Russia
Washington is facing mounting pressure from NATO and several key European allies to lift restrictions and allow Ukraine to use the full force of U.S.-provided weapons to strike military targets inside Russia. The demands reflect new alarm in the West over Russian battlefield advances in recent days, including the seizure of several villages in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions and brutal bombings that have killed dozens of civilians.
“If you cannot attack the Russian forces on the other side of the front line because they are on the other side of the border, then of course you really reduce the ability of the Ukrainian forces to defend themselves,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the alliance’s top political official, said during a visit to Bulgaria on Monday.
NATO’s parliamentary assembly, meanwhile, issued a declaration urging that the restrictions be lifted.
Read the full story here.
Washington is facing mounting pressure from NATO and several key European allies to lift restrictions and allow Ukraine to use the full force of U.S.-provided weapons to strike military targets inside Russia. The demands reflect new alarm in the West over Russian battlefield advances in recent days, including the seizure of several villages in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions and brutal bombings that have killed dozens of civilians.
“If you cannot attack the Russian forces on the other side of the front line because they are on the other side of the border, then of course you really reduce the ability of the Ukrainian forces to defend themselves,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the alliance’s top political official, said during a visit to Bulgaria on Monday.
NATO’s parliamentary assembly, meanwhile, issued a declaration urging that the restrictions be lifted.
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U.S. concerned about Ukraine strikes on Russian nuclear radar stations
The United States fears that recent Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian nuclear early-warning systems could dangerously unsettle Moscow at a time when the Biden administration is weighing whether to lift restrictions on Ukraine using U.S.-supplied weapons in cross-border attacks.
“The United States is concerned about Ukraine’s recent strikes against Russian ballistic missile early-warning sites,” said a U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity.
Washington has conveyed its concerns to Kyiv about two attempted attacks over the last week against radar stations that provide conventional air defense as well as warning of nuclear launches by the West. At least one strike in Armavir, in Russia’s southeastern Krasnodar region, appeared to have caused some damage.
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The United States fears that recent Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian nuclear early-warning systems could dangerously unsettle Moscow at a time when the Biden administration is weighing whether to lift restrictions on Ukraine using U.S.-supplied weapons in cross-border attacks.
“The United States is concerned about Ukraine’s recent strikes against Russian ballistic missile early-warning sites,” said a U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity.
Washington has conveyed its concerns to Kyiv about two attempted attacks over the last week against radar stations that provide conventional air defense as well as warning of nuclear launches by the West. At least one strike in Armavir, in Russia’s southeastern Krasnodar region, appeared to have caused some damage.
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As Ukraine stumbles in war, Kyiv and Western powers struggle to coordinate
Sharp fractures are opening between Kyiv and its Western backers, including the United States, over the future of Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian leaders have increasingly complained that Washington is restricting their ability to respond to Russian attacks as U.S. policymakers push them to do more to fight corruption even amid the worsening war. Meanwhile, European and American officials are quarreling about strategy to turn the tide on the battlefield.
There have been frustrations virtually from the moment Russia’s invasion began in February 2022, but policymakers in Washington, Kyiv and around Europe said tensions have grown sharper in recent weeks as Russia has seized the initiative on the front lines and started recapturing territory liberated earlier in the war.
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Sharp fractures are opening between Kyiv and its Western backers, including the United States, over the future of Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian leaders have increasingly complained that Washington is restricting their ability to respond to Russian attacks as U.S. policymakers push them to do more to fight corruption even amid the worsening war. Meanwhile, European and American officials are quarreling about strategy to turn the tide on the battlefield.
There have been frustrations virtually from the moment Russia’s invasion began in February 2022, but policymakers in Washington, Kyiv and around Europe said tensions have grown sharper in recent weeks as Russia has seized the initiative on the front lines and started recapturing territory liberated earlier in the war.
Read the full story here.
Blinken opens the door to attacks with U.S. weapons deeper inside Russia
PRAGUE — Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday opened the door to allowing Ukraine to fire U.S.-provided weapons deeper into Russian territory, just a day after President Biden, in a major policy shift, okayed counterattacks aimed at limited Russian military targets across the border.
“The hallmark of our engagement has been to adapt and adjust as necessary, to meet what’s actually going on the battlefield, to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs, when it needs it,” Blinken told reporters while in the Czech capital for a gathering of NATO foreign ministers.
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PRAGUE — Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday opened the door to allowing Ukraine to fire U.S.-provided weapons deeper into Russian territory, just a day after President Biden, in a major policy shift, okayed counterattacks aimed at limited Russian military targets across the border.
“The hallmark of our engagement has been to adapt and adjust as necessary, to meet what’s actually going on the battlefield, to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs, when it needs it,” Blinken told reporters while in the Czech capital for a gathering of NATO foreign ministers.
Read the full story here.
Basic training in Ukraine is barely covering the basics, commanders say
KRAMATORSK, Ukraine — As Ukraine prepares to mobilize tens of thousands of men to address a critical shortage of soldiers amid intensified Russian attacks, Ukrainian commanders in the field say they are bracing for most of the new troops to arrive with poor training.
Ukrainian commanders have long griped about lackluster preparation for recruits at training centers. But with Russia on the offensive, the persistent complaints are a reminder that a newly adopted mobilization law intended to widen the pool of draft-eligible men is just one step in solving the military’s personnel problems.
Read the full story here.
KRAMATORSK, Ukraine — As Ukraine prepares to mobilize tens of thousands of men to address a critical shortage of soldiers amid intensified Russian attacks, Ukrainian commanders in the field say they are bracing for most of the new troops to arrive with poor training.
Ukrainian commanders have long griped about lackluster preparation for recruits at training centers. But with Russia on the offensive, the persistent complaints are a reminder that a newly adopted mobilization law intended to widen the pool of draft-eligible men is just one step in solving the military’s personnel problems.
Read the full story here.
Russia co-opts far-right politicians in Europe with cash, officials say
For nearly a year, European intelligence officials said, the Czech authorities secretly recorded hours of meetings between several far-right politicians from across Europe and the associate, Artem Marchevsky, who was running the propaganda website, Voice of Europe, including at its offices on a quiet side street in the center of Prague. E.U. and Czech authorities, which have shut down the site, have labeled Voice of Europe a Russian propaganda operation.
The Czech probe rapidly expanded into Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and France, European security and intelligence officials said, as investigators concluded that Voice of Europe represented far more than its official veneer as a pro-Russian website interviewing favored European politicians about ending aid to Ukraine.
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For nearly a year, European intelligence officials said, the Czech authorities secretly recorded hours of meetings between several far-right politicians from across Europe and the associate, Artem Marchevsky, who was running the propaganda website, Voice of Europe, including at its offices on a quiet side street in the center of Prague. E.U. and Czech authorities, which have shut down the site, have labeled Voice of Europe a Russian propaganda operation.
The Czech probe rapidly expanded into Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and France, European security and intelligence officials said, as investigators concluded that Voice of Europe represented far more than its official veneer as a pro-Russian website interviewing favored European politicians about ending aid to Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
Outages shroud Ukraine as Russian strikes on power plants take their toll
KYIV — The cutoffs started Monday and have only increased throughout the week, plunging much of Ukraine’s capital into darkness save for a few hours every day. In some parts of the city, even the traffic lights are turned off, and at night entire neighborhoods are draped in black.
The relentless pounding of Ukraine’s power plants by Russian drones and missiles are finally being felt. The state electricity distributor, Ukrenegro, said the latest onslaught on the power grid over the weekend meant rationing power throughout the country. It had been the sixth such barrage since March.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — The cutoffs started Monday and have only increased throughout the week, plunging much of Ukraine’s capital into darkness save for a few hours every day. In some parts of the city, even the traffic lights are turned off, and at night entire neighborhoods are draped in black.
The relentless pounding of Ukraine’s power plants by Russian drones and missiles are finally being felt. The state electricity distributor, Ukrenegro, said the latest onslaught on the power grid over the weekend meant rationing power throughout the country. It had been the sixth such barrage since March.
Read the full story here.
France, allies to ‘finalize’ plan to send military trainers to Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that a coalition of countries has agreed to send military trainers to Ukraine, suggesting that plans could come together in the coming days but not offering concrete details.
The comment, made in a news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, is the latest sign that France and other allies may now be willing to put NATO country troops on Ukrainian soil — an idea that some allies, including the United States, have long considered potentially escalatory.
Macron on Friday called Ukraine’s request for in-country training “legitimate” and said several partners have “already given their agreement.”
“We are going to use the coming days to finalize a coalition, as broad as possible,” he said.
Read the full story here.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that a coalition of countries has agreed to send military trainers to Ukraine, suggesting that plans could come together in the coming days but not offering concrete details.
The comment, made in a news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, is the latest sign that France and other allies may now be willing to put NATO country troops on Ukrainian soil — an idea that some allies, including the United States, have long considered potentially escalatory.
Macron on Friday called Ukraine’s request for in-country training “legitimate” and said several partners have “already given their agreement.”
“We are going to use the coming days to finalize a coalition, as broad as possible,” he said.
Read the full story here.
In Putin’s wartime Russia, military corruption is suddenly taboo
Russia’s war in Ukraine has turned out to be a powerful anti-corruption initiative — at least at the Ministry of Defense.
For years, Russia tolerated rampant graft within its military and Defense Ministry. But in a bid to be certain that the country’s ballooning military and security spending results in more soldiers, weapons and other equipment and supplies on the front line, the Kremlin has suddenly undertaken an aggressive crackdown — purging officials with extravagant lifestyles or who have been critical of the military command.
Last month, President Vladimir Putin reassigned his longtime defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, to be head of Russia’s national security council. In Shoigu’s place, Putin appointed a former economy minister, Andrei Belousov, with a mandate to use the country’s growing defense budget “sparingly yet effectively.”
Read the full story here.
Russia’s war in Ukraine has turned out to be a powerful anti-corruption initiative — at least at the Ministry of Defense.
For years, Russia tolerated rampant graft within its military and Defense Ministry. But in a bid to be certain that the country’s ballooning military and security spending results in more soldiers, weapons and other equipment and supplies on the front line, the Kremlin has suddenly undertaken an aggressive crackdown — purging officials with extravagant lifestyles or who have been critical of the military command.
Last month, President Vladimir Putin reassigned his longtime defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, to be head of Russia’s national security council. In Shoigu’s place, Putin appointed a former economy minister, Andrei Belousov, with a mandate to use the country’s growing defense budget “sparingly yet effectively.”
Read the full story here.