It’s an artillery war, but Ukraine still kills tanks with Javelins
NEAR IZYUM, Ukraine — It turns out, some Ukrainian soldiers discovered, that Javelin cases make great beds. The U.S.-made antitank missiles are packed in large, black rectangular capsules — perfect for elevating a slim cot off the dirty, cold floors of front-line positions.
“Make sure you mention they’re empty,” said a soldier, showing off the makeshift beds. “The last thing we need is Americans thinking they’re sending us Javelins just so we can sleep on them.”
It’s the opposite, actually: The 93rd Mechanized Brigade had fired so many Javelins at Russian tanks that they needed something to do with the pile of empty cases.
Read the full story here.
NEAR IZYUM, Ukraine — It turns out, some Ukrainian soldiers discovered, that Javelin cases make great beds. The U.S.-made antitank missiles are packed in large, black rectangular capsules — perfect for elevating a slim cot off the dirty, cold floors of front-line positions.
“Make sure you mention they’re empty,” said a soldier, showing off the makeshift beds. “The last thing we need is Americans thinking they’re sending us Javelins just so we can sleep on them.”
It’s the opposite, actually: The 93rd Mechanized Brigade had fired so many Javelins at Russian tanks that they needed something to do with the pile of empty cases.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Zaporizhzhia Governor Oleksandr Starukh said Sunday that power unit No. 4 was disconnected from the grid after the overnight shelling attack due to “partial destruction” of the nuclear plant’s infrastructure.
- The Ukrainian prosecutor’s office said the Russian shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant injured one person in Marhanets, a town across the Dnieper River, and damaged 50 houses.
- Ukraine and Russia on Sunday again traded blame for the latest attack at the Zaporizhzhia plant, after shelling on Friday. Ukraine’s state nuclear power company, Energoatom, said Sunday that radiation-monitoring sensors were damaged and that at least one worker was injured.
More live updates here.
- Zaporizhzhia Governor Oleksandr Starukh said Sunday that power unit No. 4 was disconnected from the grid after the overnight shelling attack due to “partial destruction” of the nuclear plant’s infrastructure.
- The Ukrainian prosecutor’s office said the Russian shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant injured one person in Marhanets, a town across the Dnieper River, and damaged 50 houses.
- Ukraine and Russia on Sunday again traded blame for the latest attack at the Zaporizhzhia plant, after shelling on Friday. Ukraine’s state nuclear power company, Energoatom, said Sunday that radiation-monitoring sensors were damaged and that at least one worker was injured.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- U.N. Secretary General António Guterres called attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant “suicidal” and demanded Monday that inspectors be granted access to the facility.
- The Russian-appointed administration of the Zaporizhzhia oblast, or region, moved ahead with steps to hold a referendum on joining Russia.
- Radiation levels at the damaged nuclear power plant remain in normal range, a Ukrainian official said Sunday, adding that the situation remains “tense.”
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that strikes on the plant pose enormous risks — and not just to Ukrainians.
- Zelensky slammed reports that Russia is preparing to hold a sham referendum in Luhansk, a Russian-held region in eastern Ukraine. “
More live updates here.
- U.N. Secretary General António Guterres called attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant “suicidal” and demanded Monday that inspectors be granted access to the facility.
- The Russian-appointed administration of the Zaporizhzhia oblast, or region, moved ahead with steps to hold a referendum on joining Russia.
- Radiation levels at the damaged nuclear power plant remain in normal range, a Ukrainian official said Sunday, adding that the situation remains “tense.”
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that strikes on the plant pose enormous risks — and not just to Ukrainians.
- Zelensky slammed reports that Russia is preparing to hold a sham referendum in Luhansk, a Russian-held region in eastern Ukraine. “
More live updates here.
Amnesty International’s Ukraine chief resigns after report criticizes Kyiv
The head of Amnesty International in Ukraine said she was quitting her job after the human-rights organization issued a report that criticized Ukraine’s military, sparking backlash among Ukrainian officials who said it was unfairly blaming the victim in Russia’s war.
Oksana Pokalchuk, who had led the organization’s efforts in Ukraine, said in a Facebook post announcing her resignation that it was “another loss that the war has cost me.”
She said that while she was proud of the work that Amnesty International did to highlight Russian war crimes, the report issued last week — which alleged that “Ukrainian fighting tactics endanger civilians” — became a point of conflict between the staff in the Ukrainian office and the larger organization.
Read the full story here.
The head of Amnesty International in Ukraine said she was quitting her job after the human-rights organization issued a report that criticized Ukraine’s military, sparking backlash among Ukrainian officials who said it was unfairly blaming the victim in Russia’s war.
Oksana Pokalchuk, who had led the organization’s efforts in Ukraine, said in a Facebook post announcing her resignation that it was “another loss that the war has cost me.”
She said that while she was proud of the work that Amnesty International did to highlight Russian war crimes, the report issued last week — which alleged that “Ukrainian fighting tactics endanger civilians” — became a point of conflict between the staff in the Ukrainian office and the larger organization.
Read the full story here.
Zelensky calls on West to ban all Russian travelers
The way to stop Russia from annexing any more of Ukraine’s territory, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday, is for Western countries to announce that they would ban all Russian citizens in response.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Washington Post, Zelensky said that “the most important sanctions are to close the borders — because the Russians are taking away someone else’s land.” He said Russians should “live in their own world until they change their philosophy.”
Russian leaders have signaled they could hold annexation votes in the occupied parts of Ukraine’s east and south — in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions — on Sept. 11, alongside regional elections already scheduled to take place. Russian officials say those votes would legitimize Russia’s claim to those areas, but critics say the votes would be a Russian-manipulated farce.
Read the full story here.
The way to stop Russia from annexing any more of Ukraine’s territory, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday, is for Western countries to announce that they would ban all Russian citizens in response.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Washington Post, Zelensky said that “the most important sanctions are to close the borders — because the Russians are taking away someone else’s land.” He said Russians should “live in their own world until they change their philosophy.”
Russian leaders have signaled they could hold annexation votes in the occupied parts of Ukraine’s east and south — in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions — on Sept. 11, alongside regional elections already scheduled to take place. Russian officials say those votes would legitimize Russia’s claim to those areas, but critics say the votes would be a Russian-manipulated farce.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- Power unit No. 4 was disconnected from the grid after Saturday’s shelling attack due to “partial destruction” of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant’s infrastructure, regional governor Oleksandr Starukh said Sunday.
- The Russian shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant injured one person in Marhanets, a town across the Dnieper River, and damaged 50 houses, the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office said.
- Ukraine and Russia on Sunday traded blame for the latest attack at the plant.
- Energoatom said the Russian shelling was aimed at 174 containers of spent nuclear fuel stored in the open air at the Zaporizhzhia plant.
- Zelensky, seeking a united response from Europe and other allies, portrayed the strike on the plant as a threat to the continent.
More live updates here.
- Power unit No. 4 was disconnected from the grid after Saturday’s shelling attack due to “partial destruction” of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant’s infrastructure, regional governor Oleksandr Starukh said Sunday.
- The Russian shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant injured one person in Marhanets, a town across the Dnieper River, and damaged 50 houses, the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office said.
- Ukraine and Russia on Sunday traded blame for the latest attack at the plant.
- Energoatom said the Russian shelling was aimed at 174 containers of spent nuclear fuel stored in the open air at the Zaporizhzhia plant.
- Zelensky, seeking a united response from Europe and other allies, portrayed the strike on the plant as a threat to the continent.
More live updates here.
Accounting of bodies in Bucha nears completion
After months of meticulous, painful and at times gruesome investigation, officials in Bucha said Monday that they had reached what may be the closest they will get to a final accounting of victims of the murderous rampage by Russian troops that set off worldwide outrage over alleged atrocities: 458 bodies, of which 419 bore markings they had been shot, tortured or bludgeoned to death.
Mykhailyna Skoryk-Shkarivska, the town’s deputy mayor, recounted that grim tally at a news conference Monday, where she said the details of each case were now being investigated by prosecutors working to identify the perpetrators and ultimately try them for war crimes.
Of the victims, 39 appeared to have died of natural causes, Skoryk-Shkarivska said, but those may have been related to the war or to the Russians’ treatment of the civilian population during their month-long occupation, which ended with a hasty retreat in defeat on April 1.
Read the full story here.
After months of meticulous, painful and at times gruesome investigation, officials in Bucha said Monday that they had reached what may be the closest they will get to a final accounting of victims of the murderous rampage by Russian troops that set off worldwide outrage over alleged atrocities: 458 bodies, of which 419 bore markings they had been shot, tortured or bludgeoned to death.
Mykhailyna Skoryk-Shkarivska, the town’s deputy mayor, recounted that grim tally at a news conference Monday, where she said the details of each case were now being investigated by prosecutors working to identify the perpetrators and ultimately try them for war crimes.
Of the victims, 39 appeared to have died of natural causes, Skoryk-Shkarivska said, but those may have been related to the war or to the Russians’ treatment of the civilian population during their month-long occupation, which ended with a hasty retreat in defeat on April 1.
Read the full story here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine.
- Ukrainian troops are advancing towards the key city of Izyum, placing strain on Russian forces as Washington estimates that up to 80,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or injured during the full-scale war in Ukraine.
- President Zelensky is accusing Russia of “nuclear blackmail” following recent attacks on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant that the United Nations has warned could lead to catastrophic consequences.
- Russia’s assaults on the city of Bakhmut have been its most successful axis in the Donbas region in the past 30 days, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said, though it noted that Russian troops had only gained 10 kilometers during that timeframe.
- Two more grain ships sailed Tuesday under a deal brokered by the United Nations and facilitated by Turkey.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian troops are advancing towards the key city of Izyum, placing strain on Russian forces as Washington estimates that up to 80,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or injured during the full-scale war in Ukraine.
- President Zelensky is accusing Russia of “nuclear blackmail” following recent attacks on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant that the United Nations has warned could lead to catastrophic consequences.
- Russia’s assaults on the city of Bakhmut have been its most successful axis in the Donbas region in the past 30 days, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said, though it noted that Russian troops had only gained 10 kilometers during that timeframe.
- Two more grain ships sailed Tuesday under a deal brokered by the United Nations and facilitated by Turkey.
More live updates here.
Kremlin sharply critical of Ukraine’s call for travel ban on Russians
The Kremlin on Tuesday condemned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call to ban all Russian travelers from visiting Western countries to stop Russia from annexing any more Ukrainian territory.
“The only possible attitude we can have is extremely negative,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists Tuesday, after Zelensky told The Washington Post that all Russians including tourists, business executives, students and others should be denied visas to travel to the West.
Zelensky said that “the most important sanctions are to close the borders — because the Russians are taking away someone else’s land.” Russians should “live in their own world until they change their philosophy,” he added.
Read the full story here.
The Kremlin on Tuesday condemned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call to ban all Russian travelers from visiting Western countries to stop Russia from annexing any more Ukrainian territory.
“The only possible attitude we can have is extremely negative,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists Tuesday, after Zelensky told The Washington Post that all Russians including tourists, business executives, students and others should be denied visas to travel to the West.
Zelensky said that “the most important sanctions are to close the borders — because the Russians are taking away someone else’s land.” Russians should “live in their own world until they change their philosophy,” he added.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- Russian officials reported several large explosions in occupied Crimea on Tuesday afternoon, with videos showing a huge blast near a military airfield in the city of Novofedorivka.
- Ukrainian troops are “moving very successfully” toward Izyum in the northeast, putting further pressure on Russian troops, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said in a YouTube video.
- Between 70,000 and 80,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded during the conflict, Colin Kahl, the U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy, said at a briefing Monday.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is accusing Russia of “nuclear blackmail” after recent attacks on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant that the United Nations has warned could lead to catastrophic consequences.
- Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said the “demilitarization of the Russian Federation is an integral part of ensuring global security.”
More live updates here.
- Russian officials reported several large explosions in occupied Crimea on Tuesday afternoon, with videos showing a huge blast near a military airfield in the city of Novofedorivka.
- Ukrainian troops are “moving very successfully” toward Izyum in the northeast, putting further pressure on Russian troops, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said in a YouTube video.
- Between 70,000 and 80,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded during the conflict, Colin Kahl, the U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy, said at a briefing Monday.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is accusing Russia of “nuclear blackmail” after recent attacks on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant that the United Nations has warned could lead to catastrophic consequences.
- Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said the “demilitarization of the Russian Federation is an integral part of ensuring global security.”
More live updates here.
Crimea airfield blast was work of Ukrainian special forces, official says
A Ukrainian government official told The Washington Post on Wednesday that an airfield explosion in occupied Crimea was the work of Ukrainian special forces.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, did not disclose details on how the Tuesday attack was carried out. However, the attack marks a dramatic escalation in the nearly six-month-old war, demonstrating an ability by Ukrainian forces to strike at Russia far from front lines.
The explosions rocked a Russian air base Tuesday, close to an area of beach resorts in occupied Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces have been known to infiltrate enemy-held territory and coordinate with sympathetic locals on the ground. Guerrilla activity has been especially prevalent in the occupied southern Kherson region, just north of Crimea.
Read the full story here.
A Ukrainian government official told The Washington Post on Wednesday that an airfield explosion in occupied Crimea was the work of Ukrainian special forces.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, did not disclose details on how the Tuesday attack was carried out. However, the attack marks a dramatic escalation in the nearly six-month-old war, demonstrating an ability by Ukrainian forces to strike at Russia far from front lines.
The explosions rocked a Russian air base Tuesday, close to an area of beach resorts in occupied Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces have been known to infiltrate enemy-held territory and coordinate with sympathetic locals on the ground. Guerrilla activity has been especially prevalent in the occupied southern Kherson region, just north of Crimea.
Read the full story here.
In the Ukraine war, a battle for the nation’s mineral and energy wealth
Below the surface of this Donbas coalfield, a dwindling number of miners are still working, extracting a fuel that is emblematic of one of Ukraine’s biggest challenges. The Kremlin is robbing this nation of the building blocks of its economy — its natural resources.
Moscow’s sloppy war has yielded at least one big reward: expanded control over some of the most mineral-rich lands in Europe. Ukraine harbors some of the world’s largest reserves of titanium and iron ore, fields of untapped lithium, as well as massive deposits of coal. Collectively, they are worth tens of trillions of dollars.
The lion’s share of those coal deposits are concentrated in the east, where Moscow has made the most inroads. That’s put them in Russian hands, along with significant amounts of other valuable energy and mineral deposits used for everything from aircraft parts to smartphones, according to an analysis.
Read the full story here.
Below the surface of this Donbas coalfield, a dwindling number of miners are still working, extracting a fuel that is emblematic of one of Ukraine’s biggest challenges. The Kremlin is robbing this nation of the building blocks of its economy — its natural resources.
Moscow’s sloppy war has yielded at least one big reward: expanded control over some of the most mineral-rich lands in Europe. Ukraine harbors some of the world’s largest reserves of titanium and iron ore, fields of untapped lithium, as well as massive deposits of coal. Collectively, they are worth tens of trillions of dollars.
The lion’s share of those coal deposits are concentrated in the east, where Moscow has made the most inroads. That’s put them in Russian hands, along with significant amounts of other valuable energy and mineral deposits used for everything from aircraft parts to smartphones, according to an analysis.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- Tuesday’s airfield explosion in Crimea was the work of Ukrainian special forces, a Ukrainian official told The Post.
- A Ukrainian attack in Crimea would mark a dramatic escalation in the war.
- Overnight Russian strikes in Dnipropetrovsk killed at least 13 people and destroyed more than 20 buildings in the Nikopol district in central Ukraine, regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko said.
- Russia has “almost certainly established a major new ground forces formation,” dubbed the 3rd Army Corps, to fight in Ukraine, made up of volunteer male troops up to 50 years old and incentivized with cash bonuses, Britain’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday in a daily intelligence update.
- In the northern town of Bucha, 15 bodies were buried Tuesday after they were found four months after Russian forces withdrew from the area.
- A senior Ukrainian commander said he has plans to liberate the Kherson region by the end of the year.
More live updates here.
- Tuesday’s airfield explosion in Crimea was the work of Ukrainian special forces, a Ukrainian official told The Post.
- A Ukrainian attack in Crimea would mark a dramatic escalation in the war.
- Overnight Russian strikes in Dnipropetrovsk killed at least 13 people and destroyed more than 20 buildings in the Nikopol district in central Ukraine, regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko said.
- Russia has “almost certainly established a major new ground forces formation,” dubbed the 3rd Army Corps, to fight in Ukraine, made up of volunteer male troops up to 50 years old and incentivized with cash bonuses, Britain’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday in a daily intelligence update.
- In the northern town of Bucha, 15 bodies were buried Tuesday after they were found four months after Russian forces withdrew from the area.
- A senior Ukrainian commander said he has plans to liberate the Kherson region by the end of the year.
More live updates here.
Russia confirms prisoner swap talks as U.S. hopes for Griner, Whelan release
Russia confirmed Thursday for the first time that negotiations between Washington and Moscow on a prisoner exchange are underway, after the United States proposed a deal to release WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American prisoner, Paul Whelan.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said talks are underway via a channel set up by President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin when they met in Geneva in June last year.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ivan Nechayev said Thursday that negotiations about an exchange began after Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed last week that Russia was willing to talk.
“Instructions were given to authorized structures to carry out negotiations,” Nechayev said. “They are being conducted by competent authorities,” he told journalists in Moscow on Thursday, state media reported.
Read the full story here.
Russia confirmed Thursday for the first time that negotiations between Washington and Moscow on a prisoner exchange are underway, after the United States proposed a deal to release WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American prisoner, Paul Whelan.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said talks are underway via a channel set up by President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin when they met in Geneva in June last year.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ivan Nechayev said Thursday that negotiations about an exchange began after Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed last week that Russia was willing to talk.
“Instructions were given to authorized structures to carry out negotiations,” Nechayev said. “They are being conducted by competent authorities,” he told journalists in Moscow on Thursday, state media reported.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- Satellite images appeared to show charred aircraft after blasts at a Russian base in Crimea, and the U.N. Security Council is expected to hold an emergency meeting on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest.
- Russia and the United States are negotiating a prisoner exchange, a Russian Foreign Ministry official said, confirming that talks are ongoing, without elaborating.
- Russia requested a U.N. Security Council meeting on Thursday over the Zaporizhzhia plant.
- Ukraine plans to evacuate two-thirds of residents from the areas under its control in Donetsk before winter.
- Ukraine’s Defense Ministry mocked Russians over the blasts in Crimea, although Kyiv has not officially claimed responsibility.
- Two separate explosions at the Crimean base suggest a potential attack rather than an accident in Tuesday’s incident, according to British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace.
More live updates here.
- Satellite images appeared to show charred aircraft after blasts at a Russian base in Crimea, and the U.N. Security Council is expected to hold an emergency meeting on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest.
- Russia and the United States are negotiating a prisoner exchange, a Russian Foreign Ministry official said, confirming that talks are ongoing, without elaborating.
- Russia requested a U.N. Security Council meeting on Thursday over the Zaporizhzhia plant.
- Ukraine plans to evacuate two-thirds of residents from the areas under its control in Donetsk before winter.
- Ukraine’s Defense Ministry mocked Russians over the blasts in Crimea, although Kyiv has not officially claimed responsibility.
- Two separate explosions at the Crimean base suggest a potential attack rather than an accident in Tuesday’s incident, according to British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace.
More live updates here.
McDonald’s to reopen in Ukraine to create a small sense of ‘normalcy’
More than a month after Ukraine’s foreign minister urged McDonald’s to jump-start its operations in the battle-scarred country, the fast-food giant announced that it will begin to reopen some of its 109 restaurants, despite the ongoing war and serious disruptions to the company’s supply chain.
In a company memo, Paul Pomroy, corporate senior vice president of international operated markets, said McDonald’s would reopen restaurants in Kyiv, the capital, and in western Ukraine, where “other businesses have safely reopened.”
“Over the next few months, we will begin working with suppliers to get product to restaurants, making the physical properties ready to serve customers, bringing restaurant teams and employees back on-site, and implementing enhanced procedures and protocols to support the safety of our people and customers,” Pomroy wrote in the memo.
Read the full story here.
More than a month after Ukraine’s foreign minister urged McDonald’s to jump-start its operations in the battle-scarred country, the fast-food giant announced that it will begin to reopen some of its 109 restaurants, despite the ongoing war and serious disruptions to the company’s supply chain.
In a company memo, Paul Pomroy, corporate senior vice president of international operated markets, said McDonald’s would reopen restaurants in Kyiv, the capital, and in western Ukraine, where “other businesses have safely reopened.”
“Over the next few months, we will begin working with suppliers to get product to restaurants, making the physical properties ready to serve customers, bringing restaurant teams and employees back on-site, and implementing enhanced procedures and protocols to support the safety of our people and customers,” Pomroy wrote in the memo.
Read the full story here.