Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- The United Nations chief met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to review the grain deal they signed last month and discuss diplomatic ways to end the war.
- Zelensky discussed conditions at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant with both Erdogan and Guterres.
- Russia said a proposal for a demilitarized zone around the nuclear plant was “unacceptable” after the United Nations called for a withdrawal of military forces and equipment.
- Ukraine is activating a unit under the command of its special forces to attack far behind Russian lines, its defense minister said in an interview.
- Kharkiv had one of its “most tragic” nights in the war, the region’s governor said early Thursday, describing Russian strikes that shook sleeping residents awake and battered their homes.
More live updates here.
- The United Nations chief met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to review the grain deal they signed last month and discuss diplomatic ways to end the war.
- Zelensky discussed conditions at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant with both Erdogan and Guterres.
- Russia said a proposal for a demilitarized zone around the nuclear plant was “unacceptable” after the United Nations called for a withdrawal of military forces and equipment.
- Ukraine is activating a unit under the command of its special forces to attack far behind Russian lines, its defense minister said in an interview.
- Kharkiv had one of its “most tragic” nights in the war, the region’s governor said early Thursday, describing Russian strikes that shook sleeping residents awake and battered their homes.
More live updates here.
Zelensky faces outpouring of criticism over failure to warn of war
Until this week, Ukrainians seemed to see President Volodymyr Zelensky as beyond reproach, a national hero who stayed in Kyiv despite the risk to his personal safety to lead his country against invading Russian troops.
Comments he made to The Washington Post justifying his failure to share with Ukrainians details of repeated U.S. warnings that Russia planned to invade have punctured the bubble, triggering a cascade of public criticism unprecedented since the war began.
Ordinary people tweeted their experiences of chaos and dislocation after an invasion for which they were unprepared, and described how they might have made different choices had they known what was coming. Public figures and academics wrote harsh critiques on Facebook of his decision to downplay the risk of an invasion, saying he bears at least some responsibility for the atrocities that followed.
Read the full story here.
Until this week, Ukrainians seemed to see President Volodymyr Zelensky as beyond reproach, a national hero who stayed in Kyiv despite the risk to his personal safety to lead his country against invading Russian troops.
Comments he made to The Washington Post justifying his failure to share with Ukrainians details of repeated U.S. warnings that Russia planned to invade have punctured the bubble, triggering a cascade of public criticism unprecedented since the war began.
Ordinary people tweeted their experiences of chaos and dislocation after an invasion for which they were unprepared, and described how they might have made different choices had they known what was coming. Public figures and academics wrote harsh critiques on Facebook of his decision to downplay the risk of an invasion, saying he bears at least some responsibility for the atrocities that followed.
Read the full story here.
Exclusive: Russia’s spies misread Ukraine and misled Kremlin as war loomed
KYIV, Ukraine — In the final days before the invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s security service began sending cryptic instructions to informants in Kyiv. Pack up and get out of the capital, the Kremlin collaborators were told, but leave behind the keys to your homes.
The directions came from senior officers in a unit of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) with a prosaic name — the Department of Operational Information — but an ominous assignment: ensure the decapitation of the Ukrainian government and oversee the installation of a pro-Russian regime.
The communications exposing these preparations are part of a larger trove of sensitive materials obtained by Ukrainian and other security services and reviewed by The Washington Post. They offer rare insight into the activities of the FSB — a sprawling service that bears enormous responsibility for the failed Russian war plan and the hubris that propelled it.
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — In the final days before the invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s security service began sending cryptic instructions to informants in Kyiv. Pack up and get out of the capital, the Kremlin collaborators were told, but leave behind the keys to your homes.
The directions came from senior officers in a unit of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) with a prosaic name — the Department of Operational Information — but an ominous assignment: ensure the decapitation of the Ukrainian government and oversee the installation of a pro-Russian regime.
The communications exposing these preparations are part of a larger trove of sensitive materials obtained by Ukrainian and other security services and reviewed by The Washington Post. They offer rare insight into the activities of the FSB — a sprawling service that bears enormous responsibility for the failed Russian war plan and the hubris that propelled it.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- Ukraine has warned that Russia could be planning a “large-scale terrorist attack” on the nuclear plant to blame on Kyiv, while Russia said Ukraine and the United States are planning to trigger an accident at the plant, claiming there is a threat of the core overheating.
- Any false flag operations at the plant would be out of the “Russian playbook — accuse others of what you have done or what you intend to do,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said when asked about the warnings.
- “We must tell it as it is. Any potential damage to Zaporizhzhia is suicide,” said U.N. Secretary General António Guterres.
- In Kharkiv, at least 17 people were killed and 42 wounded by two separate Russian attacks on the northeastern city, the regional governor said.
- There have been unconfirmed reports of strikes at a Russian air base in occupied Crimea.
More live updates here.
- Ukraine has warned that Russia could be planning a “large-scale terrorist attack” on the nuclear plant to blame on Kyiv, while Russia said Ukraine and the United States are planning to trigger an accident at the plant, claiming there is a threat of the core overheating.
- Any false flag operations at the plant would be out of the “Russian playbook — accuse others of what you have done or what you intend to do,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said when asked about the warnings.
- “We must tell it as it is. Any potential damage to Zaporizhzhia is suicide,” said U.N. Secretary General António Guterres.
- In Kharkiv, at least 17 people were killed and 42 wounded by two separate Russian attacks on the northeastern city, the regional governor said.
- There have been unconfirmed reports of strikes at a Russian air base in occupied Crimea.
More live updates here.
Russia paralyzed Estonia’s internet once. Its latest effort may have failed.
Estonia said it had successfully withstood a major cyberattack launched by Russia-aligned hackers who attempted to take down the websites of government offices, banks and health care providers in the Baltic nation.
Wednesday’s attacks came as Estonia, which is a NATO member, relocated a Soviet-era World War II monument to a museum — an effort that stirred controversy in a nation with a sizable ethnic Russian population. But the incursions — distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, which involve hackers trying to flood websites with more users than it can handle — were unsuccessful.
“With some brief and minor exceptions, websites remained fully available throughout the day,” said Luukas Ilves, the government’s chief information officer.
Read the full story here.
Estonia said it had successfully withstood a major cyberattack launched by Russia-aligned hackers who attempted to take down the websites of government offices, banks and health care providers in the Baltic nation.
Wednesday’s attacks came as Estonia, which is a NATO member, relocated a Soviet-era World War II monument to a museum — an effort that stirred controversy in a nation with a sizable ethnic Russian population. But the incursions — distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, which involve hackers trying to flood websites with more users than it can handle — were unsuccessful.
“With some brief and minor exceptions, websites remained fully available throughout the day,” said Luukas Ilves, the government’s chief information officer.
Read the full story here.
Families start to flee Zaporizhzhia as nuclear plant tensions rise
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — Some families living close to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine packed up their belongings and started to flee Friday amid rising tensions that they fear could result in a nuclear disaster.
Fathers and husbands, unable to leave on buses with their families, helped load belongings and waved to their loved ones in tearful goodbyes at a Zaporizhzhia parking lot on Friday — as Ukrainian authorities warned of a likely Russian attack on the nuclear plant 30 miles to the southwest.
Read the full story here.
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — Some families living close to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine packed up their belongings and started to flee Friday amid rising tensions that they fear could result in a nuclear disaster.
Fathers and husbands, unable to leave on buses with their families, helped load belongings and waved to their loved ones in tearful goodbyes at a Zaporizhzhia parking lot on Friday — as Ukrainian authorities warned of a likely Russian attack on the nuclear plant 30 miles to the southwest.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Both Russia and Ukraine are warning of a possible attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, currently under Russian control, in southeastern Ukraine. Families are beginning to flee the area in anticipation of a nuclear catastrophe, while plant employees have been ordered to stay home Friday.
- The United States announced Friday that it would send another $775 million in missiles, drones, vehicles and mine clearing equipment to help Ukraine in its war against Russia.
- French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the situation at the Zaporizhzhia plant. According to Russian state news agencies, Macron raised concerns over nuclear safety and security risks at the plant and expressed his support for sending a mission of IAEA experts to the site as quickly as possible, under conditions approved by Ukraine and the UN.
More live updates here.
- Both Russia and Ukraine are warning of a possible attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, currently under Russian control, in southeastern Ukraine. Families are beginning to flee the area in anticipation of a nuclear catastrophe, while plant employees have been ordered to stay home Friday.
- The United States announced Friday that it would send another $775 million in missiles, drones, vehicles and mine clearing equipment to help Ukraine in its war against Russia.
- French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the situation at the Zaporizhzhia plant. According to Russian state news agencies, Macron raised concerns over nuclear safety and security risks at the plant and expressed his support for sending a mission of IAEA experts to the site as quickly as possible, under conditions approved by Ukraine and the UN.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said he supported allowing U.N. experts to inspect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and agreed to provide “necessary assistance” for this, during a call with French President Emmanuel Macron.
- Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of “blackmail with radiation” in a nightly address to his nation on Friday. He also expressed support for an expert mission to the plant, and said his officials were “working out the specific details of the mission.”
- The Pentagon announced Friday that it would send Ukraine $775 million in anti-armor missiles, drones and other military hardware.
- Overnight Russian rocket attacks hit “critical infrastructure facilities in the city,” of Kharkiv, its regional governor said Saturday.
More live updates here.
- Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said he supported allowing U.N. experts to inspect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and agreed to provide “necessary assistance” for this, during a call with French President Emmanuel Macron.
- Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of “blackmail with radiation” in a nightly address to his nation on Friday. He also expressed support for an expert mission to the plant, and said his officials were “working out the specific details of the mission.”
- The Pentagon announced Friday that it would send Ukraine $775 million in anti-armor missiles, drones and other military hardware.
- Overnight Russian rocket attacks hit “critical infrastructure facilities in the city,” of Kharkiv, its regional governor said Saturday.
More live updates here.
Why Crimea is so important in the Russia-Ukraine war
A series of blasts at Russian military sites in Crimea this month has put a spotlight on the contested peninsula, which until now had been spared the heavy fighting of the nearly six-month-long war in Ukraine.
Crimea is a symbolic and strategic asset in the war. Crimea served as a southern staging ground for Moscow’s February invasion of Ukraine. Its city of Sevastopol is home to a key port that provides Moscow access to the Mediterranean and is the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. It helped Russia maintain its wartime naval blockade that halted trade at Ukrainian ports.
Read the full story here.
A series of blasts at Russian military sites in Crimea this month has put a spotlight on the contested peninsula, which until now had been spared the heavy fighting of the nearly six-month-long war in Ukraine.
Crimea is a symbolic and strategic asset in the war. Crimea served as a southern staging ground for Moscow’s February invasion of Ukraine. Its city of Sevastopol is home to a key port that provides Moscow access to the Mediterranean and is the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. It helped Russia maintain its wartime naval blockade that halted trade at Ukrainian ports.
Read the full story here.
Putin revives Soviet ‘Mother Heroine’ award for women who have 10 children
Faced with a worrisome decline in Russia’s population, President Vladimir Putin this week revived a Soviet-era award launched in 1944, to encourage Russians to supersize their families.
The “Mother Heroine” award published in a decree on Monday goes to women who bear 10 or more children, offering financial incentives and social kudos in a bid to spur population growth.
The honorary medal was first established by Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union and given to about 400,000 citizens, according to Russian media. The revived award will offer Russian citizens a one-time payment of 1 million rubles ($16,500) after their 10th child turns 1 year old — and only if the other nine children have all survived.
No mention of the war in Ukraine was linked to the medal.
Read the full story here.
Faced with a worrisome decline in Russia’s population, President Vladimir Putin this week revived a Soviet-era award launched in 1944, to encourage Russians to supersize their families.
The “Mother Heroine” award published in a decree on Monday goes to women who bear 10 or more children, offering financial incentives and social kudos in a bid to spur population growth.
The honorary medal was first established by Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union and given to about 400,000 citizens, according to Russian media. The revived award will offer Russian citizens a one-time payment of 1 million rubles ($16,500) after their 10th child turns 1 year old — and only if the other nine children have all survived.
No mention of the war in Ukraine was linked to the medal.
Read the full story here.
In Ukraine, a Russian mercenary group steps out of the shadows
For years, the Wagner private military company has done Moscow’s dirty work in eastern Ukraine, Libya, Syria and parts of Africa. The Kremlin always officially denied any relationship with Wagner, whose soldiers for hire have been accused of massacres and other human rights violations.
But now, Wagner and its mercenaries have suddenly emerged from the shadows in the Ukraine war, openly celebrated on Russian state media and lauded as heroes of Putin’s bloody invasion. A recent special report on the most-watched state TV channel trumpeted the group’s gains on the Ukrainian front lines — an unthinkable acknowledgment of Wagner even a few months ago.
Pro-Kremlin reporters lionize the members of the group, named for the right-wing German composer Richard Wagner, as “musicians” in an “orchestra.” Wagner is using glitzy advertising across Russia to sign up new members. Its efforts include recruitment campaigns in prisons.
Read the full story here.
For years, the Wagner private military company has done Moscow’s dirty work in eastern Ukraine, Libya, Syria and parts of Africa. The Kremlin always officially denied any relationship with Wagner, whose soldiers for hire have been accused of massacres and other human rights violations.
But now, Wagner and its mercenaries have suddenly emerged from the shadows in the Ukraine war, openly celebrated on Russian state media and lauded as heroes of Putin’s bloody invasion. A recent special report on the most-watched state TV channel trumpeted the group’s gains on the Ukrainian front lines — an unthinkable acknowledgment of Wagner even a few months ago.
Pro-Kremlin reporters lionize the members of the group, named for the right-wing German composer Richard Wagner, as “musicians” in an “orchestra.” Wagner is using glitzy advertising across Russia to sign up new members. Its efforts include recruitment campaigns in prisons.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Drone attacks, including one on the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, were reported in Crimea on Saturday.
- Russian officials in Crimea are considering “strengthening security” on the peninsula amid the attacks, according to the Washington-based think tank Institute for the Study of War, with forces there on “high alert.”
- The daughter of key Putin adviser Alexander Dugin was killed in an explosion Saturday night in the Moscow region, according to Russia’s state-run media outlet Tass.
- The city of Kharkiv will be under curfew all day on Ukrainian Independence Day, said its regional governor, Oleh Synyehubov. Starting Monday, the nightly curfew in Ukraine’s second-largest city will run from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., and this week, it will also run from Tuesday night to Thursday morning.
More live updates here.
- Drone attacks, including one on the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, were reported in Crimea on Saturday.
- Russian officials in Crimea are considering “strengthening security” on the peninsula amid the attacks, according to the Washington-based think tank Institute for the Study of War, with forces there on “high alert.”
- The daughter of key Putin adviser Alexander Dugin was killed in an explosion Saturday night in the Moscow region, according to Russia’s state-run media outlet Tass.
- The city of Kharkiv will be under curfew all day on Ukrainian Independence Day, said its regional governor, Oleh Synyehubov. Starting Monday, the nightly curfew in Ukraine’s second-largest city will run from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., and this week, it will also run from Tuesday night to Thursday morning.
More live updates here.
War? Ordinary life? In Ukraine, it depends on where you call home.
KHARKIV — The two bartenders work for the same Ukrainian chain. But their lives are starkly different.
Vladyslav Nazarenko is in Kharkiv, about 30 miles from the Russian border. Here the 21-year-old can’t shake the fear of a Russian rocket or missile attack. His bar is one of the few open in the eerily quiet city, which Moscow bombarded in the spring and still strikes nightly.
“It’s life,” he said.
Pashchenko Denys is in Kyiv, Ukraine’s bustling capital, far from the front lines. There the 22-year-old serves a constant stream of customers looking to laugh and relax — up until the city’s 11 p.m. curfew.
“The war is ongoing,” he said. “But Kyiv continues to live.”
Nearly six months after Russia invaded, many Ukrainians are living — and struggling — with these split-screen realities.
Read the full story here.
KHARKIV — The two bartenders work for the same Ukrainian chain. But their lives are starkly different.
Vladyslav Nazarenko is in Kharkiv, about 30 miles from the Russian border. Here the 21-year-old can’t shake the fear of a Russian rocket or missile attack. His bar is one of the few open in the eerily quiet city, which Moscow bombarded in the spring and still strikes nightly.
“It’s life,” he said.
Pashchenko Denys is in Kyiv, Ukraine’s bustling capital, far from the front lines. There the 22-year-old serves a constant stream of customers looking to laugh and relax — up until the city’s 11 p.m. curfew.
“The war is ongoing,” he said. “But Kyiv continues to live.”
Nearly six months after Russia invaded, many Ukrainians are living — and struggling — with these split-screen realities.
Read the full story here.
Americans are paying for slogans on bombs aimed at Russians
KYIV, Ukraine — At a military position near the front line, members of a Ukrainian military unit snickered as a soldier with tattooed arms scrawled a phallic symbol on an artillery shell designed for an M777 howitzer cannon.
At a separate position, a Ukrainian soldier loaded a shell that read “Hello from Texas” into a medium-range cannon. Seconds before it fired with a loud boom, the operator announced, “from Texas” in a gleeful Slavic accent.
The emergence of slogans and symbols emblazoned on U.S.-made artillery — originally a creative outlet for Ukrainian soldiers serving in the country’s east — has become a growing and lucrative fundraising tactic for Ukrainians in the nearly six-month war.
Local crowdfunding websites have raised tens of thousands of dollars for the war effort since Russia invaded on Feb. 24.
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — At a military position near the front line, members of a Ukrainian military unit snickered as a soldier with tattooed arms scrawled a phallic symbol on an artillery shell designed for an M777 howitzer cannon.
At a separate position, a Ukrainian soldier loaded a shell that read “Hello from Texas” into a medium-range cannon. Seconds before it fired with a loud boom, the operator announced, “from Texas” in a gleeful Slavic accent.
The emergence of slogans and symbols emblazoned on U.S.-made artillery — originally a creative outlet for Ukrainian soldiers serving in the country’s east — has become a growing and lucrative fundraising tactic for Ukrainians in the nearly six-month war.
Local crowdfunding websites have raised tens of thousands of dollars for the war effort since Russia invaded on Feb. 24.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has drawn another red line in potential negotiations with Moscow to end the war. Russian-backed authorities are reportedly planning to hold a trial on Aug. 24 — Ukraine’s Independence Day — for the fighters captured during their final defense of the Azovstal steel plant in the battle for Mariupol.
- Zelensky warned of stepped up strikes from Moscow as Kyiv prepares to celebrate Independence Day this week.
- A number of theories, as yet unsubstantiated, are circulating about the cause of a car bomb that killed the daughter of Putin ally Alexander Dugin outside Moscow on Saturday. It could create a flash point, even as Ukrainian officials denied any involvement in the blast.
- Authorities in areas occupied by Kremlin forces have “intensified filtration measures and abductions” in the lead-up to Ukraine’s Independence Day, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a D.C.-based think tank.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has drawn another red line in potential negotiations with Moscow to end the war. Russian-backed authorities are reportedly planning to hold a trial on Aug. 24 — Ukraine’s Independence Day — for the fighters captured during their final defense of the Azovstal steel plant in the battle for Mariupol.
- Zelensky warned of stepped up strikes from Moscow as Kyiv prepares to celebrate Independence Day this week.
- A number of theories, as yet unsubstantiated, are circulating about the cause of a car bomb that killed the daughter of Putin ally Alexander Dugin outside Moscow on Saturday. It could create a flash point, even as Ukrainian officials denied any involvement in the blast.
- Authorities in areas occupied by Kremlin forces have “intensified filtration measures and abductions” in the lead-up to Ukraine’s Independence Day, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a D.C.-based think tank.
More live updates here.