Western sanctions are wounding but not yet crushing Russia’s economy
Soon after the Western world launched a broad package of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, President Biden argued that the measures were already causing Russia’s economy to “crater” and “reel.”
Six months later, the picture appears more mixed.
While most economists agree that Russia is suffering real damage that will mount over time, the economy — at least on the surface — does not yet appear to be collapsing. The ruble’s initial nosedive in value quickly reversed after the state limited currency transactions, and after Russia’s imports plummeted — an economic picture that can hardly be described as healthy, but one that calmed public fears about a currency crisis. Unemployment hasn’t noticeably surged, and Russia continues to earn the equivalent of billions of dollars every month from oil and gas exports.
Read the full story here.
Soon after the Western world launched a broad package of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, President Biden argued that the measures were already causing Russia’s economy to “crater” and “reel.”
Six months later, the picture appears more mixed.
While most economists agree that Russia is suffering real damage that will mount over time, the economy — at least on the surface — does not yet appear to be collapsing. The ruble’s initial nosedive in value quickly reversed after the state limited currency transactions, and after Russia’s imports plummeted — an economic picture that can hardly be described as healthy, but one that calmed public fears about a currency crisis. Unemployment hasn’t noticeably surged, and Russia continues to earn the equivalent of billions of dollars every month from oil and gas exports.
Read the full story here.
5 things you need to know about Russia’s intelligence failures ahead of the invasion of Ukraine
A months-long examination by The Washington Post of the intelligence war in Ukraine draws on a trove of sensitive materials including intercepted communications involving Russian intelligence operatives, as well as in-depth interviews with senior Ukrainian, U.S. and European officials.
Here are some key findings:
1. A clandestine branch of Russia’s security service was deeply involved in the Kremlin’s failed war plan, assuring officials in Moscow that Ukraine’s government would fall quickly and deploying operatives to install a puppet regime.
2. FSB officers were so confident they would seize the levers of power in Kyiv that they spent the final days before the war arranging accommodations in the capital.
3. The FSB’s Ukraine department underwent a major expansion in the period leading up to the invasion, according to Ukrainian and Western security officials.
Read all the findings here.
A months-long examination by The Washington Post of the intelligence war in Ukraine draws on a trove of sensitive materials including intercepted communications involving Russian intelligence operatives, as well as in-depth interviews with senior Ukrainian, U.S. and European officials.
Here are some key findings:
1. A clandestine branch of Russia’s security service was deeply involved in the Kremlin’s failed war plan, assuring officials in Moscow that Ukraine’s government would fall quickly and deploying operatives to install a puppet regime.
2. FSB officers were so confident they would seize the levers of power in Kyiv that they spent the final days before the war arranging accommodations in the capital.
3. The FSB’s Ukraine department underwent a major expansion in the period leading up to the invasion, according to Ukrainian and Western security officials.
Read all the findings here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- Russia is preparing to launch more strikes against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and government facilities in the coming days, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv warned ahead of Ukrainian Independence Day on Wednesday.
- Russia has requested that the U.N. Security Council hold an emergency meeting to discuss the threats surrounding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.
- Dugina’s father, Alexander Dugin, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, called for “more than just revenge” after his daughter’s killing.
- Kyiv banned public Independence Day celebrations in the capital this week, citing heightened risks of attack.
- Russia has fired almost 3,500 cruise missiles at Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address Monday.
More live updates here.
- Russia is preparing to launch more strikes against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and government facilities in the coming days, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv warned ahead of Ukrainian Independence Day on Wednesday.
- Russia has requested that the U.N. Security Council hold an emergency meeting to discuss the threats surrounding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.
- Dugina’s father, Alexander Dugin, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, called for “more than just revenge” after his daughter’s killing.
- Kyiv banned public Independence Day celebrations in the capital this week, citing heightened risks of attack.
- Russia has fired almost 3,500 cruise missiles at Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address Monday.
More live updates here.
Ukraine nuclear plant worker killed by Russian mortar as tensions rise
An employee at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and his driver were killed in a mortar explosion outside the facility, underscoring the perilous situation at Europe’s largest nuclear plant, the president of Ukraine’s nuclear power company said Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of a potential catastrophe at the plant and called for international pressure on Russia to withdraw its forces from the area.
“We do not control what is happening there,” Zelensky said at a news conference in Kyiv, adding: “We need to put pressure on Russia, give them an ultimatum from the international community that they should leave, take out equipment, bombs, weapons and people who definitely do not understand what is happening there and have no relation to atomic energy.”
Read the full story here.
An employee at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and his driver were killed in a mortar explosion outside the facility, underscoring the perilous situation at Europe’s largest nuclear plant, the president of Ukraine’s nuclear power company said Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of a potential catastrophe at the plant and called for international pressure on Russia to withdraw its forces from the area.
“We do not control what is happening there,” Zelensky said at a news conference in Kyiv, adding: “We need to put pressure on Russia, give them an ultimatum from the international community that they should leave, take out equipment, bombs, weapons and people who definitely do not understand what is happening there and have no relation to atomic energy.”
Read the full story here.
Exclusive: Battle for Kyiv: Ukrainian valor, Russian blunders combined to save the capital
KYIV, Ukraine — A hail of shrapnel from kamikaze drones ripped through the tent where off-duty Ukrainian border guards were sleeping near a crossing with Belarus, three hours north of Ukraine’s capital.
Viktor Derevyanko woke to scalding pain, his body burning. Blood spilled from his hand as he tried to wipe his face. A piece of metal had traveled through his arm and stomach and into the muscle around his heart.
“I couldn’t get my bearings,” said Derevyanko, the deputy head of the unit. “Only on the third explosion did I manage to fall out of bed and try to find at least someplace to hide, because the explosions weren’t ending.”
It was around 4:15 a.m. on Feb. 24.
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — A hail of shrapnel from kamikaze drones ripped through the tent where off-duty Ukrainian border guards were sleeping near a crossing with Belarus, three hours north of Ukraine’s capital.
Viktor Derevyanko woke to scalding pain, his body burning. Blood spilled from his hand as he tried to wipe his face. A piece of metal had traveled through his arm and stomach and into the muscle around his heart.
“I couldn’t get my bearings,” said Derevyanko, the deputy head of the unit. “Only on the third explosion did I manage to fall out of bed and try to find at least someplace to hide, because the explosions weren’t ending.”
It was around 4:15 a.m. on Feb. 24.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukraine is holding a ghost parade — of burned and battered Russian tanks and artillery launchers — in Kyiv’s grandest boulevard to mark its first Independence Day since Russia invaded.
- Moscow invaded its neighbor 6 months ago, on Feb. 24, in an act that shocked the world and rattled the global economy. Since then, Russian forces have laid waste to Ukrainian towns and cities, occupied swaths of land and seized control of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, in Zaporizhzhia. Recent fighting there has raised fears of a potential nuclear disaster.
- The Pentagon is sending new weapons to Ukraine, suggesting more close-range fighting against Russian troops will take place, as Kyiv seeks an opportunity to retake lost ground.
- Russia has requested that the U.N. Security Council hold an emergency meeting to discuss the threats surrounding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
More live updates here.
- Ukraine is holding a ghost parade — of burned and battered Russian tanks and artillery launchers — in Kyiv’s grandest boulevard to mark its first Independence Day since Russia invaded.
- Moscow invaded its neighbor 6 months ago, on Feb. 24, in an act that shocked the world and rattled the global economy. Since then, Russian forces have laid waste to Ukrainian towns and cities, occupied swaths of land and seized control of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, in Zaporizhzhia. Recent fighting there has raised fears of a potential nuclear disaster.
- The Pentagon is sending new weapons to Ukraine, suggesting more close-range fighting against Russian troops will take place, as Kyiv seeks an opportunity to retake lost ground.
- Russia has requested that the U.N. Security Council hold an emergency meeting to discuss the threats surrounding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
More live updates here.
On Independence Day, Ukraine celebrates statehood Putin failed to destroy
KYIV, Ukraine — To mark its first Independence Day since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his armies to conquer the country, Ukraine is holding a ghost parade.
Khreschatyk Street, Kyiv’s grandest boulevard, is lined this week with the carcasses of burned and battered Russian fighting machines, destroyed in Ukraine’s surprisingly robust defense against the invasion launched by Moscow six months ago.
The “procession” of more than 70 treadless tanks and crumpled artillery launchers is a bizarre inversion of the triumphant procession Russian commanders had hoped to conduct through a captured capital.
“The Russians wanted to drive this parade through Kyiv, but our military has done it for them,” said Vasyl Radchenko, who was visiting from his home on the outskirts of the city and choked back tears as he gazed along a cavalcade of mangled iron.
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — To mark its first Independence Day since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his armies to conquer the country, Ukraine is holding a ghost parade.
Khreschatyk Street, Kyiv’s grandest boulevard, is lined this week with the carcasses of burned and battered Russian fighting machines, destroyed in Ukraine’s surprisingly robust defense against the invasion launched by Moscow six months ago.
The “procession” of more than 70 treadless tanks and crumpled artillery launchers is a bizarre inversion of the triumphant procession Russian commanders had hoped to conduct through a captured capital.
“The Russians wanted to drive this parade through Kyiv, but our military has done it for them,” said Vasyl Radchenko, who was visiting from his home on the outskirts of the city and choked back tears as he gazed along a cavalcade of mangled iron.
Read the full story here.
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Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- Ukraine celebrated its Independence Day on Wednesday, on the six-month anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
- Ukraine is holding a ghost parade — of burned and battered Russian armored vehicles and artillery launchers — on Kyiv’s grandest boulevard to mark its first Independence Day since Russia invaded. The country is celebrating the statehood that Russian President Vladimir Putin has failed to destroy.
- The Washington Post conducted a months-long examination of the Ukrainian military’s successful defense of Kyiv, interviewing more than 100 people. Here are five ways Ukraine fought and saved Kyiv from Russian invaders.
- The Pentagon is sending new weapons to Ukraine, suggesting that more close-range fighting against Russian troops will take place as Kyiv seeks an opportunity to retake lost ground.
More live updates here.
- Ukraine celebrated its Independence Day on Wednesday, on the six-month anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
- Ukraine is holding a ghost parade — of burned and battered Russian armored vehicles and artillery launchers — on Kyiv’s grandest boulevard to mark its first Independence Day since Russia invaded. The country is celebrating the statehood that Russian President Vladimir Putin has failed to destroy.
- The Washington Post conducted a months-long examination of the Ukrainian military’s successful defense of Kyiv, interviewing more than 100 people. Here are five ways Ukraine fought and saved Kyiv from Russian invaders.
- The Pentagon is sending new weapons to Ukraine, suggesting that more close-range fighting against Russian troops will take place as Kyiv seeks an opportunity to retake lost ground.
More live updates here.
Analysis: How Russia’s invasion strengthened Ukrainian identity
This year, Ukraine’s Independence Day falls on the same day that marks six months since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion. The two events feel inextricably, indelibly linked: Ukrainians will celebrate more than three decades of independence from the Soviet Union while remaining on high alert for a military escalation by the Kremlin.
“Tomorrow is an important day for all of us,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday. “And that is why this day, unfortunately, is also important for our enemy. We must be aware that tomorrow hideous Russian provocations and brutal strikes are possible.”
Read the full analysis here.
This year, Ukraine’s Independence Day falls on the same day that marks six months since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion. The two events feel inextricably, indelibly linked: Ukrainians will celebrate more than three decades of independence from the Soviet Union while remaining on high alert for a military escalation by the Kremlin.
“Tomorrow is an important day for all of us,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday. “And that is why this day, unfortunately, is also important for our enemy. We must be aware that tomorrow hideous Russian provocations and brutal strikes are possible.”
Read the full analysis here.
Russian missile hits passenger train as Ukraine marks Independence Day
With a mix of prudence, exuberance and, mostly, defiance, Ukrainians on Wednesday took time out from their existential battle with invading Russian forces to celebrate their 31st year as a free nation, marking their first Independence Day since the Kremlin launched a full-scale war here six months ago.
Warnings from Ukrainian officials and American intelligence agencies that Russia was poised to mar the holiday by launching missile strikes went largely unrealized, although the war’s violence continued in some parts of the country.
Along the shifting front lines to the east and south, Ukrainians contended with missile and artillery attacks near Dnipro and in the Eastern Donbas region.
Russian rocket strikes on a passenger train in the town of Chaplyne, about 60 miles east of the Dnieper River killed at least 22 people and wounded at least 50, officials said.
Read the full story here.
With a mix of prudence, exuberance and, mostly, defiance, Ukrainians on Wednesday took time out from their existential battle with invading Russian forces to celebrate their 31st year as a free nation, marking their first Independence Day since the Kremlin launched a full-scale war here six months ago.
Warnings from Ukrainian officials and American intelligence agencies that Russia was poised to mar the holiday by launching missile strikes went largely unrealized, although the war’s violence continued in some parts of the country.
Along the shifting front lines to the east and south, Ukrainians contended with missile and artillery attacks near Dnipro and in the Eastern Donbas region.
Russian rocket strikes on a passenger train in the town of Chaplyne, about 60 miles east of the Dnieper River killed at least 22 people and wounded at least 50, officials said.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Putin will increase the size of the Russian military from 1.9 million to 2.04 million, Russian media reported. It will include a 137,000 increase in the number of military personnel and take effect on Jan. 1.
- Victims of a Russian missile attack on Chaplyne include an 11-year-old who died under the rubble of a house and a 6-year-old caught in a car fire, Kirill Timoshenko, a Ukrainian presidential aide, said on Telegram. He said 25 people were killed in total and 31 injured.
- Biden is expected to call Zelensky on Thursday to discuss an almost $3 billion U.S. military aid package. Biden said he was “proud to announce our biggest tranche of security assistance to date,” which will include air defense systems, artillery and munitions.
- Tensions continue to mount around the Zaporizhzhia power plant, with Russia maintaining “an enhanced military presence at the site,” according to a daily intelligence briefing from Britain’s Defense Ministry.
More live updates here.
- Putin will increase the size of the Russian military from 1.9 million to 2.04 million, Russian media reported. It will include a 137,000 increase in the number of military personnel and take effect on Jan. 1.
- Victims of a Russian missile attack on Chaplyne include an 11-year-old who died under the rubble of a house and a 6-year-old caught in a car fire, Kirill Timoshenko, a Ukrainian presidential aide, said on Telegram. He said 25 people were killed in total and 31 injured.
- Biden is expected to call Zelensky on Thursday to discuss an almost $3 billion U.S. military aid package. Biden said he was “proud to announce our biggest tranche of security assistance to date,” which will include air defense systems, artillery and munitions.
- Tensions continue to mount around the Zaporizhzhia power plant, with Russia maintaining “an enhanced military presence at the site,” according to a daily intelligence briefing from Britain’s Defense Ministry.
More live updates here.
Zelensky vows retribution after deadly Russian strike on Independence Day
As Ukrainians marked the 31st anniversary of their country’s break from the Soviet Union with a somber parade in Kyiv on Wednesday, Russia launched a deadly missile attack on a train station and residential area in a town 300 miles to the southeast, killing at least 25 people and wounding dozens more, officials said.
The strike rocked Chaplyne, population 3,700, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned days earlier that Russia could be plotting “something particularly cruel” this week to spoil Ukraine’s Independence Day, the country’s highest national holiday.
Details of the strike were still coming into focus late that evening, but Zelensky and one of his deputies said four missiles hit the station, damaging a utility building and destroying rail cars. A residential neighborhood was also hit.
Read the full story here.
As Ukrainians marked the 31st anniversary of their country’s break from the Soviet Union with a somber parade in Kyiv on Wednesday, Russia launched a deadly missile attack on a train station and residential area in a town 300 miles to the southeast, killing at least 25 people and wounding dozens more, officials said.
The strike rocked Chaplyne, population 3,700, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned days earlier that Russia could be plotting “something particularly cruel” this week to spoil Ukraine’s Independence Day, the country’s highest national holiday.
Details of the strike were still coming into focus late that evening, but Zelensky and one of his deputies said four missiles hit the station, damaging a utility building and destroying rail cars. A residential neighborhood was also hit.
Read the full story here.
Biden pledges $3 billion in long-term military aid for Ukraine
President Biden on Wednesday announced the United States’ largest single commitment of weapons and ammunition for Ukraine, in what his administration called a symbol of Washington’s long-term backing against Russia’s invasion.
The $2.98 billion package, unveiled on Ukraine’s Independence Day, includes more artillery, drones, radar and air defenses. It commits six additional surface-to-air missile systems, quadrupling the supply committed to Ukraine, plus hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition for the howitzers and mortars in use on the battlefield. Counter-drone weapons known as Vampires will be provided for the first time.
“The United States of America is committed to supporting the people of Ukraine as they continue the fight to defend their sovereignty,” Biden said in a statement.
Read the full story here.
President Biden on Wednesday announced the United States’ largest single commitment of weapons and ammunition for Ukraine, in what his administration called a symbol of Washington’s long-term backing against Russia’s invasion.
The $2.98 billion package, unveiled on Ukraine’s Independence Day, includes more artillery, drones, radar and air defenses. It commits six additional surface-to-air missile systems, quadrupling the supply committed to Ukraine, plus hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition for the howitzers and mortars in use on the battlefield. Counter-drone weapons known as Vampires will be provided for the first time.
“The United States of America is committed to supporting the people of Ukraine as they continue the fight to defend their sovereignty,” Biden said in a statement.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine’s largest nuclear plant is cut off energy grid
Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant was cut off from the country’s electricity grid, setting off a mass power outage in the adjacent area after fires damaged its last functioning transmission line, Ukraine’s nuclear power company said Thursday.
The incident renewed fears about safety at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is also the largest atomic energy plant in Europe and is located in an area now occupied by invading Russian forces.
Fighting in the vicinity of the plant has led to acute worries of a potential catastrophe and to calls from many world leaders for U.N. nuclear experts to be allowed to visit the site.
Russian and Ukrainian officials traded blame for shelling at the plant, which they said had resulted in the disconnection from the power grid — the first time it has ever been cut off.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant was cut off from the country’s electricity grid, setting off a mass power outage in the adjacent area after fires damaged its last functioning transmission line, Ukraine’s nuclear power company said Thursday.
The incident renewed fears about safety at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is also the largest atomic energy plant in Europe and is located in an area now occupied by invading Russian forces.
Fighting in the vicinity of the plant has led to acute worries of a potential catastrophe and to calls from many world leaders for U.N. nuclear experts to be allowed to visit the site.
Russian and Ukrainian officials traded blame for shelling at the plant, which they said had resulted in the disconnection from the power grid — the first time it has ever been cut off.
Read the full story here.
5 ways Ukraine fought and saved its capital from Russian invaders
A months-long examination by The Washington Post of the Ukrainian military’s successful defense of Kyiv is based on extensive interviews with more than 100 people, including many of the country’s top political and military leaders.
Here are some key findings:
1. In the run-up to the war, Ukrainian political officials downplayed the likelihood of a full-scale Russian invasion, but the Ukrainian military was making critical preparations.
2. Russia directly and through an intermediary tried to get the Ukrainian government to capitulate in the initial hours of the war.
3. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wasn’t opposed to resigning or leaving Kyiv if it would end the war.
Read all the findings here.
A months-long examination by The Washington Post of the Ukrainian military’s successful defense of Kyiv is based on extensive interviews with more than 100 people, including many of the country’s top political and military leaders.
Here are some key findings:
1. In the run-up to the war, Ukrainian political officials downplayed the likelihood of a full-scale Russian invasion, but the Ukrainian military was making critical preparations.
2. Russia directly and through an intermediary tried to get the Ukrainian government to capitulate in the initial hours of the war.
3. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wasn’t opposed to resigning or leaving Kyiv if it would end the war.
Read all the findings here.
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Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vows retribution after deadly Russian strike on Independence Day.
- The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was temporarily but entirely disconnected from the grid for the first time Thursday, according to its operator, Energoatom, after transmission lines were cut.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to increase the size of the Russian military from 1.9 million to 2.04 million, Russian media outlets reported.
- French President Emmanuel Macron met with Rafael Mariano Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in Paris on Thursday to underline his “grave concern” about the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
- Russian rockets targeted the Vyshgorod area directly north of Kyiv early Thursday, but no casualties were reported, regional governor Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vows retribution after deadly Russian strike on Independence Day.
- The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was temporarily but entirely disconnected from the grid for the first time Thursday, according to its operator, Energoatom, after transmission lines were cut.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to increase the size of the Russian military from 1.9 million to 2.04 million, Russian media outlets reported.
- French President Emmanuel Macron met with Rafael Mariano Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in Paris on Thursday to underline his “grave concern” about the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
- Russian rockets targeted the Vyshgorod area directly north of Kyiv early Thursday, but no casualties were reported, regional governor Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram.
More live updates here.