Analysis: With NAFO, Ukraine turns the trolls on Russia
More than six months in, the war in Ukraine has become a little surreal. This past weekend, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry shared a doctored photograph of a Shiba Inu dog wearing a military uniform, apparently gushing over the site of a missile launch.
“Today we want to give a shout-out to a unique entity,” the tweet read, before pointing to an unusually named group — the North Atlantic Fellas Organization.
If you are the sort of person who gets your news from, say, a newspaper website, you may have little idea what NAFO is. But if you’re the sort of person who has spent the last six months scouring Twitter for news about the war in Ukraine, signing up for obscure Telegram accounts and reading accounts of the latest Ukrainian strikes on Russia on blogs devoted to open-source intelligence (OSINT) … well, it’s quite likely you’re already a fella yourself.
Read the full analysis here.
More than six months in, the war in Ukraine has become a little surreal. This past weekend, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry shared a doctored photograph of a Shiba Inu dog wearing a military uniform, apparently gushing over the site of a missile launch.
“Today we want to give a shout-out to a unique entity,” the tweet read, before pointing to an unusually named group — the North Atlantic Fellas Organization.
If you are the sort of person who gets your news from, say, a newspaper website, you may have little idea what NAFO is. But if you’re the sort of person who has spent the last six months scouring Twitter for news about the war in Ukraine, signing up for obscure Telegram accounts and reading accounts of the latest Ukrainian strikes on Russia on blogs devoted to open-source intelligence (OSINT) … well, it’s quite likely you’re already a fella yourself.
Read the full analysis here.
In Ukraine, first day of school is 190th day of Russian invasion
NOVE ZALISSYA, Ukraine — As Russian forces swept into town and artillery shells exploded outside last winter, residents of this village about 30 miles northwest of Kyiv cowered in fear in the basement of the local school. On Thursday, the Russian invaders who failed to seize the Ukrainian capital were a memory, and the school was the scene of a much more tranquil and joyous occasion: the official opening of the academic year, which takes place annually on Sept. 1.
With traditional pageantry, 15 first-graders were escorted into the school’s auditorium by the oldest students. They sang the Ukrainian national anthem and recited prepared phrases about the day’s importance, while a gaggle of proud parents looked on. At the end, the first-graders took turns ringing a bell to mark the start of their academic life.
Read the full story here.
NOVE ZALISSYA, Ukraine — As Russian forces swept into town and artillery shells exploded outside last winter, residents of this village about 30 miles northwest of Kyiv cowered in fear in the basement of the local school. On Thursday, the Russian invaders who failed to seize the Ukrainian capital were a memory, and the school was the scene of a much more tranquil and joyous occasion: the official opening of the academic year, which takes place annually on Sept. 1.
With traditional pageantry, 15 first-graders were escorted into the school’s auditorium by the oldest students. They sang the Ukrainian national anthem and recited prepared phrases about the day’s importance, while a gaggle of proud parents looked on. At the end, the first-graders took turns ringing a bell to mark the start of their academic life.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- The IAEA team was aware of “increased military activity” near the plant, Grossi said Thursday before heading to the site.
- “The Russians are shelling the pre-agreed route of the IAEA mission,” Ukraine’s regional governor for Zaporizhzhia, Oleksandr Starukh, said earlier Thursday on Telegram.
- The mission “seeks to prevent a nuclear accident” and will assess the safety and security of the plant, as well as speak to staff, said Grossi.
- Ukraine began its academic school year Thursday, welcoming students back in ceremonies that showed both resilience and the war’s heavy toll.
More live updates here.
- The IAEA team was aware of “increased military activity” near the plant, Grossi said Thursday before heading to the site.
- “The Russians are shelling the pre-agreed route of the IAEA mission,” Ukraine’s regional governor for Zaporizhzhia, Oleksandr Starukh, said earlier Thursday on Telegram.
- The mission “seeks to prevent a nuclear accident” and will assess the safety and security of the plant, as well as speak to staff, said Grossi.
- Ukraine began its academic school year Thursday, welcoming students back in ceremonies that showed both resilience and the war’s heavy toll.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Five inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency will remain at the Zaporizhzhia plant through Saturday, after agency chief Rafael Grossi led a tour to evaluate the safety of the facility in Russian hands. “We are not going anywhere. The IAEA is now there, it is at the plant and it is not moving,” he told reporters Thursday after returning to territory under Ukrainian control.
- Grossi said the “physical integrity of the plant has been violated several times” and that he worried about the risks “until we have a situation which is more stable.” The atomic energy agency and Kyiv have urged a military withdrawal from the site, which is controlled by Russian forces but operated by Ukrainian engineers.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of preventing journalists from accompanying the mission, while praising the IAEA visit in his nightly address.
More live updates here.
- Five inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency will remain at the Zaporizhzhia plant through Saturday, after agency chief Rafael Grossi led a tour to evaluate the safety of the facility in Russian hands. “We are not going anywhere. The IAEA is now there, it is at the plant and it is not moving,” he told reporters Thursday after returning to territory under Ukrainian control.
- Grossi said the “physical integrity of the plant has been violated several times” and that he worried about the risks “until we have a situation which is more stable.” The atomic energy agency and Kyiv have urged a military withdrawal from the site, which is controlled by Russian forces but operated by Ukrainian engineers.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of preventing journalists from accompanying the mission, while praising the IAEA visit in his nightly address.
More live updates here.
Bombs fall as U.N. inspectors reach embattled Ukrainian nuclear plant
KYIV, Ukraine — A team of U.N. nuclear experts made an initial inspection at the embattled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Thursday after traversing a contested stretch of southeastern Ukraine besieged by mortar shelling and small weapons fire.
“I have just completed a first tour of the key areas that we wanted to see,” Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in a video message from the plant. “Of course there is a lot more to do. My team is staying on.”
Grossi said the goal of his multiday inspection was to set up a permanent monitoring mission at the plant and assess the safety situation there. It is unclear how extensive his team’s access will be after his departure.
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — A team of U.N. nuclear experts made an initial inspection at the embattled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Thursday after traversing a contested stretch of southeastern Ukraine besieged by mortar shelling and small weapons fire.
“I have just completed a first tour of the key areas that we wanted to see,” Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in a video message from the plant. “Of course there is a lot more to do. My team is staying on.”
Grossi said the goal of his multiday inspection was to set up a permanent monitoring mission at the plant and assess the safety situation there. It is unclear how extensive his team’s access will be after his departure.
Read the full story here.
Lukoil chairman dies in mysterious fall from Moscow hospital window
The chairman of Russia’s second-largest oil company, Lukoil, died Thursday after reportedly falling from the window of a Moscow hospital where he was being treated after suffering a heart attack.
Ravil Maganov, 67, fell from a sixth-floor window at the Central Clinical Hospital around 7 a.m. local time, the state-run Tass news agency reported.
It was not clear whether Maganov’s death was an accident, a suicide or something more sinister.
Read the full story here.
The chairman of Russia’s second-largest oil company, Lukoil, died Thursday after reportedly falling from the window of a Moscow hospital where he was being treated after suffering a heart attack.
Ravil Maganov, 67, fell from a sixth-floor window at the Central Clinical Hospital around 7 a.m. local time, the state-run Tass news agency reported.
It was not clear whether Maganov’s death was an accident, a suicide or something more sinister.
Read the full story here.
G-7 nations say they will set a price cap on Russian oil
The leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized nations announced on Friday that they will implement a new price cap on Russian oil, aiming to undercut the Kremlin’s finances while keeping energy flowing to the West.
Western allies led by Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen have for months been trying to rally the world behind a plan to purchase Russian oil at a set lower price to stop the huge energy profits Russia is using to finance its war in Ukraine. They have settled on a price cap that is intended to undercut those profits while also ensuring Russia continues to provide oil to world markets, trying to prevent price shocks that could cripple the global economy.
The G-7 governments said in a statement that they plan to enact the price cap by cutting off insurance for all shipments of Russian oil that are sold above a certain price — which would effectively make it impossible to ship.
Read the full story here.
The leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized nations announced on Friday that they will implement a new price cap on Russian oil, aiming to undercut the Kremlin’s finances while keeping energy flowing to the West.
Western allies led by Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen have for months been trying to rally the world behind a plan to purchase Russian oil at a set lower price to stop the huge energy profits Russia is using to finance its war in Ukraine. They have settled on a price cap that is intended to undercut those profits while also ensuring Russia continues to provide oil to world markets, trying to prevent price shocks that could cripple the global economy.
The G-7 governments said in a statement that they plan to enact the price cap by cutting off insurance for all shipments of Russian oil that are sold above a certain price — which would effectively make it impossible to ship.
Read the full story here.
In fiercely contested Kherson, Ukraine pushes to retake occupied lands
Ukraine’s military has kept Ukrainians and the world guessing about the counteroffensive it claims to have launched in this Russian-occupied territory, but Oleksander Skovorodka already feels a shift.
The 32-year-old resident of Kamyane, a village surrounded by Russian forces, said the pitch of artillery volleys from both directions has ramped up. He and his neighbors have watched Ukrainian attack helicopters buzz the treetops on their way south. On Wednesday evening, Ukrainian military vehicles plied the dirt lane in the oblast’s northwest corner where he and his wife, Taisia, were driving on their way to buy food.
“We can hear more fighting, more shelling,” he said. “The Russians are just over there.”
Read the full story here.
Ukraine’s military has kept Ukrainians and the world guessing about the counteroffensive it claims to have launched in this Russian-occupied territory, but Oleksander Skovorodka already feels a shift.
The 32-year-old resident of Kamyane, a village surrounded by Russian forces, said the pitch of artillery volleys from both directions has ramped up. He and his neighbors have watched Ukrainian attack helicopters buzz the treetops on their way south. On Wednesday evening, Ukrainian military vehicles plied the dirt lane in the oblast’s northwest corner where he and his wife, Taisia, were driving on their way to buy food.
“We can hear more fighting, more shelling,” he said. “The Russians are just over there.”
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Two IAEA inspectors will remain at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant “on a permanent basis,” Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s envoy to the agency, told The Washington Post on Friday.
- Russian energy giant Gazprom announced Friday that it won’t reopen the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline tomorrow as expected, potentially worsening Europe’s energy crunch.
- Grossi told reporters the IAEA plans to establish a “resident” presence to monitor the plant and that a core team will stay there over the coming days.
- The IAEA director said “the physical integrity of the plant” had been violated “several times,” warning of ongoing risks “until we have a situation which is more stable.”
- Lithuania called for an “internationally enforced” safe zone at the Zaporizhzhia plant.
More live updates here.
- Two IAEA inspectors will remain at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant “on a permanent basis,” Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s envoy to the agency, told The Washington Post on Friday.
- Russian energy giant Gazprom announced Friday that it won’t reopen the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline tomorrow as expected, potentially worsening Europe’s energy crunch.
- Grossi told reporters the IAEA plans to establish a “resident” presence to monitor the plant and that a core team will stay there over the coming days.
- The IAEA director said “the physical integrity of the plant” had been violated “several times,” warning of ongoing risks “until we have a situation which is more stable.”
- Lithuania called for an “internationally enforced” safe zone at the Zaporizhzhia plant.
More live updates here.
Russia’s Gazprom says it won’t reopen Nord Stream gas pipeline to Europe as planned
Russian energy giant Gazprom announced Friday that it won’t reopen the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline tomorrow as expected, potentially worsening Europe’s energy crunch.
Gazprom shut down the pipeline, which links Russia and Germany, on Wednesday, for what was supposed to be three days of work. But on Friday, just hours after the Group of Seven industrialized nations announced that they will impose a price cap on Russian oil, the company said that an oil leak had been discovered at a compressor station and the pipeline would not reopen after all.
Germany last month called similar shut-offs a political move by the Kremlin to increase uncertainty as the European Union hits Russia with unprecedented sanctions in response to the war in Ukraine. Friday’s news will deepen fears that Russia will continue to curb — or even cut — gas supply heading into what is expected to be a long, cold winter in Europe.
Read the full story here.
Russian energy giant Gazprom announced Friday that it won’t reopen the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline tomorrow as expected, potentially worsening Europe’s energy crunch.
Gazprom shut down the pipeline, which links Russia and Germany, on Wednesday, for what was supposed to be three days of work. But on Friday, just hours after the Group of Seven industrialized nations announced that they will impose a price cap on Russian oil, the company said that an oil leak had been discovered at a compressor station and the pipeline would not reopen after all.
Germany last month called similar shut-offs a political move by the Kremlin to increase uncertainty as the European Union hits Russia with unprecedented sanctions in response to the war in Ukraine. Friday’s news will deepen fears that Russia will continue to curb — or even cut — gas supply heading into what is expected to be a long, cold winter in Europe.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The European Council president accused Moscow of using “gas as a weapon” after the Russian energy giant said it would not reopen the Nord Stream 1 pipeline Saturday as planned because of a leak. The move threatens shortages in Europe and global price hikes.
- The U.N. nuclear watchdog will keep two monitors at the Zaporizhzhia plant in Ukraine on a “permanent” basis, agency chief Rafael Mariano Grossi said after returning from a mission to the facility. He is expected to issue a report on the safety of the plant soon. Shelling nearby has raised fears of a potential nuclear disaster.
- Russia will hold funeral rites Saturday for Mikhail Gorbachev, laying the last Soviet leader to rest without an official state funeral. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who disdained Gorbachev over the collapse of the Soviet Union, will not attend.
More live updates here.
- The European Council president accused Moscow of using “gas as a weapon” after the Russian energy giant said it would not reopen the Nord Stream 1 pipeline Saturday as planned because of a leak. The move threatens shortages in Europe and global price hikes.
- The U.N. nuclear watchdog will keep two monitors at the Zaporizhzhia plant in Ukraine on a “permanent” basis, agency chief Rafael Mariano Grossi said after returning from a mission to the facility. He is expected to issue a report on the safety of the plant soon. Shelling nearby has raised fears of a potential nuclear disaster.
- Russia will hold funeral rites Saturday for Mikhail Gorbachev, laying the last Soviet leader to rest without an official state funeral. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who disdained Gorbachev over the collapse of the Soviet Union, will not attend.
More live updates here.
Analysis: Ukraine steps up bid to reconquer lost territory
All is not quiet on the southeastern front. This week, reports suggested Ukraine may have launched its long-mooted counteroffensive against Russian forces encamped in the southern Kherson region, which abuts the Russian-controlled Crimean peninsula. There are also rumored new pushes to take back territory in the eastern Donbas region as well as areas near Kharkiv in the north.
“We will oust them to our border,” declared Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a speech Monday. “It is time for the Russian military to flee.”
The fog of war makes it hard to discern whether Russian forces are losing ground. Authorities in Kyiv placed strict restrictions on access to journalists covering the war’s shifting fronts.
Read the full analysis here.
All is not quiet on the southeastern front. This week, reports suggested Ukraine may have launched its long-mooted counteroffensive against Russian forces encamped in the southern Kherson region, which abuts the Russian-controlled Crimean peninsula. There are also rumored new pushes to take back territory in the eastern Donbas region as well as areas near Kharkiv in the north.
“We will oust them to our border,” declared Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a speech Monday. “It is time for the Russian military to flee.”
The fog of war makes it hard to discern whether Russian forces are losing ground. Authorities in Kyiv placed strict restrictions on access to journalists covering the war’s shifting fronts.
Read the full analysis here.
At edge of Russian onslaught, city of Bakhmut clings to freedom
BAKHMUT, Ukraine — For the last few civilians hanging on in this front-line city being pounded by advancing Russian artillery, a gaping new crater is both a mark of war and source of water. On Monday, within hours of the rocket strike that made the hole, residents were climbing down to fill bottles at the silty trickle from a shattered water main.
“This one doesn’t have a handle,” said one muddy man, handing a bottle up to a friend. “Put it in a bag to carry.”
In what could be its final weeks of freedom before it is engulfed by Moscow’s slowly advancing tide of occupation — Russian units are less than four miles from the city’s central plaza — Bakhmut is clinging to the last shreds of bearable life.
Read the full story here.
BAKHMUT, Ukraine — For the last few civilians hanging on in this front-line city being pounded by advancing Russian artillery, a gaping new crater is both a mark of war and source of water. On Monday, within hours of the rocket strike that made the hole, residents were climbing down to fill bottles at the silty trickle from a shattered water main.
“This one doesn’t have a handle,” said one muddy man, handing a bottle up to a friend. “Put it in a bag to carry.”
In what could be its final weeks of freedom before it is engulfed by Moscow’s slowly advancing tide of occupation — Russian units are less than four miles from the city’s central plaza — Bakhmut is clinging to the last shreds of bearable life.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Europe is urgently preparing for the possibility that Russia will shut off its gas supply entirely ahead of winter, a potential retaliation for its support of Ukraine.
- The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant lost its connection to its last main external power line but was still supplying the national grid through a reserve line, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a news release Saturday. “One reactor is still operating and producing electricity both for cooling and other essential safety functions,” it said.
- Missiles hit the city of Kharkiv overnight into Sunday, striking a restaurant in the Kyivskiy district, local authorities said. A woman was killed, and two people were injured in strikes Saturday across the Kharkiv region, according to Oleh Synyehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional administration.
More live updates here.
- Europe is urgently preparing for the possibility that Russia will shut off its gas supply entirely ahead of winter, a potential retaliation for its support of Ukraine.
- The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant lost its connection to its last main external power line but was still supplying the national grid through a reserve line, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a news release Saturday. “One reactor is still operating and producing electricity both for cooling and other essential safety functions,” it said.
- Missiles hit the city of Kharkiv overnight into Sunday, striking a restaurant in the Kyivskiy district, local authorities said. A woman was killed, and two people were injured in strikes Saturday across the Kharkiv region, according to Oleh Synyehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional administration.
More live updates here.