Beloved dancer’s death on Ukraine battlefield underscores cost of war
The recent Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian forces has been hailed as a stunning success, offering a jolt of optimism in a grueling nearly seven-month-old war. But the battlefield death earlier this week of beloved Ukrainian ballet star Oleksandr Shapoval, a father of two remembered as “a pure and bright soul,” crystallizes the dreadful cost of the nation’s military victories.
Shapoval’s case is particularly poignant, because after a 28-year career onstage, and with no military training, he volunteered in April to help defend his country.
As a member of the National Opera of Ukraine, he had danced the part of gallant romantics and dashing adventurers, and he’d earned the prestigious title Honored Artist of Ukraine. Shapoval retired in 2021 and was teaching at the Kyiv State Choreographic College when the Russians invaded in February.
Read the full story here.
The recent Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian forces has been hailed as a stunning success, offering a jolt of optimism in a grueling nearly seven-month-old war. But the battlefield death earlier this week of beloved Ukrainian ballet star Oleksandr Shapoval, a father of two remembered as “a pure and bright soul,” crystallizes the dreadful cost of the nation’s military victories.
Shapoval’s case is particularly poignant, because after a 28-year career onstage, and with no military training, he volunteered in April to help defend his country.
As a member of the National Opera of Ukraine, he had danced the part of gallant romantics and dashing adventurers, and he’d earned the prestigious title Honored Artist of Ukraine. Shapoval retired in 2021 and was teaching at the Kyiv State Choreographic College when the Russians invaded in February.
Read the full story here.
U.S. limits export of fentanyl to Russia, calling it a potential weapon
The United States on Thursday strictly limited the export of fentanyl and related chemicals to Russia, saying that they “may be useful” as chemical weapons to support Russia’s “military aggression.”
The Commerce Department said sales to Russia of the powerful opiate will now require a U.S. government license. The rule also applies to exports to Belarus, whose leadership supports Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Fentanyl is widely known in the United States as an illicit street drug that has caused thousands of overdose deaths in recent years. But it also has legal uses as a prescription painkiller. It is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Read the full story here.
The United States on Thursday strictly limited the export of fentanyl and related chemicals to Russia, saying that they “may be useful” as chemical weapons to support Russia’s “military aggression.”
The Commerce Department said sales to Russia of the powerful opiate will now require a U.S. government license. The rule also applies to exports to Belarus, whose leadership supports Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Fentanyl is widely known in the United States as an illicit street drug that has caused thousands of overdose deaths in recent years. But it also has legal uses as a prescription painkiller. It is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Read the full story here.
‘Look, these are our boys’: Ukrainian troops drive Russian tanks on new front line
KUPIANSK, Ukraine — The front line is now a river, the Oskil, that runs through the middle of the eastern Ukrainian town of Kupiansk. On one side are the charging Ukrainian forces who have pushed their Russian enemies almost entirely out of the northeastern Kharkiv region during a sweeping counteroffensive this month.
From her bedroom window, Liza Udovik, 26, has a view of the other side, to where the Russians have retreated. The sound of outgoing fire from the Ukrainians rocked her apartment these past few days, when the Ukrainian military moved into Kupiansk and the town became a battleground. Russian tanks and armored vehicles still patrol the streets, but it’s the Ukrainians driving them, using the Russians’ own abandoned weapons against them.
Read the full story here.
KUPIANSK, Ukraine — The front line is now a river, the Oskil, that runs through the middle of the eastern Ukrainian town of Kupiansk. On one side are the charging Ukrainian forces who have pushed their Russian enemies almost entirely out of the northeastern Kharkiv region during a sweeping counteroffensive this month.
From her bedroom window, Liza Udovik, 26, has a view of the other side, to where the Russians have retreated. The sound of outgoing fire from the Ukrainians rocked her apartment these past few days, when the Ukrainian military moved into Kupiansk and the town became a battleground. Russian tanks and armored vehicles still patrol the streets, but it’s the Ukrainians driving them, using the Russians’ own abandoned weapons against them.
Read the full story here.
How the St. Javelin meme raised a million dollars for Ukraine
Saint Javelin doesn’t grace the stained-glass windows of any church. Her halo is a shade of yellow closer to that of sunflowers and wheat than the golden orb on a traditionally canonized saint. Instead of an infant, she tenderly cradles a Javelin — an American-made, handheld antitank missile.
The Mary knockoff might not be a church-sanctioned saint, but in just a few months, she’s developed a following with devotion that rivals that of any high-holiday worshiper. More impressively, she’s raised over 1 million dollars for the Ukrainian resistance against the Russian invasion.
The business is the brainchild of Christian Borys, a former journalist based in Canada, who spent years covering conflict in Ukraine and beyond. A portion of the profits is used to support Ukraine. Borys helped create the image as it’s known now — one that’s now on countless laptops, T-shirts, flags, murals, and even tattoos around the world.
Read the full story here.
Saint Javelin doesn’t grace the stained-glass windows of any church. Her halo is a shade of yellow closer to that of sunflowers and wheat than the golden orb on a traditionally canonized saint. Instead of an infant, she tenderly cradles a Javelin — an American-made, handheld antitank missile.
The Mary knockoff might not be a church-sanctioned saint, but in just a few months, she’s developed a following with devotion that rivals that of any high-holiday worshiper. More impressively, she’s raised over 1 million dollars for the Ukrainian resistance against the Russian invasion.
The business is the brainchild of Christian Borys, a former journalist based in Canada, who spent years covering conflict in Ukraine and beyond. A portion of the profits is used to support Ukraine. Borys helped create the image as it’s known now — one that’s now on countless laptops, T-shirts, flags, murals, and even tattoos around the world.
Read the full story here.
Kyiv alleges ‘terrorism’ after Russian strike near second nuclear plant
Ukrainian officials accused Russia of “nuclear terrorism” on Monday after a rocket reportedly hit just hundreds of yards from the reactors at Ukraine’s second-largest nuclear power plant, disabling three high-voltage electricity lines and a hydropower unit, and blowing out windows.
Energoatom, the Ukrainian national nuclear power company, said that a “powerful explosion occurred” roughly 300 yards from the reactors of the Southern Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant, which is located near the city of Yuzhnoukrainsk, just after midnight on Monday, sending shock waves that damaged buildings and shattered more than 100 windows.
Details of the rocket strike, which Energoatom reported on its Telegram channel, could not be independently verified. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a short video in his own Telegram channel of what appeared to be footage of the strike taken from a closed-circuit camera.
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian officials accused Russia of “nuclear terrorism” on Monday after a rocket reportedly hit just hundreds of yards from the reactors at Ukraine’s second-largest nuclear power plant, disabling three high-voltage electricity lines and a hydropower unit, and blowing out windows.
Energoatom, the Ukrainian national nuclear power company, said that a “powerful explosion occurred” roughly 300 yards from the reactors of the Southern Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant, which is located near the city of Yuzhnoukrainsk, just after midnight on Monday, sending shock waves that damaged buildings and shattered more than 100 windows.
Details of the rocket strike, which Energoatom reported on its Telegram channel, could not be independently verified. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a short video in his own Telegram channel of what appeared to be footage of the strike taken from a closed-circuit camera.
Read the full story here.
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Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- There was shelling about 300 meters from reactors at the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant on Monday, according to Ukraine’s national nuclear operator Energoatom. One hydropower unit was shut down, but the agency said all three of the Mykolaiv-area plant’s power units are still operating.
- Ukrainian forces have been striking military targets in Russia, hastening evacuations of Russian citizens from cities and towns along the border.
- A power line at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was disconnected over the weekend, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement Monday. The cause was not clear, said the IAEA.
- Ukrainian authorities have begun exhuming bodies from a mass gravesite, which was discovered in Izyum after a Russian retreat following a six-month occupation of the city. Most of the 146 people exhumed so far were civilians, said Oleh Synyehubov, the regional governor of Kharkiv.
More live updates here.
- There was shelling about 300 meters from reactors at the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant on Monday, according to Ukraine’s national nuclear operator Energoatom. One hydropower unit was shut down, but the agency said all three of the Mykolaiv-area plant’s power units are still operating.
- Ukrainian forces have been striking military targets in Russia, hastening evacuations of Russian citizens from cities and towns along the border.
- A power line at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was disconnected over the weekend, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement Monday. The cause was not clear, said the IAEA.
- Ukrainian authorities have begun exhuming bodies from a mass gravesite, which was discovered in Izyum after a Russian retreat following a six-month occupation of the city. Most of the 146 people exhumed so far were civilians, said Oleh Synyehubov, the regional governor of Kharkiv.
More live updates here.
Far right German party members to tour Russian-held regions of Ukraine
BERLIN — Members of the far-right Alternative for Germany party said they were traveling to Russian occupied-areas of eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, in a trip expected to be leveraged in pro-Kremlin propaganda as calls are growing in Moscow for swift annexation of large swaths of Ukrainian territory.
Christian Blex, a representative in the regional parliament in the western state of North Rhine Westphalia said he had left for Russia, on his way to occupied Ukraine, with Hans Thomas Tillscheider and Daniel Wald, colleagues from the eastern state of Saxony Anhalt.
Blex, posting on Telegram, said the aim of the trip was “try to get a concrete picture of the humanitarian situation” in Ukraine’s occupied Donbas region. “The reporting of the Western media, especially the so-called public broadcaster and the other German pro-government media, is extremely one-sided,” he said.
Read the full story here.
BERLIN — Members of the far-right Alternative for Germany party said they were traveling to Russian occupied-areas of eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, in a trip expected to be leveraged in pro-Kremlin propaganda as calls are growing in Moscow for swift annexation of large swaths of Ukrainian territory.
Christian Blex, a representative in the regional parliament in the western state of North Rhine Westphalia said he had left for Russia, on his way to occupied Ukraine, with Hans Thomas Tillscheider and Daniel Wald, colleagues from the eastern state of Saxony Anhalt.
Blex, posting on Telegram, said the aim of the trip was “try to get a concrete picture of the humanitarian situation” in Ukraine’s occupied Donbas region. “The reporting of the Western media, especially the so-called public broadcaster and the other German pro-government media, is extremely one-sided,” he said.
Read the full story here.
Russia moves toward annexing Ukraine regions in a major escalation
Russia on Tuesday was pushing ahead with plans to annex occupied regions of Ukraine, as Moscow’s puppet authorities setting dates to stage referendums on joining Russia, or calling for immediate votes — moves that could dramatically escalate the war.
Officials in the self-declared statelets of Luhansk and Donetsk and in the occupied region of Kherson in south Ukraine announced “referendums” to be held from Friday to Tuesday. Such votes, which are illegal under Ukrainian and international law, have been widely derided in advance by Western officials as a sham, and merely a precursor to the violation of Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty.
After annexing the territories, Moscow would likely declare Ukrainian attacks on those areas to be assaults on Russia itself, analysts warned, a potential trigger for a general military mobilization or a dangerous escalation such as the use of a nuclear weapon against Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
Russia on Tuesday was pushing ahead with plans to annex occupied regions of Ukraine, as Moscow’s puppet authorities setting dates to stage referendums on joining Russia, or calling for immediate votes — moves that could dramatically escalate the war.
Officials in the self-declared statelets of Luhansk and Donetsk and in the occupied region of Kherson in south Ukraine announced “referendums” to be held from Friday to Tuesday. Such votes, which are illegal under Ukrainian and international law, have been widely derided in advance by Western officials as a sham, and merely a precursor to the violation of Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty.
After annexing the territories, Moscow would likely declare Ukrainian attacks on those areas to be assaults on Russia itself, analysts warned, a potential trigger for a general military mobilization or a dangerous escalation such as the use of a nuclear weapon against Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Referendums, which would be illegal under international law, are set to take place Sept. 23 to 27 in the breakaway Luhansk and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine, according to Russian news agencies.
- Ukrainian forces made small gains in the eastern Luhansk region, which Russia seized almost entirely in recent months, regional governor Serhiy Haidai said.
- A Russian missile hit 300 yards from reactors at the South Ukraine nuclear power plant, and a nearby hydropower facility shut down, state company Energoatom said Monday.
- Artillery strikes against targets inside Russia have pushed officials in Russian border towns to order hasty evacuations, bringing the impact of the war closer for Russians.
- Ukrainian authorities are exhuming bodies from a mass burial site they discovered after the Russian retreat from Izyum.
More live updates here.
- Referendums, which would be illegal under international law, are set to take place Sept. 23 to 27 in the breakaway Luhansk and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine, according to Russian news agencies.
- Ukrainian forces made small gains in the eastern Luhansk region, which Russia seized almost entirely in recent months, regional governor Serhiy Haidai said.
- A Russian missile hit 300 yards from reactors at the South Ukraine nuclear power plant, and a nearby hydropower facility shut down, state company Energoatom said Monday.
- Artillery strikes against targets inside Russia have pushed officials in Russian border towns to order hasty evacuations, bringing the impact of the war closer for Russians.
- Ukrainian authorities are exhuming bodies from a mass burial site they discovered after the Russian retreat from Izyum.
More live updates here.
U.S. attorney general meets Ukraine’s prosecutor general amid new signs of atrocities
Attorney General Merrick Garland and his Ukrainian counterpart, Andriy Kostin, signed an agreement Tuesday aimed at formalizing cooperation over joint efforts to prosecute alleged war crimes committed by Russian forces in the war in Ukraine.
The two men signed the memorandum of understanding after meeting at Justice Department headquarters in Washington, a show of partnership to step up international pressure amid evidence of new mass atrocities discovered after Ukrainian forces took back wide swaths of territory in recent weeks.
Ukrainian authorities have said they are investigating a mass grave with more than 400 bodies found in Izyum, where Russian forces terrorized residents during a six-month occupation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the spring said a previous massacre of civilians in Bucha amounted to “genocide.”
Read the full story here.
Attorney General Merrick Garland and his Ukrainian counterpart, Andriy Kostin, signed an agreement Tuesday aimed at formalizing cooperation over joint efforts to prosecute alleged war crimes committed by Russian forces in the war in Ukraine.
The two men signed the memorandum of understanding after meeting at Justice Department headquarters in Washington, a show of partnership to step up international pressure amid evidence of new mass atrocities discovered after Ukrainian forces took back wide swaths of territory in recent weeks.
Ukrainian authorities have said they are investigating a mass grave with more than 400 bodies found in Izyum, where Russian forces terrorized residents during a six-month occupation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the spring said a previous massacre of civilians in Bucha amounted to “genocide.”
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- In a speech to the nation, Putin ordered a partial military mobilization and said the war in Ukraine will continue. He repeated his false claims that Russia is clearing “Nazis” out of eastern Ukraine and announced a plan to call up reservists. The war’s main goals, he said — “the liberation of the entire territory of Donbas – have been and remain unchanged.”
- Putin’s speech also included a threatening reference to Russia’s nuclear arsenal: “With a threat to the territorial integrity of our country, to protect Russia and our people, we of course will use all the means at our disposal, this is not a bluff.”
- Kremlin-backed authorities in occupied areas have declared plans for staged referendums to approve joining Russia, which could dramatically escalate the war.
More live updates here.
- In a speech to the nation, Putin ordered a partial military mobilization and said the war in Ukraine will continue. He repeated his false claims that Russia is clearing “Nazis” out of eastern Ukraine and announced a plan to call up reservists. The war’s main goals, he said — “the liberation of the entire territory of Donbas – have been and remain unchanged.”
- Putin’s speech also included a threatening reference to Russia’s nuclear arsenal: “With a threat to the territorial integrity of our country, to protect Russia and our people, we of course will use all the means at our disposal, this is not a bluff.”
- Kremlin-backed authorities in occupied areas have declared plans for staged referendums to approve joining Russia, which could dramatically escalate the war.
More live updates here.
U.N. chief says world is ‘gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction’
NEW YORK — U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said Tuesday that a breakdown in global cooperation amid Russia’s war in Ukraine is exacerbating the top threats to human existence, including food insecurity and climate change.
Guterres said problems such as poverty, indebtedness, online hate and harassment, and a loss of biodiversity are resulting from the international system’s failure to function.
“Divides are growing deeper. Inequalities are growing wider. Challenges are spreading farther,” Guterres said at an annual gathering of leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“We have a duty to act. And yet we are gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction,” he said.
The diagnosis was echoed by some of the more than 100 leaders attending the week-long event, but very little consensus emerged over how to bridge divides among nations deeply conflicted about how to respond to the war in Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
NEW YORK — U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said Tuesday that a breakdown in global cooperation amid Russia’s war in Ukraine is exacerbating the top threats to human existence, including food insecurity and climate change.
Guterres said problems such as poverty, indebtedness, online hate and harassment, and a loss of biodiversity are resulting from the international system’s failure to function.
“Divides are growing deeper. Inequalities are growing wider. Challenges are spreading farther,” Guterres said at an annual gathering of leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“We have a duty to act. And yet we are gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction,” he said.
The diagnosis was echoed by some of the more than 100 leaders attending the week-long event, but very little consensus emerged over how to bridge divides among nations deeply conflicted about how to respond to the war in Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
Putin drafts up to 300,000 reservists, backs annexation amid war losses
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a partial military mobilization Wednesday to call up as many as 300,000 reservists in a dramatic bid to reverse setbacks in his war on Ukraine, including Russia’s recent humiliating retreat in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
In a national address broadcast at 9 a.m. Moscow time, Putin lashed out at the West, backed staged referendums being planned as a precursor to annexation of occupied areas of Ukraine, and hinted ominously that he was ready to use nuclear weapons to defend Russian territory — as he defines it.
“In the face of a threat to the territorial integrity of our country, to protect Russia and our people, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal,” Putin warned. “This is not a bluff,” he said, in a clear reference to Russia’s nuclear capabilities.
“I will emphasize this again — with all the means at our disposal,” he added.
Read the full story here.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a partial military mobilization Wednesday to call up as many as 300,000 reservists in a dramatic bid to reverse setbacks in his war on Ukraine, including Russia’s recent humiliating retreat in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
In a national address broadcast at 9 a.m. Moscow time, Putin lashed out at the West, backed staged referendums being planned as a precursor to annexation of occupied areas of Ukraine, and hinted ominously that he was ready to use nuclear weapons to defend Russian territory — as he defines it.
“In the face of a threat to the territorial integrity of our country, to protect Russia and our people, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal,” Putin warned. “This is not a bluff,” he said, in a clear reference to Russia’s nuclear capabilities.
“I will emphasize this again — with all the means at our disposal,” he added.
Read the full story here.
Zelensky says he cannot rule out possibility of Russian nuclear strike
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that while he thought Russian President Vladimir Putin wouldn’t use nuclear weapons and that “the world” would not “allow [Putin] to use those weapons,” he could not fully rule out the possibility of a nuclear strike by Moscow.
“We cannot look into [Putin’s] head,” Zelensky said. “There are risks.”
Zelensky gave his first extensive comments following Putin’s televised speech Wednesday morning to the German publication Bild — a speech in which Putin announced a “partial mobilization” of Russia’s military reserves, and said the possibility of Moscow employing nuclear weapons to defend its interests was “not a bluff.”
Zelensky said that he did not watch the Russian president’s televised speech. “This is not my favorite video,” he told Bild. “I have all the information I need.”
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that while he thought Russian President Vladimir Putin wouldn’t use nuclear weapons and that “the world” would not “allow [Putin] to use those weapons,” he could not fully rule out the possibility of a nuclear strike by Moscow.
“We cannot look into [Putin’s] head,” Zelensky said. “There are risks.”
Zelensky gave his first extensive comments following Putin’s televised speech Wednesday morning to the German publication Bild — a speech in which Putin announced a “partial mobilization” of Russia’s military reserves, and said the possibility of Moscow employing nuclear weapons to defend its interests was “not a bluff.”
Zelensky said that he did not watch the Russian president’s televised speech. “This is not my favorite video,” he told Bild. “I have all the information I need.”
Read the full story here.
Biden says Russia ‘shamelessly violated the core tenets of the United Nations charter’
In his address to the United Nations on Wednesday, President Biden bluntly criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling it a “brutal, needless war” that was “chosen by one man” — Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Let us speak plainly: A permanent member of the United Nations Security Council invaded its neighbor, attempted to erase the sovereign state from the map,” Biden said. “Russia has shamelessly violated the core tenets of the United Nations charter.”
Biden referenced Putin’s latest calls to mobilize up to 300,000 reservists, as well as his veiled nuclear threats as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues.
“And the Kremlin is organizing a sham referendum to try to annex parts of Ukraine, an extremely significant violation of the U.N. charter,” Biden said.
Read the full story here.
In his address to the United Nations on Wednesday, President Biden bluntly criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling it a “brutal, needless war” that was “chosen by one man” — Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Let us speak plainly: A permanent member of the United Nations Security Council invaded its neighbor, attempted to erase the sovereign state from the map,” Biden said. “Russia has shamelessly violated the core tenets of the United Nations charter.”
Biden referenced Putin’s latest calls to mobilize up to 300,000 reservists, as well as his veiled nuclear threats as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues.
“And the Kremlin is organizing a sham referendum to try to annex parts of Ukraine, an extremely significant violation of the U.N. charter,” Biden said.
Read the full story here.
More than 1,000 protesters detained in Russia, rights group says
More than 1,000 people in Russia have been detained for demonstrating against Putin’s mobilization order since protests broke out Wednesday, according to the independent protest-monitoring group OVD-Info.
More than half of the detentions occurred in Moscow, though they spanned 38 cities, the organization reported.
Russia bans unsanctioned rallies. In March, it passed an additional law banning independent reporting on its war in Ukraine and protesting against it.
Read the full story here.
More than 1,000 people in Russia have been detained for demonstrating against Putin’s mobilization order since protests broke out Wednesday, according to the independent protest-monitoring group OVD-Info.
More than half of the detentions occurred in Moscow, though they spanned 38 cities, the organization reported.
Russia bans unsanctioned rallies. In March, it passed an additional law banning independent reporting on its war in Ukraine and protesting against it.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Near the end of his address to the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, President Biden urged all nations to recommit to strengthening a “nuclear nonproliferation regime through diplomacy.”
- Demand for one-way flights out of Russia appeared to soar Wednesday after President Vladimir Putin’s announcement that some 300,000 reservists would be called up for his war against Ukraine.
- Ukraine’s military said on Wednesday that Russian forces continued to shell locations throughout the country with artillery and rocket attacks, while Ukraine troops repelled offensives along the front line in Ukraine’s east and south.
- More than 1,000 people in Russia have been detained for demonstrating against Putin’s mobilization order since protests broke out Wednesday, according to the independent protest-monitoring group OVD-Info.
More live updates here.
- Near the end of his address to the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, President Biden urged all nations to recommit to strengthening a “nuclear nonproliferation regime through diplomacy.”
- Demand for one-way flights out of Russia appeared to soar Wednesday after President Vladimir Putin’s announcement that some 300,000 reservists would be called up for his war against Ukraine.
- Ukraine’s military said on Wednesday that Russian forces continued to shell locations throughout the country with artillery and rocket attacks, while Ukraine troops repelled offensives along the front line in Ukraine’s east and south.
- More than 1,000 people in Russia have been detained for demonstrating against Putin’s mobilization order since protests broke out Wednesday, according to the independent protest-monitoring group OVD-Info.
More live updates here.
As mobilization begins in Russia, sold-out flights, protests and arrests
Within hours of President Vladimir Putin’s speech declaring a partial military mobilization on Wednesday, men all over Russia — including some who had tried for months to ignore the messy war in Ukraine — suddenly found their lives thrown in chaos as they were summoned to duty.
The men, mostly reservists under 35 who served in the army and have junior military ranks, were handed written notices in their offices or at their homes. In some cases, they had their identity documents checked on the street and were told to appear for a health check. Others got orders by telephone.
Anxious relatives, meanwhile, began searching for ways to flee the country or otherwise avoid their loved ones being called for service. Flights to the few cities abroad still offering direct service to Russia — most destinations have been cut off by sanctions — were suddenly sold out.
Read the full story here.
Within hours of President Vladimir Putin’s speech declaring a partial military mobilization on Wednesday, men all over Russia — including some who had tried for months to ignore the messy war in Ukraine — suddenly found their lives thrown in chaos as they were summoned to duty.
The men, mostly reservists under 35 who served in the army and have junior military ranks, were handed written notices in their offices or at their homes. In some cases, they had their identity documents checked on the street and were told to appear for a health check. Others got orders by telephone.
Anxious relatives, meanwhile, began searching for ways to flee the country or otherwise avoid their loved ones being called for service. Flights to the few cities abroad still offering direct service to Russia — most destinations have been cut off by sanctions — were suddenly sold out.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine President Zelensky presents plan to end war against Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unveiled a plan to end the nearly seven-month war between Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday at the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
The five-point plan urged world powers to punish Russia and surge military aid to Kyiv in an effort to force Moscow forces out of Ukraine, which Russia invaded Feb. 24.
“Russia wants war, it’s true, but Russia will not be able to stop the course of history,” Zelensky said.
The remarks were an implicit rebuke from non-Western and developing countries at the world body who called on Ukraine and Russia to immediately engage in a negotiated end to the conflict.
“Russia will be forced to end this war, the war it has started,” Zelensky said. “I rule out that the settlement can happen on a different basis.”
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unveiled a plan to end the nearly seven-month war between Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday at the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
The five-point plan urged world powers to punish Russia and surge military aid to Kyiv in an effort to force Moscow forces out of Ukraine, which Russia invaded Feb. 24.
“Russia wants war, it’s true, but Russia will not be able to stop the course of history,” Zelensky said.
The remarks were an implicit rebuke from non-Western and developing countries at the world body who called on Ukraine and Russia to immediately engage in a negotiated end to the conflict.
“Russia will be forced to end this war, the war it has started,” Zelensky said. “I rule out that the settlement can happen on a different basis.”
Read the full story here.
U.S., allies signal resolute response to Putin’s escalation in Ukraine
The United States signaled Wednesday that it wouldn’t be cowed by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s latest steps to escalate his war effort in Ukraine, vowing to continue to arm Kyiv for its advancing counteroffensive, even as Putin ordered up more forces for battle and threatened to use nuclear weapons.
President Biden, in an address to the U.N. General Assembly, said, “We will stand in solidarity with Ukraine. We will stand in solidarity against Russia’s aggression. Period.”
The comments came hours after Putin, in a speech aired early Wednesday, announced plans to mobilize about 300,000 Russian reservists for the front and hold “referendums” in occupied areas of Ukraine that could presage a broad annexation of Ukrainian land.
Should Russia’s territorial integrity and people be threatened, Putin warned, “We will certainly make use of all weapon systems available to us. This is not a bluff.”
Read the full story here.
The United States signaled Wednesday that it wouldn’t be cowed by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s latest steps to escalate his war effort in Ukraine, vowing to continue to arm Kyiv for its advancing counteroffensive, even as Putin ordered up more forces for battle and threatened to use nuclear weapons.
President Biden, in an address to the U.N. General Assembly, said, “We will stand in solidarity with Ukraine. We will stand in solidarity against Russia’s aggression. Period.”
The comments came hours after Putin, in a speech aired early Wednesday, announced plans to mobilize about 300,000 Russian reservists for the front and hold “referendums” in occupied areas of Ukraine that could presage a broad annexation of Ukrainian land.
Should Russia’s territorial integrity and people be threatened, Putin warned, “We will certainly make use of all weapon systems available to us. This is not a bluff.”
Read the full story here.