Russia threatens commercial satellites that Pentagon sees as its future
On Thursday evening, SpaceX launched yet another of its Falcon 9 rockets to space, the 49th in 2022, a record as it continues to launch a rocket about once every six days. This one carried 53 Starlink satellites to orbit, adding to a constellation that now has more than 3,000 in operation — more satellites than the rest of the world combined, according to analysts.
On Tuesday, SpaceX is scheduled to launch a much more powerful rocket, the Falcon Heavy. This time, the customer is the U.S. Space Force and the payload is strictly classified.
The launches come as tensions between the United States and Russia are high amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and just days after Russia threatened to target the commercial satellites, which have proved a boon to Ukraine and its allies during the war.
Read the full story here.
On Thursday evening, SpaceX launched yet another of its Falcon 9 rockets to space, the 49th in 2022, a record as it continues to launch a rocket about once every six days. This one carried 53 Starlink satellites to orbit, adding to a constellation that now has more than 3,000 in operation — more satellites than the rest of the world combined, according to analysts.
On Tuesday, SpaceX is scheduled to launch a much more powerful rocket, the Falcon Heavy. This time, the customer is the U.S. Space Force and the payload is strictly classified.
The launches come as tensions between the United States and Russia are high amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and just days after Russia threatened to target the commercial satellites, which have proved a boon to Ukraine and its allies during the war.
Read the full story here.
Russia pauses grain deal after Ukraine strikes warships in Crimea
Russia suspended its participation in the U.N.-brokered deal that allowed Ukraine to export its grain and other agricultural products from Black Sea ports after claiming that Kyiv used the corridor to attack Kremlin ships, reigniting concerns about global food insecurity.
The Russian military accused Ukrainian forces of using drones to attack “military and civilian” ships near Sevastopol in Crimea in the early hours of Saturday, claiming that the strikes were carried out “with the participation of British experts.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry said separately that because of the attack it would “no longer guarantee the safety of civilian dry cargo ships participating in the Black Sea Grain Initiative and will suspend its implementation from today for an indefinite period.”
Read the full story here.
Russia suspended its participation in the U.N.-brokered deal that allowed Ukraine to export its grain and other agricultural products from Black Sea ports after claiming that Kyiv used the corridor to attack Kremlin ships, reigniting concerns about global food insecurity.
The Russian military accused Ukrainian forces of using drones to attack “military and civilian” ships near Sevastopol in Crimea in the early hours of Saturday, claiming that the strikes were carried out “with the participation of British experts.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry said separately that because of the attack it would “no longer guarantee the safety of civilian dry cargo ships participating in the Black Sea Grain Initiative and will suspend its implementation from today for an indefinite period.”
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Strikes hit critical infrastructure in the Ukrainian capital and other key cities on Monday morning, with officials warning of blackouts, power outages and water shortages.
- Part of the capital has been cut off from power and water supplies have also been affected, Kyiv, mayor Vitali Klitschko said. The barrage follows air raid sirens across the city earlier Monday, and the sound of multiple explosions.
- Two strikes hit critical infrastructure in the city of Kharkiv, its mayor said on Telegram, leaving part of the region without power.
- In Zaporizhzhia, the governor accused Russian forces of damaging a critical infrastructure facility. No casualties have been reported so far but officials warned that interruptions to infrastructure supplies could be affected.
Read more updates here.
- Strikes hit critical infrastructure in the Ukrainian capital and other key cities on Monday morning, with officials warning of blackouts, power outages and water shortages.
- Part of the capital has been cut off from power and water supplies have also been affected, Kyiv, mayor Vitali Klitschko said. The barrage follows air raid sirens across the city earlier Monday, and the sound of multiple explosions.
- Two strikes hit critical infrastructure in the city of Kharkiv, its mayor said on Telegram, leaving part of the region without power.
- In Zaporizhzhia, the governor accused Russian forces of damaging a critical infrastructure facility. No casualties have been reported so far but officials warned that interruptions to infrastructure supplies could be affected.
Read more updates here.
Missiles slam Ukraine as Russia strikes infrastructure in new air barrage
Explosions hit Kyiv and regions across Ukraine on Monday morning, leaving many without power or water as Russia launched a fresh barrage of airstrikes on critical infrastructure.
Ukrainian officials said that Russia launched dozens of cruise missiles, many of which were intercepted by air defenses. There were no immediate tallies of casualties, but officials said there were people wounded.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the strikes had left 80 percent of the capital city without water supply and that engineers were working to restore electricity at a damaged facility that supplies power to 350,000 Kyiv apartments.
Strikes and power outages were also reported in Kharkiv region in the northeast, in the Cherkasy, Poltava and Dnipropetrovsk regions in central Ukraine, and in Zaporizhzhia in the southeast. Several hydroelectric dams appeared to be specific targets on Monday.
Read the full story here.
Explosions hit Kyiv and regions across Ukraine on Monday morning, leaving many without power or water as Russia launched a fresh barrage of airstrikes on critical infrastructure.
Ukrainian officials said that Russia launched dozens of cruise missiles, many of which were intercepted by air defenses. There were no immediate tallies of casualties, but officials said there were people wounded.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the strikes had left 80 percent of the capital city without water supply and that engineers were working to restore electricity at a damaged facility that supplies power to 350,000 Kyiv apartments.
Strikes and power outages were also reported in Kharkiv region in the northeast, in the Cherkasy, Poltava and Dnipropetrovsk regions in central Ukraine, and in Zaporizhzhia in the southeast. Several hydroelectric dams appeared to be specific targets on Monday.
Read the full story here.
Desperate for allies, Russia cultivates ties with Iran and Saudi Arabia
A hot mic incident on pro-Kremlin television last week confirmed that the drones Moscow is using to kill Ukrainians and to destroy Ukraine’s infrastructure are manufactured and supplied by Iran — exposing the repeated denials by Moscow and Tehran as false.
“We all know the drones are Iranian,” Ruslan Pukhov, a military expert close to the Russian Defense Ministry, told the anchors on RBC television, clearly unaware that they were live on air. “But the government has not admitted to it,” he muttered.
The public denials by Russia and Iran, despite overwhelming evidence, highlight the expanding common ground between two nations bound closer than ever by their leaders’ anti-Western worldview and embrace of conspiracy theories, their willingness to use violence to achieve regional goals, their economic isolation under sanctions, brutal repression of their own citizens and their predilection for official lies.
Read the full story here.
A hot mic incident on pro-Kremlin television last week confirmed that the drones Moscow is using to kill Ukrainians and to destroy Ukraine’s infrastructure are manufactured and supplied by Iran — exposing the repeated denials by Moscow and Tehran as false.
“We all know the drones are Iranian,” Ruslan Pukhov, a military expert close to the Russian Defense Ministry, told the anchors on RBC television, clearly unaware that they were live on air. “But the government has not admitted to it,” he muttered.
The public denials by Russia and Iran, despite overwhelming evidence, highlight the expanding common ground between two nations bound closer than ever by their leaders’ anti-Western worldview and embrace of conspiracy theories, their willingness to use violence to achieve regional goals, their economic isolation under sanctions, brutal repression of their own citizens and their predilection for official lies.
Read the full story here.
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Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia unleashed a fresh wave of attacks across Ukraine on Monday, damaging more than a dozen critical infrastructure facilities and causing sustained power outages, Ukrainian officials said.
- Multiple districts in the capital, Kyiv, have been cut off from power, and 80 percent of the city is without water after strikes on nearby facilities, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
- Two strikes hit critical infrastructure in the city of Kharkiv, its mayor said on Telegram, leaving part of the region without power. In Zaporizhzhia, the governor accused Russian forces of damaging a critical infrastructure facility.
- Ukraine said it resumed agricultural exports out of its Black Sea ports Monday despite Russia’s withdrawal from the U.N.-brokered grain deal safeguarding the passage of the cargo vessels.
More live updates here.
- Russia unleashed a fresh wave of attacks across Ukraine on Monday, damaging more than a dozen critical infrastructure facilities and causing sustained power outages, Ukrainian officials said.
- Multiple districts in the capital, Kyiv, have been cut off from power, and 80 percent of the city is without water after strikes on nearby facilities, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
- Two strikes hit critical infrastructure in the city of Kharkiv, its mayor said on Telegram, leaving part of the region without power. In Zaporizhzhia, the governor accused Russian forces of damaging a critical infrastructure facility.
- Ukraine said it resumed agricultural exports out of its Black Sea ports Monday despite Russia’s withdrawal from the U.N.-brokered grain deal safeguarding the passage of the cargo vessels.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to continue exporting grain from the country’s Black Sea ports, and accused Russia of exacerbating a global food crisis by suspending a United Nations-brokered shipping deal and threatening to block grain vessels.
- Moscow’s U.N. representative, Vasily Nebenzya, earlier on Monday accused Kyiv of using the grain corridor for “military and sabotage purposes,” and said drones had been used to attack Russian ships over the weekend “under the cover” of the deal.
- Russia unleashed a fresh wave of infrastructure attacks across Ukraine on Monday in retaliation for the weekend drone attacks, which Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for.
- Inspectors from the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog have started verification work at two sites in Ukraine where Russia alleges “dirty bomb” preparations are taking place.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to continue exporting grain from the country’s Black Sea ports, and accused Russia of exacerbating a global food crisis by suspending a United Nations-brokered shipping deal and threatening to block grain vessels.
- Moscow’s U.N. representative, Vasily Nebenzya, earlier on Monday accused Kyiv of using the grain corridor for “military and sabotage purposes,” and said drones had been used to attack Russian ships over the weekend “under the cover” of the deal.
- Russia unleashed a fresh wave of infrastructure attacks across Ukraine on Monday in retaliation for the weekend drone attacks, which Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for.
- Inspectors from the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog have started verification work at two sites in Ukraine where Russia alleges “dirty bomb” preparations are taking place.
More live updates here.
Banking tycoon renounces citizenship of ‘fascist’ Russia over Ukraine war
Russian banking tycoon Oleg Tinkov renounced his Russian citizenship in a public rebuke of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, saying he “can’t and won’t be associated with a fascist country.”
He added Tuesday that he plans to revoke his name from Tinkoff Bank, the Russian commercial bank he founded in 2006, writing: “I hate when my brand/name is associated with the bank that collaborates with killers and blood.”
The businessman announced he had ended his citizenship in an Instagram post on Monday, sharing an image of the official document certifying his renunciation, which was dated Oct. 26. “I hope more prominent Russian businessmen will follow me, so it weakens Putin’s regime and his economy,” he said, adding: “I hate Putin’s Russia, but love all Russians, who are clearly against this crazy war!”
Read the full story here.
Russian banking tycoon Oleg Tinkov renounced his Russian citizenship in a public rebuke of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, saying he “can’t and won’t be associated with a fascist country.”
He added Tuesday that he plans to revoke his name from Tinkoff Bank, the Russian commercial bank he founded in 2006, writing: “I hate when my brand/name is associated with the bank that collaborates with killers and blood.”
The businessman announced he had ended his citizenship in an Instagram post on Monday, sharing an image of the official document certifying his renunciation, which was dated Oct. 26. “I hope more prominent Russian businessmen will follow me, so it weakens Putin’s regime and his economy,” he said, adding: “I hate Putin’s Russia, but love all Russians, who are clearly against this crazy war!”
Read the full story here.
Alleged Russian spy arrested by Norway attended seminar on hybrid attacks
The suspected Russian spy arrested in Norway last week attended a seminar on hybrid threats recently that included a scenario about responding to a pipeline explosion, according to Norwegian media, a coordinator for the group that hosted the event and a photograph from the event.
Norwegian security officials this week announced they had arrested a man claiming to be a Brazilian researcher working on Arctic issues in the city of Tromso who they believe is, in fact, a Russian “illegal.” He has been identified in news reports as José Assis Giammaria.
The arrest comes after at least seven Russians — including the son of a close associate of President Vladimir Putin — were detained in recent weeks for flying drones or taking pictures near sensitive areas.
Read the full story here.
The suspected Russian spy arrested in Norway last week attended a seminar on hybrid threats recently that included a scenario about responding to a pipeline explosion, according to Norwegian media, a coordinator for the group that hosted the event and a photograph from the event.
Norwegian security officials this week announced they had arrested a man claiming to be a Brazilian researcher working on Arctic issues in the city of Tromso who they believe is, in fact, a Russian “illegal.” He has been identified in news reports as José Assis Giammaria.
The arrest comes after at least seven Russians — including the son of a close associate of President Vladimir Putin — were detained in recent weeks for flying drones or taking pictures near sensitive areas.
Read the full story here.
Russian neighbor Norway raises military alert after drone sightings
Norway, a NATO member which shares a 120-mile border with Russia, raised its military alert level starting Tuesday, citing Russia’s war in Ukraine after suspicious drone sightings put the country on edge.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store maintained there was no immediate threat in Norway, but said Europe was facing its “most serious security policy situation in decades.”
“Today, we have no reason to believe that Russia will want to involve Norway or any other country directly in the war. But the war in Ukraine makes it necessary for all NATO countries to be more vigilant,” he told a news conference Monday.
The change in military alert level includes having some troops spend less time on training and a heightened focus on “maritime surveillance,” Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram said.
Read the full story here.
Norway, a NATO member which shares a 120-mile border with Russia, raised its military alert level starting Tuesday, citing Russia’s war in Ukraine after suspicious drone sightings put the country on edge.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store maintained there was no immediate threat in Norway, but said Europe was facing its “most serious security policy situation in decades.”
“Today, we have no reason to believe that Russia will want to involve Norway or any other country directly in the war. But the war in Ukraine makes it necessary for all NATO countries to be more vigilant,” he told a news conference Monday.
The change in military alert level includes having some troops spend less time on training and a heightened focus on “maritime surveillance,” Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram said.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Seventeen vessels in total have now transited the Black Sea corridor since Russia suspended its participation in the agreement, the U.N. says, including three ships carrying corn, wheat, and sunflower meal that departed Ukrainian ports Tuesday.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to continue with the exports and accused Russia of exacerbating a global food crisis by threatening to block the vessels, during his Monday night address.
- BP, one of the world’s largest energy producers, reported massive profits on Tuesday, a day after President Biden lambasted oil companies whose profits have been buoyed by the war in Ukraine.
- Norway’s prime minister said his country’s military will “increase its preparedness” starting Tuesday.
More live updates here.
- Seventeen vessels in total have now transited the Black Sea corridor since Russia suspended its participation in the agreement, the U.N. says, including three ships carrying corn, wheat, and sunflower meal that departed Ukrainian ports Tuesday.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to continue with the exports and accused Russia of exacerbating a global food crisis by threatening to block the vessels, during his Monday night address.
- BP, one of the world’s largest energy producers, reported massive profits on Tuesday, a day after President Biden lambasted oil companies whose profits have been buoyed by the war in Ukraine.
- Norway’s prime minister said his country’s military will “increase its preparedness” starting Tuesday.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- President Volodymyr Zelensky has pledged to do everything in his power to give Ukrainians electricity and heating this winter, following a barrage of attacks on his country’s energy infrastructure that Western officials and analysts say is a deliberate Russian tactic to sap Ukrainians’ will to fight as temperatures drop.
- Zelensky met with the European commissioner for energy, Kadri Simson, in Kyiv on Tuesday to discuss ways to step up European support
- Water and electricity supplies to Kyiv were restored Tuesday, the capital’s mayor announced,
- Zelensky said he raised the need for an “air shield for Ukraine” on a call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.
More live updates here.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky has pledged to do everything in his power to give Ukrainians electricity and heating this winter, following a barrage of attacks on his country’s energy infrastructure that Western officials and analysts say is a deliberate Russian tactic to sap Ukrainians’ will to fight as temperatures drop.
- Zelensky met with the European commissioner for energy, Kadri Simson, in Kyiv on Tuesday to discuss ways to step up European support
- Water and electricity supplies to Kyiv were restored Tuesday, the capital’s mayor announced,
- Zelensky said he raised the need for an “air shield for Ukraine” on a call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.
More live updates here.
Russia’s ‘dirty bomb’ threats challenge the nuclear calculus
As Russia punctuates its mounting losses in Ukraine with threats about nuclear weapons and “dirty bombs,” Western leaders are being forced to grapple with whether Moscow might be planning a dramatic escalation on the battlefield — a development that would leave the U.S. and NATO with a limited set of options to respond.
The president and his advisers have been closely tracking the Kremlin’s signaling, which Biden has opined is pitching the world closer to “Armageddon” than at any point since the Cuban missile crisis. Cabinet-level officials have been warning publicly that any move by Russia to make good on threats to go nuclear will be answered “decisively” with “catastrophic consequences.”
“The talk of the use of a weapon of that sort is dangerous and irresponsible,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters last week about Russia’s nuclear threats.
Read the full story here.
As Russia punctuates its mounting losses in Ukraine with threats about nuclear weapons and “dirty bombs,” Western leaders are being forced to grapple with whether Moscow might be planning a dramatic escalation on the battlefield — a development that would leave the U.S. and NATO with a limited set of options to respond.
The president and his advisers have been closely tracking the Kremlin’s signaling, which Biden has opined is pitching the world closer to “Armageddon” than at any point since the Cuban missile crisis. Cabinet-level officials have been warning publicly that any move by Russia to make good on threats to go nuclear will be answered “decisively” with “catastrophic consequences.”
“The talk of the use of a weapon of that sort is dangerous and irresponsible,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters last week about Russia’s nuclear threats.
Read the full story here.
Turkey says grain shipments in Black Sea will resume with Russia’s agreement
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that he had secured Moscow’s commitment to resurrect a deal safeguarding Ukrainian grain shipments, which has been crucial to sustaining food supplies to developing nations amid the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.
The deal, known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative, was brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in July to guarantee the safe passage of cargo ships to and from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports after Russia’s invasion disrupted export operations, setting off widespread worries about global food security.
“Here now is a new piece of good news,” Erdogan said Wednesday during a speech to lawmakers in Ankara. “The grain shipment will continue as it was previously planned.”
Read the full story here.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that he had secured Moscow’s commitment to resurrect a deal safeguarding Ukrainian grain shipments, which has been crucial to sustaining food supplies to developing nations amid the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.
The deal, known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative, was brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in July to guarantee the safe passage of cargo ships to and from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports after Russia’s invasion disrupted export operations, setting off widespread worries about global food security.
“Here now is a new piece of good news,” Erdogan said Wednesday during a speech to lawmakers in Ankara. “The grain shipment will continue as it was previously planned.”
Read the full story here.
North Korea covertly supplying Russia with artillery, U.S. says
The North Korean government is covertly funneling artillery shells to aid Russia in its war in Ukraine using countries in the Middle East and North Africa to mask the weapons’ movement, the White House said Wednesday, although it was not yet clear whether those shipments were received.
The shipments include “thousands” of shells, John Kirby, the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications, told reporters. He characterized the number as “significant” but not enough to alter the war’s trajectory “in any appreciable way.”
Kirby would not disclose how the North Koreans might be shipping the artillery shells or which countries are believed to be transfer points, saying only, “We do have a sense of where they’re going” and that the United States would “continue to look at what our options are.”
Read the full story here.
The North Korean government is covertly funneling artillery shells to aid Russia in its war in Ukraine using countries in the Middle East and North Africa to mask the weapons’ movement, the White House said Wednesday, although it was not yet clear whether those shipments were received.
The shipments include “thousands” of shells, John Kirby, the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications, told reporters. He characterized the number as “significant” but not enough to alter the war’s trajectory “in any appreciable way.”
Kirby would not disclose how the North Koreans might be shipping the artillery shells or which countries are believed to be transfer points, saying only, “We do have a sense of where they’re going” and that the United States would “continue to look at what our options are.”
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia and Turkey announced Wednesday that Moscow is rejoining the Black Sea grain initiative, the U.N.-brokered deal to ensure safe passage of cargo ships to and from Black Sea ports.
- Ukraine is imposing hourly power outages in several regions including Kyiv starting Wednesday in order to reduce the load on its networks after Russian attacks damaged power grids.
- Kyiv, the capital, will install more than 1,000 heating stations across the city this winter amid the threat of more Russian strikes, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
- “Confrontation between the West and the Russian Federation is intensifying,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told military officials from Russia and Belarus in Moscow Wednesday.
- One in five Russian conscripts drafted to fight in Ukraine died before reaching the front lines, the independent Novaya Gazeta Europa reported.
More live updates here.
- Russia and Turkey announced Wednesday that Moscow is rejoining the Black Sea grain initiative, the U.N.-brokered deal to ensure safe passage of cargo ships to and from Black Sea ports.
- Ukraine is imposing hourly power outages in several regions including Kyiv starting Wednesday in order to reduce the load on its networks after Russian attacks damaged power grids.
- Kyiv, the capital, will install more than 1,000 heating stations across the city this winter amid the threat of more Russian strikes, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
- “Confrontation between the West and the Russian Federation is intensifying,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told military officials from Russia and Belarus in Moscow Wednesday.
- One in five Russian conscripts drafted to fight in Ukraine died before reaching the front lines, the independent Novaya Gazeta Europa reported.
More live updates here.
Mass shooting in Belgorod exposes Russia’s forced mobilization of migrants
Ehson Aminzoda seemed to be following the path of many Central Asian immigrants in Russia — initially working as a bricklayer after arriving in Moscow earlier this year, then at a local restaurant, saving his modest earnings in hope of returning to his native Tajikistan to marry. On Oct. 10, he headed out to meet friends, and was seen leaving the Lyublino subway station in southeast Moscow. Then, he disappeared.
Five days later, according to Russian authorities, Aminzoda, 24, was in Belgorod, just 24 miles from the Ukrainian border, where he and another man, Mehrob Rakhmonov, 23, allegedly opened fire at a military training base, killing nine and injuring 15 others. The alleged shooters were also killed.
Read the full story here.
Ehson Aminzoda seemed to be following the path of many Central Asian immigrants in Russia — initially working as a bricklayer after arriving in Moscow earlier this year, then at a local restaurant, saving his modest earnings in hope of returning to his native Tajikistan to marry. On Oct. 10, he headed out to meet friends, and was seen leaving the Lyublino subway station in southeast Moscow. Then, he disappeared.
Five days later, according to Russian authorities, Aminzoda, 24, was in Belgorod, just 24 miles from the Ukrainian border, where he and another man, Mehrob Rakhmonov, 23, allegedly opened fire at a military training base, killing nine and injuring 15 others. The alleged shooters were also killed.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that he had secured Moscow’s commitment to revive the grain deal. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the resurrection of the deal.
- “If there was no Russian attack on Ukraine, there wouldn’t even be a phantom threat of the global food crisis,” Zelensky said Wednesday.
- Ukraine began imposing blackouts across several regions, including Kyiv, on Wednesday, amid energy restrictions meant to reduce the load on the grid after a barrage of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.
- Russian-backed authorities began integrating the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant into a new Russian operating company Wednesday, according to Russian news reports, and some specialist employees have reportedly signed new contracts.
More live updates here.
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that he had secured Moscow’s commitment to revive the grain deal. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the resurrection of the deal.
- “If there was no Russian attack on Ukraine, there wouldn’t even be a phantom threat of the global food crisis,” Zelensky said Wednesday.
- Ukraine began imposing blackouts across several regions, including Kyiv, on Wednesday, amid energy restrictions meant to reduce the load on the grid after a barrage of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.
- Russian-backed authorities began integrating the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant into a new Russian operating company Wednesday, according to Russian news reports, and some specialist employees have reportedly signed new contracts.
More live updates here.
Why Putin will fight for Kherson: Fresh water and land bridge to Crimea
In the muddy coastal region of Kherson, which sits like a crumpled hat atop the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula, soldiers are readying for what may become the biggest battle of President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, and perhaps the single best test of whether Moscow ends up winning any significant territory from its invasion or is forced to retreat empty-handed.
Ukrainian officials have signaled that an assault on Kherson city — the only regional capital that Russia has managed to capture since its invasion began Feb. 24 — could be imminent. President Volodymyr Zelensky told Ukrainians to “expect good news” from the region, and another top official recently said he expects to retake the city by the end of the year.
Russia, however, has shown no indication that it is willing to give up the city, or the broader Kherson region, which carries enormous strategic and political importance for the Kremlin.
Read the full story here.
In the muddy coastal region of Kherson, which sits like a crumpled hat atop the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula, soldiers are readying for what may become the biggest battle of President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, and perhaps the single best test of whether Moscow ends up winning any significant territory from its invasion or is forced to retreat empty-handed.
Ukrainian officials have signaled that an assault on Kherson city — the only regional capital that Russia has managed to capture since its invasion began Feb. 24 — could be imminent. President Volodymyr Zelensky told Ukrainians to “expect good news” from the region, and another top official recently said he expects to retake the city by the end of the year.
Russia, however, has shown no indication that it is willing to give up the city, or the broader Kherson region, which carries enormous strategic and political importance for the Kremlin.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ministers from the Group of Seven nations are meeting for two days starting Thursday to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The talks come about a year after the G-7 promised to impose “massive consequences” on Russia if it invaded its neighbor.
- Russian troops appear poised for a complete withdrawal from the Ukrainian city of Kherson, Western officials said Thursday, in what would mark another significant setback for the Russian force in Ukraine.
- U.S. Embassy officials in Russia have visited imprisoned basketball star Brittney Griner, the White House said Thursday.
- Ukraine began scheduled power outages across several regions, including Kyiv, this week, after a barrage of Russian strikes damaged the country’s energy infrastructure.
- More than 100 Russian servicemen were released following negotiations with the Ukrainian government, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday.
More live updates here.
- Ministers from the Group of Seven nations are meeting for two days starting Thursday to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The talks come about a year after the G-7 promised to impose “massive consequences” on Russia if it invaded its neighbor.
- Russian troops appear poised for a complete withdrawal from the Ukrainian city of Kherson, Western officials said Thursday, in what would mark another significant setback for the Russian force in Ukraine.
- U.S. Embassy officials in Russia have visited imprisoned basketball star Brittney Griner, the White House said Thursday.
- Ukraine began scheduled power outages across several regions, including Kyiv, this week, after a barrage of Russian strikes damaged the country’s energy infrastructure.
- More than 100 Russian servicemen were released following negotiations with the Ukrainian government, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday.
More live updates here.