Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The missile fragments that landed in Poland could have been Ukrainian, the spokesman for Ukraine’s air force said in an interview.
- The explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September were caused by “gross sabotage,” Swedish authorities said Friday.
- Ukrainian and Russian forces are engaged in fierce fighting in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
- The United States and at least 50 other nations signed a declaration Friday pledging to restrict the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, “when their use may be expected to cause harm to civilians or civilian objects.”
More live updates here.
- The missile fragments that landed in Poland could have been Ukrainian, the spokesman for Ukraine’s air force said in an interview.
- The explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September were caused by “gross sabotage,” Swedish authorities said Friday.
- Ukrainian and Russian forces are engaged in fierce fighting in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
- The United States and at least 50 other nations signed a declaration Friday pledging to restrict the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, “when their use may be expected to cause harm to civilians or civilian objects.”
More live updates here.
In the UAE, Russians fleeing Ukraine war seek success in ‘Dubaisk’
Russians have always been part of the odd cultural mosaic of Dubai’s marina, with its yachts and chain cafes, gyms and cosmetic surgery clinics, mosques and bars. But since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, a torrent of newcomers has arrived — no longer seeking refuge from bitter winters, but from war and international sanctions.
“Putin’s a terrorist, and I don’t want to go to war for his ambitions,” said Sergei Tulinov, 35, a tattoo artist from Kaliningrad who sold his business and moved to Dubai shortly after Russia announced a partial military mobilization in late September. “I see no reason to defend my homeland when no one attacked it.”
He chose Dubai for its high living standards, low taxes, and easy visa requirements for Russians, saying “there’s none of the Russophobia that’s growing elsewhere in the world because of the war.”
Read the full story here.
Russians have always been part of the odd cultural mosaic of Dubai’s marina, with its yachts and chain cafes, gyms and cosmetic surgery clinics, mosques and bars. But since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, a torrent of newcomers has arrived — no longer seeking refuge from bitter winters, but from war and international sanctions.
“Putin’s a terrorist, and I don’t want to go to war for his ambitions,” said Sergei Tulinov, 35, a tattoo artist from Kaliningrad who sold his business and moved to Dubai shortly after Russia announced a partial military mobilization in late September. “I see no reason to defend my homeland when no one attacked it.”
He chose Dubai for its high living standards, low taxes, and easy visa requirements for Russians, saying “there’s none of the Russophobia that’s growing elsewhere in the world because of the war.”
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Several regions of Ukraine are facing prolonged power outages this weekend, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday in his nightly address.
- The first train arrived in Kherson from Kyiv on Saturday to jubilant crowds.
- Russia is apparently reinforcing its troops in the occupied areas of Luhansk, Donetsk and eastern Zaporizhzhia with forces withdrawn from Kherson or recently mobilized by Moscow, according to Ukraine’s military and local officials.
- Ukraine’s military said it is continuing to repel Russian attacks in the Donetsk region, amid a persistent barrage of strikes on civilian infrastructure and housing.
More live updates here.
- Several regions of Ukraine are facing prolonged power outages this weekend, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday in his nightly address.
- The first train arrived in Kherson from Kyiv on Saturday to jubilant crowds.
- Russia is apparently reinforcing its troops in the occupied areas of Luhansk, Donetsk and eastern Zaporizhzhia with forces withdrawn from Kherson or recently mobilized by Moscow, according to Ukraine’s military and local officials.
- Ukraine’s military said it is continuing to repel Russian attacks in the Donetsk region, amid a persistent barrage of strikes on civilian infrastructure and housing.
More live updates here.
Ukraine confronts tougher fight in push to extend battlefield wins
After a string of autumn victories for Kyiv, the war in Ukraine is grinding down to another inflection point.
Over two and a half months, Ukrainian forces have impressed the world with their offensive mettle, first by recapturing the northeast Kharkiv region in a stunning rout and later in the south by methodically tightening the vise on a precarious slice of occupied land west of the Dnieper River — forcing Russia’s embarrassing retreat from Kherson city.
The victories have put Kyiv on the front foot, boosting morale and expectations of further success. Ukraine has every incentive to press on with its counteroffensive and retake as much occupied land as possible while Russia is still reeling from personnel shortages and command woes. The Pentagon has vowed to continue arming Kyiv alongside European allies for “as long as it takes.”
Read the full story here:
After a string of autumn victories for Kyiv, the war in Ukraine is grinding down to another inflection point.
Over two and a half months, Ukrainian forces have impressed the world with their offensive mettle, first by recapturing the northeast Kharkiv region in a stunning rout and later in the south by methodically tightening the vise on a precarious slice of occupied land west of the Dnieper River — forcing Russia’s embarrassing retreat from Kherson city.
The victories have put Kyiv on the front foot, boosting morale and expectations of further success. Ukraine has every incentive to press on with its counteroffensive and retake as much occupied land as possible while Russia is still reeling from personnel shortages and command woes. The Pentagon has vowed to continue arming Kyiv alongside European allies for “as long as it takes.”
Read the full story here:
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Zelensky called on Ukrainians to limit energy use during peak periods. In his nightly address, he said Monday that “the situation is particularly difficult” in the capital, Kyiv, as well as in other regions including Sumy in the northeast and Odessa on the Black Sea.
- Shelling has caused “widespread damage” to the Zaporizhzhia plant, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said. Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency toured the plant and determined Monday that its reactors remained intact.
- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed the war with his Chinese counterpart, Gen. Wei Fenghe. The conversation “underscored how both the United States and China oppose the use of nuclear weapons or threats to use them,” the Pentagon said.
- Ukraine’s SBU security service raided a 1,000-year-old Orthodox Christian monastery in the capital on Tuesday as part of operations to counter what it described as “subversive activities by Russian special services.”
More live updates here.
- Zelensky called on Ukrainians to limit energy use during peak periods. In his nightly address, he said Monday that “the situation is particularly difficult” in the capital, Kyiv, as well as in other regions including Sumy in the northeast and Odessa on the Black Sea.
- Shelling has caused “widespread damage” to the Zaporizhzhia plant, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said. Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency toured the plant and determined Monday that its reactors remained intact.
- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed the war with his Chinese counterpart, Gen. Wei Fenghe. The conversation “underscored how both the United States and China oppose the use of nuclear weapons or threats to use them,” the Pentagon said.
- Ukraine’s SBU security service raided a 1,000-year-old Orthodox Christian monastery in the capital on Tuesday as part of operations to counter what it described as “subversive activities by Russian special services.”
More live updates here.
Shelling at nuclear plant raises alarm, as war intensifies in east Ukraine
Russia and Ukraine traded blame Monday over shelling near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned that the bombing over the weekend had come “dangerously close” to hitting key safety and security systems.
Such back-and-forth over who is creating danger around the plant, which is Europe’s largest atomic energy station and is located in territory occupied by Russian military forces, has occurred regularly over the past four months. But the familiar recriminations come at a new stage in the war, with Russia reeling from a string of battlefield defeats, and an emboldened Ukraine eyeing the possibility of yet another offensive that could move south toward occupied Melitopol from the city of Zaporizhzhia.
Read the full story here.
Russia and Ukraine traded blame Monday over shelling near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned that the bombing over the weekend had come “dangerously close” to hitting key safety and security systems.
Such back-and-forth over who is creating danger around the plant, which is Europe’s largest atomic energy station and is located in territory occupied by Russian military forces, has occurred regularly over the past four months. But the familiar recriminations come at a new stage in the war, with Russia reeling from a string of battlefield defeats, and an emboldened Ukraine eyeing the possibility of yet another offensive that could move south toward occupied Melitopol from the city of Zaporizhzhia.
Read the full story here.
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Angry families say Russian conscripts thrown to front line unprepared
Irina Sokolova’s husband, a Russian soldier mobilized to fight in Ukraine, called her from a forest there last month, sobbing, almost broken.
“They are lying on television,” he wept, referring to the state television propagandists who play down Russian failures and portray a do-or-die war for Russia’s survival against the United States and its allies.
Sokolova, 37, cried for him too, and for their nearly year-old baby son, she said in a telephone interview from her home in Voronezh, in western Russia.
Sokolova is among dozens of soldier’s spouses and other relatives who are voicing remarkably public — and risky — anger and fear over the terrible conditions that new conscripts have faced on the front lines of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
Irina Sokolova’s husband, a Russian soldier mobilized to fight in Ukraine, called her from a forest there last month, sobbing, almost broken.
“They are lying on television,” he wept, referring to the state television propagandists who play down Russian failures and portray a do-or-die war for Russia’s survival against the United States and its allies.
Sokolova, 37, cried for him too, and for their nearly year-old baby son, she said in a telephone interview from her home in Voronezh, in western Russia.
Sokolova is among dozens of soldier’s spouses and other relatives who are voicing remarkably public — and risky — anger and fear over the terrible conditions that new conscripts have faced on the front lines of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Ukrainians to limit energy use during peak periods. In his nightly address Monday, he said “the situation is particularly difficult” in the capital, Kyiv, as well as in the regions of Sumy in the northeast and Odesa on the Black Sea.
- Shelling has caused “widespread damage” to the Zaporizhzhia plant, the United Nations nuclear watchdog said.
- Ukraine’s SBU security service raided a 1,000-year-old Orthodox Christian monastery in the capital on Tuesday as part of operations to counter what it described as “subversive activities by Russian special services.”
- Ukrainian prosecutors said they uncovered suspected torture sites in Kherson after Russian forces withdrew from the city earlier this month.
- Russia’s State Duma, or lower house of parliament, adopted a resolution condemning the alleged killings of Russian prisoners of war by Ukrainian forces and calling on Western nations to stop supporting Kyiv.
More live updates here.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Ukrainians to limit energy use during peak periods. In his nightly address Monday, he said “the situation is particularly difficult” in the capital, Kyiv, as well as in the regions of Sumy in the northeast and Odesa on the Black Sea.
- Shelling has caused “widespread damage” to the Zaporizhzhia plant, the United Nations nuclear watchdog said.
- Ukraine’s SBU security service raided a 1,000-year-old Orthodox Christian monastery in the capital on Tuesday as part of operations to counter what it described as “subversive activities by Russian special services.”
- Ukrainian prosecutors said they uncovered suspected torture sites in Kherson after Russian forces withdrew from the city earlier this month.
- Russia’s State Duma, or lower house of parliament, adopted a resolution condemning the alleged killings of Russian prisoners of war by Ukrainian forces and calling on Western nations to stop supporting Kyiv.
More live updates here.
In Kherson city, sympathies for Russia complicate reintegration into Ukraine
KHERSON, Ukraine — When the Russians occupying her city came for the maritime college where she worked, Maryna Ivanovka refused to fall in line. The 60-year-old administrator was fired and banned from campus. Her house was raided and her phone, computers and passport were confiscated. A pro-Russian underling was installed in her place.
Months later, the occupation of Kherson suddenly began to crumble. Russian soldiers fled. And so, too, did the woman who had taken her job and office.
No sooner had Ukrainian authorities swept the college for booby traps than Ivanovka was back at her desk on Wednesday, sifting through the evidence her Russian-backed replacement had left behind: a ledger of employees who had worked for the Russians, a list of students who had voluntarily gone to Crimea and, peering from beside a potted plant, a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Read the full story here.
KHERSON, Ukraine — When the Russians occupying her city came for the maritime college where she worked, Maryna Ivanovka refused to fall in line. The 60-year-old administrator was fired and banned from campus. Her house was raided and her phone, computers and passport were confiscated. A pro-Russian underling was installed in her place.
Months later, the occupation of Kherson suddenly began to crumble. Russian soldiers fled. And so, too, did the woman who had taken her job and office.
No sooner had Ukrainian authorities swept the college for booby traps than Ivanovka was back at her desk on Wednesday, sifting through the evidence her Russian-backed replacement had left behind: a ledger of employees who had worked for the Russians, a list of students who had voluntarily gone to Crimea and, peering from beside a potted plant, a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian energy systems on brink of collapse after weeks of Russian bombing
After six weeks of intense bombing of energy infrastructure, Russia has battered Ukraine to the brink of a humanitarian disaster this winter as millions of people potentially face life-threatening conditions without electricity, heat or running water.
As the scope of damage to Ukraine’s energy systems has come into focus in recent days, Ukrainian and Western officials have begun sounding the alarm but are also realizing they have limited recourse. Ukraine’s Soviet-era power system cannot be fixed quickly or easily. In some of the worst-hit cities, there is little officials can do other than to urge residents to flee — raising the risk of economic collapse in Ukraine and a spillover refugee crisis in neighboring countries.
“Put simply, this winter will be about survival,” Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, regional director for the World Health Organization, told reporters on Monday in Kyiv.
Read the full story here.
After six weeks of intense bombing of energy infrastructure, Russia has battered Ukraine to the brink of a humanitarian disaster this winter as millions of people potentially face life-threatening conditions without electricity, heat or running water.
As the scope of damage to Ukraine’s energy systems has come into focus in recent days, Ukrainian and Western officials have begun sounding the alarm but are also realizing they have limited recourse. Ukraine’s Soviet-era power system cannot be fixed quickly or easily. In some of the worst-hit cities, there is little officials can do other than to urge residents to flee — raising the risk of economic collapse in Ukraine and a spillover refugee crisis in neighboring countries.
“Put simply, this winter will be about survival,” Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, regional director for the World Health Organization, told reporters on Monday in Kyiv.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Kyiv’s regional governor urged residents to heed air raid sirens on Wednesday and stay in shelters, as officials reported strikes in the capital.
- Neighboring Moldova experienced “massive blackouts” Wednesday, including in the capital, Chisinau, after Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu wrote on Twitter.
- Russian energy giant Gazprom said it would reduce natural gas supplies to Europe through a pipeline that runs through Ukraine.
- Millions of Ukrainians could face life-threatening conditions without power, heat or running water this winter, after attacks on energy infrastructure have battered Ukraine to the brink of a humanitarian disaster, The Washington Post reports.
- The European Parliament voted Wednesday to label Russia “a state sponsor of terrorism,” citing “the deliberate attacks and atrocities” in Ukraine.
More live updates here.
- Kyiv’s regional governor urged residents to heed air raid sirens on Wednesday and stay in shelters, as officials reported strikes in the capital.
- Neighboring Moldova experienced “massive blackouts” Wednesday, including in the capital, Chisinau, after Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu wrote on Twitter.
- Russian energy giant Gazprom said it would reduce natural gas supplies to Europe through a pipeline that runs through Ukraine.
- Millions of Ukrainians could face life-threatening conditions without power, heat or running water this winter, after attacks on energy infrastructure have battered Ukraine to the brink of a humanitarian disaster, The Washington Post reports.
- The European Parliament voted Wednesday to label Russia “a state sponsor of terrorism,” citing “the deliberate attacks and atrocities” in Ukraine.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he expects a “strong reaction” from the world after Russian missiles blasted energy and civilian infrastructure in Kyiv and other major cities.
- Kyiv’s regional governor urged residents to heed air raid sirens and stay in shelters as officials reported missile strikes on the capital. Three people were killed in a strike on a two-story building, according to the city’s military administration.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin is “weaponizing winter” as a strategy to harm Ukrainians, said U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield at the U.N. meeting. “He has decided that if he cannot seize Ukraine by force, he will try to freeze the country into submission,” she said.
-Ukraine’s Air Force reported it shot down 51 of 70 cruise missiles that Russia had launched Wednesday from planes and ships in the Black Sea.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he expects a “strong reaction” from the world after Russian missiles blasted energy and civilian infrastructure in Kyiv and other major cities.
- Kyiv’s regional governor urged residents to heed air raid sirens and stay in shelters as officials reported missile strikes on the capital. Three people were killed in a strike on a two-story building, according to the city’s military administration.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin is “weaponizing winter” as a strategy to harm Ukrainians, said U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield at the U.N. meeting. “He has decided that if he cannot seize Ukraine by force, he will try to freeze the country into submission,” she said.
-Ukraine’s Air Force reported it shot down 51 of 70 cruise missiles that Russia had launched Wednesday from planes and ships in the Black Sea.
More live updates here.
Missiles strike Kyiv as E.U. brands Russia a state sponsor of terrorism
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia on Wednesday pounded Ukraine with another barrage of missiles, striking critical energy infrastructure and residential areas and setting off blackouts across the entire country, including in Kyiv, the capital, and Lviv in the west.
At least four people were killed in the Kyiv region, Gov. Oleksiy Kuleba said, and at least 34 were injured, including five children.
As Moscow persisted in its relentless bid to leave millions of Ukrainians without electricity, heat and water during the cold winter months, the European Parliament in a symbolic vote on Wednesday designated Russia as a “state sponsor of terrorism,” citing its “brutal and inhumane acts” against ordinary citizens.
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia on Wednesday pounded Ukraine with another barrage of missiles, striking critical energy infrastructure and residential areas and setting off blackouts across the entire country, including in Kyiv, the capital, and Lviv in the west.
At least four people were killed in the Kyiv region, Gov. Oleksiy Kuleba said, and at least 34 were injured, including five children.
As Moscow persisted in its relentless bid to leave millions of Ukrainians without electricity, heat and water during the cold winter months, the European Parliament in a symbolic vote on Wednesday designated Russia as a “state sponsor of terrorism,” citing its “brutal and inhumane acts” against ordinary citizens.
Read the full story here.
Russia criminalizes ‘promoting’ LGBTQ relationships with new legislation
The lower house of Russia’s parliament has passed the third and final reading of a bill that bans the promotion of “LGBT propaganda” to children, expanding on a previous law that was adopted in 2013.
Under the latest package of legislation, any attempt to promote homosexuality — including in cinema, books or advertising — could incur a severe fine.
The bill aims to ban Russians from promoting or “praising” homosexual relationships, as well as gender reassignment surgery, or suggesting that these are “normal.”
Read the full story here.
The lower house of Russia’s parliament has passed the third and final reading of a bill that bans the promotion of “LGBT propaganda” to children, expanding on a previous law that was adopted in 2013.
Under the latest package of legislation, any attempt to promote homosexuality — including in cinema, books or advertising — could incur a severe fine.
The bill aims to ban Russians from promoting or “praising” homosexual relationships, as well as gender reassignment surgery, or suggesting that these are “normal.”
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine
— Fifteen regions in Ukraine are struggling with water supply problems after repeated Russian strikes against civilian and energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
—Efforts continued to restore power, but Kyiv’s mayor said that 70 percent of the city was without electricity.
— In the Dnipropetrovsk region, around half of residents remain without power, the head of the local military administration said. Almost 3,000 miners had to be rescued after being trapped underground during the blackouts, he said.
More live updates here.
— Fifteen regions in Ukraine are struggling with water supply problems after repeated Russian strikes against civilian and energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
—Efforts continued to restore power, but Kyiv’s mayor said that 70 percent of the city was without electricity.
— In the Dnipropetrovsk region, around half of residents remain without power, the head of the local military administration said. Almost 3,000 miners had to be rescued after being trapped underground during the blackouts, he said.
More live updates here.
Flow of Russian gas and cash entangled German state in dependent web
SCHWERIN, Germany — When Matthias Warnig, chief executive of the company building the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, arrived for a meeting at the historic lakeside state chancellery building here, he carried a bright bouquet of flowers.
It was August 2020 and Trump administration sanctions on the nearly constructed pipeline under the Baltic Sea had caused final work on the project to grind to a halt. Warnig, a former officer in the Stasi, East Germany’s secret police, was looking for ways around the U.S. action.
His quest — and his gift of sunflowers and snapdragons — found a receptive audience.
“It is outrageous,” said Manuela Schwesig, head of the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, of the U.S. move to target any firm helping to complete the pipeline. Two gas routes — Nord Stream 1 and 2 — came ashore in her northern German state.
Read the full story here.
SCHWERIN, Germany — When Matthias Warnig, chief executive of the company building the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, arrived for a meeting at the historic lakeside state chancellery building here, he carried a bright bouquet of flowers.
It was August 2020 and Trump administration sanctions on the nearly constructed pipeline under the Baltic Sea had caused final work on the project to grind to a halt. Warnig, a former officer in the Stasi, East Germany’s secret police, was looking for ways around the U.S. action.
His quest — and his gift of sunflowers and snapdragons — found a receptive audience.
“It is outrageous,” said Manuela Schwesig, head of the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, of the U.S. move to target any firm helping to complete the pipeline. Two gas routes — Nord Stream 1 and 2 — came ashore in her northern German state.
Read the full story here.