Near Kherson, orphanage staff hid Ukrainian children from Russian occupiers
STEPANIVKA, Ukraine — Fifteen-year-old Katia remembers rushing out of the orphanage just in time, minutes before the Russians arrived to take the other children away.
It was Oct. 19, and the occupiers of their village outside Kherson were preparing to leave.
The Russians had first shown up at the orphanage here months earlier, in armored military vehicles with 15 children in tow — Ukrainian orphans they had whisked away from the village of Novopetrivka in the previously-occupied Mykolaiv region, about 35 miles north.
The 15 children had lived here since then, under the care of the orphanage’s headmaster, Volodymyr Sahaidak, 61, and under the supervision of Russian soldiers.
But the Russians didn’t know that about a dozen other local children — including Katia — were also living in the same quarters.
Read the full story here.
STEPANIVKA, Ukraine — Fifteen-year-old Katia remembers rushing out of the orphanage just in time, minutes before the Russians arrived to take the other children away.
It was Oct. 19, and the occupiers of their village outside Kherson were preparing to leave.
The Russians had first shown up at the orphanage here months earlier, in armored military vehicles with 15 children in tow — Ukrainian orphans they had whisked away from the village of Novopetrivka in the previously-occupied Mykolaiv region, about 35 miles north.
The 15 children had lived here since then, under the care of the orphanage’s headmaster, Volodymyr Sahaidak, 61, and under the supervision of Russian soldiers.
But the Russians didn’t know that about a dozen other local children — including Katia — were also living in the same quarters.
Read the full story here.
The short life of baby Serhii, killed in a Ukraine maternity ward
On the morning she gave birth, Maria Kamianetska sent a photo of the infant to the baby’s father, back in their home village. The boy’s eyes were closed, his tiny head covered in a white hat, his body swaddled in a cloth.
“You have a son,” she wrote from her hospital bed. The maternity ward where she’d given birth was in Vilnyansk, a town in Zaporizhzhia, one of four Ukrainian regions that Russian President Vladimir Putin claims to have annexed.
For the entire nine months she had carried the baby, her country had been under attack, her life — and her son’s — constantly at risk.
The baby’s father would never have the chance to meet him.
Read the full story here.
On the morning she gave birth, Maria Kamianetska sent a photo of the infant to the baby’s father, back in their home village. The boy’s eyes were closed, his tiny head covered in a white hat, his body swaddled in a cloth.
“You have a son,” she wrote from her hospital bed. The maternity ward where she’d given birth was in Vilnyansk, a town in Zaporizhzhia, one of four Ukrainian regions that Russian President Vladimir Putin claims to have annexed.
For the entire nine months she had carried the baby, her country had been under attack, her life — and her son’s — constantly at risk.
The baby’s father would never have the chance to meet him.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine’s drone hunters scramble to destroy Russia’s Iranian-built fleet
MYKOLAIV, Ukraine — The pickup truck bounced along a rutted dirt track until it came to a stop on a sandy knoll. It was almost midnight. A half-moon revealed waves lapping at a small beach as four Ukrainian soldiers — drone hunters — stepped out of the truck and waited for the sound.
Boom. A powerful explosion echoed over the city of Mykolaiv — signaling another Russian air attack was underway. Then came another rumble and sirens blared.
“To battle,” said the unit commander, aiming a thermal vision sensor into the early November sky as another soldier climbed behind a heavy, truck-mounted machine gun.
While Russia has retreated on the ground, it has continued to strike Ukraine with Iranian-made Shahed drones. The unit on the beach was one of dozens now tasked with detecting and destroying the self-detonating unmanned aerial vehicles Russia is using in its bombing campaign.
Read the full story here.
MYKOLAIV, Ukraine — The pickup truck bounced along a rutted dirt track until it came to a stop on a sandy knoll. It was almost midnight. A half-moon revealed waves lapping at a small beach as four Ukrainian soldiers — drone hunters — stepped out of the truck and waited for the sound.
Boom. A powerful explosion echoed over the city of Mykolaiv — signaling another Russian air attack was underway. Then came another rumble and sirens blared.
“To battle,” said the unit commander, aiming a thermal vision sensor into the early November sky as another soldier climbed behind a heavy, truck-mounted machine gun.
While Russia has retreated on the ground, it has continued to strike Ukraine with Iranian-made Shahed drones. The unit on the beach was one of dozens now tasked with detecting and destroying the self-detonating unmanned aerial vehicles Russia is using in its bombing campaign.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The United States is expected to announce steps to help Ukraine withstand Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure, as top diplomats representing NATO’s 30 members and closest allies gather Tuesday in Romania.
- Ukraine’s energy grid operator says it can provide only 70 percent of the electricity required, almost a week after Russian strikes damaged power facilities across the country.
- Group of Seven justice ministers are meeting for a second day in Berlin to coordinate the investigation of war crimes committed in Ukraine.
- Russian forces are probably preparing a new wave of missile strikes across Ukraine to sustain the current pace, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War reported Monday.
- Russians fired 258 times on 30 settlements in Kherson in one week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address Monday.
More live updates here.
- The United States is expected to announce steps to help Ukraine withstand Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure, as top diplomats representing NATO’s 30 members and closest allies gather Tuesday in Romania.
- Ukraine’s energy grid operator says it can provide only 70 percent of the electricity required, almost a week after Russian strikes damaged power facilities across the country.
- Group of Seven justice ministers are meeting for a second day in Berlin to coordinate the investigation of war crimes committed in Ukraine.
- Russian forces are probably preparing a new wave of missile strikes across Ukraine to sustain the current pace, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War reported Monday.
- Russians fired 258 times on 30 settlements in Kherson in one week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address Monday.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- NATO ministers meet for a second day Wednesday in Bucharest, Romania, after officials on Tuesday condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s targeting of vital infrastructure and pledged wide-ranging support for Ukraine, including fuel and generators, without announcing specifics.
- The United States on Tuesday unveiled a plan to rehabilitate Ukraine’s energy grid, pledging $53 million to help Kyiv procure circuit breakers and other hardware after a sustained Russian air campaign battered the country’s infrastructure.
- The area around Bakhmut has become a center of gravity in the east, the Pentagon said Tuesday, as Ukrainian and Russian forces struggle for the strategic city of Donetsk, where important roads and rail lines meet.
- “NATO’s door is open” for Ukraine’s eventual membership, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday in Bucharest, adding that “Russia does not have a veto” on countries joining.
More live updates here.
- NATO ministers meet for a second day Wednesday in Bucharest, Romania, after officials on Tuesday condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s targeting of vital infrastructure and pledged wide-ranging support for Ukraine, including fuel and generators, without announcing specifics.
- The United States on Tuesday unveiled a plan to rehabilitate Ukraine’s energy grid, pledging $53 million to help Kyiv procure circuit breakers and other hardware after a sustained Russian air campaign battered the country’s infrastructure.
- The area around Bakhmut has become a center of gravity in the east, the Pentagon said Tuesday, as Ukrainian and Russian forces struggle for the strategic city of Donetsk, where important roads and rail lines meet.
- “NATO’s door is open” for Ukraine’s eventual membership, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday in Bucharest, adding that “Russia does not have a veto” on countries joining.
More live updates here.
E.U. proposes special tribunal to investigate Russian crimes in Ukraine
BRUSSELS — The European Union on Wednesday proposed options for setting up a specialized court to try Russia’s crimes in Ukraine, a potential step toward a broader, international effort to hold the country to account for its war of aggression — but only if the United Nations is on board.
The plan, announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, is a response to Ukrainian calls for the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russian leaders for the invasion.
“Russia must pay for its horrific crimes, including for its crime of aggression against a sovereign state,” she said in a statement.
Read the full story here.
BRUSSELS — The European Union on Wednesday proposed options for setting up a specialized court to try Russia’s crimes in Ukraine, a potential step toward a broader, international effort to hold the country to account for its war of aggression — but only if the United Nations is on board.
The plan, announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, is a response to Ukrainian calls for the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russian leaders for the invasion.
“Russia must pay for its horrific crimes, including for its crime of aggression against a sovereign state,” she said in a statement.
Read the full story here.
U.S. unveils plan to rebuild Ukraine energy grid after Russian assault
BUCHAREST, Romania — The Biden administration will put $53 million toward rebuilding Ukraine’s battered electrical grid, as officials scramble to help Ukrainians withstand a sustained Russian assault that has plunged millions into darkness and cold.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the plan, intended to help Ukraine rapidly procure transformers, circuit breakers and other hardware following weeks of missile and drone attacks, during talks in Bucharest with counterparts from the Group of Seven bloc of industrialized nations.
Read the full story here.
BUCHAREST, Romania — The Biden administration will put $53 million toward rebuilding Ukraine’s battered electrical grid, as officials scramble to help Ukrainians withstand a sustained Russian assault that has plunged millions into darkness and cold.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the plan, intended to help Ukraine rapidly procure transformers, circuit breakers and other hardware following weeks of missile and drone attacks, during talks in Bucharest with counterparts from the Group of Seven bloc of industrialized nations.
Read the full story here.
Setbacks in Ukraine war diminish Russia’s clout with regional allies
Russia’s war on Ukraine, and its failure so far to subjugate its smaller neighbor, has exposed President Vladimir Putin’s weakness to other smaller neighbors, including Central Asian nations long viewed by Moscow as part of its rightful sphere of ex-Soviet influence.
The result — polite but obvious snubs in recent months from Kazakhstan to Tajikistan — marks a regional realignment that will only sharpen as international sanctions, a global shift away from fossil fuels, and deepening political isolation erode Russia’s economic power.
Kazakhstan’s shift is the most significant. The sprawling Central Asian oil power has deepened ties to China, Turkey and Europe, and wooed hundreds of Western companies that exited Russia in response to the Kremlin’s toxic war, sending Moscow an unmistakable message. Kazakhstan has also served as a way station for tens of thousands of Russian men fleeing military conscription.
Read the full story here.
Russia’s war on Ukraine, and its failure so far to subjugate its smaller neighbor, has exposed President Vladimir Putin’s weakness to other smaller neighbors, including Central Asian nations long viewed by Moscow as part of its rightful sphere of ex-Soviet influence.
The result — polite but obvious snubs in recent months from Kazakhstan to Tajikistan — marks a regional realignment that will only sharpen as international sanctions, a global shift away from fossil fuels, and deepening political isolation erode Russia’s economic power.
Kazakhstan’s shift is the most significant. The sprawling Central Asian oil power has deepened ties to China, Turkey and Europe, and wooed hundreds of Western companies that exited Russia in response to the Kremlin’s toxic war, sending Moscow an unmistakable message. Kazakhstan has also served as a way station for tens of thousands of Russian men fleeing military conscription.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine presses NATO on membership, but alliance gives no guarantees
BUCHAREST, Romania — NATO nations must swiftly advance Ukraine’s proposed entry into the Western military alliance, a top Ukrainian official said Wednesday, calling the alliance’s past decision to defer the country’s membership a “strategic mistake.”
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers held this week in the same massive Romanian state palace where NATO leaders, several years prior, declared they would support Ukraine’s membership but deferred it indefinitely until a host of conditions could be met.
“It is somehow unfortunate that it was exactly here in this palace in 2008 when, in our view, a strategic mistake was made by delaying Ukraine’s membership to NATO,” Kuleba told reporters as the meeting concluded. “We believe … that the discussion on Ukraine’s application should begin. And we believe that mistakes made in the past can be corrected.”
Read the full story here.
BUCHAREST, Romania — NATO nations must swiftly advance Ukraine’s proposed entry into the Western military alliance, a top Ukrainian official said Wednesday, calling the alliance’s past decision to defer the country’s membership a “strategic mistake.”
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers held this week in the same massive Romanian state palace where NATO leaders, several years prior, declared they would support Ukraine’s membership but deferred it indefinitely until a host of conditions could be met.
“It is somehow unfortunate that it was exactly here in this palace in 2008 when, in our view, a strategic mistake was made by delaying Ukraine’s membership to NATO,” Kuleba told reporters as the meeting concluded. “We believe … that the discussion on Ukraine’s application should begin. And we believe that mistakes made in the past can be corrected.”
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The European Union proposed establishing a specialized court to investigate and prosecute Russia for war crimes, following renewed calls by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to pursue Moscow for the “crime of aggression” against Ukraine.
- A Ukranian Embassy employee in Spain was injured by a letter bomb Tuesday, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said on Twitter.
- “NATO’s door is open” for Ukraine’s eventual membership, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday in Bucharest, adding that “Russia does not have a veto” on countries joining.
- Finland and Sweden’s NATO applications are “nearly complete,” Stoltenberg said following a ministerial meeting in Bucharest attended by the two Nordic nations.
- Russia resumed strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight, targeting a gas distribution point in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, according to a local official.
More live updates here.
- The European Union proposed establishing a specialized court to investigate and prosecute Russia for war crimes, following renewed calls by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to pursue Moscow for the “crime of aggression” against Ukraine.
- A Ukranian Embassy employee in Spain was injured by a letter bomb Tuesday, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said on Twitter.
- “NATO’s door is open” for Ukraine’s eventual membership, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday in Bucharest, adding that “Russia does not have a veto” on countries joining.
- Finland and Sweden’s NATO applications are “nearly complete,” Stoltenberg said following a ministerial meeting in Bucharest attended by the two Nordic nations.
- Russia resumed strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight, targeting a gas distribution point in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, according to a local official.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The U.S. Army has signed a new contract worth up to $1.2 billion with Raytheon Missiles and Defense to send six air defense missile systems to Ukraine. Raytheon also announced plans to manufacture Patriot missiles in Europe for the first time.
- Two days of NATO meetings ended Wednesday with allies promising to continue to support Kyiv in its fight against Moscow.
- Nine people were killed and eight were injured in fires across Ukraine in the past day, the state emergency service reported late Wednesday local time, as residents sought to heat and light buildings and cook food without electricity.
- On the front lines in Bakhmut, Russia is losing manpower and equipment but making scant operational gains, according to analysts at U.S. think tank the Institute for the Study of War.
- Ukraine’s armed forces said there is still a threat of Russian missile strikes on energy and other critical infrastructure across Ukraine.
More live updates here.
- The U.S. Army has signed a new contract worth up to $1.2 billion with Raytheon Missiles and Defense to send six air defense missile systems to Ukraine. Raytheon also announced plans to manufacture Patriot missiles in Europe for the first time.
- Two days of NATO meetings ended Wednesday with allies promising to continue to support Kyiv in its fight against Moscow.
- Nine people were killed and eight were injured in fires across Ukraine in the past day, the state emergency service reported late Wednesday local time, as residents sought to heat and light buildings and cook food without electricity.
- On the front lines in Bakhmut, Russia is losing manpower and equipment but making scant operational gains, according to analysts at U.S. think tank the Institute for the Study of War.
- Ukraine’s armed forces said there is still a threat of Russian missile strikes on energy and other critical infrastructure across Ukraine.
More live updates here.
Ukraine presses NATO on membership, but alliance gives no guarantees
NATO nations must swiftly advance Ukraine’s proposed entry into the Western military alliance, a top Ukrainian official said Wednesday, calling the past decision to defer the country’s membership a “strategic mistake.”
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers held this week in the same massive Romanian state palace where NATO leaders, 14 years prior, declared they would support Ukraine’s membership but deferred it indefinitely until a host of conditions could be met.
Although top NATO officials and diplomats reiterated their support for the 2008 declaration, they consistently dodged questions about when Ukraine might join the alliance, saying the focus for now is getting Ukraine through the winter and the war. Accession, officials suggested, is a discussion for another day.
Read the full story here.
NATO nations must swiftly advance Ukraine’s proposed entry into the Western military alliance, a top Ukrainian official said Wednesday, calling the past decision to defer the country’s membership a “strategic mistake.”
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers held this week in the same massive Romanian state palace where NATO leaders, 14 years prior, declared they would support Ukraine’s membership but deferred it indefinitely until a host of conditions could be met.
Although top NATO officials and diplomats reiterated their support for the 2008 declaration, they consistently dodged questions about when Ukraine might join the alliance, saying the focus for now is getting Ukraine through the winter and the war. Accession, officials suggested, is a discussion for another day.
Read the full story here.
Lion cubs rescued from Ukraine find sanctuary in the United States
Four lion cubs rescued from Ukraine have found a new home at a wildlife sanctuary in the woods of Minnesota.
The cubs, a young male called Taras and three females — Stefania, Lesya and Prada — landed in the United States on Tuesday after a nine-hour flight from Poland, where they had been cared for in recent weeks by a local zoo since being plucked from the conflict by animal welfare groups.
“These cubs have endured more in their short lives than any animal should,” Meredith Whitney, Wildlife Rescue Program manager at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, one of several groups working to rescue animals from the war, said in a statement. “They were born at breeding facilities in Ukraine, during the war and then orphaned at a few weeks old.”
The cubs survived sporadic bombings and drone attacks, according to the animal welfare group, before making an arduous 36-hour journey to Poland three weeks ago.
Read the full story here.
Four lion cubs rescued from Ukraine have found a new home at a wildlife sanctuary in the woods of Minnesota.
The cubs, a young male called Taras and three females — Stefania, Lesya and Prada — landed in the United States on Tuesday after a nine-hour flight from Poland, where they had been cared for in recent weeks by a local zoo since being plucked from the conflict by animal welfare groups.
“These cubs have endured more in their short lives than any animal should,” Meredith Whitney, Wildlife Rescue Program manager at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, one of several groups working to rescue animals from the war, said in a statement. “They were born at breeding facilities in Ukraine, during the war and then orphaned at a few weeks old.”
The cubs survived sporadic bombings and drone attacks, according to the animal welfare group, before making an arduous 36-hour journey to Poland three weeks ago.
Read the full story here.