Russian disinformation is demonizing Ukrainian refugees
As Russian forces continue to shell Ukrainian cities, pro-Kremlin propagandists have homed in on a new target: turning Europeans against the 7.8 million Ukrainian refugees who make up the continent’s largest displacement since World War II.
In doing so, Russia’s disinformation merchants are needling at deep-seated European fault lines over immigration, echoing how Russia-linked operatives famously exploited major U.S. social media platforms to sow division around topics such as race ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Experts say the propaganda campaign, which Facebook parent company Meta has called “the largest and most complex Russian-origin operation that we’ve disrupted since the beginning of the war in Ukraine,” aims to stoke fear and divisions among Ukraine’s critical European allies as they brace for a new influx of refugees this winter.
Read the full story here.
As Russian forces continue to shell Ukrainian cities, pro-Kremlin propagandists have homed in on a new target: turning Europeans against the 7.8 million Ukrainian refugees who make up the continent’s largest displacement since World War II.
In doing so, Russia’s disinformation merchants are needling at deep-seated European fault lines over immigration, echoing how Russia-linked operatives famously exploited major U.S. social media platforms to sow division around topics such as race ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Experts say the propaganda campaign, which Facebook parent company Meta has called “the largest and most complex Russian-origin operation that we’ve disrupted since the beginning of the war in Ukraine,” aims to stoke fear and divisions among Ukraine’s critical European allies as they brace for a new influx of refugees this winter.
Read the full story here.
Russian mercenaries accused of using violence to corner diamond trade
A Russian mercenary group that has gained international attention for its role in the war in Ukraine is also active in one of Africa’s poorest countries, using violence and extortion in an effort to corner its extremely lucrative diamond industry, according to a new report issued by European-based researchers.
Individuals linked to the Wagner Group, which is most infamous for its brutal tactics in eastern Ukraine, have set up a shell company in the Central African Republic (CAR) to secure and sell diamonds, say researchers from two groups, France-based All Eyes on Wagner and the London-based Dossier Center, sponsored by exiled Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky,and European Investigative Collaborations, a network of news organizations.
Read more here.
A Russian mercenary group that has gained international attention for its role in the war in Ukraine is also active in one of Africa’s poorest countries, using violence and extortion in an effort to corner its extremely lucrative diamond industry, according to a new report issued by European-based researchers.
Individuals linked to the Wagner Group, which is most infamous for its brutal tactics in eastern Ukraine, have set up a shell company in the Central African Republic (CAR) to secure and sell diamonds, say researchers from two groups, France-based All Eyes on Wagner and the London-based Dossier Center, sponsored by exiled Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky,and European Investigative Collaborations, a network of news organizations.
Read more here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia is “modernizing and expanding its nuclear arsenal,” Austin said Friday at a ceremony at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, where the U.S. Strategic Command oversees the country’s nuclear operations.
- The conflict in Ukraine could become “a major war” between NATO countries and Russia if things go wrong, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned in an interview with Norway’s public broadcaster.
- Brittney Griner was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center in her home state of Texas after landing in the United States on Friday. She “is resilient and so happy to be home and be with her wife,” said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.). U.S. officials said she was in good spirits.
More live updates here.
- Russia is “modernizing and expanding its nuclear arsenal,” Austin said Friday at a ceremony at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, where the U.S. Strategic Command oversees the country’s nuclear operations.
- The conflict in Ukraine could become “a major war” between NATO countries and Russia if things go wrong, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned in an interview with Norway’s public broadcaster.
- Brittney Griner was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center in her home state of Texas after landing in the United States on Friday. She “is resilient and so happy to be home and be with her wife,” said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.). U.S. officials said she was in good spirits.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
—In his first televised interview since his return to Russia following a prisoner swap with American WNBA star Brittney Griner, arms dealer Viktor Bout said he “wholeheartedly” supports the war in Ukraine and would volunteer for the effort if he had the opportunity, Russian state media reported.
— In Ukraine, more than 1.5 million people in the Black Sea port city of Odessa and its surroundings were left without electricity on Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his daily address, after what he described as a night of strikes by Iranian-made drones.
Read more updates.
—In his first televised interview since his return to Russia following a prisoner swap with American WNBA star Brittney Griner, arms dealer Viktor Bout said he “wholeheartedly” supports the war in Ukraine and would volunteer for the effort if he had the opportunity, Russian state media reported.
— In Ukraine, more than 1.5 million people in the Black Sea port city of Odessa and its surroundings were left without electricity on Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his daily address, after what he described as a night of strikes by Iranian-made drones.
Read more updates.
Fierce claims to Crimea highlight slim chance of Russia-Ukraine peace deal
After nine months of death and destruction, the key to Russia’s war against Ukraine lies in the craggy, sea-swept peninsula of Crimea — with its limestone plateaus and rows of poplar trees — which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.
It was in Crimea in February 2014, not February 2022, that Russia’s invasion and occupation of Ukraine began. And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insists that only by retaking Crimea will the war end, with Ukraine defeating its Russian invaders.
“Its return will mean the restoration of true peace,” Zelensky declared in October. “The Russian potential for aggression will be completely destroyed when the Ukrainian flag will be back in its rightful place — in the cities and villages of Crimea.”
Read the full story here.
After nine months of death and destruction, the key to Russia’s war against Ukraine lies in the craggy, sea-swept peninsula of Crimea — with its limestone plateaus and rows of poplar trees — which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.
It was in Crimea in February 2014, not February 2022, that Russia’s invasion and occupation of Ukraine began. And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insists that only by retaking Crimea will the war end, with Ukraine defeating its Russian invaders.
“Its return will mean the restoration of true peace,” Zelensky declared in October. “The Russian potential for aggression will be completely destroyed when the Ukrainian flag will be back in its rightful place — in the cities and villages of Crimea.”
Read the full story here.
After missile strikes, Ukrainians persist without electricity, water, heat
KYIV, Ukraine — The electricity was out and the water service was cut off, and in an eighth-floor apartment in one of Kyiv’s outer neighborhoods, Olha Tkachuk felt like her world was coming apart.
A priest had come to her home to baptize her 4-month-old daughter, Nikol, who was scheduled to undergo lifesaving heart surgery the next day. Guests had arrived for the ceremony, and her oldest daughter, Kristina, 17, stepped out to grab extra pizza from a nearby cafe.
Just then, Russian missiles started slamming into the Ukrainian capital — again. The power went out. Kristina was trapped in the elevator. The surgery was thrown into doubt.
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — The electricity was out and the water service was cut off, and in an eighth-floor apartment in one of Kyiv’s outer neighborhoods, Olha Tkachuk felt like her world was coming apart.
A priest had come to her home to baptize her 4-month-old daughter, Nikol, who was scheduled to undergo lifesaving heart surgery the next day. Guests had arrived for the ceremony, and her oldest daughter, Kristina, 17, stepped out to grab extra pizza from a nearby cafe.
Just then, Russian missiles started slamming into the Ukrainian capital — again. The power went out. Kristina was trapped in the elevator. The surgery was thrown into doubt.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukraine deployed HIMARS rockets in Melitopol, Russian-installed officials said on Telegram, with regional governor Yevgeny Balitsky adding that the recreation center they hit was “destroyed” and civilians were eating dinner there. The Post could not independently verify the claims.
- Ukrainian and pro-Russian officials reported different death tolls in the Melitopol strikes, with Balitsky claiming two deaths and more than 10 injuries. Ivan Fedorov, the exiled Ukrainian mayor of Melitopol, said 200 people were killed or injured. The Post could not independently verify the figures.
- Ukraine’s biggest rock star, Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, showed support for Melitopol by posting a selfie on Instagram wearing a shirt that said, “Melitopol is Ukraine!” to his 342,000 followers.
More live updates here.
- Ukraine deployed HIMARS rockets in Melitopol, Russian-installed officials said on Telegram, with regional governor Yevgeny Balitsky adding that the recreation center they hit was “destroyed” and civilians were eating dinner there. The Post could not independently verify the claims.
- Ukrainian and pro-Russian officials reported different death tolls in the Melitopol strikes, with Balitsky claiming two deaths and more than 10 injuries. Ivan Fedorov, the exiled Ukrainian mayor of Melitopol, said 200 people were killed or injured. The Post could not independently verify the figures.
- Ukraine’s biggest rock star, Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, showed support for Melitopol by posting a selfie on Instagram wearing a shirt that said, “Melitopol is Ukraine!” to his 342,000 followers.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- President Biden underlined the United States’ ongoing support for Ukraine during a weekend call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as efforts to strengthen Kyiv’s air defenses against tactical strikes by Russia on civilian infrastructure.
- Western military experts say Russia is firing larger batches of missiles against Ukraine, which risks depleting Kyiv’s stockpiles of interceptor missiles. Dara Massicot, a senior policy researcher at Rand Corp., wrote in a thread on Twitter that Russia is trying to “confuse and overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses.”
- Russian forces have made marginal territorial gains around Bakhmut, according to the Institute for the Study of War think tank.
- Moscow is unlikely to make significant advances in the next few months, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said in its Monday update. It said Russia’s goal is to extend control over each of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
More live updates here.
- President Biden underlined the United States’ ongoing support for Ukraine during a weekend call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as efforts to strengthen Kyiv’s air defenses against tactical strikes by Russia on civilian infrastructure.
- Western military experts say Russia is firing larger batches of missiles against Ukraine, which risks depleting Kyiv’s stockpiles of interceptor missiles. Dara Massicot, a senior policy researcher at Rand Corp., wrote in a thread on Twitter that Russia is trying to “confuse and overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses.”
- Russian forces have made marginal territorial gains around Bakhmut, according to the Institute for the Study of War think tank.
- Moscow is unlikely to make significant advances in the next few months, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said in its Monday update. It said Russia’s goal is to extend control over each of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
More live updates here.
Russia killed 441 civilians extrajudicially in Kyiv area early in war, U.N. finds
Russian forces killed extrajudicially at least 441 civilians outside of Kyiv, in what likely amounted to war crimes, in the first weeks of the invasion of Ukraine, according to a U.N. report released Thursday. The actual number of civilians summarily killed is likely to be “considerably higher,” the report found.
Based on investigations launched after hundreds of bodies of civilians were found following the Russian retreat from the Kyiv area in early April, the report by the office of the U.N. high commission for human rights documents in brutal detail the violence inflicted on Ukrainians in occupied areas around the capital.
The findings add to mounting evidence that Russian forces have targeted and summarily executed Ukrainian civilians in grave violations of international law.
Read the full story here.
Russian forces killed extrajudicially at least 441 civilians outside of Kyiv, in what likely amounted to war crimes, in the first weeks of the invasion of Ukraine, according to a U.N. report released Thursday. The actual number of civilians summarily killed is likely to be “considerably higher,” the report found.
Based on investigations launched after hundreds of bodies of civilians were found following the Russian retreat from the Kyiv area in early April, the report by the office of the U.N. high commission for human rights documents in brutal detail the violence inflicted on Ukrainians in occupied areas around the capital.
The findings add to mounting evidence that Russian forces have targeted and summarily executed Ukrainian civilians in grave violations of international law.
Read the full story here.
As Ukraine and Russia step up prisoner exchanges, scarred POWs tell of abuse
NORTHEAST UKRAINE — The 60 prisoners of war arrived on Ukrainian soil Tuesday afternoon — free after the latest trade between Moscow and Kyiv, but still under strict rationing.
The nurses treating them at a hospital in northeast Ukraine were instructed to give each soldier no more than 300 milliliters of chicken soup, or about 20 tablespoons. Many were so malnourished during Russian captivity that they would be unable to digest more that, the hospital director said.
The POWs who arrived here, at a location that military authorities asked not be disclosed for security reasons, were a reminder that in addition to the thousands killed in action in Russia’s war in Ukraine, and tens of thousands more wounded, there is yet a third category whose fate is often far murkier and about whom often far less is known.
Read the full story here.
NORTHEAST UKRAINE — The 60 prisoners of war arrived on Ukrainian soil Tuesday afternoon — free after the latest trade between Moscow and Kyiv, but still under strict rationing.
The nurses treating them at a hospital in northeast Ukraine were instructed to give each soldier no more than 300 milliliters of chicken soup, or about 20 tablespoons. Many were so malnourished during Russian captivity that they would be unable to digest more that, the hospital director said.
The POWs who arrived here, at a location that military authorities asked not be disclosed for security reasons, were a reminder that in addition to the thousands killed in action in Russia’s war in Ukraine, and tens of thousands more wounded, there is yet a third category whose fate is often far murkier and about whom often far less is known.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- A U.S. shipment of power equipment worth $13 million was on its way to Ukraine on Tuesday, with a handover expected in Poland, as part of the Biden administration’s effort to help rebuild Ukraine’s battered electrical grid.
- An international donor conference on Tuesday in Paris aims to provide quick support to Ukraine, French officials say, following criticism that other pledges made by the international community in recent months may only have a noticeable impact after the winter is over.
- U.S. and Russian officials will discuss efforts to free Paul Whelan this week, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a briefing Monday, adding that U.S. officials have been in frequent communication with Russia about securing Whelan’s release.
- Bakhmut, a city in the Donbas region, is facing heavy fighting, a senior U.S. military official said in a Monday briefing.
More live updates here.
- A U.S. shipment of power equipment worth $13 million was on its way to Ukraine on Tuesday, with a handover expected in Poland, as part of the Biden administration’s effort to help rebuild Ukraine’s battered electrical grid.
- An international donor conference on Tuesday in Paris aims to provide quick support to Ukraine, French officials say, following criticism that other pledges made by the international community in recent months may only have a noticeable impact after the winter is over.
- U.S. and Russian officials will discuss efforts to free Paul Whelan this week, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a briefing Monday, adding that U.S. officials have been in frequent communication with Russia about securing Whelan’s release.
- Bakhmut, a city in the Donbas region, is facing heavy fighting, a senior U.S. military official said in a Monday briefing.
More live updates here.
As Finland and Sweden wait to join NATO, Turkey extracts concessions
Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined NATO ministers gathered in Romania last week, hailing the unity of the alliance in its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has seen member states scramble to provide weapons and funding to aid Kyiv’s fight.
But when Blinken welcomes his counterparts from Finland and Sweden in Washington this week, it will be the differing, and sometimes dissonant, agendas of the bloc’s 30 members that will take center stage.
Long after the June 2022 summit when Western leaders had hoped to cement the Nordic nations’ entry into NATO, the accession of Finland and Sweden remains blocked by two holdouts, Turkey and Hungary, which have not yet ratified the required protocols.
Read the full story here.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined NATO ministers gathered in Romania last week, hailing the unity of the alliance in its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has seen member states scramble to provide weapons and funding to aid Kyiv’s fight.
But when Blinken welcomes his counterparts from Finland and Sweden in Washington this week, it will be the differing, and sometimes dissonant, agendas of the bloc’s 30 members that will take center stage.
Long after the June 2022 summit when Western leaders had hoped to cement the Nordic nations’ entry into NATO, the accession of Finland and Sweden remains blocked by two holdouts, Turkey and Hungary, which have not yet ratified the required protocols.
Read the full story here.
These musicians are on a mission to make a global tribute song for Ukraine
Back in February, Mike Wolf watched in horror as videos of bombs raining down in Ukraine flooded his television screen. Wolf sat in front of his piano to channel his emotions and, within minutes, his hands were creating a song.
“I was watching my hands compose it. I wasn’t doing the work. It was like my hands had a life of their own. My brain wasn’t in it, but my heart sure was,” Wolf, 76, told The Washington Post. Though the business owner and composer had no personal connection to the war raging nearly 5,000 miles from his home in Wisconsin, he decided he had to do something — anything — to support Ukraine.
The result was “Our Place in Time,” a ballad in which hope, joy, grief and anguish collide, he said. Now his plan is to enlist artists from across the globe to sing “Our Place in Time” in unison. A chance online encounter led him to his first partners, who were far from both Wisconsin and Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
Back in February, Mike Wolf watched in horror as videos of bombs raining down in Ukraine flooded his television screen. Wolf sat in front of his piano to channel his emotions and, within minutes, his hands were creating a song.
“I was watching my hands compose it. I wasn’t doing the work. It was like my hands had a life of their own. My brain wasn’t in it, but my heart sure was,” Wolf, 76, told The Washington Post. Though the business owner and composer had no personal connection to the war raging nearly 5,000 miles from his home in Wisconsin, he decided he had to do something — anything — to support Ukraine.
The result was “Our Place in Time,” a ballad in which hope, joy, grief and anguish collide, he said. Now his plan is to enlist artists from across the globe to sing “Our Place in Time” in unison. A chance online encounter led him to his first partners, who were far from both Wisconsin and Ukraine.
Read the full story here.