Dozens of Russian soldiers killed in massive Donetsk missile strike
Dozens of Russian soldiers were killed in a massive missile strike early on New Year’s Day in the country’s Donetsk region, Moscow said.
Without claiming responsibility for the attack, Kyiv’s military command said at least 400 soldiers were killed in the attack in Makiivka, a city in eastern Ukraine under Russian occupation, and at least 300 soldiers were injured. Russia’s defense ministry put the death toll at 63.
In a statement posted to Telegram, the Department of Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine provided little detail, suggesting sarcastically that the incident was the result of “the careless handling of heating devices, neglect of security measures and smoking.”
Daniil Bezsonov, a senior Moscow-backed official for the region, wrote on Telegram that just after midnight on New Year’s Day a Ukrainian missile had struck a vocational school in Makiivka that housed soldiers.
Read the full story here.
Dozens of Russian soldiers were killed in a massive missile strike early on New Year’s Day in the country’s Donetsk region, Moscow said.
Without claiming responsibility for the attack, Kyiv’s military command said at least 400 soldiers were killed in the attack in Makiivka, a city in eastern Ukraine under Russian occupation, and at least 300 soldiers were injured. Russia’s defense ministry put the death toll at 63.
In a statement posted to Telegram, the Department of Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine provided little detail, suggesting sarcastically that the incident was the result of “the careless handling of heating devices, neglect of security measures and smoking.”
Daniil Bezsonov, a senior Moscow-backed official for the region, wrote on Telegram that just after midnight on New Year’s Day a Ukrainian missile had struck a vocational school in Makiivka that housed soldiers.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia is preparing a prolonged air campaign using Iranian-made drones, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, adding that more than 80 of the drones have been shot down in Ukraine since the start of the new year.
- Pro-Russian forces have probably increased the pace of infantry assaults against Ukrainian positions near Bakhmut, the eastern Ukrainian city at the center of the heaviest fighting in recent weeks, the British Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
- In 2022, more than 20,000 Ukrainian troops participated in training that took place in partner countries, according to figures released by Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the most senior uniformed official in the Ukrainian military.
- Zelensky’s office said he had urged the E.U. to provide 3 billion euros, or $3.2 billion, to Ukraine this month.
Follow our live updates here.
- Russia is preparing a prolonged air campaign using Iranian-made drones, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, adding that more than 80 of the drones have been shot down in Ukraine since the start of the new year.
- Pro-Russian forces have probably increased the pace of infantry assaults against Ukrainian positions near Bakhmut, the eastern Ukrainian city at the center of the heaviest fighting in recent weeks, the British Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
- In 2022, more than 20,000 Ukrainian troops participated in training that took place in partner countries, according to figures released by Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the most senior uniformed official in the Ukrainian military.
- Zelensky’s office said he had urged the E.U. to provide 3 billion euros, or $3.2 billion, to Ukraine this month.
Follow our live updates here.
Europe prepares to take in more Ukrainians, with less support, in 2023
Last winter, Jaroslaw Olak, a Warsaw native, spent the early days of the Ukraine war handing out sweets with his young sons to refugees arriving in the Polish capital. Soon after, he was hosting Ukrainian families rent-free in his apartment downtown.
“One would have to be made out of stone” not to help in the face of such suffering, he said. But now for volunteer hosts such as Olak, the financial burden of helping Ukrainian refugees has grown, and the broader future of assistance is increasingly unclear.
In Poland and across Europe, energy and housing costs have soared, while some governments are poised to reduce funding as the war grinds forward. It has left humanitarian groups and volunteers grappling with the difficult question of how to sustain aid to Ukrainian refugees in the year ahead, with new hardships as winter sets in again.
Read the full story here.
Last winter, Jaroslaw Olak, a Warsaw native, spent the early days of the Ukraine war handing out sweets with his young sons to refugees arriving in the Polish capital. Soon after, he was hosting Ukrainian families rent-free in his apartment downtown.
“One would have to be made out of stone” not to help in the face of such suffering, he said. But now for volunteer hosts such as Olak, the financial burden of helping Ukrainian refugees has grown, and the broader future of assistance is increasingly unclear.
In Poland and across Europe, energy and housing costs have soared, while some governments are poised to reduce funding as the war grinds forward. It has left humanitarian groups and volunteers grappling with the difficult question of how to sustain aid to Ukrainian refugees in the year ahead, with new hardships as winter sets in again.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia’s Defense Ministry said 63 service members were killed in the strike in Donetsk shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day.
- Moscow’s acknowledgment of the attack has “generated criticism towards the Russian military command,” the Institute for the Study of War think tank reported.
- Satellite images shared by Planet, a company that has provided hundreds of images of Russian military activities in Ukraine, appear to show the building that was targeted in the Makiivka strike intact on Dec. 20, 2022, and destroyed as of Tuesday.
- The relatively warm and sunny winter weather in Ukraine has led to reduced daytime demand on the country’s beleaguered electricity grid, the national energy company said Tuesday.
- Ukraine’s General Prosecutor’s Office said at least 452 children have been killed and 876 injured during the war.
More live updates here.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry said 63 service members were killed in the strike in Donetsk shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day.
- Moscow’s acknowledgment of the attack has “generated criticism towards the Russian military command,” the Institute for the Study of War think tank reported.
- Satellite images shared by Planet, a company that has provided hundreds of images of Russian military activities in Ukraine, appear to show the building that was targeted in the Makiivka strike intact on Dec. 20, 2022, and destroyed as of Tuesday.
- The relatively warm and sunny winter weather in Ukraine has led to reduced daytime demand on the country’s beleaguered electricity grid, the national energy company said Tuesday.
- Ukraine’s General Prosecutor’s Office said at least 452 children have been killed and 876 injured during the war.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- The fallout from a deadly attack in the occupied city of Makiivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region has led to finger-pointing by Russian officials. The Russian Defense Ministry on Wednesday said the attack was a result of illicit cellphone use among Russian soldiers, in what some observers see as an attempt to shift culpability from Moscow.
- On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Erdogan’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told Turkish news agency NTV. Afterward, Erdogan will speak with President Zelensky, Kalin said.
- The U.S. has had direct conversations with Russian officials about Paul Whelan, State Department spokesman Ned Price said Tuesday. He was responding to a question about efforts to free Whelan since the release of WNBA player Brittney Griner.
More live updates here.
- The fallout from a deadly attack in the occupied city of Makiivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region has led to finger-pointing by Russian officials. The Russian Defense Ministry on Wednesday said the attack was a result of illicit cellphone use among Russian soldiers, in what some observers see as an attempt to shift culpability from Moscow.
- On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Erdogan’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told Turkish news agency NTV. Afterward, Erdogan will speak with President Zelensky, Kalin said.
- The U.S. has had direct conversations with Russian officials about Paul Whelan, State Department spokesman Ned Price said Tuesday. He was responding to a question about efforts to free Whelan since the release of WNBA player Brittney Griner.
More live updates here.
Russian commanders blamed for heavy losses in New Year’s Day strike
RIGA, Latvia — The deaths of scores of Russian troops in a devastating strike on New Year’s Day has set off a blame game among Russian officials now facing criticism for allegedly packing hundreds of soldiers into a barracks and storing ammunition in the same building — all within Ukrainian firing range.
In a rare admission of heavy losses, the Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday that 89 soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, died after Ukrainian forces hit their garrison in a missile strike.
In a statement, the ministry blamed the attack in part on the “massive use ... by personnel of mobile phones.” The signals alerted the Ukrainians to the garrison’s location, the statement said, adding that a commission is working to investigate the incident.
But war commentators and ordinary Russians cast the casualty estimate as a gross undercount, and some said the true death toll numbered in the hundreds.
Read the full story here.
RIGA, Latvia — The deaths of scores of Russian troops in a devastating strike on New Year’s Day has set off a blame game among Russian officials now facing criticism for allegedly packing hundreds of soldiers into a barracks and storing ammunition in the same building — all within Ukrainian firing range.
In a rare admission of heavy losses, the Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday that 89 soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, died after Ukrainian forces hit their garrison in a missile strike.
In a statement, the ministry blamed the attack in part on the “massive use ... by personnel of mobile phones.” The signals alerted the Ukrainians to the garrison’s location, the statement said, adding that a commission is working to investigate the incident.
But war commentators and ordinary Russians cast the casualty estimate as a gross undercount, and some said the true death toll numbered in the hundreds.
Read the full story here.
Tinder in the trenches: How war has changed love and sex in Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine — With his strong build, black hair and easy smile, Vlad had little problem finding about 200 matches on Tinder in Kharkiv ahead of his military unit’s break in the eastern Ukrainian city.
It was admittedly a lower number than his halcyon prewar days in Kyiv, when Vlad said he once compiled a record 1,238 Tinder matches. But after nine months in the army, he was excited nonetheless by the prospect of a quick hookup.
When he met his dates at a cafe in Kharkiv, however, Vlad found his normal charm had abandoned him. The death and destruction in his daily life weighed on him, and he found himself incapable of the kind of talk that is often the prerequisite for intimacy.
“I did not have the energy to carry a conversation beyond, ‘How are you?,’” said Vlad, 30. “We start, ‘Hello; how are you?’ — and nothing goes after that."
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — With his strong build, black hair and easy smile, Vlad had little problem finding about 200 matches on Tinder in Kharkiv ahead of his military unit’s break in the eastern Ukrainian city.
It was admittedly a lower number than his halcyon prewar days in Kyiv, when Vlad said he once compiled a record 1,238 Tinder matches. But after nine months in the army, he was excited nonetheless by the prospect of a quick hookup.
When he met his dates at a cafe in Kharkiv, however, Vlad found his normal charm had abandoned him. The death and destruction in his daily life weighed on him, and he found himself incapable of the kind of talk that is often the prerequisite for intimacy.
“I did not have the energy to carry a conversation beyond, ‘How are you?,’” said Vlad, 30. “We start, ‘Hello; how are you?’ — and nothing goes after that."
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia’s Defense Ministry blamed on-site cellphone communication by soldiers in a Makiivka building for the deadly strike, saying it allowed Ukrainian forces to locate the target.
- The ministry raised the Russian death toll to 89 in a statement early Wednesday — a rare acknowledgment of a significant loss. Ukraine did not directly confirm its involvement in the attack but has claimed that at least 400 Russian soldiers were killed in the strike. The Post could not independently verify the figures.
- Since the attack, Russian military leaders have faced scrutiny for squeezing soldiers into high-density barracks in the same buildings used to store ammunition.
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to hold a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, Erdogan’s spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, told Turkish news agency NTV. Afterward, Erdogan will speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Kalin said.
More live updates here.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry blamed on-site cellphone communication by soldiers in a Makiivka building for the deadly strike, saying it allowed Ukrainian forces to locate the target.
- The ministry raised the Russian death toll to 89 in a statement early Wednesday — a rare acknowledgment of a significant loss. Ukraine did not directly confirm its involvement in the attack but has claimed that at least 400 Russian soldiers were killed in the strike. The Post could not independently verify the figures.
- Since the attack, Russian military leaders have faced scrutiny for squeezing soldiers into high-density barracks in the same buildings used to store ammunition.
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to hold a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, Erdogan’s spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, told Turkish news agency NTV. Afterward, Erdogan will speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Kalin said.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine.
- President Biden on Wednesday confirmed that the U.S. was considering sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine. France also said it would send light tanks for the first time, in a major shift after months of turning down such requests.
- Two people died in Russian attacks in eastern Donetsk region Wednesday, the area’s military administration head said. Russians targeted an industrial zone in Kostyantynivka, and in Bakhmut, a historic building in the city center was damaged.
- The war in Ukraine has led to the largest drop in the country’s GDP since it gained independence from the Soviet Union, Ukraine’s economy minister said Thursday. Ukraine’s GDP had fallen by an estimated 30.4 percent by the end of 2022, according to the Economy Ministry — although the figure is better than previously feared.
More live updates here.
- President Biden on Wednesday confirmed that the U.S. was considering sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine. France also said it would send light tanks for the first time, in a major shift after months of turning down such requests.
- Two people died in Russian attacks in eastern Donetsk region Wednesday, the area’s military administration head said. Russians targeted an industrial zone in Kostyantynivka, and in Bakhmut, a historic building in the city center was damaged.
- The war in Ukraine has led to the largest drop in the country’s GDP since it gained independence from the Soviet Union, Ukraine’s economy minister said Thursday. Ukraine’s GDP had fallen by an estimated 30.4 percent by the end of 2022, according to the Economy Ministry — although the figure is better than previously feared.
More live updates here.
U.S. edges closer to sending armored weaponry to Ukraine
After months of resisting Kyiv’s pleas for tanks to face increasingly dug-in Russian forces along the lengthy southern and eastern fronts, the United States and its allies are now poised to deliver a variety of armored fighting vehicles to Ukraine.
Asked Wednesday if U.S.-produced Bradley Fighting Vehicles were under consideration for transfer to Ukraine, President Biden replied in the affirmative. A senior administration official said that Bradleys could be included in a package of weapons to be announced as soon as this week.
Earlier Wednesday, France said it would provide Ukraine with an unspecified number of light tanks.
The first supply of Western mobile armor is another major milestone in the escalating provision of advanced weaponry to Ukrainian forces, including heavy artillery and long-range precision rocket launchers.
Read the full story here.
After months of resisting Kyiv’s pleas for tanks to face increasingly dug-in Russian forces along the lengthy southern and eastern fronts, the United States and its allies are now poised to deliver a variety of armored fighting vehicles to Ukraine.
Asked Wednesday if U.S.-produced Bradley Fighting Vehicles were under consideration for transfer to Ukraine, President Biden replied in the affirmative. A senior administration official said that Bradleys could be included in a package of weapons to be announced as soon as this week.
Earlier Wednesday, France said it would provide Ukraine with an unspecified number of light tanks.
The first supply of Western mobile armor is another major milestone in the escalating provision of advanced weaponry to Ukrainian forces, including heavy artillery and long-range precision rocket launchers.
Read the full story here.
Putin orders 36-hour unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine for Orthodox Christmas
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his invading forces to implement a unilateral cease-fire for Orthodox Christmas beginning at noon Friday “along the entire line of contact between the parties in Ukraine” and continuing through Saturday, according to a Kremlin statement.
Putin said he was acting on an appeal from the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, and called on Ukraine to join the temporary truce. Russia carried out airstrikes on Ukraine on New Year’s Eve.
“Based on the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the combat areas, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and give them the opportunity to attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as on the Day of the Nativity of Christ,” the statement said.
Read the full story here.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his invading forces to implement a unilateral cease-fire for Orthodox Christmas beginning at noon Friday “along the entire line of contact between the parties in Ukraine” and continuing through Saturday, according to a Kremlin statement.
Putin said he was acting on an appeal from the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, and called on Ukraine to join the temporary truce. Russia carried out airstrikes on Ukraine on New Year’s Eve.
“Based on the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the combat areas, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and give them the opportunity to attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as on the Day of the Nativity of Christ,” the statement said.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Patriarch Kirill, a close ally of Putin’s, angered priests by vocally supporting the invasion of Ukraine. The war has opened a rift in the Orthodox Church, pitting the Russian wing and its pro-Kremlin patriarch against Orthodox leaders in Kyiv and around the globe. Following the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church said congregations could celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25 instead, as many Ukrainians seek to dissociate themselves from Russia. Kirill’s call for a truce was met with derision from Kyiv.
- President Biden told reporters he is “reluctant to respond to anything Putin says.” He added: “I found it interesting that [Putin] was ready to bomb hospitals and nurseries and churches on the 25th and New Year’s. I think he’s trying to find some oxygen.”
- Putin’s cease-fire order represents “a sign that Putin and his army are getting weaker,” Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs, said in a tweet.
More live updates here.
- Patriarch Kirill, a close ally of Putin’s, angered priests by vocally supporting the invasion of Ukraine. The war has opened a rift in the Orthodox Church, pitting the Russian wing and its pro-Kremlin patriarch against Orthodox leaders in Kyiv and around the globe. Following the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church said congregations could celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25 instead, as many Ukrainians seek to dissociate themselves from Russia. Kirill’s call for a truce was met with derision from Kyiv.
- President Biden told reporters he is “reluctant to respond to anything Putin says.” He added: “I found it interesting that [Putin] was ready to bomb hospitals and nurseries and churches on the 25th and New Year’s. I think he’s trying to find some oxygen.”
- Putin’s cease-fire order represents “a sign that Putin and his army are getting weaker,” Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs, said in a tweet.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine.
- Putin’s cease-fire order was scheduled to begin at noon on Friday and run through Saturday. The Kremlin said the president was responding to an appeal from the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church. Patriarch Kirill is a fierce supporter of Putin and his bloody invasion of Ukraine. President Biden said that he thinks Putin is “trying to find some oxygen" after tens of thousands of casualties on the Russian side.
- The U.S. and Germany will supply Ukraine with armored combat vehicles, including Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday, marking a significant policy shift after months of resisting Kyiv’s pleas for tanks.
- Russia and Belarus are building up a regional military force with plans to hold joint drills and combat aircraft exercises, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said Thursday.
More live updates here.
- Putin’s cease-fire order was scheduled to begin at noon on Friday and run through Saturday. The Kremlin said the president was responding to an appeal from the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church. Patriarch Kirill is a fierce supporter of Putin and his bloody invasion of Ukraine. President Biden said that he thinks Putin is “trying to find some oxygen" after tens of thousands of casualties on the Russian side.
- The U.S. and Germany will supply Ukraine with armored combat vehicles, including Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday, marking a significant policy shift after months of resisting Kyiv’s pleas for tanks.
- Russia and Belarus are building up a regional military force with plans to hold joint drills and combat aircraft exercises, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said Thursday.
More live updates here.
For many of the 1,271 Americans under Russian sanctions, it’s a point of pride
A Harvard astrophysicist. A Silicon Valley billionaire. Hollywood actors. Convicted murderers.
These are among the select list of Americans living under a strange penalty, that has proved a source of pride, bafflement, and in some cases, consternation: Russian sanctions.
Some 1,271 U.S. citizens have made Moscow’s “Stop List,” posted online by Russia’s Foreign Ministry.
Washington has used sanctions on individuals as a foreign policy tool of choice, wielding the U.S. financial system as a sledgehammer or scalpel to cut off its enemies, or those of its allies. Russia has come under crushing U.S. sanctions since it invaded Ukraine last February.
In an act of apparent diplomatic desperation, Russia is trying to respond in kind — and come up against the harsh one-sidedness of U.S. economic power. Russia’s Stop List is a fundamentally asymmetric response, and it’s not weighted in Moscow’s favor.
Read the full story here.
A Harvard astrophysicist. A Silicon Valley billionaire. Hollywood actors. Convicted murderers.
These are among the select list of Americans living under a strange penalty, that has proved a source of pride, bafflement, and in some cases, consternation: Russian sanctions.
Some 1,271 U.S. citizens have made Moscow’s “Stop List,” posted online by Russia’s Foreign Ministry.
Washington has used sanctions on individuals as a foreign policy tool of choice, wielding the U.S. financial system as a sledgehammer or scalpel to cut off its enemies, or those of its allies. Russia has come under crushing U.S. sanctions since it invaded Ukraine last February.
In an act of apparent diplomatic desperation, Russia is trying to respond in kind — and come up against the harsh one-sidedness of U.S. economic power. Russia’s Stop List is a fundamentally asymmetric response, and it’s not weighted in Moscow’s favor.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- All eyes are on the unilateral cease-fire ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin for Orthodox Christmas, which got underway on Friday, a temporary truce that was dismissed by Ukraine, the United States and Germany as a possible ploy for Russia to regroup and move more troops and equipment to the battlefield.
- President Biden said he thinks Putin is “trying to find some oxygen” after 10 months of war and tens of thousands of casualties on the Russian side.
- The Biden administration announced a $2.8 billion military aid package for Ukraine on Friday, the largest drawdown from U.S. defense stockpiles to date.
- The United States and Germany will supply Ukraine with armored combat vehicles, Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday in a joint statement.
- Russia and Belarus are building up a regional military force with plans to hold joint drills and combat aircraft exercises, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said Thursday.
More live updates here.
- All eyes are on the unilateral cease-fire ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin for Orthodox Christmas, which got underway on Friday, a temporary truce that was dismissed by Ukraine, the United States and Germany as a possible ploy for Russia to regroup and move more troops and equipment to the battlefield.
- President Biden said he thinks Putin is “trying to find some oxygen” after 10 months of war and tens of thousands of casualties on the Russian side.
- The Biden administration announced a $2.8 billion military aid package for Ukraine on Friday, the largest drawdown from U.S. defense stockpiles to date.
- The United States and Germany will supply Ukraine with armored combat vehicles, Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday in a joint statement.
- Russia and Belarus are building up a regional military force with plans to hold joint drills and combat aircraft exercises, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said Thursday.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
—Fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces carried on despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unilateral declaration of a 36-hour cease-fire that started at noon Friday to mark the Orthodox Christmas holiday. Moscow and Kyiv blamed each other for the continued shelling.
— U.S. instructors will later this month start training Ukrainian troops to use Patriot missiles.
— The Biden administration announced a $2.85 billion military aid package for Ukraine, the largest drawdown from U.S. defense stockpiles to date.
Read more live updates.
—Fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces carried on despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unilateral declaration of a 36-hour cease-fire that started at noon Friday to mark the Orthodox Christmas holiday. Moscow and Kyiv blamed each other for the continued shelling.
— U.S. instructors will later this month start training Ukrainian troops to use Patriot missiles.
— The Biden administration announced a $2.85 billion military aid package for Ukraine, the largest drawdown from U.S. defense stockpiles to date.
Read more live updates.
For Orthodox Christmas, Russia offers a self-serving cease-fire but no peace
RIGA, Latvia — Russia complained Friday that Ukraine refused to adhere to an Orthodox Christmas cease-fire — though Kyiv never agreed to the unilateral 36-hour truce, and dismissed it as a ploy for Moscow to regroup. Each side accused the other of continued shelling ahead of the Saturday holiday.
“The ghouls in Kyiv refused the cease-fire even on Orthodox Christmas. Clearly, they are our non-brothers there,” Margarita Simonyan, editor in chief of the RT media organization and one of Russia’s leading propagandists, wrote on her Telegram blog.
“The more ironclad is our obligation to liberate those who are our brothers,” Simonyan continued, echoing a trope suggesting that the Russian forces are trying to save Russian-speaking Ukrainians from alleged persecution by a “Nazi regime” in Kyiv.
Read the full story here.
RIGA, Latvia — Russia complained Friday that Ukraine refused to adhere to an Orthodox Christmas cease-fire — though Kyiv never agreed to the unilateral 36-hour truce, and dismissed it as a ploy for Moscow to regroup. Each side accused the other of continued shelling ahead of the Saturday holiday.
“The ghouls in Kyiv refused the cease-fire even on Orthodox Christmas. Clearly, they are our non-brothers there,” Margarita Simonyan, editor in chief of the RT media organization and one of Russia’s leading propagandists, wrote on her Telegram blog.
“The more ironclad is our obligation to liberate those who are our brothers,” Simonyan continued, echoing a trope suggesting that the Russian forces are trying to save Russian-speaking Ukrainians from alleged persecution by a “Nazi regime” in Kyiv.
Read the full story here.
Moscow’s war in Ukraine brought harsh tactics against gay Russians at home
As Russian President Vladimir Putin steers Russia toward becoming a closed-off, conservative society, ruled by “traditional values” and bound tightly to the Orthodox Church, with visions of a “Russian world” in opposition to the decadent, amoral West, the Russian parliament has expanded Moscow’s official discrimination against gays and others of non-heterosexual orientations.
The idea of Russia as a defender of traditional Christian beliefs has been used to justify Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. And it has driven the Russian Parliament to tighten restrictions on LGBTQ “propaganda.”
In December, Putin signed legislation making it illegal to promote or “praise” same-sex relationships, to publicly express non-heterosexual orientations, or to suggest they are “normal.”
The tougher law is just one way the war in Ukraine has made life worse for LGBTQ Russians.
Read the full story here.
As Russian President Vladimir Putin steers Russia toward becoming a closed-off, conservative society, ruled by “traditional values” and bound tightly to the Orthodox Church, with visions of a “Russian world” in opposition to the decadent, amoral West, the Russian parliament has expanded Moscow’s official discrimination against gays and others of non-heterosexual orientations.
The idea of Russia as a defender of traditional Christian beliefs has been used to justify Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. And it has driven the Russian Parliament to tighten restrictions on LGBTQ “propaganda.”
In December, Putin signed legislation making it illegal to promote or “praise” same-sex relationships, to publicly express non-heterosexual orientations, or to suggest they are “normal.”
The tougher law is just one way the war in Ukraine has made life worse for LGBTQ Russians.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The Ukrainian president was encouraged by the turnout for Christmas services at the historic Pechersk Lavra, he said in Saturday’s nightly address. “It’s very important to continue staying in the mood that was felt today,” Zelensky said, lamenting that the feeling has been rare during Russia’s invasion.
- Zelensky congratulated Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for becoming House speaker, adding that Kyiv was “counting on your continued support and further U.S. assistance to bring our common victory closer.”
- Putin marked Orthodox Christmas alone at the Kremlin on Saturday, Russian media said. The Russian leader took part in a religious service by himself in a Kremlin cathedral rather than attending a public Mass, and brief clips on state television showed him alongside priests, Reuters reported. In Ukraine, which has large Orthodox Christian and Roman Catholic communities, worshipers marked the day in churches and with muted festivities.
More live updates here.
- The Ukrainian president was encouraged by the turnout for Christmas services at the historic Pechersk Lavra, he said in Saturday’s nightly address. “It’s very important to continue staying in the mood that was felt today,” Zelensky said, lamenting that the feeling has been rare during Russia’s invasion.
- Zelensky congratulated Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for becoming House speaker, adding that Kyiv was “counting on your continued support and further U.S. assistance to bring our common victory closer.”
- Putin marked Orthodox Christmas alone at the Kremlin on Saturday, Russian media said. The Russian leader took part in a religious service by himself in a Kremlin cathedral rather than attending a public Mass, and brief clips on state television showed him alongside priests, Reuters reported. In Ukraine, which has large Orthodox Christian and Roman Catholic communities, worshipers marked the day in churches and with muted festivities.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
— Moscow’s unilaterally declared cease-fire came to an end after no sign of a letup in fighting in the 36 hours that it was apparently in place. Both sides traded blame for the ongoing shelling, which continued in the early hours Sunday and threatened to mar Orthodox Christmas celebrations. Ukraine had not agreed to the truce, viewing it as a ploy for Russian forces to regroup. The British Defense Ministry said the fighting continued at routine levels.
— Russian President Vladimir Putin marked Orthodox Christmas by attending a service at the Kremlin on Saturday, praising the Russian Orthodox Church for supporting the nation’s troops. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was encouraged by the turnout at Orthodox Christmas services at the historic Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv.
— The pace of Russian military gains around Bakhmut, a fiercely contested city in eastern Ukraine, is the subject of continued debate.
Read more updates here.
— Moscow’s unilaterally declared cease-fire came to an end after no sign of a letup in fighting in the 36 hours that it was apparently in place. Both sides traded blame for the ongoing shelling, which continued in the early hours Sunday and threatened to mar Orthodox Christmas celebrations. Ukraine had not agreed to the truce, viewing it as a ploy for Russian forces to regroup. The British Defense Ministry said the fighting continued at routine levels.
— Russian President Vladimir Putin marked Orthodox Christmas by attending a service at the Kremlin on Saturday, praising the Russian Orthodox Church for supporting the nation’s troops. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was encouraged by the turnout at Orthodox Christmas services at the historic Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv.
— The pace of Russian military gains around Bakhmut, a fiercely contested city in eastern Ukraine, is the subject of continued debate.
Read more updates here.