Terrifying images of the aftermath of the strike on Dnipro
DNIPRO, Ukraine — Dozens of people were killed Saturday and dozens of others wounded when a Russian missile struck a nine-floor apartment complex in central Ukraine. The timing, on a weekend afternoon, meant many people were at home at the time of the strike. Their apartments collapsed into a heap of rubble, burying many of them underneath.
The strike was especially shocking because Dnipro has been a relative safe haven for Ukrainians fleeing front-line towns elsewhere. In the hours after the attack, hundreds of people gathered at the scene — some to watch from afar and others to help dig people and pets out. Civilians turned up with hot food and drinks for the rescue teams, who were working in freezing temperatures under falling snow.
See all the images here.
DNIPRO, Ukraine — Dozens of people were killed Saturday and dozens of others wounded when a Russian missile struck a nine-floor apartment complex in central Ukraine. The timing, on a weekend afternoon, meant many people were at home at the time of the strike. Their apartments collapsed into a heap of rubble, burying many of them underneath.
The strike was especially shocking because Dnipro has been a relative safe haven for Ukrainians fleeing front-line towns elsewhere. In the hours after the attack, hundreds of people gathered at the scene — some to watch from afar and others to help dig people and pets out. Civilians turned up with hot food and drinks for the rescue teams, who were working in freezing temperatures under falling snow.
See all the images here.
Former Russian president says Japanese leader should disembowel himself
Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and a senior security official in President Vladimir Putin’s administration, said Saturday that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida should perform a ritualistic suicide by disembowelment to repent for what Medvedev called servitude to the United States.
Medvedev’s remarks were in response to a joint statement Friday by President Biden and Kishida, in which the leaders said that “any use of a nuclear weapon by Russia in Ukraine would be an act of hostility against humanity and unjustifiable in any way.”
Russian military leaders have discussed the potential use of a tactical nuclear weapon should their invasion of Ukraine face more setbacks.
Read the full story here.
Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and a senior security official in President Vladimir Putin’s administration, said Saturday that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida should perform a ritualistic suicide by disembowelment to repent for what Medvedev called servitude to the United States.
Medvedev’s remarks were in response to a joint statement Friday by President Biden and Kishida, in which the leaders said that “any use of a nuclear weapon by Russia in Ukraine would be an act of hostility against humanity and unjustifiable in any way.”
Russian military leaders have discussed the potential use of a tactical nuclear weapon should their invasion of Ukraine face more setbacks.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The U.K. will send self-propelled guns artillery rounds, armored vehicles and other equipment to make sure Ukraine “seizes its upper hand” in the next phase of the conflict, Defense Minister Ben Wallace said in an address at the House of Commons.
- Rescue workers in Dnipro made significant progress overnight. On Monday afternoon, they were removing mounds of rubble from the blast site, and smoke was no longer rising in the air, Washington Post reporters observed. The death toll has risen to 40, Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov told The Post, and dozens of people were missing.
- U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet with officials from roughly 50 nations on Thursday in Germany. “We are focused on doing everything we can to help make sure that the Ukrainians have the capabilities that they need to be successful in their efforts to defend their sovereign territory,” Austin said last week.
More live updates here.
- The U.K. will send self-propelled guns artillery rounds, armored vehicles and other equipment to make sure Ukraine “seizes its upper hand” in the next phase of the conflict, Defense Minister Ben Wallace said in an address at the House of Commons.
- Rescue workers in Dnipro made significant progress overnight. On Monday afternoon, they were removing mounds of rubble from the blast site, and smoke was no longer rising in the air, Washington Post reporters observed. The death toll has risen to 40, Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov told The Post, and dozens of people were missing.
- U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet with officials from roughly 50 nations on Thursday in Germany. “We are focused on doing everything we can to help make sure that the Ukrainians have the capabilities that they need to be successful in their efforts to defend their sovereign territory,” Austin said last week.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine.
- NATO defense chiefs are gathering in Brussels on Wednesday, and on Thursday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will join members of the Ukraine Contact Group — a body of about 50 nations that meets to discuss Kyiv’s needs. Ukraine’s calls for more military aid are likely to dominate the agenda.
- Authorities do not expect to find many more survivors in the wreckage of a Dnipro apartment building that was hit by a Russian missile on Saturday and killed at least 40. As of Monday, 39 were still missing.
- A joint military exercise involving Russia and Belarus kicked off Monday, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said. It is expected to last until Feb. 1.
- Arms manufacturer Rheinmetall has warned that German tanks requested by Ukraine won’t be battle-ready until 2024. “Even if the decision to send our Leopard tanks to Kyiv came tomorrow, the delivery would take until the start of next year,” the chief executive said.
More live updates here.
- NATO defense chiefs are gathering in Brussels on Wednesday, and on Thursday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will join members of the Ukraine Contact Group — a body of about 50 nations that meets to discuss Kyiv’s needs. Ukraine’s calls for more military aid are likely to dominate the agenda.
- Authorities do not expect to find many more survivors in the wreckage of a Dnipro apartment building that was hit by a Russian missile on Saturday and killed at least 40. As of Monday, 39 were still missing.
- A joint military exercise involving Russia and Belarus kicked off Monday, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said. It is expected to last until Feb. 1.
- Arms manufacturer Rheinmetall has warned that German tanks requested by Ukraine won’t be battle-ready until 2024. “Even if the decision to send our Leopard tanks to Kyiv came tomorrow, the delivery would take until the start of next year,” the chief executive said.
More live updates here.
U.S. begins expanded training of Ukrainian forces for large-scale combat
ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT OVER EUROPE — The U.S. military has launched an expanded, more sophisticated training program of Ukrainian forces that is focused on large-scale combat and meant to bolster Ukraine’s ability to take back territory from Russian forces, the Pentagon’s top general said Sunday.
Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on a flight from Washington to Europe that the training began Sunday at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany and will continue for five or six weeks. About 500 soldiers will go through the initial version of training, focused on what the military calls combined-arms warfare, in which tanks, artillery, combat vehicles and other weapons are layered to maximize the violence they inflict.
“We want the Ukrainians to have a capability to successfully defend their country,” Milley said.
Read the full story here.
ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT OVER EUROPE — The U.S. military has launched an expanded, more sophisticated training program of Ukrainian forces that is focused on large-scale combat and meant to bolster Ukraine’s ability to take back territory from Russian forces, the Pentagon’s top general said Sunday.
Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on a flight from Washington to Europe that the training began Sunday at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany and will continue for five or six weeks. About 500 soldiers will go through the initial version of training, focused on what the military calls combined-arms warfare, in which tanks, artillery, combat vehicles and other weapons are layered to maximize the violence they inflict.
“We want the Ukrainians to have a capability to successfully defend their country,” Milley said.
Read the full story here.
Bloody Bakhmut siege poses risks for Ukraine
Ukraine faces difficult choices about how much deeper its military should get drawn into a protracted fight over the besieged city of Bakhmut, as Kyiv prepares for a new counteroffensive elsewhere on the front that requires conserving weapons, ammunition and experienced fighters.
Russia has escalated its assault in the area in recent days, unleashing savage fighting that has underscored the high cost of the battle. Russian mercenaries and released convicts from the Wagner group pushed into the neighboring salt-mining town of Soledar and inched closer to Bakhmut, the capture of which has eluded them for months despite an advantage in firepower and the willingness to sacrifice troops.
“When we kill five out of 10 of their soldiers at once, they are replenished again to 10 over the course of several hours,” said Andriy Kryshchenko, a deputy battalion commander of a national guard unit posted to the south of the city.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine faces difficult choices about how much deeper its military should get drawn into a protracted fight over the besieged city of Bakhmut, as Kyiv prepares for a new counteroffensive elsewhere on the front that requires conserving weapons, ammunition and experienced fighters.
Russia has escalated its assault in the area in recent days, unleashing savage fighting that has underscored the high cost of the battle. Russian mercenaries and released convicts from the Wagner group pushed into the neighboring salt-mining town of Soledar and inched closer to Bakhmut, the capture of which has eluded them for months despite an advantage in firepower and the willingness to sacrifice troops.
“When we kill five out of 10 of their soldiers at once, they are replenished again to 10 over the course of several hours,” said Andriy Kryshchenko, a deputy battalion commander of a national guard unit posted to the south of the city.
Read the full story here.
Top U.S. general meets Ukrainian counterpart near edge of war zone
SOUTHEASTERN POLAND — The Pentagon’s top general met on Tuesday for the first time in person with his Ukrainian counterpart, traveling by vehicle from a base here in Poland to an undisclosed location near the countries’ border in what appeared to be a symbolic show of support as Washington intensifies its military assistance to Ukraine.
Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spent a couple of hours with Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, the top officer in Ukraine’s armed forces, said Col. David Butler, a U.S. military spokesman. The meeting was arranged after it became clear that Zaluzhny would not be able to attend a meeting Wednesday of senior NATO military officials in Brussels. Milley met the Ukrainian officer with a group that included five other Americans, an interpreter and security personnel. News of the meeting was withheld until it concluded, with officials citing safety precautions.
Read the full story here.
SOUTHEASTERN POLAND — The Pentagon’s top general met on Tuesday for the first time in person with his Ukrainian counterpart, traveling by vehicle from a base here in Poland to an undisclosed location near the countries’ border in what appeared to be a symbolic show of support as Washington intensifies its military assistance to Ukraine.
Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spent a couple of hours with Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, the top officer in Ukraine’s armed forces, said Col. David Butler, a U.S. military spokesman. The meeting was arranged after it became clear that Zaluzhny would not be able to attend a meeting Wednesday of senior NATO military officials in Brussels. Milley met the Ukrainian officer with a group that included five other Americans, an interpreter and security personnel. News of the meeting was withheld until it concluded, with officials citing safety precautions.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine
- Authorities do not expect to find many more survivors in Dnipro. At least 44 people are dead, including four children, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported Tuesday, and 20 are missing.
- Training has begun for about 90 to 100 Ukrainian soldiers at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a briefing Tuesday. The training will focus on the use of the Patriot air defense system and will last several months, he said.
- Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Tuesday that the Netherlands plans to “join” efforts to train and arm Ukraine with Patriot defense systems, the Associated Press reported. In remarks ahead of a bilateral meeting with President Biden at the White House, Rutte said: “We have the intention to join what you are doing with Germany on the Patriot project.”
Move live updates here.
- Authorities do not expect to find many more survivors in Dnipro. At least 44 people are dead, including four children, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported Tuesday, and 20 are missing.
- Training has begun for about 90 to 100 Ukrainian soldiers at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a briefing Tuesday. The training will focus on the use of the Patriot air defense system and will last several months, he said.
- Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Tuesday that the Netherlands plans to “join” efforts to train and arm Ukraine with Patriot defense systems, the Associated Press reported. In remarks ahead of a bilateral meeting with President Biden at the White House, Rutte said: “We have the intention to join what you are doing with Germany on the Patriot project.”
Move live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine.
- Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with his Ukrainian counterpart in Poland. It was the first face-to-face meeting between Milley and Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, the head of Ukraine’s armed forces. “They had a chance to get a sense of what the battlefield looks like,” John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, said Tuesday.
- The Dutch prime minister said Tuesday that the Netherlands planned to join efforts by the U.S. and Germany to arm Ukraine with Patriot air defense systems.
- Training has begun for about 90 to 100 Ukrainian soldiers at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday. The training will focus on the use of the Patriot air defense system and will last several months.
- Kazakhstan has changed its entry rules for foreigners, in a move that is expected to make entering and staying in the country much harder for Russians fleeing military conscription and other repercussions of the war.
More live updates here.
- Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with his Ukrainian counterpart in Poland. It was the first face-to-face meeting between Milley and Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, the head of Ukraine’s armed forces. “They had a chance to get a sense of what the battlefield looks like,” John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, said Tuesday.
- The Dutch prime minister said Tuesday that the Netherlands planned to join efforts by the U.S. and Germany to arm Ukraine with Patriot air defense systems.
- Training has begun for about 90 to 100 Ukrainian soldiers at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday. The training will focus on the use of the Patriot air defense system and will last several months.
- Kazakhstan has changed its entry rules for foreigners, in a move that is expected to make entering and staying in the country much harder for Russians fleeing military conscription and other repercussions of the war.
More live updates here.
Ukrainian interior minister killed in helicopter crash
At least 16 people were killed when the helicopter carrying Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky and aides crashed Wednesday morning near a kindergarten in Brovary, just outside Kyiv, Ukraine’s national police said. Children on the ground were also reported killed.
More live updates here.
At least 16 people were killed when the helicopter carrying Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky and aides crashed Wednesday morning near a kindergarten in Brovary, just outside Kyiv, Ukraine’s national police said. Children on the ground were also reported killed.
More live updates here.
Ukrainian interior minister, top officials killed in helicopter crash
Ukrainian Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky and other top ministry officials were killed Wednesday morning when their government helicopter crashed near a kindergarten just outside Kyiv, in what appeared to be an accident.
At least 18 people were killed, including three children, Ukrainian officials said, and at least 29 people were injured, including 15 children.
Nine people — six officials from the Interior Ministry and three crew members — were aboard the helicopter, which was operated by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. The helicopter, an EC-225 Super Puma, is designed for long-range passenger flights.
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky and other top ministry officials were killed Wednesday morning when their government helicopter crashed near a kindergarten just outside Kyiv, in what appeared to be an accident.
At least 18 people were killed, including three children, Ukrainian officials said, and at least 29 people were injured, including 15 children.
Nine people — six officials from the Interior Ministry and three crew members — were aboard the helicopter, which was operated by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. The helicopter, an EC-225 Super Puma, is designed for long-range passenger flights.
Read the full story here.
Former commander in Russia’s Wagner Group seeking asylum, Norway says
A former commander in the Russian mercenary Wagner Group has requested asylum in Norway after fleeing Russia, a move that rights groups say could aid international investigations into alleged crimes by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.
The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration told the Associated Press on Monday that the man, whom it identified as Andrey Medvedev, had arrived in Norway. The directorate declined to comment further, citing security and privacy reasons.
Medvedev’s Norwegian lawyer also told the AP that his client is seeking asylum in the country. The lawyer did not respond to a Washington Post request for comment Monday night.
Read the full story here.
A former commander in the Russian mercenary Wagner Group has requested asylum in Norway after fleeing Russia, a move that rights groups say could aid international investigations into alleged crimes by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.
The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration told the Associated Press on Monday that the man, whom it identified as Andrey Medvedev, had arrived in Norway. The directorate declined to comment further, citing security and privacy reasons.
Medvedev’s Norwegian lawyer also told the AP that his client is seeking asylum in the country. The lawyer did not respond to a Washington Post request for comment Monday night.
Read the full story here.
Democracy defenders and Rambo wannabes: Ukraine’s voluntary foreign fighters
KHARKIV — A 30-year-old former British military captain faced a personal crossroads several months before Russia invaded Ukraine, as he contemplated a desk job at a security firm and a future spent discussing trifles with his sisters and mother in their hometown in southeast England.
The ex-captain was still struggling with the routines of civilian life when the chance to volunteer to defend Ukraine offered an alternate path. Now, after nearly getting killed in an artillery barrage in Bakhmut, the ex-captain, who is not being identified for safety reasons, said he is “happier than I have ever been.”
The complex motivations that pulled the ex-captain to the blood-soaked trenches of Ukraine reflect the experiences of thousands who answered President Volodymyr Zelensky’s appeal for volunteer fighters after Russia invaded last February. Some went to defend democracy, others to escape their own demons.
Read the full story here.
KHARKIV — A 30-year-old former British military captain faced a personal crossroads several months before Russia invaded Ukraine, as he contemplated a desk job at a security firm and a future spent discussing trifles with his sisters and mother in their hometown in southeast England.
The ex-captain was still struggling with the routines of civilian life when the chance to volunteer to defend Ukraine offered an alternate path. Now, after nearly getting killed in an artillery barrage in Bakhmut, the ex-captain, who is not being identified for safety reasons, said he is “happier than I have ever been.”
The complex motivations that pulled the ex-captain to the blood-soaked trenches of Ukraine reflect the experiences of thousands who answered President Volodymyr Zelensky’s appeal for volunteer fighters after Russia invaded last February. Some went to defend democracy, others to escape their own demons.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Investigators from the SBU, Ukraine’s internal security service, have begun a probe into the cause of a helicopter crash that killed at least 14 people, including Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky, near a kindergarten Wednesday morning.
- Monastyrsky was traveling to a “hot spot” on the front line when the helicopter crashed, said Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office.
- Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said senior ministry officials Yevhen Yenin and Yuri Lubkovych were among those killed alongside Monastyrsky.
- Zelensky urged the world to act with “resolve and speed” to help Ukraine “outpace” Russia’s next push to claim territory.
- NATO defense chiefs are gathering in Brussels for a two-day meeting focused on the war in Ukraine and Euro-Atlantic security.
More live updates here.
- Investigators from the SBU, Ukraine’s internal security service, have begun a probe into the cause of a helicopter crash that killed at least 14 people, including Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky, near a kindergarten Wednesday morning.
- Monastyrsky was traveling to a “hot spot” on the front line when the helicopter crashed, said Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office.
- Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said senior ministry officials Yevhen Yenin and Yuri Lubkovych were among those killed alongside Monastyrsky.
- Zelensky urged the world to act with “resolve and speed” to help Ukraine “outpace” Russia’s next push to claim territory.
- NATO defense chiefs are gathering in Brussels for a two-day meeting focused on the war in Ukraine and Euro-Atlantic security.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The Security Service of Ukraine said in a statement that it was probing a number of possible causes for the helicopter crash that killed 14 people, including a violation of flight rules, a technical malfunction and sabotage.
- The Biden administration is expected to announce a new military package for Ukraine worth about $2.5 billon that is likely to include dozens of Bradley and Stryker armored vehicles, two people familiar with the decision told The Washington Post.
- Russian forces are continuing shelling near Soledar, Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the Donetsk region, said on Telegram.
- Germany no longer depends on Russian imports for its energy supply, Finance Minister Christian Lindner said in an interview with the BBC.
More live updates here.
- The Security Service of Ukraine said in a statement that it was probing a number of possible causes for the helicopter crash that killed 14 people, including a violation of flight rules, a technical malfunction and sabotage.
- The Biden administration is expected to announce a new military package for Ukraine worth about $2.5 billon that is likely to include dozens of Bradley and Stryker armored vehicles, two people familiar with the decision told The Washington Post.
- Russian forces are continuing shelling near Soledar, Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the Donetsk region, said on Telegram.
- Germany no longer depends on Russian imports for its energy supply, Finance Minister Christian Lindner said in an interview with the BBC.
More live updates here.
U.S. readies another massive military package for Ukraine
The Biden administration is preparing to announce a roughly $2.5 billion military aid package for Ukraine that is expected to include dozens of Bradley and Stryker armored vehicles, according to two people familiar with the decision, as the Pentagon intensifies its support ahead of an expected counteroffensive against entrenched Russian forces.
The war has entered a phase, U.S. officials have said, that will require Ukrainian units to attack enemy forces in a concerted way, using tanks, armored vehicles, artillery and aviation in what is known as combined arms warfare. Bradleys and Strykers would significantly bolster their firepower and allow soldiers to move quickly around the battlefield.
The coming transfer could contain nearly 100 Strykers, one of these people said. It would mark the first time the Pentagon has supplied Ukraine with such vehicles.
Read the full story here.
The Biden administration is preparing to announce a roughly $2.5 billion military aid package for Ukraine that is expected to include dozens of Bradley and Stryker armored vehicles, according to two people familiar with the decision, as the Pentagon intensifies its support ahead of an expected counteroffensive against entrenched Russian forces.
The war has entered a phase, U.S. officials have said, that will require Ukrainian units to attack enemy forces in a concerted way, using tanks, armored vehicles, artillery and aviation in what is known as combined arms warfare. Bradleys and Strykers would significantly bolster their firepower and allow soldiers to move quickly around the battlefield.
The coming transfer could contain nearly 100 Strykers, one of these people said. It would mark the first time the Pentagon has supplied Ukraine with such vehicles.
Read the full story here.
U.S. defense chief in Berlin for talks as Germany stalls on tank deliveries for Ukraine
BERLIN — Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met his newly appointed German counterpart on Thursday for talks that have taken on more urgency since Berlin put conditions on tank deliveries to Ukraine.
In a call this week with President Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed that in order for Germany to unlock a package of Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine, Washington should send tanks, too, according to a German and a U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation.
It’s a move Washington doesn’t want to make, citing the high fuel consumption and maintenance burden of the U.S. military’s M1 Abrams battle tanks. Austin is hoping to break the deadlock in Berlin and persuade Germany to send tanks, according to a senior U.S. defense official.
Read the full story here.
BERLIN — Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met his newly appointed German counterpart on Thursday for talks that have taken on more urgency since Berlin put conditions on tank deliveries to Ukraine.
In a call this week with President Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed that in order for Germany to unlock a package of Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine, Washington should send tanks, too, according to a German and a U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation.
It’s a move Washington doesn’t want to make, citing the high fuel consumption and maintenance burden of the U.S. military’s M1 Abrams battle tanks. Austin is hoping to break the deadlock in Berlin and persuade Germany to send tanks, according to a senior U.S. defense official.
Read the full story here.
Analysis: Putin says Russia’s economy beat expectations. Did sanctions fail?
As the global glitterati schmoozes in Davos, Switzerland, there is one country whose absence is notable, if not a surprise. Russian officials are effectively persona non grata at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss mountain town, while Ukrainian figures like first lady Olena Zelenska speak to packed houses.
The symbolism is clear. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine almost 11 months ago made President Vladimir Putin and his allies toxic to this global elite. Russia has been showered with sanctions and export controls that seek to cut them off from the global economy, using a kind of systematic might to hinder the Kremlin’s war efforts and punish Putin’s allies.
But in the real world, has it actually worked? Far away from the parties in Davos, Putin on Tuesday used new government data to paint a surprisingly rosy picture of Russia’s economy.
Read the full analysis here.
As the global glitterati schmoozes in Davos, Switzerland, there is one country whose absence is notable, if not a surprise. Russian officials are effectively persona non grata at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss mountain town, while Ukrainian figures like first lady Olena Zelenska speak to packed houses.
The symbolism is clear. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine almost 11 months ago made President Vladimir Putin and his allies toxic to this global elite. Russia has been showered with sanctions and export controls that seek to cut them off from the global economy, using a kind of systematic might to hinder the Kremlin’s war efforts and punish Putin’s allies.
But in the real world, has it actually worked? Far away from the parties in Davos, Putin on Tuesday used new government data to paint a surprisingly rosy picture of Russia’s economy.
Read the full analysis here.