Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Several senior public officials resigned or were removed Tuesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to make wide-ranging personnel changes amid a public outcry over corruption allegations involving government and law enforcement officials.
- Poland’s defense minister said Tuesday that he had sought official consent to send the German-made weapons to the Ukrainian front lines.
- Finland’s foreign minister suggested his country might have to consider joining NATO without its ally Sweden.
- Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says the Kremlin is trying to break him in jail.
- Only 18 percent of Ukrainians think their country has received a sufficient level of weapons support from partner countries, according to findings from a new survey conducted by public opinion firm Ipsos this month.
More live updates here.
- Several senior public officials resigned or were removed Tuesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to make wide-ranging personnel changes amid a public outcry over corruption allegations involving government and law enforcement officials.
- Poland’s defense minister said Tuesday that he had sought official consent to send the German-made weapons to the Ukrainian front lines.
- Finland’s foreign minister suggested his country might have to consider joining NATO without its ally Sweden.
- Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says the Kremlin is trying to break him in jail.
- Only 18 percent of Ukrainians think their country has received a sufficient level of weapons support from partner countries, according to findings from a new survey conducted by public opinion firm Ipsos this month.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine.
- The U.S. and Germany are expected to unveil plans Wednesday to provide heavy battle tanks to Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to meet with his cabinet early Wednesday before making a formal announcement on the Leopard 2 main battle tanks.
- Meanwhile, U.S. officials say the Biden administration has decided to provide M1 Abrams tanks, despite concerns that they might require too much training and maintenance for Ukraine. The development prompted a swift rebuke from Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., who called any decision by Washington to supply such tanks to Kyiv a “blatant provocation.”
- The U.S. tanks are unlikely to arrive by spring, when Russian forces are expected to begin a new offensive, which means Ukraine will need to rely on other armored vehicles on the battlefield in the near term.
More live updates here.
- The U.S. and Germany are expected to unveil plans Wednesday to provide heavy battle tanks to Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to meet with his cabinet early Wednesday before making a formal announcement on the Leopard 2 main battle tanks.
- Meanwhile, U.S. officials say the Biden administration has decided to provide M1 Abrams tanks, despite concerns that they might require too much training and maintenance for Ukraine. The development prompted a swift rebuke from Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., who called any decision by Washington to supply such tanks to Kyiv a “blatant provocation.”
- The U.S. tanks are unlikely to arrive by spring, when Russian forces are expected to begin a new offensive, which means Ukraine will need to rely on other armored vehicles on the battlefield in the near term.
More live updates here.
Germany set to approve Leopards for Ukraine, as U.S. promises M1 tanks
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is poised to deliver more than a dozen of his country’s Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, opening the way for other countries to do so, according to German press reports and a senior European official, ending months of debate among Western allies and potentially helping to shift the balance on the battlefield.
The Biden administration is also due to announce Wednesday that it will send the main U.S. battle tank, the M1 Abrams, though probably not until at least the fall, a senior U.S. official with knowledge of the situation said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Ukrainian officials are counting on the Leopard 2 tanks — which are fast, relatively easy to operate and plentiful in Europe — to help their forces gain an advantage on the battlefield.
Read the full story here.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is poised to deliver more than a dozen of his country’s Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, opening the way for other countries to do so, according to German press reports and a senior European official, ending months of debate among Western allies and potentially helping to shift the balance on the battlefield.
The Biden administration is also due to announce Wednesday that it will send the main U.S. battle tank, the M1 Abrams, though probably not until at least the fall, a senior U.S. official with knowledge of the situation said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Ukrainian officials are counting on the Leopard 2 tanks — which are fast, relatively easy to operate and plentiful in Europe — to help their forces gain an advantage on the battlefield.
Read the full story here.
What to know about M1 Abrams tanks and why they matter to Ukraine
The Biden administration is due to reveal plans to send M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, after U.S. officials raised concerns about the Ukrainian military’s ability to operate and maintain the heavy battle tank.
Months of debate and reluctance among Western allies culminated in Germany declaring Wednesday that it will deliver 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
An announcement is also expected from Washington.
Read the full story here.
The Biden administration is due to reveal plans to send M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, after U.S. officials raised concerns about the Ukrainian military’s ability to operate and maintain the heavy battle tank.
Months of debate and reluctance among Western allies culminated in Germany declaring Wednesday that it will deliver 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
An announcement is also expected from Washington.
Read the full story here.
For Ukraine, what’s so special about Germany’s Leopard 2 tanks?
As the war in Ukraine nears its one-year mark, Kyiv is pushing Western allies to provide modern battle tanks for its fight with Russian forces. And there’s one particular model the Ukrainians want — the German-made Leopard 2.
Other countries have offered different tanks, such as Britain, which promised 14 Challenger 2 models earlier this month. But the Leopard 2’s speed and ease of use — as well as the fact that there are a large number of them already in Europe — have made them more attractive to Kyiv.
On Wednesday, Germany announced plans to deliver 14 of the country’s Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and allow other countries to send theirs, ending months of debate among Western allies.
Read the full story here.
As the war in Ukraine nears its one-year mark, Kyiv is pushing Western allies to provide modern battle tanks for its fight with Russian forces. And there’s one particular model the Ukrainians want — the German-made Leopard 2.
Other countries have offered different tanks, such as Britain, which promised 14 Challenger 2 models earlier this month. But the Leopard 2’s speed and ease of use — as well as the fact that there are a large number of them already in Europe — have made them more attractive to Kyiv.
On Wednesday, Germany announced plans to deliver 14 of the country’s Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and allow other countries to send theirs, ending months of debate among Western allies.
Read the full story here.
U.S. will supply M1 tanks to Ukraine, as Germany approves Leopards
The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it will send 31 of its premier battle tanks to Ukraine, following agreement with Germany to deliver scores of its Leopard 2 tanks from across Europe. The decisions end months of debate among Western allies and pave the way for a major shift in the balance of power on the Ukrainian battlefield.
Senior administration officials told reporters that the decisions in Washington and Berlin amount to “an impressive display of unity nearly a year into the conflict” with Russia.
That unity has been strained over the last several weeks, as Germany refused to approve sending the tanks that Ukraine had requested, or to authorize other countries that also field Leopards to transfer them, unless the United States would agree to send its own M1 Abrams. The Defense Department had long insisted the Abrams were too complex for transfer and use by the Ukrainians.
Read the full story here.
The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it will send 31 of its premier battle tanks to Ukraine, following agreement with Germany to deliver scores of its Leopard 2 tanks from across Europe. The decisions end months of debate among Western allies and pave the way for a major shift in the balance of power on the Ukrainian battlefield.
Senior administration officials told reporters that the decisions in Washington and Berlin amount to “an impressive display of unity nearly a year into the conflict” with Russia.
That unity has been strained over the last several weeks, as Germany refused to approve sending the tanks that Ukraine had requested, or to authorize other countries that also field Leopards to transfer them, unless the United States would agree to send its own M1 Abrams. The Defense Department had long insisted the Abrams were too complex for transfer and use by the Ukrainians.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Berlin announced plans Wednesday to send German-made Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine after weeks of international pressure.
- Ukraine needs a “strong state,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after several senior officials resigned or were removed Tuesday.
- A senior French official expressed concern Wednesday that Germany’s Leopard 2 tanks may not be operable in Ukraine in time for increased fighting in the spring.
- Zelensky said the number of tanks and how long it will take to deliver them to Ukraine is “critical.”
- Senior security officials from Germany, France, Britain and the United States met Wednesday in Washington to discuss Ukraine’s requests for more assistance.
- The “Doomsday Clock” was set closer to midnight than ever before, with the Ukraine war one factor, said the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, which created the initiative to symbolize how close humanity has come to the end of the world.
More live updates here.
- Berlin announced plans Wednesday to send German-made Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine after weeks of international pressure.
- Ukraine needs a “strong state,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after several senior officials resigned or were removed Tuesday.
- A senior French official expressed concern Wednesday that Germany’s Leopard 2 tanks may not be operable in Ukraine in time for increased fighting in the spring.
- Zelensky said the number of tanks and how long it will take to deliver them to Ukraine is “critical.”
- Senior security officials from Germany, France, Britain and the United States met Wednesday in Washington to discuss Ukraine’s requests for more assistance.
- The “Doomsday Clock” was set closer to midnight than ever before, with the Ukraine war one factor, said the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, which created the initiative to symbolize how close humanity has come to the end of the world.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine.
- The White House said changed conditions on the ground prompted the M1 tanks decision. National Security Council strategic communications coordinator John Kirby said that although tanks had not been ruled out earlier, what has changed “are the conditions on the ground and the kinds of fighting that the Russians are doing right now,” and that Ukraine will need to be capable of fighting back through 2023.
- Air raid sirens sounded overnight in several regions of Ukraine, including Kyiv. Kyiv’s regional military administration said drones were shot down over the city and warned of the threat of a large-scale missile attack in the country.
- Switzerland said Wednesday that it would implement new sanctions against Russia introduced by European Union in December. All new investments in Russia’s mining sector will be banned and additional restrictions will be placed on the export of military goods or the development of the defense sector.
More live updates here.
- The White House said changed conditions on the ground prompted the M1 tanks decision. National Security Council strategic communications coordinator John Kirby said that although tanks had not been ruled out earlier, what has changed “are the conditions on the ground and the kinds of fighting that the Russians are doing right now,” and that Ukraine will need to be capable of fighting back through 2023.
- Air raid sirens sounded overnight in several regions of Ukraine, including Kyiv. Kyiv’s regional military administration said drones were shot down over the city and warned of the threat of a large-scale missile attack in the country.
- Switzerland said Wednesday that it would implement new sanctions against Russia introduced by European Union in December. All new investments in Russia’s mining sector will be banned and additional restrictions will be placed on the export of military goods or the development of the defense sector.
More live updates here.
Navalny says Kremlin wants to break him in jail. His team fears worse.
Even from jail, Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition figure, gets more done than most people. He has announced a new media platform with nearly 1.8 million YouTube subscribers, filed more than 10 lawsuits against Russian authorities, and is now the leading voice inside Russia against the war in Ukraine.
But he is gaunt and painfully thin. His health is declining, amid what supporters allege is harassment and sleep deprivation. He has been sent to harsh punishment cells 10 times for up to 15 days, and was even forced to take legal action to get winter boots.
Navalny says he loses nearly eight pounds for every 10 days he spends in the 8-by-10-foot punishment isolation cell where he gets a cup and a book, a metal stool fixed to the floor, and a cot that is folded during the day.
Read the full story here.
Even from jail, Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition figure, gets more done than most people. He has announced a new media platform with nearly 1.8 million YouTube subscribers, filed more than 10 lawsuits against Russian authorities, and is now the leading voice inside Russia against the war in Ukraine.
But he is gaunt and painfully thin. His health is declining, amid what supporters allege is harassment and sleep deprivation. He has been sent to harsh punishment cells 10 times for up to 15 days, and was even forced to take legal action to get winter boots.
Navalny says he loses nearly eight pounds for every 10 days he spends in the 8-by-10-foot punishment isolation cell where he gets a cup and a book, a metal stool fixed to the floor, and a cot that is folded during the day.
Read the full story here.
UNESCO adds Ukraine’s ‘pearl of the Black Sea’ to World Heritage list
The historic center of the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa was named a World Heritage site Wednesday and immediately classified as “in danger,” after an accelerated inscription process by the U.N. cultural agency that may pave the way for more financial and technical assistance.
Odessa, which is often also described as Ukraine’s “pearl of the Black Sea,” has faced repeated Russian strikes since the war began last February.
“This inscription embodies our collective determination to ensure that this city, which has always surmounted global upheavals, is preserved from further destruction,” Audrey Azoulay, director general of UNESCO, said in a statement after the agency’s World Heritage Committee convened for an extraordinary session in Paris. Azoulay called Odessa “a world city” that “has left its mark on cinema, literature and the arts.”
Read the full story here.
The historic center of the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa was named a World Heritage site Wednesday and immediately classified as “in danger,” after an accelerated inscription process by the U.N. cultural agency that may pave the way for more financial and technical assistance.
Odessa, which is often also described as Ukraine’s “pearl of the Black Sea,” has faced repeated Russian strikes since the war began last February.
“This inscription embodies our collective determination to ensure that this city, which has always surmounted global upheavals, is preserved from further destruction,” Audrey Azoulay, director general of UNESCO, said in a statement after the agency’s World Heritage Committee convened for an extraordinary session in Paris. Azoulay called Odessa “a world city” that “has left its mark on cinema, literature and the arts.”
Read the full story here.
Analysis: Ukrainian journalists are uncovering Ukrainian corruption
In October, Ukrainian news outlet Bihus.info shared photos of Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, driving a new Chevrolet Tahoe SUV that had been donated for humanitarian aid. Two months later, the news website Ukrainska Pravda reported that Tymoshenko had been filmed multiple times driving a 2021 Porsche Taycan, worth around $100,000, through Kyiv earlier in the year.
Tymoshenko dismissed the insinuations, suggesting the Chevrolet was used for official business and that he had only been borrowing the Porsche. But with so much of the country suffering economic devastation, the ostentatious modes of transport chosen by a senior Zelensky adviser made waves.
“Can the representatives of power in this country, a quarter territory lies already in ruins, live luxuriously?” wrote Mykhailo Tkach, the Ukrainska Pravda journalist who broke the story on the Porsche.
Read the full analysis here.
In October, Ukrainian news outlet Bihus.info shared photos of Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, driving a new Chevrolet Tahoe SUV that had been donated for humanitarian aid. Two months later, the news website Ukrainska Pravda reported that Tymoshenko had been filmed multiple times driving a 2021 Porsche Taycan, worth around $100,000, through Kyiv earlier in the year.
Tymoshenko dismissed the insinuations, suggesting the Chevrolet was used for official business and that he had only been borrowing the Porsche. But with so much of the country suffering economic devastation, the ostentatious modes of transport chosen by a senior Zelensky adviser made waves.
“Can the representatives of power in this country, a quarter territory lies already in ruins, live luxuriously?” wrote Mykhailo Tkach, the Ukrainska Pravda journalist who broke the story on the Porsche.
Read the full analysis here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Officials across the country reported several Russian strikes, including in the capital and the regions of Vinnytsia and Odessa, which left at least 11 people dead and 11 injured, according to emergency services spokesman Oleksandr Khorunzhyi.
- A strike in Kyiv killed one person and injured two on Thursday, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the formation of a “tank coalition” and called for allies to “expand” their support to aircraft.
- Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the Russian tycoon behind the Wagner mercenary group, decried the new U.S. sanctions, calling them illegal.
- Ukrainian military spokesman Serhiy Cherevaty told The Post on Wednesday that Kyiv’s forces withdrew from Soledar.
- Russia is training troops in neighboring Belarus who are likely to be “recommitted to operations in Ukraine,” according to Britain’s Defense Ministry.
More live updates here.
- Officials across the country reported several Russian strikes, including in the capital and the regions of Vinnytsia and Odessa, which left at least 11 people dead and 11 injured, according to emergency services spokesman Oleksandr Khorunzhyi.
- A strike in Kyiv killed one person and injured two on Thursday, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the formation of a “tank coalition” and called for allies to “expand” their support to aircraft.
- Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the Russian tycoon behind the Wagner mercenary group, decried the new U.S. sanctions, calling them illegal.
- Ukrainian military spokesman Serhiy Cherevaty told The Post on Wednesday that Kyiv’s forces withdrew from Soledar.
- Russia is training troops in neighboring Belarus who are likely to be “recommitted to operations in Ukraine,” according to Britain’s Defense Ministry.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ten regions of Ukraine are facing emergency power outages Friday, a day after a Russian barrage, the state power grid operator said.
- Ukrenergo said the latest missile and drone attacks knocked out electricity around the capital, in Kharkiv in the northeast and in the western city of Lviv near the Polish border.
- The type of American tank going to Ukraine will be the M1A2 Abrams, according to Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh. The M1A2 has more advanced electronics and targeting ability than the M1A1 Abrams, according to U.S. military specifications.
- U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said Moscow is giving Ukrainian children Russian passports and putting them up for adoption.
- U.S. government auditors are in Kyiv this week as part of steps to ensure that “no aid or weapons” are diverted, Victoria Nuland, the undersecretary for political affairs at the State Department, told lawmakers Thursday.
More live updates here.
- Ten regions of Ukraine are facing emergency power outages Friday, a day after a Russian barrage, the state power grid operator said.
- Ukrenergo said the latest missile and drone attacks knocked out electricity around the capital, in Kharkiv in the northeast and in the western city of Lviv near the Polish border.
- The type of American tank going to Ukraine will be the M1A2 Abrams, according to Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh. The M1A2 has more advanced electronics and targeting ability than the M1A1 Abrams, according to U.S. military specifications.
- U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said Moscow is giving Ukrainian children Russian passports and putting them up for adoption.
- U.S. government auditors are in Kyiv this week as part of steps to ensure that “no aid or weapons” are diverted, Victoria Nuland, the undersecretary for political affairs at the State Department, told lawmakers Thursday.
More live updates here.
Ukraine faces logistics hurdles ahead of tank deliveries
Nearly a year into the war in Ukraine, Western allies finally agreed to send Kyiv the battle tanks it says it so desperately needs.
The first battalion will have roughly 40 tanks, including newer German Leopard 2A6s, and could arrive by spring.
But the broader package pieced together this week by the United States and other European nations includes a hodgepodge of tank models, each with different delivery times and unique logistical hurdles. Military experts are unsure if they will have a decisive effect on the battlefield — and Ukrainian forces still need to be trained on how to use them.
Read the full story here.
Nearly a year into the war in Ukraine, Western allies finally agreed to send Kyiv the battle tanks it says it so desperately needs.
The first battalion will have roughly 40 tanks, including newer German Leopard 2A6s, and could arrive by spring.
But the broader package pieced together this week by the United States and other European nations includes a hodgepodge of tank models, each with different delivery times and unique logistical hurdles. Military experts are unsure if they will have a decisive effect on the battlefield — and Ukrainian forces still need to be trained on how to use them.
Read the full story here.
In home of Kalashnikov, Russians fight plan to turn mall into drone factory
As Russia seeks to mobilize its industries and citizens to fight its war on Ukraine, a group of angry small-business owners and residents in one city has shown there are limits to the sacrifices they are willing to make as they fight to keep a shopping mall from turning into a drone-production plant.
With Russia’s economy under pressure from Western sanctions and its war effort faltering after major setbacks last year, the Defense Ministry has demanded that arms and weapons producers work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to increase military production.
Izhevsk, 620 miles east of Moscow, famous as the home of the Kalashnikov weapons plant, is part of Russia’s drive to dramatically increase the production of rockets, shells and drones.
Read the full story here.
As Russia seeks to mobilize its industries and citizens to fight its war on Ukraine, a group of angry small-business owners and residents in one city has shown there are limits to the sacrifices they are willing to make as they fight to keep a shopping mall from turning into a drone-production plant.
With Russia’s economy under pressure from Western sanctions and its war effort faltering after major setbacks last year, the Defense Ministry has demanded that arms and weapons producers work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to increase military production.
Izhevsk, 620 miles east of Moscow, famous as the home of the Kalashnikov weapons plant, is part of Russia’s drive to dramatically increase the production of rockets, shells and drones.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ten regions of Ukraine were hit by emergency power outages Friday, a day after a Russian barrage, the state power grid operator said.
- In the latest attempt to cement its illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory, Russia announced Friday that it will impose Moscow time in the parts of four Ukrainian regions now under control of its invading forces.
- The type of American tank going to Ukraine will be the M1A2 Abrams, according to Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh.
- The U.N. refugee agency said Moscow is giving Ukrainian children Russian passports and putting them up for adoption.
- Poland will deliver 60 tanks to Ukraine, including 30 of the Polish PT-91 Twardy and 14 of the German-made Leopard 2, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday.
- The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said inspectors reported “powerful explosions” outside the Zaporizhzhia plant in Ukraine.
More live updates here.
- Ten regions of Ukraine were hit by emergency power outages Friday, a day after a Russian barrage, the state power grid operator said.
- In the latest attempt to cement its illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory, Russia announced Friday that it will impose Moscow time in the parts of four Ukrainian regions now under control of its invading forces.
- The type of American tank going to Ukraine will be the M1A2 Abrams, according to Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh.
- The U.N. refugee agency said Moscow is giving Ukrainian children Russian passports and putting them up for adoption.
- Poland will deliver 60 tanks to Ukraine, including 30 of the Polish PT-91 Twardy and 14 of the German-made Leopard 2, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday.
- The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said inspectors reported “powerful explosions” outside the Zaporizhzhia plant in Ukraine.
More live updates here.
What is the Wagner Group, the Russian mercenary outfit in Ukraine?
The United States has designated the Kremlin-linked Wagner Group, a network of private security contractors that have taken up arms in Ukraine, as a “significant transnational criminal organization,” the Treasury Department announced Thursday.
“Today’s expanded sanctions on Wagner, as well as new sanctions on their associates and other companies enabling the Russian military complex, will further impede Putin’s ability to arm and equip his war machine,” Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said in a statement.
Treasury noted that Wagner had been accused of “mass executions, rape, child abductions, and physical abuse in the Central African Republic and Mali,” and it placed sanctions on a number of organizations the department said provided support for the group, including a Chinese satellite imagery company and an aviation firm based in the United Arab Emirates.
Here are some facts about the Wagner Group and what it’s doing in Ukraine.
The United States has designated the Kremlin-linked Wagner Group, a network of private security contractors that have taken up arms in Ukraine, as a “significant transnational criminal organization,” the Treasury Department announced Thursday.
“Today’s expanded sanctions on Wagner, as well as new sanctions on their associates and other companies enabling the Russian military complex, will further impede Putin’s ability to arm and equip his war machine,” Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said in a statement.
Treasury noted that Wagner had been accused of “mass executions, rape, child abductions, and physical abuse in the Central African Republic and Mali,” and it placed sanctions on a number of organizations the department said provided support for the group, including a Chinese satellite imagery company and an aviation firm based in the United Arab Emirates.
Here are some facts about the Wagner Group and what it’s doing in Ukraine.