Western Ukraine, distant from the front lines, feels the burdens of war
LVIV — Alina Pidchenko, her husband, Serhii, and their three children now live in a single room in a camp of prefabricated housing for displaced Ukrainians on the edge of Lviv, the main city in western Ukraine, about an hour’s drive from the border with Poland.
When the family escaped here nine months ago — from their home some 500 miles east in Kramatorsk, where Moscow’s troops were regularly shelling the civilian population — they thought they were moving to a safe haven. But the war has followed them.
On Jan. 14, dozens of Russian missiles rained down across Ukraine, including in the west, where strikes severely damaged an electrical substation and a power plant in the Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions, plunging hundreds of thousands of people, including the Pidchenko family, into cold and darkness. The power and heating went out for five hours, Alina said, and then again overnight as they slept.
Read the full story here.
LVIV — Alina Pidchenko, her husband, Serhii, and their three children now live in a single room in a camp of prefabricated housing for displaced Ukrainians on the edge of Lviv, the main city in western Ukraine, about an hour’s drive from the border with Poland.
When the family escaped here nine months ago — from their home some 500 miles east in Kramatorsk, where Moscow’s troops were regularly shelling the civilian population — they thought they were moving to a safe haven. But the war has followed them.
On Jan. 14, dozens of Russian missiles rained down across Ukraine, including in the west, where strikes severely damaged an electrical substation and a power plant in the Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions, plunging hundreds of thousands of people, including the Pidchenko family, into cold and darkness. The power and heating went out for five hours, Alina said, and then again overnight as they slept.
Read the full story here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
— Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has renewed his plea for Western nations to supply Ukraine with more potent weapons, including the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, to help Kyiv defend against Russian attacks from places far from the front line.
—Intense fighting continues on the front lines in eastern Ukraine, where Western and Ukrainian officials and military analysts have warned that Moscow is probably gearing up for a major offensive in the spring.
— Recent Russian ground attacks in the Zaporizhzhia region of southeast Ukraine “may be intended to disperse Ukrainian forces and set conditions for an offensive in Luhansk,” analysts at D.C. think tank the Institute for the Study of War said in their latest battleground update.
Read more updates here.
— Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has renewed his plea for Western nations to supply Ukraine with more potent weapons, including the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, to help Kyiv defend against Russian attacks from places far from the front line.
—Intense fighting continues on the front lines in eastern Ukraine, where Western and Ukrainian officials and military analysts have warned that Moscow is probably gearing up for a major offensive in the spring.
— Recent Russian ground attacks in the Zaporizhzhia region of southeast Ukraine “may be intended to disperse Ukrainian forces and set conditions for an offensive in Luhansk,” analysts at D.C. think tank the Institute for the Study of War said in their latest battleground update.
Read more updates here.
These Russians, evading call-up to Ukraine, live in a Seoul airport
INCHEON AIRPORT, South Korea — The Russian men now have inside jokes with the South Korean staff they see at 6 p.m. every day at the Burger King in Terminal 1. They spend their days walking around, smoking cigarettes or learning Korean. They wash their clothes with bathroom soap.
For these five men who fled Russia to avoid conscription in the war against Ukraine, Incheon International Airport has been their temporary home for the past three months.
They arrived at the airport, located about 32 miles west of Seoul, in October and November seeking asylum. But South Korea, which has a low rate of accepting refugees, deemed them unqualified to even apply and rejected their applications. The men appealed the decision, and three of them will find out on Jan. 31 whether their appeal will be accepted.
Read the full story here.
INCHEON AIRPORT, South Korea — The Russian men now have inside jokes with the South Korean staff they see at 6 p.m. every day at the Burger King in Terminal 1. They spend their days walking around, smoking cigarettes or learning Korean. They wash their clothes with bathroom soap.
For these five men who fled Russia to avoid conscription in the war against Ukraine, Incheon International Airport has been their temporary home for the past three months.
They arrived at the airport, located about 32 miles west of Seoul, in October and November seeking asylum. But South Korea, which has a low rate of accepting refugees, deemed them unqualified to even apply and rejected their applications. The men appealed the decision, and three of them will find out on Jan. 31 whether their appeal will be accepted.
Read the full story here.
The U.S. imports uranium from Russia. What if sanctions end that?
Russia’s state-owned nuclear power conglomerate, Rosatom, is suspected of supplying the Russian arms industry with components, technology and raw materials for missile fuel, The Washington Post reported Friday. The military goods were sent to more than half a dozen major weapons makers, aiding Moscow’s continuing assault on Ukraine.
That has elevated prospects that the United States, and possibly the European Union, might place sanctions on Rosatom, which exports uranium for use in nuclear reactors.
U.S. reliance on Russian nuclear fuel is substantial, but American companies have some options if Rosatom is hit with sanctions.
Read the full story here.
Russia’s state-owned nuclear power conglomerate, Rosatom, is suspected of supplying the Russian arms industry with components, technology and raw materials for missile fuel, The Washington Post reported Friday. The military goods were sent to more than half a dozen major weapons makers, aiding Moscow’s continuing assault on Ukraine.
That has elevated prospects that the United States, and possibly the European Union, might place sanctions on Rosatom, which exports uranium for use in nuclear reactors.
U.S. reliance on Russian nuclear fuel is substantial, but American companies have some options if Rosatom is hit with sanctions.
Read the full story here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his plea for Western nations to supply Ukraine with more potent weapons, including the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, to help Kyiv defend against Russian attacks from places far from the front line.
- Germany and Poland are set to begin tank training programs for Ukrainian forces in days as they rush deliveries for spring. Ukraine has said that it needs at least 300 tanks to support a large-scale spring offensive.
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz defended the decision to supply tanks, but he said Germany would avoid sending troops or bringing NATO into a war against Russia, according to a government readout of Scholz’s interview with Tagesspiegel.
- Britain’s Defense Ministry said Ukrainian tank operators have arrived in the United Kingdom to receive training on how to use the Challenger 2 tanks that London recently pledged to send Kyiv.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his plea for Western nations to supply Ukraine with more potent weapons, including the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, to help Kyiv defend against Russian attacks from places far from the front line.
- Germany and Poland are set to begin tank training programs for Ukrainian forces in days as they rush deliveries for spring. Ukraine has said that it needs at least 300 tanks to support a large-scale spring offensive.
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz defended the decision to supply tanks, but he said Germany would avoid sending troops or bringing NATO into a war against Russia, according to a government readout of Scholz’s interview with Tagesspiegel.
- Britain’s Defense Ministry said Ukrainian tank operators have arrived in the United Kingdom to receive training on how to use the Challenger 2 tanks that London recently pledged to send Kyiv.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is calling for Russian athletes to be barred from competing in next year’s Olympics while his country remains under attack.
- Zelensky described the situation on the front lines in the eastern Donetsk region as “very tough.” Bakhmut, Vuhledar and other areas in the region are under “constant Russian attacks,” he said, as Russian forces attempt to break through Ukraine’s defense.
- Ukrainian tank operators have arrived in the U.K. to receive training on how to use the Challenger 2 tanks that London recently pledged to send Kyiv.
- Delays by Western allies in sending high-end military materiel to Ukraine — including long-range weapons, advanced air defense systems and battle tanks — have hampered Kyiv’s ability to mount larger counteroffensive operations and take advantage of opportunities offered up “by flaws and failures in Russian military operations,” analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is calling for Russian athletes to be barred from competing in next year’s Olympics while his country remains under attack.
- Zelensky described the situation on the front lines in the eastern Donetsk region as “very tough.” Bakhmut, Vuhledar and other areas in the region are under “constant Russian attacks,” he said, as Russian forces attempt to break through Ukraine’s defense.
- Ukrainian tank operators have arrived in the U.K. to receive training on how to use the Challenger 2 tanks that London recently pledged to send Kyiv.
- Delays by Western allies in sending high-end military materiel to Ukraine — including long-range weapons, advanced air defense systems and battle tanks — have hampered Kyiv’s ability to mount larger counteroffensive operations and take advantage of opportunities offered up “by flaws and failures in Russian military operations,” analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said.
More live updates here.
Russia says it will impose Moscow time in occupied areas of Ukraine
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.
Russia has already been issuing its passports and forcing the use of its currency, the ruble, in occupied areas of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — the four Ukrainian regions that President Vladimir Putin declared to be annexed and absorbed into Russia in violation of international law.
Now, Russia said it will move the clocks forward by one hour so those areas are on Moscow time.
Read the full story here.
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.
Russia has already been issuing its passports and forcing the use of its currency, the ruble, in occupied areas of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — the four Ukrainian regions that President Vladimir Putin declared to be annexed and absorbed into Russia in violation of international law.
Now, Russia said it will move the clocks forward by one hour so those areas are on Moscow time.
Read the full story here.
Short on time, Biden sought new Ukraine tank plan to break stalemate
After weeks of failing to persuade Chancellor Olaf Scholz to free up Germany’s Leopard 2 tanks for shipment to Ukraine, President Biden was ready to make one more try. Kyiv’s forces were convinced that if Western tanks weren’t on the battlefield by spring, it might be too late for them to thwart a coming Russian offensive and launch a successful one of their own.
In a late morning call with Scholz from the White House on Jan. 17, Biden tried several tacks.
Britain had announced it would send 14 of its Challenger tanks, he reminded Scholz, addressing the chancellor’s concern that Germany not be the first to challenge the Russians by giving Ukraine a major new weapons system. The United States and other NATO partners had tentatively approved the transfer of hundreds of lesser, but effective, armored combat vehicles, he said, including American Bradleys and Strykers.
Read the full story here.
After weeks of failing to persuade Chancellor Olaf Scholz to free up Germany’s Leopard 2 tanks for shipment to Ukraine, President Biden was ready to make one more try. Kyiv’s forces were convinced that if Western tanks weren’t on the battlefield by spring, it might be too late for them to thwart a coming Russian offensive and launch a successful one of their own.
In a late morning call with Scholz from the White House on Jan. 17, Biden tried several tacks.
Britain had announced it would send 14 of its Challenger tanks, he reminded Scholz, addressing the chancellor’s concern that Germany not be the first to challenge the Russians by giving Ukraine a major new weapons system. The United States and other NATO partners had tentatively approved the transfer of hundreds of lesser, but effective, armored combat vehicles, he said, including American Bradleys and Strykers.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on allies to speed up weapons deliveries following pledges from Western nations to send battle tanks to Ukraine.
- An overnight Russian missile strike badly damaged a residential building in Kharkiv, governor Oleh Synyehubov said Monday on Telegram.
- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged South Korea to increase military support to Ukraine during a visit to Seoul on Monday.
- Zelensky described the situation on the front lines in the eastern Donetsk region as “very tough.”
- Training with German-made Leopard 2 tanks is set to begin within days as Germany and Poland rush deliveries for spring.
- Ukraine’s military said that Russian forces shelled Bakhmut, the center of some of the fiercest fighting in recent months.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on allies to speed up weapons deliveries following pledges from Western nations to send battle tanks to Ukraine.
- An overnight Russian missile strike badly damaged a residential building in Kharkiv, governor Oleh Synyehubov said Monday on Telegram.
- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged South Korea to increase military support to Ukraine during a visit to Seoul on Monday.
- Zelensky described the situation on the front lines in the eastern Donetsk region as “very tough.”
- Training with German-made Leopard 2 tanks is set to begin within days as Germany and Poland rush deliveries for spring.
- Ukraine’s military said that Russian forces shelled Bakhmut, the center of some of the fiercest fighting in recent months.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine.
- France has not ruled out sending fighter jets to Ukraine but would only do so under certain criteria, President Emmanuel Macron said Monday, including a condition that would bar Kyiv from using the aircraft to attack Russian territory.
- The Pentagon announced Monday the first shipment of Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine. More than 60 Bradleys departed from North Charleston, S.C., last week.
- President Biden said the United States will not send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
- France and Australia will jointly supply Ukraine with thousands of 155-millimeter artillery shells, the two nations’ defense ministers said Monday.
- Russian strikes hit the cities of Kherson and Ochakiv in southern Ukraine, the Ukrainian military said early Tuesday local time. Civilians were among the victims, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.
More live updates here.
- France has not ruled out sending fighter jets to Ukraine but would only do so under certain criteria, President Emmanuel Macron said Monday, including a condition that would bar Kyiv from using the aircraft to attack Russian territory.
- The Pentagon announced Monday the first shipment of Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine. More than 60 Bradleys departed from North Charleston, S.C., last week.
- President Biden said the United States will not send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
- France and Australia will jointly supply Ukraine with thousands of 155-millimeter artillery shells, the two nations’ defense ministers said Monday.
- Russian strikes hit the cities of Kherson and Ochakiv in southern Ukraine, the Ukrainian military said early Tuesday local time. Civilians were among the victims, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.
More live updates here.
66,000 war crimes have been reported in Ukraine. It vows to prosecute them all.
The 25 Russians convicted so far of war crimes in Ukrainian courts include a soldier who forced two Ukrainians at gunpoint to hand over laptops and money, four who beat and tortured Ukrainian soldiers, and two who admitted shelling residential buildings in the first weeks of the war.
Over 66,000 additional alleged war crimes have been reported to Ukrainian authorities since the Russian invasion began in February, according to Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General. The number is growing by hundreds every day as investigators fan out into areas retaken from the Russians and Ukrainians step up to lodge complaints, ranging from the theft of property to torture, murder, rape, the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and the relentless missile strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure.
It’s a staggering number of cases, one that would overwhelm any judicial system anywhere, legal experts say.
Read the full story here.
The 25 Russians convicted so far of war crimes in Ukrainian courts include a soldier who forced two Ukrainians at gunpoint to hand over laptops and money, four who beat and tortured Ukrainian soldiers, and two who admitted shelling residential buildings in the first weeks of the war.
Over 66,000 additional alleged war crimes have been reported to Ukrainian authorities since the Russian invasion began in February, according to Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General. The number is growing by hundreds every day as investigators fan out into areas retaken from the Russians and Ukrainians step up to lodge complaints, ranging from the theft of property to torture, murder, rape, the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and the relentless missile strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure.
It’s a staggering number of cases, one that would overwhelm any judicial system anywhere, legal experts say.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine intel chief predicted Russia’s war. He says Crimea will be retaken.
KYIV, Ukraine — Hours before all of his warnings about a Russian invasion were proved spot-on, Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s military intelligence boss, moved his wife into his office, fearing that the worst would not indeed happen.
It was Feb. 23 — the night before Russia launched its war on Ukraine — and Budanov had staked his career on being the rare Ukrainian official who was convinced that Russia was about to attack and attempt to capture Kyiv, the capital.
He and his wife stared at the clock that night, anxious that Budanov could soon be out of work if all did not go as he had loudly predicted to Ukraine’s skeptical political leadership.
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — Hours before all of his warnings about a Russian invasion were proved spot-on, Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s military intelligence boss, moved his wife into his office, fearing that the worst would not indeed happen.
It was Feb. 23 — the night before Russia launched its war on Ukraine — and Budanov had staked his career on being the rare Ukrainian official who was convinced that Russia was about to attack and attempt to capture Kyiv, the capital.
He and his wife stared at the clock that night, anxious that Budanov could soon be out of work if all did not go as he had loudly predicted to Ukraine’s skeptical political leadership.
Read the full story here.
More Americans say U.S. is giving Ukraine too much aid
More Americans say the United States has provided too much aid to war-torn Ukraine, a shift in opinion due in large part to a growing partisan divide, according to the Pew Research Center’s latest polling.
As Russia’s invasion approaches its first anniversary, Americans largely back some sort of aid, but support for the Biden administration’s approach is fading, especially among Republicans, according to the survey released Tuesday. The poll found that about a quarter of Americans now say the United States is providing too much support to Ukraine, up six percentage points since September and 19 points since March, shortly after the war began. Meanwhile, 31 percent say it is giving the right amount. One-fifth of Americans would like to see the United States give Ukraine additional assistance, according to the poll conducted Jan. 18 to 24 among 5,152 U.S. adults. Over 20 percent said they were not sure.
Read the full story here.
More Americans say the United States has provided too much aid to war-torn Ukraine, a shift in opinion due in large part to a growing partisan divide, according to the Pew Research Center’s latest polling.
As Russia’s invasion approaches its first anniversary, Americans largely back some sort of aid, but support for the Biden administration’s approach is fading, especially among Republicans, according to the survey released Tuesday. The poll found that about a quarter of Americans now say the United States is providing too much support to Ukraine, up six percentage points since September and 19 points since March, shortly after the war began. Meanwhile, 31 percent say it is giving the right amount. One-fifth of Americans would like to see the United States give Ukraine additional assistance, according to the poll conducted Jan. 18 to 24 among 5,152 U.S. adults. Over 20 percent said they were not sure.
Read the full story here.
Here’s the latest from Ukraine:
- The United States accused Russia on Tuesday of not complying with its obligations under New START, the only remaining treaty limiting the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals.
- President Biden simply responded “no” when he was asked by a reporter if the United States would send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
- France will send 12 additional Caesar howitzers to Ukraine, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said after meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov in Paris on Tuesday.
- Ukraine will receive between 120 and 140 Western tanks in the first batch of contributions from allies, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Tuesday, Reuters reported. Those will include the German Leopard 2, the British Challenger 2 and the U.S. M1 Abrams, he said.
- Ukrainian forces may have fired banned antipersonnel mines into Russian-controlled territory, according to a report Tuesday by Human Rights Watch.
More live updates here.
- The United States accused Russia on Tuesday of not complying with its obligations under New START, the only remaining treaty limiting the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals.
- President Biden simply responded “no” when he was asked by a reporter if the United States would send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
- France will send 12 additional Caesar howitzers to Ukraine, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said after meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov in Paris on Tuesday.
- Ukraine will receive between 120 and 140 Western tanks in the first batch of contributions from allies, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Tuesday, Reuters reported. Those will include the German Leopard 2, the British Challenger 2 and the U.S. M1 Abrams, he said.
- Ukrainian forces may have fired banned antipersonnel mines into Russian-controlled territory, according to a report Tuesday by Human Rights Watch.
More live updates here.
Here’s the latest from Ukraine:
- President Biden’s blunt “no” when asked Monday whether he would send F-16s to Ukraine was met with skepticism at the Pentagon.
- Ukraine’s Defense Ministry responded to a report accusing it of firing rockets carrying banned antipersonnel mines into Russian-controlled territory. In a statement on Telegram, the ministry said Ukraine is exercising its right to self-defense, according to Article 51 of the U.N. Charter. It also urged Human Rights Watch, which released the report, to pressure Russia to end its “criminal war.”
- The Dnieper River in southern Ukraine has been subjected to “some of the most intense shelling in the conflict” so far, the British Defense Ministry said in an update Wednesday. It called Kherson “the most consistently shelled large Ukrainian city” outside the eastern Donbas region. The reason for this military focus was unclear.
- Poland and France appear open to supplying Ukraine with fighter jets.
More live updates here.
- President Biden’s blunt “no” when asked Monday whether he would send F-16s to Ukraine was met with skepticism at the Pentagon.
- Ukraine’s Defense Ministry responded to a report accusing it of firing rockets carrying banned antipersonnel mines into Russian-controlled territory. In a statement on Telegram, the ministry said Ukraine is exercising its right to self-defense, according to Article 51 of the U.N. Charter. It also urged Human Rights Watch, which released the report, to pressure Russia to end its “criminal war.”
- The Dnieper River in southern Ukraine has been subjected to “some of the most intense shelling in the conflict” so far, the British Defense Ministry said in an update Wednesday. It called Kherson “the most consistently shelled large Ukrainian city” outside the eastern Donbas region. The reason for this military focus was unclear.
- Poland and France appear open to supplying Ukraine with fighter jets.
More live updates here.
Ukraine announces new round of anti-corruption measures ahead of E.U. summit
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials announced high-profile searches, firings and investigations on Wednesday just ahead of an E.U. summit, in what appears to be the second round in President Volodymyr Zelensky’s ongoing campaign to crack down on the corruption that could undermine support for his country.
The anti-corruption measures take place two days before Ukraine prepares to host a summit with the European Union in Kyiv, which Ukrainian officials hope will bolster their bid to become a full member of the political and economic bloc.
In his regular evening address on Tuesday, Zelensky said officials were “preparing new reforms” that would “change the social, legal and political reality in many ways, making it more human, transparent and effective,” adding that “details will be announced later.”
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials announced high-profile searches, firings and investigations on Wednesday just ahead of an E.U. summit, in what appears to be the second round in President Volodymyr Zelensky’s ongoing campaign to crack down on the corruption that could undermine support for his country.
The anti-corruption measures take place two days before Ukraine prepares to host a summit with the European Union in Kyiv, which Ukrainian officials hope will bolster their bid to become a full member of the political and economic bloc.
In his regular evening address on Tuesday, Zelensky said officials were “preparing new reforms” that would “change the social, legal and political reality in many ways, making it more human, transparent and effective,” adding that “details will be announced later.”
Read the full story here.