Bloodied Wagner fighters captured in Ukraine recount path from prison to war
The two men lay on the dirty tile floor of an empty office, still in their bloodied combat fatigues and bandages. One dozed without a pillow under a blanket; the other stretched out with a tourniquet strapped above the knee of his blood-soaked pants.
The men were two of three Russian fighters with the Wagner mercenary group who had been captured a few hours earlier in a northern section of the embattled city of Bakhmut, according to a Ukrainian officer with a sidearm on his hip, who was the only other person present. The third, more seriously injured, had been taken to a hospital, the officer said.
One had his hands tightly bound with green tape; the other was not bound and accepted a cigarette from the officer.
“Do you want to smoke? Water?” the officer asked in Russian after a group of Post journalists entered the ground-floor room with clearance from Ukrainian officials. “They want to interview you.”
Read the full story here.
The two men lay on the dirty tile floor of an empty office, still in their bloodied combat fatigues and bandages. One dozed without a pillow under a blanket; the other stretched out with a tourniquet strapped above the knee of his blood-soaked pants.
The men were two of three Russian fighters with the Wagner mercenary group who had been captured a few hours earlier in a northern section of the embattled city of Bakhmut, according to a Ukrainian officer with a sidearm on his hip, who was the only other person present. The third, more seriously injured, had been taken to a hospital, the officer said.
One had his hands tightly bound with green tape; the other was not bound and accepted a cigarette from the officer.
“Do you want to smoke? Water?” the officer asked in Russian after a group of Post journalists entered the ground-floor room with clearance from Ukrainian officials. “They want to interview you.”
Read the full story here.
Poland is on a quest to have Europe’s strongest military — with U.S. arms
At Poland’s Rzeszow airport, where President Biden’s plane touched on his way to Kyiv, U.S.-made Patriot missile batteries point toward the skies. The first American M1A2 Abrams battle tanks are expected to arrive this spring, with hundreds of U.S.-manufactured rocket artillery systems to follow.
It is part of a mammoth military spending spree spurred by the war in neighboring Ukraine. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak hopes the influx of arms will help build “the largest land force in Europe,” and he sees Warsaw signing billions in weapons contracts with U.S. suppliers.
“This modern weaponry will elevate our armed forces to a completely new level of defense capabilities,” Blaszczak said in a written interview with The Post. With relations between Warsaw and Washington at a high when materiel can’t be manufactured in Poland, it’s only natural “we look at our closest ally,” he added.
Read the full story h
At Poland’s Rzeszow airport, where President Biden’s plane touched on his way to Kyiv, U.S.-made Patriot missile batteries point toward the skies. The first American M1A2 Abrams battle tanks are expected to arrive this spring, with hundreds of U.S.-manufactured rocket artillery systems to follow.
It is part of a mammoth military spending spree spurred by the war in neighboring Ukraine. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak hopes the influx of arms will help build “the largest land force in Europe,” and he sees Warsaw signing billions in weapons contracts with U.S. suppliers.
“This modern weaponry will elevate our armed forces to a completely new level of defense capabilities,” Blaszczak said in a written interview with The Post. With relations between Warsaw and Washington at a high when materiel can’t be manufactured in Poland, it’s only natural “we look at our closest ally,” he added.
Read the full story h
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia’s invasion has unleashed “widespread death, destruction and displacement,” U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said during Monday’s session of the Human Rights Council, which investigates and sets priorities around human rights abuses.
- Russia has supplied Belarus with an Iskander short-range ballistic missile system and an S-400 air-defense missile system, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said.
- Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said China’s 12-point proposal to end the war deserves consideration. The plan, which was unveiled by Beijing Friday and immediately dismissed by Ukraine, calls on the West to ease pressure on Russia and end the use of unilateral sanctions — and does not make any explicit demands for a Russian withdrawal.
More live updates here.
- Russia’s invasion has unleashed “widespread death, destruction and displacement,” U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said during Monday’s session of the Human Rights Council, which investigates and sets priorities around human rights abuses.
- Russia has supplied Belarus with an Iskander short-range ballistic missile system and an S-400 air-defense missile system, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said.
- Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said China’s 12-point proposal to end the war deserves consideration. The plan, which was unveiled by Beijing Friday and immediately dismissed by Ukraine, calls on the West to ease pressure on Russia and end the use of unilateral sanctions — and does not make any explicit demands for a Russian withdrawal.
More live updates here.
Impact of Ukraine-Russia war: Cybersecurity has improved for all
SAN FRANCISCO — Russia’s cyberspace attacks on Ukraine during the past year have erased data, degraded communication and stolen information, but they have fallen far short of the destruction that many predicted after the invasion a year ago.
In fact, the campaign may have helped inoculate Ukraine against more devastating attacks, experts say, by revealing Russian tactics when the stakes were highest, proving the value of faster collaboration and other defensive measures, and destroying the myth of Russia as an unstoppable cyber superpower.
“We are not only better prepared, we are able to share our lessons learned,” said George Dubynskyi, deputy minister for security in Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation.
That is resonating in Europe and the United States, which have worked closely to protect Ukraine and now are importing strategy and intelligence in defense of their own cyber networks.
Read the full story here.
SAN FRANCISCO — Russia’s cyberspace attacks on Ukraine during the past year have erased data, degraded communication and stolen information, but they have fallen far short of the destruction that many predicted after the invasion a year ago.
In fact, the campaign may have helped inoculate Ukraine against more devastating attacks, experts say, by revealing Russian tactics when the stakes were highest, proving the value of faster collaboration and other defensive measures, and destroying the myth of Russia as an unstoppable cyber superpower.
“We are not only better prepared, we are able to share our lessons learned,” said George Dubynskyi, deputy minister for security in Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation.
That is resonating in Europe and the United States, which have worked closely to protect Ukraine and now are importing strategy and intelligence in defense of their own cyber networks.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen arrived Monday in Kyiv, where she met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials. “We both know that effective military resistance on the front lines of this fight requires a functioning economy and government,” she said in prepared remarks.
- China defended its position on the Ukraine war as “consistent” after Zelensky appealed to Beijing not to supply Russia with weapons and suggested a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
- “Crimea is Ukraine,” U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement marking the ninth anniversary of Russia’s annexation of the territory. But he demurred when asked whether the United States would support Ukraine in retaking Crimea.
More live updates here.
- Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen arrived Monday in Kyiv, where she met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials. “We both know that effective military resistance on the front lines of this fight requires a functioning economy and government,” she said in prepared remarks.
- China defended its position on the Ukraine war as “consistent” after Zelensky appealed to Beijing not to supply Russia with weapons and suggested a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
- “Crimea is Ukraine,” U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement marking the ninth anniversary of Russia’s annexation of the territory. But he demurred when asked whether the United States would support Ukraine in retaking Crimea.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia will not resume its participation in the New START nuclear arms treaty until Washington is ready to listen to Moscow’s position and its security concerns, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview published Tuesday with Russia’s Izvestia newspaper
- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will begin a three-day visit to China on Tuesday. Lukashenko is one of Putin’s closest allies and recently said that Belarusian soldiers would join Russia’s fight against Ukraine if his nation were to come under attack.
- The situation in the besieged front-line city of Bakhmut is becoming increasingly difficult, Zelensky said. Russian forces “are constantly destroying everything that can be used to protect our positions,” he added.
More live updates here.
- Russia will not resume its participation in the New START nuclear arms treaty until Washington is ready to listen to Moscow’s position and its security concerns, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview published Tuesday with Russia’s Izvestia newspaper
- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will begin a three-day visit to China on Tuesday. Lukashenko is one of Putin’s closest allies and recently said that Belarusian soldiers would join Russia’s fight against Ukraine if his nation were to come under attack.
- The situation in the besieged front-line city of Bakhmut is becoming increasingly difficult, Zelensky said. Russian forces “are constantly destroying everything that can be used to protect our positions,” he added.
More live updates here.
Thousands of civilians fled Ukraine’s front lines. These people returned.
SLOVYANSK, Ukraine — After Russia invaded, Kateryna Gordeeva did what most of her neighbors did in this battle-rattled city: She left. With a mother in Italy and money to travel, Gordeeva and her 7-year-old son joined the exodus that left Slovyansk a near-ghost town of empty streets and frequent explosions.
But a few months ago — with the war still raging, the shells still falling and Russian fighters just 25 miles away at Bakhmut — she returned. And opened a new restaurant.
“I’m not afraid of shelling or explosions,” said Gordeeva, standing in the blinking lights of the kebab shop she and her husband launched in January. “I wanted to be here, where my life is.”
She didn’t come back alone. Gordeeva and her son are part of a surprise reverse-exodus that has swelled the populations of several of the most embattled cities in eastern Donbas, restoring at least some of the ranks that fled after the invasion.
Read the full story here.
SLOVYANSK, Ukraine — After Russia invaded, Kateryna Gordeeva did what most of her neighbors did in this battle-rattled city: She left. With a mother in Italy and money to travel, Gordeeva and her 7-year-old son joined the exodus that left Slovyansk a near-ghost town of empty streets and frequent explosions.
But a few months ago — with the war still raging, the shells still falling and Russian fighters just 25 miles away at Bakhmut — she returned. And opened a new restaurant.
“I’m not afraid of shelling or explosions,” said Gordeeva, standing in the blinking lights of the kebab shop she and her husband launched in January. “I wanted to be here, where my life is.”
She didn’t come back alone. Gordeeva and her son are part of a surprise reverse-exodus that has swelled the populations of several of the most embattled cities in eastern Donbas, restoring at least some of the ranks that fled after the invasion.
Read the full story here.
China, saying it can mediate on Ukraine, hosts Putin’s ally Lukashenko
Even as China pushes to distance itself from the perception that it supports Russian hostilities in Ukraine — or at least benefits from economic ties with Russia amid strict Western sanctions — one of Moscow’s closest allies, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, is due to arrive in Beijing on Tuesday for a state visit.
Lukashenko, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is set to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the visit, and Xi is due to visit Putin in Moscow in the coming months.
While the Belarusian leader is in Beijing, the two sides are expected to sign agreements deepening cooperation in trade, education and technology.
The three-day meeting kicks off amid warnings in Washington that China is contemplating direct military aid to Russia, which Beijing vehemently denied Monday, accusing the United States of “blatant bullying and double standards.”
Read the full story here.
Even as China pushes to distance itself from the perception that it supports Russian hostilities in Ukraine — or at least benefits from economic ties with Russia amid strict Western sanctions — one of Moscow’s closest allies, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, is due to arrive in Beijing on Tuesday for a state visit.
Lukashenko, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is set to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the visit, and Xi is due to visit Putin in Moscow in the coming months.
While the Belarusian leader is in Beijing, the two sides are expected to sign agreements deepening cooperation in trade, education and technology.
The three-day meeting kicks off amid warnings in Washington that China is contemplating direct military aid to Russia, which Beijing vehemently denied Monday, accusing the United States of “blatant bullying and double standards.”
Read the full story here.
Russian authorities on alert after flurry of drone sightings
A flurry of overnight drone sightings in western Russia, including in Moscow region about 60 miles southeast of the capital, put authorities on high alert for attacks on Tuesday.
President Vladimir Putin ordered a tightening of border controls, and aviation authorities shut the airspace around St. Petersburg’s city airport for about three hours with flights turned away, and many others delayed, after reports of an unidentified object, possibly a drone, in nearby skies.
In only one case did a drone appear to carry out a successful strike, causing a fire at an oil refinery in Tuapse, in the Krasnodar region, not far from the Ukrainian border. Russian authorities blamed Ukraine, claiming that the drones were targeting civilian infrastructure, and said most of the drones had been intercepted and shot down. There were no reports of casualties.
Read the full story here.
A flurry of overnight drone sightings in western Russia, including in Moscow region about 60 miles southeast of the capital, put authorities on high alert for attacks on Tuesday.
President Vladimir Putin ordered a tightening of border controls, and aviation authorities shut the airspace around St. Petersburg’s city airport for about three hours with flights turned away, and many others delayed, after reports of an unidentified object, possibly a drone, in nearby skies.
In only one case did a drone appear to carry out a successful strike, causing a fire at an oil refinery in Tuapse, in the Krasnodar region, not far from the Ukrainian border. Russian authorities blamed Ukraine, claiming that the drones were targeting civilian infrastructure, and said most of the drones had been intercepted and shot down. There were no reports of casualties.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Blinken has warned that China will face sanctions if it supplies lethal support to Russia. China has vehemently denied any such plans, and in recent days has been positioning itself as a potential peacemaker in the conflict.
- Blinken made the remarks during a stopover in Kazakhstan on his way to the G-20 meeting. He met there with officials from a handful of former Soviet nations in central Asia that have kept close ties to Russia.
- Finland’s Parliament is expected to vote Wednesday on the country’s accession to NATO, a step that would bring it closer to joining the trans-Atlantic military alliance.
- Ukraine’s military said early Wednesday they had repelled 85 attacks in Bakhmut and nearby towns in the area in the past day. “The intensity of fighting is only increasing,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address.
More live updates here.
- Blinken has warned that China will face sanctions if it supplies lethal support to Russia. China has vehemently denied any such plans, and in recent days has been positioning itself as a potential peacemaker in the conflict.
- Blinken made the remarks during a stopover in Kazakhstan on his way to the G-20 meeting. He met there with officials from a handful of former Soviet nations in central Asia that have kept close ties to Russia.
- Finland’s Parliament is expected to vote Wednesday on the country’s accession to NATO, a step that would bring it closer to joining the trans-Atlantic military alliance.
- Ukraine’s military said early Wednesday they had repelled 85 attacks in Bakhmut and nearby towns in the area in the past day. “The intensity of fighting is only increasing,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address.
More live updates here.
Germany pledged to revamp its military after Ukraine. Now it’s worse off.
Despite trumpeting a huge boost in defense spending in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Germany’s armed forces are in a worse place than a year ago, the country’s new defense minister, Boris Pistorius, said in an interview this week.
Germany is not alone among Ukraine’s allies that are struggling to fill the gap created by deliveries to Kyiv, and the military’s operational readiness has only been impacted “to a limited extent,” the defense minister said on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Brussels, in his first interview with an English-language newspaper since taking office last month.
But it may be some time before the vision of a strengthened German military is realized.
“Given the rate at which materiel and weapons and ammunition are being provided, it’s impossible to reorder and deliver again,” Pistorius said.
Read the full story here.
Despite trumpeting a huge boost in defense spending in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Germany’s armed forces are in a worse place than a year ago, the country’s new defense minister, Boris Pistorius, said in an interview this week.
Germany is not alone among Ukraine’s allies that are struggling to fill the gap created by deliveries to Kyiv, and the military’s operational readiness has only been impacted “to a limited extent,” the defense minister said on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Brussels, in his first interview with an English-language newspaper since taking office last month.
But it may be some time before the vision of a strengthened German military is realized.
“Given the rate at which materiel and weapons and ammunition are being provided, it’s impossible to reorder and deliver again,” Pistorius said.
Read the full story here.
Ukrainians welcome spring, say they survived Putin’s ‘winter terror’
Ukrainians are marking their first day of spring on social media, sharing photos of fresh buds and blooms and acknowledging that they have survived a brutal winter of war.
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said Wednesday that March 1 — which is considered the first day of spring in Ukraine — symbolized “another major defeat” for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who failed to use the winter season to weaponize energy and win the war in Ukraine.
“Despite the cold, darkness, and missile strikes, Ukraine persevered and defeated his winter terror,” Kuleba wrote on Twitter. “Furthermore, Europe has not ‘frozen’ despite Russian predictions and mockery.”
Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov also marked the moment, welcoming spring as a new, more hopeful, season.
“They wanted to freeze us and throw us into darkness,” he tweeted. “We survived.”
Read the full story here.
Ukrainians are marking their first day of spring on social media, sharing photos of fresh buds and blooms and acknowledging that they have survived a brutal winter of war.
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said Wednesday that March 1 — which is considered the first day of spring in Ukraine — symbolized “another major defeat” for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who failed to use the winter season to weaponize energy and win the war in Ukraine.
“Despite the cold, darkness, and missile strikes, Ukraine persevered and defeated his winter terror,” Kuleba wrote on Twitter. “Furthermore, Europe has not ‘frozen’ despite Russian predictions and mockery.”
Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov also marked the moment, welcoming spring as a new, more hopeful, season.
“They wanted to freeze us and throw us into darkness,” he tweeted. “We survived.”
Read the full story here.
Congress presses Pentagon on Biden’s reluctance to give Ukraine F-16s
Ukrainian forces would need at least 18 months to learn how to fly and maintain F-16 fighter jets in combat, a senior Pentagon official told Congress on Tuesday as the Biden administration continued to fend off questions about why a frequent request from Kyiv and, increasingly, some U.S. politicians remains unfulfilled.
The issue has dogged the administration for months, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to make regular public pleas for the planes and U.S. lawmakers question why Ukrainian pilots are not in training to learn how they operate.
“I do think this conversation will continue,” Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of defense for policy, explained to members of the House Armed Services Committee. In a best-case scenario, he said, older F-16s could be transferred within about 18 months.
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian forces would need at least 18 months to learn how to fly and maintain F-16 fighter jets in combat, a senior Pentagon official told Congress on Tuesday as the Biden administration continued to fend off questions about why a frequent request from Kyiv and, increasingly, some U.S. politicians remains unfulfilled.
The issue has dogged the administration for months, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to make regular public pleas for the planes and U.S. lawmakers question why Ukrainian pilots are not in training to learn how they operate.
“I do think this conversation will continue,” Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of defense for policy, explained to members of the House Armed Services Committee. In a best-case scenario, he said, older F-16s could be transferred within about 18 months.
Read the full story here.
Khodorkovsky warns West of war with China if Russia wins in Ukraine
LONDON — A Russian military victory in Ukraine will embolden Beijing and lead to war between the United States and China over Taiwan, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the exiled Russian tycoon and vocal critic of Vladimir Putin’s regime, warned in an interview ahead of remarks that he will deliver to global leaders at a major security and defense conference in Germany this weekend.
“A lost war in Ukraine is a steppingstone to war in the Asia Pacific,” Khodorkovsky said in the interview with The Washington Post in London, where he now lives. “You need to understand that when even a big guy is hit in the face, a number of other guys will start to doubt whether that guy is really that strong, and they will want to go for his teeth. … If the U.S. wants to go to war in Asia, then the most correct path to this is to show weakness in Ukraine as well.”
Read the full story here.
LONDON — A Russian military victory in Ukraine will embolden Beijing and lead to war between the United States and China over Taiwan, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the exiled Russian tycoon and vocal critic of Vladimir Putin’s regime, warned in an interview ahead of remarks that he will deliver to global leaders at a major security and defense conference in Germany this weekend.
“A lost war in Ukraine is a steppingstone to war in the Asia Pacific,” Khodorkovsky said in the interview with The Washington Post in London, where he now lives. “You need to understand that when even a big guy is hit in the face, a number of other guys will start to doubt whether that guy is really that strong, and they will want to go for his teeth. … If the U.S. wants to go to war in Asia, then the most correct path to this is to show weakness in Ukraine as well.”
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The besieged city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine is facing the “most difficult situation” in the country as the battle for control of the front-line city intensifies, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
- Finland’s Parliament voted to speed up the country’s accession to NATO, bringing the Nordic nation closer to joining the transatlantic military alliance.
- Hungary’s president urged lawmakers to urgently move to allow Finland and Sweden to join NATO.
- Russia is not interested in “meaningful diplomacy,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin said he will host Chinese President Xi Jinping in Moscow, state media reported.
- Ukrainians have been celebrating the arrival of spring on social media, posting photos of flowers and hailing their survival as a victory over Russia.
More live updates here.
- The besieged city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine is facing the “most difficult situation” in the country as the battle for control of the front-line city intensifies, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
- Finland’s Parliament voted to speed up the country’s accession to NATO, bringing the Nordic nation closer to joining the transatlantic military alliance.
- Hungary’s president urged lawmakers to urgently move to allow Finland and Sweden to join NATO.
- Russia is not interested in “meaningful diplomacy,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin said he will host Chinese President Xi Jinping in Moscow, state media reported.
- Ukrainians have been celebrating the arrival of spring on social media, posting photos of flowers and hailing their survival as a victory over Russia.
More live updates here.