As missiles exploded over Kyiv, they raced for a shelter. It was locked.
KYIV, Ukraine — When the air raid alarm rang across the capital at 2:49 a.m. on Thursday, Yaroslav Riabchuk and his wife and daughter rushed outside to find shelter, as they often did, in the nearest basement: a medical clinic in front of their apartment building.
But on this morning, for some reason, the clinic’s doors were locked shut.
In the darkness, a group of 10 families with children banged on the doors with their hands and feet, pleading to be let inside, Riabchuk said. He ran to the other side of the building to find another entrance. Then he felt the blast.
Ukraine’s air defenses had intercepted an attack, and the explosive force was powerful enough to blow out the windows of nearby apartment buildings. Debris crashed down around the clinic.
“It was chaos, my daughter was screaming, everyone was screaming,” Riabchuk said. “I was hoping it was not my wife.”
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — When the air raid alarm rang across the capital at 2:49 a.m. on Thursday, Yaroslav Riabchuk and his wife and daughter rushed outside to find shelter, as they often did, in the nearest basement: a medical clinic in front of their apartment building.
But on this morning, for some reason, the clinic’s doors were locked shut.
In the darkness, a group of 10 families with children banged on the doors with their hands and feet, pleading to be let inside, Riabchuk said. He ran to the other side of the building to find another entrance. Then he felt the blast.
Ukraine’s air defenses had intercepted an attack, and the explosive force was powerful enough to blow out the windows of nearby apartment buildings. Debris crashed down around the clinic.
“It was chaos, my daughter was screaming, everyone was screaming,” Riabchuk said. “I was hoping it was not my wife.”
Read the full story here.
NATO nations look past Ukraine offensive to long-term deterrence pacts
OSLO — The Biden administration and its NATO allies are developing plans for securing ongoing military support to Ukraine beyond the country’s current offensive, hoping that long-term security pacts will create a strong deterrent against future Russian aggression and potentially alter the battlefield calculus of President Vladimir Putin.
The evolving proposals represent an alternative to granting Ukraine admission into NATO in the near term, a prospect that has divided member states between those who support Kyiv’s request for immediate entry into the Western military alliance and those who fear it could plunge the bloc into direct conflict with Russia.
Read the full story here.
OSLO — The Biden administration and its NATO allies are developing plans for securing ongoing military support to Ukraine beyond the country’s current offensive, hoping that long-term security pacts will create a strong deterrent against future Russian aggression and potentially alter the battlefield calculus of President Vladimir Putin.
The evolving proposals represent an alternative to granting Ukraine admission into NATO in the near term, a prospect that has divided member states between those who support Kyiv’s request for immediate entry into the Western military alliance and those who fear it could plunge the bloc into direct conflict with Russia.
Read the full story here.
U.S. rebuffs cease-fire calls in its strategy for Ukraine resilience
HELSINKI — Proposals to impose cease-fires or territorial concessions as means to halt the war in Ukraine would serve only to legitimize President Vladimir Putin’s aggression and encourage future assaults, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday as he laid out U.S. strategy for hardening Ukraine against long-term Russian threats.
Blinken, in what officials described as a signal address in the Finnish capital, made a case for Putin’s massive “strategic failure” in Ukraine, one he said that had isolated Moscow, weakened its economy and exposed the weakness of Russia’s once-feared military.
The speech comes as the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attempts to recapture Russian-controlled territory in a new offensive and President Biden seeks to head off any erosion of Western support for Kyiv’s existential fight.
Read the full story here.
HELSINKI — Proposals to impose cease-fires or territorial concessions as means to halt the war in Ukraine would serve only to legitimize President Vladimir Putin’s aggression and encourage future assaults, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday as he laid out U.S. strategy for hardening Ukraine against long-term Russian threats.
Blinken, in what officials described as a signal address in the Finnish capital, made a case for Putin’s massive “strategic failure” in Ukraine, one he said that had isolated Moscow, weakened its economy and exposed the weakness of Russia’s once-feared military.
The speech comes as the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attempts to recapture Russian-controlled territory in a new offensive and President Biden seeks to head off any erosion of Western support for Kyiv’s existential fight.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- In Ukraine, the army’s commander said air defenses shot down more than 30 missiles and drones in a new round of Russian air attacks overnight.
- The United States “won’t let President [Vladimir] Putin impose his will on other nations,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday in Finland, where he delivered an address on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
- U.S. officials say they expect Sweden to join NATO soon, after the admission of Finland into the military alliance in April.
- U.S.-led training for Ukrainians on the operation of U.S. Abrams tanks began in Germany last weekend, Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told journalists.
- Ukraine shelled Berdyansk, a city in the Russian-occupied part of Zaporizhzhia, on Friday, Russian-backed official Vladimir Rogov said Friday.
- Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group, said Friday “almost 99%” of Wagner units have left Bakhmut.
More live updates here.
- In Ukraine, the army’s commander said air defenses shot down more than 30 missiles and drones in a new round of Russian air attacks overnight.
- The United States “won’t let President [Vladimir] Putin impose his will on other nations,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday in Finland, where he delivered an address on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
- U.S. officials say they expect Sweden to join NATO soon, after the admission of Finland into the military alliance in April.
- U.S.-led training for Ukrainians on the operation of U.S. Abrams tanks began in Germany last weekend, Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told journalists.
- Ukraine shelled Berdyansk, a city in the Russian-occupied part of Zaporizhzhia, on Friday, Russian-backed official Vladimir Rogov said Friday.
- Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group, said Friday “almost 99%” of Wagner units have left Bakhmut.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Austin said Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov’s presence at the talks in Singapore “reminds us that we can never take our peace and security for granted.”
- A senior Chinese diplomat called for an end to the provision of weapons for the war in Ukraine to prevent escalation of the conflict, after concluding a tour of European capitals aimed at positioning China as a mediator.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spent Friday shoring up relations with counterparts in the BRICS bloc and “friends of BRICS” countries.
- U.S.-led training for Ukrainians on operating U.S. Abrams tanks began in Germany last weekend, Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Friday, the Associated Press reported.
More live updates here
- Austin said Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov’s presence at the talks in Singapore “reminds us that we can never take our peace and security for granted.”
- A senior Chinese diplomat called for an end to the provision of weapons for the war in Ukraine to prevent escalation of the conflict, after concluding a tour of European capitals aimed at positioning China as a mediator.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spent Friday shoring up relations with counterparts in the BRICS bloc and “friends of BRICS” countries.
- U.S.-led training for Ukrainians on operating U.S. Abrams tanks began in Germany last weekend, Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Friday, the Associated Press reported.
More live updates here
Biden shows growing appetite to cross Putin’s red lines
President Biden’s decision last month to help Ukraine obtain F-16 fighter jets marked another crossing of a Russian red line that Vladimir Putin has said would transform the war and draw Washington and Moscow into direct conflict.
Despite the Russian leader’s apocalyptic warnings, the United States has gradually agreed to expand Ukraine’s arsenal with Javelin and Stinger missiles, HIMARS rocket launchers, advanced missile defense systems, drones, helicopters, M1 Abrams tanks and, soon, fourth-generation fighter jets.
A key reason for brushing aside Putin’s threats, U.S. officials say, is a dynamic that has held since the opening days of the war: Russia’s president has not followed through on promises to punish the West for providing weapons to Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
President Biden’s decision last month to help Ukraine obtain F-16 fighter jets marked another crossing of a Russian red line that Vladimir Putin has said would transform the war and draw Washington and Moscow into direct conflict.
Despite the Russian leader’s apocalyptic warnings, the United States has gradually agreed to expand Ukraine’s arsenal with Javelin and Stinger missiles, HIMARS rocket launchers, advanced missile defense systems, drones, helicopters, M1 Abrams tanks and, soon, fourth-generation fighter jets.
A key reason for brushing aside Putin’s threats, U.S. officials say, is a dynamic that has held since the opening days of the war: Russia’s president has not followed through on promises to punish the West for providing weapons to Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
To liberate territory, Ukraine must smash fortified Russian defenses
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — As Ukraine prepares to launch a long-trumpeted counterattack, the first obstacle its soldiers must push through isn’t Russia’s defenses. It’s their own.
Like Russia, Ukraine has laid thousands of mines along its front line. And to advance into occupied territory, its troops now need to get through these lines without tipping off the Russians, who would notice if heavy machinery were brought in or explosions were set off. This means sappers must go out to the fields and quietly remove the mines.
They do it by hand. At night.
“Everyone’s hands shake,” said the 42-year-old commander of engineers in the 1st Tank Brigade, whom The Washington Post is identifying only by his call sign, Klimat, for security reasons.
Read the full story here.
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — As Ukraine prepares to launch a long-trumpeted counterattack, the first obstacle its soldiers must push through isn’t Russia’s defenses. It’s their own.
Like Russia, Ukraine has laid thousands of mines along its front line. And to advance into occupied territory, its troops now need to get through these lines without tipping off the Russians, who would notice if heavy machinery were brought in or explosions were set off. This means sappers must go out to the fields and quietly remove the mines.
They do it by hand. At night.
“Everyone’s hands shake,” said the 42-year-old commander of engineers in the 1st Tank Brigade, whom The Washington Post is identifying only by his call sign, Klimat, for security reasons.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- A child was found dead in the rubble of the Dnipro blast, regional governor Serhii Lysak said on Telegram. The girl, who had just turned 2 years old, was found overnight, he said. Of the at least 20 injured in the attack, 17 were hospitalized.
- Ukrainian air defenses successfully repelled a series of missiles aimed at Kyiv overnight, the head of the capital’s military administration said on Telegram.
- China’s defense minister said Beijing was doing its “best to mediate” the war in Ukraine, encouraging peace talks and diplomacy.
- Ukraine is ready to launch its highly anticipated counteroffensive, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
- Air-raid shelters in Kyiv are being audited after residents were unable to enter some sites during overnight attacks on the capital last week.
More live updates here
- A child was found dead in the rubble of the Dnipro blast, regional governor Serhii Lysak said on Telegram. The girl, who had just turned 2 years old, was found overnight, he said. Of the at least 20 injured in the attack, 17 were hospitalized.
- Ukrainian air defenses successfully repelled a series of missiles aimed at Kyiv overnight, the head of the capital’s military administration said on Telegram.
- China’s defense minister said Beijing was doing its “best to mediate” the war in Ukraine, encouraging peace talks and diplomacy.
- Ukraine is ready to launch its highly anticipated counteroffensive, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
- Air-raid shelters in Kyiv are being audited after residents were unable to enter some sites during overnight attacks on the capital last week.
More live updates here
Britain’s defense chief, a contender to run NATO, lays out his vision
LULEA, Sweden — NATO must compel its member nations to grow their military spending if the alliance is to deter Russia effectively beyond the war in Ukraine and manage other threats to transatlantic security, Britain’s defense chief said, outlining his ambitions for the bloc’s future as it considers its next leader.
“The world is getting more dangerous, more insecure and more anxious, and the next secretary general has to be able to deliver that funding to make sure that that is never taken off the boil,” Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in an interview this week.
Wallace, who has guided Britain’s efforts to arm Ukraine, most recently by expanding Kyiv’s battlefield reach with Storm Shadow cruise missiles, called for a more informative NATO, one that more persuasively educates voters about threats such as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s willingness to defy international borders.
Read the full story here.
LULEA, Sweden — NATO must compel its member nations to grow their military spending if the alliance is to deter Russia effectively beyond the war in Ukraine and manage other threats to transatlantic security, Britain’s defense chief said, outlining his ambitions for the bloc’s future as it considers its next leader.
“The world is getting more dangerous, more insecure and more anxious, and the next secretary general has to be able to deliver that funding to make sure that that is never taken off the boil,” Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in an interview this week.
Wallace, who has guided Britain’s efforts to arm Ukraine, most recently by expanding Kyiv’s battlefield reach with Storm Shadow cruise missiles, called for a more informative NATO, one that more persuasively educates voters about threats such as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s willingness to defy international borders.
Read the full story here.
Pentagon discloses it’s paying for Elon Musk’s Starlink internet in Ukraine
The U.S. Pentagon disclosed on Thursday that it has signed a contract to provide SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine, nearly eight months after Elon Musk, the company’s owner, threatened to terminate access unless the U.S. government paid for it.
The Defense Department acknowledged the decision but withheld virtually all details about the agreement, including how much it will cost U.S. taxpayers and when the contract was signed. U.S. defense officials had previously estimated that the annual cost for Starlink in Ukraine, which Musk mostly had been donating, will be hundreds of millions of dollars.
“Satellite communications constitute a vital layer in Ukraine’s overall communications network and the department contracts with Starlink for services of this type,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
Read the full story here.
The U.S. Pentagon disclosed on Thursday that it has signed a contract to provide SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine, nearly eight months after Elon Musk, the company’s owner, threatened to terminate access unless the U.S. government paid for it.
The Defense Department acknowledged the decision but withheld virtually all details about the agreement, including how much it will cost U.S. taxpayers and when the contract was signed. U.S. defense officials had previously estimated that the annual cost for Starlink in Ukraine, which Musk mostly had been donating, will be hundreds of millions of dollars.
“Satellite communications constitute a vital layer in Ukraine’s overall communications network and the department contracts with Starlink for services of this type,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
Read the full story here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
- Fighting is intensifying in Russia’s Belgorod region, where opposition forces have attacked government facilities and taken prisoners in support of Ukraine. The governor of the region said Sunday that he was willing to meet an opposition group that has taken his forces as prisoners, but the militia said he was a no-show.
- NASA images show numerous “fire” activities along the Russia-Ukraine border, where the Russian Defense Ministry reported an artillery strike Sunday. The images show fires near Novaya Tavolzhanka and Shebekino, both in the Belgorod region.
- About 100 people were detained in 20 Russian cities during demonstrations supporting Navalny, according to the independent OVD-Info news outlet. He was jailed in 2021 on charges widely viewed as trumped up because of his opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
More live updates here.
- Fighting is intensifying in Russia’s Belgorod region, where opposition forces have attacked government facilities and taken prisoners in support of Ukraine. The governor of the region said Sunday that he was willing to meet an opposition group that has taken his forces as prisoners, but the militia said he was a no-show.
- NASA images show numerous “fire” activities along the Russia-Ukraine border, where the Russian Defense Ministry reported an artillery strike Sunday. The images show fires near Novaya Tavolzhanka and Shebekino, both in the Belgorod region.
- About 100 people were detained in 20 Russian cities during demonstrations supporting Navalny, according to the independent OVD-Info news outlet. He was jailed in 2021 on charges widely viewed as trumped up because of his opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia thwarted a Ukrainian attack in the eastern Donetsk region, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said in a video published Monday by the state-owned RIA Novosti news agency. The Sunday attack targeted Russian positions along five sections of the front line in southern Donetsk, Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said. His claims could not be verified.
- A Ukrainian official dismissed the “delusional” suggestion that Russian forces had blocked Kyiv’s long-anticipated counteroffensive in Donetsk. “In reality, when this starts, everyone will know about it,” Serhiy Cherevatyi, the spokesman for Ukraine’s eastern command, told The Post. Neither side’s claims could be independently verified.
- Tensions remain high in Russia’s western Belgorod region, where anti-Kremlin militias have carried out drone attacks and shelling in recent days, with the governor reporting a fresh attack overnight.
More live updates here.
- Russia thwarted a Ukrainian attack in the eastern Donetsk region, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said in a video published Monday by the state-owned RIA Novosti news agency. The Sunday attack targeted Russian positions along five sections of the front line in southern Donetsk, Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said. His claims could not be verified.
- A Ukrainian official dismissed the “delusional” suggestion that Russian forces had blocked Kyiv’s long-anticipated counteroffensive in Donetsk. “In reality, when this starts, everyone will know about it,” Serhiy Cherevatyi, the spokesman for Ukraine’s eastern command, told The Post. Neither side’s claims could be independently verified.
- Tensions remain high in Russia’s western Belgorod region, where anti-Kremlin militias have carried out drone attacks and shelling in recent days, with the governor reporting a fresh attack overnight.
More live updates here.
NATO-trained units will serve as tip of spear in Ukraine’s counteroffensive
When Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive finally begins, the fight will be led by brigades armed not only with Western weapons but also Western know-how, gleaned from months of training aimed at transforming Ukraine’s military into a modern force skilled in NATO’s most advanced warfare tactics.
As other Ukrainian units were fighting to expel the Russian occupiers from the country’s east and south, the brand-new 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade was preparing for the next phase of war from a classroom at a NATO base in Germany.
Read the full story here.
When Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive finally begins, the fight will be led by brigades armed not only with Western weapons but also Western know-how, gleaned from months of training aimed at transforming Ukraine’s military into a modern force skilled in NATO’s most advanced warfare tactics.
As other Ukrainian units were fighting to expel the Russian occupiers from the country’s east and south, the brand-new 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade was preparing for the next phase of war from a classroom at a NATO base in Germany.
Read the full story here.
Shelling hits Russia’s Belgorod region as militias mount cross-border attack
KYIV, Ukraine — Anti-Russian fighters attacked at least 10 villages in Russia’s Belgorod region on Monday with heavy shelling, its governor said, in the latest sign of escalating cross-border fighting, as Moscow claimed to block the beginning of a large-scale Ukrainian counteroffensive.
A spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, said Ukrainian forces had started a much-awaited counteroffensive by trying to pus through five areas of the front line in Ukraine’s Donetsk region but that Russian forces had repelled the attacks.
Konashenkov’s statement, in a video published by Russian state-owned RIA Novosti news agency, could not be verified and was swiftly denied by Ukraine. Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesman for the Ukrainian army’s eastern command, called the Russian claim “delusional.”
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — Anti-Russian fighters attacked at least 10 villages in Russia’s Belgorod region on Monday with heavy shelling, its governor said, in the latest sign of escalating cross-border fighting, as Moscow claimed to block the beginning of a large-scale Ukrainian counteroffensive.
A spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, said Ukrainian forces had started a much-awaited counteroffensive by trying to pus through five areas of the front line in Ukraine’s Donetsk region but that Russian forces had repelled the attacks.
Konashenkov’s statement, in a video published by Russian state-owned RIA Novosti news agency, could not be verified and was swiftly denied by Ukraine. Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesman for the Ukrainian army’s eastern command, called the Russian claim “delusional.”
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukrainian troops carried out “offensive actions” in multiple locations on the eastern front, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar wrote on Telegram, despite “stiff resistance and the enemy’s attempts to hold the occupied lines and positions.”
- Ukraine’s forces advanced between 200 and 1,600 meters in the Donetsk region, near the town of Orikhovo-Vasylivka.
- A Ukrainian official dismissed as “delusional” Russia’s claim that its forces have blocked Kyiv’s long-anticipated counteroffensive in Donetsk.
- In Belgorod, a power facility caught fire after a drone attack, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said Monday on Telegram.
- Belgium has launched an investigation into the use of its donated military equipment by anti-Kremlin militias in Belgorod, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced Monday.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian troops carried out “offensive actions” in multiple locations on the eastern front, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar wrote on Telegram, despite “stiff resistance and the enemy’s attempts to hold the occupied lines and positions.”
- Ukraine’s forces advanced between 200 and 1,600 meters in the Donetsk region, near the town of Orikhovo-Vasylivka.
- A Ukrainian official dismissed as “delusional” Russia’s claim that its forces have blocked Kyiv’s long-anticipated counteroffensive in Donetsk.
- In Belgorod, a power facility caught fire after a drone attack, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said Monday on Telegram.
- Belgium has launched an investigation into the use of its donated military equipment by anti-Kremlin militias in Belgorod, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced Monday.
More live updates here.
Critical dam, power plant destroyed on Ukraine front lines; flooding prompts evacuations
Ukraine said a major dam and hydroelectric power plant near the front line in the country’s south have been destroyed, unleashing flooding out of a reservoir on Tuesday as officials ordered residents to evacuate. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the damage.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russia and called for an emergency meeting of the National Security Council. Ukraine’s main intelligence agency accused Russian forces of blowing up the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro river, threatening the safety of a nearby nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia.
The governor of nearby Kherson, Oleksandr Prokudin, said the water will reach “critical levels” within hours and urged residents in Ukrainian-controlled parts of the region to evacuate immediately.
More live updates here.
Ukraine said a major dam and hydroelectric power plant near the front line in the country’s south have been destroyed, unleashing flooding out of a reservoir on Tuesday as officials ordered residents to evacuate. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the damage.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russia and called for an emergency meeting of the National Security Council. Ukraine’s main intelligence agency accused Russian forces of blowing up the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro river, threatening the safety of a nearby nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia.
The governor of nearby Kherson, Oleksandr Prokudin, said the water will reach “critical levels” within hours and urged residents in Ukrainian-controlled parts of the region to evacuate immediately.
More live updates here.
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Blast damages Russian-occupied hydro-electric plant, flooding south Ukraine
A critical dam in southern Ukraine was heavily damaged early Tuesday, apparently by an explosion, sending water gushing toward dozens of communities, including some occupied by Russia, and prompting officials to evacuate thousands of people at risk of catastrophic flooding.
Russia seized the dam, which is part of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, on the first day of its invasion in February 2022 because of its crucial role in supplying fresh water to Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula that was invaded and illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.
It was not clear who was responsible for the explosion, which occurred as Kyiv is stepping up offensive operations on the eastern and southern fronts as part of what is expected to be a major counterattack over coming weeks. Ukraine and Russia quickly traded blame for the blast.
Read the full story here.
A critical dam in southern Ukraine was heavily damaged early Tuesday, apparently by an explosion, sending water gushing toward dozens of communities, including some occupied by Russia, and prompting officials to evacuate thousands of people at risk of catastrophic flooding.
Russia seized the dam, which is part of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, on the first day of its invasion in February 2022 because of its crucial role in supplying fresh water to Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula that was invaded and illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.
It was not clear who was responsible for the explosion, which occurred as Kyiv is stepping up offensive operations on the eastern and southern fronts as part of what is expected to be a major counterattack over coming weeks. Ukraine and Russia quickly traded blame for the blast.
Read the full story here.