Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia’s account Saturday that it had intercepted 20 drones over the Crimean Peninsula marked the third straight day that officials had reported thwarting such an attack. Moscow blamed Kyiv for the assault.
- Ukraine has made “tactically significant advances” along the border between the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions, according to an analysis Saturday by the Institute for the Study of War.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired all heads of regional military recruitment centers in a sweeping move he described as a crackdown on corruption.
- Ukraine has started registering vessels to pass through temporary corridors in the Black Sea, Interfax Ukraine reported on Saturday, citing Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk.
More live updates here.
- Russia’s account Saturday that it had intercepted 20 drones over the Crimean Peninsula marked the third straight day that officials had reported thwarting such an attack. Moscow blamed Kyiv for the assault.
- Ukraine has made “tactically significant advances” along the border between the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions, according to an analysis Saturday by the Institute for the Study of War.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired all heads of regional military recruitment centers in a sweeping move he described as a crackdown on corruption.
- Ukraine has started registering vessels to pass through temporary corridors in the Black Sea, Interfax Ukraine reported on Saturday, citing Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk.
More live updates here.
U.S. imposes sanctions on prominent Russian financiers with ties to West
The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday imposed sanctions on Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven, two Russian billionaires behind Alfa Group, a prominent financial services firm — a sign that the Biden White House is seeking to increase pressure on Russian elites who have carved out international profiles while maintaining business operations in Russia.
“Wealthy Russian elites should disabuse themselves of the notion that they can operate business as usual while the Kremlin wages war against the Ukrainian people,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in a statement announcing the new punitive measures. “Our international coalition will continue to hold accountable those enabling the unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.”
Read the full story here.
The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday imposed sanctions on Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven, two Russian billionaires behind Alfa Group, a prominent financial services firm — a sign that the Biden White House is seeking to increase pressure on Russian elites who have carved out international profiles while maintaining business operations in Russia.
“Wealthy Russian elites should disabuse themselves of the notion that they can operate business as usual while the Kremlin wages war against the Ukrainian people,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in a statement announcing the new punitive measures. “Our international coalition will continue to hold accountable those enabling the unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.”
Read the full story here.
In war against its Soviet past, Ukraine refaces towering Kyiv monument
A Kyiv monument traded a 42-year-old Soviet coat of arms for a modern trident Sunday, a swap that exemplifies the war-torn country’s fight against the 21st-century Russian army and the vestiges of Ukraine’s Soviet past.
The Motherland Monument, a 335-foot statue of a woman holding a sword and shield, has towered over Kyiv since 1981 as a symbol of the U.S.S.R.’s triumphs during World War II. Workers dismantled the part of the shield featuring the Soviet hammer-and-sickle and wheat beginning in late July; on Sunday they replaced it with the Ukrainian emblem.
Read the full story here.
A Kyiv monument traded a 42-year-old Soviet coat of arms for a modern trident Sunday, a swap that exemplifies the war-torn country’s fight against the 21st-century Russian army and the vestiges of Ukraine’s Soviet past.
The Motherland Monument, a 335-foot statue of a woman holding a sword and shield, has towered over Kyiv since 1981 as a symbol of the U.S.S.R.’s triumphs during World War II. Workers dismantled the part of the shield featuring the Soviet hammer-and-sickle and wheat beginning in late July; on Sunday they replaced it with the Ukrainian emblem.
Read the full story here.
Tensions between Ukraine and Poland over grain hint at exhaustion from war
KYIV, Ukraine — Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Poland has been among Ukraine’s staunchest supporters, providing military and economic aid, taking in millions of Ukrainian refugees, championing Kyiv’s position in international forums and transforming its territory into the main conduit for Western arms shipments.
But even among the closest of friends, serious quarrels can arise.
Last week, Polish and Ukrainian officials clashed openly, after Marcin Przydacz, a foreign policy adviser to Polish President Andrzej Duda, said that Ukraine should “start appreciating the role that Poland has played for Ukraine in recent months and years.”
Under a deal brokered by the European Union, Poland and four other neighboring countries are allowed to ban Ukrainian grain imports to protect their domestic farmers, but allow the grain to cross their territory into other countries.
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Poland has been among Ukraine’s staunchest supporters, providing military and economic aid, taking in millions of Ukrainian refugees, championing Kyiv’s position in international forums and transforming its territory into the main conduit for Western arms shipments.
But even among the closest of friends, serious quarrels can arise.
Last week, Polish and Ukrainian officials clashed openly, after Marcin Przydacz, a foreign policy adviser to Polish President Andrzej Duda, said that Ukraine should “start appreciating the role that Poland has played for Ukraine in recent months and years.”
Under a deal brokered by the European Union, Poland and four other neighboring countries are allowed to ban Ukrainian grain imports to protect their domestic farmers, but allow the grain to cross their territory into other countries.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Shots from a Russian warship at a Ukraine-bound cargo vessel in the Black Sea on Sunday drew condemnation from Ukrainian officials, with one calling it a “clear violation of international law.”
- Russia’s Defense Ministry said the Russian patrol ship Vasily Bykov used automatic weapons to fire “warning” shots on a Palau-flagged bulk carrier after its captain failed to respond to a request to halt for an inspection. It was the first such incident since Russia withdrew from a U.N.-brokered grain deal last month.
- Ukrainian forces reported drone and missile attacks in the Odessa region overnight. Three people were injured by debris from the rockets being shot down, according to the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine.
More live updates here.
- Shots from a Russian warship at a Ukraine-bound cargo vessel in the Black Sea on Sunday drew condemnation from Ukrainian officials, with one calling it a “clear violation of international law.”
- Russia’s Defense Ministry said the Russian patrol ship Vasily Bykov used automatic weapons to fire “warning” shots on a Palau-flagged bulk carrier after its captain failed to respond to a request to halt for an inspection. It was the first such incident since Russia withdrew from a U.N.-brokered grain deal last month.
- Ukrainian forces reported drone and missile attacks in the Odessa region overnight. Three people were injured by debris from the rockets being shot down, according to the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine.
More live updates here.
Songs of war: The Ukrainian musicians merging art and propaganda
Music has always been an important part of Maria Kvitka’s life. Before the war, she worked as a costume designer in Ukraine’s film industry, traveling frequently across the country to gather inspiration for her designs. Along the way, she collected traditional songs and sounds from Ukraine’s disparate regions.
After Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country last year, Kvitka, in shock and out of a job, sought refuge in the folk songs she had compiled.
“It was like therapy for me,” said Kvitka, 30. “Listening to them, you got the sense that Ukrainians were doing exactly the same thing for hundreds of years — they were always under attack from Russia. And you realize that if they can survive it, we can too.”
Read the full story here.
Music has always been an important part of Maria Kvitka’s life. Before the war, she worked as a costume designer in Ukraine’s film industry, traveling frequently across the country to gather inspiration for her designs. Along the way, she collected traditional songs and sounds from Ukraine’s disparate regions.
After Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country last year, Kvitka, in shock and out of a job, sought refuge in the folk songs she had compiled.
“It was like therapy for me,” said Kvitka, 30. “Listening to them, you got the sense that Ukrainians were doing exactly the same thing for hundreds of years — they were always under attack from Russia. And you realize that if they can survive it, we can too.”
Read the full story here.
Wagner’s prisoner of war: A Ukrainian soldier’s 46-day nightmare
Wagner mercenaries were within shouting distance when the ambush began.
From the high ground, they raked a column of Ukrainian military armor below. An antitank rocket punched through Ilia Mykhalchuk’s vehicle, and the 36-year-old recalled quickly taking stock of his injuries.
They were ghastly.
Right arm: ribbons of shredded flesh. His left: pocked with shrapnel.
Mykhalchuk stumbled from the burning wreckage, fell to the frozen ground and, using his fractured teeth for leverage, tightened a tourniquet onto each of his mangled arms. Moments later, his attackers drew near, shooting him through the legs. They moved closer. Death, Mykhalchuk believed, was imminent.
“I was sure,” he recently recalled, “they wouldn’t capture me.”
Yet that is exactly what happened.
Read the full story here.
Wagner mercenaries were within shouting distance when the ambush began.
From the high ground, they raked a column of Ukrainian military armor below. An antitank rocket punched through Ilia Mykhalchuk’s vehicle, and the 36-year-old recalled quickly taking stock of his injuries.
They were ghastly.
Right arm: ribbons of shredded flesh. His left: pocked with shrapnel.
Mykhalchuk stumbled from the burning wreckage, fell to the frozen ground and, using his fractured teeth for leverage, tightened a tourniquet onto each of his mangled arms. Moments later, his attackers drew near, shooting him through the legs. They moved closer. Death, Mykhalchuk believed, was imminent.
“I was sure,” he recently recalled, “they wouldn’t capture me.”
Yet that is exactly what happened.
Read the full story here.
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Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia attacked Odessa in “three waves” overnight, launching drones and cruise missiles at the heart of the key Ukrainian port city, according to its regional governor.
- The U.S. ambassador to Russia met Monday with detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich at Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison for the third time since the journalist’s arrest in March on espionage charges.
- Kyiv called on the international community to protect trade through the Black Sea after a Russian warship shot at a Ukraine-bound cargo vessel on Sunday.
- The Biden administration is set to provide another $200 million in assistance “to meet Ukraine’s critical security and defense needs,” in its forty-fourth military aid installment since August of 2021.
- A drone damaged an apartment building in the western Russian city of Belgorod, injuring a child, a Russian official said.
More live updates here.
- Russia attacked Odessa in “three waves” overnight, launching drones and cruise missiles at the heart of the key Ukrainian port city, according to its regional governor.
- The U.S. ambassador to Russia met Monday with detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich at Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison for the third time since the journalist’s arrest in March on espionage charges.
- Kyiv called on the international community to protect trade through the Black Sea after a Russian warship shot at a Ukraine-bound cargo vessel on Sunday.
- The Biden administration is set to provide another $200 million in assistance “to meet Ukraine’s critical security and defense needs,” in its forty-fourth military aid installment since August of 2021.
- A drone damaged an apartment building in the western Russian city of Belgorod, injuring a child, a Russian official said.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Explosions rang out in Lviv and Lutsk overnight amid Russian missile strikes in Western Ukraine. In Lutsk, an industrial plant was hit, and in Lviv, residential buildings were targeted, officials said. Three people were killed in the Lutsk strike, the city’s mayor said, citing preliminary information.
- The Russian Central Bank decided in a meeting Tuesday to raise the key interest rate by 3.5 percentage points to 12 percent — a large hike that comes after the ruble fell to its lowest point in 17 months, briefly sliding past 102 to the dollar on Monday.
- The U.S. ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, met with jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on Monday at Lefortovo Prison in Moscow, the newspaper reported.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had “frank conversations” with troops during a visit Monday to the front line in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, amid the ongoing counteroffensive.
More live updates here.
- Explosions rang out in Lviv and Lutsk overnight amid Russian missile strikes in Western Ukraine. In Lutsk, an industrial plant was hit, and in Lviv, residential buildings were targeted, officials said. Three people were killed in the Lutsk strike, the city’s mayor said, citing preliminary information.
- The Russian Central Bank decided in a meeting Tuesday to raise the key interest rate by 3.5 percentage points to 12 percent — a large hike that comes after the ruble fell to its lowest point in 17 months, briefly sliding past 102 to the dollar on Monday.
- The U.S. ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, met with jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on Monday at Lefortovo Prison in Moscow, the newspaper reported.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had “frank conversations” with troops during a visit Monday to the front line in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, amid the ongoing counteroffensive.
More live updates here.
The ruble takes a dive, underscoring pressure on Russia’s war economy
The Russian ruble tumbled to its lowest point in 17 months Monday, briefly sliding past 102 to the dollar and prompting the country’s Central Bank to call an extraordinary meeting Tuesday to discuss the level of its key interest rate.
The ruble has lost roughly a quarter of its value against the dollar since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. Western sanctions have harmed Russia’s trade balance and military spending has soared as the lightning offensive originally envisioned by the Kremlin has turned into a grueling battle of attrition with no end in sight.
Russia’s central bank said Monday that the sudden drop in value would not threaten the country’s overall financial stability and blamed the fall on lagging exports alongside an increased demand for imports.
Read the full story here.
The Russian ruble tumbled to its lowest point in 17 months Monday, briefly sliding past 102 to the dollar and prompting the country’s Central Bank to call an extraordinary meeting Tuesday to discuss the level of its key interest rate.
The ruble has lost roughly a quarter of its value against the dollar since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. Western sanctions have harmed Russia’s trade balance and military spending has soared as the lightning offensive originally envisioned by the Kremlin has turned into a grueling battle of attrition with no end in sight.
Russia’s central bank said Monday that the sudden drop in value would not threaten the country’s overall financial stability and blamed the fall on lagging exports alongside an increased demand for imports.
Read the full story here.
Russia’s new history textbooks teach Putin’s alternate reality
RIGA, Latvia — When classes begin next month, Russian high-schoolers will get fresh history textbooks rewritten to carry Kremlin-approved narratives about the “special military operation” in Ukraine and the rivalry with the West — part of a wider government effort to shape how young generations of Russians think about the war and Russia’s place in the world.
The new manuscript — aimed at graduating 17-year-olds and covering the time period from 1945 until now — blames the United States for the ongoing war in Ukraine and includes a quote from President Vladimir Putin in which he falsely asserts that: “Russia did not start any military actions but is trying to end them.”
It includes telling sections that include “confrontation with the West,” “Ukraine is a neo-Nazi state” and “Russia is a country of heroes,” according to scans of the new book posted by Russian state media.
Read the full story here.
RIGA, Latvia — When classes begin next month, Russian high-schoolers will get fresh history textbooks rewritten to carry Kremlin-approved narratives about the “special military operation” in Ukraine and the rivalry with the West — part of a wider government effort to shape how young generations of Russians think about the war and Russia’s place in the world.
The new manuscript — aimed at graduating 17-year-olds and covering the time period from 1945 until now — blames the United States for the ongoing war in Ukraine and includes a quote from President Vladimir Putin in which he falsely asserts that: “Russia did not start any military actions but is trying to end them.”
It includes telling sections that include “confrontation with the West,” “Ukraine is a neo-Nazi state” and “Russia is a country of heroes,” according to scans of the new book posted by Russian state media.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The Russian Central Bank decided in a meeting Tuesday to raise the key interest rate by 3.5 percentage points to 12 percent — a large hike that comes after the ruble fell to its lowest point in 17 months, briefly sliding past 102 to the dollar on Monday.
- Russian missiles struck two western Ukrainian cities overnight, damaging an industrial plant in Lutsk and residential buildings in Lviv, officials said.
- A Moscow court on Tuesday convicted a pro-war, retired Russian colonel of discrediting the military, as the Kremlin seeks to bring nationalist pro-war critics to heel.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had “frank conversations” with troops during a visit Monday to the front line in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
- The Swedish government on Tuesday pledged a new support package for Ukraine, valued at $314 million and containing spare parts and ammunition for equipment previously sent by the Swedes.
More live updates here.
- The Russian Central Bank decided in a meeting Tuesday to raise the key interest rate by 3.5 percentage points to 12 percent — a large hike that comes after the ruble fell to its lowest point in 17 months, briefly sliding past 102 to the dollar on Monday.
- Russian missiles struck two western Ukrainian cities overnight, damaging an industrial plant in Lutsk and residential buildings in Lviv, officials said.
- A Moscow court on Tuesday convicted a pro-war, retired Russian colonel of discrediting the military, as the Kremlin seeks to bring nationalist pro-war critics to heel.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had “frank conversations” with troops during a visit Monday to the front line in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
- The Swedish government on Tuesday pledged a new support package for Ukraine, valued at $314 million and containing spare parts and ammunition for equipment previously sent by the Swedes.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Poland touted state-of-the-art fighter jets and other weaponry at its largest military parade since the Cold War — a display of strength as vicious fighting continues next door between Russia and Ukraine. The parade was meant to commemorate the 103rd anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw, when Polish troops beat Bolshevik forces that were trying to advance on Europe.
- Overnight strikes on Odessa damaged warehouses and granaries at a Danube port that is part of Ukraine’s grain infrastructure, the regional governor reported. No one was injured, he said.
- A former high-ranking FBI official accused of secretly working on behalf of a Russian oligarch pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday. The former official, Charles McGonigal, is accused of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions and of laundering money while working to the benefit of Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, whom he was tasked with investigating.
More live updates here.
- Poland touted state-of-the-art fighter jets and other weaponry at its largest military parade since the Cold War — a display of strength as vicious fighting continues next door between Russia and Ukraine. The parade was meant to commemorate the 103rd anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw, when Polish troops beat Bolshevik forces that were trying to advance on Europe.
- Overnight strikes on Odessa damaged warehouses and granaries at a Danube port that is part of Ukraine’s grain infrastructure, the regional governor reported. No one was injured, he said.
- A former high-ranking FBI official accused of secretly working on behalf of a Russian oligarch pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday. The former official, Charles McGonigal, is accused of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions and of laundering money while working to the benefit of Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, whom he was tasked with investigating.
More live updates here.