Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Britain and Ukraine will co-host the two-day Ukraine Recovery Conference in London starting Wednesday. The event, the second since Russia’s invasion, aims to gather international and private-sector support for Ukraine’s postwar recovery.
- The Pentagon has determined that it overrepresented the value of military equipment it sent to Ukraine by a combined $6.2 billion since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, the Biden administration said Tuesday, a significant error that will allow it to send more weapons before requesting additional funds from Congress.
- Sixty-two percent of Russians would support President Vladimir Putin ending the war this week, but the same percentage would oppose doing so if it involved returning annexed Ukrainian territory, according to a new survey.
- Ukrainian forces shot down at least 30 Iranian-made Shahed drones overnight, Ukrainian officials said.
More live updates here.
- Britain and Ukraine will co-host the two-day Ukraine Recovery Conference in London starting Wednesday. The event, the second since Russia’s invasion, aims to gather international and private-sector support for Ukraine’s postwar recovery.
- The Pentagon has determined that it overrepresented the value of military equipment it sent to Ukraine by a combined $6.2 billion since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, the Biden administration said Tuesday, a significant error that will allow it to send more weapons before requesting additional funds from Congress.
- Sixty-two percent of Russians would support President Vladimir Putin ending the war this week, but the same percentage would oppose doing so if it involved returning annexed Ukrainian territory, according to a new survey.
- Ukrainian forces shot down at least 30 Iranian-made Shahed drones overnight, Ukrainian officials said.
More live updates here.
Nations pledge billions in Ukraine reconstruction amid staggering need
The United States and European countries announced billions of dollars in new recovery assistance to Ukraine on Wednesday aimed at addressing the staggering destruction in the war-torn country caused by Russia’s invasion.
The new pledges, made at a two-day gathering of world leaders in London, added to the already unprecedented outpouring of Western support for Ukraine, but were only a small fraction of the $411 billion the World Bank estimates is needed to rebuild the country.
The European Union will provide $54.5 billion in aid for 2024-2027, the bloc’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, said Wednesday. “Brick by brick, house by house, school by school, together we are with Ukraine for the long haul,” she said, without specifying whether the aid would be grants or loans.
Read the full story here.
The United States and European countries announced billions of dollars in new recovery assistance to Ukraine on Wednesday aimed at addressing the staggering destruction in the war-torn country caused by Russia’s invasion.
The new pledges, made at a two-day gathering of world leaders in London, added to the already unprecedented outpouring of Western support for Ukraine, but were only a small fraction of the $411 billion the World Bank estimates is needed to rebuild the country.
The European Union will provide $54.5 billion in aid for 2024-2027, the bloc’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, said Wednesday. “Brick by brick, house by house, school by school, together we are with Ukraine for the long haul,” she said, without specifying whether the aid would be grants or loans.
Read the full story here.
Fighting simmers across Ukrainian front as Kyiv’s forces look to advance
DNIPRO, Ukraine — Russia launched a wave of drone attacks on several regions of Ukraine early Tuesday, and fighting simmered in key pockets across the long front line as Ukrainian forces continued their push to oust occupying Russian troops.
Since the start of a major counteroffensive, Ukraine has claimed modest gains, including the liberation of seven villages, but the advances have been slow, prompting some analysts to speculate that Kyiv had temporarily paused its counterattack.
But a Ukrainian officer fighting in the southern Zaporizhzhia region said that there was no halt in hostilities. “Our fighters are looking for weak points to advance and go further,” the officer said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
Read the full story here.
DNIPRO, Ukraine — Russia launched a wave of drone attacks on several regions of Ukraine early Tuesday, and fighting simmered in key pockets across the long front line as Ukrainian forces continued their push to oust occupying Russian troops.
Since the start of a major counteroffensive, Ukraine has claimed modest gains, including the liberation of seven villages, but the advances have been slow, prompting some analysts to speculate that Kyiv had temporarily paused its counterattack.
But a Ukrainian officer fighting in the southern Zaporizhzhia region said that there was no halt in hostilities. “Our fighters are looking for weak points to advance and go further,” the officer said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
Read the full story here.
African leaders visited with a peace plan. Putin showed little interest.
RIGA, Latvia — When Russian President Vladimir Putin met African leaders in St. Petersburg over the weekend, he swiftly conveyed his effective dismissal of their plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, which called for military de-escalation and the return of war-affected children to their home country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was equally cool a day earlier, saying there can be no peace deal unless Russia withdraws its forces from Ukrainian territory.
But Russia’s missile attack on Kyiv at the very moment the peace mission was on the ground conveyed disrespect to the seven-nation African delegation, including four presidents. It was an affront that analysts said was likely to tarnish Putin’s reputation in Africa ahead of next month’s Russia-Africa Summit, which is designed to showcase support for Russia in the Global South.
Read the full story here.
RIGA, Latvia — When Russian President Vladimir Putin met African leaders in St. Petersburg over the weekend, he swiftly conveyed his effective dismissal of their plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, which called for military de-escalation and the return of war-affected children to their home country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was equally cool a day earlier, saying there can be no peace deal unless Russia withdraws its forces from Ukrainian territory.
But Russia’s missile attack on Kyiv at the very moment the peace mission was on the ground conveyed disrespect to the seven-nation African delegation, including four presidents. It was an affront that analysts said was likely to tarnish Putin’s reputation in Africa ahead of next month’s Russia-Africa Summit, which is designed to showcase support for Russia in the Global South.
Read the full story here.
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Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The United States is set to give an additional $1.3 billion to help rebuild Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday in London, where a two-day conference aims to rally international and private-sector support for postwar recovery.
- The European Union plans to provide $54.5 billion in aid for 2024 through 2027, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
- The Russian Defense Ministry said three drones targeting facilities near Moscow were intercepted and crashed on Wednesday without causing damage or casualties.
- Zelensky said progress in Ukraine’s counteroffensive has been “slower than desired,” in a BBC interview published Wednesday.
- The death of a senior Russian military commander in Ukraine was confirmed by a Russian news outlet that posted a photo of his grave in St. Petersburg.
More live updates here.
- The United States is set to give an additional $1.3 billion to help rebuild Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday in London, where a two-day conference aims to rally international and private-sector support for postwar recovery.
- The European Union plans to provide $54.5 billion in aid for 2024 through 2027, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
- The Russian Defense Ministry said three drones targeting facilities near Moscow were intercepted and crashed on Wednesday without causing damage or casualties.
- Zelensky said progress in Ukraine’s counteroffensive has been “slower than desired,” in a BBC interview published Wednesday.
- The death of a senior Russian military commander in Ukraine was confirmed by a Russian news outlet that posted a photo of his grave in St. Petersburg.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Britain would be “very supportive” of giving Ukraine a simplified path to joining NATO that would speed up its entry into the military alliance, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said at a war recovery conference, which concludes Thursday in London.
- The Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said Kyiv expects to receive an invitation to NATO with an “open date, but with concrete signal” during a summit of the alliance’s leaders, which will be held next month in Vilnius, Lithuania.
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged the summit to focus on building up Ukraine’s military capabilities as it fights to recaptures swaths of the country.
- Ukrainian forces are advancing in the south and firming up their defenses in the east in “fierce battles” with Russian forces, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address.
More live updates here.
- Britain would be “very supportive” of giving Ukraine a simplified path to joining NATO that would speed up its entry into the military alliance, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said at a war recovery conference, which concludes Thursday in London.
- The Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said Kyiv expects to receive an invitation to NATO with an “open date, but with concrete signal” during a summit of the alliance’s leaders, which will be held next month in Vilnius, Lithuania.
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged the summit to focus on building up Ukraine’s military capabilities as it fights to recaptures swaths of the country.
- Ukrainian forces are advancing in the south and firming up their defenses in the east in “fierce battles” with Russian forces, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address.
More live updates here.
Russian court rejects appeal by jailed U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich
RIGA, Latvia — A Moscow court on Thursday rejected an appeal by jailed American journalist Evan Gershkovich against Russia’s continued detention of him in the high-security Lefortovo prison, meaning he will remain imprisoned on spying charges that the United States government and his employer, the Wall Street Journal, say were fabricated.
Russian security agents arrested Gershkovich while he was on a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg, near the Ural mountains, in March. Russian officials have barred U.S. Embassy officials from visiting him in prison since April, when Ambassador Lynne M. Tracy met him for the first time.
At Thursday’s hearing, Gershkovich appealed a May court decision to extend his detention in Lefortovo prison until Aug. 30. It was the third time his appeals against his detention have been dismissed.
Read the full story here.
RIGA, Latvia — A Moscow court on Thursday rejected an appeal by jailed American journalist Evan Gershkovich against Russia’s continued detention of him in the high-security Lefortovo prison, meaning he will remain imprisoned on spying charges that the United States government and his employer, the Wall Street Journal, say were fabricated.
Russian security agents arrested Gershkovich while he was on a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg, near the Ural mountains, in March. Russian officials have barred U.S. Embassy officials from visiting him in prison since April, when Ambassador Lynne M. Tracy met him for the first time.
At Thursday’s hearing, Gershkovich appealed a May court decision to extend his detention in Lefortovo prison until Aug. 30. It was the third time his appeals against his detention have been dismissed.
Read the full story here.
Zelensky says Russia is planning to sabotage Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Thursday that Russian forces were preparing a “terrorist act” at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe’s largest atomic power station, as officials in Moscow said the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, Rafael Grossi, would travel to Russia to meet with nuclear authorities on Friday.
Ukrainian “intelligence has received information that Russia is considering the scenario of a terrorist act at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant — a terrorist act with the release of radiation,” Zelensky said in a video address released on social media Thursday morning. “They have prepared everything for this.”
Zelensky did not provide further details but said Ukraine would share “all the evidence” with Kyiv’s international partners — “all of them.” He also warned that “radiation knows no borders” and “who it hits” will depend on the “direction of the wind.”
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Thursday that Russian forces were preparing a “terrorist act” at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe’s largest atomic power station, as officials in Moscow said the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, Rafael Grossi, would travel to Russia to meet with nuclear authorities on Friday.
Ukrainian “intelligence has received information that Russia is considering the scenario of a terrorist act at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant — a terrorist act with the release of radiation,” Zelensky said in a video address released on social media Thursday morning. “They have prepared everything for this.”
Zelensky did not provide further details but said Ukraine would share “all the evidence” with Kyiv’s international partners — “all of them.” He also warned that “radiation knows no borders” and “who it hits” will depend on the “direction of the wind.”
Read the full story here.
Ukraine’s dreams of rebuilding run into reality of soaring costs
KHARKIV, Ukraine — Hopes for reconstruction run high in this once grand regional capital devastated by Russian bombing. Many here dream that after the war, Kharkiv will not only be rebuilt but reimagined for the 21st century, to shake off the last shackles of the Soviet Union.
There is just one painful and inescapable reality: The war is not over, and neither is the destruction.
Cities like Kharkiv, which sits just 25 miles from the border with Russia and is still regularly hit by attacks, must convince investors not only that the war will end soon, but that another will not follow. A return to economic growth will need a definitive end to the war, not a stalemate.
Nearly 16 months after the start of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine and its supporters are eager to start rebuilding, especially in areas like Kharkiv that seem safely out of Moscow’s reach.
Read the full story here.
KHARKIV, Ukraine — Hopes for reconstruction run high in this once grand regional capital devastated by Russian bombing. Many here dream that after the war, Kharkiv will not only be rebuilt but reimagined for the 21st century, to shake off the last shackles of the Soviet Union.
There is just one painful and inescapable reality: The war is not over, and neither is the destruction.
Cities like Kharkiv, which sits just 25 miles from the border with Russia and is still regularly hit by attacks, must convince investors not only that the war will end soon, but that another will not follow. A return to economic growth will need a definitive end to the war, not a stalemate.
Nearly 16 months after the start of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine and its supporters are eager to start rebuilding, especially in areas like Kharkiv that seem safely out of Moscow’s reach.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- A Moscow court rejected American journalist Evan Gershkovich’s appeal Thursday against his pretrial detention, upholding an earlier decision to keep him in custody until August.
- In Kyiv, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said Ukraine expects to receive an invitation to NATO with an “open date, but with concrete signal.”
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged NATO leaders to focus on strengthening Ukraine’s combat power as it fights to recapture swaths of the country.
- The United States and European countries announced billions of dollars in aid at the Ukraine Recovery Conference.
- Russian authorities accused Ukrainian forces of striking a bridge between Kherson and Crimea.
- Ukrainian forces are advancing in the south and firming up their defenses in the east in “fierce battles” with Russian forces, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address.
More live updates here.
- A Moscow court rejected American journalist Evan Gershkovich’s appeal Thursday against his pretrial detention, upholding an earlier decision to keep him in custody until August.
- In Kyiv, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said Ukraine expects to receive an invitation to NATO with an “open date, but with concrete signal.”
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged NATO leaders to focus on strengthening Ukraine’s combat power as it fights to recapture swaths of the country.
- The United States and European countries announced billions of dollars in aid at the Ukraine Recovery Conference.
- Russian authorities accused Ukrainian forces of striking a bridge between Kherson and Crimea.
- Ukrainian forces are advancing in the south and firming up their defenses in the east in “fierce battles” with Russian forces, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address.
More live updates here.
Kyiv clamps down on bunker rules after residents died outside locked shelter
KYIV, Ukraine — A map led the team to a gated entrance of a yellow-brick building, a place designated by Ukraine’s capital city as a bunker for residents to take cover from near-nightly Russian airstrikes.
But there was no sign marking the nondescript door as a bomb shelter. And when the city inspectors arrived, the gate was locked.
One team member offered to call a neighborhood official to open it.
“It’s not going to work like that,” said the man in charge, Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukraine’s minister of strategic industries. “He’s not going to be here when there’s an air raid siren.”
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — A map led the team to a gated entrance of a yellow-brick building, a place designated by Ukraine’s capital city as a bunker for residents to take cover from near-nightly Russian airstrikes.
But there was no sign marking the nondescript door as a bomb shelter. And when the city inspectors arrived, the gate was locked.
One team member offered to call a neighborhood official to open it.
“It’s not going to work like that,” said the man in charge, Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukraine’s minister of strategic industries. “He’s not going to be here when there’s an air raid siren.”
Read the full story here.
Russian ban of wildlife fund signals isolation even on animal protection
RIGA, Latvia — Russia has outlawed the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the world’s largest environmental advocacy groups, claiming that it is undermining the country’s economy and limiting the work of its oil and gas giants as authorities continue to push out civil society organizations.
The ousting of the WWF, the last major international environmental organization still operating in Russia, as well as the shutdown of several dozen local activist groups over the past year, signal a grim shift in Russia’s ecological policy, in which the war in Ukraine and the weight of sanctions on the economy have eclipsed projects aimed at preserving nature in the world’s largest country by area.
Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office on Wednesday designated the WWF as “an undesirable organization,” a label that makes the group and any affiliation with it illegal and forces it to shut operations.
Read the full story here.
RIGA, Latvia — Russia has outlawed the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the world’s largest environmental advocacy groups, claiming that it is undermining the country’s economy and limiting the work of its oil and gas giants as authorities continue to push out civil society organizations.
The ousting of the WWF, the last major international environmental organization still operating in Russia, as well as the shutdown of several dozen local activist groups over the past year, signal a grim shift in Russia’s ecological policy, in which the war in Ukraine and the weight of sanctions on the economy have eclipsed projects aimed at preserving nature in the world’s largest country by area.
Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office on Wednesday designated the WWF as “an undesirable organization,” a label that makes the group and any affiliation with it illegal and forces it to shut operations.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukrainian air defenses shot down a Russian missile barrage headed toward a military airfield in the country’s west overnight, the air force said early Friday.
- Moscow accused Kyiv a day earlier of striking a bridge connecting Russian-held territory in southern Ukraine to Crimea.
- Ukraine’s military said the Russian missiles were targeting an airfield in the Khmelnitskyi region before air defense systems intercepted them Friday.
- Australian officials said reports of a Russian diplomat squatting on the site of Moscow’s proposed embassy would not stand in the way of the government’s bid to seize the site.
- Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin undermined President Vladimir Putin’s central pretext for invading Ukraine in a blistering video Friday.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian air defenses shot down a Russian missile barrage headed toward a military airfield in the country’s west overnight, the air force said early Friday.
- Moscow accused Kyiv a day earlier of striking a bridge connecting Russian-held territory in southern Ukraine to Crimea.
- Ukraine’s military said the Russian missiles were targeting an airfield in the Khmelnitskyi region before air defense systems intercepted them Friday.
- Australian officials said reports of a Russian diplomat squatting on the site of Moscow’s proposed embassy would not stand in the way of the government’s bid to seize the site.
- Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin undermined President Vladimir Putin’s central pretext for invading Ukraine in a blistering video Friday.
More live updates here.
Wagner mercenary boss faces arrest over ‘incitement to armed rebellion’
RIGA, Latvia — Russia’s Federal Security Service late Friday announced a criminal case against Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin, accusing him of “incitement to armed rebellion” after he declared an open conflict with Russia’s military leadership and called on Russians to join 25,000 Wagner fighters against Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other top commanders.
Prigozhin, whose private military company helped Russia seize the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, Moscow’s only significant territorial gain this year, accused the Russian military on Friday of carrying out a strike on a Wagner camp, and appeared to threaten Shoigu, declaring “This scum will be stopped!”
In a rare late-night statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that President Vladimir Putin had been informed about the situation and that “all necessary measures” were being taken.
Read the full story here.
RIGA, Latvia — Russia’s Federal Security Service late Friday announced a criminal case against Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin, accusing him of “incitement to armed rebellion” after he declared an open conflict with Russia’s military leadership and called on Russians to join 25,000 Wagner fighters against Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other top commanders.
Prigozhin, whose private military company helped Russia seize the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, Moscow’s only significant territorial gain this year, accused the Russian military on Friday of carrying out a strike on a Wagner camp, and appeared to threaten Shoigu, declaring “This scum will be stopped!”
In a rare late-night statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that President Vladimir Putin had been informed about the situation and that “all necessary measures” were being taken.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Yevgeniy Prigozhin, chief of the Russian Wagner mercenary group, said early Saturday his forces had crossed into Russia from Ukraine and entered Rostov-on-Don, 60 miles from the border.
- Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, has opened a criminal case against Prigozhin over “incitement to armed rebellion” following the Wagner mercenary chief’s comments about leading a “march of justice” against his enemies in the country’s Defense Ministry.
- Several videos circulating on social media, the locations of which were verified by The Post, show unidentified armed fighters dressed in military fatigues and wearing armbands outside Russia’s Southern Military District headquarters in the city of Rostov-on-Don.
More live updates here.
- Yevgeniy Prigozhin, chief of the Russian Wagner mercenary group, said early Saturday his forces had crossed into Russia from Ukraine and entered Rostov-on-Don, 60 miles from the border.
- Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, has opened a criminal case against Prigozhin over “incitement to armed rebellion” following the Wagner mercenary chief’s comments about leading a “march of justice” against his enemies in the country’s Defense Ministry.
- Several videos circulating on social media, the locations of which were verified by The Post, show unidentified armed fighters dressed in military fatigues and wearing armbands outside Russia’s Southern Military District headquarters in the city of Rostov-on-Don.
More live updates here.