With Wagner in Belarus, tension grows on northern Ukraine border
YUROVE, Ukraine — Fears have grown along Ukraine’s northern border about the potential for new military attacks since Yevgeniy Prigozhin’s Wagner mercenaries relocated to Belarus after last month’s short-lived mutiny against Moscow’s military leadership, with Ukraine — and even Poland — tightening security and stepping up defenses.
Belarus served as a staging ground when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his wide-scale invasion in February 2022, including a failed assault on Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. Defeated Russian units then retreated back across the Belarusian border.
Putin’s decision to allow Prigozhin and his fighters to escape punishment for the rebellion by relocating to Belarus prompted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to direct the military and national security forces to beef up defenses in the north.
Read the full story here.
YUROVE, Ukraine — Fears have grown along Ukraine’s northern border about the potential for new military attacks since Yevgeniy Prigozhin’s Wagner mercenaries relocated to Belarus after last month’s short-lived mutiny against Moscow’s military leadership, with Ukraine — and even Poland — tightening security and stepping up defenses.
Belarus served as a staging ground when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his wide-scale invasion in February 2022, including a failed assault on Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. Defeated Russian units then retreated back across the Belarusian border.
Putin’s decision to allow Prigozhin and his fighters to escape punishment for the rebellion by relocating to Belarus prompted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to direct the military and national security forces to beef up defenses in the north.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- “An uptick of fighting” has gripped southern Ukraine in the past 48 hours, including near the village of Robotyne, according to an update from the British Ministry of Defense on Saturday.
- Russia claimed it intercepted two Ukrainian missiles, including one that local officials said landed in a town in Russia’s Rostov region on Friday, injuring nine people.
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia’s defense minister of visiting North Korea to secure weapons.
- Global aid needs have skyrocketed during the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, according to Carl Skau, the deputy executive director of the World Food Program.
More live updates here.
- “An uptick of fighting” has gripped southern Ukraine in the past 48 hours, including near the village of Robotyne, according to an update from the British Ministry of Defense on Saturday.
- Russia claimed it intercepted two Ukrainian missiles, including one that local officials said landed in a town in Russia’s Rostov region on Friday, injuring nine people.
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia’s defense minister of visiting North Korea to secure weapons.
- Global aid needs have skyrocketed during the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, according to Carl Skau, the deputy executive director of the World Food Program.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukraine’s military did not specify where the barrage of attacks occurred, but Russia has in recent days targeted populated areas in southern Ukraine as Kyiv ramps up its counteroffensive.
- The summit in Saudi Arabia is expected to have representatives from Ukraine, Britain, South Africa and the European Union in attendance, but Russia will not be joining them, the Journal reported.
- Ukraine will be able to meet heating needs this winter, the country’s energy minister said.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law moving the date for Christmas from Jan. 7 to Dec. 25, as part of an effort to “renounce Russian heritage.”
- Russia said it thwarted an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow early Sunday.
- More than 100 Wagner Group mercenaries in Belarus have moved close to the border with Poland, said Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
More live updates here.
- Ukraine’s military did not specify where the barrage of attacks occurred, but Russia has in recent days targeted populated areas in southern Ukraine as Kyiv ramps up its counteroffensive.
- The summit in Saudi Arabia is expected to have representatives from Ukraine, Britain, South Africa and the European Union in attendance, but Russia will not be joining them, the Journal reported.
- Ukraine will be able to meet heating needs this winter, the country’s energy minister said.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law moving the date for Christmas from Jan. 7 to Dec. 25, as part of an effort to “renounce Russian heritage.”
- Russia said it thwarted an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow early Sunday.
- More than 100 Wagner Group mercenaries in Belarus have moved close to the border with Poland, said Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
More live updates here.
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A Ukrainian village’s final farewell to soldier highlights toll of war
KRASNOSILLIA, Ukraine — Villagers lined the road from one end of the small settlement to the other. At last, the coffin arrived. A boxy white van pulled to the side of the road, bearing the remains of Oleksandr Babych, a soldier who had been killed by a Russian attack on a military base soon after the launch of Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive.
People who had been waiting at least half an hour on the road went down on one knee — even elderly babushki, who sometimes needed help back up. Several tossed flowers onto the pavement. Some made the sign of the cross.
The homespun, solemn ritual that unfolded here late last month was like many happening daily across Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale war nearly 1½ years ago. An estimate released by the White House in May says Ukraine and Russia have suffered a combined 380,000 casualties.
Read the full story here.
KRASNOSILLIA, Ukraine — Villagers lined the road from one end of the small settlement to the other. At last, the coffin arrived. A boxy white van pulled to the side of the road, bearing the remains of Oleksandr Babych, a soldier who had been killed by a Russian attack on a military base soon after the launch of Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive.
People who had been waiting at least half an hour on the road went down on one knee — even elderly babushki, who sometimes needed help back up. Several tossed flowers onto the pavement. Some made the sign of the cross.
The homespun, solemn ritual that unfolded here late last month was like many happening daily across Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale war nearly 1½ years ago. An estimate released by the White House in May says Ukraine and Russia have suffered a combined 380,000 casualties.
Read the full story here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
- Saudi Arabia will host a Ukrainian-backed peace summit to be attended by delegations from the United States, India, Brazil and South Africa, among other countries, the Associated Press reported. The office of Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak confirmed the plan to meet in Saudi Arabia.
- Kyiv will discuss long-term security measures with Washington “this week,” Yermak said, referring to a recent agreement with Group of Seven nations. He reiterated Ukraine’s desire to join NATO, though he acknowledged that the country would not be accepted into the defense group until the war ends.
- Russia said it thwarted a drone attack on Moscow early Sunday and blamed Ukraine for the strike. One drone was stopped over Odintsovo, southwest of the capital, and two more crashed in Moscow, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram.
More live updates here.
- Saudi Arabia will host a Ukrainian-backed peace summit to be attended by delegations from the United States, India, Brazil and South Africa, among other countries, the Associated Press reported. The office of Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak confirmed the plan to meet in Saudi Arabia.
- Kyiv will discuss long-term security measures with Washington “this week,” Yermak said, referring to a recent agreement with Group of Seven nations. He reiterated Ukraine’s desire to join NATO, though he acknowledged that the country would not be accepted into the defense group until the war ends.
- Russia said it thwarted a drone attack on Moscow early Sunday and blamed Ukraine for the strike. One drone was stopped over Odintsovo, southwest of the capital, and two more crashed in Moscow, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said attacks inside Russia are “fair” and “inevitable,” hours after Kremlin officials accused Kyiv of drone strikes in Moscow and Russian-annexed Crimea.
- The Russian Defense Ministry said it thwarted a drone attack Sunday on Moscow and blamed Ukraine for the strike. A drone was intercepted southwest of Moscow, and two other drones crashed in the capital.
- Ukrainian officials did not say whether Ukraine played a role in those attacks, but a spokesman for the country’s air force, Yuriy Ignat, said: “There is always something flying in Russia, and in Moscow in particular.”
- U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan is expected to attend a Ukrainian-backed peace summit in Saudi Arabia, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive planning.
- Pope Francis called on Russia to restore the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said attacks inside Russia are “fair” and “inevitable,” hours after Kremlin officials accused Kyiv of drone strikes in Moscow and Russian-annexed Crimea.
- The Russian Defense Ministry said it thwarted a drone attack Sunday on Moscow and blamed Ukraine for the strike. A drone was intercepted southwest of Moscow, and two other drones crashed in the capital.
- Ukrainian officials did not say whether Ukraine played a role in those attacks, but a spokesman for the country’s air force, Yuriy Ignat, said: “There is always something flying in Russia, and in Moscow in particular.”
- U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan is expected to attend a Ukrainian-backed peace summit in Saudi Arabia, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive planning.
- Pope Francis called on Russia to restore the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
More live updates here.
In repeat bombing of Odessa, Putin deepens economic war on Ukraine
PAVLIVKA, Ukraine — When four Russian cruise missiles ripped apart a grain storage facility in this southern village last week, shock waves shattered the windows of adjacent homes, sending broken glass everywhere.
Like many of the farmers who live near Odessa, one of Ukraine’s major port cities, Tetiana Lazarova is convinced that Moscow’s attacks on the port and its agriculture sector are aimed at extracting maximum pain following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to terminate a United Nations-brokered deal allowing grain exports from the Black Sea.
Odessa’s grain industry suffered tens of millions of dollars in damage as a result of the near-nightly Russian airstrikes. The attacks destroyed at least 60,000 tons of grain, enough to feed more than 270,000 people for a year, according to the U.N. World Food Program.
Read the full story here.
PAVLIVKA, Ukraine — When four Russian cruise missiles ripped apart a grain storage facility in this southern village last week, shock waves shattered the windows of adjacent homes, sending broken glass everywhere.
Like many of the farmers who live near Odessa, one of Ukraine’s major port cities, Tetiana Lazarova is convinced that Moscow’s attacks on the port and its agriculture sector are aimed at extracting maximum pain following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to terminate a United Nations-brokered deal allowing grain exports from the Black Sea.
Odessa’s grain industry suffered tens of millions of dollars in damage as a result of the near-nightly Russian airstrikes. The attacks destroyed at least 60,000 tons of grain, enough to feed more than 270,000 people for a year, according to the U.N. World Food Program.
Read the full story here.
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Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russian strikes killed at least nine people and injured more than 100 others in the Ukrainian city of Kherson and in Kryvyi Rih — President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown — Ukrainian officials said.
- Kuleba said Croatia and Ukraine “will now work on laying the most efficient routes” to Croatian ports on the Danube and the Adriatic Sea, though he did not specify a time-frame.
- The Kremlin said Kyiv was behind drone strikes in Moscow and Russian-annexed Crimea, which Russia thwarted over the weekend.
- Russia’s navy is set to commission 30 ships into service this year, President Vladimir Putin said Sunday in St. Petersburg at the country’s annual Navy Day parade.
- Kyiv is set to begin discussing long-term security measures with Washington this week, Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak said, referring to a recent agreement with the Group of Seven nations.
More live updates here.
- Russian strikes killed at least nine people and injured more than 100 others in the Ukrainian city of Kherson and in Kryvyi Rih — President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown — Ukrainian officials said.
- Kuleba said Croatia and Ukraine “will now work on laying the most efficient routes” to Croatian ports on the Danube and the Adriatic Sea, though he did not specify a time-frame.
- The Kremlin said Kyiv was behind drone strikes in Moscow and Russian-annexed Crimea, which Russia thwarted over the weekend.
- Russia’s navy is set to commission 30 ships into service this year, President Vladimir Putin said Sunday in St. Petersburg at the country’s annual Navy Day parade.
- Kyiv is set to begin discussing long-term security measures with Washington this week, Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak said, referring to a recent agreement with the Group of Seven nations.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- A drone hit the same Moscow skyscraper — which houses offices and ministries — for the second time in days, the city’s mayor and Russia’s defense ministry said Tuesday, blaming Ukraine.
- Kyiv has not claimed responsibility, but Ukrainian officials have been vocal about describing targets in Russia as legitimate. Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak suggested early Tuesday the drones meant that Moscow was “rapidly getting used to a full-fledged war.”
- Ukrainian officials said Russian attacks a day earlier killed at least 10 people, including a 10-year-old girl and her mother, and injured at least 100 people in the southern city of Kherson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s native city Kryvyi Rih.
- Russian warships destroyed three Ukrainian naval drones in the Black Sea, foiling an attempted late night attack on the two ships, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday. The Post could not independently verify the claim.
More live updates here.
- A drone hit the same Moscow skyscraper — which houses offices and ministries — for the second time in days, the city’s mayor and Russia’s defense ministry said Tuesday, blaming Ukraine.
- Kyiv has not claimed responsibility, but Ukrainian officials have been vocal about describing targets in Russia as legitimate. Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak suggested early Tuesday the drones meant that Moscow was “rapidly getting used to a full-fledged war.”
- Ukrainian officials said Russian attacks a day earlier killed at least 10 people, including a 10-year-old girl and her mother, and injured at least 100 people in the southern city of Kherson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s native city Kryvyi Rih.
- Russian warships destroyed three Ukrainian naval drones in the Black Sea, foiling an attempted late night attack on the two ships, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday. The Post could not independently verify the claim.
More live updates here.
Russian missile strikes on Kherson and in Kryvyi Rih kill at least 10
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian missiles slammed into Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s native city of Kryvyi Rih and the southern city of Kherson on Monday, killing at least 10 people and injuring close to 100 — a barrage that came one day after three drones struck Moscow in the latest attack on the Russian capital.
Russian officials blamed Ukraine for the drone assault, which damaged the facades of two office buildings in a business district but did not result in any injuries. The third drone was intercepted southwest of Moscow, officials said.
Ukrainian officials did not claim responsibility. However, in a video address later Sunday, Zelensky said, “Gradually, the war is returning to the territory of Russia — to its symbolic centers and military bases.”
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian missiles slammed into Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s native city of Kryvyi Rih and the southern city of Kherson on Monday, killing at least 10 people and injuring close to 100 — a barrage that came one day after three drones struck Moscow in the latest attack on the Russian capital.
Russian officials blamed Ukraine for the drone assault, which damaged the facades of two office buildings in a business district but did not result in any injuries. The third drone was intercepted southwest of Moscow, officials said.
Ukrainian officials did not claim responsibility. However, in a video address later Sunday, Zelensky said, “Gradually, the war is returning to the territory of Russia — to its symbolic centers and military bases.”
Read the full story here.
Ukrainians are breaking their ties with the Russian language
KHARKIV, Ukraine — In Kharkiv, a historically Russian-speaking city in eastern Ukraine, just 25 miles from the Russian border, Ukrainian classes are in high demand. Waiters, hairdressers and shopkeepers have stopped using Russian. Ukrainian language books are flying off the shelves, and local publishers are struggling to keep up with orders.
One of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s central — and false — justifications for invading Ukraine, that he was defending Russian-speaking people, has backfired dramatically.
In cities across Ukraine, people started bringing their Russian literature to local recycling stations to be shredded and converted into toilet paper. Street names have been changed to honor Ukrainian heroes instead of Russian writers. Russian dishes, like pelmeni dumplings, have been relabeled on restaurant menus. Radio stations stopped playing songs by Russian artists, long popular in Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
KHARKIV, Ukraine — In Kharkiv, a historically Russian-speaking city in eastern Ukraine, just 25 miles from the Russian border, Ukrainian classes are in high demand. Waiters, hairdressers and shopkeepers have stopped using Russian. Ukrainian language books are flying off the shelves, and local publishers are struggling to keep up with orders.
One of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s central — and false — justifications for invading Ukraine, that he was defending Russian-speaking people, has backfired dramatically.
In cities across Ukraine, people started bringing their Russian literature to local recycling stations to be shredded and converted into toilet paper. Street names have been changed to honor Ukrainian heroes instead of Russian writers. Russian dishes, like pelmeni dumplings, have been relabeled on restaurant menus. Radio stations stopped playing songs by Russian artists, long popular in Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- A drone hit the same Moscow skyscraper — which houses offices and ministries — for the second time in days, the city’s mayor and Russia’s Defense Ministry said early Tuesday, blaming Ukraine.
- Russian air defenses thwarted “several drones” trying to reach Moscow, the mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, said Tuesday.
- UNESCO has verified damage to 274 locations including religious sites, museums, monuments and libraries in Ukraine during nearly a year and a half of war, the U.N. organization said.
- The chief of the General Staff of Russia’s armed forces, Valery Gerasimov, visited troops in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, which is partly controlled by Russian forces, the Defense Ministry said.
- Russian warships destroyed three Ukrainian naval drones in the Black Sea, foiling an attempted late-night attack on the two ships, the Russian Defense Ministry said early Tuesday.
More live updates here.
- A drone hit the same Moscow skyscraper — which houses offices and ministries — for the second time in days, the city’s mayor and Russia’s Defense Ministry said early Tuesday, blaming Ukraine.
- Russian air defenses thwarted “several drones” trying to reach Moscow, the mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, said Tuesday.
- UNESCO has verified damage to 274 locations including religious sites, museums, monuments and libraries in Ukraine during nearly a year and a half of war, the U.N. organization said.
- The chief of the General Staff of Russia’s armed forces, Valery Gerasimov, visited troops in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, which is partly controlled by Russian forces, the Defense Ministry said.
- Russian warships destroyed three Ukrainian naval drones in the Black Sea, foiling an attempted late-night attack on the two ships, the Russian Defense Ministry said early Tuesday.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of carrying out further attacks on the country’s ports and grain infrastructure overnight, targeting the south in particular.
- The Ukrainian Defense Ministry tweeted Wednesday that a grain silo in the inland port of Izmail — a key alternative to Black Sea ports for Ukrainian exports — was damaged.
- Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russia is moving forward, the Pentagon said in response to media questions about whether Ukraine had made significant gains.
- Ukrainian law enforcement officials announced that they were investigating a large-scale draft evasion scheme involving falsified medical certificates declaring participants unfit for service.
- Belarusian helicopters violated Polish airspace during a training exercise on Tuesday, Poland’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of carrying out further attacks on the country’s ports and grain infrastructure overnight, targeting the south in particular.
- The Ukrainian Defense Ministry tweeted Wednesday that a grain silo in the inland port of Izmail — a key alternative to Black Sea ports for Ukrainian exports — was damaged.
- Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russia is moving forward, the Pentagon said in response to media questions about whether Ukraine had made significant gains.
- Ukrainian law enforcement officials announced that they were investigating a large-scale draft evasion scheme involving falsified medical certificates declaring participants unfit for service.
- Belarusian helicopters violated Polish airspace during a training exercise on Tuesday, Poland’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.
More live updates here.
Drones hit glitzy Moscow buildings as Ukraine says Russians should feel war
The glittering skyscrapers in the Russian capital known as Moscow-City, hit repeatedly by drones in recent days, are home to corporate offices, government ministries, a shopping mall, and even apartments — some of which are owned by relatives of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, Russian politicians, and even a renowned Italian architect.
As some of the tallest, most distinctive modern buildings in the city, the Moscow-City complex, nestled west of the city center on the banks of the Moskva River, has become a repeat target of attacks, which the Kremlin blamed on Ukraine. Early Tuesday, a drone struck the 42-story tower in the IQ-quarter complex for the second time in three days.
Kyiv did not claim responsibility for the attacks, but senior Ukrainian officials said that Russians deserved to feel the impact of the brutal war that their government has unleashed in Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
The glittering skyscrapers in the Russian capital known as Moscow-City, hit repeatedly by drones in recent days, are home to corporate offices, government ministries, a shopping mall, and even apartments — some of which are owned by relatives of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, Russian politicians, and even a renowned Italian architect.
As some of the tallest, most distinctive modern buildings in the city, the Moscow-City complex, nestled west of the city center on the banks of the Moskva River, has become a repeat target of attacks, which the Kremlin blamed on Ukraine. Early Tuesday, a drone struck the 42-story tower in the IQ-quarter complex for the second time in three days.
Kyiv did not claim responsibility for the attacks, but senior Ukrainian officials said that Russians deserved to feel the impact of the brutal war that their government has unleashed in Ukraine.
Read the full story here.