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.
North Korea’s Kim, in letter to Putin, vows solidarity with Russia
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to strengthen relations with Russia so the two countries could continue to “smash the imperialists’ arbitrary practices and hegemony,” according to a state media report.
Kim made the promise in a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, the anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule, in the latest sign that Pyongyang and Moscow are deepening their bonds.
Kim said the North’s relations with Russia will be “further developed into a long-standing strategic relationship” in his message to Putin.
Read the full story here.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to strengthen relations with Russia so the two countries could continue to “smash the imperialists’ arbitrary practices and hegemony,” according to a state media report.
Kim made the promise in a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, the anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule, in the latest sign that Pyongyang and Moscow are deepening their bonds.
Kim said the North’s relations with Russia will be “further developed into a long-standing strategic relationship” in his message to Putin.
Read the full story here.
Russian central bank hikes interest rates to 12 percent after ruble’s decline
Russia’s Central Bank on Tuesday raised the country’s key interest rate by 3.5 percentage points to 12 percent — a significant increase that was preceded by the ruble’s tumbling to its lowest point in 17 months.
The Russian currency has lost almost a quarter of its value against the U.S. dollar since President Vladimir Putin began an invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and it has decreased steadily against major world currencies in recent weeks. The country’s economy has been battered by Western sanctions, inflation and an acute labor shortage, caused in part by men fleeing abroad to avoid military conscription.
In a statement, following an emergency meeting, the central bank did not mention the drop in the value of the ruble. Instead, the bank attributed the interest-rate hike to “inflationary pressure” caused by “steady growth in domestic demand surpassing the capacity to expand output.”
Read the full story here.
Russia’s Central Bank on Tuesday raised the country’s key interest rate by 3.5 percentage points to 12 percent — a significant increase that was preceded by the ruble’s tumbling to its lowest point in 17 months.
The Russian currency has lost almost a quarter of its value against the U.S. dollar since President Vladimir Putin began an invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and it has decreased steadily against major world currencies in recent weeks. The country’s economy has been battered by Western sanctions, inflation and an acute labor shortage, caused in part by men fleeing abroad to avoid military conscription.
In a statement, following an emergency meeting, the central bank did not mention the drop in the value of the ruble. Instead, the bank attributed the interest-rate hike to “inflationary pressure” caused by “steady growth in domestic demand surpassing the capacity to expand output.”
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian ship carrying grain sails from Odessa, testing Russian threat
KYIV — Officials here said a first ship carrying Ukrainian agricultural cargo set sail Wednesday from the southern port of Odessa — despite threats by Russia to forcibly stop vessels in the Black Sea after Moscow unilaterally terminated a U.N.-sponsored agreement allowing safe passage of Ukrainian grain shipments.
Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said the container ship Joseph Schulte, flying a Hong Kong flag, left the port “and is proceeding through a temporary corridor established for civilian vessels” on its way to the Bosporus.
Kubrakov, posting on Facebook, said the ship was “carrying more than 30,000 tons of cargo, including food products” and had been in the Odessa port since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly 18 months ago.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — Officials here said a first ship carrying Ukrainian agricultural cargo set sail Wednesday from the southern port of Odessa — despite threats by Russia to forcibly stop vessels in the Black Sea after Moscow unilaterally terminated a U.N.-sponsored agreement allowing safe passage of Ukrainian grain shipments.
Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said the container ship Joseph Schulte, flying a Hong Kong flag, left the port “and is proceeding through a temporary corridor established for civilian vessels” on its way to the Bosporus.
Kubrakov, posting on Facebook, said the ship was “carrying more than 30,000 tons of cargo, including food products” and had been in the Odessa port since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly 18 months ago.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukraine’s infrastructure minister said Wednesday that a Hong Kong-flagged ship carrying food had successfully left Ukraine’s Odessa port — the first container since Russia withdrew from the grain deal to use a new “temporary” shipping corridor through the Black Sea.
- A NATO official on Wednesday apologized for saying that Ukraine should cede land to become a member of the military alliance and called his controversy-causing comments “a mistake,” Dutch media outlets reported.
- Russian forces carried out several “waves” of drone attacks in southern Ukraine overnight, destroying warehouses and granaries at the Danube River port of Reni that is part of the country’s grain infrastructure, the regional governor said.
- The European Union will redirect $147 million from programs planned for Russia and Belarus toward projects aimed at boosting ties between Ukraine and Moldova.
More live updates here.
- Ukraine’s infrastructure minister said Wednesday that a Hong Kong-flagged ship carrying food had successfully left Ukraine’s Odessa port — the first container since Russia withdrew from the grain deal to use a new “temporary” shipping corridor through the Black Sea.
- A NATO official on Wednesday apologized for saying that Ukraine should cede land to become a member of the military alliance and called his controversy-causing comments “a mistake,” Dutch media outlets reported.
- Russian forces carried out several “waves” of drone attacks in southern Ukraine overnight, destroying warehouses and granaries at the Danube River port of Reni that is part of the country’s grain infrastructure, the regional governor said.
- The European Union will redirect $147 million from programs planned for Russia and Belarus toward projects aimed at boosting ties between Ukraine and Moldova.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukrainian troops have recaptured the village of Urozhaine in the southeastern Donetsk region, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Wednesday, as the country continues a slow-moving counteroffensive against Russian forces.
- Ukraine does not expect to use F-16 advanced fighter jets this fall or winter, a spokesman for the Ukrainian air force, said on Wednesday.
- Russia launched eight missiles and 82 airstrikes against Ukraine in the past day, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. The casualties include children, the statement said.
- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone on Wednesday to Paul Whelan, an American jailed in Russia, CNN reported. Whelan, a Marine turned corporate security executive, was convicted of espionage and sentenced in 2020 in a trial he argued was politically motivated.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian troops have recaptured the village of Urozhaine in the southeastern Donetsk region, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Wednesday, as the country continues a slow-moving counteroffensive against Russian forces.
- Ukraine does not expect to use F-16 advanced fighter jets this fall or winter, a spokesman for the Ukrainian air force, said on Wednesday.
- Russia launched eight missiles and 82 airstrikes against Ukraine in the past day, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. The casualties include children, the statement said.
- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone on Wednesday to Paul Whelan, an American jailed in Russia, CNN reported. Whelan, a Marine turned corporate security executive, was convicted of espionage and sentenced in 2020 in a trial he argued was politically motivated.
More live updates here.
Exclusive: Inside the Russian effort to build 6,000 attack drones with Iran’s help
The engineers at a once-bustling industrial hub deep inside Russia were busy planning. The team had been secretly tasked with building a production line that would operate around-the-clock churning out self-detonating drones, weapons that President Vladimir Putin’s forces could use to bombard Ukrainian cities.
A retired official of Russia’s Federal Security Service was put in charge of security for the program. The passports of highly skilled employees were seized so they could not leave the country. In correspondence and other documents, engineers used coded language: Drones were “boats,” their explosives were “bumpers,” and Iran was “Ireland” or “Belarus.”
This was Russia’s billion-dollar weapons deal with Iran coming to life in November, 500 miles east of Moscow in the Tatarstan region. Its aim is to domestically build 6,000 drones by summer 2025.
Read the full story here.
The engineers at a once-bustling industrial hub deep inside Russia were busy planning. The team had been secretly tasked with building a production line that would operate around-the-clock churning out self-detonating drones, weapons that President Vladimir Putin’s forces could use to bombard Ukrainian cities.
A retired official of Russia’s Federal Security Service was put in charge of security for the program. The passports of highly skilled employees were seized so they could not leave the country. In correspondence and other documents, engineers used coded language: Drones were “boats,” their explosives were “bumpers,” and Iran was “Ireland” or “Belarus.”
This was Russia’s billion-dollar weapons deal with Iran coming to life in November, 500 miles east of Moscow in the Tatarstan region. Its aim is to domestically build 6,000 drones by summer 2025.
Read the full story here.