Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- U.S. intelligence officials don’t expect Ukraine to reach the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol in its counteroffensive, according to people familiar with a classified forecast.
- In Moscow, officials reported early Friday that a drone was shot down. Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of launching “another terrorist attack.”
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday signed legislation extending martial law until mid-November.
- A large fire broke out at a cargo terminal in the Russian Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk, according to Russian state news agency Tass.
- Russia is attempting to “erode Ukrainian national identity” in the areas it occupies, Britain’s Defense Ministry said.
- Ukraine will host a defense industries forum in the fall, Zelensky said.
- A new Pentagon review of biological threats says Russia probably maintains the ability to create deadly toxins and pathogens, The Post reported.
More live updates here.
- U.S. intelligence officials don’t expect Ukraine to reach the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol in its counteroffensive, according to people familiar with a classified forecast.
- In Moscow, officials reported early Friday that a drone was shot down. Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of launching “another terrorist attack.”
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday signed legislation extending martial law until mid-November.
- A large fire broke out at a cargo terminal in the Russian Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk, according to Russian state news agency Tass.
- Russia is attempting to “erode Ukrainian national identity” in the areas it occupies, Britain’s Defense Ministry said.
- Ukraine will host a defense industries forum in the fall, Zelensky said.
- A new Pentagon review of biological threats says Russia probably maintains the ability to create deadly toxins and pathogens, The Post reported.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said he hopes as much as 60 percent of Ukraine’s grain exports might pass through Romania following the new agreement, Reuters reported.
- Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra welcomed Washington’s decision to pave the way for sending F-16s to Ukraine, calling it “a major milestone for Ukraine to defend its people and its country” on social media.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov defended Moscow’s nuclear weapons, claiming they are for security purposes only in an interview published on the foreign ministry website Saturday.
- It is “premature to make assessments about the overall success” of Kyiv’s counteroffensive, the Institute for the Study of War said a report Friday.
- A court in Russia on Friday ordered the dissolution of the Sakharov Center.
More live updates here.
- Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said he hopes as much as 60 percent of Ukraine’s grain exports might pass through Romania following the new agreement, Reuters reported.
- Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra welcomed Washington’s decision to pave the way for sending F-16s to Ukraine, calling it “a major milestone for Ukraine to defend its people and its country” on social media.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov defended Moscow’s nuclear weapons, claiming they are for security purposes only in an interview published on the foreign ministry website Saturday.
- It is “premature to make assessments about the overall success” of Kyiv’s counteroffensive, the Institute for the Study of War said a report Friday.
- A court in Russia on Friday ordered the dissolution of the Sakharov Center.
More live updates here.
Russia recruited operatives online to target weapons crossing Poland
WARSAW — The cryptic job listings began appearing online early this year.
The tasks were menial — posting fliers or hanging signs in public spaces — and the pay meager. But for a handful of refugees from eastern Ukraine, the promise of quick cash was too good to pass up.
Respondents soon realized there was a catch: The jobs involved distributing pro-Russian propaganda on behalf of an anonymous employer. For those willing to complete the assignments anyway, the work then took a more ominous turn.
Within weeks, recruits were tasked with scouting Polish seaports, placing cameras along railways and hiding tracking devices in military cargo, according to Polish investigators. Then, in March, came startling new orders to derail trains carrying weapons to Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
WARSAW — The cryptic job listings began appearing online early this year.
The tasks were menial — posting fliers or hanging signs in public spaces — and the pay meager. But for a handful of refugees from eastern Ukraine, the promise of quick cash was too good to pass up.
Respondents soon realized there was a catch: The jobs involved distributing pro-Russian propaganda on behalf of an anonymous employer. For those willing to complete the assignments anyway, the work then took a more ominous turn.
Within weeks, recruits were tasked with scouting Polish seaports, placing cameras along railways and hiding tracking devices in military cargo, according to Polish investigators. Then, in March, came startling new orders to derail trains carrying weapons to Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
Media is too big
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- A strike on a theater in the northern city of Chernihiv killed at least seven people, including a 6-year-old child, and injured 140, Ukrainian authorities said Saturday.
- Chernihiv will observe three days of mourning, from Saturday to Monday, acting mayor Oleksandr Lomako said on Telegram. The injured included bystanders, the region’s administration said on Telegram. The city was besieged by Russian troops for weeks early in the war, with more than half the city’s population fleeing — but Ukrainian troops regained control.
- Videos verified by The Washington Post showed an explosion on the roof of the theater before a fiery projectile slammed into a building about 320 feet away. The venue reportedly hosted a gathering for drone demonstrations on Saturday.
- Zelensky is visiting Sweden for meetings with the country’s leaders, including Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and King Carl XVI.
More live updates here.
- A strike on a theater in the northern city of Chernihiv killed at least seven people, including a 6-year-old child, and injured 140, Ukrainian authorities said Saturday.
- Chernihiv will observe three days of mourning, from Saturday to Monday, acting mayor Oleksandr Lomako said on Telegram. The injured included bystanders, the region’s administration said on Telegram. The city was besieged by Russian troops for weeks early in the war, with more than half the city’s population fleeing — but Ukrainian troops regained control.
- Videos verified by The Washington Post showed an explosion on the roof of the theater before a fiery projectile slammed into a building about 320 feet away. The venue reportedly hosted a gathering for drone demonstrations on Saturday.
- Zelensky is visiting Sweden for meetings with the country’s leaders, including Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and King Carl XVI.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The Chernihiv strike “probably” involved a ballistic missile, the regional governor said. The United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, Denise Brown, condemned the attack, saying in a statement that it “is heinous to attack the main square of a large city, in the morning, while people are out walking, some going to the church to celebrate a religious day for many Ukrainians.”
- Videos verified by The Washington Post showed an explosion on the roof of the theater before a fiery projectile slammed into a building about 320 feet away.
- Kyiv has an agreement with Stockholm to produce armored vehicles known as CV-90s inside Ukraine, Zelensky said in his nightly address. He did not specify how many, or what the agreement entailed.
- Five people were injured after a drone attack on a train station in Russia not far from the Ukrainian border.
More live updates here.
- The Chernihiv strike “probably” involved a ballistic missile, the regional governor said. The United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, Denise Brown, condemned the attack, saying in a statement that it “is heinous to attack the main square of a large city, in the morning, while people are out walking, some going to the church to celebrate a religious day for many Ukrainians.”
- Videos verified by The Washington Post showed an explosion on the roof of the theater before a fiery projectile slammed into a building about 320 feet away.
- Kyiv has an agreement with Stockholm to produce armored vehicles known as CV-90s inside Ukraine, Zelensky said in his nightly address. He did not specify how many, or what the agreement entailed.
- Five people were injured after a drone attack on a train station in Russia not far from the Ukrainian border.
More live updates here.
Russian court dissolves Sakharov Center, a prominent human rights group
A court in Russia on Friday ordered the dissolution of the Sakharov Center, an organization that ran a renowned museum and cultural space in Moscow, the Associated Press reported, amid an ongoing purge of human rights groups in Russia.
The Moscow City Court ruled in favor of the Ministry of Justice, which had demanded the center’s liquidation in July alleging “violations” following an unscheduled inspection, Russia’s state-run Tass news agency said.
Separately, the Ministry of Justice on Friday designated six Russians, including academics and activists, as “foreign agents” for opposing the Ukraine war.
The crackdown on human rights groups and critics under Russian President Vladimir Putin has been expanding for years, but has escalated since the invasion of Ukraine. The authorities have brought in laws and measures described by Human Rights Watch as an “all-out drive to eradicate public dissent” in Russia.
Read the full story here.
A court in Russia on Friday ordered the dissolution of the Sakharov Center, an organization that ran a renowned museum and cultural space in Moscow, the Associated Press reported, amid an ongoing purge of human rights groups in Russia.
The Moscow City Court ruled in favor of the Ministry of Justice, which had demanded the center’s liquidation in July alleging “violations” following an unscheduled inspection, Russia’s state-run Tass news agency said.
Separately, the Ministry of Justice on Friday designated six Russians, including academics and activists, as “foreign agents” for opposing the Ukraine war.
The crackdown on human rights groups and critics under Russian President Vladimir Putin has been expanding for years, but has escalated since the invasion of Ukraine. The authorities have brought in laws and measures described by Human Rights Watch as an “all-out drive to eradicate public dissent” in Russia.
Read the full story here.
As Ukraine flies through artillery rounds, U.S. races to keep up
The Biden administration’s sprint to supply Ukraine with weapons central to its military success against Russia has yielded a promising acceleration of arms production, including the standard NATO artillery round, output of which is expected soon to reach double its prewar U.S. rate of 14,000 a month.
The stakes in the U.S. effort to shake up a sclerotic defense acquisition system are particularly high as Kyiv tries to claw back territory from Russian control in a slow-moving counteroffensive whose fate, U.S. officials now say, hinges on the West’s ability to satisfy Ukraine’s astonishing hunger for artillery ammunition.
But industry experts warn of major challenges in sustaining an elevated output of arms and equipment needed not just to aid Ukraine but to ensure the United States’ own security in potential conflicts with Russia or China.
Read the full story here.
The Biden administration’s sprint to supply Ukraine with weapons central to its military success against Russia has yielded a promising acceleration of arms production, including the standard NATO artillery round, output of which is expected soon to reach double its prewar U.S. rate of 14,000 a month.
The stakes in the U.S. effort to shake up a sclerotic defense acquisition system are particularly high as Kyiv tries to claw back territory from Russian control in a slow-moving counteroffensive whose fate, U.S. officials now say, hinges on the West’s ability to satisfy Ukraine’s astonishing hunger for artillery ammunition.
But industry experts warn of major challenges in sustaining an elevated output of arms and equipment needed not just to aid Ukraine but to ensure the United States’ own security in potential conflicts with Russia or China.
Read the full story here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukraine will get F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands and Denmark, the Dutch prime minister and Danish Defense Ministry confirmed on Sunday. The announcement came during a visit to the Netherlands by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and after the Biden administration said it would green-light such transfers once Ukrainian pilots are trained to use the American-made aircraft.
- Russian officials reported drone strikes in four regions of western and southern Russia, and blamed Ukraine. An uptick in attacks deep inside Russian territory likely means Russian military leaders are under pressure to tighten air defenses, Britain’s Defense Ministry said.
- Zelensky said the military would “respond tangibly” to an attack on Chernihiv, which killed at least seven people, including a 6-year-old child. Ukrainian authorities said 144 people were injured in the daytime strike on a theater in the northern city.
More live updates here.
- Ukraine will get F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands and Denmark, the Dutch prime minister and Danish Defense Ministry confirmed on Sunday. The announcement came during a visit to the Netherlands by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and after the Biden administration said it would green-light such transfers once Ukrainian pilots are trained to use the American-made aircraft.
- Russian officials reported drone strikes in four regions of western and southern Russia, and blamed Ukraine. An uptick in attacks deep inside Russian territory likely means Russian military leaders are under pressure to tighten air defenses, Britain’s Defense Ministry said.
- Zelensky said the military would “respond tangibly” to an attack on Chernihiv, which killed at least seven people, including a 6-year-old child. Ukrainian authorities said 144 people were injured in the daytime strike on a theater in the northern city.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
- The Netherlands and Denmark pledged to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, a move that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called “powerful” and “historic” as he wrapped up a diplomatic tour to several European countries this weekend.
- Ukraine will receive 42 F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands and 19 from Denmark, Zelensky said on Telegram.
- Rescue operations for the deadly Saturday attack on Chernihiv have ended, with seven dead and 156 injured, Ukraine’s operational armed forces said Sunday, adding that 66 residential buildings were damaged.
- E.U. foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned Russia’s strike on Chernihiv as “cowardly and deliberate” in a social media post. Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the incident a “horrific missile attack on innocent civilians.”
- Russian attacks in the Kherson region killed at least two people and injured three others, its governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, said Monday.
More live updates here.
- The Netherlands and Denmark pledged to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, a move that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called “powerful” and “historic” as he wrapped up a diplomatic tour to several European countries this weekend.
- Ukraine will receive 42 F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands and 19 from Denmark, Zelensky said on Telegram.
- Rescue operations for the deadly Saturday attack on Chernihiv have ended, with seven dead and 156 injured, Ukraine’s operational armed forces said Sunday, adding that 66 residential buildings were damaged.
- E.U. foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned Russia’s strike on Chernihiv as “cowardly and deliberate” in a social media post. Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the incident a “horrific missile attack on innocent civilians.”
- Russian attacks in the Kherson region killed at least two people and injured three others, its governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, said Monday.
More live updates here.
Ukraine running out of options to retake significant territory
Ukraine appears to be running out of options in a counteroffensive that officials originally framed as Kyiv’s crucial operation to retake significant territory from occupying Russian forces this year.
More than two months into the fight, the counteroffensive shows signs of stalling. Kyiv’s advances remain isolated to a handful of villages, Russian troops are pushing forward in the north and a plan to train Ukrainian pilots on U.S.-made F-16s is delayed.
Ukraine’s inability to demonstrate decisive success on the battlefield is stoking fears that the conflict is becoming a stalemate and international support could erode. A new, classified U.S. intelligence report has predicted that the counteroffensive will fail to reach the key southeastern city of Melitopol this year.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine appears to be running out of options in a counteroffensive that officials originally framed as Kyiv’s crucial operation to retake significant territory from occupying Russian forces this year.
More than two months into the fight, the counteroffensive shows signs of stalling. Kyiv’s advances remain isolated to a handful of villages, Russian troops are pushing forward in the north and a plan to train Ukrainian pilots on U.S.-made F-16s is delayed.
Ukraine’s inability to demonstrate decisive success on the battlefield is stoking fears that the conflict is becoming a stalemate and international support could erode. A new, classified U.S. intelligence report has predicted that the counteroffensive will fail to reach the key southeastern city of Melitopol this year.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called a pledge by the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine “powerful” and “historic” as he continued his diplomatic tour of several European countries.
- Russian officials said two people were injured after drones flew over the Moscow region early Monday and were destroyed by air defense systems.
- Dozens of Ukrainian pilots, engineers and others will be trained to use F-16 fighter jets in Denmark, Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said.
- Britain’s Defense Ministry said it is “highly likely” that Russia will form a new military unit “to focus on defensive security operations in the south of Ukraine.”
- Russian attacks in the Kherson region killed at least two people and injured three others, its governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, said.
- Rescue operations for a deadly Saturday attack on Chernihiv have ended, with seven dead and 156 injured, Ukraine’s operational armed forces said.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called a pledge by the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine “powerful” and “historic” as he continued his diplomatic tour of several European countries.
- Russian officials said two people were injured after drones flew over the Moscow region early Monday and were destroyed by air defense systems.
- Dozens of Ukrainian pilots, engineers and others will be trained to use F-16 fighter jets in Denmark, Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said.
- Britain’s Defense Ministry said it is “highly likely” that Russia will form a new military unit “to focus on defensive security operations in the south of Ukraine.”
- Russian attacks in the Kherson region killed at least two people and injured three others, its governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, said.
- Rescue operations for a deadly Saturday attack on Chernihiv have ended, with seven dead and 156 injured, Ukraine’s operational armed forces said.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a news conference in Athens that Greece would take part in training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, although he did not offer details.
- Russian officials said two people were injured after drones flew over the Moscow region early Monday and were destroyed by air defense systems.
- The U.S. Embassy in Belarus urged Americans to leave the country “immediately,” citing spillover risks from the war in Ukraine, including a buildup of Russian troops in Belarus.
- The U.S. is ready to authorize the third-party transfer of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine when “certain criteria” are met, including English-language training and logistics, deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said at a Monday briefing.
- Russian air defense forces intercepted two drones near Moscow on Tuesday, Moscow regional Gov. Andrey Vorobyov wrote on Telegram.
More live updates here.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a news conference in Athens that Greece would take part in training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, although he did not offer details.
- Russian officials said two people were injured after drones flew over the Moscow region early Monday and were destroyed by air defense systems.
- The U.S. Embassy in Belarus urged Americans to leave the country “immediately,” citing spillover risks from the war in Ukraine, including a buildup of Russian troops in Belarus.
- The U.S. is ready to authorize the third-party transfer of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine when “certain criteria” are met, including English-language training and logistics, deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said at a Monday briefing.
- Russian air defense forces intercepted two drones near Moscow on Tuesday, Moscow regional Gov. Andrey Vorobyov wrote on Telegram.
More live updates here.
How Ukraine is exploiting Biden’s cluster bomb gamble
KHARKIV REGION, Ukraine — A few feet away from a pile of U.S.-made cluster bombs, an earsplitting boom goes off 50 times a day, marking the latest volley from a Ukrainian artillery crew seeking to hold back advancing Russian forces.
“When we start firing the cluster munitions, the Russians disappear under hard cover. They won’t even poke their noses out,” said Stanislav, a Ukrainian military official standing a few miles from the front line in a blackened forest still smoldering from Russian shelling.
The artillery crew first received U.S.-made cluster munitions a few weeks ago following President Biden’s decision to send the weapon in the most controversial arms transfer of his presidency. The bombs are outlawed in more than 120 countries under a 2008 international treaty, but not in the United States, Russia and Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
KHARKIV REGION, Ukraine — A few feet away from a pile of U.S.-made cluster bombs, an earsplitting boom goes off 50 times a day, marking the latest volley from a Ukrainian artillery crew seeking to hold back advancing Russian forces.
“When we start firing the cluster munitions, the Russians disappear under hard cover. They won’t even poke their noses out,” said Stanislav, a Ukrainian military official standing a few miles from the front line in a blackened forest still smoldering from Russian shelling.
The artillery crew first received U.S.-made cluster munitions a few weeks ago following President Biden’s decision to send the weapon in the most controversial arms transfer of his presidency. The bombs are outlawed in more than 120 countries under a 2008 international treaty, but not in the United States, Russia and Ukraine.
Read the full story here.