Russia cites ‘concern’ but does not condemn Hamas attack on Israel
Russia has labeled opposition figures such as Alexei Navalny as “terrorists” and, since invading its neighbor, the Kremlin routinely denounces defensive Ukrainian strikes as “terrorist attacks.”
But after Hamas militants carried out a brutal surprise attack in which hundreds of Israeli civilians were killed or kidnapped, Russia stopped short of condemning the Palestinian militant group, referring instead to what happened as “a spiral of violence” and pointing fingers at the West.
Russia’s carefully worded reaction reflected decades of nuanced — at times contradictory — diplomacy in which the Kremlin has sought strong ties with Israel while also supporting the Palestinian cause and courting groups such as Hamas that are committed to Israel’s destruction.
Read the full story here.
Russia has labeled opposition figures such as Alexei Navalny as “terrorists” and, since invading its neighbor, the Kremlin routinely denounces defensive Ukrainian strikes as “terrorist attacks.”
But after Hamas militants carried out a brutal surprise attack in which hundreds of Israeli civilians were killed or kidnapped, Russia stopped short of condemning the Palestinian militant group, referring instead to what happened as “a spiral of violence” and pointing fingers at the West.
Russia’s carefully worded reaction reflected decades of nuanced — at times contradictory — diplomacy in which the Kremlin has sought strong ties with Israel while also supporting the Palestinian cause and courting groups such as Hamas that are committed to Israel’s destruction.
Read the full story here.
White House considers adding Ukraine to Israel aid package
The White House is considering a move to attach Ukraine funding to a request for urgent aid to Israel, according to several people familiar with the deliberations, in the hopes that such a pairing would increase the chance that Congress would approve aid to Kyiv despite growing opposition from House Republicans.
No final decisions have been made on whether to link the requests, said two senior administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. One of the officials said such a move could make sense because it “jams the far right,” which is firmly opposed to more Ukraine aid but strongly supportive of aid to Israel.
Read the full story here.
The White House is considering a move to attach Ukraine funding to a request for urgent aid to Israel, according to several people familiar with the deliberations, in the hopes that such a pairing would increase the chance that Congress would approve aid to Kyiv despite growing opposition from House Republicans.
No final decisions have been made on whether to link the requests, said two senior administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. One of the officials said such a move could make sense because it “jams the far right,” which is firmly opposed to more Ukraine aid but strongly supportive of aid to Israel.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukrainians in the village of Hroza held funerals for those killed in a deadly Russian missile strike last week.
- The White House is considering attaching a request for Congress to approve additional funding for Ukraine to a separate request for urgent aid to Israel, The Washington Post reported.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin, making his first comments Tuesday on the war between Israel and Hamas, blamed Washington. “Many will agree with me that this is a vivid example of the failure of U.S. policy,” he said.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Romania on Tuesday.
- Zelensky replaced the commander of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainians in the village of Hroza held funerals for those killed in a deadly Russian missile strike last week.
- The White House is considering attaching a request for Congress to approve additional funding for Ukraine to a separate request for urgent aid to Israel, The Washington Post reported.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin, making his first comments Tuesday on the war between Israel and Hamas, blamed Washington. “Many will agree with me that this is a vivid example of the failure of U.S. policy,” he said.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Romania on Tuesday.
- Zelensky replaced the commander of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces.
More live updates here.
Zelensky visits NATO headquarters for allied meeting to support Ukraine
BRUSSELS — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday to join a gathering of allies in support of his nation’s 20-month fight against Russian invaders — elevating the profile of the meeting as global attention has turned to the outbreak of a new war in Israel.
Zelensky, appearing in his trademark army colors, arrived at NATO headquarters just ahead of a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a cadre of dozens of nations organized by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. It marked Zelensky’s first visit to NATO headquarters, though he has addressed the allies remotely from Kyiv before.
Follow today's live updates.
BRUSSELS — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday to join a gathering of allies in support of his nation’s 20-month fight against Russian invaders — elevating the profile of the meeting as global attention has turned to the outbreak of a new war in Israel.
Zelensky, appearing in his trademark army colors, arrived at NATO headquarters just ahead of a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a cadre of dozens of nations organized by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. It marked Zelensky’s first visit to NATO headquarters, though he has addressed the allies remotely from Kyiv before.
Follow today's live updates.
In Ukraine, Russia’s winter attacks on infrastructure have started
KYIV — After an initially balmy fall, temperatures are dropping in Ukraine — and Russia has already begun pummeling Ukraine’s energy system, in a reprise of its brutal attempt last autumn and winter to demoralize Ukrainians by plunging them into darkness and cold.
Last winter, there were “a lot of difficult nights” when Russian forces sent waves of missiles and drones in a bid to destroy Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, said Fox, one of three soldiers manning a German-made Gepard Flakpanzer mobile antiaircraft system at a position not far from Kyiv.
“One time, they sent 20 drones together at a position,” said Fox, who is being identified only by call sign in keeping with Ukrainian military protocol. “But this winter will be a lot worse,” he said.
Fox appears to know what he is talking about.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — After an initially balmy fall, temperatures are dropping in Ukraine — and Russia has already begun pummeling Ukraine’s energy system, in a reprise of its brutal attempt last autumn and winter to demoralize Ukrainians by plunging them into darkness and cold.
Last winter, there were “a lot of difficult nights” when Russian forces sent waves of missiles and drones in a bid to destroy Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, said Fox, one of three soldiers manning a German-made Gepard Flakpanzer mobile antiaircraft system at a position not far from Kyiv.
“One time, they sent 20 drones together at a position,” said Fox, who is being identified only by call sign in keeping with Ukrainian military protocol. “But this winter will be a lot worse,” he said.
Fox appears to know what he is talking about.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia is preparing “again to use winter as a weapon for war,” adding in a tweet that the alliance is “committed to stepping up & sustaining our support for Ukraine.”
- Russia failed in its bid to rejoin the U.N. Human Rights Council. It lost out to Bulgaria and Albania, but did receive 83 votes in its favor from the General Assembly member nations.
- Russia launched an offensive toward the town of Avdiivka, in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
- Ukraine’s state security service said it identified two Ukrainian “traitors” who gave intelligence to Russian forces to direct a missile attack on a funeral reception in the village of Hroza last week.
- Russia struck a school in the southern Ukrainian city of Nikopol, destroying a gymnasium and killing four people on Wednesday, Ukrainian Internal Affairs Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram.
More live updates here.
- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia is preparing “again to use winter as a weapon for war,” adding in a tweet that the alliance is “committed to stepping up & sustaining our support for Ukraine.”
- Russia failed in its bid to rejoin the U.N. Human Rights Council. It lost out to Bulgaria and Albania, but did receive 83 votes in its favor from the General Assembly member nations.
- Russia launched an offensive toward the town of Avdiivka, in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
- Ukraine’s state security service said it identified two Ukrainian “traitors” who gave intelligence to Russian forces to direct a missile attack on a funeral reception in the village of Hroza last week.
- Russia struck a school in the southern Ukrainian city of Nikopol, destroying a gymnasium and killing four people on Wednesday, Ukrainian Internal Affairs Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- In his first known international trip this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived on Thursday in Kyrgyzstan, where he will meet with leaders of Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan.
- Ukraine’s allies “won’t be distracted” by the crisis in Israel and the Gaza Strip, and will continue to focus on Kyiv’s war with Russia, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said early Thursday.
- A coalition co-led by the United States, Denmark and the Netherlands will aim to establish F-16 fighter jet capacity in Ukraine and, later, oversee a full-scale Ukrainian air force built.
- Three people, including a child, were killed in the Russian city of Belgorod when a Ukrainian drone was downed, Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said Thursday.
More live updates here.
- In his first known international trip this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived on Thursday in Kyrgyzstan, where he will meet with leaders of Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan.
- Ukraine’s allies “won’t be distracted” by the crisis in Israel and the Gaza Strip, and will continue to focus on Kyiv’s war with Russia, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said early Thursday.
- A coalition co-led by the United States, Denmark and the Netherlands will aim to establish F-16 fighter jet capacity in Ukraine and, later, oversee a full-scale Ukrainian air force built.
- Three people, including a child, were killed in the Russian city of Belgorod when a Ukrainian drone was downed, Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said Thursday.
More live updates here.
Russia mounts major attack on key city in eastern Ukraine
KYIV — Intense fighting raged around the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka for a third day, local officials said Thursday, after Russian forces launched a major attack on the city, mobilizing thousands of troops and columns of armored vehicles.
“The battles around the city do not abate; the shelling does not abate both on the positions and on the city itself,” the head of the local military administration, Vitaliy Barabash, said on Ukrainian television.
Barabash said that “two dozen missiles” hit the area Wednesday. “There are dead, wounded, people under the rubble,” he said.
Avdiivka, which sits in a geographically strategic pocket close to the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk, has been a target of Moscow’s military aggression since 2014 — but so far the Kremlin’s forces have failed in repeated attempts to capture it.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — Intense fighting raged around the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka for a third day, local officials said Thursday, after Russian forces launched a major attack on the city, mobilizing thousands of troops and columns of armored vehicles.
“The battles around the city do not abate; the shelling does not abate both on the positions and on the city itself,” the head of the local military administration, Vitaliy Barabash, said on Ukrainian television.
Barabash said that “two dozen missiles” hit the area Wednesday. “There are dead, wounded, people under the rubble,” he said.
Avdiivka, which sits in a geographically strategic pocket close to the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk, has been a target of Moscow’s military aggression since 2014 — but so far the Kremlin’s forces have failed in repeated attempts to capture it.
Read the full story here.
In eastern Ukraine, small assault teams quietly advance against Russia
DONETSK REGION, Ukraine — While big, complex maneuvers unfold in Ukraine’s southern counteroffensive, and long-range artillery duels thunder along the front lines, such small-team tactics are less visible.
But these stealthy assaults of a handful of soldiers storming enemy positions have been quietly instrumental in recent gains in the eastern Donetsk region outside Bakhmut, Ukrainian fighters and commanders said.
Outnumbered and outgunned, Ukrainian teams numbering four to a dozen can attack on foot far less conspicuously than with vehicles, surprising complacent enemies and triggering chaos along the front.
The strategy, soldiers said, helped Ukrainian forces retake Andriivka and another village, Klishchiivka — important steps to increase pressure on Russians resupplying forces in and around Bakhmut.
This intense fighting has come with steep costs, troops and medical personnel said.
Read the full story here.
DONETSK REGION, Ukraine — While big, complex maneuvers unfold in Ukraine’s southern counteroffensive, and long-range artillery duels thunder along the front lines, such small-team tactics are less visible.
But these stealthy assaults of a handful of soldiers storming enemy positions have been quietly instrumental in recent gains in the eastern Donetsk region outside Bakhmut, Ukrainian fighters and commanders said.
Outnumbered and outgunned, Ukrainian teams numbering four to a dozen can attack on foot far less conspicuously than with vehicles, surprising complacent enemies and triggering chaos along the front.
The strategy, soldiers said, helped Ukrainian forces retake Andriivka and another village, Klishchiivka — important steps to increase pressure on Russians resupplying forces in and around Bakhmut.
This intense fighting has come with steep costs, troops and medical personnel said.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- If damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline is found to be from a deliberate attack, NATO will meet it with “a determined and united response,” NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday at a news conference after the meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.
- Senior U.S. officials have stepped up their efforts to lead Western governments to use hundreds of billions of dollars of frozen Russian central bank reserves to help Ukraine, The Post reported.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said “we are holding our ground” in Avdiivka, as Russian forces advanced toward the town in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region after launching an offensive Tuesday, the Institute for the Study of War said.
- Three people, including a child, were killed in the Russian city of Belgorod when a Ukrainian drone was downed, Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said Thursday on Telegram.
More live updates here.
- If damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline is found to be from a deliberate attack, NATO will meet it with “a determined and united response,” NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday at a news conference after the meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.
- Senior U.S. officials have stepped up their efforts to lead Western governments to use hundreds of billions of dollars of frozen Russian central bank reserves to help Ukraine, The Post reported.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said “we are holding our ground” in Avdiivka, as Russian forces advanced toward the town in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region after launching an offensive Tuesday, the Institute for the Study of War said.
- Three people, including a child, were killed in the Russian city of Belgorod when a Ukrainian drone was downed, Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said Thursday on Telegram.
More live updates here.
U.S. intensifies push to use Moscow’s $300 billion war chest for Kyiv
Senior U.S. officials have stepped up their efforts to lead Western governments to use hundreds of billions of dollars of frozen Russian central bank reserves to help Ukraine, according to three people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal conversations.
The intensifying push to use the assets for Ukraine comes as U.S. and European governments that support Kyiv encounter new domestic political roadblocks for their plans to send taxpayer money to the war effort, although officials insist the matters are unrelated. The Kremlin has an estimated $300 billion frozen in various bank accounts throughout Western countries, but experts have warned that simply taking that money would face legal challenges and pose major financial risks.
Read the full story here.
Senior U.S. officials have stepped up their efforts to lead Western governments to use hundreds of billions of dollars of frozen Russian central bank reserves to help Ukraine, according to three people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal conversations.
The intensifying push to use the assets for Ukraine comes as U.S. and European governments that support Kyiv encounter new domestic political roadblocks for their plans to send taxpayer money to the war effort, although officials insist the matters are unrelated. The Kremlin has an estimated $300 billion frozen in various bank accounts throughout Western countries, but experts have warned that simply taking that money would face legal challenges and pose major financial risks.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine hits Russian navy ships with sea drones
KYIV — “Experimental” naval drones damaged two Russian military vessels — the Buyan mission carrier and the Pavel Derzhavin patrol boat — over the past two days, Ukrainian intelligence officials said Friday, as Kyiv continued a series of strikes against Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet.
The attacks on the Black Sea Fleet, which is based in occupied Crimea, have demonstrated Ukraine’s ability to operate in Kremlin-controlled waters but do not appear to have seriously reduced Moscow’s capabilities.
An official with Ukraine’s State Security Service, the SBU, said a joint operation with Ukraine’s navy had damaged the Buyan missile carrier on Friday in the port of Sevastopol. The Pavel Derzhavin patrol boat was hit two days earlier. The Russian submarine Alrosa came under attack on Thursday but escaped damage, the official said.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — “Experimental” naval drones damaged two Russian military vessels — the Buyan mission carrier and the Pavel Derzhavin patrol boat — over the past two days, Ukrainian intelligence officials said Friday, as Kyiv continued a series of strikes against Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet.
The attacks on the Black Sea Fleet, which is based in occupied Crimea, have demonstrated Ukraine’s ability to operate in Kremlin-controlled waters but do not appear to have seriously reduced Moscow’s capabilities.
An official with Ukraine’s State Security Service, the SBU, said a joint operation with Ukraine’s navy had damaged the Buyan missile carrier on Friday in the port of Sevastopol. The Pavel Derzhavin patrol boat was hit two days earlier. The Russian submarine Alrosa came under attack on Thursday but escaped damage, the official said.
Read the full story here.
Poland faces a pivotal election. Observers say it isn’t a fair vote.
Poland will vote Sunday to determine whether a political party accused of whittling away the country’s democracy can stay in power, but an election billed as the most important in a generation has been clouded by concerns it will be only partially free and far from fair.
The outcome will be closely watched across Europe, where diplomatic clashes with Poland have become an enduring source of division and angst, as well as in the United States, which has grown closer with Poland since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
But officials and analysts say what Polish voters really want is being distorted by state-controlled media, new electoral rules and a controversial referendum that’s been tacked on to the vote.
Read the full story here.
Poland will vote Sunday to determine whether a political party accused of whittling away the country’s democracy can stay in power, but an election billed as the most important in a generation has been clouded by concerns it will be only partially free and far from fair.
The outcome will be closely watched across Europe, where diplomatic clashes with Poland have become an enduring source of division and angst, as well as in the United States, which has grown closer with Poland since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
But officials and analysts say what Polish voters really want is being distorted by state-controlled media, new electoral rules and a controversial referendum that’s been tacked on to the vote.
Read the full story here.
What to know about Poland’s election, Europe’s most-watched vote of 2023
Poland’s parliamentary election Sunday is being billed as the most consequential in years, with potential ramifications for Europe, the war in Ukraine and democracy itself.
Poland has been one of Ukraine’s biggest supporters, but relations between the countries soured following disputes over grain.
When Russia sought the pressure the country with a blockade, the E.U. offered support to Kyiv by opening its market. But Polish farmers say a glut of cheap Ukrainian grain has made it hard for them to make any profit from their own stocks. Law and Justice has come to their defense, pumping out subsidies to Polish farmers, while extending an embargo on Ukrainian grain.
Some commentators say this was a way for the ruling party to better position itself among its supporters in rural areas and small towns where the economy is heavily dependent on agriculture.
Read the full story here.
Poland’s parliamentary election Sunday is being billed as the most consequential in years, with potential ramifications for Europe, the war in Ukraine and democracy itself.
Poland has been one of Ukraine’s biggest supporters, but relations between the countries soured following disputes over grain.
When Russia sought the pressure the country with a blockade, the E.U. offered support to Kyiv by opening its market. But Polish farmers say a glut of cheap Ukrainian grain has made it hard for them to make any profit from their own stocks. Law and Justice has come to their defense, pumping out subsidies to Polish farmers, while extending an embargo on Ukrainian grain.
Some commentators say this was a way for the ruling party to better position itself among its supporters in rural areas and small towns where the economy is heavily dependent on agriculture.
Read the full story here.
After facing death, injured Ukrainian soldiers relearn intimacy
KYIV — The two Russian Lancet drones hovered briefly over a small house-turned-military base in northeast Ukraine, then exploded. Inside, shrapnel pierced through the pelvis and thigh of a Ukrainian combat medic who goes by the call sign Alaska.
As the house burned and she was evacuated to safety, Alaska texted her boyfriend, who is in a different Ukrainian unit, using the military code for wounded: “I’m 300.”
That short message marked the start of a new chapter in their emotional — and physical — relationship, an experience now confronting many couples in Ukraine. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have been severely wounded since Russia invaded in early 2022. Many soldiers return from the front in wheelchairs or needing prostheses. Often, the injuries — including amputations, facial damage and severe concussions — are life-altering.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — The two Russian Lancet drones hovered briefly over a small house-turned-military base in northeast Ukraine, then exploded. Inside, shrapnel pierced through the pelvis and thigh of a Ukrainian combat medic who goes by the call sign Alaska.
As the house burned and she was evacuated to safety, Alaska texted her boyfriend, who is in a different Ukrainian unit, using the military code for wounded: “I’m 300.”
That short message marked the start of a new chapter in their emotional — and physical — relationship, an experience now confronting many couples in Ukraine. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have been severely wounded since Russia invaded in early 2022. Many soldiers return from the front in wheelchairs or needing prostheses. Often, the injuries — including amputations, facial damage and severe concussions — are life-altering.
Read the full story here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
- Putin will meet with the leaders of Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan, as well as representatives from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which is made up of some former Soviet nations, according to Putin’s office. This is Putin’s first known foreign trip since the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest in March.
- If damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline is found to be from a deliberate attack, NATO will meet it with “a determined and united response,” NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday at a news conference after the meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.
- Senior U.S. officials have stepped up their efforts to lead Western governments to use hundreds of billions of dollars of frozen Russian central bank reserves to help Ukraine, The Post reported.
More live updates here.
- Putin will meet with the leaders of Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan, as well as representatives from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which is made up of some former Soviet nations, according to Putin’s office. This is Putin’s first known foreign trip since the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest in March.
- If damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline is found to be from a deliberate attack, NATO will meet it with “a determined and united response,” NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday at a news conference after the meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.
- Senior U.S. officials have stepped up their efforts to lead Western governments to use hundreds of billions of dollars of frozen Russian central bank reserves to help Ukraine, The Post reported.
More live updates here.
Russia releases four Ukrainian children after mediation by Qatar
KYIV — Russia has agreed to free four Ukrainian children — ranging in age from 2 to 17 — and allow them to return to their families in Ukraine after Qatar intervened as a mediator, according to a government official briefed on the matter.
Two of the children are now back with relatives and two others are expected to be reunited with their families in the coming days, the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic negotiations, said.
Qatar’s role in the negotiations, which lasted several months, came at the request of the Ukrainian government.
The Ukrainian children passed through Qatar’s Embassy in Moscow and took different routes home. Some traveled or were scheduled to travel from Russia to Ukraine via Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Others went through Belarus.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — Russia has agreed to free four Ukrainian children — ranging in age from 2 to 17 — and allow them to return to their families in Ukraine after Qatar intervened as a mediator, according to a government official briefed on the matter.
Two of the children are now back with relatives and two others are expected to be reunited with their families in the coming days, the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic negotiations, said.
Qatar’s role in the negotiations, which lasted several months, came at the request of the Ukrainian government.
The Ukrainian children passed through Qatar’s Embassy in Moscow and took different routes home. Some traveled or were scheduled to travel from Russia to Ukraine via Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Others went through Belarus.
Read the full story here.