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Alexei Navalny buried as Russian public blocked from cemetery
MOSCOW — The body of Alexei Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most formidable critic, was lowered into the ground to the strains of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” as thousands of his supporters outside a cemetery chanted to be allowed in to pay their respects.
Under the supervision of busloads of riot police, Navalny’s body was whisked into a church for a brief ceremony before being taken for burial.
The opposition leader died suddenly at the age of 47 in the Polar Wolf prison colony in northern Russia.
Follow live updates here.
MOSCOW — The body of Alexei Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most formidable critic, was lowered into the ground to the strains of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” as thousands of his supporters outside a cemetery chanted to be allowed in to pay their respects.
Under the supervision of busloads of riot police, Navalny’s body was whisked into a church for a brief ceremony before being taken for burial.
The opposition leader died suddenly at the age of 47 in the Polar Wolf prison colony in northern Russia.
Follow live updates here.
Russians turn out to bury Alexei Navalny, as police try to keep them away
MOSCOW — Thousands of Russians who risked arrest Friday to attend the Moscow funeral of opposition leader Alexei Navalny were thwarted by a huge force of riot police, deployed to ensure that President Vladimir Putin’s charismatic rival was buried with as little fanfare as possible.
But the throngs of supporters who braved the security presence sent a powerful message that many Russians still support Navalny’s vision of a free, democratic Russia — and showed his pivotal role as a man who fearlessly defied Putin from prison.
Navalny died Feb. 16 in prison at age 47, with an official investigation declaring that his death was due to “natural causes.” His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, and aides have accused Putin of his “murder,” while many Western leaders have said Putin was responsible.
Read the full story here.
MOSCOW — Thousands of Russians who risked arrest Friday to attend the Moscow funeral of opposition leader Alexei Navalny were thwarted by a huge force of riot police, deployed to ensure that President Vladimir Putin’s charismatic rival was buried with as little fanfare as possible.
But the throngs of supporters who braved the security presence sent a powerful message that many Russians still support Navalny’s vision of a free, democratic Russia — and showed his pivotal role as a man who fearlessly defied Putin from prison.
Navalny died Feb. 16 in prison at age 47, with an official investigation declaring that his death was due to “natural causes.” His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, and aides have accused Putin of his “murder,” while many Western leaders have said Putin was responsible.
Read the full story here.
Inside Ukraine’s last stand in Avdiivka and its ‘road of death'
DONETSK REGION, Ukraine — On Feb. 17, Russia claimed total control of the eastern city of Avdiivka — its first significant territorial gain in almost a year.
The loss was a stinging defeat for Ukraine, which up until the last minute was still rushing troops to the city in a desperate last-ditch attempt to hold the Russians off.
Seven troops from the 3rd Assault Brigade spoke to The Post about their final days under Russian assault inside the former Ukrainian stronghold. Their accounts drive home the urgency of Ukraine’s battlefield disadvantage as soldiers — far outnumbered by Russians — wait for Western weapon deliveries and troop reinforcements.
Read the full story here.
DONETSK REGION, Ukraine — On Feb. 17, Russia claimed total control of the eastern city of Avdiivka — its first significant territorial gain in almost a year.
The loss was a stinging defeat for Ukraine, which up until the last minute was still rushing troops to the city in a desperate last-ditch attempt to hold the Russians off.
Seven troops from the 3rd Assault Brigade spoke to The Post about their final days under Russian assault inside the former Ukrainian stronghold. Their accounts drive home the urgency of Ukraine’s battlefield disadvantage as soldiers — far outnumbered by Russians — wait for Western weapon deliveries and troop reinforcements.
Read the full story here.
Alexei Navalny’s mourners also grieve for a democratic Russia
MOSCOW — In the weeks since Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died suddenly in an Arctic prison, the simple act of laying flowers — at his graveside or makeshift memorials — has become an act of political defiance.
Wartime Russia brooks no dissent.
When he was alive, Navalny, an anti-corruption and pro-democracy activist, had urged his followers not to be afraid as they struggled for what he called a free and “happy” Russia of the future.
On Saturday, one day after he was laid to rest at a Moscow cemetery, mourners, many of them carrying bouquets, were still braving the police to pay their respects.
But in today’s Russia, freedom and happiness have never seemed further away.
Read the full story here.
MOSCOW — In the weeks since Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died suddenly in an Arctic prison, the simple act of laying flowers — at his graveside or makeshift memorials — has become an act of political defiance.
Wartime Russia brooks no dissent.
When he was alive, Navalny, an anti-corruption and pro-democracy activist, had urged his followers not to be afraid as they struggled for what he called a free and “happy” Russia of the future.
On Saturday, one day after he was laid to rest at a Moscow cemetery, mourners, many of them carrying bouquets, were still braving the police to pay their respects.
But in today’s Russia, freedom and happiness have never seemed further away.
Read the full story here.
Zelensky in bind over how to draft more troops as Russian forces advance
KYIV — Even as he promises international partners that Ukraine will handle the fighting if given needed weapons and other support, President Volodymyr Zelensky and his top military commanders have failed so far to come up with a clear plan to conscript or recruit many thousands of new soldiers critically needed to defend against Russia’s continuing attacks.
Zelensky’s inability to forge a political consensus on a mobilization strategy — despite months of warnings about a severe shortage of qualified troops on the front — has fueled deep divisions in Ukraine’s parliament and more broadly in Ukrainian society. It has left the military relying on a hodgepodge of recruiting efforts and sown panic among fighting-age men, some of whom have gone into hiding, worried that they will be drafted into an ill-equipped army and sent to certain death given that aid for Ukraine remains stalled in Washington.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — Even as he promises international partners that Ukraine will handle the fighting if given needed weapons and other support, President Volodymyr Zelensky and his top military commanders have failed so far to come up with a clear plan to conscript or recruit many thousands of new soldiers critically needed to defend against Russia’s continuing attacks.
Zelensky’s inability to forge a political consensus on a mobilization strategy — despite months of warnings about a severe shortage of qualified troops on the front — has fueled deep divisions in Ukraine’s parliament and more broadly in Ukrainian society. It has left the military relying on a hodgepodge of recruiting efforts and sown panic among fighting-age men, some of whom have gone into hiding, worried that they will be drafted into an ill-equipped army and sent to certain death given that aid for Ukraine remains stalled in Washington.
Read the full story here.
Explosion at rail bridge deep inside Russia shows Ukraine’s reach
KYIV — Ukraine hinted Monday that its agents were responsible for an explosion on a Russian railway bridge used to transport ammunition, in what appears to be the latest successful operation targeting infrastructure deep behind enemy lines as Ukrainian forces struggle against advancing Russian troops.
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, the GUR, said Monday that the explosion on the railway bridge in Russia’s Samara region — about 650 miles from the Ukrainian border — occurred about 6 a.m. local time. “Its use in the next few weeks is impossible,” the agency said in a post on the Telegram social media app.
The GUR did not directly assert responsibility for the attack, but this wouldn’t be the first time Ukraine’s security services have targeted military rail routes in Russia — a hybrid warfare technique that has increased as Russia has regained the offensive initiative along the front line in Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — Ukraine hinted Monday that its agents were responsible for an explosion on a Russian railway bridge used to transport ammunition, in what appears to be the latest successful operation targeting infrastructure deep behind enemy lines as Ukrainian forces struggle against advancing Russian troops.
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, the GUR, said Monday that the explosion on the railway bridge in Russia’s Samara region — about 650 miles from the Ukrainian border — occurred about 6 a.m. local time. “Its use in the next few weeks is impossible,” the agency said in a post on the Telegram social media app.
The GUR did not directly assert responsibility for the attack, but this wouldn’t be the first time Ukraine’s security services have targeted military rail routes in Russia — a hybrid warfare technique that has increased as Russia has regained the offensive initiative along the front line in Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
International Criminal Court issues warrant for two Russian military leaders
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Tuesday for two Russian military leaders in connection to alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
The court said in a statement that it had issued warrants for Lt. Gen. Sergei Ivanovich Kobylash and Adm. Viktor Kinolayevich Sokolov. At the time of the alleged crimes, Kobylash was the commander of Long-Range Aviation of the Aerospace Force in the Russian Armed Forces, while Sokolov was commander of the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet.
The court’s pretrial chamber found that the “two suspects bear responsibility for missile strikes carried out by the forces under their command against the Ukrainian electric infrastructure from at least 10 October 2022 until at least 9 March 2023,” the ICC said in the statement.
Read the full story here.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Tuesday for two Russian military leaders in connection to alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
The court said in a statement that it had issued warrants for Lt. Gen. Sergei Ivanovich Kobylash and Adm. Viktor Kinolayevich Sokolov. At the time of the alleged crimes, Kobylash was the commander of Long-Range Aviation of the Aerospace Force in the Russian Armed Forces, while Sokolov was commander of the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet.
The court’s pretrial chamber found that the “two suspects bear responsibility for missile strikes carried out by the forces under their command against the Ukrainian electric infrastructure from at least 10 October 2022 until at least 9 March 2023,” the ICC said in the statement.
Read the full story here.
Russian missile strike hits near Zelensky motorcade in Odessa
KYIV — A Russian missile strike appeared to target Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, landing near his motorcade in the Black Sea port city of Odessa, where the president was meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Zelensky and members of the Greek delegation were not harmed, despite the missile landing some 500 feet away, Greek officials told the Protothema news outlet.
Zelensky and Mitsotakis were visiting the Odessa port around 10:40 a.m. when air-raid sirens could be heard. The explosion then occurred within minutes.
“We witnessed the strike today,” Zelensky told reporters after. “You see who we're dealing with; they don't care where to hit. I know there were casualties today; I don't know all the details yet, but I know there are casualties.”
Read the full story here.
KYIV — A Russian missile strike appeared to target Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, landing near his motorcade in the Black Sea port city of Odessa, where the president was meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Zelensky and members of the Greek delegation were not harmed, despite the missile landing some 500 feet away, Greek officials told the Protothema news outlet.
Zelensky and Mitsotakis were visiting the Odessa port around 10:40 a.m. when air-raid sirens could be heard. The explosion then occurred within minutes.
“We witnessed the strike today,” Zelensky told reporters after. “You see who we're dealing with; they don't care where to hit. I know there were casualties today; I don't know all the details yet, but I know there are casualties.”
Read the full story here.
U.S. Democrats probe Musk’s SpaceX, examining Russia’s alleged Starlink use
House Democrats opened an investigation of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, examining whether the company implemented adequate safeguards to prevent Russia from deploying its Starlink satellite internet service in its war against Ukraine.
Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) sent a letter Wednesday night demanding that the company report complaints about potential illegal acquisitions of Starlink terminals, including in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine. The lawmakers said they were alarmed by Ukrainian intelligence officials’ allegations that Russian forces deployed the company’s terminals in eastern Ukraine, potentially running afoul of U.S. sanctions.
Read the full story here.
House Democrats opened an investigation of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, examining whether the company implemented adequate safeguards to prevent Russia from deploying its Starlink satellite internet service in its war against Ukraine.
Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) sent a letter Wednesday night demanding that the company report complaints about potential illegal acquisitions of Starlink terminals, including in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine. The lawmakers said they were alarmed by Ukrainian intelligence officials’ allegations that Russian forces deployed the company’s terminals in eastern Ukraine, potentially running afoul of U.S. sanctions.
Read the full story here.
Breaking news: Sweden finally joins NATO in expansion spurred by Putin’s Ukraine war
Sweden officially joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Thursday, a historic shift that highlights how Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine is transforming European security in ways he may not have foreseen.
At a meeting in Washington, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson deposited the final paperwork with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the last step needed for the former militarily nonaligned nation to become NATO’s 32nd member. Sweden’s neighbor, Finland, joined last year.
To justify his aggression in Ukraine, Putin cited the possibility of NATO expansion. Now, in one of the conflict’s many twists, his war has brought a bigger, stronger alliance to his door. Russia will have to live with the consequences for years.
Read the full story here.
Sweden officially joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Thursday, a historic shift that highlights how Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine is transforming European security in ways he may not have foreseen.
At a meeting in Washington, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson deposited the final paperwork with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the last step needed for the former militarily nonaligned nation to become NATO’s 32nd member. Sweden’s neighbor, Finland, joined last year.
To justify his aggression in Ukraine, Putin cited the possibility of NATO expansion. Now, in one of the conflict’s many twists, his war has brought a bigger, stronger alliance to his door. Russia will have to live with the consequences for years.
Read the full story here.
Former Ukraine military head appointed to U.K. ambassador role
KYIV — President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday appointed his former military chief, Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, to become Ukraine’s ambassador to Britain — a next step outside of the military for Zaluzhny a month after he was replaced.
Zaluzhny was offered the post last month but didn’t immediately accept, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday appointed his former military chief, Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, to become Ukraine’s ambassador to Britain — a next step outside of the military for Zaluzhny a month after he was replaced.
Zaluzhny was offered the post last month but didn’t immediately accept, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Read the full story here.
Russia’s opposition and Ukraine find it impossible to unite against Putin
MOSCOW — Ukraine and the liberal Russian opposition share a common enemy. Both want to see an end to President Vladimir Putin’s reign and his war against Ukraine.
But the Ukrainian reaction to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Putin’s greatest opponent, has highlighted the depth of the disconnect between the two sides. It has also underscored the complexities of achieving lasting reconciliation between the two neighbors, even if Putin were no longer around.
As tens of thousands of Russians inside the country and around the world flocked to pay their respects to the late politician, grieving the loss of what many saw as Russia’s last remaining democratic hope, in Ukraine the response was muted — if not actively hostile at times — for a man many viewed with heavy skepticism.
Read the full story here.
MOSCOW — Ukraine and the liberal Russian opposition share a common enemy. Both want to see an end to President Vladimir Putin’s reign and his war against Ukraine.
But the Ukrainian reaction to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Putin’s greatest opponent, has highlighted the depth of the disconnect between the two sides. It has also underscored the complexities of achieving lasting reconciliation between the two neighbors, even if Putin were no longer around.
As tens of thousands of Russians inside the country and around the world flocked to pay their respects to the late politician, grieving the loss of what many saw as Russia’s last remaining democratic hope, in Ukraine the response was muted — if not actively hostile at times — for a man many viewed with heavy skepticism.
Read the full story here.
Russia’s air power roars back into the war with devastating guided bombs
KYIV — Russia’s air force has dramatically boosted its effectiveness in the Ukraine war with its increased use of “glide bombs,” contributing to Moscow’s recent battlefield successes, according to Western experts.
The plentiful Soviet-era bombs, which carry up to a half-ton of explosives, have been fitted with wings and guidance systems to fly long distances with some accuracy — allowing the Russian jets that release them to operate away from Ukrainian antiaircraft systems.
Along with Russian drones, missiles and artillery, the glide bombs have added new destructive firepower to Russia’s campaign in eastern Ukraine, as seen in the recent conquest of the city of Avdiivka, Russia’s first major victory in nearly a year.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — Russia’s air force has dramatically boosted its effectiveness in the Ukraine war with its increased use of “glide bombs,” contributing to Moscow’s recent battlefield successes, according to Western experts.
The plentiful Soviet-era bombs, which carry up to a half-ton of explosives, have been fitted with wings and guidance systems to fly long distances with some accuracy — allowing the Russian jets that release them to operate away from Ukrainian antiaircraft systems.
Along with Russian drones, missiles and artillery, the glide bombs have added new destructive firepower to Russia’s campaign in eastern Ukraine, as seen in the recent conquest of the city of Avdiivka, Russia’s first major victory in nearly a year.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine calls out Pope Francis over ‘white flag’ remarks
Leaders in Ukraine vehemently rejected Pope Francis’s suggestion of negotiations with Russia to bring an end to the war — his use of the words “white flag” drawing particular scorn — reiterating that the country would never surrender.
In a recent interview, Francis used the term “white flag,” repeating the words of a journalist, which some read as a call to surrender.
President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to the pope without naming him in his nightly address Sunday.
Praising Ukrainian chaplains on the front line, Zelensky said: “This is what the church is — it is together with people, not two and a half thousand kilometers away somewhere, virtually mediating between someone who wants to live and someone who wants to destroy you.”
Read the full story here.
Leaders in Ukraine vehemently rejected Pope Francis’s suggestion of negotiations with Russia to bring an end to the war — his use of the words “white flag” drawing particular scorn — reiterating that the country would never surrender.
In a recent interview, Francis used the term “white flag,” repeating the words of a journalist, which some read as a call to surrender.
President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to the pope without naming him in his nightly address Sunday.
Praising Ukrainian chaplains on the front line, Zelensky said: “This is what the church is — it is together with people, not two and a half thousand kilometers away somewhere, virtually mediating between someone who wants to live and someone who wants to destroy you.”
Read the full story here.
Ukraine drones hit Russian oil facility as anti-Kremlin units stage attack
Ukrainian drones hit nine Russian cities and towns — some deep inside the country — as three groups of anti-Kremlin Russian fighters claimed a cross-border attack in southern Russia on Tuesday.
The drone attacks underscored Ukraine’s capacity to keep Moscow off-balance and to penetrate deep within Russian territory, despite Russia’s superior manpower and supplies of equipment and ammunition.
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian drones hit nine Russian cities and towns — some deep inside the country — as three groups of anti-Kremlin Russian fighters claimed a cross-border attack in southern Russia on Tuesday.
The drone attacks underscored Ukraine’s capacity to keep Moscow off-balance and to penetrate deep within Russian territory, despite Russia’s superior manpower and supplies of equipment and ammunition.
Read the full story here.