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.
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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.
U.S. to send Ukraine $300 million arms package as further aid stalls
The Biden administration said Tuesday that it will send another $300 million in security assistance to Ukraine as President Biden’s request for billions of dollars more remains stalled in Congress.
The emergency package, announced by the White House on Tuesday, will be funded by “unanticipated cost savings” from contracts the Pentagon had brokered to replace weapons previously provided to Ukraine, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters. The package will include artillery shells and other weapons, he said.
Read the full story here.
The Biden administration said Tuesday that it will send another $300 million in security assistance to Ukraine as President Biden’s request for billions of dollars more remains stalled in Congress.
The emergency package, announced by the White House on Tuesday, will be funded by “unanticipated cost savings” from contracts the Pentagon had brokered to replace weapons previously provided to Ukraine, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters. The package will include artillery shells and other weapons, he said.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine launches new wave of strikes against Russia’s oil facilities
KYIV — Ukraine and Russia traded attacks on each other’s territory Wednesday, including a second day of drone attacks against Russian oil facilities, which President Vladimir Putin called an attempt to disrupt presidential elections set for this weekend.
One of the Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in the Ryazan region, about 100 miles southeast of Moscow, causing a fire that was extinguished after a few hours, local governor Pavel Malkov said. A Ukrainian official with knowledge of intelligence operations, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, confirmed that the refinery was the target.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — Ukraine and Russia traded attacks on each other’s territory Wednesday, including a second day of drone attacks against Russian oil facilities, which President Vladimir Putin called an attempt to disrupt presidential elections set for this weekend.
One of the Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in the Ryazan region, about 100 miles southeast of Moscow, causing a fire that was extinguished after a few hours, local governor Pavel Malkov said. A Ukrainian official with knowledge of intelligence operations, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, confirmed that the refinery was the target.
Read the full story here.
Opinion | Yulia Navalnaya: Putin isn’t a politician, he’s a gangster
On Feb. 16, one month before the scheduled “presidential elections” in Russia, my husband, Alexei Navalny, was murdered in prison on Vladimir Putin’s direct order. I never wanted to be a politician, I never wanted to speak from the rostrum or write for international media. But Putin left me no other choice. Therefore, I want to tell you a few important things that Alexei had been trying to say all these years.
To defeat Putin, or at least seriously punish him, one must realize who he is. Unfortunately, too many people in the West still see him as a legitimate political leader, argue about his ideology and look for political logic in his actions. This is a big mistake that breeds new mistakes and helps Putin to deceive his opponents again and again.
Putin is not a politician, he’s a gangster.
Read the full op-ed here.
On Feb. 16, one month before the scheduled “presidential elections” in Russia, my husband, Alexei Navalny, was murdered in prison on Vladimir Putin’s direct order. I never wanted to be a politician, I never wanted to speak from the rostrum or write for international media. But Putin left me no other choice. Therefore, I want to tell you a few important things that Alexei had been trying to say all these years.
To defeat Putin, or at least seriously punish him, one must realize who he is. Unfortunately, too many people in the West still see him as a legitimate political leader, argue about his ideology and look for political logic in his actions. This is a big mistake that breeds new mistakes and helps Putin to deceive his opponents again and again.
Putin is not a politician, he’s a gangster.
Read the full op-ed here.
Why does Putin always win? What to know about Russia’s pseudo election.
In a three-day election that leaves no room for doubt, Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to win a fifth term on Sunday, allowing him to stay in power until 2030 — and, should he run again, to 2036.
But many analysts believe the 71-year-old autocrat will rule this nation of 146 million people for life.
It was not supposed to be this way. Under Russia’s constitution, Putin’s term in power was supposed to end in 2008 — but under a tricky bait-and-switch, he effectively ruled Russia as prime minister for four years, swapping places with Dmitry Medvedev. Putin returned as president in 2012, sparking massive protests that changed nothing.
Read the full story here.
In a three-day election that leaves no room for doubt, Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to win a fifth term on Sunday, allowing him to stay in power until 2030 — and, should he run again, to 2036.
But many analysts believe the 71-year-old autocrat will rule this nation of 146 million people for life.
It was not supposed to be this way. Under Russia’s constitution, Putin’s term in power was supposed to end in 2008 — but under a tricky bait-and-switch, he effectively ruled Russia as prime minister for four years, swapping places with Dmitry Medvedev. Putin returned as president in 2012, sparking massive protests that changed nothing.
Read the full story here.
Opinion | Vladimir Kara-Murza: Putin’s next term is illegal. The world should call him out on it.
“SPECIAL REGIME” PRISON COLONY No. 7, OMSK, Russia — The radio in my prison cell is turned on all day, from the wake-up call at 5 a.m. to the lights-out at 9 p.m. And the closer it gets to the weekend of March 15, the more announcements I hear on the air about the so-called presidential election. I don’t mean, of course, campaign ads that you would expect in democratic countries. No, the announcements are all simply telling listeners the different ways they can cast their vote, in-person and online.
Many people wonder why dictatorships even bother to hold “elections” when everyone knows that they are nothing but staged, meaningless rituals. But in the 21st century, the only broadly accepted source of legitimacy for any government comes in the form of a ballot box — and even regimes that don’t have real legitimacy feel the need to create an appearance of it.
Read the full opinion here.
“SPECIAL REGIME” PRISON COLONY No. 7, OMSK, Russia — The radio in my prison cell is turned on all day, from the wake-up call at 5 a.m. to the lights-out at 9 p.m. And the closer it gets to the weekend of March 15, the more announcements I hear on the air about the so-called presidential election. I don’t mean, of course, campaign ads that you would expect in democratic countries. No, the announcements are all simply telling listeners the different ways they can cast their vote, in-person and online.
Many people wonder why dictatorships even bother to hold “elections” when everyone knows that they are nothing but staged, meaningless rituals. But in the 21st century, the only broadly accepted source of legitimacy for any government comes in the form of a ballot box — and even regimes that don’t have real legitimacy feel the need to create an appearance of it.
Read the full opinion here.
As voting begins in Russian presidential election, so do the protests
RIGA, Latvia — On the first day of a presidential election widely seen as the least competitive campaign since the fall of the Soviet Union, some Russian voters expressed their anger in stunning individual protests across the country — setting fire to polling booths or pouring green antiseptic fluid or dye into ballot boxes.
At least five people, including several older women, set polling booths on fire, burned ballot papers or threw incendiary devices at polling stations, according to Russian independent media — a wave of highly unusual protest actions in a nation challenged by President Vladimir Putin’s two-year-old war in Ukraine and harsh political repressions.
Read the full story here.
RIGA, Latvia — On the first day of a presidential election widely seen as the least competitive campaign since the fall of the Soviet Union, some Russian voters expressed their anger in stunning individual protests across the country — setting fire to polling booths or pouring green antiseptic fluid or dye into ballot boxes.
At least five people, including several older women, set polling booths on fire, burned ballot papers or threw incendiary devices at polling stations, according to Russian independent media — a wave of highly unusual protest actions in a nation challenged by President Vladimir Putin’s two-year-old war in Ukraine and harsh political repressions.
Read the full story here.
In this Ukrainian village, almost no men are left
MAKIV, Ukraine — Few men of fighting age are left in this village in southwest Ukraine, and those who remain fear they will be drafted at any moment.
Their neighbors are already hundreds of miles east in trenches on the front lines. Some have been killed or wounded. Several are missing. Others from this rural area — about 45 miles from the borders of Romania and Moldova — have fled abroad or found ways to avoid the war, either with legitimate exemptions or by hiding.
“It’s just a fact,” said Larysa Bodna, deputy director of the local school, which keeps a database of students whose parents are deployed. “Most of them are gone.”
Read the full story here.
MAKIV, Ukraine — Few men of fighting age are left in this village in southwest Ukraine, and those who remain fear they will be drafted at any moment.
Their neighbors are already hundreds of miles east in trenches on the front lines. Some have been killed or wounded. Several are missing. Others from this rural area — about 45 miles from the borders of Romania and Moldova — have fled abroad or found ways to avoid the war, either with legitimate exemptions or by hiding.
“It’s just a fact,” said Larysa Bodna, deputy director of the local school, which keeps a database of students whose parents are deployed. “Most of them are gone.”
Read the full story here.