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Wide-scale desertions and 2 million draft-dodgers are among a raft of challenges facing Ukraine's military as Russia presses on with its invasion of its neighbour after almost four years of fighting, the new defence minister said Wednesday. Mykhailo Fedorov told Ukraine's parliament that other problems facing Ukraine's armed forces include excessive bureaucracy, a Soviet-style approach to management, and disruptions in the supply of equipment to troops along the about 1,000-kilometre front line. We cannot fight a war with new technologies but an old organisational structure, Fedorov said. He said the military had faced some 200,000 troop desertions and draft-dodging by around 2 million people. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed 34-year-old Fedorov at the start of the year. The former head of Ukraine's digital transformation policies is credited with spearheading the the army's drone technology and introducing several successful e-government platforms. His appointment was part
Ukraine's Ambassador to India Dr Oleksandr Polishchuk on Sunday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, saying he is playing a global role to establish peace. In his address at the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC) for Kutch and Saurashtra Region in Rajkot, he said, It is a great example of how from being a regional leader, you (PM Modi) became a national one and are now playing a global role, including in my country, to establish peace. Polishchuk, who holds the formal title of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to India, said PM Modi was one of the few leaders from the Global South who travelled to Ukraine in 2024 amid the country's war with Russia. We have confidence that the achievement of sustainable and just peace in Ukraine will further contribute to deepening relations between India and Ukraine, including Gujarat. In this regard, we hope India's continuous support to international efforts and aim to restore peace will create a stable
A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday. Meanwhile, thousands of residents were still without power in Kyiv, following an intense Russian bombardment. A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram. Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defences shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. The attack came after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials. For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new
A Ukrainian drone strike sparked a fire at an oil depot in Russia's southern Volgograd region, regional authorities said on Saturday. There were no immediate reports of casualties, the regional governor was quoted as saying in a Telegram post published on the channel of the local administration. The post did not specify the damage, but said that people living near the depot may have to be evacuated. Ukraine's long-range drone strikes on Russian energy sites aim to deprive Moscow of the oil export revenue it needs to pursue its full-scale invasion. Russia wants to cripple the Ukrainian power grid, seeking to deny civilians access to heat, light and running water in what Kyiv officials say is an attempt to weaponise winter. Saturday's attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, according to Ukrainian officials, killing at least four people in the capital. For only the second time in the nearly 4-year-old wa
Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and missiles, killing three and injuring at least 16 in the capital overnight into Friday, Ukrainian authorities said. Russia also struck critical infrastructure in the western city of Lviv using an unidentified ballistic missile, said Mayor Andriy Sadoviy. The Western Command of Ukraine's Air Force later said the missile travelled at a speed of 13,000 kilometres per hour, and that the specific type of rocket was being investigated. Several districts in Kyiv were hit in the attack, said Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko. In the Desnyanskyi district, a drone crashed onto the roof of a multi-storey building. At another address in the same district, the first two floors of a residential building were damaged as a result of the attack. In Dnipro district, parts of a drone damaged a multi-storey building and a fire broke out. Running water and electricity were disrupted in parts of the capital as a result of the attack, Kyiv's May
Ukraine's allies are meeting on Tuesday in Paris for key talks that could help determine the country's security after a potential ceasefire with Russia. But prospects for progress are uncertain with the Trump administration's focus shifting to Venezuela. Before the US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, French President Emmanuel Macron had expressed optimism about the latest gathering of so-called coalition of the willing nations. For months, they have been exploring how to deter any future Russian aggression should it agree to stop fighting Ukraine. In a December 31 address, Macron said that allies would make concrete commitments at the summit to protect Ukraine and ensure a just and lasting peace." Macron's office said on Tuesday's meeting will gather an unprecedented number of officials attending in person, with 35 participants, including 27 heads of state and government. The US will be represented by President Donald Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared ...
President Donald Trump on Sunday told reporters that US national security officials have determined that Ukraine did not target a residence belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack last week, disputing Kremlin claims that Trump had initially greeted with deep concern. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week said Ukraine launched a wave of drones at Putin's state residence in the northwestern Novgorod region that the Russian defence systems were able to defeat. Lavrov also criticised Kyiv for launching the attack at a moment of intensive negotiations to end the war. The allegation came just a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had travelled to Florida for talks with Trump on the US administration's still-evolving 20-point plan aimed at ending the war, and had Zelenskyy quickly denied it. I don't believe that strike happened," Trump told reporters as he travelled back to Washington on Sunday after spending two weeks at his home in ...
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has chosen General Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's head of military intelligence, as his new chief of staff, a move that comes at an especially critical moment in Russia's nearly 4-year-old invasion. Budanov replaces Andrii Yermak, Zelenskyy's longtime right-hand man who resigned in November after anti-corruption officials raided his apartment in an investigation into alleged graft in Ukraine's energy sector. The move against the powerful aide was a blow to the president that risked disrupting his negotiating strategy amid a US peace effort. What to know about Budanov: Rising through the ranks --------------------------- Budanov has led the military intelligence agency, known by its acronym GUR, since 2020. At 39, he is one of Ukraine's most recognizable and popular wartime figures, known for being the architect of many successful operations targeting Russian military assets, as well as for his independent and enigmatic personality. A career military ...
At least 24 people were killed, and more than 50 were injured when three Ukrainian drones struck a cafe and a hotel in the Kherson region, where people were celebrating the New Year. The strike took place on Wednesday night. "Tonight, the enemy launched a targeted drone strike on a site where civilians were celebrating the New Year. Three UAVs struck a cafe and a hotel on the Black Sea coast in Khorly. According to preliminary reports, more than 50 people were injured, and 24 were killed. The numbers are being clarified," Kherson governor Volodymyr Saldo was quoted as saying by Rossiya-24 channel. In his Telegram post, Saldo said the reconnaissance drone strike occurred just before midnight. Meanwhile, the air defence systems have intercepted and destroyed 168 Ukrainian UAVs over the regions during the New Year night, and many airports in south and central Russia were closed for hours due to the threat of drone strikes. "During the past night, 168 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aer
European leaders were due to hold talks Tuesday on US-led peace efforts to end the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine, amid a flare-up in tensions between Moscow and Kyiv over Russian claims, denied by Ukraine, of a mass drone attack on a lakeside residence used by President Vladimir Putin. The virtual European meeting was expected to gather leaders who attended talks in Berlin earlier this month, according to Polish government spokesman Adam Szlapka, although it was not clear who would be taking part. It was the first meeting of European leaders since US President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Florida resort on Sunday. Trump insisted that Ukraine and Russia are closer than ever before to a peace settlement, although he acknowledged that outstanding obstacles could still prevent a deal. At the same time, Russian and Ukrainian officials have exchanged bitter accusations over Moscow's allegations that Ukraine attempted to attack the ..
Several key issues remain unresolved in ongoing negotiations between Ukraine and the United States over a potential framework to end Russia's war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week. Speaking about a 20-point plan under discussion, Zelenskyy outlined the most difficult points, noting that Ukraine has already conveyed its position to Washington, which is expected to communicate it to Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that the Kremlin had already been in contact with US representatives since Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev recently met with US envoys in Florida. However, he did not reveal any details, saying only: It was agreed upon to continue the dialogue. The unresolved issues include: Security guarantees ----------------------- Zelenskyy said talks continue over the nature and scope of security guarantees that would be provided to Ukraine under any agreement. He said several technical issues remain, including how ..