Page 4 - Ukraine Civil War

'Extremely fierce battles' rage in Ukraine as counter-offensive continues

Since Ukraine launched its much-anticipated counter-offensive on June 10, officials said seven settlements and at least 90 sq km of land have been recaptured

Putin admits Russia's shortcomings as Ukraine presses counteroffensive

In the past, Moscow has frequently been accused of exaggerating its battlefield successes, and western officials were quick to portray the Ukrainian push as far more successful

Group of European countries announce $116 mn donation to Ukraine amid war

Making the donation through the IFU allows donor nations to join forces on major acquisition projects from the defence industry, avoiding "our own military stocks being pressed unnecessarily"

Putin mixes threats of new offensive in Ukraine with offers of peace talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday alternated threats of a new Russian offensive to grab more Ukrainian land with statements about the Kremlin's readiness for peace talks. Speaking during a far-ranging meeting with Russian military correspondents and war bloggers, he made some of the most extensive comments about the conflict and his goals since sending the troops into Ukraine more than 15 months ago. Here is a quick look at some of Putin's key statements: UKRAINIAN COUNTEROFFENSIVE Putin asserted that Ukraine has suffered "catastrophic" losses in its counteroffensive. He said Ukrainian troops amassed reserves to launch the "large-scale" operation on June 4, but he claimed that the effort has failed to score gains and that Ukraine has lost 10 times more soldiers than Russia. His claims could not be verified. Putin declared that Ukraine lost 160 battle tanks and over 300 other armoured vehicles, while Russia only lost 54 tanks. He alleged that the Ukrainian armour losses

Ukraine making progress, advancing against Russian forces: NATO leader

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told President Joe Biden at an Oval Office meeting on Tuesday that Ukrainians are "making progress with their counteroffensive, which could bolster their position when there's an opportunity to reach a diplomatic end to the war with Russia. The support that we are providing together for Ukraine is now making a difference on the battlefield as we speak, Stoltenberg said. Because the offensive has launched, and the Ukrainians are making progress, making advances." He added, It's still early days, but what we do know is that the more land that Ukrainians are able to liberate, the stronger hand they will have at the negotiating table. Biden said NATO has grown more unified during the Ukraine war and we're going to be building on that momentum when the alliance holds its annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11 and 12. The White House meeting, the fourth between the two leaders, occurred at a moment of particular peril and uncertainty for

Ukraine dam collapse is both quick disaster and lax ecological catastrophe

The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam was a fast-moving disaster that is swiftly evolving into a long-term environmental catastrophe affecting drinking water, food supplies and ecosystems reaching into the Black Sea. The short-term dangers can be seen from outer space tens of thousands of parcels of land flooded, and more to come. Experts say the long-term consequences will be generational. For every flooded home and farm, there are fields upon fields of newly planted grains, fruits and vegetables whose irrigation canals are drying up. Thousands of fish were left gasping on mud flats. Fledgling water birds lost their nests and their food sources. Countless trees and plants were drowned. If water is life, then the draining of the Kakhovka reservoir creates an uncertain future for the region of southern Ukraine that was an arid plain until the damming of the Dnieper River 70 years ago. The Kakhovka Dam was the last in a system of six Soviet-era dams on the river, which flows from Belar

Over 5,800 people evacuated after Kakhovka dam collapse

As water is draining from the Kakhovka reservoir, there is a threat to the supply of drinking water to 4,000 local residents

UN official warns of consequences of destruction of Ukrainian dam

Ukrainian authorities have reported that at least 40 settlements are already flooded or partially flooded in Kherson oblast. This number is expected to rise in the coming days

Ukraine accuses Russia of destroying major dam, warns of rampant flooding

Ukraine on Tuesday accused Russian forces of blowing up a major dam in a part of southern Ukraine they control, alerting residents further along the Dnipro River to evacuate and warning of flooding downstream. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry called for residents of 10 villages on the river's right bank and parts of the city of Kherson to gather essential documents and pets, turn off appliances and leave, while cautioning against possible disinformation. Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, said in a video posted to Telegram shortly before 7 am that the Russian army has committed yet another act of terror, and warned that water will reach critical levels within five hours.

Ukraine starts counteroffensive actions in some areas against Russia

The Bakhmut direction remains the epicenter of hostilities, the official said, noting that the Ukrainian military forces have achieved some success in the area

Biden praises Denmark for 'standing up' for Ukraine in war with Russia

President Joe Biden thanked Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Monday for Denmark's role in a Western alliance standing up" for Ukraine as it tries to fend off Russia's 15-month-old invasion. The Oval Office visit kicked off the first of a pair of critical meetings Biden is holding with European allies this week that will focus heavily on what lies ahead in the war in Ukraine including the recently-launched effort to train, and eventually equip, Ukraine with American-made F-16s fighter jets. Biden on Thursday will meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Both Britain and Denmark are playing a pivotal role in the nascent joint international plan that Biden recently endorsed after months of resisting calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for U.S. aircraft. There's a shared commitment to the core values and that gives us our strength at least that's what I believe, Biden said. Together we're working to protect those values including standing up for the people of ..

Zelenskyy discusses strengthening Ukraine's defence with Germany's Scholz

Zelensky said that he thanked Scholz for implementing a defence package for Ukraine worth 3 billion euros (about $3.22 billion)

US aid for Ukraine will total about $300 mn, include munitions for drones

A US military aid package for Ukraine that is expected to be announced this week will total up to USD 300 million and will include additional munitions for drones, US officials said Tuesday. The drone ammunition comes after new attacks by unmanned aircraft targeted Moscow. There has been no suggestion that US-made drones or munitions were used in the recent attacks on Moscow, and US officials have repeatedly said that Ukraine has agreed not to use any American-provided weapons for attacks on Russian soil. The Kremlin blamed Kyiv for Tuesday's attack, but Ukrainian officials had no direct comment. But the new aid package comes at a tense moment in the war. The latest drone attack on Moscow follows Russia's seizure of the eastern Ukrainian city Bakhmut after a nine-month battle that killed tens of thousands of people. Ukraine is also showing signs that its long-awaited spring counteroffensive may already be underway. The Russian Defence Ministry said five drones were shot down in Mosc

EU defence ministers fail to agree on new military aid to Ukraine amid war

The bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell recalled that more than 10 billion euros in military support have already been provided to Ukraine

G7 members stand against Russia's 'unjustifiable' war against Ukraine

They resolved to strengthen disarmament and non-proliferation efforts, towards the ultimate goal of a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all

US helping Ukraine with F-16s shows how for military aid, no can become yes

The US has once again buckled under pressure from European allies and Ukraine's leaders and agreed to provide more sophisticated weapons to the war effort. This time it's all about F-16 fighter jets. Ukraine has long begged for the sophisticated fighter to give it a combat edge as it battles Russia's invasion, now in its second year. And this new plan opens the door for several nations to supply the fourth-generation aircraft and for the US to help train the pilots. President Joe Biden laid out the agreement to world leaders meeting in Hiroshima, Japan, on Friday, according to US officials. So far, however, the US has provided no details and said decisions on when, how many, and who will supply the F-16s will be made in the months ahead while the training is underway. Details on the training are equally elusive. US officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss decisions not yet made public. Still, with this decision, the Biden administration has made a sharp reversal, after .

Ukraine says it shot down 29 of 30 Russia cruise missiles fired today

Russia fired 30 cruise missiles against different parts of Ukraine early Thursday in the latest nighttime test of Ukrainian air defences, which shot down 29 of them, officials said. One person died and two were wounded by a Russian missile that got through and struck an industrial building in the southern region of Odesa, according to Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesperson for the region's military administration. Loud explosions were heard in Kyiv as the Kremlin's forces targeted the capital for the ninth time this month in a clear escalation after weeks of lull and ahead of a much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive using newly supplied advanced Western weapons. Debris fell on two Kyiv districts, starting a fire at a garage complex. There was no immediate word about any victims, Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv Military Administration, said in a Telegram post. Ukraine also shot down two Russian exploding drones and two reconnaissance drones, according to authorities. The bombardment .

China asks embassies to avoid 'propaganda' in pro-Ukrainian displays

Foreign embassies in Beijing were asked by the Chinese government to avoid displaying what it calls propaganda in an apparent response to shows of support for Ukraine. Chinese leader Xi Jinping's government says it is neutral in Moscow's 15-month-old invasion of Ukraine but has repeated Russian justifications, accusing Washington and the US-European military alliance NATO of provoking Moscow. A Chinese envoy visited Ukraine this week and was due to go to Russia to discuss a possible political settlement, but little progress is expected. The Chinese Foreign Ministry asked diplomatic missions last week not to use their exterior walls to display political propaganda, according to a European Union spokesperson and a diplomat from a European government. The May 8 request cites a need to avoid causing disputes between countries, but doesn't define propaganda or give other details, EU spokesperson Nabila Massrali wrote in a statement. Massrali said the EU Delegation in Beijing has not ..

Russia aerially attacked Kiev for 9th time this month today: Mayor

At least eight people were reportedly killed, including a five-year-old boy, and 17 others injured near Kherson due to shelling on Wednesday

Ukraine is not attacking Russian territory, says President Zelenskyy

"We are preparing a counterattack to de-occupy the illegitimately conquered territories," Zelenskyy added