Page 91 - Ukraine

5 dead, others hurt in Russia's massive missile attacks, says Ukraine

Ukrainian officials say at least five people have been killed in a massive missile attack on Thursday, and several more have been wounded. Governor of the western Lviv region Maksym Kozytskyi said four people were killed there after a missile hit a residential area in the Zolochivskyi district. Emergency workers were combing through the rubble, he said, under which more people could be trapped. One person was killed in the Dnipropetrovsk region, its Gov. Serhii Lysak reported, adding that two more were wounded in multiple strikes across the region. The Kyiv mayor reported damage in two districts, and the Kharkiv and Odesa governors said residential buildings were hit there. Lviv region, as well as in the cities of Dnipro, Lutsk and Rivne. Ukrainian media also report explosions in the western regions of Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil. Russia has been hitting Ukraine with these massive missile attacks since last October. Initially, the barrages targeting the country's energy ...

EU considers sending more military support to Ukraine as war rages on

European Union (EU) defence ministers discussed the idea of sending further military support to Ukraine, at an informal meeting in the Swedish capital Stockholm

Six-month long battle for Bakhmut takes centre stage in war in Ukraine

The six-month battle for the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut has been the longest and bloodiest fight of the war so far. Little known outside Ukraine before the Russian invasion, Bakhmut has become a symbol of the country's fortitude and perseverance in the face of the Kremlin's onslaught. The Ukrainian leadership vowed again this week to keep defending the city, but some observers have warned that holding on to it could be too dangerous and costly. Here is a look at Bakhmut, the battle and its possible consequences. WHAT KIND OF CITY IS BAKHMUT? Bakhmut, which had a pre-war population of more than 70,000, was an important center for salt and gypsum mining in the Donetsk region of the country's industrial heartland known as the Donbas. The city was also known for its sparkling wine production in historic underground caves. Its broad tree-lined avenues, lush parks and stately downtown with imposing late 19th century buildings made it a popular tourist attraction. When a separatist rebe

Operations to defend Bakhmut will continue: Ukraine's President Zelenskyy

Moscow has been trying to take Bakhmut for months, as both sides suffer heavy losses in a grinding war of attrition, the BBC reported

Russian forces steps up effort to take elusive prize of Ukraine city

The fate of Bakhmut appeared to be hanging in the balance on Monday, as Russian forces continued to encroach on the devastated eastern Ukrainian city but its defenders still denied the Kremlin the prize it has sought for six months at the cost of thousands of lives. Intense Russian shelling targeted the Donetsk region city and nearby villages as Moscow deployed more resources there in an apparent bid to finish off Bakhmut's resistance, according to local officials. Civilians are fleeing the region to escape Russian shelling continuing round the clock as additional Russian troops and weapons are being deployed there, Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said. Russian forces that invaded Ukraine just over a year ago have been bearing down on Bakhmut for months, putting Kyiv's troops on the defensive but unable to deliver a knockout blow. More broadly, Russia continues to experience difficulty generating battlefield momentum. Moscow's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022 soon stalled and

Ukraine, Latvia agree to Ukraine's Euro, Euro-Atlantic integration

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his visiting Latvian counterpart, Egils Levits, have signed a joint declaration confirming Latvia's support

Antony Blinken meets Ukraine's Foreign Minister, reiterates US support

Blinken on Wednesday arrived in India to take part in the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the Raisina Dialogue

Russians pound access routes to Ukraine's besieged Bakhmut: Report

Prigozhin's men have spearheaded the assault in eastern Ukraine for months

US expected to send more ammo, folding armoured bridges to Ukraine

The US is expected to announce a new package of military aid for Ukraine Friday, including for the first time eight armoured vehicles that can launch bridges and allow troops to cross rivers or other gaps, US officials said Thursday. The officials said the total cost of the package will be about USD 400 million and will also include large amounts of ammunition, such as rockets for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems. It comes just a week after the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and as Ukrainian forces are preparing for a spring offensive. Officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the aid package has not yet been publicly announced. The so-called Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge is a portable, 60-foot folding metal bridge that is carried on top of a tank body. Providing that system now could help Ukrainian troops as they launch the expected offensive, and make it easier for troops to cross rivers to get to Russian forces. Including this latest

Kremlin accuses Ukrainian saboteurs of attack inside Western Russia

The Kremlin on Thursday accused Ukrainian saboteurs of crossing into western Russia and firing on villagers. Ukraine denied the claim and warned that Moscow could use the allegations to justify stepping up its own attacks in the ongoing war. The exact circumstances of the alleged attack reported in the Bryansk region were unclear, including what the strategic purpose of such an assault might be. If confirmed, it would be another indication following drone attacks earlier this week that Kyiv may be stepping up pressure against Moscow by exposing Russian defensive weaknesses, embarrassing the Kremlin and sowing unease among Russian civilians. Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Ukrainian terrorists for an incursion, claiming that they deliberately targeted civilians, including children in "yet another terror attack, another crime. They infiltrated the area near the border and opened fire on civilians, Putin said during a video call. They saw a civilian vehicle with civilians, wit

Ukrainian saboteurs launches cross-border attack: Russian official

Russian officials said Thursday that Ukrainian saboteurs crossed into western Russia and attacked local villages, as the war extended into its second year. Amid conflicting initial reports, Russia's Federal Security Service said fighting with the sabotage unit was taking place in the Bryansk region. There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials, and the exact circumstances of the incident were unclear. If confirmed, it would be another indication following drone attacks earlier this week that Kyiv could be taking the fight into Russian territory, exposing Russian defensive weaknesses, embarrassing the Kremlin and sowing unease among Russian civilians. The Federal Security Service was quoted by the Russian state Tass news agency as saying that activities to eliminate armed Ukrainian nationalists who violated the state border were underway. Tass, citing Russian law enforcement, reported earlier that the saboteurs were holding up to six people hostage. The local governor sa

Ukraine crisis can be resolved only through dialogue, diplomacy: Modi

Speaking on the bilateral relations between the two nations, Modi welcomed Italy's active participation in the Indo-Pacific region

No evidence of fraud so far in weapons to Ukraine, says Pentagon IG

The Pentagon's inspector general said on Tuesday that to date his office has found no evidence that some of the billions of dollars in weapons and aid to Ukraine has been lost to corruption or diverted into the wrong hands, but cautioned that those investigations are only in their early stages. Keeping military aid to Ukraine protected from waste or fraud has become a critical part of keeping continued support for Ukraine intact in Congress, where some lawmakers have already begun to question why the US is spending so much to help Kyiv. Robert P. Storch was pressed by Congress members several times about any fraud findings. He said that a number of tips and allegations have come in to a new hotline, but that there have been limited findings to date, with many reports pending. Storch, who was testifying with other Pentagon leaders before the House Armed Services Committee, repeatedly said he did not want to talk about investigations that have not yet been completed. Rep. Mike Rogers

Janet Yellen visits Kiev, announces $1.2bn additional aid to Ukraine

US is proud to be Ukraine's largest bilateral donor and to date, Washington has provided close to $50 billion in security, economic, and humanitarian assistance to the war-torn nation

Janet Yellen visits Ukraine, underscores continued US economic support

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Monday her first visit to Ukraine underscored Washington's commitment to continuing its economic support for the country, as the din of air raid sirens echoed across the Ukrainian capital. Yellen said following talks with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal that the US has provided nearly USD 50 billion in security, economic and humanitarian assistance and announced another multibillion dollar package to boost the country's economy. Shmyhal offered thanks to the U.S. for its support and hailed Yellen as a "friend of Ukraine. He said Ukraine's budget deficit now stands at USD 38 billion and that the U.S. will provide another USD 10 billion in assistance by September. Shmyhal and Yellen also discussed sanctions aimed at weakening Russia's economy as well as the possibility of using Russian frozen assets to help in Ukraine's economic recovery. Yellen repeated U.S. President Joe Biden's message that Washington will stand with Ukraine for as lo

Fight over a 't': For Ukraine, it's culture; for Russia xenophobia

Ukraine's most recognisable celebrity chef spearheaded what would become an unlikely cultural victory over Russia

Ukraine Prez Zelenskyy seeks more sanctions on Russia, fighting grinds on

Fighting is grinding on in Ukraine after the country marked the anniversary of Russia's invasion, with Ukrainian authorities on Saturday reporting dozens of new Russian strikes and attacks on cities in the east and south. After a somber and defiant day of commemorations on Friday and a marathon news conference, Ukraine's seemingly indefatigable president followed up with new video posts a day later in which he declared that Russia must lose in Ukraine" and argued that its forces can be defeated this year. In a separate tweet, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also pushed for more sanctions pressure on Russia after the UK, US and the European Union all announced new measures aimed at further choking off funding and support for Moscow. The pressure on Russian aggressor must increase, Zelenskyy tweeted in English. He said that Ukraine wants to see decisive steps against Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, and the Russian nuclear industry as well as more pressure on military and ...

G20 ends without a communique after no consensus on war in Ukraine

A meeting of finance leaders of the world's 20 biggest economies, referred as the group of 20 or G20, ended on Saturday without a joint communique after faultlines over how to describe Russia's invasion of Ukraine could not be bridged. Instead, a G20 Chair's Summary and Outcome Document were released after the two-day meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors here. Coinciding with the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, leaders from countries such as the US and France wanted a condemnation of Moscow for the invasion while host India felt G20 was not the forum to address such an issue and wanted a more neutral term like "crisis" or a "challenge" to describe the "geopolitical situation". Russia and China were upset at the use of the G20 platform for discussing political matters. India's Finance Miniter Nirmala Sitharaman is the chair. The Summary stated that the G20 nations "reiterated" their national positions on the Ukraine war. "Most members strongly

Ukrainian President Zelensky plans to meet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he would meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. This comes after Beijing called for peace talks to end the Russia-Ukraine war, New York Post reported

Biden unveils new Ukraine weapons package, Russia sanctions as war rages

The Biden administration declared its solidarity with Ukraine with fresh action as well as strong words on Friday, piling sweeping new sanctions on Moscow and approving a new USD 2 billion weapons package to re-arm Kyiv a year after Russia's invasion. Despite the US and allies' continued ambitious efforts to bolster the Ukrainians, there are no signs of an endgame in the war, which seems destined to enter an even more complicated phase in the months ahead. On the somber anniversary, Biden and fellow leaders from the Group of Seven allies that have been at the forefront of backing Ukraine stayed focused on a unified front. Our solidarity will never waver in standing with Ukraine, in supporting countries and people in need, and in upholding the international order based on the rule of law," the G-7 leaders said in a joint statement after a virtual meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. As Ukraine mourned its war dead and vowed it would ultimately emerge victorious, the