DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Prominent Ukrainian Army Unit Launches Own Recruitment Drive to Strengthen Ranks
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Dan PeleschukKYIV (Reuters) - A year after the founding commander of Ukraine's Da Vinci Wolves Battalion was killed fighting Russian forces, his portrait adorns an airy new recruitment office in Kyiv casting a watchful eye over would-be members. With its military ranks wearing thin, Ukraine is struggling to overhaul mobilisation and broaden recruitment as the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion approaches. For the Da Vinci Wolves, led by war hero Dmytro "Da Vinci" Kotsiubailo until his death near the eastern town of Bakhmut last March, it means relying on a well-honed public image to attract new recruits. 'THE BEST'The Da Vinci Wolves have received more than 1,000 applications and are seeking around 500 new members, Filimonov said. Candidates include Anatoliy Kvasha, 48, who said he wanted a greater say over where he ended up after facing bureaucratic headaches at his local draft office.

Persons: Dan Peleschuk, Ukraine's Da, Dmytro, Da, Kotsiubailo, Serhii Filimonov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Filimonov, Anatoliy Kvasha, Kvasha, Kyrychenko, Anna Voitenko, Timothy Heritage, Toby Chopra Organizations: Dan Peleschuk KYIV, Ukraine's Da Vinci Wolves Battalion, Da Vinci Wolves, Vinci Wolves, 59th Motorized Brigade, Reuters, Separate Assault Brigade, Service Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Russian, Lviv

This is a critical moment for Ukraine, especially as international fatigue starts to set in and the world’s attention shifts to the Middle East. “These days, our attention is focused on the Middle East,” Zelensky told the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in a video address on Monday. Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty ImagesZelensky delivered a similar message to the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, led by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, on Wednesday. The Ukrainian president acknowledged Russia was putting up some stiff resistance to Kyiv’s counteroffensive but said his country remained on the offensive. Despite Austin’s vow of support for Ukraine, the new package was one of the smallest provided by the United States.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Jens Stoltenberg, “, ” Zelensky, Zelensky, ”, Ali Jadallah, shockwaves, Anna Voitenko, Joe Biden, Biden, Ronaldo Schemidt, Defense Lloyd Austin, Putin, ” Austin, Austin’s Organizations: CNN, NATO, Ukraine Defense Contact, Getty, Israel Saturday, Ukraine’s General Staff, NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Reuters, US, Defense, Terrorists, Hamas Locations: Brussels, Belgian, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Israel, Russia, Kyiv, It’s, Gaza City, Gaza, Anadolu, Hroza, “, Moscow, Europe, Washington —, United States, Donetsk region, Bucha, AFP, Washington

☆ Ukrainian helicopter pilots fly low, run risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

EASTERN UKRAINE, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Ukrainian military helicopter pilot Oleh, 22, has become used to flying low over fields and woods to track targets in the war to destroy and evict Russian invaders. All too aware of the risks of low altitudes, he nonetheless presses on, establishing and hunting down enemy positions. Missiles and guided bombs were launched at our helicopters," Oleh acknowledges, seated at the controls of his Soviet-designed Mi-8 aircraft. His helicopter missions, he said, target mostly infantry, but also reinforced enemy positions "and sometimes vehicles. Helicopter pilots must fly at low altitudes to avoid becoming targets for enemy anti-aircraft defences.

Persons: Oleh, Ron Popeski, Alison Williams Organizations: Helicopter, Thomson Locations: UKRAINE, Ukrainian, Ukraine, United States, Afghanistan, Czech Republic, U.S

☆ Ukrainian soldiers heartened by delivery of U.S. Abrams tanks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that Ukraine had taken delivery of its first shipment of U.S. jet-powered Abrams tanks to help in the defence against Russia's invasion. Mark Milley, the top U.S. general, has said he regards M1 Abrams tanks as the world's best and that they "will make a difference" in the 19-month-old war. With a powerful engine, 120 mm main gun and special armour, the Abrams tank is particularly lethal against heavy armour forces. Ukrainian tank crews training in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine said that once they were deployed, the Abrams tanks would be a big step up from the Soviet-era tanks they are currently operating. The Kremlin said this week that U.S. supplies of military hardware such as the Abrams tanks would not change the situation on the battlefield.

Persons: Abrams, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Mark Milley, Zelenskiy, Milley, Oleksandr, Ron Popeski, Timothy Heritage Organizations: Abrams, Ukrainian, Leopard, U.S, Russian, Thomson Locations: DONETSK, Ukraine, Kyiv, U.S, Ukrainian, Donetsk

Congress so far has failed to finish any of the 12 regular spending bills to fund federal agency programs in the fiscal year starting on Oct. 1. "Republicans need to vote for Republican bills" to avert a shutdown, McCaul said on ABC's "This Week" broadcast. They just kick the can down the road," Republican Representative Tony Gonzalez told CBS News' "Face the Nation." Even some of the Senate's most conservative Republicans on Sunday appealed to House counterparts to stop blocking a stop-gap bill. Reporting by Richard Cowan and Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Michael McCaul, Anna Voitenko, Kevin McCarthy, McCaul, Tony Gonzalez, Joe Biden, McCarthy, Tim Burchett, CNN's, Burchett, Pete Buttigieg, Marsha Blackburn, Blackburn, Richard Cowan, Sarah N, Lynch, Bill Berkrot Organizations: House Foreign Affairs Committee, Saint, REUTERS, Rights, Washington, Republican Party, U.S, Congress, Sunday, Republicans, Republican, House Intelligence, CBS, Internal Revenue Service, Democratic, Transportation, ABC, Fox Business, Biden, Thomson Locations: Saint Michael's, Ukraine, Kyiv, Washington, United States, Mexico

☆ Ukrainian Heavy Artillery Inflicts 'Hell' on Russian Lines Near Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Buoyed after the capture last week of the key village of Klishchiivka, Ukrainian troops have lauded the 155 millimetre howitzers as key equipment being provided by the United States and its NATO allies. Unit commander Oleksandr said Ukraine's armed forces "very much rely" on heavy artillery, including the Polish-made Krab gun and the U.S.-made M109 self-propelled howitzer. We hear that we keep giving them hell and they keep wondering how much ammunition we have left." Oleksandr, 30, described Klishchiivka - a village on the heights south of the devastated town of Bakhmut - as "one of the places they (the Russians) were clinging to." The gains have been among the most significant in Ukraine's counteroffensive, which began in June and has struggled to break through entrenched Russian lines.

Persons: Anna Voitenko, Oleksandr, Ukraine's, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ronald Popeski, Max Hunder, Mike Harrison Organizations: West, Reuters, NATO Locations: BAKHMUT, Bakhmut, Russia, Klishchiivka, United States, U.S, Klischiivka, West

☆ Ukrainian heavy artillery inflicts 'hell' on Russian lines near Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian servicemen fire a RAK-SA-12 small multiple launch rocket system towards Russian troops near the front line town of Bakhmut, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine July 10, 2023. Buoyed after the capture last week of the key village of Klishchiivka, Ukrainian troops have lauded the 155 millimetre howitzers as key equipment being provided by the United States and its NATO allies. Unit commander Oleksandr said Ukraine's armed forces "very much rely" on heavy artillery, including the Polish-made Krab gun and the U.S.-made M109 self-propelled howitzer. Oleksandr, 30, described Klishchiivka - a village on the heights south of the devastated town of Bakhmut - as "one of the places they (the Russians) were clinging to." The gains have been among the most significant in Ukraine's counteroffensive, which began in June and has struggled to break through entrenched Russian lines.

Persons: Sofiia, Oleksandr, Ukraine's, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Anna Voitenko, Ronald Popeski, Max Hunder, Mike Harrison Organizations: REUTERS, West, Reuters, NATO, Thomson Locations: Bakhmut, Ukraine, Donetsk region, BAKHMUT, Russia, Klishchiivka, United States, U.S, Klischiivka, West

☆ Ukrainian troops vow to take back Bakhmut but say it won't be easy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said this week that Kyiv would retake the city following the capture last week of Andriivka and Klishchiivka to the south. But it won't be easy because Russia will still fight hard for it, demonstrated by the ferocity of the combat his unit had just endured in the outlying villages. One shouldn't think that the counter-offensive and taking Bakhmut is easy: (that) we just flank them, close reinforcements routes and it is done. HEAVY FIREUkrainian soldiers who spoke to Reuters at a location about 20 km (12 miles) from Andriivka described a bloody slog, costing lives for every metre, before they ultimately vanquished the village's Russian defenders. "Our comrades from another unit came from one side.

Persons: Zelenskiy, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Bakhmut, Andriivka, Viktor, Ilia, Ronald Popeski, Timothy Heritage, Peter Graff Organizations: Bakhmut Troops, Russian, Separate Assault Brigade, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Bakhmut, UKRAINE, Viktor, Ukrainian, Russia, Moscow

☆ Ukrainian soldiers hope for Western arms to speed up counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Servicemen of Ukraine's 3rd Separate Assault Brigade prepare to conduct a reconnaissance mission, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near Bakhmut, Ukraine September 7, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer Acquire Licensing RightsSummary Ukraine says it has retaken two villages near BakhmutSoldiers says more Western arms would speed up advancesUkrainian army still uses Soviet-era Grad systemsNEAR BAKHMUT, Ukraine, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Despite recent battlefield gains, Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the eastern front say they need more Western weapons to speed up their grinding counteroffensive against Russian forces. The West has provided Ukraine with arms worth billions of dollars since Russia's invasion nearly 19 months ago, and some Ukrainian troops have deployed Vampires and HIMARS. But Ukrainian soldiers suggest confidence is growing, especially after the recapture of the villages of Andriivka and Klishchiivka about eight km (five miles) south of Bakhmut. Until more sophisticated Western weapons arrive, the soldiers are likely to continue relying on the self-propelled Grad (meaning "hail") which came into service in the 1960s.

Persons: Stringer, Denys, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ivan, Andriivka, Ron Popeski, Timothy Organizations: Assault Brigade, REUTERS, Russian, General Assembly, Troops, Reuters, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Ukraine's, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Soviet, BAKHMUT, Czech, Moscow, Andriivka, Russia, Klishchiivka, Russian

☆ Danger lurks behind 'every bush' for brigade in Ukrainian counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Ukrainian servicemen of the Spartan Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine prepare a shell for a D-30 howitzer at a position at a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine September 13, 2023. REUTERS/Oleksandr Ratushniak Acquire Licensing RightsSummary Spartan brigade fighting in Ukrainian counteroffensiveSoldiers encounter vast minefields and trenchesSpartan brigade says Russians know the terrain wellZAPORIZHZHIA REGION, Ukraine, Sept 14 (Reuters) - For soldiers in Ukraine's "Spartan" brigade, danger could lurk behind every bush and in every field as they fight in Kyiv's counteroffensive against deeply entrenched Russian forces. Progress through vast Russian minefields and heavily fortified defences has been slower than many Ukrainians had hoped since the counteroffensive began in early June. Just our boys," he said at a location in the Zaporizhzhia region. Stepan, 38, was a metal worker before he joined the Spartan brigade, which is part of Ukraine's National Guard, and was apprehensive at first.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, Jordan, Stepan, Ron Popeski, Timothy Organizations: Spartan Brigade, National Guard, REUTERS, Ukrainian, Ukraine's, Spartan, Reuters, Ukraine's National Guard, Brigade, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia region, Russian, Zaporizhzhia, Stepan

☆ Ukrainian chef dreams of Michelin star, but happy to feed the troops
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sept 13 (Reuters) - Serhiy graduated from a culinary school in central Ukraine and dreams of working in a Michelin-starred restaurant. But for now, with his country locked in a war against Russia, he is only too happy to feed the troops as an army cook. "The frontline is just over there," he says in the simple kitchen where he produces varied, home-cooked meals. [1/4]Serhiy, 30, a former restaurant chef and military cook stands as he prepares a meal, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine September 12, 2023. One used to work at the restaurant for nine years, another one worked for 10 years," said one soldier, grinning.

Persons: Serhiy, thoughtfully, Oleksandr Ratushniak, Ron Popeski, Tom Balmforth, Alison Williams Organizations: Michelin, Russia, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Dnipropetrovsk, Poland, Dnipropetrovsk region, Soviet, Afghanistan

☆ Ukraine collects Russian bodies on 'road of death' in retaken southeast
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Ukrainian servicemen check the body of a dead Russian soldier, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the village of Blahodatne in Donetsk Region Ukraine September 8, 2023. REUTERS/Oleksandr Ratushniak/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBLAHODATNE, Ukraine, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Wearing face masks, the Ukrainian soldiers poked sticks into the undergrowth along a deserted country road, searching for the bodies of Russian soldiers they hoped to exchange for their own comrades, living and dead. They called it the "road of death" after the number of Russian soldiers killed there when Ukrainian forces retook the southeastern village of Blahodatne at the start of their counteroffensive in June. Three months on, the frontline had shifted south and it was finally safe enough for the three-man team of Ukrainian soldiers to start their operation in this liberated part of Donetsk region. There was intense fighting for Urozhaine," he said, referring to a nearby village that was later retaken.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, Volodymyr, Ron Popeski, Tom Balmforth, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Donetsk Region Ukraine, REUTERS, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Blahodatne, Donetsk Region, Donetsk, Russia, Urozhaine

☆ Ukrainian mortar squads say they meet fierce Russian resistance
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A Ukrainian serviceman sits next to mortar shells inside a dugout at a position near a frontline, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine September 4, 2023. It's a routine they repeat frequently as Ukraine's army tries to battle through vast Russian minefields and heavily fortified trenches in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia. "The Russians resist fiercely there (on the front line), they are trying to get back their positions," the mortar squad's commander, who uses the call-sign Hrai, told Reuters. Our soldiers are in their (former Russian) positions, prepared by them (the Russians). The mortar position is part of a maze of trenches and dugouts with wooden walls and underground living quarters.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, Hrai, Timothy Heritage, Tom Balmforth Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia region, tarpaulin, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv

☆ Torture, sexual violence commonly used by Russian forces in Ukraine, say experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Anthony Deutsch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian authorities are reviewing more than 97,000 reports of war crimes and have filed charges against 220 suspects in domestic courts. The Kremlin has consistently denied allegations of war crimes in Ukraine by forces taking part in a "special military operation" it says was launched to "de-Nazify" its neighbour and protect Russia. In June, Ukrainian prosecutors brought their first case over the alleged deportation of dozens of orphans from Kherson, charging a Russian politician and two suspected Ukrainian collaborators with war crimes. "The true scale of Russia’s war crimes remains unknown," Anna Mykytenko, senior legal adviser at Global Rights Compliance, said of the latest findings on torture. The torture techniques most commonly used were suffocation, waterboarding, severe beatings and threats of rape, it found.

Persons: Anna Voitenko, Vladimir Putin, Team's, Anna Mykytenko, Wayne Jordash, Anthony Deutsch, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Mobile Justice Team, Global Rights, Criminal Court, ICC, The Mobile, European Union, Survivors, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kherson, The Hague, Russia, Britain, United States, Russian

☆ Ukraine and Russia should stop using cluster bombs, Human Rights Watch says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Human Rights Watch, an international advocacy group, called on both Russia and Ukraine to stop using the weapons, and urged the U.S. not to supply them. Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. have all to declined to sign the treaty. Ukraine fired cluster munition rockets into Russian-controlled areas in and around the eastern Ukrainian city of Izium last year after Russia invaded Ukraine, Human Rights Watch said, citing interviews with more than 100 residents, witnesses and local emergency personnel. The Ukrainian attacks killed at least eight civilians and wounded at least 15 civilians in Izium, Human Rights Watch said. The group has previously reported that Russia's use of cluster munitions in Ukraine has killed scores of civilians, and the United Nations' Human Rights Council has also documented the use of such bombs by both sides.

Persons: Anna Voitenko, Mary Wareham, Joe Biden's, Jonathan Allen, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, Human Rights Watch, Rights Watch, U.S, Pentagon, Russian, United Nations, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: Nova Zoria, Ukraine, Kherson region, U.S, Russia, Kyiv, Russian, Ukrainian, Izium, New York

[1/4] Security forces operate at the site of a district court, where according to city authorities an explosive device was activated by a man inside a building, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, July 5, 2023. REUTERS/Valentyn OgirenkoKYIV, July 5 (Reuters) - A man who detonated an explosive device at a court in the Ukrainian capital died on Wednesday after barricading himself inside part of the building, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said, citing "preliminary information." Two members of a special rapid response security forces unit were hurt during attempts to bring the man under control at the Shevchenkivskyi court in the centre of the capital. Klymenko, briefing reporters at the scene, said the man had "presumably...died from the explosive device". After the hearing, he said the man had first locked himself into a bathroom and tossed an explosive device at two guards.

Persons: barricading, Ihor Klymenko, ., Klymenko, Ihor Humenyuk, Olena Harmash, Timothy Heritage, Ron Popeski, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Security, REUTERS, Ukrainian, Police, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Valentyn, KYIV, Russia

☆ Ukraine builds layered air defences as Russia ramps up strikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Ukrainian serviceman prepares an AN/TWQ-1 Avenger mobile air defence missile system for work during his combat shift, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, outside of Kyiv, Ukraine June 16, 2023. "When they arrive in one night, both (drones) and cruise missiles fly by, that's the most difficult." On Friday, Ukraine said it shot down all six cruise missiles and six hypersonic Kinzhal missiles fired at targets in and around the capital. "One of our top priorities, when it comes to transforming our armed forces and building up our air defence capability is creating a three-layered air defence system," said Sak. By contrast in April, the Air Force said it had shot down 73 drones and 21 cruise missiles.

Persons: Anna Voitenko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Yuriy Sak, Sak, Tom Balmforth, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, TIME, Patriots, Patriot, Air Force, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, KYIV, U.S, Russia, Europe, Odesa, West, Washington, Australia

☆ Cherry blossom mingles with barbed wire and trenches in Kyiv park
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] A woman poses for a photo under cherry blossoms in a park in Kyiv, Ukraine, May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Alina Smutko/File PhotoKYIV, May 5 (Reuters) - Pink cherry blossom has brought a touch of spring to a Kyiv park still strewn with barbed wire and anti-tank barriers. The Ukrainian military positions in the park, including trenches and a bunker, are no longer in use. That's our destiny, that's the times we got assigned to live in. Reporting by Anna Voitenko, Felix Hoske and Andrii Pryimachenko; Writing by Alison Williams; Editing by Conor HumphriesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukrainian diver joins boycott of events with Russians as war takes its toll
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Stanislav Oliferchyk, the European diving champion from Mariupol, practices in a pool at the training base for divers, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 27, 2023. Oliferchuk had been eagerly awaiting the reopening of Neptun swimming pool in Mariupol, which underwent two years of costly, major restoration. "The swimming pool was just incredible, I really enjoyed training there after it was renovated. It is very sad that the swimming pool as well the rest of the city was destroyed," Oliferchuk told Reuters. No way Russians should be allowed to take part in the competitions - if it happens, we will boycott."

☆ In Ukraine's Bucha, a 'wounded soul' aches one year after liberation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Graves of unidentified people killed by Russian soldiers during occupation of the Bucha town, are seen at the town's cemetery, before the first anniversary of its liberation, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Bucha, outside Kyiv, Ukraine March 30, 2023. Among the victims in Bucha was her 47-year-old son-in-law - a wound that festers despite the relative rejuvenation of the town since its liberation one year ago on Friday. Ukrainian authorities put the civilian death toll in areas of the Kyiv region liberated from Russian forces at 1,137, including 461 killed in Bucha alone. Russia's forces abandoned their assault on Kyiv a month into the war, withdrawing from Bucha in the north and other areas. "We should understand that it's easy to rebuild walls, but it's much harder to rebuild a wounded soul," he said.

☆ US House committee chair signs subpoena for State Dept Afghanistan documents
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Anna VoitenkoMarch 27 (Reuters) - The Republican chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday said he signed a subpoena to be delivered to Secretary of State Antony Blinken for documents related to the August 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Michael McCaul has launched an investigation into the messy withdrawal from Afghanistan under Democratic President Joe Biden and events in the country since. McCaul has given the State Department until Monday to produce the documents. "Unfortunately, Secretary Blinken has refused to provide the Dissent Cable and his response to the cable, forcing me to issue my first subpoena as chairman of this committee," McCaul said in a statement. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters on Monday evening.

They were eventually forced to retreat, and in early April media images of the carnage they left behind shocked the world. The bodies of civilians littered pavements and roads, some with hands tied behind their backs. Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of war crimes in Bucha, an allegation the Kremlin denies. You try to understand what that person is thinking; if that person can actually feel," she said in her home in Bucha. The mayor of Bucha has said more than 400 civilians were killed there by Russian forces, including dozens whose bodies lay untended for weeks on and alongside Yablunska, or Apple Street.

[1/2] Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, speaks with Reuters during an interview, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 7, 2023. "Attempts at an offensive in either the Kharkiv or Zaporizhzhia direction will of course be made," he said, speaking in his office in the capital, Kyiv. Russian forces have been trying to encircle and capture Bakhmut for weeks at a steep cost. Danilov said Kyiv expected Russia to seek to achieve demonstrable results around the one-year anniversary of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24. Earlier, Ukrainian officials said Russian forces could try to attack from Moscow's ally Belarus to the northwest.

At his funeral in the western Ukrainian town of Letychiv, friends of the 22-year-old, who volunteered for the military and was hit by shrapnel in Bakhmut last week, were vehement that Russians should be excluded from the Olympics. Fellow decathlete Dmytro Korbenko, who described himself as Androshchuk's best friend, said of Russian athletes: "It's obvious they're not supposed to be in sports, nor at the 2024 Olympic Games." As mourners laid bouquets near Androshchuk's feet or kissed his forehead, Korbenko described his friend as a strong-willed athlete. In response, Ukraine has threatened to boycott the 2024 Olympics if the year-long war is still raging and if Russians are allowed to compete. Russia, which denies committing atrocities in Ukraine, said attempts at banning it from international sports were "doomed to fail."

The Kremlin and Russia’s defence ministry didn’t respond to Reuters’ questions, including about alleged torture and unlawful detentions. Ukraine’s top war crimes prosecutor, Yuriy Belousov, said authorities have identified ten sites in the Kherson region used by Russian forces for unlawful detentions. Belousov added that hundreds of bodies of civilians had been found in other areas that Russian forces had withdrawn from. Some of the thousands of alleged war crimes committed by Russian forces could be escalated to overseas tribunals if they are deemed sufficiently serious. The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) has opened an investigation into alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

Search resuls for: "Anna Voitenko"

25 mentions found