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☆ Hungary Far-Right Would Lay Claim to Neighbouring Region, if Ukraine Loses War
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary's far-right Our Homeland party would lay claim to a western region of Ukraine that is home to about 150,000 ethnic Hungarians if Ukraine loses its statehood due to Russia's invasion, the party's leader said late on Saturday. "Regarding the war in Ukraine, our message is very simple: immediate ceasefire, peace and a resolution through talks," Toroczkai said in a video posted on his party's website, calling for autonomy for ethnic Hungarians in western Ukraine. "If this war ends up with Ukraine losing its statehood, because this is also on the cards, then as the only Hungarian party taking this position, let me signal that we lay claim to Transcarpathia," he said, drawing applause from the crowd. Budapest has clashed with Kyiv over what it says are curbs on the rights of roughly 150,000 ethnic Hungarians to use their native tongue. Last month all European Union states except Hungary, which is also a member of NATO, agreed to start EU accession talks with Ukraine.

Persons: Laszlo Toroczkai, Toroczkai, Viktor Orban, Zoltan Kovacs, Peter Szijjarto, Dmytro Kuleba, Denys Shmyhal, Boldizsar Gyori, William Maclean Organizations: Homeland, Dutch Forum for Democracy, Ukraine, Hungarian Foreign Ministry, Hungarian, Union, NATO Locations: BUDAPEST, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Budapest, Hungarian, Hungary

☆ A Singaporean couple built 500 homes on the Ukrainian frontlines as the war raged around them. Here's how they did it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Lam Baoyan and Rudy Taslim are a Singaporean couple who built 500 emergency homes in Ukraine. Lam Baoyan and Rudy Taslim. A team of Ukrainian aid workers helps them identify people who need homes the most and coordinate delivery. Rudy Taslim and Lam Baoyan. Lam Baoyan and Rudy Taslim.

Persons: Lam Baoyan, Rudy Taslim, they've, —, Lam, Lam's, Taslim, Rudy Taslim Lam, who'd, she'd, it's, couldn't, hadn't, Moshchun —, We've, Yulia, Andrii Lupaniek, Lupaniek, Lyman Organizations: Service, Business, Genesis Architects, Labor, BI, Cross Singapore, Singapore Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian, Singapore, TKTK, Bad Blankenburg, Germany, Russia's, Poland, Lviv, Maldives, Taiwan, New Zealand, Lam, Lyman, Irpin, Moshchun, Ternopil, Kyiv

☆ Fact Check: US representative for Ukraine’s economic recovery not convicted of treason
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery Penny Pritzker was not arrested and convicted on charges of treason, contrary to an article circulating on social media making this claim. The claim is “categorically false,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson said to Reuters in an email on Nov. 14. Real Raw News, the Army JAG and the U.S. Department of State did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. Pritzker was not convicted of treason. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.

Persons: Penny Pritzker, “, ”, Janet Yellen, Letitia James, Pritzker, Read Organizations: Special, Real Raw News, “ JAG Convicts U.S, Raw, U.S, Treasury, New York, Corps, JAG Corps, U.S . Army, U.S . State Department, Reuters, Real Raw, Navy JAG, Ukraine’s Energy, German, Washington D.C, Army JAG, U.S . Department of State, Thomson Locations: United States, U.S, Ukrainian Embassy, Washington

☆ In D.C., activists find that there are still pro-Ukraine Republicans, but their voters have mixed feelings on aid
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Activists were on Capitol Hill this week to urge support for Ukraine. Insider attended a meeting between the activists and Sen. Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican. Mullin supports aid for Ukraine, but staff warned that calls from constituents have been "mixed." A majority of Republican lawmakers are no longer so sure, at least publicly, that defending Kyiv from the Kremlin is in America's strategic interests. Republican lawmakers are responding to concerns expressed by Republican voters — the people who will ultimately decide their political future.

Persons: Sen, Markwayne Mullin, Mullin, —, Russia's, — Paige Barrows, Ryan Meyer, Joe Biden's, Biden, Donald Trump, Jack A, Edwards, There's, Barrows, Meyer, Kate Tremont, Tremont Organizations: Capitol, Ukraine, Oklahoma Republican, Service, DC, Republican, Peace Corps, GOP, Politico, Senate Armed Services Committee Locations: Oklahoma, Ukraine, WASHINGTON, —, United States, Washington, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Russia, Mexico, Ukrainian Embassy

But officials have made clear recently that other forms of US aid are potentially in jeopardy if Ukraine does not do more to address corruption. The US has provided Ukraine with over $23 billion in direct budget support since the war began, according to the Congressional Research Service. In a statement to CNN, the Ukrainian embassy in Washington said that Ukraine has moved “ambitiously” to pass reforms, including on its IMF program. That money is also the “most closely scrutinized” form of aid to Ukraine, a senior Democratic Senate aide told CNN. The US intends to provide up to $3.3 billion in direct economic aid to Ukraine if Congress authorizes its $24 billion supplemental request for Ukraine.

Persons: Biden, Jake Sullivan, Antony Blinken, Volodymyr Zelensky, Matthew Miller, Miller, ”, Denys Shmyhal, Blinken, “, It’s, Megan Reed, Sen, Lindsey Graham, Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Ukraine, The State Department, Congressional Research Service, United States Agency for International Development, USAID, World Bank, Ukrainian Ministry of Finance, International Monetary Fund, IMF, National Bank of, General Prosecutors, National Security, Ukrainian, White, Ukrainska Pravda, Government of, EU, State Department, NATO, Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Democratic, Republicans, Pentagon, The Defense, Ukrainian MoD Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Washington, National Bank of Ukraine, USA, Russia, Kyiv, Europe, Government of Ukraine, United States, EU

☆ Special Report: How Cubans were recruited to fight for Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Dave Sherwood | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

In La Federal, for example, all nine recruits identified by Reuters signed up to fight in the war. "We are deeply concerned by reports alleging young Cubans have been deceived and recruited to fight for Russia," the spokesperson said. In La Federal, word of the army work began to spread in June, according to the residents interviewed. The first line of the message states: "This is a contract with the Russian military by which you receive citizenship." He stressed that the people who signed up in La Federal knew they would be going to fight.

Persons: Dannys Castillo, Yamidely Cervantes, Enrique Gonzalez, Cervantes, husband Gonzalez, Gonzalez, Oleg Nikolenko, Vladimir Putin, Dayana, Cristian Hernandez, Viondi, Alina Gonzalez, Danilo, Roberto Sabori, Yasmani, MAMI, Mami, Luis Herlys Osorio, Nilda, Osorio, Havana didn't, Dave Sherwood, Alexandre Meneghini, Mario Fuentes, Carlos Carrillo, Matt Spetalnick, Tom Balmforth, Filipp Lebedev, Felix Light, Pravin Organizations: Reuters, La Federal, Federal, Russia, Kremlin, Cuban, U.S . State Department, Facebook, Dayana, Soviet, Pravin Char, Thomson Locations: Alamar, Havana, Cuba, La, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Russian, Tula, Crimea, Ukrainian, United States, Villa Maria, Cuban, U.S, America, Europe, Gonzalez, Varadero, Ryazan, Soviet, Angola, Africa, Washington

CNN —Russian dissident journalist Elena Kostyuchenko has revealed how she was traveling to Berlin by train last autumn when she was abruptly taken ill, in a case that has led German authorities to investigate a suspected poisoning attempt. Kostyuchenko was living in exile at the time in the German capital after being warned of Russian plans to assassinate her. In March 2022, she said she was tipped off by a source in Ukrainian military reconnaissance about Russian plans to assassinate her. Kostyuchenko eventually fled to Germany, where she rented an apartment in Berlin and began working for Meduza on September 29. Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny also fell ill on a flight from the Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow in 2020.

Persons: Elena Kostyuchenko, Kostyuchenko, Sebastian Büchner, ” Kostyuchenko, “, ”, Zelimkhan, Sergei Skripal, Yulia, Theresa May, Alexei Navalny Organizations: CNN, Russian, Novaya Gazeta, Meduza, UK Locations: Russian, Berlin, Munich, Ukraine, Russia, Germany, Iran, Meduza, Ukrainian, Chechen, English, Salisbury, Siberian, Tomsk, Moscow

☆ Israel's Netanyahu concerned its defense systems may reach Iran if sent to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled concerns in an interview published Thursday that Israeli-manufactured defense systems, including the U.S.-funded Iron Dome, could reach Iran if they were transferred to Ukraine. "We're concerned also with the possibility that systems that we would give to Ukraine would fall into Iranian hands and could be reverse engineered, and we would find ourselves facing Israeli systems used against Israel," Netanyahu told the newspaper. "That's not a theoretical … threat, because Western systems, anti-tank systems for example, did exactly that journey, that we now find them on our borders with [Iran-backed group] Hezbollah." Ukraine has repeatedly emphasized its urgent need for air defense systems and ammunition to weather the aerial onslaught of the ongoing Russian offensive. "The Russians are murdering our citizens - and Israel still refuses to sell defense equipment to Ukraine!"

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, We're, Chris Van Hollen, Lindsey Graham, Israel, –, doesn't Organizations: Wall Street, U.S, Geran, Kyiv, Atlantic Council, Street, NBC, European Union, U.S . State Department, CNBC Locations: U.S, Iran, Ukraine, Moscow, Tehran, Russia, Israel, Kyiv, United States, Ukrainian, Kramatorsk, Syria, Russian, Saudi Arabia, China, Washington

☆ How Russians end up in a far-right militia fighting in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

[1/3] Danil Yugoslavsky gets ready at Civic Council’s Warsaw office, hours before crossing into Ukraine, in Warsaw, Poland, January 15, 2023. Max Smit, who crossed into Ukraine with Yugoslavsky, had never held a weapon before he joined the RVC. And there are some who think that fighting for the motherland is their cause," said Galeotti, naming the Rusich Group and ENOT Corp among far-right paramilitary units fighting on Russia's side. That's still a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and volunteers fighting in Ukraine, and the thousands of foreigners that have been fighting Russian forces there. According to Sokolov, RVC fighters received regular salaries from the Ukrainian defence ministry.

☆ Exclusive: Ukraine's Zelenskiy due to address Mexico's Congress Thursday -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, April 19 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is due to address Mexico's Congress on Thursday by video, according to two people familiar with the matter, as he seeks support in his country's ongoing war with Russia. Zelenskiy's address to the lower house of Congress came at the invitation of a congressional friendship group between Mexico and Ukraine, according to the sources. There are other similar groups in the Mexican Congress, including one for Russia. Attempts to sway public opinion in Mexico over the war in Ukraine have led to some notable spats in Congress. Last year, the Russian ambassador to Mexico told Mexican lawmakers that Mexico would never take orders from "Uncle Sam", prompting the U.S. ambassador to urge Mexico to support Ukraine.

The chart showed that Serbia declined to provide training to Ukrainian forces, but had committed to sending lethal aid or had supplied it already. It also said Serbia had the political will and military ability to provide weapons to Ukraine in the future. The Pentagon also did not immediately respond to Reuters questions about the document's reference to Serbia and has previously declined to comment on any of the leaked documents. Vucic's government has professed neutrality in the Ukraine war, despite the country's deep historic, economic and cultural ties with Russia. "We didn't export any weapons or ammunition to Russia or Ukraine," he said during a March 5 visit to Qatar.

☆ Fact Check-New York subway ad urging welfare recipients to join Ukraine war is not authentic
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An advertisement seeking to recruit U.S. citizens on the welfare scheme to the International Legion of Ukraine, purportedly seen on New York underground trains, is not an official poster. A spokesperson for the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington told Reuters that the poster is not real. The text on the poster which carries the logo of Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) reads: “Tired of living on welfare? Join the International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine.”The International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine was formed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and recruits foreign citizens to fight for Ukraine in the war (fightforua.org/). The poster calling on welfare recipients in the U.S to join the war in Ukraine is not authentic.

☆ More than twice as many Russian troops as Ukrainians have been killed in Putin's war, leaked estimates show
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Leaked estimates show more than twice as many Russians and Ukrainians have been killed in the war. The documents, which were recently leaked on social media and are currently the focus of a federal investigation, offer estimates for Russian and Ukrainian casualties. The Center for Strategic & International Studies, meanwhile, assessed that same month that between 60,000 and 70,000 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine. Ukrainian soldiers of the Aidar battalion training at an undetermined location in Donetsk oblast on April 4, 2023. For example, in some cases, information about Russian casualties appears to have been altered to show a much lower killed in action figure for the Russian forces.

☆ Exclusive: Ukraine seeks US cluster bombs to adapt for drone use, lawmakers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Jonathan Landay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

They said Ukrainian officials urged U.S. lawmakers at last month's Munich Security Conference to press for White House approval. Ukraine hopes cluster munitions will give it an edge in the grinding fight against Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. But cluster munitions could be a step too far for the administration and some in Congress. A 2008 pact prohibiting the production, use and stockpiling of cluster munitions has been adopted by 123 countries, including most of NATO's 28 members. "And cluster munitions really are pretty lethal to mass formations as well as armor.

☆ Ukraine envoy is optimistic Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will visit Kyiv before May
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

SINGAPORE — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will likely visit Ukraine's capital before the G-7 Hiroshima Summit, Ukraine's ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky told CNBC. Following U.S. President Joe Biden's surprise visit, Kishida is the only leader left among the Group of Seven who has not visited Ukraine since Russia invaded last year. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have all visited. Kishida's trip would make him the second Asian leader after Indonesian President Joko Widodo's visit in June last year. "We want this to happen as soon as possible," said Korsunsky, adding he cannot make details surrounding the discussions of the trip public.

☆ Fact Check-UK government-headed letter addressed to hosts of Ukrainian refugees is fake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A letter printed on British government-headed paper, which requests the hosts of Ukrainian refugees to share personal information about their guests, has been circulating online but the related government department has said the letter is a fake. The letter also says that refugees should visit the embassy “to specify their personal data individually”. When contacted by Reuters, the DLUHC pointed to its Feb. 6 post on Twitter which said the department was aware of “fraudulent letters” to hosts of Ukrainian refugees that were circulating on social media. The Ukrainian Embassy in the UK was not immediately available for comment. The DLUHC says the letter, which contains numerous spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors, is fake.

☆ Zelenskiy's party purges lawmaker for wartime trip to Thailand
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Ukraine's ruling party has kicked out a lawmaker from its parliamentary faction after reports he had travelled to Thailand during Ukraine's grinding war with Russia sparked a public outcry. Tyshchenko said on Facebook he had been on a business trip in Asia with approval of party leaders, "acting exclusively in the interests of Ukraine". The winter visit to sun-soaked Southeast Asia comes amid a crackdown by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy aimed at projecting an image of greater accountability for officials. Zelenskiy has announced a ban this week on private trips abroad by officials. Most Ukrainian men aged 18-60 have already been barred from leaving the country under martial law since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in Februrary last year.

☆ Spanish police arrest man suspected in 2022 parcel-bomb case
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Vincent West | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Spanish police officers guard outside a building after the arrest of a man suspected of being the sender of letter-bombs in November and December to the Ukrainian and U.S. embassies and several institutions in Spain, in Miranda de Ebro, Spain January 25, 2023. The man was detained in the northern town of Miranda de Ebro, and police searched his home. The suspect is a retired Spanish citizen with the initials P.G.P. The man used to work for the town hall of the Basque capital Vitoria-Gasteiz before retiring in 2013, a city spokesperson said. Spanish officials have declined to comment on the report, while a senior judicial source denied having knowledge of such a line of investigation.

☆ Russia's Lavrov visits ally South Africa amid Western rivalry
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Carien Duplessis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor shakes hands with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, ahead of their bilateral meeting in Pretoria, South Africa, January 23, 2023. Lavrov met his South African counterpart, Naledi Pandor, after flying in earlier in the day on a trip some South African opposition parties and the small Ukrainian community have condemned as insensitive. President Cyril Ramaphosa's government regards South Africa as neutral in the Ukraine conflict and has expressed a desire to mediate. The South African armed forces said last week the exercise is a "means to strengthen the already flourishing relations between South Africa, Russia and China". There was no official public comment from the Ukrainian embassy but officials said it had asked the South African government to help push President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's 10-point peace plan, which he proposed to the G20 in November.

☆ How Ukraine's Zelenskyy went from comedian to wartime hero
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kherson, Ukraine, on Nov. 14, 2022. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the cover of Time Magazine's 2022 "Person of the Year" edition. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Zelenskyy enjoys high approval ratings among Ukrainians for rallying both the country's forces and public on a daily basis. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits Kherson, Ukraine, on Nov. 14, 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kherson, Ukraine, on Nov. 14, 2022.

☆ Meet M-TAC, the maker of Zelenskyy's casual sweaters and t-shirts that started out selling airsoft guns
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

M-TAC launched in 2005 selling airsoft guns and accessories and started a clothing brand in 2014. An M-TAC manager previously told Insider that Zelenskyy's olive green fleece was out of stock. Per the company's website, M-TAC has more than 50 suppliers in 15 countries of the world. Since Russia first invaded Ukraine, M-TAC has seen demand soar for Zelenskyy's fleece jacket, Taras Rudnytskyi, the Ukrainian manager of US operations for the company, previously told Insider. "We hope to restock it someday, maybe after our victory," Rudnytskyi told Insider in May, adding that hostilities have made it difficult to continue any type of production.

"On my way to the United States to strengthen resilience and defence capabilities of Ukraine," Zelenskiy said on his Twitter account early on Wednesday. Russia calls its invasion in Ukraine a "special military operation" to denazify and demilitarise its neighbour. His wife, Olena Zelenska, travelled to Washington in July to address Congress and has made several other international trips pleading for Ukraine, as have his aides and ministers. In contrast, his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, has spent much of his time inside the halls of the Kremlin. Reporting in Kyiv by Pavel Polityuk; Writing in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly Editing by Shri Navaratnam, Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ White House and Congress prepare for possible visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks with U.S. President Joe Biden via phone, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 11, 2022. White House and congressional security officials were laying the groundwork for a possible visit Wednesday from Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy, five other sources familiar with the planning told NBC News. The Ukrainian president, who is currently the target of Russian forces amid its brutal assault on his country, could address lawmakers during a joint session of Congress in the House chamber, they said. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., confirmed to NBC News that she invited Zelenskyy to D.C., but she wouldn't say whether he was coming. An official representing the Ukrainian embassy in Washington, D.C. told CNBC they are aware of reports but cannot confirm Zelenskyy's visit.

Both Ukraine and the Russia-installed authorities agree that some grain has been exported from occupied Zaporizhzhia via Crimea. Ukraine says at least a part of the grain that passed through Sevastopol was taken from Ukrainian territories after Russia invaded. Prior to the current war, Syria had imported grain from Crimea on previous occasions since Russia took control of the peninsula, Reuters reported. According to the Refinitiv data, Syria imported about 501,800 tonnes of wheat from Sevastopol this year until the end of November, up from about 28,200 tonnes in the whole of 2021. During a visit to Crimea in January, Syria's economy minister said his country needed 1.5 million tonnes of wheat imports, with Russia providing the majority.

☆ Zelenskyy and the Spirit of Ukraine win Time’s 2022 Person of the Year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the spirit of Ukraine have been named Time’s 2022 Person of the Year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But the answer as to why he did it was simple: “It’s the people.”“My security was 100% against it,” Zelenskyy told Time during the trip to Kherson. “Zelenskyy gives me confidence,” a 35-year-old woman identified as Natasha in Ukraine told TODAY. In addition to Zelenskyy, Felsenthal revealed the women of Iran as 2022’s Heroes of the Year.

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