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CNN —A Russian missile strike killed and injured more than 70 people in the city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine – an attack that could have been prevented if Ukraine was provided with better air defenses, President Volodomyr Zelensky said. At least 14 people were killed in the strike and 61 others were injured, including two children, Ukraine’s emergency services said. Russia’s strike comes after Zelensky has for months warned that Ukraine lacks the air defenses necessary to protect its skies. “This would not have happened if Ukraine had received a sufficient number of air defense systems and if the world’s determination to counter Russian terror had been sufficient,” Zelensky said. There must be equally sufficient determination from our partners and, as a result, sufficient support.”More than 70 people were killed and injured in the Russian strike.

Persons: Volodomyr Zelensky, Alina Mykolayets, Russia’s, Zelensky, ” Zelensky, “, Valentyn Ogirenko Organizations: CNN, Reuters, PBS Locations: Russian, Chernihiv, Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia

CNN —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed into law a key piece of legislation overhauling the country’s mobilization rules. The legislation places a new requirement on all men between 18 and 60 to register with Ukraine’s military and to carry their registration documents on them at all times. Ukraine’s parliament passed the law last week and Zelensky gave presidential approval Tuesday. A Ukrainian servicemen fires a howitzer towards Russian troops in Kherson region, Ukraine, in March. After the law passed last week, dozens of wives and relatives of servicemen gathered outside Ukraine’s parliament to protest and demand that mobilization deadlines be included.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia’s, Zelensky, Serhii Nuzhnenko, Zelensky’s, Oleksandr Syrsyki, Anastasia Bulba, Vitalii, ” Organizations: CNN, Reuters, People Locations: Ukrainian, Kherson region, Ukraine, Ukraine’s, Russia

☆ Middle East Crisis Global Leaders Press Iran and Israel to Avoid Escalation
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

“When rockets fly in Israel, the whole world writes about it,” said Amil Nasirov, a 29-year-old singer. “And it’s like some devaluation of Ukrainian lives.”Ukraine has begged since the outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 for more tools to close its sky to Russian missiles. Ukrainian officials noted the role that fighter jets played in defending Israel as a sign of their importance in air defense. “That would be a danger of escalation.”The United States remains the chief supplier of the munitions for Ukraine’s best air defense systems. In the intervening months, Ukraine’s air defenses have been critically depleted, while Russia has greater success in using air power to advance on the front line, attack Ukraine’s energy grid and inflict more casualties against civilians.

Persons: Sergiy, “, ”, Amil Nasirov, Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Mr, Zelensky, David Cameron, Cameron, Britain’s, Liubov Sholudko Organizations: United Nations, Patriot, NATO, Britain’s LBC, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Israel, United States, Britain, France, Iran, Washington, Russian, Moscow, Ukrainian, Kharkiv, Germany, Europe

CNN —A lack of air defenses meant Ukraine was powerless to prevent a Russian airstrike last week that destroyed the biggest power plant in Kyiv region, President Volodomyr Zelensky said. Russia fired 11 missiles towards the Trypilska power plant, Zelensky said. We ran out of all missiles,” Zelensky told PBS NewsHour in an interview that aired Monday. Zelensky questioned why Israel has enjoyed such comprehensive support from NATO members despite not being a member of the alliance. The NATO allies, including NATO countries, have been defending Israel.

Persons: Volodomyr Zelensky, Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Zelenksy, Iran’s, wouldn’t, ”, Israel, Mike Johnson, Johnson, Anna Rose Layden Organizations: CNN, PBS, House Republicans, NATO, Conference, “ Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, Ukrainian, United States, Israel, Iran, Jordanian, Taiwan, Washington ,

☆ In Ukraine’s West, Draft Dodgers Run, and Swim, to Avoid the War
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Andrew E. Kramer | Nicole Tung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The roiling water can be treacherous, the banks are steep and slick with mud, and the riverbed is covered in jagged, hidden boulders. Yet Ukrainian border guards often find their quarry — men seeking to escape the military draft — swimming in these hazardous conditions, trying to cross the Tysa River where it forms the border with Romania. Lt. Vladyslav Tonkoshtan recently detained a man on the bank, where he was preparing to cross the river in the hope of reuniting with his wife and children, whom he had not seen in two years since they fled to another country in Europe. That thousands of Ukrainian men have chosen to risk the swim rather than face the dangers as soldiers on the eastern front highlights the challenge for President Volodymyr Zelensky as he seeks to mobilize new troops after more than two years of bruising, bloody trench warfare with Russia.

Persons: Vladyslav Tonkoshtan, Volodymyr Zelensky Locations: Romania, Europe, Russia

☆ Eastern Europeans buy up property in the West as Putin steps up ‘war on nerves’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But several realtors told CNN that their clients are now citing another reason: Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the fear that the conflict could spread. A record-breaking number of Poles bought property in Spain in 2023, topping the previous record set the year before, according to Polish outlet Bizblog. Lopez said a client last month bought a property because they wanted to avoid being conscripted into the Polish military. “The trigger, really, was the war in Ukraine.”But most buy just for peace of mind – a back-up plan, for those wealthy enough to afford one. “Obviously, we are in NATO, but I must say there’s a big amount of people who are really, really afraid,” she said.

Persons: Agnes Marciniak, She’s, “, ”, Kostrzewa, Volodomyr Zelensky, Ukraine “, Donald Trump, Donald Tusk, –, Maria Ruiz Lopez, Lopez, Wieslaw, John Keeble, Liivia Illak, she’s, ” Illak, Alexey Navalny, Putin, they’ve Organizations: CNN, realtors, United States, NATO, Getty Locations: Baltic, Ukraine, Russia, Europe, Spain, Warsaw, Poland, Andalucia, Malaga, Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Russian

☆ Back From Ukraine, a House Republican Makes the Case for More Aid
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Catie Edmondson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Knowing a vote on another aid package for Ukraine loomed in his future, Representative Chuck Edwards, a freshman Republican, spent part of last week traveling across the country to see for himself how American dollars would be used in the nation’s fight to fend off Russian invaders. What he witnessed as he and a bipartisan group of lawmakers traveled across Ukraine over four days — a dozen air raids, an onslaught of drone attacks, and the sites of gruesome atrocities against civilians — left Mr. Edwards and his colleagues vowing to press Speaker Mike Johnson to push forward on a measure to provide more aid for the war effort. They told President Volodymyr Zelensky that their visit had given them a “new appreciation" of what his country was facing, Mr. Edwards said, and that they would lobby Mr. Johnson to make sure that American aid did not dry up.

Persons: Chuck Edwards, —, Edwards, Mike Johnson, Volodymyr Zelensky, Johnson Organizations: Ukraine, Republican Locations: Ukraine

CNN —Ukraine’s parliament has scrapped plans to give soldiers who have spent prolonged periods fighting on the frontlines the chance to return home on rotation, after passing a draft law seeking to boost the number of soldiers in its military. The draft law passed Thursday with 283 votes in favor, including a raft of measures aimed at providing a desperately needed boost for Ukraine’s military. Dozens of wives and relatives of servicemen gathered outside Ukraine’s parliament Thursday to protest the passing of the draft law, demanding that demobilization deadlines be included. Libkos/Getty ImagesThe issue of mobilization has bedeviled Ukrainian lawmakers for months, as the needs of its military clash with political constraints. It is not clear when the draft law passed Thursday will receive presidential approval.

Persons: CNN —, Rustem Umerov, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Chris Cavoli, Anastasia Bulba, Vitalii, ”, “, Young, Libkos, Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine “, ” Zaluzhnyi, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Defense, European Command Locations: Ukraine, Kharkiv, Odesa, Lviv, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Ukraine’s, Russia

☆ Ukraine’s Parliament Passes a Politically Fraught Mobilization Bill
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Marc Santora | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After months of political wrangling, Ukrainian lawmakers on Thursday passed a mobilization law aimed at replenishing the nation’s exhausted and depleted fighting forces, which are struggling to hold back relentless Russian assaults that are expected to intensify in coming months. Yulia Paliychuk, a spokeswoman for the party of President Volodymyr Zelensky, confirmed that the law had been adopted by Parliament. The urgent need for fresh troops has been evident since last fall, but Mr. Zelensky has been exceedingly cautious in dealing with the politically fraught topic, which has the potential to undermine the social cohesion that has played a critical role in Ukraine’s ability to wage war against a far larger and better-armed enemy. Mr. Zelensky had urged lawmakers to act this week and is widely expected to sign the new legislation soon. However, the last time the Parliament passed controversial legislation related to mobilization — lowering the draft eligibility age to 25 from 27 last May — Mr. Zelensky waited nearly a year before signing it into law this month.

Persons: Yulia Paliychuk, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Mr

☆ European diplomats in DC scramble to gain access to Trump allies for insights
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Kylie Atwood | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“We are not that nervous because we know that with Trump it is all about relationships,” said one veteran European diplomat who has been in DC since the Trump administration. “The logic of doing it at Heritage was not lost on us,” said Victoria Coates, a deputy national security advisor to former President Trump who is now a vice president at the think tank. The comments sent European diplomats into over-drive, eager to understand exactly what Trump meant. “If they are worried about how President Trump is going to react to them, they hold it in their hands to do something about it,” Coates said. But European diplomats are not only worried about NATO.

Persons: Donald Trump, jostle, Trump, of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, Mike Pompeo, Robert O’Brien, Keith Kellogg, Mike Pence’s, Hillary Clinton, they’ve, ”, –, David Cameron, Antony Blinken, Cameron, Jens Stoltenberg, Jim Lo Scalzo, Stoltenberg’s, Victoria Coates, Stoltenberg, ” Coates, nodded, James Carafano, “, it’s, “ He’s, Mike Johnson, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: CNN, White, NATO, Ukraine, Trump, of National Intelligence, National, European Union, Republican, Russian Central Bank, EU, British, Heritage Foundation, Heritage, GOP, Putin Locations: Washington, Russia, European, Europe, Ukraine, Brussels, West, Russian, South Florida, Brexit, ”, Washington ,, “

400,000 Men at each age 200,000 Age: 15 25 35 45 55 65 75 85 95Can Ukraine Find New Soldiers Without Decimating a Whole Generation? Healthy men under age 30, the backbone of most militaries, are part of the smallest generation in Ukraine’s modern history. Mr. Zelensky’s decision to draft men starting at age 25 risks further diminishing this small generation of Ukrainians. But the lower draft age risks shrinking a small generation even more. And in occupied areas of the country Russia is conscripting Ukrainian men to fight against Ukraine, starting at age 18.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, birthrates, thein, —, Oleksandr Gladun, it’s, ”, Serhiy Hrabsky, Gladun, “ Organizations: Boys, United Nations, Ptukha, Social Studies, European Union, Eurostat, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, United States, Soviet Union, Russia, Europe

☆ Zelensky says he will listen to Trump’s ideas to end war ‘with pleasure’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Sophie Tanno | Lauren Said-Moorhouse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would listen to former US President Donald Trump’s ideas to end the war in Ukraine with “pleasure” but trod carefully around the issue during an interview at the Delphi Economic Forum in Greece. I haven’t heard that directly from Trump,” Zelensky told CNN’s Senior Correspondent Fred Pleitgen via video link from Ukraine. Ukrainian President Zelensky is pictured speaking from Ukraine during an interview with CNN’s Fred Pleitgen, who is at the Delphi Economic Forum in Greece. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky inspects new fortifications for Ukrainian servicemen near the Russian border in the Kharkiv region on Tuesday. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout/Reuters“I’d like to underscore that no Western weapons were used to attack in such a way.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump’s, ” Zelensky, CNN’s, Fred Pleitgen, “, Zelensky, Trump, Ukraine “, ”, The Trump, “ There’s, he’s, CNN’s Fred Pleitgen, Pleitgen, Vladimir Putin’s, Putin’s, Reuters “, Oleksandr Prokudin, Ukrenergo Organizations: CNN, Delphi, Republican, German, Wednesday, Trump, Russia, West, Presidential Press Service, Reuters, Ukraine’s Defense Forces of Locations: Ukraine, Greece, Ukrainian, Russia, Trump, Delphi, Zelensky, “, Kharkiv, Western, Russian, Odesa, Mykolayiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv

☆ Trump is recreating his web of chaos at home and abroad in a preview of what a second term could look like
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Some top Democrats worry that Americans have forgotten the chaos that raged every day Donald Trump was president, and that voters’ faded recall of the uproar will end up handing him a second term. Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is threatening to topple Johnson if he dares to pass it. — Nationwide chaos is, meanwhile, spreading in the wake of the Trump-built Supreme Court conservative majority overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022. — Bipartisan efforts to solve a border crisis are in tatters after Trump’s House followers in February killed the most sweeping and conservative bill in years. Yet Trump has vowed to end the war in 24 hours if he wins a second term.

Persons: Donald Trump, ’, Trump, Mike Johnson, Ukraine –, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Johnson, Roe, Wade, Trump’s, Joe Biden, —, Johnson –, Lago Trump, bucked Johnson, Bill Barr, CNN’s Annie Grayer, ” Barr, ”, Barr, “ We’re, Greene, “, ” Greene, CNN’s Manu Raju, We’re, laud, Ronald Reagan’s, Vladimir Putin’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, don’t, CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen, Putin, Christopher Cavoli, ” Cavoli, Biden, majority’s handiwork, he’d, didn’t, –, he’s Organizations: CNN, GOP, Republican, Trump, Washington, Trump -, Mar, Foreign Intelligence, FBI, FISA, Kremlin, Ukraine, European Command, House Armed Services Committee, Arizona Locations: Ukraine, Arizona, tatters, America, Washington, Russia, Georgia, Florida, Russian, Mar, Alabama

☆ Chinese leader Xi meets Russia’s Lavrov as two partners tout strong ties
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with top Russian diplomat Sergey Lavrov in Beijing Tuesday, state media reported, in yet another sign of the importance China gives to its increasingly robust ties with Moscow. Since then, the two countries have ramped up their economic, trade and diplomatic relations – including in the wake of Putin’s war in Ukraine. Xi made a state visit to Moscow last March after entering his third term as Chinese president. The two sides discussed the war in Ukraine and agreed that international meetings on Ukraine ignoring Moscow’s interests “are futile,” Lavrov told the conference, according to Russian state news agency Tass. China has maintained dialogue with Switzerland about an upcoming international peace conference, according to state media, but previously said such talks should be recognized by both Ukraine and Russia.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Sergey Lavrov, Lavrov, Vladimir Putin, Xi, Putin, Wang Yi, Wang, ” Lavrov, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Chinese, Foreign Ministry, Kyiv Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China, Moscow, Putin, Ukraine, Russian, United States, Russia, Switzerland

☆ Russia 'knew where we were going to attack,' Zelenskyy says in reflection on why Ukraine's big counteroffensive stumbled
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Chris Panella | Paul Ronzheimer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia knew where Ukraine's big counteroffensive last year was going to attack, Zelenskyy said Tuesday. Ukraine has said its 2023 counteroffensive plans were leaked to Russia before the operation began. Along with Russia learning about Ukraine's plans ahead of time, Zelenskyy said some of the issues were Ukraine's fault. AdvertisementOne of Ukraine's sea drones, funded by the large-scale volunteer collection platform UNITED24. Ukraine's drones have also been upgraded over time, some carrying larger, more powerful warheads to do more damage.

Persons: Zelenskyy, —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelensky, Axel Springer, Ukraine's, Kyrylo Budanov, could've, Muhammed Enes Yildirim, Ukraine couldn't, Ukraine Zelenskyy, That's, Vladimir Putin, It's Organizations: Service, CBC News, Anadolu Agency, Getty, NATO, Security Service, Ukraine Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Azov, Donetsk, Dnipro, Kyiv, Kerch, Crimea

☆ Ukraine ‘will lose the war’ if US aid not approved, says Zelensky
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Christian Edwards | Maria Kostenko | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Ukraine “will lose the war” if the United States Congress does not approve military aid to help it resist Russia’s invasion, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. “It’s important to specifically address the Congress: if the Congress doesn’t help Ukraine, Ukraine will lose the war,” Zelensky said Sunday during a video meeting of the Ukrainian fund-raising group UNITED24. “If Ukraine loses this war, other countries will be attacked. Zelensky previously told CNN that “millions” could die in Ukraine’s war with Russia if US lawmakers do not approve the aid package. There’s certain weapons systems, certain logistical support which the European countries simply cannot provide to Ukraine” such as air defense systems, he said.

Persons: Ukraine “, Volodymyr Zelensky, “, ” Zelensky, ”, Mike Johnson, Zelensky, Ukraine’s, Russia –, –, Anton Shtuka, Franz, Stefan Gady, Gady, UNITED24 ’ Organizations: CNN, United States Congress, Senate, Getty, International Institute for Strategic Studies Locations: Ukraine, “, Kyiv, Russia, Israel, Moscow, Avdiivka, Kharkiv, AFP, ”, Washington, Ukrainian

“This is a clear violation of the basic principles for protecting Europe’s largest (nuclear power plant). No nuclear power plant in the world is designed to withstand full-fledged fire from the armed forces. Damage to infrastructure facilities may affect the safe operation of the NPP,” the statement added, using an acronym for the nuclear power plant. Petro Kotin, head of Ukraine’s nuclear power operator Energoatom, said they were initially forced to work at “gunpoint” by invading Russian troops. Grossi points on a map of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, March 2022 Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images/FileBut fighting continued to rage around the plant in the summer of 2022, to the grave alarm of the IAEA.

Persons: Rafael Grossi, ” Grossi, Dmitry Peskov, Andriy Yusov, ” Yusov, “, Petro Kotin, Joe Klamar, Grossi, Volodomyr Zelensky Organizations: CNN, United Nations, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Europe’s, Zaporizhzhia NPP, NPP, Defense Intelligence, Ukrainska Pravda, Ukrayinska Pravda, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russian, Getty, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Russia, ”, Ukrainian, Europe, Zaporizhzhia, AFP, Nova, ZNPP

☆ Russia Pounds Kharkiv in Deadly Barrage, Straining Ukraine’s Defenses
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Marc Santora | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russian rockets slammed into residential buildings in Kharkiv before dawn on Saturday, Ukrainian officials said, killing at least six people and injuring at least 11 more in the latest assault on Ukraine’s second-largest city. “Russian terror against Kharkiv continues,” President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said in a statement. “It’s crucial to strengthen the air defense for the Kharkiv region. And our partners can help us with this.”Ukraine’s air defenses have come increasingly under strain since American military support stopped flowing into the country more than six months ago, and future assistance remains uncertain amid Republican resistance in Congress to a $60 billion aid package. Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, has hinted that he would soon bring the issue of military aid for Ukraine to a vote in the House, but has also said that he might tie the issue to unrelated matters like domestic energy policies that could complicate its passage.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, “, Mike Johnson Organizations: Republican Locations: Kharkiv, Ukraine, Louisiana

☆ Russia-Ukraine war live updates: Moscow reports concert terror attack link to Kyiv; Zelenskyy says Ukraine stabilized battle positions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on during a press conference with French President at the presidential Elysee palace in Paris on February 16, 2024, after signing a bilateral security agreement. Ukraine has managed to "stabilize" its positions on the home battlefield, in "all those areas of the front where the Russian army expected to succeed at the moment," Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address. Zelenskyy separately acknowledged four people were killed in Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine on Thursday, following a Russian strike with an Iranian-make "Shahed" drone on a residential area. The toll included three rescuers from Ukraine's state emergency service. The Kyiv leader added he has spoken with the military to bolster air defense for Kharkiv, Sumy and the country's southern regions.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy Organizations: French Locations: Paris, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Russian, Iranian, Sumy

☆ Western officials warn munition shortages could be catastrophic for Ukraine as US stalls on providing more aid
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | Katie Bo Lillis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The Ukrainian military is “experiencing shortages in air defense munitions, mostly in the medium to long range,” a NATO official said on Wednesday. Last fall, the administration asked Congress for more than $60 billion in additional funds to help support Ukraine, but more than 6 months later the funding has not passed amid opposition from Republican lawmakers. And the separate shortages of artillery ammunition could be “potentially catastrophic” for Ukraine in the short term, the official added. The NATO official said that as of now, Russia appears to lack the necessary maneuver units to mount such a large-scale, successful attack. That is why they believe it is critical for the west to continue to support Ukraine through this period of attrition.

Persons: “ It’s, Jens Stoltenberg, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s, Olha Stefanishyna, Stoltenberg, Donald Trump, ” Stoltenberg, Kylie Atwood Organizations: CNN, NATO, Patriots, Republican, ” Energy, “, Pentagon, Ukraine Contact Defense, Ukraine Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Kyiv, Brussels, Avdiivka, Russian, Belarus

☆ NATO’s next challenge: How to reverse years of underfunding defense
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

For over a decade, allies have chronically underspent on defense while the West’s adversaries modernized and bolstered their own military capabilities. Defense spending stayed low across the West not just because of budget pressures, but also because everyone – including the US – was frightened to provoke Russia. However, the nature of NATO allies’ support for Ukraine – much of it direct military support – has exposed the vulnerability that years of underfunding has caused the alliance. Fabian Bimmer/Pool/ReutersThis means that the challenge in front of NATO allies now is not just how can they meet the demand for weapons coming from Ukraine, but how do they reverse years of underfunding their own defenses? Some allies don’t trust that others will be quite so generous with defense spending if the Russia-Ukraine war were to end.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Murat Kula, ”, ” John Herbst, Antony Blinken, Ulf Kristersson, Andrew Caballero, Reynolds, underfunding, It’s, Herbst, NATO’s, –, Jens Stoltenberg, Olaf Scholz, Fabian Bimmer, Stoltenberg, ” Stoltenberg, Peter Ricketts, Douglas Lute, “ Organizations: CNN, NATO, Turkish, Anadolu Agency, Pentagon, “, Swedish, US State Department, Getty, Ukraine, Rheinmetall, Trump Locations: Soviet, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, United States, British, Vilnius, Russia, Kyiv, Europe, Germany, AFP, North Korea, Iran, Washington, Unterluess, Baltic, Brussels, Finland, Sweden, NATO

☆ Zelensky signs law expanding draft age as Ukraine struggles to beef up its military
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Xiaofei Xu | Yulia Kesaieva | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The Ukrainian Parliament passed the measure in May 2023 but Zelensky had not signed it into law until Tuesday. Firstly, men are drafted into military service. The law signed by Zelensky on Tuesday lowers the age they can be drafted to 25, but leaves the mobilization age at 27, However, the Ukrainian Parliament is also considering a bill that would reduce the mobilization age to 25. Disagreement regarding the draft age is believed to be one of the reasons why Zelensky fired Zaluzhnyi in February of 2024. But Zelensky previously said he would agree to a law to mobilize younger Ukrainian men, if it was “really” needed.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, ”, –, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Zaluzhnyi, ” Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Zelensky, United Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Russia

The noise is eerily reminiscent of Russian drone strikes on Ukraine, but this episode was recorded closer to Moscow than to Kyiv. As the object comes closer, it becomes clear: This is a Ukrainian drone, flying over Russian territory. Seconds later, the drone dives from the sky, smashing into a pipe-covered tower at a Russian oil refinery, exploding on impact. The strike on March 13, one of several on this facility alone, was part of a concerted Ukrainian effort to target Russian oil refineries with long-range drones. Ukrainian drones like these are now equipped with a basic form of Artificial Intelligence, according to a source close to Ukraine’s drone program.

Persons: CNN —, “, ”, Noah Sylvia, ” Sylvia, Reuters Chris Lincoln, Jones, ‘, we’ve, Helima Croft, ” Croft, Volodymyr Zelensky, Brent, Croft, Vasco Cotovio, they’re, Vasyl Maliuk, Putin Organizations: CNN, “, Royal United Services Institute, Reuters, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, Security Service of Ukraine, Kyiv, Intelligence, Autonomy, RBC Capital Markets, Ukraine, Washington, RBC Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Ryazan, Ryazan region, Russia, British, ” Ukraine, United States, Washington

☆ Russian assault piles pressure on fragile Ukrainian defensive line in the east
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The UK statement, which was shared on X, said: “Russian forces have maintained a gradual advance West of Avdiivka. Their apparent fall in just over a month after a prolonged and brutal Russian assault is indicative not only of Russian momentum, but also the fragility of Ukraine’s defensive lines. Ukraine’s military declined to comment on who is currently in control of Tonenke in response to a question from CNN. Troops CNN spoke to in frontline areas expressed concerns about the lack of Ukrainian defensive positions, personnel and munitions. The ISW said the Ukrainian forces appeared to have repelled the Russian mechanized assault, an apparent reference to the Umanske attack.

Persons: Kostiantyn, Donald Trump, Zelensky, ”, Yuriy Butusov, Butusov, Vlada, ISW, Chasiv Yar, Victoria Butenko, Svitlana Vlasova, Yulia Kesaieva Organizations: CNN, Kyiv, GOP, Washington, European Union, Ukraine’s, Staff, Russian, Troops CNN Locations: Russian, Avdiivka, Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Washington, Kyiv, Umanske, Tonenke, Berdychi, US, Bakhmut

But with Russian forces still inside the country and millions of Ukrainians displaced from their homes, fighting on the frontlines, or living overseas, there is no election in sight. Although Sunday is the day the constitution says Ukraine should be voting, it also does not allow it during wartime. He would have voted for Zelensky five years ago if he had had the chance and would vote for him now. Last August, President Zelensky was asked for his position in an interview on Ukrainian television and sounded sympathetic to holding a poll. As the United States Congress continues to dither over new military aid, elections in Ukraine became folded into the debate by some Republicans.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Viktor Yanukovych, Mykola Lyapin, Kateryna Bilokon, Yanukovych, ”, Jamie Oliver, ‘, ’, Oleksiy Koshel, Zelensky’s, Vivek Ramaswamy, Lindsey Graham, “, ” Zelenskiy, Valentyn Ogirenko, Graham, Ruslan Stefanchuk, ” Stefanchuk, disenfranchisement, Oleksandr Voitko, Valerii, Maria Kostenko, Victoria Butenko Organizations: CNN —, Republicans, Sunday, Putin, CNN, Zelensky, Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, Russia, United States Congress, Republican Party, South, 47th Brigade, “ Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv’s, Europe, United States, “, South Carolina, Kyiv, Russian, Avdiivka, Italy, Russia

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