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☆ Kyiv compares Russia to Islamic State after beheading video
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KYIV, April 12 (Reuters) - Ukraine compared Russia on Wednesday to Islamic State and called on the International Criminal Court to investigate after a video emerged online showing apparent Russian soldiers filming themselves beheading a Ukrainian captive with a knife. "There is something that no one in the world can ignore: how easily these beasts kill," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video message. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba said on Twitter: "A horrific video of Russian troops decapitating a Ukrainian prisoner of war is circulating online. Ukraine's domestic security agency said it had started an investigation into a suspected war crime over the video. As well as the purported execution, another video shows mutilated bodies of apparent Ukrainian prisoners of war, it said.

☆ Ukraine bids farewell to fallen opera conductor
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Valentyn OgirenkoBROVARY, Ukraine, April 11 (Reuters) - Tearful mourners bid farewell on Tuesday to a celebrated Ukrainian opera conductor who was killed fighting Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. Kostiantyn Starovytskyi, who joined the military after Russia's February 2022 invasion, died last week near the city of Kramatorsk. Starovytskyi, 40, had staged numerous operas in Kyiv, including Gaetano Donizetti's Rita, and was invited to the Berlin Opera Academy in 2021 as an assistant conductor. Friends, relatives and fellow service members laid flowers in Starovytskyi's open coffin during a service outside the capital Kyiv, where they reflected on what they described as his positive nature. Starovytskyi is among a growing number of artists, athletes and other public figures who have died fighting Russian forces in Ukraine.

☆ Two killed in Russian strike on Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia: Officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, April 9 (Reuters) - A 50-year-old man and his 11-year-old daughter were killed after Russian forces struck a residential building in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia early on Sunday, authorities said. Ukraine's State Emergency service also reported that a 46-year-old woman, who it described as the wife and mother of the victims, was pulled from the wreckage. City council secretary Anatoliy Kurtev said two missiles had destroyed one building and damaged dozens of others during the overnight strike. "The cursed Russian terrorists attacked Zaporizhzhia again and lost human lives," he wrote on the Telegram messaging app. The strike was the latest in a series of recent attacks on civilian targets in the region as Moscow's full-scale invasion drags into its second year.

Humanity will prevail," Zelenskiy said, leading a ceremony at which the Ukrainian flag was raised in Bucha. Zelenskiy described Bucha as a "symbol of the atrocities" of Russian occupying forces. Fighting rages on in the east and south of Ukraine, where Russian forces hold swathes of territory captured after they invaded on Feb. 24, 2022. Ukrainian forces have dug in and held out for now in the city of Bakhmut and are expected to launch a counteroffensive soon. This is part of Russia's planned strategy to destroy Ukraine as a state and Ukrainians as a nation," he said.

☆ 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.

☆ NATO slams Putin rhetoric on nuclear weapons in Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

KYIV, March 27 (Reuters) - NATO castigated Vladimir Putin over his nuclear rhetoric a day after the Russian president said he planned to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, escalating a standoff with the West. "Russia's nuclear rhetoric is dangerous and irresponsible," NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said on Sunday. We have not seen any changes in Russia's nuclear posture that would lead us to adjust our own." Tactical nuclear weapons refer to those used for specific gains on a battlefield rather than those with the capacity to wipe out cities. Analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said the risk of escalation to nuclear war "remains extremely low."

☆ Zelenskiy visits troops near front line in southeastern Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy poses for a picture with Ukrainian service members near a frontline, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine March 27, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERSKYIV, March 27 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met troops in southeastern Ukraine on Monday, the latest stage of a tour of frontline regions since a top general said a counterattack against Russian forces could come soon. In separate trips last week, the president met soldiers in eastern Ukraine near the small city of Bakhmut, where fighting is intense, and spoke to officials and residents in the southern region of Kherson, where Ukrainian forces pushed back Russian troops last year after months of occupation. In separate posts, Zelenskiy also released footage of himself visiting a command centre and meeting regional civilian and military officials. Reporting by Dan Peleschuk, Editing by Gareth Jones and Timothy HeritageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Zelenskiy to IAEA: Russia holds nuclear plant hostage
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The president met Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, on Monday at the Dnipro hydroelectric power station - northeast of the Zaporizhzhia plant. Russian officials say they want to connect the Zaporizhzhia plant to the Russian grid. Russia said last month the construction of protective structures for key facilities at the Zaporizhzhia plant were nearing completion. "Holding a nuclear power station hostage for more than a year - this is surely the worst thing that has ever happened in the history of European or worldwide nuclear power," Zelenskiy said. Last week, the Ukrainian military warned that Avdiivka, a smaller town 90 km (55 miles) farther south, could become a "second Bakhmut" as Russia turns its attention there.

☆ Kyiv calls for UN Security Council session over Putin's nuclear plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, March 26 (Reuters) - Ukraine on Sunday fiercely criticized plans by Russian President Vladimir Putin to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus and called for an emergency U.N. Security Council session to address the move. Putin announced the decision on Saturday, saying it would not violate nuclear non-proliferation promises and Russia would not hand off control of the weapons to Belarus. "Russia once again confirms its chronic inability to be a responsible steward of nuclear weapons as a means of deterrence and prevention of war, not as a tool of threats and intimidation," the ministry said. It demanded a Security Council session and also called on the Group of Seven countries and the European Union to warn Belarus of "far-reaching consequences" if it decides to accept the Russian weapons. Putin said in his remarks on Saturday that Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko had requested the stationing of the weapons.

☆ Ukraine slams Putin plan to station Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"Making a statement about tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, he admits that he is afraid of losing & all he can do is scare with tactics," Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted. Washington, the world's other nuclear superpower, played down concerns about Putin's announcement and the potential for Moscow to use nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine. The official noted that Russia and Belarus had been speaking about the transfer of nuclear weapons for some time. However, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons called Putin's announcement an extremely dangerous escalation. Sharing nuclear weapons makes the situation much worse and risks catastrophic humanitarian consequences," it said on Twitter.

☆ Four killed in Russian drone strike on Kyiv region, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Sergiy Karazy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Rescuers work at a site of building heavily damaged by a Russian drone strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Rzhyshchiv, in Kyiv region, Ukraine March 22, 2023. Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Handout via REUTERSRZHYSHCHIV, Ukraine, March 22 (Reuters) - At least four people were killed early on Wednesday in a Russian drone strike near Kyiv which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said showed Moscow was not interested in peace. State emergency officials said the search for survivors was continuing after attacks that the Ukrainian military said involved Iranian-made Shahed drones. "Over 20 Iranian murderous drones, plus missiles, numerous shelling incidents, and that's just in one last night of Russian terror against Ukraine," Zelenskiy wrote on Twitter. The Ukrainian military said it had shot down 16 of the 21 drones launched at Ukraine overnight from the north.

Zelenskiy posted footage of him greeting Kishida, whom the Ukrainian leader called "a truly powerful defender of the international order and a longtime friend of Ukraine". It is rare for a Japanese leader to make an unannounced foreign visit. [1/5] Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits a site of a mass grave, in the town of Bucha, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, outside of Kyiv, Ukraine March 21, 2023. Zelenskiy, speaking at a joint briefing with Kishida, said he would join the Hiroshima summit via an online link. Prior to leaving for Poland en route to Ukraine, Kishida visited India, where he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

☆ Ukrainian journalists fight another kind of war - against graft
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

According to Transparency International's 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index, Ukraine ranked slightly better than Russia but still well below the global average. Their focus also shows civil society is embracing its role as a government watchdog even as the war grinds on. Many journalists are also turning their attention to uncovering Russian war crimes and assets in Ukraine. PUBLIC PARTNERSHIPSuch reports play a key role in Ukraine's fledgling anti-corruption system, created after the 2014 Maidan revolution toppled pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych. Romaniuk, director of the Institute of Mass Information, an NGO in Kyiv, said Ukrainian journalists' role as anti-corruption activists will become increasingly important as Kyiv maps out a more transparent future.

☆ Ukraine appoints new top anti-corruption investigator
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Our team is committed to the principle of zero-tolerance to corruption and supporting anti-corruption institutions," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said during an extraordinary cabinet session to confirm Kryvonos. Ukraine became a candidate to join the EU last June, four months after Russia's full-scale invasion. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has publicly supported the effort, which officials and anti-corruption experts have said will be crucial to securing much-needed foreign aid. Ukraine ranked 116 out of 180 countries on Transparency International's latest Corruption Perceptions Index. NABU launches investigations into suspected corruption and, together with the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, sends cases to the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine for prosecution.

☆ Ukraine investigates alleged Russian shooting of prisoner of war
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

- or Glory to Ukraine - before multiple shots are heard coming from an unseen shooter or shooters. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, noting that the video had appeared on Monday, said it showed Russian occupiers brutally killing a soldier. "The murder of a captive is the latest Russian war crime," Yermak wrote in a tweet. Ukrainian and Western authorities say there is evidence for thousands of war crimes committed in Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022. "Before his death, (the man) reminded all of us of the meaning of the words 'Glory to Ukraine!," Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Telegram.

☆ EU adopts fresh sanctions to raise pressure on Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We now have the most far-reaching sanctions ever - depleting Russia's war arsenal and biting deep into its economy," European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter, adding the bloc was turning up the pressure on those trying to circumvent EU sanctions. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned the bloc would continue to pile more sanctions on Moscow. It also imposes tighter export restrictions on another 96 entities for supporting Russia's military and industrial complex, including for the first time seven Iranian entities manufacturing military drones used by Moscow. We expect decisive steps against (Russia's state-owned nuclear energy company) Rosatom & Russian nuclear industry, more pressure on military & banking," Zelenskiy tweeted. "We expect further intensification of pressure and restrictions, especially in the area of the nuclear industry and the activities of Rosatom," Shmyhal said in tweet.

☆ Ukraine welcomes some Chinese ceasefire 'thoughts', insists on Russian withdrawal
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a news conference on the first anniversary of Russian invasion of Ukraine, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, February 24, 2023. REUTERS/Gleb GaranichKYIV, Feb 24 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday welcomed some elements of a Chinese proposal for a ceasefire in Russia's war on Ukraine, but said only the country where a war is being fought should be the initiator of a peace plan. Zelenskiy, who said he believed China did not offer a concrete plan but some "thoughts", also warned Beijing against providing Moscow with arms. The Ukrainian leader also said it was promising that China - a Russian ally - was considering brokering peace but that any plan that didn't include a full Russian troop withdrawal would be unacceptable to Kyiv. Reporting by Max Hunder, Writing by Dan Peleschuk, Editing by Timothy HeritageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/6] Ukrainian servicemen of the 17th Independent Tanks Brigade are seen atop of a T-64 tank, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the frontline town of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine February 23, 2023. "Using Ukraine, the collective West is seeking to dismember Russia, to deprive it of its independence. U.S. President Joe Biden will meet virtually on Friday with G7 leaders and Zelenskiy to mark the anniversary and announce new sanctions against those aiding Russia's war effort, the White House said. Ukraine and its Western partners have brushed off the nuclear talk as a diversion from a stalled military campaign. Some U.S. and Western officials estimate Russia's military casualties at nearly 200,000 dead or wounded, while in November the top U.S. general said more than 100,000 troops on each side had been killed or wounded.

☆ Moldova dismisses Russian report of Ukraine plot over Transdniestria
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Alexander Tanas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CHISINAU, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Moldova dismissed an accusation by Russia's defence ministry on Thursday that Ukraine planned to invade the breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniestria after staging a false flag operation, and called for calm. The Russian news agency RIA said Ukraine, which borders Moldova, planned to stage an attack by purportedly Russian forces from Transdniestria as a pretext for the invasion. The Moldovan government issued a statement on the Telegram messaging app saying state authorities "do not confirm" the Russian defence ministry's allegations. "Our institutions cooperate with foreign partners and in the case of threats to the country, the public will be promptly informed." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last week it was "obvious" that Ukraine would not be Russia's last stop after invading Ukraine, and that the Kremlin was thinking about ways to "strangle" Moldova.

"We withstand all threats, shelling, cluster bombs, cruise missiles, kamikaze drones, blackouts and cold ... And we will do everything to gain victory this year." "Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko 1 2 3 4 5Igor, walking through Moscow, said Russia must win: "We're looking forward to it ending successfully. Despite strong support for Ukraine in the West, big developing nations, above all China and India, have kept clear of imposing sanctions on Moscow. Learn more about the Ukraine war.

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy says meeting with China 'desirable'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Asked about prospects for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Zelenskiy told a news briefing in Kyiv: "We would like to meet with China." "This is in the interests of Ukraine today," he told the joint briefing with visiting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Zelenskiy said he had heard only "general things" about China's proposals through Ukrainian diplomats, but that it was encouraging that China was considering brokering peace. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said this week that Wang Yi, the top Chinese diplomat, had shared some of the main points of Beijing's proposals with him during a meeting in New York. Wang visited Moscow this week but did not discuss the peace plan with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov when they met on Wednesday, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

☆ US lawmaker in Kyiv: Momentum shifting toward ATACMS, F-16s for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Feb 21 (Reuters) - A senior U.S. lawmaker said during a visit to the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday that momentum in Washington was shifting toward sending the long-range missiles and fighter jets coveted by Kyiv as it battles Russia's invasion. Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the Biden administration and National Security Council were still split over "how fast and what weapons" to send Ukraine, which wants ATACMS missiles and F-16s. "But I'm seeing increasing momentum towards getting the artillery and the planes in," he told reporters in central Kyiv. Washington has provided $24 billion in security assistance since Russia's Feb. 24 assault but has so far held back from sending planes and long-range missiles. Reporting by Dan Peleschuk; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Toughened by war's scars, Kyiv presses on while Russia attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] People walk down a street near anti-tank constructions as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in central Kyiv, Ukraine February 8, 2023. To avoid the lesson being disrupted by yet another Russian attack, she had quickly moved her class underground when the air-raid sirens sounded. "We teach math, biology, chemistry - everything according to the usual schedule," Olena, who declined to give her last name, told Reuters. Nearly a year after it began, Russia's invasion has upended life but also rallied a nation. Russia denies targeting civilians, and says its attacks are designed to weaken Ukraine's military.

☆ Moldova closes airspace, one day after warning of Russian coup plot
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CHISINAU, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Moldova temporarily closed its air space on Tuesday, one day after the tiny east European country's president accused Russia of plotting to bring down its government. "Dear passengers, at this moment, the airspace of the Republic of Moldova is closed. We are waiting for the resumption of flights," Air Moldova, Moldova's main airline, said on Facebook. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last week his country had uncovered a Russian intelligence plan "for the destruction of Moldova". Moldova said last Friday that a Russian missile had violated its airspace during an attack on Ukrainian infrastructure and summoned the Russian ambassador to protest.

☆ Moldovan prime minister announces government resignation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CHISINAU, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita announced on Friday that her government was resigning, after a turbulent 18 months in power marked by economic turmoil and the aftershocks of Russia's war on neighbouring Ukraine. "I believe in the Moldovan people. I believe in Moldova," she told a news briefing. It also suffered power cuts following Russian air attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and has struggled to break its dependence on Russian gas. Reporting by Alexander Tanas, Writing by Dan Peleschuk, Editing by Timothy HeritageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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