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"The enemy's offensive continues in the east, (with) round-the-clock attacks," Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said. Earlier, the Russian Defence Ministry said Ukrainian forces had retreated in the face of Russian operations in the Luhansk region, although it gave no details and Reuters was not able to verify this and other battlefield reports. "Even the more fortified second line of defence of the enemy could not hold the breakthrough of the Russian military." BAKHMUT ATTACKSRussia's main effort has been an artillery and ground onslaught on the city of Bakhmut, in Donetsk. Russian forces have launched attacks on several settlements, including Paraskoviivka on the northern approaches to Bakhmut, over the past day, Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said.

☆ New Russian offensive underway in Ukraine, says NATO
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian defenders, who have already held out for months, were braced for new ground attacks, Ukrainian military officials said on Monday. The Russian assault on Bakhmut has been spearheaded by mercenaries of the Wagner group, who have made small but steady gains. The Ukrainian military reported Russian shelling all along the frontline and said 16 settlements had been bombarded near Bakhmut. The Ukrainian governors of Luhansk and Donetsk have recently said that a predicted Russian offensive had begun. Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, in what it calls a "special military operation" to "denazify" the country and protect Russian speakers.

☆ Ukraine says two Russian missiles crossed into Romania and Moldova
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

KYIV, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Two Russian missiles crossed into Romanian and Moldovan airspace before entering Ukraine on Friday, the top Ukrainian general said. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, said two Kaliber missiles launched from the Black Sea had entered Moldovan airspace, then flew into Romanian airspace, before entering Ukraine. Reuters could not immediately verify the statement. The Ukrainska Pravda media outlet quoted the air force spokesperson as saying separately that Ukraine had the ability to shoot down the missiles but did not do so because it did not want to endanger civilians in foreign countries. Reporting by Max Hunder, Editing by Timothy HeritageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Explosions in Kyiv as Ukraine's power grid hit by Russian missiles
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] People take shelter inside a metro station during massive Russian missile attacks in Kyiv, Ukraine February 10, 2023. REUTERS/Vladyslav MusiienkoKYIV, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Several explosions could be heard in Kyiv as officials reported high-voltage facilities across Ukraine being hit by Russian missile attacks on Friday morning. Ukraine's power grid operator Ukrenergo said that several facilities in eastern, southern and western Ukraine had been hit, causing disruption to power supply. The mayor of eastern Ukraine's largest city, Kharkiv, confirmed an infrastructure facility there had been hit and warned of possible power outages as a result. Ukrenergo said Russia attacked Ukraine's grid overnight with drones and missiles, targeting power stations and transmission facilities.

☆ Factbox: Will Ukraine get Western fighter jets and what are the challenges?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday several Western countries were ready to provide Kyiv with aircraft to defeat Russia's invasion. Ukraine has been asking allies to provide modern fighter jets - dubbed "wings for freedom" in Zelenskiy's speech to British lawmakers this week - to replace its ageing fleet of Soviet MiG and Sukhoi planes. WILL UKRAINE GET THE FIGHTER JETS? Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson did not rule out sending fighter jets but played down expectations, saying the issue was not on Stockholm's agenda at the moment. The Kremlin has said that Western countries would be moving towards direct conflict with Russia if they send jets.

☆ SpaceX should choose between Ukraine and Russia - Ukrainian official
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's SpaceX (SPACEa.NLB) should choose sides between Ukraine and Russia, a senior Ukrainian official said on Thursday, after the company said it was curbing Kyiv's use of Starlink internet devices for controlling drones. Mykhailo Podolyak, a political adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, criticised the decision on Twitter, another of billionaire Musk's companies. "SpaceX (Starlink) & Mrs. Shotwell should choose a specific option," he said. Ukraine's military uses thousands of Starlink devices to communicate in the field. Despite the importance of Starlink for Kyiv, Podolyak has criticised Musk more than once since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

[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.

Zelenskiy says he needs to show that Ukraine was a safe steward of billions of dollars of Western military and other aid. Ukrainian aircraft have launched nine strikes on areas of concentration of Russian forces and two anti-aircraft positions, it said. Arakhamia had said the 37-year-old head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, would replace Reznikov, who would become minister of strategic industries. One obstacle to replacing Reznikov with Budanov, a fast-rising officer decorated for operations that remain secret, is a rule requiring the defence minister to be a civilian. Ukraine said on Monday evening that Russian forces had trained tank, mortar and artillery fire there in the past 24 hours.

☆ Ukraine's main Catholic church moves Christmas to Dec. 25 in pivot to West
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Ukraine's main Catholic church said on Monday it would move to a new calendar that would see Christmas celebrated on Dec. 25 rather than Jan. 7, amid an effort by Ukrainian institutions to break cultural links to Russia. The move by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), which counts just under a tenth of Ukrainians as worshippers, was welcomed by culture minister Oleksandr Tkachenko. That poll, held in December 2022, showed 59% of over 1.5 million respondents supported moving Christmas celebrations to Dec. 25, when the feast is celebrated in Western Europe. Last month, Tkachenko expressed hope that all of Ukraine's churches would agree to celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25. Until now, all major churches in majority-Orthodox Ukraine followed the Julian calendar, which celebrates Christmas on Jan. 7.

☆ Fire at Odesa power substation leaves Ukraine port city's grid on the brink
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"(The equipment) has been struck so many times that its state leaves much to be desired," Kudrytskyi told a briefing in Odesa, a city on the Black Sea. "We will do everything we can for the improvement of the power supply situation to take days rather than weeks," he said. "The situation is difficult, the scale of the accident is significant, it is impossible to quickly restore power supply," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal wrote on Telegram. Prime Minister Shmyhal said he had ordered Ukraine's energy ministry to scramble every available high-power generator in its nationwide inventory and deliver it to Odesa within a day. At the briefing, Kudrytskyi said the city's critical infrastructure facilities were now being supplied with power.

☆ Major accident in Odesa deals new blow to Ukraine's power grid- PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Feb 4 (Reuters) - A serious accident at a high-voltage substation has caused widespread power outages in and around Ukraine's southern port city of Odesa, Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Saturday. "The situation is difficult, the scale of the accident is significant, it is impossible to quickly restore power supply, in particular to critical infrastructure," Shmyhal wrote on Telegram. Shmyhal said authorities were now working to restore power supply to critical infrastructure and apartment blocks which needed electricity to heat homes. Shmyhal said he had ordered Ukraine's energy ministry to scramble every available high-power generator in its nationwide inventory and deliver it to Odesa within a day. He also ordered Ukraine's foreign ministry to appeal to Turkey to send powerships-- vessels which carry power plants-- to come to the city's aid.

☆ Air raid sirens sound across Ukraine as EU summit begins
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Air raid alerts sounded in Kyiv and across Ukraine on Friday as a summit of European Union and Ukrainian leaders was due to begin in the country's capital. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was hosting top European Union officials, who were visiting Kyiv with promises to support Ukraine "as long as it takes" but denying the country at war with Russia a quick path to joining the Western bloc. Zelenskiy was hosting EU chairman Charles Michel and the bloc's chief executive, Ursula von der Leyen, ahead of the one-year anniversary of Moscow's invasion that has devastated cities, killed tens of thousands of people, forced millions from their homes and shaken global food and energy supplies. "The EU will support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people against Russia's ongoing war of aggression for as long as it takes," the three leaders will say in a joint statement, a draft of which was seen by Reuters in advance. Reporting by Max Hunder and Gabriela Baczynska, Editing by Timothy Heritage and Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"This could slow down [a Russian assault] significantly," said Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Ukraine's former defence minister. This was a major boost for the Ukrainian military, allowing it to destroy Russian ammunition dumps and weapons storage facilities. "We are currently unable to reach Russian military facilities more than 80 kilometres away," said Ukrainian military analyst Oleksandr Musiyenko. Beyond the logistical impact, the addition of a longer-range weapon to Ukraine's arsenal could help shake Russian confidence. Still, said Karako, it is possible the Ukrainians could end up receiving an even longer range weapon in the future.

In a statement that did not name Kolomoiskiy, the SBU published the same photographs, but with the person's face blurred out. If someone is not ready for change, then the state itself will come and help them change," Arakhamia wrote on the Telegram messaging app. The head of the State Bureau of Investigation said the law enforcement action was "only the beginning". The oligarchs took control of swathes of industry during the post-Soviet privatisations of the 1990s and wield influence to this day. Reporting by Olena Harmash; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Timothy Heritage and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukrainian authorities raid home of billionaire Kolomoiskiy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Ukrainian state security officials searched the home of billionaire businessman Ihor Kolomoiskiy on Wednesday, in what several media outlets said was an investigation into possible financial crimes. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reports, and Kolomoiskiy could not be reached for comment. Ukrainian anti-corruption officials are also investigating a case in which they suspect eight people of embezzling assets and funds from a state-controlled oil company formerly tied to Kolomoiskiy. The United States sanctioned him in 2021 "due to his involvement in significant corruption". U.S. authorities have also alleged Kolomoiskiy and a business partner laundered stolen funds through the United States.

☆ Zelenskiy visits southern Ukraine, meets Danish prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomes Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen before visiting Ukrainian servicemen at a military hospital, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Mykolaiv, Ukraine January 30, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERSKYIV, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in the southern city of Mykolaiv on Monday during a rare visit by a foreign leader to a region close to the war front. Zelenskiy thanked Frederiksen for the assistance provided by Denmark, whose defence ministry said earlier this month that the country would donate 19 French-made Caesar howitzer artillery systems to Ukraine. "We discussed the operational situation in the south of Ukraine, the consequences of Russia's missile and drone attacks." Talks also covered the state of the region's energy infrastructure and the region's long-term recovery, Zelenskiy said.

☆ U.N. refugee chief: Russia violating principles of child protection in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Sofiia GatilovaKYIV, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Russia is violating the "fundamental principles of child protection" in wartime by giving Ukrainian children Russian passports and putting them up for adoption, the U.N.'s refugee agency (UNHCR) chief told Reuters in an interview. "Giving them (Russian) nationality or having them adopted goes against the fundamental principles of child protection in situations of war," Grandi said. "We categorically reject unfounded allegations that the Russian authorities are kidnapping children," Russian diplomat at the United Nations Dmitry Polyansky said in July, according to the TASS news agency. The UNHCR chief also urged countries to process prospective asylum seekers more quickly in order to stop unfounded asylum claims from clogging up the system. Additional reporting by Emma Farge in Geneva and Caleb Davis; Editing by Frank Jack DanielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Ukraine's long-running struggle with graft has taken on added significance as Kyiv battles for survival while also pursuing a bid to join the European Union. But tackling graft has become more urgent since the European Union offered Kyiv candidate member status last June, months after Russia's invasion. The Ukrainian public, exhausted by 11 months of war, was also clearly a key intended audience for the sackings and resignations. But the same poll, which included nearly a thousand respondents across government-controlled Ukraine, found that 84% trusted Zelenskiy - up from 27% a year earlier. Additional reporting by Geert De Clercq; Editing by Tom Balmforth and Mike Collett-WhiteOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Who are the officials swept out in Ukraine's biggest shake-up of the war?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERSKYIV, Jan 24 (Reuters) - A slew of high-level officials resigned or were dismissed from their posts on Tuesday in Ukraine's biggest internal shake-up since it was invaded by Russia on Feb. 24 last year. GOVERNOR OF DNIPROPETROVSK REGIONValentyn Reznichenko had served since 2015 as governor of Dnipropetrovsk region, the main wartime logistical and medical hub for Ukraine's eastern battlefront. He had already once been dismissed from the role by Zelenskiy in 2019 but reappointed in December 2020. TWO DEPUTY MINISTERS OF REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTIvan Lukeria and Vyacheslav Nehoda were dismissed as deputy ministers of regional development. DEPUTY MINISTER FOR SOCIAL POLICYVitaliy Muzychenko was dismissed from his role as deputy minister for social policy.

Berlin has veto power over any decision to export its Leopard tanks, fielded by NATO-allied armies across Europe and seen by defence experts as the most suitable for Ukraine. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has stressed the condition about U.S. tanks several times in recent days behind closed doors, the German government source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. This week, Britain raised the pressure on Berlin by becoming the first Western country to send tanks, pledging a squadron of its Challengers. Poland and Finland have already said they will send Leopard tanks if Germany approves them. "The supplies of Western tanks must outpace another invasion of Russian tanks."

☆ Ukraine says 16 killed in helicopter crash, including interior minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

KYIV, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Sixteen people including Ukraine's interior minister and other senior ministry officials were killed on Wednesday when a helicopter crashed outside Kyiv in the town of Brovary, the national police chief said. The governor of the Kyiv region said earlier on Wednesday that a helicopter crashed near a nursery and a residential building earlier on Wednesday. Two children were among the dead and 10 of them were in hospital, officials saidReporting by Max Hunder; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Timothy HeritageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Davos 2023-Ukraine's Zelenskiy says tank supplies should come quicker
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the World Economic Forum on Wednesday that Western supplies of tanks and air defence units should come more quickly and be delivered faster than Russia was able to carry out its own attacks. "The supplying of Ukraine with air defence systems must outpace Russia's next missile attacks," Zelenskiy said. "The supplies of western tanks must outpace another invasion of Russian tanks." Moscow has blamed that civilian attack on Ukrainian air defences. Reporting by Max Hunder and Aleksandar Vasovic; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Timothy HeritageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Helicopter crashes by nursery outside Kyiv, casualties confirmed - Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Jan 18 (Reuters) - A helicopter crashed by a nursery and residential building in the Ukrainian town of Brovary near Kyiv on Wednesday morning and casualties were confirmed, the regional governor said. A police spokesperson told the Suspilne public broadcaster that at least five people were hurt and that there were also a number of dead. "There were children and ... staff in the nursery at the time of this tragedy. There are casualties," Kyiv region governor Oleksiy Kuleba wrote on the Telegram messaging app. "We are finding out information about casualties and the circumstances," the deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

☆ Ukraine blames Russia for most of over 2,000 cyberattacks in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Jan 17 (Reuters) - A senior Ukrainian official blamed Russia on Tuesday for carrying out the bulk of more than 2,000 cyberattacks on Ukraine in 2022, speaking at a news conference that he said was itself delayed because of a cyberattack. The official, Yuriy Schygol, told reporters that his livestreamed conference was forced to start 15 minutes late because of a Russian hack, though he did not elaborate or present evidence for his assertion. During the news briefing, he said Ukraine had been hit by 2,194 cyberattacks in 2022, with 1,655 of those coming after Moscow's Feb. 24 invasion. Government institutions sustained 557 cyberattacks last year, he told reporters, laying the blame for the bulk of the attacks at Moscow's door. Reporting by Max Hunder; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine's top general outlines 'urgent needs' in talks with U.S. military chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Ukraine's top general said he had outlined the "urgent needs" of his armed forces on Tuesday at a first personal meeting with the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, in Poland. "I outlined the urgent needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the fulfilment of which will accelerate our Victory," General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi wrote in a statement on Telegram. The United States has been by far the biggest supplier of military assistance for Kyiv during the war. In his statement, Zaluzhnyi said he thanked Milley for "the unwavering support and assistance provided by the United States of America and allies to Ukraine". Reporting by Tom Balmforth and Max Hunder Editing by Jon Boyle and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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