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☆ Davos 2023: Ukraine's first lady to deliver letter from Zelenskiy for China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Ukraine's first lady told the World Economic Forum on Tuesday she would deliver a letter to China's delegation setting out President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's proposals for ending Russia's war against his country. China, like Russia a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, is an important partner for Moscow and has refused to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine. She said she also had letters for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Swiss President Alain Berset. "Today I will give the colleagues participating in this part (of the forum) 'formula letters' from the president of Ukraine," she said in Ukrainian. "How does the world expect to reach climate neutrality, if it can’t even stop the burning down of whole Ukrainian cities.

☆ Kyiv mayor hails 'positive decisions' after meeting German vice-chancellor
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

KYIV, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Tuesday he had held talks with German Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck on further support and assistance for Ukraine, including the transfer of weapons, and that "positive decisions" had been made. "We discussed further support and assistance. In particular, the transfer of weapons. Positive decisions have been made. Good news coming soon," Klitschko wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

☆ Ukraine presidential adviser offers resignation over Dnipro missile remarks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych tendered his resignation on Tuesday after causing a public outcry by suggesting a Russian missile that killed at least 44 people in the city of Dnipro had been shot down by Ukraine. Rescuers were on Tuesday still searching for bodies in the rubble of a block of flats in Dnipro which the Ukrainian Air Force says was hit by a Russian Kh-22 missile on Saturday. Hours after the missile strike, Arestovych, who appears regularly on YouTube to provide updates on the war, initially said it appeared that the Russian missile had fallen on the building after being shot down by Ukrainian air defences. On Tuesday morning, Arestovych posted a photograph of a letter tendering his resignation and acknowledged making a "fundamental error." Ukraine says the Kh-22 missile is inaccurate and that it lacks the equipment to shoot it down.

☆ Over 9,000 civilians killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded - Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Over 9,000 civilians, including 453 children, have been killed in Ukraine since Russia's invasion last February, a senior Ukrainian presidential aide said on Tuesday. "We have registered 80,000 crimes committed by Russian invaders and over 9,000 civilians have been killed, including 453 children," Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential staff, said at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos. Each criminal will be held accountable," he said, reiterating that Ukraine wants a special international tribunal to try Russian political leaders and reparations for the destruction caused by Russia's invasion. The Office of the UN high commissioner for human rights said on Monday that more than 7,000 civilians had been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded. Reporting by John Irish, Writing by Max Hunder, Editing by Timothy HeritageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukrainian swamps make attack from Belarus unlikely - for now
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian officials have warned of a new looming Russian assault, with Belarus to the north named as one possible launchpad, as Moscow seeks to revive its faltering invasion. Russia and its close ally Belarus have beefed up their joint military grouping in Belarus and plan to hold joint aviation drills there from next Monday. Across the border on Thursday, the deputy commander of what Moscow calls its "special military operation" inspected Russian forces in Belarus. Analyst Konrad Muzyka, who runs defence consultancy Rochan Consulting, told Reuters that although a Russian troop build-up could be observed in Belarus, an attack into north-west Ukraine from Belarus would face enormous difficulties. "This makes it easy for Ukrainian forces to channel the movement of Russian forces into specific areas where they would be shelled by artillery."

☆ Christmas joy and anger for rival Orthodox churches in historic Kyiv monastery
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

It has become a focus of a bitter conflict between Ukraine's Orthodox communities, triggered by Russia's invasion. Members of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Ukraine's largest, piled into the cathedral's ornate interior on Saturday, to hear the first ever Ukrainian-language service in the cathedral. Ukraine's Orthodox Church, in its various iterations, has been subordinate to Moscow since the 17th century. The war, now in its eleventh month, has led many Ukrainians to rally round the OCU, which they see as more pro-Ukrainian than its rival, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). That decision infuriated Russia's Orthodox Church, as Istanbul had previously recognised the UOC, then under Moscow's rule, as the legitimate Ukrainian church.

☆ Mastermind of Banksy removal could face years in jail, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Valentyn OgirenkoKYIV, Jan 2 (Reuters) - The suspected mastermind behind the removal of a Banksy mural in a Ukrainian town could face up to 12 years in prison if found guilty, Ukraine's interior ministry said on Monday. The ministry announced on its website that the man it believes orchestrated the operation had been handed a "suspicion notice". The artwork by the renowned British artist had been valued at over 9 million hryvnia ($243,900), the ministry statement said. "The criminals tried to transport this graffiti with the help of wooden boards and polyethylene," it said. Banksy confirmed he had painted the mural and six others in places that were hit by heavy fighting after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.

☆ Russian missiles strike Kyiv on New Year's Eve, at least one dead
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] A local resident embraces his son as they stand next to a site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 31, 2022. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least one person had been killed and eight wounded after a series of explosions in the capital. The governor of the surrounding Kyiv region, Oleksiy Kuleba, had warned shortly beforehand of a possible incoming missile attack, and said air defences in the region were engaging targets. In the western city of Khmelnytskyi, two people were wounded in a drone attack, Ukrainian presidential aide Kyrylo Tymoshenko said. "With each new missile attack on civilian infrastructure, more and more Ukrainians are convinced of the need to fight until the complete collapse of Putin's regime," it wrote.

☆ Ukraine official urges 'liquidation' of Iranian weapons factories
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Dec 24 (Reuters) - A top Ukrainian presidential aide called for the "liquidation" of Iranian factories making drones and missiles, as well as the arrest of their suppliers, as Kyiv accused Tehran of planning to supply more weapons to Russia. Writing on Twitter on Saturday, Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said Iran "blatantly humiliates the institution of international sanctions", before calling for the destruction of Iranian weapon factories in response. Kyiv has accused Tehran of supplying 1700 Shahed-136 loitering munitions to Moscow, which it says have been used to hit targets in Ukraine since September. Ukraine's espionage chief said in an interview released on Friday that Russia had already launched around 540 of the drones at military and energy targets in Ukraine. Reporting by Max Hunder; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine says Russian strike kills 5 in Kherson 'for pleasure'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Dec 24 (Reuters) - A Russian strike on Ukraine's recently-liberated city of Kherson killed at least five people and wounded another 35 on Saturday, authorities said, in what President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned as wanton killing for pleasure. "Social networks will most likely mark these photos as 'sensitive content'. But this is not sensitive content – it is the real life of Ukraine and Ukrainians," Zelenskiy wrote. Ukraine retook Kherson, the only regional capital to be captured by Russia since its Feb. 24 invasion, in November. Since then, Kyiv says Russian forces have heavily shelled the city from across the vast Dnipro river.

☆ Russian drone attacks target power network in Ukraine's Odesa, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 10 (Reuters) - All non-critical infrastructure in Ukraine's southern port city of Odesa was without power after Russia used drones to hit energy facilities, local officials said on Saturday, with much of the surrounding region also affected. "Due to the scale of the damage all users in Odesa except critical infrastructure have been disconnected from electricity," Odesa mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov wrote on Facebook. Odesa, Ukraine's largest port city, had population of over 1 million before Russia's Feb. 24 invasion. A statement posted by the city administration on the Telegram app said that Russian strikes hit key transmission lines and equipment in Odesa region in the early hours of Saturday. Odesa region governor Maksym Marchenko said Russia used 'kamikaze' drones, which fly into their target rather than firing munitions, and that two had been shot down over the Black Sea.

☆ Russia drones smash power network in Odesa
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Serhii SmolientsevDec 10 (Reuters) - All non-critical infrastructure in the Ukrainian port of Odesa was without power after Russia used Iranian-made drones to hit two energy facilities, officials said on Saturday, adding it could take months to repair the damage. The regional administration said people who relied solely on electricity to power their homes should consider leaving. "According to preliminary forecasts, it will take much more time to restore energy facilities in the Odesa region than after previous attacks," the administration said. Odesa, Ukraine's largest port city, had a population of over 1 million before Russia's Feb. 24 invasion. Ukraine's prosecutor general's office said two power facilities in Odesa region were hit by Shahed-136 drones.

☆ Kyiv mayor says 'apocalypse' scenario possible this winter, but urges no panic
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Kyiv might lose power, water, and heat supply. The apocalypse might happen, like in Hollywood films, when it's not possible to live in homes considering the low temperature," Mayor Vitali Klitschko told Reuters in an interview. "If electricity supply continues to be absent while outside temperatures remain low, we will unfortunately be forced to drain water from buildings," he said. "Otherwise the water can freeze and break the entire water supply network, and buildings will then be totally unfit for further use." However, he said there was presently no need to evacuate as the city only had a 20% power deficit and conditions remained stable.

☆ Drone strikes in Russia seen as Ukrainian rebuff to missile barrages
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Ukrainian officials revelled in the blasts but declined to acknowledge Kyiv's role, after Russia said Ukraine used unmanned Soviet-era aerial vehicles to attack two air force bases in the Ryazan and Saratov areas of south-central Russia. On Tuesday, a third Russian airfield in Kursk, which lies closer to Ukraine, was set ablaze in another drone strike. Military analysts saw the attacks as Kyiv's response to Russia on the same day that Moscow conducted another wave of missile strikes on critical infrastructure in Ukraine. wrote Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky. It was not the first time Russia accused Ukraine of using such drones for attacks inside its borders.

☆ Drone strikes deep in Russia seen as Ukrainian rebuff to missile barrages
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Military analysts saw the attacks as Kyiv's response to Russia on the same day that Moscow conducted another wave of missile strikes on critical infrastructure in Ukraine. wrote Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky. Musiyenko added: "It's a moment for Russia to wonder about continuing to conduct missile strikes on Ukrainian territory. It was not the first time Russia accused Ukraine of using such drones for attacks inside its borders. In an opinion piece on Nov. 29, Ukroboronprom's general director Yuriy Gusev called for an "asymmetrical response" by the Ukrainian army to Russian missile volleys.

☆ Russia launches heavy new missile strikes, at least two dead - officials
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Russia unleashed a new barrage of missiles on Ukraine on Monday, killing two people, destroying homes in the southeast and causing major power outages, officials said. Air raid sirens blared in the capital Kyiv and across the country in what officials described as the latest wave of Russian missile strikes since Moscow's Feb. 24 invasion. The attack followed a spate of heavy Russian air strikes on energy facilities in recent weeks. Netblocks, a London-based internet monitor, said that connectivity had plunged in multiple Ukrainian regions during the strikes. Russian forces have increasingly targeted Ukrainian energy facilities in recent weeks as they faced setbacks on the battlefield, causing major power outages as winter sets in.

☆ Ukraine presidential aide warns against Musk's 'magical simple solutions'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Mykhailo Podolyak, a political adviser to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, speaks during an interview with Reuters, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 2, 2022. REUTERS/Sergiy VoloshynKYIV, Dec 4 (Reuters) - A top Ukrainian presidential aide criticised Twitter owner Elon Musk on Sunday for the billionaire's "magical simple solutions," citing ideas put forward by Musk on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Twitter content moderation. Ukraine has had a complicated relationship with Musk, the world's richest man, since the start of the Russian invasion on Feb. 24. Soon after this dispute, Musk publicly complained about the cost of providing free Starlink services to Ukraine indefinitely. In a change of tone Musk said on Oct. 15 that the company would continue to run Ukraine's free Starlinks.

☆ Moldova central bank to hold extraordinary meeting on Monday
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

KYIV, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Moldova's central bank said on Sunday that it will hold an extraordinary meeting on Monday to assess its main policy indicators, including its key rate. Moldova's key policy rate is currently 21.5%. The country is battling a spike in energy costs as it wages a dispute with Russia's Gazprom, its main gas supplier. Reporting by Alexander Tanas, writing by Max Hunder, editing by Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Kurpas expressed hope that the school year would run until the summer, but the wider situation is bleak: nearly half of Ukraine's power grid has been wrecked and Kyiv has said it expects further attacks. The official said that about 85% of Kyiv's pre-war school staff remained in the city, compared with 60% of pupils. As a result, schools have been working in hybrid mode both in person and online since the start of the academic year. [1/8] Students attend a lesson of English language in a classroom at a school, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 2, 2022. A small private school in north Kyiv has even established a heated and powered "hub" for parents who want to find refuge from cold, dark homes.

☆ Ukraine says Russia 'distracting' air defences with dud nuclear-capable missiles
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Ukraine's military said on Thursday it had found fragments of Russian-fired nuclear-capable missiles with dud warheads in west Ukraine, and that their apparent purpose was to distract air defences. It is primarily intended to carry nuclear warheads and to be launched from bomber aircraft. Danyliuk said the missiles were fitted with non-explosive warheads, one of which was exhibited on the stage of the briefing centre in Kyiv where he was speaking. "This is evidenced by... the impact of a Kh-55 missile into a residential building," he said. Danyliuk also said that all the Kh-55 missiles that had been discovered had their serial numbers scratched out.

☆ Ukraine seeks ban on churches 'affiliated' with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KYIV, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The Ukrainian government will draw up a law banning churches affiliated with Russia under moves described by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as necessary to prevent Moscow being able to "weaken Ukraine from within." The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) it said was searching at least five parishes belonging to a branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church which until May was subordinated to the Russian Orthodox Church. The branch has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine but many Ukrainians fear it could be a source of Russian influence in the country. "Therefore, the state of Ukraine does not have any legal grounds to put pressure on or repress our believers," he said. The Orthodox Church in Russia has lavishly backed the Kremlin's nine-month-old invasion of Ukraine.

☆ Ukraine security service searches monastery, warns of 'subversive activities'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Ukraine's SBU security service conducted a fresh search of a monastery in the west of the country on Wednesday in what it said was an operation to counter suspected "subversive activities by Russian special services." The historically Russian-backed wing of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church announced a formal severing of ties with Moscow in May, but is still mistrusted by many Ukrainians and frequently accused of secret co-operation with Russia. The SBU said last week it had searched 350 buildings belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and carried out checks on 850 people. It said it found "dubious" Russian citizens, large sums of cash and pro-Russian literature in a raid on a 1,000-year-old Kyiv monastery which Moscow denounced as "godless". Russia's Orthodox Church said last week the search was an "act of intimidation".

☆ Ukraine resumes emergency blackouts in setback after Russian strikes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Ukraine said on Monday it had been forced to impose regular emergency blackouts in areas across the country after a setback in its race to repair energy infrastructure hit by Russian missile strikes. Power units at several power stations had to conduct emergency shutdowns and demand for electricity has been rising as snowy winter weather has set in the capital and elsewhere, national grid operator Ukrenergo said in a statement. DTEK, Ukraine's biggest private electricity producer, said it would reduce electricity supply by 60% for its consumers in Kyiv where temperatures are hovering around zero degrees Celsius (32°F). Of the remaining supply, only 42% was left over for everyday consumers after critical infrastructure needs were accounted for, it said. Moscow says its attacks on vital infrastructure are militarily legitimate, and that Kyiv can end the suffering of its people if it yields to Russian demands.

☆ Workers who won't sign Russian contracts banned from nuclear plant - Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Ukraine's military said on Monday Moscow had banned Ukrainian technicians who have refused to sign contracts with Russia's atomic energy firm from entering the vast Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that Russian forces seized in March. The largest nuclear power plant in Europe, which is in Ukraine's partially-occupied southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, has been operated by Ukrainian technicians throughout the war despite being under Russian control. "According to available information, starting today, the occupiers have forbidden entry to the territory of the Zaporizhzhia NPP to ... workers who refused to sign contracts with Rosatom," Ukraine's General Staff said in its daily war update. A spokesperson for Ukraine's Energoatom nuclear firm did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reporting by Max Hunder; writing Tom Balmforth; editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine receives 2.5 billion euros in assistance from EU
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

KYIV, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Ukraine received a new 2.5 billion euro ($2.57 billion) tranche of macro-financial assistance from the European Union on Tuesday, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said. "The total amount (of macro-financial assistance) provided to Ukraine from February 24 (by the EU) reaches €6.7 bln," Marchenko wrote on Twitter. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal wrote on Twitter that the assistance was "another step of solidarity," and expressed gratitude to EU leaders. ($1 = 0.9744 euros)Reporting by Max Hunder and Pavel Polityuk, Editing by Timothy HeritageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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