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☆ Russia’s Swift March Forward in Ukraine’s East
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Constant Méheut | Josh Holder | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +11 min

Russia’s Swift March Forward in Ukraine’s EastTwo years of territorial changes in the Donbas Russia gained more territory in October than any month since July 2022 150 sq. miles Amount of territory Russia gained 100 50 0 Ukraine has made only marginal gains this year 50 Amount of territory Ukraine gained 100 Jan. April July Oct. Jan. April July Oct. 2023 2024 Amount of territory Ukraine gained Amount of territory Russia gained 100 50 0 50 100 150 sq. Amount of territory Ukraine gained Amount of territory Russia gained 100 50 0 50 100 150 sq. In August, Ukraine’s defensive lines buckled, and Russia rapidly advanced 10 miles toward Pokrovsk and closed in on Selydove from the west and north. In just the past week, Russia advanced roughly six miles north of Vuhledar — an unusually swift pace compared with previous gains.

Persons: Russia’s Swift, Jan, Vuhledar, Pasi, ”, Russia Vuhledar, Selydove Kurakhove, Marinka, Kurakhove, Pokrovsk, Paroinen, Vincent Tourret, Tourret, “, Oleksandr Lytvynenko, Chasiv Yar, Russia “, Serhii Kuzan, Chasiv, ” Mr Organizations: Ukraine, New York Times, Institute for, American, The New York Times, Bird Group, Railways, Russia, French Foundation for Strategic Research, Russian, National Security and Defense Council, Ukraine’s Security, Cooperation Center, Territory, LUHANSK, Kramatorsk, Selydove Avdiivka, Sloviansk, Vuhledar, Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Locations: Ukraine’s East, Donbas Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Donbas, Selydove, Pokrovsk, Finland, RUSSIAN, Russia Selydove, Russia Vuhledar Russia, Russian, Luhansk, Donetsk, Ukraine Ukraine, Chasiv Yar DONETSK, Selydove Avdiivka Donetsk, Azov Ukraine, Sloviansk LUHANSK, Azov, Vuhledar, Kursk, Ukrainian

But Iran’s 2020 election interference efforts stand apart from what have become well-recognized interference patterns, according to an indictment from the Justice Department, Treasury Department sanctions, researchers and media reporting, and comments from current and former U.S. officials. That gave them access to Election Night Reporting (ENR) systems, which provide live updates on unofficial results on Election Day. Fake Proud Boys campaignIn the most bizarre and elaborate foreign influence campaign of 2020, Iranian hackers allegedly staged an entirely fictional cyber-enabled fraud and harassment campaign, according to a detailed 2021 Justice Department indictment. The Iranian hackers did successfully steal some voter data from Alaska’s Online Voter Registration System, but otherwise none of it was true. The hackers tried to post it to various platforms online but it gained little traction.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Hillary Clinton’s, Trump, ”, Brandon Wales, William J, Hartman, It’s, Emennet Pasargad, “, Christopher Wray, National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, Alireza Miryousefi, Department’s, Joe Biden, Gretchen Whitmer, Chris Krebs, CISA, Miryousefi Organizations: Democratic, Justice Department, Treasury Department, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Security Agency, NBC News, Cyber Command, Army, RSA, tinker, U.S, Trump militia, Alaska’s, Stanford University, Google, YouTube, Republican, Trump, National Intelligence, Iran, United Nations, Lee Enterprises, U.S . Capitol, Dominion Voting Systems, FBI Locations: United States, Iran, China, Russia, U.S, Iranian, Tehran, San Francisco, Florida, Moldova, Alaska, American, Omaha, crosshairs, Michigan

☆ Russia, Facing Ukrainian Incursion, Maintains Pressure in Eastern Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Kim Barker | Evelina Riabenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Russian forces, even as they scramble to respond to a surprise incursion from northern Ukraine into Russia last week, are pummeling Ukrainian forces along the front lines in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian military officials said Monday. “Our guys do not feel any relief,” said Artem Dzhepko, a press officer with Ukraine’s National Police Brigade, which is fighting near the strategically important town of Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. He said Russian forces were continuing to use aerial bombs, as many as 10 a day, against Ukrainian positions. Mr. Dzhepko added: “It’s hard. Unfortunately, the pressure of the Russians did not decrease.”At the same time, Ukrainian troops have been pushing to the northwest and west in Russian territory, according to a briefing Sunday from the Institute for the Study of War, a U.S.-based think tank.

Persons: “, ”, Artem Dzhepko, Chasiv Yar, Dzhepko Organizations: Ukraine’s National Police Brigade, Institute for Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Chasiv, Donetsk, U.S

The Olympic medals have come in a flurry for Ukraine in recent days: golds at the track and on the fencing piste, a silver in gymnastics, two other bronzes. “It’s a time to celebrate and think not about the war,” Mykhailo Kokhan, 23, a member of Ukraine’s national guard, said after winning a bronze in the men’s hammer throw on Sunday. The Paris Games have been a welcome respite for a country where at least one bakery sells pastries shaped like anti-tank obstacles and there is now deep uncertainty over the nation’s sporting future. Ukraine’s 140 Olympians have shown remarkable perseverance since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, preparing for the Paris Games either in other, safer nations, or at home to the grim soundtrack of air-raid alerts and missile attacks. Another improvised his weight lifting by attaching car tires to a metal rod.

Persons: ” Mykhailo Kokhan Organizations: Paris Games Locations: Ukraine

☆ Biden administration announces new $1.7 billion lethal aid package for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Michael Conte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Biden administration announced on Monday a new lethal aid package for Ukraine totaling about $1.7 billion and largely consisting of missiles and ammunition for missile, artillery and air defense systems the US has previously provided to Ukraine. The administration says this is their 20th “USAI package and sixty-second tranche of equipment to be provided from DoD inventories for Ukraine and since August 2021,” according to the release. The USAI package includes missiles for Ukraine’s National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), a key air defense platform. It also includes ammunition for Ukraine’s High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), a weapons platform that Ukraine has recently been using to strike effectively in Russian territory. The package also includes artillery ammunition, one of Ukraine’s top requests.

Persons: CNN —, Antony Blinken, ”, Biden, ” Blinken Organizations: CNN, Biden, Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, Defense Department, The Defense Department, US Department of Defense, Authority, Air Missile Systems, Ukraine’s High Mobility Artillery Locations: Ukraine, United States

☆ Fashion week to return to Kyiv for the first time since 2022
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Leah Dolan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The organizers of Ukrainian Fashion Week have announced the event’s 55th season in September will take place in Kyiv — the first time since Russia invaded the country on February 24, 2022. “We still have war in the whole country, and we feel the war in the whole country,” Lisa Ushcheka, head of international communications for Ukrainian Fashion Week, told CNN in a video call. From left to right: Ksenia Schnaider, Ivan Frolov and Julie Paskal backstage ahead of the Ukrainian Fashion Week show during London Fashion Week in February 2023. “Because it’s a historical event, a fashion week taking place in a country where there is a war going on.”For Frolov, the prospect of staging a return show in Kyiv is emotionally overwhelming. I was born in Kyiv and Kyiv is everything to me.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, ” Lisa Ushcheka, ” Ushcheka, Schnaider, Ivan Frolov, Julie Paskal, Jeff Spicer, influencers, Ushcheka, ”, Frolov, Ksenia, “ Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian, Kyiv —, Arsenal, and Culture, UK Defense Ministry, Ukrainian Fashion, London, BFC, Getty, Foreign, Commonwealth, Development, US Department of State, Culture, Kyiv Locations: Kyiv, Russia, “, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian, Berlin, London, Copenhagen, Paskal

Representatives from the warring nations held peace talks in the early weeks of the Russian invasion. It was the only time that Ukrainian and Russian officials are known to have engaged in direct peace talks. This includes the Crimean Peninsula, which Mr. Putin annexed in 2014 in a swift operation that he considers central to his legacy. At another point, Russia’s lead negotiator, Mr. Medinsky, interrupted a video conference by claiming that Mr. Putin was phoning him directly. There were signs that Mr. Putin was micromanaging not only the Russian invasion but also the peace talks.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, —, Putin’s, … ”, “, Oleksandr Chalyi, Mr, Vladimir Medinsky, Oleksii Reznikov, Vladimir Putin, Leonid Slutsky, Medinsky, ”, Aleksandr Fomin, Reznikov, Ukraine’s, … “, Sergey Ponomarev, Ukraine —, Andrzej Duda, Duda, Putin “, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Murat Cetin Muhurdar, Russia’s, Zelensky, …, ‘, ’, Daniel Berehulak, Davyd Arakhamia, ” “, Roman Abramovich, ” Mr, Arakhamia, Abramovich, micromanaging, Nanna Heitmann, France —, Laetitia Vancon, Kamala Harris, Volodymyr Zelensky, “ Putin, Marc Weller, Russia “, Weller Organizations: The New York Times, Ukraine, Kremlin, NATO, “, Russian Federation, ”, European Union, West, Ministry, Times, Europe’s, Russian, Moscow, Donetsk People's, Nazi, U.S, Ukrainian, Turkish Presidential Press Service, Agence France, The Times, Russia, New York Times, stoke, Cambridge Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Kyiv, Crimean, Switzerland, Ukrainian, Crimea, “ Ukraine, Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol, ”, … ” Russia, Russian, ” Russia, Istanbul, Geneva, Belarus, Western, Russia’s, Donetsk, Donetsk People's Republic, Luhansk People's Republic, Simferopol, Poland, Germany, France, European, Brussels, Turkish, Zelensky, “, Great Britain, China, United States, Turkey, Canada, Italy, Israel, Bucha, Washington, Swiss, Russians

☆ Ukrainian Activist Traces Roots of War in ‘Centuries of Russian Colonization’
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-09 | by ( Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On a recent afternoon in Kyiv, a professor of literature and a stand-up comedian got together to talk about Russian colonialism, a subject that has become a preoccupation among Ukrainian activists, cultural figures and bookstore owners. The moderator of the discussion, which was recorded for a new podcast for Ukraine’s national public broadcaster, was Mariam Naiem, a graphic designer and former philosophy student who has become an unlikely expert on the topic. “This war is just the continuation of centuries of Russian colonization,” said Ms. Naiem, 32, referring to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “It’s the same playbook.”Russia’s long cultural and political domination of Ukraine, first through its empire and then the Soviet Union, had left an indelible mark, the podcast guests agreed, as they lamented being more fluent in Russian poems and films than in their own nation’s cultural treasures.

Persons: , Mariam Naiem, ”, Naiem, “ Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Soviet Union

☆ Russia Hits Ukrainian Power Plants, Further Straining Energy System
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A large Russian missile and drone assault caused serious damage to several power plants across Ukraine early Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said. Ukraine’s largest private electricity company, DTEK, said in a statement that three thermal power plants had been hit, further straining Ukraine’s electricity generation capacity, which was already reeling from previous assaults. Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s national electricity company, said that it might have to cut power to some domestic and industrial customers on Wednesday evening as a result. “You have to be prepared for this,” Volodymyr Kudritskyi, the head of Ukrenergo, told the Ukrainian news media. The attacks have hit Ukraine at a particularly difficult moment.

Persons: Volodymyr Kudritskyi Locations: Russian, Ukraine

☆ Prisoners in Ukraine to be granted parole for military service
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Radina Gigova | Olga Voitovych | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Some Ukrainian prisoners will be able to apply for early parole and join the army under a new law aimed at boosting Kyiv’s manpower in its fight against the Russian invasion. The new law requires that convicts join the military of their own free will. Those who leave the military before their contract is up face additional prison terms of between five and 10 years. Shuliak said those released on parole to serve would have the status of “military personnel,” and therefore be subject to the same restrictions governing their behaviour. Contracts can be terminated in some circumstances, such as ill health or if the former prisoner commits a new crime.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Kostiantyn, ”, Olena Shuliak, Shuliak Organizations: CNN, Russian, Verkhovna Rada, Organization of State Power, Self, Government, Regional, Urban, National Guard Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Oleksandr Pielieshenko: Olympic weightlifter from Ukraine dies fighting in war with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Kevin Dotson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Weightlifter Oleksandr Pielieshenko, who competed for Ukraine at the 2016 Rio Olympics, has died while fighting in his country’s war with Russia, according to statements from the Ukraine Olympic Committee and the Ukraine Weightlifting Federation posted Monday. The 30-year-old Pielieshenko was a two-time European gold medalist, winning the 85kg weight class at the 2016 and 2017 European Weightlifting Championships. “We express our deepest condolences to the family and everyone who knew Oleksandr!” the Ukraine Weightlifting Federation said Monday in its statement. CNN has reached out to the Ukraine Olympic Committee and the Ukraine Weightlifting Federation for more information. Ukrainian national weightlifting coach Viktor Slobodianiuk said in a social media post: “War takes the best… Honored Master of Sports of Ukraine, two-time European champion, Olympic weightlifting contestant Oleksandr Pielieshenko heroically died defending Ukraine from invaders.

Persons: Oleksandr Pielieshenko, “, Ukraine Oleksandr Pielieshenko, ”, Oleksandr, Bright, Viktor Slobodianiuk Organizations: CNN, Ukraine Olympic Committee, Ukraine Weightlifting, Olympic, Armed Forces, Ukraine Weightlifting Federation, Sports Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian

☆ As Russia tests for weak spots, Ukraine is banking on enemy mistakes
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Tim Lister | Victoria Butenko | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —It generated little attention: another Russian assault in eastern Ukraine, across barren, pock-marked fields, met by determined, nimble resistance. But these frequent mechanized ground attacks by the Russians are like sand-blasting – eroding Ukrainian defenses in multiple spots along the frontlines. Yusov told CNN that recruitment in Russia continues, for contract soldiers, prisoners and international mercenaries. The Ukrainians won’t acknowledge such attacks but Yusov told CNN cryptically that refineries are military targets and “damage there is quite natural. Matthew Schmidt told CNN: “Whatever NATO can get to Ukraine is enough to stabilize its position, not to change it meaningfully.

Persons: Kateryna Stepanenko, Russia’s, ”, Narciso Contreras, Andriy Yusov, Kurt Campbell, Yusov, Matthew Schmidt, Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine “, –, Nazar Volosyn, “, Roman Pilipey, Putin, Jens Stoltenberg, Trump, what’s, Dmytro Kuleba, ” Kuleba, Andriі Kovalenko, Petr Pavel, Stepanenko, ” Stepanenko Organizations: CNN, Institute for, Russian, Anadolu, Getty, “, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, UK’s Defense Ministry, National Security Department, New Haven University, NATO, Ukrainian, Congress, National Security and Defense Council, European Union Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Tonenke, Donetsk, Washington, Karlivka, Russia, North Korea, Ukrainian, Chasiv Yar, Kyiv, AFP, Rostov, Czech, Europe

☆ Trench rats: Rodents swarm Ukraine frontlines in grisly echo of World War I
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Christian Edwards | Olga Voitovych | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Mice and rats are seen scurrying around under beds, in backpacks, power generators, coat pockets and pillowcases. A mousetrap in a garbage can tries to stem the swarm of rodents in a trenches near Bakhmut, Ukraine, in October 2023. The report was reminiscent of those from World War I, where the putrid pileup of waste and corpses allowed “trench rats” to breed rapidly. As well as causing anxiety and disease among soldiers, mice also ravage military and electrical equipment. In World War I, soldiers could not solve the trench rat problem.

Persons: “ Kira, ”, ” Kira, Kira, Libkos, Robert Graves, “, General Valery Zaluzhny, Hulton, ” Zahorodniuk, Ukraine weathers, Zahorodniuk Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Hulton Deutsch, Ukraine’s National Museum of Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian, Bakhmut, Kupiansk, Kharkiv, Moscow, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk region

☆ Kyiv: Touting American-made guns, frontline Ukrainian soldiers fear potential loss of US military support
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Vasco Cotovio Frederik Pleitgen Daniel Hodge Kostyantin Gak | Vasco Cotovio | Frederik Pleitgen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Donetsk region, Ukraine CNN —A Ukrainian solider rushes through the front-line in Klishchiivka, eastern Ukraine, as gun and artillery fire erupt around him. A Ukrainian soldier practices with an American-donated machine gun at a training ground in eastern Ukraine. Vasco Cotovio/CNNUnfazed by the artillery duels just a few miles away, over the battered city of Bakhmut, Vasyl, 44, practices with a US-made M2 Browning machine gun. “This is a large-caliber machine gun that works without failures,” said Vasyl, who asked that his last name not be used due to safety concerns. Back at the Ukrainian military training ground, smoke billows on the horizon but a momentary silence suggests an end to the artillery duel in the distance.

Persons: Panting, United States —, Joe Biden, Vasco Cotovio, ”, Vasyl, “, Oleksiy Danilov, Vladimir, Putin, ” Danilov, it’s Organizations: Ukraine CNN —, Russian, United, Ukraine, CNN, Ukraine’s National, US Locations: Donetsk, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Klishchiivka, American, Belgian, United States, Kyiv, Washington, Bakhmut, Soviet

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced several support measures for Ukraine, including military, economic and humanitarian assistance, while also pledging an additional show of diplomatic backing through steps intended to punish Russia over the war. Canada will provide Ukraine with 50 armored vehicles, including armored medical evacuation vehicles built in London, Ontario. The multiyear support also will include a financial contribution to a U.K.-led consortium delivering air defense equipment to Ukraine, Trudeau said. Canada’s monetary support will continue into the 2024 fiscal year, while the governments also have signed a free trade agreement, Trudeau said. “We stand here absolutely united in our defense of democracy and our condemnation of (Russian President) Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked, unjustified and unconscionable invasion of Ukraine,” Trudeau said.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, “ We’re, ” Trudeau, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, Joe Biden, Trudeau, Vladimir Putin’s Organizations: Canadian, Ukrainian, Ottawa, U.S, General, Russian Central Bank, Leopard Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Ottawa, Washington, Canada, London , Ontario, russia, ukraine

“They just come and say ‘vote.’ So people vote,” Baska told CNN. “Here, when you buy a SIM card for your phone, you immediately get an SMS from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and United Russia Party,” Baska said. The text messages carry pro-Kremlin messaging, informing voters that “about 90% of voters are ready to vote for Yedianaya Rossiya (United Russia),” or that “United Russia is helping Zaporizhzhia region,” she added. Guerrilla activity by Ukrainian partisans has taken place but is more difficult to achieve now, Baska told CNN. ‘Nothing to do with democracy’Few residents in Melitopol are interested in the bogus elections taking place, Baska told CNN.

Persons: ”, Alexander Ermochenko, ” Baska, Yedianaya Rossiya, ’, Vladimir Putin’s, “, Jens Stoltenberg, Baska, Melitopol, …, Republic Denis Pushilin, Yuriy Sobolevskyi, ” Sobolevskyi Organizations: CNN, Communist, National Resistance Center, Ministry of Internal Affairs, United Russia Party, Kremlin, “, NRC, Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of, NATO, Yale Humanitarian Research, United Russia, Russian, Russian Guard Locations: Melitopol, Ukrainian, Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, United Russia, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Luhansk, Kyiv, of Europe, ”, Mariupol, Crimea, Republic

☆ Ukraine war: Kyiv's burgeoning weapons industry is enabling it to project power far beyond the front lines
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Tim Lister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —In the early hours of August 29th, swarms of Ukrainian drones flew across seven Russian regions. One Russian blogger complained that the Pskov strike indicated that Russian air defenses had not adapted to defend against repeated Ukrainian drone strikes. The damage being done is not going to break the back of the Russian air force, but it has become a serious irritant. Open-source reporting suggests there are at least several Pantsir-2 air defense batteries around Moscow. Such weapons put Russian forces on notice that they are vulnerable far from the front lines.

Persons: Volodymr Zelensky, Russia –, Volodymyr Zelensky, Oleksiy Reznikov, Mykhailo Podolyak, Vitalii, Danilov, ” Zelensky, Podolyak, Kyrylo Budanov, gamesmanship –, Mick Ryan, Budanov, Yuriy Inhat, Putin, ” Organizations: CNN, Defense, “, Getty Senior, National Security and Defense, Ukraine’s, of Strategic Industries, Strategic Communication, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, SIG, The, Ukrainian Air Force Locations: Pskov, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Russian, Crimea, Russia, Moscow, “ Ukraine, Kyiv, Kerch, Novosibirsk, Australian, Crimean, Kherson, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Berdiansk, Donetsk

Ukraine’s National Resistance Center — an official body — claimed Tuesday that the construction of another camp to host Wagner Group fighters has begun in the Zyabrovka Air Base in Belarus. “On the border with Ukraine, in the village of Zyabrovka in the Republic of Belarus, a new camp for 'Wagner' PMC mercenaries is being built,” the center said on its website. Zyabrovka is located near Gomel in southeastern Belarus, about 40 kilometers from the border with Ukraine's Chernihiv region. The camp can house around 1,000 personnel, the center said, and it looks like a tent city. Moscow used Belarusian territory to facilitate its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, strengthening ties between President Vladimir Putin and Lukashenko.

Persons: —, Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Wagner’s, Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko, ” Organizations: Resistance Center, Wagner Group, Zyabrovka, Base, PMC, “, CNN, Ukraine, NATO Locations: Belarus, “, Ukraine, Zyabrovka, Republic of Belarus, Chernihiv, Gomel, Ukraine's Chernihiv, Russia, Moscow, Poland, Europe, Warsaw, Belarusian

State Emergency Service of Ukraine/ReutersThe twin strikes bore hallmarks of a "double tap." Another clip showed emergency officials working through the smoke-filled, hazy ruins after what seemed to be one of the missile attacks. A wounded local resident is seen in her destroyed flat after the strikes in Pokrovsk. Russian forces have been accused of carrying out double-tap strikes in both Ukraine and Syria. Pokrovsk is located in Donetsk, an eastern Ukrainian region where fighting has been ongoing since 2014, when Russia began backing pro-Moscow separatists in the Donbas region.

Persons: Serhii Dobriak, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Pavlo Kyrylenko, Dobriak, ” Dobriak, Mstyslav Chernov, Andrii Omelchenko, Viacheslav Ratynskyi, Vladimir Putin Organizations: CNN, Donetsk Regional Military Administration, Kremlin, Emergency Service of, Emergency Service, Authorities, Ukrainian, Reuters, Tuesday, State Emergency Service, Organization for Security, Cooperation, Moscow Locations: Russian, Ukrainian, Pokrovsk, Donetsk, Mariupol, Emergency Service of Ukraine, Ukraine, Syria, Europe, Russia, Kharkiv, Donbas

But Ukrainian forces have struggled to breach layers of Russian defenses as tank traps and minefields slow their advance. The Ukrainian military said one Russian position in the Zaporizhzhia sector had been eliminated, along with an ammunition depot. Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of Ukrainian Land Forces, posted on Telegram that a “gradual advance continues” in the Bakhmut area. At the same time, Russian military bloggers have posted video of Ukrainian infantry vehicles being struck. They are complex, difficult, and depend on many factors.”Danilov echoed what other Ukrainian officials have said recently.

Persons: ”, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Danilov, ” ISW Organizations: CNN, Russian, Ukrainian Land Forces, Russian Defense Ministry, National Security and Defense Locations: Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia, Slovakia, Russian, Klishchiivka, ”, Bakhmut

CNN —The leader of Ukraine’s national fencing team, Olga Kharlan, said she “acted with my heart” following her disqualification from the world championships for refusing to shake hands with a Russian opponent. The four-time individual world champion and four-time Olympic medalist also called for a rule change regarding the disqualification of athletes who refuse to shake hands with opponents. CNN has contacted the International Fencing Federation for comment on Kharlan’s disqualification. Tadashi Miyamoto/AFLO/Shutterstock“I did not want to shake hands with that athlete and I acted with my heart,” said Kharlan. Ukrainian tennis stars – namely Elina Svitolina, Marta Kostyuk, and Lesia Tsurenko – have all refused to shake hands with Russian opponents.

Persons: Olga Kharlan, “, ” Kharlan, Kharlan, Russian Anna Smirnova, Smirnova, Tadashi Miyamoto, ”, ” Mikhailo Ilyashev, Ilyashev, Elina Svitolina, Marta Kostyuk Organizations: CNN, Fencing Federation, International Fencing Federation, Ukrainian Fencing Federation, Olympics, Wimbledon Locations: Russian, Milan, Ukrainian

☆ Olga Kharlan: Ukraine's top fencer granted place at Olympics after disqualification for not shaking hands with Russian opponent
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Svitlana Vlasova Victoria Butenko Tim Lister | Svitlana Vlasova | Victoria Butenko | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Olga Kharlan, leader of Ukraine’s national fencing team, was earlier disqualified at the tournament after she refused to shake hands with the Russian rival Anna Smirnova she defeated. An athlete’s refusal to shake hands after a contest results in a black card and expulsion, according to International Fencing Federation rules. The federation said it has met with Kharlan and spoken with the International Olympic Committee and finds the reinstatement “in keeping with the Olympic Spirit”. IOC chief’s interventionThat turnaround came came after a pointed intervention from the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, himself a former fencer. Meanwhile, Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina took to Twitter to support Kharlan, writing: “We are not shaking hands with Russian and Belarusian athletes.

Persons: Olga Kharlan, Anna Smirnova, Smirnova, Kharlan, Thomas Bach, Bach, ”, Olga Kharlan of, Tadashi Miyamoto, “, Dmytro Kuleba, ” Kharlan, Vladimir Putin, Marta Kostyuk, Kostyuk, Aryna Sabalenka, Sabalenka, won’t, Elina Svitolina Organizations: CNN, International Fencing Federation, Paris, Fencing, International Olympic Committee, IOC, Paris Olympics, Fencing Federation, Ukraine’s, Belarus, Aryna, Twitter Locations: Ukrainian, Italy, Russian, Ukraine, Milan, Olga Kharlan of Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, Belarusian

☆ Ukraine’s top fencer disqualified from world championship after refused handshake with Russian
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Svitlana Vlasova | Tim Lister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The leader of Ukraine’s national fencing team, Olga Kharlan, has been disqualified from participating in the world championships after she refused to shake hands with Anna Smirnova, who is from Russia. Kharlan had just beaten Smirnova at the tournament in Milan, but rather than shake hands the Ukrainian offered her sabre to tap blades. Mikhailo Ilyashev, President of the Ukrainian Fencing Federation, told Ukrainian television that Ukraine would protest the decision, saying the referee had not disqualified Kharlan, who was banned later. But the refusal to shake hands after a contest results in a black card and expulsion, according to federation rules. Meanwhile, Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina took to Twitter to support Kharlan, writing: “We are not shaking hands with Russian and Belarusian athletes.

Persons: Olga Kharlan, Anna Smirnova, Kharlan, Smirnova, Vadym Guttsait, ”, Mikhailo Ilyashev, Andreas Solaro, Marta Kostyuk, Kostyuk, Aryna Sabalenka, Sabalenka, won’t, Elina Svitolina Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian Sports, Facebook, Ukrainian Fencing Federation, International Fencing Federation, Getty, Fencing Federation, Belarus, Aryna, Twitter Locations: Russia, Milan, Ukraine, AFP, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Belarusian

CNN —Ukrainian commanders who were captured by Russia after leading the defense of Mariupol from the Azovstal steel plant have vowed to return to the battle field following a prisoner swap. The commanders announced their intentions at a press conference held shortly after arriving in Lviv, Ukraine, with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday. Zelensky thanked his team and President Erdogan in particular for helping to bring the Azovstal leaders home. Zelensky pictured with Azovstal commanders as they return to Ukraine from Istanbul. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout/ReutersThe Ukrainian president also announced his appointment of Oleksandr Pivnenko as new commander of the National Guard.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Denys Prokopenko, ” Prokopenko, Zelensky, Roman Baluk, Svyatoslav Palamar, Lesya Ukrainka, ”, ” Palamar, Erdogan, Oleksandr Pivnenko, …, Bakhmut ” Organizations: CNN, Reuters, Presidential Press Service, National Guard, Ukraine’s National Guard Locations: Russia, Mariupol, Lviv, Ukraine, Turkey, Ukrainian, Azovstal, Azov, Roman, Reuters Azov, Istanbul

☆ Paris 2024: Both Russia and Ukraine ‘diametrically opposed’ to Olympic mission, says IOC president
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Jill Martin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has lamented Ukraine and Russia’s “diametrically opposed” views on neutral athletes’ participation in a speech at the 140th IOC Session. In March, the IOC announced a widely criticized recommended pathway to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions despite the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. So far, no decision has been taken on Russian and Belarusian athletes’ participation at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Ukrainian side wants us to totally isolate anyone with a Russian and Belarusian passport. Either position is diametrically opposed to our mission and the Olympic Charter.

Persons: Thomas Bach, Russia’s, ” Bach, Fabrice Coffrini Organizations: CNN — International Olympic Committee, IOC, Getty, Olympic, Olympic Games, CNN, National Olympic Committee Locations: Ukraine, Lausanne, AFP, Russian, Ukrainian, Russia

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