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☆ Ukraine was a magnet for foreign fighters. After 2 bruising years, many are disillusioned or dead.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Zelensky's International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine (ILDU) was born, echoing the International Brigades that fought fascism in the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s. According to Ukrainian officials, dozens of Ukrainians were killed and more than 100 foreign volunteers injured, ending their campaigns before they began. AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, FileUkraine originally said 20,000 foreign volunteers had signed up to fight. That could prove "very enticing" for some foreign volunteers, Bocchese said. AdvertisementAn April 2024 increases payments for Ukrainian volunteers, adds new punishments for draft dodging, and seeks to compel Ukrainian men living abroad to come home.

Persons: —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Carl Larson, Marco Bocchese, Rodrigo Abd, Bocchese, Matteo Pugliese, Pugliese, Larson, Oleksandr Shahuri, Zelenskyy, Lukatsky Organizations: Ukraine's, Service, Legion of Territorial Defense of, Brigades, Royal United Services Institute, International Legion, Legion, Webster Vienna Private University, AP, Washington Post, 59th Motorized Brigade, Company, University of Barcelona, Georgian Legion, International, Army, Green Beret, Navy SEAL, State Department, National Guard, Bolivar Battalion, Associated Press Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, Spanish, Ukraine's, London, Iraq, Kharkiv, Alabama, Russian, Lviv, Bucha, Kyiv, Austria, Montenegro, Kosovo, India, Latin America, Ukrainian, Lyman, Bolivar, Venezuela, Ecuador, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuelan

☆ The same guys who helped Trump's campaign investigate Hunter Biden were paid off by Russians, Ukrainian prosecutors allege
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Paul Squire | Sebastian Cahill | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Three Ukrainian men have been charged with treason in their home country. The trio helped Rudy Giuliani and the Trump campaign investigate Hunter Biden for the 2020 election. AdvertisementThree Ukrainian men — including a sitting politician — helped the Trump campaign investigate Hunter Biden before the 2020 election. The prosecution effort marks another key consequence of Trump's years-long quest to attack Hunter Biden — and, as a result, discredit his father. Additionally, Trump's call to Zelenskyy asking for help investigating Hunter Biden and other Democrats was a key factor in his first impeachment in 2019.

Persons: Rudy Giuliani, Trump, Hunter Biden, —, Oleksandr Dubinsky, Andriy Derkach, Kostyantyn Kulyk, Prosecutors, Vladimir Alekseyev, Dubinksy, Dubinsky, Volodymyr Zelensky's, Kulyk, Joe Biden, Derkach, Giuliani, Hunter Biden —, baselessly Organizations: Prosecutors, Service, BBC, Russian, European Union, NATO, State, Bureau, Reuters, New York Times, Burisma Holdings Locations: Ukraine, United States, Russian, China

☆ Russia pardoned a murderer who put his girlfriend through a meat grinder because he agreed to fight in Ukraine, his mom says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian murderer was pardoned after fighting against Ukraine with the Wagner group, his mom said. AdvertisementAdvertisementA Russian convicted murderer who was sentenced to 11 years in prison after he killed his girlfriend and put her body through a meat grinder has been pardoned after fighting against Ukraine, his mother said. The mother of Dmitry Zelensky told the Russian media news outlet 59.RU that her son was pardoned after serving less than half of his sentence. AdvertisementAdvertisementAccording to 59.RU, Zelensky told investigators during an interrogation that he dismembered her body, processed it in a meat grinder, collected the bones in three bags, and threw them into the river. However, a July report by the independent Russian outlet Verstka alleged that Russian authorities were covering up crimes being committed by pardoned men.

Persons: Wagner, —, Dmitry Zelensky, Tatiana Melekhina, Zelensky, Galina Zelenskaya, Zelenskaya, Zelensky's, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Ukraine, Service, RU, Wagner Group, Russian Ministry of Defence, UK Ministry of Defence Locations: Russian, Chechen, Ukraine, Russia, Antratsit, Luhansk

☆ Analysis: Zelensky's mixed reception in Washington may be a taste of political storm to come
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Washington CNN —The blue-and-gold flag draped hero worship of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s last Washington trip, which stirred comparisons to Winston Churchill’s wartime stand against Nazism, was a distant memory on Thursday. And in public appearances, Zelensky’s patience sometimes frayed – especially when berating the United Nations for failing to protect its members from aggression. There’s also a question of whether Zelensky’s relentless efforts to shame the world into action might be reaching the point of diminishing returns. Trump exacerbates such concerns by warning that Biden’s help for Ukraine could trigger World War III with Russia. With no end in sight for the biggest war in Europe since World War II, Ukraine’s fate seems increasingly aligned with Biden’s own political destiny.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky’s, Winston, Zelensky, Donald Trump’s, Franklin Roosevelt, There’s, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Biden, Mr, ” Biden, Jake Sullivan, –, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, we’re, Carolina Sen, Thom Tillis, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy, McConnell, we’ve, you’ve, ” McCarthy, “, McCarthy, Trump, Putin, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Trump’s, Ohio Sen, J.D, Vance, Zelensky –, ” Vance, Missouri Sen, Josh Hawley, ” Hawley Organizations: Washington CNN, Republican, CNN, United Nations, United States, Oval, Tactical Missile Systems, NATO, Kyiv, Democratic, GOP, Senate, Trump, Ukraine, “, Twitter Locations: Washington, Russia, United States, Ukraine, United, Russian, Russia’s Far, Poland, Warsaw, US, Poland’s, ”, Carolina, Ukrainian, Southern, America, New Hampshire, American, Moscow, Missouri, Europe

Kyiv, Ukraine CNN —A day after Volodymyr Zelensky said war was “returning to Russia” with an attempted drone strike on Moscow, the Kremlin launched a deadly airstrike against the Ukraine president’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih. On Monday, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the Kremlin would intensify its attacks in response to Kyiv’s attempted drone strikes against Moscow the previous day that damaged a business and shopping development in the west of the capital. Shoigu and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov both said Ukraine’s attempted drone strikes on Moscow terrorist attacks were meant to deflect from a purported lack of success on the battlefield. No casualties were reported in the attempted Moscow drone strikes over the weekend. However, Russian bombardments in Ukraine have struck civilian homes, schools, hospitals, churches and power plants, killing thousands of bystanders in the process.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Natalia Balaba, “, Balaba, ”, Kryvyi, Oleksandr Vilkul, Sergei Shoigu, Kyiv’s, Ukraine “, ” Zelensky, Dmitry Peskov, Ukraine’s, –, ” Shoigu Organizations: Ukraine CNN, Kremlin, Ukraine president’s, Residents, Emergency Service of, Reuters, Russian Ministry of Defense, Moscow, Ukraine’s Air Force, Russian Federation Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Kryvyi, Ukrainian, Emergency Service of Ukraine, Rih, Shoigu

☆ NATO Summit 2023: Ukraine's wait for membership -- and Zelensky's frustration -- loom over final day of summit, meeting with Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Betsy Klein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

We’re looking for a continued, united NATO,” Biden said in brief remarks alongside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the summit site. Participants of the NATO Summit pose for an official photo in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11, 2023. NATO first welcomed Ukraine’s membership aspirations during a 2008 meeting in Bucharest, Romania, but little progress has been made and the timeline remains uncertain. Biden and NATO leaders have “unanimously agreed” to send a “substantial” new aid package to Ukraine, Sloat told reporters Wednesday — but she declined to provide additional details. Biden is also set to give a foreign policy speech that his aides have described as a “major address” later on Wednesday, reflecting on the strength and power of the NATO alliance.

Persons: Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Biden, ”, ” Zelensky, Gitanas Nauseda, Olena Zelenska, Kacper Pempel, Jens Stoltenberg, That’s, Stoltenberg, ” Biden, Andrew Caballero, Reynolds, Amanda Sloat, Sloat, “, ” Sloat, Zelensky’s, Chris Skaluba, Biden’s, ’ Biden Organizations: Lithuania CNN, NATO, Alliance, Reuters, Wednesday, CNN, ” National Security Council, Ukraine ”, Transatlantic Security Initiative, Strategy, Security, Ukraine Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, Ukraine, Ukrainian, NATO, Russia, United States, Kyiv, Washington, St, Michael’s, Hiroshima, Japan, Bakhmut, Bucharest, Romania, Eastern Europe, NATO’s

☆ The US should be very careful about what it promises to do for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Daniel L. Davis | Defense Priorities | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

US shouldn't support or extend a security guarantee — through NATO or bilaterally — to Ukraine. Doing so would endanger US national security and increase the odds of a direct clash with Russia. I mean, miles and miles and miles deep." Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesI concur with that assessment, and the likelihood of a stalemate should end any consideration of providing Ukraine security guarantees. Plainly stated, Russian conventional forces do not pose a risk to American national security.

Persons: Daniel L, Davis, Oleksii Reznikov, Volodymyr Zelensky, Diego Herrera Carcedo, John Kirby, Kirby, —, Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Kent Nishimura, Prigozhin's Organizations: NATO, Defense, US, Service, Ukraine Defense, American, Anadolu Agency, Getty, New York Times, National Security, House, Los Angeles Times, Ukraine, US Army Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Vilnius, United States, —, Bakhmut, Ukrainian, Russian, NATO, Kyiv, America

☆ Latest news on Russia's war in Ukraine, Donetsk offensive claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference in Kyiv, on June 2. Zelensky typically thanks specific units in his speeches, but yesterday he name-checked more than a dozen individuals, among them commanders, gunners, marines and infantrymen. "We should all remember that our defense, our active actions, and the independence of Ukraine are not something abstract. These are very particular people, particular actions of particular heroes, thanks to which Ukraine exists and Ukraine will exist," Zelensky said. Last month, Zelensky said Ukraine needed a "bit more time" — likely to allow for the delivery of more Western military aid, including much-needed air defense systems.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Sergei Supinsky, Zelensky, “, ” Zelensky Organizations: Getty, Kyiv, Wall Locations: Kyiv, AFP, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russia

☆ Ukraine colonel dismisses reports that Russians are poorly equipped as 'more TikTok propaganda than reality'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Ukraine colonel told The New York Times that reports of Russian shortages are "TikTok propaganda." Col. Biletsky detailed Ukraine's counteroffensive in Bakhmut, where Ukraine has regained ground. But it has more recently lost some of those gains to a Ukraine counteroffensive. He said Ukrainian soldiers advanced on Russian forces as they were rotating units, allowing them to gain an upper hand. 1 task was to push back the enemy on the flanks of Bakhmut," Biletsky told the Times.

☆ Belarus president and Putin ally Alexander Lukashenko appears to confirm that 4 Russian military aircraft were shot down. The Kremlin has not yet acknowledged the downed aircraft.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed that the four downed Russian aircraft were "shot down." According to Reuters, Lukashenko addressed Belarusian troops on Monday at the border with Ukraine. The Belarusian leader decisively claimed that the four aircraft were shot down — but did not say by whom. "Three days after the events near us — I mean in the Bryansk region, when four aircraft were shot down, we are forced to respond," Lukashenko said, according to Reuters. The crash signified the most Russian aircraft lost in a single day since March 2022, according to the pro-Russia Telegram channel Fighterbomber.

☆ Putin allies call for Zelenskyy's plane to be shot down in revenge for what Russia claims was a Ukrainian drone strike on the Kremlin
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Pro-Putin hardliners called for Russia to assassinate Ukraine's president. It followed Russia's claim Ukraine launched a drone attack on the Kremlin. Putin allies in the Duma, the Russian lower legislature, also called for strikes against the Ukrainian government. Russia on Wednesday accused Ukraine of launching the drone strikes as part of a bid to assassinate Putin. Some analysts believe that the attack may have been a "false flag," or staged by Russia to justify a retaliatory response.

☆ Fact Check-Man seen in the background of Biden’s meeting with Zelenskiy is the latter’s security chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video captured during U.S. President Joe Biden’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been shared with a claim that it also accidentally reveals Zelenskiy’s body double or clone. They further suggested that it accidentally revealed proof of a so-called body double or a “clone” (here ). “Polish media accidently recorded #Zelensky's double when they covered #Biden's visit to #Kyiv #Awkward,” said one user on Twitter (here ). Donets does not resemble Zelenskiy. The video shows Zelenskiy’s security chief who has been in the role since 2019.

☆ Zelenskyy wore his signature olive-green sweater to meet King Charles during his surprise visit to the UK. Here's why he is rarely seen without it
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met King Charles III in Buckingham Palace on Wednesday. The Ukrainian leader wore his casual, olive-green crewneck during the meeting. Zelenskyy previously said he only plans on changing his signature look if Ukraine wins the war. Zelenskyy and King Charles met in the 1844 room of Buckingham Palace, where the king has previously had an audience with British prime ministers. In an interview with the Financial Times in December, the Ukrainian president said he plans to keep wearing his new outfit until after the war is over.

☆ CIA director secretly met with Zelenskyy before invasion to reveal Russian plot to kill him as he pushed back on US intelligence, book says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

CIA Director Bill Burns met with Zelenskyy on a secret trip ahead of the Russian invasion last year. Burns warned Zelenskyy about Russian assassination plots at a time when Zelenskyy cast doubt on US intel. The details of the Kyiv meeting are laid out in Chris Whipple's forthcoming book on Joe Biden's White House. "This immediately got Zelensky's attention; he was taken aback, sobered by this news," Whipple wrote in the book, set for release on January 17. Whipple wrote.

☆ What is the US getting in Ukraine for $100 billion?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Daniel L. Davis | Defense Priorities | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In December, President Joe Biden signed a bill with another $47 billion in aid for Ukraine. The question: does adding this Patriot battery represent a game-changer for Ukraine? A Patriot battery ordinarily operates as part of an integrated defense system which may include numerous US and NATO systems. As exposed in 2019 when the Saudi-operated Patriot system failed to stop a complex aerial attack from Iran, the system is not fool-proof even when operational. Air Force via APIncluding this most recent aid package, the US has spent over $100 billion on the war in Ukraine, which is $16 billion more than the entire Russian military budget for 2023.

☆ Zelenskyy's TIME Person of the Year Award is proof that resilience is the most important trait any leader can have
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Marguerite Ward | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

He embodies valor and resilience, traits business leaders should exhibit in tough times. The Ukrainian leader's speaking style is characterized by short sentences, vivid imagery, and empathy, all of which make him effective. A 2021 research paper published in the Academy of Management Journal found business leaders who led by example boosted productivity in their businesses. Some of the most convincing business leaders of our time have leaned into emotion when making key arguments. "President Zelenskyy remains focused on his core assignment.

☆ Fact Check-Video does not show missile hitting Ukraine President Zelenskiy’s office
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A tweet dated Oct. 10 (here) that had 6,500 likes at the time of writing, shared the video with the claim: “ZELENSKY'S OFFICE WAS DESTROYED BY A MISSILE STRIKE: UKRAINIAN MEDIA”. Reuters found no evidence that the presidential office building in Kyiv was struck by a missile on this day. Kyiv City Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko released a statement on messaging app Telegram (here) listing the affected areas in Kyiv, which did not include the presidential office building. The area where the smoke is seen billowing from is likely close to Saksahanskoho St, behind a residential building (bit.ly/3SQOyWE), about two kilometers from the presidential office building on Bankova Street (bit.ly/3SQVdQT) (goo.gl/maps/ihUygBudbTguqi4z5). The video shows a missile strike in central Kyiv.

☆ One of Putin's closest allies sharply criticized Russia's decision to free right-wing Ukrainian Azov troops his forces battled during Mariupol siege
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Putin's military ally said he was blindsided by the Ukrainian-Russian prisoner swap. In the early months of the war, Chechen soldiers conscripted to help Russian soldiers clashed with Ukrainian Azov fighters in Mariupol as Russians briefly occupied the city. Kadyrov said Thursday he was "extremely unhappy," with the swap, calling the Azov fighters "terrorists." Along with 55 Russian fighters, Viktor Medvedchuk, an MP and one of Putin's staunchest Ukrainian allies, was sent to Russia, Reuters reported. The bilateral prisoner swap is a massive coup for Ukrainians, who have made considerable gains against Russian invaders in recent weeks.

☆ Ukraine says it has completed a massive prisoner swap with Russia where key Putin ally Viktor Medvedchuk was sent to Russia and 215 Ukrainians returned home
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine and Russia have completed a monumental prisoner swap, Zelensky's office said. The swap means that 215 Ukrainians who were captured by Russia will go back to their country. As part of the deal, Viktor Medvedchuk, a key Putin ally in Ukraine, has been sent to Russia. Among the 215 Ukrainians released were 100 fighters from the controversial, hard right-wing Azov Battalion, which Russia has previously called "neo-nazis." The bilateral prisoner swap is a massive coup for Ukrainians, who have made considerable gains against Russian invaders in recent weeks.

☆ The real Volodymyr Zelenskyy. His US film editor reveals the man behind the scenes.
▼ + stars: | 2022-03-05 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has become an international icon amid the Russian invasion of his country. David Dodson, left, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, in Lviv, Ukraine. Maya_MaksimovaDavid Dodson, an American film editor, first met Volodymyr Zelenskyy in New York in 2008. And for Dodson, it was the start of a decadelong working relationship with the future Ukrainian president. David Dodson and Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a rehearsal in Kyiv, Ukraine.

☆ The EU and the “changing” Eastern neighborhood - between “post-factum diplomacy” and realpolitik, Analysis by Dionis Cenușă
▼ + stars: | 2020-11-14 | by ( ) www.ipn.md time to read: +21 min

The EU and the “changing” Eastern neighborhood - between “post-factum diplomacy” and realpolitik, Analysis by Dionis CenușăOp-EdThe diversity of realities in Eastern Europe requires from the EU a "differentiated diplomacy" which emerges from the dynamics of local and external factors, dominant in the region ...Dionis Cenuşa, Senior ContributorThe European strategy for the Eastern Neighborhood is losing ground to the ever-changing reality. It is these shortcomings that define European diplomacy of post-factum, which remains relevant in 2020. First of all, Russia has structural levers that can influence the situation on the ground in the Eastern Partnership states. Instead, the emphasis of Westerners is on calming the political situation, without encouraging the opposition to annul the results of the parliamentary elections. Dionis Cenuşa, Senior Contributor Dionis Cenuşa, Senior ContributorAreas of research: European Neighborhood Policy, EU-Moldova relationship, EU's foreign policy and Russia, migration and energy security.

Persons: Cenușă, Dionis Cenuşa, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Maia Sandu's, Fiasco, Igor Dodon, Maia Sandu, Vladimir Putin, oligarch Bidzina, Ivanishvili, Nikol, ”, Ilham Aliyev's, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Hanns Seidel Organizations: EU, European People's Party, Social Democrats, Eastern Partnership, Eastern, Constitutional, Socialist, OSCE, Moldovan, Russian, Hanns Seidel Foundation, IPN Press Agency, Policy, Institute of Political Sciences, Liebig, Justus University, College of Europe, Twitter Locations: Eastern Europe, EU, Belarus, Nagorno, Karabakh, Brussels, Moldova, Georgia, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Chisinau, Moldovan, Turkey, South Caucasus, Yerevan, Moscow, Baku, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Iran, Ankara, Minsk, Belarusian, Giessen, Germany

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