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☆ Debris From Russian Missile Kills Three in Kyiv Apartment Building
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Megan Specia | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russian forces fired more than 20 missiles at Ukraine’s capital in a predawn assault on Saturday that left at least three people dead. Moscow’s military leadership accuses Mr. Prigozhin of trying to mount a coup against Mr. Putin. Serhiy Popko, the head of the Kyiv military administration, said air defenses had shot down more than 20 missiles around the capital but that falling debris had hit a high-rise building and started a blaze that destroyed three floors. As rescuers worked at the scene, Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, said that there might be people under the rubble. Residents carefully stepped over the broken glass and building fragments that had scattered throughout the parking lot below.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Wagner, Mr, Prigozhin, Serhiy Popko, Vitali Klitschko Organizations: Interior Ministry Locations: Kyiv, Russia

Image Mr. Prigozhin and President Vladimir Putin at one of Mr. Prigozhin’s factories in St. Petersburg in 2010. Mr. Prigozhin accused the Russian military of attacking his forces, vowed to retaliate, on Friday. In an earlier videotaped speech, Mr. Prigozhin did not explicitly impugn Mr. Putin, instead casting him as a leader being misled by his officials. But, during the battle for Bakhmut, Mr. Prigozhin also emerged as a populist political figure, excoriating Russia’s military leadership for corruption. Others theorized that the Kremlin had orchestrated Mr. Prigozhin’s tirades against Mr. Shoigu, the defense minister, to deflect blame from Mr. Putin himself.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Vladimir V, Putin, Prigozhin, Wagner, Mr, ” Gen, Vladimir Alekseyev, ” Mr, Prigozhin’s Wagner, Russia’s, ’, “, ”, GOH, Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, Adam Hodge, Vladimir Putin, —, Sergei K, Shoigu, Dmitri S, diatribes, excoriating, Prigozhin’s, Igor Girkin, Girkin, ” Julian E, Barnes, Cassandra Vinograd Organizations: Russian, ., Reuters, Russian Defense Ministry, Russia’s, Defense Ministry, Telegram, Twitter, National Security, Associated Press, Bakhmut, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Rostov, Don, Russia, White, St . Petersburg, St, Petersburg, Syria, Africa, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Prigozhin, Russian, Ukraine’s, “

In the war-torn Chechnya region, Mr. Kadyrov built up a private fiefdom while professing loyalty to no official but Mr. Putin himself. A judo sparring partner from Mr. Putin’s youth became a construction billionaire and built Mr. Putin’s landmark bridge to Crimea. And then there was Mr. Prigozhin, who has said that he met Mr. Putin in 2000 as a St. Petersburg restaurateur. In Ukraine, as Mr. Prigozhin tells it, Wagner troops were only called in after Mr. Putin’s initial invasion plan failed. But Mr. Putin seemed to vacillate on his own support for Mr. Prigozhin.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Putin’s, “, ”, —, “ Putin, Tatiana Stanovaya, ” Mr, Ramzan Kadyrov, Aleksandr G, Lukashenko, Mr, Wagner, tycoons, Boris N, Yeltsin, Kadyrov, Prigozhin’s, K.G.B, Donald J, Trump, Weeks, ’, Putin “, Andrei Soldatov, Prigozhin “, ” Mark Galeotti, ” Neil MacFarquhar, Valerie Hopkins Organizations: Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, ., Reuters, Federal Security Service, Kremlin, Television, Defense, Defense Ministry, Center for Locations: Russia, Moscow, Russian, Rostov, Chechnya, Belarus, Russia’s, Don, Ukraine, Putin’s, Crimea, St, Petersburg, United States, Syria, Africa, Ukrainian, Bakhmut

☆ Short-Lived Mutiny in Russia Sheds Light on Putin’s Hold on Power
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For more than a year, American officials have quietly asked themselves a question they would not dare pose in public: Could Russia’s botched invasion of Ukraine eventually lead to the downfall of President Vladimir V. Putin? For a few chaotic, head-snapping hours this weekend, the notion did not seem so far-fetched. But even with the apparent end to the immediate threat posed by Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rebellious mercenary army, the short-lived uprising suggested that Mr. Putin’s hold on power is more tenuous than at any time since he took office more than two decades ago. The aftermath of the mutiny leaves President Biden and American policymakers with both opportunity and danger in perhaps the most volatile moment since the early days of the invasion of Ukraine. “The main thing we care about is making sure that professional military remains in control of all of the nuclear facilities.”

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Putin’s, Biden, ”, Evelyn N, Farkas Organizations: McCain Institute for International Leadership, Pentagon Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Washington, Syria

☆ As Putin’s Trusted Partner, Prigozhin Was Always Willing to Do the Dirty Work
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Anatoly Kurmanaev | Kyle Crichton | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the mercenary leader who led an armed rebellion in Russia on Saturday, was never afraid of a dirty task, many say. Emerging from jail as the Soviet Union was collapsing, he began his post-criminal career selling hot dogs on street corners in St. Petersburg, Russia. Mr. Prigozhin quickly earned the trust of his benefactor, who assigned him a number of important tasks that were best handled at arm’s length from the government. From there, he raised mercenaries to fight in Syria and Libya, and, most fatefully, founded the private military group Wagner, which emerged during Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. It quickly earned a reputation for ruthless violence in pursuit of lucrative diamond and gold concessions, while building political influence for the Kremlin in countries like the Central African Republic, Libya, Mali and Sudan.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Vladimir V, Putin, Vladimir, Prigozhin, Wagner Organizations: Internet Research Agency, Kremlin, Central African Locations: Russia, Soviet Union, St . Petersburg, United States, Europe, Syria, Libya, Crimea, Central African Republic, Mali, Sudan

☆ What’s happening in Russia? Here’s what we know.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russian generals on Friday accused a Russian mercenary tycoon of trying to mount a coup against President Vladimir V. Putin. There were reports overnight of military movements in an area of southern Russia near the border with Ukraine. And on Saturday morning, the tycoon, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, claimed to have control of parts of the military command headquarters in southern Russia. But the confrontation already amounted to the biggest challenge to Mr. Putin’s authority since Russia invaded Ukraine 16 months ago. In an address to the nation, Mr. Putin called the Wagner forces’ actions “a stab in the back of our country and our people” and vowed “decisive actions.”

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, ” Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Timeline: What Led to the Standoff Between Russia and Prigozhin
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Gaya Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For years, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the Wagner mercenary leader who conducted a brief rebellion against the Russian military, had been a loyal supporter of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. In recent months, he continued to steer clear of directly criticizing Mr. Putin, even as he increasingly used social media to lambaste Russia’s military, accusing its leaders of treason and blaming them for failing to provide his forces with enough resources. Mr. Putin mobilized Russian troops to quell what he called an armed rebellion, and the Belarusian president, a Putin ally, negotiated a halt to the Wagner advance. Here’s a look at Mr. Prigozhin’s history and some of the claims he has made:December 2016The United States imposed sanctions against 15 Russian entities, including Mr. Prigozhin, for their dealings in Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014, and in Ukraine, where Russian-backed separatists seized territory the same year. The Treasury Department targeted businesspeople who were associates of Mr. Putin or were involved in activities that aided in Russia’s destabilization of Ukraine.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Wagner, Vladimir V, Putin, Putin’s, Prigozhin, Mr Organizations: Russian, Treasury Department, Russia’s Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Rostov, Moscow, Belarusian, United States, Crimea, Russia’s destabilization

☆ Putin embraced turmoil, and now it is rattling his leadership.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia always seemed to thrive on chaos. For the last few months, as the mercenary chieftain Yevgeny V. Prigozhin escalated his feud with the Russian military, Mr. Putin did not publicly reveal any discomfort with his diatribes. The Russian leader’s key litmus test was loyalty — a fact that Mr. Prigozhin showed he understood, even amid his recent criticism of the military leadership: “I listen to Putin,” he said in May. At no point since being named acting president on Dec. 31, 1999, has Mr. Putin faced such a dramatic challenge. And it comes from a man who — like much of Russia’s elite — owes his power and status to the informal, personalist style of the Russian president.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Putin’s, “, ”, — Locations: Russia, Russian, Rostov, Moscow

☆ Google News Blocked in Russia as Feud With Mercenary Leader Intensifies
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Nico Grant | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Several Russian internet service providers are preventing users inside the country from accessing Google News after Russian generals accused a mercenary leader, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, of attempting a coup. At least five telecommunications companies — including Rostelecom, U-LAN and Telplus — have blocked Google News, which aggregates news from various sources, according to an analysis from NetBlocks, an internet observatory. Several other internet service providers have begun reducing access as well, according to the analysis. Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for a comment. Late Friday, Russian officials accused Mr. Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, a mercenary organization, of trying to mount a coup against President Vladimir V. Putin, with Russian authorities opening an investigation into Mr. Prigozhin for “organizing an armed rebellion.”Russia’s internet regulator, Roskomnadzor, said in March 2022 that it would block Google News from the country’s internet users after the company paused advertising in Russia and took steps to block online content that spread false information to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Google didn’t, Mr, Prigozhin, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Google, Wagner Locations: Russian, Russia, Ukraine

☆ It’s a War-Themed Restaurant, but There Is No Need to Pretend
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Patricia Cohen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Sievda Kerimova had recently arrived in Lviv from Kyiv for a happier reason. She had come to meet her husband, a 26-year-old military officer who had 10 days off. Kryivka is one of several themed restaurants and gift shops operated by !FEST, a Ukrainian restaurant group. Upstairs is another one, The Most Expensive Galician Restaurant, decorated as a masonic clubhouse. Around the corner is the Lviv Coffee Mine, an enormous underground coffee house and shop where patrons can wear a miner’s helmet and dig for coffee beans and sip lattes.

Persons: Sievda Kerimova, Kerimova, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: ! FEST, Ukrainian Insurgent Army Locations: Lviv, Kyiv, Russia, Ukrainian, Kryivka, Ukraine

Yevgeny V. Prigozhin became rich through his personal ties to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, winning lucrative catering and construction contracts with the Russian government while building a mercenary force known as Wagner. In recent months, Mr. Prigozhin (pronounced pree-GOH-zhin) has also emerged as a public power player, using social media to turn tough talk and brutality into his personal brand. At the same time, though, he began launching accusations at Russia’s military leadership, blaming it for failing to provide his forces with enough ammunition and ignoring soldiers’ struggles. But until Friday — when Russian generals accused Mr. Prigozhin of mounting a coup — Mr. Putin had not checked Mr. Prigozhin’s online accusations, despite jailing or fining many other critics of the war. It was a significant turnabout for Mr. Prigozhin, who acknowledged only last fall that he had founded Wagner.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Vladimir V, Putin, Wagner, GOH, ’, Mr, ” Organizations: Kremlin Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Belarus Is Fast Becoming a ‘Vassal State’ of Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Valerie Hopkins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Schools give patriotic lessons and teach students how to assemble rifles, while textbooks have been rewritten to favor Russia’s view of history. These by-now familiar scenes would hardly bear mention in wartime Russia, except that these were drawn recently from Belarus, an autocratic country of 9.4 million neighboring Russia, Ukraine and the NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Long uneasily in the orbit of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, Belarus is increasingly doing his bidding, socially, militarily and economically. It is also an important step, democracy advocates and military experts say, toward Russia’s absorption of Belarus, a longtime goal of Mr. Putin. “Belarus’ sovereignty is evaporating very fast,” said Pavel Slunkin, a former Belarusian diplomat who is now a fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Persons: Long, Vladimir V, Putin, Moscow —, Mr, ”, Pavel Slunkin Organizations: NATO, European Council, Foreign Relations Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Moscow, “ Belarus, Belarusian

☆ Putin Asserts Ukraine’s Counteroffensive Has ‘No Chance’ at Economic Forum
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Neil Macfarquhar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia wrapped up what was for him an extraordinary and sometimes rambling week of upbeat commentary on the Ukraine war by asserting on Friday that Russia was so assured of prevailing against the Ukrainian counteroffensive that he had ruled out using nuclear weapons. Yet, Mr. Putin’s assertions of success in the face of repeated setbacks seemed to rankle a small but ever louder chorus of critics. They point to the counteroffensive, drone attacks on Moscow, incursions by pro-Ukraine militias into southern Russia and cross-border shelling of Russian towns as evidence that things could be spiraling out of control. That could explain why Mr. Putin took care this week to present himself as a hands-on, knowledgeable commander in chief, even asserting at one point Friday that “right now” the Ukrainians were attacking with two tanks here and five tanks there. But his strategy of proclaiming success while brushing off problems with key military elements like smart weapons or border protection is a contradiction, his critics say, that cannot endure endlessly.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: St ., Economic Forum, Russian Locations: Russia, Ukraine, St, St . Petersburg, Moscow

☆ African Leaders Talk Peace in Ukraine, as Missiles Explode Overhead
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( John Eligon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and African leaders on a peace mission to Kyiv had testy exchanges on Friday on how to end the war with Russia, hours after Russian forces fired missiles at the capital while the African heads of government were there. The African leaders spoke of hope and dialogue after talking with Mr. Zelensky, but the Ukrainian leader ruled out peace talks until Moscow withdraws its troops from occupied territory, and he called for Russia to be frozen out diplomatically. President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa laid out a plan for de-escalation of fighting by both countries, a prisoner exchange, the return of children taken from Ukraine and the free flow of grain and fertilizer to world markets. But toward the end of their joint news conference, Mr. Zelensky said he did not clearly understand the “road map” mentioned by the visiting leaders, who will meet with President Vladimir V. Putin on Saturday in St. Petersburg, Russia. “I don’t want to have any surprises because tomorrow, you’ll have conversations with the terrorist, and then this terrorist will have proposals to you,” Mr. Zelensky said.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Cyril Ramaphosa of, Vladimir V, Putin, “, Mr Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, Moscow, Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, St . Petersburg

☆ Behind a Birthday Message, the Delicate Duet of Putin and Xi
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Chris Buckley | Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Birthday best wishes rarely come freighted with so much significance. But when it is Russia’s embattled president, Vladimir V. Putin, flattering his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, even seemingly small gestures send a message to the world, not least to their Western rivals. Mr. Putin sent Mr. Xi a congratulatory telegram when the Chinese leader turned 70 on Thursday, wishing his “dear friend” good health, happiness and success, further cementing the image of a personal bond between the two authoritarian leaders. “It is difficult to overestimate the effort that you have made over many years to strengthen our comprehensive partnership and the strategic interaction between our countries,” Mr. Putin wrote. But it risks growing fraught over the long term, as Russia becomes increasingly reliant on China, while China takes a more measured approach to Moscow and seeks to win back some European support.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Xi Jinping, Xi, Mr Locations: Ukraine, Russia, China, Moscow

☆ Erdogan Hosts NATO Talks on Sweden Bid: Ukraine-Russia Live Updates
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Ben Hubbard | Safak Timur | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Mr. Putin touched on virtually every aspect of the conflict in recent weeks. At one point he also suggested that the Russian army might have to again march on Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. More important, Mr. Petrov speculated that the remarks could be a prelude to seeking negotiations by implying that the Ukrainian counteroffensive was doomed. Mr. Putin said he backed the call for paramilitary organizations to sign such contracts. “It is his style before any negotiation to let his guy say something horrible in order to look better,” Mr. Petrov said.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, Nikolai Petrov, Petrov, ”, Wagner, Sergei K, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Alina Lobzina Organizations: Tuesday, Ministry of Defense, Defense Ministry Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Kharkiv

☆ Russian Forces Strike Back Against Ukraine’s Advancing Troops
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Andrew E. Kramer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russian air forces and artillery weapons struck back against advancing Ukrainian troops on Tuesday, hammering them in the area of several southern villages that the Ukrainian Army had retaken over the past week in the opening phase of Kyiv’s counteroffensive. The attack reduced one village to ruins and came on the same day that a Russian missile strike killed at least 11 people in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, which lies about 100 miles from the eastern front line. Thunderstorms had swept over southern Ukraine before the Russian attack on the villages, muddying terrain and complicating operations for both armies, which have been locked in fighting at multiple points as Ukrainian troops have tested Russian defenses along the front. Conflicting claims made it difficult to assess the situation on the battlefield, but President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, speaking to Russian war correspondents and military bloggers, acknowledged that his forces had suffered some losses in June, including 54 tanks. He denied Ukraine’s assertions of progress on the battlefield, though, insisting that its military had lost hundreds more tanks and vehicles than Russia with no gains to speak of.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Ukrainian Army Locations: Russian, Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Russia

[1/3] Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speak during a meeting at the Bocharov Ruchei residence in Sochi, Russia June 9, 2023. Putin announced in March he had agreed to deploy such weapons in Belarus, pointing to U.S deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in a host of European countries over many decades. It is still unclear where the Russian nuclear warheads - which will remain under Russian control - will be kept in Belarus. RANGEPutin, who is the ultimate decision maker on any nuclear launch, said Iskander mobile short-range ballistic missiles, which can deliver nuclear warheads, had already been handed over to Belarus. Putin has repeatedly raised the issue of U.S. B61 tactical nuclear warheads deployed at bases in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Turkey.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Putin, Moscow's, Vladimir Vladimirovich, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Su, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey, Andrew Osborn, Frances Kerry Organizations: Belarusian, Sputnik, NATO, United, Sukhoi, B61, Cuban Missile Crisis, Thomson Locations: Sochi, Russia, Kremlin, Belarus, Europe, Putin MOSCOW, Soviet Union, Russian, Black, United States, Ukraine, Moscow, China, Washington, Minsk, Berlin, Stockholm, Soviet, Kazakhstan, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Nevada

☆ Tucker Carlson launches first episode of low-budget Twitter show after Fox News firing
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Tucker Carlson is back — sort of. He wrapped up by declaring that U.F.O.s and extraterrestrial life are ‘actually real.’”“As of today, we’ve come to Twitter,” Carlson said in the video. Regardless, whether the Twitter show has the same influence and reach as Carlson’s one-time Fox News time slot is far from certain. Carlson faces an uphill climb if he hopes to reclaim the power he once enjoyed through Twitter videos. The first episode of “Tucker on Twitter” didn’t help.

Persons: CNN — Tucker Carlson, “ Tucker, Carlson, Katie Robertson, Jeremy Peters, Vladimir V, Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Carlson, “ We’re, Bryan Freedman, Rupert Murdoch’s, Musk, Nielsen Organizations: CNN, Elon, Twitter, Fox News Locations: Russia, Ukraine

☆ Tucker Carlson Posts First Installment of New Show on Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Katie Robertson | Jeremy W. Peters | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Tucker Carlson, the sidelined prime-time Fox News host, on Tuesday released the first installment of what he said would be his new show on Twitter, potentially setting up a confrontation with the cable network, where he remains under contract until early 2025. The 10-minute video, Mr. Carlson’s first extended commentary since Fox took him off the air in April, was similar to a stripped-down version of what his roughly three million Fox viewers would have seen on his nightly program. There were no guests or produced segments — only a monologue from Mr. Carlson, in which he hit some familiar themes. He expressed sympathy for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and mocked President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. He wrapped up by declaring that U.F.O.s and extraterrestrial life are “actually real.”“As of today, we’ve come to Twitter,” Mr. Carlson said in the video.

Persons: Tucker Carlson, Carlson’s, Fox, Carlson, Vladimir V, Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Mr, “ We’re, ” Organizations: Fox News, Twitter, Fox Locations: Russia, Ukraine

During the first year of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Biden administration fretted constantly that if Kyiv hit back inside Russian borders, President Vladimir V. Putin would retaliate against not only Ukraine, but also possibly NATO and the West. As Ukraine’s counteroffensive edges closer, a series of bold attacks in Russia, from a swarm of drone attacks in Moscow to the shelling of towns in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine and an incursion into the country using American-made armored vehicles, have been greeted by the Biden administration with the diplomatic equivalent of a shrug. On Monday, fighters attacked at least 10 villages in the Belgorod region with heavy shelling, its governor said. Behind closed doors, senior administration officials have seemed even less fazed. “Look, it’s a war,” one senior Pentagon official said last Thursday.

Persons: Biden, Vladimir V, Putin, “ It’s, John F, Kirby, ” Organizations: Kyiv, NATO, National Security Council, Pentagon Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Belgorod, Ukrainian

☆ In Finland, NATO’s Newest Member, Blinken Details Russia’s ‘Failures’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Friday took the stage in NATO’s newest member, Finland, to say that further strengthening Ukraine’s defenses against Russia was a “prerequisite” for diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine and to warn against short-term cease-fires that might play to Moscow’s advantage. In a powerfully symbolic address at the City Hall in Helsinki, Finland’s capital, Mr. Blinken cataloged the many ways the war by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia had backfired since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He noted, for one, Finland’s decision last year to break from decades of firm neutrality and join the NATO alliance in a major strategic blow to Mr. Putin, who calls NATO’s expansion a grave threat to Russian security. Mr. Putin’s war “has been a strategic failure — greatly diminishing Russia’s power, its interests and its influence for years to come,” Mr. Blinken said. “When you look at President Putin’s long-term strategic aims and objectives, there is no question: Russia is significantly worse off today than it was before the full-scale invasion — militarily, economically, geopolitically,” he added.

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, Vladimir V, Putin, “, Mr, Putin’s Organizations: City Hall, NATO Locations: NATO’s, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Helsinki, Finland’s, Moscow

A barrage of attack drones were downed over Moscow on Tuesday, the first time civilian areas of the Russian capital have been touched directly by the Ukrainian conflict and a signal that a distant war may soon begin to feel somewhat less so for ordinary Russians. “If the goal was to stress the population, then the very fact that drones have appeared in the skies over Moscow has contributed to that,” wrote one pro-war Russian blogger, Mikhail Zvinchuk, who posts under the name Rybar. The drones, numbering at least eight, came as Russia has been engaged in a particularly sustained aerial assault on Ukraine’s own capital, Kyiv. And while President Vladimir V. Putin blamed Ukraine for what he branded “terrorist activity,” no one was killed in Moscow on Tuesday. The same could not be said for Kyiv, where one person died in the Russian attacks.

Persons: ”, Mikhail Zvinchuk, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Kyiv Locations: Moscow, Ukrainian, Russian, Russia, Kyiv, Ukraine

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