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Director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergei Naryshkin delivers a speech during a ceremony unveiling the monument to founder of the Soviet secret police Felix Dzerzhinsky at the service's headquarters in Moscow, Russia, September 11, 2023. Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Sept 11 (Reuters) - A bronze statue of "Iron Felix" Dzerzhinsky, the ruthless founder of the Soviet secret police and architect of the Red Terror which followed the 1917 revolution, was unveiled on Monday at the headquarters of Russia's foreign spy service. Sergei Naryshkin, the chief of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), successor to the KGB's famed First Chief Directorate, marked the unveiling of the statue outside its Yasenevo headquarters in southern Moscow. Dzerzhinsky towered above Naryshkin, Putin's 68-year-old spy master, who stood with a group of other men - many of them unknown. The statue at the SVR looks remarkably similar to the one that once stood on Lubyanka Square.

Persons: Sergei Naryshkin, Felix Dzerzhinsky, Felix, Dzerzhinsky, Josef Stalin, Vladimir Putin's, Naryshkin, Nikita Petrov, Vladimir Lenin's, Lenin's, Putin, Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Foreign Intelligence Service, Russian Federation, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, Reuters, Russian, Commission, Cheka, State Political Directorate, State Political, NKVD, Internal Affairs, KGB, Federal Security Service, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Vladimir Putin's Russia, Poland, Soviet Union, Dzerzhinsky, Soviet

Excerpts of a new biography of Musk published by The Washington Post last week revealed that the Ukrainians in September 2022 had asked for the Starlink support to attack Russian naval vessels based at the Crimean port of Sevastopol. However, in the months since, the U.S. military has funded and officially contracted with Starlink for continued support. Until Musk’s refusal in Ukraine, there had not been a focus on whether there needed to be language saying a firm providing military support in war had to agree that that support could be used in combat. “We acquire technology, we acquire services, required platforms to serve the Air Force mission, or in this case, the Department of the Air Force,” said Andrew Hunter, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics. “So that is an expectation, that it is going to be used for Air Force purposes, which will include, when necessary, to be used to support combat operations.”

Persons: Elon Musk’s, Frank Kendall, Musk, he'd, Starlink, Kendall, ” Kendall, “, Mike Minihan, ”, Andrew Hunter Organizations: SpaceX, Air Force, The Washington Post, U.S ., Pentagon, Air Force Association, Air, Air Mobility Command, ”, ” As U.S, ., Department of Locations: Md, Ukraine, Crimea, Sevastopol, Russia, Harbor , Maryland, ” As

☆ Millie Bobby Brown Writes About a Real-Life Wartime Mystery
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Jessica Francis Kane | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

NINETEEN STEPS, by Millie Bobby Brown with Kathleen McGurlOn the evening of Wednesday, March 3, 1943, 173 men, women and children lost their lives descending the steps — 19 of them — to an underground air raid shelter in East London. It was the largest civilian tragedy of the war and yet it was a mystery how it happened. However, after all that East London had endured during the Blitz, to be blamed for panicking at this point was intolerable and unfair. The residents of Bethnal Green demanded an inquiry. I first learned of the Bethnal Green tube station disaster almost 25 years ago when I was living in London.

Persons: Millie Bobby Brown, Kathleen McGurl, Bethnal Green, Bethnal Organizations: panicking, Bethnal, British Library, London Stationery Office Locations: East London, London, Bethnal

☆ Ukraine freezes $80 million of tycoon Kolomoisky's assets, media report
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FILE PHOTO-Ukrainian business tycoon and one of Ukraine's most prominent billionaires Ihor Kolomoisky arrives at court, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv September 2, 2023. REUTERS/Vladyslav Musiienko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies on Friday froze more than $80 million in assets belonging to tycoon Ihor Kolomoisky for 48 hours as part of an embezzlement investigation, Ukrainian media outlets reported. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said it had frozen more than 3 billion hryvnia in assets in addition to nearly 1,000 properties and more than 1,600 vehicles and vessels from the former owner of lender PrivatBank. Kolomoisky is a former owner of PrivatBank, which was nationalised in late 2016 as part of a clean-up of the Ukrainian banking system. Ukrainian officials have also said that "de-oligarchisation" is an important step to building a stronger state after the war with Russia.

Persons: Ihor Kolomoisky, Vladyslav, Kolomoisky, NABU, Yuliia Dysa, Dan Peleschuk, Tom Balmforth, Timothy Heritage, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Soviet Union, European Union, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Soviet, Russia

Last month, Biden asked Congress to approve $40 billion in additional spending, including $24 billion for Ukraine and other international needs and $16 billion in disaster relief, testing the country's willingness to keep supporting Ukraine during its counteroffensive against Russian invaders. The Republican-majority House is divided, with many Republicans backing the aid but some of the party's farthest-right members calling for an end to the Ukraine assistance. Citing Republican sources, CNN and other news outlets reported that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is considering legislation including the disaster aid but leaving out the Ukraine funding. The White House issued a statement urging McCarthy to back the supplemental spending request and contrasting him with Senate Republicans. "Like Senate Republicans, Speaker McCarthy should keep his word about government funding," White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement.

Persons: Julia Nikhinson, Joe Biden's, Biden, Kevin McCarthy, Putin, Chuck Schumer, Vladimir, Mitch McConnell, Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, McCarthy, Andrew Bates, Patricia Zengerle, Jeff Mason, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Don Durfee, David Gregorio Our Organizations: U.S . Capitol Police, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Congress, Ukraine, Republican, Republicans, CNN, Democratic, ., National, White, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Ukraine, U.S, Kyiv

Aziz Umerov looks at a portrait of his sister Leniye Umerova, a Ukrainian from Russian-annexed Crimea arrested in Russia, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine August 11, 2023. A Reuters review of Rudenko's social media account on Telegram didn't find any messages critical of the war. Russia's top investigative body, the Investigative Committee, the Interior Ministry and the Prosecutor General's Office didn't respond to requests for comment on the phenomenon of carousel arrests or individual cases. A Reuters review of Russian court records identified seven cases of carousel arrests this year, with the suspects involved arrested and jailed between two and five times in succession. Not all "carousel" arrests lead to more serious criminal charges, and for some detainees, time spent behind bars is frightening enough.

Persons: Aziz Umerov, Leniye Umerova, Gleb Garanich, Rudenko's, Yulia Kiselyova, he'd, Kiselyova, Ivan Vtorushin, Valeriya, Ilya Yashin, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Alexei Navalny, Lauren McCarthy, McCarthy, Gevorg, Dmitry Golovlyov, Aleksanyan, Rudenko, Mike Collett, White Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Russian, Investigative, Interior Ministry, First Department, PUTIN, WHO, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Federal Security Service, of Russia Legion, Russia Legion, Thomson Locations: Russian, Crimea, Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Moscow, Bucha, Rudenko, Crimean Tatars, Ukrainian

☆ South Korea's Yoon Says Any Attempt to Cooperate Militarily With North Korea Must Stop
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Wednesday any attempt to cooperate with North Korea on military affairs in a way that damages international peace must immediately halt, his office said. Yoon made the comment at a summit meeting with Southeast Asia's ASEAN bloc countries in Jakarta, Indonesia, his office said. "Attempt at military cooperation with North Korea that harms international peace must immediately halt," Yoon's office quoted him as saying at his meeting with the leaders of ASEAN countries earlier on Wednesday. North Korea and Russia have denied they were in arms negotiations. At a later meeting with ASEAN leaders together with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Yoon said South Korea will work closely with the two Asian neighbours with the goal of resuming their three-way summit.

Persons: Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon, Kim Jong, Vladimir Putin, Kim, Sergei Shoigu, Fumio Kishida, Li Qiang, Jack Kim, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Christopher Cushing Organizations: ASEAN, North, New York Times, Russia's, Japanese Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, Jakarta, Indonesia, Russia, Russia's, Vladivostok, Moscow, Ukraine, South Korea

☆ Blinken visits Ukraine in show of support, says it needs 'strong deterrent'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba greets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken before a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv, Ukraine on September 6, 2023. During his two-day visit, Blinken is likely to announce a new package of U.S. wartime assistance worth more than $1 billion, a senior State Department official told reporters on the trip. "We want to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs, not only to succeed in the counteroffensive, but has what it needs for the long term, to make sure that it has a strong deterrent," Blinken said standing alongside Kuleba. "We're also determined to continue to work with our partners as they build and rebuild a strong economy, strong democracy." During his train ride to Kyiv, Blinken also held talks with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen - coincidentally visiting the same day.

Persons: Dmytro Kuleba, Antony Blinken, Zelenskiy, Washington, Blinken, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, We're, Kuleba, Dmitry Peskov, Rustem Umerov, Oleksii Reznikov, Mette Frederiksen, Frederiksen, Matthew Miller, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, pare, Humeyra Pamuk, Tom Balmforth, Timothy Heritage, Angus MacSwan, Peter Graff Organizations: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russian, State Department, U.S, Kyiv, Media, Ukrainian, Blinken's, Danish, Department, Republican, Reuters, Washington, Thomson Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Kyiv Ukraine, U.S, Blinken, Russian, Moscow, Washington, Ukrainian, UKRAINE, Denmark, Netherlands

☆ US funding fight, Ukraine’s wartime symphonies and how to teach with AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Follow on Apple, Google or Spotify. The clock starts ticking to prevent a partial government shutdown as Congress returns. Teachers tackle the advance of AI in the classroom. The Ukrainian orchestra vowing to keep on playing as missiles rain down. Plus, 22 years in jail for the former leader of the Proud Boys group, Washington warning to North Korea and Spain sacks the coach of its World Cup winning women’s soccer team.

Persons: Enrique Tarrio Organizations: Apple, Google, Reuters, Reading, Boys, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Washington, North Korea, Spain, Ukraine

☆ Who is Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's new defence minister?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS /File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Ukraine's parliament voted to approve the appointment of Rustem Umerov as defence minister on Wednesday after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy proposed him to replace Oleksii Reznikov. Here are some facts about Umerov:* Umerov, 41, is a Crimean Tatar, a Turkic people from the Black Sea Ukrainian peninsula that was annexed by Russia in 2014. Since 2020, Umerov has been a member of a Ukrainian government task force working on the strategy to end the occupation of Crimea. * In September 2022, Umerov, then a lawmaker from the pro-European Holos party, became head of the State Property Fund, an agency selling state assets to private investors. * When proposing Umerov, Zelenskiy said new approaches and other forms of interaction with the military and society were needed as Russia's invasion entered its 19th month.

Persons: Rustem Umerov, Rustem, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Umerov, Olena, Zelenskiy, Anna Pruchnicka, Tom Balmforth, Timothy Organizations: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service, REUTERS, Rights, Oleksii, State Property Fund, Ukraine's Azov, United Arab Emirates, ASTEM, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Kyiv, Crimean, Russia, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Soviet Crimea, Crimea, Umerov, European, Mariupol, Zelenskiy, Saudi Arabia

☆ Blinken hails Kyiv's pushback against Russia in visit clouded by attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"This Russian evil must be defeated as soon as possible," Zelenskiy said, describing it as a deliberate attack on a "peaceful city". U.S. officials have not publicly criticised Ukraine's military tactics, and last week said they had seen progress in the southeast. [1/6]Police officers and rescuers carry the body of a person killed by a Russian military strike in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, September 6, 2023. Blinken's visit coincided with Ukraine's parliament approving the appointment of Rust Umerov as defence minister following the dismissal of Oleksii Reznikov. During his train ride to Kyiv, Blinken held talks with Danish Prime Minister Mettle Fredericks, who was visiting the same day.

Persons: Blinken, Zelenskiy, Ivan Lyubysh, Antony Blinken, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Dmytro Kuleba, Kuleba, Abrams, Larine Jean, Pierre said, Dmitry Peso, Diana Khodak, Khodak, Rust, Oleksii Reznikov, Mettle Fredericks, Fredericks, Humeyra Pamuk, Tom Balmforth, Ron Popeski, Philippa Fletcher, Timothy Heritage, Angus MacSwan, Peter Graff, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Kirdey, U.S, Kyiv, Ukraine's Foreign, Ukrainian, White, Pentagon, Police, Press, Interior Ministry of, REUTERS Acquire, European Union, Reuters, Danish, State Department, Republican, Thomson Locations: Kyiv Ukraine, Kirdey KYIV, Ukraine, U.S, Kostiantynivka, Bakhmut, Russia, Russian, Donetsk region, Interior Ministry of Ukraine, Handout, Moscow, Washington, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Blinken's, Denmark, Netherlands

☆ South Korea's Yoon says any military cooperation with North Korea must stop
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Jack Kim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, center, arrives to the ASEAN-South Korea Summit at the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, September 6, 2023. Tatan Syuflana/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Sept 6 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Wednesday any attempt to cooperate with North Korea on military affairs in a way that damages international peace must immediately halt. "Attempt at military cooperation with North Korea that harms international peace must immediately halt," Yoon's office quoted him as saying at a meeting with the leaders of ASEAN countries. North Korea and Russia have denied they were in arms negotiations. Before the pandemic, China hosted the largest number of North Korean workers abroad, with as many as half of the estimated 100,000 people earning more than $500 million a year.

Persons: Yoon Suk, Tatan, Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Kim, Sergei Shoigu, Fumio Kishida, Li Qiang, Jack Kim, Soo, hyang Choi, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Christopher Cushing Organizations: South, ASEAN, South Korea Summit, Association of, Southeast Asian Nations, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, New York Times, Japanese, Security, Thomson Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, Rights SEOUL, North Korea, Russia, Vladivostok, Moscow, Ukraine, South Korea, China, Korean, Seoul

☆ ‘Where Is the Money?’ Military Graft Becomes a Headache for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Andrew E. Kramer | More About Andrew E. Kramer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The removal of Ukraine’s minister of defense after a flurry of reports of graft and financial mismanagement in his department underscores a pivotal challenge for President Volodymyr Zelensky’s wartime leadership: stamping out the corruption that had been widespread in Ukraine for years. But Mr. Zelensky’s announcement Sunday night that he was replacing the defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, elevated the issue to the highest level of Ukrainian politics. It comes at a pivotal moment in the war, as Ukraine prosecutes a counteroffensive in the country’s south and east that relies heavily on Western allies for military assistance. Just last week, the United States’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, met with three high-ranking Ukrainian officials to discuss efforts to stamp out wartime corruption. It comes as some lawmakers in the United States have used graft as an argument for limiting military aid to Ukraine.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky’s, Oleksii, Mr, Jake Sullivan Organizations: United Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, United States

☆ Who is Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's likely new defence minister?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rustem Umerov, head of the country's main privatisation fund, attends a meeting in the president's office, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 16, 2022. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Sept 4 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has proposed Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine's main privatisation agency, to serve as the country's wartime defence minister. Here are some facts about Umerov, who would replace Oleksii Reznikov as defence minister:* Umerov, 41, is a Crimean Tatar, a Turkic people from the Black Sea Ukrainian peninsula that was annexed by Russia in 2014. Since 2020, Umerov has been a member of a Ukrainian government task force working on the strategy to end the occupation of Crimea. * In September 2022, Umerov, then a lawmaker from the pro-European Holos party, became head of the State Property Fund, an agency selling state assets to private investors.

Persons: Rustem Umerov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Umerov, Umerov's, Oleksii, Olena, Anna Pruchnicka, Tom Balmforth, Timothy Organizations: Presidential Press Service, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, State Property Fund, Azov, United Arab Emirates, ASTEM, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Crimean, Russia, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Soviet Crimea, Ukrainian, Crimea, Umerov, European, Mariupol, Zelenskiy, Saudi Arabia

☆ Factbox: Who is Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's likely new defence minister?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

☆ Eighty years on, Italian victims of Nazi crimes finally to get compensation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

A study funded by the German government and published in 2016 estimated that 22,000 Italians were victims of Nazi war crimes, including up to 8,000 Jews deported to death camps. However, it did not offer reparations for war crimes. "They didn't look at war crimes and this was a mistake. In 1994, a cupboard was found in the offices of Rome's military prosecutors packed with files documenting hundreds of war crimes that had never been prosecuted. In 2012, the International Court of Justice backed Berlin, but Italian courts continued to hear compensation cases, saying no limit could be imposed on war crimes.

Persons: Crispian Balmer, Mauro Petrarca, Domenico Lancellotta, Giulio Disegni, Lucio Olivieri, Petrarca, Mario Draghi, Disegni, Fornelli, Giovanni Tedeschi, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Nazis, International Court of Justice, Union of Italian Jewish, Allied, Rome, Nazi, Berlin, PRIDE, Italian Treasury, Reuters, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Fornelli, Molise, Italy, Germany, Berlin, Rome

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy moves to replace wartime defence minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov attend a meeting with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 7, 2023. Press Service of the Defence Ministry of Ukraine/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday he had decided to dismiss Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov from his post and would ask parliament this week to replace him with Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine's main privatisation fund. The announcement, made in his nightly video address to the nation, sets the stage for the biggest shakeup of Ukraine's defence establishment during the war launched by Russia in February 2022. Oleksii Reznikov has been through more than 550 days of full-scale war," Zelenskiy said. The change of defence minister must be approved by parliament, but is likely to be supported by a majority of lawmakers in the Verkhovna Rada.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Oleksii Reznikov, Boris Pistorius, Rustem Umerov, Reznikov, I've, Zelenskiy, Umerov, Tom Balmforth, Anna Pruchnicka, Diane Craft Organizations: Defence, German, Press Service, Defence Ministry of, REUTERS, Rights, Defense, Verkhovna Rada, Property Fund, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Defence Ministry of Ukraine, Handout, Russia, Verkhovna, Crimean

CNN —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has fired his defense minister, citing the need for “new approaches” as the war with Russia enters its 19th month. “This week, parliament will be asked to make a personnel decision … I have decided to replace the minister of defense of Ukraine. The president nominated Rustem Umerov, the former people’s deputy of Ukraine, to become the new defense minister. “The Verkhovna Rada (legislature) of Ukraine knows this person well, and Mr. Umerov does not need any additional introductions,” Zelensky said. Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov at Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 10, 2023.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, …, Oleksii Reznikov, ” Zelensky, Rustem Umerov, Umerov, “, ” Reznikov, Zelensky, Yurii, Reznikov, Ihor Kolomoisky Organizations: CNN, Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian Defense, NATO, European Union, Transparency International Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Europe, Brussels

☆ Jimmy Buffett Was More Than Beaches and Booze
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Jon Pareles | More About Jon Pareles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Jimmy Buffett built a pop-culture empire on the daydream of “wastin’ away again in Margaritaville”: just hanging out on a tropical beach, drink in hand, a little wistful but utterly relaxed. Buffett leveraged it into a major brand for restaurants, resorts, clothing, food and drink, as well as a perpetual singalong on his robust touring circuit, where his devoted fans — the Parrot Heads — gathered eagerly in their Hawaiian shirts. Buffett cannily marketed his good-timey image; it made him a billionaire. He came up with wry song premises like the one behind “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” which starts as the lament of an attempted vegetarian who can’t resist carnivorous impulses. But Buffett’s songwriting wasn’t all smiley and one-dimensional.

Persons: Jimmy Buffett, wastin ’, “, ”, Buffett, Buffett cannily, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Zac Brown, I’ve Locations: Margaritaville ”, Paradise, “, Paris

[1/3] Ukrainian business tycoon and one of Ukraine's most prominent billionaires Ihor Kolomoisky speaks with Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and Prosecutor General's Office officers at an unknown location, in this picture released on September 2, 2023. Security Service of Ukraine/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Ukraine's main security agency accused tycoon Ihor Kolomoisky of fraud and money laundering on Saturday, naming one of the country's most prominent businessmen a suspect in a criminal investigation. "It was established that during 2013-2020, Ihor Kolomoisky legalized more than half a billion hryvnias ($14 million) by withdrawing them abroad and using the infrastructure of banks under (his) control," the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said in a statement. CRACKDOWN ON CORRUPTIONDuring the war, Zelenskiy has been keen to stress Ukraine's crackdown on corruption as Kyiv has applied to join the European Union. U.S. authorities have also alleged Kolomoisky and a business partner laundered stolen funds through the United States.

Persons: Ihor Kolomoisky, Ihor, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Kolomoisky, Zelenskiy, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, Iryna Gerashchenko, laundered, Olena, Tomasz Janowski, Frances Kerry Organizations: Service of Ukraine, General's, Security Service, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Kolomoisky, Security Service of Ukraine, European Union, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Handout, Kyiv, Soviet Union, United States

☆ Opinion: Remembering ‘Juice,’ the young fighter pilot who embodied the Holy Grail of aviation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Opinion Nolan Peterson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The young Ukrainian pilot known by the call sign "Juice" campaigned for F-16 fighter jets for his country in its battle against Russia. The joking, the nonchalance, the sterile vocabulary — it’s all part of a well-honed fighter pilot culture, which ingrains the mental resilience needed to survive. “Even with our losses, we are still doing our job in this real combat mood, real fighter pilot mood, with crazy jokes. Beyond their fears and sorrows, there is another emotion, unique to war, which Ukrainian fighter pilots must now also control each time they fly. For its part, the US military plans to start training Ukrainian pilots to fly the supersonic fighters this October.

Persons: Nolan Peterson, Read, CNN —, I’ve, Andriy Pilshchikov —, he’d, Juice, I’m, “ We’re, we’ve, “, …, ” Melaniya, wasn’t, —, Tom Wolfe, ’ Nolan Peterson, ” Jonathan “, ” Juice, it’s, ” Podolyak, ” Organizations: Atlantic Council, US Air Force, Fortem Technologies, CNN, Tactical Aviation Brigade, Russia, Garmin, California National Guard, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Twitter, Facebook, US Air National Guard Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Afghanistan, Russian, Kyiv’s outskirts, ” Jonathan “ Jersey, Soviet, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, California

☆ An Obsolete German Tank Seeks a Second Life on Ukraine’s Front Lines
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | More About Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Their old diesel engines roaring, the Cold War-era battle tanks bobbed through the verdant Germany countryside as the Ukrainian commander radioed an order to his unit to fire. The gunners’ task was to aim and shoot the 105-millimeter cannon at green pop-up targets as far as 1,500 yards away. “Fifteen of 17 is a very good result,” said Lt. Col. Marco Maulbecker, who oversees the tank training, referring to the number of targets hit by the crews on the first attempt. At the time, Germany was criticized for its dithering when it came to sending German-made tanks to Ukraine. The reluctance reflected Germany’s ambivalence about taking a military leadership role in Europe after World War II, but also the burdens on a German military that was chronically underfunded.

Persons: ”, Marco Maulbecker, — Organizations: NATO Locations: Ukrainian, Germany, Kyiv, Ukraine, Europe

☆ Zelenskyy 'bombed' at his first White House meeting and 'pissed Biden off,' says new book
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Zelenskyy "bombed" his first Oval Office meeting with Joe Biden, according to a new book. The book says that even Zelenskyy's most ardent sympathizers in the White House thought he'd overreached. "The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future" by Franklin Foer will be published in the US next week and is a source of anxiety for the White House, Politico reports. The Ukrainian president had long sought a White House meeting amid mounting tensions with Russia. Zelenskyy and Biden have forged a powerful wartime partnership US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walk during an unannounced visit in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 20, 2023.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Franklin Foer, he'd, Zelenskyy, Joe Biden's, Foer, Donald Trump, —, Trump's, Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: NATO, Service, White, Politico, Guardian, Random, Presidential, New York Times Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russia, Ukraine, France, Germany, Kyiv

☆ A Thousand Tiny Quakes: Documenting Russian Bombings in New Detail
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( James Glanz | Josh Holder | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

The explosions came one after another, a relentless series of bombings that echoed across Kyiv in the first weeks of the war. On the fourth day of the war, an explosion was detected at the Hostomel airport outside Kyiv. Maxar TechnologiesThe force from the explosion sent seismic waves toward two dozen nearby sensors, the equivalent of a tiny 0.2-magnitude earthquake. Midnight Jan. 2022 Feb. March April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Time of day Midnight 6 a.m. Let’s hope this approach will also be developed over time to reveal intentional attacks on civilians, and thereby deter perpetrators.”

Persons: Dando, ”, Ben Dando, Jan, Sebastian Schutte, Schutte, ” Keith Koper, Koper, “ Organizations: Residents, The New York Times, Maxar, Kyiv, Peace Research Institute, University of Utah, ” Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, Russia, Norway, NORSAR, Hostomel, Peace Research Institute Oslo, Iraq, Afghanistan

☆ Exclusive: Ukraine winter wheat sowing seen unchanged despite export crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

However, First Deputy Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskiy told Reuters on Tuesday that the possible reduction of winter wheat may total only 0.1%. An expected reduction in the overall winter grain sowing area would come at the expense of other grains, he said, forecasting a drop of 5.4% in barley sowing this winter. Ukraine sowed about 4.1 million hectares of winter wheat for the 2023 harvest, while the area under winter barley stood at around 615,000 hectares. Ukraine is a traditional grower of winter wheat, which accounts for at least 95% of the country's overall wheat output. Ukraine already reduced its sowing area for corn in favour of sunflowers in 2023.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Taras Vysotskiy, Pavel Polityuk, Tom Balmforth, Conor Humphries Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Farmers, Traders, European Union, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Nikolske, Donetsk Region, Russian

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