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☆ Air raid alerts extended throughout Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 18 (Reuters) - Air raid alerts were declared throughout Ukraine early on Friday, with some areas reporting explosions. Officials said anti-aircraft units were in action in several regions. Far western regions were initially left out of the warnings but officials later extended them to the entire country. The military said central regions were at risk from drone attacks. Officials in Kyiv said anti-aircraft units were in operation.

☆ Zelenskiy collects Charlemagne Prize on behalf of Ukrainian people
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Zelenskiy flew to the western city of Aachen with Chancellor Olaf Scholz following talks in the German capital. He received a standing ovation at a ceremony in the Coronation room of Aachen town hall, where he was awarded the prize, which celebrates services to European unification. "Ukrainians will always make Europe stronger," Zelenskiy said in English before switching to Ukrainian to address the gathering that included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. The Ukrainian people, under Zelenskiy's leadership, are fighting not only for their country "but also Europe and European values", the prize committee said in a statement. Previous recipients of the prize include French President Emmanuel Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

☆ Ukraine seeks to prevent military leaks after NATO assistance plans reportedly appear on social media
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

"The participants of the meeting focused on measures to prevent the leakage of information regarding the plans of the defence forces of Ukraine," it said. One document posted on social media said 16,000 to 17,500 Russian forces had been killed since the invasion. The Ukrainian military said it was holding on in the city but the situation was difficult. Ukrainian military expert Vladyslav Selezniov has said Ukraine will have to pull back if the route for getting supplies in and wounded out is threatened. Eastern Military Command spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi told Reuters Ukraine controlled the situation in Bakhmut and understood Russian intentions.

☆ Washington trying to wreck Russia-Africa summit -Russia's Lavrov
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Ronald Popeski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. is trying to wreck Russia's planned summit with African countries as part of efforts to isolate Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview published on Tuesday. Moscow is preparing for its second summit with African countries, scheduled for the end of July in St. Petersburg, including work on infrastructure, technology and energy projects. "It is true that the United States and its vassals are doing everything possible to achieve Russia's international isolation," Lavrov told the website. "In particular, they are trying to torpedo the planned second Russia-Africa summit ... to persuade our African friends not to take part." U.S. President Joe Biden hosted a U.S.-Africa leaders summit in 2022 in Washington, seeking to bolster alliances amid the growing Russian and Chinese presence on the continent.

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a welcome ceremony before Russia - China talks in narrow format at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 21, 2023. Sputnik/Sergei Karpukhin/Pool via REUTERSApril 4 (Reuters) - The West is trying to drive a wedge between Russia and China by talking about their unequal relations and Moscow's dependence on Beijing, Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview published on Tuesday. Lavrov, speaking to the Argumenty i Fakty news website, also said the European Union's hostile stand towards Moscow means it had "lost" Russia. Lavrov said suggestions of an unequal relationship between Moscow and Beijing "have been exaggerated generally by unfriendly countries" for a long time. "We see this as an attempt to cast a shadow on our successes, to drive a wedge into the friendship between Moscow and Beijing," Lavrov told the website.

☆ Xi: China's proposal on Ukraine reflects unity of global views
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 20 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that Beijing's proposal on how to solve the Ukraine crisis reflects global views and seeks to neutralise consequences, but acknowledged that the solutions are not easy. The China proposal, a 12-point paper released last month, represents "as much as possible the unity of the world community's views," Xi wrote in an article in Rossiiskaya Gazeta, a daily published by the Russian government, according to Reuters' translation from Russian. Xi has been seeking to present China as a global peace maker and project it as a responsible great power. A peaceful resolution to the situation in Ukraine, Xi wrote, would also "ensure the stability of global production and supply chains." "There is no universal model of government and there is no world order where the decisive word belongs to a single country," Xi wrote.

☆ Russia will not resume START nuclear talks until Washington listens to Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 28 (Reuters) - Russia will not resume participation in the START nuclear arms reduction treaty with the United States until Washington listens to Moscow's position, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in remarks published on Tuesday. Peskov told the daily Izvestia in an interview that the "attitude of the collective West", led by the United States needs to change towards Moscow. "The security of one country cannot be ensured at the expense of the security of another," Peskov said. He also said that NATO by arming Ukraine "acts as a single bloc no longer as our conditional opponents, but as enemies". Reporting by Lidia Kelly and Ronald Popeski; Writing by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Feb 19 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview published on Sunday that Ukraine would maintain its months-long defence of the eastern city of Bakhmut, mindful of the price paid in human lives. Bakhmut, in the frontline Donetsk region, had a pre-war population of 70,000 but now Ukrainian officials estimate fewer than 5,000 civilians remain. It is important for us to defend it, but not at any price and not for everyone to die," Zelenskiy told the daily. Russian forces have besieged Bakhmut since July when they captured two major towns farther north. "There are no grounds at this time for the Ukrainian military to leave Bakhmut.

☆ Russia cancels new prisoner exchange round, Ukrainian officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 14 (Reuters) - Russia canceled at the last minute on Saturday a scheduled exchange of prisoners of war, the Ukrainian body dealing with prisoners said. "Another round of exchange of prisoners was planned today with the Russian side," the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on the Telegram messaging app. The office of Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment. On Saturday Moskalkova said on her Telegram messaging app that Russian soldiers had allegedly reported instances of extortion while in Ukrainian captivity. Reporting by Ronald Popeski; Writing by Ronald Popeski and Lidia Kelly; Editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/16] Emergency personnel work at the site where an apartment block was heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine January 15, 2023. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink and Kyiv's other allies condemned Saturday's Russian attacks. "More security assistance is coming to help Ukraine defend itself," Brink said on Twitter, calling the strike on Dnipro "horrifying." In Soledar, where Russian forces have refocused attacks after failing to take the larger nearby centre of Bakhmut, Ukraine insisted that its forces were battling to hold the town. But officials acknowledged the situation was difficult, that street fighting was raging and Russian forces were advancing from various directions.

Dec 27 (Reuters) - A Minsk court sentenced in absentia former Olympic swimmer Aliaksandra Herasimenia and political activist Alexander Opeykin to 12 years in prison for calling for sanctions and actions aimed at harming the national security of Belarus. Belarus has been shunned by the United Nations and many countries for an ongoing crackdown on political opponents, civil society and journalists. According to the U.S. embassy in Belarus, there are more than 1,300 political prisoners in Belarus. "The regime can't get to them, but their property in Belarus was seized, including a car & an apartment. Reporting in Winnipeg by Ron Popeski and in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly; Writing by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Lincoln Feast.

Dec 27 (Reuters) - Moscow's proposals for settlement in Ukraine are well known to Kyiv and either Ukraine fulfils them for their own good or the Russian army will decide the issue, TASS agency quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying. Moscow has been calling its invasion in Ukraine a "special military operation" to "demilitarise" and "denazify" its neighbour. Lavrov told TASS that when it comes to how long the conflict will last, "the ball is in the regime's court and Washington behind it." Kyiv has ruled out conceding any land to Russia in return for peace, and publicly demands Russia relinquish all territory. Moscow has insisted it is pursing "demilitarisation" and "denazification" but in reality its aims have not been fully defined.

☆ Putin orders border strengthening, demands greater control of society by special services
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 19 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the strengthening of Russia's borders and instructed special services to keep greater control of society and to ensure the safety of people in regions in Ukraine that Moscow claims as its own, news agencies reported. "Work must be intensified through the border services and the Federal Security Service (FSB)," Russia's state-owned RIA news agency cited Putin as saying. Speaking on Security Services Day, widely celebrated in Russia, Putin instructed the services to increase control of the society and maximise their "use of the operational, technical and personnel potential" to prevent risks coming from abroad and internal traitors. "Maximum composure, concentration of forces is now required from counterintelligence agencies, including military intelligence," TASS state agency citied Putin as saying. "It is necessary to severely suppress the actions of foreign special services, quickly identify traitors, spies and saboteurs."

Dec 19 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the Federal Security Services to step up surveillance of Russian society and the country's borders to prevent risks from abroad and traitors at home. Speaking ahead of Tuesday's Security Services Day - widely celebrated in Russia - Putin said the "emergence of new threats" increases the need for greater intelligence activity. "Work must be intensified through the border services and the Federal Security Service (FSB)," Putin said. Putin instructed the FSB to maximise their "use of the operational, technical and personnel potential" to tighten control of the society. "It is necessary to severely suppress the actions of foreign special services, quickly identify traitors, spies and saboteurs."

☆ Ukraine orders punitive measures on clerics with Moscow links
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Nick Starkov | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Dec 12(Reuters) - Ukraine's top security officials have ordered punitive measures against seven senior clerics, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday, part of a crackdown on a branch of the Orthodox Church with longstanding ties to Moscow. The clerics are among Orthodox leaders known to have been sympathetic to Russia's portrayal of its 10-month-old invasion of Ukraine. The Moscow-linked church severed ties with the Russian Orthodox Church after the February invasion, but many Ukrainians remain deeply suspicious of its motives. The Russian church wholeheartedly backs the invasion. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev described the authorities in Kyiv as "satanists" and "enemies of Christ and the Orthodox faith".

☆ Zelenskiy thanks Biden for 'unprecedented' help to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 12 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had a phone call on Sunday with U.S. President Joe Biden and thanked him for the "unprecedented" help Washington has provided to Ukraine since Russian forces invaded in February. "I thanked for the unprecedented defence and financial assistance that the USA provides to Ukraine," Zelenskiy said, according to his official Telegram messaging app. "This not only contributes to success on the battlefield, but also supports the stability of the Ukrainian economy. "We also appreciate the help that the USA is providing to restore Ukraine's energy system." Reporting in Winnipeg by Ronald Popeski and in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly; editing by Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Zelenskiy's talks with other leaders signal diplomatic flurry around Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Nick Starkov | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KYIV, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy held talks with U.S. President Joe Biden and with the leaders of Turkey and France on Sunday, an increase in diplomatic activity around the war started by Russia that is dragging into a 10th month. Erdogan's office said the Turkish leader had a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, in which he had called for a quick end to the conflict. Putin said last week that Moscow's near-total loss of trust in the West would make an eventual settlement over Ukraine much harder to reach and warned of a protracted war. The government in Kyiv has ruled out conceding any land to Russia in return for peace. On the ground in Ukraine, the entire eastern front line has been continuously shelled with heavy fighting taking place.

☆ U.S. citizen Sarah Krivanek deported from Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Dec 8 (Reuters) - Sarah Krivanek, a U.S. citizen ordered deported by a Russian court over a domestic dispute, has left Russia, Krivanek said while aboard a plane about to leave Moscow's Domodedovo airport late on Thursday. Krivanek said she was flying to Los Angeles via Dubai. The airport's website showed the aircraft had departed. (This story has been corrected to change the name in the headline to Krivanek instead of "Kirvanek")Reporting by Ronald Popeski; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Half of Kyiv's region to remain without power for days - governor
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] An ambulance drives by a building, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, during power outages in Kyiv, Ukraine, December 4, 2022. REUTERS/Shannon StapletonDec 6 (Reuters) - About half the region surrounding the Ukrainian capital will remain without electricity for the coming days after Russian missile strikes on power facilities, the Kyiv regional governor said. But the Kyiv region, which does not include the capital and which had a population of about 1.8 million before the war, was badly affected. "In the coming days, about half of the region will be without electricity," Oleksiy Kuleba, the region's governor, said on the Telegram messaging app late on Monday. All water pumping stations and reserve lines in the Odesa region lost power and water supply was cut, the water company announced on Telegram.

☆ Ukraine sees less than 3 mln tonnes of grain leaving in November - minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Amindeh Blaise Atabong | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 27 (Reuters) - Exports of Ukraine's grain will not reach 3 million tonnes in November as Russia tries to limit ship inspections at ports, Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said late on Sunday. In October, some 4.2 million tonnes of grain left Ukrainian ports, Kubrakov said on his Facebook page. read moreUkraine and Russia are major global grain exporters. They agreed that teams would check the vessels to ensure no barred people or goods were arriving at or departing from Ukrainian ports. Russia's President Vladimir Putin said in September that Russia and the developing world had been "cheated" by the UN-brokered Ukrainian grain export deal, delivering the grain to its own states.

☆ Zelenskiy appeals to UN Security Council over Russian strikes on infrastructure
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Simon Lewis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Juan Medina/File PhotoNov 23 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed to the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday to take action to stop Russian air strikes targeting vital infrastructure that have once again plunged Ukrainian cities into darkness and cold as winter sets in. That's the Russian formula of terror," Zelenskiy said via video link to the council chamber in New York, adding that hospitals, schools, transport infrastructure and residential areas had all been hit. Ukraine is waiting to see "a very firm reaction" to Wednesday's air strikes from the world, he added. The council is unlikely to take any action in response to the appeal since Russia is a member with veto power. The Russian president "will try to freeze the country into submission," she added.

Blackouts forced the shutdown of reactors at Ukraine's Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant in the south and the Rivne and Khmelnitskyi plants in the west, all in government-held territory, the state-run nuclear energy firm Energoatom said. "Currently, they (power units) work in project mode, without generation into the domestic energy system," Energoatom said. Explosions reverberated throughout Kyiv on Wednesday afternoon as Russian missiles bore down and Ukrainian air defence rockets were fired in efforts to intercept them. Most thermal and hydro-electric power plants were forced to shut down as well, Ukraine's energy ministry said earlier. [1/15] Rescuers work at a site of a residential building destroyed by a Russian missile attack, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in the town of Vyshhorod, near Kyiv, Ukraine, November 23, 2022.

☆ Ukraine promises shelters for its people as harsh winter looms
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/8] People wait in line to get food, water and aid after Russia's military retreat from Kherson, outside the Church of Christ the Savior in Kherson, Ukraine November 22, 2022. Russian attacks have knocked out power for long periods for up to 10 million consumers at a time. The Donetsk region was the scene of fierce attacks and constant shelling over the last 24 hours, Zelenskiy said on Tuesday. Moscow says it is carrying out a "special military operation" to rid Ukraine of nationalists and protect Russian-speaking communities. Ukraine and the West describe Russia's actions as an unprovoked, imperialist land grab in the neighbouring state it once dominated within the former Soviet Union.

☆ Ukraine urges limiting electricity use and readies voluntary Kherson evacuation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] A woman walks past a statue in the central sqaure after Russia's military retreat from Kherson, Ukraine November 21, 2022. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that half of the country's power capacity had been knocked out by Russian rockets. Ukraine narrowly escaped disaster during fighting at the weekend that rocked the plant, Europe's largest, with a barrage of shells. The head of Russia's state-run nuclear energy agency, Rosatom, said it had discussed Sunday's shelling with the IAEA, and said there was a risk of a nuclear accident. Ukraine's nuclear energy firm Energoatom said Russia's military shelled the site, accusing it of nuclear blackmail and actions that were "endangering the whole world".

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy blames Russian missiles for deadly Poland explosion
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Bogdan Kochubey | Marek Strzelecki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday, without producing evidence, that Russian missiles had hit Poland, a NATO country, in what he called a "significant escalation" of the conflict. "Russian missiles hit Poland, the territory of our friendly country. Russia's defence ministry denied reports that Russian missiles had hit Polish territory, describing the reports as "a deliberate provocation aimed at escalating the situation". read moreIn Washington, the Pentagon and the U.S. State Department said they could not confirm Russian missiles had landed on Polish territory but were investigating. read more"The longer Russia feels impunity, the more threats there will be to anyone within reach of Russian missiles.

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