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☆ Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine is dead: Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Victoria Butenko | Al Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Maxim Kuzminov, a Russian pilot who dramatically defected to Ukraine by flying his helicopter across the border, is dead, according to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR). A source at Ukraine’s GUR confirmed to CNN the body of the man found in Spain was that of Kuzminov, but would not comment on how he had died. The shooting took place in a neighborhood where some Russian and Ukrainian expatriates have settled since the war began, according to the Villajoyosa city hall press office. When Kuzminov flew into Ukraine, the two other Russian service members on board the Mi-8 helicopter with him did not know what was happening. “I contacted representatives of Ukrainian intelligence, explained my situation, to which they offered this option: ‘Come on, we guarantee your safety, guarantee new documents, guarantee monetary compensation, a reward,’” the pilot said.

Persons: CNN — Maxim Kuzminov, Ukraine’s GUR, Dmitry Peskov, Sergey Naryshkin, Russia Legion –, Kuzminov, ” “, Maxim, ‘, ’ Kuzminov, Kyrolo Budanov, Budanov, “, ” Budanov, GUR, ’, I’m, ”, ” Kuzminov, Victoria Butenko, Andrew Carey, Al Goodman, Madrid Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Spanish Civil Guard, Civil Guard, Ukraine’s, Russian Foreign Intelligence, RIA Novosti, Russian TV, Russia Legion, Armed Forces of, EU, Legion, Kyiv, Radio Liberty Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Alicante, Villajoyosa, Spain, Alicante province, Russia, Moscow, ” “ Ukraine, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Kyiv

☆ Ukrainian Armed Forces announce withdrawal from key town of Avdiivka
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Ukrainian Armed Forces have announced they are withdrawing from the key town of Avdiivka. He said Ukrainian soldiers “did everything possible to destroy the best Russian military units and inflicted significant losses on the enemy in terms of manpower and equipment” in the area. Russia too had suffered immense losses in its offensive on Avdiivka, but Moscow appears to have calculated its numerical advantage made those losses worth it to take the symbolic victory. Lying just a few kilometers north of Donetsk airport, Avdiivka was captured by Russian forces in early 2015 after months of periodically heavy fighting. Its capture would have added value to Moscow, with Russia’s presidential election just a few weeks away.

Persons: Oleksandr Syrskyi, “, ”, Rustem Umerov, Avdiivka, Moscow’s crosshairs Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Ukraine’s Defense, Russian Locations: Avdiivka, Donetsk, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia

“I’ll pay for travel and accommodation.”A resident of Avdiivka, Ukraine, near destroyed buildings on February 14. Other footage collected by Ukrainian units shows scenes of devastation, with high-rise buildings covered in holes from the constant Russian barrages. Ukrainian servicemen of the 47th Mechanized Brigade prepare for combat in a Bradley Fighting Vehicle, near to Avdiivka, on February 11, 2024. CNN cannot independently verify the claim, though recent combat footage geolocated to the town suggests Russia continues to suffer heavy losses even while it makes territorial gains there. “Our soldiers are demonstrating unprecedented heroism.”Vasco Cotovio wrote in London, Olga Voitovych and Svietlana Vlasova reported from Kyiv, Ukraine.

Persons: ”, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Rustem, ” Syrskyi, “, Syrskyi, He’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Maksym Zhorin, It’s, Zhorin, ‘ I’m, “ I’m, Kostiantyn, there’s, Avdiivka, Trump, Putin, Jens Stoltenberg, ” Stoltenberg, Genya Savilov, Andrii, ” Vasco Cotovio, Olga Voitovych, Svietlana Vlasova Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s Defense, Separate, Brigade, —, Russian, Kyiv falters, United, NATO, 47th Mechanized Brigade, Bradley, Getty, 3rd Brigade Locations: Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Ukraine, Moscow, Donetsk city, Bakhmut, Russia, Kherson, Donetsk, Brussels, Hungary, Washington, Kyiv, United States, AFP, ”, London

WARSAW, Poland (AP) —U.S. President Joe Biden will host Poland’s President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk for a meeting in Washington on March 12, the 25th anniversary of Poland’s joining the NATO Alliance, the White House said Thursday. The declaration of support has special significant now, when political infighting in U.S. Congress is stalling approval of a $60 billion aid package for Kyiv. Poland last year spent some 4% of its GDP on defense and has earmarked some 3.1% of its 2024 GDP for the purpose. The U.S.-Polish strategic energy security partnership, economic ties and “shared commitment to democratic values” will also be a theme of discussions. Duda hails from the right-wing party that ruled until December, and he has accused Tusk's government of violating Poland's constitution and using authoritarian methods.

Persons: Joe Biden, Andrzej Duda, Donald Tusk, Poland’s, Karine Jean, Pierre, “, Tusk, Duda, Tusk's Organizations: —, NATO Alliance, Congress, NATO Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Washington, U.S, Kyiv, Warsaw

☆ Ukraine destroys Russian warship in the Black Sea, Ukrainian defense official says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Victoria Butenko | Alex Stambaugh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Ukraine attacked and destroyed a Russian military ship in the Black Sea on Wednesday, a Ukrainian defense official told CNN. The official, who is not authorized to speak on the record, said the operation was carried out on the Russian landing ship Caesar Kunikov by Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (GUR) as part of a joint operation. The attack involved “MAGURA” drones and the vessel was damaged beyond repair, according to the official, who claimed it had sunk in the Black Sea. Ukraine has claimed a series of attacks on Russian warships in the Black Sea, including the sinking of the guided missile ship Ivanovets earlier this month and, most notably, the sinking of its Black Sea Fleet flagship, the Moskva, in April 2022. “MAGURA” drones are only a few meters long and powered by jet skis, a pilot from a special unit in Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency told CNN earlier this year.

Persons: Caesar Kunikov, “ MAGURA Organizations: CNN, Fleet Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Moskva, “

☆ How Ukraine seized the upper hand against Russia in the battle for the Black Sea
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Tim Lister | Victoria Butenko | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Ukraine has virtually no navy of its own, but technological innovation, audacity and Russian incompetence have given it the upper hand in much of the Black Sea. Rather than fold, the Ukrainians declared a unilateral “Black Sea Humanitarian Corridor” for merchant shipping and stepped up its use of maritime drones and missile attacks against Russia’s Black Sea fleet. One-third of the Black Sea fleet has been disabled or destroyed, and the remaining ships rarely venture into the western half of the sea. In August, Russia withdrew some of the Black Sea fleet from its headquarters in Sevastopol to relatively safer ports on the Russian coast. Russia is unlikely to be able to tilt the balance in the Black Sea back in its favor.

Persons: Caesar Kunikov, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Yoruk Isik, Russia’s, Zelensky, Dmytro Pletenchuk, ” Pletenchuk, ’ Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Reuters, Agriculture, UN, Initiative, NATO, Economy Ministry, Black Sea Initiative, Ukrainian, Russia, Maritime Autonomous Guard, Defense Intelligence, Drones, Both Defense Intelligence, Security Service, ’ AK, Black, Russian, Odesa, Montreux Convention – Locations: Crimea, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukrainian, Sevastopol, Washington, Novorossiysk, Sochi, ”, MAGURA, Krasnodar, Kerch, France, Snake, Odesa, Turkey, Black, Montreux, Moscow

☆ Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service is coming to a Gaza hospital
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Mostafa Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Abu Dhabi CNN —Starlink internet service, operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, will be provided to the UAE’s field hospital in southern Gaza for patients needing real-time video medical consultations, the UAE’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday. The UAE, which shares good relations with Israel, is one of the few countries operating a field hospital in Gaza. Starlink, operated by SpaceX, uses a network of thousands of satellites to provide broadband, and can deliver high-speed, low-latency internet to users all over the world, including in areas where conventional internet is unavailable. “Israeli security authorities approved the provision of Starlink services at the UAE’s field hospital operating in Rafah,” the Israeli communication ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. CNN was the first western media outlet allowed to visit the field hospital in Rafah in December.

Persons: Elon Musk’s, Afra Al Hameli, Musk, Shlomo Karhi, ” Karhi Organizations: Abu Dhabi CNN —, Elon, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Communication, SpaceX, “, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Russian, CNN Locations: Abu Dhabi, Gaza, Rafah, UAE, Israel, Starlink, Ukraine, Russia

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate early Tuesday passed a $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, pushing ahead after months of difficult negotiations and amid growing political divisions in the Republican Party over the role of the United States abroad. But a bipartisan deal on border security struck by Republican Sen. James Lankford fell apart just days after its unveiling, a head-spinning development that left negotiators deeply frustrated. After the border bill collapsed, the two leaders abandoned the border provisions and pushed forward with passing the foreign aid package alone — as Democrats had originally intended. In an unusually raw back-and-forth, GOP senators who support the aid challenged some of the opponents directly on the floor. Turner posted on X, formerly Twitter, after the trip that “I reiterated America’s commitment to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia.”But Speaker Johnson is in a tough position.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, It’s, ”, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, Jeff Merkley, Peter Welch of, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, Mike Johnson, Joe Biden's, Schumer, McConnell, “, ” McConnell, Republican Sen, James Lankford, J.D, Vance, Russia's Putin, Putin, Kentucky Sen, Rand Paul, Carolina Sen, Thom Tillis, ” Tillis, ” Sen, Jerry Moran, Moran, Trump, Russia “, Mike Turner, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Turner, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, ” Johnson, Abigail Spanberger, Zelenskyy, ” Spanberger, Lisa Mascaro, Kevin Freking Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Republican Party, Ukraine, Republican, Republicans, Sens, Ukraine —, GOP, U.S . Senate, Trump, Ohio Republican, Kentucky, NATO, House Republicans, House Intelligence, Russia, ”, Senate, Virginia Democrat, Associated Press Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, United States, U.S, Oregon, Peter Welch of Vermont, Russia, Kyiv, China, Gaza, Ohio, Carolina, Europe, America, Virginia

☆ NATO chief says Trump’s comments on abandoning alliance endangers US and European troops
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

In a statement Sunday, Stoltenberg said such comments put European and American soldiers at an increased risk. He also criticized American defense pacts with Asian allies Japan and South Korea. The conflict has raised concerns Putin may have further expansionist ambitions, which the leader denies, or that a NATO country may become directly embroiled. European Council President Charles Michel also hit back against the comments and said they reemphasize the need to keep the alliance strong. You got to pay your bills.”Biden said Sunday that Trump “is making it clear that he will abandon our NATO allies” and outlined the potential consequences of Trump’s comments.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Donald Trump, Trump, Stoltenberg, ” Stoltenberg, “, NATO Ally, ”, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Trump’s, Joe Biden’s, Charles Michel, ” Michel, ” Trump, ” Biden Organizations: CNN, NATO, International Criminal, Washington, European, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Sunday, Trump, “, Ukraine Locations: Russia, Europe, South, Taiwan, Asia, Japan, South Korea, Ukraine, Sweden, Finland, Turkey, China, Korea, North Korea, Philippines, United States, Pacific, Soviet Union, Canada, Poland, Baltic States, Israel

☆ How Ukrainian drones powered by jet skis sunk Russian warship
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Joseph Ataman | Frederik Pleitgen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Near Odesa, Ukraine CNN —All it took was six sea drones, powered by jet skis, to fell a Russian guided missile ship last week, according to a rare interview with the secretive Ukrainian unit behind the attack. But the sinking of the Ivanovets is another victory in Ukraine’s campaign against Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. Controlled from afar via a Starlink connection, the drones can also be pre-programmed for the long journeys across the Black Sea. Ukrainian drone pilots drove six drones into the Russian warship, causing it to sink. At a demonstration of the drones on the Black Sea, CNN saw one drone – identical to those used against the Ivanovets – pull off tight turns at speed on autopilot.

Persons: GUR, Russians “, Kyrylo Budanov, “, Peter Rudden, ”, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, –, ‘, wasn’t, IVAN Organizations: Ukraine CNN, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, CNN, Armed Forces, Fleet Locations: Odesa, Ukraine, Russian, Crimean, Crimea, Russia, Donuzlav, Saint Petersburg, Russians, Moskva, Ukrainian

☆ Lysychansk: At least 28 killed in strike on Russian-occupied town in eastern Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Maria Kostenko | Alex Stambaugh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —At least 28 have been killed in an attack on a building in the town of Lysychansk in the Russian-occupied region of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, the region’s Moscow-installed head said Sunday. Ukraine’s defense ministry has not commented on the incident. Lysychansk was taken over by Russian forces in July 2022, becoming the last town in the key region of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine to fall. Last month, the Russian Defense Ministry said it stopped Ukrainian drones headed toward Moscow and St Petersburg. In December, Ukraine launched an attack on the Russian border city of Belgorod, killing at least 24 and wounding 108 others.

Persons: Republic Leonid Pasechnik, Pasechnik, Lysychansk, Chasiv Yar Organizations: CNN, Luhansk People’s, Russian, Russian Defense Ministry, St Locations: Lysychansk, Russian, Luhansk, Ukraine, Moscow, Republic, Ukrainian, Luhansk People’s Republic, Russia, Crimea, St Petersburg, Russia’s Bryansk, Belgorod, Kharkiv, Bakhmut, Avdiivka

☆ Ukraine’s soldiers ‘in deep defense mode’ as uncertainty lingers over commander-in-chief
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Andrew Carey | Maria Kostenko | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

A presidential spokesman denied the report but a source familiar with the matter said an announcement was expected within days. Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters/FileA senior army spokesman with responsibility for the same region drew attention to another Ukrainian deficit opposite Russia, in comments on Ukrainian television – namely, a lack of ammunition. Where previously, Russian forces had been firing 60,000 rounds a day along the entire front line, the number currently was about half that, he said. “We are in deep defense mode and are holding back the enemy.

Persons: Oleksandr Syrskyi, ” Syrskyi, Volodymyr Zelensky, Valerii, Syrskyi, ”, Zaluzhnyi, Ukrainian Armed Forces Valerii, Valentyn Ogirenko, ” Illia Yevlash, Yevlash, Chasiv Yar, Oleksandr, Dmytro Lazutkin Organizations: CNN, President’s, Staff, Ukrainian Armed Forces Locations: Kupiansk, Kharkiv, Ukraine, Tabaivka, Luhansk, Russia, Bakhmut, Avdiivka

CNN —Ukraine’s military intelligence says it sank a Russian warship off the coast of Crimea overnight into Thursday, landing the latest in a series of blows to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet after mounting a “massive” missile attack on the occupied peninsula hours earlier. Night-time footage supplied by Ukraine showed naval drones racing toward the Russian ship before exploding on impact, causing significant damage to the vessel. CNN could not independently verify Ukraine’s claims and it is unclear from the footage which vessel was struck and when. The vessel became infamous after it threatened to bomb Snake Island in the Black Sea if the Ukrainian soldiers defending it did not surrender. In the meantime, I thank everyone who contributed to the cleansing of Crimea from the Russian presence,” Oleshchuk said.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Mikhail Razvozhaev, Razvozhaev, Mykola Oleshchuk, ” Oleshchuk, Yurii Ihnat, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Russia’s Defense Ministry, Russian, Ukraine, Wednesday, Ukraine’s Air Force, 204th Tactical Aviation Brigade, Ukrainian Air Force, Air Force Command, Ukraine’s Armed Forces Locations: Russian, Crimea, Lake Donuzlav, Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Moskva, Sevastopol, “, ”

Kyiv CNN —Aid to Ukraine is frozen in US Congress, and Kyiv could be dealing with a Trump presidency more sympathetic to Moscow. “I don’t worry much about it,” Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s defense intelligence directorate, told CNN in an exclusive interview in Kyiv. His agency has claimed notable successes, including raids on the Russian-occupied Crimea and attacks on Russian airfields, inflicting embarrassing wounds on the Kremlin. Ukrainian social media is bursting with footage from frontline troops showing drones spying on, attacking and even capturing Russian troops, although Moscow uses many of the same tactics. But as Ukraine’s long-held hopes for F-16 jets come to fruition – with Kyiv’s pilots already training on the aircraft – Budanov echoed Ukraine’s newest request.

Persons: Ukraine’s, isn’t, Kyrylo Budanov, Trump, ” Budanov, “, ” Trump, Putin, Budanov, Zelensky, Valeriy Zaluzhny, Moscow, ” Organizations: CNN —, Trump, CNN, Ukraine, Republican Party, Russian Federation, Kremlin, Artillery, US Air Force’s Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Moscow, Russian, Crimea, Russia, Ukrainian, North Korea

CNN —Russia and Ukraine have exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war, in the first such swap since the deadly crash of a Russian military plane that Moscow claimed was carrying 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers. Wednesday’s exchange was the first since the mysterious crash of a Russian IL-76 plane on January 24 in Russia’s Belgorod region, which neighbors eastern Ukraine. But Ukraine’s intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said there was still no reliable information as to who might have been on board the downed Russian plane. Speaking after Wednesday’s prisoner exchange, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed the IL-76 plane had been downed by a US Patriot missile system. Putin stressed that Russia would not halt prisoner exchanges despite the plane crash.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Zelensky, ”, Andriy Yusov, Yusov, Petro Yatsenko, Kyrylo Budanov, Vladimir Putin, ” Putin, Putin, “, Andriy Yermak Organizations: CNN, Russian Defense Ministry, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Social Media, Ukraine’s, US Patriot, American Patriot, Patriot, Russia’s Defense Ministry Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, Mariupol, Ukrainian, Russia’s Belgorod, Kyiv, Belgorod, Yablonovo, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Kherson, Sumy

CNN —Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said it has discovered a mass corruption scheme in the purchase of weapons by the country’s military amounting to nearly $40 million (1.5 billion Ukrainian hryvnia). Ukraine’s Defense Ministry paid nearly all of the funds to arms supplier Lviv Arsenal, but the SBU said the ammunition was never received. We have no place for corrupt officials.” Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Dmytro Klymenkov said in a statement Saturday. Ukraine has been dogged by corruption scandals involving its defense ministry in recent years. In December, a senior Ukrainian defense ministry official was detained over allegations he had embezzled 1.5 billion hryvnia ($40 million) in a separate case involving an artillery shells contract.

Persons: SBU, Yurii Zbitnev, –, ”, Dmytro Klymenkov, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Oleksii Reznikov, Washington Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s Security, Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, Lviv Arsenal, European Union, Ministry of Defence, Defense, Officials Locations: Balkans, Ukraine, Ukrainian, United States, Kyiv

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will host German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House on Feb. 9 as the West struggles to provide new aid for Ukraine in the war against Russia. The Biden administration already has sent Ukraine $111 billion in weapons, equipment, humanitarian assistance and other aid since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion in February 2022. That total includes about $61 billion in assistance for Ukraine. The European Union last month paid the final installment of a multibillion-euro support package to Ukraine to help keep its economy afloat. The Israel-Hamas war will also be a focus of the White House meeting between Biden and Scholz.

Persons: Joe Biden, Olaf Scholz, “, Biden, Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orbán, Scholz, Karine Jean, Pierre Organizations: WASHINGTON, White, Russia, White House, U.S, European Union, European Commission Locations: Ukraine, United States, Kyiv, Russia, Israel, Mexico, Hungary, EU, Gaza, ”

CNN —Ukraine says it has intelligence suggesting only five bodies were delivered from the crash site of a Russian military transport plane to a nearby morgue, a Ukraine military intelligence official told CNN, casting doubt on Moscow’s claim that dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed in the explosion. Moscow says the plane was transporting Ukrainian prisoners of war, while Kyiv says it was carrying Russian missiles to be used in further strikes on Ukraine. Ukraine’s military command said it regarded Russian military aircraft approaching Belgorod as legitimate target, but did not confirm it had fired at the plane. Traffic officers block off a road near the crash site of the IL-76 plane outside the village of Yablonovo, Russia, January 24, 2024. Russia has not yet provided evidence that dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war were on board the plane that crashed.

Persons: Andriy Yusov, ”, –, Yusov, Stringer, Dmytro Lubinets, Mykola Oleschuk, Reuters Lubinets, Cross, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, “ Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Russian Aerospace Forces, Russian, Reuters, Ukraine, UN, International Committee, Ukraine’s Security Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, Russia’s Belgorod, Kyiv, Yablonovo, Russia, Belgorod, Belgorod city, Ukrainian, Kharkiv

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A complex Russian missile attack targeted Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Kharkiv on Tuesday morning, killing at least three people, wounding several others and damaging residential buildings, officials said. Meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Tusk said they had reached “an understanding” to resolve through talks any differences between their countries over grain shipments and trucking. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and France’s new foreign minister also traveled to Kyiv in the new year. Kyiv was the first foreign capital he visited since becoming prime minister again, Tusk said. The Ukrainian military, however, denied it had anything to do with the attack.

Persons: Roman Popko, Mayor Vitalii Klitschko, Oleh, Ihor Terekhov, Donald Tusk, Russia's, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Tusk, Rishi Sunak, Denys Shmyhal, ”, ” Zelenskyy, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: Kyiv —, Polish, British, European Council, Ukrainian Locations: KYIV, Ukraine, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Polish, Europe, Russia, Poland, “, Moscow, Russian, Donetsk, russia, ukraine

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

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

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

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has invited the top four congressional leaders and other lawmakers to the White House on Wednesday as members have struggled to reach agreement on U.S. aid for the Ukraine war. Republicans have insisted on pairing it with their own demands for securing the U.S. border. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesWhite House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos this week. In an appearance Tuesday following the meeting, Sullivan said he remained confident the Biden administration would come to an agreement on Ukraine aid in the coming weeks. Republicans have demanded that the funding be paired with significant border security changes.

Persons: Joe Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre, Mike Johnson, Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, —, Biden, ”, Shalanda Young, Young, Jake Sullivan, Antony Blinken, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sullivan, we’ve, ” Sullivan, Børge Brende, “, ” Biden, Aamer Madhani, Zeke Miller, Seung Min Kim Organizations: WASHINGTON, White, Republicans, U.S, Democratic, Republican, Ukraine, Management, Pentagon, Capitol Hill, Economic, Russia, Press Locations: Ukraine, Israel, D, Ky, Kyiv, Russia, Davos, U.S, Mexico

CNN —The eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka is increasingly becoming a flashpoint in the conflict, where fighting remains intense even when the front lines have barely moved for months. Russia appears to have made tactical advances in the outskirts of the embattled town as Ukraine claims it is inflicting heavy losses on assaulting troops. Here is what you need to know about the past week in Ukraine. Defensive fortifications will be bolstered along all of Ukraine’s northern territory which borders Belarus and Russia. Ukraine claims defensive actions in and around the town are inflicting heavy losses on Russian troops and equipment.

Persons: Zelensky, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, “, Vitalii, Jens Stoltenberg, ” Stoltenberg, chief’s, Marianna Budanova, GUR, Kyrylo Budanov, Andriy Yusov, Russia —, — Organizations: CNN, Analysts, Ukrainian, Russian, Ukrainian Security Service, Russian Railway, NATO Locations: Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk, Kupiansk, Kharkiv, Belarus, Kherson, Russian, Dnipro, Ukraine’s, CNN Ukraine, Buryatia, Siberia, Mongolia, North Korea, China, Finland, Helsinki, Brussels, Turkey, Soviet Union

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken is turning his attention to Ukraine, NATO and the Western Balkans after weeks of intense focus on Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. Now, amid signs that a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas due to expire on Monday may be extended, Blinken is departing for Brussels for a NATO foreign ministers meeting. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said he plans to attend the OSCE meeting, possibly setting the stage for a U.S.-Russia confrontation over Ukraine. The NATO meeting in Brussels will also address the situation in the Western Balkans where there are calls for NATO to increase its military presence amid concerns that hostility between Serbia and Kosovo could escalate to outright conflict. Blinken will underscore U.S. and NATO support for democracy and regional stability in the region, including a commitment to back all countries’ aspirations to join the European Union, O’Brien said.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, ”, Jim O’Brien, O’Brien, Sergey Lavrov Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, NATO, eventual, “, Organization for Security, Cooperation, Russian, OSCE, Kosovo —, Serbia —, European Union, NATO's Locations: Ukraine, Western Balkans, Gaza, Israel, Brussels, Kosovo, Serbia, Russia, Europe, Skopje, North Macedonia, U.S, Balkans, Washington

The coronavirus pandemic exposed frailties in their supply chains. Chinese President Xi Jinping, too, met with American business leaders — at a $2,000-per-plate dinner Wednesday evening. “The global economy is recovering, but its momentum remains sluggish,” Xi said. “Industrial and supply chains are still under the threat of interruption and protectionism is rising. The new framework has four major pillars: supply chains, climate, anti-corruption and trade.

Persons: Fresh, Joe Biden, “ We've, ” Biden, hasn't, Bill Clinton, Biden, Kamala Harris, Alexei Overchuk —, “ Will, Xi Jinping, —, ”, Xi, ” Xi, Josh Boak, Didi Tang Organizations: FRANCISCO, APEC, Russia's, U.S, Smithsonian National Zoo, Atlanta Zoo, Biden, Pacific, won’t, Associated Press Locations: China, U.S, Bangkok, Ukraine, Israel, Russia, United States, Northern California, Tokyo, Washington, San Francisco

☆ Attacks Intensify on Russian Forces in Occupied Regions of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | More About Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ukrainian military authorities said that partisans had bombed a Russian military headquarters in the occupied city of Melitopol, killing three officers, the latest in a series of attacks aimed at weakening Russia’s grip on the territory it controls even as Kyiv’s counter offensive has effectively stalled. Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Unit described the attack, which took place Saturday, as an act of revenge, and said that at least three Russian national guard officers were killed in the explosion. Russia’s Ministry of Defense has not commented on the episode, and it was not possible to verify it independently because it took place behind Russian lines. “The strike caused a panic in Melitopol, as many Russian proxy police officers rushed to the scene with their sirens on,” the intelligence unit said on the Telegram messaging app on Sunday. As such it is also a hotbed of attempted sabotage and assassinations by anti-Russian partisans hoping to disrupt the Kremlin’s control.

Persons: “, Melitopol Organizations: Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Unit, Russian, Ministry of Defense Locations: Melitopol, Ukraine, Azov, Russia, Moscow, Russian

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