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☆ Ukraine war: major developments since Russia's invasion
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Following are some of the major developments in Europe's biggest conflict since World War Two. Russian forces made slow, steady gains in a phase of the conflict that inflicted a heavy toll on both sides. UKRAINE COUNTER-ATTACKSAs the war churned on, the United States and Europe began giving Ukraine increasingly powerful and longer-range weaponry and used sanctions to try to hamper Russia's military machine. In early September, Ukrainian forces reeled off surprising gains in the northeastern Kharkiv region, wresting back the sole rail hub supplying Russia's regional front line. Joyous residents feted the return of Ukrainian forces, though the city remains subject to Russian shelling.

☆ A Russian marine who survived bitter fighting in Vuhledar says soldiers left alive are being treated like deserters: 'It would have been better if I had been captured'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian marine who survived a major battle in Vuhledar said survivors are treated as deserters. There were just eight survivors in one company, he told Russian media outlet 7x7. The marine, part of the 155th Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet, told Russian media outlet 7x7 that "it would have been better if I had been captured and never returned." So far things have not gone to plan, according to Russian military bloggers, Ukrainian officials, and reports of the battle. Ukrainian military drones have also captured the scenes of chaos, including Russian tanks running into minefields and being blown up, CNN reported.

☆ Former Israeli prime minister rebuts claim, boosted by Russia, that the US blocked a Ukraine peace agreement: 'It's unsure there was any deal to be made'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Charles R. Davis | Talia Lakritz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett discussed his efforts to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia. But Bennett has clarified that no such deal existed — and said talks broke down because of apparent Russian war crimes. "Bombshell: Former Israeli prime minister says that Western leaders blocked #Ukraine & #Russia peace deal," Ivan Katchanovski, a Canadian political science professor, wrote on Twitter. At the time, Zelenskyy himself noted that the Israeli prime minister was "trying to find a way of holding talks," a fact for which "we are grateful." In the interview, Bennett himself notes that it was not the US, France, or Germany that put an end to any peace talks.

☆ Germany has evidence of war crimes in Ukraine 'in three-digit range' - prosecutor
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Germany has collected evidence of war crimes in Ukraine, the country's prosecutor general said in a newspaper interview published on Saturday, adding that he saw a need for a judicial process at international level. So far, prosecutors have pieces of evidence in the "three-digit range", he added, without elaborating. Germany began collecting evidence in March 2022 to prosecute possible war crimes, including by interviewing Ukrainian refugees and evaluating publicly available information, Frank said, adding that German prosecutors were not yet investigating specific individuals. Ukraine is pushing for the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russian military and political leaders it holds responsible for starting the war. Moscow has rejected allegations by Kyiv and Western nations of war crimes.

☆ Russia has committed more than 65,000 war crimes in Ukraine, prosecutor general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Amanda Macias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

War crime prosecutor of Kharkiv Oblast stands with forensic technician and policeman at the site of a mass burial in a forest during exhumation on September 16, 2022 in Izium, Ukraine. WASHINGTON – Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said Wednesday that regional authorities have registered more than 65,000 Russian war crimes since Moscow's conflict began nearly a year ago. The conflict has shown few signs of ending soon, even as local and international officials try to probe potential crimes committed over recent months in Ukraine. Because potential war crimes cross a range of jurisdictions, the International Criminal Court cannot prosecute them, or heads of state such as Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia has repeatedly denied that its troops have committed war crimes or deliberately targeted civilians.

☆ Russia claims that it was ready to strike an early peace deal with Ukraine but the West ruined it
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia's foreign minister said Russia was open to negotiating with Ukraine in the early months of the war. Sergey Lavrov blamed the US and other Western nations for blocking peace talks. In the weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine, a number of fruitless peace talks took place as Russia continued to bomb Ukrainian cities. Neither Russia nor Ukraine have shown signs that a diplomatic resolution to the war is now forthcoming. Russia, meanwhile, has said that Ukraine would need to accept Russia's annexation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia as part of any peace agreement.

☆ Boris Johnson visits Kyiv, pledges help
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Nacho DoceKYIV, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Kyiv on a surprise trip on Sunday, meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and pledging that Britain would "stick by Ukraine as long as it takes". "I can tell you that the UK will be sticking by Ukraine for as long as it takes," Johnson told the mayor of Bucha. Johnson has dismissed suggestions that his activity in Ukraine could be seen as undermining British Prime Minister Rusni Sunak. While in office, Johnson visited Kyiv several times and called Zelenskiy frequently. In Bucha, Johnson took selfies with residents and laid flowers in tribute to victims of the war.

☆ Former Russian mercenary commander fled to Norway and is willing to give evidence of its worst crimes in Ukraine, lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A former commander for the notorious Wagner Group fled Russia and is now seeking asylum in Norway. Andrey Medvedev left Russia fearful for his life after leaving the group, his lawyer told Insider. Risnes told Insider that Medvedev enlisted with the Wagner Group last summer. The Wagner Group, which is increasingly recruiting from Russian prisons, is alleged by a variety of organizations to have committed actions in Ukraine that would constitute war crimes. The Wagner Group has previously been deployed in Libya, Syria, and in other destinations across the world.

☆ Deadly HIMARS strikes show how Ukrainian forces are turning cell phones into 'force multipliers'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine has launched deadly long-range strikes against Russian troops in eastern Ukraine. Some of those strikes and other attacks have reportedly been enabled by Russian cell phone use. Those cases illustrate the growing use of cell phones as sensors on the battlefield. In addition, Ukrainians have used their cell phones to report on Russian military movements. Cell phones have also provided accountability, allowing observers to tally losses and to shed light on misdeeds.

☆ Ukraine official says Russian cyberattacks on its energy network could equate to war crimes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian cyberattacks on Ukraine's critical infrastructure could equate to war crimes, Ukraine said. Ukraine is gathering evidence of Russian cyberattacks linked to military strikes, per Politico. "Their thermal power plant was shelled, and simultaneously, their corporate network was attacked," Zhora told Politico of the incident. Russia has been accused of multiple war crimes since it launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ukraine's prosecutor general, Andriy Kostin, said in September that his office had documented some 34,000 potential war crimes committed by Russian forces.

☆ Video shows Russian mercenary boss releasing convicts after they fought in Ukraine, warning them not to rape or take drugs now they're free
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Wagner Group's founder released 24 prisoners from mercenary service, Russian media reported. The mercenary army recruited numerous convicts to fight in Ukraine, with the promise of a pardon. Prigozhin is seen addressing the former convicts recruited to serve in his mercenary army, per the outlet. Wagner Group troops have been used in multiple operations in both the Middle East and Africa, as well as the 2022 Ukraine invasion. Alongside his initial recruitment promise to convicts, Prigozhin also issued a threat, per a translation by The Wall Street Journal's Yaroslav Trofimov: "If you serve six months, you are free.

☆ Russian lawmaker accuses Putin of breaking his own law with reference to Ukraine 'war,' asks prosecutors to investigate
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Russian lawmaker is calling for legal action against Putin for calling the Ukraine invasion a "war." Until Thursday, Putin had publicly referred to the war only as a "special military operation." Navalny remains behind bars, where he continues to criticize Putin and Russia's war in Ukraine. Yevgeny Roizman, a former mayor of the Russian city of Ekaterinburg, in August was detained on charges of "discrediting" the Russian military. Roizman told reporters he was detained after referring to Russia's war in Ukraine as an "invasion."

new video loaded: Caught on Camera, Traced by Phone: The Russian Military Unit That Killed Dozens in BuchaBy Yousur Al-Hlou, Masha Froliak, Dmitriy Khavin, Christoph Koettl, Haley Willis, Alexander Cardia, Natalie Reneau and Malachy Browne • December 22, 2022Caught on Camera, Traced by Phone: The Russian Military Unit That Killed Dozens in BuchaRecent episodes in Visual InvestigationsUsing evidence that’s hidden in plain sight, our investigative journalists present a definitive account of the news — from the Las Vegas massacre to a chemical attack in Syria. Using evidence that’s hidden in plain sight, our investigative journalists present a definitive account of the news — from the Las Vegas massacre to a chemical attack in Syria.

☆ Russian soldiers used the phones of Bucha victims to call home, revealing the unit that killed dozens: NYT
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russians who occupied the Ukrainian town of Bucha in March used their victims' phones to call home. Reporters found that Russian soldiers often used their victims' phones to call home to Russia, frequently placing calls only hours after the phone's Ukrainian owner had been shot dead. Russia, which has rejected the allegations of war crimes, does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC. With the fighting ongoing, there are many open questions regarding accountability over the thousands of alleged war crimes in Ukraine. A Ukrainian court subsequently reduced the sentence for the soldier, Vadim Shishimarin, to 15 years.

Volodymyr Ruchkovskyi needed to do one last thing before he could leave Bucha. His father, who was staying behind, was without food and electricity, so he brought him groceries and said one last goodbye. Volodymyr didn’t know that the occupation of Bucha had just begun, or that he was now driving toward a convoy of Russian forces. Just before 1 p.m., Russian soldiers shot at his car, forcing him to crash into a tree. His burned remains were found inside the car weeks later.

☆ The Year in Pictures 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +57 min

Every year, starting in early fall, photo editors at The New York Times begin sifting through the year’s work in an effort to pick out the most startling, most moving, most memorable pictures. But 2022 undoubtedly belongs to the war in Ukraine, a conflict now settling into a worryingly predictable rhythm. Erin Schaff/The New York Times “When you’re standing on the ground, you can’t visualize the scope of the destruction. Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 25. We see the same images over and over, and it’s really hard to make anything different.” Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb 26.

☆ Russian defector says training consisted of being given a weapon, a target and 5,000 bullets. Going to the front line left many broken.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian defector said his unit was given "no actual training" before being sent to Ukraine. Nikita Chibrin told CNN that training was just being given a weapon, a target, and 5,000 bullets. Nikita Chibrin told CNN that the training his unit received was just a commander giving soldiers a weapon, a target, and 5,000 bullets. They saw the war, they saw defeat, saw their [fellow] combatants being murdered, saw corpses." Chibrin told CNN that he was part of the 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, which has been linked to alleged war crimes in Bucha.

☆ Orwell's novel of repression '1984' tops Russian bestseller lists
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Kevin Liffey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - George Orwell's dystopian novel "1984", set in an imagined future where totalitarian rulers deprive their citizens of all agency in order to maintain support for senseless wars, has topped electronic bestseller lists in Russia. The novel is the most popular fiction download of 2022 on the platform of the Russian online bookseller LitRes, and the second most popular download in any category, the state news agency Tass reported on Tuesday. And last month the Kremlin's spokesman said there had been no attacks on civilian targets, despite wave after wave of bombardment of Ukrainian power facilities that have left millions without heat or light in the depths of winter. However, the Russian translator of a brand new edition of "1984" sees the parallels to Orwell's novel elsewhere. Reporting by Kevin Liffey; editing by Pritha SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Nikita Chibrin says he still remembers his fellow Russian soldiers running away after allegedly raping two Ukrainian women during their deployment northwest of Kyiv in March. He deserted from the Russian military in September and fled to Europe via Belarus and Kazakhstan. Chibrin’s military documents, seen by CNN, show his commander was Azatbek Omurbekov, the officer in charge of the 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade. Omurbekov, known as the “Butcher of Bucha” is under sanctions by the European Union and the United Kingdom. The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the mass killings while reiterating baseless claims that the images of civilian bodies were fake.

That’s it.”Chibrin is a former soldier from the Russian city of Yakutsk who says he served in the 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, the notorious Russian military unit accused of committing war crimes during their offensive in Bucha, Borodianka and other towns and villages north of Kyiv. He deserted from the Russian military in September and fled to Europe via Belarus and Kazakhstan. They saw the war, they saw defeat, saw their [fellow] combatants being murdered, saw corpses. On February 24 they just said everyone will go to war,” Chibrin said, adding that he initially refused to go. Once back in Russia, Chibrin said he spent nearly a month in hospital, most of that being bedridden with terrible back pain.

☆ Russian opposition politician sentenced to 8.5 years in prison on fake news charges
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin was sentenced in court to eight-and-a-half years in prison on Friday on charges of spreading “false information” about the army. Since invading Ukraine on Feb. 24, Moscow has intensified its clampdown on public dissent, with most prominent opposition figures either in jail or exile. Days after the invasion, legislation was passed providing for jail terms of up to 15 years for disseminating “false information” about the military. In a defiant post on his Telegram channel, Yashin urged his supporters to continue opposing the war in Ukraine. “With this hysterical verdict, the authorities want to intimidate us all but, in fact, it only shows their weakness.

☆ Russian opposition figure found guilty of "fake information" about army - agencies
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] Russian opposition leader, former Moscow's municipal deputy Ilya Yashin gestures in a defendants' glass cage prior to a verdict hearing at the Meshchansky district court in Moscow, Russia, December 9, 2022. Prosecution requested nine years in prison for Yashin for spreading fake information about the Russian army. Yuri Kochetkov/Pool via REUTERSDec 9 (Reuters) - Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin guilty was found guilty on Friday of spreading "fake information" about the army, Russian news agencies reported. Prosecutors were seeking a nine-year sentence for Yashin, a Moscow district councillor. Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Mark Trevelyan and Jake Cordell; Editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ilya Yashin: Moscow court sentences Kremlin critic to eight and a half years for spreading 'false information'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Anna Chernova Uliana Pavlova Sugam Pokharel Ivana Kottasová | Anna Chernova | Uliana Pavlova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A Moscow court on Friday sentenced Kremlin critic Ilya Yashin to eight years and six months imprisonment, according to Russian state media RIA Novosti, in a blow to what’s left of the country’s opposition. It is unclear if Yashin’s prison sentence for spreading “false information” about the Russian army includes the time he has already spent in jail during court hearings. Yashin, pictured in a Moscow courtroom Friday, has been sentenced to eight years and six months behind bars. In closing remarks to the court on Monday, ahead of the verdict, Yashin made a statement addressing the judge, President Vladimir Putin and the Russian public. Navalny concluded by saying that he is proud of Yashin and that he and Russia will be free.

Much of Ukraine’s resisting force has had to hunker down in muddy trenches, fighting tooth and nail to deny Russian forces a victory they desperately crave. Vasco Sousa Cotovio/CNNFamily tiesCaesar’s ideological drive is not the only reason some Russians have chosen to side with Ukrainians on the battlefield. Evidence of mass graves and civilian executions in those areas emerged following the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Kyiv region in early April. Russian soldiers fighting for Ukraine could face tougher consequences than their Ukrainian counterparts if they’re captured by the enemy. Vasco Sousa Cotovio/CNNBut pain and death are not a part of this unit’s lexicon, even as they face overwhelming odds in Bakhmut.

☆ 'Where is he now?’ Kherson mother looks for son after Russian retreat
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

They include people like Voskoboinik's son, whose whereabouts are a mystery, and residents who were arrested by Russian forces during the occupation and taken farther away. "There's a really big problem with communication, especially in rural places," said Volodymyr Zhdanov, the regional Kherson administration's point person for missing people. Almost 400 civilians have been killed in unspecified Russian war crimes in the region, she added. Russia's defence ministry did not immediately respond when asked about individual cases and the overall number of missing in Kherson. The dog was shot dead, her son complained and was promptly arrested and taken to a police station, she added.

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