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☆ Russia suggests renewing Black Sea grain deal for shorter term
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Black Sea grain initiative, brokered between Russia and Ukraine by the United Nations and Turkey last July, aimed to prevent a global food crisis by allowing Ukrainian grain blockaded by Russia's invasion to be safely exported from three Ukrainian ports. Russia, he said, "does not object to another extension of the 'Black Sea Initiative' after its second term expiration on March 18, but only for 60 days." 'CRITICAL MOMENT'The United Nations said it noted the Russian position and that it remained "fully committed to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, as well as to efforts to facilitate the export of Russian food and fertilizer." "The UN Secretary-General has confirmed that the UN will do everything possible to preserve the integrity of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and ensure its continuity," it said in a statement. "To extend it for 60 days, you have to amend the deal."

☆ Russia is losing 5 of its soldiers for every Ukrainian it kills in the war's bloodiest battle, NATO official tells CNN
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia has lost at least five soldiers for every Ukrainian soldier killed in Bakhmut. Ukraine has also suffered significant losses while defending the ruined city, the official said. Russian forces have lost at least five soldiers for every Ukrainian soldier killed while defending Bakhmut, a military official with NATO told CNN on Monday. The official told CNN that although the ratio was favorable to Ukraine, it had also suffered significant losses. He said that Russia had lost potentially seven times as many soldiers as Ukraine in Bakhmut, per The New York Times.

☆ Biden, Putin display their alliances with Ukraine war backdrop
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Washington is concerned Beijing could provide material support for Moscow's war in Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24 last year and has become the biggest land conflict in Europe since World War Two. Not just for Ukraine, but for the freedom of democracies throughout Europe and around the world," Biden said. In two speeches last September Putin indicated that he would, if needed, use nuclear weapons to defend Russia. "We have heard implicit threats to use nuclear weapons. The so-called tactical use of nuclear weapons is utterly unacceptable.

☆ Ukraine wants one-year grain deal extension to include new ports
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A grain ship carrying Ukrainian grain is seen in the Black Sea, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near Ukrainian port of Odesa, Ukraine November 2, 2022. The Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by the UN and Turkey last July allowed grain to be exported from three Ukrainian ports. At the same time, the UN, Turkey and Ukraine are ready to conduct 40 inspections per day if necessary. Ukraine exports around 3 million tonnes of agricultural products a month under the deal, but Vaskov said Ukraine was able to export 6 million tonnes a month from the ports of Odesa region and boost it to 8 million tonnes if Mykolaiv joins. Despite a decrease in the 2022 grain harvest to around 54 million tonnes from a record 86 million in 2021, at least 30 million tonnes of grain are still in silos and could be exported, according to the agriculture ministry.

☆ Exclusive: Ukraine deepens Bystre Canal on Danube, aims to boost exports - deputy minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia a year ago, said last week the draught of ships passing through the Bystre Canal had deepened to 6.5 metres from 3.9 metres. sediment clearance, and received no comments," Yuriy Vaskov, Ukraine's deputy minister for restoration, told Reuters in an interview. Ukraine had previously developed a plan to deepen the canal to 8.2-8.3 metres, which it says could be implemented in the future. Romania is an important economic partner for Ukraine, and exporters shipped 8.6 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain through Romania's Black Sea port of Constanta last year. Despite a decrease in the 2022 grain harvest to about 54 million tonnes from a record 86 million in 2021, at least 30 million tonnes of grain are still in silos and could be exported, according to the agriculture ministry.

☆ Renewing Black Sea grain deal critical for Africa, WFP boss says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Negotiations will start in a week on extending the trade agreement, a senior Ukrainian official said on Friday. "It's critical," World Food Programme (WFP) Director David Beasley told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the Munich Security Forum. "With all the crises we are facing around the world with climate change, droughts, flash floods, we can't afford the Black Sea Grain initiative to fall through at all," Beasley added. The grain deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last July allowed exports from three Ukrainian ports. He warned Moscow that shutting down the ports would be catastrophic, notably in Africa, where millions of people are facing famine.

Of at least 36 missiles that Russia fired about 16 were shot down, the air force said, a lower rate than normal. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris are among many top officials attending the Munich Security Conference. As Russian troops massed on Ukraine's borders, Western leaders in Munich urged President Vladimir Putin not to invade and warned of dire consequences if he did. Russian leaders will be notable by their absence at the conference, which runs until Sunday, but senior Ukrainian officials are expected to address it. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address his priority was to hold off Russian attacks and get ready for an eventual Ukrainian counter-offensive.

[1/2] U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is welcomed at Munich's airport by Bavarian state premier Markus Soeder before heading to the venue of this year's Security Conference in Munich, Germany, February 16, 2023. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris are among many top officials attending the Munich Security Conference, a major annual global gathering focused on defence and diplomacy. As Russian troops massed on Ukraine's borders, Western leaders in Munich urged President Vladimir Putin not to invade and warned of dire consequences if he did so. Delegates will also discuss the far-reaching global impact of the war, on issues ranging from energy supply to food prices. This year, Russian leaders will be notable by their absence.

☆ Ukrainian troops equipped with devastating HIMARS are waiting for US targeting data before firing on Russian forces, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Chris Panella | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian troops usually won't fire their HIMARS without targeting data from the US, officials said. The US-provided HIMARS have been a key weapon for Ukrainian forces throughout the war. According to a senior Ukrainian official who spoke to the Post, the targeting process often involves Ukrainian forces identifying a Russian target, requesting more accurate coordinates from US partners, and then waiting to receive said coordinates. In one particular noteworthy incident from earlier this year, Ukrainian troops used their HIMARS to carry out a deadly strike on Russian positions in the eastern occupied city of Makiivka. The attack left scores of Russian troops dead and triggered widespread criticism of Moscow's military leadership.

For much of the winter, the war in Ukraine settled into a slow-moving but exceedingly violent fight along a jagged 600-mile-long frontline in the southeast. Now, both Ukraine and Russia are poised to go on the offensive. They are looking for vulnerabilities, hoping to exploit gaps, and setting the stage for what Ukraine warns could be Moscow’s most ambitious campaign since the start of the war. Ukraine must now defend against the Russian assault without exhausting the resources it needs to mount an offensive of its own. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has given an order to take all of the Donbas region by March, Ukrainian intelligence says.

☆ SpaceX should choose between Ukraine and Russia - Ukrainian official
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's SpaceX (SPACEa.NLB) should choose sides between Ukraine and Russia, a senior Ukrainian official said on Thursday, after the company said it was curbing Kyiv's use of Starlink internet devices for controlling drones. Mykhailo Podolyak, a political adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, criticised the decision on Twitter, another of billionaire Musk's companies. "SpaceX (Starlink) & Mrs. Shotwell should choose a specific option," he said. Ukraine's military uses thousands of Starlink devices to communicate in the field. Despite the importance of Starlink for Kyiv, Podolyak has criticised Musk more than once since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

☆ Zelenskiy adviser: IOC promotes 'Russian anti-human policy'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

That's why it insists Russian athletes should participate in contests as real 'ambassadors of death'," Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter. "Sport doesn't exist outside politics – sport promotes it. Thus, the IOC promotes the Russian anti-human policy." President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that Ukraine would launch an international campaign to prevent Russian athletes from being allowed to compete in the 2024 Games. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday that any attempt to squeeze Moscow out of international sport was "doomed to fail".

☆ Russia claims progress in Bakhmut, Ukraine says fighting fierce
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The enemy is increasing pressure on the Bakhmut and Vuhledar areas," Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister, Hanna Maliar, said on the Telegram messaging app. The area around Bakhmut, with a pre-war population of 70,000, has seen some of the most brutal fighting of the 11-month-old war. The town has symbolic importance for both Russia and Ukraine, though Western military analysts say it has little strategic significance. "Fighting is already taking place in the outskirts and in neighbourhoods that until very recently were held by the enemy." Ukraine's Maliar said that in the overall eastern industrial region known as the Donbas, Ukraine had superior and more committed soldiers, while Russia had an advantage in terms of the number of fighters and weapons.

☆ U.S. lawmakers praise Zelenskiy for fighting corruption, back continued aid
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Democratic and Republican U.S. lawmakers praised Ukraine's government on Tuesday for taking swift action against corruption and insisted that U.S. military and humanitarian aid to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's government should continue. We expect that President Zelenskiy will follow through with a promise he made that Ukraine is going to change on the corruption front," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told a news conference days after returning from Kyiv. "We're confident this is a first step in a long journey to change the way business is done," Graham said. "It demonstrates what President Zelenskiy has told us, that there will be zero tolerance for fraud or waste," he said. Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who was also on the Kyiv trip, praised the Ukrainian military for keeping track of equipment provided by Washington.

☆ Senior Ukrainian officials depart in corruption crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office quit Tuesday, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged to launch a staff shake-up amid high-level corruption allegations during the war with Russia. Media reports have linked at least one official departure to a scandal involving the purchase of food for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Bulent Kilic / AFP via Getty Images fileZelenskyy vowed to drive out corrupt officials in comments on Sunday, when a deputy minister was dismissed for being part of a network embezzling budget funds. Ukraine’s infrastructure ministry later identified the dismissed official as Vasyl Lozynsky, a deputy minister there. In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine’s focus on the war would not stop his government from tackling corruption.

☆ 100 Leopard tanks in 12 countries are standing by for Germany's go-ahead to be sent to Ukraine, official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine awaits German consent to receive almost 100 Leopard tanks from 12 countries, ABC News reported. International pressure has grown on German's Chancellor Olaf Scholz to grant permission to export the much-sought-after German battle tanks to Ukraine. The countries involved agreed to contribute at a summit in Germany on Friday, the unnamed official told ABC News. Poland's Defense Minister Mariusz Bɫaszczak tweeted on Tuesday that an official request to transfer the tanks had been sent. Switzerland has also opposed multiple requests from Ukraine's allies to re-export its munitions — including one request from Germany to send 35mm ammunition, as Reuters reported.

Zelenskyy has called the Russian attacks on infrastructure “energy terrorism” and vowed the assault won’t change the course of the war. People sit in a dark cafe during a blackout after Russian strikes Dec. 29 in Lviv, Ukraine. Company officials believe Russian engineers who know the vulnerable points in Ukraine’s electricity system most likely advised the Russian military on its targeting. Water and cellphonesThe attack on the country’s electricity grid has had a knock-on effect for other infrastructure, including water supplies and mobile phone service. Although the assault on Ukraine’s infrastructure hasn’t damaged Ukraine’s position on the battlefield or broken the country’s will to fight, it has inflicted “huge damage” on the economy, he said.

☆ Ukraine’s Interior Minister, at Least 17 Others Killed in Kyiv Helicopter Crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Jared Malsin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A helicopter crashed in Brovary, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, killing at least 18 people including senior Ukrainian officials and three children. Ukraine’s interior minister and other senior officials were among at least 18 people killed when a helicopter crashed near a kindergarten on the edge of Kyiv on Wednesday morning, Ukrainian officials said. The minister, Denys Monastyrsky , a first deputy minister, and another senior official were killed in the crash, Ukrainian police said. Nine of those killed had been on board the aircraft when it crashed in Brovary, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine’s national police chief said on his official Telegram channel.

☆ Ukraine’s Zelenskyy tells Davos supplies of Western tanks must outpace another Russian offensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"Mobilization of the world must outpace a next military mobilization of our joint enemy," Zelenskyy said via videoconference at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "Mobilization of the world must outpace a next military mobilization of our joint enemy," Zelenskyy said via videoconference at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "The supplying of Ukraine with air defense systems must outpace Russia's next missile attacks. The supplies of Western tanks must outpace another invasion of Russian tanks." "The restoration of security and peace in Ukraine must outpace Russia's attacks on security and peace in other countries.

☆ Ukraine blames Russia for most of over 2,000 cyberattacks in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Jan 17 (Reuters) - A senior Ukrainian official blamed Russia on Tuesday for carrying out the bulk of more than 2,000 cyberattacks on Ukraine in 2022, speaking at a news conference that he said was itself delayed because of a cyberattack. The official, Yuriy Schygol, told reporters that his livestreamed conference was forced to start 15 minutes late because of a Russian hack, though he did not elaborate or present evidence for his assertion. During the news briefing, he said Ukraine had been hit by 2,194 cyberattacks in 2022, with 1,655 of those coming after Moscow's Feb. 24 invasion. Government institutions sustained 557 cyberattacks last year, he told reporters, laying the blame for the bulk of the attacks at Moscow's door. Reporting by Max Hunder; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Over 9,000 civilians killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded - Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Over 9,000 civilians, including 453 children, have been killed in Ukraine since Russia's invasion last February, a senior Ukrainian presidential aide said on Tuesday. "We have registered 80,000 crimes committed by Russian invaders and over 9,000 civilians have been killed, including 453 children," Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential staff, said at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos. Each criminal will be held accountable," he said, reiterating that Ukraine wants a special international tribunal to try Russian political leaders and reparations for the destruction caused by Russia's invasion. The Office of the UN high commissioner for human rights said on Monday that more than 7,000 civilians had been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded. Reporting by John Irish, Writing by Max Hunder, Editing by Timothy HeritageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Poland, Lithuania want nuclear curbs in new EU sanctions on Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustrations/File PhotoBRUSSELS, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Poland and Lithuania want the European Union to impose restrictions on Russia's nuclear sector as part of new sanctions against Moscow and Minsk for the war in Ukraine, senior diplomats from the two EU countries said on Friday. They said the 10th EU package of sanctions since Russia invaded Ukraine should be ready in time for the first anniversary of the invasion on Feb. 24. They wanted new sanctions against Russia's ally Belarus, where they said loopholes allowed it to bypass European sanctions against Moscow in trading goods including furniture. They proposed that Rosatom and/or its leadership be blacklisted as a first step that should then lead to winding down cooperation in the EU with Russia's nuclear industry. The senior diplomats said they would also try again to end Belgium's diamond trade with Russia through new EU sanctions and expand bans on trade in goods that can be used for military purposes.

☆ Zelenskiy: Ukraine forces are holding Soledar positions, inflicting big losses
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 12 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces in the eastern city of Soledar are holding their positions and inflicting significant losses on Russia troops, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video address on Thursday. A Russian-installed official in Ukraine's Donetsk region earlier said "pockets of resistance" remained in Soledar, undermining claims that the town had been captured. Zelenskiy thanked two Ukrainian units in Soledar which he said "are holding their positions and inflicting significant losses on the enemy." "We also discussed the situation regarding the supply of weapons and ammunition to the troops and the relevant cooperation with our partners," he continued. Reporting by David Ljunggren and Ron Popeski; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 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.

☆ Putin's Orthodox Christmas ceasefire has started, but Ukraine thinks it's a trick and says 'it's too late for the Kremlin to think of God'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a ceasefire in honor of Russian Orthodox Christmas. But Ukraine think it's a trap intended to give Russia time to regroup without Ukrainian attacks. Ukraine's Ministry of Defense tweeted, "isn't it too late for the Kremlin to think of God?" Mykhailo Podolyak, a top advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on social media Thursday that the "'Christmas truce' is a cynical trap & an element of propaganda." Though the Kremlin called the truce, it's also unclear if Russia itself is abiding by it.

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