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☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy: Situation in Bakhmut 'especially hot'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERSApril 2 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that the military situation around the city of Bakhmut, besieged by Russian forces for months, was "especially hot". Especially Bakhmut," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. Russian forces have for months been trying to encircle and capture Bakhmut, a town of 70,000 before the Russian invasion launched over a year ago. Prominent Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said fighting had engulfed the city centre. Ukrainian forces had repelled 25 enemy attacks, but Russian forces had captured the AZOM metal plant, which Ukrainian troops had defended for days.

☆ Zelenskiy says Russian UN Security Council presidency is absurd
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERSKYIV, April 1 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday said it was absurd Russia had assumed the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council, adding this showed the institution's "total bankruptcy". On Saturday Russia took over the presidency of the U.N.'s top security body, which rotates every month. "And at the same time Russia is chairing the U.N. Security Council. Zelenskiy said it was time for a general overhaul of global institutions, including the Security Council. "It is very telling that on the holiday of one terror state – Iran - another terror state – Russia – begins to preside over the U.N. Security Council," Yermak wrote on Twitter, referring to Iran's Islamic Republic Day holiday.

☆ North Korea accuses Ukraine of having nuclear ambitions
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Kim said this kind of petition could be a political plot by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office, but did not provide any evidence for the assertion. Following Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement last week that Moscow plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, a public petition was filed to the Ukrainian presidential office's website on Thursday, calling for Ukraine to host nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory, or for it to be armed with its own nuclear weapons. By Saturday afternoon, the petition had gained only 611 signatures, far short of the 25,000 needed for a response from Zelenskiy. North Korea is forging closer ties with Kremlin amid shared isolation by the West and it supported Moscow's position after Russia invaded Ukraine last year, including its later proclaimed annexation of parts of Ukraine that most U.N. members condemned as illegal. Reporting by Hyunsu Yim in Seoul and Max Hunder in Kyiv Editing by Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ North Korea accuses Ukraine of having nuclear ambitions - KCNA
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, April 1 (Reuters) - North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, accused Ukraine of calling for nuclear weapons, state media KCNA reported on Saturday, basing her assertion on an online petition in that country that has drawn under 1,000 signatures so far. Kim said this kind of petition could be a political plot by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office, but did not provide any evidence for the assertion. Following Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement last week that Moscow plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, a public petition was filed to the Ukrainian presidential office's website on Thursday, calling for Ukraine to host nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory, or for it to be armed with its own nuclear weapons. By Saturday afternoon, the petition had gained only 611 signatures, far short of the 25,000 needed for a response from Zelenskiy. Reporting by Hyunsu Yim in Seoul and Max Hunder in Kyiv Editing by Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Zelenskiy visits troops near front line in southeastern Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy poses for a picture with Ukrainian service members near a frontline, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine March 27, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERSKYIV, March 27 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met troops in southeastern Ukraine on Monday, the latest stage of a tour of frontline regions since a top general said a counterattack against Russian forces could come soon. In separate trips last week, the president met soldiers in eastern Ukraine near the small city of Bakhmut, where fighting is intense, and spoke to officials and residents in the southern region of Kherson, where Ukrainian forces pushed back Russian troops last year after months of occupation. In separate posts, Zelenskiy also released footage of himself visiting a command centre and meeting regional civilian and military officials. Reporting by Dan Peleschuk, Editing by Gareth Jones and Timothy HeritageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ NATO slams Putin rhetoric on nuclear weapons in Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

KYIV, March 27 (Reuters) - NATO castigated Vladimir Putin over his nuclear rhetoric a day after the Russian president said he planned to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, escalating a standoff with the West. "Russia's nuclear rhetoric is dangerous and irresponsible," NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said on Sunday. We have not seen any changes in Russia's nuclear posture that would lead us to adjust our own." Tactical nuclear weapons refer to those used for specific gains on a battlefield rather than those with the capacity to wipe out cities. Analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said the risk of escalation to nuclear war "remains extremely low."

In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin said Russia had been hit by what he called a terrorist attack in its southern Bryansk region bordering Ukraine. Near the front lines west of Bakhmut, in the Ukrainian-held town of Chasiv Yar, the thump of outgoing artillery fire could be heard on Thursday morning. Ukraine says the city has limited strategic value but it is exhausting Russia's invasion force in what has become the bloodiest battle of the war. [1/5] Ukrainian service members ride a self-propelled howitzer, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the frontline city of Bakhmut, Ukraine February 27, 2023. In the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, Russian missiles crashed into a five-story apartment block overnight, collapsing upper floors.

In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin said Russia had been hit by what he called a terrorist attack in its southern Bryansk region bordering Ukraine. Putin vowed to crush what he said was a Ukrainian sabotage group that had fired at civilians. Bakhmut has been reduced to a blasted wasteland, with a few thousand of its 70,000 pre-war civilian population still inside as armies battle street-by-street. [1/5] Ukrainian service members ride a self-propelled howitzer, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the frontline city of Bakhmut, Ukraine February 27, 2023. In the southern city of Zaporizhzia, Russian missiles crashed into a five-story apartment block overnight, collapsing upper floors.

☆ ICC's top prosecutor in Ukraine to probe Russian attacks on power grid
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Mike Collett-White | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and ICC Prosecutor Karim A. A. Khan QC meet, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 28, 2023. ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said. Andriy Kostin, Ukraine's Prosecutor General who accompanied Khan to the bomb site, praised the cooperation between his offices and those of the ICC. Kostin's office said that tens of thousands of Russian attacks had been launched on infrastructure and civilians which had no military justification.

☆ Biden pledges new military aid for Ukraine during Kyiv visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. President Joe Biden shake hands before a meeting, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 20, 2023. Biden also said additional sanctions would be announced this week against the Russian elite and companies trying to evade sanctions to "back the Russian war machine". Sacrifices have been far too great," Biden told reporters in Kyiv, where he held talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Visiting Kyiv for the first time since the start of Russia's war on Ukraine, Biden said Washington would stand with Ukraine as long as it takes. The United States has been by far the largest supplier of military assistance to help Ukraine repel better-equipped Russian invaders.

☆ A year after Russia’s invasion: How Ukraine endured
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +21 min

REUTERS/Valentyn OgirenkoIn the early hours of Feb. 24, 2022, tens of thousands of Russian soldiers entered Ukraine. By seizing the city of three million people, and capturing or killing Zelenskiy, Russia’s hope appeared to be that Ukraine would quickly surrender. By March 23, Russia’s advance had captured regions of Ukraine along the Belarus border but Ukraine’s forces had begun reclaiming territory near Kyiv. Satellite imagery of Russia’s military convoy near Invankiv, Ukraine, Feb. 28, 2022. The two sit on a bed, with a radio and teddy bears nearby., image Ukrainian civilians have endured The will of the people of Ukraine continues to be that they remain free.

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy thanks Norway for $7 bln in aid over five years
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shake hands before a meeting, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 1, 2022. Speaking via video link from Kyiv, Zelenskiy said Norway's decision set a precedent for "sustainable support", calling it a "historic contribution". Russia will not overcome our unity, the unity of all those that cherish freedom." Those who are here today, we are with Ukraine today," Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said. For 2023, half the package will fund military aid to Ukraine and the rest is to go to humanitarian assistance, although this breakdown could change in coming years.

☆ A year into war, Ukraine's Zelenskiy defies Putin against the odds
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/4] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy sings the national anthem during his visit in Kherson, Ukraine November 14, 2022. Nor does Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched his "special military operation" in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022 and appears to be preparing for a long war. They underestimated his leadership qualities," said Volodymyr Fesenko, a Kyiv-based analyst who said Putin misjudged Zelenskiy. "(Putin) prepared a special operation not a full-fledged war ... because he thought Zelenskiy and the Ukrainian army were weak and that they would not be able to put up lengthy resistance. Anton Grushetsky, deputy director of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, put public trust in Zelenskiy at 70% to 80%.

☆ New video captures the moment one of Russia's horrifying thermobaric weapon launchers was destroyed, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine says a new video shows the moment their forces destroyed a Russian thermobaric weapon launcher. Thermobaric weapons — also known as vacuum bombs — are considered especially devastating. "The 72 Brigade... have fried a Russian 'SoIntsepiok,' Yermak wrote in the video's caption, referring to the Russian rocket launcher, per CNN's translation. The destroyed launcher was a TOS-1 or TOS-1A, a multiple rocket system capable of launching thermobaric weapons. At the beginning of Russia's invasion, Ukraine's ambassador to the US accused Russia of using thermobaric bombs to cause devastation.

☆ Elon Musk hit back at ex-NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, saying SpaceX's Starlink should not be used to help fight the war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk's SpaceX banned Ukraine from using its Starlink internet service for military purposes. Musk has defended his decision, saying Starlink should not be used to fight the war. Kelly tagged Musk in a tweet on Saturday, asking him to "restore the full functionality" of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites in Ukraine. But there have been reports of the Ukrainian military using Starlink on drones. The Times of London reported in March 2022 that a Ukrainian drone unit was using Starlink to help destroy Russian tanks and trucks at night.

☆ Zelenskiy: too early to declare victory after repairs to power system
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERSFeb 12 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday hailed efforts to restore power generation systems damaged by Russian attacks but warned the population it was too early to declare victory on the energy front. Zelenskiy said power workers had done such a good job repairing the damage caused by Russian missile and drone strikes on Friday that most people had not had to face too many outages on Saturday and Sunday. Zelenskiy said scheduled energy outages would once again be in place when the working week started on Monday. Russia has carried out repeated waves of attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities in recent months, at times leaving millions of people without light, heating or water supplies during the cold winter. "This is the best response of Ukrainian energy workers to enemy shelling," he said in a statement.

☆ Olympics row deepens as 35 countries demand ban for Russia and Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

With war raging in Ukraine, the Baltic States, Nordic countries and Poland had called on international sports bodies to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the Olympics. "At the same time, we know that 70 percent of Russian athletes are soldiers. He said that most participants had been in favour of an absolute exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes. The IOC has opened the door for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals. While Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of host city Paris, has said Russian athletes should not take part, Paris 2024 organisers have said they will abide by the IOC's decision on the issue.

☆ Ukraine says SpaceX needs to pick a side after the company decided Kyiv can't use its Starlink internet for military drones
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted Thursday that SpaceX needs to a pick a side in the war. SpaceX announced Ukraine wouldn't be allowed to use its internet services for military purposes like drones. Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted Thursday that SpaceX must choose to support either Kyiv or Russia after the company said that Ukraine can't use its Starlink internet service for military purposes. Podolyak said SpaceX can either be "on the side" of Ukraine and "the right to freedom" or the company can pick Russia and "its 'right' to kill and seize territories." According to BBC News, SpaceX took steps to limit Ukraine's ability to use the internet service for offensive measures like drones.

A day after announcing that Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov would be replaced, a top ally of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appeared to row back for now, saying no personnel changes in the defence sector would be made this week. Two senior lawmakers on Monday noted that rules require Ukraine's defence minister to be a civilian, which would appear to put an obstacle in the way of the immediate appointment of Budanov, a 37-year-old military officer. 'WAR DICTATES CHANGES'Arakhamia said Ukraine's armed forces should not be overseen by politicians during wartime, but by people with a background in defence or security. As a wartime defence minister, Reznikov, 56, fostered ties with Western defence officials and helped oversee the receipt of billions of dollars of military aid to help Kyiv fend off the Russian invasion. During his tenure as defence minister, he spoke out strongly about wartime corruption, which he said was akin to "marauding".

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy invited to take part in EU summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European Council President Charles Michel speak during EU summit, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 3, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS/File PhotoBRUSSELS, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been invited to take part in a summit of European Union leaders, the EU said on Monday, amid reports he could be in Brussels as soon as this week. Charles Michel, the president of the European Council of the EU's national leaders, invited Zelenskiy "to participate in person in a future summit," a spokesman for Michel tweeted. The next EU summit takes place on Thursday and Friday of this week in Brussels. Earlier in the day, multiple media outlets reported that Zelenskiy could attend the summit and may also address a session of the European Parliament.

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy strips citizenship of several former politicians
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Nick Starkov | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends an International Human Rights forum, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 9, 2022. LVIV, Ukraine, Feb 5 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy revoked the citizenship of several former influential politicians on Saturday in the latest of steps to "cleanse" the country from pro-Russian influences. Zelenskiy would not list the names, but said they had dual Russian citizenship. According to Ukrainian state media, the list includes several top politicians from the office of Viktor Yanukovych, who served as Ukraine's pro-Russian president from 2010 until he was removed from office in 2014. Reporting by Nick Starkov, David Ljunggren and Lidia Kelly; Writing by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dozens of soldiers freed in Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Dozens of Russian and Ukrainian prisoners of war have returned home following a prisoner swap, officials on both sides said Saturday. Top Ukrainian presidential aide Andriy Yermak said in a Telegram post that 116 Ukrainians were freed. Russian defense officials, meanwhile, announced that 63 Russian troops had returned from Ukraine following the swap, including some "special category" prisoners whose release was secured following mediation by the United Arab Emirates. Two people were killed and 14 others wounded in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region by Russian shelling and missile strikes, local Gov. Elsewhere, regional Ukrainian officials reported overnight shelling by Russia of border settlements in the northern Sumy region, as well as the town of Marhanets, which neighbors the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

[1/6] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attend an EU summit, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 2, 2023. The United States and its Western allies stepped up pledges to deliver more weapons to Ukraine in January. Authorities were investigating senior military officials in two separate cases of suspected corruption, officials said on Thursday. EASTERN BATTLEGROUNDThe EU-Ukraine summit coincides with an intensification of Russian pressure on Ukrainian forces in eastern battlegrounds but also in the northeast and south. The refrain from Ukraine officials and military analysts is that the Russians are exploiting the main resource they have - superiority in manpower.

☆ Ukraine calls for faster weapons supplies as Russia presses eastern offensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

We have to speed up events, speed up supplies and open up new weapons options for Ukraine." Three people were killed and six injured on Sunday by Russian strikes on Kherson that damaged a hospital and a school, the regional administration said. Russian troops had occupied Kherson shortly after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and held the city until Ukrainian forces recaptured it in November. Russia on Saturday accused the Ukrainian military of deliberately striking a hospital in a Russian-held area of eastern Ukraine, killing 14 people. Russia says it launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine to fend off a hostile West and "denazify" the country.

☆ IOC rejects 'defamatory' criticism from Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The IOC rejects in the strongest possible terms this and other defamatory statements," the IOC told Reuters in a statement. This is whom the ignorant IOC wants to put under white flag allowing to compete," Kuleba wrote on Twitter. The IOC added then, however, that each sport federation was the "sole authority for its international competitions". Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that Ukraine would launch an international campaign to prevent Russian athletes from being allowed to compete at the Games. The Russian foreign ministry has said any attempt to squeeze Moscow out of international sport because of what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine is "doomed to fail".

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