Ukrainians face homelessness, disease risk as floods crest from breached dam
Kherson, Ukraine Reuters Ukrainians abandoned inundated homes as floods crested across a swathe of the south on Wednesday after the destruction of a huge hydro-electric dam on front lines between Russian and Ukrainian forces, with their presidents trading blame for the disaster. Residents slogged through flooded streets carrying children on their shoulders, dogs in their […]
Russia launches new attack on Ukraine on Moscow’s ‘sacred’ day
Kyiv, UkraineReuters Russia launched a new attack on Ukraine on Tuesday as Russia celebrated the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, with Ukraine’s air defences destroying 23 of 25 missiles fired, chiefly at the capital Kyiv, officials said. The attack – the fifth in May – came a day after Russia launched […]
Putin visits two regions in Ukraine, Russia presses assault on Bakhmut
Kyiv, Ukraine/Moscow, Russia Reuters Russian President Vladimir Putin has met his commanders in two regions of Ukraine that Moscow claims to have annexed, while Russian forces stepped up heavy artillery bombardments and air strikes on Tuesday on the devastated Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, meanwhile, visited troops in the eastern town of […]
Kremlin critic jailed in treason case for 25 years in harshest verdict of Putin era
Moscow, Russia Reuters Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza was jailed for 25 years by a Moscow court on Monday, the harshest sentence of its kind since Russia invaded Ukraine, after being convicted of treason and other offences in a trial he said was politically-motivated. Kara-Murza, 41, a father of three and an opposition politician who holds […]
Russian forces bombard Ukraine’s Bakhmut in major new offensive, NATO chief says
Kyiv, Ukraine Reuters The eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut endured heavy artillery fire on Monday as the NATO chief backed reports from local officials that a major new Russian offensive had begun, days before the first anniversary of Moscow’s invasion. Ukrainian defenders, who have already held out for months, were braced for new ground attacks, Ukrainian […]
Zelenskiy wants tougher Europe, Putin evokes victory over Nazis
Kyiv, Ukraine/Volgograd, Russia Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged European leaders visiting Kyiv on Thursday to pile more sanctions on Russia, where President Vladimir Putin evoked a famous World War II victory over the Nazis to rally his nation. The West has imposed sweeping punitive measures since Russia’s nearly year-old invasion of Ukraine that has […]
Essay: What a cathedral and a massive military parade show about Putin’s Russia
In an article first published on The Conversation, US-based scholar of nationalism LENA SURZHKO HARNED looks at how a fusion of World War II, religion and Russian nationalism have been embodied in the Main Church of the Russian Armed Forces on the outskirts of Moscow…
Ukraine’s Zelenskiy condemns shelling as bodies line streets of Mariupol
Lviv/Kyiv, UkraineReuters Ukrainian authorities condemned Russian artillery attacks on cities in the northeast and the continuing siege of the southern port city of Mariupol, of which Moscow said it had taken almost full control, following almost two months of bloody fighting. After failing to overcome Ukrainian resistance in the north, the Russian military has refocused […]
Ukraine claims control over Kyiv region as Russia looks east
Zaporizhzhia, UkraineReuters Ukraine said on Saturday its forces had seized back all areas around Kyiv, claiming complete control of the capital region for the first time since Russia launched the invasion. As Russian troops regrouped for battles in east Ukraine, towns surrounding Kyiv bore scars of five weeks of fighting. Dead civilians laid scattered over […]
Orthodox priest reportedly arrested in Russia for sermon decrying invasion of Ukraine
RNS A Russian Orthodox priest was reportedly arrested this week after he preached a sermon denouncing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, an unusual example of the Russian Government cracking down on a cleric from a faith tradition that has long operated in lockstep with President Vladimir Putin. According to a BBC report citing Russian activists, […]