Kiev Ukraine

Ukrainian drones hit Russian fuel depot for second time this month

Ukrainian drones struck a major Russian fuel depot for the second time in just over a week on Sunday, according to a senior Russian regional official, as part of a massive cross-border attack on fuel and energy facilities that Kyiv says supply Moscow's military. The strikes came days after Russia launched sweeping attacks on Ukraine's already battered energy grid, threatening to plunge thousands of homes into darkness as winter tightens its grip over the region, and as Russia's all-out invasion of its neighbour nears the three-year mark. A fire broke out at the Stalnoy Kon oil terminal in Russia's southern Oryol region, local Gov. Andrey Klychkov said in a post on the Telegram messaging app, adding Russian forces downed 20 drones targeting fuel and energy infrastructure in the province. Russian independent news outlet Astra shared video of what it said was an explosion at the site, showing a massive orange blaze lighting up the night sky. While the clip could not be independently ..

Russia targets Kyiv in response to Ukrainian strike using US-made weapons

Ukraine's air force said it intercepted five Iskander short-range ballistic missiles fired at the city

Russia's Prez Putin boasts of gains in Ukraine at annual news conference

President Vladimir Putin boasted that his military operation in Ukraine has strengthened Russia and denied that the ouster of key ally Bashar Assad in Syria had hurt Moscow's prestige, as he held his annual news conference and call-in show Thursday. He used the tightly choreographed event, which lasted for about 4 1/2 hours, to reinforce his authority and demonstrate a sweeping command of everything from consumer prices to military hardware. He claimed that sending troops into Ukraine in 2022 has boosted Russia's military and economic power. He also said that if he could go back in time, he would have thought that such a decision should have been made earlier, and Russia should have prepared for it in advance and more thoroughly. "Russia has become much stronger over the past two or three years because it has become a truly sovereign country, he said. We are standing firm in terms of economy, we are strengthening our defence potential and our military capability now is the strongest

Putin, Zelenskyy rule out renewal of key gas transit deal for Europe

Kyiv has refused to extend the five-year deal to ship Russian gas across Ukraine beyond its expiry at the end of this month, President Vladimir Putin said in Moscow

Bomb hidden in electric scooter kills senior Russian nuclear forces general

Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the chief of Russia's Troops of Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defence, was killed on Tuesday outside a Moscow apartment building

Some North Korean troops killed fighting alongside Russia, say Ukraine, US

Ukraine's military intelligence agency and the Pentagon said Monday that some North Korean troops have been killed during combat against Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk border region. These are the first reported casualties since the US and Ukraine announced that North Korea had sent 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia to help it in the almost 3-year war. Ukraine's military intelligence agency said around 30 North Korean troops were killed or wounded during battle with the Ukrainian army over the weekend. The casualties occurred around three villages in Kursk, where Russia has for four months been trying to quash a Ukrainian incursion, the agency, known by its acronym GUR, said in a public post on the Telegram messaging app. At least three North Korean servicemen went missing around another Kursk village, GUR said. Maj Gen Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, told reporters that some North Korean troops have died in combat in Kursk but did not have a specific number of those kill

Russia sees no grounds for Ukraine talks but mentions peace more frequently

Kyiv, which on Tuesday declared that it would not settle for anything less than NATO membership to guarantee its future security, has also said it will not compromise its territory

Trump's plan for Ukraine in focus: Territorial concessions, Nato off table

Trump repeatedly pledged during his election campaign to end the nearly three-year-old conflict within 24 hours of his Jan. 20 inauguration, if not before then, but has yet to say how

US to send additional $725 million to Ukraine in military assistance

The US is preparing to send Ukraine an additional USD 725 million in military assistance, including counter-drone systems and munitions for its High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, which could indicate more of the longer-range missiles are headed to the battlefield. It was unclear whether the munitions for the HIMARS are the coveted ATACMS the Army Tactical Missile System but Ukraine has been pressing for more of the longer-range missiles to strike additional targets inside Russia. The package, announced Monday by the State Department, also includes more of the anti-personnel land mines that Ukraine is counting on to slow Russian and North Korean ground forces in Russia's Kursk region. President Joe Biden has pledged to spend all of the military assistance funds Congress approved this year for Ukraine before the end of his administration on January 20, which before Monday's announcement included about USD 7.1 billion in weapons that would be drawn from the Pentagon's ...

Open to ceasefire if Nato protects unoccupied areas, says Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy made the comments in an interview with Sky News broadcast Friday when asked about a scenario in which Nato security guarantees covered only territory controlled by Kyiv

Desertion a major issue with Ukraine's forces in its war with Russia

Desertion is starving the Ukrainian army of desperately needed manpower and crippling its battle plans at a crucial time in its war with Russia, which could put Kyiv at a clear disadvantage in future ceasefire talks. Facing every imaginable shortage, tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops, tired and bereft, have walked away from combat and front-line positions to slide into anonymity, according to soldiers, lawyers and Ukrainian officials. Entire units have abandoned their posts, leaving defensive lines vulnerable and accelerating territorial losses, according to military commanders and soldiers. Some take medical leave and never return, haunted by the traumas of war and demoralized by bleak prospects for victory. Others clash with commanders and refuse to carry out orders, sometimes in the middle of firefights. This problem is critical, said Oleksandr Kovalenko, a Kyiv-based military analyst. This is the third year of war, and this problem will only grow. Although Moscow has also b

Putin says Trump can stop the Ukraine war, raises concerns about his safety

The Russian President also criticised the Biden administration's recent support for Ukraine, suggesting it could be part of a strategy to strain relations between the US and Russia

World War-3 officially begins: claims Ukraine's former commander-in-chief

Participation of North Korean soldiers, use of Iranian drones and weapons from China are 'unmistakable signs' of the conflict's broader international dimensions, said Valery Zaluzhny

US Embassy in Kyiv shuts on Russian attack threat after Biden policy shift

The US Embassy in Kyiv said it would stay closed on Wednesday after receiving a warning of a potentially significant Russian air attack on the Ukrainian capital. The precautionary step came after Russian officials promised a response to President Joe Biden's decision to let Ukraine strike targets on Russian soil with US-made missiles a move that angered the Kremlin. The war, which reached its 1,000-day milestone on Tuesday, has taken on a growing international dimension with the arrival of North Korean troops to help Russia on the battlefield a development which US officials said prompted Biden's policy shift. Russian President Vladimir Putin subsequently lowered the threshold for using his nuclear arsenal, with the new doctrine announced on Tuesday permitting a potential nuclear response by Moscow even to a conventional attack on Russia by any nation that is supported by a nuclear power. That could potentially include Ukrainian attacks backed by the US. Western leaders dismisse

Ukraine fired 6 US-made ATACMs, shot 5 of them, say Russian officials

Russia's Defence Ministry said Tuesday that Ukraine fired six US-made ATACMs missiles at Russia's Bryansk region. In a statement carried by Russian news agencies, the ministry said the military shot down five of them and damaged one more. The fragments fell on the territory of an unspecified military facility, the ministry said. The falling debris sparked a fire, but didn't inflict any damage or casualties, it said. The announcement comes shortly after Washington lifted restrictions on Ukraine using US-made longer-range missiles to strike Russia. Ukraine didn't immediately confirm the use of ATACMs in a strike on Russia's Bryansk region. Earlier on Tuesday, Ukraine's General Staff said that Ukrainian army carried out a strike on the arsenal of the 1046th Logistics Support Centre in the area of Karachev in Bryansk region of Russia. The General Staff said that multiple explosions and detonation were heard in the targeted area. The destruction of ammunition depots for the Russian .

Ukraine strikes Russian territory with ATACMS missiles for first time

Since supplying Ukraine with ATACMS missiles in 2023, this marks the first time US President Joe Biden has authorised their use deeper into Russian territory

Japan's minister visits Kyiv to stress mutual concern over N Korean troops

Japan's foreign minister arrived in Kyiv on Saturday to discuss North Korea's deepening military alliance with Russia, including the deployment of thousands of troops to support Moscow's war in Ukraine. Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya will meet his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, to reaffirm Japan's strong support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion and to discuss further sanctions against Moscow, Japan's Foreign Ministry said. High on the agenda was Tokyo's grave concern over growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, the ministry said. According to US, South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence assessments, up to 12,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia as part of a major defence treaty between the countries. Last week, Ukrainian officials said Ukraine and North Korean troops engaged in small-scale fighting while Ukraine's army fired artillery at North Korean soldiers in Russia's Kursk border region, where Ukraine launched a surprise push on Augus

Russia open to hearing Trump's proposals for ending war, says official

Russia is open to hearing President-elect Donald Trump's proposals on ending the war, an official said, as a Russian drone killed one person and wounded 13 in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa and the European Union foreign policy chief held talks in Kyiv on support for Ukraine after the change in US leadership. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow and Washington were exchanging signals on Ukraine via closed channels. He did not specify whether the communication was with the current administration or Trump and members of his incoming administration. Russia is ready to listen to Trump's proposals on Ukraine provided these were ideas on how to move forward in the area of settlement, and not in the area of further pumping the Kyiv regime with all kinds of aid, Ryabkov said on Saturday in an interview with Russian state news agency Interfax. Odesa regional Gov. Oleh Kiper said high-rise residential buildings, private houses and warehouses in the Black Sea port city

Former Russian president Medvedev warns US, asks to avoid World War 3

The 2-1/2-year-old war in Ukraine is entering what Russian officials say is its most dangerous phase as Russian forces are advancing in eastern Ukraine

North Korea sent troops to help Russia in Ukraine war, confirms Nato

NATO on Monday confirmed that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia to aid in its war against Ukraine and that some have already been deployed in Russia's Kursk region, where Russia is fighting a Ukrainian incursion. Today, I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, and that North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk region, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told reporters. Rutte said that the move represents a significant escalation in North Korea's involvement in the conflict and marks a dangerous expansion of Russia's war. His remarks came after a high-level South Korean delegation including top intelligence and military officials as well as senior diplomats briefed the alliance's 32 national ambassadors at NATO headquarters in Brussels.