Russia Invades Ukraine

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The White House is pressing Ukraine to draft 18-year-olds to battle Russia President Joe Biden’s administration is urging Ukraine to quickly increase the size of its military by drafting more troops and revamping its mobilization laws to allow for the conscription of those as young as 18. Read more.

Why this matters: The White House has pushed more than $56 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s February 2022 invasion. But with time running out until President-elect Donald Trump takes office, the Biden administration is also sharpening its viewpoint that Ukraine has the weaponry it needs and must dramatically increase troop levels if it’s going to stay in the fight. A senior Biden administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the Ukrainians believe they need about 160,000 additional troops, but the U.S. administration believes they will need more than that.   The situation in Russia’s Kursk border region has become further complicated by the arrival of thousands of North Korean troops, who have come to help Moscow try to claw back the land seized in a Ukrainian incursion this year. Russia’s own problems with adequate troop levels and planning early in the war prevented Moscow from taking full advantage of its edge. But the tide has shifted.   Conscription has been a sensitive matter in Ukraine throughout the war as some Ukrainians worry that taking more young adults out of the workforce could backfire by further harming the war-ravaged economy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has consistently stated that he has no plans to lower the mobilization age.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Another massive Russian missile and drone attack targets Ukraine’s energy infrastructure   Russia expels British diplomat after accusing him of spying   New NATO chief Rutte says alliance ‘needs to go further’ in support for Ukraine

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Desertion threatens to starve Ukraine’s forces at a crucial time in its war with Russia

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — 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.

https://apnews.com/article/deserters-awol-ukraine-russia-war-def676562552d42bc5d593363c9e5ea0?

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Zelenskyy says NATO offer for Ukraine-controlled territory could end ‘hot stage’ of war

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — An offer of NATO membership to territory under Kyiv’s control would end “the hot stage of the war” in Ukraine, but any proposal to join the military alliance should be extended to all parts of the country that fall under internationally recognized borders, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a broadcast interview.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-zelenskyy-nato-92069fae6a05fc03d6fb2643ecbb4b2a?

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US announces nearly $1 billion more in longer-term weapons support for Ukraine

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — The United States will provide nearly $1 billion more in longer-term weapons support to Ukraine, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Saturday as the Biden administration rushes to spend all the congressionally approved money it has left to bolster Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump takes office next month.

https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-weapons-russia-trump-biden-himars-zelenskyy-7b2560ad6bd54a6275da0ceb5241c0e8?

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Ukrainian man fleeing war rescued with his kitten on a perilous journey through Romanian mountains

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A Ukrainian man who embarked on a perilous journey fleeing his war-torn country into Romania was rescued from a deep mountain ravine in subzero temperatures with an unlikely companion: his months-old kitten named Peach.

https://apnews.com/article/romania-ukraine-draft-cat-rescue-mountain-war-8e57bc8b07a2ec80ea16ca9cd09450b3?

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Biden is rushing aid to Ukraine. Both sides are digging in. And everyone is bracing for Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — The grinding war between Ukraine and its Russian invaders has escalated ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration, with President Joe Biden rushing out billions of dollars more in military aid before U.S. support for Kyiv’s defenses is thrown into question under the new administration.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-ukraine-military-aid-russia-biden-efbcff8ed068e621055e8fa70b5905e1?

ps:What a sad state of affairs when a country wont stand by its commitment to stand up for countries that need our help!!

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Ukraine

Russia launched a widespread attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure overnight, forcing the country to implement emergency power outages, Ukrainian authorities said today. "The enemy continues its terror. Once again, the energy sector across Ukraine is under massive attack," Ukrainian energy minister German Halushchenko said. The extent of the damage had yet to be clarified, he added while urging people to remain in shelters. Moscow's forces have intensified bombardments of Ukraine in recent months, leaving the country in a precarious position as the war grinds into its third winter. The US on Thursday also announced a $500 million aid package for Ukraine in the coming days that will pull equipment out of US military stocks to help put Kyiv on a strong footing going into 2025, a senior Biden administration official said.

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A Russian general was killed by a bomb in Moscow. Ukraine official says secret service was behind it The head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defence Forces, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, was killed Tuesday by a bomb hidden in a scooter outside his apartment building in Moscow, a day after Ukraine’s security agency leveled criminal charges against him. A Ukrainian official said the country’s security service carried out the attack. Read more.

Key points: Kirillov’s assistant also died in the blast, officials said. The explosion was triggered remotely, according to Russian news reports.   Kirillov was under sanctions from several countries, including the U.K. and Canada, for his actions in Moscow’s war in Ukraine. On Monday, Ukraine’s Security Service, or SBU, opened a criminal investigation against him, accusing him of directing the use of banned chemical weapons. An official with the SBU said the agency was behind the attack. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described Kirillov as a “war criminal and an entirely legitimate target.”   The SBU has said it recorded more than 4,800 occasions when Russia used chemical weapons on the battlefield since its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Russia has denied using any chemical weapons in Ukraine and, in turn, has accused Kyiv of using toxic agents in combat.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Russian presence in Syria remains. But it’s unclear for how long   Trump says it was ‘stupid’ for Biden to let Ukraine use US weapons to strike deeper into Russia   EU slaps sanctions on dozens more Russian officials and targets its shadow oil and gas fleet   Moscow explosion A top Russian general accused of using chemical weapons on the battlefields in Ukraine was killed after a bomb went off in Moscow early today, Russian investigators said. Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, who headed Russia's nuclear, biological and chemical protection forces, is the most senior military official known to be killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ukraine's security services were behind the assassination, a source told CNN, calling Kirillov a "war criminal and an absolutely legitimate target." The blast came a day after Ukrainian prosecutors sentenced Kirillov in absentia for Russia's use of banned chemical weapons during its invasion.

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Russia says it has detained a suspect in the Moscow bombing that killed a senior general

Russia’s security service said Wednesday it detained a citizen from Uzbekistan in the bombing that killed a senior general as he left his southeastern Moscow apartment — a bold assassination that was claimed by Ukraine’s security service.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-general-killed-suspected-arrested-32e504b029d8db0b8d52474d75efc383?

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Hundreds of soldiers freed in the latest prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners of war in the latest such swap that saw the release of hundreds of captives and was brokered with the help of the United Arab Emirates, officials said Monday.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-prisoners-exchange-77e9cc4418772e446c5f14e15b48c98a?

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Ukraine halts transit of Russian gas to Europe after a prewar deal expired Ukraine on Wednesday halted Russian gas supplies to European customers through its pipeline network after a prewar transit deal expired at the end of 2024 and almost three years into Moscow’s all-out invasion of its neighbor. Read more.

Why this matters: Before the war, Russia supplied nearly 40% of the European Union’s pipeline natural gas. After the war started, Russia cut off most supplies through the Baltic and Belarus-Poland pipelines, citing disputes over a demand for payment in rubles. The Russian cutoff caused an energy crisis in Europe. Germany had to shell out billions of euros to set up floating terminals to import liquefied natural gas that comes by ship, users cut back as prices soared and Norway and the United States filled the gap, becoming the two largest suppliers.   At a summit in Brussels last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed that Kyiv would not allow Moscow to use the transits to earn “additional billions ... on our blood, on the lives of our citizens.” However, he briefly held open the possibility of the gas flows continuing if payments to Russia were withheld until the war ends.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Ukraine has seen success in building clean energy, which is harder for Russia to destroy   Ceremonies mark full membership of Bulgaria and Romania in Europe’s Schengen travel zone   Sweden embarks on a sober search for more cemetery space in case of war

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Ukraine

Ukraine has launched a counterattack in the southern Russian border region of Kursk, warning that Russia is "getting what it deserves." The Ukrainian military first launched an incursion into Kursk in August and has held much of the territory it took, despite efforts by Russian and recently deployed North Korean troops to drive Ukrainian units back across the border. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said today that Russia may be close to sharing advanced satellite technology with North Korea after the isolated nation supplied thousands of troops to help bolster Moscow's invasion.

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Ukraine says it captured 2 North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s forces have captured two North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in Russia’s Kursk border region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday, the first such claim by Kyiv since North Korea sent thousands of troops to shore up Moscow’s war effort on the other side of the world.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kursk-north-korea-315686a16f8496b008dde3f061948b2a?

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Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is willing to release North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine in the Kursk region of Russia in exchange for Ukrainian soldiers being held captive in Russia. “Ukraine is ready to hand over (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un’s soldiers to him if he can organize their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia,” Zelensky said Sunday in a post on X that included a video purportedly showing two North Korean POWs being interrogated. On Saturday, Ukraine said it had captured two North Korean soldiers, marking the first time that Kyiv has captured soldiers alive from the isolated state. Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang have officially acknowledged the presence of North Korean troops in Russia.

 

Shadow fleet of tankers keeps Russia’s oil money flowing despite Western sanctions The Group of Seven democracies have sought to crimp Russia’s oil export earnings that help fund the war against Ukraine. But Western governments and sanctions experts say Moscow has resorted to using a shadow fleet of hundreds of aging tankers of uncertain ownership that are dodging sanctions and keeping the oil revenue coming. Read more.

Why this matters: The shadow fleet is made up of aging tankers bought used, often by nontransparent entities with addresses in non-sanctioning countries such as the United Arab Emirates or the Marshall Islands, and flagged in places like Gabon or the Cook Islands. Some of the vessels are owned by the Russian state Sovcomflot shipping company. Their role is to help Russia’s oil exporters elude the $60 per barrel price cap imposed by Ukraine’s allies.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Russia forms an emergency task force as Kerch Strait oil spill continues to spread   Sweden to contribute up to 3 warships to reinforced NATO presence in the Baltic   Seoul’s spy agency says North Korean soldiers captured in Ukraine haven’t shown desire to defect

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Ukraine

Ukraine struck Russian regions with a major drone and missile attack overnight, damaging at least two factories and forcing schools to close in a major southern Russian city, according to Russian officials and media. The Shot Telegram channel said that Russia had downed more than 200 Ukrainian drones and five US-made ATACMS ballistic missiles. Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of the Bryansk region in western Russia, said Ukraine had launched a major missile attack but did not say which missiles had been used. In the Russian city of Engels, home to an air base where Russia’s nuclear bombers are based, Saratov Governor Roman Busargin said an industrial enterprise had been damaged by a drone but gave no more details. The Russian defense ministry made no immediate comment on the attacks, and Reuters was unable to immediately confirm the reports.

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Russian missile attack forces Ukraine to shut down power grid

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia on Wednesday launched a major ballistic and cruise missile attack on regions across Ukraine, targeting energy production and compelling authorities to shut down the power grid in some areas despite freezing winter weather, officials said.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-massive-attack-power-cuts-2dc7a30e36c9eca3e874476374c21eba?

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Russia claims its troops are in the last stages of taking another eastern Ukraine town

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed on Friday that Russian troops have fought their way into the center of a strategically important eastern Ukraine town and raised the Russian flag there after a monthslong battle.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-donetsk-town-43de04ea5dba7b301d71ede2af8529c1?

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A Russian drone strikes an apartment building in Ukraine, killing at least 6

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian drone blasted a hole in an apartment building in northeastern Ukraine during a nighttime attack, killing at least six people and wounding nine others, officials said Thursday.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-drone-attack-apartment-building-87081db8f788ffa19c43dceb0a6532d9?

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AP Interview: Zelenskyy says excluding Ukraine from US-Russia talks about war is ‘very dangerous’

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that excluding his country from talks between the U.S. and Russia about the war in Ukraine would be “very dangerous” and asked for more discussions between Kyiv and Washington to develop a plan for a ceasefire.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-trump-talks-ceasefire-00af5f61f1faf41e78a3b4e072c21a14?

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Ukraine

Ukraine's air force got a boost in its war effort against Russia on Thursday with the arrival of Mirage fighter jets from France, along with US-made F-16s from the Netherlands. French President Emmanuel Macron had promised the jets to Ukraine last summer. "The Ukrainian sky is becoming more secure!" Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said in a statement. The new fighters are expected to improve Ukraine's ability to provide air cover for troops, attack ground targets, take on enemy planes and intercept missiles. The latter role could be vital as Russia has stepped up missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, often sending dozens in one night.

 

Inside the operations that took captive 2 North Korean soldiers fighting Ukraine When Ukrainian soldiers captured two North Korean prisoners of war last month, it provided the first undeniable proof of Pyongyang’s direct involvement in the war against Ukraine. Read more.

Why this matters: It also shed some light on the mindset and training of the conscripted North Korean soldiers sent to fight Russia’s war a continent away from their home. Highly disciplined, ready to die but also very young and with little battlefield experience, they elicited curiosity and even some pity from the Ukrainian soldiers who captured them during two separate missions on Jan. 9.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Trump’s Justice Department ends task force aimed at seizing assets of Russian oligarchs   A Russian spy ship caught fire off Syria’s coast, officials say. Here’s audio of its broadcasts

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Ukraine offers rare earth deal to Trump for more US military aid Ukraine has offered to strike a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump for continued American military aid in exchange for developing Ukraine’s mineral industry, which could provide a valuable source of the rare earth elements that are essential for many kinds of technology. Read more.

Why this matters: Rare earth elements are a set of 17 elements that are essential in many kinds of consumer technology, including cellphones, hard drives, and electric vehicles. Ukraine’s rare earth elements are largely untapped because of the war and because of state policies regulating the mineral industry.   China, Trump’s chief geopolitical adversary, is the world’s largest producer of rare earth elements. Both the U.S and Europe have sought to reduce their dependence on Beijing.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ EU vows countermeasures to US tariffs; bourbon, jeans, peanut butter, motorcycles easy targets   Europe’s far-right leaders applaud Trump and downplay threat of possible US tariffs   Zelenskyy confirms a new Ukrainian offensive in Russia’s Kursk region

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Ukraine

In a series of meetings in Europe this week, US officials are urging their EU and NATO counterparts to take on a much greater role in supporting Ukraine. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to urge members to increase their defense spending to 5% of their respective GDPs and ramp up their defense industrial base to start manufacturing weapons and equipment more quickly. This comes as the Trump administration appears to be pursuing multiple channels to try to get a Russia-Ukraine peace deal after the president said he could end the conflict within 24 hours of taking office.

 

Hegseth rules out NATO membership for Ukraine and says Europe must be responsible for country’s security

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that the war between Ukraine and Russia “must end,” that Kyiv joining NATO is unrealistic and that the US will no longer prioritize European and Ukrainian security as the Trump administration shifts its attention to securing the US’ own borders and deterring war with China.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/12/politics/hegseth-ukraine-rules-out-nato-membership?

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Trump upends US policy on Ukraine and says he and Putin have agreed to begin talks on ending the war

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump upended three years of U.S. policy toward Ukraine on Wednesday, saying that he and Russian leader Vladimir Putin had agreed to begin negotiations on ending the war following a sudden prisoner swap.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-us-marc-fogel-prisoner-swap-98418693957b1fa0189ee8ac4e8b4f2d?

ps:So Zelenskyy doesn't get a say??

Hegseth: Ukraine dream "unrealistic"

BRUSSELS — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a blunt message to NATO allies today: U.S. troops won't be part of any future peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, Axios' Zachary Basu reports from NATO headquarters in Belgium.

• Ukraine should make a deal with Russia now, Hegseth said — and give up hopes of regaining all of its occupied territory or becoming a member of NATO.

?? "We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective," Hegseth said, referring to Russia's yearslong occupation of Crimea and the eastern Donbas region.

• "Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering."

? Between the lines: Hegseth is pushing Ukraine to seek a deal, while also ruling out provisions Kyiv would want in that deal.

• In an interview with The Guardian this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the notion that Europe could provide legitimate security guarantees without American muscle.

?️ What's next: President Trump said he spoke today with Russian President Vladimir Putin and they agreed on "starting negotiations immediately" to end the war in Ukraine.

• Vice President Vance is slated to meet with Zelensky at the Munich Security Conference later this week to discuss Trump's vision for peace.

Go deeper.

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Ukraine

Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today at the high-level Munich Security Conference in Germany. Hours before the expected meeting, Zelensky said a Russian drone had struck the destroyed nuclear power plant at Chernobyl, underscoring the crisis on the ground. Emergency services said that the radiation levels remain normal. Vance on Thursday also warned that the US could send troops to Ukraine and hit Russia with further sanctions if President Vladimir Putin doesn't negotiate a peace deal in good faith.

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A drone pierced the outer shell of Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear plant. Radiation levels are normal

CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR POWER STATION, Ukraine (AP) — A drone armed with a warhead hit the protective outer shell of Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear plant early Friday, punching a hole in the structure and briefly starting a fire, in an attack Kyiv blamed on Russia. The Kremlin denied it was responsible.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-chernobyl-zelenskyy-71d781dbd66754d0a548edd388f3447a?

Ukraine

European leaders will hold an emergency summit on Ukraine and their continent's security today as concern grows that President Donald Trump's push to work with Russia to end the war has left Kyiv and Europe isolated. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who called the summit in Paris a "once in a generation" moment for national security, said he was ready to put British troops on the ground in Ukraine if necessary. The summit comes before US and Russian officials meet in Saudi Arabia for talks on ending the war, which sources told CNN would begin on Tuesday.