Russia Invades Ukraine

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After 4 years of war by Russia in Ukraine, peace is still elusive despite a US push for a settlement

When Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine surpassed 1,418 days last month, it officially exceeded a historic milestone — the same span of time it took Moscow to defeat Nazi Germany in World War II.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-putin-zelenskyy-trump-31546cd13feea315f1550afc3bbf565d?

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PHOTO ESSAY: Portraits of Ukrainians on the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainians have now lived with four years of war. They have lost limbs, loved ones, livelihoods and homes, but not hope. Here are some of their stories. All posed with photos taken before Russia’s full-scale invasion changed their lives.

https://apnews.com/photo-essay/ukraine-photo-essay-portraits-anniversary-war-d7bb463924e7cad9cfaa45e59600fc60?

• 🇺🇦 Today is the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that Russia has not "broken Ukrainians" nor triumphed in its war. Go deeper.

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Zelenskyy says he’s reluctant to repair pipeline that brings Russian oil to Central Europe

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that he would prefer not to repair a damaged oil pipeline that delivers Russian crude to Central Europe despite rising tensions with neighboring Hungary and Slovakia over interruptions to oil flows.

https://apnews.com/article/zelenskyy-reluctant-repair-russian-oil-pipeline-728ee20f05b57d2cdf9d87dd54ccdfc0?

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Hungary seizes millions of euros in cash and gold from Ukrainian convoy

An increasingly acrimonious spat between Hungary and Ukraine has escalated further, as Budapest impounded two Ukrainian armoured bank vehicles carrying millions of euros of hard cash as well as bars of gold.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/06/hungary-seizes-millions-euros-cash-gold-ukrainian-convoy?

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Zelenskyy says Ukraine is waiting on US and Russia to set the next round of talks

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in comments released Sunday that he was ready for the next round of trilateral peace talks to end Russia’s more than 4-year-old invasion of Ukraine, but that it was up to Washington and Moscow to agree on where and when to meet.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-zelenskyy-talks-da43331a99bfcfd80b14e64159c26d8f?

ps:He's wasting his time if he's counting on the US and Russia!!

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Putin Makes Humiliating Request as His War Costs Surge

Russia’s costly invasion of Ukraine has now entered its fifth year.

Vladimir Putin is seeking handouts from Russia’s ultra-wealthy in order to help fund the war in Ukraine, according to reports.

Sources told The Financial Times that Putin wants more money so he can keep fighting until Russia captures the remaining areas of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region that it has not already seized.

Putin’s appeal for cash suggests he intends to press on with the invasion regardless of its crippling effect on the Kremlin’s budget. The war has seen Russia’s defense costs soar to an estimated 15.5 trillion rubles ($191 billion) in 2025, up from an estimated 9.1 trillion rubles (then $86.4 billion) in 2022.

Russian independent news outlet The Bell first reported that Putin issued a call for “voluntary contributions” to the budget during a behind-closed-doors meeting with top businessmen.

As noted by The Financial Times, Putin making a personal request to oligarchs means it is “all but inconceivable” they will refuse to help fund the war effort.

At least two businessmen have reportedly already said they will donate money to the Kremlin’s budget so Putin can continue the war.

Russian senator Suleiman Kerimov, who has an estimated net worth of more than $25 billion, said he was willing to donate around 100 billion rubles ($1.23 billion). Metals magnate Oleg Deripaska, believed to be worth more than $7 billion, also agreed to contribute. Both Kerimov and Deripaska have been sanctioned by the U.S. and Ukraine.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported that the Russian government is preparing a possible 10 percent cut to all “non-sensitive” spending in this year’s budget as the cost of invading Ukraine continues to balloon.

Russia is also keeping an eye on the oil price rises triggered by the U.S.-Israel war in Iran, and any decision on budget cuts will depend on the sustainability of those increases.

“The president said he hopes the crisis will be resolved in the coming weeks, probably three to four weeks,” Alexander Shokhin, president of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs lobby group, said, via The Bell.

“He didn’t strongly suggest that the Ministry of Finance and companies should expect a long-term windfall.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/vladimir-putin-makes-humiliating-request-as-his-ukraine-war-costs-surge/?

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‘The frontline is like Terminator’: fighting robots give Ukraine hope in war with Russia

Use of unmanned ground vehicles has grown exponentially since 2024 turning the war into a technological contest

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/04/fighting-robots-give-ukraine-hope-in-war-with-russia?

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Russia’s Putin declares a ceasefire in Ukraine for Orthodox Easter

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared a 32-hour ceasefire in Ukraine over the Orthodox Easter weekend, following an earlier call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a pause in some of the hostilities to observe the holiday.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-orthodox-easter-ceasefire-ff25a818f5509d6820df1f3deba587e7?

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Ukraine

Russia unleashed one of its largest drone attacks on Ukraine this year, killing more than a dozen and wounding more than 100 people across the country, Ukrainian authorities said earlier today. Over roughly 24 hours, Russia launched 659 drones and 44 missiles in waves of attacks on major cities, including Ukraine's capital Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia, the Ukrainian Air Force said. Local authorities confirmed at least 16 people, including a child, were killed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack, saying, "Another night has proven that Russia does not deserve any easing of global policy or lifting of sanctions."

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Ukraine’s army evolves under fire, with new units challenging Soviet legacy

When a Ukrainian agricultural tycoon founded a volunteer unit of 30 people in the early days of Russia’s invasion, he had no certainty he would live to see what came next — but he did, and so did the force he created. The group says it now has a 40,000-strong corps, and it is widely seen as one of Ukraine’s most effective fighting formations within official defense forces. Its rapid expansion reflects a broader transformation of Ukraine’s military. Read more.

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Ukraine war briefing: Russia seeking to bring Belarus back into the war, says Zelenskyy

Building of artillery positions and roads suggest fresh military efforts likely from the north, says Ukrainian president. What we know on day 1,515

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/18/ukraine-war-briefing-russia-seeking-to-bring-belarus-back-into-the-war-says-zelenskyy?

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Chernobyl’s radioactive landscape is testament to nature’s resilience and survival spirit

On contaminated land that is too dangerous for human life, the world’s wildest horses roam free. Across the Chernobyl exclusion zone, Przewalski’s horses — stocky, sand-colored and almost toy-like in appearance — graze in a radioactive landscape larger than Luxembourg. Four decades on, Chernobyl — which is transliterated as “Chornobyl” in Ukraine — remains too dangerous for humans. But the wildlife has moved back in. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

Russian attacks kill at least 2 as Ukraine strikes a Russian drone factory Ukraine’s army evolves under fire, with new units challenging Soviet legacy

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Another Russian oil facility burns as Zelenskyy touts Ukraine’s drone reach

Another oil facility deep inside Russia was reportedly on fire Wednesday after what Ukraine’s president claimed was his country’s latest long-range drone attack.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-perm-oil-facility-fire-drones-3b1ca5805ccfb4f97494643369a610b0?

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Putin Forced to Make Humiliating Change to His Big Military Parade

Russia’s showcase Victory Day parade will roll across Red Square without a single tank, missile system, or armored vehicle.

Vladimir Putin’s most prized annual spectacle is about to look considerably less impressive, after Russia confirmed it will hold its Victory Day parade without any military hardware for the first time in nearly two decades.

The Russian defense ministry announced that no armored vehicles or missile systems would cross Red Square on May 9, citing “the current operational situation.” Cadets from military schools and youth military institutions will also be absent. The Kremlin blamed what it called “Ukrainian terrorist activity” for the changes.

Russian military bloggers and independent analysts claim that Moscow fears that Ukrainian long-range drone strikes could destroy equipment before or during the parade.

“Equipment is vulnerable even during the preparation stage, as columns park and rehearse outside Moscow on open training grounds that are easy to hit with drones,” independent analyst Ruslan Leviev told TV Rain. “Hitting soldiers in the city center among tourists would not be so straightforward.”

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Victory Day parades have been progressively scaled back. Last year’s 80th anniversary was a notable exception—at least 27 foreign heads of state attended, and a full procession of tanks, rocket launchers, and drones rolled across Red Square. This year’s parade will have none of that.

The climbdown carries symbolic weight. Over Putin’s more than two-and-a-half decades in power, Victory Day—which marks the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany—has become the centerpiece of his vision of Russian national identity.

Since the invasion, the Kremlin has leaned on the celebrations even harder, using them to justify the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian long-range drones continue to strike Russian territory on an almost daily basis, targeting oil infrastructure, military sites, and logistics hubs. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week praised the “precision” of Ukraine’s Security Service after strikes hit targets more than 930 miles away. “We will continue to extend these ranges,” he wrote on X.

Analysts have cautioned against overstating the economic damage. A surge in oil prices driven by the Middle East conflict has kept Russia’s energy revenues elevated, allowing Moscow to absorb some of the impact even as its refineries come under attack.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/putin-forced-to-make-humiliating-change-to-his-big-military-victory-day-parade/?

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Ukraine bets on battlefield AI as the race for weapons autonomy intensifies

Ukraine is accelerating the use of artificial intelligence to retain an edge on the battlefield, as the war with Russia enters a new technological phase. In an interview with the AP, the head of an AI defense agency, Danylo Tsvok, said AI is helping Ukraine hold ground while reducing risks to its soldiers. Read more.

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Iran’s supreme leader vows to protect nuclear and missile capabilities Royals boost Dutch military volunteers as Europe looks to ramp up troop numbers  Venice Biennale’s international jury resigns as Italy’s government opposed Russia’s participation From grading papers to decoding jargon, here are some ways people are putting AI to work

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Ukraine war briefing: Russian oil hub of Tuapse hit for fourth time as environmental disaster mounts

Ukrainian drone attacks on refinery in Black Sea port cause toxic clouds and oil slicks on resort’s coastline; Kyiv to reform army. What we know on day 1,529

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/02/ukraine-war-briefing-russian-oil-hub-of-tuapse-hit-for-fourth-time-as-environmental-disaster-mounts?

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Ukraine hits key Russian oil-loading port and 3 ‘shadow fleet’ tankers

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine on Sunday launched a wave of strikes against Russian oil targets, hitting a key loading port on the Baltic Sea and two tankers that Ukraine alleges were illegally used to transport Russian crude.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-drones-strike-attack-oil-port-b686081ec3f3a9da07d380413067cfd6?

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Zelenskyy slams Russia’s ‘utter cynicism’ as strikes kill 22 in Ukraine before announced ceasefire

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian drone and missile strikes carried out overnight and later on Tuesday killed at least 22 people and wounded more than 80 others, Ukrainian authorities said, hours before Kyiv was due to enact a ceasefire and three days before Moscow promised its own pause in hostilities.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-drone-missile-attacks-truce-8091ae98d24510be51ffd67d034d64d2?

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Russia says Ukraine launched a major drone attack after Moscow shunned ceasefire offer

Russian air defenses shot down 347 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday, in what appeared to be a major attack after Moscow spurned Kyiv’s ceasefire earlier in the week and tension mounted over safety at Russia’s upcoming Victory Day celebrations.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-drone-attack-moscow-celebrations-3fd7de0bc63bc349422117e1517e724d?

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What Russia’s low‑key Victory Day celebrations reveal about Putin and the war in Ukraine

A three-day ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday defused the tensions over a prospective Ukrainian attack on a Red Square parade in Moscow, but the deal appeared unlikely to set the stage for a comprehensive peace deal.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-moscow-parade-ceasefire-cde7ec7a0fb10a3e2563171b931485e8?

Russia and Ukraine confirm three-day ceasefire from 9 May

Donald Trump has announced a three-day ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine from 9 to 11 May.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/08/trump-russia-ukraine-three-day-ceasefire-9-may?

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Kyiv mourns as death toll from Russian attack in the Ukrainian capital rises to 24

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The death toll from a Russian missile attack that flattened a Kyiv apartment building rose Friday to 24, including three teenagers, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said as he led the mourning for one of the deadliest attacks on the capital in the 4-year-old war.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-kyiv-attack-58db0cf78615952f3f090c19e104387f?

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Ukraine’s attack on Moscow is another sign the war is not so distant anymore for Russians

It’s getting harder for officials in the Kremlin to cast the war in Ukraine — now in its fifth year — as something so distant that it doesn’t affect the daily routines of Russian civilians.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-moscow-attack-drone-a3be2f260ff6d436409281246e2bb0e4?