U.N. court orders Russia to halt its invasion of Ukraine, in a largely symbolic ruling
Russia was ordered to halt its invasion of Ukraine by the United Nations’ top court on Wednesday, in a preliminary decision that appeared to have largely symbolic significance.
Ukraine initiated the case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague to contest President Vladimir Putin’s official explanation for entering the country as an effort to end a “genocide” of pro-Russian separatists.
Though the court’s preliminary order is in theory binding under international law, there were no signs that Moscow would comply. No Russian representatives showed up when Ukraine argued its case last week.
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Russia was ordered to halt its invasion of Ukraine by the United Nations’ top court on Wednesday, in a preliminary decision that appeared to have largely symbolic significance.
Ukraine initiated the case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague to contest President Vladimir Putin’s official explanation for entering the country as an effort to end a “genocide” of pro-Russian separatists.
Though the court’s preliminary order is in theory binding under international law, there were no signs that Moscow would comply. No Russian representatives showed up when Ukraine argued its case last week.
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U.S. providing long-range aircraft systems, drones to Ukraine to defend itself from Russian assault, Biden says
President Biden announced he will activate $800 million more in security assistance “to help Ukraine fend off Russia’s assault.” He outlined the new assistance package that will include anti-aircraft systems and drones to help fend off Russian attacks.
“We're going to continue to have their backs as they fight for their freedom and democracy,” Biden said.
Biden’s announcement came shortly after an address to U.S lawmakers from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In an insistent and emotional address, he made a plea for support to protect the skies over Ukraine and defend against Russia’s attacks, calling for a “humanitarian no-fly zone” — a call that comes as suspected Russian munitions struck another apartment building in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, in an attack that has become part of a daily pattern.
More live updates here
President Biden announced he will activate $800 million more in security assistance “to help Ukraine fend off Russia’s assault.” He outlined the new assistance package that will include anti-aircraft systems and drones to help fend off Russian attacks.
“We're going to continue to have their backs as they fight for their freedom and democracy,” Biden said.
Biden’s announcement came shortly after an address to U.S lawmakers from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In an insistent and emotional address, he made a plea for support to protect the skies over Ukraine and defend against Russia’s attacks, calling for a “humanitarian no-fly zone” — a call that comes as suspected Russian munitions struck another apartment building in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, in an attack that has become part of a daily pattern.
More live updates here
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Our video highlights and what we know at the end of day 21 of the war in Ukraine:
- An airstrike hit Mariupol’s Drama Theater, a cultural site in the heart of the besieged city where hundreds of residents have been seeking shelter in recent days, local Ukrainian officials said Wednesday. There was no immediate information on deaths or injuries.
- President Biden on Wednesday called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” for the first time publicly. His comments came as a response to a question by reporter at a White House event.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made an insistent and emotional address to the U.S. Congress, asking them for support to protect the skies over Ukraine and defend against Russia’s attacks. Biden announced shortly after that he will activate $800 million more in a new assistance package that will include anti-aircraft systems and drones to help fend off Russian attacks.
Read all our coverage here.
- An airstrike hit Mariupol’s Drama Theater, a cultural site in the heart of the besieged city where hundreds of residents have been seeking shelter in recent days, local Ukrainian officials said Wednesday. There was no immediate information on deaths or injuries.
- President Biden on Wednesday called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” for the first time publicly. His comments came as a response to a question by reporter at a White House event.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made an insistent and emotional address to the U.S. Congress, asking them for support to protect the skies over Ukraine and defend against Russia’s attacks. Biden announced shortly after that he will activate $800 million more in a new assistance package that will include anti-aircraft systems and drones to help fend off Russian attacks.
Read all our coverage here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine continued Wednesday, as a Russian airstrike hit a theater in Mariupol where hundreds of residents were sheltering. The number of casualties was unknown, and Russia denied responsibility. The attacks come as U.S. President Biden for the first time publicly called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "war criminal."
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday accused Russia of “firing at humanitarian columns of buses” and “gathering points” for evacuations. There had been some successful evacuations from besieged cities in recent days.
- The U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Thursday on the situation in Ukraine. Stymied in some places by stronger-than-expected resistance and logistical problems, Russia is deliberating reinforcement of its troops and supplies, the Pentagon said.
More live updates here
- Attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine continued Wednesday, as a Russian airstrike hit a theater in Mariupol where hundreds of residents were sheltering. The number of casualties was unknown, and Russia denied responsibility. The attacks come as U.S. President Biden for the first time publicly called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "war criminal."
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday accused Russia of “firing at humanitarian columns of buses” and “gathering points” for evacuations. There had been some successful evacuations from besieged cities in recent days.
- The U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Thursday on the situation in Ukraine. Stymied in some places by stronger-than-expected resistance and logistical problems, Russia is deliberating reinforcement of its troops and supplies, the Pentagon said.
More live updates here
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This city is keeping the Russian forces from reaching Odessa. But civilians are paying the price.
Mykolaiv, a city of about 500,000 people on Ukraine’s Black Sea shoreline, is all that’s standing in Russia’s way of an assault on the major port city of Odessa.
But despite more than a week of heavy bombardment, Ukraine’s forces in Mykolaiv have thwarted Russian advances — a major blow to the Kremlin’s apparent plans for an attack on Odessa, an economic lifeline for Ukraine as one of the largest Black Sea ports.
Watch our report and read more about Mykolaiv’s resistance here
Mykolaiv, a city of about 500,000 people on Ukraine’s Black Sea shoreline, is all that’s standing in Russia’s way of an assault on the major port city of Odessa.
But despite more than a week of heavy bombardment, Ukraine’s forces in Mykolaiv have thwarted Russian advances — a major blow to the Kremlin’s apparent plans for an attack on Odessa, an economic lifeline for Ukraine as one of the largest Black Sea ports.
Watch our report and read more about Mykolaiv’s resistance here
How the West is breaking through Russia’s propaganda wall
An international resistance of computer programmers and volunteer “information warriors” is racing to pierce Kremlin propaganda and expose ordinary Russians to the uncensored truth of a brutal war.
They’ve built tools that allow anyone to surprise Russian citizens with text messages detailing the war’s civilian death toll. They’ve published antiwar videos and news sites built to evade Russian government bans. They’ve even cobbled together databases with the personal details of Russian military personnel — all in the hopes of fomenting rebellion across the new Iron Curtain.
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An international resistance of computer programmers and volunteer “information warriors” is racing to pierce Kremlin propaganda and expose ordinary Russians to the uncensored truth of a brutal war.
They’ve built tools that allow anyone to surprise Russian citizens with text messages detailing the war’s civilian death toll. They’ve published antiwar videos and news sites built to evade Russian government bans. They’ve even cobbled together databases with the personal details of Russian military personnel — all in the hopes of fomenting rebellion across the new Iron Curtain.
Read the full story here
Mariupol mayor calls strike on Drama Theater a ‘terrible tragedy’ as reports of survivors emerge
Mayor Vadym Boychenko called a Russian strike on a Mariupol's Drama Theater, where civilians were sheltering, a “terrible tragedy” in a video late Wednesday. He blamed Russian forces, which have denied responsibility.
Satellite images from before the attack showed the word “children” written in Russian in large white letters on the ground on both sides of the theater.
The fate of hundreds of residents who had been sheltering in the building remains unclear but multiple lawmakers said that many people had emerged alive from the theater's basement.
Ukrainian officials said Thursday that rescue efforts were being hampered by rubble and continued shelling.
Read the full story here
Mayor Vadym Boychenko called a Russian strike on a Mariupol's Drama Theater, where civilians were sheltering, a “terrible tragedy” in a video late Wednesday. He blamed Russian forces, which have denied responsibility.
Satellite images from before the attack showed the word “children” written in Russian in large white letters on the ground on both sides of the theater.
The fate of hundreds of residents who had been sheltering in the building remains unclear but multiple lawmakers said that many people had emerged alive from the theater's basement.
Ukrainian officials said Thursday that rescue efforts were being hampered by rubble and continued shelling.
Read the full story here
‘My life is now filled with guilt’: Desperate Ukrainians search for missing relatives in Mariupol
For two weeks, residents in Mariupol have lived without electricity, running water, heat or consistent phone connection. Ukrainians stuck outside the city seeking information about their missing loved ones, say they are also living in hell.
They spend their days scouring horrific images, searching for familiar faces or clothing — anything that might bring news about their relatives still in Mariupol. They organize groups on Telegram and Facebook to try to coordinate information, and try to avoid groups that might be sharing false Russian propaganda. They check official lists of names of evacuees. They are overwhelmed by every possible scenario.
Read the full story here:
For two weeks, residents in Mariupol have lived without electricity, running water, heat or consistent phone connection. Ukrainians stuck outside the city seeking information about their missing loved ones, say they are also living in hell.
They spend their days scouring horrific images, searching for familiar faces or clothing — anything that might bring news about their relatives still in Mariupol. They organize groups on Telegram and Facebook to try to coordinate information, and try to avoid groups that might be sharing false Russian propaganda. They check official lists of names of evacuees. They are overwhelmed by every possible scenario.
Read the full story here:
Slovakia will send Ukraine S-300 air defenses ‘immediately’ if NATO backfills its weapons
Slovakia’s defense minister said Thursday that his country is prepared to send long-range surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine “immediately” — provided that Western allies give them a “proper replacement” to avoid creating a security gap.
“The only strategic air defense system that we have in Slovakia is the S-300 system,” the defense minister, Jaroslav Nad’, said, referring to powerful Soviet-origin weapons that would enable the Ukrainian military to shoot down Russian warplanes flying several miles above the ground. Ukraine had a few before the invasion and has pleaded for more as Russian forces have intensified their bombardment of key cities.
Asked if the U.S. was prepared to send Slovakia replacements, such as Patriot missiles, Austin demurred. “These are things we will continue to work with all of our allies on and, certainly, this is not just a U.S. issue. It’s a NATO issue,” he said.
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Slovakia’s defense minister said Thursday that his country is prepared to send long-range surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine “immediately” — provided that Western allies give them a “proper replacement” to avoid creating a security gap.
“The only strategic air defense system that we have in Slovakia is the S-300 system,” the defense minister, Jaroslav Nad’, said, referring to powerful Soviet-origin weapons that would enable the Ukrainian military to shoot down Russian warplanes flying several miles above the ground. Ukraine had a few before the invasion and has pleaded for more as Russian forces have intensified their bombardment of key cities.
Asked if the U.S. was prepared to send Slovakia replacements, such as Patriot missiles, Austin demurred. “These are things we will continue to work with all of our allies on and, certainly, this is not just a U.S. issue. It’s a NATO issue,” he said.
Read the full story here
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Our video highlights and what we know at the end of day 22 of the war in Ukraine:
- Mariupol, which has been a site of continued damage, is among several cities in Ukraine weathering a severe assault as Moscow’s military advances have been slowed or thwarted and its forces pound cities from afar. New satellite images, of locations such as Kharkiv and Sumy, have revealed landscapes of flattened buildings or neighborhoods on fire.
- Ukrainian officials announced nine humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to flee besieged cities Thursday, as well as plans to deliver aid to places in need — a day after they said escape routes were being targeted by Russian forces.
- The Pentagon will expand the size and scope of weaponry being rushed to Ukraine, the Biden administration said, including for the first time armed drones capable of inflicting significant damage on Russian ground units.
More live updates here
- Mariupol, which has been a site of continued damage, is among several cities in Ukraine weathering a severe assault as Moscow’s military advances have been slowed or thwarted and its forces pound cities from afar. New satellite images, of locations such as Kharkiv and Sumy, have revealed landscapes of flattened buildings or neighborhoods on fire.
- Ukrainian officials announced nine humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to flee besieged cities Thursday, as well as plans to deliver aid to places in need — a day after they said escape routes were being targeted by Russian forces.
- The Pentagon will expand the size and scope of weaponry being rushed to Ukraine, the Biden administration said, including for the first time armed drones capable of inflicting significant damage on Russian ground units.
More live updates here
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The Russian invasion of Ukraine, now in its fourth week, is "basically frozen" on the ground amid fierce resistance and mounting logistical difficulties that have left Russian forces scrambling for food and fuel. But Western officials warned that the Kremlin still has significant combat power in reserve.
- President Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, will speak on Friday as concerns mount that Beijing will offer military equipment and aid to Moscow.
- The United States denounced Russia’s decision to seek an emergency meeting at the United Nations Security Council on Friday to discuss American biological labs in Ukraine, calling it a means through which Moscow promotes “disinformation.”
- The Russian government made a $117 million interest payment to foreign bondholders on Wednesday, averting what would have been its first foreign debt default since 1918.
More live updates here
- The Russian invasion of Ukraine, now in its fourth week, is "basically frozen" on the ground amid fierce resistance and mounting logistical difficulties that have left Russian forces scrambling for food and fuel. But Western officials warned that the Kremlin still has significant combat power in reserve.
- President Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, will speak on Friday as concerns mount that Beijing will offer military equipment and aid to Moscow.
- The United States denounced Russia’s decision to seek an emergency meeting at the United Nations Security Council on Friday to discuss American biological labs in Ukraine, calling it a means through which Moscow promotes “disinformation.”
- The Russian government made a $117 million interest payment to foreign bondholders on Wednesday, averting what would have been its first foreign debt default since 1918.
More live updates here
In Kharkiv, a rain of bombs and rockets takes a toll: ‘There are no coffins left’
The morgue in Ukraine's second city was overflowing.
In the courtyard outside, scores of black and green body bags were stacked along two of its walls. On the other side, dozens more victims of Russia’s assault on this eastern city lay exposed to the elements.
“We need body bags,” morgue director Yuriy Nikolaevich explained. Or at least plastic wrap, he said. There was nothing left to use to hand the dead back to their families: “There are no coffins left in the city.”
Failing in their attempts to enter the city for the past three weeks, Russian forces have rained down a daily shower of artillery fire, missiles and rockets, which appear to strike at random in civilian neighborhoods. The Washington Post also witnessed evidence of cluster bombs being used in the area around the main market in the city center.
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The morgue in Ukraine's second city was overflowing.
In the courtyard outside, scores of black and green body bags were stacked along two of its walls. On the other side, dozens more victims of Russia’s assault on this eastern city lay exposed to the elements.
“We need body bags,” morgue director Yuriy Nikolaevich explained. Or at least plastic wrap, he said. There was nothing left to use to hand the dead back to their families: “There are no coffins left in the city.”
Failing in their attempts to enter the city for the past three weeks, Russian forces have rained down a daily shower of artillery fire, missiles and rockets, which appear to strike at random in civilian neighborhoods. The Washington Post also witnessed evidence of cluster bombs being used in the area around the main market in the city center.
Read the full story here
Russian government websites face ‘unprecedented’ wave of hacking attacks, ministry says
Russian government websites and state-run media face an “unprecedented” wave of hacking attacks, the government said Thursday, prompting regulators to filter traffic coming from abroad.
“We are recording unprecedented attacks on the websites of government authorities,” a statement from the Ministry of Digital Development and Communications said. "That is, two to three times more powerful than the most serious incidents of this type previously recorded.”
Wednesday evening, the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry website was defaced by hackers, who altered its content. Notably, the hack replaced the department hotline with a number for Russian soldiers to call if they want to defect from the army — under the title “Come back from Ukraine alive.”
Read the full story here
Russian government websites and state-run media face an “unprecedented” wave of hacking attacks, the government said Thursday, prompting regulators to filter traffic coming from abroad.
“We are recording unprecedented attacks on the websites of government authorities,” a statement from the Ministry of Digital Development and Communications said. "That is, two to three times more powerful than the most serious incidents of this type previously recorded.”
Wednesday evening, the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry website was defaced by hackers, who altered its content. Notably, the hack replaced the department hotline with a number for Russian soldiers to call if they want to defect from the army — under the title “Come back from Ukraine alive.”
Read the full story here
Ukraine official says 130 rescued from Mariupol theater, but fate of 1,300 others remains unknown
A Ukrainian official said 130 people have been rescued alive from a bombed theater in Mariupol — although the fate of an estimated 1,300 others who had been sheltering there remained unknown Friday.
The figures, which could not be independently verified, are the first concrete details about the number of survivors rescued from the theater, which Ukrainian officials say was devastated by a Russian airstrike Wednesday.
Ukraine’s human rights ombudswoman, Lyudmyla Denisova, told Ukrainian television that, according to her data, more than 1,300 people who were sheltering in a bomb shelter below the theater remain unaccounted for.
The results of the bombing of Mariupol’s Drama Theater are “difficult to say,” she added in a video posted to her Telegram channel.
More live updates here
A Ukrainian official said 130 people have been rescued alive from a bombed theater in Mariupol — although the fate of an estimated 1,300 others who had been sheltering there remained unknown Friday.
The figures, which could not be independently verified, are the first concrete details about the number of survivors rescued from the theater, which Ukrainian officials say was devastated by a Russian airstrike Wednesday.
Ukraine’s human rights ombudswoman, Lyudmyla Denisova, told Ukrainian television that, according to her data, more than 1,300 people who were sheltering in a bomb shelter below the theater remain unaccounted for.
The results of the bombing of Mariupol’s Drama Theater are “difficult to say,” she added in a video posted to her Telegram channel.
More live updates here
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Our video highlights and what we know at the end of day 23 of the war in Ukraine:
- Ukrainian officials said Friday that Russian missiles struck an aircraft repair facility near an airport in Lviv, a western city near Poland, sowing fears of new fronts opening.
- In Mariupol, Ukrainian officials said roughly 1,300 people remained trapped in the basement of a theater struck by Russia on Wednesday. About 130 people survived and were able to leave what had been serving as a civilian shelter.
- In the absence of major territorial advances, Russia is increasingly relying on sieges and unguided “dumb” bombs to wear down cities and civilians. The United Nations has confirmed 816 civilian deaths, including the deaths of 59 children, while warning that the real tolls are almost certainly far higher.
More live updates here:
- Ukrainian officials said Friday that Russian missiles struck an aircraft repair facility near an airport in Lviv, a western city near Poland, sowing fears of new fronts opening.
- In Mariupol, Ukrainian officials said roughly 1,300 people remained trapped in the basement of a theater struck by Russia on Wednesday. About 130 people survived and were able to leave what had been serving as a civilian shelter.
- In the absence of major territorial advances, Russia is increasingly relying on sieges and unguided “dumb” bombs to wear down cities and civilians. The United Nations has confirmed 816 civilian deaths, including the deaths of 59 children, while warning that the real tolls are almost certainly far higher.
More live updates here:
Biden reaches out to China’s Xi on Ukraine
President Biden, in a nearly two-hour video call Friday, warned China’s leader Xi Jinping that his country would face significant repercussions if it provides aid to Russia at a time when Moscow is pressing ahead with an invasion of Ukraine that has been met with global condemnation.
Biden “described the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia as it conducts brutal attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilians,” the White House said in a statement.
The call was part of an urgent U.S. effort to head off any Chinese moves to provide economic or military help to Russia as America and its allies try to shut down Moscow’s financial lifelines. At a time when many Western countries have imposed tough sanctions on Russia, China remains one of its few potentially powerful sources of support.
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President Biden, in a nearly two-hour video call Friday, warned China’s leader Xi Jinping that his country would face significant repercussions if it provides aid to Russia at a time when Moscow is pressing ahead with an invasion of Ukraine that has been met with global condemnation.
Biden “described the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia as it conducts brutal attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilians,” the White House said in a statement.
The call was part of an urgent U.S. effort to head off any Chinese moves to provide economic or military help to Russia as America and its allies try to shut down Moscow’s financial lifelines. At a time when many Western countries have imposed tough sanctions on Russia, China remains one of its few potentially powerful sources of support.
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Inside the transfer of foreign military equipment to Ukrainian soldiers
ON THE POLAND-UKRAINE BORDER — There were no passport officers on the dirt road, no customs lane, no signs marking this isolated patch of farmland for what it has become: a clandestine gateway for military supplies entering Ukraine.
“No pictures, no pictures,” shouted a Polish border guard as a convoy of 17 trucks hissed to a halt on a biting morning this week.
Not far from here was a Ukrainian military base where at least 35 people had been killed a few days earlier by a Russian missile barrage, and no one wanted to call attention to this ad hoc border crossing.
Washington Post journalists were given permission to observe the delivery on the condition that they turn off the geolocation function on their cameras.
Read the full story here:
ON THE POLAND-UKRAINE BORDER — There were no passport officers on the dirt road, no customs lane, no signs marking this isolated patch of farmland for what it has become: a clandestine gateway for military supplies entering Ukraine.
“No pictures, no pictures,” shouted a Polish border guard as a convoy of 17 trucks hissed to a halt on a biting morning this week.
Not far from here was a Ukrainian military base where at least 35 people had been killed a few days earlier by a Russian missile barrage, and no one wanted to call attention to this ad hoc border crossing.
Washington Post journalists were given permission to observe the delivery on the condition that they turn off the geolocation function on their cameras.
Read the full story here:
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukrainian forces continued to put up a defiant defense of their country’s cities, limiting Russian ground advances as the Kremlin’s invasion enters its 24th day.
- Major population centers such as Kyiv and Kharkiv remain in Ukrainian hands and Russia’s troops are still “stalled across the country,” the Pentagon said, even as it cautioned that Moscow retains 90 percent of its assembled combat power.
- The United Nations said Friday that roughly 9.8 million people have either fled Ukraine or are internally displaced as a result of the fighting, while 12 million are stranded or otherwise face dangerous living conditions.
More live updates here
- Ukrainian forces continued to put up a defiant defense of their country’s cities, limiting Russian ground advances as the Kremlin’s invasion enters its 24th day.
- Major population centers such as Kyiv and Kharkiv remain in Ukrainian hands and Russia’s troops are still “stalled across the country,” the Pentagon said, even as it cautioned that Moscow retains 90 percent of its assembled combat power.
- The United Nations said Friday that roughly 9.8 million people have either fled Ukraine or are internally displaced as a result of the fighting, while 12 million are stranded or otherwise face dangerous living conditions.
More live updates here