Ukraine’s dreams of rebuilding run into reality of soaring costs
KHARKIV, Ukraine — Hopes for reconstruction run high in this once grand regional capital devastated by Russian bombing. Many here dream that after the war, Kharkiv will not only be rebuilt but reimagined for the 21st century, to shake off the last shackles of the Soviet Union.
There is just one painful and inescapable reality: The war is not over, and neither is the destruction.
Cities like Kharkiv, which sits just 25 miles from the border with Russia and is still regularly hit by attacks, must convince investors not only that the war will end soon, but that another will not follow. A return to economic growth will need a definitive end to the war, not a stalemate.
Nearly 16 months after the start of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine and its supporters are eager to start rebuilding, especially in areas like Kharkiv that seem safely out of Moscow’s reach.
Read the full story here.
KHARKIV, Ukraine — Hopes for reconstruction run high in this once grand regional capital devastated by Russian bombing. Many here dream that after the war, Kharkiv will not only be rebuilt but reimagined for the 21st century, to shake off the last shackles of the Soviet Union.
There is just one painful and inescapable reality: The war is not over, and neither is the destruction.
Cities like Kharkiv, which sits just 25 miles from the border with Russia and is still regularly hit by attacks, must convince investors not only that the war will end soon, but that another will not follow. A return to economic growth will need a definitive end to the war, not a stalemate.
Nearly 16 months after the start of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine and its supporters are eager to start rebuilding, especially in areas like Kharkiv that seem safely out of Moscow’s reach.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- A Moscow court rejected American journalist Evan Gershkovich’s appeal Thursday against his pretrial detention, upholding an earlier decision to keep him in custody until August.
- In Kyiv, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said Ukraine expects to receive an invitation to NATO with an “open date, but with concrete signal.”
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged NATO leaders to focus on strengthening Ukraine’s combat power as it fights to recapture swaths of the country.
- The United States and European countries announced billions of dollars in aid at the Ukraine Recovery Conference.
- Russian authorities accused Ukrainian forces of striking a bridge between Kherson and Crimea.
- Ukrainian forces are advancing in the south and firming up their defenses in the east in “fierce battles” with Russian forces, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address.
More live updates here.
- A Moscow court rejected American journalist Evan Gershkovich’s appeal Thursday against his pretrial detention, upholding an earlier decision to keep him in custody until August.
- In Kyiv, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said Ukraine expects to receive an invitation to NATO with an “open date, but with concrete signal.”
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged NATO leaders to focus on strengthening Ukraine’s combat power as it fights to recapture swaths of the country.
- The United States and European countries announced billions of dollars in aid at the Ukraine Recovery Conference.
- Russian authorities accused Ukrainian forces of striking a bridge between Kherson and Crimea.
- Ukrainian forces are advancing in the south and firming up their defenses in the east in “fierce battles” with Russian forces, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address.
More live updates here.
Kyiv clamps down on bunker rules after residents died outside locked shelter
KYIV, Ukraine — A map led the team to a gated entrance of a yellow-brick building, a place designated by Ukraine’s capital city as a bunker for residents to take cover from near-nightly Russian airstrikes.
But there was no sign marking the nondescript door as a bomb shelter. And when the city inspectors arrived, the gate was locked.
One team member offered to call a neighborhood official to open it.
“It’s not going to work like that,” said the man in charge, Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukraine’s minister of strategic industries. “He’s not going to be here when there’s an air raid siren.”
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — A map led the team to a gated entrance of a yellow-brick building, a place designated by Ukraine’s capital city as a bunker for residents to take cover from near-nightly Russian airstrikes.
But there was no sign marking the nondescript door as a bomb shelter. And when the city inspectors arrived, the gate was locked.
One team member offered to call a neighborhood official to open it.
“It’s not going to work like that,” said the man in charge, Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukraine’s minister of strategic industries. “He’s not going to be here when there’s an air raid siren.”
Read the full story here.
Russian ban of wildlife fund signals isolation even on animal protection
RIGA, Latvia — Russia has outlawed the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the world’s largest environmental advocacy groups, claiming that it is undermining the country’s economy and limiting the work of its oil and gas giants as authorities continue to push out civil society organizations.
The ousting of the WWF, the last major international environmental organization still operating in Russia, as well as the shutdown of several dozen local activist groups over the past year, signal a grim shift in Russia’s ecological policy, in which the war in Ukraine and the weight of sanctions on the economy have eclipsed projects aimed at preserving nature in the world’s largest country by area.
Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office on Wednesday designated the WWF as “an undesirable organization,” a label that makes the group and any affiliation with it illegal and forces it to shut operations.
Read the full story here.
RIGA, Latvia — Russia has outlawed the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the world’s largest environmental advocacy groups, claiming that it is undermining the country’s economy and limiting the work of its oil and gas giants as authorities continue to push out civil society organizations.
The ousting of the WWF, the last major international environmental organization still operating in Russia, as well as the shutdown of several dozen local activist groups over the past year, signal a grim shift in Russia’s ecological policy, in which the war in Ukraine and the weight of sanctions on the economy have eclipsed projects aimed at preserving nature in the world’s largest country by area.
Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office on Wednesday designated the WWF as “an undesirable organization,” a label that makes the group and any affiliation with it illegal and forces it to shut operations.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukrainian air defenses shot down a Russian missile barrage headed toward a military airfield in the country’s west overnight, the air force said early Friday.
- Moscow accused Kyiv a day earlier of striking a bridge connecting Russian-held territory in southern Ukraine to Crimea.
- Ukraine’s military said the Russian missiles were targeting an airfield in the Khmelnitskyi region before air defense systems intercepted them Friday.
- Australian officials said reports of a Russian diplomat squatting on the site of Moscow’s proposed embassy would not stand in the way of the government’s bid to seize the site.
- Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin undermined President Vladimir Putin’s central pretext for invading Ukraine in a blistering video Friday.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian air defenses shot down a Russian missile barrage headed toward a military airfield in the country’s west overnight, the air force said early Friday.
- Moscow accused Kyiv a day earlier of striking a bridge connecting Russian-held territory in southern Ukraine to Crimea.
- Ukraine’s military said the Russian missiles were targeting an airfield in the Khmelnitskyi region before air defense systems intercepted them Friday.
- Australian officials said reports of a Russian diplomat squatting on the site of Moscow’s proposed embassy would not stand in the way of the government’s bid to seize the site.
- Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin undermined President Vladimir Putin’s central pretext for invading Ukraine in a blistering video Friday.
More live updates here.
Wagner mercenary boss faces arrest over ‘incitement to armed rebellion’
RIGA, Latvia — Russia’s Federal Security Service late Friday announced a criminal case against Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin, accusing him of “incitement to armed rebellion” after he declared an open conflict with Russia’s military leadership and called on Russians to join 25,000 Wagner fighters against Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other top commanders.
Prigozhin, whose private military company helped Russia seize the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, Moscow’s only significant territorial gain this year, accused the Russian military on Friday of carrying out a strike on a Wagner camp, and appeared to threaten Shoigu, declaring “This scum will be stopped!”
In a rare late-night statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that President Vladimir Putin had been informed about the situation and that “all necessary measures” were being taken.
Read the full story here.
RIGA, Latvia — Russia’s Federal Security Service late Friday announced a criminal case against Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin, accusing him of “incitement to armed rebellion” after he declared an open conflict with Russia’s military leadership and called on Russians to join 25,000 Wagner fighters against Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other top commanders.
Prigozhin, whose private military company helped Russia seize the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, Moscow’s only significant territorial gain this year, accused the Russian military on Friday of carrying out a strike on a Wagner camp, and appeared to threaten Shoigu, declaring “This scum will be stopped!”
In a rare late-night statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that President Vladimir Putin had been informed about the situation and that “all necessary measures” were being taken.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Yevgeniy Prigozhin, chief of the Russian Wagner mercenary group, said early Saturday his forces had crossed into Russia from Ukraine and entered Rostov-on-Don, 60 miles from the border.
- Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, has opened a criminal case against Prigozhin over “incitement to armed rebellion” following the Wagner mercenary chief’s comments about leading a “march of justice” against his enemies in the country’s Defense Ministry.
- Several videos circulating on social media, the locations of which were verified by The Post, show unidentified armed fighters dressed in military fatigues and wearing armbands outside Russia’s Southern Military District headquarters in the city of Rostov-on-Don.
More live updates here.
- Yevgeniy Prigozhin, chief of the Russian Wagner mercenary group, said early Saturday his forces had crossed into Russia from Ukraine and entered Rostov-on-Don, 60 miles from the border.
- Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, has opened a criminal case against Prigozhin over “incitement to armed rebellion” following the Wagner mercenary chief’s comments about leading a “march of justice” against his enemies in the country’s Defense Ministry.
- Several videos circulating on social media, the locations of which were verified by The Post, show unidentified armed fighters dressed in military fatigues and wearing armbands outside Russia’s Southern Military District headquarters in the city of Rostov-on-Don.
More live updates here.
Ukrainians adjust to life with a constant threat from airstrikes
KYIV, Ukraine — When the familiar siren sounded midmorning Friday, nobody in the penthouse terrace cafe looked up. A few minutes later, the hostess went from table to table, politely asking people to go inside. Laptops were snapped shut, tote bags were shouldered, lattes were poured from china cups into plastic glasses.
Ten minutes later, most of the patrons were settled on wooden benches in the building’s underground parking garage. There was no hurry or commotion. Laptops were reopened, coffees sipped through straws, chats resumed on smartphones. It was a seamless, routine exercise; a wartime habit that has become second nature.
After 16 months of conflict, the citizens of Ukraine’s capital have long become accustomed to daily air raid warnings.
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — When the familiar siren sounded midmorning Friday, nobody in the penthouse terrace cafe looked up. A few minutes later, the hostess went from table to table, politely asking people to go inside. Laptops were snapped shut, tote bags were shouldered, lattes were poured from china cups into plastic glasses.
Ten minutes later, most of the patrons were settled on wooden benches in the building’s underground parking garage. There was no hurry or commotion. Laptops were reopened, coffees sipped through straws, chats resumed on smartphones. It was a seamless, routine exercise; a wartime habit that has become second nature.
After 16 months of conflict, the citizens of Ukraine’s capital have long become accustomed to daily air raid warnings.
Read the full story here.
Putin, citing ‘deadly threat’ to Russia, vows to quash armed rebellion
With Wagner mercenary fighters in control of key military installations in southern Russia, President Vladimir Putin on Saturday vowed to quash an armed rebellion that he said threatened to divide Russia, lead the country toward anarchy and undermine hard-won military gains in Ukraine.
Facing the biggest ever challenge of his presidency, Putin said the leaders of the attempted mutiny would “answer before the law and the people” and that “decisive actions” would be taken to stabilize the situation in Rostov-on-Don, the southern Russian city about 60 miles from the Ukraine border where Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the controversial head of the Wagner mercenary group, said on Saturday morning that his armed fighters had seized control of military buildings and facilities, including an airfield.
Rostov-on-Don is an important strategic command center for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Read more here.
With Wagner mercenary fighters in control of key military installations in southern Russia, President Vladimir Putin on Saturday vowed to quash an armed rebellion that he said threatened to divide Russia, lead the country toward anarchy and undermine hard-won military gains in Ukraine.
Facing the biggest ever challenge of his presidency, Putin said the leaders of the attempted mutiny would “answer before the law and the people” and that “decisive actions” would be taken to stabilize the situation in Rostov-on-Don, the southern Russian city about 60 miles from the Ukraine border where Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the controversial head of the Wagner mercenary group, said on Saturday morning that his armed fighters had seized control of military buildings and facilities, including an airfield.
Rostov-on-Don is an important strategic command center for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Read more here.
Who is Yevgeniy Prighozin, Wagner chief accused by Putin of ‘armed rebellion’?
Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin, the leader of the Kremlin-linked military contractor the Wagner Group who has long had close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, is now facing arrest after Putin accused him of mounting an insurrection against state military forces.
Internal tensions between Prigozhin and Russian military leaders have been simmering for months, though Prigozhin and Putin had carefully avoided directly criticizing each other. Prigozhin’s challenge to the Russian Defense Ministry has thrown Moscow into an unexpected crisis that threatens to undermine Putin’s war effort in Ukraine.
The 62-year-old Prigozhin is a Russian oligarch who emerged from the same wealthy and powerful circles as Putin. Born in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, Prigozhin spent 12 years in prison for a 1981 conviction on charges of robbery, fraud and the prostitution of minors.
Here’s what else to know about the Wagner Group leader.
Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin, the leader of the Kremlin-linked military contractor the Wagner Group who has long had close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, is now facing arrest after Putin accused him of mounting an insurrection against state military forces.
Internal tensions between Prigozhin and Russian military leaders have been simmering for months, though Prigozhin and Putin had carefully avoided directly criticizing each other. Prigozhin’s challenge to the Russian Defense Ministry has thrown Moscow into an unexpected crisis that threatens to undermine Putin’s war effort in Ukraine.
The 62-year-old Prigozhin is a Russian oligarch who emerged from the same wealthy and powerful circles as Putin. Born in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, Prigozhin spent 12 years in prison for a 1981 conviction on charges of robbery, fraud and the prostitution of minors.
Here’s what else to know about the Wagner Group leader.
Wagner Group chief Prigozhin says his fighters are turning back after their advance on Moscow plunged Russia into crisis
Mercenaries are halting their travel toward Moscow and turning back from the city, Wagner Group leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin said in an audio message Saturday. After a day of mounting tension in Russia as Prigozhin’s forces advanced in the direction of the capital, his statement appeared to signal a possible end to the immediate crisis.
Prigozhin said his forces had gotten within 200 kilometers of Moscow, and now “we turn our columns around and leave in the opposite direction to the field camps according to the plan.” The Washington Post could not immediately clarify his whereabouts. Prigozhin called his forces’ movement on Saturday — which began after Prigozhin called for Russians to join his campaign against President Vladimir Putin’s military leadership — a “march of justice.”
Follow more live updates here.
Mercenaries are halting their travel toward Moscow and turning back from the city, Wagner Group leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin said in an audio message Saturday. After a day of mounting tension in Russia as Prigozhin’s forces advanced in the direction of the capital, his statement appeared to signal a possible end to the immediate crisis.
Prigozhin said his forces had gotten within 200 kilometers of Moscow, and now “we turn our columns around and leave in the opposite direction to the field camps according to the plan.” The Washington Post could not immediately clarify his whereabouts. Prigozhin called his forces’ movement on Saturday — which began after Prigozhin called for Russians to join his campaign against President Vladimir Putin’s military leadership — a “march of justice.”
Follow more live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The agreement for Prigozhin’s forces to turn around was brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who spoke with Putin before negotiating with Prigozhin, according to Belarusian state-owned news agency Belta. With security guarantees for Wagner Group on the table, Prigozhin agreed to stop his forces’ progress toward Moscow.
- Late Friday, Prigozhin called for Russians to join Wagner’s campaign after claiming that a Wagner camp in Ukraine had been attacked “from the rear” by Russia’s military. He also said he would march on Moscow unless he could confront his enemies in Russia’s Ministry of Defense. The Defense Ministry denied the accusations in a Telegram post, and state media suggested video of the strike had been staged.
- Signs of anxiety were clear across Russia on Saturday. The mayor of Moscow told the public not to go to work Monday, declaring it a day off for all nonessential workers and asking them to stay home.
More live updates here.
- The agreement for Prigozhin’s forces to turn around was brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who spoke with Putin before negotiating with Prigozhin, according to Belarusian state-owned news agency Belta. With security guarantees for Wagner Group on the table, Prigozhin agreed to stop his forces’ progress toward Moscow.
- Late Friday, Prigozhin called for Russians to join Wagner’s campaign after claiming that a Wagner camp in Ukraine had been attacked “from the rear” by Russia’s military. He also said he would march on Moscow unless he could confront his enemies in Russia’s Ministry of Defense. The Defense Ministry denied the accusations in a Telegram post, and state media suggested video of the strike had been staged.
- Signs of anxiety were clear across Russia on Saturday. The mayor of Moscow told the public not to go to work Monday, declaring it a day off for all nonessential workers and asking them to stay home.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Yevgeniy Prigozhin’s forces, which have augmented Russian troops in Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, took control of a Russian military facility before marching toward Moscow early Saturday, coming within about 120 miles of the capital.
- Prigozhin had called for Russians to join Wagner’s campaign late on Friday after claiming that a Wagner camp in Ukraine had been attacked “from the rear” by Russia’s military. The Defense Ministry denied the accusations in a Telegram post, and state media suggested video of the strike had been staged.
- It’s unlikely that the dust-up will have an impact on the battlefield, as there were few, if any, Wagner troops on the front lines, said Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Eurasia Program.
More live updates here.
- Yevgeniy Prigozhin’s forces, which have augmented Russian troops in Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, took control of a Russian military facility before marching toward Moscow early Saturday, coming within about 120 miles of the capital.
- Prigozhin had called for Russians to join Wagner’s campaign late on Friday after claiming that a Wagner camp in Ukraine had been attacked “from the rear” by Russia’s military. The Defense Ministry denied the accusations in a Telegram post, and state media suggested video of the strike had been staged.
- It’s unlikely that the dust-up will have an impact on the battlefield, as there were few, if any, Wagner troops on the front lines, said Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Eurasia Program.
More live updates here.
What just happened in Russia? The Wagner crisis, explained.
A fast-moving crisis unfolded in Russia on Saturday as Vladimir Putin faced an apparent insurrection from a former ally, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, and the Russian mercenary fighters he leads.
For the moment, things appear to be calming down, as the forces answering to Prigozhin, the Wagner Group chief, have halted their march toward Moscow and turned around. The development came after an agreement between Prigozhin and Putin was brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. Criminal charges previously started against Prigozhin will be dropped, and the Wagner boss will go to Belarus, Peskov said.
Still, the dispute represents a significant challenge to Putin’s leadership, the potential loss of one of Putin’s most successful field commanders, and a possible shift in the course of the war in Ukraine.
Read a summary of what we know about the conflict here.
A fast-moving crisis unfolded in Russia on Saturday as Vladimir Putin faced an apparent insurrection from a former ally, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, and the Russian mercenary fighters he leads.
For the moment, things appear to be calming down, as the forces answering to Prigozhin, the Wagner Group chief, have halted their march toward Moscow and turned around. The development came after an agreement between Prigozhin and Putin was brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. Criminal charges previously started against Prigozhin will be dropped, and the Wagner boss will go to Belarus, Peskov said.
Still, the dispute represents a significant challenge to Putin’s leadership, the potential loss of one of Putin’s most successful field commanders, and a possible shift in the course of the war in Ukraine.
Read a summary of what we know about the conflict here.
U.S. spies learned in mid-June Prigozhin was planning armed action in Russia
U.S. spy agencies picked up intelligence in mid-June indicating Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin was planning armed action against the Russian defense establishment — which he has long accused of bungling the war in Ukraine — and urgently informed the White House and other government agencies so they were not caught off guard, several U.S. officials said Saturday.
The exact nature and timing of Prigozhin’s plans were not clear until shortly before his stunning takeover of a military command and tank run toward Moscow on Friday and Saturday, officials said. But “there were enough signals to be able to tell the leadership … that something was up,” said one U.S. official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity. “So I think they were ready for it.”
Read the full story here.
U.S. spy agencies picked up intelligence in mid-June indicating Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin was planning armed action against the Russian defense establishment — which he has long accused of bungling the war in Ukraine — and urgently informed the White House and other government agencies so they were not caught off guard, several U.S. officials said Saturday.
The exact nature and timing of Prigozhin’s plans were not clear until shortly before his stunning takeover of a military command and tank run toward Moscow on Friday and Saturday, officials said. But “there were enough signals to be able to tell the leadership … that something was up,” said one U.S. official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity. “So I think they were ready for it.”
Read the full story here.
The road to Moscow: A visual timeline of Wagner’s rebellion
Russia was plunged into a crisis when the leader of the country’s biggest mercenary army, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, declared he would take down the Kremlin’s defense leadership. Prigozhin, who heads Wagner, a private military company that had been supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, announced that Russian forces had attacked a Wagner camp in Ukraine. He claimed to have mobilized 25,000 of the group’s fighters to march against the military elite in Moscow and called on Russian troops to join him.
Putin vowed to crush the rebellion.
But after marching through several cities on a sweeping path toward Moscow, Prigozhin published an audio recording claiming he was turning his forces around and returning to “field camps” in Ukraine. He said his troops had come within 200 kilometers (125 miles) of Moscow.
Here’s how the fast-moving events unfolded.
Russia was plunged into a crisis when the leader of the country’s biggest mercenary army, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, declared he would take down the Kremlin’s defense leadership. Prigozhin, who heads Wagner, a private military company that had been supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, announced that Russian forces had attacked a Wagner camp in Ukraine. He claimed to have mobilized 25,000 of the group’s fighters to march against the military elite in Moscow and called on Russian troops to join him.
Putin vowed to crush the rebellion.
But after marching through several cities on a sweeping path toward Moscow, Prigozhin published an audio recording claiming he was turning his forces around and returning to “field camps” in Ukraine. He said his troops had come within 200 kilometers (125 miles) of Moscow.
Here’s how the fast-moving events unfolded.