Zelensky warns of guerrilla war as Ukraine aid stalls in Congress
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Congress on Tuesday that his country will never give up in its fight to expel invading Russian forces, but he warned that without additional U.S. assistance, the conflict will turn far more brutal as his military inevitably cedes ground to its determined and well-armed adversary.
Zelensky has come to Washington as Ukraine, low on weaponry and cash, faces a stalemate in the war with Russia and growing resistance among some Republican lawmakers to President Biden’s request for billions of dollars in U.S. aid. This is his second visit to the United States in the past three months, as negotiations have stalled on Capitol Hill.
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Congress on Tuesday that his country will never give up in its fight to expel invading Russian forces, but he warned that without additional U.S. assistance, the conflict will turn far more brutal as his military inevitably cedes ground to its determined and well-armed adversary.
Zelensky has come to Washington as Ukraine, low on weaponry and cash, faces a stalemate in the war with Russia and growing resistance among some Republican lawmakers to President Biden’s request for billions of dollars in U.S. aid. This is his second visit to the United States in the past three months, as negotiations have stalled on Capitol Hill.
Read the full story here.
Zelensky unable to win over Congress as Biden’s Ukraine package stalls
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky failed on Tuesday to secure a breakthrough with Congress as it remains firmly deadlocked over President Biden’s request for additional U.S. military assistance for the embattled country, even though many lawmakers appeared to agree that the war’s outlook would only worsen without a continuation of American support.
Zelensky told lawmakers that his country will never give up in its fight to expel invading Russian forces, but he warned that without more aid, the conflict will turn far more brutal as his military inevitably cedes ground to its determined and well-armed adversary.
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky failed on Tuesday to secure a breakthrough with Congress as it remains firmly deadlocked over President Biden’s request for additional U.S. military assistance for the embattled country, even though many lawmakers appeared to agree that the war’s outlook would only worsen without a continuation of American support.
Zelensky told lawmakers that his country will never give up in its fight to expel invading Russian forces, but he warned that without more aid, the conflict will turn far more brutal as his military inevitably cedes ground to its determined and well-armed adversary.
Read the full story here.
Ballistic missile strike on Kyiv follows major cyberattack
KYIV — Russia fired a barrage of hypersonic ballistic missiles at Kyiv in the early hours of Wednesday morning, injuring dozens of people and causing damage and fires from falling debris throughout the capital, city authorities said.
Loud explosions jolted many residents out of bed around 3 a.m. in central Kyiv, followed by air raid alert sirens a few minutes later. Ukraine’s air force said that antiaircraft defenses shot down all 10 ballistic missiles that were launched at Kyiv. That assertion could not be independently confirmed.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that 53 people were injured, including six children, and that buildings were damaged throughout districts in the part of the city lying on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — Russia fired a barrage of hypersonic ballistic missiles at Kyiv in the early hours of Wednesday morning, injuring dozens of people and causing damage and fires from falling debris throughout the capital, city authorities said.
Loud explosions jolted many residents out of bed around 3 a.m. in central Kyiv, followed by air raid alert sirens a few minutes later. Ukraine’s air force said that antiaircraft defenses shot down all 10 ballistic missiles that were launched at Kyiv. That assertion could not be independently confirmed.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that 53 people were injured, including six children, and that buildings were damaged throughout districts in the part of the city lying on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River.
Read the full story here.
U.S. officials were ‘furious’ about leaks exposing Ukraine war concerns
When U.S. officials were busy resupplying Ukraine’s depleted forces in the spring for what was expected to be a coming counteroffensive against entrenched Russian troops, the Pentagon sprung a leak.
Photographs of about 50 highly classified documents — detailing secret intelligence on challenges as diverse as the war in Ukraine, Iran’s nuclear program, Chinese aircraft carriers and the killing of Islamic State terrorists — started appearing online.
“We were blindsided and furious,” said a U.S. official who fielded dozens of media inquiries about the leaks. The official, like others interviewed for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the disclosure of classified documents.
Read the full story here.
When U.S. officials were busy resupplying Ukraine’s depleted forces in the spring for what was expected to be a coming counteroffensive against entrenched Russian troops, the Pentagon sprung a leak.
Photographs of about 50 highly classified documents — detailing secret intelligence on challenges as diverse as the war in Ukraine, Iran’s nuclear program, Chinese aircraft carriers and the killing of Islamic State terrorists — started appearing online.
“We were blindsided and furious,” said a U.S. official who fielded dozens of media inquiries about the leaks. The official, like others interviewed for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the disclosure of classified documents.
Read the full story here.
Russia advancing in Ukraine war, Putin tells news conference and call-in show
MOSCOW — With his armed forces still on the attack in Ukraine and a reelection campaign getting underway at home, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed his nation Thursday in a marathon news conference and call-in show for constituents where he quickly declared that the war will continue until Russia achieves its aims.
Conference moderators immediately turned to the war in Ukraine, asking Putin to address one of the most sensitive issues: military mobilization. Putin ruled out another conscription wave, claiming that an aggressive Defense Ministry campaign to attract contract soldiers had succeeded in recruiting 486,000 men and asserting that 1,500 men were enlisting each day.
Putin signaled that he feels confident to push ahead with the invasion, saying there will be peace with Ukraine “only when we achieve our goals,” which he identified as “de-Nazification” and “demilitarization” of the country.
Read the full story here.
MOSCOW — With his armed forces still on the attack in Ukraine and a reelection campaign getting underway at home, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed his nation Thursday in a marathon news conference and call-in show for constituents where he quickly declared that the war will continue until Russia achieves its aims.
Conference moderators immediately turned to the war in Ukraine, asking Putin to address one of the most sensitive issues: military mobilization. Putin ruled out another conscription wave, claiming that an aggressive Defense Ministry campaign to attract contract soldiers had succeeded in recruiting 486,000 men and asserting that 1,500 men were enlisting each day.
Putin signaled that he feels confident to push ahead with the invasion, saying there will be peace with Ukraine “only when we achieve our goals,” which he identified as “de-Nazification” and “demilitarization” of the country.
Read the full story here.
Putin says Russia, U.S. in talks over jailed Wall Street Journal reporter
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Moscow and Washington are in contact over U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich, who has been jailed in Russia since March on espionage charges that the Biden administration and the Wall Street Journal have denounced forcefully as baseless.
Putin, speaking at his marathon annual news conference and call-in show for citizens, denied that Russia had refused an offer to release Gershkovich, as the State Department asserted last week, and said talks were ongoing.
Gershkovich, an American citizen who was based in Moscow as a correspondent for the Journal with accreditation from the Russian Foreign Ministry, was arrested by Russian authorities while on a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg, a city in the Urals, roughly 880 miles east of Moscow.
Read the full story here.
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Moscow and Washington are in contact over U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich, who has been jailed in Russia since March on espionage charges that the Biden administration and the Wall Street Journal have denounced forcefully as baseless.
Putin, speaking at his marathon annual news conference and call-in show for citizens, denied that Russia had refused an offer to release Gershkovich, as the State Department asserted last week, and said talks were ongoing.
Gershkovich, an American citizen who was based in Moscow as a correspondent for the Journal with accreditation from the Russian Foreign Ministry, was arrested by Russian authorities while on a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg, a city in the Urals, roughly 880 miles east of Moscow.
Read the full story here.
E.U. agrees to open membership talks for Ukraine
BRUSSELS — The European Union on Thursday agreed to open membership talks with Ukraine, an important sign of support at a moment when battlefield progress has stalled and U.S. commitment to continued funding for the war has wavered.
E.U. leaders gathered in Brussels are still debating a package for Ukraine worth more than $50 billion — aid seen as critical for Kyiv to keep fighting.
Although E.U. membership is likely still many years away, it was a historic moment for Ukraine, which has pushed for years to join the union. “History is made by those who don’t get tired of fighting for freedom,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Read the full story here.
BRUSSELS — The European Union on Thursday agreed to open membership talks with Ukraine, an important sign of support at a moment when battlefield progress has stalled and U.S. commitment to continued funding for the war has wavered.
E.U. leaders gathered in Brussels are still debating a package for Ukraine worth more than $50 billion — aid seen as critical for Kyiv to keep fighting.
Although E.U. membership is likely still many years away, it was a historic moment for Ukraine, which has pushed for years to join the union. “History is made by those who don’t get tired of fighting for freedom,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Read the full story here.
How Ukrainian membership could change the European Union
BRUSSELS — The European Union on Thursday agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine, bringing the country a step closer to its dream of joining the bloc, despite lingering concern about its readiness and questions about what welcoming Kyiv would mean for the E.U.
Ukraine would be the bloc’s fifth most populous country and by far the poorest, meaning it would draw substantial subsidies under current E.U. rules.
In Brussels, there is a growing sense that Ukrainian membership would shift the E.U.’s balance of power, impact its agricultural market and upend its budget.
Read the full story here.
BRUSSELS — The European Union on Thursday agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine, bringing the country a step closer to its dream of joining the bloc, despite lingering concern about its readiness and questions about what welcoming Kyiv would mean for the E.U.
Ukraine would be the bloc’s fifth most populous country and by far the poorest, meaning it would draw substantial subsidies under current E.U. rules.
In Brussels, there is a growing sense that Ukrainian membership would shift the E.U.’s balance of power, impact its agricultural market and upend its budget.
Read the full story here.
Hungary’s Orban blocks funding for Ukraine after allowing accession talks
The European Union decided Thursday to open accession talks with Ukraine but — after the objections of just one member — could not agree on providing $50 billion in funding for the country, handing Kyiv a symbolic victory while renewing questions about the depth of European support.
Talks on the funding fell apart after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban refused to budge. E.U. leaders will return to the issue in January, officials said. The impasse over funding for Ukraine came after the U.S. Congress has repeatedly failed to agree to a $60 billion aid package despite increasingly urgent pleas from Kyiv.
Full E.U. membership is realistically many years away, but it was nonetheless a historic moment for Ukraine, which has pushed for years to join the bloc — to bind it closer to its allies in Europe, bolster its economy and give its citizens the right to live, work and travel freely across the continent.
Read the full story here.
The European Union decided Thursday to open accession talks with Ukraine but — after the objections of just one member — could not agree on providing $50 billion in funding for the country, handing Kyiv a symbolic victory while renewing questions about the depth of European support.
Talks on the funding fell apart after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban refused to budge. E.U. leaders will return to the issue in January, officials said. The impasse over funding for Ukraine came after the U.S. Congress has repeatedly failed to agree to a $60 billion aid package despite increasingly urgent pleas from Kyiv.
Full E.U. membership is realistically many years away, but it was nonetheless a historic moment for Ukraine, which has pushed for years to join the bloc — to bind it closer to its allies in Europe, bolster its economy and give its citizens the right to live, work and travel freely across the continent.
Read the full story here.
Zelensky, snared by Trump impeachment, ducks U.S. political crossfire again
KYIV — When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky flew to Washington this week to plead for wartime aid, he found himself caught in a bitterly partisan U.S. domestic political dispute — again.
Zelensky is well-practiced in how to avoid taking sides in internal U.S. affairs — a survival skill he acquired four years ago when his attempts to secure a visit with then-President Donald Trump trapped him at the center of a historic impeachment inquiry.
But far more is at stake for Ukraine this time, and it will be far more difficult for him to appear neutral.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky flew to Washington this week to plead for wartime aid, he found himself caught in a bitterly partisan U.S. domestic political dispute — again.
Zelensky is well-practiced in how to avoid taking sides in internal U.S. affairs — a survival skill he acquired four years ago when his attempts to secure a visit with then-President Donald Trump trapped him at the center of a historic impeachment inquiry.
But far more is at stake for Ukraine this time, and it will be far more difficult for him to appear neutral.
Read the full story here.
Listening devices found in office of Ukraine’s top general, Valery Zaluzhny
KYIV — Ukraine’s military said Monday that listening devices had been found in offices of the country’s top commanding general, Valery Zaluzhny, and other military officials, but did not indicate who might have placed the bugs, or what conversations might have been surreptitiously recorded.
The military statement, made in a Facebook post, came one day after Ukrainian media reported that Zaluzhny’s “office” had been bugged and the country’s security service, the SBU, said it opened a criminal investigation into the incident.
“Yesterday, during a routine inspection of the premises, elements of equipment for recording information were discovered,” the general staff of the Ukrainian military wrote in the post. “Listening devices were installed in offices designated for the work of the commander in chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and employees of his office.”
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KYIV — Ukraine’s military said Monday that listening devices had been found in offices of the country’s top commanding general, Valery Zaluzhny, and other military officials, but did not indicate who might have placed the bugs, or what conversations might have been surreptitiously recorded.
The military statement, made in a Facebook post, came one day after Ukrainian media reported that Zaluzhny’s “office” had been bugged and the country’s security service, the SBU, said it opened a criminal investigation into the incident.
“Yesterday, during a routine inspection of the premises, elements of equipment for recording information were discovered,” the general staff of the Ukrainian military wrote in the post. “Listening devices were installed in offices designated for the work of the commander in chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and employees of his office.”
Read the full story here.
Moscow glows triumphant as front freezes and Western aid for Ukraine stalls
MOSCOW — Moscow is in a buoyant holiday spirit — with little, if any, outward sign that it is a wartime capital with Russian casualties in Ukraine estimated at more than 300,000 dead or wounded and increasing every day.
Hundreds of Muscovites recently queued for hours in the winter cold for tickets to “The Nutcracker.” A techno party this past weekend was headlined by DJs from Spain and Eastern Europe. Even a series of Ukrainian drone strikes on the city in recent months barely made a dent.
Cocooned by a large city budget — and relatively untouched by the waves of military conscription that hit Russia’s regions — most residents can shut their eyes to the vicious conflict grinding on 500 miles to the west.
Inside the Kremlin, the mood seems even better — or at least that’s the official message.
Read the full story here.
MOSCOW — Moscow is in a buoyant holiday spirit — with little, if any, outward sign that it is a wartime capital with Russian casualties in Ukraine estimated at more than 300,000 dead or wounded and increasing every day.
Hundreds of Muscovites recently queued for hours in the winter cold for tickets to “The Nutcracker.” A techno party this past weekend was headlined by DJs from Spain and Eastern Europe. Even a series of Ukrainian drone strikes on the city in recent months barely made a dent.
Cocooned by a large city budget — and relatively untouched by the waves of military conscription that hit Russia’s regions — most residents can shut their eyes to the vicious conflict grinding on 500 miles to the west.
Inside the Kremlin, the mood seems even better — or at least that’s the official message.
Read the full story here.
Zelensky to face questions over faltered counteroffensive, other setbacks
KYIV — With a counteroffensive having failed to push back Russian forces occupying nearly one-fifth of his country, and with crucially needed military and economic aid stalled in Washington and Brussels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky prepared to face tough questions Tuesday evening at a year-end news conference in Kyiv.
Kyiv’s situation seems increasingly difficult, with frequent reports of shortages in military personnel and weapons. Ukrainian cities are still under constant bombardment by Russian missiles and explosive drones, and Moscow’s troops are pushing to advance at several points along the front line in the east and south.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — With a counteroffensive having failed to push back Russian forces occupying nearly one-fifth of his country, and with crucially needed military and economic aid stalled in Washington and Brussels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky prepared to face tough questions Tuesday evening at a year-end news conference in Kyiv.
Kyiv’s situation seems increasingly difficult, with frequent reports of shortages in military personnel and weapons. Ukrainian cities are still under constant bombardment by Russian missiles and explosive drones, and Moscow’s troops are pushing to advance at several points along the front line in the east and south.
Read the full story here.
With Navalny’s whereabouts still unknown, Kremlin targets novelist Akunin
RIGA, Latvia — Jailed Russian opposition figures are incommunicado, missing in the country’s opaque and secretive prison system and unreachable by their lawyers or even the court system.
A popular, exiled detective novelist has been branded as a terrorist and charged by Russian authorities.
Monuments to Soviet leader Joseph Stalin are popping up, the latest a museum dedicated to him in the Siberian city of Barnaul.
And President Vladimir Putin is ramping up his inflammatory anti-Western military rhetoric, as his defense minister claimed that Russian weapons and military equipment had proved superior to NATO’s in the war on Ukraine — a boast that omitted the fact that the United States and Europe have restricted military supplies to Kyiv to limit attacks on Russian soil.
Read the full story here.
RIGA, Latvia — Jailed Russian opposition figures are incommunicado, missing in the country’s opaque and secretive prison system and unreachable by their lawyers or even the court system.
A popular, exiled detective novelist has been branded as a terrorist and charged by Russian authorities.
Monuments to Soviet leader Joseph Stalin are popping up, the latest a museum dedicated to him in the Siberian city of Barnaul.
And President Vladimir Putin is ramping up his inflammatory anti-Western military rhetoric, as his defense minister claimed that Russian weapons and military equipment had proved superior to NATO’s in the war on Ukraine — a boast that omitted the fact that the United States and Europe have restricted military supplies to Kyiv to limit attacks on Russian soil.
Read the full story here.
Zelensky says Russia made no military gains in 2023, expresses faith in U.S.
KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — facing internal disputes at home and stalling aid from abroad — said Tuesday that military commanders have advised him that Ukraine will need to mobilize another half-million troops next year if it hopes to stop Russia’s continuing invasion.
Zelensky, answering wide-ranging questions at a year-end news conference, also acknowledged that his country is running out of artillery shells and conceded that his counteroffensive had not yielded the hoped-for results in pushing back the Russian forces occupying one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory.
But Zelensky also firmly brushed aside claims of battlefield setbacks, mirroring defiant statements in recent days by Russian President Vladimir Putin and signaling that positions in Kyiv and Moscow are hardening just as soldiers on the two sides dig in for winter on the sprawling front line.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — facing internal disputes at home and stalling aid from abroad — said Tuesday that military commanders have advised him that Ukraine will need to mobilize another half-million troops next year if it hopes to stop Russia’s continuing invasion.
Zelensky, answering wide-ranging questions at a year-end news conference, also acknowledged that his country is running out of artillery shells and conceded that his counteroffensive had not yielded the hoped-for results in pushing back the Russian forces occupying one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory.
But Zelensky also firmly brushed aside claims of battlefield setbacks, mirroring defiant statements in recent days by Russian President Vladimir Putin and signaling that positions in Kyiv and Moscow are hardening just as soldiers on the two sides dig in for winter on the sprawling front line.
Read the full story here.
With Western aid stalled, Ukrainian troops run low on artillery shells
KYIV — Ukrainian forces are suffering from a shortage of artillery shells on the front line, prompting some units to cancel planned assaults, soldiers said this week, and stoking fears over how long Kyiv’s troops will be able to hold their ground against continuing Russian attacks.
The ammunition shortage is deepening the already palpable anxiety in the Ukrainian capital, as U.S. and European aid stalls and winter sets in.
“Our gunners are given a limit of shells for each target,” said a member of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade, which is fighting in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region.
“The guys are tired — very tired,” he said. “They are still motivated — many people understand that they have no other choice.”
Read the full story here.
KYIV — Ukrainian forces are suffering from a shortage of artillery shells on the front line, prompting some units to cancel planned assaults, soldiers said this week, and stoking fears over how long Kyiv’s troops will be able to hold their ground against continuing Russian attacks.
The ammunition shortage is deepening the already palpable anxiety in the Ukrainian capital, as U.S. and European aid stalls and winter sets in.
“Our gunners are given a limit of shells for each target,” said a member of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade, which is fighting in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region.
“The guys are tired — very tired,” he said. “They are still motivated — many people understand that they have no other choice.”
Read the full story here.
Your holiday diamond may be funding Russia's war
About one-third of world’s diamonds come from Russia, earning the Kremlin at least a billion dollars a year as it wages war in Ukraine.
Possibly in anticipation of a European Union ban, Russia has started favoring trade hubs beyond Antwerp, Belgium, the historical capital of the global diamond trade. That brings the diamonds to the Indian city of Surat, where they are cut and polished. That brings out the brilliance of the stones and transforms their classification. Diamonds can enter as “Russian” and leave as “Indian” — and be sold in the United States and elsewhere.
Read the full story here.
About one-third of world’s diamonds come from Russia, earning the Kremlin at least a billion dollars a year as it wages war in Ukraine.
Possibly in anticipation of a European Union ban, Russia has started favoring trade hubs beyond Antwerp, Belgium, the historical capital of the global diamond trade. That brings the diamonds to the Indian city of Surat, where they are cut and polished. That brings out the brilliance of the stones and transforms their classification. Diamonds can enter as “Russian” and leave as “Indian” — and be sold in the United States and elsewhere.
Read the full story here.
For many Ukrainian artists, fighting Russia in war is tragic last act
ODESSA, Ukraine — If the air raid sirens blared, the theater manager warned, everyone would have to shelter — cast, crew and spectators. It didn’t matter if the dance had already started.
Still Oleksandra Vorobiova twirled, a blur of dark tracksuit and loose hair, as she practiced without an audience. For a moment, she forgot about the sign propped on a music stand, a red arrow pointing to the basement bomb shelter. She forgot about the 113 days that the National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet had closed after Russia invaded, how half the company’s dancers fled abroad, how others enlisted to serve in a war they wouldn’t survive.
She forgot about her beloved friend, Rostislav Yanchishen, who traded his ballet slippers for combat boots in February 2022 and became one of dozens of artists slaughtered in a war that will soon drag into its third year.
She forgot. But only for a moment.
Read the full story here.
ODESSA, Ukraine — If the air raid sirens blared, the theater manager warned, everyone would have to shelter — cast, crew and spectators. It didn’t matter if the dance had already started.
Still Oleksandra Vorobiova twirled, a blur of dark tracksuit and loose hair, as she practiced without an audience. For a moment, she forgot about the sign propped on a music stand, a red arrow pointing to the basement bomb shelter. She forgot about the 113 days that the National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet had closed after Russia invaded, how half the company’s dancers fled abroad, how others enlisted to serve in a war they wouldn’t survive.
She forgot about her beloved friend, Rostislav Yanchishen, who traded his ballet slippers for combat boots in February 2022 and became one of dozens of artists slaughtered in a war that will soon drag into its third year.
She forgot. But only for a moment.
Read the full story here.
Missing Russian dissident Navalny located in penal colony in Siberia
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was located in a penal colony in Russia’s far north, his team said Monday, after a span of nearly three weeks when the imprisoned dissident politician’s whereabouts were not known to his aides, lawyers and family.
“His lawyer visited him today. Alexey is doing well,” Navalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Yarmysh added that he is being kept in a prison in the town of Kharp, in the Yamalo-Nenetsk region more than 1,000 miles northeast of Moscow, a region notorious for severe winters and the site of some of the harshest camps of the Soviet gulag system.
Read the full story here.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was located in a penal colony in Russia’s far north, his team said Monday, after a span of nearly three weeks when the imprisoned dissident politician’s whereabouts were not known to his aides, lawyers and family.
“His lawyer visited him today. Alexey is doing well,” Navalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Yarmysh added that he is being kept in a prison in the town of Kharp, in the Yamalo-Nenetsk region more than 1,000 miles northeast of Moscow, a region notorious for severe winters and the site of some of the harshest camps of the Soviet gulag system.
Read the full story here.