Hacking Russia was off-limits. The Ukraine war made it a free-for-all.
For more than a decade, U.S. cybersecurity experts have warned about Russian hacking that increasingly uses the labor power of financially motivated criminal gangs to achieve political goals, such as strategically leaking campaign emails.
Prolific ransomware groups in the last year and a half have shut down pandemic-battered hospitals, the key fuel conduit Colonial Pipeline and schools; published sensitive documents from corporate victims; and, in one case, pledged to step up attacks on American infrastructure if Russian technology was hobbled in retribution for the invasion of Ukraine.
Yet the third month of war finds Russia, not the United States, struggling under an unprecedented hacking wave that entwines government activity, political voluntarism and criminal action.
Read the full story here.
For more than a decade, U.S. cybersecurity experts have warned about Russian hacking that increasingly uses the labor power of financially motivated criminal gangs to achieve political goals, such as strategically leaking campaign emails.
Prolific ransomware groups in the last year and a half have shut down pandemic-battered hospitals, the key fuel conduit Colonial Pipeline and schools; published sensitive documents from corporate victims; and, in one case, pledged to step up attacks on American infrastructure if Russian technology was hobbled in retribution for the invasion of Ukraine.
Yet the third month of war finds Russia, not the United States, struggling under an unprecedented hacking wave that entwines government activity, political voluntarism and criminal action.
Read the full story here.
In Kharkiv, a 24-hour shift with paramedics amid Russian shelling
Ukraine’s first responders have some of the most dangerous jobs of this war. They’re not armed or behind a fortified military position. But for the past two months, they’ve worked at the front lines of battles with Russia, driving into danger with nothing more than a bulletproof vest to protect themselves as they treat the wounded.
The Washington Post shadowed a brigade of paramedics for a 24-hour shift in Kharkiv, the eastern Ukrainian city about 25 miles from the Russian border that has been heavily battered by airstrikes and artillery since the first day of the war.
The sounds of incoming and outgoing fire reverberated around their ambulance station all day. But Stepan Yaremko and Natalia Mykytenko's phones were silent until almost 6:30 p.m., when they got the call that dispatched their ambulance toward the dark smoke suddenly rising in the distance.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine’s first responders have some of the most dangerous jobs of this war. They’re not armed or behind a fortified military position. But for the past two months, they’ve worked at the front lines of battles with Russia, driving into danger with nothing more than a bulletproof vest to protect themselves as they treat the wounded.
The Washington Post shadowed a brigade of paramedics for a 24-hour shift in Kharkiv, the eastern Ukrainian city about 25 miles from the Russian border that has been heavily battered by airstrikes and artillery since the first day of the war.
The sounds of incoming and outgoing fire reverberated around their ambulance station all day. But Stepan Yaremko and Natalia Mykytenko's phones were silent until almost 6:30 p.m., when they got the call that dispatched their ambulance toward the dark smoke suddenly rising in the distance.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The United Nations resumed a “safe passage” operation Sunday to evacuate civilians from a steel plant in Mariupol that has been the last base for Ukrainian fighters and others in the besieged port city, according to a U.N. spokesman. About 100 civilians were being transferred to Ukrainian-controlled territory, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday.
- Moscow’s recent actions in the Russian-occupied region of Kherson — where civilians are facing an Internet blackout and the implementation of a plan to use Russian currency — “are likely indicative of Russian intent to exert strong political and economic influence in Kherson over the long term,” according to a British intelligence update.
- Europe is scrambling to respond to the energy crisis prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, after Putin cut off natural gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland for refusing to pay in rubles.
More live updates here.
- The United Nations resumed a “safe passage” operation Sunday to evacuate civilians from a steel plant in Mariupol that has been the last base for Ukrainian fighters and others in the besieged port city, according to a U.N. spokesman. About 100 civilians were being transferred to Ukrainian-controlled territory, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday.
- Moscow’s recent actions in the Russian-occupied region of Kherson — where civilians are facing an Internet blackout and the implementation of a plan to use Russian currency — “are likely indicative of Russian intent to exert strong political and economic influence in Kherson over the long term,” according to a British intelligence update.
- Europe is scrambling to respond to the energy crisis prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, after Putin cut off natural gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland for refusing to pay in rubles.
More live updates here.
Jill Biden to meet with displaced Ukrainians on Mother’s Day in Slovakia
Jill Biden will travel to Romania and Slovakia this week to meet with Ukrainian families displaced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The first lady will depart the United States on Thursday evening, arriving at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania on Friday — a base for NATO response force troops — where she will meet with U.S. service members, the White House said in a statement.
The tour May 5 to 9 also includes meetings with government officials, U.S. embassy staff and humanitarian aid workers helping to teach displaced Ukrainian children and support them and their families during the crisis.
On Mother’s Day, the first lady will meet with Ukrainian mothers and children in Kosice and Vysne Nemecke, Slovakia, who have been forced to flee their homes.
Read the full story here.
Jill Biden will travel to Romania and Slovakia this week to meet with Ukrainian families displaced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The first lady will depart the United States on Thursday evening, arriving at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania on Friday — a base for NATO response force troops — where she will meet with U.S. service members, the White House said in a statement.
The tour May 5 to 9 also includes meetings with government officials, U.S. embassy staff and humanitarian aid workers helping to teach displaced Ukrainian children and support them and their families during the crisis.
On Mother’s Day, the first lady will meet with Ukrainian mothers and children in Kosice and Vysne Nemecke, Slovakia, who have been forced to flee their homes.
Read the full story here.
Here’s the latest from Ukraine.
- After weeks of failed efforts, a convoy of about 100 evacuees from the Azovstal steel plant is expected to arrive in Zaporizhzhia on Monday morning.
- Moscow appears to have instituted an Internet and cellular-service blackout in Kherson in an attempt to consolidate political control. The Russian-installed government there said Sunday the city will start using the Russian ruble, which Western military analysts say signals Moscow’s intention to keep its hold on the city permanently.
- First lady Jill Biden will travel this week to Romania and Slovakia, where she will meet with displaced Ukrainian families, U.S. service members and embassy staff. Her trip follows a surprise visit to Kyiv by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic lawmakers. Pelosi is set to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw.
- Denmark and Sweden have issued a diplomatic reprimand to Moscow after accusing a Russian plane of violating their countries’ airspaces.
More live updates here.
- After weeks of failed efforts, a convoy of about 100 evacuees from the Azovstal steel plant is expected to arrive in Zaporizhzhia on Monday morning.
- Moscow appears to have instituted an Internet and cellular-service blackout in Kherson in an attempt to consolidate political control. The Russian-installed government there said Sunday the city will start using the Russian ruble, which Western military analysts say signals Moscow’s intention to keep its hold on the city permanently.
- First lady Jill Biden will travel this week to Romania and Slovakia, where she will meet with displaced Ukrainian families, U.S. service members and embassy staff. Her trip follows a surprise visit to Kyiv by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic lawmakers. Pelosi is set to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw.
- Denmark and Sweden have issued a diplomatic reprimand to Moscow after accusing a Russian plane of violating their countries’ airspaces.
More live updates here.
Here’s the latest on key battlegrounds in Ukraine.
Mariupol: A convoy of about 100 evacuees who had been holed up in a steel plant here is expected to arrive in Zaporizhzhia on Monday morning local time.
Kharkiv: The head of Kharkiv’s regional government said Sunday that shelling had killed three people and injured eight, hours after he said the strikes seemed to be slowing.
Kherson: Moscow appears to have instituted an Internet blackout in a bid to consolidate political control. Its pro-Russian puppet government said the city would begin using the Russian ruble on May 1.
Kyiv: Top U.S. lawmakers, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, made a surprise visit to the capital over the weekend and pledged support for Ukraine “until the fight is done.” Pelosi is the highest-ranking U.S. leader to visit the country, a sign of continued political support from the U.S.
Inside Russia: The regional governor of Belgorod said he was awakened in the early hours Monday by two explosions.
More live updates here.
Mariupol: A convoy of about 100 evacuees who had been holed up in a steel plant here is expected to arrive in Zaporizhzhia on Monday morning local time.
Kharkiv: The head of Kharkiv’s regional government said Sunday that shelling had killed three people and injured eight, hours after he said the strikes seemed to be slowing.
Kherson: Moscow appears to have instituted an Internet blackout in a bid to consolidate political control. Its pro-Russian puppet government said the city would begin using the Russian ruble on May 1.
Kyiv: Top U.S. lawmakers, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, made a surprise visit to the capital over the weekend and pledged support for Ukraine “until the fight is done.” Pelosi is the highest-ranking U.S. leader to visit the country, a sign of continued political support from the U.S.
Inside Russia: The regional governor of Belgorod said he was awakened in the early hours Monday by two explosions.
More live updates here.
Mass flight of tech workers turns Russian IT into another casualty of war
RIGA, Latvia — In his two-bedroom Moscow apartment, 35-year-old start-up wizard Pavel Telitchenko spent years mulling a move from Russia, fearing the gradual rise of a police state. Then, three days after the Kremlin’s tanks rolled into Ukraine, he made the hard choice — packing up his young family, along with his prized vinyl-record collection, and joining a historic exodus that includes a massive outflow of Russia’s best and brightest minds in tech.
“I did not want to make an emotional decision, but I could not raise my son in a country like that,” said Telitchenko, who resettled in neighboring Latvia in March with his wife and 3-year-old son. He spoke in their comfortable Riga two-story walk-up, standing near a high shelf with a white Santa Claus statue from his childhood — a reminder of what he had left behind.
“The war made me realize that Russia will not change,” he said.
Read the full story here.
RIGA, Latvia — In his two-bedroom Moscow apartment, 35-year-old start-up wizard Pavel Telitchenko spent years mulling a move from Russia, fearing the gradual rise of a police state. Then, three days after the Kremlin’s tanks rolled into Ukraine, he made the hard choice — packing up his young family, along with his prized vinyl-record collection, and joining a historic exodus that includes a massive outflow of Russia’s best and brightest minds in tech.
“I did not want to make an emotional decision, but I could not raise my son in a country like that,” said Telitchenko, who resettled in neighboring Latvia in March with his wife and 3-year-old son. He spoke in their comfortable Riga two-story walk-up, standing near a high shelf with a white Santa Claus statue from his childhood — a reminder of what he had left behind.
“The war made me realize that Russia will not change,” he said.
Read the full story here.
Israel wants apology after Russia’s Lavrov compares Zelensky to Hitler
Israeli officials reacted with fury Monday after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine’s Jewish president, Volodymyr Zelensky, of supporting Nazism and asserted that “Hitler also had Jewish blood.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Russia’s ambassador to Israel would be formally summoned to explain the comments, which Lapid called “both unforgivable and outrageous.” He said Israel would demand an apology from the Russian government for employing a discredited antisemitic trope: that Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazis’ Third Reich and the perpetrator of the Holocaust, was of Jewish ancestry.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Lavrov’s “words are untrue and their intentions are wrong.”
Read the full story here.
Israeli officials reacted with fury Monday after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine’s Jewish president, Volodymyr Zelensky, of supporting Nazism and asserted that “Hitler also had Jewish blood.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Russia’s ambassador to Israel would be formally summoned to explain the comments, which Lapid called “both unforgivable and outrageous.” He said Israel would demand an apology from the Russian government for employing a discredited antisemitic trope: that Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazis’ Third Reich and the perpetrator of the Holocaust, was of Jewish ancestry.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Lavrov’s “words are untrue and their intentions are wrong.”
Read the full story here.
The ‘Ghost of Kyiv’ was never alive, Ukrainian air force says
The “Ghost of Kyiv.”
That’s what admirers called a Ukrainian fighter pilot who was said to have shot down 40 enemy planes. Over the weekend, Ukrainian officials admitted that the ghost, in fact, never existed.
“Ghost of Kyiv is a superhero-legend whose character was created by Ukrainians,” Ukraine’s air force said Saturday, confirming that it was all a bit of mythmaking.
The news came two days after the Times of London identified the ghost as Maj. Stepan Tarabalka, a pilot who died March 13 in an air battle with Russian forces.
The Ghost of Kyiv is one of the most successful pieces of propaganda promoting the prowess of the nation’s fighting forces and lifting morale. Although Ukrainian officials and former president Petro Poroshenko promoted the myth, the air force warned people to not “neglect the basic rules of information hygiene” and to “check the sources of information, before spreading it.”
Read the full story here.
The “Ghost of Kyiv.”
That’s what admirers called a Ukrainian fighter pilot who was said to have shot down 40 enemy planes. Over the weekend, Ukrainian officials admitted that the ghost, in fact, never existed.
“Ghost of Kyiv is a superhero-legend whose character was created by Ukrainians,” Ukraine’s air force said Saturday, confirming that it was all a bit of mythmaking.
The news came two days after the Times of London identified the ghost as Maj. Stepan Tarabalka, a pilot who died March 13 in an air battle with Russian forces.
The Ghost of Kyiv is one of the most successful pieces of propaganda promoting the prowess of the nation’s fighting forces and lifting morale. Although Ukrainian officials and former president Petro Poroshenko promoted the myth, the air force warned people to not “neglect the basic rules of information hygiene” and to “check the sources of information, before spreading it.”
Read the full story here.
E.U. close to deal on Russian oil phaseout; Hungary, Slovakia object
The European Union is close to a deal on phasing out Russian oil imports in response to the war in Ukraine — but objections from Hungary and Slovakia are holding up a sanctions agreement, according to two E.U. diplomats and an E.U. official.
To seal the deal, the E.U. may grant the two countries exemptions, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations while details are still being hammered out.
Talks gained momentum last week after a major holdout, Germany, softened its opposition and signaled support for a ban in phases. Over the weekend, officials and diplomats in Brussels discussed the idea of a phaseout by the end of 2022, but Hungary and Slovakia pushed back, according to the diplomats and the official.
Read the full story here.
The European Union is close to a deal on phasing out Russian oil imports in response to the war in Ukraine — but objections from Hungary and Slovakia are holding up a sanctions agreement, according to two E.U. diplomats and an E.U. official.
To seal the deal, the E.U. may grant the two countries exemptions, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations while details are still being hammered out.
Talks gained momentum last week after a major holdout, Germany, softened its opposition and signaled support for a ban in phases. Over the weekend, officials and diplomats in Brussels discussed the idea of a phaseout by the end of 2022, but Hungary and Slovakia pushed back, according to the diplomats and the official.
Read the full story here.
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Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows a large, bipartisan majority supporting increased sanctions against Russia and most also backing military and humanitarian support for Ukrainians, with almost three-quarters saying the United States is doing the right amount or too little to support Ukraine.
- Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky downplayed attempts to have him assassinated, saying that many fellow Ukrainians have it worse.
- Later this week, first lady Jill Biden will travel to Romania and Slovakia, where she will meet with displaced Ukrainian families.
- In Belgorod, a Russian city near Ukraine’s eastern border, the regional governor said he was awakened early Monday by two explosions, the latest in a series of unexplained fires and blasts at strategic locations in Russia.
More live updates here.
- A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows a large, bipartisan majority supporting increased sanctions against Russia and most also backing military and humanitarian support for Ukrainians, with almost three-quarters saying the United States is doing the right amount or too little to support Ukraine.
- Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky downplayed attempts to have him assassinated, saying that many fellow Ukrainians have it worse.
- Later this week, first lady Jill Biden will travel to Romania and Slovakia, where she will meet with displaced Ukrainian families.
- In Belgorod, a Russian city near Ukraine’s eastern border, the regional governor said he was awakened early Monday by two explosions, the latest in a series of unexplained fires and blasts at strategic locations in Russia.
More live updates here.
Russia planning to annex new areas of Ukraine, U.S. intelligence finds
Moscow is preparing to annex vast new swaths of Ukrainian territory in coming days, the United States said on Monday, potentially moving to cement control of much of the country’s east even as Russian forces struggle to capture key areas on the battlefield.
A move by the Kremlin to formally claim as part of Russia the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, along with the southern city of Kherson, amid an intense ongoing military battle could thrust the conflict into an unpredictable, even more explosive phase.
It is not clear how Ukrainian forces and their allies would respond to such an attempt, which would echo the annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 but, in a crucial difference, occur as forces loyal to Ukraine fight to retain control of their territory.
Read the full story here.
Moscow is preparing to annex vast new swaths of Ukrainian territory in coming days, the United States said on Monday, potentially moving to cement control of much of the country’s east even as Russian forces struggle to capture key areas on the battlefield.
A move by the Kremlin to formally claim as part of Russia the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, along with the southern city of Kherson, amid an intense ongoing military battle could thrust the conflict into an unpredictable, even more explosive phase.
It is not clear how Ukrainian forces and their allies would respond to such an attempt, which would echo the annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 but, in a crucial difference, occur as forces loyal to Ukraine fight to retain control of their territory.
Read the full story here.
Here’s the latest on key battlegrounds in Ukraine.
Mariupol: A convoy of about 100 evacuees from the steel plant in this city is expected to arrive in Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday morning local time.
Odessa: A rocket was fired at one of the city’s “infrastructure facilities,” said regional governor Maksym Marchenko. “Unfortunately,” he wrote, “there are dead and wounded.” The city council said on Telegram that a 15-year-old boy was killed and another minor was taken to a hospital with injuries.
Kyiv region: Ukrainian officials said Monday that 148 people have been found in eight mass graves around the region — mostly in Bucha. Well over a thousand Ukrainians have been killed in the area around the capital, according to the Ukrainian government. Officials reiterated Monday that bodies were found with tied hands and feet, and shots to the head.
Kherson: Ukrainian officials said Monday that a man went to the hospital in critical condition after shelling in a village here.
More live updates here.
Mariupol: A convoy of about 100 evacuees from the steel plant in this city is expected to arrive in Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday morning local time.
Odessa: A rocket was fired at one of the city’s “infrastructure facilities,” said regional governor Maksym Marchenko. “Unfortunately,” he wrote, “there are dead and wounded.” The city council said on Telegram that a 15-year-old boy was killed and another minor was taken to a hospital with injuries.
Kyiv region: Ukrainian officials said Monday that 148 people have been found in eight mass graves around the region — mostly in Bucha. Well over a thousand Ukrainians have been killed in the area around the capital, according to the Ukrainian government. Officials reiterated Monday that bodies were found with tied hands and feet, and shots to the head.
Kherson: Ukrainian officials said Monday that a man went to the hospital in critical condition after shelling in a village here.
More live updates here.
Here’s the latest from Ukraine.
- Civilian evacuations from Mariupol are expected to resume at 7 a.m. local time Tuesday, city officials said. Some 200 civilians, including about 20 children, remain trapped in a steel plant, said a local police chief. There was little detail on when a convoy of civilians that had already left the plant, would make it to Ukrainian-held territory.
- Russian troops suffering from poor morale and “casualty aversion” are making “anemic” advances in their attempt to seize the Donbas region, according to the Pentagon. In the past 24 to 48 hours, Ukrainian forces have pushed back Russian troops and maintained “dominance” of Kharkiv.
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is set to address Ukraine’s legislature later Tuesday, will tell lawmakers that “this is Ukraine’s finest hour.” A draft of a European Union proposal to phase out oil imports from Russia will be circulated among member states and could be formally agreed this week.
More live updates here.
- Civilian evacuations from Mariupol are expected to resume at 7 a.m. local time Tuesday, city officials said. Some 200 civilians, including about 20 children, remain trapped in a steel plant, said a local police chief. There was little detail on when a convoy of civilians that had already left the plant, would make it to Ukrainian-held territory.
- Russian troops suffering from poor morale and “casualty aversion” are making “anemic” advances in their attempt to seize the Donbas region, according to the Pentagon. In the past 24 to 48 hours, Ukrainian forces have pushed back Russian troops and maintained “dominance” of Kharkiv.
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is set to address Ukraine’s legislature later Tuesday, will tell lawmakers that “this is Ukraine’s finest hour.” A draft of a European Union proposal to phase out oil imports from Russia will be circulated among member states and could be formally agreed this week.
More live updates here.
Evacuees from Azovstal in Mariupol reach safety
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — Evacuees from Mariupol’s besieged and bombarded Azovstal steelworks have arrived to safety, flanked by ambulances and United Nations vehicles.
The initial evacuation of 101 civilians to the eastern town of Zaporizhzhia has taken weeks to negotiate. Even once plans were finalized, the departure of their buses had stalled repeatedly as fighting raged outside.
United Nations officials left Friday for Azovstal to begin the evacuation.
By the time their convoy finally arrived in Zaporizhzhia, the passengers onboard looked shattered with exhaustion. Some waved out the windows to the gathered crowd outside. Others looked bewildered, pulling loved ones close to them as they waited in silence.
As an elderly woman stepped first onto the forecourt, her face froze a moment, and then she started to sob.
Victory in Mariupol would be Russia’s most significant in this war to date.
More live updates here.
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — Evacuees from Mariupol’s besieged and bombarded Azovstal steelworks have arrived to safety, flanked by ambulances and United Nations vehicles.
The initial evacuation of 101 civilians to the eastern town of Zaporizhzhia has taken weeks to negotiate. Even once plans were finalized, the departure of their buses had stalled repeatedly as fighting raged outside.
United Nations officials left Friday for Azovstal to begin the evacuation.
By the time their convoy finally arrived in Zaporizhzhia, the passengers onboard looked shattered with exhaustion. Some waved out the windows to the gathered crowd outside. Others looked bewildered, pulling loved ones close to them as they waited in silence.
As an elderly woman stepped first onto the forecourt, her face froze a moment, and then she started to sob.
Victory in Mariupol would be Russia’s most significant in this war to date.
More live updates here.
Coming of age in a war, one Ukrainian teen finds her ‘mission’
LVIV, Ukraine — The adults who approach teenager Anna Melnyk sometimes cry, sometimes yell.
They see “information” on her green vest at the train station in the western city of Lviv and ask questions: How to get to Poland? Where is the bomb shelter? What to do next? Anna’s calm demeanor seems to reassure these new arrivals, displaced by war from besieged cities. They turn to her for a sign that everything is going to be all right.
“Some of them ask my age and when I say, ‘16,’ they’re shocked,” Anna said. “But I don’t feel a difference. I have one mission: to help.”
She looks impossibly small, not just in the cavernous train depot where she volunteers most days, but in all of this — the giant Russian war machine that has swallowed up a generation of young Ukrainians and turned them into grown-ups overnight.
Read the full story here.
LVIV, Ukraine — The adults who approach teenager Anna Melnyk sometimes cry, sometimes yell.
They see “information” on her green vest at the train station in the western city of Lviv and ask questions: How to get to Poland? Where is the bomb shelter? What to do next? Anna’s calm demeanor seems to reassure these new arrivals, displaced by war from besieged cities. They turn to her for a sign that everything is going to be all right.
“Some of them ask my age and when I say, ‘16,’ they’re shocked,” Anna said. “But I don’t feel a difference. I have one mission: to help.”
She looks impossibly small, not just in the cavernous train depot where she volunteers most days, but in all of this — the giant Russian war machine that has swallowed up a generation of young Ukrainians and turned them into grown-ups overnight.
Read the full story here.
German chancellor rejects Kyiv visit — but his main rival is set to go
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated Monday that he will not visit Kyiv because of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s rebuke of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, even as Scholz’s main political rival makes plans to visit the Ukrainian capital.
Steinmeier offered last month to meet with Zelensky in Kyiv as Germany seeks to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia’s invasion. But Zelensky shut the door on Steinmeier, telling him not to come because the German president, who formerly served as foreign minister, had previously fostered close relations between Berlin and Moscow.
The cold shoulder was inappropriate, Scholz said during an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF, and meant he could not visit Kyiv and Zelensky.
Read the full story here.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated Monday that he will not visit Kyiv because of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s rebuke of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, even as Scholz’s main political rival makes plans to visit the Ukrainian capital.
Steinmeier offered last month to meet with Zelensky in Kyiv as Germany seeks to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia’s invasion. But Zelensky shut the door on Steinmeier, telling him not to come because the German president, who formerly served as foreign minister, had previously fostered close relations between Berlin and Moscow.
The cold shoulder was inappropriate, Scholz said during an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF, and meant he could not visit Kyiv and Zelensky.
Read the full story here.
Britain to send armored vehicles to Ukraine for civilian evacuations
LONDON — The British government announced Tuesday that it will donate a fleet of 13 armored vehicles to Ukraine to support the evacuation of civilians from war-torn areas, and to facilitate the movement of Ukrainian officials and key workers to repair and rebuild the country’s infrastructure.
The vehicles will start to arrive in eastern Ukraine “in the coming days,” along with a logistics team tasked with dispatching them as quickly as possible, Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement.
The donation of armored vehicles comes as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson became the first head of state to address Ukraine’s parliament since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion, telling lawmakers Tuesday that “Ukraine will win, Ukraine will be free.”
Read the full story here.
LONDON — The British government announced Tuesday that it will donate a fleet of 13 armored vehicles to Ukraine to support the evacuation of civilians from war-torn areas, and to facilitate the movement of Ukrainian officials and key workers to repair and rebuild the country’s infrastructure.
The vehicles will start to arrive in eastern Ukraine “in the coming days,” along with a logistics team tasked with dispatching them as quickly as possible, Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement.
The donation of armored vehicles comes as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson became the first head of state to address Ukraine’s parliament since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion, telling lawmakers Tuesday that “Ukraine will win, Ukraine will be free.”
Read the full story here.