Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry said Saturday its forces now control Lyman, a key transport hub providing access to bridges over the Siversky Donets river, and the British Defense Ministry said most of the town has probably fallen into Russian hands. Ukraine’s military hasn’t confirmed the capture but said Moscow’s troops had consolidated positions around the city.
- Russia is also trying to encircle the eastern city of Severodonetsk, but the regional governor said Saturday that the city has not been cut off.
- On the diplomatic front, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron urged Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday to agree to an immediate cease-fire and withdraw Russian forces from Ukraine.
More live updates here.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry said Saturday its forces now control Lyman, a key transport hub providing access to bridges over the Siversky Donets river, and the British Defense Ministry said most of the town has probably fallen into Russian hands. Ukraine’s military hasn’t confirmed the capture but said Moscow’s troops had consolidated positions around the city.
- Russia is also trying to encircle the eastern city of Severodonetsk, but the regional governor said Saturday that the city has not been cut off.
- On the diplomatic front, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron urged Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday to agree to an immediate cease-fire and withdraw Russian forces from Ukraine.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest on key battlegrounds in Ukraine:
Severodonetsk: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that the city remained under Ukrainian control. Moscow’s troops tried to gain ground near a settlement on Severodonetsk’s outskirts but retreated after suffering losses, the Ukrainian military said.
Lyman: Russia-backed separatist forces said they have full control of Lyman, a strategically important city near a major highway in Luhansk, while the British Defense Ministry confirmed that Russian forces probably have captured most of the city.
Mykolaiv: One person was killed and seven were injured — including two people “in a grave condition” — Saturday from Russian shelling near a kindergarten in a residential area, Zelensky said.
Kharkiv: The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said fighting in the city’s northeast is static, with neither side launching major attacks. Ukraine has so far stopped Russian troops from seizing the city.
More live updates here.
Severodonetsk: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that the city remained under Ukrainian control. Moscow’s troops tried to gain ground near a settlement on Severodonetsk’s outskirts but retreated after suffering losses, the Ukrainian military said.
Lyman: Russia-backed separatist forces said they have full control of Lyman, a strategically important city near a major highway in Luhansk, while the British Defense Ministry confirmed that Russian forces probably have captured most of the city.
Mykolaiv: One person was killed and seven were injured — including two people “in a grave condition” — Saturday from Russian shelling near a kindergarten in a residential area, Zelensky said.
Kharkiv: The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said fighting in the city’s northeast is static, with neither side launching major attacks. Ukraine has so far stopped Russian troops from seizing the city.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russian forces appear to be closing in on their goal of seizing the entire Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine, Western military analysts say, with the Kremlin claiming it controls Lyman, a key transport hub, and its troops locked in a fierce battle for the city of Severodonetsk. Capturing Severodonetsk would be a symbolic victory for the Kremlin. It is the last big city in Luhansk not under Russian occupation.
- Ukraine’s military is “suffering serious losses” in the battle for Severodonetsk and faces the “most serious challenge it has encountered since the isolation of the Azovstal Plant in Mariupol,” the Institute for the Study of War, a D.C. think tank, said in its latest assessment.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky called on partners in the West to continue supplying Ukraine with weapons. The Biden administration is preparing to send advanced long-range rocket systems, administration officials and congressional staffers told The Washington Post.
More live updates here.
- Russian forces appear to be closing in on their goal of seizing the entire Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine, Western military analysts say, with the Kremlin claiming it controls Lyman, a key transport hub, and its troops locked in a fierce battle for the city of Severodonetsk. Capturing Severodonetsk would be a symbolic victory for the Kremlin. It is the last big city in Luhansk not under Russian occupation.
- Ukraine’s military is “suffering serious losses” in the battle for Severodonetsk and faces the “most serious challenge it has encountered since the isolation of the Azovstal Plant in Mariupol,” the Institute for the Study of War, a D.C. think tank, said in its latest assessment.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky called on partners in the West to continue supplying Ukraine with weapons. The Biden administration is preparing to send advanced long-range rocket systems, administration officials and congressional staffers told The Washington Post.
More live updates here.
Ukraine war volunteers are coming home, reckoning with difficult fight
A Marine Corps veteran who volunteered to fight in Ukraine took cover behind walls as Russian gunfire punched through and felt the throttle of artillery so many times that his catchphrase, “It’s normal,” became a joke within the unit.
What wasn’t normal, he said, was the feeling of dread while he hid and listened as Russian attack helicopters strafed the position his team had just fled. That moment “was quite honestly the most unsettled I had been the entire time,” he said.
Dakota, who is home in Ohio now after seven weeks of fighting, is among scores of volunteers who have taken up arms against Russia. Like others, he spoke on the condition that his full name not be disclosed, citing concerns for his safety and that of family and friends.
In interviews with The Post, foreign fighters from the U.S. and elsewhere described the disparities between what they expected the war to be like and what they experienced.
Read the full story here.
A Marine Corps veteran who volunteered to fight in Ukraine took cover behind walls as Russian gunfire punched through and felt the throttle of artillery so many times that his catchphrase, “It’s normal,” became a joke within the unit.
What wasn’t normal, he said, was the feeling of dread while he hid and listened as Russian attack helicopters strafed the position his team had just fled. That moment “was quite honestly the most unsettled I had been the entire time,” he said.
Dakota, who is home in Ohio now after seven weeks of fighting, is among scores of volunteers who have taken up arms against Russia. Like others, he spoke on the condition that his full name not be disclosed, citing concerns for his safety and that of family and friends.
In interviews with The Post, foreign fighters from the U.S. and elsewhere described the disparities between what they expected the war to be like and what they experienced.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has agreed to a new three-year contract with Russia’s Gazprom to supply natural gas after a phone call with President Vladimir Putin. Serbia, a traditional ally of Russia, remains entirely dependent on Russia for gas supplies and has not joined Western sanctions against Moscow.
- Professionalism in the Russian army is “eroding,” which may be detrimental to Putin’s chances of winning the war, the Institute for the Study of War said in an assessment.
- Russia has claimed its forces control the key transport hub of Lyman, which Western officials have said would give Russia an advantage in the potential next phase of the Donbas offensive.
More live updates here.
- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has agreed to a new three-year contract with Russia’s Gazprom to supply natural gas after a phone call with President Vladimir Putin. Serbia, a traditional ally of Russia, remains entirely dependent on Russia for gas supplies and has not joined Western sanctions against Moscow.
- Professionalism in the Russian army is “eroding,” which may be detrimental to Putin’s chances of winning the war, the Institute for the Study of War said in an assessment.
- Russia has claimed its forces control the key transport hub of Lyman, which Western officials have said would give Russia an advantage in the potential next phase of the Donbas offensive.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest on key battlegrounds in Ukraine:
Severodonetsk: Russian attacks have destroyed all of the “critical infrastructure” in this key battleground city, and a large majority of buildings have been damaged, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday.
Donetsk region: More than 100 miners were stuck underground in this hard-hit region because of power outages, an official said Sunday. Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of the region, wrote on Telegram that two districts — Bakhmut and Kramatorsk — are without electricity amid fierce fighting.
Chernihiv, Sumy regions: Ukraine’s military reported that shelling continued in Chernihiv and Sumy. Russian troops withdrew from both regions nearly two months ago when they abandoned their efforts to seize the capital, Kyiv — but shelling has not ceased. Oleksandr Sereda, deputy commander of Chernihiv’s border guards, recently told The Washington Post that soldiers are preparing for “a possible reinvasion.”
More live updates here.
Severodonetsk: Russian attacks have destroyed all of the “critical infrastructure” in this key battleground city, and a large majority of buildings have been damaged, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday.
Donetsk region: More than 100 miners were stuck underground in this hard-hit region because of power outages, an official said Sunday. Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of the region, wrote on Telegram that two districts — Bakhmut and Kramatorsk — are without electricity amid fierce fighting.
Chernihiv, Sumy regions: Ukraine’s military reported that shelling continued in Chernihiv and Sumy. Russian troops withdrew from both regions nearly two months ago when they abandoned their efforts to seize the capital, Kyiv — but shelling has not ceased. Oleksandr Sereda, deputy commander of Chernihiv’s border guards, recently told The Washington Post that soldiers are preparing for “a possible reinvasion.”
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Heavy fighting continues between Russian and Ukrainian forces on the streets of Severodonetsk, one of the last Ukrainian-held cities in the country’s eastern Luhansk region, with Moscow using air support for its assault, the regional governor said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying 90 percent of the city’s buildings and all of its “critical infrastructure” have been destroyed.
- Zelensky, who is set to virtually address a special European Council summit scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, met Ukrainian troops on the front lines during a weekend visit to the Kharkiv region, about a third of which is occupied by Russian forces, according to the regional military administrator.
- A Russian ship was seen in new satellite images picking up grain in annexed Crimea and unloading it in Syria last week, with Ukrainian officials alleging that Moscow is stealing one of the country’s main exports.
More live updates here.
- Heavy fighting continues between Russian and Ukrainian forces on the streets of Severodonetsk, one of the last Ukrainian-held cities in the country’s eastern Luhansk region, with Moscow using air support for its assault, the regional governor said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying 90 percent of the city’s buildings and all of its “critical infrastructure” have been destroyed.
- Zelensky, who is set to virtually address a special European Council summit scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, met Ukrainian troops on the front lines during a weekend visit to the Kharkiv region, about a third of which is occupied by Russian forces, according to the regional military administrator.
- A Russian ship was seen in new satellite images picking up grain in annexed Crimea and unloading it in Syria last week, with Ukrainian officials alleging that Moscow is stealing one of the country’s main exports.
More live updates here.
Hungary is still holding up the E.U.'s push to phase out Russian oil
The European Union is not done talking about Russian oil. Nor is it done buying it.
In Monday morning talks, E.U. ambassadors once again failed to reach a deal to phase out oil imports from Russia because of the ongoing opposition from Hungary, keeping the issue on the E.U.’s agenda — and Russian oil flowing to Europe — for at least another day.
The issue now threatens to overshadow a two-day European Council summit on the war in Ukraine that starts Monday afternoon in Brussels, where leaders will discuss a watered down plan that would ban seaborne deliveries but exempt pipeline oil.
A senior E.U. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to brief the press, said the European Council hopes to reach a political agreement on the revised proposal Monday. It is not yet clear if all 27 leaders will sign on.
Arriving at the summit, Orban said he had seen the revised proposal and there is still no agreement on it.
Read the full story here.
The European Union is not done talking about Russian oil. Nor is it done buying it.
In Monday morning talks, E.U. ambassadors once again failed to reach a deal to phase out oil imports from Russia because of the ongoing opposition from Hungary, keeping the issue on the E.U.’s agenda — and Russian oil flowing to Europe — for at least another day.
The issue now threatens to overshadow a two-day European Council summit on the war in Ukraine that starts Monday afternoon in Brussels, where leaders will discuss a watered down plan that would ban seaborne deliveries but exempt pipeline oil.
A senior E.U. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to brief the press, said the European Council hopes to reach a political agreement on the revised proposal Monday. It is not yet clear if all 27 leaders will sign on.
Arriving at the summit, Orban said he had seen the revised proposal and there is still no agreement on it.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine suffers on battlefield while pleading for U.S. arms
DONETSK OBLAST, Ukraine — The ambulances hurtled into the parking lot one after the other, each carrying wounded troops directly from the nearby front line. One young man stared straight ahead, his face swollen, his neck and back dripping with blood. Others lay silently under foil blankets.
About 10 wounded soldiers arrived at this hospital in eastern Ukraine in less than an hour Sunday morning — the latest military casualties as Ukrainian forces, outgunned by Russia in the country’s east, continue to lose territory at a critical moment in the war.
Soldiers also helped one civilian woman with leg wounds out of a military ambulance.
“Seventy people from my battalion were injured in the last week,” said a soldier and ambulance driver just outside the hospital gates who identified himself only as Vlad, 29. “I lost too many friends; it’s hard for me. I don’t know how many. … It’s getting worse every day.”
Read the full story here.
DONETSK OBLAST, Ukraine — The ambulances hurtled into the parking lot one after the other, each carrying wounded troops directly from the nearby front line. One young man stared straight ahead, his face swollen, his neck and back dripping with blood. Others lay silently under foil blankets.
About 10 wounded soldiers arrived at this hospital in eastern Ukraine in less than an hour Sunday morning — the latest military casualties as Ukrainian forces, outgunned by Russia in the country’s east, continue to lose territory at a critical moment in the war.
Soldiers also helped one civilian woman with leg wounds out of a military ambulance.
“Seventy people from my battalion were injured in the last week,” said a soldier and ambulance driver just outside the hospital gates who identified himself only as Vlad, 29. “I lost too many friends; it’s hard for me. I don’t know how many. … It’s getting worse every day.”
Read the full story here.
An ‘unprecedented’ effort to document war crimes in Ukraine. But what chance of justice?
WARSAW — Inna, 51, spotted the sign as she left the refugee center on the edge of Warsaw to go for a cigarette: “Help Ukraine! Give testimony!” it read.
“Help us punish the criminals!”
At first, she was not sure whether it was relevant to share what happened when her 26-year-old son left their home in the Kyiv suburb of Irpin in search of water. “There were others that suffered more,” she explained. “Nobody was killed except for the dog.”
But, with the idea that her testimony could be important, she sat down to recount her ordeal to a researcher with a 46-question form.
Three months since Russia began its assault on Ukraine, efforts to document war crimes committed during the conflict are hurtling ahead, both inside and outside the country.
Read the full story here.
WARSAW — Inna, 51, spotted the sign as she left the refugee center on the edge of Warsaw to go for a cigarette: “Help Ukraine! Give testimony!” it read.
“Help us punish the criminals!”
At first, she was not sure whether it was relevant to share what happened when her 26-year-old son left their home in the Kyiv suburb of Irpin in search of water. “There were others that suffered more,” she explained. “Nobody was killed except for the dog.”
But, with the idea that her testimony could be important, she sat down to recount her ordeal to a researcher with a 46-question form.
Three months since Russia began its assault on Ukraine, efforts to document war crimes committed during the conflict are hurtling ahead, both inside and outside the country.
Read the full story here.
Here's the latest on key battlegrounds in Ukraine:
Severodonetsk: A pro-Moscow separatist leader in Luhansk on Tuesday told Russian news agency Tass that his forces have taken control of one-third of the city. Advances are slower than expected, he added. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said over the weekend that Russian attacks have destroyed all of the “critical infrastructure” in Severodonetsk, as well as a sizable number of buildings.
Chernihiv and Sumy: Kyiv reported continued shelling in the two regions near Ukraine’s northern border with Russia. Russian troops withdrew from both regions nearly two months ago. Oleksandr Sereda, deputy commander of Chernihiv’s border guards, recently told The Washington Post that Ukrainian forces are preparing for “a possible reinvasion.”
Kharkiv region: Russian shelling also struck this area Monday, one day after Zelensky met Ukrainian troops on his first trip outside Kyiv since the start of the war.
More live updates here.
Severodonetsk: A pro-Moscow separatist leader in Luhansk on Tuesday told Russian news agency Tass that his forces have taken control of one-third of the city. Advances are slower than expected, he added. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said over the weekend that Russian attacks have destroyed all of the “critical infrastructure” in Severodonetsk, as well as a sizable number of buildings.
Chernihiv and Sumy: Kyiv reported continued shelling in the two regions near Ukraine’s northern border with Russia. Russian troops withdrew from both regions nearly two months ago. Oleksandr Sereda, deputy commander of Chernihiv’s border guards, recently told The Washington Post that Ukrainian forces are preparing for “a possible reinvasion.”
Kharkiv region: Russian shelling also struck this area Monday, one day after Zelensky met Ukrainian troops on his first trip outside Kyiv since the start of the war.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The European Union announced late Monday its long-awaited deal to curtail use of Russian oil, in a move Brussels said would cut some 90 percent of oil imports from Russia by the end of this year. The agreement is softened by an exemption on pipeline oil, a concession to landlocked E.U. members, notably Hungary.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Russia’s blockade on Ukrainian ports, which he blamed for halting the export of 22 million tons of grain. He accused the Kremlin of using African and Asian countries as “bargaining chips.”
- Zelensky also said Russian combat power in the Donbas region had reached its “maximum,” with the Ukrainian holdout city of Severodonetsk bearing the brunt of attacks. Russia continued its bombardment of other parts of Ukraine, including Kharkiv and Sumy in the northeast.
More live updates here.
- The European Union announced late Monday its long-awaited deal to curtail use of Russian oil, in a move Brussels said would cut some 90 percent of oil imports from Russia by the end of this year. The agreement is softened by an exemption on pipeline oil, a concession to landlocked E.U. members, notably Hungary.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Russia’s blockade on Ukrainian ports, which he blamed for halting the export of 22 million tons of grain. He accused the Kremlin of using African and Asian countries as “bargaining chips.”
- Zelensky also said Russian combat power in the Donbas region had reached its “maximum,” with the Ukrainian holdout city of Severodonetsk bearing the brunt of attacks. Russia continued its bombardment of other parts of Ukraine, including Kharkiv and Sumy in the northeast.
More live updates here.
E.U. agrees to phase out Russian oil but exempts pipeline deliveries
European Union countries finally reached a deal to wean themselves off Russian oil, their most significant effort yet to hit the Russian economy over the war in Ukraine, although the impact will be softened by an exemption for pipeline oil, a concession to landlocked holdouts, notably Hungary.
After weeks of negotiations, the 27 countries agreed Monday to end seaborne deliveries of Russian oil within months. Pipeline deliveries will continue to flow for now. Several countries will also get extensions or exemptions, according to E.U. officials and diplomats.
European Council President Charles Michel said the agreement would cover more than two-thirds of imports of Russian oil, cutting off a “a huge source of financing for [Russia’s] war machine.” Officials and diplomats will still have to agree on technical details in the coming days, and the sanctions must be formally adopted by all 27 nations.
Read the full story here.
European Union countries finally reached a deal to wean themselves off Russian oil, their most significant effort yet to hit the Russian economy over the war in Ukraine, although the impact will be softened by an exemption for pipeline oil, a concession to landlocked holdouts, notably Hungary.
After weeks of negotiations, the 27 countries agreed Monday to end seaborne deliveries of Russian oil within months. Pipeline deliveries will continue to flow for now. Several countries will also get extensions or exemptions, according to E.U. officials and diplomats.
European Council President Charles Michel said the agreement would cover more than two-thirds of imports of Russian oil, cutting off a “a huge source of financing for [Russia’s] war machine.” Officials and diplomats will still have to agree on technical details in the coming days, and the sanctions must be formally adopted by all 27 nations.
Read the full story here.
French journalist killed in strike on humanitarian convoy, officials say
A French photojournalist covering evacuation efforts in eastern Ukraine was killed during a Russian strike that hit the humanitarian truck he was in, officials say.
Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, who was carrying press credentials, was fatally wounded after shrapnel pierced the armored evacuation truck that was about to pick up refugees near Severodonetsk, a focal point of the ongoing battle, according to Ukrainian officials. The shrapnel struck his neck.
Leclerc-Imhoff — the eighth journalist killed while covering the Russian invasion of Ukraine — was remembered by his colleagues at French news outlet BFMTV for his enthusiasm, care and courage. He was 32.
After the attack, evacuations were called off for the area, one of the last industrial hubs under Ukrainian control in the eastern province, Serhiy Haidai, governor of the Luhansk region, posted to Telegram on Monday.
Read the full story here.
A French photojournalist covering evacuation efforts in eastern Ukraine was killed during a Russian strike that hit the humanitarian truck he was in, officials say.
Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, who was carrying press credentials, was fatally wounded after shrapnel pierced the armored evacuation truck that was about to pick up refugees near Severodonetsk, a focal point of the ongoing battle, according to Ukrainian officials. The shrapnel struck his neck.
Leclerc-Imhoff — the eighth journalist killed while covering the Russian invasion of Ukraine — was remembered by his colleagues at French news outlet BFMTV for his enthusiasm, care and courage. He was 32.
After the attack, evacuations were called off for the area, one of the last industrial hubs under Ukrainian control in the eastern province, Serhiy Haidai, governor of the Luhansk region, posted to Telegram on Monday.
Read the full story here.