E.U. officials sign off on pandemic recovery funds for Poland amid Ukrainian influx
The executive arm of the European Union approved the release of Poland’s share of the E.U. pandemic recovery fund Wednesday, a move perceived as a goodwill gesture toward a country harboring about 3 million Ukrainian refugees.
The European Commission’s approval is contentious. Talks between the commission and Poland’s government on the use of this $38 billion share of the $800 billion E.U. recovery plan had been stuck for months over the erosion of the rule of law and judicial independence in the country.
The Law and Justice party, Poland’s ruling party since 2015, had put in place measures that the bloc criticized as threatening judicial independence.
Read the full story here.
The executive arm of the European Union approved the release of Poland’s share of the E.U. pandemic recovery fund Wednesday, a move perceived as a goodwill gesture toward a country harboring about 3 million Ukrainian refugees.
The European Commission’s approval is contentious. Talks between the commission and Poland’s government on the use of this $38 billion share of the $800 billion E.U. recovery plan had been stuck for months over the erosion of the rule of law and judicial independence in the country.
The Law and Justice party, Poland’s ruling party since 2015, had put in place measures that the bloc criticized as threatening judicial independence.
Read the full story here.
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Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dodged a question from conservative TV channel Newsmax about whether Donald Trump would have prevented Russia from invading Ukraine if he were still president. Zelensky said “assistance from the people of the United States” was the key issue.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry said its strategic missile forces were conducting exercises northeast of Moscow. They reportedly involve mobile launchers of the Yars, an intercontinental ballistic missile, and about 1,000 military service members.
- Ukraine’s government announced a “simplified procedure” for adopting Ukrainian children as the war forces many orphanages to send children elsewhere in the country or abroad.
- The European Commission approved the disbursement of Poland’s share of the European Union’s pandemic recovery fund — a decision seen as an expression of goodwill toward a country harboring roughly 3 million Ukrainian refugees.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dodged a question from conservative TV channel Newsmax about whether Donald Trump would have prevented Russia from invading Ukraine if he were still president. Zelensky said “assistance from the people of the United States” was the key issue.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry said its strategic missile forces were conducting exercises northeast of Moscow. They reportedly involve mobile launchers of the Yars, an intercontinental ballistic missile, and about 1,000 military service members.
- Ukraine’s government announced a “simplified procedure” for adopting Ukrainian children as the war forces many orphanages to send children elsewhere in the country or abroad.
- The European Commission approved the disbursement of Poland’s share of the European Union’s pandemic recovery fund — a decision seen as an expression of goodwill toward a country harboring roughly 3 million Ukrainian refugees.
More live updates here.
Here’s the latest on key battlegrounds in Ukraine.
Severodonetsk: In an intelligence update Wednesday, the British Defense Ministry said that “over half of the town is likely now occupied by Russian forces, including Chechen fighters.” Luhansk’s regional governor said that “most of Severodonetsk” — perhaps as much as 70 percent — was under Russian rule. The city has been cut off from central sources of water, gas and electricity, he said, and near-constant shelling has made evacuation and humanitarian aid impossible.
Donbas region: Russia must capture Kramatorsk and a key road linking the cities of Dnipro and Donetsk to achieve its probable goal of seizing the entirety of the provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk, the British Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
Kharkiv region: Kremlin forces have been prevented from seizing this city, with Ukrainian operations pushing the Russians almost out of artillery range of the city and stopping Russian advances from Izyum, to the southeast.
More live updates here.
Severodonetsk: In an intelligence update Wednesday, the British Defense Ministry said that “over half of the town is likely now occupied by Russian forces, including Chechen fighters.” Luhansk’s regional governor said that “most of Severodonetsk” — perhaps as much as 70 percent — was under Russian rule. The city has been cut off from central sources of water, gas and electricity, he said, and near-constant shelling has made evacuation and humanitarian aid impossible.
Donbas region: Russia must capture Kramatorsk and a key road linking the cities of Dnipro and Donetsk to achieve its probable goal of seizing the entirety of the provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk, the British Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
Kharkiv region: Kremlin forces have been prevented from seizing this city, with Ukrainian operations pushing the Russians almost out of artillery range of the city and stopping Russian advances from Izyum, to the southeast.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukraine is suffering significant setbacks in parts of the country’s east, amid grueling street-by-street battles in the key city of Severodonetsk, which appears to be mainly under Russian control. A spokesman for Ukraine’s National Guard said Kyiv is “making every effort to hold back the enemy,” even as up to 100 of its fighters are killed daily.
- Ukrainian counteroffensives continue to frustrate Russia near Kherson, a southern city captured by the Kremlin in the early days of the war. Kherson is the only part of Ukraine where Russia controls ground on the west bank of the Dnieper River, according to the Institute for the Study of War. If Russia holds on to that territory, it’ll be well placed for future attacks.
- Russia’s European neighbors are stepping up their response to the war. Germany said it would deliver the most modern air defense system it has to Ukraine, while Danes voted to deepen defense relations with the European Union.
More live updates here.
- Ukraine is suffering significant setbacks in parts of the country’s east, amid grueling street-by-street battles in the key city of Severodonetsk, which appears to be mainly under Russian control. A spokesman for Ukraine’s National Guard said Kyiv is “making every effort to hold back the enemy,” even as up to 100 of its fighters are killed daily.
- Ukrainian counteroffensives continue to frustrate Russia near Kherson, a southern city captured by the Kremlin in the early days of the war. Kherson is the only part of Ukraine where Russia controls ground on the west bank of the Dnieper River, according to the Institute for the Study of War. If Russia holds on to that territory, it’ll be well placed for future attacks.
- Russia’s European neighbors are stepping up their response to the war. Germany said it would deliver the most modern air defense system it has to Ukraine, while Danes voted to deepen defense relations with the European Union.
More live updates here.
In Chernobyl’s delicate nuclear labs, Russians looted safety systems
CHERNOBYL, Ukraine — Six hundred ninety-eight computers. 344 vehicles. 1,500 radiation dosimeters. Irreplaceable software. Almost every piece of firefighting equipment.
The list of what Russia’s occupying forces stole, blew up or riddled with bullets in and around Chernobyl’s laboratories is still being compiled.
While the catastrophe that many feared has been avoided — war unleashing radiation across the region from the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986 — officials at the Chernobyl plant are taking stock of Russia’s capricious and chaotic month here, in which nine of their colleagues were killed and five were kidnapped.
“I cannot say that they have caused damage to mankind, but certainly great economic damage to Ukraine,” said Mykola Bespaly, 58, director of the site’s Central Analytical Laboratory, sitting in a lecture hall defaced by Russian graffiti.
Read the full story here.
CHERNOBYL, Ukraine — Six hundred ninety-eight computers. 344 vehicles. 1,500 radiation dosimeters. Irreplaceable software. Almost every piece of firefighting equipment.
The list of what Russia’s occupying forces stole, blew up or riddled with bullets in and around Chernobyl’s laboratories is still being compiled.
While the catastrophe that many feared has been avoided — war unleashing radiation across the region from the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986 — officials at the Chernobyl plant are taking stock of Russia’s capricious and chaotic month here, in which nine of their colleagues were killed and five were kidnapped.
“I cannot say that they have caused damage to mankind, but certainly great economic damage to Ukraine,” said Mykola Bespaly, 58, director of the site’s Central Analytical Laboratory, sitting in a lecture hall defaced by Russian graffiti.
Read the full story here.
U.S. defends supplying advanced rocket systems to Ukraine
The Biden administration defended its decision to send advanced multiple-launch rocket systems to Ukraine, rejecting criticism that the decision comes too late to make a difference while dismissing the Kremlin’s complaint that the U.S. is prolonging the war.
The transfer of four M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, commonly known as HIMARS, will come soon, and will require about three additional weeks to train Ukrainian forces to use them, said Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of defense for policy. The weapons, deployed by the U.S. military to target militants during wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, will allow Ukrainian forces to rapidly and precisely launch multiple rockets at Russian artillery and forces.
“We’re not seeing the Ukrainian defenses buckle. They’re hanging on, but it is a grinding fight,” Kahl said. “We believe that these additional capabilities will arrive in a time frame that’s relevant.”
Read the full story here.
The Biden administration defended its decision to send advanced multiple-launch rocket systems to Ukraine, rejecting criticism that the decision comes too late to make a difference while dismissing the Kremlin’s complaint that the U.S. is prolonging the war.
The transfer of four M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, commonly known as HIMARS, will come soon, and will require about three additional weeks to train Ukrainian forces to use them, said Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of defense for policy. The weapons, deployed by the U.S. military to target militants during wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, will allow Ukrainian forces to rapidly and precisely launch multiple rockets at Russian artillery and forces.
“We’re not seeing the Ukrainian defenses buckle. They’re hanging on, but it is a grinding fight,” Kahl said. “We believe that these additional capabilities will arrive in a time frame that’s relevant.”
Read the full story here.
Private groups work to bring specialized combat gear to Ukraine
In the three months since Chris left the United States to join the war in Ukraine, he has fought, he said, in some of its diciest battles, in places like Irpin, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
A former member of the U.S. Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment, he went to Ukraine with extensive experience conducting nighttime raids in Iraq and Afghanistan. But until recently, he was unable to employ it against Russian troops because the Ukrainian units with which he has been paired lacked the necessary technology.
“In the American military, these kinds of things get provided. The night vision and thermals, those are things I can’t afford,” said Chris, who spoke on the condition that his full name not be disclosed, citing the sensitivity of his work in Ukraine. “Without it, it was just difficult. … It’s pretty terrifying to be at the front and you can’t aim your weapons systems about half of the time.”
Read the full story here.
In the three months since Chris left the United States to join the war in Ukraine, he has fought, he said, in some of its diciest battles, in places like Irpin, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
A former member of the U.S. Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment, he went to Ukraine with extensive experience conducting nighttime raids in Iraq and Afghanistan. But until recently, he was unable to employ it against Russian troops because the Ukrainian units with which he has been paired lacked the necessary technology.
“In the American military, these kinds of things get provided. The night vision and thermals, those are things I can’t afford,” said Chris, who spoke on the condition that his full name not be disclosed, citing the sensitivity of his work in Ukraine. “Without it, it was just difficult. … It’s pretty terrifying to be at the front and you can’t aim your weapons systems about half of the time.”
Read the full story here.
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Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken said June 1 that Ukraine gave assurances it will not use long-range U.S. weapons systems against targets in Russian territory.
- Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, has urged the United States not to “get used to our pain” in an interview with ABC News, as the war approaches its 100th day.
- Russia accused the United States of “pouring fuel on the fire” by providing advanced multiple-launch rocket systems to Ukraine — although NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Russia was unlikely to retaliate over the move. Washington rejected Moscow’s allegation and said Russia was solely responsible for the war.
- Stoltenberg said after meeting with President Biden at the White House that the conflict in Ukraine has become a “war of attrition” and that NATO has to be “prepared for the long haul.”
More live updates here.
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken said June 1 that Ukraine gave assurances it will not use long-range U.S. weapons systems against targets in Russian territory.
- Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, has urged the United States not to “get used to our pain” in an interview with ABC News, as the war approaches its 100th day.
- Russia accused the United States of “pouring fuel on the fire” by providing advanced multiple-launch rocket systems to Ukraine — although NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Russia was unlikely to retaliate over the move. Washington rejected Moscow’s allegation and said Russia was solely responsible for the war.
- Stoltenberg said after meeting with President Biden at the White House that the conflict in Ukraine has become a “war of attrition” and that NATO has to be “prepared for the long haul.”
More live updates here.
Here’s the latest on key battlegrounds in Ukraine.
Severodonetsk: Zelensky said Thursday that the Ukrainian military had “some success” fighting against Russian troops for control of this city, which appears to be mainly in Moscow’s hands. But it remains too early to tell how the battle will end, the he said. Russia would control the Luhansk region if it captures Severodonetsk as well as a city just to its south, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
Kherson and Mykolaiv regions: The Ukrainian military continues to conduct counteroffensives in Kherson and may have successfully pushed some Russian troops back to a defensive position, according to the ISW. Ukraine’s southern operational command said its forces continue to engage in heated combat with Russian forces in Mykolaiv.
Chernihiv and Kharkiv regions: “Absolutely senseless shelling” persists near Ukraine’s northern border regions, Zelensky said, adding that some strikes were coming from Russian territory.
More live updates here.
Severodonetsk: Zelensky said Thursday that the Ukrainian military had “some success” fighting against Russian troops for control of this city, which appears to be mainly in Moscow’s hands. But it remains too early to tell how the battle will end, the he said. Russia would control the Luhansk region if it captures Severodonetsk as well as a city just to its south, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
Kherson and Mykolaiv regions: The Ukrainian military continues to conduct counteroffensives in Kherson and may have successfully pushed some Russian troops back to a defensive position, according to the ISW. Ukraine’s southern operational command said its forces continue to engage in heated combat with Russian forces in Mykolaiv.
Chernihiv and Kharkiv regions: “Absolutely senseless shelling” persists near Ukraine’s northern border regions, Zelensky said, adding that some strikes were coming from Russian territory.
More live updates here.
Here’s the latest from Ukraine.
- Ukraine on Friday marked 100 days of war with its troops in brutal combat for Severodonetsk, which is now mostly controlled by Russian forces. President Zelensky said the military situation in the city was dire, and called the 20 percent of Ukraine under Russian occupation a “zone of total catastrophe.”
- The regional governor, however, said Ukrainian defenders had conducted counteroffensives in the city and were taking Russian prisoners. U.S.-based defense analysts also characterized Russia’s most recent attacks elsewhere in Ukraine as limited and largely unsuccessful.
- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that Ukraine faced a “war of attrition” and that the West needed to make its support sustainable. In an interview with the Post, he also rejected the idea that Kyiv should avoid declaring ambitious war aims and stated that Ukraine had the right to seek the full expulsion of Russian forces from its territory.
More live updates here.
- Ukraine on Friday marked 100 days of war with its troops in brutal combat for Severodonetsk, which is now mostly controlled by Russian forces. President Zelensky said the military situation in the city was dire, and called the 20 percent of Ukraine under Russian occupation a “zone of total catastrophe.”
- The regional governor, however, said Ukrainian defenders had conducted counteroffensives in the city and were taking Russian prisoners. U.S.-based defense analysts also characterized Russia’s most recent attacks elsewhere in Ukraine as limited and largely unsuccessful.
- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that Ukraine faced a “war of attrition” and that the West needed to make its support sustainable. In an interview with the Post, he also rejected the idea that Kyiv should avoid declaring ambitious war aims and stated that Ukraine had the right to seek the full expulsion of Russian forces from its territory.
More live updates here.
Putin thinks West will blink first in war of attrition, Russian elites say
Russian President Vladimir Putin is digging in for a long war of attrition over Ukraine and will be relentless in trying to use economic weapons, such as a blockade of Ukrainian grain exports, to whittle away Western support for Kyiv, according to members of Russia’s economic elite.
The Kremlin has seized on recent signs of hesitancy by some European governments as an indication the West could lose focus in seeking to counter Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, especially as global energy costs surge following the imposition of sanctions on Moscow.
Putin “believes the West will become exhausted,” said one well-connected Russian billionaire, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. Putin had not expected the West’s initially strong and united response, “but now he is trying to reshape the situation and he believes that in the longer term he will win,” the billionaire said.
Read the full story here.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is digging in for a long war of attrition over Ukraine and will be relentless in trying to use economic weapons, such as a blockade of Ukrainian grain exports, to whittle away Western support for Kyiv, according to members of Russia’s economic elite.
The Kremlin has seized on recent signs of hesitancy by some European governments as an indication the West could lose focus in seeking to counter Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, especially as global energy costs surge following the imposition of sanctions on Moscow.
Putin “believes the West will become exhausted,” said one well-connected Russian billionaire, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. Putin had not expected the West’s initially strong and united response, “but now he is trying to reshape the situation and he believes that in the longer term he will win,” the billionaire said.
Read the full story here.
Scenes of ruin and resilience from 100 days of war in Ukraine
Friday marks 100 days since the first Russian troops invaded Ukraine and most Ukrainians’ world imploded — with untold numbers of civilians killed, some by torture, and thousands of homes, hospitals, schools and even entire communities destroyed.
Though many Ukrainians resolved to stay and fight, several million men, women and children are now refugees in other countries.
From the most recent moments of the war to the early days, the images and stories featured here show what the conflict has wrought during its first three months.
Read the full story here.
Friday marks 100 days since the first Russian troops invaded Ukraine and most Ukrainians’ world imploded — with untold numbers of civilians killed, some by torture, and thousands of homes, hospitals, schools and even entire communities destroyed.
Though many Ukrainians resolved to stay and fight, several million men, women and children are now refugees in other countries.
From the most recent moments of the war to the early days, the images and stories featured here show what the conflict has wrought during its first three months.
Read the full story here.
Moscow accuses U.K. lawmaker’s son of helping kill Russian fighter in Ukraine
Moscow has accused a son of a British lawmaker, who has fought for Ukraine against Russia since March, of being involved in the death of one of its fighters.
The Russian National Guard said this week that Ben Grant, a Royal Marines veteran, had helped kill Sgt. Adam Bisultanov, commander of a military unit from southern Russia, according to state news agency RIA. The National Guard said Bisultanov had been killed in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas, where an armored vehicle he was in was struck by “mercenaries” from Britain and the United States.
Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper reported in May that Grant — son of Helen Grant, a Conservative lawmaker representing an area southeast of London — was part of a group of foreign fighters that fired a rocket at a Russian vehicle.
Read the full story here.
Moscow has accused a son of a British lawmaker, who has fought for Ukraine against Russia since March, of being involved in the death of one of its fighters.
The Russian National Guard said this week that Ben Grant, a Royal Marines veteran, had helped kill Sgt. Adam Bisultanov, commander of a military unit from southern Russia, according to state news agency RIA. The National Guard said Bisultanov had been killed in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas, where an armored vehicle he was in was struck by “mercenaries” from Britain and the United States.
Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper reported in May that Grant — son of Helen Grant, a Conservative lawmaker representing an area southeast of London — was part of a group of foreign fighters that fired a rocket at a Russian vehicle.
Read the full story here.
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Zelensky shares defiant video after 100 days of war in Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared a video on social media Friday offering a message of resilience 100 days into the Russian invasion and proclaiming that “victory” will belong to Ukraine.
The video directly echoes a clip released by the Ukrainian leader on the second day of the war, in which Zelensky appears alongside his prime minister and other members of his core team, walking the streets of Kyiv, in defiance of rumors that the city was about to fall or that he might flee the country.
Back then, the aim of his message was clear: to show beyond all fear or doubt that he was committed to stay and fight. This time, Zelensky’s video serves as a reminder that Russia’s early objectives have failed and that, even with Russia occupying as much as a third of the country, Ukrainians will continue to fight.
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared a video on social media Friday offering a message of resilience 100 days into the Russian invasion and proclaiming that “victory” will belong to Ukraine.
The video directly echoes a clip released by the Ukrainian leader on the second day of the war, in which Zelensky appears alongside his prime minister and other members of his core team, walking the streets of Kyiv, in defiance of rumors that the city was about to fall or that he might flee the country.
Back then, the aim of his message was clear: to show beyond all fear or doubt that he was committed to stay and fight. This time, Zelensky’s video serves as a reminder that Russia’s early objectives have failed and that, even with Russia occupying as much as a third of the country, Ukrainians will continue to fight.
Read the full story here.