6 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Period of Putin’s ‘ceasefire’ for Victory Day begins

Kremlin jams internet as it seeks to protect visiting foreign leaders; Ukraine’s SBU says drones hit Russian arms factories. What we know on day 1,170 The period of an unagreed ceasefire called for by Vladimir Putin began on Thursday morning as the Russian president seeks cover for Victory Day events. Ukraine has dismissed it as a “game” designed to protect Putin’s parade rather than a genuine step towards peace. Foreign leaders including China’s Xi Jinping are visiting the Russian capital for Victory Day celebrations. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president, has offered a 30-day ceasefire as suggested in US-brokered talks, but the Kremlin has refused.The Kremlin was forced on Wednesday to say it was taking “all necessary measures” to ensure the safety of foreign leaders due to attend its flagship 9 May parade after days of Ukrainian drone attacks closed airports across Russia, disrupting about 350 flights due to carry about 60,000 people. The Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov sai...

Events

8 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Second night of Moscow drone raids, Kursk substation hit

Ukrainian forces reportedly smash back across border into Kursk, where Syrski says offensive has achieved most of its goals. What we know on day 1,168Ukraine has launched drones at Moscow for the second night in a row, forcing closure of the capital’s three major airports, Russian officials said early on Wednesday. The mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said six Ukrainian drones approached Moscow and what he claimed was debris from an intercepted drone fell over one of the key highways leading into the city. Russia’s aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said it halted flights at airports serving Moscow including Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky.Ukrainian forces attacked a power substation at the town of Rylsk in Russia’s western Kursk region, the regional governor said early on Tuesday, after Russian war bloggers reported Ukrainian forces firing missiles had smashed through the border in Kursk, crossing minefields with armoured vehicles. The Kursk governor, Alexander Khinshtein, said two people w...

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1 week ago Ukraine ‘unleashes British Storm Shadow missiles on Russia, with Trump’s approval’

British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles and kamikaze air and sea drones have reportedly been used by Ukraine as it hit numerous targets including Vladimir Putin's £3 billion Crimean Bridge

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1 week ago The Guardian view on the US and Ukraine: is the natural resources agreement a big deal? | Editorial

The White House calls it ‘historic’. A more realistic estimate is that while Ukraine is glad to sign, this is not a shift in the big pictureThe Trump administration, with its customary rhetorical inflation, has hailed its mineral deal with Ukraine as “historic”. What the world’s most powerful nation says and does matters. But how much? And for how long? This is a government of caprice and chaos – losing its national security adviser, Mike Waltz, on Thursday after only three months in the job. Attempting to connect the data points can be like trying to join up the bug splats on a windscreen. The real issue is that the vehicle is still following the signs for Moscow.This moment looks like a high because US-Ukraine ties hit such a low, particularly with the Oval Office bullying of Volodymyr Zelenskyy and reports that Washington is willing to recognise annexed Crimea as Russian. Key details of this deal have yet to be finalised in a technical agreement. The idea originated with Kyi...

Economics

2 w. ago Three ways to help the developing world survive the end of aid | Winnie Byanyima

Wealthy nations are slashing funding for essential services such as the HIV/Aids response, but poorer countries cannot absorb the impact overnightCountries across the world are cutting aid budgets, abandoning the decades-old consensus that supporting health and development is both a moral duty and a strategic interest. But the end of aid cannot mean the end of global solidarity – because our global economy is stacked against low- and middle-income countries to such an extent that they simply cannot afford to respond to global crises alone.Developing countries are drowning in debt, facing interest rates up to 12 times higher than wealthy countries. When interest rates shot up after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the global south was worst hit. Low- and middle-income countries now pay $4 (£3) to the richest in the global north for every $1 they receive in aid. Thirty-four of Africa’s 54 countries spend more on debt than on healthcare. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago ‘I wish I’d never written that damn movie’: Rust director Joel Souza on finishing his film after the fatal on

He was hit by the same bullet that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The film-maker talks about his hopes for his western, his complicated feelings towards star Alec Baldwin – and why the industry hasn’t learnedJoel Souza never liked guns. “I didn’t grow up around them and I don’t like the culture,” says the grey-haired 51-year-old film-maker sitting at a desk at his home in Pleasanton, California. “Guns make me recoil. The idea of touching one, picking one up, I find very off-putting.”In October 2021 he was in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on the set of his sixth feature, the western Rust, when a gun being held by the film’s star, Alec Baldwin, was discharged accidentally during rehearsals. The weapon should have been loaded with blanks but a live round had found its way into the chamber. The movie’s Ukrainian cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally wounded. Souza was hit in the shoulder by the same bullet that killed her. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy reposts US missive from first Trump term that Crimea is Ukrainian

Casualities as Russian missiles hit Kyiv and Kharkiv; strike damages Shahed factory in Tatarstan, says Ukrainian military. What we know on day 1,156Europe live: latest news updates on Ukraine and moreVolodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that peace talks in London had been marked by “emotions” and pledged that Ukraine would abide by its constitution, which he has previously pointed out forbids surrendering territory such as Crimea. “Emotions have run high today. But it is good that five countries met to bring peace closer,” the Ukrainian president posted. “The American side shared its vision. Ukraine and other Europeans presented their inputs. And we hope that it is exactly such joint work that will lead to lasting peace.”Zelenskyy posted a 2018 Crimea Declaration from Mike Pompeo, secretary of state during Donald Trump’s his first term, which said: “The United States rejects Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea and pledges to maintain this policy until Ukraine’s territorial inte...

Events

3 w. ago Putin launches bloody Good Friday missile attack on Ukraine 'using shrapnel weapons'

Ukrainian cities have been hit in horrific missile and drone attacks with dozens injured including young children and Russia has been accused of using shrapnel bombs to cause more carnage

Events

3 w. ago Exact day this summer Vladimir Putin’s casualties in Ukraine could hit one million

There could be one million Russian casualties in Ukraine later this year, according to estimates - Mad Vlad's forces have suffered big losses since the full-scale invasion in 2022

Politics

4 w. ago Odesa buildings reduced to rubble in Russian overnight drone attack on Ukrainian port city

Russia's overnight drone attack hit infrastructure in Odesa, Ukraine, video released on Wednesday, 16 April shows.

Events

last month Vladimir Putin 'mocking' Donald Trump's goodwill with deadly attacks on Ukraine while claiming he wants peace

Russian missiles hit the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy days ago, killing 34 people and injuring more than 110

Politics

last month Vladimir Putin 'mocking goodwill' of Donald Trump with deadly attacks on Ukraine while claiming he wants peace

Russian missiles hit the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy days ago, killing 34 people and injuring more than 110

Politics

last month AP PHOTOS: Russian missiles hit Ukrainian city of Sumy during Palm Sunday celebrations

Russian missiles hit the heart of the Ukrainian city of Sumy as people gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday, killing at least 34 people, officials said, in the second large-scale attack to claim civilian lives in just over a week.

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