Ukraine War Briefing: US Urges Zelenskyy to Lower Conscription Age to 18

THE GUARDIAN: Biden administration readying another $725m in arms for Kyiv; Zelenskyy to approve tax increases for defence funding. What we know on day 1,009

A senior official in Joe Biden’s administration has told the Associated Press that the US is urging Ukraine to quickly increase the size of its military by drafting more troops and lowering the conscription age to as young as 18. The official, speaking to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity, said on Wednesday the outgoing Democratic administration wants Ukraine to lower the mobilisation age from 25 to help expand the pool of fighting age men available. » | Warren Murray with Guardian writers and agencies | Thursday, November 28, 2024

Russian Ballistic Missile Attack a ‘Severe Escalation’, Says Zelenskyy

THE GUARDIAN: Ukrainian president appeals for tough global response, as Nato accuses Vladimir Putin of trying to intimidate Kyiv’s allies

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the use of an experimental ballistic missile by Russia amounted to “a clear and severe escalation” in the war and called for strong worldwide condemnation, as Nato accused Vladimir Putin of seeking to “terrorise” civilians and intimidate Ukraine’s allies.

Nato spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah said: “Deploying this capability will neither change the course of the conflict nor deter Nato allies from supporting Ukraine.”

In a statement after Vladimir Putin’s address about Thursday’s strike on a military site in the city of Dnipro, Zelenskyy said the attack was “yet more proof that Russia has no interest in peace”, adding that “pressure is needed. Russia must be forced into real peace, which can only be achieved through strength.”

The Russian president threatened further attacks, saying Moscow “had the right” to strike western countries that provided Kyiv with weapons used against Russian targets. » | Pjotr Sauer, Dan Sabbagh in Kyiv and agencies | Friday, November 22, 2024

Putin Declares Russia Could Launch Nuclear Strike In Response to Conventional Attack | BBC News

Nov 20, 2024 | Vladimir Putin has signed a decree lowering the threshold for Russia's use of nuclear weapons. It follows a US decision to allow Ukraine to carry out long-range missile strikes on Russia using American weapons. Ukraine has carried out its first such attack, with Russia confirming that US ATACMS missiles have hit its Bryansk region.

Russia’s revised nuclear doctrine states that a conventional attack on Russia by any nation that is supported by a nuclear power will be considered a joint attack. An attack on Russia with conventional missiles, drones or aircraft could meet the criteria for a nuclear response.

The Kremlin urged other countries to study the changes. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the decree as “a very important text” and said "it should become a subject to a very deep analysis".

Recently Russia warned it would deliver “an appropriate and tangible” response to the US President's decision to let Ukraine use ATACMS missiles to strike the country. Russia's foreign ministry said that such an attack "would represent the direct involvement of the United States and its satellites in hostilities against Russia”.

Joe Biden’s change of policy comes two months before Donald Trump is sworn in as the new US President. Mr Trump has claimed that he will help bring a swift end to the war in Ukraine.

Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Steve Rosenberg, Nick Eardley, Vicki Young and Lyse Doucet.

U.S. Closes Its Kyiv Embassy, Warning of ‘Significant Air Attack’

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The unusual alert came a day after Ukraine used American-made ballistic missiles to strike Russian territory for the first time.

The United States Embassy in Kyiv issued an urgent warning on Wednesday morning that Russia might launch “a significant air attack,” closing the embassy and telling employees to shelter in place.

Air-raid alerts are a daily fact of life in Ukraine and the capital often comes under drone and missile attacks, but the embassy rarely issues such a specific alert or shuts down.

The warning came one day after Ukraine’s military used American-made ballistic missiles to strike into Russian territory for the first time, after receiving long-sought authorization from President Biden to do so. The Kremlin had long warned that such strikes would be treated as an escalation, and on Tuesday vowed to respond.

“We will be taking this as a qualitatively new phase of the Western war against Russia,” Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei V. Lavrov, said at a news conference on Tuesday. “And we will react accordingly.” » | Marc Santora | Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine | Wednesday, November 20, 2024

THE NEW YORK TIMES: As Trump Pushes Peace, Russia Intensifies Assaults on Ukraine: Overextended and exhausted, Ukrainian forces lack manpower and artillery against Russian forces willing to absorb staggering casualties. »

Russia Will React Accordingly to ATACMS Strike, Says Foreign Minister Lavrov

Nov 19, 2024 | Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the use of ATACMS by Ukraine against Russia is a signal that the US wants "escalation" in the conflict. "Without the Americans, it’s not possible to use them,” he said while speaking to reporters at the G-20 in Brazil.

Ukraine Vows to 'Never Submit’ to Russia as War Reaches 1,000th Day | BBC News

Nov 19, 2024 | Ukraine has said it will "never submit" to Russia as it marks 1,000 days since the Kremlin launched a full-scale invasion of the country. "Ukraine will never submit to the occupiers, and the Russian military will be punished for violating international law," the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

It comes as eight people, including a child, were killed in a drone attack on Ukraine's north-eastern region of Sumy overnight, where 89 were also killed in a separate strike on Sunday.

‘Putin Will Spark a Third World War If Russia Claims Victory in Ukraine’

THE TELEGRAPH: Ukrainian steel magnate Yuriy Ryzhenkov warns of global fallout from the Kremlin’s war

Vladimir Putin will spark a third world war if the Russian president is allowed to declare victory in Ukraine, according to the boss of the country’s biggest private employer.

Yuriy Ryzhenkov, chief executive of Metinvest, which ran the sprawling Azovstal steelworks that became the site of a relentless Russian assault at the start of the 2022 invasion, warned of the consequences of a Kremlin victory.

“I don’t believe that if Ukraine fails, Putin will stop,” he said in an interview ahead of the two year anniversary of the war in Ukraine. “The Baltic states, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia are the next targets.”

Ryzhenkov’s comments were made just days before Putin threatened the US with a global war that will “bring humanity to the brink” if Capitol Hill deploys troops to Ukraine. » | Szu Ping Chan |Wednesday, February 21, 2024 [£]

Ukraine War: Volodymyr Zelenskyy Warns West of Russian Threat to Rest of the World

Feb 18, 2024 | Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged allies to plug an "artificial" shortage of weapons which is giving Russian forces the upper hand. The Ukrainian president told representatives from the West at a security conference in Munich that Russia won't stop at Ukraine.

'It Is in Our Interest that Russia Is Defeated': Former US Commander Ben Hodges | DW News

Feb 17, 2024 | Republicans in the US Congress is blocking a multi-billion-dollar military aid package that Ukraine urgently needs in its fight against Russia. Can Kyiv expect a release soon? At the Munich Security Conference, DW spoke with the former Commander of the US Army Europe, Ben Hodges.

US Funding Failure Will Have Serious Battlefield Consequences, Says Ukraine

GUARDIAN EUROPE: Zelenskiy aide says ‘foreign policy has become a hostage of internal politics’ after Republicans torpedo aid bill

The repeated failure of the Biden administration to get a funding package for Ukraine approved by the Senate will have real consequences in terms of lives on the battlefield and Kyiv’s ability to hold off Russian forces on the frontline, say Ukrainian officials.

The latest move by Senate Republicans to torpedo a bipartisan bill that would have combined $60bn (£48bn) in aid for Ukraine with aid to Israel and increased border security measures is a bitter blow for Kyiv. It could signal a very grim year ahead as the US political agenda settles into an election year with Donald Trump all but certain to be the Republican candidate.

As the two-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine approaches, Ukrainian officials say the delay in US support has already had a clear impact on the battlefield, where Kyiv’s exhausted troops have a severe hardware deficit in comparison to the Russians. » | Shaun Walker in Kyiv | Thursday, February 8, 2024

And some Americans, hopefully albeit few in number, appear to be rooting for Putin to win this war! Scott Ritter appears to be one of those people! (And what, pray tell, are we to make of Tucker Carlson’s interview of Vladimir Putin?)

Please don’t forget to watch this discussion between the distinguished, if a little controversial, extremely right-wing Roger Köppel [Wikipedia] of the well-known Swiss journal, Die Weltwoche, and the no less controversial American, Scott Ritter [Wikipedia], who clearly argues Putin’s case for him!

I have decided not to embed this video lest people think that I endorse Scott Ritter’s viewpoint. I CERTAINLY DO NOT. Listening to Scott Ritter speaking in this video, stuns me. Prepare yourselves to be stunned, too! – © Mark Alexander

Please note that the video starts in German but soon changes to English for Roger Köppel's discussion with Scott Ritter.

Click here to watch the video and listen to the discussion. By the way, even its title is mind-blowing!

Russian Plane Carrying 65 Ukrainian PoWs Has Crashed, Moscow Says | BBC News

Jan 24, 2024 | A Russian Ilyushin-76 military transport plane has crashed in the southern Belgorod region bordering Ukraine. At least 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed, according to Russia's ministry of defence. Ria Novosti news agency said another nine people were on board, including six crew. None of the details surrounding those on board can be independently verified.

Jason Smart Explains Why Ukraine’s Future Matters in the United States | The Warning Podcast

Dec 29, 2023 | Jason Smart, a correspondent from the Kyiv Post, joins Steve to discuss what life is like in Ukraine, where the Ukraine-Russia conflict goes from here, and why the United States' support matters.

Russia Launches 'Biggest Attack of Year' against Ukraine

THE TELEGRAPH: Key cities bombarded in apparent revenge attack after Russian warship was destroyed in Crimea

Russia launched its largest aerial assault on Ukraine since the beginning of the war, targeting cities across the country with a barrage of missile and drone strikes.

Overnight, high-velocity projectiles rained down near a maternity hospital and on a shopping centre in the central city of Dnipro, while an attack in the capital Kyiv set a high-rise residential building ablaze as air raid sirens sounded nationwide.

Hypersonic, ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as Iranian-made kamikaze drones, were also launched at Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Odesa, Konotop and Lviv, in the west.

Scores of deaths and injuries were reported in the attacks, an apparent retaliation for the destruction of the Novocherkassk warship in occupied Crimea. » | Joe Barnes and Tim Sigsworth | Friday, December 29, 2023

Putin Makes Emboldened Speech - as EU Opens Ukraine Accession Talks | Russia-Ukraine War

Dec 14, 2023 | EU leaders have agreed to open membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova. Hungary's prime minister - Putin ally Viktor Orban - wasn't in the room when the EU voted and said he did not wish to participate in the "bad decision".

Co-founder of Russian Tech Giant Yandex Condemns ‘Barbaric’ War

THE GUARDIAN: Arkady Volozh, who lives in Israel, offers some of strongest criticism yet by a prominent Russian business figure

Arkady Volozh said he is ‘horrified about the fate of people in Ukraine’. Photograph: Maxim Shemetov/Reuters
The co-founder of Russia’s biggest internet firm has condemned Moscow’s “barbaric” invasion of Ukraine, offering some of the strongest criticism to date by a prominent Russian business figure of the Kremlin’s military actions.

Arkady Volozh, who co-founded Yandex in Russia in 1997, said: “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is barbaric, and I am categorically against it.”

In the statement, published on Thursday, he said: “I am horrified about the fate of people in Ukraine – many of them my personal friends and relatives – whose houses are being bombed every day.” » | Pjotr Sauer | Thursday, August 10, 2023

Ukraine: Woman Detained in Plot to Assassinate Zelensky

Aug 7, 2023 | The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) says it has detained a Russian informant "who was preparing a Russian airstrike in the Mykolaiv region during the visit of the President of Ukraine." CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports.

Ukraine "Peace Plan" Talks Kick Off in Saudi Arabia | DW News

Aug 5, 2023 | Officials from about 30 countries have been invited to participate in peace talks for Ukraine in the Saudi port city of Jeddah on August 5 and 6. They include three-fifths of the BRICS countries — Brazil, India and South Africa — as well as other nations in the Global South, such as Indonesia, Mexico, Zambia and Egypt. The governments of the United Kingdom and Poland, as well as representatives of the European Union have also confirmed their attendance. Russia has not been invited.

Talks begin in Saudi Arabia on how to end Russia-Ukraine war: Kyiv seeks support of publicly neutral countries as China sends envoy and Moscow says it will ‘keep an eye’ on meeting »

Repeated Drone Attacks on Moscow: Is Ukraine Changing Its Strategy? | DW News

Aug 1, 2023 | Advisors to Ukraine's president are warning of a potential escalation in conflict with Russia. This comes after a series of drone strikes on Moscow and retaliatory attacks on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. The most recent attack on Moscow targeted a building housing various government ministries, which was hit by a drone for the second time in three days. Although the building's facade sustained damage, no casualties were reported. Russia claims that the attack was an attempted terrorist act by Ukraine, but Ukraine has not taken responsibility for the incident.

Putin Scrambles to Fix 'Hollowed Out' Military | Bill Browder

Aug 1, 2023 | "Putin thought it would be a three day war where he could shore up his popularity. I think this is the war that will end his power." Putin is 'scrambling to turn around' Russia's 'hollowed out military' as drone strikes on Moscow continue, says financier and campaigner Bill Browder.

Zelenskyy Says ‘War’ Coming to Russia after Moscow Drone Attack

Jul 31, 2023 | Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned war is coming to Russia after three drones were downed over Moscow. The Russian Defence Ministry has blamed Kyiv for the attack. Drones have reached the heart of the Russian capital in recent months, though they have not caused major damage. A Ukrainian drone hit a police station overnight in Russia’s western Bryansk region but there were no victims, the regional governor has said.

A related article here and a related video here.