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.

Russland greift Ukraine massiv mit Raketen an

FRANKURTER ALLGEMEINE: Die Ukraine meldet russische Luftangriffe mit Marschflugkörpern und ballistischen Raketen. Laut einem Bericht erhält Russland weitere Unterstützung aus Nordkorea. Der Überblick.

Das russische Militär hat einen massiven Luftangriff auf Ziele in der Ukraine gestartet. In der ukrainischen Hauptstadt Kiew waren am Morgen mehrere von der Flugabwehr ausgelöste Explosionen zu hören. Behördenangaben zufolge gerieten zwei Wohnhäuser in Brand.

Explosionen wurden auch aus Saporischschja, Dnipro, Krywyj Rih und Odessa gemeldet. Angaben der ukrainischen Luftwaffe zufolge sind Dutzende Marschflugkörper und ballistische Raketen unter anderem durch strategische Bomber auf Ziele im ganzen Land abgefeuert worden. Zuvor waren demnach bereits Dutzende Kampfdrohnen von Russland eingesetzt worden. » | Quelle: dpa | Sonntag, 17. November 2024

Trump's Ukraine Plan Will 'Blow-up' in Putin's Face | Bill Browder & Brandon Silver

Nov 12, 2024 | Bill Browder and Magnitsky Award winner and international human rights lawyer Brandon Silver discuss their work to sanction the Kremlin and why Donald Trump's election 'alpha' ego could lead to a clash with Putin that ruins Russia's plan to freeze the war in Ukraine, on Frontline with Kate Gerbeau.

Trump Is a ‘Disaster’ for Ukraine but Europe Has the Money to Beat Broke Putin | Timothy Garton Ash

Nov 11, 2024 | “Of course we have the resources to do it, it’s a matter of political will.”

Europe’s combined economy is 10 times the size of Russia’s and could support Ukraine as much as America if Trump “pulls the rug out” from under Zelensky, says Timothy Garton Ash, professor of European studies at the University of Oxford.


Let's be honest: Brexit was a total and utter disaster. Trump, Putin's marionette, is going to be an absolute disaster. The future looks bleak. — © Mark Alexander

Relationship between UK and Ukraine ‘Has Worsened since Labour Won Election’

THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: Official in Zelenskyy administration expresses frustration with Starmer over lack of missiles

Ukraine’s relationship with the UK has “got worse” since the Labour government took power in July, officials in Kyiv have told the Guardian, voicing frustration over Britain’s failure to supply additional long-range missiles.

The UK prime minister is yet to visit Ukraine four months after taking office and a frustrated Kyiv has said that a trip would be worthless unless Keir Starmer committed to replenishing stocks of the sought after long-range Storm Shadow system.

“There’s no point in his coming as a tourist,” one senior figure in Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s administration said at a time when Ukraine is acutely concerned about the impact that Donald Trump’s US election victory will have on its war effort. » | Luke Harding and Dan Sabbagh in Kyiv | Friday, November 8, 2024

Finnlands Außenministerin fordert Aufrüstung, um Krieg zu verhindern | DW Nachrichten

Nov 6, 2024 | Elina Valtonen, Finnlands Außenministerin, wirft Deutschland im DW-Interview indirekt vor, nicht genug an der Verteidigung "gearbeitet" zu haben. In Finnlands Gesellschaft sei die Bereitschaft, die eigenen Werte zu verteidigen, im Gegensatz zu anderen NATO-Staaten sehr hoch. Deutschland sei ein Hauptziel Russlands für Desinformation. Die finnische Gesellschaft sei durch russische Propaganda nicht gefährdet.

Retired US General Hodges: Trump's Presidency Poses Serious Risks for Ukraine and NATO | DW News

Nov 7, 2024 | Trump has said he could end Russia's war in Ukraine in one day. Some commentators have interpreted that as giving in to Russian President Vladimir Putin's demands over the heads of Ukrainians. Neverthelss, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky posted his congratulations on X:

"I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the “peace through strength” approach in global affairs. This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer. I am hopeful that we will put it into action together. We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership. We rely on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States."

For more on Trump's presidency and his foreign policy, we talk to retired US General Ben Hodges and to Boris Vormann, professor of politics and director of the politics section at Bard College Berlin.

Trump Wins: What It Means for Putin and His War in Ukraine

Nov 6, 2024 | “Trump will bail out on Ukraine. He will support his friend Vladimir Putin.”

The Kremlin will be “celebrating” Trump’s victory in the US election because of the likelihood he will split the West’s support for Ukraine, explains Professor Scott Lucas.

Putin's LAST CHANCE For Survival Is Trump Win - Bill Browder Explains

Nov 5, 2024

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What Makes Borscht Ukraine’s National Dish (and How It’s Made) | DW Food

Oct 26, 2024 | Is Ukrainian borscht under threat from Russia? There is probably no dish that means as much to Ukrainians as borscht. The stew, which is popular in many Eastern European countries, stands for the country's identity and can be enjoyed in countless variations. In the course of its attack on Ukraine, Russia is also trying to appropriate Ukrainian cultural assets. Chefs like Yevhen Klopotenko want to prevent this. We went to Ukraine to find out why borscht is so important to Ukrainians and what different interpretations of borscht there are.

Zelenskyy Meets with EU and NATO Leaders for Backing of His 'Victory Plan' | DW News

Oct 17, 2024 | Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced his long-awaited victory plan to end his country's war with Russia. His plan includes Ukrainian NATO membership and permission for strikes inside Russia. Today Zelenskyy is to present his plan to EU lawmakers in Brussels. The Ukrainian President has another high level engagement in Brussels later today: a meeting of NATO defense ministers. NATO officials gathered this morning for the first such event chaired by the alliance's new chief Mark Rutte.

North Korean Troops Set to Join Russian Army as Pyongyang ‘Fully Enters’ War

THE TELEGRAPH: Intelligence sources say a battalion of 3,000 has been secretly training to fight against Ukraine

An image released by North Korean state media of young people reportedly signing petitions to join or return to the army this week | KCNA via Reuters
A battalion of 3,000 North Korean soldiers will shortly join Russian troops in fighting Ukraine, marking Pyongyang’s full entry into the war.

Intelligence sources said the unit has been secretly training in Russia’s Far East ahead of deployment as part of a Russian airborne regiment.

“They are called the Buryat Battalion,” a senior Ukrainian military source told Politico. Buryatia is a remote region of Russia bordering Mongolia that the Kremlin has targeted heavily for military recruitment.

The Kyiv Independent quoted another Western intelligence source claiming that North Korea had sent 10,000 soldiers to join the Russian army. » | James Kilner | Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Meek Europe is now in North Korea’s crosshairs: Reports suggest Moscow may be about to receive 10,000 troops from Pyongyang. Why is no one in uproar? »

Delhi Audience Laughs as Russian Foreign Minister Says Ukraine War 'Was Launched against Us'

Mar 4, 2023 | Sergei Lavrov's description of the Russian invasion as 'the war, which we are trying to stop, and which was launched against us using the Ukrainian people' was met with laughter at the Raisina Dialogue conference in India.

EU Debates: Ursula von der Leyen Attacks Orbán’s Support for Russia in Fiery Speech to European Parliament

Ocy 9, 2024

Authoritarianism v. Democracy: Francis Fukuyama on the Year of Elections | Amanpour & Company

Sep 19, 2024 | Democracy has undergone a major stress test this year, with nearly half the world's voting population heading to the polls in a time of democratic backsliding and growing extremism. Francis Fukuyama, senior fellow at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute, joined Walter Isaacson to speak about the danger of taking democracy for granted, and -- following his recent trip to Ukraine -- how he believes the war there might end. Originally aired on September 19, 2024

Russie : le Kremlin affirme qu'il «ne parlera pas» à l'Ukraine après l'offensive de Koursk

LE FIGARO : Les autorités locales russes ont déclaré l'état d'urgence dans la ville de Proletarsk, dans le Sud-Ouest de la Russie, où une attaque de drones ukrainiens dimanche a provoqué l'incendie de stocks de carburant et blessé au moins 18 pompiers.

La Russie affirme qu’il serait « tout à fait inapproprié d’entamer un processus de négociation» tandis qu’elle déclare l’état d’urgence dans la ville de Proletarsk touchée par des drones ukrainiens. L'Ukraine ordonne, quant à elle, l'évacuation des familles de Pokrovsk et ses alentours. Le Figaro fait le point sur la situation ce lundi 19 août. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | lundi 19 août 2024

Zelenskyy Says War Is 'Coming Home' to Russia

Aug 13, 2024 | President Zelenskyy warned on Monday night that war was “coming home” to Vladimir Putin as the week-long Ukrainian assault inside Russia forced tens of thousands to flee.

The attack in the Kursk region has been the largest incursion on Russian territory in more than two years of war, prompting Putin to claim that it was intended to “intimidate society and to undermine stability”.

Zelenskyy said in his nightly address: “Russia brought war to others, now it’s coming home. Ukraine has always wanted only peace, and we will certainly ensure peace.”

Russia Begins Mass Evacuation as Ukraine Troops Advance | DW News

Aug 11, 2024 | We begin with the latest developments in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Russia is stepping up the evacuation of civilians, as Ukrainian troops advance in their biggest cross-border offensive since the start of hostilities.

Russian state media is reporting that more than 76,000 people have been moved to safety in the southwestern Kursk region, where Russian forces are fighting to hold back Ukrainian infantry and armored vehicles.

With the incursion now into its 6th day, the local governor says 13 people have been injured after Ukrainian drones and missiles were shot down over the Kursk region. Russia's foreign ministry says the army will deliver a tough response to the Ukrainian attack.