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The Russian front is falling apart. Ukrainian troops are confidently pushing the invaders from the Oskil River, which became possible after the liberation of the Izyum direction. Lyman is expected to be retaken soon. War correspondent Bogdan Miroshnikov announced this on his Telegram blog. "The situation on the Lyman-Oskol front for the Armed Forces of Ukraine is becoming more and more favorable," the journalist said. He clarified that there are already three Ukrainian bridgeheads on the left bank of the Oskil, from where the counteroffensive is coming. One of them is in the area of liberated Kupyansk. Miroshnikov also announces...

Factories, businesses, and families across Europe are battling for survival as Russia’s chokehold on the continent’s natural gas supply sends prices to astronomical heights, unleashing a brutal economic storm that has tested European solidarity about Russia’s war in Ukraine and fueled fears of an impending recession. Crushingly high energy prices have soared to 10 times their average level throughout the past decade, leading to spikes that have throttled industries and left households scrambling to pay their bills. From the energy-intensive aluminum industry to fertilizer manufacturers, companies across Europe have been forced to slash production or even go bankrupt in the...

More than 1,000 people have been arrested at demonstrations across Russia against President Vladimir Putin's announcement of a partial mobilisation of civilians to fight in Ukraine, a police monitoring group said Wednesday. The OVD-Info monitoring group counted at least 1,054 people detained at rallies in 38 different cities across the country after Putin's morning address to the nation. The protests were the largest in Russia since demonstrations that broke out following the announcement of Moscow's military intervention in Ukraine in February. AFP journalists in the centre of the Russian capital Moscow said at least 50 people were detained by police...

Google searches for ‘how to break an arm at home,’ (как сломать руку в домашних условиях) have spiked since Putin made a decree for a ‘partial mobilization’ at 2 a.m. ET on Wednesday, giving rise to speculation that Russians are taking drastic measures to avoid conscription. Similarly, how to break a leg (как сломать ногу) have also risen according to Google Trends data.... Reports of panic spreading among Russians have also flooded social networks. Anti-war groups said the limited airplane tickets out of Russia reached enormous prices due to high demand — and swiftly became unavailable. Some postings alleged people...

Protests have broken out in parts of Russia following President Vladimir Putin's announcement that he was calling up reservists in an escalation of the war in Ukraine, according to reports. According to Latvian news website Meduza, authorities have begun to confront protests that have erupted in Russian cities. The Avtozak LIVE Telegram channel has shared images of some of the protesters and signs saying "No mobilization" Other signs have used a play on words to turn "no war, no mobilization" to "no war, no grave-ization." In Irkutsk, according to the Irkutsk Anarchist Telegram channel, authorities have already dispersed rallies and...

Alexander Avilov / Moskva News Agency Thousands of conscription-age Russian men appeared to be attempting to flee the country Wednesday as others planned how to avoid being sent to the front after President Vladimir Putin declared a partial military mobilization for the war in Ukraine. “I don't want to be cannon fodder,” one 30-year-old Muscovite who asked for anonymity to speak freely told The Moscow Times. The most obvious way for men to avoid conscription is to leave the country and Wednesday’s direct flights from Russia to Armenia, Turkey and Azerbaijan — nearby countries that allow Russians to enter...

The imprisoned Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny has slammed Vladimir Putin and an opposition group has called for nationwide protests after the Russian leader ordered a military mobilization amid the country's recent military losses in Ukraine during a Ukrainian military counteroffensive. Putin, in a televised address to the nation aired earlier on September 21, also warned the West that he isn't bluffing over using all the means at his disposal to protect Russia's territory. Navalny said Putin was sending more Russians to their death for a failing war in a video message recorded from prison and released on social media...

Russian airlines have stopped selling tickets to Russian men aged 18 to 65 unless they can provide evidence of approval to travel from the Ministry of Defense. All flights from Russia to available foreign destinations were sold out Wednesday after President Vladimir Putin declared a “partial” mobilization of the country’s 25 million reservists. Flights from Moscow to the capitals of Georgia, Turkey and Armenia — which do not require visas for Russians — for Sept. 21 were unavailable within minutes of Putin’s announcement, according to Russia’s top travel planning website aviasales.ru. By noon Moscow time, direct flights from Moscow to...