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KYIV, Ukraine — Mykhail Podolyak barely flinched as air raid sirens wailed in Kyiv, signaling incoming Russian missiles. Sitting in his office at the heavily fortified presidential administration building in Ukraine’s capital, the adviser to the head of the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the sirens have become a normal part of life six months into the war with Russia. “We’re getting used to this new lifestyle — we are used to the wailing sirens now and to the bombardments, because the Russian Federation is mostly aiming at the civilian population and civilian infrastructure,” he said in an...

The United States of America intends to assign a special name to the military mission in Ukraine and put an active American general at its head. This fact is direct evidence that Washington intends to switch to direct intervention, which may also mean the transfer of American military contingent to Ukraine in order to conduct special military operations, which significantly increases the escalation in the region. Information on this subject is published by The Wall Street Journal. As follows from the data presented, Washington will unite into a single mission and appoint a responsible high-ranking officer who will lead the...

Europe faced the prospect of a radiation disaster on Thursday when a Russian-occupied nuclear plant was disconnected from Ukraine's power grid, President Volodomyr Zelensky has said. It was only due to back-up electricity kicking in that the Zaporizhzhia plant was able to operate safely, he added. Fires had earlier damaged overhead power lines, cutting the plant off. There is growing concern over fighting near the complex, which is the largest nuclear plant in Europe. "If the diesel generators hadn't turned on, if the automation and our staff of the plant had not reacted after the blackout, then we would already...

"A valuable present for Ukraine on the occasion of its Independence Day! U.S. President Joe Biden announced the allocation of nearly $3 billion in military aid to our state. The package includes air defense systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, artillery systems, and radars," Ukrainian media outlets quoted Shmyhal as saying on social media. In addition, the Ukrainian state budget on Wednesday received another $3 billion as a non-refundable grant from the U.S. via the World Bank mechanism, the prime minister said. "This is the first tranche from the additional $4.5 billion of direct budget aid," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a major buildup of his country’s military forces Thursday in an apparent effort to replenish troops that have suffered heavy losses in six months of bloody warfare and prepare for a long, grinding fight ahead in Ukraine. The move to increase the number of troops by 137,000, or 13%, to 1.15 million by the end of the year came amid chilling developments on the ground in Ukraine. (snip) Putin’s decree did not specify whether the expansion would be accomplished by widening the draft, recruiting more volunteers, or both. But some Russian military analysts predicted heavier...

"Should you or any member of your IM Force be caught or killed the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your action" From The Original "Mission Impossible" TV Series "He was on a period of leave without pay at the time of his death and was not on active duty at the time of his death" New Zealand Defence Force Statement On The Death Of Corporal Dominic Abelen In Ukraine That's what's been said about the death of a soldier from New Zealand in Ukraine today. We're told that he was off duty and on leave from the military. His...

Russia is preparing to hold "sham" referendums in occupied Ukrainian territories within a matter of days or weeks, the US warned on Wednesday. Moscow has instructed officials to begin preparations in areas that have fallen under its control during its war on Ukraine, including Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhia, parts of Donetsk and Luhansk, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. The first referenda could be announced as soon as this week's end, he added, noting the US and international community will not view any such elections as legitimate. "We expect Russia to try to manipulate the results of these referenda...

European countries have been trying to increase their gas reserves ahead of the winter, following the reduction of Russian gas supply by around 80% over the last two years.Analysts from Morgan Stanley say while the bulk of the decline in European gas supply from the Nord Stream 1 pipeline has already occurred, the remaining 20% is an “important swing factor in any supply/demand modelling.”The forecasting suggests available gas supply is set to drop another 11% in the next gas year — which runs 12 months from October. They highlighted that supply from other regions such as Norway, the U.K. or...

Ankara supports Ukraine's territorial integrity and rejects the illegal annexation of Crimea, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday. "The return of Crimea to Ukraine, of which it is an inseparable part, is essentially a requirement of international law," Erdogan said in a video message to the Second Crimea Platform Summit. The Crimea Platform is an international coordination mechanism of Ukraine to draw more global attention to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. Erdogan said Ankara will continue to support the Crimean Platform that was established to resolve the Crimean issue through peaceful means. "Türkiye does not recognize...

Doubts about continuing to pump weapons and other aid into Ukraine are especially prevalent among independents, at 37%, while 18% of Americans oppose the shipments altogether.The survey suggests waning support for US involvement as the conflict drags on, contributing to surging inflation on the home front. In fact, 40% of Americans now agree with the statement that “the problems of Ukraine are none of our business, and we should not interfere.” That compares with 31% when the same question was asked in April.Moreover, 59% of survey respondents, including 69% of Republicans, agree with the statement that “given the current economic...

The town of Volosovo, near St Petersburg, is booming. Not the economy - it's the loudspeakers. Like many towns in Russia, Volosovo has them installed on tall poles that line the main street. Traditionally they are used for playing patriotic music during national holidays. Now, though, they have a different purpose. "Two volunteer artillery battalions are being formed. We invite men from 18 to 60 years old to join," the speakers blare out. It's a message that's being repeated up and down this vast country. On social media, on TV and on billboards, men are being urged to sign short-term...

The UN Human Rights Office says it is concerned by reports that Russia plans to try Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) in Russian-occupied Mariupol. A UN spokeswoman said there was evidence that metal cages were being built in the Ukrainian city's concert hall, "apparently to restrain prisoners of war during proceedings." The UN said prosecuting POWs for taking part in hostilities is a war crime. Russia has previously denied unfairly treating prisoners of war. Photos posted on social media in recent days - including by Ukrainian authorities - appear to show metal cages being built on the stage of the...

He was one of the last remaining prominent opposition politicians in Russia who hadn't been killed, arrested, or forced out of the country. As Yevgeny Roizman was being led out of his flat by police this morning, a waiting journalist asked him why he was being charged. "Just for one phrase," said Mr Roizman, 59, "'The invasion of Ukraine.'" He has had a serious criminal case opened against him for "discrediting the Russian armed forces". It is a common charge used against anti-war activists in Russia. Even using the words "war" or "invasion" here can lead to a visit from...

A Russian rocket strike on a train station killed 25 people, Ukraine says, on the day marking six months since Moscow's invasion began. Five of the victims of the attack in the eastern town of Chaplyne burnt to death in a vehicle, officials said. Two boys aged six and 11 were also killed. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the strike in the middle of a UN Security Council meeting. A further 31 people were wounded. Russia has so far made no comment. Moscow has repeatedly denied targeting civilian infrastructure. Speaking on Thursday, UN human rights commissioner Michelle Bachelet called on Russia's...

The Polish Association of journalists (SDP) issued a statement titled "Russian propagandists who pretend to be journalists should be tried as war criminals." The statement signed by the Association's leaders calls for extending responsibility for crimes committed by Russians against the civilian population of Ukraine not only to "bandits in Russian uniforms," but also to "propagandists of the Kremlin regime." "Propagandists not only misinform the world community about Moscow's bloody aggression against Ukraine, but also call for a fight against Ukrainians in the name of the imperialist interests of Putin and his supporters," the statement said. Among these propagandists who...

Kiev has the right to siphon off supplies destined for the EU, a Ukrainian politician claims. The former chairman of Ukraine’s parliament, the Rada, Dmitry Razumkov has stated that Kiev has the right to confiscate Russian gas that flows to the EU through Ukraine, and sell it in order to solve the country’s economic problems. “The gas that is transported through the territory of Ukraine is Russian. To the border with Europe, it is Russian gas. And if we act in accordance with the law, we e should confiscate it,” he said in a video posted on Facebook on Friday....

A hail of shrapnel from kamikaze drones ripped through the tent where off-duty Ukrainian border guards were sleeping near a crossing with Belarus, three hours north of Ukraine’s capital. Viktor Derevyanko woke to scalding pain, his body burning. Blood spilled from his hand as he tried to wipe his face. A piece of metal had traveled through his arm and stomach and into the muscle around his heart. “I couldn’t get my bearings,” said Derevyanko, the deputy head of the unit. “Only on the third explosion did I manage to fall out of bed and try to find at least...

On July 21, members of the Ukrainian parliament decided to increase their salaries by 70 percent raise. After the bill for this decision had only been submitted on July 18, the parliamentarians were able to carry out the vote unusually quickly, reported the Overton magazine. According to the magazine, this decision, which was unanimously approved by all the remaining parties, would have been possible so quickly in the absence of a lack of opposition. Instead of 28,800 hryvnia as before, the “servants of the people”, as Vladimir Zelensky’s party is called, now earn 49,600 hryvnia per month. Since July 15,...

Army members have been told that they "must be prepared" for the possibility of being deployed to Ukraine to fight in the war against Russia. Warrant Officer Paul Carney issued the warning six months on from Vladimir Putin's invasion of the country in February, saying that British troops “must be prepared for new realities” as the UK military was now “shaping itself to meet the threat from Russia”. WO1 Carney, the Army’s highest-ranking Warrant Officer, instructed soldiers to check that they were physically fit enough for operations, as well as taking the time to have conversations with family members, The...

According to Ponomarev, the anti-Putin group authorized him to issue their "manifesto" via his Telegram channel "Rospartisan." The group describes itself as consisting of Russian activists, military members, politicians who are "now fighters and partisans." Ponomarev said he was approached by the NRA. The group allegedly told him that it was engaged in a fight against Putin's regime. "We have established contact with NRA fighters via our Rospartisan [Telegram] channel, which covers the rising tide of resistance in Russia. Today the NRA fighters authorized me to read their manifesto." In their purported statement, the NRA said its members oppose the...