July 26, 2026

Ukraine Watch

Russia launches one of war’s largest air attacks on Kyiv– japantoday.com

pgnewser June 11, 2025 0

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Russia launched one of its largest air strikes on Kyiv in over three years of war and struck a maternity ward in the southern city of Odesa in attacks that killed at least three people, officials said on Tuesday.

The overnight strikes followed Russia’s biggest drone assault of the war on Ukraine on Monday and were part of intensified bombardments in what Moscow says is retaliation for attacks by Ukrainian forces on Russia.

The Russian attack also damaged Saint Sophia Cathedral, a UNESCO world heritage site located in the historic centre of Kyiv, Ukrainian Culture Minister Mykola Tochytskyi said.

“The enemy struck at the very heart of our identity again,” Tochytskyi wrote on Facebook about the site he called “the soul of all Ukraine”.

Loud explosions shook Kyiv and blasts and fires lit up the sky in the early hours of Tuesday morning, leaving palls of heavy smoke over the city, Reuters witnesses said. Authorities deployed two firefighting helicopters to douse flames.

One person died in the attack on Kyiv, city authorities said.

Map shows half of Ukraine could fall in Putin’s push for new regions | World | News– www.express.co.uk

pgnewser June 11, 2025 0

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Russia claims its forces are now pushing into previously unoccupied regions of Ukraine, with Kyiv claiming the move is part of a wider plan to seize more than half the country by the end of 2026. On Monday, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its 90th Tank Division had reached the western edge of Donetsk Oblast and begun advancing into neighbouring Dnipropetrovsk – a region not included in Moscow’s 2022 annexation claims.

If confirmed, the offensive would mark a major shift, extending Russia’s invasion into previously untouched territory. Kremlin officials said the move was part of the “new realities on the ground” – a phrase repeatedly used by former president Dmitry Medvedev to describe what Russia believes Ukraine must concede in any future peace talks. The announcement follows unverified reports that Russian troops have also entered Sumy Oblast, in Ukraine’s northeast.

Videos circulating online on Monday appeared to show Russian troops crossing into the Dnipropetrovsk region, although the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said it had not seen verifiable geolocation evidence to confirm the claims.

In a further development, Russian military bloggers reported that troops had reached the Donetsk-Dnipropetrovsk border near the village of Horikhove.

Ukraine says Russia took 20,000 children during war. Will some be returned? | Russia-Ukraine war News– www.aljazeera.com

pgnewser June 10, 2025 0

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Kyiv, Ukraine – Russian President Vladimir Putin faces criminal charges for the “unlawful deportation and transfer of children”.

That is the definition of the 2023 arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court, the intergovernmental tribunal based in The Hague.

On June 2, as ceasefire talks rumbled on, Ukrainian diplomats handed their Russian counterparts a list of hundreds of children that they said were taken from Russia-occupied Ukrainian regions since 2022.

The return of these children “could become the first test of the sincerity of [Russia’s] intentions” to reach a peace settlement, Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, told media. “The ball is in Russia’s corner.”

But Ukraine claims the number of children taken by Russia is much higher. Kyiv has so far identified 19,546 children who it says were forcibly taken from Russia-occupied Ukrainian regions since 2022.

Ukraine Alleges Russia Has Abandoned Syria

pgnewser June 6, 2025 0

Russia withdraws ships, weapons from Syria, Ukrainian intelligence reports – The Kyiv Independent
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Russia has begun withdrawing its naval and military assets from Syria amid the collapse of Syria President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) said in a post on Telegram on Dec. 8.

The withdrawal comes as rebels advancing from Damascus push toward Syria’s coastal provinces, including Latakia, Hama and Tartus, where Russian military bases are located, HUR wrote in its post.

HUR said the Russian army withdrew two ships, the frigate “Admiral Grygorovych” and the cargo ship “Inzhenier Trubin,” from the Tartus Naval Base, which was under Russian control as part of a security arrangement with the Assad regime.

Meanwhile, Russian military planes are transferring weapons and equipment from the Khmeimim Air Base, according to HUR.

Trump Walks Away from Potential Ukraine War Ceasefire… For Now

pgnewser June 6, 2025 0

Trump says it may be better to let Ukraine and Russia ‘fight for a while’ – The Guardian
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Donald Trump has said it may be better to let Ukraine and Russia “fight for a while” rather than pursue peace immediately, as the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, urged him to increase pressure on Russia.

During the Oval Office meeting, Trump voiced doubts about the potential success of peace talks, saying “sometimes you’re better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart”.

The US president said he had told Vladimir Putin that the two countries were like “two young children fighting like crazy in a park” when the two spoke by phone on Wednesday.

Russia’s ambassador to the UK ‘blames Britain’ for Ukraine’s daring drone attack & warns of ‘WWIII’ risk– www.thesun.co.uk

pgnewser June 6, 2025 0

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RUSSIA’S ambassador to the UK has blamed Britain for Ukraine’s “historic” drone attack – and chillingly warned of World War Three.

Moscow diplomat Andrei Kelin said that Ukrainian attacks “are bringing the conflict to a different level of escalation”.

Over the weekend, Volodymyr Zelensky hailed Ukraine’s daring drone blitz on Russian airbases as one for the “history books”.

It marked Kyiv’s longest range operation of the conflict so far with at least 40 aircraft being attacked as part of the expert operation codenamed “Spiderweb”.

In an embarrassing result for a raging Vladimir Putin 34 per cent of his cruise missile carriers at the targeted airfields were blasted, Zelensky said.

A £260million AWACS aircraft and bombers capable of dropping nuclear weapons were also struck.

Ukraine said the sneak attack was worth $7bn (£5.2bn) in damage to Russia.

Ukraine LIVE: Putin pummels Kyiv as Russia exacts brutal revenge | World | News– www.express.co.uk

pgnewser June 6, 2025 0

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Referring to the attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine‘s interior minister Ihor Klymenko said three emergency workers had been killed during the barrage.

Posting on X, he said: “This night, missiles and drones targeted civilian and critical infrastructure. Emergency services – the State Emergency Service and the police – responded to every call for help.

“Unfortunately, we have losses in the Ministry of Internal Affairs family again. In Kyiv, three State Emergency Service rescuers were killed while eliminating the consequences of enemy strikes. They worked under fire to help people.

“Another 9 emergency workers were injured. Some are serious, doctors are fighting for their lives. Also, 5 rescuers were injured while extinguishing a fire in the Ternopil region. All are receiving medical care. A low bow to our fallen heroes without weapons. Courageous, faithful to the Oath, dedicated to the cause of rescue. Speedy recovery to the wounded.”

Putting the death toll at one fewer than Mayor Vitali Klitschko, he added: “In total, 3 people died in Ukraine this night as a result of the Russian attack, about 40 more were inju

Ukraine Peace Talks Put on Hold After Russian Bombers Struck by Ukraine Drones

pgnewser June 5, 2025 0

Peace Talks Between Ukraine, Russia Collapse After Drone Attack– www.dailysignal.com
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Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine ended less than two hours after they began on Monday in the wake of a devastating attack by Ukraine against Russia.

The talks, which took place in Istanbul, Turkey, are the latest in ongoing efforts by the two neighboring nations and the Trump administration to bring an end to a war that has cost tens of thousands of lives and billions of dollars.

President Donald Trump has been critical of both countries since he returned to office in January and has recently threatened to walk away from the negotiations.

Between Ukraine’s Sunday strike and Russia’s massive response—only the latest exchange in an intense month of fighting—and the slow-moving peace talks, could Trump follow through on his threat to walk away?

In Sunday’s operation, the Ukrainian state hit at least 40 Russian airplanes at four military bases—almost one-third of the country’s strategic bomber fleet.

Trump Warns Ukraine About Looming Russian Response to Bomber Strikes

pgnewser June 5, 2025 0

Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin tells Trump he will take revenge for Kyiv’s devastating drone attack – The Independent
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Donald Trump has warned that Vladimir Putin’s response to a signifiant Ukrainian drone attack on Russian airfields will “not be pretty”.

The US President said that Mr Putin had told him in a phone call on Thursday that Moscow would strike back following Operation Spiderweb, which targeted Russia’s nuclear-capable long-range bombers.

Trump Warns Putin Plans to Retaliate Against Ukraine– time.com

pgnewser June 5, 2025 0

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President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Vladimir Putin intends to retaliate “very strongly” against Ukraine for a surprise drone strike on Russian airfields over the weekend, a declaration that provoked alarm in Washington and abroad even as Trump touted his efforts to bring peace to the region.

The revelation came in a social media post shortly after Trump spoke with the Russian President for more than an hour by phone—a call he described as “a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace.” In his statement, Trump appeared to accept Putin’s warning at face value and offered no indication that he had urged restraint.

“President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to Ukraine’s surprise drone strike that targeted five Russian airbases and damaged or destroyed at least 41 military aircraft, including strategic bombers. The Ukrainian operation, which spanned five time zones and caused an estimated $7 billion in damage, marked one of Kyiv’s boldest assaults deep inside Russian territory since the war began more than three years ago.

NATO summit to avoid Ukraine membership issue – AFP — RT World News– www.rt.com

pgnewser June 5, 2025 0

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The bloc’s members are concerned that the topic could lead to a public rift between the EU and US, the agency’s sources have said

NATO leaders convening for a key summit this month will deliberately avoid discussing membership for Ukraine, AFP reported on Wednesday, citing sources. The bloc’s members are reportedly wary of raising the issue due to fears it could exacerbate tensions between the EU and US.

Members of the US-led military bloc are highly likely to “steer clear of its previous strong statements that Ukraine is on course to join the alliance” when the summit takes place in The Hague in late June, the agency said.

One diplomatic source told AFP that the final declaration is expected to omit any mention of Ukrainian membership to maintain unity among member states. “There will be nothing on that,” a NATO diplomat said. “My expectation is we will be absolutely silent.”

US President Donald Trump has expressed firm opposition to Ukraine’s bid to join NATO. In February, he suggested that Ukraine “can forget about NATO,” adding that Kiev’s bid was “probably the reason the whole thing started,” referring to the conflict with Russia.

Ukraine special ops blast Putin’s beloved £3bn Crimean Bridge with bombs ‘planted MONTHS ago’ in latest daring attack– www.thesun.co.uk

pgnewser June 3, 2025 0

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Ukraine‘s SBU intelligence service said the blast left the bridge in an “emergency state” after devastating its foundations.

It was at least the third attempt to destroy the key road and rail link from Russia to occupied Crimea.

The same SBU special forces unit behind Sunday’s historic drone strikes in Russia claimed responsibility for the pre-dawn attack.

They claimed their agents spent months mining the substructure of the 12 mile road and rail link.

The SBU said: “The SBU conducted a new unique special operation and struck the Crimean Bridge for the third time — this time underwater.”

They added: “The operation lasted several months. SBU agents mined the supports of this illegal facility.

“Today, without any casualties among the civilian population, at 4.44am in the morning the first explosive device was activated.

Former CIA Analyst Confirms CIA Was Behind Massive Ukraine Drone Strike on Russian Airfields — ‘100 Percent Sure’– conservativeroof.com

pgnewser June 3, 2025 0

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Ex-CIA analyst Larry Johnson says Ukraine could not have carried this out alone, and that the operation bears the fingerprints of the CIA and/or British MI6.

By now, you’ve all heard about Ukraine’s massive assault using killer drones that attacked Russian airfields housing the nuclear bomber fleet in Siberia, as well as several other locations deep within Russia’s heartland.

The mainstream narrative is that the operation took over 18 months to plan and execute, and was ‘personally overseen’ by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, it is hard to believe that Zelensky, a former homo-erotic dancer and actor, was prepared for this attack.

The attack, according to mainstream reports, took out 41 aircraft or roughly 34 percent of Russia’s fleet of strategic bombers.

Russia banned from ice hockey in 2026 Olympics — RT World News– www.rt.com

pgnewser June 3, 2025 0

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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has made the decision to ban Russian ice hockey teams from the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy, the president of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), Luc Tardif, told TASS on Monday.

Last week, sports broadcaster ESPN reported that the IOC had confirmed that Russian teams will remain barred from the 2026 Winter Games.

“For the Olympics – it’s an IOC decision,” Tardif replied when asked by a TASS correspondent whether the committee’s ruling regarding Russia’s hockey team was final.

In February, the IIHF ruled to extend its sanctions and ban both Russian and Belarusian teams from participating in the federation’s 2025-2026 championship season.

The IIHF, like many other international sports organizations, banned athletes from both nations at the IOC’s behest following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. The committee later allowed certain Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under a neutral flag, provided they pass a vetting process to determine that they have not supported the Ukraine conflict.

What Is Russia Demanding in Its Peace Memorandum to Ukraine?– www.themoscowtimes.com

pgnewser June 3, 2025 0

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Russian negotiators presented their Ukrainian counterparts with a memorandum outlining two potential frameworks for ending Moscow’s full-scale invasion at talks in Istanbul on Monday.

The proposals, published by state news agencies, mark Moscow’s latest effort to assert its maximalist demands for ending the more-than-three-year war.

The first framework requires Kyiv to completely withdraw from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, which Russia partially occupies but claims as its own territory. A 30-day ceasefire would enter into force once this troop withdrawal begins, the memorandum says. Ukraine would also be required to relocate its military to an agreed distance from the Russian border.

Russia Promises “Peace Memorandum” to Ukraine on June 2

pgnewser May 29, 2025 0

Russia and Ukraine will be holding ceasefire talks in Istanbul, Turkey, where Russia promises to deliver a “Peace Memorandum” to Ukraine. The talks are scheduled to begin Monday, June 2nd. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said “The Russian side, as agreed, has promptly developed a relevant memorandum, which sets out our position on all aspects of reliably overcoming the root causes of the crisis.”

So far, reports of the Peace Memorandum have not been confirmed by Russia, and Ukraine’s foreign minister, Heorhii Tykhyi, claimed “The Russians’ fear of sending their “memorandum” to Ukraine suggests that it is likely filled with unrealistic ultimatums, and they are afraid of revealing that they are stalling the peace process…”

Russia Says It Is Ready to Present Peace Memorandum to Ukraine on June 2 in Istanbul– www.themoscowtimes.com
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Russia has proposed holding the next round of peace talks with Ukraine on June 2 in Istanbul, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.

“The Russian side, as agreed, has promptly developed a relevant memorandum, which sets out our position on all aspects of reliably overcoming the root causes of the crisis,” he said.

The Russian delegation, led by Vladimir Medinskiy, is ready to present the memorandum to the Ukrainian side and to provide necessary clarifications during the second round of resumed direct talks in Istanbul next Monday, Lavrov added.

Medinsky said on the Telegram messaging app that he had called Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on Wednesday with proposals for the date and venue of the next meeting.

Ukraine LIVE: Shameless Putin demands ‘written’ NATO pledge as Trump issues peace deadline | World | News– www.express.co.uk

pgnewser May 29, 2025 0

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On Wednesday, the funeral for Tamara, 8, Stanislav, 12, and Roman Martyniuk, 17 — all from the same family — was held in Korostyshiv in northern Ukraine.

The siblings were killed over the weekend when debris from a Russian cruise missile struck their home. The children were killed as they slept in their beds at 3am.

The children’s father, also injured, was released from the hospital to attend the funeral alongside his two surviving children.

“The three kids were incredibly bright, incredibly polite, the smartest, best students, always ready to help, always ready to support others,” said 22-year-old Yuliia Skok, Roman Martyniuk’s teacher.

Ukrainian Drones Slam Into Moscow Apartment Buildings– www.themoscowtimes.com

pgnewser May 29, 2025 0

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Ukrainian drones struck at least two apartment buildings in and around Moscow overnight, Russian media reported Thursday, as officials sought to downplay the extent of the damage.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defense systems had destroyed three drones targeting the capital city. “There were no serious damages or casualties,” he wrote on Telegram.

However, images published by Telegram news channels showed the charred facade of a high-rise apartment block in Moscow’s southwestern Troparyovo-Nikulino District. The building is located around 800 meters (0.5 miles) from Russia’s Military Academy of the General Staff, according to reports.

Another video showed a drone slamming into the top floor of a high-rise in Odintsovo, a town west of Moscow near the Skolkovo tech hub.

Moscow accuses Merz of trying to force Ukraine ‘to continue fighting’– www.yahoo.com

pgnewser May 28, 2025 0

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Russia has accused the German government of warmongering over its promise of further support for Ukraine, after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced Berlin and Kiev are aiming to jointly produce long-range weapons.

Commenting on the statement made following a meeting between Merz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused the German leader of further fuelling the war with his remarks.

“This is nothing more than an attempt to force the Ukrainians to continue fighting,” he said, accusing Berlin of torpedoing efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Merz said the German and Ukrainian defence ministers are to sign a letter of intent on the “procurement of long-range weapons systems from Ukrainian production.”

Germany’s Merz promises to help Ukraine produce long-range missiles– www.bbc.com

pgnewser May 28, 2025 0

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Germany’s new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has told Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky that Berlin will help Kyiv produce long-range missiles to defend itself from Russian attack.

“We want to talk about production and we will not publicly discuss details,” he said, when asked by reporters in Berlin if Germany would supply Kyiv with its Taurus missiles.

Merz took office earlier this month, promising to beef up German support for Ukraine, and said this week that there were “no longer” any range restrictions on weapons supplied by Kyiv’s Western allies.

The Taurus has a range of 500km (310 miles) and could reach deeper into Russian territory than other far-range missiles.

IOC upholds ban on Russian teams for 2026 Olympics– www.washingtonexaminer.com

pgnewser May 27, 2025 0

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“The IOC Executive Board recommendation from March 2023 with regard to teams of athletes with a Russian passport remains in place,” an IOC spokesperson said, according to a report. “It is based on the fact that, by definition, a group of Individual Neutral Athletes cannot be considered a team.”

Affirmation of a continued ban, which began as part of sanctions imposed on Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, arrives after International Ice Hockey Federation President Luc Tardif was quoted as saying the IOC had planned to exclude Russia and its star-studded hockey team from next year’s games.

“We have been pressuring them to make a decision, one way or another, because we’re getting closer to the Olympics and we need to know,” Tardif said.

“Recently, they asked us to send them a schedule without Russia, so that’s where we are. The official statement is pending but the IOC has told us that they are informing the Russian Olympic Committee that they are not participating in the Olympics.”

Zelensky contradicts Trump on NATO membership — RT World News– www.rt.com

pgnewser April 4, 2025 0

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The US president earlier said the Ukrainian leader understood that Kiev was never going to join the bloc

Ukraine could still become a member of NATO despite opposition to the idea from the administration of US President Donald Trump, Vladimir Zelensky has insisted.

Trump lashed out at the Ukrainian leader earlier this week, saying “he wants to be a member of NATO. Well, he was never going to be a member of NATO. He understands that.”

However, during a meeting with the heads of territorial communities of Chernigov Region, Zelensky made it clear that he has not yet given up on his long-standing ambitions of joining the US-led bloc.

“You know who does not support Ukraine’s membership in NATO so far, but in any case, no one is removing this issue from the table for the future,” Zelensky said, as cited by the Ukrinform news agency.

“At least, we are talking about the fact that even if now someone does not want to support [Kiev joining the bloc], we will see what happens in the future,” Zelensky added.