Russia

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Starmer to Oligarch: Pay Ukraine Victims or Face Court

UK PM warns oligarch he needs to direct proceeds from sale of Chelsea club to Ukrainians, as vowed

(Newser) - Roman Abramovich is being given what amounts to a final warning from Britain's prime minister. Keir Starmer told Parliament that the UK has now authorized the transfer of $3.3 billion from the 2022 sale of Chelsea Football Club and demanded that the Russian oligarch follow through on his...

Ukraine: 'Sub Sea Baby' Pulls Off a Big First on Russian Sub

Kyiv says underwater drone strike crippled vessel in Black Sea; Russia denies any damage was done

(Newser) - Ukraine says a new kind of drone has just taken its war at sea below the surface. On Monday, Ukraine's domestic intelligence service claimed the nation's underwater drones critically damaged a Russian Kilo-class submarine docked near Novorossiysk, calling it the first publicly acknowledged strike by its unmanned submersible...

MI6 Chief Warns About Russia: 'New Frontline Is Everywhere'

Defense boss calls on citizens to be ready to join the armed forces

(Newser) - Britain's new foreign intelligence chief used her first public address Monday to warn that Russia is mounting a broad campaign of sabotage and disruption across Europe. Blaise Metreweli, who became the first woman to lead MI6 in October, said Russia represents an "acute threat" to Western countries and...

US Offers Ukraine NATO-Like Guarantee

'We still have different positions' on turning over territory, Zelensky says

(Newser) - US negotiators said Monday they offered a NATO-style promise to shield Ukraine—without saying exactly how far it would go if Russia attacks again. American officials in Berlin for the talks said they presented Ukraine with a package of security guarantees meant to underpin a future peace deal with Russia,...

Russia Declares Punk Band an 'Extremist Organization'

Pussy Riot is basically banned from operating in Russia

(Newser) - Punk group Pussy Riot was declared an "extremist organization" by a Russian court on Monday. The ruling, which was made by Moscow's Tverskoy District Court, effectively outlaws the group from operating in Russia and puts anyone linked with the group at risk of criminal prosecution, reports the AP...

Ukraine's Birth Rate Hits Crisis Levels as War Drags On

Millions have fled, life expectancy has dropped, and deaths outpace births amid Russian invasion

(Newser) - Ukraine is facing a dramatic population crisis, with birth rates plummeting and millions fleeing the country amid the ongoing war. The hospital in small town Hoshcha has near-empty maternity ward that underscores the severity of the crisis, with just 139 births recorded so far this year—a sharp decline from...

Zelensky Just Showed Up Putin With a Selfie

Ukrainian president's pic from Kupiansk counters Russia's claims that it controls the city

(Newser) - Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Ukrainian forces in Kupiansk were encircled. Volodymyr Zelensky responded by traveling to the Ukrainian city and posting a selfie, reports Mediaite . The Kremlin has for weeks asserted that Russian troops retook the northeastern city near the Russian border, inviting foreign journalists to see what...

This Alleged Ukrainian Attack Is Different

Kyiv's sea drones reportedly hit sanctioned tankers outside of Russian waters

(Newser) - Ukraine's war is increasingly being waged far from its own shores—this time against the tankers that keep Russian oil flowing. CBS News reports that Ukrainian security service sources say Kyiv used "Sea Baby" naval drones to hit at least two sanctioned crude carriers, Kairos and Virat, in...

In a Major Shift, Zelensky Says Ukraine Can Hold Elections

Says vote under martial law can take place, maybe within 3 months if US/EU security is provided

(Newser) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he's willing to hold elections even as his country remains under attack from Russia—but only if the US and Europe step up with concrete security guarantees. His comments on Tuesday represent a sharp shift from his long-standing position that elections are impossible under...

Zelensky Rejects Giving Up Territory

European leaders, meeting in London, back Ukraine on Russian land claims

(Newser) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made clear on Monday that Ukraine will not give up any territory to Russia, firmly rejecting a central demand from Moscow that has been echoed in President Trump's latest peace proposal. Zelensky made the statement after meeting with leaders of Britain, France, and Germany in...

Trump Jr. Says His Dad Might Give Up on Ukraine

He slams Ukraine corruption, says US wants peace with Russia

(Newser) - Donald Trump Jr. raised eyebrows at the Doha Forum in Qatar over the weekend by suggesting President Trump might "walk away" from Ukraine unless the nation agrees to a peace deal with Russia. Speaking to an audience of international officials and policy experts, the president's eldest son sharply...

Amid US-Ukraine Talks, a Major Drone Strike

Ukraine says Russia carried out attack with more than 650 drones, 50+ missiles

(Newser) - Russia unleashed a major missile and drone barrage on Ukraine overnight, after US and Ukrainian officials said they'll meet on Saturday for a third day of talks aimed at ending the nearly four-year-old war. Russia used 653 drones and 51 missiles in the wide-reaching attack, which triggered air raid...

Putin: Russia Must Be Given Full Control of Donbas

Russian leader appears to be drawing a red line

(Newser) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a stark warning that Ukrainian forces must leave Ukraine's eastern Donbas region or Russia will take it by force, making clear that in Russia's view there is no room for compromise over the disputed territory, the BBC reports. "Either we liberate...

Same Sticking Point Emerges in 5-Hour Meeting on Ukraine

Territorial disputes stall progress in Kremlin talks

(Newser) - Tuesday's high-level talks between Russia and the US on ending the Ukraine war stretched for five hours but ended without a peace deal, though Russian officials categorized the discussions as "useful" and "constructive." The Kremlin meeting involved Vladimir Putin and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared...

Ukraine's Troops Skeptical of Possible Peace Deal

Some near the front who spoke to the AP say Russia will just invade again later

(Newser) - Moving between damp basements and muddy dugouts to fend off constant Russian attacks in the nearly 4-year-old war, exhausted Ukrainian soldiers say their motivation is fortified by knowing they're fighting for higher cause: the defense of their homeland. But as negotiators try to hammer out a peace deal , the...

Orban Goes to Moscow and Hears About It From EU Leaders

War on Ukraine, energy are topics of meeting with Putin at Kremlin

(Newser) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban discussed the war on Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday, a meeting that again put Orban at odds with his European Union and NATO partners. Orban, widely considered Putin's closest ally within the EU, has repeatedly clashed with Western leaders...

Putin Doubles Down on Demand for Ukrainian Territory

He says Russia is ready to fight 'until the last Ukrainian dies'

(Newser) - Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia is prepared to continue its assault on Ukraine "until the last Ukrainian dies," demanding that Kyiv surrender territory if it wants an end to the conflict. Speaking during a visit to Kyrgyzstan, the Russian president insisted his military is advancing on all...

Trump: Ukraine Deal Has Been 'Fine-Tuned'

'I think we're getting very close to a deal,' he says

(Newser) - President Trump announced Tuesday that his administration has made significant progress toward a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, with only "a few remaining points of disagreement" to be resolved. Trump said he has dispatched special envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while...

Ukraine Reportedly Backs a Revised Peace Deal

Zelensky may be headed to the US soon, but there's no word yet from Russia

(Newser) - It looks like a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war is genuinely close—at least on Ukraine's end. CBS News and the BBC report that Ukraine has agreed in principle to a US-brokered peace deal after lengthy talks. The development comes after the US and Ukraine "significantly changed"...

French Army Chief: We Can't Fear 'Losing Our Children'

Gen. Fabien Mandon's blunt warning about possible conflicts sets off a backlash

(Newser) - France's new army chief has sparked a national debate after bluntly warning that the country must be ready to "accept losing our children" in the face of growing military threats, particularly from Russia. Gen. Fabien Mandon made the remarks to mayors from across France, urging them to prepare...

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