War and Recovery

May 3 (Reuters) - Ukraine's central bank introduced its largest wartime currency liberalization measures on Friday aimed at easing restrictions for businesses, more than two years after Russia's invasion prompted the imposition of tough restrictions.Most of the new provisions take effect on May 4.A package of liberalisation measures had been expected for some time to support business and soften restrictions on capital outflows and tight foreign exchange controls imposed after the February 2022 invasion.The Ukrainian economy shrank by about a third in the first year of the war.Under the new ...

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight. Become a member [1] Support us just once [2] Key updates on May 3:Ukraine may use British weapons to strike targets inside Russia, Cameron saysMilitary intelligence general: Chasiv Yar's fall probably a matter of timeMilitary intelligence carries out cyberattack in Russia's TatarstanCommander: Russia aims to completely occupy 3 oblasts in 2024Media: Italy to give Ukraine SAMP/T air defense system in new aid package.Britain pledged three billion pounds ($3.74 billion) in annual military assistance to Ukraine, U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron ...

Open this photo in gallery:Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a video address to mark the 31st anniversary of the founding of national energy giant Gazprom, at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, on Feb. 17.SPUTNIK/Reuters[1]Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago, the West has imposed thousands of sanctions on Russian businesses, exports and prominent individuals who are considered the warmongering lapdogs of President Vladmir Putin. The penalties ranged from impounding oligarchs’ yachts and banning technology exports to Russia, to cutting Russian banks out ...

Tensions between the US and Russia[1] are mounting after Putin’s bombers were spotted near the coast of Alaska, whilst his forces entered a US air base in Niger that is hosting American troops.US fighter jets allegedly scrambled to intercept the flights, which had been travelling for a duration of 11 hours across the Bering Sea, the Russian Ministry of Defence reports.The Russian Defence Minister confirmed the Tu-95MS missile carriers’ presence off the US coast, adding: “At certain stages, the missile carriers were accompanied by fighter jets of foreign countries.”Four military ...

On Tuesday night, hundreds of New York Police Department officers entered Columbia University[1] and the City College of New York[2] to remove protestors who had set up encampments and taken over administrative buildings in opposition to Israel's conduct in its conflict against Hamas, U.S. military support for Israel and colleges' investments in companies tied to Israel — just one in a series of clashes on college campuses[3] across the country that have captured the attention of the media and the public.Scenes of left-leaning collegiate protestors upset with President Joe Biden ...

The German Foreign Minister has issued a stark warning to Vladimir Putin[1] after the Kremlin launched an “absolutely intolerable” cyberattack on Germany.Meanwhile, NATO and EU member states have vowed not to let Russia[2]’s “malicious” activity go without response.Speaking in Adelaide, Australia, Annalena Baerbock said: “Russian state hackers attacked Germany in cyberspace. We can attribute this attack to the group called APT28, which is steered by the military intelligence service of Russia[3].”Ms Baerbock claimed that the Russian hackers targeted members of the ruling Social Democratic party in Germany last year.She said: ...

Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, has stated that the war with Russia is reaching a new stage amid an offensive planned by Russia.Source: Zelenskyy at the meeting with cadets in the city of KhmelnytskyiDetails: Zelenskyy added that the Russians were preparing to try to expand offensive actions.Advertisement:Quote: "We are approaching a new stage of the war. The occupiers are preparing to attempt to expand offensive actions. And we all together, all Ukrainians, our soldiers, our state, our allies, we must do ...

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight. Become a member [1] Support us just once [2] Ukraine is facing "a new stage" in the Russia's full-scale war, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a meeting with border guards in Khmelnytskyi Oblast on May 3.Zelensky's statement came amid a deteriorating situation on the battlefield. Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR), said that Ukraine should expect to face a renewed Russian offensive[3] in late spring or early summer, with the offensive intensifying around eastern Donbas region."The occupier ...

Following the Julian[1] rather than the Gregorian[2] calendar, the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) celebrates Easter this weekend – the most important religious festival of its liturgical year. One priest who will not be leading a service is Dmitry Safronov, a prominent Moscow cleric. In March, Mr Safronov presided[3] over a memorial service at the grave of Alexei Navalny, following the dissident’s death[4] in unexplained circumstances in an Arctic penal colony. He was subsequently suspended from the priesthood for three years and can no longer preach or wear a cassock.Such is the degraded ...

russia gazpromVladimir Putin is throwing everything he has got at ramping up Russia’s war machine.That is why the nation’s economy – if one believes Moscow’s figures – has held up better than might have been expected[1] in the face of Western sanctions. Rather than reflecting anything remotely like prosperity, the statistics show more weapons being produced for the meat grinder of eastern Ukraine.The resources funding this include oil revenues. Higher oil prices send more cash into the Kremlin’s coffers, thanks in large part to sales via Moscow’s “shadow fleet” of ...

Chinese leader Xi Jinping's upcoming trip[1] to France, Serbia, and Hungary will focus on China's economic ties to Europe and escalating trade tensions between Beijing and Brussels.But China's position on Russia's war in Ukraine will also take center stage, especially during Xi's visit to France, two EU officials told RFE/RL.High on the agenda is China's participation in a Kyiv-backed international conference[2] set for mid-June in Switzerland that will discuss the prospects for ending the war in Ukraine.Russia has said it will not participate. But Kyiv is actively pushing for Beijing, ...

Moscow has reacted to comments about sending troops and arms to Ukraine as dangerous, while Kyiv urges Western allies to speed up aid deliveries. ADVERTISEMENTRecent statements by French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron about the war in Ukraine are “dangerous” and will deepen international tension around the conflict, the Kremlin’s spokesman said on Friday.In an interview published on Thursday, Macron repeated an earlier comment that he doesn’t rule out sending troops to Ukraine. Cameron, meanwhile, said during a visit to Kyiv the same day that Ukraine will ...

Recent statements by French President Emmanuel Macron[1] and UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron about the war in Ukraine are “dangerous” and will deepen international tension around the conflict, the Kremlin’s spokesman said on Friday.In an interview published on Thursday, Macron repeated an earlier comment that he doesn’t rule out sending troops to Ukraine.Cameron, meanwhile, said during a visit to Kyiv the same day that Ukraine will be able to use British long-range weapons[2] to strike targets inside Russia - a possibility that some other NATO countries providing weapons have balked ...

Cities in Russia[1]’s crosshairs, including recent target Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine[2], are pulverized by Moscow’s missiles, drones and glide bombs.The Donetsk and Luhansk provinces together make up the Donbas[3], an expansive industrial region bordering Russia[4] that Putin identified as a focus from the war’s outset and where Moscow-backed separatists have fought since 2014.Also, Russia[5] launched its third attack in a week on Odesa[6], firing ballistic missiles at the southern Ukrainian port city and injuring 14 people, local officials and emergency services said.The attack hit a sorting depot belonging to ...

Cities in Russia[1]’s crosshairs, including recent target Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine[2], are pulverized by Moscow’s missiles, drones and glide bombs.The Donetsk and Luhansk provinces together make up the Donbas[3], an expansive industrial region bordering Russia[4] that Putin identified as a focus from the war’s outset and where Moscow-backed separatists have fought since 2014.Also, Russia[5] launched its third attack in a week on Odesa[6], firing ballistic missiles at the southern Ukrainian port city and injuring 14 people, local officials and emergency services said.The attack hit a sorting depot belonging to ...

Russia’s aim is to seize Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia by the end of the year, Kyiv’s ground forces chief has warned.“Russia’s main goal remains to destroy Ukraine as a nation,” said Oleksandr Pavliuk, who in February took over from Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s military chief, as ground forces commander. “But as we haven’t given them that opportunity since 2022, we believe the goals the Russians set for themselves this year are the complete occupation of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and, if they are successful there, the Zaporizhzhia region.”First on Russia’s list of ...

Sulphuric acid and copper cyanide were reportedly stored at the plant - and the chemicals ignited causing plumes of dark smoke to spiral into the air above buildings and people's homesVideo LoadingVideo UnavailableThe video will auto-play soon8CancelPlay nowFire at Berlin plant containing poisonous sulphuric acid and copper cyanide A toxic cloud is hanging over Berlin as residents were warned to close all windows following a devastating fire [1]at a chemical factory The blaze ignited today at a plant in the German [2]capital, which reportedly manufactures IRIS-T SL/SLM surface-to-air missiles supplied ...

MOSCOW, May 3 (Reuters) - The Kremlin called British Foreign Secretary David Cameron's statement that Ukraine could use British weapons against targets inside Russia if it wanted to a direct and dangerous escalation of tensions around the conflict[1].Cameron promised[2] 3 billion pounds ($3.7 billion) of annual military aid for Ukraine for "as long as it takes" on Thursday, adding that London had no objection to its weapons being used inside Russia."Ukraine has that right. Just as Russia is striking inside Ukraine, you can quite understand why Ukraine feels the need ...

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight. Become a member [1] Support us just once [2] The Latvian army has started to dig an anti-tank ditch as part of its first defensive line near the border with Russia, Latvian public broadcaster LSM reported on May 2.Russia's invasion of Ukraine has sparked concerns that the Baltic states[3], which are among Moscow's biggest critics and Kyiv's staunchest allies since day one of the all-out war, could become the next target of Russia's aggression. These fears are reinforced by Russian ...

Ukraine’s military intelligence service (HUR[1]) deputy chief spoke in an interview with The Economist[2] about upcoming difficulties for Ukraine in Donbas[3] and the Kremlin[4]’s threat to NATO[5]’s Baltic nations. Vadym Skibitsky, Budanov’s deputy at the HUR, talked about the possibility of Ukraine losing Chasiv Yar and cautioned that May could a difficult month for Ukrainians, with possible Russian gains if it launches offensives in the East. Kyiv Post collected the top five main points in Skibitsky’s statements. 1.) “Losing Chasiv Yar is only a matter of time” Russia is trying ...

In an interview marking Poland's Constitution Day (May 3), Ambassador Aleksandra Piątkowska discusses the stalled free-trade deal between the European Union and Mercosur blocs, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its implications for her nation and bilateral relations in light of political changes in both Argentina and Poland. In the EU, including in Poland, there has been a rising wave of farmer protests, highlighting deep dissatisfaction with the bloc’s agricultural policies. This includes criticism of the proposed EU-Mercosur trade deal. What are the Polish farmers’ and the Polish government’s stances on the ...

Russian military personnel have entered an air base in Niger that is hosting U.S. troops, following a decision to expel U.S. forces.The ruling military officers in Niger have instructed the U.S. to withdraw its nearly 1,000 military personnel from the country.Russian forces are utilizing a separate hangar at Airbase 101 in Niamey, Niger's capital.Russian military personnel[1] have entered an air base in Niger that is hosting U.S. troops, a senior U.S. defense official told Reuters, a move that follows a decision by Niger's junta to expel U.S. forces.The military officers ...

Ukraine likely faces the approaching loss of a key eastern town to Russia, one of the country's top intelligence officials said."Not today or tomorrow, of course, but all depending on our reserves and supplies," Major-General Vadym Skibitsky, the deputy head of military intelligence, told The Economist[1].Much of the town in question, Chasiv Yar, is little more than rubble after more than a year of bombardment.But its natural hilltop position has helped it serve as a staging ground for Ukrainian skirmishes on the Russian advance, helping block Russia's path to the ...

CLNKraneSharesWeek in Review Asian equities were mixed for the week as China markets outperformed significantly with the Hang Seng up +6.89%, the Hang Seng Tech Index up +11.73%, Shanghai up +2.74%, Shenzhen up +4.84%, and the STAR Board up +5.44%. Tesla Tesla[1] received approval for the use of its autonomous driving technology in China this week, marking a significant milestone for the company in its largest market. Tesla will use Baidu’s maps to build out the technology. China released April purchasing managers’ indexes (PMIs) on Tuesday. The Manufacturing PMI beat ...

A UK-based think tank earlier this year said Russia[1] was rebuilding its capacity to destabilise European countries[2], posing a strategic threat to NATO as its members focus on the war in Ukraine[3].And Nazar Voloshyn, a spokesperson for Ukrainian strategic command in the east of the country, said Russia has amassed troops in the Donetsk region[4] to punch through the Ukrainian defensive line.“The enemy is actively attacking along the entire front line, and in several directions, they have achieved certain tactical advances,” he said on national television. “The situation is changing ...

Russian and American troops have been using the same military base for weeks as tensions between Washington and Moscow skyrocket amid the Ukraine[1] war.Vladimir Putin[2]’s men are reportedly using the Air Base 101 alongside US soldiers in Niger, a US defense official and another source familiar told CNN earlier this week.Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed reports but stressed that the Russians are in a separate air hanger in the African military site.He told reporters: [The situation] is not great but, in the short-term, manageable.“Airbase 101 where our forces [are], ...

Former Fox News[1] host Tucker Carlson[2] said on Thursday that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) wants a "hot war" with Russia that would "destroy" the United States.During an episode of his show, which was released online on Thursday by the Tucker Carlson Network and is currently behind a paywall, Carlson discussed NATO with Balázs Orbán, an adviser to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.Balázs Orbán opined that Hungary could "end up in a heated war between NATO and Russia," a prospect that he described as "the worst thing possible," per ...

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed Friday that Ukraine’s military losses topped 111,000 people since the start of 2024, as Russian forces continued advancing along the eastern front line amid delays in critical Western aid for Kyiv.[1]“Russian troops continue breaking the enemy’s system of strongholds along the entire line of contact,” Shoigu said at a meeting with the army’s top brass.He accused Washington of pressuring Kyiv to “prevent the collapse of its defenses and hold back the advance of Russian troops at all costs,” which he said has led to ...

It came as Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, met Volodymyr Zelensky[1], the Ukrainian president, in Kyiv, where he assured him that his forces have a right to use British-supplied weapons to strike inside Russian territory.While Ukraine initially attempted peace talks with Russia, such as in Turkey and on the Belarusian border, Moscow has been much less eager to do so since the annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts in 2022.Mr Zelensky has since declared peace talks with Russia under its current leadership are “impossible” and in November 2023 said he was ...

MILAN — Denmark will raise its defense spending by an additional $5.1 billion over the next four years in order to speed up investments in military capabilities, as the government has warned that Russia is readying for a long-term war.With the war in Ukraine reaching its 800th day, and the battle showing little sign of resolution in the foreseeable future, European countries are doubling down on efforts to inject more funds into their military posture.The Danish government[1] announced this week that it would again increase the country’s defense expenditure from ...

Germany has blamed “state-sponsored” Russian hackers for an “intolerable” cyberattack on members of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and warned there would be consequences.On Friday, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said a German federal government investigation into who was behind the 2023 cyberattack on the SPD, a leading member of the governing coalition, had just concluded.“Today we can say unambiguously [that] we can attribute this cyberattack to a group called APT28, which is steered by the military intelligence service of Russia,” she said at a news conference in the Australian city ...

Germany has blamed “state-sponsored” Russian hackers for an “intolerable” cyberattack on members of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and warned there would be consequences.On Friday, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said a German federal government investigation into who was behind the 2023 cyberattack on the SPD, a leading member of the governing coalition, had just concluded.“Today we can say unambiguously [that] we can attribute this cyberattack to a group called APT28, which is steered by the military intelligence service of Russia,” she said at a news conference in the Australian city ...

Putin ally calls Ukrainian leader a 'halfwit' and a 'b******' in expletive-laden tirade A regular feature of news coverage surrounding the war in Ukraine has been the frequently bellicose statements that have emanated from one of Vladimir Putin's most prominent allies, Dmitry Medvedev.The deputy chairman of the security council of the Russian Federation is notorious for his inflammatory language and repeated invocation of Cold War-style nuclear threats, which tend to be widely dismissed by most Western commentators.Indeed, some analysts have suggested the former president's penchant for such wild outbursts are ...

Videos posted to Russian and Ukrainian social media show that Ukraine has mated the breakout technology of small, low-cost quadcopter drones with a classic weapon of antiquity and the Middle Ages: spiky caltrops designed to be scattered in the path of enemy forces.While Ukrainians had already been incorporating caltrops into trapped and/or fortified defensive areas, footage showed civilian-style quadcopter drones scattering thousands at night along vital roads in Russian-occupied territory used for resupply. The following day, wheeled vehicles immobilized by the tire-deflating caltrops became sitting ducks for subsequent air or ...

In a recent development reported via Telegram[1], the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SSO[2]) destroyed a Russian Buk M-1 anti-aircraft missile launcher using attack drones[3]. “Operators of one of the SSO divisions discovered the Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile complex while working in the Sumy sector,” the caption to the released video read. Utilizing attack drones, the Ukrainian troops ignited a fire within the Russian Buk launcher, prompting Russian servicemembers to attempt to extinguish the fire and salvage the equipment. The SSO report indicates that the strike resulted in the destruction of the ...

Russia's Kremlin has labeled recent statements by officials about the war in Ukraine as "dangerous."French President Emmanuel Macron said he doesn’t exclude sending troops to Ukraine.U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron said during a visit to Kyiv the same day that Ukraine will be able to use British long-range weapons to strike targets inside Russia.Recent statements by France’s president and Britain’s foreign secretary about the war in Ukraine[1] are "dangerous" and will deepen international tension around the conflict, the Kremlin’s spokesman said Friday.French President Emmanuel Macron, in an interview published Thursday, ...

Russia and China are strengthening their military cooperation, including on Taiwan, U.S. intelligence officials warned during a congressional hearing on Thursday."Bottom line is that basically, if we were to have a conflict with one, the chances are we would have a second front," Lt Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said.Moscow-Beijing ties have soared to new heights since the countries announced a "no limits" partnership shortly before Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Increased bilateral trade[1] has helped buoy Russia's heavily sanctioned economy, while Russia has provided ...

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight. Become a member [1] Support us just once [2] Washington does not currently believe in China agreeing to Ukraine's 10-point peace formula, U.S. national security spokesperson John Kirby said on May 2.The upcoming global peace summit will take place in mid-June in Switzerland, and 160 national delegations[3] will be invited to the talks.While Russia has not been invited to the summit, Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak said that China's attendance[4] would be very important and that Ukraine is ...

Ukrainians are putting machine guns first designed in the US at the end of World War I on the back of pickup trucks to try to shoot down Russian drones and spy planes.Soldiers in Ukraine's 117th Territorial Defense Brigade are using guns, including the M2 Browning, to try to take down Russia's Shahed drones, the Kyiv Independent reported[1].The M2 was used by American forces in World War II, and is still used by some today, but it was initially developed in 1918, the last year of World War I.The Kyiv ...

More than ten days into Gaza solidarity encampments at the University of Michigan, the mood in Ann Arbor is tense. But it’s been relatively calm compared to dozens of other campuses where hundreds of protesters have been arrested[1], with clashes at times becoming violent[2] and some students seizing[3] campus buildings[4].Still, on the eve of commencement, protesters say university administrators have “still essentially refused to meet with us to talk about divestment,” said Katya Olson Shipyatsky, a doctoral student in political science, and a co-chair with Jewish Voice for Peace[5] at ...

Almost completely paralysed, Oleg could do nothing but sit under the bombing [1]in his own excrement, after his caregiver mother was killed in front of his eyes[2] by a missile attack.At some point during the three weeks he was stranded alone[3], Russian soldiers came into the building and stole the wheelchair the 65-year-old Ukrainian was sitting in. They told him they needed it for a wounded soldier, and left.This was early spring 2022 on the eastern side of Mariupol, a strategic Ukrainian port city that was under one of the ...

French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the Ukraine war with The Economist.He said France could send troops if requested by Ukraine in response to a Russian breakthrough.His remarks about French soldiers defending Ukraine are among the most hawkish by a Western leader.French President Emmanuel Macron[1] reaffirmed that he'd consider sending French troops to Ukraine and spelled out the conditions in which this could place.Speaking to The Economist[2], Macron described the urgent threat that Russian President Vladimir Putin posed to Europe in the wake of the 2022 Ukraine invasion[3]."I'm not ruling anything ...

Ahead of WITHIN TEMPTATION's upcoming tour, fans can prepare for the spectacle by reliving the adrenaline-pumping excitement of 2022's "Worlds Collide" run from the comfort of their homes, as the band's remarkable show at Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam on November 29, 2022, will be available on vinyl, CD, Blu-ray/DVD and in a special 64-page hardcover artbook on June 21, 2024.During the "Worlds Collide" tour, WITHIN TEMPTATION played two sold-out shows in their home country at Ziggo Dome. They were their first-ever headlining shows in Ziggo Dome and a total of ...

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on 2 May that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with Tula Oblast Governor and known Wagner Group-affiliate Alexei Dyumin on May 2 indicates that Putin may be seeking to reduce Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s power by balancing him with rivals, reports suggest.According to the ISW[1], Dyumin briefed Putin about Tula Oblast’s contributions to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine at the presidential estate in Novo-Ogaryovo, Moscow Oblast. Dyumin’s briefing appeared to be “an attempt to win Putin’s favor” after falling out ...

Russia's government on Friday blasted France's President Emmanuel Macron for again suggesting his country would consider sending troops to Ukraine to help defend against Russia's ongoing invasion[1], if Kyiv were to request that level of help.In an interview with The Economist magazine published Thursday, Macron said his country would have to consider the request if it were to arise and if Russian forces manage to break through Ukraine's front-line defenses along the long front line in the east of the country.''I'm not ruling anything out, because we are facing someone ...

Russia[1] has sent troops into an air base in Niger[2] that is hosting American soldiers, reports say, after the country’s ruling junta ordered all U.S. forces to leave the West African nation.The situation at Air Base 101 in Niamey, the capital city, comes as relations between Washington, D.C. and Moscow[3] are at their lowest point since the end of the Cold War due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine[4]. It’s not clear how many American troops are on the base, but an unnamed U.S. official told the Associated Press[5] that ...

Moscow fired back at the United Kingdom over statements, made on Friday by Foreign Minister David Cameron[1], allowing Ukraine to use British weapons[2] for strikes on Russian soil.The Kremlin condemned "dangerous" rhetoric from Western officials, saying that it was an example of "verbal escalation" that could threaten European security.Earlier on Friday, Reuters news agency cited Cameron's statements, made during an official visit to Kyiv, in which he appeared to give a green light to Ukraine using newly supplied British weapons on targets inside Russia.Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) watches judo ...

MOSCOW, May 3 (Reuters) - Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said his troops had taken control of 547 square kilometres (211 square miles) of territory this year in what he called Russia's "new regions," a reference to four Ukrainian regions that Moscow says it has annexed.Shoigu, in remarks on Friday to senior military commanders, said Ukrainian forces[1] were retreating all along the front line and that Russian troops were breaking what he called a network of Ukrainian strongholds."The Ukrainian army units are trying to cling on to individual lines, but ...