The admission shocked Ukrainians who have shown little but resolute courage as they tried to fend off the Russian forces that invaded their country in February last year. In an interview with the Economist, the commander of Ukraine’s forces, General Valery Zaluzhny, confessed that the...
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This week, Russian forces increased their attacks in eastern Ukraine, particularly in the industrial town of Avdiivka, as they seek territorial gains before the year’s end, Agence France-Presse noted. Avdiivka is strategically important but is surrounded on almost three sides by Russian troops. Ukrainian forces,...
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This week, Ukraine celebrated the tenth anniversary of the pro-Europe Maidan Revolution, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the “first victory” against Russia, Al Jazeera reported. The series of mass protests taking place on Kyiv’s Maidan Square in 2013 called on the Ukrainian government to distance...
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This week, a Ukrainian military officer, Roman Chervinsky, is alleged to have coordinated the September 2022 attack on the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline, damaging three out of four pipelines running under the Baltic Sea, according to Voice of America. The United States and NATO...
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This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin revoked Russia’s ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), a move aimed at aligning Moscow with the United States, which has signed but not ratified the treaty, Al Jazeera reported. The CTBT, drawn up in 1996, bans all nuclear...
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This week, Slovakia’s newly reelected Prime Minister Robert Fico pledged that the country will cease supplying weapons to Ukraine and instead will provide only humanitarian aid, Politico wrote. He expressed the view that an immediate cessation of military operations is the best solution for Ukraine,...
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This week, new satellite images showed that Russian ships connected to military transport networks have been collecting cargoes from North Korea and delivering them to a Russian military port over the past two months, the Washington Post reported. US intelligence assessments and White House officials...
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This week, Russian forces launched a series of attacks on Ukrainian positions around the city of Avdiivka in the country’s east, Politico wrote. The Ukrainian side has lost some positions in the northern outskirts of Avdiivka, although Kyiv’s troops still control key parts of the...
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This week, the European Union reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Ukraine in its struggle against Russia’s invasion, as schisms over the issue continued to grow in the United States and Europe, Al Jazeera reported. A delegation of EU foreign ministers visited Kyiv and expressed unity...
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This week, Russia conducted a series of air strikes on three Ukrainian regions, targeting Mykolaiv and Odesa in the south and Kirovohrad in central Ukraine, Reuters noted. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 34 of the 44 incoming “Shahed” drones used in the attack. While some drones...
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Russia launched a pilot program this month for Islamic banks in the Muslim-majority regions of Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Chechnya, and Dagestan. Islamic law holds that banks can’t charge interest. But they can share in the client’s profits and risks. Additionally, Islamic banks don’t support endeavors involving alcohol,...
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This week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Washington, DC to secure more US support for Ukraine as questions loom over continuing American financial aid to the war-torn country, the Associated Press reported. Zelenskyy expressed optimism about Ukraine’s progress in the war with Russia in meetings...
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This week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed “full support” for Russian President Vladimir Putin during a summit in Russia, highlighting their nations’ relationship as a “top priority,” NPR reported. During a meeting in Russia’s Far East, Putin offered Kim technological support for launching...
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Russia’s ruling party won most of the votes in elections held in occupied Ukrainian territories, in a poll that Ukraine and Western countries decried as a sham, the Associated Press reported. Russian election officials announced Monday that lawmakers from the United Russia party came out on...
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This week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Kyiv and pledged more than $1 billion in additional aid for Ukraine as it continues its counteroffensive against Russia, according to the Wall Street Journal. Blinken’s visit aimed to demonstrate ongoing US support and strengthen Ukraine’s...
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DNA tests prove that the leader of the mercenary Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, died in a plane crash last month, Russian officials said recently. As Reuters wrote, the tests could put to rest speculation that Prigozhin was not on the plane and might have faked...
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This week, Russia experienced the biggest assault by drones on its territory since the Ukraine conflict began, with attacks reported across six regions, including Moscow, according to CNN. Russian officials claimed to have prevented most of the strikes and reported no casualties. Moscow responded to...
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This week, Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of the Russian mercenary Wagner Group more recently known for a rebellion against Russia’s military, reportedly died in a plane that crashed near Moscow, CNN reported Thursday. Russian authorities investigating the incident confirmed that Prigozhin’s name was on the passenger...
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This week, the Ukrainian army successfully liberated the village of Urozhaine in the Donetsk region, advancing into Russian defenses on the southern front, Politico reported. The victory is part of the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive, which aims to breach heavily mined Russian defense lines. The village's...
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This week, Russia launched a massive missile and drone strike targeting western Ukrainian cities in response to Kyiv’s alleged bombing of a Russian tanker over the weekend, the New York Post reported. The counterattack killed at least six people and resulted in widespread destruction across...
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