The Dispatch

Blinken arrives in Ukraine in demonstration of US solidarity in the face of Russian attacks

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday in the first visit to Ukraine by a senior U.S. official since Congress passed a long-delayed $61 billion military…

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Georgian opposition seeks UK support on foreign interference bill

Georgian opposition leaders are urging the UK to take a stronger stance against what they perceive as a crackdown on civil society within their country. They specifically called on the…

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Putin taps civilian economist to run defence, replacing Shoigu in surprise move

Russian President Vladimir Putin tapped a civilian economist as his surprise new defence minister in an attempt to gird Russia for economic war by trying to better utilise the defence…

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Kyiv was 9 May terror target, says SBU

Ukraine’s security service (SBU) prevented a terrorist attack that Russia had planned to carry out in Kyiv on 9 May, according to Ukrainian media reports. “The Security Service of Ukraine was…

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Kyiv expects delivery of first F-16 jets in June or July – military source

A senior Ukrainian military source has told Reuters Kyiv expects the first F-16 jets to be delivered in June or July. Ukraine has sought the US-made F-16 fighter jets to…

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Ukraine send reinforcements to border areas of the Kharkiv

Ukraine defence ministry said on Friday that it has sent military reinforcements to help repel Russian attacks in border areas of the Kharkiv region in the northeast. It added that…

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Putin suggests that Mishustin remains as Russia’s prime minister

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed the reappointment on Friday of Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, a technocrat who has helped him through the war in Ukraine and the economic challenges wrought…

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Anti-aircraft units intercept drone south of Moscow

Russian anti-aircraft units intercepted a drone south of Moscow and there were no injuries or damage from falling debris, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said early on Friday. Sobyanin, writing on…

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Russia says Western actions compel it to boost its nuclear deterrent

Russia is warning its Western adversaries that it feels obliged to boost its nuclear deterrent due to what it sees as their "escalatory" course, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was…

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UPDATED: Putin warns of global clash as Russia marks Victory Day

MOSCOW, May 9 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West on Thursday of risking a global conflict and said no one would be allowed to threaten the world's…

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Lithuania minister says Western military trainers could go to Ukraine

Lithuania’s foreign minister has raised the prospect of an ad hoc coalition of western countries sending military training personnel into Ukraine backed by ground-based air defence, days after Russia took…

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Ukraine lawmakers back bill allowing some convicts to enlist in army

Ukraine's parliament passed a bill on Wednesday that would allow some convicts to enlist in the army in return for a chance at parole, part of a push to generate…

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Russia warns France against sending troops

The Russian Foreign Ministry says Moscow would view any French soldiers deployed in Ukraine as legitimate targets. Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the warning was in response to renewed comments from…

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Russia’s biggest airstrike in weeks piles pressure on Ukraine power grid

Russian missiles and drones struck nearly a dozen Ukrainian critical infrastructure facilities in a major airstrike early on Wednesday, causing serious damage at three Soviet-era thermal power plants, Kyiv officials…

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Belarus conducts tactical nuclear inspection together with Russia

Belarus has begun checks on the readiness of its army to deploy tactical nuclear weapons, state media said on Tuesday, simultaneously with preparations for a nuclear drill being carried out…

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Ukraine catches Russian agents plotting Zelenskiy assassination, SBU says

Ukraine's SBU State Security Service said it had caught Russian agents within the Ukrainian state guard service plotting the assassination of the president and other senior governmental officials. "Counterintelligence and…

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Ukraine accuses Russia of ‘nuclear blackmail’ over weapons drills

Ukraine’s military spy agency spokesperson has expressed anger at Russia’s recent announcement of tactical nuclear drills as part of its ongoing nuclear coercion tactics. Andriy Yusov stated on Monday that…

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UPDATED: Russia to practice tactical nuclear weapon scenario to deter West

Russia on Monday said it would hold a military exercise that will include practice for the use of tactical nuclear weapons after what the defence ministry said were provocative threats…

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Italy calls for Ukraine truce, peace talks with Putin

Italy's Defence Minister said on Monday economic sanctions against Russia had failed and called on the West to try harder to negotiate a diplomatic solution with President Vladimir Putin to…

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Moscow blames Baltic states ‘confrontational’ actions

Moscow is determined to respond to what it labelled as confrontational actions by Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia with asymmetric measures. Russia blamed the "hostility" of Baltic states for them severing…

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Italy won’t send soldiers to Ukraine – Tajani

The Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that his country will not send soldiers to Ukraine after French President Emmanuel Macron said NATO should send ground troops if the Russian…

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Intelligence shows Russia is plotting sabotage across Europe – FT

The Financial Times reports that according to a number European intelligence agencies warned their governments that Russia is plotting what it calls "violent acts of sabotage" across the continent as…

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Zelenskyy added to Russia’s wanted list

Russian news agencies on Saturday reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had been added to a Kremlin wanted list. Though the Russian Interior Ministry provided no details about the charges leveled against Zelenskyy, it said that…

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War’s new territory – GPS jamming for aircraft

Several NATO members accuse Moscow of deliberately jamming positioning signals in the Baltic. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, GPS interference has been recurring in Estonia, Latvia and…

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Village of Ocheretyne decimated in clashes between Ukrainian and Russian forces

Fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces has decimated the village of Ocheretyne in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. Drone footage obtained by AP shows most houses and apartment buildings in Ocheretyne damaged…

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Russian defence minister says Russian troops captured 547 sq km of Ukrainian territory this year

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday that Russian troops had captured 547 sq km of territory in Ukraine this year. Shoigu said Ukrainian forces were retreating all along…

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Cameron: Ukraine has ‘right’ to strike Russia using British-supplied weapons

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron was in Kyiv Thursday, where he promised £3bn of annual military aid for Ukraine for "as long as it takes". He added Ukraine had a right…

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Ukraine may have talks eventually with Russia, intelligence officer says

Ukraine will at some point have to enter into talks with Russia to bring an end to their more than two-year-old war, a senior Ukrainian intelligence official said in an…

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EU, US urge Georgia to halt ‘foreign agents’ bill as protests continue

The European Union and U.S. condemned legislation making its way through Georgia's parliament on "foreign agents" and thousands of protesters snarled traffic in the capital with a peaceful protest against…

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Russia breached global chemical weapons ban in Ukraine war, US says

The United States accused Russia of violating the international chemical weapons ban by deploying the choking agent chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops and using riot control agents "as a method of…

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Concerns on violence in Georgia following Putin style ‘foreign-agent’ law

Riot police cracked down on demonstrators in the Georgian capital Tuesday night, clearing an area in front of the parliament where thousands had been demanding the government drop a controversial…

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UN experts say North Korea missile landed in Ukraine’s Kharkiv

The debris from a missile that landed in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Jan. 2 was from a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile, United Nations sanctions monitors told…

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Ukraine moves to limit human rights of citizens under martial law

Kyiv notified the European Council that the rights and freedoms of Ukrainians may be restricted under martial law as it moves to expand military conscription. Ukraine's Ministry of Justice has…

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Ukraine reports intense assaults in the eastern regions amidst a Russian military advance

Ukraine says resisting heavy attacks in east amid Russian advance Ukraine said on Monday it had foiled 55 Russian attacks in the eastern Donetsk region, a day after it admitted…

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Blinken speaks to Azeri, Armenian leaders about peace talks

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken to the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan and reaffirmed Washington's support for a peace treaty between the South Caucasus neighbors, the State…

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Ukraine’s Zelenskiy issues fresh plea for Patriots, EU accession, NATO entry

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy issued a fresh plea to the international community to hurry up and deliver more air defences, start formal talks for his country to enter the European…

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Putin ‘likely’ didn’t order Navalny’s death US agencies believe

The Wall Street Journal reports that U.S. intelligence agencies believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin “likely” didn’t order opposition leader Alexei Navalny to be killed at an Arctic prison in…

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Zelensky warns about nuclear risks

Ukriane's President Zelenskyy warned y that the safety of Europe's largest nuclear power plant Zaporizhzhia is threatened by Russia's war against Ukraine, as the country marked the 38th anniversary of…

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Spain to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine but Greece says no

Spain will send a small number of Patriot missiles to Ukraine, El Pais newspaper reported on Friday, quoting unidentified sources. Spain ruled out delivering anti-aircraft launchers, but will give Kiev…

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Russia warns Polish discussion on hosting US nuclear weapons is dangerous

Russia warned that Poland was playing a "very dangerous game" by considering the possibility of hosting U.S. nuclear weapons. Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Thursday he had invited Prime…

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Lukashenko: Up to me and Putin how to use nuclear weapons

The draft of the new Military Doctrine does not specify the procedure for utilizing nuclear weapons, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko disclosed while speaking to reporters during the 7th Belarusian People's…

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Kyiv issues restrictions on passports for military-age men

The Ukrainian government, further tightening regulations as it seeks to address a shortage of troops, approved rules temporarily barring military-age men from applying for passports abroad. The provisions, and a…

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Belarus says it thwarted attack on capital by drones launched from Lithuania

The head of the Belarusian security service said on Thursday it had thwarted an attack on the capital Minsk by drones launched from Lithuania, Russian state news agencies said. There…

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The US quietly shipped long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine

The United States in recent weeks secretly shipped long-range missiles to Ukraine for use in its battle to fight off Russian invaders, and Ukraine has now used them twice, a…

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Russia detains deputy of defence minister Shoigu for corruption

Russian security services detained one of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu's deputies on suspicion of taking major bribes, the highest-profile corruption case since President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in…

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Russian forces make significant gains in eastern Ukraine

Russian forces have made significant advances in a narrow corridor in eastern Ukraine as an offensive by Moscow to take territory before western military aid arrives appears to be gathering…

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US preparing $1 billion weapons package for Ukraine

The United States is preparing a $1 billion military aid package for Ukraine, the first to be sourced from the yet to be signed Ukraine-Israel bill, two U.S. officials told…

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Russia warns Europe: if you take our assets, we have a response that will hurt

An ally of President Vladimir Putin warned Europe on Tuesday that Russia has already drafted legislation to retaliate if nearly $300 billion of Russian assets were seized by the West…

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Kyiv says Russia has up to 25,000 troops trying to storm Chasiv Yar area

Russia has a force of 20,000-25,000 troops trying to storm the eastern Ukrainian town of Chasiv Yar and surrounding villages, Ukraine's military said on Monday, describing the situation in the…

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Russia warns of direct clash with West over Ukraine

Russia said on Monday that U.S., British and French military support for Ukraine has pushed the world to the brink of a direct clash between the world's biggest nuclear powers…

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Russia says US facing humiliation in Ukraine like in Vietnam

Russia said on Sunday U.S. lawmakers' support for $60.84 billion more in aid for Ukraine showed that Washington was wading much deeper into a hybrid war against Moscow that would…

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Ukraine and Russia claim that civilians were killed in separate strikes

Russia claims to have shot down 50 Ukrainian drones after Ukraine appeared to target its energy infrastructure overnight, Euronews reported. According to France 24, the Russian strike killed two in Ukraine's…

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Major Russian in Ukraine kills eight, damages infrastracture

A major Russian missile attack on the central Dnipropetrovsk region killed at least eight people, injured over 25 more and damaged critical infrastructure facilities, local officials reported on Friday morning.…

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Ukrainian prime minister cautions of third world war if Ukraine loses war

Speaking to the BBC, the Ukrainian prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, warned of the possibility of a third world war. Addressing the issue of US security assistance, he said: “We need…

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Germany sending more anti-air missiles to Ukraine helps, but EU must do more, Zelenskiy says

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday said Germany's recent push to send more Patriot air defence missiles - a key need in the country's war against Russia - were helpful,…

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Dutch deliver three more F-16s for training Ukrainian pilots in Romania

The Netherlands on Wednesday will hand over another three F-16 fighter jets to a training facility in Romania, where Ukrainian pilots and ground staff are being taught how to fly…

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Putin tells the Middle East to pull back from a catastrophic clash

Russian President Vladimir Putin urged all sides in the Middle East to refrain from action that would trigger a new confrontation which he warned would be fraught with catastrophic consequences…

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