Russian invasion of ukraine 2022

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 15 MADRID (AP) — The Latest on the final day of the NATO summit in Madrid: Sweden plans to send additional military support to Ukraine, including anti-tank weapons, support weapons and demining equipment that it says Kyiv had requested. The hardware is worth approximately 500 million kronor ($49 million). “It is important that the support to Ukraine from the democratic countries in Europe is continuous and long-term,” Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist said, according to the Swedish news agency TT. He didn’t say when and how the equipment would be delivered but said, “It is in everyone’s interest that it is delivered as quickly as possible.” Sweden was invited at a NATO summit this week to join the Western military alliance. ___ — US boosting military presence in Europe amid Russia threat — NATO calls … [Read more...] about Live updates | Sweden sends more military aid to Ukraine

KYIV (Reuters) -Russian forces have withdrawn from Ukraine's Snake Island, a strategic outpost in the Black Sea, Russia's defence ministry and Ukraine's president's office said on Thursday. "KABOOM! No Russian troops on the Snake Island anymore. Our Armed Forces did a great job," Andriy Yermak, head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office, wrote on Twitter. Russia's defence ministry confirmed Russian troops had withdrawn from Snake Island, calling it a "goodwill gesture" and saying the troops had fulfilled the tasks assigned to them. The Russian ministry added the move showed Russia was not impeding U.N. efforts to organise a humanitarian corridor to export agricultural products out of Ukraine. Snake Island, which Russia occupied on the first day of its invasion, achieved fame when Ukrainian border guards stationed there rejected a Russian warship's demand for their surrender. Ukraine's southern military command wrote on Facebook that following a successful … [Read more...] about Russian forces withdraw from Black Sea’s strategic Snake Island

LONDON (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday rejected British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's charge that if he were a woman he would not have invaded Ukraine. Speaking at a news conference in the early hours of Thursday during a visit to Turkmenistan, Putin pointed to former British leader Margaret Thatcher's decision to send troops into the Falklands as a rebuttal of Johnson's theory. Johnson on Wednesday dubbed Putin's decision to launch what Moscow calls a "special military operation" against Ukraine a "perfect example of toxic masculinity" and mocked Putin's macho posturing. Hitting back, Putin told reporters: "I just want to recall the events of recent history, when Margaret Thatcher decided to launch military operations against Argentina for the Falkland Islands. So, a woman took the decision to launch military action. "Therefore it's not an entirely accurate reference from the British Prime Minister to what is happening today." The Russian leader … [Read more...] about Putin rejects Johnson’s claim a woman wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine

When Russia's Vladimir Putin began a military invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, it was widely assumed that Ukraine would surrender quickly. Instead, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky—an actor-turned-politician famous for playing an actor-turned-politician in Servant of the People —refused to budge, withstood multiple assassination attempts and rallied his people to fight. He pleaded with the international community to implement sanctions on the Russians and to provide weapons and ammunition for the Ukrainians. How did Zelensky accomplish this transformation? Where did he first take Putin's measure? Read about it in this exclusive advance look from Ukrainian journalist and political commentator Serheii Rudenko's upcoming Zelensky: A Biography (Polity Books, July 18), in which he explores Zelensky's life and governing style, from his childhood through the beginnings of the war. In the beginning was the word. Or rather, several words. And, more precisely, the name of … [Read more...] about New Zelensky biography reveals first meeting with Putin: ‘bundle of nerves’

Six of the G7 countries are members of NATO, while the seventh, Japan, is dependent on its defence on the United States. All, including Japan, can be broadly classified as the West. If the narrative in recent years has been that political and economic power has decisively shifted towards Asia and the West no longer dominates the world as it did traditionally, that recognition seems to be missing from the inordinately long communiqué that the G7 summit in Germany has issued. It is imperial in tone, carrying a sense that the G7 has the power to decide and dispense. After the 2008 financial crisis the G7 led by the US felt the need to enlist the cooperation of major economic powers outside the West to stabilise the global financial system through coordination of national policies. Besides India, China, the second largest economy, was included in a G20, which was raised from the existing Finance Minister to Summit level. Today, China is treated as an adversary, and the harshness of G7 … [Read more...] about As G7 Nations Come Together to Corner Russia, PM Modi Bats for Dialogue and Diplomacy

(Reuters) - U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner goes on trial in Russia on Friday on drug charges that could see her face up to 10 years in jail, in a case that highlights the already fraught relations between Moscow and Washington. Griner, a star player in the U.S.-based Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport on Feb. 17, just days before Russia invaded Ukraine, unleashing a broader confrontation with the West. Russian authorities said the 31-year-old was carrying vape cartridges containing hashish oil, a substance illegal in the country. She was charged with smuggling a large quantity of drugs, an offence that can carry up to 10 years in jail. U.S. officials and a score of athletes have called for the release of Griner - or "BG" as she is known in the basketball community. They say she has been wrongfully detained and should be immediately returned to her family in the United States. Griner's detention also prompted … [Read more...] about Russia to open trial against U.S. basketball star Griner

LONDON (Reuters) -The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said on Thursday it had issued an order to Russia to ensure that two Britons captured after fighting for Ukraine do not face the death penalty. Earlier this month, a court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in eastern Ukraine sentenced British citizens Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner to death, accusing them of "mercenary activities". The ECHR said it had issued an order for interim measures, telling Russia it "should ensure that the death penalty imposed on the applicants was not carried out; ensure appropriate conditions of their detention; and provide them with any necessary medical assistance and medication". This month, the Russian parliament passed legislation to end the jurisdiction of Europe's top human rights court in Russia, and two weeks ago a Kremlin spokesman, in reference to another ECHR ruling, said Moscow no longer implemented its decisions. The families of the two British men, who were … [Read more...] about European court tells Russia to ensure two Britons do not face death penalty

Anthony Joshua admitted he is “definitely desperate” to become world heavyweight champion again when he faces Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Aug. 20. Usyk will be defending the IBF, WBA and WBO titles he claimed from Joshua in beating the British fighter at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September. Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) was outclassed by his Ukrainian rival, who defied disadvantages in height, reach and weight to win in London by a unanimous decision. Watch: Wimbledon Championships 2022, Day 2: Serena Exits, Nadal Advances “What happened then is in the past, I don’t really live in the past, I’m just present,” the 32-year-old Joshua said at a news conference in London on Wednesday. “I’ll be looking to be competing round-by-round and if I follow my As, Bs and Cs, it should lead me to KO.” The former two-time world heavyweight champion called for “Less talk, more action. I’m not a comedian, I’m not someone who likes big speeches. “Let me get in there … [Read more...] about Anthony Joshua Eyeing World Heavyweight Championship in Oleksandr Usyk Rematch