Ukraine

With Russian missiles pounding apartment buildings, power plants, schools and roads, a glimmering vision of a reconstructed postwar Ukraine seems impossibly far off. But an urgent battle of ideas has already begun over how to manage what would be the most extensive rebuilding project in Europe since the end of World War II. The sparring has engaged heads of state and the leaders of humanitarian groups, universities and banks from around the world — representing the governments, organizations and companies ready to donate or lend the hundreds of billions of dollars that could be needed, as well as those who stand to profit from it. Attention to salvaging Ukraine’s damaged cities and infrastructure has focused largely on its cost. The tussle over the framework that will in large part be expected to carry out that restructuring has taken place below the surface, gaining far less public notice. Any shift for Ukraine from a wartime to a peacetime economy promises to be fraught, … [Read more...] about Out of the Public Eye, a Debate Is Raging Over a Postwar Ukraine Economy

Ukrainian culture minister Oleksandr Tkachenko has issued a new demand to the West to halt performances of Russian music, Russian ballet and boycott other forms of Russian culture, arguing Ukraine is in a “civilizational battle.” Culture Minister Tkachenko argued that Russia was engaging in a cultural war as well as a physical war against his country, claiming that the Russian armed forces have destroyed 800 objects from monuments to works of art and museums. In an opinion article for the Guardian newspaper, Tkachenko wrote, “Russian culture has been used by members of the Kremlin to justify their terrible war,” and claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin has insisted that Russia and Ukraine are “one nation.” “Boycotting Russian culture is an important step. We’re not talking about cancelling Tchaikovsky, but rather about pausing performances of his works until Russia ceases its bloody invasion,” Tkachenko said and added that Ukrainian cultural venues have already banned … [Read more...] about Ukraine’s Latest Demand to the West: Ban Russian Culture

Russia's Wagner Group was able to repel Ukrainian attacks in areas near the city of Bakhmut, according to the latest reports on the conflict. The Institute for the Study of War , a Washington D.C.-based think tank, released a report on December 7 on the ongoing battles between Russian and Ukrainian soldiers. It noted that Russia is seeking to capture the whole of the Donetsk Oblast. The fighting in Bakhmut and the surrounding areas continued to rage on December 7 with success at times for Russian and Ukrainian troops. "Russian forces continued ground attacks around Bakhmut on December 7," the report said. "The Ukrainian General Staff stated that Ukrainian troops repelled attempted Russian attacks on Bakhmut itself, northeast of Bakhmut near Verkhnokamyanske (27km northeast of Bakhmut), Spirne (25km northeast of Bakhmut), Yakovlivka (12km northeast of Bakhmut), and south of Bakhmut near Bila Hora (15km southwest of Bakhmut) and Kurdiumivka (15km southwest of Bakhmut)." Russia … [Read more...] about Wagner Group repels fresh Ukrainian advances in battle for Bakhmut—Report

SVIATOHIRSK, Ukraine — When Myroslava, a 36-year-old construction manager, returned to her hometown of Sviatohirsk in eastern Ukraine last month, she expected to find her house destroyed by shelling. Her house was indeed heavily damaged, but she discovered something else even more disturbing: Her neighbors, who had stayed behind during the Russian occupation, had stolen furniture, insulation and roof tiles from her home and a property she oversaw in town. These were people she had grown up with, she lamented. Worse, the looted tiles were visible on the neighbor’s roof. “Friends are not friends anymore,’’ she said on a cold November day, her brown hair tucked in a beanie and her small frame wrapped in a winter coat. “The neighbors are not neighbors. Relatives — a part of them aren’t relatives anymore, because no one expected us to come back.” Similar anxieties have been playing out among residents of the town, still mostly empty of people, ever since Ukrainian forces … [Read more...] about A Gray Area of Loyalties Splinters a Liberated Ukrainian Town

ATHENS — In a tense and highly confidential meeting in the senate chamber of the Greek Parliament, the prime minister’s smooth, handpicked spy chief politely evaded the questions of opposition lawmakers. They were demanding to know if he had surveilled a rival politician and a financial journalist investigating powerful business interests close to the prime minister. But the inquiries mostly went nowhere. The committee’s chair, a political ally of the prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, discouraged follow-up questions, kept time to a minimum and ensured that the July 29 meeting, the content of which is still protected, was a dud. But less than a week later, the charges of government spying detonated into a sprawling scandal that is now shaking the very top of the Greek government, raising fears of widespread surveillance throughout Europe, and potentially putting another crack in Europe’s united front against Russia for its war in Ukraine. Greece today is awash in talk of … [Read more...] about A Greek Scandal Reverberates as Eavesdropping Expands in Europe

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) – The son of a Russian businessman close to President Vladimir Putin has been acquitted in Norway of violating a law that bars Russians from flying drones. Andrey Yakunin, who holds both a Russian and a British passport and who lives in Italy, was arrested in Hammerfest, in Arctic Norway, on Oct. 17, after he had sailed around the Arctic Archipelago of Svalbard and along the coast of Norway. When off Svalbard, he was responsible for two drones that he owned, and which were used several times for flights over the archipelago which sits more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) north of the Norwegian mainland. On some occasions he piloted them himself, the court said. The 47-year-old Yakunin had been filming with the drone while mountaineering, glacier walking and sailing. Sweden Launches Investigation After Drones Spotted by Nuclear Power Plants https://t.co/hyXpL5cDZz — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 17, 2022 Under Norwegian law, it … [Read more...] about Putin Ally Family Scion Acquitted of Breaking Norway Drone Laws

Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news Will Perrett has been referred to by some within British Cycling as ‘the best track rider you’ve never heard of’ but is fast making sure people learn his name. The 26-year-old lit up the first of two nights of UCI Track Champions League action in London last weekend with a stunning scratch race victory, so far ahead he started celebrating more than a lap out. It was the latest standout result for a rider who was fifth in the points race on his World Championships debut in October, won the British Madison title alongside Mark Stewart in January, and made his Commonwealth Games debut in July. The rapid rise explains why, in August, Perrett quit his job and went all-in to try to force his way onto British Cycling’s podium programme. Recommended Charity boss speaks out over … [Read more...] about Will Perrett making his mark after going ‘all in’ to forge cycling career

United States Central Command ( CENTCOM ) has said that an Iranian patrol boat tried to blind U.S. Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz during a tense encounter amid ongoing unrest in the Islamic republic. CENTCOM said that the expeditionary sea base platform ship USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3) and guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) were in international waters on Monday when an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy patrol boat approached. The Iranian vessel "attempted to blind the bridge by shining a spotlight," and got within 150 yards of the American ships, which was "dangerously close, particularly at night." To de-escalate the situation, the U.S. ships used non-lethal lasers and warned the Iranian vessel. The U.S. ships eventually proceeded on their way but CENTCOM said that the Iranian vessel had "violated international standards of professional and safe maritime behavior." Col. Joe Buccino, CENTCOM spokesperson, described the action as … [Read more...] about Iranian patrol boat attempts to blind U.S. Navy ships in Strait of Hormuz

A member of Ukraine’s parliament who federal authorities said meddled in America’s 2020 presidential campaign on behalf of Russia’s intelligence services has been charged with money laundering tied to his purchase of two Beverly Hills apartments he used while sowing disinformation. The charges against the member of parliament, Andriy Derkach, 55, grew out of an investigation into whether he and other Ukrainians had interfered in the 2020 campaign — including by using Rudolph W. Giuliani, who was Donald J. Trump’s personal lawyer, to spread misleading claims about President Biden, according to people with knowledge of the matter. That inquiry was first reported by The New York Times last year. In an indictment that was unsealed on Wednesday that also charged him with bank fraud conspiracy, sanctions violations and other crimes, Brooklyn federal prosecutors said Mr. Derkach decades ago was a combat crew commander in the Soviet Union’s Strategic Missile Command. When U.S. Treasury … [Read more...] about Ukrainian Accused of Election Interference Charged With Money Laundering

The Biden administration took a public stand last year against the abuse of spyware to target human rights activists, dissidents and journalists: It blacklisted the most notorious maker of the hacking tools, the Israeli firm NSO Group. But the global industry for commercial spyware — which allows governments to invade mobile phones and vacuum up data — continues to boom. Even the U.S. government is using it. The Drug Enforcement Administration is secretly deploying spyware from a different Israeli firm, according to five people familiar with the agency’s operations, in the first confirmed use of commercial spyware by the federal government. At the same time, the use of spyware continues to proliferate around the world, with new firms — which employ former Israeli cyberintelligence veterans, some of whom worked for NSO — stepping in to fill the void left by the blacklisting. With this next generation of firms, technology that once was in the hands of a small number of nations is … [Read more...] about How the Global Spyware Industry Spiraled Out of Control