Ukraine demands emergency UN meeting over Putin nuclear plan
March 26, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's government on Sunday called for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to “counter the Kremlin's nuclear blackmail” after Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed plans to station tactical atomic weapons in Belarus.
Tensions on the rise at revered Kyiv monastery complex
March 26, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The courtyards of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra have been busy with more than just the usual worshippers, going to and from its churches in the sprawling monastic complex that is Ukraine’s most revered Orthodox site.
New Russian campaign tries to entice men to fight in Ukraine
March 26, 2023 GMTTALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Advertisements promise cash bonuses and enticing benefits. Recruiters are making cold calls to eligible men. Enlistment offices are working with universities and social service agencies to lure students and the unemployed.
Putin says Russia will station tactical nukes in Belarus
March 25, 2023 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans on Saturday to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus, a warning to the West as it steps up military support for Ukraine.
Russia ‘largely stalled’ in Bakhmut, shifting focus, UK says
March 25, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The top commander of Ukraine's military said Saturday that his forces were pushing back against Russian troops in the long and grinding battle for the town of Bakhmut, and British military intelligence says Russia appears to be moving to a defensive strategy in eastern Ukraine.
UN decries torture, killing of Ukrainian and Russian POWs
March 24, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.N. human rights monitors have documented dozens of summary killings of Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of war, as well as other possible war crimes such as the use of torture, human shields and other abuses against POWs since Russia invaded its neighbor, according to a report released Friday.
Russian strikes in Ukraine kill 10 civilians, wound 20 more
March 24, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Long-range Russian bombardment killed at least 10 civilians and wounded 20 others in several parts of Ukraine on Friday, officials in Kyiv said, as a Kremlin official boasted that its forces were prepared to repel an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive this spring.
Ukraine using Soviet-era choppers to pummel Russia from afar
March 24, 2023 GMTDONETSK REGION, Ukraine (AP) — Skimming the treetops, three Soviet-era attack helicopters bank and swoop down on a field after an early-morning mission to the front lines in the fight against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A look at the uranium-based ammo the UK will send to Ukraine
March 24, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Russia threatened to escalate attacks in Ukraine after the British government announced it would provide to Ukraine a type of munition that Moscow falsely claims has nuclear components.
EU leaders endorse joint ammo purchases for Ukraine
March 23, 2023 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders endorsed a plan Thursday for sending Ukraine 1 million rounds of artillery ammunition within the next 12 months to help the country counter Russia’s invasion forces.
Ukraine president visits front-line areas as new phase nears
March 23, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's president on Thursday made his third visit in two days to areas that have felt the brunt of Russia’s war, with a trip to the southern Kherson region that was retaken from the Kremlin’s forces, and as a senior Kyiv commander hinted that a brewing Ukrainian counteroffensive could come “very soon.”
‘On tour in hell’: Wounded Ukrainian soldiers evacuated
March 23, 2023 GMTDONETSK REGION, Ukraine (AP) — Their hands are blackened and grimy from the fight. Some are still wearing their combat boots, small flecks of black soil from the battlefield clinging to their torsos, bare under the emergency blanket.
Ukraine: Russia hits apartments and dorm, killing civilians
March 23, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia stepped up its missile and drone attacks against Ukraine on Wednesday, killing students and other civilians, in a violent follow-up to dueling high-level diplomatic missions aimed at bringing peace after 13 months of war.
Ex-New Zealand soldier who helped veterans dies in Ukraine
March 23, 2023 GMTWELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A former New Zealand soldier who co-founded a charity to help struggling veterans has been killed in Ukraine, authorities said Thursday.
Ukrainian authorities confirmed the death of Kane Te Tai and the New Zealand embassy in Poland was trying to find out more details, New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement.
China calls Xi’s Russia visit one of friendship, peace
March 22, 2023 GMTBEIJING (AP) — China on Wednesday said President Xi Jinping’s just-concluded visit to Russia was a “journey of friendship, cooperation and peace,” and again criticized Washington for providing military support to Ukraine.
Japan’s Kishida pledges aid for Ukraine-backing Poland
March 22, 2023 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Japan's prime minister pledged Wednesday to provide Poland with development support to help the European country assist neighboring Ukraine as it defends itself from Russia's invasion.
Ukraine, IMF agree on $15.6 billion loan package
March 22, 2023 GMTFRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund have agreed on a $15.6 billion loan package aimed at shoring up government finances severely strained by Russia's invasion and leveraging even more support by reassuring allies that Ukraine is pursuing strong economic policies and fighting corruption.
Slovakia offered US helicopters for giving jets to Ukraine
March 22, 2023 GMTBRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — The United States has offered Slovakia 12 new military helicopters as compensation for the MiG-29 fighter jets the European country is giving to Ukraine, Slovakia's defense minister said Wednesday.
Ukrainian soldiers near finish of Patriot missile training
March 22, 2023 GMTFORT SILL, Okla. (AP) — Several large, 12-wheeled military vehicles carrying mobile missile launchers rumbled across the southwest Oklahoma prairie on Tuesday as part of a training exercise at the Fort Sill Army Post.
Ukraine, Russia trade claims after blast rocks Crimean town
March 21, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian and Ukrainian officials gave conflicting accounts Tuesday of what appeared to be a brazen attack on Russian cruise missiles transported by train in the occupied Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula.
US speeds up Abrams tank delivery to Ukraine war zone
March 21, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is speeding up its delivery of Abrams tanks to Ukraine, opting to send a refurbished older model that can be ready faster, with the aim of getting the 70-ton battle powerhouses to the war zone by the fall, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
Japan’s PM offers Ukraine support as China’s Xi backs Russia
March 21, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a surprise visit Tuesday to Kyiv, engaging in dueling diplomacy with Asian rival President Xi Jinping of China, who met in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin to promote Beijing's peace proposal for Ukraine that Western nations have all but dismissed as a non-starter.
Putin hosts Xi in the Kremlin with imperial palace pageantry
March 21, 2023 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — Russia and China showcased their “no-limits friendship” on Tuesday during a pomp-laden Kremlin ceremony intended to further cement ties amid the fighting in Ukraine.
After hosting Chinese leader Xi Jinping over a seven-course private dinner for 4½ hours the previous night, Russian President Vladimir Putin greeted him in the old imperial palace for talks involving top officials from both countries.
Russia’s reliance on China rises amid Ukraine sanctions
March 21, 2023 GMTBEIJING (AP) — Like a salesman buttering up his best customer, President Vladimir Putin gushed about China's economic success as he welcomed Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the Kremlin.
Millions in extra funding pledged for ICC work in Ukraine
March 21, 2023 GMTLONDON (AP) — An international conference in London raised 4 million pounds ($4.9 million) to support the International Criminal Court in its investigations into alleged war crimes in Ukraine and its work to hold Russia to account, officials said Monday.
At Ukraine’s front, police try to evacuate holdout families
March 21, 2023 GMTAVDIIVKA, Ukraine (AP) — Pale and grimy from living in a dank, dark basement for nearly a year, the teenager and his weeping mother emerged to the sound of pounding artillery and headed to a waiting armored police van that would whisk them to safety.
Japan’s Kishida heading to Ukraine for talks with Zelenskyy
March 21, 2023 GMTTOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was heading to Kyiv early Tuesday for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that coincide with the Chinese leader's visit to Moscow.
Ukraine hints it hit Russian missiles in occupied Crimea
March 21, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's military intelligence agency reported what appeared to be a brazen attack late Monday on Russian cruise missiles being transported by train in the occupied and illegally annexed Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula.
Russia to hold UN meeting on Ukraine kids taken to Russia
March 21, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia plans to hold an informal meeting of the U.N. Security Council in early April on what it said is “the real situation” of Ukrainian children taken to Russia, an issue that has gained the spotlight following the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes related to their abduction.
Putin welcomes China’s Xi to Kremlin amid Ukraine fighting
March 20, 2023 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin warmly welcomed Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the Kremlin on Monday, sending a powerful message to Western leaders that their efforts to isolate Moscow over the fighting in Ukraine have fallen short.
EU’s top diplomat hails deal on artillery shells for Ukraine
March 20, 2023 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — European Union countries have endorsed a fast-track procedure aimed at providing Ukraine with sorely needed artillery shells to repel Russia's invasion forces, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Monday, as Moscow maintains its focus on attacking the industrial east of the war-ravaged country.
Putin warns Russia could drop grain deal after 60 days
March 20, 2023 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed on Monday that Moscow has agreed to extend a deal allowing the exports of Ukrainian grain to global markets only for 60 days and could drop it altogether if its conditions aren't met.
US sending ammunition, tanker trucks, boats to Ukraine
March 20, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department announced Monday that the U.S. will send Ukraine $350 million in weapons and equipment, as fierce battles with Russian forces continue for control of the city of Bakhmut, and troops prepare for an expected spring offensive.
China’s Xi meeting Putin in boost for isolated Russia leader
March 20, 2023 GMTBEIJING (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping is due to meet with Vladimir Putin in a political boost for the isolated Russian president after the International Criminal Court charged him with war crimes in Ukraine.
Volunteer doctors providing critical care near Ukraine war front lines
March 20, 2023 GMTKHRESTYSHCHE, Ukraine (AP) — In a cramped municipal building in this former front-line village, its front window boarded up with plywood, a team of volunteer specialist doctors have set up a mobile clinic.
Putin makes surprise trip to occupied Mariupol
March 19, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the occupied port city of Mariupol, his first trip to Ukrainian territory that Moscow illegally annexed in September and a show of defiance after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest on war crimes charges.
Russia, Ukraine extend grain deal to aid world’s poor
March 18, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — An unprecedented wartime deal that allowed grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where hunger is a growing threat and high food prices are pushing more people into poverty was extended just before its expiration date, officials said Saturday.
How a warrant for Putin puts new spin on Xi visit to Russia
March 18, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week highlighted China’s aspirations for a greater role on the world stage.
Facing arrest warrant, Russia’s Putin visits annexed Crimea
March 18, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of the Black Sea peninsula’s annexation from Ukraine on Saturday, the day after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader accusing him of war crimes.
Russia will extend Ukraine grain deal for 60 days — not 120
March 18, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — On the eve of the expiration of a deal enabling Ukraine to export grain, the United Nations’ humanitarian chief on Friday called its extension crucial to ensuring global food supplies and keeping prices from spiraling as they did after Russia’s invasion of its smaller neighbor.
China’s Xi to meet Putin as Beijing seeks bolder global role
March 17, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to visit Moscow next week, offering a major diplomatic boost to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the same day the International Criminal Court announced it wants to put the Russian leader on trial for alleged war crimes.
Pentagon video shows Russian jet dumping fuel on US drone
March 17, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Biden administration released video Thursday of a Russian fighter jet dumping fuel on a U.S.
UN-backed inquiry accuses Russia of war crimes in Ukraine
March 16, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — Russian attacks against civilians in Ukraine, including systematic torture and killing in occupied regions, amount to war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity, according to a report from a U.N.-backed inquiry released Thursday.
Russian dissident ex-mayor handed 14-day sentence
March 16, 2023 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — A former mayor of Russia's fourth-largest city was ordered to spend 14 days in custody on Thursday pending his trial on charges that could entail a longer prison term, part of authorities' efforts to muzzle dissent.
US and Russia ratchet up rhetoric over downing of drone
March 15, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and the United States ratcheted up their confrontational rhetoric Wednesday over a U.S.
Neighbors Bulgaria, Romania sign agreement to boost ties
March 15, 2023 GMTSOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarian President Rumen Radev held talks Wednesday with his visiting Romanian counterpart as the two neighbors and NATO allies signed a cooperation agreement to boost bilateral ties amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
US says Russian warplane hits American drone over Black Sea
March 15, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian fighter jet struck the propeller of a U.S. surveillance drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday in a “brazen violation of international law,” causing American forces to bring down the unmanned aerial vehicle, the U.S.
Poland may hand MiG-29 jet fighters to Ukraine within weeks
March 14, 2023 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s prime minister said Tuesday that his government may hand its Soviet-made MiG-29 fighters jets over to Ukraine “within the next four to six weeks.”
Poland’s leaders said last week that sending the warplanes would be only done within a larger international coalition.
US turns to new ways to punish Russian oligarchs for the war
March 14, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has begun an aggressive new push to inflict pain on Russia’s economy and specifically its oligarchs with the intent of thwarting the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
From the Treasury Department to the Justice Department, U.S.
Russia: 60-day extension of wartime grain deal acceptable
March 13, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — A Russian delegation at talks with senior U.N. officials said Monday that Moscow is ready to accept an extension to a grain export deal that has helped bring down global food prices amid the war in Ukraine — but only for 60 days as the Kremlin holds out for changes to how the arrangement is working.
Russia’s economy holds up, but growing challenges test Putin
March 13, 2023 GMTWestern sanctions have hit Russian banks, wealthy individuals and technology imports. But after a year of far-reaching restrictions aimed at degrading Moscow’s war chest, economic life for ordinary Russians doesn’t look all that different than it did before the invasion of Ukraine.
Russian advance stalls in Ukraine’s Bakhmut, think tank says
March 12, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia’s advance seems to have stalled in Moscow's campaign to capture the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, a leading think tank said in an assessment of the longest ground battle of the war.
UK: Russian advance in Bakhmut could come with heavy losses
March 11, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces have made progress in their campaign to capture the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, the focus of the war's longest ground battle, but their assault will be difficult to sustain without more significant personnel losses, British military officials said Saturday.
Ukrainian firefighters on risky mission to save lives, homes
March 11, 2023 GMTKOSTIANTYNIVKA, Ukraine (AP) — Thick grey smoke pours from the roof as the firefighters arrive at the brick house, one of several homes hit by Russian shelling in a residential neighborhood of Kostiantynivka.
Ukraine rebounds from Russian barrage, restores power supply
March 10, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's capital had most of its power supply restored Friday, officials said, as the country again responded swiftly and defiantly to the latest Russian missile and drone barrage targeting critical infrastructure.
Why would Russia use hypersonic missile to strike Ukraine?
March 10, 2023 GMTThe latest Russian missile barrage against Ukraine's civilian infrastructure has marked one of the largest such attacks in months.
On Thursday, Russia fired over 80 missiles in a massive effort to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses and cripple the country’s energy system.
Russian missile barrage slams into Ukrainian cities; 6 dead
March 9, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A barrage of more than 80 Russian missiles and a smaller number of exploding drones hit residential buildings and critical infrastructure across Ukraine on Thursday, killing six people and leaving hundreds of thousands without heat or electricity.
Poland, Slovakia urge allies to send fighter jets to Ukraine
March 9, 2023 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Officials in Poland and Slovakia are urging their allies to provide fighter jets to Ukraine, saying they are ready to send their their Soviet-made MiG-29 jet fighters to Kyiv as part of an international coalition.
Russian forces claim progress in Bakhmut but no end in sight
March 8, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The owner of Russia's Wagner Group military contractor claimed Wednesday that his troops have extended their gains in the Ukrainian stronghold of Bakhmut, but it remained unclear how long the grinding fight might go on.
Czech President Milos Zeman leaves, opponents celebrate
March 8, 2023 GMTPRAGUE (AP) — Over the past 10 years, Czech President Milos Zeman has courted controversy, seeking a referendum on whether his country should leave the European Union, targeting migrants and joking about killing journalists.
Ukraine first lady Olena Zelenska in UAE amid Russia’s war
March 8, 2023 GMTABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Ukraine's first lady on Wednesday offered spirited support to her nation's people while visiting the United Arab Emirates, a country that still remains open to Russia despite Western sanctions.
UN envoy calls for renewed Syrian political talks post-quake
March 8, 2023 GMTA top United Nations official called Wednesday for renewed attempts to reach a political solution to the country's nearly 12-year-old civil conflict in the wake of last month's devastating earthquake.
Why Bakhmut has taken center stage in war in Ukraine
March 8, 2023 GMTThe six-month battle for the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut has been the longest and bloodiest fight of the war so far.
The flowers of war: Ukraine smith turns guns, ammo into art
March 8, 2023 GMTA blacksmith in the Russian-controlled eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk is practically beating swords into ploughshares, and turning one man’s trash into treasures. Viktor Mikhalev takes weapons and ammunition and produces what he calls the flowers of war.
UN rights chief cites ‘communication’ about issues in China
March 8, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — The new U.N. human rights chief said Tuesday that his office has opened “channels of communication” to help follow up on concerns about the rights of minorities in China, including Uyghur Muslims and Tibetans.
House GOP tries to scuttle resolution supporting Ukraine
March 7, 2023 GMTAUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Fifty-three Maine House Republicans voted Tuesday against a resolution of support for Ukraine, underscoring a partisan division over U.S. policy of punishing Russia for its invasion and aiding Ukraine's defense.
Hungarian delegation backs Sweden’s NATO application
March 7, 2023 GMTCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A parliamentary delegation from Hungary said Tuesday that it supports Sweden’s NATO membership bid after meeting the speaker of the Swedish parliament to iron out what Hungary’s governing party has called “political disputes.”
Ukraine military identifies soldier seen in grisly war video
March 7, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A man who appeared to be shot dead by Russian-speakers in a short video was tentatively identified Tuesday as a missing Ukrainian soldier while the footage circulated widely on Ukrainian social media and caused an uproar.
‘Oh my daughter’: Volunteer medic, 29, buried in Ukraine
March 7, 2023 GMTVINNYTSIA, Ukraine (AP) — As the mother’s cries of anguish pierced the cold morning air, mourners who had fought back tears could hold them no longer.
“Oh Yana, oh my daughter,” Olena Rikhlitska howled.
Student gets 8 years in prison for criticizing Ukraine war
March 7, 2023 GMTTALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A court in Moscow sentenced a student activist to 8 1/2 years in prison for social media posts criticizing Russia's war in Ukraine, the latest step in a sweeping crackdown on dissent unleashed by the Kremlin.
Man charged with blowing up PG&E transformers in California
March 6, 2023 GMTSAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — A 36-year-old man has been charged with blowing up two Pacific Gas & Electric transformers, causing blasts that knocked out power to thousands of utility customers in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Zelenskyy vows not to retreat from Ukrainian city of Bakhmut
March 6, 2023 GMTCHASIV YAR, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed Monday not to retreat from Bakhmut as Russian forces encroached on the devastated eastern city they have sought to capture for six months at the cost of thousands of lives.
Inflatable tanks, missiles: Czech firm makes decoy armaments
March 6, 2023 GMTPRAGUE (AP) — The war in Ukraine has created a surge in demand for weapons — and, apparently, also for inflatable fake armaments that can be deployed as decoys.
A Czech company, Inflatech, is producing more than 30 different inflatable military decoys ranging from tanks and armored vehicles to aircraft and howitzers.
Ukraine plant builds 6-person bunkers for war’s front lines
March 6, 2023 GMTKRYVYI RIH, Ukraine (AP) — The pops of welding torches and the piercing whine of angle grinders fill the spacious production floor at a steel plant in Kryvyi Rih, the city in central Ukraine that is President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ’s hometown.