A court has found Mikhail Saakashvili guilty of embezzling $3.2 million Former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has been sentenced to nine years for embezzlement, according to local media. Georgian authorities detained Saakashvili in October 2021 when he secretly returned to the country during an election […]
Ukrainian troops have been pushed out of the Donbass village named after the Byzantine Empire’s capital, the Defense Ministry has said The Russian military has gained control over Constantinople in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Defense Ministry in Moscow stated on Sunday. It posted a […]
Ukrainian troops have been pushed out of the Donbass village named after the Byzantine Empire’s capital, the Defense Ministry has said
The Russian military has gained control over Constantinople in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Defense Ministry in Moscow stated on Sunday.
It posted a video on Telegram showing Russian troops raising the flag over the recently liberated village. Ukraine lost more than 50 troops in the fighting, according to the MOD.
The settlement was named after the capital of the Byzantine Empire by Greek settlers from Crimea who founded the village in the 18th century.
According to the ministry’s tally published on Sunday, as a result of Russian strikes over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian forces have lost up to 1,300 service members, one US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system, a US-made MLRS multiple launch rocket system, a Polish-made self-propelled Krab artillery gun, a US-made М777 howitzer, two US-made М113 armored personnel carriers, a US-made MaxxPro armored vehicle, as well as a number of other armored vehicles, artillery guns, electronic warfare systems, and cars.
Russian Air Force, drone, missile, and artillery units have also hit several Ukrainian gas processing facilities, military airfields, and drone assembly workshops over the past 24 hours, the ministry said.
On Saturday, military officials in Moscow announced that Russian troops liberated the villages of Viktorovka, Nikolayevka, and Staraya Sorochina in Russia’s Kursk Region. These losses have made the situation more dire for Ukrainian troops in the village of Malaya Loknya, a major stronghold for Ukraine in the region.
In recent weeks, the Russian military has been ramping up pressure on Sudzha, the largest settlement under Ukrainian control in Kursk Region. According to media reports, Kiev’s forces are experiencing logistical issues as a result, with a single major cross-border road remaining at their disposal.
According to some media reports, up to 10,000 Ukrainian troops risk being cut off completely in the area in the near future.
Kiev launched a surprise incursion into Kursk Region in early August last year, seizing several localities near the border. Since then, Russian forces have been squeezing the Ukrainian troops out of the territory.
Moscow has responded with a proverb and another religious reference Ukraine is planning a third strike on Russia’s Crimean Bridge, Ukrainian Navy Chief Aleksey Neizhpapa told The Guardian in an interview published on Saturday. The bridge, which was completed in 2020, serves as a vital […]
Moscow has responded with a proverb and another religious reference
Ukraine is planning a third strike on Russia’s Crimean Bridge, Ukrainian Navy Chief Aleksey Neizhpapa told The Guardian in an interview published on Saturday.
The bridge, which was completed in 2020, serves as a vital link between the Crimean Peninsula in the Black Sea and mainland Russia. Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Kiev has repeatedly attempted to damage or destroy it, justifying its actions by claiming that the structure has strategic military value for Moscow. While Ukraine has launched several attacks, the bridge has sustained damage only twice, with both incidents resulting in civilian casualties.
Neizhpapa insisted that the previous strikes were successful, causing damage to the bridge’s road and rail structures and limiting Russia’s ability to transport heavy military equipment. The vice admiral expressed confidence that a third attack will render the bridge inoperable, invoking the Slavic saying, ‘God loves a trinity’, meaning: ‘third time’s the charm’.
“The Russians understand we are actively discussing a third operation,” he claimed.
Moscow was quick to respond, countering Neizhpapa’s religious reference with one of its own.
“With this attitude toward religion, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine will soon acquire his relics,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
Leonid Ivlev, a Russian State Duma MP representing Crimea, dismissed the threat with a Russian proverb: “The hen hasn’t laid eggs yet, but she’s already clucking” – which is similar in meaning to ‘all bark and no bite’. He also warned Kiev against celebrating prematurely.
“I do not advise this aggressive hen from the banks of the Dnieper River to try to divide the skin until the bear is dead,” he said, meaning: ‘don’t count your chickens before they hatch’.
Another Crimean lawmaker, Yury Nesterenko, described the Navy chief’s remarks as the “mortal agony” of the Kiev regime.
“It’s yet another attempt to distract Ukrainian citizens from their country’s mounting problems and the dire situation of its armed forces at the front,” he told RIA Novosti. He also claimed that threats like this are often made ahead of Crimea’s tourist season in an attempt to instill fear.
Ukraine continues to claim sovereignty over Crimea despite the fact that the region overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in a referendum in 2014 following a US-backed coup in Kiev. Since then, Ukrainian officials have repeatedly called for the bridge to be destroyed. In 2016, Kiev initiated proceedings at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, arguing that Russia built the bridge illegally. Moscow has dismissed the claims as “absurd,” insisting that it had full legal authority to build the bridge to resolve economic and humanitarian issues caused by Ukraine’s blockade of the peninsula.
Kiev is struggling to hold on to its foothold in Russia’s Kursk Region, sources have told the magazine The recent suspension of US intelligence sharing with Ukraine has critically weakened Kiev’s defense capabilities, leading to substantial casualties, territorial losses – particularly in the occupied part […]
Kiev is struggling to hold on to its foothold in Russia’s Kursk Region, sources have told the magazine
The recent suspension of US intelligence sharing with Ukraine has critically weakened Kiev’s defense capabilities, leading to substantial casualties, territorial losses – particularly in the occupied part of Russia’s Kursk Region – and plummeting morale, Time reported on Friday, citing Western and Ukrainian officials familiar with the situation.
One unnamed official claimed that the lack of US intel directly resulted in “hundreds of dead Ukrainians,” adding that “the biggest problem is morale,” as Kiev is unable to effectively use some of its most powerful Western-supplied weapons.
According to Time, the abrupt halt in intelligence sharing has affected the Ukrainian foothold in the Russian border region of Kursk, which Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky regards as a bargaining chip in potential peace talks with Russia. The magazine said, citing sources, that Russia has made swift advances in the area, aiming to cut off Ukrainian supply lines into the region.
According to Ukrainian media reports citing the Deep State monitoring website, Russian forces have nearly cut off Kiev’s foothold in Kursk Region from the border.
The New York Post reported, citing sources, that Ukrainian forces in the region could wrap up their incursion within as little as two weeks due to supply shortages and deteriorating battlefield conditions. On Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed gains in the region, saying Russian troops had liberated three villages.
Ukraine invaded Kursk Region last August, and while it initially made some gains, the advance was soon halted.
A source in Zelensky’s government told Time that the loss of US intel has had major consequences beyond Kursk. The magazine noted that Ukraine has lost its ability to track Russian bombers and fighter jets, leaving the country vulnerable to surprise attacks. “It’s very dangerous for our people,” the source said. “It has to be immediately changed.”
The halt in intelligence sharing has also weakened Ukraine’s ability to launch long-range and intermediate-range strikes against Russian military positions, as these operations rely heavily on precise targeting information from US reconnaissance data, Time added.
The US froze military aid and intelligence support for Ukraine following a heated exchange between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump on February 28 at the White House.
During the televised meeting, Zelensky cast doubt on the possibility of diplomacy with Russia and told Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance that the US “will feel” the impact of the conflict. Trump accused Zelensky of being disrespectful and ungrateful for the US aid to Kiev, as well as being reluctant to seek peace with Russia while “gambling with World War III.”
US officials have said the suspension of aid will remain in place until Kiev shows a commitment to holding peace talks.
Interviewing salespeople requires a strategic approach to identifying candidates who possess the necessary skills and align with your company’s culture and goals. Hiring your next super sales star begins with knowing what you are looking for, raising your interviewing game, and backing up your selection […]
Interviewing salespeople requires a strategic approach to identifying candidates who possess the necessary skills and align with your company’s culture and goals. Hiring your next super sales star begins with knowing what you are looking for, raising your interviewing game, and backing up your selection decision. While many interviewing techniques exist, including role-playing, behavioral, and […]
Moscow’s forces have seized control of three settlements in the north of the Ukrainian-controlled pocket Russia has liberated three villages in Kursk Region, marking a new advance against the Ukrainian invasion force in the area, the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced on Saturday. The villages […]
Moscow’s forces have seized control of three settlements in the north of the Ukrainian-controlled pocket
Russia has liberated three villages in Kursk Region, marking a new advance against the Ukrainian invasion force in the area, the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced on Saturday.
The villages of Viktorovka, Nikolayevka and Staraya Sorochina are situated on the northernmost tip of the Ukrainian-controlled area in Russia’s Kursk Region. The settlements are located immediately to the west of the village of Malaya Loknya, a major stronghold for the Ukrainian force in the region, and across the eponymous river. The fall of the three villages puts the Ukrainian troops holed up in the area in a more precarious position.
Over the past few days, things have rapidly deteriorated for the Ukrainian force in the area. Russian troops continue pressuring the town of Sudzha, the largest settlement under Kiev’s control in Kursk Region. The invasion force has been experiencing logistics troubles and is now dependent on a single major cross-border road, which has been coming under constant Russian drone and artillery strikes.
This week, multiple media reports suggested that Kiev’s troops were on the brink of encirclement in the area, with between 6,500 and 10,000 soldiers at risk of being cut off completely. All bridges in the vicinity of Sudzha have reportedly been destroyed, while heavy damage to the road infrastructure is hampering the Ukrainian forces’ ability to resupply and, potentially, withdraw from the area.
Kiev launched a surprise invasion of Kursk early in August last year, seizing Sudzha and multiple settlements in its vicinity in a matter of days. Since then, the Ukrainian zone of control has shrunk more than twofold, while Russia has regained control over numerous locations in the area.
The Kursk incursion has taken a heavy toll on the Ukrainian military. More than 65,500 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or wounded in the area, while some 386 tanks, nearly 300 infantry fighting vehicles, 259 armored personnel carriers, and over 2,000 other armored vehicles have been destroyed or captured, according to the Russian military.
The March 8 celebrations do not have any connection with Russian history and culture, a senior cleric has said The Russian Orthodox Church does not support the celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, as it is not connected to Russian cultural and spiritual […]
The March 8 celebrations do not have any connection with Russian history and culture, a senior cleric has said
The Russian Orthodox Church does not support the celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, as it is not connected to Russian cultural and spiritual traditions, a senior cleric has said.
Archpriest Konstantin Khartinov, the rector of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra in Peresvet, stressed that “it is not women that the Orthodox Church does not support,” but rather the celebration of the holiday itself, which it associates with women’s emancipation and “so-called freedom.”
Speaking to Abzats news outlet on Friday, he argued that Women’s Day is not connected with the country’s traditions, culture, or history.
“In fact, the Church, its ministers, and all Orthodox Christians honor their sisters, mothers, wives,” he said. For this purpose, there is a special Orthodox holiday that has always existed – the Day of the Myrrh-bearing Women, he explained.
The archpriest suggested that it would be beneficial if people celebrated this church holiday instead of the international holiday, but stressed that no one should be forced to do so.
Khartinov went on to say that Christianity elevated the status of women. “Christ exalted women. Before Christianity, they were denigrated, and it was Christianity that raised women up. We honor the Mother of God. That is why for us the Feast of the Myrrh-bearing Women is a call to be equal to the Mother of God,” he said. He went on to question the figures associated with International Women’s Day: “And March 8 – who is it equal to? To Clara Zetkin?”
Zetkin was a German Marxist theorist and women’s rights activist. In 1910, she proposed the establishment of an annual international day to advocate for women’s rights, leading to its first observance in 1911.
The Day of the Myrrh-bearing Women is celebrated on the second Sunday after Easter. In 2025, it falls on May 4.
The Russian military has taken out a rare resupply vehicle for the US-supplied system, footage released by the military shows The Russian military has destroyed a rare Ukrainian US-supplied HIMARS resupply vehicle in a ballistic missile strike, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said on Saturday. […]
The Russian military has taken out a rare resupply vehicle for the US-supplied system, footage released by the military shows
The Russian military has destroyed a rare Ukrainian US-supplied HIMARS resupply vehicle in a ballistic missile strike, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said on Saturday.
Surveillance drone footage released by the Russian military shows the resupply vehicle maneuvering into a dugout concealed in a wooded strip between two fields. The position was discovered in the vicinity of the village of Novonikolayevka, located some 26km to the east of the Ukrainian city of Nikolayev, the military noted.
The location was hit with a ballistic missile fired by an Iskander-M system shortly after the vehicle was discovered. The missile appeared to have featured a high-explosive warhead rigged for airburst, footage suggests, and the munition seemingly scored a direct hit on the dugout. Up to ten Ukrainian servicemen were killed by the strike, the ministry said.
The destroyed loader appears to belong to the US-manufactured Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV), a large series of military vehicles based upon a common chassis, yet varying by mission and payload. The resupply vehicle features an armored cab and a distinctive folding cargo crane in its rear, footage shows.
Kiev has been receiving M142 HIMARS and its heavier tracked cousin, the M270 MLRS, as well as derivatives of those systems, since mid-2022. Initially touted as the ultimate high-precision tool to strike high-value Russian assets deep in the rear, the launchers have been routinely used in indiscriminate attacks on purely civilian targets during the conflict.
The ongoing hostilities in Russia’s Kursk Region, where Kiev mounted an incursion last August, have taken a heavy toll on the HIMARS, with at least 13 units of the M142 and seven of the M270 MLRS destroyed in the area, according to the latest Russian estimates.
Roman Shukhevich and his forces were implicated in the mass murder of Jews and Poles during World War II Ukrainian nationalists gathered this week to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the death of Roman Shukhevich, a Nazi collaborator and leader of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army […]
Roman Shukhevich and his forces were implicated in the mass murder of Jews and Poles during World War II
Ukrainian nationalists gathered this week to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the death of Roman Shukhevich, a Nazi collaborator and leader of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), known for its role in ethnic cleansing during World War II. The events included a torchlit march, a flower-laying ceremony, and the unveiling of a virtual museum dedicated to him.
One of the events included a ceremony on Wednesday near the site of the Museum of Shukhevich in Bilohorshcha outside of Lviv, which was allegedly destroyed by a Russian drone strike last year. It was attended by the acting head of the Lviv Regional Council, regional deputies, veterans, and nationalist organizations, according to local officials.
The Lviv Regional Council also said priests conducted a memorial service commemorating Roman Shukhevich and his followers. A video of the ceremony shared by Suspilne shows a crowd singing the Ukrainian national anthem, with people laying yellow and blue bouquets after the Ukrainian flag.
A day earlier, Ukrainian nationalists also held a torchlit march in Lviv to honor Shukhevich, with the event attracting over 1,000 participants, according to the newspaper Den. The marchers carried red and black UPA flags and banners of nationalist organizations, including those of the far-right groups Right Sector and Svoboda. The event ended with a prayer at a monument to Stepan Bandera, another nationalist leader linked to Nazi collaboration.
Adding to the commemoration, the Lviv Historical Museum launched a virtual museum of Shukhevich based on the original museum. Russia has not confirmed the strike that was said to have destroyed it in 2024, with officials in Moscow stating that Russian forces only attack sites linked to the military.
Shukhevich served in the Nachtigall Battalion, a unit formed by Ukrainian nationalists under German command in 1941. The battalion took part in the massacre of Jews in Lviv following the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. Later, he became a commander in the Schutzmannschaft Battalion 201, which conducted anti-partisan operations, targeting Jews and Belarusian civilians. In 1943, he assumed the leadership of the UPA, which was responsible for the Volyn massacres, in which tens of thousands of Polish civilians were slaughtered.
Shukhevych was killed in 1950 during a Soviet raid, allegedly committing suicide after his hideout was surrounded by security forces.
Russia has repeatedly sounded the alarm over the resurgence of Nazi ideology in Ukraine, and has listed ‘denazification’ as one of the key goals of its military operation against Kiev.
Moscow has said it targeted the gas infrastructure that powers Kiev’s military Russian forces carried out a series of strikes on Ukrainian energy sites on Friday, the Defense Ministry has said in its daily briefing. According to the MOD, a “group strike” targeted “gas and […]
Moscow has said it targeted the gas infrastructure that powers Kiev’s military
Russian forces carried out a series of strikes on Ukrainian energy sites on Friday, the Defense Ministry has said in its daily briefing.
According to the MOD, a “group strike” targeted “gas and energy infrastructure that powers the military-industrial complex of Ukraine.” Long-range missiles and drones were used in the barrage.
Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko wrote on Facebook that “the energy and gas infrastructure in different Ukrainian regions has been hit by massive missiles and drone strikes.”
The authorities were responding with “necessary measures to stabilize the energy and gas supply.”
Ukraine’s national gas and oil company Naftogaz said in a short statement that its gas-extracting facilities have been damaged. Officials in the northern Chernigov Region and the western regions of Ternopol and Ivano-Frankovsk reported local power outages from strikes on “critical industrial sites.”
The local authorities in the eastern Poltava Region said “the fragments of an enemy projectile” fell on a house, injuring three people.
Russia first ramped up strikes on energy infrastructure in response to the Ukrainian bombing of the bridge that connects Crimea with mainland Russia in October 2022.
In April 2024, President Vladimir Putin said Russian forces were hitting energy facilities in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil. “We have seen a series of strikes on our energy sites and were forced to retaliate.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that the strikes were directed at “sites linked to the production of weapons in Ukraine.”
Donald Tusk made the statement just a day after calling for an arms race against Russia Poland should pursue the acquisition of nuclear weapons, possibly through participation in France’s nuclear umbrella initiative, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said. On Friday, Tusk told the Polish […]
Donald Tusk made the statement just a day after calling for an arms race against Russia
Poland should pursue the acquisition of nuclear weapons, possibly through participation in France’s nuclear umbrella initiative, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said.
On Friday, Tusk told the Polish parliament that the country needs to access advanced military capabilities to bolster national defense.
His remarks come after French President Emmanuel Macron proposed earlier this week extending France’s nuclear deterrent to other EU members in order to address the supposed “threat” posed by Russia.
According to Tusk, Warsaw is already having “serious discussions” with Paris about the nuclear umbrella idea.
“Poland needs to pursue the most modern capabilities related to nuclear weapons as well as modern unconventional weapons,” he stated. Warsaw does not care about being criticized over its military buildup and will take whatever steps it deems necessary to strengthen its defense, the prime minister declared.
Tusk also called for Poland to withdraw from international treaties banning anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions. If enacted, this would allow the Polish military to reintroduce such weapons into its arsenal, despite widespread international opposition to their use.
On Wednesday, Tusk urged the EU to ramp up military spending in order to outpace Moscow in an arms race, suggesting on X that “Russia will lose it like the Soviet Union 40 years ago.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has also recently called for a significant increase in EU defense spending, further reinforcing the trend toward military expansion.
Moscow has vehemently condemned Tusk’s recent statements, stressing that Russia will not engage in any sort of arms race. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that the “confrontational, even militaristic” rhetoric coming out of Paris and Warsaw was regrettable.
Russia has repeatedly rejected claims that it poses a military threat to any European countries. President Vladimir Putin has dismissed such suggestions as “nonsense” being perpetuated by EU leaders to scare their populations and justify larger military budgets.
Calls for more defense spending in the EU come as US President Donald Trump has urged European NATO members to play a larger role in ensuring their own defense. At the same time, he has also criticized the idea of an arms race and suggested that all countries should completely get rid of their nuclear weapons.
