In Ukraine, a potential arms-for-minerals deal inspires hope and skepticism

KIROVOHRAD REGION, Ukraine — The mineral ilmenite is extracted from mounds of sand deep in the earth and refined using a method that summons the force of gravity, resulting in a substance that glimmers like a moonlit sky. Ukraine boasts vast reserves of ilmenite — a key element used to produce titanium — in the […]

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Russian attacks near Ukrainian nuclear infrastructure heighten scrutiny of Kyiv’s preparedness

KYIV, Ukraine — Moscow’s renewed attacks on Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure this winter have heightened scrutiny over the Ukrainian Energy Ministry’s failure to protect the country’s most critical energy facilities near nuclear power sites. Despite more than a year of warnings that the sites were vulnerable to potential Russian attacks, the Energy Ministry failed to act […]

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Desertion threatens to starve Ukraine’s forces at a crucial time in its war with Russia

KYIV, Ukraine — Desertion is starving the Ukrainian army of desperately needed manpower and crippling its battle plans at a crucial time in its war with Russia, which could put Kyiv at a clear disadvantage in future ceasefire talks. Facing every imaginable shortage, tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops, tired and bereft, have walked away […]

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A Russian ballistic missile with cluster munitions kills 11 people and injures 84 in Ukraine’s north

KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian ballistic missile with cluster munitions struck a residential area of a northern Ukraine city, killing 11 people including two children and injuring 84 others, officials said Monday. The two children killed in the strike on Sumy late Sunday were a 9-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, the regional prosecutor’s office […]

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Zelenskyy’s victory plan sets Ukraine’s terms in a desperate war against Russia

KYIV, Ukraine — The victory plan that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will present to the White House this week asks the Biden administration to do something it has not achieved in the two and a half years since Russia invaded Ukraine: act quickly to support Kyiv’s campaign. While Western dawdling has amplified Ukraine’s losses, some Ukrainian […]

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The fall of Vuhledar is a microcosm of Ukraine’s wartime predicament

KYIV, Ukraine — The fall of a front-line town nestled atop a tactically significant hill is unlikely to change the course of Ukraine’s war against Russia. But the loss underscores Kyiv’s worsening position, in part the result of firm Western red lines, military officials and analysts said. Vuhledar, a town Ukrainian forces fought tooth and […]

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Ukraine downs a Russian warplane and Russia claims gains in the east

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian forces said they shot down a Russian fighter plane on Saturday while Russia claimed it made gains in Ukraine’s east. The Russian bomber was shot down near the city of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk province, head of the Kostiantynivka Military Administration Serhiy Horbunov was quoted as saying by Ukraine’s public broadcaster, […]

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Ukrainian recruiters descend on Kyiv’s nightlife in search of men not registered for conscription

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian military recruitment officers raided restaurants, bars and a concert hall in Kyiv, checking military registration documents and detaining men who were not in compliance, local media reported Saturday. Officers reportedly descended on Kyiv’s Palace of Sports venue after a concert Friday night by Ukrainian rock band Okean Elzy. Video footage aired […]

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