Najaf Ali

The families of Ukrainian fighters still holding out against the Russian bombardment of a vast steel plant in the besieged city of Mariupol say they are prepared to act as a human shield if it helps get them out alive. Yaroslava, whose husband and two sons-in-law are all with the Azov regiment, said they will … Read more

Russia will occupy Kherson “forever,” a Russian MP has said while on a visit to the city in Ukraine’s south. “Russia is here forever. There should be no doubt about this. There will be no return to the past,” Andrey Turchak said according to a statement from his ruling United Russia party. Kherson became the … Read more

Victory Day has become a big national event in Russia marking the end of war with Nazi Germany in 1945. But it’s only under Vladimir Putin that the day has featured an annual parade complete with military hardware and flypasts. This year, it’s taken on a significance of its own because, far from liberating Europe, … Read more

After sanctions were imposed against President Putin’s two adult daughters, could the woman rumoured to be his girlfriend be next? The EU has put Alina Kabaeva on a proposed list of individuals to be sanctioned in their latest measures imposed against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. It is yet to be signed off. Kabaeva … Read more

The US Department of Defense continues to push back on domestic media reports that US intelligence helped Ukraine kill top Russian generals and sink the Moskva missile cruiser. At a news briefing on Friday, spokesman John Kirby said Ukraine “makes the decisions” when it comes to how they use US intel. “The kind of intelligence … Read more

A 15-year-old girl managed to save the lives of four adults after their car was attacked by Russian forces while fleeing Popasna in April. Lisa Chernyshenko took the wheel when the driver and other passengers were hit by Russian fire on the road to Bakhmut. The car came under fire again and Lisa was wounded … Read more

Military officials in Ukraine’s Odesa region claim Russia fired two missiles into the area this afternoon. “Fortunately there were no casualties,” the local military governor Maxim Marchenko said, providing no further details about any damage. Authorities in Odesa have also announced plans to introduce a curfew for both the port city and its surrounding area … Read more

The White House has announced a new package of security assistance for Ukraine that will include artillery, munitions, radars and other equipment. “The United States is continuing our strong support for the brave people of Ukraine as they defend their country against Russia’s ongoing aggression,” President Joe Biden said. “We are sending the weapons and … Read more

The US Department of Defense will award a $17.8 million contract for the industry to produce and send Switchblade drones to Ukraine as the ongoing conflict with Russia continues, a Department of Defense official told reporters during a briefing Friday. “$17.8 million for Switchblade unmanned aerial systems that’s an award that’s going to be seen … Read more

More than 200 Ukrainian soldiers have completed training on M777 howitzers provided to Ukraine by the US, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said during a briefing at the Pentagon on Friday. An additional “150 plus” Ukrainian soldiers are currently going through the Howitzer training, he added. US military service members are training groups of Ukrainian soldiers … Read more

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko is urging citizens to stay inside from Sunday into Monday around Russia’s annual Victory Day as Western officials have warned Russian President Vladimir Putin could formally declare war on Ukraine on May 9, a symbolic day for Russia, paving the way for Putin to step up his campaign. Though the mayor is … Read more

When Ukraine successfully targeted Russia’s prized warship last month with anti-ship cruise missiles, they had some help from the United States.   Ukrainian forces, having spotted a Russian warship in the Black Sea, called their American contacts for confirmation that it was in fact the Moskva, sources familiar with the events told CNN. The US responded that it … Read more

Germany will support Ukraine with a further $130 million in humanitarian aid, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced in a video message during a donor conference in Warsaw.   The money will ”help strengthen Ukrainian resistance to the Russian attacks.” Scholz also said he intends to provide Ukraine with another $147 million for development financing. “With every day … Read more

The second stage of the evacuation from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol has begun, the military governor of the Donetsk region told CNN. But he retained a tone of caution about whether it will yield results. “I can say that the second stage of the evacuation measures and the evacuation operation has begun but I don’t … Read more

NATO could increase its presence around the Baltic Sea and Swedish borders if Sweden decides to apply for membership of the alliance, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday. When asked during an interview with Swedish public broadcaster SVT how NATO would protect Sweden during the potential application process, Stoltenberg said: “There are different ways to … Read more

Russian forces have made “some small progress, particularly in the north part of the Donbas,” region of Ukraine, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said during a briefing on Thursday. This small progress is not the progress that the US believes Russian forces “expected to make at this point,” in the region, Kirby added. “In the Donbas … Read more

A $300 million yacht belonging to Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov was seized by Fijian authorities on Thursday at the request of the United States Department of Justice.  “Fijian law enforcement executed a seizure warrant freezing the Motor Yacht Amadea (the Amadea), a 348-foot luxury vessel owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov,” a news release … Read more