White House brokering Ukraine-Russia talks
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Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
In Kyiv, Ukrainians use indoor steel capsules as a way to shelter from Russian strikes
For much of the summer, Kyiv has been the focus of almost nightly Russian drone and rocket attacks. On July 31, between 28 and 31 people were killed in one attack when a building collapsed after an air raid, with as many as 159 injured. Since the White House talks last Friday, Russia has intensified its air assaults, hitting Ukraine with 1,000 long-range drones and missiles. While some residents head into basements or underground for protection, others are taking a different approach. Kateryna Starozhuk, 30, lives in a house on the outskirts of Kyiv, in Bucha. She says she doesn't have a place to hide while drones fly toward the capital: 'I don't have a basement, and to build one costs a lot of money.' Instead, she bought a Life Capsule – a two-metre-tall steel safety box designed to protect against blast waves, bomb fragments and falling debris. 'Last year, when attacks started increasing, I was not able to sleep. I started to gain weight, lose concentration and even started to forget words. It was not possible to work effectively at all,' Ms. Starozhuk says. She placed the capsule in one of her rooms, next to an exercise bike. With this temporary shelter in place, she became less afraid when drones were flying above her house. 'When I hear the air defence, I am running into my capsule where I can feel much safer.' 'Even last week, one drone fell 200 metres away from my home. Mentally, it's very difficult to cope with it, and I don't know how I would be able to survive through the night if I don't have a safety box.' Since U.S. President Donald Trump's inauguration in January, Russia has launched more and more drones against Ukraine. In July, it fired 6,129 drones against Ukrainian cities, compared with 423 in the same month last year. Earlier this week, Mr. Trump pledged security guarantees to help end the war during a White House summit that included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders. He has since ruled out putting U.S. troops on the ground in Ukraine, but said the United States might provide air support as part of a deal to end the conflict. As the number of attacks has increased, there is an increased market demand for the Life Capsule. The need will continue, warns Sehrii Zakharin, inventor of the metal box, who does not believe there will be a peace agreement as a result of the Trump-Putin negotiations. The capsule was created primarily for private houses, Mr. Zakharin says. It is constructed with a thickness of five millimetres of steel and has been tested for its ability to withstand an explosion by dropping an 1,100-kilogram concrete slab onto it from a height of 10 metres. The inventor says the capsule can't currently protect from a direct drone hit, but he is working on a new model with that aim in mind. The capsules are used not only in the Kyiv region, but all around the country, Mr. Zakharin says. What's next for the Ukraine peace talks? Analysis: Trump's Ukraine talks show how the global order is changing The price for one capsule is around US$2,000. Mr. Zakharin says he understands that not everyone can afford it. Ms. Starozhuk says she also thought it was expensive until the latest drone attack. 'When you are in real danger, you are looking for any option to be safe, but sometimes it's too late. I have a lot of friends in Kyiv who are trying to sleep on the upper floors, but I can't do it even on the zero floor, because I am afraid,' Ms. Starozhuk adds. She says that she wants to continue living in Ukraine. For this, she needs to feel protected, and the capsule is one element that helps her feel safer and allows her to sleep. But she is also not optimistic about the war ending. 'Based on how weak our American and European partners are, I don't have much hope for that. My hope is on the Ukrainian Armed Forces, to whom I regularly send donations.' Ms. Starozhuk hopes that one day she will be able to sleep again in her bed and won't need to monitor the phone, which detects the drones while she is hiding in her safety box. But at the moment, it's her solution for better mental health. With a report from Reuters and The Associated Press
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
Deadliest Russian attack in a year kills 31 in Kyiv, including five children
The Ukrainian capital Kyiv observed an official day of mourning Friday, a day after a Russian drone and missile attack on the city killed 31 people, including five children, and injured more than 150, officials said. The youngest victim in Thursday's strikes was two years old, and 16 of the injured were children, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. It was the highest number of children killed and injured in a single attack on Kyiv since aerial attacks on the city began in October, 2022, according to official casualty figures reported by the Associated Press. It was also the deadliest attack on the city since July last year, when 33 were killed. The death toll rose overnight as emergency crews continued to dig through rubble. The Russian barrage demolished a large part of a nine-storey residential building in the city, while more than 100 other buildings were damaged, including homes, schools, kindergartens, medical facilities and universities, officials said. Trump orders U.S. nuclear subs moved over comments from ex-Russian leader Medvedev Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent months, ignoring calls from Western leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump to stop striking civilian areas after more than three years of war. The Russian tactic aims to spread terror and wear down public appetite for the war. Russian forces are also pressing on with their grinding war of attrition along the 1,000-kilometre front line, where incremental gains over the past year have come at the cost of thousands of soldiers on both sides. Mr. Zelensky said that in July, Russia launched over 5,100 glide bombs, more than 3,800 Shahed drones, and nearly 260 missiles of various types, 128 of them ballistic, against Ukraine. He repeated his appeal for countries to impose heavier economic sanctions on Russia to deter the Kremlin, as U.S.-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction. 'No matter how much the Kremlin denies [sanctions'] effectiveness, they are working and must be stronger,' Mr. Zelensky said. In Kyiv, Canada's ambassador shows solidarity by standing firm Opinion: Canada must sanction the Chinese tech companies fuelling the horrors in Ukraine His comments Friday appeared to be a response to Mr. Trump's remarks the previous day, when the Republican President said the U.S. plans to impose sanctions on Russia but added, 'I don't know that sanctions bother him,' in reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In April, Mr. Trump urged the Russian leader to 'STOP!' after an aerial attack on Kyiv killed 12 in what was the deadliest assault on the city since July, 2024. 'Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!' Mr. Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform at the time, but Russia hasn't eased up on its barrages. Earlier this week, Mr. Trump gave Mr. Putin until Aug. 8 to stop the fighting. Those demands haven't persuaded the Kremlin to change strategy. Mr. Putin said Friday the conditions that Moscow set out last year for a long-term ceasefire agreement still stand. Mr. Putin has previously made it clear that he will only accept a settlement on his terms and will keep fighting until they're met. 'Any disappointments arise from excessive expectations,' Mr. Putin said of negotiations. He did not mention Mr. Trump by name. Mr. Putin said that he regards recent direct talks in Istanbul between delegations from Russia and Ukraine as valuable, even though they made no progress beyond exchanges of prisoners of war, and made no reference to next week's deadline imposed by Mr. Trump. In what Ukrainians may see as an ominous note, Mr. Putin said that Russia has started production of its newest hypersonic missiles. The Oreshnik's multiple warheads plunge to a target at speeds up to Mach 10 and cannot be stopped by air defences, he said. Ukraine called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting to be convened Friday, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, in an effort to push Mr. Putin into accepting 'a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire.' Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are under heavy pressure in the strategic hilltop city of Chasiv Yar, in the eastern Donetsk region where Russia is making a concerted push to break through defences after some 18 months of fighting. Mr. Zelensky said that Russian claims of capturing Chasiv Yar on Thursday were 'disinformation.' 'Ukrainian units are holding our positions,' Mr. Zelensky said in his daily video address on Thursday evening. 'It is not easy, but it is the defence of Ukrainians' very right to life.' Even so, the Institute for the Study of War said that Ukraine's hold on the key city is weakening. 'Russian forces will likely complete the seizure of Chasiv Yar in the coming days, which will open several possible avenues for Russian forces to attack Ukraine's fortress belt – a series of fortified cities that form the backbone of Ukraine's defensive positions' in the Donetsk region, the Washington-based think tank said. Ukraine has tried to pressure the Russian army by striking rear areas with long-range drones that target rail networks, oil depots and arsenals. Russia's Defence Ministry said Friday that air defences shot down 60 Ukrainian drones overnight. More than half were destroyed over Russia's Belgorod region on the country's border with Ukraine, it said. Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that one person was injured. The Ukrainian air force, meanwhile, said Friday it downed 44 out of 72 Russian drones fired overnight. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Russia needs a nuclear shield update due to ‘colossal threats,' nuclear chief says
Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, accompanied by Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Alexander Moiseyev, left, speaks with crew members of the nuclear-powered submarine Arkhangelsk in Murmansk, Russia. (Kirill Zykov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Russia's nuclear shield should be strengthened in coming years due to the 'colossal threats' facing the world's biggest nuclear power, the head of Russia's state nuclear corporation said on Thursday. Russia and the United States are upgrading their nuclear arsenals - including the systems used to detect and intercept incoming nuclear-armed missiles - just as China ramps up its own nuclear capability far beyond those of Britain and France. ADVERTISEMENT 'Now, in the current geopolitical situation, is a time of colossal threats to the existence of our country. Therefore, the nuclear shield, which is also a sword, is a guarantee of our sovereignty,' Russian state news agency RIA cited Alexei Likhachev as saying. 'We understand today that the nuclear shield must only be improved in the coming years.' U.S. President Donald Trump in May unveiled plans for a so-called 'Golden Dome' missile defense shield, inspired by Israel's land-based Iron Dome defense shield, that would cost at least US$175 billion. The U.S. dome would aim to intercept a range of missiles - including ballistic, hypersonic and cruise - and is aimed at blocking threats from Russia and China. However, military experts agree that no such shield can intercept all missiles, especially in the quantity that either Moscow or Washington could launch. Russia has about 4,300 stockpiled and deployed nuclear warheads and the United States has about 3,700, a total of about 87 per cent of the world's total inventory, according to research by the Federation of American Scientists. China is the world's third largest nuclear power with about 600 warheads, followed by France with 290, Britain with 225, India with 180, Pakistan with 170, Israel with 90 and North Korea with 50, according to the research. Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Lucy Papachristou and Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Aidan Lewis
