Ukraine turns on Poland over World War II massacre commemoration
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Ukraine has criticised Polish plans to establish a remembrance day for Poles massacred by Ukrainians during World War II.
Poland's parliament last week approved a new public holiday on July 11 to commemorate victims of a 'genocide' committed by Ukrainian nationalist groups during the conflict.
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Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Russian military losses top 1m in three-year-old war, Ukrainian military says
The number of Russian troops killed or wounded in Ukraine has topped one million, military officials in Kyiv said on Thursday, describing the huge price that Moscow has paid for its three-year-old invasion. The claim by the General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces is in line with Western intelligence estimates. Russia has suffered 1 million combat losses in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion. This is the devastating human cost Putin is inflicting on his own people. This invasion is a betrayal of his people who are bearing the true cost of this war.#StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) June 12, 2025 The UK Ministry of Defence also said in a statement posted Thursday on X that Russia has suffered more than one million casualties, including roughly 250,000 killed since it launched the full-scale invasion on February 24 2022. On June 3, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington said Russia would likely hit the mark of one million casualties this summer in what it called 'a stunning and grisly milestone'. Russia last reported its military casualties early in the war when it acknowledged that about 6,000 soldiers had been killed. Earlier this year, the General Staff of the Russian armed forces claimed that Ukrainian military losses had topped one million. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last spoke of Ukrainian military losses in February, when he said in an interview that 45,100 troops had been killed and about 390,000 injured. The mutual claims of the other side's losses could not be independently verified. A rescue worker evacuates a woman from a building which was damaged by a Russian strike in Kharkiv (Ukrainian emergency services via AP/PA) The casualty estimates came as Russian forces pummelled Ukraine with drones and other weapons, killing three people and injuring scores of others despite international pressure to accept a ceasefire. According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia launched 63 drones and decoys at Ukraine overnight. It said that air defences destroyed 28 drones while another 21 were jammed. Ukrainian police said two people were killed and six were injured in the past 24 hours in the eastern Donetsk region, the focus of the Russian offensive. One person was killed and 14 others were also injured in the southern Kherson region, which is partly occupied by Russian forces, police said. The authorities in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, said 18 people, including four children, were injured by Russian drone attacks overnight. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said Russian drones targeted residential districts, educational facilities, nurseries and other civilian infrastructure. 'Kharkiv is holding on. People are alive. And that is the most important thing,' Mr Terekhov said. Rescue workers put out a fire of a building which was damaged by a Russian strike in Kharkiv (Ukrainian emergency services via AP/PA) Russia has launched waves of drones and missiles in recent days, with a record bombardment of almost 500 drones on Monday and a wave of 315 drones and seven missiles overnight on Tuesday. Ukraine responded to the Russian attacks with drone raids. Russia's Defence Ministry said that air defences downed 52 Ukrainian drones early on Thursday, including 41 over the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine. Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said three people were injured by Ukrainian attacks. The recent escalation in aerial attacks has come alongside a renewed Russian battlefield push along eastern and northeastern parts of the more than 1,000-kilometre (over 600-mile) front line. While Russian missile and drone barrage have struck regions all across Ukraine, regions along the front line have faced daily Russian attacks with short-range exploding drones and glide bombs. A building is seen on fire after a Russian strike in Odesa, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Services via AP) On Thursday, the Russian Defence Ministry claimed its troops captured two more villages in the Donetsk region, Oleksiivka and Petrivske. The Ukrainian military had no immediate comment on the Russian claim. The attacks have continued despite discussions of a potential ceasefire in the war. During their June 2 talks in Istanbul, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators traded memorandums containing sharply divergent conditions that both sides see as nonstarters, making a quick deal unlikely. In Rome, Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte commended US President Donald Trump for his 'crucial' move to start direct peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. At the same time, Mr Rutte criticised Mr Putin for appointing his aide Vladimir Medinsky as the top negotiator for the talks in Istanbul. Mr Medinsky ascended through the Kremlin ranks after writing a series of books exposing purported Western plots against Russia and denigrating Ukraine. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte commended US President Donald Trump for his move to start peace talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) 'I think that the Russians sending this historian now twice to these talks in Istanbul, trying to start with the history of 1,000 years ago and then explaining more or less that Ukraine is at fault here, I think that's not helpful,' Mr Rutte said. 'But at least step by step, we try to make progress.' Also on Thursday, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit, noting the stepped-up Russian attacks send a message from Moscow that it has 'no interest in a peaceful solution at present,' according to German news agency dpa. Mr Pistorius said his visit underlines that the new German government continues to stand by Ukraine. 'Of course this will also be about how the support of Germany and other Europeans will look in future – what we can do, for example, in the area of industrial co-operation, but also other support,' he said.
Irish Examiner
5 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Three killed in Ukraine as Russia continues drones offensive
Russian forces pummelled Ukraine with drones and other weapons on Thursday, killing three people and injuring scores of others despite international pressure to accept a ceasefire, officials said. According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia launched a barrage of 63 drones and decoys at Ukraine overnight. It said that air defences destroyed 28 drones while another 21 were jammed. Ukraine's police said two people were killed and six were injured over the past 24 hours in the eastern Donetsk region, the focus of the Russian offensive. One person was killed and 14 others were also injured in the southern Kherson region, which is partly occupied by Russian forces, police said. A rescue worker evacuates a woman from a building which was damaged by a Russian strike in Kharkiv (Ukrainian emergency services via AP/PA) The head of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Syniehubov, said 15 people, including four children, were injured by Russian drone attacks overnight. Kharkiv city mayor Ihor Terekhov said Russian drones targeted residential districts, educational facilities, nurseries and other civilian infrastructure. 'Kharkiv is holding on. People are alive. And that is the most important thing,' Mr Terekhov said. The Russian military has launched waves of drones and missiles in recent days, with a record bombardment of almost 500 drones on Monday and a wave of 315 drones and seven missiles overnight on Tuesday. The recent escalation in aerial attacks has come alongside a renewed Russian battlefield push along eastern and north-eastern parts of the 600-mile front line. While Russian missile and drone barrage have struck regions all across Ukraine, regions along the front line have faced daily Russian attacks with short-range exploding drones and glide bombs. Ukraine hit back with drone raids, with Russia's defence ministry saying air defences downed 52 Ukrainian drones early on Thursday, including 41 over the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine. Rescue workers put out a fire of a building which was damaged by a Russian strike in Kharkiv (Ukrainian emergency services via AP/PA) Regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said three people were injured by Ukrainian attacks. The attacks have continued despite discussions of a potential ceasefire in the war. During their June 2 talks in Istanbul, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators traded memorandums containing sharply divergent conditions that both sides see as non-starters, making any quick deal unlikely. Speaking at a meeting of leaders of south-east European countries in Odesa, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the European Union to toughen its latest package of sanctions against Russia. He argued that lowering the cap on the price of Russian oil from 60 US dollars (£44) to 45 dollars (£33) as the bloc has proposed is not enough. German defence minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv on Thursday on an unannounced visit, noting that the stepped-up Russian attacks on Ukraine send a message from Moscow that it has 'no interest in a peaceful solution at present', according to German news agency dpa. Pistorius said his visit underlines that the new German government continues to stand by Ukraine. 'Of course this will also be about how the support of Germany and other Europeans will look in future – what we can do, for example, in the area of industrial co-operation, but also other support,' he said.
Irish Independent
13 hours ago
- Irish Independent
The art of political dressing: As Michelle Obama's new book will highlight, fashion choices can make political statements
It's an experience that's not unique to the former US first lady: politics and fashion go hand in hand. While some may think fashion is frivolous, getting dressed is a conscious act and one that can have even more weight when you're on the public stage. That's the reason world leaders often wear something from the country they are visiting when on official trips: think of Queen Elizabeth's shamrock-adorned dress for her historic state dinner in Dublin in 2011. But more often, it's a subtle form of communication that the best political movers know how to use to their advantage. Take the focus on Michelle Obama herself, for example. While she was criticised for having her arms on show or being too sexy in some of her looks, she championed designers from diverse backgrounds such as Jason Wu and Naeem Khan. Khan is the epitome of the American dream. Having grown up in Mumbai, he moved to America to pursue a career in fashion at 20. Barack Obama's campaign poster had 'hope' written in bold lettering, and what is more hopeful than the tale of a young immigrant who went on to dress the first lady? While fashion can display an important message, it's not always a positive one. Current US First Lady Melania Trump has had a plethora of well-deserved critiques on her fashion choices. The most notable was in 2018 when she visited a shelter in Texas where children of suspected illegal immigrants were housed. She chose to wear a Zara jacket that had 'I really don't care, do u?' written on the back. Though initially her representatives dismissed any significance to the message, saying it was 'just a jacket', she later claimed that she had been sending a message to the 'left-wing media' who criticised her. There seems to have been no lasting damage done – in the eyes of the fashion world at least. Where during their first term in office many designers refused to dress the Trumps and their wider circle, this time they have been embraced by big names such as Oscar de la Renta. It's not only women who are critiqued on their fashion choices: when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky showed up to meet President Donald Trump at the White House wearing his signature sweatshirt in February, he was met with hostility. Trump remarked 'You're all dressed up today', to which Zelensky replied he would wear a suit when the war is over — his wardrobe is a deliberate nod to his countrymen who are fighting on the front lines. Interestingly, Trump doesn't seem to expect the same standard of dress from ex-bestie-turned-enemy Elon Musk, who has been pictured in the Oval Office wearing slogan T-shirts and baseball caps. Proof that dressing down can also be a power play. As Michelle Obama put it when writing about her forthcoming book: 'The Look is about more than fashion. It's about confidence. It's about identity. It's about the power of authenticity.' What your Trump victory sneakers say about you… You don't exist. No really, does anyone actually own these gold, American flag-adorned 'Never Surrender' high-tops? For a mere $399 you too can be on the wrong side of history! Putting politics aside for one minute, who on earth is trusting Donald Trump with fashion choices? Presumably the same people who bought the $199 Fight Fight Fight desert boots, the $249 America's Superhero low-top trainers, and the $499 Trump golf shoes – limited to 1,000 pairs and available for both men and women from These sneakers are gaudy and cheap looking. In fact, if you bought these sneakers, I'm glad you're down $399, you don't deserve the cash.
