Latest news with #Czech-led
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kyiv to receive 400,000 more shells from Czech initiative, Ukraine's PM says
Ukraine will receive 400,000 additional artillery shells in 2025 through the Czech-led munitions initiative, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on May 20 on Telegram. The initiative, supported by contributions from Canada, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, and other nations, has significantly enhanced Ukraine's artillery capabilities. Launched in 2024, it has become a vital supplement to the country's firepower amid shell shortages. Following a meeting with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Shmyhal said Ukraine received around 1.5 million artillery shells of various calibers through the initiative in 2024. He announced that Czechia has increased its annual aid allocation to Ukraine to over $43 million. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, Prague has provided $900 million in military assistance to Kyiv. Fiala and Shmyhal also discussed expanding cooperation on weapons production, economic support, and humanitarian assistance. "We will strengthen the integration of the Ukrainian and Czech defense industries," Shmyhal wrote. "In addition, we agreed to cooperate in training Ukrainian pilots of F-16 airplanes." Czechia has played a leading role within the EU in rallying military support for Ukraine and has hosted hundreds of thousands of refugees since the start of the war. The country's opposition party, ANO, has threatened to suspend the munitions initiative if it wins parliamentary elections in October 2025. ANO deputy leader Karel Havlicek made the remarks in January, raising concerns about the future of one of Ukraine's most reliable arms pipelines. Read also: As Russia's fiber optic drones flood the battlefield, Ukraine is racing to catch up We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
The Guardian
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: Second night of Moscow drone raids, Kursk substation hit
Ukraine has launched drones at Moscow for the second night in a row, forcing closure of the capital's three major airports, Russian officials said early on Wednesday. The mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said six Ukrainian drones approached Moscow and what he claimed was debris from an intercepted drone fell over one of the key highways leading into the city. Russia's aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said it halted flights at airports serving Moscow including Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky. Ukrainian forces attacked a power substation at the town of Rylsk in Russia's western Kursk region, the regional governor said early on Tuesday, after Russian war bloggers reported Ukrainian forces firing missiles had smashed through the border in Kursk, crossing minefields with armoured vehicles. The Kursk governor, Alexander Khinshtein, said two people were injured in the substation attack, while two transformers were damaged and power cut. The Russian military blog Rybar said Ukrainian units were trying to advance in Kursk near the settlements of Tyotkino and Glushkovo. The Ukrainian military said its forces had struck a Russian drone command unit near Tyotkino on Sunday. Russia said Ukrainian attacks on its border area near the Sumy region killed three people. Ukrainian prosecutors said on Monday that Russian forces had subjected two settlements in the Sumy region bordering Kursk – Bilopillya and Vorozhba – to artillery fire and guided bomb attacks, killing three residents and injuring four. Local officials ordered evacuations in part of Sumy across from the fighting in Kursk. The Ukrainian commander-in-chief, Gen Oleksandr Syrsky, said on Monday that the Kursk offensive had 'achieved most of its goals', showing Ukraine's military capabilities and preventing Russia from launching offensives elsewhere on the frontline. In recent weeks, Russia claimed to have quashed Ukraine's Kursk incursion, but Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says Kyiv's forces continue to operate there and in the adjacent Russian region of Belgorod. A Czech-led ammunition initiative has supplied Ukraine with half a million large-calibre rounds already since the start of the year, the Czech Republic's prime minister, Petr Fiala, said on Monday after meeting Zelenskyy in Prague. A Russian reporter critical of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine has fled to France and told how Reporters Without Borders helped coordinate her escape. Speaking in an interview with Agence France-Presse in Paris, Ekaterina Barabash, 64, said: 'Russian prison, it's not a life. It is worse than death.' Barabash was arrested in February on allegations of spreading 'false information' about the Russian armed forces in several posts she made on social media. She fled house arrest in April and made a 'very difficult' journey to France taking about two and a half weeks. She removed her electronic bracelet when she fled house arrest – 'it's somewhere in the Russian forest.'
Euronews
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Zelenskyy says Ukraine is awaiting three million artillery shells from allies
ADVERTISEMENT Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine hopes to receive some three million artillery shells from its allies this year, including 1.8 million from a Czech-led programme. During a meeting with Czech president and former NATO general Petr Pavel, Zelenskyy also said discussions were underway for a Ukrainian-Czech training school for F16 fighter jet pilots. "Obviously, for security reasons, we cannot open such a base in Ukraine at this time. Russian strikes continue every day and therefore we are working with our partners to ensure that such schools can be opened outside Ukraine and this will happen," Zelenskyy explained. During the meeting, he renewed his call for a 30-day pause in hostilities, as the US had initially proposed, and said he believed a ceasefire with Russia was possible. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a meeting in Prague, 5 May, 2025 AP Photo "Today is the 54th day that Russia has ignored the American proposal for a complete ceasefire. We believe that a ceasefire is possible at anytime, even from today, and should last at least 30 days to give diplomacy a real chance. And I am grateful to the Czech Republic for supporting our position in this proposal," Zelenskyy said. His visit to the Czech capital comes amid Russia's announcement of a 72-hour ceasefire next week to mark Victory Day in World War II. Chinese leader Xi Jinping will pay an official visit to Russia from May 7–10, the Kremlin confirmed on Sunday, to discuss "further development of relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction" and "issues on the international and regional agenda." Zelenskyy's visit also follows comments made by Putin to state television that the need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine had not arisen and that he hopes it will not. In comments aired in a film by Russian state television on Sunday about his quarter of a century in power, Putin said Russia has the strength and the means to bring the conflict in Ukraine to a "logical conclusion."
The Guardian
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: Three million shells coming from our allies, says Zelenskyy
Ukraine hopes to receive 3m artillery shells from allies and partners in 2025 including 1.8m under a Czech-led programme, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in Prague on Sunday. 'The Czech artillery initiative is working brilliantly,' the Ukrainian president said. Prague steers a European drive to supply artillery ammunition to Ukraine, financed largely by Nato allies. 'Not only North Korea is capable of helping [Russia] in the war – we have allies who are helping Ukraine,' Zelenskyy said in comments reported by the Kyiv Independent. Zelenskyy added there would be a meeting on Monday with 'Czech defence companies', with details to be announced later. Discussions were under way for a Ukrainian-Czech pilot training school for F16 fighter jets, which could not be established in Ukraine 'due to current security concerns'. Zelenskyy spoke alongside Petr Pavel, president of the Czech Republic and a former Nato general, who said that 'Putin can end the war with a single decision but he has not shown any willingness so far'. The Czech prime minister, Petr Fiala, and the speakers of both parliament chambers said they would meet Zelenskyy in Prague on Monday. Ukrainian forces struck an electrical equipment factory in Russia's Bryansk region close to the border with Ukraine, destroying much of the plant, said the local governor, Alexander Bogomaz. Ukraine said the factory specialised in the production of electronics for Russia's defence industry. 'According to preliminary information, the Strela factory in Suzemka, Bryansk region, is no longer operational following the strike,' said Andriy Kovalenko, head of the government's Centre for Countering Disinformation. Mash, a Telegram channel with links to Russia's security services, said the factory produced electrical equipment and was hit by a Grad rocket system. Air defence destroyed four Ukrainian drones flying towards Moscow, the mayor of the Russian capital said early on Monday. Zelenskyy said on Sunday that he did not believe Putin would adhere to a self-declared three-day truce to coincide with Russia's 'victory day' celebrations on 9 May. 'This is not the first challenge, nor are these the first promises made by Russia to cease fire. We understand who we are dealing with, we do not believe them.' Citing a military report, he said Russia had carried out more than 200 attacks on Saturday, 'so there is no faith [in them]'. Zelenskyy said, though, that a ceasefire with Russia was possible at any moment and called on Kyiv's allies to apply greater pressure on Moscow otherwise Putin would take no real steps to end the war. The Guardian's Shaun Walker has investigated how Moscow is using 'disposable people' recruited online to carry out sabotage, arson and disinformation campaigns in Europe – sometimes against specific targets related to support for the Ukrainian war effort, but more often simply to cause chaos and unease. While some know exactly what they are doing and why, others do not realise they are ultimately working for Moscow. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, said in comments broadcast on Sunday said that the need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine had not arisen, and that he hoped it would not, writes Angelique Chrisafis. Putin said Russia could bring the conflict in Ukraine to what he called a 'logical conclusion … There has been no need to use those [nuclear] weapons … and I hope they will not be required.'
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Czech president: We are discussing artillery shell supplies to Ukraine for 2026
President of Czechia Petr Pavel has announced that discussions are already in progress regarding the delivery of artillery shells to Ukraine in 2026, as part of the Czech-led ammunition initiative. Source: Pavel during a joint press conference with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Prague on Sunday 4 May, as reported by European Pravda Details: The Czech president confirmed that this year, within the framework of the Czech initiative, Ukraine is expected to receive 1.8 million artillery shells. "At the same time, we are already discussing ammunition deliveries for next year. We cannot rely on peace being achieved this year," Pavel said. He added that if the fighting can be stopped, Ukraine will be able to use these shells to replenish its reserves. "I am convinced that the artillery initiative and the ability to deliver a sufficient number of shells to Ukraine is one of the factors that can force Russia to realise that continuing this war makes no sense," the Czech president added. Background: President Zelenskyy arrived in Czechia on Sunday for an official visit. Following his meeting with Pavel, he announced that Ukraine and Czechia are working on creating a joint Ukrainian-Czech F-16 training school. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
