Latest news with #Dnipro
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia plans to occupy Ukraine east of Dnipro, cut Black Sea access, Ukrainian official says
Russia aims to occupy all Ukrainian territory east of the Dnipro River and advance toward Odesa and Mykolaiv in a broader plan to sever Ukraine's access to the Black Sea, President Volodymyr Zelensky's Deputy Chief of Staff Pavlo Palisa said, Politico reported on June 6. The remarks come amid continuing Russian offensives in eastern and northern Ukraine, along with escalating diplomatic efforts that have yet to yield a ceasefire. According to Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR), Moscow hopes to seize the entirety of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts by this fall and establish a buffer zone along Ukraine's northern border with Russia. The second phase of the plan envisions more ambitious territorial gains, including an advance into southern Ukraine aimed at cutting the country off from the sea. "Unfortunately, they are not speaking about peace. They are preparing for war," Palisa said during a press briefing at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington. The warning comes days after Russia presented Ukraine with a so-called "peace memorandum" during a second round of negotiations in Istanbul on June 2. The document, published by Russian state media outlet TASS, demands that Kyiv recognize Russia's claimed annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts — Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk — and fully withdraw from them. Moscow also calls for Ukraine's demobilization and a formal ban on NATO membership. During the talks, Ukraine's delegation submitted a separate proposal calling for an all-for-all prisoner exchange, the return of abducted Ukrainian children, and the release of civilians held in Russian captivity. Kyiv also reiterated its call for a Western-backed 30-day ceasefire as a foundation for future negotiations — a proposal Moscow again rejected. Ukraine's military leadership has warned that Russian forces are preparing for a major summer offensive in Donetsk Oblast, where daily assaults have continued since 2022. Despite suffering heavy losses, Russian troops are advancing through mass wave attacks that gain only tens of meters per day. According to the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Moscow currently occupies roughly 20% of Ukraine. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukraine strikes Russian missile base in Bryansk Oblast, damages Iskander launchers; Trump dismisses timeline to impose Russian sanctions We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 days ago
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
No Way to Restart Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant at Present, IAEA Chief Says
Conditions for restarting Ukraine's Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant do not exist at present due to a lack of water for cooling and the absence of a stable power supply, the head of the UN's nuclear safety watchdog said on Tuesday. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told Reuters in an interview in Kyiv that water would have to be pumped from the Dnipro River for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is currently shut down, to restart. The facility, in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region, was occupied by Russia in March 2022, shortly after it launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor. Grossi said the Russians had "never hidden the fact" that they want to restart the plant, but they would not be able to do so soon. "We are not in a situation of imminent restart of the plant. Far from that, it would take quite some time before that can be done," Grossi said. The IAEA chief added that the plant's machinery, which has not been operating for three years, would have to be thoroughly inspected before any restart. Ukraine has said that an attempt by Russian technicians to restart the plant would be dangerous because they are not certified to operate the Zaporizhzhia plant. Grossi said Russian nuclear staff were capable of conducting a restart, and that the issue of certification was a political rather than technical one. Ukraine has also protested at the IAEA's monitoring mission to the plant accessing it via Russian-occupied territory. Grossi said this was to protect the safety of his staff, and that at present he does not have the necessary guarantees from the Russian side to safely transit IAEA staff through the frontlines to Ukraine-controlled territory, as had been done several times before.
Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
LIVE: Ukraine, Russia to hold talks in Istanbul after Kyiv's drone attacks
Russian and Ukrainian delegations are set to hold ceasefire talks in Turkiye's largest city a day after Kyiv carried out unprecedented drone attacks across in five Russian regions came under attack, Russia's Defence Ministry said on Sunday, adding that several fighter jets caught fire at airbases in Murmansk and Irkutsk. Other attacks were repelled and there were no casualties, it President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attacks 'absolutely brilliant', adding that planning for the operation had begun a year and a half ago. 'Ukraine is defending itself, and rightly so – we are doing everything to make Russia feel the need to end this war.'Explosions also caused two bridges to collapse in Russia, derailing two trains, officials said on Sunday. Earlier on Sunday, Kyiv said that at least 12 soldiers were killed and more than 60 others were wounded in a Russian missile attack on a military base in Ukraine's Dnipro region. Update: Date: 9m ago (08:00 GMT) Title: Ukrainian and Russian officials gathering in Istanbul for talks Content: Delegations from Russia and Ukraine have gathered in Turkey for their second round of direct peace talks in just over two weeks. The talks are expected to start in the afternoon, with Turkey's foreign minister presiding over the talks. The gathering comes a day after Ukraine's Security Service said it launched a drone attack deep inside Russia, while Moscow pounded Ukraine with missiles and drones. Update: Date: 12m ago (07:57 GMT) Title: Welcome to our live coverage Content: Hello, and thank you for joining our live coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war, as the rival sides have escalated attacks on each other amid ceasefire efforts. Follow this page for round-the-clock updates and analyses of the latest developments. You can read about key events from Monday, June 2, here.
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Yarmoliuk signs new long-term Brentford deal
Brentford midfielder Yehor Yarmoliuk has signed a new long-term contract, keeping him at the club until 2031 with an option for an extra Ukraine international signed for the Bees in the summer of 2022 from SC Dnipro-1 and, after initially impressing for the B team and making his first team debut, signed a five-year deal in made 35 appearances in all competitions in the 2024-25 campaign, with 31 coming in the Premier 21-year-old started nine of the final ten games of the season and made his senior Ukraine debut against Belgium in March."I am very happy to sign a new contract with the first team," he said on the deal. "It just gives me more energy to work even harder."I've really enjoyed the season, starting in the Premier League and making my senior Ukraine debut. I'm so proud of myself and just want to keep going."You always need to have something to improve. I want to improve everything in my game to take myself and the team to the next level."I am so grateful to the club for this, and it gives me more confidence and enjoyment in playing football.""I'm so pleased," added Bees Thomas Frank."It's another big success story for the B team. Neil MacFarlane and his team did a great job to get him ready for the first team."He's started the last six games, which is his next step. He's a fantastic pressing player, he's dynamic, and he covers so much of the pitch."He's strong in duels and he has a drive to run forward. I like the way he distributes over the pitch."Yehor has a few development areas as he's still a young player, but he is another good example of a Brentford player who will make us better in the future and who will also get better himself."
Reuters
28-05-2025
- General
- Reuters
Many Ukrainians baulk at conceding land to Russia, entangling nascent peace process
KYIV/DNIPRO, Ukraine, May 28 (Reuters) - Mariupol natives Oleksandr and Liudmyla Lytvyn fled home three years ago during Russia's 86-day siege of the port city in southern Ukraine. Now they are following peace talks between the warring countries anxiously, fearing they may never return. Mariupol, home to more than 400,000 people before the full-scale invasion, was seized by Russian forces in May 2022 when the city's last defenders were ordered to surrender, ending one of the bloodiest chapters of the war. "We lived our entire life in Mariupol. I believe until the very last that it will be Ukrainian. I do not know how," Liudmyla, 65, a retired teacher, told Reuters. Her longing to see occupied land back under Ukrainian control is widely shared, presenting a challenge to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as he comes under pressure to consider territorial concessions under any peace agreement with Russia. Ukraine has given no indication it is willing to do so, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has pushed Kyiv to cede not only occupied territory but also land not controlled by Moscow, while the United States has said loss of land seems inevitable. More than three years into its full-scale invasion, Russia controls nearly one fifth of Ukraine and its troops are making incremental but steady gains in the east. Zelenskiy himself has acknowledged that Ukraine cannot recapture all of its lost territory through military force, but wants to settle the issue through diplomacy. Oleksandr, 65, said the issue of what Ukraine may have to give up in return for peace depends not only on Kyiv. "The issue here is whether there are any limits on weapons," he said, referring to doubts over whether the U.S. will continue military support for Ukraine now that Donald Trump is in the White House and moving closer to Russia. "It depends not only on Zelenskiy but also on other matters, weapons in particular," Oleksandr added, sitting next to his wife in a dormitory in the central city of Dnipro where they have moved temporarily. Without U.S. military backing, Ukraine's position in negotiations would be significantly weakened. This month Kyiv and Moscow held their first direct talks since 2022, yielding little progress on ending the war. After a subsequent phone call between Trump and Putin, the U.S. president appeared to withdraw from efforts to mediate peace, leaving Ukraine exposed against a larger enemy. For displaced residents of Mariupol - the largest Ukrainian city to fall to the Russians since 2022 - that raises concerns not only about territorial concessions but also over whether justice will be served. Vadym Boichenko, Mariupol's mayor-in-exile, said his team gathered evidence showing at least 22,000 civilians were killed in nearly three months of fighting that reduced a city once famous for its vibrant port and giant steel plants to rubble. Human Rights Watch, along with Truth Hounds and SITU Research, estimated 8,000 people died from fighting or war-related causes, although it could not establish how many were civilians and said the true count may be significantly higher. Reuters could not independently verify estimates of the death toll. Russia pounded Mariupol with artillery, rockets and missiles and cut off access to electricity, heating, fresh water, food and medical supplies - creating a humanitarian catastrophe, Boichenko added. "All we ask for is recognition (of the alleged crimes) and punishment," Boichenko said in Kyiv in one of the 'IMariupol' centres set up in 22 cities across Ukraine to help displaced residents with basic needs. Russia's defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment on this article. Russia says it liberated the city from Ukrainian "neo-Nazis", using one of the main justifications for its invasion that Kyiv and its allies dismiss as absurd. Moscow-installed authorities have overseen a major reconstruction programme in Mariupol, and hold it up as a symbol of the benefits of Russia's annexation of four Ukrainian regions as well as the Crimean peninsula. Russia blames Ukraine's armed forces for the city's destruction, alleging they used the local population as human shields. Ukraine rejects that accusation. Moscow has demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from four Ukrainian regions where fighting is raging, even though it does not control all of them. The overwhelming majority of Ukrainians - 82% - reject those demands, according to an opinion poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology conducted in May. Slightly more than half of the population - 51% - would support a compromise with a de-facto recognition of currently occupied territories in exchange for robust security guarantees from Europe and the U.S., even though the latter has indicated it would not provide them. But about 40% considered this unacceptable, raising questions over how Ukraine and Russia can break the deadlock in a nascent peace process. "It is not fair to leave them what they took away. It is our land," said Dmytro, 35, who had settled in Mariupol after being forced to leave the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk in 2015. Dmytro, now also based in Dnipro but concerned he might have to flee again, declined to give his last name as his mother and grandmother still live in the occupied Donetsk region. "What we lived through in Mariupol is horror," he said, recollecting how he shielded his son, now 10, from bombardment and cooked food on open fires in the streets. He fled Mariupol in March 2022.
