Latest news with #OleksiyGoncharenko
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine plays surprise card in Trump's ceasefire push
Odesa, UKRAINE — Ukraine's audacious drone attacks on Russian air bases this weekend gave Kyiv a much-needed morale boost amid growing frustration in the country over President Trump's approach to the war. Ukraine claimed it destroyed dozens of Russia's long-distance and nuclear-capable bombers with explosive drones smuggled across the border, although open-source reporting has not confirmed all of Ukraine's claims. The stunning military maneuver counters Trump's narrative that Ukraine is on the brink of defeat, but it 'doesn't change everything,' said Oleksiy Goncharenko, a member of Ukraine's Parliament in the opposition European Solidarity party. 'I hope maybe after such operation Russians will also realize that they also need ceasefire. Maybe from this point of view it will help. For the moment it's great operation, but I don't feel it immediately changes a lot,' he told The Hill. The Hill traveled to Ukraine's southern port city Odesa last week, interviewing officials, volunteers in the war effort, and people on the street about their feelings of the course of the war and relations with the U.S. Volodymyr Dubovyk, professor of international relations at Odesa Mechnikov National University, said that while Ukrainians are worn down from three years of war, they are not prepared to swallow Russia's conditions for a ceasefire — such as recognizing Russian sovereignty over occupied territories and restrictions on their military. 'Exhaustion in Ukraine is very real,' he said. 'But at the same time, people are not having any appetite for capitulation and surrender, because, after all, so much being lost already, so many lives lost — what for? Then to give to Russia what it wanted from the very beginning? That doesn't make sense for a lot of Ukrainians.' Trump has neither criticized nor endorsed Ukraine's cross-border operation, but he said it was discussed during his call Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who he said promised a Russian response to the attacks. On Tuesday, Ukraine's internal security service also announced it had carried out a special operation bombing Kerch Bridge, the main artery connecting Russia to the occupied Crimean Peninsula and a Putin pet project. The symbolism of these attacks has boosted spirits across Ukraine but don't address wider concerns about the future of the war. One soldier in a special forces unit, who asked for anonymity because he's not allowed to speak to journalists, said Russia still had a clear edge with its relentless firepower. 'They [Russia] are stronger; they have the great weapons — not like our weapons are better or worse, but they have more weapons, more people and they can be in the war five years, maybe seven years. I think we are almost sick after three years,' the soldier said. He said Ukraine could still save most of its territory, but he added Ukraine would 'never get back Crimea.' 'Some of the borders I hope we save, and for that, I think we must fight,' he said. There's also the looming challenge of dwindling U.S. support to Ukraine. At the Black Sea Security Forum, an international security conference that seeks to highlight Odesa as a linchpin of Ukraine's defense, attendees conceded that Europe is not yet capable of replacing American weapons or financial assistance. Former Ohio Rep. Bob McEwen (R) was a rare voice defending Trump's approach to brokering a ceasefire. 'I wish that this could have been resolved in the first 100 days, but it's going to take a little bit more energy,' McEwen said on a panel Saturday, expressing confidence that Trump's diplomatic push would ultimately succeed. 'I would encourage you to focus — as much frustration that you have with our current president — with those who allowed us to get into this problem in the first place,' he added. Earlier, he repeated a common White House argument criticizing former President Biden as weak and failing to deter Russia from launching the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukrainians are increasingly critical of Trump, with polls showing a major change in attitudes from when he was initially elected and promised to end the war within 24 hours. Oleksandr Prokudin is the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration. Russia occupies about 70 percent of the region and pounds the territory under Ukrainian control daily with rockets and artillery. A United Nations commission found Russia's use of attack drones in the region amounts to crimes against humanity for deliberately targeting civilians. Prokudin is supportive of a ceasefire but isn't convinced it would lead to lasting peace, especially given Trump's antagonism toward Ukraine and favoring Russia. 'Even if a ceasefire happens and there will be a 30-day or 60-day peace, we understand that Russia will not stop at this point,' Prokudin said through a translator. 'And we will use this time to prepare ourselves for a future harder attack, which is definitely going to happen.' He said Kherson was hit hard by Trump's decision to effectively eliminate the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and terminate grants in the region for energy resilience and irrigation repair for a region highly dependent on agriculture. 'This was a bad situation for our region,' Prokudin said of the USAID cuts. At a community center in one of Odesa's working-class neighborhoods, volunteers have shown up consistently for three years to hand-knit camouflage nets for front-line service members — a tedious task that gives them a sense of purpose in the war effort. The center also 3D prints mortar casings and small boxes that can be fitted with electronics to use for drone surveillance. Konstantin Zador, its executive director, said Sunday in a text to The Hill that 'Operation Spider Web' — the name of Ukraine's weekend drone attack — has raised spirits. 'Maybe it did not allow us to strengthen our position in the negotiation in Istanbul [on Monday], but it has definitely shown the whole world that Ukraine is strong and unconquerable!' he wrote after news of the operation broke. Galina, 67, is one of the volunteers who was at the center when The Hill visited last week. She is a refugee from the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, a strategic Ukrainian supply hub that has been fiercely contested since Russian forces first invaded in 2014. She wasn't ready to give up on Trump. 'You can have different attitudes toward Donald Trump and what he says, but he is president of friendly nation to us and so we hope this friendliness would remain,' she said. 'Of course he is emotional, expressive, but the thing is we really need American support, so we need to accept the words as they are said, and not be the ones to judge.' Also visiting the center that day was Andriy, 35, who said he is a member of Ukraine's special forces and in the country's growing Navy. He had come to collect one of the camouflage nets, along with some emergency medical supplies and small presents to boost morale at the front line — chocolate, cookies and children's drawings. 'There's no time for exhaustion,' Andriy said through a translator. 'There's too much work.' Andriy said he worked with underwater explosives, part of Ukraine's arsenal that is not impacted by waning U.S. support. Asked if Ukraine will take down the Kerch Bridge, he laughed and responded: 'We are working on it right now. It would be something huge.' A few days later, explosions rocked the bridge. Disclosure: The Black Sea Security Forum paid for the flight and arranged transportation for The Hill. Some interviews were facilitated by the conference organizers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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First Post
3 days ago
- General
- First Post
WATCH Ukraine hits Kerch Bridge with 1,000 kg underwater explosives in 'third' confirmed strike
The Kerch bridge, a symbolic project for President Vladimir Putin, has served as a critical logistics route for Russian forces since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. read more This video grab taken from a handout footage released by the Ukrainian Security Service shows the explosion of the Kerch Bridge connecting Crimea with Russia (AFP) Ukraine struck the Kerch Bridge connecting Crimea to Russia with over 1,000 kilograms of underwater explosives, the country's SBU intelligence agency said Tuesday, Kyiv's 'third' confirmed attack on the structure since the start of the war. 'This time underwater,' the SBU said, calling the operation a 'unique special mission' that had been in preparation for months. A video released by the agency shows a blast erupting from beneath the waterline, sending debris flying and damaging a section of the bridge. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The extent of the structural damage remains unclear. While Russia briefly closed the bridge, AFP reported it was functioning normally by Tuesday afternoon. SBU blows up Crimean bridge! A bridge pillar was mined and remotely detonated! A fantastic operation! — Oleksiy Goncharenko (@GoncharenkoUa) June 3, 2025 The attack comes just two days after Ukraine carried out 'Operation Spider's Web,' targeting Russian military infrastructure and airbases. The 19-kilometer (12-mile) bridge, a strategic supply route for Russia's war effort, was previously hit in 2022 and 2023. Opened in 2018, the Kerch Bridge is central to Russia's efforts to consolidate its 2014 annexation of Crimea, the move that sparked the broader Russia-Ukraine conflict. Moscow has demanded international recognition of Crimea as Russian territory as a condition for any peace talks. The bridge, a symbolic project for President Vladimir Putin, has served as a critical logistics route for Russian forces since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Troops initially crossed the bridge into Crimea before advancing into the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of southern Ukraine. Built with both rail and road spans, it features iconic steel arches and concrete stilts spanning the strait between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This latest incident comes just two days after Kyiv launched 'Operation Spider's Web,' targeting Russian airbases and long-range bombers deep inside Russian territory with drone strikes. The two operations reflect Ukraine's expanding use of asymmetric tactics against Russian military infrastructure.
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
Ukrainian attack on Russian airfields 'unprecedented'
Oleksiy Goncharenko, a Ukrainian member of parliament, analyses Ukraine's AI drone attack on Russian airfields and discusses what he sees as a path towards ending hostilities.
Miami Herald
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Ukraine Orders Evacuations Amid Russian Troops Build-Up Near Border
Vladimir Putin's forces are massing next to Russia's border with Ukraine's Sumy oblast, it has been reported, following evacuations from the region and a threat that Moscow has identified further territorial targets in its full-scale invasion. Sumy governor Oleh Hryhorov said thousands had been evacuated from the region on Ukraine's northeast border and next to the Kharkiv oblast, according to the Kyiv Independent. On the other side of the frontier Russian troops numbers are said to be increasing. It comes Putin is trying to justify the renewal of Russian plans to seize Sumy City—16 miles from the border—and illegally annex the whole of Sumy Oblast, according to the Institute for the Study of War. However, Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Goncharenko told Newsweek that the city of Sumy would be too big for Russian forces to capture. Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment. An increased Russian troop presence on the other side of Ukraine's north east border signals that Putin is not scaling down his aggression, despite weeks of U.S.-led negotiations. Now Ukraine's Sumy and Kharkiv regions have been mentioned as being in Putin's crosshairs, according to reports, and the troop build-up shows intent to occupy more territory regardless of ceasefire demands. Hryhorov told Ukrainian outlet Suspilne, cited by the Kyiv Independent, that 56,000 residents had been evacuated from their homes in Sumy which has faced a spike in Russian drone attacks and aerial bombs in recent months. Last September, children and their parents were evacuated from a six-mile zone bordering Russia and additional evacuations were ordered this week after an attack on a civilian bus in Bilopillia, on May 17, which killed nine people, including all the members of one family. Now Russian troops are massing on the other side of the border of the neighboring region of Kharkiv, which may indicate plans for a new assault, according to the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. It follows reports that, during a meeting with Ukrainian officials in Istanbul last week which Putin refused to attend, a Russian delegation threatened to seize the Kharkiv and Sumy regions. Moscow said it would only agree to a ceasefire pushed by the Trump administration if Ukraine withdrew its forces from the four regions Russia claims to have annexed but does not fully control—Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. Oleksiy Goncharenko wrote on Telegram how Russia has started talking about the Sumy region, seeking the creation of a security zone and threatening to annex the region. However, Goncharenko, member of the Ukrainian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), told Newsweek on Thursday that the only big city Russia managed to take so far in its full-scale invasion was Mariupol which was surrounded completely and "so it was very specific situation." He said he did not believe Russia can take Sumy City itself but they could approach Sumy region and try to seize surrounding territories although the Ukrainian military is developing its plans "and they know what to do." During a meeting with Kursk regional officials on Thursday, Putin was asked by a district head to create a buffer zone in Sumy region and claimed Moscow should seize Sumy City and that Russia should be bigger. The ISW said this meeting was orchestrated to justify Russia's claims on more territory within Ukraine, although the Washington, D.C. think tank said that Moscow's forces are highly unlikely to be able to seize Sumy City in the short to medium-term given its inability to capture much smaller settlements over the last three years. Andrii Pomahaibus, chief of staff of the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine to Ukrainian media: "The enemy is trying to pull its personnel closer to the front line and conduct at least some assault operations (toward Kharkiv)." Institute for the Study of War, Thursday: "Putin likely orchestrated a meeting with Kursk Oblast officials on May 20 to set conditions to justify the renewal of Russian plans to seize Sumy City and illegally annex Sumy Oblast." Russia's troop build-up by Ukraine is likely to continue with Moscow's territorial aims beyond the oblasts that Russia has already illegally occupied or annexed, the ISW said. It added that Putin may try to leverage further advances in Sumy Oblast to demand that Ukraine cede part of it to Moscow during future peace negotiations. Related Articles Russian Intelligence Attack on NATO 'Logistics and Technology' ExposedDonald Trump Gives Up on One of His Major PromisesTrump Admin Resists Branding Russia's Invasion of Ukraine 'Illegal': ReportPutin's Aide Reveals New Details About Donald Trump Call 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Ukraine Orders Evacuations Amid Russian Troops Build-Up Near Border
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Vladimir Putin's forces are massing next to Russia's border with Ukraine's Sumy oblast, it has been reported, following evacuations from the region and a threat that Moscow has identified further territorial targets in its full-scale invasion. Sumy governor Oleh Hryhorov said thousands had been evacuated from the region on Ukraine's northeast border and next to the Kharkiv oblast, according to the Kyiv Independent. On the other side of the frontier Russian troops numbers are said to be increasing. It comes Putin is trying to justify the renewal of Russian plans to seize Sumy City—16 miles from the border—and illegally annex the whole of Sumy Oblast, according to the Institute for the Study of War. However, Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Goncharenko told Newsweek that the city of Sumy would be too big for Russian forces to capture. Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment. This image from April 13, 2025 shows a Ukrainian rescuer at the site of a missile attack in Sumy, northeastern Ukraine. This image from April 13, 2025 shows a Ukrainian rescuer at the site of a missile attack in Sumy, northeastern It Matters An increased Russian troop presence on the other side of Ukraine's north east border signals that Putin is not scaling down his aggression, despite weeks of U.S.-led negotiations. Now Ukraine's Sumy and Kharkiv regions have been mentioned as being in Putin's crosshairs, according to reports, and the troop build-up shows intent to occupy more territory regardless of ceasefire demands. What To Know Hryhorov told Ukrainian outlet Suspilne, cited by the Kyiv Independent, that 56,000 residents had been evacuated from their homes in Sumy which has faced a spike in Russian drone attacks and aerial bombs in recent months. Last September, children and their parents were evacuated from a six-mile zone bordering Russia and additional evacuations were ordered this week after an attack on a civilian bus in Bilopillia, on May 17, which killed nine people, including all the members of one family. Now Russian troops are massing on the other side of the border of the neighboring region of Kharkiv, which may indicate plans for a new assault, according to the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. It follows reports that, during a meeting with Ukrainian officials in Istanbul last week which Putin refused to attend, a Russian delegation threatened to seize the Kharkiv and Sumy regions. Moscow said it would only agree to a ceasefire pushed by the Trump administration if Ukraine withdrew its forces from the four regions Russia claims to have annexed but does not fully control—Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. Oleksiy Goncharenko wrote on Telegram how Russia has started talking about the Sumy region, seeking the creation of a security zone and threatening to annex the region. However, Goncharenko, member of the Ukrainian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), told Newsweek on Thursday that the only big city Russia managed to take so far in its full-scale invasion was Mariupol which was surrounded completely and "so it was very specific situation." He said he did not believe Russia can take Sumy City itself but they could approach Sumy region and try to seize surrounding territories although the Ukrainian military is developing its plans "and they know what to do." During a meeting with Kursk regional officials on Thursday, Putin was asked by a district head to create a buffer zone in Sumy region and claimed Moscow should seize Sumy City and that Russia should be bigger. The ISW said this meeting was orchestrated to justify Russia's claims on more territory within Ukraine, although the Washington, D.C. think tank said that Moscow's forces are highly unlikely to be able to seize Sumy City in the short to medium-term given its inability to capture much smaller settlements over the last three years. What People Are Saying Andrii Pomahaibus, chief of staff of the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine to Ukrainian media: "The enemy is trying to pull its personnel closer to the front line and conduct at least some assault operations (toward Kharkiv)." Institute for the Study of War, Thursday: "Putin likely orchestrated a meeting with Kursk Oblast officials on May 20 to set conditions to justify the renewal of Russian plans to seize Sumy City and illegally annex Sumy Oblast." What Happens Next Russia's troop build-up by Ukraine is likely to continue with Moscow's territorial aims beyond the oblasts that Russia has already illegally occupied or annexed, the ISW said. It added that Putin may try to leverage further advances in Sumy Oblast to demand that Ukraine cede part of it to Moscow during future peace negotiations.
