Latest news with #VitaliiKlitschko
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia launches a major aerial attack on Kyiv hours before high-level talks on support for Ukraine
Russia unleashed one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine in recent months hours before the U.K. and Germany chaired a meeting on Monday to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump's plans for NATO allies to provide Ukraine with weapons. The attack killed two people and wounded 15, including a 12-year-old, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. A drone struck the entrance to a subway station in Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi district where people had taken cover. Videos posted on social media showed the station platform engulfed by smoke, with dozens of people inside. Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said the station had to be ventilated in what he called an 'enhanced mode.' The heaviest strikes hit the city's Darnytskyi district, where a kindergarten, supermarket and warehouse facilities caught fire. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who arrived in Kyiv on Monday for talks with Zelenskyy, visited some of the damaged area. Zelenskyy and Barrot spoke about expanding defense cooperation, including a decision by French companies to start manufacturing drones in Ukraine, and advancing Ukraine's path toward European Union membership, the Ukrainian leader said on social media. The overnight drone and missile assault on Kyiv underscored the urgency of Ukraine's need for further Western military aid, especially in air defense, a week after Trump said deliveries would arrive in Ukraine within days. Western defense chiefs hold Ukraine meeting The virtual meeting of high-level military officials Monday was led by British Defense Secretary John Healey and his German counterpart Boris Pistorius. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and NATO leader Mark Rutte, as well as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, attended the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. Moscow has intensified its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities, and analysts say the barrages are likely to escalate as Russian drone production expands. Ukraine's new Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal urged allies to speed up deliveries of American air defense systems under the plan put forward by Trump. 'I request the U.S. to make these weapons available for purchase, and our European partners to extend all the needed financing for their procurement,' Shmyhal, who until recently served as prime minister, said as the meeting began. Trump's arms plan, announced a week ago, involves European nations sending American weapons, including Patriot air defense missile systems, to Ukraine via NATO — either from existing stockpiles or buying and donating new ones. In an shift of tone toward Russia, Trump last week gave Moscow a 50-day deadline to agree to a ceasefire or face tougher sanctions. At Monday's meeting, Healey was expected to urge Ukraine's Western partners to launch a '50-day drive' to get Kyiv the weapons it needs to fight Russia's bigger army and force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, the U.K. government said in a statement. NATO's Grynkewich told The Associated Press on Thursday that 'preparations are underway' for weapons transfers to Ukraine while U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said he couldn't give a time frame. Kyiv wants American-made Patriot missile systems Germany has said it offered to finance two new Patriot systems for Ukraine and raised the possibility of supplying systems it already owns and having them replaced by the U.S. But delivery could take time, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested, because 'they have to be transported, they have to be set up; that is not a question of hours, it is a question of days, perhaps weeks." Other Patriot systems could come thanks to Switzerland, whose defense ministry said Thursday it was informed by the U.S. Defense Department that it will 'reprioritize the delivery" of five previously ordered systems to support Ukraine. While Ukraine waits for Patriots, a senior NATO official said the alliance is still coordinating the delivery of other military aid — such as ammunition and artillery rounds — which includes aid from the U.S. that was briefly paused. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. Zelenskyy said Saturday that his officials have proposed a new round of peace talks this week. Russian state media on Sunday reported that no date has yet been set for the negotiations, but said that Istanbul would likely remain the host city. The Kremlin spokesman said Sunday that Russia is open to peace with Ukraine, but achieving its goals remains a priority. Ukraine fires drones at Moscow The overnight Russian barrage of Kyiv began shortly after midnight and continued until around 6 a.m. Residents of the capital were kept awake by machine-gun fire, buzzing drone engines and multiple loud explosions. It was the first major attack on Kyiv since Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, arrived in the city last Monday. Russia halted strikes on Kyiv during his visit. Russia's Ministry of Defense said its attack used drones and Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. It said that the barrage successfully targeted airfield infrastructure and Ukraine's military-industrial complex. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 426 Shahed and decoy drones overnight Monday, as well as 24 missiles of various types. It said 200 drones were intercepted with 203 more jammed or lost from radars. Ukraine, meanwhile, continued to deploy its domestically produced long-range drones. Russia's Ministry of Defense said that its forces shot down 74 Ukrainian drones overnight, with almost a third of them destroyed close to the Russian capital. Twenty-three drones were shot down in the Moscow region, the ministry said, 15 of which were intercepted over the city itself. ___ Novikov reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Geir Moulson in Berlin and Stephen McGrath in Bucharest, Romania contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war at
Toronto Sun
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
At least 20 wounded in Russian drone, missile attack on Ukraine's capital
Published Jun 16, 2025 • 1 minute read This handout photograph taken and released by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on April 6, 2025, shows Ukrainian rescuers working on the top of a damaged multi-storey building following a Russian missile strike in Kyiv amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Photo by HANDOUT/State Emergency Service of Ukraine / AFP via Getty Images KYIV — A combined Russian drone and missile attack in Kyiv overnight Tuesday left at least 20 people wounded, according to Ukrainian officials. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The attack, the latest in a spate of mass drone and missile attacks on Kyiv, occurred as world leaders convened at the Group of Seven meeting in Canada, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend. The summit runs through Tuesday. Kyiv's Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said nine people were wounded in the city's Sviatoshynskyi district and 11 more in the Solomianskyi district. The mayor said six people were hospitalized. Fires broke out in two other Kyiv districts as a result of falling debris from objects shot down by Ukrainian air defences. Canada, which assumed the presidency of the G7 this year, invited Zelenskyy to the summit, where he is expected to hold one-on-one meetings with world leaders. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Read More Zelenskyy was set to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Canada on Tuesday, though the White House announced that Trump would be returning unexpectedly to Washington on Monday night instead of Tuesday night because of tensions in the Mideast. Russia has launched a record number of drones and missiles in recent weeks. Moscow escalated attacks after Ukraine's Security Service agency staged an audacious operation targeting war planes in air bases deep inside Russian territory. Little progress has emerged from direct peace talks held in Istanbul, with the exception of prisoner exchanges, expected to conclude next week, said Zelenskyy. RECOMMENDED VIDEO
The Independent
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Seven killed after Putin's forces unleash barrage of drone strikes
At least seven people have been killed in a barrage of Russian drone attacks over the past day, including huge strikes on Kyiv and Odesa, regional officials said. Two men were killed in Ukraine 's Odesa after a maternity ward was struck in the southern port city in a 'massive" overnight drone attack regional governor Oleh Kiper said. Patients and staff were safely evacuated from the maternity hospital, Mr Kiper added. An emergency medical building and residential buildings were also damaged in the attack. Four people were injured following one of Russia's heaviest attacks in Kyiv overnight on Tuesday, sparking fires across the capital according to mayor Vitalii Klitschko. Over the past day, three were killed in the Donetsk region, one in the Kherson region and one in the Dnipropetrovsk region, local authorities reported. At least 34 people were also injured across Ukraine in total. This attack comes just hours after Ukraine 's military said they struck two Russian fighter jets stationed at an airfield nearly 400 miles from the border, days after conducting Operation Spiderweb. There was no immediate comment from Russia, but Russian war bloggers claimed there was no damage to any warplanes. Analysis | The West squandered the post-Cold War peace World affairs editor Sam Kiley writes: Nato chief Mark Rutte has called for a 400 per cent boost to air and missile capabilities – and his demand to raise defence spending across the alliance to 5 per cent has raised the voices of doom to a scream. A return to Cold War levels of defence spending is not, however, a hysterical plea from a lackey of the military-industrial complex. It is a sad acknowledgement that the peace dividend that came with the collapse of the Soviet Union has been squandered by the West in a pointless war in Afghanistan and a criminal conflict in Iraq which expanded the list of peoples with a good reason to hate democracy. But there were plenty around already. Vladimir Putin is one of them, Xi Jinping is another – Donald Trump is rushing to their ranks. Autocracy is on the rise around the world while democracies have been consumed by complacency. Alex Croft10 June 2025 10:13 Latest images of heavy Russian drone attack on Kyiv Alex Croft10 June 2025 09:56 Bulletin | Russia and Ukraine swap prisoners of war as fighting continues Russia and Ukraine swap prisoners of war as fighting continues Alex Croft10 June 2025 09:40 Seven killed in barrage of Russian drone strikes across Ukraine At least seven people were killed as Russia launched a barrage of drone attacks across Ukraine. Three were killed in the eastern Donetsk region, two in the southern Odesa region, one in the southern Kherson region and one in the central Dnipropetrovsk region. At least 34 others were injured in the mass drone strikes, local authorities reported. Russia launched 315 drones at Ukraine overnight on Tuesday, 284 of which were shot down by Ukraine's air force, it said on Telegram. Alex Croft10 June 2025 09:23 Watch: Mark Rutte issues Nato defence warning: 'You better learn to speak Russian' Alex Croft10 June 2025 09:11 Ukraine's path to Nato membership 'irreversible', says Rutte Political commitment to Ukraine's future in Nato will not change even if it is not explicitly mentioned in a communique published following a summit in the Hague, Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte said on Monday. "The irreversible path of Ukraine into NATO is there, and it is my assumption that it is still there after the summit," Mr Rutte said at Chatham House in London, according to The Kyiv Independent. "Whether it is again in the communique or not, I think that's not relevant, because all the language we previously agreed on is there — until we decide it is no longer there." The Nato summit will take place from June 24-25, and Mr Rutte said the following communique may exclude Russia and Ukraine. Alex Croft10 June 2025 08:56 Kyiv main target of overnight attack as 284 drones shot down - Ukrainian air force Let's bring you more details on Russia's mass drone attack on Ukraine last night. The Ukrainian air force shot down 284 of the 315 drones fired by Russia overnight, it said on Tuesday, adding that Kyiv was the principal target of the attack. Of the drones, 220 were shot down by fire weapons and 64 disappeared from the radar, the air force said. Russia used 315 Shahed-type drones, two KN-23 ballistic missiles and five Iskander-K cruise missiles ballistic missiles in the attack, along with various types of decoy drones. Alex Croft10 June 2025 08:41 In pictures: Destruction in Odesa after major drone strike Alex Croft10 June 2025 08:25 Russia launches 315 drones, says Zelensky, in one of war's biggest drone attacks Volodomyr Zelensky has now confirmed on X that Russia launched 315 drones at sites across Ukraine - making it one of the largest attacks of the war. Seven missiles, including two North Korean-made ballistic missiles, were involved in the attack according to the Ukrainian president. 'Residential buildings and urban infrastructure were damaged. In Odesa, even a maternity hospital became a Russian target. Thirteen people were injured. Tragically, there are fatalities,' he said. Mr Zelensky called on 'concrete action' from the US and Europe. Alex Croft10 June 2025 08:08 Two killed in Russian attack on maternity ward in Odesa Russia launched another prolonged drone attack on Ukraine, killing two people and damaging swathes of Kyiv as well as striking a maternity ward in the southern port of Odesa, officials said early this morning. In the southern port of Odesa, a "massive" overnight drone attack targeted an emergency medical building and a maternity ward, as well as residential buildings, said regional governor Oleh Kiper. At least two men were killed in the attack, and nine people were injured, according to the Ukrainian prosecutors. Patients and staff were safely evacuated from the maternity hospital, Kiper added. He posted photos of broken windows in what looked like a medical facility and of damage to the facade of several buildings. The overnight strikes followed Russia's biggest drone assault on Ukraine on Monday – part of stepped-up operations that Moscow said were retaliatory measures for Kyiv's recent brazen attacks in Russia. Arpan Rai10 June 2025 07:44
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kyiv mayor accuses Zelenskyy of authoritarianism amid corruption scandal
Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko has accused President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of power centralisation, claiming that Ukraine now "stinks of authoritarianism". Source: Klitschko in a comment to the Times Details: The Times posted a comprehensive article about "the most famous Ukrainian politicians in the international arena", noting that at the outset of the war, Zelenskyy, leveraging martial law, appointed a military administration in Kyiv, which overlaps with the mayor's authority. Meanwhile, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), through its Clean City operation, uncovered widespread corruption within Klitschko's circle, leading to the arrest of seven of his subordinates. Klitschko stated that the Kyiv City Council's operations have been disrupted by "raids, interrogations and threats of fabricated criminal cases", preventing councillors from achieving a quorum for decision-making. Quote from Klitschko: "This is a purge of democratic principles and institutions under the guise of war. I said once that it smells of authoritarianism in our country. Now it stinks." The Times reports that this conflict is not only political but also personal. Klitschko portrays the situation as an attempt by the president to centralise power, reflecting growing concerns that Zelenskyy's consolidation of authority during the war is undermining democracy. He accused the president of using military administrations to strip powers from democratically elected mayors. Quote from Klitschko: "Many of the mayors are intimidated, but my celebrity status is a protection. You can fire the mayor of Chernihiv, but it is very difficult to fire the mayor of the capital who the whole world knows." Background: On 6 February 2025, it was revealed that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau was investigating businessman and former Kyiv city councillor Denys Komarnytskyi. Later, the NABU press office announced that the Bureau and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office "are conducting a large-scale operation" called Clean City "to expose a criminal organisation involved in land corruption in the Kyiv City Council". As part of the case, Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court ordered the two-month detention of Petro Olenych, Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration, setting his bail at UAH 15 million (approx. US$361,300). A similar preventive measure was imposed on Mykhailo Terentiev, Head of the Land Commission, who was also placed in custody for two months with bail set at nearly UAH 20 million (around US$481,700). Komarnytskyi was discovered abroad by Ukrainska Pravda. On 26 March, it was reported that three police officers had been fired in connection with Komarnytskyi's departure from the country. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia attacks Kyiv with drones: 11 injured, residential buildings damaged
Russia launched a large-scale drone attack on the city of Kyiv on the night of 24-25 May. Debris from downed drones injured at least 11 people and damaged residential buildings in several districts of the capital. Source: Tymur Tkachenko, Head of Kyiv City Military Administration, on Telegram; Kyiv City Military Administration Quote from Tkachenko: "In the Holosiivskyi district, drone debris fell on a five-storey residential building. The site suffered partial destruction, and a fire broke out. Information on casualties is being confirmed." Details: Updated information from Kyiv City Military Administration indicates that four people sought medical treatment after debris hit the five-storey building. Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko reported damage to a house in the Dniprovskyi district where medical personnel are currently examining one injured person. Another wounded person received treatment on the spot in the Desnianskyi district. Quote from Klitschko: "Medics provided first aid to four people on the spot in student accommodation in the Holosiivskyi district. A piece of drone debris hit the building. The external cladding of one wall caught fire." The aftermath of the Russian attack Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine Update: At 02:24, Klitschko reported that another person had been wounded in the Desnianskyi district and taken to hospital. Debris from a downed drone damaged windows in a residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district. Remnants of the drone were also found in the area around the building. Medics are examining another wounded person. "As of now, seven people have been injured in the capital. Six received medical assistance at the scene," said Klitschko. At 03:02, he confirmed the number of injured had risen to ten. The aftermath of the Russian attack Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine The aftermath of the Russian attack Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine Quote from Klitschko: "Two of them have been taken to hospital. Six received medical treatment at the scene. Two others are currently being examined in the Shevchenkivskyi district." Details: As of 04:00, Kyiv City Military Administration confirmed 11 people had been injured, ranging in age from 18 to 62. The aftermath of the Russian attack Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine Background: Russia launched a large-scale drone attack on Kyiv and the oblast on the night of 24-25 May. Dozens of Russian drones were recorded in the sky. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
