Displaying items by tag: Ukraine

Russia has accused Ukraine of shooting down a military transport plane carrying 74 people, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, on a flight to Belgorod in southern Russia, where a prisoner exchange was planned. However, the exact details and the cause of the crash (on 24 January) remain unverified by independent sources. The ongoing conflict, now nearing its two-year mark, has been marked by mutual accusations and disputes. The Russian defence ministry stated that the Ilyushin Il-76 plane was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile system, leading to the deaths of six crew members, 65 Ukrainian military personnel, and three Russian military personnel accompanying them. In response, Ukraine's military acknowledged the planned prisoner exchange, but said they lacked reliable information about the plane's passengers. They asserted that they had fulfilled their obligations and ensured the safety of captured Russian servicemen who were supposed to be part of the exchange.

On 3 January Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war, in the biggest such swap since Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. 230 Ukrainian prisoners of war returned to their homes, and a total of 248 Russian servicemen were released from Ukrainian territory, in a deal brokered by the UAE. This is the 49th prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia during the war, Kyiv’s human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said. Volodymyr Zelensky said that 213 soldiers, eleven officers, and six civilians had been released; he added that negotiations ‘have not ceased for a single moment’. The UAE is among a handful of nations to have maintained close ties with Russia in spite of Putin’s decision to invade a European neighbour, which has otherwise left Russia isolated on the world stage and facing mounting Western and international sanctions.

On 20 December, a major drone attack by Russia was stopped by Ukraine, whose air force claimed to have shot down 34 out of 35 of the Iranian devices. The drones were sent over in several waves over a seven-hour period. The attack comes amid claims by Ukraine that Russian troops are suffering from an outbreak of so-called ‘mouse fever’. The disease causes people to bleed from their eyes, vomit several times a day, and experience extreme temperatures and headaches. Volodymyr Zelensky was boosted by news that Germany will provide 88.5 million euros to help strengthen his country’s energy infrastructure in the face of Russian attacks. He has been asked by the military for an extra 500,000 troops to join the million or so already in uniform. Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to increase the number of Russian troops by 170,000, to a total of 1.32 million. See

On 12 December Vladimir Putin asserted that peace will elude Ukraine until Russia achieves its unchanging objectives, despite nearly two years of heightened tensions with the West due to the ongoing conflict. During a lengthy year-end news conference, Putin offered some insight into Moscow's "special military operation" in Ukraine. He dismissed the idea of a second wave of reservist mobilisation, stating that there are already 617,000 Russian soldiers in Ukraine, including 244,000 conscripts supporting professional military units. He emphasised Russian military advances in Ukraine, while accusing Kyiv of sacrificing its troops to gain Western aid. Putin, who has been in power for nearly 24 years, held this press conference as Ukraine seeks more US aid amid a faltering counteroffensive and waning Western backing. It was the first time he had faced questions from Western journalists since the conflict began. He also took questions from ordinary Russian citizens; reportedly at least two million questions were sent in.

Hungary's ruling party, Fidesz, has submitted a resolution opposing Ukraine's accession talks with the European Union (EU). Fidesz, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, cited concerns about the treatment of ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine, particularly regarding language rights and education. The resolution calls for a halt to Ukraine's EU accession process until these issues are resolved. Hungary has been critical of Ukraine's policies towards its Hungarian minority for years, and this move adds to the ongoing tensions between the two countries. Ukraine has been seeking closer ties with the EU, but Hungary's opposition could complicate those efforts. On 7 December, Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff called for a meeting between Orban and Zelensky, in an attempt to resolve the problem before next week’s meeting of EU states.

On 5 December Volodymyr Zelensky called off a high-profile video briefing with US lawmakers amid an impasse over future funding for the country. This came after a top Ukrainian official warned they might lose the war against Russia if more US military aid is not approved. Despite a push by the White House, Congress is still not close to a deal on a compromise spending package that would help fund the war effort. Mike Johnson, the Republican Speaker, said, ‘The Administration has failed to substantively address any of my conference's legitimate concerns about the lack of a clear strategy in Ukraine, a path to resolving the conflict, or a plan for adequately ensuring accountability for aid provided by American taxpayers.’ This setback comes as fighting on the frontlines appears to have more or less reached a stalemate. Ukraine's much-anticipated counter-offensive in the south appears to have slowed down, and they are struggling to maintain a foothold they had established on the east bank of the Dnipro river.

NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg has warned against underestimating Russia's determination to continue the war. The EU has delivered 300,000 of its promised 1 million shells to Ukraine, with calls for closer alignment of Ukrainian and NATO arms production. Ukraine reported killing five high-ranking Russian officials in an air strike, and claimed that Russian casualties have reached 327,580. Ukrainian air defences successfully intercepted 21 Iranian-made Shahed drones heading towards a region where an airbase is located. Meanwhile, Russia escalated attacks in the Donetsk region, intensifying artillery fire, airstrikes, and ground infantry attacks. British intelligence indicated the potential use of 500kg cluster bombs. Russia also claimed control of the village of Khromove, near the city of Bakhmut.

In an unexpected virtual appearance at the G20 summit, Vladimir Putin called on world leaders to ‘stop the tragedy’ of the war with Ukraine but bizarrely ignored his own role in starting the conflict. In February 2022, after weeks of growing aggression near the Ukrainian border, the Russian president ordered his forces into Ukraine. He claimed it was important to ‘demilitarise’ the country and made baseless neo-Nazi allegations about the Ukrainian government to justify the invasion. Ukraine has only agreed to peace negotiations if Russia agrees to hand back all of the land which it has illegally annexed since 2014 - including the Crimea peninsula, which Putin claims now belongs to Russia. He also broke international law by illegally annexing four other regions in eastern Ukraine in September 2022. In his G20 appearance, Putin also tried to deflect attention from the war by focusing on the conflict between Israel and Hamas, for which he has tried to position himself as a potential mediator.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, almost 20,000 men have sought to escape being drafted, with some taking perilous routes like swimming across dangerous rivers. Also, over 20,000 men were apprehended by Ukrainian authorities while attempting to flee. Following the Russian invasion, men aged 18-60 were prohibited from leaving the country, but numerous individuals still manage to escape. Many of them flee to reunite with family abroad, pursue education, or seek employment opportunities. Of those caught attempting to escape, most tried to cross the border by walking or swimming, while 6,800 used fraudulent paperwork to claim fabricated exemptions. The 40,000-plus number of men who have fled or tried to flee could represent a significant proportion of the men Ukraine needs to replenish its army. In August, US officials estimated the Ukrainian military death toll to be up to 70,000 - although Kyiv won't give a figure. There are more than 800,000 in the Ukrainian armed forces.

On 8 November Ukraine said that a Russian missile had struck a civilian ship while it was moored in a port in the Black Sea region of Odessa, killing a pilot and injuring four others. The missile hit the ship’s superstructure, which includes the command cabin. The ship was travelling under the Liberian flag, and the three wounded crew members were citizens of the Philippines. If confirmed, the attack would be the first time that Russian forces have hit a civilian vessel sailing near the Odessa region since Moscow pulled out of a UN-brokered deal in July which allowed Ukraine to export its grain through the Black Sea. In another incident, on 3 November, Russia targeted a military medals ceremony, killing at least a dozen men. The Ukrainian army has been criticised for organising an event involving so many soldiers in such a public and old-fashioned way. See