Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — As Russian forces press forward with an attempt to capture the town of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, The Associated Press obtained aerial footage that gives an indication of their staggering losses.

A Ukrainian military drone unit near Stepove, a village just north of Avdiivka, where some of the most intense battles have taken place, shot the video this month.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s capital came under another missile attack early Wednesday, resulting in at least 45 injuries and several damaged buildings, the city’s mayor said.

A series of loud explosions could be heard in Kyiv at 3 a.m. as the city’s air defenses were activated for the second time this week.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A series of loud explosions rang out in Ukraine’s capital early Monday followed by air raid sirens.

There was no immediate word on the origin of the explosions, but they sounded like air defense units firing into the sky.

Kyiv is routinely targeted by Russian drone and missile attacks.

Just over two weeks ago, Kyiv came under what Ukrainian officials said was the most intense drone attack since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

KYIV, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Ukraine on Saturday strongly condemned Russian plans to hold presidential elections next spring on occupied territory, declaring them "null and void" and pledging to prosecute any observers sent to monitor them.

Russia's upper house set the country's presidential election this week for next March, and chairwoman Valentina Matviyenko said residents in four occupied Ukrainian regions would be able to vote for the first time.

KIEV, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said Thursday that Kiev signed a memorandum with the United States to boost Ukraine's military production.

"There will be more weapons! Ukraine and the U.S. signed the memorandum on joint production and exchange of technical data," Umerov wrote on Facebook.

The document was signed during the Defense Industries Conference DFNC1: U.S. Edition in Washington, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

KIEV, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot on Tuesday met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, pledging further support for Ukraine's efforts toward integration into the European Union (EU).

After the talks with Kuleba, Slot said that Kiev made progress in the EU-required reforms and voiced support for launching membership talks between Ukraine and the bloc.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials on Sunday launched an investigation into allegations that Russian forces killed surrendering Ukrainian soldiers, a war crime if confirmed, after grainy footage on social media appeared to show two uniformed men being shot at close range after emerging from a dugout.

KIEV, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine is at risk of losing up to 1 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) this year due to the blockade of its border with Poland by protesters from Polish carriers, the Ukrinform news agency reported Friday, citing a parliament official.

The Ukrainian economy which was supposed to grow by 3.5 percent this year will increase between 2.5 percent and 2.8 percent, said Yulia Klymenko, the first deputy chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Transport and Infrastructure.

KYIV, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Ukraine's domestic spy agency has detonated explosives on a Russian railway line deep in Siberia, the second attack this week on military supply routes in the area, a Ukrainian source told Reuters on Friday.

The incidents appear to show Kyiv's readiness and ability to conduct sabotage attacks deep inside Russia and disrupt Russian logistics far from the front lines of Moscow's 21-month-old war in Ukraine.

KYIV, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The wife of Ukraine's military spy chief has been poisoned with heavy metals and is undergoing treatment in a hospital, a spokesperson for the agency said on Tuesday.

Marianna Budanova is the wife of Kyrylo Budanov, who heads Ukrainian military intelligence agency GUR, which has been prominently involved in clandestine operations against Russian forces since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.