Ukraine, Russia trade claims after blast rocks Crimean town
March 21, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian and Ukrainian officials gave conflicting accounts Tuesday of what appeared to be a brazen attack on Russian cruise missiles transported by train in the occupied Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula.
Ukraine hints it hit Russian missiles in occupied Crimea
March 21, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's military intelligence agency reported what appeared to be a brazen attack late Monday on Russian cruise missiles being transported by train in the occupied and illegally annexed Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula.
Facing arrest warrant, Russia’s Putin visits annexed Crimea
March 18, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of the Black Sea peninsula’s annexation from Ukraine on Saturday, the day after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader accusing him of war crimes.
On Ukraine front, civilians cling on as troops repel Russia
February 26, 2023 GMTVUHLEDAR, Ukraine (AP) — The murky water oh so slowly trickles from the filthy drainpipe into her grimy container — the ticking seconds ramping up the risk that Emilia Budskaya could lose life or limb to Russian artillery strikes torturing her front-line town in eastern Ukraine.
Latvia revokes license of independent Russian TV channel
December 6, 2022 GMTTALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Latvia has revoked the license of an independent Russian TV channel exiled in the Baltic country for, among other things, voicing support for the Russian military and including Crimea in its map of Russia, media authorities said on Tuesday.
Russia claims Kyiv hit its air bases, fires more missiles
December 5, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian drones struck two air bases deep inside Russian territory, the Kremlin said Monday, shortly before Russian forces unleashed a massive missile barrage in Ukraine that struck homes and buildings and killed civilians.
Russia’s Putin drives across repaired bridge to Crimea
December 5, 2022 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to boost Russian morale Monday by driving a vehicle across a bridge to Crimea that a truck bomb had damaged in October.
Putin took the wheel of a Mercedes to drive across the bridge that links Russia’s mainland with the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
After Russian retreat, Ukrainian military plans next move
November 24, 2022 GMTKHERSON, Ukraine (AP) — The Ukrainian sniper adjusted his scope and fired a.50-caliber bullet at a Russian soldier across the Dnieper River. Earlier, another Ukrainian used a drone to scan for Russian troops.
Russia claims pullout from occupied city; Ukraine skeptical
November 10, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia's military said Wednesday it will withdraw from the only Ukrainian regional capital it captured, but Kyiv was skeptical and an analyst warned this could be a ruse to lure the country's forces into a deadly trap.
Russia reinforces military, expands Kherson evacuations
November 1, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia reinforced its fighting force Tuesday with an annual fall draft of 120,000 men, and doubled the number of civilians it’s trying to evacuate in anticipation of a major Ukrainian push to recapture the strategically vital southern port city of Kherson.
Concerns rise as Russia resumes grain blockade of Ukraine
October 30, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia resumed its blockade of Ukrainian ports on Sunday, cutting off urgently needed grain exports to hungry parts of the world in what U.S. President Joe Biden called a “really outrageous” act.
Russia suspends Ukraine grain deal over ship attack claim
October 30, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia announced Saturday that it will immediately suspend its implementation of a U.N.-brokered grain deal that has seen more than 9 million tons of grain exported from Ukraine during the war and has brought down soaring global food prices.
Ukrainian club urges FIFA to remove Iran from World Cup
October 24, 2022 GMTGENEVA (AP) — Ukraine’s top soccer club on Monday urged FIFA to remove Iran from the World Cup because of the country's alleged military support to the Russian invasion.
Weapons shortages could mean hard calls for Ukraine’s allies
October 22, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Weapons shortages across Europe could force hard choices for Ukraine’s allies as they balance their support for Ukraine against the risk that Russia could target them next.
US: Iranian troops in Crimea backing Russian drone strikes
October 21, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Thursday that Iranian troops are “directly engaged on the ground” in Crimea supporting Russian drone attacks on Ukraine's power stations and other key infrastructure, claiming it has troubling evidence of Tehran's deepening role assisting Russia as it exacts suffering on Ukrainian civilians just as the cold weather sets in.
Analysis: The ripples of the war Russia says isn’t a war
October 20, 2022 GMTLONDON (AP) — It's not a war, Vladimir Putin said then — and says now. It's a “special military operation.” In most every sense of the term, though, Russia's war in Ukraine is precisely that.
And when a nation is at war, even if it claims it is not, the reverberations back home — the place where the conflict was first conceived — can be far-reaching.
Ukraine gets more air defense pledges as Russia hits cities
October 13, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s allies vowed Thursday to supply the besieged nation with advanced air defense systems as Russian forces attacked the Kyiv region with kamikaze drones and fired missiles elsewhere at civilian targets, payback for the bombing of a strategic bridge linking Russia with annexed Crimea.
Live Updates: Russia-Ukraine-War
October 13, 2022 GMTRussian authorities have promised free accommodation to all residents of the occupied Kherson region who choose to evacuate to Russia.
Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin made the announcement Thursday shortly after the Russia-backed leader of Kherson asked the Kremlin to organize evacuation from four cities, citing the danger from missile strikes.
Kremlin war hawks demand more devastating strikes on Ukraine
October 11, 2022 GMTTALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Moscow's barrage of missile strikes on cities all across Ukraine has elicited celebratory comments from Russian officials and pro-Kremlin pundits, who in recent weeks have actively criticized the Russian military for a series of embarrassing setbacks on the battlefield.
Analysts: Russian missiles seek to levy pain, could backfire
October 10, 2022 GMTLONDON (AP) — The Russian missiles that rained down Monday on cities across Ukraine, bringing fear and destruction to areas that had seen months of relative calm, are an escalation in Moscow's war against its neighbor.
Putin calls Kerch Bridge attack “a terrorist act” by Kyiv
October 9, 2022 GMTZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday called the attack that damaged the huge bridge connecting Russia to its annexed territory of Crimea “a terrorist act” masterminded by Ukrainian special services.
Blast on bridge to Crimea hurts Russian supply lines, pride
October 8, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — An explosion Saturday caused the partial collapse of a bridge linking the Crimean Peninsula with Russia, damaging an important supply artery for the Kremlin's faltering war effort in southern Ukraine and hitting a towering symbol of Russian power in the region.
Musk’s plan to end Russian war infuriates Ukraine on Twitter
October 4, 2022 GMTElon Musk has gotten into a Twitter tussle with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the tech billionaire floated a divisive proposal to end Russia’s invasion.
The Tesla CEO, who on Tuesday revived a $44 billion deal to take control of Twitter, argued in a tweet that to reach peace Russia should be allowed to keep the Crimea Peninsula that it seized in 2014.
Analysis: Russia’s war in Ukraine reaches a critical moment
September 30, 2022 GMTLONDON (AP) — There are moments in history that appear as critical to the world as they are terrifying.
Just this century: the 9/11 attacks in 2001; the U.S. “shock-and-awe″ war on Saddam Hussein’s Iraq two years later; the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 killed millions and upended life; and most recently the Feb.
Ukraine’s president: No talks with Putin if its land annexed
September 28, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Ukraine’s president warned Tuesday that Russia’s just concluded “sham referendums” and attempts to annex Ukrainian territory rule out any talks with Moscow as long as Vladimir Putin remains president, and called for Russia’s “complete isolation” and tough new global sanctions.
Ukrainians scared by Russia’s preordained referendums
September 26, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — After seven months of war, many Ukrainians fear even more suffering and political repression as referendums orchestrated by the Kremlin portend Russia’s imminent annexation of four occupied regions.
EXPLAINER: What’s behind referendums in occupied Ukraine?
September 22, 2022 GMTFour occupied regions in Ukraine are set to start voting Friday in Kremlin-engineered referendums on whether to become part of Russia, setting the stage for Moscow to annex the areas in a sharp escalation of the nearly seven-month war.
EXPLAINER: Where Ukraine war stands after 6 months
August 24, 2022 GMTWhen Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 in an unprovoked act of aggression, many expected a quick victory.
Western leaders salute Ukraine on its Independence Day
August 24, 2022 GMTWestern leaders pledged unwavering support for Ukraine as the war-ravaged country marked its Independence Day on Wednesday, coinciding with the six-month milestone of Russia’s invasion.
UK shows Ukraine solidarity with sunflower display
August 23, 2022 GMTLONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson has decided to show Britain’s solidarity with Ukraine by saying it with flowers on Tuesday.
The outgoing U.K. leader created an arch of sunflowers — Ukraine’s national flower — outside his Downing Street office to commemorate the eastern European nation’s independence day on Wednesday.
Moscow seeks a ‘sense of normal’ amid Ukraine conflict
August 23, 2022 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — At Moscow's sprawling Izmailovsky outdoor souvenir market, shoppers can find cups and T-shirts commemorating Russia's deployment of troops into Ukraine — but from the 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.
Russians down Ukrainian drones in Crimea as war broadens
August 20, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian authorities reported shooting down Ukrainian drones Saturday in Crimea, while Ukrainian officials said Russian forces pressed ahead with efforts to seize one of the few cities in eastern Ukraine not already under their control.
Russia, Ukraine spar over fighting near nuclear facility
August 19, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A fire at a munitions depot inside Russia forced the evacuation of two villages near the border with Ukraine, an official said Friday, while two civilians were reported wounded by Russian shelling near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as both sides traded accusations about fighting near the facility in southern Ukraine.
Blasts in Crimea underscore Russian forces’ vulnerability
August 17, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A spate of explosions and fires has turned Russian-occupied Crimea from a secure rear base into a new battleground in the war, demonstrating both the Russians' vulnerability and the Ukrainians' capacity to strike deep behind enemy lines.
Explosions rock Crimea in suspected Ukrainian attack
August 17, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Explosions and fires ripped through an ammunition depot in Russian-occupied Crimea on Tuesday in the second suspected Ukrainian attack on the peninsula in just over a week, forcing the evacuation of more than 3,000 people.
Ukraine says 9 Russian warplanes destroyed in Crimea blasts
August 11, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine said Wednesday that nine Russian warplanes were destroyed in a deadly string of explosions at an air base in Crimea that appeared to be the result of a Ukrainian attack, which would represent a significant escalation in the war.
Large explosions rock Russian military air base in Crimea
August 9, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Powerful explosions rocked a Russian air base in Crimea and sent towering clouds of smoke over the landscape Tuesday in what may mark an escalation of the war in Ukraine. At least one person was killed and several others were wounded, authorities said.
Drone explosion hits Russia’s Black Sea Fleet headquarters
July 31, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A small explosive device carried by a makeshift drone blew up Sunday at the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet on the Crimean Peninsula, wounding six people and prompting the cancellation of ceremonies there honoring Russia's navy, authorities said.
The AP Interview: Estonian PM says Russia not weary of war
June 23, 2022 GMTTALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The West should not underestimate Russia’s military capabilities in Ukraine, Estonia’s leader told The Associated Press, saying that as the war enters its fifth month, Moscow’s forces are in it for the long haul.
Google exec to UN: Ukraine ‘a crystal ball’ for info warfare
June 21, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — A Google executive warned the U.N. Security Council Tuesday that cyberattacks, disinformation and other forms of information warfare being waged in Ukraine are a “crystal ball" for future problems elsewhere.
Polish official: Europe can’t defend itself without the US
June 21, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s foreign minister said Tuesday the current security crisis on the continent shows that Europe can't defend itself without the United States, but that NATO members in the region should take more responsibility for their own protection.
Usyk-Joshua rematch in Saudi Arabia on Aug. 20
June 19, 2022 GMTLONDON (AP) — The rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua for the world heavyweight title will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Aug. 20.
Usyk will be defending the IBF, WBA, WBO titles he claimed from Joshua in beating the British fighter in London in September.
Georgia’s breakaway South Ossetia sets vote to join Russia
May 13, 2022 GMTTBILISI, Georgia (AP) — The leader of the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia announced Friday that a referendum would be held in July on joining Russia.
Russia has exercised effective control over the region since fighting a brief war with Georgia in 2008.
Occupied Ukrainian city fears sham Russian referendum plans
April 28, 2022 GMTLVIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ever since Russian forces took the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson in early March, residents sensed the occupiers had a special plan for their town. Now, amid a crescendo of warnings from Ukraine that Russia plans to stage a sham referendum to transform the territory into a pro-Moscow “people's republic,” it appears locals guessed right.
Occupied Ukrainian city fears sham Russian referendum plans
April 28, 2022 GMTLVIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ever since Russian forces took the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson in early March, residents sensed the occupiers had a special plan for their town. Now, amid a crescendo of warnings from Ukraine that Russia plans to stage a sham referendum to transform the territory into a pro-Moscow “people’s republic,” it appears locals guessed right.
EXPLAINER: Why the battle for Mariupol’s steel mill matters
April 21, 2022 GMTRussian President Vladimir Putin is claiming control over Ukraine's port city of Mariupo l even as its defenders are still holding out at a giant seaside steel mill.
PEN America to honor imprisoned Ukrainian journalist at gala
April 19, 2022 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — A Ukrainian journalist imprisoned in Crimea will be honored next month at the PEN America gala. Vladyslav Yesypenko, arrested last year and sentenced recently to six years in a Russian labor camp for alleged possession and transport of explosives, is this year's recipient of the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award.
EXPLAINER: After failed Kyiv blitz, Russia focuses on east
April 7, 2022 GMTWith Russian hopes for storming Kyiv and other major cities in northern Ukraine dashed by stiff resistance, Moscow has refocused its efforts on the country's east, seeking to make gains there and use them to dictate its terms in talks on ending the conflict.
Minnesotan detained by Russian forces in Ukraine is released
March 26, 2022 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota man detained by Russian forces in Ukraine has been released and reunited with his wife and daughter, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar said.
Tyler Jacob, 28, of Winona, was taken into custody this month while trying to cross from Ukraine into Turkey.
EXPLAINER: How the US and allies can freeze Russian gold
March 24, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and its allies said Thursday they're moving to block financial transactions with Russia's Central Bank that involve gold, aiming to further restrict the country's ability to use its international reserves because of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
Live updates: Zelenskyy says Ukraine ready to discuss deal
March 22, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Monday he was prepared to discuss a commitment from Ukraine not to seek NATO membership in exchange for a cease-fire, the withdrawal of Russian troops and a guarantee of Ukraine’s security.
Live updates: Zelenskyy mum on specifics of new US aid
March 18, 2022 GMTLVIV, Ukraine -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was thankful to U.S. President Joe Biden for the additional military aid but said he would not say specifically what the new package included because he didn't want to tip off Russia.
Ukraine joins European grid, ending dependence on Russia
March 16, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Engineers have linked Ukraine to an electricity grid spanning much of continental Europe, allowing the country to decouple its power system from hostile Russia, officials said Wednesday.
Suffering goes on in encircled Mariupol as evacuation fails
March 9, 2022 GMTMARIUPOL, Ukraine (AP) — Corpses lie in the streets of Mariupol. Hungry people break into stores in search of food and melt snow for water. Thousands huddle in basements, trembling at the sound of Russian shells pounding this strategic port city.
EXPLAINER: Putin’s Balkan narrative argument for Ukraine war
March 5, 2022 GMTBELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Well before Russian tanks and troops rolled into Ukraine, Vladimir Putin was using the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s to ostensibly offer justification for the invasion of a sovereign European country.
Ukrainian diaspora helps civilians back home escape the war
March 4, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Yan Skvyrskyi talks on the phone to his mother in Ukraine at least 12 times a day, spends sleepless nights worrying about her but fears it may be too dangerous to help her flee the war-torn country right now.
US citizen charged with violating Crimea-related sanctions
March 4, 2022 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — A former CNBC and Fox News employee has been arrested in London for his work as a television producer for a Russian media baron tied to aggression in Ukraine over the past eight years, particularly in Crimea, U.S.
Column: Infantino’s admiration of Putin leaves FIFA exposed
March 1, 2022 GMTLONDON (AP) — FIFA President Gianni Infantino remains the proud holder of the Russian Order of Friendship medal from Vladimir Putin. Not even the invasion of Ukraine by Russia has proved enough for Infantino to publicly distance himself from the autocratic leader.
ICC prosecutor to open probe into war crimes in Ukraine
February 28, 2022 GMTTHE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said Monday he plans to open an investigation “as rapidly as possible” into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine.
War via TikTok: Russia’s new tool for propaganda machine
February 27, 2022 GMTThe Russian TikTok video has it all: a cat, puppies and a pulsing background beat. It's cute, watchable and hardly seems the stuff of state propaganda.
In 2014, Russia flooded the internet with fake accounts pushing disinformation about its takeover of Crimea.
Munich, Rotterdam may fire Gergiev, London drops Bolshoi
February 25, 2022 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter has threatened to remove Valery Gergiev as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic unless Gergiev publicly says by Monday that he does not support Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Spartak Moscow drawn to face Leipzig in Europa League
February 25, 2022 GMTNYON, Switzerland (AP) — Russian club Spartak Moscow will play at Leipzig in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Europa League before needing to find a neutral venue outside the country to host the return match.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompts Syria to cut spending
February 24, 2022 GMTDAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The government of economically-battered Syria decided Thursday to cut spending in an effort to reduce the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, concerned that oil and wheat prices could sharply increase, the state-owned news agency said.
China calls for talks on Ukraine, OKs Russian wheat imports
February 24, 2022 GMTBEIJING (AP) — China called Thursday for talks to resolve the Ukraine crisis and avoided criticizing President Vladimir Putin’s attack while, in a step that could blunt the impact of Western sanctions, Beijing also approved imports of Russian wheat.
Harris on Ukraine: World at ‘a decisive moment in history’
February 19, 2022 GMTMUNICH (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris said Saturday that the world has arrived at “a decisive moment in history” as the Biden administration warns a Russian invasion of Ukraine in the coming days is highly likely.
UN council backs talk, but no Russia pledge against invasion
February 18, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — One by one, U.N. Security Council members called for a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine. Even Russia’s deputy foreign minister said everything should be done to find a diplomatic solution.
Netherlands, Ukraine take Russia to European rights court
January 26, 2022 GMTTHE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Netherlands and Ukraine argued Wednesday that a top European court should hear their cases that seek to hold Russia responsible for human rights violations in eastern Ukraine including the 2014 downing of a passenger jet that killed all 298 people on board.
Ukraine covers up logos of Champions League sponsor Gazprom
May 22, 2018 GMTKIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Gazprom is a major Champions League sponsor but don't expect to see its logo on the streets of Kiev.
Ahead of the final between Real Madrid and Liverpool on Saturday, the presence of Russia's state gas company angered some Ukrainians, so the logos were hurriedly removed from a UEFA-branded "Champions Festival" on Kiev's main street.
Obama imposes sanctions on Crimea, echoes EU
December 19, 2014 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama banned new investments in Crimea on Friday, slapping sanctions on the peninsula that Russia annexed from Ukraine earlier this year.
Obama signed an executive order Friday that imposes economic restrictions similar to sanctions imposed by the European Union on Thursday.
Russian lawmakers seal annexation of Crimea
March 20, 2014 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — The Russian parliament's lower house has given its near-unanimous approval to the country's annexation of Crimea, ignoring threats from Western powers of more sanctions.
The Kremlin-controlled State Duma voted 445-1 Thursday to make Crimea a part of Russia following a quick discussion in which members assailed the Ukrainian authorities.
US, Russia exchange threats at tense UN meeting
March 20, 2014 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia and the United States exchanged threats Wednesday at a tense U.N. Security Council meeting over the Ukraine crisis, with Moscow's envoy warning that the U.S. ambassador's "insults" are jeopardizing Moscow's willingness to cooperate with Washington on other diplomatic matters.