Ukraine says battle for Bakhmut is ‘stabilizing’
March 25, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The top commander of Ukraine's military said Saturday that his forces are pushing back against Russian troops in the long and grinding battle for the town of Bakhmut, and British military intelligence says Russia appears to be moving to a defensive strategy in eastern Ukraine.
UN decries torture, killing of Ukrainian and Russian POWs
March 24, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.N. human rights monitors have documented dozens of summary killings of Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of war, as well as other possible war crimes such as the use of torture, human shields and other abuses against POWs since Russia invaded its neighbor, according to a report released Friday.
Russian strikes in Ukraine kill 10 civilians, wound 20 more
March 24, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Long-range Russian bombardment killed at least 10 civilians and wounded 20 others in several parts of Ukraine on Friday, officials in Kyiv said, as a Kremlin official boasted that its forces were prepared to repel an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive this spring.
Ukraine using Soviet-era choppers to pummel Russia from afar
March 24, 2023 GMTDONETSK REGION, Ukraine (AP) — Skimming the treetops, three Soviet-era attack helicopters bank and swoop down on a field after an early-morning mission to the front lines in the fight against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A look at the uranium-based ammo the UK will send to Ukraine
March 24, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Russia threatened to escalate attacks in Ukraine after the British government announced it would provide to Ukraine a type of munition that Moscow falsely claims has nuclear components.
EU leaders endorse joint ammo purchases for Ukraine
March 23, 2023 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders endorsed a plan Thursday for sending Ukraine 1 million rounds of artillery ammunition within the next 12 months to help the country counter Russia’s invasion forces.
Ukraine president visits front-line areas as new phase nears
March 23, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's president on Thursday made his third visit in two days to areas that have felt the brunt of Russia’s war, with a trip to the southern Kherson region that was retaken from the Kremlin’s forces, and as a senior Kyiv commander hinted that a brewing Ukrainian counteroffensive could come “very soon.”
DeSantis walks back ‘territorial dispute’ remark on Ukraine
March 23, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is walking back his characterization of Russia’s war in Ukraine as a “territorial dispute,” following criticism from a number of fellow Republicans who expressed concern about the potential 2024 presidential candidate’s dismissive description of the conflict.
‘On tour in hell’: Wounded Ukrainian soldiers evacuated
March 23, 2023 GMTDONETSK REGION, Ukraine (AP) — Their hands are blackened and grimy from the fight. Some are still wearing their combat boots, small flecks of black soil from the battlefield clinging to their torsos, bare under the emergency blanket.
Ukraine: Russia hits apartments and dorm, killing civilians
March 23, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia stepped up its missile and drone attacks against Ukraine on Wednesday, killing students and other civilians, in a violent follow-up to dueling high-level diplomatic missions aimed at bringing peace after 13 months of war.
Prince William visits Poland to support ally helping Ukraine
March 23, 2023 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Prince William made a surprise visit to Poland on Wednesday that underscored Britain’s support for a nation on the front line of efforts to help refugees displaced by Russia's war in Ukraine and to assist the Ukrainian military in fighting off the invasion.
Ukraine, IMF agree on $15.6 billion loan package
March 22, 2023 GMTFRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund have agreed on a $15.6 billion loan package aimed at shoring up government finances severely strained by Russia's invasion and leveraging even more support by reassuring allies that Ukraine is pursuing strong economic policies and fighting corruption.
Slovakia offered US helicopters for giving jets to Ukraine
March 22, 2023 GMTBRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — The United States has offered Slovakia 12 new military helicopters as compensation for the MiG-29 fighter jets the European country is giving to Ukraine, Slovakia's defense minister said Wednesday.
Ukrainian soldiers near finish of Patriot missile training
March 22, 2023 GMTFORT SILL, Okla. (AP) — Several large, 12-wheeled military vehicles carrying mobile missile launchers rumbled across the southwest Oklahoma prairie on Tuesday as part of a training exercise at the Fort Sill Army Post.
US: No reason for China to react to Taiwan leader stopover
March 22, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is putting out the word that planned stopovers in the United States by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen in the coming weeks fall in line with recent precedent and should not be used as a pretext by China to step up aggressive activity in the Taiwan Strait.
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.
US speeds up Abrams tank delivery to Ukraine war zone
March 21, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is speeding up its delivery of Abrams tanks to Ukraine, opting to send a refurbished older model that can be ready faster, with the aim of getting the 70-ton battle powerhouses to the war zone by the fall, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
Japan’s PM offers Ukraine support as China’s Xi backs Russia
March 21, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a surprise visit Tuesday to Kyiv, engaging in dueling diplomacy with Asian rival President Xi Jinping of China, who met in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin to promote Beijing's peace proposal for Ukraine that Western nations have all but dismissed as a non-starter.
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.
Russia to hold UN meeting on Ukraine kids taken to Russia
March 21, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia plans to hold an informal meeting of the U.N. Security Council in early April on what it said is “the real situation” of Ukrainian children taken to Russia, an issue that has gained the spotlight following the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes related to their abduction.
Putin welcomes China’s Xi to Kremlin amid Ukraine fighting
March 20, 2023 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin warmly welcomed Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the Kremlin on Monday, sending a powerful message to Western leaders that their efforts to isolate Moscow over the fighting in Ukraine have fallen short.
EU’s top diplomat hails deal on artillery shells for Ukraine
March 20, 2023 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — European Union countries have endorsed a fast-track procedure aimed at providing Ukraine with sorely needed artillery shells to repel Russia's invasion forces, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Monday, as Moscow maintains its focus on attacking the industrial east of the war-ravaged country.
Putin warns Russia could drop grain deal after 60 days
March 20, 2023 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed on Monday that Moscow has agreed to extend a deal allowing the exports of Ukrainian grain to global markets only for 60 days and could drop it altogether if its conditions aren't met.
US sending ammunition, tanker trucks, boats to Ukraine
March 20, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department announced Monday that the U.S. will send Ukraine $350 million in weapons and equipment, as fierce battles with Russian forces continue for control of the city of Bakhmut, and troops prepare for an expected spring offensive.
Russia’s Putin makes surprise trip to occupied Mariupol
March 19, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the occupied port city of Mariupol, his first trip to Ukrainian territory that Moscow illegally annexed in September and a show of defiance after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest on war crimes charges.
Russia, Ukraine extend grain deal to aid world’s poor
March 18, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — An unprecedented wartime deal that allowed grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where hunger is a growing threat and high food prices are pushing more people into poverty was extended just before its expiration date, officials said Saturday.
How Moscow grabs Ukrainian kids and makes them Russians
March 17, 2023 GMTOlga Lopatkina paced around her basement in circles like a trapped animal. For more than a week, the Ukrainian mother had heard nothing from her six adopted children stranded in Mariupol, and she was going out of her mind with worry.
China’s Xi to meet Putin as Beijing seeks bolder global role
March 17, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to visit Moscow next week, offering a major diplomatic boost to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the same day the International Criminal Court announced it wants to put the Russian leader on trial for alleged war crimes.
German Cabinet minister to visit Taiwan, 1st in 26 years
March 17, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Germany's education and research minister is making an official trip to Taiwan next week, officials said Friday. It will be the highest-level visit by a German official since 1997 to the island that China claims as part of its territory.
Pentagon video shows Russian jet dumping fuel on US drone
March 17, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Biden administration released video Thursday of a Russian fighter jet dumping fuel on a U.S.
UN-backed inquiry accuses Russia of war crimes in Ukraine
March 16, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — Russian attacks against civilians in Ukraine, including systematic torture and killing in occupied regions, amount to war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity, according to a report from a U.N.-backed inquiry released Thursday.
US and Russia ratchet up rhetoric over downing of drone
March 15, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and the United States ratcheted up their confrontational rhetoric Wednesday over a U.S.
Ukraine vows to hold on to Bakhmut despite Russian onslaught
March 15, 2023 GMTBAKHMUT, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian troops on Wednesday defended positions in Bakhmut in eastern Ukrain e amid a relentless push by Russian forces to capture a city that has been turned into a wasteland by seven months of fighting.
Neighbors Bulgaria, Romania sign agreement to boost ties
March 15, 2023 GMTSOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarian President Rumen Radev held talks Wednesday with his visiting Romanian counterpart as the two neighbors and NATO allies signed a cooperation agreement to boost bilateral ties amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
US says Russian warplane hits American drone over Black Sea
March 15, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian fighter jet struck the propeller of a U.S. surveillance drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday in a “brazen violation of international law,” causing American forces to bring down the unmanned aerial vehicle, the U.S.
AP PHOTOS: Objects of war become new normal in Kyiv
March 14, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — There are sandbags around the statues and anti-tank obstacles by the side of the streets, trenches in the nearby forests and land mine warnings in the woods. Signs painted on walls point to the nearest shelter, while air raid sirens occasionally wail across the city, which still sometimes comes under missile attack.
US turns to new ways to punish Russian oligarchs for the war
March 14, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has begun an aggressive new push to inflict pain on Russia’s economy and specifically its oligarchs with the intent of thwarting the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
From the Treasury Department to the Justice Department, U.S.
Oil giant Saudi Aramco makes a historic $161B profit in 2022
March 12, 2023 GMTDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Oil giant Saudi Aramco reported Sunday earning $161 billion last year, claiming the highest-ever recorded annual profit by a publicly listed company and drawing immediate criticism from activists.
UK: Russian advance in Bakhmut could come with heavy losses
March 11, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces have made progress in their campaign to capture the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, the focus of the war's longest ground battle, but their assault will be difficult to sustain without more significant personnel losses, British military officials said Saturday.
Ukrainian firefighters on risky mission to save lives, homes
March 11, 2023 GMTKOSTIANTYNIVKA, Ukraine (AP) — Thick grey smoke pours from the roof as the firefighters arrive at the brick house, one of several homes hit by Russian shelling in a residential neighborhood of Kostiantynivka.
Ukraine rebounds from Russian barrage, restores power supply
March 10, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's capital had most of its power supply restored Friday, officials said, as the country again responded swiftly and defiantly to the latest Russian missile and drone barrage targeting critical infrastructure.
Australia aims to bolster security, economic ties with India
March 10, 2023 GMTNEW DELHI (AP) — The prime ministers of India and Australia on Friday expressed concern over an “increasingly uncertain global security environment" and committed themselves to strengthening their defense and security partnership to ensure stability in the Indo-Pacific.
A global mystery: What’s known about Nord Stream explosions
March 9, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a major international mystery with global consequences: Who was behind the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines last year in the Baltic Sea?
The answer has broad implications for European energy security but could also threaten Western unity over backing Ukraine in defending itself from Russia’s invasion.
Transnistria accuses Ukraine of trying to kill its president
March 9, 2023 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria, which has close ties to Moscow and hosts Russian troops, claimed Thursday it has thwarted an assassination attempt on its president allegedly organized by Ukraine's national security service.
Shell CEO pay up 50% as soaring energy prices boosted profit
March 9, 2023 GMTLONDON (AP) — The pay package for Shell's CEO jumped by half last year to nearly $12 million, the fossil fuel giant said Thursday, as oil and gas companies made record profits from skyrocketing energy costs that have driven a cost-of-living crisis.
Canadian Olympians push for opposition to Russians in Paris
March 9, 2023 GMTA group of 42 retired Canadian Olympians urged the Canadian Olympic Committee to reject the idea of allowing Russians to participate in next year's Paris Games unless Russia withdraws from Ukraine.
Battle for Bakhmut takes center stage in war in Ukraine
March 8, 2023 GMTThe six-month battle for the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut has been the longest and bloodiest fight of the war so far.
The flowers of war: Ukraine smith turns guns, ammo into art
March 8, 2023 GMTA blacksmith in the Russian-controlled eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk is practically beating swords into ploughshares, and turning one man’s trash into treasures. Viktor Mikhalev takes weapons and ammunition and produces what he calls the flowers of war.
Hungarian delegation backs Sweden’s NATO application
March 7, 2023 GMTCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A parliamentary delegation from Hungary said Tuesday that it supports Sweden’s NATO membership bid after meeting the speaker of the Swedish parliament to iron out what Hungary’s governing party has called “political disputes.”
‘Oh my daughter’: Volunteer medic, 29, buried in Ukraine
March 7, 2023 GMTVINNYTSIA, Ukraine (AP) — As the mother’s cries of anguish pierced the cold morning air, mourners who had fought back tears could hold them no longer.
“Oh Yana, oh my daughter,” Olena Rikhlitska howled.
Russian activist gets prison sentence for Ukraine posts
March 7, 2023 GMTTALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A court in Moscow sentenced a student activist to 8 1/2 years in prison for social media posts criticizing Russia's war in Ukraine, the latest step in a sweeping crackdown on dissent unleashed by the Kremlin.
Zelenskyy vows not to retreat from Ukrainian city of Bakhmut
March 6, 2023 GMTCHASIV YAR, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed Monday not to retreat from Bakhmut as Russian forces encroached on the devastated eastern city they have sought to capture for six months at the cost of thousands of lives.
Ukraine plant builds 6-person bunkers for war’s front lines
March 6, 2023 GMTKRYVYI RIH, Ukraine (AP) — The pops of welding torches and the piercing whine of angle grinders fill the spacious production floor at a steel plant in Kryvyi Rih, the city in central Ukraine that is President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ’s hometown.
Ukraine’s Kostyuk beats Russia’s Gracheva for 1st WTA title
March 5, 2023 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Marta Kostyuk won her first career WTA title at age 20 by beating Varvara Gracheva 6-3, 7-5 in the ATX Open final on Sunday, then dedicated the victory to her home country of Ukraine.
Russian shelling hits Ukrainian town; Bakhmut battle rages
March 5, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian shelling destroyed homes and killed one person in northern Ukraine's Kharkiv province, the region's governor said Sunday, while fighting raged in the fiercely contested eastern city of Bakhmut.
Civilians flee embattled town as Ukrainian pullout looms
March 4, 2023 GMTKHROMOVE, Ukraine (AP) — Pressure from Russian forces mounted Saturday on Ukrainians hunkered down in Bakhmut, as residents attempted to flee with help from troops who Western analysts say may be preparing to withdraw from the key eastern stronghold.
In Britain, ‘warm hubs’ emerge to beat soaring energy costs
March 4, 2023 GMTSTRATFORD-UPON-AVON, England (AP) — On a blustery late-winter day in Shakespeare’s birthplace, the foyer of the Other Place theater is a cozy refuge. Visitors are having meetings over coffee, checking emails, writing poetry, learning to sew.
Ukraine: Mourners commemorate 8 men killed in Bucha
March 4, 2023 GMTBUCHA, Ukraine (AP) — Clutching flowers and wiping away tears, relatives, neighbors and friends of eight men executed by Russian forces during the occupation of the Ukrainian town of Bucha gathered Saturday to mark the first anniversary of the deaths.
Today in History: MARCH 4, Franklin Roosevelt takes office
March 4, 2023 GMTToday in History
Today is Saturday, March 4, the 63rd day of 2023. There are 302 days left in the year.
US sending bridge-launchers to Ukraine for spring fight
March 3, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) —
The U.S. announced a new $400 million military aid package for Ukraine on Friday that for the first time includes armored vehicles that can launch bridges — allowing troops to cross rivers or other gaps as Russian and Ukrainian forces remain entrenched on opposite sides of the Dnieper River.
US sanctions Russian officials over dissident’s detention
March 3, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has imposed sanctions and visa restrictions on five Russian officials and an expert witness involved in the incarceration of Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian opposition leader who has been imprisoned in Moscow since April for speaking out against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Why purported cross-border attack ups ante in Ukraine war
March 3, 2023 GMTRussia has declared that saboteurs from Ukraine crossed into its territory and attacked border villages, a raid that fueled fears of an escalation in the war as it has dragged into a second year.
A day after Thursday’s purported attack, details of what happened remain scarce and conflicting theories about possible perpetrators and their goals are still swirling.
Quad FMs, wary of China’s might, push Indo-Pacific options
March 3, 2023 GMTNEW DELHI (AP) — The top diplomats of Australia, India, Japan and the United States offered sharp but veiled criticism of China on Friday, even as they maintained their Indo-Pacific-focused bloc is not aimed at countering Beijing.
Two Americans arrested on charges of selling tech to Russia
March 3, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department on Thursday arrested two Kansas men on allegations that the pair illegally exported aviation-related technology to Russia and provided repair services for the equipment.
US to send more ammo, folding armored bridges to Ukraine
March 3, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is expected to announce a new package of military aid for Ukraine Friday, including —for the first time — eight armored vehicles that can launch bridges and allow troops to cross rivers or other gaps, U.S.
Kremlin accuses Ukrainian saboteurs of attack inside Russia
March 2, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Kremlin on Thursday accused Ukrainian saboteurs of crossing into western Russia and firing on villagers. Ukraine denied the claim and warned that Moscow could use the allegations to justify stepping up its own attacks in the ongoing war.
US, Russia hold highest-level talks since Ukraine invasion
March 2, 2023 GMTNEW DELHI (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov talked briefly Thursday in the highest-level in-person talks between the two countries since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
British navy seizes Iran missiles, parts likely Yemen bound
March 2, 2023 GMTDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The British navy seized anti-tank missiles and fins for ballistic missile assemblies during a raid on a small boat heading from Iran likely to Yemen, authorities said Thursday, the latest such seizure in the Gulf of Oman.
EU to speed up deliveries of howitzer shells for Ukraine
March 2, 2023 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — European Union officials and countries from the 27-nation bloc are discussing plans to dedicate an extra billion euros as well as setting up a joint procurement scheme to speed up the delivery of howitzer artillery rounds that Ukraine says are crucial to countering Russian forces.
G20 talks end in India with no consensus on Ukraine war
March 2, 2023 GMTNEW DELHI (AP) — Top diplomats from the Group of 20 industrialized and developing nations ended their contentious meeting in New Delhi on Thursday with no consensus on the Ukraine war, India’s foreign minister said, as discussions of the war and China's widening global influence dominated much of the talks.
Russian envoy says nuclear powers may clash over Ukraine
March 2, 2023 GMTGENEVA, Switzerland (AP) — A senior Russian diplomat warned Thursday that increasing Western support for Ukraine could trigger an open conflict between nuclear powers.
Speaking at the U.N. conference on disarmament, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov denounced the U.S.
Europe inflation eases slightly but consumer pain persists
March 2, 2023 GMTFRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Inflation eased only slightly in the 20 countries that use the euro currency as the pain from higher costs for food and fuel persists and gives the European Central Bank no reason to slow interest rate increases aimed at getting prices back under control.
War, anger cloud Ukrainian athletes’ path to Paris Olympics
March 2, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian diver Stanislav Oliferchyk proudly bears the name of his late grandfather, who died in brutalized Mariupol.
At G-20, high expectations for India as rising global power
March 2, 2023 GMTNEW DELHI (AP) — With the foreign ministers of the Group of 20 leading economies meeting Thursday in New Delhi, host India is promoting itself as a rising superpower while leveraging its position on the global stage to bridge the gap between the West and Russia.
Ukraine official: Forces may pull out of key city of Bakhmut
March 1, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Ukrainian military might pull troops back from the key stronghold of Bakhmut, an adviser to Ukraine's president said Wednesday in remarks that suggested Russia could capture the city that has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.
US to send Ukraine dozens of Bradleys in $2.85B aid package
January 5, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will send Ukraine nearly $3 billion in military aid, in a massive new package that will for the first time include several dozen Bradley fighting vehicles, U.S.
Sitting ducks? Russian military flaws seen in troop deaths
January 4, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Russian military’s top brass came under increasing scrutiny Wednesday as more details emerged of how at least 89 Russian soldiers, and possibly many more, were killed in a Ukrainian artillery attack on a single building.
Biden weighs sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine
January 4, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Wednesday that the U.S. is considering sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles to help Ukraine combat Russia’s ongoing invasion.
Biden was asked during an exchange with reporters while traveling in Kentucky whether providing the tracked armored fighting vehicle to Ukraine was on the table.
Russia, shaken by Ukrainian strike, could step up drone use
January 3, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Emergency crews on Tuesday sifted through the rubble of a building struck by Ukrainian rockets, killing at least 63 Russian soldiers barracked there, in the latest blow to the Kremlin’s war strategy as Ukraine says Moscow’s tactics could be shifting.