Russian officials report oil refinery fire after Ukraine targets border regions with dozens of drones
Officials in Russia’s Rostov region reported a fire Thursday at an oil refinery after a wave of attacks from several dozen Ukrainian aerial drones. Rostov acting Governor Yuri Slyusar said on Telegram that the fire happened at the Novoshakhtinsk refinery…
Zelenskyy: Ukraine lacks military strength to recover its Russian-occupied land
Ukraine’s president told a French newspaper Wednesday that his country does not have the military might to take back its Russian-occupied territories. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Le Parisien that Ukraine’s military does not possess the strength it needs to expel…
Expert: North Korea accelerating production, transfer of arms to Russia
UNITED NATIONS — An independent weapons expert told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that North Korea is procuring parts for missiles from third countries and producing and transferring them to Russia faster than previously thought, for use in its…
NATO chief aims to put Ukraine in position of strength for peace talks with Russia
BRUSSELS — NATO’s secretary-general said he wants to discuss ways to put Ukraine in a position of strength for any future peace talks with Russia during a meeting Wednesday with Ukraine’s president and a small number of European leaders. But…
Winter brings new challenges to residents of Ukraine’s Donetsk region
In the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, the front line constantly shifts, and nearby cities increasingly suffer from Russia’s shelling. Some 7 kilometers from the contact line, Kostyantynivka residents face regular disruptions in heating fuel, and active fighting puts residents…
Zelenskyy to meet with NATO, European leaders in push to bolster defenses
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet Wednesday with NATO chief Mark Rutte and European leaders in Brussels as Ukraine seeks to bolster its defenses against Russian forces. Zelenskyy on Tuesday cited an urgent need to boost military aid…
VOA interview: US urges Europe to end energy dependency on Russia
The outgoing administration of U.S. President Joe Biden plans in its final weeks to “continue tightening the noose” around Russia’s key energy exports with new sanctions to deprive Moscow of revenue for its war on Ukraine, according to Assistant Secretary…
On NATO’s eastern flank, 2025 brings concerns about alliance’s future
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to end the war in Ukraine quickly is triggering concerns among Russia’s neighbors. In Estonia, some fear a deal to end the war may strengthen Moscow. Elizabeth Cherneff narrates this report from Ricardo Marquina on…
Keith Kellogg as Trump’s Ukraine-Russia envoy: Right man for the mission?
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg to be his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, where Trump has promised to bring a quick end to the war. VOA’s Tatiana Vorozhko looks into Kellogg’s career, his vision…
Ukraine claims credit for killing senior Russian general in Moscow
Ukraine claimed credit Tuesday for the assassination of a senior Russian general on a Moscow street with the remote detonation of a bomb hidden in a scooter outside his apartment building. Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the chief of the military’s…