Ukrainian

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s Al-Shabaab insurgents have released a new video showing Oleynik Aleksandr, a Ukrainian national and helicopter pilot held by the group since early 2024, appealing to the Ukrainian government and the United Nations to launch talks for his release and that of fellow crew members. The footage features Aleksandr identifying himself as the captain of a United Nations–contracted helicopter that made an emergency landing in militant-held territory in January 2024 while en route to Wisil, near Ceelbuur, in…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Al-Shabaab has released a video showing a Ukrainian helicopter pilot contracted by the United Nations pleading for his freedom, in one of the group’s most prominent hostage appeals involving a foreign national in recent years. In the footage distributed by al-Shabaab’s Kataib media arm, the pilot identifies himself as Oleynik Aleksandr and says he was captured after an emergency landing in central Somalia in January 2024, in territory controlled by the militant group. Addressing the camera directly, he…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet European allies in London as he faces pointed criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump over a proposed plan to end the war with Russia. The diplomatic push follows several days of talks between Ukrainian and U.S. officials in Miami that ended without a breakthrough but with a pledge to keep negotiating. Zelensky will be received in London by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron for discussions focused…

MIAMI — U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff held two days of “productive” talks with Ukraine’s senior negotiator Rustem Umerov in Miami and will meet again, U.S. officials said Friday, as the delegation and Ukrainian leaders pressed to translate recent diplomacy with Moscow into a durable cease-fire. Witkoff, who met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow this week alongside President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Kushner held what the State Department and Ukrainian officials described as “constructive…

Ukraine negotiators and U.S. officials are holding fresh talks in Miami on a Washington-backed plan to end Russia’s invasion, a Kyiv adviser said, as behind-the-scenes diplomacy intensifies over proposals that would require territorial concessions and stop short of NATO membership. The meeting was scheduled to begin in Florida this week with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, listed as participants, though U.S. officials have not publicly confirmed whether an…

Dead child and grandmother in Moscow region underscore risks as war’s long arm reaches deeper The charred ruins of a private home in Voskresensk, a small commuter town southeast of Moscow, came to symbolize on Monday how a war that began on the plains of eastern Ukraine is seeping into the everyday life of ordinary Russians. Regional governor Andrey Vorobyov said a fire sparked by a drone strike killed a 76-year-old woman and her six-year-old grandson. “Last night, air defence forces shot down four drones in Voskresensk and…

President Joe Biden's recent endorsement allowing Ukraine to launch strikes into Russian territory using American-provided long-range missiles might just be a pivotal moment for Kyiv, according to Andriy Sybiga, Ukraine's foreign minister. Mr. Sybiga expressed, “This could indeed change the game. The more Ukraine can reach out and hit, the quicker this war will come to an end,” during a press briefing that took place just ahead of a UN Security Council meeting commemorating 1,000 days since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He…

A Russian missile struck a residential apartment complex in Kryvyi Rih, central Ukraine, resulting in injuries to at least seven individuals and leaving several others trapped beneath the debris, according to officials. Among the injured were two young children, as reported by regional governor Serhiy Lysak via the Telegram messaging app. The missile assault wreaked havoc on apartments stretching from the first to the fifth floors. Images shared by authorities showcased a devastated roof and floors that had caved in,…

Ukraine has launched an impressive assault on Moscow, deploying no fewer than 32 drones in what marks the most significant drone offensive against the Russian capital since the conflict erupted in 2022. This wave of drone activity necessitated diversions for flights at three key airports within the city, resulting in injuries to at least one individual. According to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, Russian air defenses successfully intercepted all 32 drones as they approached the capital, targeting areas in the Ramenskoye and…

The Norwegian government has announced a significant shift in its approach to Ukrainian asylum seekers, stating that not all applicants from western Ukraine will be automatically granted asylum. Instead, these cases will now undergo individual assessments. Following Russia's aggression against Ukraine that began in February 2022, Norway had opted for a policy of "collective protection," which allowed Ukrainian refugees to receive asylum rights automatically. This decision was driven by a solidarity response to the crisis.…