All posts tagged: Kiev

Germany’s Merz arrives in Kyiv to finalize drone deal, release aid

Germany’s Merz arrives in Kyiv to finalize drone deal, release aid

Published by Sam Flores

dpatop – 04 October 2026, Ukraine, Kiew: Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) arrives early in the morning at the main train station in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, where he is greeted by Boris Ruge, the German ambassador to Ukraine. Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa (Photo by Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty Images) Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty Images Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv on Sunday, accompanied by CEOs from German defense companies, in a show of support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid escalating Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities. Merz will announce a package of measures that includes the release 1 billion euros in military aid and 350 million euros for repairs in the energy sector, German government officials said. The visit is also expected to finalize a deal for joint production of various kinds of drones. “I travelled to Kyiv today because Ukraine needs all our support in the coming weeks,” Merz said, saying that Russian forces were bombing towns, residential buildings and heating plants. “If Russia is not stopped, sooner or later its …

South Korean President Lee warns of ‘measures’ against Ukraine

South Korean President Lee warns of ‘measures’ against Ukraine

Published by Sam Flores

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES – SEPTEMBER 22: President of South Korea Lee Jae Myung addresses the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, which brings together leaders and senior representatives of UN member states in New York, United States, on September 22, 2026. Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday slammed Ukraine over its disclosure of handing North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul, demanding a public apology and threatening “additional measures” against Kyiv. In a post on X, Lee said that Kyiv had unilaterally revealed that some captured North Korean soldiers had been sent to South Korea, despite having demanded confidentiality and later claiming there was no secrecy agreement, making the Korean leader look like a “liar.” “As this is a matter concerning the honor of the Republic of Korea’s people and nation, we cannot overlook it,” he said in Korean, translated by Google. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reportedly described the row on Thursday as a “diplomatic misunderstanding,” which his country expects to resolve. Seoul …

Russia launches massive strikes on Ukraine’s power grid

Russia launches massive strikes on Ukraine’s power grid

Published by Sam Flores

Smoke billows above Kyiv following Russia’s missile and drone strike on Kyiv on September 30, 2026, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian strikes killed four in and around Ukraine’s capital on September 30, the authorities said, in a barrage of attacks which hit the city’s energy infrastructure and cut power. Sergei Supinsky | Afp | Getty Images Russia has launched a widely anticipated attack on Ukraine’s power grid, hitting key facilities in Kyiv and other major cities across the country, marking one of the biggest energy assaults in months. Ukrainian officials and national security experts have been warning about the prospect of a Russian air campaign on its energy infrastructure ahead of winter, fearing another extremely difficult cold snap at a time when the country faces an acute air defense shortage. Seven people were killed in the latest attacks, officials said Wednesday, with state grid power operator Ukrenergo imposing emergency power cuts in Kyiv and three other regions. Freezing temperatures have been forecast at night in Ukraine’s capital over the coming days. “Russia has launched …

Russia targets Kyiv as NATO condemns nuclear rhetoric

Russia targets Kyiv as NATO condemns nuclear rhetoric

Published by Sam Flores

State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS) firefighters work to extinguish a fire at an office building in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district following a strike by a Russian Geran-5 jet-powered attack drone during an aerial attack on the Ukrainian capital on September 23, 2026 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Libkos | Getty Images News | Getty Images Russia has continued a bombardment on Ukraine’s data centers and communications infrastructure as part of a fresh wave of attacks on the country’s capital. Ukraine’s air force said Russian forces intensified strikes on Kyiv and other cities overnight by launching a mix of anti-ship and ballistic missiles, as well as dozens of jet-powered drones, which Ukrainian air defenses have struggled to intercept. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it struck several targets in Kyiv on Tuesday, including a locomotive depot housing a warehouse of FP-5 Flamingo ground-based missiles and their components. The attacks also hit the Bi-mobile data center, which Russia’s Defense Ministry said was one of Kyiv’s main internet exchange points, and the Parkovy data center. Russia has stepped up its attacks on …

U.S. says Russia lost control of diesel oil

U.S. says Russia lost control of diesel oil

Published by Sam Flores

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives for the 81st United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on September 22, 2026. Charly Triballeau | Afp | Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to pressure his Ukrainian counterpart to agree to an energy truce with Russia in a high-stakes meeting on Tuesday, saying that Moscow has “unfortunately lost control” of its diesel oil industry due to the war. Trump is set to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, in a rare sit-down meeting of the two leaders at a high-level event. The pair are poised to discuss further air defense support for Kyiv ahead of winter, Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries and how to bring an end to the more than 4½-year conflict. In a post Monday on Truth Social, Trump said “a large number” of Russian diesel oil refineries had been “blown up” and were, at least temporarily, out of commission, without providing further details. …

Russia’s State Duma election puts Putin’s economy to the test

Russia’s State Duma election puts Putin’s economy to the test

Published by Sam Flores

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Russian consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor head in Moscow on September 15, 2026. Vyacheslav Prokofyev | Afp | Getty Images Russian President Vladimir Putin is bracing for a wartime reckoning as the Kremlin prepares to hold its first parliamentary election since the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. The tightly controlled vote, which takes place over a three-day period from Friday to Sunday, is widely expected to shore up the dominance of the ruling United Russia party in the 450-seat State Duma, the lower house of parliament. While the result is not in doubt, external observers will be paying close attention to voter turnout and the margin of United Russia’s victory for any signs of public discontent after more than four-and-a-half years of war. Opinion polls have shown United Russia, a party backed by Putin, far ahead of its rivals, although the party’s approval ratings have slumped to a four-year low amid a nationwide fuel …

U.S. envoys make first Kyiv visit amid Ukraine war peace push

U.S. envoys make first Kyiv visit amid Ukraine war peace push

Published by Sam Flores

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) welcomes US Special Envoys Steve Witkoff (R) and Jared Kushner (C) prior to their talks in Kyiv on September 6, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Genya Savilov / AFP via Getty Images) Genya Savilov | Afp | Getty Images U.S. peace envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday as the Trump administration renewed its push to end Russia’s four-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine. Kushner and Witkoff traveled from Moscow, where they held three hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday but did not appear to secure a breakthrough. Previous rounds of U.S.-mediated peace talks encouraged by President Donald Trump, who campaigned on a promise to quickly end the war, have yielded few results. He suggested on Friday that the U.S. had a fresh proposal, though he did not elaborate. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov described Saturday’s meeting as “highly useful,” while a White House official told Reuters that next steps would be announced in the coming …

Putin floats ‘chance’ at peace, NATO chief warns of ‘reckless’ Russia

Putin floats ‘chance’ at peace, NATO chief warns of ‘reckless’ Russia

Published by Sam Flores

Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested Thursday that there is a “chance” at “peace” with Ukraine, but repeated that Kyiv’s warnings to airlines to avoid Russian airspace amounted to “state terrorism.”  “Ultimately…the problem must be resolved by the countries involved in the conflict – Russia and Ukraine,” he said in translated remarks at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, a city in Eastern Russia. “Is there a chance [at peace]? In my view, yes, there is.” Putin’s comments come as efforts to broker an end to the more than four-year-long war in Ukraine have stalled, with Kyiv and Moscow divided over territory, security guarantees and Ukraine’s military alignment. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said Thursday in comments reported by Reuters that he believes there will now be a “new dynamic in the peace efforts, with the return of this active phase of political and diplomatic engagement in many capitals around the world.” U.S. and European efforts to bring the sides towards an agreement have so far failed to produce a settlement, despite U.S. CIA Director John …

Zelenskyy warns airlines to avoid Russian airspace as drone war grows

Zelenskyy warns airlines to avoid Russian airspace as drone war grows

Published by Sam Flores

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during the reburial ceremony for Colonel Yevhen Konovalets on August 18, 2026 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Diego Fedele | Getty Images News | Getty Images Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged airlines to avoid Russian airspace as Kyiv expands its drone operations. “We want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer, and everyone who still uses Russia’s key airports: Russian airspace is becoming completely unsafe,” Zelenskyy said Tuesday in his evening address. His warning follows Ukraine stepping up its long-range drone strikes on Russian oil refineries and logistics hubs, as it seeks to raise the cost of the war for Moscow. Ukraine’s president said it is important that airlines currently flying into airports in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other key destinations in Russia take note of the elevated airspace risk. Zelenskyy insisted that civilian aviation would not be in danger, before adding: “There will simply be drones in Russia’s skies on a scale that has to be taken into account.” Most Western commercial airlines do not fly into …

Russia preparing massive strikes on energy infrastructure

Russia preparing massive strikes on energy infrastructure

Published by Sam Flores

Smoke rises from a fire at a large warehouse storing car tires and wheels following a Russian strike in the Bucha district on August 29, 2026 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Libkos | Getty Images News | Getty Images Russia’s Defense Ministry said it is planning “massive strikes” on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, days after launching a devastating attack on a warehouse near Kyiv, amplifying fears of another winter assault. In a post published Sunday via Telegram, Russia’s Defense Ministry framed the planned attacks as a response to the continued Ukrainian strikes against Russian energy sites. “In accordance with the received instructions, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation began preparing to launch massive strikes against Ukrainian energy facilities as a response to the continuing attacks of the Kiev regime against the Russian civil infrastructure and fuel and energy facilities,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said, according to a Google translation. The warning comes as the death toll from a Russian strike on a warehouse west of Kyiv on Friday evening rose to 38, with four people missing, according to …