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Skip next section Russian strike damages Kyiv war memorialRussian strike damages Kyiv war memorial
In 2023, Ukraine replaced a Soviet-era motif on the statue with a Ukraine oneImage: Efrem Lukatsky/APA Russian overnight attack has damaged part of Kyiv's iconic Motherland Monument, Ukrainian officials say.
Culture Minister Tetyana Berezhna said on social media that the strike hit a site dedicated to remembrance of World War II.
"It is both symbolic and cynical: the aggressor state strikes at a place of remembrance of the struggle against aggression in the 20th century, repeating its crimes in the 21st century," Berezhna wrote on social media.
Skip next section German prosecutors break alleged Russia embargo networkGerman prosecutors break alleged Russia embargo network
The suspects are accused of arranging about 16,000 shipments to Russia worth at least €30 million (roughly $35 million), despite EU embargoes.
The five were arrested during morning raids on Monday across several German states, federal prosecutors said. Investigators targeted a German-Russian shareholder and managing director of a trading company based in the northern city of Lübeck.
Prosecutors said that since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the suspects used the company to procure goods for Russian industry and export them to Russia. Investigators believe Russian state bodies were involved and said the goods ultimately reached at least 24 listed Russian defense firms.
To conceal the trades, the group allegedly used an additional shell company in Lübeck and multiple front buyers inside and outside the EU, prosecutors said. A Russian company was also involved, with the main suspect holding a senior role, according to the statement. The aim was to circumvent EU embargo rules.
Skip next section Zelenskyy says Russia choosing strikes over talksZelenskyy says Russia choosing strikes over talks
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia is prioritising more attacks over peace talks, after it fired dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones at Ukraine overnight.
"Taking advantage of the coldest days of winter to terrorize people is more important to Russia than turning to diplomacy," Zelenskyy wrote on social media.
He added that Russian forces had attacked with "more than 70 missiles in total, as well as 450 attack drones."
Skip next section Germany rejects Moscow claim of revanchist Ukraine policyGermany rejects Moscow claim of revanchist Ukraine policy
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has rejected accusations from Moscow that Berlin's support for Ukraine is driven by revanchism, saying Russia is trying to distract from its own conduct.
Russia earlier accused Germany of pursuing revenge fantasies in its Ukraine policy. The claims were set out in a Russian Foreign Ministry statement issued after Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s annual press conference.
Speaking during a meeting with New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters in the Bay of Islands on New Zealand's North Island, Wadephul said Russia was seeking to divert attention from its present-day actions.
He said Germany had no problem confronting its own past and acknowledged the decisive role of the Soviet Union in defeating Nazi rule during World War II. Wadephul said Germany recognized that victims of Nazi aggression included people from Ukraine as well as other nations of the former Soviet Union, and said this was not disputed in Germany.
At the same time, he said Berlin would not accept attempts to silence criticism of Russia's current behavior and would continue to speak out clearly about what he described as Russia’s criminal conduct.
Skip next section Ukraine tightens Starlink access after Russian drone useUkraine tightens Starlink access after Russian drone use
Ukraine has secured changes from SpaceX that make it harder for Russia to use Starlink satellite connections, following an appeal from Kyiv over drones operating in freezing combat conditions.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on Telegram on Sunday that joint steps with SpaceX had delivered rapid results against Russian drones. He said the next step would introduce a system allowing only authorized terminals to operate inside Ukraine, adding that "unverified terminals will be deactivated."
The move followed reports that Russian drones were using Starlink connections, prompting Ukraine's Defense Ministry to contact SpaceX, owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk. Ukrainian officials said Russia had obtained equipment for the Starlink network through third countries and integrated it into combat drones, reducing their vulnerability to Ukrainian air defenses.
Fedorov has said Starlink systems have been critical to Ukraine's resilience since the start of the war, as the country has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion with Western support for nearly four years.
How reliable is Starlink as a wartime communications line?
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Skip next section Kyiv hit again as truce collapses in deep coldKyiv hit again as truce collapses in deep cold
Russia has resumed strikes on Kyiv, Ukrainian officials have said, as a week-long truce announced by US President Donald Trump has given way torenewed attacks in freezing conditions.
Trump said on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to halt strikes on Kyiv and "various towns" during cold weather. Ukraine said Moscow had continued its attacks.
Kyiv was struck "in the bitter cold with another massive strike" overnight, Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city's military administration, said on Telegram. He urged residents to stay in shelters and later said two people were wounded.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Tuesday that 1,170 residential buildings in the capital were left without heating after the strikes resumed.
In the eastern city of Kharkiv, two people were wounded by Russian shelling, regional military chief Oleg Synegubov said. The hours-long attack targeted energy infrastructure and aimed to "cause maximum destruction... and leave the city without heat during severe frost," he wrote.
Authorities cut heating to more than 800 homes to prevent the wider network from freezing, Synegubov said, urging residents to use round-the-clock "invincibility points" if they needed to warm up. Such points provide heat, water, electricity, mobile communication, and other services to residents during wartime blackout.
Power outages plunge Kyiv and other regions in darkness
Skip next section Welcome to our coverageWelcome to our coverage
Hello and here is our latest coverage of Russia's war in Ukraine, as Moscow resumes its strikes on the capital, Kyiv.
Ukrainian officials say Russian attacks resumed after the short truce announced by Donald Trump.
Kyiv was hit overnight "in the bitter cold," the city's military chief Tymur Tkachenko said.
Follow along for the latest updates.
Curated by Sofia Andersson
