Official: 22 Ukrainian POWs return home in latest prisoner exchange

1:22 AM

EU widens sanctions on Iran for supporting Russia's war.

The expanded sanctions focus on vessels and ports involved in transporting Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), missiles, and related technologies and components.

11:45 PM

UNESCO condemns recent Russian attack on historic center of Odesa.

A UNESCO mission, led by Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, head of the UNESCO Office in Ukraine, arrived on Nov. 16 to inspect recently damaged cultural heritage sites. The organization has not yet released the results of the assessments.

11:28 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Russia hits residential area in Odesa, kills 10, injures 55

12:41 PM  (Updated:  November 18, 2024 11:26 pm)

Russian missile attack on Odesa kills 10, injures 55.

Ten people have been reported killed and 55 injured. The fatalities included seven police officers, a medic, and two civilian residents.

11:02 PM

War analysis

Ukraine aid key to battling Russian invasion — Can Europe fill the gap if Trump pulls the plug?

9:41 PM

Borrell confirms US authorization for Ukraine to strike deep into Russia with missiles up to 300 km in range.

"The Biden administration has authorized the use of its weapons up to 300 kilometers inside Russian territory," the European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said. "The American administration said no for a long time, and they ended up saying yes."

8:22 PM

Duda criticizes Scholz's call to Putin, saying 'it's a mistake.'

Polish President Andrzej Duda expressed doubts that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin was agreed with the allies.

7:58 PM

Chemical weapons

UN watchdog confirms riot control agent used on Ukraine battlefield.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed on Nov. 18 that a riot control agent known as CS has been used in Ukraine, as evidence mounts that Russia has scaled up its attacks using chemical weapons in recent months.

7:33 PM

'Unprecedented escalation' — Fico criticizes US for permitting use of ATACMS to strike Russia.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, known for echoing Moscow's talking points, claimed that U.S. President Joe Biden has authorized the use of ATACMS against targets in Russia "to disrupt or delay peace talks completely."

7:17 PM

Russia uses cheap decoy drones to overload Ukraine's air defense, Ukrainian intelligence says.

Russian manufacturers use components from the U.S., China, the Netherlands, and Switzerland to produce the Gerbera drone, a cheaper and less deadly equivalent of Iran's Shahed, at a plant in Yelabuga, in the Republic of Tatarstan, central Russia.

7:17 PM

Ukraine's small towns see unexpected attention from a US entrepreneur

6:12 PM

'Nothing new under the sun' — German, French foreign ministers react on Ukrainian long-range strikes.

"Ukrainians shouldn't have to wait for rockets to cross the border — they should be able to destroy launch sites directly," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said.

5:24 PM

Turkey's peace plan for war in Ukraine 'unacceptable,' Russia says.

"The option of freezing the line of military conflict is unacceptable for the Russian side," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in comments reported by Interfax.

5:21 PM

Drones

‘Battle-tested in Ukraine’ — How US drone makers turned Ukraine into a tagline to sell west

5:09 PM

Opinion

Opinion: What Trump’s past statements reveal about the future of US-Ukraine relations

4:49 PM

Ukraine's GDP grows by 4.2% in 10 months of 2024.

The transportation and construction industries remain the drivers of the growth, as well as the manufacturing sector, said First Deputy Economy Minister Oleksii Sobolev in a statement.

4:44 PM

Opinion

Opinion: With Trump back, Europe can’t afford to guess on sanctions against Russia

4:19 PM

Zelensky visits key front-line town of Pokrovsk.

"A tense sector. It is only thanks to the strength of the soldiers that the east (of Ukraine) is not completely occupied by Russia. The enemy receives an answer every day," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

3:10 PM

Scholz's stance on Taurus unchanged despite US permission on long-range strikes.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has "made his position clear" on the matter and will "not change his position anymore," spokesperson Wolfgang Buchner told AFP.

2:34 PM

Zelensky to present 'resilience plan' to Ukrainian MPs on Nov 19.

The 10-point plan will address the front-line situation, the military-industrial complex, the economy and finance, regional development, and other strategic sectors.

1:59 PM

US aims to 'provoke further escalation' — Kremlin comments on long-range strikes.

"You know, with the reports in Western media, it is obvious that the outgoing administration in Washington intends to take steps... to add fuel to the fire and continue to provoke further escalation of tensions," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the media.

1:26 PM

Germany to provide Ukraine with 4,000 AI-powered 'Mini-Taurus' drones, Bild reports.

The German government is reportedly funding a contract concluded in September between tech defense firm Helsing and Ukraine for the supply of attack 4,000 drones.

1:02 PM

Turkish president to propose freezing Ukraine front line, Bloomberg reports.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will propose his own peace plan for Ukraine during the G20 talks commencing on Nov. 18, Bloomberg reported, citing undisclosed sources.

11:52 AM

German Greens chancellor candidate says he would send Taurus to Ukraine if elected.

The German Green Party's candidate for chancellor, incumbent Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, told the ARD television channel on Nov. 17 that if elected, he would greenlight the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.

10:01 AM  (Updated:  November 18, 2024 11:21 am)

'Step toward World War III' — Russian MPs react to long-range strike permission reports.

"This is a very big step towards the start of World War III," lawmaker Vladimir Dzhabarov said, according to Russia’s state-owned TASS state news agency.