US Senate moves forward $95 billion Ukraine, Israel aid package
The U.S. Senate overcame a significant obstacle on Feb. 12 to propel a $95.3 billion foreign aid bill forward, which includes support for Ukraine and Israel.
Team
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
The U.S. Senate overcame a significant obstacle on Feb. 12 to propel a $95.3 billion foreign aid bill forward, which includes support for Ukraine and Israel.
President Volodymyr Zelensky is reportedly planning a Western European tour which coincides with this week's Munich Security Conference. This move comes as Zelensky hopes to garner military support amidst the ongoing funding dispute in Washington.
Ukrainian air defense destroyed 40 of the 45 Shahed-type drones Russia launched from the occupied Crimea, the Air Force reported on Feb. 11.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 10 if reelected, he would endorse Russia to do "whatever the hell they want" to NATO member countries failing to meet defense spending criteria, in a declaration indicating his disregard for the alliance's collective-defense principle.
Ukrainian pilots are "very impressed" with American-made F-16 fighter jets, the Ukrainian service of the Voice of America reported.
Russian forces launched 28 attacks on Ukraine's northeastern Sumy Oblast on Feb. 10 targeting eight communities, the regional administration reported. The shelling caused at least 150 explosions in the area.
Ukrainian air defense destroyed 10 of the 16 Shahed-type drones Russia launched from the Cape of Chauda in occupied Crimea and Russia's Kursk region, the Air Force reported on Feb. 9.
A fire broke out at the Ilsky oil refinery in Russia's southern Krasnodar Krai, which was put out within an hour, according to regional authorities. There were no further details on the cause of the fire.
Russian forces launched 41 attacks on Ukraine's northeastern Sumy Oblast on Feb. 8 targeting 11 communities, the regional administration reported. The shelling caused at least 251 explosions in the area.
Explosions rocked the skies above Kyiv in the morning of Feb. 7 amid Russia's latest mass missile attack, according to the Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents to remain in shelters.
Air raid alerts were activated in all Ukrainian oblasts and in the city of Kyiv at around 6 a.m. local time on Feb. 7 following the Air Force warning of incoming cruise missiles.
Russian forces launched at least 51 separate attacks throughout the day, firing at 10 communities along the border on Feb. 5, injuring eight civilians and killing one, the regional administration reported.
Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR), hopes that Canada could hand over to Ukraine tens of thousands of rockets that are awaiting demolition at one of the country's military bases.
Despite imposed sanctions over the war in Ukraine, millions of barrels of fuel derived from Russian oil continue to be imported into the U.K., BBC reports citing findings by Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air as well as Global Witness.
Ukrainian air defense destroyed nine of the 14 Shahed-type drones Russia launched from Primorsko-Akhtarsk and from Chauda in Russian-occupied Crimea, the Air Force reported on Feb. 3.
A fire broke out at the Volgograd oil refinery overnight on Feb. 3, regional governor Andrei Bocharov reported via Telegram.
Through open source research, Mediazona, a Russian independent media outlet, together with BBC Russia, confirmed the names of 43,460 Russian soldiers who had been killed since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Months after approval by Bulgaria's parliament and government, 100 armored vehicles once belonging to the country's Interior Ministry are now en route to Ukraine, Defense Minister Todor Tagarev said on Feb. 2.
Russian forces shelled Sumy Oblast 102 times in 33 separate attacks on Feb. 2, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported. No casualties or damage to civilian infrastructure were reported.
Ukrainian air defense units shot down two of the four attack Shahed-type drones that Russia launched overnight, the Air Force reported on Feb. 1. The two drones were intercepted over Kharkiv Oblast.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed 11 drones were shot down over Belgorod, Kursk and Voronezh regions overnight on Feb. 1. Russian air defense systems reportedly intercepted eight drones over Belgorod region, two over Voronezh region and one over Kursk region.
Russian forces shelled northeastern Sumy Oblast 216 times in 43 separate attacks throughout Jan. 31, according to the Sumy Oblast Military Administration.
Ukraine shot down four out of eight Shahed-type attack drones launched by Russia overnight on Jan. 28, the Air Force said in its morning update.
Russian military representatives organize open days in Belarusian district centers, inviting citizens to join Russian military academies and become officers, the National Resistance Center reported on Jan. 27.
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) announced on Jan. 27 the discovery of a corruption scheme related to the procurement of almost 100,000 mortar shells, amounting to nearly $40 million.
Russian forces shelled Ukraine's northeastern Sumy Oblast 15 times on Jan. 27, firing at 10 communities and causing over 90 explosions, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported.
The United Nations disclosed that in 2022 it initiated the opening of a Russian bank account due to complications arising from Western sanctions affecting conventional payment channels. The UN has received membership fees from three Russian banks for a climate funding program through the account, Reuters reports.
Despite sanctions, Russia imported advanced chips valued at more than $1 billion from U.S. and European companies during the initial nine months of 2023, according to classified data from the Russian customs service obtained by Bloomberg.
Ukraine shot down 11 out of 14 Shahed-type attack drones launched by Russia overnight on Jan. 25, the Air Force said in its morning update.
Russian forces shelled Sumy Oblast 12 times, firing at eight communities along the border on Jan. 24, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported.
Russian forces shelled Ukraine's northeastern Sumy Oblast 40 times on Jan. 22, firing at eight communities and causing over 180 explosions, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported.
Russian forces launched seven Shahed-136/131 attack drones against Ukraine overnight on Jan. 19, four of which were shot down by Ukraine's air defense, according to a morning update from the General Staff.