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Russian Patriarch Kirill leads a Christmas mass at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow on Friday. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool/AFP/Getty Images) Russian President Vladimir Putin praised in a holiday message the Russian Orthodox Church and religious organizations for supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine .  In a message marking the Orthodox Christmas, Putin said the "serene" holiday "inspires noble deeds and aspirations," according to a transcript released by the Kremlin on Saturday. “This serene holiday, beloved by all, inspires noble deeds and aspirations, and serves to reinforce in society such eternal spiritual values and moral constants as mercy, empathy, kindness and justice," Putin said. "It…

Children watch television in a basement where neighbors gather to seek protection from shelling by Russian forces December 22 in the city of Bakhmut. (Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP/Getty Images) At least 453 children have been killed and at least 877 have been injured since the start of the war in Ukraine, the country's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Saturday.  "Since February 24, 2022 [Russia] had killed 453 [Ukrainian] children and injured 877," Reznikov said in a Twitter post. "However, real numbers are much higher. russia has been committing war crimes and has no plans to stop. #tribunal4russia," he said.  It comes after UNICEF warned last month that Russian strikes on critical infrastructure in Ukraine have put the physical and mental health of "almost every child" in the country "at desperate risk." “Millions of children are facing a bleak…

The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine highly appreciated the activity of Ukrainian partisans who help destroy enemies on the TOT. In the first weeks of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, the Allies wondered where the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine had such “real-time” data. “We received so many tips, almost every Ukrainian who had a phone reported where the Russian military is currently stationed,” Deputy Head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine Vadym Skibitsky told German journalists. The agency stressed that at the beginning of the invasion, in each village, the Armed Forces of Ukraine could accurately show how many…

When it comes to the war in Ukraine, about the only thing that’s certain right now is that the fighting and destruction will continue. Vladimir Putin remains fully committed to bringing all of Ukraine back under Russian control or — failing that — destroying it as a viable country. He believes it is his historical destiny — his messianic mission — to reestablish the Russian Empire and, as Zbigniew Brzezinski observed years ago, there can be no Russian Empire without Ukraine. Both of us have dealt with Putin on a number of occasions, and we are convinced he believes time…

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his defense minister to implement a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine for 36 hours this week to allow Orthodox Christians to attend Christmas services, according to a Kremlin statement Thursday. But the proposal was swiftly dismissed as “hypocrisy” by Ukrainian officials. Putin’s order came after the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, called for a ceasefire between January 6 and January 7, when many Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas. But Ukrainian officials voiced skepticism about the temporary ceasefire, saying Moscow just wanted a pause to gather reserves, equipment and ammunition. During his…

A preliminary detention centre which, was allegedly used by Russian service members to jail and torture people, before they retreated from Kherson, Ukraine, November 16. Ukrainian authorities on Tuesday detailed allegations of what they called “torture chambers” discovered in a village in the Mykolaiv region and the city of Kherson.  Mykolaiv's regional prosecutor's office, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and forensic experts with the National Police of Ukraine established the location of an alleged “torture chamber” in the village of Oleksandrivka, in the southern Mykolaiv region, after it was taken back from Russian occupation, according to statements from the regional prosecutor’s office…

The Netherlands will do everything it can to help Ukraine not only defend itself, but also win the war. “Ukraine has held its own against Russia’s barbaric invasion for almost a year now. The months ahead are crucial. I just spoke to President Zelensky and assured him that the Netherlands will do everything it can to help Ukraine not only defend itself, but also win the war,” Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte posted on Twitter. As reported, the Netherlands will allocate EUR 2.5 billion to support Ukraine in 2023. Read also: Zelensky, Rutte discuss next Ramstein format meeting…

In November, a US military chief put the number of Russian soldiers killed or wounded in the Ukraine war at over 100,000 Facing a series of setbacks on the battlefield, Russian President Vladimir Putin in September drafted up 300,000 additional troops. The ‘partial mobilization’ meant that citizens who were in the reserve could be called up, and those with military experience would be subject to conscription, Putin said at the time. The move prompted an exodus from Russia as thousands of military-age men fled the country rather than face the risk of conscription. Video footage showed long lines of traffic…

“Your money is not charity," the Ukrainian president said, but "an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.” Dressed in a modest military-green pullover, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived at the joint session of Congress to sustained, standing applause. His message to Congress and to the American people: Thank you; do more; our fight is your fight; and most importantly, “Ukraine will never surrender.”  In his address, Zelenskyy drew a parallel between Ukraine’s plight and the American colonies’ fight for independence.  “Your well-being is the product of your national security. The result…

Out on the frontline, near the eastern Ukrainian city of Lyman, on 8 November at 15.10, a Russian serviceman called Andrey decided to ignore the orders of his superiors and call his mother with an unauthorised mobile phone. “No one feeds us anything, mum,” he complained. “Our supply is shit, to be honest. We draw water from puddles, then we strain it and drink it.” Russian forces had been on the back foot in the Donetsk oblast for weeks. Lyman, taken by the Russians in May, was liberated by Ukrainian forces in October. Two days before Andrey made his afternoon…