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US, UK, French Military Destroy Houthi Drones After Being Targeted
CAIRO — U.S., French and British forces downed dozens of drones in the Red Sea area overnight and Saturday after Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis targeted bulk carrier Propel Fortune and U.S. destroyers in the region, the U.S. military said in a statement. The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November in what they say is a campaign of solidarity …
Russian Hackers Breach Microsoft Core Software Systems
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS — Microsoft said Friday it’s still trying to evict the elite Russian government hackers who broke into the email accounts of senior company executives in November and who it said have been trying to breach customer networks with stolen access data. The hackers from Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service used data obtained in the intrusion, which Microsoft disclosed in mid-January, to compromise some source-code …
Ukraine Says Russia Dropped Bomb on Kherson
Kyiv, Ukraine — Ukraine said Saturday a Russian bomb landed near a block of flats in the southern city of Kherson overnight wounding a child, while a teenage boy died in shelling elsewhere. “Last night, the Russian army struck the city with a bomb. The shell landed near a five-story building,” Kherson’s administration said on social media. It published a video of a destroyed building, with …
NATO Conducts Largest Military Exercise Since Cold War
Sweden became the 32nd member of NATO Thursday, as alliance troops participated in the bloc’s Steadfast Defender exercise this week. This operation aims to foster compatibility and cooperation on the battlefield among member nations, enhancing the alliance’s capacity to counter provocative behavior from the Russian Federation. Eastern Europe chief Myroslava Gongadze reports from the training ground in Poland. …
Ukrainians Respond to Biden’s State of the Union Address
Anna Chernikova is in Kyiv, gauging Ukrainians’ reactions to the State of the Union speech by U.S. President Joe Biden. …
Western Flight Suits Help Save Ukrainian Fighter Jet Pilots’ Lives
A pair of American aviators are helping Ukrainian fighter jet and helicopter pilots get some vital equipment. The gear is being donated by American and European pilots. Mariia Prus has the story. …
Zelenskyy Due in Istanbul for Erdogan Talks on War, Black Sea
Istanbul — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was due in Istanbul on Friday for talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the war with Russia and navigation on the Black Sea. The two leaders were set to meet at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul and hold a news conference on Friday evening, according to plans published by the Turkish presidency. Zelenskyy’s office said the pair …
Sweden Formally Joins NATO, Prompted by Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
Sweden formally joined the NATO military alliance Thursday, a decision officials said was prompted by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The announcement came as the alliance was conducting large-scale exercises above the Arctic Circle as a show of force and unity. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports. …
LA Russians Send Letters to Support Female Political Prisoners in Their Homeland
Imprisonment based on political dissent is especially difficult for women, says Nadya Tolokonnikova, a creator of Pussy Riot, and someone who spent 16 months in a Russian prison. The Russian diaspora in Los Angeles gathered to write letters of support to women incarcerated on political grounds in their homeland. VOA News reports from Los Angeles, California; Steve Baragona narrates. …
Ukraine’s Sea Drone Technology Gaining Significance
Ukrainian officials say the Russian military patrol ship Sergey Kotov sank in the Black Sea after being targeted by Ukrainian-made sea drones. The reported hit is calling attention to drones as effective weapons to keep Russian forces from taking control of the Black Sea. VOA Eastern Europe Bureau Chief Myroslava Gongadze gained exclusive access to the development and testing site of this cutting-edge drone technology. …
With Turkmenistan Gas Deal, Turkey Aims to Become Regional Energy Hub
Turkey and Turkmenistan have agreed to work toward a major gas export deal, which analysts say takes Ankara closer to becoming a significant energy hub and eases Europe’s energy deficit. But they also warn that Moscow can yet thwart such aspirations. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …
Sweden Set to Become NATO’s 32nd Member as PM Visits Washington
WASHINGTON/STOCKHOLM — Sweden is expected to formally join NATO in Washington on Thursday, two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced a complete rethink of its national security policy and the realization the alliance offered the best guarantee of safety. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is in Washington to hand over the final documentation, with the White House saying in a statement ahead of President Joe …
Strikes Hobble German Railways, Airports as Disputes Mount
COLOGNE, Germany — Germany faced strikes on several fronts on Thursday, as train drivers and airport workers walked off the job, causing chaos for millions of travelers and adding to the country’s economic woes at a time of looming recession. The strikes are the latest in a wave of industrial actions to hit Germany, where high inflation and staff bottlenecks have soured wage negotiations in key …
US Indictment Details Russian Oligarch’s Sanctions-Busting Scheme
washington — On Facebook, Vadim Wolfson makes his political position clear. His profile picture shows him in a baseball cap emblazoned with the words “Puck Futin,” while his banner image features a Russian anti-war flag. In words and memes, Wolfson criticizes Russian President Vladimir Putin, top Russian officials and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But Wolfson — who formerly went by the last name Belyaev and …
What’s on Pyongyang’s Weapons Shopping List in Moscow?
Washington — Moscow has a range of military technologies that it could offer Pyongyang in exchange for munitions to sustain its war in Ukraine, with advanced missile technologies high on the list, analysts say. North Korea has been providing munitions to Russia since its leader, Kim Jong Un, visited Russia last September and met with President Vladimir Putin. Since September, Pyongyang has shipped about 6,700 containers …
Czech Parliament Toughens Gun Laws After Country’s Worst Mass Shooting
PRAGUE — The Czech Parliament’s upper house, the Senate followed the lower house on Wednesday to approve changes in the gun law that tighten requirements for owning a weapon following the worst mass killing in the nation’s history. The legislation now must be signed by President Petr Pavel before becoming law, which is expected. On December 22, a lone shooter killed 14 people and wounded dozens …
Russia Jails Journalist for Criticizing Ukraine Offensive
Korolyov, Russia — A Russian court on Wednesday sentenced a journalist to seven years in prison for criticizing the Ukraine offensive in social media posts. Roman Ivanov, 51, was found guilty of spreading “false information” about Russia’s armed forces and punished under Moscow’s strict military censorship laws. Moscow has used laws against “discrediting” the armed forces or publishing “false information” to stamp out public criticism of …