Breaking news: Evan Gershkovich, others to be freed in U.S.-Russia prisoner swap, Turkish presidency says
In the largest prisoner exchange since the height of the Cold War, officials of the United States, Russia, Germany and other countries met on an airfield tarmac in Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday and were swapping at least two dozen people, the Turkish presidency said — capping months of painstaking diplomacy involving negotiations at the highest levels of multiple governments.
Those to be released included American journalist Evan Gershkovich of the Wall Street Journal, who was accused of espionage without any known evidence, and Paul Whelan, a former Marine jailed for more than five years after an espionage conviction the United States called baseless, as well as several Russian dissidents who demanded freedom and democracy or criticized the war in Ukraine, including Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post Opinions contributor.
Read more here.
In the largest prisoner exchange since the height of the Cold War, officials of the United States, Russia, Germany and other countries met on an airfield tarmac in Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday and were swapping at least two dozen people, the Turkish presidency said — capping months of painstaking diplomacy involving negotiations at the highest levels of multiple governments.
Those to be released included American journalist Evan Gershkovich of the Wall Street Journal, who was accused of espionage without any known evidence, and Paul Whelan, a former Marine jailed for more than five years after an espionage conviction the United States called baseless, as well as several Russian dissidents who demanded freedom and democracy or criticized the war in Ukraine, including Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post Opinions contributor.
Read more here.
A list of people freed in prisoner swap deal with Russia
It’s the largest international prisoner exchange since the Cold War. Through this complicated deal, journalists, a former U.S. Marine and political activists were freed by Russia in exchange for the release of a convicted Russian assassin imprisoned in Germany and several Russian intelligence operatives and hackers held in the United States and Europe.
Here is a complete list of who was released as well as the Americans still being held in Russia.
Read the full story here.
It’s the largest international prisoner exchange since the Cold War. Through this complicated deal, journalists, a former U.S. Marine and political activists were freed by Russia in exchange for the release of a convicted Russian assassin imprisoned in Germany and several Russian intelligence operatives and hackers held in the United States and Europe.
Here is a complete list of who was released as well as the Americans still being held in Russia.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine watches warily as prisoner swap proves Moscow and West can negotiate
Ukrainian officials had no direct part in Thursday’s monumental prisoner exchange between Russia and the West. But as news of the swap spread, some wondered what the deal negotiated with Ukraine’s invading tormentor could mean for their country.
Top officials, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, did not comment on the trade. But the size, complexity and importance of the swap did not go unnoticed — a difficult and secret diplomatic process that involved officials in nine countries.
On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov squashed any speculation that the prisoner deal could lead to negotiations over ending the war in Ukraine. But there has long been anxiety in Kyiv that supporters, especially the United States, might begin secret talks with Moscow. Ukrainian officials insisted on Friday that they would hold President Biden to his oft-repeated promise: “Nothing about Ukraine, without Ukraine.”
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian officials had no direct part in Thursday’s monumental prisoner exchange between Russia and the West. But as news of the swap spread, some wondered what the deal negotiated with Ukraine’s invading tormentor could mean for their country.
Top officials, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, did not comment on the trade. But the size, complexity and importance of the swap did not go unnoticed — a difficult and secret diplomatic process that involved officials in nine countries.
On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov squashed any speculation that the prisoner deal could lead to negotiations over ending the war in Ukraine. But there has long been anxiety in Kyiv that supporters, especially the United States, might begin secret talks with Moscow. Ukrainian officials insisted on Friday that they would hold President Biden to his oft-repeated promise: “Nothing about Ukraine, without Ukraine.”
Read the full story here.
Kremlin hails return of spies but says swap won’t end fight over Ukraine
As journalist Evan Gershkovich and other Americans released in a historic prisoner exchange arrived in Texas for medical treatment, and freed members of the Russian opposition reunited joyfully in Cologne, Germany, the Kremlin on Friday voiced triumph at bringing home elite spies and an operative convicted of murder.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also swiftly squashed any suggestion that the swap — the most complex since the Cold War — marked any thawing of relations that could open the way for peace talks in the war against Ukraine. His remarks suggested that releasing prisoners was a low common denominator of mutual interests.
“If we are talking about Ukraine and more complex international problems, this is a completely different matter,” Peskov said, asked by The Post if the exchange was a sign that Russia would be ready to compromise and end the invasion of its neighbor.
Read the full story here.
As journalist Evan Gershkovich and other Americans released in a historic prisoner exchange arrived in Texas for medical treatment, and freed members of the Russian opposition reunited joyfully in Cologne, Germany, the Kremlin on Friday voiced triumph at bringing home elite spies and an operative convicted of murder.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also swiftly squashed any suggestion that the swap — the most complex since the Cold War — marked any thawing of relations that could open the way for peace talks in the war against Ukraine. His remarks suggested that releasing prisoners was a low common denominator of mutual interests.
“If we are talking about Ukraine and more complex international problems, this is a completely different matter,” Peskov said, asked by The Post if the exchange was a sign that Russia would be ready to compromise and end the invasion of its neighbor.
Read the full story here.
First F-16 fighter jets have arrived in Ukraine, Zelensky confirms
Ukraine has received and is already using its first batch of F-16 fighter jets, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday. Their arrival provides the country with a much-needed morale boost in its grinding war against Russia, though experts say they are unlikely to have a major impact on the battlefield.
“F-16s are in Ukraine. We made it happen,” Zelensky said in comments posted in a video on Telegram and on the official presidential website. “I am proud of all our guys who master with high quality these planes and have already started using them for our state.”
Belgium, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands have pledged to supply Ukraine with the American-made F-16s. Zelensky did not provide further details about how many planes had been delivered, which nations had supplied them or how they were being utilized.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine has received and is already using its first batch of F-16 fighter jets, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday. Their arrival provides the country with a much-needed morale boost in its grinding war against Russia, though experts say they are unlikely to have a major impact on the battlefield.
“F-16s are in Ukraine. We made it happen,” Zelensky said in comments posted in a video on Telegram and on the official presidential website. “I am proud of all our guys who master with high quality these planes and have already started using them for our state.”
Belgium, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands have pledged to supply Ukraine with the American-made F-16s. Zelensky did not provide further details about how many planes had been delivered, which nations had supplied them or how they were being utilized.
Read the full story here.
Mali cuts ties with Ukraine, claiming Kyiv’s involvement in rebel attacks
KYIV — Mali has announced that it has cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of involvement in attacks on Malian soldiers in the West African country in late July.
The Ukrainian government said no evidence was provided to support the allegation.
But the announcement came late Sunday after Andriy Yusov, spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence agency the GUR, commented on fierce battles in northern Mali between Tuareg rebels and Malian and Russian paramilitary troops on Ukrainian government-backed TV.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — Mali has announced that it has cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of involvement in attacks on Malian soldiers in the West African country in late July.
The Ukrainian government said no evidence was provided to support the allegation.
But the announcement came late Sunday after Andriy Yusov, spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence agency the GUR, commented on fierce battles in northern Mali between Tuareg rebels and Malian and Russian paramilitary troops on Ukrainian government-backed TV.
Read the full story here.
Putin calls cross-border attack in Kursk region a ‘provocation’
Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed Wednesday that Ukrainian forces had crossed the border into the Kursk region of western Russia and carried out an attack, describing the operation as a large-scale “provocation.”
“The Kyiv regime has launched another major provocation,” Putin told members of the Russian government at a meeting, claiming that Ukraine was “firing indiscriminately” using various types of weapons, including rockets, “at civilian buildings, residential houses, ambulances.”
Putin’s statement followed a Russian Defense Ministry announcement late Tuesday night that up to “300 Ukrainian militants” launched a cross-border attack on Tuesday morning and had entered Russian territory along with “11 tanks and more than 200 armored vehicles.”
Kursk borders Ukraine’s Sumy region. Russia’s Defense Ministry said Russian forces had repelled the attack.
Read the full story here.
Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed Wednesday that Ukrainian forces had crossed the border into the Kursk region of western Russia and carried out an attack, describing the operation as a large-scale “provocation.”
“The Kyiv regime has launched another major provocation,” Putin told members of the Russian government at a meeting, claiming that Ukraine was “firing indiscriminately” using various types of weapons, including rockets, “at civilian buildings, residential houses, ambulances.”
Putin’s statement followed a Russian Defense Ministry announcement late Tuesday night that up to “300 Ukrainian militants” launched a cross-border attack on Tuesday morning and had entered Russian territory along with “11 tanks and more than 200 armored vehicles.”
Kursk borders Ukraine’s Sumy region. Russia’s Defense Ministry said Russian forces had repelled the attack.
Read the full story here.
Battles persist in Russia’s Kursk region; Ukraine said to occupy villages
In what appears to be Ukraine’s largest incursion into Russia more than two years after Russian forces invaded the country, fighting continued for a third day in the Kursk region.
Russian military bloggers claimed Ukrainian forces had occupied several border villages and part of the town of Sudzha.
The blogger reports could not be independently verified, and Ukrainian officials for days have declined to comment on the unusual operation.
Previous Ukrainian offensives into Russia were led by anti-Putin volunteer militias not formally affiliated with Ukraine’s Armed Forces. However, this assault appears to involve regular Ukrainian brigades, according to Russian officials, who claimed that some 1,000 troops with armored vehicles and tanks crossed the border on Tuesday from Ukraine’s Sunny region.
Read the full story here.
In what appears to be Ukraine’s largest incursion into Russia more than two years after Russian forces invaded the country, fighting continued for a third day in the Kursk region.
Russian military bloggers claimed Ukrainian forces had occupied several border villages and part of the town of Sudzha.
The blogger reports could not be independently verified, and Ukrainian officials for days have declined to comment on the unusual operation.
Previous Ukrainian offensives into Russia were led by anti-Putin volunteer militias not formally affiliated with Ukraine’s Armed Forces. However, this assault appears to involve regular Ukrainian brigades, according to Russian officials, who claimed that some 1,000 troops with armored vehicles and tanks crossed the border on Tuesday from Ukraine’s Sunny region.
Read the full story here.
The rescue worker and the opera star: Love and fear in wartime Ukraine
As Russia pummels Kharkiv with drones, missiles and glide bombs, Oleksii Skorlupin and his wife are each working to keep their city alive — in their own, very different ways.
He is a rescue worker who digs civilians out from rubble after Russian attacks. His wife, Yulia Antonova, is the lead singer of the Kharkiv Opera, performing for locals on a basement stage.
Under constant threat of airstrikes, the couple are raising their two young children in the vulnerable northeastern city, far from their hometowns and while separated from their parents and other relatives who are living under Russian occupation in Crimea and the southeastern city of Melitopol.
As Ukraine braces for international pressure to negotiate with Russia, the experience of people like Skorlupin and Antonova defies Russian President Vladimir Putin’s narrative that the land he aims to conquer belongs to Moscow.
Read the full story here.
As Russia pummels Kharkiv with drones, missiles and glide bombs, Oleksii Skorlupin and his wife are each working to keep their city alive — in their own, very different ways.
He is a rescue worker who digs civilians out from rubble after Russian attacks. His wife, Yulia Antonova, is the lead singer of the Kharkiv Opera, performing for locals on a basement stage.
Under constant threat of airstrikes, the couple are raising their two young children in the vulnerable northeastern city, far from their hometowns and while separated from their parents and other relatives who are living under Russian occupation in Crimea and the southeastern city of Melitopol.
As Ukraine braces for international pressure to negotiate with Russia, the experience of people like Skorlupin and Antonova defies Russian President Vladimir Putin’s narrative that the land he aims to conquer belongs to Moscow.
Read the full story here.
Russians evacuated from Kursk, as Putin grapples with Ukrainian incursion
Nearly a week into a stunning Ukrainian incursion into western Russia, the acting governor of the Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, told President Vladimir Putin and other security officials Monday the situation is “complicated,” with Kyiv’s forces having advanced 7½ miles into the country and now in control of more than two dozen villages.
“As of today, the enemy is in control of 28 communities, having advanced 12 kilometers into the Kursk region on a 40-kilometer-wide front,” Smirnov said, speaking via video conference. “For us, the problem is that there is no clear front line, no understanding of where the (Ukrainian) combat units are. It is very important to know where the enemy is and at what time.”
Putin, who convened the operational meeting with top security officials Monday, demanded that the military eject Ukrainian forces from Kursk and insisted that Russia would prevail.
Read the full story here.
Nearly a week into a stunning Ukrainian incursion into western Russia, the acting governor of the Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, told President Vladimir Putin and other security officials Monday the situation is “complicated,” with Kyiv’s forces having advanced 7½ miles into the country and now in control of more than two dozen villages.
“As of today, the enemy is in control of 28 communities, having advanced 12 kilometers into the Kursk region on a 40-kilometer-wide front,” Smirnov said, speaking via video conference. “For us, the problem is that there is no clear front line, no understanding of where the (Ukrainian) combat units are. It is very important to know where the enemy is and at what time.”
Putin, who convened the operational meeting with top security officials Monday, demanded that the military eject Ukrainian forces from Kursk and insisted that Russia would prevail.
Read the full story here.
Washington Post
Ukraine says captured Russian soldiers could be part of prisoner exchange
President Volodymyr Zelensky and his top military commander claimed more gains in advance in Kursk.
Ukraine says captured Russian soldiers could be part of prisoner exchange
KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his top military commander boasted Tuesday of continued success in Ukraine’s surprise incursion into western Russia, claiming further territorial gains and the capture of Russian forces whom Zelensky said could be exchanged for Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The statements from Zelensky and Oleksandr Syrsky, made a day after Zelensky for the first time acknowledged the ongoing operations in Kursk, seemed to imply that the thrust into Russian territory was part of a strategy for future negotiations and not an indefinite occupation.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his top military commander boasted Tuesday of continued success in Ukraine’s surprise incursion into western Russia, claiming further territorial gains and the capture of Russian forces whom Zelensky said could be exchanged for Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The statements from Zelensky and Oleksandr Syrsky, made a day after Zelensky for the first time acknowledged the ongoing operations in Kursk, seemed to imply that the thrust into Russian territory was part of a strategy for future negotiations and not an indefinite occupation.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine unleashes attacks on Russian airfields amid Kursk offensive
Ukraine’s military mounted its largest drone attack on Russian airfields since the 2022 invasion, targeting four key sites deep inside Russian territory with dozens of drones overnight, as its forces continued their advance in the Kursk region of southern Russia.
After rushing reinforcements to Kursk and announcing a “counterterrorism” operation led by top commanders, Russian forces have failed to halt the nine-day incursion, despite daily announcements from military officials that Ukrainian forces had been stopped.
A Ukrainian intelligence official said that Kyiv attacked an air base in Savasleyka, more than 400 miles from the Ukrainian border, near Nizhny Novgorod. The base houses MiG-31 warplanes that launch Kinzhal missiles, among Russia’s most advanced weapons. About 10 explosions were reported at the base, according to Russian independent media, quoting locals.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine’s military mounted its largest drone attack on Russian airfields since the 2022 invasion, targeting four key sites deep inside Russian territory with dozens of drones overnight, as its forces continued their advance in the Kursk region of southern Russia.
After rushing reinforcements to Kursk and announcing a “counterterrorism” operation led by top commanders, Russian forces have failed to halt the nine-day incursion, despite daily announcements from military officials that Ukrainian forces had been stopped.
A Ukrainian intelligence official said that Kyiv attacked an air base in Savasleyka, more than 400 miles from the Ukrainian border, near Nizhny Novgorod. The base houses MiG-31 warplanes that launch Kinzhal missiles, among Russia’s most advanced weapons. About 10 explosions were reported at the base, according to Russian independent media, quoting locals.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine says it has taken 100 more Russian soldiers in Kursk offensive
Ukraine’s intelligence service announced Thursday the capture of another 100 Russian soldiers during its 10-day-old incursion into the Kursk region, describing it as the “largest mass capture” of enemy soldiers at one time, amid talk they will be exchanged for Ukrainian captives.
A Ukrainian official said Russia has been in contact about a prisoner swap — something it had promised to discontinue after the incursion into the southern Kursk region took place.
Ukraine’s stunning move into Russia — the first such attack on the nation since World War II — appears to mark a major improvement in Kyiv’s position after a summer of steady losses.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine’s intelligence service announced Thursday the capture of another 100 Russian soldiers during its 10-day-old incursion into the Kursk region, describing it as the “largest mass capture” of enemy soldiers at one time, amid talk they will be exchanged for Ukrainian captives.
A Ukrainian official said Russia has been in contact about a prisoner swap — something it had promised to discontinue after the incursion into the southern Kursk region took place.
Ukraine’s stunning move into Russia — the first such attack on the nation since World War II — appears to mark a major improvement in Kyiv’s position after a summer of steady losses.
Read the full story here.
Exclusive: Ukraine’s offensive derails secret efforts for partial cease-fire with Russia, officials say
KYIV — Ukraine and Russia were set to send delegations to Doha this month to negotiate a landmark agreement halting strikes on energy and power infrastructure on both sides, diplomats and officials familiar with the discussions said, in what would have amounted to a partial cease-fire and offered a reprieve for both countries.
But the indirect talks, with the Qataris serving as mediators and meeting separately with the Ukrainian and Russian delegations, were derailed by Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia’s western Kursk region last week, according to the officials. The possible agreement and planned summit have not been previously reported.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — Ukraine and Russia were set to send delegations to Doha this month to negotiate a landmark agreement halting strikes on energy and power infrastructure on both sides, diplomats and officials familiar with the discussions said, in what would have amounted to a partial cease-fire and offered a reprieve for both countries.
But the indirect talks, with the Qataris serving as mediators and meeting separately with the Ukrainian and Russian delegations, were derailed by Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia’s western Kursk region last week, according to the officials. The possible agreement and planned summit have not been previously reported.
Read the full story here.
Analysis: Kremlin response to Kursk incursion shows how Putin freezes in a crisis
Faced with crisis, Vladimir Putin tends to freeze.
Moscow’s slow, fumbling military response to Ukraine’s surprise occupation of parts of the western Kursk region is the latest example of the Kremlin chief failing to respond with quick, decisive action to match his bellicose rhetoric.
The Kursk incursion is the fourth major blow to Putin’s authority since his February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and highlights the weaknesses of a top-down autocracy that operates largely on fear and punishment.
In each case — after Russia’s failure to topple the Ukrainian government at the start of the invasion, after the Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeniy Prigozhin led a rebellion against the regular Russia military command and after Islamist extremists struck the popular Crocus City Hall concert venue — the Kremlin’s response has been halting, with Putin waiting 24 hours or more to offer any public comment.
Read the full analysis here.
Faced with crisis, Vladimir Putin tends to freeze.
Moscow’s slow, fumbling military response to Ukraine’s surprise occupation of parts of the western Kursk region is the latest example of the Kremlin chief failing to respond with quick, decisive action to match his bellicose rhetoric.
The Kursk incursion is the fourth major blow to Putin’s authority since his February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and highlights the weaknesses of a top-down autocracy that operates largely on fear and punishment.
In each case — after Russia’s failure to topple the Ukrainian government at the start of the invasion, after the Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeniy Prigozhin led a rebellion against the regular Russia military command and after Islamist extremists struck the popular Crocus City Hall concert venue — the Kremlin’s response has been halting, with Putin waiting 24 hours or more to offer any public comment.
Read the full analysis here.
Russia closes in on Donetsk city despite Ukraine’s successes elsewhere
The successes Ukraine has announced in its two-week old incursion into Russia have not stopped the steady drive of Moscow’s forces into the eastern part of the country, forcing the evacuation of a key logistical hub Monday.
Officials in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk say that they are evacuating the population in case it falls to the Russian advance, which is now less than six miles from the city limits.
“[Russian forces] are moving toward the outskirts of Pokrovsk. We see — it is no secret,” said Katerina Yanzhula, head of information policy in the Pokrovsk military administration, by telephone, adding that it was unclear how much longer the city could hold out. “Maybe the situation there will somehow change — we hope that the enemy will stop somewhere on the approaches to Pokrovsk, that our troops will repel them.”
Read the full story here.
The successes Ukraine has announced in its two-week old incursion into Russia have not stopped the steady drive of Moscow’s forces into the eastern part of the country, forcing the evacuation of a key logistical hub Monday.
Officials in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk say that they are evacuating the population in case it falls to the Russian advance, which is now less than six miles from the city limits.
“[Russian forces] are moving toward the outskirts of Pokrovsk. We see — it is no secret,” said Katerina Yanzhula, head of information policy in the Pokrovsk military administration, by telephone, adding that it was unclear how much longer the city could hold out. “Maybe the situation there will somehow change — we hope that the enemy will stop somewhere on the approaches to Pokrovsk, that our troops will repel them.”
Read the full story here.
In Ukraine-controlled Sudzha, stranded Russian civilians question what’s next
The blue and yellow lines painted on two signposts at the entrance to this Russian town offered unmistakable evidence that some citizens of Russia are living under Kyiv’s control and Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine is really not going as planned.
On Saturday afternoon, 11 days after Ukrainian forces crossed into this Russian border region, soldiers patrolled Sudzha’s damaged streets with bright blue tape on their arms, scanning the sky for incoming drones. Graffiti covered the front of a store, renaming it “ATB,” a popular Ukrainian grocery chain. Russian flags had been removed from administration buildings, but blue-and-yellow Ukrainian ones were not flying.
Read the full story here.
The blue and yellow lines painted on two signposts at the entrance to this Russian town offered unmistakable evidence that some citizens of Russia are living under Kyiv’s control and Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine is really not going as planned.
On Saturday afternoon, 11 days after Ukrainian forces crossed into this Russian border region, soldiers patrolled Sudzha’s damaged streets with bright blue tape on their arms, scanning the sky for incoming drones. Graffiti covered the front of a store, renaming it “ATB,” a popular Ukrainian grocery chain. Russian flags had been removed from administration buildings, but blue-and-yellow Ukrainian ones were not flying.
Read the full story here.