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From 10 to 20 thousand men of conscript age, who are currently convicted and in prison, as well as men with criminal records, could be mobilized to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Minister of Justice Denys Maliuska said in an interview with BBC Ukraine. Commenting on the law which allows mobilization of convicts, Maliuska said, “I think ten thousand possibly would be involved [and sent into the armed forces – ed.], maybe a little bit more.” Maliuska said that if current prisoners were counted together with men who had prior criminal records, the number would rise to 20,000. “Yes,...

Russian forces have attacked across the Ukrainian border to the north of Kharkiv in a potential effort to open a new front in the war and intensify the pressure on Ukraine’s second city. Ukraine’s defence ministry said there had been “an attempt by the enemy to break through our defence line using armoured vehicles” at about 5am on Friday near the town of Vovchansk, and the initial attacks had been repelled. There were also reports of fighting in the border villages of Strilecha, Pylna and Borysivka farther west, and that Russian forces had advanced by about 1km around Vovchansk, though...

Israeli Eurovision singer Eden Golan today was ordered to stay in her hotel room by her country's national security agency as thousands of pro-Palestine protesters demonstrated in Malmo, calling for her to be excluded from the competition. Meanwhile, Greta Thunberg joined the thousands of protesters in the southern Swedish city demonstrating against Israel competing in the famous song contest. The climate activist, 21, was at the Stop Israel demonstration in the centre of the city on Thursday ahead of the young Israeli-Russian singer's performance at the second semi-final of the competition later this evening. It was reported earlier that Israel's...

Russia on Thursday wrapped itself in patriotic pageantry for Victory Day, as President Vladimir Putin celebrated the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II by hailing his forces fighting in Ukraine and blasting the West for fueling conflicts around the world. Even though few veterans of what Russia calls the Great Patriotic War are still alive 79 years after Berlin fell to the Red Army, the victory remains the most important and widely revered symbol of Russia’s prowess and a key element of national identity. Even though few veterans of what Russia calls the Great Patriotic War are still...

President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that after the end of the war, there will be a demographic "boom" in Ukraine. He said this during a meeting with students of Sumy State University. When asked by a student about government programs aimed at stimulating the birth rate, the Ukrainian leader replied that the number one issue is safety. "I think that the biggest incentive is safety, and what's next with the child, and what to do. And we need not only financial incentives, because finances, in my opinion, help, but they do not stimulate giving birth during the war," Zelensky said. The...

As the West struggles to define its strategy in Ukraine, politicians on both sides of the Atlantic have long insisted that the only path to a “just and lasting peace” is to support Ukraine until Russia unconditionally admits defeat. They dismiss calls for a negotiated settlement as naive, dangerous and futile, claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not relent unless stopped by force of arms — Ukrainian or otherwise. More than two years into the conflict, Western leaders remain unfazed in their commitment to Russian military defeat, even as the fighting tilts decidedly in Moscow’s favor. The West’s continued...

Missiles from North Korea, drones from Iran, and a massive amount of technical assistance from China. Russian President Vladimir Putin may complain about the backing Ukraine is receiving from Nato allies, but it is doubtful that Russia would be able to maintain its military offensive without the help it is getting from its motley collection of autocratic friends. In the latest indication of the support Moscow is receiving for its war effort in Ukraine, a team of UN investigators has concluded that debris from a missile that landed in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on January 2 was from a...

The WNBA is on the cusp of upgrading its travel logistics. The league is discussing the parameters of all 12 teams flying by charter “as soon as this regular season,” USA Today’s Christine Brennan reported on Tuesday. “Why now? The explosion of interest in the league, business growth and anticipated future revenue from the next media deal,” Brennan wrote on X. WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert quickly confirmed the report, telling reporters Tuesday that the charter flights will be up and running “as soon as we can get the planes in place.” The WNBA has been in a pickle for several...

Russia has likely been recruiting Cuban nationals to fight in its army in Ukraine, research by the BBC has shown. In September and October 2023, passport details belonging to over 200 Cubans who allegedly joined the Russian army were leaked online by a pro-Ukrainian platform called InformNapalm. The passport details were obtained, the site said, by hacking the emails of a Russian military recruitment officer in Tula, south of Moscow. A Facebook search has shown that 31 of the names mentioned in the Ukrainian leak match accounts whose owners appear to be in Russia or linked to the Russian army....

VLADIMIR Putin paraded nuclear missile launchers, tanks and thousands of war-ready troops this morning ahead of his triumphant Victory Day event. The Russian tyrant, 71, has already had to axe most of the May 9 celebrations - the most sacred day in the Russian calendar - but Moscow's will go ahead. Ahead of the patriotic event, Russia's fearsome intercontinental nuclear missiles were pulled through the capital's streets in a show of force to the West. Huge columns of troops marched towards the Red Square and even children in oversized battledress joined in the military festivities. The real events will be...

Anti-Israel protesters projected President Joe Biden’s face over an American flag that was hanging from a building behind their encampment at George Washington University (GWU) in Washington, DC. Biden’s face, with the words “Genocide Joe,” was projected across an American flag that the university had hung from Lisner Hall, an academic building behind the encampment Friday afternoon. Protesters at the encampment could be heard chanting, “Long live the intifada” as Biden’s face was projected onto the flag. Protesters at the encampment were also heard renaming the university’s U-Yard as, “Shahada Square.” “We reject the terms that our Imperialist, Colonialist, Colonialist...

A senior Ukrainian intelligence official warned about the threat Moscow poses on other nations in Europe, saying "the Russians will take the Baltics in seven days" if allies don't stand up to Russia now. The comment was made by Major-General Vadym Skibitsky, the deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence directorate (GUR), during an interview with The Economist published on Thursday. The alarm has been sounded before about the potential of Russian President Vladimir Putin looking to start conflicts in the Baltic states. Earlier this year, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote that the Russian leader appeared to...

The US Army's new manual on Russian tactics is an impressive-looking document. It's 280 pages packed with details and diagrams of how Russian soldiers are supposed to fight. It is also evidence of a major reason why Russian troops have often fought poorly in the Ukraine war: they are not following their own playbook. "A lot of the basic elements of that doctrine are sound enough that they could form a basis for successful operations," Scott Boston, a Russia military expert for the RAND Corp. think tank, told Business Insider. "But you do have to follow them." To be clear,...

Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya since 2007, was diagnosed with pancreatic necrosis in 2019. It was reported last week that his health has taken a serious turn for the worse, and he is in “critical condition” with perhaps months left to live. Novaya Gazeta Evropa broke the story based on research dating to 2019, including reports of Kadyrov missing many key public appearances, including the United Russia Party Congress in December of last year. Appearing in photos with Vladimir Putin last September, the Chechen leader’s face appeared bloated. A PR video of Kadyrov pumping iron in a gym was...

The University of Mississippi has opened a student conduct investigation after actions of “hostility and racist overtones” were portrayed during a demonstration on campus. The incident unfolded Thursday on the school’s campus during a heated exchange between a group of pro-Palestinian protesters and a much larger group of counterprotesters. About 30 pro-Palestinian protesters were demonstrating in a barricaded zone when they were surrounded by an estimated 200 counterprotesters, some holding American flags, several Trump flags and some dressed in red, white, and blue. While there are multiple videos circulating online showing the protest at varying times, one video in particular...

Ukraine is facing "a new stage" in the Russia's full-scale war, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a meeting with border guards in Khmelnytskyi Oblast on May 3. Zelensky's statement came amid a deteriorating situation on the battlefield. Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR), said that Ukraine should expect to face a renewed Russian offensive in late spring or early summer, with the offensive intensifying around eastern Donbas region. "The occupier is now preparing to expand its offensive. And all of us — Ukrainians, soldiers, state, partners — must do everything to disrupt Russia's offensive plan," Zelensky said.

The Palestine Solidarity Encampment at UCLA ended in the precise manner university leaders initially sought to avoid — with a massive police force arresting more than 200 protesters in the dead of night. When the encampment sprung up on Royce Quad last Thursday, April 25, the university envisioned a world in which students could peacefully display their message on the large green field while students shuttled to class nearby. Instead, they faced a situation where protesters allegedly blocked student access to classes, counter-protesters violently attacked the encampment, and leaders across the nation condemned the university’s failure to keep students safe....

Dry January's popularity is on the up with many younger generations – mainly Gen Z – deciding to spend their weekends alcohol free. While millennials may reminisce back to their Friday nights in their early 20s shuffling foot to foot holding lurid coloured alcopop bottles, Gen Z are choosing to abstain entirely. In fact, recent research conducted by Heineken 0.0, has highlighted that Gen Z alcohol consumption dropped by 25% over the last four years.

'I am not ruling anything out,' Emmanuel Macron insisted in an interview published today, pressed on whether France would send troops to Ukraine in its hour of need. The remarks echo a new tone on Moscow in recent months, the French President reiterating pledges roundly rebuffed by his allies in the US, UK and Germany. Europe and the United States have now committed more than £130bn to Ukraine in aid but NATO members have stopped short of promising boots on the ground - with Putin still willing to exploit the threat of nuclear Armageddon when prompted. While Macron has argued...

In another world, Ukraine would have voted on Sunday. In a year where billions get the chance to cast a ballot, people here would have given their verdict on the presidency of Volodymyr Zelensky. Five years ago, the man whose talents as an actor, comedian and producer had made him a household name in Ukraine was propelled into office. But with Russian forces still inside the country and millions of Ukrainians displaced from their homes, fighting on the frontlines, or living overseas, there is no election in sight. Some US Republicans have sought to make the upcoming expiration of Zelensky’s...