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20 minutes ago

Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump aid freeze threatens troop support as North Korea partially withdraws forces

US aid freeze is a ‘very severe blow’, Ukrainian soldier’s wife says

Arpan Rai,Tom Watling
Tuesday 28 January 2025 11:48 GMT
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Trump describes Ukraine war as ‘bullets whacking and hitting men’

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Many Ukraine-based humanitarian projects are in limbo after Donald Trump ordered an immediate freeze on all US aid.

Ukraine has been providing for the humanitarian needs of millions through foreign aid, with the US contributing the largest chunk.

The aid freeze is impacting organisations supporting veterans, removing land mines, providing healthcare and aiding the recovery of injured soldiers. Maria Vorotylo, a soldier’s wife who had been receiving help from Veteran Hub, wrote on Facebook that its closure was “a very severe blow”.

On the battlefield, North Korean troops have withdrawn from the frontline in part of Russia’s Kursk region after suffering heavy losses, a Ukrainian commander said.

Another commander, codenamed “Puls”, told Sky News the North Koreans were likely either learning lessons from mistakes made during their first fierce clashes or waiting for reinforcements.

And Volodymyr Zelensky has defended the mobilisation of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fighting in the war against Russia, stating that if half his army is disbanded then Vladimir Putin “will kill us all”.

20 minutes ago

North Korean troops withdraw from Kursk, claims Kyiv

North Korean troops fighting alongside Russia near the Ukrainian border have temporarily withdrawn following weeks of heavy losses, Kyiv’s military has claimed.

A Ukrainian special forces commander tasked with retrieving DNA samples from North Korean soldiers claimed Pyongyang’s troops had retreated from one of the axes of the Kursk region, where they have been mobilised since last December, for roughly a fortnight.

It follows claims by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky last week that around a third of the 11,000 North Korean troops deployed to Kursk have already been wounded or killed.

Claims of the withdrawal, initially told to Sky News, were confirmed by Colonel Oleksandr Kindratenko, a spokesperson of the Special Operations Forces, to the Kyiv Independent.

“[They] will be back soon,” the commander, who goes by the call sign “Puls”, reportedly said.

Tom Watling28 January 2025 11:48
34 minutes ago

Danish leader on European tour as Copenhagen moves to strengthen presence around Greenland

Danish leader on European tour as Copenhagen moves to strengthen presence around Greenland

Denmark’s prime minister is on a tour of major European capitals as the continent faces what she called “a more uncertain reality” and her country moves to strengthen its military presence around Greenland

Tom Watling28 January 2025 11:34
1 hour ago

Russia claims control of northeast Ukrainian town

Russia’s defence ministry has claimed it’s forces have taken control of the northeast town of Dvorichna in the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv.

The town is near the city of Kupyansk, which has come under intense Russian attacks for months.

DeepState, a Ukrainian war tracker known to have close ties to the military, records Dvorichina as not under Russian control, though Moscow’s troops have made significant advances on both flanks of the town.

Tom Watling28 January 2025 11:07
1 hour ago

Russian drones cross into Belarusian territory

Nine Russian drones used in it’s attack last night on Ukraine accidentally crossed into Belarusian airspace, a monitor has reported.

Tom Watling28 January 2025 10:40
1 hour ago

Russian drone attacks injure eight, damage residences, Ukraine officials say

Overnight Russian air attacks wounded eight people, set a private business on fire and damaged residential buildings around Ukraine, local officials said on Tuesday.

Ukraine‘s air force said it shot down 65 drones and 28 more did not reach their targets in the barrage.

A 62-year-old woman was hospitalised and a 66-year-old man injured when drone debris damaged several houses in Kharkiv district that includes the city of the same name, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

Emergency services were called soon after midnight to a private business that caught fire in Kharkiv due to the Russian drone attack, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram.

Ukraine‘s state emergency service said the fire engulfed production facilities. Two people suffered acute stress reactions, including a child, the emergency service said.

It was not immediately clear what facility was burning. Video footage showed massive flames coming from what looked like an industrial building.

Russia also launched a drone attack on the Black Sea port of Odesa, damaging several residential buildings and cars, and injuring four people in the city and the nearby area, its governor Oleh Kiper said.

After the attack impacted power and heating in the central town of Uman in Cherkasy region, local services were working to restore the supply, according to mayor Iryna Pletnova.

The drone attack on the Kyiv region destroyed nine vehicles and damaged 27 more in the vintage car museum. It also damaged residential houses and cars around the region, without causing any casualties, the local authorities said.

There was no immediate comment from Russia. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the nearly three-year war that Russia started with a full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022.

Tom Watling28 January 2025 10:21
2 hours ago

As Trump returns to the White House, and Putin’s forces advance – what next for Ukraine in 2025?

As Trump returns to the White House – what next for Ukraine in 2025?

Ukraine is facing an array of issues heading into 2025, underscored by anxiety about what the re-election of Donald Trump could mean for the country’s future. Tom Watling speaks to politicians, military experts and aid workers to discover what next year could hold

Tom Watling28 January 2025 09:51
2 hours ago

Europe must boost security against Russian hybrid attacks, Danish PM says

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Tuesday that Europe must boost its security and defence to counter Russian and Chinese influence on the European continent, pointing to recent incidents in the Baltic Sea and the war in Ukraine.

“We see Russian hybrid attacks in Europe, in the Baltic Sea... We need a stronger and more resolute Europe standing increasingly in its own right,” Frederiksen said ahead of a meeting in Berlin with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen give press statements prior talks at the Chancellery in Berlin
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen give press statements prior talks at the Chancellery in Berlin (AFP via Getty Images)
Tom Watling28 January 2025 09:26
3 hours ago

In ‘2000 Meters to Andriivka,’ Oscar winner takes viewers back to Ukraine’s frontlines

In ‘2000 Meters to Andriivka,’ Oscar winner takes viewers back to Ukraine’s frontlines

Two years after “20 Days in Mariupol” debuted in Park City, Utah, Oscar and Pulitzer Prize winner Mstyslav Chernov is back at the Sundance Film Festival with a new dispatch from Ukraine

Tom Watling28 January 2025 09:00
3 hours ago

In pictures: Kyiv hit by Russian drones

Russian drones have damaged a vintage car museum in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, pictures have shown.

(via REUTERS)
(via REUTERS)
Tom Watling28 January 2025 08:31
3 hours ago

Russia fired 100 drones in overnight attack, says Kyiv

Russia fired 100 drones at targets across Ukraine overnight, Kyiv has reported, damaging apartment blocks and residential homes in three major Ukrainian cities.

Ukraine’s air force says they shot down 65 Russian drones, while 28 failed to reach their targets.

Damage has been reported in the capital of Kyiv, the city of Kharkiv in the northeast of Ukraine and in the southern city of Odesa.

Further damage was recorded in Sumy, Poltava, Cherkasy and Chernihiv.

Firefighters extinguish a fire after a Russian attack on a civil factory in Kharkiv, Ukraine
Firefighters extinguish a fire after a Russian attack on a civil factory in Kharkiv, Ukraine (AP)
Tom Watling28 January 2025 08:15

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