(NEW YORK) — New Yorkers won’t be walking in a winter wonderland any time soon. Multiple records are about to be broken in the Big Apple due to the lack of measurable snow this winter season.
The first of those records — the latest first snow ever recorded during a winter in New York City — was broken Monday with the city going snowless through Jan. 30 and counting. Previously, the latest New Yorkers had seen snowfall in the 154 years of record-keeping was when it took until Jan. 29, 1973, during the 1972-73 winter, according to the National Weather Service.
In addition, New York City is approaching its longest streak without measurable snow. The previous record is 332 days, which occurred from Jan. 19, 2020 to Dec. 15, 2020.
The last time there was measurable snow in New York City was on March 9 of last year, when .4 inches was measured in Central Park. If the city remains snow-free by Feb. 5, that record will be broken.
Current forecasts are not showing measurable snow in the city over the next week.
Storm systems moving into the Northeast last Wednesday brought along a chance of measurable snow in New York City, but the precipitation changed to rain after only a trace of snow had fallen, according to the NWS.
While brief flurries and snow showers have fallen occasionally this winter in New York City, accumulation of at least 0.1 inches must be recorded for it to be considered measurable snowfall by the NWS.
January has been relatively mild in New York City this year — normally a time when it should be racking up the coldest temperatures. As temperatures remain far above freezing, any precipitation will fall as rain.
Other major cities east of the Colorado Rockies are also experiencing record or near-record warmth. The least amount of snow in 16 years has fallen in Bridgeport, Connecticut, which is experiencing its warmest year on record.
Measurable snow has not fallen in Philadelphia, which is experiencing its second-warmest winter on record. Baltimore is also experiencing a snow drought this winter, its warmest on record.
The same can’t be said for Empire State residents in upstate New York.
Record-breaking amounts of snow fell just before the Christmas weekend, killing dozens of people.
The storm, described as the “blizzard of the century” by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, led to nearly 52 inches of snowfall and 39 deaths.
ABC News’ Melissa Griffin and Max Golembo contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Layoffs have battered the tech industry in 2023, carrying over a series of job cuts that began last year. In all, about 50,000 people have lost their positions this month.
Tech giants such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon have led the sector in the size of their cuts. While a slew of smaller companies like Spotify, Vox Media and IBM have imposed layoffs too.
Sales at top tech firms have retreated from the blistering pace attained during the pandemic, when billions across the world were forced into isolation.
Company officials have often cited economic uncertainty and recession fears in their layoff announcements.
While the large-scale job cuts sound economic alarm, they mark a more immediate, intimate rupture for the workers who suffer them. ABC News spoke with three laid-off workers about what the experience was like and how they’re coping with it.
Nneoma Ajiwe, Spotify
What started as a normal morning turned into a surprise for 29-year-old Nneoma Ajiwe.
Around 5:14 am, Ajiwe says she received a calendar invite requesting her attendance in a one-on-one meeting with someone on Spotify’s HR team.
“It’s funny because the night before I was texting my coworker Tiktoks that we were laughing at and she’s like ‘I don’t mean to alarm you’ and sent this Bloomberg article about Spotify doing layoffs as early as this week,” Ajiwe said. “I told her that we’re probably okay.”
Little did she know, she’d be one of the 6% of employees, roughly around 600, to be slashed from Spotify’s workforce this year.
About an hour after Ajiwe received her calendar invite, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek sent out an email to employees breaking the news.
“I was literally driving on my way to the gym,” Ajiwe said.
The Houston native is a 2016 graduate from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in public relations. She’d worked for a plethora of companies in the industry such as Billboard, Genius, Sirius XM and XXL Magazine but always saw her career at Spotify as “unattainable.”
Ajiwe had applied five times before she was granted the job of social marketing manager for Spotify for Artists and Spotify Charts in May 2022.
Having been laid off from a different employer before, Ajiwe shared that she felt many different emotions this time around but the one that she felt just days after the Monday layoff was “annoyed.”
“This sucks because I particularly loved this team. I just got there. I loved my job,” Ajiwe said. “I’m still shocked and just trying to sort through feelings and think about what I need to do.”
In response to a request for comment, Spotify provided the memo about the layoffs that Ek sent to employees.
“Like many other leaders, I hoped to sustain the strong tailwinds from the pandemic and believed that our broad global business and lower risk to the impact of a slowdown in ads would insulate us,” Ek said. “In hindsight, I was too ambitious in investing ahead of our revenue growth.”
Although layoffs can cause an immediate bout of financial trouble, Ajiwe works as a photographer on the side and calls herself a “good saver.”
Because of this, she figures she will take a month or so to figure out her next move.
“I wasn’t devastated by the fact that I may not have any money coming in for three months, because I know I have stuff that I do on the side. But it does suck because this was the highest I was making. It was my career,” she said.
“I just think that with every opportunity that has closed for me, something better has always happened. I firmly believe that God is going to put me in a better place,” Ajiwe said.
Jonathan Bellack, Google
Jonathan Bellack, 50, who worked at Google for nearly 15 years, said he knew his tenure was nearly over — and he wanted it that way. Two months ago, he told the company he sought to leave early in 2023.
When he made the request, Bellack had expected Google to work with him on a plan for handing off his duties and saying goodbye. Instead, he didn’t hear much, he said.
“I had an inkling that something was up,” said Bellack, who lives in Montclair, New Jersey.
A self-described “workaholic,” Bellack had climbed the ranks at Google, becoming a senior director of product management who oversaw a team of about 45 employees devoted to developing systems that protect users from phishing schemes and other attacks.
Over time, he says he came to enjoy the mentorship and relationships more than other parts of the job, he said.
Bellack says he woke up at about 5 a.m. on Jan. 20 and found an email telling him “‘the company no longer has a position for you,'” he said.
His access to work email remained long enough for him to see another message announcing company-wide layoffs. Within minutes, he was locked out, he said.
In all, Google slashed 12,000 jobs or about 6% of its workforce. Having watched the onslaught of layoffs in the tech industry, Bellack wasn’t surprised.
“It seemed like the thing all the cool kids were doing in Silicon Valley,” he said of the layoffs.
Google did not respond to a request for comment. In an email to employees last Friday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said: “This will mean saying goodbye to some incredibly talented people we worked hard to hire and have loved working with.”
The layoffs left Bellack “very torn,” he said. The forced exit clarified his status, allowing him to move on; but he felt badly for colleagues who hadn’t expected it.
“A lot of people had no idea that this was happening or that they might be involved,” he said. “For them, it’s obviously a shock.”
Bellack is not worried about his financial outlook, he said, characterizing his previous job as “aggressively compensated.” Further, he praised the severance package provided by the company, which gave departing employees a 16-week base compensation with an extra two weeks for every year of employment.
A new project already awaits, Bellack said. He has launched a consulting service that advises start-ups and other companies on how to grow.
The father of two sons, aged 9 and 14, Bellack looks forward to lunches with his wife and time with his kids, he said. Their first big move: Getting a dog.
“If you put that in the article, my 9-year-old will be excited,” he said. “It’ll mean I’ve firmly committed.”
Phoebe Gavin, Vox
Phoebe Gavin, 37, the former executive director of talent and development at digital news outlet Vox, was laid off by the company last week. But she had been preparing for something like this ever since a “very scary situation” nearly a decade ago, she said.
In 2014, Gavin lost her job at a different media company. Lacking any savings, she had to “put everything on my credit card to get to my next job,” she said. Since then, she said, she began placing 10% of every paycheck into savings and later cultivated a side gig as a career coach.
Last Friday, Gavin had a previously scheduled meeting with her boss, who told her she was being let go and that she should take the rest of the day off, she said. Vox Media, the parent company of Vox, laid off 130 workers, which amounts to 7% of its staff.
Gavin, who worked at Vox for a little more than a year, oversaw the internal experience of employees, so she understood what her manager could and couldn’t say about the decision. “I wouldn’t have expected her to tell me more,” she said.
The news surprised Gavin, but she knew she worked in a tumultuous business.
“It was a little bit of shock and a little bit of ‘well, I work in the media industry,'” she said.
Vox Media declined comment about the layoffs. In a memo to employees last Friday, Vox Media CEO Jim Bankoff cited “the challenging economic environment impacting our business and industry.”
After years of planning for a possible career setback, Gavin isn’t worried about her finances, she said. In fact, she’s ready to turn her side gig into a full-time job, having turned away clients from her career coaching business over the past six months.
“I’ve had to strike a balance of making sure the side hustle fit into side-hustle time — I don’t have to do that anymore,” she said. “Instead of 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., I’ll work on it from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.”
Gavin, who is Black, said her commitment to protecting her career owes in part to her knowledge that widespread job losses disproportionately affect people of color and women.
“That’s something that as a society we clearly have to take strong steps to address,” she said. “The system is not going to improve fast enough to keep us safe as individuals.”
To weather the mental health challenges of job flux, Gavin says she will draw on therapy that has helped her assemble an “emotional toolbox,” she said, noting that a more flexible schedule will help her do stress-relieving activities.
“I’m mostly focused on being able to go to the gym in the middle of the day when it’s empty,” she said. “One of the things that helps is picking up heavy things and putting them down.”
(WASHINGTON) — Seven U.S. senators are renewing calls for the Federal Trade Commission to open an investigation into the marketing of assault-style rifles after the unveiling of the JR-15, a long rifle the manufacturer advertises as a smaller AR-15 geared towards younger users.
Illinois-based WEE 1 Tactical unveiled the JR-15 in early 2022, advertising the weapon as a .22 caliber long rifle with the look and feel of an AR-15. The website for WEE1 Tactical advertises the gun as an ideal weapon to “teach a younger enthusiast.”
After originally writing a letter to the FTC in May 2022, a group of Senators held a press conference Thursday doubling down on their demand for intervention from the FTC.
“The last thing we need to be doing is shrinking deadly weapons of war and marketing them to young children,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said at the press conference.
An AR-15 is a type of semi-automatic rifle, Variants of the weapon have been linked to several high-profile mass shootings, including the recent massacres in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas.
“What we have here is a scaled-down 20% scaled down 22 long rifle that looks and feels and operates just like mom or dad’s gun,” said Eric Schmid, the owner of Schmid Tool & Eng. Corp, the manufacturer of the JR-15, in an interview with organizers of The Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show in 2022.
The ammunition and safety features of the JR-15 also differ from the AR-15. While the AR-15 generally uses .223 Remington and 5.56 NATO ammunition, the JR-15 uses .22 caliber ammunition, according to gun experts.
According to Sam Sang, the co-owner of Equilibrium Firearms in Mineola, New York, the .22 ammunition generally has less recoil than .223 or 5.56 and is easier to control while shooting, however, he said it’s still lethal.
WEE 1 Tactical also advertises the gun as having a unique “tamper resistant safety” mechanism, which it claims requires the strength and dexterity of an adult to disengage.
“Parents and guardians wanting to pass on this American tradition have been purchasing small caliber, lighter youth training rifles for decades,” WEE 1 Tactical said in a statement to ABC News. “The JR-15 incorporates a patented safety mechanism that provides an added level of safety available on no other rifle in production.”
A group of 11 Democratic U.S. Senators initially penned a letter in May 2022 to Lina Khan, the chair of the Federal Trade Commission, requesting the commission open an investigation into “the marketing of highly lethal firearms, including assault-style rifles, to impressionable young people.”
The letter took aim at WEE 1 Tactical for its “JR-15” marketing materials showing children shooting the gun and its former logo, depicting a skull and crossbones with a pacifier.
Since its initial launch, the branding of the weapon on WEE1 Tactical’s website does not include the original skull and crossbones logo; instead, their website prominently shows an image of a child aiming the rifle with the assistance of an adult.
In their letter, the senators accused WEE1 Tactical of being “just a single actor in a long line of unscrupulous gun manufacturers that have worked for years to market their products to a young audience.” They asked the FTC to take action against WEE1’s “unfair” marketing that could lead to harm or death.
The Federal Trade Commission declined ABC News’ request for comment.
Mark Olivia, the managing director of public affairs for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, disputed that the rifle is being targeted to minors, adding that the rifle would have to be purchased by an adult who undergoes an FBI background check.
“It’s a misnomer that this product is being targeted and advertised to children,” he said. “Children can’t buy it.”
The senators said even if WEE1’s marketing did not contain any false statements, they could still result in harm, referring to the litigation between Remington Company and the parents of victims of the deadly Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012 that killed 26 people. In that lawsuit, relatives of nine victims alleged that Remington targeted troubled young men in their marketing materials.
Those parents ended up settling with Remington for $73 million after a nearly-decade-long legal battle in Connecticut court.
Less than a year after initially writing their letter, the senators renewed their calls for FTC action this week, reiterating that while the JR-15 is a particularly egregious example, the shift towards marketing to children is an “industry-wide practice.”
“This is an open and shut case. This particular company is obviously marketing to kids. That’s the entire intention of the gun,” Sen. Chis Murphy, D-Conn., whose district includes Sandy Hook, said at the press conference. “But let’s just be clear, makers of AR-15s that are being sold today that we think of as being marketed primarily to adults are also being marketed to kids.”
The senators claim the JR-15 is marketing “weapons of war” to children and might yield another mass shooting. According to the Gun Violence Archive, America has had more mass shootings than days in 2023.
The senators’ renewed calls come days after multiple shootings involving semi-automatic pistols including two deadly mass shootings in California and weeks after a 6-year-old student in Virginia brought a gun to school and allegedly shot a first-grade teacher.
“Because every minute that we let parasitic companies like this try to trick our babies into buying lethal weapons, we risk witnessing another classroom turning into a massacre,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., said on Thursday at the press conference.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill added that the marketing bears similarity to the tobacco industry’s marketing to the youth. He said the Senate Judiciary Committee would look into the matter.
WEE 1 Tactical claims on its website that the JR-15 adds “a level of safety found on no other firearm of any size.” The company is currently taking orders for the JR-15 from gun dealers.
It also advertises a connection to Project Child Safe, a National Shooting Sports Foundation program aimed at “promoting genuine firearms safety through the distribution of safety education messages and free firearm safety kits to communities across the U.S.”
Federal law requires that any handgun legally purchased in the United States from a licensed dealer would be sold with a lock. As a trade association, NSSF provides gun locks through law enforcement on behalf of the entire gun industry, according to Olivia.
“Any firearm, period, misused negligently or criminally can certainly be capable of lethal damage,” Olivia said. “And that’s why it is so important for any youth that is going to be learning the shooting sports to be under the close and direct supervision of an adult.”
(ISLAMABAD) — A suicide bomber detonated explosives inside a mosque in northwestern Pakistan on Monday, killing and wounding dozens of worshippers, officials said.
The blast occurred at a mosque near police offices in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, not far from the country’s border with Afghanistan. More than 150 people were reportedly were praying when the suicide bomber struck. An eyewitness told ABC News that the roof collapsed from the impact.
Security and government officials confirmed the explosion was from a suicide bomber, though no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
At least 17 people were killed and more than 60 others were wounded, a local hospital spokesperson told ABC News. Those numbers were expected to rise.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(PARIS) — About 5,000 French bakers and other artisans in energy-guzzling fields, including butchery, dry-cleaning and carpentry, from all over the country marched in Paris last week, protesting against energy prices and requesting a tariff shield, said Pascal Wozniak, president of a collective for the survival of bakeries and craftsmanship, organizer of the rally.
Wozniak runs a bakery in Lembeye, a city of around 800 people in southwestern France, where he’s the only artisan establishment in a 12-mile radius, said he has laid off four employees since the start of the pandemic.
Working with locally produced flour “Noste Pan,” Wozniak was able to maintain prices at first, but with soaring energy prices “it was not even possible anymore, because even the farmers were impacted,” he said. “It was a disaster!”
“We won’t let anyone down,” Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said earlier this month after some professions raised concerns. He announced the deferral of payment on social and tax charges “for all bakers who have cash flow problems,” completing the two measures already in place amounting to up to 40% discounts on energy bills.
But those steps haven’t been nearly enough, the collective argued. Wozniak said he will lay off another employee soon, despite increasing his prices twice since July 2022.
Consumers who spoke with ABC News tended to agree with the need for more help.
Sophie Renard is “surprised” artisans don’t receive more help, saying to ABC News she last heard of this issue earlier this month but not last week during the protest. Maï Lanoux also says she didn’t hear about it, but is “quite surprised there is not more support” when being a baker “is an ancestral profession in France.” That sentiment was echoed by Yohann Combelles, who said “these professions are France’s pride.”
“They are blackening the profession,” Dominique Anract told ABC News in response to the demonstration, which he refused to call for as head of the National Confederation of French Bakery-Pastry. He said he blamed the financial management and choices made by some for the difficulties raised by the collective, advocating that lay-offs aren’t “the right solution” and all prices must increase by 3% to 5%.
Anract’s rhetoric is “completely disconnected” and not representative of small provinces, Wozniak said, adding “we don’t have the same figures, the same customer flow,” while “in Paris, they may not notice a 40 cents increase.”
Philippe Séramy closed his bakery in Bourg-Lastic last May, due to the soaring prices of fuel oil, which was multiplied by three, he said. Then flour, sugar and butter rose with the start of the war on Ukraine. Séramy said his business was one of the early victims of the crises.
At 57, he and his wife have relocated to Clermont-Ferrand, where he’s now baking bread for a large food retailer brand.
Couple Marie Toulza and Sébastien Picot know about this movement and support artisans, but Marie wonders if the rallying “will bear fruit,” and “to what extent does it not compromise the work of the confederation.”
If bakers aren’t often in the streets, they spearheaded one the biggest labor-strike movements of the last century when they marched in 1947 against the government measures that led to food shortages and caused inflation to reach 60% over the year.
The bakery sector holds about 55% of the bread market, but Wozniak said he fears “if we increase too much, it will benefit the industrialists.”
This time, these artisans are ready to kick things up a notch and promise more aggressive actions next month, with one simple slogan: “Let’s resist!”
(BLOOMFIELD, N.J.) — Authorities are searching for a suspect who allegedly threw a lit Molotov cocktail at the front door of a New Jersey synagogue early Sunday morning.
According to security video footage, the suspect approached the front door of Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield, New Jersey at 3:19 a.m. and threw the Molotov cocktail. The glass bottle broke but did not cause any damage, and the suspect then fled, the Bloomfield Police Department said in a statement Sunday afternoon.
Surveillance pictures shared by police show the suspect was wearing a ski mask.
Local law enforcement is investigating alongside the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said in a statement that his office is “working closely with local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies, to identify and apprehend the suspect in this attack. Our investigation remains ongoing.”
The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness said in a tweet that they are “closely monitoring” the incident, and urge “all faith-based communities to remain vigilant.”
In a joint statement, the Anti-Defamation League of New York/New Jersey, the Jewish Federations of North Jersey and other groups said they were “outraged” to hear of the incident, which came just days after International Holocaust Remembrance Day and within months of other security threats to New Jersey synagogues.
“We urge our leaders and community partners to speak out against this outrageous act and ask that all communities remain vigilant, though we have not been informed of any particular additional threats to Jewish institutions in New Jersey at this time,” the groups wrote.
Rep. Mikkie Sherill (D-N.J.), who represents the district where Bloomfield is located, wrote on Twitter that she is in touch with law enforcement and that “my prayers” are with the community.
“Anti-Semitic hatred is on the rise in our state, our country and around the world, and we all must work together to eradicate it,” Sherrill wrote.
Evan Bernstein, CEO of Community Security Services, a group that trains volunteer security teams to help keep Jewish institutions safe, wrote in a statement to ABC News that “we have to be aware that the threat level against our communities are increasing, in the United States and abroad.”
The incident comes at a time when synagogues and Jewish institutions around the country continue to navigate what experts say is a volatile and difficult security environment for American Jews.
(LOUISVILLE, N.Y.) — At least six people are dead after an express bus and a box truck crashed in Upstate New York on Saturday, police said.
Three people were also injured in the crash, with one person in critical condition and two seriously injured, New York State Police said in an update Saturday evening. They were transported to local hospitals.
The incident occurred around 6 a.m. on State Highway 37 in Louisville and involved a 2021 Freightliner box truck and a 2013 express bus, police said. The deceased and injured victims were all traveling in the bus, police said.
State Highway 37 from St. Lawrence County Route 14 to Coles Creek Road remains closed amid the ongoing investigation.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
This Nov. 2014, file photo provided by the U.S. National Park Service shows a mountain lion known as P-22, photographed in the Griffith Park area near downtown Los Angeles. – U.S. National Park Service
(LOS ANGELES) — Another mountain lion near Los Angeles has died, over a month after P-22, a beloved local mountain lion who spurred conservation efforts, was euthanized in December after being hit by a vehicle.
The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area shared the news Friday that P-81, a four-year-old mountain lion, died on Jan. 22 after likely being hit by a vehicle. Since March 2022, vehicle strikes have been the cause of death for nine mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains research area.
Researchers from the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area captured P-81 in March 2020 and equipped him with a radio collar. According to the researchers, P-81 was significant in their study due to his physical abnormalities, including a kinked tail and a deformed reproductive organ.
According to the researchers, those features were early evidence of inbreeding within the cougar population, leading to concern about the health of the animal population.
Researchers later found that the mountain lions of the Santas Monica mountains have some of the lowest genetic diversity ever documented, second only to Florida panthers in the 1990s.
According to the National Park Service, Los Angeles and Mumbai are the only two megacities in the world to maintain a population of big cats; however, the growth of roads and traffic have fragmented the cats’ habitats, and fast-moving cars have contributed to 34 fatalities of the animals in California since 2002.
Another mountain lion, P-22, became a local celebrity in Los Angeles, helping spur the creation of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the 101 Freeway, which would connect marooned wildlife, including mountain lions, to populations north of the city without having to cross the busy freeway. P-22 was euthanized in December after beginning to act erratically, including killing a chihuahua and attacking other dogs. Veterinarians euthanized P-22 after learning he was hit by a car and had several other ailments.
P-22’s death came amid a public outcry of support for the famous big cat, whose rise to fame in a city known for its celebrities inspired a generation of conservationists. His death prompted a front-page obituary in the Los Angeles Times, with a headline of the Sunday edition proclaiming, “Improbable trek led puma to win Angelenos’ hearts.”
“P-22’s survival on an island of wilderness in the heart of Los Angeles captivated people around the world and revitalized efforts to protect our diverse native species and ecosystems,” said California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
(NEW YORK) — More than 10 months after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion into neighboring Ukraine, the two countries are engaged in a struggle for control of areas throughout eastern and southern Ukraine.
Putin’s forces in November pulled out of key positions, retreating from Kherson as Ukrainian troops led a counteroffensive targeting the city. Russian drones have continued bombarding civilian targets throughout Ukraine, knocking out critical power infrastructure as winter sets in.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jan 29, 7:34 PM EST
Reports of 3 dead, 6 wounded in Kherson from Russian shelling: Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted the Russian shelling of Kherson in his evening address Sunday, saying there are “reports of six wounded and three dead” from the recent shelling.
“Today, the Russian army has been shelling Kherson atrociously all day. Residential buildings, various social and transport facilities, including a hospital, post office and bus station, have been damaged,” Zelenskyy said. “Two women, nurses, were wounded in the hospital. As of now, there are reports of six wounded and three dead.”
Zelenskyy spoke with the president-elect of the Czech Republic Sunday and invited him to come to Ukraine, he said.
Zelenskyy also noted the progress that was made last week in getting NATO members and allied countries to commit to sending more weapons to Ukraine, but added, “We have to make the next week no less powerful for our defense.”
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Jan 26, 1:11 PM EST
11 dead, 11 injured in missile strikes on Ukraine
Eleven people died and 11 others were injured in Russian missile strikes throughout 11 regions of Ukraine on Thursday, according to Ukrainian emergency services.
Two fires broke out and 35 buildings were damaged in the strike.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Jan 26, 11:17 AM EST
US designates Russia’s Wagner Group as ‘transnational criminal organization’
The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against a number of individuals and entities associated with the Wager Group in Russia and across the world in an effort to “degrade the Russian Federation’s capacity to wage war against Ukraine,” the department said in a statement.
The U.S. designated Russia’s Wagner Group a “transnational criminal organization,” not just for the alleged atrocities it has committed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but also for its alleged human rights abuses in African countries like the Central African Republic.
The U.S. believes the Wagner Group has 50,000 people fighting in Ukraine, including 40,000 convicts, according to the White House. The group’s leader is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ally Yevgeniy Prigozhin, who was already facing several U.S. sanctions.
Last week, the White House first announced the U.S. would take this step.
Jan 26, 5:21 AM EST
One dead in Kyiv in Russian missile strike
At least 15 missiles fired at Kyiv on Thursday were shot down, officials said.
One person was killed and two were wounded after part of a missile fell in the Holosiivskyi District of Kyiv, Mayor Vitaliy Klychko said. The missile hit a residential building, he said.
Air raid sirens began sounding just before sunrise in the capital. Some residents fled to shelters, including Kyiv’s metro stations.
A missile also struck Vinnytsia, the local governor said. No casualties were immediately reported there.
Jan 26, 2:00 AM EST
Air raid sirens sound in Kyiv
Air raid sirens went off across Ukraine as Russia launched multiple missiles from the east and south. Some were shot down, according to Andriy Yermak, head of the president’s office.
Airborne forces last night shot down all 24 unmanned aerial vehicles launched by Russia. At least 15 of those were shot down in or around Kyiv, according to the local authorities. No casualties or impacts were reported.
Jan 25, 6:31 AM EST
Germany to deliver tanks to Ukraine, in major step for allies’ support
German officials said on Wednesday they plan to deliver 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
“This decision follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the best of our ability,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a statement. “We are acting in a closely coordinated manner internationally.”
Officials said the decision was the result of intensive consultations that took place with Germany’s closest European and international partners. Other European allies also plan to send tanks, German officials said.
Ukrainian troops will be trained on the tanks in Germany, officials said in a statement. Germany also planned to send ammunition and provide system maintenance.
Jan 24, 2:53 PM EST
US considering sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine: Officials
The Biden administration is leaning toward sending M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, U.S. officials have confirmed to ABC News.
The U.S. could commit to sending between 30 to 50 tanks to Ukraine under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
It could take more than a year for the new tanks to be fielded, officials said.
While President Joe Biden has not made a final decision, the transfer of Abrams would presumably enable Germany to authorize the transfer of German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. This could then allow the 12 NATO countries that have Leopard 2 tanks to transfer them to Ukraine.
The decision could be announced as early as this week, officials said.
Jan 23, 5:11 PM EST
Zelenskyy issues new rule barring officials from personal travel out of country
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a new policy that forbids Ukrainian officials from leaving the country for non-governmental purposes.
“Officials will no longer be able to travel abroad for vacation or for any other non-governmental purpose,” Zelesnkyy said in his evening address Monday. “Within five days, the Cabinet of Ministers is to develop a border-crossing procedure for officials so that only a real working trip can be the reason for border crossing.”
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Jan 19, 7:06 PM EST
CIA director held secret meeting with Zelenskyy in Kyiv: US Official
CIA Director William J. Burns traveled to Kyiv and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukrainian intelligence officials last week, a U.S. official told ABC News.
The director “reinforced our continued support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression,” according to the official.
The Washington Post first reported the meeting earlier Thursday.
-ABC News’ Cindy Smith
Jan 19, 6:13 PM EST
Pentagon announces $2.5B more aid for Ukraine
The Pentagon announced Thursday evening that it will provide Ukraine with $2.5 billion in additional aid for its efforts fighting Russian forces.
This is the 13th drawdown of equipment from the Department of Defense’s inventories for Ukraine since August 2021, the agency said.
The package includes several weapons and equipment such as 59 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and 90 Stryker armored personnel carriers, the DoD said.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Jan 19, 4:34 PM EST
UN nuclear watchdog chief ‘worried’ about a disaster in Ukraine
The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog group said Thursday that he is worried the world is becoming complacent about the “very precarious” situation posed by the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine.
Russian forces seized the plant, Europe’s largest, in March 2022 and it has repeatedly come under fire in recent months, raising fears of a nuclear disaster. Rafael Grossi, director general of the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is working to set up a safe zone around the facility.
“I think the situation is very precarious,” Grossi told reporters in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. “I worry that this is becoming routine, that people may believe that nothing has happened so far, so is the director general of the IAEA crying wolf?”
Grossi said two major explosions occurred near the plant on Thursday, adding to the alarming situation.
“We know every day that a nuclear accident or an accident having serious radiological consequences may take place,” said Grossi before travelling to Moscow for talks with Russian officials.
Jan 19, 1:53 PM EST
Zelenskyy calls for new sanctions against Russia’s nuclear industry
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday pleaded with leaders of the European Union to pursue new sanctions against Russia’s nuclear industry and energy carriers.
During a joint news conference in Kyiv with European Council President Charles Michel, Zelenskyy said he believes a tenth package of sanctions “could be even more effective” than the previous ones.
“The time has come, in particular, for sanctions against the Russian nuclear industry, against all its branches, organizations and all entities that work for the Russian missile program,” Zelenskyy said.
He also expressed his frustration over Germany’s hesitation to send Leopard tanks Ukraine.
“The issue of tanks remains relevant and very sensitive,” Zelenskyy said. “It depends on many reasons and, unfortunately, does not depend on the will of Ukraine. We create pressure as hard as we can politically, but the essential thing is that our pressure is well-reasoned.”
Zelenskyy added, “Against thousands of tanks of the Russian Federation, as I told our colleagues, only the courage of our military and the motivation of the Ukrainian people are not enough.”
Since the United Kingdom announced last week it will send Challenger 2 tanks to Russia, the German government has faced mounting pressure to follow suit, or at least allow NATO allies such as Poland to supply Ukraine with German-made Leopard tanks.
“The delivery of Leopard tanks to Ukraine is still a matter of dispute in the Bundestag (national parliament),” according to a statement released Thursday by the German government, which added that the issue is still the subject of “heated debate.”
Jan 18, 6:10 PM EST
Close to 100 Stryker armored vehicles part of next aid package: US official
A U.S. official confirmed to ABC News that the upcoming aid package to Ukraine will include close to 100 Stryker Armored Vehicles and additional Bradley fighting vehicles.
The Stryker is a wheeled armored vehicles that can carry as many as 11 soldiers inside and is equipped with a 30mm gun and or machine gun that are remotely fired from inside the vehicle. It’s fast moving and can be used on roads or off roads, though the off road option is better handled by the tracked Bradley fighting vehicles.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Jan 18, 5:49 PM EST
Zelenskyy provides update on helicopter crash
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy provided an update on the helicopter crash near Kyiv near a kindergarten.
Zelenskyy said 14 people were killed in total including Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrski and one child.
Twenty-five people were injured, including 11 kids, the president added.
“Hundreds of people were involved in extinguishing the fire, searching and rescuing the injured, carrying out the initial investigative actions,” Zelenskyy said.
The president praised the efforts of kindergarten teachers who rushed in to help.
“Thank you for your bold actions, for taking the children out,” he said.
Zelenskyy said the Ministry of Internal Affairs will be temporarily led by the head of the National Police of Ukraine.
“The tasks for which the Minister was responsible in the context of our defense operation and ensuring the security of the state have also been distributed,” he said.
The cause of the helicopter crash is still under investigation.
-ABC News’ Wil Gretsky
Jan 18, 12:38 PM EST
Putin prepared for long war, Nato says
Russia is preparing for an extended war so NATO must get ready “for the long haul” and support Ukraine for as long as it takes, the alliance’s Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana told top European military chiefs Wednesday.
NATO nations must invest more in defense, ramp up military industrial manufacturing and harness new technologies to prepare for future wars, Geoana said, speaking at the opening of the military chiefs’ meeting in Brussels.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Jan 18, 9:40 AM EST
Sixteen people dead in helicopter crash, including three children
Sixteen people, including Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky, died in a helicopter crash near Kyiv, according to national police, the deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office and Ukraine’s security service.
Monastyrsky is considered the most senior government official to die since the war started 11 months ago.
Jan 18, 3:57 AM EST
Helicopter crash near Kyiv kills interior minister
Ukrainian officials were killed on Wednesday morning in a helicopter crash near Kyiv.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi, deputy Evgeniy Yenin and the state secretary of the interior ministry, Yuriy Lunkovych, died when a helicopter crashed in Brovary, a town on the outskirts of Kyiv, chief of the national police Igor Klymenko said on Facebook.
The emergency services helicopter crashed near a kindergarten in a residential area, according to officials.
According to the interior ministry, at least 18 people died, including three children. Another 22 people, including 10 children, were wounded, officials said.
The cause of the crash is unclear for now.
Jan 17, 5:06 PM EST
Zelenskyy confirms Netherlands sending Patriot Missile System
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the Netherlands will provide Ukrainian forces a Patriot Missile System.
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces will now have three guaranteed Patriot batteries.
-ABC News Will Gretsky
Jan 17, 3:34 PM EST
White House condemns Dnipro attack
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre talked about the latest developments in Ukraine and slammed Russia over its missile strike on the apartment building in Dnipro.
“This weekend’s strikes are another example, as you’ve heard us say, of the brutal and barbaric war that Russia is waging against the Ukrainian people,” she told reporters during a White House press briefing.
“And we have seen this over and over again,” she added.
Jean-Pierre also praised the UK’s announcement Monday that it plans to send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine.
The press secretary didn’t say whether the U.S. would provide tanks to Ukraine or if Biden would pressure other countries to do so.
She noted that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was going to host another multinational meeting on Friday of the “Ukraine Contact Group” — a gathering of defense ministers to discuss security assistance to Ukraine.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Jan 17, 12:39 PM EST
Death toll from Dnipro missile attack rises to 45: Mayor
The death toll from Saturday’s missile attack on an apartment building in Dnipro has risen to 45, including six children, according to Borys Filatov, the city’s mayor.
The search and rescue operations have ended, according to the emergency services.
In addition to the fatalities, there were 79 people wounded, including 16 children, according to emergency services.
Thirty-nine people were rescued from the rubble, including six children, emergency services said.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Jan 16, 4:56 PM EST
Ukrainian soldiers arrive in US for Patriot missile training
Ukrainian soldiers arrived in the United States on Sunday to begin training on the Patriot air defense missile system at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, a U.S. military official said.
The training at Fort Sill is expected to last several months, and then switch briefly to Europe, officials said.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Jan 16, 4:33 PM EST
39 people, including 6 children, rescued from rubble in Dnipro
Emergency crews have rescued 39 people, including six children, who were buried under the rubble caused by a missile strike on a high-rise apartment complex in Dnipro over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his Monday evening address.
The death toll remains at 40, including three children, he said.
The Kremlin denied being responsible for the attack, saying Russia doesn’t strike residential areas and claiming the destruction was a result of Ukrainian air defense.
“The debris of the house destroyed by the Russian missile is still being dismantled in Dnipro,” Zelenskyy said. “I thank everyone who is carrying out this rescue operation. Every employee of the State Emergency Service and police, every doctor, every volunteer. Everyone who is involved.”
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Jan 16, 4:09 PM EST
Civilian survivors speak out after missile strike in Dnipro
Emergency workers were still looking for survivors Monday following a strike on a high-rise apartment building on Saturday in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
The death toll rose to 40 dead, including three children, making it the deadliest strike on a residential area in Ukraine in the last three months.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack “Russian terror,” saying Ukraine was “fighting for every person, every life” under in rubble in Dnipro and would “find everyone involved in this terror.”
The attack on an apartment building destroyed 72 units and wounded 75 residents.
Rescuers have been using cranes to remove chunk after chunk of rubble, looking for survivors.
One of the survivors, Yevgeni, told ABC News that he was in his bed when the missile struck his apartment.
“I can’t understand. I didn’t hear any bang, any voice, any sound of the missile,” said Yevgeni, adding that he suffered a head injury and that his broken window frame fell on him.
He described seeing smoke and “a lot of dust” at the scene. He said “the most scary thing (was hearing) the voices of people screaming.”
Local resident Natali Nodykova told ABC News that a friend called her to tell her there was a bombing in her neighborhood.
“My son was alone at home and of course I was afraid,” Nodykova said.
Emergency workers rescued 39 people, Ukrainian officials said. Twelve people remained unaccounted for Monday.
The attack was caused by a Soviet-made Kh-22, a long-range missile used to take down aircraft carriers, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
The massive 13,000-pound missile causes huge amounts of casualties when used in civilian areas.
The Kremlin denied the attack, saying Russia doesn’t strike residential areas and claiming the destruction was a result of Ukrainian air defense.
The same type of weapon had been used in a previous attack on a shopping mall in the town of Kremenchuk back in July that killed 22 people, according to Ukrainian authorities.
-ABC News’ Ibtissem Guenfoud, Bruno Roeber, Oleksii Pshemyskiy, Matt Gutman and Max Uzol
Jan 16, 10:24 AM EST
Three children among 40 killed in Dnipro missile strike
The death toll climbed to 40 on Monday from a weekend missile strike on a high-rise apartment complex in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, according to Ukrainian officials.
At least three children were among those killed, officials said. Another 70 people were injured.
The death toll is expected to rise as 30 people remain unaccounted for, officials said.
On Saturday, a missile slammed into a block of high-rise apartment buildings in the central Dnipro. While Ukrainian officials blamed Russia for the strike, one of the deadliest attacks since the war began, the Kremlin denied Russia was involved.
“The Russian armed forces do not strike residential buildings or social infrastructure, they strike military targets,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday.
Jan 15, 3:40 PM EST
Survivor pulled from rubble in Dnipro as death toll rises
The death toll from a Russian missile strike on a block of high-rise apartment buildings in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro rose to 29 on Sunday.
Amidst the devastation, rescuers pulled one woman alive from the rubble on Sunday and officials said she was saved by a cocoon of concrete that surrounded her.
The survivor was rescued from a block of apartment buildings hit by a Russian missile on Saturday in the city about 500 miles southeast of the capital of Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a child was among those killed in the Dnipro missile attack.
Despite Sunday’s rescue, emergency workers said the hope of finding more survivors is fading.
The rocket attack reduced part of a high-rise apartment building to a pile of rubble that was still smoldering on Sunday. Noxious fumes from burning couches, curtains and TVs emanated from the pile as firefighters sprayed water hoses on it and rescue workers dug through the debris with their bare hands, an ABC News crew in Dnipro reported.
In addition to the now 29 killed in the attack, more than 70 people were injured, Ukrainian officials said. The strike left hundreds of apartments uninhabitable, officials said.
Emergency crews brought in cranes Sunday to help move large pieces of debris.
As the rescue operation went on Sunday, periodic moments of silence were called for so rescuers could listen for cries for help from people feared missing in the rubble.
-ABC News’ Matt Gutman
Jan 14, 11:07 AM EST
5 killed, dozens hurt in attack in Dnipro
Five people were killed and at least 27 were wounded in a Russian attack in Dnipro in central Ukraine, according to the governor.
An apartment block was struck and at least two children are among the injured, according to the deputy head of the president’s office.
-ABC News’ Yulia Drozd
Jan 14, 9:27 AM EST
Kyiv under Russian missile attack Saturday morning
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said explosions occurred in different districts on both banks in the city on Saturday morning and, in one of the districts, fire broke out in a non-residential area.
There were no casualties as a result of the attack that happened at approximately 6 a.m. but 18 residential houses were damaged in the region, according to the governor Oleksiy Kuleba.
The spokesman for the Ukrainian Airborne Forces, Yuri Ignat, told ABC News that Ukrainian authorities think it could have possibly been a ballistic attack by Russia but could not confirm this.
“Most likely, these are missiles that flew along a ballistic trajectory from the north. Ballistics are not available for us to detect and shoot down,” Ignat said on Ukrainian television.
-ABC News’ Yulia Drozd
Jan 13, 4:02 PM EST
Russian forces claim to have taken Soledar
Russian military leaders claim their forces took over the salt-mining town of Soledar.
Video showed Russian soldiers evacuating civilians from Soledar and nearby villages to the city of Shakhtarsk as fighting took place on the outskirts on Friday.
Serhiy Cherevaty, the Ukrainian commander of the Eastern Group of Forces, however, confirmed that fighting was going on in the region but contested Russia’s claims about the status of the city in a statement to ABC News.
“We have a clear understanding of who controls which streets in the city, but I cannot reveal those details,” he told ABC News.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Patrick Reevell
Jan 12, 1:51 PM EST
Pressure mounts on NATO countries to send tanks to Ukraine
Pressure is mounting for key NATO allies to send tanks to Ukraine.
After meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, Polish President Andrzej Duda said his country plans to supply Leopard tanks to Ukraine but only as part of an “international coalition.”
“They will be provided within the coalition, because you know that it is necessary to obtain certain official consents. But first we need to build an international coalition and we have decided to form this international coalition,” Duda said.
Duda “expressed hope” other NATO countries would provide Ukraine with tanks as well.
The United Kingdom has not made a final decision on whether to send tanks to Ukraine, according to the spokesperson for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The United Kingdom is considering supplying Ukraine with the British Army’s Challenger 2 main battle tank, according to British media reports.
Germany is also facing pressure from Ukraine and other NATO allies to send tanks to Ukraine. So far, they have not committed to sending any tanks to the country and neither has the United States.
Germany and the United States have both agreed to supply Ukraine with armored carriers and the Patriot air defense system.
Jan 12, 12:52 PM EST
Russians, Ukrainians give conflicting views in the battle for Soledar
Russian and Ukrainian officials offered conflicting views Thursday on the battle being waged over the eastern Ukraine city of Soledar.
Both sides described their forces as making progress in the fight for the salt mining town in the Donbas region.
“Our defenders continue to hold their positions on the most difficult frontlines and in the battle for (the) Donbas,” said Hanna Maliar, the Ukrainian deputy of defense. “Today, fierce and heavy battles continue in the direction of Bakhmut, in the area of Soledar city.”
Despite the “difficult situation,” Ukrainian soldiers are desperately battling for control of Soledar, Maliar said.
“The enemy is suffering heavy losses, unsuccessfully trying to break through our defenses and capture Soledar,” Maliar said. “Today, the city’s approaches are literally littered with the bodies of Putin’s destroyed troops. Nevertheless, they move over the bodies of their fallen fighters. Our defenders show maximum resilience and heroism.”
But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Russian forces and mercenaries from the Wagner private military company are doing a “truly colossal job” in Soledar.
“These are absolutely selfless, heroic deeds,” Peskov told journalists on Thursday.
Peskov said the hostilities in the region will continue.
“There is still a lot of work to be done. No time to stop, no time to rub our hands and so on. The main work is yet to come,” Peskov said.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that Russia’s airborne units had blocked Soledar from the north and the south and assault teams were fighting within the town limits.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his daily address on Wednesday that Ukrainian troops are holding onto Soledar.
“The terrorist state and its propagandists are trying to pretend” to have achieved some successes in Soledar, Zelenskyy said. “But the fighting continues.”
Jan 11, 4:51 PM EST
Russian shake-up as military chief in Ukraine replaced
Russia has replaced the military chief in charge in Ukraine, according to the Kremlin.
Army Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff of the Russian armed forces, will replace Sergei Surovikin, who has been commander of Russia’s forces in Ukraine for the past three months. Surovikin will become one of Gerasimov’s deputies, according to Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s minister of defense, who made the new appointments.
The changes come as the progress of the Russian forces in Ukraine continues to stall.
“The increase in the level of leadership of the special operation is linked to the expansion of the scale of the tasks at hand and the need to organize closer interaction between troops,” Shoigu said.
Jan 11, 12:17 PM EST
Ukrainians deny reports the city of Soledar on verge of falling to Russia
Ukrainian officials on Wednesday denied reports that the eastern Ukrainian city of Soledar is on the verge of being captured by Russian forces and claimed the battle for the city is ongoing.
The report contradicts British intelligence officials who on Tuesday said it appeared that Russian troops were close to capturing a salt mining town in an apparent attempt to cut off the enemy’s supply routes. The British officials said Russian forces, along with mercenaries from the Wagner private military company, were likely in control of the city of Soledar, which is about six miles north of Bakhmut in the Donbas region, where heavy fighting has been reported in recent days.
The head of the Wagner group also released a statement on Telegram Tuesday, saying his mercenaries were in control of Soledar.
But Ukrainian officials said Wednesday the city has not fallen into the hands of Russian forces and the Russian mercenary group.
“Russians say that it is under their control; it is not true,” said Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian eastern military command.
The Russian attack on Soledar is an apparent attempt to bypass Bakhmut from the north and disrupt Ukrainian supply routes, the British intelligence officials said. Part of the fighting is being waged near the entrances to the 124 miles of abandoned salt mine tunnels that run under the area.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the fighting in Soledar as “very difficult.”
Jan 10, 4:09 PM EST
Russia not ready to launch new offensive from Belarus: Ukrainian officials
Senior Ukrainian officials said Tuesday that they believe any prospect of Russia launching a new offensive toward Kyiv from Belarus is “not likely at this moment.”
The latest statement from Ukrainian officials contrasted with a series of interviews they gave last month in which they suggested Russia could mount an offensive early this year and even try to take Kyiv.
“Our assessment is that the Russians aren’t in a position to make an advance on Kyiv from Belarus. And if that were their intention, it wouldn’t happen for some time,” a senior Ukrainian official said Tuesday.
The Ukrainian officials added that the mere threat of an assault from Belarus means that Ukrainian forces are “fixed” along the Ukraine-Belarus border.
-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge
Jan 10, 2:15 PM EST
Ukrainians set to begin Patriot air defense training in Oklahoma
As many as 100 Ukrainians troops will soon begin training on the Patriot air defense system at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, two U.S. officials told ABC News Tuesday.
Fort Sill is the main artillery school for the U.S. Army and where months-long training on Patriot systems already takes place.
Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, said the Ukrainians could begin training on the Patriot system as soon as next week.
“The training will prepare approximately 90 to 100 Ukrainian soldiers to operate, maintain and sustain the defensive system over a training course expected to last several months,” Ryder said.
Once deployed, the Patriot batteries will fortify Ukraine’s air defense capabilities and provide an additional way for the “Ukrainian people to defend themselves against Russia’s ongoing aerial assaults,” Ryder said.
Ryder would not give a precise time frame, but said that once the training is completed, the system will be sent to Ukraine to be put to use.
President Joe Biden announced last month that the United States will provide Ukraine with a Patriot missile defense system. The German government also agreed this month to supply Ukraine with a second Patriot missile battery.
-ABC News’ Matt Seyler
Jan 10, 1:30 PM EST
Russians on verge of overtaking eastern Ukrainian city
Russian troops were on the verge Tuesday of capturing a salt mining town in eastern Ukraine in an apparent attempt to cut off the enemy’s supply routes, according to British intelligence officials.
The Russian forces, along with mercenaries from the Wagner private military company, were likely in control of the city of Soledar, which is about six miles north of Bakhmut in the Donbas region, where heavy fighting has been reported in recent days, the British officials said.
The attack on Soledar is an apparent attempt to bypass Bakhmut from the north and disrupt Ukrainian supply routes, the British intelligence officials said. Part of the fighting is being waged near the entrances to the 124 miles of abandoned salt mine tunnels that run under the area.
Despite the increased pressure on Bakhmut, Russia is unlikely to be able to encircle the city in the near future because Ukrainian forces have created a stable line of defense and control supply routes in the area, the British officials said.
The Ukrainian Army said Russian troops carried out 86 artillery strikes on Soledar in a 24-hour period, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the fighting there as “very difficult.”
Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Speaker Kevin McCarthy says he is set to meet with President Joe Biden on Wednesday to discuss the Republican House majority’s views on federal government spending and raising the country’s borrowing limit in order to avoid a debt default.
“I know the president said he didn’t want to have any discussions, but I think it’s very important that our whole government is designed to find compromise,” McCarthy said during an appearance on Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
“I want to find a reasonable and a responsible way that we can lift the debt ceiling but take control of this runway spending,” McCarthy said, later adding, “I don’t think there’s anyone in America who doesn’t agree that there’s some wasteful Washington spending that we can eliminate.”
The White House has repeatedly said that Biden will not negotiate or compromise by tying a debt limit increase to spending cuts, with the administration pointing to the bipartisan history of the ceiling being increased by both parties over the years.
The debt limit doesn’t allow government spending on new programs; rather, it allows the U.S. to borrow any money it needs to pay for what Congress has already authorized.
“Attempts to exploit the debt ceiling as leverage will not work,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters earlier this month. “There will be no hostage taking.”
The president and his aides have also argued Republicans want to use spending talks to push for cuts to Medicare and Social Security, which McCarthy said on Sunday was “off the table.”
“If you read our ‘Commitment to America,’ all we talk about is strengthening Medicare and Social Security,” McCarthy said, referring to a plan he unveiled for his party before the 2022 midterms.
Pressed on what he meant by strengthen — and whether he saw that as including changes to the programs like raising the retirement age — McCarthy said: “No, no, no. What I’m talking about Social Security, Medicare, you keep that to the side.”
He insisted that he wants to work with Democrats to pass a budget but that government spending needs to come “under control.” He did not completely take defense cuts off the table, saying he wants to “make sure it’s effective and efficient.”
“I want to look at every dollar no matter where it’s being spent,” he said. “I want to eliminate waste wherever it is.”
The speaker also did not say if he would support a short-term debt limit extension to buy more time for negotiations but said that he intended to see the government continue to be funded.
“There will not be a default. But what is really irresponsible is what the Democrats are doing right now, saying we just raise the limit. … They won’t even negotiate. We have now till June,” he said.
The federal government hit the current debt ceiling, about $31.4 trillion, earlier this month.
Since then, the Treasury Department has employed “extraordinary measures” along with its usual cash flow to keep its bills paid, though that is expected to be depleted by June, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said.
“I want to sit down together, work out an agreement that we can move forward, to put us on a path to balance,” McCarthy said Sunday, “[and] at the same time, not put any of our debt in jeopardy.”
In a statement after his interview, the White House accused him of being “evasive” on his conference’s plan for government spending.
“For years, congressional Republicans have advocated for slashing earned benefits using Washington code words like ‘strengthen,’ when their policies would privatize Medicare and Social Security, raise the retirement age, or cut benefits. It’s like saying, ‘you’re not being laid off – we just want to make a change,'” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said.
“House Republicans refuse to raise revenue from the wealthy, but insist they will ‘strengthen’ earned benefits programs. You do the math. They have – they just won’t show you,” Bates said.
