(NEW YORK) — One of the World’s strictest anti-tobacco laws has been imposed in Mexico, setting in force a total ban on smoking in public places, including hotels, beaches and parks.
The new law, which is part of the country’s General Law for Tobacco Control reform, came into force on Sunday. It will also see the total ban on the promotion, advertising and sponsorship of tobacco products. The sale and use of e-cigarettes and vapes are also due to face new restrictions.
The new blanket ban extends on an existing federal and state tobacco control law which came into place in 2008, banning smoking in indoor spaces such as bars, restaurants and workplaces.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised the law on Twitter.
“Bravo Mexico!” he said. “WHO welcomes such a bold move on tobacco control. We can on all countries to strengthen No Tobacco policies and help us prevent 8 million deaths every year.”
Mexico — where the most sold cigarette brand is Marlboro — now joins nations such as Ireland, Greece, Hungary and Malta as those with the most stringent smoke-free environments.
Citizens have questioned enforcement of the new law, citing corruption and noting that many will continue smoking in their private residences. Others also expressed alarm on social media at the harsh nature of the new laws.
Speaking in December 2022 on Mexico’s road to tobacco control, Dr. Juan Arturo Sabines, Pan American Health Organization’s national consultant, said the landmark measures would entail going “up against one of the biggest, most powerful industries in the world.”
About 16% of adults in Mexico are tobacco smokers and smoking causes nearly a million deaths in the Americas each year. Bolivia and Chile hold the highest smoking rates in the region, at 40% and 38.7%, respectively.
Brazil, El Salvador, Mexico and Chile are among Latin American nations also considering implementing tobacco control policies to reduce tobacco use — which kills over eight million people a year — in their populations.
(KATHMANDU, Nepal) — Search crews on Monday recovered the black boxes from Yeti Airlines NYT 691, the short-haul flight that crashed in Nepal on Sunday with 72 people on board.
Both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were recovered as more than 300 people combed the site of the crash, near Pokhara International Airport, officials said.
One additional body was recovered, bringing the death toll to 69. Three people were still counted as missing on Monday, although officials said they didn’t expect to locate survivors.
The search-and-recovery mission has been made more difficult because much of the wreckage from the downed plane was in a narrow 300-meter-deep gorge.
Crews have had to use oxygen as they search the site, an official said.
Of the 68 passengers on board the twin-engine plane, 15 were Nepali, according to a flight manifest shared by Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority on Sunday. Officials said the remaining passengers were from India, Russia, South Korea, Ireland, Australia, Argentina and France. The plane also had four crew members on board.
The bodies of all 15 foreign nationals were expected to arrive at Kathmandu Airport on Monday, officials said.
The aircraft departed Kathmandu on time at 10:32 a.m. local time, with an estimated time of arrival at 10:59 a.m., according to Flightradar24, a flight tracker. The crew last made contact with Pokhara Tower at 10:50 a.m., as they flew over the Seti River gorge, which is east of the city, officials said.
The aircraft, which was 15 years old, was registered as 9N-ANC with a serial number of 754, aviation officials and Flightradar24 said.
Officials said on Sunday that 68 people were confirmed dead, up from an earlier estimate of at least 30. Three children and three infants were on the flight, according to the manifest.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal declared Monday a day of national mourning.
(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 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.”
(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 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.”
Jan 06, 7:27 AM EST
Orthodox Christmas ceasefire now on for 36 hours
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a Christmas “truce” for the next 36 hours with a temporary ceasefire set to end at midnight on Jan. 7.
Air raid sirens sounded across several southern and eastern regions of Ukraine a few hours before ceasefire started.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last night called the truce a “cover” to stop Ukraine from advancing in the east.
The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas Day on Jan. 7 but the brief unilateral Russian ceasefire called by Putin is not expected to last beyond the announced period.
The temporary ceasefire could put Ukraine in a difficult position. If it seeks to stop Russia regrouping its forces during the ceasefire, it could be accused of violating a truce it never agreed to in the first place and be portrayed as aggressive. However, if Ukraine stops fighting for the 36 hour period, it will likely face a more dangerous position when the ceasefire ends.
Jan 05, 4:01 PM EST
Germany to send Ukraine Patriot missile defense system
Germany plans to provide Ukraine with a Patriot air defense battery, the White House confirmed Thursday.
The United States agreed last month to send the first Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine to protect the country against Russia’s ongoing missile and drone attacks targeting its critical infrastructure.
The development came as President Joe Biden spoke by phone Thursday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz about the ongoing war.
The White House also said it would send Bradley infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine. Germany agreed to send Marder infantry fighting vehicles, according to the White House.
“They (Germany) reiterated their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence,” the White House said in a statement. “They reaffirmed their unwavering solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in the face of Russia’s aggression.”
-ABC News’ Matt Seyler and Ben Gittleson
Jan 05, 2:22 PM EST
Biden expresses skepticism of Putin Orthodox Chirstmas cease-fire proposal
President Joe Biden said Thursday that he is skeptical of Russian President Valdimir Putin’s proposal for a cease-fire during the Orthodox Christmas holiday, suggesting it was a ploy to find some breathing room in the war with Ukraine.
“I’m reluctant to respond to anything Putin says,” Biden said.
Biden made the comments in response to a reporter’s question following unrelated remarks at the White House about the U.S.-Mexico border.
“I found it interesting. He was ready to bomb hospitals and nurseries and churches,” said Biden, referring to Russian missile strikes on Ukraine on Dec. 25 and over the New Year’s Day holiday. “I think he’s trying to find some oxygen.”
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Jan 05, 10:57 AM EST
Putin calls for Orthodox Christmas truce
Russian President Valdimir Putin has called for a temporary cease-fire in the war with Ukraine to observe Orthodox Christmas, according to the Kremlin.
Putin proposed a cease-fire beginning at noon on Friday and ending at midnight Saturday, according to the Kremlin. Orthodox Christmas Day is on Saturday.
Putin instructed his minister of defense, Sergei Shoigu, to introduce the ceasefire along the entire line of contact between the warring countries in Ukraine during the holiday.
The Kremlin said the truce is being called for with “Christian love, true faith and crystal truthfulness.”
There was no immediate response from Ukraine on whether its forces would abide by the truce.
Jan 05, 4:31 AM EST
Moscow religious leader calls for Christmas truce
On the eve of the Orthodox Christmas, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia called for the establishment of a Christmas truce in the zone of military activities.
“I, Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, appeal to all parties involved in the internecine conflict to cease fire and establish a Christmas truce from 12.00 on January 6 to 24.00 on January 7, so that Orthodox people can attend services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day,” the patriarch said in a statement, published on Thursday on the website of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Jan 04, 5:29 PM EST
Biden confirms that US considering sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine
President Joe Biden told reporters Wednesday the U.S. is considering giving Ukrainian troops Bradley Fighting Vehicles, confirming earlier reports that such a deal was in the works.
A Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle is the U.S. Army’s main armored fighting vehicle for transporting troops into combat.
It is a light armored vehicle equipped with a 25mm gun that can push through enemy lines and can take on tanks.
Ukrainian officials have been asking for the vehicle to bolster their forces.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Jan 04, 1:21 PM EST
Putin sends new hypersonic cruise missiles into combat service
A Russian frigate armed with new hypersonic Zircon cruise missiles has been sent to active duty.
Russian President Vladimir Putin made the announcement during a video meeting on Wednesday with Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Igor Krokhmal, commander of the Admiral Gorshkov frigate.
“I’m sure that such a powerful weapon will let Russia defend against potential external threats and will contribute to protect national interests of our country,” Putin said.
Shoigu added: “The focus of this deployment will be to counteract threats facing Russia and to maintain regional peace and stability together with friendly countries.”
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Jan 04, 8:57 AM EST
Ukraine locates Russian outpost via data on soldiers’ cellphones
Russian soldiers using their mobile phones just after midnight on New Year’s provided Ukraine with the data to locate a Russian outpost in the city of Makiivka ahead of Ukraine’s deadly attack, according to Russia.
Six rockets were fired from U.S.-made HIMAR rocket launchers.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said 89 soldiers were killed in the attack but Ukrainian officials claim the death toll is much higher. Russian authorities have not yet compiled lists of the wounded and dead.
Jan 02, 3:36 PM EST
Zelenskyy says Russia is preparing ‘prolonged’ attack
During an evening address Monday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia is preparing a long-term attack by drones to exhaust Ukrainian air defense.
Just two days into the new year, he said the country’s defense forces shot down more than 80 Shahed drones, which are made by Iran.
“This number may increase in the near future. We have information that Russia is planning a prolonged attack,” Zelenskyy said.
“Its bet may be on exhaustion. To the exhaustion of our people, our air defense, our energy. But we must do — and we will do everything — so that this goal of the terrorists fails, like all the others.”
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Dec 31, 8:14 AM EST
1 dead, 7 injured after Russia launches missile strike against Kyiv
At least one person has been killed and seven people have been injured after Russia launched a barrage of missiles on Kyiv on New Year’s Eve.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported destruction across several districts with a luxury hotel, a bridge and police stations among the locations impacted.
It’s currently unclear how many locations have been destroyed as a result of direct hits and how many were from falling debris from intercepted rockets.
New Year’s Eve is one of Ukraine’s biggest holidays.
Dec 30, 10:28 AM EST
Putin expects China’s Xi to make state visit in spring
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he’s expecting Chinese President Xi Jinping to make a state visit to Russia in the spring of 2023.
Putin said he’s looking to deepen military cooperation between the two nations.
Putin said the visit would “demonstrate to the world the closeness of Russian-Chinese relations.”
Dec 29, 5:08 PM EST
Zelenskyy praises Air Force for ‘repelling’ Russian missile barrage
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is praising his country’s air defense, saying it “successfully repelled” a barrage of Russian missiles fired at Kyiv and other targets early Thursday.
Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian Air Force shot down 54 missiles and 11 attack drones.
“Our warriors all over Ukraine distinguished themselves and I thank all our Air Commands: Center, South, East and West,” Zelenskyy said.
He specifically cited the efforts of the 96th Kyiv, 160th Odesa and the 208th Kherson anti-aircraft missile brigades, saying their “results are the best today.”
Zelenskyy said several Russian missiles evaded Ukraine’s air defense and hit several infrastructure targets.
“Our power engineers and repair crews are doing everything to make Ukrainians feel the consequences of the terrorists’ strike as little as possible,” Zelenskyy said.
As of Thursday evening, he said there were power outages in most regions of Ukraine, including the capital city Kyiv as well as the Lviv, Odesa, Kherson, Vinnytsia and Zakarpattia regions.
“But this is nothing compared to what could have happened, if it was not for our heroic anti-aircraft troops and air defense,” Zelenskyy said.
Dec 29, 11:40 AM EST
Ukrainian missile shot down in Belarus: Defense ministry
Belarus’ defense ministry said its air defenses had downed a Ukrainian S-300 missile in a field on Thursday morning during one of Russia’s largest missile attacks against Ukraine since the start of the war.
The military commissar of the Brest region, Oleg Konovalov, played down the incident in a video message posted on social media by the state-run BelTA news agency, saying local residents had “absolutely nothing to worry about.”
“Unfortunately, these things happen,” Konovalov said.
He compared the incident to one in November when an S-300 believed to have strayed after being fired by Ukrainian air defenses landed in NATO member country Poland, and initial fears of an escalation in the war were rapidly defused.
Konovalov said the Ukrainian missile was shot down by the air defense forces around 10 a.m. local time Thursday. Fragments of the downed missile were found near the village of Gorbakha in the Brest region.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Dec 29, 10:32 AM EST
Russia continues ‘escalating’ missile campaign, US Embassy says
Moscow has been “cruelly” targeting Ukrainian civilians by launching attacks against utilities during the winter, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv said on Thursday.
The rebuke came as Russia fired missiles at cities throughout the country on Thursday. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Army said 69 missiles were launched, fewer than the 100 missiles that officials had estimated earlier in the morning. Officials said 54 missiles were intercepted.
Two civilians were killed as a result of shelling in the Kharkiv area, according to the region’s governor.
“The Kremlin continues its escalating campaign of missile attacks, cruelly wielding cold & dark against” Ukrainians, U.S. Embassy officials said on Twitter. “Families are again hunkering down as critical infrastructure & other targets across the country are attacked.”
Air raid sirens started wailing before 6 a.m. local time across Ukraine, sending residents scrambling into underground shelters in several cities. Missiles landed in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Lviv and Zhtomyr.
Ukraine’s defense systems intercepted some missiles, including 16 that were shot down near Kyiv, the capital, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Two homes in Kyiv were damaged by falling debris and three people were injured, he said.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said Russia had been “saving one of the most massive missile attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion for the last days of the year.”
“They dream that Ukrainians will celebrate the New Year in darkness and cold,” officials said. “But they cannot defeat the Ukrainian people.”
-ABC News’ Britt Clennett and Joe Simonetti
Dec 29, 2:29 AM EST
More than 100 Russian missiles fired at Ukraine
Russian forces early on Thursday launched a missile strike on Ukraine.
More than 100 rockets were fired in several waves, Oleksiy Arestovych, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Twitter. Some rockets were reportedly fired from carriers in the sea, while others were reportedly fired by at least a dozen fighter aircraft.
Another presidential advisor, Mykhailo Podolyak, said on Twitter that more than 120 missiles had been launched “by the ‘evil Russian world’ to destroy critical infrastructure & kill civilians en masse.”
At least one loud explosion was heard in Kyiv, where air raid sirens were ringing for several hours on Thursday morning.
Dec 28, 1:58 PM EST
Kremlin rejects Ukraine’s Feburary ‘peace summit’
Russia has rejected a proposal from Ukraine to hold a “peace summit” in February, according to a Kremlin official.
“There is no ‘peace plan’ for Ukraine for now, that’s for starters,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Wenderday. “Besides, there can be no ‘peace plan’ for Ukraine, which disregards today’s realities on Russian territory, the entry of new regions, four of them, into Russia.”
Peskov was apparently referring to recent Ukrainian drone attacks inside Russia, including one this week at the Engels Air Force Base in southern Russia that killed three Russian soldiers.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Dec 27, 1:13 PM EST
Putin bans sending Russian oil to countries imposing a price cap
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Tuesday that not only rejects a price cap on the country’s oil but bans sending crude and other petroleum products to any country that has endorsed the price cap.
The Group of Seven countries, including the United States, agreed on Dec. 3 to impose a $60 per barrel price cap on Russian oil in response to the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. Australia and the European Union also agreed to impose the price cap.
The decree Putin signed goes into effect on Feb. 1 and is valid until July 1, 2023.
The decree bans the supply of oil and oil products from Russia to those countries that place a price ceiling on contracts. The decree also forbids the supply of oil to other foreign buyers whose contracts use a price cap mechanism.
The decree includes a clause allowing Putin to overrule the ban in special cases to be determined by the Russian leader.
The price cap on Russian oil implemented by G-7 nations disallows the world’s second-largest oil exporter from selling crude at a price above $60 per barrel.
Since the outset of its war with Ukraine, Russia has sold its oil at discounted prices. As of Tuesday, Russian Urals crude was trading at $57 per barrel — an amount slightly less than the cap. But the price cap aims to ensure that Russian oil sales remain well below global oil prices, which stand at about $80 per barrel.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Dec 26, 7:40 AM EST
Ukraine strikes bomber base in Russia, killing three
A Ukrainian drone attack on the Engels Air Force Base in southern Russia killed three, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said.
A spokesman for Ukrainian Air Force confirmed the attack, saying, “If the Russians thought the war would not touch them they were wrong.”
Russian air defence reportedly shot down a Ukrainian drone flying at low altitude, but falling debris caused the casualties in the overnight attack.
The Engels base lies just over 300 miles northeast of Ukraine’s border with Russia. The facility has been repeatedly used by Russia to carry out missile strikes on targets in Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces had attacked another Russian air base on Dec. 5, killing three and damaging two strategic bombers.
(NEW YORK) — “When you’re cooking, steam comes out of your mouth,” Svetalana told us, standing in her bitterly cold, pitch-black kitchen, near where seven months earlier a Russian bomb caused the windows to blow out and her bedroom walls to cave in.
Svetlana is now dealing with another kind of Russian attack, as Putin wages a war on the Ukrainian people’s power supply. With temperatures dropping well below freezing in the winter months, Russia has launched waves of missiles and drones at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since October in an attempt to envelop an entire nation in cold and darkness. As a result of these attacks, power outages have become part of daily life for millions of Ukrainians.
Reaching over the stove to boil the kettle, Svetalana said, “Thankfully it’s gas. I made borscht yesterday, I needed to cook because we were told we wouldn’t have water for days.”
Svetlana gestured to the several buckets of water and a stack of pancakes sitting atop her kitchen counter. Without running water, her family must go outside to use the toilet. Svetlana said that it was so cold at one stage that all the drain pipes broke like Christmas tree ornaments, and are now having to be replaced one by one.
Svetlana, like many Borodyanka residents, is picking up the pieces after coming under heavy bombardment in the early days of the war in the spring of last year. Parts of this rural town, sitting around 30 miles northwest of Kyiv with a population of close to 15,000 before Russia’s invasion, were razed to the ground by Russian bombers as Putin’s troops tried to close in on the capital.
Most buildings along the main road were impacted, including Svetlana’s multistory apartment complex. Entire walls collapsed, windows broke to pieces. But others fared even worse. The block of flats next door was annihilated and dozens were killed, Ukrainian officials said, with some estimates claiming at least 200 perished under the rubble. Months later, a gaping hole in the ground remains where Svetlana’s neighbours once lived.
We had met with a teary Svetlana in June in her apartment. The attacks were still fresh and she had only just started to come to terms with what had happened. She showed us a desk in her living room where her 16-year-old son had been sleeping when the bombs hit: “My son was stuttering after the first attacks, I was afraid he would never be able to speak again.”
While the stutter has since disappeared, remnants of the destruction continue to haunt Svetlana and her family. Despite attempts to renovate the shattered parts of her apartment, the energy crisis fanned by Russia’s onslaught of missiles means Svetlana’s rebuilding efforts during the winter months have virtually ground to a halt.
Yet Svetlana still considers herself lucky. As a teacher at a local kindergarten, Svetlana says she’s fortunate to have heating during her working hours.
Svetlana admits she would have moved out by now, “My son and husband refuse to leave, so we’re all staying.”
ABC News’ Tatiana Rymarenko contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — As thousands of supporters of former far-right Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro stormed three major government buildings in Brazil’s capital on Sunday in protest of the presidential election results, the shocking, violent scene drew immediate comparisons to another post-election uprising — the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.
Former Vice President Mike Pence said he “has no doubt” the Jan. 6 attack to stop the certification of the 2020 election played a role in inspiring the recent events in Brasilia.
“It is evident that what happens in the United States has repercussions around the world,” Pence, who was evacuated from the Senate floor during the insurrection, told CBS News in an interview posted on Wednesday. “I have no doubt that that tragic day in January of 2021, in this country, played some role in sowing the seeds of what’s taking place in Brazil.”
Unlike the Jan. 6 insurrection, the riots in Brasilia occurred after the presidential inauguration on a day when the government buildings were closed. They were also much larger in scale, with protesters storming the Supreme Court, Congress and the presidential office, called the Planalto Palace.
Though in both cases, demonstrators were fueled by false claims about a stolen election, sown before polls even opened, Naureen Chowdhury Fink, executive director of the Soufan Center, a New York-based think tank, said.
“There’s so many similarities in the narrative and the kind of disinformation being fomented in the lead-up to the election that it’s hard to ignore those parallels,” Fink told ABC News.
An ‘echo’ to Jan. 6 buildup
The Soufan Center, an organization focused on foreign policy issues, warned in September 2022 of the possibility of a Jan. 6 repeat in Brazil, as Bolsonaro “appears to be taking a page” from Trump’s playbook “by laying the groundwork for claims of a stolen election and a contestation of the results, should he lose.”
“Brazil could soon be on the verge of facing the most significant test to its democracy in nearly four decades, as its institutions brace for a potential torrent of disinformation and political violence,” the Soufan Center stated in a brief. “Ironically, the United States, historically known for exporting democracy, is now associated with developing the playbook for dictators and strongmen to use to sow doubt about democratic elections, while simultaneously offering a blueprint for authoritarian leaders to seize power by force.”
Bolsonaro, a far-right politician who has often been compared to Trump, has falsely claimed that Brazil’s new president, the left-wing Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known widely as “Lula,” won in a “stolen election.”
“One of the notable things for us was how long the groundwork has been, especially leading up to the insurrection here in the U.S. It’s not like it happened overnight,” Fink said. “You start with disinformation, you start sowing seeds of distrust in the political process. The narrative becomes very combative about established democratic processes and starts challenging the transfer of power. And then you get a buildup to the insurrection.”
“So I think we had seen certainly in a lot of Bolsonaro’s statements and actions and that of his supporters, a possibility to echo in that sort of process,” she said.
Sunday’s riots were unprecedented in Brazil’s history, M. Victoria Murillo, the director of the Institute of Latin American Studies at Columbia University, told ABC News. The U.S. is an “important voice” in the region, and the influence of Jan. 6 was evident, she said.
“When I started getting the news on Sunday, it was clear — this is another Jan. 6,” Murillo said. “Many of the forms of the performance actually was very similar to the U.S. and obviously inspired by the U.S., even if the scale was even larger and after the inauguration.”
The Council on Foreign Relations said this week the uprising in Brazil was “not the first time American far-right violent extremism and activism had provided a model for counterparts abroad,” citing, for example, QAnon becoming a “global phenomenon.”
The U.S. is often seen as an arbiter of democracies elsewhere, which made the insurrection so “startling” to a global audience, Fink said.
“I think the sight of Americans questioning the democratic process in the U.S. — well, we’ve certainly seen that phenomenon in other countries, and I think the reverberations of that will not go away because it’s kind of cracked the edifice,” she said.
Domestic forces at play
For Christopher Garman, managing director of the Americas for the firm Eurasia Group, there are “eerie analogies” between the two uprisings, though Brazil’s insurrection has different contours.
“When I look at the events in Brazil, I think that it’s a much more domestically driven story that can have inspiration abroad … but the domestic conditions were prone for this type of dynamic,” Garman told ABC News.
The levels of disenchantment with the establishment are “very large” in Brazil and there’s “tremendous anger” at public institutions — conditions that helped lead to both Trump and Bolsonaro winning elections previously in the first place, he said.
“The underlying public opinion geology is favorable for these types of events in the U.S. and Brazil,” Garman said.
Bolsonaro was in Florida when the uprising occurred, having traveled to the U.S. late last year and missing the inauguration. He condemned the violence and denied responsibility for encouraging the rioters.
The former president’s absence may also uniquely factor into the uprising in Brazil, Garman said. An element of protesters frustrated nothing was done over what they considered to be a rigged election may have stormed the government buildings believing that the military could step in and secure order, Garman said.
“In the U.S., you have a sitting president inciting a mob to storm the Capitol. And in Brazil, you have a president [whose] base thinks that he’s turned his back on them,” Garman said.
Riots condemned
The violent attack in Brasilia was swiftly condemned.
In his first call with Lula, who was inaugurated last week, Biden pledged “unwavering support” for Brazil’s democracy and “condemned the violence and the attack on democratic institutions and on the peaceful transfer of power,” according to a joint statement from the two leaders.
Lula vowed that the “coup plotters” will be punished and described the violence as “acts of vandals and fascists.” Brazil’s Justice Ministry set up an email address to receive information about the “terrorist” attack.
At least 1,500 people have been arrested in connection with the attack, according to Brazil’s Justice Ministry. Protesters are likely to face charges of rebellion, military police said. Likewise, hundreds have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, with charges ranging from assaulting or impeding officers to seditious conspiracy.
Lula accused security forces of “incompetence, bad faith and malice” for failing to stop the rioters from accessing Congress. He will now have to navigate keeping security forces in line, amid concerns over future acts of sabotage, Garman said.
“That level of challenge on ensuring security and the role of the armed forces is not an issue in the States as it is in Brazil,” he said.
For Fink, the riots in Brazil are emblematic of a larger worry.
“You can always try and stop the next insurrection through a bunch of barriers and good police work and security measures,” she said. “But the fact that it is reflecting this kind of political polarization and almost like an anti-truth movement — this kind of distrust in democracy and democratic processes — I think that’s going to be the bigger concern. And it won’t be limited to the U.S. or Brazil.”
(LONDON) — Prince William and Kate made their first public appearance Thursday since the release of Prince Harry’s memoir Spare.
William and Kate stepped out in Liverpool, England, but did not issue a public comment on Harry’s memoir, in which he details an ongoing rift with William, including claiming that William physically attacked him in a 2019 confrontation.
As William and Kate arrived at a local hospital, a reporter shouted to William, “Are you hurt by the comments in Harry’s book, sir?”
Neither William nor Kate acknowledged the reporter’s question as they stopped for a brief chat with others before entering the hospital.
Earlier in the day, Harry and William’s father, King Charles III, also made his first public appearance since the release of Spare, visiting a community support center in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Charles also did not publicly comment on his son’s memoir, maintaining the royal family’s silence on its contents.
Neither Kensington Palace, the office of William and Kate, the princess of Wales, nor Buckingham Palace, the office of Charles and Camilla, the queen consort, have commented on the claims Harry makes in Spare.
The memoir, a rare glimpse of life inside the royal family, became an instant bestseller upon its release Tuesday, selling over 1.4 million copies in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada alone in its first day, according to the book’s publisher, Penguin Random House.
The company, which describes itself as the “world’s largest trade publisher,” said in a statement Wednesday the sales of Spare made history as the, “largest first-day sales total for any nonfiction book ever published by Penguin Random House.”
Spare gives a detailed account of Harry’s rift with his family, his decision to leave his senior royal role in 2020 and how he felt growing up as the “spare” to William, the heir to the throne.
Harry has said in interviews promoting Spare that he is not in regular communication with his brother or his father.
Harry and his wife Meghan, the duchess of Sussex, who now live in California, last appeared in public with William and Kate in September when they attended Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. The mourning period for the queen marked the first time the couple had appeared publicly with members of the royal family in over two years.
Though Harry in his memoir shares intimate, often painful portrayals of the royal institution and his family, he told ABC News’ Good Morning America co-anchor Michael Strahan that telling his story is what is needed to make peace.
“I don’t think that we can ever have peace with my family unless the truth is out there,” he said in an interview that aired Monday on GMA. “There’s a lot that I can forgive, but there needs to be conversations in order for reconciliation, and part of that has to be accountability.”
Harry also told Strahan he does not believe the details he shares in Spare can make things any worse with his family.
“I have thought about it long and hard,” Harry said. “And as far as I see it, the divide couldn’t be greater before this book.”
ABC News reached out to Kensington Palace and Buckingham palace for response to Harry’s remarks in our interview. Kensington Palace declined to comment.
ABC News received a response from the law firm representing Buckingham Palace Monday saying that the palace needed to “consider exactly what is said in the interview and the context in which it appears,” and asked that we supply them immediately with a copy of the entire interview. We do not do that as a news organization as a matter of policy.
(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 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.”
Jan 06, 7:27 AM EST
Orthodox Christmas ceasefire now on for 36 hours
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a Christmas “truce” for the next 36 hours with a temporary ceasefire set to end at midnight on Jan. 7.
Air raid sirens sounded across several southern and eastern regions of Ukraine a few hours before ceasefire started.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last night called the truce a “cover” to stop Ukraine from advancing in the east.
The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas Day on Jan. 7 but the brief unilateral Russian ceasefire called by Putin is not expected to last beyond the announced period.
The temporary ceasefire could put Ukraine in a difficult position. If it seeks to stop Russia regrouping its forces during the ceasefire, it could be accused of violating a truce it never agreed to in the first place and be portrayed as aggressive. However, if Ukraine stops fighting for the 36 hour period, it will likely face a more dangerous position when the ceasefire ends.
Jan 05, 4:01 PM EST
Germany to send Ukraine Patriot missile defense system
Germany plans to provide Ukraine with a Patriot air defense battery, the White House confirmed Thursday.
The United States agreed last month to send the first Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine to protect the country against Russia’s ongoing missile and drone attacks targeting its critical infrastructure.
The development came as President Joe Biden spoke by phone Thursday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz about the ongoing war.
The White House also said it would send Bradley infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine. Germany agreed to send Marder infantry fighting vehicles, according to the White House.
“They (Germany) reiterated their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence,” the White House said in a statement. “They reaffirmed their unwavering solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in the face of Russia’s aggression.”
-ABC News’ Matt Seyler and Ben Gittleson
Jan 05, 2:22 PM EST
Biden expresses skepticism of Putin Orthodox Chirstmas cease-fire proposal
President Joe Biden said Thursday that he is skeptical of Russian President Valdimir Putin’s proposal for a cease-fire during the Orthodox Christmas holiday, suggesting it was a ploy to find some breathing room in the war with Ukraine.
“I’m reluctant to respond to anything Putin says,” Biden said.
Biden made the comments in response to a reporter’s question following unrelated remarks at the White House about the U.S.-Mexico border.
“I found it interesting. He was ready to bomb hospitals and nurseries and churches,” said Biden, referring to Russian missile strikes on Ukraine on Dec. 25 and over the New Year’s Day holiday. “I think he’s trying to find some oxygen.”
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Jan 05, 10:57 AM EST
Putin calls for Orthodox Christmas truce
Russian President Valdimir Putin has called for a temporary cease-fire in the war with Ukraine to observe Orthodox Christmas, according to the Kremlin.
Putin proposed a cease-fire beginning at noon on Friday and ending at midnight Saturday, according to the Kremlin. Orthodox Christmas Day is on Saturday.
Putin instructed his minister of defense, Sergei Shoigu, to introduce the ceasefire along the entire line of contact between the warring countries in Ukraine during the holiday.
The Kremlin said the truce is being called for with “Christian love, true faith and crystal truthfulness.”
There was no immediate response from Ukraine on whether its forces would abide by the truce.
Jan 05, 4:31 AM EST
Moscow religious leader calls for Christmas truce
On the eve of the Orthodox Christmas, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia called for the establishment of a Christmas truce in the zone of military activities.
“I, Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, appeal to all parties involved in the internecine conflict to cease fire and establish a Christmas truce from 12.00 on January 6 to 24.00 on January 7, so that Orthodox people can attend services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day,” the patriarch said in a statement, published on Thursday on the website of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Jan 04, 5:29 PM EST
Biden confirms that US considering sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine
President Joe Biden told reporters Wednesday the U.S. is considering giving Ukrainian troops Bradley Fighting Vehicles, confirming earlier reports that such a deal was in the works.
A Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle is the U.S. Army’s main armored fighting vehicle for transporting troops into combat.
It is a light armored vehicle equipped with a 25mm gun that can push through enemy lines and can take on tanks.
Ukrainian officials have been asking for the vehicle to bolster their forces.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Jan 04, 1:21 PM EST
Putin sends new hypersonic cruise missiles into combat service
A Russian frigate armed with new hypersonic Zircon cruise missiles has been sent to active duty.
Russian President Vladimir Putin made the announcement during a video meeting on Wednesday with Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Igor Krokhmal, commander of the Admiral Gorshkov frigate.
“I’m sure that such a powerful weapon will let Russia defend against potential external threats and will contribute to protect national interests of our country,” Putin said.
Shoigu added: “The focus of this deployment will be to counteract threats facing Russia and to maintain regional peace and stability together with friendly countries.”
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Jan 04, 8:57 AM EST
Ukraine locates Russian outpost via data on soldiers’ cellphones
Russian soldiers using their mobile phones just after midnight on New Year’s provided Ukraine with the data to locate a Russian outpost in the city of Makiivka ahead of Ukraine’s deadly attack, according to Russia.
Six rockets were fired from U.S.-made HIMAR rocket launchers.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said 89 soldiers were killed in the attack but Ukrainian officials claim the death toll is much higher. Russian authorities have not yet compiled lists of the wounded and dead.
Jan 02, 3:36 PM EST
Zelenskyy says Russia is preparing ‘prolonged’ attack
During an evening address Monday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia is preparing a long-term attack by drones to exhaust Ukrainian air defense.
Just two days into the new year, he said the country’s defense forces shot down more than 80 Shahed drones, which are made by Iran.
“This number may increase in the near future. We have information that Russia is planning a prolonged attack,” Zelenskyy said.
“Its bet may be on exhaustion. To the exhaustion of our people, our air defense, our energy. But we must do — and we will do everything — so that this goal of the terrorists fails, like all the others.”
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Dec 31, 8:14 AM EST
1 dead, 7 injured after Russia launches missile strike against Kyiv
At least one person has been killed and seven people have been injured after Russia launched a barrage of missiles on Kyiv on New Year’s Eve.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported destruction across several districts with a luxury hotel, a bridge and police stations among the locations impacted.
It’s currently unclear how many locations have been destroyed as a result of direct hits and how many were from falling debris from intercepted rockets.
New Year’s Eve is one of Ukraine’s biggest holidays.
Dec 30, 10:28 AM EST
Putin expects China’s Xi to make state visit in spring
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he’s expecting Chinese President Xi Jinping to make a state visit to Russia in the spring of 2023.
Putin said he’s looking to deepen military cooperation between the two nations.
Putin said the visit would “demonstrate to the world the closeness of Russian-Chinese relations.”
Dec 29, 5:08 PM EST
Zelenskyy praises Air Force for ‘repelling’ Russian missile barrage
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is praising his country’s air defense, saying it “successfully repelled” a barrage of Russian missiles fired at Kyiv and other targets early Thursday.
Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian Air Force shot down 54 missiles and 11 attack drones.
“Our warriors all over Ukraine distinguished themselves and I thank all our Air Commands: Center, South, East and West,” Zelenskyy said.
He specifically cited the efforts of the 96th Kyiv, 160th Odesa and the 208th Kherson anti-aircraft missile brigades, saying their “results are the best today.”
Zelenskyy said several Russian missiles evaded Ukraine’s air defense and hit several infrastructure targets.
“Our power engineers and repair crews are doing everything to make Ukrainians feel the consequences of the terrorists’ strike as little as possible,” Zelenskyy said.
As of Thursday evening, he said there were power outages in most regions of Ukraine, including the capital city Kyiv as well as the Lviv, Odesa, Kherson, Vinnytsia and Zakarpattia regions.
“But this is nothing compared to what could have happened, if it was not for our heroic anti-aircraft troops and air defense,” Zelenskyy said.
Dec 29, 11:40 AM EST
Ukrainian missile shot down in Belarus: Defense ministry
Belarus’ defense ministry said its air defenses had downed a Ukrainian S-300 missile in a field on Thursday morning during one of Russia’s largest missile attacks against Ukraine since the start of the war.
The military commissar of the Brest region, Oleg Konovalov, played down the incident in a video message posted on social media by the state-run BelTA news agency, saying local residents had “absolutely nothing to worry about.”
“Unfortunately, these things happen,” Konovalov said.
He compared the incident to one in November when an S-300 believed to have strayed after being fired by Ukrainian air defenses landed in NATO member country Poland, and initial fears of an escalation in the war were rapidly defused.
Konovalov said the Ukrainian missile was shot down by the air defense forces around 10 a.m. local time Thursday. Fragments of the downed missile were found near the village of Gorbakha in the Brest region.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Dec 29, 10:32 AM EST
Russia continues ‘escalating’ missile campaign, US Embassy says
Moscow has been “cruelly” targeting Ukrainian civilians by launching attacks against utilities during the winter, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv said on Thursday.
The rebuke came as Russia fired missiles at cities throughout the country on Thursday. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Army said 69 missiles were launched, fewer than the 100 missiles that officials had estimated earlier in the morning. Officials said 54 missiles were intercepted.
Two civilians were killed as a result of shelling in the Kharkiv area, according to the region’s governor.
“The Kremlin continues its escalating campaign of missile attacks, cruelly wielding cold & dark against” Ukrainians, U.S. Embassy officials said on Twitter. “Families are again hunkering down as critical infrastructure & other targets across the country are attacked.”
Air raid sirens started wailing before 6 a.m. local time across Ukraine, sending residents scrambling into underground shelters in several cities. Missiles landed in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Lviv and Zhtomyr.
Ukraine’s defense systems intercepted some missiles, including 16 that were shot down near Kyiv, the capital, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Two homes in Kyiv were damaged by falling debris and three people were injured, he said.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said Russia had been “saving one of the most massive missile attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion for the last days of the year.”
“They dream that Ukrainians will celebrate the New Year in darkness and cold,” officials said. “But they cannot defeat the Ukrainian people.”
-ABC News’ Britt Clennett and Joe Simonetti
Dec 29, 2:29 AM EST
More than 100 Russian missiles fired at Ukraine
Russian forces early on Thursday launched a missile strike on Ukraine.
More than 100 rockets were fired in several waves, Oleksiy Arestovych, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Twitter. Some rockets were reportedly fired from carriers in the sea, while others were reportedly fired by at least a dozen fighter aircraft.
Another presidential advisor, Mykhailo Podolyak, said on Twitter that more than 120 missiles had been launched “by the ‘evil Russian world’ to destroy critical infrastructure & kill civilians en masse.”
At least one loud explosion was heard in Kyiv, where air raid sirens were ringing for several hours on Thursday morning.
Dec 28, 1:58 PM EST
Kremlin rejects Ukraine’s Feburary ‘peace summit’
Russia has rejected a proposal from Ukraine to hold a “peace summit” in February, according to a Kremlin official.
“There is no ‘peace plan’ for Ukraine for now, that’s for starters,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Wenderday. “Besides, there can be no ‘peace plan’ for Ukraine, which disregards today’s realities on Russian territory, the entry of new regions, four of them, into Russia.”
Peskov was apparently referring to recent Ukrainian drone attacks inside Russia, including one this week at the Engels Air Force Base in southern Russia that killed three Russian soldiers.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Dec 27, 1:13 PM EST
Putin bans sending Russian oil to countries imposing a price cap
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Tuesday that not only rejects a price cap on the country’s oil but bans sending crude and other petroleum products to any country that has endorsed the price cap.
The Group of Seven countries, including the United States, agreed on Dec. 3 to impose a $60 per barrel price cap on Russian oil in response to the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. Australia and the European Union also agreed to impose the price cap.
The decree Putin signed goes into effect on Feb. 1 and is valid until July 1, 2023.
The decree bans the supply of oil and oil products from Russia to those countries that place a price ceiling on contracts. The decree also forbids the supply of oil to other foreign buyers whose contracts use a price cap mechanism.
The decree includes a clause allowing Putin to overrule the ban in special cases to be determined by the Russian leader.
The price cap on Russian oil implemented by G-7 nations disallows the world’s second-largest oil exporter from selling crude at a price above $60 per barrel.
Since the outset of its war with Ukraine, Russia has sold its oil at discounted prices. As of Tuesday, Russian Urals crude was trading at $57 per barrel — an amount slightly less than the cap. But the price cap aims to ensure that Russian oil sales remain well below global oil prices, which stand at about $80 per barrel.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Dec 26, 7:40 AM EST
Ukraine strikes bomber base in Russia, killing three
A Ukrainian drone attack on the Engels Air Force Base in southern Russia killed three, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said.
A spokesman for Ukrainian Air Force confirmed the attack, saying, “If the Russians thought the war would not touch them they were wrong.”
Russian air defence reportedly shot down a Ukrainian drone flying at low altitude, but falling debris caused the casualties in the overnight attack.
The Engels base lies just over 300 miles northeast of Ukraine’s border with Russia. The facility has been repeatedly used by Russia to carry out missile strikes on targets in Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces had attacked another Russian air base on Dec. 5, killing three and damaging two strategic bombers.
(PARIS) — A man who left at least six people injured in an attack at the Gare Du Nord station in Paris early Wednesday morning was shot by police and hospitalized, authorities said.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter that “an individual injured several people this morning at the Gare du Nord. He was quickly neutralized. Thank you to the police for their effective and courageous response.”
The alleged attacker is alive and has been hospitalized, authorities said. The six injured people were also taken to the hospital, Darmanin said at a news conference at the station, where he was flanked by armed police officers.
The attack began at about 6:42 a.m. local time, with police responding quickly, Darmanin said. The suspect, who did not appear to say anything prior to the attack, was shot by police within a minute, the minister told reporters.
Prosecutors said they are investigating all possible leads. Investigators haven’t yet ruled terrorism out as a motive, they said. Police have not yet identified a weapon.
“I confirm that an investigation has been opened by the Paris prosecutor’s office,” the Paris Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement obtained by ABC News. “The investigations were entrusted to the judicial police. The provisional assessment is 6 people injured including one in absolute emergency. The suspect was hospitalized after being shot several times by police. His vital prognosis is engaged.”
Paris Gare du Nord is one of the biggest and busiest train stations in Europe. It serves the northern suburbs of Paris and is a terminus on the London to Paris Channel Tunnel route.
(NEW YORK) — When the hole in the ozone layer was first discovered in 1985, Paul A. Newman was shaken as a scientist.
“I lost a lot of sleep back then because we didn’t really know what was going on and then we didn’t know how it would really play out,” he told ABC News.
Scientists were soon able to discover the cause: chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs — chemicals commonly used in the production of aerosol sprays, refrigerators and air conditioners. Once broken down in the upper atmosphere by high ultraviolet radiation, they release ozone-depleting chlorine.
The Montreal Protocol, a universally ratified United Nations treaty that went into effect in 1989, phased out the production of ozone-depleting substances including CFCs. And the U.N.’s most recent four-year assessment of those efforts, published Monday, found that the ozone layer — which protects the planet against harmful radiation that’s linked to skin cancer and crop damage — is slowly continuing to recover.
“I’ve slept pretty well the last few years,” Newman, a co-chair of the scientific assessment, said. “There’s still problems with climate, but as far as the ozone layer, I think we’re moving to be in good shape.”
Ozone recovery
The latest report looking at the progress of the Montreal Protocol found that emissions of human-produced ozone-depleting substances like CFCs, which were once widely used, have “come down substantially,” Newman said.
The report confirmed the phase-out of nearly 99% of banned ozone-depleting substances, the U.N. said. A few years ago, there were unexpected emissions of one of the banned chemicals — chlorofluorocarbon-11, or CFC-11 — in eastern China, though those numbers have also gone back down to expected levels, Newman said.
The levels of ozone-depleting substances in the atmosphere are also continuing to decline, despite the “hiccup” in CFC-11 emissions, Newman said. Chlorine levels are down 11.5% from a peak in 1993, while levels of bromine, another ozone-depleting atom, are down 14.5% from a 1999 peak, according to the report.
As a result, ozone is increasing in the upper stratosphere, Newman said. If current policies remain in place, the ozone layer is expected to recover to 1980 levels by 2040, while over the Antarctic, this recovery is expected by around 2066, the report said.
“That’s really good news. It really shows that the Montreal Protocol is working,” Newman said. “We knew that if you curtailed or if you stopped the growth of chlorofluorocarbons, and they came down, that ozone would recover. And not only do we see that recovery, but it’s recovery at the expected rate.”
Areas of concern
There are areas of concern that could thwart this expected progress, Newman noted, such as unexplained increases in banned ozone-depleting substances like CFC-11.
It is also unclear what impact technology like high-altitude aircraft or geoengineering — a method of artificially cooling the planet by introducing aerosols into the stratosphere to increase sunlight reflection — could have, he said.
For the first time, the assessment looked at the potential impact of geoengineering on ozone and found that an “unintended consequence” was that it “could also affect stratospheric temperatures, circulation and ozone production and destruction rates and transport,” the report said.
“Volcanoes, when they spew particles into the stratosphere, it has a direct impact on the ozone layer. So if man starts doing the same thing to cool the Earth’s surface, it’s going to have an impact on the ozone layer,” Newman said. “I think we’re in good shape, but we need to be vigilant to make sure that we don’t do something like this again.”
