Russian invasion of ukraine 2022

ROME — Stalin’s Holodomor genocide of millions of Ukrainians in the 1930s was a “historical antecedent” to Russia’s current armed aggression, Pope Francis said in an interview published Monday. “I should like to mention that there is in these days the anniversary of the Holodomor, the genocide that Stalin committed against the Ukrainians (in 1932-33),” the pontiff told a team representing the Jesuit-run America magazine. “I believe it is appropriate to mention it as a historical antecedent of the [present] conflict.” Asked why he never mentions Russian president Vladimir Putin by name in his criticisms of the war, the pope replied that it isn’t necessary because everyone knows who he is talking about. Last May, for instance, the Washington Post ran an article noting that “the pope’s messaging about the war, even to some supporters, has also been head-scratching,” both because of his failure to mention Putin by name and because he has suggested that the West was at least … [Read more...] about Pope Francis: Stalin’s Holodomor Was ‘Antecedent’ to Ukraine War

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 LONDON (AP) — Russian soldiers must be held accountable for raping Ukrainian women and committing other acts of sexual violence during Russia's war in Ukraine, the country's first lady, Olensa Zelenska, told an international conference on preventing sexual violence in conflicts Monday. Zelenska told the London summit that sexual violence was being perpetrated “systematically and openly” as the war in Ukraine drags on. Phone recordings have shown Russian soldiers openly discussing rape with their relatives at home, Zelenska said. “Sexual violence is the most cruel, most animalistic way to prove mastership over someone. And for victims of this kind of violence, it is difficult to testify in war times because nobody feels safe”, she said. “This is another instrument that they’re using as their weaponry. This is another weapon in their arsenal in this war and conflict. That’s why … [Read more...] about Ukraine first lady attends London meeting on sexual violence

The war in Ukraine isn’t going the way Russian President Vladimir Putin expected. And he’s certainly not the only one who was caught by surprise—the U.S. expected a rapid Russian success, with the Kremlin’s tanks inside Kyiv within days . Many U.S. officials from the CIA, the Pentagon, and the White House believed Russia would quickly conquer Ukraine when it invaded last February. But Ukraine mounted an effective defense , and the Russian forces have retreated in some areas after ferocious counter-attacks. The outcome of the war hangs by a thread, and the U.S. was simply not expecting to find itself involved in a major international conflict that could go on for years. Former military officials and intel insiders have told The Daily Beast that reviews are underway after failures in human intelligence and “lethargic” analysis led to warped predictions. The misjudgment in Washington, D.C., was near-total. The U.S. did accurately warn that Putin’s threat of invasion was … [Read more...] about This Is How the U.S. Totally Misjudged the War in Ukraine

close Video US helping Ukraine with power, water loss Fox News' Greg Palkot on Ukraine suffering power and water loss as conflicts in the region continue The U.S. has sent tens of billions of dollars worth of military aid to help Ukraine fend off Russia's invasion, but the effort is coming at the expense of aid the U.S. initially intended to send to Taiwan. The backlog of military aid to Taiwan has grown by more than $4 billion since the U.S. began its effort to support Ukraine's military in February, according to the Wall Street Journal. Russia's invasion of Ukraine already raised fears that China could use the opportunity to invade Taiwan, and the lessened support from the U.S. may only exacerbate the potential. The U.S. has sent nearly $20 billion in military aid to Ukraine since February, so much that President Biden's administration is struggling to keep track of how the aid is being used. The volume of U.S. aid to the country has … [Read more...] about Flow of military aid to Ukraine causes $4B backlog in Taiwan aid: Report

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 NEW YORK (AP) — “Gaslighting” — behavior that's mind manipulating, grossly misleading, downright deceitful — is Merriam-Webster's word of the year. Lookups for the word on merriam-webster.com increased 1,740% in 2022 over the year before. But something else happened. There wasn't a single event that drove significant spikes in curiosity, as it usually goes with the chosen word of the year. The gaslighting was pervasive. “It’s a word that has risen so quickly in the English language, and especially in the last four years, that it actually came as a surprise to me and to many of us,” said Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster's editor at large, in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press ahead of Monday's unveiling. “It was a word looked up frequently every single day of the year,” he said. There were deepfakes and the dark web. There were deep states and fake news. And … [Read more...] about ‘Gaslighting’ is Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Monday that Russia has abruptly and without explanation postponed the scheduled resumption of arms control talks this week. The State Department said Russia had “unilaterally postponed” a meeting of the Bilateral Consultative Commission that was scheduled to begin Tuesday in Egypt and last through next week. It said Russia had promised to propose new dates but had offered no reason for the delay. “The United States is ready to reschedule at the earliest possible date as resuming inspections is a priority for sustaining the treaty as an instrument of stability,” the department said. It said it had no details on why Russia wanted the postponement or when the talks might be rescheduled. In Moscow, a Russian foreign ministry statement reported by Russian news agencies offered no reason for the postponement. The Bilateral Consultative Commission hammers out details of U.S. and Russian inspections of each others’ military sites under … [Read more...] about US says Russia abruptly postpones arms control talks