Ukraine-Russia War | Kyiv Daily Briefing

EU Members Agree To Advance Accession Talks For Ukraine And Moldova
Fri Jun 12 3:19 pm
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced that European Union member states have agreed to advance accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, boosting the countries' membership bids after two years of stalled progress.
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US Releases Information On Biolabs In Over 30 Countries, Including Ukraine
Fri Jun 12 1:46 pm
The director of US National Intelligence (DNI) has released evidence that her office says shows "longstanding" United States government funding for more than 120 biolabs in over 30 countries where research on biological pathogens, some dangerous, is conducted.
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No Concerts. No Air Shows. No Tanks On Parade. Ukraine’s Drone-And-Missile Campaign Spooks Kremlin Planners
Fri Jun 12 12:40 pm
The Russia Day concert, an annual tub-thumping Red Square performance, is canceled for the first time in 23 years. The marquee annual air show is canceled. The Victory Day parade was notably lower key. Ukraine’s expanding drone campaign is taking its toll on big, splashy Kremlin-backed events.
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Exclusive: Wiretaps Show Suspects In Ukraine Corruption Case Discussed Enlisting Lawmaker
Fri Jun 12 8:32 am
Two suspects in a corruption scandal that has shaken Ukraine and cut close to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of a prominent lawmaker as someone who could advance their interests and protect cash flows, audio recordings obtained by Schemes reveal. The lawmaker and suspects deny any wrongdoing.
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Odesa Prepares Wartime Beaches As Divers Clear Drone Debris
Thu Jun 11 12:47 pm
Ukraine's city of Odesa is welcoming beachgoers and tourists for the summer season on its Black Sea coast. Despite the risk of Russian drone and missile strikes, Odesa's beaches offer a temporary respite to war-weary Ukrainians. Along the coastline, emergency divers help keep Odesa's waters safe by removing debris from downed Russian drones.
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Iconic Artwork 'Virtually Destroyed' In Crimea Drone Strike
Thu Jun 11 9:11 am
A massive panorama depicting a battle in the 1853-1856 Crimean War has been heavily damaged by what Russian-occupation authorities in Sevastopol say was a Ukrainian drone attack.
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'They Can't Scare Me': Living With Constant Russian Drone Attacks In Kherson
Wed Jun 10 2:46 pm
Russian drone attacks are a daily reality in Kherson, a frontline city in southern Ukraine. Residents say the threat is growing, with drones increasingly targeting residential neighborhoods and forcing people to seek cover. Yet many refuse to leave.
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US House Passes Bill To Cut Off Western Technology Flowing Into Iranian Drones
Wed Jun 10 1:36 pm
The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation aimed at preventing American and allied technology from ending up in Iranian-made drones used in conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East.
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Panic Buying In Russian-Occupied Crimea Amid Transportation Crisis, Fuel Shortages
Tue Jun 09 10:49 am
Residents of Russian-occupied Crimea are reporting empty shelves in grocery stores and purchase limits on a number of basic goods. Russian authorities deny panic buying on the peninsula amid a regional transportation collapse and fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries and on the so-called land corridor to Crimea.
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Wider Europe Briefing: Brussels Slams Serbia's Rule Of Law Shortfall
Tue Jun 09 6:14 am
In this week's briefing, RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak is drilling down on two issues: a damning rule-of-law assessment for Serbia and the latest Franco-German EU enlargement proposal.
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A Kyiv Statue No More: Ukrainians Debate Role Of Russian Author Mikhail Bulgakov
Tue Jun 09 5:24 am
Residents of the Ukrainian capital have mixed reactions over the removal of a statue of Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov, author of The Master And Margarita. Born in Kyiv when it was part of the Russian Empire, the novelist and playwright penned sharp satire and criticized Soviet society. But the statue has now been taken down after Ukraine's Institute of National Remembrance determined that Bulgakov also symbolized Russian imperial thinking -- under which Ukraine was seen as a Russian province.
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Oil On The Beach But No Fuel For Cars: Tourist Season Opens In Crimea
Mon Jun 08 12:17 pm
The summer tourist season is starting in Russian-occupied Crimea, but with Ukrainian drone attacks, Internet outages, and fuel shortages, just how many people will visit the peninsula? As Current Time correspondent Andrey Cherkasov explains, tour operators are trying to put a positive spin on the crisis, but it's being met with skepticism.
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