UKRAINE

The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary force fighting in eastern Ukraine said on Tuesday said he had been told he and his men would be regarded as traitors if they abandoned their positions in the city of Bakhmut.

Russia's Wagner mercenary group is now accepting Nazi sympathizers to join the war in Ukraine, despite Vladimir Putin's aim to "de-Nazify" the country.

Soldiers are left in a state of "shock" and severely traumatized by shelling during the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia poses a significant risk to Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, a U.N. watchdog claimed.

A video recorded by Ukraine's volunteer Belarusian fighters showed the intense operation to repel Russian troops from the trenches near Bakhmut.

Russia is now scrambling to accumulate missiles ahead of Ukraine's anticipated counteroffensive.

"If some young men in Russia, just because of this game, happen to think for a couple of seconds what is going on in Ukraine then it's worth it," said Antero Mukka, the editor-in-chief of Helsingin Sanomat.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said Russia's threats of using nuclear weapons in response to the alleged Ukrainian drone strikes make Moscow "look like clowns."

The United States dismissed Russia's allegation on Thursday that Washington was behind what it said was a drone attack on the Kremlin, saying Moscow's assertion was a lie.

Defeated Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake accused the Biden administration of sending billions of taxpayers' dollars to start World War III.

More U.S. military hardware is coming to Ukraine as the Department of Defense announced a new security aid worth $300 million to help its war effort.

As of Wednesday, Russia lost more than 191,900 military personnel in the war, says Ukraine

The Kremlin's press service said that Russian air defenses shot down two Ukrainian drones targeting Putin's residence.

Fewer Russian casualties were recorded in April compared to the first three months of 2023, according to an analysis of Ukrainian government data.

The Russian army stored explosives in one of the power units in the turbine section of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

Russia accused Ukraine on Wednesday of attacking the Kremlin with drones overnight in a failed bid to kill President Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine also said Russia's change in war strategy is part of an effort to prompt the West to push for peace negotiations.

The Kremlin said Russia's losses will be "understandable" as it will be going up against both Ukraine and "the entire West."

The United States plans to announce as soon as Wednesday a new $300 million military aid package for Ukraine that will for the first time include a short-range air-launched rocket, two U.S.

China has appointed a senior diplomat, who formerly served as an ambassador to Moscow and awarded with Russian Order of Friendship, as peace envoy to Ukraine.

Putin initially did not appoint any commander to lead his invasion of Ukraine, believing that the conflict would end in mere days, according to the Institute for the Study of War.