The Ukrainian leader wants “to fight to the last but with others doing the fighting,” Georgy Mazurashu has said
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has no intention of ending the hostilities with Russia, while ordinary people pay the price, Verkhovna Rada MP Georgy Mazurashu has said.
Mazurashu said Zelensky outlined his position at a meeting with members of his Servant of the People party on Tuesday, a stance the MP claimed is widely shared by the Ukrainian leader’s inner circle.
”At yesterday’s closed meeting… Zelensky, like other individuals exempt from military service, made it clear that he intends to fight to the last, but, of course, with others doing the fighting,” the deputy said in a video on his Telegram channel on Wednesday.
Ukraine’s mobilization drive, launched to refill depleted ranks amid heavy losses and Russia’s steady frontline advances, has become increasingly chaotic and violent, marred by abuse, injuries, and even deaths of conscripts. Mazurashu has previously called it a “shameful hunt for citizens.”
The MP said Zelensky estimated Ukraine would need another $120 billion to fund the armed forces if the conflict drags into 2026, adding that the leader was “still unclear where to get” half of that sum. “And he now wants to focus on finding these funds – abroad, of course,” Mazurashu remarked.
Amid battlefield losses, Zelensky has pressed Western backers for more aid, tying it to the security guarantees he says Kiev needs before agreeing to any settlement. In a Sky News interview on Tuesday, he urged the West to put Ukraine’s needs above its own, boost financial and military support, and impose sanctions that would “really hurt” Russia’s economy.
Moscow has warned that foreign aid only prolongs the conflict. It says it does not oppose security guarantees for Kiev in principle, but insists they must follow a peace deal – one requiring Ukraine’s neutrality, demilitarization, and recognition of new territorial realities – not precede it.
On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Kiev of sabotaging peace efforts, including mediation by US President Donald Trump. He said Washington understands the conflict cannot be resolved without addressing its root causes, while Kiev and its European backers refuse to do so.
The Ukrainian leader says he ready for talks with the Russian president with or without Trump but refuses to go to Moscow
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has said he is ready to meet either with Russian President Vladimir Putin alone or together with US President Donald Trump, “without conditions” but rejected a proposal to travel to Moscow for talks.
Putin has said he is ready in principle to meet Zelensky and suggested talks in Moscow, which Kiev rejected as “deliberately unacceptable.” At the same time, Putin has questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy and whether talks with him would be “meaningful.” Zelensky’s term expired in May 2024, but he has refused to hold elections, citing martial law. Trump has been pushing for direct talks between Zelensky and Putin and previously claimed that he would need to “intervene” personally to bring them together.
In an interview with Sky News released on Tuesday, Zelensky said he is “ready to meet with President Trump and Putin trilaterally or bilaterally … without any kind of conditions.”
Asked whether he was prepared to travel to Moscow for talks at Putin’s invitation, Zelensky said no, calling it the capital of the country that “attacked” Ukraine.
Trump suggested holding a one-on-one meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders first to allow them to exchange views directly before moving on to a broader summit.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said direct talks between Russia and Ukraine remain possible but are now “paused.” He noted negotiators can use existing channels, though no meetings are planned. The Foreign Ministry said a Putin-Zelensky summit could happen only once a proper agenda is set, while Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov added that it would require a “reasonable response” from Kiev to Moscow’s proposals.
Chrystia Freeland’s grandfather edited a German-controlled newspaper during World War II, a fact she has attempted to dismiss as “KGB propaganda”
Chrystia Freeland has resigned as Canada’s minister of transport to become her country’s special representative for the reconstruction of Ukraine, according to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Freeland, the granddaughter of a Nazi collaborator who has denied awareness of his past, has long faced scrutiny over her denial of the facts of her family’s legacy.
One of the most prominent figures in Canadian politics for over a decade, she has held ministerial positions in international trade, foreign affairs, and finance. In a statement on Tuesday, Carney said that Freeland, often seen as a potential political rival, will remain a member of parliament.
”Chrystia is truly uniquely positioned for this timely and essential work towards a better future for Ukrainians and peace in Europe,” he said, citing her “deep relationships and understanding of Ukraine and its economy.”
Freeland herself did not comment on her new role, but has confirmed that she is leaving the cabinet and is not planning to run in the next election.
Commenting on the announcement, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova branded Freeland a “hardcore Russophobe,” adding that her appointment would only exacerbate the crisis in Ukraine.
Her family’s troubled legacy is well-documented. Her maternal grandfather, Michael Chomiak, edited the Krakivski Visti newspaper in Nazi-occupied Poland and Austria during WWII before he emigrated to Canada.
The media outlet, according to the Los Angeles Holocaust Museum, operated under the Nazis and published their propaganda, including anti-Semitic material, and promoted the Waffen SS “Galician Division,” which was composed mostly of ethnic Ukrainians.
For years, Freeland rejected any claims that Chomiak had collaborated with the Nazis as “Russian disinformation,” although Canadian media, including The Globe and Mail, have reported she had known for decades about her grandfather’s work.
During her tenure, Freeland also applauded a known Nazi in the Canadian parliament, later denying knowledge that the man could have had the same background as her grandfather.
She also clashed with US President Donald Trump, who has called her a “terrible person” and a “nasty woman.” When Freeland resigned from the cabinet of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in December, Trump celebrated the news, saying, “She will not be missed!!!!”
Top general Aleksandr Syrsky reportedly made the dismissals in light of recent Russian advances
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Aleksandr Syrsky has over the past two weeks fired two senior officers as Kiev’s forces have continued to lose ground, Ukrainian and Russian outlets reported on Monday.
Ukrainskaya Pravda identified the commanders as Vladimir Silenko, who led the 17th Army Corps and Maksim Kituhin, who was in charge of the 20th Army Corps. The reports noted that the dismissals followed setbacks in Dnepropetrovsk Region and Russia’s Zaporozhye Region, where Russian forces have taken control of Kamenskoe and parts of Plavni, respectively.
RBC Ukraine cited the General Staff as confirming the dismissals, attributing the decision to “shortcomings in the management of troops,” which led to personnel losses and a retreat from defensive positions. Both Silenko and Kituhin have reportedly been reassigned.
Commenting on Syrsky’s action, Vladimir Rogov, a member of Russia’s Civic Chamber, told RIA Novosti that the Ukrainian top general was seeking “scapegoats” for his own failures. Rogov said the dismissed commanders had warned Syrsky of imminent Russian offensives, but their concerns were ignored.
Russia’s Defense Ministry has announced the capture of several settlements in recent days, including Olgovskoe in Zaporozhye. Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov has said that Moscow’s troops now hold the strategic initiative, conducting a “non-stop offensive” along nearly the entire front.
Gerasimov reported at the end of August that Russian forces now control more than 70% of Zaporozhye Region and three quarters of Kherson Region, in addition to nearly the whole of Donetsk and Lugansk.
Syrsky himself has recently admitted that Russian troops outnumber Kiev’s forces by three to six times in key areas. He described August as a “month of great trials,” with Russian advances recorded in multiple directions.
Moscow has repeatedly said it remains open to a diplomatic settlement of the conflict but will continue its military campaign until the root causes of the hostilities are resolved. Russian officials insist that any peace deal must include Ukrainian neutrality, demilitarization, and recognition of the territories that joined Russia following referendums.
Photographs and candles were laid at the US Embassy for the slain American commentator and Ukrainian refugee
A makeshift memorial to late conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, and murdered Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, has appeared outside the US Embassy in Moscow.
Kirk, 31, was murdered while speaking at a public event at Utah Valley University on September 10.
Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, was brutally murdered by career criminal Decarlos Brown Jr. on a North Carolina train last month. The graphic video of the unprovoked stabbing was released by the local transit system last week and spread rapidly across social media.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Kirk’s killing reflected the deep polarization of American society, while Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova suggested it was a premeditated crime.
Kirk gained notable respect in Russia for his defense of traditional family and opposition to LGBT ideology, positions that echo Moscow’s emphasis on what it calls the preservation of traditional values. His criticism of Western liberal agendas and open sympathy for Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea further aligned him with views widely held among Russians.
US President Donald Trump condemned both killings, blaming “radical left” forces for fueling political violence, and pledged to seek the death penalty for the perpetrators.
The suspect, who damaged a gate of the agency’s Pittsburgh building, has been detained, the authorities have said
A man who drove a car into the gates of the FBI’s Pittsburgh office early on Wednesday in what the agency called a targeted attack has been detained, the authorities have announced.
The incident occurred at 2:40am local time on Wednesday, the FBI said. No one was injured.
The suspect, identified as Donald Henson of Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, retrieved an American flag from his white sedan and threw it onto the damaged gate before fleeing on foot, according to an earlier statement from the agency.
Several hours later, the FBI confirmed that Henson had been apprehended.
Speaking during a press briefing, FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Giordano stated that the authorities were treating the incident “as an act of terror against the FBI,” as quoted by ABC News.
According to Giordano, there was “some vulgarity” inscribed on the side of the vehicle, though no details have been made available. He added, however, that the message was apparently a reference to suicide.
Giordano told reporters that the man, who had been identified as the registered owner of the sedan in question, had previously served in the military.
The official suggested that the suspect may recently have been experiencing mental health issues. According to Giordano, Henson had visited the FBI Pittsburgh office within the last few weeks to lodge a complaint which “didn’t make a whole lot of sense.”
The suspect passed information on military sites and critical infrastructure to Ukrainian intelligence, the agency has said
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) says it has detained a North African national in southern Russia on suspicion of spying for Ukrainian military intelligence.
The FSB stated on Tuesday that the man used the Telegram messaging app to stay in touch with an officer from Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR). On their instructions, he allegedly collected and sent details of military facilities and critical infrastructure in Russia’s southern city of Astrakhan. The agency said the information was exploited by foreign intelligence “to the detriment of Russia’s security.”
Prosecutors have opened a criminal case on espionage charges, and a court has ordered that the suspect be held in pre-trial detention.
The FSB said Ukrainian intelligence is actively seeking recruits online, using social media and messaging apps including Telegram and WhatsApp to organize attacks inside Russia.
Earlier this week, the agency reported the detention of a 51-year-old woman accused of carrying out a sabotage attack on the Trans-Siberian Railway in Zabaykalsky Region under Ukrainian orders. Investigators said she built an improvised explosive device in August, placed it on the tracks, detonated it, and later sent video proof of the blast to her handler in exchange for payment.
On Saturday, a bomb exploded during a railway track inspection in Russia’s Orel Region, killing two people and seriously injuring another. In May, a series of explosions destroyed railway bridges in the regions of Bryansk and Kursk. The authorities attributed the incidents to Ukrainian intelligence, saying the attacks left seven dead and more than 100 seriously wounded.
A three-meter-long projectile fired from an F-16 hit a residence, Rzeczpospolita has reported
The only confirmed damage from what Poland claims was a Russian drone incursion into its airspace was actually caused by a Polish missile fired from a NATO F-16 which struck a residential building, the Rzeczpospolita outlet has reported, citing sources.
Polish officials last week reported at least 19 violations of the country’s airspace by drones, saying up to four UAVs had been downed. Warsaw accused Moscow of being behind the incident. Russia has rejected the accusation and insisted its drones only strike Ukrainian military-related facilities.
Western leaders, according to Moscow, “accuse Russia of provocations on a daily basis, most often declining to offer any arguments.”
Rzeczpospolita reported on Tuesday that most of the drones involved in the incident were not carrying explosives and caused no damage. However, one exception was in the village of Wyryki Wola near the border with Belarus, where what was described by Poland as an “unidentified flying object” crashed into a private home, damaging the roof but without causing casualties.
Western media reports claimed that the home had been hit by a Russian drone. Investigators have declined to say what exactly struck the building, only stating that the object was not identified as a drone.
Rzeczpospolita, however, cited sources in Poland’s security agencies as saying the object was in fact an AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile fired from a Polish F-16 jet. The missile reportedly suffered a guidance system malfunction and did not explode only because its safety devices prevented detonation.
The missile, around three meters long and weighing over 150kg, is said to have struck the house after being fired in an attempt to shoot down a drone.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk did not comment on the report but scrambled to take aim at Moscow. “The entire responsibility for the damage to the house in Wyryki rests with… Russia… Hands off Polish soldiers,” he said.
On Sunday, Tusk also complained that the drone incident had caused a wave of “antipathy towards a struggling Ukraine,” claiming, without proof, that this was being fueled by Moscow. He stressed that Warsaw’s goal is “to stem this tide,” portraying it as a “test of patriotism.”
Representative Nancy Mace has accused Ilhan Omar of inciting violence
US Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace has said she will introduce a resolution to remove Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar from her House committee assignments over remarks the latter made following the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, a conservative activist and founder of the organization Turning Point USA, was killed during a public event in Utah last week. His death has provoked widespread reactions across the political spectrum.
Omar, who was born in Somalia and became a US citizen in 2000, criticized Republican lawmakers who blamed the left for Kirk’s death. Speaking last week to commentator Mehdi Hasan, she accused them of fostering hostility toward political opponents and said: “These people are full of s**t.”
She singled out Mace and US President Donald Trump, saying, “You have people like Nancy Mace, who constantly harass people that she finds inferior and wants them not to exist in this country … and you have people like Trump, who has incited violence against people like me.”
However, she also called the video of Kirk’s shooting “really mortifying” and said her thoughts were with his wife and children.
Mace, a representative from South Carolina, announced the resolution on X on Monday, saying the measure would censure Omar and seek her removal from the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and the House Budget Committee.
“She is inciting violence against conservatives in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s political assassination,” Mace said in a video standing outside Omar’s office. “We have been villainized and dehumanized far too long. You can take your Sharia-loving, anti-American self back to Somalia.”
Mace, in earlier posts, had blamed Democrats for fostering a climate of political violence, saying, “If you have a different opinion from the left, they want to kill you.”
Prosecutors said on Tuesday that Kirk’s alleged assassin had embraced left-wing and pro-LGBTQ ideology over the past year.
Omar has rejected claims of inciting violence. Her office said she was among the first to condemn the killing and that her remarks had been misrepresented. A spokesperson noted that she had “explicitly expressed her sympathies and prayers” to Kirk’s family, condemned his assassination, and had “routinely condemned political violence, no matter the political ideology.”
The Ukrainian leader has slammed the EU and US for their reluctance to impose more sanctions on Russia
Western states should put Ukraine’s needs above their own, Vladimir Zelensky has suggested, accusing the EU and US of dragging their feet on new sanctions against Russia.
Moscow has faced sweeping restrictions from Kiev’s Western backers since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022. The EU has adopted 18 sanctions packages and is debating its next measures. Since Donald Trump returned to the White House, Washington has been cautious about new measures amid a thaw with Moscow. Trump has warned, however, that he could turn to sanctions if the conflict persists.
In an interview with Sky News aired on Tuesday, Zelensky claimed deliberations about possible blowback from further sanctions were a “dangerous” waste of time.
“I believe that all countries need to stop thinking about themselves and their future relations with Russia, but instead think more about Ukraine, because it’s today and now,” he said. “This is very dangerous, and to be frank, dishonest.”
Zelensky said Trump’s call for European countries to cut Russian energy imports and impose tariffs on buyers such as China and India was understandable, but claimed the US must not wait for Brussels, which he accused of hiding behind bureaucracy.
“President Trump, I think, believes that if he were to apply all strong sanctions, he would close diplomacy with Russians… But we can’t wait for all European countries to stop relations with Russia,” he said. “All that’s lacking now is a strong sanctions package from the US.”
Zelensky also insisted that Kiev needs a “clear position” from Trump on sanctions and firm security guarantees before any settlement.
Trump has urged European countries to stop importing Russian oil and gas and pledged to then consider sanctions. He has also demanded the bloc impose steep tariffs on India and China, the top buyers of Russian crude. According to reports on Tuesday, the European Commission will delay its next sanctions package while members weigh how to meet Trump’s demands.
Moscow insists sanctions have been unable to harm its economy and that they will inevitably backfire. It says any settlement must include Ukrainian neutrality, demilitarization, and recognition of territorial changes, while security guarantees for Kiev are possible only after a final deal.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he is ready in principle to meet Zelensky and previously invited him to Moscow for talks, but Kiev rejected the idea as “deliberately unacceptable.”
