VOA Russian: How drones changed military tactics in Russia’s war in Ukraine
Both Russia and Ukraine expanded the use of drones in 2024 as a relatively cheap means of warfare that requires an opponent to use a much more expensive air defense…
Україна отримала 1,2 мільярда доларів від Японії. Шмигаль розповів, куди спрямують кошти
Ці кошти надійшли до України у листопаді-грудні …
Finland detains Russia-linked vessel on suspicion it damaged undersea cable
FRANKFURT, GERMANY — Finnish authorities have detained a Russia-linked ship as they investigate whether it damaged a Baltic Sea power cable and several data cables, according to police and news media…
Azerbaijan observes day of mourning for air crash victims as speculation mounts about its cause
Azerbaijan on Thursday observed a nationwide day of mourning for the victims of the plane crash that killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured as speculation mounted about…
Ukraine says it shot down 20 Russian drones
Ukraine’s military said Thursday it shot down 20 of the 31 drones that Russian forces launched in overnight attacks. The intercepts took place over the Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv and Kyiv…
Kyrgyzstan faces difficulties enforcing West’s Russia sanctions
BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN — Experts say Kyrgyzstan’s efforts to enforce Western sanctions against companies supplying dual-use goods and equipment to Russia are constrained by opposition from business, limited bureaucratic resources, and unwillingness…
Turkey’s soaring costs creating ‘lost generation’ of children
ISTANBUL — In a dim one-room apartment in one of Istanbul’s poorest neighborhoods, 11-year-old Atakan Sahin curls up on a threadbare sofa with his siblings to watch TV while their mother…
French authorities rescue 107 migrants crossing Channel
LILLE, FRANCE — French authorities said they rescued 107 migrants trying to cross the Channel from France to England on Wednesday. Over the course of Christmas Day, 12 rescue operations were…
Kosovo appeals panel lets ethnic Serb party run in parliamentary election
PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo’s election appeals authority on Wednesday canceled a ban on the main party of the ethnic Serb minority, allowing it to field candidates in the upcoming parliamentary election. …
Pope urges ‘all people of all nations’ to silence arms and overcome divisions in Christmas address
Vatican City — Pope Francis in his traditional Christmas message on Wednesday urged “all people of all nations” to find courage during this Holy Year “to silence the sounds of arms…
Russian cargo ship which sank off Spanish coast was victim of ‘act of terrorism,’ RIA cites owner
Moscow — A Russian cargo ship called Ursa Major that sank in the Mediterranean Sea was the victim of “an act of terrorism,” state news agency RIA cited the vessel’s owner…
American imprisoned in Russia sentenced to new 15-year jail term for espionage
Moscow — A Russian-born U.S. citizen already imprisoned in Russia on a bribery conviction has been handed a second 15-year jail term for espionage, Russian news agencies reported Tuesday. A Moscow…
Bosnia’s Serb MPs move to block state institutions, EU integration
SARAJEVO — Lawmakers in Bosnia’s Serb Republic regional parliament on Wednesday ordered Serb representatives in state institutions to block decision-making and reform laws needed for the Balkan country’s integration into the…
Russia damages Ukrainian energy facilities in missile attacks Zelenskyy calls ‘inhumane’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Russian forces attacked his country with more than 70 missiles and that targets included Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian air defenses shot…
France has new government, again. Politics and crushing debt complicate next steps
Paris — France’s president and prime minister managed to form a new government just in time for the holidays. Now comes the hard part. Crushing debt, intensifying pressure from the nationalist…
Amsterdam court sentences 5 men for violence linked to Ajax-Maccabi soccer game
The Hague, Netherlands — An Amsterdam district court on Tuesday sentenced five men to up to six months in prison for violence that erupted around a UEFA Europa League football match…
Pope Francis kicks off year-long Jubilee that will test his stamina, Rome’s patience
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis kicked off the 2025 Holy Year on Tuesday, inaugurating a celebration of the Catholic Church that is expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome…
People in Russia ‘need the truth,’ says journalist who sacrificed home and security to keep reporting
Prague — The list of sacrifices that Alesya Marokhovskaya has made to keep reporting on Russia from exile runs long: her home, her country, family, friends, culture, safety. This month alone,…
Blast at Turkish ammunition factory kills 11 people
Istanbul — An explosion at an ammunition factory in northwest Turkey left 11 dead and five injured Tuesday morning. The blast occurred in Balikesir province, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency….
Шмигаль: Україна вже отримала 1 млрд доларів від США в рамках ініціативи G7
Прем’єр висловив сподівання, що всі суверенні активи Росії будуть конфісковані й спрямовані на відновлення України …
Україна отримала мільярд доларів від Японії та Великої Британії на підтримку реформ – Мінфін
«Залучені кошти буде спрямовано на збільшення потенціалу економічного розвитку» – Марченко …
Шмигаль: заявки на отримання тисячі гривень «єПідтримки» подали 10,3 мільйона українців
Понад 6 мільйонів вже отримали одноразову допомогу …
Explosion sinks Russian cargo ship in Mediterranean, Russian Foreign Ministry says
MOSCOW — An engine room explosion sank a Russian cargo ship in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria and two of its crew are missing, the Russian Foreign Ministry said…
Ukrainian forces destroy 36 Russian drones
Ukraine’s military said Tuesday it shot down 36 of the 60 drones that Russian forces deployed in overnight attacks. The intercepts took place in the Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv,…
Holy Year about to start in Rome
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Tuesday formally inaugurates the 2025 Holy Year, reviving an ancient church tradition encouraging the faithful to make pilgrimages to Rome, amid new security fears following…
VOA Russian: Moscow increases pressure on ‘foreign agents’
Russia recently expanded punishment against independent journalists and activists that the Kremlin designated as “foreign agents,” with Moscow charging a prominent exiled reporter, Tatyana Felgengauer, on criminal counts in absentia….
Azerbaijani journalist says he was jailed over his work
WASHINGTON — A journalist jailed in Azerbaijan for nearly seven months has said he believes his arrest is linked to his reporting. Farid Mehralizada, an economist and journalist with VOA’s sister…
Going home? Syrians in Europe are not so sure
Orleans, France — Nabil Attar sprinkles sesame and pomegranate over creamy mutabal, a roasted eggplant dip from his native Syria — one of his mother’s many recipes now featured at his…
France unveils new government with budget battle looming
PARIS — France unveiled a new government on Monday, composed of former ministers and senior civil servants that Prime Minister Francois Bayrou will hope can oversee the passage of a 2025…
Germany looking into possible security lapses after Christmas market attack
Berlin — Germany searched for answers on Monday on possible security lapses after a man drove his car into a Christmas market, killing at least five people and casting a renewed…