Crimea

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian 10th Mountain Assault Brigade "Edelweiss", Ukrainian soldiers pass by a volunteer bus burning after a Russian drone hit it near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. (Shandyba Mykyta, Ukrainian 10th Mountain Assault Brigade "Edelweiss" via AP)

Ukraine aims a major drone attack at Crimea as Russia tries to capture a destroyed eastern city

Russian officials say Ukraine has launched one of its biggest drone attacks on the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula since the full-scale war began.

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a midnight Mass on Russian Orthodox Christmas in the village of Turginovo, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) northwest of Turginovo, Russia on Jan. 7, 2016. As Putin has formed a closer alliance with the Orthodox Church, the country has embraced what officials call “traditional values,” and Russia has sought to put more restrictions on abortion. Russia’s health minister has condemned women for prioritizing careers over childbearing. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

Officials in Russia-annexed Crimea say private clinics have stopped providing abortions

A soldier of the Ukraine's National Guard 1st brigade Bureviy (Hurricane) ride an APC during combat training at a military training ground in the north of Ukraine Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

A Ukrainian missile strike on a shipyard in Crimea damages a Russian ship

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a live broadcast at the 6th German-Ukrainian Business Forum of the DIHK, the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations and the German-Ukrainian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK Ukraine), in Berlin, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. Topics include infrastructure, energy and defense as well as investment conditions for German companies in Ukraine. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)

Ukraine’s leader says Russian naval assets are no longer safe in the Black Sea near Crimea

This image taken from UGC video shows smoke rising from the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea, Friday Sept. 22, 2023. Ukraine carried out a fiery missile strike Friday on the main headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and one serviceman was missing, the Russian Defense Ministry said (Crimean Telegram channel via AP)

A Ukrainian missile strikes the headquarters of Russia’s navy in Crimea

FILE - Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition, March 9, 2020, in Washington. Musk’s refusal to allow Ukraine to use Starlink internet services to launch a surprise attack on Russian forces in Crimea last September has raised questions for the Pentagon. The Air Force's top civilian leader, Frank Kendall, says the military may need to be more explicit in future defense contracts that services or products it purchases could be used in war. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Elon Musk’s refusal to have Starlink support Ukraine attack in Crimea raises questions for Pentagon

SpaceX founder Elon Musk’s refusal to allow Ukraine to use Starlink internet services to launch a surprise attack on Russian forces in Crimea last September has raised questions for the Pentagon.

Police and emergency vehicles parked at the side of the wreckage of the drone fell near the Karamyshevskaya embankment to the after a reported drone attack in Moscow, Russia, on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. The Mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin said a drone fell in western Moscow after it was shot down by air defense systems. Sobyanin said no-one was hurt when the drone fell near Karamyshevskaya embankment and that no serious damage was caused. Russian social media channels shared videos of what they said was a drone flying low above Moscow and of smoke rising above the Moscow river. (AP Photo)

Russia downs 20 drones over Crimea following a spate of attacks on Moscow

Russia thwarted an attack by 20 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow-annexed Crimea overnight, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Lithuania declares more than 1,000 Belarusians and Russians to be national security risks

Lithuania has declared more than a thousand citizens of Russia and Belarus living in the country to be threats to national security and said it is stripping them of their permanent residency permits.

This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC appears to show the damaged Russian landing vessel Olenegorsky Gornyak leaking oil while docked at Novorossiysk, Russia, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023. Ukraine said its sea drones struck a major Russian port Friday and damaged the warship in an attack that underlined Kyiv's growing capabilities as the Black Sea becomes an increasingly important battleground in the war. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Ukraine says its drones damaged a Russian warship, showing Kyiv’s growing naval capabilities

Ukraine says its sea drones have struck a major Russian port and damaged a warship. The attack underlined Kyiv’s growing naval capabilities as the Black Sea becomes an increasingly important battleground in the war.

FILE - People gather at the beach area of the Black Sea, in Balaklava's bay, a part of Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2015. The Crimean Peninsula's balmy beaches have been vacation spots for Russian czars and has hosted history-shaking meetings of world leaders. And it has been the site of ethnic persecutions, forced deportations and political repression. Now, as Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its 18th month, the Black Sea peninsula is again both a playground and a battleground. (AP Photo, File)

The Crimean Peninsula is both a playground and a battleground, coveted by Ukraine and Russia

The Crimean Peninsula’s balmy beaches have been vacation spots for Russian czars and Soviet general secretaries.

FILE - Pallets of 155 mm shells and fuses are loaded, ultimately bound for Ukraine, April 29, 2022, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. U.S. officials say on July 24, 2023, the Biden administration is sending up to $400 million in additional military aid to Ukraine (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

US to send up to $400 million in military aid to Ukraine

The Biden administration is sending up to $400 million in additional military aid to Ukraine, including a variety of munitions for advanced air defense systems and a number of small, surveillance Hornet drones.

A view of the damaged building is seen after a reported drone attack in Moscow, Russia, Monday, July 24, 2023. (AP Photo)

Russia says Moscow and Crimea hit by Ukrainian drones while Russian forces bombard Ukraine’s south

Russian authorities have accused Ukraine of launching a drone attack on Moscow during which one of the aircraft fell near the Defense Ministry’s main headquarters.

Russian rockets are launched against Ukraine from Russia's Belgorod region, seen from Kharkiv, Ukraine, Sunday, July 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Vadim Belikov)

Drone hits Crimean ammunition depot as strikes kill, wound civilians and journalists in Ukraine

A Ukrainian drone strike has caused a massive explosion at an ammunition depot in Russia-annexed Crimea, forcing the evacuation of nearby homes in the latest attack since Moscow canceled a landmark grain deal amid Kyiv’s grinding efforts to retake its occupied territories.

A freight train runs on rails of a railway link of the Crimean Bridge connecting Russian mainland and Crimean peninsula over the Kerch Strait not far from Kerch, Crimea, on Monday, July 17, 2023. An attack before dawn damaged part of a bridge linking Russia to Moscow-annexed Crimea that is a key supply route for Kremlin forces in the war with Ukraine. The strike Monday has forced the span's temporary closure for a second time in less than a year. (AP Photo)

The bridge to Crimea is crucial to Russia’s war effort in Ukraine and to asserting Moscow’s control

The bridge connecting Crimea and Russia carries heavy significance for Moscow, both logistically and psychologically, as a key artery for military and civilian supplies and as an assertion of Kremlin control of the peninsula it illegally annexed in 2014.

A Ukrainian MSLR BM-21 "Grad" fires towards Russian positions, near Bakhmut at the frontline in Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, June 21, 2023. (Iryna Rybakova via AP)

Bridge sitting on key Russian supply route near Crimea struck by missiles

Russia-appointed officials in Moscow-annexed Crimea say that a bridge between the Black Sea peninsula and Russia-occupied areas in southern Ukraine has been hit by Ukrainian missiles.

FILE - A spiraling torque from the second century A.D., is displayed as part of the exhibit called The Crimea - Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea, at Allard Pierson historical museum in Amsterdam, on April 4, 2014. The Supreme Court of the Netherlands on Friday June 9, 2023 ordered a trove of historical treasures from Crimea, stored for years at a Dutch museum, to be sent to Ukraine, upholding a lower court ruling that the 300 artifacts were part of Ukraine’s cultural heritage. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)

Dutch Supreme Court orders museum artifacts borrowed from Crimea returned to Ukraine

The Supreme Court of the Netherlands has ordered that a Dutch museum’s trove of historical treasures from Crimea be sent to Ukraine.

In this handout photo taken from video released by the Governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhaev telegram channel on Saturday, April 29, 2023, smoke and flame rise from a burning fuel tank in Sevastopol, Crimea. A massive fire erupted at an oil reservoir there after it was hit by a drone, a Russian-appointed official there reported on Saturday. (Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev telegram channel via AP)

Russian official: Ukrainian drones strike Crimea oil depot

A Russia-appointed official in Crimea says a massive fire erupted at an oil depot there after it was hit by two Ukrainian drones.

Ukrainian soldiers wave atop a passing tank on the frontline in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, April 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Libkos)

Drones attack Sevastopol, crashed drone found near Moscow

Russian-appointed authorities in Crimea say the military has fended off a Ukrainian strike on a main naval base, while an exploding drone was also reportedly found in a forest near Moscow.

Baltics condemn China envoy’s stance on ex-Soviet nations

The three Baltic states have strongly condemned comments by China’s envoy to France who appeared to say in a recent French television interview that the former Soviet republics aren’t sovereign nations.

FILE - First cars and other vehicles drive on the Crimean Bridge connecting Russian mainland and Crimean peninsula over the Kerch Strait after restoration works, not far from Kerch, Crimea on in Kerch, Crimea, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023. A top Ukrainian official on Sunday, April 2, 2023, outlined a series of steps the government in Kyiv would take after the country reclaims control of Crimea, including dismantling the strategic bridge that links the seized Black Sea peninsula to Russia. (Rosavtodor Press Service via AP, File)

Ukrainian official offers plan for a Crimea without Russia

A top Ukrainian official has outlined a series of steps the government in Kyiv would take after the country reclaims control of Crimea from Russia.

Young people unfurl a giant Russian flag during an action to mark the ninth anniversary of the Crimea annexation from Ukraine in St. Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, March 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Ukraine, Russia trade claims after blast rocks Crimean town

Russian and Ukrainian officials have given conflicting accounts of what appeared to be a brazen attack on Russian cruise missiles being transported by train in Moscow-annexed Crimea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhayev visit the Children's Art and Aesthetic center, part of Chersonesos Taurica historical and archeological park in Sevastopol, Crimea, Saturday, March 18, 2023. Putin has traveled to Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of the Black Sea peninsula's annexation from Ukraine. (Sputnik, Kremlin Press Service Pool Photo via AP)

Facing arrest warrant, Russia’s Putin visits annexed Crimea

Russian President Vladimir Putin has traveled to Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of the Black Sea peninsula’s annexation from Ukraine.

Latvia revokes license of independent Russian TV channel

Latvian media authorities have revoked the license of an independent Russian TV channel exiled in the Baltic country for, among other things, voicing support for the Russian military and including Crimea in its map of Russia.

People work in the subway station being used as a bomb shelter during a rocket attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. Ukraine’s air force said it shot down more than 60 of about 70 missiles that Russia fired on in its latest barrage against Ukraine. It was the latest onslaught as part of Moscow’s new, stepped-up campaign that has largely targeted Ukrainian infrastructure and disrupted supplies of power, water and heat in the country as winter looms. (AP Photo/Andrew Kravchenko)

Russia claims Kyiv hit its air bases, fires more missiles

The Kremlin claims Ukrainian drones have struck two air bases deep inside Russia. Hours later, Russia unleashed another massive missile barrage across Ukraine, striking homes and buildings and killing civilians.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, and Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, left, visit the Crimean Bridge connecting Russian mainland and Crimean peninsula over the Kerch Strait, which was damaged by a truck bomb attack in October, after restoration works, not far from Kerch, Crimea, Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russia’s Putin drives across repaired bridge to Crimea

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to boost Russian morale Monday by driving a vehicle across a bridge to Crimea that a truck bomb had damaged in October.

A sniper unit aims towards Russian positions during an operation, Kherson region, southern Ukraine, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. The Ukrainian sniper adjusted his scope, fired a.50-caliber bullet and said he saw a Russian soldier fall across the Dnieper River. Another Ukrainian used a drone to scan for Russian troops. Two weeks after retreating from from the southern city of Kherson, Russia is pounding the territory across the Dnieper with artillery. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)

After Russian retreat, Ukrainian military plans next move

Two weeks after retreating from the southern city of Kherson, Russia is pounding the territory across the Dnieper River with artillery.

FILE - Russian soldiers guard an area as a group of foreign journalists visit in Kherson, Kherson region, south Ukraine, May 20, 2022. Russia’s military has announced that it’s withdrawing from Ukraine's southern city of Kherson and nearby areas. That would be another in a series of humiliating setbacks for Moscow’s forces in the 8-month-old war. This photo was taken during a trip organized by the Russian Ministry of Defense. (AP Photo, File)

Russia claims pullout from occupied city; Ukraine skeptical

Russia’s military says it will withdraw from the only Ukrainian regional capital it’s captured but Ukrainian officials and analysts warn it could be a trap.

Yaroslav Vedmid, centre and his wife Olena check their luggage in a village during a blackout on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure have triggered power cuts across the country since early October. Rolling blackouts are increasing across Ukraine as the government rushes to stabilise the energy grid and repair the system ahead of winter. (AP Photo/Andrew Kravchenko)

Russia reinforces military, expands Kherson evacuations

Russia is reinforcing its military with an annual fall draft of 120,000 men. Russian military officials have assured that conscripts to be called up starting Tuesday will not be sent to fight in Ukraine.

FILE - The ship Navi-Star sits full of grain since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began five months ago as it waits to sail from the Odesa Sea Port, in Odesa, Ukraine, July 29, 2022. U.S. President Joe Biden has warned that global hunger could increase because of Russia’s suspension of a U.N.-brokered deal to allow safe passage for ships carrying Ukrainian grain. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

Concerns rise as Russia resumes grain blockade of Ukraine

Russia has resumed its blockade of Ukrainian ports, cutting off urgently needed grain exports to hungry parts of the world. U.S.

Local resident Nina, 72, stands near her house, ruined by the Russian shelling a month ago in central Slavyansk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. She keeps living in this house and collects wooden debris to make an outdoor fire for cooking. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Russia suspends Ukraine grain deal over ship attack claim

Russia says it will immediately suspend a U.N.-brokered grain export deal that has seen more than 9 million tons of grain exported from Ukraine and brought down global food prices.

People queue up to wait a ration food from World Central Kitchen organisation in the center of Mykolaiv, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. As Ukraine crosses the mark of eight months anniversary since the start of full-scale war, the residents of southern Mykolaiv, who suffer shelling almost every night, are determined to fight as long as it takes to liberate all the regions. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Live updates | Russia-Ukraine War

Ukraine’s president says that Kyiv has been able to defend the independence of the country in the eight months of the war waged by Russia.

FILE - Firefighters work after a drone attack on buildings in Kyiv, Ukraine, Oct. 17, 2022. Waves of explosive-laden suicide drones struck Ukraine's capital as families were preparing to start their week early Monday, the blasts echoing across Kyiv, setting buildings ablaze and sending people scurrying to shelters. (AP Photo/Roman Hrytsyna, File)

Ukrainian club urges FIFA to remove Iran from World Cup

Ukraine’s top soccer club has urged FIFA to remove Iran from the World Cup because of the country’s alleged military support to the Russian invasion.

Evacuees from Kherson gather upon their arrival at the railway station in Dzhankoi, Crimea, Friday, Oct. 21, 2022. Russian authorities have encouraged residents of Kherson to evacuate, warning that the city may come under massive Ukrainian shelling. (AP Photo)

Russian authorities advise civilians to leave Ukraine region

Russian-installed authorities have urged all residents of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson to leave immediately ahead of an expected Ukrainian advance.

FILE - A young couple walks past a Russian soldier guarding an area at the Alley of Glory exploits of the heroes - natives of the Kherson region, who took part in the liberation of the region from the Nazi invaders, in Kherson, Kherson region, south Ukraine, Friday, May 20, 2022, with a replica of the Victory banner marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II right in the background. Ukrainian forces pressing an offensive in the south have zeroed in on Kherson, a provincial capital that has been under Russian control since the early days of the invasion. This photo was taken during a trip organized by the Russian Ministry of Defense. (AP Photo, File)

EXPLAINER: What would retreat from Kherson mean for Russia?

Ukrainian forces pressing an offensive in the country’s south have zeroed in on Kherson, a regional capital that was seized by Russia in the early days of the war.

FILE - U.S.-supplied M777 howitzer shells lie on the ground to fire at Russian positions in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region June 18, 2022. Writing on one of them reads: "Nothing is forgotten". For months, the United States and other NATO members have sent billions of dollars worth of weapons and equipment into Ukraine to help it fight back against Russia. But for many of the smaller NATO countries, and even some of the larger ones, the war has strained already-depleted weapons stockpiles. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)

Weapons shortages could mean hard calls for Ukraine’s allies

Weapons stockpile shortages across Europe could force hard choices as Ukraine’s allies balance their own needs at home with the needs of Ukraine in its fight against Russia.