Vladimir Putin

‘Terror is a Russian tactic’ – Soviet-era missiles rain down chaos on terrified Ukrainian civilians

AT least 18 people were killed and 31 injured when a Russian airstrike hit a residential building and a recreation centre in the Odesa region, Ukrainian officials said yesterday.

Dominic Nicholls Opinion Ukraine’s victory on Snake Island could be war’s key tipping point

Ukraine’s victory on Snake Island could be critical to reopening shipping lanes to grain trapped on the docks of Odesa.

Lewis Hamilton in state of disbelief over former F1 boss’s praise of Putin

Champion driver Lewis Hamilton has hit out at former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, warning his praise for Vladimir Putin will “put us back decades”.

Letters to the Editor Opinion Can the US put pressure on UK over protocol quagmire?

We are about to find out if the Ireland/USA link amounts to more than a bowl of shamrock and a White House photo op on St Patrick’s Day.

Philip Short: ‘Putin signs off on murder if he thinks he has good reason’

Anyone in Russia who tries to loosen Vladimir Putin’s grip on power typically ends up in prison or dead. Take Alexei Navalny. The 46-year-old lawyer, activist and Kremlin critic has called Russia a “dystopian state run by thieves and criminals”. He attempted to run in the 2018 presidential election on an anti-corruption, liberal agenda but was barred from entering the contest. He was later poisoned, and Philip Short, author of a new biography of Putin, has no doubt who was responsible.

Boris Johnson says ‘toxic masculinity’ is behind Putin’s war

What’s to blame for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? In part, Russian president Vladimir Putin’s “toxic masculinity” – according to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in remarks that triggered a dose of sarcasm from the Kremlin and apparent approval from other world leaders.

Russia is branded ‘biggest threat to Western security’ at Nato summit

Nato yesterday branded Russia the biggest “direct threat” to Western security after its invasion of Ukraine and agreed plans to modernise Kyiv’s beleaguered armed forces, saying it stood fully behind Ukrainians’ “heroic defence of their country”.

Billionaire Richard Branson visits bombed Ukrainian airport in hope of replacing cargo plane

Richard Branson visited a bombed airport outside Kyiv yesterday for discussions about rebuilding the site – which once hosted the world’s largest cargo plane.

Brexit PM Boris Johnson now has a ‘Eurovision’ and says European unity would benefit from a new ‘Roman Empire’

Boris Johnson wants a modern recreation of the Roman Empire as a way of achieving co-operation between Europe and its neighbours.

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David Chance Opinion Vladimir Putin isn’t winning the economic war any more than he is in Ukraine

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is determined that Europe will have a cold winter in revenge for backing Ukraine and, having reaped hundreds of billions of euro as a result of high energy prices, he can now afford to turn off the gas taps.

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‘I am very lucky to be alive’ – 18 dead and 36 missing in Russian attack on mall

When Nigel Freedman moved to Kremenchuk in Ukraine seven years ago, the staff at the electronics shop at his nearby shopping mall helped him feel at home.

Editorial Opinion Logic dictates that Vladimir Putin can only be contained by force

The blowing up of a crowded shopping centre is just the latest perverse display of Putin power that the Russian president seems anxious to impress on the world.

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Frank Coughlan Opinion We can’t allow Ukraine to become just another news story

It’s 125 days today. But let’s be honest, some of us have stopped counting. The invasion of Ukraine is in danger of becoming more background noise in our already complicated and busy lives.

‘Appalling’ attack kills at least 10 as Russian strike destroys shopping centre crowded with civilians

A Russian missile destroyed a crowded shopping mall in central Ukraine yesterday, continuing Vladimir Putin’s attacks on civilians living far behind the front line.

Russia accuses staunch ally Kazakhstan of ignoring ‘Russophobic’ acts

Russia has accused Kazakhstan of ignoring “Russophobic activity”, raising fears that the Kremlin may turn against the nation after its war in Ukraine.

Dominic Nicholls Opinion Vladimir Putin loses sight of bigger picture as Severodonetsk success comes at an enormous cost to Russia

The likely Russian tactical success in the Severodonetsk pocket has come at incredible cost for Vladimir Putin in terms of personnel, equipment and, possibly most importantly, time.

Russian missiles strike Kyiv ‘as signal’ to leaders of G7

Russia fired missiles at Ukraine yesterday as Western long-distance rockets went into action on the frontline and G7 leaders met in Germany.

Climate crisis in danger of becoming a war casualty

There is an urgent need to confront the growing danger that an energy crisis and price spiral – vastly worsened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – will knock the battle against climate change badly off course.

Severodonetsk ‘taken’ in boost for Kremlin

Russian forces have “fully occupied” Severodonetsk in Donbas after weeks of fighting, Ukraine admitted yesterday, confirming the country’s biggest battlefield setback for more than a month.

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Shane Ross Opinion An infallible dogma saves politicians when the Attorney General speaks

His Holiness Pope Francis must be green-eyed with envy this weekend. He is surely gazing longingly from his Vatican perch, agog at the Irish way of doing things. As the powers of the papacy diminish and he searches for alternative models of exercising undemocratic authority, he should look no further than the office of Ireland’s Attorney General. The pontiff will be dumbstruck with admiration for Ireland’s answer to papal infallibility.

Troops evacuate city of rubble

Ukraine was last night set to pull its troops from the ruined city of Severodonetsk after weeks of bombardment, according to the regional governor, in what would be a significant gain for Russia as it grinds out its offensive in the east.

Hellish battles as Russia nears ‘tactical victory’ with two key cities in its sights

Russia has taken several villages in the last few days, raising fears that its forces will soon be in a position to seize the strategically important cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk. The Russian advances have led to “hellish battles” in the area, the governor of Luhansk region, Serhiy Gaidai, said.

Letters to the Editor Opinion There is never a bad time to do the right thing, Tánaiste

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland about pay restoration for top civil servants from July 1, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said “there never is a good time to do these things”.

‘Everything is on fire’ – Russia steps up onslaught as pockets of resistance deny Moscow full control

Russian attacks laid down a curtain of fire across areas of eastern Ukraine yesterday where pockets of resistance are denying Moscow full military control, almost four months after the Kremlin unleashed its invasion.

Putin warns that Russia will deploy new ballistic missiles by end of year

Vladimir Putin warned that Russia would deploy its newest intercontinental ballistic missile, capable of reaching Britain in three minutes, by the end of the year.

Letters to the Editor Opinion Childhood innocence must be protected from seedier modern drag

Chrissie Russell is wrong to compare Dame Edna Everage and May McFettridge with modern drag acts reading to children in libraries (‘Some people think drag acts confuse kids... Oh no they don’t’, Irish Independent, June 21).

‘Passenger safety will be compromised’ if ride-share apps are introduced as cab shortage solution, claims taxi boss

The head of a leading Irish taxi operator has said “ride-hail” car-share platforms are less regulated and as result less safe than taxis.

EU backs Ukraine membership bid to ‘live with us in the European dream’

The European Union gave its blessing yesterday for Ukraine and its neighbour Moldova to become candidates to join the bloc, reaching out deep into the former Soviet Union for what would be a major geopolitical shift following Russia’s Ukraine invasion.

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Richard Curran Opinion We have diced with debt before – a fresh set of challenges must now be confronted

The ghost of crises past presented itself in news headlines on Wednesday. The European Central Bank (ECB) decided to hold an “unscheduled” meeting at short notice. For “unscheduled”, read “emergency”.

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Brendan O'Connor Opinion Nama, Newspeak, Nazis and 1984

Right now it feels like we are in a broken time machine that keeps landing us in various random points in time. For a while there in the pandemic, we were transported back to the Middle Ages.