US military vet helps safely remove landmines on farms in Ukraine
Farmers in Ukraine were plagued with landmines in their fields until Ryan Hendrickson and other volunteers removed more than 300 mines in the area.
Anthony Jackson, USA TODAY
Estonian Foreign Affairs Minister Urmas Reinsalu dismissed as a “provocation” the Kremlin’s claims that the perpetrator of a deadly car bombing outside Moscow had fled to Estonia.
Reinsalu said on Estonian TV that the claim was the latest “in a very long line of provocations by the Russian Federation.” Reinsalu said the claim was an attempt by the Russian regime to put pressure on Estonia for its support of Ukraine in the war.
The U.S. State Department issued an alert Tuesday urging Americans to “depart Ukraine now,” citing concerns that Russia will increase missile strikes on civilian and government structures.
The warning comes amid a public outcry in Russia over a car bomb that killed a hardline Russian commentator outside Moscow on Saturday night. Hundreds of people lined up Tuesday to pay tribute to Darya Dugina, 29, the daughter of right-wing Russian political philosopher Alexander Dugin, who was widely believed to be the intended target.
Ukraine banned large public gatherings that had been planned for Wednesday, Ukraine’s Independence Day marking its break from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Latest developments:
►Russia has requested a U.N. Security Council meeting Tuesday to discuss its dispute with Ukraine over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has come under shelling — each side blames the other — that has raised alarm about a possible nuclear disaster.
►High energy prices, increased food shortages, spiraling inflation and a growing risk of a nuclear disaster are some of the global consequences of Russia’s war in Ukraine as it approaches the six-month mark with no end in sight.
►The 25th grain-carrying cargo ship has left Ukraine under a deal with Russia brokered by Turkey and the United Nations to unblock Ukraine’s ports, according to Agence France-Presse.
SIX MONTHS INTO THE WAR: The entire world is losing. Will this conflict ever end?
UKRANIAN REFUGEES IN THE US: Long-term survival is a big concern. Here’s why.
The U.S. is sending Ukraine a very expensive package for its independence day: $3 billion more in security aid.
The latest assistance, to be announced Wednesday as Ukraine celebrates its separation from the Soviet Union in 1991, will focus less on the current war with Russia and more on equipping and training Ukrainian forces for the long term, U.S. officials told the Associated Press. The money will fund contracts for drones, weapons and other equipment that may not see the battlefield for a year or two, they said on condition of anonymity.
The new package, unveiled as the war reaches the six-month mark, also serves as proof the United States remains committed to supporting Ukraine through thick and thin in the conflict, the officials said.
The Ukrainian pro soccer league kicked off its new season Tuesday after a poignant ceremony paying tribute to those fighting in the war with Russia. The opening match at Kyiv’s empty, 65,000-seat Olympic Stadium featured two teams from the war-torn east, Shaktar Donetsk and Metalist 1925 of Kharkiv.
Players entered the field with Ukrainian flags draped over their shoulders and observed a minute of silence while the names of cities where people had died in the war were displayed on a large screen. The first top-level soccer match played in the country since before Russia’s invasion in February ended in a 0-0 draw.
Dennis Rodman has once again inserted himself into U.S. diplomatic relations, this time in an effort to free detained WNBA star Brittney Griner. The retired NBA great told NBC News he plans to travel to Russia to “help that girl.” But his contributions to the negotiations — if Russia even chooses to pay attention to him — will be minimal, or could even hurt Griner’s case, experts say.
Rodman, the enigmatic three-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer, made his first foray into attempting peace with a U.S. adversary by bonding with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un over basketball. The current task would be negotiating with Russia for the release of Griner, who was convicted on drug charges and sentenced to nine years in prison earlier this month (she is currently appealing).
State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters that Rodman would not be traveling on behalf of the U.S. government and “anything other than negotiating further through the established channel is likely to complicate and hinder those release efforts.” Read more here.
— Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY
Contributing: The Associated Press
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