cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/39940334

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reaffimed his firm refusal to cede any territory, resisting U.S. pressure for a painful compromise with Russia as he continued to rally European support for Ukraine.

“Undoubtedly, Russia insists for us to give up territories. We, clearly, don’t want to give up anything. That’s what we are fighting for,” Zelenskyy said in a WhatsApp chat late Monday in which he answered reporters’ questions.

“Do we consider ceding any territories? According to the law we don’t have such right. According to Ukraine’s law, our constitution, international law, and to be frank, we don’t have a moral right either.”

The standing rib roast. Even if it ain't prime, it's the meat that makes any day a holiday.

Russia began 2025 expressing confidence in its battlefield prospects. Putin talked about creating new buffer zones and finishing off the Ukrainian military. Most of a year later, Russia's gains have again been mostly incremental while Ukraine's ability to strike against valuable Russian targets in the rear has steadily grown.

But despite Russia falling short of their likely goals, Ukraine is clearly under immense pressure. The infantry force is under-strength, the force is stretched, and Russian infiltration tactics, have delivered territorial gains, albeit at a steep price.

This episode then, we look at the Russian Autumn offensive, some of its major fronts (especially Pokrovsk), how the fighting has evolved and what it might tell us about the status of the two forces going into another winter that is expected to be colder and harder than the previous one.

The operation, led by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) in collaboration with Hanoi police, not only shuttered FMovies but also took down twelve related streaming sites including AniWave, Bflixz, Flixtorz, Movies7, Myflixer, and Vidsrc

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on the UN General Assembly to work together to stop Russia's war in his country, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of seeking to expand the fighting beyond Ukraine.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/29962667

Russia has moved to classify key demographic statistics following a dramatic collapse in its birth rate, which has plunged to levels not seen since the late 18th or early 19th century, according to a leading Russian demographer.

For decades, Russia has been experiencing a plunging birth rate and population decline, which appears to have worsened amid its ongoing invasion of Ukraine—with high casualty rates and men fleeing the country to avoid being conscripted to fight.

Projections estimate that Russia's population will fall to about 132 million in the next two decades. The United Nations has predicted that in a worst-case scenario, by the start of the next century, Russia's population could almost halve to 83 million.

Gross domestic product (GDP) only grew by 1.4% in the first quarter of 2025 – a notable decline from 4.5% growth in the previous quarter and 5.4% in the same period last year, the Moscow Times reported, citing Rosstat data.

The latest data from Rosstat came in below expectations: the Russian Economic Development Ministry estimated GDP growth at 1.7% and Bloomberg analysts predicted 1.8% growth.

The drone targeted a shuttle bus that was transporting civilians near the city of Bilopillia at 6:17 a.m. local time, the Sumy Regional Military Administration reported on Telegram.

Sumy Oblast is a northeastern region that borders Russia's Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk oblasts.