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Friday, April 26, 2024

Ukraine

News and updates related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its impact on the Chicago area.

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Ukraine
Russia halts landmark deal that allowed Ukraine to export grain at time of growing hunger
The suspension of the deal sent wheat prices up about 3% in Chicago trading, to $6.81 a bushel, which is still about half what they were at last year’s peak.
By Associated Press
 
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Ukraine
Key Russian bridge to Crimea is struck again as Putin vows response to attack that killed 2
The strike was carried out by two Ukrainian maritime drones, Russian authorities said. Ukraine was coy about taking responsibility, saying it would reveal details on how the action was carried out after Kyiv won the war.
By Associated Press
 
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Nation/World
Putin says Russia has ‘sufficient stockpile’ of cluster bombs as Ukraine gets its own supply from U.S.
Cluster bombs are munitions that open in the air and release scores of smaller bomblets. They are seen by the U.S. as a way to help bolster Ukraine in its offensive.
By Associated Press
 
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Movies and TV
‘20 Days in Mariupol’ film documents horrors of Ukraine war
Footage shows death and destruction from early days of Russian invasion,
By Lindsey Bahr | Associated Press
 
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Nation/World
NATO summit boosted by deal to advance Sweden’s bid to join alliance
As part of the deal, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would ask Turkey’s parliament to approve Sweden joining NATO as Western leaders try to demonstrate unity in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
By Associated Press
 
Protesters Chicago Michigan Avenue Ukraine flag colors blindfolds war
Chicago
To mark 500th day since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Chicagoans gather in protest
More than 200 people stood along North Michigan Avenue to draw attention to the war and the need for the U.S. and allies to continue supporting Ukraine.
By Emmanuel Camarillo
 
Artist Elena Diadenko has raised over $50,000 for Ukraine by selling her art. This summer, she hopes to raise about $5,000 more by hosting a series of glass-painting classes.
Ukraine
Unleashing creativity for a cause: CPS teacher hosts summer glass-painting workshops to raise money for Ukraine
High school art teacher Elena Diadenko said she will continue raising money for Ukraine until the war is over.
By Jacquelyne Germain
 
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, right, sits inside a military vehicle posing for a selfie photo with a local civilian on a street in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023, prior to leaving an area of the headquarters of the Southern Military District. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Prigozhin’s troops who joined him in the uprising will not face prosecution and those
Nation/World
Mercenary chief’s rebellion has weakened Putin, analysts say, as Russia faces counteroffensive in Ukraine
The Wagner forces’ largely unopposed, rapid advance exposed vulnerabilities in Russia’s security and military forces as it also pulled some of the country’s best forces from the battlefield in the war with Ukraine.
By Associated Press
 
A man inspects his office on Sunday, May 28, 2023 after it was damaged by a drone during a night attack in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Ukraine
Kyiv hit by Russia’s ‘largest drone attack’ yet since invading Ukraine; 1 killed
Russia launched the attack overnight Saturday with Iranian-made Shahed drones, a senior Kyiv military official said. The attack lasted more than five hours, with air defense reportedly shooting down more than 40 drones.
By Associated Press
 
Aleksei Eremenko and his family fled Russia and moved to the United States to avoid his conscription into the Russian military to fight in Ukraine. At the kitchen table at their South Side home (from left) are Avrora Butenko, 1, Marina Butenko, Vasilisa Butenko, 7, and Eremenko.
After fleeing Russia over war in Ukraine, Chicago family joins asylum-seekers in legal limbo
By Elvia Malagón
 
TOPSHOT - Pope Francis waves from the loggia of St. Peter’s basilica after delivering the Urbi et Orbi message and blessing for Easter on April 9, 2023 in The Vatican. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP) (Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP via Getty Images)
Religion
Pope on Easter urges faithful to pray for Ukrainian, Russian people, refugees
In his Easter address Pope Francis offers prayers for Russians and Ukrainians, calls on Israel and Palestine to forge ‘a climate of trust,’ praises nations taking in refugees.
By Frances D’Emilio | Associated Press
 
Three Russian rockets launched against Ukraine from Russia’s Belgorod region are seen at dawn in Kharkiv, Ukraine, late Thursday, March 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Vadim Belikov)
Ukraine
Cities across Ukraine are targets of Russian missiles, officials say
Air raid sirens wailed all over Ukraine as Russia aims at critical energy infrastructure in many cities. Authorities ordered residents to shelter in place.
By Associated Press
 
Oksana Mazur (center) and the rest of the choir at St. Nicholas Cathedral School in Ukrainian Village sing the Ukrainian national anthem during a vigil on Friday, Feb. 24, 2023 marking the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
News
Ukrainian students, refugees host prayer vigil on invasion anniversary: ‘I will remember this all my life’
St. Nicholas Cathedral School has welcomed dozens of Ukranian refugees to its student body this year.
By Ilana Arougheti and Violet Miller
 
About 50 pro-Ukrainian activists protested outside the Lyric Opera of Chicago over the showing of Joffrey Ballet’s “Anna Karenina.” The gathering was mostly peaceful, but there were a few heated exchanges between opera fans and demonstrators. The Joffrey dedicated the performance to Ukraine.
Dance
Pro-Ukraine demonstrators denounce Joffrey Ballet’s production of ‘Anna Karenina’
The Joffrey has stood firm in its decision to stage Yuri Possokhov’s “Anna Karenina,” based on the novel by Russian author Leo Tolstoy, despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
By Kade Heather
 
Choreographer director Suzanne Lopez (left) discusses steps with two Joffrey Ballet dancers at the troupe’s Randolph Street space.
Columnists
Joffrey staging of ballet based on Russian novel ignites social media
‘Anna Karenina’ leaps into a world at war.
By Neil Steinberg
 
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Ukraine
Doris Pryor becomes 1st Black judge from Indiana on Chicago-based federal appeals court
Doris Pryor will be only the third Black judge to serve on a court dominated by white men since the 7th Circuit held its first session in 1891.
By Lynn Sweet
 
Former Vice President Mike Pence signs copies of his new memoir, “So Help Me God,” in Chicago Monday.
Politics
Former Vice President Mike Pence, in Chicago, takes jabs at Trump
In Chicago to promote “So Help Me God,” former Vice President Mike Pence said he would decide on his candidacy in 2024 early next year.
By Mary Norkol
 
Police gather Tuesday in Przewodow, Poland, where a Russian missile strike left two people dead.
Ukraine
Biden says it’s unlikely that missile that struck Poland was fired from Russia
Two people were killed when a missile hit a town near the Poland-Ukraine border. Russia denies launching attack.
By Allison Novelo
 
William Cernota, a member of the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s orchestra, plays the cello as choir members of St. Nicholas Cathedral School watch him in the school’s gym in the Ukrainian Village, Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. Many refugees who fled Russia’s invasion of Ukraine study at St. Nicholas Cathedral School.
Ukrainian Village
Reaching kids, including Ukrainian refugees in Chicago, through Beethoven
Seven members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra played Friday for kids at St. Nicholas Cathedral School in Ukrainian Village.
By Stefano Esposito
 
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., chair of the House Progressive Caucus, attends an event on heart health for South Asians, at the Capitol in Washington, July 28. Caucus members retracted a letter sent to the White House urging a shift in Biden’s Ukraine policy.
Editorials
Stick to U.S. policy on Ukraine
Sending any signal that Vladimir Putin just has to wait things out — that America and its partners will tire of the war, and that if he’s patient, he’ll get a chance to call the shots to his liking — is a slap in the face to the coalition and to Ukraine.
By CST Editorial Board
 
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Ukraine
Reps. Garcia, Newman, other progressives retract letter urging Biden to seek Ukraine cease-fire
Garcia, mulling a run for Chicago mayor, was blindsided by the Monday release of the letter he signed back in June. The letter’s information “is now outdated” the congressman said.
By Lynn Sweet
 
Rep. Mike Quigley, co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, speaks to students — many of whom came from Ukraine — at St. Nicholas Cathedral School in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood Thursday.
Chicago
Quigley visits Ukrainian Village school where one-third of student body fled war in Ukraine
St. Nicholas Cathedral School in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village fields daily inquiries from parents fleeing the European country as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, according to school officials.
By Elvia Malagón
 
People walk on a bridge near the Eiffel Tower.
Nation/World
Eiffel Tower to go dark earlier, as Paris moves to save energy because of Ukraine war
Lights on the landmark monument will soon be turned off an hour earlier at night as the French capital faces risks of power shortages, rationing and blackouts as a result of the war.
By Nicholas Garriga | AP and Barbara Surk | AP
 
Solomiia Kulyk (center) who recently arrived in Chicago from Ukraine, and others in gym at St. Nicholas Cathedral School.
Ukrainian refugee students find a welcome at Catholic school in Ukrainian Village
By Anna Savchenko | WBEZ
 
Ukrainian sniper Andriy at a training session last weekend outside Kyiv, Ukraine.
Ukraine
In Ukraine, this volunteer sniper embodies the embattled nation’s military
He’d moved to Western Europe to work as an engineer but returned after Russia invaded and soon was being trained. “I don’t like to kill people. It’s not something you want to do. But it’s something you have to do.”
By Derek Gatopoulos | AP and Adam Pemble | AP
 
Michael Kotcher (right) and Ryder Shiffman stand Thursday in the middle of a Ukrainian flag that was formed out of nearly 5,000 cereal boxes at the Wintrust Grand Banking Hall in the Loop.
Metro/State
Chicago students support Ukraine — and aim to break record with cereal box mosaic project
Students from multiple city schools got together to create a mosaic of the Ukrainian flag — created with nearly 5,000 cereal boxes — to break a world record.
By Jordan Perkins
 
Protesters hold hands to form a chain in protest of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine outside the Historic Water Tower at 806 Michigan Ave in Gold Coast, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022.
Chicago
Ukrainian community forms ‘human chain’ in Loop to protest Russian invasion
The nearly 500 protesters also put tape over their mouths as a silent protest against social media’s “sensitive content” tag they say is being used to block news stories of Russian acts of terror.
By Emmanuel Camarillo
 
Rev. Al Sharpton speaks at a press conference in Chicago on Friday.
News
Rev. Al Sharpton calls for release of WNBA star Brittney Griner
“We stand rock solid behind Brittney Griner,” Sharpton said at a news conference in Chicago as the WNBA kicked off festivities leading up to its All-Star Game on Sunday at Wintrust Arena.
By Manny Ramos
 
Olga Tsoi, 31, outside her Rogers Park apartment on the North Side.
Ukraine
Chicagoan home after escaping war in Ukraine: ‘I’m incredibly lucky’
Olga Tsoi, 31, had hoped to bring her Ukrainian mother with her. Instead, Oksana Tsoi will resettle in Canada since it opened its boarders to Ukrainian refugees first.
By Manny Ramos
 
Yana Stepanenko, 11, is carried by a doctor at a public hospital in Lviv, Ukraine. Yana and her mother Natasha, 43, were injured April 8 by shelling at the train station of the eastern city of Kramatorsk, where they traveled with Yana’s twin brother Yarik from their village near the Russian war on Ukraine’s front line. They were planning to catch an evacuation train west, they hoped to safety.
In Ukraine, limbs lost and lives devastated in an instant; every day, ‘some new type of pain’
By Elena Becatoros | AP
 
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