Ukraine's Largest Mobile Operator to Buy Ride-Hailing Firm Uklon
Kyivstar will acquire 97% of Uklon's shares for $155.2 million, Veon said in a statement on Wednesday. Uklon, which operates in 27 cities in Ukraine and expanded to Uzbekistan in 2023, also sells ads that appear on cars and in its app. Uklon's Chief Executive Officer Serhii Hryshkov will continue to run the company.
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Newsweek
a day ago
- Newsweek
Russia Racing to Make Major Ukraine Gains Before Trump's 50-Day Deadline
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump has teased shortening a 50-day ceasefire deadline he gave Vladimir Putin, whose forces show no signs of easing their efforts to capture a logistics hub in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. Trump suggested on Friday that secondary sanctions against Russia could be imposed earlier than the seven-week deadline he announced this month which was criticized by some as giving Putin too much leeway in continuing his summer offensive. When asked Friday about whether the U.S. might impose secondary sanctions on Russia before the 50-day deadline, Trump replied, "maybe." Yuriy Boyechko, CEO of Hope for Ukraine, told Newsweek that Putin is trying to gain as much territory as he can before the deadline. Other analysts have said that neither Russia nor the financial markets are concerned about Trump's timeline. Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin for comment. Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Associated Press/Canva/Getty Why It Matters Trump said on July 14 that if Putin refused to end the war within 50 days, or by September 2, Russia would face "severe" secondary tariffs which could hurt revenues supporting its war machine, particularly regarding oil exports to India and China. But since those comments, Russia has not relented in its missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, nor has it stopped its battlefield push, raising questions that Trump has given Putin a seven-week window to continue the summer offensive. What To Know During a White House meeting with NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte in mid-July, Trump expressed his unhappiness with Moscow and warned of tariffs of 100 percent on countries doing business with Russia if no deal was done in 50 days. The U.S. president also announced Ukraine would get more Patriot air defense missiles and other weapons paid for by NATO allies in Europe, in what looked like his toughest stance against Putin. But since that announcement, Russia's attacks on Ukrainian cities and its battlefield push continued unabated. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Friday Russian forces had likely captured Novoekonomichne, northeast of Pokrovsk in efforts to envelop the logistics hub in the Donetsk region which could allow it to push further west toward Dnipro. The think tank said that Russian forces had also advanced into and northwest of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region—also with the aim of enveloping the city and complicating Ukraine's ability to supply positions there. Boyechko, founder of Hope for Ukraine, which aids communities caught up on the front line of the war, told Newsweek that Putin is trying to gain as much territory as he can before Trump's deadline. The Russian president is focusing now on occupying part of the regions of Sumy, Kharkiv and Dnipro which via fake referendums he can later claim should be part of Russia, he said. Boyechko predicted that next few weeks will be very difficult for Ukraine as Putin will use everything he can to make gains before September. "The Russians are attacking civilians' targets with intensity that we have not seen since the start of war," he said. Retired U.S. Vice Admiral Robert Murrett said since Trump's announcement, there is scant evidence that Putin and the Kremlin had modified their maximalist demands—for Ukrainian territory, disarmament and an absence of security guarantees. But neither Russia nor the financial markets seemed to be overly concerned about the 50-day timeline for additional U.S. sanctions, Murrett, deputy director of the Institute for Security Policy and Law at Syracuse University, told Newsweek. Despite the U.S. announcing additional arms to Ukraine mostly via European allies, the Kremlin is still convinced that conditions on the ground are working in their favor and is not interested in even a cease fire, regardless of Kyiv's willingness for this, Murrett added. President Donald Trump arrives at Glasgow Prestwick Airport on July 25, 2025 in Prestwick, Scotland. President Donald Trump arrives at Glasgow Prestwick Airport on July 25, 2025 in Prestwick, Scotland. Andrew Harnik A third round of Ukraine-Russia peace talks held in Istanbul on July 23 saw Moscow again reject a full ceasefire. Ukraine proposed a summit between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin before the end of August which the Kremlin has yet to accept. Aurélien Colson, academic co-director of the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business, told Newsweek that Trump had given Putin a green light to continue waging war in Ukraine for 50 more days. Trump has already threatened Russia with sanctions or tariffs if Putin does not end the Ukraine war. "Putin ignored him every time, and Trump did nothing in response, every time. There is a pattern here, and it will be repeated," Colsen added. Pushan Dutt, professor of economics and political Science, at INSEAD said given Trump's previous pledges to end the war within 24 hours of taking office, "these deadlines are not only fungible but also highly unreliable." However, even if Russia makes a concerted effort, success is hardly guaranteed given the small gains made since January 2024 at a high cost in troops and equipment. This image taken June 19, 2025 of Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, shows burnt cars as civilians are evacuated from the city by Ukrainian forces. This image taken June 19, 2025 of Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, shows burnt cars as civilians are evacuated from the city by Ukrainian People Are Saying Yuriy Boychehko, CEO of Hope for Ukraine: "Unfortunately, Putin got a 50-day pass to kill as many people as he can and do whatever he wants in Ukraine. He is happy use this 50 day kill pass to inflict as much pain as he can on Ukrainian people." Aurélien Colson, academic co-director of the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business: "Trump gave Putin the green light to continue waging war in Ukraine for 50 more days. It will take more pressure against Putin and more support to Ukraine to bring this war to an end." What Happens Next Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that a Zelensky-Putin summit is unlikely to take place within 30 days. Meanwhile Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would speak with both Trump and Putin about convening them for talks in Turkey although eyes will be on Trump over whether he shortens the 50-day deadline.
CNBC
a day ago
- CNBC
How Trump and trade wars pushed Russia and Ukraine into the cold
In heady times — and with trade wars dominating the news agenda — it's easy to forget that Russia and Ukraine's soldiers continue to fight for every inch of frontline territory in Ukraine. Conflict in Gaza, ongoing economic uncertainty in the U.S. and Europe and the shifting geopolitical landscape with strengthening, and opposing, 'axes of power' are also at the fore of global policymakers' minds, pushing more than three-and-a-half years of war in Ukraine down the agenda. It seems increasingly that both Russia and Ukraine are being left out in the cold, with even this week's talks in Istanbul, involving negotiating teams from both sides, barely getting a mention in the media. As things stand, there's an uneasy air when it comes to the direction of the war and prospects for peace. Trump appeared to lose his patience when he stated on July 14 that Ukraine could receive more U.S.-made weapons — as long as NATO allies paid for them — and gave Russia a 50-day deadline to reach a peace deal with Ukraine. If it did not, he said, Russia would face "very severe" sanctions and "secondary" tariffs of up to 100%. Those could hit Russia hard, as well as its remaining trading partners, including India and China, who buy Russian oil and gas, among other commodities. As things stand, Russia has until Sept 2 to show it's serious about a ceasefire and peace plan — on which little progress has been made, despite some agreements over prisoner swaps. Analysts are skeptical that the threat of more sanctions will move Russian President Vladimir Putin to come to the negotiating table in good faith, let alone talk to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. There is a stretch between Trump's demand for a peace deal and any further sanctions, Mykola Bielieskov, research fellow at Ukraine's National Institute for Strategic Studies, said. "The Kremlin is generally banking on the fact that the United States under Trump is incapable of a systematic policy of supporting Ukraine and putting pressure on Russia," Bielieskov told NBC News earlier in July. "Serious secondary sanctions require a willingness to quarrel with China and India, which buy raw materials from Russia," he noted. "Similarly, when it comes to weapons, the speed and volume of supplies here and now matter. Therefore, there are many known unknowns. And I think Russia may believe that the U.S. will not dare to impose secondary sanctions on Russia's trading partners," he added. Ukraine, at the mercy of U.S. and European largesse when it comes to weapons supplies, has shown more willingness to negotiate in recent months, calling, along with Trump, for a ceasefire with Russia that has gone unanswered. It has also shown a willingness to compromise even when it comes to ceding Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory to Moscow if it was granted something of a 'holy grail' for the country: NATO membership. But there has been little sign that Russia, making small but incremental gains on the battlefield due to its sheer force of conscripted manpower and intense drone warfare, would be willing to accept Western-pledged security guarantees for Ukraine, in any form. Making matters worse for Kyiv is growing unrest at a domestic level, with misgivings over ongoing martial law, the lack of elections and the wartime leadership of Zelenskyy. Protests erupted in Kyiv last week amid a backlash against government moves to limit the independence of two anti-corruption agencies. Top EU politicians expressed consternation at the move to outlet Politico, saying it showed a lack of commitment to pursuing European democratic values. Combatting what has been endemic corruption in Ukraine is seen as a prerequisite for EU membership, which Kyiv covets. A government reshuffle in mid-July also fueled accusations that Zelenskyy was concentrating power among loyalists, which could also ignite concerns among Ukraine's international backers and benefactors. Ukraine is entering "a critical phase of internal consolidation amid growing external uncertainty," according to Tatiana Stanovaya, senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and the founder of political analysis firm, R. Politik. "The latest battlefield developments coincide with a new American posture: Donald Trump has opted for tactical delay over decisive engagement, stepping back operationally while transferring financial and political responsibilities to Europe," she said in emailed comments this week. "Kyiv, meanwhile, is using this interlude to recalibrate internally. The recent government reshuffle ... underscores the Zelenskyy administration's intent to reinforce political control and preserve cohesion in the face of mounting pessimism, institutional inertia, and an intensifying labour crisis," she added. Despite increasing Western unease regarding Ukraine's domestic trajectory, Stanovaya noted, "international support is becoming more transactional, geared primarily towards sustaining the front line rather than advancing democratic reform."
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Newsweek
Video Shows Direct Strike On Sanctioned Russian Military Factory
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Video footage released on social media purports to show the moment when a Ukrainian drone hit a critical Russian military site, sanctioned by the EU and the U.S. A clip showed the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flying across the sky before striking the facility in the Stavropol region of southern Russia. Newsweek has contacted the Russian and Ukrainian defense ministries for comment. Illustrative image from August 11, 2023 shows an operator in the Kyiv region with the airstrike drone called Punisher made by the Ukrainian company UA Dynamics. Illustrative image from August 11, 2023 shows an operator in the Kyiv region with the airstrike drone called Punisher made by the Ukrainian company UA It Matters Faced by constant Russian bombardment, Ukraine has continued to use drones to strike at Russian military targets, although Kyiv often does not claim responsibility for these strikes. Ukraine's latest hit on one of Russia's largest manufacturers of radio electronics which is sanctioned by the EU will deliver a blow to Moscow's military capabilities. What To Know Ukrainian drones struck the Signal radio plant in the Stavropol region overnight Friday according to a source in Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) quoted by the Kyiv Independent. The plant is just over 300 miles from Ukraine-controlled territory and makes electronic warfare equipment for front-line aircraft as well as active jamming systems, remote weapon-control modules, and other radio-electronic equipment. The Kyiv Independent said the attack hit premises which hosts expensive imported equipment, including computer numerical control machines. A second strike hit another building that hosts an electronic devices workshop. The facility is sanctioned by the European Union, the U.S. and Japan. Video posted on social media by Russian independent media outlet Astra purportedly showed one of the strikes, with a drone flying across the sky before striking a building, causing an explosion. Other social media channels posted the footage with one saying that the drone was a Shahed-type device. ❗️Another video of the attack by a new 🇺🇦Ukrainian kamikaze drone of the Shahed type on the 🇷🇺Russian Signal plant in Stavropol — 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) July 26, 2025 Stavropol regional governor Vladimir Vladimirov confirmed the attack but said there no casualties were reported and there was a small fire. Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces downed 54 Ukrainian drones across eight Russian regions but did not report any being intercepted over Stavropol region. Pro-Ukrainian open source intelligence X account Tatarigami said that one building appears to have avoided critical structural damage, though localized fires were reported. The facility served military and civilian sectors, including supplying cathodic protection equipment for the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in Iran, the post added. Meanwhile, Russia launched ballistic missiles against Ukraine overnight Friday with the heaviest attacks targeting Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions, according to Ukrainian authorities. What People Are Saying X channel War Translated posted: "Drones hit the Signal defense plant in Stavropol, a major facility in Russia's military-industrial complex. The plant makes radio-electronic equipment for combat aircraft, air defense, and electronic warfare systems. Pro-Ukrainian open source intelligence X account Tatarigami on X: "The Signal facility includes 7 production workshops, a testing center, and 2 design bureaus." Ukrainian intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent: "The SBU continues to systematically disable enemy (Russia's) facilities working for the war against such attack stops production processes and reduces the enemy's military potential." What Happens Next Ukraine is likely to continue its strikes against Russian military sites as it steps up its drone production. Meanwhile, Russia continues to use drones to strike at Ukrainian infrastructure.
