Ukraine

Middle Israel: What Putin’s war on Ukraine revealed about Russia, four years later - opinion

Four years into the war, Putin’s attempt to erase Ukraine solidifies its independence and exposes Russia’s decline.

|ByAMOTZ ASA-EL
ALMOST FOUR years into the Ukraine-Russia war, Russian President Vladimir Putin has proved the adage that Russia was not as weak as some thought, but not as strong as some assumed. Here, Putin chairs a meeting with members of the government via video link at the Kremlin, in Moscow last month.
(From L-R) Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, son-in-law Jared Kushner and Josh Gruenbaum, Commissioner of the US Federal Acquisition Service, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, January 22, 2026.

US, Russia closing in on a deal to observe New START nuclear arms control treaty - report

The New START treaty, which set limits on each side's missiles, launchers, and strategic warheads, is the last in a series of nuclear agreements dating back more than half a century to the Cold War.

|ByREUTERS
US President Donald Trump (C), Vice President JD Vance (L) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) pictured in the White House, November 6, 2025; illustrative.

Trump declines to take sides between Vance, Rubio in 2028 successor debate

Trump also endorsed a MAGA prosecutor in Georgia against Marjorie Taylor Greene, stepped back from a major media merger fight between Netflix and Warner Bros, and faced Human Rights Watch criticism.

|ByREUTERS
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a press conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Polish President Karol Nawrocki at the Presidential Palace in Vilnius, Lithuania, January 25, 2026.

Zelensky says Russia ignored US peace efforts with overnight energy strikes

"We expect a response from the United States to the Russian strikes," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

|ByREUTERS

Beyond the Headlines: Alexander’s Story

A weekly glimpse into the Israel you won’t read about in the news.

JANUARY 26, 2026BySIVAN RAHAV MEIR
Alexander Kleytman zl helping another Jew lay tefillin.

‘We are here to live:’ Ukraine propaganda shifts from battling orcs to hope for future

New billboards have focused on the family, with Ukrainian soldiers carrying babies on their shoulders or raising them above their heads, embracing their mothers and elders.

JANUARY 25, 2026ByMICHAEL STARR
Ukrainian advertisement campaign tells residents, "we are here to live," in late January, 2026.

Ukraine's foreign minister says Putin 'cynically' attacked during Abu Dhabi talks

"This barbaric attack once again proves that Putin's place is not at the board of peace, but at the dock of the special tribunal," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X.

JANUARY 24, 2026ByREUTERS
Police officers inspect remains of a suicide drone next to a crater after Russian overnight strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine January 24, 2026.

Moscow's proposal to use frozen Russian assets is 'nonsense,' Zelensky says

Speaking to reporters in a WhatsApp media chat, he added that Kyiv would "fight" to be able to use all frozen Russian assets to fund post-war recovery inside Ukraine.

JANUARY 23, 2026ByREUTERS, SHOSHANA BAKER
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky waits to welcome Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 4, 2025.

Putin agrees next steps with US envoys but Kremlin says territory is key

Russia, the US, and Ukraine hold security talks in Abu Dhabi, with Moscow stressing the need to resolve territorial issues for lasting peace, despite ongoing military operations.

JANUARY 23, 2026ByREUTERS
(From L-R) Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, son-in-law Jared Kushner and Josh Gruenbaum, Commissioner of the US Federal Acquisition Service, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, January 22, 2026.

WATCH: Trump: Watching Iran closely, we have a massive armada heading in that direction

Trump added that he threatened Iran with US airstrikes if the Islamic Republic's regime carried out hangings of protesters and political dissidents as planned, and Tehran backed down as a result.

JANUARY 23, 2026ByJAMES GENN
US President Donald Trump speaks with members of the media aboard Air Force One, January 11, 2026; illustrative.

How I was nearly drafted into Ukraine's war: 'Post' reporter's account of Ukraine’s manpower crisis

The problem of draft dodging has become part of a broader crisis of manpower, according to locals, as Ukrainian soldiers have been worn down by a long and bloody war.

JANUARY 22, 2026ByMICHAEL STARR
Ukrainian military soldiers rest at a position on a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk region, Ukraine July 5, 2025

Zelensky introduces new air defense system for Ukraine after major Russian strikes

Ukraine is still reeling from a wave of Russian strikes earlier this month that knocked out power and heating to thousands of apartment blocks, particularly in the capital Kyiv.

JANUARY 19, 2026ByREUTERS
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT Volodymyr Zelenskiy looks on as he meets his Czech counterpart Petr Pavel, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine January 16, 2026.

Ballroom blitz: Celebrity certainty threatens real journalism - opinion

Celebrities are declaring verdicts on real-world news, but applause-driven certainty on the world isn’t journalism.

JANUARY 18, 2026ByADAM SCOTT BELLOS
Executive producer and cast member Nikki Glaser participates in Viacom Comedy Central "Not Safe with Nikki Glaser" panel during the Television Critics Association (TCA) Winter press tour in Pasadena, California January 6, 2016

Learning Hebrew in bomb shelters: How Dnipro Jewry endures Russian invasion

The war opened new opportunities for Dnipro's Jews to reconnect to Judaism, finding purpose and hope amid the missile barrages.

JANUARY 18, 2026ByMICHAEL STARR
Dnipro, Ukraine in January 2026.