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| Ukrainian soldiers near Avdiivka last week. Tyler Hicks/The New York Times |
Ukrainian troops feared missing after retreat
Hundreds of Ukrainian troops may have been captured by Russian forces during Ukraine’s chaotic retreat from the eastern city of Avdiivka, according to senior Western officials and soldiers fighting for Ukraine.
Estimates varied for how many Ukrainians were missing or captured, but two soldiers with knowledge of the retreat estimated that 850 to 1,000 soldiers were gone. (Ukrainian military commanders have attempted to downplay the numbers, and a precise count may not be possible until Ukraine solidifies new defensive lines.)
American officials said losing Avdiivka was not a significant strategic setback. But the capture of hundreds of soldiers, and the intense blow to morale that would cause at a time when Ukraine is running low on fighters, could change that calculus.
The Ukrainian military wants to mobilize an additional 500,000 soldiers, but the request has faced political resistance and is stalled in Parliament. Losing hundreds of soldiers, especially battlefield veterans, would sharpen the need and could complicate recruiting efforts.
What happened: The withdrawal was ill-planned and began too late, Western officials and Ukrainian soldiers said on the condition of anonymity. Russian forces had largely encircled Ukrainian positions on three sides, and they advanced faster than expected.
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| The U.N. Security Council voting on the cease-fire resolution. Angela Weiss/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
U.S. vetoed a cease-fire resolution for Gaza
The U.S. yesterday cast the sole vote against a U.N. Security Council resolution that called for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.
The U.S. said it worried that the resolution would disrupt hostage negotiations. It was the third time since the start of the war that Washington vetoed a resolution demanding a cease-fire.
The diplomatic maneuvering comes at a time when aid organizations are warning that Gaza urgently needs assistance, with a population suffering from severe malnutrition and the spread of infectious disease. Conditions were so dire in Northern Gaza that several trucks with aid were looted and a driver was beaten, according to the U.N.’s World Food Program.
The U.S. has drafted a rival resolution that calls for the release of hostages and a temporary cease-fire and calls on Israel not to carry out an offensive in Rafah under current conditions. Two diplomats said that Russia and China were expected to veto it.
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| Protesters at the Russian Embassy in Washington. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images |
U.S. is preparing sanctions over Navalny’s death
The Biden administration is preparing “major sanctions” against Russia over the death of the Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, a White House official said yesterday.
The official said details of the penalties would be announced on Friday.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Biden administration has announced a series of sanctions that the U.S. hoped would hobble Russia economically and militarily. But in spite of the moves, the I.M.F. said last month that Russia’s economy was growing faster than expected.
Related: Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s widow, who has taken up his cause, started an account on X that was briefly suspended yesterday.
Other reactions: Donald Trump compared himself to Navalny while discussing his own legal woes at a Fox News town hall.Continue reading the main story
| THE LATEST NEWS |
Europe
| Polish farmers blocked much of Ukraine’s western border to protest an influx of Ukrainian food products they said was undercutting their livelihood.A hearing began yesterday to determine whether Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder who has been held in a London prison since 2019, can continue to appeal his extradition to the U.S.A Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine last summer was found dead, his body riddled with bullets, in the coastal town in Spain where he was living.Russia’s main security agency said it had arrested a dual citizen of the U.S. and Russia on charges of treason. |
Other Big Stories
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| Florentina Olareanu for The New York Times |
| Autocrats are abusing Interpol, the world’s largest police organization, to hunt their political enemies across borders, a Times investigation found.Hundreds of doctors in South Korea walked off the job to protest a government plan to admit more students to medical school.Democratic governors in the U.S. are working to appoint more judges in state courts.The search for an “unimaginable” stench wafting over Cape Town ended at a ship carrying 19,000 cows. |
Tech
| Drones bearing inflatable floats could soon help struggling swimmers along New York City’s beaches.The startup Albedo is building a class of satellites whose cameras can reveal far more detail than those currently in orbit.The A.I. startup Anthropic raised $7.3 billion in funding last year in ways that upended Silicon Valley deal-making.Biometric technology, like facial recognition software, is growing more commonplace at airports around the world. |
A Morning Read
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| James Hill for The New York Times |
French officials have promised to leverage the 4.5 billion euros being spent on infrastructure for the 2024 Olympics to transform one of the country’s most notorious suburbs, Seine-Saint-Denis.
The 90-square-mile department north of Paris has for generations been linked to poverty and crime. Now it will be home to an Olympic village that, it is hoped, will provide an economic jolt when the Games begin and lasting rejuvenation after the athletes leave.
Live lived: Damo Suzuki was a Japanese vocalist best known for his role with the German experimental rock group Can. He died at 74.
| SPORTS NEWS |
Soccer’s most misused statistics: From clean sheets to pass completion.
Lionel Messi explains Hong Kong absence: One of the city’s officials said it was a “deliberate and calculated snub” to not play in an exhibition there.
What’s next for Paris St.-Germain? With Kylian Mbappe’s impending departure, the soccer team is looking to the future.
| ARTS AND IDEAS |
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Replaying an unforgettable pixelated death
The sudden, permanent death of Aerith, a central character in the hit 1997 video game Final Fantasy VII, shocked a generation of gamers accustomed to a medium in which death was almost always a temporary inconvenience.
Now Square Enix is remaking Final Fantasy VII. Its second installment, Rebirth, will be released for the PlayStation 5 on Feb. 29 and is expected to end with the climactic death — or rescue? — of Aerith.
| RECOMMENDATIONS |
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| Kate Mathis for The New York Times |
Cook: This chicken and rice soup is simultaneously cozy and fresh.
