Live updates: follow the latest news on Russia-Ukraine
As the prospect of a Russian invasion of Ukraine looms ever larger on the horizon, the Ukrainian soldiers manning the trenches of the Donbas war remain incredulous at the prospect of a conflagration.
“No one can tell what is going to happen tomorrow, all we know is that we'll be ready, no matter what”, says Andrii, 23, clutching the handle of his AK-74 assault rifle. Leaning on a wooden post in a muddy trench on the outskirts of Zolote, eastern Ukraine, the youthful soldier seems unconcerned by the recent Russian troop build-up at the border.
“Every day, we hear something different – they're going to invade, they're not going to invade, they're pulling back,” he sighs. “It's impossible to say what is going to happen.”
Residents of Zolote, a frontline village in the Lugansk region, were reportedly hiding in an earth-floored cellar on Monday, a shelter that was roughly improvised when the separatist conflict erupted in 2014 and has now brought back into service.
"These weeks they started shelling harder. Now they are shelling again," said 33-year-old handyman Oleksiy Kovalenko.
Over the past few weeks, Russia has amassed an estimated 150,000 troops along various stretches of its border with Ukraine, as well as in Belarus and Crimea, prompting fears that it might soon try to invade its western neighbour. In the capital city of Kiev, a number of embassies have been evacuated of personnel, while frantic diplomatic efforts are continuing to defuse the crisis.
But the men of the 24th Mechanised Brigade, a force nicknamed ‘King Danylo’ and manning the frontline positions of Zolote-4, remain composed in the face of this renewed threat. “There is going to be peace, one way or another," explains a fresh-faced private from a lookout position. "I think [Russian President] Putin is just trying to rattle us. I don't believe they're going to attack.”
The Ukrainian trench is located only a couple of hundred metres from the lines of the Russian-backed separatists of the self-proclaimed People's Republic of Luhansk, along the so-called line of contact that has divided eastern Ukraine for the past eight years.
In the event of a further Russian incursion into Ukrainian territory, the 24th mechanised brigade would therefore constitute the first line of defence. However, for its soldiers, keeping their feet dry and staving off boredom seem to be more acute concerns than separatists' bullets.
“You can read books, surf the internet or scroll on social media. Some people play video games in their free time. You have to keep yourself busy,” says Andrii. The native of Lviv has been serving for more than two years, driven as much by the desire to defend his country as by an affinity with the rigid discipline of military service. “I didn't manage to be posted exactly where I wanted, but overall I like it here,” he explains. “We get along well with the guys.”
Asked if he ever feels fear, Andrii lets out a chuckle. “I am used to it now,” says the soldier. “When I first arrived, I was scared when the shooting would start. Now, I don't feel fear, but rather adrenalin.”
For the past eight years, gunfire and mortar shells have been a daily occurrence in the frontline city Zolote, while sniper fire remains a constant threat. In April last year, a Ukrainian soldier was shot dead nearby. He was among 79 servicemen killed in Donbas in 2021 alone.
For unit press officer Nazar Ilnytskyi what had been a calm three weeks in the Zolote-4 section had taken on a darker, more incessant tempo.
"Enemy mortars and artillery are now firing day and night,” he reported in his latest update.
“In the morning and the afternoon, it's generally calm,” explains the burly man in his 30s. “Sometimes, they're trying to provoke us by firing at us with machine guns and automatic rifles. At night, the mortars start.”
As if to prove his point, short bursts of automatic gunfire ring out in the distance. The last one seems to be coming from the Ukrainian positions behind us. The distinct smell of gunpowder starts filling the trench. “See?”, asks Ilnytskyi with a wry smile. The two soldiers around him remain unfazed. As we exit the trench, the press officer gets rid of the mud caking his combat boots. “This is the real enemy here. The mud.”
In a nearby house repurposed into makeshift barracks, a couple of soldiers are preparing dinner. Ukrainian pop music is playing in the background. Hunched over a bucket of potatoes, a stern-looking recruit shrugs off our question on a potential invasion. “I don't know what's going to happen, I can't say. We'll defend ourselves if they attack.”
The dimly-lit house is humming with activity as the men go about their day. Some are reading, others playing on their phones. Most of them are young, no older than 25. Down in what used to be the basement, the rest of the soldiers are sleeping in shifts.
“We change positions on a regular basis and we all manage to get our eight hours of sleep, which is pretty good,” says Andrii. Children’s drawings adorn the walls, contrasting with the row of freshly-greased automatic rifles underneath: hearts coloured with the blue and gold of the Ukrainian flag, a hand grenade sprouting colourful flowers, children holding hands with smiling soldiers.
“They're sent to us by children from all over Ukraine, to thank us. They know we're here to protect them.”
It is a stirring thought as more gunfire can be heard echoing faintly through the village. The stern-looking recruit, now smoking a cigarette in front of the house, remains undisturbed by the clatter in the distance.
On February 18, the Special Monitoring Mission of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe recorded 222 breaches of the ceasefire in the Donetsk region, and 648 violations in Luhansk, where the men of the 24th Mechanised Brigade are posted. Two regions in eastern Ukraine where government and separatist forces have been fighting since 2014 were hit by more than 1,400 explosions on Friday, the monitors said. This figure rose to more than 2,000 on Saturday.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The five pillars of Islam
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
OIL PLEDGE
At the start of Russia's invasion, IEA member countries held 1.5 billion barrels in public reserves and about 575 million barrels under obligations with industry, according to the agency's website. The two collective actions of the IEA this year of 62.7 million barrels, which was agreed on March 1, and this week's 120 million barrels amount to 9 per cent of total emergency reserves, it added.
Brief scores:
Manchester City 2
Gundogan 27', De Bruyne 85'
Crystal Palace 3
Schlupp 33', Townsend 35', Milivojevic 51' (pen)
Man of the Match: Andros Townsend (Crystal Palace)
Dubai World Cup Carnival Card:
6.30pm: Handicap US$135,000 (Turf) 1,200m
7.05pm: Handicap $135,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
7.40pm: Zabeel Turf Listed $175,000 (T) 2,000m
8.15pm: Cape Verdi Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,600m
8.50pm: Handicap $135,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap $175,000 (T) 1,600m
Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
THE SPECS
Range Rover Sport Autobiography Dynamic
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 518bhp
Torque: 625Nm
Speed: 0-100kmh 5.3 seconds
Price: Dh633,435
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal
Rating: 3.5/5
