Distracted and Divided, Russian Security Service Misses Threats
The Ukrainian offensive over the border caught Moscow’s intelligence agencies by surprise, experts say. It wasn’t the first time that has happened during the war.
By Michael Schwirtz
Michael Schwirtz
Michael Schwirtz is an investigative reporter with the International desk at The New York Times. He has covered the countries of the former Soviet Union from Moscow and was a lead reporter on a team that won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for a series of articles about Russian intelligence operations.
He began working for The Times in 2006 in the Moscow bureau. He has covered the New York City Police Department for the Metro desk and was part of an award-winning team that reported about brutality and corruption in the New York State prison system and at Rikers Island.
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Deception and a Gamble: How Ukrainian Troops Invaded Russia
Planned in secrecy, the incursion was a bold move to upend the war’s dynamics and put Moscow on the defensive — a gambit that could also leave Ukraine exposed.
By Kim Barker, Anton Troianovski, Andrew E. Kramer, Constant Méheut, Alina Lobzina, Eric Schmitt and Sanjana Varghese
U.S. Uncovers Russian Plot to Assassinate C.E.O. of German Arms Maker
The company produces artillery shells and tanks that Ukraine has used in its war against Russia.
By Julian E. Barnes, Lara Jakes and Christopher F. Schuetze
The Sticking Points That Kept Russia and Ukraine Apart
Documents from 2022 shed new light on what prevented Ukraine and Russia from ending the war — and what would complicate a future negotiation.
By Anton Troianovski and Michael Schwirtz
Ukraine-Russia Peace Is as Elusive as Ever. But in 2022 They Were Talking.
Representatives from the warring nations held peace talks in the early weeks of the Russian invasion. They fizzled. Documents from those talks show why any new ones will face major obstacles.
By Anton Troianovski, Adam Entous and Michael Schwirtz
Russians Poured Over Ukraine’s Border. There Was Little to Stop Them.
The stunning incursion into the Kharkiv Region lays bare the challenges facing Ukraine’s weary and thinly stretched forces as Russia ramps up its summer offensive.
By Michael Schwirtz, Jeffrey Gettleman, Maria Varenikova and Constant Méheut
Ukraine Asks U.S. to Provide More Intelligence on Targets in Russia
American officials say they do not want U.S. weapons used in cross-border attacks or intelligence reports used to strike inside Russia.
By Helene Cooper, Julian E. Barnes, Eric Schmitt and Michael Schwirtz
Facing Russian Advance, a Top Ukrainian General Paints a Bleak Picture
Ukraine’s forces are stretched thin and have minimal reserves to draw on, the chief of military intelligence said, in addition to shortages of weapons.
By Constant Méheut, Maria Varenikova and Michael Schwirtz
Ukraine DispatchWar or No War, Ukrainians Aren’t Giving Up Their Coffee
Coffee shops and kiosks are everywhere in Ukraine’s capital, their popularity both an act of wartime defiance and a symbol of closer ties to the rest of Europe.
By Constant Méheut, Daria Mitiuk and Brendan Hoffman
A Russian Defector’s Killing Raises Specter of Hit Squads
The death in Spain of Maksim Kuzminov, a pilot who delivered a helicopter and secret documents to Ukraine, has raised fears that the Kremlin is again targeting its enemies.
By Michael Schwirtz and José Bautista
Why Russia’s Vast Security Services Fell Short on Deadly Attack
The factors behind the failure to prevent a terrorist attack include a distrust of foreign intelligence, a focus on Ukraine and a distracting political crackdown at home.
By Paul Sonne, Eric Schmitt and Michael Schwirtz
The Spy War: How the C.I.A. Secretly Helps Ukraine Fight Putin
For more than a decade, the United States has nurtured a secret intelligence partnership with Ukraine that is now critical for both countries in countering Russia.
By Adam Entous and Michael Schwirtz
Russian Pilot Who Defected to Ukraine Is Believed Dead in Spain
The apparent death in Spain of Maksim Kuzminov is likely to fuel speculation that it was the work of Russia’s intelligence services.
By Michael Schwirtz and Constant Méheut
A poisoning in 2020 didn’t stop Navalny from pursuing his work.
This was featured in live coverage.
By Michael Schwirtz, Melissa Eddy and Anton Troianovski
Ukraine’s Creative Use of Weapons Carries Promise and Risk
A Russian plane shot down with a Patriot missile was probably carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war, U.S. officials say.
By Julian E. Barnes and Marc Santora
Zelensky Called Him a Criminal. Now Ukraine Calls Him for Guns and Ammo.
In its hunt for weapons, Ukraine has rolled back anticorruption rules and turned to people once seen as relics of an anything-goes era.
By Justin Scheck and Thomas Gibbons-Neff
In Rush to Arm Ukraine, Weapons Are Bought but Not Delivered, or Too Broken to Use
Some of the weapons sent to Ukraine by other countries have been unusable, and hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts paid up front have yet to be fulfilled.
By Justin Scheck and Lara Jakes
C.I.A. Told Ukraine Last Summer It Should Not Attack Nord Stream Pipelines
Dutch intelligence officials shared information with the C.I.A. in June 2022 that they had learned the Ukrainian military had been planning an operation using divers to blow up one of the pipelines.
By Julian E. Barnes and Michael Schwirtz
As Kyiv Reckons With Deaths by a Shelter, Russia Evacuates Border Towns
In Ukraine’s capital, residents struggled with the question of who was to blame for a shelter closed off to two women and a child. In Russia, the authorities described evacuations in a border region.
By Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Natalia Yermak
A Russian official says Ukrainian shelling has forced the evacuation of 2,500 people from his border region.
‘The conditions are quite difficult,’ the local governor of the region said on social media.
By Anatoly Kurmanaev
Ukrainians Were Likely Behind Kremlin Drone Attack, U.S. Officials Say
American spy agencies do not know exactly who carried out the attack this month, but suggest it was part of a series of covert operations orchestrated by Ukraine’s security services.
By Julian E. Barnes, Adam Entous, Eric Schmitt and Anton Troianovski
Anti-Kremlin Fighters Take War to Russian Territory for a Second Day
The cross-border attacks by fighters aligned with Ukraine were an effort to force Russia’s military to divert troops from the front line, an official said.
By Andrew E. Kramer, Valerie Hopkins and Michael Schwirtz
Who Are the Soldiers Behind the Free Russia Legion?
The unit has taken responsibility for a rare assault in Russian territory, and a member says it is just the beginning.
By Michael Schwirtz
The Battle for Bakhmut, in Photos
Times photographers have been documenting Ukraine’s defense of the Eastern city since May 2022.
By The New York Times and Marc Santora
Russia Claims Bakhmut, but Some See a ‘Pyrrhic Victory’
A top Ukrainian official essentially acknowledged that the devastated city had been lost. Thousands of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers died there, but the cost for Moscow was especially steep, experts say.
By Michael Schwirtz and Marc Santora
Ukraine wants to push forward. Black, soupy mud is making that difficult.
The unusually wet ground is one obstacle that the Ukrainian military, for all of its ingenuity, is finding difficult to overcome as it prepares for a counteroffensive against Russian forces.
By Michael Schwirtz
news analysisKremlin Blasts Were Real. The Rest Is Hazy, Maybe Intentionally.
Kyiv and Moscow angrily blamed each other after two explosions in an apparent drone attack on the heart of Russian power, but whose outrage is real?
By Michael Schwirtz
Explosions rock Kyiv and Odesa overnight after the Kremlin incident.
The Ukrainian military provided images of downed drones that suggested some bore handwritten messages that read “For Moscow” and “For the Kremlin.”
By Andrew E. Kramer, Marc Santora and Michael Schwirtz
Ukraine Wants to Push Forward. Not So Fast, Says Its Black Soupy Mud.
The unusually wet ground is one obstacle that the Ukrainian military, for all of its ingenuity, is finding difficult to overcome as it prepares for a counteroffensive against Russian forces.
By Michael Schwirtz
In Ukraine’s trenches, soldiers gear up for a counteroffensive.
With fighting in the eastern Donbas region settling into a bloody stalemate, a patch of the Zaporizhzhia region of southeastern Ukraine could prove to be the war’s next big theater.
By Michael Schwirtz
Life in Ukraine’s Trenches: Gearing Up for a Spring Offensive
With fighting in the eastern Donbas region settling into a bloody stalemate, a patch of the Zaporizhzhia region of southeastern Ukraine could prove to be the war’s next big theater.
By Michael Schwirtz and David Guttenfelder
Ukrainian Troops Repel Russian Attacks, and Hope Western Arms Turn the Tide
Fierce fighting has yielded heavy casualties but little movement. Ukrainian forces need heavy weapons to change that, but they say it is no guarantee.
By Michael Schwirtz and Stanislav Kozliuk
Russian forces intensify their fight around Vuhledar, a town where they have faced notable setbacks.
This was featured in live coverage.
By Michael Schwirtz
Xi and Zelensky Talk at Last, but Words Are Chosen Carefully
Volodymyr Zelensky has urged discussions with Xi Jinping since the Russian invasion, but in its official account of the phone call, China left out two words: “Russia” and “war.”
By David Pierson, Marc Santora and Vivian Wang
Russian forces pound Zaporizhzhia before an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive.
This was featured in live coverage.
By Michael Schwirtz
Ukraine’s Spring Offensive Comes With Immense Stakes for Future of the War
Without a decisive victory, Western support for Ukraine could weaken, and Kyiv could come under increasing pressure to enter serious peace talks to end or freeze the conflict.
By Julian E. Barnes, Eric Schmitt, Adam Entous and Thomas Gibbons-Neff
The suspect’s gaming friends say the classified documents were shared to show them what war really is.
This was featured in live coverage.
By Aric Toler, Christiaan Triebert, Haley Willis, Malachy Browne, Michael Schwirtz and Riley Mellen
Visual InvestigationsThe Airman Who Gave Gamers a Real Taste of War
A group liked online war games. But then Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old National Guard airman, began showing members classified documents, they say.
By Aric Toler, Christiaan Triebert, Haley Willis, Malachy Browne, Michael Schwirtz and Riley Mellen
An arrest has been made in the inquiry into the leaked documents. Here’s what we know.
This was featured in live coverage.
By Aric Toler, Michael Schwirtz, Haley Willis, Riley Mellen, Christiaan Triebert, Malachy Browne, Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Julian E. Barnes
F.B.I. Arrests National Guardsman in Leak of Classified Documents
Authorities say Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, posted sensitive materials in an online chat group.
By Haley Willis, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Aric Toler, Christiaan Triebert, Julian E. Barnes and Malachy Browne
About 100 special forces troops from the West were in Ukraine in February, a leaked U.S. document says.
This was featured in live coverage.
By Michael Schwirtz and Adam Entous
Officials in Kyiv offer little comment on the leak of war documents, but some frustration is evident.
This was featured in live coverage.
By Michael Schwirtz
Canada promises Ukraine further military aid ahead of an expected counteroffensive.
This was featured in live coverage.
By Vjosa Isai and Michael Schwirtz
A Quick Guide to What the Leaked U.S. Intelligence Documents Say
The authorities have so far made one arrest in the case, Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old air national guardsman. But many questions remain about the classified documents that have been appearing online.
By Eric Nagourney
Leaked Documents Suggest Ukrainian Air Defense Is in Peril if Not Reinforced
A huge influx of munitions is needed to keep Russia’s air force from changing the course of the war, according to U.S. officials and newly leaked Pentagon documents.
By Helene Cooper, Michael Schwirtz and Thomas Gibbons-Neff
Russia promises bonus pay to troops who destroy NATO tanks, documents say.
Unconfirmed reports from leaked Pentagon documents show plans to shore up troops’ morale and sharpen their tactics as Ukraine takes delivery of more advanced weapons.
By Thomas Gibbons-Neff
Wagner’s Influence Extends Far Beyond Ukraine, Leaked Documents Show
The Russian mercenary group has extended its network for acquiring weapons — a sign of its reach, but also a possible indication that sanctions are forcing it to branch out from its Russian backers.
By Michael Schwirtz
Leaked Documents Reveal Depth of U.S. Spy Efforts and Russia’s Military Struggles
The information, exposed on social media sites, also shows that U.S. intelligence services are eavesdropping on important allies.
By Julian E. Barnes, Helene Cooper, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Michael Schwirtz and Eric Schmitt
Both sides suggest the leak of Western war plans could be a ploy.
This was featured in live coverage.
By Michael Schwirtz, Ivan Nechepurenko, Helene Cooper, Eric Schmitt and Matthew Mpoke Bigg
In fields sown with bombs, Ukraine’s farmers risk a deadly harvest.
This was featured in live coverage.
By Michael Schwirtz and Stanislav Kozliuk
Exploding mines in southern Ukraine kill one and injure five.
This was featured in live coverage.
By Carly Olson
In Fields Sown With Bombs, Ukraine’s Farmers Risk Deadly Harvest
Some who till the breadbaskets of Ukraine have already lost three seasons of planting to war. With mines and cluster bombs widely scattered, normal harvests seem far in the future.
By Michael Schwirtz, Stanislav Kozliuk and Ivor Prickett
Intelligence Suggests Pro-Ukrainian Group Sabotaged Pipelines, U.S. Officials Say
New intelligence reporting amounts to the first significant known lead about who was responsible for the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines that carried natural gas from Russia to Europe.
By Adam Entous, Julian E. Barnes and Adam Goldman
A Ukrainian Mayor Disappeared, but Questions of His Loyalty Did Not
Traitor or hero? A decision by the former mayor of Kherson to remain in his post under Russian occupation has divided opinion, even after he vanished.
By Michael Schwirtz and Ivor Prickett
They Are Russians Fighting Against Their Homeland. Here’s Why.
In the Free Russia Legion, soldiers repelled by Vladimir Putin’s invasion have taken arms against their home country, engaged in some of the most heated fighting in the war.
By Michael Schwirtz
The War’s Violent Next Stage
Both sides are preparing to attack after months of slow-moving fighting. Russia is moving first. Here’s how each side is trying to shape the critical next few months in Ukraine.
By Marc Santora, Josh Holder, Marco Hernandez and Andrew E. Kramer
A mobile clinic is trying to restore medical services to villages once occupied by Russian forces.
This was featured in live coverage.
By Michael Schwirtz and Lynsey Addario
In Rural Ukraine, Medicine and Hope Roll In on a Truck
A mobile clinic is trying to restore medical services to villages once occupied by Russian forces as fighting rages nearby. “They’ll never beat our people,” a specialist with the team said.
By Michael Schwirtz and Lynsey Addario
Outnumbered and worn out, Ukrainians in the east brace for a Russian assault.
The war is intensifying in a string of villages on the eastern front, where doctors struggle to handle an influx of gruesome injuries and soldiers fret about a Russian army sending waves of new conscripts.
By Michael Schwirtz
Outnumbered and Worn Out, Ukrainians in East Brace for Russian Assault
The war is intensifying in a string of villages on the eastern front, where doctors struggle to handle an influx of gruesome injuries and soldiers fret about a Russian army sending waves of new conscripts.
By Michael Schwirtz and Lynsey Addario
Zelensky’s Party Says It Will Move to Replace Defense Minister
The expected move against Oleksii Reznikov comes amid a widening corruption scandal, although he was not implicated in wrongdoing.
By Marc Santora, Shashank Bengali and Cassandra Vinograd
As Russia Strikes Ukrainian Civilians, Putin Tells His People the War Is Just
Invoking World War II on the 80th anniversary of victory at Stalingrad, Mr. Putin repeated his false justifications for an invasion that has taken a staggering toll.
By Michael Schwirtz and Anton Troianovski
Another attack in Kramatorsk comes as rescuers search for survivors of an earlier Russian strike.
This was featured in live coverage.
By Michael Schwirtz
A missile strike on Kramatorsk kills at least 3 as Russia steps up its eastern campaign.
This was featured in live coverage.
By Carly Olson
Ukraine Fears New Offensive Is Underway as Russia Masses Troops
Russia is massing hundreds of thousands of troops and stepping up its bombardment, perhaps signaling the biggest assault since the start of the war. “I think it has started,” Ukraine’s leader says.
By Marc Santora and Michael Schwirtz
Kharkiv got some breathing space, but still doesn’t breathe easily.
For the past four months, residents have slowly trickled back into the reclaimed city. But signs of the conflict — and the chance that it might return — are everywhere.
By Michael Schwirtz
As fighting intensifies in the east, Bakhmut is mostly deserted except for soldiers.
This was featured in live coverage.
By Michael Schwirtz and Marc Santora
Russia’s bombardment grows, even as its next steps remain unclear.
This was featured in live coverage.
By Marc Santora and Michael Schwirtz
Fighting Rages in Eastern Ukraine Over Critical Supply Routes
While the heaviest fighting is still around the city of Bakhmut, in recent days Russian forces have stepped up assaults on a strategic town farther to the south.
By Marc Santora and Michael Schwirtz
Kharkiv Got Some Breathing Space, but Still Doesn’t Breathe Easily
For the past four months, residents have slowly trickled back into the reclaimed city. But signs of the conflict — and the chance that it might return — are everywhere.
By Michael Schwirtz and Lynsey Addario
In Wave of Strikes, Russian Missiles Kill 12 Across Ukraine
Russia’s forces once again pounded energy infrastructure and other civilian sites, a day after the United States and Germany pledged to send dozens of tanks to Ukraine.
By Michael Schwirtz and Alan Yuhas
Ukraine shot down 47 Russian missiles, the country’s air force said.
This was featured in live coverage.
By Michael Schwirtz
Germany and U.S., Dropping Resistance, Will Send Battle Tanks to Ukraine
Although welcomed by Kyiv as a critical weapon to expel Russia’s invasion, the Leopard 2 tanks from Germany and Abrams tanks from the United States are unlikely to arrive soon.
By Erika Solomon, Peter Baker and Eric Nagourney
Ukraine says that its forces have retreated from Soledar after an intense battle.
Ukraine’s military acknowledged a gain for Russian forces that brings them closer to encircling the strategic eastern city of Bakhmut.
By Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Michael Schwirtz
Ukraine Fires Officials Amid Corruption Scandal, as Allies Watch Closely
As it fights Russia’s invasion, Ukraine depends for its survival on aid from Western nations, which have concerns about endemic graft and how the money is used.
By Michael Schwirtz and Maria Varenikova
Several Ukrainian officials are fired amid a scandal involving military purchases.
A deputy defense minister was among those removed from their posts, as was a deputy prosecutor general who caused a scandal by taking a wartime vacation to Spain.
By Michael Schwirtz, Maria Varenikova and Cassandra Vinograd
In Dnipro, a seemingly ordinary Saturday turned tragic in an instant.
This was featured in live coverage.
By Michael Schwirtz
Safe at Home in Dnipro, Until a Russian Missile Struck
Despite the ever-present danger of war, life in Ukraine proceeds almost normally at times. Then, suddenly, it all changes, as it did in Dnipro last weekend after a missile struck an apartment complex.
By Michael Schwirtz
A Wagner fighter defects to Norway, promising to expose Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
The rare defection by a former member of the notorious Russian paramilitary force could aid investigations into Moscow’s atrocities.
By Anatoly Kurmanaev, Henrik Pryser Libell and Michael Schwirtz
Western Tanks Appear Headed to Ukraine, Breaking Another Taboo
The West has sent an array of weapons once seen as too provocative, and it looks like tanks will be next. With a new Russian offensive expected, officials see an urgent need to shift the balance.
By Lara Jakes and Steven Erlanger
The fight over Soledar underscores the divisions between Russia’s Army and a Russian mercenary force.
This was featured in live coverage.
By Michael Schwirtz
Inside Russia’s Military Catastrophe
As the war against Ukraine rolls on, it has become increasingly clear that this was not the Russian Army anyone expected.
By Sabrina Tavernise, Clare Toeniskoetter, Luke Vander Ploeg, Marc Georges, Lisa Chow, Paige Cowett, Rowan Niemisto and Chris Wood
The Great News Quiz of 2022
This was quite a year. How well do you remember it?
As Ukraine Prepares for a Second Year at War, the Prospect of a Stalemate Looms
American officials believe that with Russia bolstering defenses and learning lessons, Ukraine will find it more challenging to retake land.
By Julian E. Barnes, Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt
Putin’s War: A Times investigation shows how it didn’t go according to plan.
This was featured in live coverage.
By Michael Schwirtz, Anton Troianovski, Yousur Al-Hlou, Masha Froliak, Adam Entous and Thomas Gibbons-Neff
Putin’s War: The Inside Story of a Catastrophe
Secret battle plans, intercepted communications and Russian soldiers explain how a “walk in the park” became a catastrophe for Russia.
By Michael Schwirtz, Anton Troianovski, Yousur Al-Hlou, Masha Froliak, Adam Entous and Thomas Gibbons-Neff
Ukraine Targets Bases Deep in Russia, Showing Expanded Reach
Launching drones at air bases 300 miles from its own territory, Ukraine changed the geography of the war. It said it had developed drones with a range of over 600 miles.
By Andrew E. Kramer, Michael Schwirtz and Marc Santora
Ukraine attacks military bases hundreds of miles inside Russia.
This was featured in live coverage.
By Andrew E. Kramer, Michael Schwirtz and Marc Santora
Kherson Braces for Battle as Russian Administration Evacuates
Evidence points to both sides preparing for a pitched battle for the southern city, and Ukrainians say hints of a Russian military withdrawal are mere deception.
By Marc Santora and Ivan Nechepurenko
Russia’s flag appears to be gone from Kherson’s administrative building. A fight for the city may still loom.
Ukrainian officials have warned that Moscow could be trying to create the illusion of a pullback to draw Ukrainian forces into a trap.
By Marc Santora, Ivan Nechepurenko and Michael Schwirtz
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