In the span of 24 hours, the war raging for more than two years in Ukraine has intensified significantly.
After a massive barrage of drone and rocket attacks struck their territory overnight into Sunday, and as missiles continued to fall the following evening, U.S. President Joe Biden authorized Ukrainian armed forces to use American weaponry against targets deep into Russia, according to sources reported by the Associated Press.
The Biden Administration’s change in policy comes after what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as a “massive combined attack” that “targeted all regions of Ukraine,” killing several people and leaving parts of the country without power.
“This morning began with one of the largest Russian strikes on Ukraine. 210 missiles and drones, including aeroballistic and hypersonic missiles, as well as dozens of Shahed drones, were launched. All of them targeted civilian infrastructure — critical facilities like power plants and transformers,” Zelenskyy shared via social media.
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“This evening, a Russian missile hit a nine-story residential building. There are confirmed fatalities, including children. Many people are wounded. Emergency services are on the scene, doing everything to save lives. But what is still missing — and desperately needed — is the principled reaction of the world to this evil,” he said.
Biden’s decision, attributed by the Associated Press to “a U.S. official and three people familiar with the matter,” would represent a stark change in the U.S. stance on Ukrainian use of American arms in Russian territory, which before had been restricted to short range use and mostly aimed at retaking occupied parts of Ukraine.
It also comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin has engaged the aid of North Korea in his unlawful war of territorial expansion, and reportedly deployed tens of thousands those troops against Ukraine’s northern defenses.
“The entire world needs them not to turn a blind eye to Russia’s continued terror. Only when the world reacts decisively can the situation change. Russia has involved North Korea in its war—and the reaction has been weak. Russia has continued its terror for nearly 1,000 days—and the world’s decisions are still delayed,” Zelenskyy said Sunday.
According to reporting, Ukraine will be allowed to fire the U.S. made MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), a vehicle mounted weapons system capable of firing missiles close to 200 miles, at targets inside of Russia. That’s not enough to threaten Putin in Moscow, but more than enough range for Ukraine to defend their northern border now that North Korean troops are apparently amassing near Kursk.
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Russia has been attacking its fellow former Soviet state for a decade, since 2014 when Putin illegally annexed Crimea. The conflict, which continued in a pair of separatist regions during the following eight years, exploded into full-scale war in February of 2022, when the Russian military further invaded the country on three fronts.
Moscow apparently had planned for just days of military actions, but Russian forces have mostly been stalled in their advances by Ukrainian troops and civilian volunteers armed and trained by a global coalition of nations. According to the U.N., the war has displaced more than 10 million Ukrainian civilians and left half again as many in need of humanitarian assistance.
According to a “confidential” Ukrainian estimate of war dead reported by the Wall Street Journal in mid-September, more than 1 million people have died as a result of the war.
In the years that have followed Russia’s invasion of their democratic neighbor, according to the Department of Defense the U.S. has “committed approximately $56.3 billion in security assistance to Ukraine through both presidential drawdown authority and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in September that use of U.S. long range precision weapons against Russia would be considered an escalation akin to an attack by all of NATO.
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“If this decision is made, it will mean nothing less than the direct participation of NATO countries, the United States, and European countries, in the war in Ukraine,” Putin said.
The U.S. policy shift comes as Biden closes out a trip to South America for a climate summit and bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, when the outgoing president apparently called for China to put more pressure on North Korea to stay out of the conflict in Europe.
National Security Advisory Jake Sullivan said that Biden used the meeting to reiterate “his grave concern over the fact that the (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) has deployed a significant number of troops to western Russia to participate in the battle against Ukraine, in the war against Ukraine.”
“President Biden really underscored his view that this is a deeply dangerous development, both in the European view, the introduction of a foreign army, and on the Korean Peninsula, with deepening cooperation between Russia and the DPRK likely to enhance the possibility of provocative behavior by the DPRK,” Sullivan said.
Zelenskyy, during a radio interview on Friday, told his people that the war will “end faster with the policy of this team that will now lead the White House,” referring to the reelection of former President Donald Trump.
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The Ukrainian Air Force’s F-16 fighter jets fly over a Patriot Air and Missile Defense System in an undisclosed location in Ukraine earlier this year. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)
The club, in a statement posted on Instagram on Tuesday, said it was “deeply saddened” by Colon’s death and that employees at the nightclub rushed to her aid.
“Our staff responded immediately and called emergency services while an off-duty EMT rendered first aid,” it said. “We are cooperating fully with all inquiries from law enforcement and city officials who are reviewing this medical episode.”
When police arrived at theWarrenton Street venue, they found a personlying on the dance floor, unresponsive and without a pulse, according to an incident report. They began performing chest compressions with the help of a cashier at the club who said she worked as an EMT.
Police said in the report that the large crowd inside the club did not comply with orders to give space to emergency medical personnel. Eventually, officers ordered the club to shut down and told patrons to leave immediately.
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The woman, whose age was not disclosed, was then taken to Tufts Medical Center, police said.
Colon’s sister, Angelica Colon, wrote on social media Sunday that the club failed to immediately call 911 after being told about the medical emergency. She said only a few people at the club showed any “real concern,” while other patrons and staff “acted like nothing was happening.”
“My sister collapsed in the middle of the club,“ she wrote. ”I tried to lift her myself and couldn’t. I was screaming at the top of my lungs and was ignored. The music was only stopped for two minutes, then turned right back on — as if her life didn’t matter.”
Angelica Colon also couldn’t be reached for comment on Tuesday.
Anastaiya Colon, who was at the club to celebrate her sister Angelica’s birthday, had smoked before arriving and had “a few drinks” at the bar, according to the police report. Drug use was not suspected as a factor in the medical episode, according to the report.
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Angelica Colon said that, while her sister had a medical condition, “that does not excuse what happened.” She said in the post that she was considering legal action against the club’s owners.
“A business that refuses to act during a medical emergency does not deserve to operate,” she wrote. “If this could happen to my sister, it could happen to anyone.”
“She was the greatest mother to our son and her daughter,” Stackhouse wrote. “Wherever I fell, she compensated and gave me so much more grace than I deserve.”
Icon is operated by Pasha Entertainment, which also runs the nightclubs Venu and Hava, as well as prominent restaurants such as Ghost Light Tavern and Kava Neo-Taverna, according to the company’s website.
“Our thoughts and condolences are with the individual’s family and loved ones,” the club wrote.
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Last year, the city’ licensing board reviewed a 2023 incident at the club in which a woman was punched and thrown to the ground by another patron. Icon staff did not call police during the altercation, which the club’s director of security admitted was a “lapse in judgment.”
The woman who was punched later sued the club for overserving her attacker; Icon was ordered to pay $30,000 in damages, according to court records.
Camilo Fonseca can be reached at camilo.fonseca@globe.com. Follow him on X @fonseca_esq and on Instagram @camilo_fonseca.reports.
BOSTON (WHDH) – Getting around the city was made easier Tuesday after the Green Line reopened after a two-week shutdown affecting all branches.
The MBTA needed the closure to replace underground beams dating back to the 19th century.
Service returned Tuesday on the B branch between North Station and Babcock, on the C and D lines from North Station to Kenmore, and North Station to Heath Street on the E branch.
(Copyright (c) 2025 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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After four seasons in which he emerged as a veteran leader and key bench player for the Red Sox, Rob Refsnyder’s time in Boston is over.
Refsnyder has signed a one-year contract with the Mariners, the club announced. According to a major league source, the deal will pay Refsnyder a base salary of $6.25 million in 2026. It also includes $250,000 in incentives.
Refsnyder, who turns 35 in May, was a journeyman utility player when he signed with the Red Sox as a minor league free agent in December 2021. Over the last four seasons, he found a home in Boston, where he mashed left-handed pitching and became an important clubhouse voice. Along with Trevor Story and Alex Bregman, Refsnyder helped form a core of older position players who helped the Sox navigate treacherous waters in the fallout of the Rafael Devers drama (and subsequent trade) over the summer. On the field, he was plenty productive, too, as he hit .269 with nine homers, 12 doubles and an .838 OPS in 70 games in his limited role in 2025.
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In 309 games over the past four seasons, Refsnyder hit .276 with 27 homers, 119 RBIs, 48 doubles and an .804 OPS while serving as one of the best hitters in baseball against left-handed pitching. In 2025, he posted a .302 average, .560 slugging percentage and .959 OPS against southpaws, pairing with Romy Gonzalez to form a potent pair of right-handed platoon options for Alex Cora. Refsnyder’s .596 slugging percentage against left-handed starters was the fourth-best mark in baseball. Since the start of 2021, Refsnyder ranks third in the majors in on-base percentage against lefties (.405) among players with 300 plate appearances.
Refsnyder expressed strong interest in returning to the Red Sox in 2026 but in recent weeks, the writing has been on the wall for his departure. There aren’t many at-bats to go around in Boston’s crowded outfield/designated hitter picture and recent comments from manager Alex Cora made it harder to see Refsnyder returning in his role. Specifically, the club wants Wilyer Abreu — a platoon player to this point in his career — to get regular starts against lefties in right field, a position where Refsnyder logged 21 starts in 2025. Cora also praised the athleticism of Nate Eaton, who may take over Refsnyder’s role as a versatile, younger and cheaper version in 2026. Eaton had a .673 OPS against lefties in 49 big league plate appearances last year but the Red Sox think there’s more in his right-handed bat. Kristian Campbell is expected to focus on outfield work in spring training, too, further crowding a group that includes Abreu, Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Jarren Duran and potentially Eaton and others.
The Mariners will be Refsnyder’s seventh major league team, joining the Yankees, Blue Jays, Rays and Twins. He had previously signed two deals to remain in Boston, agreeing to avoid arbitration at $1.2 million for 2023, then signing a $1.85 million extension for the 2024 season that included a $2 million option for 2025.
