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☆ Ukraine: Russia is capturing its biggest swath of territory since July 2022, as Kyiv desperately awaits US weaponry
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Russian forces have used the “artillery drought” hampering Ukraine’s defenses since December to push forward on the eastern front near Avdiivka, making the largest advance since the early months of the war. Only on Sunday did the top Ukrainian military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, admit the fall of a series of villages that his subordinates had insisted for days were still contested. The resulting fallback showed Russian forces had, in just over two months, made the most substantial and swift progress since July 2022’s advances near Severodonetsk, according to a CNN analysis. DeepStateMap, which updates the frontline situation daily, showed significant losses near Avdiivka. Yurii Fedorenko, commander of the Achilles attack drones company at the 92nd separate assault brigade in that area, said the next two months marked a “window of opportunity” for Russian forces.

Persons: Chasiv, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ruslan Mykula, ” Mykula, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Oleksandr Ratushniak Oleksandr Ratushniak, Chasiv Yar, Col Nazar Voloshyn, ” Voloshyn, Druzhkivka, Novozhenina, Yurii Fedorenko, “ Organizations: CNN, Sunday, Kurakhove, Ukraine’s, Airborne, REUTERS, Reuters, Russian Locations: Ukraine, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Mariupol, Russia, Pokrovsk, Chasiv Yar, Bakhmut, Ukrainian, Russian, Avdiivka’s, Severodonetsk, Ocheretyne, Kurakhve, Kupiansk, Kharkiv, Moscow

Kyiv, Ukraine CNN —As the US prepares to transfer significant military aid to Ukraine following the Senate passing funding legislation worth $61 billion, reports from eastern Ukraine continue to highlight Kyiv’s sliding fortunes on the battlefield. Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty ImagesUkrainian soldiers on the front lines have spoken of being badly outgunned by Russian forces. A Ukrainian military blogger, Bohdan Myroshnykov, wrote, “In Novobakhmutivka, the enemy made progress in the village, advancing up to 400 meters in depth. Meanwhile, around Chasiv Yar, about 40 kilometers to the north, both Ukrainian and Russian reports suggest Ukraine has succeeded in stopping Russian advances, at least for the moment. Oleksandr Ratushniak/Reuters“In the Chasiv Yar direction, the offensive of the Russian forces ‘stalled’ on the eastern outskirts,” a Russian military blogger, Wargonzo, reports, though fierce fighting continues, the site adds.

Persons: DeepState –, –, Biden, Joe Biden, Charly Triballeau, Volodymyr Zelensky, Bohdan Myroshnykov, “, DeepState, Ukraine’s Eastern Command –, Oleksandr Ratushniak, ‘, Ukraine’s DeepState, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Vladimir Putin, Chasiv Yar Organizations: Ukraine CNN —, Russian, Wednesday, Senate, Scranton Army, Getty, 100th, Ukraine’s Eastern Command, CNN, Reuters, 92nd Brigade, Nazi Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Ocheretyne, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Israel, Taiwan, Scranton, Scranton , Pennsylvania, AFP, Russian, Russia, Novobakhmutivka, Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region, ”, Ivanivske, Bakhmut, Nazi Germany

☆ American sniper in Ukraine says his unit prefers Soviet-era rifles because bullets are easier to find and they can take them from the Russians
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewAn American veteran fighting in Ukraine said soldiers in his unit prefer to use Soviet-era rifles over modern ones because it's easier to find ammunition, including by taking it from the Russians. Jonathan Poquette is currently serving as a sniper in Ukraine, and he said that his unit prefers AK-74 rifles, which are chambered for 5.45×39mm rounds. He said that the prolific availability of older rifles among Ukraine's soldiers was also partly an issue with Ukraine's planning. This has also included ammunition from defeated Russian soldiers, or that fleeing Russians have left behind. Ukraine's ammunition shortagesUkraine is suffering from extensive shortages of ammunition and weaponry that have had serious ramifications all along the front lines.

Persons: —, Jonathan Poquette, Poquette, Nuzhnenko, Kalashnikov, Oleksandr Ratushniak, Volodymyr Zekenskyy, Frederick Kagan, Serhii Mykhalchuk Organizations: Service, Business, AK, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, REUTERS Poquette, Chosen Company, 59th Motorized Brigade, NATO, US, REUTERS, Artillery Rocket Systems, EU Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Soviet Union, Russian, Bakhmut, Radio Free Europe, Kyiv, Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region, Russia, Europe, Czech Republic

☆ New footage appears to show 23 Russian tanks and IFVs destroyed on a 'road of death' by Ukrainian paratroopers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian troops released footage appearing to show the total destruction of a Russian brigade. Ukrainian troops refer to the area as the 'road of death' because of Russia's continued losses in the region. Further clips appear to show Russian soldiers attempting to escape from strike drones, clambering out of their tanks and hiding behind mounds of soil. The warriors from the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, with the help of drones, turned a convoy of russian tanks and IFVs into a scrap metal army. The route in to the village was dubbed the "road of death" due to the number of Russian soldiers killed.

Persons: —, Russia's, Novomykhailivka, Oleksandr Ratushniak Organizations: Air Assault Brigade, Service, Ministry of Defense, 79th Air Assault Brigade, —, Ukraine's 72nd Mechanized Brigade, 72nd Mechanized Brigade, Reuters, REUTERS, CNN Locations: Russian, Russia, Novomykhailivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, @DefenceU, Ukrainian, Donbas . Russian, Blahodatne, Avdiivka

That fell to 21-22 million tonnes by 2021, and after Russia invaded last year, output hit 6.3 million in 2022. But even with consumption nearly doubling to 2.6 million tonnes between January and September, that is not enough to sustain a sector that used to export four fifths of its output. Zaporizhstal expects to export two thirds of its 2.4-2.5 million tonnes of iron ore and rolled steel production in 2023. Before the invasion, output was 4.2 million tonnes a year. "We can say that blackouts last winter (reduced) steel production by two to three times," Zinchenko said, citing production data for the months when blackouts were most regular.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, ZAPORIZHZHIA, Roman Slobodianiuk, Ukraine's, Oleksandr Kalenkov, Slobodianiuk, Stanislav Zinchenko, Medkov, Oleksandr Yasunas, Zinchenko, Mike Collett, White, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Steel, REUTERS, Staff, Reuters, GMK, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia, Russia, Soviet, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Europe, Odesa, Kyiv, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Russian

Rob Bauer of the Netherlands, the chair of the NATO Military Committee and NATO’s most senior military official, said of the West’s ammunition stockpile Tuesday during a discussion at the Warsaw Security Forum. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty/Serhii Nuzhnenko/Reuters“We give away weapons systems to Ukraine, which is great, and ammunition, but not from full warehouses. “We have to keep Ukraine in the fight tonight and tomorrow and the day after and the day after,” Heappey said. That means, “continuing to give, day in day out, and rebuilding our own stockpiles,” he added. US military aid to Ukraine has amounted to a staggering $46.6 billion from the war’s start through July 31, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, Adm, Rob Bauer, Serhii Nuzhnenko, Bauer, James Heappey, ” Heappey, “, Thomas Warrick, Oleksandr Ratushniak, Warrick, ”, Michael McCord, ” McCord, Lloyd Austin Organizations: CNN, NATO, NATO Military Committee, Warsaw Security, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Reuters, Europe ”, Atlantic, nonresident, Foreign Relations, Pentagon, ” Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Netherlands, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Radio Free Europe, Europe, United Kingdom, United States, Washington

☆ Ukraine counteroffensive: Winter is coming to Ukraine, but Kyiv is adapting its tactics
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Tim Lister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

And Kyiv has dramatically increased long-range missile and drone attacks against Russian military hubs: command centers, fuel and ammunition supplies, transport hubs. There is anecdotal evidence of this from other sources, but not to the degree that the Russian military machine would be damaged. Alexander Ermochenko/ReutersBut just as they seek to degrade Russian air defenses, the Ukrainians have made strides in improving their own. “Our air defense system has become even more comprehensive and experienced … By the winter, it will become even stronger.”Energy production has increased too. Ryan, the former Australian general, says Ukraine’s western partners must recognize and plan for this.

Persons: Franz, Stefan Gady, Michael Kofman, they’ve, It’s, Oleksandr Tarnavsky, ” Tarnavsky, Fred Pleitgen, Tarnavsky, Tony Radakin, Ukraine’s, it’s, WarZone, Gen, Kyrylo Budanov, “, ” Tarnovsky, Oleksandr Ratushniak, ”, Mick Ryan, Futura, Timchenko, Alexander Ermochenko, Denys Shmyhal, Jens Stoltenberg, Antony Blinken, Ryan, outlast, Robert Rose, Sergei Supinsky, Max Boot, ” Boot, Vladimir Putin Organizations: CNN, ”, Russian, Black, Sea Navy, Planet Labs, US Army Tactical Missile, Defense Intelligence, Aviation, Reuters, UK Defense Ministry, Arms Army, CAA, IRIS, Energy, US, Firefighters, Getty, Council for Foreign Relations Locations: Ukraine, Kharkiv, Kherson, Ukrainian, ” Ukraine, Crimea, Sevastopol, Russian, Crimean, Moscow, Russia’s, Australian, Mariupol, Donbas, Europe, United States, AFP, Russia

☆ Danger lurks behind 'every bush' for brigade in Ukrainian counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Ukrainian servicemen of the Spartan Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine prepare a shell for a D-30 howitzer at a position at a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine September 13, 2023. REUTERS/Oleksandr Ratushniak Acquire Licensing RightsSummary Spartan brigade fighting in Ukrainian counteroffensiveSoldiers encounter vast minefields and trenchesSpartan brigade says Russians know the terrain wellZAPORIZHZHIA REGION, Ukraine, Sept 14 (Reuters) - For soldiers in Ukraine's "Spartan" brigade, danger could lurk behind every bush and in every field as they fight in Kyiv's counteroffensive against deeply entrenched Russian forces. Progress through vast Russian minefields and heavily fortified defences has been slower than many Ukrainians had hoped since the counteroffensive began in early June. Just our boys," he said at a location in the Zaporizhzhia region. Stepan, 38, was a metal worker before he joined the Spartan brigade, which is part of Ukraine's National Guard, and was apprehensive at first.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, Jordan, Stepan, Ron Popeski, Timothy Organizations: Spartan Brigade, National Guard, REUTERS, Ukrainian, Ukraine's, Spartan, Reuters, Ukraine's National Guard, Brigade, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia region, Russian, Zaporizhzhia, Stepan

☆ Ukrainian chef dreams of Michelin star, but happy to feed the troops
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sept 13 (Reuters) - Serhiy graduated from a culinary school in central Ukraine and dreams of working in a Michelin-starred restaurant. But for now, with his country locked in a war against Russia, he is only too happy to feed the troops as an army cook. "The frontline is just over there," he says in the simple kitchen where he produces varied, home-cooked meals. [1/4]Serhiy, 30, a former restaurant chef and military cook stands as he prepares a meal, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine September 12, 2023. One used to work at the restaurant for nine years, another one worked for 10 years," said one soldier, grinning.

Persons: Serhiy, thoughtfully, Oleksandr Ratushniak, Ron Popeski, Tom Balmforth, Alison Williams Organizations: Michelin, Russia, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Dnipropetrovsk, Poland, Dnipropetrovsk region, Soviet, Afghanistan

☆ Ukraine collects Russian bodies on 'road of death' in retaken southeast
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Ukrainian servicemen check the body of a dead Russian soldier, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the village of Blahodatne in Donetsk Region Ukraine September 8, 2023. REUTERS/Oleksandr Ratushniak/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBLAHODATNE, Ukraine, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Wearing face masks, the Ukrainian soldiers poked sticks into the undergrowth along a deserted country road, searching for the bodies of Russian soldiers they hoped to exchange for their own comrades, living and dead. They called it the "road of death" after the number of Russian soldiers killed there when Ukrainian forces retook the southeastern village of Blahodatne at the start of their counteroffensive in June. Three months on, the frontline had shifted south and it was finally safe enough for the three-man team of Ukrainian soldiers to start their operation in this liberated part of Donetsk region. There was intense fighting for Urozhaine," he said, referring to a nearby village that was later retaken.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, Volodymyr, Ron Popeski, Tom Balmforth, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Donetsk Region Ukraine, REUTERS, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Blahodatne, Donetsk Region, Donetsk, Russia, Urozhaine

☆ Ukrainian mortar squads say they meet fierce Russian resistance
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A Ukrainian serviceman sits next to mortar shells inside a dugout at a position near a frontline, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine September 4, 2023. It's a routine they repeat frequently as Ukraine's army tries to battle through vast Russian minefields and heavily fortified trenches in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia. "The Russians resist fiercely there (on the front line), they are trying to get back their positions," the mortar squad's commander, who uses the call-sign Hrai, told Reuters. Our soldiers are in their (former Russian) positions, prepared by them (the Russians). The mortar position is part of a maze of trenches and dugouts with wooden walls and underground living quarters.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, Hrai, Timothy Heritage, Tom Balmforth Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia region, tarpaulin, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv

☆ Ukraine tells critics of slow counteroffensive to 'shut up'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Ukrainian servicemen put out burning grass near their positions, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near a front line, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine August 31, 2023. Nearly three months since launching a much vaunted counteroffensive using hundreds of billions of dollars of Western military equipment, Ukraine has recaptured more than a dozen villages but has yet to penetrate Russia's main defences. "I would recommend all critics to shut up, come to Ukraine and try to liberate one square centimetre by themselves," he said at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Spain. DRONE ATTACKS WITHIN RUSSIAUkraine has also stepped up attacks using drones on targets deep within Russia itself and in Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine. While Ukraine rarely comments directly on specific attacks inside Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appeared to boast of the Pskov attack on Thursday.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, Dmitro Kuleba, Jens Stoltenberg, Hanna Maliar, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Utkin, Prigozhin, Peter Graff, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, NATO, Russia KYIV, New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Ukrainian, Reuters, Russia, Kremlin, Nazi, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia region, Russia, Moscow, Ukrainian, Spain, Russian, Robotyne, Western Zaporizhzhia, Novopokropivka, Kyiv, Bakhmut, RUSSIA Ukraine, Bryansk, Crimea, Pskov, St Petersburg

☆ Frontline videos offer grim, close-up view of Kyiv's counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Oleksandr Ratushniak /File PhotoKYIV, July 11 (Reuters) - Vivid helmet camera videos filmed by Ukrainian soldiers at the front line can give viewers a visceral feel of combat as Kyiv's counteroffensive finally unfolds, even though experts warn against drawing strong conclusions about how the war is going. The information vacuum has been partially filled by a steady stream of video filmed by soldiers themselves and often compiled, edited and released by their units. Later, an exhausted commander lets out an expletive at the camera after a Russian artillery strike on his unit's position. Reynolds added that the videos can also provide a feel for the artillery-scarred terrain Ukrainian troops are fighting on. 'SO YOU ALL KNOW THE PRICE'Troops releasing videos say that depicting the intensity of combat helps convey to the public their forces' commitment, bolstering support.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, Nick Reynolds, Reynolds, Oleh, Valerii Markus, we'll, Dan Peleschuk, Peter Graff Organizations: REUTERS, Separate Assault Brigade, Royal United Services Institute, Reuters, Troops, Mechanized Brigade, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Neskuchne, Donetsk region, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Russian, London, Crimea, Russia

[1/5] Ukrainian service members check a destroyed Russian a BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the front line in the newly liberated village Storozheve in Donetsk region, Ukraine June 14, 2023. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy concedes that Ukraine will probably not be allowed into NATO while the war with Russia is raging, but he is pushing for accession one day. You won't see that on television," he said at a practice shooting range in eastern Ukraine in late June. Neskuchne was one of several settlements captured by Ukraine in a southward thrust along the Mokri Yaly river starting in June. Yoda said he had been wounded four times over the course of the war, and that many soldiers were carrying injuries.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, Povar, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Neskuchne, It's, Andriy, Yoda, Max Hunder, MIke Collett, White, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, NATO, Andriy, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Storozheve, Donetsk region, Russia, DONETSK, Vilnius, Ukrainian, Makarivka, Moscow, Crimea, Bakhmut, Azov, Crimean, Kharkiv, Kherson

☆ A devastated mother bids farewell to twin daughters killed in Russian strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Fourteen-year-olds Anna and Yuliia Aksenchenko were among 12 people who were killed when a Russian missile hit a pizza restaurant in the eastern city on Tuesday evening. On Friday morning, the family held a mourning ceremony for them at their apartment several hundred metres away from the site. She sat motionless with one hand on each daughter for half an hour, her body slumped and her head bowed. [1/4]Oleh and Olha Aksenchenko react during the funeral of their 14-year-old twin daughters Anna and Yuliia, killed in a restaurant by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kramatorsk, Ukraine June 30, 2023. Mourners said the girls had been dressed in wedding dresses for their burial, a custom in Ukraine for girls who die too young to marry.

Persons: Anna, Yuliia Aksenchenko, Aksenchenko, Yuliia, Oleksandr Ratushniak, Viktoria Kushka, Kushka, Tom Balmforth Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: KRAMATORSK, Ukraine, Ukraine's, Kramatorsk, Russian

☆ Kramatorsk restaurant strike shows death can come any time
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —It was dinner time and the restaurant – a popular pizza joint in the center of Kramatorsk – was crammed with people. Just after 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, a Russian missile ripped through, killing at least 10 people. People comfort each other at the site of a Russian missile strike in Kramatorsk on June 27. Oleksandr Ratushniak/ReutersRescuers search for survivors after the Russian missile attack hit the Ria restaurant in Kramatorsk. In April last year, Russian forces carried out a missile strike on Kramatorsk’s railway station which was being used to shelter civilians fleeing the fighting.

Persons: Yulia, Anna Aksenchenko, –, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Ria Lounge, Ria ., ”, Alex, Volodymyr Zelensky, Oleksandr Ratushniak, Wojciech Grzedzinski, Josep Borrell, ” Borrell Organizations: CNN, Authorities, Emergency Services, Institute for, Kramatorsk’s, Reuters, Anadolu Agency, Getty, “, Twitter, Ukrainian Security Service, Russian Armed Forces, Russia, Human Rights Watch, SITU Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Kramatorsk, Ukrainian, Ria, Kramatorsk’s

☆ Twin sisters among 11 killed in Russian attack on Ukraine's Kramatorsk
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sisters Anna and Yulia Aksenchenko would have turned 15 in September, Kramatorsk city council's education department said in a Facebook post under a picture of the two girls smiling for the camera. Asked about the attack on Kramatorsk, the Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia attacked only military targets, not civilian ones. A second missile hit a village on the fringes of Kramatorsk, wounding four people. Russia has frequently hit Ukrainian cities since its full-scale invasion in February 2022. A missile strike killed 63 people at a railway station there in April 2022, one of the worst single air strikes of the war.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, Anna, Yulia Aksenchenko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Max Hunder, Anna Pruchnicka, Pavel Polityuk, Peter Graff, Timothy Organizations: REUTERS, Kremlin, Russia, Russia's Defence Ministry, Reuters, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Russian, Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Russia, KRAMATORSK, Ukrainian, Donetsk province

☆ Ukrainian artillerymen praise US howitzers outside Russian-held town
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Ukrainian servicemen prepare a M119 howitzer for firing towards Russian troops at a position near a frontline, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine June 19, 2023. REUTERS/Oleksandr RatushniakNEAR KREMINNA, Ukraine, June 19 (Reuters) - The artillerymen of Ukraine's 67th infantry brigade are delighted with the U.S.-supplied M119 howitzer amid an increase in military exchanges south of the Russian-held town of Kreminna. The northeast, where Ukrainian troops made big, rapid gains late last year, may be somewhat less intense, but it still saw plenty of exchanges. The artillerymen spent the day firing at enemy targets with the M119s, which they say they have had for seven months. Still, over the last five days, we observe that they (Russian troops) became more active."

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, Cousin, Max Hunder, Ron Popeski, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Donetsk region, KREMINNA, Russian, Kreminna, Ukraine's, Bakhmut, U.S

☆ Russia tries to signal normalcy as Ukraine forces advance
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Vitalii Hnidyi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But corpses of Russian soldiers and burnt-out armoured vehicles lining the roadside in villages newly recaptured by Ukrainian troops attested to Kyiv's biggest advances since last year. Several bodies of Russian soldiers lay in the streets of ruined and depopulated villages. Ukrainian troops in Storozheve told Reuters they had killed around 50 Russians and captured four there. Kyiv says any elections staged by Russians on Ukrainian territory would be invalid and illegal. Ukrainian troops have yet to reach the heaviest Russian defensive fortifications, which are set back from the front line.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, Moscow's, Oleksii Hromov, Vladimir Putin, Ella Pamfilova, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Vitalii, Pavel Polityuk, Peter Graff, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Ukrainian, Troops, TASS, Defence Ministry, Federal Security Service, U.S . Defense, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Storozheve, Donetsk region, UKRAINE, Russia, Ukrainian, Neskuchne, Moscow, Mala Tokmachka, Bakhmut, Europe, Kyiv, Brussels, U.S, Washington

☆ Russian soldiers' corpses line road into liberated Ukrainian village
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Vitalii Hnidyi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A view shows the newly liberated village Storozheve near the front line in Donetsk region, Ukraine, June 14, 2023. REUTERS/Oleksandr RatushniakSTOROZHEVE, Ukraine, June 14 (Reuters) - The road into the newly liberated Ukrainian village of Storozheve is lined with the corpses of Russian soldiers and burnt-out armoured vehicles. Some of the dead Russian soldiers lay on the dusty ground beside the husks of their vehicles when Reuters journalists reached the village on Wednesday. A photograph posted online on Monday showed Ukrainian soldiers holding up the yellow and blue Ukrainian flag in front of a damaged home in Storozheve. The soldiers said about 50 Russian soldiers were killed in a "mopping-up operation" and four were taken prisoner.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak STOROZHEVE, Artem, Vitlii Hnyidyi, Timothy Heritage, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Donetsk region, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Storozheve, Neskuchne

☆ Russia, Ukraine battle for Bakhmut as ICC seeks war crime arrest warrants
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Mike Collett-White | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/4] Ukrainian service members fire a howitzer M119 at a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Bakhmut, Ukraine March 10, 2023. Russia says taking Bakhmut would open a path to capture all of Donetsk, a central war aim. Near Kreminna, north of Bakhmut, Ukrainian soldiers said on Monday they were repelling intensified attacks. It was unclear which Russian officials the prosecutor might seek warrants against or when they might come, but they could include the crime of genocide, the source said. Russia denies deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, saying its attacks are all intended to reduce Kyiv's ability to fight.

Ukraine recaptured swathes of territory in the second half of 2022 but its forces have been on the defensive for three months. It says the city has little strategic value but that the huge losses there could determine the course of the war. "Units of the private military company Wagner have practically surrounded Bakhmut. Both sides say they have inflicted devastating losses in Bakhmut. The task of our forces in Bakhmut is to inflict as many losses on the enemy as possible.

[1/4] Ukrainian service members prepare to shoot from a howitzer at a front line, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the city of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine March 2, 2023. It says it would be a stepping stone to capturing the surrounding Donbas region, a major war aim. "Units of the private military company Wagner have practically surrounded Bakhmut. Both sides say they have inflicted devastating losses in Bakhmut. The task of our forces in Bakhmut is to inflict as many losses on the enemy as possible.

In the past 24 hours Ukrainian forces have repelled more than 170 attacks in the five principal sectors of the front line, Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said on YouTube on Thursday night. Ukraine says the city has limited strategic value but wants to exhaust Russian forces. In nearby towns and villages, new trenches had been dug on the roadside 20-40 metres (65-130 feet) apart, a sign that Ukrainian forces were strengthening defensive positions. Russia says its "special military operation" aims to degrade the Ukrainian military and remove what it says is a threat to its own security. The Russian foreign ministry said Lavrov and Blinken spoke "on the move" for less than 10 minutes.

[1/4] A Ukrainian service member prepares to shoot from a howitzer at a front line, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the city of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine March 2, 2023. Russian forces have been attacking Bakhmut in Donetsk province for months, sometimes in waves and the site has become one of the bloodiest battles of the war. Ukraine says the city has limited strategic value but wants to exhaust Russian forces. Russian shelling hit Bakhmut and several nearby towns - including Chasiv Yar, the biggest town to the west - and two towns south of Bakhmut, it said. In central Zaporizhzhia region and in Kherson region on the southern front, Russian forces shelled more than 40 towns and villages, the Ukrainian military statement said.

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