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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

☆ For eastern Ukrainians, the ordeal of war is entering its second decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

It is now close to the front line between Ukrainian and Russian forces, and many of its buildings are damaged or destroyed. Like most people from Chasiv Yar, Tkachov has moved further from the fighting though some remain. All of them have lived through nearly a decade of war, a reminder that for millions in eastern Ukraine the conflict has rumbled on since 2014, long before Russia's full-scale invasion in February last year grabbed the world's attention. BUILD-UPUkraine and its Western allies say Russia infiltrated eastern Ukraine with fighters and intelligence operatives to stage a coup in Donbas in 2014 which Moscow subsequently supported with regular troops. FULL-SCALE WARThe U.N. human rights office estimated that more than 14,000 military personnel and civilians were killed in eastern Ukraine from early April 2014 to the end of 2021.

Persons: Tkachov, Alina Smutko, CHASIV, Chasiv Yar, Vladimir Putin, Viktor Yanukovych, Yanukovych, Max Hunder, Mike Collett, White Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Russian, Russia, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Kostiantynivka, Ukraine, Donetsk region, Donbas, CHASIV YAR, Chasiv, Russian, Russia, Moscow, Donetsk, Luhansk, Soviet Union, Ukrainian, CRIMEA, Kyiv, Crimea, Sloviansk, Soviet

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy calls for fortifications in key frontline areas
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Zelenskiy issued his appeal after touring Ukrainian positions in the northeast, one of several areas where Russian forces have been trying to make recent headway - and recapture areas taken back by Ukrainian troops a year ago. Russian occupying forces have built solid fortifications and minefields of their own in areas they have held since pouring over the border in February 2022. Military spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun said Ukrainian forces had rebuffed Russian attacks on the coking plant. RUSSIAN DRIVE AROUND BAKHMUTRussian forces have also been pressing near contested villages surrounding the equally shattered town of Bakhmut, captured by Russian forces in May after months of fighting. Initial investigation showed Russian forces had dropped two bombs, in the second assault on the town throughout the day.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Rustem Umerov, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Zelenskiy, Lyman, Oleksandr Shtupun, Shtupun, Espreso, Avdiivka, Serhiy Hrabskyi, Hrabskyi, Ron Popeski, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Alistair Bell, Stephen Coates Organizations: Defence, Ground Forces, Presidential Press, Military, Reuters, Russian, Russia's Defence Ministry, Wednesday, Radio, Thomson Locations: Kupiansk, Ukraine, Kharkiv region, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Russia, Luhansk, Avdiivka, Russian, RUSSIAN, Bakhmut, Toretsk, Kostyantynivka

CNN —A Spanish aid worker has been killed in eastern Ukraine after a projectile fell on the vehicle she was traveling in, according to Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares. The woman has been named by Spanish public broadcaster RTVE as Emma Igual, the director of an NGO named “Road to Relief” which focuses on evacuating civilians from the Ukrainian frontline. In the post, the NGO said a Canadian volunteer named Anthony “Tonko” Ihnat was also killed in the attack, which CNN has not been able to independently verify. The remaining passengers, according to the NGO, are German medical volunteer Ruben Mawick and Swedish volunteer Johan Mathias Thyr. He added that they have been given medical assistance, with one hospitalized with head and limb injuries.

Persons: José Manuel Albares, “, RTVE, Emma Igual, Chasiv Yar, Anthony “ Tonko, Ihnat, Ruben Mawick, Johan Mathias Thyr, Ruslan Kravchenko Organizations: CNN, Spanish, Relief Locations: Ukraine, New Delhi, Spanish, Ukrainian, Sloviansk, Bakhmut, Chasiv, Canadian, Russia, Kyiv

☆ Russia Says It Shot Down 2 Ukrainian Missiles Over Border Cities: Live Updates
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Credit... Laura Boushnak for The New York Times“He has never seen me like this,” Ms. Dluzhynska said of the groom. But when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Mr. Merezhko rejoined the military to fight. About a month later, Ms. Dluzhynska followed, as a medic, to be near him. At the wedding ceremony, in an event space with a roof deck overlooking Kyiv, cloth azaleas formed a white arch. In his vows, Mr. Merezhko drew laughs describing how he had worn dirty shorts to their first meeting.

Persons: Laura Boushnak, The New York Times Laura Boushnak, The New York Times Yuliya, “, Maksym, Yuliia Dluzhynska, Dluzhynska, ”, Kseniia Drahaniuk, Zemliachky’s, Ms, welling, Merezhko, John Legend’s “, ‘, ’, Slava Ukraini ”, Mr, Stanislav Kozliuk, Daria Mitiuk Organizations: The New York Times, The New York Times Credit, Zemliachky Locations: Kyiv, Donetsk, Sloviansk, Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, —, Bakhmut

☆ Two Ukrainian Service Members Take a Break to Say ‘I Do’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The groom could not wait to kiss the bride. He kissed her when she walked down the aisle, and during the ceremony. He kissed her after his vows, after hers, and again when they finally said “I do.”Maksym Merezhko, 43, and the bride, Yuliia Dluzhynska, 39, both serve in Ukraine’s military and had traveled to Kyiv the night before from the eastern Donetsk region. The couple had been officially married days before, signing a marriage license in a stuffy room in Sloviansk. “It takes a lot of time to organize a wedding, and when you are on the front line, you don’t have that free time,” said Kseniia Drahaniuk, Zemliachky’s co-founder.

Persons: “, Maksym, Yuliia Dluzhynska, Dluzhynska, ”, Kseniia Drahaniuk, Zemliachky’s Locations: Kyiv, Donetsk, Sloviansk

☆ Who is winning the war in Ukraine? Experts break down the territorial, psychological, and military gains made by Putin and Zelenskyy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Insider spoke to four experts about who they think is currently winning the war in Ukraine. But two experts told Insider this appears to be unattainable. "So territory-wise, I don't think Zelenskyy has budged on his objective of liberating all of the occupied territories," Miron told Insider. Photo by Getty ImagesMilitary victoryIt is difficult to analyze who is currently winning from a military standpoint because a lot of hinges on Ukraine's counteroffensive, all experts told Insider. John E. Herbst, who was the US ambassador to Ukraine from 2003 to 2006, told Insider that he believes that right now, the advantage lies with Ukraine.

Persons: —, Ukraine —, Vladimir Putin, Marina Miron, Volodymyr Zelenskyy's, Miron, David Lewis, Yasuyoshi Chiba, University of Birmingham's Jaroslava Barbieri, " Barbieri, Lewis, John E . Herbst, Bakhmut, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Barbieri, Herbst, Putin Organizations: Service, Department of, King's College London, Institute for, Royal United Services Institute, Getty, Kyiv, University of Birmingham's, Getty Images, Washington Post, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Crimea, Sloviansk, AFP, Ukrainian, Irpin, Bakhmut

☆ Explainer: How important is Wagner's claimed capture of Bakhmut?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/4] A general view shows a building damaged by a Russian military strike, amid their attack on Ukraine, in the front line city of Bakhmut, in Donetsk region, Ukraine February 27, 2023. REUTERS/Alex... Read moreLONDON, May 20 (Reuters) - Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Saturday that his Wagner fighters had completed the capture of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut after months of intense fighting, a claim denied by Ukraine. Zelenskiy portrayed "Fortress Bakhmut" as a symbol of defiance which he said was bleeding the Russian military dry. If confirmed, Bakhmut would be Russia's first major capture since July last year and a morale-boosting battlefield win after a string of defeats. The city's capture would be a boost for Russia's most high-profile mercenaries - Wagner - and their publicity-hungry founder Prigozhin.

☆ Russia's Prigozhin says Bakhmut will not fall in next two days
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, May 19 (Reuters) - Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Friday that the city of Bakhmut was unlikely to fall to his mercenary forces in the next two days as fighting raged around Ukrainian soldiers holed up in a makeshift "fortress" in the south of the city. The Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, known in Russia by its Soviet-era name of Artyomovsk, is in ruins after months of intense fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces who call it the "meat grinder". "Bakhmut has still not been taken," Prigozhin said in a voice message posted on Telegram. "Bakhmut is unlikely to be taken either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow." Russia has been trying to capture Bakhmut since last summer in the longest and bloodiest battle of the war, but Ukrainian defenders have held out.

☆ Another Casualty in Ukraine: Teenage Years
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Andrew E. Kramer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The yawning crater, carved by a Russian missile strike and flooded with water, cut a jagged path through the middle of a city street. “We could dive in for a swim.”In their baggy sweatshirts, backpacks looped over one shoulder, youths walk the streets of Sloviansk, a frontline town in eastern Ukraine, for lack of anything else to do on a spring afternoon. They are living their teenage years in a holding pattern because of the war that rages around them — without prom, graduation ceremonies, movie theaters, parties or sports. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused tremendous direct damage, killing tens of thousands of people and forcing millions of Ukrainians from their homes. But the war has also claimed another casualty: the normal experiences of teenagers like those in Sloviansk who live near combat zones, hanging out in ravaged cities where rockets fly in regularly.

☆ Russia's Prigozhin: Ukrainian counter-offensive is 'inevitable'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 26 (Reuters) - The head of Russia's private Wagner militia, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said Ukraine was preparing for an "inevitable" counter-offensive and was sending well-prepared units to the devastated eastern city of Bakhmut, for many months the focal point of fighting. But he said his forces would do whatever it takes to halt any Ukrainian attempt to retake the city. "We will advance at any cost, just to grind down the Ukrainian army and disrupt their offensive," Prigozhin said. Russia has said capturing Bakhmut will allow it to mount further offensives in eastern Ukraine. Despite downplaying its strategic significance for Moscow, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelesnkiy has repeatedly refused to withdraw his forces.

☆ Russia says it has gained more ground in battle for Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The battle for Bakhmut has turned into one of the bloodiest of the 14-month war, with the Eastern Ukrainian city almost completely destroyed by artillery shelling and urban combat. Russia says capturing Bakhmut will allow it to mount further offensives into eastern Ukraine. If they succeed, Moscow's forces are likely to face even larger urban battles for the nearby towns of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the private Wagner military force which is leading the assault on the city, has claimed his troops control 80% of Bakhmut. "There is no enemy foothold on the left (eastern) bank of the Dnipro river ... our military completely controls that territory," Vladimir Saldo wrote on his Telegram channel.

☆ Russia increases shelling, air strikes in Bakhmut - Ukrainian general
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Adam Tactic Group/Handout via REUTERSKYIV, April 18 (Reuters) - Russian forces are stepping up their use of heavy artillery and air strikes in the devastated eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces said on Tuesday. Fighting in and around Bakhmut has for months been the epicentre of the war in Ukraine. "Currently, the enemy is increasing the activity of heavy artillery and the number of air strikes, turning the city into ruins," General Oleksandr Syrskyi said in a statement. Russia says Ukrainian forces have also suffered heavy losses in Bakhmut. The Ukrainian military is widely expected to mount a counteroffensive in coming weeks or months aimed at recapturing Russian-held territory.

Kyiv and the West accuse Russian forces of committing war crimes in occupied Ukrainian territory, which Moscow denies. Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk are the four regions that Putin proclaimed annexed last September following what Ukraine said were sham referendums. Russian forces only partly control the four regions. HEAVY ARTILLERYFighting has raged in and around Bakhmut in Donetsk region for months, with Ukrainian forces holding out despite regular claims by Russia to have taken the city. "Any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences," they said.

As a result, farmers in Poland, Hungary and other nations have seen their incomes plummet. measures,” his country would follow Poland in restricting Ukrainian grain imports until the end of June, according to Hungarian news reports. The announcement came after Warsaw reached a deal with Kyiv on Friday to strictly limit and, for a time, halt Ukrainian grain deliveries to Poland. Image Ukrainian grain being loaded onto a cargo ship near Odesa, Ukraine, in August. Image A Ukrainian soldier loading shells inside an American-made M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzer to be fired toward Russian positions in Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Friday.

☆ Ukraine awaits US missile system after latest Russian strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The entrance to the Recknitztal barracks, home of the anti-aircraft missile group 24, on the left a mobile launch pad of the Patriot air defense system. The delivery of the Patriot air defense system promised by the U.S. was expected in Ukraine sometime after Easter, Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said. Germany and the Netherlands also have pledged to provide a Patriot system each to Ukraine. Separately, a 48-year-old woman and her 28-year-old daughter died Saturday after Russian forces shelled a neighborhood of the city of Kherson, the regional administration said on Telegram. The southern port city was occupied by Russian forces in the early months of the war, but Ukrainian forces regained control of it in November, one of the most notable battlefield defeats for Moscow.

REUTERS/Anna KudriavtsevaWASHINGTON, April 14 (Reuters) - Ukraine secured promises of $5 billion in additional funding to support its ongoing fight against Russia amid "fruitful meetings" in Washington this week, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told reporters on Friday. Shmyhal met with representatives of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the European Investment Bank as well as top U.S. officials, on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank. Ukraine needs about $14 billion in funding this year to close a budget gap, Shmyhal said, noting that the United States would provide $2.3 billion to plug the hole, while the European Union would provide 1 billion euros ($1.10 billion). The IFC program aims to leverage these donor funds using private sector investments, which will be needed to help cover the staggering cost of Ukraine's recovery. "A strong private sector is essential to help Ukraine's economy recover and support reconstruction efforts," said Makhtar Diop, the IFC's managing director.

☆ Nine killed in Russian strike, rescue teams sift through wreckage
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Kai Pfaffenbach | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Emergency services in eastern Donetsk Region, in a statement on Facebook, said the death toll stood at nine at midnight (2100 GMT), including a two-year-old child. Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of Donetsk Region, told national television earlier that seven Russian S-300 missiles had been fired. Rescue teams searching for victims sifted through rubble through the night, using cranes, ladders and other heavy equipment in the shells of apartments and stairwells. [1/5] A man stands next to a residential building damaged by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Sloviansk, Donetsk region, Ukraine April 14, 2023. "The evil state once again demonstrates its essence," Zelenskiy wrote in a separate post accompanied by footage of a damaged building.

☆ Ukraine battles rage, Kyiv reported to rethink counter-offensive after leak
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The head of the Moscow-controlled part of Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, said Russian forces now held 75% of the city. As the battles ground on, U.S. media outlet CNN reported that Ukraine was forced to amend some military plans ahead of its long-anticipated counter-offensive because of the leak of dozens of secret documents. HOT ON THE EASTERN FRONTA Ukrainian counter-offensive has long been expected after months of attritional warfare in the east. Elsewhere, Russia's defence ministry said its forces destroyed a depot with 70,000 tonnes of fuel near Zaporizhzhia, and Ukraine reported widespread Russian shelling in northern regions. In a rare coordination between the warring parties, Russia and Ukraine carried out another prisoner swap, with 106 Russian captives freed in exchange for 100 Ukrainians.

☆ Russian forces step up strikes on two key Ukrainian cities
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Russian forces have been besieging Bakhmut for months in the longest battle in more than a year of war. Ukraine's State Emergencies Service said a 50-year-old man and his daughter, 11, were killed after Russian forces struck a residential building in Zaporizhzhia, in the southeast. RUSSIAN ATTACKS REPELLEDMore than 40 enemy attacks had been repelled over the past 24 hours, Ukraine's general staff said. "In central Zaporizhzhia and southern Kherson region, enemy forces continued to build fortifications," it said. Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said Russian forces controlled the centre of Bakhmut, with much of their actions now focusing on the city's railway station.

☆ Ukraine seeks to prevent military leaks after NATO assistance plans reportedly appear on social media
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

"The participants of the meeting focused on measures to prevent the leakage of information regarding the plans of the defence forces of Ukraine," it said. One document posted on social media said 16,000 to 17,500 Russian forces had been killed since the invasion. The Ukrainian military said it was holding on in the city but the situation was difficult. Ukrainian military expert Vladyslav Selezniov has said Ukraine will have to pull back if the route for getting supplies in and wounded out is threatened. Eastern Military Command spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi told Reuters Ukraine controlled the situation in Bakhmut and understood Russian intentions.

☆ How Russia’s Offensive Ran Aground
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Josh Holder | Marco Hernandez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +15 min

But within months of the invasion, Russia’s rapid advances ran out of steam, even as it narrowed its ambitions and focused on eastern Ukraine. No Russian gains No Russian gains No Russian gainsIn September 2022 Grid of cities taken by Russia in the Donbas in September 2022. No Russian gains No Russian gains No Russian gainsIn October 2022 Grid of cities taken by Russia in the Donbas in October 2022. Russia captured the small salt-mining town. Kurdiumivka Soledar Kurdiumivka Soledar Russia captured the small salt-mining town.

☆ Exhaustion pervades Russia and Ukraine's forces fighting for Bakhmut's ruins
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A lull in recent activity had been due to poor weather, officials said, as well as "exhaustion on both sides." Despite defense analysts assessing that Bakhmut has been gradually encircled by Russian forces to the north, east and south, Ukraine has refused to tactically withdraw from Bakhmut, instead vowing to reinforce and defend it. "We've been hearing this for months now," Sak told CNBC Monday, referring to claims that Bakhmut is under Russian control. Ukrainian soldier of the Aidar battalion fires artillery in the direction of Bakhmut in Donetsk oblast, 4 April 2023. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

☆ Former Russian commander in Ukraine says Moscow was unprepared for a protracted war and is now 'heading for military defeat'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

He has criticized Russia' war strategy, saying on Sunday that Russia is sleepwalking toward defeat. Girkin, who is also known by his alias "Strelkov," is now a prominent war blogger who has criticized the Russian military strategy in Ukraine. "I'm not afraid to say that we are heading towards military defeat," Girkin said, adding that the Russian economy, military, and political system were unprepared for such a "long, protracted war." In February, Girkin criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin's national address about the war with Ukraine for blatantly ignoring Moscow's "failures" and "defeats." In October 2022, Ukrayinska Pravda reported that Girkin was believed to be fighting for Russia in Ukraine.

☆ North of Bakhmut, another key battle tests Ukraine's defences
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Mike Collett-White | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

At the bottom of the attempted encirclement appears to be Soledar, meaning an area far larger than Bakhmut would be vulnerable. "The enemy would need a lot of forces to take this line (Sloviansk-Kramatorsk-Kostiantynivka) and therefore I think it is unlikely, given the losses the Russian troops are already suffering," he added. Russia has made only incremental gains around Bakhmut, which it has been trying to capture for eight months, and further north. He said he took part in both wars in the 1990s between Russian troops and separatists after the breakup of the Soviet Union. For now, artillery appears to hold the key to defending positions and pinning down the enemy for both sides.

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