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☆ Russia may not start an all-out war with NATO, but already has plans to destroy it from within
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Late last year, Poland's national security agency estimated that Russia could attack NATO within three years. AdvertisementBut whether Putin really does intend to attack NATO and what an attack might look like remains unclear. In March, Putin denied having any plans to attack NATO members, describing such claims as "complete nonsense." "So, his ambition in growing is not going to be that he will attack NATO and NATO countries next year. A covert war is already underwayRussia, some point out, is already engaged in a war with NATO, albeit covertly.

Persons: —, Donald Tusk, Tusk, Putin, Emmanuel Macron, NATO Putin, Philip Ingram, Ingram, Ruth Deyermond, Bryden Spurling, Robert Dover, Spurling, that's, SERGEY BOBOK, Russia's Organizations: Service, Poland's, Business, Bild, NATO, Germany isn't, Ukraine, King's College London, RAND Corporation, University of Hull, European NATO, RAND, Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces Locations: Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, Baltic, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Washington, Russian, NATO, European, Kharkiv, Soviet Union

☆ Odesa attack: Ukrainian investigators demand answers after Russian strike kills 12, including 5 children
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Svitlana Vlasova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Anna and Tymofii were killed in a Russian attack early on Saturday. A relative of Anna told CNN that Liza doesn’t understand what happened to her mother and brother. People visit the remnants of the building that was struck by a Russian drone in Odesa, leaving flowers and toys at the site of the attack that killed 12 people. Oleksandr Gimanov/AFP/Getty ImagesEntire family killedFive children, including Tymofii, were among the 12 people killed, according to Odesa officials. The fifth child killed in the attack was only identified by local media as 3-year old Mark.

Persons: Serhiy Haidarzhy, Anna, Tymofii, Serhiy, Liza, Anya, ”, “, Liza doesn’t, they’re, Tymoffi, Natalia Humeniuk, Oleksandr Gimanov, Tetyana, Oleh Kravets, Lisa, Mark, Vitaliy, Anastasia, Kravets Organizations: CNN, Locals, Southern Operational Command, Regional Directorate, Territorial Defence Forces Locations: Odesa, Ukraine, Russian, AFP

☆ 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

☆ Russia's armored trains are a valuable tool with some big vulnerabilities
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Hope Seck | Sandboxx News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Russia has used armored trains for military purposes for more than a century. Russia's use of armored trains for transport, mine-clearing, and resupply, however, has drawn particular scrutiny and criticism. Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesHowever, as details have emerged about these new armored transport trains used in Ukraine, observers have expressed bemusement. A video by the YouTube channel EngineerReact summarizes the primary problems with train warfare in the 21st century, calling Russia's armored trains "a terrible idea." "That was probably the best use of [military trains] in an offensive operation, in combat, in the recent wars," he said.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, luxuriously, trainspotter, Maksim Konstantinov, Richard Killblane, Scott Sturkol Killblane, Killblane, Taji, Jerome Bishop The, it's, there's Organizations: Service, Red Army, Russo, Museum of Russian Railways, Getty, YouTube, Ukraine's Territorial Defence Force, Army Special Forces, Army Transportation School, Army, US Army, Jerome Bishop The US Army, 757th Expeditionary Railway Center Locations: Russia, Ukraine, United States, Japanese, Germany, Soviet Union, Afghanistan, Russian, St . Petersburg, McCoy, Wisconsin, Iraq, Mosul, Taji, Sadr

☆ Ukraine's President Replaces Territorial Defence Forces Commander
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has replaced the commander of Ukraine's Territorial Defence Forces, which have played an important role in helping defend the country since Russia's invasion. A presidential order published on Monday announced the appointment of Major General Anatoliy Barhylevych as the new commander. Part of the armed forces, the Territorial Defence Forces' roles include protection of critical facilities, combating sabotage and enemy intelligence forces, and maintaining security in Ukraine. They must also ensure defence while the full deployment of the main armed forces is underway. Umerov has said his priorities include making the ministry the main institution for coordinating Ukrainian defence forces, enhancing the value attached to individual soldiers, developing Ukraine's military industry and fighting corruption.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Anatoliy Barhylevych, Ihor Tantsyura, Barhylevych, Zelenskiy, Rustem Umerov, Umerov, Yuliia Dysa, Timothy Heritage Organizations: Territorial Defence Forces, Monday Locations: Ukraine, Russia

☆ Fact Check-Military decree ordering cremation of deceased Ukrainian soldiers is fake
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A military decree shared on social media ordering a Ukrainian unit to cremate the bodies of its deceased soldiers is a fake, spokespeople for the military brigade and Ukraine’s department for strategic communications told Reuters. It orders the A7052 unit to “organise a mobile crematorium” with enough fuel for five days, as well as gathering a stockpile of burial urns. A representative of the A7052 unit told Reuters that no such document or order had been issued. The number on the stamp is 07849800, but the EDRPOU number for unit A7052 is 26623365, as seen on public records of procurement tenders: here . Ukrainian authorities say the document, which uses the wrong identifying code of the military unit, is fake.

Persons: Read Organizations: Reuters, Social, Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, Brigade, Territorial Defence, Facebook, Department of Strategic Communications, Armed Forces, Chief’s, Official Defence Locations: Kherson ., Ukraine, Russia, morgues, Kherson, Ukrainian

☆ Ukrainian soldier says Russia has an edge in the air and its powerful bombs are among the 'biggest fears' for front-line forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Moscow's guided bombs are among the 'biggest fears' for front-line forces, the soldier said. Ukrainian forces have since gotten better about eliminating these threats, but others remain, such as Russian aircraft that can release guided bombs at a distance. "KAB's are one of the biggest fears," Solonko said, referring to Russia's arsenal of guided bombs. Solonko's commentary came just after Ukrainian forces raised the country's flag in Robotyne, a small village in the Zaporizhzhia region. In the video, a soldier described the covert nighttime mission to raise the Ukrainian flag in Robotyne.

Persons: Oleksandr Solonko, Solonko, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Ukrainian, 128th, Brigade, Territorial Defence Forces, 47th Mechanized Brigade, Ukrainian Armed Forces Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Zaporizhzhia, Robotyne

☆ Alongside modern Western arms, Ukraine uses custom-built 'mini-Grads'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Vladyslav Smilianets | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ZAPORIZHZHIA REGION, Ukraine, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Ukraine has an arsenal of high-tech Western arms to fight Russian forces, but is also deploying custom-built mini-rocket launchers that use parts taken from a Soviet-era system. [1/3]Ukrainian servicemen of the 108th Separate Brigade of Territorial Defence fire small multiple launch rocket systems toward Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near a front line in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine August 19, 2023. It is rather ineffective to fire 10, eight or two rockets at one target," he said. He said the development of such weaponry was designed to "give an advantage to units which typically do not have this type of weapon." Reporting by Vladyslav Smilianets, Writing by Timothy Heritage; Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gall, Viacheslav, Luka, Yurii Osokolanskyi, Oleksandr Musiyenko, Vladyslav Smilianets, Timothy Heritage, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Reuters, Territorial Defence Brigade, 108th, Brigade, Territorial Defence, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Soviet, Ukrainian, Zaporizhzhia, United States, Zaporizhzhia region

☆ Ukraine defies odds by advancing in counteroffensive - senior official
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian servicemen of the 108th Separate Brigade of Territorial Defence fire small multiple launch rocket systems towards Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near a front line in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine August 19, 2023. REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummary Ukraine began counteroffensive in early JuneUkrainian troops encountering minefields and trenchesDeputy defence minister says Ukraine defying the oddsKYIV, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Ukraine has made progress in its counteroffensive against Russian forces simply by proving it can push back a better-armed and numerically superior enemy, a senior Ukrainian official said on Tuesday. Ukrainian troops have faced vast Russian minefields and trenches in the counteroffensive launched in early June, and a U.S. official said last week it looked unlikely that Kyiv would be able to recapture the strategic southern city of Melitopol. Armed with Western tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, Ukraine has retaken a string of villages but no larger settlements. SOUTHWARD PUSHMaliar, a war crimes lawyer, has served as a deputy defence minister since 2021.

Persons: Viacheslav, Hanna Maliar, Maliar, Dan Peleschuk, Anna Dabrowska, Tom Balmforth, Timothy Organizations: 108th, Brigade, Territorial Defence, REUTERS, Russian, U.S, Reuters, Ukraine, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukrainian, Melitopol, Ukraine's, Russian, Robotyne, Tokmak, Azov, Berlin, Kharkiv, Kherson

☆ On Ukraine's landmine-strewn front, even the corpses can kill
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Vladyslav Smilianets | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Viacheslav RatynskyiZAPORIZHZHIA REGION, Ukraine, Aug 3 (Reuters) - When they found the bodies of Russian troops at an abandoned position, something about the corpses looked wrong. "We lose one sapper every day, either wounded or dead. Even their own dead: "They know that our med-evac groups lift the wounded and the dead, under which they then find these explosives. "We had cases when five or six wounded people were brought in, and most of them turned out to be sappers. Ukraine's factories have tooled up to make equipment to help keep the sappers safer.

Persons: Volodymyr, it's, Oleksandr, Ihor Iefymenko, Vitalii Hnidyi, Peter Graff, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Armed Forces, REUTERS, PM, GO, Brigade, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Donetsk region, Soviet, Kharkiv, Canadian

☆ Ukraine recaptures Staromaiorske village in southeast, Zelenskiy says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, July 27 (Reuters) - Ukrainian soldiers have recaptured the southeastern village of Staromaiorske from Russian forces in Donetsk region, a video published by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy showed on Thursday. "The 35th brigade and the 'Ariy' territorial defence unit have fulfilled their task and liberated the village of Staromaiorske. The village lies to the south of a cluster of small settlements that Ukraine recaptured during a counteroffensive it began early in June against Russian forces who hold parts of southern and eastern Ukraine. "Our defenders are now continuing to clear the settlement," said Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar declaring Staromaiorske liberated. Oleksandr Kovalenko, a Ukrainian military analyst, said Ukrainian troops now needed to reach another village, Staromlynivka, less than 5kms away.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Hanna Maliar, Staromaiorske, Oleksandr Kovalenko, Vladimir Putin, Zelenskiy, Tom Balmforth, Conor Humphries, Grant McCool Organizations: Reuters, Russian, Ukrainian, RBC UA, Thomson Locations: Staromaiorske, Donetsk region, Glory, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Staromlynivka

☆ Ukraine reports 'particularly fruitful' few days in counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The last few days have been particularly fruitful," he said, without providing any details from the battlefield. On Monday, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said fighting had surged around the eastern city of Bakhmut, captured by Russian forces in May. She said the Ukrainian military had taken back 37.4 square kilometres (14.4 square miles) of territory overall in heavy fighting in the past week. He said the Ukrainian military was managing to hold back an attempted advance by Russian forces in the Lyman, Avdiivka and Marinka directions in eastern Ukraine. Russian shelling on Tuesday morning killed a man and a woman in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, the local prosecutor's office said.

Persons: Read, Oleksiy Danilov, Ukraine's, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Valeriy Shershen, Hanna Maliar, Andriy Kovalev, Avdiivka, Aleksandar Vasovic, Timothy Organizations: SIRKO TEAM, 225TH, Russian, National Security, Defence Council, Russia, Ukraine's Defense Forces, Ukraine's National Security, Defence, Twitter, Ukraine, Lyman, Reuters, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Russian, Northwest Bakhmut, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, KYIV, Ukrainian, Moscow, Bakhmut, Russia, Kherson

☆ Exclusive: Flag flies over newly liberated village, confirming Ukraine advancing
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Vitalii Hnidyi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NESKUCHNE, Ukraine, June 13 (Reuters) - Reuters journalists gained access to the newly liberated Ukrainian village of Neskuchne on Tuesday, confirming that Ukraine's forces have been advancing in the early phase of a counteroffensive against Russia's invasion. A Reuters team reached the ruined village in southeastern Ukraine days after Kyiv said its forces had pushed out Russian troops. The yellow and blue Ukrainian flag was fluttering in the breeze over the ruins of a grocery store where it was placed. "Three days ago Russian forces were still here. After seven months of a major Russian offensive that yielded scant gains, Ukraine began its counterassault last week.

Persons: birdsong, crump, Artem, Vitalii, Tom Balmforth, Felix Hoske, Timothy Heritage, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Reuters, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: NESKUCHNE, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Neskuchne, Russia, Glory

☆ Counting central Ukraine’s military losses, with a spreadsheet
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Reuters has not been able to independently verify widely varying claims of battlefield losses on both sides of the conflict. But the spreadsheet offers a glimpse into the human cost of the war in one of Ukraine's 27 regions. Ukraine's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Ukraine's losses. According to his spreadsheet, at least 25 soldiers from the 116th Territorial Defence Brigade were killed there that month. "The entire region felt these losses," Tkachenko said.

Persons: Denys Bondarev, Dan Peleschuk, Viktor Tkachenko, Tkachenko, Kyiv's, Poltava's, Istomin, Andriy Karpov, Tetiana, Bondareva, Mike Collett, White, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Facebook, 116th Territorial Defence Brigade, Thomson Locations: Poltava, Ukraine, Dan Peleschuk POLTAVA, Sumy, Kharkiv, Russia, Poltava city, Russia's, Soledar, Bakhmut

☆ Philippines' military chief visits remote islands near disputed Spratlys
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Karen Lema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BALABAC, Philippines, May 18 (Reuters) - When the Philippine military chief addressed a small contingent of navy officers on a remote island in Palawan province near the disputed Spratly archipelago in the South China Sea, he reminded them their mission was to "ensure there is peace". "We make sure that we are deployed where we are needed. "This is surrounded by islands, and this is where foreign vessels from international waters will enter and pass through our SLOCs (sea lines of communications)," Centino said of the air base's location. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea with a "nine-dash line" on maps that stretches more than 1,500 km off its mainland and cuts into the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. "It is important we are able to monitor to detect who is coming in and out... if hostile or friendly forces," Centino said.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Russian retreats reported
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Ukrainian servicemen of the 128th territorial defence brigade attend a military training, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, May 18, 2023. REUTERS/Bernadett SzaboMay 18 (Reuters) - Ukraine's military and Russia's Wagner private army both reported fresh Russian retreats on the outskirts of Bakhmut, as Kyiv pressed on with its biggest advance for six months ahead of a planned major counteroffensive. FIGHTING* Ukraine's military said its troops had advanced in places by more than a mile. Some of its soldiers on the front line said Russian troops were pounding supply lines to try to halt the gains. But he accused commanders of Russia's regular forces of abandoning vital ground north of the city, exposing his troops.

☆ How will we know when Ukraine's long-awaited counteroffensive has started? Experts say look for the Western armor.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

But military experts say Kyiv's use of Western armor will signal the start of a larger offensive. "The Ukrainian counteroffensive, I think, is going to start with a bang, literally and figuratively," Mark Cancian, a retired US Marine Corps Reserve colonel, told Insider. Ukraine's expected counterpunch will come on the heels of what turned out to be a lackluster offensive carried out by Russian forces during the winter. The armored vehicles in particular are expected to help Ukraine hit hard and exploit gains quickly with shock, firepower, and mobility. You want to keep the Russian armed forces guessing as to, is this actually the commitment of their main forces?"

☆ Poland says object likely to be observation balloon entered airspace from east
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WARSAW, May 13 (Reuters) - An unidentified object that entered Polish airspace from the direction of Belarus was probably an observation balloon, Poland's defence ministry said on Saturday on Twitter. NATO-member Poland is on alert for infractions of its airspace as war rages in neighbouring Ukraine after incidents in November and December in which missiles landed on its territory. Captain Ewa Zlotnicka, press officer of the Armed Forces Operational Command, told broadcaster TVN 24 the object entered Polish airspace on Friday evening. The ministry said radar contact with it was lost near Rypin, a town in north-central Poland. (This story has been refiled to clarify that the missile found in April was not the one fired in November, in paragraph 6.)

☆ Analysis: Australia prepares more assertive military stance to deter conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The review examined how Australia could better integrate with its AUKUS partners the United States and Britain, as well as other allies, the government has said. Changing that equation is crucial to the future of Australia's military, they said. Campbell said Australia's defence forces would enhance how they could operate alongside partners, but has ruled out foreign bases on its soil and will always retain control of its forces. Even as it beefs up its military, Australia says China will remain an important trade partner. One of the world's top LNG exporters, Australia's top gas customers last year were Japan, China and South Korea.

☆ Philippines tells China sites for U.S. military pact not for 'offensive action'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MANILA, April 10 (Reuters) - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr assured China on Monday that military bases accessible to the United States would not be used in any offensive action, stressing the arrangement with Washington was designed to boost his country's defences. China's foreign ministry last week said the United States strengthening military deployment in the Philippines would only lead to more tension in the region, after Manila allowed Washington access to more of its bases. "The Philippines will not allow the bases to be used in any offensive action," he said. The Philippines identified last week four more of its bases the United States will get access to, almost doubling the number included in its Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). Marcos' remarks also come ahead of the largest ever joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States, which will feature for the first time live fire exercises at sea.

☆ Philippines, U.S. hold live-fire exercises focused on territorial defence
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Adrian Portugal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is fired during a live fire exercise with Philippine and U.S. troops at the three-week joint military drills "Salaknib" in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, March 31, 2023. REUTERS/Eloisa LopezFORT MAGSAYSAY, Philippines, March 31 (Reuters) - Philippine troops staged live-fire exercises with their U.S. counterparts in the Southeast Asian country's largest military camp as part of army-to-army drills aimed at enhancing Manila's defence capabilities against external threats. More than 3,000 Filipino and U.S. soldiers participated in the three-week long annual exercises called Salaknib, which on Friday featured anti-tank and small-arms live-fire exercises, and the firing of High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (Himars). "We are now transitioning from internal security operations to territorial defence operations," Philippine army training officer Lt. Col. Tara Cayton, said in a news conference. Fort Magsaysay will also host the biggest ever joint military drills between the Philippines and the United States next month, which highlight improved ties with the Western power under Marcos.

☆ How weapons from Western allies are strengthening Ukraine's defence
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +15 min

In the months after, artillery ammunition came, then Western artillery and vehicles. Ground-Launched Small Diameter BombAdd a description of the graphic for screen readers. Add a description of the graphic for screen readers. Although it uses a NATO-standard calibre for its main gun--120mm--the Challenger 2's barrel is rifled, unlike the smoothbore weapons used in other Western tanks. Air defense Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, including power plants and residential buildings, have come under increasing attack from Russian missiles and one-way drones, often launched from outside Ukraine's territory.

☆ Belarus says it has 1.5 mln potential soldiers outside armed forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 26 (Reuters) - Belarus, a small Russian ally bordering Ukraine, has as many as 1.5 million potential military personnel outside its armed forces, a senior official was quoted as saying on Saturday. Lukashenko this month ordered the formation of a new volunteer territorial defence force of up to 150,000 people. He has said his army would fight only if Belarus was attacked. The country's professional army has about 48,000 troops and some 12,000 state border troops, according to the 2022 International Institute for Strategic Studies' Military Balance. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Belarus to form 100,000-150,000 strong volunteer military force
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Lidia Kelly | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

I have said more than once: every man - and not only a man - should be able to at least handle weapons," Lukashenko said at the meeting of his Security Council. Lukashenko, who allowed Russia to use Belarus to send troops into Ukraine a year ago, has often said his army would fight only if Belarus was attacked. "In case of an act of aggression, the response will be fast, harsh and appropriate," Lukashenko said on Monday. Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin said the territorial defence force will have 100,000-150,000 volunteers, or more if needed. The country's professional army has about 48,000 troops and some 12,000 state border troops, according to the 2022 International Institute for Strategic Studies' Military Balance.

☆ A year after Russia’s invasion: How Ukraine endured
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +21 min

REUTERS/Valentyn OgirenkoIn the early hours of Feb. 24, 2022, tens of thousands of Russian soldiers entered Ukraine. By seizing the city of three million people, and capturing or killing Zelenskiy, Russia’s hope appeared to be that Ukraine would quickly surrender. By March 23, Russia’s advance had captured regions of Ukraine along the Belarus border but Ukraine’s forces had begun reclaiming territory near Kyiv. Satellite imagery of Russia’s military convoy near Invankiv, Ukraine, Feb. 28, 2022. The two sit on a bed, with a radio and teddy bears nearby., image Ukrainian civilians have endured The will of the people of Ukraine continues to be that they remain free.

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