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☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy Is Considering Replacing Zaluzhnyi, Others
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

(Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in an interview broadcast on Sunday, said he was considering a "reset" to replace several senior officials. Speculation has gripped Ukraine for weeks over suggestions that the president was about to dismiss the highly popular commander, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi. But Zelenskiy said any changes went beyond replacing a single person to harness efforts to oust Russian troops. To win the war, Zelenskiy said, "We must all push in the same direction, we cannot be discouraged, we must have the right and positive energy, negativity must be left at home. On two occasions in the past week, Ukrainian media issued a torrent of reports that Zaluzhnyi's dismissal was imminent.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Valeriy, Zelenskiy, Zelenskyi, Zaluzhnyi, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Kyrylo Budanov, Gianluca Semeraro, Ron Popeski, Diane Craft, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Reuters, RAI, Russian, CNN Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Italian, Ukrainian, Ukraine's, Kyiv

The fighting is reminiscent of a battle for another eastern city, Bakhmut, which fell to Russian forces last May after months of brutal urban combat. Since Moscow launched its renewed offensive around Avdiivka in October, Ukraine's top general and Western military experts have made downbeat assessments of Ukraine's ability to break Russian lines. Located just north of the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk in the industrial Donbas region, Avdiivka hosts deeply entrenched Ukrainian defences. Pushing Ukrainian forces out of Avdiivka would be seen as enlarging the amount of territory Russia controls and making Donetsk city safer. Seizing Avdiivka could boost Russian morale and deal a psychological blow to Ukrainian forces, which have made only incremental gains in a counteroffensive launched in June.

Persons: Nuzhnenko, Ukraine's, Russia's, Andrei Gurulyov, Semyon Pegov, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Mykola Bielieskov, Bielieskov, Dan Peleschuk, Andrew Osborn, Mike Collett, White Organizations: Ukraine's National Guard Omega, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, REUTERS Acquire, Mechanized Brigade, Avdiivka, National Institute for Strategic Studies, Kyiv, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Avdiivka, Ukraine, Donetsk region, Radio Free Europe, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Russian, Moscow, Kyiv, Soviet, Donetsk, Luhansk, Russia

[1/10] Cadets of Military Institute of Taras Shevchenko National University take part in a swearing-in ceremony at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine September 8, 2023. "We want Ukraine to win, but not through the efforts of the same people," she said in an interview at her home in Kyiv. Women on the home front have also had to become stronger, she added: "But at what cost did we become stronger?" Only Ukrainian men aged between 27 and 60 can be mobilised by draft officers. Ukraine, which has said it has about 1 million people under arms, has barred military-age men from going abroad.

Persons: Viacheslav, Antonina Danylevych's, Danylevych, Oleksandr, who's, they're, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Dyma Cherevychenko, Oksen Lisovyi, Ben Wallace, Zelenskiy's, David Arakhamia, Anton Hrushetskyi, We'd, Hrushetskyi, couldn't, Charlotte Bruneau, Thomas Peter, Tom Balmforth, Mike Collett, White Organizations: of Military Institute, Taras Shevchenko National University, National Museum of, REUTERS, Army, Russian, shirk, Economist, dodgers, Reuters, Education, Facebook, Telegraph, Trust, Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, KYIV, Ukrainian, Russian, Bakhmut, Kyiv's, United States, Russia, Romania

☆ Fact Check: Washington Post headline about Ukraine and Hamas weapon supply is fake
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Washington Post did not publish a report saying that weapons supply from Ukraine to Hamas had tripled, a spokesperson for the news outlet said in response to a fabricated screenshot of the purported article circulating online. The fake article, with the headline, “Ukraine's arms supply to Hamas has tripled in the last month,” is dated November 2, 2023 and attributed to Chris Moltisanti in its byline. However, a Washington Post spokesperson said in an email that the news outlet had not published the story shown in the screenshot and that Chris Moltisanti is not associated with the Post. A search for the purported headline and the byline Chris Moltisanti yielded no results on the news outlet’s website. The Washington Post did not publish a headline saying that Hamas’ supply of weapons from Ukraine had tripled.

Persons: ”, Chris Moltisanti, Christopher Moltisanti, Michael Imperioli, Ali Baraka, Read Organizations: Washington Post, Hamas, Facebook, HBO, Ukrainian Defence, ”, Reuters, Israel Defense Forces, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, ” Ukraine

REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLVIV, Ukraine, Nov 12 (Reuters) - At least three Russian officers were killed in the Moscow-controlled Ukrainian city of Melitopol in a blast Ukraine's intelligence said on Sunday was an "act of revenge" by local resistance groups. The blast occurred during a meeting on Saturday of Russian officers in Melitopol, a town in southwestern Ukraine that has become a hub of Russian forces after they captured it in early days of the war. Reuters could not independently verify the Ukrainian intelligence claim. The Ukraine intelligence statement said the Saturday meeting was attended by Russian National Guard and FSB intelligence service officers. Ukrainian media said an attack last week on the occupied town of Skadovsk in Kherson region also targeted Russian officers.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Ivan Fedorov, Ron Popeski, Lidia Kelly, Grant McCool, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Ukrainian Defence, Reuters, Russian National Guard, National Guard, Black, Fleet, Thomson Locations: Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Melitopol, Rights LVIV, Moscow, Ukrainian, Ukraine's, Crimean, Crimea, Skadovsk, Kherson

☆ Ukraine orders investigation into Russian attack on assault brigade
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Maria Starkova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

File Photo: Commander in Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov visit an artillery training centre, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at an undisclosed location in Ukraine November 3, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsLVIV, Ukraine, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Ukraine's defence minister ordered on Saturday an investigation into an alleged Russian ballistic missile attack on Ukrainian assault brigade, after reports that more than 20 soldiers were killed during an awards ceremony. "My condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers from the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Transcarpathian Brigade," Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said in a social media statement, adding that he had ordered a "full investigation." In its daily reports on battlefield activities, the Russian Defence Ministry said only that Russian forces "inflicted fire" on a unit of Ukraine's assault brigade in the region, killing up to 30 military personnel. Both Russia and Ukraine have often underestimated their military casualties in the 20-month-long war, while exaggerating the losses they claim to have inflicted upon each other.

Persons: Ukrainian Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Rustem Umerov, Elaine Monaghan, Lidia Kelly, Michael Perry Organizations: Ukrainian Armed Forces, Defence, Presidential Press Service, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Transcarpathian Brigade, Ukrainian Defence, Armed Forces, Russian Defence Ministry, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Rights LVIV, Russian, Russia, Zaporizhzhia, Washington, Melbourne

☆ Ukraine Orders Investigation Into Russian Attack on Assault Brigade
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Maria StarkovaLVIV, Ukraine (Reuters) - Ukraine's defence minister ordered on Saturday an investigation into an alleged Russian ballistic missile attack on Ukrainian assault brigade, after reports that more than 20 soldiers were killed during an awards ceremony. "My condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers from the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Transcarpathian Brigade," Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said in a social media statement, adding that he had ordered a "full investigation." In its daily reports on battlefield activities, the Russian Defence Ministry said only that Russian forces "inflicted fire" on a unit of Ukraine's assault brigade in the region, killing up to 30 military personnel. Both Russia and Ukraine have often underestimated their military casualties in the 20-month-long war, while exaggerated the losses they claim to have inflicted upon each other. (Additonal reporting by Elaine Monaghan in Washington,; Writing by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Michael Perry)

Persons: Maria Starkova, Rustem Umerov, Elaine Monaghan, Lidia Kelly, Michael Perry Organizations: Reuters, Transcarpathian Brigade, Ukrainian Defence, Armed Forces, Russian Defence Ministry Locations: Maria Starkova LVIV, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Zaporizhzhia, Washington, Melbourne

☆ Russia aims to break through Ukraine defences in northeast - Ukrainian general
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Commander of the Ground Forces colonel general Oleksandr Syrskyi reports to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at a position near the front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine June 26, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Russia is aiming to break through Ukrainian defences in the Kupiansk-Lyman sector of the front line in northeastern Ukraine after a sharp increase in fighting there, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces said on Monday. The Ukrainian military reported in its daily update that fighting was raging along the eastern front, particularly around Kupiansk, and near Avdiivka and Mariinka in the Donetsk region. A strategically important town with a large coking plant, Avdiivka is located in the northern outskirts of the Donetsk region, much of which has been occupied by Russia. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly said Ukrainian troops are holding their positions in the east.

Persons: Oleksandr Syrskyi, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Syrskyi, Yuliia Dysa, Olena Harmash, Timothy Organizations: Ground Forces, Presidential Press Service, REUTERS, Rights, Lyman, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Donetsk region, Russia, Lyman, Ukrainian, Kupiansk, Avdiivka, Donetsk

☆ 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

☆ Russian Black Sea Commander Shown on Video Call After Ukraine Said It Killed Him
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Admiral Viktor Sokolov, the commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, was shown on Russian state television on Tuesday attending a defence leaders' meeting remotely, a day after Ukrainian special forces said they had killed him. In response to the Russian video, the Ukraine special forces said on Telegram: "Since the Russians were urgently forced to publish a response with Sokolov allegedly alive, our units are clarifying the information." Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, interviewed by CNN, neither confirmed nor denied Sokolov's death, but said his demise could only be a good thing for all concerned. In the video, Shoigu said more than 17,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in September and that more than 2,700 weapons, including seven American Bradley fighting vehicles, had been destroyed. Kyiv's counteroffensive has yet to seize much territory from Russian forces, which control about 17.5% of Ukraine's internationally recognised territory.

Persons: Viktor Sokolov, Sokolov, Sergei Shoigu, Dmitry Peskov, Rustem Umerov, Umerov, Shoigu, Bradley, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones, Alex Richardson, Ron Popeski, Timothy Gardner Organizations: Fleet, Ukrainian Defence, CNN, Reuters, Ukrainian, Belfer, Harvard's Kennedy School Locations: MOSCOW, Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine, Ukrainian, United States, Russian, Russia

☆ Ukraine removes deputy defence ministers after new minister's appointment
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Newly appointed Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umerov addresses commanders of the Armed Forces during a meeting, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine September 7, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Sept 18 (Reuters) - The Ukrainian government dismissed six deputy defence ministers on Monday following the appointment of a new defence minister earlier this month. The government gave no reason for the dismissals, but such moves are common after a new minister's appointment. Rustem Umerov became defence minister less than two weeks ago, replacing Oleksii Reznikov. Maliar, a war crimes lawyer, had served as a deputy defence minister since 2021 and her latest update on the war in Ukraine appeared on Monday morning.

Persons: Rustem Umerov, Hanna Maliar, Oleksii Reznikov, Reznikov, Umerov, Anna Pruchnicka, Timothy Organizations: Ukraine's, Armed Forces, Presidential Press Service, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Ukrainian, Pravda, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia

☆ Russia denies Ukraine has retaken Andriivka, Ukraine posts video of fighting
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The commander of Ukraine's land forces posted a video purporting to show the capture of Andriivka amid a landscape of scorched territory and devastation. The account of fighting by Russia's Defence Ministry said its troops were still holding at least two key villages south of Bakhmut, known in Russia by its Soviet-era name, Artyomovsk. Things are hot in Klishchiivka and Kurdiumivka," Maliar said on Telegram, referring to two other villages near the city. Maliar also reported that Russian forces had unsuccessfully tried to push through Ukrainian defences near two villages northwest of Bakhmut. Ukraine hopes to sever a land bridge Russia has created between annexed Crimea and territory it holds in the east.

Persons: Oleksandr Syrskyi, Hanna Maliar, Maliar, Ron Popeski, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Ukrainian Armed Forces Press, REUTERS Acquire, Saturday, Russia's Defence Ministry, Donetsk People's, Staff, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, Russia, Bakhmut, Andriivka, Artyomovsk, Donetsk, Donetsk People's Republic, Klishchiivka, Azov, Crimea

☆ UK says Russia targeted civilian cargo ship in Black Sea port on Aug 24
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Britain on Monday accused Russia of targeting a civilian cargo ship at port in the Black Sea on Aug. 24 in a previously unconfirmed missile attack it said was successfully thwarted by Ukrainian defences. The missiles had targeted a Liberian-flagged cargo ship berthed in port and were successfully shot down, Britain's foreign office said in a statement. The missiles included two "Kalibr" missiles fired from a Black Sea Fleet missile carrier, it added. Since Russia quit a U.N.-brokered deal allowing Ukraine to safely export its grain via the Black Sea in July, Moscow has been accused by Ukraine of threatening civilian vessels in the Black Sea. "In targeting cargo ships and Ukrainian infrastructure, Russia is hurting the rest of the world."

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Putin, James, William James, Muvija, Jonathan Saul, Guy Faulconbridge, Hugh Lawson, Chizu Organizations: Monday, UN, Liberian, Fleet, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Britain, Russia, Ukraine, Odesa, New Delhi, Moscow, United States, London

☆ Ukraine expects boom in drone production, defence minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Ukraine intends to increase drone production as early as this autumn, the Ukrainian defence minister was quoted as saying on Sunday, as the country conducts more frequent drone attacks on Russian territory. Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian territory have picked up in recent weeks, with dozens of drones striking Russia at once on some days, reaching as far as the western city of Pskov, 400 miles (600 km) from Ukraine. Kyiv has used both aerial drones to attack airfields and aquatic drones to attack ships and the bridge to Crimea. "I think this autumn there will be a boom in the production of various Ukrainian drones: flying, floating, crawling, etc., and this will continue to grow in volume," Oleksii Reznikov told the state-run Ukrinform news agency. Especially for drone manufacturers who started production from garages," he said.

Persons: Oleksii Reznikov, Pavel Polityuk, Frances Kerry Organizations: Kyiv, Russia's Defence, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russia, Pskov, Kyiv, Crimea, Moscow

☆ Fact Check-Image does not show Wagner tanks spelling out an expletive
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The reports credit U.S. space tech company Maxar Technologies as having taken the photo on Nov. 1, 2021. A Maxar satellite image of the same location but rotated about 90 degrees taken the same day was published by Reuters (image 2/5) (here). The caption states that photograph shows elements of the Russian 41st Combined Arms Army in Yelnya, Russia. Reuters reported that around 1,000 Russian military vehicles were seen via satellite imagery near Yelnya (here). The satellite photograph of a Russian military unit has been altered to add profanity.

Persons: Russia’s, Read Organizations: Group, Facebook, Reuters, Technologies, Russian, Combined Arms Army, Ukrainian Defence Ministry, Arms Army Locations: Yelnya, Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Russian

☆ Ukraine says Russians fail to advance but are well dug in
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian service members of the 35th Separate Marines Brigade attend a military drill near a frontline, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine July 31, 2023. Much of Russian military activity focused on air attacks that damaged grain infrastructure in Ukraine's Danube port of Izmail. Kyiv also says it has retaken areas near Bakhmut, an eastern city seized by Russian forces in May after months of battles. Deputy Ukrainian Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Russian forces had "tried quite persistently to halt our advance in the Bakhmut sector. Oleksiy Danilov, the Secretary of Ukraine's Security Council, said Russian forces had ample time in months of occupation to prepare defences and lay extensive minefields.

Persons: Viacheslav, Hanna Maliar, Oleksiy Danilov, Danilov, Volodymyr Zeleskiy, Chasiv Yar, Ron Popeski, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Marines Brigade, REUTERS, Russia's Defence, Russian, Ukrainian, Ukraine's Security, Russia's, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Donetsk region, Donetsk, Izmail, Ukrainian, Russian, Azov, Crimean, Kyiv, Bakhmut

☆ Russian forces on the offensive in northeast, say Ukraine officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 17 (Reuters) - Large contingents of Russian forces are on the offensive in northeastern Ukraine's Kupiansk sector and engaged in heavy fighting, Ukrainian officials said on Monday. But officials have pointed to an intensification of Russian activity near Kupiansk and nearby Lyman, towns in the northeast retaken by Ukraine late last year. Russian forces in the area, Cherevatyi said, had drafted in airborne units and their best motorised infantry units. The Russian defence ministry's accounts of fighting in the region said Russian forces had hit Ukrainian positions in several towns in Kharkiv and the neighbouring Luhansk region. Russian forces, the ministry said, had also repelled 13 Ukrainian attacks further south in Donetsk, including areas near the shattered city of Bakhmut, captured by Russian forces in May after months of battles.

Persons: Hanna Maliar, Serhiy Cherevatyi, Kyrylo, Cherevatyi, Maliar, Ron Popeski, Alex Richardson, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Russian, Deputy, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine's Kupiansk, Kupiansk, Lyman, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Afghanistan, Russian, Luhansk, Donetsk, Bakhmut, Azov

☆ Ukraine says fighting in east has intensified
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, July 16 (Reuters) - Fighting in eastern Ukraine has "somewhat intensified" as Ukrainian and Russian forces clash in at least three areas on the eastern front, a senior Ukrainian defence official said on Sunday. Separately, the Ukrainian military indicated it had taken control of part of a southeastern village in Donetsk region, near a string of small settlements Ukraine recaptured in June. Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said on Telegram that Russian forces have been attacking in the direction of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region for two successive days. Maliar also said the two armies were pummelling one another around the ruined city of Bakhmut but that Ukrainian forces were "gradually moving forward" along its southern flank. Kyiv has made incremental gains in parts of the east and south since launching its long-awaited counteroffensive.

Persons: Hanna Maliar, Maliar, Vladimir Putin, Dan Peleschuk, Nick Starkov, Elaine Monaghan, David Holmes, Alexandra Hudson, Sandra Maler Organizations: Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Donetsk region, Staromayorske, Russia's, Kupyansk, Kharkiv, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Kyiv

☆ Ukraine receives cluster munitions, pledges limited use
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"They will not be used on Russian territory...They will be used only in areas where Russian military forces are concentrated in order to break through enemy defences." Cluster munitions typically release large numbers of smaller bomblets that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area. Human Rights Watch says both Moscow and Kyiv have used cluster munitions. Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. have not signed up to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans production, stockpiling, use and transfer of the weapons. "I think cluster munitions will expand the capabilities of our troops."

Persons: Igor Ovcharruck, Read, Valeryi, Sergei Shoigu, Shershen, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Oleskander Musiyenko, Musiyenko, Hanna Maliar, Anna Pruchnicka, Timothy Heritage, Ron Popeski, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, Pentagon, Defence, Russian, U.S, Radio Liberty, NATO, Human Rights Watch, Cluster Munitions, Democratic, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: Kharkiv, Ukraine, KYIV, United States, States, Moscow, Russia, Bakhmut, Russian, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Spain, Canada, Britain, redeploy, Donetsk

VILNIUS, July 11 (Reuters) - A coalition of 11 nations will start training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets in August in Denmark, and a training centre will be set up in Romania, officials said on Tuesday on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Lithuania. NATO members Denmark and the Netherlands have been leading international efforts to train pilots as well as support staff, maintain aircraft and ultimately enable the supply of F-16s to Ukraine in its war with Russia. Kyiv, which has launched a counteroffensive against Russian forces, has repeatedly called for Western countries to supply aircraft and train its pilots to fly them, to successfully counter Moscow's aerial dominance. That's why for us it is very important that this fighter jet coalition starts up," Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov told reporters. "I hope - I am an optimist - that after six months we will see results," he said.

Persons: Troels Lund Poulsen, Oleksii Reznikov, Niklas Pollard, Justyna Organizations: NATO, Russian, Ukrainian Defence, Thomson Locations: VILNIUS, Ukrainian, Denmark, Romania, Lithuania, Netherlands, Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Slovakia

☆ Ukraine reports Russian attacks in east, progress in south
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Russian accounts of the front line said Moscow's forces had repelled Ukrainian attacks near villages ringing Bakhmut and in areas further south, particularly the strategic hilltop town of Vuhlear. "In addition, the enemy has started an attack in the Svatove area," she said, referring to a region of northeastern Ukraine where Russian forces have been active. Maliar reported "partial success" south of Bakhmut, taken in late May by Russian forces after months of fierce fighting. And on the southern front, where Ukrainian forces have recaptured several villages, Maliar said there had been "gradual advances" in two areas. Ukraine has also had to endure persistent Russian air attacks on Ukrainian cities, though the Kremlin denies attacking civilian targets.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Hanna Maliar, Maliar, General Oleksander Tarnavskiy, General Valery Zaluzhniy, Ron Popeski, Nick Starkov, Chizu Organizations: REUTERS, Ukrainian, Russian, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Kyiv, Bakhmut, Vuhlear, Odesa, Russia's, Avdiivka, Maryinka, Donetsk, Russia

At a summit in Brussels, the leaders restated their condemnation of Russia's war against Ukraine and said the EU and its member countries "stand ready" to contribute to commitments that would help Ukraine defend itself in the long term. In a text summarising the conclusions of the summit, the leaders said they would swiftly consider the form these commitments would take. Ukraine needs our commitment to continue ensuring their security during the war and after the war," he added. The final text said the EU would contribute "together with partners" and "in full respect of the security and defence policy of certain Member States". Ukraine has argued the best way to assure its own security and that of Europe is for it to join NATO.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Zelenskiy, Wagner, Bart Meier, Marine Strauss, Sabine Siebold, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Union, Russia, EU, European Peace Facility, Ukrainian Defence Fund, European Union, NATO, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Brussels, Ukraine, France, Baltic, U.S, States, United States, Britain, Germany, Europe, Russia

☆ Analysis: Mutiny lays bare prospect for Putin of 'forever war' in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

But current and former officials in Kyiv say the mutiny offered a startling glimpse into the strain the Russian political system is under. It revealed that Russian reserve forces were so thin they struggled to respond to the threat. A war stretching many more months and possibly years would inevitably mean more deaths and wounded on each side. U.S. officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said much remained unclear, including why Russian forces did not do more to halt Wagner's advance. A senior Central European diplomat said they saw "no immediate effect on the war" from Prigozhin's aborted mutiny.

Persons: Wagner, Stringer, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, Andriy Zagorodniuk, Putin, Prigozhin's Wagner, Zagorodniuk, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Dmytro Kuleba, Mykhailo Podolyak, Voldomyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Pavel Polityuk, Andrew Gray, Phil Stewart, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Southern Military District, REUTERS, Reuters, Central, National Resistance Centre, Airborne Assault Division, Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, KYIV, Ukraine, Belarus, Kyiv, Moscow, Russia's, Russian, hurtling, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Brussels, Washington

☆ Ukraine's defence minister wants NATO membership 'formula' at Vilnius summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, June 23 (Reuters) - Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Friday he expected Kyiv to receive a clear signal and "formula" for it to become a member of NATO when the military alliance holds a summit in Vilnius next month. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has pressed hard for Ukrainian membership of NATO but also said he recognises it would be impossible to join while Russia's war in Ukraine is still raging. "I expect them to give us a clear, understandable signal and formula for us, obviously, to become a NATO member," Reznikov was quoted as saying by Ukraine's military press centre. The NATO summit is set to take place on July 11-12, with no end in sight to the war launched by Russia in Ukraine. Ukrainian forces have started a counteroffensive in the southeast to try to recapture swathes of occupied land that Russia has heavily fortified.

Persons: Oleksii Reznikov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Reznikov, Tom Balmforth, Timothy Organizations: Ukrainian Defence, NATO, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Vilnius, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Ukraine says it advances in south, stops Russian attack in east
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

But Russia still holds swathes of territory in eastern and southern Ukraine, and Ukrainian forces have yet to push to the main defensive lines that Russia has had months to prepare. She said Russian forces still aimed to gain control of the whole of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine's military operation in the south was going according to plan and its forces were advancing, even if minefields were slowing them down, she said. "In the military, according to their reports and positions, everything is moving according to plan. Each side says the other has suffered heavy losses since Ukraine began its counteroffensive, and Moscow has not acknowledged Ukraine's recent military gains.

Persons: Lyman, Hanna Maliar, Maliar, Anna Pruchnicka, Timothy Organizations: Reuters, Ukraine, Kyiv, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Kupiansk, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Donetsk, Luhansk, Moscow

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