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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

☆ ‘Our artillery is starving:’ Ukraine holds its breath as US set to approve $60bn of military aid
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Andy Carey | Tim Lister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Ukraine aid bill, passed in the United States’ House of Representatives on Saturday, is now due to go to the Senate on Tuesday. At the top: artillery shells and air defense systems. “To win, we need ammunition… our artillery is starving,” an artillery reconnaissance commander with the 110th mechanized brigade, callsign “Teren,” told CNN after the vote on Saturday. While Ocheretyne itself is of no strategic value, it sits on a ridge, making it a desirable military target. “We need front-line air defense as much as we need protection for our cities and villages,” Zelensky said.

Persons: Joe Biden, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, “, Teren, Velyka, Patrick Ryder, we’ve, Mark Warner, Chasiv Yar, Rob Lee, Russian Su, Anatolii Stepanov, ” Zelensky, Dmytro Kuleba, ” Kuleba, CNN’s Andy Carey, Victoria Butenko, Daria Tarasova, Svitlana Vlasova Organizations: Ukraine CNN —, United States ’, 110th, CNN, Ukraine’s Eastern Command, Pentagon, US Department of Defense, Senate Intelligence, CBS News, Sunday, –, Kremlin, Nazi, Getty, Patriot, Tactical Missile Systems, Warner, US, Ukrainian Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Russia, United, Russian, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Germany, Poland, Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk, Chasiv, Nazi Germany, AFP

Ahead of the encroaching Russian forces, Ukrainian volunteers have been evacuating civilians from Ocheretyne and other villages, posting videos on social media showing older residents leaving badly destroyed apartment buildings, along with their pets, and with belongings packed into cardboard boxes. A photograph taken on April 11, 2024, near the town of Chasiv Yar, in Donetsk region, shows smoke rising from fires after bombing. Anatolii Stepanov/AFP/Getty ImagesAbout 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Ocheretyne, on another piece of higher ground, the town of Chasiv Yar is also firmly in Russian sights. “The situation around the town of Chasiv Yar is difficult,” Nazar Voloshyn, spokesman for the Ukrainian Ground Forces’ “Khortytsia” operational-strategic group, told CNN. Ukraine’s vulnerability in the face of the FAB threat highlights another huge need for Kyiv – more air defenses.

Persons: Oleksandr Syrskyi, Novokalynovo, Boris Rozhin, Anatolii Stepanov, Velyka, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Mike Johnson, Jake Tapper, “, Vladimir Putin doesn’t, Lloyd Austin, Chasiv Yar, ” Nazar Voloshyn, Yurii Fedorenko, Yar, Chasiv, ” Voloshyn, Zelensky, Victoria Butenko Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian, United States Congress, Russian, Getty, Ukraine’s Eastern Command, ” Artillery, US, House Defense, House, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Kremlin, Nazi, Ukrainian Ground Forces, Separate Assault Brigade, Reuters, Ukrainian Telegram, FAB, Kyiv, NATO Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Ocheretyne, Avdiivka, Ukrainian, Novokalynove, Donetsk, Ocheretyno, AFP, Tonenke, Pokrovsk, Europe, Russia’s, Chasiv, Nazi Germany, Kalynivka, Ivanivske, Zaporizhzhia region, Chasiv Yar, Kharkiv

Moscow-installed officials say Ukrainian shelling killed at least 28 people at a bakery in the Russian-occupied city of Lysychansk. At least one child was among the dead Saturday, local leader Leonid Pasechnik wrote in a statement on Telegram. Ukrainian officials in Kyiv did not comment on the incident. However, Ukrainian forces have come under intense Russian attack over the past 24 hours, with continuous assaults along the front line, Ukraine’s General Staff said in a statement Sunday. The military administration for Ukraine’s Sumy region said Sunday that Russian forces had shelled the region in 16 separate attacks the previous day, firing on the border communities of Yunakivka, Bilopillia, Krasnopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, and Esman.

Persons: Leonid Pasechnik, Lyman, Bakhmut, Velyka Pysarivka Organizations: Ukraine’s, Staff Locations: Moscow, Russian, Lysychansk, Kyiv, Avdiivka, Kyiv’s, Kupiansk, Ukraine’s Sumy, Yunakivka

☆ How Ukraine's counteroffensive has struggled so far
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But in mid-October, some Russian military bloggers reported that Ukrainian forces had formed a small bridgehead on the eastern bank. Shortly after, Ukrainian soldiers breached the first line of defences south of the town of Velyka Novosilka in the first known breakthrough of the counteroffensive. Military analysts and authorities in Kyiv said Ukraine had badly damaged a large landing ship and an attack submarine. Just over a week later, a Ukrainian missile attack hit Russia's Black Sea naval headquarters in Sevastopol. In mid-October, Ukrainian forces used U.S.-supplied long-range ATACMS missiles for the first time, damaging airfields near Luhansk in Ukraine's east and in Berdiansk on the Sea of Azov, both under Russian control.

Persons: Alina Smutko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, General Valery Zaluzhnyi, Wagner, Mike Collett Organizations: 67th Mechanised Brigade, Armed Forces, REUTERS, Reuters, Military, White, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kreminna, Luhansk region, Kyiv, KHERSON, Dnipro, Russia, Velyka, Neskuchne, Orikhiv, Azov, Crimea, AVDIIVKA, Avdiivka, Russian, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Bakhmut, BAKHMUT, Moscow, Kharkiv, Kherson, KUPIANSK, Russia's Belgorod, Kupiansk, Crimean, Sevastopol, East, Luhansk, Ukraine's, Berdiansk

☆ Ukrainian troops battle exhaustion as war drags into second winter
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

"Non-stop fighting, assaults, evacuations, and you know, I managed it," he told a Reuters reporter visiting his position on Thursday. FALTERING OFFENSIVEIstoryk serves in a rifles battalion of the 67th Mechanised Brigade in the Serebryanskyi forest in the Luhansk region. More dramatic advances are still possible; last year Russian forces swiftly retreated from positions in Kherson region in early November. "We're exhausted, they're exhausted. Additional reporting by Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey; Writing by Mike Collett-White Editing by Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alina Smutko, Valery Zaluzhnyi, Zaluzhnyi, Istoryk, Oleksandr Popov, Michael Kofman, Velyka Novosilka, Popov, Ivan Lyubysh, Mike Collett, Gareth Jones Organizations: 67th Mechanised Brigade, Armed Forces, REUTERS, Russian, Reuters, Carnegie Endowment, International, Artillery, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kreminna, Luhansk region, West, KREMINNA, pinewood, Russia, Kyiv's, Kyiv, Luhansk, Russia's Belgorod, Azov, Kherson region, Bakhmut, Orikhiv, Velyka, Lyman, North Korea, Zakhid

The night-time assault is part of a coordinated Ukrainian offensive push near the beleaguered eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, to which CNN obtained exclusive access. “Sometimes there are a lot of them,” Groove says, searching the area with his drone, trying to scope out Russian forces. They chase a few Russian vehicles, dropping bombs on them as they go. Ukrainian drone pilots are able to see their targets through their controllers, even at night, with the help of night vision. German-made Leopard 2 tanks, American Bradley infantry fighting vehicles among others were sent to the area to support Ukrainian forces as they stormed Russian positions.

Persons: They’ve, ”, “, ” Ukraine’s, Mykhailo Fedorov, ‘ Flint ’, Wagner Organizations: Eastern, Eastern Ukraine CNN —, CNN, Ministry for Digital Transformation, Digital Transformation, Russia, “, US, American Bradley, Southern Locations: Eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Kyiv, Russian, Ukraine, zeroing, East Kyiv, Melitopol, Berdiansk, American, Crimea, South, “, Russia

☆ Ukraine Has Gained Ground. But It Has Much Farther to Go
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Thomas Gibbons-Neff | Lauren Leatherby | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

Ukraine Has Gained Ground. Progress since counteroffensive began Held by Russia But It Has Much Farther To Go. Ukraine Has Gained Ground. Ukraine Has Gained Ground. August 30, 2022 Robotyne Robotyne Robotyne Robotyne Robotyne August 2, 2023 Craters Robotyne Russian fortifications Trees gone along roads Russian fortifications Craters Robotyne Trees gone along roads Russian fortifications Craters Robotyne Trees gone along roads August 30, 2023 Robotyne Robotyne Robotyne This is what Robotyne looked like a year ago: occupied by Russia, untouched by battle and home to around a hundred people.

Persons: Orikhiv, Verbove, Russia Orikhiv, Russia Verbove, Ukraine Orikhiv, UKRAINE SEA OF AZOV RUSSIA Kharkiv KHARKIV LUHANSK UKRAINE Bakhmut, Robotyne, Brady, Copernicus, —, Valerii Organizations: Russia Ukrainian, Russia, Russia Verbove Robotyne, Ukraine Orikhiv Verbove, Troops, Donetsk Velyka Novosilka DONETSK, Donetsk Velyka Novosilka DONETSK RUSSIA Robotyne, UKRAINE SEA OF AZOV, Donetsk DONETSK Robotyne, Kyiv, Kyiv UKRAINE SEA OF AZOV Kharkiv, RUSSIA KHARKIV, DONETSK RUSSIA Robotyne, SEA, American, Russian, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Planet Labs, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Reuters, Robotyne Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Go, Kyiv, Robotyne, Tokmak, Melitopol, Azov, Crimean, KHARKIV LUHANSK UKRAINE, Luhansk, Donetsk, Donetsk Velyka Novosilka DONETSK RUSSIA, UKRAINE, UKRAINE SEA OF AZOV RUSSIA Kharkiv KHARKIV LUHANSK UKRAINE, Donetsk DONETSK, Kyiv UKRAINE, RUSSIA KHARKIV LUHANSK UKRAINE, DONETSK, Russian, Crimea, Moscow, Europe, Ukrainian, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Verbove

HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Just playing is a small victory for Shakhtar Donetsk, though the Ukrainian champions won't stop there. The Ukrainian league restarted a year ago despite the war but all games are played in empty stadiums — and sometimes interrupted by air-raid sirens. For the second straight season, Shakhtar is playing its Champions League games outside of Ukraine because of the Russian invasion. “When we drew with England (in a national team game on Sept. 9), I really got a lot of messages from the soldiers. Despite the wealth behind Shakhtar, the club won't give up hope of returning to play in Donetsk some day, Chygrynskyy said.

Persons: —, Taras Stepanenko, ”, Stepanenko, “, Patrick van Leeuwen, “ It’s, Velyka, Dmytro Chygrynskyy, it’s, ” Chygrynskyy, hasn't, Rinat Akhmetov, Mykhailo Mudryk, Chygrynskyy, “ That’s Organizations: Shakhtar Donetsk, Associated Press, League, Porto, Shakhtar, Ukrainian, Champions League, England, AP, ” Shakhtar Locations: HAMBURG, Germany, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Hamburg, Poland, Lviv, It's, Portugal, Zaporizhzhia, Novosilka, Barcelona, Greece, Russia, Donetsk, Kyiv, Chelsea

☆ The West is wrong to criticize Ukraine for not focusing its counteroffensive in one area, say experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Western officials criticized Ukrainian counteroffensive tactics. Ukraine is making slow progress in its counteroffensive to drive back Russian forces. It also defended Ukrainian tactics on the southern front, where troops are trying to break through in the direction of occupied Melitopol. But as Ukraine struggles to make a decisive breakthrough, differences are emerging with Western allies over the tactics it's using. Some analysts believe that Ukraine has to achieve a decisive breakthrough in its counteroffensive soon, as a protracted conflict would be to Russia's advantage.

Persons: Vitaliy, Insider's Sinead Baker Organizations: Service, New York Times, Times, Adam Tactical Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Washington, DC, Bakhmut, Ukrainian, Melitopol, Velyka, Crimea

☆ 4 key types of landmines, how they work, and their impact on the Russia-Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Here are the four main types of mines, how they work, and how they've impacted the war. Insider has looked at the four key types of landmines — broken down into two major groups — being used in the war, how they work, and the impact they've had on the conflict in Ukraine. In July, HRW said it had unearthed more evidence that Ukraine used the banned mines and has informed the Ukrainian government. Fragmentation minesFragmentation mines can be either bounding mines or ground mines. The Russia-Ukraine war has seen a variety of anti-tank mines used, including the PTM-1 and the TM-62M.

Persons: deminers, Vitaly V, HRW, OLEKSII FILIPPOV, Velyka Novosilka, Diego Herrera Carcedo, bobby, Bradley, Valery Zaluzhny, Zaluzhny Organizations: Service, The Times, German Army Combat Training, Blast, Rights Watch, Wikimedia, Getty, Anadolu Agency, HRW, DEL POZO, Washington Post Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, PMN, Ukrainian, Brovary, Kyiv, AFP, Mine

☆ Overstretched Russian forces may lack the mechanized reserve to thwart Ukraine establishing a bridgehead on the Dnipro river, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A "mechanized" Russian counterattack may threaten Ukraine's advanced position, a think tank says. Ukraine's special forces recently broke Russian defensive lines in a raid across the Dnipro River. The US think tank said that "an effective Russian mechanized counterattack could threaten" Ukraine's advanced position, but it was "unclear if Russian forces possess the mechanized reserves necessary to do so." A mine danger sign by the Dnipro River in Kherson, Ukraine on January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Nacho DoceIt also said that "continuing Russian claims that Ukrainian forces maintain a presence on the east bank of the Dnipro River suggest that Russian forces are concerned that they have established semi-lasting positions across the river."

Persons: Ukraine's, Michael Clark, They've, they've, Clark Organizations: Service, Institute for, REUTERS, King's College London, Sky News Locations: Russia, Russian, Dnipro, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Kherson Oblast, Kherson, Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, Bakhmut

☆ Ukrainian forces seek to pierce Russian lines in south, Russian-installed official
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces are trying to pierce Russian lines in the western parts of Donetsk region where waves of Ukrainian fighters were used to gain a foothold to the east of the town of Staromaiorske, a Russian-installed official said. Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed official in parts of Zaporizhzhia controlled by Moscow, said that there had been intense fighting south of Velyka Novosilka - in that area - as Ukrainian troops try to pierce Russian lines to push down to the coast on the Sea of Azov. He said Russian soldiers still controlled the southern part of Urozhaine, adding that Ukrainian forces were clearly aiming to take control of a town further south, Staromlynivka. Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in June, attempting to retake swathes of territory captured by Russia in the south and east of the country. It has recaptured several villages in the south and some territory around the ruined city of Bakhmut in the east, but has so far not achieved major gains against well-dug in Russian troops.

Persons: Vladimir Rogov, Rogov, Guy Faulconbridge, Frances Kerry Organizations: Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Donetsk, Staromaiorske, Russian, Moscow, Velyka, Azov, Urozhaine, Staromlynivka, Ukraine, Russia, Bakhmut

☆ Ukraine's daring nighttime raid across a river was likely a 'distraction' as it seeks to punch holes in Russia's defenses, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine's nighttime raid across the Dnipro was likely a 'distraction,' a defense expert said. Ukraine is seeking to breach Russian defenses at several points across the front line. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. The Dnipro raid was mentioned on Tuesday by US think tank The Institute for The Study of War, having initially been reported by Russian military bloggers. In an interview with the Kyiv Independent, a Ukrainian military commander said that Ukrainian forces were conducting regular raids across the Dnipro to probe weaknesses in Russian defenses, and to distract Russian forces from shelling the nearby Ukrainian-held city of Kherson.

Persons: Michael Clark, They've, they've, Clark, Mick Ryan, Ryan Organizations: Service, King's College London, Sky News, Australian Army, Financial Times, The, Russian, Kyiv Independent Locations: Dnipro, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Zaporizhzhia, Bakhmut, Ukrainian, Kherson

☆ Latest news on Russia's war in Ukraine, Kyiv drone attack repelled
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian forces have made gains along the southern front, according to Kyiv military officials and battlefield reports. Ukrainian forces are "entrenching themselves in the reached positions,” he said, adding that Russian troops were "resisting strongly." In an update Tuesday, the general staff said Russian forces continued to focus on preventing Ukraine’s advances along the southern front, indicating stiff resistance. “They managed to force units of the armed forces of the Russian Federation to retreat to more advantageous positions,” Russian military blogger War Gonzo said. In the east: Ukrainian forces drove back the Russians near Andriivka, just south of the embattled city of Bakhmut, spokesperson Kovalov also claimed.

Persons: Andrii Kovalov, “, ”, Gonzo, Kovalov Organizations: Ukrainian, Ukrainian Defense Forces, Russian Federation Locations: Staromaiorske, ”, Velyka Novosilka, Russian, Melitopol, Orikhiv, Ukraine, Robotyne, Ukrainian, Andriivka, Bakhmut

☆ Biggest threat to Ukraine in battle right now is minefields, not Russia's superior airpower, top US general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But the biggest threat to Kyiv's troops right now are minefields, the top US general said this week. The biggest of these hurdles for Kyiv's forces are sprawling minefields and not Russia's superior airpower capabilities, the top US general said this week. "They're from minefields — minefields that are covered with direct fire from anti-tank hunter-killer teams, that sort of thing." Ukraine, however, is also having similar problems with Russian air defenses, leaving the air space over Ukraine contested. In some instances, Kyiv's troops have even been forced to abandon the heavy armor they received from the West and make advances on foot.

Persons: Mark Milley, Ercin Erturk, Milley, they've, —, Velyka Novosilka, Diego Herrera Carcedo, It's Organizations: Service, Joint Chiefs, Staff, 35th Marine Brigade, Anadolu Agency, Getty Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russian, Donetsk, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Russia

☆ Russia is 'accepting risks' and dropping its guard against other threats to hold its ground in Ukraine, British military says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Shifting the bulk of its military to Ukraine has made Russia vulnerable elsewhere, experts say. The war has become a nearly all-consuming effort for Russia's military. Units from across Russia are now "bearing the brunt" of the Ukrainian counteroffensive that kicked off in early June, the British Ministry of Defense said in an update published Thursday. "The way Russia is accepting risks across Eurasia highlights how the war has dislocated Russia's established national strategy," the ministry said. "Russia has really made itself vulnerable globally," Dara Massicot, an expert on the Russian military at the Rand Corporation think tank, said in April.

Persons: —, Ukraine's, Ben Wallace, Muhammed Enes Yildirim, Dara Massicot, Adm, Tony Radakin, Radakin, ANATOLII STEPANOV, Christopher Cavoli, Cavoli, we've, Justin Bronk, They'd, Bronk, they're Organizations: Service, British Ministry of Defense, Russian, Eastern Military District, 61st Naval Infantry Brigade, NATO, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Arms Army, Rand Corporation, US European Command, Royal United Services Institute Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia, Belarus, Zaporizhzhia, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Crimea, Velyka, Donetsk Oblast, Bakhmut, Moscow, Russian, Oskol, Ukraine's Kharkiv, AFP, British, Kaliningrad, Finland

☆ Russian troops still build battlefield defenses like they did in World War II, and it's one of their rare successes in Ukraine, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russian troops have spent the past several months constructing intricate fortifications in Ukraine. Ukrainian troops now have the tough task of fighting their way through those trenches and barriers. Current Russian fortification doctrine has seen "little methodological change" since the Cold War, according to the RUSI report. BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty ImagesClearing minefields is difficult because Russian mines have multiple triggers and anti-tampering devices. In addition, Russia did not sign the 1997 Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel mines, which has allowed its forces to "freely utilize victim-initiated" anti-personnel mines, RUSI said.

Persons: —, Doce, BEN STANSALL, Ukraine isn't, Dominika Zarzycka, RUSI, Obama, Trump, Biden, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Red Army, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Technologies, Russian, REUTERS, Bradley, Getty, US, Pentagon, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Stalingrad, Velyka Blahovischenka, Kherson Oblast, Russia, Luhansk, Crimea, Posad, Kherson, Ukrainian, England, AFP, Russian, Finland, Nemishaieve, Bucha, Ottawa, North, South Korea, Forbes

☆ Ukraine’s counteroffensive has been brutal and slow. But Kyiv has many cards left to play
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

And this is likely why we are seeing a slow – and at times incremental – start to this first phase of open operations. It has also been grueling, with Ukrainian losses reported around Mala Tokmachka, and now intense fighting near Pyatykhatky. Some estimates suggest only a quarter of Ukraine’s fresh units, bolstered by NATO training and supplies, are now in the fight. Ukrainian forces firing an S60 anti-aircraft canon placed on a truck on Juune 19, 2023. Kyiv needs to cement a change in the frontlines to validate the huge investment in its forces made by NATO.

Persons: –, Wojciech Grzedzinski, Rykove, recalibrations, Vladimir Putin, Velyka, Blahodatne, Brigade perilously, Igor Strelkov, Melitopol –, Kreminna, Ukraine’s, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Zalyuzhnyi, gridlock Organizations: CNN, 73rd Naval Special Operations Center, NATO, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Moscow, Kyiv, Brigade, Donetsk People’s Republic Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Rykove, Kherson, Bakhmut, Crimea, Russia, Kyiv, Moscow, Volnovakha, Mariupol, Zaporizhzhia, Orikhiv, Mala Tokmachka, Pyatykhatky, Donetsk, Zherebyanki, Kamyanske, Dnipro, Melitopol, Azov, Kupyansk, Kharkiv, Russian

☆ Ukraine's counteroffensive has been underwhelming so far — but it's low key for a reason
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Anatolii Stepanov | Afp | Getty ImagesWhen Ukraine's counteroffensive started last week there was no fanfare or official announcement, but that wasn't entirely unexpected. "We are trying to find the weakest places in the Russian defense line. Nonetheless, Ukraine's deputy defense minister conceded Wednesday that the fighting was "extremely fierce" and that the counteroffensive had only had "partial success" so far. CNBC contacted Ukraine's defense ministry for further comment and is awaiting a response. "We will see the main punches of Ukrainian forces in the nearest future.

Persons: Anatolii Stepanov, Nick Reynolds, Andrius, Oleksandr Musiyenko, Musiyenko, Matthew Miller, RUSI's Reynolds, they've, it's Organizations: Afp, Getty, Kyiv, CNBC, Defense, Centre for Military, Legal Studies, Velyka Novosilka, Ukrainian, Anadolu Agency, NATO, . State Locations: Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Russian, Kharkiv, Kherson, London, Russia, Central, Eastern Europe, Kyiv, Velyka, Donetsk, Bakhmut, Crimea, Donbas, Moscow

☆ Ukraine says it has retaken 100 square kilometres of land in counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, June 15 (Reuters) - Ukraine has regained control of over 100 square kilometres, or 38 square miles, of territory in its counteroffensive against Russian forces, a senior Ukrainian military commander said on Thursday. "We are ready to continue fighting to liberate our territory even with our bare hands," Brigadier-General Oleksii Hromov told a media briefing. Russia, which began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has not officially acknowledged the Ukrainian advances. Each side says the other has suffered heavy losses since the counteroffensive started, and Moscow and Kyiv rarely comment on their own losses. Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Writing by Anna Pruchnicka, Editing by Timothy HeritageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Oleksii Hromov, Pavel Polityuk, Anna Pruchnicka, Timothy Organizations: Russian, Reuters, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mala Tokmachka, Velyka, Russia, Moscow, Kyiv

Velyka Novosilka, Ukraine CNN —Under clear and sunny skies, a Ukrainian soldier speeds down a long, straight road toward forward positions close to the front line. Combat medic "Winnie" says he and his fellow physicians try to provide first aid to advancing Ukrainian forces as soon as possible and reduce the amount of casualties. Vasco Cotovio/CNNUkrainian forces have been working to stabilize some of the liberated villages but when CNN visited Velyka Novosilka, the situation remained very fluid. But I think we will win.”The frontline town of Velyka Novosilka bears the scars of a year and a half of shelling. That superiority was on full display during the CNN team’s visit when the Ukrainian forces came under repeated attack by Russian Su-25 ground attack fighter jets.

Persons: Velyka Novosilka, swerves, ”, Vasco Cotovio, “, Winnie, “ There’s, ” Velyka, Jaeger, Mara, ” Skrypal, Novosilka, Jaeger Brigade’s, Vasyl Matyiev, ” Matyiev, Ukraine's, Russian Su, Velyka, “ I’ve, Tatiana, – Organizations: Ukraine CNN, CNN, CNN Ukrainian, Vasco, intel, 68th Jaeger, Ukrainian, “ Volunteers Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Velyka, Neskuchne, Russia, Western, Moscow, Russian, Bakhmut, Velyka Novosilka

☆ How is Ukraine’s counter-offensive going so far?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Western equipment like battle tanks and armoured vehicles should help protect the lives of Ukrainian soldiers. "Ukraine's got choices," said Ben Barry, senior fellow for land warfare at International Institute for Strategic Studies. Those thrusts may indicate Ukraine's generals have their eye on Tokmak, an occupied town in Zaporizhzia region some 25 km from the front line. Military analysts saw it as unlikely this would become the focus of the main Ukrainian offensive. Images shared by Russian military bloggers showed destroyed or damaged U.S.-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and Leopard 2 tanks, headline items of military aid sent by the West for the counteroffensive.

Persons: Rob Lee, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine's, Ben Barry, Lee, Konrad Muzyka, Hanna Maliar, Muzyka, Maliar, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Jack Watling, Tom Balmforth, Mark Trevelyan, Mike Collett, White, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Western, Foreign Policy Research Institute, Reuters, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Russian, West, Interior Ministry, Deputy, Troops, Military, Bradley, Leopards, Thomson Locations: Kyiv, KYIV, Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, Moscow, Kherson, Kharkiv, Poland, Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Zaporizhzia, Melitopol, Velyka Novosilka, Bakhmut

☆ Analysis: Ukraine counteroffensive takes shape but main test still to come
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Moscow's strategy in the south likely aims to maximise Ukrainian casualties before Kyiv can reach the main Russian line of defences about 10-15 km (6-9 miles) away, according to Lee. The main thrusts have come near the Kyiv-controlled town of Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia region and Velyka Novosilka in Donetsk region, about 80 km to the east. "My main concern five or six days into this main phase is that the progress appears to have stopped. Military analysts saw it as unlikely this would become the focus of the main Ukrainian offensive. Images shared by Russian military bloggers showed destroyed or damaged U.S.-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and Leopard 2 tanks, headline items of military aid sent by the West for the counteroffensive.

☆ ‘It Doesn’t Count as a War Crime if You Had Fun’: Inside the Minds of Some Russian Soldiers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Thomas Gibbons-Neff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The practice of defacing military positions and occupied homes with graffiti is not uncommon. Many scribbles focused on genitalia, specific military units, bad officers and the desire to go home. Much of the writing in the bar in Velyka Komyshuvakha struck a decidedly different tone. “Behind us the house is burning — well let it burn — one more-one less,” one phrase on the wall said. “It was awful,” said Svitlana Mazurenko, one of the 70 or so current residents of Velyka Komyshuvakha, which once had around 500 people before many fled.

Persons: Komyshuvakha, ”, Svitlana Mazurenko Organizations: United, Kremlin Locations: United States, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Velyka

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