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Ukraine’s Race to Hold the Line The days of lightning battlefield breakthroughs may be over. N Anti-tank ditch 1 2 Dragon’s teeth 1 mile 3 Trenches This defensive line in southern Ukraine runs a staggering 27 miles. 25 miles KHERSON N Anti-tank ditch 1 Dragon’s teeth 2 1 mile 3 Trenches This defensive line in southern Ukraine runs a staggering 27 miles. 10 miles Anti-tank ditch 1 Dragon’s teeth 2 3 Trenches 15 miles Ditches. 25 miles N 1 Anti-tank ditch 2 Dragon’s teeth 1 mile 3 Trenches This defensive line in southern Ukraine runs a staggering 27 miles.

Persons: Copernicus, Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy, Christopher G, Cavoli, Chasiv Yar, James Rands, Janes, Rands, ” Organizations: U.S . House, Analysts, Infantry, Reuters, LUHANSK UKRAINE New, Institute for, American, Pentagon, Kurakhove, Defenses, “ Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, KHERSON, Wiesbaden, Germany, Kherson, Zaporizhia, LUHANSK UKRAINE, DONETSK ZAPORIZHIA, Russia KHERSON CRIMEA, ZAPORIZHIA, Russia KHERSON, CRIMEA, Avdiivka, Europe, Marinka, UKRAINE, London, “ Ukraine

Ukraine desperately needs to replenish its depleted forces in the face of relentless Russian attacks. So it has lowered the draft age from 27 to 25. That means that more young people will have to leave their jobs to join the army. And face an almost certain future of violence and tragedy.

Locations: Ukraine

Two years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the hourly artillery duels, airstrikes and pitched fighting in the country’s east and south have turned the more than 600-mile front line into a scarred frontier. But clinging to the wreckage of their homes, and hometowns, are residents who refuse to leave. Buoyed by volunteers who deliver aid and their own battle-hardened survival instincts, they carry on with their lives in an unending test of endurance. The reasons they stay are many: to care for disabled family members, to look after pets or livestock or, plainly, their love of home. But in enclaves where the thuds of artillery serve as white noise, war is never far away.

Locations: Russia, Ukraine

☆ ‘Jamming’: How Electronic Warfare Is Reshaping Ukraine’s Battlefields
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Thomas Gibbons-Neff | Yurii Shyvala | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

His video monitor had gone blurry at first, the landscape of shattered trees and shell craters barely visible, before blacking out completely. The Russians had jammed the signal of his drone as it was flying outside the town of Kreminna in eastern Ukraine. For a while, the Ukrainians enjoyed a honeymoon period with their self-detonating drones that were used like homemade missiles. The weapons seemed like an effective alternative to artillery shells for striking Russian forces. Now, the bad days are starting to outweigh the good ones: electronic countermeasures have become one of the Russian military’s most formidable weapons after years of honing their capabilities.

Persons: ” Locations: Ukrainian, Kreminna, Ukraine, “, Russian

WASHINGTON (AP) — When a total solar eclipse transforms day into night, will tortoises start acting romantic? They previously detected other strange animal behaviors in 2017 at a South Carolina zoo that was in the path of total darkness. This year’s full solar eclipse in North America crisscrosses a different route than in 2017 and occurs in a different season, giving researchers and citizen scientists opportunities to observe new habits. After the 2017 eclipse, he analyzed data from tracking devices previously placed on wild species to study habitat use. So do feral horses, “probably taking cover, responding to the possibility of a storm out on the open plains.”The last full U.S. solar eclipse to span coast to coast happened in late summer, in August.

Persons: ”, Adam Hartstone, Siamangs, gibbons, “ It’s, Jennifer Tsuruda, Tsuruda, of Alberta's Olav Rueppell, Nate Bickford, “, Andrew Farnsworth, Raffaela Lesch Organizations: WASHINGTON, Fort Worth Zoo, North Carolina State University, University of Tennessee, of Alberta's, Oregon Institute of Technology, Cornell University, University of Arkansas, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Texas, South Carolina, Columbia , South Carolina, Hartstone, Little Rock , Arkansas, Toledo , Ohio, Indianapolis, North America

Surprisingly Weak Ukrainian Defenses Help Russian AdvanceUkrainian trenches Ukrainian trenches Rudimentary Ukrainian trench lines outside Avdiivka, in an area claimed by Russia. But there’s another reason the Kremlin’s troops are advancing in the area: poor Ukrainian defenses. These trench lines lack many of the additional fortifications that could help slow Russian tanks and help defend major roads and important terrain. 2 miles Pavlivs’ke Novofedorivka Robotyne Russian fortifications Russian-claimed control Verbove Russian defenses shown below Held by Russia Novoprokopivka Romanivs’ke 2 miles Pavlivs’ke Novofedorivka Russian-claimed control Russian fortifications Verbove Russian defenses shown below Held by Russia Romanivs’ke Russian-claimed control Pavlivs’ke Novofedorivka Russian fortifications Verbove Russian defenses shown below Held by Russia Romanivs’ke 2 miles Sources: Satellite image from Planet Labs; Russian-controlled territory (as of Feb. 29, 2024) from the Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project; Russian fortifications based on data from Brady Africk. Satellite imagery from February shows the multilayered Russian defenses to the west of Verbove, with thousands of shell craters visible in the surrounding fields.

Persons: Avdiivka, Soloviove, Berdychi Stepove, Krasnohorivka, Russia Berdychi, Kyiv’s, Russia Novoprokopivka, Pavlivs’ke, Brady Africk, Verbove, “, ”, Serhiy Hrabskyi, They’d, Denys Shmyhal, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky’s, Paroinen, Mr, Hrabskyi, ” Mr, Oleksandra Mykolyshyn Organizations: Planet Labs, The New York Times Russian, Ukrainian Army, Russia Berdychi Stepove, Institute for, American, The New York Times, Black Bird Group, Russian Army Locations: Avdiivka, Russia, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Russia Russian, Verbove, Russian, U.S, Moscow, Donetsk, Ivano, Frankivsk, shoring

☆ In Ukraine, Russia Is Inching Forward Death by Death
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Thomas Gibbons-Neff | Anatoly Kurmanaev | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

As the Russian military launched its offensive on the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka last fall, Ukrainian troops noticed a change in their tactics as column after column of Russian forces were ravaged by artillery fire. Russian forces divided their infantry formations into smaller units to avoid being shelled, while the amount of Russian airstrikes increased to hammer the city’s defenses. It was one of several adjustments the Russians made to help reverse their fortunes after a disastrous first year. But these changes were obscured by one glaring fact: The Russian military was still far more willing to absorb big losses in troops and equipment, even to make small gains. Russian forces have a different threshold of pain, one senior Western official said this month, as well as an unorthodox view of what is considered an acceptable level of military losses.

Organizations: Western Locations: Russian, Ukrainian, Avdiivka

The staff member, Kyle Parker, is the senior Senate adviser for the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, known as the Helsinki Commission. The commission is led by members of Congress and staffed by congressional aides. It is influential on matters of democracy and security and has been vocal in supporting Ukraine. A confidential report by the commission’s director and general counsel, which The New York Times reviewed, said that the equipment transfer could make Mr. Parker an unregistered foreign agent. It said that Mr. Parker had traveled Ukraine’s front lines wearing camouflage and Ukrainian military insignia and had hired a Ukrainian official for a U.S. government fellowship over the objections of congressional ethics and security officials.

Persons: Kyle Parker, Parker Organizations: Capitol Hill, U.S . Commission, Security, Cooperation, Helsinki Commission, New York Times Locations: Russia, Europe, Helsinki, Ukraine

☆ Anti-Ukraine rhetoric has saturated right-wing media. Now it is helping to deliver actual war victories to Putin
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Vladimir Putin’s information war in U.S. media paid off this weekend with a key victory halfway around the world. A CNN poll conducted last summer found that a staggering 71% of Republicans do not support additional aid to thwart Putin’s war on Ukraine. Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty ImagesMuch of the GOP’s softening toward Russia is owed to a near-total reversal in rhetoric from right-wing media personalities and outlets, prompted in large part by Donald Trump’s ascension to power in GOP politics. While the biggest players in right-wing media once fervently championed the foreign policy doctrines of the neo-conservatives, they now follow in the footsteps of Trump and vehemently reject the views once held by the George W. Bush administration. The rhetoric has had a considerable impact on the views of the party, which is now being reflected by its elected leaders.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Julian E, Barnes, Thomas Gibbons, Neff, Eric Schmitt, CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh, Mike Johnson, Johnson, Mitt Romney, ”, Kostiantyn, Donald Trump’s, Trump, George W, Bush, Tucker Carlson, Carlson, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Matt Gertz, “ Tucker Carlson, ” “, ” Gertz Organizations: New York CNN, U.S . Congress, Eastern, Congress, GOP, Senate, Republican, Republican Party, CNN, Chemical Plant, Fox News, U.S, Ukraine, Republicans, Media Locations: New York, Washington, Ukraine, Avdiivka, Europe, Russia, Avdiivka district, Moscow, U.S

☆ Migratory species are in a shocking state of decline, landmark UN report shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Angela Dewan | Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Migratory species include some of the most iconic animals on the planet, like elephants. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty ImagesBaby Leatherback sea turtles head to the sea at sunset on Indonesia's Lhoknga Beach in February 2023. Those activities also fragment migratory species’ pathways, sometimes making it impossible for them to complete their journeys. Around 58% of the monitored locations recognized as important for migratory species are facing what the CMS says are unsustainable levels of pressure from humans. “Migratory species have a special role in nature as they don’t recognize political boundaries,” said Anurag Agrawal, professor of environmental studies at Cornell University.

Persons: They’ve, Yasuyoshi Chiba, Chaideer Mahyuddin, Didier Brandelet, Kristin Laidre, Amy Fraenkel, Scott Gibbons, Zheng Yuanjian, Carl de Souza, Sergio Pitamitz, Wolfgang Kaehler, ” Inger Andersen, ”, Anurag Agrawal Organizations: CNN, UN, Convention, Animals, Getty, McCormick, United Nations Environment, Cornell University Locations: Asia, Alaska, Kimana, Kenya, AFP, Beach, Greenland, Elsehul, South Georgia, longline, Chicago, Lake Michigan, Xinhua, Mongolia, UN, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

☆ Bring Office Cubicles Back; Improve Employee Productivity, Hybrid Work
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Kelli María Korducki | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

In a memorable montage from the 1999 workplace satire "Office Space," Peter Gibbons, a fed-up office drone, decides to take a stand. For years, the office cubicle was the four-walled avatar of corporate disaffection. Late '90s films like "Office Space," "Fight Club," and "The Matrix" enshrined its detested status. The tech boom arrived, bringing with it open office plans and a Silicon Valley-led gloss of egalitarianism, epitomized by Google's high-profile headquarters redesign in 2005. The top comment on the "Office Space" cubicle clip on YouTube captures the irony of this shift: "I would have killed for a cubicle," the commenter wrote.

Persons: Peter Gibbons, Google's, weren't, Nikil Saval, Slack, hasn't, Joseph Country, Heather Chapman, Chapman, Sydney Baker, there's, Baker, Thomas Roulet, Roulet, somethings, it's, Kevin Kelley, Shook Kelley, Kelley, cubicles, hewing Organizations: Toyota Corolla, Porsche, Workers, YouTube, Research, Harvard Business School, Environmental Psychology, University of Cambridge Locations: Silicon, Michigan, Louisville , Kentucky, —, Charlotte , North Carolina

☆ A customer angry about the 'poor' quality of his $32,000 kitchen parked a tank outside the store. It's been there for a month.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Paul Gibbons was unhappy with the results of his $32,000 kitchen renovation. In protest, he parked a tank outside the store responsible. The store responded by banning him from branches across England and issuing a notice to remove the tank. AdvertisementAn unhappy customer parked a decommissioned tank outside a home-improvement store that fitted his kitchen and intends to keep it there until he gets a refund. Paul Gibbons, 63, spent £25,000, or around $32,000, on a kitchen installation by Wickes in Basingstoke, England, last February.

Persons: Paul Gibbons, It's, — Organizations: Service, Wickes, Basingtonstoke Gazette, Business Locations: England, Basingstoke

☆ After Two Years of Bloody Fighting, Ukraine Wrestles With Conscription
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Constant Méheut | Thomas Gibbons-Neff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Russian troops and tanks invaded Ukraine in February 2022, tens of thousands of Ukrainians rushed to serve in the army in a surge of patriotic fervor. But after nearly two years of bloody fighting, and with Ukraine once again in need of fresh troops to fend off a new Russian push, military leaders can no longer rely solely on enthusiasm. The bill was introduced in Parliament last month — only to be quickly withdrawn for revision. The bill has catalyzed discontent in Ukrainian society about the army recruitment process, which has been denounced as riddled with corruption and increasingly aggressive. Many lawmakers have said that some of its provisions, like barring draft dodgers from buying real estate, could violate human rights.

Organizations: dodgers Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian

☆ Ski season needs fresh snow. Resorts are struggling as the climate crisis forces them to rely on fake snow to make money.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

For Brendan Gibbons, snow rules the day. "I used to say, 'We'll get our snow," Gibbons, director of snow services for Palisades Tahoe, told Business Insider. "The entire business model and opportunities for profit are getting squeezed into a shorter season with lower quality snow," Mankin said. He worries that little ski towns will suffer the most as the climate crisis worsens and potentially consolidate into larger conglomerates. Areas where average winter temperatures exceed -8 degrees Celcius, or 17 degrees Fahrenheit, will lose more and more snowpack with each degree of warming.

Persons: Brendan Gibbons, Gibbons, Justin Mankin, haven't, they've, Mankin Organizations: Service, Business, Palisades, Northern Hemisphere, Northeastern, Dartmouth College Locations: Sierra Nevada, Southwestern, Europe, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Mankin, Palisade, Business

The Ukrainian soldier stared at the Russian tank. It was destroyed over a year ago in the country’s east and now sat far from the front line. The soldier was not there for the tank’s engine or turret or treads. The metal would be cut and strapped as protection to Ukrainian armored personnel carriers defending the embattled town of Avdiivka, around 65 miles away. The need to cannibalize a destroyed Russian vehicle to help protect Ukraine’s dwindling supply of equipment underscores Kyiv’s current challenges on the battlefield as it prepares for another year of pitched combat.

Locations: Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Russian

☆ Surviving Winter in a Decimated Ukrainian Village
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Emile Ducke | Thomas Gibbons-Neff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Winter in Ukraine’s eastern steppe brings an inescapable cold. The wind blowing through damaged homes, the shattered windows, the chill in your bones — it feels as if it will be permanent. But winter is still weeks away. For a handful of families who live in a string of destroyed villages along what was once the front line near the city of Izium, these dwindling fall days are all the time they have to prepare for seasonal survival.

Locations: Izium

☆ Why apple prices plunged in October
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But apple prices plunged 7.9%. A Goldilocks year for applesIn general, apple prices dip in the fall, because that’s when they’re harvested and flood the market. An apple orchard near Leavenworth, Washington state. “We have a lot of volume, but I don’t know if we’re gonna be making any money this year.”Though gas prices have fallen, apple farmers have other rising costs, including labor. To cope with rising costs and improve sustainability, many farmers have been making adjustments to how they operate, said Todd Fryhover, president of the Washington Apple Commission, which promotes the state’s apple industry.

Persons: it’s, ”, Chris Gerlach, ” Gerlach, “, Jon DeVaney, Gerlach, Lynsee Gibbons, we’ve, Association’s DeVaney, …, Craig Campbell, Campbell, DeVaney, “ I’ve, Jonathan Haines, Todd Fryhover, “ We’re, “ They’re Organizations: New, New York CNN, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Apple Association, Gro Intelligence, Tree Fruit Association, USDA, “, ” Farmers, Harmony Orchards, Washington Apple Commission Locations: New York, United States, India, Leavenworth , Washington, Washington, Turkey, Iran, Ukraine, Russia, East, South Asia, Yakima, Wenatchee

☆ When people move out, wildlife moves in: 10 abandoned places reclaimed by nature
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Arya Jyothi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

The temple and surrounding forested areas were abandoned three centuries later, when the king moved the capital of the empire away from Angkor. People started moving out in the 1990s and by 2002, the village was completely abandoned. People started moving out in the 1990s and by 2002, the village was completely abandoned. The Whanganui River holds 18 fish species including eels, freshwater crayfish and black flounders. Graham Harries/ShutterstockLocated off the Pembrokeshire coast in west Wales, stands a time capsule in the form of a long-abandoned island fort.

Persons: Prohm, King Jayavarman, Alexander Arndt, Angelina Jolie’s, “ Lara Croft, pileated gibbons, silvered, Johannes Eisele, Leo Francini, Marcio Martins, University of São Paulo, Martins, “, Al Madam, Giuseppe Cacace, Yasuyoshi Chiba, James Beasley, allan wright, Kilda, Graham Harries, Shutterstock, Nicholas Mueller, ”, Mueller Organizations: CNN, Wildlife Alliance, ., Steam, SS, Titanic, Cyclone, University of São, Google Arts & Culture, National Institute of Ecology, Al, Getty, United Arab, Japan Earthquake, University of Georgia, TED, UNESCO Locations: CNN —, Europe, Ta Prohm, Cambodia, Angkor Thom, Khmer, Angkor, Shengshan Island, China, AFP, Houtouwan, Shengshan, Zhoushan, Mangapurua, , New Zealand, Nowhere, Mangapurua Valley, New, Whanganui, North, Australia, Grande, Brazil, Sao Paulo, Marcio, Korea, South Korea, Al Madam Village, UAE, Al, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sharjah, Fukushima, Japan, St Kilda, Scotland, Scotland’s, Kilda, Atlantic, Soay, Boreray, Fort, Wales, Pembrokeshire

The trend worries some U.S. lawmakers who fear corporate interest will make agricultural land unaffordable for the next generation of farmers. Investment firm acquisitions are also outpacing farmland purchases by foreign entities, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Lawmakers debated this year whether to curtail foreign farmland ownership, concerned that adversaries might buy land to exert political influence. "If the next generation isn’t enticed to come back to the farm," he said, "then who’s going to own that land?" About 60% of U.S. farmland is farmer-owned and -operated, with the rest owned by non-farmer operators including individuals, trusts, and corporations, according to USDA.

Persons: Nuveen, Paul Schadegg, Tim Gibbons, isn’t, It’s, David Gladstone, Gladstone, Cory Booker, Bruce Sherrick, Leah Douglas, Richard Valdmanis, Anna Driver Organizations: Investment, Reuters, Manulife Investment Management, National Council of Real Estate Investment, United Nations, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Lawmakers, Senate, National Defense, Farmers National Company, Missouri Rural Crisis Center, USDA, Gladstone, Agriculture Committee, TIAA, Research, University of Illinois, Thomson Locations: U.S, United, China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Missouri

It was just after 1 p.m. when the first of three artillery shells shrieked past Maryna Korifadze’s bomb shelter in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, landing nearby with a bone-rattling crump. Her regular crowd of neighbors, some with children in tow, shuffled down the basement stairs and into the bunker. The younger crowd started playing table tennis in the next room. “Sometimes it’s between 20 and 30 people a night here,” Ms. Korifadze said. More than 20 months since Russia invaded, the war in Ukraine has been a test of endurance for the country’s civilians as they endure relentless Russian bombardments and missile strikes.

Persons: crump, Ms, Korifadze Locations: Ukrainian, Kherson, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Ukraine, a Sniper Mission and the Myth of the ‘Good Kill’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Thomas Gibbons-Neff | More About Thomas Gibbons-Neff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

What you need to understand about a sniper mission is that from the minute it begins to the minute it ends, everything you do is in service of killing another human being. So it was a little startling when — standing in the stairwell of a half-destroyed building in southern Ukraine, in the midst of a mission with a team of Ukrainian snipers — one soldier decided to explain to me his moral calculations when killing Russian troops. The front line was roughly a mile away. The snipers stared through the scopes of their rifles, waiting for something or someone to move. I was hungry and ate a cold chicken nugget purchased at a gas station many hours before.

Persons: — Organizations: The New York Times Locations: Ukraine, Russian

Shanta even marched into the Foreign and Home Ministries, clutching a plastic envelope of documents and pictures, and demanding answers. A Russian officer sent a relative a message: “Your brother was buried on 14 July at 12:50 at Navo-Talisty’s cemetery, Ivanovo, Russia. Her family is Hindu and believes the soul can be released from the body only by cremation. She wants to travel to the Russian cemetery, 200 miles from Moscow, and bring home her brother’s remains. But Nepali officials in Moscow told her the Russian Army would not allow this.

Persons: Shanta, “, ” Shanta, Thomas Gibbons, Neff Organizations: Foreign, Home Ministries, Russian Army Locations: Navo, Talisty’s, Ivanovo, Russia, Moscow, London

☆ 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

The Pentagon has provided Patriot air defense systems and cajoled allies to provide S-300 air defense ammunition, both of which have proven effective. It has also provided other air defenses like the Avenger system and the Hawk air defense system. But Ukraine does not have enough air defense systems to cover the entire country, and must pick the sites it defends. Today, Russian officials have remade their economy to focus on defense production. As a result, military production has not only recovered but surged.

Persons: Russia’s Organizations: Pentagon Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kyiv, Ukraine, United States, Washington

The group included Ukrainian military and government officials, who are always in the market for explosive shells to lob at invading Russian soldiers. And joining the group was a stout, bearded man who served both the buyers and sellers: Vladimir Koyfman, a chief sergeant in the Ukrainian military whom Mr. Morales pays to arrange meetings with his government contacts. That unusual arrangement, legal experts say, tests the boundaries of American and Ukrainian corruption laws prohibiting payments to government officials. The administration has sent Ukraine more than $40 billion in security aid, including advanced weapons like HIMARS rockets and Patriot missiles. But the Pentagon also relies heavily on little-known arms dealers like Mr. Morales, who have the connections needed to secure ammunition, much of it lower-quality or Soviet-caliber, from around the world.

Persons: Marc Morales, Vladimir Koyfman, Morales, Biden Organizations: Patriot, Pentagon Locations: Florida, Ukraine

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