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☆ Ukraine says Bakhmut battle is grinding down Russia's best units
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/8] Ukrainian servicemen walk along a muddy road near the frontline town of Bakhmut amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Donetsk region, Ukraine March 8, 2023. "It has converged on Bakhmut with a large part of its trained military personnel, the remnants of its professional army, as well as the private companies." Russia has made Bakhmut the main target of a winter push involving hundreds of thousands of reservists and mercenaries. But apart from around Bakhmut, the Russian winter offensive has largely failed. Kyiv and the West also saw signs of exhaustion in Russia's latest mass salvo of missile strikes on Ukrainian targets.

SEOUL, March 8 (Reuters) - South Korea's government approved export licenses for Poland last year to provide Ukraine with Krab howitzers, which are built with South Korean components, a defence acquisition official in Seoul told Reuters on Wednesday. The comments are the first confirmation that South Korea officially acquiesced to at least indirectly providing weapons components to Ukraine for its war against Russia. Seoul officials have previously declined to comment on the Krabs, fuelling speculation over whether South Korea had formally agreed or was simply looking the other way. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said at the time that South Korea, a U.S. ally, had not provided any weapons. Kim said Poland would need further South Korean permission to provide any of those new weapons to Ukraine.

☆ Ukraine is vowing to defend 'fortress' Bakhmut as Russian forces surround it: Here are 3 reasons why
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Ukrainian infantrymen with the 28th Brigade view damaged buildings while driving to a frontline position facing Russian troops on March 05, 2023 outside of Bakhmut, Ukraine. Russian forces appear to be tightening the noose around the city in Donetsk. "The fall of Bakhmut won't necessarily mean that the Russians have changed the tide of this fight," he added, noting that he would not predict when Bakhmut might fall to Russian forces. Ukrainian military vehicles drive along a road outside of the strategic city of Bakhmut on January 18, 2023 in Bakhmut, Ukraine. On Tuesday, Zelenskyy warned that Russian troops will have "open road" to key cities in eastern Ukraine if they seize Bakhmut.

☆ Ukraine vows not to give up on Bakhmut amid constant Russian attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Oleksandr Kozhukhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

After Russian gains in recent weeks, at the culmination of a winter offensive, Ukrainian troops have been reinforcing positions west of Bakhmut in apparent preparation for a possible retreat. "I told the commander in chief to find the appropriate forces to help our guys in Bakhmut." "If everyone is coordinated, without ambition, screw-ups and tantrums, and carries out this work, then we will block the armed forces of Ukraine. [1/7] A Ukrainian serviceman carries a shell for a 2S5 Giatsint-S self-propelled howitzer before firing towards Russian troops outside the frontline town of Bakhmut, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine March 5, 2023. Ukraine and the West describe Russia's actions as an unprovoked war of aggression aimed at expanding territory.

☆ Russia's elite tank unit was meant to get its most advanced armor. Instead it's fighting with obsolete Soviet tanks from the '60s, UK intel says.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

But instead it's relying on 60-year-old T-62 tanks, per a UK Ministry of Defence update. Russia has retrieved approximately 800 T-62 tanks from storage since the summer of 2022, it said. But, instead, it is receiving T-62 tanks, which were first adopted by the Soviet Union in 1961, and ceased production in the 1970s. The UK Ministry of Defence also noted the absence of modern explosive reactive armor as a potential vulnerability. Since the summer of 2022, approximately 800 T-62 tanks have been retrieved from Russian storage, the MOD intelligence update said.

☆ Russian troops ordered to fight with 'shovels' in hand-to-hand combat, UK defense intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russian soldiers were told to fight with only "firearms and shovels," the Ministry of Defence saidThe shovels are believed to be the MPL-50 entrenching tool, designed in1869, said the UK ministry. "The 'shovels' are likely entrenching tools being employed for hand-to-hand combat," said the briefing. It is thought that the "shovels" in question are the renowned MPL-50 entrenching tools first designed in 1869. The increase in hand-to-hand combat in Ukraine was due to a declining number of troops, artillery, and munition, it said. Indeed, it has been reported that Russian forces have been deploying "barrier troops" or "blocking units" to shoot Russian soldiers who defect and desert the war.

☆ One of the biggest autonomous transportation tests is operating deep underwater
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Barbara Collins | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Boeing's lineup of unmanned, undersea vehicles (UUV) can operate autonomously for months at a time on a hybrid rechargeable propulsion power system. More than 80% of the ocean remains unexplored by humans but could soon be mapped by autonomous underwater robots. Autonomous robot submarines — also referred to as autonomous underwater vehicles, or AUVs — are able to explore high-pressure areas of the ocean floor that are unreachable by humans through preprogrammed missions, allowing them to function without humans aboard, or controlling them. Navies worldwide are investing in unmanned underwater vehicles to elevate their fleet of below-water defense tools. The U.K.'s Ministry of Defence also announced in August the donation of six autonomous underwater drones to Ukraine to aid in their fight against Russia by locating and identifying Russian mines.

☆ Ukraine is reinforcing Bakhmut with its elite troops as Russian forces make advances, UK defense ministry says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine is sending elite units to Bakhmut as Russian forces make further advances, the UK MoD said. Ukrainian forces are now vulnerable to Russian attacks from three sides of the city, it said. The Russian army and Wagner Group forces have been making advances into the city's northern suburbs amid intense fighting, and Ukrainian forces are now vulnerable to Russian attacks from three sides, the department said in an intelligence update. Ukrainian soldiers shelter in the woods along a road outside of the strategic city of Bakhmut on January 18, 2023 in Bakhmut, Ukraine. Ukrainian emergency workers try to extinguish a fire caused by Russian attacks in the center of Bakhmut on December 23, 2022.

☆ Russia is showing off advanced military tech around the world while its troops in Ukraine struggle with obsolete Soviet-era weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia has been showing off advanced military technology around the world, according to the UK MOD. But its soldiers are struggling in Ukraine with Soviet-era equipment and limited supplies. This comes at the same time as Russia's own soldiers are dying in droves in Ukraine using old Soviet-era equipment. TASS also said that other Russian defense companies were due to show off "more than 200 full-scale samples of weapons and military equipment, ammunition and gear" at the event. As a result, the country's military has had to take Soviet-era tanks out of storage to fight, and has been using less-accurate Soviet-era missiles.

☆ British Navy says it has seized smuggled Iranian weapons in Gulf
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, March 2 (Reuters) - Britain's Royal Navy said on Thursday it had seized Iranian weapons, including anti-tank guided missiles, last month from a smugglers vessel in international waters in the Gulf of Oman. When hailed by the Royal Navy, the vessel initially attempted to navigate to Iranian territorial waters but was stopped by a team of Royal Marines, who then boarded the small boat and recovered the suspicious packages, Britain's Ministry of Defence said. "This seizure by HMS Lancaster and the permanent presence of the Royal Navy in the Gulf region supports our commitment to uphold international law and tackle activity that threatens peace and security around the world," British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said in a statement. Initial inspection suggested the packages included Iranian anti-tank guided missiles and medium-range ballistic missile components, Britain said, adding that it had informed the United Nations about the seizure. It follows two previous Royal Navy seizures of Iranian weapons in the region early last year.

☆ A Ukrainian soldier took out 5 Russian tanks in a single day using US-supplied Javelin missiles, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Eight Russian armored vehicles lie smouldering thanks to one Ukrainian soldier, Ukraine's MOD says. He took out five tanks and three other vehicles in a single day in Donetsk, according to Ukraine. A social media post of the apparent feat included praise for the US-provided Javelin missiles used. During the fighting, the paratrooper took out the five tanks, as well as three infantry fighting vehicles known as BMPs. The Ukrainian MOD's video post was accompanied by text that said: "American weapon in Ukrainian hands works wonders."

☆ Fact Check-Deliberately fake tweet about Coronation Day medals for MPs taken seriously online
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An image of a deliberately falsified tweet supposedly on the legacy verified account of Britain’s Ministry of Defence, which says only specific staff, including MPs, will receive medals to commemorate the coronation of King Charles, is being taken seriously online. Showing how some people will believe & share any old rubbish.”An advanced Twitter search produced no evidence of the Ministry of Defence posting the tweet (bit.ly/3Yl6KKd). The Ministry of Defence was not immediately available for comment. The fake tweet was uploaded by an account which intentionally posts false content. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.

☆ A Russian oil depot caught fire hundreds of miles from Ukraine, the possible result of a daring Ukrainian drone attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A fire broke out at a Russian oil facility on Tuesday night, far from the country's borders. Neither Ukrainian nor Russian authorities verified the incident as an attack, though Russian outlets said drones were seen near the oil facility, run by government-controlled oil giant Rosneft. Russia's Ministry of Defence said that there was a drone attack on a site in Krasnodar, though it claimed to have foiled it. "One where NATO is allegedly directly helping Ukraine to attack Russia." Ukraine has previously struck Russian territory with the same modified drones, unnamed Kyiv officials told Politico in December last year.

☆ Russia has changed its plan to take over Ukraine, with the goal now to exhaust the country rather than conquer new territory, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's plan to control Ukraine has changed and now focuses on trying to exhaust it, UK intel said. It added: "The Russian leadership is likely pursuing a long-term operation where they bank that Russia's advantages in population and resources will eventually exhaust Ukraine." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said in January that Russia was trying to "exhaust" it with drone strikes. The UK defense ministry said this strategy shift occurred over the last few weeks, and contrasts with Russia's earlier approach. The UK defense ministry update suggests that this strategy has now started to impact Russia's battlefield tactics.

☆ After a year of death and destruction, Ukraine braces itself for a major escalation in the war
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Emergency service workers extinguish a fire after shelling on the Bakhmut frontline in Ivanivske, Ukraine as Russia-Ukraine war continues on January 02, 2023. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesWhen Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, it shocked the world. Russia and Ukraine have only published data sporadically on their own casualty rates in the war — so we have to rely on estimates. One former NATO official told CNBC that, sooner or later, Ukraine would need to be given combat aircraft. Kenzo Tribouillard | Afp | Getty ImagesAsked whether he believed Ukraine could prevail and win the war before the end of 2023, Shea said two things need to happen: Western weapons need to arrive quickly and Ukraine must be given aircraft.

☆ Pilot describes ejecting from his F-35 fighter jet seconds before it fell into the sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Royal Navy F-35 pilot described ejecting from an F-35 during a failed takeoff. He told the BBC the jet wasn't accelerating and was going to "roll off the ship," so he had to get out. Hux said that his jet suddenly lost acceleration, and his efforts to get it to react properly didn't work. "I tried for emergency power - that didn't work, then I tried to slap on the brakes - that didn't work either… so I kind of knew it was going to roll off the ship," he said. The UK Ministry of Defence said in December 2021 that the jet had been recovered from the sea.

☆ Russian court hands down first sabotage verdict since start or Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 21 (Reuters) - A Russian court sentenced two defendants to three-and-a-half years in a strict regime colony for plotting to sabotage the railway in a region bordering Ukraine, the first convictions for sabotage since Russia's invasion, media reported on Tuesday. Their convictions were the first based on the "Sabotage" Article 231 of the Russian Criminal Code since the start of what Russia calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine, the news agency said. Ukraine and its allies say Russia's military intervention in its neighbour, launched on Feb. 24 last year, is an imperialistic land-grab. There have been several sabotage incidents against Russian railways and other facilities, especially in regions bordering Ukraine, such as Belgorod and Bryansk, according to the British Ministry of Defence. The ministry said in an October report that with the Russian military primarily relaying on rail transport, which often passes through isolated areas, meaning "the system is extremely challenging to secure against physical threats".

☆ Russia is likely to claim a big victory in Bakhmut as 1-year anniversary of its invasion approaches, regardless of the reality on the ground, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia is under increasing political pressure to capture Bakhmut by February 24, UK intel said. It's "likely" that Russia will claim victory there regardless of the reality on the ground, it said. Analysts say that Russia will struggle to seize Bakhmut by the first anniversary of the Ukraine war. "It is likely that Russia will claim that Bakhmut has been captured to align with the anniversary, regardless of the reality on the ground," the MoD said. The UK intelligence update added that Russia is continuing to pursue several offensive axes in eastern Ukraine, with casualties reportedly remaining high in Bakhmut.

☆ 30,000 Wagner Group fighters have been killed or injured in Putin's invasion of Ukraine, says White House spokesman
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

More than 30,000 Wagner Group fighters have been killed or injured, according to US officials. John Kirby said that half of the Wagner fighters who perished in the war have died since mid-December. Kirby stated that, according to US intelligence, 90% of the Wagner Group soldiers killed in the last two and a half months were convicts. While the Wagner Group has made limited advances in Bakhmut, Kirby said this gain has come at a "devastating cost that is not sustainable." According to British intelligence, 40-60,000 Russian soldiers and Wagner Group fighters have been killed since February 2022.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: World leaders convene in Munich; Zelenskyy rules out conceding territory for peace
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

As many as 60,000 Russian forces, including both the formal military and private contractors, may have been killed in the year since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to Britain's Ministry of Defense. "Russian Ministry of Defence and private military contractor (PMC) forces have likely suffered 175-200,000 casualties since the start of the invasion of Ukraine. This likely includes approximately 40-60,000 killed," the ministry wrote in its daily intelligence update on Twitter. "By modern standards, these figures represent a high ratio of personnel killed compared to those wounded. This is almost certainly due to extremely rudimentary medical provision across much of the force."

☆ Some Russian units have suffered up to 80% losses in the east, Ukraine claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Some Russian units in the east have had 80% casualties, Ukraine's deputy defense minister said. This includes NATO intelligence that says Russia is losing 2,000 men for every 100 yards it gains. Hanna Maliar said in a statement on Thursday that up to 80% of personnel had been incapacitated in some Russian army units, including units of the Wagner paramilitary group. But other reports, accounts by Russian soldiers, as well as Western intelligence updates have all pointed to high losses within Russia's army, particularly in recent weeks. Meanwhile, the UK Ministry of Defence said on Friday that up to 200,000 Russian soldiers had likely been killed since the invasion started in February 2022.

☆ A Russian marine who survived bitter fighting in Vuhledar says soldiers left alive are being treated like deserters: 'It would have been better if I had been captured'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian marine who survived a major battle in Vuhledar said survivors are treated as deserters. There were just eight survivors in one company, he told Russian media outlet 7x7. The marine, part of the 155th Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet, told Russian media outlet 7x7 that "it would have been better if I had been captured and never returned." So far things have not gone to plan, according to Russian military bloggers, Ukrainian officials, and reports of the battle. Ukrainian military drones have also captured the scenes of chaos, including Russian tanks running into minefields and being blown up, CNN reported.

☆ Russia has spent 9 months bleeding troops to try to capture a city with limited strategic value, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia has spent nine months trying to capture Bakhmut in a slow and brutal campaign. Experts say the city does not even have that much strategic value. Ukrainians fighting in the city say it has been a "living hell" for months, while commanders on both sides have called the battle a "meat grinder." But ultimately, experts say, the city may not be important enough to justify the effort and expense Russia has put into it. A map showing the location of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

☆ Analysis: Kremlin moves to rein in Russian mercenary boss Prigozhin
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

"The position of the (Kremlin) political bloc is not to let him into politics. Prigozhin told a Russian interviewer on Friday that he had "zero" political ambitions. Markov, who described Prigozhin as extremely confrontational, said he believed Putin had told Prigozhin to halt public criticism of the top brass at a St Petersburg meeting around Jan. 14. It advised recipients to stop mentioning Prigozhin or Wagner and suggested generic phrases to describe his forces instead. After years of denials, Prigozhin stepped out of the shadows in September to admit he had founded Wagner in 2014.

☆ Russia has likely suffered its highest rate of casualties since the beginning of the war in the past 2 weeks, UK Defense Ministry says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In the last 2 weeks, Russian casualties are likely the highest since the war began, the UK said. The Ukrainian General Staff estimated that the mean average for the last seven days was 824 Russian casualties. While it is difficult to accurately track the death toll of the war, Western officials estimate that Russia could be approaching nearly 200,000 casualties. A Ukrainian soldier fires towards Russian positions outside Bakhmut, Ukraine, on November 8, 2022. Although Prigozhin does not speak for the Russian military, his comments provide insight into Russian expectations of the war.

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