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☆ Ukrainians say Russian drones pose growing threat, more Stingers needed
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Mike Collett-White | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In a small hamlet west of Soledar, a town to the north of Bakhmut now under Russian control, troops from an anti-aircraft unit in Ukraine's 10th Mountain Assault Brigade were planning to use drones to attack Russian positions. Kamin, 42, showed Reuters some of the shoulder-held weapons the unit has used to reduce the threat of plane and helicopter attacks on frontline Ukrainian positions. "Now it is a war of drones," Kamin said. "The Russians used reconnaissance drones, but now they are also using more drones that are carrying weapons." Despite the growing focus on UAVs, Kamin urged Western allies to supply more anti-aircraft weapons, including U.S. Stingers, which he said he was running out of.

☆ North of Bakhmut, another key battle tests Ukraine's defences
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Mike Collett-White | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

At the bottom of the attempted encirclement appears to be Soledar, meaning an area far larger than Bakhmut would be vulnerable. "The enemy would need a lot of forces to take this line (Sloviansk-Kramatorsk-Kostiantynivka) and therefore I think it is unlikely, given the losses the Russian troops are already suffering," he added. Russia has made only incremental gains around Bakhmut, which it has been trying to capture for eight months, and further north. He said he took part in both wars in the 1990s between Russian troops and separatists after the breakup of the Soviet Union. For now, artillery appears to hold the key to defending positions and pinning down the enemy for both sides.

☆ EU adopts fresh sanctions to raise pressure on Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We now have the most far-reaching sanctions ever - depleting Russia's war arsenal and biting deep into its economy," European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter, adding the bloc was turning up the pressure on those trying to circumvent EU sanctions. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned the bloc would continue to pile more sanctions on Moscow. It also imposes tighter export restrictions on another 96 entities for supporting Russia's military and industrial complex, including for the first time seven Iranian entities manufacturing military drones used by Moscow. We expect decisive steps against (Russia's state-owned nuclear energy company) Rosatom & Russian nuclear industry, more pressure on military & banking," Zelenskiy tweeted. "We expect further intensification of pressure and restrictions, especially in the area of the nuclear industry and the activities of Rosatom," Shmyhal said in tweet.

☆ Ukraine war: major developments since Russia's invasion
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Following are some of the major developments in Europe's biggest conflict since World War Two. Russian forces made slow, steady gains in a phase of the conflict that inflicted a heavy toll on both sides. UKRAINE COUNTER-ATTACKSAs the war churned on, the United States and Europe began giving Ukraine increasingly powerful and longer-range weaponry and used sanctions to try to hamper Russia's military machine. In early September, Ukrainian forces reeled off surprising gains in the northeastern Kharkiv region, wresting back the sole rail hub supplying Russia's regional front line. Joyous residents feted the return of Ukrainian forces, though the city remains subject to Russian shelling.

☆ A big bang or a grinding assault? What to expect from Russia's new offensive in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Russian citizens recruited as part of partial mobilization attend combat training in the training spots of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Donetsk, Ukraine on October 05, 2022. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesA renewed Russian offensive in the east of Ukraine is underway. Over the weekend, Russian forces shelled Ukrainian cities like Nikopol, a city in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, where one person was reportedly killed. Ukrainian servicemen make a trench near Bakhmut on Feb. 1, 2023, as they prepare for a Russian offensive in the area. Shea, who was deputy assistant secretary general for emerging security challenges at NATO until 2018, said he did not expect a big bang start to the offensive.

☆ Mercenary leader Prigozhin says Russia faces resistance in taking Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Prigozhin, an entrepreneur and restaurateur, has attracted attention as fighting raged in this campaign. "Bakhmut is needed so our troops can operate comfortably," Prigozhin said. Ukrainian troops are well trained ... and like any large city it is impossible to capture it from head-on. Military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said the situation around Bakhmut probably remained the most difficult sector faced by Ukraine's forces as Russia deploys more and more conscripts. "The area south of Bakhmut is a very difficult sector," Zhdanov said in an online interview.

☆ Russia likely lost dozens of armoured vehicles in failed attack on Vuhledar: UK
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 10 (Reuters) - Russian forces likely lost dozens of armoured vehicles during a failed attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Vuhledar, British intelligence said on Friday. "Russian troops likely fled and abandoned at least 30 mostly intact armoured vehicles in a single incident after a failed assault," Britain's defence ministry said in a daily briefing. Russia's defence ministry has not commented on the report but it says military operations near Vuhledar and the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine - which Russia has been trying to encircle - are progressing well. "Thirty-one armoured vehicles of the 155th Separate Guards Marine Brigade from the Russian Pacific Fleet were destroyed during an assault on Vuhledar," the Moscow Calling military blogger said. Grey Zone, the semi-official Telegram channel of the Wagner mercenary group, said in a post that "a disaster is unfolding around Vuhledar, and it is unfolding again and again".

☆ Russian forces are closing in on the strategic city of Bakhmut, giving Ukraine a tough choice to make
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Ukrainian military vehicles drive along a road outside of the strategic city of Bakhmut on January 18, 2023 in Bakhmut, Ukraine. Ukrainian soldiers outside the strategic city of Bakhmut on Jan. 18, 2023, in Bakhmut, Ukraine. Ukrainian servicemen of the artillery unit of the 80th Air Assault Brigade talk near Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Feb. 7, 2023. On Wednesday, Russian media reported comments from a Russian special forces commander, who claimed Russian units were advancing into Bakhmut. Ukrainian security forces talk to an elder woman while the first anniversary of Russia-Ukraine war approaches in Bakhmut, Ukraine on January 25, 2023.

☆ Without supplying evidence, Russia says it's investigating alleged Ukrainian use of chemical weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 6 (Reuters) - Russia's state Investigative Committee said on Monday it was examining the alleged use of chemical weapons by Ukrainian forces near the towns of Soledar and Bakhmut. Ukraine's Defence Ministry did not immediately reply to requests for comment on the allegation, which was not accompanied by any publicly released evidence. The Investigative Committee said the Donetsk People's Republic - one of Russia's proxies in the territories it has seized and occupied in eastern Ukraine - had reported the use of chemical weapons by Ukrainian drones near the two locations. Since the start of its invasion nearly a year ago, Russia has repeatedly warned that Ukraine might be preparing to use non-conventional weapons, including biological weapons or a radioactive dirty bomb. Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Jon BoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Zelenskiy says he needs to show that Ukraine was a safe steward of billions of dollars of Western military and other aid. Ukrainian aircraft have launched nine strikes on areas of concentration of Russian forces and two anti-aircraft positions, it said. Arakhamia had said the 37-year-old head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, would replace Reznikov, who would become minister of strategic industries. One obstacle to replacing Reznikov with Budanov, a fast-rising officer decorated for operations that remain secret, is a rule requiring the defence minister to be a civilian. Ukraine said on Monday evening that Russian forces had trained tank, mortar and artillery fire there in the past 24 hours.

☆ Wagner troops wouldn't 'stop coming' and climbed over bodies of dead comrades like something out of a 'zombie movie,' says Ukrainian soldier
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Ukrainian soldier compared fighting Russia's Wagner Group to something like a "zombie movie." "They're climbing above the corpse of their friends, stepping on them," the soldier told CNN. He said the fight was between 20 Ukrainian soldiers and about 200 Wagner troops and described it as a "frightening and surreal experience." He even suggested that the Wagner troops might be "getting some drugs before the attack." The soldier said his group's AK-47 rifles became so hot from constantly firing at the Wagner troops that they had to keep switching out guns.

☆ The US is taking aim at Wagner, the only Russian force seemingly having any success in Ukraine, with crippling sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The US government has taken aim at the notorious Wagner Group with sweeping new sanctions. A pedestrian walks past a mural depicting the logo of the Russian mercenary 'Group Wagner' and a slogan in Russian on January 20, 2023 in Belgrade, Serbia. Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty ImagesA defaced mural of Russia's mercenary group Wagner reading "Wagner Group - Russian knights" on the side wall of an apartment bock in Belgrade on January 20, 2023. Wagner's prominence in Ukraine has been underscored by rifts between the mercenary group and the regular Russian military. "Wagner is becoming a rival power center to the Russian military and other Russian ministries."

WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday stepped up sanctions against the Wagner Group, labeling the Russian mercenary company fighting in Ukraine as a transnational criminal organization responsible for widespread human rights abuses. The U.S. Treasury Department, as part of action targeting dozens of people and entities in an effort to degrade Russia's ability to wage the war, said it designated Wagner Group as a "significant transnational criminal organization" on Thursday. It had previously designated Wagner under its Russia and Ukraine sanctions programs. "These images were gathered in order to enable Wagner combat operations in Ukraine," Treasury said. He said the United States assesses Wagner has about 50,000 personnel deployed to Ukraine, including 40,000 convicts recruited from Russian prisons.

☆ A Russian graveyard reveals Wagner’s prisoner army
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +18 min

The resting places were adorned with simple wooden crosses and brightly coloured wreaths that bore the insignia of Russia’s Wagner Group - a feared and secretive private army. The news agency matched the names of at least 39 of the dead here and at three other nearby cemeteries to Russian court records, publicly available databases and social media accounts. He said gravediggers told him the bodies had come from the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, close to Russia’s border with Donetsk region. According to Russian court documents, Kochas and another man burst into the apartment of an acquaintance while drunk in an attempted robbery. But he refused, so he’s a fool.”A Russian graveyard reveals Wagner’s prisoner army By Felix Light and Filipp Lebedev in Tbilisi and Reade Levinson in London Photo editing: Simon Newman Graphics: Fielding Cage Art direction: Eve Watling Edited by Janet McBride

☆ Satellite images hint at scale of Russian mercenary group's losses in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Aina J. Khan | Aina Is A Freelance Reporter With Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The number of graves at a cemetery used by Russia's notorious mercenary Wagner Group has dramatically grown over the last two months, satellite images show. Satellite images show an increase in graves at a cemetery in Bakinskaya, Russia, from Nov. 24, 2022, to Jan. 24, 2023. The Wagner Group previously provided assistance to the Russian military during conflicts in Syria and Libya. The U.S. government said last week that it will designate Wagner Group as a “significant transnational criminal organization” and impose further sanctions against the organization and its support network. The Wagner Group did not comment on the satellite images and video footage.

☆ Germany sending Leopard tanks to Ukraine, ending rift among Western allies
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Patrick-Smith-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Patrick Smith | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian military leaders have said they need hundreds of the tanks to break through Russian defenses. Germany has more than 300 active Leopard tanks and more in storage. Several countries use Leopard tanks, including Canada, the Netherlands and Sweden. “The question is whether 100 tanks of different varieties will be enough to eject Russian forces from Ukraine. The deployment of Leopard tanks was the most significant, he said, because of its conventional diesel-powered engine, as opposed to the Abrams tanks, which are powered by jet fuel.

Ukraine's long-running struggle with graft has taken on added significance as Kyiv battles for survival while also pursuing a bid to join the European Union. But tackling graft has become more urgent since the European Union offered Kyiv candidate member status last June, months after Russia's invasion. The Ukrainian public, exhausted by 11 months of war, was also clearly a key intended audience for the sackings and resignations. But the same poll, which included nearly a thousand respondents across government-controlled Ukraine, found that 84% trusted Zelenskiy - up from 27% a year earlier. Additional reporting by Geert De Clercq; Editing by Tom Balmforth and Mike Collett-WhiteOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia claims progress in Bakhmut, Ukraine says fighting fierce
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The enemy is increasing pressure on the Bakhmut and Vuhledar areas," Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister, Hanna Maliar, said on the Telegram messaging app. The area around Bakhmut, with a pre-war population of 70,000, has seen some of the most brutal fighting of the 11-month-old war. The town has symbolic importance for both Russia and Ukraine, though Western military analysts say it has little strategic significance. "Fighting is already taking place in the outskirts and in neighbourhoods that until very recently were held by the enemy." Ukraine's Maliar said that in the overall eastern industrial region known as the Donbas, Ukraine had superior and more committed soldiers, while Russia had an advantage in terms of the number of fighters and weapons.

☆ Head of Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine's Donetsk says visited Soledar
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 23 (Reuters) - The top Moscow-installed official in the occupied parts of the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine said late on Sunday that he had visited the town of Soledar that Russia claimed to had captured earlier this month. "I visited Soledar today," Pushilin said in an accompanying statement. On Jan. 11, the private Russian military group Wagner said it had captured Soledar and Russian-installed authorities in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region said last week they were in control of the salt-mining town. Ukraine has never publicly said that the town was taken by Russian forces. On Sunday, the general staff of its armed forces said in a daily update that Russian forces had fired on Ukrainian positions in the area.

☆ Germany signals shift in veto on Leopard tanks for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Leopard tanks, which are held by an array of NATO countries but whose transfer to Ukraine requires Berlin's approval, are seen by defence experts as the most suitable for Ukraine. Western allies pledged billions of dollars in weapons for Ukraine last week but they failed to persuade Germany to lift its veto on providing the tanks. French President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, said he did not rule out the possibility of sending Ukraine Leclerc tanks. Ukraine has never publicly said that the town was taken by Russian forces. On Sunday, the general staff of its armed forces said in a daily update that Russian forces had fired on Ukrainian positions in the area.

"Germany will always be at the forefront when it comes to supporting Ukraine," Chancellor Olaf Scholz told the German parliament, to applause. "At a critical moment in Russia's war, these tanks can help Ukraine defend itself, win and stand as an independent nation," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. [1/13] Germany delivers its first Leopard tanks to Slovakia as part of a deal after Slovakia donated fighting vehicles to Ukraine, in Bratislava, Slovakia, December 19, 2022. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any U.S. tanks sent to Ukraine would "burn like all the rest". Ukraine defeated Russia's troops on the outskirts of Kyiv last year and later drove them out of swathes of occupied land.

[1/5] Ukrainian servicemen are seen near the frontline, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near Soledar in Donetsk region, Ukraine January 23, 2023. The corruption scandal could dampen Western enthusiasm for his government just as European countries bicker over sending German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. One of the most widely used Western tanks, Ukraine says it needs them to break through Russian lines and recapture territory this year. Germany is not blocking the re-export of Leopard tanks to Ukraine, the European Union's top diplomat said on Monday. Ukraine says Western tanks would give its ground troops the mobility, protection and firepower to break through Russian defensive lines and resume their advance.

☆ Putin's favorite mercenary leader may be preparing to justify a failure in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A rivalry between Russia's military and Wagner Group mercenaries has come to the fore in Ukraine. Indeed, with curses and excuses, Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group and President Vladimir Putin's favorite mercenary leader, may be preparing to justify a failure in one of the fiercest battles of the war: Bakhmut. Rivalry exposedA mural in Belgrade that praises the Wagner group and its mercenaries fighting in Ukraine. Prigozhin was quick to criticize them — another instance of the mercenary leader's long-running challenge to Russia's military leadership. But with tens of thousands of fighters in Ukraine, Prigozhin doesn't seem phased.

☆ Russian reporter from pro-Kremlin outlet filmed herself appearing to get shot near Soledar
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A reporter for a pro-Kremlin outlet filmed herself appearing to get shot near Soledar, Ukraine. "There is a gun battle right next to us," she tells the camera in Russian, according to The Daily Beast. The journalist, from the pro-Kremlin outlet Readovka, suffered a shrapnel wound to the knee, The Daily Beast reported. Some graphic videos show the extent of her leg injury, and in another video, she says that her leg had been saved. The founder of Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed that medics working for the group came to her rescue, per The Daily Beast.

☆ U.S. to designate Wagner mercenary group a ‘transnational criminal organization’
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. will designate the Russian mercenary Wagner Group as a “significant transnational criminal organization” and impose further sanctions against the organization and its support network next week, the White House said Friday. He said the U.S. believes it was a delivery of infantry rockets and missiles for use by the Wagner Group. The Wagner Group is headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Yevgeny Prigozhin at the funeral of Wagner group fighter Dmitry Menshikov, in St. Petersburg, Russia, last month. The Wagner Group did not comment on his allegations.

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