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CNN —Signs are growing that Ukrainian forces have penetrated the first line of Russian defenses along part of the southern front lines in Zaporizhzhia region, and are expanding a wedge in the direction of the strategic town of Tokmak. “Otryady Kadyrovtsy” [Kadyrov Detachments] painted a similar picture, saying: “Heavy fighting continues in the Robotyne area. On Thursday, the spokeswoman for Ukraine’s southern command, Nataliya Humenyuk, said Russian forces were bringing more forces to the Zaporizhzhia area from Kherson to the south, due to the heavy casualties among units already there. Yurii Malashko, head of Zaporizhzhia region military administration, said there were almost no buildings left standing in Robotyne after weeks of fighting in the area. “The Ukrainian forces’ ability to advance to the outskirts of Robotyne – which Russian forces have dedicated significant effort, time, and resources to defend – remains significant even if Ukrainian gains are limited at this time,” the ISW said.

Persons: Valerii, ” Ukraine’s, “, ”, Ratynskyi, “ We’re, Nataliya Humenyuk, Yurii Malashko, ” ISW Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian, Staff, General Staff, Reuters Ukrainian, Russian, Combined Arms Army, ”, Reuters, Kadyrov, Washington DC, Ukraine Locations: Zaporizhzhia, Tokmak, Novoprokopivka, Ocheretuvate, Robotyne ., Robotyne, Russia, Verbove, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Mala Tokmachka, Russian, Kherson, Azov, Crimea, Donetsk

☆ Alongside modern Western arms, Ukraine uses custom-built 'mini-Grads'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Vladyslav Smilianets | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ZAPORIZHZHIA REGION, Ukraine, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Ukraine has an arsenal of high-tech Western arms to fight Russian forces, but is also deploying custom-built mini-rocket launchers that use parts taken from a Soviet-era system. [1/3]Ukrainian servicemen of the 108th Separate Brigade of Territorial Defence fire small multiple launch rocket systems toward Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near a front line in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine August 19, 2023. It is rather ineffective to fire 10, eight or two rockets at one target," he said. He said the development of such weaponry was designed to "give an advantage to units which typically do not have this type of weapon." Reporting by Vladyslav Smilianets, Writing by Timothy Heritage; Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gall, Viacheslav, Luka, Yurii Osokolanskyi, Oleksandr Musiyenko, Vladyslav Smilianets, Timothy Heritage, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Reuters, Territorial Defence Brigade, 108th, Brigade, Territorial Defence, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Soviet, Ukrainian, Zaporizhzhia, United States, Zaporizhzhia region

☆ Ukraine defies odds by advancing in counteroffensive - senior official
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian servicemen of the 108th Separate Brigade of Territorial Defence fire small multiple launch rocket systems towards Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near a front line in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine August 19, 2023. REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummary Ukraine began counteroffensive in early JuneUkrainian troops encountering minefields and trenchesDeputy defence minister says Ukraine defying the oddsKYIV, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Ukraine has made progress in its counteroffensive against Russian forces simply by proving it can push back a better-armed and numerically superior enemy, a senior Ukrainian official said on Tuesday. Ukrainian troops have faced vast Russian minefields and trenches in the counteroffensive launched in early June, and a U.S. official said last week it looked unlikely that Kyiv would be able to recapture the strategic southern city of Melitopol. Armed with Western tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, Ukraine has retaken a string of villages but no larger settlements. SOUTHWARD PUSHMaliar, a war crimes lawyer, has served as a deputy defence minister since 2021.

Persons: Viacheslav, Hanna Maliar, Maliar, Dan Peleschuk, Anna Dabrowska, Tom Balmforth, Timothy Organizations: 108th, Brigade, Territorial Defence, REUTERS, Russian, U.S, Reuters, Ukraine, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukrainian, Melitopol, Ukraine's, Russian, Robotyne, Tokmak, Azov, Berlin, Kharkiv, Kherson

☆ Ukraine's frontline farmers face Russian rockets and rock-bottom prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Vladyslav Smilianets | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Viacheslav RatynskyiVELYKOMYKHAILIVKA, Ukraine, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Less than 30 km (19 miles) from Ukraine's southeastern front line, rural farmers whose businesses have survived Russian rockets now fear another hammer blow to their livelihoods: rock-bottom prices for their harvest. "The price (for crops) is not acceptable for the farmers. The farmers of Velykomykhailivka must juggle their worries about collapsing prices and export difficulties with the prospect of more Russian missiles crashing into their farms. We won't have any profit this year with such storages and crop prices." Reporting by Vladyslav Smilianets; Writing by Max Hunder; Editing by Tom Balmforth and Conor HumphriesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mykola, Krut, Vladyslav Smilianets, Max Hunder, Tom Balmforth, Conor Humphries Organizations: Local, Russian, REUTERS, Reuters, UN, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Velykomykhailivka, Dnipropetrovsk region, VELYKOMYKHAILIVKA, Russian, Dnipropetrovsk, Moscow

CNN —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed all officials in charge of regional military recruitment centers amid a widespread corruption scandal. A scandal linked to the procurement of war-time supplies had already led to Zelensky firing a slew of senior Ukrainian officials at the start of the year, and prompted Ukraine’s deputy defense minister Viacheslav Shapovalov to resign after allegations of corruption surfaced in the media. “I have just held a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council,” he said in a video clip. “One key issue is the results of the inspection of military registration and enlistment offices. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau said it was investigating “high-profile media reports” into allegations that Ukraine’s defense ministry was buying military provisions, including food for the troops, at inflated prices.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Viacheslav Shapovalov, Zelensky, “, ”, ” Zelensky, Oleksii Symonenko, Ivan Lukerya, Nehoda, Vitalii Organizations: CNN, National Security and Defense Council, “, Corruption

☆ Russian missile hits hotel used by UN in Zaporizhzhia -officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] A view shows a site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine August 10, 2023. REUTERS/Viacheslav RatynskyiLVIV, Ukraine, Aug 10 (Reuters) - A Russian missile struck a hotel in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia on Thursday evening, leaving one dead and 16 injured, Ukrainian officials said. National police said an Iskander missile hit the city at 7:20 p.m. (1620 GMT). A fire broke out in a civilian building after the occupiers hit it with a missile," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. Two young women and a man were killed and nine other people were wounded in a Russian missile attack on Wednesday.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Yuriy Malashko, Denise Brown, Maria Starkova, Maria Tsvetkova, Leslie Adler, Cynthia Osterman, Chris Reese Organizations: REUTERS, National, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia, Viacheslav, LVIV, Ukrainian, Dnipro, Lviv, New York

State Emergency Service of Ukraine/ReutersThe twin strikes bore hallmarks of a "double tap." Another clip showed emergency officials working through the smoke-filled, hazy ruins after what seemed to be one of the missile attacks. A wounded local resident is seen in her destroyed flat after the strikes in Pokrovsk. Russian forces have been accused of carrying out double-tap strikes in both Ukraine and Syria. Pokrovsk is located in Donetsk, an eastern Ukrainian region where fighting has been ongoing since 2014, when Russia began backing pro-Moscow separatists in the Donbas region.

Persons: Serhii Dobriak, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Pavlo Kyrylenko, Dobriak, ” Dobriak, Mstyslav Chernov, Andrii Omelchenko, Viacheslav Ratynskyi, Vladimir Putin Organizations: CNN, Donetsk Regional Military Administration, Kremlin, Emergency Service of, Emergency Service, Authorities, Ukrainian, Reuters, Tuesday, State Emergency Service, Organization for Security, Cooperation, Moscow Locations: Russian, Ukrainian, Pokrovsk, Donetsk, Mariupol, Emergency Service of Ukraine, Ukraine, Syria, Europe, Russia, Kharkiv, Donbas

☆ Ukraine seeks progress towards peace at Saudi Arabia talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Maha El Dahan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Ukrainian, Russian and international officials say there is no prospect of direct peace talks between Ukraine and Russia at present, with the war raging. The world's top oil exporter Saudi Arabia, which has maintained contacts with both sides since Russia invaded Ukraine last February, has played a role in convening countries that did not join earlier meetings, Western diplomats have said. SAUDI DIPLOMACYWestern officials and analysts said Saudi diplomacy had been important in securing China's presence at the talks. Zelenskiy attended an Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia last year where MbS voiced readiness to help mediate in the war. In March, Beijing brokered a resumption of ties between Saudi Arabia and its arch regional foe Iran.

Persons: Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Zelenskiy, Russia's, Eurasian Affairs Li Hui, Ajit Doval, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Xi Jinping, Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice, Yun Sun, Sun, Lidia Kelly, Maha El Dahan, Omar Abdel, Michael Martina, Aftab Ahmed, Angus McDowall, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: International, REUTERS, Saudi, Global, Kremlin, Eurasian Affairs, Indian National Security, Crown, Arab, MbS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Iran, Baker Institute, Stimson, Razek, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, China, India, Jeddah Ukraine, Russia, DUBAI, United States, Saudi Arabia, Ukrainian, Copenhagen, Beijing, Moscow, Jeddah, Riyadh, SAUDI, Saudi, Turkey, Middle East, Washington, Warsaw, Maha, Dubai, New Delhi

☆ Russia's planting mines everywhere, even cruelly hiding explosives in everyday items like fridges, toys, and children's books, Ukrainian military engineers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Russian soldiers who previously occupied Ukrainian territory left it littered with land mines. Moscow's troops hid explosives in every items like toys, fridges, and even children's books. For instance, they cruelly hide explosives in everyday household items like refrigerators, toys, and even children's books. Military sappers inspect an area for mines and non-exploded shells left after Russia's invasion in Kyiv Region, Ukraine April 21, 2022. REUTERS/Mykola TymchenkoUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned in April 2022 that Russian soldiers retreating in the north at the time had left mines everywhere, creating a "complete disaster."

Persons: it's, Mark Milley, sapper, Gleb Garanich, Oleksandr, Mykola Tymchenko, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Maksym Trykur, Trykur, That's, Europe's Organizations: Service, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Ukrainian Armed Forces, REUTERS, Ukraine's, Transport Service, State Emergency Service, Special Transport Service, Mining, Mines Locations: Ukrainian, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russian, Izium, Kharkiv region, Kyiv, Kyiv Region, Udy, Kharkiv, Africa

☆ Ukraine expects difficult but successful talks in Saudi Arabia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Viacheslav... Read moreAug 5 (Reuters) - Talks starting Saudi Arabia this weekend to find a peaceful settlement to end Russia's war in Ukraine will be difficult, but Kyiv is counting persuading more countries to back its peace formula, the head of Kyiv's delegation said on Friday. Ukraine and its allies hope the meeting in Jeddah of national security advisers and other senior officials from some 40 countries - but not Russia - will agree on key principles on how to end Russia's war in Ukraine. China, which has firm ties with Russia, said on Friday it will send Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui for the talks. "We have many disagreements and we have heard different positions, but it is important that our principles are shared," he said. Ukrainian, Russian and international officials say there is no prospect of direct peace talks between Ukraine and Russia at the moment, as the war continues to rage and Kyiv seeks to reclaim territory through a counter-offensive.

Persons: Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Read, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Eurasian Affairs Li Hui, Zelenskiy, Lidia Kelly, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: International, REUTERS, Eurasian Affairs, Global, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, Russia, China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Moscow, Warsaw

☆ On Ukraine's landmine-strewn front, even the corpses can kill
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Vladyslav Smilianets | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Viacheslav RatynskyiZAPORIZHZHIA REGION, Ukraine, Aug 3 (Reuters) - When they found the bodies of Russian troops at an abandoned position, something about the corpses looked wrong. "We lose one sapper every day, either wounded or dead. Even their own dead: "They know that our med-evac groups lift the wounded and the dead, under which they then find these explosives. "We had cases when five or six wounded people were brought in, and most of them turned out to be sappers. Ukraine's factories have tooled up to make equipment to help keep the sappers safer.

Persons: Volodymyr, it's, Oleksandr, Ihor Iefymenko, Vitalii Hnidyi, Peter Graff, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Armed Forces, REUTERS, PM, GO, Brigade, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Donetsk region, Soviet, Kharkiv, Canadian

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

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

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

☆ Ukraine, US start talks on security guarantees, official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Viacheslav... Read moreAug 3 (Reuters) - Ukraine and the United States started talks on Thursday aimed at providing security guarantees for Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff said, a follow-up to pledges by G7 countries at last month's NATO summit. Ukraine was told that the Group of Seven (G7) would draw up and honour security guarantees and help bolster its military in light of Russia's 17-month-old invasion of Ukraine. The Kyiv government sees the talks as an interim stage pending its accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization military alliance. "It is symbolic that the United States - our biggest strategic partner - became the first country with which Ukraine has started this process," Yermak wrote. Yermak restated Ukraine's position that guarantees "will strengthen Ukraine along the path to future membership of the Euro-Atlantic community, including NATO and the European Union".

Persons: Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Read, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Yermak, Ron Popeski, Grant McCool Organizations: International, REUTERS, NATO, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Presidential, European, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, United States, Vilnius, Lithuania, Russia, Ukrainian

☆ Habitat at risk as Ukrainians crowd river seeking respite from war
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Viktoria Lakezina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] People rest on a narrow beach of the Tylihul river that widens into a broad estuary, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Mykolaiv region, Ukraine July 29, 2023. REUTERS/Viktoria LakezinaTYLIHUL ESTUARY, Ukraine, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Kite surfers bounce along the gentle waves. On one hand, we understand that there is no access to the sea and people still want to relax somewhere. But as long as the war goes on and there are few other places to rest, families say they will keep coming. So this is the only place where we can relax after two years of war against Russia," said resident Viacheslav Natalenko.

Persons: Viktoria, Petro Kalinchuk, Inna Tymchenko, Kalinchuk, Viacheslav, Peter Graff, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Visitors, National Institute of Ecology, Russia, Viacheslav Natalenko, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Mykolaiv region, TYLIHUL, Mykolaiv, Dnipro

☆ Russian land mines pose a persistent and deadly threat in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

What lies beneath Land mines left by Russian forces in Ukraine pose a deadly threat to Kyiv's military - and civilians in liberated territory. On average, anti-vehicle mines caused more incidents with multiple fatalities than anti-personnel mines did. GICHD has documented at least 12 types of anti-personnel mines and nine types of anti-vehicle mines in use in Ukraine. Formerly occupied towns in Kyiv; Sumy, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv and Kharkiv oblasts all saw a large number of mines, especially anti-personnel mines, left in place, Mathewson said. Ukraine is a signatory to the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, and had been destroying its anti-personnel mines when the war began.

Persons: Mark Hiznay, ”, Adam Komorowski, Tymur Pistriuha, Hiznay, PARM, GICHD, Andro Mathewson, “, Komorowsi, Mick Ryan, Mathewson, Nacho Doce, Pistriuha, Komorowski, ” Ryan, Ryan, Jack Watling, Watling, ” Watling, demining Organizations: Russian, Reuters, HALO Trust, Human Rights Watch, Advisory, Geneva International Centre, Humanitarian, Ukrainian Deminers Association, Ukrainian, U.S . Army, Australian Army, REUTERS, HALO, Mines, Royal United Services Institute, United, Surveyors, State Emergency Service, Dnipro River’s Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian, Russia, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Eastern Europe, South America, Caribbean, Soviet Union, Afghanistan, Germany, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia oblast, Kherson, Iraqi, Kyiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, ”, Vuhledar, United Nations, Nova, Izium

☆ 'Unusual' numbers of a massive Russian missile built to sink aircraft carriers are hammering a port city in southern Ukraine, intelligence says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia is launching "unusual" numbers of carrier killer missiles, among others, at urban areas in southern Ukraine. The Kh-22 missile is inaccurate when used this way and exceptionally dangerous. The Tupelov Tu-22M supersonic bomber can carry up to three Kh-22 missiles, an anti-ship weapon that Russia has been using against Ukraine's urban areas. An aerial view of the damaged building after Russian missile attacks in Odessa, Ukraine on July 25, 2023. In an aerial view, the Transfiguration Cathedral heavily damaged by Russian missile on July 23, 2023 in Odesa, Ukraine.

Persons: Ercin, Zelenskyy, Yan Dobronosov, Viacheslav Onyshchenko, Yuriy Ihnat Organizations: Service, NATO, AS, Russian Defence Ministry, UNESCO, Heritage, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Russian, Workers, Command, Onyx, The New York Times, Intelligence Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Odesa, Wall, Silicon, Odessa, Odessa ., Russian, Dnipro, Ukrainian, Kremenchuk

☆ Russian forces are running out of the critical radars they need to defeat Ukraine's artillery, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Britain's defense ministry said Russian forces likely only have a few key systems remaining. For ground troops to surmount these obstacles means navigating through a slow and deadly process, and Ukrainian forces lack air superiority. "Russian ground forces survivability relies on effectively detecting Ukrainian artillery and striking against it, often with its force's own artillery," Britain's defense ministry said in a Monday intelligence update. According to an analysis by the open-source intelligence site Oryx, at least 38 Russian radars have been destroyed, damaged, or captured in Ukraine. "The priority Popov apparently gave to this problem highlights the continued centrality of artillery in the war," Britain's defense ministry said.

Persons: SERGEY SHESTAK, Ivan Popov, Popov, Caesar, Biden, Jake Sullivan Organizations: Service, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, Getty, Arms Army, CAA, Separate Artillery Brigade, REUTERS, West, Oryx, NATO, National Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Bakhmut, Donetsk, AFP, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Donetsk region

☆ NATO pushes for common standards to tackle shortfalls in artillery munitions
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

But the lack of common standards among the various manufacturers has hampered the flow of munitions supplies. It will take place on the sidelines of a NATO defence ministers' meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. Demand for 155mm artillery rounds has soared in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. "If national governments could bring themselves to throw national standards over board and agree on common NATO standards – in particular with regard to munitions – this would be a landslide change," the defence source said. Before that many NATO countries had already run down their stocks as governments considered wars of attrition with big artillery battles a thing of the past.

Persons: Caesar, Jens Stoltenberg, KMW, Leonardo, Northrop, Abrams, Armin Papperger, Sabine Siebold, Gwladys Fouche, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Separate Artillery Brigade, REUTERS, NATO, BAE Systems, Turkish, Dynamics, Leopard, Lockheed, Northrop Grumman, British Storm Shadow, Rheinmetall, RND, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Avdiivka, Donetsk region, BRUSSELS, Kyiv, NATO, Brussels, Kongsberg, Vilnius, Oslo

☆ Ukraine counteroffensive: Is Kyiv's operation underway south of Zaporizhzhia?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Andrew Carey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The attacks had been repelled, Shoigu said, adding that Ukrainian forces had suffered significant losses of both soldiers and arms. The situation facing Russian forces was very serious, he said. Breaking Russia’s land-bridge to Crimea, by rolling back Russian forces to the Sea of Azov, is clearly a central military objective for Ukraine. Ukrainian troops fire a Caesar self-propelled howitzer towards Russian forces near the town of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region. Viacheslav Ratynskyi/ReutersCNN cannot independently verify claims made by Russian officials or those of well-sourced Russian military bloggers.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Semyon Pegov –, ” –, Volodymyr Zelensky, Alexander Kots, Vladimir Rogov, ”, Caesar, Ratynskyi Organizations: Ukraine CNN —, Russian Ministry of Defence, 47th Mechanized Brigade, Defense Ministry, Reuters CNN, Russian Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Nova, Zaporizhzhia, Moscow, Orikhiv, Tokmak, Russian, Crimea, Azov, Melitopol, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Ukrainian

☆ Kyiv warns against loose talk as Russia claims to repel a Ukrainian ‘large-scale’ offensive attack in Donetsk
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Nathan Hodge Sebastian Shukla Olga Voitovych Sana Noor Haq | Nathan Hodge | Sebastian Shukla | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Monday’s announcement from the Russian side was no exception: The Russian military claimed in a statement to have killed 250 Ukrainians and destroyed armored vehicles used in the assault, but provided scant evidence. A spokesperson for the Ukraine Armed Forces, Bohdan Senyk, told CNN that Ukraine does “not have information” on a purported “large-scale offensive” in Donetsk. Gerasimov, who is chief of Russia’s General Staff, was put in overall command of Russian military operations in Ukraine early this year. Ukrainian troops are pictured near the town of Avdiivka in Donetsk on May 31, 2023. He claimed that Ukrainian troops have increased the intensity of their shelling, and fired Storm Shadow missiles.

Persons: Bohdan Senyk, “, ”, Valery Gerasimov “, Gerasimov, Wagner, Viacheslav Ratynskyi, Zelensky, Sean Gallup, Zaporizhzhia, Vladimir Rogov, ” Rogov, Muhammed Enes, Hanna Maliar, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Jake Sullivan –, Joe Biden’s, –, Washington, ” Sullivan, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria Organizations: CNN, Russian Defense Ministry, Russian, Ukraine Armed Forces, Russia’s, Staff, Reuters, Getty, Novosti, Storm, Anadolu Agency, Wall Street, Kyiv Locations: Ukrainian, Donetsk, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Avdiivka, Russian, Azov, “

☆ Pro-Ukraine Russian partisans plan to give prisoners to Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KYIV, June 4 (Reuters) - A pro-Ukraine group of Russian partisans on Sunday said it had captured several soldiers during a cross-border raid into southern Russia and would hand them over to Ukrainian authorities. The Russian Volunteer Corps made the claim in a video statement released on Telegram in the wake of a raid into the Russian region of Belgorod. The one minute and 26 second video clip showed what appeared to be around a dozen Russian soldiers being held captive, with two lying on hospital beds. The governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, earlier agreed to meet the group if the soldiers were still alive. Members of the Russian Volunteer Corps are seen, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the Russian border, in Ukraine May 24, 2023.

Persons: Moscow, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Gladkov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Dan Peleschuk, Caleb Davis, David Ljunggren, Gareth Jones, Will Dunham Organizations: Sunday, Russian Volunteer Corps, Corps, of Russia Legion, Russia Legion, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Belgorod, Viacheslav, Novaya Tavolzhanka

☆ Ukraine cleric accused of glorifying Russia invasion given house arrest
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Kyiv is cracking down on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) on the grounds it is pro-Russian and collaborating with Moscow, a charge the church denies. In a statement, the UOC said a Kyiv court also ordered Metropolitan Pavlo to wear an electronic bracelet. The Interfax Ukraine and Ukrinform news agencies said Pavlo had been given 60 days of house arrest. Prosecutors said the house arrest and electronic bracelet were precautionary measures and that the case against Pavlo would continue. Moscow said last month that Ukraine was "illegally attacking" the UOC, adding this confirmed the need for its military operations in Ukraine.

☆ Top Ukraine cleric accused of glorifying Russian invasion appears in court
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The hearing was adjourned to Monday after the cleric, Metropolitan Pavlo of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), complained of ill health. The court appearance came after Pavlo was questioned by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), which presented the cleric with a series of accusations on the same issue shortly before. The UOC has been accused of maintaining links to the pro-invasion Russian Orthodox Church, which used to be its parent church but with which the UOC says it all broke ties in May 2022. The UOC is Ukraine's second-largest church, though most Ukrainian Orthodox believers belong to a separate branch of the faith, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, formed four years ago by uniting branches independent of Moscow's authority. In a video posted to the UOC website earlier in the day, Pavlo said he condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

☆ Toughened by war's scars, Kyiv presses on while Russia attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] People walk down a street near anti-tank constructions as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in central Kyiv, Ukraine February 8, 2023. To avoid the lesson being disrupted by yet another Russian attack, she had quickly moved her class underground when the air-raid sirens sounded. "We teach math, biology, chemistry - everything according to the usual schedule," Olena, who declined to give her last name, told Reuters. Nearly a year after it began, Russia's invasion has upended life but also rallied a nation. Russia denies targeting civilians, and says its attacks are designed to weaken Ukraine's military.

[1/2] A car rides on an empty road near a frontline, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine January 29, 2023. In Paris after meeting Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said "there was no taboo" about supplying Kyiv with fighter planes. Russian forces on Tuesday made no headway in attempts to advance on Avdiivka, the second focal point of Russian attacks in Donetsk region, Kyiv's military general staff said. Russian forces also tried to advance near Lyman, a town further north in Donetsk region that was recaptured by Ukrainian forces in October, the military said. Russia was reaching further west in Donetsk by firing on the town of Vuhledar and a half dozen other towns and villages, the Ukraine military said.

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