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☆ Russian troops and Wagner mercenaries killed each other in a shootout after blaming each other for their war failures, Ukrainian government says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian and Wagner troops opened fire on each other in Luhansk over an argument, Ukraine says. The soldiers and mercenaries had been blaming each other for their mistakes in the war, per Ukraine. "As a result, a fight between Russian Armed Forces and PMC Wagner mercenaries broke out in the settlement of Stanytsia Luhanska recently." It's thus unclear whether the alleged firefight represents wider conflict or discipline issues among Russian forces on the frontline. However, multiple reports have documented Russian troops being plagued by friendly fire in Ukraine, though the Kremlin rarely acknowledges any of these incidents.

☆ Ukrainian officials planned 'mass strikes' on Moscow and other cities 'with everything' they had, but they stood down after US intervention: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Washington Post reports Ukrainian officials had plans for "mass strikes" on Russian cities on the first anniversary's of the war. Ukraine's military intelligence chief directed an officer to hit "with everything" available, but the plan wasn't carried out. Officials in Kyiv have disputed the Post report based on leaked documents, calling it "strange media" and "sensation." Ukraine is also suspected to be behind a number of explosive sea drone attacks on Russian installations. Smoke rises after explosions were heard from the direction of a Russian military airbase near Novofedorivka, Crimea August 9, 2022.

☆ Ukraine's air force is now allowing foreigners to sign up as pilots as it pushes for Western fighter jets
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine's Air Force will now allow foreigners to serve as pilots, engineers, and specialists. Ukraine said that its air force has been inundated with offers from people willing to fight Russia. Yurii Ihnat, a spokesperson for the commander of Ukraine's air force, said in a statement Thursday that foreign citizens will be able to join if they have suitable military training. Despite bipartisan calls in the US for President Joe Biden's administration to send F-16s, Biden himself said on February 24 that Ukraine "doesn't need F-16s now." Serhii Holubtsov, chief of aviation of Ukraine's Air Force, however, told The Times of London that Ukrainian fighter pilots would be ready to fly F-16 jets after fewer than six months of training.

☆ 'My call sign is 'Grandad.'' The retirees who are frontline fighters for Ukraine against the Russian invaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Some volunteer fighters in Ukraine are considerably older than the average age of a typical soldier. 63-year-old Leonid Onyschenko, for example, is fighting for Ukraine near the city of Bakhmut. While the classic image of a soldier in battle evokes a fit young person with a chiseled jawline, the diverse volunteer fighters in Ukraine defy this expectation. The Territorial Defense Forces (TDF) — a volunteer military reserve — said that Onyshchenko had been serving the country for nine years since Russia's invasion and illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. Many of the older volunteers the news outlet spoke to appeared eager to stay in eastern Ukraine at the time.

☆ Wagner boss says the Kremlin won't talk to him anymore after he complained that Russia isn't giving his troops enough ammo
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Group, said the Kremlin has completely stopped talking to him. Prigozhin claims he was cut off after revealing that his troops in Ukraine are running out of ammunition. The Wagner boss said he's been desperately trying to get more supplies but has been ignored. This was after he complained on Sunday that the Russian government isn't giving his fighters in Ukraine enough ammunition. Prigozhin has over the last week pleaded for the Kremlin to give his troops more ammunition, complaining about a "shell hunger."

☆ 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.

☆ Wagner representative barred from Russian army HQ in Ukraine, its boss says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Since mid-January, Russia's campaign in Ukraine has been commanded personally by the chief of the general staff, Army General Valery Gerasimov. "If Wagner retreats from Bakhmut now, the whole front will collapse," Prigozhin said in the video, apparently filmed in a bunker. "The situation will not be sweet for all military formations protecting Russian interests." A prominent critic of the mercenary boss said, without providing evidence, that it was two weeks old. In Monday's statement, he said: "We are continuing to smash the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Bakhmut."

☆ Russia steps up hostilities to deplete Ukraine's forces - Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Ukrainian service members ride tanks, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the frontline town of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine February 21, 2023. "The enemy, having an advantage in the resource of human mobilisation, is deliberately intensifying hostilities in an effort to deplete the units of the armed forces of Ukraine," Gromov said. "To try to capture Bakhmut, the occupiers have used the most prepared units of the regular forces." 'STEPPING STONE'Donetsk and Luhansk are two of four regions that Russia has declared part of Russia although it does not fully control of either. Russia controls nearly a fifth of Ukraine but has suffered a number of setbacks in recent months as Ukrainian forces counter-attacked, using weapons received from Western allies.

☆ Ukraine's military intelligence service got an unannounced delivery of a US-made Black Hawk helicopter
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Stefano D'Urso | The Aviationist | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine's Directorate of Intelligence published photos of the unannounced delivery of a US-made helicopter. The helicopter's livery suggests the US bought a Black Hawk back from a private firm to send to Kyiv. This delivery comes unannounced, as the UH-60 Black Hawk was not included in any of the aid packages and its supply to the Armed Forces of Ukraine was not mentioned by officials. —Defence intelligence of Ukraine (@DI_Ukraine) February 21, 2023However, Defence Blog was quick to notice that the Black Hawk, in addition to the Ukrainian flags and roundels, wears a peculiar livery. This livery was saw in the past on helicopters of the US firm Ace Aeronautics, which specializes in converting older Black Hawk helicopters divested by the US Army for the civilian market.

☆ Russian balloons are drifting over Kyiv, likely to fake out its air defenses and force them to waste valuable missiles, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian forces reportedly detected six Russian balloons in Kyiv's airspace on Thursday. A Ukrainian military spokesman said the balloons were meant to " exhaust our air defense forces." The Kyiv City Military Administration posted about the balloons on Telegram on Wednesday. Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesman of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said the high-altitude balloons "were launched to detect and exhaust our air defense forces," the BBC reported. Shooting them down can waste valuable surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), which can be effective against aircraft, helicopters, drones, and slower cruise missiles.

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.

☆ The rise of Ukraine's 'iron general,' who transformed its army and became Putin's worst nightmare
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 became a pivotal moment for Zaluzhnyi, who commanded several Ukrainian military units there. A serviceman of the Ukrainian Armed Forces takes part in military drills near the border with Russian-annexed Crimea. Press Service of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine/Handout via ReutersDuring his post in Crimea, Zaluzhnyi started making some tactical changes to the military that moved away from the old Soviet mentality and paved the way for new fighting tactics. Miron told Insider that the war in Donbas was a "huge influence" on his leadership style. "The war in Donbas shaped his idea of basically creating this flexible structure within the Ukrainian Arm Forces, seeing how wars are being conducted in contemporary times," Miron said.

☆ Ukraine says Russia's putting inflatable tanks on the battlefield — but the decoys deflated
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine accused Russia of staging inflatable tanks near Zaporizhzhia in a Thursday Facebook post. Just like the inflated bravado of the Russian army," the agency said. Inflatable tanks are a staple of Russia's deception doctrine known as maskirovka, or masking. Russia has utilized elements of maskirovka in conflicts going back decades, but their most recent efforts in Ukraine apparently fizzled, Ukraine claims. It was not clear for what purpose Russia allegedly staged the inflatable tanks near Zaporizhzhia.

☆ Military tech is racing towards a dangerous AI future, and Russia's war in Ukraine is paving the way, drone experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Currently, the drones are guided at launch by a human operator, according to independent Russian outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe. But more advanced drone technology is enabling what Rogers calls "on" the loop of control. "In the case of the systems that we have seen used, there's still a human operator authorizing the use of force," she said. Under pressure and potentially under fire, a drone operator may take the machine's prompt less as a suggestion and more as an infallible instruction. In a fully autonomous future of drone warfare, he asked, will drone AI be programmed "to avoid those who are waving a white flag?"

☆ Canada to send four Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Spanish Army Leopard 2 tanks attend NATO enhanced Forward Presence battle group military exercise Crystal Arrow 2021 in Adazi, Latvia March 26, 2021 REUTERS/Ints KalninsOTTAWA, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Canada will send four Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand said on Thursday, after Germany this week allowed other countries to re-export the German-built tank. "This donation, combined with the contributions of allies and partners, will significantly help the armed forces of Ukraine" in the their defense against the Russian invasion, Anand told reporters in Ottawa. Reporting by Ismail Shakil in OttawaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 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 'iron general' inherited $1 million from a US software developer and donated it straight to the military
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Zaluzhnyi donated the full amount to Ukraine's military earlier this month, the reports said. Stepanets was born in the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia in 1938, according to the Ukrainian Pravda. He made his fortune after inventing a decoding system and selling it to Microsoft, the Ukrainian Pravda reported. A former soldier himself, Zaluzhnyi reformed Ukraine's military from a Soviet model into a modern fighting force. "His leadership enabled the Ukrainian armed forces to adapt quickly with battlefield initiative against the Russians."

☆ Turkey cancels Swedish defence minister visit after protest permit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Andy Commins/Pool via REUTERSISTANBUL, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday that a planned visit by his Swedish counterpart to Ankara has been cancelled after Swedish authorities granted permission for protests in Stockholm. "At this point, the visit of Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson to Turkey on January 27 has become meaningless. So we cancelled the visit," Akar said. Swedish Defence Minister Jonson had planned to travel next week to Ankara at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart as the Nordic country hopes to nudge Turkey to ratify its bid to join NATO. The necessary things needed to be done, measures should have been taken," Akar said according to a statement by Turkish defence ministry.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Wagner mercenaries claim capture of village outside Bakhmut; Russia suspects U.S. citizen of espionage
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The head of the Wagner Group, a private military company fighting alongside regular Russian units in Ukraine, has claimed his forces have taken full control of Klishchiivka, a village just south of Bakhmut, a prime target for the Russian military. The enemy clings to every meter of the earth." Prigozhin contradicted reports that Ukrainian forces were fleeing Bakhmut (known as Artemovsk in Russia) saying, "contrary to various opinions that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are fleeing from Artemovsk, this is not so. But in any case, the units of PMC "Wagner" are moving forward meter by meter. The settlement of Artemovsk will be taken."

☆ How one of the most gut-wrenching images of Russia's deadly air strikes on Ukraine almost didn't happen
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Viral photos showed devastating aftermath of Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian apartment block. A photos shows a woman in a bathroom after a Russian strike on an apartment building in Dnipro, Ukraine, on January 15, 2023. Ukraine said Russia hit the building with a Russian Kh-22 missile, known as an "aircraft carrier killer." Another photographer's photo shows emergency personnel working at the site where an apartment building was heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike in Dnipro, Ukraine on January 15, 2023. People stand next to the coffin during the funeral ceremony of Mykhailo Korenovskyi, Ukrainian boxing coach and a father of two, killed during the Russian missile attack in Dnipro, Ukraine, on January 17, 2023.

☆ Russia's Wagner boss heralds Bakhmut area advances, warns victory still distant
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 19 (Reuters) - The founder of Russia's Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Thursday that his forces had taken the village of Klishchiivka, on the edge of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, but said that Ukrainian forces could not be forced from Bakhmut swiftly. Klishchiivka, which had a pre-war population of around 400 people, is located around 6 miles (9 kilometres) from the city of Bakhmut, where Wagner units have been locked have been locked in a months-long battle of attrition with Ukrainian forces. However, Prigozhin warned that Wagner would be unlikely to oust Ukrainian forces from Bakhmut soon: "Contrary to various opinions that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are fleeing from Artemovsk [the Russian name for Bakhmut], this is not so. The Ukrainian army is working clearly and harmoniously. Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy FaulconbridgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine's top general outlines 'urgent needs' in talks with U.S. military chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Ukraine's top general said he had outlined the "urgent needs" of his armed forces on Tuesday at a first personal meeting with the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, in Poland. "I outlined the urgent needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the fulfilment of which will accelerate our Victory," General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi wrote in a statement on Telegram. The United States has been by far the biggest supplier of military assistance for Kyiv during the war. In his statement, Zaluzhnyi said he thanked Milley for "the unwavering support and assistance provided by the United States of America and allies to Ukraine". Reporting by Tom Balmforth and Max Hunder Editing by Jon Boyle and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The Russian missile that wiped out an apartment block was designed to sink aircraft carriers and can't be shot down by Ukraine, says its airforce
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

At least 23 people were killed in a Russian missile strike on an apartment block in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. The apartments were hit by a Russian Kh-22 missile which is called an "aircraft carrier killer," said Ukraine. The building was hit by a Russian Kh-22 missile, a Soviet-era anti-ship missile, which Ukraine has described as an "aircraft carrier killer." "This missile with a 950 kg (2,000-pound) warhead, which is called an 'aircraft carrier killer,' is designed to destroy aircraft carrier groups at sea. The Russian missile that Ukraine can't shoot downEmergency personnel work at the site where an apartment block was heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine January 15, 2023.

☆ UK indicates it will send battle tanks to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERSLONDON, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Rishi Sunak indicated on Saturday that Britain would send Ukraine some of its main battle tanks along with additional artillery support, drawing swift reproach from the Russian Embassy in London. Media reports have suggested Britain was in discussions with Ukraine to deliver the Challengers to help the country fight Moscow's forces. According to Sky News, about a dozen tanks would be supplied, the first time such Western weaponry had been pledged. BATTLE TANKThe Challenger 2 is a battle tank designed to attack other tanks, and has been in service with the British Army since 1994. "The prime minister and President Zelenskiy welcomed other international commitments in this vein, including Poland's offer to provide a company of Leopard tanks," Sunak's spokesperson said.

☆ Drone footage shows Ukrainian forces trapping fighters from Russia's Wagner Group in a lethal crossfire
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Drone footage shows the Ukrainian troops annihilating a unit of Wagner fighters in Soledar. The video shows soldiers — who the State Border Service of Ukraine identified as Wagner Group fighters — being monitored by a drone. The soldiers then come under fire from Ukrainian fighters using large-caliber machine guns, resulting in a number of injuries, according to the border force. In a Telegram post, the State Border Service of Ukraine described the events. "Although the enemy has concentrated its greatest forces in this direction, our troops – the Armed Forces of Ukraine, all defense and security forces – are defending the state."

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