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☆ Ukraine Says It Downed Russian Surveillance Plane
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Ian Lovett | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Russia uses its surveillance planes to identify targets and threats over a wide area. Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko/Associated PressKYIV, Ukraine—Ukrainian forces are struggling to hold back Russian troops on the ground, but they are proving adept at hitting high-value Russian targets, with the downing of a surveillance plane adding to string of recent blows to Moscow’s air force. Valeriy Zaluzhniy, the commander of the Ukrainian armed forces, said Monday on Telegram that Ukraine’s air force shot down an A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft, as well as a IL-22 bomber jet, over the Sea of Azov. He offered no details about how the planes had been brought down.

Persons: Alexander Zemlianichenko, Valeriy Zaluzhniy Organizations: Associated Press Locations: Russia, Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Azov

☆ Ukraine Welcomes Western Allies' Air Defence Coalition
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his defence minister welcomed the formation by Ukraine's Western allies on Thursday of a 20-nation "coalition" to boost air defences, seen as a key element in the country's campaign against Russian forces. Zelenskiy said the group, one of several devoted to specific areas of Ukraine's defence, was formed at a virtual meeting of the "Ramstein group" examining Ukraine's military needs. "Not everything can be disclosed publicly at this time, but the Ukrainian air shield is becoming stronger every month." Defence Minister Rustem Umerov also noted other assistance agreed by participants, including a German air defence package announced this week during a visit to Kyiv by Defence Minister Boris Pistorius. Zelenskiy has long pointed to improved air defence as a key element to help keep Ukrainian cities safe from Russian air strikes - including on energy infrastructure - as wintry weather takes hold.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Rustem Umerov, Boris Pistorius, General Valery Zaluzhniy, Ron Popeski, Ludwig Berger, Stephen Coates Organizations: Reuters, Russian, Germany's Defence Ministry, " Defence Locations: Ramstein, Germany, France, Kyiv, Dutch, Russia

☆ Zelenskiy calls for rapid operations changes for soldiers, sacks commander
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 19 (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday demanded rapid changes in the operations of Ukraine's military and announced the dismissal of the commander of the military's medical forces. "In today's meeting with Defence Minister Umerov, priorities were set," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. Zelenskiy said he had replaced Major-General Tetiana Ostashchenko as commander of the Armed Forces Medical Forces. "The task is clear, as has been repeatedly stressed in society, particularly among combat medics, we need a fundamentally new level of medical support for our soldiers," he said. Umerov acknowledged the change on the Telegram messaging app and set as top priorities digitalisation, "tactical medicine" and rotation of servicemen.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy's, Rustem Umerov, Umerov, Zelenskiy, Tetiana Ostashchenko, Valery Zaluzhniy, Ostashchenko, Anatoliy Kazmirchuk, Ron Popeski, Oleksandr, Chris Reese Organizations: Sunday, Russia, Defence, Armed Forces Medical Forces, Russian, Major, Thomson Locations: Dnipro, Kherson, Ukrainian, Ukraine, United States, Kyiv

☆ Ukraine replaces special forces commander, removed officer wonders why
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address that Colonel Serhiy Lupanchuk would now head the forces and described him as "an experienced officer, combat officer and the right man in command". The president said Lupanchuk's predecessor, Maj-Gen. Viktor Horenko, who led the forces from July 2022, "will continue to perform special tasks" within the Defence Ministry's Intelligence Directorate. The special forces are believed to be behind the most sophisticated operations Ukraine's military has conducted in areas under Russian control, in particular Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, eight years before Moscow's full land invasion. The special forces are also responsible for military information and psychological operations, as well as the organization of resistance in occupied territories. Zelenskiy this week praised Ukraine's military for diminishing Moscow's military strength in the Black Sea through increased air and sea drone attacks on Russian military targets.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Serhiy Lupanchuk, Viktor Horenko, Horenko, General Valery Zaluzhnyi, Zaluzhniy, Ron Popeski, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Rod Nickel Organizations: Defence Ministry's Intelligence, Pravda, Fleet, Economist, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Crimea, Sevastopol, Black

☆ Ukraine War Risks Stalemate, Armed Forces Chief Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Ian Lovett | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Retired Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt and WSJ Ukraine correspondent James Marson explain Ukraine’s evolving counteroffensive military strategy and what could be next for Europe’s biggest land war since World War II. Photo Illustration: Jeremy Shuback/WSJKYIV, Ukraine—The commander of Ukraine’s armed forces says the war with Russia is at risk of becoming a stalemate and Kyiv would need a major upgrade in weapons and technological capabilities to regain the initiative. In an interview and essay for the Economist, Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhniy, Ukraine’s top military commander, said the war was entering a new phase of “static and attritional fighting, as in the First World War.”

Persons: Mark Kimmitt, James Marson, Jeremy Shuback, Valeriy, ” Locations: Ukraine, KYIV, Russia

☆ Ukrainian troops face new Russian assault on eastern town of Avdiivka
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Russian forces subjected Avdiivka to fierce attacks last week, but the shelling had tapered off in the last few days. Kupiansk was recaptured by Ukrainian troops late last year in a lighting advance through the country's northeast, but Russian forces have stepped up attacks in a bid to retake it. Zaluzhniy said Ukrainian forces around Kupiansk were "maintaining their defence in the most difficult of conditions". Russia's accounts of the fighting said its forces had destroyed a command point near Avdiivka and repelled 11 Ukrainian attacks near Kupiansk. When Ukrainian troops retook parts of Kherson region last year, Russian forces abandoned its biggest city, also called Kherson.

Persons: Yevhen, General Valery Zaluzhnyi, Zaluzhniy, Oleksandr Shtupun, Avdiivka, Kupiansk, Shtupun, Olena Harmash, Ronald Popeski, Timothy Heritage Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Russian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Avdiivka, Donetsk region, Kupiansk, Russian, Donetsk, Azov, Verbove, Zaporizhzhia, Robotyne, U.S, Ukrainian, Dnipro, Kherson, Kyiv

☆ Ukraine reports Russian attacks in east, progress in south
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Russian accounts of the front line said Moscow's forces had repelled Ukrainian attacks near villages ringing Bakhmut and in areas further south, particularly the strategic hilltop town of Vuhlear. "In addition, the enemy has started an attack in the Svatove area," she said, referring to a region of northeastern Ukraine where Russian forces have been active. Maliar reported "partial success" south of Bakhmut, taken in late May by Russian forces after months of fierce fighting. And on the southern front, where Ukrainian forces have recaptured several villages, Maliar said there had been "gradual advances" in two areas. Ukraine has also had to endure persistent Russian air attacks on Ukrainian cities, though the Kremlin denies attacking civilian targets.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Hanna Maliar, Maliar, General Oleksander Tarnavskiy, General Valery Zaluzhniy, Ron Popeski, Nick Starkov, Chizu Organizations: REUTERS, Ukrainian, Russian, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Kyiv, Bakhmut, Vuhlear, Odesa, Russia's, Avdiivka, Maryinka, Donetsk, Russia

☆ Russian forces advance in Ukraine's Bakhmut - Russian-installed leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, March 28 (Reuters) - Russian forces are moving forward in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut despite fierce resistance and have almost taken full control of a metals plant there, a Russian-installed leader in the region said. His assertion ran counter to Ukrainian and Western descriptions of the situation in the city, which they have said is stabilising as a Russian offensive falters. "The (Wagner) guys are moving forward, of course they are moving forward, though it takes their hardest efforts to do that," Pushilin told state TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov. British military intelligence has said that the Russian assault has stalled, mainly as a result of heavy troop losses. Ukrainian military commanders have said their own counter offensive - backed by newly-delivered Western hardware - is not far off, but have stressed the importance of holding Bakhmut in the meantime.

☆ Holding Bakhmut is a 'military necessity' - Ukrainian general
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Zohra BensemraKYIV, March 27 (Reuters) - Ukraine's ground forces commander said on Monday his troops were continuing to repel heavy Russian attacks on the eastern city of Bakhmut and that defending it was a "military necessity". "The most intense phase of the battle for Bakhmut continues. The enemy suffers significant losses in human resources, weapons and military equipment but continues to conduct offensive actions," he said. Commander-in-Chief General Valery Zaluzhniy said on Saturday the situation was being "stabilised" around Bakhmut. Moscow sees capturing the city as vital to completing the capture of the Donbas industrial region in eastern Ukraine, one of its main war goals.

☆ Ukraine slams Putin plan to station Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"Making a statement about tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, he admits that he is afraid of losing & all he can do is scare with tactics," Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted. Washington, the world's other nuclear superpower, played down concerns about Putin's announcement and the potential for Moscow to use nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine. The official noted that Russia and Belarus had been speaking about the transfer of nuclear weapons for some time. However, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons called Putin's announcement an extremely dangerous escalation. Sharing nuclear weapons makes the situation much worse and risks catastrophic humanitarian consequences," it said on Twitter.

☆ Ukraine's top soldier says situation in embattled Bakhmut is stabilising
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 25 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces have managed to blunt Russia's offensive in and around the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut, where the situation is stabilising, commander in chief General Valery Zaluzhniy said on Saturday. Separately, Britain's defence ministry said the months-long Russian assault on the city had stalled, mainly as a result of heavy troop losses. Bakhmut is a major Russian target as it bids to fully capture Ukraine's industrialised Donbas region. Thanks to the titanic efforts of the defence forces, the situation is being stabilised," Zaluzhniy said in a post on Telegram after a conversation with British counterpart Tony Radakin. The British defence ministry, in a daily update, said Russia most likely wanted to stabilise its front lines and would adopt a more defensive operational stance.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Ukraine slams Putin's nuclear weapons plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Ukrainian servicemen stand next to a destroyed building near the frontline town of Kreminna, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Luhansk region, Ukraine March 24, 2023. Erdogan thanked Putin for his "positive attitude" in extending the Black Sea grain deal, the Kremlin said in a statement. * U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Saturday he will visit the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine next week to assess the serious situation there. Erdogan thanked Putin for his "positive attitude" in extending the Black Sea grain deal, the Kremlin said in a statement. * SPECIAL REPORT-Wagner’s convicts tell of horrors of Ukraine war and loyalty to their leaderCompiled by Reuters editorsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"The enemy literally step over the corpses of their own soldiers, using massed artillery, MLRS systems and mortars," Malyar said. Prigozhin has been trying to capture Bakhmut and Soledar for months at the cost of many lives on both sides. "Thanks to the resilience of our soldiers in Soledar, we have won for Ukraine additional time and additional strength," Zelenskiy said. [1/8] General view of railway lines, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Siversk, Ukraine, January 9, 2023. Moscow has not commented on the reports from the village, which Ukraine recaptured from Russian forces in September.

☆ U.S. sees 'conflicting' views in Russia on fresh Ukraine offensive
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - There are conflicting views in Russia on whether or not to launch a renewed offensive in Ukraine, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Tuesday, reiterating Washington would keep backing Kyiv regardless of which scenario plays out. The 10-month-old conflict prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine has spiraled into the largest in Europe since World War Two, and has killed tens of thousands of people, driven millions from their homes and reduced cities to ruins. But Russia's invasion has faltered badly since the summer with a string of losses to a Ukrainian counter-offensive that retook swathes of occupied territory and forced Moscow into a partial mobilisation of 300,000 more troops. "Certainly there are some (within Russia) who I think would want to pursue (new) offensives in Ukraine. There are others who have real questions about the capacity for Russia to actually do that," the State Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told reporters in Washington.

☆ Moldova fears new Russian push towards breakaway east next year -spy chief
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Alexander Tanas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CHISINAU, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Moldova's spy chief warned on Monday of a "very high" risk of a new Russian offensive towards his country's east next year and said Moscow still aimed to secure a land corridor through Ukraine to the breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniestria. "The question is not whether the Russian Federation will undertake a new advance towards Moldova's territory, but when it will do so," Musteata told the TVR-Moldova television channel. The Information and Security Service said in a statement that it expected Russian offensive action would depend on the course of its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. To Ukraine's west, fellow ex-Soviet republic Moldova has a tiny defence budget and has long had Russian troops and peacekeepers based in Transdniestria, a breakaway statelet that has survived for three decades with support from Moscow. Moldova, now seeking closer ties with the West like Ukraine, has condemned the Russian invasion of its larger neighbour.

☆ Putin heads for Belarus amid fears of new assault on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

KYIV, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin flies to Belarus on Monday amid fear in Kyiv that he intends to pressure the former Soviet ally to join a new ground offensive against Ukraine and reopen a new front. There has been constant Russian and Belarusian military activity for months in Belarus, a close Kremlin ally that Moscow's troops used as a launch pad for their abortive attack on Kyiv in February. Moscow and Minsk have since set up a joint regional unit of forces in Belarus and held numerous military exercises. Three Russian warplanes and an airborne early warning and control aircraft were deployed to Belarus last week. Lukashenko said he and Putin will hold talks on a long-running effort to integrate their countries into a supranational union State.

☆ Putin lands in Belarus for talks amid fears of new assault on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Russian President Vladimir Putin walks after disembarking from a plane upon his arrival at the National Airport Minsk in Minsk, Belarus December 19, 2022. Russian forces used Belarus as a launch pad for their abortive attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in February, and there has been Russian and Belarusian military activity there for months. Adding to the ominous mood music, Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei, one of the few officials in Lukashenko's government with any rapport with the West, died suddenly last month. His successor, Sergei Aleinik, met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday. The talks are seen by the Belarus opposition as a vehicle for a creeping Russian annexation.

Blackouts forced the shutdown of reactors at Ukraine's Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant in the south and the Rivne and Khmelnitskyi plants in the west, all in government-held territory, the state-run nuclear energy firm Energoatom said. "Currently, they (power units) work in project mode, without generation into the domestic energy system," Energoatom said. Explosions reverberated throughout Kyiv on Wednesday afternoon as Russian missiles bore down and Ukrainian air defence rockets were fired in efforts to intercept them. Most thermal and hydro-electric power plants were forced to shut down as well, Ukraine's energy ministry said earlier. [1/15] Rescuers work at a site of a residential building destroyed by a Russian missile attack, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in the town of Vyshhorod, near Kyiv, Ukraine, November 23, 2022.

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