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☆ Ukraine Reports No Shortages of Artillery Shells for First Time: Zelenskyy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this week that Ukraine's forces had reported no shortages of artillery shells for the first time since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, the Kyiv Independent reported. "For the first time during the war, none of the brigades complained that there were no artillery shells," Zelenskyy said on May 16. Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesUkraine's armed forces have faced severe artillery shortages in recent months, partly due to a US military aid package being stalled in Congress. Despite this, Russian artillery will likely outmatch Ukraine's for most of 2024, officials and analysts told Foreign Policy. He added that he expected Ukrainian forces would "hold the line" near Kharkiv City.

Persons: —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, milblogger Stanislav Osman, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Rustem Umerov, Petr Pavel, Vladimir Putin, Christopher Cavoli Organizations: Service, Kyiv Independent, Business, Kyiv Post, Army, Anadolu Agency, Getty, EU, BBC News, Policy, CNN, for Locations: Russia, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Ukraine's, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Donetsk Oblast, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Czech Republic, Russian, Kharkiv City

☆ Russia is finally getting serious about its war, and it spells trouble for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Much of the war in Ukraine has gone poorly for Russia. But Russian President Vladimir Putin's war machine looks very different today than it did at the start of the conflict. The Russian military continued to suffer from other problems in the first year of fighting, racking up troop and equipment losses while failing to capture significant amounts of Ukrainian territory. AdvertisementThe following month, a top US official and general said, respectively, that the Russian military was "almost completely reconstituted" and had "grown back" to its pre-war strength. The employment of glide bombs to support ground maneuver is the primary example of how Russia's military is successfully learning from its past shortcomings, Barros said.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Miguel Diaz, Canel, Maxim Shemetov, George Barros, Russia's, Stringer, They've, Chris Cavoli, Andrei Belousov —, Sergei Shoigu, Barros, It's, Andrei Belousov, VYACHESLAV PROKOFYEV, Oleksandra Novosel, Biden, Sergey Pivovarov, Mick Ryan, Jack Watling Organizations: Service, Business, Cuban, Institute for, Ukraine, REUTERS, Allied, US European Command, Sputnik, Security, Defense, Getty, JSC, UA, PBC, 42nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, Russian, Kharkiv, Royal United Services Institute Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Ukraine —, —, Russian, Kharkiv, Kherson, Robotyne, Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, Soviet, Shevchenkivskyi, Avdiivka, Washington, Russia's Rostov, Australian, Kyiv

☆ Ukraine's getting more longe-range missiles that leave the Russians with 'nowhere to hide'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The number of missiles isn't publicly known, but ATACMS missiles average about $1.3 million each. These air-dropped missiles can fly at low altitudes to avoid detection and have been used to strike Russian naval headquarters and vehicle-repair depots in the occupied Crimean peninsula. The arrival of Storm Shadow missiles — and, several months later, ATAMCS — presented new challenges for Moscow, but Ukraine has received so few it has had to bee choosy over what to target. Indeed, Kyiv has used the American missiles in recent weeks to strike Russian airfields and troop gatherings. Missiles like ATACMS and Storm Shadow "will enable Ukraine to neutralize Russia's advantages and eventually enable them to regain the initiative," he added.

Persons: —, Ben Hodges, John Hamilton The, Jake Sullivan, Grant Shapps, Ben Stansall, Dan Rice, you've, Rice, ATAMCS —, Serhii, Hodges, Moscow's, Jack Watling, Watling Organizations: Service, US, Business, US Army, Army Tactical Missile System, White, MGM, Tactical Missile Systems, Biden administration's, Republicans, Congress, Kyiv, General Staff, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Storm, Shadow, Farnborough, American University Kyiv, Artillery Rocket Systems, Getty, Missiles, Russian Defense Ministry, Royal United Services Institute Locations: Ukraine, New Mexico, Washington, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Italy, France, Crimean, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Donetsk Oblast, Berlin, Avdiivka, Anadolu, Kharkiv

☆ Zelenskyy canceled all his foreign trips, a sign things are critically bad for Ukraine right now
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

This has given Russian forces the chance to make small but steady gains. It's one of 30 settlements that have seen heavy bombardment by Russian forces, Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Monday. AdvertisementHolding on until Western aid comesMeanwhile, chronic delays in Western support has left Ukraine badly under-supplied in ammunition. Advertisement"This year represents a window of opportunity for Russia," military analyst Michael Kofman told the Times. "But if the Russian military is not able to turn these advantages into battlefield gains and generate momentum, there's a fair chance that this window will begin to close as we enter 2025."

Persons: —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy's, Sergii Nykyforov, Nykyforov, EFE, King Felipe VI of Spain, Zelenskyy, Hamish de Bretton Gordon, Bretton Gordon, Vladimir Putin, George Barros, Chasiv Yar, Kyryo Budanov, Oleh Syniehubov, Ann Marie Dailey, Russia's, Emmanuel Macron's, de Bretton Gordon, Michael Kofman Organizations: Service, Business, Telegraph, British, Institute, Associated Press, New York Times, BBC, Kharkiv, RAND, Fleet, Russian, Politico, Times Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Spanish, Portugal, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Chasiv Yar, Vovchansk, Russian, Ukraine's, prevarication, it's

☆ This year's biggest air battles are showing the US what it could need most in a missile war with China
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jake Epstein | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, FileThe war has shown how effective air defenses can be at denying air superiority, protecting key areas, and threatening high-value aircraft, as well as the costs when capabilities are degraded. Ukraine's air defenses, like its Soviet-era S-300s and US-supplied Patriots, have defeated enemy missile and drone strikes, hindered Russian air operations, and shot down numerous fighter-bombers and other Russian planes. "Ukraine and NATO might reduce risks with a two-prong strategy of strengthening air defenses and boosting infrastructure resilience." Needing more interceptors for the PacificFrom the fights this year, the US can see how it'll need to employ air defenses in a potential showdown with China. Running out of air defenses before the enemy runs out of air threats spells trouble.

Persons: —, Bradley Martin, Evgeniy, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Firefighters, Archer Macy, Martin, Shaan Shaikh, We've, Amir Cohen TPX, Shaikh, it's, Andy Wong, Thomas Shugart, Shugart, Joshua Smoot, Heath Collins, Navy Carlos Del Toro, Macy, Mark Wright Organizations: Service, Business, US Navy, Ukraine, AP, Patriots, Institute for, Emergency, Ministry, RAND Corporation, NATO, Western, Central Command, Combat, Navy, RAND, Patriot, US, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, REUTERS, China, Pentagon, Defense, Center, New, Air Force, 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, Andersen Air Force Base, US Air Force, Aegis, Missile Defense Agency, Former Navy, CSIS, Pacific Missile, AP Air Locations: China, Ukraine, Israel, Navy, Russia, Congress, Avdiivka, Kharkiv, Russian, Kyiv, NATO, Yemen, Gulf of Aden, Iran, Red, Screengrab, French, Ashdod, South Korea, Japan, Guam, Beijing, New American, Gen, Kauai, Hawaii

☆ Mapping Russia’s Sudden Push Across Ukrainian Lines
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Marco Hernandez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Mapping Russia’s Sudden Push Across Ukrainian LinesAll of a sudden, Russian forces are making progress in many directions at once. Vovchansk RUSSIAN TROOPS Ohirtseve RUSSIAN ADVANCE MAY 14 RUSSIA Another line of Russian attack was near the town of Krasne. UKRAINE Tykhe RUSSIA Vovchansk Ohirtseve RUSSIAN TROOPS Another line of Russian attack was near the town of Krasne. The real goal may be to divert already-weakened Ukrainian forces from critical battles elsewhere. Russia’s broad range of attacks appears to be stretching Ukrainian forces thin.

Persons: Shestakove, Slatyne Rohan Derhachi, RUSSIA Vovchansk, Franz, Stefan Gady, Chasiv Yar, Kyrylo Budanov, ”, “ Organizations: Slatyne Rohan Derhachi Kharkiv, American, New York, Ukrainian, Kharkiv Kupiansk, RUSSIA, Makiivka Donetsk Locations: Kharkiv, Ukraine’s, UKRAINE, Russia, Ohirtseve, RUSSIA, Krasne, Hlyboke, Kut, Slatyne Rohan Derhachi Kharkiv, Ukraine, Avdiivka, Donetsk, RUSSIA Russian, Vienna, “, Chasiv Yar

☆ US intelligence sees Russia step up disinformation campaign against Ukraine’s Zelensky
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Russia has stepped up its disinformation efforts to discredit Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and raise questions about his legitimacy in recent months, US intelligence agencies have observed. Russia has spread disinformation about Zelensky since before the war started but recent intelligence shows “it’s definitely increasing,” the official said. The administration has also imposed sanctions against individuals and entities connected with Russian disinformation. Both Ukraine and Russia have been involved in disinformation efforts against each other for years. “Not only have we seen these disinformation efforts increasing but we also expect them to continue to increase.”

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, “ it’s, “, ”, Zelensky, ’, Vladimir Putin’s, ’ ”, Gavin Wilde, ” Wilde, isn’t Organizations: CNN, Biden, ’ ” Biden, National Security Council, Carnegie Endowment, International Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Avdiivka, Ukrainian, Ukraine’s, Russian, Zelensky

☆ Russia is surging across the frontlines, and Ukraine seems unable to stop it
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

First, and most acutely troubling, is the northern border near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city. Russian forces have crossed the border in multiple locations and claim to have seized nine villages. The town of Lyptsi is at risk, say some military bloggers, and from there Russian forces could hit Kharkiv with artillery. Netailove and Krasnohorivka slightly further south show Russian forces making further gains to the west of Avdiivka, and threatening another key hub – Pokrovsk. An evacuee arrives by bus at an evacuation point in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, on May 12.

Persons: ” “, ”, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Chasiv Yar, evacuee, Roman Pilpey, Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Andrey Belousov Organizations: CNN, Getty, Biden, National Security Council, Washington Locations: Ukrainian, Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Kharkiv, Ukraine’s, Vovchansk, Lyptsi, Kyiv, Chasiv, Kramatorsk, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Verbove, Ukraine's Kharkiv, AFP, –, Europe

☆ Russia takes five villages in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, defense ministry says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian volunteers assit residents of settlements in the north of the Kharkiv region during their evacuation on May 10, 2024, amid the Russian invassion in Ukraine. Russia said on Saturday that its forces had taken five border villages in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, where Russia launched an offensive on Friday, exploiting its increasing advantage on the battlefields of eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian officials said on Friday that Russia had launched a new cross-border offensive against the Kharkiv region, which is centered around Kharkiv City, Ukraine's second-largest. On Saturday, Russia kept up its attacks in the Kharkiv region and was trying to advance further, Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. Russian forces first attacked Kharkiv region in Feb. 2022, but were routed from most of the province by a lightning Ukrainian counter-offensive in September of that year.

Persons: Oleh Syniehubov, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Defence Ministry Locations: Kharkiv, Ukraine, Russia, Ukraine's Kharkiv, Pletenivka, Russian, Keramik, Donetsk, Moscow, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Kharkiv City, Ukraine's, Russia's, Belgorod

☆ The US military isn't ready for the coming drone war
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

The Department of Defense is working on initiatives to face the drone threat, but the US military doesn't yet appear ready to confront this ever-evolving challenge, especially on the scale seen in Ukraine. AdvertisementA US military MQ-9 Reaper drone waits for take-off at Kandahar Air Base in Afghanistan on March 9, 2018. US military leaders have repeatedly stressed there's no silver bullet to defeat small drones in battle. Shellie HallStudents there spend several weeks learning how to identify, engage, and defeat small drones. The drone threat draws certain parallels to fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, where hidden bombs posed a tremendous threat.

Persons: GENYA SAVILOV, Mick Ryan, hasn't, you've, Franz J, Marty, Samuel Bendett, Paul Scharre, that's, Mike Parent, Mark Schauer, Parent, Paul Butcher, Cpl, Doug Bush, Amber Osei, Moseph Sauda, doesn't, Sauda, America's, Bram Janssen, Scharre, Justin Bronk, Jack Watling, Ryan Organizations: Business, Troops, of Defense, Department of Defense, Getty, Australian Army, Islamic State, Kandahar Air Base, Defense Ministry, Karabakh . Defense Ministry, Azerbaijan, AP, Pentagon, US Army, Aircraft Systems, Solutions, 71st Jaeger Brigade, US Army Yuma, Technology, Army, sUAS University, US Marine Corps, Force, Central Command, Shellie, National Training Center, US Army Air Defense Artillery, Center, New, New American Security, Base, London's Royal United Services Institute Locations: Russian, Ukrainian, Ukraine, prowling, Jordan, Chasiv Yar, Donetsk, AFP, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Avdiivka, Yuma, East, Oklahoma's Fort Sill, California, Fort Sill, China, Luhansk Region, Europe, Iran, New American, Iraq, Washington, Bagram, Kabul, Australian

☆ A Ukrainian captain says his unit shot down every drone it met despite having 'antiquated' guns
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Ukrainian platoon has shot down all of the drones it's encountered, its captain told The Guardian. Oleksandr Zhygun said his soldiers are using "antiquated" guns to do it, per the outlet. AdvertisementA Ukrainian captain operating near Kyiv said his platoon has shot down every Russian drone it has encountered, despite having what he describes as "antiquated" guns. But in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian troops are struggling against Russia's night-vision drones, a Ukrainian soldier told the Kyiv Post last month. Asked whether Ukraine could still win the war, Zhygun told The Guardian it was a "difficult" question and that they needed more air defense systems.

Persons: Oleksandr Zhygun, —, Zhygun's Kalashnikov, Yehven, Dolin, Zhygun, Ukraine's Organizations: Ukrainian, Guardian, Service, Ukraine's 241st Brigade, Territorial Defense Forces, Soviet Union, Patriot, Republicans, The Institute Locations: Ukraine, Soviet, Kyiv, Afghanistan, Ukrainian, Kyiv Post, Russia, Ukraine's, Avdiivka

☆ Russia sees window of opportunity to expand attacks as Ukraine awaits further US aid, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Jim Sciutto | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian authorities say Russia fired more than 50 missiles and 20 drones, targeting energy infrastructure around the country. But months of inaction has resulted in real costs for Ukrainian forces on the battlefield in both territory and casualties, these officials say. Russian forces are expected to attempt to make further progress and consolidate earlier gains, before this window of opportunity closes. Western and Ukrainian officials view the near-term threat of stepped-up attacks as tied to Russian plans for a larger offensive early this summer. US and Ukrainian officials remain concerned about a further partial mobilization by Russia to send more manpower to the frontlines, as Ukraine is struggling with its own manpower shortage.

Persons: ”, Oleksiy Goncharenko, Mike Johnson, ” Goncharenko, Chasiv Organizations: CNN, ” CNN Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, Avdiivka, Pokrovsk, Chasiv Yar, Bakhmut

☆ Russia pounds Ukraine with biggest airstrikes in weeks
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Olga Voitovych | Martin Goillandeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Russia carried out a “massive” missile attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure overnight into Wednesday, according to local authorities, in the biggest aerial onslaught by Russian forces for weeks. Russia used 76 air attack weapons in the assault, including 55 missiles and 21 drones launched from Russia and Russian controlled areas, according to Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk. Rescuers assess the ruins of a building, damaged by a Russian missile attack in Kyiv region, Ukraine on May 8, 2024. Handout/Ukrainian Emergency Service/APMoscow has stepped up efforts to paralyze Ukraine’s energy system in the past month, as Kyiv’s troops struggle to hold positions on key frontlines particularly in the east. The latest Russian attack hit three thermal power plants run by Ukraine’s biggest power company, DTEK.

Persons: Mykola Oleshchuk, Herman Halushchenko, ” Halushchenko, Maksym Kozytskyi, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian Air Force, country’s Energy, Emergency, AP, Ukraine’s, Nazism Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine’s Poltava, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Ivano, Frankivsk, Vinnytsia, Kyiv, Kyiv region, Ukraine, Handout, AP Moscow, Avdiivka, Ukraine’s, Chervonohrad, Stryi

☆ Pentagon races to prop up Ukraine's hard-fighting 47th Mechanized Brigade that's exhausted, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Pentagon plans to replenish the powerhouse brigade with Bradley fighting vehicles, Forbes said. AdvertisementUkraine's hard-fighting 47th Mechanized Brigade is battle-weary and urgently needs US support, Forbes reports. Trained by NATO instructors, the 47th Brigade all-volunteer unit is one of Ukraine's powerhouse brigades. Russia's 30th Motor Rifle Brigade took advantage of the rotational lapse as the 47th Brigade withdrew and attacked, capturing a large swathe of territory. AdvertisementBeyond material support and tactical adjustments, the 47th Brigade needs a reprieve from the relentless cycle of conflict.

Persons: Bradley, Forbes, —, Putin, Bradley IFVs, Bradley IFV, ince Organizations: Pentagon, Service, Mechanized Brigade, Forbes, NATO, 47th Brigade, M1, Bradley, Ministry of Defense, 47th Mechanized Brigade, ust Locations: Ukraine, Stepove, Avdiivka

☆ Ukraine highlights Russia's 'line of hell.' Claim of dozens of tanks and military vehicles destroyed on one sector of the Donetsk front.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine's armed forces released a video claiming to show 42 destroyed Russian military vehicles. Fighting has intensified in the Donetsk region in recent months as Russia pushes further past Avdiivka. AdvertisementUkraine's armed forces claim to have destroyed 42 Russian tanks and military vehicles in the eastern region of Donetsk. Dozens of Russian tanks and combat vehicles were destroyed on a small section of the front in the Donetsk region." Dozens of russian tanks and combat vehicles were destroyed on a small section of the front in the Donetsk region.

Persons: —, ince, cale Organizations: Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Service, Ukraine's 58th Motorized Brigade, ust Locations: Donetsk, Russia

☆ A Ukrainian war reporter's story: Why I refused to make a 'deal with the devil'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

He was a student at Mariupol State University in 2014 when war broke out in the Donbas, and Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula. "I refused to make a deal with the devil. Ponomarenko said he believes the war has "shown what ordinary people are capable of" and has helped reveal "their true selves," pointing to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as evidence. AdvertisementCapturing it would put Russian forces within striking distance of Ukrainian operational and supply centers in the area. "Bucha was the greatest moment for me because it shows that life prevails," Ponomarenko said.

Persons: —, Ponomarenko, Viktor Yanukovych, Libkos, Rushing Organizations: Service, Mariupol State University, Business, Kyiv, Kyiv Independent Locations: Volnovakha, Ukraine's, Donetsk, Russia, Kyiv, Dnipro, Avdiivka, Ukraine

☆ It's likely only a matter of time until Russia captures a key town in Ukraine, intel chief says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine is likely to lose the key eastern town of Chasiv Yar to Russia, a top intelligence official said. AdvertisementUkraine likely faces the approaching loss of a key eastern town to Russia, one of the country's top intelligence officials said. Much of the town in question, Chasiv Yar, is little more than rubble after more than a year of bombardment. BAKHMUT, UKRAINE - SEPTEMBER 27: An aerial view of the city of Bakhmut totally destroyed from heavy battles on September 27, 2023 in Bakhmut, Ukraine. AdvertisementWhile Chasiv Yar holds, Russia has carved a salient about 25 miles to the southwest in the village of Ocheretyne.

Persons: Chasiv Yar, Chasiv, —, Vadym Skibitsky, Bakhmut, Serhiy Hrabsky, Vladimir Putin's, Skibitsky, Avdiivka, Putin Organizations: Service, Ukraine Patrol Police, AP, Russia, New York Times, Russian, Ukrainian, Libkos, Pentagon, Economist Locations: Ukraine, Chasiv, Russia, Donetsk, Chasiv Yar, Bakhmut, Luhansk, BAKHMUT, UKRAINE, Ocheretyne, Russian, Beijing

☆ The US spent so much time fighting insurgents that it forgot 'what it means to actually fight a war,' a US vet in Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Read previewAn American veteran who fought in Ukraine said the US military spent so long focused on fighting insurgents that it forgot "what it means to actually fight a war." Libkos/Getty Images"We've gotten so used to the idea of just fighting guerilla wars and fucking fighting terrorists and everything else that we kind of forgot what it means to actually fight a war," he said. Some Ukrainian soldiers trained abroad said the training they received was not suited to the kind of fighting needed for this war. Ukraine is fighting in conditions very different from what the US and its NATO allies have fought through in recent decades. He said that fighting to clear Russian trenches made him feel like he was "fighting World War I."

Persons: —, Libkos, it's, I've, haven't Organizations: Service, Business, NATO, Russia, Army, REUTERS, State Emergency Service, US, US Army Locations: Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kharkiv, Bakhmut, Europe, Russia, China, Ukrainian, Ukraine's Kharkiv, readying, Avdiivka, Ukraine's Donetsk

☆ Ukraine: Russia is capturing its biggest swath of territory since July 2022, as Kyiv desperately awaits US weaponry
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Russian forces have used the “artillery drought” hampering Ukraine’s defenses since December to push forward on the eastern front near Avdiivka, making the largest advance since the early months of the war. Only on Sunday did the top Ukrainian military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, admit the fall of a series of villages that his subordinates had insisted for days were still contested. The resulting fallback showed Russian forces had, in just over two months, made the most substantial and swift progress since July 2022’s advances near Severodonetsk, according to a CNN analysis. DeepStateMap, which updates the frontline situation daily, showed significant losses near Avdiivka. Yurii Fedorenko, commander of the Achilles attack drones company at the 92nd separate assault brigade in that area, said the next two months marked a “window of opportunity” for Russian forces.

Persons: Chasiv, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ruslan Mykula, ” Mykula, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Oleksandr Ratushniak Oleksandr Ratushniak, Chasiv Yar, Col Nazar Voloshyn, ” Voloshyn, Druzhkivka, Novozhenina, Yurii Fedorenko, “ Organizations: CNN, Sunday, Kurakhove, Ukraine’s, Airborne, REUTERS, Reuters, Russian Locations: Ukraine, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Mariupol, Russia, Pokrovsk, Chasiv Yar, Bakhmut, Ukrainian, Russian, Avdiivka’s, Severodonetsk, Ocheretyne, Kurakhve, Kupiansk, Kharkiv, Moscow

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Moscow wants weapons, forces beefed up ahead of offensive; Russian focus appears to shift in Donetsk
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Russian forces appear to be shifting their operational focus on to Chasiv Yar in the northern area of Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine. Russia did not make any confirmed advances in the Avdiivka area for the first time in several days on Tuesday, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War noted, while Ukrainian sources reported that Russian forces conducted several more attacks in the Bakhmut-Chasiv Yar direction in recent days than around Avdiivka, in central Donetsk. "The Ukrainian General Staff's reports on Tuesday stated that Ukrainian forces had repelled a total of 47 Russian attacks in the Avdiivka direction and 57 Russian attacks in the Bakhmut direction throughout the day, notably a much higher number of attacks in the Chasiv Yar direction than Ukrainian sources have recently reported," the Institute for the Study of War noted Tuesday. "One day's worth of reporting is not sufficient to establish a pattern, but it may suggest that Russian forces are somewhat slowing down the rate of attacks around Avdiivka while re-committing to offensive pushes around Chasiv Yar, as ISW recently forecasted they would," ISW analysts said.

Persons: Chasiv Yar, Staff's Organizations: Institute for, for Locations: Donetsk, Ukraine, Russia, Avdiivka

☆ Massive drone strike suggests Ukraine is going after Russia's devastating glide bombs
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

AdvertisementUkraine's massive weekend drone attack on a Russian airbase deep behind enemy lines suggests Kyiv may be trying to curb the threat of Moscow's devastating glide bombs, according to new Western intelligence. Destroyed Russian glide bomb kits are visible in footage from the ground following the strike. Russia's defense ministry said in March that it began increasing production of several types of munitions — including 6,600-pound ones — that could be modified and turned into glide bombs. Saturday's strike on the Kushchyovskaya airbase isn't the first time Ukraine has gone after Russian airbases hosting fighter-bombers that can drop glide bombs. Experts have warned that Russian glide bombs pose a tremendous threat to Ukrainian forces.

Persons: —, Russia's Su, kgibcTnREI — Brady Africk, Brady Africk, Russian Su Organizations: Service, Saturday, Kyiv Independent, Ukrainian, American Enterprise Institute, Russian Defense Ministry, Getty, Institute for, Russian Locations: Russia, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Moscow, Russian, Anadolu, Ukraine, Rostov

☆ Ukraine Retreats From Villages on Eastern Front as It Awaits U.S. Aid
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russian troops have captured or entered around a half-dozen villages on Ukraine’s eastern front over the past week, highlighting the deteriorating situation in the region for outgunned and outnumbered Ukrainian forces as they wait for long-needed American military aid. “The situation at the front has worsened,” Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine’s top commander, said in a statement on Sunday in which he announced that his troops had retreated from two villages west of Avdiivka, a Ukrainian stronghold in the east that Russia seized earlier this year, and another village further south. Military experts say Moscow’s recent advances reflect its desire to exploit a window of opportunity to press ahead with attacks before the first batch of a new American military aid package arrives in Ukraine to help relieve its troops. Congress recently approved $60 billion in military aid for Ukraine, and President Biden signed it last week, vowing to expedite the shipment of arms.

Persons: ” Gen, Oleksandr Syrsky, Biden Organizations: Ukrainian, Military, Ukraine Locations: Avdiivka, Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Russian advances could give it a shot at Ukraine's eastern 'fortress belt,' war analysts warn
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewRussian troops appear to be making tactical advances just northwest of Avdiivka toward a so-called "fortress belt" of Ukrainian cities, war analysts report. Though it remains to be seen whether Russian command will turn its focus its troops on that area, they're setting the stage for offensive operations in that direction. With Russian forces continuing to solidify their positions northwest of Avdiivka, a war-torn town they captured in February, they now have choices on which objectives to pursue. "The Russian military command could decide that advances north along the H-20 highway would allow Russian forces to conduct subsequent complementary offensive operations from the east and south against the southern edge of the Ukrainian fortress belt in Donetsk Oblast," ISW wrote. The potential for advances in this sector comes ahead of an expected Russian offensive this summer, when Moscow's troops could have the opportunity to make significant gains in the Chasiv Yar area and beyond.

Persons: —, Chasiv Yar, ISW Organizations: Service, Business, Russian, The Institute, Washington DC Locations: Avdiivka, Ukraine, Russia, Bakhmut, Washington, Chasiv Yar, Donetsk Oblast, Duzhkivka, Ukrainian

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Ukraine pulls back forces in east as front line situation worsens; Kyiv desperately awaits U.S. weapon supplies
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A serviceman of the battalion of unmanned attack air systems "Achilles" of the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade prepares the "Vampir" night drone for the operation at a front-line position near the town of Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region, on April 22, 2024, amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine. Ukrainian forces have been forced to retreat from several villages in eastern Ukraine as Russian forces advanced, the country's army chief said Sunday. "The situation at the front [has] worsened," Ukraine's commander-in-chief, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, said on Telegram. He said the "most difficult situation" was in the areas west of Russian-occupied Maryinka and Avdiivka, a town captured by Russian forces in February and that he had moved his forces "to new frontiers" west of the villages of Berdychi, Semenivka and Novomykhailivka in a bid to prevent casualties. Russia had deployed four brigades in these areas as it launched offensives, Syrskyi said, and while it had achieved some tactical successes, it not yet achieved any "operational advantages."

Persons: Gen, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Syrskyi Organizations: Separate Assault Brigade, Russian Locations: Chasiv Yar, Donetsk, Ukraine, Russian, Berdychi, Russia

☆ Russia is making daily tactical gains in eastern Ukraine, as criticism grows of Ukrainian military reporting
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Andrew Carey | Olga Voitovych | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Ukraine’s DeepState monitoring group, which updates daily changes in frontline positions, shows Russian forces pushing forward in eight different locations along 20-25 kms of frontline in one 24-hour period. Military bloggers on both sides broadly agree that Russian forces have crossed a water course and taken control of the settlements of Semenivka and Berdychi. Heavy fighting continues there, but the situation is under the control of the (Ukrainian) Armed Forces,” he said. Russian forces are also making headway west of Donetsk city, entering the industrial town of Krasnohorivka from the south and the east. “Without (its) manpower advantage, Russia’s artillery and airpower advantage would not be sufficient for Russia to make gains on the battlefield.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Myroshnykov, Stringer, ” DeepState, Muscovites, –, Nazar Voloshyn, ”, DeepState, “, Voloshyn, Narciso Contreras, Anatolii Stepanov, Rob Lee, ” Lee Organizations: CNN, Anadolu, Getty, ) Defense Forces, Armed Forces, –, Foreign Policy Research Institute Locations: Ukraine, Kharkiv, United States, Avdiivka, Ocheretyne, Donetsk, Semenivka, Soloviove, Keramik, Ukrainian, Karlivka, DeepState, Russian, Kyslivka, Krasnohorivka, ”, AFP, Moscow, – greenlit, “ Russian, Russia

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