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☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy Hails Arrival of New Air Defence Systems
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

(Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed the arrival on Friday of two new air defence systems that he said could "shoot down anything". In his nightly video address, the president pointedly said he could give no details of the newly arrived air defence systems but described them as the culmination of "working tirelessly at various levels for months". And while the systems are not yet sufficient for the complete defence of Ukraine, we are working towards that goal every day." Beefing up air defence has been one of the key priorities for defending cities, towns and infrastructure against Russian missile and drone attacks. "There is a risk that the Ukrainian armed forces may have to withdraw from Avdiivka," Dykiy said.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, State Victoria Nuland, Valery Zaluzhnyi, Yevhen Dykiy, Dykiy, Ron Popeski, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Reuters, Russia, Russian, State, Armed Forces Commander, General Locations: Avdiivka, Ukraine, U.S, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Russian

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic’s government signed an agreement with the United States on Monday to acquire 24 U.S. F-35 fighter jets as part of a deal worth about 150 billion Czech koruna ($6.6 billion), the biggest single purchase for the Czech military. The Czech government approved the deal in September. The first of the 24 fighter jets should be delivered in 2031, with the rest by 2035. The American aircraft will replace the 14 JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets from Sweden that are currently used by the Czech army. The Czech ministry has been negotiating the deal with the U.S. for more than a year during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Jana Černochová, Bijan Sabet, ” Černochová, JAS, Černochová, Karel Rehka Organizations: U.S, Czech, Czech Defense Ministry, American, Gripen Locations: PRAGUE, Czech, United States, Sweden, Czech Republic, Ukraine

☆ Russian Shelling Kills Four in Northern Ukraine, One in Devastated Avdiivka
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Russian shelling in northern Ukraine killed four people in two villages in Sumy region near the Russian border, while a woman died in a fresh assault on the devastated eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka, local officials said. The local administration in Sumy region said three people died in mortar fire in the village of Znov-Novohorodske. Reuters could not verify the reports, but officials in Sumy region report daily attacks from Russian forces. It has remained in Ukrainian hands in Russia's slow drive through eastern Ukraine despite fierce onslaughts since mid-October. The General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces, in its evening report said Ukrainian forces had repelled 13 Russian attacks in and around Avdiivka in the past 24 hours.

Persons: Suspilne, Avdiivka, Natalia Humeniuk, Ron Popeski, Nick Starkov, Michael Perry Organizations: Reuters, General, Military Locations: Ukraine, Sumy, Russian, Avdiivka, Znov, Ukrainian, Dnipro, Russia, Kherson

☆ Flying attack helicopters low on risky runs the way they do in Ukraine is far from easy, former Super Cobra pilot says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Read previewUkraine's attack helicopter pilots are flying low and fast, navigating a dangerous battlefield where almost anything in the air is at risk. Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopters attack Russian positions with the use of unguided rockets. And then, of course, there is the serious threat of Russian surface-to-air missiles and other weapons, to include Russian aircraft. AdvertisementThe General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine showed footage of the combat operation of the Mi-24 attack helicopter. Part of the larger problem facing Ukrainian helicopter pilots is identifying where threats are coming from in combat environments.

Persons: —, lew mede, eli, Hunter, ely, NIEL, IHAILE, e, orde, ines, Sergey Organizations: Service, Business, US Marine Corps, aff, kr, unt Locations: Ukraine, ain, sion, gilan, it use

☆ Russia changed up its latest barrage, likely to try to better break through Ukraine's air defenses, war analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia switched up the composition of its latest large-scale strike, likely to stress Ukraine's air defenses. War analysts suspect Russia is trying to make its strike packages harder to defeat. AdvertisementIn its most recent massive barrage on Ukraine, Russia changed up its strike package from previous attacks. From late Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning, the Russians conducted a series of missile strikes against Ukraine. Russian efforts to see where it can poke holes in Ukraine's air defense come after it apparently rebuilt its precision-guided munitions stockpiles and ramped up strikes.

Persons: —, that's, ISW, they've Organizations: Service, Ukraine, Staff of, Armed Forces, Washington DC Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Washington, Russian, Iran, Avdiivka, Donetsk

☆ Iran says attacks by its allies won’t stop until Israel’s war in Gaza ends
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Tamara Qiblawi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Attacks by Iranian-backed groups in the Middle East won’t stop until Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza ends, Tehran’s top diplomat warned on Wednesday, as tensions across the region threaten to spiral into wider conflict. Since Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel and the Israeli offensive in Gaza that followed, the militant group Hezbollah has engaged in daily confrontations with Israeli forces on the Lebanon-Israel border. Houthi rebels have launched a series of attacks on commercial ships and Western military vessels in the Red Sea, a major artery for international trade. Iran also launched missile strikes in Syria and Pakistan against what it described as terrorist groups who it blamed for deadly attacks inside Iran in recent weeks. Meanwhile, there are fears that the ripple effects of the tensions have begun to extend beyond the Middle East.

Persons: Tehran’s, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Hassan Nasrallah, “, Hizam al, Assad, Matt Miller, ” Miller, Israel, Herzi Halevi, ” Halevi, Chris Liakos, Adam Pourahmadi, Jennifer Hansler, Wayne Chang Organizations: CNN, Economic, Sunday, Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Iraq, US, State, Israel’s, Staff, Israel Defence Forces Locations: Gaza, Iranian, Davos, Israel, Lebanon, Red, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Erbil, Pakistan, Yemen, “, East, China, ”

☆ Photos offer an up-close look at how Ukrainian soldiers rig their drones with deadly explosives
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Newly surfaced photos offer an up-close look at how Ukraine attaches explosives to its drones. Both sides have heavily relied on drones throughout the war, targeting high-value assets and operators. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementPhotos that showed up online this week offer an up-close look at Ukrainian troops attaching deadly explosives to their drones before flying them off to Russian targets. The photos offer an interesting look at the process troops go through, from preparing the drone for flight to rigging it with its explosive payload.

Persons: —, they've Organizations: Service, Staff of, Armed Forces, 53rd Mechanized Brigade, Twitter, Troops Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Donetsk Oblast, Russia

☆ Ukraine troops face 'difficult defence' in east as bitter cold sets in - Zelenskiy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A view shows a hospital heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Selydove, Donetsk region, Ukraine November 21, 2023. REUTERS/Alina Smutko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 22 (Reuters) - Ukrainian troops face "difficult" defensive operations on parts of the eastern front with bitter winter cold setting in, but forces in the south are still conducting offensive actions, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday. Russian troops launched offensives on different sections of the front line in Ukraine's east this autumn, trying to advance on the devastated town of Avdiivka and in the northeast between the towns of Lyman and Kupiansk. After one such lull the day before, the head of the "Tavria" military command said on Wednesday that Russian troops had "dramatically increased" the number of assaults and airstrikes. Ukrainian forces continued the offensive on the southeastern Melitopol front, he added.

Persons: Alina Smutko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Kupiansk, Zelenskiy, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Yuliia, Tom Balmforth, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Lyman, Kyiv, Staff, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Selydove, Donetsk region, Ukraine's, Avdiivka, Lyman, Bakhmut, Donetsk, Russia, Kyiv, Dnipro

☆ Israel and Hamas agree to hostage deal in a major diplomatic breakthrough
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Jake Epstein | Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Israel's government has approved a hostage deal — a major diplomatic breakthrough amid the war. The outline includes the release of 50 hostages who are in Gaza and the release of 150 Palestinians held in Israel. The deal comes as Israeli forces continue their extensive ground operations in the Gaza Strip. AdvertisementIsrael's cabinet approved a hostage release deal on Wednesday morning local time, a major diplomatic breakthrough that comes more than six weeks into the devastating war between the two sides. Hamas said in a Telegram post that it agreed to the deal and that 150 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel would be released.

Persons: —, Benjamin Netanyahu, Haim Zach, Handout, John Kirby, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Emi Palmor, Herzi Halevi Organizations: Service, IDF, NBC News, Israel's, Biden, Government Press Office, US, National Security, Israel's Ministry of Justice, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, REUTERS Locations: Gaza, Israel, US, Qatar, Egypt, Tze'elim, Israeli, Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Tehran

☆ Ukraine's troops work to advance on Russian-held side of key river after gaining footholds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine's establishment of footholds on the Russian-held bank of the Dnieper represents a small but potentially significant strategic advance in the midst of a war largely at a standstill. The General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces said its troops there had repelled 12 attacks by the Russian army between Friday and Saturday. In response, the Russian military used "tactical aviation," including Iranian-made Shahed exploding drones, to try to pin down Ukraine's troops, Humeniuk said. Elsewhere, air defenses shot down 29 out of 38 Shahed drones launched against Ukraine, military officials reported. "The first priority of our budget — local budgets and the central budget — should be the army."

Persons: Natalia Humeniuk, Humeniuk, Maria Barbash Organizations: 123rd Territorial Defense Brigade, General, Southern Operational Command, Armed Forces Locations: Kherson, Ukraine, footholds, Russian, Russia, Crimea, Kyiv

☆ Russia's Putin meets military top brass to discuss Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Russia's President Vladimir Putin speaks with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu as he visits the headquarters of the troops involved in the country's military campaign in Ukraine, in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, in this picture released November 10, 2023. Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Kremlin via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday discussed the war in Ukraine with his military top brass including Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Staff Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff. Pictures released by the Kremlin showed Putin at meeting with Shoigu, Gerasimov and General Sergei Rudskoy, head of the General Staff's Main Operational Directorate, at the southern military grouping's headquarters in Rostov. "The supreme commander in chief was shown new models of military equipment," the Kremlin said. Putin last month visited the military headquarters in Rostov, where Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin began a failed mutiny in June.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, General Staff Valery Gerasimov, Putin, Shoigu, Sergei Rudskoy, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, General Staff, Kremlin, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Rostov, Don, Russia, Kremlin, Gerasimov

☆ Russia-Ukraine war live updates: Russian forces ‘trying to surround’ east Ukraine stronghold; Putin meets military top brass
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A Ukrainian infantryman walks along a trench in the mud after the rain on Nov. 9, 2023, in an area the military calls the "Horlivka front," an urban-type settlement in Toretsk urban hromada, Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Friday that the Russian military "does not stop trying to surround" the shattered eastern stronghold of Avdiivka. The industrial hub of Avdiivka, which is regarded as the gateway to Donetsk, has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance. The update from Ukraine's General Staff reported a series of Russian assaults in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions over the last 24 hours. Elswhere, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov and other key figures at the southern military grouping's headquarters to discuss the Ukraine war.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov Organizations: The General Staff of, Armed Forces, Ukraine's General Staff, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, CNBC, General Staff Locations: hromada, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Russian

☆ Ukraine says it used a car bomb to take out a Russian-backed politician in an occupied city
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine said it killed a Russian-backed lawmaker in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday. Mikhail Filiponenko, a deputy in Luhansk, died in a car bomb explosion, per Ukrainian intelligence. Mikhail Filiponenko, a member of the Russian-backed parliament in occupied Luhansk, and a former leader of its armed forces, died in a car bomb explosion on Wednesday, per the statement. Andriy Cherniak, a representative of Ukrainian intelligence, confirmed to Politico Europe that Ukraine was behind the bombing. Prior to that, Darya Dugina, a prominent war supporter and daughter of Aleksandr Dugin, commonly known as "Putin's brain," was assassinated by a car bomb outside Moscow in August 2022, Insider previously reported .

Persons: Mikhail Filiponenko, —, Andriy Cherniak, Filiponenko, Valery Gerasimov, Darya, Aleksandr Dugin Organizations: Politico, Service, Center, Reuters, Washington Post, General Staff Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Luhansk, Ukrainian, Politico Europe, Moscow, Donetsk

☆ Five Wounded as Russian Missiles Strike Odesa, Damaging an Art Museum
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | More About Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A day after Ukraine damaged a Russian naval vessel in an airstrike on Crimea, Russia hit the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa with missiles and drones, injuring five people and damaging an art museum founded in the 19th century, local and military authorities said Monday. In another setback, Ukraine’s 128th Mountain Assault Brigade provided a death toll for a Russian strike on a Ukrainian medal ceremony on Friday, saying in a post on Telegram that it had lost 19 soldiers in the attack. The ceremony was being held in a village near the front lines in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia. Normally, Ukraine’s military holds ceremonies of this type in basements or far from the battlefields. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine wrote in a Facebook post that the commander of the brigade had been removed from his post.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: Mountain Assault Brigade, Ukrainian, General Staff of, Armed Forces Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Crimea, Russia, Ukrainian, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia

☆ Russian forces want to capture big coking plant in key town, mayor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 3 (Reuters) - Russian forces, focused for weeks on seizing the key eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka, are now intent on capturing its vast coking plant, the town's mayor said on Friday. Mayor Vitaliy Barabash, speaking on national television, said audio transmission intercepts had revealed that Moscow was now seeking to secure the town's giant coking plant. Ukrainian military analysts say a sustained assault on Avdiivka had more political that military significance and could be little more than a propaganda prize for Moscow. The General Staff report also reported that Ukrainian forces had repelled seven attacks near Kupiansk, a town in the northeast first seized by Russia but recaptured by Ukrainian forces in a fast-moving offensive late last year. Russian accounts of the fighting said Moscow's forces beat back Ukrainian attempts to advance near Kupiansk and struck Ukrainian forces in a series of towns south and west of Donetsk.

Persons: Vitaliy Barabash, Barabash, Avdiivka, Natalia Homeniuk, Homeniuk, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ron Popeski, Michael Perry Organizations: Russian, Ukraine's, Staff, Moscow, The, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Luhansk, Russian, Bakhmut, Moscow, Kupiansk, Russia, Kharkiv, Odesa, Kherson, Lviv, Ukraine's, Poland, Ukraine

☆ Russian Forces Want to Capture Big Coking Plant in Key Town, Mayor Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

(Reuters) - Russian forces, focused for weeks on seizing the key eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka, are now intent on capturing its vast coking plant, the town's mayor said on Friday. Mayor Vitaliy Barabash, speaking on national television, said audio transmission intercepts had revealed that Moscow was now seeking to secure the town's giant coking plant. Ukrainian military analysts say a sustained assault on Avdiivka had more political that military significance and could be little more than a propaganda prize for Moscow. The General Staff report also reported that Ukrainian forces had repelled seven attacks near Kupiansk, a town in the northeast first seized by Russia but recaptured by Ukrainian forces in a fast-moving offensive late last year. Russian accounts of the fighting said Moscow's forces beat back Ukrainian attempts to advance near Kupiansk and struck Ukrainian forces in a series of towns south and west of Donetsk.

Persons: Vitaliy Barabash, Barabash, Avdiivka, Natalia Homeniuk, Homeniuk, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ron Popeski, Michael Perry Organizations: Reuters, Russian, Ukraine's, Staff, Moscow, The Locations: Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Luhansk, Russian, Bakhmut, Moscow, Kupiansk, Russia, Kharkiv, Odesa, Kherson, Lviv, Ukraine's, Poland, Ukraine

☆ Russian drone hits oil refinery, frontline attacks repelled -Ukraine military
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Firefighters work at an oil refinery which was hit during Russia's drone attacks in Kremenchuk, Poltava region, Ukraine November 1, 2023. "The focus of the attack was Poltava region, it was attacked in several waves," Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat told national television. A video posted by the Ukrainian military showed its forces destroying a Russian flamethrower system near Avdiivka, an attack it said could be observed for dozens of kilometres. Russian forces shell the river's western bank almost daily. In Poltava region, three villages lost electricity after power lines and an unnamed infrastructure facility were damaged, the Energy Ministry said on Telegram.

Persons: Administration Filip Pronin, Filip Pronin, Yuriy Ihnat, Oleksandr Kovalenko, Kovalenko, Natalia Khomeniuk, Andriy Raikovych, Pavel Polityuk, Lidia Kelly, Ron Popeski, Alison Williams, Gareth Jones, Grant McCool Organizations: Poltava Regional, Administration, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Ukraine's Air Force, Air Force, General Staff, Energy Ministry, Telegram, Railway, Reuters, Russian Defence, Thomson Locations: Kremenchuk, Poltava region, Ukraine, Poltava, Handout, Russian, Moscow, Russia, Ukrainian, Kupiansk, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Kherson, Dnipro, Kirovohrad, Odesa, Kyiv, Melbourne

☆ These are the elite special force units Israel could send into Gaza to clear Hamas' labyrinth of tunnels and rescue hostages
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Israel has sent elite troops into Gaza as its ground invasion of the territory ramps up. They will be tasked with clearing the Hamas' labyrinth of tunnels and rescuing over 200 hostages. AdvertisementAdvertisementIsrael has indicated that it had sent elite troops into Gaza as it intensifies its ground operations against Hamas following the October 7 terrorist attacks. "To the residents of the Gaza Strip: The Gaza governorate (Gaza City) has become a battlefield. Shelters in northern Gaza and Gaza governorate are not safe," read one leaflet in Arabic, per The Telegraph.

Persons: Israel, Herzi Halevi, —, Halevi, Benjamin Netanyahu, Sayeret, It's, Egoz, Sting ”, Jonathan Conricus, Khan, Gaza Ilia Yefimovich, John Spencer Organizations: Israel Defense Forces, Service, Hamas, Reuters, British SAS, YouTube, Duvdevan Commando, IDF, Hezbollah, Israeli Special Forces, K9, Israel, ARIS MESSINIS, Getty Images Israel, Associated Press, US Army, Urban Warfare, Modern, Institute, Health Ministry, AP Locations: Gaza, Israel, Yom, Lebanon, Entebbe, Uganda, Kibbutz Be'eri, Iran, Lebanese, Gaza City, Sderot, AFP, Khan Yunis, Rafah, West

☆ Ukraine came close to assassinating the leader of Russia's entire military when he visited the front lines, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine was close to killing Russia's Chief of the General Staff, per The Washington Post. Valery Gerasimov was on the front lines when the attack happened, per The New York Times. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAdvertisementA top Russian military official came close to death in a Ukrainian attack, The Washington Post reported , citing Ukrainian intelligence. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn December 2022, The New York Times reported that Gerasimov was visiting the front lines when he came under attack.

Persons: Valery Gerasimov, —, Gerasimov, Darya, Alexsandr, Kyrylo Budanov, We've, Budanov Organizations: General Staff, Washington Post, New York Times, Service, Russian, Staff, Post, The New York Times, Ukrainian, CNN, Times, Kyiv Post, Fleet, Special Forces Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Donbas, Moscow, Ukrainian, London, Kyiv, Crimean

☆ Russian forces apply pressure on Ukraine's Avdiivka, Kupiansk
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A view shows a heavily damaged residential building, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Avdiivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine October 17, 2023. The General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces said its troops had repelled about 10 Russian attacks on Avdiivka. It was briefly captured in 2014 by Russian-backed separatists who overran large stretches of territory in the east, and Ukrainian forces have erected solid fortifications in the intervening nine years. Local officials also said Russian forces had again shelled areas in the southern Kherson region that are under Kyiv's control. It said Russian forces had repelled three attacks outside Kupiansk and a further 10 near Bakhmut.

Persons: Yevhen, Vitaly Barabash, Barabash, Avdiivka, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Bakhmut, Syrskyi, Ron Popeski, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Tom Hogue Organizations: REUTERS, General, U.S, Radio Liberty, Local, Russian, Monday, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Avdiivka, Donetsk region, Kupiansk, Avdiivka's, Russian, Ukrainian, Russia, Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kyiv, Moscow, Bakhmut

☆ Russian forces intensify pressure on Ukraine's Avdiivka, Kherson
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko Acquire Licensing RightsOct 22 (Reuters) - Russian forces aiming to contain a four-month-old Ukrainian counteroffensive maintained unrelenting pressure on Sunday on the shattered town of Avdiivka in the east and intensified shelling in the southern area of Kherson. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces, in its evening report, said Ukrainian forces repelled nearly 20 Russian attacks around Avdiivka, its buildings now largely reduced to shells. Russian military accounts made no mention of Avdiivka, but described successful operations against Ukrainian positions to the east in Bakhmut, seized by Moscow in May after months of fighting. Russian forces routinely shell Kherson and villages on the western bank of the Dnipro from positions on the eastern bank, where they retreated late last year. The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War has reported in the past week that Ukrainian forces have crossed the Dnipro to take up new positions of their own and pursue Russian forces.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Avdiivka, Andriy Yusov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Oleksandr Prokudin, Ron Popeski, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, General, of Ukraine's Armed Forces, Ukraine Defence Ministry's Intelligence, Ukraine, Reuters, Russian, Thomson Locations: Avdiivka, Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk, Russian, Kherson, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Donbas, Luhansk, Maryinka, Bakhmut, Moscow, Dnipro, U.S

In private discussions with their Israeli counterparts, Western defense officials have not tried to dissuade Israel from moving into Gaza with ground forces, the sources said. While he said that “taking out the extremists is a necessary requirement” for Israel, “Hamas and the extreme elements of Hamas don’t represent all the Palestinian people. At least publicly, Israeli officials have articulated their plans only in broad strokes, saying that the goal is to eliminate Hamas and its infrastructure. In one word – to win.”In 2014, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set out to debilitate Hamas with the last ground invasion into Gaza. “I think the goal was to show clear support (and) to understand Israel’s strategy of what comes after an invasion if Israel is successful in decimating Hamas.

Persons: Israel, Joe Biden, “, Biden, Gilad Erdan, Staff Herzi Halevi, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel hasn’t, ”, Jonathan Panikoff, didn’t Organizations: CNN, NATO, Israel, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces Chief, Staff, Haaretz, ”, US Locations: Israel, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon –, Iran, Tehran

☆ Putin filmed in China accompanied by officers with Russian nuclear briefcase
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MOSCOW, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Rare footage was shown on Wednesday of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing accompanied by officers carrying the so-called nuclear briefcase which can be used to order a nuclear strike. Putin, after a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, was filmed walking to another meeting surrounded by security and followed by two Russian naval officers in uniform each carrying a briefcase. Russia's nuclear briefcase is traditionally carried by a naval officer. The Russian defence minister, currently Sergei Shoigu, also has a nuclear briefcase. One of the nuclear briefcases used by former Russian President Boris Yeltsin is displayed in the Yeltsin Museum in Yekaterinburg.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Xi Jinping, Mount Cheget, RIA, satchel, RUPTLY, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Boris Yeltsin, Guy Faulconbridge, Nick Macfie Organizations: Kremlin, U.S, White, Cuban Missile, Russian, Forum, REUTERS, Acquire, Comprehensive, Russia's Zvezda, Zvezda, Yeltsin, Soviet Union, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Beijing, Putin's, Ukraine, Moscow, Washington, China, United States, Yekaterinburg

☆ Two Civilians Killed in Russian Assaults on Avdiivka - Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Two civilians were killed in Russian attacks on the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka on Saturday, the Donetsk region administration said on Sunday. The administration of the Donetsk region said on Sunday on the Telegram messaging app that one more person was injured elsewhere in the region. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said on Sunday its forces had repelled 15 Russian attacks near Avdiivka, Tonenke and Pervomaiske in the Donetsk region, while Russian forces launched heavy air strikes in the area. Oleh Sinehubov, governor of the Kharkiv region also in Ukraine's east, said on Sunday a 54-year-old woman and a 57-year-old man were killed and one woman injured in an overnight Russian air attack. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia launched against its neighbour in February last year.

Persons: Sinehubov, Lidia Kelly, William Mallard Organizations: Reuters, General, of Ukraine's Armed Forces Locations: Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Ukraine's, Russia, Melbourne

☆ Russia pummels east Ukrainian town of Avdiivka in heavy fighting
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Anna Pruchnicka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But Kyiv says Moscow has massed troops around Avdiivka and sent in heavy equipment, enabling it to hit back hard. It says Moscow aims to encircle and capture the town, just northwest of the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk, and draw in Ukrainian troops from other fronts. Russia's Defence Ministry said on Thursday its forces had inflicted damage on Ukrainian troops in areas including Avdiivka but gave few details. It estimated that Russian forces have captured 4.52 square kilometres (1.75 square miles) of territory around Avdiivka since the beginning of their offensive on Tuesday. Geolocated footage indicated that Russian forces had likely lost at least a battalion tactical group's worth of armoured vehicles in the Avdiivka offensive, it said.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Avdiivka, Barabash, Andriy Yermak, Anna Pruchnicka, Timothy Heritage, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Russian, Reuters, Russia's Defence, General, of Ukraine's Armed Forces, Thomson Locations: Avdiivka, Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk, Russian, Ukrainian, Moscow, Crimea, American

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