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CNN —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky presented his long-anticipated “Victory Plan” to Ukrainian parliament on Wednesday, after failing to drum up additional, tangible support last week during meetings with European allies. It also outlines provisions to strengthen Ukraine’s defense, implement a non-nuclear strategic deterrence package and grow Ukraine’s economy. The Ukrainian president first presented the victory plan to US President Joe Biden during a September visit to the White House. Ukraine's plan includes a new proposal for deploying a non-nuclear strategic deterrence package on its soil. Zelensky’s final pillars for peace are to grow Ukraine’s economic potential and look ahead to a post-war plan.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Joe Biden, Biden, “, Dmitry Peskov, Jens Stoltenberg, ’, CNN’s Clare Sebastian, Anna Chernova Organizations: CNN, Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, Ukraine, EU, ”, European Union, Kyiv Locations: Russia, Kyiv, Ukraine, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Donetsk, Europe, NATO, Russia’s Kursk

☆ Bob Woodward issues a stark warning on Trump weeks from Election Day
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

As has been the case for previous Woodward books, those who don’t come out well from his reporting publicly dismiss it. Woodward notes that neither Biden nor Trump spoke to him for this book, but he still got great access. It’s clear from a close reading of “War” that almost every top national security official in the Biden administration spoke with him. The Biden administration has halted the shipment of massive 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, but otherwise, the large flow of American weapons to the Jewish state continues. Coats told Woodward, “It’s still a mystery to me how he deals with Putin and what he says to Putin.

Persons: Bob Woodward, Woodward, ”, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Trump, Putin, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, “, Barack, ” Putin, Biden, CNN’s Jim Sciutto, it’s, Bush, ” Woodward, Robert Woodward, Nixon, Richard Nixon, … Trump, ” Biden, Bill Burns, Burns, Eric Green, Green “, ” Green, Here’s, Vadim Ghirda, Russia ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, Brendan Smialowski, Yahya Sinwar, Netanyahu, ” —, ” Netanyahu, Antony Blinken’s, Blinken, hasn’t, Kamala Harris, Defense Lloyd Austin, Jake Sullivan, Harris, “ Tell Bibi, Anna Moneymaker, Joe, “ Bibi, Dan Coats, Coats, “ It’s, …, ” Trump Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, New York Times, Trump, White, Biden, United Nations, Pentagon, CIA, National Security, NATO, Ukraine, Turks, Russia, West Bank, Gaza Health Ministry, Israel, UN, Getty, Hamas, US, Brown University, Defense, ”, Prince George’s Community College, Intelligence Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Crimea, Afghanistan, Gaza, Russia, Woodward, Kyiv, Sweden, Finland, Kursk, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Tel Aviv, AFP, Iran, Rafah, Largo , Maryland, Scranton, Delaware

CNN —Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region is now entering its third month, with scores of settlements still firmly under its control. Displaced people in an undisclosed location in the Kursk region are housed in a shelter on August 29, 2024, following Ukraine's cross-border incursion. Russia is trying to avoid diverting any resources from the frontlines of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine to fight in Kursk. Ukraine has maintained control of about 300 square miles in Russia's Kursk region, according to the latest assessment by ISW. Oleg Palchyk/Global Images Ukraine/Getty ImagesYet Ukraine’s goal of diverting troops from the eastern frontline to Kursk has so far failed.

Persons: CNN —, Vladimir Putin, Dmytro –, “, Mark Galeotti, Tatyana Makeyeva, ” Galeotti, Putin, it’s, John Lough, ”, “ Kholod ”, ISW, Oleg Palchyk Organizations: CNN, Institute for, Royal United Services Institute, Getty, Kremlin, Chatham House’s, Eurasia Program, Russian Locations: Russia’s Kursk, Ukraine, Kursk, Washington ,, Ukrainian, Sudzha, Veseloe, Russia, British, Moscow, AFP, Chatham House’s Russia, what’s, Russian, Russia's Kursk, Donbas, Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Kherson

☆ Ukraine is eroding Russia's military advantage with strikes on its ammo depots
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-11 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Military experts said it's partly down to Ukraine's long-range strikes on Russian ammo depots. AdvertisementUkraine is reducing Russia's artillery advantage on the battlefield, and recent attacks on ammo depots have likely sped that up. According to military experts, these developments are likely due in part to Ukraine's recent long-range strikes on Russian ammunition depots. Taking out the ammoUkraine damaged several rear Russian ammo depots using long-range weapons in a string of long-range strikes that began last month. But Kastehelmi said that in the long run, Russia will "most likely" be able to adapt to Ukraine's long-range strikes.

Persons: it's, —, Ivan Havryliuk, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, John Hardie, Hardie, Emil Kastehelmi, Zelenskyy, Mark Temnycky, Kastehelmi Organizations: Service, CNN, Russia, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Maxar, Security Service, Ukraine, Technologies, Black Bird Group, Council's Eurasia Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Kursk, Oktyabrsky, Toropets, Russia's, Tver, —, Tikhoretsk, Krasnodar Krai, Republic, Adygea, Finnish

☆ Russia's mass advantage against Ukraine should start declining by 2025, war expert says
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-10 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia is flooding Ukraine with men and equipment, but that should soon slow, analyst Michael Kofman said. Its high losses indicate its military is strained under its current level of aggression, he told the Intelligencer. AdvertisementRussia's numbers advantage against Ukraine is likely to start diminishing as soon as the end of this year, said US-based military analyst Michael Kofman. Russia's equipment can't last foreverKofman's first explanation is that Moscow has been replacing high equipment losses with Soviet-era weaponry, but even these reserve stocks can't last forever. "What it does mean is that the Russian military has increasingly been forced to adjust tactics to minimize their losses," he added.

Persons: Michael Kofman, Kofman doesn't, —, Intelligencer's Benjamin Hart, Kofman, it's, Hart, lim, Wes Organizations: Service, Kremlin, Carnegie Endowment, International, Soviet, UK Defense Ministry, Defence, adm, unc Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Moscow, Russian, Rus

☆ Putin's weak response to Ukraine's advance on Russian soil appears to be rooted in a persistent fatal flaw
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-09 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia's weak response in Kursk shows Putin's leadership still has a major flawRussia's response was slow, allowing Ukraine to take territory, and it hasn't put a general in charge. Putin doesn't want a situation where "any general could claim credit for being the victor," an expert told BI. AdvertisementRussia's weak response to Ukraine's assault into Russian territory is partly due to a persistent flaw in Russian President Vladimir Putin's leadership, a warfare expert told Business Insider. Weeks after the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia put Gen. Aleksandr V. Dvornikov in charge of operations in Ukraine. Destroyed Russian military vehicles on the outskirts of Sudzha, in the Kursk region, in August.

Persons: hasn't, Putin, —, Vladimir Putin's, Michael Bohnert, Vladimir Putin, Bohnert, GRIGOROV, Weeks, Aleksandr V, KIRILL CHUBOTIN, Simon Sebag Montefiore, George Barros, Sergei Shoigu Organizations: Service, RAND Corporation, Getty, New York Times, UK Ministry of Defense, Russian, Moscow Times, Publishing, Institute for, Newsweek Locations: Kursk, Ukraine, Russia's Kursk, Russia, Moscow, Kremlin, Russian, Sudzha

☆ Russia is set to lose over 1,000 troops a day through the winter as it fights a war on three fronts: UK MOD
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-08 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine is set for another fierce winter as Russia is expected to keep up the pressure. It'll come at a cost for Moscow: Over 1,000 wounded or dead troops per day, the UK MOD said on Monday. British officials said Russia has likely suffered over 648,000 casualties since the war began. AdvertisementThe UK Defense Ministry expects Russia to lose 1,000 or more troops per day in the coming winter, saying Moscow will likely keep trying to overwhelm Ukraine in the next months despite difficult conditions. Russian troops took Vuhledar in early October after two years of fighting.

Persons: —, lon Organizations: Service, UK Defense Ministry, New York Times, Kremlin, Latest Defence, Defence, unc Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, May, Ukrainian

KYIV, Ukraine — Russian troops on Wednesday took charge of the eastern Ukrainian town of Vuhledar, a bastion that had resisted intense attacks since Russia launched its full-scale assault in 2022. Russian Telegram channels, however, published video of troops waving the Russian tricolor flag over shattered buildings. Russia has been using pincer tactics to trap and then constrict Ukrainian strongholds. Russian bloggers said Russia could now try to push towards Velyka Novosilka, just over 20 miles to the west. Russian forces currently control 98.5% of the Luhansk region and 60% of the Donetsk region.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Ukrainsk, Novosilka Organizations: Russian, 72nd Mechanized Brigade, Facebook, Russian Telegram, Vuhledar, Armed Forces of Locations: KYIV, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Vuhledar, Russia, Donetsk, Luhansk, Moscow, Russian, Kyiv, Crimea, Russia’s Kursk, Pokrovsk, “, Armed Forces of Ukraine

☆ Ukraine: Russians capture strategic town of Vuhledar in yet another blow for Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-02 | by ( Clare Sebastian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Russia has captured the key eastern Ukrainian town of Vuhledar, ending months of resistance and underscoring the scale of Kyiv’s challenge as it heads into its third wartime winter. While not a transport and logistics hub like Pokrovsk, Vuhledar was heavily fortified and viewed as a crucial bastion at the intersection of Ukraine’s eastern and southern fronts. Just like Avdiivka, another strategic eastern town which fell in February, Vuhledar is a victim, not of Russian strategic prowess, but brute force attrition. For two years Ukraine had put up a formidable defense there, as Russia tried and failed several times to take the town. “It’s painful, Vuhledar or rather those who settled there, drank a lot of blood,” he said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Zelensky, Joe Biden, Vuhledar, Boris Rozhin, ”, Voenkor Kotenok, “, Stanislav Buniatov Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, NATO, ABC, International Energy Agency Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Vuhledar, Pokrovsk, Russian, Donetsk, Ukraine, Kyiv, Kursk, Kharkiv, It’s

☆ Armies will be able to maneuver on battlefields again, but it's going to be difficult and bloody
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-29 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The Ukraine war raises a difficult question: Can armies maneuver to win anymore? Advertisement"Firepower kills," warned the French General Philippe Pétain just prior to the First World War. By temporarily suppressing the defensive drone-artillery combo that has proven so devastating in the Russo-Ukraine War, armies can again maneuver to defeat their enemies. ISW sees three problems with trying to maneuver in Ukraine, lessons that broadly apply to modern battlefields. AdvertisementArtillery and machine guns were so deadly in World War I that armies fought from trenches.

Persons: it's, —, Philippe Pétain, Pétain, ISW, That's, Michael Peck Organizations: Artillery, Service, Getty, Ukraine, Air Force, BAI, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Russo, Washington, Russia, Russian, Kursk, Ukrainian, Russians, Forbes

☆ Putin reveals new rules on nuclear weapons in Russia's latest warning to the West
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin at an expanded Prosecutor General's Office meeting on March 26, 2024, in Moscow. In opening remarks before a meeting with senior officials on Russia's nuclear deterrence on Wednesday, which were released by the Kremlin and translated by NBC News, Putin said that "a number of clarifications ... defining the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons" are being made to the document that defines Russia's nuclear doctrine. Russia's latest comments on changing its nuclear doctrine are not a surprise — Moscow has hinted for months that it was making changes to its official stance on the use of nuclear weapons. In its 2020 policy, Russia nonetheless described nuclear weapons as "a means of deterrence," the use of which would be "an extreme and necessary measure." Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko shake hands during a press briefing following their talks in Minsk, Belarus, May 24, 2024.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, —, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Mike Segar, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Joe Biden, Zelenskyy, Sergei Ryabkov, Yulia Morozova, Alexander Lukashenko, Mikhail Metzel Organizations: General's, Getty, Kremlin, NBC News, Russian Federation, —, Ukraine's, United Nations General Assembly, Reuters, Kyiv, West, Nazi, Belarusian Locations: Moscow, Kyiv, Ukraine, Russia, U.S, U.N, New York, Washington, America, Great Britain, Russia's Kursk, Kursk, Russian, Nazi Germany, Minsk, Belarus

Russia's military is advancing on the battlefield in Ukraine, but at home the Kremlin appears to have suffered a number of fiery setbacks that are captured in new satellite imagery: A failed test of a new missile, and a wave of Ukrainian strikes that set ablaze arms depots deep inside the country. “I think that we are closer to the peace than we think,” Ukrainian Zelenskyy said in an interview with ABC News that aired Monday. We just have to be very strong, very strong,” he said. The Ukrainian military said Saturday it had recorded fire and detonation at the Oktyabrsky depot. The images show damage to rail lines and missile canisters at the site.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “, Zelenskyy, ” Organizations: ABC News, Maxar Technologies Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, Russia's Kursk, United States, U.S, Colorado, Oktyabrsky, Tver

☆ Nighttime footage shows a fire-breathing Ukrainian drone setting Russian positions ablaze
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewA Ukrainian battalion shared nighttime footage of one of its "dragon drones" breathing fire on a Russian position in Ukraine, setting a line of trees ablaze. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Nighttime footage of a Ukrainian dragon drone covering a Russian-held treeline with molten thermite, setting multiple Russian positions ablaze. However, news reports suggest Russia may also have produced its own version of the "dragon drone," DW reported. AdvertisementJames Patton Rogers, a drone expert and executive director of the Cornell Brooks Tech Policy Institute, told Business Insider this month that the tactic can force a retreat.

Persons: —, it's, James Patton Rogers, Patton Rogers Organizations: Service, 205th, Territorial Defense Forces, Business, 241st, 92nd Assault Brigade, Russian, Deutsche Welle, Cornell Brooks Tech Policy Institute Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine's, Donetsk, Kursk, Russia

☆ Satellite images show the aftermath of a Ukrainian strike on a Russian arsenal, which blew up with the strength of a small earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-23 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewNew satellite images show extensive damage at an ammunition depot inside Russia after long-range Ukrainian drones struck the facility. AdvertisementThe aftermath of a Ukrainian attack on a Russian ammunition depot in Toropets. Just days after the Toropets attack, over the weekend, Ukraine said it struck two more ammunition depots inside Russia. AdvertisementThe attacks over the past week mark Ukraine's latest long-range strikes targeting key military and energy facilities inside Russia. Britain's defense ministry said Russia's air defenses "continue to struggle with Ukrainian deep strike operations," even though Moscow claimed to have shot down dozens of Ukrainian drones in the Toropets attack.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Business, Ministry of Defense, Security Service, Ukraine Locations: Russia, Toropets, Russia's, Tver, Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Tikhoretsk, Krasnodar Krai, Kyiv, Moscow, Kursk

☆ Ukraine wants to fire Western long-range weapons into Russia. But the battlefield gain is not clear-cut
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-22 | by ( Clare Sebastian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Next week, an already very public debate over whether Ukraine should be allowed to use long-range Western-supplied missiles on Russian soil will come under an even brighter international spotlight. It was almost exactly a year ago, also during an in-person meeting with Zelensky in the United States, that Biden made the decision to supply the ATACMS to Ukraine. In both cases, Ukraine promised not to use them on Russian territory. Russia recently relocated planes from two bases near the border further east, according to one US official. To really bring mass (equipment), to get 10 to one artillery ratios on Ukraine at the frontline,” he told CNN.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Joe Biden, Biden, ”, Ben Wallace, Zelensky, “ Zelensky, Matthew Savill, “ He’s, Savill, it’s, George Barros, John Hamilton, “ You’ve, …, Barros ’, Barros, ATACMS, “, There’s, outlast Organizations: CNN, UN, Assembly, Franco, Shadow, Army Tactical Missile Systems, Zelensky, British Storm, NATO, Royal United Services Institute, Washington DC, Army Tactical Missile, White, Russia’s, Military, US ’ Ramstein Air Force Base Locations: Ukraine, New York, United States, Luhansk, Berdiansk, Russia, Poltava, “, Kharkiv, London, Russian, Ukrainian, Washington, New Mexico, Rostov, Iranian FATH, Kursk, Germany

☆ Putin was joking about election support for Harris, Kremlin says; Zelenskyy hopes to meet with Trump next week
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-21 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

“President Putin has a good sense of humor. The Ukrainian leader said he also hoped to meet Trump, the Republican presidential candidate. Zelenskyy said in August he wanted to present his plan to Biden, Harris, and Trump. While Trump and Zelenskyy talked over the phone in July, they have not met in person since Trump’s 2017-2021 term. At a critical juncture in the war, Zelenskyy is seeking to strengthen Ukraine with more weapons, and military, economic, and diplomatic support from the U.S., Kyiv’s key ally.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kamala Harris, Sergei Lavrov, Putin, Harris, Donald Trump, ” Lavrov, “, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, Joe Biden, ” Zelenskyy, Biden, ’ Organizations: Democratic, Sky News Arabia, Republican, Russia, . Security, General Assembly, Trump Locations: Moscow, November’s, Russia, United States, Ukraine, U.S, Washington, Russian, Russia’s Kursk, Zelenskyy

☆ The West's restrictions on Ukraine's weapons are making its F-16s less effective, military experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Read previewWestern restrictions on how Ukraine can hit targets in Russia make its F-16 fighter jets less effective, military experts told Business Insider. This, in turn, leaves Russia's weaponry more free to hit Ukrainian jets, making them more vulnerable and less able to fly close to the front lines. A still from footage by Ukraine's air force that shows a Storm Shadow missile being launched. A limited number of F-16sThe effectiveness of Ukraine's F-16s faces other challenges, too. Ukraine and its allies, as well as warfare experts, also describe Ukraine's F-16 program as being in its infancy.

Persons: —, George Barros, Barros, DIMITAR DILKOFF, Michael Bohnert, Gordon B, Skip, Davis, Jr, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Vitalii, it's, Czarek, Michael Clarke, Volodymyr Zelensky, Keir Giles, Oleksiy, Zelenskyy, Ukraine's Organizations: Service, Business, Getty, RAND Corporation, Shadow, YouTube, Ukrainian Air Force, AP, Chatham House's, Air, Libkos, Ukraine US Locations: Ukraine, Russia, AFP, Kursk, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Chatham House's Russia, Eurasia, Russian, Ukrainian, Shepetivka, Britain

☆ Ukraine war analyst says Russia keeps surprising him with just how bad its soldiers are: 'The bar is very, very low'
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewA Ukraine war analyst told Business Insider that while watching this conflict, Russia has continually surprised him with how poorly trained its soldiers are. AdvertisementCaptured Russian soldiers, war experts, Ukrainian troops, and Western intelligence have all pointed to Russian troops being poorly trained and treated as disposable throughout the war. Related storiesRussia's losses have risen recently as Russian troops continue to suffer from deficiencies in training. The UK Ministry of Defence said in July that more than 70,000 Russian troops were likely killed or wounded between May and June. It blamed "an effective Ukrainian defense and a lack of Russian training" as Russia fought in multiple sectors.

Persons: —, George Barros, it's, Barros, Vladimir Putin, Matthew Savill Organizations: Service, Business, Russia, Russian Army, Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, AP, UK Ministry of Defence, Royal United Services Institute Locations: Russia, Russian, US, Ukraine, Soviet, Soviet Union, Cuba, Kursk

☆ Russia is after more Iranian and North Korean missiles to help it tip the balance in Ukraine, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The visit came just days after Shoigu traveled to North Korea for talks with leader Kim Jong Un, and after he met Monday with Syrian leader Bashar Assad. This would mark an escalation in Iran's support for Russia, with the Islamic Republic previously sending aerial drones used by Russia to attack Ukrainian towns and infrastructure. AdvertisementIn recent months, North Korea has reportedly sent millions of shells to Russia, as well as ballistic missiles. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said last week that the delivery of Iranian missiles to Russia had changed the debate about Ukraine using Western long-range missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia. Russia is currently making incremental but important advances in its campaign to seize more territory in eastern Ukraine, while Ukraine has occupied parts of Russia's Kursk province, after a surprise attack last month.

Persons: —, Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, Masoud Pezeshkian, Pezeshkian, Shoigu, Kim Jong Un, Bashar Assad, State Anthony Blinken, Kyrylo Budanov, David Lammy, Keir Starmer, Joe Biden Organizations: Service, Iran's Supreme National Security, Business, Institute for, State, Russia, Islamic Locations: Iran, Ukraine, North Korea, Russia, US, China, Syria, Islamic Republic, Russia's Kursk

☆ Putin orders Russian army to expand to become the world's second largest
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The Kremlin said Tuesday that an order by President Vladimir Putin to transform Russia’s army into the second largest in the world was needed to address growing threats on Russia’s western borders and instability to the east. Putin on Monday ordered the regular size of the Russian army to be increased by 180,000 troops to 1.5 million active servicemen in a move that would make it the second largest in the world after China’s. “This is due to the number of threats that exist to our country along the perimeter of our borders,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call. Putin since 2022 had previously ordered two official increases in the number of combat troops — by 137,000 and 170,000 respectively. Dara Massicot, an expert in the Russian military at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank, questioned whether Moscow was ready to foot the bill for the increase in active servicemen.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Andrei Kartapolov, —, Dara Massicot, ” Massicot, Massicot, ” Organizations: Monday, International Institute for Strategic Studies, NATO, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace Locations: ”, Russia, United States, India, China, Ukraine, Russia’s Kursk, Finland, Japan, U.S, Moscow

A month and a half into its offensive into Russia’s western Kursk region, the Ukrainian Army faces difficult decisions over where best to commit its limited forces. Moscow’s troops have begun counterattacking in the area, reclaiming a few villages and threatening Ukraine’s ability to hold onto the territory it has seized. At the same time, Ukraine and Russia are engaged in air assaults, targeting each other’s military bases and energy infrastructure as each side tries to degrade the other’s capacity to sustain the war effort. Russia has begun to counterattack in Kursk. In the past few weeks, the front line had been somewhat stable in the Kursk region, which Ukraine first invaded on Aug. 6.

Persons: — Organizations: Ukrainian Army, Moscow Locations: Kursk, Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv

CNN —Ukrainian prosecutors have launched an investigation into an alleged Russian execution of a Ukrainian soldier found dead with a sword inscribed with “for Kursk” in his body, in an apparent act of revenge for Kyiv’s recent incursion into the Russian border region. His office later confirmed it had opened a criminal investigation into the alleged execution. “Footage of an alleged execution by sword of an unarmed Ukrainian serviceman with taped hands is spreading on the web,” he wrote on X. Thursday’s image comes as Russia is stepping up its efforts to expel Ukrainian forces from Kursk. The Kremlin has not commented on the alleged execution.

Persons: “, Andriy Kostin, ”, ” Kostin, Benjamin Strick, Dmytro Lubinets, Kostin, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Centre, Information Resilience, Geneva Convention Locations: Ukrainian, Kursk, Russian, Russia, Novohrodivka, Ukraine’s, Donetsk, Geneva, Moscow, Pokrovsk, Ukraine, Hrodivka

☆ Newly released satellite images show the bridges Ukrainian strikes destroyed inside Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewSatellite images newly released by the British defense ministry show several destroyed bridges in Russia after Ukrainian strikes. The satellite images, which were captured last month but only released on Saturday, show the aftermath of Ukrainian strikes on one road bridge and two pontoon bridges in Kursk. AdvertisementRussia can use its floating pontoon bridges, which are temporary, to ferry personnel and military equipment across the Seym. These bridges came into play as Ukrainian strikes knocked out some of the more permanent structures. Related storiesUkraine has also used ground-launched weapons like the US-provided High Mobility Rocket Artillery System, or HIMARS, to strike bridges in Kursk.

Persons: —, ike, remlin, ince Organizations: Service, Business, Ministry of, Ministry of Defense, " Aviation, Air Force Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kursk, Moscow

☆ Russia-Ukraine war: Putin orders Russia to boost size of army
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Christian Edwards | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The increase would take the overall number of Russian military personnel to nearly 2.4 million, including 1.5 million troops, according to the decree published by the Kremlin Monday. Last week, Russia stepped up its efforts to expel Ukrainian troops from Kursk and is inching forward toward the crucial Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk in the eastern Donbas region. In August 2022, Putin ordered an increase of 137,000 troops by the start of the new year, which put the military’s staffing at just over 2 million personnel, including 1.15 million troops. Then in December, Putin ordered another official expansion of 170,000 troops, bringing the total to 1.32 million. In an update published this month, the General Staff of Ukraine’s military said Russia has lost 616,300 troops.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin’s, Putin, Sergei Shoigu Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Russian, Staff, United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense Locations: Ukraine, Russia’s, Kursk, Russia, Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, Georgia, Robotyne, ”

☆ North Korea may be Russia's most dangerous ally, Ukraine spy chief says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewIn the wake of the Ukraine war, Russia has formed a close alliance with China, the world's second-biggest economy, and boosted trade ties with other major economies, such as India. AdvertisementFor decades, North Korea has been among the poorest and most isolated Asian countries, with the UN imposing severe sanctions to curtail its nuclear weapons program. However, the Ukraine war enabled North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to improve his situation, forming a valuable security pact with Russian President Vladimir Putin's Russia in June. AdvertisementIn return, Kim has secured new security pledges from Putin, alongside access to valuable Russian military technology. Ukraine is currently battling to hold back intensifying Russian attacks in Donetsk, east Ukraine, but has seized control of a swath of Russian territory in Kursk.

Persons: —, GUR, Kyrylo Budanov, Budanov, Kim Jong, Vladimir Putin's, Kim, Putin Organizations: Service, Business, Kyiv, Reuters, North, US Defense Intelligence Agency Locations: Ukraine, Russia, China, India, North Korea, Vladimir Putin's Russia, Korea, Iran, Donetsk, Kursk

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