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☆ Russian state security says it's launching a criminal case against Wagner mercenary boss Prigozhin in response to calls for 'armed rebellion'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Azmi Haroun | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian state security says it's opening a criminal case against Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. The announcement came after Prigozhin called for revenge against Russia's defense ministry for a deadly strike on Wagner. Russian state security forces accused the mercenary group leader of calling for "armed rebellion." In a tirade posted to Telegram, Prigozhin said Russia's defense ministry "must be stopped" and the individuals responsible for the death of Wagner fighters must be punished. Friday's exchange between Prigozhin and Moscow's military leadership marked the latest in a months-long feud between the two parties.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Russia's, —, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Terrorism, Armed Forces, Russian Federation, [ Armed Forces, Wagner, Army Locations: Russian, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Prigozhin

☆ Ukraine signals main push in counteroffensive is yet to come
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Addressing the pace of the Ukrainian advances, three senior officials on Friday sent the clearest signal so far that the main part of the counteroffensive has not yet begun. "Offensive operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue in a number of areas. Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said the "main events" of the counteroffensive were "ahead of us." Although the advances Ukraine has reported this month are its first substantial gains on the battlefield for seven months, Ukrainian forces have yet to push to the main defensive lines that Russia has had months to prepare. 'BALANCED APPROACH NEEDED'Moscow has sought to portray the Ukrainian counteroffensive as a failure.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Mykhailo Podolyak, Hanna Maliar, Maliar, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Podolyak, Anna Pruchnicka, Olena Harmash, Timothy Organizations: Russian, Friday, Armed Forces, Twitter, Netflix, British, Guardian, Reuters, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, KYIV, Ukrainian, Russia, Moscow, Kyiv

☆ Russians are reminding troops the enemy is Ukraine amid fears of a Wagner coup attempt against the defense ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has prompted fears of an impending coup in Russia. Russian civilians and officials are imploring troops to keep their focus on Ukraine amid the panic. "Everyone who holds a weapon at the line of contact, remember: your enemy is across from you," a message shared repeatedly states. Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin. Press service of "Concord"/Handout via REUTERSThe Russian defense ministry, meanwhile, also attempted to refocus attention on the fight in Ukraine in a Friday Telegram post.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Russia's, Putin, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Samuel Bendett, Simon Miles, Miles, Sergey Surovikin, Bendett Organizations: Service, Ukraine —, Russian, Staff, Federal Security Service, Center for Naval Analyses, Press, Armed Forces, Russian Federation, [ Armed Forces, Duke University's Sanford School of Public, Soviet Union Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, gunpoint, Concord, Soviet

☆ Russia asks IAEA to ensure Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant security
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 23 (Reuters) - Russia urged the International Atomic Energy Agency on Friday to ensure Ukraine does not shell the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, saying it was otherwise operating safely. Alexei Likhachev, chief executive of the Russian state nuclear energy firm Rosatom, made the comments at a meeting with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in the Russian city of Kaliningrad, Rosatom said in a statement, after Grossi visited the plant last week. "We expect concrete steps from the IAEA aimed at preventing strikes by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, both on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and on adjacent territory and critical infrastructure facilities," Rosatom quoted its chief as saying in a statement. The IAEA said this week that the power plant was "grappling with ... water-related challenges" after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam emptied the vast reservoir on whose southern bank the plant sits. Moscow and Kyiv have regularly accused each other of shelling Europe's largest nuclear power station, with its six offline reactors.

Persons: Alexei Likhachev, Rafael Grossi, Rosatom, Grossi, Kevin Liffey Organizations: International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Armed Forces of, Kyiv, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Kaliningrad, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Moscow, Kyiv

☆ Ukraine's 'Iron General' was spotted on video rocking an unusual Baby Yoda patch, and it's not immediately clear why
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine's military shared a video this week of Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi engaged in war efforts. A mysterious Baby Yoda patch could be spotted on his uniform, and its not exactly clear why. Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces published a video on Monday showing Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, sporting a Baby Yoda patch in the center of his uniform as he discusses details on the war with other top officials. The new video includes scenes of Zaluzhnyi hovering over blurred-out information and walking alongside individuals whose faces have been censored. "Retweet if spotted Mr. Baby Yoda."

Persons: Valerii Zaluzhnyi, —, Serhiy Shaptala, Zaluzhnyi, Baby Yoda, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Ukraine's, Staff of, Armed Forces, Armed Forces of, Twitter, Ukraine's General Staff, Ukraine's Armed Forces, Kyiv's, Staff, Facebook Locations: Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ukraine, Moscow, Kherson

☆ Russian nationalists called for a general to be shot, arguing 'stupidity' exposed troops to deadly Ukrainian artillery
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian nationalists blamed military leaders after a shocking report said a large number of troops was killed. "We are at war with our own stupidity and sloppiness," a Russian blogger wrote. It wasn't clear if the latest casualties also included troops from the naval infantry that Akhmedov had led before commanding a Russian field army. Russian generals and colonels have previously been accused of incompetence that led to military disasters. A Ukrainian New Year's strike led to as many as 400 deaths and fueled outrage that Russian officers had bivouacked troops within range of the GPS-guided HIMARS rockets.

Persons: —, Sergey Kolyasnikov, Rob Lee, Zurab Akhmedov, milbloggers, Akhmedov Organizations: Service, Armed Forces, Foreign Policy Research Institute, Ministry of Defense Locations: Russian, Kreminna, Ukraine, Luhansk, Ukrainian

☆ Kakhovka dam collapse has made Black Sea a ‘garbage dump and animal cemetery,’ Ukraine warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Mariya Knight | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Floodwaters are receding following the collapse of the Kakhovka dam, but debris washed along the Dnipro river is turning Odesa’s Black Sea coastline into “a garbage dump and animal cemetery,” according to Ukrainian authorities. “The Dnipro river flows into the Black Sea, bearing many signs of the devastation caused by Russians,” the ministry said. The collapse of the dam in southern Ukraine on June 6 is one of the biggest industrial and ecological disasters in Europe for decades. Several Western officials have blamed the collapse of the Russian-occupied dam on Moscow. Call for international supportThe developments came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for international support to help rescue victims of the dam collapse in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

Persons: ”, it’s, Oleksandr Prokudin, Prokudin, ” Prokudin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, ” Zelensky, “, Justin Trudeau Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s Ministry, Internal Affairs, “, Russian Foreign, Armed Forces of, State Emergency Service, Ukraine Saturday, Canadian Locations: Dnipro, ”, Ukraine, Europe, Russian, Moscow, Kherson, Ukrainian, Kherson region, “ Russia, Mykolaiv, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Dnipropetrovsk, Nikopol, Afanasivka, Canada

☆ Russia says it hits Leopard tanks, U.S. Bradley vehicles in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"During the past day, the armed forces of Ukraine continued unsuccessful attempts of offensive actions in the Donetsk, southern Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia directions," it said. Russian military bloggers said Ukrainian forces had smashed through a section of the Russian lines south of the town of Velyka Novosilka, briefly taking several villages as Russian forces retreated to higher ground. Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed official in the part of the Zaporizhzhia region controlled by Russia, said Russian forces had then taken the village back. Ukraine has said it made gains near Bakhmut, which fell to Russia last month. Russia's defence ministry published several videos and pictures over recent days showing numerous strikes on Ukrainian-manned armoured vehicles and tanks from Ka-52 attack helicopters and drones.

Persons: Read, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Vladimir Putin, Velyka Novosilka, Vladimir Rogov, Guy Faulconbridge, Frances Kerry, Jan Harvey Organizations: Bradley, 128th Mountain Assault Brigade, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk, MOSCOW, Zaporizhzhia, Russian, Velyka, Bakhmut, Mala Tokmachka

MOSCOW, June 9 (Reuters) - Russia said on Friday it had repelled fierce Ukrainian offensives in the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions, killing more than 1,000 Ukrainian troops and destroying dozens of tanks and armoured vehicles. It said Ukrainian forces had attacked Russian lines four times with two battalions supported with tanks just south of Velyka Novosilka in Donetsk, but were pushed back. Russian forces had also repelled two attacks just south of city of Orikhiv in the Zaporizhzhia region, the ministry said. Russia, which on Tuesday said Ukraine had lost 3,715 men in three days, did not give its own casualty figures. Ukraine has declined to comment on the long-awaited counter-offensive and has accused Russia of spreading lies about it.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan, Andrew Osborn, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Ukraine, Reuters, New York Times, U.S, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Donetsk, Moscow, Ukraine, Velyka Novosilka, Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Washington, Russian

☆ Ukraine's forces are facing 'tough battles' and taking losses early in its offensive, but war experts say it has a lot left to hammer Russian lines
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

There are reports of heavy personnel and equipment losses in some sectors. Ukrainian forces gained ground in areas around Bakhmut, a city of limited strategic value that Russia only recently captured at tremendous cost. Through its counteroffensive operations, Ukraine is confronting these hardened Russian defenses with a force that while experienced is employing new weapons with, in some cases, new tactics. Ukrainian forces will suffer losses, including of both Western and Soviet equipment, during any offensive operations," ISW said. "Loss of equipment — including Western equipment — early on in the counteroffensive is not an indicator of the future progress of Ukraine's counteroffensive," it said.

Persons: —, ISW, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ANATOLII STEPANOV, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Serhii Naiev, Yevhen, it's, Mark Hertling Organizations: Service, Ukraine, Institute for, CNN, Getty, for Strategic, International Studies, DC, Wagner Group, Joint Forces of, Armed Forces of, Operational, Publishing, US Army Locations: Bakhmut, Russia, Donetsk Oblast, Zaporizhia Oblast, Donetsk, Ukraine, AFP, Europe, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Kyiv Region, Soviet, Ukrainian

☆ Ukrainian forces suffer ‘stiff resistance’ and losses in assault on Russian lines
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Jim Sciutto | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Ukrainian forces have suffered losses in heavy equipment and soldiers as they met greater than expected resistance from Russian forces in their first attempt to breach Russian lines in the east of the country in recent days, two senior US officials tell CNN. One US official described the losses – which include US supplied MRAP armored personnel vehicles as “significant.”Ukrainian forces managed to overrun some Russian forces in the east around Bakhmut. Today is a successful day for our forces.”Both US officials say the losses are not expected to impact the larger planned Ukrainian counteroffensive. Russian Ministry of Defense claimed Wednesday that the Ukrainian offensive close to Bakhmut was “thwarted”. The enemy was destroyed.”Moscow often inflates claims regarding Ukrainian losses on the battlefield.

Persons: Hanna Maliar, ” Maliar, Bakhmut, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian, Russian Ministry of Defense, Armed Forces of, Wall Street, NATO, Kyiv ” Locations: Bakhmut, Ukrainian, Western, Armed Forces of Ukraine, South Donetsk, Donetsk, Artyomovsk, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Dnipro, Kherson, Ukraine’s, “, Crimea

☆ Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is accusing the Kremlin of planting landmines to blow up his troops as they left Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin said Moscow's troops left landmines in his forces' way. His press service also said Russian troops, led by a drunk officer, opened fire on Wagner soldiers. The report said Wagner troops traveling in Donetsk found landmines in their way and proceeded to clear the road. No one was injured, but Wagner forces "dismounted, dispersed, took retaliatory measures to eliminate aggression, and made arrests," the document said. "The icing on the cake so there's no doubt left," Prigozhin wrote in a caption for the video.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, —, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, Kremlin, Armed Forces of, Wagner, Ministry of Defense, Wagner PMC, Wagner Group, Russia's Defense Ministry Locations: Russian, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Bakhmut, Donetsk

☆ Who are the Freedom of Russia Legion and Russian Volunteer Corps?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, June 5 (Reuters) - Two armed groups, the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC) and Freedom of Russia Legion, say they have carried out attacks in Russia's western Belgorod region in recent weeks. RUSSIAN VOLUNTEER CORPSThe RVC was founded by a far-right Russian national last August and comprises Russians who have been fighting in and for Ukraine against their own country. [1/2] Members of Russian Volunteer Corps stand next to an armoured vehicle in this undated handout picture obtained by Reuters on May 23, 2023. "I have my set of views, it's a patriotic set of views, it's a traditionalist set of views, it's a right-wing set of views," he said. FREEDOM OF RUSSIA LEGIONThe Freedom of Russia Legion says it was formed in spring 2022 "out of the wish of Russians to fight in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine against Putin's armed gang".

Persons: REUTERS Denis Kapustin, it's, you'll, Tom Balmforth, Max Hunder, Timothy Organizations: Russian Volunteer Corps, of Russia Legion, Kyiv, Russian, Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Legion, Foreign, Reuters, REUTERS, Defamation, Nazi, RUSSIA, Russia Legion, Armed Forces of, Belgorod, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Russia's, Belgorod, Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine, U.S, Russian, Germany, Armed Forces of Ukraine

☆ Russian statement on what it says was a major Ukrainian attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, June 5 (Reuters) - Russia's defence ministry on Monday said Ukraine had launched an attack in the eastern Donetsk region. Below is the full text of the statement. "The enemy's goal was to break through our defenses on the most vulnerable, in its opinion, sector of the front. "The commander of the combined group of troops - the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Army General Gerasimov V.V. Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge, editing by David Ljunggren and Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gerasimov V.V, Guy Faulconbridge, David Ljunggren, Diane Craft Organizations: Armed Forces, Staff of, Russian Federation , Army, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukraine, Donetsk, South Donetsk

☆ Russian missiles and drones had a 90% failure rate in May and that cost the Kremlin $1.7 billion, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Around 90% of Russia's drones and missiles fired in May were destroyed, the Kyiv Post reported. The bulk of Russia's munitions expenses stemmed from destroyed Kh-101 and Kh-555 cruise missiles, costing $1.48 billion, the Kyiv Post reported. The Kyiv Post also wrote that Ukraine used 401 Shahed-136 drones costing around $20,000 each, and that 362 were destroyed by Ukrainian air defenses. That failure rate eclipses earlier estimates from the US, which said in 2022 that as much as 60% of Russia's missiles never reached their targets. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in November that American NASAMS air defense systems sent to Ukraine had a 100% success rate of intercepting Russian missiles.

Persons: —, Pete Shmigel, They're, Ukraine didn't, Lloyd Austin, General Serhii Naiev Organizations: Kyiv Post, Service, Kremlin, Post, NATO, US, Joint Forces of, Armed Forces of, CNN, Patriot, Press Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Australian, Russia, Moscow, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian

☆ Opinion: The war on Russia’s doorstep just got uncomfortably close
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Michael Bociurkiw | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Then on Tuesday morning a drone attack on the Russian capital brought the conflict to Russian soil with fresh clarity. The aim here appears not to actually occupy Russian land – but to send a message to Putin and the Russian public that the Ukraine war is a waste of blood and treasure. What is perhaps likely in the short term, is that Russia will use a hybrid strategy to attack Ukraine and make life uncomfortable for the West. It is reasonable to assume that Putin will not end this war voluntarily, by submitting to a ceasefire or peace deal. And with the war he started getting uncomfortably close, I believe Putin’s days in office could be numbered as well.

Persons: Michael Bociurkiw, CNN —, Michael Bociurkiw Chrystia, Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Putin, David, Goliath, Kyiv’s, ”, Zelensky, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Rather Organizations: Atlantic Council, Organization for Security, Cooperation, CNN, Russia, Putin, Kremlin, Kyiv, Russian Volunteer Corps, of Russia, Ukraine, Legion, Armed Forces of, New York Times, Nazi, Twitter Locations: Odesa, Europe, Iraq, United States, Putin Russian, Belgorod, Ukrainian, Berdiansk, Moscow, Ukraine, ”, Russia, Kyiv, Washington, Armed Forces of Ukraine

CNN —Russia hit Kyiv with an array of missile fire on Monday in a surprise daytime attack, hours after an overnight barrage of the Ukrainian capital and across the country. Kyiv’s armed forced said it downed 11 Iskander missiles launched by Russia in the daytime raid. Ukrainian Police officers inspect a fragment a rocket after a Russian attack in Kyiv on Monday. Evgeniy Maloletka/APThe Khmelnytskyi regional military administration said Russia had attacked a military facility in the western Ukrainian city, damaging five aircraft. The Russian Defense Ministry said later that its forces hit Ukrainian airfields, destroying all targets.

☆ Denmark plans $2.6 bln more for Ukraine, Zelenskiy praises 'major contribution'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

STOCKHOLM, May 29 (Reuters) - Denmark plans to increase its spending on military aid to Ukraine by 17.9 billion crowns ($2.59 billion) over this year and next, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Monday, winning thanks for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Denmark, with a population of less than 6 million, in March established a $1 billion fund for military, civilian and business aid to Ukraine in 2023. "This major contribution will further strengthen the combat capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the short and medium term," Zelenskiy said in a tweet. The new money is earmarked for military aid, Danmarks Radio reported. Jens Stoltenberg, the transatlantic military alliance's secretary-general, is due to step down in September.

☆ Kyiv says Russian forces ease attacks on Bakhmut to regroup
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's Wagner private army began handing over its positions to regular Russian troops this week after declaring full control of Bakhmut following the longest and bloodiest battle of the war. In a statement on Telegram, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Russian forces have continued attacking but that "overall offensive activity has decreased". "The decrease in the enemy's offensive activity is due to the fact that troops are being replaced and regrouped," Maliar said. The commander of Ukraine's ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, posted a video on Saturday which he said depicted Ukrainian special forces operating inside the ruined city. Ukraine's top general posted a sleekly produced video on Saturday showing Ukrainian troops swearing an oath and preparing for battle.

☆ Ukraine says Russia eases Bakhmut attacks, Kyiv talks up counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Separately, senior Ukrainian officials indicated their forces were ready to launch a long-promised counteroffensive to recapture territory taken by Russia since the start of the war. In a statement on Telegram, Ukraine Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Russian forces were continuing to attack but that overall offensive activity had decreased. Kyiv is expected to soon launch a highly anticipated counteroffensive to retake Russian-occupied territory. Ukraine's top general, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, posted a sleekly produced video on Saturday showing Ukrainian troops swearing an oath and preparing for battle. Reporting by Dan Peleschuk and David Ljunggren; Editing by Conor Humphries and David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia's Wagner group claims to have captured Bakhmut but Ukraine says it still controls a part of it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Darya Tarasova Sugam Pokharel Thom Poole Rob Picheta | Darya Tarasova | Sugam Pokharel | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied claims Bakhmut has fallen to Russia after the chief of the mercenary Wagner group said his forces had taken complete control of the eastern Ukrainian city following months of brutal fighting. In a later update the Armed Forces of Ukraine said: “The battles for the city of Bakhmut continue”. Wagner received a message of praise from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russian forces, bolstered by members of the Wagner mercenary group, have taken heavy losses trying to capture the city. Before the war, around 70,000 people lived in Bakhmut, a city once famous for its sparkling wine.

☆ Ukraine says it advances, repels Russia attacks at Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The head of the Wagner mercenary force, which is spearheading the Russian attack on Bakhmut, said his forces had advanced up to 400 meters. "We're pushing Bakhmut all the way to the end," he said in an audio recording on his Telegram channel. She said that Russia had attacked Bakhmut all day having "significantly strengthened" its grouping in Bakhmut by bringing most of its reserves there. Kyiv has for days been hailing battlefield successes around Bakhmut that could eventually trap Wagner's forces inside the city. Prigozhin, who said a week ago that his forces' flanks were under pressure near Bakhmut, said they continued to be eroded.

☆ How will we know when Ukraine's long-awaited counteroffensive has started? Experts say look for the Western armor.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

But military experts say Kyiv's use of Western armor will signal the start of a larger offensive. "The Ukrainian counteroffensive, I think, is going to start with a bang, literally and figuratively," Mark Cancian, a retired US Marine Corps Reserve colonel, told Insider. Ukraine's expected counterpunch will come on the heels of what turned out to be a lackluster offensive carried out by Russian forces during the winter. The armored vehicles in particular are expected to help Ukraine hit hard and exploit gains quickly with shock, firepower, and mobility. You want to keep the Russian armed forces guessing as to, is this actually the commitment of their main forces?"

CNN —Two senior Russian military officers have been killed in eastern Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday, the latest high-profile losses for Moscow in a grinding war with its western neighbor. The ministry said the two officers – Col. Vyacheslav Makarov and Col. Yevgeny Brovko – were in killed in action while leading Russian troops in the Donetsk region. “The commander of the 4th motorized rifle brigade, Colonel Vyacheslav Makarov, being at the forefront, personally led the battle,” a Russian Defense Ministry briefing read. The Donetsk region of Ukraine includes the city of Bakhmut, which has seen some of the fiercest and most relentless fighting of the war. The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine has made “massive attempts to break through the defense of our troops to the north and south of Artemovsk,” referring to Bakhmut by its Russian name.

☆ Footage shows massive explosions and fireballs after a wave of Russian drones targeted a city in western Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Footage circulating on social media shows a massive explosion in the city of Khmelnytskyi. The Khmelnytskyi Oblast Military Administration confirmed "critical infrastructure" had been hit. The Khmelnytskyi Oblast Military Administration confirmed on Telegram that "critical infrastructure" had been hit in the attack on Friday night. A wave of 21 attack drones were fired at the city, according to reports. Local news outlets reported at least 21 civilians were injured, citing the Khmelnytskyi Oblast Military Administration.

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