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☆ Ukraine border guards remind Russia Snake Island is again theirs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian service members install a national flag on Snake (Zmiinyi) Island, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Odesa region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released July 7, 2022. Tiny Snake Island became synonymous with Ukrainian resistance in the first hours of the Feb. 24, 2022 invasion, when Russian officers on the Black Sea Fleet flagship Moskva radioed Ukrainian guards stationed there and ordered them to surrender or die. The strategic island overlooks sea lanes to Odesa, Ukraine's main Black Sea port. On April 14, 2022, two Ukrainian missiles struck the Moskva, the biggest warship sunk in combat for 40 years. On June 30, Russia abandoned Snake Island after taking heavy losses trying to defend it.

Persons: Serhiy Deineko, Deineko, Maria Starkova, Elaine Monaghan, Sandra Maler Organizations: Press, Ukrainian Armed Forces, REUTERS, Facebook, Black Sea Fleet, Snake, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Odesa region, Ukrainian, Ukrainian Crimea, Moskva, Russia, Kyiv, Washington

☆ Ukrainian soldier who lost his leg says he wouldn't volunteer again, voicing a rare but spreading pessimism
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Ukrainian described losing his leg to a land mine while speaking with The Washington Post. He was one of several to express a relatively rare note of despondency in the war against Russia. Ruslan Proektor, 52, told the outlet in a report published Thursday that he lost his leg this summer after stepping on a Russian mine. "They are taking everyone and sending them to the front line without proper preparation," he told the Post. Other people who spoke with The Washington Post also deviated from the prevailing Ukrainian sentiment of unity and defiance, citing the disappointing counteroffensive as a cause of their fading hopes.

Persons: Ruslan Proektor, Proektor, Michael Kofman Organizations: Washington Post, Russia, Service, NATO, Guardian, New York Times, Times Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Ukraine

☆ Ukrainian troops are getting just weeks of training on military equipment that takes months to master
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Troops in Ukraine are receiving just weeks to learn to use advanced military equipment. Bradley fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, for example, take US troops months to master. CNN's Jim Sciutto reported that Ukrainian troops are not receiving adequate training to use the donated munitions and equipment fast enough to push back Russian forces. Instead of conducting head-on attacks on Russian positions using complicated Western maneuvers, Ukrainian troops encountering heavily defended Russian positions are trying to wear the enemy down with artillery and missile barrages. Due to the slow progress of its counteroffensive as they face Russian positions protected by minefields, helicopter gunships, and artillery fire, Ukrainian troops are abandoning US tactics to seize back territory from Russia, Insider previously reported.

Persons: Bradley, it's, Jim Sciutto, I've, Sciutto, Michael Kofman Organizations: CNN, Troops, Service, Bradley, German, Russian Studies, CNA Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia

☆ Top tanks worth millions and other expensive heavy armor are being hunted in Ukraine by cheap exploding drones worth only a few hundred bucks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Ukrainian and Russian heavy armor, including their better tanks, are facing a growing threat: FPV drones. Wojciech Grzedzinski/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesWhat are FPV drones? Instead, individual units are putting in orders for FPV drones, and these outfits are doing what they can to meet the demand. It is unclear if or how the FPV drones factored into this figure. Electronic warfare can have an effect on FPV drones, as can the rough cope cages some armored-vehicle crews have welded on their tanks and fighting vehicles to shield it from the exploding FPV drones, though not always.

Persons: Samuel Bendett, Wojciech Grzedzinski, David Hambling, Bendett, Steve Wright, Yuriy Mate, Jack Watling, Nick Reynolds, it's Organizations: Service, Center for Naval, Mechanized Brigade, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Army, Drones, Newsweek, Ukraine, Royal United Services, PBS Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Donetsk Oblast, China

☆ As the drone battle in Ukraine unfolds, the US Army is scrambling to get its soldiers a new one-way tank-buster
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The US Army is rushing to develop its own tank-killing drone that soldiers can carry into combat. The weapon will be a loitering munition, a type of drone being used widely in the war in Ukraine. Though loitering munitions such as the US-made Switchblade have been around for years, they have seen their most prolific use in Ukraine. Russia has used military-grade Lancet 3 loitering munitions to hunt Ukrainian artillery and disrupt Ukraine's counteroffensive. What is also interesting about LASSO is that the Army is emphasizing it as an anti-armor weapon.

Persons: LASSO, Narciso Contreras, Oleksii, David Hambling, Russia's, Michael Peck Organizations: US Army, Service, Army's Infantry Brigade, Army's, Executive, Department of Defense, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Army, Marine Corps, Command, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Russia, Afghanistan, Russian, Kyiv, Forbes

☆ Ukraine is eating through a key artillery shell, but the US Army has a plan to make hundreds of thousands more each year
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The high rate of fire has strained US stockpiles of 155 mm artillery shells that it's sent to Kyiv. But the Army has a plan to boost munitions production from 24,000 to over 80,000 a month. Ukrainian servicemen prepare to fire at Russian positions from a U.S.-supplied M777 howitzer in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, July 14, 2022. In any conflict, critical resources like artillery ammunition may be in high demand, Bush said. That includes more than 2 million 155 mm artillery rounds and nearly 200 howitzers that can be used to fire these munitions.

Persons: it's, Biden, Evgeniy, Technology Douglas Bush, Bush Organizations: Army, Service, Russian, NATO, US Army, Pentagon, AP, Acquisition, Logistics, Technology, Roman, Getty Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Wall, Silicon, Washington, White, U.S, Kharkiv region, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast

☆ Ukrainian snipers say they don't care for big leafy ghillie suits, but they're fans of these Western rifles
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukrainian snipers rarely use ghillie suits, camouflage preferred by Western snipers, several marksmen told the Kyiv Post. For the US military, ghillie suit preparation is a key part of sniper training. A ghillie suit is not always necessary to achieve that though. But while they aren't fans of the ghillie suit, there's a few Western weapons they're fond of. The weapons that were tossed aside when these Western weapons showed up were the Soviet/Russian-made SVD "Dragunov " sniper rifles.

Persons: Vladimir Shtanko, Kyiv Post's Stefan Korshak, John Moore, Barrett MRAD, Barrett, Norma Magnum Organizations: Western, Kyiv Post, Service, Training Center, National Guard, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Kyiv, 28th Brigade, TAC, US Army, Marines, NATO Locations: Kyiv, Canada, Finland, Wall, Silicon, Novi Petrivtsi, Kiev, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Soviet, Russia

☆ Ukraine aims to retake ground by Bakhmut, Russia says it repelled attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Ukrainian serviceman operates a reconnaissance unmanned aerial device over the outskirts of Bakhmut town, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near a frontline Donetsk region, Ukraine May 25, 2023. Maliar said Ukrainian forces were advancing "slowly but confidently" south of Bakhmut while securing control of positions north of the city. Accounts from Moscow said Russian troops had repelled eight Ukrainian attempts to advance in the east and inflicted a defeat near Bakhmut. Ukrainian forces, she said, were also working to contain intensified Russian attacks on areas farther north in Donestsk region, around Kupiansk and Lyman. One prominent commander who comments on the front, Maksym Zhorin, said Ukrainian forces had secured partial control of the key village of Klishchiivka.

Persons: Anna Kudriavtseva, Hanna Maliar, Maliar, Lyman, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Maksym Zhorin, Ron Popeski, Nick Starkov, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Ukrainian, REUTERS, Kyiv, Russian, Russia's Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Bakhmut, Ukraine, Donetsk, Moscow, Azov, Crimean, Kyiv, Donestsk, Kupiansk, Klishchiivka

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy decries 'revolting' practices at recruitment centres
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy awards a Ukrainian service member during a ceremony marking the Day of Ukrainian Statehood, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 28, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS/File PhotoAug 3 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday decried "revolting" practices exposed during an audit of Ukraine's military recruitment centres and pledged to fix the system by placing in charge people who understood the meaning of war. "The conclusion is clear: the recruitment system needs people who understand the value of protecting Ukraine," he said. "Recruitment centres must be staffed with people who have seen the war, experienced it," he added. The head of a military recruitment centre in Odesa accused of corruption and embezzlement was ordered held in pre-trial detention last month.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Ihor Klymenko, Vasyl Maliuk, Ron Popeski, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Ukrainian, Presidential Press Service, REUTERS, NATO, European Union, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Black, Odesa, Spain

☆ Ukraine says Russians fail to advance but are well dug in
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian service members of the 35th Separate Marines Brigade attend a military drill near a frontline, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine July 31, 2023. Much of Russian military activity focused on air attacks that damaged grain infrastructure in Ukraine's Danube port of Izmail. Kyiv also says it has retaken areas near Bakhmut, an eastern city seized by Russian forces in May after months of battles. Deputy Ukrainian Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Russian forces had "tried quite persistently to halt our advance in the Bakhmut sector. Oleksiy Danilov, the Secretary of Ukraine's Security Council, said Russian forces had ample time in months of occupation to prepare defences and lay extensive minefields.

Persons: Viacheslav, Hanna Maliar, Oleksiy Danilov, Danilov, Volodymyr Zeleskiy, Chasiv Yar, Ron Popeski, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Marines Brigade, REUTERS, Russia's Defence, Russian, Ukrainian, Ukraine's Security, Russia's, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Donetsk region, Donetsk, Izmail, Ukrainian, Russian, Azov, Crimean, Kyiv, Bakhmut

☆ Ukraine has 14 kinds of howitzers to batter Russian forces, but each gun brings a new problem for Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine has 14," Patrick Hinton, a British Army captain, wrote in a recent article on Ukrainian artillery for the Royal United Services Institute, a British think tank. Ukraine's arsenal of towed 155 mm howitzers includes the US M777, British AS-90, France's TRF1, and the British-German-Italian FH-70. For armored self-propelled 155 mm howitzers, Ukraine has received three variants of the American-made M109, plus Germany's PzH 2000, Poland's Krab, and Slovakia's Zuzana 2. To add to the mix, there is France's truck-mounted 155 mm Caesar gun and Lithuania has sent old US-made M101 towed 105 mm howitzers that were designed in 1941. Crash coursesA Ukrainian serviceman in a PzH 2000 155 mm self-propelled howitzer near Bakhmut in June.

Persons: Patrick Hinton, Muhammed Enes Yildirim, France's TRF1, Poland's Krab, ANATOLII STEPANOV, Cannon, Mykhaylo Palinchak, Hinton, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Artillery, Russia, British Army, Royal United Services Institute, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Anadolu Agency, Getty, British AS, NATO, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, British, US, Bakhmut, Italian, Lithuania, Czech, AFP, Soviet, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Europe, Forbes

☆ Pregnant Ukrainian soldiers are requesting special uniforms to fit their growing bellies as they continue to serve for up to 7 months into their pregnancies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A Ukrainian charity is helping to outfit the country's pregnant female soldiers. Pregnant soldiers continue to serve in non-combat roles until they're 7 months pregnant, the founders said. There are now more than 60,000 women in Ukraine's army, including at least 5,000 in combat units, members of Ukraine's Parliament have said. Pregnant women enlisted in Ukraine's army continue to serve up to seven months into their pregnancy, the couple said, necessitating uniforms that fit like "a second skin." "Imagine if we take all the men in all the armies in the world and give them female uniforms," Kolesnyk said.

Persons: Zemliachky's, Ukraine's, —, Andriy Kolesnyk, Ksenia Drahaniuk, Kolesnyk, Zemliachky, she's, Drahaniuk, Anastasia, Anastasia Zemliachky's Organizations: Service Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Ukraine

☆ Ukraine retakes 15 sq km in south, east in past week
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Stringer/File photoKYIV, July 31 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces have recaptured nearly 15 square km (5.8 square miles) of land from Russian troops in the east and south over the past week during their counteroffensive, a senior defence official said on Monday. Kyiv's forces have now retaken 204.7 sq km in the south since they launched a major push against Russian forces early last month, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said on the Telegram messaging app. Maliar said Kyiv's troops had retaken 2 sq km in the past week on the Bakhmut front, bringing the total territory recaptured there to 37 sq km since the counteroffensive began. In the south, where Ukrainian forces are trying to advance towards the cities of Berdyansk and Melitopol, she said that Kyiv's troops had recaptured 12.6 sq km in the last week. Russian troops tried to attack on two northern fronts near Kupiansk and Lyman, but failed to break through, she said.

Persons: Stringer, Kyiv's, Hanna Maliar, Maliar, Lyman, Anna Pruchnicka, Tom Balmforth Organizations: REUTERS, Russian, NATO, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Russian, Novodarivka, Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia region, Bakhmut, Staromaiorske, Crimea, Russia, Berdyansk, Kupiansk, Kyiv

☆ What Ukraine must do to win in its southern push – and what Russia has in reserve
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Tim Lister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

There’s simply no systematic pulling apart of the Russian defensive system that I could observe,” Gady tweeted. “Weakening Russian defenses to a degree that enables maneuver,” which will include the use of cluster munitions, is a critical task in the weeks ahead. It is far too early to tell whether the Ukrainian counteroffensive has entered a more dynamic phase. The Kremlin has seized upon the slow progress of the Ukrainian counter-offensive: a rare opportunity to go beyond damage limitation. “Russian defensive lines are not all contiguous or uniformly suited for strong defence.

Persons: Bradley, There’s, George Barros, –, “, ”, Barros, Franz, Stefan Gady, ” Gady, “ It’s, Kostyantyn, ” “, Stringer, Mick Ryan, Gerasimov, Vladimir Putin, Ivan Popov, Gady Organizations: CNN, Institute for, “, Legion, RFE, Radio Liberty, Reuters, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Army, Russian Defense Ministry Locations: Washington, Ukrainian, Mines, Europe, Russian, Ukraine, Orikhiv, Novodarivka, Zaporizhzhia Region, Australian, Kreminna, Kiev, ”, Zaporizhzhia, Donbas

☆ Two Ukrainian Service Members Take a Break to Say ‘I Do’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The groom could not wait to kiss the bride. He kissed her when she walked down the aisle, and during the ceremony. He kissed her after his vows, after hers, and again when they finally said “I do.”Maksym Merezhko, 43, and the bride, Yuliia Dluzhynska, 39, both serve in Ukraine’s military and had traveled to Kyiv the night before from the eastern Donetsk region. The couple had been officially married days before, signing a marriage license in a stuffy room in Sloviansk. “It takes a lot of time to organize a wedding, and when you are on the front line, you don’t have that free time,” said Kseniia Drahaniuk, Zemliachky’s co-founder.

Persons: “, Maksym, Yuliia Dluzhynska, Dluzhynska, ”, Kseniia Drahaniuk, Zemliachky’s Locations: Kyiv, Donetsk, Sloviansk

☆ Photo captures Ukrainian troops using grunt robots to plant deadly anti-personnel mines
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A new photo shows Ukraine using an unmanned ground vehicle to plant a deadly anti-personnel mine. The photo, posted by OSINTtechnical, shows a MON-200 directional mine. The MON-200 is a thick, Soviet-made anti-personnel mine with a smooth concave front — as seen in the picture — that faces the target. It's a directional explosive, meaning the explosive force and the destructive fragments are propelled in a single direction when triggered. A video, also posted by OSINTtechnical, shows a minelaying vehicle remotely deploying TM-62 anti-tank mines.

Persons: OSINTtechnical Organizations: Service, Center for Naval Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian

☆ Ukraine reports more advances in south, battles rage in east
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Maliar said the advances brought the territory recaptured since the counteroffensive began in early June to more than 192 square km in the southern sector. In the east, she said, the main focus of fighting was around the small city of Bakhmut captured by Russian forces in May after months of fierce combat. Kyiv's forces continued to advance on Bakhmut's southern flanks but to the north Russian forces were "clinging to every centimetre and meter," she said. Russia, which sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022, still holds swathes of territory in southern and eastern Ukraine. Russia has not confirmed that Ukraine has made territorial gains, and said last week that its forces had advanced in the northeast.

Persons: Sofiia, Hanna Maliar, Maliar, Vladimir Putin, Antony Blinken, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Olena Harmash, Timothy Organizations: Armed Forces of, REUTERS, Ukrainian, Russian, Deputy, Reuters, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Donetsk region, KYIV, Russian, Melitopol, Berdiansk, Azov, Klishchiivka, Russia, Moscow, Odesa

☆ Is Ukraine's counteroffensive failing? Defense experts say the risks facing Kyiv are growing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesFor Michael Clarke, a defense analyst and former director-general of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank, there's a risk that the first phase of the counteroffensive, designed to probe Russia's defenses, takes too long. Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesKonrad Muzyka, a military intelligence specialist and president of Rochan Consulting, said "the weather has always been the factor" for Kyiv. But Kyiv says its forces are conducting counteroffensive actions in at least three areas and are operating against a backdrop of increased Russian offensive operations. Ukraine's defense ministry claims that its forces have liberated around 210 square kilometers (81 square miles) of occupied territory since June. Anatolii Stepanov | Afp | Getty Images

Persons: —, Michael Clarke, Clarke, Konrad Muzyka, Muzyka, Yuriy Sak, Sak, Anatolii Stepanov Organizations: 110th Brigade, Territorial Defense, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Military, Royal United Services Institute, CNBC, Rochan Consulting, Kyiv, Afp Locations: Novodarivka, Luhansk, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Kherson, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Donetsk, Russian, Russia, Vuhledar, Yuriy, Siversk

☆ Russian forces are running out of the critical radars they need to defeat Ukraine's artillery, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Britain's defense ministry said Russian forces likely only have a few key systems remaining. For ground troops to surmount these obstacles means navigating through a slow and deadly process, and Ukrainian forces lack air superiority. "Russian ground forces survivability relies on effectively detecting Ukrainian artillery and striking against it, often with its force's own artillery," Britain's defense ministry said in a Monday intelligence update. According to an analysis by the open-source intelligence site Oryx, at least 38 Russian radars have been destroyed, damaged, or captured in Ukraine. "The priority Popov apparently gave to this problem highlights the continued centrality of artillery in the war," Britain's defense ministry said.

Persons: SERGEY SHESTAK, Ivan Popov, Popov, Caesar, Biden, Jake Sullivan Organizations: Service, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, Getty, Arms Army, CAA, Separate Artillery Brigade, REUTERS, West, Oryx, NATO, National Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Bakhmut, Donetsk, AFP, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Donetsk region

☆ Ukraine, Russia accuse each other of shelling civilians in Zaporizhzhia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Ukrainian servicemen load a shell into a Partyzan small multiple rocket launch system before firing toward Russian troops at a position near a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine July 13, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer/File photoJuly 16 (Reuters) - Three civilians were wounded in Russian shelling of a village in Zaporizhzhia, the head of Ukraine's presidential administration said on Saturday, while Moscow-backed officials said that Kyiv's forces shelled a school there. Russia also shelled the city of Zaporizhzhia, hitting and damaging at least 16 buildings there, Anatoliy Kurtiev, secretary of the city council said on the Telegram. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the nearly 17-month long war that Russia has been waging on its neighbour. Ukraine's top military command said that Russia is trying to stop Ukraine's advance there, shelling heavily the area.

Persons: Stringer, Andriy Yermak, Yermak, Anatoliy Kurtiev, Vladimir Rogov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Lidia Kelly, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia region, Zaporizhzhia, Moscow, Stepnohirske, Russia, Russian, Stulneve, Tokmak, Melbourne

☆ A landmark agricultural deal that guarantees food security for tens of millions is set to expire on Monday as Russia debates its renewal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Amanda Macias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Black Sea deal has allowed Ukraine to ship more than 30 million tons of produce from three major ports, helping to bring down global food prices down after they spiked following Russia's invasion. Last week, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin outlining proposals to salvage the deal. REUTERS/Nacho Doce Nacho Doce | ReutersBefore Russian troops poured over Ukraine's borders in late February 2022, Kyiv and Moscow accounted for almost a quarter of global grain exports. Those agricultural shipments came to a halt for nearly six months until representatives from Ukraine, Russia, the U.N. and Turkey agreed to establish a humanitarian sea corridor under the Black Sea Grain Initiative. One of Moscow's top demands though is for the Russian Agricultural Bank, or Rosselkhozbank, to return to the SWIFT banking system.

Persons: Akos Stiller, Antonio Guterres, Vladimir Putin, U.N, Stephane Dujarric, Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Sean Gallup, Sergey Lavrov, Lavrov, That's, SWIFT Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty Images WASHINGTON, Kremlin, REUTERS, Reuters, Russian, Food, Sea Initiative, Russian Agricultural Bank, Society, Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication Locations: Bicske, Hungary, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Ukrainian, UN, Turkey, Odesa, Kyiv, Ukraine's, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Yuzhny, Moscow's

☆ A fired general's pleas from the front lines reveal Ukraine is bloodying Russian forces in a critical fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

He said Russia is struggling to knock out Ukrainian artillery while Russian forces suffer "mass deaths." The counter-battery fight is critical in the counteroffensive, and it looks like Ukraine has an edge. After he was fired, he revealed publicly that Ukraine is bloodying his forces in an important fight, the artillery battle. In this fight, Ukraine relies heavily on rocket artillery systems like the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, or howitzers like the 155mm M777s. Russian artillery can have the same effect on Ukraine though if left unanswered, which is a reason why the counter-battery fight matters.

Persons: Ivan Popov, Popov, vilely, Serhii Mykhalchuk, Jack Watling, Gen, Valery Zaluzhny, Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy, Jake Sullivan, Patrick Hinton, Hinton Organizations: Service, Artillery, Arms Army, Getty, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, Royal United Services Institute, Washington Post, Publishing, Hudson Institute, NATO, Systems, National, AP, Forbes, British Army's Royal Artillery, Staff's, Military Sciences Research, RUSI Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk Oblast, Kharkiv Region, U.S, Kherson region, Hinton

☆ Ground vehicles are the new frontier in Ukraine's drone war
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] Yevhen Hnatok, 22, former Ukrainian serviceman, shows an unmanned ground vehicle, with his patches, in workshop, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, July 5, 2023. Among the Ukrainian engineers working in the sector is 22-year-old Yevhen Hnatok, who said he had already supplied several dozen remote-controlled ground vehicles for the armed forces. As more experimental technologies are introduced onto the battlefield, small-scale engineers like Hnatok are hoping to influence the war's outcome with Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) that carry weapons and explosives or conduct reconnaissance. The impact of combat UGVs from both sides has been extremely limited so far, according to Samuel Bendett, senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. Hnatok said he does not profit from his vehicles, but asks his military buyers to cover production costs.

Persons: Hnatok, Alina Smutko, Samuel Bendett, Ukraine that's, Max Hunder, Mike Collett, White, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Vehicles, Center, New, New American Security, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Kyiv region, Russia, KYIV, Russian, New American, Kyiv, Moscow

☆ Ukraine, Russia report heavy fighting in east, south
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The fluid situation near Bakhmut has been the focus of much attention, with Ukraine noting gains on the city's southern fringe, particularly the strategic village of Klishchiivka. Liberating the village, which lies on higher ground, would give Ukrainian forces operational advantage in potentially encircling Russian forces in Bakhmut, analysts say. Ukraine said on Monday it controlled heights ringing the village, enabling it to fire on targets in Bakhmut itself. The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces had repelled nine attempted Ukrainian advances in eastern Donetsk region, including one drive near Kliishchivka. Ukrainian military analyst Serhiy Hrabskyi said Ukraine's drive towards the coast was proceeding well, taking account of Russian defence preparations and extensive mining.

Persons: Sofiia, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Andriy Kovaliov, Oleksander Tarnavskyi, Serhiy Hrabskyi, Ron Popeski, Nick Starkov, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, General Staff, Russian Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Bakhmut, Ukraine, Donetsk region, Russian, Klishchiivka, Donetsk, Kliishchivka, Azov, Crimea, Ukrainian, Winnipeg, Kyiv

☆ Frontline videos offer grim, close-up view of Kyiv's counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Oleksandr Ratushniak /File PhotoKYIV, July 11 (Reuters) - Vivid helmet camera videos filmed by Ukrainian soldiers at the front line can give viewers a visceral feel of combat as Kyiv's counteroffensive finally unfolds, even though experts warn against drawing strong conclusions about how the war is going. The information vacuum has been partially filled by a steady stream of video filmed by soldiers themselves and often compiled, edited and released by their units. Later, an exhausted commander lets out an expletive at the camera after a Russian artillery strike on his unit's position. Reynolds added that the videos can also provide a feel for the artillery-scarred terrain Ukrainian troops are fighting on. 'SO YOU ALL KNOW THE PRICE'Troops releasing videos say that depicting the intensity of combat helps convey to the public their forces' commitment, bolstering support.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, Nick Reynolds, Reynolds, Oleh, Valerii Markus, we'll, Dan Peleschuk, Peter Graff Organizations: REUTERS, Separate Assault Brigade, Royal United Services Institute, Reuters, Troops, Mechanized Brigade, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Neskuchne, Donetsk region, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Russian, London, Crimea, Russia

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