Vsevolod Kozhemyako, the Ukrainian grain billionaire, thought about his new job as he played Beethoven’s Für Elise at a grand piano in a dimly lit hotel in Kharkiv, dressed in military fatigues. “Yes, I am a businessman,” he said. “And now I am the commander of a military unit in Ukraine.” The light infantry battalion … Read more
NATO’s secretary general said up to 25,000 Russian soldiers are being killed in Ukraine every month. Mark Rutte described the carnage as “unsustainable” for Moscow. That suggests a tipping point is approaching, although it remains unclear when. Russia’s military is suffering heavy losses in fighting in Ukraine, with up to 25,000 soldiers killed a month, … Read more
The Ukrainian Armed Forces use the US-made V2X Tempest, a high-mobility vehicle with an AGM-114 Hellfire missile launcher that is optimized for the unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) role. Mounting Hellfires on a high-mobility vehicle offers a new way to use these weapons unpredictably, not only against drone threats, but potentially other aerial targets as well. … Read more
Dimko Zhluktenko is a drone operator who provides vital data to defend Ukraine’s positions. The sergeant last deployed to Pokrovsk, a key battleground where Ukraine has declared itself outnumbered. He says Ukraine needs more than drones to stop Russia’s brutal advance. This essay, as stated, is based on a conversation with Sgt. Dimko Zhluktenko, an … Read more
First came Russia’s “turtle tank,” a metal shed rumbling across the battlefield. Then Ukraine laughed at the so-called “hairy tank”, covered with long, wavy metal wires. Now the “dandelion tank” has arrived. Moscow’s latest crude design, which features flexible metal rods arranged in branching layers, attempts to protect the tank’s body from the ever-present threat … Read more
By Mark Trevelyan and Andrew Osborn LONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin’s launch of a hypersonic Oreshnik missile appears aimed at intimidating Ukraine and sending a signal of Russian military power to Europe and the United States at a crucial moment in talks to end the war. Putin has repeatedly boasted of the … Read more
Russia said on Friday it had used its latest missile against Ukraine for the second time in the nearly four-year war, a strong signal to Kiev and its Western allies as US-led peace talks entered a crucial new phase. The Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile struck Ukraine’s western Lviv region late Thursday evening. The area is … Read more
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelensky named Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Friday as his new chief of staff, a move that comes as the U.S. leads a diplomatic effort to end Russia’s nearly 4-year-old invasion. Announcing the appointment of General Kyrylo Budanov, Zelensky said Ukraine must focus on security issues, developing its defense and … Read more
As far as the Russians were concerned, they had taken their man. Denis Kapustin, one of the leading anti-Putin Russians fighting on behalf of Ukraine, was pronounced dead on December 27, killed by a drone on the southern front. He had long been hunted by Moscow and the price on his head reflected this: Russian … Read more
It appeared, at least superficially, to have been one of the best face-to-face meetings between Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, their sixth in a year in which this relationship has reached breaking point and requires regular and painstaking repair. The mood as they emerged from the dining room at Mar-a-Lago was conciliatory. Zelensky was … Read more