What is happening in Bakhmut and what does it mean for Russian-Ukrainian war?
Kyiv Independent reporter Francis Farrell speaks to John Spencer, U.S. veteran and chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point.
Francis Farrell
Articles
'It's a cult-like mentality': Historian Ian Garner on the militarization of Russian society
In the second year of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, Moscow has shown its intent to fight and win the war without regard for the lives of its servicemen, or the damage caused to Russia’s economy and social fabric. The Kremlin’s choice to announce “partial” mobilization in
Surviving Avdiivka: Russia intensifies assault on city deemed a ‘second Bakhmut’
AVDIIVKA, Donetsk Oblast – Avdiivka is an eerie city to drive into in March 2023. One year into Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, but nine years into the Donbas war, the compact city just 10 kilometers from the center of occupied Donetsk is barely holding on. There is little choice
Season of offensives: What to expect from the spring campaign in Ukraine
On the battlefields of eastern Ukraine, with the first days of March came the all-consuming mud. Videos of trucks and armored vehicles bogged down in fields heralded the arrival of a time traditionally known in Ukrainian as bezdorizhzhia, or “roadlessness.” Though the mud may present a brief challenge to both
Search ongoing for identity of Ukrainian POW allegedly executed by Russia
The search for the identity of the alleged Ukrainian prisoner of war executed in a video that emerged on March 6 appears to be coming to an end. On March 6, a video was shared by popular Ukrainian bloggers in which an unarmed man in a military uniform with a
Plans, dreams shattered: The 2022 that could have been for Ukraine
For many Ukrainians young and old, perception of time, memories, and dreams are split between two worlds, that before Feb. 24, 2022, and that which came after. Even in cities far from the front lines, wartime Ukraine is a world of sirens, blackouts, curfews, donation drives, and an enduring wish
One night in Bakhmut: Civilians wait for the end as Russia draws closer
Editor’s Note: This piece tells the story of the lives of civilians and first responders in Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, directly through the personal experience of a Kyiv Independent reporter who stayed overnight in the embattled city in January, traveling together with a colleague from Moldova. BAKHMUT, Donetsk Oblast – Moments
Ukraine war latest: 30 killed in missile strike on Dnipro, UK pledges tanks in new military aid package
Key developments on Jan. 14-15: * Death toll in missile strike on Dnipro currently at 30 as first responders continue to rescue civilians from rubble * Energy Minister: Russia's Jan. 14 mass missile strike hits energy infrastructure in 6 oblasts * UK announces Challenger 2 tanks and 155mm artillery in major new military
Hell in high definition: Inside front-line aerial unit surveilling battle of Bakhmut
Editor’s Note: The Ukrainian soldiers featured in this article are identified by first names and callsigns to protect their identities. BAKHMUT, Donetsk Oblast – On the screen of a large handheld remote control, a Ukrainian drone operator scans a gray, washed-out landscape of ruined houses and muddy trenches. It isn’
Ex-Roscosmos head Rogozin, Donetsk proxy leader injured in possible targeted strike
Former Russian Deputy Prime Minister and ex-сhair of space agency Roscosmos Dmitrii Rogozin was wounded along with top proxy official Vitalii Khotsenko in an attack on a restaurant outside occupied Donetsk on the evening of Dec. 21. According to Russian media outlets as well as Rogozin himself, two people were
Ukraine's Christmas wish list: What is needed to end the war quickly
This holiday season, as people celebrate with their families and stroll brightly-decorated streets across the world, Russia's war against Ukraine has reached a crucial point. Ukraine's autumn campaign has been a resounding success, with counteroffensives in Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Kherson oblasts liberating thousands of square kilometers of territory. More importantly,
Understanding Russia’s relentless assault on Bakhmut
Water-logged trenches, shredded tree lines, and an undulating, colorless landscape of mud: The visual experience of the battles outside Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast have proved to transcend centuries. When Ukrainian machine-gunner Viktor Borinets’ photos of conditions on the first line of defense went viral, the comparisons to the notoriously grim
Waterboarding, electrocution and a kidnapped son: Ex-general tells of torture in Kherson
Editor’s Note: This story contains descriptions that some readers may find graphic. Standing in line in liberated Kherson for a box of pasta and canned goods with a handsome black dog on a lead, Valerii Hnedov doesn't look like someone who only three weeks prior was languishing in a
Departing EU diplomat: Civilian casualties in Ukraine may be 3 times higher than UN estimates
From the indiscriminate killings of civilians in Bucha, Izium and Mariupol, to the everyday terror of long-range missile strikes, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shocked the world in its devastation and brutality. Behind the tragic headlines, Ukrainian state institutions are faced with the mammoth task of documenting and
Empty Kherson art museum in despair after entire collection stolen by Russia
KHERSON — Housed in a grand imperial building with a view out onto the Dnipro River, the Kherson Fine Arts Museum once hosted one of the richest collections in all of Ukraine. As with the rest of Kherson, which had its electricity infrastructure destroyed by withdrawing Russian forces in early November,
Meet the Chechens fighting Russia in Ukraine
In the Kyiv office of the Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion, two flags hang on the wall next to each other: the yellow-and-blue flag of Ukraine and the green-white-and-red flag of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. The battalion, named for the first president of the short-lived Chechen republic, Dzhokhar Dudayev, who led
Tortured Khersonians speak of Russia’s crimes
KHERSON — As Maksym Nehrov sat in the back of a vehicle, tied up, with a bag over his head, he overheard the Russians talking and he knew at once where he was headed. They’d hunted him all over Kherson, kicking down doors and tearing through the apartments of his
Why Ukraine chooses to negotiate on the battlefield, not at peace talks
When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed his 10-point peace plan to G20 leaders in Bali on Nov. 15, he had only recently returned from a historic visit to Kherson, the liberation of which marks another great step towards the return of all Russian-occupied territory. Touching on factors such as food
Dispatch from Kherson: Celebrating locals share stories, welcome Zelensky
KHERSON – When liberation came, many Kherson residents could barely believe the ordeal was over. Kherson was the only regional capital that Russians managed to capture, back in the first days of the full-scale invasion. A brutal occupation then ensued, with many residents being suppressed, robbed, abducted, tortured or killed. In
Ukrainian troops reportedly enter Snihurivka as Russia announces retreat from Kherson
Russia's gradual retreat reached a sudden climax on Nov. 9, when Moscow announced the withdrawal of its forces from the right bank of the Dnipro River, including the city of Kherson. Upon the recommendation of Sergei Surovikin, commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered the
Ex-Navy captain: Ukraine’s drone attack in Sevastopol ‘has no equivalent in the history of naval warcraft’
In the early hours of Oct. 29, the famous naval harbor of Sevastopol in occupied Crimea, home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, was rocked by a series of mysterious explosions. Details were scarce at first, but with the coming of dawn, remarkable footage was released of sleek, black maritime
Destruction, isolation, and controversy in frontline monastery of Sviatohirsk
SVIATOHIRSK, Donetsk Oblast – For centuries, the gleaming whitewashed walls of the Sviatohirsk Dormition Lavra, peeking out of the hilly forest above the Siverskyi Donets River, attracted pilgrims from across the Eastern Orthodox world. Now, in an obscene imitation of a Jackson Pollock painting, they stand in many places splattered with
As Russia digs in along Donbas front line, no end in sight for civilian suffering
PERSHOTRAVNEVE, Kharkiv Oblast – Less than two kilometers from front-line positions on the border with Luhansk Oblast, silence is deceptive and never lasts long. In one moment, the scene in any given village in this gray zone can be described as almost peaceful, as children play on sunny streets and flocks
Surrounded and desperate: How Russia lost Lyman
LYMAN, Donetsk Oblast – On a quiet road lined by pine forest leading into the city of Lyman, the remains of a frantic but unsuccessful escape clutter the roadside. Four repurposed civilian cars, burnt-out and upturned, mark the spot where the flight of Russian soldiers met an abrupt end. Just beside
Flashbacks of first day of war as Russia strikes central Kyiv
KYIV — The morning of Oct. 10 in Kyiv was like no other since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Starting just after 8 a.m., explosions were heard throughout Ukraine’s capital, and it was soon apparent that not all incoming missiles were being shot down
Ukraine racked by intense bombardment of cities, energy infrastructure and central Kyiv among targets
On the morning of Oct. 10, Russian missiles and kamikaze drones struck central Kyiv and other major cities in Ukraine in the largest-scale coordinated missile attack against Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began on Feb. 24. Dozens of other explosions were reported across Ukraine, including in Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih, Lviv,
Zaporizhzhia responds to Russia’s annexation claims: ‘We have broken up with Russia forever’
ZAPORIZHZHIA – On Sept. 30, residents of Zaporizhzhia woke up to the horrendous news of a bloody Russian strike on a convoy of civilian cars in their city overnight. The attack with S-300 missiles killed 31 civilians and wounded 88 more. Though the deadliest to date, it wasn’t the first
Zaporizhzhia engulfed by terror as recent Russian strike takes 31 lives
ZAPORIZHZHIA — Guarding a quiet turnoff from the road heading south out of Zaporizhzhia city to the territories occupied by Russia, two Ukrainian police officers were approached by a middle-aged woman in a state of near despair. “My friend was killed here yesterday,” she said to the officer as she got
From occupation to active war zone: Danger persists for Ukrainians in liberated territories
KUPIANSK, Kharkiv Oblast — For the handful of Ukrainians left in the center of Kupiansk, life since liberation from Russian occupation has been reduced to an exercise in survival. The city in Kharkiv Oblast is shelled throughout the day by Russian artillery on the other side of the Oskil River, where
Russian torture chambers survivor: 'Every inch of me was in agony'
WARNING: This article contains very graphic scenes that readers may find disturbing. KOZACHA LOPAN, Kharkiv Oblast — Ten days have passed since his town was liberated from Russian troops, but Vitaliy Oliia is still afraid to leave his home at night. “I never go any further than the next house, that’
Ukrainians emerge from a 6-month nightmare in newly liberated territories
IZIUM, Kharkiv Oblast – Six months into the occupation of Izium in Kharkiv Oblast, Russian forces announced a mysterious strict 24-hour curfew on Sept. 8. Roman, a bread vendor at the local market who declined to give his last name, drove north the following morning on an errand in defiance of
Kupiansk, Izium liberated as Russian defenses collapse amid rapid Ukrainian advance in Kharkiv Oblast
Four days into Ukraine’s surprise counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast, Russian forces have retreated from the key cities of Kupiansk and Izium, signaling a near-total collapse of the Russian line of defense in the area. Reports are also circulating on social media and Telegram channels indicating that Russian troops have
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