As Ukraine braces for an intensified Russian offensive, KI Insights invites you to an exclusive off-the-record briefing on the latest battlefield dynamics, military challenges, and Kyiv's evolving strategic outlook. Drawing from sources spanning the trenches of Donbas to the Presidential Office, we'll analyze the shifting threat landscape and its implications
Serhii Lysak, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, called the online claims "fake" and said that the accompanying photograph allegedly showing Russian troops in the area was also fabricated.
In this week’s episode, the Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur breaks down the back-and-forth developments surrounding peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey. As negotiations stall, the battle rages on in multiple sectors of the front.
The extension of the current defense plan, initially set for 2021–2025, was confirmed by the Kremlin, though specific details remain classified.
Key developments on May 14: * Trump says he's unsure whether Putin will attend Ukraine peace talks in Turkey as Kremlin stays silent * Russia likely preparing major offensive in Ukraine despite peace efforts, FT reports * Trump needs to understand that Putin lies, blocks peace efforts, Zelensky says * EU agrees on 17th
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a major industrial and logistical hub, remains untouched by ground incursions but is under growing threat.
Despite the Kremlin’s announcement of a May 8–11 truce, heavy fighting continued in multiple regions throughout the day.
Key developments on April 29: * Putin's Victory Day truce proposal 'is start of direct negotiations' with Ukraine, Lavrov says * Russia intensifies offensive operations in 3 regions, pushes toward Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine's military says * Ukrainian drones reportedly target Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod oblasts in Russia * Dnipropetrovsk Oblast's eastern villages evacuating families as
Russian forces have recently intensified offensive operations in three Ukrainian oblasts – Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson – Ukraine's Southern Defense Forces spokesperson, Vladyslav Voloshyn, said on April 29 during Ukraine's state-run telethon.
Training footage indicates that Russia may be developing "a tactical doctrine for systematic offensive motorcycle usage," the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on April 26.
"This so-called truce did more damage to us," Anastasiia Blyshchyk, spokesperson for Ukraine's 66th Separate Mechanized Brigade, said.
Russian troops are solidifying their presence in the village of Kalynove in Donetsk Oblast as they prepare for an advance toward Stara Mykolaivka and the road to Kostiantynivka, Ukrainian monitoring group DeepState reported on April 18.
Roughly 5,000 North Korean soldiers have already been killed or injured, but 6,000 remain in Russia's Kursk Oblast and are likely to be used in new assaults, Ukrainian intelligence said.
In an official statement from April 12, "Khortytsia" reported that although no offensive actions were carried out by Russian troops in the Kharkiv direction over the last day, Russians are actively replenishing their units and getting ready to resume offensive operations in the region.
"There are a lot of attempts there, daily. They (Russia) are bearing losses... There will be more attempts in the Kharkiv and Sumy directions," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Combat data analyzed by CNN confirms a surge in Russian activity across the front line over the past two weeks.
For nearly a week, Russian offensive operations have almost doubled in all main sectors, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
Despite the slowdown, Russian forces continue offensive operations, particularly in Donetsk Oblast's Pokrovsk sector, where fighting intensified at the end of March.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukraine's main tasks are holding defensive lines and stabilizing threats, which have been partially achieved, particularly in the Pokrovsk direction.
Russia is likely preparing to launch a new offensive in the coming weeks to strengthen its position in possible peace talks with Ukraine, the Associated Press (AP) reported on March 29, citing Ukrainian analysts and two undisclosed G7 diplomatic sources.
"The Russians want to get as much of a head start or advance as much as possible in Zaporizhzhia Oblast," Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces spokesperson Vladyslav Voloshyn said.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to include the official response to the Kyiv Independent from Ukraine's General Staff, which came a few days after initial publication. Last February, a Ukrainian company commander going by his callsign Veter was ordered to send his people to reinforce another unit’s
"We must look at the situation with our eyes wide open. (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is preparing a new offensive, particularly in Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Ukraine's forces are considering a withdrawal from Kursk, with 10,000 Ukrainian troops at risk of encirclement after Russia broke through key defense lines and disrupted supply chains, The Telegraph reported on March 8.
As Ukraine entered its fourth year of Russia’s full-scale war, it was geopolitics, not the war itself, that dominated headlines, as Kyiv’s relationship with new U.S. President Donald Trump nosedived over a proposed minerals deal. In the meantime though, the battlefield continues to rage on multiple fronts,
Russian forces have ramped up attacks on Ukraine’s logistic networks in Kursk Oblast, further hampering the Ukrainian effort to hold on to the Russian territory it controls ahead of potential peace talks, analysts and soldiers on the ground told the Kyiv Independent. “The Russians have been on the offensive
Editor’s note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names and callsigns only. DONETSK OBLAST – Scanning an array of nine video feeds from a command point in an abandoned summer, mortar battery commander Tymur “Babai” searches for
Despite suffering heavy losses, Russian forces have reportedly been able to replenish their combat strength.
Russian forces have intensified their assaults near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, deploying small groups in an attempt to encircle Ukrainian troops, Victor Trehubov, spokesperson for Ukraine's Khortytsia group of forces, said on Jan. 27.
Ukrainian troops successfully withdrew from some areas to avoid being encircled but fighting is ongoing around the village, which lies around 15 kilometers east of the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
"Velyka Novosilka is currently in a rather difficult situation," military spokesperson Viktor Trehubov said on Jan. 23.
Russia lacks the manpower for a big breakthrough in Ukraine, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, General Christopher Cavoli said during a discussion on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 21.
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