National Guard: Russia gained 'foothold in Bohdanivka area' near Chasiv Yar
In an interview with Suspline media on April 21, a Ukrainian National Guard officer said Russian troops were “advancing very successfully in the direction of Chasiv Yar.”
Bakhmut
Kyiv Independent's Francis Farrell shortlisted for European Press Prize 2024
A story by the Kyiv Independent's reporter Francis Farrell, "One Night in Bakhmut: Civilians Wait for the End as Russia Draws Closer," has been shortlisted for the European Press Prize 2024 in the "Distinguished Reporting" category.
Ukraine war latest: Ukraine withdraws from 2 more villages near Avdiivka, downs 2 Russian warplanes in single day
Key developments on Feb. 27: * Military: Ukraine withdraws from Stepove and Severne villages near Avdiivka * Air Force: Ukraine downs 2 Russian Su-34 planes in single day * Ukraine reports heavy battles in Bakhmut direction as Russia pulls in reserves * NATO members say they are not considering sending troops to Ukraine * Macron
Ukraine reports heavy battles in Bakhmut direction as Russia pulls in reserves
Intense fighting is taking place in the Bakhmut sector in Donetsk Oblast, as Russian forces are attempting to advance toward nearby Chasiv Yar, Eastern Group of Forces spokesperson Illia Yevlash said on air on Feb. 27.
‘Our reserves will run out:’ Ukrainian artillery sounds alarm on Western shell shortage
DONETSK OBLAST – Hiding beneath sparse winter cover in a crude, muddy ditch, a great steel monster lies in wait for an opportunity to attack. Adorned on either side with painted plus signs, the gun’s huge barrel looks up at the sky over the Bakhmut front line, across which thousands
Military: Russia tries to break through defenses in Chasiv Yar near Bakhmut
"The situation is tense and requires constant monitoring and prompt decision-making on the ground," General Oleksandr Syrskyi said during his visit to military units holding the defense in the Bakhmut direction.
From the heroic to the mundane: 12 hours of positional war near Bakhmut
“I’ll let you in on a secret, there will be an assault at dawn tomorrow." Sviatoslav, a 57-year-old sergeant responsible for the mental support of the mortar unit, lowered his voice as he said the words. “Get some sleep, as you can be sure there will be some work
Ukraine announces liberation of Klishchiivka in Donetsk Oblast
Ukrainian forces have liberated the village of Klishchiivka in Donetsk Oblast from Russian control, military units and representatives reported on the evening of Sept. 17. The successful recapture of the village, just five kilometers south of Russian-occupied Bakhmut, was first announced on Facebook by the Liut ("Anger") Brigade, formed by
Inching forward in Bakhmut counteroffensive, Ukraine’s hardened units look ahead to long, grim war
Editor’s note: Though the commanders quoted in this story are public figures, the other soldiers are identified by first names and callsigns only due to security reasons. DONETSK OBLAST — In a wide field in Donetsk Oblast, the silence of what would otherwise be a sleepy August afternoon is broken
‘A very noble man’: Ballet dancer turned soldier killed on front line near Bakhmut
Over 500 spectators of the Odesa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater stood in a deep silence before the start of a performance of the "La Bayadere” ballet in late April. Some of them had tears in their eyes. The audience was commemorating the opera's late ballet dancer, Rostyslav Yanchyshen,
Ukraine war latest: Russian military begins to replace Wagner forces in Bakhmut
Key Developments on May 25: * Prigozhin claims Wagner forces begin to withdraw from Bakhmut * Ukraine’s Defense Ministry says Russian military replacing Wagner units near Bakhmut * 106 Bakhmut defenders released from Russian captivity * Moscow and Minsk sign agreement to place nuclear weapons in Belarus * EU has frozen 200 billion euros
Russia takes Bakhmut: Taking stock of the war’s bloodiest battle so far
CHASIV YAR, Donetsk Oblast – Ten months after Russia's assault on the once-flourishing city in Donetsk Oblast began, Bakhmut has now been effectively occupied by Russian troops. This hasn’t been confirmed yet by Kyiv, but is evident based on both official statements and those made by soldiers on the ground
Ukraine war latest: Zelensky travels to Saudi Arabia, urges Arab leaders to support peace plan
Key developments on May 19: * Zelensky arrives in Saudi Arabia, meets with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman * Zelensky expected at Hiroshima G7 Summit after Saudi Arabia * Ukraine's military confirms gaining initiative near Bakhmut, makes further advances * NBC: US, allies plan to supply Ukraine with F-16 jets, official says President Volodymyr
Ukraine strikes back around Bakhmut as Wagner reaches last streets in the city
On the evening of May 9, just half a day after a single T-34 tank rolled through Red Square during Moscow’s subdued Victory Day celebrations, something unexpected happened. Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, announced that units of the Russian regular army’s 72nd Separate Motorized
Ukraine war latest: Patriot missile system suffers minor damage, US officials tell CNN
Key developments on May 17: * Patriot still operational, radar not damaged * Defense Ministry: Ukraine advances 500 meters near Bakhmut over past day * US House Foreign Affairs Committee supports resolution on special tribunal for Russia U.S. officials do not believe the Patriot air defense system must be removed from the
Inside the mission to evacuate civilians from Ukraine's front lines: Interview with UK volunteer
British photographer turned volunteer Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke and his team have evacuated thousands of Ukrainians to safer locations in Ukraine and abroad. We spoke with him about evacuation challanges and why people refuse to leave despite danger.
Ukraine war latest: Ukraine says it liberated large patch of land on Bakhmut outskirts, yet admits Russia advanced in Bakhmut
Key developments on May 16: * Defense Ministry: Ukraine liberates about 20 square kilometers on Bakhmut outskirts * At the same time, Ukraine admits Russia has ‘somewhat’ advanced in Bakhmut * Ukraine’s military reports downing 25 Russian missiles, including unprecedented 6 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles in night attack on Kyiv * CNN: One of
Ukraine war latest: 2 Russian commanders killed in Bakhmut as Ukraine ramps up counterattacks near the city
Key developments on May 14: * Ukraine says it captured more than 10 Russian positions in northern and southern Bakhmut outskirts * Russia says two commanders killed in the Battle of Bakhmut * Zelensky meets Scholz in Berlin, calls on Germany's support for fighter jets * Governor: Russian attack wounds 4 in Zaporizhzhia Oblast,
Wagner a ‘shadow of what it once was’: Russia security expert on the rage of mercenary boss Prigozhin
After seeming to have calmed down over early spring, the internal conflict between Wagner mercenary group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Russian Defense Ministry has escalated dramatically. In the early morning of May 5, Prigozhin recorded a video in front of what he claimed to be the bodies of dozens
Flanks around Bakhmut hold as brutal urban fighting continues for city blocks
Two months after Ukraine’s defense of Bakhmut seemed doomed, the bloodiest battle of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine is still going against all expectations. Making rapid advances at the end of February, Russian forces seemed to be on the cusp of surrounding the city, as the only roads
Ukraine war latest: Wagner claims capturing 80% of Bakhmut, Ukraine denies Russian success
Key developments on April 11: * Wagner boss claims capturing 80% of Bakhmut; Ukraine denies it * Wagner boss: Flanks of Russian offensive on Bakhmut 'handed over' to defense ministry * Denmark says West could decide on transfer of fighter jets ‘before summer’ * Canada announces new small arms package for Ukraine The chief
Ukraine war latest: Wagner admits Ukrainian forces not retreating from Bakhmut; Macron calls on Xi to 'bring Russia to senses'
Key developments on April 6: * Russia’s Wagner Group admits Ukrainian strongholds remain in Bakhmut * Lithuania to send $44 million worth of military aid to Ukraine * Ukraine, Poland to co-produce 125 mm tank shells * Reuters: China ready to work with France on Ukraine peace * EU chief says China’s Xi
Ukraine war latest: Kremlin propagandist killed, Russia fails to ‘seize Donbas by the end of March’
Key developments on April 1-2: * ISW: Russia’s goal to seize Donbas ‘by the end of March’ fails * Russian missile attack kills 6 civilians in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast * High-profile Russian propagandist killed in explosion in St Petersburg cafe * General Staff: Russia has lost 174,550 troops in Ukraine since the
This Week in Ukraine Ep. 1 – Why does Ukraine keep up costly defense of Bakhmut?
Episode #1 of "This Week in Ukraine" is dedicated to Ukraine’s military strategy in Bakhmut, an embattled city in Donetsk Oblast in the east of Ukraine. The battle for Bakhmut has already proven to be one of the most brutal and costly fights of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Military spokesperson: Ukrainian forces 'stabilize situation' in Bakhmut area, number of Russian assaults drops
While fighting persists in the area, it has lessened in intensity in the past two days, according to Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's Eastern Military Command.
‘I work, then I cry’: Exhausted medics near Bakhmut fight for every life
Editor’s note: In this story, the Kyiv Independent is not disclosing the Ukrainian soldiers’ full names or their deployed positions due to security concerns amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. Donetsk Oblast – At an abandoned building about 20 minutes drive from Bakhmut, wounded Ukrainian soldiers pour in from the
Battle of Bakhmut: Ukrainian soldiers worry Russians begin to ‘taste victory’
Editor's note: The Kyiv Independent is not revealing the soldiers' surnames or the exact location of their deployment due to security concerns amid the ongoing war. Some military personnel spoke without the authorization of their commanders or a press officer. DONETSK OBLAST – Just days before heading back to fight in
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
Ukrainian soldiers in Bakhmut: ‘Our troops are not being protected’
KOSTIANTYNIVKA, Donetsk Oblast – Russia’s relentless assault on Bakhmut is sacrificing waves and waves of unprepared men being sent to their deaths. But multiple defenders of this embattled city in Donetsk Oblast feel that they are in a similar boat, according to interviews with more than a dozen soldiers currently
UK Defense Ministry: Russia advances in Bakhmut area
The Ukrainian defense of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk Oblast is under "increasingly severe pressure," with intense fighting taking place in and around the city, the U.K. Defense Ministry said in its daily intelligence update on March 4.
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 won't surrender Bakhmut, says Zelensky as Russia advances near
President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine "won't hand over Bakhmut." "We will fight as long as we can," he said during a joint press conference with European Union leadership. According to Zelensky, Russia will soon launch a major offensive in the east and northeast, targeting cities like Bakhmut and Lyman. The
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