Key developments on Dec. 27: * Russia's new Oreshnik missile relies on Western manufacturing technology, FT reports * 3 senior Russian officers killed in HIMARS, drone attack, Ukraine's military intelligence says * Ukraine working to extend basic training to 2 months, Syrskyi says * Russia ramps up production of Shahed drones, decoys at Tatarstan
The Ukrainian Air Force struck a plant in Kamensk-Shakhtynsky, Rostov Oblast, that produces solid propellant for ballistic missiles, Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communications (Stratcom) reported on Dec. 26.
Yakiv Tkachenko, a theater and film actor from Dnipro, was killed in action while serving on the front line with Ukraine's 128th Territorial Defense Brigade.
Novyi Komar, a village with a pre-war population of less than 500 people, is located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) west of the Russian-occupied town of Vuhledar.
President Volodymyr Zelensky's statement follows General Mykhailo Drapatyi's appointment as Ukraine's Ground Forces commander.
Deputy Defense Minister Serhii Melnyk said that the principles of the commissions' work "have not changed for decades," and the current system is "a vestige of the old administrative approach."
The Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, passed several bills on Nov. 20 considering mobilization and demobilization.
Key developments on Nov. 19: * Ukraine used ATACMS on Russian territory for first time, according to Moscow, media * Russia claims to capture village near Kurakhove, Kyiv hasn't confirmed * Putin approves Russia's updated nuclear doctrine * Over 50,000 Ukrainian recruits have received training in UK * Denmark to provide over $137 million
Key developments on Nov. 15: * Scholz condemns war, urges Russia to negotiate with Ukraine in first call with Putin in nearly 2 years * Drone attack reported in Russia's Krasnodar region, explosions heard near military airfield * Russian troops plant flag at border in Chernihiv Oblast, Border Guard says no major offensive
The update applies primarily to those currently involved in combat in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
Key developments on Nov. 14: * Ukraine repels Russian attempt to enter Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, military says * Defense Ministry pledges to draft bill on demobilization by Dec. 18, official says * European officials opening up to 'land-for-security' deal in Ukraine, WP reports * Trump's nominee for UN envoy dodges question on earlier
It is not yet clear what conditions the Defense Ministry will propose for discharging military personnel from service, secretary of the parliamentary defense committee Roman Kostenko said.
After signing the contracts, the volunteers went to a Polish Armed Forces military training ground to undergo 35-day basic training.
Key developments on Nov. 11: * Russian forces damage Kurakhove Reservoir dam in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine says * Russian missile hits high-rise building in Kryvyi Rih, at least 14 injured including two children * Russian attack in Zaporizhzhia Oblast expected 'any day,' military says * Russian Mi-24 attack helicopter set ablaze at Moscow
The locations of military sites in Ukraine are no longer displayed on Google Maps, said Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Counter-Disinformation Center under Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, on Nov. 7.
As voters in the U.S. head to the polls in presidential elections set to decisively steer the trajectory of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the situation on the battlefield is beginning to unravel for Kyiv. After two years of brutal attritional warfare across southern and eastern Ukraine, dynamism
After "a public reaction," Google representatives contacted the Ukrainian side, and the company is already working on fixing the issue, Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the counter-disinformation department at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said in a later update on social media.
The Main Inspectorate of the Defense Ministry audits the ministry's activities, including monitoring the quality of military training and staffing, overseeing military aviation safety, and conducting technical investigations, among other functions.
Key developments on Oct. 24: * First North Korean troops deployed to front line in Kursk Oblast, Ukraine's military intelligence says * North Korean troops fighting in Ukraine for Russia would be 'fair game,' White House says * South Korea could 'review' ban on supply of lethal arms to Ukraine, President Yoon
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 – Sitting around in the long, dry grass outside an abandoned village house, two dozen men in summer military fatigues listen attentively to
"The next step is advanced fast jet training and conversion to F-16 with partner nations," the statement read.
Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on Sept. 28, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to The Counteroffensive, click here. Vira Lytvynenko hasn’t been able to bury her son since March 2022,
The law aims to finance "urgent measures in the field of security and defense to counter the large-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine," according to an explanatory note on the Ukrainian parliament's website.
Ukraine’s fight for survival with a bigger and better-equipped enemy is forcing the country’s army to swiftly seek innovations. The latest modern solution being used to substitute bureaucratic Soviet army operations is the recently launched Army+ app, which aims to make the armed forces “paperless.” Presented with fanfare
Key developments on Aug. 30: * Russian attack on Kharkiv kills at least 7, including child, injures over 90 * Ukrainian forces advance 2 kilometers into Kursk Oblast, Syrskyi says * Russia claims downing of 18 drones overnight, Kaluga airport reportedly attacked * Zelensky dismisses Air Force Commander Oleshchuk * EU to train additional 15,
Defense ministers of European Union states agreed to increase the number of Ukrainian military personnel trained under the EU Military Assistance Mission for Ukraine (EUMAM) program, the EU's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, said on Aug. 30.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and Kyiv announced a general mobilization, thousands of Ukrainians have been called up to defend their homeland. In Ukraine, conscription is mandatory only for men. Despite that, more than 45,000 women have voluntarily joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine
As becomes clearer with each passing day, the Ukrainian foray into Russia’s Kursk Oblast, which began on Aug. 6, is no minor incident. Kyiv’s unexpected operation on Russian territory could fundamentally change the character of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Ukraine’s attack represents a novel development in
Kyiv and Warsaw have agreed to form and jointly train a new army brigade on Polish soil, betting the initiative could help recruit some of the scores of Ukrainian men living in Poland and other EU countries. The so-called Ukrainian Legion, a fresh initiative to boost Ukraine’s military manpower
A group of Odesa residents, aged 18 to 24, allegedly acted on the order of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). The suspects made contact with Russia via Telegram channels while looking for "easy money," according to the SBU.
The share of PTSD from neuralgic diseases among the military will only increase, according to Oksana Sukhorukova, head of the Healthcare Department of the Defense Ministry.
Adopting demobilization law now could repeat the "mistake" of the Ukrainian People's Republic during its war against the Bolsheviks in 1918, said Ruslan Stefanchuk, speaker of Ukraine's parliament, on national television on July 25.
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