Latest news with #DaVinciWolves
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukrainian soldier says ground robots are great for attacks because they carry far more explosive power than flying drones
Ukraine drives robots packed with explosives at Russian positions and blows them up. The robots can carry much more explosives than aerial drones, a Ukrainian soldier told BI. His unit sent a robot with 66 pounds of explosives into a basement and killed Russian infantry. Ukrainian soldiers use ground robots to blow up Russian troops and equipment. These carry a far heavier explosive payload than drones that fly. Operators control these uncrewed ground vehicles, or UGVs, remotely. The UGVs can travel close to Russian positions, assuming they're not spotted, and detonate. And Ukraine's soldiers can stay safe and far from the action. They are a lot like flying drones, but the systems pack a greater punch because they don't take flight. Oleksandr Yabchanka, the head of the robotic systems for Ukraine's Da Vinci Wolves Battalion, told Business Insider that Ukraine's soldiers attach bombs and explosives to ground robots, "turning that system into a kamikaze one." The UGV actions mirror what has been done with aerial drones in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, where the flying drones explode and drop grenades. "A crucial difference between aerial and on-the-ground unmanned systems is the mass that they can carry," Yabchanka said. He said Ukraine needs to "always be one step, half a step ahead of the enemy in terms of the powers of destruction." That's where these ground drones come into play. He said that while the biggest aerial drones can carry mines that weigh 22 pounds each, the smallest ground robots that he works with can take more than 48 pounds. On average, they can carry much more. He said that just a few hours before he spoke with Business Insider, his unit sent a ground robot carrying 66 pounds of explosives into a basement held by Russia, where it eliminated Russian infantry. Ukraine's soldiers work with a host of drone types linked to do a wide range of work. There are small airborne drones for tactical action ranging from recon to strike and larger aerial uncrewed systems used to hit targets inside Russian territory. There are also naval drones that target ships in the Black Sea, and then there are the UGVs, which can deal damage and carry out missions like casualty evac. Yabchanka said the growing ground robot technology allows Ukrainian troops to massively amplify their firepower without having to put more soldiers in harm's way. That's key when they're fighting at a disadvantage against Russia's much larger military army. He said that roughly 80% of Russians killed in battle are killed by uncrewed systems. The other 20% is mostly artillery — at the start of the war, it was the opposite. Aerial drones are responsible for most of the drone kills because of how prolific they are. More ground robots could mean a major firepower boost for Ukrainian forces. "Imagine how much more powerful we could be if we could bring twice as much explosives to the front line as we do now," Yabchanka said. Unlike the quadcopters, this technology isn't widely available to all units yet, but where it is being used, UGVs are evacuating wounded soldiers, firing into Russian positions with mounted weapons, carrying gear, laying mines, exploding inside enemy positions, and spying on the Russians, and more. This is a technology that Russia is developing too. Yabchanka said that the question is: who will do it faster? There's an effort on both sides of the war to advance this technology. The dynamic echoes the drone race that Ukraine and Russia are both currently locked in, with both sides developing new drones and counter-drone measures to defeat the other side's drone tech, as well as rushing to make as many drones as possible. Yabchanka said Ukraine and its partners need to constantly innovate to keep coming out with new ground robot upgrades and improvements to other military technology. It's something that requires consistent innovation, as "what was up to date and relevant half a year ago is not up to date and relevant anymore," he said. He said they are developing so fast that they are getting upgraded on the actual front lines — with soldiers sometimes making tweaks themselves or calling the manufacturer directly to make a request for changes and upgrades to future drones. Yabchanka called for much greater European involvement in making this type of technology, saying that "whatever is required on our end is at your service." Europe, like the US, has given Ukraine billions of dollars in military aid, but Ukraine has increasingly made more and more of its own weaponry as it looks to innovate faster, create weaponry that is designed for a fight with Russia, and overcome shortages in Western aid cause by delays and political debate. Ukraine has become a pioneer in the development of certain types of weaponry, and European leaders and defense ministers have acknowledged that there are lessons Europe's defense industries can learn from Ukraine, particularly on drones, as they warn Russia could attack their countries. Yabchanka said that Europe also has "more resources than Russia," making deepening cooperation a win-win. He urged European industry and leaders to get onboard. "The manufacturers, developers, military personnel all stand ready for cooperation. Just come along; we'll deliver training and whatever else is necessary." Read the original article on Business Insider
The Guardian
10-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
JD Vance's cousin says vice-president and Trump are ‘useful idiots' to Putin
After voluntarily fighting in Ukraine to defend it from Russia's invasion, and as the White House halts Ukrainian military aid, JD Vance's first cousin has called the vice-president and Donald Trump 'useful idiots' to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Nate Vance's comments to France's Le Figaro newspaper came after he reportedly spent three years volunteering to try to help Ukraine repel Russian troops as part of the so-called Da Vinci Wolves battalion. The remarks also followed the disastrous televised meeting of Trump, Vance and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine's president, in the Oval Office on 28 February that left an economic rare earth minerals deal between Ukraine and the US unsigned. During that confrontation, Vance accused Zelenskyy of leading 'propaganda tours' of the destruction resulting from Russia's invasion – and of being ungrateful for US aid to Ukraine after it was first invaded by Putin's troops while Joe Biden was in the White House in February 2022. 'Donald Trump and my cousin clearly believe they can placate Vladimir Putin,' Nate Vance said to Le Figaro, as translated by Google. Invoking a moniker historically often applied to people who are taken advantage of by ruthless political leaders, Nate Vance continued: 'They are wrong. The Russians are not about to forget our support for Ukraine. We are Vladimir Putin's useful idiots.' Nate Vance also contended that the diplomatic breakdown – which occurred after Zelenskyy sought to attach US security guarantees to the minerals pact – was 'an ambush of absolute bad faith'. 'When he criticized aid to Ukraine, I told myself that it was because he had to please a certain electorate, that it was a game of politics,' Nate Vance said. Nate Vance specifically took aim at JD Vance's remarks to Zelenskyy that Vance had 'watched and seen … stories' justifying his distrust of Ukraine and its president. 'I thought I was going to choke,' Nate Vance reportedly added. 'His own cousin was on the frontlines. I could have told him the truth, without personal interest. He never tried to find out more.' He said he subsequently left messages for the vice-president at his office, but none had been returned. He said he did not want to risk being captured after Trump won a second presidency in November with JD Vance – who was previously one of Ohio's US senators – as his running mate. So he returned to the US in January, shortly before Vance took office as Trump's vice-president. Nate Vance's father is the brother of JD Vance's mother. He described having previously vacationed with the vice-president. The cousins each also previously served the US marines. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion Saudi Arabia is scheduled to host diplomatic talks on Tuesday between the US and Ukraine after the former cut off the latter from military assistance and intelligence-sharing in the wake of the argument in the Oval Office. Trump on Sunday said he anticipated good results from the talks and would consider ending the suspension of intelligence-sharing with Ukraine.
CNN
04-03-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Analysis: Zelensky faces a fateful choice as Ukraine reels from Trump's aid suspension
Pausing military aid is the most damaging move the Trump administration can make to Ukraine's war effort, and however opaque the immediate practical consequence may be, the psychological impact for Ukrainians has been immense and catastrophic. The last time US military aid was held up – by Trump-leaning Republicans in December 2023, when $60 billion was stalled for several months – the damage to morale was seismic. And after that delay, the momentum on the front lines changed from Ukraine pursuing a mostly unsuccessful counteroffensive, to being largely in defense. On Tuesday morning, Kyiv was still reeling from the hammer blow, and trying to suggest the impact might not be catastrophic. An adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, posted: 'First, it is necessary to assess which specific programs will cease to function, considering that many were already in their final stages.' Ukraine's stocks of critical artillery shells could run out by May or June following the pause, a Ukrainian official told CNN on Tuesday. The official said that the first ammunition crisis following the US military aid pause would involve Patriot air defense missiles, which could run out in a matter of weeks. 'We will adapt, but the question is how many additional people, and how much more territory, we lose while we do,' the official said. Reactions from frontline troops noted the heavy role drones, or UAVs, play in holding back Russian assaults, but also the vital need for American-supplied air-defense missiles. 'Our weakness is in air-defense missiles – the Patriots,' said Yegor Firsov, the chief sergeant of a UAV strike platoon. 'Even we, the military, would like to have our families, our rear, protected as much as possible when we are serving on the frontline. Eighty per cent of all destruction, from a tank to an enemy dugout, is carried out directly by drones. So, of course, we have a chance to survive together with Europe.' Serhii Filimonov, commander of the 108th Separate Mechanized Battalion, or 'Da Vinci Wolves,' which has been fighting outside the strategic town of Pokrovsk for nine months, said: 'American support is critical for defending the sky, and financial assistance affects the economy and morale of society, which is also important for the frontline.' A Ukrainian source told CNN the decision did not impact intelligence sharing, which is a lower-cost but impactful component of US support to Kyiv's war effort. Yet the nature of President Donald Trump's move – however it plays out in practical terms – throws a focus on his rift with Zelensky and what must be done to heal it. Trump officials have hinted at the need for a public apology. It is clear they are also reluctant to present the proposed deal giving the United States access to Ukraine's mineral riches for signature, although Trump did hint Monday that that agreement might see progress in the coming days. The Trump administration has also said Zelensky needs to commit to peace, yet not specified in any great detail what this peace would look like. Washington has laid out a vision of peace that appears a little binary – a moment in which the war stops and Moscow agrees to Trump's solution unequivocally. Trump has said repeatedly he does not believe President Vladimir Putin will violate any deal they forge together. His European allies disagree, and insist any peace deal is made with enough security guarantees for Ukraine that it can fend off any renewed Russian aggression. Ukrainian officials highlight, with evidence on their side, that Russia has violated more than 20 ceasefires or deals in the past decade. The peace Trump wants appears to require Zelensky to demand no further US support; rely on European allies possibly functioning without American assistance; sign up to a deal which provides Washington with an unspecified stream of cash from Ukraine's natural resources to repay the US for aid, as well as invest in reconstruction; and then finally accede to whatever peace deal terms and conditions Trump agrees with Moscow, possibly without Ukraine at the table. That is a big ask of a wartime leader. It demands of Zelensky that he unconditionally trust that the US president is acting in Ukraine's interests. A public apology to Trump would go some distance, perhaps, in resolving the horrific collapse in Kyiv and Washington's alliance. Yet it could have a fundamental impact on some Ukrainian morale: troops would see their commander in chief, in their eyes, apologizing for being bullied. It would say to Ukraine's European allies that Kyiv has put Trump entirely in the driving seat, unclear on the destination he has in mind. Ukraine has reason to distrust: The Budapest Memorandum of 1994 saw Kyiv surrender its nuclear weapons for security guarantees from the US, United Kingdom and Russia. Ukrainians have since endured a decade of Russian aggression, starting with its illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. If even these explicit security guarantees changed nothing, why sign away the country's mineral wealth if that comes without any specific promise to continue military aid? Zelensky's fate has become an occasional Trump talking point, and his future as a US partner hinges on his 'acceptance of peace.' The peace Zelensky, and his European backers, seek is one where Ukraine is adequately armed and protected so that any renewed Russian assault – after months of re-fit and replenishment during a ceasefire renders Moscow's war machine potent again – can be repelled. Zelensky and Europe appear guided in their approach by the lessons of the 1930s. Trump appears guided by his belief that his personal relationships and deal-making acumen can disruptively win out over the brutal realities of war and geopolitics. Ukraine's president has a fateful choice ahead of him: accede to your erstwhile ally's demand, and say you are sorry, while handing over your nation's wealth, and assenting to undefined terms of a peace deal discussed without you. It places Ukraine in the most unfavorable position imaginable, after three years of savage Russian assault. The payback is that, if Trump agrees, the US might continue to provide Ukraine with the vital third to a fifth of all military assistance they have in the past received. Laid out bare, is this a choice at all? CNN's Svitlana Vlasova contributed to this report.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Zelensky faces a fateful choice as Ukraine reels from Trump's aid suspension
Pausing military aid is the most damaging move the Trump administration can make to Ukraine's war effort, and however opaque the immediate practical consequence may be, the psychological impact for Ukrainians has been immense and catastrophic. The last time US military aid was held up – by Trump-leaning Republicans in December 2023, when $60 billion was stalled for several months – the damage to morale was seismic. And after that delay, the momentum on the front lines changed from Ukraine pursuing a mostly unsuccessful counteroffensive, to being largely in defense. On Tuesday morning, Kyiv was still reeling from the hammer blow, and trying to suggest the impact might not be catastrophic. An adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, posted: 'First, it is necessary to assess which specific programs will cease to function, considering that many were already in their final stages.' Ukraine's stocks of critical artillery shells could run out by May or June following the pause, a Ukrainian official told CNN on Tuesday. The official said that the first ammunition crisis following the US military aid pause would involve Patriot air defense missiles, which could run out in a matter of weeks. 'We will adapt, but the question is how many additional people, and how much more territory, we lose while we do,' the official said. Reactions from frontline troops noted the heavy role drones, or UAVs, play in holding back Russian assaults, but also the vital need for American-supplied air-defense missiles. 'Our weakness is in air-defense missiles – the Patriots,' said Yegor Firsov, the chief sergeant of a UAV strike platoon. 'Even we, the military, would like to have our families, our rear, protected as much as possible when we are serving on the frontline. Eighty per cent of all destruction, from a tank to an enemy dugout, is carried out directly by drones. So, of course, we have a chance to survive together with Europe.' Serhii Filimonov, commander of the 108th Separate Mechanized Battalion, or 'Da Vinci Wolves,' which has been fighting outside the strategic town of Pokrovsk for nine months, said: 'American support is critical for defending the sky, and financial assistance affects the economy and morale of society, which is also important for the frontline.' A Ukrainian source told CNN the decision did not impact intelligence sharing, which is a lower-cost but impactful component of US support to Kyiv's war effort. Yet the nature of President Donald Trump's move – however it plays out in practical terms – throws a focus on his rift with Zelensky and what must be done to heal it. Trump officials have hinted at the need for a public apology. It is clear they are also reluctant to present the proposed deal giving the United States access to Ukraine's mineral riches for signature, although Trump did hint Monday that that agreement might see progress in the coming days. The Trump administration has also said Zelensky needs to commit to peace, yet not specified in any great detail what this peace would look like. Washington has laid out a vision of peace that appears a little binary – a moment in which the war stops and Moscow agrees to Trump's solution unequivocally. Trump has said repeatedly he does not believe President Vladimir Putin will violate any deal they forge together. His European allies disagree, and insist any peace deal is made with enough security guarantees for Ukraine that it can fend off any renewed Russian aggression. Ukrainian officials highlight, with evidence on their side, that Russia has violated more than 20 ceasefires or deals in the past decade. The peace Trump wants appears to require Zelensky to demand no further US support; rely on European allies possibly functioning without American assistance; sign up to a deal which provides Washington with an unspecified stream of cash from Ukraine's natural resources to repay the US for aid, as well as invest in reconstruction; and then finally accede to whatever peace deal terms and conditions Trump agrees with Moscow, possibly without Ukraine at the table. That is a big ask of a wartime leader. It demands of Zelensky that he unconditionally trust that the US president is acting in Ukraine's interests. A public apology to Trump would go some distance, perhaps, in resolving the horrific collapse in Kyiv and Washington's alliance. Yet it could have a fundamental impact on some Ukrainian morale: troops would see their commander in chief, in their eyes, apologizing for being bullied. It would say to Ukraine's European allies that Kyiv has put Trump entirely in the driving seat, unclear on the destination he has in mind. Ukraine has reason to distrust: The Budapest Memorandum of 1994 saw Kyiv surrender its nuclear weapons for security guarantees from the US, United Kingdom and Russia. Ukrainians have since endured a decade of Russian aggression, starting with its illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. If even these explicit security guarantees changed nothing, why sign away the country's mineral wealth if that comes without any specific promise to continue military aid? Zelensky's fate has become an occasional Trump talking point, and his future as a US partner hinges on his 'acceptance of peace.' The peace Zelensky, and his European backers, seek is one where Ukraine is adequately armed and protected so that any renewed Russian assault – after months of re-fit and replenishment during a ceasefire renders Moscow's war machine potent again – can be repelled. Zelensky and Europe appear guided in their approach by the lessons of the 1930s. Trump appears guided by his belief that his personal relationships and deal-making acumen can disruptively win out over the brutal realities of war and geopolitics. Ukraine's president has a fateful choice ahead of him: accede to your erstwhile ally's demand, and say you are sorry, while handing over your nation's wealth, and assenting to undefined terms of a peace deal discussed without you. It places Ukraine in the most unfavorable position imaginable, after three years of savage Russian assault. The payback is that, if Trump agrees, the US might continue to provide Ukraine with the vital third to a fifth of all military assistance they have in the past received. Laid out bare, is this a choice at all? CNN's Svitlana Vlasova contributed to this report.
CNN
04-03-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Analysis: Zelensky faces a fateful choice as Ukraine reels from Trump's aid suspension
Pausing military aid is the most damaging move the Trump administration can make to Ukraine's war effort, and however opaque the immediate practical consequence may be, the psychological impact for Ukrainians has been immense and catastrophic. The last time US military aid was held up – by Trump-leaning Republicans in December 2023, when $60 billion was stalled for several months – the damage to morale was seismic. And after that delay, the momentum on the front lines changed from Ukraine pursuing a mostly unsuccessful counteroffensive, to being largely in defense. On Tuesday morning, Kyiv was still reeling from the hammer blow, and trying to suggest the impact might not be catastrophic. An adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, posted: 'First, it is necessary to assess which specific programs will cease to function, considering that many were already in their final stages.' Ukraine's stocks of critical artillery shells could run out by May or June following the pause, a Ukrainian official told CNN on Tuesday. The official said that the first ammunition crisis following the US military aid pause would involve Patriot air defense missiles, which could run out in a matter of weeks. 'We will adapt, but the question is how many additional people, and how much more territory, we lose while we do,' the official said. Reactions from frontline troops noted the heavy role drones, or UAVs, play in holding back Russian assaults, but also the vital need for American-supplied air-defense missiles. 'Our weakness is in air-defense missiles – the Patriots,' said Yegor Firsov, the chief sergeant of a UAV strike platoon. 'Even we, the military, would like to have our families, our rear, protected as much as possible when we are serving on the frontline. Eighty per cent of all destruction, from a tank to an enemy dugout, is carried out directly by drones. So, of course, we have a chance to survive together with Europe.' Serhii Filimonov, commander of the 108th Separate Mechanized Battalion, or 'Da Vinci Wolves,' which has been fighting outside the strategic town of Pokrovsk for nine months, said: 'American support is critical for defending the sky, and financial assistance affects the economy and morale of society, which is also important for the frontline.' A Ukrainian source told CNN the decision did not impact intelligence sharing, which is a lower-cost but impactful component of US support to Kyiv's war effort. Yet the nature of President Donald Trump's move – however it plays out in practical terms – throws a focus on his rift with Zelensky and what must be done to heal it. Trump officials have hinted at the need for a public apology. It is clear they are also reluctant to present the proposed deal giving the United States access to Ukraine's mineral riches for signature, although Trump did hint Monday that that agreement might see progress in the coming days. The Trump administration has also said Zelensky needs to commit to peace, yet not specified in any great detail what this peace would look like. Washington has laid out a vision of peace that appears a little binary – a moment in which the war stops and Moscow agrees to Trump's solution unequivocally. Trump has said repeatedly he does not believe President Vladimir Putin will violate any deal they forge together. His European allies disagree, and insist any peace deal is made with enough security guarantees for Ukraine that it can fend off any renewed Russian aggression. Ukrainian officials highlight, with evidence on their side, that Russia has violated more than 20 ceasefires or deals in the past decade. The peace Trump wants appears to require Zelensky to demand no further US support; rely on European allies possibly functioning without American assistance; sign up to a deal which provides Washington with an unspecified stream of cash from Ukraine's natural resources to repay the US for aid, as well as invest in reconstruction; and then finally accede to whatever peace deal terms and conditions Trump agrees with Moscow, possibly without Ukraine at the table. That is a big ask of a wartime leader. It demands of Zelensky that he unconditionally trust that the US president is acting in Ukraine's interests. A public apology to Trump would go some distance, perhaps, in resolving the horrific collapse in Kyiv and Washington's alliance. Yet it could have a fundamental impact on some Ukrainian morale: troops would see their commander in chief, in their eyes, apologizing for being bullied. It would say to Ukraine's European allies that Kyiv has put Trump entirely in the driving seat, unclear on the destination he has in mind. Ukraine has reason to distrust: The Budapest Memorandum of 1994 saw Kyiv surrender its nuclear weapons for security guarantees from the US, United Kingdom and Russia. Ukrainians have since endured a decade of Russian aggression, starting with its illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. If even these explicit security guarantees changed nothing, why sign away the country's mineral wealth if that comes without any specific promise to continue military aid? Zelensky's fate has become an occasional Trump talking point, and his future as a US partner hinges on his 'acceptance of peace.' The peace Zelensky, and his European backers, seek is one where Ukraine is adequately armed and protected so that any renewed Russian assault – after months of re-fit and replenishment during a ceasefire renders Moscow's war machine potent again – can be repelled. Zelensky and Europe appear guided in their approach by the lessons of the 1930s. Trump appears guided by his belief that his personal relationships and deal-making acumen can disruptively win out over the brutal realities of war and geopolitics. Ukraine's president has a fateful choice ahead of him: accede to your erstwhile ally's demand, and say you are sorry, while handing over your nation's wealth, and assenting to undefined terms of a peace deal discussed without you. It places Ukraine in the most unfavorable position imaginable, after three years of savage Russian assault. The payback is that, if Trump agrees, the US might continue to provide Ukraine with the vital third to a fifth of all military assistance they have in the past received. Laid out bare, is this a choice at all? CNN's Svitlana Vlasova contributed to this report.
