Latest news with #NewGeopoliticsResearchNetwork
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
How dangerous is Russia's advance on Ukraine's Sumy region?
AI- Generated Image Russian troops are advancing their operations in the northern Ukrainian region of Sumy. Ukraine's regional military administration has confirmed that four settlements on the border have come under Russian control. Prior to this, the Ukrainian army had almost completely withdrawn from the parts of the Russian region of Kursk it had been occupying since August last year. Russia then intensified its shelling of Ukrainian border areas, with Ukrainian authorities ordering the evacuation of 11 villages as a result. In late May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Russia was preparing an offensive in the Sumy region. He said that Moscow had concentrated its "largest, strongest forces" on the Kursk front, and that troops continued to amass near the border. He added that over 50,000 troops were already at the Sumy front, but that Russia did not have the capacity to establish any sort of "buffer zone" 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) into Ukrainian territory. Not the first time Putin announces a 'buffer zone' Mykhailo Samus, a military expert and director of the New Geopolitics Research Network, believes that the fears triggered by Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent statements on establishing a "buffer zone" in Ukraine are "exaggerated." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo He told DW it was not the first time that Russia had announced such intentions. "There are no buffer zones there, and there won't be any. There are repeated Russian attempts to attack Ukrainian territory," Samus said. "One year ago, they tried to attack the entire Kharkiv region. They penetrated six or seven kilometres deep into the area around the town of Vovchansk. A year later, we can see that [the troops' advance] stopped there." Ukraine and Russia trying to capture advantageous positions The expert pointed out that Ukraine's forces army had also made advances into the Russian regions of Belgorod and Kursk. "Both the Ukrainian and Russian armed forces are trying to capture the most advantageous positions in the border area, from which they can carry out shelling and maintain operational control," he explained. This was especially important for "the conduct of subsequent operations, that is, to occupy high ground, take advantage of geographical features, and prepare as effectively as possible for further developments. " According to his estimation, Russia does not currently have enough troops near the border to advance deep into unoccupied Ukrainian territory. He added that the occupation of parts of the region around Sumy did not yet give Moscow a tactical advantage. "[Russian forces] will try to move towards favourable heights," he said. "The Ukrainian army knows this, and will take action against them." Is Russia trying to capture Yunakivka ? According to Ruslan Mykula, the co-founder of the independent Ukrainian intelligence service DeepState UA, the current Russian territorial gains around Sumy are not yet a "great success" considering the superiority of their troops in terms of numbers. At the same time, he told DW, there is still a risk of further advances by Russian troops farther into the Sumy region, even if the Ukrainian defence forces "have already learned to fight against a superior enemy. " In his opinion, the Russians' main target is the strategically important village of Yunakivka. He said that this would clear the way into a large adjacent forest area. "If they advance into the forest, it will cause a lot of problems. Whoever has the larger infantry has a significant advantage here." He added that the occupation of Yunakivka would create new hazards for the civilian population, as Russia would then be able to launch First Person View (FPV) drone attacks on Sumy's city centre from there. "We could experience a situation such as in Kherson, Nikopol or Kostyantynivka, where the Russians have used such drones to hit buses and civilian trucks. That is why we must not allow the enemy to reach Yunakivka," Mykula warned.
DW
3 days ago
- Politics
- DW
How dangerous is Russia's advance on Ukraine's Sumy region? – DW – 06/05/2025
The Ukrainian city of Sumy is near the Russian border, but far from the current front. Russia has amassed tens of thousands of troops in the region and occupied several villages. Could a greater incursion be coming? Russian troops are advancing their operations in the northern Ukrainian region of Sumy. Ukraine's regional military administration has confirmed that four settlements on the border have come under Russian control. Prior to this, the Ukrainian army had almost completely withdrawn from the parts of the Russian region of Kursk it had been occupying since August last year. Russia then intensified its shelling of Ukrainian border areas, with Ukrainian authorities ordering the evacuation of 11 villages as a result. In late May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Russia was preparing an offensive in the Sumy region. He said that Moscow had concentrated its "largest, strongest forces" on the Kursk front, and that troops continued to amass near the border. He added that over 50,000 troops were already at the Sumy front, but that Russia did not have the capacity to establish any sort of "buffer zone" 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) into Ukrainian territory. Russian missile strike hits Ukraine's Sumy, kills civilians To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Not the first time Putin announces a 'buffer zone' Mykhailo Samus, a military expert and director of the New Geopolitics Research Network, believes that the fears triggered by Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent statements on establishing a "buffer zone" in Ukraine are "exaggerated." He told DW it was not the first time that Russia had announced such intentions. "There are no buffer zones there, and there won't be any. There are repeated Russian attempts to attack Ukrainian territory," Samus said. "One year ago, they tried to attack the entire Kharkiv region. They penetrated six or seven kilometers deep into the area around the town of Vovchansk. A year later, we can see that [the troops' advance] stopped there." Russia has intensified its operations in Ukraine's Sumy region Image: Stringer/REUTERS Ukraine and Russia trying to capture advantageous positions The expert pointed out that Ukraine's forces army had also made advances into the Russian regions of Belgorod and Kursk. "Both the Ukrainian and Russian armed forces are trying to capture the most advantageous positions in the border area, from which they can carry out shelling and maintain operational control," he explained. This was especially important for "the conduct of subsequent operations, that is, to occupy high ground, take advantage of geographical features, and prepare as effectively as possible for further developments." According to his estimation, Russia does not currently have enough troops near the border to advance deep into unoccupied Ukrainian territory. He added that the occupation of parts of the region around Sumy did not yet give Moscow a tactical advantage. "[Russian forces] will try to move towards favorable heights," he said. "The Ukrainian army knows this, and will take action against them." Ukraine launched an incursion into Russia's Kursk region in August 2024 Image: Yan Dobronosov/AFP Is Russia trying to capture Yunakivka? According to Ruslan Mykula, the co-founder of the independent Ukrainian intelligence service DeepState UA, the current Russian territorial gains around Sumy are not yet a "great success" considering the superiority of their troops in terms of numbers. At the same time, he told DW, there is still a risk of further advances by Russian troops farther into the Sumy region, even if the Ukrainian defense forces "have already learned to fight against a superior enemy." In his opinion, the Russians' main target is the strategically important village of Yunakivka. He said that this would clear the way into a large adjacent forest area. "If they advance into the forest, it will cause a lot of problems. Whoever has the larger infantry has a significant advantage here." He added that the occupation of Yunakivka would create new hazards for the civilian population, as Russia would then be able to launch First Person View (FPV) drone attacks on Sumy's city center from there. "We could experience a situation such as in Kherson, Nikopol or Kostyantynivka, where the Russians have used such drones to hit buses and civilian trucks. That is why we must not allow the enemy to reach Yunakivka," Mykula warned. This article was translated from German.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Putin hosts Victory Day parade with tight security and a short ceasefire
Vladimir Putin is leading Russia's Victory Day commemorations with a parade in Red Square and heightened security after days of Ukrainian strikes targeting the capital. Addressing Russia's military, veterans and more than 20 international leaders, including China's Xi Jingping, Putin said Russia remembered the lessons of World War Two and declared that "truth and justice are on our side". He claimed that the whole of Russia backed the war in Ukraine, which he called a "special military operation" - now well into its fourth year. A unilateral, three-day ceasefire was announced by Russia to coincide with the lavish 80th anniversary event, which Ukraine has rejected as a "theatrical show". Ukraine's military said it has come under thousands of attacks since the ceasefire came into force on 8 May. Russia has insisted the ceasefire is being observed and accused Ukraine of hundreds of violations. In the days ahead of the proposed truce, Moscow and Kyiv exchanged a barrage of strikes. Flights at airports across Russia were cancelled and some 60,000 passengers left stranded in the wake of Ukrainian drone attacks. Heavy restrictions were in place in the centre of Moscow as Russia marked the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany. Before Putin's address and a one-minute silence, the commander of ground troops, Oleg Salyukov, led 11,000 troops into Red Square, where they were inspected by Defence Minister Andrei Belousov. Russia says 27 world leaders are attending the event, with thousands of troops marching on Red Square ahead of a parade of some of Russia's latest weaponry. Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro are among the assembled guests, along with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Robert Fico, Slovakia's prime minister who is the only European Union leader to travel to Moscow. The EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas had earlier made clear that European leaders should not take part because of Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine. For Putin, the attendance of China's Xi on Victory Day is seen as a significant achievement. The two men held two rounds of talks before the parade as well as an informal chat on the war in Ukraine, Chinese reports said. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky had earlier warned that he could not guarantee the safety of anyone attending the event and has urged heads of state not to travel to Moscow. Mykhailo Samus, a Ukrainian military analyst and director of the New Geopolitics Research Network, told the BBC he believed that Ukraine would forego attacking the parade, largely because of the presence of foreign leaders. But should Ukraine choose to do so, it would constitute a legitimate military target, Samus said. During his evening address on Thursday, Zelensky said that Ukraine was "ready for a full ceasefire starting right now". "But it must be real," he said in a video on X. "No missile or drone strikes, no hundreds of assaults on the front." He called on Russia to support the ceasefire and "prove their willingness to end the war". Ukraine has accused Russia of violating its own truce thousands of times since it was supposed to come into effect on Wednesday night. On the second day of the truce, Ukraine said there had been nearly 200 clashes along the front line, eighteen Russian air strikes and almost four thousand instances of shelling by Russian troops. In Prymorske, a village in the Zaporizhzhia region, a woman was reportedly killed after a Russian drone struck her car. Russia's defence ministry has said that all groups of Russian forces in Ukraine "completely ceased combat operations and remained on the previously occupied lines and positions". However, they were reacting in a "mirror-like manner" to violations by Ukrainian forces. Zelensky has repeatedly dismissed Putin's proposal as a "game" and called for a longer truce of at least 30 days, something that is supported by Ukraine's allies in Europe and the US. He said he had spoken with US President Donald Trump to reiterate his readiness for a "long and lasting peace" and talks "in any format". He said he had told Trump that a 30-day ceasefire was a "real indicator" of moving towards peace. Writing on Truth Social on Thursday, the US president reiterated the call for an unconditional ceasefire and warned of further sanctions for any party failing to sign up to it. 'There is no truce': Ukraine's soldiers and civilians on Russia's ceasefire Ukraine labels Russian ceasefire a farce after reports of hundreds of violations
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine struggles to hold on in Kursk Oblast as Russia strikes back before peace talks
Ukraine's retreat from Kursk Oblast appears more likely as the latest news shows Russia taking ground amid intense attacks to drive Ukraine out, experts and soldiers say. Retaking Ukrainian-held territory in Kursk Oblast could leave Kyiv without its hard-fought bargaining chip before potential negotiations with Russia. In recent days, Russian forces have destroyed Ukrainian logistics in Kursk Oblast, claimed to capture several settlements, and reportedly entered the key town of Sudzha. Soldiers on the ground told the Kyiv Independent on March 7 that with 'zero logistics' left, some would like to withdraw. Ukraine's military leadership said on March 10 that there was no threat of encirclement for Ukrainian troops and ordered reinforcements. President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a briefing on March 12 that Ukrainian forces continue to fulfill tasks in Kursk Oblast, while the command is 'preserving the maximum of lives of our soldiers.' The news comes as U.S. officials plan to meet with Russian representatives in the coming days to consider a temporary 30-day ceasefire discussed during U.S. talks with Ukraine in Saudi Arabia on March 11. 'Before any talks between Russia and the U.S., the Russians are trying to resolve (the Kursk problem) as quickly as possible, concentrating all the forces they can,' Mykhailo Samus, military expert and director of the New Geopolitics Research Network, told the Kyiv Independent. Russians have brought their most effective drone units to Kursk Oblast, who are now fire-controlling Ukrainian logistic routes, thanks to Russia's advances on the right and left flanks of the salient, experts say. In Kursk Oblast, logistics are good — with good roads and enough settlements where Ukrainian troops can reside and build shelters, Ruslan Mykula, a military analyst and co-founder of the DeepState OSINT project told the Kyiv Independent. But the main problem for Ukrainian forces is a section of about 10 kilometers of the main highway in Ukraine's Sumy Oblast between the village of Yunakivka and the Sudzha border crossing. 'Formally, all the logistics are tied to the Sumy-Sudzha asphalt highway, which is very easy to control, because the distances (to the enemy) there are not very long, about 5-7, maximum 15 kilometers, which is not a problem for modern drones,' a retired military officer and defense expert Viktor Kevliuk told the Kyiv Independent. 'Logistics routes are also not so numerous because the area is either swampy or bridges are destroyed,' he added. 'This operation turned into something similar to Krynky,' Mykula said, referring to the village in the Russian-occupied east bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast held by Ukrainian forces for about nine months in 2023-2024. Ukrainians lost hundreds of soldiers during the dangerous river crossings — the only conventional logistics route to Krynky. 'The road between Yunakivka and the (Kursk Oblast) border is like the Dnipro River (near Krynky), where every infantryman or vehicle can be hit by first-person-view (FPV) drones day and night,' Mykula explained. While regular FPV drones are counteracted by electronic warfare equipment used by both Ukrainian and Russian forces, it is powerless against fiber-optic-controlled drones that use an exceptionally long wire unraveled during the flight. Some can fly up to 20 kilometers. 'Not all, but most of the fiber-optic crews in the Russian army are now in the Kursk Oblast. There is a huge concentration of drones there,' Mykula said. According to Mykula, Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast never found a way to counteract this type of drone. Having cut logistics, Russian forces have pushed on the ground in the past several days. According to Kevliuk, Russian forces are trying to advance both with small infantry groups overnight or during low visibility to avoid drones and on high-speed vehicles such as motorcycles, civilian cars, quad bikes, and golf carts during the day, driving over minefields to quickly storm Ukrainian positions. On March 8, reports emerged that some Russian sabotage and assault groups had used an underground gas pipe to try to gain a foothold on the outskirts of Sudzha, emulating a similar operation where Russians used the sewers in Avdiivka. Ukraine's General staff published a video on March 9, claiming the destruction of those units. But according to open-source monitoring groups, on March 12, the fighting is ongoing in Sudzha. The Ukrainian military has not commented on Russian forces entering the town as of this publication. Other attacks are targeting alternative Ukrainian logistic routes that are known to Russians, according to Mykula. 'The (North) Korean soldiers' offensive near Guevo (on Ukraine's right flank) had a clear task to enter the logistics route of the defense forces through the forest, which they did,' Mykula said. It could also be a move to encircle Ukrainian troops in Kursk Oblast. As part of these efforts, Russia has deployed two battalions of North Korean special forces, far better-prepared than previous North Korean soldiers sent to the area to fight, Kevliuk said. 'But the encirclement is not working so far, and it will not work in the future because the enemy simply does not have enough troops to do it,' he added. Ukraine's continued incursion in Kursk Oblast has had two main goals, experts say. First was gaining Ukraine leverage in possible peace talks, where Ukrainian-controlled areas of Russia could be exchanged for some Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, according to Ukraine's leadership. The second goal was to divert Russian forces from other parts of the front line, prevent further attacks on Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, and take the fight to Russian soil. When the Kursk incursion began in August 2024, Russia's leadership decided to keep the momentum in Ukraine's east instead of diverting them to Kursk Oblast, according to experts. While Russia made small yet steady territorial gains in the east, it failed to achieve all of its major goals for 2024, Samus said. 'Pokrovsk is not occupied, and Chasiv Yar, Toretsk, and Kupiansk are not occupied. (The Russians) did not enter Dnipropetrovsk Oblast,' he said. 'Now, there are 60,000 of not the worst Russian soldiers and North Korean soldiers (in Kursk Oblast), trying to resolve this issue before the start of negotiations between Russia and the United States,' he added. 'If (the Kursk region) cannot be traded at the strategic level, then (Ukraine's military command) must decide from an operational and tactical point of view whether it is more efficient to withdraw and use these forces in other areas.' However, the original idea that Ukraine's foothold in Kursk Oblast could affect negotiations held more weight before the U.S. President Donald Trump got involved, Samus says. 'This could be said before Trump, when the politics were formed traditionally, in some adequate, comprehensible ways.' If Trump and his administration continue to act in a way that contributes to Russia's interests — halting military aid, denying Ukraine's security guarantees before peace talks, and lifting sanctions on Russia — they might also decline to consider Kursk Oblast as a bargaining chip, Samus said. The U.S. restored its military assistance to Ukraine on March 11 after the talks in Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine said it would agree to the temporary 30-day ceasefire if Russia did the same. It was not immediately clear what the fate of Ukraine-controlled Kursk Oblast would be during any possible ceasefire. 'If (the Kursk region) cannot be traded at the strategic level, then (Ukraine's military command) must decide from an operational and tactical point of view whether it is more efficient to withdraw and use these forces in other areas,' Samus said. Some experts say that Ukraine can stabilize the logistics and keep its foothold in Kursk Oblast if it sends more resources. But others, as well as soldiers on the ground, suggest that the Ukrainian retreat has already begun. Ukrainian troops are using 'very well-built' Russian fortifications, well-concealed and fitted for local topography, which would allow them to stay there for a long time, according to Kevliuk. 'War theory tells us that troops should keep a reserve (of supplies) for autonomous operations for 10 days,' Kevliuk added. 'If this norm was met (by Ukrainian troops in Kursk), we can talk about 10-14 days (of fighting without logistics).' 'There's very little room or reason to try to maneuver in Kursk anymore,' said Emil Kastehelmi, a Finnish military analyst from the Black Bird Group open-source intelligence collective. One Ukrainian soldier who asked for anonymity to discuss sensitive matters told the Kyiv Independent that his unit had recently withdrawn from Kursk Oblast, losing almost all of their vehicles. 'It was a horror what was happening on that road,' he said. 'We don't know what will happen next.' Read also: Losing foothold in Kursk Oblast would be 'politically significant,' experts say We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘We will adapt' — Ukraine's soldiers say after US intel cut
Days after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a pause in sharing U.S. intelligence, the Ukrainian military has reported little effect from that decision on the front. The pause is likely to have a higher toll on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, experts and military officials say. The U.S. stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine on March 5, soon after freezing all military assistance in an effort to pressure Kyiv into quick negotiations with Russia. Keith Kellogg, U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, said the Ukrainians had "brought this on themselves," for not cooperating in peace talks. U.S. aerospace company Maxar Technologies has also reportedly restricted Ukraine's access to its satellite imagery, according to the Ukrainian media outlet Militarnyi. Ukrainian officials said they are working on alternatives with foreign partners. French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu confirmed that France is continuing to provide its intelligence to Ukraine. 'There is nothing unique about the United States' intelligence capabilities. It is possible to replace them,' Mykhailo Samus, military expert and director of the New Geopolitics Research Network, told the Kyiv Independent. Several soldiers and commanders fighting across the front said that the intelligence cutoff has little to no effect on their battlefield operations. At the tactical level, the Ukrainian army has a range of means to get its own intelligence, mostly from drone surveillance. Other sources include the Ukrainian-made situational awareness system Delta, praised by NATO after testing in 2024, and regular reconnaissance operations. 'My drones give me the intelligence,' said 'Spys,' an artilleryman fighting in Kursk Oblast who is being identified by callsign only for security reasons. According to Samus, American intelligence may have had only a sporadic impact on the frontline. 'I am convinced that the frontline will cope without intelligence from our U.S. partners,' said Yurii Fedorenko, commander of the elite unmanned systems regiment 'Achilles' fighting in Kharkiv Oblast. However, both military and experts agree that 'there's never too much intel' when it comes to battlefield operations. 'Ukraine has managed to develop the production of intelligence tools that allow us to cover a certain operational depth,' Fedorenko said. 'But in war, it is important to control the enemy at all stages, from production and logistics to the areas of concentration, and then to the front line,' he added. Since early 2024, Ukraine has regularly conducted drone strikes deep within Russia and Russian-controlled territories, hitting military and strategic targets such as oil refineries. The strikes have helped to slow down Russia's frontline logistics and reduce Moscow's gas and oil exports that fuel its war effort. The U.S. intelligence cutoff is unlikely to threaten the planning of those operations by restricting Ukraine's access to satellite images, as 'Ukraine has its own satellites,' Samus said. 'We still have good intel from our own means.' Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) confirmed that Ukraine's crowdfunded satellite had taken over 4,000 images of Russian facilities, used to cause "billions of dollars" in losses to Russia. 'We still have good intel from our own means,' Samus said, 'And we have (Ukrainian-made) drones that can 'see' at least a couple hundred kilometers deep (into Russia).' A soldier who asked for anonymity to discuss sensitive matters told the Kyiv Independent that his unit sometimes seeks intel from HUR, which is consistently better and more up-to-date than the intel available within the Ukrainian Armed Forces. As of this publication, HUR hasn't responded to a request for comment. The main burn of the intelligence cutoff will be felt by Ukrainian civilians, experts said, as it threatens Ukraine's ability to detect on time Russian aerial strikes against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. 'The air defense system does not rely on satellite information, but on information from long-range radars,' Viktor Kevliuk, a retired military officer and defense expert, told the Kyiv Independent. Radars are usually turned off to avoid detection by the enemy, he said. But they are turned on to monitor the air situation at long distances when satellites warn of enemy launches of cruise missile carriers or ground- and sea-based ballistic missiles. 'The U.S. actions deprive the Ukrainian Defense Forces of knowing in advance about the beginning of an air attack,' Kevliuk added. The U.S. Airborne Warning & Control System (AWACS) planes used radars that worked 400-500 kilometers deep within Russia, Samus said. He underscored that Ukraine's European partners have the same electronic reconnaissance capabilities and might share this information. As an alternative, Ukraine can fill up the gap in this intelligence with two Swedish-provided ASC 890 aircraft that were included in a Swedish military aid package for Ukraine last May. 'They would detect (enemy activity) 300 kilometers into Russian territory, including the activity of Iskander (ballistic missile systems), strategic aviation, and so on,' Samus added. A Swedish official who spoke on condition of anonymity told the Kyiv Independent that the planes are scheduled to arrive in Ukraine later this year. It leaves concerns about the harm to civilians that Russian attacks could inflict until then. 'U.S. intelligence knows when Russia is planning something very bad for our cities. And if they were to withhold this information, it just means that more Ukrainian civilians will die.' 'Take the Oreshnik, for example,' said Myroslav Hai, an officer in the Ukrainian army. Russia launched its nuclear-capable 'Oreshnik' missile against Ukraine on Nov. 21. Moscow pre-notified the U.S. before the attack through nuclear risk reduction channels. 'U.S. intelligence knows when Russia is planning something very bad for our cities. And if they were to withhold this information, it just means that more Ukrainian civilians will die,' Hai told The Kyiv Independent. 'This is not the first time that the U.S. have taken such steps,' Fedorenko said, citing months-long delays in military aid and selective provision of intelligence about Russia in the past. During the full-scale war, Ukraine has managed to overcome many changes and difficulties, and it will adapt to the U.S. intelligence cutoff, soldiers said. 'We will endure,' 'Bart,' a special forces sniper fighting in the Pokrovsk direction who is being identified by callsign only, told the Kyiv Independent. 'Russia is running out of breath here.' The pause in intelligence sharing is just the latest of a series of striking measures taken by the the U.S. administration that are working in Russia's favor, filling Ukrainians with disappointment about its once-ally. 'It will not surprise me if (Trump) starts giving intelligence to (the Russians),' 'Bart' added. '(The U.S.) has sided with Russia and are allowing it to use its weapons more effectively,' Samus said. 'They used to be called the leader of the democratic world, but not anymore. Now they are people who make decisions that facilitate war crimes,' he added. 'This is a catastrophe for the United States, not for us.' Toma Istomina contributed reporting. Read also: In Kyiv, Trump's intel freeze raises fears of Russian missiles striking without warning We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
