Latest news with #UkrainianTroops
Russia Today
a day ago
- General
- Russia Today
Russia strikes Ukrainian drone production facilities
Russian forces have launched a combined strike targeting Ukrainian drone and radar manufacturing facilities, as well as munitions depots and equipment storage sites, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said in its daily briefing on Tuesday. The list of targets also reportedly included drone storage facilities and launch sites, as well as positions of Ukrainian troops and foreign mercenaries. A total of 142 locations were hit as part of the operation, which involved both missile strikes and drone attacks, the ministry said, without specifying the exact targets. The strikes came two days after a Ukrainian attack on military airfields in five Russian regions across the country, including Siberia and the Far East. Ukrainian media have described the strikes as part of a 'historic' operation dubbed 'Spiderweb,' claiming they caused significant damage to Russian 'strategic aviation.' The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the attacks but said that three of them were successfully repelled without causing damage or casualties, while two resulted in several aircraft catching fire. The ministry did not officially confirm the loss of any aircraft. The statement came as Russian forces continued their offensive operations along the entire front line. Russian troops have maintained the initiative on the battlefield for several months. Over the past 24 hours, the Russian military took control of the village of Andreevka in Sumy Region, according to the briefing. Ukrainian forces reportedly lost over 1,500 soldiers across various parts of the front, along with around two dozen artillery pieces. In late May, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Moscow's intention to create a 'security buffer zone' along the border, following the successful repulsion of a Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Region. He first floated the idea last year, stating it was intended to protect civilians from Kiev's long-range strikes. Russia has repeatedly accused Ukraine of carrying out attacks on civilians, organizing sabotage operations, and plotting assassinations of senior officials, journalists, and public figures. Recent acts of railway sabotage in Russia's Bryansk and Kursk regions were 'terrorist attacks' planned by Ukraine to cause maximum civilian casualties, the Russian Investigative Committee said on Tuesday.
Russia Today
3 days ago
- General
- Russia Today
Ukrainian land forces commander steps down
The commander of Ukraine's Land Forces, Mikhail Drapaty, has resigned from his post, taking responsibility for the deaths of Ukrainian troops in consecutive strikes on a military training center. At least 12 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 60 more injured on Sunday in a Russian strike, Ukrainian broadcaster Suspilne wrote. Kiev did not reveal the exact location, but according to Suspilne sources, it could be located near the Novomoskovsky military training site in Dnepropetrovsk Region. The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed that it struck a tent camp at the Novomoskovsky training ground on Sunday, targeting the 158th Separate Mechanized Brigade (SMB) and the 33rd SMB of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. 'I have decided to submit a report on my resignation from the post of Commander of the Land Forces of the AFU,' Drapaty wrote in a social media statement on Saturday. 'This is a conscious step dictated by my personal sense of responsibility for the tragedy at the 239th training ground, as a result of which our soldiers died,' he said. 'We have no right to live in a system that does not learn. If we do not draw conclusions, do not change our attitude to service, do not admit our mistakes, we are doomed,' Drapaty wrote, adding that he has opened an investigation into the circumstances at the training ground. In March, the Russian Defense Ministry reported it had struck the facility with an Iskander-M missile, killing up to 150 Ukrainian service members and 30 foreign military instructors. In the wake of the attack, Drapaty railed against 'outdated procedures' and negligence within AFU ranks. Corruption has been a rampant and long-running issue for Ukraine's defense sector, affecting everything from munitions and food supply lines to embezzlement of funds meant for defensive fortifications. Last month, the Security Service of Ukraine reported it had arrested several military officials involved with a corruption scheme that supplied Kiev's armed forces with some 120,000 defective mortar shells.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia pushes forward in Donetsk Oblast, threatening Ukrainian pocket around Toretsk
Russian troops have upped the intensity of their Donetsk Oblast offensive in recent weeks, increasingly pressuring a relatively large Ukrainian pocket between some of the last cities in the region. An unsettling situation for Ukrainian troops is now unfolding south of the town of Kostiantynivka, which has long served as a relatively safe logistics hub for Ukrainian troops defending the areas around the now Russian-occupied Bakhmut. Russian troops have been pushing toward Kostiantynivka from two directions, slowly closing in on the Ukrainian pocket west of Toretsk. Western military experts say that Russia appears to have the resources to keep "creeping" forward, and the question is how much and for how long the Ukrainian forces deployed in the area can hold on. "The problem is this large bulge between Kostiantynivka and Pokrovsk has been growing relatively fast," Emil Kastehelmi, an analyst at the Finland-based Black Bird Group monitoring the war closely through open sources, told the Kyiv Independent. Read also: Why Washington failed to end the Russo-Ukrainian War "If it grows at this rate, the Russians will be threatening the supply routes into Kostiantynivka in a couple of months already." Concerns rise over the potential Russian encirclement of Ukrainian troops defending the Toretsk and Kostiantynivka area, according to Kastehelmi. Russia has held the initiative on the battlefield in the Donetsk Oblast since the fall of 2023, after Ukraine's failed summer counteroffensive. The recent Russian push comes as the U.S. continues to insist on peace talks between Russia and Ukraine to end the war at all costs. U.S. President Donald Trump and his team have made numerous threats that Washington could walk away from the peace process if there is no progress made in the near future, putting U.S. military support and intelligence sharing with Ukraine on the line. The experts who spoke to the Kyiv Independent said that the current Russian push in Donetsk Oblast is setting the stage for a major upcoming offensive. "I think that this is a development that will continue to be a growing issue for Ukraine during the summer because, as far as I know, the Russians should have relatively large reserves that they can commit to the battle in the coming weeks and months," Kastehelmi said. Ukraine had largely stabilized the situation on the eastern front earlier this year after Russia ramped up the offensive tempo in the summer of 2024, likely taking advantage of multiple elite Ukrainian units being deployed to Russia's Kursk Oblast for a surprise cross-border incursion. One such unit, the 80th Air Assault Brigade, had manned the defense near Klishchiivka, a village south of Chasiv Yar and north of Toretsk that Ukraine liberated in 2023. "Whilst the offensive is still underway, they're probably building momentum for higher tempo and more intense offensive operations in the coming months." Factors such as Ukraine's manpower shortage and the combat capabilities of the Ukrainian units deployed in the area would dictate how Ukrainian troops will hold onto the pocket south of Kostiantynivka, according to Kastehelmi. The lack of well-trained troops remains the army's weakest spot, with Ukraine struggling to recruit new soldiers and train them to prepare for the brutal reality of the war, experts and officers say. Ukrainian monitoring group DeepState said in April that Russian troops were preparing to advance in an area southwest of Toretsk by solidifying their presence in the village of Kalynove down south. The question hangs over the combat capabilities of the Ukrainian units deployed in the area, as reinforcing the area with units that aren't battered after fighting in hot spots of the war, such as Kursk Oblast, would be a challenge, according to Kastehelmi. "The Ukrainians need to make some difficult decisions on what directions they can prioritize and what reserves they can commit," the expert said. Retired Australian Army Major-General Mick Ryan, who has closely observed the war in Ukraine, said that even if Ukraine were to lose the pocket south of Kostiantynivka, he doesn't believe that it would bring "any significant shift in the trajectory of the war at this point." While it is still "a significant bit of territory," the more pressing concern is for Russia not to gain momentum after potentially conquering it, according to Ryan. "The last thing you want is for the Russians to become more confident and think they can generate additional momentum because they take this area," Ryan told the Kyiv Independent. The Australian expert said that Russia is adapting its tactics on the front line, for example, increasingly using fiber optic and first-person-view (FPV) drones, enabling Russian troops to achieve better results. "Whilst the offensive is still underway, they're probably building momentum for higher tempo and more intense offensive operations in the coming months," Ryan said. For now, the question is whether Ukraine would make the timely decision to withdraw from the pocket, rather than holding onto unfavorable positions at a heavy cost, according to Kastehelmi from the Black Bird Group. Ukrainian soldiers who spoke to the Kyiv Independent often criticized their command to "hold until the end," even if the positions would soon be overrun by Russian troops and the Ukrainians would be left without proper evacuation or orderly withdrawal. "This summer and the next fall will look really difficult," Kastehelmi said. Read also: 'It's okay, Mom, I'm home' —Ukraine, Russia hold largest prisoner swap of the war We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Telegraph
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Revealed: The three-step Russian tactic driving back Ukraine
Russia is deploying a military strategy known as the 'triple chokehold' to grind down Ukrainian troops, according to experts. Kyiv's forces are facing severe pressure on multiple fronts while Russia works to edge them towards exhaustion by integrating three combat elements into a cohesive strategy greater than the sum of its parts. Vladimir Putin's forces are launching ground assaults to pin troops down, followed by drone strikes to restrict movement, and then launching glide bombs to target offensive positions. There were early signs that Russia was deploying the tactic on the battlefield last year, The Telegraph was told – but Moscow's armies have significantly increased its use over the last two months along the front line. 'The whole Russian army is using the triangle strategy,' said Serhii Kuzan, the chairman of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre. 'We call it the strategy and war of exhaustion.' Since the beginning of this year, Russia has been plagued by a depletion of resources and numerous failed offensives. The country's military is said to be losing over 1,000 soldiers per day, while Ukrainian armed forces have hit 1,159 Russian tanks, and more than 2,500 armoured vehicles since the start of 2025. Heavy losses mean Russia is increasingly trying to press its key advantages over Ukraine – a steady supply of soldiers and an ability to quickly produce drones and glide bombs. These efforts are proving effective, with Russia's forces capturing close to 1,500 square miles of territory last year – its most significant gains since Putin launched his invasion in 2022. 'It's a very attritional mode of warfare,' explained Nick Reynolds, research fellow for land warfare at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). 'These three elements create conflicting imperatives for Ukrainian defenders.' The methodical approach begins with ground assaults fighting to pin down Ukrainian troops, forcing them into defensive positions and stalling their ability to manoeuvre. The continued assaults put heavy pressure on Ukrainian defences. 'By using huge numbers of people and sending them in assaults on Ukrainian positions, they are trying to exhaust our soldiers and our resources,' said Mr Kuzan. 'The intensity of the fighting in places like Pokrovsk is very high, with assaults every two hours. This is of course exhausting for our soldiers.' Next, drones are deployed to restrict Ukrainian mobility, conduct surveillance, target vulnerable points and disrupt troop movements. These drones include first person view (FPV) drones, which allow Russian forces to track Ukrainian positions in real time and quickly respond to any troop movements. 'Because of these drones, Ukraine is forced to man the front line with static defensive positions supported by extensive deception measures, for example, large-scale digging, to obscure where troops are actually concentrated,' said Mr Reynolds The third prong sees Russia deploy glide bombs to target key offensive positions from long distances, weakening Ukraine's ability to sustain operations. These long-range, precision-guided munitions target key Ukrainian positions, particularly artillery and defensive installations. 'This is where the real dilemma comes, or the really difficult one, to which there isn't really an answer,' said Mr Reynolds. 'Digging in and all those protective measures are excellent for reducing attrition by artillery or FPVs, yet glide bombs will destroy those fortifications and bury people.' The combination forces Ukrainian soldiers to choose between holding their positions – risking heavy casualties and resource exhaustion – or staying mobile, which increases their exposure to drone strikes and isolated attacks. 'What pins Ukrainian forces in place is the combined threat of Russian ground operations, artillery, and drones, especially FPV and tactical unmanned aerial vehicles,' added Mr Reynolds. Glide bombs have become the most critical element for this strategy, buoyed by Russia's ability to churn them out quickly. 'Rates of Russian production and employment of glide bombs and FPV drones has greatly increased as the war has gone on,' John Hardie, the deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, told The Telegraph. Russia plans to produce 75,000 glide bombs in 2025, averaging about 205 per day, according to RUSI, greatly increasing its ability to deploy the tactic. Ukraine has adapted to the triple chokehold by shifting to a dynamic defence strategy – constant repositioning and unpredictability, rather than holding fixed positions. It is using a combination of mines, various strike zones and traditional fire against Russian forces before they manage to search its undermanned infantry positions, according to Mr Hardie. Ukraine has also expanded strike-drone units that serve as a key force multiplier, and dramatically increased production of FPV drones and other unmanned systems. 'The Ukrainians have become very adept and innovative about countering all types of Russian attack,' said Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former British Army colonel and chemical weapons expert. The strategy has pushed Ukraine even further into a war of endurance. But as of yet, any gains are incremental for Russia, and the tactic has failed to result in any large-scale operational breakthroughs. 'Russia is fixing the Ukrainian forces but cannot manoeuvre to deliver a decisive blow,' said Mr de Bretton-Gordon. The issues for Russia of under-trained soldiers and a lack of armoured vehicles remain unsolved. Witnesses have reported the use of motorbikes and even e-scooters by Russian troops to push towards Ukrainian defensive lines. The glide bombs also have a significantly high failure rate. 'They have found it very difficult to concentrate force because this type of manoeuvre takes a lot of training and co-ordination,' said Mr de Bretton-Gordon. 'Most of the soldiers on the front line now are barely trained conscripts who can just attack in a straight line,' he added. 'Many cannot even clean their rifles properly.'
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Putin makes shock unannounced visit to nuclear plant after retaking Kursk
Vladimir Putin made a surprise inspection at a nuclear plant in Kursk, in his first visit to the region since Russian forces claimed they ejected Ukrainian troops from the area last month. Video footage posted by Russian state media shows Putin walking around the plant in a hard hat, where he speaks to officials. The Russian president met volunteer organisations in the city of Kurchatov, as well as visiting the Kursk nuclear power plant, which is currently under construction. In April, the Kremlin said that it had expelled forces from Kyiv from the region, ending the largest incursion into Russian territory since World War Two.
