Latest news with #UkrainianVolunteerArmy
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Drones took off from uncrewed surface vessels: details of nighttime attack on Crimea revealed
A large-scale drone attack took place in occupied Crimea on the night of 1-2 May, targeting military sites, particularly airfields housing tactical aircraft. Source: Serhii Bratchuk, spokesman for the Ukrainian Volunteer Army, on the national joint 24/7 newscast Details: Bratchuk stated that the attack had utilised a particular method: uncrewed surface vessels acted as "carrier platforms" for first-person view drones (FPVs), which were launched from them to carry out precision strikes on ground-based targets. Quote from Bratchuk: "The sham 'governor' of Sevastopol, Razvozhayev, has acknowledged that the attack took place. He's talking about Ukraine's use of naval drones. Accordingly, naval drones have become 'carriers' for our other 'mosquitoes' – FPVs, which take off from them and strike military targets in Crimea... in addition, it was loud where the airfields from which enemy tactical aircraft take off and sites such as Hvardiiske, where a missile brigade is located." Background: On the morning of 2 May, Russia's Defence Ministry reported a large-scale drone attack on Crimea, claiming that its air defence units had destroyed 121 "Ukrainian drones" over the occupied peninsula and several Russian regions. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Ukrainian Mother and Filmmaker Goes to War: Director Alisa Kovalenko Premieres ‘My Dear Theo' at CPH:DOX (EXCLUSIVE)
When Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on this day three years ago, filmmaker Alisa Kovalenko ('Home Games,' 'We Will Not Fade Away') bid farewell to her partner and four-year-old son and joined the Ukrainian Volunteer Army. As she traded her camera for a rifle, she couldn't leave behind her instinct to document. What emerged is 'My Dear Theo,' a poignant video diary for her son, set to premiere in the main competition at the Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Festival (CPH:DOX) in March. More from Variety 'Leaving Neverland' Sequel 'Surviving Michael Jackson' Set for March CPH:DOX Summit to Consider Media Accessibility as a Human Right AI in Non-Fiction, Immersive Storytelling, Investigative Journalism and Climate Justice to Be Debated at CPH:DOX Kovalenko filmed her fellow soldiers during moments of camaraderie and reprieve, including conversations with their children, offering an intimate and rarely seen portrait from the frontline. As time passed, she also filmed her own calls with her son, who had taken refuge in France with his father. 'I still believe that documentary cinema is a key to the heart,' she tells Variety in an exclusive interview. 'You can feel connected and you can feel empathy. And I wanted to show this other side of the frontline, the human faces, the love and the tenderness. Many people still think these are abstract soldiers fighting, but it's all of us fighting. We are all soldiers.' After four months in service, she faced a critical decision: enlist permanently or return home. She chose to finish editing 'We Will Not Fade Away,' a film about Ukrainian teenagers in the war-torn Donbas, which went on to win multiple festival awards. Kovalenko's commitment to telling Ukraine's story stems from personal experience. A seasoned documentarian, she has chronicled Ukraine's struggles since the 2014 Maidan protests and the annexation of Crimea. While filming in the Donbas region, she was detained at a Russian checkpoint and endured conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) at the hands of a Russian officer. 'He let me go with the words, 'Be thankful you're still alive,'' she recalls. Today, she is a member of SEMA Ukraine, part of a global network supporting survivors of wartime sexual violence, backed by Nobel laureate Denis Mukwege. As 'My Dear Theo' prepares for its world premiere, Kovalenko is focused on finishing her next project, 'Traces,' co-directed with Marysia Nikitchuk. The film investigates the silent epidemic of CRSV in Ukraine, a subject long shrouded in stigma. 'Since 2014, many cases have gone unspoken,' she says. 'I want to finish this project to help women who survived.' Looking ahead, she is uncertain about the future: 'I don't know what will happen with all these political games of 'Trump the peacemaker,' it's hard to predict anything. But if the frontline is not frozen in the coming months of 2025, I will return to the army.' Her broader concern, however, extends beyond Ukraine. '[French president Emmanuel] Macron recently said that Trump is like an electric shock for Europe, but the sad thing is I'm not sure Europe is ready to wake up. 'And if it doesn't happen, if we don't feel this common solidarity, if we don't feel that we are fighting for the survival of the values of a civilized, democratic world, that we are fighting against total evil, we will all lose, not just Ukraine.' A Haka Films production, 'My Dear Theo' is co-produced by Moon Man and & JB Films, with executive production by Monica Hellström, and additional support from the Polish Film Institute, Chicken & Egg Pictures, and Meadow Fund. Kirsten Johnson provided mentorship thanks to the Chicken & Egg Award. Stranger Films Sales is handling international sales. CPH:DOX runs in Copenhagen from March 19 through 30. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Grammy Predictions, From Beyoncé to Kendrick Lamar: Who Will Win? Who Should Win? What's Coming to Netflix in February 2025
