How Soviet farm planning gave Ukrainian troops vital battlefield real estate
In a modern fight across the Ukrainian steppe, where it is nearly impossible to hide from the digital eyes of day and night drone surveillance, windbreaks have become one of the most valuable terrain features that Russian and Ukrainian troops fight over. They provide a refuge for soldiers to gather for assaults, take cover from enemy fire or, in the quiet moments, listen to the wind blow through the branches.
Control over strategic windbreaks can make a difference in winning a fight or losing one, soldiers said.
“The tree line is life,” said a member of the gun team in the National Guard’s 15th Brigade. He provided only his first name, Oleksandr, in line with Ukrainian military protocols.
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In a modern fight across the Ukrainian steppe, where it is nearly impossible to hide from the digital eyes of day and night drone surveillance, windbreaks have become one of the most valuable terrain features that Russian and Ukrainian troops fight over. They provide a refuge for soldiers to gather for assaults, take cover from enemy fire or, in the quiet moments, listen to the wind blow through the branches.
Control over strategic windbreaks can make a difference in winning a fight or losing one, soldiers said.
“The tree line is life,” said a member of the gun team in the National Guard’s 15th Brigade. He provided only his first name, Oleksandr, in line with Ukrainian military protocols.
Read the full story here.
NATO says North Korean troops already deployed to Russia’s Kursk region
NATO chief Mark Rutte said Monday that North Korean soldiers have been deployed to Kursk, the Russian region where Ukrainian forces seized territory in a surprise attack over the summer.
The United States said last week that at least 3,000 North Korean personnel were undergoing combat training in Russia, though it was not yet clear if they would join the war. The U.S. announcement, which officials said was based on newly declassified intelligence, followed similar disclosures from Kyiv and Seoul.
“Today I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia and that North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk region,” Rutte told reporters, describing it as an escalation in North Korea’s “growing involvement” in Russia’s war and a “dangerous expansion” of the conflict. The move means North Korean troops could now be in direct combat with Ukrainian forces.
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NATO chief Mark Rutte said Monday that North Korean soldiers have been deployed to Kursk, the Russian region where Ukrainian forces seized territory in a surprise attack over the summer.
The United States said last week that at least 3,000 North Korean personnel were undergoing combat training in Russia, though it was not yet clear if they would join the war. The U.S. announcement, which officials said was based on newly declassified intelligence, followed similar disclosures from Kyiv and Seoul.
“Today I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia and that North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk region,” Rutte told reporters, describing it as an escalation in North Korea’s “growing involvement” in Russia’s war and a “dangerous expansion” of the conflict. The move means North Korean troops could now be in direct combat with Ukrainian forces.
Read the full story here.
North Korea’s elite troops are in Russia to fight Ukraine: What we know
As many as 10,000 North Korean soldiers are being trained in Russia and some have already been deployed in the war against Ukraine, an unprecedented move by Pyongyang to send its people into danger in a combat zone far from the Korean Peninsula.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to have dispatched some of his best soldiers to aid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war effort, including the elite “Storms Corps” unit that had long been training to infiltrate the South, according to South Korean intelligence officials.
U.S. and NATO officials have warned that the infusion of North Korean troops could be a “dangerous expansion” of the war in Ukraine and a “very, very serious issue” that could have reverberations in both Europe and the Pacific. The deployment of North Korean forces is the latest sign of the deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow as they join forces against the West.
Read the full story here,
As many as 10,000 North Korean soldiers are being trained in Russia and some have already been deployed in the war against Ukraine, an unprecedented move by Pyongyang to send its people into danger in a combat zone far from the Korean Peninsula.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to have dispatched some of his best soldiers to aid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war effort, including the elite “Storms Corps” unit that had long been training to infiltrate the South, according to South Korean intelligence officials.
U.S. and NATO officials have warned that the infusion of North Korean troops could be a “dangerous expansion” of the war in Ukraine and a “very, very serious issue” that could have reverberations in both Europe and the Pacific. The deployment of North Korean forces is the latest sign of the deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow as they join forces against the West.
Read the full story here,
Ukraine accuses Russia of sudden spike in POW killings
KYIV — Russian forces are summarily killing surrendering Ukrainian soldiers in increasing numbers on the battlefield, often shooting them point blank just after they have been taken prisoner, Ukrainian officials say.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, authorities have opened 43 criminal investigations into 113 possible arbitrary killings, with more than a third of those cases registered since the beginning of the year, according to Ukraine’s prosecutor general office. But that does not take into account the more recent spike.
“Since the end of last year, the number of such crimes has been steadily increasing,” the prosecutor general’s office said in written comments to The Washington Post. “We receive reports of such killings almost every week.”
Read the full story here.
KYIV — Russian forces are summarily killing surrendering Ukrainian soldiers in increasing numbers on the battlefield, often shooting them point blank just after they have been taken prisoner, Ukrainian officials say.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, authorities have opened 43 criminal investigations into 113 possible arbitrary killings, with more than a third of those cases registered since the beginning of the year, according to Ukraine’s prosecutor general office. But that does not take into account the more recent spike.
“Since the end of last year, the number of such crimes has been steadily increasing,” the prosecutor general’s office said in written comments to The Washington Post. “We receive reports of such killings almost every week.”
Read the full story here.
Russian drones hunt civilians in streets of southern Ukrainian city
Russian forces have escalated indiscriminate drone attacks against civilians in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, killing and maiming scores of people in what locals have described as a “human safari.”
Unlike elsewhere on the 600-mile-long front, Russian forces in Kherson are just across the river from the city and are using small drones to harass the population, either by crashing into targets and exploding or by dropping grenades and small camouflaged mines. The situation is fairly unique compared with the rest of Ukraine, where Russian troops must use longer-range weapons to reach civilians.
Humanitarian operations and city services such as fire trucks and buses seem to be under particular threat, officials said, though children on bicycles and older people gathering at markets have also been struck.
Read the full story here.
Russian forces have escalated indiscriminate drone attacks against civilians in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, killing and maiming scores of people in what locals have described as a “human safari.”
Unlike elsewhere on the 600-mile-long front, Russian forces in Kherson are just across the river from the city and are using small drones to harass the population, either by crashing into targets and exploding or by dropping grenades and small camouflaged mines. The situation is fairly unique compared with the rest of Ukraine, where Russian troops must use longer-range weapons to reach civilians.
Humanitarian operations and city services such as fire trucks and buses seem to be under particular threat, officials said, though children on bicycles and older people gathering at markets have also been struck.
Read the full story here.
The new season of ‘The Bachelor’ in Ukraine shows the scars of war
Backstage at Ukraine’s adaptation of “The Bachelor,” makeup artists rushed to fix fake lashes and lipstick, while producers hunched over monitors and adjusted camera angles. For the crew of 200 and the show’s 21 participants, the night was going to be a particularly grueling shoot.
The strict wartime curfew and rolling power cuts in the wake of sustained Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power grid meant they would have to film the show’s climactic rose ceremony all through the night, from dusk until dawn.
As with every aspect of life in Ukraine, the full-scale invasion in 2022 by Russia has transformed the contest, once the most-watched reality TV show in Ukraine. Forty percent of the camera and lights team was drafted to fight. Curfew restricted working hours so that most of the dating scenes have to be filmed during the day instead of at night, and gone are the exotic foreign shooting locations.
Read the full story here.
Backstage at Ukraine’s adaptation of “The Bachelor,” makeup artists rushed to fix fake lashes and lipstick, while producers hunched over monitors and adjusted camera angles. For the crew of 200 and the show’s 21 participants, the night was going to be a particularly grueling shoot.
The strict wartime curfew and rolling power cuts in the wake of sustained Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power grid meant they would have to film the show’s climactic rose ceremony all through the night, from dusk until dawn.
As with every aspect of life in Ukraine, the full-scale invasion in 2022 by Russia has transformed the contest, once the most-watched reality TV show in Ukraine. Forty percent of the camera and lights team was drafted to fight. Curfew restricted working hours so that most of the dating scenes have to be filmed during the day instead of at night, and gone are the exotic foreign shooting locations.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine says forces clash with North Korean troops for first time
KYIV — Ukrainian troops have clashed with North Korean forces for the first time, according to senior Ukrainian officials — a development that would open a “new page of instability in the world,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, speaking to South Korean television network KBS, said that there were “already contacts” between the two sides, and that Ukrainian officials expected a “more significant number” in the next weeks, which they would “review and analyze.”
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KYIV — Ukrainian troops have clashed with North Korean forces for the first time, according to senior Ukrainian officials — a development that would open a “new page of instability in the world,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, speaking to South Korean television network KBS, said that there were “already contacts” between the two sides, and that Ukrainian officials expected a “more significant number” in the next weeks, which they would “review and analyze.”
Read the full story here.
Ukrainians fear Trump will end supply of weapons to fight Russia
Ukrainian officials’ congratulations of President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday were fast and effusive — but did little to mask the fears and uncertainty that now hangs over Ukraine’s future.
Many Ukrainian lawmakers recognize that securing the American weapons needed in the war against Russia will require convincing Trump to back a fight that he appears to consider too expensive.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it an “impressive election victory.” He reminded Trump of the “great meeting” they had in September in the United States and talked about “ways to put an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine.”
Andriy Yermak, head the presidential office and Zelensky’s main adviser, echoed his boss’s congratulations, adding that it was “essential that Ukraine has bipartisan support in the U.S.”
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Ukrainian officials’ congratulations of President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday were fast and effusive — but did little to mask the fears and uncertainty that now hangs over Ukraine’s future.
Many Ukrainian lawmakers recognize that securing the American weapons needed in the war against Russia will require convincing Trump to back a fight that he appears to consider too expensive.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it an “impressive election victory.” He reminded Trump of the “great meeting” they had in September in the United States and talked about “ways to put an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine.”
Andriy Yermak, head the presidential office and Zelensky’s main adviser, echoed his boss’s congratulations, adding that it was “essential that Ukraine has bipartisan support in the U.S.”
Read the full story here.
‘We have won’: Russians envision new global system with Trump victory
President-elect Donald Trump’s stunning political comeback has created an opening for Russia to shatter Western unity on Ukraine and redraw the global power map, according to several influential members of the Russian elite.
Across the corridors of power in Moscow, the win for Trump’s populist campaign arguing that America should focus on its domestic woes over aiding countries like Ukraine was being hailed as a potential victory for Russia’s efforts to carve out its own sphere of influence in the world.
In even broader terms, it was seen as a victory for conservative, isolationist forces supported by Russia against a liberal, Western-dominated global order setting the rules for the entire world that the Kremlin (and its allies) have been seeking to undermine.
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President-elect Donald Trump’s stunning political comeback has created an opening for Russia to shatter Western unity on Ukraine and redraw the global power map, according to several influential members of the Russian elite.
Across the corridors of power in Moscow, the win for Trump’s populist campaign arguing that America should focus on its domestic woes over aiding countries like Ukraine was being hailed as a potential victory for Russia’s efforts to carve out its own sphere of influence in the world.
In even broader terms, it was seen as a victory for conservative, isolationist forces supported by Russia against a liberal, Western-dominated global order setting the rules for the entire world that the Kremlin (and its allies) have been seeking to undermine.
Read the full story here.
Waiting for the North Koreans on the battlefields of the Ukraine war
SUMY, Ukraine — Ukrainian troops fighting inside Russia are bracing for clashes with North Korean forces as officials in Kyiv warn that combat with Russia’s new allies has already begun, marking a dangerous new phase of the war as Donald Trump’s election adds to further uncertainty over Ukraine’s future.
Ukrainian forces are already struggling inside Russia’s Kursk region, where they seized hundreds of square miles in a surprise August offensive but have since lost nearly half that territory. U.S. intelligence agencies have reported that there are now at least 10,000 North Korean troops in the Kursk region, probably to buoy the Russian attempt to retake the final Ukrainian foothold that has irritated Russian President Vladimir Putin even as he tries to brush it off as insignificant.
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SUMY, Ukraine — Ukrainian troops fighting inside Russia are bracing for clashes with North Korean forces as officials in Kyiv warn that combat with Russia’s new allies has already begun, marking a dangerous new phase of the war as Donald Trump’s election adds to further uncertainty over Ukraine’s future.
Ukrainian forces are already struggling inside Russia’s Kursk region, where they seized hundreds of square miles in a surprise August offensive but have since lost nearly half that territory. U.S. intelligence agencies have reported that there are now at least 10,000 North Korean troops in the Kursk region, probably to buoy the Russian attempt to retake the final Ukrainian foothold that has irritated Russian President Vladimir Putin even as he tries to brush it off as insignificant.
Read the full story here.