Wagner’s prisoner of war: A Ukrainian soldier’s 46-day nightmare
Wagner mercenaries were within shouting distance when the ambush began.
From the high ground, they raked a column of Ukrainian military armor below. An antitank rocket punched through Ilia Mykhalchuk’s vehicle, and the 36-year-old recalled quickly taking stock of his injuries.
They were ghastly.
Right arm: ribbons of shredded flesh. His left: pocked with shrapnel.
Mykhalchuk stumbled from the burning wreckage, fell to the frozen ground and, using his fractured teeth for leverage, tightened a tourniquet onto each of his mangled arms. Moments later, his attackers drew near, shooting him through the legs. They moved closer. Death, Mykhalchuk believed, was imminent.
“I was sure,” he recently recalled, “they wouldn’t capture me.”
Yet that is exactly what happened.
Read the full story here.
Wagner mercenaries were within shouting distance when the ambush began.
From the high ground, they raked a column of Ukrainian military armor below. An antitank rocket punched through Ilia Mykhalchuk’s vehicle, and the 36-year-old recalled quickly taking stock of his injuries.
They were ghastly.
Right arm: ribbons of shredded flesh. His left: pocked with shrapnel.
Mykhalchuk stumbled from the burning wreckage, fell to the frozen ground and, using his fractured teeth for leverage, tightened a tourniquet onto each of his mangled arms. Moments later, his attackers drew near, shooting him through the legs. They moved closer. Death, Mykhalchuk believed, was imminent.
“I was sure,” he recently recalled, “they wouldn’t capture me.”
Yet that is exactly what happened.
Read the full story here.
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Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia attacked Odessa in “three waves” overnight, launching drones and cruise missiles at the heart of the key Ukrainian port city, according to its regional governor.
- The U.S. ambassador to Russia met Monday with detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich at Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison for the third time since the journalist’s arrest in March on espionage charges.
- Kyiv called on the international community to protect trade through the Black Sea after a Russian warship shot at a Ukraine-bound cargo vessel on Sunday.
- The Biden administration is set to provide another $200 million in assistance “to meet Ukraine’s critical security and defense needs,” in its forty-fourth military aid installment since August of 2021.
- A drone damaged an apartment building in the western Russian city of Belgorod, injuring a child, a Russian official said.
More live updates here.
- Russia attacked Odessa in “three waves” overnight, launching drones and cruise missiles at the heart of the key Ukrainian port city, according to its regional governor.
- The U.S. ambassador to Russia met Monday with detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich at Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison for the third time since the journalist’s arrest in March on espionage charges.
- Kyiv called on the international community to protect trade through the Black Sea after a Russian warship shot at a Ukraine-bound cargo vessel on Sunday.
- The Biden administration is set to provide another $200 million in assistance “to meet Ukraine’s critical security and defense needs,” in its forty-fourth military aid installment since August of 2021.
- A drone damaged an apartment building in the western Russian city of Belgorod, injuring a child, a Russian official said.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Explosions rang out in Lviv and Lutsk overnight amid Russian missile strikes in Western Ukraine. In Lutsk, an industrial plant was hit, and in Lviv, residential buildings were targeted, officials said. Three people were killed in the Lutsk strike, the city’s mayor said, citing preliminary information.
- The Russian Central Bank decided in a meeting Tuesday to raise the key interest rate by 3.5 percentage points to 12 percent — a large hike that comes after the ruble fell to its lowest point in 17 months, briefly sliding past 102 to the dollar on Monday.
- The U.S. ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, met with jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on Monday at Lefortovo Prison in Moscow, the newspaper reported.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had “frank conversations” with troops during a visit Monday to the front line in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, amid the ongoing counteroffensive.
More live updates here.
- Explosions rang out in Lviv and Lutsk overnight amid Russian missile strikes in Western Ukraine. In Lutsk, an industrial plant was hit, and in Lviv, residential buildings were targeted, officials said. Three people were killed in the Lutsk strike, the city’s mayor said, citing preliminary information.
- The Russian Central Bank decided in a meeting Tuesday to raise the key interest rate by 3.5 percentage points to 12 percent — a large hike that comes after the ruble fell to its lowest point in 17 months, briefly sliding past 102 to the dollar on Monday.
- The U.S. ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, met with jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on Monday at Lefortovo Prison in Moscow, the newspaper reported.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had “frank conversations” with troops during a visit Monday to the front line in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, amid the ongoing counteroffensive.
More live updates here.
The ruble takes a dive, underscoring pressure on Russia’s war economy
The Russian ruble tumbled to its lowest point in 17 months Monday, briefly sliding past 102 to the dollar and prompting the country’s Central Bank to call an extraordinary meeting Tuesday to discuss the level of its key interest rate.
The ruble has lost roughly a quarter of its value against the dollar since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. Western sanctions have harmed Russia’s trade balance and military spending has soared as the lightning offensive originally envisioned by the Kremlin has turned into a grueling battle of attrition with no end in sight.
Russia’s central bank said Monday that the sudden drop in value would not threaten the country’s overall financial stability and blamed the fall on lagging exports alongside an increased demand for imports.
Read the full story here.
The Russian ruble tumbled to its lowest point in 17 months Monday, briefly sliding past 102 to the dollar and prompting the country’s Central Bank to call an extraordinary meeting Tuesday to discuss the level of its key interest rate.
The ruble has lost roughly a quarter of its value against the dollar since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. Western sanctions have harmed Russia’s trade balance and military spending has soared as the lightning offensive originally envisioned by the Kremlin has turned into a grueling battle of attrition with no end in sight.
Russia’s central bank said Monday that the sudden drop in value would not threaten the country’s overall financial stability and blamed the fall on lagging exports alongside an increased demand for imports.
Read the full story here.
Russia’s new history textbooks teach Putin’s alternate reality
RIGA, Latvia — When classes begin next month, Russian high-schoolers will get fresh history textbooks rewritten to carry Kremlin-approved narratives about the “special military operation” in Ukraine and the rivalry with the West — part of a wider government effort to shape how young generations of Russians think about the war and Russia’s place in the world.
The new manuscript — aimed at graduating 17-year-olds and covering the time period from 1945 until now — blames the United States for the ongoing war in Ukraine and includes a quote from President Vladimir Putin in which he falsely asserts that: “Russia did not start any military actions but is trying to end them.”
It includes telling sections that include “confrontation with the West,” “Ukraine is a neo-Nazi state” and “Russia is a country of heroes,” according to scans of the new book posted by Russian state media.
Read the full story here.
RIGA, Latvia — When classes begin next month, Russian high-schoolers will get fresh history textbooks rewritten to carry Kremlin-approved narratives about the “special military operation” in Ukraine and the rivalry with the West — part of a wider government effort to shape how young generations of Russians think about the war and Russia’s place in the world.
The new manuscript — aimed at graduating 17-year-olds and covering the time period from 1945 until now — blames the United States for the ongoing war in Ukraine and includes a quote from President Vladimir Putin in which he falsely asserts that: “Russia did not start any military actions but is trying to end them.”
It includes telling sections that include “confrontation with the West,” “Ukraine is a neo-Nazi state” and “Russia is a country of heroes,” according to scans of the new book posted by Russian state media.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The Russian Central Bank decided in a meeting Tuesday to raise the key interest rate by 3.5 percentage points to 12 percent — a large hike that comes after the ruble fell to its lowest point in 17 months, briefly sliding past 102 to the dollar on Monday.
- Russian missiles struck two western Ukrainian cities overnight, damaging an industrial plant in Lutsk and residential buildings in Lviv, officials said.
- A Moscow court on Tuesday convicted a pro-war, retired Russian colonel of discrediting the military, as the Kremlin seeks to bring nationalist pro-war critics to heel.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had “frank conversations” with troops during a visit Monday to the front line in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
- The Swedish government on Tuesday pledged a new support package for Ukraine, valued at $314 million and containing spare parts and ammunition for equipment previously sent by the Swedes.
More live updates here.
- The Russian Central Bank decided in a meeting Tuesday to raise the key interest rate by 3.5 percentage points to 12 percent — a large hike that comes after the ruble fell to its lowest point in 17 months, briefly sliding past 102 to the dollar on Monday.
- Russian missiles struck two western Ukrainian cities overnight, damaging an industrial plant in Lutsk and residential buildings in Lviv, officials said.
- A Moscow court on Tuesday convicted a pro-war, retired Russian colonel of discrediting the military, as the Kremlin seeks to bring nationalist pro-war critics to heel.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had “frank conversations” with troops during a visit Monday to the front line in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
- The Swedish government on Tuesday pledged a new support package for Ukraine, valued at $314 million and containing spare parts and ammunition for equipment previously sent by the Swedes.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Poland touted state-of-the-art fighter jets and other weaponry at its largest military parade since the Cold War — a display of strength as vicious fighting continues next door between Russia and Ukraine. The parade was meant to commemorate the 103rd anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw, when Polish troops beat Bolshevik forces that were trying to advance on Europe.
- Overnight strikes on Odessa damaged warehouses and granaries at a Danube port that is part of Ukraine’s grain infrastructure, the regional governor reported. No one was injured, he said.
- A former high-ranking FBI official accused of secretly working on behalf of a Russian oligarch pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday. The former official, Charles McGonigal, is accused of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions and of laundering money while working to the benefit of Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, whom he was tasked with investigating.
More live updates here.
- Poland touted state-of-the-art fighter jets and other weaponry at its largest military parade since the Cold War — a display of strength as vicious fighting continues next door between Russia and Ukraine. The parade was meant to commemorate the 103rd anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw, when Polish troops beat Bolshevik forces that were trying to advance on Europe.
- Overnight strikes on Odessa damaged warehouses and granaries at a Danube port that is part of Ukraine’s grain infrastructure, the regional governor reported. No one was injured, he said.
- A former high-ranking FBI official accused of secretly working on behalf of a Russian oligarch pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday. The former official, Charles McGonigal, is accused of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions and of laundering money while working to the benefit of Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, whom he was tasked with investigating.
More live updates here.
North Korea’s Kim, in letter to Putin, vows solidarity with Russia
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to strengthen relations with Russia so the two countries could continue to “smash the imperialists’ arbitrary practices and hegemony,” according to a state media report.
Kim made the promise in a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, the anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule, in the latest sign that Pyongyang and Moscow are deepening their bonds.
Kim said the North’s relations with Russia will be “further developed into a long-standing strategic relationship” in his message to Putin.
Read the full story here.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to strengthen relations with Russia so the two countries could continue to “smash the imperialists’ arbitrary practices and hegemony,” according to a state media report.
Kim made the promise in a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, the anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule, in the latest sign that Pyongyang and Moscow are deepening their bonds.
Kim said the North’s relations with Russia will be “further developed into a long-standing strategic relationship” in his message to Putin.
Read the full story here.
Russian central bank hikes interest rates to 12 percent after ruble’s decline
Russia’s Central Bank on Tuesday raised the country’s key interest rate by 3.5 percentage points to 12 percent — a significant increase that was preceded by the ruble’s tumbling to its lowest point in 17 months.
The Russian currency has lost almost a quarter of its value against the U.S. dollar since President Vladimir Putin began an invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and it has decreased steadily against major world currencies in recent weeks. The country’s economy has been battered by Western sanctions, inflation and an acute labor shortage, caused in part by men fleeing abroad to avoid military conscription.
In a statement, following an emergency meeting, the central bank did not mention the drop in the value of the ruble. Instead, the bank attributed the interest-rate hike to “inflationary pressure” caused by “steady growth in domestic demand surpassing the capacity to expand output.”
Read the full story here.
Russia’s Central Bank on Tuesday raised the country’s key interest rate by 3.5 percentage points to 12 percent — a significant increase that was preceded by the ruble’s tumbling to its lowest point in 17 months.
The Russian currency has lost almost a quarter of its value against the U.S. dollar since President Vladimir Putin began an invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and it has decreased steadily against major world currencies in recent weeks. The country’s economy has been battered by Western sanctions, inflation and an acute labor shortage, caused in part by men fleeing abroad to avoid military conscription.
In a statement, following an emergency meeting, the central bank did not mention the drop in the value of the ruble. Instead, the bank attributed the interest-rate hike to “inflationary pressure” caused by “steady growth in domestic demand surpassing the capacity to expand output.”
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian ship carrying grain sails from Odessa, testing Russian threat
KYIV — Officials here said a first ship carrying Ukrainian agricultural cargo set sail Wednesday from the southern port of Odessa — despite threats by Russia to forcibly stop vessels in the Black Sea after Moscow unilaterally terminated a U.N.-sponsored agreement allowing safe passage of Ukrainian grain shipments.
Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said the container ship Joseph Schulte, flying a Hong Kong flag, left the port “and is proceeding through a temporary corridor established for civilian vessels” on its way to the Bosporus.
Kubrakov, posting on Facebook, said the ship was “carrying more than 30,000 tons of cargo, including food products” and had been in the Odessa port since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly 18 months ago.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — Officials here said a first ship carrying Ukrainian agricultural cargo set sail Wednesday from the southern port of Odessa — despite threats by Russia to forcibly stop vessels in the Black Sea after Moscow unilaterally terminated a U.N.-sponsored agreement allowing safe passage of Ukrainian grain shipments.
Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said the container ship Joseph Schulte, flying a Hong Kong flag, left the port “and is proceeding through a temporary corridor established for civilian vessels” on its way to the Bosporus.
Kubrakov, posting on Facebook, said the ship was “carrying more than 30,000 tons of cargo, including food products” and had been in the Odessa port since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly 18 months ago.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukraine’s infrastructure minister said Wednesday that a Hong Kong-flagged ship carrying food had successfully left Ukraine’s Odessa port — the first container since Russia withdrew from the grain deal to use a new “temporary” shipping corridor through the Black Sea.
- A NATO official on Wednesday apologized for saying that Ukraine should cede land to become a member of the military alliance and called his controversy-causing comments “a mistake,” Dutch media outlets reported.
- Russian forces carried out several “waves” of drone attacks in southern Ukraine overnight, destroying warehouses and granaries at the Danube River port of Reni that is part of the country’s grain infrastructure, the regional governor said.
- The European Union will redirect $147 million from programs planned for Russia and Belarus toward projects aimed at boosting ties between Ukraine and Moldova.
More live updates here.
- Ukraine’s infrastructure minister said Wednesday that a Hong Kong-flagged ship carrying food had successfully left Ukraine’s Odessa port — the first container since Russia withdrew from the grain deal to use a new “temporary” shipping corridor through the Black Sea.
- A NATO official on Wednesday apologized for saying that Ukraine should cede land to become a member of the military alliance and called his controversy-causing comments “a mistake,” Dutch media outlets reported.
- Russian forces carried out several “waves” of drone attacks in southern Ukraine overnight, destroying warehouses and granaries at the Danube River port of Reni that is part of the country’s grain infrastructure, the regional governor said.
- The European Union will redirect $147 million from programs planned for Russia and Belarus toward projects aimed at boosting ties between Ukraine and Moldova.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukrainian troops have recaptured the village of Urozhaine in the southeastern Donetsk region, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Wednesday, as the country continues a slow-moving counteroffensive against Russian forces.
- Ukraine does not expect to use F-16 advanced fighter jets this fall or winter, a spokesman for the Ukrainian air force, said on Wednesday.
- Russia launched eight missiles and 82 airstrikes against Ukraine in the past day, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. The casualties include children, the statement said.
- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone on Wednesday to Paul Whelan, an American jailed in Russia, CNN reported. Whelan, a Marine turned corporate security executive, was convicted of espionage and sentenced in 2020 in a trial he argued was politically motivated.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian troops have recaptured the village of Urozhaine in the southeastern Donetsk region, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Wednesday, as the country continues a slow-moving counteroffensive against Russian forces.
- Ukraine does not expect to use F-16 advanced fighter jets this fall or winter, a spokesman for the Ukrainian air force, said on Wednesday.
- Russia launched eight missiles and 82 airstrikes against Ukraine in the past day, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. The casualties include children, the statement said.
- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone on Wednesday to Paul Whelan, an American jailed in Russia, CNN reported. Whelan, a Marine turned corporate security executive, was convicted of espionage and sentenced in 2020 in a trial he argued was politically motivated.
More live updates here.
Exclusive: Inside the Russian effort to build 6,000 attack drones with Iran’s help
The engineers at a once-bustling industrial hub deep inside Russia were busy planning. The team had been secretly tasked with building a production line that would operate around-the-clock churning out self-detonating drones, weapons that President Vladimir Putin’s forces could use to bombard Ukrainian cities.
A retired official of Russia’s Federal Security Service was put in charge of security for the program. The passports of highly skilled employees were seized so they could not leave the country. In correspondence and other documents, engineers used coded language: Drones were “boats,” their explosives were “bumpers,” and Iran was “Ireland” or “Belarus.”
This was Russia’s billion-dollar weapons deal with Iran coming to life in November, 500 miles east of Moscow in the Tatarstan region. Its aim is to domestically build 6,000 drones by summer 2025.
Read the full story here.
The engineers at a once-bustling industrial hub deep inside Russia were busy planning. The team had been secretly tasked with building a production line that would operate around-the-clock churning out self-detonating drones, weapons that President Vladimir Putin’s forces could use to bombard Ukrainian cities.
A retired official of Russia’s Federal Security Service was put in charge of security for the program. The passports of highly skilled employees were seized so they could not leave the country. In correspondence and other documents, engineers used coded language: Drones were “boats,” their explosives were “bumpers,” and Iran was “Ireland” or “Belarus.”
This was Russia’s billion-dollar weapons deal with Iran coming to life in November, 500 miles east of Moscow in the Tatarstan region. Its aim is to domestically build 6,000 drones by summer 2025.
Read the full story here.
‘A jumble of tendons, bones and muscles’: Mine injuries haunt doctors in Ukraine
Bodies ripped to pieces. Arms and legs mangled beyond recognition.
The mental anguish of amputating limb after limb after limb is a grim reality of Ukraine’s counteroffensive for doctors working in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Heavily mined Russian defenses have slowed Ukraine’s attack to a bloody, painstaking crawl, and hard-won gains come at the cost of mine blast injuries more abundant than some medical professionals say they have seen in the war thus far. With Russian forces having dug in over months, any push to regain territory means traversing land dense with mines — even as civilians far from the front lines also grapple with a diffusion of mines and other explosives in previously contested areas across much of the country.
Read the full story here.
Bodies ripped to pieces. Arms and legs mangled beyond recognition.
The mental anguish of amputating limb after limb after limb is a grim reality of Ukraine’s counteroffensive for doctors working in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Heavily mined Russian defenses have slowed Ukraine’s attack to a bloody, painstaking crawl, and hard-won gains come at the cost of mine blast injuries more abundant than some medical professionals say they have seen in the war thus far. With Russian forces having dug in over months, any push to regain territory means traversing land dense with mines — even as civilians far from the front lines also grapple with a diffusion of mines and other explosives in previously contested areas across much of the country.
Read the full story here.
Zelensky extends martial law, casting doubt on fall parliamentary elections
KYIV — As Russian forces continued to bombard regions across Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday signed legislation extending martial law and a general military mobilization until mid-November. If martial law is not lifted, it would require postponing national parliamentary elections scheduled to take place this fall.
Under Ukrainian legislation, martial law must be prolonged every 90 days — a process put into motion on the first day of Russia’s invasion in February 2022. While in effect, political activity is curtailed and elections cannot be held.
The constitution stipulates that parliamentary elections should take place no later than Oct. 29 and presidential elections early next year. However, in an interview with The Post in May, Zelensky said, “If we have martial law, we cannot have elections. … If there is no martial law, then there will be [elections].”
Read the full story here.
KYIV — As Russian forces continued to bombard regions across Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday signed legislation extending martial law and a general military mobilization until mid-November. If martial law is not lifted, it would require postponing national parliamentary elections scheduled to take place this fall.
Under Ukrainian legislation, martial law must be prolonged every 90 days — a process put into motion on the first day of Russia’s invasion in February 2022. While in effect, political activity is curtailed and elections cannot be held.
The constitution stipulates that parliamentary elections should take place no later than Oct. 29 and presidential elections early next year. However, in an interview with The Post in May, Zelensky said, “If we have martial law, we cannot have elections. … If there is no martial law, then there will be [elections].”
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed legislation extending martial law and a general military mobilization until mid-November.
- Ukrainian officials said they do not expect to be able to deploy U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets before the end of the year.
- The State Department condemned what it called Moscow’s “continued attacks on Ukrainian grain infrastructure,” after reports of Russian drones targeting Ukrainian grain warehouses near Danube ports this week.
- Russia and Iran are working to expand the Kremlin’s drone program, according to leaked documents seen by The Post.
- NATO official Stian Jenssen apologized and withdrew his suggestion that Ukraine cede land to Russia to make peace and join the military alliance, Dutch media outlets reported.
- Two Russian Ka-52 helicopters shot down Thursday in Ukraine had “high-tech components from Western countries and Asian countries,” said Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed legislation extending martial law and a general military mobilization until mid-November.
- Ukrainian officials said they do not expect to be able to deploy U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets before the end of the year.
- The State Department condemned what it called Moscow’s “continued attacks on Ukrainian grain infrastructure,” after reports of Russian drones targeting Ukrainian grain warehouses near Danube ports this week.
- Russia and Iran are working to expand the Kremlin’s drone program, according to leaked documents seen by The Post.
- NATO official Stian Jenssen apologized and withdrew his suggestion that Ukraine cede land to Russia to make peace and join the military alliance, Dutch media outlets reported.
- Two Russian Ka-52 helicopters shot down Thursday in Ukraine had “high-tech components from Western countries and Asian countries,” said Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukraine’s forces, which are pushing toward Melitopol from the town of Robotyne more than 50 miles away, will remain several miles outside the city, U.S. officials predicted. If they fail to eject Russian troops from Melitopol, it will mean Ukraine will fail to achieve one of its key goals in the ongoing counteroffensive: to sever the land bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow seized from Kyiv in 2014.
- In Moscow, officials reported early Friday that a drone was shot down. Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of “launching a terrorist attack.” There were no casualties or fires resulting from the interception, the ministry said.
- Germany unveiled a new security assistance package to Ukraine. Berlin will send Kyiv two IRIS-T SLS air defense systems, 10 ground surveillance radars and several thousand rounds of smoke ammunition, according to an updated list of Germany’s military aid to Ukraine.
More live updates here.
- Ukraine’s forces, which are pushing toward Melitopol from the town of Robotyne more than 50 miles away, will remain several miles outside the city, U.S. officials predicted. If they fail to eject Russian troops from Melitopol, it will mean Ukraine will fail to achieve one of its key goals in the ongoing counteroffensive: to sever the land bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow seized from Kyiv in 2014.
- In Moscow, officials reported early Friday that a drone was shot down. Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of “launching a terrorist attack.” There were no casualties or fires resulting from the interception, the ministry said.
- Germany unveiled a new security assistance package to Ukraine. Berlin will send Kyiv two IRIS-T SLS air defense systems, 10 ground surveillance radars and several thousand rounds of smoke ammunition, according to an updated list of Germany’s military aid to Ukraine.
More live updates here.
U.S. intelligence says Ukraine will fail to meet offensive’s key goal
The U.S. intelligence community assesses that Ukraine’s counteroffensive will fail to reach the key southeastern city of Melitopol, people familiar with the classified forecast told The Washington Post, a finding that, should it prove correct, would mean Kyiv won’t fulfill its principal objective of severing Russia’s land bridge to Crimea in this year’s push.
The grim assessment is based on Russia’s brutal proficiency in defending occupied territory through a phalanx of minefields and trenches, and is likely to prompt finger pointing inside Kyiv and Western capitals about why a counteroffensive that saw tens of billions of dollars of Western weapons and military equipment fell short of its goals.
Read the full story here.
The U.S. intelligence community assesses that Ukraine’s counteroffensive will fail to reach the key southeastern city of Melitopol, people familiar with the classified forecast told The Washington Post, a finding that, should it prove correct, would mean Kyiv won’t fulfill its principal objective of severing Russia’s land bridge to Crimea in this year’s push.
The grim assessment is based on Russia’s brutal proficiency in defending occupied territory through a phalanx of minefields and trenches, and is likely to prompt finger pointing inside Kyiv and Western capitals about why a counteroffensive that saw tens of billions of dollars of Western weapons and military equipment fell short of its goals.
Read the full story here.