As morale suffers, Russia and Ukraine fight a war of mental attrition
KHERSON REGION, Ukraine — A few months ago, as Ukraine’s military was still struggling to break through Russia’s defenses in the southern Kherson region, members of the 60th Infantry Brigade managed to snatch one of the Russians’ Motorola radios and listen in on their enemy’s conversations.
They chuckled at the call signs the Russians picked for themselves — one even went by “Maidan,” a reference to Kyiv’s central square, the Ukrainian troops said. But they also marveled at the constant griping they heard.
One time, a Russian soldier said he hadn’t been fed at all that day. On Aug. 24, exactly six months after Russia launched its attack on Ukraine, one Russian told another over the radio that it was the anniversary of when they “were all fooled,” the Ukrainians said.
Read the full story here.
KHERSON REGION, Ukraine — A few months ago, as Ukraine’s military was still struggling to break through Russia’s defenses in the southern Kherson region, members of the 60th Infantry Brigade managed to snatch one of the Russians’ Motorola radios and listen in on their enemy’s conversations.
They chuckled at the call signs the Russians picked for themselves — one even went by “Maidan,” a reference to Kyiv’s central square, the Ukrainian troops said. But they also marveled at the constant griping they heard.
One time, a Russian soldier said he hadn’t been fed at all that day. On Aug. 24, exactly six months after Russia launched its attack on Ukraine, one Russian told another over the radio that it was the anniversary of when they “were all fooled,” the Ukrainians said.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- NATO defense ministers , met for a second day Thursday. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg vowed that the alliance would “stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to build a new gas pipeline in Turkey.
- Rafael Mariano Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said he would return to Kyiv after his meetings in Russia to work on creating a “protection zone” around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
- On the battlefield, both Ukrainian and Russian troops are showing mental and physical fatigue as the war lurches on and morale drops. Few have had a break as the conflict morphs into a war of attrition.
- The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to condemn Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory, adopting a U.S.-sponsored nonbinding resolution. It demands that Moscow give up claims to the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine.
More live updates here.
- NATO defense ministers , met for a second day Thursday. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg vowed that the alliance would “stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to build a new gas pipeline in Turkey.
- Rafael Mariano Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said he would return to Kyiv after his meetings in Russia to work on creating a “protection zone” around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
- On the battlefield, both Ukrainian and Russian troops are showing mental and physical fatigue as the war lurches on and morale drops. Few have had a break as the conflict morphs into a war of attrition.
- The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to condemn Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory, adopting a U.S.-sponsored nonbinding resolution. It demands that Moscow give up claims to the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine.
More live updates here.
Heres’s the latest from Ukraine.
- Over the past month, Ukraine has retaken more than 600 settlements from Russian control, Kyiv officials said Thursday. Among the liberated areas are dozens of settlements in the regions of Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk, all of which Russia recently attempted to illegally annex.
- Outraged over Russia’s recent strikes on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, NATO countries and other nations are vowing to boost support for Ukrainian forces, focusing in particular on the advanced air defense systems.
- Russia said Thursday it will assist residents fleeing the Kherson region of Ukraine, following a local official’s appeal to Moscow to help evacuate four cities as the fighting has intensified.
- Kremlin-aligned forces have made “tactical advances” toward the center of Bakhmut, a town in the Donetsk region that Moscow appears intent on seizing before trying to advance toward larger cities in the region, the British Defense Ministry said Friday.
More live updates here.
- Over the past month, Ukraine has retaken more than 600 settlements from Russian control, Kyiv officials said Thursday. Among the liberated areas are dozens of settlements in the regions of Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk, all of which Russia recently attempted to illegally annex.
- Outraged over Russia’s recent strikes on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, NATO countries and other nations are vowing to boost support for Ukrainian forces, focusing in particular on the advanced air defense systems.
- Russia said Thursday it will assist residents fleeing the Kherson region of Ukraine, following a local official’s appeal to Moscow to help evacuate four cities as the fighting has intensified.
- Kremlin-aligned forces have made “tactical advances” toward the center of Bakhmut, a town in the Donetsk region that Moscow appears intent on seizing before trying to advance toward larger cities in the region, the British Defense Ministry said Friday.
More live updates here.
Ukraine wants more air defense. Here’s how it works.
Russia’s deadly missile strikes across Ukraine this week have renewed calls for the United States and its partners to provide the government in Kyiv with advanced air defense systems capable of downing incoming fire.
The carnage — stretching from Lviv in the west to the eastern city of Kharkiv — could have been much worse. Ukraine’s military intercepted about half of the 84 missiles and 24 armed drones fired by Russia on Monday and Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. Additional strikes were reported Wednesday.
“When Ukraine receives a sufficient quantity of modern and effective air defense systems, the key element of Russia’s terror — rocket strikes — will cease to work,” Zelensky told Group of Seven leaders this week.
Read the full story here.
Russia’s deadly missile strikes across Ukraine this week have renewed calls for the United States and its partners to provide the government in Kyiv with advanced air defense systems capable of downing incoming fire.
The carnage — stretching from Lviv in the west to the eastern city of Kharkiv — could have been much worse. Ukraine’s military intercepted about half of the 84 missiles and 24 armed drones fired by Russia on Monday and Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. Additional strikes were reported Wednesday.
“When Ukraine receives a sufficient quantity of modern and effective air defense systems, the key element of Russia’s terror — rocket strikes — will cease to work,” Zelensky told Group of Seven leaders this week.
Read the full story here.
Russia’s airstrikes, intended to show force, reveal another weakness
On Monday, Russia fired 84 missiles, many at Ukrainian civilian infrastructure targets, causing power outages in many cities. On Tuesday, Russia launched another 28 cruise missiles. And on Thursday, the Ukrainian Armed Forced General Staff said Russia had hit more than 40 settlements since the day before. In all, more than three dozen people were killed.
But no matter how many times Russia fires at Ukraine, pro-war Russian nationalists want more, even though targeting civilian infrastructure is potentially a war crime.
“It has to be done constantly, not just once but for two to five weeks to totally disable all their infrastructure, all thermal power stations, all heating and power stations, all power plants, all traction substations, all power lines, all railway hubs,” said Bogdan Bezpalko, a member of the Kremlin’s Council on Interethnic Relations.
Read the full story here.
On Monday, Russia fired 84 missiles, many at Ukrainian civilian infrastructure targets, causing power outages in many cities. On Tuesday, Russia launched another 28 cruise missiles. And on Thursday, the Ukrainian Armed Forced General Staff said Russia had hit more than 40 settlements since the day before. In all, more than three dozen people were killed.
But no matter how many times Russia fires at Ukraine, pro-war Russian nationalists want more, even though targeting civilian infrastructure is potentially a war crime.
“It has to be done constantly, not just once but for two to five weeks to totally disable all their infrastructure, all thermal power stations, all heating and power stations, all power plants, all traction substations, all power lines, all railway hubs,” said Bogdan Bezpalko, a member of the Kremlin’s Council on Interethnic Relations.
Read the full story here.
Musk threatens to stop funding Starlink internet Ukraine relies on in war
KYIV, Ukraine — Elon Musk said Friday that his space company could not keep funding the Starlink satellite service that has kept Ukraine and its military online during the war, and he suggested he was pulling free internet after a Ukrainian ambassador insulted him on Twitter.
A Starlink cutoff would cripple the Ukrainian military’s main mode of communication and potentially hamstring its defenses by giving a major advantage to Russia, which has sought to jam signals and phone service in the eastern and southern combat zones.
The world’s richest man by Bloomberg estimates, Musk tweeted from the United States that his company, SpaceX, does not want reimbursement for its past expenses in helping Ukraine. But, he tweeted, it “also cannot fund the existing system indefinitely and send several thousand more terminals that have data usage up to 100X greater than typical households. This is unreasonable.”
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — Elon Musk said Friday that his space company could not keep funding the Starlink satellite service that has kept Ukraine and its military online during the war, and he suggested he was pulling free internet after a Ukrainian ambassador insulted him on Twitter.
A Starlink cutoff would cripple the Ukrainian military’s main mode of communication and potentially hamstring its defenses by giving a major advantage to Russia, which has sought to jam signals and phone service in the eastern and southern combat zones.
The world’s richest man by Bloomberg estimates, Musk tweeted from the United States that his company, SpaceX, does not want reimbursement for its past expenses in helping Ukraine. But, he tweeted, it “also cannot fund the existing system indefinitely and send several thousand more terminals that have data usage up to 100X greater than typical households. This is unreasonable.”
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Elon Musk’s SpaceX told the Pentagon it cannot continue to fund the Starlink terminals that have helped keep Ukraine online during the invasion.
- A senior Ukrainian official demanded that the ICRC visit Olenivka prison within three days.
- The Red Cross said it shares “frustration” over the lack of access to prisoners of war in Olenivka.
- Friday marks Defender’s Day in Ukraine. Zelensky issued a statement marking the day that celebrates fighters and expressed his “gratitude to everyone who fought for Ukraine in the past and to everyone who is fighting for it now.”
- Russia has lost more than 6,000 pieces of equipment since the beginning of the war and is unable to quickly replace munitions, in part because of Western sanctions, according to the U.S. intelligence community.
More live updates here.
- Elon Musk’s SpaceX told the Pentagon it cannot continue to fund the Starlink terminals that have helped keep Ukraine online during the invasion.
- A senior Ukrainian official demanded that the ICRC visit Olenivka prison within three days.
- The Red Cross said it shares “frustration” over the lack of access to prisoners of war in Olenivka.
- Friday marks Defender’s Day in Ukraine. Zelensky issued a statement marking the day that celebrates fighters and expressed his “gratitude to everyone who fought for Ukraine in the past and to everyone who is fighting for it now.”
- Russia has lost more than 6,000 pieces of equipment since the beginning of the war and is unable to quickly replace munitions, in part because of Western sanctions, according to the U.S. intelligence community.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
Air raid sirens rang across much of Ukraine early Saturday, hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that a days-long barrage of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine was over, saying at a Friday news conference that there was “no need for massive strikes, at least now” after his military hit most of its targets.
Putin defended his decision to invade Ukraine, but also appeared to acknowledge growing discontent with the war at home. He assured Russians that his unpopular partial mobilization of military reservists, which has prompted tens of thousands of men to flee the country, would end in two weeks. The remarks came as U.S. intelligence said Russia has lost more than 6,000 pieces of equipment since the beginning of the war and is struggling to replace munitions, in part because of Western sanctions.
Read more here.
Air raid sirens rang across much of Ukraine early Saturday, hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that a days-long barrage of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine was over, saying at a Friday news conference that there was “no need for massive strikes, at least now” after his military hit most of its targets.
Putin defended his decision to invade Ukraine, but also appeared to acknowledge growing discontent with the war at home. He assured Russians that his unpopular partial mobilization of military reservists, which has prompted tens of thousands of men to flee the country, would end in two weeks. The remarks came as U.S. intelligence said Russia has lost more than 6,000 pieces of equipment since the beginning of the war and is struggling to replace munitions, in part because of Western sanctions.
Read more here.
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The scale of Russian attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure, visualized
Ukrainian officials are urging people across the country to conserve energy and warning of a difficult winter after Russia pummeled critical infrastructure. This week, dozens of Russian missiles and Iranian-made kamikaze drones struck power plants and substations, cutting electricity, heat and hot water in many cities and forcing factories in some areas to temporarily close.
The Washington Post identified eight energy facilities across six regions that were damaged or destroyed on Monday and Tuesday, using pictures and videos shared on social media along with satellite imagery and fire tracking data. They provide a sense of the scale of Russia’s attack, and the impact on major cities from Lviv in the west, to Kryvyi Rhi in the east.
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian officials are urging people across the country to conserve energy and warning of a difficult winter after Russia pummeled critical infrastructure. This week, dozens of Russian missiles and Iranian-made kamikaze drones struck power plants and substations, cutting electricity, heat and hot water in many cities and forcing factories in some areas to temporarily close.
The Washington Post identified eight energy facilities across six regions that were damaged or destroyed on Monday and Tuesday, using pictures and videos shared on social media along with satellite imagery and fire tracking data. They provide a sense of the scale of Russia’s attack, and the impact on major cities from Lviv in the west, to Kryvyi Rhi in the east.
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian Nobel laureate demands new approach for wartime justice
KYIV — Ukraine and its global supporters must radically rethink how to secure justice for thousands of victims of Russian war crimes, a co-winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize said, by expanding the International Criminal Court and overhauling the lumbering, cumbersome system that has often failed to bring accountability after conflicts in Yugoslavia, Africa and the Middle East.
The new Nobel laureate, Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Ukrainian human rights lawyer whose Center for Civil Liberties (CCL) was among a trio of rights defenders awarded the Peace Prize last week, said in an interview with The Washington Post that it is no longer acceptable that only a tiny share of wartime crimes are adjudicated while thousands, or even millions, go unaddressed by the global justice system.
“We have to change our vision,” Matviichuk said in the interview, her first since the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s announcement last week.
Read the full story here.
KYIV — Ukraine and its global supporters must radically rethink how to secure justice for thousands of victims of Russian war crimes, a co-winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize said, by expanding the International Criminal Court and overhauling the lumbering, cumbersome system that has often failed to bring accountability after conflicts in Yugoslavia, Africa and the Middle East.
The new Nobel laureate, Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Ukrainian human rights lawyer whose Center for Civil Liberties (CCL) was among a trio of rights defenders awarded the Peace Prize last week, said in an interview with The Washington Post that it is no longer acceptable that only a tiny share of wartime crimes are adjudicated while thousands, or even millions, go unaddressed by the global justice system.
“We have to change our vision,” Matviichuk said in the interview, her first since the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s announcement last week.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine
Two people opened fire at a Russian military training ground near the Ukrainian border on Saturday, killing 11 and injuring 15, state media reported, in a sign of growing tensions among Moscow’s forces. The governor of the Belgorod region said early Sunday that no civilians were killed in the attack, but “many soldiers were killed and wounded,” describing it as a “terrorist act.”
Meanwhile, billionaire Elon Musk appears to have backpedaled — a day after threatening to cut funding to a satellite internet service that has provided vital communications for Ukraine’s military as it attempts to claw back Russian-held territory — suggesting that he would continue to fund the Starlink service. Musk’s company, SpaceX, has been in talks with the Pentagon about future financing.
Read the full story here.
Two people opened fire at a Russian military training ground near the Ukrainian border on Saturday, killing 11 and injuring 15, state media reported, in a sign of growing tensions among Moscow’s forces. The governor of the Belgorod region said early Sunday that no civilians were killed in the attack, but “many soldiers were killed and wounded,” describing it as a “terrorist act.”
Meanwhile, billionaire Elon Musk appears to have backpedaled — a day after threatening to cut funding to a satellite internet service that has provided vital communications for Ukraine’s military as it attempts to claw back Russian-held territory — suggesting that he would continue to fund the Starlink service. Musk’s company, SpaceX, has been in talks with the Pentagon about future financing.
Read the full story here.
Russia is grabbing men off the street to fight in Ukraine
Police and military officers swooped down on a Moscow business center this week unannounced. They were looking for men to fight in Ukraine — and they seized nearly every one they saw. Some musicians, rehearsing. A courier there to deliver a parcel. A man from a Moscow service agency, very drunk, in his mid-50s, with a walking disability.
“I have no idea why they took him,” said Alexei, who, like dozens of others in the office complex, was rounded up and taken to the nearest military enlistment office, part of a harsh new phase in the Russian drive.
In cities and towns across Russia, men of fighting age are going into hiding to avoid the officials who are seizing them and sending them to fight in Ukraine.
Police and military press-gangs in recent days have snatched men off the streets and outside Metro stations. They’ve lurked in apartment building lobbies to hand out military summonses. They’ve raided office blocks.
Read the full story here.
Police and military officers swooped down on a Moscow business center this week unannounced. They were looking for men to fight in Ukraine — and they seized nearly every one they saw. Some musicians, rehearsing. A courier there to deliver a parcel. A man from a Moscow service agency, very drunk, in his mid-50s, with a walking disability.
“I have no idea why they took him,” said Alexei, who, like dozens of others in the office complex, was rounded up and taken to the nearest military enlistment office, part of a harsh new phase in the Russian drive.
In cities and towns across Russia, men of fighting age are going into hiding to avoid the officials who are seizing them and sending them to fight in Ukraine.
Police and military press-gangs in recent days have snatched men off the streets and outside Metro stations. They’ve lurked in apartment building lobbies to hand out military summonses. They’ve raided office blocks.
Read the full story here.
Iran plans to send missiles, drones to Russia for Ukraine war, officials say
Iran is strengthening its commitment to supply arms for Russia’s assault on Ukraine, according to U.S. and allied security officials, secretly agreeing to send not only attack drones but also what some officials described as the first Iranian-made surface-to-surface missiles intended for use against Ukrainian cities and troop positions.
The increased flow of weapons from Tehran could help offset what Biden administration officials say have been huge losses in Russian military equipment since Moscow invaded in February, and a rapidly dwindling supply of precision-guided munitions of the kind used in last week’s strikes against multiple Ukrainian cities.
Independent news outlets in recent days published photos of the remains of what appear to be Iranian-made drones used in strikes against Ukrainian targets, calling into question Iran’s repeated denials that it has supplied such weapons to its ally Russia.
Read the full story here.
Iran is strengthening its commitment to supply arms for Russia’s assault on Ukraine, according to U.S. and allied security officials, secretly agreeing to send not only attack drones but also what some officials described as the first Iranian-made surface-to-surface missiles intended for use against Ukrainian cities and troop positions.
The increased flow of weapons from Tehran could help offset what Biden administration officials say have been huge losses in Russian military equipment since Moscow invaded in February, and a rapidly dwindling supply of precision-guided munitions of the kind used in last week’s strikes against multiple Ukrainian cities.
Independent news outlets in recent days published photos of the remains of what appear to be Iranian-made drones used in strikes against Ukrainian targets, calling into question Iran’s repeated denials that it has supplied such weapons to its ally Russia.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- Kyiv’s mayor reported explosions Monday morning in the central part of the capital. Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential office of Ukraine, said kamikaze drones were attacking the city and repeated his appeals for air defense systems.
- On Sunday, President Zelensky urged Ukrainians to conserve electricity after blackouts were reported in some regions that Russia has shelled. Kremlin-backed forces control Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine’s occupied east.
- The E.U. Foreign Affairs Council is scheduled to meet Monday and discuss “Russian aggression against Ukraine.” The European Union should lead a tribunal to investigate alleged Russian war crimes, the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania said in a statement.
More live updates here.
- Kyiv’s mayor reported explosions Monday morning in the central part of the capital. Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential office of Ukraine, said kamikaze drones were attacking the city and repeated his appeals for air defense systems.
- On Sunday, President Zelensky urged Ukrainians to conserve electricity after blackouts were reported in some regions that Russia has shelled. Kremlin-backed forces control Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine’s occupied east.
- The E.U. Foreign Affairs Council is scheduled to meet Monday and discuss “Russian aggression against Ukraine.” The European Union should lead a tribunal to investigate alleged Russian war crimes, the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania said in a statement.
More live updates here.
Russia strikes Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, with kamikaze drones
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian kamikaze drones struck central Kyiv on Monday morning, appearing to target a downtown power station — continuing a trend of striking Ukrainian critical infrastructure.
After Kyiv went months without any strikes in the area, this is the second week in a row that the capital has been rocked with explosions. Last Monday, missiles landed near a downtown park, at a children’s playground and at an office building near a thermal station.
Exactly a week later, the first explosions started at 6:45 a.m. People could hear the loud buzzing sound of the Iranian-made Shahed drones — what Ukrainians have coined a “flying moped” — that Russia has been using. The second wave came about 90 minutes later.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the central Shevchenkivskyi district — the same location of last week’s major barrage of attacks — was struck, sharing a photo of a fragment of a drone on Telegram.
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian kamikaze drones struck central Kyiv on Monday morning, appearing to target a downtown power station — continuing a trend of striking Ukrainian critical infrastructure.
After Kyiv went months without any strikes in the area, this is the second week in a row that the capital has been rocked with explosions. Last Monday, missiles landed near a downtown park, at a children’s playground and at an office building near a thermal station.
Exactly a week later, the first explosions started at 6:45 a.m. People could hear the loud buzzing sound of the Iranian-made Shahed drones — what Ukrainians have coined a “flying moped” — that Russia has been using. The second wave came about 90 minutes later.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the central Shevchenkivskyi district — the same location of last week’s major barrage of attacks — was struck, sharing a photo of a fragment of a drone on Telegram.
Read the full story here.
What are kamikaze drones? Here’s how Russia and Ukraine are using them.
Russia struck deep into Ukraine by hitting the capital, Kyiv, with kamikaze drones — small airborne devices that can hit a target at a distance and are nimble enough to avoid many air defenses.
Here’s what we know about the deadly aircraft and their role in the war.
Russia struck deep into Ukraine by hitting the capital, Kyiv, with kamikaze drones — small airborne devices that can hit a target at a distance and are nimble enough to avoid many air defenses.
Here’s what we know about the deadly aircraft and their role in the war.
Russia’s escalation won’t turn tide of the war, experts say
LONDON — Russia’s efforts to counter Ukrainian advances by pounding Kyiv and other cities with missiles and mobilizing hundreds of thousands of reservists represent a significant escalation in the seven-month-old war but are unlikely to shift the dynamics of a conflict now clearly tilting in favor of Ukraine, Western intelligence assessments and military experts say.
The missile strikes alone have little strategic value, although they are inflicting widespread human misery and have disrupted lives in cities that have been relatively untouched by the fighting, the assessments say.
Since the onslaught began on Monday, more than three dozen people have been killed and scores more wounded. Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure appears to be the main target, meaning that some residential areas have been plunged into darkness, leaving civilians confronting the possibility of facing winter without power.
Read the full story here.
LONDON — Russia’s efforts to counter Ukrainian advances by pounding Kyiv and other cities with missiles and mobilizing hundreds of thousands of reservists represent a significant escalation in the seven-month-old war but are unlikely to shift the dynamics of a conflict now clearly tilting in favor of Ukraine, Western intelligence assessments and military experts say.
The missile strikes alone have little strategic value, although they are inflicting widespread human misery and have disrupted lives in cities that have been relatively untouched by the fighting, the assessments say.
Since the onslaught began on Monday, more than three dozen people have been killed and scores more wounded. Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure appears to be the main target, meaning that some residential areas have been plunged into darkness, leaving civilians confronting the possibility of facing winter without power.
Read the full story here.