Using conscripts and prison inmates, Russia doubles its forces in Ukraine
RIGA, Latvia — Despite heavy combat losses over ten months of brutal war, Russia now has more than double the number of troops poised to fight in Ukraine as it did when it invaded in February, including thousands of convicts released from prison and conscripts from a controversial mobilization drive this fall.
According to a new U.S. assessment, the Wagner mercenary group, which fights alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine, in recent months recruited 40,000 prisoners from all over the country into its ranks. Together, with 300,000 new conscripts and 20,000 volunteers, Russia’s force is now more than double the 150,000 initially allocated to what President Vladimir Putin termed a “special military operation.”
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RIGA, Latvia — Despite heavy combat losses over ten months of brutal war, Russia now has more than double the number of troops poised to fight in Ukraine as it did when it invaded in February, including thousands of convicts released from prison and conscripts from a controversial mobilization drive this fall.
According to a new U.S. assessment, the Wagner mercenary group, which fights alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine, in recent months recruited 40,000 prisoners from all over the country into its ranks. Together, with 300,000 new conscripts and 20,000 volunteers, Russia’s force is now more than double the 150,000 initially allocated to what President Vladimir Putin termed a “special military operation.”
Read the full story here.
As Russia bombs Ukraine’s infrastructure, its own services crumble
As Russia has launched relentless strikes on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, leaving millions without electricity, water and heat, towns across Russia have been beset by their own, utility-related disasters.
A huge gas pipeline explosion outside St. Petersburg last month, major fires in two separate Moscow shopping malls allegedly caused by dodgy welding, and faulty power grids that have left tens of thousands without heat and electricity are just some of the incidents reported since Russia’s efforts to obliterate Ukraine’s infrastructure that began in October.
In late October, two sewer pipes burst in the southern city of Volgograd, flooding several streets with feces and waste water, and leaving 200,000 of the 1 million residents without water or heating for several days.
Read the full story here.
As Russia has launched relentless strikes on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, leaving millions without electricity, water and heat, towns across Russia have been beset by their own, utility-related disasters.
A huge gas pipeline explosion outside St. Petersburg last month, major fires in two separate Moscow shopping malls allegedly caused by dodgy welding, and faulty power grids that have left tens of thousands without heat and electricity are just some of the incidents reported since Russia’s efforts to obliterate Ukraine’s infrastructure that began in October.
In late October, two sewer pipes burst in the southern city of Volgograd, flooding several streets with feces and waste water, and leaving 200,000 of the 1 million residents without water or heating for several days.
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian politician who idolizes Reagan tries to win over today’s Republicans
KYIV, Ukraine — The seven-foot-tall bronze statue of Ronald Reagan bursting through the Berlin Wall was supposed to be here by now, standing in one of the Ukrainian capital’s prominent public squares.
The monument was the brainchild of Maryan Zablotskyy, who grew up venerating Reagan in Lviv in western Ukraine — as many did in the post-Soviet years. Zablotskyy founded the Ayn Rand Center Ukraine to promote the libertarian author and covered his office walls with posters of Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill, with their quotes translated into Ukrainian.
Now a member of his country’s parliament, Zablotskyy, 37, faces the prospect that the party of his favorite politician could turn against Ukraine in its moment of greatest need — under invasion and relentless bombing by Russia, with about one-fifth of its land occupied and its economy in tatters.
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — The seven-foot-tall bronze statue of Ronald Reagan bursting through the Berlin Wall was supposed to be here by now, standing in one of the Ukrainian capital’s prominent public squares.
The monument was the brainchild of Maryan Zablotskyy, who grew up venerating Reagan in Lviv in western Ukraine — as many did in the post-Soviet years. Zablotskyy founded the Ayn Rand Center Ukraine to promote the libertarian author and covered his office walls with posters of Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill, with their quotes translated into Ukrainian.
Now a member of his country’s parliament, Zablotskyy, 37, faces the prospect that the party of his favorite politician could turn against Ukraine in its moment of greatest need — under invasion and relentless bombing by Russia, with about one-fifth of its land occupied and its economy in tatters.
Read the full story here.
For Ukraine, Hungary’s Orban is another problematic strongman next door
MUKACHEVO, Ukraine — An authoritarian leader, known for suppressing political opposition and using his national press as his own mouthpiece, insists that Ukrainians who speak his language need protection and financial assistance, and he allows his government to issue passports, illegally, to Ukrainian citizens.
Residents of border towns get their news from foreign TV, feel no closer to Kyiv than they do to the neighboring national capital, and seethe over monuments to their heritage being taken down by Ukrainian authorities. Sounds like Russian influence in east Ukraine? In fact, it is Hungary’s role in Ukraine’s west.
Tensions between Ukraine and Hungary, which share an 85-mile border, are hardly of the magnitude of Ukraine’s conflict with Russia, now in its 10th month of deadly, destructive war.
Read the full story here.
MUKACHEVO, Ukraine — An authoritarian leader, known for suppressing political opposition and using his national press as his own mouthpiece, insists that Ukrainians who speak his language need protection and financial assistance, and he allows his government to issue passports, illegally, to Ukrainian citizens.
Residents of border towns get their news from foreign TV, feel no closer to Kyiv than they do to the neighboring national capital, and seethe over monuments to their heritage being taken down by Ukrainian authorities. Sounds like Russian influence in east Ukraine? In fact, it is Hungary’s role in Ukraine’s west.
Tensions between Ukraine and Hungary, which share an 85-mile border, are hardly of the magnitude of Ukraine’s conflict with Russia, now in its 10th month of deadly, destructive war.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- A Ukrainian drone was shot down near Engels airfield, more than 370 miles east of the border with Ukraine, killing three Russian servicemen, according to Moscow.
- About 9 million Ukrainians were without power across the country as of Monday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address.
- Russia has continued to launch small scale attacks around Bakhmut in Donetsk and Svatove in Luhansk, but they have not made significant territorial gains, the U.K. Ministry of Defense reports.
- A Russian attack on the city of Kherson on Christmas Eve left at least 11 dead and 64 injured in Kherson, according the region’s governor.
Follow our live updates here.
- A Ukrainian drone was shot down near Engels airfield, more than 370 miles east of the border with Ukraine, killing three Russian servicemen, according to Moscow.
- About 9 million Ukrainians were without power across the country as of Monday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address.
- Russia has continued to launch small scale attacks around Bakhmut in Donetsk and Svatove in Luhansk, but they have not made significant territorial gains, the U.K. Ministry of Defense reports.
- A Russian attack on the city of Kherson on Christmas Eve left at least 11 dead and 64 injured in Kherson, according the region’s governor.
Follow our live updates here.
From a bunker, an acting mayor keeps her front-line Ukraine town alive
ORIKHIV, Ukraine — It was the only time of day when the Russians weren’t shelling, so the people of Orikhiv rushed toward city hall, looking for the woman in charge.
They found the acting mayor, Svitlana Mandrych, where she always is, in the building’s basement, running what is left of her town from a cramped bunker.
Much like the rest of Orikhiv, the city hall’s battered walls looked as if they were falling apart.
Its second floor was blown out; the windows and doors were all shattered or badly damaged. The building has been hit by artillery fire so incessantly that 51-year-old Mandrych was forced to move her office to a cold, concrete-walled room underground, lit by a single lightbulb.
Read the full story here.
ORIKHIV, Ukraine — It was the only time of day when the Russians weren’t shelling, so the people of Orikhiv rushed toward city hall, looking for the woman in charge.
They found the acting mayor, Svitlana Mandrych, where she always is, in the building’s basement, running what is left of her town from a cramped bunker.
Much like the rest of Orikhiv, the city hall’s battered walls looked as if they were falling apart.
Its second floor was blown out; the windows and doors were all shattered or badly damaged. The building has been hit by artillery fire so incessantly that 51-year-old Mandrych was forced to move her office to a cold, concrete-walled room underground, lit by a single lightbulb.
Read the full story here.
Ukranian drone downed near Russian base, Moscow says, as Kyiv flexes reach
The Russian military claimed Monday to have shot down a Ukrainian drone approaching the Engles airfield deep inside Russian territory — in what would be the second such attack in a month, raising questions about the vulnerabilities of Russia’s air defenses.
“A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down at low altitude while approaching the Engels military airfield in the Saratov region,” and three Russian servicemen were killed by the falling wreckage, Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Engels is located more than 370 miles east of the border with Ukraine and is home to Tu-95 and Tu-160 nuclear-capable strategic bombers.
Usually, these are held in reserve to ensure Russia’s nuclear deterrence capabilities. No aircraft were damaged in Monday’s attack, according to the Russian military. The Washington Post could not independently verify Moscow’s claims.
Read the full story here.
The Russian military claimed Monday to have shot down a Ukrainian drone approaching the Engles airfield deep inside Russian territory — in what would be the second such attack in a month, raising questions about the vulnerabilities of Russia’s air defenses.
“A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down at low altitude while approaching the Engels military airfield in the Saratov region,” and three Russian servicemen were killed by the falling wreckage, Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Engels is located more than 370 miles east of the border with Ukraine and is home to Tu-95 and Tu-160 nuclear-capable strategic bombers.
Usually, these are held in reserve to ensure Russia’s nuclear deterrence capabilities. No aircraft were damaged in Monday’s attack, according to the Russian military. The Washington Post could not independently verify Moscow’s claims.
Read the full story here.
Captured Russian tanks and equipment are coveted trophies — and a headache
KHARKIV REGION, Ukraine — When Ukrainian forces came across the abandoned Russian fighting vehicle on the battlefield, they knew they had found a rare prize.
The BMP-3, armed with a 100mm machine gun and a 30mm cannon, was one of the few of its kind that the Ukrainian military had seized from the Russians since the start of the invasion. But about a month ago, after weeks of being operated by Ukrainian soldiers, its engine compartment and fueling system began to fail.
Ever since, the Russian fighting vehicle has been out of commission, stuck at a repair site in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region.
Ukrainian forces have seized hundreds of what they call “trophies” — Russian tanks, armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles — since the start of the war. They’ve become valuable assets for Kyiv.
Read the full story here.
KHARKIV REGION, Ukraine — When Ukrainian forces came across the abandoned Russian fighting vehicle on the battlefield, they knew they had found a rare prize.
The BMP-3, armed with a 100mm machine gun and a 30mm cannon, was one of the few of its kind that the Ukrainian military had seized from the Russians since the start of the invasion. But about a month ago, after weeks of being operated by Ukrainian soldiers, its engine compartment and fueling system began to fail.
Ever since, the Russian fighting vehicle has been out of commission, stuck at a repair site in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region.
Ukrainian forces have seized hundreds of what they call “trophies” — Russian tanks, armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles — since the start of the war. They’ve become valuable assets for Kyiv.
Read the full story here.
Front-line video makes Ukrainian combat some of history’s most watched
User-generated content has been essential to coverage of the war in Ukraine since it began in February. Soldiers, civilians, aid workers and other witnesses have posted footage of fighting and destruction in real time, making this war one of history’s most visually documented.
“With such prevalent access to the internet, it means that soldiers can upload things to show people the experiences they’re having right now,” said Matthew Moss, a weapons historian who uses open-source material — data posted publicly on social media and other digital platforms — to track modern warfare.
Widespread access to cellphones and the internet means virtually anyone can find an unvarnished look at the war from the point of view of residents and fighters.
Read the full story here.
User-generated content has been essential to coverage of the war in Ukraine since it began in February. Soldiers, civilians, aid workers and other witnesses have posted footage of fighting and destruction in real time, making this war one of history’s most visually documented.
“With such prevalent access to the internet, it means that soldiers can upload things to show people the experiences they’re having right now,” said Matthew Moss, a weapons historian who uses open-source material — data posted publicly on social media and other digital platforms — to track modern warfare.
Widespread access to cellphones and the internet means virtually anyone can find an unvarnished look at the war from the point of view of residents and fighters.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- Ukraine is seeking a United Nations-backed peace summit to end the war with Russia, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in an interview with the Associated Press.
- Another Russian tycoon has died under mysterious circumstances. Russian sausage magnate and lawmaker Pavel Antov died after apparently falling from a hotel in India on Saturday, two days after another member of his group died at the same hotel, local officials said.
- About 9 million Ukrainians were without power across the country as of Monday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address.
- Russia has continued to launch small-scale attacks around Bakhmut in Donetsk and Svatove in Luhansk, but it has not made significant territorial gains, the British Ministry of Defense reported.
Follow our live updates here.
- Ukraine is seeking a United Nations-backed peace summit to end the war with Russia, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in an interview with the Associated Press.
- Another Russian tycoon has died under mysterious circumstances. Russian sausage magnate and lawmaker Pavel Antov died after apparently falling from a hotel in India on Saturday, two days after another member of his group died at the same hotel, local officials said.
- About 9 million Ukrainians were without power across the country as of Monday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address.
- Russia has continued to launch small-scale attacks around Bakhmut in Donetsk and Svatove in Luhansk, but it has not made significant territorial gains, the British Ministry of Defense reported.
Follow our live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov blamed Western countries for aiding Ukraine with money and weapons and prolonging the conflict.
- Russia is banning the sale of oil to countries involved in capping its price on the global market, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday in response to a Group of Seven resolution to cap the price of crude oil from Russia at $60 a barrel.
- Putin met Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at a St. Petersburg summit amid rising fears about Moscow using Belarus to launch fresh attacks on Ukraine.
- Civilian infrastructure was struck during attacks in the Kherson area Tuesday, according to a Ukrainian official.
Follow our live updates here.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov blamed Western countries for aiding Ukraine with money and weapons and prolonging the conflict.
- Russia is banning the sale of oil to countries involved in capping its price on the global market, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday in response to a Group of Seven resolution to cap the price of crude oil from Russia at $60 a barrel.
- Putin met Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at a St. Petersburg summit amid rising fears about Moscow using Belarus to launch fresh attacks on Ukraine.
- Civilian infrastructure was struck during attacks in the Kherson area Tuesday, according to a Ukrainian official.
Follow our live updates here.
Ukraine’s combat amputees face a hard road home
The war’s toll has been devastating, with U.S. officials estimating recently that around 100,000 service members have been killed or wounded on each side. It’s unclear how many Ukrainian soldiers have lost limbs, but their government — with its economy in tatters and hospitals under constant attack — possesses neither the funds nor the expertise to equip its military’s growing number of amputees with state-of-the-art prosthetics, leaving many to seek help in Western countries sympathetic to their cause.
Read the full story here.
The war’s toll has been devastating, with U.S. officials estimating recently that around 100,000 service members have been killed or wounded on each side. It’s unclear how many Ukrainian soldiers have lost limbs, but their government — with its economy in tatters and hospitals under constant attack — possesses neither the funds nor the expertise to equip its military’s growing number of amputees with state-of-the-art prosthetics, leaving many to seek help in Western countries sympathetic to their cause.
Read the full story here.