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Russian state media organization Interfax reported that 11,000 Ukrainian servicemen have been killed in the month of February alone, allegedly 40% more than in January. The legitimacy of Interfax's report is highly questionable, as in Russia it is illegal to share anti-war or anti-government opinions...The Jerusalem Post previously reported that 200,000 Russian troops had been killed or wounded and Russian forces had retreated on three occasions under Shoigu's command.

Guests: Joseph Friedberg Today on "Rock Rachon" we discuss the new major offensive of the Russian army in Ukraine. According to ISW the invaders regained initiative. We discuss this with our guest, one of the founders of Mriya Report mr. Joseph Friedberg. Mr. Friedberg discusses the movements on the fronts and the huge losses Ruskies are suffering.

The soil of Bakhmut is dusted with snow and soaked with blood. This small city in Eastern Ukraine is at the centre of an epic battle. For more than six months Russian forces have tried to claim it. Ukrainian troops have resisted, giving rise to the popular slogan here "Bakhmut holds." Now the Russians are attacking from three sides, with regular troops and fighters from the notorious Wagner mercenary group. The Russians have reached one of the main highways into the city, and are closing in on the outskirts. There is house-to-house fighting in some areas on the outskirts, with...

Ukraine has reported that more than 1,000 Russian troops were killed on Monday alone as the war between the neighboring countries approaches its first anniversary. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said in a Telegram post that 1,030 Russian personnel were killed in fighting, raising the total throughout the conflict to just more than 133,000. Ukrainian forces also destroyed 14 tanks and 28 armored personnel vehicles, officials said. Reuters reported that the number of Russian soldiers killed made Monday the deadliest 24 hours of the war for Russia so far, but it could not independently verify Ukraine’s claims. It also reported that...

Kovaliov said the situation in Bakhmut was under control, and Ukrainian forces were fighting back the invaders. “As long as there are basements in Bakhmut and the ability to hold this territory, the fighters will stay there,” Kovaliov said. He added that invading Russian forces had obliterated the nearby town of Soledar, so the Ukrainian military had taken the decision to leave it. Serhiy Cherevatyi, the spokesman for the Eastern Group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, announced on Jan. 25 that Ukrainian troops had withdrawn from Soledar to save lives, as the main task there had been accomplished. According to...

Ben Hodges tells DW he remains optimistic of Ukraine's prospects for victory over the next 12 months. Speaking to Tim Sebastian for a Conflict Zone special, the former US Army Europe commander said it might be “too early to plan a victory parade" but Ukraine had made “irreversible gains.” Hodges also said he expected Ukrainian forces to retake Crimea from Russia in 2023. Moscow illegally annexed the territory in 2014. Let us know what you think in the comments below and thanks for watching.

Recently, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen carelessly revealed the devastating cost of the Ukraine war. “It is estimated that more than 20,000 civilians and 100,000 Ukrainian military personnel have died to date,” she said. The comment drew sharp backlash and the E.C. later deleted the comments from video recordings of the address. The censorship was left unexplained and demonstrated the confusion of the purveyors of the approved narrative. If Von der Leyen’s estimate is true, that is nearly ten times the number of dead Ukrainian soldiers reported by the Ukrainian government. The E.C. president’s remark shows that even...

Wind howled through leafless trees and through the windows of the blown-out apartment building as the surveillance team marched up flights of stairs covered with broken glass. The cold numbed their fingers as they set up their equipment: a laptop-size thermal imaging sight, its tripod and a Starlink satellite dish and battery. (snip) What unfolded over the next half-dozen hours was a routine but essential part of the daily rhythm of the war — part drudgery and part urgent calculation as the team ascertained the coordinates for enemy positions, relaying them to the Ukrainian artillery battery miles away. This type...

Five examples when the Ukrainian warriors proved there is nothing impossible for Ukraine Since the first days of the russian full-scale invasion, Ukrainian defense forces have not only been deterring russian offense against multiply overwhelming force, but also doing it the way that writes the modern history of warfare. Defense Express has gathered five examples of when the Ukrainians made what'd been seen impossible. *Read more: [The russians Brought the Most Powerful Artillery Systems to Bakhmut, But They May Run out of Ammunition- https://en.defence-ua.com/analysis/the_russians_brought_the_most_powerful_artillery_systems_to_bakhmut_but_they_may_run_out_of_ammunition-5115.html] The Terms of Mastering New Weapons Nowadays it is taken for granted: the allies give some...

One anonymous Western official at the time told Reuters that Ukraine was seeing "kinetic effects" behind Russian lines, which was having "a significant psychological effect on the Russian leadership." The U.K. defense ministry pointed out that the Monday "explosions" were more significant given their locations hundreds of miles across Russian borders. At least two Tu-95 BEAR heavy bombers were damaged in the explosions and three people were reportedly killed. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday called a meeting with his security council to discuss the country's domestic defenses after three airbases saw "explosions" this week. Russian officials looked to shore...

Russian authorities have banned public discussions of a wide range of non-classified military subjects that activists say will effectively prevent the public from learning crucial information about the Armed Forces. The 60-point Federal Security Service (FSB) order, which enters into force Dec. 1, lists information that is not classified as a state secret, but which “can be used by foreign states, organizations and citizens against Russia’s security.” Among the subjects banned from discussion are the structure and size of the Russian Armed Forces. Other off-limits areas include weapons, troop deployments and training, as well as troop morale and crimes committed...

We have seen an increase in calls for a negotiated solution of the war in Ukraine. From the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, from progressive members of Congress and from leading international relations scholars, a growing number of voices urge the United States to invest in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and to give peace a chance. According to some reports, the Biden administration is also warming up to the thought.It’s a dangerous idea.Fears of nuclear escalation between Russia and NATO drive many to argue for negotiations, and although the impetus is well-intentioned, the suggestion is naive and impractical. In...

Ursula von Der Leyen’s did the unthinkable today — she told the truth. During a speech condemning Russia for committing war crimes, she noted in passing that 100,000 Ukrainian “officers” (sic) have been killed since the start of the SMO.Ukraine was not happy:Ukraine has hit back at a claim by the European Commission’s president that 100,000 of Kyiv’s troops have been killed since Russia’s invasion in February.Ursula von der Leyen used the number in a video address, prompting Kyiv’s armed forces to state that the death toll was “classified information.” Footage of her speech has since been edited to cut...

Russian troops in Lyman and those who retreated took heavy losses, including an elite GRU unit. The town of Lyman quickly became the center of attention as Ukrainian forces partially surrounded it in the final days of September, trapping a large Russian garrison in there. Lyman is a key logistical node commanding an important road over the Siverskyy Donets River in Ukraine's Donetsk region. Its loss compounded Russian setbacks in the final weeks of summer and stoked further anger among pro-war commentators in Russia. British military intelligence assessed after the battle that the Russian force defending Lyman was a hodgepodge...

Welcome to my newest update on Putin’s War in Ukraine. We are now 36 weeks — 254 days — since Russia launched an unprovoked attack on Ukraine. My last update can be found at Putin’s War, Week 35. The Lull Before the Next Storm. There has been some action, but the crappy weather has slowed things down. Also, both sides are somewhat tired after a punishing summer’s campaigning. I look at this period as the break when the fighters have returned to their corners. Two significant items have been covered outside this update. First, the Pentagon is beefing up the...