Free Republic

Russian forces could be just weeks away from seizing control of the key Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine — as Ukrainian officials continued to appeal for more heavy weapons and ammunition from the West. An unnamed senior US defense official told The Washington Post that the cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, which have seen some of the fiercest battles in recent weeks, could fall to Russia in the coming days. Russia has been making steady gains in the strategically important Donbas region — comprised of Luhanks and Donetsk — by pounding the area with heavy artillery day after day and...

LOS ANGELES (AP) – President Joe Biden, speaking to donors at a Democratic fundraiser, said Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky “didn’t want to hear it” when U.S. intelligence gathered information that Russia was preparing to invade. The remarks came as Biden was talking about his work to rally and solidify support for Ukraine as the war continues into its fourth month.

Very difficult battles' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says his country's forces are involved in "very difficult battles", including in the eastern Donbas region where Russia has focused its firepower. "Ukrainian troops are doing everything to stop the offensive of the occupiers," Zelensky says. He adds in his address that Ukraine must "not allow the world to divert its attention away from what is happening on the battlefield". 'Out of ammo' In the Mykolaiv region near the front line in the south, the regional governor calls for urgent international military assistance. "Russia's army is more powerful, they have a lot of...

Ukrainian casualties are running at a rate of somewhere between 6oo and 1,000 a day. One presidential adviser, Oleksiy Arestovych, told the Guardian this week it was 150 killed and 800 wounded daily; another, Mykhaylo Podolyak, told the BBC that 100 to 200 Ukrainian troops a day were being killed. It represents an extraordinary loss of human life and capacity for the defenders, embroiled in a defence of the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk that this week turned into a losing battle. The sheer number – more than 20,000 casualties a month – raises questions about what state Ukraine’s army will...