Free Republic

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...

Multiple outlets are reporting that Russian troops stormed a Ukrainian military base in Simferopol, Crimea today. At this point, Reuters is reporting one Ukrainian soldier was killed; this De Welt report says the soldier was wounded. Troops stormed a Ukrainian base on the outskirts of Simferopol on Tuesday, according to a Ukrainian military spokesman. One Ukrainian officer was reported to have been wounded in the neck. There was no immediate indication of who was behind the incident, although Kyiv soon afterwards said Russia was responsible for the attack. Immediately after the incident, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk said the conflict...

According to the BBC, at least two large explosions have been heard in Simferopol, the capital of Crimea. A local reports says the blasts came from Russian troops destroying Ukrainian ammunition depots. However, this report is unofficial and only coming from a French News source: Update: The BBC is now offering these details on the explosions: A loud bang was heard about 23:10 local time (21:10 GMT), following by a smaller blast, BBC reporters in Simferopol say. A city resident blogged about hearing an explosion come from the direction of Elevatornaya Street, where an electronic combat military unit is based.