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Ukrainian forces have begun "shaping" operations in southern Ukraine to prepare the battlefield for a significant Ukrainian counteroffensive, two senior US officials briefed on the intelligence told CNN. Shaping operations are standard military practice prior to an offensive and involve striking weapons systems, command and control, ammunition depots and other targets to prepare the battlefield for planned advances. The US believes the Ukrainian counteroffensive, which has long been anticipated, will include a combination of air and ground operations. Ukraine indicated Monday morning that the actions were underway.

Total collapse of US/EU/NATO policy both military and economic, damage to European society may be irreparable

Ukraine has started a long-awaited counter-offensive in the country's south, its southern military command said on Monday.

A shocking video of a Russian mercenary playing with the skull of a Ukrainian fighter while declaring the objective of killing as many Ukrainian soldiers as needed to "de-Ukrainize Ukraine" was published by Ukrainian journalist and writer Denis Kazansky on Sunday. The fighter, identified as Moscow native Igor Mangushev by Kazansky, gave a speech in what appeared to be a club, holding the skull in the fashion that William Shakespeare's Hamlet held the skull of Yorick. "We're alive, and this guy's already dead," Mangushev reportedly said. "Let him burn in hell. He wasn't lucky. We'll make a goblet out of...

The war currently underway in Ukraine, which pits Ukraine as a proxy for the collective West against Russia, is primarily an ideological or religious one, with Russia representing what is left of Christian Europe, and “the West” representing a totalitarian ideology that abhors religion in general and Christianity in particular. This statement may sound strange, given the fact that some Westerners – though fewer every day – still see “the West,” (basically Europe and North America) as Christian, and Russia as Communist, or crypto-Communist.

Red Dawn What were you doing when you were fifteen years old? I’ll bet you weren’t out conducting aerial reconnaissance hoping to use that information to destroy enemy Russian troops heading to your town. At least you weren’t unless you were part of the fictional account in the movie Red Dawn. Ukrainian President Zelensky has called on his people time and time again to do all they can to “repel the occupiers.” In numerous ways, civilians are playing critical roles in helping protect their homeland and taking the fight to the Russians. Fifteen-year-old ninth-grade drone pilot Andriy Pokrasa and his...

This list only includes destroyed vehicles and equipment of which photo or videographic evidence is available. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here. Small arms, ATGMs, MANPADS, loitering munitions, drones used as unmanned bait, civilian vehicles, trailers and derelict equipment are not included in this list. All possible effort has gone into avoiding duplicate entries and discerning the status of equipment between captured or abandoned. Many of the entries listed as 'abandoned' will likely end up captured or destroyed. Similarly, some of the captured equipment might be destroyed if it can't be recovered. When the...

Russian troops utilizing a commercial drone for reconnaissance while filming a quick propaganda film find themselves embarrassed after Ukrainian forces hijack their drone. We've known about the electronic warfare happening in Ukraine since pretty much day one of the conflict. It's been no secret that both sides are engaging in this style of warfare, both from a propaganda perspective and from a cyberwarfare perspective. That said, this may be the first time we're seeing footage of that cyberwarfare happening in real-time, and in a manner that directly impacts troop movements on the battlespace. It's likely that after this drone was...

Fears continued to mount over the possibility of a nuclear accident at the embattled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Sunday. Meanwhile, the United States has confirmed the death of a third U.S. citizen in Ukraine. Here’s the latest on the war and its impact across the globe. 1. Key developments Local authorities in Zaporizhzhia are distributing potassium iodide tablets in the event of a radioactive leak, and residents are lining up. The tablets help counteract the effects of radioactive exposure by blocking the body’s absorption of the radioactive form of iodine. Over the weekend, Russia and Ukraine accused each other...

In a solemn ceremony held at the RF Northern Fleet submarine base in Gadzhievo, Murmansk region, two portable iconostases were consecrated and handed over to crews of two nuclear submarine strategic missile cruisers: Knyaz Oleg and Novosibirsk, the fleet's press service reported. An iconostasis is a wall of icons, used to divide the Altar from the rest of the church space. Portable iconostases for sailing warships are made of wood, but for submarines, they use fabric. Such icons do not take up much space in the very limited space. On church feast days, canvases with icons are unpacked and mounted...

Disclaimer: The Kyiv Independent is publishing this investigation to shed light on the alleged abuse of power in the leadership of one wing of the International Legion – a legion created for foreign fighters dedicated to defending Ukraine. The members of the Legion’s unit say that they reported their commanders’ misconduct to Ukrainian law enforcement, the parliament, and President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Office, but saw no proper reaction and thus turned to journalists as a last resort. Soldiers who pointed at the problems within this unit of the Legion claim they received threats for speaking up. For their safety, we do...

Russia is burning off significant quantities of natural gas worth millions of dollars daily, which would have gone to Germany through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. Experts at Norway-based Rystad Energy found that a new liquified natural gas (LNG) facility northwest of St. Petersburg is burning an estimated $10 million worth of gas every day. The LNG plant is located close to a compressor station at the start of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which transports gas to Germany under the sea via a Baltic Sea pipeline. Gazprom, the Russian energy giant, announced in July that it would reduce natural...

As Ukrainians celebrated their 31st independence day Wednesday, President Joe Biden announced another almost $3 billion in military aid for the country's fight against Russia. The $2.98 billion weapons and aid package is the single largest military-focused package announced by the Biden administration since the war broke out in late February. This latest package includes laser-guided rocket systems, six National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) with additional ammunition, 24 counter-artillery radars, Puma Unmanned Aerial Systems, VAMPIRE Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems, 245,000 rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition, 65,000 rounds of 120mm mortar ammunition, and additional funding for Ukrainian forces’ training and maintenance.

Europe faced the prospect of a radiation disaster on Thursday when a Russian-occupied nuclear plant was disconnected from Ukraine's power grid, President Volodomyr Zelensky has said. It was only due to back-up electricity kicking in that the Zaporizhzhia plant was able to operate safely, he added. Fires had earlier damaged overhead power lines, cutting the plant off. There is growing concern over fighting near the complex, which is the largest nuclear plant in Europe. "If the diesel generators hadn't turned on, if the automation and our staff of the plant had not reacted after the blackout, then we would already...

An obelisk with Soviet stars at the top that was the centrepiece of a monument commemorating the Red Army's victory over Nazi Germany has been toppled in the Latvian capital. (Aug. 25)

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a major buildup of his country’s military forces Thursday in an apparent effort to replenish troops that have suffered heavy losses in six months of bloody warfare and prepare for a long, grinding fight ahead in Ukraine. The move to increase the number of troops by 137,000, or 13%, to 1.15 million by the end of the year came amid chilling developments on the ground in Ukraine. (snip) Putin’s decree did not specify whether the expansion would be accomplished by widening the draft, recruiting more volunteers, or both. But some Russian military analysts predicted heavier...

A Russian rocket strike on a train station killed 25 people, Ukraine says, on the day marking six months since Moscow's invasion began. Five of the victims of the attack in the eastern town of Chaplyne burnt to death in a vehicle, officials said. Two boys aged six and 11 were also killed. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the strike in the middle of a UN Security Council meeting. A further 31 people were wounded. Russia has so far made no comment. Moscow has repeatedly denied targeting civilian infrastructure. Speaking on Thursday, UN human rights commissioner Michelle Bachelet called on Russia's...

Six months after President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the war has upended basic assumptions about Russia’s military and economy. ... Ukraine is half a year into the war and what it will mean as it marks continued independence is as uncertain as the outcome of the conflict. What is clear is that rather than reasserting Moscow as a global military power as Putin had hoped, his decision to invade Ukraine has triggered a deep rethinking of Russia’s conventional capabilities. It also prompted further expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, with hitherto neutral Finland and Sweden deciding to join...

A hail of shrapnel from kamikaze drones ripped through the tent where off-duty Ukrainian border guards were sleeping near a crossing with Belarus, three hours north of Ukraine’s capital. Viktor Derevyanko woke to scalding pain, his body burning. Blood spilled from his hand as he tried to wipe his face. A piece of metal had traveled through his arm and stomach and into the muscle around his heart. “I couldn’t get my bearings,” said Derevyanko, the deputy head of the unit. “Only on the third explosion did I manage to fall out of bed and try to find at least...

On July 21, members of the Ukrainian parliament decided to increase their salaries by 70 percent raise. After the bill for this decision had only been submitted on July 18, the parliamentarians were able to carry out the vote unusually quickly, reported the Overton magazine. According to the magazine, this decision, which was unanimously approved by all the remaining parties, would have been possible so quickly in the absence of a lack of opposition. Instead of 28,800 hryvnia as before, the “servants of the people”, as Vladimir Zelensky’s party is called, now earn 49,600 hryvnia per month. Since July 15,...