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"I declare on behalf of the Wagner fighters, on behalf of the Wagner command, that on May 10, 2023, we are obliged to transfer positions in the settlement of Bakhmut to units of the defence ministry and withdraw the remains of Wagner to logistics camps to lick our wounds," Prigozhin said in a statement....."

JUST IN: Ukraine confirms shot down drone over Kyiv was not a Russian drone but their own Ukrainian TB2 drone. “On May 4, around 20:00 in the Kyiv region, during a scheduled flight, the Bayraktar TB2 UAV lost control.” “Since the uncontrolled presence of UAVs in the sky of the capital could lead to undesirable consequences, it was decided to use mobile calculations...”

The Netherlands is working "intensively" with other European countries to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets. However, there are no concrete commitments yet, as it turned out today at the joint press conference of Ukrainian President Zelensky, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Belgian Prime Minister De Croo in the Catshuis in The Hague. "There are no taboos and we are working intensively on it," said Rutte. "But we're not there yet". The three other countries are Belgium, the United Kingdom and Denmark...

In the Treasure pawn shop in Kyiv, Oleksandra, 40, a well turned out woman in a hooded wool coat and Nike trainers, has come to redeem her sewing machines. Like all those visiting the store, she does not want to give her family name.She says that when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, she was working as an accountant for a firm that employed 14 people, who were all laid off because of the conflict. Since then she has struggled to find regular work. With savings running out, like many others in Kyiv, she turned to pawning her possessions to...

Russia is ready to introduce electronic military draft papers for the first time in its history in an effort to make it harder for men to avoid being drafted after the lower house of parliament gave its backing to the move. The State Duma, the lower chamber, gave its backing to the necessary legislation in two separate votes. Some lawmakers complained the changes were being rushed through without giving them enough time to scrutinise the changes. -snip- NO SECOND MOBILISATION Peskov dismissed suggestions that the digitalisation plans might spark a further wave of panic and emigration among young male Russians...

Scott Ritter describes the paymaster system in the Country 404 military. All of that is being done with US taxpayer money of course.

'UK Ministry of Defence 'said in its daily intelligence briefing that Russian forces have “highly likely advanced into the [Bakhmut] town centre, and has seized the West Bank of the Bakhmutka River. Ukraine’s key supply route to the west of the town is likely severely threatened.” 'Eastern Military Command' spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi said that Ukraine controlled 'the situation' in Bakhmut, understood Russian intentions and that Moscow had tactical success in some places, but was paying a high price for it. ' New York Times reports'. Documents were spread on Twitter and Telegram, and reportedly contain charts and details about weapons...

Americans trying to understand the current administration’s obsession with Ukraine will note a number of unanswered questions surrounding the crisis.Ukrainians, and many Europeans and Americans, are defining an envisioned Ukrainian victory as the complete expulsion of all Russians from its 2013 borders. Or, as a Ukrainian national security chief put it, the war ends with Ukrainian tanks in Red Square.But mysteries remain about such ambitious agendas.What would that goal entail?Giving Ukraine American F-16s to strike bases and depots in Mother Russia? The gifting of 1,000 M1 Abrams tanks? Using American Harpoon missiles to sink the Russian Black Sea Fleet?A huge...

First Deputy Chairman of the National Association of the Military-Industrial Complex of Ukraine Ivan Vinnik announced the establishment of production of high-precision missiles "Alder". He told The War Zone about this on Tuesday during the XV conference "Security Dialogue between the United States and Ukraine", which was held in Washington. Ivan Vinnik said that now manufacturers are planning to modify the " alder-m "to increase its range to 150 km. He declined to specify when exactly the missiles might be ready and how many would be produced. "Let's just say, we hope, just in time for a counteroffensive, the probability...

The U.S. on Friday announced a $400 million security aid package for Ukraine, providing more ammunition, equipment and munitions for Kyiv in its fight against Russia. The State Department said the latest package includes munitions for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and howitzer artillery guns, as well as ammunition for the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles the U.S. first announced for Ukraine in January. The latest round of security aid also includes demolitions munitions, equipment and other material, as well as services for maintenance, training and support of Ukrainian troops, who have been fighting against a Russian invasion for...

If the cause of Ukraine is righteous, there is no reason to chill debate.It’s not exactly a sign of a healthy democratic discourse that it’s virtually impossible to ask a critical question about the United States’ role in the Ukraine-Russia conflict without being smeared as a Putin apologist or an “isolationist.” We’ve been bombarded with bromides about a civilizational struggle that pits the forces of autocracy and liberalism against each other. “It’s not just about freedom in Ukraine,” Biden tells us. “It’s about freedom of democracy at large.” Yet Ukraine — which, before the war, regularly slotted in somewhere beneath...

During today’s House Armed Services Committee (HASC) hearing on “Oversight of U.S. Military Support to Ukraine,” U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) grilled Department of Defense Inspector General Robert Storch on whether the Biden Administration is conducting rigorous oversight and ensuring military equipment is delivered to the correct recipients in Ukraine. Since the onset of the war a year ago, the United States has been the top contributor of military equipment and aid to Ukraine, sending over $113 Billion of taxpayer money to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

ON THE ROAD The air-raid siren sounded again through the defiant city, but William McNulty refused to be bothered by it. After a long morning of meetings in Kyiv with Ukrainian partners in need of medical tourniquets and cold-weather clothing, the man had earned an afternoon nap. The air flowing through the hotel room’s open window nipped of brittle autumn, and sunlight was leaking through gray clouds; winter, as the Ukrainians liked to quip, was coming. F**k it, McNulty thought. The chances of getting hit by a drone strike in a city of three million people seemed low. A U.S....

Ukraine has a mixed record on attracting foreign private investment. In 2021, it ranked as the second-lowest country in Europe on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, behind only Russia. Vavrishchuk said the country would need to enforce the rule of law, ensure transparency and fair competition. "Participation in the post-war reconstruction could be attractive for investors," he said. "But still we will have to address all those issues (transparency and corruption) that we have not had time to before the war began."

As the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine approaches, Russia is increasingly under pressure to claim a big victory, notably the capture of the important city of Bakhmut, according to the UK Ministry of Defence. The ministry said in an intelligence update on Monday that no matter how the fight for the city is faring, Russia intends to declare a victory there by February 24, or the country's leadership faces the risk of increasing domestic tensions. "It is likely that Russia will claim that Bakhmut has been captured to align with the anniversary, regardless of the reality on the...

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)— Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham is calling on the Biden administration to provide Ukraine with F-16 Fighter Jets as soon as possible. Sunday, Graham said that includes training Ukrainian pilots as soon as possible. Graham also urged the Biden administration to not be cautious or fearful of aggravating Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying: “Don’t worry about provoking Putin, worry about beating him.” ...

President Joe Biden visited Kyiv on Monday for the first time since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost a year ago, demonstrating in dramatic personal fashion his commitment to the country and its struggle as the war enters an uncertain new phase. While in Kyiv, Biden met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as well as first lady Olena Zelenska at the Ukrainian presidential palace. Biden’s visit comes at a critical moment in the 12-month conflict, with Russia preparing for an expected spring offensive and Ukraine hoping to soon retake territory. The United States and other western nations have...

The Ukrainian government has revealed it plans to be a full European Union member-state within two years ahead of a historic Ukraine-EU summit in Kyiv. “We have a very ambitious plan to join the European Union within the next two years,” revealed Denys Shmyhal, the Prime Minister of Ukraine, in comments to POLITICO. “So we expect that this year, in 2023, we can already have this pre-entry stage of negotiations,” Shmyhal continued, speaking ahead of a summit between President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government and top eurocrats at the European Commission and the European Council.