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There has been a “substantive” change in the type of weaponry the US and its allies are providing to Ukraine to meet Kyiv’s requests for firepower, two senior US officials tells CNN. The US’s latest aid announcement included more offensive weapons, such as Bradley Fighting Vehicles and advanced long-range rocket systems, reflecting the nature of the battlefield in Eastern Ukraine and a belief that Ukraine sees a window to regain territory before Russia regroups, one of the officials said, describing the new weapons systems as giving the Ukrainians “much more capability.” One US official also noted that Ukraine has abided...

Sweden said on Sunday that Turkey is asking for too much in exchange for allowing it to join NATO, as Ankara effectively demands the impossible – that Stockholm override a decision by its own Supreme Court. But analysts say Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is unlikely to retract its condition, at least not before the all-important presidential elections scheduled in June. Sweden’s new conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that, as far as he is concerned, Stockholm has done enough for Ankara. “Turkey confirms that we have done what we said we would do. But they also say that they...

Russia continues to humiliate itself. After a deadly rocket attack by Ukraine carried out in the first moments of New Year’s Day killed as many as 400 Russian troops, Russia claimed only 63 had been killed. Russia soon updated that tally to 89 killed but also publicly blamed the troops for their own deaths by claiming the Ukrainian strike was the result of the recently mobilized troops using cell phones. Even some pro-Russian military bloggers said Russia was downplaying the number of deaths and also suggested that leadership was to blame for putting a bunch of inexperienced recruits together in...

Former NATO chief James Stavridis said in an interview that he believes Russian forces in Ukraine will be “burned through and exhausted” by the end of the winter season as the Kremlin’s war against the neighboring country continues. During an appearance on New York-based radio station WABC 770 morning show “Cats Roundtable,” Stavridis told host John Catsimatidis that he doesn’t see either side having a breakthrough moment during the winter.

OPINION The US and Europe must be getting ready for Putin-like ambitious and aggressive statesmen in the days to come who would challenge the already ailing and aging western liberal order The war in Ukraine is devastating and tragic. It has been ten months now. It demonstrates the strained relationship between Ukraine and Russia not only in the present, but also in the past. Russia’s claim over neighbouring Ukraine is a historic question. Nevertheless, the recent claims spearheaded by Moscow’s armed intervention on February 26 last year clearly exposed the rifts between the two nations and Putin’s agenda. We all...

Dear Ukrainians! This year began on February 24. Without prefaces and preludes. Sharply. Early. At 4 o'clock. It was dark. It was loud. It was hard for many and scary for some. 311 days have passed. It can still be dark, loud, and complicated for us. But we will definitely never be afraid again. And we'll never be ashamed. It was our year. Year of Ukraine. Year of Ukrainians. We woke up on February 24. Into another life. Being another people. Another Ukrainians. The first missiles finally destroyed the labyrinth of illusions. We saw who was who. What friends and...

Alexandru Musteata, head of the Information and Security Service, has warned that there is a "very high" risk of a new Russian offensive to take his country's eastern territories next year He added that Moscow seeks to create a land corridor to the breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniestria through Ukraine Musteata's comments follow the recent statements of Ukrainian army generals warning of the threat of a major new Russian offensive early next year CHISNAU, Moldova: Alexandru Musteata, head of the Information and Security Service, has warned that there is a "very high" risk of a new Russian offensive to take...

Russia launched 16 "kamikaze" drones into Ukraine overnight, Kyiv's military said on Friday, a day after Moscow fired dozens of missiles in its latest barrage against Ukrainian critical infrastructure....An administrative building in the city was partially destroyed, according to Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's military administration, who also said there was no information about any casualties.Russia has launched numerous waves of drone and missile strikes against Ukraine since mid-October, heavily damaging its energy infrastructure and forcing planned and emergency power outages.

After weeks of fighting for scraps of territory on the war’s bloodiest front, Oleh, a 21-year-old Ukrainian company commander, was summoned suddenly last August, along with thousands of other soldiers, to an obscure rendezvous point in the Kharkiv region. At his last position, relentless Russian artillery fire had stalked his men’s every step. But here, in a patch of villages, farmland and streams in Ukraine’s northeast, the quiet was deeply alarming. “The silence bothered me the most,” Oleh said. “It seemed off. How could this be?” Even more unsettling were the orders his superiors handed down: to charge as far...

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken renewed his vow on Tuesday to "work tirelessly" with Group of Seven partners to "repair, replace and defend" Ukraine's energy supply throughout the winter as the country faces more attacks from Russia. "We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes," Blinken wrote Tuesday in a tweet. "A tough winter lies ahead for Ukrainians, and we will work tirelessly with the G7 and other partners to repair, replace and defend Ukraine's energy infrastructure." (snip) The initial shipment of equipment from the United States, to help restore Ukraine's infrastructure damaged in ongoing Russian...

The Serbian army says it is at its "highest level of combat readiness" after weeks of escalating tensions between Serbia and Kosovo. President Aleksandar Vucic says he will "take all measures to protect our people and preserve Serbia". The sabre-rattling is louder than ever and follows media claims that Pristina is preparing "an attack" on ethnic Serb areas in north Kosovo. The government in Pristina has made no comment about the allegations. But it has previously accused Mr Vucic of playing "games" to stir up trouble.

A drone believed to be Ukrainian penetrated hundreds of kilometers through Russian airspace, causing a deadly explosion at the main base for Moscow's strategic bombers in the latest attack to expose gaps in its air defences. Moscow said it had shot the drone down causing it to crash at the Engels air base, where three service members were killed. Under its usual policy on incidents inside Russia, Ukraine did not comment. The base, the main airfield for the bombers that Kyiv says Moscow has used in recent months to attack Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, is hundreds of miles from the Ukrainian...

My short answer to the question — Yes! I received an interesting response to my request for opinions on what constitutes the “Endgame” in Ukraine from a man named Matt. Here is his analysis: The end game is to diminish/weaken Russia. The US has determined they cannot fight and win a war against both China and Russia. The US and it’s allies have sought to pick off the weaker of the two. The longer the US bleeds out Russia, via Ukraine, the better. Not all NATO (think Germany) were onboard with the plan. Hence, NATO starts talks with Ukraine about...

As the cracks in Russia's war on Ukraine deepen, Russian oligarchs sanctioned by the West are now saying Russian President Vladimir Putin tricked them into appearing to support his invasion of Ukraine, according to an extensive investigation published Saturday by The New York Times. Many of Putin's top advisors didn't know the full extent of his plans to invade Ukraine on February 24 until they were already underway, according to The Times. Senior aides at the Kremlin were trying to read his body language, telling some that Putin had "this warlike twinkle in his eyes," the paper reported. "If everyone...

An American weapon first dropped by stealth bombers over Kosovo in 1999 and then during combat in the post-9/11 wars will soon be used by Ukrainian pilots flying Russian-made jets to kill Russian soldiers. The weapon, called the Joint Direct Attack Munition, consists of a kit that turns a cheap unguided bomb into a highly accurate, GPS-guided weapon. It is usually referred to as JDAM (pronounced JAY-dam). The Biden administration announced this week that the weapons would be part of a new $1.85 billion military aid package, giving Kyiv a precision-guided bombing capability it has never had. When dropped from...

When Volodymyr Zelenskyy became the president of Ukraine in 2019, it made headlines around the world. That wasn’t because he was a political heavyweight deemed ready to resolve Ukraine’s deep-seated challenges —ranging from an economic crisis to corruption and an entrenched, powerful oligarchy — not to mention the conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country. It was just the opposite. Zelenskyy was a political novice whose closest brush with politics was playing the role of Ukrainian president in a well-known domestic TV series, before life imitated art and he decided to launch his own...

Ukrainians usually celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, as do the Russians. But not this year, or at least not all of them. Some Orthodox Ukrainians have decided to observe Christmas on Dec. 25, like many Christians around the world. Yes, this has to do with the war, and yes, they have the blessing of their local church. The idea of commemorating the birth of Jesus in December was considered radical in Ukraine until recently, but Russia's invasion changed many hearts and minds. In October, the leadership of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which is not aligned with the Russian church...

Pope Francis prayed for peace as St. Michael’s Cathedral in Kyiv prepared for what believers hope will be a peaceful Christmas. It’s here where we meet Lesya and Valeriy. They are two volunteers in Ukraine’s civil defense forces areas of these are who married in March at a military-style ceremony after Russia invaded Ukraine. Video of their wedding was seen worldwide. Nine months later, Lesya has left the army, but Valeriy continues to serve. But Lesya is happy they are briefly reunited to celebrate Christmas. “We share this light like we share love and kindness and peace,” she said as...

President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Ukrainians to have “patience and faith” in a defiant Christmas address after a deadly wave of Russian strikes pounded the southern city of Kherson. Ten months into Russia’s war on Ukraine, Zelensky spoke of endurance and pushing through to the end, while acknowledging that “freedom comes at a high price.” He urged the nation to stand firm in the face of a grim winter of energy blackouts, the absence of loved ones and the ever-present threat of Russian attacks. Zelensky’s message came after Ukrainian officials said Russia had launched deadly rocket strikes into downtown Kherson...

Clayton Morris: Washington's Dangerous Policies Have Put U.S. and Russia on the Brink of Direct Clash - Diplomat. All out war and it sounds from the United States side that they are ramping up this rhetoric instead of trying to tamp it down. What do you make out of these words coming out of Moscow over the past 24 hrs. Scott Ritter: Well, I mean we have to understand where the United States is coming from first. We're losing in Ukraine. We have double downed; we've taken the mortgage, the kid's college fund and everything and we have placed it...