Free Republic

All along the 600-mile frontline, the Kremlin’s invasion forces are exploiting Ukrainian exhaustion and a six-month delay in American military aid. A shock offensive in the Kharkiv region has seen Putin’s troops cross the border for the first time since the 2022 invasion. Villages in the Zaporizhzhya region have been wiped off the map as Russia tries to reverse the gains of Ukraine’s 2023 counter-offensive. But the central Russian effort is focused on Donetsk region, where they are now on the outskirts of the hill-top town of Chasiv Yar. If they capture it, they will be in striking distance of...

First, Nato-trained brigades of Western tanks would cross no-man’s land and clear a path through the minefields to the main Russian defences.A second corps would leapfrog through the first to punch a hole through the “Surovikin line” – the three-layered system of trenches, tank traps and strong-points Russia has built to protect its precious “land bridge” to Crimea.Then a third echelon – using British Challenger tanks and US Stryker fighting vehicles – would exploit the breakthrough, chasing collapsing Russian troops across the Pontic steppe all the way to the Azov Sea.At least, that was the idea.In reality, Ukraine’s counter offensive...

Ukrainian forces mounted attacks at several points along the front line in a sign that Kyiv was stepping up a long-awaited counter offensive.Ukraine did not directly comment on the reports, but the general in command of its ground forces said they “continue to move forward”.The reported assaults follow weeks of probing attacks, including raids and drone strikes on Russia itself, designed to stretch Moscow’s defences ahead of the offensive.But Western officials told The Economist that the attacks “mark the start of the offensive”, adding that Russia’s defensive lines “could be more fragile than thought”.Russian sources also reported seeing Western-supplied Leopard...

Russia has lost an estimated five men for every Ukrainian soldier its forces have killed in the battle for Bakhmut, according to a Nato official. Speaking to CNN on condition of anonymity, the official said that Nato intelligence showed that Russia’s losses in the assault on the eastern salt-mining town far outweighed Ukraine’s. The official also said, however, that Ukraine’s losses defending the city were significant. Russia’s use of costly wave attacks have prompted comparisons to the First World War and the commander of the mercenary forces leading the assault has described the battle as a “meat grinder” for Russian...

The West is poised to send nearly 200 battle tanks to Ukraine in a potential hammer blow that could help Kyiv win its war against Vladimir Putin...It brought the total number of tanks Kyiv can expect to have at its disposal to nearly 200, with potential for more...Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said the new tank deliveries "would bring nothing good to the future relations".

Russian forces completed their take over of the Ukrainian navy’s assets in Crimea with the storming of the minesweeper Cherkessy. The Ukrainian navy has been reduced to only 10 vessels, with the other 51 it held at the beginning of this month, including its only submarine, now flying the Russian flag. But of all the Ukrainian military assets Russia has seized during the annexation, none is quite as unusual as the combat dolphin program. The Soviet Union began training dolphins and other marine mammals to locate mines, mark underwater and obstacles and detect – and if necessary kill – enemy...