Free Republic

DONETSK REGION, Ukraine — Ukrainian troops are racing to claw back a key stretch of land on the eastern front after a surprise Russian advance bolstered Moscow’s position as President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Alaska. Ukraine rushed elite troops to try to seal the disastrous breach after small groups of Russian foot soldiers exploited weak points on Ukraine’s flanks and pushed more than nine miles toward the eastern city of Dobropillya in rapid gains that threaten the security of the entire contested region. If Russia cements its hold on the territory, it will damage Ukrainian...

Ukraine is increasingly worried about securing more U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems, as stockpiles sent during the Biden administration are drying up and the new administration is resistant to sending more, according to six Ukrainian and Western officials. While Russia bombards Ukraine with drones and cruise missiles, it is the ballistic missiles that are the most feared, and they can be reliably countered only by Patriot missiles. Ballistic missiles travel several miles per second, and they obliterated half of Ukraine’s power capacity in strikes on power plants. Their speed and size, plus the fact that they are difficult to intercept,...

KYIV — For nearly three years, distressed Ukrainian troops, veterans and their families — including some soldiers on the brink of suicide — have relied on a U.S.-funded hotline to connect with trained psychological, legal and medical experts. But after President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week suspending almost all U.S. foreign aid programs for 90 days, the... “The support line is temporarily unavailable,” a recorded voice now tells callers. “The Veteran Hub thanks you for your trust. The consultants will return to work as soon as it becomes possible.” The Trump administration’s sudden move to suspend foreign...

Ukrainian troops are facing down a ferocious Russian counteroffensive in Kursk as Putin seeks to take back Russian land before any talks. The fight to control some 200 square miles of land in western Russia became even more brutal in recent days as the Kremlin, ahead of possible negotiations with the incoming Trump administration to end the war, appears set on removing Russian territory from the equation. -snip- The timing appears to demonstrate the Kremlin’s growing appreciation for how Kursk may play into future talks: If negotiations are to occur, Russia wants to make sure only Ukrainian land is up...

Even as he promises international partners that Ukraine will handle the fighting if given needed weapons and other support, President Volodymyr Zelensky and his top military commanders have failed so far to come up with a clear plan to conscript or recruit many thousands of new soldiers critically needed to defend against Russia’s continuing attacks. Zelensky’s inability to forge a political consensus on a mobilization strategy — despite months of warnings about a severe shortage of qualified troops on the front — has fueled deep divisions in Ukraine’s parliament and more broadly in Ukrainian society. It has left the military...

The euphoria that accompanied Ukraine’s unforeseen early victories against bumbling Russian troops is fading as Moscow adapts its tactics, recovers its stride and asserts its overwhelming firepower against heavily outgunned Ukrainian forces. Around 200 Ukrainian soldiers are now being killed every day, up from 100 late last month, an aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky told the BBC on Friday — meaning that as many as 1,000 Ukrainians are being taken out of the fight every day, including those who are injured. But the odds against the Ukrainians are starting to look overwhelming, said Danylyuk, the government adviser. “The Russians are...

DONETSK OBLAST, Ukraine — The ambulances hurtled into the parking lot one after the other, each carrying wounded troops directly from the nearby front line. One young man stared straight ahead, his face swollen, his neck and back dripping with blood. Others lay silently under foil blankets.Some stumbled out the back doors and collapsed into wheelchairs as staff rushed to push them inside. Nearby, bloodied cots sat propped against a tent and other wounded soldiers lingered about, their faces grim, their heads, arms or legs bandaged as the sound of outgoing artillery boomed across the sky.About 10 wounded soldiers arrived...