Free Republic

Tens of thousands of drones have been employed across Ukraine to kill the enemy, spy on its formations and guide bombs to their targets. But this month the Ukrainian military began a program to use drones in a more unusual role: to guide Russian soldiers who want to surrender. The program had its genesis in late November, when the Ukrainian military released footage of a Russian soldier throwing his weapon to the ground, raising his hands and nervously following a path set out by a drone overhead, leading him to soldiers from the Ukrainian army’s 54th Mechanized Brigade. A few...

Out on the frontline, near the eastern Ukrainian city of Lyman, on 8 November at 15.10, a Russian serviceman called Andrey decided to ignore the orders of his superiors and call his mother with an unauthorised mobile phone. “No one feeds us anything, mum,” he complained. “Our supply is s**t, to be honest. We draw water from puddles, then we strain it and drink it.” Russian forces had been on the back foot in the Donetsk oblast for weeks. Lyman, taken by the Russians in May, was liberated by Ukrainian forces in October. Two days before Andrey made his afternoon...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday made an unannounced visit to Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine that has experienced intense Russian shelling for weeks. Zelensky’s office said the president visited with soldiers fighting to defend the city and presented them with awards. “The president listened to the commander’s report on the operational situation, logistical support and proposals for further actions,” Zelensky’s office said. “While in the area of hostilities, Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the Ukrainian warriors for their courage, resilience and strength, which they demonstrate while repelling enemy attacks.” Russia has attempted for weeks to take Bakhmut, which could allow...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday made an unexpected visit to troops defending Bakhmut, currently the site of some of the bloodiest fighting in the war, as his forces try to hold off a desperate Russian assault on the city in the eastern Donetsk region. Zelensky’s trip, which was confirmed by his office on his Facebook page, highlighted the carnage in Bakhmut, where Russian forces, including mercenaries, have been pushing for months to claim a battlefield victory after a string of defeats and retreats in the south and east of Ukraine. It was not immediately clear where in Bakhmut the...