Author: Mykola Vorobiov/Eurasia Daily Monitor

On September 22, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a missile strike on the Sevastopol headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet (Meduza, September 22). The Russian Defense Ministry reported that the “historic Black Sea Fleet headquarters building was damaged,” with independent sources claiming British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles had been used in the attack (T.me/mod_russia;...

Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner Group’s aborted mutiny in Russia has demonstrated the weakness of the Kremlin in controlling the situation inside the country, which, as shown by the so-called “march for justice,” can rapidly deteriorate in a matter of hours. While moving toward Moscow on June 24, the Wagnerites came dangerously close to facilities...

On May 22, two anti-Kremlin militias – the Freedom of Russia Legion (RDK) and Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC) – crossed over the Russian border from Ukraine into the Belgorod region, overrunning the village of Kozinka and sending units into the town of Grayvoron. While fighting Russian border guards and local law enforcement, members of the...

While the Ukrainian Armed Forces actively prepare for their much-anticipated counteroffensive, which is expected to occur as soon as this summer, according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal (Hromadske.ua, April 12), Kyiv has launched unprecedented sabotage operations in close cooperation with the Ukrainian resistance within those territories occupied by Russia, including Crimea. On May 6,...

Before the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry announced the creation of additional assault brigades to be called the Offensive Guard, which includes the new formations Azov, Spartan, Iron Border, Frontier and Fury, along with other units aimed at liberating the occupied Ukrainian territories, including those in the Donbas and Crimea...

The war in Ukraine is gaining momentum as neither side is ready for reconciliation, as the conflict continues to escalate. On July 29, the Kremlin claimed that 53 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs), including those captured at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, were killed and dozens were wounded by shelling from the Ukrainian side....

Since launching its massive re-invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Russia has already lost 353 tanks, 1,165 armored vehicles, 57 airplanes, 83 helicopters, 125 canons, 31 air-defense systems, and over 12,000 troops (Radio Svoboda, March 11). This is the highest sustained casualty rate the Russian Armed Forces have experienced in decades. Moscow clearly did not...

For the past several weeks, much of the world’s attention has been focused on an apparent Russian buildup of forces near the Ukrainian and Belarusian borders, raising fears that Moscow may be preparing for a new aggression against Ukraine this coming winter (see Eurasia Daily Monitor, December 2). Questions remain whether this threat is real...

On September 22, someone fired shots at the car of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s first aide, Serhiy Shefir. The attack unfolded near the village of Lisnyky, outside Kyiv. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, more than 10 bullets hit Mr. Shefir’s vehicle, wounding the driver, but Mr. Shefir himself escaped injury (Ukrin­form.net, September 22). Anton Geras­chenko, an advisor to the Ukrainian internal affairs minister, asserted that those who organized and executed the attack on Mr. Shefir’s car planned to kill everyone in the vehicle (Zn.ua, September 23).