Tag: ukraine

Russia Army Captures Two More Settlements In 3rd Straight Month Of Advance In Ukraine’s East

Russia’s military announced on Sunday that its forces had taken control of two additional settlements in eastern Ukraine, specifically one in the Donetsk region and the other in Kharkiv.

The statements indicated the villages of Piddubne in Donetsk and Sobolivka in Kharkiv are now under Russian control, though the Ukrainian side has not yet acknowledged this.

Piddubne had an estimated pre-war population of about 500 and is located merely 4 miles from the Dnipropetrovsk oblast border.

As for, Sobolivka, it lies about two miles west of Kupiansk and is outside of areas previously claimed by Russia, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a couple of social media posts that its troops had “liberated” the settlements, and made reference to “Poddubnoye” and “Sobolevka” – according to the Russian spellings.

According to analysis presented in AFP, this marks the third straight month of Russian forces’ advance in Ukraine’s east, after stagnant front lined during the winter.

“Russia’s military advance in June accelerated for a third consecutive month and made its largest advance since November, according to AFP’s analysis of data from US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW),” AFP writes.

“The Russian army took 588 square kilometers (227 square miles) of Ukrainian territory in June, compared with 507 square kilometers in May, 379 square kilometers in April, and 240 square kilometers in March, according to ISW data,” the publication adds.

Drone assaults from both sides continues to be a feature of the war, with Russia just days ago having unleashed an unprecedented 500 drones on Ukraine.

Kiev was targeted again overnight Friday, and the next day the city’s mayor Vitali Klitschko said the number of people killed had increased to two, with an additional 31 people wounded.

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Trump says Ukraine will need Patriot missiles for its defense, chides Putin

U.S. President Donald Trump said Ukraine would need Patriot missiles for its defenses, after speaking with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday, and voiced frustration over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s failure to end the fighting.

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had a good call with Zelenskiy, repeating that he was “very unhappy” about his call with Putin a day earlier, given what he called the Russian leader’s refusal to work on a ceasefire.

Asked whether the United States would agree to supply more Patriot missiles to Ukraine, as requested by Zelenskiy, Trump said: “They’re going to need them for defense… They’re going to need something because they’re being hit pretty hard.”

Trump touted the efficacy of the Patriot missiles, calling the weapon “pretty amazing.”

Asked about the prospects for a ceasefire, Trump said, “It’s a very tough situation… I was very unhappy with my call with President Putin. He wants to go all the way, just keep killing people – it’s no good.”

Zelenskiy said he had agreed to work on increasing Kyiv’s capability to “defend the sky” as Russian attacks escalate, adding in a message on Telegram that he discussed joint defense production, as well as joint purchases and investments with the U.S. leader.

Ukraine has been asking Washington to sell it more Patriot missiles and systems that it sees as key to defending its cities from intensifying Russian air strikes.

A decision by Washington to halt some shipments of weapons to Ukraine prompted warnings by Kyiv that the move would weaken its ability to defend against Russia’s airstrikes and battlefield advances. Germany said it is in talks on buying Patriot air defense systems to bridge the gap.

A source briefed on the Trump-Zelenskiy call told Reuters they were optimistic that supplies of Patriot missiles could resume after what they called a “very good” conversation between the presidents.

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German MPs demand more money for Ukraine – Bild

A group of German lawmakers from the Green Party has called on Chancellor Friedrich Merz to urgently increase military aid to Ukraine, saying Berlin must contribute more in light of a slowdown in US arms deliveries, according to a letter obtained by Bild.

The letter, signed by Bundestag deputies Robin Wagener, Sara Nanni, Sebastian Schafer, and Anton Hofreiter, criticized the federal government’s recently announced increase in military assistance from €7.1 billion to €8.3 billion as insufficient.

The lawmakers pointed to the US decision to pause certain weapons shipments to Kiev as a critical factor, arguing that Berlin should raise the figure to at least €8.5 billion and commit to maintaining that level through 2029.

The Green MPs, who have been among Kiev’s most vocal supporters in the Bundestag, reportedly said the government still has room to maneuver within the approved budget framework, and argued that the constitutional limits on debt spending could be sidestepped through special exemptions.

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German government expands arms cooperation with Ukraine

While the US government is scaling back its military aid to Ukraine, and even halting previously promised arms shipments, the German government is intensifying its military cooperation with Kiev.

This was the central aim of Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s (Christian Democrat, CDU) inaugural visit to Kiev this past Monday. Wadephul was accompanied by “high-ranking representatives of German arms companies,” who reportedly even participated at times in a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The names of the participating corporate executives are being carefully withheld, and details of the arms deals remain undisclosed. Given growing public opposition to militarization, the weapons cooperation is evidently intended to proceed as quietly as possible, behind the backs of the public. It is already well known, however, that the arms manufacturer Rheinmetall operates a tank factory in western Ukraine. Its CEO, Armin Papperger, has made repeated public appearances in Kiev.

Which other arms and industrial companies were represented, and by whom? Could it be that Sigmar Gabriel was also part of the delegation—the former Social Democratic Party (SPD) minister who now sits on the supervisory board of Rheinmetall and serves as chairman of the Atlantik-Brücke (Atlantic Bridge)?

VW recently announced plans to “enter the arms business” and has initiated a collaboration with Rheinmetall to convert its Osnabrück plant for military vehicle production. Furthermore, the Bombardier plant in Görlitz—traditionally involved in railway carriage construction and taken over by Alstom in 2021—has been sold to arms manufacturer KNDS. The IG Metall union has actively supported all these deals.

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Ukrainian Nationalists Will Not Let Zelenskiy Make Peace, Even If He Wanted To

CDM has long had reporting teams on the ground inside Ukraine. It is why we were deplatformed so heavily in 2021 by the ‘Trusted News Initiative’ — due to our reporting on the Biden crime family and accomplices’ dirty work in-country. Our lawsuit initiated with RFK, Jr. and CHD against this suppression and censorship is making its way through the courts. DOJ will enter a ‘statement of interest’ in the case by mid-month.

Recently, we had long discussions with sources in the Kyiv area. We can report that Ukrainian nationalists are open to a ceasefire and permanent peace but only at the 2022 borders, which means, the lines of battle prior to the Russian invasion. Parts of Donetsk, Lugansk and Crimea would stay in Russian control.

While this may have been possible years ago, it does not seem possible now.

The situation politically in the U.S., and on the ground in Ukraine, in other words — reality, has shifted in favor of the Russian Federation.

Our sources tell us that even if Ukrainian President Zelenskiy wanted to negotiate for peace at this time, he cannot because he would be removed from power by nationalist forces that are now in control of Ukraine, and possibly killed.

One important point is that these Nazi elements inside Ukraine were funded and developed by Western intelligence agencies. In other words, it is likely these elements still are in control of these brownshirts.

President Trump is not just fighting Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelenskiy for a negotiated settlement for peace in the Ukraine war, he is fighting elements of the U.S. intelligence community.

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Dept. of Defense Leakers Claim Secretary Pete Hegseth Suspended Military Aid to Kiev without Notifying Allies

The warmongers in the US Department of Defense leaked another report to their associates in the mainstream news this weekend.

According to the anonymous sources Secretary Pete Hegseth suspended military aid to Kiev and did so without notifying US allies in Europe.

The Trump administration halted missile deliveries to Ukraine over concerns that US stockpiles have declined significantly under Joe Biden.

However, anonymous sources told NBC that American stockpiles are not yet under critical minimums.

This is the latest anonymous leak from US Defense officials to smear the Hegseth and the Trump administration.

And, fake news NBC gladly ran with it despite the pushback from the Trump administration.

Russia Today reported:

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suspended shipments of weapons to Ukraine on his own accord despite a military review claiming that the aid would not endanger US readiness, NBC News has claimed. The decision was reportedly made without consulting lawmakers or foreign partners.

Reports of a halt in US military aid to Ukraine emerged earlier this week. US news outlets claimed that the items affected included Patriot missile systems, artillery shells, GMLRS rockets, and other munitions. Washington’s envoy to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, has since confirmed the move, attributing it to concerns that continued military assistance to Kiev could deplete key munitions needed for US forces.

However, NBC reported on Friday, citing three unnamed sources, that a review by senior military officers had found that American stockpiles are not yet beyond critical minimums. The outlet claimed that Hegseth nevertheless halted the shipments in a “unilateral step,” marking the third time he has done so since taking office. The previous suspensions were reversed following pushback from Congress.

This is the latest leak from the military and intel communities to damage President Trump and his team.

In June, anonymous leakers incorrectly announced that the US military strikes on nuclear facilities were unsuccessful.

This turned out to be another lie by anonymous leakers.

The FBI is investigating where that leak originated.

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Ukrainian Defenses Overwhelmed by Russian Steady Advances on Two Fronts

With an acute shortage of military supplies and – more importantly – of human resources, the Ukrainian army has an increasingly hard job defending against the Russian forces exerting pressure at multiple points along the 745-mile-long front line.

Presently, Moscow’s offensives are focused on two main areas: in the northern Sumy and Kharkov regions, and in the eastern Donetsk oblast – and as a result, Kiev’s reserve troops are having difficulties plugging the holes in the overwhelmed defenses.

And, as if that was not bad enough, Russia is about to expand operations to the new Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk.

Associated Press reported:

“Kremlin forces are steadily gaining ground in the strategic eastern logistics hub of Pokrovsk, the capture of which would hand them a major battlefield victory and bring them closer to acquiring the entire Donetsk region. The fighting there has also brought combat to the border of the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time.”

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Ukraine nuclear power plant alert as ALL external electricity cables helping keep reactor fuel cool go DOWN

All external power lines supplying electricity to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP ) in Ukraine were down on Friday, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said.

Ukraine has blamed Russian shelling for severing the last power line at the plant, which is not operating but still requires electricity to keep its nuclear fuel cool and radiation levels safe.

The power plant, Europe’s biggest, has switched to running on diesel generators, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

The IAEA has repeatedly warned of the risk of a catastrophic accident at Zaporizhzhia, which is located near the front line in the war in Ukraine.

Its six reactors are shut down, but the nuclear fuel inside them still needs to be cooled, which requires constant power.

‘Ukraine’s ZNPP lost all off-site power at 17:36 today, 9th time during military conflict and first since late 2023,’ the IAEA said on X. 

‘The ZNPP currently relies on power from its emergency diesel generators, underlining (the) extremely precarious nuclear safety situation.’

Ukraine’s energy minister, German Galuschenko, wrote on Telegram that a Russian strike had cut the plant off.

‘The enemy struck the power line connecting the temporarily occupied (Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant) with the integrated power system of Ukraine.’

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Kyiv On Fire As Russian Pummels Ukrainian Capital

Russian missiles and drones are attacking the capital of Ukraine – Kyiv.

Kyiv International Airport is apparently one of the main targets. Ukrainian air defense assets have been known to be located at the airport.

The attacks come after the phone call today between Russian President Putin and President Trump. POTUS said he was not happy after the call.

It looks like Moscow has decided to push for complete destruction of Ukraine’s military capability to resist, prior to suing for peace. This decision may be based on the Ukrainian destruction of Russian strategic nuclear aircraft just weeks ago.

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Ukrainian Government Targets Orthodox Church in Controversial Crackdown

In a move that has sparked outrage among religious communities, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has escalated his administration’s campaign against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), a cornerstone of spiritual life for millions of Ukrainians.

The latest blow came when Zelensky signed a decree stripping the revered 80-year-old leader of the UOC, of his Ukrainian citizenship, according to Ukraine’s SBU security service agency.

The SBU claims Onufriy, also known as Orest Berezovsky, acquired Russian citizenship in 2002, a charge the metropolitan has denied. In April 2023, Onufriy admitted to briefly holding a Russian passport but insisted he relinquished it, affirming his loyalty to Ukraine.

“I spoke out against Russia’s war with Ukraine and condemned Russian aggression. I consider myself a citizen only of Ukraine,” he declared. Despite this, the Zelensky government has used a new law on multiple citizenship, which flags Russian passport holders for denaturalization, to target the cleric.

For years, Zelensky’s administration has waged a relentless campaign against the UOC, Ukraine’s largest religious body, citing its historical ties to the Russian Orthodox Church. These ties, which date back to the era of Imperial Russia, have been weaponized to justify a sweeping crackdown.

Since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, the SBU reports that over 100 UOC clergy have faced criminal probes for alleged collaboration with Russian forces or spreading pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Nearly 50 have been charged, with 26 convictions handed down.

The government’s actions extend beyond legal measures. Supporters of the state-backed Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), established in 2019 with recognition from the Patriarch of Constantinople, have seized UOC properties, often with apparent impunity.

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