Ukrainians

KOSTYANTYNIVKA, Ukraine - Ukrainian forces have been reduced to small footholds in the devastated eastern city of Bakhmut, which despite its limited strategic importance has emerged as the war's bloodiest battlefield. But they have made gains on the Russian flanks, in a move to encircle the city and extend the fight there, according to Ukrainian officials and military personnel in the field. "I'm in the trenches. We've fortified ourselves in the positions" that Russia once held, Yuriy, a soldier in the Ukrainian Army's Fifth Separate Assault Brigade, wrote in a text message from a position to the south of Bakhmut, near the village of Klishchiivka. He spoke on the condition of anonymity for security reasons. "Around us are a lot of dead Russians," he said. Ukraine still holds slivers of the city, including the area around what has become a landmark of Ukraine's last redoubt: a destroyed sculpture of a Soviet MiG fighter jet, according to multiple military personnel involved in … [Read more...] about As hold on Bakhmut slips, Ukrainian forces push to encircle city

KYIV, Ukraine - Russian officials said Tuesday that a counterterrorism operation was underway in the western region of Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, after anti-Russian militias fighting on Ukraine's side in the war mounted an attack on a border post and on an office of the Federal Security Service, or FSB. The governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said Tuesday that one person had died and eight people were injured. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday the cross-border attack was an attempt by Ukraine to distract attention from Russia's seizure of Bakhmut, the long-embattled city in eastern Ukraine that Russia claimed this week to have finally captured. After previous incidents, including drone strikes and an armed incursion in the Bryansk region, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered officials to tighten security in Belgorod and other regions adjacent to Ukraine, but the new attack showed Russia is still incapable of protecting the border zone. Prior security … [Read more...] about Anti-Putin militias mount cross-border incursion in western Russia

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has chosen a new leader for the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, a joint position that oversees much of America's cyber warfare and defense. Air Force Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh, the current deputy commander of Cyber Command, would replace Army Gen. Paul Nakasone, who has led both organizations since May 2018 and was expected to step down this year, according to a notice sent by the Air Force this week and confirmed by a person familiar with the announcement. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters not yet made public. If confirmed, Haugh will take charge of highly influential U.S. efforts to bolster Ukraine's cybersecurity and share information with Ukrainian forces fighting Russia's invasion. He will also oversee programs to detect and stop foreign influence and interference in American elections, as well as those targeting criminals behind ransomware attacks that have shut down hospital systems … [Read more...] about Biden picks new National Security Agency head, key to support of Ukraine, defense of US elections