Month: December 2023

How Ukrainian Special Forces Secured a Critical Dnipro River Crossing

KHERSON, UKRAINE — Their first battle plan was outdated the moment the dam crumbled. So the Ukrainian special forces officers spent six months adapting their fight to secure a crossing to the other side of the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine. But it wasn’t enough just to cross the river. They needed backup to hold it. And for that, they needed proof that it could be done. For one of the officers, nicknamed Skif, that meant a Ukrainian flag — and a photo op. Skif, Ukrainian shorthand for the nomadic Scythian people who founded an empire on what is now Crimea, …

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Sweden’s NATO Bid Back for Debate by Turkish Parliamentary Committee

Ankara, Turkey — The Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee resumed deliberations Tuesday on Sweden’s bid to join NATO, days after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan linked the Nordic country’s admission to U.S. approval of Turkey’s request to purchase F-16 fighter jets. Turkey, a NATO member, lifted its objection to Sweden joining the trans-Atlantic alliance in July but the ratification process has since stalled in parliament. Turkey accuses Sweden of not taking its security concerns seriously enough, including its fight against Kurdish militants and other groups that Ankara considers to be security threats. This month, Erdogan threw up another obstacle by saying openly …

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Year of Bitter Ukraine Battles Ends in Virtual Stalemate

A year of bitter battles in Ukraine has left neither the Russian nor Ukrainian side victorious and the front lines virtually at a stalemate. As war fatigue plagues Ukrainian forces and their Western supporters, observers say they foresee a drawn-out war of attrition. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Ukraine’s southern front lines and the capital, Kyiv. Camera: Yan Boechat. …

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Після збиття російських літаків на Херсонському напрямку війська РФ не застосовують КАБи – Гуменюк

«З 22 грудня ми не фіксуємо жодного пуску керованих авіабомб у нашій зоні відповідальності. Не тільки на суходолі, а й в акваторії Чорного моря» – заявила Наталія Гуменюк …

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