#ukraine

#ukraine

Out of all European militaries, Ukraine's armored forces stand as some of the strongest on the continent. With a tank force of more than 1,100, Ukraine has solidified its position as capable of sustaining prolonged operations with reasonable results against a far larger force. While Ukraine's tank force might be the most battle-tested in Europe, it is by no means the largest.

The team started cooking for hospitals and the national guard, and making up food packs for people who needed them. The war was a massive shock for us, but it was also a time when everyone pulled together. Suppliers were helping they would call and say: We've got 10kg of sweet potato, do you want them? You would put a message on the group chat with other restaurants and bars saying you'd had a request to feed 400 people.

As any prosecutor and surely Mr. Woodward knows, the person on the inside who calls and says 'I want to talk' is an informant, or snitch, and is generally looking to bargain a deal, to improve his or her own situation, to place the blame on someone else in return for being allowed to plead down or out certain charges, and therefore "knows that his or her testimony will be unrespected, even reviled, subjected to rigorous examination and often rejection."

Sources told RFE/RL's Hungarian Service that components found missing from the planes include electronics that control location and weapons systems in the aircraft. They added that Interior Ministry officials suspect the theft of the parts may have been orchestrated by those inside the Kecskemet military airport where the decommissioned planes are parked. Hungarian media Bikk, which first reported on the issue, said unknown individuals cut through the perimeter fence of the airport, drove onto the base, and gained access to the aircraft.

As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy put it, the arrival of the multirole jets represents a " new chapter " for the air force. The F-16's versatility opens up tactical and strategic possibilities that the older Soviet aircraft couldn't exploit. However, the donations of F-16s come with strings attached. The debate over whether or not to limit where the F-16s can operate could have a huge bearing on the conflict's outcome.

At Ukraine's request, the standard course for new recruits was recently extended from five weeks to seven, said Col. Boardman, the program's commanding officer. Boardman, who the British defense ministry requested be identified only by rank and last name, described Ukraine's choice as "a very conscious decision in the face of a huge quantitative mismatch to the Russian military," which is much larger, with more people and significantly more equipment.

On the last day of July, Russia launched an attack on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, the bloodiest one this year: 300 drones and eight missiles killed 31 people. On the same day, 700km (435 miles) away in a camp near the city of Svalyava in the Carpathian mountains, 30 children are roasting marshmallows. Most of the children live in Kyiv, but for now, they are at the Zefir summer camp.

After meeting European Union defense and foreign affairs ministers in Copenhagen, top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas described "broad support" for a military training mission inside Ukraine.

The whole package, including training and support for the missile, is estimated to cost $850 million. The statement said Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, and the US Foreign Military Financing program would help pay for it. "This proposed sale will improve Ukraine's capability to meet current and future threats by further equipping it to conduct self-defense and regional security missions," the State Department statement said. Congress must still approve the sale for it to be final, though US lawmakers have never successfully blocked such proposed packages.

On Wednesday night, our office in Kyiv was damaged in a Russian missile attack. It was a stark reminder of the risks that an organisation such as ours faces in conflict-affected areas. I was relieved to hear that all colleagues were safe and accounted for. One colleague was injured and admitted to hospital but thankfully he is in a stable condition.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said he and chief delegate Rustem Umerov were in Riyadh on August 27 to meet with the Saudi defense minister and national security adviser. Zelenskyy, speaking during his nightly video address, said the Ukrainian officials will travel next to Switzerland on August 28 before heading to New York for discussions with US special envoy Steve Witkoff. Ahead of the US meeting, Zelenskyy urged additional measures against Moscow to force it into peace talks.

Finnish president Alexander Stubb has been speaking at a press conference before the country's ambassadors' conference in Helsinki. In comments reported by the Finnish public broadcaster, Yle, he said that he hoped Trump's patience with Putin would run out soon. He insisted that Finland and other European countries will do everything we can do achieve lasting peace. He also hinted that the only way to force Putin to end the invasion of Ukraine would be by hitting his allies,

It may be difficult for a real-estate mogul like Donald Trump to recognize, but Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine is not about slices of war-torn land in eastern Ukraine. It is about Ukraine's democracy. Putin fears that the Russian people will see that democracy as an enticing alternative to his stultifying autocratic rule. Trump is unlikely to secure a peace deal unless he acts on that reality and changes the cost-benefit analysis behind Putin's continuing war.

It was dubbed the Great European Charm Offensive. Hours before Volodymyr Zelenskyy headed to Washington for a Monday meeting with Donald Trump, announcements came pouring in from across Europe, making it clear that the president of Ukraine would not be going alone. Instead, seven European heavyweights a dream team of leaders representing Europe's economic and military heft and who had a proven rapport with the US president hastily cleared their schedules to join Zelenskyy in Washington.