Notes

Ukraine and Russia: Where the War Stands, What Happens Next
They’ve said that the Russians who joined the fighting volunteered to do so on their own. They’ve also criticised the US and NATO for giving Ukraine weapons, saying that it’s encouraging rebel areas. https://euronewstop.co.uk/how-many-troops-does-ukraine-have.html explains that one of the “unintended consequences” of Russia’s invasion is NATO’s renewed unity.

Ukraine's position is that Russian troops must pull back beyond Ukraine's internationally recognised borders for there to be peace. And they have made clear that they will not send combat troops to Ukraine. Although foreign governments are increasingly sending Ukraine more advanced weapons, it takes time to train Ukrainian troops who have relied on Soviet-era calibers, Cancian says. Defense analysts argue that neither side would want to go into negotiations unless they're in a position of strength and able to dictate terms. "We will certainly make use of all weapon systems available to us. This is not a bluff," he warned. While Russia's Vladimir Putin insisted for months that there were no plans to invade Ukraine, it's the question everyone is asking as the president declared a "special military operation" in the Donbas region of the country.
Dissent in Russia is highly risky, with jail sentences handed out for anyone spreading "fake news" about the Russian military. Those opposing Russia's leadership have either fled or, as with main opposition figure Alexei Navalny, been thrown into prison. Neither Russia nor Ukraine give details of their own losses, so reliable numbers are extremely difficult. But Russians losses have been especially heavy in recent weeks, with several hundred deaths every day on the battlefields of the east. Russia's warnings to the West against arming Ukraine have gone unheeded, with Western assurances of support "for as long as it takes" and pledges that Nato will never be divided. A war of attrition is now taking place along an active front line of 850km (530 miles) and Russian victories are small and rare.

Where Russia’s War in Ukraine Stands—And What Could Happen Next
A succession of Western leaders, including President Joe Biden, have made the complex journey to Kyiv. Beyond seizing a territorial corridor to Crimea, Russia's bloody, unprovoked war has been a disaster for itself and the country it was unleashed on. So far, it has achieved little more than exposing the brutality and inadequacy of the Russian military. He has spoken of the capture of this territory, which includes the cities of Mariupol and Melitopol, as a "significant result for Russia". The Sea of Azov, inside the Kerch Strait, "has become Russia's internal sea", he declared, pointing out that even Russian Tsar Peter the Great did not manage that. When Vladimir Putin sent up to 200,000 soldiers into Ukraine on 24 February 2022, he wrongly assumed he could sweep into the capital, Kyiv, in a matter of days and depose the government.

No Nato member wants to risk a direct military confrontation between its troops and those of Russia. The Ukrainian armed forces said they had shot down five Russian planes and a helicopter - which Russia denies - and inflicted casualties on invading troops. In 2014 in eastern Ukraine, Moscow had to insert regular forces after hastily organized Ukrainians beat back Russian irregulars.
This could see states like Poland and the Baltics decide to aid Ukraine on their own, which "might leave NATO's eastern front vulnerable and cause a crisis within the EU and European NATO". If the US abandons the military alliance, it will fall to European countries to ensure a Ukrainian victory, Mr OBrien says. Phillips P OBrien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St Andrews, wrote in an analysis piece that the potential return of Donald Trump to the White House could see the US "neuter" the Western military alliance.

Russia-Ukraine War
Russian forces have now created a land bridge into Ukraine from Crimea, which they invaded in 2014. Some evacuees from this region told BBC colleagues of their happiness that Russia recognised Donetsk and Luhansk. But we don't know if there are foreigners there, covertly working with the Ukrainian army, particularly in light of the calls from Ukraine's president for foreigners to go and help. Ukraine's President has urged foreigners to join what he called an "international brigade" but we don't know the numbers of those who've responded. In terms of how it will be accelerated, Poland has offered to be a logistics hub for the deployment. Western nations are acutely aware of the need to quicken this, with Ukraine concerned that it's running out of ammunition.


This year Russia has undertaken a major military buildup near Ukraine's border and in Crimea. Ukraine's position is that Russian troops must pull back beyond Ukraine's internationally recognised borders for there to be peace. It is backed by two UN resolutions, passed days after the invasion and hours before the first anniversary of the war.


Explosions have been heard by residents in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa and other cities across the country. However, uncertainty seems to be prevailing in Ukraine as people are being urged to stay at home where possible. But the president has imposed martial law across the country, saying that Ukraine was "ready for everything". Putin has repeatedly warned that Ukraine’s attempts to join NATO are a red line for Russia. He also expressed concerns that some members of NATO are trying to set up a military training centre in Ukraine.

The Russian offensive was preceded by artillery fire and there were injuries to border guards, the DPSU said. Russia wants assurances that Ukraine will never be allowed to join Nato; that Nato members will have no permanent forces or infrastructure based in Ukraine; and for a halt to military exercises near Russia's border. This is necessary, as Ukrainian weapon stocks composed of Soviet-standards equipment are depleted, and availability of such arms outside Ukraine is limited too. Recent reports suggest HIMARS may be turning the war back in Ukraine’s favor.
Some Poles I've spoken to near the border feel anxious about their own security - but their primary focus remains on helping Ukrainian friends or relatives on the other side or those who have fled here. Russian troops are trying to take Ukraine's two biggest cities, Kyiv and Kharkiv, but are meeting stiff resistance. Concrete decisions will matter more than any new organisational organigrams, and sophisticated plans or strategies are valuable only as long as they are made real. Russia has started to relish its role as a predator, and it is using brutal force to achieve its imperialist goals. Even weakened, Russia remains capable of inflicting heavy damage upon others.

There's an old axiom that military plans never survive the first contact with the enemy. The West looked on in horror on February 24 as Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. "Added to that are the recent border crisis involving thousands of migrants in Belarus, as well as Russia's backing of separatists in the Caucasus and elsewhere," he said. The Sea of Azov, inside the Kerch Strait, "has become Russia's internal sea", he declared, pointing out that even Russian Tsar Peter the Great did not manage that.
Turkey, a country with the second largest standing army among NATO members, brokered a deal on July 14 with Russia, Ukraine, and the U.N. European leaders and judicial authorities met in the Hague on July 14 to coordinate investigations into Russian atrocities, with the sharing of evidence, prosecution strategy, and international war crimes expertise to investigators on the ground. Only aircraft deployed to protect energy facilities, or those carrying top Russian or foreign officials, will be allowed to fly with special permission in the designated zones, according to the Vedomosti daily newspaper. Gen Barrons believes that while Russia has the forces in place to defeat Ukraine's army eventually, that could be replaced by a "very resilient insurgency".

The decision marks the end of the Minsk peace deal, a troubled road map out of the conflict that would have left the territories in Ukraine. Now Russia have confirmed plans to invade Ukraine, although Vladimir Putin has said he has no plans to "occupy" the country, various states have confirmed that Russia will face harsh sanctions. By avoiding Russian efforts at rapid encirclement, Ukraine could trade space for time. Kyiv believes Russia is also seeking to depose the pro-European government in Moldova, where Russian troops are based in the breakaway region of Transnistria bordering Ukraine. Despite warnings from the US and its Nato allies that any invasion by Russia of Ukraine would have "severe economic consequences," Moscow's military build-up on the border continues.
Russia has begun a large-scale military attack on Ukraine, its southern neighbour, on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin. As diplomats met in Brussels on Tuesday, it remained unclear whether Putin’s order to send troops into Ukraine would be the trigger for the massive sanctions the EU has been threatening for weeks. Here’s where Ukraine has mounted multiple attacks this week in the apparent beginning of its long-planned counteroffensive.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 saw the return of major war to the European continent. The course of the conflict in 2023 marked the fact that industrial-age warfare had returned too. More than ever, the outcome depends on political decisions made miles away from the centre of the conflict - in Washington and in Brussels. President Volodomyr Zelensky has admitted his country's spring offensive has not been the success he hoped. To understand the situation though, it’s important to go back a few years. Originally Ukraine was part of the Russian empire (USSR) but it won independence when the empire dissolved in 1991.


It has also changed conscription laws, foreseeing the need to bolster its forces, which are dwarfed in size by Russia's but are more highly trained and equipped. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week that the military had asked for up to 500,000 additional conscripts but said he needed to hear "more arguments" to support the sensitive and costly proposal. Ukrainian military officials have conceded that hopes and expectations of a great breakthrough in the counteroffensive were not met. Ukrainian defenders have geographical scale and a military hardened by seven years of fighting in eastern Ukraine. By avoiding Russian efforts at rapid encirclement, Ukraine could trade space for time. Stingers could down Russian airlifters and helicopters providing logistics support to forward fighters.

Here's my website: https://euronewstop.co.uk/how-many-troops-does-ukraine-have.html