Donetsk

This week it was announced by the United States’ Department of Defense (DOD) that $200 million would be given to the Ukrainian military to continue the providing of training, equipment, and military advisory services. The DOD wishes to improve upon Ukraine’s internal defense capabilities by working within the framework of its current military forces. Over $1 […]

Ukraine’s military has undergone some drastic changes over the last few years. The “Maidan Revolution” was the beginning of a new age for the eastern bloc nation and their western allies. What started as a military that was structured and heavily influenced by Soviet-era tactics and equipment, has gradually grown into a modern organization that […]

The United State’s 22nd Permanent Representative to NATO, Kay Bailey Hutchison, has guaranteed Ukraine of the United States support for their induction into NATO. She expressed this confidently during a panel discussion at the eleventh Security Forum, which was set-up by the Open Ukraine Fund. She said, “We want Ukraine to become a NATO member, I can assure you. The […]

In response to Russian troops gathering at it’s border, Ukraine‘s Minister of Defense Stepan Poltorak stated the following to local media, “The continuation of aggressive actions in eastern Ukraine is quite anticipated. Moreover, there is a probability that the conflict will escalate into the Kremlin’s full-scale aggression. This is the truth that destroys the illusion regarding […]

We were heading out on our first reconnaissance mission, our objective was located in the no man’s land (but mostly Separatist controlled) that divided the Ukrainian military outposts and Separatist trenches. The countryside was a lush green and seemed rather peaceful given the circumstances. Sitting at an outpost smoking cigarettes, we had to wait for […]

In a region of Donetsk territory under Ukrainian government control, four naval infantrymen were killed by their fellow Marines during an alcohol related incident. Ukraine’s press center released the following statement, “Representatives of the military law enforcement service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Police of Ukraine are investigating the causes and details of the death of servicemen […]

A reintegration bill regarding the retention of Donbass is being discussed by Ukrainian parliament members; there is an overall consensus of refusing to identify the out of control separatist territories of Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (the DPR and the LPR) as legitimate terrorist organizations. The corresponding proposed amendment received only 76 votes out of the […]

The United States is considering providing the Ukrainian military with more advanced weaponry intended for defensive use against the Russians and Russian-backed separatists. The announcement was made by U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker, who said in a TV interview that the weapons would be to maintain the status quo, and that if Russia […]

Fighting in eastern Ukraine has flared up again, which the U.S. special envoy to Ukraine described as a “hot war” after a recent uptick in violence led to 11 people being killed over the course of the last week. “This is not a frozen conflict, this is a hot war and it is an immediate […]

Monday, February 20th, the new ceasefire agreement is in full swing across the front line of Ukraine, but is it going to hold up? I was in one of the front-line villages in last few days, and the Russian-backed rebels have dropped everything on them from AGS (Automatic grenade launcher), 82mm mortars, 120mm mortars to Grad rockets. […]

Seizing Crimea seemed a good idea in 2014, and it was achieved with remarkable ease. As the Russian writer Leonid Kaganov put it, however, it was a bit like stealing an expensive phone without its charger.

American leadership forces the focus on Daesh (ISIS,) as the global threat while Russia expands in a threatening and alarming rate across the globe.