Ukrainian forces under heavy assault from Russian-backed separatists

Ukrainian forces under heavy assault from Russian-backed separatists

Russian backed separatists forced Ukrainian troops, from the 72nd Armoured Brigade based in Zolote, Luhansk region, to withdraw on February 18th, 2020. This has been the most intense engagement since the conflict broke out in 2014. This does not bode well for the ongoing peace negotiations. The Ukrainian TSN TV news service reported that not […]

Is Belarus set to become a part of Russia?

Is Belarus set to become a part of Russia?

According to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Russia has suggested offering favorable oil deals in exchange for a unified state. For roughly two decades, Moscow and Minsk have been discussing the possibility of forming such a union, though with no success. Recent developments have shown growing cracks in their relations. Following the failure to agree on […]

Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman: From zero to hero and back again

Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman: From zero to hero and back again

From Zero to Hero It wasn’t too long ago that the President’s foes, broadly known as “The Resistance” were saying that anyone serving on Trump’s White House staff are traitors.  Try not to be surprised that the Resistance is now outraged that the President dismissed two Army Colonels on detail to the White House NSC […]

Watch: Russians ambush and wipe-out Ukrainian recon patrol

Watch: Russians ambush and wipe-out Ukrainian recon patrol

The advent of portable cameras, coupled with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, saw an exponential increase in helmet-cam footage. Add to the equation WikiLeaks and YouTube, and one has vast access to combat footage. Yet it is very rare that one gets the chance to experience the same military operation from both sides of […]

Did the Iranians shoot down the Ukranian passenger plane?

Did the Iranians shoot down the Ukranian passenger plane?

The missile strike conducted by the Iranians on the United States’ bases in Iraq as retaliation against the United States for the drone airstrike on January 3 that killed Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani, Commander of the Quds Force, may have claimed unintended victims: Pentagon and intelligence officials increasingly believe that the airliner that took […]

NATO activates new regional SOF command

NATO activates new regional SOF command

In trying to increase its effectiveness and interoperability, NATO has created yet another mini Special Operations Command. In late October, Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Austria (a NATO partner) signed a memorandum of understanding for the creation of the Regional Special Operations Component Command (R-SOCC). Hungary, as the framework nation (i.e., the nation which launched […]

The Video of the Week: SOF force-on-force and Unconventional Warfare

The Video of the Week: SOF force-on-force and Unconventional Warfare

Exercise Combined Resolve XII is a force-on-force exercise that included over 5,000 multinational participants, which took place in Hohenfels, Germany. About 140 Special Operations Forces from five countries participated in the exercise, from August 11-27, to strengthen the combined, joint force on the battlefield, and the readiness of both SOF and conventional forces. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjjTYi9NC1o

The Pic of the Day: Ukrainian Mi-24 providing close-air support to coalition convoy

The Pic of the Day: Ukrainian Mi-24 providing close-air support to coalition convoy

A Ukrainian helicopter veers left while providing aerial support to ground troops during a water gap crossing demonstration during Rapid Trident 2019 in Yavoriv, Ukraine, Sept. 20, 2019. RT19 is an annual, multinational exercise occurring from Sept. 13-28, 2019, which involves approximately 3,700 personnel from 14 nations, that supports joint combined interoperability among partner militaries […]

As impeachment calls persist, Ukraine edges closer to peace

As impeachment calls persist, Ukraine edges closer to peace

Since the outbreak of violence in 2014, Ukraine might be closer to achieving lasting peace in its eastern provinces. Recent pushes by President Volodymyr Zelensky to find a permanent solution with separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk offers significant potential but has faced stiff opposition in the country’s western regions. Zelensky announced that he supported an […]

The Pic of the Day: Meet the Werewolves, Ukrainian SOF unveil their new patch

The Pic of the Day: Meet the Werewolves, Ukrainian SOF unveil their new patch

According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, the “silver head of the Werewolf with golden eyes represents the governing, that is, the ‘main’ structure of the SOF. In its mouth, the wolf holds two arrows, symbolizing the enemy. One arrow is broken: it is a destroyed enemy. An intact arrow held in fangs means a […]

Welcome to the big league: Ukrainian SOF unit operationally greenlighted by US & NATO

Welcome to the big league: Ukrainian SOF unit operationally greenlighted by US & NATO

A Ukrainian Special Operations unit has become the first-ever non-NATO unit to pass the Alliance’s arduous SOF certification process. The 140th Special Operations Forces Center (140th SOFC) is now eligible to deploy and operate under the umbrella of NATO’s Response Force, the NRF. Being a SOF unit, however, means that if it were to be called, […]