Donbas

Russia jails Australian citizen for fighting in Ukrainian military

A “court” in Russian-occupied Luhansk sentenced OscarJenkins, an Australian national who volunteered to serve in Ukraine’s armed forces, to 13 years in a maximum-security penal colony on charges of “mercenary activity,” RFE/RL reported on May 16.

16 May 2025, 11:47 PM

Russia demanded more Ukrainian land at Istanbul talks

At the May 16 negotiations in Istanbul, Russia kept demanding Ukrainian territory it does not even occupy at the moment.

16 May 2025, 08:35 PM

Russia advances on Novopavlivka, Pokrovsk fronts, faces heavy losses in Bahatyr

Russian forces advanced near Rozlyv on the Novopavlivka front and in Novooleksandrivka on the Pokrovsk front in Donetsk Oblast, while suffering heavy losses in Bahatyr, Ukrainian monitoring group DeepState reported on Telegram on May 16.

16 May 2025, 01:58 PM

Russia pays influencers to whitewash occupation of Mariupol

Russia is trying to paper over its war crimes in Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast, by using pro-Kremlin bloggers to portray the “restoration” of the occupied city, attracting Russian settlers to move there, CNN reported on May 14.

15 May 2025, 01:19 AM

Ukraine turns to TikTok to pierce Russian control behind enemy lines

TikTok became an effective alternative channel of delivering information to residents of the Russian-occupied territories (TOT) of Ukraine after YouTube was blocked, Radio Donbas Realities editor Tetyana Yakubovych said on May 9 at the 17th annual Kyiv Security Forum (KSF) titled UA: Unite Again to Defeat the Global Aggressor.

9 May 2025, 10:05 PM

Ukrainian 28th Brigade exposes Russian army’s defeats in Toretsk battles

Ukraine’s 28th Knights of the Winter Campaign Separate Mechanized Brigade showcased drone strikes obliterating Russian troops and equipment in Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast, on Telegram on May 9, labeling it the “only Victory Parade” Russia deserves.

9 May 2025, 07:50 PM

Russia occupies Zelene Pole in Donetsk Oblast

Russian forces occupied Zelene Pole in Donetsk Oblast and advanced near Nove and Novomykhailivka, DeepState analysts reported on May 4, as Ukraine’s military recorded 253 frontline clashes.

4 May 2025, 06:35 PM

Ukraine reports 180 frontline battles, heavy fighting in Pokrovsk

Ukraine’s military recorded 180 frontline clashes in 24 hours, with intense fighting on the Pokrovsk and Novopavlivka fronts, repelling Russian assaults and killing 1,170 enemy troops, the General Staff reported on Telegram on May 4.

4 May 2025, 04:25 PM

Russian forces push forward on five fronts, Ukraine counterattacks

Russian forces advanced near Lyman, Siversk, Novopavlivka, Kurakhove, and Velyka Novosilka, while Ukraine’s military conducted counterattacks, the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War reported on May 3.

4 May 2025, 01:43 PM

Ukraine halts Russian advance, but faces tough summer

Ukrainian forces stabilized the eastern frontline and recaptured some territory lost to Russia last fall, but warmer weather may complicate their defense, The Wall Street Journal reported on April 28.

29 April 2025, 04:18 PM

Who is to blame for losing Ukraine’s southeast — opinion

As U.S. President Donald Trump’s team begins talks with Ukraine and Russia to end the war there will be inevitably questions over who lost Crimea and parts of the four oblasts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, Kherson? Ukrainian and Western leaders are to blame.

28 April 2025, 11:19 PM

Ukraine could care less about Russian-speaking oblasts — Steve Witkoff

Ukraine “could care less” about some oblasts if they are Russian-speaking, including Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya — areas Russia claims in its constitution, Steve Witkoff, an envoy for Donald Trump, told The Wall Street Journal on April 18.

18 April 2025, 03:00 PM

Russian bombs devastate Pokrovsk while police rescue civilians and pets under fire

Pokrovsk has been one of Russia’s top targets in Donbas for months, with daily strikes and an ongoing effort to encircle the city after failing to seize it in fall 2024.

16 April 2025, 01:05 PM

Old machines, new missions: Ukraine's helicopter crews adapt

In the frigid morning of February 12, 2025, near an undisclosed location in Ukraine, a Mi-8 helicopter descended onto a makeshift landing zone. The crew, part of the 16th Separate Army Aviation Brigade from Brody, had just returned from a mission targeting Russian positions in the Donbas region. Pilots Yurii and Pavlo, both 24, shared their experiences operating the aging Mi-8 helicopters under constant threat from Russian air defenses.

15 April 2025, 10:35 AM

China responds to capture of its citizens fighting for Russia in Donbas

China’s Foreign Ministry is working with Ukraine to verify reports of two Chinese nationals captured as prisoners of war while fighting for Russia in Donetsk Oblast, Newsweek quoted the department’s representative as saying on April 9.

9 April 2025, 12:55 PM

Khortytsia troop grouping calculates Russian losses on eastern front

The Khortytsia Operational-Strategic Troop Grouping, overseeing Ukraine’s eastern front, has quantified the steep price Russia pays for each square kilometer of Ukrainian land it captures, according to its Telegram post on April 7.

7 April 2025, 07:38 PM

Ukraine gains ground near Kupyansk as Russia intensifies attacks on three fronts

Ukrainian Defense Forces recently advanced near Kupyansk while Russian troops escalated attacks across three key fronts—Toretsk, Pokrovsk, and the Kursk Oblast border region—according to the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War’s daily report released on April 5.

6 April 2025, 11:45 AM

Russian offensive stalls on Pokrovsk front, Ukrainian army chief says

Russia's military is focusing its offensive efforts on the Pokrovsk front but is making little progress, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said in a Facebook post on March 31.

31 March 2025, 04:07 PM

How Russia’s poor are benefitting from war while the middle class disappears

In the final installment of NV’s in-depth conversation with exiled Russian economist Igor Lipsits, we explore whether growing economic hardship could eventually spark unrest inside Russia—and why he believes that’s a fantasy. Lipsits breaks down the uneven impact of Putin’s war economy, the burden of occupying Ukrainian territory, and why Russia’s future may increasingly resemble that of North Korea. He also explains why, despite war damage, Ukraine is better positioned for long-term recovery and growth than its aggressor.

30 March 2025, 02:16 PM

Pokrovsk sector sees surge in Russian meat assaults, artillery and drone strikes

Russian invasion forces have intensified their assaults on the Pokrovsk front, resuming aggressive group-by-group attacks backed by heavy artillery and FPV drones, National Guard of Ukraine spokesperson Mykola Koval reported on the Kyiv24 channel on March 25.

25 March 2025, 12:44 PM

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