Our former student writes about the retreat of his brigade from Vuhledar this week. It is a heavy but honest reading
“The 72nd Brigade left Vuhledar battered, with heavy losses. 1/
Before that, the Russians had already reached the areas through which the brigade would retreat and set up firing positions in garages behind the cemetery. 2/
The 72nd’s withdrawal was brutal. Vehicles, armored carriers were hit and burned. After days of agony in the besieged city before that, the soldiers were drained. By the dawn of retreat, not all had the strength to move to try break through 3/
Some stayed behind, committing themselves to death to cover the retreat 4/
By a cruel twist, while my brigade was clawing its way out of Vuhledar, people across the country were sipping coffee, going to cinemas, and strolling to street music 5/
Well-wishes, both genuine and routine, were offered to the soldiers – even as they were dying, abandoned to their fate 6/
I have no way to bridge these two worlds - the peaceful Ukraine and the military, each marching relentlessly on its path 7/
We were reborn there in the war in the East. Born in Kyiv, we were forged again in the fields and basements of Vuhledar. Now those empty, iron-pierced spaces are our homeland, and we are strangers on the Kyiv’s streets 8/
In these three years of the war, unfamiliar faces have filled the sidewalks and metro, with new expressions I don’t recognize or can comprehend 9/
They seem light, translucent; we are grim and dirty, stained by a darkness that no bath or barbershop [a reference to the hipster culture of Kyiv] can wash away 10/
Now, the 72nd, driven from its den, risks annihilation in the open fields under artillery and FPV drones. The Russians’ control from Vuhledar’s heights stretches 15 kilometers, nearly to Kurakhove 11/
Pray, to anyone you can, that the 72nd – my first and forever brigade (though I left long ago) – isn’t ground into dust beyond Vuhledar 12/
Pray the remnants of this once-mighty force aren’t destroyed, that it has a chance to rise again, to carry its hard-won experience and pain into future victories (Igor Lutsenko) 13X
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A Ukrainian "Baba Yaga" mega drone killed Volodymyr Leontyev — Moscow’s puppet mayor of occupied Nova Kakhovka.
He's one of Kyiv’s most wanted collaborators for torture and abductions. The strike blew up his car near Zaporizhzhia. He died in hospital soon after — Times. 1/
A Kyiv court sentenced Leontyev in absentia to 15 years for ordering Russian troops to abduct and torture Oleksandr Shapovalov, mayor of nearby Beryslav, and journalist Oleh Baturin.
He helped occupation forces hunt pro-Ukrainian residents. 2/
Ukraine’s military intelligence vows to keep targeting collaborators.
After agents killed Mykhailo Hrytsai in June, a DIU officer told Kyiv Independent: There’re still plenty of such targets in the occupied territories. We will get to each and every one. 3/
Discussions around Tomahawks are quite similar to what happened with ATACMS. Will see.
White House is weighing sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine — a move Putin calls a new stage of escalation, FP. They can reach Moscow and mark a shift from Trump’s earlier stance. 1/
JD Vance confirmed Washington is looking at the sale of Tomahawks after Zelenskyy’s request.
The US will also share intelligence to guide strikes on Russia’s oil sector, already hit by drones that cut refining capacity by up to 40%. 2/
Tomahawks carry 450 kg warheads and would multiply Ukraine’s strike power.
The US has built nearly 9,000 since the 1980s and could send around 200 older missiles without touching core reserves. 3/
In Czech, pro-Russian right-wing ANO party of Andrej Babiš won parliamentary elections with 34.5% of vote, securing 80/200 seats.
Babiš on Czech ammunition initiative for Ukraine: It should be organized by NATO and transparent, if there's war, nobody should make money from it, — Suspilne. 1/
[The Czech Republic is a member of NATO, and is responsible for transparency, as it is the initiator of this mechanism.] 2/
Babiš on Ukraine's accession to the EU: You are not prepared for the EU.
We have to end the war first, and of course we can cooperate with Ukraine, but you are not ready for the EU. 3/
War against Ukraine has a very negative impact on Russia, and this is a harsh reality Putin should accept.
On Sept 28, Moldova gave Maia Sandu’s pro-EU party power despite Russian funding, FP. Armenia backed EU accession, Azerbaijan expelled Russian influence and turned away 1/
Russia’s invasion destroyed its own base inside Ukraine. Moscow once relied on pro-Russian attitudes in the east and south. After Crimea 2014, separatist violence, and years of brutal occupation, those regions turned firmly against Moscow.
2/
In August, Pashinyan and Aliyev signed a U.S.-brokered peace at the White House. Armenia endorsed EU accession in February, Azerbaijan pushed out Russian influence. Washington now mediates the Caucasus, where Moscow once dictated.
3/