“There were 95 of us. We stood in way of around 4,500 rebels”: Meet “Hammer”, Ukrainian soldier, who served in UN peacekeeping in Africa
Oleksii is a fourth-generation Ukrainian soldier
Browsing Tag
mobilization
187 posts
Lukashenka announces war preparations—Ukrainian official calls it Russian “information agenda”
A war-readiness regime Belarus can run indefinitely without invading
Turning point: Russia is now losing more soldiers in Ukraine each month than it recruits
Ukraine is winning the three-front war, said its defense minister.
Russia paid 206 troops for every Ukrainian square kilometer gained in March. Last summer it paid 61 — expert
Russia lost 31,960 troops in March for 155 square kilometers.
Russia is ordering companies to nominate employees for military service — 2 to 5 names depending on size
Enlistment rates falling in major cities. Despite incentives, army struggles to replenish.
43% of Russian POWs rated Ukrainians as less than fully human — and Kremlin propaganda explains why
The more a captured Russian soldier believed Kremlin narratives, the more likely he was to dehumanize Ukrainians on a validated scientific scale — a finding researchers say helps build the legal case against Russia's propagandists as abettors of aggression.
Frontline in Ukraine reduced to “robotic kill zone,” Zaluzhnyi says
Robots now conduct assaults as the number of troops physically able to operate in the combat zone keeps shrinking, Ukraine's former commander-in-chief said.
ISW: Russia is laying the groundwork for rolling involuntary call-ups as its recruitment system runs dry
A new Duma bill adopted on 18 February would criminalize criticism of reserve call-ups, while Bloomberg reports Russia lost 9,000 more troops than it replaced in January 2026 — the first time recruitment has visibly fallen behind losses.
Russia’s next axis: Kostiantynivka. Ukrainian commander says its defense could tie down Moscow’s army for entire 2026
Battles for Kostiantynivka are beginning.
Russia’s 2026 plan: Draft 261,000 year-round, ignore war crimes tribunals, continue war indefinitely
Putin formalizes permanent mobilization after 135,000 the fall call-up.
Why Russia’s war machine may have peaked: new ISW assessment says Moscow can’t build momentum due to lack of reserves
With no extra troops to shift across sectors, Russia keeps trading one front for another, exposing dangerous vulnerabilities.
I’ve monitored Russian soldiers for 3.5 years. The system is finally cracking
What looks like stability is just the residue of fear and habit.
Promised “safe service,” Ukrainians in occupied Kherson are thrown into Russia’s front-line meat grinder to fight against their own people
Despite assurances they would not see combat, at least thousands of men drafted by Russia in the occupied region are being sent into active fighting after short training.
Crimean deputies train for combat in private army that deploys twenty buses to front
Fighters lack legal status, won't receive veteran benefits despite combat duty.
Putin shifts Russia to year-round conscription after 346,000 losses in 2025
The new legislation requires military enlistment offices to process recruits continuously throughout the year, eliminating seasonal breaks.
ISW warns: Kremlin prepares to mobilize reservists without formal call‑up as its paid recruitment system collapses
A single draft amendment erases the last legal barrier to sending reservists into combat on a rolling basis.
Ukraine captures Indian fighting for Russia — he says Moscow swapped his drug sentence for a rifle
Once in Russian hands, the 22‑year‑old says he endured empty promises of cash, a rushed 16‑day training, and an assault mission he allegedly never wanted.
ISW: Putin orders semi-annual draft while turning conscription into year-round bureaucracy to dodge mobilization bottlenecks
A shift that could let Russia tap more reservists later without public mobilization shock.
New front opens for unexpected category of Ukrainians — yet joining remains choice, not command
Volunteers can sign one-year contracts after health checks.
Ukraine’s draft evasion problem is a symptom of a deeper crisis
Why do Ukrainian men refuse mobilization, hide in their homes, and let their wives, sisters, and mothers do the everyday heavy lifting? Why does Ukraine’s mobilization system no longer work?