Ukrainian Armed Forces

Iskander strike on 168th reserve battalion: what had happened, who was responsible and how to avoid recurrence? On 1 March, at 15:20, an "Iskander-M" ballistic missile, guided by a hostile drone, struck the location of the 168th reserve battalion of the "East" operational command near the village of Cherkaske, Dnipropetrovsk region. According to sources, up to 39 Ukrainian servicemen were killed and up to 90 wounded. 06.03.25 12:28 25 021 51 Previously in trend: blow to training ground in Dnipropetrovsk region

Company commanders of 66th Brigade, Nazarii and Nazar: With attitude of ’I will not go’, enemy will come to where you live After early graduation from the Lviv Ground Forces Academy in 2023, both friends chose to serve in the 66th Brigade. In January, Nazar was severely wounded. Nazar continues to defend the country and take revenge for his comrade. 21.02.25 23:13 107 781 38

Formation of army corps, ordered by Zelenskyy, is being delayed due to Minister Umierov’s sluggishness Regarding the reorganization of Ukrainian frontline troops into army corps, approved by the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and announced by V. Zelenskyy. 17.02.25 16:03 8 435 22

In memory of Ukrainian soldier Maksym Yemets (Yenot) Maksym Yemets, a Ukrainian warrior—steadfast in battle, responsible for the lives of his subordinates and comrades, who risked his life dozens of times in the fiercest combat zones, sharp-minded, fearless not only before the enemy but also before generals, he served not for rank or position, but for his conscience. He was killed under fire near Pokrovsk on February 4. 10.02.25 15:49 7 008 7

Creation of army corps is essential reform of Armed Forces Yurii Butusov, Editor-in-Chief of Censor.NET, commented on the reform of the Defense Forces, which is set to take place across the entire front: the creation of army corps, changes in the structure, organization, and command of the troops. 04.02.25 20:01 9 949 14

Butusov on 150-series Brigades: main problems and solutions The livestream by Censor.NET Editor-in-Chief Yurii Butusov is dedicated to the challenges of reserve formation, utilization of personnel, and the manning of Ukrainian forces 29.01.25 23:00 8 816 3

Why aren’t our troops taking up strongholds dug by CMA (Civil-Military Administration) in 2024 for 17 billion UAH? When will the Ministry of Defense start building strongholds that protect against drones and are suitable for modern warfare? 22.01.25 18:49 38 084 43

Butusov on results of year at front and internal challenges Censor.NET Editor-in-Chief Yurii Butusov’s stream is dedicated to the results of the military year: what happened in the war, the main results and losses in the war. 31.12.24 21:06 11 644 11

Filatov, Commander of 1st Da Vinci SAB: We will be able to hold Pokrovsk if we are provided with drones and appropriate solutions Dmytro Filatov, Commander of the 1st Separate Assault Battalion "Da Vinci", on the situation around Pokrovsk and the lack of minimum state supply of drones. 23.12.24 18:30 8 463 18

Volunteer fighter Simianyn: "If Myf hadn’t died, we would have occupied checkpoint, and then we would have all been killed there." There is still no street in Dnipro named after the volunteer Simianyn (Family Man), Andrii Shyrokov, a father of three siblings and two adopted children who was killed in 2016 at the Svitlodarsk salient. 23.12.24 23:00 9 898 0

How Army+ app was created and what’s in store for it in future Reforms are never easy. Especially if the area you work in has a lot of regulations, secrets and prohibitions. But if you find the right tool and work hard with it, you can change everything. 19.12.24 15:10 4 375 22

Critical situation that requires immediate decisions: Butusov on fighting near Pokrovsk and Kurakhove The stream of Censor.NET editor-in-chief Yurii Butusov is dedicated to the situation at the frontline in the area of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove. 15.12.24 19:02 12 088 18

Rotation of incompetents. How many times do we have to do this?! Yesterday, long-awaited news leaked to the media. Brigadier General Lutsenko has been removed from the command of the OTG "Donetsk". This untalented general had been in command of the most problematic area of our front for about a year. 15.12.24 14:42 24 533 78

Adaptation is something that is decisive in war For example, adapting tactics in conjunction with engineering solutions and taking into account our own capabilities. Having more resources, the Russians still seek to rationalize their use to increase efficiency. They have their own pragmatic logic. 12.11.24 19:39 4 419 1 Previously in trend: War

"Bradley" combat vehicle driver Slavik, call sign Salty: "Vehicle hits chain of 12 TM mines. Front end smashes, but everyone is alive, even not single seriously injured one" Two cooks and a construction worker, having joined the 47th Magura Brigade, became fearless fighters and took an active part in the counter-offensive in Zaporizhzhia region, evacuated their comrades in arms from the encirclement near Avdiivka, and are now performing missions in the Kursk direction 04.11.24 22:01 36 437 6 Previously in trend: War

Decisions that will change situation at front Yurii Butusov, the Editor-in-Chief of Censor.NET, during a stream on YouTube, outlined his own view on ways out of the current situation at the front. He proposed solutions that can be immediately implemented in the AFU in five main areas: leadership, organization, management, planning and utilization. 05.11.24 22:26 31 813 41 Previously in trend: War

Situation at front as of 24.10.2024 The stream of October 24 is dedicated to the situation at the front. In particular, Censor.NET Editor-in-Chief Yurii Butusov comments on the situation in 11 frontline areas where the enemy has intensified its actions and is advancing. 25.10.24 22:09 17 055 13 Previously in trend: War

Whether military units will be left without electricity, or Why army needs acquisition executive In case you didn’t know, in addition to centralized procurement at the level of two Defense Ministry agencies, the AFU also have procurement at the level of military units. So far, their development has failed, despite the fact that they are a NATO requirement. And the Ministry of Defense’s illiteracy on some issues can lead to the fact that it will be extremely difficult for the military to purchase electricity. 22.10.24 18:11 3 671 5

Transfer from unit to unit for servicemen is one of key problems of army I heard a typical story. A contract sergeant, a qualified artilleryman, from a military family, several years of service, fought flawlessly from the beginning of the great invasion, was the right hand of the combatant and senior battery officer, no jambs. And then the commander was replaced. And the new commander, to put it mildly, did not correspond to his position. 22.10.24 11:03 9 778 24

Infantryman Vadym Panashchenko: "It was easier in 2022. Now Russians have lot of ’eyes’ and they fly not in dozens, but in hundreds" In the spring of 2022, Vadym Panashchenko, the commander of the 5th Slobozhanska Brigade, defended Kharkiv region, and in the fall he took part in a counter-offensive operation to liberate the occupied territories. Now he is fighting in Donetsk region. And he has seen with his own eyes how the enemy’s tactics have changed in the most difficult areas of the front over the past few years. 14.10.24 15:28 5 365 2

Yurii Fedorenko, Commander of Strike Unmanned Aerial System Battalion "Achilles" of 92nd SAB: When war ends, top military officers will be blamed for all grief, heads of "warlords" will roll Yurii Fedorenko, Commander of Strike Unmanned Aerial System Battalion "Achilles" of 92nd SAB, talked to Anna Miroshnychenko about the operation in the Kursk region, the threat of nuclear weapons, the dry law, politics, money and help from partners. 09.10.24 22:32 14 177 14 Previously in trend: War

Call sign Scout: "No one said: "Oh, there are more of them, so that’s it, guys, let’s make deal and give something back." No! Everyone is in their place." Denys, with the call sign Scout, joined the army at the age of 19, before the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2009. That was when he signed his first contract. To this day, he still renews them because, as he admits, he likes what he does. Today he is the chief sergeant of the 2nd division of the 1039th anti-aircraft missile regiment. He is fighting in the Pokrovsk sector. 30.09.24 15:36 8 075 1 Previously in trend: War

Volodymyr Fokin, Commander of 1st Assault Battalion of 3rd SAB of AFU: State should have thought about what to do with war veterans two years ago How long does it take to train an assaultman? Are men getting on in years needed in the army? Why does the war not end and who benefits from it? Volodymyr Fokin, the Commander of the 1st Assault Battalion of the 3rd SAB of the AFU, told Anna Miroshnychenko about these and other issues. In the program "Who is with Miroshnychenko?" he shared his thoughts on the Azov phenomenon and what Ukraine can learn from Russia. 26.09.24 22:47 9 623 7 Previously in trend: War

Events at front: 23.09.2024 Yurii Butusov, Editor-in-Chief of Censor.NET, talks live about the latest developments at the front as of September 23, 2024. 24.09.24 19:56 9 791 0 Previously in trend: War

Glen Grant: We need to change ZSU management structure if we want to reform the ZSU and win We are now at a vital stage of the war. One thing stands out in the Ukrainian Armed Forces above all others. It is not the outstanding combat actions of the soldiers on the front line, which rightly deserve worldwide praise, but the fact that the system itself is dysfunctional on many levels, from political to military. 02.09.24 11:25 14 045 35

People’s hero, Police Officer, Sergeant of AFU Oleksandr Panchenko: "Survivors were ordered to take off their pants to calves so that they could not run, because there was nothing to tie them up with. And I realized by underpants that something was wrong. Two of them turned out to be women." Ten years ago, on July 5, 2014, Girkin’s convoy was breaking through from Sloviansk to Donetsk. They were not allowed to pass through the Ukrainian checkpoint near the stele with the name of the city. A direct participant in that fierce historic battle tells us about it. 17.07.24 22:56 33 578 18

Deputy Minister of Justice Olena Vysotska: "Period for which convict concludes contract with Armed Forces cannot be less than end of martial law. This does not depend on served sentence." More than five thousand convicts have written applications to allow them to serve in the army, and more than half of them have already received a favorable court decision. 17.07.24 17:34 11 361 20 Previously in trend: mobilization

What 10 most important qualities are needed for brigade commander to really hold frontline If we want to defeat the enemy and truly save the lives of our soldiers, we must scale up the experience of successful brigades, create divisions on their basis, and promote successful brigade commanders to leadership positions, giving them the right to determine personnel policy. 02.07.24 21:45 8 941 9 Previously in trend: War

93rd Brigade Medic Maryna Vedkal: "Every day I realize that this may be my last visit" In 2014, an intensive care unit nurse from Myrnohrad forced the military enlistment office to remove her reservation in order to go to war and help the wounded. For two and a half years of the full-scale invasion, the woman has literally been living in an armored car to stay as close to the positions as possible. 02.07.24 18:30 6 309 4 Previously in trend: War

AFU officer Arty Green: How Bezuhla is burning Syrskyi’s "general’s faction" and who is beneficiary of this campaign It has been a month since Mariana Bezuhla has been burning the "general’s faction" with napalm. There’s smoke on FB. She uses phrases and turns of phrase that few people expected from her. 12.06.24 14:44 42 333 125

Should we hold defense to last soldier? The last week has mentally demoralized me so much that it has affected my physical condition. And at a time when I should have recovered, the news from the unit is even more bringing down. 10.06.24 20:59 26 841 96 Previously in trend: War

"Be worthy of deeds of our heroes": Posthumous letter from "hospitalist" Iryna Tsybukh (Cheka) Iryna Tsybukh (Cheka), a 25-year-old journalist for "Suspilne" and a paramedic with the "Hospitallers" volunteer medical evacuation battalion, was killed on 29 May during a rotation in the Kharkiv sector. It happened a few days before her 26th birthday. 31.05.24 13:32 19 377 11 Previously in trend: War

Most frequently asked questions about war Censor.NET Editor-in-Chief Yurii Butusov gave his vision of the development of events and the path to victory in his answers to the most frequently asked questions about the war. 30.04.24 15:25 11 185 13 Previously in trend: War

How to feed army with basil, or What’s wrong again with food procurement for Armed Forces of Ukraine The State Logistics Operator was forced to replace two suppliers of food to the Armed Forces over the past two weeks. There were both objective and subjective reasons for this. 16.04.24 19:56 16 186 35 Economics

Government has been instilling sense of security in people for 2 years, and now they cannot explain to them why they have to climb in trench - Officer of 1st SAB Dmytro Savchenko Dmytro Savchenko, an Officer of the 1st Separate Assault Battalion named after Hero of Ukraine Dmytro Kotsiubaylo "Da Vinci" of the 67th Separate Mechanized Brigade, told Anna Miroshnychenko about what is wrong with mobilization in Ukraine, the repeated offensive on Kharkiv and Kyiv, the Russian army, the duration of the war and the rhetoric of the authorities in an exclusive interview. In the program "Who is with Miroshnychenko?" they talked about justice and mistakes, prospects and support of Western countries. 15.04.24 22:30 26 156 95 War in Ukraine

Prepare for mobilization: With what government provides recruits and what you should buy for yourself Mobilization continues in Ukraine. This process may soon intensify. BusinessCensor decided to find out what the state provides for the military, and what is better to be provided by yourself. 20.03.24 10:10 75 0 Ukrainian Politics

"They promote it as if it works. But in reality, it doesn’t." Recruitment to AFU — where it fails and what to do about it For more than 3 months after the official announcement of recruitment, the Ministry of Defense reports that the public reaction is positive and the process is gaining momentum. More than a thousand units have already joined the independent recruitment process, publishing a total of more than 8,500 vacancies on job search sites. More than a hundred thousand potential recruits have shown interest in them. 15.03.24 17:40 28 297 73 War in Ukraine

Behind scenes of war: what happens in "boot camps" of AFU In the midst of a large-scale war, Ukraine faces a paradox that few people are aware of... 13.03.24 17:30 22 352 129 War in Ukraine

Marharyta Omelianenko: "Russians have started using new tactics. They are digging tunnels in rear to suddenly break out somewhere behind front lines and encircle infantry." Back in 2014, she took up arms for the first time to defend the country, and after postponing her dissertation, she went to the east. The position held by the unit she joined was near the Donetsk airport. Her first battle took place there. 23.02.24 10:00 18 666 41 Previously in trend: War

AVDIIVKA: DEFENSE AND WITHDRAWAL OF AFU Censor.NET Editor-in-Chief Yurii Butusov analyzed the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ withdrawal from Avdiivka on 17 February 2024 in a live broadcast. 19.02.24 23:00 14 001 22 Previously in trend: War

MASS DISMISSALS AND APPOINTMENTS IN LEADERSHIP OF AFU About the large-scale changes in the Armed Forces of Ukraine that have been going on for several days now. 13.02.24 13:05 12 339 20 Ukrainian Politics

Electronic draft notices, seizure of accounts and deferments: What does new draft law on mobilization contain? BusinessCensor analyzed what changes the new draft law on strengthening mobilization foresees for civilians, military personnel, officials and businesses. 01.02.24 08:50 24 0 Ukrainian Politics

Taras Horpyniak, artilleryman with the 10th mountain assault brigade "Edelweiss": "The Russians were complaining: "One tank and 15 ’Ukrops’ killed two and half of our battalions" Taras served in the 109th Battalion of the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade for almost four years. He went through the most terrible and difficult battles near Kyiv, Yakovlivka and on the outskirts of Bakhmut with this unit. 29.01.24 10:25 9 565 4 Previously in trend: War

Battle of Izium: how city was defended and retaken The soldier who defended Izium told us chronologically about the Russian invasion of this town in the Kharkiv region in March 2022. And about the four days that he fought side by side with the legendary Yashka, a Special Forces officer Roman Kosenko, who died on March 9. 21.01.24 09:35 17 004 4 Previously in trend: War

Winter at war: Soldiers’ experience and advice, or "Donetsk wind blows all heat away" How and with what our soldiers keep warm in trenches, dugouts and on duty at observation posts in Donbas, and what they suffer from the most in Kherson region. 18.01.24 09:40 20 567 19 Previously in trend: War

Artem Rakitin (Rocket), DIU Special Forces officer: During operation on "Boiko’s towers" missile struck boat, then airplane was operating How are special operations at sea prepared and conducted? How do Russians storm Ukrainian positions on the ground? The secrets of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine were revealed by Artem Rakitin, a DIU Special Forces officer "Rocket". He told about what was happening on Zmiinyi Island (Snake Island-ed.), how an airplane shelled a boat at sea, why his comrade-in-arms spent 14 hours in the open sea and about the "road of life" from Chernihiv. These and other topics were discussed in the program "Who is with Miroshnychenko?". 20.12.23 11:35 24 690 0 Previously in trend: War

Shogunate of company commander You never see your unit in its entirety. In the years 14-21, people were either on training or vacation, or business trips or in prolonged AWOL (absence without leave). Now, many people are wounded, there are vacancies, and there is a constant turnover of personnel: some are transferred, some are promoted, some are discharged, some are treated, etc. As a result, the classic company-platoon-unit management scheme almost ceases to work. 14.12.23 18:25 13 108 0 Previously in trend: War

Army’s problems: administration, counteroffensive, will Syrskyi replace Zaluzhnyi? This stream is entirely dedicated to the problems of the army. First of all, I would like to congratulate all military personnel, those who served in the army, especially those who are serving now, on the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. I would like to express my gratitude to the Ukrainian soldiers who gave their lives and lost their health during this great war for independence. (Stream was held on December 6) 09.12.23 01:00 21 421 26 War in Ukraine