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Azov Battalion in Ukraine: Who They Are, and What They Do

The Azov Battalion became widely known for resisting Russian forces in Mariupol in Ukraine. Formed by volunteers to protect the Donbas from Russian invaders, it has evolved into an elite unit, with specialists drawn from Ukraine’s special forces. Here’s a look into who its members are and what they do. …

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Wagner Mercs Cuss Out Putin’s Military Brass, Demand More Ammo

by Reid Standish and Aleksei Aleksandrov / Current Time As the frontline Donbas city of Bakhmut has turned into the site of some of the fiercest fighting under way in Ukraine, tensions between the notorious Russian mercenary company, the Vagner Group, and the Russian military have spilled out into the open. …

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Fallen Police Officer’s Wife Finds Letter He Left For Her: ‘My Dead Husband Saved My Life’

Editor’s note: The widow of this fallen police officer wrote about the heartache she felt when her husband was killed in the line of duty… and the letter he left for her to read if that happened. Just over six years ago, my husband was killed in the line of duty. …

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Russian Soldiers Are Thrown Into Battle Like Meat, Ukrainian Paratroopers Say

by Mike Eckel and Borys Sachalko / RFE-RL KREMINNA, Ukraine — For the paratroopers of a Ukrainian airborne brigade, there’s only one way to describe the waves of Russian infantry who are relentlessly pressing the Ukrainian lines in and around this Donbas city: Meat. “First, they throw in the mobilized …

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Hijack and Murder on the High Seas: The Very Strange Case of a Captured Oil Tanker

Everyone thought that the oil tanker Brillante Virtuoso ran afoul of pirates in 2011 in the Gulf of Aden. The assumption was that the hijackers attacked the ship and set her ablaze. When David Mockett, a maritime surveyor, inspected the vessel, he was left with more questions than answers. But …

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Russia’s Unique BMPT ‘Terminator’ Armored Vehicle Operating in Donbas: Here’s What It Can Do

Russian forces in Donbas are using a unique and relatively new armored vehicle known as the “Terminator.” Moscow mentioned the BMPT vehicles on May 18, via the state-owned Ria Novosti news outlet, bolstering earlier informal reports from citizens and journalists downrange. Please leave this field emptySubscribe to the Soldier of …

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‘The Best in Hell’: How the Wagner Group Recruits Mercenaries From Siberian Prisons

by Mike Eckel, RFE/RL A man wearing military fatigues, a balaclava, and a special forces insignia showed up at Correctional Colony No. 29 in the Russian coal-mining region of Kemerovo on October 3. During that evening’s inspection, with several hundred inmates lined up in one of the prison’s outdoor yards, …

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The Patriot Missile System is Headed to Ukraine – Here’s What It Can Do

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last week that the Patriot missile system is “the strongest element” of the new $1.8 billion U.S. military aid package headed to Kyiv. What can the missile do, and how can it help Ukraine fend off continued attacks from Russia? The Patriot missile system was …

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Veterans Groups Rally to Help Afghan Soldier Arrested While Seeking Asylum in US

by Allison P. Erickson, The Texas Tribune Nearly two dozen veterans groups are pleading with the White House this week to intervene in the case of an Afghan national jailed in a Texas border town after he crossed the border illegally while trying to escape the Taliban and rejoin his …

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After ‘Restrepo,’ Civilians Called Me a Hero – But I Struggled to Makes Sense of My Service

by Brendan O ‘Byrne, The War Horse A small line of people formed in front of the stage; some of them offered a handshake or a thank you, a few wanted to tell me a story about their own experience, and others asked a question or two. An older woman …

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