Flashpoints

Small wins buoy Ukraine; West says Russians losing momentum

“Ukraine can win this war,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.

6 hours ago

Finland to seek NATO entry in ‘new era’ amid Russia’s war

Finland’s president and government have announced that the Nordic country intends to apply for membership in NATO.

26 hours ago

Okinawa marks 50 years of end to US rule amid protests

Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki has urged Japan’s central government to do more to reduce the U.S. military presence in the southern island group.

Pentagon chief talks to Russian counterpart for first time since Ukraine war began

This is the first conversation between the two defense chiefs since Feb. 18, a week before the war started.

3 days ago

Russia takes losses in failed river crossing, officials say

Russia lost significant numbers of troops and important equipment when Ukrainian forces thwarted their attempt to cross a river in the east, British officials said.

3 days ago

North Korea fires 3 ballistic missiles amid first virus outbreak

South Korea says North Korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea in the latest of a series of weapons demonstrations this year.

4 days ago

US leads exercise in North Macedonia, NATO’s newest member

Nearly 10,000 soldiers from 19 nations are taking part in NATO’s planned “Swift Response” exercises as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues for a 12th week.

4 days ago

Alabama Marine veteran is volunteering in Ukraine

He’s been an instructor within a training unit that schools the Ukrainian armed forces in an intensive two-week military crash course before they’re sent to the front lines.

6 days ago

Dozens feared dead after Russian bomb levels Ukraine school

Dozens of Ukrainians are feared dead after a Russian bomb destroyed a school sheltering about 90 people in eastern Ukraine.

8 days ago

‘We’re so sorry’: Mariupol steel plant evacuees feel relief, grief

The steel plant has a maze of more than 30 bunkers and tunnels spread out over its 11 square kilometers (4 miles), and each bunker was its own world.

10 days ago

See the weapons at Russia’s Victory Day parade rehearsal

Victory Day is a rare event in the nation’s divisive post-Soviet history that is revered by all political players, and the Kremlin has used that sentiment to encourage patriotic pride and underline Russia’s role as a global power.

11 days ago

Mariupol steel mill battle rages as Ukraine repels attacks

Heavy fighting raged Thursday at the besieged steel plant in Mariupol, as Russian forces attempted to finish off the city’s last-ditch defenders and complete the capture of the strategically vital port.

11 days ago

North Korea fires ballistic missile amid rising animosities

The launch comes days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to bolster his nuclear arsenal and threatened to use them against rivals.

12 days ago

Russia pounds Ukraine, targeting supply of Western arms

Russian forces pounded targets across Ukraine, taking aim at supply lines for foreign weapons in the west and intensifying an offensive in the east.

12 days ago

As a veteran that went to Ukraine, here’s what I saw

Military Times reporter and Marine veteran Rachel Nostrant chronicles her time in Ukraine.

13 days ago

Push to arm Ukraine putting strain on US weapons stockpile

Can the U.S. sustain the cadence of shipping vast amounts of arms to Ukraine while maintaining the healthy stockpile it may need should conflict erupt with North Korea, Iran or elsewhere?

13 days ago

Ukraine admits ‘Ghost of Kyiv’ fighter pilot is a myth

On social media, the “Ghost of Kyiv” was a military hero, an ace fighter pilot hailed for supposedly shooting down multiple Russian planes.

14 days ago

Ukraine says its drones hit Russian fast boats at sea

The attacks were captured on video that Ukrainian officials released on Monday morning.

14 days ago

Aviano F-16s take over Black Sea NATO air policing mission

Six F-16s from the 510th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron arrived in Romania on April 29.

2 weeks ago

Combat death puts spotlight on Americans fighting in Ukraine

An undetermined number of Americans, many with military backgrounds, are thought to be in Ukraine battling Russian forces.

2 weeks ago

Some evacuated from Mariupol; US lawmakers visit Kyiv

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of a U.S. congressional delegation met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

2 weeks ago

Marine veteran killed fighting in Ukraine, relatives say

He would be the first known U.S. citizen to have been killed while fighting in Ukraine.

2 weeks ago

North Carolina National Guard to lend support to Ukraine

The Army National Guard is providing M-113 armored personnel carriers as part of a larger U.S. support package to Ukraine.

2 weeks ago

Ukraine says Russian offensive in east gathering momentum

Forced to regroup after failing to take the capital, Russia switched its focus to the vital eastern industrial heartland, where fighting is now picking up.

3 weeks ago

Russia hits rail, fuel facilities in attacks deep in Ukraine

Russia unleashed a string of attacks against Ukrainian rail and fuel facilities Monday.

3 weeks ago

Ukraine leader pushes for more arms; US officials to visit

Ukraine’s leader is petitioning for more powerful Western weapons as he prepares to meet with top U.S. officials in the war-torn country’s capital.

3 weeks ago

Lawmakers want US to set up field hospitals for Ukraine

The steps recommended by the group include opening field hospitals in eastern Poland, providing Ukraine with armored ambulances and taking some of the sick and wounded to a U.S. military hospital in Germany.

3 weeks ago

Putin claims Mariupol win but won’t storm Ukrainian holdout

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his forces not to storm the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in the besieged city of Mariupol but to block it “so that not even a fly comes through.”

4 weeks ago

Flashpoints

The latest news from Air Force Times about global conflict, terrorism and U.S. military affairs

“Ukraine can win this war,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.

Finland’s president and government have announced that the Nordic country intends to apply for membership in NATO.

Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki has urged Japan’s central government to do more to reduce the U.S. military presence in the southern island group.

This is the first conversation between the two defense chiefs since Feb. 18, a week before the war started.

Russia lost significant numbers of troops and important equipment when Ukrainian forces thwarted their attempt to cross a river in the east, British officials said.

South Korea says North Korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea in the latest of a series of weapons demonstrations this year.

Nearly 10,000 soldiers from 19 nations are taking part in NATO’s planned “Swift Response” exercises as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues for a 12th week.

He’s been an instructor within a training unit that schools the Ukrainian armed forces in an intensive two-week military crash course before they’re sent to the front lines.

Dozens of Ukrainians are feared dead after a Russian bomb destroyed a school sheltering about 90 people in eastern Ukraine.

The steel plant has a maze of more than 30 bunkers and tunnels spread out over its 11 square kilometers (4 miles), and each bunker was its own world.

Victory Day is a rare event in the nation’s divisive post-Soviet history that is revered by all political players, and the Kremlin has used that sentiment to encourage patriotic pride and underline Russia’s role as a global power.

Heavy fighting raged Thursday at the besieged steel plant in Mariupol, as Russian forces attempted to finish off the city’s last-ditch defenders and complete the capture of the strategically vital port.

The launch comes days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to bolster his nuclear arsenal and threatened to use them against rivals.

Russian forces pounded targets across Ukraine, taking aim at supply lines for foreign weapons in the west and intensifying an offensive in the east.

Military Times reporter and Marine veteran Rachel Nostrant chronicles her time in Ukraine.

Can the U.S. sustain the cadence of shipping vast amounts of arms to Ukraine while maintaining the healthy stockpile it may need should conflict erupt with North Korea, Iran or elsewhere?

On social media, the “Ghost of Kyiv” was a military hero, an ace fighter pilot hailed for supposedly shooting down multiple Russian planes.

The attacks were captured on video that Ukrainian officials released on Monday morning.

Six F-16s from the 510th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron arrived in Romania on April 29.

An undetermined number of Americans, many with military backgrounds, are thought to be in Ukraine battling Russian forces.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of a U.S. congressional delegation met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

He would be the first known U.S. citizen to have been killed while fighting in Ukraine.

The Army National Guard is providing M-113 armored personnel carriers as part of a larger U.S. support package to Ukraine.

Forced to regroup after failing to take the capital, Russia switched its focus to the vital eastern industrial heartland, where fighting is now picking up.

Russia unleashed a string of attacks against Ukrainian rail and fuel facilities Monday.

Ukraine’s leader is petitioning for more powerful Western weapons as he prepares to meet with top U.S. officials in the war-torn country’s capital.

The steps recommended by the group include opening field hospitals in eastern Poland, providing Ukraine with armored ambulances and taking some of the sick and wounded to a U.S. military hospital in Germany.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his forces not to storm the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in the besieged city of Mariupol but to block it “so that not even a fly comes through.”