Eos When U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met to sign a minerals agreement on 28 February, their discussion devolved into a heated would result in half of Ukraine’ future revenue from minerals and natural resources going to the United States A draft of the deal published by Kyiv Independent on 26 February defines natural resource assets as “deposits of minerals and other infrastructure relevant to natural resource assets (such as liquified natural gas terminals and port infrastructure).” One subset of these resources, critical minerals, are so-called because they are considered critical to the national or economic security of the United States President Trump declared a National Energy Emergency in January, proclaiming that the “energy and critical minerals… identification, leasing, development, production, transportation, refining, and generation capacity of the United States are all far too inadequate to meet our Nation’s needs.” In the same month, Eos reported on the mining industry’s struggle to recruit employees and Colorado School of Mines Payne Institute for Public Policy director Morgan D Bazilian suggested that access to Ukraine’s minerals won’t solve supply chain problems in the United States They argue that this is because knowledge of Ukraine’s minerals is limited and developing mines and extracting minerals is time-consuming and difficult—particularly during a war “The unique realities of global minerals markets—as well as logistical conditions on the ground in Ukraine—make it highly unlikely that these assets would have any meaningful impact on U.S national and economic security in the short and medium term,” they wrote It is unclear when—and whether—the minerals deal will be signed, but both President Zelenskyy and a representative of President Trump have suggested it will be —Emily Dieckman (@emfurd.bsky.social) You don't have permissions to access this page Russians launched 10 Shahed drones at Mokra Rokytna village in Nova Vodolaha community of Kharkiv Oblast Gwara Media went to the impact site to document the damage Russians had done to the farm Mykhailo says that they needed to help surviving livestock first: feed and calm them down That’s why dead animals are still laying where they fell when the Russian attack happened “It was more or less quiet during the entire (full-scale — ed.) war… But there were four attacks last year but the cowsheds weren’t damaged back then but the first one that’s that serious — you can see the damage yourself,” said Mykhailo Russian troops attacked the farm with two drones targeting each cowshed Gwara Media called the farm to find out how to help the farm Mykhailo noted that they don’t want to evacuate the farm because there are no safe places in the Kharkiv region But the damage… A lot of cows are concussed We will be looking for an opportunity to manage this situation; maybe there will be some programs,” said Mykhailo the police said that Russia hit that same farm with “Geran-2” drones To respond to Russia’s aggression, Ukraine started to develop military technologies. In 2024, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine approved more than 330 models of Ukrainian-made drones for use on the frontline. Subscribe to news from Kharkiv, UkraineMost important stories from the frontline region Google Facebook Or Register from Google Register from Facebook Or Website materials are permitted only with an active link to “GWARA MEDIA,” not lower than the third paragraph The use of digital platform content is allowed with textual attribution Content for documentary films and integrated products is permitted The site was modernized with the support of the European Endowment for Democracy in 2023 ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " As a result of the continuation of the advance in the Kharkiv Oblast and Izyum itself (although this has not yet been officially confirmed by the Ukrainian side) There is no confirmation of reports that part of the Russian grouping south of the latter town failed to withdraw and was locked in a cauldron The Ukrainians extended their theatre of operations to the northeast of the Kharkiv Oblast striking east of Chuhuiv and crossing the Donets River (Vasylenkove and Artemivka were seized on 10 September and which had previously been abandoned by the Russians) Operations in the Kharkiv Oblast were accompanied by a shift to the offensive northeast of Sloviansk with fighting taking place in the vicinity of Lyman Ukrainian saboteurs in the northwest of the Luhansk Oblast have also become active the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation announced the complete withdrawal of Russian forces from the occupied areas of the Kharkiv Oblast except for a narrow strip on the eastern side of the Oskil River (along the border with the Luhansk Oblast) there were reports of Ukrainian troops occupying towns north and east of Kharkiv (Kozacha Lopan’ near Chuhuiv (Chkalovs’ke) and near the border with Russia (Hoptivka and The General Staff of the Ukrainian army also reported that Russian forces attempted an attack on 11 September in the area of the town of Velyki Prokhody Ukrainian forces were to regain control of more than 50 localities and the incursion into previously occupied territory reached a depth of 70 km the situation has not changed and the arena of the heaviest fighting remains the Donbas Russian forces unsuccessfully attacked Bakhmut from the east and Ukrainian positions around the city Fighting continues to take place to the southeast and south of Bakhmut Fighting also occurred on the outskirts of Gorlovka in and north of the Avdiivka area and west of Donetsk Russian forces were to abandon some of the towns they had previously occupied they are strengthening the defences of Kherson and bringing additional units to the city They also began work to resume movement across the bridge over the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam After the ineffective attacks carried out on 9 September in the Bezimenne area in the following days the Russians made no attempt to break through the Ukrainian defences the invaders are also said to be reinforcing their forces in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast directing additional units from Mariupol towards the front line Russian artillery and air power have not ceased their attacks on Ukrainian army positions and facilities along the entire line of contact (including in the newly lost areas of the Kharkiv Oblast) and in the border areas of the Sumy Oblast with the bombardment of the city intensifying as Ukrainian forces advanced in the Kharkiv Oblast a local thermal power station (TEC-5) was attacked and some high-voltage transmission lines were also destroyed resulting in the temporary suspension of energy and heat supplies across several districts Zaporizhzhia and many smaller towns in Kharkiv in the south of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and in the northern part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast were also shelled and bombed 47 missile attacks took place (some rockets were shot down) Voznesens’k in the Mykolaiv Oblast and targets in the region of Human and Kremenchuk were affected Ukrainian artillery and aviation attacked mainly targets in Kherson Oblast including the ferry crossing at L’vove near Nova Kakhovka The advances of the Ukrainian troops are accompanied by a high level of activity by sabotage groups in the rear of the Russian forces This makes the aggressor’s security forces nervous and increases repression the Russian National Guard admitted that 73 people suspected of collaborating with the Ukrainian army and the Ukrainian Security Service had been detained in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts during the week Eleven caches of weapons and ammunition were revealed and portable anti-tank and anti-aircraft missile launchers NLAW Ukrainian special forces also operate on Russian territory a clash took place in the area of the town of Sudzha with a patrol of the Russian National Guard combing the surrounding forests The Russian authorities confirmed that the attack was carried out by four saboteurs who wounded one soldier The governor of the Kursk Oblast said that operational and search operations were still underway and urged residents to remain vigilant An important effect of the Ukrainian offensive is the disorganisation of preparations for ‘annexation referendums’ in the occupied territories It is now no longer possible to hold them in the Kharkiv Oblast and unlikely in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts The activity of the Ukrainian army has created a mood of panic among the collaborators effectively paralysing the Russian-initiated so-called election campaign The occupiers themselves have given up on indicating a specific date for referendums and the functioning of the collaborationist administration is becoming increasingly façade-like In the temporarily occupied territories of the Kherson Oblast the Russians strengthened the administrative-police regime introducing a ban on movement between villages Residents of Nova Kakhovka and Kozats’ke were warned that approaching the Dnieper crossing would be met with opening fire without warning the collaborationist ‘military-civilian administration’ called on all residents to evacuate to Russia Confirmation of the well-planned Ukrainian offensive is provided not only by the successive victories but also by the immediate measures taken to influence the security situation in the occupied localities In the areas recaptured from the hands of the enemy on the basis of previously collected materials search for persons suspected of collaboration These actions are part of a preventive-psychological operation to make collaborators aware that their activities are being constantly monitored and that the evidence collected will be used to bring criminal charges The atmosphere of excessive euphoria prevailing in Ukrainian social networks with unconfirmed information about the seizure of more towns (including Donetsk airport) has been cooled by the Ukrainian defence ministry Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malar called for unverified reports about the liberation of more towns not to be published The success of the Ukrainian offensive and the accompanying flood of information highlighting the Russian defeat took the Russian defence ministry by surprise by monopolising official coverage of the situation on the front It was only on 10 September that it decided to issue a perfunctory communiqué stating that ‘an operation to regroup troops in the Izyum and Balakliia Raions was carried out within three days’ The attempt to promote the thesis that Ukrainian troops had entered an area previously abandoned by the Russians on a planned basis failed Its ludicrousness became the subject of derision on social networks and was used to discredit the Russian military To limit the negative effects of its own information policy the Russian defence ministry is attempting to impose censorship on social media preventing unfavourable comments from being posted on accounts it controls The successful counter-offensive is being used by the Ukrainian authorities to convince Western partners to increase the supply of military aid a spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that the military successes were the result of a combination of the bravery of Ukrainian soldiers and Western military support he called on partners to continue the delivery of military aid to help bring about peace more quickly According to Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov a successful offensive by Ukrainian troops will be an important argument to convince Western politicians to increase military support The Ukrainian defence ministry chief’s words were confirmed by a previously unannounced visit to Kyiv by Minister Annalena Baerbock on 10 September The head of German diplomacy said that the changing situation on the frontline made it necessary to ‘analyse Germany’s assistance so far’ and the way forward Baerbock confirmed that Berlin would ‘stand together with Ukraine for as long as needed’ German Ambassador to Kyiv Anka Feldhusen admitted that ‘politicians in Berlin are delighted with the Ukrainian military offensive’ President Volodymyr Zelensky assessed that ‘the Russian side is currently incapable of adequately formulating its position and therefore talks on ending the war are impossible’ Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated that the best place to hold talks with Putin is on the battlefield Zelensky also announced that due to the energy blackmail applied to Ukraine and Europe the upcoming winter will be decisive for Ukraine ‘The next 90 days will decide more than 30 years of Ukrainian independence,’ he said calling on the democratic world to ‘completely isolate the state and Russian citizens’ and ‘systematically supply weapons to Ukraine’ In response to the Russian army’s rocket fire on critical energy infrastructure in Ukraine President Zelensky published an emotional statement calling the attacks deliberate and cynical acts of terrorism by Russia He decried the Kremlin’s inability to intimidate or break the resistance of Ukrainians and that even a lack of water gas and water would not force Kyiv to make any concessions to Moscow: ‘Cold darkness and thirst are not as terrible and deadly as Russian ‘friendship and brotherhood’’ The Ukrainian offensive since 6 September 2022 Biuletyn Informacji Publicznej A Russian ballistic missile strike overnight on Kyiv killed one innocent civilian and injured four others Three of Kyiv’s ten administrative districts were targeted struck an office building in the northern Obolon district A warehouse fire erupted in Holosiivskyi district while a residential building’s roof caught fire in Solomianskyi area Officials say Russia launched four Iskander ballistic missiles at the capital The attack also damaged offices of state broadcasters Freedom TV and Dim The strike comes amid intensified Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine in recent months Russia plans to expand its military by 12-15 divisions adding approximately 150,000 troops in 2025 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells  The Guardian with training expected to take place in Belarus according to Ukraine’s second war-time president He noted that Ukraine currently maintains 110 combat brigades against Russia’s 220 with Russian forces potentially growing to 250 brigades next year Russian military strength would outnumber European forces by a ratio of three to one He emphasized that Ukrainian forces are currently battling a million-strong Russian army preventing potential Russian military expansion into Africa Russian forces launch combined missile and drone attack across Ukraine killing one civilian and injuring four others and civilian infrastructure throughout the country “[Kremlin ruler Vladimir] Putin is not seeking peace He continues to kill Ukrainians and destroy our cities,” Zelenskyy said calling for increased international pressure on Russia to end the attacks The Ukrainian president urged allies to maintain unity in supporting Ukraine’s defense efforts Drones operated by Ukrainian border guards from ’Phoenix’ brigade successfully destroy three Soviet 152 mm cannons The drones targeted the enemy with precision in the Kupyansk axis of the Kharkiv region This information was shared by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine Oleksii Koshchii was killed in the line of duty on July 13 he was saving people after the arrival of a military echelon A crowd gathered around when Koshchii shouted that another missile was incoming The second strike was fatal for the officer He worked as a police officer in the rapid response sector of Patrol Police Department No 3 under the Kharkiv District Police Department No he enjoyed spending time with his family in the countryside and became a patrol officer in Nova Vodolaha he transferred to the district police station in Bohodukhiv they offered me a job at the department in Merefa so Lesha moved in with my parents while I lived with his I went on maternity leave and visited him often Lesha stayed behind to care for the household raising animals and tending a vegetable garden so that when we returned I called my Oleksii because I saw the smoke—just five minutes before we were supposed to meet again This terrible year… The unknown… My Oleksii is gone *Oleksii’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine [email protected] [email protected] FB: @uwcongress