Ukrainian

The Ukrainian Armed Forces are using the U.S.-made V2X Tempest, a high-mobility vehicle with a launcher for AGM-114 Hellfire missiles that is optimized for the counter-uncrewed aerial systems (C-UAS) role. Mounting Hellfires on a high-mobility vehicle provides a new means of employing these weapons unpredictably, not only against drone threats, but potentially also other aerial targets, too.

The Tempest was showcased in a video put out recently by Ukraine’s Air Force Command Center, suggesting that the flying branch is the likely operator. However, the new weapon was neither announced nor identified. The footage shows a pair of Hellfire missiles being launched, purportedly against Russian drones, with tracer rounds also seen climbing into the night sky.

The related video is posted below, but if it does not appear for you, here is the link to the Facebook reel.

Interestingly, a blurred version of the same video had been published last October, but it wasn’t possible to identify the system involved.

In the last few days, more still imagery has appeared, providing a much better look at the Ukrainian-operated Tempest. These photos reportedly show the combat vehicle while undergoing crew training.

This confirms the identity of the system, which the Virginia-based V2X debuted at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) exhibition last October. The transfer of the Tempest to Ukraine had not been publicly announced.

The Tempest combines a twin Longbow launcher with a radar placed on a highly mobile, modular, lightweight 4×4 chassis — apparently a Can-Am Maverick X3 side-by-side vehicle (SSV). According to V2X, the system is suitable for targeting short- and medium-range drones, in all weather conditions. The radar appears to be an existing counter-drone type that operates in the millimeter wave for active detection and to initially cue the missile. This radar would be ideal for picking up relatively small and relatively slow-moving targets, but it only has a very limited range — similar to that of the Hellfire.

There is no evidence of electro-optical and infrared cameras to supplement the radar, but there are aerials visible on the left rear side of the vehicle. These are almost certainly a passive radio frequency (RF) detection system. This is an independent way to locate some drones that are giving off their own radio emissions. The buggy can do this without emitting its own radio frequency energy, that helps it from being targeted, as well. Passive detection would help mitigate the single radar array, which means the vehicle needs to be pointed in the direction of the target in order to acquire it and fire its missiles. Usually, such radars are arrayed in a group of four, pointing in each direction for 360-degree coverage. Instead, the passive detection system can be used to initially pick up the threat, before the vehicle (and its radar) is oriented toward it for acquisition and firing. Many drones do not give off RF emissions, especially those that run on autopilot or use fiber optic wire control links. In those cases, they would have to pass through the radar’s field of view.

Fundamental to the design is its ability to employ ‘shoot and scoot’ tactics, rapidly moving to a new position after firing, making it less vulnerable to detection and to enemy counterfire.

Since it makes extensive use of commercially available off-the-shelf components, the Tempest is also said to be cheaper and faster to produce than more traditional vehicles of this type.

As well as its primary C-UAS role, the Tempest can also engage helicopters, some cruise missile types, and fixed-wing aircraft, although against the latter target set, in particular, it is limited by the relatively short range of its Hellfire missiles.

V2X also offers a stationary, trailer-mounted variant of the Tempest for the static defense of high-value objectives, such as storage facilities and airfields. It’s unknown if any of these have been delivered to Ukraine.

As for the missile armament, this is understood to comprise the AGM-114L Hellfire Longbow version. Hellfire missiles, the majority of which are laser-guided munitions, are best known as air-to-ground weapons, but the millimeter wave radar-guided AGM-114L variant has emerged as a useful tool for tackling drones in recent years. The AGM-114L has a range of around five miles and carries a roughly 20-pound warhead. This is enough destructive power to deal with many kinds of drones, while also reducing the risk of collateral damage on the ground. While these missiles are now out of production, they were likely substantially more expensive than the laser-guided versions. As of 2020, Hellfire had an average cost, across all variants, of more than $200,000.

The AGM-114L is the same missile that U.S. Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopters are using for C-UAS, with specific modifications made to them for this role. In this application, the missile is initially cued by the Apache’s AN/APG-78 Longbow mast-mounted radar system. AGM-114Ls are also primary weapons for other land-based counter-drone systems, including the Army’s M-SHORAD.

It’s worth noting that a very different version of the Hellfire has already been fielded by Ukraine.

This is the Swedish RBS 17 coastal defense missile system, which uses a derivative of the semi-active laser-guided AGM-114C Hellfire anti-tank missile and was sent to Ukraine by Sweden in an aid package announced in the summer of 2022. Subsequently, further examples were provided to Ukraine from Norwegian stocks.

Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, who Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky named as his new chief of staff on Friday, tells The War Zone that the job will center on figuring out a way to end the war and helping to calm his country’s political turmoil. Until today, Budanov served as the head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR). Budanov’s frequent high-profile attacks on Russia and cool demeanor have made him so famous that memes of him have gone viral. He takes over from Andrii Yermak, a controversial and polarizing figure recently fired for his role in a burgeoning corruption scandal.

In a brief but exclusive conversation, Budanov told us his main goals for his new position are “negotiations and stabilization of the internal situation and of course, coordination.” He added that he will no longer have a role with GUR’s operations.

“It’s absolutely a new page,” he told us, noting that he will still be in the military and retain his rank, but will “miss” direct involvement in GUR actions.

As for the internal issues he is most concerned about, Budanov said, “I’ll see.”

Budanov’s appointment comes at a perilous moment. Ukraine is facing an intense fight in the east and south, under constant Russian missile and drone attacks and negotiations are ongoing to end the full-on war.

“I met with Kyrylo Budanov and offered him to head the Office of the President of Ukraine,” Zelensky explained. “Right now, Ukraine needs to focus more on security issues, the development of the Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine, as well as on the diplomatic track in negotiations, and the Office of the President will serve to fulfill primarily such tasks of our state.”

Budanov “has special experience in these areas and sufficient strength to achieve results,” Zelensky noted. “I also instructed the new head of the President’s Office to, in cooperation with the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and other necessary leaders and institutions, update and present for approval the strategic foundations of defense and development of our state and further steps.”

Naming Budanov gives Zelensky a degree of political and military cover at a precarious time. The former GUR commander is well-regarded both at home and abroad, and his presence at the top of the government gives Zelensky a key aide with gravitas. On the downside, Budanov comes to the job with little experience dealing with the political and bureaucratic minutiae that a chief of staff must master to keep the government running at a time of war. 

For Budanov, the move is the latest step in a career that saw him become a national hero after being thrice wounded fighting against Russians since they first invaded in 2014. He was promoted to brigadier general and named head of GUR in 2020 and burst onto the international scene a year later when he laid out how and when Russia would launch its full-on invasion three months before it would happen.

Since then, Budanov has transformed GUR into a cutting-edge military and intelligence unit that helped develop uncrewed surface vessel warfare, staged helicopter raids behind the lines as well as cyber attacks and suspected assassinations of Russian military leaders. He has also survived several assassination attempts and was charged in absentia with committing acts of terrorism related to the Oct. 8, 2022 Kerch Bridge attack.

Budanov recently ventured into the world of diplomacy, taking part last month in the ongoing peace talks.

The exploits of Budanov, who has frequently commented on the conflict for The War Zone and other publications, has made him a top contender to succeed Zelensky in the next election despite making no public suggestions that he is interested in the position.

“Although Budanov has never announced plans to pursue a political career, he is regularly featured in opinion polls and ranks among the top presidential contenders, behind only Zelensky and Ukraine’s Ambassador to the U.K. Valerii Zaluzhny,” the Kyiv Independent noted on Friday. “According to a recent poll conducted by Socis, Budanov would secure 5.7% in the first round. In a hypothetical runoff between Zelensky and Budanov, the latter one would defeat Zelensky with 56% of the vote against 44%.”

There is another benefit to this move for Zelensky. Bringing Budanov into his administration adds layers of complication should the new chief of staff decide to challenge Ukraine’s president in a future election.

Zelensky named Lt. Gen. Oleg Ivashchenko to replace Budanov. Ivashchenko most recently headed the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (SVR).

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On the battlefield, Ukraine is continuing to hold onto parts of the embattled city of Pokrovsk despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proclamation last month of its capture. Though Russian troops broke into the city in late October after more than a year of bloody assaults.

Ukraine’s defense of portions of Pokrovsk has been aided by the recent delivery of the last 12 of 49 Abrams main battle tanks from Australia.

The Australian Abrams “entered the fight during a critical phase of the battle for Pokrovsk, where Ukrainian forces are conducting counterattacks to keep Russian troops south of the railway line and prevent them from breaking out, which would cut off withdrawal operations from Myrnohrad,” Euromaidan Press reported. 

The operation “was carefully structured, with Abrams tanks moving forward alongside infantry fighting vehicles, acting as both shield and hammer,” the publication added. “The primary task of the tanks was to suppress Russian firing points with their main cannons, draw enemy drone attention, and create corridors for the Ukrainian BMPs to advance.”

Under the Abrams’ cover, “the BMP’s pushed toward the outskirts of Pokrovsk, dismounted assault troops, and secured key positions that had previously been under heavy Russian pressure.”

The delivery of the last tranche of Australian Abrams came as Ukraine had already lost at least 23 of the 31 variants provided by the U.S., according to the Oryx open source tracking group. The losses are likely significantly higher because Oryx only provides information for which is has visual confirmation.

Jan. 2 (UPI) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Friday that he named spy boss Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov as his chief of staff.

“I had a meeting with Kyrylo Budanov and offered him the role of the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. At this time, Ukraine needs greater focus on security issues, the development of the Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine, as well as on the diplomatic track of negotiations, and the Office of the President will primarily serve the fulfillment of these tasks of our state. Kyrylo has specialized experience in these areas and sufficient strength to deliver results,” Zelensky said in a post on X.

Budanov retweeted Zelensky’s post and said he accepted the offer.

“It is both an honor and a profound commitment, especially at this decisive moment in our country’s history, to focus on issues critical to Ukraine’s strategic security,” Budanov said.

“We will continue to do what must be done — to strike the enemy, defend Ukraine, and work tirelessly toward a just peace. Together, we will continue to fight for a free and secure future for Ukraine.”

Zelensky’s former chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, resigned on Nov. 28 after a raid on his home in a sweeping corruption scandal. Yermak was the most powerful political figure in Ukraine behind Zelensky.

Yermak, 54, has not been accused of any wrongdoing, and officials did not explain why they searched his property.

Budanov, 39, has been the leader of the country’s Hur military intelligence agency since 2020. The agency is known as one of the most competent institutions in the country, and Budanov has become a household name, the Kyiv Independent said.

A lawmaker from Zelensky’s party told the Independent that hiring Budanov could indicate that the peace plan for the war between Ukraine and Russia negotiated by President Donald Trump and his team may fall apart.

“We need to prepare for a long, exhausting struggle. And this is exactly the approach that Budanov represents,” the lawmaker said.

Budanov “will need to build his own system, his own vertical of power. I think it will be a different style of leadership for the office,” the source told the Independent. “He’s a spymaster, but he’s not a master of political intrigue.”

Russia has accused Ukraine of killing at least 24 people, including a child, in a drone attack on a hotel and cafe where New Year celebrations were taking place in a Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region.

Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed governor of the region, first made the claim in a statement on Telegram before Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and senior politicians later accused ⁠Ukraine of carrying out “a terrorist attack”.

Saldo also published photos of what he wrote was the aftermath of the attack, which Al Jazeera has not been able to verify.

At least one person’s body was visible in the images beneath a white sheet.

The building showed signs that a fierce fire had raged, and there were what appeared to be bloodstains on the ground.

In the statement, ​Saldo said three Ukrainian drones had struck the site of New Year ‌celebrations in Khorly, a coastal village, in what he said was a “deliberate strike” against civilians. He said many people were burned alive.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said initial information indicated that 24 people had been killed, and that 50 people had been injured.

“There is ‌no doubt that the attack was planned in advance, with ⁠drones deliberately targeting areas where civilians had gathered to celebrate New Year’s Eve,” the ministry said in a statement, calling the attack “a war crime”.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Telegram that ‌Ukraine’s backers in the West were ultimately to blame.

Senior politicians, including the speakers of both houses of Russia’s parliament, condemned Kyiv.

Kherson is one of the four regions in Ukraine ‍that Russia claimed as its own in 2022, a move Kyiv and most Western countries denounced as an illegal land grab.

Ukraine’s ‍military ‍did not comment on Moscow’s claim, but it said it had hit Russia’s Ilsky ⁠oil refinery in ​the Krasnodar region overnight, ‍adding that the results of the attack ‍were still ⁠being confirmed.

In a statement on Telegram, the military also said it hit the ​Almetyevsk ‌oil facility in Russia’s Tatarstan region.

The Almetyevsk facility is ‌more than 965km (600 ‌miles) from ⁠the nearest part of Ukraine, and even further ‌from the nearest territory currently controlled by ‍Kyiv.

Russia releases video of ‘attack’ on Putin’s residence

On Tuesday, Moscow claimed that Ukraine launched a long-range drone attack against one of President Vladimir Putin’s official residences in northwestern Russia, which Kyiv has denounced as a “lie”.

Russia’s Defence Ministry released a video on Wednesday of a downed drone it said was involved in the attack.

The night-time clip showed a man in camouflage, a helmet and a Kevlar vest standing near a damaged drone lying in snow.

The man, with his face covered, talks about the drone. Neither the man nor the Defence Ministry provided any location or date.

The video and claims could not be independently verified.

Peace talks

Kyiv has called the allegations of an attack on Putin’s residence a ruse to derail ongoing peace negotiations, which have ramped up in recent weeks on both sides of the Atlantic.

In his New Year’s address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a peace deal was “90 percent ready” but warned that the remaining 10 percent, believed to include key sticking points such as territory, would “determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe, how people will live”.

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Wednesday that he, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner had had a “productive call” with the national security advisers of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Ukraine to discuss the “European peace process”.

“We focused on how to move the discussions forward in a practical way on behalf of [Trump’s] peace process, including strengthening security guarantees and developing effective deconfliction mechanisms to help end the war and ensure it does not restart,” Witkoff said in a post on X.

Lead Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov also reaffirmed that European and Ukrainian officials plan to meet on Saturday, while Zelenskyy is due to hold talks next week with European leaders.

Russia’s attacks on Ukraine

Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russia attacked the Odesa region overnight, targeting civilian infrastructure in several waves of drone attacks, according to regional head Oleh Kiper.

In a post on Telegram, Kiper said a two-storey residential building was damaged and that a drone hit an apartment on the 17th floor of a high-rise building without detonating. No casualties were reported.

In its daily report, the air force said air defence forces had downed or suppressed 176 of 205 drones targeting Ukraine overnight.

It said 24 drone hits were recorded at 15 locations, and the attack was ongoing.

The Ukrainian military says its forces have withdrawn from ​​the battle-scarred town of Siversk in the eastern Donetsk region after heavy fighting with Russian forces.

In a statement on Telegram on Tuesday, Ukraine’s General Staff said that Russian troops had a “significant advantage” in manpower and equipment and had exerted constant pressure on the defending Ukrainian troops by staging small-unit assaults in difficult weather conditions.

Ukraine’s decision to withdraw its forces was made to “preserve the lives of our soldiers and the combat capability of the units”, the General Staff said.

Heavy losses were inflicted on Russian forces before the order to retreat was given, and Siversk remains “under the fire control of our troops”, and “enemy units are being blocked to prevent their further advance,” the General Staff added.

Ukraine’s DeepState military monitoring site reported late on Tuesday that Russian forces had occupied Siversk as well as Hrabovske, a village in Ukraine’s Sumy region close to the border with Russia.

Russian Lieutenant General Sergei Medvedev had told Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 11 that troops had taken Siversk, where fighting has been fierce in recent months, but Ukrainian officials denied the Russian reports at the time.

Ukraine’s military said at the time that Russian troops were “taking advantage of unfavourable weather conditions” to launch attacks, but were mostly being “destroyed on the approaches”.

The Kyiv Independent news site said that, despite Siversk’s modest size – it had a pre-war population of 10,000, and now, just a few hundred civilians remain – the town was key to the defence of northern Donetsk.

The town had helped shield the larger Sloviansk and Kramatorsk areas, “the main bastions of Ukraine’s so-called ‘fortress belt’”, which Russia has been unable to conquer since the start of fighting, the Kyiv Independent said.

Donetsk is one of three Ukrainian regions at the centre of Russia’s territorial demands, which are the stumbling blocks to reaching an agreement on a ceasefire. Ukraine’s leaders have said they will not concede their country’s territory taken during Moscow’s invasion.

Russian forces had already seized an estimated 19 percent of Ukrainian territory as of early December, including Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, all of the Luhansk region, and more than 80 percent of Donetsk, according to the Reuters news agency.

Russian forces also control about 75 percent of the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, and small parts of the Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, according to Reuters.

A 28-point peace plan first put forward by the administration of US President Donald Trump last month says that a negotiated settlement would see Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk “recognised as de facto Russian, including by the US”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently said that the United States is pushing for Ukraine to withdraw its forces from the Donetsk region to establish a “free economic zone” in the area, which he said the Russian side is referring to as a “demilitarised zone”.

Pope saddened as fighting continues over Christmas

The latest setback for Kyiv on the battlefield came as Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Russian forces had launched another “massive attack” on Ukraine on Monday night, killing at least three people, including a four-year-old girl, across 13 regions targeted with drones and missiles.

In Russia, Ukrainian drone attacks killed four people in the Belgorod region over the past two days, local officials said.

Pope ‍Leo ‍expressed disappointment on Tuesday that Russia had apparently refused to agree to a ceasefire on December 25, the date many Christians celebrate Christmas.

“I will make ​an appeal one ‌more time to people of goodwill to respect at least Christmas ‌Day as a day of ‌peace,” Leo said, speaking to reporters outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.

“Maybe they will listen to us, and there ‌will be at least 24 hours, a day of peace, ‍across the world,” he said.

While most people in Ukraine and Russia are Christians, many are Orthodox, meaning they observe Christmas on January 7.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced an unexpected 30-hour unilateral truce a day before Easter this year, a rare pause in Russia’s war on Ukraine, which has now continued for close to three years, after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.