War in Ukraine

Vladimir Putin will once again take his place in Red Square on May 9, flanked by senior military leaders and foreign dignitaries. The parade, supposedly held to honor the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, now celebrates Russian soldiers directly connected to documented war crimes.

Meet the drones and their operators—pairs forged in war, bonded by survival. In Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion, these robots have become more than weapons. They’re comrades, partners in arms, serving side by side with the soldiers.

French Catholic priest Father Desbois has spent decades uncovering Holocaust crimes across Eastern Europe. Now, he and his team are documenting Russian war crimes in Ukraine’s liberated territories—gathering evidence and testimonies in the hope of bringing perpetrators to justice. UNITED24 Media talked to them for a deep dive into the Kremlin’s genocidal playbook in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.

Global military spending soared to an unprecedented $2.71 trillion in 2024, according to SIPRI — a surge fueled by years of underfunding in national defense, a rising urgency to defend national borders, and escalating wars driven by a new “Axis of Evil”: Russia, Iran, and North Korea. In a dramatic turn, North Korean troops have been fighting on European soil since fall 2024.

The river remembers every battle. Now, Ukraine’s fighters from the 144th Special Operations Forces Center return to its waters—training to fight back the Russian invasion.

As a teenager, he joined the famed French Foreign Legion. After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he became a volunteer, fighting on some of the hottest fronts of the war. Legionnaire, boxer, and sniper of the 3rd Assault Brigade—callsign “Hepa”—by the age of 24, he had lived a lifetime’s worth of experiences.