War in Ukraine
Follow Russia’s war in Ukraine with daily news updates and warfare analysis. View live maps of the battlefield, track weapons supplies, and get exclusive reports from the frontline.
![Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz speaks during the Defence24 Days security conference in Warsaw, Poland, on May 6, 2026. (Source: Getty Images)]( "Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz speaks during the Defence24 Days security conference in Warsaw, Poland, on May 6, 2026. (Source: Getty Images)")
![Road sign at the entrance to Mala Tokmachka.]( "Road sign at the entrance to Mala Tokmachka. (Photo: open source)")
![A column of Russia's Topol intercontinental ballistic missile launchers rolls during a rehearsal of the Victory Day Parade in Alabino, outside Moscow, on April 20, 2011.]( "A column of Russia's Topol intercontinental ballistic missile launchers rolls during a rehearsal of the Victory Day Parade in Alabino, outside Moscow, on April 20, 2011.")
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![Russian leader Vladimir Putin speaks at the Grand Kremlin Palace following the Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9, 2026. (Source: Getty Images)]( "Russian leader Vladimir Putin speaks at the Grand Kremlin Palace following the Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9, 2026. (Source: Getty Images)")
![Blue and yellow giant Xbox controller is seen in the centre of a famous Black Sea resort of Odesa, Ukraine, on September 7, 2022.]( "Blue and yellow giant Xbox controller is seen in the centre of a famous Black Sea resort of Odesa, Ukraine, on September 7, 2022. (Source: Getty Images)")
![Aftermath of a drone strike on a major Russian oil refinery in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod region, May 20, 2026. (Source: Exilenova_plus)]( "Aftermath of a drone strike on a major Russian oil refinery in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod region, May 20, 2026. (Source: Exilenova_plus)")
![Fire following a Ukrainian drone strike in occupied Snizhne, Donetsk region, on May 19, 2026. (Source: Exilenova+)]( "Fire following a Ukrainian drone strike in occupied Snizhne, Donetsk region, on May 19, 2026. (Source: Exilenova+)")
![Anti-drone netting covers a supply route near Kostyantynivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, February 2026. Burned military vehicles are seen along the road amid ongoing Russian drone attacks. (Source: Getty Images)]( "Anti-drone netting covers a supply route near Kostyantynivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, February 2026. Burned military vehicles are seen along the road amid ongoing Russian drone attacks. (Source: Getty Images)")
![Warhead section of the R-60M missile from a downed Russian Geran-2 drone with radiation hazard marking.]( "Warhead section of the R-60M missile from a downed Russian Geran-2 drone with radiation hazard marking, April 2026. (Source: SBU)")
![Nevinnomyssk Azot factory.]( "Nevinnomyssk Azot factory. (Source: Russian media)")
![Special Operations Forces Selection, Ukraine Style]( "After I Jumped Into the Lake and Before I Got Punched—Special Operations Forces Selection, Ukraine Style")
- Author
![Philip Malzahn]( "Philip Malzahn")
- Category
- War in Ukraine
To become a Special Forces Operator in Ukraine, you first have to survive selection: six days and six nights of crawling, marching, exhaustion, and pain. I joined the process—twice—to look behind the curtain of one of the country's most secretive military units. I didn't pass (big surprise), but I came away with a deeper understanding of the people fighting in Russia's war against Ukraine.![Destroyed Russian tank.]( "Illustrative image. Destroyed Russian tank. (Source: UNITED24 Media/Oleksandr Manukians)")
![The aftermath of the Russian strike on the Nova Poshta depot in the Novobavarskyi district of Kharkiv, May 19, 2026. (Source: Nova Poshta/Telegram)]( "Russian Drones Strike Nova Poshta Depot in Kharkiv Three Times in One Day")
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
-d0688aba4982a6ed58cca70fa1601dc3.jpeg "After I Jumped Into the Lake and Before I Got Punched—Special Operations Forces Selection, Ukraine Style")
-c439b7bd9030ecf9d5a4287dc361ba31.jpg "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
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