8 Verified Channels About the War in Ukraine

The Kremlin regime is spending enormous resources on promoting its distorted view of the Russia-Ukraine war in the Western world. Sometimes it can be difficult to determine whether the narratives being pushed by a seemingly knowledgeable expert in glasses and a tie are truthful or if this "expert" is actually parroting on Putin's payroll. However, there is a straightforward way to access realistic information about the events on the frontline – focus on Ukrainian military channels first and foremost.

Some of these channels belong to professional journalists and reporters. Others are run by ordinary people who joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and are diligently documenting their daily military life alongside their service. Some are simply official channels of various AFU units, which is particularly important if you want to learn about combat actions not from third-hand accounts but directly from those on the front lines.

Militarnyi

This is the official YouTube channel of the first media outlet dedicated to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, established in 2009 by journalist Oleksandr Arhat and then-schoolboy Taras Chmut (now the head of Ukraine’s largest charity fund for helping the military, "Come Back Alive"). On the "Militarnyi" channel, you will find numerous podcasts with experts, captivating reports from military training, unique footage from the frontline, as well as detailed reviews of AFU weaponry – both domestic and Western-made. For instance, here is a review of the modern Ukrainian self-propelled artillery "Bohdana," which was baptized in battle during the liberation of Zmiinyi (Snake) Island, after which the Russian forces were compelled to perform their signature "goodwill gesture" and retreat from the Ukrainian stronghold in the Black Sea.

Butusov Plus

Yuriy Butusov, the editor-in-chief of the popular Ukrainian media "Censor.NET," is one of the most authoritative journalists covering the war with the Russians. People trust Butusov's analysis because he spends a lot of time on the frontline, often sitting under fire in a trench alongside infantrymen and is not afraid to visit the hottest spots on the front. For example, one of his latest videos is a report from the city of Sudzha in Russia's Kursk region, where the AFU, after a prolonged pause in offensive actions, managed to break through the border impressively, stunning the world and proving that the Russians can be successfully defeated on their own territory. Among other things, Butusov inspected an abandoned local military enlistment office, helping conscientious and intelligent Russians by destroying the archive containing the files of local draft dodgers who are on the wanted list.

Moto Life

In peacetime, Andriy Babichev was an avid biker and ran a popular channel about his motorcycle adventures. After the full-scale invasion, the 45-year-old man managed, after five attempts, to join the ranks of the AFU. After undergoing military training, he became a machine gunner in the legendary 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar," which soon liberated four villages in the Kharkiv region and engaged in combat with the Russians in the Bakhmut direction. The machine gunner, with the callsign "YouTube," decided not to close his biker channel but instead repurposed it into a media outlet about the daily life on the frontline, regularly posting POV reports of real battles.

Panterivets

Today, many people worldwide are fascinated by survivalism, tactical gear, and various training courses on developing psychological resilience in extreme situations. People like to think that if a global catastrophe occurs, they will be able to fend for themselves and care for their families even if the situation around them resembles an apocalypse. However, Ukrainians are the people who have been living in such conditions since 24 February 2022, so if there's anyone to learn survival skills from in extreme conditions, it is certainly them. Shortly after the full-scale invasion, the "Panterivets" channel began releasing videos about military equipment, army experience, tactical medicine, modern firearms, and cultivating an indomitable spirit to survive even in Russian captivity. Here’s an interview with AFU serviceman Maksym Kolesnikov, whose photo with the first apple after returning to his native land went viral on the internet.

Army TV

This is the official YouTube channel of Ukraine’s only military television station, whose journalists go live almost daily at 7:00 p.m. "Army TV" positions itself as media by the military, about the military, and for the military. However, no matter where you are in the world or what you do, today, if you are not interested in how the AFU is doing, you are simply "living in a tank." After all, how and when the Russia-Ukraine war ends will determine the world order for the next decades (spoiler: it will be dark and bloody if Ukraine loses, or bright and peaceful if it wins as soon as possible). Therefore, to stay informed, prepare your dinner after work, get comfortable, and tune in to "Army TV," where, for example, you can watch a detailed analysis of how Ukrainians are advancing in the Kursk direction, destroying Russian bridges, and capturing Russians in large numbers.

Madyar

Before the war, Robert Brovdi was a successful businessman, and a few weeks before the full-scale invasion, he enlisted as a volunteer in one of Kyiv’s Territorial Defence units. After completing missions in Irpin, Bucha, and Borodyanka, his unit was redeployed to the Kherson region, where he quickly realized that just sitting in a trench was not his passion. He bought a drone with his own money and began to assist reconnaissance little by little. Soon, Brovdi became so enthusiastic about developing drone operations within the AFU that he founded an entire separate unit, "Madyar's Birds," which started massively locating enemy forces, patrolling the front line around the clock, correcting artillery fire, operating kamikaze drones, and drones that drop explosives precisely on the heads of Russian soldiers. As a result, the once purely enthusiastic "Madyar's Birds" have grown into a separate regiment of strike unmanned aerial systems.

Azov

At the very beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war, this now-legendary brigade was formed as a volunteer unit primarily composed of Euromaidan participants, Mariupol football fans, and various local patriots. During the full-scale invasion, "Azov," along with other military structures of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), crushed the backbone of Russia's elite regular army in the heroic battles for Mariupol. After retreating to the besieged Azovstal steel plant, the fighters continued to draw significant enemy forces for an extended period, allowing the Ukrainian army to achieve successes in many other directions. Eventually, "Azov" received an order from the command to surrender. Many "Azov" fighters were later killed by the Russians in a criminal shelling of a prison camp in Olenivka – likely due to Putin's personal hatred towards them and to conceal evidence of inhumane torture. Ukraine later managed to secure the release of "Azov's" leadership from captivity, after which it regained combat capability, expanded into a brigade, and is now one of the biggest nightmares for all Russian occupiers. Here is the official YouTube channel of "Azov".

Ukrainian Witness

One of the main goals of Putin's regime is not just to destroy Ukraine but also to erase any evidence, records, documents, and other testimonies of its numerous inhumane crimes on Ukrainian territory. To prevent the enemy from cynically rewriting history, Ukrainians have launched a large-scale documentary archive chronicling what has truly happened and continues to happen in this war – the "Ukrainian Witness" channel. Here, you will find high-quality war reports and video documents of the era, get to know the heroic Ukrainians up close, and ultimately understand (if you haven't already) why supporting Ukraine today means safeguarding the entire civilized world tomorrow.