\n
Vsevolod Kozhemyako, the Ukrainian grain billionaire, considered his new job while playing Beethoven\u2019s F\u00fcr Elise on a grand piano in a dimly lit Kharkiv hotel, dressed in full military fatigues.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I\u2019m a businessman,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd now I\u2019m a commander of a military unit in Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n
The light infantry battalion he founded nearly four years ago \u2013 the 13th \u201cKhartia\u201d Brigade \u2013 was a band of civilian volunteers financed by his fortune and the support of other wealthy donors.<\/p>\n
This week, Khartia raised the Ukrainian flag over Kupiansk in a pushback of Vladimir Putin\u2019s troops and a much-needed morale boost for a country struggling with shortages of men to defend its cities and energy to keep them warm.<\/p>\n
It was a striking symbol that Kyiv\u2019s forces are far from yielding to Russia\u2019s \u201cmeat grinder\u201d tactics and cemented the unit as one of the most effective at Ukraine\u2019s disposal.<\/p>\n\n\nUkraine\u2019s Khartia brigade released a video of them flying the country\u2019s flag over Kupiansk\u2019s city council building<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u201cThe Kupiansk operation proves that through planning, trained commanders and staffs, and quality unit preparation \u2013 everything we call the Khartia method \u2013 you can successfully stop and destroy the enemy,\u201d said Col Ihor Obolensky.<\/p>\n
As Russia continues to make steady gains in a grinding war of attrition along the roughly 600-mile front line, it is a statement that Kyiv hopes will be heard in Washington.<\/p>\n
Mr Kozhemyako\u2019s unit has transformed from a makeshift dream \u2013 an uneven mix of civilians and elite equipment \u2013 into a force leading precision counter-attacks on one of the war\u2019s deadliest fronts.<\/p>\n
The success of Khartia \u2013 referred to as the \u201cbillionaire\u2019s brigade\u201d \u2013 appears to have settled weeks of disputed claims by both Russia and Ukraine over control of the strategic city.<\/p>\n\n\nThe brigade began as a band of civilian volunteers and is now one of the most effective fighting units<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
It has arrived at a moment when demonstrating strength could hardly be more crucial for Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president.<\/p>\n
Kupiansk, south east of Kharkiv, has been a hotspot for Russian \u201cmeat grinder\u201d attacks \u2013 where Moscow crashes waves of soldiers against Ukrainian defences \u2013 for months now.<\/p>\n
The city seemed on the brink of being overrun just a few weeks ago, but in a dramatic turnaround, Ukrainian troops said they had nearly expelled all Russian forces this week, raising the Ukrainian flag on top of the battered remains of the city\u2019s council building on Monday.<\/p>\n
Intelligence reports revealed a 1:27 kill ratio in the battle for the city, with 27 Russian soldiers lost for each Ukrainian.<\/p>\n
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Khartia was deployed alongside regular and less experienced units in the area, which came together to form a layered defence and attack model.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian forces used this approach to absorb Russian assaults while preserving elite troops for decisive strikes.<\/p>\n
The units slipped in quietly over the autumn, advancing through the forests surrounding Kupiansk before pushing into the city itself.<\/p>\n
Khartia\u2019s units focused on key points in Kupiansk, including rail crossings, river approaches and urban chokepoints, turning streets and industrial zones into concentrated kill zones for advancing Russian forces.<\/p>\n
Credit: X \/ @khartiia_eng<\/span><\/p>\nThe brigade\u2019s operations relied on careful reconnaissance, mobility and coordination with artillery and drone teams.<\/p>\n
By striking suddenly and withdrawing before Russian units could stabilise, Khartia inflicted disproportionate casualties and forced Russian troops into disorganised retreats.<\/p>\n
Their presence also allowed Ukrainian forces to rotate less-experienced brigades into the line without compromising the overall defence.<\/p>\n
Behind the victory stands Mr Kozhemyako, a businessman with a distinct personal profile that has captured the attention of the media for its eccentricities.<\/p>\n
Before the war, his social media showed a life rich in travel and outdoor pursuits, from skiing in the Alps to yachting.<\/p>\n
The 55-year-old father of four mixed his luxury holidays with running, cycling and golf.<\/p>\n
In 2017, he ran the New York City Marathon in under three and a half hours.<\/p>\n
Mr Kozhemyako is the founder and chief executive of Agrotrade Group, one of Ukraine\u2019s largest grain producers and exporters. Today, however, his attention is fully on the war.<\/p>\n\n\nMr Kozhemyako enjoyed travelling the world for unique experiences such as skiing in the Alps<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Khartia was founded by Mr Kozhemyako in March 2022, shortly after Russia\u2019s full\u2011scale invasion of Ukraine began, starting life as a volunteer unit attached to the 127th Territorial Defence Brigade in Kharkiv.<\/p>\n
Operating independently from the Ukrainian army, but accepting its orders, Khartia took on its nickname as the \u201cbillionaire\u2019s battalion\u201d for its funding model and backing of numerous wealthy donors.<\/p>\n
Military tracking sites estimate that Khartia\u2019s manpower likely falls in the range of about 1,500 to 5,000 personnel.<\/p>\n
Technically, the battalion is a territorial defence unit, a wartime necessity that will go away when the war is over.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as the wartime is finished, we are again civilians,\u201d he said, nearly four years ago.<\/p>\n
But today, his unit stands as an elite Ukrainian National Guard assault formation, specialising in swift counter-attacks, urban warfare and drone-enabled operations, and has distinguished itself as one of the most successful units around Kupiansk.<\/p>\n
The raising of the Ukrainian flag over the city marks a significant victory at a moment when demonstrating military strength has never been more crucial on the world stage.<\/p>\n\n\nMr Kozhemyako, seen with a comrade in arms, shaped his unit into a force leading precision counter-attacks<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
In comments made this week, Donald Trump, the US president, asserted that Mr Zelensky \u2013 not Putin \u2013 is the main obstacle to reaching a peace deal to end the war.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s ready to make a deal. I think Ukraine is less ready to make a deal,\u201d Mr Trump told Reuters.<\/p>\n
The president\u2019s comments have heightened the stakes for Kyiv, underscoring the need to prove that Ukrainian forces are capable, effective, and making tangible gains on the battlefield.<\/p>\n
But for every Ukrainian victory, there is a setback. Some 150 miles away from Kupiansk, near the city of Huliaipole, its forces were pulling back \u2013 demonstrating Kyiv\u2019s manpower shortages.<\/p>\n
Its lack of personnel has forced it to use \u201cfirefighter\u201d units, such as Khartia, to react to Russian pressure, which often leaves other fronts exposed.<\/p>\n\n\nThe grain billionaire found a Donald Trump star on his travels<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
This makes its successes even more important. Demonstrating battlefield success makes it far more difficult for Mr Trump to depict Ukraine as stagnant or incapable of altering the course of the conflict, according to experts.<\/p>\n
\u201cUkraine\u2019s recent successes around Kupiansk are crucial to show that it will not capitulate as some in the White House think, and quite the converse, it is Ukraine now making ground,\u201d Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a military expert and former tank commander, told The Telegraph.<\/p>\n
\u201cPutin is desperate for Trump to pull the plug on Ukraine, and Trump has been looking elsewhere, even blaming Zelensky for lack of progress on the peace plan when nearly everyone else is blaming him and the Russian leader.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amid these high-stakes political debates, it is Mr Kozhemyako and the soldiers of Khartia who have provided a tangible demonstration of Ukraine\u2019s resilience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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