“… Even when government campaigns are successful, they struggle for momentum. … Russian propaganda has been pushing stories about how wonderful the Russian medical care is – despite problems …. Such propaganda campaigns work for a few weeks, but then the conversation around this topic on social media becomes negative, and the Kremlin tries to drive it up again. Likewise […]
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“… Biden’s policy of ambivalence toward Ukraine means … he has provided enough weapons to avoid defeat (at least so far) but with enough constraints that Kyiv also hasn’t been able to win. Witness U.S. unhappiness about Ukraine’s recent strikes on Russian territory. Ukraine has struck at least 15 of Russia’s 30 major refineries since January. The West has been […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) 6 Things to Know Russian forces have gained 23 square miles of Ukrainian territory, while Ukrainian forces have re-gained 0 square miles in the past month, according to the April 2, 2024, issue of the Belfer Center’s Russia-Ukraine War Report Card. Most recently, Russian forces have advanced into the outskirts of the town of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine, […]
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“… [Past] Russian attacks towards the energy network in Ukraine … focused on the power distribution system and damages [had] been easy to repair quickly. This new campaign is … much more serious … since its focus is [on] power production facilities … [that] might take years to repair or replace. Why has Russia shifted its focus? … [In the […]
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“… [E]ven without the Crocus City Hall attack, [] Putin was primed to step up his assault on Ukraine. After his landslide victory in … [a] rubber-stamp presidential election, [] Putin is more secure than ever in his position and free to focus fully on the war effort. … Russian forces now hold material and manpower advantages over Ukraine. … […]
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“Thousands of wives, girlfriends and mothers of serving soldiers have taken to the streets to call for fresh recruits to replace soldiers who signed up at the start of the war” “… At the most recent protest, held last week, around 4,000 women gathered in 21 cities across the country. In Kyiv, women wrapped in Ukrainian flags marched to Maidan […]
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“… The menacing images I watched … were sketched using signals captured by sensors from land, sea, air and space … [depicting abstractions of] Russian air-defense systems … Ukrainian drone operators can instantly map a safe route to [a] target using [a] system … developed for them by … U.S. software company Palantir …. part of an astonishing wave of […]
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“Admitting Kyiv is a nonstarter as long as the war with Russia is raging. But the member nations want to show they are supporting Ukraine ‘for the long haul.’” “… Ukraine … ultimately [wants] … a formal invitation to join NATO. … [A]lliance officials agree that is not going to happen at … festivities … [in] Washington in July. NATO […]
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“… Moscow’s initial plan was to have … agents infiltrate the highest levels of Ukrainian society ahead of its invasion and … seize power from within. … [M]ost … were … weeded out by Ukrainian law enforcement or fled … after Russia’s invasion. … [Today] there are fewer Ukrainians with pro-Russian sympathies, especially in positions of influence, willing to help […]
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“Russia has rebuilt its military after suffering enormous losses … according to [Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell]. ‘We have assessed over the course of the last couple of months that Russia has almost completely reconstituted militarily’ …. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said [last month] that Russia had suffered more than 315,000 casualties during the [Russo-Ukrainian] war. With a […]
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“… Moscow has shown … frustration over the inconclusive nature of inquiries by some foreign powers into explosions in September 2022 on [Nord Stream] pipelines designed to carry Russian gas to western Europe. Denmark dropped its investigation in February after Sweden closed its inquiry and handed evidence … to German investigators. … Russia and the West … have accused each […]
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(U.S. State Department – April 2, 2024) INTERVIEW ANTONY J. BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE CHIEF OF MISSION RESIDENCE PARIS, FRANCE QUESTION: Good evening, Mr. Secretary of State. Antony Blinken, you’re head of U.S. foreign policy. First, Ukraine’s cry for help. Is the United States in a position to promise that the Ukrainian state, that Kyiv, will never fall into Russian […]
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(Moscow Times – April 3, 2024) Moscow smashed a daily temperature record on Tuesday, with thermometers in the Russian capital measuring a balmy 23.2 degrees Celsius. The previous record was broken in 1951, when the daily high for April 2 in Moscow was recorded at 17.4 degrees C. Tuesday’s new historic high followed days of unseasonably warm weather throughout much […]
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“German diplomat says Moscow’s messaging combines greater subtlety and plausibility with automation” “Russian disinformation campaigns to undermine support for Ukraine in Europe have grown significantly in scale, skill and stealth, [Ralf Beste of Germany’s Federal Foreign Office] has warned. ‘It is absolutely a threat we have to take seriously’ … ‘Overall, [there] is an increase in sophistication and impact ….’ […]
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“In an unusual move, U.S. officials shared highly specific information about a terrorist plot with an adversary country” “More than two weeks before terrorists staged a bloody attack in the suburbs of Moscow, the U.S. government told Russian officials that Crocus City Hall, a popular concert venue, was a potential target, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The […]
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(Moscow Times – April 2, 2024) Russia’s spy chief said Tuesday that U.S. warnings of a possible extremist attack were too broad to have prevented the deadly concert hall attack outside Moscow late last month. “The Federal Security Service [FSB] received some information from the U.S. intelligence services that such a thing was unfortunately possible,” Sergei Naryshkin, who heads Russia’s […]
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“[U.S. ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith] has stressed that the U.S. and its transatlantic partners are preparing for a Russian expansion of its war on Ukraine into allied territory … [saying] Tuesday that Russia remains ‘the pre-eminent threat that we’re grappling with,’ though [she] added: ‘We do not see an imminent threat to NATO territory.’ ‘NATO is not sitting on […]
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“According to high-ranking Ukrainian officers, the military picture is grim and Russian generals could find success wherever they decide to focus their upcoming offensive.” “… Europe … is trying to help Ukraine make up for its colossal disadvantage in artillery shells. … [A] proposed Czech-led bulk artillery ammunition purchase could bring Ukraine’s total from both within and outside the EU […]
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“… Russia has … greater manpower … and the ability to recruit more fighters through lucrative contracts …. Russian firepower is reportedly ten times greater in aggregate than Ukraine’s and about seven-fold just for artillery and mortars. … U.S. congressional failure to approve [more] support … has led to an increased loss of Ukrainian lives and territory on the front […]
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“A just-published investigation … has unearthed startling new information about … Havana syndrome, or ‘Anomalous Health Incidents’ … unexplained bouts of painful disorientation [impacting] U.S. diplomats and intelligence officers …. The new information suggests but does not prove that Russia’s military intelligence agency is responsible. Earlier, agencies in the U.S. intelligence community had concluded … ‘it is very unlikely a […]
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(Moscow Times – Michele A. Berdy – March 29, 2024) Последнее слово: last word I began to write The Word’s Worth in April 2002, the third writer (I think) to take up what was envisioned as a language column for expats. Since then I’ve written more than a thousand columns, touching on just about every aspect of language use and […]
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“… If there’s one mistake the West made in its relationship with Russia, it was not paying enough attention to or taking seriously the rhetoric coming from the Kremlin and Russia’s political-military elites. Putin’s anti-Western, paranoid and virulent speech in Munich in 2007 was not out of character. Russia’s beliefs and ideas have never really changed since 1991. An analysis […]
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“Analysts of Russia differ about … the roots of Russia’s ongoing aggression. One side argues that Russian history and political culture are to blame …. The other side argues that the causes are … typical of … certain kinds of states, regimes, societies and leaders. … How can this vicious circle be broken? Since Russian history is [that of] of […]
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“Many units, which say the official conscription system is dysfunctional and unwieldy, have started their own recruitment campaigns to fill ranks depleted in the war with Russia.” “… Slick recruiting campaigns brimming with nationalist fervor have become ubiquitous in Kyiv … and other Ukrainian cities … perhaps the most visible sign of a push to replenish Ukrainian troops depleted by […]
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“… To make peace in a conflict, both parties have to be willing to accept each other’s minimum demands. And despite the mutual lack of progress, neither Russia nor Ukraine can swallow each other’s requirements. Kyiv, for instance, cannot accept Russia’s demand for new leadership. Moscow cannot accede to Ukraine’s demand for reparations. Both sides will not give up land. […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – Simon Saradzhyan) One of the multiple factors that propelled the then relatively unknown apparatchik Vladimir Putin to the pinnacle of power in Russia in late 1999/early 2000, was his ability to convince many members of the Russian elite and the public that he was the kind of leader who not only promised to protect them […]
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“Moscow has found better ways to conceal influence operations that spread arguments for isolationism, officials and experts say.” “Russia has intensified … online efforts to derail military funding for Ukraine in the United States and Europe, largely by using harder-to-trace technologies to amplify arguments for isolationism ahead of the U.S. elections, according to disinformation experts and intelligence assessments. … [I]ntelligence […]
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(The Whitehouse – whitehouse.gov – March 28, 2024) … MR. KIRBY: First, I want to just take a moment to respond to the – both the nonsense and the propaganda that we’ve been seeing coming from the Kremlin and the Russian government over the past few days about the ISIS terrorist attack on the concert hall, which sadly took the […]
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“… We asked about proposals … by some in the West who say the United States should press for a negotiation to ‘save’ Ukraine by ceding parts of the country to Russia in exchange for peace. Few Ukrainians expressed interest … point[ing] to … war crimes Ukrainians have suffered under Russian occupation … ask[ing] how they could abandon anyone to […]
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“‘Sometimes the Ukrainian government may resist the kind of freedom of information that’s normal for us,’ said the State Department’s James Rubin.” “A senior U.S. diplomat responsible for countering disinformation says … Zelenskyy should be more open to disclosing information about the state of the war in Ukraine. The advice comes as fighting intensifies amid Russian gains in key areas […]
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“Campaign is part of push to divert attention from security failures, analysts say” “Reeling from an apparent security lapse that allowed … heavily-armed men to massacre dozens of concertgoers in Moscow … Russia has gone into overdrive advancing a narrative that pins the blame on a usual suspect: Ukraine. Western officials have said Islamic State is responsible for the March […]
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(Moscow Times – March 26, 2024) Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova has criticized the alleged violent detention of the four suspected gunmen in last week’s deadly attack on a Moscow concert hall, state media reported Tuesday. “Despite the drastic nature of detaining criminals and no criminal punishment stipulated for actions that inflict harm during detention, it’s absolutely inadmissible to […]
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“… Without new U.S. military assistance, Ukrainian ground forces may not be able to hold the line against a relentless Russian military. … The most urgent priority is to appropriate funds to resupply Kyiv with artillery shells, air defense missiles, deep-strike rockets, and other critical military needs. But even once Ukraine receives this much-needed support, a fundamental question remains: how […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) 3 Ideas to Explore The March 22 terrorist attack on a concert hall outside Moscow, in which more than 130 people were killed and for which ISIS claimed responsibility, is a “reminder of the fatal results of mutual distrust in the US-Russian relations,” Anatol Lieven writes in reference to the fact that the U.S. did warn Russia on March […]
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“Whitehall figures fear hostile states have helped to fuel wild conspiracy theories in attempt to destabilise nation” “China, Russia and Iran are fuelling disinformation about the Princess of Wales to destabilise the nation, Whitehall sources believe. Senior Government figures fear … hostile states are behind the spread of wild conspiracy theories and online rumours surrounding the Princess’s health. After the […]
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“… [T]he glaring failure of Putin’s security state to prevent the gruesome assault — despite the U.S. warning of March 7 that a strike on a concert hall could be imminent — may endanger the Russian government’s social contract with its people. The attack, which underscored the country’s continuing vulnerability to terrorist acts, came just days after Putin’s victory in […]
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“… In the past the Kremlin acknowledged its opponent and dealt ruthlessly with Islamist extremists. This time … Putin made no mention of the organization that credibly claimed responsibility, an Afghan offshoot of the Islamic State known as ISIS-K, and instead cast indirect and utterly unsubstantiated suspicion on Ukraine. … [T]he claim reflected Putin’s problem: coming on the heels of […]
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“The Kremlin autocrat once wanted to align with the U.S. in fighting terrorism but is trapped in lies and paranoia” “… Today, Russia’s discourse seems intended to justify inaction, rather than action. Putin’s vaunted security apparatus, obsessed with pursuing proclaimed enemies of the state, proved unable to prevent Russia’s deadliest terrorist attack in 20 years. … Russia’s current framing of […]
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“Budanov was cagey talking about Ukraine’s responsibility for attacks in Russia.” “There will likely be further strikes into Russian territory … Budanov [said] … without specifically saying whether Ukraine would be behind them. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the Dec. 26 attack on Russia’s Engels Air Force Base … more than 800 miles from the Ukrainian border … Budanov […]
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“While many Russians are trying to link Friday’s deadly terrorist attack to Kyiv, the more likely suspect is an older enemy: radical Islamists. Russia has diverted attention from them amid its war with Ukraine.” “The horrific slaughter at Crocus City Hall, in which gunmen with automatic weapons and explosives killed over 130 people last Friday, has jolted Muscovites out of […]
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“Authoritarian system promised security. Now the Kremlin confronts Islamist terrorism at home and a costly war abroad.” “Last week, … Putin dismissed American warnings of an imminent terrorist attack and urged leaders of the country’s security services to focus on catching Ukrainian spies instead. Three days later, Islamic State gunmen rampaged through a concert hall outside Moscow, killing more than […]
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“… Top officials including Gen. Mark A. Milley, then chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, commander of Ukrainian ground forces, attended several of the simulations and were briefed on the results. During one visit to Wiesbaden, Milley spoke with Ukrainian special operations troops — who were working with American Green Berets — in […]
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“Pro-Moscow forces had dismissed the alert as an attempt to scare Russians.” “The U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a security alert on March 7, warning that its personnel were ‘monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts.’ The statement warned Americans that an attack could take place in the next 48 hours. […]
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“Washington told Kyiv that drone attacks risk driving up crude prices and provoking retaliation” “… The repeated warnings from Washington [reportedly] were delivered to senior officials at Ukraine’s state security service, the SBU, and its military intelligence directorate, known as the GUR …. Both intelligence units have steadily expanded their own drone programmes to strike Russian targets on land, sea […]
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“… Europeans should be in a position to deliver more than enough support to Ukraine. The 30 European countries that belong to NATO have, taken together, the world’s second-biggest military budget (exceeded only by America’s), vastly outspending Russia. Their economy is bigger than America’s. … [A]cross the continent the desire for Ukraine to prevail is strong. The realisation that … […]
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“… Putin staked his campaign largely on the war, which he blames the West for provoking. …[T]he war’s negative effects are becoming hard to ignore. … [T]he Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service says Russians are suffering from ‘war fatigue’ … ‘… weariness, coupled with a desire to minimize the war’s direct impact on themselves personally and those close to them.’ … […]
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“Attacks on refineries have both symbolic and strategic goals Kyiv plans to send ever-increasing swarm of drones into Russia” “Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion has entered a new phase, pitting homegrown drone technology against a … 1,200 mile[] swathe of largely Soviet-era oil facilities. At least nine major refineries have been successfully attacked this year … [reportedly] taking offline 11% […]
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“The main reason … EU farmers can’t sell their … goods … has nothing to do with Ukraine and its huge agricultural sector. … [I]t is Russia, whose own record farm output — and world-beating exports — have driven crop prices down to the point where farmers everywhere are hurting. … Aided by extremely favorable weather, Russia has grown unprecedented […]
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“… Russia controls a little under one fifth of Ukraine and … Putin ordered troops to push further forward after Moscow took … Avdiivka …. Russia, which has recruited hundreds of thousands of contract soldiers, will create two new armies and 30 formations including 14 divisions and 16 brigades, [according to Russian Defense Minister] Shoigu …. Western spy chiefs say […]
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“With U.S. commitment to NATO uncertain, Europe faces a security rebuild that threatens budgets for other programs” “European countries are waking up to Russia’s danger … [T]he cost of building robust defenses able to withstand a potential U.S. pullback … threatens Europe’s post-Cold War social model. With … Trump questioning America’s future in [NATO] and Russian forces on the offensive […]
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