Clues From Views: Russia’s National Security Chief Says Poland Preparing to Seize Land in Ukraine, Points Finger at ‘Selfish’ West

European Portion of Commonwealth of Independent States

(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – RM Staff – June 2, 2022) This post is part of a new “Clues from Russian Views” series in our blog and analysis sections. In it, we share what newsmakers in/from Russia are saying about Russia-related issues that impact key U.S. national interests so that RM readers can glean clues about their thinking and/or messaging.The […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “U.S. military hackers conducting offensive operations in support of Ukraine, says head of Cyber Command” – Sky News

File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

“In an exclusive interview with Sky News, General Paul Nakasone confirmed for the first time that the U.S. had ‘conducted a series of operations’ in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.” “… [NSA Director, Commander of the U.S. Cyber Command, Chief of the Central Security Service,  and four-star] General Paul Nakasone … explained how … ‘hunt forward’ operations were allowing […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “America sends advanced missiles to help Ukraine fend off Russia; They have been a long time coming” – The Economist

File Photo of HIMARS Missile Being Launched, adapted from image at army.mil

“…. ‘ The Pentagon said it would send a first consignment of four m142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (himars) …. Each carries a pod of six gps-guided missiles, accurate over distances as far as 70-84km — about three times the range of the howitzers … America has supplied thus far. … Germany and Britain [reportedly] are likely to provide […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine Security Services Hunt for Russia Supporters and Agents in Their Midst” – WSJ

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“While the invasion has tarnished Moscow’s appeal, some in eastern Ukraine still back the Kremlin as Russian forces bombard their hometowns.” “… In … predominantly Russian-speaking parts of eastern Ukraine, a sizable share of the population, especially among older generations, long felt more affinity with Moscow than Kyiv. That sentiment has been eroded by Russia’s conduct in the Donbas region […]

» Read more

RUSSIALINK: “Ukraine’s Zelensky Rules Out Attacks on Russia With U.S. Arms” – Moscow Times

File Photo of HIMARS Missile Being Launched, adapted from image at army.mil

(Moscow Times – June 1, 2022) Ukraine will not use advanced missile systems it expects to receive from the United States to attack within Russian territory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday. President Joe Biden announced earlier that the U.S. is sending advanced rocket systems in Ukraine to strike “key targets on the battlefield in Ukraine.” A U.S. official identified […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “The secret planning that kept the White House a step ahead of Russia” – Washington Post

File Photo of Country Flags Outside 2017 G20 Meeting in Hamburg, adapted from image at state.gov

“… The Ukraine threat got red-hot in October, when the United States gathered intelligence about a renewed Russian buildup on the border …. This operational detail ‘was really the eye opener.’ The Group of 20 … were meeting at the end of October … and [the U.S. gave] … Britain, France and Germany … a detailed readout on … top-secret […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Advancing Russian forces reach key highway from Donbas cities” – Reuters

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“Advancing Russian forces came closer to surrounding Ukrainian troops in the east, briefly seizing positions on the last highway out of a crucial pair of Ukrainian-held cities before being beaten back, a Ukrainian official said on Thursday. … Three months into its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has abandoned its assault on the capital Kyiv and is trying to consolidate control […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Locals ‘apprehensive’ in Moscow-run Ukraine region” – AFP

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“In Ukraine’s only region fully controlled by Russian troops, Moscow-backed officials are pushing for formal annexation while those still living there say they are apprehensive …. Russian forces swiftly moved in from neighbouring Crimea … in early March. … [when] Ukrainian troops were focused on defending … Kyiv. … By taking control of Kherson and partially occupying the neighbouring region […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine: Russia must withdraw to pre-war positions for talks” – AP

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“… [Zelenskyy] said Wednesday that Russia must pull back to … pre-war positions as a first step before diplomatic talks, a negotiating line … [the Kremlin] is unlikely to agree to anytime soon. … He expressed a willingness to negotiate with … Putin directly, but stressed that Moscow needs to make clear its willingness to engage in serious talks. … […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin is starving millions of people around the world” – Washington Post

Wheat in Field, adapted from image at usda.gov

“… Putin’s atrocities … grow[] [daily]. In addition to … the blood of Ukrainians on his hands from his completely unjustified war, [Putin] is … responsible for … growing starvation … around the world. Ukraine is the breadbasket for much of the Middle East and North Africa. … Putin is preventing Ukrainian grain from leaving … Odessa and [blocking] other […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Zelenskyy says UN, Red Cross order Russia to take its ‘mountains of corpses'” – Fox

European Portion of Commonwealth of Independent States

“Zelensky says Ukrainian forces have ‘broken’ Russia’s troops ‘psychologically’.” “The [UN] and [ICRC] have directed … Putin to remove his ‘mountain of corpses,’ … Zelenskyy said Saturday. ‘They abandoned their military,’ Zelenskyy said …. ‘They were dying, but they didn’t care. Recently I was told that they are only now thinking about taking the corpses.’ ‘When the war started…they used […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukrainian negotiator rules out ceasefire or concessions to Russia” – Reuters

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“Ukraine on Saturday ruled out … a ceasefire with Russia and said Kyiv would not accept any deal … ceding territory. Acknowledging that Kyiv’s stance … was becoming more uncompromising, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said … concessions would backfire on Ukraine because Russia would hit back harder after any break in fighting. … Podolyak dismissed as ‘very strange’ [Western] calls […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “The Russian Orthodox Leader at the Core of Putin’s Ambitions” – New York Times

Patriarch Kirill file photo

“Patriarch Kirill I has provided spiritual cover for the invasion of Ukraine, reaping vast resources for his church in return. Now, in an extraordinary step, the E.U. is threatening him with sanctions.” “… Kirill … has staked the fortunes of his branch of Orthodox Christianity on a close and mutually beneficial alliance with [] Putin ….  To his critics, the […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine Will Fight Until All Russian Forces Are Expelled, Military Intelligence Chief Says” – WSJ

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“Kyiv must reclaim territory in Crimea and the east effectively seized by Russia in 2014, Maj. Gen. Budanov says.” “Ukraine’s military intelligence chief said the country would keep fighting until it evicts Russian forces from all of its territory … and called for deliveries of longer-range heavy weapons and warplanes from the West …. [P]eace negotiations … stalled, Ukrainian forces […]

» Read more

Experts Weigh In on Diplomatic Solutions in Ukraine

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – RM Staff – May 18, 2022) Can the war in Ukraine be ended through diplomacy? If so, how and when? RM staff have combed through recent commentary by experts on both sides of the geopolitical divide in search of answers. Even before Russian and Ukrainian officials said this week that peace talks were “on pause,” […]

» Read more

RUSSIALINK: “The Decline of HSE: Top Russian University Stifles Dissent Amid Ukraine War” – Moscow Times

Bookcase file photo, adapted from image at nlm.nih.gov

(Moscow Times – Yanina Sorokina – May 19, 2022) Timofei Voronov, 21, a cultural studies student at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics (HSE), was summoned to see the prestigious university’s deputy head in March after being detained at an anti-war rally. Along with several other students, Voronov was shown a list of new laws at the March meeting, including those […]

» Read more

RUSSIALINK: “Kremlin Accuses Kyiv of ‘Lacking Will’ to Continue Peace Talks” – Moscow Times

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

(Moscow Times – May 18, 2022) Talks aimed at ending hostilities in Russia’s nearly three-month attack on Ukraine have come to a standstill because of a “lack of willingness” on Kyiv’s part, the Kremlin said Wednesday. Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have held several rounds of peace talks since the start of the invasion in February. But the talks have lost […]

» Read more

VIDEO: JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia Pundit Gives Rare Public Damning Assessment of Ukraine War” – Newsweek

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“… Russian columnist [Mikhail Kodaryonok] … appear[ing] on [Russian-state-owned] television … gave a damning assessment of the situation in Ukraine from Russia’s perspective. … Khodaryonok’s comments come after Russian military forces have suffered a series of setbacks …. Khodaryonok … painted an even grimmer situation [ahead] for Russia … [anticipating] the vast supply of arms … soon likely … available […]

» Read more

RUSSIALINK: “Russia Says 265 Azovstal Defenders Surrendered” – Moscow Times

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

(Moscow Times – May 17, 2022) Russia said Tuesday that 265 Ukrainian soldiers holed up in Mariupol’s besieged Azovstal steel plant had “surrendered,” contradicting Kyiv’s account that the evacuated soldiers would be exchanged later. “The surrender of fighters from the Azov nationalist unit and Ukrainian servicemen blocked in the Azovstal plant in Mariupol began yesterday,” the Russian Defense Ministry said […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia learns a hard lesson about the folly of war; Great powers usually come off worse when they invade smaller countries” – Financial Times

European Portion of Commonwealth of Independent States

“… Moscow’s military is bogged down and has taken heavy losses. Russia’s international isolation is getting worse … Finland and Sweden are planning to join Nato. … [E]ven a war against a smaller, weaker neighbour can go badly wrong. Larger conflicts invite disaster. Even nominal victory can leave your economy and society in a ruinous condition. … [H]istorian AJP Taylor […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia has likely lost one-third of its combat forces in Ukraine, UK Defense Ministry says” – Fox

European Portion of Commonwealth of Independent States

“Russian forces also face ‘low morale and reduced combat effectiveness,’ the report said.” “… [Russian] forces who remain [in Ukraine] are depleted and have been unable to make any territorial progress in recent weeks, British intelligence … said …. Russia ‘has now likely suffered losses of one-third of the ground combat force it committed in February,’ the [UK] Ministry of […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine War’s Geographic Reality: Russia Has Seized Much of the East” – New York Times

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“Russia’s nearly three-month-old invasion of … Ukraine has been punctuated by flawed planning, poor intelligence, barbarity and wanton destruction. … [O]bscured in the daily fighting is the geographic reality that Russia has made gains …. The Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday that its forces … had advanced to the border between Donetsk and Luhansk, … Russian-speaking [eastern Ukrainian] provinces where […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Unexplained Attacks Inside Russian Territory Raise Prospect of Wider Conflict” – WSJ

European Portion of Commonwealth of Independent States

“Strikes and explosions — some attributed to Ukrainian forces — have hit infrastructure vital to Moscow’s offensive in eastern Ukraine.” “… [A]ttacks inside Russian territory and unexplained explosions at Russian targets near the border … have expanded the scope of the conflict … underscoring Russian vulnerabilities in regions … crucial to Moscow’s renewed offensive in eastern Ukraine. … Ukraine has […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukrainian Official Outlines Intentional Ambiguity on Strikes Inside Russia” – New York Times

European Portion of Commonwealth of Independent States

“The strikes have been one of the most intriguing, and opaque, new elements of the recent fighting. But when it comes to confirming their origins, “we don’t say yes and we don’t say no,’’ said the official.” “…. If carried out by Ukraine, they represent acts of once nearly unimaginable audacity … Russia has accused Ukraine of carrying out the […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “West Ramps Up Ukraine Weapons Aid as Expectations About War’s Outcome Shift” – WSJ

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“Governments see Ukrainian success offering chance of curbing Russian expansionism.” “Ukraine’s military successes against Russia have transformed [Western] calculations …  leading to a sharp increase in military help for Kyiv as a war that started with Western efforts at damage control …  [now] offers a strategic opportunity to constrain Russia[n] expansionis[m] …. [Western] allies are now shipping large volumes of […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine cracks down on ‘traitors’ helping Russian troops” – AP

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“… nearly 400 … in the Kharkiv region alone … have been detained under anti-collaboration laws enacted … after Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion[] … [imposing] up to 15 years in prison for collaborating with Russian forces, making public denials about Russian aggression or supporting [the Kremlin]. Anyone whose actions result in deaths could face life in prison. … Political analysts […]

» Read more

Clues From Views: Will Russia Resort to Nukes in Ukraine?

Russian Mobile ICBM Parade File Photo

(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – RM Staff – April 28, 2022) This blog post is part of a new “Clues from Russian Views” series, in which we share what newsmakers in/from Russia are saying on Russia-related issues that impact key U.S. national interests so that RM readers can glean clues about their thinking.The words in the news: Speaking about the war in […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russian aggression may have a new target” – Washington Post

European Portion of Commonwealth of Independent States

“… [There are] eerie — and alarming — parallels [between the Russian Federation’s leadup to its massive invasion of Ukraine] and … what has been happening … in … Moldova. … [B]etween Romania and Ukraine, this poor, militarily weak former Soviet republic has been partially occupied since 1992 by Russian troops. They intervened during a brief civil war, purportedly to […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “How Russia’s grim demographics could thwart Putin’s global ambitions” – Washington Post

Map of Russia and Russian Flag adapted from images at state.gov

“The Russian army’s strangely stumble-footed invasion of Ukraine is only the latest reminder of the pervasive and long-standing ‘human resource’ woes that frustrate … Putin’s aspirations for superpower status. … Russia is depopulating — even after Putin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, its total numbers are lower today than when the Soviet Union collapsed. Russia’s working-age population and its pool […]

» Read more

RUSSIALINK: “Hacker Attacks on Russia Gain Attention But Cause Little Damage” – Moscow Times

File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(Moscow Times – Alexandra Vladimirova – April 29, 2022) Two days after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a group of hackers managed to get access to several Russian state-owned television channels and broadcast anti-war videos. But the attack ended after a few minutes and regular programming resumed. This type of fleeting hacking operation has been repeated many times […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia Making Slow Progress in Bid to Cut Off Ukrainian Forces; Russian advance has so far failed to make decisive breakthrough in second phase of the war” – WSJ

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“Russia’s military is gradually seizing more territory in Ukraine’s east … apparent[ly] aim [ing] … [to] cut[] off Ukrainian forces. But Ukrainian and Western officials and analysts say Moscow’s progress is slow and yet to achieve a decisive breakthrough. … [A]ny success in severing Ukrainian units’ supply lines may not be decisive … as Russian forces would be vulnerable to […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “How Zelensky Tamed Ukraine’s Fractious Politics and Stood Up to Putin” – New York Times

Maidan Square in Kiev, Ukraine

“Russian tanks were rolling over the border and Kyiv … was in … fear and panic. Street fighting broke out … [A] Russian armored column … advanced to within two miles of the office of … Zelensky. In those tense first days of the war, almost everyone … expected the Ukrainian leadership to fracture. Instead, [] Zelensky decided to personally […]

» Read more

Once A Hope Of Russian Liberals And The West, Medvedev Beats A Bellicose Drum To Stay Safe, Relevant

Dmitri Medvedev file photo

(Article text Copyright © 2022 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036. – rferl.org – Todd Prince – April 24, 2022 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/medvedev-liberal-to-bellicose/31818941.html) Former President Dmitry Medvedev’s opinion article in the daily Kommersant in October 2021, ahead of Russia’s massive military buildup […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia warns West: Don’t test our patience” – Reuters/ Guy Faulconbridge

European Portion of Commonwealth of Independent States

“Russia … warned the West that there would be a tough military response to any further attack on Russian territory, accusing the United States and its key allies of undermining European security by openly inciting Ukraine to assault Russia. Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands … displaced millions more and raised fears of the most serious confrontation […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Austin’s assertion that U.S. wants to ‘weaken’ Russia underlines Biden strategy shift” – CNN

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has transformed into a grinding war of attrition with no meaningful peace deal in sight, the U.S. and its allies have begun to convey a new, longer-term goal … to defeat Russia so decisively on the battlefield that it will be deterred from launching such an attack ever again. … [O]n Monday … Secretary of […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia warns United States against sending more arms to Ukraine” – Reuters

File photo of 88mm howitzers and troops in field, with shell in mid-flight, adapted from image at defense.gov

“Russia told the United States to stop sending more arms to Ukraine, warning that large Western deliveries of weapons were inflaming the conflict and would lead to more losses …. Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands … displaced millions … and raised fears of a wider confrontation between Russia and the United States …. The United States […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “First Priority — Avoid U.S. War With Russia” – Patrick Buchanan/ Creators.com

File Photo of U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer USS Donald Cook Firing Harpoon Missile

“… The present U.S. position might be summarized thus: As U.S. forces fighting and killing Russians in Ukraine would ignite a U.S.-Russia war, which could escalate to nuclear war, we are not going to take that first step and risk the security and survival of our country, even if our staying out … means the defeat of Ukraine. Call it […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “What Does the West Want in Ukraine? Defining Success—Before It’s Too Late” – Foreign Affairs

European Portion of Commonwealth of Independent States

“… All this points to a long war. … mostly in Ukraine’s east and south …. The elements of a strategy for a long-term, open-ended war …: provide Ukraine with … weapons, ammunition, training, and intelligence … to defend itself …; make sure … NATO remains strong enough to discourage Russia from escalating the conflict or … [blocking Ukrainian] supplies […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “The Secret of Ukraine’s Military Success: Years of NATO Training” – WSJ

NATO Meeting file photo

“Soldiers, plus military brass and overseers in parliament, have been transformed from a rigid Soviet-style force into a modern army that thinks on the move.” “… [There has been] a little-publicized effort by [NATO] countries … that transformed Ukraine’s military up and down the ranks, from foot soldiers to the defense ministry to overseers in parliament. It is one big […]

» Read more

RUSSIALINK: “Ex-Crimea Prosecutor Poklonskaya Slams Russia’s Pro-War ‘Z’ Symbol” – Moscow Times

European Portion of Commonwealth of Independent States

(Moscow Times – April 20, 2022) Natalia Poklonskaya has issued a harsh criticism of the pro-war Z symbol that has spread across Russia, the latest anti-war comments from the former Crimean prosecutor and onetime Russian lawmaker. The Latin letter — first seen displayed on Russian military vehicles entering Poklonskaya’s country of birth — has come to symbolize the public’s support […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russian Offensive Bears Down on Donbas as West Races to Supply Ukraine With More Weapons; Ukraine is reinforcing units as it also counterattacks southeast of Kharkiv” – WSJ

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“Russian forces Wednesday made incremental gains … in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas … as Western nations rushed more weapons to … Ukrain[e]…. In … Mariupol … Russia … insisted on … unconditional surrender and kept pounding … Ukrainian forces — … mostly holed up in the sprawling Azovstal steel plant — with artillery and airstrikes. Ukraine[] … said … that Russian […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukrainian Forces in Mariupol Rebuff Russian Ultimatum to Surrender” – WSJ

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“Russia on verge of capturing city; Zelensky warns ‘elimination’ of surrounded troops would endanger peace talks.” “… Ukrainian troops holding out in … Mariupol rejected Moscow’s [Sunday] ultimatum … [to] surrender or face destruction by Russian forces … Zelensky warned an all-out Russian assault on the troops would endanger further peace negotiations. … Russian forces are close to capturing the […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “U.S., allies plan for long-term isolation of Russia” – Washington Post

File Photo of Kremlin Tower, St. Basil's, Red Square at Night

“A new strategy would mark a return to containment after years of seeking cooperation and coexistence with Moscow.” “… At NATO and the [EU] … and at the State Department … Pentagon and allied ministries, blueprints are being drawn up … [for] new policies across virtually every aspect of the West’s posture toward Moscow, from defense and finance to trade […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Text at Pope’s Good Friday service scrapped after Ukrainian protest” – Reuters

File Photo of Rome Collossuem at Night, Lit Up, adapted from image at usda.gov

“… [T]he original text of some 200 words was replaced with two sentences: ‘Faced with death, silence is the most eloquent of words. Let us all paused in silent prayer and each one pray in their hearts for peace in the world.’ The crowd … then fell silent for about as long as it would have taken to read the […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “To Push Back Russians, Ukrainians Hit a Village With Cluster Munitions” – New York Times

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“… [Cluster munitions] have been repeatedly used by the Russian military [in] Ukraine …. [with] their presence [linked] to … war-crimes allegations …. But [one] that landed [in a street in Husarivka in eastern Ukraine] … [was believed] likely to have been launched by … Ukrainian troops …. Nobody died in that strike … though at least two people were […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russian Orthodox Church lends legitimacy to Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine” – Financial Times

Patriarch Kirill file photo

“Moscow-led institution risks alienating independent-minded clergy at home as well as many Ukrainians.” “… the Russian Orthodox Church … has thrown its ideological weight behind the Kremlin’s war. … risk[ing] [the] alienat[ion] [of] not only independently-minded clergy … but also many Ukrainians. … Patriarch Kirill … called on Russians to rally around their government so that the state could ‘repel […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia Calls on Ukraine’s Surrounded Mariupol Forces to Surrender” – WSJ

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“Port city on verge of capture by Russian forces; Ukrainian president describes situation as ‘inhuman,’ urges more talks” “Russia called on the last Ukrainian troops fighting in Mariupol to lay down arms on Sunday … as it closed in on capturing the strategic port city after weeks of heavy bombardment. … There was no indication … that the city’s defenders […]

» Read more

JRL NEWSWATCH: “C.I.A. Director Airs Concern That Putin Might Turn to Nuclear Weapons” – New York Times

Iskander Missile with Launch file photo

“William J. Burns, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, cautioned that he had seen no ‘practical evidence’ that would suggest such a move was imminent.” “[CIA] director [William J. Burns] said … Thursday that ‘potential desperation’ to extract the semblance of a victory in Ukraine could tempt … Putin … to order the use of a tactical or low-yield […]

» Read more
1 16 17 18 19 20 48