( Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) Two Russian rebel groups linked to the Ukrainian military raided a number of settlements in western Russia this week before being expelled. The rebels used U.S.-made vehicles in the raids, prompting U.S. officials to remind Kyiv that Washington doesn’t condone the use of U.S.-delivered equipment in attacks inside Russia. The U.S. intelligence community believes at […]
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“… [Recently] two militias … oppos[ing] … Putin — the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Free Russia Legion — claimed to have ‘liberated’ several border villages [in the Russian region of Belgorod]. The groups appear to be based in Ukraine …. [and] Russia says … the militias are a front for the Ukrainian army; [but] Ukraine insists … they are […]
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“… [T]he arrival of more than 100,000 Russians in [Georgia] since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine … has left Georgians uncertain whether to welcome them as friends or shun them as foes. … Despite gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, a potential European future [for Georgia] is still struggling to be born. Georgia’s stance towards Russia […]
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“The Johns Hopkins University celebrated its commencement … with a surprise speech from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy via livestream …. and [awarded] Zelenskyy an honorary doctorate …. The Class of 2023 offered him a standing ovation after the address …. Zelenskyy offered … a message centered around time, … ‘the most valuable resource on the planet.’ … He said the […]
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“Russia is integrating its military draft with its digitized, pervasive bureaucracy. That could make new mobilizations for its war in Ukraine more efficient – and much harder to evade.” “In Russia, it used to be that to get called up for military service, an eligible recruit had to be issued a draft summons in person. Not anymore. Under a new […]
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“Xi Jinping meets Russian premier among meetings signaling pushback against Western pressure” “China and Russia moved to solidify their partnership with high-level meetings … in a departure from recent efforts by Beijing to play down its alignment with Moscow as it seeks to play … peacemaker in Ukraine. … Xi Jinping met Wednesday in Beijing with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail […]
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“… The U.S. and other NATO nations are sending Ukraine tanks, drones and artillery … as [Ukraine] plans [its expected next] offensive. The West also recently pledged to meet Ukraine’s long-standing request for F-16[‘s], [a scenario still requiring] the Ukrainian air force [to spend months] … learn[ing] how to fly and maintain [them] …. … [T]his lengthy Ukrainian buildup has […]
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“Disputes in Russian society do not pose a threat to Vladimir Putin’s government, says Bruno Kahl, head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service. He argues Moscow has enough recruits and equipment for the war.” “… Kahl argued that public criticism of the management of the war amount to routine disputes within Russian society and do not pose a threat to the […]
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Russia’s military has been widely discredited and disparaged by the Western media since the start of its invasion of Ukraine. Russia was seen to have bungled the early phase of the war, suffering a series of setbacks and retreats. Defense analysts say Russia has adapted its tactics during the war, however, and a more structured, coordinated and reactive armed force […]
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“CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC repeatedly invited the top Democrat during the Mueller investigation” “… Durham’s conclusion was that since the original probe, … Crossfire Hurricane, was based on ‘raw, unanalyzed and uncorroborated intelligence,’ the FBI was wrong in fast-tracking a full investigation …. While the DOJ was largely silent … there was no one in Washington as vocal about […]
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“Whether Americans like it or not, this country will have little choice but to begin planning for an emerging world order.” “… Amid the seemingly never-ending catastrophe of the war in Ukraine, it’s become increasingly evident that China and India are likely to shape its final resolution. Russia can’t keep fighting without … [their] support … thanks to their refusal […]
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“A new report shows how its tactics are improving. Ukraine can still beat it.” “Russian generals have been slow to learn from … strategic errors. … botch[ing] Russia’s initial assault on Kyiv, bungl[ing] an assault on the eastern Donbas … last summer and … fritter[ing] away tens of thousands of troops … on the same front [more recently] …. But […]
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“… Russia’s approach to nuclear weapons has evolved since the invasion … and not in comforting ways. The war further nuclearized the Russian establishment’s strategic thought and normalized nuclear weapons in the public’s consciousness. … Evidence … indicate[s] that over the last year and a half Russia’s military has doubled down on its conceptualization of deterrence strategy, and that it […]
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“Last weekend’s G7 summit must not be the high point of international support for Kyiv.” “… [D]iplomatic and military support offered … Zelenskyy at the G7 [summit] was a big boost …. [T]he danger is that it could be remembered as the high watermark of international backing …. The U.S. and the Europeans believe … their efforts have worked … […]
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“The nine-month battle for the small Ukrainian city of Bakhmut effectively came to an end … Sunday, as Russian forces finally captured the last significant Ukrainian strongholds …. Who has won and who has lost isn’t measured, however, in current control over the uninhabitable ruins … left from … a once prosperous city of 70,000 …. The answer will depend […]
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“Special counsel John Durham’s report on the Russia collusion fiasco deserves more attention … [C]ritics are dismissing it for one big reason: The 306 pages describe the great failure of original special counsel Robert Mueller. … [who] hunted for evidence that [] Trump was a Russian mole but couldn’t find it. Now the Durham report makes clear … the Mueller […]
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“Recent Pentagon leaks reveal that the shadow war between Russia and the U.S. over Ukraine is becoming more overt — and far more dangerous.” “On the eastern wall of the Kremlin, Spasskaya Tower rises high above the old gray paving stones of Red Square. Beneath its hipped roof are the ‘Kremlin Chimes,’ a 500-year-old clock with four broad 20-foot faces. […]
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(Paul Goble – Window On Eurasia – Staunton, May 16, 2023) Despite the obvious tilt toward Russian Orthodoxy that the Putin regime has displayed especially in recent months, Russians as a whole do not see religion as an important part of their lives, according to the results of a new survey released by the Levada Center sociological center. While 14 […]
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“… [I]n the spring of 1991, I first came to New York, to attend the Glasnost in Two Cultures conference of women writers in Russia and North America. … my first real trip abroad. Going to America at the time was like going to the moon for Soviet people. … Thirty years ago, Russians and Americans discovered each other. … […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) Chinese President Xi Jinping told leaders of the five Central Asian republics that Beijing is ready to help them strengthen “their law enforcement, security and defense” capacities. Playing host to these leaders in Xian during a two-day summit, Xi also said China would provide $3.7 billion in financing support and “free assistance” to the five republics […]
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“The air is seeping out of Russia’s sanctions-beleaguered economy, but not fast enough to impede … Putin’s calamitous war in Ukraine or to inconvenience most Russians. … Washington and its allies retain potent ways to undercut the Kremlin’s war-making capacity over time — if [sanctions] are honed and intensified[,] [accompanied by] [b]etter coordination and tighter enforcement … sharpening the war’s […]
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“The deluge of satellite imagery, drone footage, social media and smart phones has generated enough information to support any story you want to tell about what’s happening on the ground.” “… [T]wo relatively new contributions to the transparency of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict are widely available satellite imagery and social network posts. … [S]atellite data from private Western providers has lent […]
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“The $48 billion Ukraine aid package … Congress approved in December has about $6 billion left … U.S. funding for weapons and supplies could dry up by midsummer. … raising fresh concerns among lawmakers about … when the administration will ask for another major package and whether it will be enough. The funding, many members say, needs to continue … […]
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“Russian-language video on Telegram aims at Russians ‘on the fence’” The Wall Street Journal reports: “The [CIA’s] semipublic campaign to convince Russians disaffected by the war in Ukraine to spy for Washington has borne fruit, CIA officials said … as the spy agency released a new video aimed directly at Russian government officials. Since last fall, the CIA and [FBI] […]
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“A U.S.-made Patriot system [reportedly] was likely damaged, but not destroyed, as the result of a Russian missile barrage in and around Kyiv early Tuesday …. Ukrainian officials said … they successfully intercepted all six hypersonic missiles fired by the Russians …. Ukraine currently has two Patriot air defense systems in the country, one donated by the US and the […]
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“Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has been engaged in very public criticism of Russia’s war effort. Experts say that it’s not a challenge to Vladimir Putin, but positioning for the post-war order.” “Russia’s most successful military leader in the Ukraine war … is not [even] a soldier …. Yevgeny Prigozhin is a former convict and Kremlin-connected entrepreneur whose private … […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) Ukraine’s counteroffensive needs to show demonstrable success for U.S. Congress to approve additional aid as the money American lawmakers set aside to fund military supplies to Kyiv is set to run out in July, according to U.S. officials interviewed by FT and Politico. Meanwhile, there is a debate underway in Washington over whether substantial gains in […]
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“The Ukrainian historian shows how the Kremlin’s bloody campaign has backfired.” “The Russo-Ukrainian War. By Serhii Plokhy. W.W. Norton; 400 pages … [a] useful account of the origins and early progress of Russia’s war against Ukraine … very much worth reading ….” “…[T]he first six chapters [lay] out an excellent survey of unresolved regional tensions, going all the way back […]
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“Latvia is fighting to counter the spread of Moscow’s disinformation. Given its large Russian-speaking community, this is a tough task.” “… Latvia gained its long-awaited independence in the 1990s … then became a member of the [EU] and NATO. But … the country’s Soviet past still has a potent impact …. Even before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine … Latvian […]
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(Moscow Times – May 16, 2023) Russia’s oil exports rose in April to the highest level since its invasion of Ukraine, boosting revenues by $1.7 billion despite Western sanctions, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday. The Paris-based organization said Russian exports increased by 50,000 barrels per day to 8.3 million bpd last month, estimating that the country did not fully […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – RM Staff – May 11, 2023) Ever since Mikhail Mishustin was hoisted from his job as tax chief to become Russia’s prime minister in 2020, analysts have said he would not be a potential successor to Vladimir Putin after the president’s term ends next year. This take was hard to argue against. As Carnegie’s Tatiana […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) Moscow blaming West at every turn: Vladimir Putin attacked the West on May 9, claiming that Russia’s future depended on the outcome of the war in Ukraine, as he attended a slimmed-down military parade to mark victory over Nazi Germany in WWII, MT reports. “A real war has once again been unleashed against our motherland,” he […]
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“… [W]e don’t plan a counteroffensive for months. … a priority issue for us, so we had to be prepared in advance with our plans. …. Our partners understand this …. There are [a number of] issues … The first … is, of course, ammunition. … a resource without which a counteroffensive is impossible. … [W]ithout this resource, the defense […]
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“Ukrainian president adds Britain to his tour of European nations as U.K. offers hundreds of attack drones.” “… Zelensky last week said Ukraine needed more time before it[s] … offensive because its military awaited equipment promised by Western partners … that proceeding now would cost too many lives. … [F]ace-to-face meetings with [European] counterparts … are designed to drive home […]
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“My research found several misconceptions about Russians’ attitude to the Ukraine war. Here’s what people really think.” (opendemocracy.net – Jeremy Morris – May 9, 2023) Jeremy Morris is a researcher at Aarhus University, Denmark. His work covers labour relations, political economy, and the lived experience of people in Russia, Ukraine and other places since the collapse of the Soviet Union. […]
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“They can’t track every shell, but at a time of heightened scrutiny in Washington they know they can ill afford slips with the big ticket items.” “… Rocket launchers, precision-guided missiles and billions of dollars’ worth of other advanced American weapons have given Ukraine a fighting chance against Russia …. [I]n Washington, against a looming government debt crisis and growing […]
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“Success of NATO training programs could prove critical Counteroffensive needs surprise and ‘combined arms’ approach” “Armed with … over $30 billion in weapons freshly supplied by its allies, Ukraine is gearing up for a counteroffensive that may push Russia closer to ending its war, or show neither side has enough firepower to seize the advantage. Kyiv’s troops will leverage that […]
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“The Biden administration [reportedly] is scouring the globe for offers that could entice Russia to release two wrongfully detained Americans, Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan …. The U.S. [reportedly] does not currently have any high-level Russian spies in its custody … [and therefore is] approaching allied countries [holding] Russian spies …. U.S. officials [reportedly] have also been surveying allies without […]
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“… It seems … [Joe] Biden … [on election day] owed thanks not only to a cabal of former intelligence officials, but [also] to the [CIA][,] … [according to the] [U.S.] House committees detailing the origins of the October 2020 disinformation letter about Hunter Biden’s laptop. … Joe Biden’s campaign helped engineer a statement from 51 former U.S. spies that […]
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(Moscow Times – Emily Couch – May 10, 2023) Ian Garner is a historian focusing on Soviet and Russian war propaganda. The author of “Stalingrad Lives: Stories of Combat and Survival,” he studied at the Universities of Bristol and Toronto, and at the St. Petersburg State Conservatory. “Z Generation: Into the Heart of Russia’s Fascist Youth” is available for purchase […]
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(Kennan Institute – wilsoncenter.org/program/kennan-institute – Oleh Haiko – Senior lecturer at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University – May 10, 2023) President Zelensky has successfully consolidated Ukrainian society in the fight against Russia. The end of the counteroffensive is likely to bring a fresh focus on societal discontent and renewed calls for a more effective government. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine […]
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“Kyrylo Budanov, said Putin’s forces were focusing on trying to capture Bakhmut Intelligence boss said new attack will be a ‘landmark battle in Ukraine’s history’” “Russia has all but abandoned efforts to take more territory and is now focusing on defending its positions in preparation for a brutal counteroffensive by Ukraine, the head of military intelligence in Kyiv has said. […]
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“Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell held a call with a pair of Russian pranksters posing as … Zelenskiy, according to video shown on Russian state television. Apparently thinking he was speaking to Zelenskiy, the video shows Powell answering questions on topics ranging from the outlook for inflation to the Russian central bank. There were several clips lasting about 15 minutes […]
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“Russia has boosted … defenses in occupied Ukraine ahead of Kyiv’s anticipated counterattack, wagering its position on 800 kilometers of triple-fortified lines and a gush of manpower. … Ukrainian terrain, muddied by the spring thaw, has begun to dry and Russia’s latest wave of attacks has fizzled out[.] [A] counterstrike may be weeks or … days away. The Russian defensive […]
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“As Ukraine prepares … for a … counter-offensive …. [h]aving finally received the tanks it had been pleading for since last year, Ukraine has increased the intensity of its demands for fighter jets. … About 30 former Warsaw Pact mig-29s are on their way from Poland and Slovakia. But what Ukraine says it needs are … American f-16s … the […]
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“High-level meetings in Washington and New York … could have wide-reaching implications for the war between Ukraine and Russia, geopolitical hotspots like Taiwan and the South Pacific, and the global economy and international finance. With … Lavrov at the U.N. to preside over the Security Council and meet with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, and Guterres then traveling to Washington […]
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“NATO allies and partner countries have delivered more than 98% of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine during Russia’s invasion and war, [NATO’s] chief said Thursday, giving Kyiv a bigger punch as it contemplates launching a counteroffensive. Along with more than 1,550 armored vehicles, 230 tanks and other equipment, Ukraine’s allies have sent ‘vast amounts of ammunition’ and also trained […]
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(Moscow Times – April 28, 2023) Russia’s Central Bank decided Friday to hold its key interest rate at 7.5% for the fifth time in a row, noting that inflationary expectations remained high. “Over the medium-term, the balance of risks has not changed significantly and is still biased towards pro-inflationary ones,” the Bank said in a statement. Still, the Russian economy […]
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“Russia’s atomic-energy giant Rosatom does business around the world, including with the U.S. and allies like Turkey.” “… Rosatom State Atomiс Energy Corp.[] has expanded its global reach in recent years and is the world’s leader in constructing and operating nuclear projects abroad, working on 34 power units in 11 countries from China to Egypt to Hungary. In recent decades, […]
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“U.S. intelligence holds that Russia will be able to fund the war in Ukraine for at least another year, even under … unprecedented sanctions, according to leaked U.S. military documents. … While some of Russia’s economic elites might not agree with the country’s course in Ukraine, and sanctions have hurt their businesses, they are unlikely to withdraw support for … […]
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