JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine Said to Use Powerful New Missiles for First Time” – New York Times

File Photo of ATACMS U.S. Army Long-Range Missile, adapted from U.S. Army image at army.mil

“Ukrainian forces attacked two key Russian air bases behind enemy lines on Tuesday, with Western officials saying that long-range missiles known as ATACMS were used in the strikes.” “Ukraine’s forces [reportedly] struck two air bases in Russian-held territory on Tuesday with American-supplied long-range missiles that were one of the last major weapons systems that Kyiv had sought from the United […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “No letup in Russian strikes on Ukrainian town of Avdiivka” – Reuters

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

“Russia’s military pressed on with fierce assaults on the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka … Saturday, [reportedly] with shelling so fierce that emergency crews were unable to recover the dead from wrecked buildings …. in Ukraine’s industrial heartland of Donbas, focal point of Moscow’s 19-month-old invasion of its neighbour. … Fighting intensified in other sectors of the … 600-mile[] front. […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine Worries That Prolonged War in Gaza May Dilute Global Support” – New York Times

U.S. Capitol in Bright Sunlight

“Slow military progress and cracks in the backing of key allies could also drain vital attention from Ukraine’s battle with Russia, some fear.” “Ukraine, still locked in fierce combat with Russia along hundreds of miles of front line, also finds itself grappling with … [geopolitical] shifts …. The attention of key allies is pivoting to … Gaza, military aid from […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine’s counter-offensive is a ‘disaster’, says former Zelensky adviser” – The Telegraph (UK)

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

“Oleksiy Arestovych accuses Volodymyr Zelensky and his military commanders of making strategic mistakes and failing to break Russian lines.” “… Arestovych resigned in January as a presidential adviser after a row over the … Ukraine’s air defence systems. This week, Ukrainian prosecutors opened an investigation into [] Arestovych for comments that allegedly promote violence against women. He has denied the […]

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Russia Analytical Report, Oct. 2-10, 2023

File Photo of Red Square, Kremlin, Environs, adapted from image at state.gov

(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) “An existential threat to Israel could draw American attention away from the Ukrainian cause, possibly smoothing a path toward a Russian triumph in Europe,” CFR’s Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware write in War on the Rocks. NYT editors raise a related concern, warning that “the violence in Israel may also strengthen calls to cut military aid to Ukraine.” […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russians Press Assaults Along Front Line in Eastern Ukraine” – New York Times

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

“The intensifying push is one of Russia’s few offensive operations in months, as it tries to seize land in Ukrainian regions it claims to have already annexed.” “Russian forces have intensified attacks … targeting a string of towns along an eastern stretch of the front line even as they defend against a Ukrainian offensive in the south. Their movements add […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Why Russia is engaged in a delicate balancing act in the Israeli-Palestinian war” – AP

Israel Map, adapted from cdc.gov image

“The Israeli-Palestinian war has forced Russia into a delicate balancing act … urging a quick end to the fighting without apportioning blame. … due to Russia’s long ties to Israel, the Palestinians and other regional players, and …[a] hope to expand [Russia’s] clout in the Middle East by playing peacemaker. … Moscow has repeatedly hosted Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas … […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine’s Zelenskyy joins a meeting of global defense leaders to make a direct plea for military aid” – AP

Volodymyr Zelensky file photo, adapted from dhs.gov image

“For the first time … Zelenskyy joined a meeting of more than 50 defense leaders from around the world, making a personal pitch Wednesday for military aid in the face of lagging political support in the United States and new pressure on allies to send weapons to bolster Israel’s war with Hamas. … The meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia will only resume nuclear tests if the U.S. does it first, a top Russian diplomat says” – AP

File Photo of Tsar Bomba Nuclear Detonation, adapted from image at osd.mil

“Russia will move to revoke the ratification of a global nuclear test ban to put itself on par with the United States but will only resume nuclear tests if Washington does it first …. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov [said Tuesday] …. He added that if the U.S. conducts a nuclear test, ‘we will be forced to mirror that as […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Change of plans: U.S. Army embraces lessons learned from war in Ukraine” – Defense News

Pentagon Aerial View adapted from defense.gov image, with photo credit: DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. John Wright

“Expensive, massive tanks destroyed by small and cheap loitering munitions. Drones helping artillery locate targets. A battlefield so flooded with sensors … it’s impossible to stay hidden for long. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the [U.S.] Army has carefully taken note of these trends. … [T]hose changes are reshaping the service’s plans from acquisition to how to approach […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin Offers Muted Response to Attack on Israel. That Speaks Volumes.” – New York Times

Map of Israel, Palestine, Holy Land

Vladimir Putin has long projected friendly ties to Israel. But his silence since Saturday’s assault illustrates how the war in Ukraine has strained the relationship between the two countries. “… [A]mid the worst attack on Israel in 50 years, the high regard … [] Putin has shown for Israel in the past appears remarkably absent. … [with] no message of […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Joe Biden facing unprecedented resistance to U.S. support for Ukraine” – The Daily Telegraph (UK)

File Photo of Joe Biden at Podium in Front of U.S. and State Department Flags, adapted from image at usembassy.gov

“As ‘Ukraine fatigue’ sets in among U.S. voters, a row over more spending in Capitol Hill has alarmed officials in NATO states and in Kyiv.” “… After 18 months of brutal warfare, with no end to the invasion in sight, Joe Biden is facing unprecedented resistance to U.S. support. In both the Republican-controlled House and among voters at large, ‘Ukraine […]

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Yeltsin’s Use of Force against Parliament in October 1993 Set Stage for Rise of Putin, Gromov Says

Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin

(Paul Goble – Window On Eurasia – Staunton, Oct. 4, 2023) With each passing year, it becomes more obvious that the events of the end of September and beginning of October 1993 when Boris Yeltsin used force against the Russian parliament and essentially solidified presidentialist rule in Russia were “one of the key turning points in present-day Russia,” Andrey Gromov […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Biden considering huge ‘one and done’ Ukraine aid package” – Daily Telegraph (UK)

File Photo of Joe Biden at Podium in Front of U.S. and State Department Flags, adapted from image at usembassy.gov

“U.S. president wants to get issue sorted until next election, say insiders, as Republican sceptics continue to cause problems” “The White House is drawing up plans to ask Congress to release its largest funding package ever for weapons and humanitarian aid, amid concern continued rows over spending could damage the president in next year’s election. … Some officials believe passing […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: Ukraine is officially America’s new forever war. President Biden, how does this end?” – Fox/ Sen. Mike Lee, Rep. Warren Davidson

U.S. Capitol in Bright Sunlight

“Ukraine is now America’s new forever war. Americans know that ‘whatever it takes’ is not a strategy.” “…. ‘As long as it takes’ remains the [Biden administration] mantra …. According to reports from September’s U.N. General Assembly meeting, U.S. and G-7 allies expect the war … to continue … at least six to seven years. … [T]he other implication is […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “What Will Happen If the U.S. Stops Funding Ukraine? Nothing Good” – Bloomberg

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

“Kyiv has fought too well to simply give up, but Russia and China will achieve their goal of splitting the West.” “[With the loss of U.S. funding for Ukraine,] … the balance on the battlefield [would] shift significantly. Ukraine [wouldn’t] simply surrender … [b]ut given how reliant Ukraine is on [U.S.] arms and ammunition … its situation [would] still get […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “With one video, Russia’s Chechnya problem seizes the spotlight again” – Christian Science Monitor/ Fred Weir

Caucasus Map of Chechnya and Caucasus Environs

“In theory, Russian law applies everywhere within Russia’s borders. But over and over, the Chechen republic proves exempt from those rules, no matter how blatant a violation might be.” “… Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov posted a video … show[ing] his teenage son brutally beating up a Russian prisoner … sa[ying] he was ‘proud” of his son’s actions. … [M]any Russians […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Western Firms Continue to Dominate Russian Market in 2023 – Forbes” – Moscow Times

File Photo of Meeting Room Table with Microphones and Chairs, adapted from image at cdc.gov

(Moscow Times – Oct. 2, 2023) U.S., French and German corporations continued to dominate the Russian market in 2023 despite the Western business exodus sparked by the war in Ukraine, according to Forbes Russia’s list of the 50 largest foreign companies in the country. [forbes.ru/biznes/497010-50-krupnejsih-inostrannyh-kompanij-v-rossii-2023-rejting-forbes] The latest ranking, which also saw Chinese companies gain ground, reflects the major geopolitical shifts […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Slovakia gives pro-Russian populist nationalism another win” – The Economist

Bratislava Castle in Slovakia, file photo adapted from cia.gov image

“It could join the EU’s awkward squad if Robert Fico forms a government.” “Robert Fico … fell from power in 2018 after the murder of a journalist investigating high-level corruption, which led to mass protests. Now he looks set to lead [Slovakia] … again. … A [] Fico-led government can be expected to ally itself in the [EU]and NATO with […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “A Growing Sense U.S. Aid for Ukraine Will Slow” – Bloomberg

U.S. Capitol in Bright Sunlight

“… If you’re … Zelenskiy … you’ll take little solace from … Biden’s earnest assurances that the U.S. ‘will not walk away’ …. [I]f you’re … Putin … you will draw the logical conclusion that Kyiv was … thrown under the bus when funding for Ukraine was left out of a spending bill to avert a government shutdown. … Washington […]

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What Did Zelensky Accomplish During His U.S. Trip?

Volodymyr Zelensky file photo, adapted from dhs.gov image

As he pressed policymakers on the Hill and in the administration for more, better, swifter war-fighting capabilities, Zelensky made clear that Ukraine has no time to spare […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russians allowed to compete as neutral athletes at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris” – AP

Olympic Rings Lit at Night, adapted from image at state.gov

“Russians will be allowed … as neutral athletes at next year’s Paralympics in Paris … following the invasion of Ukraine. The International Paralympic Committee voted 74-65 … on Friday against suspending Russia’s membership entirely — which would have meant a full ban … then voted 90-65 in favor of ‘partially’ suspending the country through 2025. … because of ‘breaches of […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “What Does Victory Look Like in Ukraine?” – Foreign Policy/ Kathleen J. McInnis

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

“Ukrainians differ on what would keep their nation safe from Russia.” “… Zelensky … has promulgated a 10-point plan …. [T]alking to … people from around the region, other views surfaced. [Some possibilities assessed have included:] A frozen conflict. … To the Ukrainians, a frozen conflict means allowing Russia to continue brutalizing … and … invites Russia to attack Ukraine […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “War has arrived in Crimea: Slowly but methodically, Ukraine is chipping away at Russia’s firepower in the peninsula” – The Economist

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

“… Ukraine has massively stepped up strikes on the [occupied Crimean] peninsula annexed [in 2014] by the Kremlin …. Using … new home-made drones and foreign-supplied cruise missiles, [Ukraine] has hit military bases, air bases, and command-and-control centres. [A] [Sept. 13] strike on … Sevastopol took out an amphibious landing ship and one of just six kilo-class submarines capable of […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “280 Days Inside Russia’s Torture Chambers” – Sky News

File Photo of Prison Cell and Bars with Shaft of Light, adapted from image at fbi.gov

“… [L]iberation … revealed the horror of prolonged Russian occupation. In the Kherson region, over 254 days, the Russians constructed a network of at least 26 detention centres to control the civilian population. Police stations, schools and government buildings were used as torture sites or places where civilians’ human rights were severely violated. …. [B]y the most conservative estimate, at […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s Army Learns From Its Mistakes in Ukraine” – WSJ

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

“Early in the war, the West was shocked at the Russian military’s poor performance. But Moscow has fixed many errors and adapted on the battlefield.” “… After Ukraine easily swept through Russia’s lines in the Kharkiv region last autumn, Moscow spent months preparing formidable defenses …. Moscow is also deploying drones to scope out and attack Ukrainian positions … Ukrainian […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Nagorno-Karabakh Crisis Deepens Divides in Armenia Toward Russia” – Moscow Times

Azerbaijan Map, including Nagorno-Karabakh, adapted from state.gov image

(Moscow Times – Kirill Ponomarev – Sept. 28, 2023) YEREVAN, Armenia – Tigran has been protesting outside the Russian embassy every day since Azerbaijan launched its offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh. On the embassy’s steps, flowers have been laid in memory of the peacekeepers who were killed by Azerbaijani shelling last week. “Are these bloody flowers for the occupiers?” reads the poster […]

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In Dealing With Ordinary Russians, the West’s Values Are At Stake

EU Map adapted from cia.gov image

(Kennan Institute – wilsoncenter.org/program/kennan-institute – Ekaterina Kotrikadze, News Director and Anchor, TV Rain (Dozhd TV) – Sept. 27, 2023) Russian citizens are facing new restrictions. European Union authorities have just prohibited them from crossing the union’s border in cars bearing Russian license plates and from carrying certain items with them. As these restrictions were being introduced, European sanctions were being […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Zelensky wines, dines with the world’s richest in the hopes of rebuilding war-torn Ukraine” – New York Post

File Photo of Assorted U.S. Cash, adapted from image at tsa.gov

“… Zelensky’s most important speech while in New York … was not at the UN, but in a private room a few blocks away. ‘Investing in Ukraine has to be good for you and good for us. I understand capitalism,’ [Zelensky said, to] what was described … as a ‘star-struck’ group of billionaire financiers, plus Henry Kissinger, New England Patriots […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Polish experts confirm missile that hit grain facility was Ukrainian – media” – Reuters

Map of Poland, Kaliningrad, Environs, adapted from CRS image at congress.gov

“Polish experts [reportedly] have confirmed that the missile that killed two people at a grain facility in [the village of Przewodow in] southern Poland in November was fired by Ukraine …. The explosion … fueled fears that the war in Ukraine could spiral into a wider conflict … triggering [NATO’s] mutual defense clause, but at the time Warsaw and NATO […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Regime Change in Russia Won’t Lead to Chaos or Collapse” – Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Russia Regions Map

“History shows that a change of leader in Russia has almost always been accompanied not by civil strife, but by liberalization.” “… [R]ecent years have seen regional leaders transformed into technocrats whose every move is closely controlled by the federal center. They depend on Moscow for everything, and are accountable to the Kremlin — not the local people. All such […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Escalation in the War in Ukraine: Lessons Learned and Risks for the Future” – RAND

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

(RAND – rand.org – Bryan Frederick, Mark Cozad, Alexandra Stark – Sept. 21, 2023) [Report home page (HTML) – PDF of full report (108 pages)] “… Further Russian escalation has likely been restrained by three main factors … (1) … NATO military capabilities and reactions, (2) concern for broader international reactions, particularly … China’s … (3) … Russian perception that […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine aid is hanging by a thread” – Washington Post

U.S. Capitol in Bright Sunlight

“As Washington turns its focus toward the 2024 presidential campaign, U.S. aid to Ukraine is becoming increasingly vulnerable to partisan politics and the culture wars. … [T]he Biden administration … will need … a more robust … honest case about the expected costs and length of the war …. Since … February 2022, the United States has committed $113 billion […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “A Trip to Ukraine Clarified the Stakes. And They’re Huge.” – New York Times

Maidan Square in Kiev, Ukraine

“… [W]hen climate change, famine, health crises and so much more are stressing Planet Earth, the last thing humanity needed was to divert so much attention, collaborative energy, money and lives to respond to Putin’s war to make Ukraine a Russian colony again. Putin lately has stopped even bothering to justify the war …. [I]f Ukraine can escape this war […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “With world distracted, Azerbaijan tries to stamp out Karabakh separatists” – Christian Science Monitor/ Fred Weir

Map of Azerbaijan and Environs, adapted from image at cia.gov

“Russia has long maintained the status quo in the Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan. But Moscow no longer appears willing to do so, and Azerbaijanis are taking the region back by force.” “Time may be running out for the self-declared republic of Artsakh … within Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenian-populated region of Azerbaijan. As Azerbaijani forces launched a concerted military assault […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine Has Gained Ground. But It Has Much Farther To Go.” – New York Times

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

“… Ukraine prepared to launch its counteroffensive facing immense risks: Without a decisive victory, Western support could weaken, and Kyiv could face pressure to negotiate a ceasefire. … Ukrainian forces have breached the first line of defense in some Russian positions along this southern line of advance, the counteroffensive’s most promising front. … Progress has been grueling and slow. … […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “In Moscow, the War Is Background Noise, but Ever-Present” – New York Times

Aerial View of Kremlin and Environs

“Muscovites go about their daily lives with little major disruption. But the war’s effects are evident — in the stores, at the movies and in the increasingly repressive environment.” “… Muscovites are experiencing dual realities: The war has faded into background noise … yet … remains ever-present in … daily lives. … Advertisements to join the military are … on […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Why There Are No Game-Changing Weapons for Ukraine” – Foreign Policy/ Franz-Stefan Gady

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

“There is no alternative to slowly and methodically reducing Russian forces in Ukraine.” “… The idea that there is a shortcut to victory raises expectations for a quick end to the carnage that Ukraine is unlikely to fulfill. After more than 18 months of grinding, attritional war, it should be obvious that there are no miracle weapons and that there […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Kremlin Eyes Liberal Venediktov as Putin’s 2024 Rival – Vedomosti” – Moscow Times

Alexei Venediktov file photo, adapted from image at usembassy.gov

(Moscow Times – Sept. 19, 2023) The Kremlin is considering running media personality Alexei Venediktov as Vladimir Putin’s “liberal” rival in the 2024 presidential elections, the Vedomosti business daily reported Tuesday, citing four anonymous sources close to the presidential administration. Venediktov is the former editor-in-chief of Ekho Moskvy, a liberal-leaning radio station that was blocked by authorities days after Russia […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Counsels of war. Are Ukraine’s tactics working? Slow progress on the battlefield prompts quarrels over strategy.” – The Economist

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

“[Ukrainian foreign minister] Dmytro Kuleba … is a smooth[, unruffled] and affable diplomat …. But on August 31st his patience snapped. ‘Criticising the slow pace of the counter-offensive equals … spitting into the face of the Ukrainian soldier who sacrifices his life every day,’ he told journalists. ‘I would recommend all critics to shut up, come to Ukraine and try […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “The Missing Escalation in Ukraine; In Defense of the West’s Go-Slow Approach” – Foreign Affairs/ Austin Carson

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

“… New developments … may threaten [a previous] dynamic. Russia’s campaign against Ukrainian grain infrastructure and surging Ukrainian attacks within Russia threaten to expand the geographical scope of conflict. The mutiny and subsequent death of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin suggest that Russia’s domestic political situation is dynamic and could shift in ways that may encourage Putin to escalate. Ukraine’s […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Will the West Abandon Ukraine? Kyiv Must Prepare for a Possible Change of Heart in America and Europe” – Foreign Affairs

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

“A coalition of the world’s wealthiest and most technologically advanced countries gives Ukraine a major structural advantage. Russia, by contrast, has only two countries—Iran and North Korea — openly assisting it  … although China has been … an important economic backstop … and a provider of nonlethal military aid. … Western military support comes with its own risks and challenges[] […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin meets Kim Jong Un, looking for arms – and friends” – Christian Science Monitor

File Photo of Kim Jong-Un At Podium Near North Korean Flag and Hammer and Sickle Emblem, adapted from hhs.gov image

“Vladimir Putin is often accused of trying to restore the old Soviet Union. But his meeting with Kim Jong Un suggests he might be focusing on restoring ties with like-minded former Soviet allies instead.” “… Both the Russian and North Korean delegations at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, near the Chinese border, included officials responsible for munitions, suggesting an urgent Russian interest […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Olympic sports have a Russia dilemma. ‘Neutrality’ is a cop-out.” – Washington Post

Olympic Rings Lit at Night, adapted from image at state.gov

“… The World Aquatics Bureau announced … athletes from Russia and Belarus would be allowed to compete in international events … as ‘neutrals’ …. the cop-out … most athletic governing bodies have taken since Russia invaded Ukraine …. At least Wimbledon — in 2022 — actually banned Russian and Belarusian players …. [T]he men’s and women’s governing bodies of tennis […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Can Samantha Power Win the Battle for Ukraine’s Future?” – New York Times

Maidan Square in Kiev, Ukraine

“… [E]ventually the war will end. What happens to Ukraine then? … Will it revert to the oligarchical model that typified its early years[] [o]r … make good on its promise of genuine modernity? That process … require[s] a renovated ethical culture to undergird a strong rule of law and a political class bound by … public duty and personal […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “The third line: How the Pentagon assesses Ukraine’s progress; A rare interview with America’s Defence Intelligence Agency” – The Economist

DIA Headquarters Building, adapted from dia.mil image

“… [DIA Director Trent] Maul … notes that Sergei Surovikin, the Russian general who built [Russia’s] defensive lines [in Ukraine], and Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose Wagner Group mercenaries achieved Russia’s most tangible gains of the past year, are both off the battlefield — the former sacked and the latter dead …. [] Maul …  says … Ukraine’s recent successes are ‘significant’ […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Elizabeth Warren Demands Probes of Elon Musk, SpaceX After Ukraine Revelations” – Bloomberg

File Photo of Elon Musk, adapted from image at nasa.gov, with photo credit to Bill Stafford

“Warren calls on Pentagon to look into decision over attack Musk, other tech chiefs will meet with senators on Wednesday” “… Warren is demanding an investigation into SpaceX after Elon Musk acknowledged he had blocked Ukraine from extending the private Starlink satellite network for an attack on Russian warships near the Crimean coast. … Musk said. ‘… If I had […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s Offensive to Reverse Ukraine’s Gains Is Stalling” – WSJ

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

“… Kupyansk was captured by Russia without a fight in February 2022 …. Ukrainian forces reclaimed the city in a lightning offensive a year ago … oust[ing] Russia from nearly all of Kharkiv and parts of [the] nearby Donetsk and Luhansk regions. …. Russian troops have remained within artillery range of Kupyansk … [launching] nearly daily barrages. In [recent] weeks, […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine’s counteroffensive to continue after onset of bad weather, spy chief says” – Reuters

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

“Ukraine’s counteroffensive … will continue through the onset of cold and wet weather later this year …, Kyiv’s intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said[:] …. ‘Combat actions will continue in one way or another. In the cold, wet and mud, it is more difficult to fight. Fighting will continue. The counteroffensive will continue’ …. Apart from the huge concentration of Russian […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukrainian Accounts of Torture Point to Systematic Russian Policy, Expert Says” – New York Times

European Portion of Commonwealth of Independent States

“The U.N. Special Rapporteur on torture said Moscow’s refusal to address the issue represented tacit approval of its use. Russia has denied it practices torture.” “Torture perpetrated by Russian officers against Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war has reached such a level that it is clearly a systematic, state-endorsed policy, [according to Alice Jill Edwards, U.N. Special Rapporteur on torture […]

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