Ukrainian Military – Page 4 – Johnson's Russia List

JRL NEWSWATCH: ‘Vladimir Putin’s useful idiots; Too many European politicians are failing to confront Russia” – The Economist

July 7, 2023 JRL Russia List Europe, EU, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

“… The spectrum of Europe’s Useful Idiots, a cold-war term for unwitting allies of communism, is wide. In politics, parties on both the far right and far left disagree on much; but over Ukraine these extremes have often converged in demanding an instant ‘peace’ that would in effect reward Russian aggression with land. In media and academe, intellectuals still seem […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine’s counteroffensive hasn’t met expectations. Here’s why progress has been slow” – CNN

July 7, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Russian Landmine TM-62, adapted from image at army.mil

“… [S]outhern Ukraine [minefields] are so dense… [that] troops trying to liberate the area [reportedly] can only advance ‘tree by tree’ … Ukraine’s Western allies are getting nervous about the fact that … progress … is … measured in meters, rather than kilometers. … [T]he slower than expected pace of the counteroffensive means … support could become increasingly unsustainable if […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “The Prigozhin Affair Is Much Less than Meets the Eye” – Politico

July 7, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Yevgeny Prigozhin file photos, adapted from images at fbi.gov

“The short-lived mutiny by the Wagner Group rebounded to help solidify Putin’s control.” “… There is no doubt that Prigozhin’s rebellion was unpleasant news for Putin. But is the Russian leader weakened? We know very little about what happened between Putin and Prigozhin … ‘Putin’s chef.’ And what we do know supports very few, if any, of the claims that […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Donors Are War-Weary, So Ukrainian Soldiers Get Creative for Funds” – New York Times

July 7, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

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

“A robust fund-raising operation has been critical in supplying Ukraine’s military. But as the war drags on, contributions have lagged.” “… [M]any Ukrainian military units have relied heavily on donations and charitable funds to supply … troops with much-needed supplies like first aid kits, body armor, vehicles and even drones. People and groups from around the world rallied to Ukraine’s […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Wagner Cost Russia Suspiciously Little Money” – Bloomberg/ Leonid Bershidsky

July 7, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

“If Putin’s defense spending numbers are correct, it’s likely that Prigozhin overstated the size of his army.” “… [D]isatisfaction with Russia’s military and political leadership will continue to brew with the fighting in Ukraine. As more details become available about Wagner — until recently, the best-equipped, always regularly paid part of the Russian invasion force — officers and soldiers alike […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s Smoking Guns: How to Prove the Putin Regime’s War Crimes in Ukraine” – Foreign Affairs/ Janine di Giovanni

July 6, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, Human Rights, International Law, JRL NewsBlog, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

File Photos of Law Books and Gavel, adapted from image at fjc.gov

“… [The] Ukraine … conflict has involved horrific atrocities, many … extensively recorded in real time …. [U]nlike in Syria and other recent wars, these crimes are being documented with the explicit aim of amassing evidence that can be used in courts. Since the war began, dozens of investigative journalists have been trained to become war crimes researchers, gathering images, […]

Russia Analytical Report, June 26-July 5, 2023 – 5 Ideas to Explore

July 6, 2023 JRL Russia List China, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Headlines, Human Rights, Military, NATO, Nuclear, Missile Defense, Oil, Gas, Energy, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Sanctions, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

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

(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) Even though the pace of Ukraine’s counteroffensive has “progressed more slowly than many had hoped,” the West’s interests “lie in continuing to arm, train and help defend Ukraine in the face of an ongoing threat from Russia ,” according to WP’s editors. One reason for “the slower rate” of Ukraine’s territorial gains is that Ukrainian forces […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine says Putin is planning a nuclear disaster. These people live nearby” – Washington Post

July 5, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Nuclear Energy, Nuclear, Missile Defense, Terrorism, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Radioactivity Symbol Against Mottled Metallic Background, adapted from image at ready.gov

“.. .[R]isk of … major disaster at the … Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant terrifies Nadiya Hez, who lives in an area that would probably take the brunt of … radioactive fallout. The nuclear plant has been in continual danger as Russian and Ukrainian troops trade fire … but the chance of a meltdown has increased sharply since the [June 6] […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia Isn’t Going to Run Out of Missiles” – CSIS

July 5, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

File Photo of Russian Fighter Jet in Flight Bearing Kinzhal Hypersonic Missile, adapted from image at alssa.mil

“Long-range missile strikes against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure have been … prominent and persistent …. … [T]he CSIS report Putin’s Missile War found that Russian missile attacks in 2022 … caused major damage to Ukraine’s economy and infrastructure but … failed to achieve the kind of decisive strategic effects … Moscow … likely sought. Into 2023, Russia has persisted in […]

Russia in Review, June 23-30, 2023 – One Thing to Know

July 3, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, Human Rights, Iran, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Military, NATO, North Korea, Nuclear, Missile Defense, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Syria, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) Russian intelligence services may have known in advance of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plan to stage a mutiny, but it nonetheless materialized to pose the greatest military and security threat to Vladimir Putin’s rule since the end of the second Chechen war. The mutiny itself lasted only 36 hours, never spread to Moscow and ended with its chief […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “U.S. actively considering giving cluster munitions to Ukraine” – Politico

June 30, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, Human Rights, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

File Image of DCIPM artillery shell artist's rendition, adapted from image at army.mil

“The Biden administration is actively considering sending cluster munitions to Ukraine to help Kyiv’s counteroffensive punch through Russia’s defenses, two U.S. officials and a person familiar with the debate said. The discussion … has intensified … as Ukraine’s effort to break through Russia’s frontline has stalled. … Late last year, the administration said it had ‘concerns’ … mainly for humanitarian […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “The humbling of Vladimir Putin: The Wagner mutiny exposes the Russian tyrant’s growing weakness. But don’t count him out yet” – The Economist

June 30, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Vladimir Putin file photo, adapted from screenshot of video at shareamerica.gov

“The last pretence of … Putin to be … one of his nation’s historic rulers was stripped away …. [A]rmed mercenaries swept through his country almost unopposed, covering some 750km (470 miles) in a single day, seizing control of two big cities and getting to within 200km of Moscow before withdrawing unharmed. [] Putin long ago failed as a reformer […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “21 Miles of Obstacles: The Ukrainian counteroffensive faces an enemy nearly as daunting as the Russians: the terrain” – New York Times

June 30, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

“… For Ukraine to retake territory … armored vehicles and infantry [] will need to traverse routes that Russia has extensively mined. Open fields and side roads will need to be cleared …. The West has supplied mine-clearing equipment, including explosive charges that can clear an open lane through a minefield. But … the task is [still] daunting. … [and […]

Mutiny in Russia: What Happened, What’s Next and What To Be Thankful For

June 30, 2023 JRL Russia List Belarus, Headlines, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – Simon Saradzhyan – June 29, 2023) Simon Saradzhyan is the founding director of Russia Matters. What drove Yevgeny Prigozhin to lead his PMC Wagner troops on a “march for justice” across southern Russia, toward Moscow? Was it a mutiny meant to overthrow Vladimir Putin and install the ex-convict in the Kremlin? Or was the owner […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “West explores nuclear risks from unstable Putin regime” – Financial Times

June 28, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Nuclear, Missile Defense, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Russian Tactical Missile on Mobile Launcher, adapted from image featured by army.mil and defense.gov

“Officials have discussed possible negative outcomes from Wagner insurrection destabilising Kremlin” “Western nations have explored contingencies in the aftermath of … Prigozhin’s attempted insurrection … including the threat to nuclear stockpiles from an unstable [Russian] regime …. Talks led by G7 members [reportedly] have included [discussions of] how a weakening of … Putin’s control over security and military forces could […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine says ‘main event’ in counteroffensive still to come” – Financial Times

June 28, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

“Defence minister argues Wagner insurrection in Russia will encourage further western support for Kyiv” “… [F]ormer Soviet paratrooper … [and current Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy] Reznikov said Ukraine’s army continued to impose heavy losses on Russian troops, with ‘degradation as a tool and the liberation of Ukrainian lands as the goal.’ Ukraine’s counteroffensive has … recaptured about 300 square kilometres […]

Ukrainians Attempting To Enter Russia Face Days-Long Wait On Border

June 28, 2023 JRL Russia List Baltics, Estonia, Europe, EU, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Headlines, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Map of Baltics and Environs, Including Kaliningrad

(Article text Copyright © 2023 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036. – rferl.org – Yulia Paramonova – June 27, 2023 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/ukrainians-stranded-eu-russia-border/32478057.html) In the neutral territory between Estonian and Russian checkpoints, at Luhamaa on June 21, dozens of Ukrainian passport holders […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin, Prigozhin, and Russia’s Future; Caution should be our guiding principle” – The Nation/ Katrina vanden Heuvel

June 27, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

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

“… Prigozhin lambasted the elite’s children as ‘shaking their tails on beaches’ while the children of ordinary Russian families are dying. … His fury both stokes and is fueled by widespread anger … [Russian] towns have been emptied by conscription[] and … cemeteries seek more gravediggers. … It would be reckless to dismiss the possibility that the regime’s internal troubles […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “The Beginning of the End for Putin? Prigozhin’s Rebellion Ended Quickly, but It Spells Trouble for the Kremlin” – Foreign Affairs/ Liana Fix, Michael Kimmage

June 27, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

European Portion of Commonwealth of Independent States

“… [Recent] events … portend a dark future for Russia. In a few short hours, Prigozhin’s armed rebellion generated enormous chaos. The war has stretched Russian state capacity thin … [T]he revolt has stretched it still further, presenting … a new domestic challenge. For years, the Kremlin has devised ways to head off a [cosmopolitan,] liberal, urban revolution. … [T]he […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin looked into the abyss Saturday — and blinked” – Washington Post

June 26, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Map of Commonwealth of Independent States, European Portion

“… Putin looked into the abyss … and blinked. After vowing revenge for what he called an ‘armed mutiny,’ he settled for a compromise. The speed with which Putin backed down suggests … his sense of vulnerability might be higher even than analysts believed. Putin might have saved his regime Saturday, but this day will be remembered as part of […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Inside Zelensky’s Plan to Beat Putin’s Propaganda in Russian-Occupied Ukraine” – Time

June 26, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Screenshot file photo of Volodymyr Zelensky Gesturing, from Congressional Teleconference, adapted from image at doggett.house.gov

“… [I]n Russia … [and] occupied regions of eastern and southern Ukraine, millions of people absorb the Kremlin line about Ukraine through Russian television. Its central message, like a genocidal fever dream mixed in among gardening shows and soap operas, depicts Ukraine’s existence as a historical mistake, its government a cabal of satanists and neo-Nazis intent on Russia’s destruction. Zelensky, […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “…. Prigozhin’s ‘revolt,’ of course, can go down as a clear illustration of the perils of permitting private armies to exist. …” – Fred Weir

June 26, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

(Fred Weir – facebook.com/fred.weir – June 24, 2023) “It’s not the first time something bizarre has happened when I am away from Moscow. Prigozhin’s ‘revolt,’ of course, can go down as a clear illustration of the perils of permitting private armies to exist. …” [original post should load below, and also appears at facebook.com/fred.weir/posts/793729415591872/]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Short-Lived Mutiny in Russia Sheds Light on Putin’s Hold on Power” – New York Times

June 25, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

“The armed standoff on the road to Moscow, brief as it was, represented the most dramatic struggle for power in Russia in decades.” “… Could Russia’s botched invasion … eventually lead to the downfall of … Putin? For a few chaotic, head-snapping hours this weekend, the notion did not seem so far-fetched. … [E]ven with the apparent end to the […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “The great dilemma: NATO is agonising over whether to let Ukraine join. America is not keen for the country to enter the alliance — yet” – The Economist

June 23, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, NATO, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

“… Biden was blunt … about Ukraine’s chances of joining NATO. ‘I’m not going to make it easier,’ he declared. Despite its bold fight against Russia, the country still has to prove itself: ‘Does it meet all the standards every other nation in NATO does?’ Joining the alliance … ‘is not automatic.’ America … finds itself unusually isolated in the […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine’s Offensive Slows Down, Zelensky Says, as Kyiv Rethinks Approach” – WSJ

June 23, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“Putin says Kyiv has no chances in its push to retake occupied land” “Ukrainian forces are proceeding more slowly than planned in their offensive to retake occupied areas, … Zelensky acknowledged, as military commanders said they are taking time to reassess tactics, adjusting to Russia’s extensive minefields and [air] attacks …. Both sides agree that the intensity of fighting declined […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “An unspooked spook; Ukraine’s spymaster has got under the Kremlin’s skin” – The Economist/ Kyrylo Budanov

June 23, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Spies, Spy Allegations, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Stylized Artist's Depiction of Shadowy Figures in Dark Coats and Dark Hats, One Carrying a Briefcase

“… 37-year-old General [Kyrylo] Budanov, a former commando, is Ukraine’s youngest-ever spymaster. … [A]rchitect of increasingly brazen operations within Russia, he is also a big irritant for the Kremlin. Aides say there have been ‘at least ten’ attempts on his life. … Western partners describe [him] as a straightforward and incorruptible player. He is now [reportedly] privy to more American […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Top U.S. official to meet Ukraine war sceptics from developing nations” – Financial Times

June 23, 2023 JRL Russia List Brazil, BRICS, Denmark, Headlines, India, JRL NewsBlog, Turkey, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“Jake Sullivan to fly to Copenhagen at Kyiv’s request to meet India, Brazil and others in ‘global south’” “Joe Biden’s … national security [advisor Jake Sullivan] will fly to [Copenhagen] this weekend at [Ukraine’s] behest … for an unannounced meeting with representatives of several developing countries that have not condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, [reportedly] including India, Brazil and South […]

Russia Analytical Report, June 12-20, 2023 – 4 Ideas to Explore

June 21, 2023 JRL Russia List China, Cybersecurity, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Europe, EU, Headlines, NATO, Nuclear, Missile Defense, Oil, Gas, Energy, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Sanctions, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) “Ukrainians’ early setbacks are a sign that their offensive will be a long, deadly grind, and not a repeat of their rout of Russian troops in … Kharkiv region late last summer,” according to a new analysis by WSJ reporters Daniel Michaels and Isabel Cole. “It was always going to be difficult,” said Rob Lee, a […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “The Treacherous Path to a Better Russia; Ukraine’s Future and Putin’s Fate” – Foreign Affairs/ Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Erica Frantz

June 20, 2023 JRL Russia List Arms Trade, Military Aid, Europe, EU, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, NATO, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“… Authoritarian leaders rarely lose power while still waging a war they initiated. … [and] authoritarian regimes most often survive in the wake of the departure of longtime leaders … [W]ere Putin to die … or be removed by insiders, the regime would … likely endure …. One development … could spark more substantive change in Russia: a Ukrainian victory. […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “NATO Has No Good News for Ukraine” – Foreign Policy

June 20, 2023 JRL Russia List Europe, EU, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, NATO, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“Next month’s meeting of Western allies will leave the war-torn country mostly empty-handed.” “… [In] 2008 … NATO officially welcomed Ukraine’s aspirations for membership …. Now, after a full-scale Russian invasion, [Ukraine] is being asked to wait longer, without a timeline …. [T]he alliance … offers [Ukraine] perhaps the only chance at dodging future Russian attacks on its sovereignty. … […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s Showcase Economic Forum Is Now a Charade” – Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

June 20, 2023 JRL Russia List Budget, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

“The excessive optimism of Putin and his ministers smacks of an attempt to convince not even mythical investors so much as themselves that business as usual is possible — and even compatible with their threats to unleash nuclear war.” “… Investors and foreign media used to see … Putin’s keynote address as an economic road map and indication of [Putin’s] […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “In Rush to Arm Ukraine, Weapons Are Bought but Not Delivered, or Too Broken to Use” – New York Times

June 20, 2023 JRL Russia List Arms Trade, Military Aid, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

“Some of the weapons sent to Ukraine by other countries have been unusable, and hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts paid up front have yet to be fulfilled.” “Ukraine has paid contractors hundreds of millions of dollars for weapons that have not been delivered, and some of the much-publicized arms donated by its allies have been so decrepit that […]

Russia in Review, June 9-16, 2023 – 7 Things to Know

June 19, 2023 JRL Russia List China, Cybersecurity, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Europe, EU, Germany, Headlines, Human Rights, Iran, Military, NATO, North Korea, Nuclear Energy, Nuclear, Missile Defense, Oil, Gas, Energy, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Syria, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) Ukraine’s military command claimed, as of June 15, to have retaken approximately 40 square miles of territory in the course of its counteroffensive, even as its soldiers encountered what U.S. military officials described as fierce resistance by Russian troops. The latter have reportedly managed to destroy at least four Leopard-2 tanks, 3 Leopard 2R engineering vehicles […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “‘Mines Everywhere’: Ukraine’s Offensive Is Proving a Hard Slog” – WSJ

June 16, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

“Dense Russian defenses and a lack of air cover add to the challenges facing Ukrainian troops.” “… Ukraine’s ambitious offensive to take back Russian-occupied land is proving to be a hard slog against dense minefields, well-prepared defenses and Russia’s superior air power. After … mixed results, Ukrainian forces have mostly paused … assaults … [to] draw lessons from the past […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine’s Offensive Meets Strong Russian Riposte; Kyiv’s forces are making progress but encountering resistance, defense official says” – WSJ

June 15, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Nuclear Energy, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

“Fierce battles have ensued in the south and east of Ukraine as Russian forces push back against a counteroffensive aimed at driving them from the region … [according to] Ukraine’s deputy defense minister [Hanna Malyar] …. [She] said Russian troops have employed antitank guided missiles and loitering munitions that stay airborne while identifying a target and then attack. Mines laid […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin’s administration staff ‘are starting the day with a bottle of vodka and Security Council’s Dmitry Medvedev is often drunk when he writes his apocalyptic threats of nuclear war'” – Daily Mail (UK)

June 15, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, Health, Epidemics, Substance Abuse, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Nuclear, Missile Defense, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

“Sources close to the Kremlin say stress of Ukraine war is turning some to drink State banquets serve luxury cognac costing more than £6,000 a bottle Some Russian admin staff are said to be starting the day with a bottle of vodka” Click here for: “Putin’s administration staff ‘are starting the day with a bottle of vodka and Security Council’s […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Why Putin Will Never Agree to De-escalate; Regardless of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, Russia is bracing for a long war” – Foreign Policy

June 15, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

“As Ukraine accelerates its counteroffensive a… a rational person might conclude … 2023 must surely be the last year of Russia’s war against its neighbor. Russian military resources are depleted, Moscow’s long and bloody winter offensive in the Donbas has yielded meager results, and Russian society longs for the return of prewar stability. Logic dictates … the Kremlin has no […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine’s Winnable War; Why the West Should Help Kyiv Retake All Its Territory” – Foreign Affairs/ Gideon Rose

June 15, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“… Russia invaded Ukraine … to conquer the country and erase the independence … gained after the [Soviet] collapse …. Russia’s attempt to take [Kyiv] was thwarted … then its attempts to consolidate gains in the east and the south were disrupted. Russian troops were forced to withdraw from the Kharkiv region and Kherson. A brutal Russian air campaign against […]

RUSSIALINK: “Ideology, Money or Freedom? Why Fighters from the Global South Join Russia’s Army in Ukraine” – Moscow Times

June 14, 2023 JRL Russia List Africa, Headlines, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

(Moscow Times – Leyla Latypova, Vivianne Wandera – June 13, 2023) The family of Tanzanian-born Nemes Raymond Taremo first heard rumors that their beloved relative had been killed on the frontlines in faraway Ukraine in December last year. They received their last message from Taremo, 37, two months earlier — on Oct. 17 — shortly after he joined Russia’s Wagner […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s improved weaponry and tactics pose challenges to Ukraine’s counteroffensive” – AP

June 13, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

“Ukrainian troops are probing Russian defenses … [in] a second summer of fighting … facing an enemy that has made mistakes and suffered setbacks …. But analysts say Moscow also has learned from those blunders and improved its weapons and skills. Russia has built heavily fortified defenses along the … 600-mile[] front line, honed … electronic weapons to reduce Ukraine’s […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Fear and Mayhem as Russia’s War Comes Home” – New York Times

June 13, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

“Attacks from Ukraine have killed at least a dozen Russian civilians and displaced thousands. But they have not fundamentally changed the calculus for Vladimir Putin.” “Abandoned cats and dogs roam vacant streets lined with blasted apartment buildings, rubble and crumpled cars in Shebekino, a Russian border town pounded by shelling from Ukraine. A hair salon still smoldered last week. Every […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Military Assistance to Ukraine Is a Rare Success” – RAND

June 13, 2023 JRL Russia List Arms Trade, Military Aid, Headlines, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

File Photo of F-16 in flight above clouds, adapted from image at defense.gov with photo credit, U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Matthew Lotz

“… Military aid has a well-deserved bad reputation. Large-scale [U.S.] attempts … to build partner militaries — from Afghanistan to Iraq to Vietnam — have cost billions … while failing to build effective partner forces. Yet the indirect approach[,] … done right, can deliver remarkable strategic effects, as … in Ukraine. While the bravery and resourcefulness of the Ukrainians surely […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “‘A Wall of Steel’: Ukrainian Troops Face Hard Slog in Offensive’s First Days” – WSJ

June 13, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

“Brigades with Western arms make small gains against Russia’s defensive lines in occupied regions.” “… Russian forces have spent months preparing for attacks in occupied parts of the country’s south, where the Ukrainians would like to push through and cut the land bridge that connects Russia to Crimea …. Ukrainian officials have said little about … progress … but insist […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “As Ukraine Launches Counteroffensive, Definitions of ‘Success’ Vary” – New York Times

June 13, 2023 JRL Russia List Europe, EU, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, NATO, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“Privately, U.S. and European officials concede that pushing all of Russia’s forces out of occupied Ukrainian land is highly unlikely.” “… [T]he new military drive will influence discussions of future support for Ukraine … [and] how to guarantee its future. … [U]nclear … is … what the United States, Europe and Ukraine view as a ‘successful’ counteroffensive. … Zelensky has […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Attacking Ukraine’s Kakhovka Dam Fits Russia’s Centuries’ Old Pattern” – Newsweek

June 12, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

“… [T]his latest incident should be understood as yet another horrific atrocity in a long history of Russian colonial violence. … [D]ays before the destruction of the dam, a prominent Russian propagandist called for the destruction of ‘every living thing’ in one of Ukraine’s eastern regions in order to ‘punish and deter’ Ukrainians for resisting Russian occupation. This state news […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “White House anxiously watches Ukraine’s counteroffensive, seeing the war and Biden’s reputation at stake” – Politico

June 12, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, NATO, Russia & the West, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

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

“With the debt ceiling done, attention turns to the challenges piling up internationally.” “Senior U.S. officials are convinced that future support for the Ukraine war — and … Biden’s global reputation — hinges on the success of Ukraine’s counteroffensive. Succeed and Western military and economic aid will flow. Stumble or fail to meet expectations, and that support will likely dry […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “The Russian fortifications Ukraine needs to break through in its counter-offensive” – The Telegraph (UK)

June 12, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

“Advancing Ukrainian troops must break through an elaborate network of Russian defences running hundreds of miles across the country … built in anticipation of Kyiv’s offensive. … [S]atellite imagery … has revealed the array of minefields, anti-tank ditches, and trenches lying ahead of … Ukrainian troops attempting to push south. The defences … [reportedly] are constructed in a ‘three-line system,’ […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s Willing Collaborators; Ukraine Needs a Measured Lustration Policy to Strengthen Security and Rebuild Democracy” – Foreign Affairs

June 12, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

“If Kyiv … regains significant territory, as … in the fall of 2022, it will have to decide what to do with people in those areas who worked with or otherwise assisted Russian occupation authorities and forces in their repression of local populations and propaganda. … Russia has been actively relying on collaborators to establish … control over … occupied […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “The key to ending the war in Ukraine? Attacking Crimea” – Washington Post/ John E. Herbst, Daniel Fried

June 12, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

“…. Ukrainian forces have a real chance at achieving victory …. The path to victory is anything but straightforward. But one way or another, it likely passes through Crimea. … Crimea represents a point of maximum leverage[] … [and] is exactly where Ukraine needs to make battlefield gains to bring this war to a successful conclusion. … A Ukrainian advance […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukrainian forces suffer ‘stiff resistance’ and losses in assault on Russian lines” – CNN

June 9, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“… Ukrainian forces managed to overrun some Russian forces in the east around Bakhmut. … Russian forces, armed with anti-tank missiles, grenades and mortars, have put up ‘stiff resistance’ … dug into defensive lines … several layers deep in some areas and marked by minefields … [inflicting] a heavy toll on Ukrainian armored vehicles. … Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna […]

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