Category: JRL NewsBlog

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Rush of diplomacy could be pivotal for Ukraine, Russia” – The Hill

China, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United Nations
File Photo of UN Building with Flags

“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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JRL NEWSWATCH: “NATO: Ukraine allies sent 1,550 combat vehicles, 230 tanks” – AP

Arms Trade, Military Aid, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, NATO, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
File Photo of Leopard Tank Preparing to Ford a River, adapted from Defense.gov image with photo credit to Army Sgt. Garrett Ty Whitfield

“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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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Kremlin Extends Global Influence With Russian Nuclear-Power Juggernaut” – WSJ

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Nuclear Energy, Oil, Gas, Energy, Sanctions, Turkey
File Image of Radioactive Atom, adapted from image at lanl.gov

“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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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia can fund war in Ukraine for another year despite sanctions, leaked document says” – Washington Post

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Sanctions, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Cash, Calculator, Pen

“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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JRL NEWSWATCH: “China tries to act as mediator in Russia’s war with Ukraine” – AP

China, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
File Photo of Beijing Temple, adapted from image at lbl.gov

“Chinese leader Xi Jinping said … Wednesday … Beijing will send an envoy to Ukraine to discuss a possible ‘political settlement’ to Russia’s war with the country. … Xi told … Zelenskyy in a phone call that a Chinese envoy would visit Ukraine and ‘other countries’ to discuss a possible political settlement, according to a government statement …. It made […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Nuance in the fog: Plumbing for honesty in Russian opinion polls” – Christian Science Monitor/ Fred Weir

Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Aerial View of Kremlin and Environs

“What do Russians want? Sociologists struggle to make sense of responses to their opinion polls, knowing that opponents of the authoritarian government are reluctant to express themselves.” “… [M]any argue that new tools and methodologies are needed to make sense of the data, due to the intense atmosphere of wartime Russia and growing state repression of people with differing views. […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: Russian-speaking Ukrainians want to shed ‘language of the oppressor'” – The Guardian (UK)

Headlines, History, Soviet Union, JRL NewsBlog, Russian Language, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“Kharkiv on country’s eastern border has long had Russian-speaking majority but things are changing fast” “… A period of official ‘Ukrainianisation’ followed the October revolution of 1917, with a lively avant garde, Ukrainian-language literary scene springing up in Kharkiv. But from 1933 onwards the novelists, poets, journalists and playwrights of this brief modernist flowering were brutally suppressed. Hundreds of writers […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Minister: Ukraine will beat Russia in war of technologies” – AP

Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

“As Ukrainian and Russian troops fight conventional battles on the front lines, Europe’s first major war of the internet age has also sparked a war of technology as both sides vie for the advantage with their drones and satellite communications. While the two sides have kept pace with one another thus far, Ukraine’s minister in charge of technology told The […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Biden’s team fears the aftermath of a failed Ukrainian counteroffensive” – Politico

Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, 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

“Behind closed doors, the administration worries about what Ukraine can accomplish” “… Ukraine’s ever-imminent counteroffensive will attempt to retake Russian-seized territory most likely in the east and south …. [I]f the impending fighting season yields limited gains, [Biden] administration officials have expressed privately [that] they fear being faced with a two-headed monster attacking it from the hawkish and dovish ends […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s economy can withstand a long war, but not a more intense one; Its defences against Western sanctions can only stretch so far” – The Economist

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

“… Russia’s bureaucracy … has found ways to withstand the fusillade of sanctions …. suppl[ying] enough men and materiel to propel Russia’s invasion. … without a sharp decline in living standards, which might prompt popular unrest. But any attempt to escalate the conflict would inevitably undo these successes. Russia is having to cope with the broadest array of sanctions ever […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia Seeks to Deplete Ukraine’s Air Defenses Ahead of Kyiv’s Expected Offensive” – WSJ

Arms Trade, Military Aid, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, NATO, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
BUK SAM file photo adapted from image at army.mil

“Renewed drone barrage comes ahead of meeting between Ukraine’s Western backers.” “… The latest drone barrage comes as Russia seeks to erode Ukraine’s air defenses ahead of a planned [Ukrainian] offensive … expected in … coming weeks. … [also] after purported [leaked] Pentagon presentations … show[ing] [that] Ukraine is running out of antiaircraft missiles, predicting Russia could achieve … [localized] […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin, Zelenskyy rally troops with war poised for new phase” – AP

Arms Trade, Military Aid, Germany, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“Putin [reportedly] visited [Russian] command posts … in Ukraine for the second time in two months … while … Zelenskyy made his latest trip near the front line. … [T]he war approaches its 14th month [as] … Kyiv readies a possible counteroffensive with Western-supplied weapons. Some of the most significant of those weapons appeared to have recently arrived …. Ukraine […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Military briefing: Ukraine pleads for missiles as air defence stocks run low” – Financial Times

Arms Trade, Military Aid, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Patriot Missile Launch file photo

“Some allies fear Kyiv’s planned counter-offensive will falter if Russian air power is left unchecked.” “… Ukraine will plead for urgent shipments of surface-to-air missiles … fearful that an acute shortage could allow Russia to launch widespread bombing attacks. Kyiv [reportedly] will press allies to bolster their dwindling stocks at the so-called Ramstein military co-ordination group on Friday …. Without […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “The West Is Preparing for Russia’s Disintegration” – Foreign Policy/ Anchal Vohra

Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Russia Regions Map

“Amid war in Ukraine, some strategists are setting their eyes on the ‘decolonization’ of Russia itself.” “Russia’s poor performance on the Ukrainian battlefield, and the growing belief that … Putin’s nuclear threat shouldn’t be taken at face value, has emboldened Western analysts and Russian dissidents to publicly call for [the] ‘decolonization’ of … the vast Russian Federation, the successor of […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “How the Ukraine war has divided the world; China is making diplomatic progress with countries that are unhappy about America’s approach to the conflict” – Financial Times

China, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Headlines, Iran, JRL NewsBlog, Middle East, North Africa, Saudi Arabia, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Beijing Temple, adapted from image at lbl.gov

“… China has also made recent headway with its Middle East diplomacy. … [especially with] Iran and Saudi Arabia … broker[ing] a deal to restore diplomatic relations between [them]. … [Global] developments [relating to Chinese influence] are causing some concern in Washington. … A significant divergence in attitudes to the war in Ukraine is driving [global] shifts [in attitudes towards […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Leaks painted a grim picture of the Ukraine war. Here’s the reality.” – Washington Post

Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
European Portion of Commonwealth of Independent States

“… Russia keeps feeding the grinder[,] … [reportedly] resupply[ing] their lines around Bakhmut as fast as they lose people …. But … some members of … Putin’s inner circle [reportedly] know … this protracted campaign is folly and that resistance to Putin … is slowly growing. ‘Many of those who supported the special operation yesterday are now in doubt or […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Read the Leaked Secret Intelligence Documents on Ukraine and Vladimir Putin” – Newsweek

Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Spies, Spy Allegations, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

“The stark conclusion buried in the documents is that Vladimir Putin’s army has made little progress. Since last July, it has gained an average of just 2.7 kms (1.6 mi) of territory “per month” in its attack around Bakhmut. An equally startling disclosure is that the number of Russian mercenaries fighting around Bakhmut exceeds the number of regular soldiers. According […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “U.S. Steps Up Effort to Fight Against Russian Disinformation” – WSJ

China, Cybersecurity, Europe, EU, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Image of Laptop Computer, Tables and Mobile Device, adapted from image at energy.gov

“Senior U.S. envoys travels to Balkans, an information battleground.” “The State Department is increasing efforts to push back against … Kremlin[] disinformation … even as Russian propagandists have sought to exploit the extensive leak of purported U.S. classified information. … [A] senior U.S. envoy outlined proposals to help [Balkan] governments … ferret out Russian and Chinese disinformation sites on their […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “New Leaked Documents Show Broad Infighting Among Russian Officials” – New York Times

Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Spies, Spy Allegations, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Kremlin Tower, St. Basil's, Red Square at Night

“The additional documents also suggest the breach of American intelligence agencies could contain far more material than previously believed.” “… [I]nfighting inside the Russian government appears broader and deeper than previously understood, judging from … classified [U.S.] intelligence documents … leaked online. … [For example,] American intelligence officials say … [the] F.S.B.[] has ‘accused’ [Russia’s] Defense Ministry ‘of obfuscating Russian […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “The West Needs a New Strategy in Ukraine: A Plan for Getting From the Battlefield to the Negotiating Table” – Foreign Affairs/ Richard Haass, Charles Kupchan

Arms Trade, Military Aid, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“The best path forward is a sequenced two-pronged strategy aimed at first bolstering Ukraine’s military capability and then, when the fighting season winds down late this year, ushering Moscow and Kyiv … to the negotiating table. The West should start by immediately expediting the flow of weapons to Ukraine and increasing their quantity and quality. … to bolster Ukraine’s defenses […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “How Russia Is Preparing Crimea for Ukraine’s Counteroffensive” – Newsweek

Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“Russian troops in occupied Crimea are reportedly preparing for Kyiv’s expected spring counteroffensive …. Russian units all along the 800-mile front have been preparing new defensive positions for several months, awaiting Ukraine’s next counter push, while their comrades grind forward in bloody offensives in the eastern Donetsk region. Kyiv is hoping to maximize Russian losses in the defense, exhausting Moscow’s […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine ‘alters counter-offensive plans’ after Pentagon leak” – The Telegraph (UK)

Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
BUK SAM file photo adapted from image at army.mil

“Ukrainian air force spokesman says, ‘We need jets here, and now’, as leaked documents raise fresh questions over RAF Black Sea incident.” “Ukraine has reportedly been forced to alter plans for its coming counter-offensive because of the leak of highly-sensitive US intelligence. An unnamed official close to … Zelensky … [said] Monday that Kyiv had to reconsider some of its […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ivy league profs turn on each other after Columbia economist claims Ukraine war could be ‘next Afghanistan’; The letter claims Jeffery Sachs propagates ‘the Kremlin’s narratives'” – Fox

Academia, Education, Academia, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Columbia University Library and Main Campus file photo, adapted from image at bnl.gov

“… [H]undreds of economics professors signed on to an open letter to Columbia University Professor Jeffery Sachs, arguing the Ivy League economist has pushed Russian propaganda in his writings about the war in Ukraine. … The group of professors takes issues with several points in Sachs’ public writings on the war in Ukraine, accusing the economist of denying the agency […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “U.S. doubts Ukraine counteroffensive will yield big gains, leaked document says” – Washington Post

Arms Trade, Military Aid, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“It’s a marked departure from the Biden administration’s public pronouncements about the vitality of Ukraine’s army and is likely to embolden critics calling for negotiations to end the war.” “… [T]he bleak assessment from early February warns of significant ‘force generation and sustainment shortfalls,’ and the likelihood that such an operation will result in only ‘modest territorial gains.’ … Military […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Time to get real about the Russian threat; Eastern Europeans know that unless Ukraine claims victory the Kremlin will be back for more” – The Times (UK)

Europe, EU, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, NATO
Map of Europe, adapted from image at loc.gov

“… Countries closer to Russia, such as Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, see the war quite differently. Their flinty perception … draws on deep historical traumas. … The atrocities Russia inflicts now on Ukraine echo these experiences and awaken new fears. The east Europeans’ intense support for the Ukrainian cause rests not on the desire to back a winner […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Economic ‘Momentum’ Prompts IMF to Raise Russia’s Growth Forecast” – AFP/ Moscow Times

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Sanctions
File Photo of IMF Acronym on Wall Below Row of Circular Lights, adapted from image at state.gov by Steven C. Welsh :: www.stevencwelsh.com :: www.stevencwelsh.info

“The [IMF] raised its 2023 economic growth forecast for Russia on Tuesday, predicting that deficit-fueled government spending would help counteract the growing costs of its war in Ukraine. But the Russian invasion is expected to have a significant impact over the medium term, with the IMF predicting the Russian economy would be about 7% smaller by 2027 than pre-war forecasts […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Bank of America cuts short conference after outrage at comments on Ukraine war” – Financial Times

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Sanctions, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
European Portion of Commonwealth of Independent States

“Event was ‘overwhelmingly pro-Russian’, says one attendee, as bank calls clients to apologise.” “Bank of America [reporetedly] cut short an online client conference on geopolitics and apologised to attendees after some balked at what they saw as pro-Russian comments about the war in Ukraine …. The conference was designed as a two-day event beginning … Tuesday, but BofA Securities cancelled […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “New Details on Intelligence Leak Show It Circulated for Weeks Before Raising Alarm” – WSJ

Cybersecurity, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Spies, Spy Allegations, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Image of Laptop Computer, Tables and Mobile Device, adapted from image at energy.gov

“The secret documents were first posted in January to a small group on a messaging channel that trafficked in memes, jokes and racist talk.” “One of the most significant leaks of highly classified U.S. documents in recent history began among a small group of posters on … [the] [Discord] messaging channel that trafficked in memes, jokes and racist talk. Sometime […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Inside the Battle of Bakhmut, where troops are dying by the thousand” – The Times (UK)

Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“Desperate tactics used by Ukraine and Russia to secure a crucial victory in the city are taking a mental toll on soldiers.” “… The human wave tactics that [World War II Soviet General Georgy] Zhukov pioneered — sending men to charge German buildings suicidally, with a second squad of men behind to shoot anyone who turned and fled — are […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Why Do Russians Still Want to Fight?” – New York Times/ Marlene Laruelle, Ivan Grek

Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
European Portion of Commonwealth of Independent States

“… [N]early 200,000 Russian troops … [reportedly have been] killed or wounded … in a military operation … incompetent and ill equipped. Morale is reportedly low and complaints common. … [Y]et a significant number of Russian men are still keen to fight …. One obvious reason is fear. Men called up to the army have no choice but to obey, […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Kremlin Sees No Prospect of Chinese Mediation on Ukraine” – AFP/ Moscow Times

China, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
File Photo of Beijing Temple, adapted from image at lbl.gov

“The Kremlin on Thursday said it saw no “prospect” for China to mediate the Ukraine conflict and that it had “no other way” than to press on with its offensive. The comments came as French President Emmanuel Macron was in Beijing to try to dissuade China from supporting Moscow’s campaign. … China has outlined a proposal for peace in Ukraine, […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “After the Iraq Debacle, Why Does the National Security Establishment Remain Unshaken? Mission unaccomplished — and lessons unlearned.” – The Nation/ Katrina vanden Heuvel

Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, 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

“In Warsaw last February, President Joe Biden condemned the lawless Russian invasion of Ukraine: ‘The idea that over 100,000 forces would invade another country—since World War II, nothing like that has happened.’ One month later marked the 20th anniversary of the greatest U.S. foreign policy debacle since Vietnam: America’s ‘war of choice’ against Iraq, with 130,000 US soldiers invading the […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “The Only Realistic Answer to Putin” – The Atlantic

Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“Russia’s unprovoked invasion is impossible to justify. Now is not the time to relent in helping Ukraine.” “… Putin is trying to convince his public that this war is existential, but with little success. Russia’s existence as a strong, sovereign state is not dependent on … control of Ukraine …. That’s why, since Putin implemented a partial mobilization last fall, […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “American Consensus on Ukraine Has Fractured; Here’s how the war could play out in the 2024 presidential campaign” – Foreign Policy/ Bruce W. Jentleson

Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of White House with South Lawn and Fountain

“… Whoever emerges as the Republican candidate, they are more likely to be in the Ukraine critic lane than the supporter one. … [which] may have some advantages … in the general election. … [S]urvey questions about Ukraine that explicitly identified policies as Biden’s got much lower approval than those about just the policies themselves. … An October 2022 Reuters/Ipsos […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine expels pro-Russian clergy from Kyiv cave monastery complex” – Politico

Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Religion, Spies, Spy Allegations, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Uspensky Sobor (Dormition Cathedral) at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Kyiv Monastery of the Caves) complex, adapted from image at cia.gov

“The move comes amid a major schism between Ukraine’s Orthodox churches..” “… Wednesday is the deadline for the monastery’s 1,000 inhabitants to leave what was their home amid heightened political concerns that some of them were too close to Moscow, and were Russian fifth columnists. … [T]he spiritual head of the world’s Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew [of Constantinople], hardened […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine Allies See a Way War Can End but Lack Plan to Achieve It” – WSJ

Europe, EU, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“A spring counteroffensive against Russian forces is designed to tilt the balance, but picture after is unclear.” “Western leaders are beginning to have a clearer vision of how they hope the war in Ukraine will end. What is missing is any plan to make it happen. The hope … is that a Ukrainian counteroffensive — boosted by Western tanks and […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Agile Ukraine, Lumbering Russia; The Promise and Limits of Military Adaptation” – Foreign Affairs/ Margarita Konaev, Owen J. Daniels

Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
European Portion of Commonwealth of Independent States

“… Russian forces have shown limited openness to new tactics or new technologies. Hobbled by bad leadership and terrible morale, the Russian military was slow to recover from its disastrous attempt to seize Kyiv in February 2022 and has struggled to adjust its strategy or learn from its mistakes. This is despite having demonstrated considerable dexterity in its deployments in […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ruslan Stefanchuk: We need western weapons to defeat Russia this year” – The Times (UK)

Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“A war of attrition in Ukraine would favour the Kremlin, the Speaker of the country’s parliament tells The Times.” “… [T]he Speaker of the Ukrainian parliament …. Ruslan Stefanchuk urged Britain and other allies to speed up … delivery of advanced weapons, warning that the failure to defeat Russia on the battlefield this year could prove disastrous. … Ukraine has […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Takeaways from AP’s interview with Ukraine’s Zelenskyy” – AP

Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Screenshot file photo of Volodymyr Zelensky Gesturing, from Congressional Teleconference, adapted from image at doggett.house.gov

“… [AP] journalists … spent two days traveling … with … Zelenskyy …. Ukraine’s military has been bolstered by billions of dollars of ammunition and weaponry from Western nations. Zelenskyy welcomed the help but said some of the promised weapons had not yet been delivered. … On Zelenskyy’s itinerary …. was a meeting with Rafael Mariano Grossi, … visiting head […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s Economy Is Starting to Come Undone” – WSJ

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Oil, Gas, Energy, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Kremlin and River

“Investment is down, labor is scarce, budget is squeezed. Oligarch: ‘There will be no money next year’” “The opening months of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year drove an increase in oil and natural-gas prices that brought a windfall for Moscow. Those days are over. As the war continues into its second year and Western sanctions bite harder, Russia’s government […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Has war in Ukraine sealed the bond between Russia and China?” – Christian Science Monitor/Fred Weir

Arms Trade, Military Aid, China, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Europe, EU, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Oil, Gas, Energy, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Beijing Temple, adapted from image at lbl.gov

“Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin’s summit in Moscow was nominally meant to be about bringing peace to Ukraine. But it appears to have strengthened the countries’ partnership against the West.” “When … Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow [last week] for a three-day summit with … Putin, one of the most talked about [subjects] … was a Chinese-mediated settlement for the […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Prepare for the disintegration of Putin’s Russia” – The Telegraph

China, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Russia Regions Map

“As Beijing has recognised, there are opportunities for everyone in a catastrophic defeat for Vladimir Putin.” “… [L]aunching his unprovoked invasion … Putin laid down a deliberate challenge to the international system … which upholds the sovereign integrity of the nation state. In addition, he and his nationalist acolytes have committed war crimes on an industrial scale, a fact now […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Stolen Valor: The U.S. Volunteers in Ukraine Who Lie, Waste and Bicker” – New York Times

Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
European Portion of Commonwealth of Independent States

“People who would not be allowed anywhere near the battlefield in a U.S.-led war are active on the Ukrainian front, with ready access to American weapons.” “… [A]fter a year of combat, many of these … volunteers are fighting with themselves and undermining the war effort. Some have wasted money or stolen valor. Others have cloaked themselves in charity while […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “‘Not easy’ to seize Russia assets, says EU task force head” – AFP

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Europe, EU, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Sanctions, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
EU Map adapted from cia.gov image

“The [EU]’s plans to seize Russian assets … prioritising state assets of around US$350 billion (S$466.5 billion), [reportedly] are unprecedented and tricky …. ‘Nothing is simple’ when it comes to finding the massive sums intended to be diverted to pay for Ukraine’s reconstruction … Anders Ahnlid said …. But Europe plans to be ‘innovative’ …. Private assets are often protected […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “No Ukraine offensive without more weapons – Zelensky” – BBC

Arms Trade, Military Aid, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
File Photo of HIMARS Missile Being Launched, adapted from image at army.mil

“… Zelensky … told a Japanese newspaper he would not send his troops to the frontlines without more tanks, artillery and Himars rocket launchers. … There has been talk for some weeks of Ukraine launching a spring offensive against Russian forces. Ukrainian commanders have hinted it might be imminent. … Some analysts say Ukraine’s military is talking up the idea […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s security chief blasts West, dangles nuclear threats” – AP

Germany, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Nuclear, Missile Defense, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Dmitri Medvedev file photo

“A top Russian security official warned Thursday about the rising threat of a nuclear war and blasted a German minister for threatening … Putin with arrest, saying that such action would amount to a declaration of war and trigger a Russian strike on Germany. Dmitry Medvedev, … deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council chaired by Putin, said … that Russia’s […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin’s Forever War: How the Invasion Empowers Russia’s President” – Foreign Affairs/ Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Erica Frantz

Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“… Given the apparent impasse, the question becomes how long will the two leaders opt to fight. The reason that Zelensky and his country keep fighting is clear: if they do not, Ukraine as it is will cease to exist. … [And] Zelensky … cannot be confident that Putin will not merely agree to a settlement today but then simply […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Biden Doesn’t Need to Keep Pushing Xi and Putin Closer; A path away from great power conflict” – The Nation/ Jake Werner

China, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Beijing Temple, adapted from image at lbl.gov

“The U.S.-China-Russia strategic triangle has returned as a fulcrum of global geopolitics. As Chinese president Xi Jinping … visit[s] … Moscow to meet with … Putin, … Biden has been busy coordinating Atlantic and Pacific military alliances to box in both powers. The Biden administration often frames this division between the powers as … an abstract contest between democracy and […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “How Putin’s war destroyed a golden age of Russian culture” – Financial Times

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Headlines, Human Rights, JRL NewsBlog, Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Military, Spies, Spy Allegations, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Russia and Russian Flag adapted from images at state.gov

“Inside the pain, purges and persecution that have decimated the country’s once-flourishing theatre scene” “… Hours after Russia’s invasion … [Moscow’s experimental] Meyerhold Centre … became the first theatre to protest. … [A]ctors, directors, ballet dancers and conductors followed suit. … [A]bout 2,000 Russian cultural workers … signed an open letter … opposing the war. Some went into the streets […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s Asia Pivot Spurs Boom in Chinese Classes” – AFP

China, Education, Academia, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog
File Photo of Beijing Temple, adapted from image at lbl.gov

“… The boom in demand for Chinese lessons in Russia illustrates the country’s pivot toward Asia as tensions build between Moscow and the West. … Pummeled by multiple rounds of Western sanctions, Russia’s economic and technological development is becoming more dependent on China. … The popularity of Chinese classes might be starting to catch up with demand for English lessons […]

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