JRL NEWSWATCH: “Vladimir Putin, riding high before Navalny’s death, seems unstoppable” – Washington Post

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

“When prison authorities announced the death of … Navalny, … Putin’s most potent political opponent, the Russian president appeared to be overflowing with cheer. Addressing … workers and students at a machinery plant in the … industrial city of Chelyabinsk …, a smiling Putin, unsurprisingly, made no mention of Navalny’s death … and instead professed himself … satisfied at the […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “‘There’s only Plan A’: Defense leaders fear failure in Ukraine” – Politico

U.S. Capitol in Bright Sunlight

“Attendees of the Munich Security Conference were worried about Ukraine’s prospects against Russia and American commitment to Kyiv.” “… Ukraine is low on ammunition and infantry. …. Before … Zelenskyy changed leadership at the top of his country’s military, generals insisted the president had to mobilize 500,000 more troops to keep pace with a larger, still-stronger Russian force that appears […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia-Ukraine War: China’s Vanishing Neutrality” – The Diplomat

File Photo of Beijing Temple, adapted from image at lbl.gov

“Full Chinese logistical support for Russia could be the real game changer of the war – and that support is growing more important and less discreet.” “… [T]he United States continues to suspect China of selling arms to Russia …. [M]ilitary aid from China would represent a change of scale [compared with North Korea] … because of the stocks China […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Two years on, is Ukraine’s military faltering?” – The Economist

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

“… My sense, based on recent conversations with Western military, defence and intelligence officials, is that a collapse of Ukrainian lines is unlikely. … Many of the sharpest observers of the war are concerned. … It would be unfair, however, to focus on Russian advances without mentioning a spectacular Ukrainian success. On February 23rd Ukraine said it had downed a […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Will the U.S. Abandon Ukraine?” – WSJ

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

“Two years after Russia’s invasion, America’s waning commitment is raising fears that Putin could win the war — and that Europe may be on its own in future conflicts.” “… Ukraine has proved a formidable foe, regaining half of the land initially occupied by Russia and inflicting staggering casualties on Russia’s much more powerful military. Europe, too, has absorbed the […]

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VIDEO: JRL NEWSWATCH: “Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland: The Two-Year Anniversary of Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine” – CSIS

File Photo of Victoria Nuland Testifying

“Max Bergmann: … Two years on, a grinding conflict continues. … Ukraine and its European dream did not perish with Russia’s invasion … due to the bravery of Ukraine, but also the result of support from the United States and its European allies. … [W]ith the war now entering its third year, it is worth taking stock. … Ambassador Victoria […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Zelensky Says 31,000 Ukrainian Troops Killed in Two Years of War” – WSJ

U.S. Capitol in Bright Sunlight

“The Ukrainian leader highlighted the extent of the country’s sacrifices as it awaits a U.S. congressional vote on further military aid” “Around 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia launched its invasion two years ago … Zelensky said, highlighting the scale of Ukraine’s sacrifice ahead of a decisive vote in the U.S. Congress …. The admission … gives a […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “A War Putin Still Can’t Win” – Foreign Affairs

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

“To Thwart Russia, America Needs a Long-Term Strategy — and Ukraine Needs Long-Range Weapons” “… [T]he brutal war has often defied expectations. … [W]hen Russian forces poured over the … border, Ukraine … mounted an effective resistance and quickly ended the siege on Kyiv. … [A]fter the war moved south and east, Ukraine again caught observers off guard with its […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine’s Deepening Fog of War” – New York Times

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

“Two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian leaders are seeking a path forward in the face of ferocious assaults and daunting unknowns.” “… Even as he presses the case for more Western support … Zelensky is starting to take steps to improve some of the systemic problems under his control. … Kyiv has added several command headquarters to oversee brigades […]

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VIDEO: JRL NEWSWATCH: “Meet the Press [interview with Jake Sullivan]” – NBC

File Photo of Jake Sullivan Gesturing While Speaking Next to U.S. Flag, with White House Logo in Background

“… We just hit the two-year anniversary since this brutal invasion began. … [M]ost people on your show predicted … it’d be over in a week or two. Most people in the U.S. government predicted it would be over in a week or two. Two years later, the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, stands. The country stands proud and free, and […]

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VIDEO: JRL NEWSWATCH: “State Dept. official [Victoria Nuland]: If Putin wins Ukraine, tyrants ‘will get hungry’ with aspirations” – PBS

File Photo of Victoria Nuland Testifying

“The Biden administration unveiled a new set of sanctions against Russia to punish it further for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine … [and] the death of anti-corruption activist and politician Alexei Navalny. Geoff Bennett spoke with U.S. Undersecretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland ….” Click here for: “State Dept. official [Victoria Nuland]: If Putin wins Ukraine, tyrants ‘will get hungry’ […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin Has Already Lost” – New York Times

European Portion of Commonwealth of Independent States

“… If the fundamental purpose of [] Putin’s war was to keep Ukraine within Russia’s orbit — politically, culturally and economically — it has had the opposite effect. Ukraine’s leaders and citizens, particularly those from younger generations, have decided that their future lies with the West, not Russia [including in eastern Ukraine]. … [A]ny visitor to Ukraine’s eastern and southern […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “U.S. Unveils Biggest Sanctions Package on Russia Since War Began” – Bloomberg

Portion of U.S. Treasury Department Building Facade, North Side, with Sculpture of Alexander Hamilton

“Drone maker, payment system are among targets of penalties Yellen says Russia’s economy showing ‘signs of weakness’” “U.S. holds off metals sanctions amid fears of economic chaos Russia’s economy still forecast to grow up to 1.5% in 2024″ “The U.S. unveiled its biggest one-day sanctions package against Russia since the [full-scale] invasion of Ukraine … targeting more than 500 people […]

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VIDEO: JRL NEWSWATCH: “Zelenskyy appeals to Trump, Congress to see ‘tragedy’ of Russia invasion in exclusive Bret Baier interview” – Fox

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

“Volodymyr Zelenskyy says there have been at least 5 assassination attempts made against him” “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an exclusive FOX News interview, appealed to President Biden and Republican front-runner Donald Trump to visit Ukraine and see for themselves at the front lines of ‘this tragedy.’ … Baier met with Zelenskyy near the front lines in Kharkiv, just a […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Leadership Change in Russia: Contingency Planning Memorandum” – Council on Foreign Relations: Liana Fix, Maria Snegovaya

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

“Vladimir Putin’s grip on power in Russia does not appear as ironclad as it once did. Liana Fix and Maria Snegovaya recommend that the United States prepare for potential leadership change in Moscow and develop response strategies with its allies to mitigate fallout.” “… Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 … Putin looked set to stay in power […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “After two years of war, Russia finds itself frozen, but transformed” – Christian Science Monitor

Kremlin and River

“Between Alexei Navalny’s death and the second anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, Russia is in a transitional moment. The public may be going along with the war, but the country is shrinking its already limited space for expression.” “… [A] deep transition in the economy, … political system, social relations, and public mood is clearly underway. The signs of […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Seizing Frozen Russian Assets Over Ukraine War Wins Endorsement of Legal Experts” – Bloomberg

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

Letter from scholars backing seizure is circulating in G-7 ‘It would be lawful, under international law,’ 10 experts say “A group of legal experts sought to bolster the case for seizing frozen Russian central bank assets, arguing that such actions are allowed under international law given the scale of Russia’s continuing attacks in Ukraine. … The letter … is co-signed […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “The Diplomatic Path to a Secure Ukraine” – Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft

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

“… Ukraine’s best hope lies in a negotiated settlement that protects its security, minimizes the risks of renewed attacks or escalation, and promotes broader stability in Europe and the world. No settlement will endure unless Ukraine, Russia, and the West all see it as sufficiently serving their interests and … preferable to continued war. … [W]e need not and should […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Does the West’s Ukraine policy need a reality check?” – Brookings

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

“… [T]he outlook appears bleak: both sides have sustained horrific losses, millions of Ukrainians remain displaced or in exile, and there is no plausible sign of an end to the violence. Western capitals are struggling to supply funds and ammunition to Kyiv … [T]he Kremlin seemingly draws on limitless supplies and political support from authoritarian allies and continues to pound […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine’s Military Spy Chief Says Russia Will Struggle to Keep Up the Fight” – WSJ

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

“Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov says Russians ’don’t have the strength’ to achieve goal of seizing two eastern regions this year” “… Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s military-intelligence chief, acknowledged the tough situation for Ukraine’s outnumbered and outgunned forces. But Russia also has problems, he said. Russia’s professional army was largely destroyed in the first year of the invasion, he said, […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Despair in Russia as Putin Spirals Out of Control” – Daily Beast

European Portion of Commonwealth of Independent States

“Just this [past] week the Kremlin claimed it was at war with the United States and Putin’s No.1 enemy was found dead in prison. Russians are terrified about what’s next.” “…. Putin’s spokesman informed Russians this [past] week that … [Russia’s] ‘special military operation’ … was set to go on much longer because it is now ‘a war against the […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Avdiivka, Longtime Stronghold for Ukraine, Falls to Russians” – New York Times

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

“With Ukraine’s forces at risk of encirclement, the top military commander ordered a retreat. In startlingly candid accounts, soldiers described disarray and despair.” “Ukraine ordered the complete withdrawal from … decimated … Avdiivka before dawn … Saturday, surrendering a position that had been a military stronghold for the better part of a decade, in the face of withering Russian assault. […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Vladimir the Poisoner of Underpants; What Navalny’s death means for Russia, Putin and the world” – The Economist

File Photo of Alexei Navalny Marching on Street with Others in Background; adapted from image at commons.wikimedia.org with credit to Evgeny Feldman, subject to Creative Commons license; original image at commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FEV_1795_(cropped1).jpg, with license information at creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en and creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode

“Fear and greed drive Russia’s regime. The opposition leader struck at both.” “… Navalny’s death was blamed by Russian prison authorities on a blood clot … [H]is doctor said he suffered from no condition which made that likely. Whatever ends up on his death certificate, he was killed by … Putin. Russia’s president locked him up; in his name [] […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “With Navalny’s death, Russia’s opposition loses its last leader” – Christian Science Monitor

File Photo of Alexei Navalny Marching on Street with Others in Background; adapted from image at commons.wikimedia.org with credit to Evgeny Feldman, subject to Creative Commons license; original image at commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FEV_1795_(cropped1).jpg, with license information at creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en and creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode

“Many in the West saw Alexei Navalny as the Russian opposition’s most promising challenger to Vladimir Putin. His death in prison on Friday brings a tragic end to a struggle the Kremlin had already largely contained.” “Alexei Navalny, Russia’s best-known and most indefatigable Kremlin opposition figure[,] … died in an Arctic penal colony Friday under as yet unknown circumstances …. […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin Says He Prefers Biden Over Trump. Commentators Are Skeptical.” – New York Times

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

“The Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, called President Biden experienced and predictable. But Moscow watchers said the comments most likely had an ulterior motive.” “… Putin said … Wednesday … it was in Russia’s interest for … Biden to win a second term … dismissing concerns about [] Biden’s age. It was the first time that [] Putin … directly […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Battle for Avdiivka tests Ukraine’s new commander” – Financial Times

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

“Oleksandr Syrsky aims to shore up eastern town, with troops fearing heavy losses as western supplies run short” “… Avdiivka [is] an early test for Ukraine’s new [commander-in-chief General Oleksandr Syrsky] and [a Ukrainian] army running short of ammunition and men as western military support falters. The battle for the industrial town 20km north of … Donetsk has been raging […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Why NATO Needs Ukraine: Kyiv’s Survival and Europe’s Security Depend on a More Unified Front” – Foreign Affairs: Alina Polyakova, James Goldgeier

NATO Meeting File Photo

“… The July 2023 NATO summit … settl[ed] on an ambiguously worded communiqué declaring … NATO could invite Ukraine to join ‘when Allies agree and conditions are met.’ … The absence of a clear plan … has given Putin more confidence that he can wait out the West … in a war of attrition. … [T]he lack of resolve … […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “How Putin’s Obsession With History Led Him to Start a War” – WSJ

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

“Long-winded, often factually erroneous arguments back his conviction that Russia has a historic right to Ukraine” “[In his] two-hour interview with Tucker Carlson … Putin recounted events of centuries past and trotted out 17th-century documents … expounding on deeply held views about the past, many widely disputed by historians, that have driven him to launch the continent’s bloodiest conflict since […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin Seeks Revenge on a World Order He Once Wanted to Join” – Bloomberg

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

“The KGB agent turned warlord president has shaped Russia with resentment and force. As Donald Trump threatens to abandon NATO allies if he returns to the White House, Putin’s poised to take advantage.” “… Putin is attempting to strike his own decisive blow against the U.S. and Europe to reshape [the] global order to Russia’s advantage … backed by military […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “IMF warns that any action on Russian assets needs ‘sufficient legal support'” – Reuters

International Monetary Fund Logo Over Ukraine Flag

“… IMF First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath … said decisions about what to do with [Russian] assets rested solely with countries holding them. She declined to offer an opinion on how they should be used. Gopinath said the IMF would evaluate the impact of any decisions … but the IMF would not be involved in the decisions. … [S]he […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “U.S. Rejects Putin’s Latest Call for Ukraine Negotiations” – New York Times

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

“Skepticism remains high about the Russian leader’s intentions after he told Tucker Carlson that the war in Ukraine could be settled with a peace deal.” “The Biden administration dismissed on Friday a call by … Putin … for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, showing no sign that flagging political support for American military aid to Kyiv had made […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Germany’s Days as an Industrial Superpower Are Coming to an End” – Bloomberg

Map of Germany adapted from cia.gov image

“As political paralysis grips Berlin, the energy crisis was the final blow for a growing number of manufacturers” “… Manufacturing output in Europe’s biggest economy has been trending downward since 2017 … accelerating as competitiveness erodes. … The U.S. is drifting away from Europe and is seeking to compete … for climate investment. China is becoming a bigger rival and […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Two Hours of Unchallenged Propaganda From Putin” – New York Times

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

“… [V]acillating among pedantic, sarcastic and aggrieved, Putin spent the first uninterrupted half-hour on his tired claims that Ukrainians are not a nation, that they’re neo-Nazis, persecute Russians, and are tools of the West. He then turned to … all the ways in which the United States has humiliated, betrayed and insulted Russia, and how Ukraine and … [the]  C.I.A. […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine sacks its top soldier” – The Economist

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

“The dismissal of Valery Zaluzhny is a crucial new phase in the war. Unfortunately, President Zelensky risks getting it wrong.” “The most important question is whether [] Zelensky can … refocus his vision for the war. … [H]e is still publicly clinging to his promise that Ukraine will take back every inch of soil occupied by Russian forces …. [U]nless […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “National Security Expert Fiona Hill Says Russia ‘Will Always Matter’ at HKS Event” – The Harvard Crimson

Redacted File Photo of Fiona Hill, adapted form image at seanmaloney.house.gov

“…Hosted by Russia Matters — a project at the HKS Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs that publishes analysis on U.S.-Russia relations — [an] event [featuring Fiona Hill ] was moderated by former HKS Dean Graham T. Allison ’62 and former Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula J. Dobriansky. Hill, the former senior director on Russia and […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin, in rambling interview, barely lets Tucker Carlson get a word in” – Washington Post

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

“… Putin spent the first 30 minutes of his two-hour interview with … Tucker Carlson giving a revisionist historical tirade on the founding myths of Russia and Ukraine, the breakup of the Soviet Union and NATO expansionism. From there, admonishing Carlson when he interrupted, Putin pontificated on everything from the war in Ukraine and relations with the United States, the […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Peace in Ukraine; What a Ukraine peace deal might look like.” – New York Times

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

“… If Ukraine can’t get what it needs to beat Russia, what kind of deal could it make? … Putin may accept a peace deal that gives him the territory he occupies now and that forces Ukraine to stay neutral, halting its integration with Europe. Ukrainians call this bargain a capitulation. But without additional American aid, they may be forced […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Tucker Carlson Has Interviewed Putin in Moscow, Kremlin Says” – Bloomberg

File Image of Laptop Computer, Tables and Mobile Device, adapted from image at energy.gov

“Online commentator TuckAdd New Poster Carlson interviewed … Putin as part of a trip to Moscow, the Kremlin confirmed … Wednesday. … [O]n Tuesday, Carlson said he wanted to focus on the war in Ukraine. He is also seeking to interview … Zelenskiy. … There’s no airdate for the [Putin] interview … but Carlson said it would be free to […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine’s Zelensky, Facing Rising Challenges, Touts Leadership Overhaul” – WSJ

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

“President says country’s leadership needs a ‘reset’ as he faces battlefield pressures and flagging Western support” “… Zelensky’s deliberations over Zaluzhniy and other officials [have] add[ed] domestic political drama to other pressures, including Russian military offensives that are inching forward and political deadlock in the U.S. over a proposed new aid package. … The raft of challenges … test the […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Asia’s commercial heft helps keep Russia’s war economy going; That holds future lessons for America” – The Economist

File Photo of Beijing Temple, adapted from image at lbl.gov

“… [M]ore than three dozen countries … slapped economic sanctions on Russia … unprecedented in … scope for a target of its size, covering energy and other commodities, finance, technology, travel, shipping and more … to raise the cost … of continuing the war [in Ukraine]. … China … has done the most to undermine the West’s sanctions. Trade between […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Germany Braces for Decades of Confrontation With Russia” – New York Times

Brandeburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, file photo adapted from image at state.gov

“Leaders are sounding alarms about growing threats, but Chancellor Olaf Scholz is wary of pushing the Kremlin, and his own ambivalent public, too far.” “Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has begun warning Germans that they should prepare for decades of confrontation with Russia … that they must speedily rebuild the country’s military in case … Putin does not plan to stop […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Is Valery Zaluzhny about to be fired?” – The Economist

File Photo of General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine / Source: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, via Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, adapted from image at army.mil posting.

“… [I]nside [Ukraine] … polls show [Zaluzhny ] is even more popular — and more symbolic of Ukraine’s resistance — than [Zelensky]. …  As risky as the move is for domestic stability, it does still seem likely [] Zaluzhny will be switched out …. In some respects, the pressures of war are being felt symmetrically in both Ukraine and Russia. […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia Tomorrow: Five scenarios for Russia’s future” – Atlantic Council: Casey Michel

Kremlin and River

“Briefly, the five scenarios … include: Putin’s continued rule Putin’s ouster, followed by the installation of a far-right, nationalistic figure or cadre Putin’s ouster, followed by a technocratic, if still largely antidemocratic, regime Putin’s ouster, followed by the rise of a liberal, thoroughly pro-Western government Russian Federation state fracture” * * * “… Scenario #1 Putin’s Russia survives Scenario #2 […]

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VIDEO: JRL NEWSWATCH: “What Washington Must Do for Kyiv Between Now and November” – Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

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

“… [A]fter weeks of negotiation, the EU approved a 50 billion euro funding package for Ukraine … a much needed economic boost[] while the U.S. bill remains held up in Congress. On a recent episode of Carnegie Connects, host Aaron David Miller discussed … Russia’s war against Ukraine with Carnegie senior fellows Dara Massicot and Eric Ciaramella. … * * […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine’s army chief: The design of war has changed” – CNN

File Photo of General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine / Source: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, via Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, adapted from image at army.mil posting.

“[Editor’s Note: Valerii Zaluzhnyi has been Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2021. This article was written before an expected announcement of his dismissal. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. Read a detailed CNN analysis of this article here, and the full essay here.] “… It is well known by now that a central driver […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “EU Leaders Agree to $54 Billion Ukraine Aid Package as Hungary’s Orban Backs Down” – WSJ

EU Map adapted from cia.gov image

“Ukraine aid decision comes against the backdrop of growing fears about Russia’s threat to Europe’s security” “[EU] leaders agreed to a $54 billion budget aid package for Ukraine … Thursday, locking in financing … for the next four years … [a mix of long-term loans and grants,] a major boost for Ukraine, which could have started to run short of […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “How Russia Stopped Ukraine’s Momentum; A Deep Defense Is Hard to Beat” – Foreign Affairs: Stephen Biddle

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

“… By late spring, the Russians had adopted the kind of deep, prepared defenses that have been very difficult for attackers to break through for more than the last century …. Breakthrough … has long required permissive conditions … now absent in Ukraine: a defender … whose dispositions are shallow, forward, ill prepared, or logistically unsupported or whose troops are […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine’s birthrates are plummeting. The next generation needs a plan.” – The Times (UK)

Crowd in Ukraine with Little Girl Raised Up Waving Small Ukrainian Flag, adapted from state.gov image of USAF Photo by Senior Airman Madeline Herzog

“Babies are an increasingly rare sight in a society that prizes family above all but now has the world’s lowest birthrate, throwing the country’s very survival into question.” “Ukraine [reportedly] now has the lowest total fertility rate in the world … an average of 0.7 children per woman of child-bearing age …. This lack of children, compounded by mass violent […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Spycraft and Statecraft: Transforming the CIA for an Age of Competition” – Foreign Affairs: William J. Burns

William Burns file photo, adapted from image at cia.gov

“… In a world in which the United States’ principal rivals — China and Russia — are led by personalistic autocrats operating within small and insular circles of advisers, gaining insight into leaders’ intentions is both more important and more difficult than ever. Just as 9/11 ushered in a new era for the CIA, so did Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. […]

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“Full-scale Invasion”

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

Subject: “Full-scale Invasion” Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2024 From: John Evans <evansinamerica@aol.com> [John Evans is an American former diplomat who served as United States ambassador to Armenia.] David, like you, I have been struck by the near-universal adoption of this phrase. I believe its original intent may have been to distinguish the February 2022 events from the earlier 2014 take-over […]

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