“The former White House Russia expert on Biden’s speech linking the two wars—and how Putin might cash in.” “… [T]here are valid reasons to worry about … a wider conflict [] in the Middle East. … [A]s the United States expends time, money, arms, and political capital … containing that crisis, it gives actors in other arenas an opportunity to […]
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“… U.S. defense contractors … expect … existing orders for hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds, hundreds of Patriot missile interceptors and a surge in orders for armored vehicles … will underpin their results …. New contracts to supply Ukraine directly – or backfill U.S. weapons sent to Ukraine – were signed late last year … [R]evenue is flowing to […]
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“Moscow’s relationship with the militant group Hamas is part of a Middle East strategy meant to boost its standing in the Global South: an effort that has long involved building ties with both Israel and its sworn enemies.” “… The Kremlin purports to take a hard stance on terrorism. Yet since the massacre in southern Israel carried out by Hamas […]
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“Ukrainian forces are desperately trying to battle through deep Russian defenses along the south and east of the country before winter sets in. Ukraine has a narrowing window of opportunity for making gains before the weather turns and the infamous muddy season, known as ‘rasputitsa’ in Russian and ‘bezdorizhzhia’ in Ukrainian, arrives.’” “While the world is distracted by geopolitical turmoil […]
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“The president’s team is privately urging lawmakers to focus on the jobs that can be created by money spent on the war.” “The White House has been quietly urging lawmakers … to sell … war efforts abroad as a potential economic boom at home. Aides [reportedly] have been distributing talking points to Democrats and Republicans who have been supportive of […]
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“Kyiv is converting U.S. missiles for new uses and prioritising joint ventures with western companies.” “… [Ukrainian] Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal [said] … ‘We understand we should produce [ammunition] here in Ukraine because … [globally ammunition is] depleted …. [Ukraine learns from] its dramatic increase in domestic drone manufacturing, he said, … up from ‘a few dozen last year’ to […]
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“Money trickles back in, lured by the chance to help the fight against Russia and score assets on the cheap.” “… Steel-nerved investors are trickling back into Ukraine, lured by the chance to help the country in its fight against Russia — and to score assets on the cheap. … Prospects for Ukraine’s economy remain fragile. … Losing long-term backing […]
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(Moscow Times – Oct. 23, 2023) Ukraine’s CIA-trained intelligence agencies have assassinated “dozens” of Russians and Ukrainian collaborators since the start of Moscow’s invasion, The Washington Post reported Monday, citing more than two dozen anonymous current and former Ukrainian, U.S. and Western intelligence and security officials. The missions involved elite teams that were formed, trained and equipped in “close partnership” […]
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“Andrii Kostyn told POLITICO Kyiv will soon deliver on Brussels’ demands for fighting corruption, despite Russian attempts to sabotage the work.” “Ukraine is accelerating its drive to clean up its politics and will meet all … EU[] anti-corruption requirements within months … a major boost to its bid to join the 27-member bloc, the country’s top prosecutor [said] …. ‘I […]
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“… [A DOD] official said … tens of thousands of 155-millimeter artillery shells promised to Ukraine would be diverted to Israel. … an example of the American weapons … [reportedly] needed in both wars, which could stretch … U.S. capacity to keep up …. especially … if Israel’s expected [Gaza] ground offensive … lasts for months. … Ukraine and Israel […]
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(Moscow Times – Anastasia Tenisheva – Oct. 21, 2023) MOSCOW — Loud music, people dancing and faces covered with glitter — today, parties in Russia’s capital look like parties anywhere. “As long as there is an opportunity to enjoy life, then you need to do it,” Daria, a Russian in her 20s, told The Moscow Times at a techno music […]
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“The emergency funding request to Congress, which would also include funds to fortify border security, is expected by Friday.” “… Biden [reportedly] is expected to ask Congress … to approve about $100 billion in emergency funds to arm Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan and fortify the U.S.-Mexico border …. The funding request, which lawmakers expect to receive by Friday morning, would […]
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“… Retaking the towns of Kupiansk and Lyman last year near Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv was a key step in the Ukrainian military’s drive to evicting Russian troops from some parts of the country’s Donbas industrial heartland. … The focus on the eastern front … shifted … [more recently] from Bakhmut to Avdiivka, a town further southwest known for […]
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“Vladimir Putin wants to trash the country, so the fact that daily life continues is a minor triumph.” “… Western-gifted air defence systems have played a key role in securing … fragile normality. … Gepard, Iris-T and Patriot air defence systems take down … drones and missiles of Russia’s almost nightly barrages. The biggest threat … is falling debris. … […]
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“Chinese and Russian leaders tout trillion-dollar initiative as a model for international cooperation at summit in Beijing, but Western leaders weren’t there to hear it.” “… [O]ne war raging in Ukraine … another unfolding in the Middle East …Xi Jinping is promoting his signature foreign-policy project as a force for unity, cooperation and prosperity around the globe. At a summit […]
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“As winter approaches, Russian and Ukrainian forces are both trying to seize the initiative along different parts of the front.” “Russia has dispatched thousands of soldiers … heavy armor and artillery to try to drive Ukrainians from deeply entrenched positions in eastern Ukraine, in … [reportedly] the Kremlin’s largest offensive push since its failed campaign last winter. The willingness to […]
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“If he was he would find that it is cooling toward the concept of ‘as long as it takes.’” “… While the seeming shift in public opinion is … important … and should signal … that the time has come to pursue negotiations, it is clear that those whose opinions matter most — in Kiev, Moscow, and Washington — aren’t […]
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“… [F]ive things to watch for … DEFENCE BOSSES … Defence Minister Li Shangfu has not been seen in public for more than six weeks …. For China, Russia is … a rich potential source of technology as the People’s Liberation Army … seeks to modernise … WEAPONS FOR WAR? … The United States has warned China against sending … […]
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“… [W]ith the massacres in Israel and the unfolding Israeli assault on Gaza, we have a new front of engagement for American power, a new demand for U.S. resources, a new stress point for our stressed imperium and new risks of a wider war. … [T]here are real strategic choices …, potential trade-offs in hardware shipped and dollars delivered …. […]
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“Russia’s military pressed on with fierce assaults on the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka … Saturday, [reportedly] with shelling so fierce that emergency crews were unable to recover the dead from wrecked buildings …. in Ukraine’s industrial heartland of Donbas, focal point of Moscow’s 19-month-old invasion of its neighbour. … Fighting intensified in other sectors of the … 600-mile[] front. […]
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“Slow military progress and cracks in the backing of key allies could also drain vital attention from Ukraine’s battle with Russia, some fear.” “Ukraine, still locked in fierce combat with Russia along hundreds of miles of front line, also finds itself grappling with … [geopolitical] shifts …. The attention of key allies is pivoting to … Gaza, military aid from […]
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“Oleksiy Arestovych accuses Volodymyr Zelensky and his military commanders of making strategic mistakes and failing to break Russian lines.” “… Arestovych resigned in January as a presidential adviser after a row over the … Ukraine’s air defence systems. This week, Ukrainian prosecutors opened an investigation into [] Arestovych for comments that allegedly promote violence against women. He has denied the […]
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“The United States must prepare for possible simultaneous wars with Russia and China by expanding its conventional forces, strengthening alliances and enhancing its nuclear weapons modernization program, a congressionally appointed bipartisan [Strategic Posture Commission] said …. The panel accepted a Pentagon forecast that China’s rapid nuclear arsenal expansion likely will give it 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, confronting the United […]
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“Russian forces have made gains in their Ukraine offensive, … Putin said Sunday, including in Avdiivka, [9 miles from Donetsk,] a symbolic industrial hub …. On Saturday, Kyiv reported ‘very heated’ fighting around Avdiivka Saturday, saying Russian forces had ‘not stopped assaulting’ it for days in their attempt to surround it. Avdiivka has been a symbol of Ukrainian resistance since […]
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“Russian Olympic Committee is hammered for taking sports organizations in occupied Ukraine under its umbrella.” “The International Olympic Committee on Thursday banned the Russian Olympic Committee, effective immediately but it has not changed its position on the possibility of Russian athletes taking part in the Paris 2024 Olympics. The IOC said … Russia’s decision to claim regional sports organizations in […]
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“A lawyer for Donald Trump has told a London judge that the ex-president plans to prove that a ‘shocking and scandalous’ report by a former British spy was wrong and harmed his reputation” “… Trump has sued [Orbis Business Intelligence,] founded by Christopher Steele, who created a dossier in 2016 …[with] rumors and uncorroborated allegations about Trump …. Trump allegedly […]
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“Commission urges overhaul of US arsenal to tackle growing threat from two peer adversaries” “The U.S. must expand or restructure its nuclear arsenal to tackle the ‘existential challenge’ posed by the growing nuclear threat from China and existing risk from Russia, a new report … has said. The bipartisan Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the U.S., … tasked […]
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“The intensifying push is one of Russia’s few offensive operations in months, as it tries to seize land in Ukrainian regions it claims to have already annexed.” “Russian forces have intensified attacks … targeting a string of towns along an eastern stretch of the front line even as they defend against a Ukrainian offensive in the south. Their movements add […]
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“The Israeli-Palestinian war has forced Russia into a delicate balancing act … urging a quick end to the fighting without apportioning blame. … due to Russia’s long ties to Israel, the Palestinians and other regional players, and …[a] hope to expand [Russia’s] clout in the Middle East by playing peacemaker. … Moscow has repeatedly hosted Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas … […]
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“For the first time … Zelenskyy joined a meeting of more than 50 defense leaders from around the world, making a personal pitch Wednesday for military aid in the face of lagging political support in the United States and new pressure on allies to send weapons to bolster Israel’s war with Hamas. … The meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact […]
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“The Kremlin believes Russia’s [2024] presidential and [2026] parliamentary elections should be held on schedule irrespective of … Ukraine, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov [said] Monday …. Chechen leader … Kadyrov … was quoted … Saturday … saying that Russia should either postpone the presidential election due to the war … or allow only one candidate – Putin. …” Click here […]
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“… We don’t have to agree with Solovey’s diagnosis of Putin and Kremlin politics to know that all is not well, politically and physically, with Russia’s erstwhile strongman[] [including] [t]he hesitation and confusion he evinced … during the coup attempt by … Prigozhin …. Elite dissatisfaction with [Putin’s] handling of the disastrous war with Ukraine has been confirmed … [R]egardless […]
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“European officials and experts are concerned that Russia could exploit the chaos surrounding the Hamas attack on Israel, pushing the Kremlin even closer to Iran, …. allied with [Hamas]. There is no sign that Russia provided material support — or even had advance notice — prior to the surprise attack … [that] left at least 900 Israelis dead and scores […]
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“Russia will move to revoke the ratification of a global nuclear test ban to put itself on par with the United States but will only resume nuclear tests if Washington does it first …. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov [said Tuesday] …. He added that if the U.S. conducts a nuclear test, ‘we will be forced to mirror that as […]
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“Expensive, massive tanks destroyed by small and cheap loitering munitions. Drones helping artillery locate targets. A battlefield so flooded with sensors … it’s impossible to stay hidden for long. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the [U.S.] Army has carefully taken note of these trends. … [T]hose changes are reshaping the service’s plans from acquisition to how to approach […]
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Vladimir Putin has long projected friendly ties to Israel. But his silence since Saturday’s assault illustrates how the war in Ukraine has strained the relationship between the two countries. “… [A]mid the worst attack on Israel in 50 years, the high regard … [] Putin has shown for Israel in the past appears remarkably absent. … [with] no message of […]
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“As ‘Ukraine fatigue’ sets in among U.S. voters, a row over more spending in Capitol Hill has alarmed officials in NATO states and in Kyiv.” “… After 18 months of brutal warfare, with no end to the invasion in sight, Joe Biden is facing unprecedented resistance to U.S. support. In both the Republican-controlled House and among voters at large, ‘Ukraine […]
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“… Four months of brutal fighting and steep losses have not yielded the results … Kyiv and … Western backers hoped for. Despite some Ukrainian progress in breaking through dense Russian defenses, fears of a frozen conflict — and crumbling international support — loom. … [A] senior NATO official lamented ‘Monday morning quarterbacking’ … ‘It’s easy for you to sit […]
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“While Russian hard-liners voice provocative proposals about using nuclear weapons, Mr. Putin presents himself as a moderating force — while never really taking the threat off the table.” “… Russia’s hard-liners are rattling the nuclear saber vigorously these days, on television and in academic journals, arguing that an atomic blast — in Ukraine, in Europe, or maybe in a test […]
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“U.S. president wants to get issue sorted until next election, say insiders, as Republican sceptics continue to cause problems” “The White House is drawing up plans to ask Congress to release its largest funding package ever for weapons and humanitarian aid, amid concern continued rows over spending could damage the president in next year’s election. … Some officials believe passing […]
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“Ukraine is now America’s new forever war. Americans know that ‘whatever it takes’ is not a strategy.” “…. ‘As long as it takes’ remains the [Biden administration] mantra …. According to reports from September’s U.N. General Assembly meeting, U.S. and G-7 allies expect the war … to continue … at least six to seven years. … [T]he other implication is […]
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“Kyiv has fought too well to simply give up, but Russia and China will achieve their goal of splitting the West.” “[With the loss of U.S. funding for Ukraine,] … the balance on the battlefield [would] shift significantly. Ukraine [wouldn’t] simply surrender … [b]ut given how reliant Ukraine is on [U.S.] arms and ammunition … its situation [would] still get […]
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“More than one million Iranian rounds of munitions … seized by the U.S. … late last year have been sent to Ukraine to assist the effort [to] repel Russia’s invasion, Central Command said. … Iran was sending weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen. In July, [DOJ] filed a motion to forfeit thousands of rifles, hundreds of machine guns and rocket […]
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“… To track the war’s course, the Brookings Institution is compiling security, economic, and political data presented in graphic form …. [with] updated information on key metrics including civilian casualties, Western aid, and Ukraine’s economic challenges … track[ing] the trajectory of the conflict and its broader consequences …. The data … is … from a variety of sources (government, international […]
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“A report obtained by POLITICO details specific plans to reform Ukrainian institutions and warns Western support may hinge on cutting corruption.” “… The ‘sensitive but unclassified’ version … lays out … [ways] Washington is … help[ing] Kyiv root out malfeasance and otherwise reform an array of Ukrainian sectors. … The United States appears eager to help Ukrainian institutions build … […]
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“The Pentagon is warning Congress that it is running low on money to replace weapons the U.S. has sent to Ukraine and has already been forced to slow down resupplying some troops …. [according to [a] letter, obtained by [AP] urg[ing] Congress to replenish funding for Ukraine. …” When Congress passed a special fiscal measure hours before an imminent federal […]
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“In theory, Russian law applies everywhere within Russia’s borders. But over and over, the Chechen republic proves exempt from those rules, no matter how blatant a violation might be.” “… Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov posted a video … show[ing] his teenage son brutally beating up a Russian prisoner … sa[ying] he was ‘proud” of his son’s actions. … [M]any Russians […]
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“It could join the EU’s awkward squad if Robert Fico forms a government.” “Robert Fico … fell from power in 2018 after the murder of a journalist investigating high-level corruption, which led to mass protests. Now he looks set to lead [Slovakia] … again. … A [] Fico-led government can be expected to ally itself in the [EU]and NATO with […]
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“… If you’re … Zelenskiy … you’ll take little solace from … Biden’s earnest assurances that the U.S. ‘will not walk away’ …. [I]f you’re … Putin … you will draw the logical conclusion that Kyiv was … thrown under the bus when funding for Ukraine was left out of a spending bill to avert a government shutdown. … Washington […]
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“Russians will be allowed … as neutral athletes at next year’s Paralympics in Paris … following the invasion of Ukraine. The International Paralympic Committee voted 74-65 … on Friday against suspending Russia’s membership entirely — which would have meant a full ban … then voted 90-65 in favor of ‘partially’ suspending the country through 2025. … because of ‘breaches of […]
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