“Leaders of talks on … Zelenskyy’s peace formula … said a growing number of countries are working to help set the groundwork for Russia to join one day, a[] … distant goal as the nearly two-year war grinds on [with] neither side willing to cede ground. The fourth such meeting of national security advisers takes place in … Davos, where […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) 6 Things to Know The Pentagon has failed to properly track at least $1 billion in weapons that the U.S. has provided to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion, according to a report by the Defense Department’s inspector general, FT reports. The high rate of weapons that were missing or otherwise immediately unaccounted for in government […]
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“The report found that American officials and diplomats had failed to quickly or fully account for all of the nearly 40,000 weapons sent to the front.” “More than $1 billion worth of shoulder-fired missiles, kamikaze drones and night-vision goggles … sent [by the United States] to Ukraine have not been properly tracked by American officials, a new [DOD Inspector General] […]
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“[Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council] warned … Thursday that … Ukrainian attacks on missile launch sites inside Russia with arms supplied by the United States and its allies would risk a nuclear response from Moscow … [also saying] that some Ukrainian military commanders were considering hitting missile launch sites inside Russia with Western-supplied long-range missiles. … Putin […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – Simon Saradzhyan – Jan. 11, 2024) Since December, my colleagues at Russia Matters and I have been monitoring1 how Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and its commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi have sparred over who should assume prime responsibility for the plan to conscript up to 500,000 Ukrainians. As we watched the two employ what Sun Tzu would […]
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“Rout of elite Ukraine forces in counteroffensive is a lesson in why the war effort is stalled” “… Because the West had dithered for months over the provision of tanks and other armored vehicles, the Russians were ready. They had dug in on the flat [southeastern] farmland … laying hundreds of thousands of mines and setting up firing positions for […]
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“Sullivan likely to raise strategy issue with Ukraine leader Tensions seen as war heads into third year with aid stalled” “The U.S. wants Ukraine to sharpen its plan for fighting Russia’s invasion as the war heads into its third year and is expected to raise the issue with … in Davos … and continue to push the point in the […]
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“… Ukraine has mastered the production of short-range drones, which both sides have used extensively throughout the war. Now Ukraine is stepping up the development of drones that can strike more distant targets in Russia, Crimea and the Black Sea. These attacks typically involve around a dozen drones, often accompanying cruise missiles. Since December Ukraine has carried out some attacks […]
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“… Israelis and Palestinians have been battling for more than 50 years without gaining lasting security. Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine began as a fever dream of … Putin. He failed to conquer Kyiv … but the bloody war of attrition has cost Russia an … 320,000 casualties and Ukraine … 170,000 to 190,000. The biggest national security question for […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) “The ‘rules-based order’ that President Biden proclaims has become a slogan rather than a fact,” WP’s David Ignatius argues in his preview of how the Russian-Ukrainian war and other conflicts will evolve in 2024. In his latest column, Ignatius blasts Vladimir Putin’s aggression again Ukraine, but also reminds us how there was an “element of truth” in […]
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“Funding for more weapons and ammunition is held up in fight over border policy; ‘We’re out of money’” “The Washington stalemate over U.S. [border] policy … is … reverberat[ing] on the Ukraine battlefield, where Kyiv’s troops are running out of ammunition and the Pentagon says it can’t provide more without emptying its own arsenal. … [T]he Pentagon has run out […]
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“Investigators hope Warsaw’s new government will shed light on gas-pipeline attack after previous administration’s reluctance to disclose potentially crucial evidence.” “Polish officials have resisted cooperating with an international probe into the sabotage of the Nord Stream natural-gas pipelines and failed to disclose potentially crucial evidence, according to European investigators …. [They reportedly] have been slow to provide information and withheld […]
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“The country’s forces along a broad stretch of the front say that, with Russia pushing forward, the war has never been so dangerous.” “… Ukrainian troops along most of the 600-mile front … are officially in defensive mode. Only in the southern region of Kherson are they still on the offensive … across the Dnipro River. … [F]ighting has not […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and its commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi have continued their indirect struggle over which of them should assume prime responsibility for the unpopular decision1 to conscript up to 500,000 Ukrainians. The tussle began on Dec. 19 when Zelensky claimed that the Ukrainian army chiefs had requested the conscription of up to 500,000 men, according […]
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“Moscow’s forces have adapted their tactics since last winter, preceding their missiles with waves of drones, whose mission is to saturate Kyiv’s air defense capabilities and deplete their ammunition reserves.” “… [T]his new campaign of Russian strikes could … be more difficult to counter than last year’s …. The Russian military, aware of Ukraine’s ground-to-air defense capabilities, has adapted its […]
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“Ukraine said it was defending territory behind the eastern frontline town. Its capture would be Russia’s most significant territorial advance in Ukraine in more than six months.” “… The battle for Marinka illustrated defining features of Russia’s invasion that analysts say have given Moscow’s forces a major advantage: bombing a place to ruins and then sending in wave after wave […]
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“The good news is it would open the door to eventual EU and NATO membership.” “According to a recent report …. [Ukrainian] troops on the front line are running out of ammunition. Artillery shells are being rationed, forcing the Ukrainians to cancel planned assaults and making it hard to hold defensive positions against Russian attacks. … As Ukraine struggles, its […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) The U.S. and its European allies “are quietly shifting their focus from supporting Ukraine’s goal of total victory over Russia to improving its position in an eventual negotiation to end the war,” according to a Biden administration official and a European diplomat interviewed by Politico. “Such a negotiation would likely mean giving up parts of Ukraine […]
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“… [I]f Putin is running as a wartime president, he has to massage the facts. Russia does not fully control the Ukrainian regions it claimed in September 2022; the war on the ground has been extremely costly in terms of Russian lives and equipment; and Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has taken a serious beating. … [T]he war has … come […]
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“The Soviet Union designed the S-300 … mobile, surface-to-air defense … system[] during the Cold War …. Russia unleashed 14 … offensively at cities in Ukraine …. part of a wave of missiles and drones … [in] the largest one-day aerial attack on Ukraine …. ripp[ing] into 45 multistory buildings, including schools, churches, hospitals, maternity wards, shopping centers and warehouses, […]
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Overnight, Russia launched its largest aerial assault on Ukraine since this war began. This massive bombardment used drones and missiles, including missiles with hypersonic capability, to strike cities and civilian infrastructure all across Ukraine. Strikes reportedly hit a maternity hospital, a shopping mall, and residential areas — killing innocent people and injuring dozens more. It is a stark reminder to […]
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“… 5. A stalemate in Ukraine. Thanks in part to sluggish support and political impasse from the United States and … Western allies, Ukraine didn’t have enough guns, equipment, or ammo to punch a hole in Russia’s well-fortified defensive lines in eastern Ukraine …. [N]either do Russian forces have the capability, morale, training, or effective fighting prowess to make significant […]
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“At the start of 2023, hopes were high that a much-vaunted Ukrainian counteroffensive would change the dial in the war …. It didn’t … 2024 could be even harder. Ukraine’s alliances with the U.S. and Europe could be destabilized further in 2024, putting the future of military aid packages in doubt. The amount of support and military hardware Ukraine receives […]
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“… Ukraine, … expected to fold in a few weeks [after the wholesale invasion], is not only alive … [I]t’s also managed to push Russia from half the territory … seized [early on]. While these gains may fall short of our hopes and expectations, they are not sufficient to produce the palpable despondence spreading throughout the West. … [T]he Ukrainians’ […]
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“… The advent of the war triggered fears of outright nuclear conflict between the West and Russia. That period of somewhat frenzied speculation has passed. The war has since settled into a grinding—but conventional—stalemate. To be sure, U.S. officials are still concerned that Russia may use tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield. … The unfortunate truth is that Washington cannot […]
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“Russia and the U.S. could be headed for a major escalation, according to [Sergei Ryabkov, Russian deputy foreign minister responsible for ties with the U.S., arms control and non-proliferation.] … [Ryakkov] said … confiscation of frozen Russian assets could lead to diplomatic relations … being severed. … [R]eports emerged that the Biden administration could be close to seizing more than […]
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“… If [U.S.] aid is cut off and Ukraine is forced to accept a Russian victory, the result won’t be peace but Russian preparation for a new war. The war in Ukraine activated the Soviet totalitarian psychological inheritance in Russia … [that] never disappeared. … Russia is more dangerous than … since the height of the Cold War [with] [m]ilitarization […]
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“…. A strong and free Ukraine, one that is capable of standing up to Russian aggression, is essential to peace and stability in Europe. If … Putin’s strategy of waiting for American resolve to falter is successful, he would then be in position to attack NATO allies and potentially draw American troops into a war ….” Click here for: “An […]
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“… Ukraine is fighting Russia alone. American aid — never timely or sufficient, but enough to help keep Ukraine alive and Russian invaders at bay — is about to run out. … Without American artillery, ammunition, missile systems, tanks, armored vehicles, humanitarian aid, or funds for reconstruction, Ukraine will be left to face the Russian onslaught with diminishing odds of […]
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“… Ukrainian and U.S. commanders are making cold and unsentimental assessments of the lessons of the summer’s failed counteroffensive …. a signal that the war in Ukraine is deadlocked. Drones and other high-tech weapons have made Ukrainian and Russian tanks largely obsolete. … As always after military setbacks, the failed counteroffensive has brought some recriminations. The Post series included a […]
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“The West needs to keep its nerve, recognize the stakes, and support Kyiv’s clearest path to victory.” “… The truth is that there is no easy way out. Moscow has repeatedly made it clear that it will only accept Kyiv’s surrender, and the latter’s underwhelming ground offensive will only have emboldened the Kremlin. The only way to force … Putin […]
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“[From October:] … Russia’s war against Ukraine began in 2014 with its militarized annexation of Crimea, and moved into its current phase … in February, 2022, …[with] Putin[‘s] … full-scale invasion. In the initial months [after], Ukraine, under … Zelensky … with support from NATO, scored some astonishing victories, including the defense of Kyiv. But, although the people of […]
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“Kyiv’s counter-offensive has ended in failure. This could be NATO’s Suez moment.” “… Any deal that rewards Russian aggression will signal to the rest of the world that NATO, with all its collective wealth and weaponry, could not succeed in the minimal goal of rescuing a country that its two most powerful members, the US and the UK, had undertaken […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – Anatol Lieven – Nov. 30, 2023) Anatol Lieven is director of the Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. With the failure of the Ukrainian offensive, the Biden administration now seems to realize that Ukrainian victory is highly unlikely, and that at some point there will need to be negotiations. However, it hopes […]
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“A decision by the International Olympic Committee paves the way for individuals from the two countries to take part over the objections of Ukraine and others.” “Individual athletes from Russia and Belarus who successfully qualify for next summer’s Paris Olympics will be allowed to compete in the Games, the International Olympic Committee announced on Friday, ending talk of a blanket […]
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“… While the public is tired of the ‘special military operation,’ there are different views on how the fighting should end. … [T]he average Russian believes it is their duty to endorse what the state deems to be moral and right. … Some data … [reveals] doubts …. If they could go back in time, 48 percent of them would […]
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“… [Ukrainian] [o]fficials say almost all agreements … Kyiv entered into since the [Soviet] collapse … were scrapped by Moscow … that sitting down with Russia is pointless at best … dangerous at worst. ‘Putin is a habitual liar who promised international leaders that he would not attack Ukraine days before his invasion in February 2022,’ Ukraine’s foreign minister [Dmytro […]
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“President has been stalling on conscript rules since June Ukraine is grappling with dwindling number of volunteers” “A plan to draft more Ukrainian men into the army has been sitting on … Zelenskiy’s desk since June. … [He] so far has defied pressure from the military to sign it. Instead, Zelenskiy … asked his government and top brass for a […]
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(The White House – whitehouse.gov – Dec. 6 2023) THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everyone. I’d like to speak to you today about an urgent responsibility that Congress has to uphold the national security needs of the United States and, quite frankly, of our partners as well. This cannot wait. Congress needs to pass supplemental funding for Ukraine before they break […]
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“Ukraine signaled Monday that it is shifting its military tactics toward a more defensive footing after an analysis of Russia’s resource capabilities and as winter approaches. Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak noted … ‘on the front line and in the cities, we are already moving to a different tactic of warfare — effective defense in certain areas, continuation of offensive […]
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“… [A] number of Ukrainians straddl[e] two increasingly distinct worlds: the grim reality of a trench war; and an ever more waspish political battleground in Kyiv. … [C]ompetitive politics went into hibernation [after Russia’s wholesale invasion, yet] …. returned as the existential threat to Ukraine decreased later [last] year. … Cracks have emerged not only on political lines but, most […]
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“President Volodymyr Zelensky’s briefing, via a video call, will come a day after the White House warned that aid to his country would soon run out.” “… [A]n emergency funding package is stalled in Congress. The … Senate will vote … Wednesday … [on] more than $61 billion in Ukraine-focused assistance as part of a $106 billion national security package. […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) Miscalculations and divisions marked the efforts of Kyiv and its allies to plan the Ukrainian military’s summer offensive, according to the results of extensive research by Washington Post staff into the lead-up to the largely unsuccessful operation. “The year began with Western resolve at its peak, Ukrainian forces highly confident and … Zelensky predicting a decisive […]
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“… Crimea … became crucial to Moscow’s strategy to dominate Ukraine and the Black Sea region. Critical to that domination is the bridge spanning the Kerch Strait … [between] Crimea [and] … mainland Russia. Built by Moscow at enormous cost, this bridge opened in 2018 … [and] has been a major conduit for … Russian soldiers and arms …. currently […]
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(Moscow Times – Dec. 5, 2023) Two in five Russians who fled the country in the months following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine have since returned home, the pro-Kremlin newspaper Izvestia reported Tuesday, citing data from an immigration support company and job recruitment website. According to official statistics, 668,400 Russians left the country last year as war broke out in neighboring […]
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” … Zelensky will have to consider a call for … politicians and civil servants to be drafted to fight in the war … after a petition … reached the required number of signatures. After the start of … Putin’s full-scale invasion, Zelensky announced a general mobilization in which military reservists between … 18 and 60 were eligible for conscription. […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) In the past month, Russian forces have gained 12 square miles of Ukrainian territory, while Ukrainian forces gained 5 square miles, according to the Nov. 28 issue of the Russia-Ukraine War Report Card. Developments on and off the battlefield have prompted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week to admit that Ukraine’s counteroffensive did not produce the desired results, warning of […]
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“Russian forces are intensifying attacks on … Avdiivka, seeking to encircle Kyiv’s troops …. Kyiv and Western capitals … acknowledge[] that Russia’s full-scale invasion … could drag on into a much longer war. … Avdiivka … had a pre-war population of around 32,000[] [and] has been a frontline city since 2014, when it was briefly occupied by Moscow-backed separatists …. […]
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“Call to bolster fortifications is the Ukrainian leadership’s clearest public acknowledgment of a defensive turn” “… Zelensky ordered the construction of an extensive network of fortifications aimed at holding back Russian forces, signaling a switch to the defensive posture after a monthslong Ukrainian counteroffensive yielded only small gains. … [N]early 20% of [Ukraine’s] land [is] occupied by Russia. … Ukraine […]
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“In an exclusive interview … Zelenskyy says the war with Russia is entering a new stage, with winter expected to complicate … fighting and the Middle East capturing global attention.” “… ‘Look, we are not backing down, I am satisfied. We are fighting with the second (best) army in the world, I am satisfied,’ he said, referring to the Russian […]
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