(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – Sept. 22, 2023) 7 Things to Know Ukraine intends to continue its counteroffensive through the autumn and into the winter, according to remarks made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley this week. “The fight right now still has plenty of fighting weather left,” according to Gen. Milley. At the […]
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“Despite Russia’s war in Ukraine and a nationwide state of martial law, some Western politicians are pushing … Kyiv to hold parliamentary and presidential elections …. Holding free and fair elections in wartime is virtually impossible and also ill-advised, according to Ukrainian officials, election experts and democracy advocates. Roughly one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory is now occupied by Russian forces. Millions […]
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(RAND Corporation – Bryan Frederick, Mark Cozad, Alexandra Stark – Sept. 2023) [full report: HTML – PDF] “Key Findings … The fact that Putin has avoided certain escalatory options to date does not mean that he will avoid them in the future. The Kremlin’s control of Russia has become brittle, potentially encouraging Putin to consider options to shorten the war. […]
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The State of Russian Studies in the United States: 2022 [Excerpt] [Click here for full text PDF] An Assessment by the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies ASEEES August 2023 Authors: Theodore P. Gerber (Principal Investigator), University of Wisconsin Madison Michael Zaslavsky (Research Assistant), University of Wisconsin Madison Advisory Advisory Committee: Bella Grigoryan, University of Pittsburgh Juliet Johnson, […]
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“The [U.S.] Army has quietly started to treat wounded Americans and other fighters evacuated from Ukraine at its Landstuhl Regional Medical Center [in Germany]. Though the number so far is small — currently 14 — it marks a notable new step …. When the war erupted … hundreds of Americans — many of them military veterans — rushed to help […]
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“… Ukraine has two seas … and around 3,000 rivers …. The Poloz-M16 [adapted kayak] is designed … for covert operations. It’s quiet, lightweight and maneuverable, with the ability to carry up to three people and 250 kilograms of cargo, around 550 pounds. It’s also durable, made of a special polyethylene that can weather extreme temperatures, mechanical damage and last […]
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“Twice [in one] … week, Crimea’s night skies lit up with the fiery destruction of valuable Russian military equipment. … [Ukrainian-launched] cruise missiles struck the Sevmorzavod shipyard, home to Russia’s Black Sea fleet[] … [with an] aftermath [that included] the skies over Sevastopol [being] illuminated by a burning landing ship and attack submarine. The following morning at Yevpatoriya … [there […]
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“… Zelensky was back in town …. [With] a path to ultimate victory … seem[ing] increasingly distant. … Biden unveiled yet another U.S. [Ukrainian] aid package … worth $325 million … [reportedly] expected to include more cluster munitions and air defense equipment … the second time the U.S. has provided the controversial weapon to Kyiv. … [Meanwhile] national security adviser […]
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(The White House – Sept. 21, 2023) MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Good afternoon, everyone. Q Good afternoon. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: As you can see, we have the National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan joining us today to talk about — give a little bit of a preview and talk about the President’s visit with President Zelenskyy today. As you know, he’s all in tow- […]
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(Moscow Times – Sept. 22, 2023) The Kremlin said on Friday it hopes Russia could once again become part of the Olympic community despite sanctions against Russian athletes over Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has suggested allowing athletes from Russia and Moscow’s ally Belarus to compete as individuals under a neutral flag at the 2024 Olympics […]
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(The White House – Sept. 19, 2023) [Full text: whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/09/19/remarks-by-president-biden-before-the-78th-session-of-the-united-nations-general-assembly-new-york-ny/] “… For the second year in a row, this gathering dedicated to peaceful resolution of conflicts is darkened by the shadow of war — an illegal war of conquest, brought without provocation by Russia against its neighbor, Ukraine. Like every nation in the world, the United States wants this war […]
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“As Washington turns its focus toward the 2024 presidential campaign, U.S. aid to Ukraine is becoming increasingly vulnerable to partisan politics and the culture wars. … [T]he Biden administration … will need … a more robust … honest case about the expected costs and length of the war …. Since … February 2022, the United States has committed $113 billion […]
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“… [W]hen climate change, famine, health crises and so much more are stressing Planet Earth, the last thing humanity needed was to divert so much attention, collaborative energy, money and lives to respond to Putin’s war to make Ukraine a Russian colony again. Putin lately has stopped even bothering to justify the war …. [I]f Ukraine can escape this war […]
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“… Ukraine prepared to launch its counteroffensive facing immense risks: Without a decisive victory, Western support could weaken, and Kyiv could face pressure to negotiate a ceasefire. … Ukrainian forces have breached the first line of defense in some Russian positions along this southern line of advance, the counteroffensive’s most promising front. … Progress has been grueling and slow. … […]
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“Victory will revalidate and re-energize the West and all we stand for.” “… Victory for Ukraine will revalidate and re-energize the West and all we stand for. Above all, it will mean the liberation of a beautiful and entirely innocent country that has been selfishly and criminally attacked. I believe that victory will come; and I believed it all the […]
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“… [T]here will be critically important issues that the U.S. and Ukrainian presidents will need to discuss — above all, that of U.S. and Ukrainian strategies and goals when it comes to negotiations with Russia. … [S]ince this issue is extremely painful and difficult, the strong temptation for both administrations will be to kick it down the road as far […]
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“Muscovites go about their daily lives with little major disruption. But the war’s effects are evident — in the stores, at the movies and in the increasingly repressive environment.” “… Muscovites are experiencing dual realities: The war has faded into background noise … yet … remains ever-present in … daily lives. … Advertisements to join the military are … on […]
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“There is no alternative to slowly and methodically reducing Russian forces in Ukraine.” “… The idea that there is a shortcut to victory raises expectations for a quick end to the carnage that Ukraine is unlikely to fulfill. After more than 18 months of grinding, attritional war, it should be obvious that there are no miracle weapons and that there […]
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“[Ukrainian foreign minister] Dmytro Kuleba … is a smooth[, unruffled] and affable diplomat …. But on August 31st his patience snapped. ‘Criticising the slow pace of the counter-offensive equals … spitting into the face of the Ukrainian soldier who sacrifices his life every day,’ he told journalists. ‘I would recommend all critics to shut up, come to Ukraine and try […]
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“… New developments … may threaten [a previous] dynamic. Russia’s campaign against Ukrainian grain infrastructure and surging Ukrainian attacks within Russia threaten to expand the geographical scope of conflict. The mutiny and subsequent death of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin suggest that Russia’s domestic political situation is dynamic and could shift in ways that may encourage Putin to escalate. Ukraine’s […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) Russia has managed to overcome sanctions and export controls imposed by the West to expand its missile production beyond prewar levels, according to U.S., European and Ukrainian officials cited by NYT. “With revenue from high energy prices, Russia’s security services and ministry of defense have been able to smuggle in the microelectronics and other Western materials […]
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“… Last year, the 27-nation [EU] … declared Ukraine an official candidate for admission. [European] [p]olicymakers … are now butting heads over whether to set a [membership] timetable …. Some are pushing for 2030 … others suggest an association short of full membership. An array of complex problems would need to be ironed out …. [Ukraine] would be by far […]
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“Billionaire’s arrest has been touted as a sign of change, but predictions of an end to oligarchy may be premature.” (opendemocracy.net – Andrii Ianitskyi – Sept. 13, 2023) Born in Sevastopol in 1983, Andriy Ianitskyi has lived in Kyiv since 2007 after graduating from the Sevastopol branch of Moscow State University. He works as a journalist and editor in the […]
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“Many emerging economies remain reluctant to take sides in the war.” “… Western countries still haven’t swung the developing world behind supporting Kyiv. Europe, Ukraine and the U.S. have successfully orchestrated several United Nations votes condemning Russia’s invasion. … [and] have started talks with dozens of other countries on … a fair peace settlement …. However, many of the biggest […]
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“The war in Ukraine is being waged on the battlefield but also globally … [T]he latter theater might be the more decisive … the financial and commercial terrain where the West’s sanctions have been deployed … [T]he effort to subvert Russia’s economy might eventually do more to end the war than any new weapons system or fresh breakthrough along the […]
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“A coalition of the world’s wealthiest and most technologically advanced countries gives Ukraine a major structural advantage. Russia, by contrast, has only two countries—Iran and North Korea — openly assisting it … although China has been … an important economic backstop … and a provider of nonlethal military aid. … Western military support comes with its own risks and challenges[] […]
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“The country’s military is enjoying some success but it will be slow-going and requires allies to increase ammunition supplies.” “… Some U.S. officials have complained privately … that Ukraine … failed during training to master modern operations … combin[ing] mechanised infantry, artillery and air defence and [is] too risk averse …. Ukrainian officials … have pointed out that American forces […]
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“It would make life harder for Ukraine — and heighten nuclear risks in Asia.” “… Both men are throwbacks. [] Kim is the grandson of a tyrant imposed on North Korea by Stalin. [] Putin waxes nostalgic about Russia’s imperial past. Yet the threat they pose today is clear and present. An alliance … could alter … the war in […]
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“Moscow’s missile production now exceeds prewar levels, officials say, leaving Ukraine especially vulnerable this coming winter.” “… Russia subverted American export controls using its intelligence services and ministry of defense to run illicit networks of people who smuggle key components by exporting them to other countries from which they can be shipped to Russia more easily. … [S]ince the war […]
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“Ukrainian president’s visit next week coincides with the United Nations General Assembly.” “… Zelensky is scheduled to travel to the U.S. for the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he will appear in person for the first time since Russia’s February 2022 invasion, to make a case for continued support of Ukraine and isolation of Moscow. … […]
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with Dr. Mikhail Turchenko (Indiana University) Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, 4pm to 5pm Elliott School of International Affairs, Lindner Family Commons Room 602, 1957 E Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20052 REGISTER HERE: docs.google.com/forms … [Online – Join the Zoom here: gwu-edu.zoom.us/j/93979679063] In case of a regime change, Russia will not be able to move forward with the current institutional framework […]
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“… The World Aquatics Bureau announced … athletes from Russia and Belarus would be allowed to compete in international events … as ‘neutrals’ …. the cop-out … most athletic governing bodies have taken since Russia invaded Ukraine …. At least Wimbledon — in 2022 — actually banned Russian and Belarusian players …. [T]he men’s and women’s governing bodies of tennis […]
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“… [E]ventually the war will end. What happens to Ukraine then? … Will it revert to the oligarchical model that typified its early years[] [o]r … make good on its promise of genuine modernity? That process … require[s] a renovated ethical culture to undergird a strong rule of law and a political class bound by … public duty and personal […]
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“… [DIA Director Trent] Maul … notes that Sergei Surovikin, the Russian general who built [Russia’s] defensive lines [in Ukraine], and Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose Wagner Group mercenaries achieved Russia’s most tangible gains of the past year, are both off the battlefield — the former sacked and the latter dead …. [] Maul … says … Ukraine’s recent successes are ‘significant’ […]
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“Warren calls on Pentagon to look into decision over attack Musk, other tech chiefs will meet with senators on Wednesday” “… Warren is demanding an investigation into SpaceX after Elon Musk acknowledged he had blocked Ukraine from extending the private Starlink satellite network for an attack on Russian warships near the Crimean coast. … Musk said. ‘… If I had […]
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“… Kupyansk was captured by Russia without a fight in February 2022 …. Ukrainian forces reclaimed the city in a lightning offensive a year ago … oust[ing] Russia from nearly all of Kharkiv and parts of [the] nearby Donetsk and Luhansk regions. …. Russian troops have remained within artillery range of Kupyansk … [launching] nearly daily barrages. In [recent] weeks, […]
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“… I don’t think [President Joe] Biden and Vice President Harris should run for reelection. … Biden … would be 82 when he began a second term. According to a recent [AP]-NORC poll, 77 percent …, including 69 percent of Democrats, think he’s too old to be effective for four more years. … Because of their concerns about Biden’s age, […]
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“… Russia initially cultivated lively debate and flamboyantly welcomed the world, then gradually choked off freedoms and closed itself off while its citizens fled and uneasy foreigners felt compelled to leave. In 2022, it launched a war against Ukraine that sharply intensified the growing isolation. I spent 24 years … as a Moscow-based [AP] correspondent … cheered by Russia’s steps […]
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“Ukraine’s counteroffensive … will continue through the onset of cold and wet weather later this year …, Kyiv’s intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said[:] …. ‘Combat actions will continue in one way or another. In the cold, wet and mud, it is more difficult to fight. Fighting will continue. The counteroffensive will continue’ …. Apart from the huge concentration of Russian […]
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“The U.N. Special Rapporteur on torture said Moscow’s refusal to address the issue represented tacit approval of its use. Russia has denied it practices torture.” “Torture perpetrated by Russian officers against Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war has reached such a level that it is clearly a systematic, state-endorsed policy, [according to Alice Jill Edwards, U.N. Special Rapporteur on torture […]
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“But Ukraine’s president fears that some of his country’s Western backers are losing faith.” “… Having failed to overwhelm Ukraine quickly, [] Putin seems determined to exhaust the country and to wear out its partners’ resolve to keep funding and supplying it with arms. … But [] Zelensky says Russia itself is fragile. … [suggesting that Russia itself will suffer […]
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“Amid increasingly frequent strikes by Kyiv’s forces, some Crimeans show new faith in a return to Ukrainian rule.” “Every few days, Russian occupation authorities on Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula parade newly caught ‘traitors’ …. For some, the crime consisted of playing Ukrainian songs in public, running a pro-Ukrainian social-media account or tying yellow cloth strips, a sign of resistance to Russian […]
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(Moscow Times – Sept 12, 2023) Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a wide-ranging address on Tuesday at the annual Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, touching upon Moscow’s protracted war against Ukraine and anti-war elites in exile, while also playing up Russia’s development of “weapons based on new physical principles.” Putin’s remarks come ahead of a rare and closely watched summit […]
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“Three months into Ukraine’s … counteroffensive, Russian occupying forces have largely been able to hold their positions, often by learning from past mistakes. They have reconstituted decimated units, swapped in new ones and turned from sweeping attacks to the defense of heavily fortified front lines, showing that despite heavy losses, Moscow is willing to dig in for the long haul […]
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“Ukraine’s new defense minister, Rustem Umerov, has called on foreign allies to provide ‘heavy weaponry, heavy weaponry and, again, heavy weaponry’ …. On Friday, Umerov told the Yalta European Strategy summit in Kyiv that Ukraine is ‘grateful’ for … Western support … but warned that Kyiv’s forces will need more to overcome … ‘big challenges’ … driving Russian troops out […]
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“Billions are pouring into a clubby, secretive arms market. With Pentagon cash and unusually close Ukrainian military ties, Marc Morales has few peers.” “… The [Biden] administration has sent Ukraine more than $40 billion in security aid, including advanced weapons …. But the Pentagon also relies heavily on little-known arms dealers like [Florida-based Marc] Morales … [with] connections … to […]
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“A Russian Agricultural Bank subsidiary in Luxembourg could immediately apply to SWIFT to ‘effectively enable access’ for the bank to the international payments system within 30 days, the United Nations told Russia in a letter …. ‘SWIFT has confirmed that RSHB Capital S.A. would be eligible to apply for membership and access to SWIFT for food and fertilizer transactions, based […]
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7 Things to Know G-20 leaders began arriving in New Delhi on Sept. 8 for their annual gathering as negotiators struggled to bridge differences over the war in Ukraine in the group’s joint statement. While it remains unclear whether a final consensus can be reached, China appears to have dropped its initial opposition to language on Ukraine and Russia, according […]
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“[According to] General Mark Milley, … Chairman[,] … Joint Chiefs of Staff[,] … Ukraine’s forces have … 30 to 45 days left … before … fall weather … stop[s] their advance. … ‘There’s still heavy fighting going on,’ Milley said, adding that Ukraine was ‘still plugging away with steady progress.’ … [W]ith progress slow, and the counteroffensive launched later than […]
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“A new defense minister, an encouraging visit from the U.S. secretary of state and another $1 billion in aid have fueled optimism in Ukraine this week. But will they have an impact on the war? Ukraine and U.S. officials says yes. Some experts are not convinced. …” Click here for: “Ukraine ‘in deep trouble’: Some experts say $1B more from […]
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