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☆ F-16s headed to Ukraine this summer will face their most dangerous battlefield ever
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Ukraine is slated to receive its much-anticipated fleet of F-16 fighter jets this summer. AdvertisementThe long-awaited delivery of F-16s to Ukraine is on the horizon, and these advanced American-made fighter jets can't come soon enough for its forces. The fighter jets are expected to arrive at some point this summer, reportedly as early as June. Romanian air force F-16 fighter planes fly above the Baza 86 military air base, outside Fetesti, Romania, Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. US Air Force F-16's stand ready with bombs loaded to take off during the first daylight attack to liberate Kuwait in 1991.

Persons: —, Falcon, SAMs, Alexandru, Egypt —, John Baum, Russia —, Baum, KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV Russia's, Tannehill, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mark Rutte, Peter Dejong Organizations: Service, Russia's, Rygge Air Force Base, OLE BERG, Getty, NATO, Kyiv, Israeli Air Force, AP, US Air Force, Operation, Allied Force, Yugoslavia, Air Force, Defense Technical Information, Reuters, Storm, Russia, Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, US Navy, SA, Russian, AIM, INA Locations: Ukraine, Balkans, Kyiv, Romania, Norway, AFP, — Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Europe, Lebanon's, Israel, Yom, Romanian, Fetesti, Storm, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Afghanistan, Islamic, Kuwait, Russian, Zhukovsky, Moscow, Bekaa, East, Syria, Russia, Ukrainian, Eindhoven, Rzeszow, Jasionka, Poland, Crimean

☆ Fact check: Trump’s false courthouse claims about his trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Here’s a fact check of four of the claims he made about the trial. (For this particular article, we’ll leave aside the false claims he made in the courthouse about a variety of other subjects.) It is an armed camp to keep people away.” And he said in comments inside the courthouse on Thursday: “This courthouse is locked down; there’s not a person within five blocks.”Facts First: Trump’s claims are all false. Facts First: As he has before, Trump made Merchan’s gag order sound far broader than it is. The gag order does not prohibit Trump from declaring the case a sham or from sharing others’ claims that the case is a sham.

Persons: Donald Trump, Here’s, we’ll, Trump, it’s, Michael Cohen’s, Michael Cohen “, ” Cohen, “, ”, Cohen, Trump’s, ” Trump, Judge Juan Merchan’s, Merchan, you’re, “ I’m, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Bragg, Biden, Alvin Bragg’s, Matthew Colangelo, Colangelo Organizations: Washington CNN, New York Times, Trump, CNN, Monday, Republican, Intelligence, Manhattan, Attorney, Biden, Justice Department Locations: Lower Manhattan, Moscow, Russia, ”, Manhattan, York’s

☆ Blinken tells CNN the US has seen evidence of China attempting to influence upcoming US elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Beijing CNN —US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US has seen evidence of Chinese attempts to “influence and arguably interfere” with the upcoming US elections, despite an earlier commitment from leader Xi Jinping not to do so. Then, Xi had pledged that that China would not do so, according to CNN reporting. The US believes that Chinese support is enabling Russia to ramp up production of tanks, munitions and armored vehicles – and to continue its onslaught on Ukraine. Instead, they characterized this as trade with Russia and said Moscow’s success didn’t depend on China, Blinken added. He also stressed the importance of such expression in democracies, without explicitly noting the lack of such freedoms in China.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Xi Jinping, Blinken, Kylie Atwood, Xi, Joe Biden, ” Blinken, Biden, —, Russia Blinken, Wang Yi, ”, who’ve, we’ve, it’s, that’s, Jennifer Hansler Organizations: Beijing CNN —, Moscow, CNN, Biden, Russia, “, Israel Locations: Beijing, China, American, San Francisco, Canada, Russia, Ukraine, Gaza, Iran, Israel, Palestinian, Saudi Arabia

They call it an encirclement of their nation and say the United States is trying to constrain its main economic and military rival. The United States also has a new security agreement with Papua New Guinea. On Wednesday, Mr. Biden signed a $95-billion supplemental military aid and spending bill that Congress had just passed and that includes $8.1 billion to counter China in the region. In addition, the United States continues to send weapons and Green Beret trainers to Taiwan, a de facto independent island and the biggest flashpoint between the United States and China. A swarm of Chinese militia and Coast Guard vessels chased a Philippine Coast Guard ship in the South China Sea last year.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Biden, Antony J, Blinken, Yuri Gripas, ” Ely Ratner, Xi, ” Kurt Campbell, Joseph Wu, ”, “, Samuel J, Paparo Jr, Mr, Paparo, Carl Vinson, Richard A, Brooks, Trump, Lloyd J, Austin III, Chen Jining, Jes Aznar, David H, Berger, Obama, Tony Mcdonough, United States —, Admiral Paparo, China’s “ revanchist, we’re Organizations: Australian, U.S, Marines, United, Pentagon, Corps, Mr, White House, White, The New York Times, American, Marine, Green, China’s, Liberation Army, Seoul SOUTH, Pacific Command, People’s Liberation Army, Agence France, Nuclear Forces Treaty, Defense, Communist Party, Tokyo Okinawa, U.S . Navy, Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Army, Philippines Luzon Partner, Australia Darwin Potential, NATO, Tomahawk Locations: Beijing, United States, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Japan, Okinawa, Taiwan, Asia, Pacific, U.S, China, Shanghai, South China, South Korea, Guam, Washington, Manila, Taipei, People’s Republic of China, Palau, West Papua, Seoul, Tokyo JAPAN CHINA Taipei TAIWAN Hong Kong, GUAM philippines MALAYSIA INDONESIA JAPAN CHINA TAIWAN, philippines GUAM, INDONESIA Seoul, GUAM philippines, MALAYSIA INDONESIA, Philippine, Moscow, Tokyo, Ryukyu Islands, South, Philippines Luzon, Luzon, Spratly, Australia, Canberra, Singapore, Darwin, Australia’s, . North Carolina, Virginia, Perth, United Kingdom, Navy’s, America

☆ Ukraine can keep on fighting Russia — but the 'victory' it wants might be out of reach
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian servicemen practice combat drills involving a BMP-1 in Donbas, Ukraine as Russia-Ukraine war continues on March 19, 2024. But, with future aid uncertain, analysts question what "victory" Ukraine could realistically achieve against Russia — a country that has put its industries on a war footing and is able to mobilize hundreds of thousands more men to war. While additional aid allows Ukraine to keep on fighting Russian forces in the short stretch, a "victory" in the near-term is an unlikely prospect. What's more, what "victory" looks like for Ukraine, or its allies, could be a source of friction. This is particularly the case in eastern Ukraine, where it has enjoyed support from pro-Russian separatists for over a decade.

Persons: Teneo, Vladimir Putin, Natalia Kolesnikova, Tursa, Frankness, Oleksandr Musiyenko, Putin Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, Russia —, Afp, Centre for Military, Legal, U.S, CNBC Locations: Donbas, Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, U.S, Central, Eastern Europe, Ukrainian, Crimea, Red, Moscow, Russian, Sevastopol

☆ Right-wing media ruptures over Marjorie Taylor Greene’s threat to oust Mike Johnson
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Marjorie Taylor Greene has exposed the fault lines in right-wing media. While The Journal has showered Johnson in glowing praise, Fox News and the Post have gone different routes. Yet, it’s unlikely she will emerge from this battle victorious — a reality that has underscored the importance of Murdoch’s right-wing media empire. While the winds might not entirely favor Greene and the MAGA Media hardliners in this very moment, they do appear to be shifting. That could very well pale in comparison to what the rising, more extremist wing of right-wing media delivers in the years ahead.

Persons: Marjorie Taylor Greene, Mike Johnson’s, Rupert Murdoch, Greene, Johnson, ”, MOSCOW MARJORIE, They’ve, Steve Bannon, Donald Trump’s, Bannon, Charlie Kirk, MAGA, Trump, “, God ”, Tucker Carlson, ” Greene, Kirk, Carlson, Murdoch, Murdoch GOP kingmaker Organizations: New York CNN, Republican, MAGA Media, Fox News, Street Journal, New York, Kyiv, Post, Republican Party, Breitbart, Murdoch GOP, GOP, Trump Locations: New York, Ukraine, MAGA, Johnson

☆ Choose between stability and ‘downward spiral’ China’s foreign minister tells Blinken during Beijing trip
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Beijing CNN —China and the US face a choice between stability and a “downward spiral,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told counterpart Antony Blinken on Friday in Beijing, as the American diplomat kicked off a day of meetings with top Chinese officials. “Should China and the United States keep to the right direction of moving forward with stability or return to a downward spiral? Or engage in rivalry and confrontation – or even slide into conflict, which would be a lose-lose for all?” he said, speaking through an interpreter. Wang’s comments come as Chinese officials bristle at actions Washington has taken in the name of national security, which Beijing sees as meant to suppress its development. Officials from both nations suggested ahead of the trip that the visit would be focused on managing the relationship and communicating concerns.

Persons: Wang Yi, Antony Blinken, China –, ” Wang, Blinken, ”, Washington, Joe Biden, Wang, ” Blinken, Biden, Xi Jinping, White, China’s, “ Organizations: Beijing CNN —, Russia, Ukraine, Foreign Ministry, “, Communist Party, Taiwan Locations: Beijing, Beijing CNN — China, American, China, Russia, South, Taiwan, “, United States, Diaoyutai State, California, Moscow, Iran, East, Ukraine, Korean

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russian strikes hit Ukrainian critical infrastructure; UK finance minister visits Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Ukraine came under attack from Russian aerial strikes overnight, which hit critical infrastructure in the central region of Cherkasy, local officials said. In the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, which is occupied by Russian forces, Moscow-installed officials there reported that Ukrainian drone strikes killed two civilians. U.K. Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt is in Kyiv meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and will meet with other officials throughout the day. The visit comes a day after U.S. President Joe Biden signed a massive Ukraine aid bill into law, which will provide the embattled country with tens of billions of dollars in more military and financial funding for its fight against Russia's invasion.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Joe Biden Organizations: Finance Locations: Ukraine, Cherkasy, Zaporizhzhia, Moscow, Ukrainian, Kyiv

☆ Russian courts saw hundreds of AWOL cases in March alone, a record high since the war began: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In March, Russia dealt with its highest-ever number of AWOL cases since the war began, Mediazona reported. AdvertisementRussian courts assessed 684 absences without leave in March, the highest-ever monthly count since the war in Ukraine began, independent Russian media reported. Citing public records, independent outlet Mediazona reported on April 12 that a daily average of 34 AWOL sentences were carried out in military courts that month. Related storiesRussian courts have dealt with some 2,300 AWOL cases since the start of 2024, and about 7,400 total cases since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, according to Mediazona. This spring, Russia is set to call up some 150,000 men for routine, statutory military service, which typically lasts about one year.

Persons: Mediazona, —, Christopher Cavoli Organizations: Service, UK Defence Ministry, Russian Ministry of Defense, Business, US Army, NATO Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Europe

☆ I Hid the War in Ukraine From My Son - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Sasha Vasilyuk | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In January 2022, I was planning a summer trip to Ukraine and Russia for my 4-year-old son and me. I spent half of my childhood in Ukraine and half in Russia before moving to the United States when I was a teenager. When I became a parent, my one, obsessive goal — as a mother raising a child in America with a man who spoke only English — was to teach my son Russian. He started inserting English words in otherwise Russian sentences and talking to himself in English while playing alone. A visit to Ukraine and Russia would allow him to see that his mother’s native language wasn’t a quirk of hers but something normal for millions of people.

Locations: Ukraine, Russia, United States, America, Russian, Kyiv, Moscow

CNN —Russia on Wednesday vetoed a United Nations resolution that proposed a ban on the use of nuclear weapons in outer space amid US intelligence-backed concerns that Moscow is trying to develop a nuclear device capable of destroying satellites. In February, President Joe Biden confirmed the US has intelligence that Russia is developing a nuclear anti-satellite capability. It also called on UN member states not to develop nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction designed to be placed in Earth’s orbit. The White House’s comments on the prospect of a Russian nuclear space weapon have deepened those concerns. Last year, Putin deployed tactical nuclear weapons to neighboring ally Belarus, and former Russian president and deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said strategic nuclear weapons could be used to defend territories incorporated into Russia from Ukraine.

Persons: Vassily Nebenzia, Joe Biden, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Beijing “, ”, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Dmitry Medvedev Organizations: CNN, Wednesday, United Nations, UN, Russia’s Locations: Russia, Moscow, Russian, Japan, Beijing, China, Ukraine, Belarus

☆ U.S. to Withdraw Troops From Chad, Dealing Another Blow to Africa Policy
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Pentagon will withdraw dozens of Special Operations forces from Chad in the next few days, the second major blow in a week to American security and counterterrorism policy in a volatile swath of West and Central Africa, U.S. officials said on Thursday. The decision to pull out about 75 Army Special Forces personnel working in Ndjamena, Chad’s capital, comes days after the Biden administration said it would withdraw more than 1,000 U.S. military personnel from Niger in the coming months. The Pentagon is being forced to draw down troops in response to the African governments’ demands to renegotiate the rules and conditions under which U.S. military personnel can operate. Both countries want terms that better favor their interests, analysts say. The decision to withdraw from Niger is final, but U.S. officials said they hoped to resume talks on security cooperation after elections in Chad on May 6.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Pentagon, Operations, Special Forces Locations: Chad, West, Central Africa, U.S, Ndjamena, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, United States, Russia, Moscow

☆ Enduring Mayhem: Images From Year 3 of the War in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As the largest and deadliest war in Europe since the end of World War II stretches into its third year, the scale of the devastation wrought by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues to mount. The front line is a place of ghastly violence where hundreds of thousands of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or wounded, according to conservative Western estimates. The list of Ukrainian cities and towns largely razed to the ground by Russian bombs and artillery grows with each passing month. Russian forces have moved forward in small increments, suffering a staggering number of casualties to take cities like Avdiivka, which Moscow captured in February. Thousands of schools, hospitals and cultural institutions have been damaged or destroyed.

Persons: Russia’s Locations: Europe, Ukraine, Russia

The top US diplomat landed in Shanghai where he is expected to meet local officials and business leaders, and he will then travel to Beijing for meetings with senior Chinese officials. “We are in a different place than we were a year ago when the bilateral relationship was at an historic low point,” a senior State Department official said. “Russia is no longer kind of on its back foot,” a second senior State Department official said. Blinken will make the case that China should weigh in “more directly” with Iran to be less provocative in the region, the second senior State Department official said. “In both cases the Chinese have taken some early steps,” said the second senior State Department official, adding that there is still “much more” that needs to be done on both fronts.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Janet Yellen, Biden, Xi, ”, “, ” Blinken, Matthew Miller, Leah Millis, China’s, ” Xi, Blinken, ” Miller, it’s, Mark Swidan, Kai Li, David Lin Organizations: CNN, State Department, Ukraine, US, Foreign Ministry, of, People, Biden, Chinese Foreign Ministry, ASEAN, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Beijing, Party, Taiwan, Communist, Taiwan Relations, White Locations: China, Ukraine, Shanghai, Beijing, California, Russia, Moscow, Italy, “ Russia, ”, Europe, United States, South China, Philippine, Washington, Philippines, South, Taiwan, Taiwan Strait, East, Iran

Biden secretly approved the transfer of the long-range ATACMS missiles in February for use inside Ukrainian territory. The Biden administration had resisted sending the long-range missiles in part because of readiness concerns. Lockheed Martin, which manufactures the ATACMS missiles, is in full-rate production and produces approximately 500 missiles per year, a spokesman for the company said in September. The US worked behind the scenes to address the readiness concerns, which included buying more ATACMS missiles and filling US military stocks. Ukrainian officials have been asking the US in private and in public for the long-range missiles to target deeper behind Russian lines.

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden, Garron, ” Garn, Lockheed Martin, ”, Charlie Dietz, “, ” Dietz Organizations: CNN, US, Pentagon, Lockheed, North Korean Locations: Ukraine, Korean, Russia, ”, Moscow

☆ JPMorgan Chase is caught in U.S-Russia sanctions war after overseas court orders $440 million seized from bank
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Hugh Son | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A Russian court sided with state-run lender VTB Bank in its efforts to recoup $439.5 million from JPMorgan Chase that the American lender froze in U.S. accounts after the Ukraine invasion. The court ordered the seizure of funds in JPMorgan's Russian accounts and "movable and immovable property," including the bank's stake in a Russian subsidiary, according to a court order published Wednesday. It also boosted an ongoing American effort to convince European allies to release Russian state assets to assist Ukraine. JPMorgan said Russian courts have enabled similar efforts by Russian lenders against American or European banks at least a half dozen other times. JPMorgan said it faced "certain and irreparable harm" from VTB's efforts.

Persons: Jamie, JPMorgan Chase, VTB, Jamie Dimon, Biden, Joe Biden, JPMorgan Organizations: JPMorgan Chase, U.S . Senate Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs, Wall, Capitol, Washington , D.C, VTB Bank, JPMorgan, of Locations: Washington ,, Ukraine, Russian, St, Petersburg, U.S, Russia, Southern, of New York

☆ U.S. Secretly Shipped New Long-Range Missiles to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The United States last week secretly shipped a new long-range missile system to Ukraine, and Ukrainian forces immediately used the weapons to attack a Russian military airfield in Crimea last Wednesday and Russian troops in the country’s southeast overnight on Tuesday, according to a senior U.S. official. The United States had previously supplied Ukraine with a version of the Army Tactical Missile Systems — known as ATACMS — armed with wide-spreading cluster munitions that can travel 100 miles. But Ukraine has long coveted the system’s longer-range version, with a range of about 190 miles, which can reach deeper into occupied Ukraine, including Crimea, a hub of Russian air and ground forces, and supply nodes for Moscow’s forces in the country’s southeast. Overnight Tuesday, Ukraine used the longer-range missiles to strike Russian troops in the port city of Berdiansk on the Sea of Azov, the senior U.S. official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters.

Organizations: United, Army Tactical Missile Systems, U.S Locations: States, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian, Crimea, U.S, United States, Berdiansk, Azov

☆ The US secretly slipped ATACMS to Ukraine with more to come, putting high-value Russian targets in danger
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Kyiv used these long-range missiles to batter Russian helicopters in multiple strikes last year. T South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty ImagesThroughout the war, Ukraine has routinely pressed Washington to provide ATACMS so it could hit high-value Russian targets deep behind enemy lines. Kyiv used the M39 ATACMS variant in those attacks. Regardless of the variant, the arrival of additional ATACMS will likely compel Moscow to change its strategy and tactics. While the statement did not specifically mention ATACMS, it said the package contains "additional ammunition" for the HIMARS, which could include ATACMS.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Dan Rice, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ATACMS, Biden, Sen, Mark Werner, Zelenskyy, Serhii, Rice, AP Rice, Pat Ryder, ANATOLII STEPANOV, Vladimir Putin, Putin Organizations: Service, MGM, Tactical Missile Systems, US, South Korean Defense Ministry, Army Tactical Missile, Korean Defense Ministry, Getty, Kyiv, The New York Times, Reuters, General Staff, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Senate Intelligence, CBS, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, American University Kyiv, South Korea Defense Ministry, AP, Pentagon Press, Air Force, Gunners, Separate Mechanized Brigade, Armed Forces, Pentagon Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Moscow, United States, South Korea, Washington, Ukrainian, Russian, Crimean, ATACMS, Crimea, Donetsk Oblast, —, Russia, Kharkiv, AFP, NATO, Europe

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Relief in Kyiv as Biden set to sign U.S. aid package; Russian official detained on bribe allegations
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian law enforcement have detained Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov on suspicion of taking bribes, Russia's Investigative Committee said on April 23, 2024. A Russian deputy defense minister in charge of military construction has been detained on Tuesday on suspicion of "large-scale" bribe-taking, in one of the highest-profile corruption cases since Moscow launched its war in Ukraine. A brief statement by the Investigative Committee, Russia's top investigative body, said late on Tuesday that Timur Ivanov had been taken into custody and an investigation into his case was proceeding. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had been informed in advance of his detention, he said. Russian news reports also said Ivanov was likely the most senior Russian official to face such charges since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Timur Ivanov, Ivanov, Alexei Navalny, Dmitry Peskov, — Organizations: Sputnik, Russian, Defense, Investigative, Russia's, Corruption Foundation, Kremlin Locations: Russian, Kubinka, Moscow, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Russia

☆ Timur Ivanov: Russian deputy defense minister detained on suspicion of bribery
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Jessie Gretener | Darya Tarasova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov appeared in a Moscow court Wednesday after he was detained for allegedly taking a bribe, Russia’s Investigative Committee said. Ivanov is suspected of accepting a bribe of 1 million rubles (at least $10,800), Russian state media TASS reported, and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Video released by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti showed Ivanov standing in a glass box in the Moscow courtroom. The deputy defense minister has been seen as a senior architect of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, becoming the subject of European Union and US sanctions. Ivanov, pictured at a Moscow court on April 24, could face up to 15 years for allegations of bribery.

Persons: Timur Ivanov, Ivanov, Alexey Navalny’s, Maria Pevchikh Organizations: CNN, Russian, TASS, RIA Novosti, European Union, Anadolu, Getty, Corruption Foundation, Ministry of Defense, ”, ACF, Russian Ministry of Defense Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Basmanny

☆ Russian Deputy Defense Minister Is Detained on Bribery Charges
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Neil Macfarquhar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A deputy minister of defense in Russia has been detained on charges of taking a “large scale” bribe, the country’s top law enforcement investigators announced on Tuesday. The brief announcement from the Investigative Committee divulged few details about what had led to Timur Ivanov, the deputy minister, being taken into custody. But the legal statute that he is accused of violating is for taking a bribe “on a particularly large scale,” more than one million rubles, or more than $10,000. The Ministry of Defense did not comment on the investigation. Mr. Ivanov, a deputy defense minister since 2016, had long been in charge of military construction projects, including most recently the huge contracts awarded to rebuild the Russian-occupied eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which was devastated by Russian attacks soon after the February 2022 invasion.

Persons: Timur Ivanov, Ivanov Organizations: Ministry of Defense, Merit, Fatherland Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Moscow, Russian

☆ New US military aid package to Ukraine expected to be worth around $1 billion
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Biden administration is preparing a new aid package for Ukraine that is expected to be worth around $1 billion, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN, and is set to be approved by President Joe Biden after the Senate passes a new foreign aid funding bill as soon as Tuesday afternoon. In briefings to Congress in recent weeks, administration officials have indicated that the US will likely send Ukraine long-range ATACMS, or Army Tactical Missile Systems, for the first time as part of the new aid package, three of the sources said. Ukrainian officials have been asking the US both in private and in public for the long-range missile to target deeper behind Russian lines. Broadly, Russia has maintained a “significant quantitative advantage” over Ukraine in terms of munitions, manpower and equipment, a NATO official said earlier this month. The military aid will be sourced from the US’ own stockpiles through a funding mechanism known as presidential drawdown authority, or PDA, and will be the first PDA package for Ukraine since March.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Joe Biden, Bill Burns, Chris Cavoli, Sen, Mark Warner, we’ve, ” Warner, Bradley, ” Celeste Wallander Organizations: CNN, Senate, Army Tactical Missile Systems, US, CIA, NATO, Senate Intelligence, CBS, Pentagon, White, Command Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Europe, Russia

☆ Russian Court Orders American Journalist to Stay in Prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | More About Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A court in Moscow rejected an appeal on Tuesday by the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich against his detention, more than a year after he became the first American journalist arrested on spying charges in Russia since the Cold War. The court ruled that Mr. Gershkovich, 32, must stay in a high-security prison in Moscow at least until the end of June, The Journal and news agencies reported. Mr. Gershkovich, his employer and the U. S. government have vehemently rejected the espionage charges against him. The White House has designated Mr. Gershkovich as “wrongfully detained,” a status tantamount to being a political prisoner. In its statement on Tuesday, The Journal said that it “continues to be outrageous that Evan has been wrongfully detained by the Russian government for more than a year.”

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Gershkovich, “, Evan, ” Organizations: Wall Street Locations: Moscow, American, Russia, Russian

☆ The US is eyeing sanctions that could cut off some Chinese banks from the rest of the world
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US is drafting sanctions on Chinese lenders, The Wall Street Journal reported. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Previously, the threat of US secondary sanctions has already sparked a pullback in Chinese-Russian financial dealings, including restricted yuan payment transactions. New sanctions could go as far as cutting China from accessing the US dollar, the linchpin currency used in global trade.

Persons: —, hasn't, State Anthony Blinken, Wang Webin Organizations: Street Journal, Service, Lawmakers, Street, Center for Strategic, International, Washington, State, Reuters Locations: China, Russia, Washington, Beijing, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Western, Europe

☆ Moldova Is a Cautionary Tale for Ukraine - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Paula Erizanu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

But it would clearly involve freezing the conflict, resigning Ukraine’s occupied territory to Russia in exchange for an end to the fighting. A small western neighbor of Ukraine, Moldova experienced Russia’s first post-Soviet war of aggression, which ended with a cease-fire agreement in 1992. The case shows that Russia simply cannot be trusted. Anyone calling for Ukraine to settle for one should heed Moldova’s cautionary tale. Russia stopped providing Moldova with gas, leaving people in cities to freeze in their apartments and cook their food outside on bonfires.

Persons: Pope Francis, Ukraine’s, Russia’s Organizations: Russian Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Moldovan, Russian, Transnistria, Moscow

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