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☆ Bernie Sanders: From small-town mayor to godfather of the progressive left
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

He got his start in government as a small-town mayor, decades before his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. Here's everything to know about the Democratic socialist senator. AdvertisementBernie Sanders is known today as perhaps the most important leader on the American left. In 2020, Sanders ran again, ultimately coming in second to now-President Joe Biden in the primary. Who Sanders is today — and what he's fighting forSince his 2020 campaign, Sanders has assumed a more institutional role in the United States Senate.

Persons: Bernie Sanders, —, Long, Sanders, Chuck Schumer, Donna Light, Douglas Graham, Hillary Clinton, Alexandria Ocasio, Clinton, Joe Biden, Who Sanders, Biden's, — Sanders, He's, Republican Sen, Chuck Grassley, Becca Balint Organizations: Democratic, Service, Democratic Party leftward, James Madison High School, University of Chicago, Liberty Union, Burlington City Hall, Newsday, Getty, Congressional, Senate, Democratic Party, United States Senate, Health, Education, Labor, Pensions, Israel, New York Times, Republican Locations: Vermont, Soviet Union, Brooklyn , New York, Poland, Chicago, Burlington, Burlington —, Alexandria, Cortez, Iowa

☆ US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia's ally for less than $20,000 each, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewThe US has acquired 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Kazakhstan, the Kyiv Post reported. The motive behind the US purchase remains undisclosed, said the Post, fueling speculation about potential use in Ukraine, where similar aircraft are in service. Kazakhstan, formerly part of the Soviet Union, has maintained close ties to Russia and historically was one of its strongest allies. Some of Russia's outspoken propagandists have suggested that Russia should look to Kazakhstan next following its invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: —, Kassym, David Cameron, Antony Blinken, Olivier Douliery, Vladimir Solovyov Organizations: Service, Kyiv Post, Business, Mikoyan MiG, Soviet, Airforce Technology, Russian Defense Ministry, Russian Aerospace Forces, Ukrainian Air Force, Russia, Foreign, Ak, AP, AFP Locations: Kazakhstan, Kyiv, Ukraine, Soviet, Afghan, Soviet Union, Russia, Moscow, Germany, Astana, Russian, Western, China, Afghanistan, Iran

☆ Ukraine's Pilots Use iPads to Fly Combat Missions Against Russia: US Official
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Ukraine's pilots are using iPads for combat missions, said a US undersecretary. The iPads or similar tablets could assist in what are called "Wild Weasel" missions. It is an example of adapted Ukrainian weapons built by stitching Western and Soviet parts together. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementA video released by Ukraine's Air Force appears to show its pilots using a tablet to help it conduct combat missions against Russian air defense systems.

Persons: —, William LaPlante Organizations: Service, Ukraine's Air Force, Russian, Defense, Washington DC, Business Locations: Ukraine, Soviet

☆ US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia's ally costing on average less than $20,000 each, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewThe US has acquired 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Kazakhstan, the Kyiv Post reported. The US purchased 81 of the aged warplanes, said the Ukrainian Telegram channel Insider UA, per the Post. AdvertisementDerived from the MiG-23, the MiG-27 was a ground-attack aircraft and saw action in conflicts like the Soviet-Afghan War. Some of Russia's outspoken propagandists have suggested that Russia should look to Kazakhstan following its invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: —, Mikoyan, Antony Blinken, Kassym, Olivier Douliery, Vladimir Solovyov Organizations: Service, Kyiv Post, Business, US, Ukrainian Telegram, UA, Mikoyan MiG, Soviet, Airforce Technology, Russian Aerospace Forces, Ukrainian Air Force, Russian Defense Ministry Kazakhstan, Ak, AP, AFP Locations: Kazakhstan, Kyiv, Ukraine, Russian, Soviet, Afghan, Soviet Union, Russia, Moscow, Astana, Western, China, Afghanistan, Iran

☆ China's submarine force is stressed by their more realistic training for combat
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Chinese submarine crews are training to operate farther into the Western Pacific. AdvertisementChina is forcing its submarine crews to endure more intensive and realistic training exercises. Ironically, while rigorous training is intended to create a more skilled and aggressive submarine force, these changes could backfire. "What the literature does suggest is that the PLAN submarine force is simultaneously incorporating a wide range of new operational guidance, platforms, and technologies that are pushing the crews and equipment of the PLAN submarine force in ways they have not been stressed before." "But it still must improve further to be capable of supporting what is expected of the submarine force."

Persons: —, Christopher Sharman, Terry Hess, evaluators, VCG, Crews, submariners, Sharman, Michael Peck Organizations: Pacific, Service, Training, China Maritime Studies, US Naval War, People's Liberation Army Navy, PLA, PLAN, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: China, Pacific, Western, Soviet, Russia, Ukraine, Forbes

☆ The red flags that will tell us when China's actually ready to invade Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

"I don't think they lack for anything that they need," Lyle Goldstein, director of Asia engagement at Defense Priorities, said of China's forces. Military forces are being deployed nearer to Taiwan than ever, effectively shortening Taiwan's reaction time. Stockpiling of China's rocket force, too, suggests it would have more than enough missiles and rockets to target Taiwan. One common concern is that as China's military exercises around Taiwan have grown in frequency and size, the line between exercise and potential attack is becoming blurred. Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via Getty ImagesExperts, as well as US and Taiwan lawmakers and military officials, have long debated about the readiness of the People's Liberation Army as China's military is known.

Persons: —, Lyle Goldstein, Stringer China, Xi, Thomas Shugart, who's, Shugart, Goldstein, Mike Studeman, Xi Jinping, Dean Cheng, haven't, Cheng, Xie Huanchi, There's, Kyle Amonson, Dane Egli, Annabelle Chih, Getty Images Goldstein, Joe Biden Organizations: Service, Business, Defense, REUTERS, Taiwan's, Taiwan's Ministry of Defense, US Department of Defense, China Economic, Security, PLA, Patriot, US, Center, New, New American Security, Marine Corps, China Coast Guard, Scarborough, ROSA, Military, of Naval Intelligence, Pacific Command, US Institute of Peace, of, People, Getty Images, People's Liberation Army, CCP, Soviet, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Japan, US Coast Guard, Chinese Communist Party, Democratic Progressive Party, Kyodo, Stills Locations: China, Taiwan, Asia, Liaoning, Beijing, New American, AFP, Hong Kong, Xinhua, DoD's China, Cuba, US, Tainan, Japan, Philippines

☆ 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

☆ Opinion: $95 billion Israel-Ukraine aid package gives Biden huge leverage. He should use it
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Opinion Mark Hannah | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The $95 billion military aid package President Joe Biden signed Wednesday was a feat of tough-minded negotiation to get funding to Ukraine and Israel after months of congressional horse-trading. But if the aid inflates those countries’ war aims, it could discourage the kind of tough-minded negotiation that is the only way to end their wars. The new infusion of aid gives the US a lot of leverage with Ukraine and Israel. However, the recent aid package includes long-range missiles, or ATACMS, which suggests Ukraine is readying an offensive against Crimea. In Israel, putting conditions on military aid is a better idea.

Persons: Mark Hannah, Joe Biden, Mark Hannah Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Mark Milley, “, —, Israel, Biden, George W, Bush, Putin, Ukraine’s, Biden judiciously, Netanyahu, Henry Kissinger, Golda Meir, Kissinger, ” Kissinger, Russia shouldn’t Organizations: Institute for Global Affairs, Eurasia Group, CNN, Wednesday, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Palestinian Authority, Abrams Tanks, Crimea, Israel, Twitter Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Crimea, Washington, Ukrainian, Russia, Gaza, United States, Kippur, Tel Aviv, Soviet

☆ Spain to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine amid mounting pressure from EU and NATO allies, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

It follows Ukraine's urgent plea to NATO for more air defense systems. AdvertisementIt comes after German defense minister Boris Pistorius hit out at Spain and Greece for not having sent their Patriot systems to Ukraine. Spain has decided not to send any of its launchers for the Patriot system to Ukraine, however, the El Pais report said. It currently has three Patriot systems, all purchased from Germany in 2004 and 2014, the report added. "However, from the very beginning, we stated that we cannot give out defense systems that are crucial for our deterrence capabilities," he added.

Persons: —, El, Boris Pistorius, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Putin, Zelenskyy, El Pais, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Olaf Scholz, Scholz Organizations: NATO, Service, EU, Spanish Ministry of Defense, Business, Patriot, Telegraph, Patriots, El Locations: Spain, Ukraine, El Pais, Spanish, Turkish, Syrian, Greece, Germany, Soviet, Ukrainian

☆ Ukraine pulled its Abrams tanks from the front due to Russian drone tactics, US officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine has removed Abrams tanks from the front lines, Pentagon officials told the Associated Press. AdvertisementUkraine has withdrawn its US-supplied Abrams tanks from the front lines in the face of Russian drone warfare tactics, two US defense officials told the Associated Press. A Russian reconnaissance drone knocked out an M1 Abrams tank near Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine in February, according to Russian state media. AdvertisementUkraine has lost five Abrams tanks in recent months, The New York Times reported this month, citing an unnamed senior US official. AdvertisementUkraine has used them to devastating effect to take out Russian tanks, with drones responsible for two-thirds of Russian tanks taken out, a NATO official told Foreign Policy earlier this month.

Persons: Abrams, —, Christopher Grady, Grady, Markus Reisner, Ukraine's Organizations: Pentagon, Associated Press, Service, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Abrams, New York Times, US, NATO, Soviet, Challenger Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Avdiivka, Austrian

☆ Kim Jong Un tested a new rocket that could hit Seoul — and may aid Russia against Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Kim Jong Un oversaw tests for a rocket capable of hitting Seoul in South Korea, Bloomberg reported. Russia and North Korea have previously denied reports of an arms deal between the two nations. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok on April 25, 2019. Russia and North Korea have previously denied an arms deal exists between the two countries. Business Insider reported in October that North Korea was on track to become "one of Russia's most significant foreign arms suppliers."

Persons: Kim Jong Un, —, Yang, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Simon Miles, Miles, Kelly Grieco, it's Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Ukraine, Korean People's Army, Korean Central News Agency, Asan Institute, Policy Studies, NK News, North Korean, Duke University's Sanford School of Public, Kremlin, Soviet Union, AP News, Business, pushback, US, Stimson Center Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Russia, Ukraine, North Korea, Korea, Russian, Vladivostok, Soviet

☆ A centenarian who starts her day with gentle exercise and loves walks shares 5 longevity tips, including staying single
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Serafina Kenny | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Joyce Preston, who's from the UK, turned 100 in March. It was also the year that Joyce Preston, who turned 100 years old last month, was born in the British town of Stockport. There, she starts her day by doing yoga or gentle exercise and loves going for walks. Joyce Preston/ Care UKPreston never married, and her biggest tip for reaching 100 is to "stay single." Joyce Preston/ Care UKBe religiousAs a founding member of an independent evangelical church, religion is important to Preston, and she believes it has contributed to her long life.

Persons: Joyce Preston, —, Preston, Bryan Johnson, Paul Dolan, Preston doesn't, Rose Anne Kenny, doesn't, Joseph Maroon, Heidi Tissenbaum Organizations: Service, Care UK's, Court, Abney Court, Abney Court Care, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Care, London School of Economics, Guardian, gerontology, Trinity College Dublin, LongeviQuest, University of Locations: who's, Ottoman Empire, Soviet Union, Stockport, Preston, Abney, Latin America

☆ Tommy Tuberville misses Ukraine aid vote after railing against it
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewAhead of a final Senate vote to send Ukraine aid to President Joe Biden's desk, Sen. Tommy Tuberville made one last stand against it. Paul has long been an opponent of Ukraine aid, while Scott said in a statement on Tuesday that he supports the bill. The more than $61 billion in Ukraine aid was wrapped up in a larger $95 billion package that included more than $14 billion for Israel, $9 billion in humanitarian aid, aid for Taiwan, and a bill to force a sale of TikTok. AdvertisementThe Alabama senator has long been an opponent of Ukraine aid. In May 2022, he was one of just 11 Republican senators to vote against a $40 billion aid package for the country.

Persons: —, Joe Biden's, Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Tuberville, It's, Sens, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Tim Scott of, Paul, Scott, Katie Britt, Tuberville's, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump Organizations: Service, Alabama Republican, Republican, Business, Democratic Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Tim Scott of South Carolina, Tuberville's Alabama, Israel, Taiwan, Alabama, Soviet Union

☆ Ukraine uses long-range ATACMS against Russia for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Courtney Kube | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The first strike was about 100 miles inside Crimea's border on the morning of April 17, targeting a Russian military airfield, according to the officials. The Biden administration has not previously acknowledged sending ATACMS to Ukraine, but a National Security Council spokesperson confirmed that the U.S. has provided them. The NSC spokesperson said the administration did not reveal at the time that it was sending Ukraine the long-range missiles for operational security reasons. President Joe Biden directed his national security team to send the ATACMS to Ukraine secretly, the spokesperson said. The powerful missiles have a range up to 300 kilometers (about 187 miles) and allow Ukraine to strike the Russian military throughout Crimea and in occupied parts of eastern Ukraine that had been difficult to reach.

Persons: Biden, ATACMS, Joe Biden, Kostiantyn Liberov Organizations: South Korean Defense Ministry, U.S, MGM, Tactical Missile, South, Getty, Russian, Army Tactical Missile, National Security, NSC, Armed Forces Locations: U.S, South Korea, East Coast , South Korea, Ukraine, Crimea's, Russian, Ukrainian, Berdyansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Crimea

☆ 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

☆ Top of Kharkiv’s giant TV tower crashes to ground after Russian missile strike
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Maria Kostenko | Andrew Carey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Kyiv CNN —The top section of a giant television tower in Kharkiv has crashed to the ground after the structure was hit by a Russian missile, a Ukrainian official says. Video circulating on social media shows the moment the top of the mast broke, rotated through 180 degrees, and fell to earth. Subsequent videos also posted on social media show the mast lying where it fell, surrounded by trees at the foot of the tower. The television tower in Kharkiv, Ukraine, after its top crashed to the ground following a Russian missile strike on April 22, 2024. A month ago, the city’s main power plant was destroyed in a Russian strike, along with all electricity substations in the city, according to the mayor.

Persons: Oleh Syniehubov, Sofiia Gatilova, Russia –, Volodymyr Zelensky, Joe Biden Organizations: CNN, Kharkiv, Reuters, US, Pentagon Locations: Kharkiv, Russian, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Reuters Kharkiv –, Russia

☆ US sends land-attack missile system to Philippines for exercises in apparent message to China
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The presence of the US Army’s Mid-Range Capability (MRC) ground-based missile system, increases the risks of “misjudgment and miscalculation” in a region already on edge over Chinese-Philippines face-offs in the South China Sea, Beijing says. It’s the first-ever deployment of the MRC missile system, also known as the Typhon system, to the Indo-Pacific theater, and it comes amid a series of US-Philippine military exercises, including the largest-ever edition of the bilateral Balikatan exercises beginning Monday. It also can fire the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, a maneuverable cruise missile with a range of 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles), according to the CSIS. Those are the same rules Washington and Manila accuse Beijing of ignoring with aggressive Chinese actions that have injured Filipino sailors and damaged vessels around disputed features in the South China Sea. US Army PacificChina’s missile advantageAnalysts say the deployment of the Typhon missile battery is the first signal of US plans to address what has long been an advantage for Beijing in the region.

Persons: Lin Jian, ” Lin, Stephen Koehler, “, equalizes, ”, Collin Koh, Christopher Milhal, Koh, Rupert Schulenberg, Donald Trump “, Thomas, CNN’s Steven Jiang Organizations: South Korea CNN, US, MRC, US Army, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Foreign, US Pacific Fleet, Sunday, Xinhua, CNN, US Air Force, US Army Pacific, Beijing, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, ”, don’t, International Institute for Strategic Studies, South, Lewis, McChord, Nuclear Forces Treaty, Russian, Philippine News Agency, CNN Philippine Locations: Seoul, South Korea, China, United States, Philippines, South China Sea, Beijing, Philippine, South China, Taiwan Strait, Qingdao, Washington, Manila, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Taiwan, Guam, Singapore, South, Soviet Union, Palawan, Sulu, Spratly

☆ Mohammad Faris: ‘Armstrong of the Arab World’ and Syria’s first astronaut dies in exile
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Eyad Kourdi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

In 1987, Faris, a pilot in the Syrian Air Force, spent eight days in space with the Soviet Union’s Interkosmos spaceflight program. Faris flew with a Soviet crew to Mir space station becoming the first and only Syrian astronaut and second Arab to make it to space. Upon his return to Syria, Faris was celebrated as a national hero by tens of thousands of Syrians. Faris decided in 2012 to defect and publicly oppose the Syrian regime, putting his family and himself in life-threatening danger. In 2020, Faris was granted Turkish citizenship, as reported by the Turkish state broadcaster TRT.

Persons: CNN — Mohammad Faris, Armstrong, Faris, Hafez al, Assad, Bashar, “, Jazeera, Assad, Faris –, Hafez al - Assad, Prince Sultan bin Salman, Allah, “ let’s, ” Faris, Bashar al, Al Jazeera, Moscow propping Organizations: CNN, Syrian Air Force, Saudi, Free Syrian Army, Turkish, TRT, Star City, AP Locations: Turkish, Gaziantep, Soviet, Syria, ”, Aleppo, Turkey, Istanbul, Russia, Moscow, Soviet Union

☆ Russia says deeper U.S. hybrid war using Ukraine will end in Vietnam-style humiliation
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russia said on Sunday that U.S. lawmakers' approval of $60.84 billion more in support for Ukraine showed that Washington was wading deeper into a hybrid war with Russia that would end in a humiliation on a par with Vietnam or Afghanistan. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that it was clear that the United States wanted Ukraine "to fight to the last Ukrainian" including with attacks on Russian sovereign territory and civilians. "Washington's deeper and deeper immersion in the hybrid war against Russia will turn into such a loud and humiliating fiasco for United States as Vietnam and Afghanistan," Zakharova said. She said that ordinary Ukrainians were being "forcibly driven to slaughter as 'cannon fodder'" but that the United States was now no longer betting on a Ukrainian victory against Russia. The leaders of the West and Ukraine have cast the war in Ukraine as an imperial-style land-grab which shows that post-Soviet Russia is one of the top two biggest nation-state threats to global stability, alongside China.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Putin's, Maria Zakharova, Zakharova, Putin Organizations: Sputnik, country's Labour, Social Protection, Ukraine, Cuban Missile, U.S . House, Russian Foreign Ministry, Russia, West Locations: Russian, Moscow, Russia, Washington, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Ukraine, U.S, Israel, Taiwan, United States, Ukrainian, Soviet Russia, China

Its towering smokestacks once puffed out clouds of steam. In gigantic machine rooms, turbines whirled around the clock. In the Soviet era, the Kurakhove Heating and Power Plant gave rise to the town around it in Ukraine’s east, driving the local economy and sustaining the community with wages and heating for homes. “Our plant is the heart of our city,” said Halyna Liubchenko, a retiree whose husband worked his entire career in nearby coal mines that fed the facility. That heart is barely beating now, partly destroyed by artillery.

Persons: ”, Halyna Liubchenko Organizations: Power Locations: Soviet, Ukraine’s, Ukraine’s Donbas

☆ Russia's military is allergic to the deep reforms it needs
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Can the Russian military can be reformed to better achieve Putin's revanchist aims? Yes, but the drastic changes will not be easy, an expert on Russia's military says. AdvertisementWhatever the outcome of the Ukraine war, one thing seems certain: the Russian military needs drastic changes. Indeed, Russia's tendency to seek top-down structural reforms matched with enduring characteristics of the Russian military suggest that a transformation of the Russian military will be difficult." Given that observers so misjudged Russian military capabilities prior to the Ukraine war, how can the West accurately determine whether reforms are occurring?

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Katherine Kjellström Elgin, Putin, Elgin, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Center for Strategic, National Guard Service, Nazi, NATO, Elgin, Business, Russo, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Washington ,, Elgin, Moscow, Russia, Crimean, Soviet, Nazi German, Turkish, Forbes

☆ China's latest supersonic spy drone looks a lot like the Lockheed D-21 that crashed there in 1971
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The aircraft, shaped like a dart and painted black, was a D-21 supersonic reconnaissance drone. Ultimately unsuccessful, the drone would be relegated to the annals of aviation history if not for the appearance of a strikingly similar Chinese drone unveiled at a recent military parade. AdvertisementThis is what we know about the high-flying Chinese spy drone and the D-21 upon which it could be based. High altitude, high speedLockheed's solution was to create an unmanned high-altitude high-speed reconnaissance aircraft with similar capabilities as the A-12, but much smaller. A WZ-8 reconnaissance drone is on display at the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition on September 28, 2021 in Zhuhai, China.

Persons: —, Francis Gary Powers, Dwight Eisenhower, Marquardt, Bill, Ray Torrick, Chen Xiao, Benjamin Brimelow Organizations: Service, Air Force, 4200th Support Squadron, Andersen Air Force Base, Business, Lockheed Corporation, Soviet, White House, CIA, Central Intelligence Agency, Lockheed's, Works, Redesignated, Navy, US Air Force, Chinese Aviation Museum, Davis, Monthan Air Force Base, 13th China International Aviation, Aerospace, US National Geospatial - Intelligence Agency, 29th Air Regiment, People's Liberation Army Air Force's 10th Bomber, Global Affairs, Fletcher School of Law, Diplomacy, Modern, Institute Locations: Guam, China, Soviet Union, Soviet, Yunnan, Beijing, Tucson , Arizona, United States, Zhuhai, People's Republic of China, Liuan, Korean, Taiwan, Pacific, West

☆ Do Tanks Have a Place in 21st-Century Warfare?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Lara Jakes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The drone combat in Ukraine that is transforming modern warfare has begun taking a deadly toll on one of the most powerful symbols of American military might — the tank — and threatening to rewrite how it will be used in future conflicts. Over the last two months, Russian forces have taken out five of the 31 American-made M1 Abrams tanks that the Pentagon sent to Ukraine last fall, a senior U.S. official said. A vast majority of those are Soviet-era, Russian or Ukrainian-made tanks; only about 140 of those taken out in battle were given to Ukraine by NATO states. And Russia has so far lost more than 2,900 tanks, the Oryx data show, although Ukraine claims that the number exceeds 7,000. German Leopard tanks have also been targeted in Ukraine, with at least 30 having been destroyed, Oryx says.

Persons: Markus Reisner, Abrams, ” Organizations: Abrams, Pentagon, NATO, Leopard, Hudson Institute Locations: Ukraine, U.S, Austrian, Russia, Washington

☆ American sniper in Ukraine says his unit prefers Soviet-era rifles because bullets are easier to find and they can take them from the Russians
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewAn American veteran fighting in Ukraine said soldiers in his unit prefer to use Soviet-era rifles over modern ones because it's easier to find ammunition, including by taking it from the Russians. Jonathan Poquette is currently serving as a sniper in Ukraine, and he said that his unit prefers AK-74 rifles, which are chambered for 5.45×39mm rounds. He said that the prolific availability of older rifles among Ukraine's soldiers was also partly an issue with Ukraine's planning. This has also included ammunition from defeated Russian soldiers, or that fleeing Russians have left behind. Ukraine's ammunition shortagesUkraine is suffering from extensive shortages of ammunition and weaponry that have had serious ramifications all along the front lines.

Persons: —, Jonathan Poquette, Poquette, Nuzhnenko, Kalashnikov, Oleksandr Ratushniak, Volodymyr Zekenskyy, Frederick Kagan, Serhii Mykhalchuk Organizations: Service, Business, AK, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, REUTERS Poquette, Chosen Company, 59th Motorized Brigade, NATO, US, REUTERS, Artillery Rocket Systems, EU Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Soviet Union, Russian, Bakhmut, Radio Free Europe, Kyiv, Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region, Russia, Europe, Czech Republic

☆ Peter Morgan Turns His Pen From ‘The Crown’ to the Kremlin
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Maureen Dowd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Going from Princess Diana, a lovely icon who generated waves of sympathy, to Vladimir Putin, an icy villain who generates waves of disdain, might be difficult for some writers. Not Peter Morgan. After pulling back the curtain on the British royal family for six seasons of “The Crown,” Morgan was keen to move on. Morgan enjoys writing about the vilified, giving them a fighting chance. In “Patriots,” he creates a jigsaw of four Russian men, their fates intertwining in the post-Soviet era, who represent a Byzantine spectrum of moral values.

Persons: Princess Diana, Vladimir Putin, Peter Morgan, ” Morgan, Putin, Frankenstein, Morgan, ” Organizations: “ Patriots

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