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☆ Chinese military gear may not be enough to bail out Russia's poorly led troops, former top US general in Europe says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The US is again warning China not provide military support to Russia for its war in Ukraine. Russia's military has structural problems that foreign gear can't fix, a retired US general says. While lower-level Russian units have been able to adapt, "I think the big problem in the Russian military is that the culture is not very conducive to" learning, added Lee, an expert on Russia's military. Russian military leadership failings and inability to perform under fire will limit the utility of whatever hardware Beijing may provide, Breedlove said. While US officials have not specified what military support China may provide, there are signs Russia is using artillery ammunition more sparingly.

☆ Biden’s test: Sustaining unity as Ukraine war enters second year
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

One year ago, President Joe Biden was bracing for the worst as Russia massed troops in preparation to invade Ukraine. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was offered help getting out of his country if he wanted it. Now, as Biden prepares to travel to Poland to mark the anniversary of the war, he faces a legacy-defining moment. In Poland, Biden is set to meet with allies to reassure them of the U.S. commitment to the region and to helping Ukraine "as long as it takes." From the beginning of his administration, Biden has argued the world is at a crucial moment pitting autocracies against democracies.

☆ Ukraine claims its first kill of Russia's 'Terminator' armored vehicle, believed to be one of Putin's most advanced weapon systems
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Images appeared to show Russia's "Terminator" armored vehicle after a direct hit. The "Terminator," designed to support armor and infantry units, can engage three targets at once. Russia has begun its new offensive in eastern Ukraine, according to one of Ukraine's military commanders. The "Terminator" was designed to support other armor and infantry units and can engage three different targets at once using its four weapons operators. The vehicle was first designed in the late 1980s, and is made by Russian company Uralvagonzavod, the Russian military's leading tank producer.

☆ Russian Wagner boss acknowledges comparison with Rasputin
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Prigozhin acknowledged only last September that he had founded the Wagner group, which has played a major role in the Russian military's attempts to capture territory in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. In recent months, Prigozhin has been seen in online videos trying to lure inmates from Russian prisons to join its ranks in Ukraine. The Financial Times was not the first to compare his role to that of the monk in the Russian imperial court - a Russian journalist made the comparison last year. Prigozhin said the comparisons were "absolutely clear" and he saw his role as bringing wayward Westerners back into line. Rasputin was assassinated in 1916 by a group of Russian noblemen who feared his growing influence on the tsarist family.

☆ Ukraine's battlefields look like World War I but with a new and terrifying addition that leaves troops with almost nowhere to hide
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The conflict in Ukraine has emerged as the first major war involving drone use on both sides. By the late 1990s, Predator drones were being used by the US and NATO for reconnaissance missions in the Kosovo War. Ukraine has in many ways emerged as a guinea pig for drone warfare. Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesLater in the war, Russia began launching swarms of Iranian-made Shahed-136 "kamikaze" drones, striking targets across Ukraine. Drones have significantly shortened the so-called kill chain, Cancian explained, helping troops swiftly locate targets and provide coordinates for artillery.

☆ A Russian tank unit deliberately attacked another Russian position in Ukraine, report says, illustrating vicious rivalries within Putin's army
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Russian tank unit attacked another Russian position in Ukraine following an argument, the NYT said. The incident demonstrates the vicious in-fighting that has plagued Vladimir Putin's military. A Russian drone operator who said he witnessed the episode told the paper that a Russian tank commander drove his T-90 tank toward a group of Russian national guard troops, fired at their checkpoint and blew it up. The Russian military appears to have limited coordination with any of them, officials said, according to the paper. Prigozhin echoed the sentiment, the paper said, commenting about Russian military generals: "Send all these pieces of garbage barefoot with machine guns straight to the front."

☆ Putin says the war in Ukraine could be a 'long process' as the Russian military's list of failures grows months into the invasion
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Putin warned Wednesday that the war in Ukraine could be a "long process." "As for the duration of the special military operation, well, of course, this can be a long process," Putin explained during a meeting with the presidential Human Rights Council, per Reuters. From the onset of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Putin has consistently refused to refer to the ongoing fighting as a war — instead calling it a "special operation." Throughout the so-called "special military operation," Putin has largely avoided touching on how long the war might last. Months later, Russian troops have been pushed into retreat in regions of Ukraine that Putin illegally annexed in September.

☆ Russia's Human Rights Council was warned not to make Putin mad with questions about the war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's Human Rights Council was told not to upset Putin with questions about Ukraine. The chair of the council was told not to address the "toxic" issue of Russia's death toll. The war in Ukraine has gone poorly for Russia, which is estimated to have suffered approximately 100,000 casualties since Putin launched the invasion in late February. Putin in November booted a number of members from the council, including xenophobia researcher Alexander Verkhovsky and anti-torture campaigner Igor Kalyapin. At the meeting, Putin said the war in Ukraine could be a "long process" and denied plans for a second mobilization.

☆ Leaked Kremlin poll shows 55% of Russians want to see negotiations with Ukraine to end the war: report
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A leaked Kremlin poll found 55% of Russians want talks to end the war in Ukraine, per Meduza. The poll also found just a quarter of Russians support continuing the war. The survey, conducted by Russia's Federal Protective Service (FSO), found that 55% of Russians favor peace talks with Ukraine. This represents a massive shift from an FSO poll in July that found just 32% of Russians favored talks, according to Meduza's reporting. Ukraine has regained control of approximately 55% of the territory occupied by Russia following the invasion, according to a recent assessment from the New York Times.

☆ Biden decries Putin's actions in Ukraine as 'sick,' but says he'd speak with the Russian leader under certain conditions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Biden on Thursday said he'd be willing to speak to Putin directly under certain conditions. Biden said he'd only talk to Putin if he expresses a desire to end the war in Ukraine. Macron has faced criticism in Kyiv and beyond for continuing to speak with Putin amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has induced historic tensions between the West and the Kremlin. "It's sick what he's doing," Biden said of Putin, emphasizing that the only way for the war to end is for the Russian leader to recall his country's forces. "The idea that Putin is ever going to defeat Ukraine is beyond comprehension," Biden said.

☆ 2 little-known intel agencies are helping US partners keep an eye on Russia's and China's frontline forces
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Two little-known US intelligence agencies have made significant contributions to countering Russia in Ukraine. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the National Reconnaissance Office have gathered and distributed valuable information about Russian activity. Little-known intel agenciesA National Reconnaissance Office payload is launched into space from Vandenberg Air Force Base in September 2017. US Air Force/Senior Airman Ian DudleyThe US response to Russia's war in Ukraine has pulled the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Reconnaissance Office out of the shadows. NRO satellites have many customers, but the NGA is probably the most reliant on the satellites operated by the NRO.

☆ U.S. imposes sanctions on military procurement network aiding Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. Treasury also designated family members of Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, as well as individuals that it said worked as financial facilitators in Suleiman's network. The U.S. Treasury blacklisted Milandr, a Russian microelectronics company that Washington says is part of Moscow's military research and development structure. The U.S. Treasury has sanctioned major military industrial firms in Russia and the Commerce Department has cut off exports of American-made components and U.S. technologies that have been used in some of Russia's military hardware. Russia has managed to procure drones from Iran that have been used to attack cities and power infrastructure in Ukraine. Iranian military entities and industries are already under heavy U.S. sanctions over Tehran's nuclear development program.

☆ Ex-Putin advisor compares Kherson retreat in Ukraine to the collapse of the Soviet Union, warning of 'really big' consequences
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A former Putin advisor likened Russia's retreat from Kherson to the collapse of the USSR. Sergei Markov, the ex-advisor, said there will be "really big" consequences for this "huge defeat." "Russian sources also emphasized that this is a major defeat for Russian forces because they are losing territory that Russia annexed and claims as its own." The retreat from Kherson is yet another reminder that Russia's forces do not fully occupy or control the Ukrainian regions Putin now claims as part of Russian territory. Ukrainian officials have expressed skepticism over the Kherson withdrawal, with some suggesting it's a trap, but US Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Thursday that "we're seeing the beginnings" of the Russian withdrawal from Kherson.

☆ Amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, iconic arms-maker Kalashnikov is churning out a record number of guns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Kalashnikov, maker of the legendary AK-47, is reporting a huge increase in small arms sales. Many of the new rifles these reluctant conscripts will inevitably need will come from Kalashnikov, which manufactures most Russian small arms. SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images"The Kalashnikov Concern increased the production of small arms by 40 percent," the company said. Already in September, actual exports of civilian weapons were equal to the total figure for 2021." Kalashnikov, which comprises a group of manufacturing firms, provides 95% of Russian small arms.

☆ Putin hints that Russia's weapons are outdated, saying it needs to modernize its military hardware
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia's weapons need to be modernized. "The same applies to weapons, which need constant and uninterrupted upgrades and improvements to remain effective," Putin added. Putin's admission is a remarkable reversal from his comments in August, when he bragged to foreign allies at a military forum that Russia's weapons are "cutting edge" and "decades ahead" of their foreign counterparts. In September, Putin also urged Russian defense companies to modernize and increase their production capacities, advising them to study how their equipment fares against Western weapons, per state-affiliated TV channel NTV. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, now approaching its ninth month, has revealed systemic flaws in its army's logistics, war doctrine, and military technology.

☆ Video shows Russian soldiers on the front lines in Ukraine griping about not having enough training, supplies, or food
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Video apparently shows Russian troops in Ukraine griping about not having enough training or food. an apparent Russian soldier griped in the video posted to Facebook this week by Ukrainian journalist Yurii Butusov. "We're on the fucking front lines," the man said in the two-minute video, which shows several soldiers huddled around each other in the thick of the woods. We only got our fucking pants," said the man, who added, "Long live the fucking Russian army!" "But the video shows that Russia is not able to carry out mobilization properly," Butusov said.

☆ Russia's military leadership has only become 'increasingly dysfunctional,' UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

"There is almost certainly a worsening shortage of capable Russian junior officers to organize" drafted reservists, UK intel said. The UK's Ministry of Defense added, "Poor lower-level leadership is likely worsening the low morale." "Their replacements have so far done little to improve Russia's battlefield performance," the UK's Ministry of Defense said. The UK intelligence group explained that the "lack of command continuity" will be even more disruptive to Russia compared to a Western military because Russia's commanders personally plan troop movements instead of coordinating across the staff. "Poor lower-level leadership is likely worsening the low morale and poor unit cohesion in many parts of the Russian force," said the UK's Ministry of Defense.

☆ Ukraine says Russia hits power site near Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"Putin knew he would not be able to sustain high-intensity missiles strikes for a long time due to a dwindling arsenal of high-precision missiles," the think tank said. Vorontsov explained the move by citing Moscow's concern about the possibility of the deployment of U.S. nuclear weapons in Poland near the borders of Belarus and Russia. He emphasized that in compliance with the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Russia had no intention for now of fitting nuclear warheads to Belarusian weapons systems or transferring nuclear warheads to the territory of Belarus. He said the shelling of the city of Nikopol, which is located across the Dnieper from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, damaged a dozen residential buildings, several stores and a transportation facility. "Working in very challenging conditions, operating staff at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant are doing everything they can to bolster its fragile offsite power situation," Grossi said.

☆ Retreating Russian troops are arming Ukraine with modern T-90 tanks as Putin's army digs 60-year-old armor out of storage, Ukraine's military says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian forces are now fielding captured T-90 tanks, modern armor taken as Russian troops retreat, the military said. As the Russian military loses more modern equipment, it has been forced to pull old tanks from storage. Tanks are just one example of the kind of heavy weaponry that fleeing Russian forces have abandoned. Britain's defense ministry said last month that the way Russian forces have retreated seems to vary. The retreat of Russian forces from key positions has been a relatively common theme since early September, when Ukrainian forces launched counteroffensives along the war's eastern and southern fronts.

☆ Mysterious fires and explosions at sensitive Russian sites are hints of a hallmark mission for special-operations units
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Some may be the work of Russians opposed to Putin; others show signs of military special operations. In a matter of a days this month, Ukrainian forces managed to liberate more territory than the Russian military captured and held over six months of war. For months now, sensitive sites and important facilities throughout Russia have been hit by mysterious fires and explosions, hinting at a sabotage campaign that is the hallmark of special-operations forces. Smoke and flames rise at a Russian military base in Crimea after explosions there on August 9. Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced the partial mobilization of his country's reservists. According to Russian officials, 300,000 reservists will be drafted immediately. Conscripts and students will not be called up and will affect only those with combat experience, according to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. In his speech, Putin reiterated that the goal of Russia's invasion of Ukraine was the liberation of the Donbas region. Ukrainian officials in response slammed the referendum as a "sham" and said it won't change anything.

☆ Ukrainian official mocks Russia over its failures after Putin's threatening speech: 'Everything is still according to the plan, right?'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A senior Ukrainian official mocked Russia after Putin announced partial military mobilization. British intelligence said recently that expedited training courses at Russian military academies also highlight the Russian military's "manpower challenge." A vote in favor would set the stage for Russia to annex captured Ukrainian territory. "From my perspective, this is simply an information operation that's meant to distract from the difficult state that the Russian military currently finds itself in right now," Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. The referendums are slated to take place after weeks of Ukrainian advances and battlefield success along the war's northeastern and southern fronts.

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