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☆ Russia has doubled its pens of trained dolphins near Ukraine to guard its ships from attack by enemy divers, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia has ramped up its trained dolphin force that protects its Black Sea fleet, UK intelligence said. Russia has been training dolphins in the Black Sea since the Cold War, according to the United States Naval Institute. The MOD also noted Russia's documented use of marine animals elsewhere, saying "Russia has trained animals for a range of missions." Russia's Black Sea fleet includes attack submarines and vessels with long-range strike capabilities and air defense missiles. Russia accused Ukraine of launching drone attacks on the fleet earlier this month, after Ukraine started its long-awaited counteroffensive.

Persons: — Organizations: British Ministry of Defence, Service, Russia, UK Ministry of Defence, MOD, Google, United States Naval Institute, Maxar Technologies, Naval News, US Navy, Washington Post Locations: Russia, Sevastopol, Ukraine, Crimea, Norway, Petersburg, Sweden, Iraq, Ukrainian, Ukraine's Kherson

☆ Ukrainian special ops forces who stormed a Russian trench in an intense video did 'everything right' and took their enemy by surprise, US infantry veteran says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Ukrainian special operations forces published a video showing soldiers clearing a Russian trench. Ukraine's special operations forces shared the graphic video to several social media channels on Monday. Special Operations Forces of Ukraine/Screengrab via TwitterThe Russian forces, meanwhile, are caught off guard. Special Operations Forces of Ukraine/Screengrab via TwitterThis kind of fighting is expected to continue. Kyiv's troops will continue to find themselves in similar situations as the special operations forces, but future missions may have varied outcomes.

Persons: —, John Spencer, Spencer, readying Organizations: Service, US, West, Institute, OF UKRAINE, Twitter, Ukrainian Special Forces, Bravo, Special Operations Forces of, Navy Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian, Special Operations Forces of Ukraine, Russians, Russia

☆ Russia says West trying to confuse the world over Nord Stream culprits
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 7 (Reuters) - The Russian embassy in the United States said on Wednesday that a report the United States knew of a Ukrainian plan to attack the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines was part of a coordinated Western attempt to confuse the world over the truth. "The coordinated campaign of the West, led by the United States, to confuse the international community is sewn with white threads," Russian diplomat Andrey Ledenev was quoted as saying in a post on the embassy's Telegram messaging channel. Several underwater explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 and the newly built Nord Stream 2 pipelines that link Russia and Germany across the Baltic Sea in September 2022. Russia has repeatedly said the West was behind the blasts affecting the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines last September - multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects that carried Russian gas to Germany. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; editing by Guy FaulconbridgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andrey Ledenev, Lidia Kelly, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Washington Post, CIA, White House, Thomson Locations: Russian, United States, Russia, Germany, Baltic, Sweden, Denmark, U.S, Melbourne

☆ US had intelligence of Ukrainian plan to attack Nord Stream pipeline - Washington Post
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Kanishka Singh | Thomson Reuters | Kanishka Singh Is A Breaking News Reporter For Reuters In Washington Dc | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 6 (Reuters) - The United States had intelligence of a detailed Ukrainian plan to attack the Nord Stream pipeline three months before it was bombed, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing leaked information posted online. The Washington Post said it got a copy from one of Teixeira's online friends. The specific details included numbers of operatives and methods of attack, according to the Washington Post. Reuters could not immediately confirm the intelligence cited by the Washington Post. Several underwater explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 and the newly built Nord Stream 2 pipelines that link Russia and Germany across the Baltic Sea in September 2022.

Persons: Jack Teixeira, Moscow, Kanishka Singh, Rami Ayyub, Doina Chiacu, Jon Boyle Organizations: United, Washington Post, CIA, Air National Guard, NATO, Thomson Locations: United States, Russia, Germany, Ukraine, Baltic, Sweden, Denmark, Washington

☆ US received intel from European ally that Ukrainian military was planning attack on Nord Stream pipelines, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Natasha Bertrand Alex Marquardt Haley Britzky | Natasha Bertrand | Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The US received intelligence from a European ally last year that the Ukrainian military was planning an attack on the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines three months before they were hit, three US officials told CNN. The attack on the pipelines last September has been condemned by US officials and Western allies alike as a sabotage on critical infrastructure. CNN has not seen the document but the three officials confirmed the US was told about the Ukrainian plans. But, the intelligence also said that Ukraine’s military operation was “put on hold.”CNN has reached out to the Ukrainian government for comment. “I think you know there are three countries conducting an investigation of the Nord Stream sabotage — and we called it sabotage at the moment — Germany, Sweden, and Denmark.

Persons: Jack Teixeira, “, Valerii, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, John Kirby, ” Kirby, Magdalena Andersson, ’ ” Mykhailo Podolyak, CIA “ Organizations: CNN, The Washington Post, Air National, Washington Post, ” CNN, White, National Security, European Union, Twitter, Russia, Post, CIA Locations: Western, Ukraine, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Nord, Russia, Baltic, Europe, Swedish, Danish, Ukrainian

☆ North Carolina's Fort Bragg sheds Confederate name, becomes Fort Liberty
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 2 (Reuters) - Fort Bragg, the U.S. Army base in North Carolina that is among the world's largest military installations, was formally renamed Fort Liberty on Friday, part of a broader effort to rechristen bases named for Confederate officers. In a video on Friday announcing the change, the Army said the base is the only one to be named after a value, rather than a person. "No value has proven more integral to the United States and the history of its military than liberty," the video said. Established in 1918, the North Carolina base was originally named for General Braxton Bragg, who served in the Confederate Army during the 19th-century U.S. Civil War. Reporting by Joseph Ax; Additional reporting by Tyler Clifford; Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Fort Bragg, George Floyd, General Braxton Bragg, Fort Johnson, Henry Johnson, Joseph Ax, Tyler Clifford, Bill Berkrot Organizations: U.S . Army, Liberty, Confederate, Army, Confederate Army, Special Operations Forces, Thomson Locations: North Carolina, United States, Civil, Polk, Louisiana

☆ Russia's brash invasion plan for Ukraine wasted special-operations units on missions they weren't meant to do
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Russia's invasion also struggled because of flaws in its planning for the operation. "The lack of effective line infantry units caused Spetsnaz units to be deployed mostly as light infantry, which also led to a high level of casualties among these units. It details not only structural flaws but also the tactical misuse of Russian special forces during the invasion itself. When the airborne assault on Kyiv failed and the tank columns stalled, the special forces were left adrift. Russian commanders then sent Spetsnaz units in to operate like light infantry, which increased their casualties and left fewer Spetsnaz units available for their designated missions.

☆ Inside the scramble to evacuate a US embassy surrounded by the chaos of street fighting, gunfire, and explosions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

US forces evacuated the American embassy in Sudan days after violence erupted in its capital. As the situation deteriorated, the Pentagon dispatched Special Operations Forces to evacuate US diplomatic staff in a dramatic helicopter operation. Foreign governments began efforts to pull out their diplomatic staff and, in some cases, also moved to evacuate their civilians. People walk by a house hit in recent fighting in Khartoum, Sudan, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. US Marine Corps courtesy photoWith the embassy staff gone, questions remained over whether Washington would move to evacuate US citizens, as some other Western nations had been doing.

☆ Ukraine's special operators have been 'taking it to the Russians,' the head of US Special Operations Command says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian special operators have been putting their US-provided training to use against Russia. Ukrainian special-operations forces will also have a key role in the outcome of those battles. Ukrainian commandos on the jobRomanian, Ukrainian, and US Army Green Berets train in Romania in May 2021. Roxana DavidovitsAs Russian forces poured into the country at the start of the war, Ukrainian special operators went hunting. SOCOM had also incorporated a focus on unconventional warfare, a specialty of US Army Special Forces, into its training.

☆ Ukraine downs Russian hypersonic missile with U.S. Patriot
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

It was also the first time Ukraine is known to have used the Patriot defense systems. Oleshchuk said the Kh-47 missile was launched by a MiG-31K aircraft from Russian territory and was shot down with a Patriot missile. The Ukrainian military has previously admitted to lacking assets to intercept the Kinzhals. At such a cost, it was widely thought that Ukraine would only use the Patriots against Russian aircraft or hypersonic missiles. Russian forces have not commented on the claim but have rejected previous accusations from Ukraine that they had used phosphorus.

☆ Massive incendiary attack in Bakhmut shows Russia's 'scorched earth' tactics have turned the eastern Ukrainian city to rubble
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut was bombed in an apparent incendiary attack on Friday. Video shows the city ablaze with a bright glow, demonstrating Russia's "scorched earth" tactics. "The Kremlin or Prigozhin might have decided to resort to incendiary weapons as a last roll of the dice to force out Ukrainian troops." Videos circulated on social media early Friday, showing the Ukrainian city ablaze with a glow that prompted military analysts to suggest chemical weapons had been used. "The use of these horrific arms may violate the 1983 Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Incendiary Weapons.

☆ Russian Mercenary Leader Threatens to Pull Forces From Bakhmut Next Week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Neil Macfarquhar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

“These are Wagner guys who died today; the blood is still fresh,” Mr. Prigozhin said, in a speech marked by frequent bleeped-out expletives. The Wagner chief has long criticized Russian military leadership openly, with some analysts attributing the tensions to rivalries for President Vladimir V. Putin’s favor. Mr. Prigozhin has never pointed a finger directly at Mr. Putin over Russia’s setbacks in the war. In February, Mr. Prigozhin accused Mr. Shoigu and General Gerasimov of treason, claiming they were starving Wagner of ammunition. The problem for Wagner was not a lack of ammunition, Mr. Cherevaty said, but a shortage of people to fight and die.

☆ Wagner Leader Threatens to Pull Out of Bakhmut: Russia-Ukraine War Live News
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Matt Surman | Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

☆ Moscow's 'special' forces: An inside look at how Russia's famed Spetsnaz really operate
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Mark Galeotti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +24 min

Russia's Spetsnaz forces are often depicted as a kind of Russian super troops. Osprey PublishingMost countries' special forces emphasize physical fitness, determination and aggression. Special people, for special tasksMembers of the Russian military's 16th Separate Special Purpose Brigade during an exercise in 2018. Even so, being better than most of the Soviet army's miserable and recalcitrant conscript forces did not make most of them truly special, special forces. The special operations commandMembers of Russian's 22nd Separate Guards Special Purpose Brigade during an exercise in November 2017.

☆ Ukraine Battles to Hold Off Russia in Bakhmut’s Western Districts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Isabel Coles | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Heavy fighting continued on Wednesday in the western districts of Bakhmut, the Ukrainian city where the country’s defenders have been putting up stiff, costly resistance against Russia’s invasion forces for many months. The head of Ukraine’s special operations forces, Brig. Gen. Viktor Khorenko, described the situation in the city as “difficult” during a visit to Bakhmut, but said Ukrainian troops were continuing to exact a heavy price for Russian advances.

☆ Ukraine Battles to Hold Off Russia in Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Isabel Coles | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Heavy fighting continued on Wednesday in the western districts of Bakhmut, the Ukrainian city where the country’s defenders have been putting up stiff, costly resistance against Russia’s invasion forces for months. The head of Ukraine’s special operations forces, Brig. Gen. Viktor Khorenko, said during a visit to Bakhmut that the situation there was difficult but that Ukrainian troops were continuing to exact a heavy price for Russian advances.

☆ US troops rushed to evacuate embassy staff from Sudan, but thousands of Americans remain with advice to 'shelter in place'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

US special operators evacuated American embassy personnel from Sudan, where intense fighting continues. Thousands of Americans, however, remain in country and have been warned to "shelter in place." The Washington Post reported Sunday that an estimated 16,000 Americans, many of whom hold dual citizenship, remain in Sudan, where they have been encouraged to "shelter in place." Smoke rises during clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum, Sudan on April 19, 2023. The officer noted though that 'tThis is an unfolding situation, and we cannot provide more details for security reasons."

WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) - All U.S. government personnel were evacuated from Washington's embassy in Khartoum, as well as a small number of diplomatic personnel from other countries, U.S. officials said on Saturday, as fighting rocks Sudan. The operation evacuated fewer than 100 people, the officials told reporters. "We evacuated all of the U.S. personnel and dependents assigned to Embassy Khartoum," said Under Secretary of State for Management John Bass. A substantial number of local staff remain in Khartoum supporting the embassy, where Washington decided to suspend operations on Saturday due to the security risks, Bass said. U.S. forces spent just an hour on the ground in Sudan before taking off again, entering and exiting Sudan without being fired upon by the warring factions on the ground, the military said.

☆ Special forces swiftly evacuate US embassy staff from Sudan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Smoke rises during clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum, Sudan on April 19, 2023. U.S. special operations forces carried out a precarious evacuation of the American embassy in warring Sudan on Sunday, sweeping in and out of the capital, Khartoum, with helicopters on the ground for less than an hour. However, John Bass, a U.S. undersecretary of state, denied claims by one faction, Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, that it assisted in the U.S. evacuation. Biden had ordered American troops to evacuate embassy personnel after receiving a recommendation from his national security team, with no end in sight to the fighting. The U.S. evacuation planning for American employees of the embassy got underway in earnest on Monday after the embassy convoy was attacked in Khartoum.

☆ A filmmaker risked sniper fire to capture the Ukraine war for a powerful documentary, and the new trailer just dropped
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia's unprovoked war in Ukraine has been ongoing for nearly 14 months. Levy, 74, filmed on battlefields across the country — from Kharkiv in the northeast, Kherson in the south, and the capital city Kyiv. Insider also interviewed Levy this week to discuss his experience while reporting in Ukraine, what he observed on the ground, and his overall thoughts on the war. Courtesy photoQ: Ukraine has sustained huge casualties in defending itself, as you document. Courtesy photoQ: Are you concerned that support for Ukraine is becoming increasingly unfashionable in France and the West more generally?

☆ As Chinese military exercises, US lawmaker pledges training for Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Michael McCaul, Chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, who is leading a delegation of US lawmakers visiting Taiwan, speaks during a news conference at the parliament in Taipei, Taiwan April 7, 2023. "As the House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, I sign off on all foreign military sales, including weapons to Taiwan, and I promise you, Madam President, we will deliver those weapons," he said. "And we will provide training to your military - not for war, but for peace," he added, without giving details. The United States is set to expand the number of troops helping train Taiwanese forces, two U.S. officials told Reuters in February. China describes Taiwan as the most sensitive and important issue in its relations with the United States, and the topic is a constant source of friction between Beijing and Washington.

☆ Russia has lost hard-to-replace systems that help its forces find and destroy Ukrainian artillery, and Western intel says there aren't many left
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine's special operations forces recently destroyed a Russian Zoopark-1M counter-battery radar. Russian forces have lost at least six of these critical detection systems, and they're difficult to replace. Russia "likely only has a very limited number left in Ukraine," Western intelligence said Friday. Several Ukrainian media outlets reported last week that Russian Zoopark counter-battery radar systems had been taken out in combat by Kyiv's special operations forces. It added that Russian forces have lost at least six of these systems and "likely only has a very limited number left in Ukraine."

☆ U.S. looks to expand Taiwan military training -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Reuters reported in 2021 that a small number of U.S. special operations forces have been rotating into Taiwan on a temporary basis to train their forces. Speaking to reporters in Taipei on Friday, Taiwan Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said he "didn't know" the source of the information about expanded training. He added Taiwan and the United States had a lot of military interaction, and declined further comment. Taiwan's official Central News Agency this week reported that a battalion of around 500 soldiers would go to the United States for training this year. Chu indirectly confirmed that some soldiers would head to the United States for training that would be more tactical than in the past, but did not provide details of numbers.

☆ A senior ISIS leader is dead, but the raid went sideways when an explosion injured several US troops and a dog
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

US troops and the Syrian Democratic Forces carried out a joint helicopter raid in Syria on Thursday. The target, a senior Islamic State leader named Hamza al-Homsi, was killed during the operation. Although the target, Hamza al-Homsi, was killed, the operation went sideways when an explosion wounded the four Americans and their working dog. Meanwhile, the US military and its partner forces continue to hunt down ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria. Local Syrian forces killed the Islamic State's leader, Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, during an October raid.

☆ Russia has spent 9 months bleeding troops to try to capture a city with limited strategic value, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia has spent nine months trying to capture Bakhmut in a slow and brutal campaign. Experts say the city does not even have that much strategic value. Ukrainians fighting in the city say it has been a "living hell" for months, while commanders on both sides have called the battle a "meat grinder." But ultimately, experts say, the city may not be important enough to justify the effort and expense Russia has put into it. A map showing the location of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

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