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☆ Russia can’t fight NATO on the battlefield – so it’s waging a hybrid war instead
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-30 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

And while they might look minor in isolation, taken together these incidents amount to what security experts say is Russia’s hybrid war on the West. Thornton said Russia was resorting to a campaign of sabotage as an alternative to a full-on war with NATO, which would be disastrous for Russia. Article 5 is the cornerstone principle that an attack on one member of NATO is an attack on all members. Danylyuk said the Russian security apparatus doesn’t shy away from using criminals to do its dirty work, tapping into its links with international organized crime. Russia can only be strong if the West and NATO are weak.

Persons: –, Petr Fiala, Jens Stoltenberg, Rod Thornton, there’s, ” Thornton, Vladimir Putin, Thornton, “, ”, It’s, ” Nicole Wolkov, Andrei Averyanov, Averyanov, Sergei, Yulia Skripal, d’etat, Oleksandr Danylyuk, …, Volodymyr Zelensky’s, Danylyuk, Olga Lautman, Fiala, Sergei Skripal, Yulia, Frank Augstein, ” Lautman, Lautman, Alexander Litvinenko, Andrei Lugovoi, Theresa May, Nikolai Glushkov, Salisbury, Putin, ” “, let’s, ’ ”, that’s, Litvinenko, Skripal Organizations: CNN, Occupation, . Police, European Union, NATO, King’s College London, ”, Royal United Services Institute, Czech Police, GRU, London –, German Federal Public, Ukraine, Russian, Russia NATO, Center for, European, of Human, Duma, Metropolitan Police, Command, Soviet, West Locations: Prague, Czech, Moscow, Europe, Riga, London, Warsaw, Germany, Russia, Belarus, Russian, Spain, Lithuania, Canada, Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia –, United States, al Qaeda, France, EU, Salisbury, England, Czech Republic, Vrbetice, Montenegro, Moldova, Macedonia, Ukrainian, Poland, Salisbury , England, Finland, Estonia, Lautman, Soviet Union

☆ China and Russia are in a bad marriage that the West shouldn't try to break up
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-29 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Already, Russia's military and China's People's Liberation Army have held around 25 joint exercises since 2005, involving ships, aircraft and ground troops. Equally important is that China has become a key enabler of Russia's war in Ukraine. Advertisement"Policymakers and planners should avoid overestimating the state of military cooperation and operational integration that exists between Russia and China," RAND warned. AdvertisementDespite boasting of their military ties, Russia and China don't have much faith in each other's military prowess. In their 2001 friendship treaty, China and Russia did agree to consult with each other should either nation be attacked.

Persons: Mladen Antonov, Russia's, Mark Cozad, Cozad, Hitler, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Communist, Business, NATO, RAND Corp, Liberation Army, British, RAND, PLA, People's, Army, Russian, Grand Alliance, Western Allies, Central, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Soviet Union, China, Beijing, Moscow, U.S, Russian, Europe, Taiwan, Ukraine, Russia, Britain, South Korea, America, Vietnam, Korea, Syria, West, Central Asia, United States, Forbes

☆ Mikhail Baryshnikov on Leaving Everything Behind
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Javier C. Hernández | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

On the night of June 29, 1974, after a performance with a touring Bolshoi Ballet troupe in downtown Toronto, Mikhail Baryshnikov made his way out a stage door, past a throng of fans and began to run. Baryshnikov, then 26 and already one of ballet’s brightest stars, had made the momentous decision to defect from the Soviet Union and build a career in the West. agents — and audience members seeking autographs — as he rushed to meet a group of Canadian and American friends waiting in a car a few blocks away. “That car took me to the free world,” Baryshnikov, 76, recalled in a recent interview. “Soviet Dancer in Canada Defects on Bolshoi Tour,” The New York Times declared on its front page.

Persons: Mikhail Baryshnikov, Baryshnikov, —, ” Baryshnikov Organizations: Bolshoi Ballet, Tour, The New York Times Locations: Toronto, Soviet Union, West, Soviet, Canada

☆ Opinion | Why Conservatives Shouldn’t Be Doomers
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Part of that case was that our political system is governed by a gerontocracy that evokes the age of Leonid Brezhnev and Yuri Andropov. After watching Joe Biden’s performance on the debate stage, I think Ferguson can claim that point as proven. His essay folded the gerontocracy argument into a larger case that exemplifies what you might call conservative doomerism. In general there is more doomerism on the American left today than on the right — both more personal pessimism and more anxiety about various apocalypses, from climate change to Trumpian authoritarianism. Like any good provocation, Ferguson’s column inspired various critiques (here’s Noah Smith, here’s James Pethokoukis, here’s Jonah Goldberg) and various defenses (here’s Ferguson responding to Goldberg, here’s Helen Andrews arguing that he doesn’t go far enough).

Persons: Donald Trump, Niall Ferguson, Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov, Joe Biden’s, Ferguson, here’s Noah Smith, here’s James Pethokoukis, here’s Jonah Goldberg, here’s Ferguson, Goldberg, here’s Helen Andrews Organizations: The Free Press Locations: America, Soviet Union

☆ Key lines from CNN’s presidential debate
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

CNN —In CNN’s presidential debate, President Joe Biden was halting and, at times, trailed off and confused words, feeding a nagging narrative about his fitness for the presidency. Trump said Biden couldn’t drive a golf ball 50 yards, and Biden challenged Trump to a golf match but only if Trump carries his own clubs. We’ve got to take a look at what I was left when I became president, what Mr. Trump left me. -TrumpBiden said Trump deserves blame for watching the riot at the Capitol unfold for hours without doing anything to intervene. They’ve had meetings and they voted who’s the worst president in American history.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, overinflated, Trump, Biden, ” Trump, “, …, Trump’s, Jake Tapper, Dana Bash, We’ve, Biden Trump, Trump Trump, We’d, I’ve, –, ”, Roe, Wade, You’ve, It’s, Trump Biden, ” Biden, Beau, John Kelly, Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Volodymyr, Zelensky, There’s, Gaza Biden, Israel, “ I’ve, Tapper, we’re, We’re, Hunter, Joe, you’re, Biden Biden, E, Jean Carroll, Daniels, ” –, reimbursements, Hitler Biden, Hitler’s, flabbergast Biden, They’ve, That’s Organizations: CNN, Trump Biden, Trump, Medicare, Social Security, Republicans, Trump Trump, Biden, Democrats, White House, Ukraine Trump, Ukraine, Hamas, Bash Locations: Atlanta, freefall, Iraq, France, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, United States, New York, Charlottesville , Virginia, “

☆ ‘People are really uptight in the States these days’: Why this American prefers living in Estonia
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“The thing that I really liked about Estonians, and Estonians have never believed me when I say this, but I liked how friendly they were,” he says. Reflecting on his first years in Estonia, Johnson notes that things were very different to how they are now. “Quite often, people don’t really believe that that’s possible,” he says. Marcus Lindstrom/iStockphoto/Getty ImagesAlthough his day to day life may be very different in Estonia, Johnson feels that things aren’t very different scenery wise. “And they decided to become a very modern country… Really, it’s been the experience of a lifetime, being able to watch this kind of transformation over a quarter of a century.”

Persons: hadn’t, Stewart Johnson, didn’t, he’d “, “, ” Johnson, Johnson, ”, ‘, ‘ Don’t, you’re, –, Katrin Press “, I’ve, don’t, Chuck, chemo, he’s, Stewart Johnson “, it’s, ’, Marcus Lindstrom, “ It’s, “ I’ve, You’re Organizations: CNN, CNN Travel, Foreign Service, Estonia “, Comedy, “ Locations: Canada, States, Wisconsin, America, Estonia, Soviet Union, that’s Tallinn, Estonian, Europe, Northern, Tartu, “, Comedy Estonia, Tallinn

☆ China’s Chang’e-6 moon mission returns to Earth with historic far side samples
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s Chang’e-6 lunar module returned to Earth Tuesday, successfully completing its historic mission to collect the first ever samples from the far side of the moon in a major step forward for the country’s ambitious space program. “The Chang’e-6 lunar exploration mission has been a complete success,” said Zhang Kejian, head of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), from the control room. Once they receive the samples, Chinese scientists are expected to share data and carry out joint research with international partners, before Beijing later opens the samples for access by international teams, according to statements from CNSA officials. China and the US are not alone in eyeing the national prestige, potential scientific benefits, access to resources and further deep space exploration that successful moon missions could bring. Last year, India landed its first spacecraft on the moon, while Russia’s first lunar mission in decades ended in failure when its Luna 25 probe crashed into the moon’s surface.

Persons: China’s, ”, Zhang Kejian, Xi Jinping –, –, zhong ”, Luna, James Head, Yuqi Qian, Artemis, Bill Nelson, ” Nelson Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Tuesday, CCTV, China National Space Administration, CNN, Brown University, “, University of Hong, International, NASA, Luna Locations: Hong Kong, Mongolia, United States, Beijing, China, Soviet, University of Hong Kong, India, Japan, Texas, Chang’e

☆ Russia has seen two terror attacks in just three months. Here’s what we know
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | Jerome Taylor | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In Dagestan, Russian security forces fought an Islamist insurgency in the mountainous region in the 2000s that spilled over from neighboring Chechnya, though attacks have become rarer in recent years. Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with his election campaign confidants at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 20, 2024. ISIS-K attack on music venueThe coordinated attacks in Dagestan come just weeks after Russia suffered its worst terror attack in decades. For a leader who has long promised security and stability to Russians, the major attack on Russian soil was another powerful blow. In the aftermath of the March attack, Putin called for Russia to remain united.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov, Jill Dougherty, Vladimir Putin, confidants, Evgenia Novozhenina, Bashar al, Assad, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Organizations: CNN, ISIS, Ukraine grinds, Russian Jewish Congress, Attackers, TASS, Russian Federation, Soviet, Hamas, Makhachkala Uytash Airport, Kremlin, Reuters, Saudi, Israeli, Central, Migrants, Kazakhstan — Locations: Russia, Russia’s, Dagestan, Moscow, Derbent, Makhachkala –, Makhachkala, Russian, Republic of Dagestan, Russia’s Caucasus, Caucasus, Soviet Union, Chechnya, –, Grozny, Ukraine, ”, Gaza, Israel, CNN Moscow, Reuters Russia, Iran, Soviet, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan

☆ A return to the roots of presidential debates
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —CNN’s presidential debate will feel like something new for most Americans, but it is actually a return to the roots of presidential debates. J. David Ake/AFP/Getty Images Monica Moorehead, a presidential candidate from the Workers World Party, disrupts a presidential debate in Washington, DC, in 1996. Gerald Herbert/AP Barack Obama, right, and John McCain shake hands at the start of a presidential debate in 2008. Joseph Kaczmarek/AP Obama hugs his wife, Michelle, as Romney kisses his wife, Ann, after their third presidential debate in 2012. Ultimately, the commission was formed to create a nonpartisan framework for presidential debates – something that has been exported to other countries.

Persons: CNN —, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Jake Tapper, Dana Bash, Sen, John F, Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Nixon, Howard K, Smith, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Carter, Jerry Mosey, Betty, David Hume Kennerly, John B, Ronald Reagan, Anderson, AP Carter, Reagan, Walter Mondale, George H.W, Bush, Michael Dukakis, Dennis Cook, Ross Perot, Bill Clinton, Clinton, Ron Edmonds, AP Clinton, Bob Dole, J, David Ake, Monica Moorehead, Joe Marquette, Mark Penn, Lorenzo Alvarez, Angelica, George W, Al Gore, Joe Raedle, Jim Lehrer, Gore, John Kerry, Gerald Herbert, Barack Obama, John McCain, Charles Dharapak, Obama, Mary Jackson's, Mitt Romney, Joseph Kaczmarek, Michelle, Romney, Ann, David Goldman, Hillary Clinton, Patrick Semansky, Salwan Georges, Biden, Chip Somodevilla, Alan Schroeder, ” Kennedy, Schroeder, “, Ford, John Anderson, sidestep, Trump, ” Schroeder, Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas, Douglas, Read, haven’t, “ They’re, ” Organizations: CNN, Commission, CNN’s Atlanta, CBS, Getty, State University of New, Ford, Anderson, Cleveland Convention Center, AP, Music, Bettmann, Bushnell, Theater, Workers World Party, AP Workers, Hofstra University, AP Trump, Washington Post, Trump, Northeastern University, House, Republican, Republican National Convention, Biden, Lincoln, White, Illinois Senate, ABC News Locations: Los Angeles, New York, State University of New York, Albany, Cleveland, Hartford , Connecticut, Washington , DC, San Diego, El Paso , Texas, Hempstead , New York, Detroit, Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Lincoln, Illinois

☆ China is watching warily as Putin and Kim forge new ‘alliance’
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-23 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Putin said Russia and North Korea have ramped up ties to a “new level.” Kim, meanwhile, called the new “alliance” a “watershed moment” in bilateral relations. In contrast, the reaction from China, the main political and economic patron for both Russia and North Korea, has been all but muted. “But they do know that China plays an irreplaceable role for both Russia and North Korea,” she said. China remains the largest trade partner to both Russia and North Korea, providing a crucial lifeline to the heavily sanctioned economies. “China doesn’t think that an alliance between Russia and North Korea would be a betrayal,” said Liu with the City University of Hong Kong.

Persons: Vladimir Putin glided, Kim Jong, Xi Jinping, Kim, Putin, ” Kim, Xi, Liu Dongshu, Liu, Kim Jong Un, ” Liu, Beijing doesn’t, Alexander Ryumin, ”, Edward Howell, Russia –, ” Yun Sun Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Benz, China’s Foreign, City University of Hong, KCNA, North Korea Treaty, Cooperation, Mutual Assistance, Getty, –, University of Oxford, North, Stimson Locations: China, Hong Kong, Pyongyang, Beijing, North Korea, Russia, United States, Japan, South Korea, Ukraine, Northeast Asia, City University of Hong Kong, Soviet Union, Friendship, North, Korean, Russian, Iran, Moscow, United Kingdom, Washington

☆ Front-line NATO allies are facing an unconventional Russian threat short of war but still quite dangerous
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-22 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

"There are hybrid threats. NATO has also cautioned against intensifying Russian hybrid warfare in the region and in the rest of Europe that could include "disinformation, sabotage, acts of violence, cyber and electronic interference, and other hybrid operations." The murky nature of hybrid warfare can make it hard to identify and address potential threats. Yet, the Baltic countries are prioritizing hybrid threats and fortifying their institutions in response. And last week, writing alongside his Polish and Czech colleagues, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs expressed "deep concern" over Russian hybrid threats.

Persons: —, Denmark –, Margus Tsahkna, Maria Zakharova, Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Gitanas Nausėda, Yan Dobronosov, Dmitry Petrov, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Landsbergis, –, Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Svetlov, Edgars Rinkēvičs Organizations: Service, West, NATO, EU, Business, Estonian, Russian Foreign Ministry, Getty, Kremlin, Lithuanian, Destabilization, 76th Guards Air Assault Division, Alliance Locations: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Russia, Ukraine, Denmark, Kyiv, Moscow, Baltics, Belarus, Soviet Union, Russian, crosshairs, Europe, Baltic, Finland, Narva, Tallinn, Vilnius, Poland, Pskov, Crimea, Tellingly, Czech, Latvian

☆ Supply chain hotspot Vietnam rolled out the red carpet for Putin, and the US is trying to act cool
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewWanted by the International Criminal Court, Russian President Vladimir Putin still traveled to Vietnam on a two-day visit, where he was warmly welcomed. Russia and Vietnam also have a long history going back to the Soviet era, so his visit is also not surprising. Related storiesWestern allies may rethink "Vietnam's reliability as a strategic partner in the region," Hoang wrote. AdvertisementThis sentimentalism can influence the pragmatism that marked Hanoi's foreign policy for the last two decades, wrote Hoang at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute. It's also a smart political move, as a segment of Vietnamese still holds "a deep fondness for Russia," wrote Hoang.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Vietnam —, Hoang Thi, Yusof, Hoang, Janet Yellen, Yellen, Daniel Kritenbrink, Kritenbrink, It's Organizations: Service, International Criminal Court, Business, ICC, US, Russia, Institute, Regional, Political, State, East Asian, State Department, Soviet Union Locations: Russian, Vietnam, Russia, Soviet, Washington, Ukraine, Australia, Japan, Singapore, ISEAS, China, Hanoi, Moscow, Beijing, Atlanta

☆ Putin signs deals with Vietnam in bid to shore up ties in Asia to offset Moscow’s growing isolation
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Russia and Vietnam pledged on June 20, 2024 to deepen ties as President Vladimir Putin made a state visit aimed at bolstering his alliances to counter Moscow's growing isolation over the war in Ukraine. Putin and President To Lam agreed to further cooperate in education, science and technology, oil and gas exploration and clean energy. The two countries also agreed to work on a roadmap for a nuclear science and technology center in Vietnam. In Hanoi, Putin also met Vietnam’s most powerful politician, Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, according to the official Vietnam News Agency. Putin drove to Vietnam’s Presidential Palace on Thursday afternoon, where he was greeted by school children waving Russian and Vietnamese flags.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Lam, Gavriil Grigorov, Putin, ” Lam, “, Kim Jong, Nigel Gould, Davies, ”, Nguyen Khac Giang, Giang, Nguyen Phu Trong, Pham Minh Chinh, Putin’s, Ridzwan Rahmat, Janes, ” Rahmat, Prashanth, Wilson, Vladimir Lenin, Trong, Nhan Dan, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Gould, they’ve, he’s, Parameswaran Organizations: Sputnik, Hanoi Opera, Afp, Getty, North, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Singapore’s, Yusof, Institute, Communist Party General, Vietnam News Agency, Criminal, Kremlin, U.S, Embassy, Security, NATO, Asia, Communist Party’s, Vietnam’s Communist Party Locations: Russian, Hanoi, Russia, Vietnam, Ukraine, Moscow, Asia, Pacific, Eurasia, London, British, Belarus, China, North Korea, U.S, Hague, Korea, Singapore, Soviet Union, Soviet, trickier, Washington

One by one, each country with the money and the drive to compete started its own nuclear weapons program. Even with this kind of evidence in hand, science has reached only limited conclusions about how nuclear weapons testing affects individuals’ health. They helped create the 2021 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, signed by 93 countries, which bans the possession, use and testing of nuclear weapons. France has acknowledged its “debt” to Polynesians over nuclear testing, and it created a commission in 2010 to evaluate nuclear testing victim compensation claims, but it has never apologized. We are still wrestling with the damage wrought by testing nuclear weapons in our past.

Persons: —, Ernest Moniz, Barack Obama, ” Mr, Moniz, Trump, Trump’s, Biden, United States ’, Republic of Kiribati —, we’re, Robert Oppenheimer’s, Oppenheimer, Ben Wyatt, King Juda, Harry Truman, Oppenheimer’s, Karina Lester, ”, Willard F, Libby, Louis, couldn’t, Merril Eisenbud, Hinamoeura, Britain —, “, it’s, John Moody, Benetick Kabua Maddison, Maddison, Benetick, It’s, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Las, Washington, United States, Marshall, Embassy, D.C, Marshalls, U.S, Navy, United, Soviet Union, Britain, Atomic Energy Commission, St, Louis University, Washington University School of Dental Medicine, Bravo, U.S . Navy, Atomic Energy, Centers for Disease Control, Polynesia —, Nuclear Weapons, ., Pacific Mart, Educational, America Locations: U.S, Japan, United States, Russia, China, Nevada, Soviet Union, — Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan, Reggane, Algeria, Montebello, Australia, Republic of Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Republic, Washington, Hiroshima, New Mexico, Las Vegas, Marshall, Hawaii, Philippines, Bikini, Atoll, Soviet, Africa, Polynesia, Xinjiang, The, Britain Britain, Britain, American, Kwajalein Atoll, France, France France, Tahiti, Nagasaki, Asia, Europe, India, Pakistan, North Korea, United, Kwajalein, Hawaii , California, Washington and Oregon, Arkansas, Springdale, you’re, Rhode Island, Moscow

☆ Record number of NATO allies expected to hit defense spending target amid war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at the Czernin Palace, in Prague, Czech Republic, May 31, 2024. A record more than 20 NATO member nations are hitting the Western military alliance's defense spending target this year, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday, as Russia's war in Ukraine has raised the threat of expanding conflict in Europe. The estimated figure is a nearly fourfold increase from 2021 in the ranks of the 32 NATO members meeting the alliance's defense spending guideline. NATO members agreed last year to spend at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense. But after Russia seized Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, NATO members unanimously agreed to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense within a decade.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Vladimir Putin's, Stoltenberg, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Putin Organizations: NATO, Wilson Center, White House, . Defense, Ukraine's Locations: Prague, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Europe, Washington, Sweden, Finland, Soviet Union, Russia, Ukraine's Crimean

☆ Key holdouts at a Ukrainian diplomatic summit are proof that Putin's diplomatic playbook is working
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewOver the weekend, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rallied countries from around the world to support his call for Russia to end its invasion. It has been especially effective in the "global South" of non-Western powers whose wealth and influence on world affairs is growing. AdvertisementHowever, powerful non-Western countries refused to take part. Russia has also seized on claims that Western support for Israel in its war against Hamas is evidence of hypocrisy. AdvertisementIt is to Putin's advantage when those countries see Russia vs. Ukraine and Israel vs. Hamas as equivalent struggles, both complex enough to avoid taking a side.

Persons: —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, Russia wasn't, didn't, Ukraine —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Natalie Sabanadze, Pavan Kapoor Organizations: Service, BBC, Business, Ukraine, West, Chatham, ANC, Israel, Hamas Locations: Russia, Switzerland, China, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, India, South Africa, Ukraine, American, Moscow, Soviet, West, USSR, Soviet Union, Pakistan, Western, Israel, Indian

☆ Ukraine proves it can target the Russian air force's weakest link
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-16 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementBut these were pinprick attacks designed to embarrass the Kremlin and demonstrate that nowhere in Russia is safe from Ukrainian attack. The aircraft didn't appear to catch on fire, suggesting the damage wasn't catastrophic, perhaps to be expected from small drones with small warheads. The Akhtubinsk attack suggests that Russian electronic warfare capacity has sufficient breadth to cover the front, but not depth to protect the Russian interior. Much like Russia's vaunted T-14 Armata, the Su-57 has been conspicuous by its absence from the Ukraine war. AdvertisementEven with American-made F-16 fighters arriving soon, Ukraine's air force probably can't drive off Russian jets lobbing glide bombs from 50 miles behind Russian lines, safe behind ground-based air defenses.

Persons: Justin Bronk, Bronk, Su, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Russian Air Force, Kyiv, Royal United Services Institute, Russian, NATO, West, Stealth, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Russia, British, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Volgograd, Stalingrad, Russian, Forbes

☆ Russian ally ditching Putin's rival to NATO damages the image Putin wants to project of himself, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewArmenia's announcement that it's going to leave a Russia-led alliance that was set up to rival NATO is a blow to the image Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to project, experts told Business Insider. In fact, experts say it's the opposite of what Putin hoped to achieve with the alliance. But leading it is still important to Putin as, in Putin's mind, "great powers lead alliances and organizations." Armenia snubbing RussiaPashinyan's announcement came after months of snubs against Putin, and criticism of the CSTO in general.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Nikol Pashinyan, Putin, Davis Ellison, Alexander Cooley, Thomas Graham, snubs, Pashinyan, Graham, Armenia doesn't Organizations: Service, NATO, Collective Security, Organization, Business, The Hague, Strategic Studies, Columbia University, Yale, Armenia's, Reuters, Getty Locations: Russia, Armenia, Kremlin, Soviet Union, Moscow, Soviet, East, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Washington, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

☆ Armenia to withdraw from Russia-led military alliance, accusing members of plotting war
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Armenia will leave a Russia-led military alliance, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan confirmed Wednesday, accusing members of the bloc of plotting with bitter rival Azerbaijan to start a war against them. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, which Azerbaijan reclaimed in full by force in September. Russia has traditionally allied with Armenia, but their relations have soured in recent months while Moscow’s ties to Azerbaijan have deepened. Pashinyan confirmed to lawmakers that Armenia will withdraw from the Russia-led military alliance. Azerbaijan has also demanded that Armenia change its constitution to remove a reference to Karabakh independence, but Pashinyan has so far resisted the calls.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, ” Pashinyan, Karen Minasyan, “, ”, Vladimir Putin, Pashinyan –, Azerbaijan –, Ilham Aliyev, Armenpress, Bagrat Galstanyan, ” Galstanyan Organizations: CNN, Security, Organization, European Union, Getty, AFP Locations: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Moscow, United States, Soviet Union, Karabakh, Yerevan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Soviet, AFP, Nagorno, Aliyev

☆ Electric ‘seagliders’ that skim over water could make ferries a thing of the past
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-12 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

More than 600 seagliders have already been sold for a total of over $9 billion, according to Thalheimer. “When you’re coming in on a bumpy approach, then sort of get right over the runway, and the plane just sort of floats for a second before landing — that’s the ground effect at work. Wouldn’t that be a great place to spend the entire flight, that nice calm state over the runway?”The United States and Germany also experimented with ground effect vehicles, but ultimately the concept never took off. First, Thalheimer says, seagliders are better at dealing with waves than vintage ekranoplans. Old ground effect vehicles were more akin to aircraft, with pilots controlling them at all times.

Persons: “ We’re, ”, Billy Thalheimer, REGENT, seagliders, Regent, Thalheimer, ekranoplans, Rather, “, Brittany Ferries, Ras Al Khaimah, Darren Biddlecombe Organizations: CNN, REGENT, United Arab, Regent, Air Mobility, Key West, Japan Airlines, New, Abu Dhabi Department of Transport Locations: Boston, North America, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Europe, Asia, Dubai, Soviet Union, United States, Germany, Hawaii, Miami, Key, Bahamas, Brittany, France, Italy, New Zealand, Ras Al

☆ Cash-Strapped Ukraine Plans to Sell State Assets to Help Fund War Effort
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-12 | by ( Constant Méheut | Daria Mitiuk | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Towering over Kyiv for six decades, Hotel Ukraine has witnessed some pivotal moments in Ukraine’s recent history. Today, blue and yellow flags cover lawns near the hotel, serving as a reminder of the many lives lost in the war between Ukraine and Russia. Now, Hotel Ukraine is up for auction as part of an effort to sell off some large state assets to help fund the military and bolster an economy battered by a grueling war that has drained the country’s coffers. The starting price for Hotel Ukraine is $25 million. Beginning this summer, the government will auction some 20 state-owned companies, including Hotel Ukraine, a vast shopping mall in Kyiv, and several mining and chemical companies.

Organizations: Soviet Union, Ukrainian, Hotel Ukraine, Hotel Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Soviet, Russia, Hotel Ukraine

☆ Ukrainian Activist Traces Roots of War in ‘Centuries of Russian Colonization’
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-09 | by ( Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On a recent afternoon in Kyiv, a professor of literature and a stand-up comedian got together to talk about Russian colonialism, a subject that has become a preoccupation among Ukrainian activists, cultural figures and bookstore owners. The moderator of the discussion, which was recorded for a new podcast for Ukraine’s national public broadcaster, was Mariam Naiem, a graphic designer and former philosophy student who has become an unlikely expert on the topic. “This war is just the continuation of centuries of Russian colonization,” said Ms. Naiem, 32, referring to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “It’s the same playbook.”Russia’s long cultural and political domination of Ukraine, first through its empire and then the Soviet Union, had left an indelible mark, the podcast guests agreed, as they lamented being more fluent in Russian poems and films than in their own nation’s cultural treasures.

Persons: , Mariam Naiem, ”, Naiem, “ Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Soviet Union

☆ Travel news: The Tank Museum in England has a bigger YouTube following than MoMA
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-08 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Editor’s Note: Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel’s weekly newsletter. CNN —In this week’s roundup of travel news, we bring you the world’s best restaurants for 2024, Disneyland’s epic expansion plans and the little museum in rural England that’s become a YouTube hit. World’s best restaurants1. This famed Barcelona eatery was one of five restaurants in Spain to make this year's World's 50 Best Restaurants list. Dubai has more “best” restaurants than any other destination in the Middle East, according to the 50 Best group.

Persons: England that’s, He’s, that’s, AirlineRatings.com, Disney World’s, Peter Pan, Francesc Guillamet Ferran, Asador, Bruno Verjus, Philippe Vaures Santamaria, Dabiz Muñoz, Diverxo, Diverxo Maido, Maido, Atomix, Evan Sung, Søren Gammelmark, Gaggan Anand, Don Julio, Pablo Domina World's Organizations: CNN, Canada House, American Airlines, Disney, Aberdeen Angus, Multicultural, CNN Travel, Finland Locations: England, New York, Paris, Normandy, Canada, Philippines, Bataan, Florida, Texas, Gulf, Asia, Pacific, Southern California, Japan, Tokyo, Disfrutar, Barcelona, Spain, Basque, Madrid, Spanish, Lima, Peru, New York City, Koreatown, Manhattan, Quintonil, Mexico, Copenhagen, Denmark, Bangkok, Thailand, Kolkata, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Hereford, Dubai, British, Soviet Union

☆ Opinion: How the era of the counterspy changed history
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-08 | by ( Opinion Tim Naftali | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

First of all, their main job was to get false information to Adolf Hitler — rather than to steal Nazi secrets. And, secondly, some of these spies didn’t actually exist — they were completely made-up creations of British intelligence. But World War II would see a dramatic expansion of the offensive use of counterspies — not simply to prevent the enemy from knowing things but to actively deceive the enemy by planting disinformation. I also met the man who came up with the D-Day deception, Roger Fleetwood Hesketh, who was a trained architect. He told me that for the D-Day deception, codenamed Fortitude South, he had drawn on different talents.

Persons: Tim Naftali, Adolf Hitler —, didn’t, Counterespionage, —, Juan Pujol García, Garbo, Greta Garbo, ” —, Juan Pujol Garcia, Keith Waldegrave, ANL, ”, George Patton, Hitler, ” Hitler, Roger Fleetwood Hesketh, Alan Turing, counterspies, Anthony Blunt, Kim Philby, ’, Oleg Gordievsky, counterespionage, Robert Hanssen, Aldrich Ames, Hanssen, Ames, Mikhail Gorbachev Organizations: CNN, Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, Tim Naftali New York University, Allied, Nazi, Army, Pas des Calais, Facebook, Strategic Services, German Wehrmacht, US National Archives, British, Soviets, US, Soviet Union, USSR Locations: France, Pas des, Pas des Calais —, Belgium, British, Berlin, Spanish, United Kingdom, Britain, Buckingham, Calais, Normandy, Tokyo, German, England, Liverpool, Europe, counterespionage, USSR, London, Washington, America, Soviet, Soviet Union

☆ Biden’s D-Day visit may mark the end of an American era
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Geopolitical empires like Russia and China are, meanwhile, resurgent and threatening to obliterate the global system dominated by Western values that has prevailed since World War II. Trump’s “America First” philosophy has taken deep root in the Republican Party that once prided itself on winning the Cold War. For many years after World War II, D-Day commemorations lacked the fanfare and high diplomatic and political significance they carry today. The speech came at a particularly contentious moment in the Cold War with tensions high between Washington and the Soviet Union. The strength of America’s allies is vital to the United States, and the American security guarantee is essential to the continued freedom of Europe’s democracies.

Persons: Joe Biden, Adolf Hitler’s, Donald Trump’s, he’d, Biden, Vladimir Putin, Washington, autocrats . Biden, they’d, ’, ”, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Trump’s, Trump, Charles Kupchan, “ It’s, Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Volodymyr Zelensky, Hitler, Putin, Britain’s, Charles III, Queen Elizabeth II, Emmanuel Macron, Ronald Reagan, Reagan, ” Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, “, “ We’ve Organizations: CNN, NATO, Republican Party, GOP, District of Columbia, Council, Foreign Relations, Ukrainian, Soviet, US Army Rangers, Rangers, Soviet Communist Party Locations: Normandy, France, Ukraine, Russia, China, Germany, Japan, United States, Europe, British, Omaha Beach, “, George H.W ., Iraq, Afghanistan, Paris, Pointe, Omaha and Utah, Pointe du Hoc, Washington, Soviet Union, America

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