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☆ Russia's new drone strikes are to create the impression of limiting Ukraine's counteroffensive but are having little actual impact, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

But the strikes don't appear to be having any real impact on Ukraine's efforts, they said. The earlier assessment added that Russian forces were "more focused on sustaining a regular series of missile strikes than the actual effectiveness of the strikes." It's not clear exactly when the expected Ukrainian counteroffensive will start, but Ukraine's deputy defense minister said that when it does "Russia will be in panic." However, it added that Russian forces have used significantly fewer high-precision missiles in these latest strikes, in comparison to earlier campaigns against Ukraine's critical infrastructure. Meanwhile, it added, Ukrainian forces "have been more effective in shooting down Russian precision systems."

CNN —Two senior Russian military officers have been killed in eastern Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday, the latest high-profile losses for Moscow in a grinding war with its western neighbor. The ministry said the two officers – Col. Vyacheslav Makarov and Col. Yevgeny Brovko – were in killed in action while leading Russian troops in the Donetsk region. “The commander of the 4th motorized rifle brigade, Colonel Vyacheslav Makarov, being at the forefront, personally led the battle,” a Russian Defense Ministry briefing read. The Donetsk region of Ukraine includes the city of Bakhmut, which has seen some of the fiercest and most relentless fighting of the war. The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine has made “massive attempts to break through the defense of our troops to the north and south of Artemovsk,” referring to Bakhmut by its Russian name.

☆ Russia's army took just 6.8 square miles of Ukrainian territory in April, less than a 0.02% increase, US think tank says, as military losses mount
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia increased its Ukraine territory by 0.016% in April, the Institute for the Study of War told Insider. That's just 6.76 square miles, as its troop losses continue and Ukraine readies for a counterattack. Washington DC-based think tank Institute for the Study of War told Insider that Russia held just 6.76 square miles more Ukrainian territory on April 31 than it did in April 1, according to its mapping data. Russia saw territorial gains of 0.039% in February, the think tank previously told Insider, followed by 0.28% in March, the equivalent of 115.9 square miles. Ukraine's prime minister told Sky News last week that the offensive will start at the "proper time, when it will be absolutely ready."

☆ Ukraine says it offered to return 3,000 dead Russian soldiers for burial, but Russia refused because it wouldn't admit the death toll
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia refused to acknowledge more than a handful had died, per Ukraine's defense minister. Reflecting on what he called "the cynicism of the Russians," Reznikov said that Ukraine had counted around 3,000 Russians killed, per translations provided by the filmmaker. The idea of sunflowers — Ukraine's national flower — being fertilized by the bodies of Russian soldiers is a common symbol of resistance in Ukraine. But Maurer said officials were too scared to tell anyone above the defense minister, according to Reznikov's recollection. Anastasia Vlasova/Getty ImagesInsider could not independently confirm the numbers of Russian dead at that time.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Grain deal meeting set to take place; Russia targets Ukraine's capital and other regions in drone strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Air raid alerts sounded in various parts of Ukraine overnight as Russian forces reportedly launch a mass drone strike against the country. The capital Kyiv was among the locations targeted by Russian forces again last night, marking the third time in six days that the city has been targeted. Ukraine's Air Force Command said Wednesday that its defense forces had destroyed 21 of 26 Russian "Shahed-136/131" type one-way attack drones overnight. The drones had been launched from both the north, from the Bryansk region in Russia and to the north of Ukraine, and the south, from the eastern coast of the Sea of Azov. In other news, the deputy defense ministers of Russia, Ukraine and Turkey will reportedly meet in Istanbul on Friday May 5 to discuss a possible extension of the grain export deal that has helped to ease vital agri-food exports from Ukraine and cap global price rises.

☆ Russia appears in disarray as Ukraine prepares counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine CNN —Ukraine’s much-anticipated counteroffensive appears imminent – and the way each side is preparing speaks volumes about their readiness. Kyiv’s front lines are abuzz with vehicle movement and artillery strikes, with regular explosions hitting vital Russian targets in occupied areas. Its defense minister has said preparations are “coming to an end” and President Volodymyr Zelensky has assured a counteroffensive “will happen,” while demurring on any exact start date. Muhammed Enes Yildirim/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesThe “Butcher of Mariupol,” as Mizintsev is known, surely had enough failings over Russia’s disastrous war to merit his firing. By removing key ministers in the moments before its army faces Ukraine’s counter-assault, Moscow sends a message of disarray.

☆ Opinion: Russia has stifled another Putin opponent. Here’s how the West might help him
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Opinion Casey Michel | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Editor’s Note: Casey Michel is the director of the Human Rights Foundation’s Combating Kleptocracy Program. While the West must continue to call for the release of those two high-profile political prisoners, it should not overlook Kara-Murza. US lawmakers in the US Congress have issued a range of congressional resolutions and individual statements highlighting Kara-Murza’s plight. The disjointed Western response to Kara-Murza’s plight only works to Russia’s advantage. It’s long past time to create a coordinating body to ensure that Western sanctions packages are aligned and airtight.

☆ Opinion: How the battle for Bakhmut exposed Russia’s ‘meat-grinder’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Michael Bociurkiw | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

It will also be recorded in history as a battle that exposed more than anywhere the meat-grinder approach of Russian fighting. Taking Bakhmut would be the first Russian gain since it captured (and later lost) the key southern Ukrainian city of Kherson in November. That Ukrainian forces have demonstrated such endurance in the battle for Bakhmut should come as little surprise. Like the current battle for Bakhmut, it too became emblematic of Ukraine’s tenaciousness to defend itself against Russia’s aggression – particularly considering the Ukrainian Armed Forces were far less prepared and equipped. “The battle for Bakhmut in winter-spring 2023 will surely enter the history books as the bloodiest battle in Europe since World War II,” said Masliychuk.

☆ Going to war? Good news! The United States is 13 years behind in ammunition production.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Since production capacity changed after the Cold War, the US can no longer keep up with wartime demands. In fulfilling those promises, The New York Times reported the US has sent Ukraine so many stockpiled Stinger missiles that it would take 13 years of production at recent capacity levels to replace them. US officials in January proposed a production increase up to 90,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition each month to keep up with demand. The United States has rarely seen production shortages in ammunition and missiles to the degree the country currently faces. While improvements to production facilities have been budgeted for going forward, the US is currently pushing suppliers to capacity to meet current wartime demands in Ukraine and keep pace with China's production.

☆ As Russian forces bear down on Bakhmut, Ukraine admits situation there is 'more and more difficult'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Ukrainians watching a movie on TV at a humanitarian aid center in Bakhmut on Feb. 27, 2023 amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday night that the situation in the Bakhmut area "is getting more and more difficult." She said Russia was employing the tactics of "exhaustion and total destruction" but said that Russian forces were experiencing significant losses, losing between 600 to 1,000 people daily, she claimed. She added that Ukraine's forces were conducting defensive operations in the face of the "numerical superiority of the enemy." A view of damage after attacks as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Bakhmut, Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2023.

☆ Russia will resort to drafting college students to throw more troops at the front lines, Ukrainian intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia is preparing to draft college students to the front lines in its war in Ukraine. According to Ukrainian intel, universities have set up "notification offices" to inform students. "Notification offices" are already being set up to help draft the students and ship them to the frontlines, Ukrainian intelligence alleged. The intel also said that full-time students are being assigned to work at these notification offices "without their consent or even prior notification." The draft efforts will continue through the next few months, but will finish by the spring, Ukrainian intel said.

☆ Some Russian units have suffered up to 80% losses in the east, Ukraine claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Some Russian units in the east have had 80% casualties, Ukraine's deputy defense minister said. This includes NATO intelligence that says Russia is losing 2,000 men for every 100 yards it gains. Hanna Maliar said in a statement on Thursday that up to 80% of personnel had been incapacitated in some Russian army units, including units of the Wagner paramilitary group. But other reports, accounts by Russian soldiers, as well as Western intelligence updates have all pointed to high losses within Russia's army, particularly in recent weeks. Meanwhile, the UK Ministry of Defence said on Friday that up to 200,000 Russian soldiers had likely been killed since the invasion started in February 2022.

☆ Human Rights Watch urges Ukraine to investigate antipersonnel mine use
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Human Rights Watch noted that it had also issued three reports last year accusing Russian forces of using antipersonnel mines in multiple areas across Ukraine since they invaded the country on Feb. 24, 2022. "Russian forces have repeatedly used antipersonnel mines and committed atrocities across the country, but this doesn't justify Ukrainian use of these prohibited weapons," he said. Human Rights Watch said use of antipersonnel mines also violates international humanitarian law because the devices cannot discriminate between civilians and combatants. Polishchuk told Human Rights Watch that Ukraine's forces strictly adhere to international humanitarian law and the 1997 antipersonnel mine convention. "Human Rights Watch documented PFM mine use in nine different areas in and around Izium city and verified 11 civilian casualties from these mines," it said on Tuesday.

☆ War with Russia rages as Ukraine’s government confronts an old enemy: Corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Raf Sanchez | Raf Sanchez Is A Foreign Correspondent For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

He is now one of around a dozen officials who resigned, were fired, or were put under investigation this week as Ukraine’s government confronts an old enemy: corruption. On Monday, Zelenskyy banned public officials from traveling abroad for anything other than work. “It demonstrates what President Zelenskyy has told us, that there will be zero tolerance for fraud or waste,” he said. Ukraine is currently ranked 132 out of 180 countries on a corruption index compiled by Transparency International, a good-governance nongovernmental organization. “I think that after the war, we will have a better Ukraine than we had before the war,” he said.

☆ Zelenskyy fired 9 top officials after reports that members of his government went on vacation to Spain and France and took bribes during the war
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired a slew of senior officials on Tuesday. In December, Symonenko went on holiday to Spain using a Mercedes owned by a prominent Ukrainian businessman, The Guardian reported. "Of course, now the main focus is the issue of defense, this is the issue of foreign policy, this is the issue of war," he said. On Monday, Zelenskyy banned officials from traveling abroad until the end of the war, except for when performing government duties. Zelenskyy's press office and Ukraine's Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

☆ Senior Ukrainian officials depart in corruption crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office quit Tuesday, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged to launch a staff shake-up amid high-level corruption allegations during the war with Russia. Media reports have linked at least one official departure to a scandal involving the purchase of food for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Bulent Kilic / AFP via Getty Images fileZelenskyy vowed to drive out corrupt officials in comments on Sunday, when a deputy minister was dismissed for being part of a network embezzling budget funds. Ukraine’s infrastructure ministry later identified the dismissed official as Vasyl Lozynsky, a deputy minister there. In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine’s focus on the war would not stop his government from tackling corruption.

☆ UK to supply tanks as Russian missiles hit across Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Earlier this month, France said it would send AMX-10 RC armored combat vehicles to Ukraine, designated “light tanks” in French. Sunak’s announcement came as Russian forces fired missiles at Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine on Saturday in the first major barrage in days. In the northeastern Kharkiv region, Gov. On Saturday morning, two Russian missiles hit Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. But that cuts both ways, as Ukraine says its fierce defense of the eastern strongholds has helped tie up Russian forces.

☆ Iran Hangs Alireza Akbari, Dual U.K. Citizen Accused of Spying
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Sune Engel Rasmussen | Aresu Eqbali | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Alireza Akbari is the first known dual European citizen to be executed by Tehran in decades. Iran said Saturday it had executed a former high-ranking defense official and dual British citizen on charges of espionage, a move likely to exacerbate tensions with the West as the government is wrestling with nationwide protests. Alireza Akbari , a former deputy defense minister, was convicted of passing classified national-security information to the British foreign intelligence service, MI6, in return for more than $2 million in foreign currencies, the Iranian judiciary’s news agency, Mizan, said.

☆ U.K. condemns ‘barbaric’ execution of British-Iranian accused of spying in Iran
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Iran has executed British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported on Saturday, after sentencing the former Iranian deputy defense minister to death on charges of spying for Britain. The U.K., which had declared the case against Alireza Akbari as politically motivated and called for his release, condemned the execution. In the video, Akbari did not confess to involvement in the assassination but said a British agent had asked for information about Fakhrizadeh. Iran’s state media often airs purported confessions by suspects in politically charged cases. Iran has issued dozens of death sentences as part of the crackdown on the unrest, executing at least four people.

☆ Iran executes British-Iranian national despite UK, U.S. pleas
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Iran has executed British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari, the judiciary's Mizan news agency reported on Saturday, after sentencing the former Iranian deputy defense minister to death on charges of spying for Britain. In the video, Akbari did not confess to involvement in the assassination but said a British agent had asked for information about Fakhrizadeh. Iran's state media often airs purported confessions by suspects in politically charged cases. Reuters could not establish the authenticity of the state media video and audio, or when or where they were recorded. Iran has issued dozens of death sentences as part of the crackdown on the unrest, executing at least four people.

Since the early days of the invasion, Mr. Putin has conceded, privately, that the war has not gone as planned. “I think he is sincerely willing” to compromise with Russia, Mr. Putin said of Mr. Zelensky in 2019. To join in Mr. Putin’s war, he has recruited prisoners, trashed the Russian military and competed with it for weapons. To join in Mr. Putin’s war, he has recruited prisoners, trashed the Russian military and competed with it for weapons. “I think this war is Putin’s grave.” Yevgeny Nuzhin, 55, a Russian prisoner of war held by Ukraine, in October.

☆ Russia is adding military training to its school curriculum, marking a reversion to a Soviet-era practice that teaches students how to handle rifles and perform first aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian schools are adding a basic military training course to their curricula, per TASS. The course is a Soviet-era practice that teaches students first aid and how to use rifles. Mironov and deputy defense minister Valery Gerasimov have vocally supported reinstating military training in schools, with Gerasimov suggesting that students in the 10th and 11th grades be given 140 hours of training, per Izvestia. When we were engaged in military training at school, it worked only as a plus," said Adalbi Shkhagoshev, the deputy chairman of the United Russia party, per the outlet. The basic military training program was retired in 1993, two years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, per independent Russian news outlet The Moscow Times.

WASHINGTON, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Ash Carter, who served as a U.S. defense secretary during the Obama administration, died late on Monday at the age of 68 after a sudden cardiac event, his family said in a statement on Tuesday. Under Carter, the U.S. military opened all military roles to women and also ended a ban on openly serving transgender service members. "To choose service members on other grounds than military qualifications is social policy and has no place in our military," Carter said at the time. Before becoming defense secretary, Carter served as deputy defense secretary and chief operating officer in the Pentagon. Since leaving public service, Carter led the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard's Kennedy School.

☆ Saudi king names crown prince as prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (not pictured) at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, July 26, 2022. REUTERS/Louiza VradiSept 27 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziznamed his son and heir Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the kingdom's prime minister and his second son Prince Khalid as defense minister, a royal decree said on Tuesday. The reshuffle kept another son, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, as energy minister, theroyal decree, carried by state news agency SPA, said. Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan and Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih remained unchanged, the decree showed. Prince Khalid bin Salman, MbS's younger brother, previously served as deputy defense minister.

☆ NASA, Russian space agency sign deal to share space station flights - Roscosmos
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-15 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The NASA logo is seen at Kennedy Space Center ahead of the NASA/SpaceX launch of a commercial crew mission to the International Space Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., April 16, 2021. REUTERS/Joe SkipperJuly 15 (Reuters) - NASA and Russia's space agency Roscosmos have signed a long-sought agreement to integrate flights to the International Space Station, allowing Russian cosmonauts to fly on U.S.-made spacecraft in exchange for American astronauts being able to ride on Russia's Soyuz, the agencies said Friday. The two agencies had previously shared astronaut seats on the U.S. shuttle and the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The U.S. space agency has said having at least one Russian and one American aboard the space station is crucial to keeping the laboratory running. "Flying integrated crews ensures there are appropriately trained crew members on board the station for essential maintenance and spacewalks," NASA said in a statement on Friday.

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