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☆ Wounded Russians are being sent back to Ukraine with major injuries like punctured lungs and shrapnel still in their bodies, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Wounded Russian soldiers are being sent to Ukraine to fight despite their injuries, according to a report. Soldiers with damaged lungs and shrapnel wounds have been returned to the frontline. The presidential Human Rights Council in Russia is investigating the matter, a council member said. There have also been cases of soldiers receiving treatment for ulcers, heart attacks, and strokes being sent back to Ukraine, she said. In November, Army Gen. Mark Milley, the highest-ranking US military officer, estimated that "well over" 100,000 Russian soldiers had been killed or wounded in the war in Ukraine, according to The Washington Post.

☆ Factbox: Who is Russia's new war commander Gerasimov and why was he appointed?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Gerasimov's deputies will be Army General Sergei Surovikin, the previous theatre commander, appointed three months ago and nicknamed "General Armageddon"; Army General Oleg Salyukov; and Deputy Chief of the General Staff Colonel-General Alexei Kim. "Now the General Staff is directly and uncompromisingly responsible for absolutely everything," said Semyon Pegov, a Russian military blogger who uses the name Wargonzo. Gerasimov was appointed chief of the general staff and deputy defence minister by Putin on Nov. 9, 2012, three days after Putin's long-time ally Sergei Shoigu was made defence minister. Gerasimov played key roles in Russia's seizure of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and in Russia's game-changing military support for President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian Civil War. Gerasimov was born on Sept. 8, 1955, in Kazan, rising through the ranks from Russia's tank forces to graduate in 1997 from the Military Academy of the General Staff.

☆ The war in Ukraine could be decided this year, former US Army general says, warning of dire consequences if Russia faces defeat
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia's war with Ukraine could come to a conclusion this year, according to a former US Army general. The Kremlin would likely turn to nuclear weapons if Moscow faces defeat in the conflict, he said. Ryan explained: "Both sides are still too strong to agree to say that they don't have a shot at winning this war. Or is it more dangerous that the Russian military should be defeated in the field and destroyed?" Russia suffered a brutal defeat at the end of World War I and "it helped bring to power the communist regime in Russia," Ryan said, adding, "Russia being destroyed — its military being destroyed — would greatly weaken the country and cause internal revolt."

There are no active House lawmakers. Other business in the House is paralyzed, as well, and the rules that previously governed the lower chamber have expired. Some members worry they and their staff members will stop receiving paychecks if the new Republican majority remains unable to elect a speaker. Incoming House Rules Committee Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., said members are expecting to get paid through Jan. 13. Some lawmakers are asking questions about whether their staffers will be covered by health care if the Republican impasse drags on.

☆ It's been two years since rioters stormed the Capitol. Here's 5 things we've learned about the insurrection in the past year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In a speech given near the White House on January 6, Trump said he'd join protestors and march with them to the Capitol, though his march never occurred. "White House staff knew it, and so did every other Republican and Democratic leader in Washington." "After our last hearing, President Trump tried to call a witness in our investigation — a witness you have not yet seen in these hearings. That person declined to answer or respond to President Trump's call and, instead, alerted their lawyer to the call," Cheney said. Hutchinson also said that former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows asked for a pardon, along with Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani.

☆ Everything that could go wrong as the House speaker fight leaves the chamber leaderless
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

House lawmakers are still not agreed on who will lead them. The lack of a speaker of the House has some very real consequences. White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby tamped down on any "significant risks" related to the delay. As we indicated above, the House can't pass its rules until it has a speaker. But House lawmakers have complained that they are unable to effectively coordinate due to their current unofficial status.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are sounding the alarm about how a nonfunctional House hurts national security. "If a national security crisis arises, the President of the United States is right down the street," he said. "I'm informed by House Security that, technically, I don't have a clearance," Gallagher, a former Marine Corps intelligence officer, told reporters. "I'm a member of the [House Intelligence Committee], I'm on the Armed Services Committee, and I can't meet in the SCIF to conduct essential business." "President Xi says, 'Our system of governance works because democracy don't,'" Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, told reporters.

☆ Members of congress say they are unable to receive classified information as Kevin McCarthy loses 6th vote to become House speaker in 2 days
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Members of Congress are speaking out about the myriad issues caused by the House speaker vote. Following Rep. McCarthy's sixth failed bid on Wednesday, there are zero sworn members of Congress. There are currently no members of the Congress, as swearing-in ceremonies have been delayed while the quest to elect a House speaker has dragged on. And on Wednesday, several members of Congress said that the procedural hold-up and GOP infighting have restricted their access to classified information and key national security intel. By Wednesday evening, McCarthy had failed in six consecutive bids to become House speaker.

☆ Gen. Mark Milley said he had calls with up to 60 different countries during the chaotic 2020 election period, assuring them the US was 'not going to do something crazy'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Gen. Mark Milley said he spoke with his counterparts in up to 60 countries after the 2020 election. Milley told the January 6 committee there was "great concern" overseas on the stability of the US. The theme of the calls was "steady in the saddle, safe landing, peaceful transfer of power," he said. Milley told the committee his calls with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo increased after the election. Milley added that the theme of the calls was "steady in the saddle, safe landing, peaceful transfer of power, all of that."

☆ Russia blames its soldiers' mobile phone use for deadly missile strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Bogdan Kochubey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Moscow previously said 63 Russian soldiers were killed in the weekend strike. The Russian defence ministry said four Ukrainian missiles hit a temporary Russian barracks in a vocational college in Makiivka, twin city of the Russian-occupied regional capital of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine's military has said it launched a strike that resulted in Russian loss of equipment and possibly personnel near Makiivka. A little known patriotic group which supports the widows of Russian soldiers is calling on Putin to order a large-scale mobilisation of millions of men and to close the borders to ensure victory in Ukraine. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said Washington had seen reports "that the Ukrainian military struck a Russian military barracks that stored ammunition inside of Ukrainian territory" and led to many Russian deaths.

☆ Gen. Mark Milley said there were talks about court-martialing former military officers who wrote 'very critical' op-eds of Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Gen. Mark Milley said there were talks of retaliating against retired officers critical of Trump. Several former military officers wrote up-eds criticizing Trump during his presidency. Milley said he was concerned about politicization of the military in his testimony before the January 6 committee. Milley responded by saying he was concerned about the politicization of the military, and that the issue had come up during the Trump administration after op-eds written by retired military officers were "very critical of then President Trump." Milley did not specify which retired military officers were considered for court-martialing, but several wrote critical op-eds of Trump during his time in office.

☆ Russia-Ukraine war has shocked Putin — and military vets like me
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( John Nagl | John Nagl Is A Retired Army Officer | Associate Professor Of Warfighting Studies At The Army War College. These Views Are His Own | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

I was mostly convinced that the brave and strong Ukrainians would fall to the inexorable logic of numbers in war. The Russian military did not plan for a prolonged fight. The Russian military also did not train for a prolonged fight. Putin’s efforts to restore the Russian military to its Soviet-era glory have been marred by corruption. The United States is again supplying arms to a brave people resisting a Russian invasion.

☆ House Jan. 6 committee found military officials were concerned Trump would use troops to overturn the election
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The House January 6 committee found evidence that top military officials had "genuine concerns" about Trump using the military to overturn the election. The revelation adds further context to why top officials were so outspoken about clarifying the military's role. "Again, at this time, there is no evidence the Department of Defense understood exactly what President Trump and his associates planned for January 6th." . . and the employment of forces, and you know, that was something that we were all, you know, conscious of," McCarthy told the committee. "They may try, but they're not going to f**king succeed," Milley told his deputies, according to the book.

☆ Zelenskyy address to Congress about Ukraine-Russia war doesn't mean the U.S. has no limits
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Daniel R. Depetris | Daniel R. Depetris Is A Fellow At Defense Priorities | A Foreign Affairs Columnist For Newsweek. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Zelenskyy then received a rousing welcome on Capitol Hill before he made a prime-time address to a joint meeting of Congress. America has been Ukraine’s primary security benefactor since Russian President Vladimir Putin opted for a war of choice that is failing in all respects. The U.S., however, has other national security priorities beyond aiding a Ukrainian military victory, however morally satisfying it would be. Given these priorities, the Biden administration would prefer the war in Ukraine end in a diplomatic settlement to short-circuit a long, drawn out and even more catastrophically destructive war. Indeed, with Republicans taking control of the House next year, skepticism of U.S. aid for Ukraine is likely to intensify.

☆ Zelenskyy visited the frontline to see Ukrainian troops in one of his riskiest trips since the war began
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise visit to the frontline Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on Tuesday. Russian forces have spent months attacking the city, and fighting has recently intensified. Zelenskyy spent the risky trip presenting several Ukrainian soldiers with medals. Zelenskyy posted photographs to his Telegram on Tuesday showing him shaking hands with Ukrainian soldiers and awarding them medals in Bakhmut. For months, Russian forces have been trying to capture Bakhmut, a city with a pre-war population of over 70,000 people in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region.

☆ A Biden admin official recently told members of Congress Ukraine has the military capability to take back Crimea
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Carol-Lee-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Carol E. Lee | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

The late November Ukraine briefing to some members of Congress included discussion of the reasons Ukraine will continue to need U.S. weapons and equipment for the foreseeable future. Administration officials say they believe three recent deadly drone strikes against Russian military bases were carried out by Ukrainians, although they say it’s still not clear whether the Zelenskyy government ordered them directly. Senior U.S. military officers and Western governments say Ukraine has shown ingenuity and grit in fighting a larger, better-armed military and quickly incorporated new weapons systems provided by NATO members. If Ukraine made more advances against Russian forces in eastern and southern Ukraine, it could be better placed to eventually strike at Crimea, experts and a U.S. official said. In October, Ukraine indirectly claimed credit for damaging the Kerch Bridge in eastern Crimea, which connects it to mainland Russia.

☆ An elite Russian military brigade was basically 'wiped out,' taking so many losses in Ukraine that it will 'take years to rebuild,' report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An elite Russian brigade suffered so many losses in Ukraine that it will take years to rebuild. The 200th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade is one of many high-profile units that saw heavy depletion. But despite these advantages, the 200th suffered greatly in the months of combat that would follow. "Nothing of that brigade is left," Col. Pavlo Fedosenko, the commander of Ukraine's 92nd Mechanized Brigade, told The Post in a recent interview. That figure echoes a similar estimate from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, the highest-ranking US general, who said last month that over 100,000 Russian soldiers had been "killed and wounded."

☆ Syrian rebels say anti-ISIS operations with the U.S. have stopped and ISIS fighters may escape from prisons and a refugee camp
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

If security forces abandon the prisons and refugee camps, thousands of ISIS fighters could be released into Syria and threaten the region and the West, say U.S. military officials. Syrian Kurdish Asayish security forces inspect tents at the Kurdish-run al-Hol camp on Aug. 28, during a security campaign by the Syrian Democratic Forces against ISIS "sleeper cells" in the camp. Three U.S. military officials say, however, that patrols with the SDF continued at a reduced rate and without aggressive counter-ISIS missions. So far, the Syrian rebels and the U.S. military say they have not seen signs of de-escalation from the Turks. But if Turkish military operations escalate, say U.S. officials, more SDF fighters will move toward the border, leaving detention facilities and refugee camps with inadequate security, say U.S. officials.

☆ More than 10,000 Ukrainian troops killed in war, official says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Late Thursday, Mykhailo Podolyak, a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, relayed new figures about Ukrainian soldiers killed in battle, while noting that the number of injured troops was higher and civilian casualty counts were “significant.”Family members of soldiers attend a memorial event in Kyiv. Jeff J. Mitchell / Getty Images file“We have official figures from the general staff, we have official figures from the top command, and they amount to between 10,000 and 12,500-13,000 killed,” Podolyak told Channel 24. The Ukrainian military has not confirmed such figures and it was a rare instance of a Ukrainian official providing such a count. In the eastern Donetsk region, Ukrainian governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said Russian shelling has intensified significantly. And in northeastern Kharkiv province, officials said that Russian shelling injured two women.

☆ Biden's offer to talk to Putin is a trial balloon to end war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden has floated a trial balloon to President Vladimir Putin to determine whether Russia, after months of battlefield losses and stalled gains, is ready to end its invasion of Ukraine. "I'm prepared to speak with Mr. Putin if in fact there is an interest in him deciding he's looking for a way to end the war. Where does he find himself in a position he does not, not only lose face but lose significant power in Russia," Biden said at a Democratic fundraiser in New York in October. Biden, who talks regularly to Ukraine President Volodomyr Zelenskiy, has previously been clear he defers to Ukraine's wishes. "There’s no — nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine," Biden said Nov. 14, when asked about possible negotiations.

☆ Biden trial balloon to Putin on Ukraine appears to quickly pop
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden floated a trial balloon to President Vladimir Putin intended to determine whether Russia, after months of battlefield losses and stalled gains, is ready to end its invasion of Ukraine. Biden and his national security advisers have wondered for months what it would take to entice Putin into a diplomatic off-ramp. Where does he find himself in a position he does not, not only lose face but lose significant power in Russia," Biden said at a Democratic fundraiser in New York in October. Biden, who talks regularly to Ukraine President Volodomyr Zelenskiy, has previously been clear he defers to Ukraine's wishes. "There’s no — nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine," Biden said Nov. 14, when asked about possible negotiations.

☆ As Ukrainian forces recaptured a key town, another elite Russian unit appears to have gone through 'the meat grinder'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russian troops in Lyman and those who retreated took heavy losses, including an elite GRU unit. In just a few days, Ukrainian forces liberated hundreds of square miles of territory and scores of villages. Its cadre of Spetsnaz commandos is among the best in the Russian military. Competent special operators require years of basic and advanced military training, as well as training tailored to their mission sets. The Russian military as a whole is taking a battering in Ukraine, though casualty estimates vary widely.

☆ A hotline set up between Russian and US militaries at the start of the Ukraine war has been used just once, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia and the US set up a "deconfliction" hotline shortly after Putin's invasion of Ukraine began. But the hotline has only been used once since then, a US official told Reuters. That missile blast, which triggered global concern, was likely caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the time. Both the Russian Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Milley and his counterpart, Russian General Valery Gerasimov, have spoken on two occasions since the start of the war, the outlet said.

☆ Ukraine is getting more THeMIS robots, ground vehicles that Russian troops have been offered $16,000 to capture
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine will receive 14 more THeMIS unmanned ground vehicles, manufacturer Milrem Robotics said Tuesday. A Russian think tank previously offered a bounty for the capture of one of these vehicles. "Automating these tasks with unmanned vehicles alleviates that danger and allows more soldiers to stay in a safe area or be tasked for more important activities." Evacuation robot (unmanned ground vehicle) THeMIS seen on a dusty road during the field tests in Kyiv, Ukraine. At the time, a spokesperson for Milrem Robotics told Insider: "We take the bounty as a compliment."

Reuters is the first to report on the use of the deconfliction line, beyond regular testing. SEVERAL WAYS TO COMMUNICATEThe deconfliction line is just one of several ways the U.S. and Russia militaries still have to communicate. Other military channels include rare high-level talks between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union maintained such hot lines at different levels. Vershbow drew a comparison to the far more active deconfliction line for Syria, where U.S. and Russian military forces sometimes operate in the same airspace or terrain.

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