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☆ Russia Presses Attacks in Northeast Ukraine, Seeking Buffer Zone on Border
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Ukrainian Army said on Saturday that Russian troops had tried to break through its defenses near the village of Lyptsi, which lies directly north of Kharkiv. It said the attacks had been repelled, but maps of the battlefield compiled by independent groups analyzing publicly available video of the fighting showed that Russian troops had almost reached the outskirts of the village. Ukraine’s Khartia Brigade, which is defending Lyptsi, posted a video on Telegram on Friday afternoon that it said showed Russian soldiers advancing on the village on foot, and attacking in small groups between tree lines. The brigade said it had targeted the Russians with rockets, forcing them to withdraw. Russian troops opened a new front in Ukraine’s northeast a week ago, surging across the border and quickly capturing about 10 settlements in what Ukrainian officials and military analysts described as an attempt to stretch Ukraine’s already outnumbered forces.

Persons: Lyptsi Organizations: Ukrainian Army, Ukraine’s Khartia Brigade Locations: Ukraine, Kharkiv, Ukraine’s, Lyptsi

☆ Ukraine’s foreign minister blames ‘everyone who is not doing enough’ for recent battlefield setbacks
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Eve Brennan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Kuleba’s comments come after Moscow has ramped up its offensive in northern Ukraine. Vovchansk, in the northern Kharkiv region, has faced an onslaught, with Russian forces claiming to control surrounding villages, forcing civilians to flee. A pillar of smoke rises from behind apartment blocks after the shelling of Russian troops in Kharkiv on Friday. Ukrinform/NurPhoto/Getty ImagesAnalysts say Russia was prepared for the hiatus in Western military aid to Ukraine and has exploited it for its own gain. It comes as Kyiv’s forces are thinly stretched, with much less artillery than the Russians, inadequate air defenses and a lack of soldiers.

Persons: Dmytro Kuleba, “, ” Kuleba, Jim Sciutto, ” George Barros, Kuleba, ”, Ogirenko, Tim Lister Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian, Lennart, Conference, Russian, Kharkiv, Getty, Analysts, Institute for, Ukraine Locations: Tallinn, Estonia, Ukraine, Moscow, Vovchansk, Kharkiv, Russia, Washington, Ukrainian, Donetsk region

☆ In Beijing, Xi and Putin left no question of their close alignment in a divided world
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Putin’s two-day state visit comes as Western leaders have leant on Xi to ensure that soaring exports from his country aren’t propping up the Russian war effort – a claim Beijing denies. Putin also traveled to Beijing with top security officials who the Russian president said Thursday would join informal talks on Ukraine. Beijing, which says it is neutral on the war, has repeatedly defended its trade with Russia as part of normal bilateral relations. Xi, analysts say, is seeking to keep Putin as a close partner, while not stepping over Western red lines. For that reason, she added, “he’s okay with on-going dependency between Russia and China – and with inequality in this relationship.”

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin’s, Xi, Putin, Putin’s, Andrey Belousov, Sergey Shoigu, “ Putin, he’s, Kurt Volker, “, ”, Alexandra Prokopenko Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, United, –, Israel, Hamas, Russian, Russian Security, Chinese Communist Party, Chinese Foreign Ministry, Observers, CNN, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, United States, Taiwan, Gaza, Russian, China, ”, Russia, North Korea, Ukraine, China’s Harbin, Siberia, Europe

☆ Russian forces use border-town captives as ‘human shields,’ Ukrainian officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Mariya Knight | Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Vovchansk, in the northern Kharkiv region, has faced an onslaught, with Russian forces claiming to control surrounding villages, forcing civilians to flee. The details came a day after Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said Russians are taking civilians captive in northern Vovchansk. Russia has not commented on its troops using civilians as human shields or targeting those trying to evacuate. Russian forces launched airstrikes on Kharkiv Friday, killing at least three people and injuring 28, mayor Ihor Terekhov said in a Telegram post. He also said there may be several waves of Russian attacks on the region, and emphasized the need for Patriot missile systems to push Russian troops out of Kharkiv.

Persons: Serhii Bolvinov, ” Bolvinov, Bolvinov, Ihor Klymenko, ” Klymenko, Ihor Terekhov, Oleh Syniehubov, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Russian, Kharkiv, police, Suspilne, Ukraine’s, ” Police, Russian Defense Ministry, AFP, Patriot, The United States Locations: Vovchansk, Moscow, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Ukrainian, Russian, Russia

☆ A top NATO general says Russian troops don't have the numbers or the skills to mount a strategic breakthrough in Kharkiv
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A top NATO general says Russia won't be able to achieve a "strategic breakthrough" in Kharkiv. US Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli said Russia just doesn't have the numbers or skills to pull it off. Last month, Cavoli told Congress that the Russian army is 15% bigger than when it invaded Ukraine. AdvertisementRussian forces are unlikely to achieve a "strategic breakthrough" in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, a top NATO general said on Thursday. "The Russians don't have the numbers necessary to do a strategic breakthrough," US Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels, per Reuters.

Persons: Christopher Cavoli, Cavoli, — Organizations: NATO, US, Service, Allied, Reuters, Business Locations: Russia, Kharkiv, Ukraine, Ukraine's Kharkiv, Brussels

Ukraine has asked the Biden administration to provide more intelligence on the position of Russian forces and military targets inside Russia as Ukrainian troops struggle to hold ground in the war, according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials. A group of Ukrainian Parliament members also met with members of Congress in Washington to press for the United States to allow Kyiv to use American weapons in Russia. Ukraine’s requests have become more urgent in recent weeks as Russia has taken advantage of delays in shipments of American weapons and intensified military operations in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine. But White House officials said the administration’s longstanding policy remained unchanged: The United States is not encouraging or enabling attacks inside Russia. American officials, seeking to avoid escalating the war, have insisted they do not want U.S. weapons used in cross-border attacks or their intelligence reports used to target sites in Russia.

Persons: Biden Organizations: White Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Washington, United States, Kyiv, Kharkiv, U.S

☆ Russia-Ukraine war live updates: Ukraine’s Kharkiv hit by drones during longest air raid alert of the war; Putin praises Russia-China cooperation
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Russian forces on Friday continued to attack Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv, according to its regional governor, with Ukrainian forces repelling several ground attacks in the northeastern region. The reported attacks come as Russian forces seek to build on recent gains in the strategically important region. Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov said in a Google-translated post via Telegram that at least five drone strikes had hit the city overnight. An air raid alert in the city of Kharkiv lasted more than 16-and-a-half hours, Reuters reported, citing Ukraine's public broadcaster Suspilne. It marked the longest recorded air alert since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Persons: Ukraine's, Oleh Syniehubov Organizations: Kharkiv, CNBC, Reuters, Suspilne, Russia Locations: Kharkiv, Ukraine

☆ Russia-Ukraine war: Exclusive satellite images show destroyed jets and building at Belbek airbase
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Paul P. Murphy | Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Satellite images exclusively obtained by CNN show three destroyed Russian jets and damaged buildings at Belbek airbase in occupied port city of Sevastopol on Wednesday. Satellite images exclusive to CNN show destroyed jets and building at Belbek Airbase in Crimea on May 15, 2024. Satellite image ©2024 Maxar TechnologiesSatellite images exclusive to CNN show destroyed jets and building at Belbek Airbase in Crimea on May 15, 2024. Satellite images exclusive to CNN show destroyed jets and building at Belbek Airbase in Crimea on May 15, 2024. Satellite image ©2024 Maxar TechnologiesSatellite images exclusive to CNN show destroyed jets and building at Belbek Airbase in Crimea on May 15, 2024.

Persons: Mikhail Razvozhaev, “, ” Razvozhaev, Belbek, Dmytro Pletenchuk, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, don’t, Christopher Cavoli, ” Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian, ” CNN, Black, NATO, Allied Locations: Sevastopol, Crimea, Russia, Belbek, Russian, Belbek Airbase, Ukrainian, Atesh, Moscow, Ukraine, Azov, Kharkiv, Vovchansk, Ukraine’s, Brussels, Beijing, China

☆ Zelensky Signs Law Allowing Convicts to Fight for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday signed into law a bill allowing some Ukrainian convicts to serve in the country’s military in exchange for the possibility of parole at the end of their service, a move that highlight’s Kyiv’s desperate attempts to replenish its forces after more than two years of war. Parliament passed the bill last week, and political analysts were unsure whether Mr. Zelensky would enact it given the sensitivity of the matter. The measure echoes a practice that Russia has widely used to bolster its forces and that Ukraine ridiculed at the beginning of the war. Ukrainian officials have said the measure could allow up to 20,000 prisoners to be mobilized. Mr. Zelensky also enacted a law on Friday that increases fines for evading the draft.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, highlight’s, Zelensky Organizations: Ukrainian, dodgers Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian

☆ Exclusive satellite images show destroyed Russian jets and building at Crimean airbase
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Paul P. Murphy | Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Launching an offensive into the Kharkiv region, Russian forces quickly advanced several kilometers, managing to reoccupy several villages that were liberated during Ukraine’s successful offensive in September 2022. By threatening Ukraine’s second most populous city, Russia hopes to pin Ukrainian resources in the region, exposing the front elsewhere. While Russia lacks the forces to assault the city itself, the operation is designed to create a dilemma. This risks leaving Ukrainian forces in Donetsk even more vulnerable if Russia commits its reserves in that direction. Russian forces are also applying pressure near Kupiansk, to Kharkiv’s east, and in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia.

Persons: Ukraine’s Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Russia, Donetsk, Kupiansk, Sumy, Chernihiv

☆ Defending in Its North, Ukraine Faces Pressure All Along Front Line
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Maria Varenikova | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ukrainian forces said on Thursday that they were slowing the pace of an offensive push by Russia in their country’s northeast, even as they struggled to contain new Russian assaults at several other locations on the front line, with Moscow seeking to stretch Kyiv’s troops to break through their defenses. The Ukrainian military reported late Wednesday that it had repelled four ground attacks in the northeastern Kharkiv region, where Russian forces surged across the border last week and quickly captured a dozen or so villages and about 50 square miles of territory. “Over the course of the day, our Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine — all units involved — have managed to partially stabilize the situation,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address on Wednesday evening. “Our attention is constantly focused on the front line, on all combat zones.”Ukrainian civilians who were evacuated on Thursday said that Russian forces had been fighting in small units that slip through the forest and into villages. They have popped up unexpectedly on streets in the town of Vovchansk, a village a dozen miles to the east of Kharkiv city that is now contested between the two armies.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: Russian, Defense and Security Forces Locations: Russia, Moscow, Kharkiv, Ukraine, Vovchansk

☆ Zelenskyy canceled all his foreign trips, a sign things are critically bad for Ukraine right now
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

This has given Russian forces the chance to make small but steady gains. It's one of 30 settlements that have seen heavy bombardment by Russian forces, Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Monday. AdvertisementHolding on until Western aid comesMeanwhile, chronic delays in Western support has left Ukraine badly under-supplied in ammunition. Advertisement"This year represents a window of opportunity for Russia," military analyst Michael Kofman told the Times. "But if the Russian military is not able to turn these advantages into battlefield gains and generate momentum, there's a fair chance that this window will begin to close as we enter 2025."

Persons: —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy's, Sergii Nykyforov, Nykyforov, EFE, King Felipe VI of Spain, Zelenskyy, Hamish de Bretton Gordon, Bretton Gordon, Vladimir Putin, George Barros, Chasiv Yar, Kyryo Budanov, Oleh Syniehubov, Ann Marie Dailey, Russia's, Emmanuel Macron's, de Bretton Gordon, Michael Kofman Organizations: Service, Business, Telegraph, British, Institute, Associated Press, New York Times, BBC, Kharkiv, RAND, Fleet, Russian, Politico, Times Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Spanish, Portugal, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Chasiv Yar, Vovchansk, Russian, Ukraine's, prevarication, it's

☆ Ukraine's getting more longe-range missiles that leave the Russians with 'nowhere to hide'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The number of missiles isn't publicly known, but ATACMS missiles average about $1.3 million each. These air-dropped missiles can fly at low altitudes to avoid detection and have been used to strike Russian naval headquarters and vehicle-repair depots in the occupied Crimean peninsula. The arrival of Storm Shadow missiles — and, several months later, ATAMCS — presented new challenges for Moscow, but Ukraine has received so few it has had to bee choosy over what to target. Indeed, Kyiv has used the American missiles in recent weeks to strike Russian airfields and troop gatherings. Missiles like ATACMS and Storm Shadow "will enable Ukraine to neutralize Russia's advantages and eventually enable them to regain the initiative," he added.

Persons: —, Ben Hodges, John Hamilton The, Jake Sullivan, Grant Shapps, Ben Stansall, Dan Rice, you've, Rice, ATAMCS —, Serhii, Hodges, Moscow's, Jack Watling, Watling Organizations: Service, US, Business, US Army, Army Tactical Missile System, White, MGM, Tactical Missile Systems, Biden administration's, Republicans, Congress, Kyiv, General Staff, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Storm, Shadow, Farnborough, American University Kyiv, Artillery Rocket Systems, Getty, Missiles, Russian Defense Ministry, Royal United Services Institute Locations: Ukraine, New Mexico, Washington, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Italy, France, Crimean, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Donetsk Oblast, Berlin, Avdiivka, Anadolu, Kharkiv

☆ Opinion: Putin’s lightning assault jolts Europe awake
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

View more opinion on CNNCNN —It was a carefully choreographed show of force in Beijing Thursday as Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived for yet another meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. Frida Ghitis CNNOn Wednesday, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times and gravely wounded in an assassination attempt. Russia’s lightning assault, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who cancelled all his foreign travel, aims to force Ukraine to stretch its defenses. Security officers move Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in a car after the assassination attempt in Handlova, Slovakia, on Wednesday May 15. Every day, the stark reality that what began in Ukraine will change Europe for years to come becomes more inescapable.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Robert Fico, Fico, Putin, —, Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, David Cameron, “, Fico —, Radovan Stoklasa, Sergei Shoigu, Andrey Belousov, laughably, Rishi Sunak, Mark Rutte, Russia's, Alexander Ryumin, Emmanuel Macron, ”, Mikko Heiskanen, Xi Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, CNN CNN, Frida Ghitis CNN, Wednesday, Slovakian, Kyiv, British, Putin, Kremlin, Moscow, European Union, Reuters, Europe, Russia, Republicans, Russian, West, NATO, Institute for, ” Locations: Beijing, Europe, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Russia, Georgia, Soviet Republic, Moscow, Moldova, Slovak, Slovakia, “, Handlova, Iran, North Korea, China, Norway, London, British, Netherlands, ”, Germany, Berlin, Finland

For the Ukrainian border town of Vovchansk, they’re getting worse. Locals in the town lived through occupation and liberation for seven grueling months in 2022. The Russian military claims the action has left close to a dozen villages under its control. Maria, 85, evacuates the Ukrainian town of Vovchansk. The Russians held our boys there.” There has been widespread reporting of mistreatment of Ukrainian civilians under Russian occupation, allegations the Kremlin has typically dismissed as fake.

Persons: they’re, Vladimir Putin’s, Mykola, –, “, ”, Maksim, Maria, haltingly, Inna, they’ve, Vovchansk Organizations: Ukraine CNN —, Locals, CNN, Russian Locations: Vovchansk, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Moscow, Kyiv, Russia, Kharkiv

☆ Ukraine Says It Is Engaged in Fierce Fighting With Russia in Northeast
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After surging across the border last week, Russia’s army appears to be advancing more slowly in northeastern Ukraine, Ukrainian officials and military analysts said on Wednesday, with the two sides engaged in fierce combat around villages about five miles from the border. In a sign of the concern that Russia’s northeastern offensive is causing in Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine canceled his participation in all international events for the coming days, including a visit on Friday to Spain where he was expected to sign a security agreement. Civilians continued to flee areas of northeastern Ukraine under heavy shelling by Russian forces, the Ukrainian officials said, warning that their troops had to contain relentless assaults and that the situation on the ground could change fast. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, told Ukrainian television on Tuesday that conditions in the area under attack were moving “toward stabilization,” with additional Ukrainian units being rushed in to repel Russian advances. But he added that “the situation is quite tense and is changing very quickly.”

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Kyrylo Budanov, ” Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Spain, Russian

☆ Mapping Russia’s Sudden Push Across Ukrainian Lines
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Marco Hernandez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Mapping Russia’s Sudden Push Across Ukrainian LinesAll of a sudden, Russian forces are making progress in many directions at once. Vovchansk RUSSIAN TROOPS Ohirtseve RUSSIAN ADVANCE MAY 14 RUSSIA Another line of Russian attack was near the town of Krasne. UKRAINE Tykhe RUSSIA Vovchansk Ohirtseve RUSSIAN TROOPS Another line of Russian attack was near the town of Krasne. The real goal may be to divert already-weakened Ukrainian forces from critical battles elsewhere. Russia’s broad range of attacks appears to be stretching Ukrainian forces thin.

Persons: Shestakove, Slatyne Rohan Derhachi, RUSSIA Vovchansk, Franz, Stefan Gady, Chasiv Yar, Kyrylo Budanov, ”, “ Organizations: Slatyne Rohan Derhachi Kharkiv, American, New York, Ukrainian, Kharkiv Kupiansk, RUSSIA, Makiivka Donetsk Locations: Kharkiv, Ukraine’s, UKRAINE, Russia, Ohirtseve, RUSSIA, Krasne, Hlyboke, Kut, Slatyne Rohan Derhachi Kharkiv, Ukraine, Avdiivka, Donetsk, RUSSIA Russian, Vienna, “, Chasiv Yar

☆ This year's biggest air battles are showing the US what it could need most in a missile war with China
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jake Epstein | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, FileThe war has shown how effective air defenses can be at denying air superiority, protecting key areas, and threatening high-value aircraft, as well as the costs when capabilities are degraded. Ukraine's air defenses, like its Soviet-era S-300s and US-supplied Patriots, have defeated enemy missile and drone strikes, hindered Russian air operations, and shot down numerous fighter-bombers and other Russian planes. "Ukraine and NATO might reduce risks with a two-prong strategy of strengthening air defenses and boosting infrastructure resilience." Needing more interceptors for the PacificFrom the fights this year, the US can see how it'll need to employ air defenses in a potential showdown with China. Running out of air defenses before the enemy runs out of air threats spells trouble.

Persons: —, Bradley Martin, Evgeniy, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Firefighters, Archer Macy, Martin, Shaan Shaikh, We've, Amir Cohen TPX, Shaikh, it's, Andy Wong, Thomas Shugart, Shugart, Joshua Smoot, Heath Collins, Navy Carlos Del Toro, Macy, Mark Wright Organizations: Service, Business, US Navy, Ukraine, AP, Patriots, Institute for, Emergency, Ministry, RAND Corporation, NATO, Western, Central Command, Combat, Navy, RAND, Patriot, US, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, REUTERS, China, Pentagon, Defense, Center, New, Air Force, 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, Andersen Air Force Base, US Air Force, Aegis, Missile Defense Agency, Former Navy, CSIS, Pacific Missile, AP Air Locations: China, Ukraine, Israel, Navy, Russia, Congress, Avdiivka, Kharkiv, Russian, Kyiv, NATO, Yemen, Gulf of Aden, Iran, Red, Screengrab, French, Ashdod, South Korea, Japan, Guam, Beijing, New American, Gen, Kauai, Hawaii

☆ Live updates: Russia's war in Ukraine, Blinken in Kyiv at crucial point
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | Michelle Shen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that his country urgently needs more air defenses as it faces increased attacks from Russia in the east. "Air defense (is) the biggest deficit for us. I think that the biggest problem is ... today we really need two Patriots for Kharkiv region because there are people under attack: civilians and warriors. They are under Russian missiles," Zelensky told reporters ahead of his meeting with Blinken. "Instead, Russian forces are exploiting the degradation of Ukraine’s air defense umbrella caused by continued delays in Western security assistance and appear to be leveraging tactical adaptations stemming from several months of Russian efforts to test Ukrainian air defenses," the Washington-based group said in a report.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Antony Blinken, Zelensky Organizations: Patriots, Ukraine Locations: Russia, Kharkiv, Russian, Washington

☆ Genius or madness? Why Putin wants an economist to be Russia's new defense minister at a key point in the war
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

But Putin's replacement of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was unexpected — and his choice of successor, civilian economist Andrei Belousov, was even more of a surprise. Russia's incoming Defense Minister Andrey Belousov. "Belousov's main goal is to secure [Russia's] military needs in terms of arms. The Kremlin announced on Sunday that Shoigu, Russia's defense minister since 2012, had been relieved of his post and would become secretary of Russia's influential Security Council. Prigozhin died last August in a plane crash after a short-lived and ill-fated rebellion against Russia's military leadership.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Miguel Diaz, Maxim Shemetov, Sergei Shoigu, Andrei Belousov, Belousov, Putin, Andrey Belousov, Shoigu, Belousov's, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Uralvagonzavod, Ramil Sitdikov, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Tatiana Stanovaya, Stanovaya, Nikolai Patrushev, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Ukraine —, Prigozhin, Valery Gerasimov, Mikhail Klimentyev Organizations: Cuban, Canel, Reuters, NATO, Institute for, Anadolu, Getty, Kremlin, Russian MoD, Defense Ministry, Sputnik, Afp, Staff, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, CNBC, Nazi, Security, Wagner Group, Russian Armed Forces, Russian Defence, Defence Ministry Board, National Defence Control Centre Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Washington, Kharkiv, Russian, Urals, Nizhny Tagil, Nazi Germany, Kremlin

☆ Ukraine Needs Money to Fight. Can Seized Russian Assets Help?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Steven Erlanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As much as $300 billion in Russian assets, frozen in the West since the invasion of Ukraine, is piling up profits and interest income by the day. Now, Europe and the United States are considering how to use those gains to aid the Ukrainian military as it wages a grueling battle against Russian forces. There has been a debate for months about whether it would be legal or even wise to confiscate the frozen assets altogether. They argue that confiscation would be a bad precedent, a violation of sovereignty and could lead to legal challenges, financial instability and retaliatory seizures of Western assets abroad. But proposals to seize and use the profits earned on those Russian assets — the interest on accumulated cash stemming from the sanctions, said Euroclear, a financial services company — are gaining considerable ground.

Persons: Christine Lagarde, Euroclear Organizations: Russian, European Central Bank Locations: West, Ukraine, Europe, United States, Britain, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia

Just 18 months ago, White House and Pentagon officials debated whether Russia’s forces in Ukraine might collapse and be pushed out of the country entirely. Now, after months of slow Russian ground advances and technological leaps in countering American-provided arms, the Biden administration is increasingly concerned that President Vladimir V. Putin is gathering enough momentum to change the trajectory of the war, and perhaps reverse his once-bleak prospects. In recent days, Moscow’s troops have opened a new push near the country’s second-biggest city, Kharkiv, forcing Ukraine to divert its already thinned-out troops to defend an area that it took back from Russian forces in a stunning victory in the fall of 2022. Artillery and drones provided by the United States and NATO have been taken out by Russian electronic warfare techniques, which came to the battlefield late but have proven surprisingly effective. And a monthslong debate in Washington about whether to send Ukraine a $61 billion package of arms and ammunition created an opening that Russia has clearly exploited, even though Congress ultimately passed the legislation.

Persons: Biden, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Pentagon, Artillery, NATO Locations: House, Ukraine, Kharkiv, United States, Washington, Russia

☆ Ukraine's air-defense problems are letting Russia launch HIMARS-style deep strikes behind the front lines
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Ella Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewUkraine's struggling air-defenses have opened doors for the Russians to launch their own strikes similar to Ukraine's HIMARS attacks. AdvertisementWith better targeting, Russia is executing strikes behind the lines with Iskander tactical ballistic missiles and rocket launchers like the Tornado-S system. "There have been other notable strikes of a kind that Russia has long aspired to but rarely successfully executed." Russia was originally unable to defeat or conduct the same kind of strikes as Ukraine's HIMARS due to a lack of precision, targeting capabilities, and timely intel. "The outlook in Ukraine is bleak," Watling wrote.

Persons: —, Jack Watling, Serhii Mykhalchuk, Watling Organizations: Service, Business, Royal United Services Institute, Russian, Artillery Rocket Systems, Getty, intel Locations: Russia, London, Ukraine, Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Donbas

☆ Russia appears to be creating a 'buffer zone' to stop Ukraine raiding Russian towns, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Russian troops appear to be creating a "buffer zone" in northeast Ukraine, military experts said. The goal is likely to stop Ukraine from carrying out cross-border raids on Russian towns, they said. Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementRussian forces appear to be creating a "buffer zone" instead of pursuing deeper offensives in northeast Ukraine, likely in a bid to stop Ukraine from raiding Russian towns, military experts said.

Persons: — Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Business Locations: Ukraine, Belgorod, Kharkiv

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