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☆ Facing an Endless Barrage, Ukraine’s Air Defenses Are Withering
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Josh Holder | Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +13 min

Facing an Endless Barrage, Ukraine’s Air Defenses Are WitheringThis is what a year of Russian missile strikes on Ukraine looks like. Ukrainian air defenses used to intercept most missiles, but in recent months, more and more have made it through. Ukraine has made increasingly desperate pleas for more air defenses from its Western allies. But it could be months before enough weapons arrive to significantly bolster Ukrainian air defenses. Ukrainian air defenses downed the first seven — but had no choice but to let the next four pass, he said.

Persons: Jan, Volodymyr Zelensky, “, ”, Tom Karako, Maj, Ilya Yevlash, Konrad Muzyka, Odesa, Yevlash, Justin Bronk, Mr, Bronk, Barber Organizations: Russian, New York Times, Ukrainian Air Force, Patriot, United, Kremlin, PBS, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Ukrainian Air, Patriots, Rochan Consulting, Kyiv Kharkiv Dnipro Odesa, Kyiv Kharkiv Dnipro Odesa Kyiv, Kyiv Kharkiv Dnipro Kyiv, Royal United Services Institute Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, United States, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Washington, Poland, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Texas, London

☆ Biden Bans Chinese Bitcoin Mine Near U.S. Nuclear Missile Base
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Michael Forsythe | Gabriel J.X. Dance | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden on Monday ordered a company with Chinese origins to shut down and sell the Wyoming cryptocurrency mine it built a mile from an Air Force base that controls nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles. The cryptomining facility, which operates high-powered computers in a data center near the F.E. Warren base in Cheyenne, “presents a national security risk to the United States,” the president said in an executive order, because its equipment could be used for surveillance and espionage. The order did not detail those risks. But Microsoft’s report to the federal committee, obtained last year by The Times, said, “We suggest the possibility that the computing power of an industrial-level cryptomining operation, along with the presence of an unidentified number of Chinese nationals in direct proximity to Microsoft’s Data Center and one of three strategic-missile bases in the U.S., provides significant threat vectors.”

Persons: Biden, Warren, “ Organizations: Monday, Air Force, New York Times, Microsoft, Pentagon, Foreign Investment, The Times, Microsoft’s Data Locations: Wyoming, Cheyenne, United States, U.S

☆ The US Army's new plan to counter Russia and China has a glaring problem, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The 2024 Army Force Structure Transformation would be the Army's fifth major reorganization since 2003. The most striking aspect of the Army's plan is the large number of new units, for counter-drone protection as well as air and missile defense. In addition, there would be nine counter-small UAS batteries tasked with destroying small drones, and four more Maneuver Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) battalions to stop manned aircraft, helicopters and drones. Monica K. Guthrie/US ArmyThe Army is also basing its plans on untried weapons, such as the Long-Range Hypersonic Missile and air defense lasers. China and Russia have much stronger air and missile forces than the regional opponents the army has faced for the last generation."

Persons: Monica K, Mark Cancian, Cancian, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, US Army, 2024, Army, Business, Congressional Research Service, Congress, Air Defense, Domain, Forces, CRS, Special Operations Forces, Security Force, Guthrie, Energy, Center for Strategic, International Studies, US, Nuclear Forces, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Russia, China, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Forbes

☆ How the Israeli Air Force once destroyed over 60 enemy jets and dozens of Soviet missile systems in battle without losing a single fighter
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Israeli Air Force achieved an unmatched air combat victory in the 1982 Lebanon War. The battle, known as Operation Mole Cricket 19, saw over 60 enemy aircraft eliminated without a single Israeli loss. The fourth-generation Israeli jets were also made much more lethal by the AIM-9L Sidewinder missile that could be fired from any angle. This allowed Israeli jets, with targeting assistance from UAVs, to destroy the SAMs using anti-radiation missiles. A picture taken on June 28, 2016 shows an Israeli Air Force F-16 fighter jet preparing to take off at the Ramat David Air Force Base located in the Jezreel Valley, southeast of the Israeli port city of Haifa JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty ImagesAdditionally, Israel had superior Command, Control, and Communications (C3) capabilities.

Persons: —, SAMs, Haifa JACK GUEZ, hadn't, Israel, Organizations: Israeli Air Force, Mole, Service, Palestinian Liberation Organization, Soviet Union, Soviet, Syrian Air Force, IAF, AIM, 9L, Ramat David Air Force Base, Getty, Syrian SAM, Kippur, Command, Communications, Grumman, RAND Corporation Locations: Lebanon, Beqaa, Israel, Syria, Soviet, Vietnam, Jezreel, Haifa, AFP, Syrian

☆ Ukraine's pilots are flying high-risk 'wild weasel' missions first developed in the Vietnam War by the USAF, says defense analyst
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Eastern Ukraine, a Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 Wild Weasel fires off an AGM-88 HARM towards a Russian radar. (Summer ‘22) pic.twitter.com/IOeu7hzUxW — OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) February 8, 2024The US Air Force pioneered SEAD tactics in the Vietnam War. The term "wild weasel" originated from Project Wild Weasel. This US Air Force anti-SAM strategy used direct attacks to suppress enemy air defenses, according to the National Museum of the US Air Force. But, he added Ukraine's tactics "go far beyond the classic wild weasel missions of Anti-Radiation Missile equipped aircraft."

Persons: —, UkrAF Su, McDonnell Douglas, Stuart Lutz, Gado, Seaman Anthony N, Frederik Mertens, Mertens, William LaPlante, Justin Bronk, Bronk, Russian SAMs, James Hecker, Kajsa Ollongren, Putin Organizations: Service, Ukraine's, US Air Force, Radiation, Business, Ukrainian Air Force, Air, National Museum of, US Navy, US, U.S . Navy, Communication, Hague, Strategic Studies, Radiation Missile, Defense, Washington DC, Wild, Technology, Royal United Services Institute, Russian SAM, United States Air Forces, Air Force, Space, Rygge Air Force Base, OLE BERG, Getty, Dutch Defense Locations: Ukraine's Soviet, Eastern Ukraine, Russian, Ukraine, Ukrainian, treetop, Vietnam, Libya, Iraq, Yugoslavia, London, Europe, Romania, Norway, AFP, Netherlands, Vilnius, Denmark, Crimea, Kerch

☆ The US military isn't ready for the coming drone war
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

The Department of Defense is working on initiatives to face the drone threat, but the US military doesn't yet appear ready to confront this ever-evolving challenge, especially on the scale seen in Ukraine. AdvertisementA US military MQ-9 Reaper drone waits for take-off at Kandahar Air Base in Afghanistan on March 9, 2018. US military leaders have repeatedly stressed there's no silver bullet to defeat small drones in battle. Shellie HallStudents there spend several weeks learning how to identify, engage, and defeat small drones. The drone threat draws certain parallels to fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, where hidden bombs posed a tremendous threat.

Persons: GENYA SAVILOV, Mick Ryan, hasn't, you've, Franz J, Marty, Samuel Bendett, Paul Scharre, that's, Mike Parent, Mark Schauer, Parent, Paul Butcher, Cpl, Doug Bush, Amber Osei, Moseph Sauda, doesn't, Sauda, America's, Bram Janssen, Scharre, Justin Bronk, Jack Watling, Ryan Organizations: Business, Troops, of Defense, Department of Defense, Getty, Australian Army, Islamic State, Kandahar Air Base, Defense Ministry, Karabakh . Defense Ministry, Azerbaijan, AP, Pentagon, US Army, Aircraft Systems, Solutions, 71st Jaeger Brigade, US Army Yuma, Technology, Army, sUAS University, US Marine Corps, Force, Central Command, Shellie, National Training Center, US Army Air Defense Artillery, Center, New, New American Security, Base, London's Royal United Services Institute Locations: Russian, Ukrainian, Ukraine, prowling, Jordan, Chasiv Yar, Donetsk, AFP, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Avdiivka, Yuma, East, Oklahoma's Fort Sill, California, Fort Sill, China, Luhansk Region, Europe, Iran, New American, Iraq, Washington, Bagram, Kabul, Australian

☆ Russia keeps accidentally dropping bombs on its own people as it struggles to hit intended targets, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In early May, reports circulated that Russia had accidentally bombed its own territory in Belgorod. UK intelligence said such instances highlight Russia's struggles to employ munitions on intended targets. AdvertisementThere have been numerous reports over the last year of incidents of Russian aircraft accidentally dropping bombs and missiles on Russian civilian areas around border regions with Ukraine. Belgorod, a region of Russia close to the besieged northeastern Ukrainian territory of Kharkiv, has borne the brunt of the apparent errors. It noted that increasing reports of such incidents likely pointed to fatigued troops and poor training.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Russian, Telegram, Astra, Russian FAB, Russian Defense Ministry, Getty, British Ministry of Defence, MoD Locations: Russia, Belgorod, It's, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Russian, Anadolu

☆ US F-16s could play a vital role in isolating Crimea and humiliating Putin, says defense analyst
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

US F-16s will have a big impact in helping Ukraine reclaim Crimea, an analyst told BI. AdvertisementThe delivery of US-made F-16s could play a crucial role in Ukraine's attempts to take back occupied Crimea, a defense expert told Business Insider. In the latest blow on Monday, Ukraine used an exploding naval drone to destroy a Russian military speedboat in Crimea. Explosion causes fire at the Kerch bridge in the Kerch Strait, Crimea on October 08, 2022. There are signs that these attacks are forcing Russia to rethink its use of the peninsula and the Kerch bridge.

Persons: —, Ukraine's, Frederik Mertens, Mertens, Putin, Vera Katkova, Molfar Organizations: Service, Hague, Strategic Studies, Kharkiv, US, The New York Times, Army Tactical Missile Systems, Sea, Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, AP, Fleet, Anadolu Agency, Getty Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, France, Romania, Kerch, Ukraine's, Russian, Russia, The, Sevastopol

☆ Ukraine was a magnet for foreign fighters. After 2 bruising years, many are disillusioned or dead.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Zelensky's International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine (ILDU) was born, echoing the International Brigades that fought fascism in the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s. According to Ukrainian officials, dozens of Ukrainians were killed and more than 100 foreign volunteers injured, ending their campaigns before they began. AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, FileUkraine originally said 20,000 foreign volunteers had signed up to fight. That could prove "very enticing" for some foreign volunteers, Bocchese said. AdvertisementAn April 2024 increases payments for Ukrainian volunteers, adds new punishments for draft dodging, and seeks to compel Ukrainian men living abroad to come home.

Persons: —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Carl Larson, Marco Bocchese, Rodrigo Abd, Bocchese, Matteo Pugliese, Pugliese, Larson, Oleksandr Shahuri, Zelenskyy, Lukatsky Organizations: Ukraine's, Service, Legion of Territorial Defense of, Brigades, Royal United Services Institute, International Legion, Legion, Webster Vienna Private University, AP, Washington Post, 59th Motorized Brigade, Company, University of Barcelona, Georgian Legion, International, Army, Green Beret, Navy SEAL, State Department, National Guard, Bolivar Battalion, Associated Press Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, Spanish, Ukraine's, London, Iraq, Kharkiv, Alabama, Russian, Lviv, Bucha, Kyiv, Austria, Montenegro, Kosovo, India, Latin America, Ukrainian, Lyman, Bolivar, Venezuela, Ecuador, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuelan

☆ US announces $400 million military aid package for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The US announced on Friday a new $400 million military aid package to Ukraine. The announcement marks the second Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) package since President Joe Biden signed a long-delayed national security supplemental securing $60 billion in funding for Ukraine. Last month, just moments after Biden signed the legislation, the US announced a $1 billion PDA package to Ukraine. The $6 billion package — the largest the US has announced — is under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). Ukraine met them there with our troops, brigades and artillery.”“But our military and military command were aware of this and anticipated their forces to meet the enemy with fire,” he said.

Persons: Biden, Antony Blinken, Joe Biden, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia “, ”, “, Jennifer Hansler Organizations: CNN, Patriot, High Mobility Artillery, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Ukraine, US, Defense, Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, USAI, Pentagon, Russian, Russia Locations: Ukraine, United States, Russia, Ukrainian, Kharkiv

☆ 'Fierce' Russian attacks test Ukraine's defenses near its 2nd largest city
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia has launched a major attack in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces have responded to the attack, but "a fierce battle is underway." There are fears it could be part of a renewed drive for the city of Kharkiv that Russia failed to seize in the war's early months. AdvertisementRescuers work at a house in Kharkiv on May 10, 2024 after a Russian missile attack. The analysts said Moscow lacks enough troops in the area, and did not try to attack the city from multiple directions.

Persons: Zelenskyy, —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Dara Massicot, Andrii, Andrii Kovalenko, Kovalenko Organizations: Service, Images, Slovakian, Carnegie Endowment, International, AP, Institute for, National Security and Defense Locations: Russia, Ukraine's, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Vovchansk, Moscow, Russian

☆ US Pacific bases and aircraft are wildly vulnerable to Chinese missile barrages that could overwhelm defenses, lawmakers warn
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewUS bases and aircraft in the Pacific are facing intense threat from Chinese missiles, and the Pentagon isn't doing enough to counter that challenge, according to American lawmakers. In a Wednesday letter to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, 13 members of Congress pointed out glaring vulnerabilities in the Pacific region and demanded "immediate changes." A U.S. Air Force Rockwell B-1B Lancer (L) and a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker (R) sit on the tarmac at Andersen Air Force base on August 17, 2017, in Yigo, Guam. Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesIn the letter, lawmakers note that many of the US bases in the Pacific remain unhardened, leaving aircraft and assets vulnerable to missile strikes. Notably, none of the US shelters were in Guam — home to Andersen Air Force Base which routinely hosts American bombers.

Persons: —, Frank Kendall, Carlos Del Toro, John Moolenaar, Justin Sullivan, Tom Shugart, Timothy A, Walton, Andy Wong Organizations: Service, Pentagon, Air Force, Business, Department of Defense, Chinese Communist Party Rep, Commonwealth of, Pacific ., U.S . Air Force Rockwell, Boeing KC, Andersen Air Force, US, Center, New, New American Security, Hudson Institute, Andersen Air Force Base, American, People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, Lawmakers, Rocket Force, China's Locations: Pacific, China, Okinawa, Guam, Commonwealth, Northern Mariana, U.S, Yigo, New American, Shugart, Tiananmen, Beijing

☆ Russia sees window of opportunity to expand attacks as Ukraine awaits further US aid, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Jim Sciutto | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian authorities say Russia fired more than 50 missiles and 20 drones, targeting energy infrastructure around the country. But months of inaction has resulted in real costs for Ukrainian forces on the battlefield in both territory and casualties, these officials say. Russian forces are expected to attempt to make further progress and consolidate earlier gains, before this window of opportunity closes. Western and Ukrainian officials view the near-term threat of stepped-up attacks as tied to Russian plans for a larger offensive early this summer. US and Ukrainian officials remain concerned about a further partial mobilization by Russia to send more manpower to the frontlines, as Ukraine is struggling with its own manpower shortage.

Persons: ”, Oleksiy Goncharenko, Mike Johnson, ” Goncharenko, Chasiv Organizations: CNN, ” CNN Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, Avdiivka, Pokrovsk, Chasiv Yar, Bakhmut

☆ Middle East Crisis Biden Says the U.S. Will Not Supply Israel With Weapons to Attack Rafah
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Erica L. Green | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

President Biden acknowledged on Wednesday that American bombs have been used to kill Palestinian civilians as he warned that the United States would withhold certain weapons if Israel launches a long-threatened assault in southern Gaza. “If they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, that deal with that problem,” Mr. Biden said in an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett. Mr. Biden had resisted earlier calls to condition aid to Israel. Mr. Biden said he had made it clear to Mr. Netanyahu and his war cabinet that they would not get support if they moved forward with an offensive in densely populated areas. Asked if he hears the message of those young Americans, Mr. Biden said:“Absolutely, I hear the message.”

Persons: Biden, ”, Mr, CNN’s Erin Burnett, We’re, we’re, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, “, Netanyahu, Joe ” — Organizations: U.S, Hamas Locations: Rafah, United, Israel, Gaza, United States, Iran, I’m, East, ”, Egypt

☆ Russia again had only one tank in its big Victory Day military parade, and it was a World War II relic
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Ella Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewRussia often uses its annual Red Square military parade in Moscow as an opportunity to show off its weaponry. This T-34, the legendary Soviet tank from World War II, was the only Russian tank on display at the Victory Day parade in Red Square today. A military parade on Victory Day in Red Square, Moscow, Russia, in May 2022, to mark the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. A RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system drives on Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow on May 9, 2024. AdvertisementWhile the Russian tank display was notably lacking, other modern Russian weapons did make an appearance, such as Russia's intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Persons: —, @maxseddon, Vladimir Putin, Novozhenina, Ukraine's, NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA Organizations: Service, Red, Soviet Union, Business, Soviet, Nazi, REUTERS, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Victory Day Locations: Russia, Moscow, Soviet, Nazi Germany, Square, Ukraine, Red Square, Donetsk

☆ A Ukrainian captain says his unit shot down every drone it met despite having 'antiquated' guns
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Ukrainian platoon has shot down all of the drones it's encountered, its captain told The Guardian. Oleksandr Zhygun said his soldiers are using "antiquated" guns to do it, per the outlet. AdvertisementA Ukrainian captain operating near Kyiv said his platoon has shot down every Russian drone it has encountered, despite having what he describes as "antiquated" guns. But in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian troops are struggling against Russia's night-vision drones, a Ukrainian soldier told the Kyiv Post last month. Asked whether Ukraine could still win the war, Zhygun told The Guardian it was a "difficult" question and that they needed more air defense systems.

Persons: Oleksandr Zhygun, —, Zhygun's Kalashnikov, Yehven, Dolin, Zhygun, Ukraine's Organizations: Ukrainian, Guardian, Service, Ukraine's 241st Brigade, Territorial Defense Forces, Soviet Union, Patriot, Republicans, The Institute Locations: Ukraine, Soviet, Kyiv, Afghanistan, Ukrainian, Kyiv Post, Russia, Ukraine's, Avdiivka

☆ Russia pounds Ukraine with biggest airstrikes in weeks
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Olga Voitovych | Martin Goillandeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Russia carried out a “massive” missile attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure overnight into Wednesday, according to local authorities, in the biggest aerial onslaught by Russian forces for weeks. Russia used 76 air attack weapons in the assault, including 55 missiles and 21 drones launched from Russia and Russian controlled areas, according to Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk. Rescuers assess the ruins of a building, damaged by a Russian missile attack in Kyiv region, Ukraine on May 8, 2024. Handout/Ukrainian Emergency Service/APMoscow has stepped up efforts to paralyze Ukraine’s energy system in the past month, as Kyiv’s troops struggle to hold positions on key frontlines particularly in the east. The latest Russian attack hit three thermal power plants run by Ukraine’s biggest power company, DTEK.

Persons: Mykola Oleshchuk, Herman Halushchenko, ” Halushchenko, Maksym Kozytskyi, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian Air Force, country’s Energy, Emergency, AP, Ukraine’s, Nazism Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine’s Poltava, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Ivano, Frankivsk, Vinnytsia, Kyiv, Kyiv region, Ukraine, Handout, AP Moscow, Avdiivka, Ukraine’s, Chervonohrad, Stryi

☆ An alleged plot to assassinate Zelenskyy gives an alarming look into how deeply Russia can penetrate his inner circle
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewUkraine's security service, the SBU, said on Tuesday that it had foiled the latest Russian plot to assassinate Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top officials. Among those allegedly involved in the planned assassinations were senior members of Ukraine's government protection service. Last year, the Ukrainian president said he was aware of so many plots against his life since the start of the war he'd lost count. Related storiesAccording to SBU, the men involved in the latest plot were working as part of a network of agents for the Russian FSB security service. It's alleged that the plotters had planned to kill Budanov by Orthodox Easter (May 5) and the mission was "supposed to be a gift to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's inauguration."

Persons: —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mark Episkopos, he'd, SBU, Artem Dehtiarenko, Vasyl Malyuk, Kyril Budanov, It's, Budanov, Vladimir, Putin's, Maxim Mishustin, Dmytro Perlin, Aleksii Organizations: Service, Business, Eurasia Research, Quincy Institute, Responsible Locations: Eurasia, Russia, Russian

☆ Russia Hits Ukrainian Power Plants, Further Straining Energy System
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A large Russian missile and drone assault caused serious damage to several power plants across Ukraine early Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said. Ukraine’s largest private electricity company, DTEK, said in a statement that three thermal power plants had been hit, further straining Ukraine’s electricity generation capacity, which was already reeling from previous assaults. Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s national electricity company, said that it might have to cut power to some domestic and industrial customers on Wednesday evening as a result. “You have to be prepared for this,” Volodymyr Kudritskyi, the head of Ukrenergo, told the Ukrainian news media. The attacks have hit Ukraine at a particularly difficult moment.

Persons: Volodymyr Kudritskyi Locations: Russian, Ukraine

☆ Opinion | Iran and Israel Weren’t Always Enemies
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Karim Sadjadpour | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“History is littered,” the British writer and politician Enoch Powell said, “with the wars which everybody knew would never happen.”A full-blown conflict between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel once seemed implausible. Iran and Israel are not natural adversaries. In contrast to other modern conflicts — between Israel and Palestine, Russia and Ukraine, China and Taiwan — Iran and Israel have no bilateral land or resource disputes. Their national strengths — Iran is an energy titan and Israel is a tech innovator — are more complementary than competitive. Iran was the second Muslim nation, after Turkey, to recognize Israel after its founding in 1948.

Persons: Enoch Powell, specter, King Cyrus the Great Locations: Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, United States, Iran, Palestine, Russia, Ukraine, China, Taiwan, Turkey

☆ Biden Says the U.S. Will Not Supply Israel With Weapons to Attack Rafah
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Erica L. Green | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden acknowledged on Wednesday that American bombs have been used to kill Palestinian civilians as he warned that the United States would withhold certain weapons if Israel launches a long-threatened assault in southern Gaza. In some of his strongest language to date on the seven-month war, Mr. Biden said the United States would still ensure Israel’s security, including the Iron Dome missile defense system and Israel’s “ability to respond to attacks” like the one Iran launched in April. But he said he would block the delivery of weapons that could be fired into densely populated areas of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering. The president had already halted the shipment of 3,500 bombs last week out of concern that they might be used in a major assault on Rafah — the first time since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 that Mr. Biden has leveraged U.S. arms to try to influence how the war is waged.

Persons: Biden, ” Locations: United, Israel, Gaza, United States, Iran, Rafah

☆ Russia is covering armored vehicles with elaborate anti-drone 'cope cages.' Video shows them getting hit anyway.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Footage shared by a Ukrainian battalion appears to show exploding drones striking Russian 'cope cages.' Both Russia and Ukraine have used the cages as makeshift missile defenses on vehicles. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementVideo released by a Ukrainian battalion appears to show drones getting through increasingly complex "cope cages" installed on Russian armored fighting vehicles, to devastating effect. In a video posted on Monday by the 8th Separate Mountain Assault Battalion — part of the famed "Edelweiss" brigade — heavily protected Russian vehicles are seen to be targeted and, it appears, destroyed by Ukrainian drones.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine

☆ About half of the North Korean missiles Russia fired at Ukraine flew off course and exploded in the air, official says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewAbout half of the North Korean missiles Russia has fired at Ukraine have failed, Ukraine's top prosecutor said, per new reporting. State prosecutors have been examining the debris of 21 out of 50 North Korean missiles fired at Ukraine by Russia between December and February. AdvertisementBeyond the missiles, North Korean rockets have also been called into question. Last summer, the Ukrainians got their hands on North Korean rockets that troops characterized as "very unreliable," noting they sometimes "do crazy things." AdvertisementOne of the North Korean missiles sent to Russia appears to be KN-23s, known in North Korea as the short-range Hwasong 11.

Persons: —, Andriy Kostin, Yuriy Belousov, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Kostin Organizations: Service, North Korean, Business, Korean, Reuters, North Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Korean, North, Pyongyang, North Korea, Korea, Russian, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Kirovohrad

☆ Zelensky assassination plot: Two Ukrainian security officials detained over plan to kill president
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Olga Voitovych | Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Two Ukrainian security officials have been detained for planning to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to the country’s State Security Service (SBU). Two Ukrainian government protection unit colonels have been detained and are accused of leaking classified information to Russia, the SBU said Tuesday, after it “exposed a network of agents” belonging to Russia’s state security service (FSB). A woman from the southern Ukrainian region of Mykolaiv was arrested in August 2023 in connection to a plot to assassinate Zelensky. She was accused of gathering intelligence about Zelensky’s planned visit to Mykolaiv in order to plan a Russian airstrike to kill him. The plot was uncovered by Ukrainian authorities and the man was later detained and charged in Poland.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Zelensky, SBU, Vasyl Maliuk, Kyrylo, Zelensky’s, Prosecutors, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis Organizations: CNN, country’s State Security Service, State, Ukrainian, Defence Intelligence Locations: Russia, “, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Mykolaiv, Russian, Polish, Republic of Poland, Jasionka, Poland, Odesa

☆ Russia is raising a stink about F-16s in Ukraine by saying they're nuclear-capable, even though the types of warplanes already deployed there can carry nukes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia said on Monday that it would treat F-16s in Ukraine as an escalation because they're nuclear-capable. AdvertisementRussia warned on Monday against the expected arrival of F-16s in Ukraine, saying the US warplanes would be treated as an escalation given their potential as nuclear weapons platforms. AdvertisementMeanwhile, Russia has for months said the delivery of the F-16s is a provocation from NATO because they can be fitted to carry nuclear weapons. In any case, Ukraine does not possess any nuclear weapons in its arsenal, having surrendered them in 1994 when it gained independence. It is subject to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Persons: —, Sergey Lavrov, Ukraine's Su, it's, They're, Jake Epstein, Epstein Organizations: Foreign Ministry, Service, NATO, Russian Foreign Ministry, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Russia, Soviet, British Storm Shadow, Nuclear Weapons, US Navy Locations: Russia, Ukraine, United States, North, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Kyiv, Russian, Belarus, Minsk, Moscow

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