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☆ Chinese ambassador sparks European blowback over post-Soviet states comment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Several leaders in former Soviet states, including Ukraine, were quick to hit back following the interview, which aired Friday on French station LCI. Beijing has formal diplomatic relations with post-Soviet states, which include Russia. Ties have soured as Europe has uneasily watched China’s tightening relationship with Russia and its refusal to condemn Putin’s invasion. Voices in former Soviet states, where many remember being under Communist authoritarian rule, have been among those in Europe critical of such an approach. For Russia, giving up control of Crimea is widely seen as a non-starter in any potential peace settlement on Ukraine.

☆ Ukrainian officials planned 'mass strikes' on Moscow and other cities 'with everything' they had, but they stood down after US intervention: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Washington Post reports Ukrainian officials had plans for "mass strikes" on Russian cities on the first anniversary's of the war. Ukraine's military intelligence chief directed an officer to hit "with everything" available, but the plan wasn't carried out. Officials in Kyiv have disputed the Post report based on leaked documents, calling it "strange media" and "sensation." Ukraine is also suspected to be behind a number of explosive sea drone attacks on Russian installations. Smoke rises after explosions were heard from the direction of a Russian military airbase near Novofedorivka, Crimea August 9, 2022.

Kyiv and the West accuse Russian forces of committing war crimes in occupied Ukrainian territory, which Moscow denies. Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk are the four regions that Putin proclaimed annexed last September following what Ukraine said were sham referendums. Russian forces only partly control the four regions. HEAVY ARTILLERYFighting has raged in and around Bakhmut in Donetsk region for months, with Ukrainian forces holding out despite regular claims by Russia to have taken the city. "Any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences," they said.

☆ Leaked Pentagon documents appeared on a 'Minecraft' Discord server weeks before officials knew about a breach: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Leaked Pentagon documents appeared on Discord servers weeks before the received official attention. At least 10 documents appeared on the server "Minecraft Earth Map" on March 4, Bellingcat reported. At least 10 such documents were posted in March on a Discord server dedicated to the "Minecraft " video game, Bellingcat investigator Aric Toler reported. Wow_Mao told The New York Times he does not spend much time managing his Discord server but admits he could have moderated it better. The analyst cited conversations with several members of the Discord server, who sent him images of the documents.

☆ Ukraine battles rage, Kyiv reported to rethink counter-offensive after leak
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The head of the Moscow-controlled part of Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, said Russian forces now held 75% of the city. As the battles ground on, U.S. media outlet CNN reported that Ukraine was forced to amend some military plans ahead of its long-anticipated counter-offensive because of the leak of dozens of secret documents. HOT ON THE EASTERN FRONTA Ukrainian counter-offensive has long been expected after months of attritional warfare in the east. Elsewhere, Russia's defence ministry said its forces destroyed a depot with 70,000 tonnes of fuel near Zaporizhzhia, and Ukraine reported widespread Russian shelling in northern regions. In a rare coordination between the warring parties, Russia and Ukraine carried out another prisoner swap, with 106 Russian captives freed in exchange for 100 Ukrainians.

☆ What's in the leaked Pentagon documents that could hurt Ukraine and has US officials panicking
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( John Haltiwanger | Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Dozens of secret Pentagon documents were leaked online in recent weeks. Many of the documents appear to be intelligence briefing materials on a wide range of subjects, dating back to around early March. When were the documents leaked and who leaked them? But Bellingcat reported that some of the materials date back to January and may have been leaked online earlier. Leaked documents claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sought to attack Russian troop deployments inside Russia with drones.

☆ Ukraine alters counter-offensive plans after document leak - CNN
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, April 10 (Reuters) - Ukraine has been forced to amend some of its military plans ahead of a much-vaunted counter-offensive due to a leak of classified U.S. documents, CNN reported on Monday citing a source close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Ukrainian officials told Reuters on Friday the allegedly leaked documents contained fictitious information and looked like a Russian disinformation campaign. Asked about the CNN report, presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said Ukraine's strategic plans remained unchanged but that more specific tactical plans were always subject to change. "Right now its impossible to reassess plans, because they are only being worked out (now)," he added. Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, told Reuters: "We are working on our own plans...

☆ Ukraine discusses preventing military leaks after report of breach
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Ukrainian servicemen prepare to fire a mortar, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the city of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine April 6, 2023. REUTERS/Oleksandr KlymenkoKYIV, April 7 (Reuters) - Ukraine's president and top security brass discussed ways to prevent leaks of military information at a meeting on Friday, Kyiv said, after secret documents detailing Western help for Ukraine reportedly ended up online. It also did not refer to a New York Times report that said documents about U.S. and NATO plans to build up the Ukrainian military had been leaked online. A spokesperson for Ukrainian military intelligence said it was possible the information in the posts was entirely fictitious, and that there had been no leak. One part offered an estimate for Ukrainian military losses that was far higher than Western estimates made available so far.

☆ Ukraine seeks to prevent military leaks after NATO assistance plans reportedly appear on social media
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

"The participants of the meeting focused on measures to prevent the leakage of information regarding the plans of the defence forces of Ukraine," it said. One document posted on social media said 16,000 to 17,500 Russian forces had been killed since the invasion. The Ukrainian military said it was holding on in the city but the situation was difficult. Ukrainian military expert Vladyslav Selezniov has said Ukraine will have to pull back if the route for getting supplies in and wounded out is threatened. Eastern Military Command spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi told Reuters Ukraine controlled the situation in Bakhmut and understood Russian intentions.

WASHINGTON, April 7 (Reuters) - Russia or pro-Russian elements are likely behind the leak of several classified U.S. military documents posted on social media that offer a partial, month-old snapshot of the war in Ukraine, three U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday. "We are aware of the reports of social media posts and the Department (of Defense) is reviewing the matter," Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said. One document posted on social media said 16,000 to 17,500 Russian forces had been killed since Russia's Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine. The United States believes that actual figure is much higher, at around 200,000 Russians killed and wounded, officials say. Still, the document leak came as speculation mounts about what offensives Kyiv and Moscow might attempt in the war's second year.

☆ Ukraine says data leak is Russian effort to sow doubt about counter-offensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, April 7 (Reuters) - A leak of classified documents detailing secret U.S. and NATO plans to help Kyiv looks like a Russian disinformation operation to sow doubts about Ukraine's planned counter-offensive, a Ukrainian presidential official said on Friday. Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters that the leaked data reported by the New York Times contained a "very large amount of fictitious information" and that Russia was trying to seize back the initiative in its invasion. "To try to influence the scenarios for Ukraine's counteroffensive plans. Ukrainian troops have faced for months a Russian onslaught in its east concentrated around the city of Bakhmut. It hopes to launch a counter-offensive in the coming weeks or months to wrest back territory held by Russia.

☆ Russia praises military blogger who was killed in a cafe explosion for 'boldly' dying and 'doing his duty'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia praised a military blogger who died in a cafe explosion on Sunday for "doing his duty." Vladlen Tatarsky had gained popularity for blogging about Russia's war efforts in Ukraine. "It is thanks to the Russian war correspondents that the world sees truthful and timely footage and learns about what is happening in Ukraine. Tatarsky, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, was a popular pro-war Russian military blogger. He covered Russia's war in Ukraine largely on his Telegram channel, according to CNN.

☆ Factbox: Who was Vladlen Tatarsky and why was he targeted?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

April 3 (Reuters) - Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was killed in a bomb attack in a St Petersburg cafe on Sunday in which some 30 other people were wounded. Tatarsky – real name Maxim Fomin - was among the best-known members of an influential group of military bloggers who have provided a running commentary on Russia’s war in Ukraine. Tatarsky, 40, was among those who publicly demanded that Russia pursue the war even more aggressively. Tatarsky was the second high-profile war propagandist to be assassinated in Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Tatarsky also had ties to Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group fighting for Russia in Ukraine and also the former owner of the cafe.

☆ Russia is again the president of the UN Security Council. Last time Russia held the position it invaded Ukraine.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia was the president of the UN Security Council when it invaded Ukraine last February. The last time that Russia held the position of president — in February 2022 — it invaded Ukraine, the BBC noted. The UN Security Council is made up of 15 members, 10 of which are voted in for two-year stints. Russia's term as Security Council president comes less than two weeks after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin's arrest. Ukraine's presidential adviser, Mykhaylo Podolyak, called Russia's presidency of the Security Council another "rape of international law."

☆ NATO slams Putin rhetoric on nuclear weapons in Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

KYIV, March 27 (Reuters) - NATO castigated Vladimir Putin over his nuclear rhetoric a day after the Russian president said he planned to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, escalating a standoff with the West. "Russia's nuclear rhetoric is dangerous and irresponsible," NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said on Sunday. We have not seen any changes in Russia's nuclear posture that would lead us to adjust our own." Tactical nuclear weapons refer to those used for specific gains on a battlefield rather than those with the capacity to wipe out cities. Analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said the risk of escalation to nuclear war "remains extremely low."

☆ Putin has made so many nuclear threats since he invaded Ukraine that people are increasingly shrugging them off
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Putin has made a lot of nuclear threats since the war in Ukraine began. Putin's latest threat involves moving tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus. Over the weekend, Putin announced a plan to place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which borders members of the EU and NATO, by summer. Tactical nuclear weapons (also known as battlefield nukes) are generally intended for use on a smaller scale at shorter ranges and are less powerful than strategic nuclear weapons. That said, tactical nuclear weapons still have the capacity to wreak havoc and kill tens of thousands of people.

☆ Ukraine slams Putin plan to station Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"Making a statement about tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, he admits that he is afraid of losing & all he can do is scare with tactics," Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted. Washington, the world's other nuclear superpower, played down concerns about Putin's announcement and the potential for Moscow to use nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine. The official noted that Russia and Belarus had been speaking about the transfer of nuclear weapons for some time. However, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons called Putin's announcement an extremely dangerous escalation. Sharing nuclear weapons makes the situation much worse and risks catastrophic humanitarian consequences," it said on Twitter.

☆ Putin has taken Belarus 'hostage' with Russian plans to station nuclear weapons in the country, says Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia has taken Belarus as a "nuclear hostage," a top Ukrainian official said on Sunday. On Saturday, Putin announced plans to store tactical nuclear weapons in the country. On Saturday, Putin announced on Russian state television that he planned to build a storage facility in Belarus to hold tactical nuclear weapons. The Russian president said there is "nothing unusual" about his announcement, noting the US has "long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allied countries," according to Reuters. Belarus and Russia have been long-time allies — and the former Soviet republic is generally seen as a Russian puppet state.

☆ NATO, world leaders condemn Russia's 'dangerous and irresponsible' nuclear rhetoric
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

NATO condemned Russia's "dangerous and irresponsible" nuclear rhetoric Sunday after President Vladimir Putin shared plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. The NATO spokesperson added that there have not been changes in Russia's nuclear posture that have caused NATO to adjust its own. He added that Putin has not suggested any intention to use nuclear weapons, "period," but that the U.S. is continuing to monitor the situation closely. He called Russia's announcement an "irresponsible escalation" and a threat to European security. "Making a statement about tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, he admits that he is afraid of losing & all he can do is scare with tactics," he wrote.

☆ Putin's tour of Mariupol is like a murderer returning to the scene of a crime, Ukrainian official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Vladimir Putin's visit to the occupied region of Mariupol on Sunday was criticized by Ukrainians. Ukrainian officials have estimated that 25,000 people died in Mariupol during the war. Putin's visit comes two days after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest. Photos that emerged from the trip showed Putin speaking with residents and driving himself around the region at night. In a Sunday tweet, Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, called Putin the "murderer of thousands of Mariupol families."

☆ Reactions to ICC's arrest warrant for Putin citing Ukraine war crimes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Roman Baluk/File PhotoMarch 17 (Reuters) - Following are reactions to the news on Friday that the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of the war crime of illegal deportation of children from Ukraine. There are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Putin bears individual criminal responsibility for the aforementioned crimes." RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESWOMAN MARIA ZAKHAROVA"The decisions of the International Criminal Court have no meaning for our country, including from a legal point of view. Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and bears no obligations under it." I welcome the decision of the International Criminal Court."

☆ Ukraine said it was 'watching with pleasure' as footage showed a lethal fire at a building of Russia's FSB security service near border
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A fire broke out at a Russian FSB building on Thursday, causing fuel tanks to explode. At least one person has been killed and two injured, Russian media reported. The FSB is Russia's primary security agency and the main successor to the Soviet Union's notorious KGB. It is responsible for internal security, counterintelligence, border security, and counter-terrorism. The building where the fire broke out belonged to the FSB's regional border patrol section, according to the BBC.

☆ Explainer: Bakhmut: Why Russia and Ukraine are battling so hard for one small city
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Yet Russia and Ukraine are still battling for the small city of Bakhmut. After nearly eight months of trench warfare Ukrainian forces are surrounded on three sides, Kyiv's supply lines are fraying, and Moscow is in control of just under half of Bakhmut. Volodymr Zelenskiy, Ukraine's president, has portrayed "Fortress Bakhmut" as a symbol of defiance which is bleeding the Russian military dry. It also claims to be decimating Ukrainian forces. A regional transport and logistics hub, Bakhmut would be useful for Russian forces although that depends on how much of its infrastructure is intact.

☆ Ukraine says Bakhmut battle is grinding down Russia's best units
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/8] Ukrainian servicemen walk along a muddy road near the frontline town of Bakhmut amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Donetsk region, Ukraine March 8, 2023. "It has converged on Bakhmut with a large part of its trained military personnel, the remnants of its professional army, as well as the private companies." Russia has made Bakhmut the main target of a winter push involving hundreds of thousands of reservists and mercenaries. But apart from around Bakhmut, the Russian winter offensive has largely failed. Kyiv and the West also saw signs of exhaustion in Russia's latest mass salvo of missile strikes on Ukrainian targets.

☆ Pro-Ukraine group sabotaged pipelines, intelligence suggests, NYT reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

On the battlefield, Ukraine's forces continued to fight for the eastern city of Bakhmut on Tuesday despite Russian troops and mercenaries nearly encircling them. "Without a doubt, Ukraine is absolutely not involved in the excesses on the pipelines," presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said in a statement. Several towns and villages near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region came under Russian shellfire, including Dubovo-Vasylivka, Ivanivske, Dyliivka and Bohdanivka, the statement said. Other provinces of Ukraine were attacked by Russian troops on Tuesday, the Ukrainian military said, including in central Zaporizhzhia region. That narrative is rejected by Kyiv and the West, which say Ukraine is fighting for survival against a Russian imperial land grab.

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