Pentagon looks to restart top-secret programs in Ukraine
The Pentagon is urging Congress to resume funding a pair of top-secret programs in Ukraine suspended ahead of Russia’s invasion last year, according to current and former U.S. officials. If approved, the move would allow American Special Operations troops to employ Ukrainian operatives to observe Russian military movements and counter disinformation.
A determination is unlikely before the fall. Defense officials are preparing a proposal for lawmakers’ consideration in the coming months, when work begins on next year’s Pentagon policy and funding bill. If successful, these programs could resume as soon as 2024, though it remains unclear if the Biden administration would allow U.S. commandos back into Ukraine to oversee them or if the military would seek to do that from a neighboring country.
Read the full story here.
The Pentagon is urging Congress to resume funding a pair of top-secret programs in Ukraine suspended ahead of Russia’s invasion last year, according to current and former U.S. officials. If approved, the move would allow American Special Operations troops to employ Ukrainian operatives to observe Russian military movements and counter disinformation.
A determination is unlikely before the fall. Defense officials are preparing a proposal for lawmakers’ consideration in the coming months, when work begins on next year’s Pentagon policy and funding bill. If successful, these programs could resume as soon as 2024, though it remains unclear if the Biden administration would allow U.S. commandos back into Ukraine to oversee them or if the military would seek to do that from a neighboring country.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Kyiv appears to be optimistic that its Western allies will grant its requests for fighter jets. “Let’s wait and see. That’s what we heard about tanks,” Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine’s ambassador to Britain, told the BBC on Sunday, referring to apprehension from military backers before an agreement on tanks was made.
- U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is scheduled to lead a meeting Tuesday of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, attended by senior military officials from more than 50 nations backing Ukraine with weapons and other supplies.
- Zelensky named Ukraine’s security and defense agencies as the next targets of his promised zero-tolerance approach to corruption after high-profile dismissals in recent weeks related to his probe.
More live updates here.
- Kyiv appears to be optimistic that its Western allies will grant its requests for fighter jets. “Let’s wait and see. That’s what we heard about tanks,” Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine’s ambassador to Britain, told the BBC on Sunday, referring to apprehension from military backers before an agreement on tanks was made.
- U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is scheduled to lead a meeting Tuesday of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, attended by senior military officials from more than 50 nations backing Ukraine with weapons and other supplies.
- Zelensky named Ukraine’s security and defense agencies as the next targets of his promised zero-tolerance approach to corruption after high-profile dismissals in recent weeks related to his probe.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is hosting a meeting Tuesday of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group — senior military officials from more than 50 nations who have been providing Ukraine with weapons and other aid — alongside a two-day gathering of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.
- Zelensky announced sanctions for 200 people working for the Russian nuclear industry, without providing details on what sanctions would be. “Russia’s radiation blackmail of the world must be punished,” he said in his nightly address.
- Several metropolitan areas, including the Kyiv, Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions are expected to have unrestricted access to electricity on Monday, utility Ukrenergo announced on Telegram, in a rare respite after months of rationing in freezing temperatures.
- Russia is planning to showcase some 200 types of weapons at an exhibition in India on Monday, state news agency Tass reported. India’s position on the conflict has been mixed.
More live updates here.
- U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is hosting a meeting Tuesday of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group — senior military officials from more than 50 nations who have been providing Ukraine with weapons and other aid — alongside a two-day gathering of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.
- Zelensky announced sanctions for 200 people working for the Russian nuclear industry, without providing details on what sanctions would be. “Russia’s radiation blackmail of the world must be punished,” he said in his nightly address.
- Several metropolitan areas, including the Kyiv, Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions are expected to have unrestricted access to electricity on Monday, utility Ukrenergo announced on Telegram, in a rare respite after months of rationing in freezing temperatures.
- Russia is planning to showcase some 200 types of weapons at an exhibition in India on Monday, state news agency Tass reported. India’s position on the conflict has been mixed.
More live updates here.
Russians abandon wartime Russia in historic exodus
YEREVAN, Armenia — As Russian troops stormed into Ukraine last February, sending millions of Ukrainians fleeing for their lives, thousands of Russians also raced to pack their bags and leave home, fearing the Kremlin would shut the borders and impose martial law.
Some had long opposed rising authoritarianism and the invasion was a last straw. Others were driven by economic interest, to preserve livelihoods or escape the bite of sanctions. Then, last autumn, a military mobilization spurred hundreds of thousands of men to flee.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war has set off a historic exodus of his own people. Initial data show that at least 500,000, and perhaps nearly 1 million, have left in the year since the invasion began — a tidal wave on scale with emigration following the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution and the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991.
Read the full story here.
YEREVAN, Armenia — As Russian troops stormed into Ukraine last February, sending millions of Ukrainians fleeing for their lives, thousands of Russians also raced to pack their bags and leave home, fearing the Kremlin would shut the borders and impose martial law.
Some had long opposed rising authoritarianism and the invasion was a last straw. Others were driven by economic interest, to preserve livelihoods or escape the bite of sanctions. Then, last autumn, a military mobilization spurred hundreds of thousands of men to flee.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war has set off a historic exodus of his own people. Initial data show that at least 500,000, and perhaps nearly 1 million, have left in the year since the invasion began — a tidal wave on scale with emigration following the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution and the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991.
Read the full story here.
Analysis: War in Ukraine was geopolitical ice bucket in our face, diplomat says
Austria, like other European countries, has a complicated relationship with Russia. Awkward links to the Kremlin brought down a government in Vienna as recently as 2019. The country’s constitutional position of military neutrality means it’s not a member of NATO; during the Cold War, Vienna often played host to crucial summits between the Soviets and the West.
The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has ushered in a new era. This month, Vienna expelled four Russian diplomats on suspicion of espionage and has more broadly yoked itself to the transatlantic consensus on supporting Ukraine. Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, who was in Washington for a brief visit last week, spoke with Today’s WorldView about his nation’s geopolitical position, the war in Ukraine and its impact on European politics. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Read the full analysis here.
Austria, like other European countries, has a complicated relationship with Russia. Awkward links to the Kremlin brought down a government in Vienna as recently as 2019. The country’s constitutional position of military neutrality means it’s not a member of NATO; during the Cold War, Vienna often played host to crucial summits between the Soviets and the West.
The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has ushered in a new era. This month, Vienna expelled four Russian diplomats on suspicion of espionage and has more broadly yoked itself to the transatlantic consensus on supporting Ukraine. Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, who was in Washington for a brief visit last week, spoke with Today’s WorldView about his nation’s geopolitical position, the war in Ukraine and its impact on European politics. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Read the full analysis here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukraine’s allies should urgently provide it with more weapons, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday, as Russia embarks on a new offensive in the country’s east.
- There are concerns that the West’s own stocks of weapons are being depleted after a year of supplying Kyiv.
- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will host a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which is made up of senior military officials from more than 50 nations that have been providing Ukraine with weapons and other aid.
- Ukraine appears hopeful it can win over the West on its request for fighter jets.
- There are concerns that the West’s own stocks of weapons are being depleted after a year of supplying Kyiv.
- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will host a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which is made up of senior military officials from more than 50 nations that have been providing Ukraine with weapons and other aid.
More live updates here.
- Ukraine’s allies should urgently provide it with more weapons, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday, as Russia embarks on a new offensive in the country’s east.
- There are concerns that the West’s own stocks of weapons are being depleted after a year of supplying Kyiv.
- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will host a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which is made up of senior military officials from more than 50 nations that have been providing Ukraine with weapons and other aid.
- Ukraine appears hopeful it can win over the West on its request for fighter jets.
- There are concerns that the West’s own stocks of weapons are being depleted after a year of supplying Kyiv.
- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will host a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which is made up of senior military officials from more than 50 nations that have been providing Ukraine with weapons and other aid.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- NATO defense ministers are convening in Brussels to discuss sending more supplies to Ukraine as they warn of a renewed Russian offensive. Moscow is “preparing for more war,” which makes it “even more important” to boost support for Kyiv, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday.
- Sending fighters jets to Ukraine “is not the most urgent issue now, but it is an ongoing discussion,” Stoltenberg said.
- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will host a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which is made up of senior military officials from more than 50 nations that have been providing Ukraine with weapons and other aid.
- The U.S. Embassy in Moscow repeated a warning for Americans not to travel to Russia, saying in a statement Monday that Russian authorities may single out U.S. citizens for detention, arbitrarily enforce laws or conscript dual nationals into the Russian military.
More live updates here.
- NATO defense ministers are convening in Brussels to discuss sending more supplies to Ukraine as they warn of a renewed Russian offensive. Moscow is “preparing for more war,” which makes it “even more important” to boost support for Kyiv, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday.
- Sending fighters jets to Ukraine “is not the most urgent issue now, but it is an ongoing discussion,” Stoltenberg said.
- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will host a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which is made up of senior military officials from more than 50 nations that have been providing Ukraine with weapons and other aid.
- The U.S. Embassy in Moscow repeated a warning for Americans not to travel to Russia, saying in a statement Monday that Russian authorities may single out U.S. citizens for detention, arbitrarily enforce laws or conscript dual nationals into the Russian military.
More live updates here.
Russia planned coup in pro-West Moldova, president says
Russia planned to topple Moldova’s pro-West government by fomenting violence through foreign actors and internal criminal groups, Moldova’s President Maia Sandu said Monday. The attempted plot would have placed the Eastern European nation at the disposal of the Kremlin for use in its invasion of Ukraine, and prevented Moldova’s integration into the European Union, she said.
Sandu said that Moldovan authorities had confirmed the disclosure by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels last week that his intelligence forces had intercepted documents showing “who, when and through what actions” Russia would use to “break the democratic order” of Moldova.
Read the full story here.
Russia planned to topple Moldova’s pro-West government by fomenting violence through foreign actors and internal criminal groups, Moldova’s President Maia Sandu said Monday. The attempted plot would have placed the Eastern European nation at the disposal of the Kremlin for use in its invasion of Ukraine, and prevented Moldova’s integration into the European Union, she said.
Sandu said that Moldovan authorities had confirmed the disclosure by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels last week that his intelligence forces had intercepted documents showing “who, when and through what actions” Russia would use to “break the democratic order” of Moldova.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine unlikely to get fighter jets anytime soon
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hopes that Western backers will provide modern fighter jets — what he calls “wings for freedom” — have been met with discouragement, if not outright rejection, from Ukraine’s leading weapons suppliers.
In appeals to European leaders during his whirlwind trip to Britain, France and the European Union last week, Zelensky urged the immediate delivery of aircraft, preferably U.S.-made F-16s whose use is widespread among NATO allies, saying the fourth-generation fighter jet could end the war quickly.
Kyiv has been asking for advanced air power since the spring, so far to no avail. But experience has taught the Ukrainians that a “no” from the West is often not as firm as it initially appears. Western heavy artillery, precision missile launchers, sophisticated air defense and heavy tanks — all of which were deemed impossible to supply — are now on the battlefield or at least pledged for delivery.
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hopes that Western backers will provide modern fighter jets — what he calls “wings for freedom” — have been met with discouragement, if not outright rejection, from Ukraine’s leading weapons suppliers.
In appeals to European leaders during his whirlwind trip to Britain, France and the European Union last week, Zelensky urged the immediate delivery of aircraft, preferably U.S.-made F-16s whose use is widespread among NATO allies, saying the fourth-generation fighter jet could end the war quickly.
Kyiv has been asking for advanced air power since the spring, so far to no avail. But experience has taught the Ukrainians that a “no” from the West is often not as firm as it initially appears. Western heavy artillery, precision missile launchers, sophisticated air defense and heavy tanks — all of which were deemed impossible to supply — are now on the battlefield or at least pledged for delivery.
Read the full story here.
Here’s the latest from Ukraine:
- Washington and allies have “a lot to get done” to position Ukrainian troops to use advanced weapon systems promised by the West ahead of Russia’s offensive, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said. “It’s a monumental task to bring all those systems together, get the troops trained on those platforms, make sure we have sustainment for all those systems and get those systems into the fight,” he said.
- Officials focused on getting ammunition to Ukraine. E.U. foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters he’ll propose to the bloc’s foreign ministers next week a plan to jointly procure ammunition, Bloomberg reported. Austin said the U.S. and its partners are doing “everything we can” to give “as much ammunition as quickly as possible.”
- Norway will provide eight Leopard tanks for the war effort, according to Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, joining other European nations that have pledged to send tanks from their stocks to the battlefield.
More live updates here.
- Washington and allies have “a lot to get done” to position Ukrainian troops to use advanced weapon systems promised by the West ahead of Russia’s offensive, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said. “It’s a monumental task to bring all those systems together, get the troops trained on those platforms, make sure we have sustainment for all those systems and get those systems into the fight,” he said.
- Officials focused on getting ammunition to Ukraine. E.U. foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters he’ll propose to the bloc’s foreign ministers next week a plan to jointly procure ammunition, Bloomberg reported. Austin said the U.S. and its partners are doing “everything we can” to give “as much ammunition as quickly as possible.”
- Norway will provide eight Leopard tanks for the war effort, according to Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, joining other European nations that have pledged to send tanks from their stocks to the battlefield.
More live updates here.
Here’s the latest from Ukraine:
- “Russia has lost” the war in Ukraine, “strategically, operationally and tactically,” Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday in Brussels.
- Russia has put at least 6,000 Ukrainian children in 43 “reeducation” camps and institutions since the war began, according to the State Department-supported Conflict Observatory. The majority of camps are engaged in “systematic re-education efforts that expose children from Ukraine to Russia-centric academic, cultural, patriotic, and/or military education.”
- The founder of the Wagner Group admitted to creating the internet troll farm that U.S. officials say helped Russia interfere in American elections. In a post shared by a Wagner-affiliated Telegram account, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, a Putin ally involved in the war in Ukraine, said that he invented and managed the Internet Research Agency.
- Heavy fighting continues in Bakhmut, where Russia is focusing most of its war efforts.
More live updates here.
- “Russia has lost” the war in Ukraine, “strategically, operationally and tactically,” Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday in Brussels.
- Russia has put at least 6,000 Ukrainian children in 43 “reeducation” camps and institutions since the war began, according to the State Department-supported Conflict Observatory. The majority of camps are engaged in “systematic re-education efforts that expose children from Ukraine to Russia-centric academic, cultural, patriotic, and/or military education.”
- The founder of the Wagner Group admitted to creating the internet troll farm that U.S. officials say helped Russia interfere in American elections. In a post shared by a Wagner-affiliated Telegram account, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, a Putin ally involved in the war in Ukraine, said that he invented and managed the Internet Research Agency.
- Heavy fighting continues in Bakhmut, where Russia is focusing most of its war efforts.
More live updates here.
Sanctions haven’t stopped Russia, but a new oil ban could cut deeper
In the weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine nearly a year ago, President Biden sought to head it off by warning Russian President Vladimir Putin of “economic consequences like none he’s ever seen.”
As the Kremlin nonetheless began its assault on Feb. 24, the United States and dozens of allies were ready, unleashing a battery of sanctions and trade restrictions aimed at crippling Russia’s finances, isolating its economy and making pariahs of Putin-aligned elites.
The initial impact of sanctions looked deadly, causing the ruble to crash, the banking system to shudder and companies worldwide to stop exporting vital goods to Russia.
But one year later, Russia has remained more resilient than many expected, thanks to its oil and gas exports, deft maneuvering by its central bank and a recent rebound in trade with China and others that has allowed some banned technology to sneak through.
Read the full story here.
In the weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine nearly a year ago, President Biden sought to head it off by warning Russian President Vladimir Putin of “economic consequences like none he’s ever seen.”
As the Kremlin nonetheless began its assault on Feb. 24, the United States and dozens of allies were ready, unleashing a battery of sanctions and trade restrictions aimed at crippling Russia’s finances, isolating its economy and making pariahs of Putin-aligned elites.
The initial impact of sanctions looked deadly, causing the ruble to crash, the banking system to shudder and companies worldwide to stop exporting vital goods to Russia.
But one year later, Russia has remained more resilient than many expected, thanks to its oil and gas exports, deft maneuvering by its central bank and a recent rebound in trade with China and others that has allowed some banned technology to sneak through.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine’s allies rush to send more equipment, risking logjams
BRUSSELS — Time is growing short for Ukraine’s military backers to gather vast quantities of new equipment and move it along supply lines that are fast becoming overwhelmed with shipments Kyiv awaits as it plans to launch a spring counteroffensive against entrenched Russian forces, senior U.S. officials said Tuesday.
From European depots and harbors, to central gathering points and over the border onto the roads and rails of Ukraine, the increasing flow is challenging the ability to transport it in real time, officials said.
There was a palpable sense of urgency as top military and defense officials gathered here for the latest meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the coalition of more than 50 nations providing security assistance.
Read the full story here.
BRUSSELS — Time is growing short for Ukraine’s military backers to gather vast quantities of new equipment and move it along supply lines that are fast becoming overwhelmed with shipments Kyiv awaits as it plans to launch a spring counteroffensive against entrenched Russian forces, senior U.S. officials said Tuesday.
From European depots and harbors, to central gathering points and over the border onto the roads and rails of Ukraine, the increasing flow is challenging the ability to transport it in real time, officials said.
There was a palpable sense of urgency as top military and defense officials gathered here for the latest meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the coalition of more than 50 nations providing security assistance.
Read the full story here.