Moscow

The top diplomats of Ukraine and the United States on Tuesday jointly cautioned against giving any weight to alternate peace plans that seek a cease-fire without the full withdrawal of invading Russian forces, in a subtle rebuff of a recent proposal by China. "Ill-advised concessions to the aggressor would only encourage Russia to intensify its attacks on democracy, giving it time to rebuild its military capabilities and resume the armed offensive against Ukraine," Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's foreign minister, said at a virtual forum hosted by the U.S. State Department. Publicly, Kyiv and Moscow have been cautiously receptive to China's 12-point position paper, which reaffirms the "territorial integrity of all countries" without directly mentioning Ukraine, references "legitimate security interests" in deference to Russia, and calls for a quick end to hostilities on the ground. Outside of Kyiv's government, where elected officials tend to speak more freely, senior Ukrainian … [Read more...] about Blinken hints China peace plan for Ukraine is “cynical trap”

A senior Russian diplomat said Moscow had suspended sharing information about its nuclear forces with the United States, including notices about missile tests. Sergei Ryabkov, Russia's deputy foreign minister said in remarks carried by news agencies that Moscow had halted all information exchanges with Washington after previously suspending its participation in the last remaining nuclear arms pact with the U.S . Last month, Russian president Vladimir Putin suspended the New START treaty, saying Russia could not accept U.S. inspections of its nuclear sites under the agreement at a time when Washington and its Nato allies had openly declared Russia’s defeat in Ukraine as their goal. Moscow emphasised that it was not withdrawing from the pact altogether and would continue to respect the caps on nuclear weapons. The Russian foreign ministry initially said Moscow would keep notifying the U.S. about planned test launches of its ballistic missiles, but Ryabkov’s statement … [Read more...] about Russia stops sharing information on nuclear forces with the U.S.

A former CIA officer who was charged Tuesday with unlawful possession of secrets is suspected of a much worse crime: betraying U.S. informants in China, sources familiar with the case told NBC News. The former officer, Jerry Chun Shing Lee, 53, was arrested Monday after flying into New York on a Cathay Pacific flight from his home in Hong Kong, federal authorities announced. Lee, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, was charged with a single count of unlawfully possessing national defense information, based on a 2012 search that found him to be in possession of two notebooks containing the true names of CIA assets and covert facilities, which are some of the agency's most closely guarded secrets. Ex-CIA officer Jerry Chun Shing Lee suspected of spying for China Jan. 17, 2018 01:55 But sources familiar with the case say he is suspected of funneling information to China that caused the deaths or imprisonment of approximately 20 American … [Read more...] about Ex-CIA officer Jerry Chun Shing Lee suspected of spying for China

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used the opportunity of an interview with the Associated Press (AP) on Wednesday to once again invite communist Chinese dictator Xi Jinping to speak to him directly. Zelensky told the AP that, while he had maintained friendly ties to Xi prior to 2022, he had not had the opportunity to speak to the tyrant after Russia launched its “special operation” to oust Zelensky from his democratically elected post a little over a year ago. China formally proclaims itself a “neutral” country in the conflict, but is one of Russia’s closest allies on the international stage and conspicuously maintains high-level conversations with the Russian government. Xi Jinping personally visited Moscow for extended talks with leader Vladimir Putin last week. While boasting of “ best ever ” diplomatic ties with Russia, China has also historically maintained friendly ties with Ukraine. Ukraine is a member of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), its global … [Read more...] about Zelensky Invites Xi Jinping to Ukraine Again: ‘I Want to Speak to Him’

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV (Associated Press) MOSCOW — The Russian military conducted drills of its strategic missile forces Wednesday, deploying mobile launchers in Siberia in a show of the country’s massive nuclear capability amid the fighting in Ukraine. As part of the drills, the Yars mobile missile launchers will maneuver across three regions of Siberia, Russia’s Defense Ministry said. The movements will involve measures to conceal the deployment from foreign satellites and other intelligence assets, the ministry said. The Defense Ministry didn’t say how long the drills would last or mention plans for any practice launches. The Yars is a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of about 11,000 kilometers (over 6,800 miles). It forms the backbone of Russia’s strategic missile forces. The Defense Ministry released a video showing massive trucks carrying the missiles driving out from a base to go on patrol. The maneuvers involve about 300 vehicles and … [Read more...] about Russia launches drills of its nuclear missile forces

close Video Pentagon officials testify before Congress on the China threat Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reports on Pentagon leaders detailing the growing threat from China. China is on a "disturbing" path to become militarily "superior" to the United States by mid-century, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley testified Wednesday, while warning that the United States probably would not be able to "stop, slow down, disrupt, interdict or destroy" China’s nuclear development program. Milley testified Wednesday before the House Armed Services Committee alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in a hearing dedicated to the fiscal year 2024 budget request for the Department of Defense. US INTEL COMMUNITY WARNS OF 'COMPLEX' THREATS FROM CHINA, RUSSIA, NORTH KOREA During the hearing, Milley stressed that the United States needs to "outpace" China’s development, specifically their military … [Read more...] about China on ‘disturbing’ path to eclipse US military by mid-century, Milley warns

A high-ranking Russian official is warning that Belarusians who are fighting on Ukraine's side against Russia might attempt to overthrow their own government. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told Georgian TV network RTIV that the rhetoric of "Belarusian nationalist formations" fighting as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donbas region "has become significantly tougher." "The leaders and commanders of these cutthroat mercenaries openly say that in the future they plan to use their combat experience to forcefully overthrow the current Belarusian leadership," Galuzin said. "In this regard, one cannot rule out the possible transfer of such sabotage groups to the [Belarusian] Republic." He implored Belarusian law enforcement agencies and special services, supported by the Regional Grouping of Forces (RGV), to take such risks into account and "repulse 'pinpoint' provocations and the enemy's full-scale invasion of the territory of Belarus" if necessary. "Of … [Read more...] about Russian official warns of plot to overthrow Belarusian government

A single father who was sentenced to jail for discrediting the Russian army was on the run Wednesday after he fled detention, a dramatic twist in a case that emerged out of a drawing by his 13-year-old daughter and has highlighted the depths of the Kremlin’s crackdown on free speech. Alexei Moskalyov, 54, from the small town of Yefremov, south of Moscow, was convicted Tuesday over social media posts that were critical of the war in Ukraine and sentenced to two years in prison. His daughter, Maria, whose anti-war drawing at her school first drew authorities’ attention and who was taken from her father when he was detained this month, wrote a supportive letter praising him as her hero. The case had already drawn media attention, as well as criticism from rights groups, before court officials in the Tula region revealed that he had escaped house arrest the night before the verdict. Now, with his whereabouts unknown, even some Russian hard-liners are expressing misgivings … [Read more...] about Russian dad whose teen drew anti-war picture flees jail and exposes cracks in Putin’s crackdown on dissent

Russian brute Vladimir Putin could still use nuclear weapons in Ukraine unless the West issues him an urgent warning, a leading Russia expert has warned. To stop this "death cult" act, Putin needs to be told what the apocalyptic consequences to Russia would be if he nuked Ukraine, Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House said in his new report. The warmonger has continually engaged in nuclear sabre-rattling to try to warn the West off from sending increased military aid to Ukraine. In February he made his most direct threat after he called Germany part of “the aggression of the collective West" which Russia will fight back against. The warmonger then said they will not send tanks to the border but instead will respond with something more firm — insinuating a nuclear threat. He concluded by saying “this is not a bluff” as he announced a mass mobilisation. Footage released by the Russian Defence Ministry last year shows … [Read more...] about Vladimir Putin is a ‘death cult’ leader who could still nuke Ukraine unless West acts