Russia

Russia’s casualties including dead and wounded in what they euphemistically call their “special military operation” in Ukraine is on the road to hitting a quarter-million people, the United Kingdom says. Huge numbers of Russians are being killed in Ukraine according to “the latest U.S. assessments” shared by British defence secretary Ben Wallace during a press conference on Wednesday, with those lives being sacrificed for “almost no progress whatsoever”. Mr Wallace, who is a former British Army officer and one of the longest-serving ministers in the British government as his close involvement in executing the UK’s support for Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion has seen him immune to the recent churn of Prime Ministers, said the Russians were “suffering huge casualties for whatever piece of ground they do take”. Speaking alongside the Swedish defence minister after talks in London, Wallace remarked; “The latest U.S. assessments I have seen put casualty figures at … [Read more...] about Russia Has Suffered 220,000 Casualties in Ukraine So Far, Says UK

Former President Donald Trump bashed Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) as “ignorant and foolish” on Wednesday for his attitude toward Russia, a posture Trump believes “makes it impossible to negotiate peace.” At the top of the video, Trump referenced DeSantis’s comments from an interview last week with Fox Nation’s Piers Morgan. DeSantis told the British commentator that Russia is “basically a gas station with a bunch of nuclear weapons,” a sentiment that echoed the rhetoric of failed 2012 Republican presidential candidate Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) and failed 2008 GOP presidential candidate late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), as Breitbart News reported . Statesmanship and Peacemaking requires seriousness, sophistication, and historical perspective, not mindless talking points and shallow Washington bromides. Sadly, some people’s worldviews are too simple-minded to make peace. pic.twitter.com/smakAKtRqt — Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) March 29, 2023 Trump said this kind of … [Read more...] about Trump: Desantis’s Russia Attitude Makes Peace Negotiations ‘Impossible’

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.

The arrest last week of a former CIA officer suspected of spying for China exposed one of the most significant intelligence breaches in American history. But the damage is even worse than first reported, sources familiar with the matter tell NBC News. A secret FBI–CIA task force investigating the case concluded that the Chinese government penetrated the CIA's method of clandestine communication with its spies, using that knowledge to arrest and execute at least 20 CIA informants, according to multiple current and former government officials. American officials suspect China then shared that information with Russia, which employed it to expose, arrest and possibly even kill American spies in that country, said the current and former officials, who declined to be named discussing a highly sensitive matter. The possible sharing with Russia has not previously been reported. Ex-CIA officer Jerry Chun Shing Lee suspected of spying for China … [Read more...] about Alleged CIA China turncoat Lee may have compromised U.S. spies in Russia too

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

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”

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’

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 railroad in a city south of Bakhmut might become a point of emphasis for the Russian military in the ongoing war in Ukraine, according to a political analyst. Avdiivka, which is about 60 miles south of Bakhmut in the Donbas region just north of Russian-occupied Donetsk, has been part of the frontline since 2014, when the city was largely destroyed. It has been called a site of renewed military importance by the U.K. Ministry of Defense. A recent evacuation of Ukrainians in Avdiivka was strongly encouraged by Vitalii Barabash, a Ukrainian official in the city, because of escalated Russian shelling . He compared the scene to "a place from post-apocalyptic movies." "The Avdiivka railroad is important because, first, this is the way the Russians supply the frontlines, so capturing Avdiivka will make it possible to send more troops and equipment faster and create a supply hub," Mikhail Alexseev, a political science professor at San Diego State University, told Newsweek . … [Read more...] about Escalating battle for Avdiivka is crucial for more than just territory

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo can't make any sense of former President Donald Trump 's claim that he would personally end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours of negotiation. Pompeo, who served during the Trump administration as secretary of state and the director of the Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ), has been at odds with his former boss since they both left office in January 2021. There has been some speculation that Pompeo may challenge Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, although he has not officially announced a run. Pompeo dismissed Trump's claim of being able to easily end the war in Ukraine during an interview with Fox News host Martha MacCallum on Tuesday. He was asked whether the war could be "solved within one day" after being shown a clip of Trump telling Fox personality Sean Hannity about a "very easy" but secret negotiation technique that he would use to abruptly end the conflict. "I don't know what he's talking about," Pompeo … [Read more...] about Pompeo dismisses Trump’s Ukraine pledge: No idea “what he’s talking about”