Russian military

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Tuesday that unless his nation wins a drawn-out battle in a key eastern city, Russia could begin building international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises. He also invited the leader of China , long aligned with Russia, to visit. If Bakhmut fell to Russian forces, their president, Vladimir Putin , would “sell this victory to the West, to his society, to China, to Iran,” Zelenskyy said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press. “If he will feel some blood — smell that we are weak — he will push, push, push,” Zelenskyy said in English, which he used for virtually all of the interview. The leader spoke to the AP aboard a train shuttling him across Ukraine, to cities near some of the fiercest fighting and others where his country’s forces have successfully repelled Russia’s invasion. The AP is the first news organization to travel extensively with Zelenskyy since the … [Read more...] about Any Russian victory could be perilous, Ukraine’s Zelenskyy 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

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 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

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

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

Late last year, a strike force of elite Thai police officers descended on the Baan Suan estates, a palm-treed housing complex next to a golf course on the tourist island of Phuket . The officers’ mission was to capture the American expatriate in Villa 34: Joseph Hunter, a retired soldier wanted by his government for having taken up what law enforcement officials called a new career — as a hired killer. Within three days, Mr. Hunter, a former Army sniper with Special Forces training, was in shackles on an airplane bound for New York, where he was formally accused of managing a team of contract hit men overseas. Law enforcement officials said the group had conspired to murder a federal drug agent and a drug-world informant in exchange for an $800,000 bounty from men they believed were members of a Colombian cartel. The case against Mr. Hunter, nicknamed Rambo, seemed to have been lifted from the latest action thriller. The hit was set for Liberia and, the Drug Enforcement … [Read more...] about In Real Life, ‘Rambo’ Ends Up as a Soldier of Misfortune, Behind Bars

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.

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’