Newsweek

World • Russia-Ukraine War • Russia • Uk

Russia Destroys 3 Abrams Tanks, 3 HIMARS and 8 Bradleys in 10 Days: Moscow

By Ellie Cook
Security & Defense Reporter

Russia has destroyed three U.S.-donated Abrams tanks in southern Ukraine since late February, according to Moscow, as Russia claims to have destroyed a slew of advanced U.S.-supplied equipment along the front lines.

On Wednesday, Russia said its forces had destroyed a U.S.-made Abrams tank operated by Ukraine close to the captured eastern city of Avdiivka, which Moscow has controlled since mid-February. Moscow claimed it knocked out a first Abrams tank in late February, and said on Monday that it had taken out a second one during clashes around villages west of Avdiivka.

The U.S. has sent 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, which arrived in the war-torn country in the fall of 2023. Analysts say the handful of tanks are a boost to Ukraine's stocks, but they came in too small a quantity to make a real difference to Kyiv's war effort.

Alongside the Abrams, the U.S. has delivered nearly 200 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine. Fighters deployed around Avdiivka earlier this year told Newsweek that Russian armored vehicle crews were "afraid" to launch operations "when they know that a Bradley will be against them."

But Russia said that since the end of February, it had taken out eight Bradleys. On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said it destroyed a Ukrainian Bradley infantry fighting vehicle on the eastern frontlines around Avdiivka. The previous day, Moscow said Ukraine lost three Bradleys west of the city, and another in battles early on during the weekend.

On February 28, Russia said Kyiv's fighters had lost two Bradley infantry fighting vehicles in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian troops lost another Bradley around Avdiivka the previous day, Moscow said.

Russia also said this week that it had destroyed three U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) in the east and south of the country. Analysts say figures from Russia on Ukraine's reported losses are generally inflated, and Ukraine rarely comments on its own losses.

Footage widely circulated online earlier this week appears to confirm the loss of one Ukrainian HIMARS. Russia has repeatedly claimed to have destroyed HIMARS since the system arrived in Ukraine in the summer of 2022, but this is the first visual evidence of the loss of one of the artillery systems.

Videos shared by open-source intelligence accounts in recent days also appear to show an Abrams tank in flames.

Last month, footage appeared to show two damaged HIMARS vehicles arriving in the United States from Ukraine for repairs.

The U.S. has donated a total of 39 HIMARS to Ukraine, and Kyiv has lauded their effectiveness against Russian forces.

Newsweek reached out to the Ukrainian military for comment via email.
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukr...adley-fighting-vehicles-avdiivka-1876809

Once again, the Ukrainians manage to surprise the Russians at sea: what is left of the infamous Black Sea Fleet?
It happened again in the Black Sea near Crimea. Kyiv reports having hit a large Russian landing ship with underwater drones. It would be the Caesar Kunikov. This marks yet another setback for President Putin and his once infamous Russian Black Sea Fleet. Moscow has not yet responded to the news.

'Russian Navy commander replaced after loss of several combat ships'

The commander of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, has been relieved of his duties. The Russian newspaper Izvestia reports this based on unnamed sources. Yevmenov will be replaced by Admiral Aleksander Moyseev, previously the commander of the Russian Northern Fleet.

The newspaper did not give a reason for the personnel change. Recently, Russia's Black Sea Fleet has lost several combat ships to Ukrainian attacks with missiles and so-called naval drones, unmanned boats loaded with explosives. As a result, part of the Russian naval units have withdrawn from the Crimean peninsula.

THE GUARDIAN

View image in fullscreen
NATO
Norway, Sweden and Finland host Nato military exercises
Nordic Response aims to strengthen cooperation between countries and bolster alliance’s ability to defend region

Miranda Bryant in Stockholm
Mon 4 Mar 2024 05.18 EST

A first-of-its-kind training exercise involving more than 20,000 soldiers from 13 countries has launched across northern Norway, Sweden and Finland as the region prepares to become a fully Nato territory within days.

The joint defence exercise, which runs until 14 March, was previously known as Cold Response and held in northern Norway, a founding Nato member, every other year. In recognition of Finland’s recent membership of the western military alliance, and with Sweden expected to join imminently, this year it is being designated Nordic Response for the first time.

The training exercise across air, land and sea – which will also include soldiers from the UK, US, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Canada – will incorporate a cross-border operations exercise in the Arctic Circle.

The Norwegian military said the exercise was intended to demonstrate “a unique level of cooperation and interoperability as they cross borders on land, sea and air”.

Nordic Response is part of an ongoing series of Nato exercises, Steadfast Defender, involving 90,000 soldiers. It is also closely aligned with the UK-led naval exercise Joint Warrior, which ran between Scotland, Norway and Iceland last week.

The latest exercise, which started on Sunday, will involve more than 50 submarines, frigates, corvettes, aircraft carriers and amphibious vessels at sea, over 100 combat, maritime surveillance and transport aircraft, and thousands of soldiers on the ground using artillery systems, tanks and tracked vehicles.

Most of the activity will be centred on northern Troms county and the west of Finnmark county in Norway, but there will also be maritime activity along the coast of the north of the country and exercises across borders in northern Finland and Sweden.

The newly elected Finnish president, Alexander Stubb, the Norwegian prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, and the Swedish crown princess Victoria are all scheduled to visit.

The Swedish government is anxiously awaiting the final signoff from Hungary to finally complete its Nato membership. It had been hoped the process could have been finished off last week, but having only been signed by the speaker of Hungary’s parliament on Sunday it still needs to be signed by the president before the documentation can go to Washington.

Last Monday, Hungary’s parliament approved the historically neutral country’s membership, nearly two years after it submitted its application. Finland became a member in April last year.

The Norwegian military said Nordic Response was aimed at strengthening Nordic cooperation and in turn bolstering the alliance’s ability to defend the region.

All relevant countries, including Russia, had been informed of the exercise, it said.

“With Finland and soon Sweden as allied neighbours, the exercise contributes to closer Nordic integration within the framework of Nato,” the Norwegian military said in a statement. “The exercise also strengthens operational total defence cooperation in the Nordic countries, which results in better cooperation in peace, crisis and conflict. Closer operational cooperation in the Nordic region strengthens Nato’s ability to defend the Nordic region.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/04/norway-sweden-and-finland-host-nato-military-exercises

MILITARNYI

Media: The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy has been dismissed

Admiral Yevmenov, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, has been dismissed.

The Russian media reported on this, citing sources.

According to the publication, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, who had held the post since 2019, has been dismissed.

Citing their own sources, the journalists reported that the commander of the Northern Fleet, Alexandr Moiseev, was appointed as an interim acting Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy.

The appointment of Northern Fleet Commander Admiral Moiseev to the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy has already been communicated to the personnel.

From 2012 to 2016, Moiseev served as Commander of the submarine forces of the Northern Fleet, after which he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Northern Fleet and later Deputy Chief of the General Staff of Russian Armed Forces.

Since May 2018, he has been acting commander of the Black Sea Fleet, after which he was officially appointed to the post. In 2019, Moiseev was appointed Commander of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy.


Reshuffle in the Russian Navy Command

As previously reported, a month earlier, on February 15, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet of Russia, Admiral Viktor Sokolov, was dismissed from his post.

The changes in the command and the resignation of the commander took place against the backdrop of a series of serious defeats of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea in February this year.

Under Sokolov’s leadership, the Russian fleet in the region lost more than 20% of its composition to damage and destruction.

Only in February, MAGURA V5 kamikaze drones of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine sank the Russian Project 12411 guided missile corvette Ivanovets and the landing ship Caesar Kunikov.


The Russian Project 12411 Ivanovets corvette before its destruction, February 1, 2024. Photo credits: DIU
Viktor Sokolov replaced Admiral Igor Osipov in September 2022, under whose leadership Russia lost its flagship, the Moskva missile cruiser.
https://mil.in.ua/en/news/media-the-commander-in-chief-of-the-russian-navy-has-been-dismissed/

Russian expert blows the whistle and is interrupted on TV
Updated: Today, 12:37Today, 11:14abroad?
A Russian political scientist and well-known commentator was rudely interrupted live on Russian TV because he was talking out loud about what he believes are President Putin's real plans.


65-year-old propagandist Aleksandr Sytin spoke about foreign policy, but forgot for a moment what the Kremlin's official position is: Russia has been attacked and is only defending itself. According to Sytin, 'Russia is following a certain expansionist course. That's a fact'. To continue: “And not only in Ukraine, by the way.”

Discussion leader Andreij Norkin intervened at that moment. Just as Sytin explains why NATO wants to stop the Russians and how they want to do it, he is interrupted. “Not true!” shouts the moderator. “This is not expansion, but rather the defense of national interests and security.”

Norkin does not wait for Sytin's answer and says: “We have to interrupt. We're back after a break. Short break…"

The subtitled images were posted online by Julia Davis of the Russian Media Monitor. She follows and criticizes the Kremlin. She has been on Putin's sanctions list since May 2022.

It is not the first time that Aleksandr Sytin has gone off the rails. In October 2022, he criticized Putin live on TV, who was at the time bombing Ukraine's energy supply. “That way they cannot be broken,” said Sytin, who reminded people that Ukrainians were once residents of the Soviet Union. “They won't surrender because they suddenly have to fry their bacon over a candle.”

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/internati...on-the-mafia-s-honor-code_6632409_4.html

Sergei Medvedev: 'Russian society was built on the mafia's honor code'
According to this Russian historian and specialist of the post-Soviet period, Russia is a warring and policing power which, over the centuries, has fought not only its neighbors – but also its own people.

Interview by Marie Jégo
Published today at 12:00 am (Paris)
\
Sergei Medvedev is a Russian historian who specializes in the post-Soviet period. In his latest book, A War Made in Russia, published on February 15, he analyzes the violence that permeates Russian society, from within families through to public institutions.

You have written that Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine is consistent with the logic of Russian history. What did you mean by this?
Russia is, and always has been a warring and policing power. A quote attributed to Nicolas I [emperor of Russia between 1825 and 1855] essentially says that Russia has no vocation to become an industrial, commercial or agricultural power, and that its essential function is to threaten the rest of the world. Studying its history, it's clear to see that war has always played a central role, both inside and outside the country.

Over the centuries, Moscow has fought not only against its neighbors, but also against its own population, by monopolizing resources and preventing private property from developing – as well as the social class that comes with it. Indeed, its rulers see it as just another resource, a "second oil." Human life is cheap in Russia. The great military victories of World War Two – the battle of Stalingrad, the capture of Berlin – were achieved at the cost of colossal losses. Back then, the ratio was ten Soviet soldiers killed for every German; today, in Ukraine, it's three Russians for every Ukrainian. In 1945, when [American General Dwight] Eisenhower was astonished at the massive losses on the Soviet side, Marshal Georgy Zhukov retorted: "It doesn't matter; our women will give birth to more soldiers." Vladimir Putin thinks the same way. He claims to have a right over citizens' physical bodies, calling on women to increase the number of births and stigmatizing LGBTQ+ people. He doesn't need individuals, human beings. All he needs are soldiers to fuel his wars.

'Russia is preparing for large-scale war with NATO'

Russia appears to be preparing for a full-scale war with NATO. Various financial, economic and military indicators point to this, according to the Institute for the Study of War. Such a conflict could arise in the short term, the leading think tank suspects. "Not immediately, but probably faster than some Western analysts think."

The ISW bases itself on statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who in recent years emphasized stabilizing Russia's financial future. This is noticeable in Western countries, including Poland, where President Andrzej Duda suggested that Russia has switched to a war economy. The intention would be to attack NATO as early as 2026 or 2027.

Denmark is also watching for a possible war with Russia. For example, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on February 9 that new intelligence indicates that Russia could attack a NATO country within three to five years.

The ISW also notes military restructuring and changes in legislation in Russia. These would pave the way for short-term success in Ukraine and prepare Russia for a confrontation with NATO in the future. “Continued personnel changes within the Russian Ministry of Defense could be further indicators of Russia's preparations for long-term conflict,” the think tank added.

Troops at the borders and provocations: will a second war break out on European soil?
Will a second war break out on European soil after the one in Ukraine? In an analysis in The Wall Street Journal, authors from the think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies warn that 2024 could be the year when the bomb explodes in Serbia and Kosovo, partly due to Russia.

Shooting and blast reported inside concert hall in Moscow region
By Mariya Knight, CNN
Updated 2:37 PM EDT, Fri March 22, 2024
Smoke rises above the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following a reported shooting incident on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia, on March 22.
Reuters
Smoke rises above the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following a reported shooting and blast in the outskirts of Moscow, Russia, on March 22.
CNN
—
Three armed men opened fire inside the Crocus City Hall concert hall in the Moscow region, according to Russian state media agencies TASS and RIA Novosti.

There are believed to be dead and wounded, Russian state media reported, without specifying any numbers.

“People in camouflage, at least three, burst into the ground floor of the Crocus City Hall and opened fire with automatic weapons,” RIA Novosti reported Friday, citing its correspondent on the scene.

Warning graphic footage.

U.S. Says ISIS Was Responsible for Deadly Moscow Terror Attack
After a period of relative quiet, the Islamic State has been trying to increase its external attacks, according to U.S. counterterrorism.
ISIS K terrorist group, a branch of the Islamic State that has operated in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, claimed the attack.
The regional affiliate has a haven in Afghanistan and carried out recent bombings in Iran, suggesting it has capacity for major atrocities.

Well Putin another major problem in your backyard invade Afghanistan again would be terrible the Soviets were humiliated there before.
It's now the most powerful ISIS branch in the world.

Do we believe Western intelligence or FSB hehe?

The death toll from the attack on a concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow has passed 115. The FSB security service says that all four attackers have been arrested. The attack was claimed by Islamic State, but Russia points to Ukraine.
Eleven people have been arrested, according to the FSB.
FSB: "The terrorists who took part in the attack in Crocus tried to escape towards the Russian-Ukrainian border. The terrorists planned to cross the border and had contacts on the Ukrainian side."

NOS News
•
Yesterday, 6:54 PM
Why would IS attack Moscow? Four questions and answers

Heavily armed men entered a concert hall in Krasnogorsk, near Moscow, last night. They opened fire on visitors and staff, detonated explosives and started a fire. At least 133 people have died.

Although Russian President Putin tries to establish a link with Ukraine without evidence, experts and Western sources point to the terrorist organization IS as the perpetrator of the attack.

But why would Russia be a target for IS? This requires consideration, among other things, of Russia's (military) role in conflicts in Syria, among other places. Four questions and answers:

Why is IS mentioned as a possible perpetrator for the attack in Moscow?
Yesterday, the attack was quickly claimed by a Telegram account attributed to the terrorist group IS. "Islamic State fighters have attacked a large group of Christians in the town of Krasnogorsk on the outskirts of the Russian capital Moscow, killing and wounding many and causing widespread destruction before safely returning to their base," the message read. Telegram channel. This afternoon the same Telegram account shared a photo of four people who allegedly committed the attack for IS.


A US official last night called the IS claim "credible". According to this anonymous American source, the US has warned Russia in recent weeks about a possible attack by IS branch ISIS-K.

This branch is said to have "concentrated on Russia in recent months". It is not clear whether the Telegram account in which the attack is claimed is indeed from this IS branch.

Putin has dismissed the terror warnings, Hubert Smeets of the knowledge platform Window on Russia, Ukraine, Belarus told NOS. "According to Putin, these warnings were only intended to destabilize Russia." Putin does not respond to IS' Telegram message claiming responsibility for the attack. He states that the perpetrators, who have now been arrested, were on their way to Ukraine and have contacts there. Putin does not provide any evidence for this claim, with which Putin suggests a link between the terrorists and Ukraine.

What is ISIS-K?
ISIS-K, also known as ISKP or ISPK, is a branch of IS. The name stands for Islamic State Province Khorasan, referring to the old Persian name for the region in which the terrorist organization operates.

The split occurred in 2014 in eastern Afghanistan. Terrorism expert Bibi van Ginkel tells the NOS that this branch is active in Afghanistan, Pakistan and to a small extent in Iran. "But they also have all kinds of connections with other regional IS branches, especially those in the Caucasus."

The IS branch is particularly strong in Afghanistan, although the Afghan Taliban government is relatively successful in combating the terrorist group. This emerges from a recent analysis by the think tank The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. According to the think tank, ISIS-K has therefore expanded its terrorist horizons; In 2022 and 2023, the group committed attacks in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and the Maldives. Attacks in Germany, India and Turkey were thwarted.

In an attack in Iran earlier this year that killed 84 people, the US intercepted information indicating that ISIS-K was responsible, according to Reuters sources.

How does ISIS-K compare to the Islamic State?
The terrorist group that once renamed 88,000 square kilometers in Syria and Iraq into a 'caliphate' lost its last piece of land in 2019. IS then fragmented into various cells spread across the world. Larger and smaller IS cells emerged in Africa, but also in Central Asia (in countries such as Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan).

"With the end of the caliphate, we already knew that IS had not yet been defeated," says Van Ginkel. ISIS-K has gained in strength, especially since the dismantling of the caliphate, such as in Afghanistan. "All kinds of small groups with extremist ideas are already active there. They are trying to involve ISIS-K."

The group was able to establish the caliphate at the time due to the political and military vacuum in Syria due to the civil war and a weak Iraqi central government. ISIS has made a specialty of exploiting weak regimes and unresolved local conflicts.

According to experts, ISIS-K has benefited from the Taliban's takeover in Afghanistan and the US withdrawal. The collapse of the US-backed Afghan army gave the ISKP opportunities to seize weapons. The Taliban's lack of air power has given the group an opportunity to gain and hold ground.

Why would this group target Moscow?
According to Van Ginkel, previous attacks in the region were aimed at defending extremist Islamic ideas. "Russia has played a pretty important role in Syria in the fight against IS, so the attack in Moscow may also have something to do with that," she says. Russia is a loyal ally of President Assad, who has ruled Syria in a ruthless, bloody manner for years. With Russia's help, Assad also fought IS.

Furthermore, the Kremlin maintains a relatively good relationship with the Taliban, which is therefore hostile to ISIS-K. Although the Taliban are still officially classified as a terrorist organization in Russia, their leaders have been received in Russia several times. In 2022, ISIS-K claimed a deadly attack on the Russian embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul.

According to the aforementioned anonymous US official, ISIS-K accuses Russia of "having the blood of Muslims on its hands." ISIS-K refers to the Russian interventions in Afghanistan, Syria and Chechnya.

Earlier this month, the Russian security service FSB announced that it had thwarted an IS attack. According to IS, the attack in Moscow should be seen "within the context of the war between Islamic State and countries fighting against Islam."

Russia ain't fucking around lol

Russian forces torture Moscow terror suspect by hooking his genitals up to 80v battery leaving him foaming at the mouth - and feed another his own EAR: Battered men appear in court as new footage emerges of the slaughter that killed at least 140

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...or-suspect-hooking-genitals-battery.html

From fleeing Pakistani military to carrying out deadliest attack in Russia, a history of Islamic State Khorasan

Khorasan is a historical term for areas populated by peoples speaking Iranian languages in northeastern Iran, the Transoxania part of Cent...

Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/world/...istory-of-islamic-state-khorasan-2949696

How Ukraine war distracted Moscow from Isis-K threat
Russia’s security services have shifted focus away from Islamist terror

https://www.ft.com/content/4cad8ebe-9a07-4c6d-b270-5c991ad349f6

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has concluded a three-day visit to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia. During his tour, he met with leaders and ministers from each country and also visited the NATO Liaison Office in Georgia.

A big fuck you to Putin.

The history of Azerbaijan-NATO relationship dates back to March 1992. Azerbaijan's membership in NATO would represent a long list of benefits for the Alliance, and all in a highly strategic region.

It's a pretty big story in the Netherlands.

Russian staff members expelled from NATO headquarters: 'Conducted intelligence work'

Several Russian personnel have been expelled from NATO headquarters. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed this to the German Bild.

According to Stoltenberg, the reason for the removal of the employees is that they were doing work other than that for which they were employed. “We realized that they were carrying out activities that were not actually diplomatic work, but intelligence work.”

It is not clear when the expulsions took place. The number of staff members removed from the headquarters in Brussels is also unknown. Stoltenberg also did not provide clarity about what the Russian intelligence would be.

Czech Republic sounds the alarm: Russian attacks on European railways

Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka has indicated that Russia is trying to sabotage European railways. He made this claim in the British business daily Financial Times.

Russia would not only focus on public transport. All kinds of infrastructure are at risk in Europe. Estonia accuses the Russians of disrupting GPS signals, causing smartphones, aircraft and weapon systems, among other things, to malfunction. The British Air Force also appears to have been affected by this.

“Russia has made thousands of attempts to sabotage Europe's railways since the start of the war against Ukraine,” Kupka said. "We are facing a complex situation, but I am satisfied that we can defend ourselves against the attacks."

Newsweek
World. Russia-Ukraine War
Russia
Ukraine
Avdiivka Map Shows Russia's 'Significant' Advances in Eastern Ukraine
Published Apr 08, 2024 at 8:53 AM EDT
Updated Apr 09, 2024 at 9:12 AM EDT

New maps show Russian forces advancing west of the captured Ukrainian stronghold of Avdiivka, with anxieties over future military aid deepening in Kyiv, just weeks before Ukrainian officials say that Moscow could kick off a new offensive in the east of the country.

Russia's "most significant gains" over the start of this month were around the village of Pervomaiske and between the settlements of Tonenke and Umanske, as well as around Semenivka, Julian Röpcke, a defense specialist with German tabloid newspaper Bild, said in a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday.

Semenivka sits immediately southeast of Berdychi, perched northwest of the village of Orlivka. Russia has been advancing west of Avdiivka since it took control of the strategic eastern Ukrainian city in mid-February, following months of bitter and bloody fighting. Ukraine rushed to re-establish defensive lines, but has been largely unable to stop Russia's slow gains.

In late March, Russia's government said it had captured Tonenke, and Moscow is also believed to control the village of Orlivka, just north of Tonenke.

The U.S. think tank, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Sunday that Russian forces had advanced southeast of Umanske — west of Orlivka and Tonenke — and in southern Semenivka. Moscow has also made some gains northwest of Pervomaiske and to the center of the village, the ISW added.

The Centre for Defense Strategies, a Ukrainian security-focused think tank, said on Sunday that Russia had advanced southwest of Umanske, into the center of Pervomaiske, as well as in southern and central Semenivka.

Ukraine's military said on Monday that it had "repelled" eight Russian attacks around Pervomaiske and the village of Nevelske, southwest of Pervomaiske, and close to Netailove, northwest of Pervomaiske.

Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday its forces had fought off five Ukrainian counterattacks, including around Berdychi and the village of Novokalynove, northeast of Berdychi.

The fall of Avdiivka was the most significant win for the Kremlin since it captured the now-decimated city of Bakhmut in May 2023.

Earlier this month, Ukraine said fighters with the country's 25th Airborne Brigade had stopped a "massive" Russian attack close to Tonenke, destroying a handful of Russian tanks and armored vehicles. The ISW think tank described the attack as Moscow's "first battalion-sized mechanized assault" since the Kremlin kicked off its offensive on Avdiivka in October 2023.

Ukraine did so while contending with deeply felt shortages of crucial supplies, not least ammunition, from its Western backers.

Last week, Kyiv "successfully repelled intensive enemy attacks across the entire line of contact, despite the persistent material resource constraints," Ukraine's Centre for Defense Strategies said on Sunday.

Ukrainian officials have said Russia could launch a renewed offensive on Ukrainian positions as early as next month. They have emphasized the importance of military aid packages from the West to enable Ukrainian forces to fend off new attacks.

A new tranche of military, economic and humanitarian aid for Ukraine, worth around $60 billion, has been bogged down in Congress for months by infighting. The U.S. security assistance is the backbone of Western support for Kyiv.

"If there is no U.S. support, it means that we have no air defense, no Patriot missiles, no jammers for electronic warfare, no 155-milimetre artillery rounds," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told The Washington Post in an interview published in late March.

"It means we will go back, retreat, step by step, in small steps," Zelensky said. Should the front lines not hold out because of shortages, he added, "the Russians could go to the big cities."

Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Kyiv's military intelligence agency, said in an interview published over the weekend with German broadcaster ARD that Russia will focus on the Donbas region of Ukraine, or the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, in the late spring and early summer.
https://www.newsweek.com/avdiivka-map-ukraine-russia-pervomaiske-tonenke-umanske-1887895

BBC

Russian troops arrive in Niger as military agreement begins


Chris Ewokor in Abuja & Kathryn Armstrong in London - BBC News
Fri, April 12, 2024 at 1:13 PM EDT

Dozens of Russian military instructors have arrived in Niger as part of a new agreement with the country's junta, which has cut links with the West.

State media reported that they arrived along with a state-of-the-art air defence system.

They are expected to install the system and teach Niger's army how to use it.

The West African country is one several in the Sahel region ruled by military authorities to have recently strengthened ties with Russia.

A spokesperson for Niger's military government on Friday said the Russians were in the country to train soldiers.

The Russian Defence Ministry's paramilitary group Africa Corps, also known as the Russian Expeditionary Corps (REK), wrote on Telegram that this was the first group of servicemen and volunteers to go to Niger.

In an attached video, a serviceman of the corps said in French that they were there to "develop military cooperation" between the countries and had brought "various special military equipment" to help with training.

Footage of the Russian instructors unloading a cargo plane full of equipment was broadcast on Niger's state television.

Ulf Laessing, a specialist in the Sahel region for the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, which promotes democracy, told the BBC World Service's Newsday programme that the military supplies appeared to be part of a "regime survival package".

Niger's democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown last year by the junta, which has since cut military and diplomatic ties with France - the former colonial power - and revoked an agreement with the US.

The European Union suspended its security cooperation with the country in the wake of the coup.

Mr Laessing said the military government was still concerned about some form of physical interference in Niger by the political and economic alliance of West African states, known as Ecowas.

He added that this is probably the reason for the supply of a Russian air defence system, rather than to help suppress Islamist fighters.

"I don't have any other explanations because jihadists don't have planes," Mr Laessing said.

Kabir Adamu, of the intelligence organisation Beacon Security, said Niger was moving closer to countries outside the Western bloc including Russia, China and Iran. He said he feared the alliance with Russia could encourage the junta to further delay a return to civilian rule, as has happened in neighbouring Mali.

Abdel-Fatau Musa, Ecowas commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, noted that Niger was following in the footsteps of Mali and Burkina Faso - the three countries have formed a military alliance.

Niger had already been suspended from Ecowas - which has been urging the country to return to democratic rule along with Burkina Faso and Mali - but in January, the junta-led countries announced they would quit the bloc.

He expressed fears of a long period of conflict in the Sahel region.

"Our position is clear. We shall hold the country of origin responsible for any egregious human rights violations.

"We urge countries in the region not to facilitate another cycle of proxy wars in Africa," Mr Musa told the BBC, although he said sovereign states had a right to choose their international partners.

Niger has been facing increased violence by the Islamic State group, as well as the continuing threat of Boko Haram militants along its border with Nigeria.

Earlier this week, at least six soldiers were killed in a blast in the Tillabery region near the border with Mali.

Niger's defence ministry, which confirmed the attack, said an army patrol vehicle hit a landmine near the south-western village of Tingara earlier this week, killing some of the soldiers. Others were wounded and were taken to hospital.

The ministry said it had carried out an air strike to neutralise those responsible for planting the homemade landmine.

While the military government cited worsening insecurity in Niger as the reason for the coup, reports indicate that insurgents have continued to carry out attacks in parts of the country - almost on a monthly basis - especially in the Tillabery region.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68796359?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Byahoo.north.america%5D-%5Bheadline%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D

Speaking at the NATO Open Door Conference in Helsinki, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoan? welcomed Ukraine’s readiness to join NATO and said that “NATO’s door remains open” and “no violence or intimidation can stop that”. The embassies of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia had organised the event, in collaboration with the Finnish Institute for International Affairs and the Atlantic Council of Finland, to mark the twentieth anniversary of their countries’ accession to NATO.

Ukraine is losing and the west faces a stark choice
Ukraine is losing the war. If the west does not help now, it will face a resurgent and aggressive Russia.

CIA director warns Ukraine could lose war with Russia by the end of the year unless US sends more aid
CIA Director Bill Burns on Thursday warned that unless US sends more military support, Ukraine could “lose” the war against Russia by the end of the year.

Poland arrests man over suspected plan to kill Ukraine’s Zelenskyy
Prosecutors say Polish national suspected of supplying information to Russian military intelligence.

Germany detains two over alleged plotting of attacks in complicity with Russia
The suspects targeted military infrastructure and industrial sites in Germany as well as facilities of the US forces, according to German prosecutors.

US House approves long-awaited $61 billion Ukraine aid package
Lawmakers in the US House of Representatives on Saturday quickly passed legislation to provide to Ukraine and Israel, bolster Taiwan while also threatening a ban on TikTok if it fails to divest from Beijing.

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240420-%F0%9F%94%B4-us-house-approves-long-awaited-61-billion-ukraine-aid-package

Well this will give a big boost to strong allies like Germany, Netherlands, UK, Canada etc who also have to step up now.
In particular France who can do much more !

This is how it begins . . .

US weighs sending additional military advisers to Ukraine as Russia gains momentum

The troops would be serving in a non-combat role, officials said.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/20/us-troops-ukraine-00153499