Now, according to a Russian intelligence expert, President Vladimir Putin is looking for the spy who struck him. “We hear some new rumors and more information about an apparent hunt for a traitor inside the FSB, Russia’s Federal Security Service, because many people are wondering right now in Moscow why the US information was so accurate and so accurate before the invasion.” , said Andrei Soldatov. Soldatov believes that the United States and NATO have learned the details of Russian planning from more than just electronic interception, because he says Russia has a Byzantine system and the way decisions are made is never clear. So Putin would assume that someone sang. And it would be convenient to hang his military losses on this man. Read more: How paranoid is Putin?
Russia could create the framework for the use of WMD in Ukraine
The Russians have continued to accuse the United States of carrying out a biological weapons program in Ukraine in recent days, raising fears that they could try to create a pretext to use their own Weapons of Mass Destruction in the country. The fears come after the Russian Defense Ministry released a list of US and EU citizens who Krlemin claims participated in a biological weapons program in Ukraine, with the head of the Russian Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces in charge of the country. similar accusations, Russian media reported. Russian media also reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had accused the United States and its allies of waging a “total hybrid war” against Russia, which he said was designed to cut off the world from Russian intelligence. Rebekah Koffler, a writer and former DIA intelligence officer, fears that this could be a pretext for Russia to use weapons of mass destruction against Ukraine. “Russia is escalating its anti-US intelligence campaign, using accusations of allegedly carrying out weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine as a possible justification for using WMD war in Ukraine,” Kofler told Fox News on Thursday. “Feeling in a hurry to claim victory by May 9 and fearful of Sweden and Finland’s pending plans to join NATO, Putin is considering taking catastrophic steps in the latest and hottest phase of Russia’s war in Ukraine.”
The pro-Russian Ukrainian politician has confiscated a treasure trove of assets
Viktor Medvenchuk, a pro-Putin man arrested again by Ukrainian authorities earlier this week, saw a treasury of assets seized, the State Bureau of Investigation said. The confiscated items included 26 cars, 30 plots, 23 houses, 32 apartments, 17 parking lots and a motor yacht. Medvedchuk is Putin’s closest ally in Ukraine, going so far as to claim that the Russian leader is his daughter’s godfather. Medvedchuk was placed under house arrest in May 2021 on charges of treason, but escaped in February.
Pentagon can not confirm that Russian warship was hit by Ukrainian army
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the United States could not confirm Ukraine’s claims that its forces had hit a Russian naval vessel with a missile, although it noted that the Pentagon could not deny the report. Kirby said the United States could confirm that the boat had exploded and that the fire was still raging this morning. The press secretary added that the loss of the ship, a cruiser, could cause a significant blow to Russian capabilities as it was one of only three that the Russians have in stock.
Russia sets up ‘reconnaissance operation’ to prepare for ground attack: senior defense official
Russia is organizing a “reconnaissance operation” preparing for a major ground offensive as it concentrates its military efforts in eastern Ukraine, a senior US defense official told reporters on Thursday. The senior defense official said the Russians were moving into artillery units, command and control “actuators” and air support. In the past 24 hours, defense officials have seen helicopters enter the northern part of the Donbass region. “They are doing the things we believe they should do to set the stage for a new ground attack,” said a senior defense official.
Ukraine’s attorney general has announced 6,500 war crimes cases
Ukraine’s Attorney General said on Thursday he had found 6,492 cases of alleged aggression and war crimes since the Russian invasion nearly seven weeks ago. The prosecutor’s office has named 570 “suspects” linked to the military or political sphere believed to be involved. Another 2,941 “crimes against national security” were also reported. The number of Ukrainians killed since the fighting began in February remains unclear. Read more here.
Senior US defense official can not verify what caused the explosion in the Russian cruiser
A senior U.S. defense official could not confirm what caused the explosion on a Russian warship in the Black Sea on Thursday. The official noted that the cruise ship, about 60 miles south of Odessa, could have been hit by a rocket, but also said the ships were carrying a lot of flammable materials. “We just do not know,” the senior defense official told reporters.
Ukraine returns 30 civilians for exchange of prisoners of war
In a fourth exchange of prisoners of war since the start of the Russian invasion seven weeks ago, Ukraine welcomed 30 of its citizens home on Thursday. The exchange was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, who said the exchange included 17 soldiers, five officers and eight civilians, including a woman, in a Telegram post. It is not clear how many Russian soldiers were exchanged in the prisoner exchange.
Russian repression silences war protesters
The Kremlin’s tough tactic of silencing Russians who oppose Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine means that hundreds of Russians are now facing accusations of speaking out. A repressive law passed by the Russian government last month bans the dissemination of what it considers “false information” about the invasion or anything derogatory related to its military. At least 23 people have been prosecuted and sentenced to prison for breaking the law, while another 500 face misdemeanor charges of defamation of the army.
Russia poses a nuclear threat to Sweden and Finland over NATO
Russia should step up its defense in the Baltic Sea – including a possible nuclear escalation – if Sweden and Finland join NATO, Moscow said on Thursday. “There can be no talk of a nuclear-free regime in the Baltic anymore – the balance must be restored,” said Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s vice-president of the Security Council and former president of Russia, according to Reuters. “To date, Russia has not taken such measures and was not going to do so. If our hand is forced, well … note that we did not propose it,” he added, according to Reuters. Read more: Russia poses nuclear threat to Sweden and Finland over NATO
Russia’s finance minister plans to attend G20 summit next week, Indonesia says
Russia’s Finance Minister Anton Siluanov plans to attend a G20 summit with other world economic representatives, essentially Indonesia, which is hosting the G20 summit this autumn, a report said on Thursday. Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to attend the G20 summit in Bali in late October, the country’s ambassador to Indonesia said late last month. President Biden and other G20 leaders have spoken out in recent weeks against Putin, whom Biden called a “war criminal,” at the summit. The president also told reporters last month that he believed Putin should leave the G20.
The war in Ukraine is a “perfect storm” threatening food, energy and debt crises around the world: UN
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine appears to have triggered a “perfect storm”, triggering multiple food, energy and debt crises around the world with devastating consequences for developing countries, the United Nations has warned in a report. Wednesday. “The war in Ukraine, in all its dimensions, is causing alarming catastrophic effects on a global economy already affected by COVID-19 and climate change, with particularly dramatic effects on developing countries,” the report warns. “Recent UNCTAD forecasts [the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development] “They estimate that the world economy will be a full percentage point of GDP growth lower than expected due to the war, which is severely disrupting the already narrow food, energy and financial markets.” The report describes the disruption as a “perfect storm” coming “on the brink of a global debt crisis”. Read more: War in Ukraine is a ‘perfect storm’ threatening food, energy and debt crises around the world: UN report
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has failed on many fronts, so Putin turns to “Plan D” to “save face”
Former National Security Adviser McFarland told Fox News Digital that Russia had succumbed to “Plan D” after failing to maintain a prolonged siege of Kyiv. Russia reassessed its strategy on March 25 and began focusing on security in eastern Ukraine, which resulted in a surprise withdrawal from Kyiv and surrounding cities – a move that some intelligence and military experts say is more than just an attempt to save face after. a military disaster. “Their plan A was to rally across the border as if they were going to invade and assume that Ukraine would capitulate to NATO and Donbass,” McFarland said. “When Ukraine did not do that, Russia’s plan B was to invade and take control in a few days.” Read more: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine failed on many fronts, so Putin turns to “Plan D” to “save face”
Russia has repeatedly launched “indiscriminate” attacks on Ukrainian cities: UK Department of Defense
Russia has repeatedly launched “indiscriminate” attacks on urban centers in Ukraine since the invasion began, …
