Putin Visits Russian Troops in Occupied Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the headquarters of Russian troops fighting in Ukraine early Tuesday, his second trip to the Russian-held territories there since March.

A video released by the Kremlin and broadcast by Russian state television showed Putin visiting the command post for Russian forces in the southern Kherson region. It showed Putin arriving by helicopter to receive reports from the top military brass about the combat situation.

The Russian leader then moved by helicopter to the headquarters of the Russian National Guard of the eastern Luhansk region to hear a report from commanders.

In both locations, Putin congratulated the military on Orthodox Easter, which was celebrated Sunday and presented them with icons.

Russia annexed the Kherson and Luhansk regions along with the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions in September in a move that was rejected by much of the world as illegal. (Read more from “Putin Visits Russian Troops in Occupied Ukraine” HERE)

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Putin Boasts of ‘Joint Military Exercises’ in Meeting With Chinese Defense Chief

Russian President Vladimir Putin touted “military-to-military cooperation” with China while hosting the communist regime’s defense chief at the Kremlin.

“We also hold joint military exercises in various theaters of operation, including in the Far East, Europe, at sea, on land, as well as in the air,” Putin told Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu, according to the Kremlin transcript. “I do believe that this constitutes a major track for strengthening the trust-based strategic relationship between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China.”

Li traveled to Moscow less than a month after Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping made the trek as Russia and China seek to dramatize their geopolitical cooperation. The meeting on Monday coincided with separate military exercises in the Pacific by each state, while world powers clashed at the U.N. Security Council over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with democratic heavyweights in Japan.

“We have a very strong relationship that goes beyond the Cold War-era military and political alliances,” the Chinese defense minister said. “Under your strategic leadership and that of the President of China, we are actively developing cooperation in practical spheres. Our relations have already entered a new era.”

Xi has stopped short of taking direct steps to arm Russia in its campaign to overthrow the Ukrainian government, but Ukrainian forces have begun to find larger numbers and varieties of “dual-use” Chinese components in Russian arms, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s team. (Read more from “Putin Boasts of ‘Joint Military Exercises’ in Meeting With Chinese Defense Chief” HERE)

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Russia Is Equipping Simple Bombs With Guidance Systems, Turning Them Into Cheap Substitutes for Expensive Cruise Missiles

Russia is modifying simple bombs to equip them with guidance systems, turning them into cheap and effective substitutes for expensive guided missiles.

The regular bombs appear to be being converted to smart ones using UMPK (unified module for gliding and guidance) systems, according to Illia Ponomarenko of the Kyiv Independent.

Ponomarenko wrote that the upgraded guided or gliding bombs pose “an especially serious threat to Ukraine” that can “deliver devastating hits upon Ukrainian lines and the rear front.”

This system can be used to equip old Soviet FAB-500М-62 gravity bombs, which Russia has an abundant supply of, with a simple satellite guidance system and “wings,” according to the outlet.

In March, Russia effectively used the modified bombs to bombard Ukrainian defenses of Avdiivka in Donetsk. (Read more from “Russia Is Equipping Simple Bombs With Guidance Systems, Turning Them Into Cheap Substitutes for Expensive Cruise Missiles” HERE)

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Russian Ambassador: U.S. Threatened ‘Retaliatory Measures’ Over American Reporter’s Arrest

The Russian ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, said he had a “very harsh” conversation with the State Department over the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

Mr. Antonov met with Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland after being summoned over Mr. Gershkovich’s detention in late March on charges of espionage — allegations the U.S. has called bogus.

“The Americans threatened us with retaliatory measures if we did not release Gershkovich in the near future. Let’s see how they will act,” Mr. Antonov told Russia’s Channel One.

He said the meeting had “no practical outcome.”

Mr. Antonov also said the number of U.S. reporters in Russia exceeds the number of Russian reporters in the U.S. (Read more from “Russian Ambassador: U.S. Threatened ‘Retaliatory Measures’ Over American Reporter’s Arrest” HERE)

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US Guided Rockets in Ukraine Are Being Jammed by Russia

U.S.-made smart bombs provided to Ukraine are being jammed by Russia and are missing their targets, according to a Politico review of a leaked Pentagon document.

Russia is electronically jamming the precision-guided munitions, a Defense Department official confirmed to Politico, rendering them useless upon impact.

Some of the smart bombs were also failing to detonate because of a technical issue, but that has since been addressed by Ukraine.

The latest revelations from a trove of leaked Pentagon documents underscores yet another hurdle for Ukraine ahead of an expected spring offensive.

The documents also highlighted vulnerabilities in Kyiv’s air defenses and cast doubt on Ukrainian troops retaking significant territory this spring. (Read more from “US Guided Rockets in Ukraine Are Being Jammed by Russia” HERE)

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Chinese Bank Voluntarily Turns Over Hunter’s Bank Records in Sign That China Owns Joe Biden

China fired a warning shot at President Biden when a Chinese-American bank supplied Senate Republicans with records showing millions of dollars flowing from Chinese companies to Mr. Biden’s son Hunter Biden and brother James Biden, said a lawmaker spearheading an investigation of the first family.

Cathay Bank, which is based in Los Angeles but has offices in China, voluntarily turned over bank records requested by Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Charles E. Grassley of Iowa. Every other American bank denied the two Republicans’ requests for financial records.

“In my mind, it’s the Chinese government telling Joe Biden, ‘We got the goods on you, buddy, and we’re willing to dish it up,’” Mr. Johnson told The Washington Times. . .

The records the bank handed over showed deep financial ties between the president’s son and brother and the now-defunct CEFC China Energy, which had ties to the Chinese Communist Party. The energy giant wired $1 million to Hudson West III, a joint venture owned by Hunter Biden and Gongwen Dong, a business associate of CEFC’s founder and chairman, Ye Jianming.

A second Chinese energy company, Northern International Capital Holdings, which is associated with the communist-backed CEFC, wired $5 million to Hudson West III, the Cathay Bank records show. The money sent from the two companies funded a $4.8 million wire transfer from Hudson West III to Hunter Biden’s companies Owasco P.C. and Owasco LLC, and Lion Hall Group, owned by the president’s brother James Biden. (Read more from “Chinese Bank Voluntarily Turns Over Hunter’s Bank Records in Sign That China Owns Joe Biden” HERE)

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China Touts ‘Partnership’ With France as Macron Charts Path Separate From U.S.

French President Emmanuel Macron renewed his call for “strategic autonomy” from the United States in the Indo-Pacific, forcing U.S. officials to downplay an apparent rift while China touts a “comprehensive strategic partner” with the oldest American ally.

“NATO has recognized the PRC’s stated ambitions and policies,” State Department deputy spokesman Vedanta Patel told reporters Monday. “They challenge our interests, they challenge our security, and they challenge our values. And allies, including France, have committed to work together to address these systemic challenges.”

Macron went to Beijing last week with the stated purpose of urging Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping to undercut Russia’s war in Ukraine, a trip that European Union leaders hoped would show that the EU “stands united, and our trans-Atlantic community remains also united,” as EU High Representative Josep Borrell put it. Yet Macron punctuated his visit with a renewal of his call for “strategic autonomy” from the U.S. — particularly concerning China and the tensions around Taiwan.

“The question Europeans need to answer … is it in our interest to accelerate [a crisis] on Taiwan? No. The worse thing would be to think that we Europeans must become followers on this topic and take our cue from the U.S. agenda and a Chinese overreaction,” Macron told reporters in his traveling party. (Read more from “China Touts ‘Partnership’ With France as Macron Charts Path Separate From U.S.” HERE)

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U.S. Intel Leak Worst Since Snowden?; Key Takeaways From Major U.S. Intelligence Leak

By Breitbart. A group of U.S. intelligence documents dealing with the Ukraine war and other global matters apparently leaked through online gaming forums has been dismissed as fake by some in both Ukraine and Russia, but is apparently being taken seriously elsewhere.

Up to 100 pages of secret U.S. intelligence reports have leaked into the public domain in what one newspaper, citing an intelligence commentator, says could be the “biggest since Edward Snowden”, who leaked thousands of documents in 2013 after he became concerned with the ethical implications of western intelligence activities.

As reported by Breitbart News the authenticity of this new group of leaked documents, which deal predominantly with military assessments of the Ukraine war but also purport to reveal U.S. spying on allies including South Korea and Israel, has previously been disputed. Yet they appear to be taken seriously by observers of Western intelligence, even if the Pentagon and Justice Department in the U.S. have said nothing other than they are aware of claims, are investigating, and have no other comment to make.

Establishment-adjacent news outlets like CNN and papers such as the Washington Post and the New York Times — which was first to report of the emergence of the documents on social media and online gaming forums — note intelligence sources are treating the documents “appear to be legitimate intelligence and operational briefs”, and report frustration in the U.S. government that the documents were being posted online for weeks before anyone noticed. (Read more from “U.S. Intel Leak Worst Since Snowden?” HERE)

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Key Takeaways From Major U.S. Intelligence Leak

By The Hill. A trove of purported Pentagon documents have appeared online in recent days, revealing information ranging from U.S. assessments of the Russia-Ukraine war to intel on how America may be spying on adversaries and allies.

The source of the leaks is not yet clear. Reuters reported that three unnamed U.S. officials said Russia or pro-Russian elements are likely behind at least the first batch of leaks.

A number of documents resemble daily, non-public updates from the U.S. military’s joint staff and appear to detail U.S. and NATO aid to Ukraine, including notes on the progress of weapons aid. The documents on Russia and Ukraine don’t appear to include details on the warfare or plans of an expected Ukrainian offensive.

According to the New York Times, which first reported on the leaked documents, the materials also indicate the U.S. has been spying on not just Russian but also Ukrainian leaders in an effort to monitor the war’s dynamics.

Additional documents include U.S. intelligence agencies’ analyses, based on classified sources, about Russia and several countries, according to the Washington Post. Some materials reportedly appear to show how the U.S. tracks Russian forces with satellite imagery and where the Central Intelligence Agency has recruited some agents. (Read more from “Key Takeaways From Major U.S. Intelligence Leak” HERE)

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After Leak of Secret Documents, South Korea to Raise Spying Allegations With U.S.

South Korean officials said Sunday they will “come up with our response accordingly” after revelations that the U.S. reportedly spied on its close ally and gathered signals intelligence related to South Korea‘s internal debate over weapons sales to the U.S., and Seoul‘s fears that those weapons would ultimately end up in Ukraine.

Officials in Seoul said they’ll raise the alleged spying — which came to light as part of a major leak of sensitive documents over the weekend — with their U.S. counterparts.

For both countries, the timing is delicate. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is scheduled to visit Washington and join President Biden for a state dinner at the White House on April 26.

“We will review precedents and instances involving other countries, and come up with our response accordingly,” a South Korean presidential official said Sunday after being asked about the revelations, according to the country’s Yonhap News Agency.

The New York Times first reported the leak Friday. (Read more from “After Leak of Secret Documents, South Korea to Raise Spying Allegations With U.S.” HERE)

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Good Friday Crucifixions Return to Philippines After End of Coronavirus Restrictions

The city of San Fernando, Pampanga, Philippines, held its first unrestricted Good Friday crucifixion ceremony since the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic began in 2020 this week, nailing eight people to crosses as a form of penance for sin.

Among those being crucified were two long-time veterans of the practice: Ruben Enaje, 62, who was crucified for a 34th time; and Wilfredo Salvador, 66, who told reporters he had been engaging in the practice for 15 years. An anonymous woman wearing a head covering was also among the eight crucified, refusing to be identified when reporters asked.

The neighborhood of San Pedro Cutud in San Fernando has been hosting live crucifixions – devotees carry their crosses on their backs to the site of the event and are then nailed by their palms to the cross briefly before being attended by a medical team – for decades before former President Rodrigo Duterte abruptly ended the practice in 2020 as part of sweeping civil rights restrictions banning religious gatherings during Holy Week, the holiest time in the Christian calendar, allegedly to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Prior to attempting a full ban of Christian activities during Holy Week, Duterte had spent years attacking Christianity and the Catholic Church in particular, urging civilians to “kill bishops” and claiming he was molested by a priest as a child. Duterte has publicly named the priest: Father Mark Falvey, S.J., who faced prolific accusations of child sex abuse in California. (Read more from “Good Friday Crucifixions Return to Philippines After End of Coronavirus Restrictions” HERE)

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