Russian Troops Pour Into Belarus ‘by the Trainload’

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Russian troops are pouring into Belarus “by the trainload.”

The news comes alongside an announcement from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that Russian troops would return to the country, which neighbors both Russia and Ukraine, in large numbers, according to the Belarusian state news agency Belta. Tens of thousands of Russian troops used Belarus as the staging ground for their initial northern offensive into Ukraine in February but mostly withdrew by late March. Since then, a few hundred Russian troops have stayed behind, mostly air and missile troops that use the close Russian ally as a launching pad for missile strikes into Ukraine, but that now appears to be changing.

“Russian soldiers are entering Belarus by the trainload. They’re traveling in cattle cars — just a huge quantity. Just waves of trains arriving,” a Belarusian source told Kyiv Post correspondent Jason Jay Smart.

(Read more from “Russian Troops Pour Into Belarus ‘by the Trainload’” HERE)

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NATO Must Fire ‘Preemptive Strikes’ to Prevent Russian Nukes, Zelensky Says

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on NATO to conduct “preventative action” against Russian targets to prevent their use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

The president said these actions “are needed so that [the Russians] know what awaits them if they use nuclear weapons” on Thursday during an event with the Australian think tank the Lowy Institute. “Not the other way around, waiting for Russia’s nuclear strikes and then saying, ‘Oh, you’ve done that, then get this.’”

During Zelensky’s remarks, his interpreter said he called for “preventative strikes” but then corrected himself to say “preventative action.”

Zelensky adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on social media that reports he called for a preventive nuclear strike were “fake.”

“Another ru-fake. 1. @ZelenskyyUa said nothing about a preventive nuclear strike on RF,” he said. “2. Zelensky reminded about Russian nuclear blackmail and suggested to preemptively outline the consequences for Russia and intensify strikes against it — sanctions and armed assistance to UA.” (Read more from “NATO Must Fire ‘Preemptive Strikes’ to Prevent Russian Nukes, Zelensky Says” HERE)

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China, Russia ‘Enabling North Korea’ and Kim’s Missile Tests: U.S. Envoy

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The top American envoy to the United Nations accused China and Russia of “enabling North Korea,” after Kim Jung Un oversaw his sixth missile test in 12 days without political reprisal on Wednesday.

“As the Security Council wrapped up a meeting on North Korea’s dangerous ballistic missile launches, we learned that Pyongyang launched two more missiles,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said in a tweet.

“Make no mistake: the two Council members that are blocking us from taking action are enabling North Korea,” she said, referring to the Chinese and Russian delegations, which have vetoed efforts to toughen U.N. sanctions on the regime.

(Read more from “China, Russia ‘Enabling North Korea’ and Kim’s Missile Tests: U.S. Envoy” HERE)

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US Officials Say Ukraine Behind Car Bomb Assassination of Putin Ally’s Daughter: Report

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By New York Post. US intelligence believes parts of the Ukrainian government gave the go-ahead for a car bomb that killed the daughter of a staunch Putin ally in August, according to a report Wednesday.

Kyiv has unequivocally denied any involvement in the blast that killed Darya Dugina, 29, in front of her father, Putin loyalist and Russian ultranationalist Aleksandr Dugin, both after the blast and in response to the report by the New York Times.

But multiple sources, speaking to the outlet on condition of anonymity, said that the US intelligence community believes parts of the Ukrainian government were complicit in the attack. The sources said Washington admonished Kyiv for the assassination. . .

At the time of the attack, Kyiv denied any involvement.

“We are not a criminal state, unlike Russia, and definitely not a terrorist state,” Zelensky advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said at the time. (Read more from “US Officials Say Ukraine Behind Car Bomb Assassination of Putin Ally’s Daughter: Report” HERE)

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U.S. Believes Ukrainians Were Behind an Assassination in Russia

By DNYUZ. United States intelligence agencies believe parts of the Ukrainian government authorized the car bomb attack near Moscow in August that killed Daria Dugina, the daughter of a prominent Russian nationalist, an element of a covert campaign that U.S. officials fear could widen the conflict. . .

The closely held assessment of Ukrainian complicity, which has not been previously reported, was shared within the U.S. government last week. Ukraine denied involvement in the killing immediately after the attack, and senior officials repeated those denials when asked about the American intelligence assessment.

While Russia has not retaliated in a specific way for the assassination, the United States is concerned that such attacks — while high in symbolic value — have little direct impact on the battlefield and could provoke Moscow to carry out its own strikes against senior Ukrainian officials. American officials have been frustrated with Ukraine’s lack of transparency about its military and covert plans, especially on Russian soil.

Since the beginning of the war, Ukraine’s security services have demonstrated their ability to reach into Russia to conduct sabotage operations. The killing of Ms. Dugina, however, would be one of the boldest operations to date — showing Ukraine can get very close to prominent Russians.

Some American officials suspect Ms. Dugina’s father, Aleksandr Dugin, a Russian ultranationalist, was the actual target of the operation, and that the operatives who carried it out believed he would be in the vehicle with his daughter. (Read more from “U.S. Believes Ukrainians Were Behind an Assassination in Russia” HERE)

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Putin: ‘Partial Mobilization’ to ‘Liberate’ Ukraine From ‘Neo-Nazi Regime’

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Following two days of feverish anticipation and speculation on Russian media, Vladimir Putin finally gave his Ukraine address on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. Moscow time. . .

Over the course of his 14-minute speech, Putin characterized the Ukrainian government and its armed forces as “neo-Nazis” 10 times.

“Respected friends, the topic of my speech is the situation in the Donbas and the course of the special military operation to liberate it from the neo-Nazi regime that seized power in Ukraine in 2014 as a result of an armed coup,” said the four-term Russian president, who in 2020 ushered in constitutional changes that would allow him to remain in office until 2036. . .

“In order to protect our Motherland, its sovereignty and territorial integrity, to ensure the security of our people and people in the liberated territories, I consider it necessary to support the proposal of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff to conduct partial mobilization in the Russian Federation,” he said.

After laying out an extended reminder of his country’s nuclear capabilities, the Russian commander-in-chief concluded that, “It is in our historical tradition, in the destiny of our people, to halt those who strive for world domination, who threaten the dismemberment and enslavement of our homeland, our Fatherland. That is what we are doing now, and it will continue.” (Read more from “Putin: ‘Partial Mobilization’ to ‘Liberate’ Ukraine From ‘Neo-Nazi Regime'” HERE)

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Why Ukraine in NATO Could Be a Nuclear Nightmare for America

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In Washington, D.C., the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is the equivalent of a foreign policy holy sacrament. To listen to many policymakers and foreign policy commentators, you would think NATO is as essential to America as our Constitution, apple pie, or baseball.

Questioning its continued utility in the post-Cold War era — or its further expansion — elicits accusations of being everything from un-American to a Putin stooge. This has made it almost impossible to have a substantive discussion about a military alliance designed to deter the threat of the Soviet Union — a country that hasn’t existed for more than 30 years.

Look no further than the fact that only one senator, Josh Hawley, voted against the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO in June. Hawley rightly questioned whether it was wise to extend America’s security umbrella to two wealthy European welfare states that have been safe and secure as neutral nations for more than 70 years, especially considering other pressing challenges at home and abroad. The bipartisan vitriol hurled at Hawley for his reasonable stance showed that Washington is far from ready to discuss the future of the NATO alliance like adults.

This wasn’t always the case. The United States was a nation founded on a suspicion of permanent alliances, especially with Europe. George Washington in his farewell address advised “to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world…” and specifically against “interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe.” This approach to alliances guided American foreign policy for most of our history and kept us out of the chaos of 19th-century Europe.

There is good reason for our leaders to revisit the wise words of our first president. Just last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded an accelerated accession to NATO, claiming that Ukraine is already a de facto member of the alliance. Due to the collective defense obligations of NATO members spelled out in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, this could mean committing America’s sons and daughters to fight in an ongoing war with a nuclear-armed Russia. (Read more from “Why Ukraine in NATO Could Be a Nuclear Nightmare for America” HERE)

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US, Japan Hold Joint Military Drills in Response to North Korean Missile Launch

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The United States and Japan on Tuesday deployed fighter jets for joint exercises in response to North Korea’s test firing of a ballistic missile over Japan.

The drills were held in airspace west of Japan’s Kyushu region, involving eight Japanese fighter jets and four U.S. fighter jets, according to Japan’s Joint Staff.

In a statement [pdf], Japan’s Joint Staff said the security situation surrounding Japan has become “increasingly severe,” citing North Korea’s test-firing of a ballistic missile that flew over Japan early on Tuesday.

“The drills will confirm the Japanese and U.S. forces’ readiness, demonstrate the strong determination of Japan and the United States to deal with any situation, and further strengthen the deterrence of the Japan-U.S. alliance,” it stated. (Read more from “US, Japan Hold Joint Military Drills in Response to North Korean Missile Launch” HERE)

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Is He Right? Elon Musk Weighs in on How to End the War in Ukraine; China Warns US Of Grave Consequences if Ukraine Joins NATO

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By The New York Times. Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, waded into geopolitical waters on Monday with his own proposal for a peace deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, prompting a swift and dismissive response from President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. . .

And while world leaders have largely refrained from voicing opinions on how Ukraine should fight the war, Mr. Musk, whose musings tend to garner widespread attention on social media, showed no timidity in weighing in. . .

Mr. Zelensky wasted little time responding with a Twitter survey of his own, mocking Mr. Musk’s. “Which @elonmusk do you like more?” he wrote, accompanied with a poll with two response options: “One who supports Ukraine” and “one who supports Russia.” At this writing, the poll had over one million responses, around 84 percent in support of Ukraine.

(Read more from “Is He Right? Elon Musk Weighs in on How to End the War in Ukraine” HERE)

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China Warns US Of Grave Consequences if Ukraine Joins NATO

By Newsweek. China warned the United States it could face severe consequences—including the prospect of nuclear war—if it allows Ukraine to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), drawing the 30-member alliance into the country’s conflict with Russia.

In a Sunday editorial in the state-owned Global Times, Beijing warned that allowing the country into the alliance—as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested—would lead to an inevitable escalation in the conflict, prompting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats to use nuclear arms against the West.

While unlikely—U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan stated in a White House press briefing last week that NATO should delay talks on allowing the country into the alliance—the newspaper warned “all European countries will tremble under the shadow of a possible nuclear war” should it take place, and called for the Western alliance to withdraw from its longstanding involvement in Eastern Europe.

“In that case, there will be no security for anyone, not for Ukraine, and not for the world,” the newspaper wrote. “Instead of pursuing resolutions to end the conflict, Washington has, over and over again, displayed that the US is charging toward the other direction—fanning the flames of war.” (Read more from “China Warns US Of Grave Consequences if Ukraine Joins NATO” HERE)

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‘Precipice of Collapse’: Putin Facing ‘Irreversible’ Defeat as Troops Abandon Ship

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PREDICTION: PUTIN FACES ‘IRREVERSIBLE’ DEFEAT: Russia’s retreat from a key logistics hub in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region in the face of advancing Ukrainian forces is not only another embarrassing defeat for Russian President Vladimir Putin but may also mark a fundamental shift in momentum in favor of Ukraine, say former U.S. commanders.

“No amount of shambolic mobilization, which is the only way to describe it, no amount of annexation, no amount of even veiled nuclear threats can actually get [Putin] out of this particular situation,” said retired Army Gen. David Petraeus on ABC on Sunday. “He is losing, and the battlefield reality he faces is, I think, irreversible.” . . .

The liberation rail hub of Lyman (pron: lee-MON) came as Russian forces melted away without a fight, taking up what the Russian Defense Ministry called “more advantageous positions.”

“This is a tremendous victory for the Ukrainians. And it’s a victory that I think that they could turn into a cascading series of defeats of Russian forces,” said retired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster on CBS. “What we might be at here is really at the precipice of really the collapse of the Russian army in Ukraine, a moral collapse.”

“They must really be at a breaking point, if you look at just the numbers of casualties, the vast area that they’re trying to defend,” said McMaster, former President Donald Trump’s first national security adviser. “I think it’s very important also to understand that these forces that are in full retreat now out of Lyman were really the first round of mobilization. … Those forces were hastily trained, thrown into that front, and these are the forces that are collapsing right now.” (Read more from “‘Precipice of Collapse’: Putin Facing ‘Irreversible’ Defeat as Troops Abandon Ship” HERE)

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As Russian Troops Fall Back, Nuclear Fears Advance

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Ukraine recaptured more of its territory from Russian forces Monday amid reports from European media that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be mobilizing elements of his country’s massive nuclear arsenal for potential use on the battlefield.

Senior U.S. military officials would not directly address reports that a Russian Ministry of Defense train responsible for the transport of nuclear munitions is on the move toward the Ukrainian border. The Times of London, citing Polish defense analysts who track Russian nuclear movements, first reported the development.

The Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that NATO nations are preparing for the possibility that Mr. Putin may soon order tests of Russia’s nuclear-armed Poseidon torpedoes.

Less than two weeks ago, Mr. Putin warned the West that Moscow is prepared to use “all of our available means” to defend Russian territory from Ukrainian attacks. The remark has raised alarm in Washington and across Europe as fears mount that a desperate Kremlin may take drastic action as it loses more ground to Ukrainian troops.

A senior military official was asked repeatedly Monday whether the U.S. has seen any indication that Russia may be moving nuclear assets. The official did not directly comment on Russia’s movements but said the U.S. is making no changes to its positioning. (Read more from “As Russian Troops Fall Back, Nuclear Fears Advance” HERE)

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