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Ukraine’s challenges in massing troops, ammunition and equipment could cause its military to fall “well short” of Kyiv’s original goals for an anticipated counteroffensive aimed at retaking Russian-occupied areas this spring, according to U.S. intelligence assessments contained in a growing leak of classified documents revealing Washington’s misgivings about the state of the war. -snip- The document forecasting only modest success in Ukraine’s forthcoming counteroffensive indicates that Kyiv’s strategy revolves around reclaiming contested areas in the east while pushing south in a bid to sever Russia’s land bridge to Crimea, the peninsula Moscow illegally annexed in 2014 and now uses as...

This morning, immediately after sleep, Russian President Vladimir Putin complained to doctors about visual impairment, numbness of the tongue, partial loss of sensitivity of the right arm and leg, and severe headache. Additional doctors involved in the president's treatment were called. Putin was provided with first aid, now he is undergoing a medical examination.

A trove of leaked Pentagon documents reveals how deeply Russia’s security and intelligence services have been penetrated by the United States, demonstrating Washington’s ability to warn Ukraine about planned strikes and providing an assessment of the strength of Moscow’s war machine. The documents paint a portrait of a depleted Russian military that is struggling in its war in Ukraine and of a military apparatus that is deeply compromised. They contain daily real-time warnings to U.S. intelligence agencies on the timing of Moscow’s strikes and even its specific targets. Such intelligence has allowed the United States to pass on to Ukraine...

Ukraine has launched a competition for drone developers to land an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) on Red Square in Moscow during the May 9 parade for a cash prize. The competition was announced by the co-founder of Monobank and developer of the Dovbush drone Volodymyr Yatsenko. Writing on Facebook, he said, "I am officially awarding a prize to a Ukrainian UAV manufacturer, whose aircraft, with the help of the military, of course, will fly and land on Red Square in Moscow on May 9". The public is invited to add to the prize fund, which currently stands at 20 million...

Major Russian media now reporting Bakhmut in Russian handsBakhmut was the basic lynchpin of the entire ukie defensive system in the East.

Top Secret documents detailing the state of readiness of Ukraine’s forces as well as detailed planning information around equipment inflow, weather, ammunition expenditure, training and much more have been circulating on Telegram and Twitter. The documents titled "Russia / Ukraine | Status of the Conflict as of 1 Mar" appears to be a daily briefing document with a classification higher than top secret, giving clues to the sources of the information within it, and a caveat of "NOFORN," which means No Foreign Dissemination, so for US eyes only. Some of the pages have lesser classifications and are designed for release...

The Russian ruble tumbled on Friday to the lowest levels against the dollar and euro since April 2022 in the face of a foreign currency crunch in Moscow and the sale of Western businesses in Russia. -snip- The rouble is the third-worst performer among global currencies so far this year, behind only the Egyptian pound and the Argentine peso, Reuters calculations show.

Ukraine has been urged to give up Crimea by the Brazilian President. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva suggested on Thursday that Ukraine cede the Black Sea peninsula to Russia to end the war, adding his Ukrainian counterpart "cannot want everything". -snip- Though vague, Brazil's Lula has put forward a proposal to mediate the conflict with a group of countries. He is due to present his proposal to Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing next week. In March, China also presented its own peace plan, which was flatly rejected by Ukraine and the West. Lula's international affairs adviser Celso Amorim met...

The head of Russia's private Wagner militia said on Thursday that Ukrainian forces were not abandoning the city of Bakhmut but that, even if they did, he would need more support from the regular military before trying to advance further. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had on Wednesday raised the prospect of a withdrawal from the city, saying Kyiv would take the "corresponding" decisions if its forces risked being encircled by Russian troops. Wagner forces are leading the battle for the city, which has become the bloodiest of the 13-month war, and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has said its capture would open...

A Russian commander who presided over attacks in Ukraine that led thousands of men to slaughter has been dismissed from his post, Western officials have claimed. General Rustam Muradov had led Russia's Eastern Group of Forces (EGF) for almost a year, having taken up the role after his predecessor's attempt to assault Kyiv in the first weeks of the war. Muradov, a close ally of Russia's military chief Valery Gerasimov, earlier this year launched an attack on the mining town of Vuhledar in the eastern Donetsk region. His tactic, a frontal assault in broad daylight, ended in utter disaster. Survivors...

Senior official says Kyiv does not exclude liberation of occupied peninsula by military means. Kyiv is willing to discuss the future of Crimea with Moscow if its forces reach the border of the Russian-occupied peninsula, a top adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told the Financial Times. The comments by Andriy Sybiha, deputy head of Zelenskyy’s office, are the most explicit statement of Ukraine’s interest in negotiations since it cut off peace talks with the Kremlin last April. “If we will succeed in achieving our strategic goals on the battlefield and when we will be on the administrative border with...

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Belarus counterpart Alexander Lukashenko to Moscow on Wednesday for two days of talks, but in their opening public remarks both men steered clear of the war in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week the two leaders would discuss Lukashenko's call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. Last month Putin said Russia would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. "I must say that we have done a lot as a result of our joint work in all areas," Putin told Lukashenko in comments broadcast by state television.

Chinese Ambassador to the European Union, Fu Cong, has confirmed that China will not recognize the Ukrainian territories taken over by Russia during its military operation in Ukraine. “China does not recognize Crimea as Russian, as well as other territories of Ukraine that became part of the Russian Federation,” he emphasized. According to Cong, the statement about “boundless friendship” between China and Russia is merely a “rhetorical device, nothing more.” Recently, Chinese leader Xi Jinping traveled to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and discuss issues of shared concern, including the Ukraine-Russia war. Cong underscored that China “does...

In Moscow, the Orthodox came to the Holy Lake in the Kosino-Ukhtomsky district with the intention of preventing the construction of a mosque. According to the project, the religious building should become the largest in Europe. Local residents are adamantly against the project, as the lake is a holy place for Orthodox believers, Bloknot reports. The townspeople are in no way against the mosque, they are only asking to move the building to another place. The appeal was signed by several thousand people. “We will be here until we hear the decision that there will be no mosque here,” the...

Ramzan Kadyrov has expressed his outrage at the unfolding events in Moscow, where hundreds of people have come to a popular rally against the possible construction of a mosque. According to him, the Russian land must be defended on a daily basis, and Muslims are also involved in this difficult task. “If all these participants of the rally wholeheartedly have the idea of ​​​​defending Russian land, then go into the trenches with a machine gun,” Ramzan Kadyrov wrote in his Telegram channel.

The Russian ruble tumbled to its weakest against the dollar in almost a year on Tuesday, edging closer to the 80 mark, hampered by a seasonal drop in foreign currency supply from exporters, in spite of this week’s jump in oil prices. -snip- Although higher oil prices usually boost the ruble, reduced FX supply is hurting the Russian currency. Month-end tax payments that usually see exporters convert foreign exchange revenues into rubles were due last week. The ruble has been on a steadily weakening trend all year, under external pressure since a Western price cap on Russia’s oil sales came...

The Muslims in Moscow are planning to construct a huge new mosque on the shores of the Holy Lake. It is planned to be built large enough to fit more than 60,000 Muslims during prayer time. The initial blueprints show a size 4 times larger than Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral. This has upset many local Orthodox Christians, who live and have lived near the shores of the Holy Lake for many generations. They do not agree with the majority migrant population of Moscow’s Muslims purchasing vast amounts of property nearby, building up the area and turning it into the...

Chechnya leader Ramzan Kadyrov suggested that opponents of the construction of a mosque in the Kosino-Ukhtomsky district in eastern Moscow go “to the trenches with a machine gun”. About this Kadyrov writing in your telegram channel. Previously, the possible construction of a mosque had provoked protests from local residents and a discussion on social networks. “If all these participants of the meeting wholeheartedly and wholeheartedly have the idea of ​​​​defending Russian land, then advance into the trenches with a machine gun! Take a machine gun, push back the Muslim who is fighting for you today in the Russian Donbass, and...

Russia has warned it would be forced to take “retaliatory measures" to address what it called security threats created by Finland's (NATO) membership. https://www.euronews.com/2023/04/04/russia-warns-of-retaliatory-measures-over-finlands-nato-membership By Euronews with AP • Updated: 04/04/2023 - 16:08 Russia has warned it would be forced to take “retaliatory measures" to address what it called security threats created by Finland's membership. It had already warned that it would bolster defences along its border with NATO if the alliance deploys any additional troops or equipment to its new member. The move is a strategic and political blow to President Vladimir Putin, who has long complained about NATO’s...

The Kremlin plans to hold a Victory Parade on Red Square in Moscow on 9 May 2023, despite heavy losses in the war waged by Vladimir Putin against Ukraine. Source: Kremlin-aligned news outlet TASS Details: The Russian authorities are expecting the Parade of Victory in the so-called "Great Patriotic War" [part of World War II – ed.] to take place on Red Square on 9 May, with a dress rehearsal on 7 May. The Kremlin has already opened press accreditation for the parade. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that enhanced measures are being taken to ensure security at the 9...