Prigozhin pops up in Africa, Wagner mercs educate in Belarus
Two months after Yevgeny Prigozhin led his mercenaries in an armed mutiny against Russia’s military leadership, the head of the Wagner Group appeared to be in Africa. The on-again, off-again Putin ally was back to his old ways of using social media to further the Russian cause.
In the video, translated by Reuters, Prigozhin said, “The temperature is +50, everything as we like. The Wagner PMC makes Russia even greater on all continents, and Africa — more free. Justice and happiness for the African people. We’re making life a nightmare for ISIS and al-Qaeda and other bandits.”
Wagner is no stranger to working in Africa. The mercenary group has security contracts with several governments protecting mines, training troops and performing the various other illicit acts guns for hire usually perform.
Prigozhin ended his latest video with a recruiting message, telling potential new hires they should help Wagner “fulfill the tasks that were set.”
In July, Prigozhin said some of his battle-hardened fighters from the war in Ukraine would be coming to Africa. Currently, the bulk of what’s left of the Wagner fighting force is in Belarus training with the Belarusian armed forces.
After the failed mutiny, most Wagner fighters were relocated to tent camps in Belarus. The Wagner Group also had to give up all its armored vehicles and artillery to the Russian armed forces. Instead of registering as a private military company, the Wagner Group is registered as an educational organization in Belarus.
Without armor and artillery, Wagner fighters in Belarus pose little threat to Poland, Lithuania and Latvia on their own. But Wagner was involved in some of the heaviest fighting in Ukraine. So, the knowledge and experience the group is passing along can’t be discounted.
It’s why the nations that border Belarus are beefing up those borders. There is also a heightened focus on what’s known as the Suwalki Gap, a narrow and sparsely populated area separating Belarus from the Russian exclave Kaliningrad. In the unlikely event Belarus attacks Poland or Lithuania — two NATO nations — the conflict would likely center around this strategically important stretch of land.
To counter that potential attack, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia are all building better walls and fences between their lands and Belarus. They’re also deploying more soldiers.
Poland is sending 10,000 troops to the border to address its immediate concerns and investing billions to address long-term needs. In the last year, Poland signed contracts to buy tanks, artillery, rocket launchers and missile batteries from the United States and South Korea. Now, the Poles are in the process of buying almost 100 AH-64E Apache helicopters.
Whatever threat Wagner or Wagner-trained fighters in Belarus pose to Poland’s military would be decimated against the Poles’ ever-increasing firepower.
There is a threat to civilians in Belarus, though. The U.S. State Department issued a warning to Americans there, urging them to leave immediately. Wagner fighters are accused of numerous war crimes in Ukraine, and there’s no guarantee the group doesn’t bring that same level of brutality to Belarus.
Thankfully, the threat Wagner brings may be losing steam, too. Intelligence from the National Resistance Center in Ukraine showed about 5,800 Wagner fighters made it to the tent camps when they were first exiled. Now, that number is closer to 4,400.
The NRC said the mercenaries are leaving because they aren’t making much money in Belarus, and it’s hard to keep guns for hire on the payroll when you can’t offer competitive pay.
Whether its fighting China in the Pacific or Russia in the Baltics, the U.S. and its allies are looking for ways to win wars without runways. Air bases are obvious targets, and aircraft carriers can be sunk, but planes will still need to fly if the U.S. wants to have a chance at victory.
The U.S. Marine Corps holds training events in California with this mission in mind. The Drive reported at this year’s Obsidian Iceberg drill, the Marines fielded nine squadrons and hosted units from the Air Force and Navy to practice operating from remote locations. It’s a concept known as “distributed operations.”
The Marine Corps’ F-35B features a short take off and vertical landing ability. It still needs room to take off, but not as much as other fighter jets. It’s why an F-35B was able to land, refuel, rearm and then take off again from an old stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway.
The British Royal Air Force is also landing its F-35Bs on remote highways, along with some RAF Typhoons. The Brits are also scheduling training drills with new NATO ally Finland to further develop the ability. The Fins have been perfecting the art of highway landings since the Cold War.
In the event of an armed conflict, air bases are usually some of the first sites to be targeted. A good portion of U.S. and NATO warfighting doctrine depends on the ability to establish air superiority, so redundancies are needed to keep allied planes in the air.
Typically, military runways and carrier decks are carefully managed to maintain pristine conditions. But war is hell and pristine conditions could be in short supply. Even though the U.S. military and others drill on rapid runway repair, if the bombs are big enough, no amount of patchwork will help. So, while smaller fighter jets like F-35Bs can land on highways, larger cargo planes may need more space.
There are several projects in the works for the U.S. military to meet this need. The Air Force Special Operations Command is testing a concept of attaching removable floats to a modified C-130 cargo plane. The Air Force said it’s a cost-effective concept to achieve runway independence.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is also developing concepts through its Liberty Lifter program. DARPA awarded two contracts to develop a plane that can lift off and land on mild seas, operate on surface waves up to six feet, and fly for extended periods close to water but also be able to climb to an altitude of 10,000 feet.
The concepts for the Liberty Lifter program are definitely eye-catching, but it will be some time before either sees real-world testing.
Source: Catalina Aircraft.
Instead of designing new, one Florida-based company is looking to build on past designs to meet modern needs. Catalina Aircraft recently announced its Next Generation Amphibious Aircraft Catalina II. The company said the redesigned seaplane will meet all the airborne amphibious operations required by the U.S. military.
The PBY 5 Catalina was iconic during World War II. It could provide maritime patrol, transport supplies and soldiers, and, of course, perform search and rescue missions.
Catalina Aircraft said its modern turboprop flying boat won’t need wide-open water to operate. It will also be able to take off and land on grass, dirt, sand, lakes, rivers, bays and ironically, even runways if it needs to.
US military playing catch-up to Russia in Arctic
As a show of force at the edge of the world, 11 warships from China and Russia were spotted carrying out a joint naval patrol near Alaska. The bold move in early August is just the latest provocation in a region known for chilly receptions.
China-Russia Flotilla Near Aleutians Prompt Calls For Naval Base In Alaskahttps://t.co/RcVQBU44Kd
“There’s really critically important elements of the geostrategic importance of Alaska and America’s place in the Arctic. As things potentially change with climate, we need to be paying increasing attention to that,” said Peter Brookes, a retired Navy commander, defense and foreign policy expert.
“It’s about time that we pay the attention, the necessary attention, to the Arctic,” Brookes said. “The Russians have been paying attention to it for a long time, and prior to their unjust, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine they were spending a lot of time and effort on modernizing their military bases [in the Arctic]. If Russia were to attack the United States with ICBMs, those ICBMs would likely come over the pole.”
During the height of the Cold War, Russia operated hundreds of Arctic bases. Today, there are notably less than during that time, but Russia still has more than the U.S.
American armed forces have nine military bases in Alaska, and they’re used by the Army, Air Force and Coast Guard. For right now, though, there’s no naval base.
According to Brookes, the Arctic is a strategic place that has not gotten the attention it deserves because of the challenges the weather and remote location pose. Because of these challenges, the United States doesn’t have a deep-water port of its own in the Arctic.
Enter Nome, the site of the last, great American gold rush. The small village in northwest Alaska will soon have a new claim to fame: home to the first deep-water Arctic port in the U.S. Work will start next year on a $600 million project to expand Nome’s port in three phases.
The northwest Alaska port will see its docking capacity increase from just three ships up to 10. A new, deeper basin will also be dredged. At 40 feet deep, the new Nome port will be able to handle much larger vessels, including cruise ships and anything in the U.S. Navy’s fleet except for aircraft carriers.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, who represents Alaska in Washington, said the expanded port will “make Nome the centerpiece of U.S. strategic infrastructure in the Arctic.
“Military presence, and military capabilities, [are] always important for protecting, almost always anyway, for protecting American national interests,” Brookes said. “The hope is that we wouldn’t need to use that military force to support our diplomacy, or our economic interests in the Arctic.”
Arctic diplomacy will be in high demand in the years ahead. Thanks to climate change, the Northern Seas are more crowded. The number of ships transiting Bering Strait shipping lanes almost doubled over the last decade, and it’s not just the traditional Arctic nations that have an eye toward the region.
“Even China has talked about its access and its interest in the Arctic, saying it’s part of mankind’s or humankind’s common heritage,” Brookes said. “They call themselves a ‘near-Arctic nation.’ They’ve built several icebreakers, and they have a couple of ships that make trips up there to do experimentation. I believe that China even has some scientific research places including in European Arctic areas.”
It’s easy to understand why so many nations have Arctic fever. It’s estimated up to 13% of the Earth’s oil reserves are in the Arctic, along with untold quantities of other natural resources like gold and rare earth elements. And of course, there are lots of fish. Fish that don’t follow territorial guidelines or pay attention to things like exclusive economic zones.
Brookes said the Arctic is unlike any other place on the planet. There are various overlapping claims to territory and the UN still hasn’t sorted those out. In 2007, Russia even planted a titanium flagpole on the Arctic seabed at the North Pole, 14,000 feet below the surface.
“Remember, instead of looking at a map and holding a globe in your hands, everything kind of comes together at the top. All of these interests and territorial claims, they can conflict,” Brookes said.
If an Arctic territorial dispute led to a military engagement, America has a lot of friends close by. There are eight traditional Arctic countries, and except for Russia, they’re all NATO members. Even if China, the self-proclaimed ‘near-Arctic nation,’ escalated military tensions in the region, the U.S. has partners in the Indo-Pacific like Japan to help keep the peace.”
“The United States is part of a number of partnerships and alliances, and burden sharing is important too,” Brookes said. “Sometimes countries have more capable forces in certain areas than others. Partnerships, alliances, friendships, they’re all very important.”
Ukraine in ‘strike phase’ of counteroffensive against Russia
After months of training and weeks of waiting, Ukraine is committing thousands of troops, armed with Western weapons and tactics, in the fight against Russia. Military bloggers are reporting heavy clashes in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine.
Ukraine launched its counteroffensive in early June but has been bogged down by the defenses Russia had months to establish. Minefields proved to be the biggest obstacles. Clearing mines takes time and is dangerous in the best of circumstances, let alone when being targeted by Russian artillery, helicopters and tanks.
Russian defensive lines are miles deep in some places. Most NATO armies would also struggle to break through similar defenses without air superiority. Ukraine has never had air superiority throughout the now 18-month-old war.
However, Ukraine’s military leadership is keen at adaptation. Since the start of the counteroffensive, Ukraine’s strategy was to stretch, starve and then strike Russian positions.
It seems Ukraine is now in the strike phase of that strategy.
There’s intense fighting around the village of Robotyne as Ukrainian troops try to push south. Russian troops are stretched across more than 600 miles of frontline, while also being starved of needed items like ammunition and fuel. Instead of fighting head on, Ukraine spent the last few weeks taking out Russian logistics.
Russian troops in southern occupied Ukraine are likely running short on armored vehicles as well. Ukraine used cruise missiles to hit a Russian repair depot in Crimea this week that had hundreds of vehicles parked there waiting to be fixed.
There’s no official word on the damage from either side, but potentially hundreds of Russian armored vehicles could have been destroyed in a single strike.
Back on July 17, Ukraine attacked the Crimean Bridge at Kerch as well. It was a huge blow to Russian logistics in southern Ukraine. Now, the latest updates from the front lines show Ukrainian troops are pushing south from Zaporizhzhia to Melitopol. If Ukraine can recapture the village and set up a stronghold along the Sea of Azov, Russian forces would be divided in two.
Western intelligence agencies report Russia doesn’t have enough troops in reserve to rotate out soldiers on the frontline, which will no doubt deteriorate Russian morale further.
In a move to bolster its fighting force, the Russian Parliament is pushing forward a bill to extend the upper age limit of military draftees from 27 to 30.
Currently, all Russian males aged 18 to 27 are required to serve one year of military service. The bill was passed by the lower house and still needs approval by the upper house of Parliament. From there, it would go to Vladimir Putin to be signed into law. If passed, the bill would also make it illegal for a draftee to leave Russia before their military service begins.
The Russian government said the military doesn’t use draftees in the fighting in Ukraine, instead relying on volunteers and reservists who were mobilized for action.
Some Russian media have reported, however, that the military tries to encourage or coerce many draftees into signing contracts as volunteers.
What happens if Russia uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine?
For more than two decades, Vladimir Putin hasn’t just led Russia, he’s pushed out any who would oppose him. Many believe it’s why he invaded Ukraine, and why he never goes too long without rattling the saber.
“I think what Putin is doing, is he’s trying to, with the limited resources he has, but with the nuclear weapons he has, make sure that Russia is always at the center of attention, because that gives him power. And he does it by scaring people. And he does it through nuclear blackmail,” said Dr. Tyler White, director of the National Security Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Straight Arrow News interviewed Dr. White previously about how and why Russia might use nuclear weapons, but then wanted to know what a Western response to those potential attacks would look like.
Access the previous report in our series on nuclear weapons and the Ukraine War below:
If Putin gave the order to deploy a nuclear weapon, what would happen next?
Democracies fight angry. Having a bunch of democracies on board, I think, makes a force that no other no other country can counter.
Dr. Tyler White, director of National Security Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
“In political science, we have this sort of term gambling for resurrection, right? What happens when all the chips are down, and you need a big move to try to change your situation?” White said. “So, if he’s looking at what could be a resounding defeat, does he use nuclear weapons as a way of trying to gamble for resurrection, right? To try to turn the tide in a really, really important way, particularly if he feels his own personal future is at stake, right? And I think, to him, that’s way more important than what happens to Russia.”
White said any Western response to Russia using nukes would be a coordinated effort through NATO, the military alliance comprised of more than 30 European nations and the U.S.
“I don’t think we think about this enough, NATO is special,” White said. “NATO is really special, and the way the United States locks itself into NATO, to defend a whole bunch of other countries, that’s special. That’s special in history. And so, you know, it gives us a tremendous amount of power, though. Because people, once you have them on board and they agree with the decision, you know, as someone once said, ‘democracies fight angry.’ Having a bunch of democracies on board, I think, makes a force that no other no other country can encounter.”
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), an American think tank, said there are three scenarios that could lead to Russia resorting to nukes in Ukraine: as a signaling device, as a battlefield weapon, and as a weapon of terror.
NATO’s response to Russia using nukes depends on the scenario.
If Russia decides to detonate a nuke as a signaling device, it could come in the form of a test at a remote location, where casualties would be low and the nuclear fallout limited.
“So, he could find a target like Snake Island or something like that and detonate a nuclear weapon there. He’s not going to kill very many people. But he’s going to demonstrate, ‘Hey, I just broke the nuclear taboo and I’m willing to use these weapons. Your move,’ right?”
White and the CFR agree Russia detonating a nuke to remind the world it still has nuclear weapons would probably not generate an overwhelming military response from NATO, other than the standard finger-wagging that typically accompanies nuclear weapons testing.
It could, however, damage Russia’s relations with China. Putin is more dependent on China than ever as Western sanctions cripple Russia’s economy and further isolate it on the world stage.
Under the second scenario, Putin may deploy tactical nuclear weapons during a battle inside of Ukraine. Straight Arrow News has covered these weapons before: tactical nukes are powerful enough to destroy cities, but they’re more precise than ballistic missiles, designed for use on battlefields where militaries want to create maximum effect with minimal material.
The CFR said Putin may decide to deploy tactical nukes against energy infrastructure targets to weaken Ukraine’s will to fight.
“He could also use them on the battlefield to destroy formations, right?” White said. “He could try to wipe out a Ukrainian, you know, offensive or something like that. And that would deal a significant military blow to the Ukrainians, but also again, breaks the nuclear taboo.”
Russia using tactical nukes would further fracture its relationship with China, potentially pushing the “friendship without limits” to the brink of collapse.
As far as how the U.S. and NATO would respond, the public policy is purposefully ambiguous. President Joe Biden said any use of nukes in Ukraine, on any scale, would be unacceptable and would entail severe consequences. The ambiguity in the policy allows for a range of responses, again, depending on how Russia detonates its bombs.
If Russia uses tactical nukes in Ukraine, at the very least Western weapons shipments and humanitarian aid would skyrocket. Whatever economic sanctions haven’t been imposed yet probably would be, and Russia would cement its status as a diplomatic pariah on the world stage.
“Putin is constantly calculating, you know, what is my exit strategy? What does it look like? What can I live with? What’s acceptable?” White said. “But he’s not the only person who gets to make that decision, right? I mean, reality in this case has a vote as well. I think what we worry about is that he will come to the conclusion that this is his best option. But again, there are some significant issues for him to do that.”
The third scenario for Russia, is deploying nukes as weapons of terror. It’s the scariest scenario, and thankfully, the least likely. However, Russia targets civilians with conventional weapons routinely, so it’s not impossible to rule out Putin giving the order to launch a strategic nuclear weapon at civilian targets like a city.
Such a strike could be hundreds of times more powerful than a tactical nuclear weapon and would be designed to destroy Ukrainian resolve. But even a Russian nuclear strike in Ukraine may not elicit a nuclear response from NATO.
“We have conventional capabilities,” White explained, “that could target very specific capabilities inside of Russia, inside of Belarus, wherever the missile came from, as a way of saying, you know, ‘you can’t do that, but we’re not going to escalate using a nuclear weapon right now,’ right? So, that keeps the onus on the Russians. Now, they’re going to have to do it twice, right? Which means that whatever hole they’ve been digging is now deeper.”
When thinking of nuclear escalation as a ladder, Russia’s use of strategic nuclear weapons outside of its borders is the top rung. It’s the situation everyone wants to avoid, and the one Putin and his cronies like to threaten the most. It’s also absolutely the least likely scenario, mainly because it would be the end of Russia.
With conventional weapons alone, the U.S. and NATO could strike key Russian targets anywhere on the globe within one hour. Russian military bases, installations and leadership centers would be fair game along with whatever air, land, or sea assets Russia has deployed outside of its borders.
Also, China, the only Russian ally with any real military might, would no doubt cut ties leaving Vladimir Putin alone. The leader of a failed state.
However unlikely that scenario is, unfortunately, it’s still not impossible. Also, there’s no guarantee someone more menacing than Putin doesn’t rise to power.
When it comes to nuclear weapons, you want to do everything you can to try to mitigate that risk,” White said. “It’s a fine balance, because sometimes your notion of trying to mitigate risk to you looks completely rational, and to them, it looks incredibly provocative, right?”
White said figuring out the right response to nuclear weapons is the trickiest puzzle there is, because you’re communicating with force. You want your message to be received and followed, but you can’t control your adversary’s response.
Reuters contributed to this report.
How, why Russia might use nuclear weapons in Ukraine
From the start of the invasion in Ukraine, the threat of nuclear weapons has loomed large on the battlefield. Russian President Vladimir Putin regularly says the use of tactical nukes is very much on the table. President Biden said those threats are very real, but what does that mean?
Nuclear arsenals
Nine countries around the world have nuclear weapons at their disposal, and the exact numbers are a closely guarded secret. However, it is known the United States and Russia have the most, with Russia beating out the U.S. by about 500 warheads.
Of course, just like the U.S., not every nuclear bomb in Russia’s arsenal is ready to use. Most are in storage, and some are being decommissioned. The Russians have about 1,600 deployed warheads of various sizes, very similar to the U.S.
Those warheads have come a long way in their potential for devastation since the U.S. dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
It’s important to understand the impact of nuclear weapons is measured in terms of kilotons or megatons. A one kiloton bomb has the same destructive power as 1,000 tons of TNT. 1,000 kilotons equal one megaton.
The bombs used in World War II had a strength of about 15 kilotons. The largest nuclear bomb ever detonated, Tsar Bomba in the 1960s, had a 50-megaton yield.
Today, most U.S. nukes have an explosive yield around 300 kilotons while Russian nukes typically range from 50-100 kilotons on the low end and 500-800 kilotons on the high end. But there are larger weapons in both countries’ stockpiles.
“Nuclear weapons are actually used every day,” said Dr. Tyler White, the director of the National Security Program at University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
“So, every single day, we have a nuclear deterrent that we use, and we use that to assure our allies that we will take care of them and defend them. And we assure our adversaries that if they do something, we will, you know, respond in kind.”
Types of nuclear devices: strategic and tactical
Strategic weapons are usually what is thought of when it comes to nuclear warheads. They tend to be larger and are delivered by things like intercontinental ballistic missiles, cruise missiles launched from submarines, or guided bombs dropped from planes.
Russia’s newest strategic weapon is the Poseidon torpedo. The length of a tennis court, it’s meant to be detonated underwater, producing radioactive tsunamis.
A Russian propagandist claimed the Poseidon could wipe out the British Isles with a 500-meter-tall radioactive wave, a claim most in the West dispute as outlandish.
Tactical nukes are harder to define. They can have yields between five and 50 kilotons, enough to destroy cities, and are designed to be used on the battlefield.
“When you’re thinking about how these things could be used, you got to think about the strategy, and there might be a couple of different things that Putin could do,” White said. “Thing number one is he could use it as a signaling device, right? So, he could find a target like Snake Island or something like that and detonate a nuclear weapon there. He’s not going to kill very many people. But he’s going to demonstrate, ‘Hey, I just broke the nuclear taboo and I’m willing to use these weapons. Your move,’ right? He could also use them on the battlefield to destroy formations, right? He could try to wipe out a Ukrainian, you know, offensive or something like that. And that would deal a significant military blow to the Ukrainians, but also again, breaks the nuclear taboo.”
So that’s how Putin might use nukes in Ukraine. As far as the why; if Russian troops continue facing setbacks on the battlefield and Putin is backed into a corner, the consensus is he may decide to launch a nuclear strike to stave off defeat and save himself from being thrown out of office.
“I think Putin is Russia, right? And Russia is Putin. And that’s the way he wants it to be,” White said. “In political science, we have this sort of term ‘gambling for resurrection.’ What happens when all the chips are down, and you need a big move to try to change your situation?”
“And so, you know, if he’s looking at what could be a resounding defeat, does he use nuclear weapons as a way of trying to gamble for resurrection, right? To try to turn the tide in a really, really important way? Particularly if he feels his own personal future is at stake, right? And I think, to him, that’s way more important than what happens to Russia,” White said.
Most experts agree the odds of Putin using nukes in Ukraine are low, but they aren’t zero. It’s why the U.S and other Western allies have been so cautious in arming Ukraine, and why they’ll continue to be.
So, what would happen if Putin were to authorize a nuclear strike in Ukraine or elsewhere? Well, it’s likely the United States, as the military leader of NATO, already has several responses ready to go. However, the response would be dependent on how and where Russia attacked.
Access the next report in our series on nuclear weapons and the Ukraine War below:
Russia threatens ships in Black Sea after ending grain deal
Following the collapse of the Black Sea grain deal, Russia said if a foreign ship in the Black Sea sails to a Ukrainian port, Russia’s navy will treat that ship as hostile. Russia went on to say the flagged country of those ships will be treated as a Ukrainian ally.
Telegram: Russia Ministry of Defense
The Russian Ministry of Defense issued the threat on its Telegram social media channel on July 19. The ministry said Russia’s military will assume all foreign ships sailing to Ukraine are carrying weapons.
Brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, the Black Sea grain deal guaranteed safe passage to ships carrying grain from Ukrainian ports through the Turkish Straits and onto markets primarily in Africa and the Middle East. The deal was in place for more than a year, and went through several extensions.
Without Ukrainian grain, millions of people will starve. Before Vladimir Putin launched his invasion, Ukraine produced enough grain to feed 400 million people worldwide.
To prevent mass starvation, NATO may step in to escort civilian ships in the Black Sea. Adm. James Stavridis, the former supreme allied commander of NATO, said Russia’s new policy toward foreign ships could lead to Russian and NATO forces squaring off in the Black Sea.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he’s willing to broker a deal with Turkey to keep food and fertilizer flowing. Turkey hasn’t responded yet, but it won’t be all that surprising if Turkish President Recep Erdogan takes up Zelenskyy’s offer.
Erdogan closed the Turkish Straits to any warships at the start of the Ukraine war. While Turkey has been somewhat of a problematic partner in NATO before, the country’s leadership seems to be leaning into the alliance lately.
The Turkish Armed Forces navy is almost 200 hulls strong, making it the unrivaled dominant naval power in the Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Turkish Armed Forces sail frigates, submarines, missile boats, and landing craft. Turkey’s new flagship, the TCG Anadolu, is an amphibious assault ship that can also serve as a light aircraft carrier for Turkey’s fleet of Bayraktar drones.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet suffered considerable losses since the war started, including its flagship, the Moskva. New intelligence shows Russia is laying additional sea mines near Ukrainian ports. White House National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said Russia may try to use the mines to attack civilian ships and blame it on Ukraine.
Moscow pulled out of the grain deal because it said specific conditions still hadn’t been met. The Kremlin said it wanted better terms for its own food and fertilizer sales.
For three nights in a row after the grain deal collapsed, Russia attacked Ukraine’s port infrastructure in Odessa and Mykolaiv. The facilities attacked held a million tons of grain that were supposed to be sent to Africa, according to Zelenskyy. Another 60,000 tons of grain meant for China was destroyed in Russian strikes.
In his nightly address Wednesday, Zelenskyy said Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s ports proved “their target is not only Ukraine, and not only the lives of our people.”
Biden OKs sending 3k reserve troops to Europe amid Russia-Ukraine war
The Biden administration has granted approval for the Pentagon to send an additional 3,000 U.S. troops to Europe, joining the tens of thousands of reserves that were deployed there last year in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The exact timeline for mobilizing the extra manpower and integrating them with the existing reserves stationed to support Ukraine remains unclear.
The authorization from President Joe Biden has been perceived as an indication that the U.S. military’s current training mission in Europe, along with the deployment of several new brigades after the invasion, has stretched active-duty forces thin.
“Reserve mobilizations under this authorization are not to exceed 3,000 total members at any one time, of whom not more than 450 may be members of the Individual Ready Reserve,” Biden said in a letter informing Congress of his order. “These Reserve component forces are to augment the active forces … to enhance the United States’ ability to sustain its heightened level of presence and operations.”
Biden’s order comes after he met this week with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit in Lithuania. The decision to expand the American military’s presence in Europe aims to reassure NATO allies regarding U.S. efforts to deter Russia from escalating conflicts beyond the war zone in Ukraine.
“Since 2014, U.S. European Command has provided combat-credible forces for rotational deployment to Europe … to demonstrate good commitment to NATO,” said Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, the director of operations for the Joint Staff. “This reaffirms the unwavering support and commitment to the defense of NATO’s eastern flank in the wake of Russia’s illegal and unprovoked war on Ukraine.”
Last year, the U.S. deployed 20,000 troops to Europe, bringing the total number of American forces on the continent to over 100,000. This includes the presence of 10,000 troops in Poland, which have played a critical role in facilitating the delivery of U.S. aid and supplies into Ukraine.
Russian general dismissed over criticism of military leadership
In a voice message published by Russian lawmaker Andrei Gurulyov, Maj. Gen. Ivan Popov said he has been dismissed as commander. Popov had commanded the 58th Combined Arms Army in southern Ukraine. According to Popov, the dismissal came after telling military leadership about the dire situation on the front lines in Ukraine.
“I have also raised some other issues and addressed it at the highest level in a frank and harsh way. It looks like because of that, the top officers apparently saw me as a source of threat and rapidly issued an order to get rid of me, which was signed by the defense minister in just one day,” Popov said in the audio message. “I am waiting for my further military fate, its changes, waiting to get some kind of proposal for further service.”
According to the dismissed general, he said Russian soldiers had been stabbed in the back by the failings of the top military brass. Popov added the army lacked proper counter artillery systems and reconnaissance of enemy artillery.
“A difficult situation arose with the senior leadership, when it was necessary either to remain silent and fainthearted and to say what they wanted to hear, or call things by their names,” Popov said. “I had no right to lie, therefore, I outlined all the problematic issues that exist today in the army in terms of combat work and support. I called everything by its proper name.”
Popov’s discipline and subsequent dismissal may have revealed growing descension in the Russian ranks as the country continues to fight the biggest land war in Europe since World War II. It comes less than a month after the Wagner Group staged a brief but significant rebellion, the full effects of which are still unclear.
“Putin still wrongly believes that he can outlast Ukraine. He can’t believe it’s their land, their country and their future. And even after all this time, Putin still doubts our staying power,” President Joe Biden said Wednesday, July 12, in his closing remarks at this week’s NATO summit. “He’s still making a bad bet that the conviction and the unity among the United States and our allies and partners will break down.”
Chinese hackers target government officials: July 13 rundown
Chinese hackers breached the email accounts belonging to top government officials, and Hollywood actors could join writers in striking. These stories and more highlight the rundown for Thursday, July 13, 2023.
Chinese hackers breach U.S. government email accounts
Microsoft email accounts belonging to top government officials and agencies have been breached by Chinese hackers, according to statements from Microsoft and the White House. Affected agencies include the State Department and the Commerce Department.
According to The Washington Post, hackers accessed the email account of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. Sources familiar with the investigation said the Chinese hackers also targeted a handful of other government officials.
The FBI had previously said Beijing has a larger hacking program than all other governments combined. The latest breach could escalate cybersecurity concerns regarding China.
“We always look at incidents such as this and seek to learn how to better protect our systems,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Wednesday, July 12. “And of course, we engage in conversation with the third-party providers about how they can better protect the systems that they provide to us.”
Russian general dismissed over criticism of leadership
A Russian general said he was dismissed after telling military leadership about the dire situation on the front lines of the war with Ukraine. Major General Ivan Popov said Russian soldiers had been stabbed in the back by the failings of military leadership.
Popov also said the Russian army lacked proper reconnaissance of enemy artillery and counter artillery systems. His criticism and subsequent dismissal comes less than three weeks after the Wagner group staged a brief but significant revolt against Russia, further demonstrating discontent within Russian fighters as the country continues the biggest land war in Europe since World War 2.
“Putin still wrongly believes that he can outlast Ukraine. He can’t believe it’s their land, their country and their future. And even after all this time, Putin still doubts our staying power,” President Joe Biden said Wednesday in his closing remarks at this week’s NATO summit. “He’s still making a bad bet that the conviction and the unity among the United States and our allies and partners will break down.”
Tornado spotted near Chicago’s O’Hare airport
A tornado was spotted near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport Wednesday night. Just behind planes on the tarmac, a funnel and dark clouds hovered in the skies, grounding nearly 700 flights as pilots waited for the powerful storm to pass through.
Homes were lost and trees and powerlines were toppled in the suburbs. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage at the airport.
Ray Epps sues Fox News over Jan. 6 charges
Among the thousands of people participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, Ray Epps became the center of a conspiracy theory accusing him of being an FBI informant, at the Capitol to incite the crowd. Several Fox News hosts ran with the story, with former primetime host Tucker Carlson often questioning why Epps hadn’t been arrested when hundreds of others had.
Epps has now sued Fox News for defamation. According to the suit, Epps was informed in May of 2023 that he faces criminal charges for his actions on Jan. 6. Epps blames the charges on “the relentless attacks by Fox and Tucker Carlson and the resulting political pressure.”
The lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of Delaware, the same court where Dominion Voting Systems sued Fox over its coverage of the 2020 presidential election. Before trial was set to begin, Fox agreed to settle that lawsuit for $787 million. Soon after, Carlson was ousted.
Hollywood actors strike looms
Hollywood actors may soon join screenwriters on the picket lines. A deadline for the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) to reach a deal with studios and streaming services passed at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.
The SAG-AFTRA Negotiating Committee then voted unanimously to recommend a strike, which would halt Hollywood productions. Issues in the negotiations include better residuals with streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon, as well as the use of AI technology.
“There are certain streamers that have really kind of changed the way we work and the way we have work,” actress Jessica Chastain said Wednesday. “And the contracts really haven’t caught up to the innovation that’s happened.”
The Writers Guild of America has been on strike since early May of 2023. If the actors go on strike, it would be the first time since 1960 that the two guilds would be on strike at the same time.
Elon Musk creates new company “xAI”
Elon Musk has begun his next business venture. This time, he’s entering the space of artificial intelligence.
Musk said he built “xAI” with a goal to “understand reality and the true nature of the universe.” He hired researchers from Google, OpenAI and other top tech firms to be part of his initial xAI team.
According to Musk, xAI will be its own entity, separate from his other businesses like Twitter, Tesla and SpaceX. However, Musk also said the companies will work closely together.
