OT subject but worth a main-stream read- OT News Feeds...

lousubcap

That is a solid read and definitely sets up the background that led to the tragedy.  Thanks-

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/BillKristol/status/1675970791752564736?s=20

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/1676005961276817408?s=20

lousubcap

No chance for me as a non Twitter subscriber.  But factors may change the policy as recently demonstrated. 

lousubcap

Tuesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Russian President Vladimir Putin will address a global summit for the first time since the paramilitary organization Wagner group launched its armed action in Russia. Putin will join leaders from China, India, Pakistan, and four Central Asian countries virtually for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit today. The summit will be an opportunity for Putin to show that he is still a credible figure on the global stage despite the Ukraine war and the armed action. Vikas Pandey reports for BBC News.

Yevgeny Prigozhin’s failed armed action in Russia reversed a steady rise in opinion polls that had made him one of Russia’s most popular wartime leaders, two surveys conducted by Russian Field, a nonpartisan Moscow-based research company, show. However, nearly 30 percent of Russians continue to view him positively. Anatoly Kurmanaev reports for the New York Times. 

The paramilitary organization Wagner group will stop hiring for a month as its forces move to Belarus. A Telegram channel the company uses for hiring said its forces would not fight in Ukraine as they shift operations from Russia. Bryan Pietsch, Leo Sands, Shera Avi-Yonah, Ben Brasch, and Kyle Rempfer report for the Washington Post. 

Russia today said that Ukraine had attacked Moscow with at least five drones that were all either shot down or jammed. Flights had to be rerouted at one of Moscow’s main airports for several hours due to the attack. Guy Faulconbridge and Lidia Kelly report for Reuters. "

lousubcap

Wednesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Russian forces placed “objects resembling explosives” on the roof of some buildings at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed yesterday. Nick Robertson reports for The Hill. 

Russian investigative journalist Elena Milashina and lawyer Alexander Nemov were severely beaten by masked men in Chechnya yesterday as they attempted to attend the trial of Zarema Musayeva, the mother of an exiled opposition activist. Milashina suffered brain injuries, her fingers were broken, and she repeatedly lost consciousness, while Nemov was stabbed in the leg. Ramzan Kadyrov, the autocratic leader of Chechnya, previously called Milashina a “terrorist accomplice” for her coverage of government critics. The Russian government has acknowledged the attack and is investigating. Victoria Kim and Anatoly Kurmanaev report for the New York Times. 

The potential political upheaval following the Russian paramilitary organization Wagner group’s armed action has raised Western concerns about the stability of Russia’s nuclear weapons. Calls from prominent Russians to use nuclear weapons to avoid defeat in Ukraine have been increasing. Sergei Karaganov, a former Kremlin adviser and influential Russian political scientist, has doubled down on calls for Moscow to use nuclear strikes since the armed action. Robyn Dixon reports for the Washington Post. 

Moscow’s Mayor Sergei Sobyanin accused Ukraine of launching a drone attack on Moscow forcing the Vnukovo airport to be closed temporarily. Russian authorities said five drones had been shot down and later escalated its rhetoric saying such attacks would “not be possible” without help from the United States and NATO. No casualties were reported in the attacks.

Russia’s defence ministry spokesperson Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov said Russian troops repelled 10 Ukrainian attacks in the direction of Donetsk in the previous 24 hours, according to state news agency TASS.

Oleksiy Danilov, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, said the country’s military had had a “particularly fruitful” few days. He did not elaborate.

The Ukrainian government accused Russia of planning a “provocation” at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which was occupied by Russian troops soon after their full-scale invasion in February. Russia, meanwhile, claimed that Kyiv was planning to “attack” the facility."

fishlessman

finally get to catch up on this thread, no way to read it on a mobile that thinks its a desk top for the last 6 days....

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/donmoyn/status/1676785310322098176?s=20

lousubcap

Thursday Russia-Ukraine update:

"The investigation into Yevgeny Prigozhin, the exiled chief of the paramilitary organization Wagner group, remains open, according to Russian state media yesterday. These reports cast doubt over the deal purportedly struck between Prigozhin and the Kremlin that saw Prigozhin end his armed action in exchange for a dropping of any charges and permission to exile in Belarus. Andrew Osborn reports for Reuters. 

The Kremlin yesterday said that Ukraine is preparing an attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Russian-occupied territory. Kyiv and Moscow have exchanged allegations that a false-flag attack is looming. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, said, “The threat of sabotage by the Kyiv regime is high,” though he provided no evidence. Fredrick Kunkle, Francesca Ebel, and Natalia Abbakumova reports for the Washington Post.

Ukraine’s military launched a strike on the Russian-occupied city of Makiivka on Tuesday night, hitting what appeared to be an arms depot that sparked a large explosion. Russian media said that civilian targets were struck. Makiivka is a symbolic location as it is where Ukraine dealt the heaviest blow to Russian forces; a single Ukrainian strike in January killed at least 63 Russian soldiers — and possibly hundreds more. The strike demonstrates Ukraine’s offensive capability amid only slow gains on the frontline. Cassandra Vinograd reports for the New York Times.

The Kremlin yesterday denied that Chinese President Xi Jinping had personally warned Russian President Vladimir Putin against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine. It was previously reported that Xi delivered the message when he visited Moscow in March. China has publicly expressed opposition to any use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine. This development comes as several Kremlin-linked analysts have supported a pre-emptive nuclear strike on Europe. Pjotr Sauer reports for the Guardian. "

lousubcap

From Fareed Zakaria today:

Where Belarus Fits In

"What exactly does Belarus have to do with all this?   Belarus’s dictatorial President Alexander Lukashenko said he played a pivotal role in ending Russia’s brief rebellion this month, negotiating a deal between rebellious Wagner mercenary-army leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Lukashenko later said Prigozhin was in his country; tacking on a bit more drama, he now says Prigozhin is in Russia.   At Der Spiegel, Jan Puhl examines Lukashenko’s strange position at the nexus of Europe and Russia. “Indeed, it sounds almost as though the Belorussian leader, dismissed for years as a mere vassal of the Kremlin, is trying to profit from the chaos in neighboring Russia” by boasting of his influence, Puhl writes. “Is he seeking to break free of Russia's tight embrace? Is Lukashenko the ultimate beneficiary of the mutiny?”    That’s unlikely, Puhl and others conclude. The arrival of Wagner fighters—who were given the option, by Putin, to follow Prigozhin to Belarus—might not be an asset for Lukashenko: As RAND’s Molly Dunigan alludes to, there’s a security risk in having thousands of hardened fighters, some of them convicts recruited from prisons in exchange for their freedom, flow into one’s country. At Brookings, Steven Pifer writes that Belarus is being dragged further into Russia’s war on Ukraine. Russia’s recent decision to station nuclear weapons in Belarus would make the latter country an appealing target for NATO, were nuclear war to break out, Pifer writes—pointing out that for the West, striking Belarus would carry fewer consequences than striking Russia itself.    Above all, Der Spiegel’s Puhl depicts a moribund geopolitical position for Belarus: a deeply repressive autocracy suffering through economic doldrums, beholden to Moscow and enjoying no trust from the EU after posing itself as a viable diplomatic interlocutor following Putin’s first incursions into Ukraine in 2014."

"

lousubcap

Friday Russia-Ukraine update:

"A group of former U.S. national security officials held secret talks with Russians close to the Kremlin, including Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov, intending to lay the groundwork for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, six people familiar with the discussions said. These discussions happened with the knowledge of the Biden administration but not at its direction. There are growing signs that the West is eager for peace talks once the counter-offensive concludes. Josh Lederman reports for NBC News. 

President Biden has approved the provision of U.S. cluster munitions for Ukraine. The move will bypass U.S. laws prohibiting the transfer of cluster munitions with a failure rate of more than 1 percent. Most countries ban cluster munitions. The high failure rate means that some bomblets may not immediately explode, threatening civilians. Karen DeYoung, Alex Horton, and Missy Ryan report for the Washington Post.

Yevgeny Prigozhin is no longer in Belarus, where he is ostensibly in exile, according to Belarus’ leader Alexander Lukashenko, who suggests Prigozhin returned to Russia. Prigozhin’s troops have also remained in their permanent camps in Russia, Lukashenko said yesterday. A Telegram channel that purports to carry out recruitment for the paramilitary organization Wagner group on Wednesday called on its almost 250,000 subscribers to join a gathering in St. Petersburg tomorrow. Ann M. Simmons, Benoit Faucon, and Matthew Luxmoore report for the Wall Street Journal. 

The Russian state media has launched a campaign to discredit Yevgeny Prigozhin after his failed armed action last month. Searches of Prigozhin’s lavish homes were aired, and his greed and criminal past were discussed. Vitaly Shevchenko reports for BBC News.

KYIV, July 6 (Reuters) - Ukraine's military spy chief said on Thursday that the threat of a Russian attack on the vast Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was receding, but that it could easily return as long as the facility remained under occupation by Moscow's forces.

The intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, made the comment in an interview with Reuters after days of warnings by Ukrainian and Russian officials accusing each other of plotting an attack at Europe's largest nuclear plant."

HeavyG

Congress should do what it can to prevent sending cluster bombs to Ukraine.

lousubcap

From Politico today about the cluster bombs:

"In public and in private, the Biden administration is offering a full-throated defense of its decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine.

National security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy COLIN KAHL addressed reporters at the White House and Pentagon respectively Friday, asserting that the U.S. should fulfill Ukraine’s request despite the risk to civilians. The danger to Ukrainians would be greater if Russia overtook the country, and if Moscow’s tanks rolled into Kyiv “because Ukraine does not have enough artillery, that is intolerable to us,” Sullivan said.

Ukraine sent assurances that it would use the U.S.-provided weapons, supposedly with a dud rate of 2.5 percent or less, in ways that minimize harm to civilians. Kyiv has incentives to abide by those promises, Sullivan claimed, because it’s Ukrainians that VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY is charged with protecting. In the end, Ukraine wants the weapons to safeguard the nation from Russian, cluster-bomb-using invaders — and accepts the risks.

Sullivan also fessed up to the reason the U.S. is dipping into its reserve of cluster munitions: It doesn’t have enough other artillery shells to provide at the moment. The bombs with bomblets will serve as a stopgap until production ramps up again.

“We need to build a bridge from where we are today to when we have enough monthly production of unitary rounds,” he said. “This is the moment to begin the construction of that bridge so that there isn't any period over this summer or heading into this fall when Ukraine is short on artillery.”

That, along with the need to help Ukraine break through Russia’s front lines during the counteroffensive, led the National Security Council to offer a “unanimous recommendation” for President JOE BIDEN to approve the transfer.

Kahl said the U.S. has “hundreds of thousands of rounds” to deliver now. But he stressed that no one should consider the cluster bombs as some sort of panacea for Ukraine’s fight. “It's important that they have a mix of capabilities," he said, noting “no one capability is a silver bullet.”

Still, civil society groups that met with senior administration officials earlier Friday about the decision, expressed concern to NatSec Daily that the administration wouldn’t say what kind of cluster munitions the U.S. will send and that they wouldn’t disclose why there’s confidence the dud rate will stay below 2.5 percent. Critics say that percentage comes from testing in pristine conditions and doesn’t account for the stresses of terrain and weather on the battlefield."

HeavyG

I saw that press conference. They definitely tried to sell it but the US should side with almost all of our allies who have banned the use of cluster bombs.

Botch

No one is mentioning that cluster bombs are a relatively effective way to clear out deeply-entrenched infantry, which is what the Ukrainians are up against in their attempt to regain their prior territory.  And they will have to carefully clean up that territory not just of cluster submunitions, but the many russian mines that are also planted throughout.  (I've been out of the business too long to know the dud rate of current cluster munitions vs those used in the Iraq war).   
Is it an ugly, vicious and inhumane method of war?  Yes.  But Ukraine is up against an inhumane state which had no problem with bombing apartments, infrastructure, and now dams, while not being given any weapons to attack their own aggressor on THEIR soil.  This was a correct move.  And I'm hoping against hope that some faction within the kremlin itself finally says enough and assassinates putin, before he sabotages a nuclear power plant (like he did the dam) or pops off a few nukes in desperation.   

JohnInCarolina

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/AVindman/status/1677648593258250243?s=20

lousubcap

Cluster munitions and Russia-Ukraine Monday update:

"President Biden on Friday made the “difficult decision” to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions because the “Ukrainians are running out of ammunition.” Biden said the cluster munitions would fill a supply gap as the United States manufactures shells. Jeremy Herb reports for CNN. 

Democrats appeared to be torn on whether to support the Biden administration’s plans to send cluster munitions to Ukraine. Arguments against the decision primarily focused on the risk to civilian lives and the 2008 treaty, signed by 123 countries, that banned cluster bombs in war. The U.S., Russia, and Ukraine are not signatories to the treaty. Some Democrats supported the decision because Ukraine needs shells if the counteroffensive is to continue. Lauren Sforza reports for The Hill. 

The decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine has drawn some criticism from U.S. allies. U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak did not directly criticize the decision, but he did reiterate that the U.K. has signed the 2008 treaty banning their use. Yesterday, New Zealand said the munitions could cause “huge damage to innocent people.” Canada and Spain also voiced concerns. Germany said it would not send cluster munitions but understood the United States’ position. Kathryn Armstrong and James FitzGerald report for BBC News. 

President Biden said that Ukraine is not ready for NATO membership, saying that Russia’s war in Ukraine needs to end first. Biden added, “… there’s other qualifications that need to be met, including democratization … ” Jeremy Herb reports for CNN. 

The Freedom of Russia Legion, an anti-Kremlin military group, said its fighters plan another cross-border raid into Russia. “There will be a further surprise in the next month or so,” a spokesperson for the group said, adding, “It will be our third operation. After that, there will be a fourth and fifth. We have ambitious plans. We want to free all our territory.” Luke Harding reports for the Guardian. "

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/semafor/status/1678491818768363525?s=20

lousubcap

What's the other half of that Turkey deal, EU membership??

Not my writing-

"Turkey's bid to join the EU has been frozen for years after membership talks were launched in 2005 under Erdogan's first term as prime minister. The ties between Ankara and members of the bloc soured several years ago, especially after a 2016 failed coup attempt in Turkey, but have since improved."

lousubcap

Tuesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Yevgeny Prigozhin and his paramilitary organization Wagner group lieutenants met with Russian President Vladimir Putin days after the group’s failed armed action in Russia, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. The meeting is indicative of Wagner’s continued importance for Russian security. Peskov said Wagner unit commanders pledged fealty, saying “they are staunch supporters” of Putin. Matthew Luxmoore, Ann M. Simmons, and Georgi Kantchev report for the Wall Street Journal. 

During their armed action, the paramilitary organization Wagner group forces sent a contingent of military vehicles to a fortified Russian army base with nuclear weapons, according to videos posted online and interviews with locals. Ukraine’s head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said that the Wagner fighters reached the nuclear base intending to acquire Soviet-era nuclear devices to “raise the stakes” in their armed action. Budanov said the Wagner fighters could not enter the facility housing nuclear weapons. Budanov’s assertions could not be independently verified. Reuters reports.  (First I have heard of that...)

House Oversight Committee Republicans are calling for scrutiny of Department of Defense accounting errors that allow the United States to send another $6.2 billion in military aid to Ukraine. The error “raises more concerns about DOD’s ability to protect taxpayer funds.” Andrew Solender reports for Axios. 

President Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged their support for Ukraine before the NATO summit. “Couldn’t be meeting with a closer friend and a greater ally,” Biden said yesterday while sitting next to Sunak. These demonstrations of unity come as the NATO summit in Lithuania is expected to divide members, particularly on the questions of Ukraine’s NATO bid and cluster munitions. Toluse Olorunnipa and William Booth report for the Washington Post.

Ukraine said its forces made a “definitive advance” on the southern flank of Bakhmut as the country continues its counteroffensive against occupying Russian troops. Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar added that “on the northern flank of the battle there are no changes of positions”.

The Russian defence ministry, meanwhile, said its forces had repelled Ukrainian attacks in three areas of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, including Klishchiivka, the focus of fighting in recent days near Bakhmut. The ministry also said Russian forces thwarted Ukrainian attacks in the south, including near the village of Rivnopil, which Ukrainian forces said they captured two weeks ago.

Yuriy Malashko, governor of the Zaporizhia region, said Russian missiles struck an aid distribution centre set up in a school in the village of Orikhiv, killing seven people and injuring 11. The prosecutor general’s office said the incident was being investigated as a war crime.

The United Kingdom’s defence ministry said Russia was “almost certainly struggling with a crisis of combat medical provision”. The analysis said Russia had been suffering an average of about 400 casualties a day since the war began in February 2022.

An independent statistical analysis of Russia’s war dead found nearly 50,000 Russian men have died since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion. Two independent Russian media outlets, Mediazona and Meduza, working with a data scientist from Germany’s Tübingen University, used Russian government data to shed light on one of Moscow’s closest held secrets."

nolaegghead

Turkey ain’t getting in the EU any time soon with Erdogan.  Mostly the issue is corruption.  Also hard to integrate an economy with rampant inflation, there’s a reason for that.  

Advanced fighters for Turkey was the key.  Erdogan took it as far as he could 

lousubcap

NATO and Ukraine as of today-

"VILNIUS, Lithuania — A major rift between NATO and Ukraine split open today as President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY blasted the alliance for not using language in a joint statement that signals Kyiv would eventually become a member nation.

The text, which NatSec Daily scooped ahead of the official release, says that “We will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance when Allies agree and conditions are met.” That language simply reflects the current situation: Allies could all greenlight Kyiv’s accession today if they wanted, but they won’t because Ukraine is still defending itself against Russian invaders and NATO membership would mean the alliance would have to get directly involved.

But Zelenskyy is mad as hell about it and, hours before arriving here, called the rhetoric of the text weak.

“It’s unprecedented and absurd when [a] time frame is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine's membership. While at the same time vague wording about ‘conditions’ is added even for inviting Ukraine,” he tweeted.

“Uncertainty is weakness,” he continued.

A person familiar with the discussions, granted anonymity to discuss internal negotiations, said that NATO countries sent this text to Ukraine before it was officially finalized with a subtle message that it was nearly complete and that Kyiv should accept it. Clearly, Zelenskyy did not, presumably because the phrasing isn’t far from the 2008 Bucharest Declaration that stated Ukraine alongside Georgia “will become members of NATO.”

The Biden administration is holding firm to its position backing the declaration, however. “We've already said that Ukraine's place in the future is going to be in the alliance at some point. They've got reforms they have to work out. Rule of law, good governance, political reforms that need to be done, and they're at war right now,” National Security Council spokesperson JOHN KIRBY said moments after Zelenskyy’s tweet, adding: “Now is not the time” for Ukraine to join NATO.

NATO Secretary-General JENS STOLTENBERG defended the compromise text, calling it “a strong package for Ukraine,” that ultimately offers "a clear path towards its membership in NATO.”

The Ukrainian leader is scheduled to meet with President JOE BIDENon Wednesday, a rendezvous that now takes on a more hostile tone following Zelenskyy’s public denouncement. Biden has been very vocal about not offering Ukraine NATO membership during the Vilnius summit because of the continuing war. He also said Kyiv needed to undergo more democratic reforms before it could join the political-military bloc."

lousubcap

Wednesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the “unprecedented and absurd” delay to NATO accession after the alliance refused to give Ukraine a timeline. NATO states have said Ukraine can join the military alliance “when allies agree, and conditions are met.” Kyiv accepts it cannot join NATO while it is at war with Russia but wanted a timeline for when the fighting ends. Zelenskyy fears that the lack of an agreed timeframe meant Ukraine’s eventual membership could become a bargaining chip in negotiations with Russia. Toluse Olorunnipa, Emily Rauhala, Meryl Kornfield, and Michael Birnbaum report for the Washington Post. 

The Group of Seven is expected to approve a long-term security arrangement with Ukraine at the NATO summit today. The arrangement will include defense equipment, training, and intelligence sharing. James Landale and Oliver Slow report for BBC News. 

France will supply Ukraine with cruise missiles strengthening Kyiv’s long-range strike capabilities, French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday. France is only the second country after the U.K. to offer these weapons, putting pressure on the United States and other allies to do the same. Yaroslav Trofimov reports for the Wall Street Journal. 

The Biden administration is quietly debating whether or not to send long-range missiles known as ATACMS to Ukraine, according to two U.S. officials and one European official. Officially, the Pentagon has maintained that Ukraine currently does not need ATACMS. U.S. defense officials have warned that their stocks of ATACMS are relatively small, and the missiles have been committed to other Pentagon war plans. Lara Jakes reports for the New York Times. 

Ukrainian pilots will begin training to fly F-16 fighter jets in August in Denmark, and a training center will be established in Romania, officials said yesterday. Niklas Pollard and Justyna Pawlak report for Reuters. 

A longshot bipartisan bid to block the Biden administration’s plan to send cluster munitions to Ukraine has attracted over a dozen democrats. Rep. Sara Jacobs’ (D-CA) amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to ban the transfer of cluster munitions to other countries garnered support from House Democrats and Republicans. However, it is unlikely to succeed as Ukraine hawks comprise the majority in both chambers. Andrew Solender reports for Axios. "

lousubcap

Thursday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Lt. Gen. Oleg Tsokov, a senior Russian general, has been killed in a missile strike on a hotel in Berdyansk on Ukraine’s occupied southern coast. A U.K.-supplied long-range Storm Shadow missile reportedly killed Tsokov. James Gregory reports for BBC News. 

Gen. Ivan Popov, a high-profile Russian general in command of forces involved in heavy fighting in the Zaporizhzhia region, said he was dismissed after accusing the defense minister of betraying Russian soldiers by not providing sufficient support. CNN reports. 

Gen. Sergei Surovikin, a former Russian commander who has not been seen in public since the paramilitary organization Wagner group armed action in June, is “resting,” said Andrei Kartapolov, chair of the defense committee and member of Moscow’s parliament. Unconfirmed reports say Surovikin, who is said to have a close relationship with Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been held for questioning about his alleged involvement in the armed action. BBC News Reports.

President Biden concluded the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, yesterday by comparing the war in Ukraine with the Cold War struggle for freedom in Europe, framing the conflict as a long-term struggle. Biden added, “We will not waver” no matter how long the war continues. David E. Sanger and Zolan Kanno-Youngs report for the New York Times.

Russia’s Defense Ministry yesterday said that the paramilitary organization Wagner group has handed over thousands of tons of weapons, ammunition, and military equipment to the Russian army. The move is in keeping with the reported deal between Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Francesca Ebel reports for the Washington Post. "

dmchicago

Gen. Ivan Popov, a high-profile Russian general in command of forces involved in heavy fighting in the Zaporizhzhia region, said he was dismissed after accusing the defense minister of betraying Russian soldiers by not providing sufficient support. CNN reports. 

RIP, Pop.

fishlessman

lousubcap

Even first floor units aren't a safe haven...

lousubcap

Friday Russia-Ukraine update:

"The paramilitary organization Wagner group is no longer “participating in any significant capacity in support of combat operations in Ukraine,” a Pentagon spokesperson has said. Speaking to Russian daily Kommersant yesterday, President Vladimir Putin said, “Wagner does not exist.” Laura Gozzi and Phelan Chatterjee report for BBC News. 

Gen. Sergei Surovikin, who is said to be close to Yevgeny Prigozhin, is being held and interrogated in Moscow, people familiar with the situation said. Surovikin has not been charged with a crime. Surovikin is said to have had advanced knowledge of the armed action but was not involved in it. At least 13 senior officers were detained for questioning shortly after the armed action, and around 15 were suspended from duty or fired. Thomas Grove reports for the Wall Street Journal.

American cluster munitions were delivered to Ukraine yesterday, according to a Ukrainian general and the Pentagon. “We just got them, we haven’t used them yet, but it can radically change [the battlefield],” Brig. Gen. Oleksandr Tarnavsky said yesterday. Sebastian Shukla, Alex Marquardt, and Dasha Tarasova-Markin report for CNN. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s confrontational remarks challenging NATO leaders on Ukraine’s NATO bid almost caused U.S. officials to scale back Kyiv’s “invitation” to join, according to six people familiar with the matter. While support remains high, the incident indicates some of Ukraine’s staunchest allies’ frustration towards Zelenskyy’s pressure tactics. Michael Birnbaum reports for the Washington Post. 

Russian hard-liners have demanded that Turkey be designated an “unfriendly” country after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lifted his veto on Sweden’s NATO bid. Erdogan also recently hailed the friendship between Turkey and Ukraine, expressed support for Ukraine’s independence, and said it deserved NATO membership. While the Kremlin’s criticism of Ankara was cautious, Turkey’s apparent shift to the West will be a worrying prospect for Russia, wary of losing one of its most valued relationships. Robyn Dixon, Kareem Fahim, and David L. Stern report for the Washington Post. "

lousubcap

Excerpts from an interview with Congressman Adam Smith of Washington State:

On what’s driving the decay of American democracy:

“What is the process of how we make decisions in this country? My focus is always on ‘how do we resolve our differences in a peaceful way?’ … You have to understand you don’t always get your way; you have to respect the process. … People have stopped thinking of democracy as a process whereby you participate in the system. … Today, if you don’t get the result that you wanted, you’re going to burn the whole house down. … You have to have a respect for the process in order to be able to peacefully resolve your differences. And we’re not interested at this point in peacefully resolving our differences. We want what we want. And if we didn’t get it … we’re going to let the world know why that is not just unfortunate, not just wrong, but completely unacceptable. … That’s a matter of developing emotional intelligence.”