Johnson's Russia List @jrljohnsonsrussialist - Tumblr Blog

JRL NEWSWATCH: "Zelensky Urges Ukrainians to Persevere as Putin Says Moscow Ready for Long War" - WSJ

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Zelensky Urges Ukrainians to Persevere as Putin Says Moscow Ready for Long War” – WSJ

“In a defiant Christmas message, Ukraine’s president called on Ukrainians to continue to resist Russian forces.” “… Ukrainian officials had warned that Russia would try to make the Christmas and New Year period as miserable as possible for Ukrainian civilians, part of a focus on targeting the population far behind the front lines. Moscow has targeted Ukraine’s power grid and civilian…

View On WordPress

JRL NEWSWATCH: "Some Ukrainians move up Christmas to part ways with Russia" - AP/ Renata Brito, Hanna Arhirova

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Some Ukrainians move up Christmas to part ways with Russia” – AP/ Renata Brito, Hanna Arhirova

“Some Orthodox Ukrainians have decided to observe Christmas on Dec. 25, like many Christians around the world. Yes, this has to do with the war, and yes, they have the blessing of their local church. The idea of commemorating the birth of Jesus in December was considered radical in Ukraine until recently, but Russia’s invasion changed many hearts and minds. In October, the leadership of the…

View On WordPress

At Christmas, Pope Urges End to ‘Senseless’ Ukraine War

(Moscow Times – Dec. 25, 2022) Pope Francis on Sunday appealed for an end to the “senseless” war in Ukraine, in his traditional Christmas message from St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. The 86-year-old also warned the 10-month-old conflict was aggravating food shortages around the world, urging an end to the use of “food as a weapon”. The head of the Catholic Church addressed thousands of…

View On WordPress

JRL NEWSWATCH: "Ukraine Won't Be Using Patriot Missiles Anytime Soon After Omnibus' Passing" - Newsweek/ Nick Mordowanec

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine Won’t Be Using Patriot Missiles Anytime Soon After Omnibus’ Passing” – Newsweek/ Nick Mordowanec

“The recently-approved Patriot air missile defense system from the United States is heading to Ukraine, but the timeline for … delivery and implementation remains vague. The missile defense system is the standout piece of an additional $1.85 billion in security assistance announced by the Department of Defense on Wednesday simultaneously as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited…

View On WordPress

JRL NEWSWATCH: "Mr. Zelensky Goes to Washington; The U.S. would be far worse off today if Putin had conquered Ukraine." - WSJ

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Mr. Zelensky Goes to Washington; The U.S. would be far worse off today if Putin had conquered Ukraine.” – WSJ

“… Zelensky’s visit to Washington on Wednesday is a symbolically important moment after 10 brutal months of war in Ukraine. With his first trip abroad since the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24, the Ukrainian President is signaling how vital the U.S. is to his country’s survival, as Vladimir Putin attempts to bomb Kyiv into submission, and maybe the Stone Age. [] Zelensky, in his trademark…

View On WordPress

JRL NEWSWATCH: "Nearly 1,000 faith leaders call for Christmas cease-fire in Ukraine" - Washington Post

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Nearly 1,000 faith leaders call for Christmas cease-fire in Ukraine” – Washington Post

“The plea, inspired by a famous World War I truce, comes as Ukraine’s president visits Washington.” “Nearly 1,000 U.S. faith leaders are calling for a Christmas cease-fire in Ukraine as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits Washington on Wednesday, 10 months after Russia’s invasion. The leaders, who represent a broad range of faiths, said in a statement that they hoped a temporary truce…

View On WordPress

What’s Ahead in the War in Ukraine

(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – Alex Vershinin – Dec. 22, 2022 U.S. Lt. Col. Alex Vershinin retired after 20 years of service, including eight years as an armor officer with four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and 12 years working as a modeling and simulations officer in NATO and U.S. Army concept development and experimentation. This included a tour with the U.S. Army Sustainment…

View On WordPress

JRL NEWSWATCH: "U.S. Spending Bill Contains Billions for Ukraine" - Wall Street Journal/ Daniel Nasaw

JRL NEWSWATCH: “U.S. Spending Bill Contains Billions for Ukraine” – Wall Street Journal/ Daniel Nasaw

“… Here is some of what is in the bil … $9 billion to arm, equip and train Ukrainian forces. This would come on top of the nearly $20 billion in military hardware the U.S. has already sent …. $7 billion … to fund the surge of U.S. troops and gear to Europe …. $687 million for Army ammunition plants, to build capacity …. $300 million for Ukrainian police and border guards, in part for the rescue…

View On WordPress

[White House] Background Press Call on the Upcoming Visit of President Zelenskyy of Ukraine

(The White House – Dec. 20, 2022) MODERATOR: Good evening, everyone. And thank you for joining tonight’s call. This is [moderator]. To kick things off, I just wanted to go over the ground rules really quickly. The contents of this call and everything we are about to discuss is under embargo until further notice. When we are able to lift the embargo, I will send everyone who RSVP’d an email…

View On WordPress

RUSSIALINK: "Putin Insists No Plan to Absorb Belarus on Visit in Ukraine Shadow" - Moscow Times

RUSSIALINK: “Putin Insists No Plan to Absorb Belarus on Visit in Ukraine Shadow” – Moscow Times

(Moscow Times – Dec. 21, 2022) President Vladimir Putin denied plans to absorb Belarus as he paid a rare visit Monday to the country whose strongman assisted his invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Putin flew into Minsk with his defense and foreign ministers in tow, hours after Russian forces launched a swarm of attack drones at critical infrastructure in Kyiv, which provoked emergency blackouts in…

View On WordPress

Russian Elite Increasing Divided on What to Do If Russia Faces Defeat in Ukraine, Stanovaya Says

(Paul Goble – Window On Eurasia – Staunton, Dec. 18, 2022) Almost all the members of Putin’s entourage are coming to the conclusion that Russia will lose the war in Ukraine if the Kremlin doesn’t change course, Tatiana Stanovaya says; and consequently, “a divide is forming around one key question: what to do if Russia loses this war?” Until the retreat from Kherson, the Russian analyst says, most…

View On WordPress

JRL NEWSWATCH: "NATO Could Take Out Russia in 3 Days: Congressman" - Newsweek/ Andrew Stanton

JRL NEWSWATCH: “NATO Could Take Out Russia in 3 Days: Congressman” – Newsweek/ Andrew Stanton

“Representative Adam Kinzinger said on Monday that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) could take out Russia in only three days. … Putin has long taken issue with NATO … raising concerns about the West’s expanding sphere of influence …. Specifically, the Russian leader opposed the possibility of Ukraine joining the organization. Experts have raised concern the Russia-Ukraine war could…

View On WordPress

JRL NEWSWATCH: "Russia has its troops. But does it have the economy to supply them?" -

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia has its troops. But does it have the economy to supply them?” –

“When Russia called up 300,000 reservists to fill out the army’s ranks for the ongoing Ukraine war, the bureaucratic chaos and public angst that erupted as men were dragged from their civilian lives into unexpected military service got a lot of media coverage. But there is a parallel, economic mobilization that is still going on, to rapidly reallocate resources and labor from the civilian sector…

View On WordPress

Russian Space Chief Praises U.S. After ISS Coolant Leak

(Moscow Times – Dec. 20, 2022) The head of Russian space agency Roscosmos on Tuesday praised Russia-U.S. cooperation at the International Space Station following a major coolant leak from a Soyuz crew capsule. “Say hello to the entire American team. They proved themselves to be very worthy in this situation and lent us a helping hand,” Borisov said, speaking to the Russian crew on board the ISS.…

View On WordPress

Russia Is Running Out of Missiles ... or Not

Russia Is Running Out of Missiles … or Not

(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – Simon Saradzhyan – Dec. 15, 2022) Simon Saradzhyan is the founding director of Russia Matters. Is Russia running out of precision munitions, such as missiles, in its war against Ukraine? That is the question I posed to some of my professional acquaintances and myself last month, hoping some of us would come up with an accurate answer. Three weeks later, I am…

View On WordPress

7 Ideas to Explore - Russia Analytical Report, Dec. 12-19, 2022

7 Ideas to Explore – Russia Analytical Report, Dec. 12-19, 2022

(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – Dec. 19, 2022) The time has come to build “a new structure toward achieving peace through negotiation,” according to Kissinger. “The goal of a peace process [for Ukraine] would be twofold: to confirm the freedom of Ukraine and to define a new international structure” in which “Russia should find a place,” Kissinger writes in The Spectator. Kissinger foresees…

View On WordPress

Book Announcement: The Tragedy of Ukraine

Subject: Book Announcement: The Tragedy of Ukraine Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2022 From: Nicolai Petro <[email protected]> The Tragedy of Ukraine: What Classical Greek Tragedy Can Teach Us About Conflict Resolution (Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter, 2023) is now available for purchase at: v.gd/tragedy — link to the publisher www.amzn.to/3UC8xcn — link to Amazon.com your preferred bookstore —…

View On WordPress

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

Johnson's Russia List