Putin's Invasion of Ukraine

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Yonette Joseph, NY Times: "NYT obtained Putin's invasion plans, showing his military expected a cakewalk in Ukraine. Instead, Putin unleashed his nation’s greatest calamity since the Soviet Union fell" Putin’s War: The Inside Story of a Catastrophe
  1. 1. Blunders | It took four days for Russia to strike an obvious target. By then it was too late.
  2. 2. Hubris | Putin summoned many of Russia’s most powerful businessmen — into a trap.
  3. 3. Internal Rot | Putin summoned many of Russia’s most powerful businessmen — into a trap.
  4. 4. Collapsing Front | As Russia stumbled, the U.S. tried to save a Russian general’s life.
  5. 5. Divided Ranks | The Russian tank blew up its own checkpoint. It was no accident.
  6. 6. Cannon Fodder | At least your son didn’t drink himself to death, Putin told a bereaved mother.
“This isn’t war,” Mikhail said, struggling to speak through heavy, liquid breaths. “It’s the destruction of the Russian people by their own commanders.”
How could one of the world’s most powerful militaries, led by a celebrated tactician like Mr. Putin, have faltered so badly against its much smaller, weaker rival? To piece together the answer, we drew from hundreds of Russian government emails, documents, invasion plans, military ledgers and propaganda directives. We listened to Russian phone calls from the battlefield and spoke with dozens of soldiers, senior officials and Putin confidants who have known him for decades.
In interviews, Putin associates said he spiraled into self-aggrandizement and anti-Western zeal, leading him to make the fateful decision to invade Ukraine in near total isolation, without consulting experts who saw the war as pure folly. Aides and hangers-on fueled his many grudges and suspicions, a feedback loop that one former confidant likened to the radicalizing effect of a social-media algorithm. Even some of the president’s closest advisers were left in the dark until the tanks began to move. As another longtime confidant put it, “Putin decided that his own thinking would be enough.”


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CBS News - International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant for Putin over Russia's alleged war crimes in Ukraine
The International Criminal Court said Friday it has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes because of his alleged involvement in abductions of children from Ukraine.

The court said in a statement that Putin "is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation."

It also issued a warrant Friday for the arrest of Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, the Commissioner for Children's Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, on similar allegations.

The ICC said that its pre-trial chamber found there were "reasonable grounds to believe that each suspect bears responsibility for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population and that of unlawful transfer of population from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, in prejudice of Ukrainian children."

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Business Insider - Russia's Victory Day parade mocked for featuring only one tank





Bloomberg News - China Warns of ‘Strong’ Reaction If EU Sanctions Its Companies
China would react “strictly and strongly” to any penalties imposed on its companies by the European Union for supplying Russia with so-called dual-use goods that can be used for both military and civilian purposes, according to Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

The Times (U.K.) - Britain to blacklist Russia’s Wagner group as terrorists

Mercenaries will be given same status as Isis and al-Qaeda

Kyiv Independent: "Media: French parliament approves motion to list Wagner as terrorist organization. France's National Assembly has approved a motion urging the French government and the EU to officially designate Russia's Wagner mercenary group as a terrorist organization, France 24 reported on May 9."

Associated Press - US ambassador accuses South Africa of providing weapons, ammo to Russia

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NY Times - Russian General [Sergei Surovikin] Knew About Mercenary Chief’s Rebellion Plans, U.S. Officials Say
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner, may have believed he had support in Russia’s military.

NOELreports: "Among Americans, support for providing weapons to Ukraine has increased sharply from 46% in May to 65% now, Reuters writes. 81% of Democrats, 56% of Republicans and 57% of independents support the transfer of military aid." Reuters - Most Americans support US arming Ukraine, Reuters/Ipsos poll shows

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