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1 hour ago
Russian spring offensive appears to be bursting, says ISW
In January, Ukrainian tanks opened fire on Russian positions near Kreminna in Luhansk. According to the ISW, Kreminna is one of several areas where Russian forces have “failed to make more than incremental tactical gains.”
Anatoly Stepanov | AFP | Getty Images
Russia’s spring offensive against Ukraine is likely at its peak, with Ukrainian defenses “well positioned to regain the initiative and launch a counterattack,” according to a study released late Sunday.
A new assessment by the Washington-based War Research Institute finds that Russia’s 2023 offensive has paid off little and Moscow planners are desperate to reorganize their hard-hit military forces. Said there was
Despite the 300,000 soldiers Russia explicitly mobilized for the spring offensive late last year, the failure occurred.
“If 300,000 Russian soldiers fail to give Russia a decisive offensive advantage in Ukraine, the involvement of additional troops in future waves of mobilization could have dramatically different outcomes this year. is very low,” said the study.
CNBC cannot independently verify ISW’s assessment, but it is consistent with other analyses, including that of the Ukrainian commander. Russia’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
ISW is a research firm whose directors are mostly retired US military personnel, diplomats and political leaders.
— Ted Kemp
1 hour ago
Xi Jinping and Putin praise each other’s leadership as state visits begin
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have praised each other’s leadership and the alliance between the two countries as President Xi Jinping’s three-day state visit to Moscow begins on Monday.
In articles published by Russian and Chinese media outlets ahead of the visit, Xi praised relations between Russia and China, stating that “the two countries support independent foreign policies and maintain diplomatic relations between the two countries.” We see it as our top priority,” he said.
“Russia was the first country I visited after being elected president ten years ago. Over the past ten years, I have visited Russia eight times. “We came and returned home with fruitful results, opening a new chapter for China. We look forward to building relations with Russia together with President Putin.”
Talking about the long way forward over the past decade, Xi added that there has been a “clear historical logic and a strong internal impetus for the growth of China-Russia relations.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Moscow Zoo June 5, 2019.
Mikhail Svetlov | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Putin said in the article that he considered Xi a “good old friend” with whom he had “the warmest relations”.
Putin said Xi’s “important” visit “reaffirms the special nature of the Russia-China partnership, which is always based on mutual trust and respect for each other’s sovereignty and interests.” Stated. People’s Daily.
The two leaders are expected to discuss deepening Sino-Russian political and economic cooperation during their visit, and some unspecified bilateral agreements are expected to be signed.
Ahead of the meeting, a War Research Institute analyst said the president “will also likely discuss sanctions evasion plans and China’s interest in brokering a negotiated settlement of the war in Ukraine.”
China has called for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine, but has refused to accuse Moscow of gratuitous aggression.
— Holly Eliyat
2 hours ago
Putin visits Russian-occupied port city of Mariupol
Russian President Vladimir Putin (shown here in a grab from a video released by Russian broadcaster VGTRK on March 19, 2023) with Deputy Prime Minister Marat Kusnulin during a visit to the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. We are driving together.
– | Afp | Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the occupied city of Mariupol over the weekend, visiting several districts of the city that were largely destroyed by Russian forces early in the war.
On a carefully planned visit, Putin visited a port city in southern Ukraine by helicopter before driving to tour parts of the city and was seen talking to local residents. On Saturday, he reportedly visited Crimea on the Ukrainian peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
While there, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Husnurin was seen reporting to President Putin about the city’s construction works, and the Kremlin issued a statement saying that Putin was calling for a “new residential microdistrict, social and We were informed about the construction of educational facilities, housing and public services,” he said. infrastructure, and medical institutions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Deputy Prime Minister Marat Husnulin look at an illustration of reconstruction during their visit to the Ukrainian city of Mariupol on March 18, 2023.
– | Afp | Getty Images
The visit has been seen as a sign of defiance by the Kremlin after the International Criminal Court on Friday issued an international arrest warrant for the Russian president on suspicion of war crimes committed during the invasion of Ukraine.
Kiev has accused Moscow of committing a number of war crimes, including bombing a theater and shelling a maternity hospital where hundreds of civilians had taken refuge in Mariupol. Russia claimed the theater was bombed by Ukrainian Azov battalions and said the hospital was being used as a base by Azov fighters despite evidence to the contrary.
After a long and bloody siege between Russian forces and fighters from the Azov Battalion hiding at the Azovstal Ironworks in Mariupol, Ukrainian forces finally surrendered and Russia took full control of the city in May. declared that it does.
Mikhail Podlyak, an aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, took to Twitter to denounce Putin’s surprise visit to Mariupol, saying the president was there to “admire the city’s ruins” and that the visit was “ironic”. and lack of remorse.”
— Holly Eliyat
2 hours ago
China’s Xi Jinping visits ally Putin in Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Samarkand on September 16, 2022.
Sergei Bobylev | AFP | Getty Images
Chinese President Xi Jinping is making a landmark three-day official visit to Moscow on Monday as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to destabilize global relations between East and West.
China has become Russia’s most important ally in recent years, but the Chinese government has expressed outright support for Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, or what Putin called a “special military operation.” Trying to avoid it, instead asking for a truce and an offer. Broker peace agreements.
That said, Xi’s visit to Moscow is a political coup for Putin, who seems increasingly isolated on the world stage following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has not been as straightforward as expected.
Meanwhile, international sanctions are piling up on Russia, forcing it to look far and wide to former trading partners in Asia for business. And last Friday, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin on charges of war crimes committed during the invasion of Ukraine.
— Holly Eliyat
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