VCHRYSANTZAS

Over the past few months, more than two thirds of Russian tanks were destroyed by Ukrainian soldiers with the help of the FPV drones, which shows that Kyiv relies on this particular weapon more and more amidst the acute artillery ammunition deficit. Foreign Policy reported this with reference to an official representative of NATO. The story says the FPV drones used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine have low efficiency. They are equipped with cheap cameras which makes it harder to aim at night or in cloudy weather, and often carry improvised explosive devices, which sometimes explode right in the air or do not detonate at all. İt is nted that in the third year of Russia’s full-scale invasion, FPV drones have become nearly ubiquitous on the Ukrainian battlefield. Many of them can carry 10 pounds of explosives or more, and after nearly 780 days of nonstop war, drone pilots on both sides have gotten plenty of practice. But for every success, there are nearly as many blooper reel-worthy incidents. These aren’t the $20 million-a-piece Predator drones that the United States uses to hunt terrorist targets in the Middle East. These are inexpensive off-the-shelf drones that go for $400. The analysts surveyed by Foreign Policy believe that the FPV drones attacks on the Russian tanks have controversial results. Rob Lee, senior fellow of the Eurasian Program of the Institute of Foreign Policy Research, indicates that a general accuracy of FPV-drones is less than 50%, and in some cases as many as 10 or more drones are needed to destroy a tank. At the same time, Lee states, Russia is running out of armoured vehicles and tanks so while preserving current dynamics in the combat zone Moscow may lose its quantitative superiority and make conducting its own offensive operations in the future more difficult. "The issue is that Russia’s getting a lot of manpower," Lee added. At the beginning of the year, the UK Defence Intelligence analysed the influence of FPV drones over the situation on the left bank of Kherson Oblast and explained why it is difficult for the Russian occupiers to counteract them.

Germany has sent an advance military team to Lithuania as part of plans for a full-strength armor brigade permanently stationed in the Baltic state, which borders Russia. Moscow has described the mission as a threat that requires “special measures” in response. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was among those to see off 21 military service members and civilian employees who departed from Berlin to Vilnius. The minister praised the Bundeswehr deployment as “a clear signal of solidarity” with Germany’s fellow NATO member. The Lithuanian Brigade, or Panzerbrigade 45, is set to include some 4,800 soldiers and 200 civilian employees by the time it becomes fully operational in 2027. It will be hosted at the Rudninkai training ground in the southeast of the country as well as near the town of Rukla. Some German troops will be located just 20km from the border with Belarus, a key Russian ally. Lithuania also borders the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. Lithuania, which has for years been upgrading the infrastructure needed to house foreign troops, has described the German deployment as historic. The arrival of the advance team four months after the roadmap for the permanent mission was signed heralds “a new page of a deeper Lithuanian-German partnership,” Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas declared as he welcomed the troops. Vilnius has touted the German force as a deterrent against Russia, although Moscow perceives it as yet more evidence that NATO is encroaching on its borders. “This continues an escalation of tension, the creation of hotspots of threats to us at our borders, which will certainly require special measures to ensure our security,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Moscow has accused Washington of ignoring its concerns over NATO enlargement in Europe, which was done in breach of promises made to the Soviet leadership when it agreed to German unification in the early 1990s. Since 2017, German troops have been part of enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup Lithuania, a multinational 1,700-strong force stationed in Rukla.

At this year's annual military drills, Taiwan will practice "kill zones" at sea to break through a blockade and simulate a scenario where China suddenly turns one of its regular exercises around the island into a real attack, reports Reuters. China, which considers democratically governed Taiwan its territory, has been conducting regular exercises around the island for the past four years to pressure Taipei. "Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine two years ago, Taiwan has been looking to see what lessons it can learn and integrate into its own exercises, especially how the much smaller Ukrainian forces have been able to fend off the larger Russian military," the media says. Tung Chih-hsing, head of the Ministry of Defense's joint combat planning department, said "those would again feature this year, along with the lessons learned from the war in Gaza." Taiwan begins its major annual Han Kuang exercises this month with tabletop exercises, extended from the usual five days to eight, considering the number of scenarios that will be included, with real combat exercises in July. Tung said at a briefing that the exercises would focus on how to respond fast to one of China's exercises that suddenly escalates into an attack, something military planners have begun to worry about as they become regular. According to Tung, another issue is how different branches of the forces can organize a coordinated response to a Chinese blockade. The exercises will involve naval forces, aviation, and coastal defense, coastal anti-ship weaponry, and drones to create a maritime "attack and kill chain," he added. "In addition, we will use naval and air forces and coast guard ships to jointly carry out escort operations" to ensure sea and air links to the outside world remain open, Tung said. China regularly conducts military exercises around Taiwan. During one of the major drills around Taiwan in April of last year, China simulated "precision" strikes and a blockade of the island. According to Washington, China is expanding its military and nuclear arsenal. These signs indicate that it is prepared to invade Taiwan by 2027.

Starlink Internet terminals, developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, can be purchased in the Russian Federation, despite sanctions. One of the sellers noted that the main buyers of the terminals are Russian volunteers who supply their troops who are waging a genocidal war against Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal writes that Moscow seller Oleg said that most of his orders come from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. On the battlefields of Ukraine, Starlink provides instant and largely secure Internet access. In addition to solving the age-old problem of effective communication between troops and their commanders, Starlink enables the control of drones and other advanced technologies that have become a critical part of modern warfare. The company has the ability to restrict access to Starlink through "geo-sensing", making the service unavailable in certain countries and locations, as well as the ability to deactivate individual devices. Russia and China do not allow the use of Starlink technology because it could undermine government control over information. Musk stated that, to his knowledge, no terminals have been sold directly or indirectly to Russia, and that the terminals will not operate in Russia. The journalists' investigation revealed that there is a supply chain for Starlink hardware through which backroom deals are carried out in Africa, Southeast Asia and the United Arab Emirates, resulting in thousands of devices falling into the hands of some US enemies and war criminals, including Russian soldiers. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John Plumb said that SpaceX is working with Ukraine to try to stop the Russians from using the terminals at the front. Moscow troops often did not have the necessary equipment to communicate with their commanders. Russia was trying to introduce new devices that were just entering production at the start of the invasion. But it was difficult for her to implement them on the required scale, and technical problems constantly arose. As a result, the Russians were never able to create a reliable, interoperable communications system to conduct complex operations. "What's driving the use of Starlink is the need to have secure communications from the tactical edge of operations to headquarters, as well as a secure communications system that can be used to control drones," said Thomas Withington, an associate fellow on security issues.at the Royal United Services Institute of UK

Arizona’s Supreme Court upheld a Civil War-era near-total abortion ban, but thankfully, the State’s Democratic Attorney General has said she won’t enforce it. Nonetheless, the ruling has put the GOP’s U.S. Senate candidate, Kari Lake, in an awkward position. Lake has recently tried to downplay her opposition to abortion, and claims to support a “state’s rights” approach like Trump, but due to the unpopularity of this draconian law, she’s now coming out against her own state’s position on abortion.

Washington has insisted there was no reason to search for any other potential suspects besides Islamic State, after Moscow said it was looking at certain Western companies and government officials as part of an investigation into the funding of a string of terrorist attacks in Russia. The Russian Investigative Committee has “established that the funds, flowing through commercial organizations, including the oil and gas conglomerate Burisma Holdings, operating in Ukraine, have been used in recent years to carry out terrorist attacks in Russia,” spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said. Besides last month’s Crocus City Hall attack, the investigation is looking at other terrorist acts, including the assassinations of prominent public figures and the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipelines. Speaking to journalists, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan focused on reinforcing Washington’s narrative on the Crocus attack, while dismissing any other potential leads and other incidents. “It’s nonsense,” Jake Sullivan stated. “Russia knows it was Islamic State who committed the attack in Moscow, we know it was Islamic State who committed the attack in Moscow, we warned Russia of an impending terrorist attack in Moscow, and all of the rest of this is noise.” Russia launched a probe into allegations that Ukraine and its Western backers are involved in terrorist activities on Russian soil after a referral by several lawmakers in the wake of the March 22 attack. The investigation has allegedly established that at least some of the terrorist funding has been funneled through Ukrainian companies, including the notorious Burisma Holdings – former employers of US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter. Washington issued a public warning about an imminent attack in Russia in early March, weeks before the Crocus City assault. The US refuses to allow any discussion of potential Ukrainian involvement in last month’s terrorist attack near Moscow because Washington is ultimately accountable for Kiev’s actions, the secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolay Patrushev said last week.

The military-industrial complex of the Russian Federation is not capable of producing such a quantity of weapons that would allow the occupiers to seize Ukrainian territories. However, Moscow took up the task of “cleaning out” tank and ammunition depots. Welt publication writes about this. As for drones, Russia is increasing production of Shahed-136 attack drones. At the same time, Moscow cannot increase missile production volumes due to the presence of Western components there. “If we take a closer look at the four key areas of arms, the situation is much less rosy – and at the same time far from the hopes of the Ukrainians and their Western partners,” the publication writes. According to ORYX portal analysts, the Russian army has already lost 8,400 armored vehicles in Ukraine. This number included 2.9 thousand tanks and 5.5 thousand armored personnel carriers. In total, before the full-scale invasion, the Russians had about 10 thousand units of this type of. As of the beginning of 2024, it became known from satellite images that the Russian Federation has another 40% of tanks at its training grounds. They will be restored and sent to the front in Ukraine. The pace is estimated at up to 1,600 units per year. Also, the Russians can produce up to 200 armored vehicles per year. According to calculations by Johann Michel and Michael Jerstad from the British International Institute for Strategic Studies, stocks of old equipment in the Russian Federation will decrease to zero within two to three years. The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine stated that the Russian Federation can produce about 230 units of certain types of missiles per month. 130 of them have a range of more than 350 km, another 100 have a shorter range. Recently, the Russian Minister of Industry stated that in 2025 the Russian Federation intends to produce 5 thousand attack drones of the Shahed-136 type. Their occupiers use them daily to attack Ukrainian cities. At the same time, the overall target for drone production that year is 11 thousand units. On average, in 2023, the Russians released 8 drones per day across Ukraine. In 2024, Russian industry is capable of producing 2.1 million shells. Welt notes that Moscow can also count on Soviet reserves, as well as supplies from its partners. The main suppliers are Belarus and North Korea.

The White House has warned of the substantial threat faced by U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria amid a stream of threats issued by Iranian leadership in response to a suspected Israeli airstrike that killed several Iranian personnel last week near its embassy in Damascus. Addressing the warnings at a virtual press briefing, National Security Council Strategic Communicators Coordinator John Kirby declined to go into specific intelligence matters but reiterated President Joe Biden's assurances that "the Israeli government could count on the United States' support for any self-defense needs against threats directly by Iran to Israel, threats that Iran has made public," and discussed preparations for potential risks to U.S. personnel as well. "Our own people, not just our troops, but our diplomatic personnel as well in Iraq and Syria, are under constant threat," Kirby said. "We take that seriously and we take the appropriate force protection measures we need to as the threat changes to make sure that they can protect themselves, and that has not changed. That will not change. "We're continuing to do that. But we take the threat to our people in our own facilities seriously and we know that that those groups, many of the groups that conduct those kinds of attacks, are supported, funded, resourced by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps." The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is one of three primary branches of the Iranian Armed Forces, along with the army, which, like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, includes ground, naval, air and missile branches, and the Law Enforcement Force. Branded a terrorist organization by the U.S. in 2019, the IRGC and its elite Quds Force conduct operations abroad and coordinate with an international coalition of militias known as the "Axis of Resistance," including in Iraq and Syria. Such groups have targeted Israel and U.S. troops since the war in the Gaza Strip erupted six months ago between the Israel Defense Forces and the Palestinian Hamas movement, and Israel has targeted Iran-aligned units in Syria as part of a years-long, semi-covert campaign.

The United States has called on Russia to return control of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant to Ukraine and asked Russia not to play dangerous games. Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the United States Department of State said this. The Department of State noted that they are monitoring the situation at the station and have seen the official report of the the International Atomic Energy Agency, which notes that the damage caused by the drone strike did not jeopardise nuclear safety. "Russia is playing a very dangerous game with its military seizure of Ukraine’s nuclear power plant, which is the largest in Europe. It’s dangerous that they’ve done that and we continue to call on Russia to withdraw its military and civilian personnel from the plant, to return full control of the plant to the competent Ukrainian authorities, and refrain from taking any actions that could result in a nuclear incident at the plant", Millers said. On 7 April, Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, announced at least three direct strikes on the main structures of the containment vessel of one of the Nuclear Power Plantʼs reactors. Grossi stressed that "no one can gain any military or political benefit from attacks on nuclear facilities, it will not work". "I strongly urge military decision-makers to refrain from any action that violates the basic principles of protecting nuclear facilities," he wrote, without specifying which party he was addressing. The International Atomic Energy Agency announced that a drone exploded on the territory of the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The Russians, typically, blamed Ukraine. Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence said that Ukraine was not involved in any armed provocations at the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and that simulated Russian strikes on the territory of the plant were a constant practice of the Russians.

Units of the invading Russian army attempted to attack the city of Krasnogovka, Donetsk region. A convoy of armored combat vehicles turned back, dropping the infantry, fearing to be targeted by artillery and drones of the Ukrainian army. Despite this, several rmored combat vehicles and a large number of personnel were destroyed, and the attack was abandoned

Internal Kremlin documents show that Russian trolls have been stoking “anti-Ukraine sentiment” among US lawmakers to undermine public support for Ukraine, which Congress has delayed since fall 2023, a Washington Post article said. The publication also cited political strategists who’ve contributed to writing “thousands of fabricated news articles, social media posts and comments that promote American isolationism.” Washington Post said it based its reporting on “a trove of internal Kremlin documents” that it had obtained from a European intelligence service. Those documents are dated between May 2022 and August 2023. Ukraine has ceded territory since US security assistance has stalled and has had to ration weaponry, including air defense capacity, to withstand Russia’s ongoing invasion, which is benefiting from supplies from Iran and North Korea, as well as auxiliary support from China. Restrictive measures imposed by the West, Australia and Japan on Russia for war mongering have proven ineffective at stopping its war machine. Washington Post’s report came on the eve when Congress is scheduled to reconvene after a two-week recess. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson promised to bring a Senate bill to the floor that includes some $60 billion in funding for Ukraine. It has been collecting dust for 55 days. "Johnson claims to support assisting Ukraine," former US Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer wrote in an opinion piece in Washington-based The Hill. "He has multiple paths to make that happen. But he needs to take action." However, more far-right Republicans in the lower legislative chamber are calling for his ouster, most notably, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is a believer in QAnon conspiracy theories. “We are losing our country to the illegal invasion – that’s happening every single day at our southern border,” she told former Fox News anchorman Tucker Carlson’s show on X, about the Central and South American migrants that have been crossing the US border by the thousands.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that his country has a new counteroffensive plan amid Russia’s war of invasion. “Yes, we have a counteroffensive plan. We will definitely win. We have no alternative,” Zelenskiy said in an interview with German media outlet Bild. Furthermore, Zelenskiy said Ukrainian troops were doing everything possible to stop Russia’s invasion of northeastern Kharkov city, which is the largest city in Ukraine. “Kharkov is one of the capitals of Ukraine, it has a great symbolic meaning. We are doing everything possible to prevent this from happening. Putin only understands power. His desire is to take over all of Ukraine. He will destroy everything. He will kill a lot of people. There will be much blood. There will be a lot of victims, a lot of losses. I’m talking about hundreds of thousands," Zelenskiy warned. He stressed that Ukrainian Armed Forces needed weapons, including from the United States. “Our partners have certain weapons that we need today to survive. Ukraine needs them to survive, and I just don’t understand why we don’t get these weapons,” the Ukrainian leader said. Zelenskiy said the calls to freeze the war were futile, as the cessation of hostilities would not stop Russia. “This is only until Russia increases production and reserves of military equipment, missiles, drones and analyzes all mistakes made at the start of the war.” Touching upon negotiations with Russia, Zelenskiy said it depended on Vladimir Putin since the Russian president says one thing but acts differently. “We can agree on everything, but the question is whether he will comply with this,” Zelenskiy said.

Due to the blocking of US aid to Ukraine, Ukrainian air defense systems began to run out of missiles to repel Russian attacks. As a result, some Russian fighters can fly much closer to the front lines and attack with short-range missiles rather than 25-mile glider bombs. Forbes writes about this. The publication recalled how recently, during fierce fighting on the edge of Chasovoy Yar, four Su-25 attack aircraft of the Russian Air Force fired at Ukrainian positions at low altitude from a distance of only a few meters from them. It is noted that Russian air raids targeting Chasiv Yar have dialed up the pressure on the city’s garrison, which includes the 67th Mechanized Brigade and, closest to the edge of the city, the 23rd Infantry Battalion. Back-to-back Russian assaults on the 23rd Battalion’s positions dearly cost the Russians, but at least a few Russian troops have entrenched along the outermost city street, Zelena Street. “Urban combat operations may soon begin in Chasiv Yar,” the Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies noted. Forbes says that a shortage of artillery shells—a crisis Ukraine’s European allies are scrambling to resolve—is the biggest problem vexing the Chasiv Yar garrison. But a shortage of air defense ammunition is a close second. It doesn’t help that Russia has escalated its air raids on Ukraine’s biggest cities, compelling the Ukrainian air force to concentrate its best air-defense batteries around these cities. That leaves gaps in front-line air defenses. Gaps the Russian air force is exploiting. These gaps will get bigger as air defense ammo runs low. “If they keep hitting Ukraine every day the way they have for the last month, we might run out of missiles,” Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned . The U.S. Speaker of the House, Rep. Mike Johnson, has pledged to hold a belated vote on fresh U.S. aid to Ukraine potentially this month. A successful vote could pay for the Pentagon to speed more air defenses to Chasiv Yar and other besieged front-line cities.

Russia has asked Kazakhstan to supply it with 100,000 tons of gasoline in anticipation of a potential shortage, which may worsen due to Ukraine’s drone strike campaign, Reuters reported , citing three industry sources. According to the report, one source stated that the use of Kazakhstan’s strategic gasoline reserves to shore up domestic Russian market had already been agreed upon. At the same time, an adviser to the Kazakh Energy Minister Shingys Ilyasov noted that his department had not received any such request from Moscow. The Russian Ministry of Energy has declined to comment on the matter. In recent weeks, Ukrainian drone strikes have disrupted at least 10% of Russia's refinery capacity, the U.K. Defense Ministry said on March 23, and has forced Russia to impose a six month gasoline export ban that began on March 1 to avoid acute shortages. The increased attacks against oil refineries have caught the attention of the United States, who warned Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries, allegedly out of concern that strikes could raise global oil prices and increase the risk of further retaliation, the Financial Times reported. Ukraine continues to maintain that targeting Russian energy infrastructure is a legitimate military strategy. "We used our drones. Nobody can say to us you can’t," Zelensky told the Washington Post on March 30 emphasizing that Washington could not limit Ukraine's use of its own weapons. Fossil fuels are the primary drivers of the Russian economy and the main source of revenue for the Kremlin's war machine. Despite Russia's gasoline export ban, the country continues to supply countries in the Moscow-led Eurasian economic union, including Kazakhstan. Amid chronic gasoline shortages, Kazakhstan itself restricted fuel exports until the end of 2024.

Russia is unlikely to launch a new offensive on Kharkiv and encircle the city this summer. The occupiers will focus on another sector of the front, according to the RBC-Ukraine. Against the background of information leaks about the alleged upcoming Russian attack on Kharkiv, Russian troops intensified their attacks on the city. Reports appeared in the Western media about the Kremlin's plans to turn it into a gray zone. The Russian strikes on Kharkiv have intensified since December, around the time that problems with American military aid began to make headlines. Since then, the city has suffered a large number of Russian rocket and drone attacks. But the attack on March 27 was perhaps the turning point: for the first time the city was hit by a guided aerial bomb launched from an airplane, with great destructive effect. This Russian attack occurred five days after missiles destroyed almost all of Kharkiv's energy facilities. Making Kharkiv uninhabitable is one of the goals of the Russians. Oleksandr Musiienko, the head of the Сenter of Military Law Researches, is convinced that during a possible summer offensive, the occupiers will focus on the Donbas. The enemy's main efforts will be concentrated in the same directions as now - Avdiivka and Chasiv Yar. According to the expert, Kharkiv and Vuhledar will be auxiliary or distracting. Thus, the Russians will try to stretch Ukrainian forces. "That is why I think that the main group will operate in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. I assume that there will be battles and exchanges of blows along the border between the Kharkiv and Belgorod regions. But Russia will not be able to encircle Kharkiv, let alone capture it," added the expert. Russian forces have intensified shelling of Kharkiv and the region in recent days. Against this backdrop, the invaders have also resumed attacking Ukrainian energy facilities. The situation in Kharkiv is difficult, with the city under fire every day. There are also power outages in Kharkiv and the region. On April 8, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting on the situation in Kharkiv, discussing how to defend the city.

Russian military instructor Svyatoslav Golikov has accused the Russian command of criminal negligence and incompetence during attack organisations. He was especially outraged by the video of another failed meat assault of Russian troops near the village of Berdychi near Avdiivka, which led to heavy losses among the occupants, writes Obozrevatel media outlet. The media outlet published the corresponding message on his Telegram-channel. The Russian complained about the command of the Russian troops, who sent the BMP-2 together with the paratroopers into the zone of direct hit with small arms, moreover unexpectedly for them. “Another clear illustration of criminal incompetence or criminal negligence in organising the attack,” the Russian commented. According to charter97 media outlet, thus, the video of the 47 separate mechanised brigade shows how the Kafirs’ BMP-2s, together with the paratroopers, broke into the village. However, Ukrainian soldiers from the company of attack UAVs stopped the enemy vehicles with the help of FPV drone, eliminating four invaders at once. At the same time, the infantry of the 26 separate rifle battalion of the 47 SMBr got an advantage and destroyed the rest of the occupants. “The vehicle with the paratroopers bluntly entered the zone of direct hit by small arms, and unexpectedly for themselves, but not for the enemy. And there was not even a Bradley there. They were simply killed by the shooter. In general, a typical example of incident, elevated to a routine practice. The classic of the genre of setting a combat task in the style of “Go there, there is no one there” or “Go there, they will meet you there”, which we all love. And whoever are not there, they do meet you there,” the Russian military instructor writes.

The U.S. government has handed over weapons seized from the Iranian regime to Ukrainian forces, the U.S. Central Command reported. The weapons were seized during inspections of ships delivering cargo from Iran to Yemen. According to Central Command, Washington handed over the following weapons: over 5,000 AK-47 assault rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, RPG-7 hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers, over 500,000 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition. The weapons were handed over to Ukraine on April 4. "These munitions were originally seized by U.S. Central Command and partner naval forces from four separate transiting stateless vessels between May 22, 2021 to Feb. 15 2023. The munitions were being transferred from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps to the Houthis in Yemen in violation of a United Nations Security Council resolution", the message reads. The Huthis have been targeting vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November 2023 in attacks they say are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza -- a significant international security challenge that threatens a major shipping lane. "Iran's support for armed groups threatens international and regional security, our forces, diplomatic personnel, and citizens in the region, as well as those of our partners. We will continue to do whatever we can to shed light on and stop Iran's destabilizing activities," Central Command said. Washington made a similar transfer to Ukraine in early October, providing 1.1 million rounds of 7.62mm ammunition that was seized from Iranian forces on the way to Yemen. But the delivery of crucial artillery and air defense munitions to Ukraine has been held up by Republican lawmakers who have stalled a $60 billion support package in the US Congress since last year, and Kyiv's troops have had to ration ammunition amid uncertainty over when the next deliveries will arrive.

Ukraine is failing on the battlefield because of a lack of American funding, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said. He demanded the House Republicans pass the $61 billion aid bill as soon as possible. Schumer, a New York Democrat, brought up Ukraine in a speech about the upcoming US legislative agenda. The Democrat-majority Senate passed the funding proposal in mid-February, but the Republican-majority House has not voted on it yet. “The situation in Ukraine is desperate,” Schumer said, claiming that the funding bill has been “collecting dust” for 55 days while “our friends in Ukraine fight and die on the battlefield with no support.” With each passing day, Ukraine is running out of more soldiers, ammunition and hope, he added. “Let’s be blunt: the biggest reason Ukraine is losing the war is because the hard-right in the Congress has paralyzed the US from acting. That’s it, that’s the reason,” Schumer said. By passing the bill, House Speaker Mike Johnson would “do the right thing for Ukraine, for America, and for democracy,” the New York Democrat argued. Otherwise, he claimed, the Republicans would hand a “large victory” to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Schumer made much the same argument while visiting Ukraine in late February, claiming that if Kiev gets the money, “they will win the war and beat Russia.” Democrats have sought to split the GOP into “moderates” and “MAGA Republicans” – referring to former US President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan ‘Make America Great Again’ – to get support for their legislative agenda in both chambers of Congress. The tactic has paid off in the Senate, where 22 Republicans voted in favor of funding Ukraine, more than offsetting three Democrats who were opposed.

The US is facing grave risks in the wake of rising global geopolitical tensions and the nation’s domestic political polarization, Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase chief executive, has warned. In an annual shareholder letter the CEO of the largest US bank cited large amounts of government spending and efforts by the Federal Reserve to shrink its balance sheet, as well as the Ukraine conflict and the Israel-Hamas war, as creating an environment that “may very well be creating risks that could eclipse anything since World War II.” “America’s global leadership role is being challenged outside by other nations and inside by our polarized electorate,” Dimon wrote. “We need to find ways to put aside our differences and work in partnership with other Western nations in the name of democracy. During this time of great crises, uniting to protect our essential freedoms, including free enterprise, is paramount,” the chief executive urged. The 68-year-old banker added that there is “a growing need for increased spending as we continue transitioning to a greener economy, restructuring global supply chains, boosting military expenditure and battling rising healthcare costs.” Dimon said he was not as optimistic as the broader market that the US economy will achieve a ‘soft landing,’ in which it sees modest growth and declining inflation rates. Chances of a soft landing are “a lot less” than the 70% to 80% expected by some investors, he said. “These significant and somewhat unprecedented forces cause us to remain cautious,” the JPMorgan boss concluded. Meanwhile, Dimon said, China has been establishing itself as a “potential superpower” and strategically focusing on its economic security, while the West “slept.”

The Swiss edition of NZZ modeled the options for the presence of French troops in Ukraine. The most likely option is to deploy a foreign army in Odesa. The article outlines the four most likely scenarios of how the French troops can be used: 1. Deployment of French troops north of Kyiv to prevent an invasion from Belarus. In this scenario, the Ukrainian forces will be able to transfer the eastern and southern fronts to the front. 2. The troops of France will act as reserves in the Zaporizhzhia direction. This will make it impossible for the Russian army to break through the Dnipro. 3. Deployment of the French troops north of Odesa to secure the key seaport of Chornomorsk. This scenario also provides for the possibility of transferring troops to neighbouring Moldova, if necessary. 4. Deployment of troops in Moldova. Their task will be to support the local army in case of provocations by Russia. The publication notes that France has not yet pointed out specific intentions regarding its military presence in Ukraine. However, the scenario of presence in Odesa is most often heard from high-ranking officials of the country. "The first and third options would be primarily strategic and would have political symbolism: In the event of a Russian breakthrough, the ousting of the Ukrainian government led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would be given top priority. If France succeeded in protecting the capital Kyiv from being seized, a quick victory of the Kremlin could be prevented," the author of the article believes. The second option with the deployment of forces in the Zaporizhzhia direction is primarily of military importance. "If the Russian army attempted an energetic advance in the southeast, the area north of Zaporizhzhia would be an operational Achilles' heel for Ukraine's defence. The city of Dnipro is a real hub in all directions of the country," the article reads. As the newspaper notes, in the past, the Kremlin understood the signs of strength better than compromise. Therefore, France's military presence would probably be Europe's last chance to prevent defeat in Ukraine and a big war.

Russia is recruiting unqualified doctors from Africa due to a shortage of personnel caused by war and mobilization. The healthcare system in Russian continues to degrade, according to the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom. On April 3, the Chairman of the State Duma of Russia announced a shortage of 30,000 doctors, with the deficit in district hospitals being approximately 50%. This is more than the 26,500 reported in November 2023. According to British intelligence, the current shortage is explained by some medical workers moving to the private sector, while others have left the country. After the mobilization in September 2022, doctors were explicitly warned not to leave the country. Up to 2% of Russian doctors and medical workers left Russia to avoid conscription. January 2024 estimates prove that over the past 15 months, the number of doctors has decreased by 7,500, due to long working hours and low wages. According to the Center for European Policy Analysis, to address this problem, Russia is recruiting personnel from African countries with limited qualification verification. "The major resource and financial commitment of supporting russia’s war in Ukraine is negatively affecting a range of civilian sectors that serve the russian population. The numbers of healthcare professionals in russia will continue to decrease throughout 2024. Externally sourcing medical staff with limited checks on qualifications creates the potential for clinical delivery degradation," the British Ministry of Defense says. British intelligence reports that Russia is proposing a bill to raise the age of contract servicemen, including those called up until June 2023, to 65 years old and to 70 years old for officers. According to the World Data website, the pre-war life expectancy of Russian men in 2021 was 64.2 years. Thus, this measure effectively grants these servicemen lifelong contracts. The Levada Center shows that support for the war among Russian residents has remained consistently high since February 2022. In January 2024, the 77% of respondents supported the war against Ukraine, while 16% did not support it.

UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron is planning to use his upcoming trip to the US to persuade House Speaker Mike Johnson to unblock a $61 billion military aid package for Ukraine, the Telegraph reported, citing sources at the Foreign Office. The additional funding has been delayed for several months due to political in-fighting in Congress. Cameron will fly to Washington this week to meet with Johnson, as well as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the Telegraph said. “If Congress does not help Ukraine, Ukraine will lose the war,” President Vladimir Zelensky warned, following multiple complaints about the shortage of ammunition on the battlefield. Cameron renewed his appeal to keep helping Kiev in a piece for the Telegraph, arguing that the West must “stop” Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Ukraine must win this war. If Ukraine loses, we all lose. The costs of failing to support Ukraine now will be far greater than the costs of repelling Putin,” Cameron wrote in an op-ed co-authored with French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne. He previously argued on social media that the security of the US, UK and EU is “on the line in Ukraine.” Earlier this year, the British government stepped up its military assistance to Ukraine, pledging $3.2 billion in military aid, while the EU unveiled a plan to provide $54 billion in loans and grants. House Republicans, however, have so far refused to advance the aid bill sought by President Joe Biden, arguing that the White House should agree to tougher border security measures. Johnson said before Congress went on a two-week Easter break that he was working on “important innovations” to the proposed legislation, signaling that the bill could be put to a vote soon. Russia has repeatedly said that no amount of foreign aid will change the course of the conflict in Ukraine, and will merely increase the risk of a further escalation.

At least five security officers were killed and one was injured in Iran as armed gangs linked to Jaish ul-Adl group attacked two police vehicles in Sib and Soran Counties in Sistan and Baluchistan Province on Tuesday, local media reported. Sunni militant group Jaish ul-Adl claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement released on Tuesday afternoon. Alireza Marhamati, deputy governor of Sistan and Baluchistan for security affairs said about the attack that some armed gangs attacked a Law Enforcement patrol team. He said search operation was underway to find the armed criminals. Semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that the police officers were on their way from transporting a suspect in the killing of a police officer shot dead in March. Tuesday’s incident follows the deadly attack on Sistan and Baluchistan Province that killed at least eleven Iranian security force members last week.