FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – With the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine requiring special daily focus, American Liberty News (ALN) – in collaboration with the Center for American Defense Studies (CADS) is providing our readers the daily RUSSIA WAR BRIEF:
This is a Special Daily Report separate from PAUL’S DAILY BRIEFING (PDB).
Get Your Best Updates on Putin’s Unprovoked War with Ukraine here Daily in One Brief.
READ THE ‘RUSSIA WAR BRIEF’ BELOW
SUMMARY
Russia-Ukraine war: What to know on day five. As the Russian offensive enters its fifth day, we take a look at the key events during the day.
RUSSIAN INVASION
DANGEROUS BRINKMANSHIP – Putin puts Russian nuclear forces on alert as Ukrainian civilian deaths mount. Though Ukraine has agreed to diplomatic talks and soldiers fought off invaders in its biggest cities, fears of a refugee and humanitarian crisis have grown. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian soldiers “are fighting against everything alive.”
Russians make gains in Ukraine’s south. By late Sunday, Russian forces had taken Berdyansk, a Ukrainian city of 100,000 on the Azov Sea coast, according to Oleksiy Arestovich, an adviser to Zelenskyy’s office. Russian troops also made advances toward Kherson, another city in the south of Ukraine, while Mariupol, a port city on the Sea of Azov that is considered a prime Russian target, is “hanging on,” Arestovich said.
TARGET RICH ENVIRONMENT – Russian military convoy traveling toward Kyiv, satellite images show. According to a release from Maxar Technologies, the convoy extends for more than 3.25 miles and is moving in the direction of Kyiv, which is about 40 miles from the photographed location.
EVIL RUSSIAN PUPPET – Belarus preparing to join Russian invasion of Ukraine, US official says. Belarus is preparing to send soldiers into Ukraine in support of the Russian invasion in a deployment that could begin as soon as Monday, a U.S. administration official said Sunday evening.
BEWARE OF RUSSIAN DISTRACTION – Russia says talks with Ukraine have begun – foreign ministry. Russia’s foreign ministry on Monday said talks between Ukraine and Russia had begun, shortly after the Ukrainian side had said the same, and published photos of the delegations sitting opposite each other at a long table.
UKRAINE DEFENSE
Ukraine President refuses to flee, urges Ukraine to ‘stand firm.’ Russian troops stormed toward Ukraine’s capital early Saturday as explosions reverberated through the city and the president urged the country to “stand firm” against the siege that could determine its future. He refused American help to evacuate, saying: “The fight is here.”
The war in Ukraine isn’t working out the way Russia intended. Tactical blunders and fierce resistance from the Ukrainians risk ensnaring the Russians in a protracted conflict, military experts say.
A calmer night in Kyiv as Ukraine military official sees ‘short term’ improvement. Though vastly outnumbered by Russian forces, “we have been able to stop their blitzkrieg,” the official said. “They don’t control any major cities in Ukraine, including [in the] south.”
US AND NATO RESPONSE
Thousands of US troops deploying for first-ever NATO Response Force activation amid Russia attack. Troops would join 7,000 American service members already unilaterally deployed to Europe as Russia attacks Ukraine.
‘DELINQUENT’ GERMANY FINALLY WAKING UP – Germany proposes 100-billion-euro defense fund, vows to exceed NATO spending goal. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday announced a dramatic about-face in Berlin’s defense policy, vowing to anchor a 100 billion (US $113 billion) euro defense fund in the country’s constitution and exceed a NATO-wide annual spending goal.
US ‘prepared to respond’ to Russian cyberattacks, says Biden. President Joe Biden said the U.S. is “prepared to respond” should Russia unleash cyberattacks on American businesses and critical infrastructure but stopped short of saying what capabilities would be brought to bear.
GLOBAL IMPACT
RUSSIAN NUKES IN BELARUS – Belarus nuclear referendum ‘greatly worrying’, EU’s Borrell says. The referendum vote in Belarus to ditch its non-nuclear status was a “greatly worrying” move orchestrated by the country’s strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday.
RUSSIAN WAR IN SPACE? US space officials expect Russia, Ukraine conflict to extend into space. Top U.S. space officials this week said it’s likely Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will extend to space, predicting continued GPS jamming and spoofing and urging military and commercial space operators to be prepared for possible cyber-attacks.
Russian missile strikes Japanese cargo ship off Ukraine, reports say. A Japanese-owned cargo ship has been hit by a Russian missile in the Black Sea off Ukraine’s coast, according to media reports.
REFUGEES
More than half a million people have fled Ukraine, UN says. The head of a U.N. agency said on Monday that more than 500,000 people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries since the start of Russia’s invasion last week.
END of PDB
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
Paul Crespo is the Managing Editor of American Liberty Defense News. As a Marine Corps officer, he led Marines, served aboard ships in the Pacific and jumped from helicopters and airplanes. He was also a military attaché with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) at U.S. embassies worldwide. He later ran for state and federal office, taught political science, wrote for the editorial board of a major newspaper and had his own radio show. A graduate of Georgetown, London and Cambridge universities, he brings decades of experience and insight to the issues that most threaten our American liberty – at home and from abroad. To read more go to: paulcrespo.com.
China is eagerly watching the outcome of this invasion by their ally, Russia. China has already in effect seized the natural resources of Tibet and looks hungrily at the resources of its neighbor, Mongolia. The only reason China has not seized Mongolia is Russia has stopped them. China knows Russia is after the Ukraine’s natural resources and will exact a tit-for-tat from Russia to allow it to seize Mongolia for its support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Taiwan is not a source of needed natural resources for China, but it is historic and cultural for them…they will seize it too. I fear that these scenarios are on the horizon for this decade.
Russia is using the scorched earth policy against Ukraine. The Russian troops have little regard for who happens to get killed during their invasion, be it men, women, or children. The only way NATO, or the UN, will be able to extract Putin’s troops from Ukraine is by striking his military forces and equipment where they sit. Of course were they to do that Putin just might be nutty enough to go ahead and use his tactical nuclear weapons against all who stand in his way. It just might be the start of WW3