Has Kremlin Power Struggle To Replace Putin Already Begun?

TUESDAY PDB – While talk of Kremlin intrigue is usually based on just speculation and rumor, the current clash is out in the open. What the Wagner Group boss’s rants reveal about the Kremlin’s deepening power struggle.

A war is raging within Putin’s inner circle.

Yevgeny Prigozhin has made a series of public statements lambasting Russian troops for retreating, claiming the Russians shot down their own aircraft, threatening to withdraw his mercenaries from the besieged city of Bakhmut – which he had promised to capture by Russia’s May 9 Victory Day holiday – and even mocking Putin himself.

AND ADDING FUEL TO THE FIRE – Wagner chief offered to give Russian troop locations to Ukraine, leak says. Prigozhin said he would tell Ukraine’s military where to attack Russian troops if they pulled their own forces back from the beleaguered city of Bakhmut, where Wagner mercenaries were taking heavy losses.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of today’s other top defense stories from national security expert PAUL CRESPO.

Not the President’s Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL’S DAILY BRIEFING – the PDB:

PENTAGON WOKE WATCH

UNBELIEVABLE RATIONALE – Biden administration may halt plans to move Space Command to Alabama over state’s abortion law. The administration has signaled to the Pentagon and lawmakers that they want to reverse the decision to move the headquarters from Colorado to Alabama.

NATIONAL SECURITY

Push to refill US weapon reserves could strain hypersonic production. Demand for munitions to support Ukraine — and the resulting need to backfill U.S. weapons stockpiles – could put a significant strain on the industrial base as the Pentagon transitions its first hypersonic weapons programs from testing to production.

PUTIN DOESN’T CARE – US releases nuclear warhead data in bid to ‘pressure’ Russia. Disclosure under the New START Treaty follows Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the nuclear agreement.

Ambitious agenda for Biden on upcoming three-nation Indo-Pacific trip. He is scheduled to depart for Hiroshima, Japan on May 17, for the Group of Seven leaders meeting. Then he will continue to Sydney for the Quad Summit with a brief stop in Papua New Guinea, to meet with Pacific Island Forum leaders. The meetings intend to deepen cooperation and advance U.S. strategic interests in countering China’s influence.

HOMELAND DEFENSE

US fighter jets intercept Russian aircraft near Alaska. F-16 and F-22 fighter jets on Thursday intercepted Russian aircraft that included TU-95 bombers, IL-78 tankers and SU-35 fighter jets, according to NORAD.

CHINA THREAT

China says ready to ‘smash’ Taiwan self-rule as US prepares major arms package, sends advisers. China’s military says it is prepared to “resolutely smash any form of Taiwan independence” as the U.S. prepares to accelerate the sale of defensive weapons to the self-governing island democracy.

CCP CAN’T TAKE A JOKE – Chinese stand-up comedian forced to apologize after military joke angers officials. A Chinese stand-up comedian has canceled all his performances after a joke he made with a loose reference to the country’s military prompted anger from authorities and an official investigation into the company that represents him.

RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 447. Ukraine’s top military commander has hailed an advance in Bakhmut as “the first success” of offensive actions in defending the front-line city.

Kyiv hit by ‘exceptionally dense’ missile and drone attack. The Ukrainian capital has been targeted by further Russian air attacks, described as “exceptional in density.”

Strikes in Russian-held Luhansk showcase Ukraine’s longer-range missiles. As President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Britain on Monday, Ukraine showed its ability to use long-range British-made missiles to hit targets deep inside Russian occupied territory.

Britain to train Ukrainian pilots, supply more missiles and drones. It is starting basic flight training for Ukrainian pilots as part of a new military support package announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during his UK meeting with Zelenskyy on Monday.

Zelensky, in private, plots bold attacks inside Russia, leak shows. U.S. intercepts reveal the Ukrainian’s leader’s aggressive instincts, a marked contrast to his public-facing image as the stoic statesman weathering Russia’s brutal onslaught.

IRAN THREAT

Iran expands military aid to Russia amid war in Ukraine, US says. Moscow seeks more lethal drones from Tehran, which wants attack helicopters in return.

SPACE THREAT

Space Force’s top general blasts service’s mission statement as ‘long and cumbersome.’ The Force’s top officer told Guardians in an internal memo that he’s concerned with the service’s mission statement, saying it doesn’t do a good job of summing up its role or why it’s important to national security.

Space Force general: ‘No pushback’ from Congress on 2024 budget priorities. The U.S. Space Force sees growing support from Congress for its plans to build large constellations in low Earth orbit and its other priorities.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

S Africa army chief visits Moscow in wake of US weapons claim. Visit to Moscow follows U.S. allegations that weapons were loaded onto a Russian ship in Cape Town in December.

F-22 Raptors deploy to Estonia to bolster Baltic air defense. The jets flew to Ämari Air Base, Estonia, earlier this month to demonstrate NATO’s integrated air defenses along the alliance’s eastern flank.

BIDEN’S AFGHAN DISASTER

McCaul threatens Blinken with contempt vote next week over Afghanistan docs. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said his panel would vote next week on whether to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress if the State Department does not give up a classified cable sent ahead of the fatal and chaotic U.S. pullout of Afghanistan.

US MILITARY

Camp Lejeune’s poisoned water caused higher rates of Parkinson’s. Veterans and their family members who were exposed to contaminated water while living at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune are 70% more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than other service members, according to a new study.

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.

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