BIDEN COMES TO RUSSIA’S RESCUE
United States of America v. Viktor Bout: International Crimes Database — Viktor Bout, a notorious international arms dealer also known as the Merchant of Death, was alleged of trafficking weapons to several African warlords, dictators in the Middle East, and the Colombian FARC. — [The Biden administration exchanged Viktor Bout in a prison swap for black, LGBTQ basketball star Brittney Griner. Mr. Bout was sentenced to 25 years in prison for arms dealing and terrorism. Note that this deal went through just as Russia finds itself running out of arms in its war with Ukraine, which the US is financing. For Russia, this swap couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. – Ed.]
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Sanctions, War Demands Leave Battered Russian Defense Industry Struggling to Catch Up: Max Glenn, Washington Times, Dec. 3, 2022
Does the 2022 Ukraine War Crisis Resemble 1914 or 1938?: Gerard Laval, Washington Times, Nov. 29, 2022
Russia’s Dangerous Decline: Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Michael Kofman, Foreign Affairs, November/December 2022
Why Is All Quiet on Russia’s Western Balkan Front?: Maxim Samorukov, The Moscow Times, Dec. 11, 2022 — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has significantly extended the range of foreign policy instruments that the Kremlin deems acceptable for use.
The Future of the Russo-Ukrainian War: Winter Cognitive Warfare, Koichiro Takagi, Hudson Institute, Dec. 8, 2022 — Since the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war in February of this year, the Russian invasion has continued to fail, and the Russian military has fallen on hard times. There are indications that the Russian army’s ammunition has already run out. In September, the Ukrainian army successfully launched a large-scale counterattack, and in November, Ukraine succeeded in retaking the area around the city of Kherson. In this situation, the concern is a winter cognitive warfare by Russia.
Only Russia’s Decisive Loss on the Battlefield Will End the Ukraine War: Anna Borshchevskaya, Washington Institute for Near East Studies, Dec. 6, 2022 — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is a global crisis. Putin could not let Ukraine chart its own political path or accept an independent Ukrainian identity.