[ZeroHedge] After fervently denying that they relied on financial support from the US government, the supposedly “independent” Russian language paper Meduza has been thrown into existential crisis following the Trump administration’s pause on foreign development assistance.
Alexey Kovalev, a self-described “Russian journalist currently living in exile for fear of persecution back home,” had spent much of his career at Meduza, the leading opposition media outlet in Russia. Since leaving the paper under mysterious circumstances in the summer of 2023 and relocating to London, Kovalev has split time writing commentaries for Foreign Policy and attacking reporters at The Grayzone, whom he has falsely painted as Russian assets, while calling for their imprisonment.
Nearly every word Kovalev wrote was false; The Grayzone has no financial or political relationship with the Russian government, and none of its reporters have received favors from Polyansky or any other Russian official.
Now that the self-exiled troll’s former employers at Meduza have been plunged into a financial crisis by the Trump administration’s pause on foreign development assistance, Kovalev’s smears of The Grayzone have been exposed as an exceedingly embarrassing exercise in projection.
As The New York Times reported this February 26, grants from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) reportedly accounted for 15% of the outlet’s budget. So while The Grayzone accepts no foreign state support, it turns out that Meduza can not survive for a day without a constant cash infusion from its government sponsors in Washington.
Meduza’s covert US funding was revealed in a New York Times article lamenting the Trump administration’s dramatic cuts in funding for various US-financed destabilization and regime change programs across the world. According to the Times, the cuts to USAID could potentially damage Meduza’s operations more than “cyberattacks, legal threats and even poisonings of its reporters.”
The outlet went on to note that while a handful of other Western countries like Germany and Norway “contribute to independent media,” their share is “tiny in comparison with American funding.” Simultaneously, “many traditional media supporters” – including the CIA-connected Ford Foundation, and George Soros’ Open Society Foundations, a “giant grant maker” – have “abandoned much of [their] media funding.” A Columbia University lecturer complained the Trump administration’s aid pause was “really a blood bath.”
While a 2021 investigation by The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal revealed several grants and pledges of assistance from NATO states to Meduza, the outlet’s leadership fervently denied any suggestion of foreign sponsorship. The new revelations by the Times reveal Russia’s top opposition outlet as anything but the “independent” paper they marketed to the public.
LEAKED UK FILES SUGGEST MEDUZA’S ROLE AS NATO STATE-BACKED PROJECT
Rumors about Meduza’s Western funding have swirled since its creation in October 2014, after its founder, Galina Timchenko, was fired from one of Russia’s most popular news portals for publishing an interview with the leader of Western-backed Ukrainian fascist paramilitary group, Right Sector. That same month, Meduza cofounder Ivan Kolpakov flatly refused to reveal the outlet’s funding sources in discussions with Western media:
“I can’t tell you whether those financing the Meduza Project are Russian or foreign. There’s a huge discussion about our investors among Russian journalists, with some saying we have to tell people who they are. Yes, in a fairer world we probably should, but not in Russia in 2014. We have to protect our product and we have to protect our investors.”
A leak of sensitive British Foreign Office files obtained by The Grayzone in early 2021 contained clear indications that the outlet was funded by Western governments. The documents named Meduza as one of the “specific outlets” whose “viability… as long term partners” was being assessed as part of a broader clandestine effort by London to “weaken the Russian state’s influence.” Several veteran-run contractors charged with achieving this goal named the publication as an ideal conduit for anti-Kremlin propaganda.
Chief among these shady groups was a psyop specialist firm called the Zinc Network. In confidential submissions to the British government, Zinc noted that it was “delivering audience segmentation and targeting support” to both Meduza and MediaZona, another supposedly independent outlet launched by US-funded anti-Putin provocateurs Pussy Riot. Zinc stated, “the outlets lack the expertise and tools to understand their audience profiles or consumption habits, and to therefore promote content effectively to new audiences.”
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 19.33 Russian troops attacked the Dnipropetrovsk region with drones and artillery. Nikopol and Sinelnykovsky districts were hit. This was reported by the head of the Dnipropetrovsk OVA Serhiy Lysak.
A 73-year-old man was killed as a result of enemy shelling in Nikopol region. Another woman, 68, was wounded and will undergo outpatient treatment.
19.15 An explosion occurred near one of the shopping malls in Rivne. Two people were injured, the National Police reported . The regional department of the SBU classifies the explosion in Rivne as an attempted terrorist attack and has already opened a corresponding criminal case.
19.01 Russian troops carried out an airstrike on a residential building in the village of Krasnopolye in Sumy Oblast. As a result of the shelling, two civilians were killed. This was reported by the prosecutor's office of Sumy Oblast.
18:23 Defense forces have most likely entered the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation and have established themselves at the outskirts of the village of Demidovka. This is reported by Russian TG channels.
Russian troops are forced to retreat due to heavy fire from Ukrainian forces. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to gain a foothold in a populated area in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, Russian war correspondents write.
Demidovka is a large Russian village a few kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
18.04 Law enforcement officers detained three more pro-Russian Internet agitators operating in the Kiev region. The perpetrators justified the armed aggression of the Russian Federation and war crimes of the Russians. This was reported by the press service of the SBU.
17.25 Up to one hundred thousand tons of oil products are stored at the attacked oil depot in the Krasnodar region of the Russian Federation. Firefighters have been trying to extinguish the fire for the second day. This was reported by the publication ASTRA, citing its sources.
16:55 Russia must show a real desire to end the war it has unleashed against Ukraine. This was stated in the conclusion of the EU summit on Thursday, March 20, in Brussels.
16.23 On March 20, Russian troops attacked Kramatorsk twice with an interval of 20 minutes. The industrial zone and densely populated area of the city came under enemy fire, several educational institutions and apartment buildings were damaged. This was reported by the press service of the Kramatorsk City Council on Thursday, March 20.
15:58 Ukrainian soldiers have partially retreated in the Kursk region in recent days, but are not "surrounded" by Russian troops. Information from the CIA refutes loud statements by US President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, Reuters reports, citing sources among officials.
14.57 On the night of March 19, Russian troops launched massive strikes on the civilian infrastructure of the Sumy region. The St. Nicholas Monastery in Miropolye and two hospitals – in Krasnopolye and Sumy – came under fire. This was reported by the press service of the Sumy diocese of the UOC MP on Thursday, March 20.
14.39 Republican US House of Representatives member Brian Fitzpatrick, together with other congressmen, introduced a bipartisan resolution that the United States does not recognize the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories as part of the Russian Federation. The politician published the resolution on his official website.
13:59 In Kropyvnytskyi, the elimination of the consequences of the Russian drone attack on the night of March 20 continues. This was reported by the head of the Kirovohrad OVA Andriy Raikovich on Thursday, March 20.
13:39 A resident of Chernihiv has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for collaborating with Russian special services. He transmitted information about Ukrainian military personnel and committed sabotage on the railway, trying to damage the infrastructure. This was reported by the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office on Thursday, March 20.
12:59 The majority of Ukrainians – 78% – do not agree to the complete withdrawal of the Armed Forces from the four regions temporarily occupied by Russia, as Russian leader Vladimir Putin is striving for. This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by the sociological service of the Razumkov Center.
12:59 The Pechersky District Court of Kyiv extended the arrest of Colonel Ilya Lapin until May 17, 2025, without the right to post bail. A video from the hearing was published by Lapin's daughter Oleksandra Paduchak on Thursday, March 20.
12:22 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Norway on a visit. This was reported by the Norwegian government. For security reasons, details of the head of state's stay in Norway are not being disclosed.
12:19 During a visit to Kiev, European Commissioner for the Economy Valdis Dombrovskis stated that the Ukrainian defense industry will be able to participate in military projects of the European Union on an equal footing with the military-industrial complex of EU member states.
11:46 Russia once again demonstrated its attitude to the initiative to establish peace in Ukraine by attacking the Kirovohrad region and other regions on Thursday night. President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote about this on Telegram.
11:35 Almost every sixth Ukrainian - 16% - has among their friends or acquaintances those who were or are in civilian captivity in the temporarily occupied territories or in the Russian Federation. At the same time, 83% do not have such friends or acquaintances. Most often, such friends or acquaintances are internally displaced persons (25%). This is evidenced by the results of a sociological survey conducted by the Rating group.
11:25 As a result of a drone attack on the Russian strategic aviation airbase in the city of Engels, a certain number of Kh-101 cruise missiles were destroyed. This was reported by the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Andriy Kovalenko.
Journalist Andrei Tsaplienko claims that the explosions could have damaged strategic bombers - three Tu-95MS and two Tu-160.
10:40 Russian special services tried to recruit a sixth-grader from Kremenets, Ternopil Oblast. The boy was sent a video recording that demonstrated ways to earn money and a link to a Telegram channel for registration. The schoolboy told an inspector of the Education Security Service about this.
10:33 The head of the underground center of Shariy's party was deprived of freedom for six years for disseminating fakes of the Kremlin propaganda. This was reported by the SBU department in the Nikolaev region on its Telegram channel.
10:25 The Security Service detained an agent of Russian military intelligence near Odessa. He turned out to be a resident of the unrecognized Transnistria, who was trying to get hold of secret Ukrainian developments in the field of unmanned systems.
09:35 Russian troops dropped more than 30 guided aerial bombs on Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region at night, one person was killed, three people were injured.
09:20 Russians reported a drone attack on a military airfield in Engels in the Saratov region. A fire broke out on the territory of the airfield. This was stated by Governor Roman Busargin
"For safety reasons, due to a fire on the airfield territory, residents of the adjacent service stations (gardening communities) are being evacuated. All emergency services are on site," he said.
As a result of the drone attack, about 30 private and summer houses in several gardening communities were also damaged.
08:58 At night, Russian troops attacked Ukraine with 171 attack drones and drone imitators of various types. Air defense forces managed to shoot down 75 UAVs. Another 63 enemy drone imitators were lost without negative consequences.
As a result of the Russian attack, the Kirovograd, Sumy and Donetsk regions suffered.
08:33 Over the past 24 hours, 155 combat clashes have been recorded at the front. The largest number of attacks by Russian troops were recorded in the Pokrovsk and Toretsk directions.
08:15 The number of victims in Kropyvnytskyi has increased to 10, including four children. As a result of the Russian drone attack, private houses in the residential sector and multi-story buildings were also damaged in the city.
08:00 Ukrainian journalist and war correspondent Andrey Tsaplienko reported that there was a preliminary hit followed by a detonation in the area of the warehouses of the Engels-2 strategic aviation airfield.
"This airfield plays a major role in Russian missile attacks on Ukraine, as Tu-95MS and Tu-160 combat sorties are regularly carried out from it. Cruise missiles of the Kh-101 type are stored and serviced at the airfield," he wrote on Telegram.
There was also a fire after landing at warehouses where aviation fuel for strategic aviation is stored, the journalist noted.
07:58 During the night and early morning of March 20, Russians complained about a series of explosions in the Saratov region. Local publics reported that oil refineries in Engels were burning. It was also reported that residents of nearby houses with a military airfield were being evacuated in Engels after a UAV attack.
Saratov and Engels were subjected to the largest drone attack of all time tonight, said Roman Busargin, governor of the Saratov region.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that air defense forces allegedly shot down 132 drones.
07:40 As of March 20, 2025, the total combat losses of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine amounted to approximately 899,470 people (+1,400 per day).
07:15 Russian troops launched the most massive attack on the city of Kropyvnytskyi, as a result of which eight people were injured, including a child.
Civil infrastructure was damaged. Residential buildings in several areas were damaged: windows were knocked out, balconies were destroyed, and structures were damaged.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] Ukrainian Armed Forces units break through border with Belgorod region using armored vehicles and drones.
Russian troops are forced to retreat under heavy fire from Ukrainian forces. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to gain a foothold in a populated area in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, Russian war correspondents write.
Defense forces have probably entered the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation and have established themselves at the outskirts of the village of Demidovka. This was reported by Russian TG channels on Thursday, March 20.
Ukrainian military has broken through the enemy's defenses. It is indicated that the Ukrainian Armed Forces units are using armored vehicles, artillery and drones to consolidate their positions.
The Russian side acknowledges fierce fighting, losses and the retreat of individual units. According to their reports, Ukrainian forces have already occupied half of the village and continue to bring in additional reserves.
"The Ukrainian Armed Forces have broken through to Demidovka, fighting is underway. Ukrainian units entered with a fight... The enemy used infantry and armored vehicles, operating under the cover of artillery and attack drones... Just in case, we repeat: not in the Demidovka area, not in the forest belts near Demidovka - the Ukrainian Armed Forces are IN DEMIDOVKA ITSELF!" - noted in a message from the Russian Telegram channel Severny Kanal .
According to him, Russian troops are forced to retreat under heavy fire from Ukrainian forces. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to gain a foothold in the settlement.
Russian war correspondents suggest that without the support of armored vehicles it will be difficult for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to gain a foothold, but at present Ukrainian defenders continue to put pressure on the enemy's defense.
Demidovka is a large Russian village a few kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
At present, the Ukrainian side is not commenting on the information. However, the General Staff confirmed that Ukrainian aviation successfully attacked the command post of one of the units of the 3rd motorized rifle division of the 20th army of the Russian Armed Forces in the Demidovka area.
The Russians used this facility to plan and conduct military operations in the Sumy region.
Earlier, the General Staff confirmed the destruction of the Engels airfield in the Saratov region of the Russian Federation. Fire, explosions and secondary detonation of ammunition were recorded there.
[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Belgorod direction, units of the Sever Group of Forces hit formations of two mechanised brigades and two assault regiments of the AFU near Malaya Rybitsa, Ugroyedy, and Stepok (Sumy region).
The AFU losses were up to 150 troops, four tanks, 19 armoured fighting vehicles, including four infantry fighting vehicles, 12 motor vehicles, one Grad MLRS combat vehicle, and two artillery guns. One ammunition depot was destroyed.
Units of the Zapad Group of Forces improved the tactical situation. Russian troops inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of three mechanised brigades, one assault brigade of the AFU, one territorial defence brigade, and one National Guard brigade close to Tishchenkovka, Kondraskhovka, Kupyansk, Novosergeyevka, and Katerinovka (Kharkov region).
The AFU losses were more than 240 troops, six motor vehicles, and five field artillery guns. One electronic warfare station and two ammunition depots were neutralised.
Units of the Yug Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions. Russian troops hit formations of five mechanised brigades, one airmobile brigade of the AFU, two territorial defence brigades, and three National Guard brigades near Seversk, Dronovka, Slavyansk, Chasov Yar, Konstantinovka, Ivanopolye, and Shcherbinovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses were up to 180 troops, three armoured fighting vehicles, including two U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carriers, three motor vehicles, one UK-made 155mm FH-70 howitzer, and one ammunition depot.
Units of the Tsentr Group of Forces improved the situation along the front line. Russian troops launched attacks on formations of one mechanised brigade, one jaeger brigade, one assault brigade, two assault regiments of the AFU, one naval infantry brigade, and two National Guard brigades close to Sukhaya Balka, Ulyanovka, Dimitrov, Krasnoarmeysk, Zverevo, Sribnoye, and Alekseyevka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses were more than 495 troops, three armoured fighting vehicles, including two U.S.-made MaxxPro armoured vehicles, two pickup trucks, and three field artillery guns.
Units of the Vostok Group of Forces continued advancing into the depth of enemy defences. Russian troops hit formations of three mechanised brigades, one jaeger brigade, and one airmobile brigade of the AFU near Bogatyr, Fyodorovka, Vesyoloye, and Voskresenka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses were up to 165 troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, two motor vehicles, and four field artillery guns, including one Swedish-made 155mm Archer self-propelled artillery system.
The Dnepr Group of Forces' units improved the tactical situation. Russian troops inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of one mountain assault brigade, four coastal defence brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and two territorial defence brigades near Malaya Tokmachka, Lobkovoye (Zaporozhye region), Tokarevka, Nikolskoye, and Antonovka (Kherson region).
The AFU losses were up to 90 troops, eight motor vehicles, three field artillery guns, including two U.S.-made 155mm M777 howitzers and three electronic warfare stations.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces engaged the infrastructure of military airfields, command posts and storage areas of unmanned aerial vehicles, a military echelon with AFU ammunition, depots of military hardware and materiel as well as clusters of enemy manpower and hardware in 153 areas.
Air defence systems shot down five JDAM guided bombs, one U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectile, and 225 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, the AFU losses amounted to 658 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 47,578 unmanned aerial vehicles, 601 anti-aircraft missile systems, 22,374 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,530 MLRS combat vehicles, 22,752 field artillery guns and mortars, 33,083 units of special military vehicles.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the operation to neutralise AFU formations on the territory of Kursk region.
Units of the Sever Group of Forces defeated formations of two mechanised brigades, one air assault brigade, one naval infantry brigade of the AFU, and two territorial defence brigades near Gogolevka, Gornal, and Oleshnya. Two counter-attacks launched by enemy units were repelled.
Operational-Tactical, Army Aviation, and artillery fire hit enemy manpower and hardware close to Gogolevka, Gornal, Guyevo, Oleshnya as well as Basovka, Belovody, Velikaya Rybitsa, Veselovka, Vodolagi, Zhuravka, Zapselye, Ivolzhanskoye, Loknya, Maryino, Miropolye, Novaya Sech, Obody, Sadki, Yunakovka, and Yablonovka in Sumy region.
During the day, the AFU losses were over 250 troops, one tank, one infantry fighting vehicle, two armoured fighting vehicles, 16 motor vehicles, one artillery gun, four mortars, and two UAV command posts.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk direction, the AFU losses amounted to more than 68,880 troops, 399 tanks,321 infantry fighting vehicles,289 armoured personnel carriers,2,206 armoured fighting vehicles; 2,489 motor vehicles,568 artillery guns,52 MLRS launchers, including 13 of HIMARS and seven of MLRS made by the USA,26 anti-aircraft missile launchers, one self-propelled anti-aircraft system, ten transport-loading vehicles,120 EW stations,18 counter-battery warfare radars, ten air defence radars, 56 units of engineering and other materiel, including 23 counterobstacle vehicles, one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle, five bridge launchers, one engineering reconnaissance vehicle as well as 15 armoured recovery vehicles, and one command post vehicle.
The operation to neutralise the AFU units is in progress.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 23:57 Official summary of the Office for Documentation of War Crimes of Ukraine from 00:00 20.03.2025 to 00:00 21.03.2025.
A total 19 facts of armed attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
There were reports of two civilians killed and four injured.
DAMAGED:
Residential buildings,
Four civil infrastructure facilities.
A total of 17 armed attacks in the Gorlovka direction,
Two armed attacks in the Yasinovataya direction.
A total of 53 units of various ammunition were fired.
19:37 Advance of the Russian Armed Forces in the Volnoye Pole – Shevchenko area, –MAP.
19:07 Crews of T-80BVM tanks of the 40th Naval Infantry Brigade of the "East" group of forces destroyed strongholds of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the South Donetsk direction.
18:26 Around 16:00 Moscow time by air defense systems on duty destroyed Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle over the territory of the Belgorod region.
18:00 Crews of 122mm D-30 howitzers of the artillery unit of the 3rd combined arms army of the "Southern" group destroyed temporary deployment point for personnel and a control point for UAVs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Seversky direction. Reconnaissance of targets was carried out by operators of reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles.
17:13 The Russian Armed Forces have restored their positions in Shevchenko, –MAP.
17:07 Servicemen of the 44th Army Corps of the North group, using a ground drone equipped with two TM-62 mines,destroyeda camouflaged dugout with Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel in the Khar'kov direction.
16:42 Operator of the reconnaissance UAV "Supercam S350" of the "Dnepr" group discovered the takeoff point of enemy drones. The artillerymen destroyed the target with a precise hit.
15:54 Crews of 122mm D-30 howitzers of the North group of forces destroyed armored vehicles and manpower of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Belgorod border area.
15:33 Around 13:50 Moscow time by air defense systems on dutydestroyedtwo Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the territory of the Belgorod region.
15:19 Servicemen of the reconnaissance unit of the 1st Guards Tank Army of the West group of forces revealed firing position of a mortar crew of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Khar'kov region.
The 122mm D-30 howitzer crew quickly destroyed the detected target.
14:42 During patrolling the skies in the Khar'kov direction, FPV operators of the Sever Group detect and fire at Baba Yaga-type copters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, –video.
11:04 Crews of the 122mm BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket systems of the 1st Guards Tank Army of the Zapad group destroy areas of concentration of manpower and military equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
10:48 On frames: two moments of work by the army aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces on the armored vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the settlement of Maryino.
08:32 Attack aircraft of the "Southern" group of troops are improving skills in capturing enemy strongholds in the rear area of the SVO zone.
07:27 Changes tomapover the past 24 hours:
Advance east of Dzerzhinsk;
Regained control over Shevchenko's part;
Control zone in Chasov Yar has been expanded;
Adjustment in our favor in the Zherebyanka area;
Control zone east of Dzerzhinsk has been expanded;
The enemy occupied the fork in the Pokrovsk-Konstantinovka highway.
07:05 During the past night, air defense systems on duty destroyed 132 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles:
54 UAVs over the territory of the Saratov region,
40 UAVs over the territory of the Voronezh region,
22 UAVs over the territory of the Belgorod region,
Nine UAVs over the territory of the Rostov region,
Three UAVs over the territories of the Kursk region and the Republic of Crimea,
One UAV over the territory of the Lipetsk region.
07:04 Crews of towed guns 152mm "Giatsint-B" of Anapa airborne artillerymen destroyed Ukrainian Armed Forces manpower in a stronghold in the Orekhov direction.
06:31 Crews of the Molniya-2 strike drones of the Center group destroyed fortified firing point of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Krasnoarmeysk direction.
[Jpost] The aging tanker, which had been traveling from Russia to Egypt, also sparked environmental concerns over a potential oil spill.
Germany has confiscated a decrepit tanker found adrift off its northern coast in January that is believed to be part of a shadow fleet used by Russia to circumvent oil sanctions, the Spiegel news magazine reported on Friday, citing security sources.
The Panama-flagged ship, called Eventin, was secured by German maritime authorities after being found off the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen, prompting Berlin to sharply rebuke Moscow.
Spiegel reported that a confiscation order had been issued for the tanker, meaning the vessel and its cargo of around 100,000 metric tons of oil, worth some 40 million euros ($43.33 million), now become German property.
PLACING PRESSURE ON RUSSIA'S 'SHADOW FLEET'
Eventin was included in the European Union's 16th package of sanctions targeting Russia for its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The package aimed to put extra pressure on Russia's 'shadow fleet,' referring to vessels used by Russia to move oil, arms, and grains around in violation of sanctions. The vessels are not regulated or insured by conventional Western providers.
Continued on Page 47
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Europe is working on many options for an international operation in Ukraine. This was stated on March 20 by the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Army, General Wieslaw Kukula.
“A multi-variant operation is being prepared, which largely depends on how the peace talks proceed,” the RAR agency quoted him as saying.
He added that the operation is still in the early stages of planning, and the participants prefer not to disclose the details of the agreements.
Regarding Warsaw's participation in the peacekeeping mission, Kukula stressed that the country does not intend to involve its military. However, according to him, it is impossible to completely avoid participation in the operation due to the common border.
There is a convenient network of roads from Poland to Ukraine, the general recalled. The country's participation may affect the sphere related to the basing of troops to ensure Ukraine's security guarantees, and logistical support, he added.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, in February, the head of the Kiev regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, stated that Ukraine would need at least 200 thousand peacekeepers to ensure the country’s security after the end of the military conflict with Russia.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Britain and France want to send 30,000 "peacekeepers" to Ukraine if the parties to the conflict reach a peace agreement. At the same time, EU officials acknowledged that without US assistance, such a plan would face a "thorny path."
On March 15, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Western countries were moving on to discussing the “ operational details” of sending troops to Ukraine. He added that he considered it important for these “peacekeepers” to receive security guarantees from the United States and noted that he was negotiating with Washington on the issue on a daily basis.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had previously stated that Russia would under no circumstances accept the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine as "peacekeepers." The diplomat stressed that if NATO troops under any flag were allowed to be stationed in the remaining territories of Ukraine, they would be defending the Nazi regime there.
[BBC] The potential Western troop deployment to Ukraine being discussed in London should be described as a "reassurance force" rather than a "peacekeeping force", defence and diplomatic sources say.
Currently dubbed the Multinational Force Ukraine or MFU, it would be sent to the country to cement any ceasefire and encourage long-term confidence in the country.
The focus would be on providing Ukraine with air cover to keep its skies safe and a naval presence in the Black Sea to encourage trade.
The deployment of so-called "boots on the ground" - probably about 20,000 strong - would in terms of size not be big enough to enforce any peace.
Instead, the troops - provided by a so-called "coalition of the willing" - would most likely be deployed to protect cities, ports and major energy infrastructure.
One option being considered is that the MFU might not operate in the east of Ukraine near the front line to try to reassure Russia it poses no offensive threat.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin have said repeatedly they would not agree any ceasefire if European and other forces were deployed to Ukraine.
The sources say any multinational operation in Ukraine would not be a "peacekeeping force" and should not be described as such.
Peacekeeping forces - under the aegis of either the United Nations or Nato - traditionally are impartial, operate with the consent of both parties and use force only to defend themselves. The multinational force being discussed would very much be on Ukraine's side, there to help deter future Russian aggression.
At the moment, it is not expected that the multinational force on the ground would monitor any ceasefire. That would be done by Ukrainian troops on the frontline and Western surveillance assets in the air and space.
The sources also say the coalition troops would not be deployed to provide a so-called "tripwire force" - meaning a force smaller than that of the opponent, designed to deter an attack without triggering escalation - if Russia resumed its invasion of Ukraine.
They say the military impact of any allied deployment of about 20,000 troops would be limited compared to the number of troops on either side of the front line.
Ukraine has almost a million military personnel, Russia's army is even larger.
Much of the focus of Thursday's discussions is on how best any international force can provide Ukraine with assets it does not have, especially capability in the air.
So, there will be discussions about which countries can provide warplanes to keep Ukraine's skies safe during a ceasefire.
There will also be discussions about how to make the Black Sea safe for shipping. That may involve two components: how best to keep shipping lanes clear of mines and what kind of naval task force could provide a security presence in the sea.
The key uncertainty is whether the United States would provide any air, satellite or intelligence cover for any European force on the ground.
The US has thus far said it would not be willing to provide any military "backstop".
The European strategy for now is to stop asking the US and instead organise the best force and capability it can to ensure the security of Ukraine in the future. Once the details are agreed, then the UK, France and others would see if the European offer was substantial enough for the US to have a change of heart and agree to play some kind of role.
What all this planning depends on, of course, is some kind of ceasefire being agreed in Ukraine.
While the US remains optimistic, many in Ukraine remain sceptical that Russia even wants to end the fighting.
Continued on Page 47
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
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Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
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Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
