• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Ukraine Invasion
Defense Policy / Programs
Foreign Policy
News Reports

Ukraine Invasion

• Russia Escalates Attacks on Ukraine as Peace Talks Apparently at Impasse VOA 30 Mar 2022 -- Russia has violated its pledge to scale back military operations on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and the northern city of Chernihiv, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday, as little progress was reported in the latest round of peace talks between the two countries.
• The operational update regarding the russian invasion on 18.00 on March 30, 2022 Ukraine MOD 30 Mar 2022
• The operational update regarding the russian invasion on 12.00 on March 30, 2022 Ukraine MOD 30 Mar 2022
• The operational update regarding the russian invasion on 06.00 on March 30, 2022 Ukraine MOD 30 Mar 2022
• The operational update regarding the russian invasion on 24.00 on March 29, 2022 Ukraine MOD 30 Mar 2022
• More Than 4 Million Ukrainians Have Now Fled Country, UN Says RFE/RL 30 Mar 2022 -- The United Nations says more than 4 million Ukrainians have now left the country to flee Russia's unprovoked invasion, and the world body's human rights commissioner expressed concern about indiscriminate attacks by Russian forces in Ukraine, saying some of them could amount to war crimes.
• Ukraine Tells Russia To Pull Back From Chernobyl As Munitions Could Explode RFE/RL 30 Mar 2022 -- Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says Russian forces occupying the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power station must pull out of the area after Ukraine's armed forces warned there is a danger of ammunition exploding at the site.
• Red Cross Building In Mariupol Hit By Russian Strikes, Ombudswoman Says RFE/RL 30 Mar 2022 -- Ukrainian ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova says the Red Cross building in the besieged city of Mariupol has been hit by Russian air strikes and artillery.
• Russia 'Taking Incredible Losses' In Ukraine, Senior U.S. Official Says RFE/RL 30 Mar 2022 -- Russia has been sustaining "incredible" losses since the start of its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, a senior U.S. State Department official says, putting the figure at more than 10,000 killed since the attack was launched just over a month ago.
• Russia-Ukraine talks "constructive" to settle conflict People's Daily 30 Mar 2022 -- Russian and Ukrainian delegations held "constructive" negotiations in Turkey on Tuesday, raising the curtain on concrete efforts of both sides to broker a solution to the current conflict.
• Ukrainian Su-24 Jet Downed During Air Combat Near Belarusian Border, Russian MoD Says Sputnik 30 Mar 2022 -- On 24 February, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk appealed for help in defending themselves against attacks by Ukrainian troops.
• Russian military to significantly reduce hostilities near Kiev, Chernihiv People's Daily 30 Mar 2022 -- The Russian Defense Ministry has decided to significantly reduce military activity in the Kiev and Chernihiv directions, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin announced Tuesday.
• New round of Russia-Ukraine talks end in Istanbul People's Daily 30 Mar 2022 -- Russia and Ukraine have concluded their fresh round of face-to-face peace talks here on Tuesday, which lasted for about three hours.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Russian Shipbuilding Giant Says Can Build 2 Non-Nuclear Varshavyanka Submarines Annually Sputnik 30 Mar 2022 -- The United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) can build two Project 636 Varshavyanka non-nuclear submarines each year, USC CEO Alexei Rakhmanovtold Sputnik on Wednesday.
• Executive Order on measures to ensure technological independence and security of critical information infrastructure President of Russia 30 Mar 2022 -- The President signed the Executive Order On Measures to Ensure the Technological Independence and Security of Critical Information Infrastructure in the Russian Federation.
• Iranian Navy Joins France, Other Countries in Joint Maritime Drills Off Indian Coast Sputnik 30 Mar 2022 -- Jointly led by India and France, the IONS comprises 24 countries, including Iran, Pakistan, Australia and Indonesia. Eight countries - among them China, Russia, and Japan - have observer status.

Foreign Policy

• Comment by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on US Senator Robert Menendez's letter to IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 30 Mar 2022
• Telephone conversation with Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz President of Russia 30 Mar 2022 -- Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Olaf Scholz.
• Telephone conversation with Prime Minister of Italy Mario Draghi President of Russia 30 Mar 2022 -- Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Prime Minister of the Italian Republic Mario Draghi.
• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's answers to media questions following bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of Afghanistan's neighbours in Tunxi, March 30, 2022 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 30 Mar 2022
• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's answers to media questions following bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of Afghanistan's neighbours in Tunxi, March 30, 2022 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 30 Mar 2022
• Russia says will work with Iran to bypass sanctions as US slaps new round on Tehran Press TV 30 Mar 2022 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow and Tehran would cooperate to bypass sanctions, as the United States imposes a new round of sanctions against the Islamic Republic in a bitter blow to the prospects of reaching an agreement in Vienna.
• Russia, Iran Agree to Strengthen Cooperation in All Areas, Notwithstanding West's Sanctions: Moscow Sputnik 30 Mar 2022 -- The Islamic Republic has lived under Western sanctions for decades, and has developed extensive measures to shield itself from the restrictions and use them to its advantage in areas including industry, technology and defence. Russia surpassed Iran as the West's most sanctioned nation after launching its military operation in Ukraine last month.
• China, Russia slam 'illegal' international sanctions targeting Putin over Ukraine Radio Free Asia 30 Mar 2022 -- Russia and China further cemented their alliance on Wednesday, hitting out "illegal" international sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.
• Russia, China moving toward 'just, democratic world order': Lavrov Press TV 30 Mar 2022 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says key allies, China and Russia, are moving towards a new world order under the West's illegal sanctions against Moscow.
• Russian FM Lavrov makes first visit to China since Ukraine war Press TV 30 Mar 2022 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has arrived in China for talks on Afghanistan, marking his first visit to the Asian country since Moscow launched a military operation in Ukraine last month.
• U.S.-EU Joint Press Release by the EEAS and Department of State on the First U.S.-EU High-Level Dialogue on Russia US Dept. of State 30 Mar 2022 -- The following is the text of a joint press release by the U.S. Department of State and the European External Action Service.
• Slovakia Orders Cutting Russia's Embassy Staff by 35 Personnel Sputnik 30 Mar 2022 -- On Monday, Moscow gave three Slovak diplomats 72 hours to leave Russia in retaliation for the expulsion of Russian diplomats from Bratislava earlier in March.
• Slovakia Tells Russia To Cut 35 Staff From Bratislava Embassy RFE/RL 30 Mar 2022 -- Slovakia has told Russia it must cut 35 staff members at its embassy in Bratislava because of the actions of another Russian diplomat.
• Ireland expels four senior Russian Embassy officials People's Daily 30 Mar 2022 -- Four senior officials at the Russian Embassy in Ireland have been asked to leave the country, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said here on Tuesday.
• Russia expels 10 diplomats of Baltic states in retaliation People's Daily 30 Mar 2022 -- Russia said Tuesday that it is expelling a combined number of 10 diplomats of the three Baltic states in tit-for-tat retaliation.
• Oligarchs' aircraft and ships targeted through new legal powers UK FCDO 30 Mar 2022 -- New UK government legislation prohibits maintenance on aircraft or ships belonging to sanctioned Russian oligarchs or their businesses.
• European Court Rejects RT Request To Lift Broadcasting Suspension RFE/RL 30 Mar 2022 -- The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has rejected a request by Russian state-controlled news outlet RT to temporarily remove the broadcasting suspension imposed on its its French-language unit after Moscow launched its unprovoked attack on Ukraine.
• Russian, US officials to attend meeting in China on Afghan situation, amid China's efforts to mediate heated issues Global Times 30 Mar 2022 -- While the third Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan's Neighboring Countries is scheduled in China's Anhui Province on Wednesday and Thursday, China will also host a Troika Plus meeting there with Russia, the US and Pakistan over the Afghan situation. Observers said that against the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis, the upcoming meetings on Afghanistan will help congregate the stake-holding parties to help Afghanistan despite their grudges, which showcases China's efforts to promote regional stability and its capability to mediate heated issues.

News Reports

• Russia's Supreme Court Refuses To Hear Navalny's Appeal Against His Incarceration RFE/RL 30 Mar 2022 -- Russia's Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal filed by jailed opposition politician Aleksei Navalny against a court decision to change a suspended prison term he was handed several years ago into a real prison time last year after he returned to Moscow from Germany where he was treated for poisoning with a nerve agent.
• Ukrainians Struggle to Tell Russian Relatives About the War VOA 30 Mar 2022 -- Olga M. spent the first week of the Russian invasion hiding with her teenage son in a shelter in Kotsiubynske, a Kyiv suburb. As the shelling intensified in nearby Irpin, they fled, reaching Spain a week later.
• Interview: 'I can see how the Russian propaganda machine works here' Radio Free Asia 30 Mar 2022 -- RFA's Vietnamese Service interviewed Natalya Zhinkyna, interim representative of the Ukraine Embassy in Hanoi about her country's struggle under the Russian invasion and her work in the capital of Vietnam, a traditional ally of Russia, a number of whose people have turned out to support Ukraine. In a wide-ranging interview, she thanked the Vietnamese public for participating in recent charity events that raised more than $100,000 for humanitarian relief. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
• Days After Publicly Supporting Ukraine's Sovereignty, Uzbek Foreign Minister Leaves Country With Illness RFE/RL 30 Mar 2022 -- Two days after publicly supporting Ukraine's territorial integrity, Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Komilov is reported to have fallen "ill" and is being treated abroad.
• No To War: How Some Russians Are Protesting The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL 30 Mar 2022 -- One woman stood quietly just a few meters from a corner of the Kremlin with a paper sign reading "No to war." She lasted just a few minutes before riot police trundled her off to a waiting van.
• Russia's Largest Airline Moves All Aircraft to National Jurisdiction Sputnik 30 Mar 2022 -- Rossiya Airlines, a subsidiary of the Russian flagship carrier Aeroflot, has transferred its entire fleet of 125 aircraft under Russian jurisdiction to maintain uninterrupted air communication with remote regions amid Western sanctions, the company said on Wednesday.
• Russia May Reportedly Create New Payment Unit for Trade With Friendly Countries Sputnik 30 Mar 2022 -- A group of Russian economists suggested that Moscow consider creating a new payment unit for trade with friendly countries and the Economic Development Ministry does not rule out such possibility in the future, the Russian RBC newspaper reported.
• Russian State-Sponsored Hacking Poses 'Very Real' Threat, FBI Official Tells Members Of Congress RFE/RL 30 Mar 2022 -- State-sponsored hacking by Russia presents a threat to American national security, a top FBI official told lawmakers on March 29.
• Biden Administration Split on Imposing Sanctions Against Kaspersky Lab - Reports Sputnik 30 Mar 2022 -- Biden administration officials are split on whether to impose sanctions on the Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab as part of the United States' response to Russia's special operation in Ukraine, Wall Street Journal reported.
• Trump Asks Putin for Dirt on Biden Family, in Echo of 2016 VOA 30 Mar 2022 -- In an interview Tuesday, former U.S. President Donald Trump specifically asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to release information that Trump believes would implicate the family of U.S. President Joe Biden in financial wrongdoing.