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Ukraine Invasion
Defense Policy / Programs
Foreign Policy
News Reports

Ukraine Invasion

• The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.2022 to 25.05.2023 Ukraine MOD 25 May 2023
• Air Defense: Ukraine Parries As Russia Seeks To Slow Counteroffensive With New Surge Of Attacks RFE/RL 25 May 2023 -- Each of the 12 Ukrainian coats of arms painted on the Humvee carrying the Stinger missile launcher represents a Russian target shot down by Oleksandr. Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the 26-year-old soldier says, he has hit and destroyed two Su-25 fighter planes, two K52 attack helicopters, six Orland drones, and two Shahed drones.
• Hostile Actions of Ukraine Against Russia Continue Sputnik 25 May 2023 -- Reports of thwarted terrorist attacks on Russian energy facilities indicate that hostile actions of Ukraine against Russia continue, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
• Press release on the situation around the Istanbul Agreements Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 25 May 2023
• Russia arrests two Ukrainians suspected of plotting to attack nuclear power station lines Press TV 25 May 2023 -- Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) says it has arrested two Ukrainians suspected of plotting an attack on nuclear power plants.
• Latest in Ukraine: US Emphasizes It's Not at War With Russia VOA 25 May 2023 -- U.S. military leaders were careful Thursday to distinguish between Washington's continued support for Ukraine's fight against Russia and its insistence that it is not itself at war with Russia.
• Latest in Ukraine: Military Downs All 36 Drones from Russian Attack VOA 25 May 2023 -- Ukraine said Thursday its forces shot down 36 Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russia used to attack areas in western Ukraine.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Meeting with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan President of Russia 25 May 2023 -- Vladimir Putin holds talks with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan at the Kremlin.
• Meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council President of Russia 25 May 2023 -- The meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in an expanded format took place at the Grand Kremlin Palace.
• Russian and Belarusian defence ministers sign on non-strategic nuclear weapons Russia MoD 25 May 2023 -- Western nations have basically been waging an undeclared war against Moscow and Minsk, according to Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, who was speaking on 25 May 2023 with his Belarusian colleague Viktor Khrenin. Sergei Shoigu stated, 'Today we are facing the collective West, which is virtually waging war against our countries'.
• Russia to Relocate Some Tactical Nuclear Weapons to Belarus VOA 25 May 2023 -- Russia and Belarus signed a pact Thursday allowing Moscow to relocate an undisclosed number of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus as Russia's invasion of neighboring Ukraine enters its 16th month.
• Moscow, Minsk Sign Documents On Placing Russian Tactical Nuclear Weapons In Belarus RFE/RL 25 May 2023 -- Russia and Belarus have signed documents allowing for the placement of Russian tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus, a move that has increased already strained tensions between the Kremlin and the West.
• Russia Maintains Control over Nukes Stationed in Belarus - Defense Minister Sputnik 25 May 2023 -- The control over the decision to use nuclear weapons deployed in Belarus will be carried out by Russia, the Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said.
• Russia, Belarus Define Procedure for Maintaining Non-Strategic Nuclear Arms - Minsk Sputnik 25 May 2023 -- Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin and Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu have signed documents defining the procedure for maintaining Russia's non-strategic nuclear weapons at a special storage facility on the territory of Belarus, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
• Russia's upper house supports denunciation of European armed forces treaty People's Daily 25 May 2023 -- The upper house of the parliament of Russia announced on social media that its senators approved on Wednesday a bill on the denunciation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE).

Foreign Policy

• Press release on presenting a diplomatic demarche to the ambassadors of Germany, Denmark and Sweden over the investigations into the sabotage attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 25 May 2023
• Press release on retaliatory measures against Sweden Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 25 May 2023
• Statement on the Russian decision to expel Swedish diplomats and close Consulates-General Government Offices of Sweden 25 May 2023 -- The Swedish Ambassador in Moscow has today attended a meeting at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Russia closes Swedish consulate, expels diplomats in retaliatory move Press TV 25 May 2023 -- In diplomatic countermeasures, the Kremlin says it will shutter its consulate in Sweden and informed Stockholm that it will also close Swedish consulate in Russia, declaring five Swedish diplomats persona non grata.
• Meeting with President of Azerbaijan and Prime Minister of Armenia President of Russia 25 May 2023 -- Trilateral talks between President of Russia Vladimir Putin, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan took place in the Kremlin.
• Meeting with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev President of Russia 25 May 2023 -- Vladimir Putin and President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met in the Kremlin.
• Armenian, Azerbaijani Leaders Mix Optimistic Talk With Angry Discourse In Moscow RFE/RL 25 May 2023 -- The leaders of bitter Caucasus rivals Armenia and Azerbaijan mixed words of conciliation and with angry disagreements over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in a Moscow meeting on May 25 in front of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• Putin: Nagorno-Karabakh Situation Developing Towards Conflict Resolution Sputnik 25 May 2023 -- The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is developing towards conflict resolution, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday at a trilateral meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Moscow.
• Promoting Accountability for Human Rights Abuses and Violations in Moura, Mali US Dept. of State 25 May 2023 -- In March 2022, elements of the Malian Armed Forces with the support of members of the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group - a transnational criminal organization - conducted a military operation in Moura, Mali, which killed more than 500 people according to the UN Human Rights Office.
• Treasury Sanctions the Head of the Wagner Group in Mali US Treasury 25 May 2023 -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Ivan Aleksandrovich Maslov (Maslov), the head of Russian Private Military Company 'Wagner' (Wagner Group) paramilitary units and its principal administrator based in Mali. The Wagner Group and its leader, Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin, are sanctioned under multiple authorities, including for support of Russia's war against Ukraine. The Wagner Group may be attempting to obscure its efforts to acquire military equipment for use in Ukraine, including by working through Mali and other countries where it has a foothold. The United States opposes efforts by any country to assist Russia through the Wagner Group.
• Blow for Putin as UK marks one year free from Russian gas UK FCDO 25 May 2023 -- New figures published today show the UK did not import any Russian gas in the 12 months to end of March 2023, while UK gas exports to Europe tripled over the same period.
• The Foreign Minister: Employment of citizens of the Russian Federation in the Council of Europe's institutions is unacceptable Latvia MFA 25 May 2023 -- On 25 May 2023, in Riga, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, met with the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Martinus Josephus Maria (Tiny) Kox, and the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, to reaffirm the preparedness of the Latvian Presidency of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers for close cooperation with PACE on the strengthening of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, and the Presidency's commitment to working on the implementation of decisions taken at the CoE Summit in Reykjavik.
• Georgian Airways Announces Controversial Plan For Transit Flights For Russians Via Tbilisi RFE/RL 25 May 2023 -- Georgian Airways plans to launch transit flights for Russians via Tbilisi to several destinations in Europe, a move likely to raise the ire of Washington and Brussels, which have banned Russian airlines from entering their airspace as they look to isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
• Russia, N.Korea Working on System of Settlements in Rubles Sputnik 25 May 2023 -- Moscow and Pyongyang are working on creating a system of settlements in rubles, this will help boost trade, Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora said in an interview with Sputnik.
• Chinese company to build Iran-Russia road for new energy facilities IRNA 24 May 2023 -- Shenzhen-listed Jilin Jinguan Electric Co Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to build a road between Iran and Russia for the construction of new energy facilities, it said on Wednesday.

News Reports

• New Russian Case Registered Against Navalny RFE/RL 25 May 2023 -- The Moscow City Court on May 25 registered a new criminal case against jailed Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny.