• 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

• Kyiv, Moscow Exchange Soldiers' Remains In Move Unrelated To Disputed Downing Of Russian Transport Plane RFE/RL 26 Jan 2024 -- Kyiv and Moscow have conducted an exchange of the remains of soldiers killed, a development that appears unrelated to the disputed downing of a Russian military transport plane, which the Kremlin said was carrying 65 Ukrainian POWs, killing them and nine others on board.
• Ukraine Doubts Authenticity of Video Purportedly Showing Ukrainian POWs Boarding Russian Plane That Crashed VOA 26 Jan 2024 -- The head of Ukraine's military intelligence service said Friday that Kyiv did not have credible or comprehensive information about the passengers aboard the Russian airplane that was downed on Russian soil allegedly carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war flying to Ukraine in exchange for Russian POWs.
• Putin: Fragments From Il-76 Plane Crash Show Missile System of Western Origin Sputnik 26 Jan 2024 -- On January 24, 2024, the Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down a Russian Il-76 military transport plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners for exchange over the Belgorod region. All the prisoners on board, as well as six crew members and three escorts, were killed — a total of 74 people.
• Ukraine Loses Over 1,960 Soldiers, 19 Tanks Near Donetsk - MoD Sputnik 26 Jan 2024 -- The Ukrainian military has lost 1,960 soldiers killed and injured near Donetsk in the past week, the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) said on Friday.
• Putin Says 600,000 Russian Soldiers Currently in Special Op Zone Sputnik 26 Jan 2024 -- Currently there are a total of 600,000 Russian soldiers in the special operation zone, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.
• Russian Forces Urge Ukrainians to Surrender Sputnik 26 Jan 2024 -- The ZS-88 radio station used by Russian forces on the contact line during the special military operation is based on the BTR-80, armed with machine guns, including a large-caliber one, as well as the Kolokola (Bells) turntable sound broadcasting system with a transmission range of up to six kilometers.
• Kremlin Denies Reports Claiming Russia Ready to Agree to Ukraine's Non-Neutral Status Sputnik 26 Jan 2024 -- Media reports that Russia is allegedly ready to agree to Kiev's non-neutral status and change its position on Ukraine joining NATO are not true, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
• Russia to Remain Open to Talks on Settlement in Ukraine - Kremlin Sputnik 26 Jan 2024 -- Russia was, is and will always be open to negotiations on the settlement in Ukraine, but intends to continue its special military operation until its goals are achieved, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
• Meeting with students that participated in the special military operation President of Russia 26 Jan 2024 -- Vladimir Putin visited the St Petersburg State Marine Technical University and met with students that participated in the special military operation.
• British Defense Ministry: Russia Cracks Down on Criticism About Ukraine VOA 26 Jan 2024 -- The four-year sentence Russia handed down Thursday to Igor Girkin, a former Federal Security Service officer and military blogger, is part of a broader crackdown on critics of the Kremlin and its invasion of Ukraine, according to the British Defense Ministry's daily intelligence report on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Keel-laying ceremony for the nuclear-powered icebreaker Leningrad President of Russia 26 Jan 2024 -- Vladimir Putin took part in the keel-laying ceremony for the multipurpose nuclear-powered icebreaker Leningrad at the Baltic Shipyard in St Petersburg.
• Day of Acceptance of Military Products held in Russian Defence Ministry under leadership of Head of military department Russia MoD 26 Jan 2024 -- Today, Day of Acceptance of Military Products has been held in Russian Defence Ministry under leadership of Head of military department, during which the results of deliveries of weapons and military hardware to the troops in 2023, as well as the construction of infrastructure facilities were summarised.
• Pacific Fleet's detachment repels mock enemy air attack in East China Sea Russia MoD 26 Jan 2024 -- The Pacific Fleet's destroyer detachment comprising the flagship of the Pacific Fleet and the Guards Order of Nakhimov Varyag missile cruiser and the Marshal Shaposhnikov frigate conducted a training exercise to repel air attacks of the mock enemy in the waters of the East China Sea.
• Russia's MoD Main Tasks Outlined: Infrastructure Development, Support for Spec Op Participants Sputnik 26 Jan 2024 -- In an overview of the ministry's endeavors, Russian Defense Minister unveiled the major achievements and strategic priorities that shaped the nation's military landscape in 2023 — from rapid infrastructure development for nuclear deterrence to ensuring the well-equipped readiness of the participants in the special military operation zone.
• Russian Armed Forces to Receive 36,000 Pieces of Equipment, 16.5 Million Weapons in 2024 - MoD Sputnik 26 Jan 2024 -- The Russian Armed Forces have been receiving a significant number of new weapons and equipment in recent years as part of a modernization program aimed at enhancing the country's military capabilities.
• Mean Streets: Despite Wagner Mutiny, Russia Still Honoring Convict-Mercenaries Killed In Ukraine RFE/RL 26 Jan 2024 -- The mayor's office in the southern Russian city of Volgograd announced on January 17 that a stretch of road in the city will be named after Aleksei Nagin, a former convict who joined the notorious Wagner mercenary group and was killed outside the Donetsk region city of Bakhmut in September 2022.

Foreign Policy

• Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's telephone conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 26 Jan 2024
• Article by Director of Foreign Ministry's Foreign Policy Planning Department Alexey Drobinin, January 26, 2024 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 26 Jan 2024
• US Senators Express Concern Over North Korea-Russia Cooperation VOA 26 Jan 2024 -- A bipartisan group of U.S. senators expressed growing concern Friday about military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, saying it places new emphasis on the need for continued U.S. support for Ukraine.

News Reports

• The Week In Russia: A Crash Near The Border RFE/RL 26 Jan 2024
• U.S. Journalist Gershkovich Loses Appeal, Will Remain In Russian Jail RFE/RL 26 Jan 2024 -- A Moscow court on January 26 rejected the latest appeal by U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich over his pretrial detention on an espionage charge that he, his employer The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), and the U.S. government reject.
• Russian Developer Of Trickbot Malware Sentenced To Five Years In U.S. RFE/RL 26 Jan 2024 -- A Russian national has been sentenced to five years and four months in prison for his involvement in malicious software known as Trickbot used in ransomware attacks on U.S. hospitals, schools, and businesses, the U.S. Justice Department said on January 25.