NBC has reported that the US provided targeting intelligence enabling the Ukrainians to shoot down a Russian troop transport over Kiev, killing over 100 Russian soldiers onboard.
This is certainly not the only example of the so-called intelligence partnership between the US and Ukraine. It is part and parcel of an intense US effort to assist Ukraine and bait the Russians.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says that the US intends to weaken Russia so it can’t fight another war. In his latest press conference, Austin said that the US wants Russia “completely defeated.”
If Austin is serious, he is demanding virtually the same outcome the Allies demanded of Nazi Germany: unconditional surrender.
Right now no one can predict the outcome of the war in Ukraine. The latest information is that the Russians are forming up for a major offensive.
One of the better observers of the Ukraine conflict, Jouni Laari, an experienced military officer and now security advisor and political officer at the EU’s External Action Service, says that the current focus for Russia is in the Izium-Horlivka region.
He writes “a new strong direction of attack is forming either in Donetsk or from Velyka Novosilka in the direction of Zaporizhia.” The Russians seem to be taking their time, organizing carefully, and are aware that all their moves are shadowed by US satellites and intelligence operatives.
But the Russians are also feeling a lot of pain and increasingly believe they are at war with NATO, not just Ukraine. So much so, in fact, that Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, has said that the threat of nuclear war “should not be underestimated” and that the danger is serious.
- Rethinking tanks on the modern battlefield - April 12, 2024
- Houthis and Iran are hurting China’s Red Sea trade - January 30, 2024
- Ukraine: Zelensky may soon oust military chief Zaluzhny - January 26, 2024