American officials said that Ukraine was likely behind the May 3 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/russia-accuses-ukraine-of-sending-drones-to-assassinate-putin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drone attack</a> on the Kremlin that the Russians called an attempt to assassinate President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/putin-authorized-wall-street-journal-reporter-arrest-spying-charges-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vladimir Putin</a>.
U.S. intelligence officials said that the drone attack was part of a series of covert Ukrainian military or intelligence operations on Russian soil that have made the Biden administration uncomfortable as the U.S. continues to prop up the European country, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/24/us/politics/ukraine-kremlin-drone-attack.html?smtyp=cur&amp;smid=tw-nytimes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Video footage <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kyiv-only-does-what-it-is-told-to-do-russia-says-u-s-behind-alleged-kremlin-drone-attack" target="_blank" rel="noopener">showed</a> two drones crashing near the Kremlin earlier this month, but the attack caused little to no damage, and Putin was not at the Kremlin at the time of the strike. 
After initially wondering if Russia conducted the drone attack as a “false flag” operation, the U.S. intercepted Russian communications indicating the country was surprised by the attack.
“Watching how the Kremlin has responded suggests to me this was an embarrassment and surprise for them, and not a deliberate false flag,” said Dara Massicot, a military analyst at RAND, according to the Times. “The strikes also undermine the perceptions of Moscow’s air space surveillance capabilities and that the Kremlin is secure — these are important perceptions they would like to maintain.”
U.S. intelligence also intercepted Ukrainian officials saying their country was responsible for the attack, but they appeared to have no knowledge of who within the Ukrainian government planned it.
Officials had “low” confidence that the Ukrainian government authorized the drone attack, and some officials said they did not believe President Volodymyr Zelensky was aware of the covert operation. Russia initially blamed Ukraine for the attack and then singled out the U.S., <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kyiv-only-does-what-it-is-told-to-do-russia-says-u-s-behind-alleged-kremlin-drone-attack" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accusing</a> Ukraine’s most powerful ally of giving Kyiv the go-ahead to conduct the operation.
“We are well aware that decisions on such a level of terrorist attacks are made not in Kyiv, but in Washington,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russia-accuses-us-behind-ukraine-drone-attack-kremlin-putin-rcna82809" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to NBC News. “Kyiv only does what it is told to do.”
The U.S. quickly denied any claims that it was in any way behind an attack on Russia’s capital.
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“Mr. Peskov is lying, obviously. It’s a ludicrous claim. The United States had nothing to do with this. We don’t even know exactly what happened here,” National Security spokesman John Kirby <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNThisMorning/status/1654107932450074624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1654107932450074624%7Ctwgr%5Efe3a1673bf69e6f6f4b50800645bdd7428f3e464%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fkyiv-only-does-what-it-is-told-to-do-russia-says-u-s-behind-alleged-kremlin-drone-attack" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> CNN. “I can assure you the United States had no role in it whatsoever.”
If Ukraine was behind the drone attack as U.S. intelligence officials believe, it would mark at least the third attack on Russian soil that the U.S. believes Ukraine is behind. Last year, the daughter of a prominent Russian blogger was killed in a car bombing, and in recent weeks, pro-Ukrainian forces have attacked Russian towns, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/23/world/europe/mrap-armored-vehicles-russia-ukraine.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appearing</a> to use American-made tactical vehicles in their incursions.
The bold invasions into Russian territory have alarmed the Biden administration, the Times reported. President Biden has handed over armored vehicles, long-range missiles, and billions of dollars to help Ukraine fight the Russians. The president is also preparing to approve the shipment of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine from other allies.
Tim Pearce contributed to this report.

Kremlin

U.S. Officials Believe Ukrainians Likely Responsible For Kremlin Drone Attack

Biden Administration

Global Politics

Russia

Ukraine

Ukraine-Russia War

Vladimir Putin

Volodymyr Zelensky

World

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/russia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russia</a> blamed the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/united-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United States</a> Thursday for an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin that Moscow said was a foiled assassination plot against President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/vladimir-putin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vladimir Putin</a>.
Two drones reportedly crashed into the Kremlin on Wednesday after Russian security forces shot them down. The Kremlin said Wednesday that no property or people were hurt in the incident, calling it a “planned terrorist act” by Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov shifted the blame to the United States a day later.
“We are well aware that decisions on such a level of terrorist attacks are made not in Kyiv, but in Washington,” Peskov told reporters, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russia-accuses-us-behind-ukraine-drone-attack-kremlin-putin-rcna82809" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC News</a>. “Kyiv only does what it is told to do.”
He called U.S. and Ukrainian denials about involvement in the drone incident “absolutely ridiculous.”
National security spokesman John Kirby denied Moscow’s allegations.
“Mr. Peskov is lying, obviously. It’s a ludicrous claim. The United States had nothing to do with this. We don’t even know exactly what happened here,” Kirby told CNN Thursday morning. “I can assure you the United States had no role in it whatsoever.”
“We neither encourage nor enable Ukraine to strike outside Ukraine’s borders,” he added.
Kirby said the U.S. does not know who was behind the drone strike. He added that the U.S. does not “endorse strikes on individual leaders.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;“Mr. Peskov is lying. I mean, it&#39;s obviously a ludicrous claim. The United States had nothing to do with this&#8230; I can assure you the United States had no role in it whatsoever.”
John Kirby denies U.S. involvement in Kremlin drone attack: <a href="https://t.co/m2kohv1Rv9">pic.twitter.com/m2kohv1Rv9</a>
&mdash; CNN This Morning with Kasie Hunt (@CNNThisMorning) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNThisMorning/status/1654107932450074624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/04/europe/russia-kremlin-drone-strike-explainer-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">denied</a> Russia’s allegations on Wednesday.
“We don’t attack Putin or Moscow,” said Zelensky during a trip to Helsinki, Finland.
“We fight on our territory, we are defending our villages and cities. We don’t have enough weapon[s] for this. That’s why we don’t use it anywhere [else],” Zelensky said. “We didn’t attack Putin. We leave it to tribunal,” he said.
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Immediately after news of the drone incident broke, Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s chief of staff, posted on his Telegram channel three fire emojis without any further explanation. He deleted the post shortly after.
Some speculation about the incident has suggested that Ukraine or Russia could have been behind the drones.
“To be clear, this really doesn’t look anything like an assassination attempt,” Le Beck head of intelligence Michael Horowitz said. “This looks like #Ukraine (assuming it was Ukraine) is trying to bring the war home to #Russia, by hitting symbolic targets.”
CNN host Kaitlan Collins asked Kirby if Russia may have launched the drones to come up with a pretext to escalate conflict with Ukraine. Kirby said he had no information on the source of the drones but said Moscow does not need a pretext to “kill innocent Ukrainians.”

‘Kyiv Only Does What It Is Told To Do’: Russia Says U.S. Behind Alleged Kremlin Drone Attack

United States

Russia accused Ukraine of attempting to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin after reporting that two drones crashed into the Kremlin on Wednesday.
Videos circulating on social media appear to show a drone exploding and smoke rising over the roof of the Kremlin. Russia said in a statement posted to the Kremlin’s website that two drones were intercepted and shot down by Russian security forces and that the impacts caused no material damage to the Kremlin itself.
https://twitter.com/spectatorindex/status/1653736246370512896
“We regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the life of the president, carried out on the eve of Victory Day,” the statement said, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russia-ukraine-tried-assassinate-putin-drone-attack-kremlin-rcna82608">NBC News</a>. Victory Day is a celebration on May 9 commemorating Nazi Germany’s surrender in World War II.
“The Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit,” the Kremlin said.
Serhii Nikiforov, a spokesman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, denied Russia’s allegations.
“We have no information about the so-called overnight attacks on the Kremlin, but as President Zelensky has repeatedly stated, Ukraine is directing all available forces and means to liberate its own territories, not to attack others,” said Nikiforov, according to <a href="https://kyivindependent.com/russian-state-media-kremlin-attacked-by-drones/">The Kyiv Independent</a>.
In the immediate aftermath of the news of the alleged drone attack, Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s chief of staff, posted onto his Telegram channel three fire emojis without any further explanation. He deleted the post shortly after, according to NBC News.
The Kremlin said nobody was injured by the drone crash. Putin was away from the Kremlin at the time, the Kremlin said.
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If the attack was coordinated by Ukraine, it would represent a marked escalation in Ukraine’s attempts to pressure Putin. The drone strike <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/02/world/europe/russia-train-derailment-ukraine.html">follows</a> a string of attacks in Russian territory, such as a train derailments and other drone strikes, most of which have gone unaddressed by the Ukrainian government.
The incident comes ahead of an expected Ukraine counter-offensive to try and drive Russia out of Ukraine&#8217;s eastern regions.
Some experts, such as Le Beck head of intelligence Michael Horowitz, questioned whether the incident at the Kremlin could be seen as an assassination attempt.
“To be clear, this really doesn&#8217;t look anything like an assassination attempt,” he said on <a href="https://twitter.com/michaelh992/status/1653737908556165121">Twitter</a>. “This looks like #Ukraine (assuming it was Ukraine) is trying to bring the war home to #Russia, by hitting symbolic targets.”
Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Moscow defense think tank Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, said that the drones that crashed into the Kremlin could have been purchased commercially and outfitted with explosives. The drones were probably launched from near Moscow by a small group, according to the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/9e43126a-174c-48df-89dd-69a9614ddf67">Financial Times</a>.

Russia Accuses Ukraine Of Sending Drones To Assassinate Putin

Conflicts

Many parents can remember a time that they left a child behind somewhere — at the library or at Grandma&#8217;s house — but former Secretary of State <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/topic/hillary-clinton/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hillary Clinton</a> topped them all when she admitted on live television that she once left a young <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/topic/chelsea-clinton/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chelsea Clinton</a> behind at the Kremlin.
The former first lady and her daughter made a joint appearance Tuesday on &#8220;The Tonight Show&#8221; with host <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/biden-to-jimmy-fallon-build-back-better-is-paid-for-wont-increase-deficit-one-penny/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jimmy Fallon</a> — and Clinton let that tidbit slip during a mother-daughter challenge game designed to see just how well the pair knew each other.
WATCH:
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Most parents: &quot;Oh, my God, I left my kid at Grandma&#39;s house by mistake!&quot; Hillary Clinton: &quot;Yeah, we once left Chelsea at the Kremlin &#8230;&quot; <a href="https://t.co/R1M67ImOvY">pic.twitter.com/R1M67ImOvY</a>
&mdash; Virginia Kruta (@VAKruta) <a href="https://twitter.com/VAKruta/status/1567634275964489728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2022</a></blockquote>
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In order to play the game, Chelsea had to put on a pair of headphones that would prevent her from hearing her mother&#8217;s answer to a question — after which she was to remove the headphones and answer the same question — to see if they would each give the same answer.
As Chelsea nodded along to the music playing in her ears, Fallon turned to Hillary and asked her to tell him about her &#8220;craziest family vacation memory.&#8221;
After a brief pause, Hillary noted that they had had some interesting travel memories, but one did stand out: &#8220;I hope she doesn’t remember this because it was pretty traumatic.&#8221;
&#8220;Those are the best stories,&#8221; Fallon interjected, laughing.
&#8220;We took her to Russia — Russia — when we went on a state visit when Bill was president, and there were the formal goodbyes —&#8221;
Chelsea, watching as her mom grew more and more animated, turned to the audience and mouthed the words &#8220;what are they talking about?&#8221;
&#8220;So Bill and I were ushered into the Beast, the big limousine, to head to the airport, not knowing that we had left her behind,&#8221; Clinton continued, and the audience exploded with laughter.
&#8220;Wow!&#8221; Fallon exclaimed.
&#8220;I mean, can you imagine?&#8221; Clinton asked, her eyes wide. &#8220;Leaving my only child in the Kremlin, especially with everything that has happened?&#8221;
Fallon then turned to Chelsea and had her remove her headphones, indicating that it was her turn to answer the question — and she admitted that while they had been talking she had been attempting to read her mother&#8217;s lips.
&#8220;But I didn&#8217;t succeed at all,&#8221; she added.
Fallon repeated the question, and Chelsea responded, &#8220;Oh gosh, now I wish we had been chased by a bear or something.&#8221;
&#8220;Close,&#8221; Fallon hinted, to laughter.
Chelsea thought for a few moments and then something appeared to click — she nodded definitively before saying, &#8220;When they left me at the Kremlin.&#8221;

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – Season 9

‘I Hope She Doesn’t Remember’: Hillary Clinton Admits She Accidentally Left Chelsea At The Kremlin

Hillary Clinton Admits She Once Accidentally Left Chelsea At The Kremlin

Chelsea Clinton

Hillary Clinton

Jimmy Fallon

<div>
Russian lawmakers a floating a title for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/vladimir-putin">Vladimir Putin</a> more fitting of an iron-fisted strongman with a lifetime grip on the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kremlin">Kremlin</a>: “Ruler.”
</div>
<div>
The nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, which is not what its name might suggest to Americans, proposed the new moniker, “pravitel” in Russian, as a replacement for Putin’s current title of “president,” <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/vladimir-putin-called-ruler-russia-new-proposal-ldpr-kremlin-1723295">Newsweek reported</a>. The reason, according to the party, is that “president” never really rolled off the Russian tongue.
</div>
<div>
&#8220;In our country, by historical standards, [president] is generally a new word, and until it takes root completely, you can safely replace it,” the party said in a statement. “For example, with the phrase ‘head of state’ or the word ‘ruler.’ Both are more understandable to the Russian ear.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
MISSION CREEP: RU&#39;s nationalist Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) has proposed replacing Putin’s title of “President” with the more august appellation of “Ruler”. Previously, the head of the the LDPR floated a proposal to call Putin the &quot;Supreme Ruler&quot;. <a href="https://t.co/WqG0GTftxB">https://t.co/WqG0GTftxB</a>
&mdash; Chuck Pfarrer | Indications &amp; Warnings | (@ChuckPfarrer) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChuckPfarrer/status/1546822568522432512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<div>
“President” has “always embarrassed us,” the party said.
</div>
<div>
Putin also served two stints as prime minister in his two-decade-plus tenure as a way of getting around term limits.
</div>
<div>
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the party’s long-time leader and a Putin sycophant, proposed on several occasions referring to the president as the &#8220;Supreme Ruler.&#8221;
</div>
<div>
Two years ago, the Russian parliament nixed an LDPR proposal to call the president &#8220;supreme ruler.&#8221;
</div>
<div>
The Kremlin said at the time that Putin had no view on the proposal.
The Kremlin, which could make the change, responded in neutral terms.
&#8220;It is a new idea. There is no position on this matter,&#8221; said Putin&#8217;s top spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, <a href="https://tass.com/politics/1478045">according to</a> Russian state-owned news outlet TASS.
Earlier this year, Putin likened himself to Tsar Peter the Great in justifying the February invasion of Ukraine. He said he was acting in the tradition of Russia&#8217;s first emperor to recoup ancestral Russian lands.
&#8220;Peter the Great waged the Great Northern War for 21 years,&#8221; Putin said, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/hailing-peter-great-putin-draws-parallel-with-mission-return-russian-lands-2022-06-09/" data-analytics-module="body_link" data-analytics-post-depth="60" data-uri="f890b81d771991376ff986146db1df31">Reuters</a>. &#8220;It would seem that he was at war with Sweden, he took something from them. He did not take anything from them.
</div>
<div>
Putin was prime minister of Russia from 1999-2000, and served in the role again from 2008-2012, with presidential terms in between. Despite this seeming change in leadership, no one was confused about who was in charge.
</div>
<div>
He was most recently re-elected in 2018, garnering 77% of the vote in an election with <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43455950">many</a> voting irregularities. The next election is set for 2024, and although the nation still has its two-term limit that forced him to change titles in 2008, a 2020 “constitutional reform” granted him the right to run for another two terms.
</div>

Putin

Russia Mulls Muscular New Title For Strongman Putin

Russia Mulls Powerful New Title For Strongman Putin

Russian President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/vladimir-putin">Vladimir Putin</a> survived a recent assassination bid that was hushed up by the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kremlin">Kremlin</a>, the Ukrainian intelligence chief said in a <a href="https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2022/05/23/7347987/">bombshell interview</a>.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine&#8217;s Defense Ministry&#8217;s Main Intelligence Directorate, made the claim in an interview with <a href="https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2022/05/23/7347987/">Ukraine Pravda</a>. While he offered few details, the alleged assassination bid would have come about one month into Russia&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine.
&#8220;He was even attacked in the line of, as they say, representatives of the Caucasus not so long ago,&#8221; Budanov said. &#8220;This is non-public information. Absolutely unsuccessful attempt, but it really took place… It was about two months ago.
&#8220;Once again, he was unsuccessful,&#8221; he added. &#8220;There is no publicity about this event, but it took place.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
⚡️Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine&#39;s intelligence, told <a href="https://twitter.com/ukrpravda_news?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ukrpravda_news</a> that approximately two months ago, there was an attempt on Vladimir Putin&#39;s life prepared by &quot;representatives of Caucasus.&quot; &quot;It was completely unsuccessful, but it took place,&quot; Budanov argued. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StopRussia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StopRussia</a>
&mdash; UkraineWorld (@ukraine_world) <a href="https://twitter.com/ukraine_world/status/1528702100884049920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The assassination attempt could not be verified, but there is strong evidence the invasion of Ukraine is unpopular in Russia. Protests broke out in major cities in March, and although demonstrators were arrested, opposition has become more stealthy since then. Graffiti, sabotage of the railways of both Russia and Belarus and the firebombing of recruitment centers have occurred, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/protests-russia-take-interesting-twists">according to Fox News</a>. One shadowy group called “Stop the Wagons” posted on social media a map of railway targets for blocking military supplies bound Ukraine.
According to the UK news outlet <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/17990548/inside-putins-paranoid-world/">The Sun</a>, Putin now has a team of people to taste his food and has also replaced his entire personal staff of 1,000 people.
The alleged attempt would have occurred shortly after Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R-SC) called for someone to kill the Russian leader.
&#8220;Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military?&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/1499574209567199235?s=20&amp;t=81sFe0UxZiajv_fqjZ__dw">Graham tweeted on March 3</a>.
&#8220;The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out. You would be doing your country – and the world – a great service,&#8221; Graham added.
The White House at the time quickly disavowed Graham&#8217;s call and said its goal in Russia was not regime change.
&#8220;That is not the position of the United States government and certainly not a statement you&#8217;d hear come from the mouth of anybody working in this administration,&#8221; then-White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said during a press briefing.
When questioned again about Graham&#8217;s words, Psaki added, &#8220;No, we are not advocating for killing the leader of a foreign country or a regime change. That is not the policy of the United States.&#8221;

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Putin Survived Recent Assassination Attempt, Says Intel Chief

Ukraine Intelligence Chief Claims Vladimir Putin Survived Assassination Attempt Two Months Ago

assassination

Ukrainian military commander Serhiy Volyna has shared an open letter calling on the European Union and the United States for help as the city of Mariupol remains under siege from Russia&#8217;s military.
Volyna released the letter on social media Monday morning.
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Open letter of the Commander of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade 👇🏼
“I am Serhiy Volyna, Commander of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Belinsky, am addressing to you from the besieged Mariupol. <a href="https://t.co/UyL3sEKzlm">pic.twitter.com/UyL3sEKzlm</a>
&mdash; Alina Mykhailova (@Mykhailova_A) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mykhailova_A/status/1516063383602307075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;For more than 50 days, the defenders of the city have been heroically defending themselves, despite the overwhelming enemy forces and constant air bombardments, artillery and rocket fire,&#8221; he wrote.
Following the heavy bombing, Russian forces have left many in the city stranded and effectively held hostage.
&#8220;The enemy took the city in a ring and is holding hundreds of thousands of civilians hostage. In our military bunkers there are women, who’re hiding with children, including babies. Mostly relatives of our military, who are wanted by the Russians, without water, food,&#8221; he added.
Volyna blasted Russia&#8217;s claims of providing a green corridor for humanitarian evacuations, telling readers not to believe the Kremlin&#8217;s &#8220;promises.&#8221;
&#8220;Now we, the military, are forced not only to fight the overwhelming forces of the enemy, but also to take care of more than a thousand civilians,&#8221; he stated.
The military leader concluded with the hope that Mariupol could still be saved, vowing Ukraine&#8217;s forces are ready to &#8220;fight until the last drop of blood.&#8221;
&#8220;Mariupol can be saved. We are ready to fight to the last drop of blood. But we must know that the world has done everything possible for this. Then we are ready to do even the impossible for our country,&#8221; Volyna wrote.
Mariupol has been one of the most devastated cities in Ukraine during Russia&#8217;s invasion.
On March 28, the mayor of Mariupol called for the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mariupol-mayor-calls-for-complete-evacuation-of-ukrainian-city-claims-5000-have-died" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complete evacuation</a> of his city after reporting that more than 5,000 people had died since attacks by Russian armed forces.
“About 140,000 people had fled the city on the Sea of Azov before the Russian siege began and 150,000 have exited since then, leaving 170,000 still there, according to the data,” Sky News <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-news-live-russia-war-putin-nuclear-biden-latest-updates-12541713?postid=3627898#liveblog-body" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Mayor Vadym Boichenko, who has now left Mariupol, said on national television that about 160,000 residents were still trapped in the city at that time.
“People are beyond the line of humanitarian catastrophe,” he said, <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/mariupol-mayor-fears-humanitarian-catastrophe-073625259.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to</a> a Reuters report. “We need to completely evacuate Mariupol.”
Approximately <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/report-300-dead-in-russian-airstrike-on-mariupol-theater" target="_blank" rel="noopener">300 people died</a> in a Russian airstrike on a theater in Mariupol used as a bomb shelter, according to a report by the city’s government.
The bombing occurred on March 16 despite large lettering of the word “children” on the ground outside written in Russian that was visible from the air.
“Ludmyla Denisova, the Ukrainian Parliament’s human rights commissioner, said more than 1,300 people had been sheltering in the building,” <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-kyiv-europe-moscow-b56759e5d40db18e94bef8e42db23e47" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to</a> the Associated Press.
As of Monday, an estimated 21,000 people have been killed in the city, according to an Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-kyiv-business-europe-893384be23cf0fc1c0b9e566de372046" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a>. An estimated 100,000 of Mariupol&#8217;s residents remain in the port city that once held a population of 450,000.

Mariupol

No Surrender: Mariupol Commander Calls For Help To Fight Until ‘Last Drop Of Blood’

European Union

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that would allow him to run for two additional terms, potentially giving him power in the country until 2036.
The constitutional changes were voted on last year and included a part that allowed Putin to run for two more terms by resetting his term limits. The legislature, controlled by the Kremlin, approved the adjustment and Putin signed the relevant law. The law was posted to an official portal of legal information on Monday, as reported by <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-putin-signs-law-allows-2-more-terms-d9acdada71b75c3daeafb389782fed4b">The Associated Press</a>.
His current term is six years and he has said that he will decide at a later date if he is going to run in 2024, the outlet reported. Putin is 68 years old and is the longest-serving Kremlin leader since the Soviet dictator Josef Stalin held power in Russia.
Putin has reportedly argued that making the change was needed in order to ensure his lieutenants stayed focused on their tasks instead of “darting their eyes in search for possible successors.”
AP reported:
<blockquote>The constitutional amendments also emphasized the primacy of Russian law over international norms, outlawed same-sex marriages and mentioned “a belief in God” as a core value. Nearly 78% of voters approved the constitutional amendments during the balloting that lasted for a week and concluded on July 1. Turnout was 68%.</blockquote>
The Kremlin has been watched by the world lately as Putin critic and opposition leader Alexei Navalny remains in prison after being arrested following his return to Moscow from Germany, where he was recovering after he was poisoned by a nerve agent. The Kremlin has denied any involvement with the poisoning. However, Navalny holds Russian authorities responsible for his poisoning. The U.S. intelligence community has also “concluded with high confidence that Navalny was poisoned last year with a banned nerve agent called Novichok by the Russian security services,” according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/02/biden-administration-sanctions-russia-over-navalny-imprisonment-472397">Politico</a>.
Alexei Navalny has requested medical care while in prison but his condition is reportedly worsening. He announced a hunger strike recently and was moved to a medical facility on Tuesday.
The United States has also had recent exchanges with Russia. Last month, Putin responded to President Joe Biden saying that the Russian president was a &#8220;killer&#8221; during an interview with ABC News. Putin challenged Biden to a discussion during a live broadcast event, as reported by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/putin-challenges-biden-to-a-live-public-broadcast-discussion-russia-ups-challenge-after-biden-silent">The Daily Wire</a>.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/putin-challenges-biden-to-a-live-public-broadcast-discussion-russia-ups-challenge-after-biden-silent">The Daily Wire</a> reported:
<blockquote>“I would say to him: I wish you good health,” Putin initially said on Thursday. “Although they think we are the same as them, we are different people; we have a different genetic and cultural-moral code. But we know how to defend our own interests, and we will work with them but in those areas in which we are interested and on terms we consider favorable for us. And they will have to reckon with that.”
Later, when speaking on television, Putin, according to Reuters, “cited a Russian children’s playground chant to scathingly respond to Biden’s accusation with the comment that ‘he who said it, did it.&#8217;”
“I want to offer President Biden to continue our discussion but on the condition that we do it live, online, without any delays but in an open, direct discussion,” Putin said.</blockquote>
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was later asked about Putin&#8217;s challenge. At the time, she said that she did not have anything to report &#8220;in terms of a future meeting.&#8221;
Russia later upped the challenge, &#8220;saying that it has formally reached out to the Biden administration to arrange the meeting under the conditions that Putin offered and that it has yet to hear back,&#8221; The Daily Wire reported.

84CD8A6C-E43D-45A2-8202-3CACF40A17D7_1_201_a

Putin Signs Law Effectively Making Himself ‘President For Life’

Alexei Navalny

On Monday, officials in Russia said that they will keep slowing down Twitter until the middle of next month, but they will not entirely block it due to the fact that the platform is removing content they have deemed harmful.
The Russian government and Twitter have been at odds for the past few months as Russia accused Twitter of not taking down pornographic, harmful, or illegal content.
On March 10, Russia slowed down access to the social media platform, alleging that it was trying to protect Russian citizens because of the content that was not being removed.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/russia-slows-down-access-to-twitter">The Daily Wire</a> reported at the time:
<blockquote>On Wednesday, Russia slowed down Twitter access in an alleged attempt to protect its citizens, stating that the social media tool has not removed content that is illegal, pornographic, or harmful. The move raised concerns among many who see it as the latest limitation on freedom of expression by the Kremlin.
The telecommunications regulator for the country, Roskomnadzor, said in a statement that it would be limiting how fast the social media network loaded for users in the country, and The New York Times confirmed that images and videos did take longer than usual to load.
Roskomnadzor accused Twitter of keeping content on its site that encourages minors to commit suicide, includes child pornography, and also contains facts about using drugs. The regulator claimed that it has repeatedly petitioned Twitter to take down illegal content.
“With the aim of protecting Russian citizens and forcing the internet service to follow the law on the territory of the Russian Federation, centralized reactive measures have been taken against Twitter starting March 10, 2021 — specifically, the initial throttling of the service’s speeds, in accordance with the regulations,” the statement said.
“If the internet service Twitter continues to ignore the demands of the law, measures against it will continue in accordance with the regulations, up to and including blocking it,” it added. </blockquote>
Twitter has responded to the allegations made by the Russian government by drawing attention to its zero tolerance policy for child sexual exploitation, the promotion of suicide, and selling of drugs, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/media-social-media-suicides-pornography-russia-fd42e715623ff9ed81a05fda16feb579">The Associated Press</a> reported.
In a statement on Monday, Roskomnadzor said that it had made the decision not to block Twitter, &#8220;taking into account the decision made by Twitter for the first time to change the principles and speed of its own moderation service in Russia, and the removal of a significant part of the prohibited content,&#8221; the AP reported.
The regulator said that the social media platform has removed about 1,900 of 3,100 posts that have information about suicide and drugs, and include child pornography. According to Roskomnadzor, Twitter has also sped up its process of deleting content that is banned. At this time, the platform removes the forbidden content in 81 hours. Laws in Russia, however, demand that banned content be removed within 24 hours of social media being informed about it.
Roskomnadzor plans to keep slowing down Twitter until May 15, providing it with &#8220;additional time to remove all prohibited content &#8230; and bring its operations into full compliance” with Russian law, per the AP.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/russia-slows-down-access-to-twitter">The Daily Wire</a> reported that the social media site has been used by Putin&#8217;s critics as a way to gather and protest against the Kremlin, which controls the television media.
&#8220;President Vladimir Putin’s main critic and opposition leader Alexei A. Navalny used social media earlier this year to speak out against Putin, and Navalny’s followers have used the platforms in order to organize protests,&#8221; the outlet reported.
Russian officials have only entirely forbidden one social media outlet — LinkedIn — &#8220;for the failure to store its user data in Russia,&#8221; the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/media-social-media-suicides-pornography-russia-fd42e715623ff9ed81a05fda16feb579">AP</a> reported.

10E1D7B4-9720-49CA-92AE-1CE7D98140B9_1_201_a

Russia Slows Twitter, Won’t Block Platform Yet

Twitter

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny announced on Wednesday that he has begun a hunger strike in prison in order to protest against the officials&#8217; lack of care for his current ailments.
Navalny was arrested after returning to Russia from Germany where he had been seeking medical care after he was poisoned. He holds the Kremlin responsible for his poisoning although they have denied any involvement. United States intelligence officials have “concluded with high confidence that Navalny was poisoned last year with a banned nerve agent called Novichok by the Russian security services,” according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/02/biden-administration-sanctions-russia-over-navalny-imprisonment-472397">Politico</a>.
Last week, Navalny released letters saying that his physical condition has worsened while he has been in prison and that he is experiencing sleep deprivation.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/putin-critic-alexei-navalny-says-health-is-worsening-in-prison">The Daily Wire</a> reported:
<blockquote>The letters were reportedly sent to officials in the prison system and a prosecutor in Russia. Copies of the writings were posted to Navalny’s website.
AP reports, “Navalny blamed his health problems on prison officials failing to provide the right medicines and refusing to allow his doctor to visit him behind bars. He also complained in a second letter that the hourly checks a guard makes on him at night amounted to sleep deprivation torture.”
“My condition has worsened. I feel acute pain in my right leg, and I feel numbness in its lower part,” Navalny said in the letter. “I have trouble walking.”
He also said that officials have given him pills and topical treatment for his pain, but will not accept medication that was prescribed by his doctor beforehand. </blockquote>
After his lawyer, Olga Mikhailova, visited him, she confirmed that &#8220;his right leg is in terrible shape.&#8221; His lawyers publicly released two official complaints that Navalny had filed in Russia&#8217;s Federal Penitentiary Service, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/putin-critic-alexei-navalny-says-health-is-worsening-in-prison">The Daily Wire reported.</a>
On Wednesday, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/31/europe/navalny-russia-hunger-strike-intl/index.html">CNN</a> reported that Navalny&#8217;s team had posted an image on Instagram of a handwritten letter penned by Navalny, telling the leader of the penal colony of his decision to start a hunger strike.
&#8220;I have the right to call a doctor and get medications. They give me neither one nor the other. The back pain has moved to the leg. Parts of my right leg and now of my left leg have lost sensitivity. Jokes aside, but this is already annoying,&#8221; Navalny said, according to CNN reporting.
&#8220;I announce a hunger strike with a demand for the law to be obeyed and that I&#8217;m seen by a doctor from outside. So I&#8217;m hungry, but so far I still have two legs,&#8221; Navalny wrote in the Instagram post.
According to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-politics-navalny/russia-prison-service-defends-treatment-of-hunger-striking-kremlin-critic-navalny-idUSKBN2BO4WU">Reuters</a>, allies of Navalny said that he had lost weight in prison even before starting a hunger strike. They said that his weight dropped to 85kg (187 lbs) from the 93kg (205 lbs) that he weighed when he entered prison last month.
“He himself links this weight loss primarily to the fact that he is not allowed to sleep and is woken up eight times a night,” his allies posted on his Twitter account, per the outlet.
Navalny reiterated accounts of this treatment on Wednesday, saying, &#8220;Instead of medical assistance, I am tortured with sleep deprivation (they wake me up 8 times a night), and the administration persuading the activist convicts (aka &#8220;goats&#8221;) to intimidate ordinary convicts so that they do not clean around my bed,&#8221; CNN reported.
Navalny is being held at the IK-2 prison facility, which is located in the Vladimir region. The prison service in the area has reportedly denied Navalny&#8217;s accusations of sleep deprivation and, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-politics-navalny/russia-prison-service-defends-treatment-of-hunger-striking-kremlin-critic-navalny-idUSKBN2BO4WU">Reuters</a>, &#8220;said in a statement late on Wednesday that conditions for him at the prison were entirely legal and the same as for other inmates.&#8221;
The statement said that Navalny is being given all of the medical attention that is necessary and that “Correction facility officers strictly respect the right of all inmates to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.&#8221; It also added that the prison guards check on prisoners during the night, which it said does not prevent them from resting.

C29E40F8-1F86-48BA-8DE5-A3AF348E606C_1_201_a

Alexei Navalny Goes On Hunger Strike, Russian Prison Service Responds

President Trump is thanking Russian President Vladimir Putin for expelling 755 staff members from the U.S. embassy in Moscow.
&#8220;I want to thank him because we&#8217;re trying to cut down our payroll and as far as I&#8217;m concerned I&#8217;m very thankful that he let go of a large number of people because now we have a smaller payroll,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://twitter.com/jaketapper?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">stated</a>.
He continued:
<blockquote>
There&#8217;s no real reason for them to go back. I greatly appreciate the fact that we&#8217;ve been able to cut our payroll of the United States. We&#8217;re going to save a lot of money.
</blockquote>
On its face, Trump&#8217;s response to Putin&#8217;s embassy purge campaign appears facetious, if not sardonic. However, the president&#8217;s background in business lends credence to the theory that Trump is being entirely serious about the reduction to the &#8220;payroll.&#8221; The fact is, sometimes the things that come out the president&#8217;s mouth are entirely meaningless. Other times, he means what he says and his actions back up his words.
On more than one occasion, administration officials have had to correct, reframe, or altogether reword Trump&#8217;s impulsive remarks only to be undermined by the president himself in a follow-up rant.
With an ongoing federal investigation into the Trump campaign&#8217;s alleged contacts with the Russian government shadowing his presidency, Trump&#8217;s playful attitude toward Putin certainly doesn&#8217;t help cast aside the perception that the Commander-in-Chief is a little too sympathetic to Moscow, a hostile foreign actor that is engaged in an active effort to undermine U.S. democratic institutions through cyber-warfare.
More to the point, Trump&#8217;s cheeky and lighthearted comments about Putin&#8217;s expulsion decree downplay the strategic importance of U.S. diplomatic personnel in Russia and Eastern Europe.
As The Daily Wire <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/6988/russia-harassing-american-diplomats-across-europe-joshua-yasmeh">reported</a>, Russian intelligence and security operatives have spent the last few years harassing and intimidating American diplomats and embassy personnel all across the European continent.
An alarming <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/6988/russia-harassing-american-diplomats-across-europe-joshua-yasmeh">report</a> by The Washington Post&#8217;s Josh Rogin revealed that Russian intel have used a variety of intimidation tactics, including killing the dog of one U.S. diplomat, to push American assets further and further from former Soviet satellite states.
Here&#8217;s what Rogin reported in June 2016:
<blockquote>
&#8230; Russian intelligence officials were constantly perpetrating acts of harassment against their diplomatic staff that ranged from the weird to the downright scary. Some of the intimidation has been routine: following diplomats or their family members, showing up at their social events uninvited or paying reporters to write negative stories about them.
But many of the recent acts of intimidation by Russian security services have crossed the line into apparent criminality. In a series of secret memos sent back to Washington, described to me by several current and former U.S. officials who have written or read them, diplomats reported that Russian intruders had broken into their homes late at night, only to rearrange the furniture or turn on all the lights and televisions, and then leave. One diplomat reported that an intruder had defecated on his living room carpet.
</blockquote>
Detailing the abuse experienced by U.S. diplomatic personnel and the embassy in Moscow specifically, Rogin explained further:
<blockquote>
In Moscow, where the harassment is most pervasive, diplomats reported slashed tires and regular harassment by traffic police. Former ambassador Michael McFaul was hounded by government-paid protesters, and intelligence personnel followed his children to school.
After spending years on a covert program to harass, intimidate, and threaten American assets in Russia and Eastern Europe, Putin finally went out in the open with his anti-Americanism and expelled 755 U.S. embassy staff members in late June of this year.
</blockquote>
Rather than condemning Putin in the strongest possible terms, President Trump has chosen to talk about the &#8220;payroll.&#8221;
Well let&#8217;s talk about the &#8220;payroll.&#8221;
The average U.S. embassy employee makes <a href="https://www.careerbliss.com/us-embassy/salaries/">$21 an hour, or $44,500 a year</a>. That&#8217;s 31% lower than the national average of $61,000 a year. Granted, actual diplomats make a six-figure annual salary, but there are far less diplomats than diplomatic staff. The vast majority of the people expelled by Putin were embassy employees, not diplomats.
And it&#8217;s not like U.S. embassy employees simply lose their jobs after a foreign leader demands their expulsion. They get moved around to different countries and posts. More importantly, the amount of money the United States spends on diplomatic staff is negligible compared to the priceless benefits diplomatic work provides. Not only do diplomatic staff (in Russia and Eastern Europe in particular) work with their foreign counterparts to ensure regional stability, but they gather vital intelligence on hostile enemy activities and plans.
Here&#8217;s a not-so-secret secret: Nearly every country in the world houses spies in their embassies abroad; the United States is no exception. In all likelihood, some of the embassy staff members were working to obtain intelligence on Russia. Russia is doing the same thing here in the United States. The spy games didn&#8217;t end when the Berlin Wall came tumbling down.
Nonetheless, Putin&#8217;s expulsion of diplomatic staff is loaded with symbolic weight. He&#8217;s projecting his power and Trump is refusing to retaliate in kind. To be fair, Trump&#8217;s recent decision to let a sanctions bill (targeting Russia) come to his desk without taking out his veto pen is a step in the right direction, but it&#8217;s not enough.
Putin will test Trump the same way he tested former President Obama when the Russian army invaded Crimea and bombed the Syrian opposition into submission. Putin will continue his unfettered power-grab, threatening NATO, U.S. allies and America itself, until the the world&#8217;s sole superpower stops bluffing and finally decides to do something about holding the Russian bear accountable.

Trump THANKS Putin For Expelling U.S. Diplomatic Staff. Here’s Why That’s Deeply Troubling.

Donald Trump

State Department

Trump Administration

&#8220;Russia hacked the election,&#8221; asserted CNN&#8217;s Jake Tapper on Sunday&#8217;s <a href="http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1707/23/sotu.01.html">State of the Union</a>, framing the &#8220;<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/26/us/2016-presidential-campaign-hacking-fast-facts/index.html">election hacking</a>&#8221; narrative as axiomatic.

Tapper framed 2016&#8217;s presidential election as having been meaningfully compromised by Russian state &#8220;interference&#8221; during an interview with newly-minted White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci.

&#8220;It&#8217;s the consensus of the intelligence community [that] Russia hacked the election, they tried to interfere in the election. &#8230; Every intelligence expert [asserts] Russia interfered in the U.S. election,&#8221; said Tapper. He did not qualify the nature or purpose of the Russian state&#8217;s alleged interference.

&#8220;Mainstream media,&#8221; said Scaramucci, &#8220;sought to to delegitimize&#8221; Donald Trump&#8217;s presidency by presenting last year&#8217;s presidential election as compromised by Russian state &#8220;interference.&#8221;

Rejection of narratives pushed by CNN regarding &#8220;election hacking&#8221; amounts to a fantastical denialism, suggested Tapper.

Watch the segment below.
<div class="embed video fluid-video"><iframe loading="lazy" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j441fps8z-A" width="854"></iframe></div>


CNN and similarly left-wing and Democrat-aligned news media outlets regularly assert that Putin developed a preference for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton during 2016&#8217;s presidential election season; a departure from a ubiquitous preference for Democrat politicians held by America&#8217;s adversaries.
Tapper denied that the aforementioned narrative&#8217;s purpose is the delegitimization of Donald Trump&#8217;s presidency.
&#8220;[Donald Trump is] siding with Putin over the overwhelming sentiment of the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress,&#8221; asserted Tapper during his introductory narration for State of the Union.
Tapper presents himself as a politically objective and non-partisan news media figure. CNN similarly presents itself as a politically objective and non-partisan news media outlet, marketing itself as &#8220;The Most Trusted Name In News.&#8221;

Follow Robert Kraychik on <a href="https://twitter.com/kr3ch3k">Twitter</a>.
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