Section: The Washington Free Beacon (USA)
U.S. Considers Training Ukrainian Army Troops
By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. officials are considering expanding the American military training mission in Ukraine to include army and special operations troops, likely focusing on issues like tactics and combat medicine, a top U.S. Army general said on Monday. Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, the head of U.S. Army forces in...
Russian Troops Prosecuted After Refusing to Fight in Ukraine
Several Russian soldiers are facing prosecution after they refused to fight in eastern Ukraine, Agence France-Presse reports. The Russian troops fled their bases after being urged to “volunteer” in Ukraine and assist pro-Russian separatists there, according to AFP: The popular Gazeta.ru website said several dozen soldiers would be prosecuted...
Record Number of Jews Flee Russia
Jewish citizens of Russia are fleeing to Israel at a record pace amid concerns for their safety and the Kremlin’s aggressive foreign policy, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports. Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014 and ongoing support for separatists in Ukraine has alarmed Jews in the country, where any dissenters to...
Drone Captures Video of Russian Base Inside Ukraine
Newly released drone footage appears to show a large military buildup at a Russian base inside Ukraine. Dnipro-1, a pro-government volunteer regiment in Ukraine, released two sets of drone footage on Tuesday that was filmed two weeks apart. Over the two-week span, construction at the Russian base accelerated, the Daily Beast reports: When...
U.S. to Support NATO Rapid Response Force with Troops, Equipment
The United States will support a new NATO rapid response force with troops, intelligence, and equipment, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in Germany Monday. NATO defense chiefs are meeting in Brussels this week. On the agenda is devising updated strategies to resist Russian aggression and an expanding Islamic State. American support for the...
Russian-Backed Rebels Launch Attacks in Ukraine, Two Ukrainian Soldiers Dead
Pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine continue to launch attacks in violation of a ceasefire reached in February, Reuters reports. The Ukrainian military said on Monday that two of its soldiers were killed and three wounded amid fresh concerns about a new offensive by the Russian-backed separatists: Both sides accuse the other of regularly violating a...
Putin: Russia Adding 40 New Ballistic Missiles This Year
Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia would bolster its nuclear forces this year with more than 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), Vice News reports. The Russian president spoke at an arms show where he also displayed an aircraft carrier and an amphibious landing ship. He said the ICBMs would be “capable of penetrating any,...
Russia Says Will Retaliate if U.S. Weapons Stationed on Its Borders
By Gabriela Baczynska and Wiktor Szary MOSCOW/WARSAW (Reuters) – A plan by Washington to station tanks and heavy weapons in NATO states on Russia’s border would be the most aggressive U.S. act since the Cold War, and Moscow would retaliate by beefing up its own forces, a Russian defense official said on Monday. The United States is offering...
Russian Jet Again Harasses U.S. Reconnaissance Plane
A Russian fighter jet conducted a dangerous aerial intercept of a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft two weeks ago over the Baltic Sea in the latest sign of heightened military tensions between Moscow and Washington. “The nature of the intercept was unsafe,” said a senior defense official familiar with details of the encounter. However, it is unclear...
Obama Says Russian Troops Operating in Ukraine
KRUEN, Germany (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday that Russian forces continue to operate in eastern Ukraine despite Moscow’s denials and the world’s major industrial democracies stood ready to impose significantly tougher sanctions if necessary. Obama told a news conference after a Group of Seven industrial...
