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Israel’s Bennett speaks with Putin, Zelenskyy separately in effort to mediate Ukraine crisis

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TEL AVIV — Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held talks with President Vladimir Putin Saturday in the Kremlin over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and then spoke with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, an attempt to mediate a conflict that has caused growing civilian casualties and refugees.Before Mr. Bennett’s visit, diplomacy by President Biden and European leaders failed to stop Mr. Putin from invading Ukraine or rolling back his tanks. In the face of massive Western sanctions, Mr. Putin has found himself increasingly cut off from the world, with few avenues for diplomacy and with his country’s economy unplugged from much of global commerce.Mr. Bennett’s meeting with Mr. Putin took place “with the blessing of the U.S. administration,” said Mr. Bennett’s office, which also noted that it coordinated with Germany and France. After seeing Mr. Putin, Mr. Bennett left Moscow for Berlin, where he met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the prime minister’s office said. Mr. Bennett was joined by Housing Minister Zeev Elkin, who was born in the now Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and assisted with the translation.RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR: LIVE UPDATESThe nearly three-hour conversation with Mr. Putin touched on the safety of Ukraine’s Jewish population …

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Volunteer Battalions: Potent Weapon For Ukraine Against Russia or Problem?

What Role for Volunteer Battalions in Ukraine? – The 2014 conflict in the Donbas region saw a widespread phenomenon that is unlikely in most political and economic theories of defense: the rise of multiple successful independent volunteer battalions. These battalions were the reaction of Ukrainian citizens to the fact that their government had failed to provide the national defense that is the core responsibility of any state. They held the Russian-backed separatist to minimal gains, took some of the captured lands back, and gained a fearsome reputation among their opponents. They also gained reputations as extremists, and as a potential threat to the Ukrainian government itself.
There is a question of whether or not these once successful independent volunteer battalions could re-emerge now that the conflict has escalated so greatly, and of what threat they might pose if they did. Volunteer battalions have previously acquired material intended for use by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and the possibility that they could do so again as much more lethal and sophisticated weapons flow into Ukraine from Western allies has some analysts worried.
The original volunteer battalions arose under unique circumstances. …

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Air Force One replacement facing additional delays, up to 17 months late: sources — Breaking Defense

A VC-25A Air Force One aircraft sits on a ramp at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska during a brief stop Jan. 22. (US Air Force/Josh Plueger)
AFA AIR WARFARE SYMPOSIUM: While the Air Force and Boeing have yet to finalize a new schedule for the presidential aircraft replacement program, it now appears that the first new Air Force One plane will be delivered to the service even later than previously expected.
Boeing now expects that it will deliver the first VC-25B a total of 17 months later than originally scheduled, two sources with knowledge of the program told Breaking Defense.
That timeline has not been accepted by the Air Force and could change as the service negotiates with Boeing on a new schedule baseline. But Boeing’s new projection, which has been conveyed to stakeholders outside of the company, represents a growth from the 12-month delay presented by the company last year.
“We continue to work closely with the Air Force on a new approved schedule baseline,” Boeing spokeswoman Didi VanNierop said in a statement.
During a roundtable this morning with reporters at the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium, acting Air Force acquisition executive Darlene Costello acknowledged that the program is now “more than a year late” when compared to its baseline schedule, which called for delivery of the first VC-25B in 2024.
Now that the Air Force has finished its independent schedule review, it will likely take “a month to two [months]” for the Air Force and Boeing to finalize the new schedule, Costello predicted.
“What’s important is that the program has continued. All along, we’ve been progressing. We’re not waiting for that [new schedule] to get started on the program,” she said.
News of a schedule slip was first conveyed publicly last summer, when Costello told lawmakers that Boeing had informed the Air Force of a 12-month delay to the pr …

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This PolitFact’s Fact-Check on Ron DeSantis and Masking is Looking Rather Pathetic

Last week, Democrats and their allies went after one of their favorite targets, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R‑FL). The governor drew hysterical reactions on Wednesday because he urged students to take off their masks while speaking at the University of South Florida. “You don’t have to wear those things. They’re not very useful. If you want to keep wearing them, that’s fine, but continued masking is pretty ridiculous,” were among the things he told them. As Guy called it in covering the reaction, it was another so-called ‘controversy,’ using quotation marks. Among those who jumped on in attacking DeSantis include fact-checkers over his comments.‘This is ridiculous’: @GovRonDeSantis scolds students for wearing face masks during his @USouthFlorida visit https://t.co/v9XLjueCYi pic.twitter.com/TFeC6t6wL9— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) March 2, 2022On Friday, Yacob Reyes came up with a fact-check for PolitiFact, rating DeSantis’ claims as “False.” He specifically went after remarks from the governor that wearing masks is “COVID theater” and “not doing anything.“It’s a doozy of a …

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Western Companies Are Happy To Cut Ties With Russia, But Stay Silent On Uyghur Genocide

Western businesses have exited Russia in droves since the country’s invasion of Ukraine, often citing humanitarian reasons as justification — yet many continue to maintain healthy relationships with China. Apple announced Tuesday it would no longer sell its products in Russia and that certain services would be suspended in the country, expressing solidarity with “all of the people who are suffering” from violence; the company manufactures many of its devices in China and has lobbied on legislation aimed at curbing the use of forced labor in American supply chains. Disney said Monday it was pausing all new theatrical releases in Russia, citing “the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis”; has collaborated with China on several projects, most notably on a $5.5 billion investment to build the Shanghai Disney Resort and filming “Mulan” in the Uyghur home pr …

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A Ukraine No-Fly Zone Could Start a NATO-Russia War. The West Has Other Options

No No-Fly Zone? No Problem. NATO has other options to help Ukraine and push back against Russian aggression: Over 75 years ago, George Kennan described the DNA of Russian leaders as “neurotic” and embedded with an encompassing “sense of insecurity” and “instinctive fear of the outside world.”
Russian paranoia has not seemingly abated over decades. Putin and the Russian generals in his inner circle all seek nothing less than a deep strategic depth to shield Moscow, akin to the space held by the former Soviet Union. To attain this goal, the Gerasimov Doctrine calls for a modern hybrid form of total war, combining a broad range of military, economic, information, and cyber actions.
Not since the Munich Agreement of 1938 has the West faced such an adventuring, full-fledged military thug, the equivalent of Adolph Hitler. At Munich, the allies ceded the Sudetenland to Hitler.  The decision only emboldened Hitler to greater military adventures, and ultimately into World War II.
Appeasement or non-military half measures wi …

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PUTIN BOMBS EVACUEES

The barbarity of Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine was laid bare again on Saturday after distressing images emerged of doctors frantically trying to save a baby boy killed by Russian shelling as Mariupol comes under intense bombardment by Kremlin forces.

Photos shows Kirill’s devastated mother Marina Yatsko and her boyfriend Fedor are seen grieving as they embrace his lifeless body laid out on a stretcher in a hospital in the besieged city. Later, a traumatized medical worker is seen sitting on the floor after failing to save the 18-month-old.

Kyiv cancelled a planned evacuation of more than 200,000 civilians from Mariupol and Volnovakha on Saturday after Moscow ignored a promised ceasefire and continued pounding the strategic port city.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office said that talks are underway to establish a ceasefire and ensure the humanitarian corridor originally agreed for five hours between 12pm and 5pm Moscow time after local authorities told people to shelter.

Mariupol’s deputy mayor Serhiy Orlov told the BBC: ‘The Russians are continuing to bomb us and use artillery. It is crazy. There is no ceasefire in Mariupol and there is no ceasefire all along the route. Our civilians are ready to escape but they cannot escape under shelling.’

But Russia’s defence ministry claims that the firing came from inside both communities against Kremlin positions, that no one was using the two humanitarian corridors provided, and that Ukraine’s ‘nationalists’ had prevented civilians from leaving, RIA news agency reported.

In a defiant address on Saturday morning, Zelensky urged Ukrainians to continue fighting Putin’s forces. Ukraine’s comic-turned-wartime president then thundered ‘what more is needed’ to convince Joe Biden to enforce a no-fly zone – an action which could widen the war and suck in NATO – after he accused the West of cowardice in the face of Russian aggression.

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White House Sending Kamala Harris to Europe to Reassure NATO Allies

The White House is sending Vice President Kamala Harris to Europe next week to reassure NATO allied countries the United States stands with them.
The Vice President will travel to Poland and Romana, two countries bordering Ukraine, where Russian President Vladimir Putin has significantly escalated his military invasion in recent weeks.
“Her visit will demonstrate the strength and unity of the NATO Alliance and U.S. support for NATO’s eastern flank allies in the face of Russian aggression,” Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said in a statement to reporters about the vice president’s visit.
Her trip will take place March 9–11.
This will be the second trip for Harris to Europe in just weeks, as she was also sent Germany for the Munich Security Conference to demonstrate the strength and support of the United States.
During that trip she met with world leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodym …

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CNN to Stop Broadcasting in Russia After Putin Signs Military ‘Misinformation’ Law

CNN announced on Friday it will stop broadcasting in Russia after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that will criminalize anyone sharing “deliberately false information about the actions of Russian military personnel in Ukraine.”
Putin on Friday signed into law the measure that will penalize those who spread such information with fines or prison sentences. The law would impose up to three years or fines, but the maximum punishment rises to 15 years for cases considered to have led to “severe consequences.”
Russian lawmakers also passed amendments to the criminal code that would impose fines for people calling for sanctions against Russia.
“CNN will stop broadcasting in Russia while we continue to evaluate the situation and our next steps moving forward,” a spokesperson for the media said on Friday.
Other news outlets have announced they will suspend reporting from Russia. Bloomberg, the BBC, and the CBC were among the outlets that will temporarily suspend the w …

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UKRAINIAN FORCES BLAST CHOPPER OUT OF SKY

This is the shocking moment a Russian helicopter appears to go down in flames as it is downed in Ukraine.

Footage from the frontlines seems to show the aircraft soaring before it is targeted by Ukrainian weapons.

In the clip, it can then be seen lighting up in flames as it pummels down, exploding in a fireball as it reaches the ground.

The video has been widely shared on social media. Although it is unclear how the footage was captured, some on Twitter have suggested the clip was taken by a drone.

It is not clear when or where the video was filmed but investigative journalism group Bellingcat have geolocated the footage to have taken place in Kozarovychi in the Kyiv Oblast — around 25 miles from Kyiv.

The group has been focusing on verifying footage from the conflict since it began on February 24.

The video was also shared by Kyiv Independent reporter Illia Ponomarenko, and now has more than 21,000 likes.

It appears the original video was shared by a Kyiv resident on Facebook.

A translation of the caption, in Ukrainian, seems to say the country’s forces ‘shot down a Russian combat helicopter’ as ‘aerial reconnaissance shares an operational video’.

‘Glory to Ukraine!,’ he adds.

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