Tag Archives: war clouds

The Daily Beast reports: Ukrainian government websites were knocked offline Wednesday in a new wave of cyberattacks pummeling Ukraine, just as Russian forces are starting to roll into the country and Ukraine declares a nationwide state of emergency over Russia’s recent aggression. The sites of Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, its Security Service or SBU, and Cabinet of Ministers were …

The Washington Post reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees ordering military forces into two separatist regions of Ukraine for “peacekeeping” purposes as Moscow recognized the breakaway regions’ independence Monday. Putin signed a decree recognizing the areas — a move that Russia could use to justify an attack in those areas — and an agreement of cooperation with the heads …

The Associated Press reports: Russia said Tuesday that some units participating in military exercises would begin returning to their bases, adding to glimmers of hope that the Kremlin may not be planning to invade Ukraine imminently. But it gave no details on where the troops were pulling back from, or how many. That muddied efforts to determine the significance of …

The Associated Press reports: The United States is set to evacuate its embassy in Kyiv as Western intelligence officials warn that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is increasingly imminent. U.S. officials said the State Department plans to announce early Saturday that virtually all American staff at the Kyiv embassy will be required to leave ahead of a feared Russian invasion. …

Reuters reports: Russia started the active phase of military drills in Belarus on Thursday as Britain launched new diplomacy in a standoff over Ukraine, warning Moscow that going to war with its neighbour would be disastrous for Russia, Ukraine and Europe. U.S. officials have warned that Russia may attack Ukraine after massing troops near its borders, and have accused Moscow …

The Washington Post reports: Russia’s latest military exercises — involving thousands of troops, tanks, elite paratroopers and short-range ballistic missiles — are intended to project strength, keep Moscow’s foes off balance and intensify pressure on NATO and Ukraine, military analysts said. Russia’s Western Military District released video of Iskander short-range ballistic missile crews entering field positions. Within hours, officials announced …

The Associated Press reports: President Joe Biden has pledged to make it “very, very difficult” for Russia’s Vladimir Putin to take military action in Ukraine as U.S. intelligence officials determined that Russian planning is underway for a possible military offensive that could begin as soon as early 2022. The new intelligence finding estimates that the Russians are planning to deploy …

Reuters reports: Russia has concentrated more than 150,000 troops on Ukraine’s border and in annexed Crimea, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Monday after EU foreign ministers were briefed by Ukraine’s foreign minister. Tensions between Moscow and Kyiv have been rising amid the military build-up and clashes in eastern Ukraine between the army and pro-Russian separatists. The Associated …

Reuters reports: A Revolutionary Guards commander said Iran would take “harsher revenge soon” after Tehran launched missile attacks on U.S. targets in Iraq in retaliation for last week’s U.S. killing of an Iranian general, Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday. The agency was quoting senior commander Abdollah Araghi, speaking after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran appeared …

NBC News reports: President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran “appears to be standing down” after its missile attack on U.S. targets in Iraq, and he vowed to keep up the pressure on Tehran with “punishing” new economic sanctions. Trump made the comments in an address to the nation Wednesday from the White House less than a day after …

The Insider reports: The US is sending 3,500 Army paratroopers to the Middle East on a snap deployment as tensions with Iran soar, and they have been told to leave their cellphones and other personal electronic devices behind. “This is not a standard deployment,” Lt. Col. Mike Burns, a spokesman for the 82nd Airborne Division, said, telling Insider that the …

Axios reports: Saudi Arabia’s deputy defense minister, Prince Khalid Bin Salman, revealed on Twitter that he delivered a message to President Trump yesterday from his brother, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. Saudi Arabia is deeply concerned it could become engulfed in uncontrolled escalation between the U.S. and Iran following President Trump’s decision to kill Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani. That explains …

Reuters reports: Iran is considering 13 “revenge scenarios” in retaliation for the US airstrike that killed General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, a top official has said. Ali Shamkhani [photo], secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, vowed that even if Tehran opted for the weakest option, it will create an “historic nightmare for the Americans.” While Shamkhani would not reveal …

The Huffington Post reports: Americans split narrowly in favor of President Donald Trump’s decision to order the airstrike that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, a new HuffPost/YouGov survey finds, but express qualms about the president’s decision-making process and the strike’s possible repercussions. Overall views of the administration’s foreign policy remain underwater. Forty-three percent of Americans approve of the decision …

The Washington Post reports: The streets of Iran’s capital Tehran flooded with millions clad in black on Monday, Iranian state television said, during a funeral ceremony for military leader Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by a U.S. drone strike. “Have you EVER seen such a sea of humanity in your life, @realdonaldtrump?” Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter, …

Axios reports: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced in a letter Sunday that the House will this week “introduce and vote on a War Powers Resolution to limit” President Trump’s “military actions regarding Iran.” Pelosi announced the action as Trump ramped up his rhetoric against Iran and also threatened Iraq with sanctions after Iraqi lawmakers passed a resolution asking the government …

Mother Jones reports: As concerns about violent reprisals or a Middle East war unfolded following reports that President Donald Trump had ordered the killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani on Thursday, some Americans were also worried about more personal implications of the event. So many Americans Googled “draft requirements“ and “military exemptions“ that the United States Selective Service website …

The BBC reports: A British-flagged oil tanker has been seized in the Gulf by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Iran media say. The owners of the Stena Impero, which was bound for Saudi Arabia, say they have been unable to contact the vessel and it is “heading north towards Iran”. The company says there are 23 personnel on board and it …

CNBC reports: Washington ordered the departure of non-emergency government employees from Iraq on Wednesday, after repeated U.S. expressions of concern about threats from Iranian-backed forces. The U.S. State Department has ordered the pullout of the employees from both the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and its consulate in Erbil, the embassy said in a statement. On Tuesday, the U.S. military reaffirmed …

The Washington Post reports: Russian officials said Sunday that the U.S. decision to supply Ukraine with lethal weapons to combat Russian-backed separatists will cause new bloodshed, as long-standing tensions between Washington and Moscow escalated over the four-year-old conflict. Moscow’s admonition came shortly after the State Department announced Friday evening that the United States will provide heavy armaments to Ukraine for …