The weapons can only be used near Kharkiv, Ukraine, for countering Russian attacks. The U.S. stopped short of allowing long-range strikes inside Russia and civilian infrastructure is off-limits for Ukrainian forces.
The move by President Joe Biden was first made quietly on Thursday, May 30. The lifting of restrictions is designed to allow Ukrainian forces to fight off Russian forces attacking Ukraine’s second largest city. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the change was desperately need, not just for Ukraine, but for the world.
“The stakes couldn’t be higher for this moment,” Blinken said. “We know that if Russian aggression is allowed to proceed in Ukraine with impunity it will not stop with Ukraine.”
Now, Ukrainian forces can use U.S. weaponry to intercept Russian missiles heading toward Kharkiv. Russian troops massing over the Russian border near Kharkiv are also allowed to be struck by U.S.-provided weapons under the lifted restrictions.
The Biden administration previously said that lifting restrictions could escalate the war with more direct U.S. involvement. However, Biden reportedly had a change of heart once Russian forces advanced on Kharkiv and unleashed heavy attacks on the city.
The U.S. isn’t the only country to change its mind. Berlin lifted restrictions on German-provided weapons to Ukraine with similar stipulations to the U.S.
However, putting Western troops on Ukrainian soil does run the risk of them becoming casualties. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said in the past that deploying Western troops to Ukraine would have “tragic” consequences.
Loosening restrictions on Ukraine and the apparent willingness to send foreign troops to Ukrainian soil isn’t sitting well with all NATO members.
The policy changes and considerations by NATO allies have also inflamed the Kremlin. In response, senior Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev said that Moscow is not bluffing over its threats to use tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine. He warned that moves by the West could lead to an all-out war.
“Russia regards all long-range weapons used by Ukraine as being directly controlled by servicemen from NATO countries,” Medvedev said. “This is no military assistance; this is participation in a war against us.”
France in need of air defense for Paris 2024 Games, asks Greece for help
Athens is facing an unprecedented request from France as preparations for the Paris Olympic Games unfold. French authorities formally asked to borrow a Greek air defense system for the 2024 Games. According to reports from the Greek daily newspaper “Kathimerini,” the French specifically requested the transfer of a Crotale short-range surface-to-air missile system from the Greek air force. The outlet first reported the story on Thursday, April 25.
These talks began last November between France and Greece, yet progress has been slow or nonexistent since then. France argues that as it intends to provide anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine, it requires allied assistance to ensure the air defense of critical infrastructure in Paris during the Olympics.
While Athens has not yet officially responded to the request, government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis emphasized that any assistance granted would not hurt the country’s defense capabilities and be used only for the Games.
This request marked the first instance of France requesting air defense material for the Olympics. While not directly linked to Ukraine, the request is viewed as an indirect plea to Athens to contribute to the broader European effort to strengthen Kyiv.
Meanwhile, the United States was expected to exert further pressure on Athens during a scheduled teleconference with Greece on Friday, April 26. Despite international calls, Greek officials remain resolute in their commitment to not take any action that could jeopardize the nation’s security or air defense capabilities. Greece has maintained that national security is its No. 1 priority, above all else.
If not for donated Western weaponry and military support, the war in Ukraine would be long over. If Ukraine wants to stay in the fight against Russia, however, the country needs to rely more on its own domestic production of weapons, vehicles and ammunition.
Almost as soon as Vladimir Putin took power in Russia 24 years ago, he began building up its military base. Ukraine is much smaller than Russia and didn’t really get started building up its military industrial base until after Russia’s initial incursion into eastern Ukraine in 2014.
So, there’s a long way yet to go before Ukraine will achieve its goal of being the “arsenal to the West,” but the country is making sizeable strides.
Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukraine’s strategic industries minister, said last year the country tripled its weapons production from the year before.
During the recent “Ukraine: Year 2024” forum in Kyiv, Kamyshin told the crowd that 500 companies are now working in the country’s defense sector; 100 of those are state-owned, the other 400 are from private industry. Combined, Ukraine’s defense sector employs around 300,000 people now.
Drones are some of the most obvious and abundant weapons systems Ukraine produces. Kyiv wants the country producing a million unmanned systems a year, and it should achieve that goal in 2024.
The Army of Drones initiative makes fairly regular deliveries containing thousands of UAVs, which come in several types; from small FPV-style drones to the larger copter-style known as Baba Yaga to the Russians, named after a mythic character from Slavic folklore.
But Ukraine doesn’t just do unmanned aerial vehicles. Ukraine is also leading innovations in the worlds of unmanned surface vessels and unmanned ground vehicles, known as USVs and UGVs respectively.
Ukraine’s home-grown “Sea Babies” were the main characters in some of the most dramatic maritime combat footage of the last 20 years, and they are credited with helping to severely damage or outright destroy almost two dozen Russian warships in the Black Sea.
There are a number of unmanned ground vehicles now made in Ukraine. Some act as mine layers or munitions mules, others are mounted with weapons like remote-controlled machine guns. In 2024, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will implement a few new UGV models.
Ukraine also started producing more mortar launchers, artillery shells, a domestically designed self-propelled howitzer called the Bohdana, and a newly revamped Neptune missile which will enhance the country’s long-range capabilities as well.
However, this is where things get a little tricky, because while there are plans to continue investing in the country’s defense industry, Kyiv is completely reliant on others for some of the key components needed to make bullets, bombs and missiles. For instance, Ukraine has no domestic source for gunpowder.
Additionally, if the country starts making long-range weapons that need space-based communication for their guidance systems, those systems will be at the mercy of whoever controls the orbiting satellites, and right now that certainly isn’t Ukraine.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, “Ukraine’s long-term path to success over Russia relies on the country creating a self-sufficient defensive industrial base” but needs support from the U.S. and Europe to get there.
Building new factories, installing air defense systems, as well as training a new workforce takes time, and it costs a lot of money. Securing government-funded deals with partner countries like the United States would do the most to help secure Kyiv’s future in weapons manufacturing, but that won’t happen until Congress passes more legislation.
Some private European companies are working directly with Kyiv to set up weapons factories in country, though. Rheinmetall, the largest ammunition manufacturer in Europe, announced plans to construct a new ammo production facility in Ukraine. The announcement comes in addition to previously announced plans for the company to build a factory to construct armored vehicles.
Ukrainian lawmakers are also doing their part to attract new businesses, touting the country’s battlefields as a great place for manufacturers to test new designs.
Massive Russian missile attack on Ukraine kills at least 12: The Morning Rundown, Dec. 29, 2023
At least a dozen people are dead after Russia launched one of its largest missile attacks on Ukraine. And the U.S. military’s space plane takes off on a secret mission with the help of a SpaceX rocket. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Friday, Dec. 29, 2023.
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Ukrainian officials said most of Russia’s missiles, as well as drones, were shot down, but not all. The strikes killed at least 12 civilians, with dozens reported injured and many others believed to be buried under rubble.
The approximately 18-hour barrage began Thursday, Dec. 28, and continued through the night, hitting six cities, including the capital, Kyiv, with the mayor confirming at least two people were killed there. The Ukrainian Air Force spokesman said Russia “apparently launched everything they have.” The attack comes days after Ukraine struck a Russian landing warship in Crimea.
Israeli army admits fault in two deadly strikes on Gaza
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said the two strikes killed at least 70 people. An Israeli military official told Israel’s public broadcaster that an improper choice of munition was to blame. The military said it “regrets the harm to uninvolved individuals and is working to draw lessons from the incident.”
The Gaza Health Ministry said more than 21,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, though the U.S. has cast doubt on its figures in the past since Hamas controls the agency.
Maine drops Trump from ballot, Trump remains on California ballot
I am also mindful, however, that no presidential candidate has ever before engaged in insurrection.
“I am mindful that no secretary of state has ever deprived a presidential candidate of ballot access based on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment,” Bellows wrote about her decision. “I am also mindful, however, that no presidential candidate has ever before engaged in insurrection.”
Colorado’s secretary of state said Trump will remain on the state’s ballot until the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in on the case following an appeal by the Colorado Republican Party.
The Trump campaign said it would appeal Maine’s decision to the state court system.
The ruling further heightens tensions around U.S. elections as calls for the U.S. Supreme Court to step in grow louder.
In California, the most populated state in the country, the secretary of state ruled Thursday night that Trump will remain on the state’s ballot in 2024, echoing recent decisions in Michigan and Minnesota.
The terms of Thursday’s Dec. 28 settlement were not disclosed, but the lawsuit filed in 2020 covered “millions” of Google users and sought at least $5,000 in damages per user. A federal judge in California had scheduled a February 2024 trial date for the case, but that has been put on hold as the settlement is finalized.
US population grew by nearly 2 million in 2023
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. population grew by 1.75 million people in 2023. When the clock strikes midnight on 2023, the bureau estimates the U.S. population will be 335,893,238. According to the bureau’s data released on Thursday, Dec. 28, the majority of growth happened in the South and the West, with smaller population growth in the Midwest and the Northeast.
The agency added that the U.S. will likely see one birth every 9 seconds and one death every 9.5 seconds in January, and immigration is expected to account for one new person every 28.3 seconds. Overall, it is estimated that the U.S. will grow by one person every 24.2 seconds.
Fast-forward to 2080, and the Census Bureau says the U.S. population could be as high as 370 million. The U.S. is the third most populated country in the world, behind only China and India. Globally, the population grew by 75 million people in 2023, surpassing 8 billion people. According to the census data, the world expects to see 4.3 births and two deaths every second in January.
U.S. military’s mysterious spaceplane launches via SpaceX rocket
This was the first time the plane was launched atop SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Where the space plane is headed for in its seventh mission is anyone’s guess. The U.S. Space Force disclosed few details, but since the plane was launched by SpaceX’s powerful rocket, experts suggest X-37B could be heading for distant orbits, like the moon or Mars.
We know one test the plane is carrying, a NASA experiment to study how plant seeds are affected by the radiation in space, but other than that, the goals of the military’s space plan remain a mystery.
Winter weather walloping Russia’s defenses in Crimea
Winter weather is walloping the Black Sea region, including Ukraine, occupied Crimea and southern Russia. The powerful storm Bettina is creating blizzard conditions inland while pounding coastlines with huge waves and hurricane force winds. The storm is serious, no doubt, but it could be just what Ukraine needs to end the so-called stalemate with Russia.
Meteorologists in Russia said Bettina is the strongest winter storm on record to hit the region. The storm has already claimed at least three lives. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the “extremely challenging weather” was affecting large parts of the country, knocking out power and hampering travel.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy said more than 2,000 towns and villages were without electricity in 16 regions, including Kyiv, Odesa, and Mykolaiv with more strong winds and snow predicted.
In occupied Crimea, Mother Nature may have just done more to destroy Russian defenses in a weekend than what Ukraine’s armed forces have been able to do since 2014. In addition to knocking out power to much of the peninsula, Bettina is battering Russian troops and their fortifications.
Anton Gerashchenko, an Interior Ministry adviser in Ukraine, posted videos showing Crimean coasts getting pummeled by waves more than 20 feet high. Citing Crimean media outlets, Gerashchenko said miles of Russia’s defensive lines along the shore were washed away including trenches, engineering buildings and firing positions.
The strong storm surge is also being credited with helping Ukraine demine the waters around Crimea and southern Kherson. In eastern Crimea, the Kerch Bridge could be left vulnerable as well.
The bridge is a primary supply route between Russia and its troops in Crimea. Ukraine launched several successful attacks on the bridge before using long- range missiles and unmanned surface drones. However, the bridge is still standing and in use. After the earlier attacks, Russia increased its air defenses in the area surrounding the bridge and added barges on the water to protect its pylons.
But those barges aren’t designed to operate in the extreme winter weather conditions created by Bettina. At the very least, the barges will likely suffer some major damages if not rendered totally useless. So, once Bettina bows out, there will be a window of time when the Kerch Bridge could be more vulnerable to attack than it’s been in years.
Making matters worse for Russia, Bettina blew in around the same time a fire erupted at a Russian factory in Chelyabinsk. Flames could be seen rising from the facility, which is located more than 900 miles east of Moscow. There’s no word yet on what caused the fire, and there likely won’t be. Russia doesn’t respond to Western media’s requests for comment, and Ukraine doesn’t take public credit for attacks in Russian territory.
The Chelyabinsk Tractor Factory is a prime military target, though. Workers there make engines for Russian tanks, armored personnel carriers and other military vehicles. Vehicles which will be sorely needed as winter sets in, blanketing the battlefields under feet of snow.
Ukraine snipers get new ‘invisibility cloak’ to hide from Russia
Harry potter, the Fellowship of the Ring, and Ukrainian snipers. What do they all have in common, besides fighting a tyrannical enemy hell bent on destruction? They all have invisibility cloaks of course.
⚡️#Ukraine has developed an invisibility cloak for its military, Digital Minister Mykhailo #Fedorov reports.
This cloak is designed to block heat emissions, rendering soldiers invisible to enemy thermal imagers and drones equipped with thermal cameras. pic.twitter.com/MnSi8ai7ZW
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, released video of the new cloaks on social media. The footage is from a drone equipped with a thermal imaging camera. There are three men standing in the video, but only two are readily visible. The third soldier, on the left portion of the video frame, is equipped with the new Brave 1 cloak. It weighs about 5.5 pounds and is protected against rain and excessive temperatures. The cloak soaks up heat, making its user vanish from thermal sensors.
Fedorov called the cloaks another game changer for Kyiv.
“The cloak blocks the radiation of heat and makes fighters invisible to the enemy,” Fedorov said. “The invisibility cloak is just one of the developments that will help save the lives of our soldiers at the front. Now, we need even more.”
There are other invisibility products on the market. HyperStealth Biotechnology is a Canadian company that makes what it calls Quantum Stealth camouflage material. There are Russian-made cloaks that claim to offer thermal protection as well, but documentation on the product’s performance is a little lacking, like a lot of things in Russia these days.
Back in Ukraine, snipers are operating on both sides of the conflict. Although, the argument can be made Ukraine’s snipers are inflicting more damage than their Russian counterparts. The new cloaks will no doubt solidify that stance.
Ukrainian snipers carry out a variety of missions. Some primarily perform reconnaissance. Others are tasked with shooting any Russian they see. Still others are told to only take out high value targets like Russian officers.
The Russians rely on senior commanders and generals to direct military operations close to the frontlines, which also puts them within range of snipers. The Russian military command structure is still very top-down and officer centric. So, if an officer goes down, their troops may not know what to do next.
Ukraine’s Armed Forces used to have a similar command structure, but now follow the Western model which incorporates non-commissioned officers trained to take over command if necessary.
The exact number of Ukrainian snipers fighting in the war is classified, but it’s expected to be in the thousands. In addition to snipers, some of Ukraine’s special operations forces will also be sporting the new Brave 1 invisibility cloaks soon.
News of the cloaks comes at a good time in Ukraine’s counteroffensive, which is now in its fifth month. On Oct. 5, Ukraine announced its forces made gains in the eastern corridor of the counteroffensive, while holding off pressure from Russia in the north.
“The most difficult area is the Lyman-Kupiansk sector.” said Ilia Yevlash, a spokesperson with the Ukrainian Armed Forces. “The intensity of the assaults there has increased. The enemy has chosen a new point, Makiivka, and is directing all its main efforts in this direction. Of course, we are also repulsing enemy attacks and inflicting damage on forces and equipment.”
Blinken’s unannounced Ukraine visit: The Morning Rundown Sept. 6, 2023
Secretary of State Antony Blinken makes an unannounced visit to Ukraine, and there’s a new oldest wrongful conviction to be overturned based on DNA evidence. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023.
Blinken makes unannounced visit to Ukraine amid counteroffensive
Secretary of State Blinken arrived in Kyiv Wednesday as part of an unannounced visit to meet with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky. During his two-day trip, Blinken is expected to announce an additional $1 billion aid package from the United States in a signal of continued support, according to senior State Department officials.
Former Proud Boys leader sentenced to 22 years in prison
Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was sentenced Tuesday, Sept. 5 to 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy. That sentence tops the 18 years given to fellow former Proud Boys leader Ethan Nordean and Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes as the harshest punishment handed down related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
The Justice Department is appealing Rhodes’ sentence, which was less the 25 years prosecutors had requested. Prosecutors sought a 33-year sentence for Tarrio.
Before the sentence came down, Tarrio called Jan. 6 a “national embarrassment.” He apologized to Capitol Police, as well as the lawmakers who were in the Capitol at the time of the attack.
Tarrio’s lawyers, who had asked for no more than 15 years, said they plan to appeal.
“While we respect the judge’s sentence, we respectfully disagree,” Nayib Hassan, an attorney for Tarrio, said. “There will be a day and a time where an appeal will come and we expect appeals to come soon… we will be filing it in due course.”
Tarrio is the final Proud Boys leader convicted of seditious conspiracy to receive his sentence.
61 ‘Cop City” protesters indicted in latest Georgia RICO case
Those who oppose the training facility fear it will lead to lead to greater militarization of police in Atlanta. They have also expressed concern that the facility’s construction in an urban forest will cause environmental damage.
However, ongoing protests have at times veered into vandalism and violence. In the indictment, Georgia Attorney General Christopher Carr described the protesters as “militant anarchists” who supported a violent movement that prosecutors have traced back to the racial justices protests of 2020.
“As alleged in the indictment, the defendants are members of Defend the Atlanta Forest, an anarchist, anti-police and anti-business, extremist organization,” Carr said at a Tuesday news conference. “We contend the 61 defendants together have conspired to prevent the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center by conducting, coordinating and organizing acts of violence, intimidation and property destruction.”
The indictment is the latest application of the state’s anti-racketeering or RICO law. It comes just weeks after the same law was used to indict former President Donald Trump and 18 others over an alleged conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results in the state.
In the Cop City case, many of the 61 indicted were already facing separate charges related to the protests. This includes:
More than three dozen people already facing domestic terrorism charges in connection to violent protests
Three leaders of a bail fund previously accused of money laundering
Three activists previously charged with felony intimidation after authorities said they distributed flyers calling a state trooper a “murderer” for his involvement in the fatal shooting of a protester
Russia, Saudi Arabia extend oil production cuts
Gas prices are at the highest seasonal level in more than a decade, with the national average for regular gasoline at $3.81 per gallon. That price is likely to remain high after news of Saudi Arabia and Russia extending voluntary oil production cuts through the end of 2023.
1.3 million barrels of crude oil per day will be trimmed from the global market through December. The oil production cut extension adds new pressure on Saudi Arabia’s strained relationship with the U.S. President Joe Biden warned there would be consequences for Saudi Arabia over its partnership with Russia.
Man cleared of rape conviction from 47 years ago
A man wrongfully convicted of rape nearly five decades ago has been exonerated after the intervention of the Innocence Project. The organization said the “wrongful conviction is the longest to be overturned based on new DNA evidence.”
72-year old Leonard Mack, a Vietnam veteran, spent 7.5 years in a state prison on charges of raping a teenage girl back in 1976. The new DNA evidence linked a convicted sex offender currently behind bars to the crime.
Flamingos blown across U.S. by winds from Hurricane Idalia
More than 150 flamingos have showed up in states they usually don’t call home. The recent observations by bird watchers came just after Hurricane Idalia blew through Florida and neighboring states.
Bird researchers believe the flamingos originate from Mexico. They have been spotted in the following states:
Florida
Texas
Alabama
North Carolina
South Carolina
Ohio
Tennessee
Virginia
According to the researchers, the birds were blown in by the hurricane and dropped out along the coast. Bird watchers have called the relocation “unprecedented.”
On Aug. 27, the Kyiv Post quoted an anonymous source in the Security Services of Ukraine (SBU). The source said Ukraine used kamikaze drones from Australia to attack the Kursk airbase.
Four Su-30 fighter jets, a MIG-29 and two Pantsir air defense systems were reportedly destroyed, along with the radar system to an S-300 missile launcher.
A popular pro-Russian military blogger known as Fighterbomber posted on his Telegram channel about an attack at the airfield. Fighterbomber said Ukraine used a swarm of lightweight cardboard drones in the attack.
The military blogger noted some of the drones were armed with warheads and some were not.
The drone in question is officially called the Corvo Precision Payload Delivery System, or PPDS.
The systems are made by SYPAQ, an Australian-based defense contractor. The PPDS comes flat-boxed, designed to be quickly assembled in the field and launched. They’re made mostly of a waxed, cardboard-like material, meaning they are extremely hard to spot on radar.
The PPDS uses an electric-powered propeller to achieve flight.
The PPDS weighs a little over five pounds, and has a payload capacity over six pounds.
Depending on how it’s equipped, the PPDS can stay in the air for up to three hours, but it has a maximum range of about 75 miles. So, if the attack on the Kursk airfield involved a swarm of PPDS drones, they were likely launched from inside Russia.
This is a plausible scenario. Ukraine is launching more attacks inside Russian territory. Straight Arrow News reported on those attacks previously. Also, the Russian Ministry of Defense did acknowledge a Ukrainian attack in Kursk on Aug. 27. The Russian ministry said two air-craft style UAVs were shot down over Kursk.
The Russian Ministry of Defense often tries to downplay its losses. It’s also not outside the realm of possibility Russia doesn’t want to report that a fleet of cardboard drones took out multiple pieces of equipment that cost millions of dollars.
However, satellite imagery from the day after the alleged attack shows no signs of damage at the Kursk airfield. Tyler Rogoway, editor-in-chief of The Warzone, analyzed the imagery. Rogoway said fighter jets and helicopters can be observed out in the open, and there were little signs of damage at the base, if any.
Many in Western media continue to report the Kursk airfield attack as fact, even if the assertion is based on the report of one anonymous source.
The lack of evidence of a major attack at the airfield, however, can’t be ignored.
Yevgeny Prigozhin may be dead, but Wednesday, Aug. 23 was a good day for Ukraine. The Ukrainian armed forces took out a major missile installation in Crimea.
Prigozhin’s reported death marked the second occasion in the mercenary’s time on Earth when he reportedly died in a plane crash. The first happened in the Congo in 2019.
This time around, Prigozhin, his second in command Dmitry Utkin, and other Wagner leaders were flying to St. Petersburg from Moscow. Witnesses reported hearing two explosions before the plane fell from the sky.
“Even if he really is dead, this is still only the beginning of the story, because this means there is now an opening in Putin’s inner circle for another person who can be used who can be a little bit of plausible deniability,” Geopolitical expert and Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan said.
In addition to fighting in Ukraine, Prigozhin and his private military company worked extensively in places like the Central African Republic and Sudan. The mercenaries fulfill security contracts for local governments, and Wagner holds the rights to several lucrative mines. Wagner was often employed to carry-out covert missions for the Russian Federation.
A memorial for the allegedly dead war criminal popped up outside the Wagner Group offices. In addition to flowers, mourners brought a sledgehammer, one of the Wagner Group’s favorite tools to mete out discipline.
Plenty of conversations, rumors and conspiracies about whether Putin ordered the death of Prigozhin have popped up since his reported death. In the midst of fighting in Ukraine, Prigozhin led a failed mutiny against Russia’s military leaders in June. Putin said those involved with the treachery would be punished.
Prigozhin’s plane blowing up wasn’t the only explosion to rock Russian morale amid its war with Ukraine Wednesday. A major missile base blew up at around 10:00 am in Russian-occupied Crimea. It’s not clear whether Ukraine used a drone, cruise missile or soldiers on the ground to take out the Cape Tarkhankut missile site.
An S-400 missile battery, a Bastion anti-ship cruise missile battery and a host of radars were all destroyed. Ukraine’s intelligence service added every Russian soldier at the site was killed.
The missile site was vital to Russia’s defense strategy in Crimea, southern Ukraine and the western corridor of the Black Sea. Ukraine has been trying to cut off Crimea and southern Ukraine from the rest of the Russian forces.
Russia anticipated this strategy, setting up the air and naval defenses at the cape. With those assets now a smoldering pile, Ukraine’s ambition to create a Crimean blockade is that much closer to reality.
Less than a day after the missile batteries were destroyed, Ukrainian special forces reportedly carried out a mission in Crimea. Radio Free Europe reported the special operators raised a Ukrainian flag in the territory, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014. If Ukraine succeeds in cutting off Crimea from Russia, it could recapture the territory with minimal combat.
After months of secret negotiations, a Russian helicopter pilot successfully defected to Ukraine Wednesday. They Kyiv Post reported the pilot landed his Mi-8 craft, which was carrying parts for Russian fighter jets, at a base in Ukraine.
While the pilot’s defection was planned, the other two crew members aboard were unwilling to surrender. Ukraine’s military intelligence said they were killed.
Trump in Miami for historic arraignment: June 13 rundown
Former President Donald Trump was set to attend an arraignment hearing at a Miami federal court, and Toyota announces major changes to its EV production. These stories and more highlight the rundown for Tuesday, June 13, 2023.
Trump to be arraigned in classified documents case
Former President Trump has an arraignment hearing set for Tuesday afternoon in Miami. The arraignment is related to the 37 felony charges he faces in the criminal case regarding his handling of classified documents.
The former president arrived in Miami Monday. He was greeted by his supporters whom Trump has encouraged to join a planned protest at the courthouse where the arraignment is happening.
Some Trump supporters were also planning to load buses to head to Miami from other parts of Florida for the arraignment hearing. Miami’s police chief said the downtown area could see up to 50,000 protesters. However, he added that the city would be ready to handle any potential unrest.
“Since the moment the announcement was made, we have been planning and preparing to ensure that the city of Miami is safe and secure,” Chief Manuel Morales said. “Make no mistake about it, we’re taking this event extremely seriously. We know that there’s a potential for things taking a turn for the worse, but that’s not the Miami way.”
Trump was expected to plead not guilty to all counts. He said he is looking to add to his legal team after two of his lead lawyers announced their resignations the morning after his indictment.
Russia targets Zelenskyy’s hometown in latest attack
Russia launched missiles early Tuesday morning at Kryvyi Rih, the Ukrainian city that is President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown. The attack killed at least six people with more residents believed to be trapped underneath rubble.
A five-story residential building was hit in the blast. This is the latest bloodshed in the war in Ukraine, now in its 16th month, and comes after Ukraine launched its counteroffensive operation using firepower provided by the U.S. and other western allies.
There were other missiles launched toward Ukraine’s capitol of Kyiv Tuesday. Those missiles were intercepted and destroyed by air defenses.
Helicopter ‘mishap’ injures 22 service members in Syria
A helicopter mishap in northeast Syria left 22 United States service members injured. The military members suffered from injuries of various degrees, according to a press release from the United States Central Command. 10 of them have been evacuated to higher-care facilities.
The cause of the accident is under investigation. The Central Command reported there was no enemy fire.
This helicopter incident follows a series of military helicopter crashes this year. The causes in those crashes are also still being investigated.
In April, two U.S. Army helicopters collided and crashed in Alaska, killing three soldiers. In March, two Blackhawk helicopters crashed, killing all nine soldiers aboard. And in February, two National Guard soldiers died during a flight-training mission in Alabama.
Check fraud cases increase 94% in 2022
Check fraud in the U.S. has dramatically increased, even as check usage has been in decline with more people paying bills online. Banks issued 680,000 reports of check fraud in 2022. The year prior, there were 350,000 reports.
Mail theft is following a similar trend. The U.S. Postal Service reported 300,000 complaints of mail theft in 2021. That was more than double the prior year.
Grubhub slashes 15% of workforce
Grubhub announced it is laying off 15% of its workforce. 400 Grubhub employees will receive severance and be out the door.
There are major competitors in food delivery service, from Uber Eats to DoorDash. Grubhub lags significantly behind in market share. The food delivery company sent a letter to staff citing a rise in operating costs as a reason for the layoffs.
Toyota unveils plans to revamp EV production
The world’s best-selling automaker is making big moves to boost its electric vehicle production. Toyota announced plans to improve the range, the performance, and the cost of EV’s.
Toyota plans to launch next-generation lithium ion batteries in the second half of this decade. Lithium ion batteries can hold more energy and are more durable.
The company said it is creating a top-notch EV with a range of 745 miles in a charging time of just 10 minutes. For comparison, Tesla’s Supercharger Network, the largest of its kind, currently offers 199 miles in a charge time of 15 minutes.