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Russia inches closer to taking the Donbas

Russia inches closer to taking the Donbas

Russia got one step closer to capturing the Donbas region of Ukraine last Sunday when its forces seized the eastern city of Lysychansk after weeks of heavy fighting. Ukraine’s military announced it had been “forced to withdraw” by Russia’s overwhelming firepower and personnel superiority there in order to avoid “fatal consequences.”

"We continue the fight. Unfortunately, steel will and patriotism are not enough for success—material and technical resources are needed," the Ukrainian military said in a Facebook post.

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Fault lines are emerging in the Western front against Russia

Fault lines are emerging in the Western front against Russia

French President Emmanuel Macron made headlines over the weekend when he called for the West not to "humiliate" Russia in its war against Ukraine "so that the day when the fighting stops we can build an exit ramp through diplomatic means."

The statement drew ire from the Ukrainian government. Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba bristled at the suggestion, saying such calls “only humiliate France” because Russia “humiliates itself”

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Russia-Ukraine: What’s a “no-fly zone” and why is it a terrible idea?

Russia-Ukraine: What’s a “no-fly zone” and why is it a terrible idea?

During a call with a bipartisan group of more than 300 U.S. members of Congress on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the U.S. and its allies to establish a “no-fly zone” over Ukraine to help the country defend against Russian airstrikes.

“Close the sky over Ukraine! Close it for all Russian missiles, Russian combat aircraft, for all these terrorists, make a humanitarian air zone, without rockets, with air bombs,” Zelensky pleaded again on Sunday following Russian missile strikes on the city of Vinnytsia.A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 74 percent of Americans (including majorities of Democrats and Republicans) support imposing a no-fly zone in Ukraine.

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Russia attacks Ukraine: Why it matters

Russia attacks Ukraine: Why it matters

Early on February 24, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin announced he had ordered a “special military operation” aimed at the “demilitarization and denazification” of Ukraine. Russian troops promptly launched a large-scale military assault from Ukraine’s northern, eastern, and southern borders, striking military targets across the country and bringing explosions to Kyiv and other large Ukrainian cities.

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Russia-Ukraine crisis: What you need to know

Russia-Ukraine crisis: What you need to know

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24 UPDATE: Russia launched a full-scale military assault and invasion of Ukraine, with troops crossing from multiple directions and explosions and fighting in multiple cities, including Kyiv. Read my latest take and subscribe to GZERO World with Ian Bremmer to get the latest updates on the war.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23 UPDATE:

  • The heads of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic formally asked Russia for military assistance to "help beat back the aggression of the Ukrainian armed forces."
  • The United States warned Ukraine of a full-scale Russian invasion in the next 48 hours. According to the Pentagon, Russian troops around Ukraine are now “at a state of readiness where they could attack at any time,” and additional forces are mobilizing into the occupied Donbas region.
  • Australia, Japan, and Canada joined the US, the UK, and the EU in sanctioning Russia. Brussels imposed new sanctions on Putin’s inner circle, while Washington sanctioned the company building Nord Stream 2 and threatened to ban exports of American technology to Russia in the event of further escalation.
  • Ukrainian government and bank websites were hit by a new mass cyberattack.
  • Ukraine called up reservists to active duty, declared a 30-day nationwide state of emergency, and urged its citizens to leave Russia “immediately.”.
  • Russia began evacuating its diplomats from Ukraine.
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Russia’s moves toward Ukraine
Ian Explains: Russia’s Moves Toward Ukraine | GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

Russia’s moves toward Ukraine

Vladimir Putin has Ukraine in Russia's crosshairs. Will he invade, or is this just a high-stakes game of political chess with the US and NATO?

Russia has long feared that Ukraine would someday join NATO, Ian Bremmer explains on GZERO World. No way, says Putin, who's demanding serious concessions from Joe Biden and his Western allies.

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Russia cares more about Ukraine than the US does
Russia Cares More About Ukraine Than the US Does | Quick Take | GZERO Media

Russia cares more about Ukraine than the US does

Ian Bremmer's Quick Take: Hi, everybody. Ian Bremmer here, and kicking off the week with more concerns about rising tensions between the United States, NATO, and Russia over Ukraine.

We saw from the Biden press conference last week, which feels already like a month ago, that he believes the Russians are "going in." That doesn't mean full invasion and overthrow of the Ukrainian government, which would impose massive costs on the Russians. But some form of direct Russian escalation that the United States would respond sharply to and wants to convince its NATO allies that they need to as well.

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Russia-Ukraine: Don’t expect full-on invasion, but Putin isn’t bluffing
Russia-Ukraine: Don’t Expect Full-On Invasion, but Putin Isn’t Bluffing | Quick Take | GZERO Media

Russia-Ukraine: Don’t expect full-on invasion, but Putin isn’t bluffing

Ian Bremmer's Quick Take: Hi everybody. Happy Tuesday after the long weekend for those of us that had a long weekend. I thought I would kick us off with the first major foreign policy crisis of the Biden administration. And that is of course, Russia-Ukraine. Afghanistan, of course, was a debacle, but not exactly a global crisis. This of course has the potential to really change the way we think about European security and about US relations with the other major nuclear power in the world. So, I would say that the level of concern is even higher and there are a lot of things we can say.

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