“Senior Biden administration officials are preparing to dramatically expand the number of Russian oligarchs subject to U.S. sanctions, aiming to punish the financial elite close to President Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine,” the Washington Post reports.
Russia Moves to Plan C
Lawrence Freedman: “As the Russo-Ukrainian War takes a darker turn it is important to emphasize this essential point. This is a war that Vladimir Putin cannot win, however long it lasts and however cruel his methods.”
White House Mulls Sanctions on Russia Oil Exports
“The possibility of the U.S. sanctioning Russian oil exports is ‘still on the table’ as President Biden looks for more ways to punish the country for its invasion of Ukraine,” CNN reports.
“Taking such a step would be an extraordinary measure that could have an intense effect on domestic gas prices, however.”
Russian Oligarchs’ Yachts Head for Maldives
“A growing number of superyachts belonging to Russian tycoons have made their way to the Indian Ocean, cruising around the Maldives and Seychelles just as sanctions are imposed on their homeland following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine,” Bloomberg reports.
Russian Oligarchs Powerless to Stop Putin
“As Russia’s tanks rolled into Ukraine last week, Vladimir Putin gathered the country’s top businessmen in the Kremlin’s ornate Hall of the Order of St Catherine to discuss their response to the economic shocks that would follow,” the Financial Times reports.
“The Russian president, seated about 20 feet away in a conspicuous social-distancing measure, told them he had ‘no other choice’ but to invade Ukraine — and, if they wanted to keep their businesses, neither did they.”
“But the power dynamic of the meeting made for a much starker message to the assembled billionaires. He warned that anyone who avoided doing business with companies sanctioned by the west would face punishment under the law — implying that the oligarchs had to make a stand — while also stating that Russia would help companies hit by western sanctions.”
Turkey Rejects Russian Request to Pass Thru Bosporus
“Turkey has denied a request from Russia to sail several naval vessels through the Turkish Straits,” Nikkei Asia reports.
Russia’s Looming Economic Collapse
Derek Thompson: “The war in Ukraine is being fought on two battlefields. The first battlefield is geographic. It is the land Russia is tearing up with tank treads and pounding with missiles.”
“The second battlefield is made up not of physical particles, but rather of relationships—contracts and promises between nations, banks, companies, and individuals. This is the economic arena.”
“While Russia holds the military advantage over Ukraine on Battlefield One, it is getting destroyed by a Western alliance on Battlefield Two. In the past few days, the United States and several major European countries have declared a series of financial penalties and sanctions against Russia that are without modern precedent for a major economy. These policies are triggering a financial catastrophe in Russia.”
“Getting a proper grip on the second battlefield requires breaking down the news of the past several days into three categories: the global boycott of Russia, the economic crisis within Russia, and the worldwide ripple effects that we’re already starting to see.”
Ukrainians Are Messing with Highway Signs
“Ukravtodor, the state agency in charge of Ukraine’s highways and road signs, is playing a tactical role in slowing down invading Russian troops,” Quartz reports.
“In a string of social media appeals, the group has called on Ukrainian citizens to remove highway signs and mess with markings left for the Russian Armed Forces.”
Three Scenarios for How This War Ends
Thomas Friedman: “I call them ‘the full-blown disaster,’ ‘the dirty compromise’ and ‘salvation.’”
“The disaster scenario is now underway: Unless Vladimir Putin has a change of heart or can be deterred by the West, he appears willing to kill as many people as necessary and destroy as much of Ukraine’s infrastructure as necessary to erase Ukraine as a free independent state and culture and wipe out its leadership. This scenario could lead to war crimes the scale of which has not been seen in Europe since the Nazis — crimes that would make Vladimir Putin, his cronies and Russia as a country all global pariahs.”
“Every day that Putin refuses to stop we get closer to the gates of hell.”
Russian Banking System on the Brink of Collapse
“Vladimir Putin has signed a decree banning Russians from leaving the country with more than $10,000 in foreign currency as fears grow that the Russian financial system is on the brink of collapse,’ the Telegraph reports.
“Experts have warned that banks will struggle to sell assets to stay afloat after sanctions sent markets into freefall this week. The chaos comes after Russia’s central bank was blocked from accessing large chunks of its foreign reserves.”
Russian Troop Deaths Expose Weakness of Putin’s Strategy
New York Times: “The mounting toll for Russian troops exposes a potential weakness for the Russian president at a time when he is still claiming, publicly, that he is engaged only in a limited military operation in Ukraine’s separatist east.”
“No one can say with certainty just how many Russian troops have died since last Thursday, when they began what is turning into a long march to Kyiv, the capital. Some Russian units have put down their arms and refused to fight, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Major Ukrainian cities have withstood the onslaught thus far.”
United Nations to Vote to Condemn Russia
USA Today: “The U.N. General Assembly will vote Wednesday on a resolution demanding that Russia immediately stop using force against Ukraine and withdraw its military from the country, and condemning Moscow’s decision ‘to increase the readiness of its nuclear forces.’”
E.U. Agrees to Consider Ukraine Membership
“E.U. ambassadors agreed on Tuesday to call for an initial assessment of Ukraine’s chances of joining the 27-nation bloc,” Bloomberg reports.
Russia Moves to Encircle and Capture Key Ukraine Cities
New York Times: “Russia’s push to seize key Ukrainian cities accelerated on Wednesday, with the Russian military claiming that its forces were fully in control of Kherson, a port city with a strategically important location near the Black Sea, just northwest of Crimea.”
“The claim could not immediately be verified, and Ukrainian officials said that while the city of about 300,000 people was surrounded, the battle for it was continuing. Kherson would be the first major Ukrainian city captured by Russia since President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion last Thursday.”
Hackers Changed Call Sign of Putin Superyacht
“The Anonymous ‘hactivist’ collective has messed with the call sign of a superyacht said to be owned by Russian President Vladimir Putin,” Insider reports.
“The group claimed credit for the hack, which involved changing the call sign of the vessel — named Graceful — to FCKPTN and altering the craft’s destination to ‘hell.’”
U.S. Expected to Ban Russian Flights
“The U.S. government is expected to ban Russian aircraft from American airspace, broadening aviation restrictions as the West expands sanctions over the war in Ukraine,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Apple Halts Sales of Products In Russia
“Apple has paused sales of its physical products in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine,” The Verge reports.
“This is Apple’s latest step after it imposed limitations for Apple Pay in Russia in accordance with sanctions, and it pulled some Russian news apps from the App Store outside of the country.”
Russia Targets Ukrainian Civilian Areas in Tactical Shift
“Russian forces bombarded the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and hit the capital’s TV tower as Moscow, frustrated in its plans for a quick victory, shifted to a new strategy of pummeling civilian areas in an attempt to demoralize Ukrainian resistance and reignite its slowing military advance,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
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