Small Wars Journal

3/28/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary

Tue, 03/28/2023 - 9:38am

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

1. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 27, 2023
2. Ukraine's new offensives against Russia will aim to retake territory, inspire hope and reignite Western attention on the war
3. Beijing’s Subversive Political Warfare in the Pacific—and the Need for Greater Engagement by the United States and Taiwan
4. The failure of US unconventional wars - Global Times
5. Fighting Beijing's long arm of repression
6. Torture and Turmoil at Ukrainian Nuclear Plant: An Insider’s Account
7. The Pentagon’s vaccine imbroglio: where to go from here?
8. IntelBrief: TikTok’s Testimony Troubles
9. US Indo-Pacific Command seeks extra $274 million for cyber
10. AUKUS Success Will Depend on Long-term Political Will, Says Regional Expert
11. US military needs 7th branch just for cyber, current and former leaders say
12. All Talk, No Action on China
13. Elite Army Rangers Train in Hawaii as Pacific Interest Grows
14. Is the Army’s $117 million rebrand dead after Jonathan Majors’ arrest?
15. Why it’s time for the US Army to divest Iron Dome
16. The Iraq War's Intelligence Failures Are Still Misunderstood
17. At least 50 U.S. government personnel targeted with phone spyware overseas
18. Any perception that China doesn’t affect NATO is invalid
19. America Shrugs, and the World Makes Plans
20. Russia says it test-fired anti-ship missiles in Sea of Japan
21. Japan holds evacuation drills amid Taiwan invasion fear
22.  How the US mission in Syria evolved into a proxy war with Iran
23. Agile Ukraine, Lumbering Russia
 

Korean News Content:

1. U.S. Congress to invite South Korea's Yoon for address with eye on China
2.  N. Korean leader urges more production of weapons-grade nuclear materials; photos of tactical nuclear warheads released
3. N. Korea fires missile 30 minutes before ROK-US joint drill
4. North displays ‘tactical nukes’ as Nimitz arrives in Busan
5. Yoon vows not to give single won to N. Korea if it continues nuclear pursuit
6. Satellite Imagery Reveals New Activity at the Old Waste Site at Yongbyon
7. Onboard USS Nimitz, allies vow ironclad defense
8. North Korea unveils new nuclear warheads as US air carrier arrives in South
9.  Yoon calls for full disclosure of N.K. human rights violations
10. S. Korea welcomes U.N. report on N. Korea's abduction, enforced disappearances
11. S. Korea voices 'deep regrets' over Japan's controversial history textbooks
12. Kim Jong-un Calls for Nuclear Arms Use 'Anywhere'
13. Japan claims Dokdo, soft-pedals forced labor in textbooks
14. Kim Jong Un Says He Will Expand Production of Nuclear Material
15. China backs summit with South Korea, Japan: envoy
16. Union officials arrested in hunt for North Korean spies
17. Underwater Nuclear Drone:  North Korea’s Nuclear Madmen
18. Shedding light on the cruelty of North Korea’s border protection squad, the Storm Corps
19. For founder’s birthday, North Korean cities ordered to decorate streets with flowers
20. Podcast: 121 Korea Reunification by David Maxwell
21. Can the Japan-South Korea rapprochement stick?
 

3/27/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary

Mon, 03/27/2023 - 9:56am

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

1.  Innovative Thinking on the Role of Irregular Warfare in Strategic Competition: Key Insights from the Irregular Warfare Initiative and Joint Staff J7 Office of Irregular Warfare Essay Contest
2.RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MARCH 26, 2023
3. Special Operations News Update - March 27, 2023 | SOF News
4. Here's When Army Bases Honoring the Confederacy Will Shed Their Old Names
5. TRANSCOM’s Unreadiness
6. The future of the U.S. military's tank force
7. Marine Generals: ‘Trust But Verify’ Force Design 2030
8. Find It, Vet It, Share It: The US Government’s Open-Source Intelligence Problem and How to Fix It
9. This week in Congress: Top military leaders storm Capitol Hill
10. 5 Reasons Veterans and Military Families Should Be Concerned About TikTok
11. U.S. Air Strikes Hit Iranian Proxies in Syria After Iranian Drone Kills U.S. Contractor
12. Iran-backed Militias Target U.S. Troops in Eastern Syria
13. The Limits of Economic Warfare
14. The U.S. Doesn’t Need Another Democracy Summit
15.  Friends Over Factories (Ukraine versus Russia)
16.  The “Indo-Pacificization” of Asia: Implications for the Regional Order
17. From Rockets to Ball Bearings, Pentagon Struggles to Feed War Machine
18. Countering United Front Work: Taiwan’s Political Warfare System
19. How the Corps’ new training document ignores US law
20. Department of Defense Support to the U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability
21. Friendship means telling hard truths about the endgame in Ukraine
22. Chinese communist way of war: Different than the West
 

Korean News Content:

1. N. Korea fires 2 SRBMs toward East Sea; U.S. aircraft carrier due in S. Korea for joint training
2. North Korea launches at least two unidentified ballistic missile into waters off eastern Korean peninsula
3. Makin Island ARG Docks in Busan, 3 LCS Now Underway in Indo-PACOM
4. US troops test THAAD missile-defense system’s remote control during South Korea drill
5. S. Korea suggests N. Korea may have exaggerated 'underwater nuke attack drone' claim
6. Vice defense minister meets MIKTA diplomats on security cooperation
7. Are Kim Jong-un's Nocturnal Habits a Sign of Ill Health?
8. Korea Had Close Shave with U.S. Semiconductor Sanctions
9. S. Korea co-sponsors UN resolution of N. Korean human rights
10. As trade with China expands, N. Korea’s dollar and yuan exchange rates remain steady
11. [Editorial] A historic reconciliation (Syngman Rhee's legacy)
12. [Column] Toward a new Korea-Japan partnership
13. Yoon's Japan plan: compromise or betrayal?
14. South Korea Will Stay Out of a Taiwan Strait War
15. North Korea’s nuclear threat takes an underwater turn
16. Human Bodies Shattered to Pieces...U.S. Satellite Captures Photo of Public Execution by Kim Jong-un
17. HRNK Quoted 34 Times in the U.S. Department of State's DPRK 2022 Human Rights Report

3/26/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary

Sun, 03/26/2023 - 11:20am

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

1. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 25, 2023
2. Opinion | The dollar is our superpower, and Russia and China are threatening it
3. Eisenhower, Dulles, and USIA: can the past provide lessons for the present? (Or, “The rhyming history of US public diplomacy”)
4. Russia Calls for U.N. Investigation of Nord Stream Attack, as Hersh Accuses White House of False Flag
5. The Russo-Ukrainian war and the illegal arms trade
6. In a New Cold War, Diplomacy Matters More Than Might
7. Putin Says He Could Put Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Belarus by Summer
8. Opinion | Was Iraq a Worse Disaster for America Than Vietnam?
9. Why Chinese Apps Are the Favorites of Young Americans
10. Term of Art: What Joint Doctrine Gets Wrong about Operational Art and Why It Matters
11.  Musicians of Mars in Multiple Domains: Expanding Combined Arms in the Twenty-First Century
12. Why is the US sending 'downgraded' weaponry to Ukraine?
13. Army pulls ‘Be All You Can Be’ ads after on-screen narrator arrested
14. ChatGPT just plugged itself into the internet. What next?
15. Stockpiling US arms in Taiwan a vital move
16. US X-Plane concept aims to redefine amphibious warfareUS X-Plane concept aims to redefine amphibious warfare
 

Korean News Content:

1. N. Korean propaganda outlets slam S. Korea-U.S. amphibious exercise
2. N. Korea holds general meeting of Olympic Committee
3. Kim Jong-un’s guards ‘face execution’ for letting him go out in stained jacket
4. South Korea speeds up full-fledged deployment of US anti-missile battery
5. Kim Jong Un's diplomats get an unwanted surprise
6. 'Woke' US schools scarier than North Korea, says defector
7. China’s ‘Red Zone’ where women are sold as slaves
8. Why Escaping North Korea Is So Difficult And Dangerous
9. Sohae Satellite Launching Station: Enhancement Efforts Continue and Possible Missile Silo
10. South Korea To Develop Naval VTOL UAV For KDX-II Destroyers

3/25/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary

Sat, 03/25/2023 - 11:00am

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

1. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 24, 2023

2. Amid Pentagon Focus On China, Indo-Pacific Command Says It Has $3.5B Budget Shortfall

3. Stolen Valor: The U.S. Volunteers in Ukraine Who Lie, Waste and Bicker

4. An Anxious Asia Arms for a War It Hopes to Prevent

5. Senators Urge Biden to Send Evidence of Russian War Crimes to the I.C.C.

6. Ukraine's army is now the best in the world, retired general says

7. What Big Shifts in East Asian Geopolitics Mean for the World

8. China's Strategic Support Force Brings Hybrid Warfare to Space, Cyber, Politics

9. U.S. Military, Spy Agencies Differ on Threat From Afghanistan Militants

10. Military Quietly Stops Buying Ospreys as Aircraft Faces an Uncertain Future

11. A look at the US military mission in Syria and its dangers

12. Finland opens airspace for NATO surveillance and intelligence flights

13. Why is China strengthening its military? It’s not all about war.

14. Russian soldiers stop receiving salaries: complaints coming from all over Russia        

15. Pentagon is pressed on worsening recruiting shortfalls

16.  The Military Should Reject DEI and CRT         

17. Why the War Crimes Charges Against Vladimir Putin Are So Significant

18.  The National Institutes of Health’s “China initiative” has upended hundreds of lives and destroyed scores of academic careers

19.  Twelve Months of War in Ukraine Have Revealed Four Fundamental Lessons on Urban Warfare       

20.  FACT SHEET: President Biden Submits to Congress 10-Year Plans to Implement the U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability

21. Letter from President Joe Biden on the U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability

22. Pursuing Peace Through Partnerships, Local Engagement, and Learning

23. Uyghurs tell Congress of gang rape, shackles and sterilization

24. How to Defend Taiwan is a Political Problem

25. US bank trouble heralds end of dollar reserve system

Korean News Content:

1. Meticulous joint military exercise to dampen N. Korea's war ambition

2. President Yoon vows to remember 55 West Sea heroes

3. <Interview with Two N. Korean> The 1.4 million young people petitioning for the military was just for show…they know they won’t have to join up to fight against the Americans and South Koreans

4.  To find missing 653 bullets, North Korean city is locked down, houses searched

5. North Korean Defector-Turned-Lawmaker to Attend Washington Summit

6. South Korea’s LG Energy to Build $5.6 Billion Battery Plant in Arizona

7. Korea Tiptoes Toward Reconciling Comfort Women Issue

8. Defector explains how North Korea's weapons overshadow human rights abuses

9. Kim Jong Un's daughter will NEVER rule North Korea

10. Moon Jae-in’s Blue House Official:  “Bundles of Cash Sent to North Korea through Seongnam Airport

11. North Korea claims to have tested a nuclear-capable underwater drone. Analysts are skeptical

12. Torture, forced abortions and insects for food: Life inside North Korean jails, says this NGO

13. So much for the NK-Japan ‘Pyongyang Declaration’

14. Yoon and Kishida Are Fumbling South Korea-Japan Rapprochement

3/24/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary

Fri, 03/24/2023 - 8:49am

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

1. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 23, 2023

2. U.S. launches Syria strikes after contractor killed, 5 troops wounded

3. First look — White House says GOP budget plan would harm defense

4. Pentagon: Budget readies US for possible China confrontation

5. Not Stopping Russia in Ukraine Would Force 'Doubling' of US Defense Budget, Milley Says

6. Using Starlink Paints a Target on Ukrainian Troops

7. Xi Jinping’s Chinese Tragedy

8. Lawmakers Blast TikTok CEO Over Data Privacy

9. 'Strategic competition casts doubt on One China policy'

10. Beyond the First Battle: Winning the Long War Over Taiwan

11. The Military Depends on Virtues that Are Fading

12. US review of Afghanistan withdrawal to be released in April

13. Navy denies Chinese claim it drove away American destroyer

14. Using 1202 Authorities to Counter China’s Maritime Militia

15. Inside Ukraine’s scramble for “game-changer” drone fleet

16. Opinion | The Cold War With China Is Changing Everything

17. Key takeaways from TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi's US Congress grilling

18. Opinion | Biden moves to undo Trump’s political play on the Space Command

19. US State Department ends assignment restrictions that were perceived as discriminatory

20. US sent ‘hunt-forward’ team to Albania in wake of Iranian cyberattacks

21. Christian who escaped Chinese persecution warns US descending into 'communist-style of governance'

22. Ukraine’s M-1A1 Tanks Have A Special Power: The Ability To Pinpoint Targets 8,000 Meters Away

23. China’s Global Influence and Interference Activities

24. How to Out-Deter China

Korean News Content:

1. N. Korea tests 'underwater nuclear attack drone,' cruise missiles for nuclear warhead: KCNA

2. Important Weapon Test and Firing Drill Conducted in DPRK

3. Yoon vows to make N. Korea pay for reckless provocations

4. S. Korea calls on N. Korea to pay back US$80 mln loan

5. U.S. Forces Korea holds first deployment training of THAAD 'remote' launcher

6. KUSAF and KDVA Joint Message Supporting and Congratulating Exercise Freedom Shield 2023

7. South Koreans spying for North Korea pledged loyalty to Kim Jong-un: prosecutors

8. Navy amphibious warships arrive in South Korea for large-scale ‘double dragons’ exercise

9. Interview: ‘South Korea must temporarily acquire nuclear weapons’

10. North Korean hackers using Chrome extensions to steal Gmail emails

11. North Korea’s Foreign Policy: The Kim Jong-un Regime in a Hostile World

12. From Slavery in North Korea to Jeff Bezos’s Gulfstream

13. Leading activist in North Korea human rights movement shares atrocities of tyranny

14. Torture, forced abortions and insects for food: Life inside North Korean jails, says this NGO

15. Kim Jong Un May Not Conduct Nuclear Test Soon, Says Top US Defense Official: 'He Will Uncork That At A Time And Place Of His Choosing'

16. Large-scale live-fire exercise by US, South Korean armies returns after 6-year lull

3/23/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary

Thu, 03/23/2023 - 10:07am

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

1. Ukraine: WAR BULLETIN March 22, 5.30 pm EST - The three hundred and ninety-second day of the russian large-scale invasion continues.
2. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 22, 2023
3. The War on Terror Created a Cancer Crisis. These Vets Are Trying to Fight Back.
4. Inside Ukraine’s Nonviolent Resistance: Chatbots, Yellow Paint, and Payoffs
5. American Interests and Values Align in Ukraine
6. How Iran Won the Iraq War
7. What are America's goals in Ukraine? It's not totally clear
8. Ukraine Conflict Update - March 23, 2023 | SOF News
9. The Air Force Is Rebuilding Its Pacific Plans Around the B-21
10. US F-22s land in Philippines for first time, furthering defense ties
11. Marcos says new military bases with US to be 'scattered' around the Philippines
12. 'Up our game': The Pentagon's 3 strategies to shore up munitions stockpiles
13. The US military will fight the next big war with Xbox-style video game controllers
14. China can wait. The Army’s focus should be Europe. By John Nagl and Keith Burkepile
15. Opinion: Why the U.S. will probably never ban TikTok
16. More B-21s Would Help America Field a Two-War Military, New Mitchell Paper Says
17. Biden’s Nord Stream cover-up enters new slippery phase by Seymour Hersh
18. The Marine Corps Needs to Modernize its Targeting Cycle—Here’s How
19. How Xi and Putin see a post-Ukraine war world
20. The Lessons of 20 Years of Counterinsurgency Research
21. Thinking Big with Small Drones: An Allied Approach to Swarming
22. Republicans grill military on diversity, equity goals at hearing on recruitment challenges
23. The Navy Isn’t Too Woke—It Is America
 

Korean News Content:

1. Experts: North Korean Full Range ICBM Test Could Challenge US on Interception
2. S. Korea, U.S., British Marines hold joint infiltration drills
3. Unification minister meets top Japanese officials in Tokyo
4. N. Korea fired 4 cruise missiles Wednesday: defense minister
5. Talking like ‘capitalist’ South Koreans can lead to prison or death in North Korea
6. <Inside N. Korea> Laborers forced to begin group commutes to work while singing in what appears to be the regime’s efforts to strengthen control over the people
7. S. Korea co-sponsors UNHRC draft resolution on N.K. human rights after 5 yrs
8. Yoon to lead session at Biden's Summit for Democracy
9. Yoon calls for actively protecting defense industry secrets
10. [Editorial] Don’t damage integrity of public broadcast (South Korea)
11. U.S. sees no imminent sign of nuclear weapons use by N. Korea: Kirby |
12. Korea drops WTO trade complaint against Japan
13. Daughter of North Korean dictator seen wearing $1,900 Dior jacket
14. Why normalizing US-North Korea relations is a prerequisite for denuclearization
15. The Real Reason South Koreans Aren’t Having Babies

Ukraine: WAR BULLETIN March 22, 5.30 pm EST - The three hundred and ninety-secondday of the russian large-scale invasion continues.

Wed, 03/22/2023 - 9:09pm
 

Embassy of Ukraine in the USA

 

WAR BULLETIN

March 22, 5.30 pm EST

 

During the day, the enemy launched a rocket attack on Zaporizhzhia, as a result of which 2 Russian rockets hit a residential multi-storey building, there were deaths and injuries among civilians. The enemy also carried out 41 air strikes. In particular, the occupiers used 21 UAVs of the Shahed-136 type from the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation, 16 of these drones were shot down. As a result of enemy UAV strikes, the Russians hit the territory of a dormitory of a vocational college in Rzhyshchev in Kyiv region, there were deaths and injuries among civilians, and a critical civilian infrastructure object in Zhytomyr region was damaged. In addition, the invaders launched more than 30 attacks from rocket salvo systems.

During a working trip to the Donetsk region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a coordination meeting on the socio-economic and current security situation in the region, visited the frontline positions of the Ukrainian military in the Bakhmut area. The Head of State heard reports on the operational situation and the course of hostilities on the frontline.

Ukrainian authorities and IMF reach Staff Level Agreement on Extended Fund Facility (EFF) Arrangement of $15.6 billion.

WAR ROOM

 

General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

 

The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.2022 to 22.03.2023 were approximately:

personnel ‒ about 167490 (+920) persons,

tanks ‒ 3557 (+5),

APV ‒ 6887 (+8),

artillery systems – 2589 (+3),

MLRS – 509 (+2),

Anti-aircraft warfare systems ‒ 272 (+2),

aircraft – 305,

helicopters – 290,

UAV operational-tactical level – 2183 (+16),

cruise missiles ‒ 909 (+2),

warships / boats ‒ 18,

and fuel tanks – 5434 (+6),

special equipment ‒ 270 (+4).

https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02SiGubqWVViP8gWLjijDpa8ceFytLn3bTbCK2mKjc46CcoypCBXfnZZ2A5yJ8EXXNl?locale=uk_UA

Operational information as of 18.00

Glory to Ukraine! The three hundred and ninety-second day of the russian large-scale invasion continues.

The russian federation continues its armed aggression against Ukraine, focusing its main efforts on attempts to completely capture the Donetsk and Luhansk regions within the administrative borders. The enemy continues to conduct offensive operations in the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiiv, Marin, and Shakhtar directions. The fiercest battles continue in the southern and northern parts of Bakhmut, and the enemy also carried out offensive actions in the Avdiivka direction in order to establish control over Avdiivka and Maryinka.

The russian aggressor continues to use his usual terror tactics against the civilian population, shelling populated areas and critical infrastructure facilities.

During the day, the enemy launched a rocket attack on Zaporizhzhia, as a result of which 2 Russian rockets hit a residential multi-storey building, there were deaths and injuries among civilians. The enemy also carried out 41 air strikes. In particular, the occupiers used 21 UAVs of the Shahed-136 type from the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation, 16 of these drones were shot down. As a result of enemy UAV strikes, the Russians hit the territory of a dormitory of a vocational college in Rzhyshchev in Kyiv region, there were deaths and injuries among civilians, and a critical civilian infrastructure object in Zhytomyr region was damaged. In addition, the invaders launched more than 30 attacks from rocket salvo systems.

The threat of enemy strikes remains throughout the territory of Ukraine.

In the Volyn, Polissiya, Siverskyi and Slobozhanskyi directions, the operational situation has not changed significantly, the formation of offensive groups of the enemy has not been detected. The russian leadership continues to use the infrastructure of the republic of belarus to train its troops. The enemy maintains a military presence in the border areas. During the day, the enemy shelled the areas of the settlements of Khrinivka, Myhalchyna Sloboda, Chernihiv region; Atynske, Volfine and Popivka in the Sumy region and Basove, Strelecha, Hlyboke and Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region.

On the Kupyansk and Lyman directions, the enemy continues to try to break our defenses. He led unsuccessful offensive actions in the areas of Makiivka and Bilogorivka settlements. He carried out artillery shelling of the districts of Dvorichna, Kupyansk and Krokhmalne settlements of Kharkiv region; Belogorivka - Luhansk, as well as Kolodyazi and Verkhnokamianske in Donetsk region.

In the Bakhmut direction, the enemy continues to conduct offensive actions, but its offensive potential is decreasing. The enemy does not stop trying to capture the city, losing a significant amount of manpower, weapons and military equipment. Our defenders repel numerous enemy attacks around the clock in the areas of Bakhmut, Bohdanivka and Predtechine settlements. Settlements near the contact line, including Vasyukivka, Mynkivka, Hryhorivka, Bakhmut, Ivanovske, Bila Gora, Druzhba, Mayorsk, Zalizne and New York of the Donetsk region, were hit by enemy shelling.

On the Avdiivka, Marinka, and Shakhtarskyi directions, the enemy carried out offensive actions in the areas of Novokalynov, Stepove, Berdychi, Avdiivka, Lastochkine, Severna, Vodyane, Pervomaiske, Marinka, and Pobieda settlements - without success. In particular, Avdiivka, Vodyane, Karlivka, Krasnohorivka, Maryinka, Vugledar and Velika Novosilka of the Donetsk region came under enemy fire.

In the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions, the enemy is conducting defensive operations. Areas of settlements near the contact line, in particular, Gulyaipole, Zaliznychne, Gulyaipilske, Biloghirya, Mala Tokmachka, Kamianske of the Zaporizhia region, as well as Havrylivka, Beryslav, Vesele, Antonivka, Dniprovske, and the city of Kherson, were shelled.

In the settlement of Vesele in the temporarily occupied territory of the Zaporizhzhia region, on the territory of the building of the kindergarten, the russian occupying forces set up a military hospital.

The russian criminal authorities continue measures for forced passporting of the population of the temporarily occupied and occupied territories of Ukraine. Thus, in the settlements of the Kherson region, the Russian occupying so-called "authorities" have been threatening local residents since April to stop paying pensions in the absence of a russian passport.

At the same time, in the Starobilskyi Vocational College of the Luhansk National Agrarian University, a meeting of teachers was held, who expressed dissatisfaction with the forced passporting of the teaching staff, due to the instruction of the occupying so-called "leadership" of the educational institution, that all employees of the college should receive a passport of a citizen of the russian federation by June 1. Teachers are not given the opportunity to resign at their own will. The occupiers took measures to forcibly disperse and stop the meetings.

During the day, the aviation of the Defense Forces struck the enemy's anti-aircraft missile complex, as well as 12 strikes on the areas of concentration of personnel and military equipment of the occupiers.

Support the Armed Forces! Together we will win!

Glory to Ukraine!

https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0teY5FqmU8LGqkZLBCsz7LkMfYgFE7sBjQ8t3ymULBQrcnKe6d98L2xTEwqtpowm9l?locale=uk_UA

 

POLICY

President of Ukraine

Zaporizhzhia. Right now, residential areas where ordinary people and children live are being fired at. This must not become "just another day" in Ukraine or anywhere else in the world. The world needs greater unity and determination to defeat Russian terror faster and protect lives.

Over 20 Iranian murderous drones, plus missiles, numerous shelling occasions, and that's just in one last night of Russian terror against Ukraine. Every time someone tries to hear the word "peace" in Moscow, another order is given there for such criminal strikes. ½

The success of Ukrainian forces on the land, in the sky and at sea really brings peace closer. Full compliance with the sanctions regime against Russia really restores the force of the UN Charter. Global unity can restore global stability. 2/2

https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa

 

We will do everything to ensure that the blue and yellow colors continue their liberation movement - address by the President of Ukraine

Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians!

Today I have been working in the regions all day. Donbas – the frontline, our warriors, the region. The Kharkiv region after that - the situation in Kharkiv, on the border, in all districts of the region, restoration, protection of critical infrastructure.

I started from the front, from the Bakhmut area. It is an honor for me to support our warriors who are defending the country in the toughest frontline conditions. I presented state awards, thanked our soldiers for their bravery, for their resilience, for Ukraine - which we are preserving thanks to such heroes, thanks to each and every one of them who is fighting against Russian evil.

I paid a visit to the wounded warriors. I wished them - and I'm sure on behalf of all of you, all of our people - a speedy recovery.

I thanked the doctors and nurses. And now I want to thank everyone who supports our soldiers recovering from injuries. Who helps with everything necessary, our doctors, everyone who works for rehabilitation after injuries. I am grateful to every volunteer, every partner of ours who helps!

It is distressing to look at the cities of Donbas, to which Russia has brought terrible suffering and ruin. The almost constant, hourly air-alert siren in Kramatorsk, the constant threat of shelling, the constant threat to life... Right there, in Donbas, in the Kharkiv region - wherever Russian evil has come, it is obvious that the terrorist state cannot be stopped by anything other than one thing - our victory. And we will ensure it - the Ukrainian victory.

In all areas of the east of our country, where there is a Ukrainian flag, there is also hope. It is felt. We will do everything so that the blue and yellow colors continue their liberation movement - returning normal life to our entire land, from Donetsk to the border.

We will certainly respond to the occupier for every attack on our cities... Today's Russian strikes at Zaporizhzhia, the night attack on the Kyiv region... All Russian strikes will receive a military, political, and legal response.

Russia will lose this war. There is no subject in the world who does not feel this already. Everyone understands all this. And every Russian murderer should understand that an arrest warrant is the best thing that can happen to them.

My condolences to all our people who lost their relatives and loved ones due to Russian terror!

In the second half of the day, I, my team, the Head of the Office - we all worked in the Kharkiv region. Just as in the Donetsk region, I held a meeting on the situation in the region, on social and security needs.

It is very important that Kharkiv stands strong. Well done! Thank you, people of Kharkiv! You hold on with confidence. The city lives, the city fights, Kharkiv gives strength to our entire east. I thank everyone who stayed in Kharkiv, who works, who gives work to others, who maintains security, protects the border! Thank you to everyone - in positions, at posts, at critical infrastructure facilities, utility workers, local authorities, businesses, educators...

The representatives of the region informed me about some issues that must be resolved by the government for stable social security of all those who work for our people in the Kharkiv region. These issues were discussed. We also discussed issues of reconstruction, humanitarian demining, and restoration of energy networks. Everything that is within the competence of the government will be done for sure.

And, of course, I was very pleased to hand over a special award to Kharkiv... Award of the hero city, a ribbon on the city's flag denoting the special bravery of the people of Kharkiv.

And one more thing.

This evening begins the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims. A significant part of our Ukrainian Muslim community, the Crimean Tatar people, is forced to meet Ramadan under occupation, under the threat of Russian repression and abuse in Crimea, under shelling in other parts of Ukraine, and in frontline battles.

I have no doubt that we will return freedom, respect, and security to our entire state and to all communities. And may the power of prayer in this holy month help us cleanse Ukraine of Russian godless evil, of those who truly believe in nothing, and that is why they are capable of such terror. Let the next Ramadan begin in peace and on the entire Ukrainian land free from Russia. Ramadan Mubarak!

Glory to all who are now fighting for Ukraine and the people!

Gratitude to everyone who helps every day!

Glory to Ukraine!

https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/mi-zrobimo-vse-shob-sino-zhovti-kolori-prodovzhili-svij-vizv-81745

 

President visited frontline positions in the Donetsk region and awarded the defenders of Bakhmut

During a working trip to the Donetsk region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the frontline positions of the Ukrainian military in the Bakhmut area.

The Head of State heard reports on the operational situation and the course of hostilities on the frontline.

The President spoke with the servicemen and thanked them for the defense of Ukraine.

Full article: https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/prezident-vidvidav-peredovi-poziciyi-na-donechchini-ta-nagor-81729

 

FINANCE

The Ministry of Finance 

Ukrainian authorities and IMF reach Staff Level Agreement on Extended Fund Facility (EFF) Arrangement of $15.6 billion

Ukrainian authorities and staff of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have reached a staff-level agreement on a 48-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF) Arrangement. The EFF Arrangement foresees funding for Ukraine in the amount of $15.6 billion (SDR 11.6 billion) and includes a set of macroeconomic and financial policies to support the economic recovery of Ukraine. 

The program will help to mobilize financing from Ukraine’s international partners, as well as to maintain macrofinancial stability and ensure the path to post-war reconstruction after Ukrainian victory in the war against the aggressor. 

The next step is the approval of the program by the IMF Executive Board which is expected in the coming weeks.

The EFF program includes two phases.

The first phase (12-18 months) based on PMB measures envisages:

· to strengthen fiscal, external, price and financial stability by bolstering revenue mobilization;  

· evoiding monetary financing and aiming at net positive financing from domestic debt markets;  

· contributing to long-term financial stability, including by preparing a deeper assessment of the banking sector health and continuing to promote central bank independence.

The second phase includes:

· expansive reforms with an aim to recovery and reconstruction;

· measures to support Ukraine’s EU accession goals;

· enhance financial resilience and higher long-term growth.

During the second phase it is anticipated that Ukraine will return to the policy frameworks that were in place prior to the russian war against Ukraine, which includes a flexible exchange rate and inflation targeting regime. Moreover, there will be a focus on implementing essential structural reforms in fiscal policies to stabilize medium-term revenues by introducing a national revenue strategy, and also launching public finance management and introducing public investment management reforms that will aid in the post-war reconstruction process. To help the post-war reform endeavors, it is necessary to improve competition in the crucial energy sector, while reducing quasi-fiscal liabilities.

Welcoming the agreement with the IMF Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko stated:

“The teams of the IMF, the Government of Ukraine, and the National Bank of Ukraine did a tremendous job to ensure that an agreement is reached. I am grateful to the IMF experts for their decisiveness during the mission.”

“After the Board consideration the EFF program will significantly support the Ukrainian economy, financial system and will ensure mobilization of additional donor’s financial resources which is necessary for our successful struggle against the aggressor. We are grateful to the IMF team for standing with Ukraine”.

 

https://www.mof.gov.ua/en/news/ukrainian_authorities_and_imf_reach_staff_level_agreement_on_extended_fund_facility_eff_arrangement_of_156_billion-3899

3/22/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary

Wed, 03/22/2023 - 8:49am

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3/20/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary

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