Donald Trump's negotiations with Russia focus on resetting US-Russia relations rather than resolving the Ukraine conflict. He has conceded to several of Moscow's demands, sidelining Ukrainian interests. This approach raises concerns about a deal that benefits Russia at Ukraine's expense.
On February 2, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said he had only received $75 billion of the $175 billion the United States had spent on Ukraine. The cry went up, what happened to the other $100 billion? Was it lost or stolen? The answer is no. Only part of the aid goes through Ukrainian control. A large part pays for activities as a result of the war but not to Ukraine directly. These include the United States training of Ukrainian forces, global humanitarian assistance, additional costs of U.S. surge forces in Europe, and intelligence support for both NATO and Ukraine.
As CSIS has reported before, "aid to Ukraine" is a misnomer because 90 percent of military aid is spent in the United States. Of aid overall, 60 percent is spent in the United States, about 25 percent is spent in Ukraine, and the final 15 percent is spent globally.
UNESCO and UN specialists have recorded at least 270 Russian attacks on Ukrainian cultural sites, 116 of those were religious buildings.
Russia seeks to gain influence in Africa in several ways, from disinformation campaigns to sending Wagner Group mercenaries. Why is Africa so important to Vladimir Putin?
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Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine. A viral video that purports to show the explosion of the dam is, in fact, of a 2022 blast.
Georgian National Legion commander Mamuka Mamulashvili and his fighters refute Russian claims that the legion was destroyed by Russian forces. Legion members say this is yet another Kremlin disinformation campaign against Georgian fighters who, together with Ukraine's Armed Forces, are fighting against Russian aggression. Neither the Ukrainian military nor anyone else has confirmed the Legion's alleged demise.
RIA Novosti has taken anonymous comments regarding a British edition Daily Mail story and presented them as the view of all of Britain. Several comments do not make a majority view, much less an official government position. Furthermore, RIA Novosti's claims completely contradict existing poll data, in which 74% of Britons support sending military aid to Ukraine.
Vladimir Rogov is not an official in any Zaporizhzhia administration, his statements are pure propaganda and carry no political weight. In March 2022 Ukrainian police opened a criminal case into Rogov's collaborationist activities. Part of Zaporizhzhia province is under Russian occupation, hostilities are continuing there, and Russian invaders systematically violate the rights of local residents, they impede free movement and are creating a humanitarian crisis.
Russian media is manipulating a Reuters global foreign currency exchange rate graphic to claim that the ruble has become the strongest currency in the world. The graphic does not indicate the world's strongest currencies, but only notes their rise and fall against the US dollar since the beginning of 2022. The first place on this chart is not occupied by the ruble, but by the Brazilian real.