‘THE WORLD IS WATCHING’: The United States is accusing Russian soldiers in Ukraine of committing a growing list of war crimes and atrocities, including execution-style killings, rape and sexual violence against women and girls, and torture.
“This assessment is based on a careful and rigorous review of public sources and also intelligence sources,” said Beth Van Schaack, U.S. ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice at the United Nations, on Wednesday. “These images and reports suggest that atrocities are not the result of rogue units or individuals; they rather reveal a deeply disturbing pattern of systematic abuse across all areas where Russia’s forces are engaged.”
“We now have credible information that a Russian military unit operating in the vicinity of Donetsk executed Ukrainians who were attempting to surrender, rather than take them into custody,” Van Schaack said. “If true, this would be in violation of a core principle of the law of war: the prohibition against the summary execution of civilians and of combatants who are ‘hors de combat’ [out of action] by virtue of surrender, injury, or other forms of incapacitation.”
“Our simple message to Russia’s military and political leadership and to the rank-and-file is this: the world is watching, and you will be held accountable.”
SENATOR ‘SAW THINGS THAT I WOULD WISH NOBODY WOULD EVER HAVE TO SEE’ IN UKRAINE
GUTERRES IN KYIV: U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is in Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, following his Kremlin meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin two days ago.
Before meeting with Zelensky, Guterres toured Borodyanka, on the outskirts of Kyiv, where earlier this month the bodies of civilians who had been bound and tortured were found on the streets after Russian troops withdrew.
“I imagine my family in one of those houses that is now destroyed and black. I see my granddaughters running away in panic. The war is an absurdity in the 21st century. The war is evil. There is no way a war can be acceptable in the 21st century,” Guterres said, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
“I fully support the ICC, and I appeal to the Russian Federation to accept, to cooperate with the ICC. But when we talk about war crimes, we cannot forget that the worst of crimes is war itself,” Guterres added during a stop in Bucha.
ICC INVESTIGATOR FOR UKRAINE SAYS COURT CAN’T ‘DO ALL OF IT ALONE’
PUTIN THREATENS ‘LIGHTNING-FAST’ STRIKES: As Russia ramps up its operations in the east, with the aim of claiming all of the Donbas region, Putin has issued another cryptic warning to the U.S. and other nations supporting Ukraine’s defensive efforts.
In a speech to Russian lawmakers, Putin again vowed that “all the goals of the special military operation launched on February 24 will definitely be attained,” and he said Russia would swiftly retaliate against outside interference with its military goals.
“If anyone intends to intervene from the outside and create a strategic threat to Russia that is unacceptable to us, they should know that our retaliatory strikes will be lightning-fast,” he said, according to a government transcript. “We have the tools we need for this, the likes of which no one else can claim at this point. We will not just brag; we will use them if necessary.”
RUSSIA CAN’T REPLACE SUNKEN MOSKVA, BUT STILL ABLE TO HIT TARGETS FROM SEA: UK
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HAPPENING TODAY: President Joe Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks at 10:45 a.m. on “support for Ukrainians defending their country and their freedom against Russia’s brutal war,” according to the White House.
ALSO THIS MORNING: National security adviser Jake Sullivan will take part in a White House-hosted virtual minister-level meeting at 7:30 a.m. launching a “Declaration for the Future of the Internet” with more than 50 partners from around the world. Livestream at https://www.whitehouse.gov/live/
TREVOR REED COMES HOME: Biden said his decision to trade a convicted Russian drug trafficker for the freedom of Marine veteran Trevor Reed, unjustly imprisoned in Moscow for nearly three years, was not an easy call, but it came down to concern for his health and the emotional suffering of his family.
“I heard in the voices of Trevor’s parents how much they’ve worried about his health and missed his presence,” Biden said in a statement. “The negotiations that allowed us to bring Trevor home required difficult decisions that I do not take lightly.”
Biden vowed to continue to work to secure the release of Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan and WNBA star Brittney Griner, who are also being held in Russian jails.
“[Reed’s] safe return is a testament to the priority my administration places on bringing home Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained abroad,” Biden said.
“Putin continues to use U.S. citizens as pawns in his political games, and I call for the immediate release and return of other American hostages, in particular, Paul Whelan, who has been sentenced to 16 years in a hard labor camp,” said Idaho Sen. Jim Risch, ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “Great nations do not use hostage-taking to achieve their goals.”
‘MUNITIONS CONTINUE TO FLOW’: Despite Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s threat to target Western arms shipments into Ukraine, so far none have been hit, according to the Pentagon.
“Munitions continue to flow into Ukraine,” said spokesman John Kirby at yesterday’s Pentagon briefing. “The United States is helping coordinate that continues to flow in there, including while we were overseas just over the last couple of days. And efforts to get those munitions into Ukrainian hands will also continue going forward as they are in a very active fight.”
Kirby said that “more than half” of the 90 155mm howitzers the U.S. is sending to Ukraine are already in the country and that so far, more than 50 Ukrainian soldiers have completed training on how to use the U.S. system.
‘MORE THAN HALF’ OF HOWITZERS PROVIDED BY US HAVE ARRIVED IN UKRAINE
WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH THE IRAN NEGOTIATIONS? Five Republican House members have written Biden requesting that senior administration officials appear before the Foreign Affairs Committee to brief Congress on what’s happening with the Iran nuclear negotiations.
“Congress and the nation deserve to understand how your administration plans to fulfill your ‘unshakable commitment to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon’ yet to date only closed-door classified briefings have been provided to Congress,” says the letter signed by Reps. Claudia Tenney of New York, Don Bacon of Nebraska, Gregory Steube of Florida, Ronny Jackson of Texas, and Maria Salazar of Florida.
“This is a start, but it is not enough. Special Envoy Robert Malley works for the American people, and he should answer to them,” the lawmakers said, citing reports about disarray within the State Department’s Iran team, Russia’s increasingly central role in the negotiations, and unfavorable deal terms.
TOP SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS DEMOCRAT TELLS BLINKEN IRAN DEAL WILL ‘DO NOTHING’
FORBES ‘MAGNUS OPUS’ DEAL QUESTIONED: Florida Republican Rep. Mike Waltz is concerned that a China-based company with financial links to the communist government is acquiring U.S.-based media company Forbes Global Media Holdings.
Waltz has fired off a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen asking if the planned acquisition by Magnus Opus Ltd should come under review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.
“It is my understanding that on March 25, 2021, Magnus Opus received its seed funding from [China Investment Corporation],” Waltz writes. “As you are aware, CIC is a financial arm of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the timing of Magnus Opus’s meeting with Forbes’ representatives so soon after receiving its seed money from CIC raises questions about the initial intent of investment.”
“The potential ownership of a major American media company by an arm of the CCP raises serious national security concerns and whether the deal should be allowed to move forward,” Waltz said.
THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY TRIES TO GOBBLE UP FORBES MEDIA
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: US official says there is ‘credible information’ Russia executed Ukrainians
Washington Examiner: Russia can’t replace sunken Moskva, but still able to hit targets from sea: UK
Washington Examiner: Russian-trained dolphins guarding naval base in the Black Sea: Report
Washington Examiner: ‘More than half’ of howitzers provided by US have arrived in Ukraine
Washington Examiner: ICC investigator for Ukraine says court can’t ‘do all of it alone’
Washington Examiner: Senator ‘saw things that I would wish nobody would ever have to see’ in Ukraine
Washington Examiner: Russian shut-offs spark major escalation in energy war
Washington Examiner: Whelan family concerned about what Trevor Reed swap means for detained brother
Washington Examiner: Former Marine Trevor Reed, detained in Russia since 2019, returned to US in prisoner swap
Washington Examiner: Opinion: In UK and US military support for Ukraine, a divergent tolerance for risk
Washington Examiner: China has ‘definitely’ been ‘more aggressively’ pursuing hypersonic weapons
Washington Examiner: The Chinese Communist Party tries to gobble up Forbes media
Washington Examiner: First Air Force general convicted of sexual abuse sentenced
New York Times: Fear That War Will Spill Over Borders
CNN: Russia’s Threat To Retaliate Against U.S.-Japan Naval Exercises Shows It’s Getting Jumpy, Analysts Say
New York Times: Russia Uses Cyberattacks To Support Military Strikes, Microsoft Report Finds
AP: Occupied Ukrainian city fears sham Russian referendum plans
AP: A chilling Russian cyber aim in Ukraine: Digital dossiers
USNI News: U.S. Missiles Sent To Ukraine Aren’t Easily Replaced, Panel Tells Senate
Defense News: Pentagon’s Fuel Prices Rose $3B Amid Inflationary Pressures
Defense One: What Have US Special Operators Learned from the Ukraine War?
Washington Post: In Ukraine, destroyed Russian tanks are the newest roadside attraction
Breaking Defense: Delayed Again, Navy Won’t Resolve Strike Fighter Shortfall Until 2031: Lawmaker
Defense Daily: Marine Official: Amphibious Fleet Already Struggling To Meet Requirements
Air Force Magazine: Air Force Leaders Explain 5-Year Divestment Plan and Smaller F-15EX Fleet
Air Force Magazine: Boeing Loses $1 Billion on VC-25B, T-7A; Calhoun Pledges to Rethink Lowball Bids
Defense One: CEO: Boeing Should Have Rejected Trump’s Air Force One Deal
Military Times: Sluggish Military Recruiting Worries Congress
USNI News: Navy COVID-19 Vaccine Refusal Separations Rise to 815
Military Times: The Vast Majority Of Troops Kicked Out For COVID Vaccine Refusal Received General Discharges
19fortyfive.com: The Russia-Ukraine War: What Historical Analogies Make Sense?
19fortyfive.com: KUB-BLA – Russia Has Its Own ‘Switchblade’ Suicide Drone
The Cipher Brief: Opinion: Contradictions in US Policy Between Ukraine and The Middle East
Calendar
THURSDAY | APRIL 28
8:30 a.m. — McCain Institute for International Leadership Sedona Forum 2022: “Strategic Competition,” with Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; Ray Dalio, chairman of Bridgewater Associates; Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J.; former U.S. Ambassador to Oman Greta Holtz; former Afghan Ambassador to the U.S. Roya Rahmani; and more. Full agenda at https://www.thesedonaforum.org/2022-agenda Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sedona-forum
9 a.m. 1001 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. — America First Policy Institute discussion on “specific America First foreign policy solutions to resolve the current crisis and restore America’s leadership in the world,” with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; former Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, co-chair of the Center for American Security and former director of National Intelligence; retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, co-chair of the Center for American Security and former national security adviser; Fred Fleitz, vice chair of the Center for American Security and former chief of staff of the National Security Council; and Steve Yates, chair of the China Policy Initiative and former deputy national security adviser to former Vice President Cheney https://www.youtube.com/user/NewsmaxTV
9 a.m. — German Marshall Fund of the United States virtual discussion: “Russia’s War in Ukraine and the State of Transatlantic Relations: An Irish Perspective,” with Irish Foreign Affairs and Defense Minister Simon Coveney https://www.gmfus.org/event/russias-war-ukraine
10 a.m. — House Appropriations State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee hearing on “FY2023 Budget Request for the Department of State,” with testimony from Secretary of State Antony Blinken http://appropriations.house.gov
10 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee “Member Day” hearing to receive testimony from members of Congress on their national defense priorities for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
10 a.m. 2141 Rayburn — House Judiciary Committee committee hearing on “Oversight of the Department of Homeland Security.” http://judiciary.house.gov
10:30 a.m. 2358-A Rayburn — House Appropriations Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on “Air Force Installations and Quality of Life Update.” http://appropriations.house.gov
1 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “The Future of the U.S. Navy,” with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday https://www.csis.org/events/future-us-navy-chief-naval-operations
1 p.m. — Vandenberg Coalition virtual discussion: “The National Defense Strategy in American strategic planning, competition with China and the defense of Taiwan, and U.S. military strategy in the context of great power rivalry,” with former Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for Strategy and Force Development Elbridge Colby, author of Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Competition https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register
2 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness Hearing: “F-35 Sustainment,” with testimony from Steven Morani, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for sustainment / acting assistant secretary of defense for sustainment; Lt. Gen. Eric Fick, program executive officer, F-35 Joint Program Office; and Diana Maurer, director, Defense Capabilities and Management Team, Government Accountability Office https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
2:30 p.m. 2362-B Rayburn — House Appropriations Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on “FY2023 Budget Request for the Department of Energy,” with testimony from Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm http://appropriations.house.gov
3 p.m. — Brookings Institution virtual discussion: “Defense spending in the states,” with Mackenzie Eaglen, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; Elizabeth Chimienti, program activity lead for diversification and realignment in the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation; and Michael O’Hanion, director of research in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution https://www.brookings.edu/events/defense-spending-in-the-states
4:30 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations Hearing: “Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Request for U.S. Special Operations Forces and Command,” with testimony from Christopher Maier, assistant secretary of defense special operations and low intensity conflict; Army Gen. Richard Clarke, commander, U.S. Special Operations Command https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
4:45 p.m. 1740 Massachusetts Ave. N.W. — Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies discussion with Latvian Ambassador to the U.S. Maris Selga on Latvian foreign policy, NATO and Ukraine https://www.eventbrite.com/e/latvia-and-baltic-security
FRIDAY | APRIL 29
10 a.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: “Seapower and U.S. Strategic Competition in the Indo-Pacific,” with Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn.; and Rep. Robert Wittman, R-Va. https://www.hudson.org/events/2107-virtual-event-seapower
11 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies, and Information Systems hearing: “Department of Defense Information Technology, Cybersecurity, and Information Assurance for Fiscal Year 2023,” with testimony from John Sherman, CIO and acting DOD chief digital and artificial intelligence officer; Kelly Fletcher, principal deputy CIO, Office of the Secretary of Defense; and Margaret Palmieri, principal deputy chief digital and artificial intelligence officer, Office of the Secretary of Defense https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
11 a.m. — McCain Institute virtual discussion: “NATO & China: Has a European War Changed NATO’s Approach to China?” with Lithuanian Parliament Member Zygimantas Pavilionis, former Lithuanian ambassador to the U.S.; Bobo Lo, nonresident senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis’s Democratic Resilience Program; and Jakub Janda, associate fellow at the Slovak Security Policy Institute https://www.mccaininstitute.org/resources/events
12 p.m. — Center for the National Interest virtual discussion: “What Are the Implications of the Ukraine War for Chinese Foreign Policy?” with Graham Allison, Douglas Dillon professor of government at Harvard University; retired Marine Lt. Gen. Wallace Gregson, senior director, China and the Pacific, Center for the National Interest; and Jacob Heilbrunn, moderator, editor of the National Interest https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
1 p.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “Understanding the challenges of U.S. and allied defense innovation,” with James Taiclet, president, chairman, and CEO of the Lockheed Martin Corporation; Courtney Kube, national security and military correspondent at NBC News; and former Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky, vice chair of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Let us be clear: those who unleashed, perpetrated, and ordered these crimes must be held to account. And the evidence of this criminality is mounting daily. And our simple message to Russia’s military and political leadership and to the rank-and-file is this: the world is watching, and you will be held accountable.”
Beth Van Schaack, U.S. ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice at the United Nations, Wednesday, citing new evidence that Russian troops executed Ukrainian soldier attempting to surrender.
