Philosopher Francis Fukuyama, ex-commander of American troops in Europe General Philip Breedlove, former US ambassadors to Ukraine John Herbst and Steven Pifer, as well as several dozen other political and military authorities signed a letter in which they convince the Americans to provide even greater support to Ukraine. The text of this letter is cited by The Hill, a Washington publication popular in power circles. "Yes, critics of aid to Ukraine note that the total amount of money allocated by the USA to Kyiv since 2014 already exceeds the annual defense budget of any country, except the USA and China. This is true, but it does not take into account the fact that if Washington had not provided this assistance, it would have had to face much higher costs," the authors of the letter write. Currently, aid to Ukraine takes a lot of resources, but we should not forget that it is about the security of the whole of Europe and NATO. Now Putin is trying to destroy the system that for 75 years after the Second World War ensured relative peace in the Western world and incredible growth in its prosperity. If Russia is allowed to succeed, the current order can be forgotten. And if, after Ukraine, Putin decides to invade the Baltic states, to which he has many claims, the costs of the USA will be much greater than the current ones and will not be limited to money. As a member of NATO, the United States will send troops to defend Lithuania, Latvia or Estonia, which could lead to deaths, the authors of the letter assure. Ukraine is coping with the Russian invasion on its own, and it is up to the rest of the world to give it everything it needs.
Before the full-scale invasion, Russia invested heavily in the development and production of electronic warfare equipment. In this sense, the army of the Russian Federation is truly one of the most advanced in the world ― however, in the first days after February 24, this whip struck it as well, Insider writes. Based on a report by the British Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), the publication describes the role of radio jamming devices in the military operation around Kyiv. At first, the REBs (as they are called in Ukraine and Russia) of the occupiers really interfered with work of the Ukrainian army. However, Russian military units often could not communicate with each other due to signal jamming. Devices for bypassing obstacles exist in the Russian army, but there are not enough of them and they are distributed illogically. Secure communication channels were not enough for everyone. Many Russian units were equipped with walkie-talkies with cheap Chinese components, which failed due to the effect of REBs. As a result, the Russian units were left without communication, without knowledge of the area and actually blocked on the asphalt roads. Already at the beginning of March, the Russians significantly reduced the activity of their radio-electronic units ― so as not to harm their own. The publication concludes that electronic warfare as a tool is effective, itʼs just that Russia used it unwisely. If the planning and equipment of the units of the Russian army that participated in the attempt to capture Kyiv had been more thought out, perhaps they would have succeeded more.
The Irish Times writes about how the Russians are trying to understand the recent events of the war. The publication begins the publication with a review of a propaganda exhibition near the Moscow Kremlin, which should explain the reasons and goals of the "special military operation". It is full of lies: the exposition begins with a panoramic image of Mariupol, destroyed by the Russians, in the explanation of which it is indicated that "Ukrainians besieged a city of 650,000 people" and "Ukrainian snipers even shot at children." The exhibition tells how the "problem of fascism" grew in Ukraine and logically leads the audience to the point that Russiaʼs invasion of Ukraine was inevitable. Children are now being brought to this exhibition in an organized manner. However, among broad sections of Russians there is no understanding that this war is now necessary and that Russia is moving in the right direction. The publication cites the results of a recent survey by the Levada-Center, a sociological service persecuted in Russia, according to which 88% of Russians feel that the Russian campaign in Ukraine causes significant or very significant anxiety. Kateryna, a middle-aged teacher who brought a group of sixth-graders to a propaganda exhibition, also does not understand what the Russian authorities are doing in Ukraine now. "They tried to seize Kyiv ― and left it. How many of our people died there? Now we have left Kherson. How many people died because of it?" she shares her thoughts with the correspondent. "I have male relatives with military experience, they better understand what war is. But now they canʼt say anything." However, the loss of Kherson, which six weeks earlier Putin had declared "forever Russian", does not mean much to Russians, assured the disgraced Russian journalist Oleksiy Venediktov, whose radio station Echo of Moscow was closed by the authorities in early March. Less than 10% of Russians, according to the Levada-Center survey, called the accession of four new regions to the Russian Federation a significant event ― despite the fact that the poll took place at a time when it was being talked about almost constantly on TV screens. "Most Russians donʼt care about Kherson or Zaporizhzhia ― they donʼt even know where it is," Venediktov is convinced. "Except Crimea is important for them [among all the annexed territories]. It is truly sacred in the mass Russian consciousness." Now the situation with the "special military operation" has reached a dead end and is costing the Russians too much. The propaganda exhibition should have "suggested" how to treat this in the future ― but, it seems, it isnʼt achieving its goal, the publication concludes.