In the Thick of It

A blog on the U.S.-Russia relationship
Russia war report card graphic
May 9 update: Continued stalemate. Ukrainian and US officials denied involvement after two drones flew into the Kremlin. Net territorial change in the past month: Ukraine +48 square miles.
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Russia war report card
May 2 update: Ongoing stalemate, with small Ukrainian advances in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Zelensky talked to Xi for the first time since Russia’s invasion, discussing “efforts to restore peace” without territorial compromise. Net territorial change in the past month: Ukraine +46 square miles.
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CIA HQ
CIA director William Burns discusses four areas of long-term strategic importance for the CIA — and, by extension, for the United States: 1. The war in Ukraine, 2. U.S. strategic competition with China, 3. Climate change, energy security and other transnational threats, and 4. the intelligence community’s adaptability to the changing environment.
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Russia war report card graphic
April 25 update: War remains a territorial stalemate. Intense fighting continues in Bakhmut and along the Donetsk front line. Net territorial change in the past month: Ukraine +32 square miles.
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report card
April 18 update: Ongoing stalemate. Russia continues slow, block by block advance in Bakhmut. Net territorial change in the past month: Russia +12 square miles.
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Pentagon
Though many Russian officials and pundits wonder whether the latest Pentagon leak was the product of a Western-Ukranian disinformation campaign, many others have kept mum on the issue, despite the fact that the contents of the leaks fall within their remit.
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April 11 update: Russia and Ukraine remain locked in intense territorial stalemate. Leaked US documents, including information about Ukrainian air defense shortages, potentially complicate Ukraine’s counteroffensive. Net territorial change in the past month: Russia +21 square miles.
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April 4 update: Continued territorial stalemate. Wagner Private Military Company leader Prigozhin said Wagner has suffered significant losses in Bakhmut battle against Ukraine. Net territorial change in the past month: Russia +30 square miles.
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March 28 update: No major changes—battlefield stalemate continues. Putin announced plans to deploy Russian nuclear weapons to Belarus. Net territorial change in the past month: Russia +40 square miles.
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March 21 update: Stalemate, with continued intense fighting in Bakhmut. Putin met with Xi in Moscow, without visible progress towards peace. Net territorial change in the past month: Russia +42 square miles.
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