US considering sending more troops to Europe as war in Ukraine rages on, official says: LIVE UPDATES
A senior U.S. defense official said Thursday that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is still considering the possibility of deploying additional American troops to NATO's eastern flank in Europe as the war in Ukraine rages on.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin spokesman Dmitri Peskov refused Tuesday to say his nation would not use nuclear weapons if it thought Russia could be destroyed.
Peskov said the conditions were consistent with the nations national security concept. “If there’s a threat to the very existence of our country, it can be used in accordance with this concept,” he stated in response to the question of whether Russia’s use of nuclear weapons could be completely ruled out, according to the Russian government-controlled news site TASS.“
"Russian military doctrine envisions use of nuclear weapons in a first use scenario if it is losing a conventional conflict. Ukraine is exactly the scenario for which this was developed,” said Rebekah Koffler, who is a former DIA intelligence officer who specialized in Russia.
“They fear U.S. intervention in Ukraine because they fear we are conventionally superior,” she said. “And if they interpret our action as offensive rather than defensive, that is when the viability of Russian statehood would be threatened, in accordance with the Russian national security concept and military doctrine.”
Russian troops destroyed a laboratory that helped improve management of radioactive waste at Chernobyl's nuclear power plant, the Ukrainian government said Tuesday.
The laboratory contained “highly active samples and samples of radionuclides that are now in the hands of the enemy, which we hope will harm itself and not the civilized world,” the Ukrainian state agency responsible for the Chernobyl exclusion zone said in its statement.
The laboratory was built in 2016 with the support of the European Commission at a cost of 6 million euros.
Forest fires also broke out near the plant on Monday, causing concerns that it could help s[read radiation.
Russia took control of plant soon after invading a month ago.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office has launched a humanitarian website aimed at providing assistance to Ukrainians.
The website, help.gov.ua, has a number that people can dial as well as step-by-step instructions for delivering humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
The website comes as many Ukrainian cities have faced a constant barrage by Russian forces, with many residents struggling for food and medical supplies.
Global markets may be underestimating the downside risks posed to stocks by the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, according to Goldman Sachs strategists.
Although the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February initially triggered a sharp market correction, many major stock indexes have since rebounded: The S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite and Dow Jones Industrial Average have all erased their initial losses and eclipsed levels recorded before the conflict began, and similar trends have been recorded in Europe.
But in a Thursday analyst note, the Goldman strategists led by Dominic Wilson and Vickie Chang said the recent trends indicate the market is not braced for the war to worsen, with the fallout potentially rippling throughout the global economy.
Residents of Mariupol, a strategically located port city in Ukraine that Russian forces have been shelling for weeks, are "starving" as attacks continue.
Russia's invasion of Mariupol and other key Ukrainian cities like Kyiv have forced people underground and destroyed signs of civilization, leaving people without food, water, electricity and ways to communicate with their families.
Maria Smarovailo, a Mariupol native who has since left the city, told Fox News Digital that there has been "no food for more than three weeks."
"In the first week of hostiles in the city, residents bought food in stores en masse," she said, according to a translation. When electricity, water and cellphone signals were cut, people began collecting snow and rainwater and looting stores that were still standing "to get at least some food and water for children."
A video on YouTube shows a group of Ukrainian protesters aboard a small vessel attempting to block a large Russian yacht belonging to sanctioned Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
The protesters were members of the Optimist Sailing Team Ukraine, according to BBC News, and waived the Ukrainian flag while chanting "no war in Ukraine."
The group was in Turkey to compete in a junior sailing competition.
Abramovich, a Russian billionaire who owns the famed Chelsea Football Club, is one of many Russian oligarchs who have been sanctioned since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.
An attorney for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny vowed to appeal the nine-year prison sentence handed down to Navalny.
"We will certainly be appealing the sentence. As soon as we receive it, we will immediately file complaints," the attorney said at a rally Tuesday, according to a translation obtained by Fox News.
The attorney complained about the process in which Navalny was convicted, arguing they were not allowed to use certain defense materials in what he called an "incorrect process."
I'm an American doctor currently treating desperate innocent Ukrainians—women, children and the elderly—who have been lucky enough to escape the Russian military by fleeing to Lviv in Western Ukraine and then onward to other countries.
I helped organized a medical mission to Ukraine/Poland because it’s God’s calling to serve. I’m blessed to be a doctor and take care of others and I felt I needed to help those in need.
I was sponsored by the Children Are Medical foundation "CHARM." This is a foundation that serves underprivileged children -- it got involved because over 1 million of the refugees from Ukraine are children. I am also a "DART" a member of the disaster assistance response team with Samaritan’s Purse.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said Tuesday that the U.S. has not seen a need to change its nuclear posture in response to Russia.
"We haven't seen anything that would lead us to conclude that we need to change our strategic deterrent posture," Kirby said when asked about Russia's recent rhetoric on using nuclear weapons.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said Tuesday that the Russian military did "not properly plan" for the logistical operation during their invasion of Ukraine.
Kirby's comments come as Ukrainian forces have continued to resist the Russian invasion, resulting in a lack of Russian ability to take major cities such as Kyiv.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby warned Tuesday that the Russian military still has "significant" combat capability available, despite facing potentially heavy losses during their invasion of Ukraine, but also noted that Ukrainian resistance has been formidable.
"That said, they have been increasingly frustrated," Kirby said of Russian forces.
The Senate will hold a Senate-wide classified briefing on Ukraine next Wednesday at 3 pm, according to reporting from Fox News' Chad Pergram.
Who is set to give the briefing is still unclear.
At least 2,510 civilians have been hurt in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began on Feb. 24, with 953 people killed so far, the United Nation’s human rights office said Tuesday.
The United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner reported 2,510 civilian casualties from Feb. 24 through March 21.
Russia President Vladimir Putin’s invasion into Ukraine has persisted for nearly four weeks but his forces remain stalled, with the Pentagon assessing Tuesday that his combat power is dropping.
"We've assessed, for the first time, that the Russians may be slightly below a 90% level of assessed available combat power," a senior defense official told reporters.
The drop in power is reflective of the 150,000 soldiers he amassed on Ukraine’s border in the lead-up to the invasion last month.
"It is not an assessment of all Russian military power," the senior defense official added.
After top Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was sentenced to nine more years in prison Tuesday, he shared a message appealing to supporters to take action against President Vladimir Putin’s regime.
"I am very grateful to everyone for their support. And, guys, I want to say: the best support for me and other political prisoners is not sympathy and kind words, but actions," Navalny said in a message shared on his behalf on his official Twitter account. "Any activity against the deceitful and thievish Putin's regime. Any opposition to these war criminals."
"In 2013, after hearing my first verdict, I wrote this and now I will repeat it: don't be idle. This toad sitting on an oil pipe will not overthrow itself," he added. "I hug and love everyone!"
A close view of the Chernobyl nuclear facilities in Ukraine on March 10. (Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies via AP)
Ukraine Natural Resources Minister Ruslan Strelets said Tuesday that wildfires that broke out in the area of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant -- which is under the control of Russian forces -- have been extinguished.
The fires have raised concern about the possible release of radiation from the plant, where a 1986 explosion and fire sent radioactive emissions across large parts of Europe.
But Strelets says radiation levels in the area are within the norms.
Ukrainian officials had earlier accused Russian forces of deliberately setting the fires or causing them with artillery shelling.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Vatican has gifted two ambulances to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv -- one of which was bought by Pope Francis, according to reports.
Francis spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this morning.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is seen on a screen via a video link during his court trial at the IK-2 prison colony outside of Moscow on Tuesday. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny called on his supporters to take action Tuesday after a Russian court sentenced him to nine years in prison on fraud and contempt charges.
"I want to say: the best support for me and other political prisoners is not sympathy and kind words, but actions," read a message on his Twitter account following the sentencing, according to Reuters. "Any activity against the deceitful and thievish Putin's regime. Any opposition to these war criminals."
Navalny's lawyer said he would appeal the verdict as he is "sure of his innocence."
In the latest charges, Navalny was accused of using nearly $3.5 million in donations collected by his nonprofit for personal purposes, Reuters reports.
In 2021, Navalny was jailed after he returned to Russia following an incident where he was poisoned. At the time, Navalny received medical treatment in Germany. He blamed the attack, which involved a Soviet-era nerve agent, on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Fox News' Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.
A woman measures a window before covering it with plastic sheets in a building damaged by a bombing the previous day in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Monday. (AP/Vadim Ghirda)
A senior U.S. defense official said Tuesday that "we have seen clear evidence that certainly over the last week or so, the Russians have deliberately and intentionally targeted civilian infrastructure, hospitals and places of shelter" in Ukraine.
"And we also have indications of behavior on the ground by Russian forces that would like likewise constitute war crimes," the official added.
The defense official also said Tuesday that Russia continues to talk about using chemical and biological weapons in Ukraine, but intelligence suggests no imminent threat of such an attack.
Earlier, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told "Fox & Friends" that the U.S. has seen "clear evidence that the Russian military is conducting war crimes" in Ukraine.
Current Russian military activity in Ukraine. (Fox News)
A senior U.S. defense official said Thursday that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is still considering the possibility of deploying additional American troops to NATO's eastern flank in Europe as the war in Ukraine rages on.
The official said Russia's military remains stalled outside of Kyiv and "some of their soldiers are suffering from frostbite."
"Because they lack the appropriate cold weather gear for the for the environment that they're in," the official said. "In addition to food and fuel, even in terms of personal equipment for some of their troops, they're having trouble."
The official also spoke about the resilience of Ukraine's military, saying "we continue to see them defend in a very nimble, agile way."
"What we're starting to see are are indications that they are they are are now able and willing to take back territory that the Russians have taken," the official added.
Firefighters are seen as smoke billows from a building of a research institute, part of Ukraine's National Academy of Science, after a strike in northwestern Kyiv on Tuesday. (Photo by Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images)
Ukraine said Tuesday it has recapture a strategically important suburb of Kyiv as Russian forces squeezed other areas near the capital.
Explosions and bursts of gunfire shook Kyiv, and black smoke rose from a spot in the north. Intensified artillery fire could be heard from the northwest, where Russia has sought to encircle and capture several suburban areas of the capital, a crucial target.
Residents sheltered at home or underground under a 35-hour curfew imposed by city authorities that runs to Wednesday morning.
Early Tuesday, Ukrainian troops drove Russian forces out of the Kyiv suburb of Makariv after a fierce battle, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said. The regained territory allowed Ukrainian forces to retake control of a key highway and block Russian troops from surrounding Kyiv from the northwest.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cars drive past a destroyed Russian tank as a convoy of vehicles evacuating civilians leaves Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, on March 9. (AP/Vadim Ghirda)
A Russian tabloid newspaper that published a report citing the Russian defense ministry as saying that nearly 10,000 of Moscow's soldiers have been killed in Ukraine is now claiming it has been hacked.
The daily Komsomolskaya Pravda reported Monday that 9,861 soldiers have been killed in action in Ukraine and another 16,153 have been wounded before quickly removing the article from its website, describing it as the work of hackers, according to the Associated Press.
Asked about the report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on it at Tuesday’s conference call with reporters, referring questions about the military casualties to the defense ministry.
On March 2, the defense ministry reported 498 soldiers had been killed and hasn’t released any casualty numbers since then.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine is a growing concern as at least 117 children have been killed as of Tuesday, though the true figure is likely higher, and aid organizations estimate areas that have seen some of the most intense fighting have just three to four days of essentials, such as food.
According to its most recent report published Tuesday, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) confirmed at least 925 civilians have been killed and 1,496 have been injured in Ukraine since the onset of the Russian invasion 27 days ago on Feb. 24. Estimates of Russian deaths vary, but even conservative figures are in the low thousands.
In an address to Italian Parliament Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that at least 117 children have died so far in the first 27 days of the war in his country.
"And we know that every next day of war will take more lives of our children. 117 is not the final number," he said. "The Russian invasion will still destroy families and destinies."
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Polish President Andrzej Duda speaks to the media Tuesday after meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev in Sofia, Bulgaria. (Reuters/Stoyan Nenov)
Polish President Andrzej Duda has compared the actions of Russia's military in Ukraine to those of Adolf Hitler's SS troops during World War II.
"Today, the Russian army is behaving in exactly the same way -- and its leaders like Hitler -- as the German SS," Duda said, according to Poland's The First News website.
"I deeply believe that the world will be able to bring to account the perpetrators of these crimes in order to discourage other potential leaders and commanders who want to carry out their criminal goals," Duda reportedly added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday rejected President Joe Biden’s warning that Russia may be planning a cyberattack against the United States, saying that “the Russian Federation, unlike many Western countries including the United States, does not engage in banditry on the state level.”
Biden told a meeting of corporate CEOs on Monday that “evolving intelligence” indicated a cyberattack may be planned. He urged private companies to invest in their own security to counter cyberattacks.
Biden has suggested a cyberattack could be Russia’s response to economic sanctions imposed by the U.S.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Pentagon said Tuesday there is "clear evidence" Russia has committed war crimes despite the fact Moscow remains heavily involved with the U.S. and other nations amid ongoing negotiations for a new Iran nuclear deal.
Spokesperson John Kirby was pressed on Russia's involvement in the talks during "Fox & Friends" on Tuesday as Putin's assault on Ukraine continues. Kirby said the administration is "involved in these talks" and wants to see a deal reached to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
"Russia is the aggressor here," Kirby said. "And I think we have seen here at the Pentagon, we certainly see clear evidence that the Russian military is conducting war crimes. We think it's important for the investigative process to continue. We're going to contribute to that."
"But obviously, relations with Russia are not at a premium, nor should they be given the unprovoked and illegal aggression that Russia has put on the people of Ukraine," he continued.
Kirby said although there is "clear evidence" Putin has committed war crimes, investigations into the matter remain ongoing.
"There will be consequences from that on the international scale," Kirby warned regarding the conclusions of the probe. "What needs to happen now is this war needs to end. Mr. Putin always had diplomatic options. He didn't have to do this."
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ORLANDO – U.S. veterans are doing their part to ensure that families and children caught in Ukraine and other war zones are evacuated safely.
One veterans' group, Tampa-based Project Dynamo, has rescued hundreds of American citizens from Ukraine and Afghanistan.
"We've had great-grandmas to 2-week-olds, mothers, fathers… we've evacuated people with some special needs issues, or really elderly people who have a hard time moving," Bryan Stern, a co-founder of Project Dynamo, said. "There's hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of stories… just some of them are complete... and total nightmares."
Stern shared Project Dynamo's goal with Fox News Digital from the war zone in Ukraine, as the group works to deliver on 14,000 evacuation requests across the country. Many of the requests coming are from American citizens.
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A view of Eclipse, a luxury yacht reported to belong to Russian businessman Roman Abramovich, docked at a port in the resort of Marmaris, Turkey, on Tuesday. (IHA via AP)
A pair of yachts belonging to Chelsea soccer club owner and sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich have docked at resorts in Turkey, according to the Associated Press.
Turkey has not imposed economic sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine last month, nor has it frozen assets belonging to top Russian businessmen linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The private DHA news agency said Tuesday the Bermuda-registered Eclipse docked in the resort of Marmaris.
A day earlier, Abramovich’s Bermuda-flagged luxury yacht My Solaris arrived in the nearby resort of Bodrum, triggering a protest by a group of Ukrainians who boarded a small motorboat and tried to prevent the yacht from docking.
NATO member Turkey has close ties to both Russia and Ukraine. It has criticized Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine but has also positioned itself as a neutral party trying to mediate between the two.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told ‘Fox & Friends’ on Tuesday that Russia is clearly “frustrated” with how its invasion of Ukraine is unfolding.
“We are not exactly clear what their end game is now, it’s just that we just know that the end game they started with 27 days ago they have been frustrated that they have not been able to achieve," Kirby said.
Kirby also said the U.S. has seen increased naval activity in the northern Black Sea has Russia’s bombardment of Ukraine continues Tuesday.
Multiple explosions and rising smoke are seen around an industrial compound in Mariupol in this screengrab from a video released Tuesday. (Azov/Reuters)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this morning that Mariupol has been "completely destroyed," but his military there has been putting up a fierce fight against Russian troops, according to the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence.
"Despite heavy fighting, Ukrainian forces continue to repulse Russian attempts to occupy the southern city of Mariupol," it said in a tweet.
"Russian forces elsewhere in Ukraine have endured yet another day of limited progress with most forces largely stalled in place," it added.
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv on Tuesday accused Russian soldiers of "kidnapping" nearly 2,400 Ukrainian children in the country's east.
"According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Russian forces have illegally removed 2,389 Ukrainian children from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts to Russia," it said in a tweet. "This is not assistance. It is kidnapping."
The U.N. reportedly has not been able to independently confirm the claims.
Russian-backed separatists in these regions urged Ukrainians to evacuate to Russia prior to the beginning of the invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the Italian parliament via video link in Rome on Tuesday. (Roberto Monaldo/LaPresse via AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a speech Tuesday to Italy’s parliament, accused Russian soldiers around Kyiv of “torturing and kidnapping children” while declaring that the eastern city of Mariupol is “completely destroyed.”
“Kyiv has been through harsh wars throughout its history. After all of the victims and sacrifice it deserves to live in peace just as the same as Rome deserves to live in eternal peace, or any other city in this world,” Zelenskyy told Italian lawmakers. “Unfortunately, this is not the case. The bombs are falling every day, these attacks are happening in Kyiv and around towns in Kyiv. Russian troops around Kyiv are killing and torturing.
“They are torturing and kidnapping children, they are stealing what we have there, robbing everything,” Zelenskyy continued. “This is what happened in Europe last time due to the Nazis when they were occupying other countries.”
Zelenskyy said as of Tuesday, 117 children have died in the war in Ukraine.
“This is the price of procrastination of pressure on Russia to stop this war,” he told Italy’s parliament. “There are thousands of injured people, tens of thousands of destroyed families and hundreds of thousands of lives ultimately destroyed and abandoned houses.”
Zelenskyy also declared that Mariupol is “completely destroyed.”
“Russian artillery and missiles are not stopping destroying Ukrainian cities. Some cities like Mariupol as you have heard have been completely destroyed,” he said. “This city had around half a million people living there before. This is close to what you have in Genoa in Italy and now in Mariupol there is nothing but ruins.”
Zelenskyy urged lawmakers to secure peace and end the conflict by ramping up sanctions on Russia and its oligarchs.
“Don’t be a resort for murderers – block all of the real estate, all of their yachts, all of their bank accounts,” he said. “Freeze all of their assets. Let them use their influence but only for peace.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a tweet Tuesday that he has spoken with Pope Francis about the "difficult humanitarian situation and the blocking of rescue corridors by Russian troops."
"The mediating role of the Holy See in ending human suffering would be appreciated," Zelenskyy said, adding that he thanked Francis "for the prayers for Ukraine and peace."
“As of the morning of March 22, 2022, 117 children were killed and more than 155 were injured. The most affected children were in Kyiv - 58, Kharkiv - 40, Chernihiv - 31, Donetsk - 30, Mykolaiv - 24, Kyiv - 16, Zhytomyr - 15, Kherson - 15 and Sumy - 14 oblasts,” a statement from the Office of the Attorney General read.
The U.S. is sending some of the Soviet-made air defense equipment it secretly acquired decades ago to bolster the Ukrainian military as it seeks to fend off Russian air and missile attacks, U.S. officials said.
The S-300—called the SA-10 by NATO—is a long-range, advanced air defense system intended to protect large areas over a much wider radius. The SA-8 is a short-range, tactical air defense system designed to move with ground forces and provide cover from aircraft and helicopters. While the SA-8 has a shorter range, it is highly mobile and potentially easier to hide.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to deliver a virtual address to the Japanese parliament on Wednesday amid a larger effort to rally international support for his country as it fends off a Russian invasion.
An online speech by a foreign leader to the Japanese lawmakers is unprecedented, according to the Associated Press.
Sen. Lindsey Graham told "Hannity" Monday that if Russian President Vladimir Putin unleashes a nuclear weapon on Ukraine, the neighboring NATO allies should consider it a direct attack on their countries and an extreme provocation, prompting all NATO members to respond accordingly.
"I’m begging NATO to let Putin know what would happen if he used chemical weapons on the poor suffering people of Ukraine," Graham said. "If he explodes a nuclear weapon in Ukraine to scare us all away, we should say the radiation coming to NATO countries is an attack with NATO itself, and you are picking a fight with NATO."
"We should impose a no-fly zone immediately because that’s breaking all the rules that we have established since World War II," he said, reiterating that "if Putin explodes a nuclear weapon inside of Ukraine, the radiation will affect most of Europe. We should consider that attack on NATO itself." (READ MORE)
The U.S. government needs to stop listening to Russia's Vladimir Putin, Rep. Dan Crenshaw told "Jesse Watters Primetime" Monday.
Crenshaw said that too often, America's leaders are reactionary to Putin's considerations and definitions of what constitutes direct U.S. involvement in Ukraine, which could trigger NATO Article V and lead to World War III.
The Biden administration has appeared cautious so as not to provoke a Russian response directly toward NATO states, but that tact has been conversely criticized by Ukrainian officials who are calling for more specific assistance.
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The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that at least 925 civilians have been killed in the war so far, including 75 children. Another 1,496 civilians have been injured, including 99 kids, mostly caused by shelling and airstrikes. While the commission reported the numbers, it added that the true numbers are likely much higher.
925 killed, incl 75 children; 1,496 injured, incl 99 children, mostly caused by shelling & airstrikes. Actual toll is much higher.
It is not that his spies are necessarily incompetent. Vladimir Putin apparently just thinks they are.
Two members of the FSB, the successor agency to the KGB, who were supposed to have prepped the ground for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, are reportedly under house arrest. Colonel-General Sergei Beseda and his deputy apparently dropped the ball. Or are being blamed for an operation that by most accounts is bogged down.
Questions are likely being asked. "Why didn't Ukrainains welcome Russian soldiers? Where did the money earmarked for that operation go? Was it unwisely spent or stolen by those in charge of it?" There were no crowds greeting the invading force with flowers, as some in Russia had anticipated.
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