The Ukraine Daily Brief Newsletter – Wednesday, March 30, 2022
The latest episode of the Ukraine Daily Brief Podcast is now live. Please be sure to listen and review (we know you are receiving the podcast in the member feed, but reviews help with discoverability). Some notable links referenced in today’s podcast can be viewed here.
The War
Russia lays out a legal pretext for further invasions. Bombing campaign continues, despite pull back pledges. Turkey and Romania scramble to diffuse mines in the Black Sea.
Economics
Putin reverses position on gas payment in rubles in conversation with Scholz, according to German officials. Billionaire-backed mining company will begin exploratory rare earth mining in Greenland as a sanctions hedge. Usmanov’s EUR 600,000 bullet-proof car is seized in Sardinia. The cost of consumer-staple cabbage steepens in Russia.
Technology
Three VPN services offer to ‘unblock’ access to Roskomnadzor’s black-list, which includes the BBC, Bellingcat, DW, Meduza, and Radio Svoboda. Ukrtelecom is slowly resuming service following Monday’s massive cyberattack.
Europe
Russian diplomats suspected of spying are expelled from Ireland, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Claims surface that German Finance Minister Lindner was originally opposed to support for Ukraine. Medinsky says that Russia ‘does not object’ to Ukraine’s EU ambitions. Meduza reports Ukraine’s 10-point plan from the latest peace talks.
U.S. and the World
Biden to lift pandemic-era border policy. The Pentagon is boosting Stinger and Javelin production. The conflict sparks opportunism in the long-standing Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.
DSR Exclusives
David Rothkopf, Rosa Brooks, Ed Luce, and Kori Schake cut through the fog of war reporting and explore future scenarios on the latest episode of Deep State Radio.
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Tune in to tomorrow’s podcast for new and evolving stories.
The DSR Network Team (Chris Cotnoir, Grant Haver, and Katherine Hill)
