Ben Wolfgang
Articles by Ben Wolfgang
Putin vows Russia’s ‘noble’ operation in Ukraine will end in victory
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday pledged victory in Ukraine, brushing off his military's embarrassing battlefield missteps and casting the invasion as a "noble" fight. Published April 12, 2022
Ukraine braces for Donbas battle as Moscow’s war effort faces new questions
Ukraine braced itself Monday for a massive Russian assault on the country's eastern Donbas region, which is set to become ground zero in a bloody conflict that shows no sign of stopping despite growing questions about whether Moscow can secure anything resembling the original victory it sought. Published April 11, 2022
Rethinking Russia: Failures in Ukraine dent military’s reputation but stoke fears of escalation
ANALYSIS: Russia may have proven itself to be less of a great power and more of a loose cannon. Six weeks into Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and on the heels of a stunning loss in the battle for Kyiv, the overall competency of Russia's military is suddenly in doubt and its perceived spot near the top of the 21st-century global pecking order is being reassessed. Published April 10, 2022
White House, Republicans clash on U.S. endgame in Ukraine-Russia war
Deep differences over the U.S. endgame in Ukraine came into sharp focus Sunday morning between Biden administration officials and top congressional Republicans. Published April 10, 2022
Russia shakes up military leadership, calls back veterans ahead of eastern Ukraine offensive
Russia shook up its military leadership over the weekend and began recalling discharged veterans ahead of a major offensive in eastern Ukraine, as Washington grappled with how far to go in aiding Ukrainian troops while still avoiding a direct confrontation with Moscow. Published April 10, 2022
Kyiv failure reverberates for Putin’s shaken regime
Russia's push to capture Kyiv has failed and all of its troops have retreated from the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, Pentagon officials said Wednesday, marking a crushing defeat for the Kremlin and dealing a blow to the country's perceived status as a global military power. Published April 6, 2022
Putin loses battle for Kyiv; Russian forces withdrawn from around Ukrainian capital, Pentagon says
All Russian troops have withdrawn from Kyiv and the surrounding area, Pentagon officials said Wednesday, capping a stunning defeat for the Russian military as it abandons its goal of capturing the Ukrainian capital and overthrowing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Published April 6, 2022
Ukraine battles, fallout far from over, Pentagon brass warn
Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine is far from over, and the West must prepare for a yearslong commitment to support the government in Kyiv, guard NATO's eastern border and gird for the revival of an era of great-power conflict, top Pentagon leaders said Tuesday. Published April 5, 2022
‘You’re embarrassed by your country’: Pentagon’s Austin, Rep. Gaetz in fiery hearing clash
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin accused Rep. Matt Gaetz of being "embarrassed by your country" at a House hearing Tuesday, while the outspoken Florida Republican shot back that Mr. Austin and other Pentagon leaders have compromised U.S. military superiority by embracing socialist policies. Published April 5, 2022
World ‘trending toward greater instability,’ Pentagon leaders say
Russia's invasion of Ukraine is the latest indication that the world is rapidly becoming more unstable, top Pentagon leaders said Tuesday, as they warned that the prospects of major conflict between the U.S. and other great powers such as China and Russia are increasing. Published April 5, 2022
The tank isn’t dead, Pentagon leaders say, despite Russian debacle
Russia's mechanized forces have become relatively easy targets for Ukrainian troops armed with cutting-edge, anti-tank weaponry, sparking fresh questions about whether the tank has outlived its usefulness in 21st-century combat. Published April 5, 2022
U.S. can do more to help Ukraine, rattle Putin, former Moscow CIA chief says
The U.S. is missing a key opportunity to ramp up its military support to Ukraine and fuel the domestic pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, who could see his grip on power in the Kremlin evaporate if Russia's invasion fails and Ukraine emerges victorious, former CIA station chief in Moscow Daniel Hoffman said Monday. Published April 4, 2022
Biden faces growing pressure over nuclear talks, rumored plan to pull Iran’s IRGC from terror list
The Biden administration is playing with fire as it considers lifting the formal terrorism designation on Iran's elite military force, former U.S. officials and national security scholars said Friday, warning that American lives will be at greater risk if Washington makes such a concession in a bid to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Published March 25, 2022
Blocked Zelenskyy drops demand for NATO no-fly zone over Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's impassioned video plea to Thursday's gathering of NATO leaders in Brussels for emergency military aid effectively dropped what had been Kyiv's No. 1 ask in the unequal fight to hold off invading Russian forces -- a no-fly zone to block Russian fighter jets from the skies over its smaller neighbor. Published March 24, 2022
Ukraine rejects Moscow’s surrender demand amid exodus of refugees, growing death toll
Defiant Ukrainians rejected Russia's surrender demands Monday and vowed to keep fighting in the face of indiscriminate shelling and a growing death toll, while relations between Moscow and the West sunk to a post-Cold War low amid outrage over "massive war crimes" committed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his troops. Published March 21, 2022
Inside U.S. troops’ fight against the Pentagon’s ‘unjust’ COVID-19 vaccine mandate
They didn't make the decision lightly, as they were fully aware it would likely cost them their military careers. But for U.S. troops who refused the federally mandated COVID-19 vaccine, it was a sacrifice worth making. Published March 20, 2022
Tanking? Russia’s struggles raise new questions over armored advantage
The classic armored tank's future as an effective battlefield weapon is once again in question amid a less-than-stellar showing so far in Russia's nearly three-week military campaign in Ukraine, which has seen the iconic ground combat vehicles routinely reduced to rubble by anti-tank weapons, drones and other countermeasures. Published March 16, 2022
U.S., allies push China to rein in Russia as civilian suffering rises in Ukraine
The U.S. and its NATO allies on Monday put heavy public pressure on China to intervene and help stop Russia's war in Ukraine, which has killed thousands and sparked a massive humanitarian crisis in the city of Mariupol that aid organizations describe as a "life-and-death nightmare." Published March 14, 2022
Top White House, Chinese officials meet in Rome; U.S. warns Beijing against aid to Russia
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with a top Chinese diplomat in Rome Monday as the Biden administration warned that any effort by China to aid Russia's invasion of Ukraine or to help the Kremlin skirt global economic sanctions will be met with serious repercussions. Published March 14, 2022
Top diplomat admits it’s ‘hard to understand’ why U.S. negotiating new nuclear deal with Iran
A top Biden administration diplomat admitted Sunday that it is "hard to understand" why the U.S. and other world powers are negotiating with Iran. Published March 13, 2022
