"Russia’s invasion of Ukraine hits an impasse amid fierce fighting and looming peace talks" PBS NewsHour 3/28/2022
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SUMMARY: Nearly 5,000 people have been killed and 160,000 remain trapped inside the city of Mariupol without heat, water or electricity. Ukraine said the city is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe, but no evacuation corridors were agreed on Monday, fearing Russia would launch attacks on anyone trying to flee. Special correspondent Jack Hewson reports from Kharkiv, Ukraine.
"Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Ukraine and the West: ‘Don’t push us into the corner’" PBS NewsHour 3/28/2022
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SUMMARY: President Biden on Monday stood by his comments over the weekend that Russia's Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power" as Ukraine President Zelensky said he was open to discussing neutrality for his nation in exchange for a ceasefire. Special correspondent Ryan Chilcote talked with President Vladimir Putin's chief spokesman and deputy chief of staff Dmitry Peskov to get a view inside the Kremlin.
"Russia and Ukraine discuss a path to peace as Ukrainian forces retake critical Kyiv suburb" PBS NewsHour 3/29/2022
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SUMMARY: President Biden's expressed skepticism Tuesday over Russia's statement that it would curtail some of its military activity in northern Ukraine as talks between Ukraine and Russia in Turkey showed some signs of progress. This as Russian forces continued to bombard urban areas amid a fierce Ukrainian resistance. Special correspondent Jack Hewson reports from Kharkiv.
"Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on war in Ukraine and the Russian threat" PBS NewsHour 3/29/2022
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SUMMARY: The tiny nation of Estonia shares a 180-mile border with Russia. During World War II, the Soviet Union occupied the country and then annexed it until Estonia regained its independence. Now, it is a NATO and European Union member on the front lines with Russia. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas joins Judy Woodruff to discuss how her nation is responding to the war in Ukraine.
"Russian strikes rock Ukrainian cities despite pledge to ease attacks" PBS NewsHour 3/30/2022
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SUMMARY: A day after Russia vowed to draw down some troops around Kyiv, there's been no let-up in the bombardment across Ukraine. The U.S. said Russia began repositioning some forces arrayed around the capital, but is expected to redeploy them elsewhere. Meantime, new U.S. intelligence suggests President Putin's aides have misinformed him on Ukraine, raising tensions inside the Kremlin. Ali Rogin reports.
"Civilians endure intense suffering as Russian shelling reduces Kharkiv to ‘a smoking ruin’" PBS NewsHour 3/30/2022
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SUMMARY: Kharkiv near the Russian border in northeastern Ukraine is majority ethnic-Russian and the nation's second-largest city. Now, many of its people have fled thunderous Russian airstrikes and artillery that have reduced this Ukrainian center of culture, learning and industry to a shell of its former self. Special correspondent Jack Hewson and filmmaker Ed Ram report from the embattled city.
"Russia shifts focus to Ukraine’s south amid stiff resistance" PBS NewsHour 3/31/2022
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SUMMARY: President Biden said Thursday there was "no clear evidence" that the Russians were scaling back their military operations around the Ukrainian capital, despite that assertion from Moscow earlier this week. The U.S. has seen some redeployments of Russian troops, but not in sizable numbers. Meanwhile the Russian attacks and Ukrainian resistance grind on. Jack Hewson reports from Kharkiv.
"Ukrainian civilians resort to desperate attempts to evacuate war zone" PBS NewsHour 3/31/2022
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SUMMARY: The city of Zaporizhya lies in the southeast of Ukraine along the Dnieper River. It’s very close to the front lines, and so far remains in Ukrainian hands. In the early days of the war, fighting at its nuclear power plant put the entire world on edge. But as things settle down there, Zaporizhya has become a way station for thousands trying to escape Russian attacks. Volodymyr Solohub reports.
"Ukraine Aims High with Request for F-15 and F-16 Jets. Here's Why It Probably Won't Happen" by Thomas Novelly, Military.com 04012021
Ukraine is asking for more modern F-15 and F-16 fighter jets from the U.S. and western allies that it says could be pushed into the fight against Russia within weeks, but experts say the proposal is unlikely and unrealistic.
"In the sky, the greatest need is for fighter jets -- F-15s and F-16s of the fourth generation or higher would be sufficient," the country's Air Force tweeted on Thursday, "pilots can learn to fly these with just 2-3 weeks of training."
It would take more than a couple of weeks to train new pilots on the advanced American aircraft, and providing that high-tech aircraft would ultimately create more problems than solutions for the U.S. and Ukraine, according to John "JV" Venable, a research fellow with the Heritage Foundation, a think tank in Washington, D.C.
Venable, a 25-year Air Force veteran with more than 2,000 hours of flight time on the F-16, said supplying and training Ukrainians on those planes would be nothing short of a "herculean effort."
The U.S. is the largest operator of the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon, which have been used in numerous conflicts in recent decades. Both were introduced to the service in the 1970s and have since been adopted by countries such as Israel, Japan and Germany. They were developed for lightning fast speed, durability in a variety of weather environments and are armed with high-tech radar and long-range missiles.
Venable said it would take a proficient pilot like himself upward of six weeks to retrain on the F-16, a plane he is already very familiar with. Additionally, a shipment of F-15s or F-16s would require a lot of financial and logistical commitment from the country supplying the fighter jets.
"Where would Ukraine receive that training?" Venable said. "The host nation would have to completely stock their own training pipeline, and no nation is going to do that. It's a false hope."
Along with just the necessary pilot training, providing Ukraine with F-15s and F-16s would mean any donor nation would also need to supply an abundance of parts, maintenance crews to train their military and runway preparation.
The Ukrainian Air Force's request is the latest example of the tense back-and-forth conversations the U.S. and European allies have had with Ukraine as they figure out how best to deliver air support in their effort to repel Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February after massing more than 150,000 troops around its border over the past year.
Last month, conversations between Poland and the U.S. focused on supplying Ukraine with Russian MiG-29 jets because their pilots are already trained on flying that aircraft, but the talks broke down over the complexities of delivering the aircraft. Those planes were more up to date than what their country's air force had in their possession, meaning the transition would have been more seamless.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, President Joe Biden's administration has provided more than $1 billion worth of aid to their military, including Javelin and Stinger missiles to fight against aircraft, as well as thousands of rifles and millions of rounds of ammunition.
And while Ukrainian forces have made great use of the weapons and continue to stymie Russian advances, their military and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continue to plead for more advanced defenses.
In a tweet thread on Thursday, Ukraine's Air Force said it can't compete with Russia's missile systems and requested high-tech American-made Patriot missile systems. The long-range Patriot batteries are used by the U.S. military and are capable of taking down ballistic missiles and aircraft.
Venable said all of these "asks" would be a logistical nightmare for the U.S., and more than likely, Ukraine is testing the waters for future weapons acquisitions.
"They're asking for the moon and hoping they land somewhere around there," Venable said.
Karl Mueller, a senior political scientist at the nonprofit Rand Corp. who specializes in national defense strategy, said Russia was expected to sweep Ukraine's Air Force and has fallen short.
Mueller added that while providing Ukraine with American missile launchers and advanced aircraft may not work for the short term, it's laying the groundwork for their country to get major military upgrades when the dust settles.
"Providing them with more up-to-date western aircraft is a more long-term question," Mueller said. "I assume, now that we know they're not going to be conquered by Russia ... there will eventually be a flow of weapons to make sure Ukraine can stay secure."
"Russia claims Ukrainian forces struck fuel depot in cross-border attack" PBS NewsHour 4/1/2022
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SUMMARY: Russia on Friday accused Ukraine of entering into its airspace for the first time and striking a fuel facility in the western city of Belgorod, 16 miles away from the border. But Ukrainian officials have not confirmed the attack as fierce battles continue in major population centers. And in Mariupol there was another failed attempt to evacuate civilians. Jack Hewson reports.
"Russian forces retreat from Ukraine’s capital region as civilians attempt to flee Mariupol" PBS NewsHour 4/2/2022
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SUMMARY: Ukraine says its forces have retaken the entire region around the capital Kyiv as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that retreating Russian forces left behind "a complete disaster" and said residents should beware of continued shelling and land mines. Meanwhile, efforts to get civilians out of the hard-hit city of Mariupol pressed on. Correspondent Ali Rogin has our report.
"Ukraine accuses Russia of genocide as retreat outside Kyiv leaves ‘trail of death’" PBS NewsHour 4/3/2022
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SUMMARY: Ukrainian prosecutors investigating possible Russian war crimes say they have found 410 bodies in the towns surrounding Kyiv. Meanwhile, Moscow continues to deny the military is killing civilians. But as Russian troops pull back from those areas they are scorching the earth behind them. Correspondent Ali Rogin reports and Simon Ostrovsky joins Geoff Bennett with more from on the ground in Ukraine.
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