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Zelenskyy shakes up Ukrainian Cabinet to reinvigorate war effort

Zelenskyy shakes up Ukrainian Cabinet to reinvigorate war effort

Washington Post6 days ago
KYIV, Ukraine — A slate of fresh-faced officials is poised to take on top roles in Ukraine's government, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reshuffles the Cabinet in a bid to energize a war-weary nation and boost domestic weapons production in the face of Russia's grinding invasion .
At home, however, the Cabinet recalibration has not been seen as a major shift, as the Ukrainian leader continues to rely on officials who have proven their effectiveness and loyalty during the war, now in its fourth year.
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Last year, we noted that GUR found dozens of foreign components in a Russian S-70 Okhotnik-B (Hunter-B) flying wing unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) downed in a case of friendly fire. S-70 Okhotnik-B (Hunter-B) flying wing unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV). Russian MOD Screenshot/via Other Russian weapons, like the Banderol S-8000 cruise missile, contain parts from Switzerland, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea as well as the U.S. and China, according to the GUR database. In the very early days of the all-out invasion, GUR shared with us a list of several weapons packed with foreign chips. They were found inside a recovered example of the 9S932-1, a radar-equipped air defense command post vehicle that is part of the larger Barnaul-T system, a Pantsir air defense system, a Ka-52 'Alligator' attack helicopter, and a Kh-101 (AS-23A Kodiak) cruise missile. These parts all found their way into Russian weapons despite international sanctions designed to prevent that from happening. Beyond components, China appears to have provided Russia with at least some complete weapons systems. In May, we reported that Russia was using a new Chinese laser system to shoot down Ukrainian drones. The system seen in a video posted to Telegram appeared to be at least extremely similar to a system Beijing has apparently already provided to Iran, which you can read more about here. However, it remains unclear how widely this system is being fielded by Russia. You can see images and video of those systems below. While the sensor arrangement seems to have been altered, the system observed in Russian service strongly resembles the Chinese Shen Nung 3000/5000 anti-drone laser. — Fabian Hinz (@fab_hinz) May 31, 2025 Russia's growing reliance on China for technology comes as the two nations are drawing closer in what can be described as a relationship of convenience to challenge the U.S. and its allies. Officially, China has expressed neutrality in this conflict; however, its actions say otherwise. Earlier this month, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the European Union's top diplomat that Beijing can't accept Russia losing its war against Ukraine because it could allow the U.S. to turn its full attention to China, CNN reported. The network cited an official briefed on the talks. The Chinese foreign minister's admission came during what the official said was 'a four-hour meeting with EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas' in Brussels that 'featured tough but respectful exchanges, covering a broad range of issues from cyber security, rare earths to trade imbalances, Taiwan and Middle East.' The official said Wang's private remarks suggested Beijing 'might prefer a protracted war in Ukraine that keeps the United States from focusing on its rivalry with China,' CNN added. 'Wang's comments echo concerns of critics of China's policy that Beijing has geopolitically much more at stake in the Ukrainian conflict than its admitted position of neutrality.' China's assistance to Russia differs from what North Korea is providing in terms of missiles, artillery, millions of rounds of shells and more than 11,000 troops fighting against Ukraine. However, the electronics flowing from China are critical to Russia's military-industrial complex. Given that Russia has had time to shift its supply chain to Chinese sources while simultaneously spinning up its economy into a wartime configuration, it is likely we will see many more of these components installed throughout Moscow's arsenal. Contact the author: howard@

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