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As Ukraine requests more weaponry amid its counteroffensive against Russia, the Biden administration is weighing whether to supply Kyiv with controversial cluster bombs. Senior U.S. administration and defense officials have contacted lawmakers to assess their comfort with sending the munitions, people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post. The Biden administration has concerns about the optics of the move and the potential for long-term harm to civilians, as the munitions can leave behind unexploded bomblets that remain deadly for decades.
CIA Director William J. Burns made a secret visit to Ukraine earlier this month, where officials revealed an ambitious endgame for the war, The Post has reported. The strategy aims to retake Russian-occupied territory and open cease-fire negotiations with Moscow by the end of the year, officials familiar with the visit said.
Here’s the latest on the war and its impact across the globe.
After mutiny, Kremlin looks to unwind holdings tied to Wagner mercenary boss: With Moscow still rattled by the Wagner mercenary group’s failed rebellion, the Kremlin has begun dismantling and taking control of Yevgeniy Prigozhin’s sprawling empire, which included not only the army-for-hire but also a propaganda media wing and internet troll factories infamous for interfering in U.S. elections.
But handling his operations poses a challenge for the Russian government, Mary Ilyushina, Rachel Chason, Robyn Dixon and John Hudson report. The Russian military, for instance, relies on Prigozhin’s businesses to feed soldiers fighting in Ukraine and cannot afford disruptions.
“Prigozhin is not only the Wagner Group, he represents a structure that is trying to work on the ideological front, on the political front,” said Denis Korotkov, a Russian investigative journalist who first uncovered the Wagner Group. “All this works in a tight ecosystem with other sides of his business.”
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