Russia

• Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Wednesday that Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia would not be possible without help from the West, Russia’s TASS news agency reported. AWC
• Fresh from a trip to Kyiv, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) is arguing that the US is getting its “money’s worth” in Ukraine because Russia is taking losses and no Americans are dying, showing a lack of concern for Ukrainian lives. AWC
• Ukrainian officials have sharply criticized Pope Francis for an address he gave to young Russian Catholics, accusing him of spreading “imperialist propaganda” for saying Russians should be proud of their heritage. AWC

China

• The Biden administration has approved the first-ever military aid package for Taiwan using Foreign Military Financing (FMF), a State Department program that gives foreign governments money to buy US arms. AWC
• An influential group of British members of parliament referred to Taiwan as an “independent country” in a report issued Wednesday as British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is visiting China. AWC

Korea

• Hours after the US flew bombers in separate joint air drills with Tokyo and Seoul, North Korea test fired two short-range ballistic missiles. This comes as Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), has warned that increased military provocations by the US, Japan, and South Korea could cause a nuclear war. The Institute 

Syria

• Over thirty people were killed in a battle between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Deir el-Zour Military Council (DEMC). Both the SDF and DEMC are supported by the US. The Institute