Russia sought to create a leaner, meaner military. But entrenched, Soviet-era practices endure.

-

By BY NEIL MACFARQUHAR from NYT World https://ift.tt/8WoBlzS

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bangladesh opposition calls for fresh election as Sheikh Hasina wins amid violence and vote-rigging claims

-
Image
Bangladesh's main opposition called for a fresh vote on Sunday as the country's prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, and her ruling Awami League were declared the winners of an election tainted by violence and vote-rigging allegations. At least 17 people were said to have been killed in election day clashes, while reports flowed in of alleged vote manipulation and people being blocked from entering polling stations by ruling party supporters. As Mrs Hasina's alliance sailed past the 151 seats needed to form a government and headed for a landslide third consecutive term, the country's main opposition leader called for the "farcical" election to be declared void.  Kamal Hossain, head of the Jatiya Oikya Front (JOF), the largest opposition alliance, told a press conference in Dhaka that votes had been "rigged on a massive scale across the country".  He urged Bangladesh's election commission to dismiss the result and call "fresh elections under a non-...
Read more

Trump Dismisses Russian Support for Taliban, Citing U.S. Tactics during Cold War

-
Image
President Trump said Tuesday that he has never discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin the intelligence indicating that Russia paid Taliban fighters to kill U.S. troops despite several phone calls between the two heads of state since the intelligence was made known.“I have never discussed it with him,” Trump said in an interview with "Axios on HBO."Asked why he did not confront Putin over the alarming revelation, Trump responded, “That was a phone call to discuss other things, and frankly that’s an issue that many people said was fake news.”Trump also cited previous U.S. tactics during the Cold War, when the U.S. provided support to Afghan soldiers fighting the Soviet Union, in an effort to downplay the Kremlin's intervention in Afghanistan."Well we supplied weapons when they were fighting Russia too. You know, when they were fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan," Trump said. "I'm just saying we did that too."Trump has reportedly spoken...
Read more