The D Brief: US, Russia exchange prisoners; F-16s arrive in Ukraine; NSA’s AI push; Army captain wins medal; And a bit more.
Developing: At least three Americans wrongfully detained in Russia are being released to the United States in exchange for an unspecified number of imprisoned Russians, according to Bloomberg and the Associated Press.
An astonishing total of 26 people are being freed in the multinational arrangement, which also includes prisoners from Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Belarus, Reuters reports. “10 prisoners, including two minors, had been moved to Russia, 13 to Germany and three to the United States,” the wire service writes, citing Turkish officials.
The three Americans include Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, 32, and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, 54, as well as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, 47. Whelan was arrested in 2018; Gershkovich in March 2023; and Kurmasheva in October 2023.
“The Kremlin is also releasing dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza as part of the agreement,” Bloomberg reports. “Kara-Murza, 42, has been a persistent campaigner against President Vladimir Putin’s rule and was given a record 25-year prison sentence in April last year on treason and other charges for criticizing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
What does Moscow get in return? It’s unclear just yet; but AP and Reuters singled out 58-year-old Russian secret service colonel Vadim Krasikov as a strong possibility. Krasikov “was convicted in Germany in 2021 of killing a former Chechen rebel in a Berlin park [in 2019], apparently on the orders of Moscow’s security services,” AP writes. Others could include money launderer Maxim Marchenko, semiconductor smuggler Vadim Konoshchenok, and hacker Vladislav Klyushin, according to Reuters.
By the way: Rumors of a possible exchange have been floating around for the past several days, as Alexander Kolyandr of the European Center for Policy Analysis noted Tuesday.
Welcome to this Thursday edition of The D Brief, brought to you by Ben Watson with Bradley Peniston. Share your newsletter tips, reading recommendations, or feedback here. And if you’re not already subscribed, you can do that here. On this day in 1907, the U.S. Army established an Aeronautical Division to take “charge of all matters pertaining to military ballooning, air machines, and all kindred subjects.” Forty years later, President Harry Truman decreed Aug. 1 to be Air Force Day.
New: A “small number” of F-16s have finally arrived in Ukraine, AP and Agence France-Presse report, citing U.S. and European officials.
Background: Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway have pledged 65 F-16s to Ukraine. But the country will likely require more than 200 in order to “achieve the air support needed for the war on the ground,” according to a recent analysis from the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The aircraft could be used to target Russian air defense systems at the outset, and they could also be used to shoot down Russian cruise missiles and drones. “Although it is a very expensive way of doing that, munitions-wise,” said Justin Bronk of the London-based Royal United Services Institute, speaking to AFP.
Ukrainian forces shot down 89 Iranian-designed Shahed drones launched by Russia on Wednesday. AP described it as Russia’s “biggest drone barrage against Ukraine in 7 months.”
“And this is an important result,” President Volodymir Zelenskyy said on social media. “Ukrainians can fully protect their skies from Russian strikes when they have sufficient supplies…We need sufficiently courageous decisions from our partners—enough air defense systems, enough range,” Zelenskyy said. “And Ukrainians will do everything correctly and precisely,” he added.
After the U.S. announced another tranche of military aid to Ukraine this week, Zelenskyy recorded a video expressing his gratitude Wednesday evening. “We are working on the fastest possible logistics,” he said, referring to receipt and use of the incoming equipment.
“August is dedicated to preparation; autumn is for results,” said Zelenskyy.
From the region: The U.S. wants to sell Slovakia a dozen AH-1Z Attack Helicopters for about $600 million. That also includes 26 engines and lots of associated parts. Details via the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency, here.
Additional reading:
- “China is restricting export of drones that can be used for military purposes,” AP reported Wednesday from Bangkok;
- “US Army stops paying soldier imprisoned in Russia, may prosecute him,” Reuters reported Tuesday;
- And “Trump splits with GOP lawmakers on national security, raising alarm,” The Hill reported Thursday, singling out issues like “the war in Ukraine, preserving the NATO alliance and protecting Taiwan.”
More than 7,000 NSA analysts are using generative AI tools, director says. These “piloted capabilities” are being used for “intelligence, cybersecurity, and business workflows,” Gen. Timothy Haugh said at an Intelligence and National Security Alliance event. “The feedback we've received from the workforce has been overwhelmingly positive, helping our analysts work smarter and better.”
High priority: The National Security Agency has “over 170 different things that are going on from an AI-project perspective. But there's really about 10 of those that we have to ensure, from a national-security perspective, are awesome,” Haugh said. Defense One’s Lauren Williams reports, here.
Additional reading:
- “Chinese warships off Alaska signal a new stage in seapower competition,” writes Utah State University professor Colin Flint;
- “The military needs to make human-performance optimization part of daily ops,” opines Katherine Kuzminski, Deputy Director of Studies, Center for a New American Security, at Defense One;
- “Pentagon Data Shows High Suicide Rates Among Troops Exposed to Blasts,” the New York Times reports;
- And "Teen brother of Air Force airman who was killed by Florida deputy is shot to death near Atlanta," AP reported Thursday from Atlanta.
And lastly: A big congrats to Army Capt. Sammy Sullivan, who just won Olympic bronze. A 2020 West Point grad who joined the rugby team after being cut from soccer, Sullivan is an active duty engineering officer and a member of the Army’s World Class Athlete Program who competes with the U.S. national women’s rugby sevens. At the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, she started every game en route to winning a team bronze medal by defeating rugby power Australia. Task & Purpose has a bit more about Sullivan, here. WUNC spoke with Sullivan after she received her medal, and you can read game recaps from ESPN or AP.