Exclusive: US intelligence materials related to Ukraine, Iran and UK found in Biden’s private office

Among the classified documents from Joe Biden’s time as vice president discovered in a private office last fall are US intelligence memos and briefing materials that covered topics including Ukraine, Iran and the United Kingdom, according to a source familiar with the matter.

A total of 10 documents with classification markings were found last year in Biden’s private academic office and they were dated between 2013 and 2016, according to the source.

The boxes with these classified records also contained personal Biden family documents, including materials about Beau Biden‘s funeral arrangements, the source told CNN.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has assigned the US attorney in Chicago, a holdover from the Trump administration, to investigate the matter, CNN previously reported. Garland made this move after receiving a referral from the National Archives and Records Administration.

The documents were discovered on November 2, just six days before the midterm elections, but the matter only became public Monday due to news reports.

The source told CNN that a personal lawyer for Biden was closing out the downtown DC office that Biden used as part his work with the University of Pennsylvania. The lawyer saw an envelope with markings indicating they were the former vice president’s personal documents, opened the envelope and noticed there were classified documents inside. The lawyer closed the envelope and called NARA, the source said.

After making contact with NARA, Biden’s team turned over several boxes in an abundance of caution, even though many of the boxes contained personal materials, the source said.

Biden, who became US President in January 2021, had previously served as US Vice President between 2008 and 2016, under then-US President Barack Obama.

According to media reports, Attorney General Merrick Garland has already assigned a US attorney from Chicago who was appointed by former US President Donald Trump to oversee the matter - a move Garland made after receiving an inquiry from the US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The documents have reportedly already been surrendered to the agency.

News about the documents first hit the news waves on Monday, but contained no details. Biden dodged questions about the discovery asked of him during an appearance with Mexican President Andrews Manuel Lopez Obrador.

The report comes amid a lengthy struggle between Trump and the federal government over hundreds of classified files found unsecured at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. After several requests for the files by NARA, which only received incomplete returns, the FBI launched a raid of the estate in August 2022 and seized hundreds more from a storage closet.

Trump has refused to cooperate with the investigation, calling it a "witch hunt" and claiming it is intended to stop him from returning to office in 2024. Trump announced his new presidential campaign after the midterm elections in November.

Trump Wonders if FBI Will Raid Biden's Home After Secret Docs Found at POTUS' Former Office

In August 2022, the FBI conducted a raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence as part of a probe into his post-presidential handling of classified documents.

Donald Trump has taken to the social platform Truth Social to question whether the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will react to the discovery of a slew of classified documents from President Joe Biden’s time as VP in a private office.

“When is the FBI going to raid the many homes of Joe Biden, perhaps even the White House? These documents were definitely not declassified,” the former US president wrote.

He was echoed by his son Donald Jr., who tweeted that he would like to know when the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team will “storm one of Biden's many vacation homes bought and paid for somehow by a lifetime of being a humble public servant.”

The same tone was struck by Ronny Jackson, the former White House doctor turned Texas congressman, who described the news about “highly classified documents” being “improperly stored” in one of Biden’s private offices as “incredible.” “(...) Where is the FBI? Where is the dramatic raid? We have two systems of justice in this country: one for them and one for us,” Jackson claimed.

The remarks follow a US media outlet reporting that the federal prosecutor’s office is reviewing about 10 documents found by Biden’s personal attorneys at his vice-presidential office at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, a Washington-based think tank, in early November.

The sensitive materials were reportedly found while the attorneys prepared to vacate the office space, where the classified documents were said to have been located alongside other unclassified papers.

After the documents were identified and reported to the National Archives on November 2, the agency took possession of the materials and notified the Justice Department.

Richard Sauber, special counsel to President Biden, said in a statement that the White House is “cooperating with the National Archives and the Department of Justice regarding the discovery of what appear to be Obama-Biden Administration records, including a small number of documents with classified marking.”

The developments come as special counsel Jack Smith is probing Trump for potentially mishandling classified records at his Mar-a-Lago resort in southern Florida. Federal investigators have recovered at least 325 classified documents from Trump as part of their inquiry.

The investigation was preceded by the FBI raid on the Mar-a-Lago residence, where bureau agents searched documents that the ex-POTUS had taken from the White House at the end of his term, rather than surrendering them to the National Archives in line with the Presidential Records Act.

Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the matter, slamming the “unannounced raid” on his home as “not necessary or appropriate." He dubbed the FBI’s actions “prosecutorial misconduct, the weaponization of the Justice System, and an attack by Radical Left Democrats who desperately don’t want him president in 2024.”

Last month, US District Court Judge Aileen Cannon, of the Southern District of Florida, dismissed Trump’s lawsuit challenging the Mar-a-Lago search for “lack of jurisdiction.”

Real life forces Tokyo to compromise and cooperate with Russia, says senior diplomat

©AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko

Tokyo is immersed in sanctions work against Russia, but real life forces Japan to compromise its ‘principles’ and cooperate with Moscow, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told the Izvestia newspaper in an interview on Tuesday.

"It is quite obvious to us that official Tokyo is unquestioningly fulfilling Washington's political order by fully engaging in the sanctions work. However, practice shows that real life makes the Japanese authorities compromise their detached from national interests ‘principles’ in the spheres where they cannot do without cooperation with Russia," he said.

Rudenko pointed out that the Japanese authorities recommended the local companies - the shareholders of Sakhalin-1 and Sakhalin-2 oil and gas projects - to continue participating in the projects under the pretext of ensuring the country's energy security. "Fumio Kishida's administration begged his G7 partners to remove crude oil flowing to Japan from the Sakhalin-2 project from a restrictive scheme involving a price cap on Russian-origin energy carriers," the diplomat added.

Russia approves Japan's SODECO participation in new Sakhalin 1 oil, gas project operator

The Russian government has approved Japan's Sakhalin Oil and Gas Development Co., or SODECO's participation in the new operator of Sakhalin 1 oil, gas project, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Nov. 15, a move Tokyo sees significant for the country's energy security.

"We are aware about the Russian government's decision to approve SODECO's participation in the new Sakhalin 1 company," Matsuno told a press conference. "We see this decision extremely significant from the perspective of our country's mid- to long-term stable energy supply."

Japan sees an equity stake in the Sakhalin 1 oil, gas project important as it relies around 95% on Middle Eastern oil imports.

Japan, however, recorded no Russian crude imports for the fourth consecutive month in September as the country's top two refiners, ENEOS and Idemitsu Kosan, have already suspended signing new Russian crude contracts.

Matsuno's comments come as a Russian government ordinance has been issued to transfer SODECO's 30% stake to the new Sakhalin 1 operator, according to a Japanese government source.

The new Russian operator, named Sakhalin 1, was added to the Russian register of legal entities Oct. 14. Rosneft subsidiary Sakhalinmorneftegaz-Shelf has been appointed to manage the new entity.

Foreign partners were given one month to apply to the Russian government to keep their stakes in the project.

Press Conference by Minister Hagiuda

Tuesday, May 10, 2022, Press Conference Room, METI

Question: Prime Minister Kishida stated at the G7 leaders’ meeting that Japan would impose a general embargo on Russian oil. What are your thoughts on how such an embargo will be implemented? The Prime Minister has also said that Japan will maintain its interests in Sakhalin. Is it possible to stop importing Russian oil completely while maintaining such interests?

Answer : Although this was a very tough decision as Japan relies almost entirely on imported oil, solidarity with the G7 is now of the utmost importance. Therefore, based on the recent G7 Leaders’ Statement, we have decided to enact a general embargo on Russian oil.

However, we cannot immediately embargo Russian oil. Instead, we are committed to gradually reducing dependency on Russia for energy in a timely and orderly manner while securing alternate supply sources.

Moving forward, we will establish a concrete method and timeframe for reducing and ultimately stopping these oil imports considering actual conditions. With regard to oil imports from the projects in which Japan has interests, as they are contributing to our low-cost, long-term stable energy supply, we will take time to consider how we can phase out these imports with minimal impact on citizen's lives and business operations.

Question : I have a question about the oil embargo.

I understand that Japan will maintain its interest in Sakhalin-1, and even if Japan halts these imports in the future, SODECO (Sakhalin Oil and Gas Development Co.)—in which METI and Japanese companies have interests—will have to continue selling crude oil produced from the project. How does METI intend to sell the crude oil that comes from Sakhalin-1 moving forward?

Answer : We have had to make a tough decision this time, but solidarity with the G7 is important. Considering the G7 Leaders’ Statement, we have decided on the Russian oil embargo. As I said earlier, we cannot do it immediately. Instead, our goal is to gradually phase out our dependence on Russia for energy in a timely and orderly manner while securing alternate supply sources.

I assume that the oil will be sold to neighboring countries—such as South Korea—in addition to Japan. I will refrain from giving any more details at this point in time because any speculation might cause adverse effects on related companies’ ordinary profits.

Question : How do you think this embargo will affect Japan's industry? Profits of oil companies and trading houses are expected to hit an all-time high. Please tell us how this will impact the industry.

Answer : It will obviously have a large impact on the business community. I believe that most citizens understand our overall policy of looking to enact the embargo, but there may be various negative impacts, which we have not clearly understood yet.

As I mentioned in an on-the-move interview yesterday, if countries decide to embargo Russian oil, they will have to compete for the alternatives to those imports. We are asking oil-producing countries to increase production, but as I have said before, those countries are questioning whether we will continually buy the increased amounts they produce.

Japan, at least, has said that it will continue using the increased amounts. We intend to keep using a certain amount of oil while working toward carbon neutrality by utilizing technology to reduce CO2 emissions. However, if European countries or others suddenly strengthen their embargo as the situation changes, they may ask oil-producing countries to increase their production and only buy that increased amount for a certain period of time. This would be a problem for those oil-producing countries. Given this situation, I think it is undeniable that the oil embargo will likely have a significant impact on the economy and the market.

Right now, I am telling citizens that the overall direction for Japan is to enact this embargo. I think the general public may have the understanding that this was an unavoidable decision when considering our future relationship with Russia.

However, I think we also need to explain to them at some point that energy prices will spike as a result of this. Otherwise, they won't be able to accept our country's policies. There are many people who say brave things, but we need to protect the daily lives of citizens and Japan's economy. The embargo is a commitment we have made to the international community, and we are having difficult discussions about how best we can protect the lives of our citizens and our economy with the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy.

If we could not actually put pressure on Russia, there is no point in doing it. If we withdraw from the Sakhalin project quickly, our interest may be transferred to a third country. Another problem is that if we embargo Russian crude oil, it could be coming into the market via other countries by way of oil laundering. In that case, it would be very difficult to determine whether the oil is of Russian origin.

Therefore, while I am not denying the G7 commitment to take this direction, each country needs to stay alert and run various simulations to figure out what practical problems need to be taken care of. Otherwise, what we are doing now might become a big advantage for Russia, and these sanctions will have been for nothing. Thus, we must keep up our calm response. At the same time, we will do our best to minimize the impact this may have on companies.

Bolsonaro in Florida hospital; over 1,500 supporters detained after Brasilia riots

Brazil’s ex-President Jair Bolsonaro has been admitted to a US hospital with abdominal pain a day after his supporters stormed Brasilia demanding military intervention against his loss in the October election, according to his wife.

For the past 10 weeks, supporters of the ousted far-right President Jair Bolsonaro had camped outside Brazilian Army headquarters, demanding that the military overturn October’s presidential election. And for the past 10 weeks, the protesters faced little resistance from the government.

Then, on Sunday, many of the camp’s inhabitants left their tents in Brasília, the nation’s capital, drove a few miles away and, joining hundreds of other protesters, stormed Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential offices.

The Bolsonaro supporters who stormed the Planalto Palace, the office of the president, on Sunday vandalized several works from revered Brazilian artists, including the painter Emiliano Di Cavalcanti, the palace said on Monday after a preliminary assessment of the damage to its collection.

Protesters broke through police barricades and stormed the Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court. Source: AAP / Sergio Lima

The Planalto Palace had one of the most important art collections in the country, particularly for Brazilian Modernism, said Rogério Carvalho, the director of curatorship of the presidential palaces. “The value of what was destroyed is incalculable because of the history it represents,” he said in a statement.

Security forces have detained around 1500 people following the storming of government buildings in Brasília, and dismantled a camp of supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro in the capital, Brazilian officials have confirmed.

After thousands of Mr Bolsonaro's backers attacked Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace on Sunday local time, police in riot gear amassed at the pro-Bolsonaro camp outside Brasília's army headquarters while troops took down tents, Reuters witnesses said. The protesters were dispersed.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, promised to bring those responsible for the violence to justice after demonstrators broke windows and furniture, destroyed artwork, and stole guns and artefacts.

Lula, who took office on 1 January after a narrow October election win, was back at work at the Planalto presidential palace on Monday and met with his defence minister and the armed forces commanders to discuss the attacks that recalled the assault on the US Capitol two years ago by backers of former president Donald Trump.

US President Joe Biden joined other world leaders in condemning Sunday's riots, calling them "outrageous," while Mr Bolsonaro, who has been in Florida since last year, denied inciting his supporters and said the rioters had "crossed the line".

Victor Moriayana For New York Times

Mr Bolsonaro was admitted to a hospital in Florida on Monday with intestinal discomfort due to a stabbing he suffered during the 2018 election campaign, his wife announced on Instagram.

Pro-Bolsonaro truckers, who have caused havoc on Brazil's highways for weeks, held more protests through the night.

A toll road operator for the BR 163 highway that cuts through Brazil's top grain-producing state Mato Grosso reported several blockades that were cleared by dawn.

Police said blockages on another highway in Parana state were also cleared.

"There are still people trying to block roads and access to oil refineries," presidential spokesman Paulo Pimenta told reporters.

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the governor of Brasília removed from office late on Sunday for 90 days over alleged security failings, and demanded that social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok block accounts of users spreading anti-democratic propaganda.

Brazilian investigators, taking stock of the damage around the capital and questioning detained protesters, face several major questions as they piece together how rioters briefly seized the seats of Brazil’s government.

The protesters, supporters of the far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, had been camping out since he lost October’s election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Mr. Bolsonaro had asserted without any proof that Brazil’s election systems were rife with fraud, but he agreed to a transition of power to Mr. Lula after the election.

The pro-Bolsonaro protesters claimed the election was stolen, though Brazil’s military and independent experts found no credible evidence of voter fraud.

Now, investigators will focus in part on how the demonstration on Sunday was organized, and on how it transformed into a violent riot. In the days after Mr. Lula took office on Jan. 1, there were widespread calls on social media for a huge demonstration in the capital, Brasília.

Those calls circulated among supporters of Mr. Bolsonaro mostly on two apps, WhatsApp and Telegram. Some messages urged people to organize attacks against critical infrastructure, such as oil refineries and roadblocks. On Telegram, some called for the storming of the Monumental Axis, the avenue that goes directly to major government buildings.

According to an intelligence briefing by the military police of Brasília, at least 100 buses carrying 4,000 demonstrators arrived between Friday and Sunday. It was not immediately clear where the social media calls first originated, or how the caravans of buses were organized.

According to an intelligence briefing by the military police of Brasília, at least 100 buses carrying 4,000 demonstrators arrived between Friday and Sunday. It was not immediately clear where the social media calls first originated, or how the caravans of buses were organized.

Most of the people who arrived in recent days stayed in an encampment in the capital that supporters of Mr. Bolsonaro had maintained in front of the army’s headquarters since the election in October.

It was also not clear why the rioters were able to breach government buildings — Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential offices — so easily. State police officers had tried to repel them, but they were far outnumbered.

Eventually, the military retook control of the buildings, and the authorities began to make arrests. The authorities had arrested at least 200 people as of late Sunday, according to Brazil’s justice minister, though Ibaneis Rocha, the governor of the district that includes Brasília, said that evening more than 400 people had been arrested.

At least 1,200 people were detained for questioning, a police spokesman said on Monday. Some could be charged with committing crimes against democratic institutions or with attempting to unseat a democratically elected government, he said.

Overnight, a Supreme Court judge suspended Mr. Rocha, a supporter of Mr. Bolsonaro’s re-election campaign, for 90 days while investigations take place into security failures. Mr. Rocha on Sunday called the riots an act of terrorism, and said on Twitter that the hundreds of people arrested in the aftermath would “pay for the committed crimes.”

Mr. Lula signed an emergency decree late Sunday that put federal authorities in charge of security in Brazil’s capital, and the dismantling of protest camps has since proceeded peacefully. Brazil’s Congress was called back from recess for an emergency session.

Mr. Bolsonaro, who appeared to be in Florida, criticized the protests on Sunday evening, saying on Twitter that peaceful demonstrations were part of democracy, but that “destruction and invasions of public buildings, like what occurred today,” were not. He also repudiated Mr. Lula’s comments that he bore some responsibility for the riots, saying those accusations were “without proof.”

The Democrats Lie About January 6th and Donald Trump Receives Votes for Speaker of the House

On today’s episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including Kevin McCarthy losing a record thirteen rounds of voting for Speaker of the House, and NFL player Damar Hamlin waking and alert, after suffering a heart attack.

Mark Frost - Economist, Professor, Consultant, and Libertarian | Underrated Drummers, Indonesia, and the Nature of Capitalism

Tyler Nixon - Attorney, Media Relations Specialist | The Media Hate Democracy, Kevin McCarthy Has No Political Ideology, and Politicians Only Worry about Winning Elections

In the first hour, Lee spoke with Mark Frost about economics in Indonesia, cultural appropriation, and the United States election interference in Indonesia. Mark spoke about the Western influence in Indonesia and Barack Obama's younger life in Indonesia. Mark explained the positives on cultural appropriation and Americans who have learned to hate capitalism.

In the second hour, Lee spoke with Tyler Nixon about conservatism, Donald Trump nominated for Speaker of the House, and the January 6th anniversary. Tyler commented on Republican Congressman Dan Crensahw and Crenshaw labeling anti McCarthy voters "terrorists". Tyler talked about the establishment US politicians support for conflict in Ukraine and how Ukraine has been used for corrupt purposes.

New US speaker Kevin McCarthy scores first win as House passes rules package

The vote on the blueprint -- described by top Democrat Jim McGovern as a "ransom note to America from the extreme right" -- came on the heels of one of the most turbulent weeks ever in the lower chamber of Congress.

Divisive new Speaker Kevin McCarthy jumped the first hurdle in his leadership of the chaotic US House of Representatives Monday as lawmakers approved a rules package determining how his Republicans will govern.

The vote on the blueprint -- described by top Democrat Jim McGovern as a "ransom note to America from the extreme right" -- came on the heels of one of the most turbulent weeks ever in the lower chamber of Congress.

Lawmakers almost came to blows in the newly Republican-controlled House as McCarthy was forced to go through 15 rounds of voting over four days to overcome a far right blockade to his candidacy.

"And not just is Washington broken, but the way that this House has been running for the last few years has not been designed to address the problems of the people from across this country."

Democrats complain, however, that the deals McCarthy cut to win the speaker vote have severely curtailed the role of Washington's top legislator and have ceded power to the most extreme Republicans.

A publicly available 55-page rules package lays out Republican priorities for the remainder of Democratic President Joe Biden's term and the operating procedures the party will adopt.

One of the headline measures is a panel to investigate the "weaponization of government" that is expected to zero in on the Justice Department's investigations into former president Donald Trump

Much of the package is boilerplate conservative politics such as provisions forcing lawmakers to cover increased spending with cuts elsewhere rather than new taxes.

But it also allows a single member of either party to force a vote to oust the speaker, an insurance policy that right-wingers will use to hold McCarthy's feet to the fire.

And it requires the House to bring to the floor a variety of right wing priorities, with a vote due later Monday on withdrawing more than $70 billion in extra funding agreed for the Internal Revenue Service.

The White House said Biden would veto the "reckless" legislation, which it argued would add nearly $115 billion to the deficit over a decade by "enabling wealthy tax cheats."

McCarthy could only afford to lose four of his lawmakers at most, with every Democrat voting against the rules package, but it passed by 220 votes to 213 as only one Republican voted no.

Yet McCarthy's most controversial concessions remain clouded in mystery, as they were negotiated off the books with the far right House Freedom Caucus and weren't in the official package.

"We don't know what (conservatives) got or didn't get. We haven't seen it," South Carolina congresswoman Nancy Mace told CBS on Sunday.

"We don't have any idea what promises were made or what gentleman's handshakes were made."

McCarthy has agreed for example to give the Freedom Caucus outsized sway over the day-to-day handling of legislation, according to US media, ceding significant leadership powers to the right flank.

Even more controversial is a pledge for talks with conservatives on taking up a 10-year budget that freezes spending at 2022 levels.

This would mean slashed funding for federal agencies -- and a likely 10 percent decrease in defense spending that Texas Republican Tony Gonzales, the only Republican "no" vote on the rules package, called a "horrible idea."

The cuts would delight many fiscal conservatives, except that they are largely symbolic since they would be dead on arrival in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

The upper chamber can bounce back House legislation with tweaks if it has objections, triggering compromise talks between the two sides of Congress.

US House to Vote on Rules for 118th Congress Following McCarthy Concessions to Conference

The US House of Representatives on Monday will vote on adopting rules for the 118th Congress, following Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s deal with members of the House Republican Conference to alter the rules in exchange for supporting his leadership bid.

The lower chamber of Congress will consider adopting the new rules with first votes expected around 6:30 p.m. ET (23:30 GMT), the House Press Gallery said via Twitter. The session will be the seventh of the new Congress, with speaker elections having consumed most of the first legislative week.

©AP Photo / Jose Luis Magana

McCarthy brokered a deal with fellow House Republicans to change several House rules, including allowing a single member to call for the speaker’s removal at any time and limiting government spending.

The House will also consider on Monday the Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act, which would rescind unobligated amounts appropriated to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

West supplies Ukraine with expired weapons, says country’s envoy to London

©Photo : Facebook/BritishArmyPhotographers

Western countries supply Ukraine with weapons that have already expired, Ukrainian envoy to the United Kingdom Vadim Pristayko told the Newsweek magazine in an interview.

"Some of the equipment has expired dates. We joke that if you want to dispose of them, give them to us. We will send them in the right direction. In a normal, peaceful time, nobody would want it to talk in terms like that. But now, why not?" he said.

At the same time, Pristayko noted that recently there have been positive developments in the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine. According to him, Kiev did not expect to receive Patriot missile defense systems. "We never expected a Patriot system. Seriously, this is a top of the line anti-ballistic missile system, which was totally out of the question. I guess tanks, helicopters and even planes are much easier now," he added.

Last week France announced deliveries of light tanks to Ukraine. Germany and the US then announced plans to deliver infantry fighting vehicles to the country. Germany also announced its intention to send a Patriot system to Kiev in addition to another such system previously promised by the US.

'Sources' Claim UK Could Give Challenger 2 Tanks to Ukraine

While Western countries have sent a bewildering hodgepodge of Soviet-era weaponry, NATO-standard artillery and lightly-armoured patrol vehicles to the Kiev regime, none have yet risked pitting their main battle tanks against Russian forces.

Western and Ukrainian 'sources' have claimed the British government is mulling a donation of its best tanks to Kiev to fight Russian forces.

The anonymous briefings to British TV news suggested Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government could donate 10 Challenger 2 main battle tanks (MBTs).

The Russian military destroyed the reinforcements of the Ukrainian troops with a massive blow.

"It would encourage others to give tanks," said the Ukrainian source. "It will be a good precedent to demonstrate others — to Germany first of all, with their Leopards… and Abrams from the United States."

US President Joe Biden approved the supply of 50 M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) — lightly-armoured troop carriers mounting an autocannon and anti-tank missiles in a turret — and talked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz into adding 40 Marder IFVs last week. The latest dispatches came after French President Emmanuel Macron pledged an unspecified number of AMX-10 RC light tanks, reportedly up to 30, to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.

Eastern European nations have supplied hundreds of Soviet-era tanks to Kiev, types familiar to the Ukrainian army and which fire the same ammunition. But sending the supposedly more-advanced British, US and German tanks has been seen as a 'red line' in NATO member states, especially by Scholz.

However, Polish and Finnish ministers have tentatively offered to supply some of their German-made Leopard 2 or US M1 Abrams tanks if the major Western powers take the lead.

The Ministry of Defence did not confirm or deny the reports but merely reiterated it had "provided over 200 armoured vehicles to Ukraine to date — including Stormer vehicles armed with Starstreak missiles."

Like most western MBTs, the Challenger 2 is at least 50 per cent heavier than the latest Russian equivalents, as well as significantly longer and taller without boasting a more powerful gun or better armour protection. With add-on explosive-reactive and slat armour, the tank weighs in at 74 tonnes — compared to 48 tonnes for the Russian T-90M already fighting in the Donbass.

Russian Terminator BMPT in action as part of the special military operation in Ukraine (video courtesy of Russia’s MoD)

No new Challenger 2s have been produced since 2002, 21 years ago. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace revealed in March 2021 that 148 of the British Army's 227 operational tanks would be upgraded to the new Challenger 3 specification at a cost of around £1.3 billion — nearly £9 million per vehicle.

The UK and manufacturer Bae Systems have less at stake if the tanks are destroyed in combat, since the only export customer for the Challenger 2 is Oman. By contrast, the US has export M1 Abrams tanks to eight other countries, while 21 have bought the Leopard 2. Poland, which has already supplied at least 230 T-72 tanks to Ukraine, is set to have a mix of Leopard 2, Abrams and South Korean K2 Black Panther tanks in service.

The Russian MoD’s briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

• Russian Forces eliminated more than 50 Ukrainian troops, as well as destroyed two infantry combat vehicles and three other vehicles in the Kharkov region;



• The Russian Army eliminated more than 60 Ukrainian troops, as well as destroyed three armored combat vehicles and three pick-up trucks near Krasny Liman;








• The Russian Army eliminated more than 80 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed three infantry combat vehicles, one armored carrier and four other vehicles near Donetsk;



• Russian troops eliminated more than 40 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed two armored combat vehicles and three pick-up trucks near Pavlovka and Shevchenko settlements (DPR);



• Russian Forces hit 89 Ukrainian artillery units at their firing positions;



• The Russian Army destroyed three Ukrainian ammunition depots in the DPR and in the Kharkov region;



• Russian troops destroyed two US-made AN/TPQ-50 radar stations in the DPR;



• Russian servicemen destroyed a US-made M777 artillery system in the LPR;



• The Russian Army destroyed two Polish Krab artillery systems, as well as two Ukrainian Akatsya self-propelled howitzers and one D-30 howitzer in the DPR and in the Zaporozhye region;



• Russian Air Forces shot down two Ukrainian aircraft and one helicopter in the DPR;



• Russian air defenses destroyed eight Ukrainian UAVs, as well as intercepted ten HIMARS and Uragan rockets.