Zelenskiy visits US with Biden offering more funds, weapons

Bloomberg

US President Joe Biden will unveil nearly $2 billion in assistance and announce moves to deliver a Patriot missile battery to help Ukraine bolster its defenses this winter as its leader, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, arrives in Washington on Wednesday to deliver an in-person address to Congress.
Zelenskiy left Ukraine for the first time since Russia invaded in February and at a critical stage in the war. His country has faced a barrage of Russian missile and drone attacks targeting Ukraine’s civilians and critical energy infrastructure in recent weeks, leading to power and water cuts.
The speech to Congress gives Zelenskiy the opportunity to personally appeal to US lawmakers to continue assistance for Ukraine even after Republicans, who have been more skeptical of Biden’s support for the country, take control of the House in January. Zelenskiy has pleaded for more advanced weapons systems to blunt Russian attacks and for additional energy and economic support as civilians brace for a brutal winter ahead.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that Zelenskiy’s visit to Washington will show “strong, bipartisan support for Ukraine.”
“The visit will underscore the United States’ steadfast commitment to supporting Ukraine
for as long as it takes, including through the provision of economic, humanitarian, and military assistance,” Jean-Pierre said.
To that end, Biden was expected to announce the additional aid package, according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters, along with the Patriot air-defense system that can target aircraft and incoming missiles. The US will provide training on operating the system for Ukrainian forces in a third country. The official reiterated the US is not changing its policy on troops and that Ukraine will staff and operate the Patriot battery.
The speech to Congress falls on the 300th day since Russia invaded Ukraine. Biden and Zelenskiy, 44, discussed a visit during a phone call and the White House formally invited him on December 14.
Zelenskiy will be in the US for just a few hours, according to the senior administration official, who said the US consulted with him about his security requirements and ability to travel outside his country safely.

Ukrainian hackers gather data on Russian soldiers: Minister

Bloomberg

Pro-Ukrainian hackers are gathering intelligence about Russian military personnel in order to help inform decision-making on the battlefield, according to Ukraine’s minister for digital transformation.
Members of Ukraine’s so-called IT Army, a volunteer band of computer specialists, is assembling a “Book of Executioners” to catalog Russian soldiers who kill and allegedly torture Ukrainians, Mykhailo Fedorov said.
Officials in Kyiv have previously told Bloomberg they’re documenting suspected Russian hacking incidents as part of a plan to prosecute Russian leaders in an international court. The purpose, Fedorov said, is “so everyone can understand who entered Ukraine and killed Ukrainians.”
“Modern technologies help us identify Russian war crimes, like facial recognition by artificial intelligence that decodes information from public cameras,” he said.
That data also helps to make decisions on the battlefield,
Fedorov said.