On five occasions this week AlertsUSA subscribers were notified via SMS messages to their mobile devices regarding safety and security matters.

Most important for this report, on Thursday AlertsUSA subscribers were informed of a warning issued by Secretary of State Blinken that Russia may be planning chemical weapon attacks inside Ukraine. One day earlier, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke with Nikolay Patrushev, secretary of Russia's Security Council, warning him of the consequences "of any possible Russian decision to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine".

This is the first high-level contact publicly disclosed between the two countries since the start of Russia's invasion weeks ago.

Readers are reminded that just last week, Russia was accusing the U.S. and Ukraine of potentially using chemical and biological weapons supposedly created using a network of public health reference labs in the country.

Sullivan called these accusations "a tell that they themselves may be preparing to do so, and then trying to pin the blame on someone else."

Also on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Zelensky delivered a virtual address to Congress, during which he made an emotional plea for help as his nation tries to fend off the Russian forces. The request included establishment of a No Fly Zone over Ukraine, something the US and NATO partners continue to resist due to the potential of such a move developing into a wider conflict.

Now in the 4th week of the invasion, Russia's bombardment of Ukraine has hit nearly all parts of the country, including a military training and storage facility in the west of Ukraine just 7 miles from the border with Poland. According to the Department of Defense and UK Ministry of Defense, Russia's progress in Ukraine has slowed significantly in the last week. Ukrainian forces around the capital Kyiv continue to frustrate Russian attempts at encirclement, though other cities such as Khakiv are under siege and subject to heavy shelling.

Logistical problems also continue to beset Russian forces. A reluctance to maneuver cross-country, a lack of control of the air and limited bridging capabilities are preventing Russia from effectively resupplying their forward troops with even the basic essentials such as food and fuel. This supply problem is amplified by Ukrainian counterattacks that force Russia to divert large numbers of troops to defend supply lines, thus severely limiting offensive potential.

This week alone, the U.S. announced an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine, bringing the total U.S. security assistance commitment to $1 billion in just the last seven days. The assistance takes the form of direct transfers of equipment from the Department of Defense to the Ukrainian military, including:

• 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems
  
• 2,000 Javelin anti-tank missile systems
• 1,000 light anti-armor weapons
• 6,000 Swedish AT-4 anti-armor systems
• 100 tactical unmanned aerial systems
• 100 grenade launchers
• 5,000 rifles
• 1,000 pistols
• 400 machine guns
• 400 shotguns
• 20 million rounds of small arms ammo
• 25,000 sets of body armor
• 25,000 helmets.

As of the time of this report's preparation Friday evening, the United States has approximately 100,000 service members operating in Europe, about 65,000 of whom are permanently based in the US European Command (EUCOM) area of operations (AOR). This is the largest number in nearly two decades, as the Pentagon shifts forces in response to Russia's actions in Ukraine. Since the launch of the invasion, thousands of U.S. troops have surged to eastern European NATO member states, including Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and Romania.

EUCOM’s area of responsibility (AOR) covers almost one-fifth of the planet including all of Europe, large portions of Asia, parts of the Middle East, and the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. The command is responsible for US military relations with NATO and 51 countries on two continents, with a total population of almost one billion people.

Here is an invasion map as of March 19 based on open source reporting. Compare this map with that of two weeks ago.

Once again, AlertsUSA warns that the conflict in Eastern Europe has potential to get much worse, and spillover into neighboring NATO nations is a possibility. Caution is urged if traveling to Europe in the coming months.

AlertsUSA continues to monitor the domestic and international threat environment around the clock and will immediately notify service subscribers, via SMS messages to their mobile devices, of new alerts, warnings and advisories or any developments which signal a change the overall threat picture for American citizens as events warrant.