The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | April 3rd, 2024: Outnumbered Ukraine Lowers Draft Age & Massive Earthquake Rocks Taiwan

Episode Date: April 3, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     Outnumbered by Russian forces and desperate for fresh recruits, Ukraine officially lowered the draft age on Wednesday in a highly controversial move. We'll have the latest out of Taiwan, which was tragically rocked on Wednesday morning by the strongest earthquake to hit the country in 25 years.  To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin.  Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Wednesday, 3 April. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, outnumbered by Russian forces and desperate, frankly, for fresh recruits, Ukraine officially lowered the draft age on Wednesday in a highly controversial move. Also, I'll have the latest for you out of Taiwan, which was tragically rocked on Wednesday morning by the strongest earthquake to hit the country in 25 years. But first, our afternoon spotlight. An outgunned Ukraine is taking steps to bolster their depleted ranks as Russia sees a reported recruitment surge in the wake of the Moscow terror attack. President Zelensky signed a controversial piece of legislation on Tuesday that lowers the

age of military conscription from 27 to 25 in an effort to expand the potential pool of new recruits. Now, while the bill passed last year, it was reportedly delayed due to its widespread on popularity, with Zelensky and his allies exploring other options to boost troop levels before pulling the trigger on lowering the draft age, according to the Wall Street Journal. For some context, after more than two years of fighting in Ukraine, volunteers have stopped showing up at recruitment centers, and the number of young Ukrainians attempting to avoid conscription has jumped. Men between the ages of 18 to 60 have not been permitted to travel abroad since the start of the war. However, that hasn't stopped scores of them from fleeing. A recent report from

BBC estimated that roughly 650,000 Ukrainian men of fighting age have fled Ukraine over the past two years, and the government in Kiev has opened roughly 9,000 criminal cases regarding draft dodging. Facing an expected Russian offensive in Ukraine at the start of this summer, it appears that Zelensky and his military chiefs have basically run out of options. officials have not clarified how many new troops will be added to the rolls under the new law. The military had requested 500,000 more soldiers in December, but Zelensky said Tuesday that a closer audit of their forces determined that that number was unnecessarily high. He noted that many soldiers, who hadn't yet been deployed to the front lines, could be used to give the current fighters a chance to recover.

Colonel General Alexander Siersky, who became commander-in-chief of Ukraine's military in February, said that it's essential that Ukraine get fresh troops to the front lines, as many in the current fighting force have not had a break from combat in two years. Syersky said Tuesday, quote, people are not robots, they are exhausted physically and psychologically, especially in combat conditions, end quote. While Keeves' leaders are keeping their specific mobilization targets close to the vest, Zelensky warned that Russia is already in the process of mounting their own mobilization ahead of a planned summer offensive. As we discussed recently on the BDB, sources close to the Russian

Defense Ministry say that the Russian government is preparing for a new wave of military mobilization of up to 300,000 people. Unlike leaders in Kiev, Vladimir Putin appears to have little angst over throwing Russian men into the meat grinder on the front lines of Ukraine. The latest estimates are that some 355,000 Russian personnel have been killed or wounded since February 1,000. of 2022 inside Ukraine. It's a particularly stunning figure, given that Putin began the war with roughly 360,000 ground troops. Still, Russia's military vastly outnumbers that of Ukraine, and Putin has no shortage of replacements among the citizens of Russia. There are also reports that military recruitment in Russia has surged in the wake of the deadly ISIS terror attack in Moscow last month,

which Putin and his minions continue to baselessly blame on Ukraine and the West for orchestrating. It appears that the Russian population may be picking up what Putin is putting down. While we can't independently verify the numbers, Russia's defense ministry claims that more than 16,000 people have signed up for service just over the last 10 days. With nearly 20% of Ukrainian territory already under Russian control, Putin does look eager to press the offensive as summer approaches. And meanwhile, somewhere off in the distance, the dithering in Washington, D.C. over potential new aid to Ukraine continues. Coming up after the break, Taiwan was rocked by the strongest earthquake to hit the country in 25 years on Wednesday morning. We'll have the latest details from the ground when we return. This is Euphoria Calvin Klein, the new elixir collection, featuring three perfume intense scents,

inspired by a unique orchid accord, paired with vanilla, each with its own. own distinct attitude, each with its own universe. Bold elixir, sensual, woody, addictive, magnetic elixir, sweet and romantic like a lingering touch, solar elixir, a radiant expression of joy, ultra-concentrated for amplified impact and lasting power. Find your euphoria. Discover the euphoria elixir collection by Calvin Klein. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. I wanted to give you an update on the massive earthquake and aftershocks that have hit Taiwan during the past 24 hours. The quake at 7.58 a.m. Tai Bay time off the coast of Taiwan. According to the United States Geological Survey, it registered 7.4 on the Richter scale. As of right now, the death toll appears to be modest. The

epicenter was just 11 miles south of the city of Kualin, which has a population of about 100,000. So far, at least nine people have reportedly died, but that number is expected to rise in the coming days, as rescuers are still working to free dozens of people trapped in collapsed buildings. More than 900 others are injured, and over 100 buildings are reported to have been damaged. Immediately following the earthquake, Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines all issued tsunami warnings. Now, thankfully, all three nations were spared, and tsunami warnings have now been cancelled. Taiwan, however, still isn't out of the woods yet. The quake was followed by strong aftershocks, including a 6.5 magnitude tremor.

Multiple aftershocks as strong as magnitude 7 are expected in the coming days. Now, on the international stage, the U.S. and several other nations have already offered help to the island nation. National Security Council spokesperson Adrian Watson said in a statement, quote, the United States stands ready to provide any necessary assistance. All those affected are in our prayers, end quote. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, China has also offered. to assist with the rescue operations in cleanup, which Taiwan immediately rebuffed. Taiwan's president, Sai Ying Wen, says the priority now is to save people, but, quote,

there is no need for the mainland side to assist us, end quote. Now, Taiwan is no stranger to earthquakes. It sits on what's known as the ring of fire, right at the boundary between two tectonic plates, the Eurasian plate and the Philippine Sea plate. This vocation makes Taiwan susceptible to seismic activity leading to relatively frequent earthquakes. Back in 1999, for example, Taiwan experienced a 7.7 magnitude quake that resulted in the deaths of over 2,200 people. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Wednesday, 3 April. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And be sure to check out our new premium membership at PDBpremium.com.

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