Svetlana Shkolnikova
Stars and Stripes
Washington, DC, United States
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Past articles by Svetlana:
Lawmakers propose tax credit to encourage more military spouse employment
A bill introduced in the Senate would make employers of spouses of service members eligible for the work opportunity tax credit, an incentive available to companies who hire individuals from groups facing significant barriers to employment. → Read More
Service members struggling to pay for groceries could have more access to food stamps under new bill
A bill aims to help the 24% of troops who the Defense Department reported lack consistent access to enough food by eliminating an income barrier some of them face when trying to qualify for food stamps. → Read More
Veteran who accused George Santos of animal charity scam says FBI probe should end in jail time
The Navy veteran who accused Rep. George Santos of stealing funds from his sick dog’s fundraiser says he would like to see Santos jailed after federal authorities complete an investigation of the embattled congressman. → Read More
Confederate surgeon’s name removed from Virginia VA hospital amid stripping of racist history from military facilities
Hunter Holmes McGuire treated Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson during the Civil War and defended slavery as the knitting of the hearts of two races “in the happy life on the old plantation.” → Read More
Veterans say George Santos used charity to swipe donated funds for sick service dog
Disabled Navy veteran Richard Osthoff has accused Rep. George Santos — under the alias Anthony Devolder — of stealing $3,000 in donations for Osthoff’s dying service dog in 2016. → Read More
New World War II memorial will honor women who worked on the home front
The monument will commemorate the estimated 18 million women who took over jobs traditionally held by men and worked as pilots, engineers, electricians, farmers, taxi drivers, letter carriers and code breakers. → Read More
Government funding bill for 2023 raises defense spending to $858B, boosts aid to Ukraine
Congressional leaders unveiled a $1.7 trillion federal spending package Tuesday that will provide $858 billion next year for national defense and $45 billion for Ukraine to battle Russia’s invading armed forces. → Read More
Congress agrees to scrap military coronavirus vaccine mandate, advances largest troop pay increase in 20 years
Lawmakers in Congress agreed to scrap the military’s coronavirus vaccine mandate in a compromise defense policy bill that also boosts pay for troops. → Read More
Ukraine war pushes Poland to train civilians as soldiers for a military mighty enough to challenge Russia
The Polish Ministry of National Defense’s new “Train with the Army” project is an initiative born out of the anxiety over the war in neighboring Ukraine. Weekend courses for thousands of Poles began in October and, due to popular demand, will continue into January. → Read More
‘War Santa,’ other American vets and Polish volunteers deliver needed equipment to Ukraine’s fighters
A steady stream of Western aid has kept the Ukraine military outfitted with heavy weapons and other munitions. But gaps remain on the more granular level, where individual soldiers and units must turn to private donations for unmet needs. → Read More
American veterans race to train Ukrainian soldiers as war with Russia sweeps more troops into battle
The Mozart Group, a U.S. veteran-led private security company, has provided a crash-course training program for Ukrainian troops. Its staff has grown to nearly 30 highly experienced trainers made up of mostly former American service members. → Read More
‘Someone has to do it’: American vets in Ukraine train front-line medics as war rages with Russia
Founded by four U.S. veterans in the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Task Force Yankee Ukraine has crisscrossed the country to prepare more than 12,000 Ukrainians to treat the unique injuries of war. → Read More
‘We have a common enemy’: Mourners in Kyiv gather to honor fallen Georgian soldier
Gurgen “Guga” Gagnidze arrived in Ukraine four months ago and was killed in October in combat. He was the 23rd volunteer from the tiny former Soviet republic of Georgia to die fighting the Russians in Ukraine. → Read More
Water outages do not deter Kyiv residents bracing for cold and dark winter
Russian missile strikes knocked out the water supply to most of Kyiv, and residents streamed, carrying water bottles, to a fountain at a public park. “We expect some kind of disturbance every day,” said Laila Ivanova, 80. “But we’re trying to stay in a positive state of mind.” → Read More
For Kyiv’s street vendors, taking cover from bombs is not an option
Not even the threat of a missile or drone strike will make open-air vendors in Kyiv leave behind the memorabilia that’s an important source of their livelihood. → Read More
White House clashes with Senate over weapons stockpiling for Ukraine as annual defense bill nears vote
Among the points of contention are a lack of new authorities to procure critical munitions for Ukraine, not enough funding for military construction projects and the temporary nature of a non-competitive hiring process for military spouses. → Read More
Austin orders renaming of military bases, assets honoring the Confederacy
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin directed senior defense leaders to begin changing the names of military bases and assets honoring the Confederacy. → Read More
Social media and influencers key to military recruitment of young people, defense officials say
The Pentagon should harness the power of social media and influencers to change young peoples’ perception of the military and entice them to enlist amid a challenging recruiting environment, defense officials told a Senate panel. → Read More
Space Force unveils official song ‘Semper Supra’
The song name is Latin for the Space Force’s motto, “Always Above,” and was created to capture the “spirit de corps” of the service's troops and bring them a sense of pride, according to the Space Force. → Read More
House Republicans blast White House for Afghanistan withdrawal, calling it a ‘strategic failure’
The Biden administration was at fault for the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan last year, according to a GOP report. → Read More