Happy Friday and welcome to Overnight Defense. I’m Ellen Mitchell, and here’s your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. CLICK HERE to subscribe to the newsletter.

THE TOPLINE: The Navy will not reinstate the fired commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier following an investigation of leadership’s handling of a coronavirus outbreak onboard in March.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday said on Friday that the service will uphold its firing of Capt. Brett Crozier, who was removed from his post after a letter he wrote pleading for help with the outbreak leaked to the media.

“He will not be reassigned nor will he be eligible for future command,” Gilday told reporters at the Pentagon.

The Navy will also place a hold on the promotion of Rear Adm. Stu Baker, the one-star commander of Carrier Strike Group 9 and the senior officer onboard the Roosevelt at the time of the COVID-19 outbreak, Gilday said.

Both men will be able to remain in the Navy though it’s likely the saga will put an end to their careers.

Changing face: The Navy’s decision to stand by Crozier’s firing is an about face from April, when a preliminary investigation recommended that the captain be reinstated.

A wider investigation, started in April after the preliminary probe, then led Gilday to conclude that “Capt. Crozier and Adm. Baker fell well short of what we expect of those in command.”

“Had I known then what I know today, I would have not made that recommendation to reinstate Capt. Crozier,” Gilday said. “Moreover, if Capt. Crozier were still in command today, I would be relieving him.”

Top Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement later on Thursday that Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite briefed Defense Secretary Mark Esper on the finished investigation, which he believes “to have been thorough and fair and supports the Navy’s decisions based on their findings.”

Months of choppy water: The wrapped investigation marks the end of a contentious few months in the Navy, which came under fire for its handling of the pandemic after an outbreak aboard the Roosevelt forced the aircraft carrier to dock in Guam.

Crozier prior to the ship docking wrote a letter to Navy leadership, leaked in the media, in which he warned of dire consequences if most of the crew on board the Roosevelt wasn’t evacuated.

“We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die,” Crozier wrote. “If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset — our sailors.”

Crozier was then swiftly fired by then-acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly, who argued that while Crozier may not have been wrong to write the letter, he sent a copy to too many people, failing to ensure it wasn’t leaked to the media.

Video later emerged on social media of Crozier getting a hero’s sendoff from his crew, with hundreds gathered on the ship to applaud and cheer his name.

Modly responded to the incident by traveling to Guam to give a speech aboard the Roosevelt where he called Crozier “stupid” or “naïve,” prompting Modly to later resign and apologize.

The Roosevelt would remain in Guam for two months and more than 1,000 sailors would be diagnosed with COVID-19. One sailor died from the virus.

The findings: In the wider investigation, completed by Adm. Robert Burke, the Navy backs Crozier’s swift departure, saying that the captain did not quickly or forcefully enough “execute the best possible and available plan,” to protect sailors from the illness.

“When faced with barriers … Capt. Crozier waited for others to act rather than doing what we expect of our commanding officers – to take immediate and appropriate action and to drive outcomes,” the report states.

The probe also found that Crozier was not solely responsible for the ship’s slow response to the quickly spreading virus, as Baker also did not take necessary steps to fix the issue.

Gilday stressed that Crozier was not let go due to the leaked email, as the captain did not intend such an outcome, rather, the email was “unnecessary,” as actions were already underway to dock in Guam and remove sailors at the time the message was sent.

House launches its own probe: The House Armed Services Committee will conduct its own investigation into the coronavirus outbreak aboard the Roosevelt, Chairman Adam SmithDavid (Adam) Adam SmithOvernight Defense: Navy won’t reinstate fired captain | Dems probe use of federal officers in DC | Air Force appoints woman as top noncommissioned officer House panel launches investigation into Roosevelt coronavirus outbreak after captain’s firing upheld House panel again presses Pentagon leaders to testify on military’s role in protests MORE’s (D-Wash.) said Friday.

“The department’s civilian leadership portrayed Capt. Crozier’s decision-making aboard the Roosevelt as the critical weakness in the Navy’s response, but the truth is that civilian leadership was also to blame,” Smith said in a statement.

“In order to better understand the full range of mistakes that were made throughout the entire chain of command, the House Armed Services Committee has launched an investigation into the COVID-19 outbreak aboard the Roosevelt,” he added.

 

DEMS SEEK PROBE INTO USE OF FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DURING DC PROTESTS: Senate Democrats are requesting a government watchdog office investigate the use of federal law enforcement during protests in Washington, D.C., sparked by the police killing of George Floyd late last month in Minneapolis.

Fourteen Democrats sent a letter, spearheaded by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), requesting an investigation into “the use of Federal law enforcement, National Guard, and military personnel” in response to the protests. 

“The use of force against Americans on June 1 at Lafayette Square was abhorrent and shocking. This event alone provides substantial reason to question whether the Administration’s response to the demonstrations was organized, accountable, and consistent with applicable laws and the Constitution,” the Democratic senators wrote.

The background: The Trump administration sparked fierce backlash and days of controversy, including from GOP lawmakers, after it forcibly removed protesters from an area near the White House shortly before President TrumpDonald John TrumpProtesters tear down, burn statue of Confederate general in DC US attorney in NYC who spearheaded probes of Trump allies refuses to leave as DOJ pushes ouster Trump to host 4th of July event despite pleas from lawmakers to cancel MORE and other administration officials walked through. 

The Democratic senators also wrote that Trump’s remarks to governors that he had put Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley “in charge” and that they should “dominate” the streets “only add to our grave concerns.”

Who wants the inquiry: In addition to Durbin, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), Jack Reed (R.I.), Ed Markey (Mass.), Patrick Leahy (Vt.), Ron Wyden (Ore.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), Christopher Coons (Del.), Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Martin Heinrich (N.M.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), as well as independent Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.), signed the letter.

What they want investigated: The senators are asking for the GAO to investigate who was in charge of the law enforcement response in D.C., including specific roles that federal departments and agencies played; who specifically ordered Lafayette Square to be cleared shortly before Trump walked to St. John’s Episcopal Church; and who ordered “chemical irritants” to be used and who ordered law enforcement or military police to “deliberately obscure badges and insignia or refuse to publicly represent their agency affiliation, and for what purpose?”

Armed officers not wearing identifiers were spotted near the White House during the protests earlier this month, sparking demands from lawmakers for details from the administration on what agencies had been deployed to D.C. A Justice Department spokeswoman told CBS News earlier this month that federal law enforcement under the department’s jurisdiction, including the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals, Bureau of Prisons and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were deployed. 

The Democratic senators also want to know the rules each agency involved had on the use of force and if the Pentagon’s actions were “consistent with laws allowing the DoD to support, but not supplant, civil authorities.”  

 

AIR FORCE NAMES MILITARY’S FIRST FEMALE TOP ENLISTED MEMBER: The Air Force has appointed a woman to be its top noncommissioned officer for the first time in U.S. military history, the service said Friday.

Chief Master Sgt. JoAnne Bass will become the 19th chief master sergeant of the Air Force, making her the first female senior enlisted leader of any U.S. military service, the Air Force said in a news release.

“I’m honored and humbled to be selected as the 19th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, and follow in the footsteps of some of the best leaders our Air Force has ever known,” Bass said in a statement. “The history of the moment isn’t lost on me; I’m just ready to get after it. And I’m extremely grateful for and proud of my family and friends who helped me along the way.”

Another first: Bass’s appointment gives the Air Force two firsts this year. The Air Force will also have the military’s first black service chief when Gen. Charles “C.Q.” Brown is sworn in as chief of staff in August.

The milestones come as the military grapples with racial issues amid nationwide protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Brown and Bass “will be responsible for addressing racial disparity in the Air Force,” the service said in its news release.

More on Bass: Bass currently serves as the command chief master sergeant of the Second Air Force at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi.

Her career, which started in 1993 with a posting at Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina, has also included time at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, as the command chief master sergeant for the 17th Training Wing at Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas and as chief of Air Force Enlisted Developmental Education at the Pentagon.

As Air Force chief master sergeant, Bass will become the public face of enlisted airmen and the personal adviser to Brown and Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett on issues related to the welfare, readiness and morale of enlisted personnel.

Bass will succeed Chief Master Sgt. Kaleth Wright, who tweeted that Brown “knocked it out of the park” by selecting Bass.

 

ICYMI

– The Hill: Former defense analyst sentenced to 30 months in leak case

– The Hill: Pompeo slams Bolton account as spreading ‘lies,’ ‘fully-spun half-truths’ and ‘falsehoods’

– The Hill: Watchdog report finds Border Patrol was unprepared for 2019 migrant surge

– Military Times: The military’s rate of new coronavirus cases doubled this week

– Reuters: Europe tells U.S.: we won’t back unilateral Iran sanctions snapback

A top Pentagon policy official is resigning days after the White House rescinded its plans to nominate her for the Defense Department’s No. 2 civilian intelligence post, Defense Secretary Mark EsperMark EsperOVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Top Democrats introduce bill to stop Trump’s Germany withdrawal | Esper announces internal review on diversity in military | Top foreign policy Pentagon official resigns after White House passes on nomination Internal watchdog investigating if Air Force improperly used plane to surveil protests: report Top foreign policy Pentagon official resigns after White House passes on nomination MORE confirmed on Thursday.

Kathryn Wheelbarger, the acting assistant Defense secretary for international security affairs, submitted her resignation on Wednesday, five days after President TrumpDonald John TrumpOklahoma venue management asks Trump campaign for health plan ahead of rally Pompeo slams Bolton account as spreading ‘lies,’ ‘fully-spun half-truths’ and ‘falsehoods’ Twitter flags Trump tweet featuring fake CNN chyron as ‘manipulated media’ MORE pulled her name as the intended nominee to be deputy under secretary of Defense for intelligence. 

“In her role as Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Katie brought a wealth of experience and the utmost professionalism to the Department throughout her service,” Esper said in a statement Thursday.

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“Her leadership in support of the National Defense Strategy is evident in the proud accomplishments of her team. She is someone I got to know well over the last three years and, with sincere appreciation for her many contributions and years of service, I wish Katie the very best in what I’m sure will be a very bright future.”

Reuters was the first to report on the resignation.

Trump on Feb. 13 named Wheelbarger as his intended nominee for the senior intelligence position but last week announced plans to instead nominate Bradley Hansell, a previous special assistant to the president. The White House sent Hansell’s nomination to the Senate on Thursday.

In her resignation letter, Wheelbarger said that she trusted her colleagues to “continue to be guided by the U.S. Constitution and the principles of our founding, which ensure both our security and our freedom,” according to Reuters.

The White House is now being accused of overlooking Wheelbarger — who was well regarded by both Republican and Democrat lawmakers — due to her past work with the late Sen. John McCainJohn Sidney McCainOVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Top Democrats introduce bill to stop Trump’s Germany withdrawal | Esper announces internal review on diversity in military | Top foreign policy Pentagon official resigns after White House passes on nomination Top foreign policy Pentagon official resigns after White House passes on nomination Budowsky: The conservative civil war MORE (R-Ariz.). Wheelbarger worked as a Senate Armed Services Committee policy director alongside McCain, the panel’s former chairman and a staunch critic of Trump’s.

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Wheelbarger is the second Pentagon official to resign this week after having her name pulled from the running for a top Defense Department job over reported loyalty concerns to Trump.

Elaine McCusker, the Pentagon’s acting comptroller who questioned the Trump administration for its withholding of aid to Ukraine last year, submitted her resignation earlier this week after the White House in early March pulled her nomination for the official comptroller role.

Updated: 5 p.m.

Secretary of State Mike PompeoMichael (Mike) Richard PompeoPompeo takes swipe at Bolton in tweet Bolton book puts spotlight on Pompeo-Trump relationship China unveils new security legislation for Hong Kong MORE’s relationship with President TrumpDonald John TrumpLincoln Project launches new ad hitting Trump over rally turnout Bolton defends not testifying: ‘I don’t think it would have made a difference’ Bolton says he hopes history will remember Trump ‘as a one-term president’ MORE is in the spotlight following passages from John BoltonJohn BoltonBolton defends not testifying: ‘I don’t think it would have made a difference’ Bolton says he hopes history will remember Trump ‘as a one-term president’ Pompeo takes swipe at Bolton in tweet MORE’s new book.

The former national security adviser paints Pompeo as someone who instinctively pushed back against some of the president’s policies and privately criticized Trump.

For now, Pompeo appears to have emerged largely unscathed, with the White House dismissing Bolton’s memoir as nothing more than a collection of lies meant to boost sales of the book, titled “The Room Where It Happened.”

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Shortly after excerpts of the book were published, Trump said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that he has a “very good relationship with Pompeo.”

One of the more sensational excerpts in the book recounts an episode in which Pompeo supposedly showed Bolton a notepad where he had written “he is so full of shit,” referring to Trump.

The president said Wednesday that he doubts the secretary wrote those words.

“Does he have the note? Let me see the note,” Trump said in the interview.

Pompeo later gave his own rebuttal to Bolton’s book, issuing a statement that began “I Was In The Room Too.” He said Bolton is “spreading a number of lies, fully-spun half-truths, and outright falsehoods.”

When asked if Bolton’s book has impacted Pompeo’s standing with the president, a senior White House official said: “Pompeo’s response to Bolton’s claim was clear and unambiguous. Additionally there is genuine belief within the White House that Bolton should get a PhD for creative writing. These two factors allow Pompeo to enjoy the continued confidence and support of the President.”

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Bolton describes Pompeo’s management style as “conflict avoidance,” and the scenarios in the book paint a picture of a secretary delicately navigating the whims of the president, foreign policy and what he thinks is right.

Pompeo was against Trump meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jung Un at the Demilitarized Zone in June last year, with Bolton relaying the episode as Pompeo wanting to be excluded.

“I have no value added on this. This is complete chaos,” Bolton quoted Pompeo as saying.

But the secretary later went along with Trump’s wishes.

“The next thing I knew, Trump had signed the ‘formal’ letter of invitation that the North Koreans had asked for. Pompeo had succumbed yet again,” Bolton wrote.

Bolton also wrote that Pompeo had considered resigning in December 2018, following a string of events: Trump agreeing with Chinese President Xi Jinping on his building of concentration camps for Uighur Muslims; fears that the president would roll back restrictions on Chinese telecommunication firms; and concerns over Trump’s legal issues.

“Somewhere nearby was resignation territory, I said, which Pompeo agreed with. This didn’t yet require drafting a resignation letter, but warning lights were flashing,” Bolton wrote.

Pompeo has long received praise from the president. The former House member first served as Trump’s CIA director before becoming Trump’s second secretary of State, gaining notoriety as a GOP congressman for his relentless interrogation of then-secretary of State Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonBolton defends not testifying: ‘I don’t think it would have made a difference’ Green Party nominee says Sanders, progressives have failed to pull Democrats to the left Bolton book puts spotlight on Pompeo-Trump relationship MORE during the Benghazi investigation led by House Republicans.

That exchange apparently stuck with the president, described in one episode of Bolton’s book as Trump pushing for Pompeo to find a way for the U.S. to leave Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Call Pompeo and tell him to remember Benghazi,” Bolton quoted the president’s instructions.

Pompeo also played a key role in actions surrounding the impeachment process led by House Democrats last year, when the secretary came under fire for being among the department heads who sought to block testimony of top State Department officials in the probe into Trump’s contacts with Ukraine. He also faced criticism that he failed to protect diplomats and other career officials under his leadership.

In one chapter of the book, Bolton describes Pompeo’s role responding to the president wanting to fire U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie YovanovitchMarie YovanovitchBolton book puts spotlight on Pompeo-Trump relationship Jim Jordan requests documents from Pompeo regarding Hunter Biden, Burisma  Trump taps new ambassador to Ukraine MORE last year.

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The account tracks with testimony from the House impeachment inquiry, that the secretary sought to prevent and then delay the ambassador’s ousting. Bolton wrote that Pompeo dismissed out of hand accusations raised by Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy GiulianiRudy GiulianiBolton book puts spotlight on Pompeo-Trump relationship More than 100 former Manhattan prosecutors condemn Berman firing Bolton says Trump proposal to intervene in SDNY investigation of Turkish bank felt ‘like obstruction of justice to me’ MORE.

Bolton wrote that Pompeo told him Yovanovitch “was trying to reduce corruption in Ukraine and may well have been going after some of Giuliani’s clients.”

Nevertheless, Pompeo hastened Yovanovitch’s exit to late November or early December, almost six months ahead of her expected departure.

“Pompeo wanted to leave it at that,” Bolton wrote, but Trump’s intense focus on Yovanovitch led him to recall her on April 23. “Pompeo closed by saying that he would order her back to Washington that night.”

The book and its characterization of Pompeo come at a time when he is already under scrutiny for recommending Trump fire State Department Inspector General Steve Linick, who was investigating the secretary’s authorization of a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Saudi Arabia as well as whether he misused a political appointee to perform personal tasks for himself and his wife, such as picking up dry cleaning and walking their dog.

Pompeo has pushed back on allegations he ousted Linick to interfere with such investigations.

House Democrats are investigating the circumstances surrounding Linick’s ousting, and are expected to question next week one of the secretary’s closest aides, Under Secretary for Management Brian Bulatao, who had knowledge of the ongoing investigations.

The testimony and subsequent investigation are likely to pose another test for Pompeo and his place within the administration, but the White House reaction to Bolton’s book suggest his ties to Trump remain as strong as they were before.

After a flurry of paperwork, it’s number-crunching time.

In a videoconference on Friday, EU leaders will discuss the European Commission’s twin-pronged plan to revive the Continent’s economy — a revamped €1.1 trillion long-term budget and a €750 billion recovery fund.

Since the Commission put forward the plan, officials from EU member countries have been diving into the details to figure out what’s in it for them — and what they want to change.

Here’s a breakdown of the key facts and figures the leaders will be debating:

Former Pentagon analyst Henry Kyle Frese has received more than two years in prison for sharing classified intelligence with two reporters and a consultant.

Frese, 32, who formerly worked as an analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) pleaded guilty in February to leaking national defense information regarding a foreign country’s weapons systems to two journalists in 2018 and 2019.

Frese, who was sentenced in federal court in Alexandria, Va., faced up to 10 years in prison.

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“Frese repeatedly passed classified information to a reporter, sometimes in response to her requests, all for personal gain,” John Demers, the top national security official at the Department of Justice, said in a Thursday statement.

“When this information was published, it was shared with all of our nation’s adversaries, creating a risk of exceptionally grave harm to the security of this country,” added Demers, who said Frese’s sentencing demonstrated that leakers will be punished. 

Frese admitted to sharing information with a pair of journalists, who were not named in the court documents, but identified as Journalist 1 and Journalist 2. Their identities have since been revealed.

Court records say Frese was dating and sharing a home with Journalist 1. Reports indicate his girlfriend was Amanda Macias, a CNBC reporter.

Frese also appears to have left a paper trail, following Macias on Twitter and retweeting her when she shared published articles containing top secret national defense intelligence. 

Then, Journalist 1 introduced Frese to another reporter, who began speaking with him by phone. This journalist has been identified NBC News reporter Courtney Kube, who covers the Pentagon.

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According to prosecutors, Macias published eight articles that contained classified information related to foreign weapons systems, information that in part came from five different classified intelligence reports.

They also say Frese, on at least 30 separate occasions in 2018, used classified government systems to search for classified information which he then shared with the two reporters.

“On multiple occasions in 2018 and 2019, Frese conducted searches on classified government systems because of specific requests for information from Journalists 1 and 2,” according to a DOJ press release.

Frese also communicated through social media with a person who working for an overseas consulting group, in which he shared at least twice classified information “using a social media site’s direct messaging feature,” the release says.

A duo of ‘stranieri’, Facundo Conte and Marlon, led Dinamo Krasnodar to achieve a next victory in the Russian Superleague, this time, beating Iskra Odincovo in tie-break. In the group of blue, Belogorie Belgorod wasted an advantage of its field being defeated by Ural Ufa also in five sets.

Dinamo Krasnodar overcome Iskra Odncovo in the match of the weekend in Russia. The livers of the Krasnodar Country won the second game in a row and they are also occupying the second place in the group of red in SuperLeague. The competition was started very well by visitors thank to succeed in spiking. The major ‘guns’ of Krasnodar were Facundo Conte and Denis Zamchenko, who collected almost 40 points for their team (in the whole game).The two consecutive sets fell prey to Iskra Odincovo directed by Denis Kalinin. A good disposition in attack and block let him score 22 points. Kalinin was supported by Gavin Schmitt, who made 20 points (48% efficiency in attack, 1 block). The 4th set and the tie-break were a pure domination of Dinamo. Speedy sets by Marlon and effective attacks by Conte and Mochalov provided the victory for visitors. In consequences, Dinamo Krasnodar gained two points to the standings while Iskra has to be pleased by only one.

Nineteen points of Georgy Grozer and fifteen added by Dimitri Muserskiy were not enough for Belogorie Belgorod in order to triumph over Ural Ufa. Giennadij Szipulin’s players started the match positively because they won the first set, however, as it turned out, it was a nice beginning, but the end of the pathetic. Ural was able to rise and achieve the victory over Belgorod in tie-break. A new acquisition of Ural, Maxim Pantaleymomonenko, made a significant contribution to the success. He has scored 23 points spiking with 53% efficiency in attack. Among the hosts, Grozer made 19 points (39%, 2 aces, 1block), Muserskiy delivered 17 (67%, 3 blocks, 1 ace) and Dmitry Ilinykh added also 17 points. After this failure, Belogorie Belgorod takes only seventh place in the group of blue.

 

All results of the 5th leg
Group of Blue
Gazprom Yugra Surgut – Yaroslavich Yaroslavl 3:1 (25:18, 23:25, 25:17, 25:20)
Top Scorers: Rodichev 17, Mysin 16, Aleksiev 14, Todorov 6, Khabibullin 6; Pluzhnikov 16, Kulikovskiy 8, Pyatak 8, Yudin

 

Belogorie Belgorod – Ural Ufa 2:3 (25:22, 20:25, 25:18, 22:25, 9:15)
Top Scorers: Grozer 19, Muserskiy 17, Ilinykh 17, Khtey 15; Panteleymonenko 23, Maksimov 19, Ashchev 9, Abramov 7

Zenit Kazan – Kuzbass Kemerovo 3:0 (25:19, 25:22, 25:21)
Top Scorers: Mikhaylov 13, Sivozhelez 13, Abrosimov 12, Anderson 6, Vermiglio 3; Moroz 17, Tuia 13, Andrae 8, Shcherbakov 6

 

Lokomotiv Novosibirsk – Grozny 3:0 (25-17, 25-13, 25-21)              

Top scorers: Biryukov 14, Nillson 12, Gutsalyuk 8, Volvich 7; Bestuzhev 19, Rykov 7, Mosolkin 4

Group of Red
Fakel Novy Urengoy – Dinamo Moscow 2:3 (14:25, 25:20, 28:30, 25:17, 12:15)
Top Scorers: Bakun 26, Melnik 20, Kritskiy 5, Titich 5; Kruglov 22, Krivets 16, Shcherbinin 13, Poltavskiy 10

Iskra Odintsovo – Dinamo Krasnodar 2:3 (19:25, 25:16, 25:20, 20:25, 12:15)
Click Here: new zealand rugby team jerseys Top Scorers: Kalinin 22, Schmitt 20, Burtsev 14, Koulechov 8; Conte 21, Zemchenko 18, Mochalov 17, Chervyakov 5, Khilchenko 5

Lokomotiv Kharkhiv – Prikam Perm 3:0 (25:20, 25:21, 25:13)
Top Scorers: Tyutlin 22, Ivanov 9, Depestele 7, Rudnitskiy 6; Kovalev 7, Likhosherstov 5, Zakharov 4, Karpenko 4

Gubernia Nizhny Novgorod – Shakhtar Soligorsk 3:1 (25:27, 25:18, 25:21, 25:16)
Top Scorers: N.Pavlov 30, Savin 10, Nikic 9, Lyamin 9; Ashlei Nemer 13, A.Simeonov 12, Audochanka 9, Miklashevich 9

 

Standings

Group of Blue:

1. Zenit Kazan 12
2. Lokomotiv Novosibirsk 12
3. Ural Ufa 11
4. Gazprom Yugra Surgut 9
5. Kuzbass Kemerovo 8
6. Belogorie Belgorod 7
7. Yaroslavich Yaroslavl 6
8. Grozny 4

Group of Red

1. Iskra Odintsovo 9
2. Dinamo Krasnodar 9
3. Fakel Novy Urengoy 9
4. Dinamo Moscow 8
5. Lokomotiv Kharkhiv 7
6. Gubernia Nizhny Novgorod 6
7. Shakhtar Soligorsk 3
8. Prikam Perm 0

Now let’s take a look at the lower part of Polish ranking. We start with AZS Warszawa, the team of many surprises. AZS Politechnika Warszawa started a whole series of unexpected victories in the second round of the season.

They won with Jastrzebski Wegiel (one of the Great Four of PlusLiga) 3:1. After an exception attitude during a few next games, all fans were waiting to their meeting with Skra Belchatow. AZS at home beat vice-champion and made their followers crazy happy. With a brand new head coach Jakbu Bednaruk (former setter), who just started his career (or – what he likes to call it – adventure) on this position, Warszawa turned out to be the greatest surprise of this season. Maciej Zajder, the middle blocker of AZS is a leader of the best blockers (with 40 points). Also Marcin Nowak is having a great season by giving his experience and huge support in attack and service. Warszawa has been placed on the first half of ranking for a long time, but now they are on position number 6 with 22 points.

 

Effector Kielce is the first team with less than 20 points and that’s when the real border line is. They manage to win with teams from the bottom of ranking (no problem with winning over Olsztyn, Czestochowa or Gdansk), but they were certainly hoping for some more. During the 10th round they made a step forward by keeping one point with Jastrzebski Wegiel, but now it’s all about survive this round and advance into play offs. Two foreign players – Nikolay Penchev and Armando Danger – can give a great support, but they not always have a good day. Effector finished this year with victory over AZS Olsztyn 3:2.

 

Indykpol AZS Olsztyn was for some time close to Kielce, but now they are staying behind with the loss of 4 points. The truth is, Olsztyn has a bad luck too. Their Bulgarian player, Metodi Ananiev, was expected to be a star when he was hired for the previous season, but the injury eliminated him for a whole year. This time, Ananiev got injured during the Memorial of Zdzislaw Ambroziak in Warsaw, just before this current season. Lately Piotr Gruszka has come to AZS to help his younger colleagues. They also have a very talented young player, Bartosz Krzysiek, who for now is the second best scorer with 247 points (5.15 per set). Indykpol won his last game about a month ago with AZS Czestochowa and for now they are 8th team of PlusLiga.

Lotos Trefl Gdansk made a big surprise a quite time ago, by winning with the leader – Zaksa Kedzierzyn-Kozle. Their points Lotos gained during the 5th round, with AZS Czestochowa. They also beat AZS Warszawa in tie break. However, their point collection is not very impressive and they have to remain on the 9th position for now.

 

AZS Czestochowa has really dark period in it’s own history. This club has a very rich and honorable tradition, but today, with no money and extremely young squad, it’s very difficult to survive in PlusLiga. One of the biggest surprises of this season was the way in which AZS gained their first victory. It was on the 6th round, when they met with… Polish champion, Asseco Resovia! Then Czestochowa picked one set with Belchatow and one point with Zaksa. Earlier this year they also lost David Murek, so the situation became even harder. Their last game of this year was a defeat with AZS Warszawa 1:3.

 

The second half of PlusLiga ranking

6. AZS Politechnika Warszawska – 22 points, 7 (victories) / 6 (lost games)
7. Effector Kielce – 14 points, 5 / 8
8. Indykpol AZS Olsztyn – 10 points, 3 / 10
Click Here: Cheap Chiefs Rugby Jersey 20199. LOTOS Trefl Gdansk – 9 points, 3 / 10
10. Wkret-met AZS Czestochowa  – 4 points, 1 / 12

 

Zenit Kazan has been beaten by Lokomotiv Novosibirsk in the first semi-final of the 2013 Champions League Final Four after exciting five sets game. A reserve player of Lokomotiv, Ilya Zhylin, became a super hero of the duel. The wing-spiker scored 5 points only in tie-break being deadly effective in his play and deprived Zenit all dreams of repeating last year’s success.

 

Zenit Kazan 2 – 3 Lokomotiv Novosibirsk (25-19, 20-25, 25-22, 16-25, 12-15)

Zenit: Vermiglio 0, Anderson 11, Abrosimov 3, Mikhaylov 19, Sivozhelez 18, Lee 12, Babichev (L) and Berezhko, Cheremisin 2, Apalikov 1

Lokomotiv: Butko 3, Biryukov 8, Gatsalyuk 11, Nilsson 23, Divis 18, Volvich 9, Golubev (L) and Zhilin 11, Voronkov

 

The speaker fired up the fans of Lokomotiv already during the warm-up at the net and the countdown to the start of this much anticipated derby reached its climax. That Siberian “brotherhood” and solidarity the local officials had often spoken about in the past days did really turn into reality and one could easily get goose bumps already before the actions got started. So, there we go, after waiting for three months “Loko” could finally square off to vie for a spot in the final of Europe’s most prestigious club competition. The home heroes caught a promising start (4:1) with a couple of blocks to stop Evgeny Sivozhelez and Maxim Mikhailov as Zenit trembled a bit in reception. However, Mikhailov promptly powered back his side with an ace and a terrific crosscourt to draw level at 4. With Swede Marcus Nilsson gradually finding his way into the game, Lokomotiv got a narrow margin by the first technical time-out (8:6) but Zenit responded by levelling the score for a second time at 9. The Tatars steadily but confidently stepped up the quality of their performance moving to the front at 13:10; Lokomotiv head coach Andrey Voronkov stopped the game for a while and the fans profited of this opportunity to let the Siberian heroes feel all of their support and passion. It did not help much as Nilsson missed the next attack and only a few moments later Zenit called for the second mandatory stop (16:12). In order to stand a chance with Kazan, Lokomotiv did need to play their best but apparently could not succeed in doing this. Though they still hadn’t showed their full potential, the guys from Tatarstan were in full swing (19:15); Vermiglio showed off his class to make the best out of a bad reception and marshal Maxim Mikhailov to another successful spike (21:17), before a couple of blocks paved the way for an easy final rush for the Tatars and the provisional 1:0 was sealed at 25-19 as Nilsson served well off the court.  

Similarly to what had happened in the first set, Lokomotiv got off to a flying start (5:0), chiefly via some terrific blocks, and finally the crowd could get something to cheer about as their heroes looked more self-confident and were playing with good consistency (7:3). On the other side of the net Evgeny Sivozhelez – who had scored 8 points all alone in the first set, including three blocks – tried hard to compensate for this initial gap but Lokomotiv was not ready to slow their pace down (11:6). The “Siberian express” was playing much more intelligently, and with a lot more variations in offense, but after an ace by Mikhailov, their margin dropped down to two points (13:11). Left-handed Marcus Nilsson responded well by pocketing the next rally and “Loko” was eventually up by four as the second technical time-out was called. Though they had started the game as the underdogs – having already lost three times this season to Zenit – Lokomotiv had nevertheless high hopes for this match and their setter Alexander Butko excellently mastered all of his attackers (19:15). However, this did not mean that the fate of the set was already determined; Zenit tried to fight their way back (19:17) but in this attempt the Tatars needed to take some risks and this resulted into a few errors (22:18). Nilsson was on a class of his own and as the set looked almost gone, Zenit mentor Vladimir Alekno asked for a time-out for a very last attempt to change the course of the game. It did not take that long for Nilsson to call for a series of set balls (24:19) with the second opportunity for the 1:1 eventually cashed by middle blocker Artem Volvich (25-20), the tallest player on court standing at 213 cm.  

Zenit showed their determination to bounce back right from the early phases of the third set (5:1) helped by good serving contributed by Alexander Abrosimov. The Tatars were vying for their fourth appearance in a Champions League final – as well as for their third title in the competition – and they were evidently highly motivated to achieve this goal on “home” soil. The hosts of Lokomotiv played with glowing hearts but were unable to reduce the gap (12:7) until the audience was driven crazy as, after a series of incredible actions in defence, Lukas Divis scored for the 13:10 that resulted into a time-out asked by Alekno. Zenit got back on track by cashing the next three rallies (16:10) but the “Siberian train” was definitely not yet derailed as a block by Ilya Zhilin on Mikhailov reduced once more the gap to only two points (19:17). Zenit fired back to move up 22:18 heading down the final stretch, Nilsson aced for the 22:20 to briefly re-open the door, but after missing out on two set balls and going for a time-out, the guys around superstar Maxim Mikhailov claimed a deserved 2:1 lead in sets via their American spiker Matthew Anderson (25-22).  

After a close start (2:2), Lokomotiv accelerated their pace to set the tempo of the game (5:2) in set 4 and lead the way there at the first technical time-out (8:6). Kazan was struggling to find a way to draw the score and especially Sivozhelez lacked the impressive consistency he had showed to anchor Zenit in set 1 and 3. His mistakes helped Lokomotiv stay in contention for the tie-break (13:9) and by this moment Nikolay Apalikov – another Olympic champion from London 2012 – though still struggling with a minor injury joined the game for the Tatars. Lokomotiv continued their show (19:12) with team captain Alexander Butko showing great skills also from the serving line. Zenit head coach Alekno changed his setter and opposite with Igor Kolodinsky and Alexey Cheremisin replacing Vermiglio and Mikhailov but the set was basically gone (20:13). Some more mistakes by the Tatars – at this moment playing with their second lines – paved the way with gold for “Loko” with the eventual 2:2 being sealed by Nilsson with an ace (25-16).       

Alekno returned to his initial starting six for the tie-break – including first libero Obmochaev – with the only exception being Apalikov for Lee to possibly stop the march of their Siberian opponents. The deciding set started with two mistakes from the serving line before Nilsson profited of a bad reception by the Tatars to score his first point of the fifth set. All players looked quite nervous and tense as much was at stake and the initial phases contributed a series of unforced errors. By exploiting the lack of composure showed by their opponents, Zenit went up 5:3 but Divis took his side by the hand to make it 6 all. The quality of the game was improving rally after rally and Lokomotiv cruised to the front (8:7) as teams switched sides on an error by Anderson. Nikolay Apalikov promptly levelled the score but Sivozhelez and Mikhailov were blocked twice in a row to see Lokomotiv move up 10:8. Alekno called for a time-out in an attempt to break his opponent’s momentum, but Zhilin brought the next rally home for the provisional 11:8. Only four points did separate Lokomotiv from the final and the countdown got started as Zenit seemed unable to fight their way back. Mikhailov served into the net (13:10) before Zhilin cashed three opportunities to claim a spot for the Champions League final (14:11). Alekno used his second time-out, Anderson could take the next point but Ilya Zhilin made the Siberian dream come true (15-12) for the first major sensation of the weekend. 

Not only did Zenit Kazan lost a chance to win the Champions League second time in a row, but the Russian team also will not appear at the Club World Championships.

 

 

 

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Pool A

Day 1

Denmark 0 – 3 Slovakia (15-21, 19-21, 16-21)

Denmark: Jacobsen 1, Knudsen 6, Huss 1, Ditlevsen 13, Christiansen 5, Thomsen 2, Mikelsons (L) and Sorensen, Bonnesen
Slovakia: Zatko 1, Patak 8, Piovarci 4, Michalovic 14, Christiansky Jr. 14, Kohut 6, Ondrusek (L) and Masny, Kasper

Belgium 3 – 2 Austria (15-21, 21-14, 16-21, 21-15, 15-11)

Belgium: Verschueren 2, Verhanneman 9, Van De Voorde 8, Tuerlinckx 9, Klinkenberg 6, Coolman 6, Derkoningen (L) and Van Den Dries 21, Valkiers
Austria: Binder 2, Berger 17, Ichovski 5, Zass 16, Schneider 9, Wohlfahrtstatter 8, Kroiss (L) and Ringseis, Blagojevic 2, Thaller 1

Day 2

Austria 3 – 1 Slovakia (24-22, 15-21, 21-18, 21-19)

Austria: Binder 1, Berger 13, Ichovski 1, Zass 18, Schneider 6, Wohlfahrtstatter 9, Kroiss (L) and Guttman 8, Blagojevic , Thaller, Ringseis
Slovakia: Zatko 5, Patak 6, Piovarci 5, Michalovic 14, Christiansky Jr. 11, Kohut 16, Ondrusek (L) and Masny 1, Bencz 2, Kasper 1, Javorci 1

Belgium 3 – 0 Denmark (21-16, 22-20, 21-19)

Belgium:  Verschueren 1, Verhanneman 3, Van De Voorde 10, Tuerlinckx 16, Klinkenberg 8, Coolman 9, Derkoningen (L) and Vab Den Dries 1
Denmark: Jacobsen 2, Knudsen 4, Sorensen 5, Ditlevsen 15, Christiansen 8, Thomsen 2, Mikelsons (L) and Bitsch 4, Stenderup

Day 3

Austria 0 – 3 Denmark (16-21, 17-21, 30-32)

Austria: Binder, Berger 8, Ichovski 5, Zass 18, Schneider 5, Wohlfahrtstatter 9, Kroiss (L) and Guttman 6, Blagojevic , Thaller, Ringseis
Denmark: Jacobsen 9, Knudsen 10, Sorensen 10, Ditlevsen 12, Bitsch 0, Thomsen 8, Mikelsons (L) and Christiansen 2, Bonnesen

Slovakia 0 – 3 Belgium (12-21, 12-21, 20-22)

Slovakia: Masny 1, Patak 4, Piovarci 2, Michalovic 6, Christiansky 5, Kohut 4, Odrusek (L) and Bencz 3, Zatko 2, Hrinak 2, Kasper 1, Javorcik
Belgium: Verschueren 3, Deroo 7, Coolman 2, Van Den Dries 13, Verhanneman 10, Van De Voorde, Dejonckheere (L) and Heyrman

Standings Pool A

Rank          Team      Points1.      Belgium         82.      Austria         43.      Slovakia         34.      Denmark         3

 

Pool B
Day 1

Spain 1 – 3 Czech Republic (16-21, 21-17, 19-21, 18-21)

Spain: Trinidad 2, Delgado 11, Altoyo 8, Villena 16, Noda 9, Fernandes 11, Llabres (L)
Czech Republic: Tichacek 3, Hysky 8, Siroky 9, Finger 15, Mauler 6, Holubec 6, Kopacek (L) and Bartos 7  

Hungary 0 – 3 Montenegro (13-21, 15-21, 21-23)

Hungary: Kaszap , Bagics 7, Kovacs 2, Baroti 10, Gergye 10, J. Nagy 5, Domotor (L) and A. Szabo 3, Nemeth, D. Szabo
Montenegro: Vujovic 1, B. Cacic 13, Markovic 3, Minic 1, Cuk 11,Suljagic 7, Rasovic (L) and Babic 3, G. Cuk, Milivojevic, Strugar

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Day 2 

Czech Republic 3 – 1 Montenegro (15-21, 21-15, 22-20, 21-19)

Czech Republic: Tichacek 3, Hysky 12, Siroky 11, Finger 7, Bartos 9, Holubec 9, Kopacek (L) and Linz, Krisko 11, Janouch
Montenegro: Vujovic, Cacic 11, Markovic 9, Babic 12, B. Cuk 10, Suljagic 6, Rasovic (L) and  G. Cuk , Milivojevic, Strugar 2, Minic 1

Hungary – Spain 1 – 3 (24-22, 14-21, 17-21, 16-21)

Hungary: Kaszap 1, Bagics 7, Kovacs 5, Baroti 17, Gergye 9, J. Nagy 3, Domotor (L) and A. Szabo, Nemeth 4, Nacsa 4
Spain: Trinidad 4, Delgado 11, Altoyo 8, Villena 13, Noda 12, Fernandes 8, Llabres (L) and Ruiz, Fornes

Day 3

Montenegro – Spain 3 – 1 (21-19, 21-19, 22-24, 21-19)

Montenegro: Vujovic 3, Cacic 14, Markovic 5, Minic 20, Babic 12, B. Cuk 11, Suljagic 6, Rasovic (L) and  G. Cuk , Milivojevic, Strugar 2,
Spain: Trinidad 3, Delgado 8, Altoyo 3, Villena 25, Noda 2, Fernandes 4, Llabres (L) and Ruiz 11, Fornes 3, Gonzalez, Bruque

Czech Republic – Hungary 3 – 1 (17-21, 21-17, 21-18, 21-16)

Czech Republic: Tichacek 2, Hysky 11, Siroky 8, Finger 20, Linz 2, Holubec 7, Kopacek (L) and Bartos 9
Hungary: Kaszap 3, Nacsa 9, Kovacs 2, Baroti 4, Nemeth 6, J. Nagy 8, Domotor (L) and A. Szabo 2, Gergye 8, D. Szabo 13

Pool B Standing

Rank                   Team   Points1.          Czech Republic      92.          Montenegro      33.          Spain      34.          Hungary      0

 

Pool C
Day 1

Israel 0 – 3 Croatia (10-21, 17-21, 17-21)

Israel: Katzenelson 2, Hershko 10, Batchkala 4, Ben Gal 10, Vinarsky 3, Sokolov 3, Shoval (L) and Levitan
Croatia: Zhukovski 9, Nojic 8, Cosic 8, Raic 8, Galic 10, Sabljak 5, Sarcevic (L)

Belarus 1 – 3 Turkey (19-21, 17-21, 21-19, 14-21)

Belarus: Haramykin 0, Antonovich 12, Zhehzdryn 0, Audochanka 6, Mikanovich 2, Busel 9, Likhard (L) and Radziuk 2, Charapovich 5, Vash, Marozau 7
Turkey: Yenipazar 4, Gokgoz 4, Koc 10, Toy 25, Yucel 16, Capkinoglu 8, Kilic (L)

Day 2

Croatia 3 – 1 Turkey (21-15, 20-22, 21-17, 21-18)

Croatia: Zhukouski 7, Nojic 14, Cosic 6, Raic 11, Galic 10, Sabljak 9, Zimakijevic (L) and Isek, Peterlin, Scerbakov
Turkey: Yenipazar 2, Gokgoz 7, Koc 8, Toy 15, Yucel 6, Capkinoglu 3, Kilic (L) and Bozan 2

Israel – Belarus 0 – 3 (18-21, 18-21, 17-21)

Israel: Katzenelson 4, Hershko 6, Batchkala 6, Ben Gal 12, Vinarsky 3, Sokolov 7, Shoval (L) and Osokin, Ohana
Belarus: Vash 2, Antonovich 3, Busel 8, Audochanka 18, Radziuk 10, Marozau 8, Likhard (L) and Charapovich 2, Haramykin 1, Mikanovich

Day 3

Croatia – Belarus 3 – 1 (21-18, 19-21, 21-13, 21-15)

Croatia: Zhukouski 6, Nojic 9, Cosic 11, Raic 24, Galic 8, Saljak 6, Sarcevic (L) and Peterlin, Zimakijevic (L)
Belarus: Vash 3, Antonovich 12, Marozau 3, Audochanka 10, Radziuk 8, Busel 6, Likhard (L) and Charapovich 2, Zhehzdryn, Haramykin, Mikanovich

Turkey – Israel 3 – 1 (21-13, 21-16, 15-21, 21-14)

Turkey: Yenipazar 2, Cin 11, Koc 5, Toy 15, Yucel 10, Capkinoglu 1, Kilic (L) and Bozan 2
Israel: Katzenelson 3, Hershko 14, Batchkala 2, Ben Gal 12, Ohana 1, Sokolov 7, Shoval (L) and Osokin 2, Levitan 5, Milstein

Pool C Standings

Rank         Team      Points1.      Croatia        92.      Turkey        63.      Belarus        34.      Israel        0