It could also be the last.

Twenty-nine people have pleaded guilty in the case — most of them Navy officials who admitted using their positions to support Francis’ business interests in exchange for bribes.

The five officers going to trial now are accused of similar corruption: slipping Francis information on ship schedules, nudging business to the Southeast Asia ports he controlled, and running interference for him when necessary, according to the 2017 indictment. In return, they were allegedly bribed with lavish meals, sex parties, and vacations.

The indictment named nine officers, but four pleaded guilty before trial. That leaves David Newland, James Dolan, Bruce Loveless, and David Lausman — all former captains — and Cmdr. Mario Herrera.

The trial, overseen by U.S. District Court Judge Janis Sammartino, is projected to last at least two months and will likely make for some tedious moments with so many defendants. Opening statements alone could last several hours — one to two hours for the prosecutor and then again for each defense attorney.

The most anticipated witness will be Francis, who pleaded guilty in 2015 and has been cooperating with the prosecution. However, the defense is trying to bar or limit his testimony in light of a podcast in which Francis made some explosive comments late last year. The judge has yet to rule on the issue.

The podcaster has plans to air new episodes timed to the start of the trial, updating listeners on the fallout, including the subpoena the creators were forced to abide by.

USAID will coordinate closely with the Department of State as they also support international organization partners responding to the needs of those internally displaced. The State Department will lead the U.S. Government’s response on any resulting refugee situation.

The DART comprises 17 disaster experts from USAID who are assessing the situation, identifying priority needs to scale up assistance inside Ukraine, and working with partners to provide rapidly needed assistance to communities affected by the conflict.

Prior to today’s attacks, USAID had already been working extensively with partners to adapt existing humanitarian programs where possible and provide rapid response funding to ensure that partners can quickly scale up assistance as a result of increased needs. This includes contingency and preparedness efforts to increase funding, staffing, program flexibility, and stockpiles of supplies for a range of scenarios including large-scale displacement.

Working with partners on the ground, USAID has continued to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance in the areas that can be reached. With widespread attacks targeting civilian infrastructure and urban areas, potentially affecting millions of Ukrainians, USAID anticipates that access challenges experienced to date will only grow. The United States continues to be gravely concerned about the likely widespread impact on civilians, including Ukraine’s most vulnerable populations.

With the conflict entering its eighth year, 2.9 million people in Ukraine were already in need of urgent humanitarian assistance and nearly 1.5 million people were already displaced before Russia launched its full-scale assault this week, and heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine and beyond is driving thousands more people to flee their homes. Now, with average winter temperatures below freezing, additional humanitarian aid is even more critical.

The United States is committed to supporting the Ukrainian people and is one of the largest donors of humanitarian assistance in Ukraine. We will continue to provide assistance as needs continue to rise. Since the conflict began, the United States has provided more than $351 million to vulnerable communities across Ukraine. This includes food, safe drinking water, shelter, emergency health care, and winterization services to communities affected by ongoing fighting.

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