#] #] ********************* #] "$d_projMaj"'History/Ukraine-Russia/Howell - Ukraine and Russia notes.txt' www.BillHowell.ca 25Feb2022 initial To view this file - use a text editor (not word processor) constant width font (eg courrier 10), tab - 3 spaces battle regions, see "$d_projMaj"'History/Ukraine-Russia/Russian military organisation in Ukraine.txt' 24************************24 24************************24 # Table of Contents, see ToC file - not listed [here, screen] as it's too large! : # $ grep "^#]" "$d_projMaj"'History/Ukraine-Russia/Howell - Ukraine and Russia notes.txt' | sed 's/^#\]/ /' >"$d_projMaj"'History/Ukraine-Russia/Howell - Ukraine and Russia notes TblOfContents.txt' 24************************24 #] setup, links #] standard space-margin, geany regexpr search #] [ ]* replace '#] ' from "$d_SysMaint"'images/0_image notes.txt' : #] 19Mar2025 pquiv: Ukraine-Russia maps $ pqiv -P 5,700 --zoom-level=0.5 "$d_projMaj"'History/Ukraine-Russia/maps Howell/Ukraine whole country.png' & $ pqiv -P 5,0 --zoom-level=0.5 "$d_projMaj"'History/Ukraine-Russia/maps Howell/Zaporizhzhia - Pokrovsk.png' & $ pqiv -P 5,0 --zoom-level=0.5 "$d_projMaj"'History/Ukraine-Russia/maps Howell/Pokrovsk - Chasiv Yar.png' & $ pqiv -P 5,0 --zoom-level=0.5 "$d_projMaj"'History/Ukraine-Russia/maps Howell/Kramatorsk-Slovyansk - Siverskodonetsk - Kamyanka.png' & $ pqiv -P 5,0 --zoom-level=0.5 "$d_projMaj"'History/Ukraine-Russia/maps Howell/Kharkiv - Belgorod.png' & $ pqiv -P 5,0 --zoom-level=0.5 "$d_projMaj"'History/Ukraine-Russia/maps Howell/Sumy - Sudzha.png' & $ pqiv -P 5,700 --zoom-level=0.5 "$d_projMaj"'History/Ukraine-Russia/maps Howell/Ukraine whole country with war zones.png' & $ pqiv -P 5,700 --zoom-level=1.3 "$d_projMaj"'History/Ukraine-Russia/maps Howell/Military Summary Ukraine 250319.png' & #] +-----+ 24************************24 08********08 #] ??Mar2025 08********08 #] ??Mar2025 08********08 #] ??Mar2025 08********08 #] ??Mar2025 08********08 #] ??Mar2025 08********08 #] ??Mar2025 08********08 #] 31Mar-06Apr2025 08********08 #] 24-30Mar2025 Deep State, Nelson Mappers +-----+ #] Military Summary: Ukraine Preps Elections🗳️ Dnipro Front Collapses💥 2025.03.30 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_IuFvsBKJo 10,471 views Sloviansk Rus Iskander M missile attack killed 137 servicement? perhaps to delay Ukr cut 4 salients (item earlier today) "$d_projMaj"'History/Ukraine-Russia/maps Howell/250330 Ukr target 4 salients around Pokrovsk.png' +-----+ #] Military Summary: Kharkiv Drone Swarm, UA Counterattacks⚔️Russians Prepare Major Battle🔥2025.03.30 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gSEu2T4Txg 123k views Ukr less effective drone defense due to change in Rus tactics: mass of drones, not one after another with several minutes between altitude several thousand meters, less use of missiles eg Odeassa attacks ~25Mar2025, Zhaprorozhzhia later kamikaze drones penetrate defence Dnipro Rus drone attack part of tacticle disscussion above? Today: Rus drone attack Kharkiv Bogotogov no Rus major attack until mid-summer?, Ukr will attack before summer maybe [Konstantinkov, Pokrovsk] Poktovsk - cut Rus Salients [E&W, one in Tereske?, Chasiv Yar] west - Velentynivka??? Rus advances? (doesn't look like it) Rus entered Roslyv Zaprozhzhia - ??? Cooplands - Rus advances? +-----+ #] Military Summary: Novopavlivka Defenses Fall‼️💥 Yunakivka Frontline may Collapse⚠️ 2025.03.29 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X-RY9SGgnU 47,081 views Sumy-Sudza Oleshnya - Rus approaching Kupiansk (Koopelands?sp), Kharkiv Oblest? Rus advance in parabola? Donestk Oblast (Russian military South group) or (Russian military Center group)? Toresk - Ukr regained ground (back & forth it seems) Dnipro Oblast (West of Donesk Novopavlivka defenses fall? Vistola?, : Russians attacked to Odravna?, : Rus artillary strikes, weeks-move encircle Bahrya?, +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: defense of Pokrovsk has collapsed — Russians cut the city's main supply route 28Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8pcjBQ_gss 14,504 views North of Sumy-Sudza border village Sopych: exchange of dead bodies? Sumy-Sudza Russian Sudza: E of borderCross 28Mar2025 Sudza gas pipeline metering station blow up by HIMARS Russia reserves right to withdraw from energy facility ceasefire S Rus gray along border- Gornal, Oleksandriia?, : only 2 villages still Ukr control in Sudza Kamianka region SW Rus control- Krasna Pershe?, : today taken by Rus Donest Oblast (Russian military South group) or (Russian military Center group)? Chasiv Yar: lost in the details Pokrovsk, W,SW- Kotlyne, Pischane, Novotroists'ke, : Rus may have withdrawn from Kotlyne Toresk NW- Kostyantynivka, : still back & forth, strong Ukr infiltration +-----+ #] KyivIndep Zadorozhnyy: White House dismisses Putin's proposal for temporary Ukr government 28Mar2025 https://kyivindependent.com/ https://kyivindependent.com/white-house-rejects-putins-proposal-for-temporary-government-in-ukraine/ Tim Zadorozhnyy A White House National Security Council spokesperson dismissed the proposal, emphasizing that Ukraine's governance is determined by its constitution and its people. The White House on March 25 announced that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to "eliminate the use of force" in the Black Sea, returning the spotlight to a theater of battle that has been relatively quiet for more than a year. Throughout 2022 and 2023, Ukrainian strikes against Russian ships, bridges, and even navy headquarters were a regular occurrence, and the neutering of the Black Sea Fleet has often been hailed as one of Ukraine's greatest military feats during the full-scale war. Although Ukraine's coastal cities and ports still regularly come under Russian missile and drone attack, out at sea, Kyiv was able to carve out its own trade route after Russia pulled out of the U.N. and Turkey-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2023. The corridor has been a lifeline for Ukraine's economy by allowing cargo vessels to sail safely by hugging the coastlines of Bulgaria and Romania while guided by the Ukrainian Navy. After Ukraine reportedly lost all of its remaining surface vessels in the early months of the full-scale war, Russia was widely expected to have a free hand in the Black Sea. But innovative tools such as Magura and Sea Baby naval drones and domestically made Neptune missiles turned the tide. Ukraine celebrated its most successful "kill" when the missile cruiser Moskva, the Black Sea Fleet's flagship, sunk on April 14, 2022, after being struck by two Neptune missiles — marking Russia's first flagship loss since the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. Ukraine built on its successes, retaking key positions like the Snake Island off the coast of Odesa and, striking Russian naval facilities and docked vessels in Crimea with Western SCALP and Storm Shadow missiles. One of the crowning achievements of this campaign was a devastating strike on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol on March 22, 2023. Throughout the all-out war, Ukraine claims to have destroyed or disabled around a third of 80 Russian Black Sea Fleet vessels, including the Rostov-on-Don Kilo-class submarine, Ropucha-class landing crafts, missile boats, and more. The General Staff says that 29 Russian vessels have been taken out of action as of February 2025. "From the initial perception that the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy was the dominant force in the Black Sea and could do whatever it wants, (we came) to a situation where it is really a very limited factor," Dmitry Gorenburg, a senior research scientist at the Center for Naval Analyses, told the Kyiv Independent. +-----+ #] KyivIndep [Yermak, Farrell]: Ukraine's ‘Soviet-like’ command culture damages war effort 27Mar2025 https://kyivindependent.com/ Natalia Yermak and Francis Farrell >> Howell: AWESOME article, but will things change in the Ukraine military? >> can Russia use the results and benefit? see "$d_projMaj"'History/Ukraine-Russia/250328 KyivIndep [Yermak, Farrell]: Ukraine's Soviet-like command culture damages war effort.txt' +-----+ #] RussiaTimes: Putin announces Russian naval expansion 28Mar2025 https://www.rt.com/ The president has set the goal of enlarging the national nuclear submarine fleet and roster of surface vessels The president made the comments on Thursday in Murmansk, during a meeting with the crew of the Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine, a Yasen-M class vessel that equipped with Zircon hypersonic missiles. Moscow sees its Navy as a cornerstone of the country’s security and a key counterweight in the global strategic balance, Putin said. He announced plans to build five more vessels of the same class, three more smaller Borei-A class submarines as well as a number of surface ships by 2050. We saw another submarine of this kind today and took part in its launch. It is quite similar, while adding the capability to carry and launch the Zircon missiles, which is something we can be proud of. After all, to some extent, the Zircon missiles can be viewed as strategic weapons. We tried to resolve these issues by peaceful means for eight years. Taking Crimea and its people, as well as the people of Sevastopol under our wing was something we had to do. And we went to great lengths and were unrelenting in our efforts to resolve all matters concerning Donbass and Lugansk by peaceful means. It turned out, and everyone knows this today, that both the Ukrainian authorities and their Western curators were unfortunately misleading us and trying to trick us. Former leaders who used to stand at the helm of several leading Western nations, including former President of France Hollande and Ms Merkel, the former German Chancellor, stated openly that they needed these Minsk agreements merely to deliver more weapons to the Ukrainian regime and to prepare it for a military confrontation with Russia. However, during these eight years, the people in Donbass, Lugansk and Donetsk faced outright genocide, and I mean real genocide. But the Ukrainian regime’s Western curators preferred to turn a blind eye to these developments, forcing us to try to stop the war which started in 2014 by military means. We were not the ones who started it. Major General Mikhail Gudkov, who took part in combat action, can tell you about it. He commands the Pacific Fleet’s 155th Naval Infantry Brigade. I believe that this is one of the best brigades in our Armed Forces. +-----+ #] AlJazeera: Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,128 28Mar2025 https://www.aljazeera.com Fighting Kyiv’s air force said it shot down 42 of the 85 Russian drones launched at Ukraine in an overnight attack, including a Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile attack. More than 20 people were injured in the attacks, with residential buildings and storage facilities left damaged as well. Russia’s FSB security service accused Ukrainian spy agencies of trying to recruit Russian citizens to collect military intelligence under the guise of being RAND Corp employees – a United States-based think tank. Russia has handed over five children to Ukraine amid Qatar’s mediation efforts to return children separated from their families due to the ongoing war. After visiting Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, Kyiv’s top general Oleksandr Syrskii said Russian forces were intensifying their attacks in the area, but that the Ukrainian military was conducting defence and assault operations to prevent the army from advancing into Ukraine. Russia’s Ministry of Defence accused Ukraine of attacking energy facilities with drones and artillery in the Russian border region of Bryansk, Kursk, and the Moscow-annexed Crimea, despite a mutually agreed moratorium between Ukraine and Russia on such strikes. Ukraine’s army denied the allegations, and a spokesperson from Kyiv’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said neither Ukraine nor Russia had attacked each other’s energy facilities since March 25. Ceasefire Putin suggested that as part of the peace process, Ukraine be placed under the temporary “administration” of the United Nations and other countries until elections are held. +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: breakthrough by the RUAF near Lyman- 100s of UAF fighters raise white flags 28Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 Telegram Channel: t.me/political_observation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWGsE9rEmBk 2,878 views US is using Russian narratives, Witkoff especially Sumy-Sudza: Putin announced Russian large-scale offensive in Sudza-Sumy region Russian Sudza: S Rus gray along border- Gornal, Oleksandriia?, : no Rus heavy equipment, just infantry on quad bikes mass graves of murdered children Belgorod N- Popovka, Demidovka: Rus control now (color not changed on map yet?), heavy fighting Kupiansk (Koopelands?sp), Kharkiv Oblest? C inn parabola- Rus Novotbryvka?, Balka Zhurayka, Novostadove, Ivannyka, Terny, : right bank of Jerevets River Ukr collapsed in parablola & along S fortifications, Rus advance ~5km Russians advance(?again?) within Ukr strong defence parabola C out parabola <5km- Ukr Katernyvka, Nove, Lypove, : Rus in Katernyvka, objective to Lyman CN >20km- Ukr Yampil S <5km-30km along roads- Ukr Rezlyv, Bahatyr, Zelenyk Kut, Novo???, Dachne, : Ukr encircled, waited too long, will have losses retreating SW Ukr- Vesele, Fedorivka?, : Rus in South of Vesele +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Defense of Kharkov Has Fallen- Largest Defeat of the AFU 27Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 Telegram Channel: t.me/political_observation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnYLnPW5hYY 33,227 views Krasnoye-Ruski district of Sudza region is only major remaining pocket? Howell: BS - further SE region even larger? Belov's vidTitles are BS +-----+ #] Military Summary: Russia Prepares New Northern Offensive ⚔️💥Lyman Front Collapses🔥2025.03.27 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f5JRUWiTjU 62k views Sumy-Sudza Ukr Sumy : Zelensky says Russians preparing spring offensive S interior >10km: Unavkya?, Mira Polia: Russian targets for spring offensive? Ukr forest clocks way to Sumy border checkpoint: vids of Russian control and surrouding area, MilSum expect Ukr evacuation in area S Belgorod N- Popovka, Demidovka: Ukr control of some Demidovka, edge of Popovka, now destroy [bridge, logistic]s S 20km interior Ukr: Urodya?: Russian target for spring offensive? Kupiansk (Koopelands?sp), Kharkiv Oblest? N?- Mala Shovka: Center N- Katrinika?: Russians advance(?again?) towards within Ukr strong defence parabola Russians captured stronghold trenches on SE side Ukr interior outside of parabola- Evcadoup?: important Russian objective, river blocks advance, same as Ukr advance some time ago they went to Lyman Center S- Lyman: S- Yampil Donest Oblast (Russian military South group) or (Russian military Center group)? Pokrovsk, WS across "penninsula"- Solone, Novovaskivka?, Usprovka?: W,SW- Kotlyne, Pischane, Novotroists'ke: Ukr captured complete control of Kotlyne Novotroists'ke: Russians entered (gray)? S- Rosly?: Russians entered? Toresk NW- Kostyantynivka: Konstyantynopl': Scrichenka: Kurakhove: Zaporizhzhia, Dneiper (Russian military Dneiper group) NE- Omel'nyk, Orikhiv, Lobkove: improved Russian control of Lobkove +-----+ #] Military Summary: Global moves to remove Russia Sanctions 💸🔄 Fierce Clashes Pokrovsk⚔️2025.03.27 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MZl5eOdufM 121k views Russians signed deal of century, earn G$'s [Dnipro, Kharkiv] cities bombed Sumi-Sudza Sudza Ukr Sumy : border checkpoint: Russians entered (again & again?!) Russian Sudza: E- Guyevo, Gogolevka: Rusians entered N part Guyevo Belgorod N- Popovka, Demidovka: Ukr continue attempts to take, bombed 2 bridges !0, ?20 km East Kupiansk (Koopelands?sp) N?- Mala Shovka Center N- Katrinika?: Russian 1st reconnaisance group advance(?again?) within Ukr strong defence parabola Howell: Russians going into a cauldron? bit N side also Ukr cauldron Center S- Lyman: Russians cleared Terny (again?) well within Russian control area? S- Yampil Donest Oblast (Russian military South group) or (Russian military Center group)? Pokrovsk E- Pantelemonivka?: Pantelemonivka taken gray by Russians W,SW- Kotlyne, Pischane, Novotroists'ke: Ukr secured Kotlyne, lots of logistics problems here MilSum thinks Ukr attack coming on Pischane, want to cut salient, secure Pokrovsk Novovaskivka?: Ukr drone attacks S- Rosly?: Ukr entered, no proofs yet Zaporizhzhia, Dneiper (Russian military Dneiper group) NE- Omel'nyk, Orikhiv, Lobkove: Lobkove Russian movement +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Russian Army into Kostiantynivka – Ukr Frontline Collapses Near Toretsk 26Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 Telegram Channel: t.me/political_observation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWpn35Hbg0c 2,490 views Sudza Ukr Sumy : S: Vesolovka Russian Sudza: South: Melovoy: Russian troops spotted? Belgorod Popovka, Demidovka: likely Ukr troops falling back to border Donest Oblast (Russian military South group) or (Russian military Center group)? Chasiv Yar W- Katerynivka?, Kieban-Byk?: Russian troops observed in Katerynivka (not that I saw in vids) WS- Schzcherbyniivka?, Novospaske? Russians moving towards N of these villages Pokrovsk, WS across "penninsula"- Solone, Novovaskivka?, Usprovka?: Ukr advance into Solone threatens to cut off [this salient to Russians, supplies to [Kostyantynivka, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk] W,SW- Kotlyne, Pischane, Novotroists'ke Toresk NW- Kostyantynivka Zaporizhzhia, Dneiper (Russian military Dneiper group) NE- Omel'nyk, Orikhiv, Lobkove: Russians significantly strengthened position NE ~10km- Orikiv, Predbrazhenka?: Orikiv could soon find encircled Negotiations [Ukr, Russia, US] agreements are with US, not enemy key issue: ceasefire on energy Ukr 01Jun2025 starts, only nuclear facilities, Russia withdraws from Zaporizhzhia NPP delay to get aide from allies Russia: ?? Black Sea not same yet: Russia : free navigation of civilian vessels, stop attacks on ports, conditional on Ukr stop drone attacks on ships Ukrain - free navigation, grain only of Ukraine, Russia must withdraw from Ukr territories Russians want back into Swift +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 Telegram Channel: t.me/political_observation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHVNRzI8mck 26,801 views Zaporizhzhia region : Mali Schevake captured Lobkove enter by Russians from higher ground, Ukr retreated away E- Dniproenerhiia?, Novoochersluvatke? EN >10km?- Odrahne? Russian try to advance, but well-fortified? Pokrovsk N- Vesele? meat grinder, last line of Ukr defense from Shevchecko? to Vesele Uspanovka? Russians broke through, amy have control Udakne? - Russians regained? Toresk E- Alexandrepol? Russians easily take Ukr weak Sudza E, Gogolevka: Russians take?, Guyevo: fighting continues +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Russian Army to Sumy from 3 Directions, Entire AFU Battalion Surrenders 25Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 Telegram Channel: t.me/political_observation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eBbIedXiC0 4,733 views +-----+ #] Military Summary: Defensive Nets- A New Phase; ️Ceasefire on the Black Sea⚓2025.03.25 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFaZhfQfJ90 87k views Ryad 17h of negotiation US & [Russia, Ukraine] separate, no breakthrough? Only Russia made comments (Lavrov) Russia wants to sell [grain, etc] via Black Sea doesn't want Ukraine to get weapons via Black Sea Sudza - explosions in Sumy but witnesses say no missile strikes - possibly just military Ukr explosion Gogalevka? (Oleshnya??) - as usual, state Russians captured (for 1 week now?) Guevo? (Gobolevka?) - Ukr soon in cauldrom, MilSum thinks retreat in next 2 days Ukr erecting anti-drone nets Sumy-Sudza, ends 1km short of border may have helped during Russian attack on Sudza Oct2024 no-one was talking about fibre-optic drones, has been turning-point tech MilSum thinks advantage will go to road-netters Russians even covering entire towns? key on supply lines Belgorod [Demidovka, Popovka] no reports today (why? - Ukr losses, regroup, etc) Kupiansk region - main 2025 battle final offensive Lyman to Konstantinovka?sp ?Kostyantynivka? Yampil - Russian advances, threat to Siversk Pokrovsk - no Russian plan to control, want to hold to cut supply lines to Konstantinovka?sp Ukr now have poor logistic Ukr advancing ?Solonus? SW of Pokrovsk acrtoss Russian control area Russian advance Vilnapolia Mali Shervaky? +-----+ #] Military Summary: Eroding Trust in Trump💥Riyadh: ️Zero Ceasefire in Sight⚔️ 2025.03.25 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqwMfybqKn4 42,663 views +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: AFU lost [300 soldiers, 10 tanks] in one attack - losses not since 2022 25Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 Telegram Channel: t.me/political_observation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIrdbA3lTYc 2,728 views >> people accuse Belov of working for Ukr when reports bad news of Belgorod region Ukr 5:1 troop advantage, took Demidovka Belov thinks Belgorad Ukr efforts to delay major Sumy initiative by Russians +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Ukraine Lost Pokrovsk by Devastating Strike Deep Into Rear 24Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYGJR1--WDQ 7,149 views (38,444 25Mar2025 morning) +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Ukr Lost [Toretsk, Chasiv Yar]! Russian Advances Toward [Kramatorsk, Slovians] 24Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhPZTVVJnNY 30,666 views Belgorod, difficult situation for Russians Kursk - Ukr strong in Guyevo Kostiantynopl?? close to Andrivka Shevchecko close to Pokrovsk +-----+ #] Military Summary: Energy Facilities Targeted Non-Stop💢Crisis on the Belgorod Front🆘2025.3.24 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N31_KsulYQ 58,252 views Ukr bomb energy facilities every day, Putin not Belgorod region, critical for Russians, not reacting yet, high Ukr losses Demidovka Ukr now have <=80%, cut off supply road so Ukr advancing on Popovka Grafovka Ukr Iskander strike destroyed bridge Kooplands (= Kupansk?) Kostyantynivka?? +-----+ #] Military Summary: Tough Talks Saudi Arabia🤝Ukrainians in Demidovka🚶 Russians in Sudzha🚀 2025.03.24 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23m3TXuBYvY 52,931 views Belgorod area: Ukr destroyed Russian helicopter landing site, 4 helicopters, by Himars missles Volchansk (between [Belgorod, Kooplands]) 08********08 #] 17-23Mar2025 +-----+ #] KyivIndep : Ukr Air Force 'completely destroys' Russian troop position in Toretsk 23Mar2025 https://kyivindependent.com/ https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-air-force-strike-completely-destroyed-russian-troop-position-in-toretsk/ “Exact numbers are still being clarified, but the destruction of their shelter and personnel greatly diminishes the ability of the Russian military to operate effectively in the Toretsk axis,” the General Staff wrote in a Telegram message which was accompanied by a video of the strike. +-----+ #] Military Summary: New Round of Talks🕊️Heavy Fighting for the Bridgehead at Oskil⚔️2025.03.23 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zha37KgFosM 67k views 97/147 Russian drones brought down by Ukrainians last night 1/1 Ukr/Russian losses (Belov gave same #) Belgorod region Demidovka: Ukr advancing and may take territory +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Ukraine Lost Kupiansk: Russian crossed Oskil River to rear of the UAF 23Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKG4FeKas4g 15,578 views Sudza region - Guyeva Ukr troops don't have enough food, protests by parents Zelenski discussed with troops giving up on 4 regions? +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Russian army to [Konstantinovka, Slavyansk]; AFU lost [Toretsk, Chasiv Yar] 23Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2e5AHjVLyA Chasiv Yar19/25 Russian vehicles destroyed, already a year-long battle for Chasiv Yar approach Konstantinovka from [Chasiv Yar, Toreske] Kramatorske also a potential target Negotiation trap Ukr is in: Zhaporizia nuclear power plant +-----+ #] Military Summary: Massive Strike on Kyiv💥 Zelenskyy Prepares Kharkiv for Defense🏙️🛡️2025.03.23 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdXeRsQvDjI 111k views Russian drones hit Kiev - no Ukr air defence show Zelenski can be hit upcoming negotiations in Saudi Arabia Ukr provide list of items Russian no attack Russia list might include Zhaporozia nuclear power plant, then will start reactor if US mad - cut off [military supply, intelligence] Russians took village in Ukr territory 30-50km West of Sudza Gueva SE adjoint of Suza region - Russian drone attack, still Ukr control Volchanske - Russian very smal advance after long quiet Zoap?? Sinkovka - Ukr advance Toreske - Ukr advances by 42nd mechBrigade from re-deployed Sudza region Zaproshia area - Russian minor advances? +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Ukraine lost Chasiv Yar- Russian Army encircled the city, one strike 22Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KawhdgNYv5I 16,450 views key map, also shown belore in MilSum : 250320 IFF ceasefire fails: Russians target all of Novorossiya = [Odessa, Nikoleev, Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov].png +-----+ #] Military Summary: Parties Prepare for Talks🤝The Russians Clear Chasiv Yar💪2025.03.22 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DHQpPLHn3s 154k views >> already saw this +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Russian army broke to the Dnieper- surprise strike at UAF weakest point 22Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5YtVr8we8M 7,180 views +-----+ #] @MilitaryTV: Latest Battlefield Reports Confirm—JDAM vs. Russian Glide Bombs https://www.youtube.com/@Military-TV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fuQT20Y_Bg 25,506 views 26,506 views Mar 21, 2025 What the Latest Battlefield Reports Confirm—JDAM vs. Russian Glide Bombs - In modern warfare, precision is key—JDAMs and Russian glide bombs are proving it on the battlefield. Russia claims to have intercepted six U.S.-supplied JDAMs, highlighting the growing challenge Ukraine faces in airstrikes. Meanwhile, Russian glide bombs are devastating Ukrainian positions. With both sides relying on high-precision munitions, which is more effective? Let’s break it down. American JDAM - can be fitted with glide wings 24km without, >72km with weaknesses: GPS jamming by Russians Ukraine - JDAMs often miss targets Russian glide bombs FAB-500 further range out of Ukr air defenses, 40-60km GLONASS satellite navigation system, improved accuracy increasingly dominant weapon in Ukr cheaper than [missiles, guided bombs] weaknesses: GLONASS jamming, lack manouverability - easy to track attack, high altitude exposes aircraft Comparison range to Russians JDAM for precision, but [jamming, Russian defenses] affects 25-84k$/unit Russian glide bombs in real combat, Russian glide bombs have advantage +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Crushing Operation for the UAF, >1k Military Vehicles Lost, NATO in Shock! 21Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcU-pLVfleM 11,345 views >> much the same as MilSum +-----+ #] Military Summary: Preparation for a Major Battle Underway🔥Ceasefire Regime Broken💥21.03.2025 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8XB85ssGEM 37,135 views title image shows [Slovinsk, Kramatorsk, Idesa] 09May1945 beat Germans, major holiday in Russia German Instrument of Surrender late in the evening on 8 May 1945 (9 May Moscow Time) 20May2022 Mariupol 21May2023 Bahkmut ~~May2024 advances, Avdiivka fell Feb2024 ??May2025 Trump probably wont get peace then? Center Group met, does battles in [Touresk, Pokrovsk] possible advances: Konstantiniivka Shevchenka close to Chasiv Yar, may start tonight who may be caught in cauldrom 1.5km Siversk <20km, January started bombing [Siveresk, Krematorsk] etc Yampil - seems to be developing Sudzha - <= 1k vehicles lost by video, maybe 4-5k total? +-----+ #] Military Summary: Ceasefire Broken Once Again💥Preparing for a Major Battle⚔️2025.03.21 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mqljp1xeDVw 55,169 views +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: AFU's Belgorod ended in hellish losses, Ukrainians walked into a kill zone 21Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG8DipISV_E 680 views Russians used to send 10 drones to 5 cities, now send all to one target, see a different result +-----+ #] KyivIndep Shlomo Ben-Ami: Germany's military rebirth is Europe’s best bet against Putin 17Mar2025 https://kyivindependent.com/ https://kyivindependent.com/germanys-military-rebirth-is-europes-best-bet-against-putin/ Putin’s war in Ukraine has catalyzed Europe’s shift from pacifism to military leadership, with Germany leading the way. More broadly, Merz appears prepared to embrace European leadership. Despite being the EU’s largest economy, Germany has long been reluctant to assume a genuine leadership role in Europe, particularly in the security domain. The combination of Russian revanchism and U.S. isolationism, however, has made this stance untenable. As Europe’s most populous country, situated in the continent’s “geostrategic center,” Merz says, Germany must “take greater responsibility for leadership” on defense. Once a peace agreement is reached, Europe will have to act as its guarantor — and that means delivering effective deterrence against Russian aggression. A credible nuclear umbrella is essential. That is why Merz has suggested replacing U.S. nuclear warheads in Europe with French and British alternatives. There is even talk of Germany becoming a nuclear power itself. When NATO intervened in the Kosovo War in 1999, Germany’s then-chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, ruled that sending ground troops to fight in a country that had once been occupied by Hitler’s "Wehrmacht" was “unthinkable.” Today, as Merz seems to recognize, the unthinkable has become necessary. Only if Germany — and Europe as a whole — puts aside its moral and political inhibitions can it continue to perform its most important role: as a global force for peace and a defender of democratic principles. +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Russian army broke into Kupiansk 20Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1FFP6vhvqs 8,601 views Russians assured wouldn't claim Odessa if 4 regions accepted or would claim further regions (Odessa?) +-----+ #] Military Summary: Ukr Martial Law Not Extended >09May2025🕒⚖️Failure of Belgorod💥20.03.2025 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJR1g2AZufU 88k views Kherson - clear spring skys for bombing Putin probably won't claim Odessa Western nations will probably accept current 4 regions (plus Crimea) that Putin claims (or else it will get worse) +-----+ #] KyivIndep : Russia's Engels air base ablaze after Ukrainian drone strike, Kyiv says 20Mar2025 https://kyivindependent.com/ https://kyivindependent.com/russias-saratov-engels-reportedly-hit-by-massive-drone-attack/ by Martin Fornusek and Chris York "This military facility is used by Russian aviation to launch missile strikes on the territory of Ukraine and terrorist attacks against the civilian population," the statement read. Multiple missiles, including Kh-101 cruise missiles, have been destroyed in the attack, said Andrii Kovalenko, an official at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council. Russian air defenses were "ineffective" and launched missiles toward civilian buildings and infrastructure in Engels and Saratov, according to the SBU source. Russian air defenses shot down 132 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 54 over Saratov Oblast, 40 over Voronezxh Oblast, 22 over Belgorod Oblast, and others over the Rostov, Kursk, and Lipetsk oblasts, as well as over occupied Crimea, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed. Engels air base Located in the Saratov Oblast, over 450 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, Engels air base – also known as Engels-2 – is home to the 184th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment and 121st Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment. It was built in 1952 and has been in service since 1954. Engels is home to three types of Russian strategic bombers – the Tupolev Tu-95, the Tupolev Tu-22, and the Tupolev Tu-160, all regularly used to launch missiles at Ukrainian cities. The Tu-95 is the older of the three aircraft, a Soviet-era plane that made its first flight in 1952. It was originally used to carry nuclear bombs but has since evolved to launch cruise missiles. Each aircraft can carry 16 cruise missiles – either the Kh-55/Kh-555 or the newer Kh-101 and Kh-102 air-launched cruise missiles. It features turboprop propellers rather than jet engines, as during the Cold War, their increased efficiency allowed it to fly all the way to the United States without refueling. The Tu-22 carries the Kh-22 missiles, which pose a particular problem for Ukraine. It is supersonic and travels at around 4,000 kilometers per hour. Currently, it can only be shot down with the U.S.-made Patriot air defense system and potentially the SAMP-T, a joint Italian-French system. The Tu-160 is Russia's more modern strategic bomber, entering service in 1987. To this day, it remains the largest operational bomber in the world. It can carry a total of 12 Kh-55 missiles and up to 24 Kh-15s. +-----+ #] RussiaTimes, Dmitry Kornev: Drones over Russia: Is there an effective defense? 20Mar2025 Inside Ukraine’s drone arsenal: long-range strikes and Moscow’s defensive challenges https://www.rt.com/ https://www.rt.com/russia/614544-ukrainian-drones-threaten-russian-civilians/ Liutiy Measuring approximately 4 meters in length and having a wingspan of 7 meters, the Liutiy is powered by a piston engine and a pushing propeller, enabling flight speeds of roughly 150 km/h and ranges between 1,300 and 1,500 kilometers. This range permits attacks deep inside Russian territory, allowing it to target Tatarstan and Bashkortostan. The drone can carry between 50-75 kilograms of explosives Produced by the Ukrainian military-industrial company Ukroboronprom Beager In May 2023, Ukraine first used the UJ-26 ‘Beaver’ drone near Moscow. Constructed from plastic, the Bober carries approximately 20 kilograms of explosives and travels at about 150 km/h with a range exceeding 1,000 kilometers. Letuchaya Lisitsa Before 2022, around 1,000 such aircraft were produced, operational range of approximately 1,500 kilometers, it can strike distant targets such as Tatarstan. Tu-143 “Reis” Arguably Ukraine’s fastest and most powerful drone cruise missile-like drones with explosive warheads for one-way missions at distances of up to 700-800 kilometers. By 2025, these drones’ stockpiles are expected to be depleted Why drones? Ukraine has prioritized drone development due to the absence of other effective long-range strike capabilities. Western-supplied weapons systems currently have a maximum range of approximately 300 kilometers. Domestically producing long-range cruise or ballistic missiles is both technically challenging and costly. Conversely, drone production is technologically simpler and more economically viable, with individual drone costs ranging from $50,000 to $300,000 – significantly cheaper than cruise missiles. Production can also occur in improvised facilities such as garages, transport bases, or factories. Ukraine faces no sanctions restricting access to necessary drone components, making drone manufacturing accessible. For Ukraine’s leadership, drones represent a cost-effective investment. These drone attacks primarily target large-area facilities – energy infrastructure, oil and gas installations, and civilian locations such as towns and cities. Precision isn’t vital; drones only need to strike close to their intended targets. This implies the attacks aren’t primarily aimed at achieving specific military objectives but rather at influencing public sentiment. Attacks on civilian populations constitute acts of terror intended to create panic. Defensive capabilities Countering drone attacks poses significant challenges. Traditional air defense systems struggle with detection due to drones’ small size and often non-metallic construction, while low-altitude flights further complicate radar tracking. Ukrainian forces exploit gaps in Russian air defenses along front lines, leveraging terrain features and electronic warfare to enable drone penetration deep into Russian territory. Once inside the country, drones capitalize on insufficient continuous radar coverage, employing complex flight routes to bypass defenses. Effective drone defense requires a comprehensive strategy encompassing frontline protection, intermediate tracking, and target-site defense measures. The Pantsir air defense system is notably effective at neutralizing drones during their final approach, but its limited availability means not all critical sites can be protected adequately. Passive defenses – like installing nets and physical barriers – can also help by triggering premature drone detonations at safer distances. Given drones’ typically limited explosive payloads, even detonations occurring just meters away can significantly reduce damage. As Russia’s defensive systems increasingly integrate detection technologies and air-defense resources, the threat from drone attacks can be more effectively managed. The recent attacks on Moscow demonstrate the effectiveness of these measures, as damage has remained relatively minimal. It is expected that Russian military forces will continue leveraging gained experience while expanding defense system production to meet ongoing challenges. By Dmitry Kornev, military expert, founder and author of the MilitaryRussia project +-----+ #] RussiaTimes: Russia reiterates key Ukraine ceasefire demand to US 20Mar2025 #] Stopping military aid and intelligence sharing with Kiev is crucial for a peaceful resol https://www.rt.com/ https://www.rt.com/russia/614550-moscow-hopes-us-heard-demands/ +-----+ #] RussiaTimes: Putin approves new rules for Ukrainians in Russia 20Mar2025 #] Citizens of Ukraine will need to legalize their presence or leave https://www.rt.com/ https://www.rt.com/russia/614547-putin-new-rules-ukrainians/ +-----+ #] Military Summary: Martial Law Not Extended🕒⚖️Complete Failure of the Belgorod Adventure💥20.03.2025 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJR1g2AZufU ?? views not streaming... +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: significant Russian Army advance 15 km, 100s of AFU soldiers raised white flag 20Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnbPg-7mfRs+ 24,939 views Belgorod region, Ukr now using heavy equipment only to move dragons treeth, troops on foot female assault troops, as per need for Ukr soldiers current battles (again) : Demidovka?sp - main thrust of last 2 days Grevovka?sp - no success Prelesiae?sp - Ukr assault troops took cover in forest of plantations target? Krasnaya Yaruga, then on to Belgorod Belov thinks unlikely, even with women in battle, only infantry on foot Karkiv region, Russian advances Kurakov - Ukr assault group took control of Western houses of Konstantinople +-----+ #] THETI Mapping: Russia REVERSES Toretsk Counterattacks, Pushes North Of Key City 19Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@Theti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxDOx01zvVs 3,270 views Touretsk - big Russian land grab 1.5km NW, Predator Police Brigade Belgorod - Ukr renewed assault after morning failure Sudza - maybe 1000 pieces of Ukr vehicles [destroyed, lost]? (Howell - much higher than [MilSum, Belov] Ukr using CBRN unit [Chem, Bio, Rad, Nuc] troops - must be short of troops Howell: are Russians tapping into [SkyLink, US military intelligence] perhaps via Ukrainian double-agents? THETI doesn't understand Ukr thinking +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Russian intelligence AFU's ?Belgorod? preparations, single blow destroyed 19Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJMuwrVlpxQ 3,243 views similar (rough) stats on Ukr forces that failed Kupuans + Kooplands of MilSum? Yampil - interesting Northern Wind grouping of Russian troops, eg Southern Donetsk region telegram warror[DV, far East] West grouping of troops telegram Operational Space Yampil important maybe for [Seversk, Lyman] Toretsk - largest Russian advances, later maybe towards Konstantinovka +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: new attack on Belgorod disaster for the AFU - Soldiers refuse to attack 19Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMuNuddOd40 24,324 views spring-summer military campaign will start soon, as already said Demidovka village Belgorod region - main focus of attack, Ukr advanced 800+ m but pushed back to start point [Maron, Prokody, Touria, Petrochevka]?sp Ukr main forces in village Ogroydi 54 attacks 200 soldiers 30 equip [6 tanks, 16 armored vehicles & BMPs] Krasnaya Garuga?sp was main target, away different direction from actual attack, but on a main highway inspired by Gudherrian?sp (German tank General who went through forest road to France) 5 Russian brigades on Sudzcha region border - will they go towards Sumy? Kulaka? Ulakly - Russian advances small Pokrovsk - Shevchenko battles Torestk - small Russian advances? Chasiv Yar - Russians still trying to clear center +-----+ #] Military Summary: Ceasefire Broken on the First Day💥🕊️Advance on Kostiantynivka🚩⚔️2025.03.19 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khe6e1LPEA0 26,332 views Zelensky demanded : 1. no attacks on energy infrastructure 2. secure Black Sea to allow Ukrainians to receive ships 3. no missile attacks deep in Ukraine Putin only agreed to 1. no attacks on energy infrastructure Russians had to destroy their own drones set to destroy energy infrastructure prior to Putin's orders. Ukrainians didn't stop their drones from hitting Russian energy innfrastructures: Russians said Putin's orders still stand NOT to attack energy facilities. [Russian, Ukrainian]s exchanged 125 prisoners of war Russians released 23 serious wounded needing immediate medical care Ukr lost 70/200 soldiers during Belgorod attack against Russia Russian special operation groups currently : Sudzcha (North) Koopelands?sp & much south (West) telegram channel Agrapiva Pastor? (sounds like Operational Space?) North: Russians going towards northern defense line in direction of Volchansk?sp Leman (South): North: Russians gaining ground within fortified enclave (Nelson mappers confirmed) good position to go to OR[city of Leman?sp, River Vosko?sp] Yampil settlement - interesting 10km away from current geolocated positions, enclave has Siversk?sp Chasiv Yar & south (South) (Touresk?sp, Pokrovsk?sp, Konstantinopl?sp) (Center) Russians want to control ?DPR? territory, making headway? Scrivchenka battles with Russian advance Russians want to head ultimately to border with Dnipro region ?place? (East) voinDV channel Dneiper (Dneiper) +-----+ #] Military Summary: If You're Not At The Table, You're On The Menu🍽️⚔️2025.03.19 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffstPu6KhnA 45,549 views +-----+ #] THETI Mapping: Ukraine War Update: Russia REPELS Ukraine's Belgorod Armored Attacks 18Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@Theti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3buf52Z2P4I 5.8k views >> much betteer listing of Ukr battle groups than [MilSum, Belov] Ukr attacks in [Kontantanopl, Ulakly] area +-----+ #] Military Summary: Putin-Trump Talks 📞 Belgorod Breakthrough Fails🚫⚔️2025.03.18 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c7fbLX757w 112k views >> just [talk, rumor, speculation]s MilSum mentioned Odessa port (NYT citing Zelenski aides) mentioned Ukr attempted penetration of Belgorod area [Poroz, Mokraya Orlovka, Grayvoronm]? reports this was a Russian fake reports of many Ukr soldiers in Karkiv area +-----+ #] Military Summary: Trump Calls Putin Today📞Russia Wants Black Sea control⚓️🌊2025.3.18 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq4iVPCm3-E 135k views >> today Russia demands military in Odessa MilSum mentioned Zelensky security guarantees for Transnistria maybe war USA-Iran also MilSum mentioned Ukr attacks into Belgorod area [Poroz, Mokraya Orlovka, Grayvoronm] between Kursk & Karkhiv new Ukr Chief of Armed Forces replace Syrsky?sp tough to move this guy around? +-----+ #] Military Summary: Russians Advance Toward Zaporizhzhia🚀 Zelensky Last Trump Card🃏2025.03.17 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RqWR0izmts 171k views >> Interesting congruity with Belov on reasons for Zhaporizhia region advance eg need 100k soldiers but have that suggests encirclement would be best, but more likely just Eastern part Russians want Ukr to deploy forces here they can't use elsewhere? +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Ukrainian front is collapsing, the strike of the Russian Army 18Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng9AJMkqdUk 7.9k views +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Ukraine attacked Russia in a new location, Zelenskyy is going all-in 18Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNe5cBazr28 29k views +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: RUAF cleared the Kursk region, invades the Sumy region from 4 directions 17Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzMF4BLYv8Q 24k views >> interesting speculations: Transnistria (along East Moldavia) tradeoff for Zhaorizia nuclear plant Russians occupied with captured equipment H07 highway Ukr adopting Russian net coverings over all supply units, fibre-optic drones move troops from Kursk to other fronts that Russians accelerating Ukr report no Torestk (?spelling = ?sp) areas under Ukr control maybe Russians waiting for troops near Pokrovsk ?sp >> view of Russian UGV blowingu up Ukr shack +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: The Russian army launched a powerful offensive into Sumy 16Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwPPZ7gBZco 59k views +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Russian troops into Sumy from 3 directions - AFU abandon the region 16Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N2ZanDu5Uc 65k views 08********08 #] 10-16Mar2025 +-----+ #] KyivIndep Kollen Post: China >> EU to replace Starlink on the Ukrainian battlefield 15Mar2025 https://kyivindependent.com/china-more-likely-than-the-eu-to-replace-starlink-on-the-ukrainian-battlefield/ Fears of a Starlink shut-off at the front line have racked Ukraine. European satellite internet firms took the opportunity to step forward as replacements — but even collectively, they are unlikely to fill the void in coverage that Starlink's shut off would leave. Today, Starlink satellite internet service dominates both worldwide and at Ukraine’s front lines. Moreover, Chinese rather than European competitors are building equivalent satellite constellations. If Ukraine is left waiting on an ally to provide an alternative to Starlink, Russia will likely get one from China first. The U.S. paused weapons aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine last week, though that aid resumed after ceasefire talks in Jeddah. Ukrainians had feared Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and semi-official but eminently visible member of President Donald Trump’s team would cut Starlink access in Ukraine. Musk has tweeted, however, that he would “never do such a thing or use it as a bargaining chip.” Starlink currently boasts 5 million users globally and over 42,000 terminals in Ukraine. Representatives for OneWeb declined to comment on their ability to replicate that scale but wrote in a statement to the Kyiv Independent that “OneWeb solutions can provide an alternative for certain government and defense applications.” OneWeb representatives would also not answer as to where to buy its terminals in Ukraine. On outside markets, they run upwards of $10,000. New Starlinks, for comparison, sell on Ukrainian online electronics stores for just over $400, compared to roughly $549 on U.S. Amazon. The numbers for other would-be EU competitors to Starlink are even grimmer. SES has a total of 70 satellites. Canadian firm Telesat is currently trying to get 198 satellites into orbit. They face remarkably slow launch times. These EU telecoms are unlikely to be able to expand coverage rapidly to cover Ukraine in the near term. “It's not feasible because there's not enough spare satellites,” says Curcio. “With TooWay, the speed of transfer of this data and internet connection is very small. That is, you’ll end up downloading one video for half a day,” Volodymyr “Tekhnar,” a battalion commander for the 28th Mechanized Brigade who declined to provide his last name for security reasons, told the Kyiv Independent. Russia hacked and brought down Tooway an hour before attacking on Feb. 24, 2022, ultimately pushing Ukraine’s Armed Forces onto Starlink in the first place. Despite being a consumer technology, Starlink has also remained remarkably resistant to Russian electronic warfare. “Some of the communication satellites that Russia has that were used by the intelligence service, for example, were purely mailbox satellites,” she explained. “So you send up a signal or a message, and then you have to wait for that satellite to just come back around to the ground station in however many hours.” Like Russia, Ukraine without Starlink will have to depend more on data streams that are narrower and more vulnerable to interference, including frequency bands of cell service reserved for military and greater reliance on on-the-ground radio comms like walkie talkies, as well as civilian cell towers that often behave erratically at the front. Streaming and sharing high-resolution footage of drone attacks would become a largely untenable luxury. +-----+ #] KyivIndep Kollen Post: UK's Starmer 'troops on the ground and planes in the sky' 15Mar2025 could secure Ukraine peace deal https://kyivindependent.com/ https://kyivindependent.com/uks-starmer-offers-ukraine-troops-on-the-ground-and-planes-in-the-sky/ The Trump administration dealt a blow to Russia's energy sector last week after it let lapse an exemption allowing Russian banks to use U.S. payment systems for energy transactions. The move closed an important financial channel for Russian oil and gas exports and comes as Washington looks for ways to pressure Moscow to agree to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was open to a deal, but has demanded concessions from Kyiv before moving forward. A license put in place by the Joe Biden administration at the start of the full-scale invasion had allowed a number of Russian banks to continue receiving energy payments in U.S. dollars. >> no mention of BRIC. kinda blind reporting +-----+ #] Military Summary: Blood Moon Over Kyiv🌕🩸 UK Prepares to Deploy Troops⚔️ 2025.03.15 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80Hcx-0zpKE 76,413 views +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: 5,000k Ukrp encircled, begs for mercy - Putin: Surrender or perish 15Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W-LBk72X7A 12,052 views +-----+ #] KyivIndep Oleg Sukhov: 'Conditions for Ukraine's surrender' 14Mar2025 Why Putin's demands for ceasefire make no sense https://kyivindependent.com/conditions-for-ukraines-surrender-why-putins-conditions-for-ceasefire-make-no-sense/ Peter Rough, a senior fellow at Hudson Institute, argued that "Putin can't afford to say no to Trump altogether but will add a series of conditions." "Putin may not be able to take Kyiv in this round of war, but he may be able to get the Donbas, and he will try to apply the Georgia model of hybrid war to take Kyiv later," he said. "His response to the ceasefire proposal is only the first in a series of counter-proposals to achieve that goal. The bottom line is he hasn't changed his goal of subsuming Ukraine." Putin said, "We agree with the proposals to cease hostilities, but they must lead to long-term peace and address the root causes of the crisis." Putin also claimed that Russian troops were "advancing on almost all sections of the front line." "Conditions are also being created there for us to encircle and block entire fairly large enemy units," he said. "How will these 30 days be used? Will forced mobilization continue in Ukraine? Will weapons be supplied there? Will newly mobilized units undergo training? Or will none of this happen?" Putin's claims about Russia's all-around advances were false. Russia has been on the offensive in Donetsk Oblast since 2023. However, in recent months, its advance has slowed down in many areas, with Ukraine even conducting counteroffensives near the towns of Pokrovsk and Toretsk. The Kremlin's only major success in recent weeks was Ukraine's withdrawal from a part of Russia's Kursk Oblast as Russian troops cut off logistical routes in the region. Putin also raised the question of how violations of the ceasefire would be monitored and how the ceasefire would be enforced. Ukraine has also called for resolving this issue and suggested that European peacekeepers be deployed to enforce the ceasefire. However, the Kremlin has rejected the deployment of Western peacekeepers. +-----+ #] RussiaTimes: China unveils processor ‘a million times faster’ than US rival – developers 14Mar2025 The Zuchongzhi-3 chip vastly outperforms Google’s Sycamore chip, according to its creators https://www.rt.com/business/614243-china-processor-faster-us-rival/ Chinese scientists have unveiled a new superconducting quantum computing prototype they say operates a million times faster than Google’s top quantum processors. The Chinese chip is also a quadrillion times more efficient than any conventionally built supercomputer, according to a statement issued by its creators. Bloomberg reported in October 2023 that Chinese companies and institutions applied for 29,853 AI-related patents in 2022, compared to 29,000 in the previous year. The figure is nearly 80% more than US filings. >> nice to see, covered some time ago by @AnastasiInTech: +-----+ #] RussiaTimes Tarik Amar: Meet the warmongers: where the EU’s military frenzy is coming from 14Mar2025 The bloc has allowed its most war-crazed members to dictate its Russia policies – and now they want to attack Moscow first https://www.rt.com/news/614230-western-eu-rebel-eastern-eu/ Tarik Cyril Amar, a historian from Germany working at Koç University, Istanbul, on Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe, the history of World War II, the cultural Cold War, and the politics of memory >> Howell: nice article, no breakthrough +-----+ #] RussiaTimes: ‘Expel Soros agents’ — Hungary issues list of demands to EU Viktor Orban has urged Brussels to strongly protect the national interests of member states https://www.rt.com/news/614265-hungary-orban-eu-soros-ukraine/ Brussels should take decisive steps towards denying EU membership to Ukraine and ending the influence of foreign agents linked to billionaire George Soros on the bloc’s policies, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has stated. He has called for the absolute national sovereignty of member states over domestic issues. In a post on X on Saturday, Orban urged Brussels to “expel Soros agents” from the European Commission and “remove corrupt lobbyists” from the European Parliament. The Hungarian prime minister has a long history of opposing foreign-funded organizations in his country, particularly those sponsored by Soros. Orban has repeatedly accused the Hungarian-American magnate of meddling in Hungary’s domestic affairs, undermining traditional family values, and promoting a globalist agenda. Orban also called for “a Union, but without Ukraine,” having demanded “peace, freedom, and unity.” Budapest has strongly opposed the rapid acceptance of Ukraine into the EU, citing the potential harm to the bloc’s economy. Kiev applied for membership shortly after the escalation of the conflict with Russia in February 2022 and was granted candidate status within just three months. The demands voiced by Orban were included in a broader list that contained calls for protecting Europe’s Christian heritage, banning “the unnatural re-education of children,” eliminating debt, and establishing equality before the law for all members of the bloc. Orban emphasized that the Hungarian people expect Brussels to restore the competencies unlawfully taken from member states. He demanded “national sovereignty” and the right to “a strong veto for national governments.” He also urged the EU authorities to stop obstructing the Hungarian National Guard from protecting the country’s borders. “Do not bring in migrants, and remove those who have arrived illegally,” he wrote. Since the 2015 migrant crisis, Orban’s government has taken tough measures to curb the influx of migrants, including building border fences along Hungary’s southern borders with Serbia and Croatia and rejecting EU-mandated refugee quotas. These policies have triggered legal challenges, including a €200-million fine from the European Court of Justice last year for non-compliance with the bloc’s asylum rules. Four years ago, Budapest updated child protection regulations to ban the promotion of LGBTQ topics in media, advertising, and educational materials accessible to minors. The move sparked outrage in Brussels, which launched legal action against Budapest, referred the case to the European Court of Justice, and froze billions in EU funds intended for Hungary over what it claimed were violations of fundamental human rights. +-----+ #] AlJazeera: russia-ukraine-war-live-drone-attacks-launched-as-troops-advance-on-kursk https://www.aljazeera.com https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/3/15/russia-ukraine-war-live-drone-attacks-launched-as-troops-advance-on-kursk +-----+ #] AlJazeera: Russia-Ukraine war: 3 years on – at what cost? When Russian forces invaded Ukraine, in a multipronged offensive from Russia, Belarus and Russian-held Crimea, the war was supposed to be over quickly, with the toppling of the government in Kyiv. But it has dragged on for years. Al Jazeera’s defence editor Alex Gatopoulos breaks down the cost of the war. video 2.3T$ lost to global economy (Howell: what? stimulus spending!!) 0.5T$ to rebuild Ukraine rise in food prices - especially Europe Ukr civilians "most affected" 12.5k killed (Howell: almost that much soldiers in Kirsk region?) 3.7M displaced Ukr (UN estimate) Ukr soldiers 45k killed (Howell- my comment above) 390k wounded Russia 172k killed 783k wounded ~10k tanks lost ~20.5 vehicles 370 aircraft 28 naval vessels incl [flagship, submarine] controls 20% of Ukr, minerals many cities in Russian parts of war zone destroyed +-----+ #] AlJazeera: What are Putin’s conditions for a ceasefire in Ukraine? As Zelenskyy accused Putin of preparing to reject the ceasefire, Trump deemed Putin’s words ‘promising but incomplete’. Sarah Shamim, Published On 14 Mar 202514 Mar 2025 >> Howell: stupid analysis missing most important points! +-----+ #] Military Summary: Putin Two Days To Surrounded Ukrs⚔️Bloody Assassination, Odessa🩸2025.03.15 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L8b8rk3dI8 137,850 views >> assasination of Odessa Ukrainian Demyan Hanul by former soldier against Russians has 30 wounds Russians say assasinated 42 Russ in Odessa in 2014 Ukr say victim was hero soldier MilSum says Demyan Hanul led an Odessa gang that forcibly recruited young Ukr soldiers 2022-2023 3 persons entered gym to recruit, stopped by gym mge (used forcible words) Demyan Hanul volunteered - gym leader [tortured, forced into army] assassin was gym leader's father in army, got leave & killed Dimian Gamola? >> Kiev has not ordered Ukr soldiers to surrender +-----+ #] Military Summary: Trump Saved Ukrainians🙌 Russians Advanced Toward Sloviansk⚔️🔥2025.03.14 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryYKca_P5Rw 185,779 views +-----+ #] Military Summary: Putin Declined The Ceasefire🕊❌Trump Imposes Additional Restrictions📜2025.03.14 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCRBGf6QPaw 183,253 views +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: 7k UAF soldiers encircled try flee Kursk region! Trump asks for mercy 15Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gWYt__iJ9g 15,760 views +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Largest Catastrophe for the UAF- Tens of Thousands Losses 1mnth of Fighting 14Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0huyfsPdpFk +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Russia Finally Crushed the UAF in the Kursk Region- 20k Killed, 50k Wounded 14Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5m0XND_Qcg 33,774 views +-----+ #] Military Summary: Only A Few Kilometers Left🛣️📍Treacherous Ceasefire🕊️🕵️‍♂️ 2025.03.12 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWsBzGDdrRE 86,939 views +-----+ #] Military Summary: US Resumes Aid to Ukr📦 Russians Liberated Sudzha🏰 2025.03.12 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2LLnCcmD_g 213k views +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Shocking Losses- 70% of Ukrainian Group Remained in Kursk Region 12Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAl0frYvpvM 6,909 views +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Capture of the Kursk Region a Disaster: 300 UAF Soldiers White Flag 12Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeqtyzFyXoA 35,708 views +-----+ #] Military Summary: Thunder⚡️Russians Completing Ukrainians Defeat Sudzha 2025.03.11 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p0ZZ7kToYc 51,096 views +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: The complete defeat of the Ukrainian army in the Kursk! Ukraine's elite soldiers howled from losses https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XbKew_Rhi0 1,791 views +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: End of Sudzha Bridgehead, 100s of Ukr Soldiers Surrendered 11Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZaiSJN0pEw 20,895 views +-----+ #] Military Summary: US-Ukraine Talks Begun🗣️Big Drone Attack💥Sudzha 🏰2025.03.11 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCv10vhmLX8 35,494 views >> 337 ?? drones hit Moscow area SW civilian areas ?for maximum Russian social media postings? +-----+ #] @mapsinanutshell: World War II: Every Theatre in 3 minutes https://www.youtube.com/@mapsinanutshell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNBbeWidICY 419k views >> cool! +-----+ #] mapsinanutshell: Russian Invasion of Ukraine: Every Day to March 1st, 2025 using Google Earth 28Feb2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8jreLqRSXI 188,041 views >> fantastic!! +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Russia Unleashes a Trojan Horse in Ukraine’s Rear 10Mar2025 10,000 AFU Soldiers Defeated in Two Days https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NonPSquEgT0 1,907 views +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Elite Ukrainian 3,000 Soldiers Trapped in Encirclement in Kursk 10Mar2025 Biggest Disaster for the AFU https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsNS-YHE1uM 53,182 views +-----+ #] Military Summary: How 800 Spartans Entered The Fortress Through The Trojan Pipe⚔️10.03.2025 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZDiie43OH4 18,830 views +-----+ #] Military Summary: The Sudzha Fortress Collapsed Like A House Of Cards 🏰🃏💥 2025.03.10 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p9I4E6Cpsw 191k views 08********08 #] 02-09Mar2025 +-----+ #] wikipedia: List of military engagements during the Russian invasion of Ukraine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_military_engagements_during_the_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine >> Howell: best summary of battles so far! +-----+ #] BBC Visual Journalism Team: Ukraine in maps, Tracking the war with Russia 03Mar2025 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60506682 >> good reference +-----+ #] The Week, Peter Weber: Ukraine's major victories and defeats against Russian forces 04Feb2025 Russia was expected to roll over Ukraine within days of the war starting — but that did not happen https://theweek.com/russo-ukrainian-war/1021250/ukraines-biggest-victories-and-defeats-in-its-war-against-russia >> very handy short history with changes in situations +-----+ #] Liberty Vault: Jordan Peterson - My Problems with Ayn Rand 15Apr2024 [John Mearsheimer, Jordan Peterson, Javier Milei, Michael Malice, etc] https://www.youtube.com/@Liberty-Vault https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDehPxneUJ8 327,944 views >> [yap, blah-blah] +-----+ #] Liberty Vault: John Mearsheimer - Why Zelenskyy Doesn't Want a Peace Deal 09Mar2025 [John Mearsheimer, Jordan Peterson, Javier Milei, Michael Malice, etc] https://www.youtube.com/@Liberty-Vault https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0eNJsBkkco 106,644 views >> [yap, blah-blah] +-----+ #] UNITED24: 35 Minutes of Bodycam Video, Frontline Battles Between Russian & Ukrainian Forces 09Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9SvG4eNPg4 97,895 views >> AWESOME!!! +-----+ #] THETI Mapping: Ukraine War Update: Kursk Is IMPLODING; Russia Can't Stop Advancing To Sudzha 09Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@Theti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl47rpfpz88 5,593 views +-----+ #] RussiaTimes: Starlink is ‘backbone’ of Ukrainian military – Musk 09Mar2025 Switching off the system would result in the collapse of the “entire frontline,” the tech tycoon has said https://www.rt.com/ https://www.rt.com/news/613947-musk-starlink-ukrainian-backbone/ The Ukrainian military is fully dependent on the Starlink internet system, and turning it off would result in the collapse of the “entire frontline,” Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has claimed. The system “is the backbone of the Ukrainian army,” Musk said on Sunday in a post on X. “Their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off,” he wrote, claiming that the Russia-Ukraine conflict has become a stalemate and that peace must be achieved now. “What I am sickened by is years of slaughter in a stalemate that Ukraine will inevitably lose. Anyone who really cares, really thinks and really understands wants the meat grinder to stop.” In late February, Reuters reported that Musk had been considering cutting off Ukraine’s Starlink internet access in order to provide Washington with leverage in bargaining over a deal for natural resources. At the time, Musk denied the claims, accusing the news agency of “lying” and fabricating the entire report. Musk says ‘Reuters is lying’ READ MORE: Musk says ‘Reuters is lying’ SpaceX has provided the Ukrainian military with Starlink internet since the escalation of the conflict with Russia in 2022. More than 40,000 terminals have been delivered over the years, with the system becoming a crucial component in the command and control architecture of the Ukrainian military. +-----+ #] RussiaTimes, Timofey Bordachev: The EU’s leadership is now a global threat 09Mar2025 The bloc’s out of control elites can’t solve problems, so they keep creating new ones Timofey Bordachev, Programme Director of the Valdai Club https://www.rt.com/ https://www.rt.com/news/613949-eus-leadership-is-now-global-threat/ +-----+ #] Military Summary: Thunder⚡️Russians Crushing Blow, Kursk Oblast💥Kostiantynopil Has Fallen🏰 9.03.2025 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uj8SI8xWGc 76,627 views vid: a few days ago, massive attacks on far-away Ukr gas facilities that could have redirected gas to Sudzcha several Russians [panicked, died] in pipeline 3rd pipeline attach : after Adiveeka, Toretsk +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Ukraine lost 4,000 soldiers in two days in the Kursk region 09Mar2025 Hundreds surrendered, this is the end! https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWq7F5jIh90 2,000 views +-----+ #] Videos from Mariupol: FORCED MOBILISATION IN UKRAINE 09Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp26UsVbwtQ 42,135 views +-----+ #] RussiaTimes: Ukraine’s losses mounting due to US intel freeze – Time 09Mar2025 Kiev is struggling to hold on to its foothold in Russia’s Kursk Region, sources have told the magazine https://www.rt.com/ https://www.rt.com/russia/613927-ukraine-losses-us-intel-freeze/ The recent suspension of US intelligence sharing with Ukraine has critically weakened Kiev’s defense capabilities, leading to substantial casualties, territorial losses – particularly in the occupied part of Russia’s Kursk Region – and plummeting morale, Time reported on Friday, citing Western and Ukrainian officials familiar with the situation. One unnamed official claimed that the lack of US intel directly resulted in “hundreds of dead Ukrainians,” adding that “the biggest problem is morale,” as Kiev is unable to effectively use some of its most powerful Western-supplied weapons. According to Time, the abrupt halt in intelligence sharing has affected the Ukrainian foothold in the Russian border region of Kursk, which Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky regards as a bargaining chip in potential peace talks with Russia. The magazine said, citing sources, that Russia has made swift advances in the area, aiming to cut off Ukrainian supply lines into the region. A source in Zelensky’s government told Time that the loss of US intel has had major consequences beyond Kursk. The magazine noted that Ukraine has lost its ability to track Russian bombers and fighter jets, leaving the country vulnerable to surprise attacks. “It’s very dangerous for our people,” the source said. “It has to be immediately changed.” +-----+ #] AlJazeera Sarah Shamim: How will US pause on intelligence sharing affect Ukraine? 06Mar2025 The US cut off intelligence sharing with Ukraine days after suspending military aid. This could blind Ukraine’s military, say experts. https://www.aljazeera.com How has the US supported Ukraine with intelligence so far? Even before the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022, the US supported Ukraine with significant intelligence. The specific details and precisely how significant US intelligence sharing has been to Ukraine have never been explicitly publicised, but multiple reports, officials and leaks point to two key areas where it has been critical. The intelligence – primarily a combination of satellite imagery and signals – allows Ukrainian forces to prepare for incoming Russian attacks. It also helps them track Russian troop movements and the positions of their bases, enabling Ukrainian forces to deploy missiles – including long-range projectiles – against them. This includes strikes inside Russian territory using long-range weapons such as ATACMS and HIMARS sent by Ukraine’s Western allies. “The United States can provide Ukraine the coordinates or satellite imagery of where the Russian logistical centres are located, and then Ukraine can use that information to destroy them,” Marina Miron, a postdoctoral researcher at the Defence Studies Department at King’s College London, told Al Jazeera. “You need that information from the Ukrainian perspective in order to target hostile objectives like ammunition depots and logistical hubs.” But there is more. In February 2024, a New York Times investigation revealed that, after a command centre of the Ukrainian military was destroyed in the months after Russia’s full-scale invasion, an underground bunker was built to replace it. In this bunker, Ukrainian soldiers track Russian spy satellites and listen in on conversations among the Russian military. The base is almost fully financed and partly equipped by the CIA, the Times reported. The report added there are multiple CIA-supported spy bases in Ukraine, including at 12 secret locations along the Russian border. The investigation further revealed that about 2016, the CIA began training an elite Ukrainian commando force, dubbed Unit 2245, which seized Russian drones and communications equipment. These devices would then be reverse-engineered by the CIA to get to decode Moscow’s encryption. One of the trained officers of 2245 was Kyrylo Budanov, who is now Ukraine’s chief of military intelligence. Will the intelligence pause affect Ukraine’s fighting abilities? It already has. Reporting from Ukraine, Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford said he had spoken with a Ukrainian commander in a unit close to the front line. “He said that his unit and many like him right the way along that 1,300km [808 miles] front line in the east and south of Ukraine relied on American intelligence gathering for around 90 percent of the intelligence work that is done,” Stratford said. “He said that they received no help today and that indeed the Americans seem to have turned that system off.” Ukraine uses US intelligence for a range of purposes, Stratford suggested – including, for instance, for its Patriot missile system, which is critical to Kyiv’s abilities to knock down incoming Russian ballistic missiles. Alexseev added that the intelligence sharing pause “would allow Russia to stage its bombers closer to Ukraine, thus facilitating missile strikes on its military positions and on civilian targets, including in big cities, that would be harder to defend against”. He added the pause will hamper early warning of Russia’s mass long-range drone attacks. Can Europe help fill Ukraine’s intelligence blindspot? Partly. European nations too have spy satellites that can offer some imagery – but it is unclear whether they are attuned to providing the kind of intelligence that Ukraine needs. Ukraine also has two commercially acquired spy satellites, manufactured by Finnish company ICEYE. One was bought by a nonprofit, the other provided by the German government and German weapons maker Rheinmetall. “While the United States has provided considerable intelligence support, it has not been the only source of intelligence,” Alexseev said, adding France has announced continuing support and willingness to fill the gaps. He added that the United Kingdom “has also articulated it has its own capabilities that would not be subject to US restrictions on its allies [and] that will generate the missing intelligence”. Alexseev said Ukraine’s own intelligence services have also “rapidly come of age during this war and have shown much effectiveness”. But even with these, it is unlikely that Ukraine or Europe will be able to fill the gap left by the US intelligence sharing pause, say other experts. “Europe does not have the intelligence capabilities that Ukraine receives from the US,” said Miron, adding that this cut will have an immediate effect on the battlefield. The US has “a monopoly on military satellites and on intelligence”, she added. In February 2022, Elon Musk’s SpaceX-owned Starlink was activated in Ukraine after the invasion disrupted internet connectivity. Miron explained that the Ukrainian military also relies on Starlink for “communications, tactical reconnaissance and the use of FPV [first-person view] drones”. On February 20, US negotiators told Kyiv that they would shut off Starlink if Ukraine did not reach a deal on critical minerals, the Reuters news agency reported quoting an anonymous source who was briefed on the talks. The rare earth minerals deal would allow the US to invest in Ukraine’s resources. Musk is a close ally of Trump. Miron said the capabilities that the Ukrainian military has due to Starlink are also “difficult to match” even though French satellite operator Eutelsat has offered an alternative to certain defence applications. While Starlink has 7,000 low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, Eutelsat has about 630, supported by 35 satellites in higher orbits. “Part of the problem will be coordination and adjustments, which will inevitably take time and give Russia a window of opportunity to inflict more damage and pain,” Alexseev said. Source: Al Jazeera Related +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: Hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers raised the white flag in the Kursk region 09Mar2025 Thousands are encircled! https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuEmRWgYHNA 5,174 views vid: Ukr confusion, separation in pockets, lack [comm, coord] pipeline story without much basis - psyop? Howell questions: no mention of US [intelligence, StarLink] +-----+ #] Military Summary: The Complete Defeat Of The Ukrainians On The Sudzha Direction Has Begun💥🔥2025.03.09 https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwRvsLpmeaQ 121,541 views vid : pipeline infiltration <=100 soldiers North Ukr positions abandoned without orders Howell questions : >> no mention of impact of missing US [intelligence, StarLink] >> no mention of Ukr anti-drone "fences" like golf on [Sudzcha, bridges] +-----+ #] @RuslanBelov: 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been completely encircled in the Kursk region! 08Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L94bwZUGKI 34,603 views 2nd supply road cut off FPV drones 8-10km range Ukr cannot escape on ?207 road? either, [drone, artillary] fire +-----+ #] THETI Mapping: Ukraine War Update: CRAZY Russian Pipeline Attack Enters Sudzha Outskirts https://www.youtube.com/@Theti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLWsWHix0t4 1,490 views company-size group (~30 soldiers) ~100 men Russians also use in [Adviika, Chasiv Yar] a year ago extremely cramped Yuri Betrusov (Ukr journalist) 1st broke story 80% of Russians killed? +-----+ #] Murat Yaralı: Russian Drones Destroyed Ukrainian Howitzer Convoy with a Trap! 07Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@MuratYarali Kanalımız; güzel ülkemiz Türkiye'nin .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8GgaUuvPvE 378k views +-----+ #] Murat Yaralı: Raid: Russian Drones Destroyed Ukrainian Howitzer Convoy with a Trap! 07Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@MuratYarali Kanalımız; güzel ülkemiz Türkiye'nin .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8GgaUuvPvE 377k views +-----+ #] Murat Yaralı: Raid: Russian Kamikaze Drones Destroy Ukrainian Military Units 08Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@MuratYarali Kanalımız; güzel ülkemiz Türkiye'nin .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fjj__V_dqfs 210,158 views >> best drone-in-action footage yet!!! in a variety of situations +-----+ #] @MilitaryGear: Revealed! Russia’s Next-Gen Pantsir Destroys Ukraine’s UAVs in Seconds 08Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@MilitaryGear https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN3HCPvQ0-o&pp=ygUNQE1pbGl0YXJ5R2Vhcg%3D%3D 18,756 views Russia has taken decisive steps to counter the growing UAV threat in modern warfare, recognizing their potential to bypass traditional defenses. At IDEX 2025, Russia announced plans to integrate laser technology into its Pantsir air defense system, aiming to enhance precision and reduce reliance on costly missile interceptors. This innovation, alongside the addition of mini missiles specifically designed to target drones, significantly boosts the system’s efficiency. On the battlefield, Pantsir has proven its effectiveness by intercepting Ukrainian kamikaze drones and protecting key installations, including military bases and government buildings. As Russia continues refining this defense system, the question remains: Will these advancements render Ukrainian drones ineffective? 00:00 Intro 01:33 Laser: The Solution to the UAV Threat 04:14 Something New in Pantsir 05:43 The Effectiveness of Pantsir on the Battlefield Sources: https://pastebin.com/XhdBW3di +-----+ #] Österreichs Bundesheer; Electronic warfare: key technology in the Ukraine war 07Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B6HRRByeIY 21,418 views In this video Colonel Markus Reisner analyzes the importance of electronic warfare together with cyber-specialist Major Markus Schmid. In addition to the traditional battlefields - the domains of land, sea, air and space - the electromagnetic spectrum is becoming increasingly important. Electronic warfare can decide who gets to control communications, direct drones and disrupt enemy systems. This video also looks at the strategies and technologies involved and how both sides of the war in Ukraine are adapting to them. US system targets JDAM-ER gide bomb? Storm shadow HIMARS (GMLRS) Excalibur Drones Russian fibreglass optics - function as an anti-tank guided missile Russian EW systems Operational EW : system purpose Operates against Range Spectrum Murmansk-BN: disruption, Recce LF/MF (frequency) <=5,000 km 3Hz - 30MHz 1L269E Krasukha-2 decep, disrupt radar guided missle, AWACS <=250km 2.86-3.54 GHz 1RL257 Krasukha-C4 disrup, recce, SIGINT SATCOM, radar sys <=300km 8-18GHz 1L267 Moskva-1 recee, SIGINT drones, airspace sys <=400km 200MHz-18GHz Tactical EW : RB-341V LEER 3/ ORLAN 10 UAV recce, dece, IO cellphone users <=140km 900MHz - 1.9GHz SPR-2 Mercury-B ECM, decption artlry shells, radios <=400km 90-420MHz RB-301B Borisoglebsk-2 recce, decept radio systems & UAV <=130km 1.5 - 960 MHz R-330ZH Zhitel (antennae) recce, decept GNSS, GSM, SATCOM, UAV <=50km 100MHz-2.6GHz Sapphire (civ/mil) ECM, SIGINT (EPV)UAV, GNSS <=3km 300MHz-6GHz +-----+ #] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-tariff_barriers_to_trade Types of Non-Tariff Barriers
Professor Alan Deardorff characterises[5] NTB policies under three headings: Purposes, Examples, and Consequences
Policy Purpose Examples Potential Consequences
Protectionist policies To help domestic firms and enterprises at the expense of other countries. Import quotas; local content requirements; public procurement practices; anti-dumping laws; Challenges levied at World Trade Organization, Free-trade area dispute resolution, and other trade forums
Assistance policies To help domestic firms and enterprises, but not at the expense of other countries. Domestic subsidies; industry bailouts. Adversely affected countries may respond to protect themselves (i.e.,imposing countervailing duties and subsidies).
Nonprotectionist policies To protect the health and safety of people, animals, and plants; to protect or improve the environment. Licensing, packaging, and labeling requirements; food sanitation rules; food, plant and animal inspections; import bans based on objectionable harvesting or fishing methods. Limited formal consequences lead to efforts to establish common standards or mutual recognition of different standards.
There are several different variants of the division or classification of non-tariff barriers. Some scholars divide them between internal taxes, administrative barriers, health and sanitary regulations and government procurement policies. Others divide them into more categories such as specific limitations on trade, customs and administrative entry procedures, standards, government participation in trade, charges on import, and other categories. +-----+ #] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_tariff_rate Country[0]
WB[3] yr WTO[2] yr UNCTAD[1] yr
Canada 2.35% 2021 4.0% 2021 1.63% 2021
China 2.31% 2021 7.5% 2021 2.12% 2021
/td> 1.39% 2021 EU member 1.53% 2021
Germany 1.39% 2021 EU member 1.39% 2021
Mexico 1.21% 2018 7.1% 2021 1.33% 2018
United Kingdom 0.72% 2021 3.9% 2021 0.64% 2021
United States 1.47% 2021 3.4% 2021 1.48% 2021
[0] Country/Territory/Region/Group
[3] Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, all products
[2] Simple average applied MFN tariff, all products
[1] Import tariff rates on non-agricultural and non-fuel products
>> Howell: non-tariff barriers have longs been the big issue, not so much tariffs? eg [health, safety, environment, CO2-climate, etc] +-----+ #] Österreichs Bundesheer: Panzerfahrschule der 4. Panzergrenadierbrigade https://www.youtube.com/c/%C3%96sterreichsBundesheer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOfEcjG3clQ 1.4k views In der fünfwöchigen Fahrausbildung lernen die künftigen Panzerfahrer mit ihren tonnenschweren Gefährten sicher umzugehen. Dies ist jedoch erst der Anfang. In weiterer Folge müssen sie lernen, wie sie ihr Fahrzeug im Team zur Erfüllung von militärischen Aufträgen in den jeweiligen Waffengattungen einsetzen. #] Österreichs Bundesheer: #BHistory - Wenn du Frieden willst 25Feb2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIUllzP2ux8 12,809 views In diesem Video aus dem Jahr 1960 wird auf das politische Spannungsfeld eingegangen, in dem sich Österreich zu jener Zeit befand. Nach dem 2. Weltkrieg wurde Österreich ein neutrales Land. Diese Neutralität wurde schon bald auf die Probe gestellt, nämlich im Kalten Krieg. Fast alle Länder Europas verbündeten sich mit einer der beiden verfeindeten Supermächte: USA und Sowjetunion. In diesem Video wird klar gemacht, dass Österreichs Neutralität zu großen Teilen durch sein noch junges Bundesheer gesichert wurde. +-----+ #] Ukraine News TV: Day 1108: Ukraïnian Map https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc3594k1swE https://www.youtube.com/@AutocracyTV helps to balance Russian views 65k views >> [yap, arm wave]ing, no [data, map] just pretty photos of fashionable crowd +-----+ #] Ruslan Belov: 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers surrender in the Kursk region, completely encircled 08Mar2024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0_h7D9uG_A 13,315 views >> highway of death in Sudzcha region lined with destroyed Ukrainian vehicles +-----+ #] Military Summary: The Battle For Kursk Oblast Has Entered Its Final Stage⚔️🔥 2025.03.8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=186oninW21E 71,559 views +-----+ #] Earth and Space Sciences X: Conflict in Ukraine's Donbas Region: Geology Behind the Headlines 24Nov2024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvxzEa9Rkpg 316,733 views Glad to have you studying with me! I have more content in the works and I hope you'll enjoy it. For those that are interested, the best textbook out there is this one: https://amzn.to/47VNed8. However, it's a little old now (two of the authors have passed away) and if you prefer a newer textbook, I would recommend this one: https://amzn.to/45UFDcR For other introductory geology lectures: • Introduction to Geology On February 24th 2022, the Russian Federation launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine attempting to seize the capital city, Kyiv, and the eastern half of the country. After sustaining heavy loses in those initial months, Russian leadership decided on a new objective: annexing the Donbas region. Paul Day, Professor of Geology, briefly examines the geologic context for the Donbas and explores to what extent the geology of the Donbas region is a motivator for the on-going conflict. For a more detailed discussion on the geology of cratons, back-arc basins, volcanic arcs, and subduction zones similar to the Dnieper-Donetsk basin, please study with Professor Day as he gives his lecture on the Origin of Mountains: • Geology 16 (Mountains) Paper referenced in the video: https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ipme.ru%2Fipme%2Fconf%2FAPM2014%2F2014-PDF%2F2014-352.pdf&v=LvxzEa9Rkpg Notes : Ukrainian shield West of Dniepre River, some of oldest rocs on Earth 3.8 Gyr iron? Donestz-Donbas East of Dniepre [coal, gas, old] perimeter of creton (some of oldest rocs on Earth 3.8 Gyr iron?} fighting in Bahkmut area Don-Bas = DONestsk Coal BASin, is a large ridge ~<1,000 m above sea level some coal seams <=6,000 [m, ft]? into ground, lot of natural gas production more oil further to NW part of Donestz-Donbas gas formations are tight -> low permeability NE of Donetsk shell shale gas block - Russians very interested not much shale @ockertwessels649 6 months ago I am not so certain that Russia's motive was gas and oil, because the 2022 peace negotiations approached a settlement that made no provision for the transfer of mineral assets of any kind. In my opinion Professor John Mearsheimer's work dating back to the 1990's and after best explain the reasons for the Ukranian conflict. A little more insight and a lot less greed, would have served the West, its partners, and the World, so much better than strategies followed. I don't like to talk like that, but it is what the facts leads me to believe. @taimalik1110 2 years ago (edited) Hello Professor Day, I love your videos so much! Thank you for covering the geology and science of Ukraine, which is a totally different way to understand the region than geo-politics! Professor, would you also please be able to cover the recent earthquake in Turkiye and Syria that took place Feb 2023, from the science and plate tectonics perspective, as we've learned from your video lectures? Thank you Professor Day, and stay safe! @daveblack3111 5 months ago The first priority for the Russians is the protection and preservation of the ethnic Russians in the Donbas. A parallel priority is the retention of the Black Sea port and Naval Facility. The geology has resulted in the Donbas historically becoming the industrial engine house of the region, without which Ukraine would revert to an agricultural base with much reduced GDP. The conflict sadly is predominantly "Politically" driven with the objective of driving Russia further East and the expulsion/genocide of the ethnic Russian population. What is so devastating is the senseless loss of life, expendable in the eyes of the architects of this war. +-----+ #] KI : Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian troops' logistics in Kursk Oblast destroyed 07Mar2025 , they face risk of encirclement, sources say https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-war-latest-61/ A Ukrainian soldier fighting in Kursk Oblast described the situation in the Russian region as "critical," warning that Ukrainian troops in the region face the threat of encirclement. He added that Ukrainian soldiers based in the region would like to withdraw. According to the source, all bridges in the vicinity of Sudzha have been destroyed, and Ukrainian troops are cut off from ammunition and fuel supplies. The Ukrainian medic stationed in Kursk Oblast told the Kyiv Independent that Russia's breakthrough happened about three days ago, and Russian troops control all the roads. According to DeepState, "the most critical situation" is on the border of Russia's Kursk Oblast and Ukraine's Sumy Oblast. Russian troops are trying to push on Ukrainian positions near the villages of Zhuravka and Novenke in Sumy Oblast, DeepState reported. +-----+ #] KI Natalia Yermak, Chris York: ‘We will adapt’ — Ukraine’s soldiers say after US intel cut 07Mar2025 https://kyivindependent.com/we-will-adapt-ukraines-soldiers-say-after-us-intel-cut/ +-----+ #] Military Summary: Thunder⚡️Gas Transportation System Destroyed⛽Kursk Nears End🚫07Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q0oQfxZkMs 91k views +-----+ #] Ruslan Belov: AFU catastrophe in the Kursk region – troops flee, abandoning dozens tanks 07Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcGn1S_bjwI 8,009 views +-----+ #] Military Summary: Russia Launched A Massive Missile Strike🚀💥 Chasiv Yar Has Collapsed🛡️⬇️2025.03.07 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=551tLrizPtQ 74,030 views +-----+ #] Ruslan Belov: Ukrainian army heavy losses in the Kursk region, going against command 07Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdmr_P-H1rk 4,566 views +-----+ #] Ruslan Belov: Kursk adventure turned into a disaster >losses since the beginning 06Mar2025 Kursk adventure turned into a disaster – Ukraine has not seen such losses since the beginning https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 369 views +-----+ #] Military Summary: Thunder⚡️West Picks Zelensky Replacements 🌍🤝 Russians Cross Oskil ⚔️🏞️ 06.03.2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-0yTg7_wiM 60,421 views +-----+ #] KI Asami Terajima: ‘He betrayed every one of us’ US soldiers after Trump’s military aid halt 06Mar2025 https://kyivindependent.com/us-soldiers-in-ukraine-trumps-military-aid-halt/ Asami Terajima is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent covering Ukrainian military issues, front-line developments, and politics. She is the co-author of the weekly War Notes American volunteer soldiers fighting in Ukraine say that they feel “betrayed” by their own country after the U.S. halted military aid and stopped sharing intelligence with Kyiv in early March. “(U.S. President Donald Trump) betrayed every one of us,” a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, who goes by the callsign Goldfish, told the Kyiv Independent. +-----+ #] KI Kollen Post : Czech armory transition to NATO rifles,new production inside of Ukraine 065Mar2025 https://kyivindependent.com/the-czech-weapons-giant-replacing-the-kalashnikov-in-ukraines-army/ ... Recent years have seen the company expand internationally, most conspicuously in buying the Connecticut-originated Colt brand, the unofficial armory of the American Wild West whose name now sits alongside “CZ” in the company’s title. Today, Colt CZ can assemble 400 of their Bren 2 Siches per day in Ukrainian factories, according to Bohac. Ukraine’s state-owned defense conglomerate, UkrOboronProm, announced the start of production in December. The Colt CZ deal is not the first time the Ukrainian military has tried to move its main rifles on to NATO calibers. In 2017, a much-touted rollout of a copy of the American M4 called the WAC-47, which UkrOboronProm announced would have replaceable parts to take both NATO and Kalashnikov-standard ammunition, came to nothing. Bohac declined to identify exactly how many Siches had been produced locally, citing UkrOboronProm’s rules, but said that something in the “upper tens of thousands” are already in Ukrainian hands and “tens of thousands should be assembled (in Ukraine) this year.” +-----+ #] RT EU state says ‘huge amount’ of Ukraine aid ‘lost’ 06Mar2025 https://www.rt.com/news/613828-slovakia-ukraine-aid-lost/ EU state says ‘huge amount’ of Ukraine aid ‘lost’ Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has pledged to raise the issue of corruption at a meeting in Brussels +-----+ #] RT Fyodor Lukyanov: Here’s the apocalyptic Trump choice facing the EU 04Mar2025 Here’s the apocalyptic Trump choice facing the EU : Without the US, the blocs Ukraine strategy will fall apart https://www.rt.com/news/613670-apocalyptic-trump-choice-facing-eu/ >> good article, not much meat, though +-----+ #] Ruslan Belov: Catastrophic Losses on the Kursk Front, Ukr Soldiers Raised the White Flag! 06Mar2025 https://www.youtube.com/@ruslanbelov86 30k views Ukrainian assult in Pokrovsk area Shevchenko: 4 Bradley IFE, 200 assult personnel failed to take control in village 2nd Shevchenko near Burlatske +-----+ #] Military Summary: Macron Challenges Russia⚔️ Fierce Battles Near Toretsk and Pokrovsk💥2025.03.06 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnIUy9gk9Fc 36,312 views +-----+ #] Ruslan Belov: The Kursk Trap has closed – 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers are surrounded and cannot escape https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zxk6zdHHWw 10,729 views 05Mar2025 +-----+ #] Gergana Krasteva: Rise of Putin’s ‘Eurussian Empire’ over next five years mapped out step by step Published February 27, 2025 11:04am Updated February 27, 2025 5:06pm https://metro.co.uk/2025/02/27/rise-putins-eurussian-empire-next-five-years-mapped-step-step-22622115/ >> very interernesting - Moldova and bwyond +-----+ #] Military Summary: Thunder⚡️Left To Perish🕳️ Critical Situation Near Pokrovsk and Toretsk⚠️2025.03.05 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXAHmvMjdVc 112K views US military Intelligence no longer sharing with Ukraine Ukrainians won't even knpow about Russian [concentration, move]s +-----+ #] Military Summary: Zelensky Wants To Outsmart Trump🧠 Russians Break Through Defense In Sudzha💥 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZpGvCVyJO4 148k views 05Mar2025 Starlink intermittent at same time as Trump-Zelensky blow-up +-----+ #] @TheRussianDude: GAME CHANGER! Ukrainians Discovered MAJOR WEAKNESS of Russian Fiber Optic Drones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_7yr_VyGhM 98,564 views 28Feb2025 At first, it seemed like a genius idea that Russians were using these glorified fiber optic fpv drones, that were not so easily jammed and intercepted. But besides having a very limited flying range, they had another major weakness, that Ukrainians discovered recently. visible optic fibre easy to spot, Ukrainins hit the operator why don't Russians simply pick up fibre? ... they don't distance limited to <2km - [easy, fast] to pinpoint +-----+ #] Military Summary: Thunder⚡️ USA Cuts Ukraine Aid🚫 Ukraine-Iran Deal⚔️ Andriivka Cleared✅2025.03.04 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLyhQbThiiA 5,997 watching now +-----+ #] Military Summary: US Tackle Ukraine "Hard"💥 Zelensky No Apology🚫🙏 Russians Advance⚔2025.03.04 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcGdMaIA6qg 60,331 views +-----+ #] Military Summary: Thunder⚡️Franco-British Plan🧠The Kupiansk Direction Has Come Alive 2025.03.03 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8OD7PUlpiU 37,885 views +-----+ #] Military Summary: Zelensky Stays🚫 UK Troops Prepare For Ukraine⚔️ Russia Advances🔥 03.03.2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsJ8wEbhEq0 160k views, 331k subscribers +-----+ #] Ruslan Belov: Kursk in Flames: The Russian Army Goes All-In, Completes Encirclement of 20,000 Soldiers! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9jUnYUpfgE 2,093 views 26.1 subscribers +-----+ #] Ruslan Belov: Russians broke through to the Dnieper – Ukraine is suffering one defeat after another https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9AM7qMikww 13,838 views +-----+ #] Ruslan Belov: The End of the Kursk Bridgehead! The Russian Army Breaks Through Completely Defeats Azov https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ5qI7JoYZ4 43,646 views +-----+ #] KI: Hungary, Slovakia threaten EU unity on Russia, Ukraine ahead of key summit https://kyivindependent.com/hungary-slovakia-threaten-eu-unity-on-russia-ukraine-ahead-of-key-summit/ Martin Fornusek March 2, 2025 10:28 AM Leaders of Slovakia and Hungary on March 1 threatened to block EU statements during a key summit next week unless the bloc calls for an immediate ceasefire and launches talks with Russia. European Council President Antonio Costa called a meeting of EU leaders on March 6 to discuss defense spending, further support for Kyiv, and to showcase unity after U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance's humiliating treatment of President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office earlier this week. Zelensky has also been invited to the EU summit, which will take place after a meeting with international partners in London on March 2 that will exclude Slovak and Hungarian representatives. In a letter to Costa obtained by Reuters, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reportedly urged the EU to abandon plans for a joint declaration in support of Ukraine and resume direct communication with Moscow like Washington did. ... At the same time, Fico said that Slovakia "respects the need to increase Europe's defense capabilities" and the decisions of other EU members to continue providing military and financial support for Ukraine. +-----+ #] KI: Europe developing 'coalition of the willing' to back ceasefire in Ukraine, Starmer says https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-war-latest-europe-developing-coalition-of-the-willing-to-back-ceasefire-in-ukraine-starmer-says/ The Kyiv Independent news desk March 2, 2025 9:16 PM Key developments on March 1 - 2: Europe developing 'coalition of the willing' to back ceasefire in Ukraine, Starmer says UK to provide $2.8 billion loan to Ukraine backed by frozen Russian assets Macron, Starmer working to pacify Zelensky-Trump relations 'because what is at stake is too important' U.K. to provide Ukraine with $2 billion for air defense Top US officials, lawmakers lambast Zelensky over White House clash with Trump Kremlin says perceived US foreign policy shift aligns with its 'vision' U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on March 2 that a number of European nations, including the U.K. and France, are developing a 'coalition of the willing' that will include "planes in the air and boots on the ground" in an effort to negotiate a successful ceasefire in Ukraine. Starmer added that for any coalition to succeed, Europe must "have strong U.S. backing." +-----+ #] Military Summary: Thunder, Entering A New Era, Russian Forces Dominate Key Fronts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvtX9883mlk 25,315 views UK PM Starmer very important items completely new era? Starmer now new "Lord of the World" Europe 300M asks US to protecxt against 140M Russians -> nonsense +-----+ #] Military Summary: Battlefield: European Summit, Massive UAV Crew Wipeout 2025.03.02 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytkx2glkdOU 134,9450 views, Premiered 6 hours ago FPV drones destroyed many centers active drone trainers Odessa <-> Kherson area Dnipro training camp for Ukrainian drone operators destroyed by Russians biggest hit yet on expertise <=115 drone operators (Ukrainian estimate) ~26Feb2025 Zhaporozia <= 85 drone [instructor, operators] and others (Russian estimate) also "Shotka"? line-up of trucks with equipment, cluster-bombed total destruction (guess 20-30 deaths?) summary since 26Feb2025 4 Russian attacks against concentrations of drone operators <=300 active drone operators >0 Celsius weather recently slows operations, slows Ukrainian movements in Sudzha region 08********08 #] 28Feb2025 +-----+ #] InvestorCoffee, Jack Lifton: There Are No Rare Earth Deposits in the Ukraine renowned Critical Minerals Expert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya9WKaveRXU February 27, 2025 — In a recent interview with Investor.News, Jack Lifton, Co-Chair of the Critical Minerals Institute (CMI), discussed the improbability and inefficacy of developing rare earth resources in Ukraine, emphasizing the lack of viable rare earth deposits and the implausibility of making a profitable business case. Lifton stated, "Ukraine does not have any rare earth theme deposits that I'm aware of...It's just a waste to do that," highlighting the non-existence of economically recoverable rare earth elements within Ukrainian sovereign territory. He compared this to places like Inner Mongolia, where rare earths are a byproduct of substantial iron ore mining, contributing significantly to China's status as a major producer of both steel and rare earth elements. Lifton also elaborated on the geopolitical aspects of the proposed U.S. involvement in Ukrainian mining operations, suggesting that the true intent might be to embed American economic presence as a deterrent to foreign interference, particularly from Russia. He critically noted, "What I think Trump wants to do is make the entire world into a commercial operation benefiting the United States." Lifton dismissed the practicality of investing in Ukrainian rare earth mining as a diversion from more promising opportunities in regions like Canada and Australia, which not only have significant rare earth deposits but also established markets. He underscored the abundance of critical mineral resources in North America, particularly in Canada, advocating for enhanced U.S.-Canada cooperation in developing these assets rather than focusing on geopolitically complicated and economically unviable projects like those proposed in Ukraine. +-----+ #] Forbes Breaking News: Trump, Zelensky, And JD Vance Have Shocking Explosive Argument In The Oval Office https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqOOOR7Kr-s 3,989,099 views, Feb 28, 2025 The end of a meeting in the Oval Office between President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and their aides ended in an explosive argument. 08********08 #] 27Feb2025 +-----+ https://www.rt.com/business/613390-us-russia-oil-sanctions/ #] RT: New US sanctions on Russia take effect The Treasury Department has prohibited American companies from providing petroleum services to the country A US ban on providing petroleum services to Russia officially took effect on Thursday, in the latest round of sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine conflict. The restrictions on the operations of American companies in Russia are part of sanctions targeting the country’s oil production and exports, which was approved by the US Treasury Department in conjunction with the UK on January 10. The measure bars US services for extracting and producing crude oil and other petroleum products in Russia. The export or re-export of oil production services, including their indirect sale, has also been prohibited. Additionally, 30 Russian companies have been placed on a special sanctions list. Businesses were given a grace period to wind down their operations with Russian partners, which ended on February 27. Three major projects – the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), Tengizchevroil, and Sakhalin-2 – were granted exemptions and will be allowed to receive US services under a special license until June 28. The sanctions were introduced less than two weeks before the end of Joe Biden’s term as US president. It targeted two major Russian oil producers, Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegaz, along with their subsidiaries and entities providing insurance and transportation services. More than 180 vessels allegedly used to transport Russian oil in defiance of Western restrictions – described by the US as a ‘shadow fleet’ – were also sanctioned. ... The new US administration has recently suggested that Western nations may have to consider lifting the sanctions on Russia in order to find an “enduring, sustainable” solution to the Ukraine conflict. President Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that Washington could lift the sanctions “at some point” during the Ukraine peace negotiations. According to Moscow, the Western sanctions have failed to destabilize or isolate Russia, while backfiring on the countries that imposed them. +-----+ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/2/27/russia-ukraine-war-live-moscow-us-diplomats-meet-in-istanbul #] Alex Kozul-Wright: Russia-Ukraine updates: Kremlin says annexed territories ‘non-negotiable’ Published On 27 Feb 202527 Feb 2025 >> ??? no text, it was live, maybe later... https://kyivindependent.com/despite-negotiations-buzz-russias-war-is-likely-to-continue-says-military-analyst-rob-lee/ #] Francis Farrell: Russian troops, Mobilization, Drones, US aid, Donetsk Oblast, Russian offensive Interview, Russia, Ukraine, War, Russian troops, Mobilization, Drones, US aid, Donetsk Oblast, Russian offensive, War analysis by Francis Farrell February 27, 2025 7:14 PM To reflect on the key conclusions of the third year of the full-scale war and what to look out for in the fourth, the Kyiv Independent sat down with the U.S.-based military analyst and senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Rob Lee during a working visit to Kyiv. >> Howell: I watched the full video last night!! +----+ https://kyivindependent.com/first-we-need-peace-us-ukraine-minerals-deal-first-step-on-long-road-to-investment/ #] Dominic Culverwell: What the US-Ukraine mineral deal actually means February 27, 2025 6:37 PM The agreement would create a reconstruction fund to be jointly managed by Kyiv and Washington. Ukrainian state-owned enterprises involved in mineral deposits, oil, gas, and hydrocarbons, as well as infrastructure like liquified natural gas terminals and ports, would contribute 50% of their future revenue to the fund. The contributions would then be invested in Ukraine at least annually with the goal of encouraging foreign investment into the country’s natural resources. Just the publicity around the fund will bring Ukraine to the attention of average U.S. investors, said Serhii Fursa, deputy managing director at investment firm Dragon Capital. ... “Americans tend to defend more those countries where they have investments, where they have economic interests,” said Merezhko. “The more American and European companies we have in Ukraine, the better for our economy and our security.” American involvement in state-owned enterprises, of which there are over 3,000 in Ukraine, could lead to better governance, said Andy Hunder, head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine. ... The agreement also notes that the U.S. and Ukraine want to ensure that adversarial countries “do not benefit from the reconstruction” process after a peace agreement. With the White House not wanting Ukraine to fall into the orbit of its economic rival, Beijing, Merezhko believes the clause could be a “hint at China.” https://kyivindependent.com/first-contacts-with-trump-administration-inspire-certain-hopes-putin-says/ #] Kateryna Denisova: First contacts with Trump administration 'inspire certain hopes,' Putin says by Kateryna Denisova and The Kyiv Independent news desk February 27, 2025 3:43 PM Moscow and Washington are ready to re-establish cooperation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Feb. 27 during a meeting of the Federal Security Service's (FSB) board, praising the Trump administration for its "pragmatism." In recent days, the Trump administration has upended years of U.S. foreign policy towards Russia and Ukraine. U.S. and Russian officials resumed high-level bilateral contacts, holding meetings in Riyadh on Feb. 18 and Istanbul on Feb. 27. Speaking as the Russian delegates were concluding their talks in Turkey, Putin described the first contacts between Russia and the U.S. as "inspiring certain hopes." He also claimed that some Western countries are dissatisfied with the restoration of Russian-American relations and want to "create instability in the world." "These forces will try to disrupt or compromise the dialogue that has begun," Putin said, without providing any evidence. "We need to take it into account and use all the means of diplomacy and intelligence services to disrupt such attempts." +-----+ https://kyivindependent.com/exclusive-the-full-text-of-the-final-us-ukraine-mineral-agreement/ #] KI: Exclusive: The full text of the US-Ukraine mineral deal by The Kyiv Independent February 26, 2025 3:25 PM 7 min read 6. The Fund Agreement will include appropriate representations and warranties, including those necessary to ensure that any obligations the Government of Ukraine may have to third parties, or such obligations that it may undertake in the future, do not sell, convey, transfer pledge, or otherwise encumber the Government of Ukraine’s contributions to the Fund or the assets from which such contributions are derived, or the Fund’s disposition of funds. ... The Government of the United States of America supports Ukraine’s efforts to obtain security guarantees needed to establish lasting peace. Participants will seek to identify any necessary steps to protect mutual investments, as defined in the Fund Agreement. +-----+ https://kyivindependent.com/taurus-missiles-stronger-europe-what-can-ukraine-hope-for-after-german-elections/ #] Martin Fornusek: Germany, Friedrich Merz, Olaf Scholz, Ukraine, War analysis, Europe, Trump & Russia February 25, 2025 10:34 PM 8 min read Underscoring this tectonic geopolitical shift, Merz has used his victory speech to call for Europe's strategic "independence" from the U.S. — a tall order amid the continent's lagging defense industry, rising populism, and unrelenting Russian threat. The CDU/CSU secured first place in the elections with 28.5% of the vote, almost eight percentage points ahead of the runner-up AfD. Scholz's SPD, in turn, suffered a historic defeat, coming in third with 16.4% — its worst result since the 1880s. The SPD's former coalition partners fared no better, with the Greens dropping to 11.6% and the centrist Free Democratic Party (FDP) getting booted from the Bundestag. The Left party (Die Linke), which has condemned Russian aggression but opposes military aid to Ukraine, made a surprise comeback with 8.8%, while its Russian-leaning, anti-immigration splinter, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), failed to hit the 5% parliamentary threshold by a razor-thin margin of 0.03%. ... The conservative leader and long-time party rival of ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel has come into the spotlight of Ukraine watchers months before the German elections. Merz has repeatedly lambasted Scholz for his reluctance to provide Ukraine with Taurus missiles, long-range weapons capable of hitting targets 500 kilometers (300 miles) away. However, as Merz's future chancellorship became evident, the CDU chairman began tempering expectations. According to Fleck, Merz has toned down hawkish stances during his campaign to "avoid alienating eastern German voters." +-----+ https://kyivindependent.com/north-korea-deploys-additional-troops-to-russia-south-korean-intelligence-claims/ +-----+ https://kyivindependent.com/trump-wants-ukraines-rare-earths-what-critical-materials-does-ukraine-actually-have/ #] Dominic Culverwell: Ukraine, War, Peace Talks, US aid, Business, Minerals Trump & Ukraine, United States, Donald Trump, Ukraine, War, Peace Talks, US aid, Business, Minerals February 4, 2025 9:22 PM (Updated: February 11, 2025 10:38 AM) Ukraine also possesses rare earth elements — under which titanium and lithium do not fall — such as cerium, yttrium, lanthanum, and neodymium. Demand for these materials has jumped in recent years as the world shifts to renewable forms of energy. Rare earth elements are crucial for making the powerful magnets used in wind turbine generators. Trump’s interest in Ukraine’s critical materials may lie in China’s current dominance over the rare earth elements market. China controls 70% of global rare earth mining capacity and 90% of processing capacity. With his “America First” agenda, the new U.S. president may be looking to fuel American competitiveness by gaining an upper hand over Beijing. ... The country’s numerous rare earth deposits are mostly spread across its central regions but are underdeveloped and the total value is unknown, according to an analysis from the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE). Russia also currently occupies 33% of Ukraine’s rare earth sources. ... Ukraine takes the top spot in Europe for titanium reserves and has a third of Europe’s lithium reserves as well as 20% of global graphite resources. For nonferrous metals, it takes fourth place in Europe for copper, fifth for lead, sixth for zinc, and ninth for silver, according to the Finance Ministry. ... According to the last government survey in 2005, the value of explored reserves of natural resources, including coal and gas, was around $150,000- 200,000 per capita, which translates to around $7-10 trillion at the time. An estimation by the American Chamber of Commerce last month put the critical mineral value at $3-26 trillion. The issue, however, is geography. Raw materials are unevenly distributed across Ukraine and around $12 trillion has ended up in Russian-occupied territory, according to SecDev, a global digital risk and resilience firm. Russia occupies 42% of Ukraine’s metals and 33% of its rare earths, as well as 63% of its coal deposits, 11% of its oil, and 20% of its natural gas, according to the American Chamber of Commerce. 08********08 #] 25Feb2025 search 'Ukraine use of Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV)' +-----+ https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ukraine-fedorov-drones-war-russia-1.7465411 #] CBC: Ukraine's homegrown drones have become increasingly lethal, critical tools in war with Russia Officials say Ukraine now producing well over 1 million drones per year +------+ https://www.janes.com/osint-insights/defence-news/air/ukraine-to-enhance-use-of-ugvs-on-front-line-says-defence-minister #] Tamara Rozouvan: Ukraine to enhance use of UGVs on front line, says defence minister 06 February 2025 Ukraine's Ministry of Defence (MoD) is seeking to increase the use of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) by enhancing domestic manufacturing and deploying “fully robotic units within combat brigades” on the front line, Ukraine's Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov said in a 5 February social media post. The “fully robotic units” were formed based on the experience of military units that use UGVs in combat. UGVs in Ukraine have a wide range of use including offensive and defensive operations, logistical support, evacuating wounded personnel, and demining, Umerov said. Geoff Nixon · CBC News · Posted: Feb 22, 2025 2:00 AM MST | Last Updated: February 22 +-----+ https://thedefensepost.com/2025/01/31/ukraine-approves-logistics-robot/ #] thedefensepost.com: Ukraine Approves Military Use of Silent Logistics Robot ‘Zmiy’ Photo of Joe Saballa Joe Saballa January 31, 2025 Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has officially authorized the deployment of a new unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) to assist with military logistics operations. Named Zmiy (meaning “snake” in Ukrainian), the domestically-produced robotic platform is capable of carrying up to 500 kilograms (1,102 pounds) of cargo. Its towing capacity also enables it to extract light vehicles from hazardous areas. The robot is equipped with ballistic and mine protection systems, ensuring its effectiveness in high-risk environments. The vehicle has been tailored to meet the demands of combat zones, the Main Directorate for the Support of the Life Cycle of Armaments and Military Equipment said. In late 2024, the Zmiy received NATO codification, signifying it meets the highest military technology standards. +--+ Roy🇨🇦 #] @GrandpaRoy2: This Ukrainian UGV is called “Snake Logistics”. It is heavily built with metal wheels to help survive encounters with anti-personnel landmines and drone dropped bombs. As well as logistical tasks it can lay anti-tank landmines, and can be operated with fiber optic cable. @GrandpaRoy2 Radio control of a UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle) is literally its weak link because line of sight is difficult to maintain. Fiber optic cable on a spool now being used to control some FPV drones could solve this problem. It would also make the vehicle immune to jamming. +-----+ https://www.armyrecognition.com/focus-analysis-conflicts/army/conflicts-in-the-world/russia-ukraine-war-2022/ #] ukraine-develops-droid-tw-12-7-unmanned-ground-vehicle-to-strengthen-reconnaissance-and-fire-support 16 Dec, 2024 - 12:56 On December 9, 2024, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense approved the deployment by the Armed Forces of Ukraine of the new Droid TW 12.7 robotic combat system. Developed by the Ukrainian company DevDroid, this unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) has undergone extensive testing, confirming its reliability in combat conditions. The system operates on a tracked platform designed for challenging terrains and is equipped with a Browning 12.7 mm machine gun, supported by a 300-round ammunition capacity. According to the Ministry of Defense, the codification and operational approval of the Droid TW 12.7 aligns with ongoing efforts to integrate advanced technologies into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The ministry stated that modern technological solutions are crucial for addressing contemporary battlefield challenges. Furthermore, the approval process reflects the system’s compliance with NATO codification standards, marking the first instance of a Ukrainian system equipped with a Browning machine gun to achieve this designation. DevDroid has confirmed that the Droid TW 12.7 is modular in design, allowing for flexibility in configurations and upgrades. The company reports a production lead time of up to 45 days per unit, with costs ranging from $26,000 to $29,000. +-----+ https://www.kyivpost.com/post/23189 #] Julia Struck, Steve Brown: Ukraine Has a New Ground ‘Drone’ – the Ratel S (Honey Badger) UGV Ukraine’s digital transformation guru announced the latest weapon that’s about to enter Kyiv’s armory, the “Ratel S” kamikaze unmanned ground vehicle (UGV). by Julia Struck, Steve Brown | Oct. 24, 2023, 5:13 pm +-----+ https://interestingengineering.com/military/russia-kamikaze-robot-ground-drones #] Christopher McFadden: Russia’s new suicide drone tanks can deliver food, ammo, and destruction The robots can provide various roles from kamikaze attacks on tank traps, to evacuating wounded soldiers. Updated: Jun 07, 2024 09:22 AM EST Russia’s High Precision Systems Holding Company (a holding company of state-run Rostec) has unveiled a pair of new robot unmanned ground vehicles (UGV). The UGVs are multi-role and designed for, among other things, kamikaze actions in Ukraine. Called “Depesha” and “Buggy,” the UGVs come in two distinct forms and are designed for different battlefield roles, including delivering fuel, ammunition, and provisions to troops. They can also be used to evacuate wounded soldiers. The robots’ carrying capacities are 330 pounds (150 kg) and 551 pounds (250 kg), respectively. 08********08 #] 24Feb2025 +-----+ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2025/2/24/russia-ukraine-war-three-years-of-fighting-in-satellite-images #] Hanna Duggal, Marium Ali: Russia-Ukraine war: Three years of fighting in satellite images Published On 24 Feb 202524 Feb 2025 >> nice [review, reminder] #08********08 #] 23Feb2025 +-----+ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gjkDm2oqEo #] UkrainianCanadian: Russia-Ukraine War Update / Russia is Having a Meltdown! a Massive Assault Was Defeated in Kursk! 31.2K subscribers, 18,250 views Feb 16, 2025 >> nice getting a Ukrainian perspective 08********08 #] 12Feb2025 +-----+ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu9SnSuV-nY&pp=ygUQbWlsaXRhcnkgc3VtbWFyeQ%3D%3D #] Military Summary: Cold War II❄️ War Crimes Uncovered⚠️ Bahatyr Front Collapsing 12.02.2025, 328K subscribers +-----+ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JoLQhB8K7g #] Military Summary: Russia Frees CIA Agent🕵️‍♂️War Crimes In Kursk⚖️⚠️Massive Attack On Kyiv🚀🌆Military Summary 2025.2.12 328K subscribers, 150,142 views Premiered 17 hours ago 08********08 #] 11Feb2025 Ray Dalio's Warning For 2025 & World War 3 Odds 08Aug2024 #] Tom Bilyeu: The Collapse That Will Change A Generation - Ray Dalio's Warning For 2025 & World War 3 Odds 4.5M subscribers, 1,033,688 views Aug 8, 2024 Impact Theory Podcast Check out the full video here: • “People DON’T KNOW What’s Coming!” Pr... Welcome back to another clip of Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu! Today, we're diving deep into a critical discussion with the legendary finance guru, Ray Dalio. This episode is jam-packed with insights as Ray delivers a powerful warning about the looming economic crisis, the potential for a U.S. recession, and the odds of a global conflict that could reshape our world in 2024. We'll explore the intricacies of inflation-indexed bonds and why Ray believes they are crucial for protecting your investments. He'll also share his cautionary stance on cryptocurrencies and the vital importance of diversification in today's volatile market. Ray brings his unparalleled expertise to the table, dissecting the financial health of nations, the impact of civil unity, and the geopolitical tensions that could spark drastic changes. With a spotlight on the current state of the U.S., the risk of internal conflict, and the potential for major clashes with China, this episode couldn't be more timely. We'll also cover the significant developments in Ukraine, the strategic alliance between Russia and China, and the various types of "wars" that could redefine global power dynamics. So get ready for an eye-opening conversation that will not only inform but could also steer your investment strategies in these uncertain times. Don't miss this episode—it's an essential listen for anyone looking to navigate the turbulent waters ahead! Ray Dalio, inflation-indexed bonds, government bonds, tax advantages, cryptocurrencies, diversification, financial strength, civil unity, likelihood of war, safer locations, economically better places, lifestyle impact, inflation-protected assets, geographic diversification, US economic restructuring, financial health, internal cohesiveness, geopolitical dynamics, economic imbalance, internal conflict, power shift, civil war, conflict with China, turmoil in the US, international developments, world order, events in Ukraine, Russia-China relationship, American sanctions, inflationary environment, investment strategies. 08********08 #] 27Aug2024 non-Ukraine +-----+ #] Elon Musk Unveils UFO Fighter Jet That Defies Physics 19Aug2024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSmjsugj7o4 Aug 19, 2024 #Hyperspeed In a surprising turn of events, the Israel-Hamas conflict is now overshadowed by major technological news. As Israel and its allies reveal their new, advanced fighter jets with amazing capabilities and advanced features, Elon Musk's SpaceX makes headlines for something entirely different; launching a UFO and challenging the U.S. government. This new UFO has sparked global curiosity, raising questions about its technology and its potential impact on the conflict. What makes this UFO so unique? How would its presence affect the Israel-Hamas conflict? +-----+ #] Why Russia and China Have NO CHANCE Versus U.S. Weapons 24Aug2024 |*| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy53MzaxIMA 10,179 views Aug 24, 2024 #Richness In today's world, a nation's power often hinges on its military strength, and modern warfare is evolving rapidly. The United States stands out with its astonishingly advanced weapons, setting the standard for military might. Meanwhile, even though Russia and China have strong militaries, they find it tough to match U.S. weaponry's innovation and sheer power. >> looks interesting, maybe blindly arogant? >> yap arm wave: no chance I can remember ANY details!! better to have [table, photo]s need to find source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_United_States_military_aircraft 00:39 webSearch "Global Firepower (GFP) annual rankings of 145 world powers" https://www.globalfirepower.com/ see "$d_web"'Cool stuff/military- Global Firepower (GFP) annual rankings of 145 world powers.txt' #08********08 #] 14Jul2024 week ending +-----+ #] Chinese military personnel arrive in Belarus for joint exercises 06Jul2024 KI Khalilova https://kyivindependent.com/chinese-military-personnel-arrive-in-belarus-for-joint-exercises/ by Dinara Khalilova and The Kyiv Independent news desk The exercises aim to "exchange experience, coordinate Belarusian and Chinese units, and create a foundation for the further development of Belarusian-Chinese relations in the field of joint training of troops," according to the ministry. They will take place in Belarus on July 8-19. +-----+ #] Russia’threatens Ukraine’s grip of Donetsk Oblast 12Jul2024 KI Asami Terajima https://kyivindependent.com/russias-advance-toward-key-eastern-highway-threatens-ukraines-grip-of-donetsk-oblast/ Russia’s advance toward key eastern highway threatens Ukraine’s grip of Donetsk Oblast Ukraine’s higher ground advantage in Chasiv Yar could collapse if regions south and highway to the west fall into Russian hands Outgunned and outmanned, Ukrainian soldiers struggling to hold the front line in a brutal, months-long Russian siege of Chasiv Yar are increasingly worried about their army's ability to protect their rear. If key supply lines from the west are cut off and if troops to their south are overrun, they risk being choked. But the predicament for Ukrainian troops struggling to hold Chasiv Yar worsened in past weeks after a poorly organized rotation of Ukrainian soldiers to the south allowed Russian forces to advance towards the Ukraine-held towns of Toretsk and Niu York. To make matters worse, Russian forces have been advancing swiftly to the southwest after the fall of Avdiivka in February 2024. Russian troops have made it as far as the village of Novooleksandrivka. From there, they are pushing hard and are just over six kilometers away from Highway T0504, a key supply route for Ukrainian troops in the entire region that could become a path for Russian forces to attack to the west, east, or both ways. U.S.-based military expert Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who routinely visits the battlefields in Ukraine, said the Russian advance toward Pokrovsk "threatens to anchor out potentially creating large pockets around Toretsk and south of Pokrovsk." "Russian advances have typically devolved into small unit attacks by assault groups. Russian forces are steadily pressing into defenses, pursuing an attritional approach, which yields incremental gains but can't generate momentum." +-----+ #] 18 Bohdana howitzers heading for Ukraine's battlefield 11Jul2024 KI [York, Fornusek] https://kyivindependent.com/18-bohdana-howitzers-heading-for-ukraines-battlefield-heres-what-they-can-do/ 18 Bohdana howitzers heading for Ukraine's battlefield – here's what they can do by Chris York and Martin Fornusek The Bohdana – or the 2S22 Bohdana to give it its full title – is a self-propelled howitzer, essentially an artillery gun on a truck chassis with a 42-kilometer firing range. Sweden's Archer and France's Caesar are considered two of the best in the world and are both currently in action in Ukraine, though in limited numbers. "From the point of view of hardware – that is the actual artillery part – it fully corresponds to modern Western howitzers with a 155/52 barrel," Andrii Kharuk, a weapons expert, told the Kyiv Independent in April. +-----+ #] This is how Ukraine can – and can’t – use its F-16s 12Jul2024 Chris York https://kyivindependent.com/f-16s-are-nearly-in-ukraine-will-they-live-up-to-the-hype/ The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American multirole, air superiority fighter first introduced in 1978. It has been the workhorse of more than two dozen air forces across the world for nearly 46 years. Most advanced air forces – including Russia's – now employ much more advanced fighter jets, but for Ukraine, with its small fleet of Soviet-era MiG-29s, it’s still a significant upgrade. Experts who spoke to the Kyiv Independent said F-16s will be a boost to Ukraine but said it was correct not to view them as any sort of game-changer. "First, they won't be the latest and most modern variants, and they are going into a high-threat environment, both from Russia's own aircraft and from longer-range ground-based air defenses," Matthew Savill, director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) said. "They are useful and give the Ukrainians some more options, but we should be cautious about them 'turning the tide' and how soon they will be operationally effective." The F-16s will likely have two main roles, experts said, one defensive and one offensive. "Air defense is really, really important," Peter Layton, former Royal Australian Air Force officer and Associate Fellow at RUSI, told the Kyiv Independent. "Looking at the big picture, the Ukrainian national air defense commanders might try to use the short-range guns – like the Gepard – to kill the Shaheds, use the F-16s to kill the cruise missiles, the older SAMs to kill the ballistic missiles, and the Patriots to kill the Kinzhals." In an offensive role, Layton said F-16s could be used to replicate one of Russia's more successful military innovations used during the full-scale invasion – glide bombs. Glide bombs are standard air-dropped bombs modified with fins and GPS guidance systems in order to be launched at a target from a distance rather directly overhead. They're far from a new technology, dating back to World War II – minus the GPS – and being used in conflicts including Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. One thing that could actually be a game-changer for Ukraine would be the destruction of Russian aircraft on or over Russian territory. Being able to take out Russian fighter jets would prevent the dropping of glide bombs, while the taking out of Russian bombers would prevent the ongoing destruction of Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure. This has been the main argument of President Volodymyr Zelensky's calls to allow Ukraine to strike inside Russia with U.S.-supplied long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS). So far, that call has gone unheeded, so the other option for Ukraine would be to use F-16s to go after them instead. Unfortunately, this is likely to be a non-starter. "Using them in a straight air-to-air fight or flying against air defenses that haven't been suppressed would lead to them taking a lot of risks with scarce resources and pilots," Savill said. +-----+ #] Ukraine and its soldiers: should Biden step aside? 13Jul2024 KI [Terajima, Racer, Sukhov] https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-and-its-soldiers-weigh-in-on-whether-biden-should-step-aside/ Ukraine and its soldiers weigh in on whether Biden should step aside Concerns mounting that the leader of Ukraine’s top ally and main source of weaponry may not be coherent enough to govern and beat Trump. by Asami Terajima and Owen Racer and Oleg Sukhov +-----+ #] Russian forces strike Ukrainian explosives plant 13Jul2024 RT Earlier this month, Moscow’s Defense Ministry also claimed that its missiles and drones had hit several Ukrainian military plants https://www.rt.com/russia/600966-russian-mod-strike-explosives-plant-ukraine/ +-----+ #] ChatGPT maker secretly developing new type of AI – Reuters OpenAI is looking to substantially increase the reasoning capacity of its models, the agency has said https://www.rt.com/news/600965-openai-ai-reasoning-bengio/ OpenAI, the creator of virtual assistant ChatGPT, is working on a novel approach to its artificial intelligence technology, Reuters has reported. As part of the project, code-named ‘Strawberry,’ the Microsoft-backed firm is trying to drastically improve the reasoning capabilities of its models, the agency said in an article on Friday. The way Strawberry works is “a tightly kept secret” even within OpenAI itself, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. The source said the project involves a “specialized way” of processing an AI model after it has been pre-trained on extensive datasets. Its aim is to enable artificial intelligence to not just generate answers to queries, but to plan ahead sufficiently to conduct so-called “deep research,” by navigating the internet autonomously and reliably, the source explained. Last week, one of the world's leading experts in artificial intelligence and a pioneer in deep learning, Yoshua Bengio, again warned of the “many risks,” including possible “extinction of humanity,” posed by private corporations racing to achieve AI of human-level and beyond. +-----+ #] ‘Miracle in the East’: New WWII history book hits the shelves 12Jul2024 RT The publication is based on the work of Western war correspondents covering the Eastern front https://www.rt.com/russia/600947-eastern-front-history-book/ The Russian History Perspective Fund has released a new history book covering the events on the Eastern Front and battles between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. The book, titled ‘Miracle in the East. Western war correspondents report. 1941–1945.’, is based on wartime publications by Western war correspondents. The book has been published in both Russian and English, with the latter featuring additional multimedia materials. The English version was released by the Fund on Friday and is available on its website. https://www.fiip.ru/upload/iblock/2ae/u3ha1bq2s3t8kctxjfq2k97tzq8oc690/Miracle-in-the-East-english.pdf “The emphasis is on telling a consistent story, because in the modern world the idea of the role of the Red Army and the Soviet people in the victory over fascism has been lost. Moreover, the entire history of World War II is being revised and distorted,” the NGO said in a statement. EU state removing Soviet soldiers’ war graves – media READ MORE: EU state removing Soviet soldiers’ war graves – media >> I should buy this! +-----+ #] Saudi Arabia boosts influence in Cairo 10Jul2024 RT Tamara Ryzhenkova Saudi Arabia made a cunning move to boost its influence. Will Israel step in? Egypt has been selling state assets to the Persian Gulf states in an effort to mitigate its economic crisis https://www.rt.com/africa/600802-ras-jamila-resort-egypt-saudi/ By Tamara Ryzhenkova, orientalist, senior lecturer at the Department of History of the Middle East, St. Petersburg State University, expert for the Telegram channel ‘Arab Africa’ >> AWESOME article!! In order to resolve its economic crisis, which is aggravated by a shortage of hard currency, Egypt has been forced to take some unpopular measures to attract foreign investment in national development projects. In recent months, the situation has become particularly dangerous, since Egypt risks losing part of its territory. According to an Egyptian government source, Saudi Arabia has proposed buying the promising Ras Jamila tourist area on the Red Sea coast using its deposits at the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) and acquiring several state-owned Egyptian companies. An official from the Ministry of the Public Business Sector, the entity negotiating the deal, said that Egypt had pre-approved the proposal, which would provide it with immediate access to foreign currency. In February 2024, Cairo signed a similar $35 billion deal with the UAE regarding the development of the Ras El Hekma resort on the Mediterranean coast, which also involves using $11 billion in foreign deposits at the CBE. +-----+ #] Reformist at the helm: Iran’s new president? 10Jul2024 RT Elizabeth Blade Reformist at the helm: What can the world expect from Iran’s new president? Political analysts discuss with RT how the election of President Masoud Pezeshkian will impact the Islamic Republic, the region and the world https://www.rt.com/news/600804-reformist-victory-iran-elections/ By Elizabeth Blade, RT Middle East correspondent RT: The first round of this race had the lowest turnout since the establishment of the Islamic Republic, prompting some to suggest that this was an indication that the people of Iran didn’t trust the system. How likely is it that Pezeshkian will rebuild that trust? RT: Mr. Pezeshkian takes on leadership of a country under immense international sanctions that have impacted the country’s economy. How likely is that he will tackle them? RT: Mr. Pezeshkian has already stated that he would resume talks with the US over its nuclear program. How realistic is it for him to do that given objections among some elements at home? RT: In his victory speech, Mr. Pezeshkian said that he was looking forward to establishing friendly relations with all nations. What does it mean for the US and potentially Israel? Asadi: Like any other country, Iran’s foreign policy is formulated within a highly complicated dynamism in which several actors and factors work to fulfill the national interests. Under the presidency of Dr. Pezeshkian, one might expect a new and an inclusive tone in Iranian foreign policy based on openness to engage diplomatically with countries worldwide, based on their behavior and goodwill. Yet, Dr. Pezeshkian’s stance will remain consistent with Iran’s longstanding position of non-recognition and opposition pertaining to a regime that brutally kills civilians on a daily basis. RT: We are hearing that the position of Mr. Pezeshkian on Israel will remain unaltered. If this is the case, is Iran on the brink of a full-fledged war with Israel? Mkhaimer Abuseada, associate professor of political sciences at Al Azhar University, currently residing in Cairo: In Iran, these matters of peace and war are not in the hands of presidents. These issues are decided by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and at the end of the day, I doubt that he is interested in a war with Israel, which could grow even wider. RT: What about the Palestinians: are we going to see more support for their cause under the presidency of Mr. Pezeshkian? Abuseada: As I said before, a president in Iran, whether he is a reformist or a conservative, will not have a big impact on the Palestinian issue, because the support for the Palestinian resistance, especially for Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, comes from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, and not from the government. That’s what I know, and that’s what has been happening for many years RT: Apart from the West, Iran will also need to keep on improving relations with regional players, especially with Saudi Arabia, ties with which have seen multiple ups and downs. How likely for Mr. Pezeshkian to achieve that? Khaled Batarfi, professor at Faisal University, Saudi Arabia: In Iran, the real power lies with Imam Ali Khamenei and no one else. He chooses, who runs for elections and who gets elected. He controls all the sources of power; and he is the one who takes decisions on all national and security related issues. So it was him, who supported the notion of improving relations with Saudi Arabia. And it was him, who stood behind the nuclear program of the Islamic Republic. He is the ultimate source of power, and it makes no difference whether the president is a moderate or a conservative. Raisi, for example, was a rightist and yet he was the one who made peace with Riyadh. +-----+ #] ‘Eliminate Him’: A look at the violent rhetoric against Donald Trump 14Jul2024 RT Before he was shot at a campaign rally, the former US President faced a barrage of threats from the Left https://www.rt.com/news/601061-donald-trump-death-threats/ While the attempted assassination of Donald Trump has been roundly condemned by his political opponents, liberal politicians and pundits have – implicitly and explicitly – called for his death before. Trump narrowly avoided death at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, when an assassin’s bullet apparently clipped his ear as it whizzed past his head. The shooter – named by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks – killed one spectator at the rally and wounded two others before he was shot dead by Secret Service agents. +-----+ #] China sanctions US military-industrial complex 12Jul2024 RT Beijing has targeted drone manufacturers over sales to Taiwan https://www.rt.com/news/600944-china-sanctions-american-military-companies/ Six American military industry enterprises have been blacklisted in China for participating in weapons sales to Taiwan, the foreign ministry in Beijing announced on Friday. “The US recently announced that it would sell weapons to the Taiwan region of China again,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that this “seriously violates the one-China principle,” interferes in the country’s internal affairs and harms China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. In response, China will freeze all forms of property of Anduril, AEVEX Aerospace, LKD Aerospace, Maritime Tactical Systems, Pacific Rim Defense, and Pinnacle Technology may have in the country. Five executives of Anduril and AEVEX have also been sanctioned personally. China sanctions US defense giant over Taiwan supplies 21Jun2024 rt Beijing will freeze assets belonging to Lockheed Martin after the US approved another arms sale https://www.rt.com/news/599697-china-sanctions-us-defense-taiwan/ +-----+ #] Why did the Ukraine Peace Summit fail? 23Jun2024 AJ Ragozin The Global South is not buying the Ukrainian claim to colonial victimhood, and has grown more suspicious of US client states after Gaza. Leonid Ragozin is a freelance journalist based in Riga. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/6/23/why-did-the-ukraine-peace-summit-fail +-----+ #] Ukrainian maritime attack on Black Sea port Novorossiysk repelled: Russia 03Jul2024 AJ Moscow claims to have destroyed sea drones targeting key oil shipping port Novorossiysk. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/3/ukrainian-maritime-attack-on-black-sea-port-novorossiysk-repelled-russia >> notice that Russia is not attacking Ukrainian grain ships? Novorossiysk is a major export route for oil and oil products, as well as grain, coal, fertilisers and timber. After a spate of Ukrainian strikes on Russian ships, Moscow’s Black Sea fleet was pulled out of its historic base in Crimea’s Sevastopol to Novorossiysk, which is much further from Ukraine. +-----+ #] Ukraine desperately needs new soldiers The Take ?no date? AJ Daily News https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ukraine-desperately-needs-new-soldiers/id1438817292?i=1000658405687 Stories are spreading from the front lines about lack of basic training for Ukrainian troops sent into battle. This is just one of the challenges Ukraine faces as it tries to address a critical shortage of soldiers amid a Russian offensive. In this episode: Mansur Mirovalev (@mirovalev), freelance journalist covering Ukraine for Al Jazeera Episode credits: This episode was produced by Tamara Khandaker, with Marcos Bartolomé, Sarí el-Khalili, and our host, Malika Bilal. The Take production team is Amy Walters, Ashish Malhotra, Catherine Nouhan, Chloe K. Li, David Enders, Duha Mosaad, Khaled Soltan, Manahil Naveed, Marcos Bartolomé, Sarí el-Khalili, Sonia Bhagat, and Tamara Khandaker. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube +-----+ #] Ukraine seizes cargo ship carrying ‘looted’ grain for Russia 11Jul2024 AJ The Cameroonian-flagged ship is alleged to have been working for Russia to transport the Ukrainian grain to the Middle East. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/11/ukraine-seizes-cargo-ship-carrying-looted-grain-for-russia Ukraine has seized an international freighter it says was transporting stolen Ukrainian grain from Russian-occupied Crimea. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said on Thursday that its forces stopped the vessel in the Black Sea near Ukraine’s Odesa region, seizing it and apprehending its captain. >> Howell: makes little sense Kherson crossing of rivber is impassable, so where did Ukrainian grain come from? further in article : Russian forces occupied swaths of southern Ukraine’s agricultural regions in the first year of its 2022 invasion, and Kyiv has accused Russia of stealing and destroying its grain. >> Ah hah! Disputed areas, now Russian controlled, so invitation to Russian fleet to reciprocate... 08********08 #] 07Jul2024 quick look +-----+ #] Ukrainian drones attack ammunition, oil depots in Russia 07Jul2024 KI by The Kyiv Independent news desk Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian drones attack ammunition, oil depots in Russia +-----+ #] ‘Putin endorsed Le Pen’: Russiagate comes to France 07Jul2024 RT If you thought the Western establishment was done shifting blame for its own fiascos, think again By Tarik Cyril Amar, a historian from Germany working at Koç University, Istanbul, on Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe, the history of World War II, the cultural Cold War, and the politics of memory https://www.rt.com/news/600581-france-election-russia-blame/ Russiagate, or really Russia Rage (as in Road Rage), and its many copies, have been with us since Hillary Clinton and her cult were incapable of facing the fact that she lost the 2016 US presidential election because she is a dreadful person with no redeeming graces – and unlike her naturally gifted if shifty and immoral husband, a catastrophically incompetent politician. And like every good form of insanity, Russia Rage is absolutely immune to both falsification and its own record of failure, even as a piece of demagoguery. We know that the only real scandal about “Russiagate” was that it was a hoax, the result of massive exaggeration, outright lying, and all-round manipulation by Democratic party operatives and their media allies. We also know that it did not even work on its own dishonest terms. The other thing that Russia Rage did accomplish is, of course, to massively damage the credibility of US mainstream media. Not that they ever deserved any (ask the Iraqis, for instance, owners of non-existent WMDs and victims of an absolutely illegal and devastating war of aggression based on a big fat lie eagerly supported by those media). But Russia Rage brought the lying home in a way that woke up many Americans. By 2022, US media credibility was the lowest “among 46 nations, according to a study by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.” One year before, “83 percent of Americans saw ‘fake news’ as a ‘problem,’ and 56 percent – mostly Republicans and independents – agreed that the media were “truly the enemy of the American people.” +-----+ #] SPIEF 2024: BRICS members discussing unified payment system 07Jun2024 RT The new settlement mechanism will allow countries to bypass Western financial messenger SWIFT, Anton Siluanov, Russian finance minister, has said https://www.rt.com/business/598933-siluanov-brics-members-payment-system/ +-----+ #] BRICS to launch independent financial system – Moscow 07Jul2024 RT Introduction of a new single currency is also on the table, Russia’s envoy to Beijing says https://www.rt.com/russia/600587-brics-independent-financial-system-morgulov/ Russia has been promoting its own domestic payment system as a reliable alternative to SWIFT, after many of the country’s financial institutions were cut off from the Western financial network in 2022. The Russian SPFS interbank messaging system ensures the secure transfer of financial messages between banks both inside and outside the country. Moscow has also accelerated efforts to move away from SWIFT by trading with international partners using their respective national currencies. The trend has been increasingly supported by members of the BRICS group, which have shifted from using the dollar and euro for trade settlements. The share of national currencies in Russia’s settlements with BRICS countries jumped to 85% at the end of 2023, up from 26% two years ago. +-----+ #] A nation in pain: How political idealism destroyed Ukraine 07Jul2024 RT The conflict is about NATO and its expansion, and Moscow seees Kiev as a proxy for the bloc By Glenn Diesen, Professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway and an editor at the Russia in Global Affairs journal. Follow him on Substack. https://www.rt.com/russia/600586-political-idealism-destroyed-ukraine/ Political realism is commonly and mistakenly portrayed as immoral because its principal focus is on an inescapable security competition, and it thus rejects idealist efforts to transcend power politics. Because states cannot break away from security competition, morality for the realist entails acting in accordance with the balance of power logic as the foundation for stability and peace. Idealist efforts to break with power politics can then be defined as immoral, as they undermine the management of the security competition as the foundation of peace. As Raymond Aron expressed in 1966: “The idealist, believing he has broken with power politics exaggerates its crimes.” Ukraine’s sovereign right to join NATO The most appealing and dangerous idealist argument that destroyed Ukraine is that it has the right to join any military alliance it desires. It is a very attractive statement that can easily win support from the public, as it affirms the freedom and sovereignty of Ukraine, and the alternative is seemingly that Russia should be allowed to dictate Ukraine’s policies. However, arguing that Ukraine should be allowed to join any military alliance is an idealist argument, as it appeals to how we would like the world to be, not how the world actually works. The principle that peace is derived from the expansion of military alliances without taking into account the security interests of other great powers has never existed. States such as Ukraine that border a great power have every reason to express legitimate security concerns, but inviting a rival great power such as the US into its territory intensifies the security competition. Is it moral to insist on how the world ought to be when war is the consequence of ignoring how the world actually works? +-----+ #] French election results trigger riots (VIDEOS) 08Jul2024 Turmoil erupted after the left-wing New Popular Front coalition emerged victorious https://www.rt.com/news/600601-france-chaos-riots-election/ +-----+ #] Orban makes surprise visit to China 07Jul2024 RT The Hungarian PM has landed in Beijing following his visits to Kiev and Moscow last week https://www.rt.com/news/600599-orban-surprise-china-visit/ Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has arrived in China as part of his “peace mission” tour, which included meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev. +-----+ #] Does the US have a plan for Ukraine other than stalemate? 07Jul2024 AJ https://www.aljazeera.com/program/the-bottom-line/2024/7/7/does-the-us-have-a-plan-for-ukraine-other-than-stalemate US political analyst Ian Bremmer says there is no scenario for Ukraine that doesn’t involve partitioning the country. 24 minutes too long - oops "read more": But regardless of how long the war lasts, Ukraine will be partitioned in the end, argues Ian Bremmer, founder of Eurasia Group, a global political risk consultancy. Bremmer tells host Steve Clemons that “the willingness of the US and Europe to take economic pain to hurt the Russians is minimal” and the sanctions against Moscow are not stopping it from exporting oil and gas. 08********08 #] 06Jul2024 quick look https://liveuamap.com/ holy crap, wall-to-wall missile launchers in Ukraine +-----+ #] UK Labour’s landslide election 05Jul2024 KI https://kyivindependent.com/the-counteroffensive-what-uk-labours-landslide-election-means-for-ukraine/ The Counteroffensive: What UK Labour’s landslide election means for Ukraine With a cost-of-living crisis putting Britain’s poverty rate at 18% and failures in domestic policy, polls have long shown Conservatives trailing behind Labour. In May, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released positive economic predictions, showing stabilizing inflation. U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, knowing the situation for his party was unlikely to improve, called for a snap election. Following his call for a national election, Sunak announced that the U.K. would provide Ukraine with an additional 250 million pounds. He has focused on Conservative successes in foreign policy, particularly Ukraine, while portraying Labour as weak on defense. Meanwhile, Starmer was elected Labour Party leader on a manifesto that sought to restrict military action abroad: “No more illegal wars. Introduce a Prevention of Military Intervention Act and put human rights at the heart of foreign policy. Review all U.K. arms sales and make us a force for international peace and justice,” reads his manifesto from 2020. However, since the full-scale war, his policies have shifted. In June, Starmer vowed to make the U.K.'s military “fit to fight” within the first year of a Labour government and said they were “absolutely committed to spending 2.5 percent of GDP on defense as soon as possible.” He has also pledged to continue providing 3 billion pounds a year in aid to Ukraine. “We in this house have a duty to stand on the shoulders of giants and support Ukraine’s fight for freedom, liberty and victory,” said Starmer when Zelensky visited the U.K. Although economic problems are prompting Britain’s historic swing to the left, its neighbors, experiencing similar economic stress, are moving in a different direction. This Sunday, on July 7, France will hold the second part of a snap election called by French President Emmanuel Macron. The far-right National Rally party won close to a third of votes in the first round of voting – a high-water mark for that movement. +-----+ #] What Ukraine's partial Chasiv Yar withdrawal actually means 05Jul2024 KI York&Fornusek https://kyivindependent.com/what-ukraines-partial-chasiv-yar-withdrawal-actually-means/ Ukraine announced on July 4 that its troops had withdrawn from the Kanal neighborhood in Chasiv Yar, a strategically important town in Donetsk Oblast, and the scene of an intense, bloody battle that began in early April of this year. Speaking on national TV, Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the Khortytsia group of forces, said the decision had been made because Ukrainian defensive positions in the neighborhood were destroyed, and commanders agreed to withdraw to better-protected lines. "It became impractical to hold the Kanal neighborhood after the enemy entered it because it threatened the lives and health of our servicemen, and the positions of our defenders were destroyed," he said. Satellite images released by the crowd-sourced monitoring service DeepState show the once populous Kanal neighborhood totally obliterated. Throughout most of spring, Kyiv's forces managed to keep Russian troops out of the town. On June 27, the Ukrainian army reported it had pushed out Russian forces that had entered the Kanal neighborhood. The fighting has been brutal – Russia kept up intensive shelling of Chasiv Yar, including with TOS-1 Solntsepyok multiple rocket launchers, according to Voloshyn. "This is a terrible weapon that hits with thermobaric warheads," Ukraine's 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade reported, whose units were redeployed to bolster the defense of Chasiv Yar, sharing on June 26 a video which shows the town under Russia's attack. "(Ukrainian) defense forces in the area have no more than 14,000 people," Kevliuk added, summing up the number for Chasiv Yar and neighboring Klischiivka, Andriivka, and positions around Kurdiumivka. "A Russian group of 48,000 people is advancing on Chasiv Yar. Up to 6,000 more have been allocated to Klischiivka, Andriivka, and Kurdiumivka." If Russia captures Chasiv Yar, it will gain fire control over key Ukrainian supply routes, severely hampering operations in the area. Ultimately, the fall of Chasiv Yar would mean the last Ukrainian strongholds in Donetsk Oblast – the cities of Kostiantynivka, Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk – would be under massive threat from Russian forces. +-----+ #] Ukraine's airfields under fire as Russia braces for F-16s 05Jul2024 Kateryna Denisova https://kyivindependent.com/russia-strikes-ukrainian-airfields-ahead-of-f-16-arrival/ However, the fact that drones can penetrate Ukrainian defenses up to 130 kilometers deep into Ukraine-held territory is sending a worrying signal. Ukraine is preparing to receive dozens of F-16 fighter jets, with the first batch expected this summer. France also promised to transfer Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to Kyiv next year. Ukraine has faced challenges in adapting its Soviet-built infrastructure to store the advanced Western-made aircraft — a task which could take years, according to Ihnat. Although defense experts do not expect F-16s to become game-changers in the war, the jets may strengthen Ukraine's air defense capabilities, which can shield the country's settlements from Russia's daily bombardments. Concrete shelters are required to protect aviation stationed at air bases. According to Kevliuk, Ukraine does not have them either. "No one has invested in defense properly, no one has prepared airfields for basing aircraft in protected shelters," he said. Kevliuk said the first steps must include uncovering Russian handlers around air bases, camouflaging the aircraft, and dispersing planes. "Any means that can deceive the enemy and using the existing infrastructure will allow us to avoid exposing the F-16 jets to enemy attacks for a long time," Kevliuk said. +-----+ #] French far-right surge threatens the country's commitment to Ukraine 06Jul2024 KI Fornusek https://kyivindependent.com/french-far-right-and-ukraine/ France is gearing up for its second round of legislative elections scheduled for July 7, which could provide the far-right National Rally (RN) with a historic victory and their first-ever chance to appoint a prime minister. Headed by 28-year-old Jordan Bardella and parliament leader Marine Le Pen, the National Rally ran on a Euroskeptic and anti-immigration platform while attempting to brush off its ties to the Kremlin. While the party sought to tone down its pro-Kremlin rhetoric ahead of the parliament election, even ostensibly speaking in support of Kyiv, the potential power-sharing between President Emmanuel Macron and the National Rally could undermine France's efforts to push allies to do more for Ukraine. The elections for the French parliament's lower chamber – the National Assembly – weren't scheduled for another three years. Yet, Macron called a snap election in a shock move after his party suffered a disastrous result in the European elections in June. The National Rally came first in the first round with 33.15%, followed by the left-wing New Popular Front alliance (28.14%) and Macron's centrist Ensemble trailing third (20.76%). Le Pen and her party have traditionally been ranked among the most Kremlin-friendly political forces in the EU. The far-right party took a controversial 9-billion-euro loan from a Russian bank in 2014 despite sanctions imposed on Moscow over Russia's war against Ukraine and its occupation of Crimea. +-----+ #] Ukraine’s arms procurement cleanup 06Jul2024 KI Dominic Culverwell https://kyivindependent.com/old-guard-pushback-continues-to-haunt-ukraines-arms-procurement-cleanup/ Old guard pushback continues to haunt Ukraine’s arms procurement cleanup Maryna Bezrukova immediately knew she was upsetting murky and powerful forces in Ukraine’s arms trade. Amid a push for reforms in the Defense Ministry, Bezrukova took the reins of the ministry’s Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) this January. She left behind her comfortable job at the state electricity grid operator Ukrenergo. Now she is in charge of purchasing weapons and ammunition for Ukraine’s military and transforming the previous leadership's bad business practices. It’s a monumental task for a warring country reliant on Western weaponry, while foreign companies make matters worse by upping prices for Ukraine. Yet a more ominous obstacle stands in Bezrukova’s way, according to Daria Kaleniuk, co-founder of the Kyiv-based NGO Anti Corruption Action Center (ANTAC), which is involved in the procurement reforms. Shady third-party traders and employees within the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) are obstructing the new arms procurement agency’s reforms, she claims. "There are units within the Security Service that try to continue robbing the country and maintaining a monopoly control over some sectors of the economy. The arms sector, because of its natural secrecy and complexity, has been their absolute monopoly," Kaleniuk told the Kyiv Independent. The SBU is Ukraine’s main security agency tasked with counterintelligence, counterterrorism, special military operations, and the protection of national statehood and state secrets. It has a mixed reputation and only recently has been accused of corruption, pressure on business, and illegal surveillance of media. Bezrukova joined the Defense Ministry at a moment when its reputation was shaky after a series of corruption scandals last year. Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and his team were subsequently dismissed in September. Under the new leadership of Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, transparency was promised. The defense procurement sector was reshaped in December 2023, aiming to meet NATO standards. The DPA, first established in August 2022, was to focus solely on lethal aid. Meanwhile, the new State Rear Operator (known under its Ukrainian abbreviation DOT) agency was formed to purchase non-lethal aid like food and clothing. Overall, Ukraine may have lost at least tens of billions of hryvnias to fraudulent schemes, according to Bezrukova. But she is hoping to turn things around. She is moving towards direct contracts with defense manufacturers after third parties received 80% of agreements last year, before she came in. Over 70% of funding has been funneled this year into Ukrainian companies, bolstering the mushrooming domestic defense sector. Ukraine remains dependent on foreign allies in some areas, such as where state-of-the-art technologies are key to manufacturing weaponry. But Ukraine is making inroads here. “You cannot win a war with imports, and we need to develop our own military industry,” Klimenkov said. In particular, the DPA is leading the way in drone procurement under Bezrukova’s management. Orders this year totaled Hr 2.5 billion ($61.8 million) and saved Hr 187 million ($4.6 million) through transparent and competitive bidding, according to the Defense Ministry. Klimenkov praised the agency’s transformation efforts in increasing competition and adopting international procurement standards. +-----+ #] Snake dies from man bite 06Jul2024 RT A sneaky serpent bit a sleeping Indian man, who bit it back much harder https://www.rt.com/india/600564-man-bites-snake-dies/ A man in the Indian state of Bihar gave a snake a taste of its own proverbial venom by biting it to death, local media reported on Friday. According to local reports, Santosh Lohar, a worker employed on a railroad project in Rajouli, was sleeping at his base camp earlier this week when the incident occurred. A snake, presumed to be venomous, decided to snack on the sleeping man, entering the tent and biting him. Santosh woke up and attacked the reptile, slamming it with an iron rod and biting it back several times. The snake was fatally injured and died on the spot. The laborer claimed that he responded the way he did in accordance with a local custom. “In my village, there’s a belief that if a snake bites you, you must bite it back twice to neutralize the venom,” he stated. +-----+ #] Putin makes missile announcement 04Jul2024 RT Moscow is ready to start manufacturing systems that were previously banned by the now-defunct INF Treaty, the Russian president has said https://www.rt.com/russia/600448-russia-missile-production-putin/ The Russian defense industry is ready to start producing intermediate and shorter-range missiles that had been banned under a now-defunct treaty with the US, President Vladimir Putin announced on Thursday. The Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) had prohibited these systems, but the US withdrew from it in 2019. Moscow chose to maintain the ban so long as Washington abided by it as well. “As I’ve said, in connection with the US withdrawal from this treaty and the announcement that they are starting production, we also consider ourselves entitled to start research, development, and in the future, production,” Putin said on Thursday at a press conference following the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana, Kazakhstan. “We are conducting this R&D, and we are ready to start production. We have already, in principle, given the relevant instructions to our industry,” he added. +-----+ #] War has become NATO’s agenda – Orban 06Jul2024 RT In an op-ed published on the same day as his visit to Moscow, the Hungarian PM warned that the military bloc risks committing “suicide” https://www.rt.com/news/600557-hungarian-pm-orban-nato-warmongering/ NATO has effectively made warmongering its raison d’être by jettisoning its original “peaceful” and “defensive” nature, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has claimed. Hungary’s leader, a vocal critic of Western involvement in the Ukraine conflict, has repeatedly warned that ever more escalatory steps by the US-led military bloc could eventually lead to a direct military confrontation with Russia, yielding catastrophic consequences. According to Orban’s Friday op-ed, unless NATO changes tack now, “it will be committing suicide.” +-----+ #] China and Russia highlight ‘tectonic shifts in global politics’ 04Jul2024 AJ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/4/china-and-russia-highlight-tectonic-shifts-in-global-politics Comments come at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit – a regional bloc that Moscow and Beijing see as a counterweight to US ‘hegemony’ on the world stage. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping were in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana on Thursday for a gathering of leaders from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) – a regional bloc that Moscow and Beijing see as a counterweight to US “hegemony” on the world stage. The statement did not refer to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or China’s dispute with Taiwan, but said the group had “mutual respect for sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of states”. Western-sanctioned Iran joined as a full Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member last year. Also attending the meeting on Thursday was UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is visiting Central Asia. The SCO was founded in 2001 but has come to prominence in recent years. Alongside China, Russia and Belarus, its full members are India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan. It is intended to be a platform for cooperation in competition with the West with a focus on security and economics, and Central Asia in particular. SCO represents 40 percent of the global population and about 30 percent of its gross domestic product. But it is a disparate group with many internal disagreements, including territorial disputes. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has further increased major powers’ interest in Central Asia, where Moscow is seeking to maintain its traditional sway, but where China now has strong ties through its flagship Belt and Road infrastructure project. The West is also vying for influence in the strategically important region, rich in oil and gas and a crucial transport route between Asia and Europe. +-----+ #] Ukraine army retreats from part of Chasiv Yar as Russia advances 04Jul2024 AJ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/4/ukraine-army-retreats-from-part-of-strategic-chasiv-yar-as-russia-advances Ukraine army retreats from part of strategic Chasiv Yar as Russia advances Fall of key Donetsk town, prized for elevated position, would bring Russia one step closer to seizing entire region. +-----+ #] Russia as peacemaker, Ukraine rebuffs Hungary’s ceasefire plan 04Jul2024 AJ Psaropoulos https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/4/russia-poses-as-peacemaker-stepping-up-attacks-on-ukraines-east Russia poses as peacemaker, stepping up attacks on Ukraine’s east Meanwhile, Ukraine rebuffs Hungary’s ceasefire plan as an independent media outlet scrutinises Russian war-related deaths. >> interesting rhetoric both ways +-----+ #] https://liveuamap.com/ 6 July 2024 Kharkiv Russian aviation launching glide bombs towards Liptsy of Kharkiv region Kostyantynivka Explosion was reported in Kostiantynivka Odesa Commander of Air Forces Oleshuk says strikes at the Ukrainian military airfields on 3th July at Dolhintseve and near Yuzhne on 6th July, videos of which were published on Russian military Telegram channels, had targeted the mock models Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region 1 person killed as result of Russian artillery and drone attacks in Nikopol district Kherson Shelling reported in Dniprovsky district of Kherson Rivne 14 person dead as result of road accident with a bus in Rivne region Kherson Explosions were reported in Kherson Dnipro Rescuers have finished works at the site of Russian missile strike in Dnipro city on June 28th Krasnodar Oil depot in Pavlovskaya village of Krasnodar region is still on fire Kherson Drones are active over Beryslav district Donetsk Oblast Russian Ministry of Defense claims full occupation of Sokil village in Donetsk region of Ukraine Kozatske 1 person killed as result of shelling in Odradokamianka village of Kherson region Rostov, Rostovskaya oblast' Electrical power rationing had been introduced in Rostov region Odesa, Odessa Oblast Explosions were reported in Odesa Simferopol Ballistic missile launch reported from Crimea towards Odesa Krasnodar Aftermath of the drone strike at Pavlovskaya village of Krasnodar Krai Krasnodar Oil depots were hit by drones and caught fires in Pavlovskaya and Leningradskaya villages of Krasnodar Krai Kherson Ukrainian air defense shot down 24 drones overnight Kherson 2 person killed as result of Russian attack in Beryslav district of Kherson region Kursk region Russian Ministry of Defense claims shooting down 7 drones over Kursk region and one more over the Belgorod region Kirovohrad Oblast Several Shahed drones are airborne over Ukraine: near Cherkasy, over Sumy region, near Kamianske of Dnipropetrovsk region and over Kirovohrad region towards Kremenchuk Sumy,Sums'ka oblast Explosions were reported in Sumy Moskva, Moscow Orban: I have concluded my talks in Moscow with President Putin. My goal was to open the channels of direct communication and start a dialogue on the shortest road to peace. Mission accomplished. To be continued on Monday 08********08 #] 30Jun2024 I've stopped weekly updates day-by-day: I don't have the time +-----+ #] Russia's Su-57 – hype vs. reality 11Jun2024 KI Chris York https://kyivindependent.com/russias-su-57-hype-versus-reality/ There is no official definition of the fifth-generation fighter offered by the U.S. military or NATO. But it is generally accepted by experts that to qualify as a fifth-generation fighter, a jet must meet certain technological criteria, including: Capable of supersonic flight without using afterburners Stealthy design to avoid detection Ultra-high manoeuvrability Advanced avionics Multirole capabilities. The first major inkling that all was not right with the Su-57 came in 2018 when India withdrew from the project to co-develop and produce the aircraft with Russia. Among several concerns, one of the major reasons cited was that Russia had not developed a fifth-generation engine to power its "fifth-generation jet." "The aircraft is positioned as a fifth-generation fighter, but until new engines are received, it does not meet one of the fifth-generation criteria – the ability to perform supersonic cruise flight without switching on afterburners," Andrii Kharuk, a military historian and weapons expert, told the Kyiv Independent. +-----+ #] Russia setbacks, Ukraine braces for tough month 27Jun2024 AJ Psaropoulos https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/27/russia-suffers-setbacks-as-ukraine-braces-for-tough-month-on-battlefield Russia suffers setbacks as Ukraine braces for tough month on battlefield Russia suffered political, financial and judicial blows, but Ukraine’s battle on the eastern front remains difficult, too. According to figures sourced from the Kharkiv mayor’s office, and quoted in The Washington Post, the partial lifting this month of what used to be a total ban on strikes inside Russia using US equipment has made a difference. Air alerts have so far lasted a total of 62 hours compared with 475 hours in May; there were three strikes on Kharkiv city, compared with 76 in May; and one civilian was killed and seven injured this month compared with 39 killed and 239 injured in May, the Post reported. The new rules of engagement appeared to have stopped attacks using S-300 air defence missiles and Iranian Shahed drones completely, but glide bombs were still getting through to the city, and many more to the front lines in the northern Kharkiv region. Ukraine has used US-provided 300km-range Army Tactical Missiles (ATACMs) since April. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, summarised US policy thus: “Ukrainian forces may use [High Mobility Army Rocket Systems-HIIMARS] armed with [Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems-GMLRS] to strike Russian forces preparing to or actively attacking Ukraine, but likely may not strike all legitimate Russian military targets in range of Ukrainian HIMARS using GMLRS in Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk oblasts.” Partly because of restrictions on Western weapons and partly because of their high cost, Ukraine embarked this year on a new policy of developing and building as many of its own weapons as possible. During the past week, it used these to strike Russian military and oil facilities with devastating effect. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said it successfully struck the Tambovnefteprodukt fuel and lubricants warehouse in the Tambov region and the Lukoil-Yugnefteprodukt Enemska oil depot in the Adygea Republic on June 20. 08********08 #] 03Jun2024 week ending (09Jun2024: only looked at Al Jazeera, no time for [RT, KI]) +-----+ #] Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, Al Jazeer 09Jun2024 The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence said a Russian Su-57 aircraft – among its most modern fighter jets – was hit for the first time in the Akhtubinsk airfield in southern Russia’s Astrakhan region. Nearly a third of Ukraine’s land, about 174,000sq km (67,182sq miles), has been mined since the start of the war, Ukrainian officials said, according to the Kyiv Independent. 07Jun2024 President Macron said France will transfer Mirage-2000 fighter jets to Ukraine and train their Ukrainian pilots as part of a new military cooperation with Kyiv. Macron did not specify the number of planes or when they would be sent, but said the pilot training was likely to take place in the coming weeks. 06Jun2024 Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s power grid operator, ordered immediate power cuts in 12 regions across the country because it was “catastrophically short of electricity”. Russia has been targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in recent attacks. Officials said Ukrainian men aged 18-60 who have permanent residency in other countries would no longer be allowed to leave Ukraine if they visited as Kyiv tries to boost its military ranks 05Jun2024 Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, said the United States’s move to allow Kyiv to use Western weapons to strike inside Russia was a “vital decision” that would weaken Russia in its border areas and enable Ukraine to better defend its territory in the northeastern region of Kharkiv. Ukraine’s anticorruption agency said the former director of Ukrspetsexport, Ukraine’s state-run defence firm, faces trial after arranging to buy aeroplane parts at a price inflated seven-fold while in charge of arms imports in 2016. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) did not name the man. 04Jun2024 Kyiv warned of more power cuts following large-scale Russian attacks on Ukrainian power plants and energy infrastructure. “After six massive attacks on the power grid, there is a significant power shortage,” the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy said on social media. 03Jun2024 Ukraine imposed emergency power shutdowns in all but three regions of the country a day after Russia unleashed large-scale attacks on energy facilities, which also injured 19 people. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said NATO’s recent move to strengthen defences in the Baltic states was aimed at deterring Russia, and a signal that the security alliance would “defend every square inch of NATO territory against attacks”. 02Jun2024 Kyiv destroyed the majority of a combined 100 missiles and drones in an attack on key energy sites across five regions, which caused damage, the air force and energy authorities said. 31May2024 United States officials, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issues, told multiple media outlets that President Joe Biden had decided to allow Kyiv to use US-supplied weapons at targets inside Russia but only on the border with the northeastern Kharkiv region. Russia fired a total of 51 missiles and drones at “military facilities and critical infrastructure”, across Ukraine, the air force said. Air defences destroyed seven missiles and 32 drones, it added. 28May2024 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces had dropped about 3,200 guided aerial bombs on Ukraine this month and that Kyiv did not have enough air defence missiles to stop attacks on such a scale. +-----+ #] Ukraine begins strikes on Russian soil using US weapons 07Jun2024 AJ John T Psaropoulos Two attacks in the past week suggest the lifting of restrictions has allowed Ukraine a more effective defence. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/7/ukraine-begins-strikes-on-russian-soil-using-us-weapons The UK and France, which were the first to lift restrictions on weapons use, have not publicly conveyed any such restrictions. Germany and the US have typically been more conservative, and Germany has made a point of never outpacing the US in military aid. On May 26 and 27, France and Germany said they were allowing Ukraine to use their weapons against targets on Russian soil, following Russia’s new offensive against Kharkiv on May 10. US sources told media on May 30 that the US was allowing Ukraine to use its weapons “for counter-fire purposes in Kharkiv”. That suggested Ukraine was only allowed to fire back against a position from which incoming fire had originated, but not to use its intelligence to target weapons systems and troop concentrations pre-emptively. Ukraine’s first declared strike on Russian soil with Western weapons last Friday may have been based on a misunderstanding of these restrictions. “The Defence Forces of Ukraine attacked the Kerch ferry crossing with ATACMS [US Army Tactical] missiles, which was actively used by the enemy to secure its grouping of troops in temporarily occupied Crimea,” announced Ukraine’s general staff. The US also said it was not allowing Ukraine to use its 300km-range (186-mile) ATACMS in Russia – only on occupied territories, essentially Crimea, which extends as much as 300km (186km) from Ukrainian front lines in places. Over the weekend, Ukraine struck a Russian S-300 or S-400 air defence complex in Belgorod using high mobility army rocket systems (HIMARS). Geolocated footage showed two destroyed launchers and a damaged command post. Once the theme of geographic restrictions was out of the bag, Ukraine’s allies began to make their stances clear on the use of F-16s, which they are due to start delivering this summer. Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen has said there would be no restrictions on using F-16 fighter jets it is giving Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia. Netherlands Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren sent a similar message on June 3. Once we hand it over to Ukraine, it’s theirs to use,” she told Politico. The Netherlands has pledged 24 F-16s to Ukraine by the autumn. Denmark is to deliver its planes this summer. Those positions stand in stark contrast to the position of Belgium, whose Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has said Ukraine may not use Belgian F-16s or other weapons to target Russia. US National Security spokesman John Kirby appeared to downplay the significance of the change, saying on Tuesday that Ukraine had always had the ability to shoot down Russian aircraft in Russian airspace, and had done so repeatedly. A Russian military reporter said on Tuesday that Ukraine enjoyed an advantage of 3-4:1 in first person view (FPV) drones, which are short-range drones used to identify enemy positions. He said Ukraine’s drones “have become the leading factor in a fairly effective deterrence of our offensive actions for many months now.” At the beginning of this year, Ukraine said it would build a million FPV drones on its soil. In the past few weeks, it has reported downing Russian FPV drones at a rate of more than 3,000 to 5,000 a week. Ukrainian army spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk said a Ukrainian drone had shot down two Russian drones, a Lancet loitering munition and an Orlan-10 reconnaissance UAV, for the first time during this war. “This is a new page in the history of small air combat in this war,” he said. Ukraine also continued to target Russian assets with its domestically-built long-range drones, which carry no restrictions on use. Ukrainian army spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk said a Ukrainian drone had shot down two Russian drones, a Lancet loitering munition and an Orlan-10 reconnaissance UAV, for the first time during this war. “This is a new page in the history of small air combat in this war,” he said. Ukraine also continued to target Russian assets with its domestically-built long-range drones, which carry no restrictions on use. +-----+ #] Iranian military support for Russia’s war in Ukraine 05Jun2024 Mansur Mirovalev Iranian drones are ‘a danger we’re fighting with’, a Ukrainian expert warns, as conflict rages for a third year. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/5/how-iran-contributes-to-russias-war-in-ukraine German military analyst Julian Roepke said the drone was a malfunctioned heavy, Iranian-made Mohajer-6 drone. The crash landing revealed an unpleasant surprise for Ukraine. The alleged “missiles” attached to the crashed drone were high-precision aerial bombs that were supposed to be dropped on the northern Ukrainian region of Sumy, analyst Roepke said. Tehran supplies them to Moscow – along with cheaper, slower Shahed “kamikaze” drones, artillery shells and, reportedly, ballistic missiles. Observers say they are sent in return for the Kremlin’s international backing and far more advanced Russian weaponry that can shield Iran from potential Israeli and United States attacks. Since 2022, Shaheds have become “ersatz cruise missiles” that allow Moscow to launch massive, frequent assaults on energy infrastructure and civilian sites, according to Ukrainian military analyst Mykhailo Zhirokhov. Ukrainians learned quickly how to shoot down the Shaheds with assault rifles and advanced Western air defence systems. They derogatorily nicknamed them “mopeds” for their slow speed and the sound they make. But Russia started assembling hundreds of modified Shaheds, which it calls Gerans, monthly near the western Russian city of Yelabuga. They are painted black for lower visibility and have Russian-made Kometa-M antennae to suppress radio-electronic jamming. In April, Ukraine struck the Yelabuga plant with long-distance drones. +--+ https://mil.in.ua/en/articles/kometa-challenge-for-ukrainian-ew/ Kometa: challenge for Ukrainian EW 15Jul2023 In modern warfare, it is unacceptable to use hardware unprotected from jamming on combat equipment. For many years, Russia has been successfully engaged in developing a series of digital antenna arrays that should protect military equipment from jamming. The developed Kometa device now greatly complicates the jamming operations of Ukrainian electronic warfare systems against drones. Also, the Russians began to install the Kometa modules into gliding and correction kits for bombs, so that nothing prevented them from hitting the desired target. GLONASS issue With the development of technologies, receivers of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) become more accessible, while their dimensions and weight decrease. To remedy this situation, in 2008-2013, the development of jamming-resistant equipment was launched in Russia. The prototype of the Kometa algorithm was first tested in 2007 on equipment weighing 40 kg. Already in 2012, JSC “VNIIR-PROGRESS” developed a new technology for creating digital antenna arrays, as a result of which weight and dimensions decreased with simultaneous improvement of functional characteristics. Back in 2012, unlike the work of conventional receivers used in digital substations, the Kometa receiver during testing demonstrated confident reception of satellite signals even in conditions of interference that were tens of thousands of times higher than the threshold values of interference of conventional (unprotected) GLONASS/GPS receivers. Thus appeared a series of “Kometa” receivers weighing less than 1 kg. Today, the mass of the most modern version is 60 g, which allows it to be used even on small drones. In the “Kometa” digital antenna arrays instead of one antenna element there are four, which allows it to obtain spatial information about the direction of arrival of the interference radiation and its compensation. It is also worth noting that all elements of the “Kometa” are created in a single case. The manufacturer claims that in a number of experiments it is shown that the “Kometa” withstands an interference level of 100,000 times greater than for a conventional receiver. The drones that are equipped with this system are almost unaffected by electronic jamming systems. Ukrainian intelligence claims that from May 2023 until May 2024, Kyiv destroyed or damaged half a dozen S-400 complexes in Crimea, occupied parts of Ukraine and western Russia with US-made ATACMS missiles and Ukrainian Neptune missiles. Meanwhile, Iran has become an essential part of the Russia-China alliance – and Beijing’s trade routes across Eurasia, Kyiv-based analyst Aleksey Kushch told Al Jazeera. “Iran is an axis nation that sews together the new north-south route and the new version of the Great Silk Road from China,” he said. +-----+ #] China denies fuelling Russia-Ukraine war tensions, says it supports peace 04Jun2024 AJ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/4/china-denies-fuelling-russia-ukraine-war-tensions-says-it-supports-peace Comments come after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia and China of attempting to undermine Swiss peace summit. China has never “fanned fire or fuelled the flames”, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday after she was asked about the peace summit that is scheduled to take place on June 15-16. +-----+ #] Europe casts off constraints to help Ukraine, US cautiously wobbles 30May2024 AJ Psaropoulos Putin warns France and Germany of ‘serious consequences’ as the pair claim Ukraine should be able to hit Russian military targets. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/30/europe-casts-off-constraints-to-help-ukraine-as-us-cautiously-wobbles On the ground, Ukraine arrested the Russian advance in its northern Kharkiv region, taking back some territory northeast of Lyptsi, and held the defence of Chasiv Yar, a strategically important town on the eastern front. Its Military Media Center said on Sunday it had killed or wounded 8,650 Russian soldiers in a week, the equivalent of 17 battalions, and destroyed 81 tanks and 153 armoured vehicles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian losses in Kharkiv were eight times Ukraine’s. Ukraine’s air defences often aren’t sufficient to intercept hailstorms of missiles and drones fired from Russia and Crimea, and Ukraine has said it needs to strike Russia’s missile launch sites and airfields. From those airfields, Russia flies out aircraft that drop roughly 3,000 glide bombs a month – massive munitions usually weighing 250kg or 500kg (550lb or 1100lb) – which military analysts say have done much to give it the initiative on the front lines. Currently, Ukraine can only down the bombers that deliver these glide bombs, and it did so twice this week, when it shot down Sukhoi-25s over Kharkiv on May 22 and Donetsk the following day. It has also partially blinded Russian pilots by grounding their A-50 radar planes that facilitate reconnaissance and targeting. Hungary’s Viktor Orban told Kossuth Radio that he was not satisfied that NATO would not become a party to the conflict and that Brussels had “task forces working on ways for NATO to take part in this war”. “Hungary is opposed to this. The government is working intensively to figure out how to avoid participating in the war while remaining a NATO member,” Russian state news agency TASS quoted Orban as saying. “There aren’t many situations in NATO’s history where member states openly took a distinct stance like Hungary is now doing.” +-----+ #] Russia activates sabotage plans in Europe: Experts 29May2024 AJ John T Psaropoulos https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/29/as-ukraine-war-rages-russia-activates-sabotage-plans-in-europe-experts As Ukraine war rages, Russia activates sabotage plans in Europe: Experts Russia is accused of putting into effect psychological, economic and military operations planned by the USSR. “We are experiencing the early stages of a systematic activation of Russian sleeper cells worldwide,” Joseph Fitsanakis, professor of Intelligence and National Security Studies at Coastal Carolina University, told Al Jazeera. “ Giles explained, that the GPS jamming “may have started with absolutely nothing in mind with regard to disrupting air traffic across Europe … But once it became clear that those disruptive effects are substantial and there’s no downside to Russia for doing it, then there’s no reason why they shouldn’t expand.” Soviet operatives and their proxies would typically target network industries such as electric cables, power stations, pipelines, transport and telecommunications, Daniela Richterova, a senior lecturer in Intelligence Studies at the War Studies Department of King’s College London, told Al Jazeera. In early May, NATO said GRU had launched cyberattacks against critical infrastructure in Germany, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden. All of them, along with Finland and Estonia, are among the Nordic group of countries that comprise Russia’s most vocal critics and Ukraine’s most dedicated allies in Europe. The GRU is also believed to field 20 to 40 operations officers, said experts. It’s not just the pipelines, data and electricity cables that criss-cross the shallow sea floor, which have already come under suspected attack – most recently when a Russian-operated Chinese merchant vessel dragged its anchors on the sea floor, rupturing the Baltic Connector gas pipeline and telecoms cables between Estonia and Finland last October. +-----+ #] Malaysia’s chip industry falls in crosshairs of US sanctions on Russia 03Jun2024 Peter https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/6/3/malaysias-chip-industry-falls-in-the-crosshairs-of-us-sanctions-on-russia?traffic_source=KeepReading Kuala Lumpur-based Jatronics has been accused of supplying parts needed to sustain Moscow’s war in Ukraine. by Zsombor Peter The latest sanctions, announced on May 1, freeze any US assets held by the targeted entities and bar anyone under US jurisdiction from dealing with them, effectively shutting them out of the US financial system. The Commerce Department describes Tier 1 items as those “of the highest concern due to their critical role in the production of advanced Russian precision-guided weapons systems, Russia’s lack of domestic production, and limited global manufacturers.” In a keynote address at the SEMICON Southeast Asia 2024 tech conference last week, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim pitched his country as the ideal “neutral and non-aligned” host for semiconductor makers amid the US-China tech war and said his government would aim to attract $100bn in new investment. In December, the US sanctioned four companies based in Malaysia for allegedly helping to funnel drone parts to Iran, which Washington accuses of selling drones to Russia for use in Ukraine. +-----+ #] Russia to build nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan 27May2024 AJ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/27/russia-to-build-nuclear-power-plant-in-uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev says Uzbekistan also interested in buying more oil and gas from Russia. Russia will build a small nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan, the first such project in post-Soviet Central Asia, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has said as he met visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin said on Monday that Russia would put $400m into a joint investment fund of $500m to finance projects in Uzbekistan. Mirziyoyev also said Tashkent was interested in buying more oil and gas from Russia, a reversal of decades-long practice where Moscow imported hydrocarbons from Central Asia. There are no nuclear power plants in any of the five ex-Soviet Central Asian republics, although Uzbekistan and its neighbour Kazakhstan, both uranium producers, have long said their growing economies needed them. 08********08 #] 26May2024 week ending +-----+ #] Russian jamming rendering much US-supplied weaponry ineffective – WaPo 26May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/news/598251-ukraine-himars-us-jamming/ Kiev has had to stop using some American arms due to Moscow’s electronic warfare capabilities, Ukrainian officials have said Many US-made munitions that rely on satellite guidance have failed to withstand Russia’s jamming technology after being supplied to Kiev, the Washington Post reported on Friday. The Ukrainian armed forces have had to stop using some of those armaments altogether because of Russia’s extensive electronic warfare capabilities, the paper said. The affected munitions include Excalibur GPS-guided artillery shells, rockets for HIMARS multiple rocket launch systems and JDAM aircraft-dropped bombs, the report read. The US completely ceased deliveries of Excalibur shells half a year ago after Ukraine reported that they had been rendered ineffective, unnamed Ukrainian officials told WaPo. The paper said that it had also reviewed an internal assessment by Kiev, according to which the success rate of the munitions fell to just 10% within several months. “The Excalibur technology in existing versions has lost its potential,” the document read, adding that the encounter with Russian jamming has disproved its reputation as a “one shot, one target” weapon. The HIMARS system used to make headlines after being provided to Kiev in 2022, but the next year “everything ended: the Russians deployed electronic warfare, disabled satellite signals, and HIMARS became completely ineffective,” a senior Ukrainian military official complained. Because of this, Kiev had to resort to deploying the “very expensive shell” against lower-priority targets, he said. The success rate of JDAMs also dropped significantly just weeks after they were first provided to Kiev in February 2023 as their “non-resistance” to jamming was revealed, the Ukrainian assessment stressed. During that period, the US-made bombs were missing their targets by between 200 meters and 1.2km, it said. The Ukrainian officials told WaPo that getting the needed adjustments to the “failing weaponry” has been difficult due to “an overly bureaucratic process” in Washington. However, in the case of JDAMs, the manufacturer was able to provide a patch and the munitions are still being used by Kiev, according to the sources. On Saturday, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said that since the start of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022, the production of electronic warfare equipment has increased 15-fold in the country. +-----+ #] US strike on Russian targets would be ‘start of world war’ – Medvedev 26May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/598254-medvedev-us-strike-targets-polish/ The former president’s warning comes after Poland said Washington would hit Russian targets if Moscow were to use nukes in Ukraine Any US attack on Russian targets in Ukraine would automatically trigger a world war, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned. The official, who currently serves as Deputy Chair of Russia’s Security Council, made the remarks after Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski claimed Washington had threatened to conduct such a strike should Russia use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Medvedev suggested that Sikorski “apparently, has decided to scare his masters.” He noted that Washington, unlike Warsaw, has so far refrained from making any such threats publicly “because they are more cautious” than the Poles. “Americans hitting our targets means starting a world war, and a Foreign Minister, even of a country like Poland, should understand that,” Medvedev added. +-----+ #] NATO won’t put missile shield over Ukraine – Stoltenberg 26May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/news/598259-nato-chief-no-air-shield-ukraine/ Comment by the bloc’s chief comes following a request from Kiev for its Western backers to shoot down incoming Russian missiles NATO does not intend to use its air defenses to provide cover for Ukraine, the military bloc’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has insisted. His comment comes days after Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky urged the US and its allies to shoot down Russian missiles. Speaking to the New York Times on Monday, Zelensky stated that he sees no problem with such NATO involvement, arguing that it would not be tantamount to an “attack on Russia.” “Are you shooting down Russian planes and killing Russian pilots? No,” he argued. Zelensky also pointed out that the US and the UK had shot down incoming Iranian missiles and drones over Israel last month. Both Washington and London have, however, argued that the two scenarios are not comparable. n an interview with Germany’s Welt am Sonntag published on Saturday, Stoltenberg said: “While we are increasing our support for Ukraine’s self defense, there are no plans to send NATO troops to Ukraine or to extend NATO’s air-defense shield to Ukraine.” “NATO will not become part of the conflict,” the military bloc’s chief insisted. Last week, several German opposition parties also declared their support for the idea. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, however, has dismissed the suggestion of creating a NATO-enforced “no-fly zone” over Ukraine as reckless and dangerous. “Again and again, there are those who say that one should do this or one should do that. I have a feeling that one does not speak better when foaming at the mouth. In any case, I then hear things that are not good,” Scholz said. The Chancellor insisted that while it is important to continue supporting Kiev, neither Germany nor the EU or NATO should become a party to the conflict and should not be asked to, as such a development could prompt an “unpredictable reaction” from Moscow. Russian officials have repeatedly said that the provision of arms, the sharing of intelligence, and the training of Ukrainian troops means that Western nations have already become de-facto parties to the conflict. +-----+ #] European leader warns world ‘heading for disaster’ 26May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/news/598260-ukraine-conflcit-global-disaster/ The Ukrainian conflict could spiral into a global war that would be a “greater tragedy than World War II,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic warns There is little time left to conclude the Ukraine conflict, which risks escalating out of control and inciting a global war, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has warned. Speaking on Friday to the broadcaster Prva Srpska Televizija, Vucic claimed the world is standing on the brink of an all-out global conflict, and it is likely already too late to avoid it. “I am afraid that there is little time left for the war in Ukraine to be stopped. I hope it's still possible, but I’m afraid it’s actually not. I’m afraid that the train has already left the station, started moving, and no one will stop it,” he said. Explaining his doomsday prediction, the Serbian leader said the conflict is being pushed by the global military industry, war profiteers who are interested in expanding and prolonging it rather than seeking a resolution. “When the war machine starts to heat up, then there is a military lobby and a military industry lobby who want it to intensify, and then there will be no more [peace] effort, it is difficult to stop,” Vucic said. The president also urged “someone” to do something “real” to stop the hostilities instead of “just shifting the blame to the other side.” He warned that “if this doesn’t happen, I’m afraid we’re headed for disaster.” While Russia and Ukraine sought to reach a peace deal early on during the ongoing conflict, then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was successful in pressuring Kiev not to do so, suggesting it should just keep fighting instead of striking any agreements with Moscow. While Johnson has denied such allegations, his involvement was confirmed by senior Ukrainian officials later on. While Moscow has repeatedly expressed a readiness to negotiate, Kiev has refused; Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has explicitly banned himself from entering any talks. The prospects of somehow restarting negotiations have now apparently become even slimmer since Zelensky’s presidential tenure expired. Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated that Moscow’s readiness to engage in meaningful negotiations must be based on “common sense” and an acknowledgement of “realties on the ground.” +-----+ #] EU in serious danger – Macron 26May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/news/598263-macron-eu-democracy-crisis/ The bloc is living through a crisis of democracy and could end up “dying” altogether, the French president warns The EU is facing a record number of “external and internal enemies,” who pose an existential threat to the bloc, French President Emmanuel Macron has said, doubling down on a warning he’d given earlier, that “our Europe” could end up dying. Macron made the remarks while speaking alongside Germany’s head of state, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, on the first of his three-day state visit. The two attended the Festival of Democracy, held in Berlin’s government quarter, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the country’s constitution. “I think that we are experiencing a moment in our Europe which is existential because I really believe that our Europe can die,” Macron stated, referring to a keynote speech he’d delivered in April. +-----+ #] General Staff: Russian troops halted in Kharkiv sector 24May2024 KI Kateryna Denisova https://kyivindependent.com/general-staff-ukraine-conducts-counteroffensive-actions-in-the-kharkiv-sector-russia-troops-halted/ General Staff: Russian troops halted in Kharkiv sector, Ukraine conducts counterattacks by Kateryna Denisova May 24, 2024 2:48 PM Prokhorenko described the situation on the battlefield as "difficult," saying Ukrainian soldiers continue to hold the line in the country's east and south. Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts are the areas of the most intense fighting, he said. "Regarding the Kharkiv sector, the enemy is conducting offensive operations to create a buffer zone," the colonel said, adding that "the situation is under control." Russian troops are advancing in the east of Kharkiv Oblast, planning to bypass the town of Kupiansk, but have not yet succeeded, Prokhorenko said. "Fierce fighting is ongoing almost along the entire front line. Defense forces are inflicting heavy losses on the invader, our artillery, unmanned systems and aviation are actively working," he added. Russian troops are "completely bogged down" in street battles for the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast and deploying their reserves from different sectors, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said on May 23. Russia's offensive in Kharkiv Oblast in mid-May could be the first of several waves, and Russian forces may target the regional capital, Kharkiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. +-----+ #] Attack on occupied Crimea damages communications equipment 24May2024 KI Dmytro Basmat https://kyivindependent.com/partisans-attack-on-occupied-crimea-damages-communications-equipment-casualties-reported/ Updated: Attack on occupied Crimea damages communications equipment, casualties reported, partisans claim by Dmytro Basmat and The Kyiv Independent news desk Crimean Wind claimed that the communications center was hit by at least six U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles. The projectiles allegedly struck the antenna as well as several buildings of the facility, where "high-ranking military personnel... were located at the moment." "Explosions were heard in almost all regions of Crimea. Russian air defenses were active in many, but they were not very effective," the channel claimed. Ukraine's Armed Forces have yet to take responsibility for the attack, nor have they provided comment. +-----+ #] Opinion: Is Europe too big for further enlargement? 24May2024 KI Ana Palacio https://kyivindependent.com/opinion-is-europe-too-big-for-further-enlargement/ Ana Palacio, Former foreign minister of Spain >> not bad, this article +-----+ #] Ukraine’s drone companies amid defense spending squeeze 24May2024 KUI Januta https://kyivindependent.com/global-acquisition-migration-or-death-ukraines-drone-companies-seek-opportunities-abroad-amid-defense-spending-shortfall/ Ukraine’s drone companies face ‘death, migration, or global acquisition’ amid defense spending squeeze As Ukraine’s defense production capacity outpaces its funding, drone companies are eying opportunities abroad. by Andrea Januta May 24, 2024 7:56 PM A surge of domestic drone companies in Ukraine has outpaced what the government budget can support, leading many companies to increasingly seek international partnerships or face consolidation. Drones have become a transformative part of Ukraine’s military strategy. The country’s ability to mass produce these cheap and effective weapons has led to the creation of more than 200 domestic drone companies, but experts in Ukraine’s drone industry agree that factors including increased competition mean many of the smaller firms are unlikely to survive. But the funding shortfall won’t be resolved overnight, and moving production abroad is not often feasible. In the shorter-term, drone companies have asked the government to lift export limits. “We manufacture a lot of drones in Ukraine. And, indeed, not all of them can be used in the army,” said Kateryna Mykhalko, the executive director of Tech Force in UA, an industry association of more than two dozen defense production companies. “Export is one way to ensure that companies do not go bankrupt, develop their RND, and perhaps in the future the military will need their products.” Some companies were exporting drones before the full-scale invasion, Mykhalko said, and demand has only grown. +-----+ #] Ukraine is losing, direct intervention risks a nuclear conflict 22May2024 RT Poletaev https://www.rt.com/russia/597986-west-intervention-growing-ukrainian-conflict/ Ukraine is losing, and direct intervention by the West risks a nuclear conflict – so what now? As it seeks to minimize its own risks, the US-led bloc is about to hit a dead end Sergey Poletaev By Sergey Poletaev, information analyst and publicist, co-founder and editor of the Vatfor project. Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Western doctrine in regard to Russia was defined even before the start of the full-scale conflict: the idea was to fight Russia “with the hands of” Ukraine and on Ukrainian territory. The goal was to force Russia to play by Western rules (ideally, by defeating it on the battlefield) and reassert the US-led bloc's shaky global hegemony. But, at the same time, officials wanted to minimize their own risks and avoid being drawn into a direct military confrontation that could result in a nuclear war. The second staple of this doctrine – a total trade war – has not yielded the desired results. In 2022, it became clear that the West overestimated the degree of its control not only over the international financial system, but even over its own financial flows. Despite certain losses and additional costs, Russia has been able to replace old trade ties with new ones and to do so with a minimal loss of revenue. The severe sanctions imposed by the West on its own companies turned out to be quite useless, since for the most part Russia continues to receive the latest Western products and technologies. As for the idea of defeating Russia on the battlefield, the turning point occurred in the summer of 2023. After the failure of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, it became clear that the AFU would not be able to impose peace on its own terms. The problem is that in the conflict with Russia, the West has gone ‘all in’ and any military outcome that could be regarded as beneficial for Moscow – even negotiations on an equal footing – would now be regarded as a defeat. The whole world would realize that they can stand up to the hegemon and not just avoid becoming an outcast, but even gain some benefits. The West cannot allow this, since it could cause a chain reaction on a global scale. The logic of the conflict is pushing the West towards the choice that we wrote about back in May 2022 – either intervening directly and fighting Russia on its own, or starting serious negotiations with Russia on the topic of Ukraine’s NATO membership and, more broadly, security in Eastern Europe. Paradoxically, though, the West has chosen a third option: doing nothing. And it’s not just because of inertia, but also down to the weakening position of globalist elites, who have many unsuccessful ‘crusades for democracy’ behind them, from Vietnam to Afghanistan. As of now, the AFU is growing weaker, the scale of the hostilities is growing, and the chances of the West directly entering the war, with potentially catastrophic consequences, are increasing every day. In the fall of 2022, before the limited mobilization in Russia, 10-15 NATO brigades could have turned Ukraine’s notable but rather meaningless victories near Kharkov and Kherson into a strategic success – for example, they could’ve ensured a breakthrough to the Azov Sea and a subsequent blockade of Crimea – but now it would take a lot more effort to simply support the front. >> doesn't mention that eventually, Russia would ormally go bankrupt. No guarantee that China will perpetually bail out, forget India, Brazil doesn't really exist at this level +-----+ #] The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced on Friday that it intends to “optimize” its operations and release up to 60% of its current personnel to forward commands and combat units. The headquarters conducted an efficiency survey earlier this year and decided it should do more with fewer people, the Planning Directorate head, Evgeny Ostryansky, wrote on Telegram. “The plan is to use the released personnel to replenish the command and control bodies at the operational and tactical levels, as well as combat units,” Ostryansky said. “This will also allow for the rotation of units carrying long-term combat missions on the front line,” he added. +-----+ #] Musk blasts US tariffs on China 24May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/business/598205-musk-china-tariffs-electric-vehicles/ The levies on Chinese electric vehicles distort the car market, according to the Tesla boss “Things that inhibit freedom of exchange or distort the market are not good,” Musk stated at the Viva Technology conference in Paris on Thursday, Reuters reported. “Neither Tesla nor I asked for these tariffs, in fact, I was surprised when they were announced,” he said, adding that “Tesla competes quite well in the market in China with no tariffs and no deferential support.” Musk’s remarks come as a U-turn from his previous stance on the US trade barriers with China. The Tesla boss said in January that trade tariffs were needed or China would “demolish most other car companies in the world.” Beijing has warned that such measures violate the principles of fair competition and harm the stability of world trade. This week, a Chinese trade group said Beijing was considering raising tariffs on some car imports to counter US and EU trade actions against Chinese-made EVs. >> Howell: fucking hypocrite lives off government subsidies for politically-correct [lies stupidity, horseshit] +-----+ #] Hungary blocking EU plan to give Russian money to Ukraine – FT 25May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/news/598232-hungary-blocking-eu-russia-profits-ukraine/ Budapest is obstructing the bloc’s efforts to militarily support Kiev, the paper’s sources claim +-----+ #] UK warned of toughest fiscal choices in decades 25May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/business/598231-uk-new-government-fiscal-challenges/ The next British government will inherit a slew of economic problems, and will have to quickly decide how to tackle them, according to a think tank According to the analysts, the new administration will inherit three key problems: a debt burden close to 100% of gross domestic product (GDP), high interest rates and low growth. The government, they claim, has “limited headroom” for dealing with these challenges, and will have to decide quickly between several unappealing options. “The fact that this is only just enough to stabilize debt in five years’ time speaks to the difficulty of the economic and fiscal inheritance awaiting the next government,” the IFS stated. +-----+ #] Ukraine attacked key element of Russia’s nuclear umbrella — Russian senator 25May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/598238-ukraine-attack-warning-system/ The US is so deeply involved in the conflict that it likely knew about Kiev’s plans, Senator Dmitry Rogozin says In a statement on Telegram on Saturday, Rogozin, a senator who previously headed up the Russian space agency Roscosmos and is now in charge of a military technical center called Tsar’s Wolves, said that the attack targeted a nuclear early warning system in the southern Krasnodar Region. The Russian Defense Ministry has yet to comment on the matter, while the extent of the damage remains unclear. The attack apparently targeted an advanced Voronezh radar station in the city of Armavir, which went into operation in 2013. The system can detect incoming cruise and ballistic missiles at a range of 6,000km and can track up to 500 targets. During the inauguration of the system, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that it would significantly increase the country’s defense capabilities in the southern and southwestern directions. +-----+ #] Europe is fading away and becoming a ‘lost continent’ 25May2024 RT Sushentsov https://www.rt.com/news/598244-europe-is-fading-away/ The world’s center of gravity is shifting, and the Old World is losing its relevance By Andrey Sushentsov, program director of the Valdai Club As a result, the Americans are “cannibalizing” the Western Europeans under the noble guise of protecting the European continent from an imaginary Russian threat. I believe that those in Western Europe should not be blind to this artificial inflation of tensions by the US – they must act in their own interests. Instead of this nonsense, it would be wise for Washington to accept that objective demographic, economic and social processes are making Asia the world’s main center of gravity in the new century, and to work to ensure that the conditions for stability and development are maintained. The actions of the Americans, unfortunately, show the opposite: they are exacerbating the perception of their own decline, which would be less acute if they behaved more constructively. +-----+ #] Russia jails hypersonic missile scientist for 14 years for treason 21May2024 AJ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/21/russia-jails-hypersonic-missile-scientist-for-14-years-for-treason Anatoly Maslov is among a string of prominent Russian scientists to have been charged with treason in recent years. Russian physicist Anatoly Maslov has been convicted of treason, according to the press service for courts in the city of Saint Petersburg. On Tuesday, he was sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony. Maslov, 77, who protests his innocence, is among a string of eminent Russian scientists to have been charged with treason in recent years. He and a number of the others had conducted theoretical work in areas relevant to the development of hypersonic missiles – cutting-edge weapons capable of carrying payloads at up to 10 times the speed of sound to punch through air-defence systems. Maslov was accused of sharing top-secret data related to Russia’s hypersonic missile programme with Germany. Alexander Shiplyuk and Valery Zvegintsev, two other scientists from the same Siberian institute, all specialists in hypersonics, who have also been arrested since 2022 on treason charges, are awaiting trial. +-----+ #] Russia launches ‘space weapon’ in path of US satellite: Pentagon 22May2024 AJ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/22/russia-launches-space-weapon-in-path-of-us-satellite-pentagon US believes Russia’s recently launched satellite can inspect and attack other satellites in low Earth orbit. A Soyuz rocket blasted off from Russia’s Plesetsk launch site, about 800km (500 miles) north of Moscow, on Thursday, deploying in low Earth orbit at least nine satellites, including COSMOS 2576, a type of Russian military “inspector” spacecraft US officials have long condemned as exhibiting reckless space behaviour. “We have observed nominal activity and assess it is likely a counterspace weapon presumably capable of attacking other satellites in low Earth orbit,” a spokesperson for US Space Command, part of the US Department of Defense, said in a statement on Tuesday. “Russia deployed this new counterspace weapon into the same orbit as a US government satellite,” it said. The satellite was deployed as the US alleges Russia to be developing a space-based nuclear weapon capable of destroying entire networks of satellites. +-----+ #] Russia arrests another general on bribery charges 23May2024 AJ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/23/russia-arrests-another-general-on-bribery-charges Authorities arrest Lieutenant-General Vadim Shamarin, latest in a string of bribery arrests of high-ranking officials. Marking the fourth arrest of a high-ranking military official in a month, Russia has detained Lieutenant-General Vadim Shamarin, deputy head of the army’s general staff, on suspicion of large-scale bribe-taking. A military court ordered on Wednesday that Shamarin, who also heads the Ministry of Defence’s main communications directorate, be jailed for two months, according to the state-run TASS news agency. The Kremlin denied on Thursday that authorities were carrying out a targeted purge. “The fight against corruption is an ongoing effort. It is not a campaign. It is an integral part of the activities of law enforcement agencies,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. The arrests and change of leadership at the Defence Ministry comes as Russian forces made one of its most significant battlefield advances in 18 months with a major assault on Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region. +-----+ #] Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 819 23 24May2024 AJ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/24/russia-ukraine-war-list-of-key-events-day-819 Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed its forces had recaptured the small village of Andriivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. The Ukrainian General Staff said later that its troops were repelling three Russian assaults in the area of Andriivka and nearby Novyi. Andriivka was liberated by Ukrainian soldiers in an offensive last September. Russia arrested Lieutenant-General Vadim Shamarin, deputy head of Russia’s General Staff, and a high-ranking defence official on corruption and “abuse of power” charges in a widening crackdown on corruption in military contracts. The two are being held in custody pending trial. Russian jamming has prevented many of Ukraine’s relatively new long-range glide bombs from hitting their intended targets, Reuters reported, citing three people familiar with the challenges. +-----+ #] Inside Ukraine’s Killer-Drone Startup Industry 02May2024 wired.com Justin Ling https://www.wired.com/story/ukraine-drone-startups-russia/#intcid=recommendations_wired-bottom-recirc-v4_ef718d60-9de2-401f-9253-b8aec48e75a4_similar2-3 Justin Ling Security May 2, 2024 2:00 AM Ukraine needs small drones to combat Russian forces—and is bootstrapping its own industry at home. >> Howell: great article!! He uses his index finger and thumb to pick up a nondescript beige chip: This, he says, is what he’s really proud of. One big problem with these drones—which are based on commercially available first-person-view (FPV) or photography drones—is that their explosive payload is jimmy-rigged on. It requires the drone to crash in order to close the circuit and trigger the explosion. This chip, Yvan says, allows for remote detonation from a significant distance, meaning the operator can park their drone and lay in wait for hours, even days, before it goes off. He expects this technology could, eventually, be connected to AI—exploding only if it registers a nearby tank, for example. He has created a long-range smart land mine, I note. After the idea is passed through our translator, he nods enthusiastically. One executive said Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s new commander in chief, had been an early adopter inside the military, directly contracting 10 firms in early 2023 to begin assembling new technology for his forces. 08********08 #] 19May2024 week ending +-----+ #] Opinion: Ukraine’s naval drones are taking over the Black Sea 16May2024 KI Andrii Kharuk https://kyivindependent.com/opinion-ukraines-naval-drones-are-taking-over-the-black-sea-2/ Andrii Kharuk, Military historian Russian forces have encountered a new enemy in the Black Sea: Ukraine’s arsenal of naval kamikaze drones. These deceptively small unmanned vehicles have targeted Russia’s Black Sea Fleet since September 2022, picking off Russian battleships one by one. The latest of Ukraine’s maritime conquests was the Russian Mangust-class patrol boat, which it destroyed off the coast of occupied Crimea with a MAGURA naval drone. Ukraine shifted its focus to naval drones after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Due to their unavailability on the market, the Ukrainian military decided to create its own, relying as much as possible on off-the-shelf components. In essence, Ukraine’s naval “kamikaze” drones crash into their targets and explode. Ukraine’s use of naval drones against comparatively gargantuan Russian battleships follows the 19th-century French naval concept of the Jeune École, which advocated for the use of small, heavily armed vessels to combat larger ones. This concept has proven attractive to states wanting to compensate for smaller naval capabilities. It was not the Ukrainian Navy but the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) that first undertook the creation of naval kamikaze drones. It’s believed that an SBU brigadier general with the call sign “Hunter” first pushed the idea of naval drones equipped with Starlink terminals for better coordination. “Hunter” and SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk then consulted Ukrainian Navy Commander Oleksii Neizhpapa, who in turn created a team of specialists to kickstart their creation and coordination alongside private Ukrainian companies. Ukraine’s first naval kamikaze drones were tested in July 2022 and debuted in September of the same year. The Ukrainian Navy created the 385th Separate Special Purpose Unmanned Surface Vehicle Brigade in August 2023 – the first-ever military unit to specialize in the use of naval kamikaze drones. The SBU even decided to develop its own naval drones, revealing the Sea Baby, Mamai, and MAGURA in 2023. There are at least three structures within the Ukrainian government and military that use naval kamikaze drones: the SBU, the Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), and the Ukrainian Navy. Testing phases that would ordinarily take years are taking months or even weeks to complete. Prototypes are immediately tested on the battlefield, after which amendments are made, and the next prototype is sent into combat. The evolution is rapid, and the changes that come with each stage of development are drastic. For example, the weight of the Sea Baby naval drone’s warhead increased from 108 kilograms to 850 kilograms between mid-2022 and the end of 2023. According to SBU spokesperson Artem Dekhtiarenko, in April, the Sea Baby was modernized to hit a target over 1,000 kilometers (621.4 miles) away, meaning the “SBU can reach a target almost anywhere in the Black Sea.” According to “Hunter,” the next stage is to create a “deconstructed battleship” of sorts by using several naval drones with different capabilities together. For example, some drones will be equipped with weapons, some with air defense, and some with other relevant equipment. The Mamai naval drone, on the other hand, carries a smaller warhead (450 kilograms) but can travel at a faster speed (110 kilometers per hour). Also a product of the SBU, the Mamai is the fastest of Ukraine’s naval drones. Meanwhile, the MAGURA can accelerate to 79 kilometers per hour and has a cruising speed of 41 kilometers per hour. At 5.5 meters long, 1.5 meters wide, and a weight of 1,000 kilograms, the MAGURA is named after the daughter of the mythical Slavic god of thunder and lightning. The success of Ukraine’s naval drone attacks has skyrocketed since the start of 2024. According to HUR chief Kyrylo Budanov, Ukrainian forces used six Magura drones to sink the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s corvette, Ivanovets, in February. The Ivanovets reportedly sustained irreparable damage to its hull. The Ukrainian military sunk the landing ship Caesar Kunikov off the coast of the Crimean city of Alupka with Magura drones in February. The Sergey Kotov didn’t escape its fate in early March, sinking in the Kerch Strait. As Russia (with considerable delay) starts to develop counter-naval drone measures, Ukraine continues to improve its technology. One aspect to focus on will be Ukraine’s underwater attack drone capabilities. Ukraine has developed several models since 2023, including the Marichka, which can reportedly carry a 200-kilogram warhead. +-----+ #] Glide bombs help Russia gain land in Ukraine 16May2024 KI Dinara Khalilova https://kyivindependent.com/what-are-glide-bombs-and-how-do-they-help-russia-gain-land-in-ukraine/ Glide bombs help Russia gain land in Ukraine. What makes them so effective? by Dinara Khalilova One critical factor in Russia's recent battlefield successes in Ukraine is its extensive use of glide bombs. Every week, hundreds of these large, deadly weapons rain down on Ukraine, creating 20-meter-wide craters and obliterating military positions and entire settlements. Russia has heavily relied on glide bombs in its new offensive on Kharkiv Oblast, clearing the way for ground troops. Since May 10, Russian forces have captured several villages near the border and entered the town of Vovchansk. Despite their simplicity and low cost, glide bombs have become one of Russia's most effective weapons during the full-scale war, previously contributing to the fall of the strategic city of Avdiivka in February – Russia’s first major gain in nine months. A glide bomb is a standard air-dropped bomb modified to be launched from a distance rather than directly over the target. Glide bombs date back to World War II, with the German Fritz X bomb being the first model. The U.S. later developed and used several types of glide bombs in conflicts in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Russia mainly uses Soviet-era FAB-family bombs, upgraded with a Unified Gliding and Correction Module, which includes wings that flip out as the weapon is released by the aircraft and a satellite navigation system. Converting a "dumb bomb," an unguided one, into a smart one costs just around $20,000, making it a much cheaper alternative to cruise and ballistic missiles that cost millions of dollars to produce. "The range of these weapons greatly varies based on their weight, the altitude and speed of the releasing aircraft, but is generally considered not to exceed 50-60 kilometers," according to Federico Borsari, Leonardo Fellow with the Transatlantic Defense and Security Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis. One method to intercept a glide bomb is to degrade its GPS signal using electronic warfare, making it miss the target. However, Ukraine’s electronic warfare capabilities are also limited and far more modest than those of Russia. The best solution for Ukraine to counter Russian glide bombs would be to destroy the launching aircraft before they can release the weapon. "This can be obtained with longer-range air defenses, such as Patriot and SAMP-T, to shoot down Russian aircraft or force them to fly too far for the use of gliding bombs, and with long-range missiles and attack drones to destroy the aircraft on the airfield," according to Borsari. Kyiv has done both. Ukraine’s military said it had downed 15 Russian military planes just in February, most likely with Patriot systems. But the string of successes ended in March after Russian forces allegedly managed to destroy two Patriot launchers in Donetsk Oblast. Since then, Ukraine has reportedly had to keep its highly limited arsenal of U.S.-made systems away from the battlefield. Modern aircraft, such as F-16 fighter jets, could also help the Ukrainians deal with glide bombs. Some of the dozens of jets pledged by Western allies to Ukraine are expected to be operational in the summer. The presence of a sufficient number of F-16s in Ukrainian skies, so far inhabited only by Soviet-era aircraft, would "create a denial area where Russians do not dare penetrate into," said Hoffmann. +-----+ #] Kyiv considers granting citizenship to foreign fighters 17May2024 KI Maria Yeryoma https://kyivindependent.com/belarus-weekly-kyiv-considers-granting-citizenship-to-foreign-volunteers-fighting-for-ukraine/ Belarus Weekly: Kyiv considers granting citizenship to foreign volunteers fighting for Ukraine by Maria Yeryoma Ukraine’s parliament considers a bill to grant citizenship to foreign volunteers fighting in as part of the Ukrainian Army, addressing legal challenges currently facing Belarusians fighting for Ukraine. Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has supported in first reading a bill that would give Ukrainian citizenship to foreign volunteers fighting together with the Ukrainian army, lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko said on May 9. The bill reportedly received 263 votes in favor, said Honcharenko, who also heads the non-official parliament group “For Democratic Belarus.” “This is a much-needed bill,” the lawmaker said in a post on Telegram. “A step towards volunteers and their families has been taken.” According to RBC-Ukraine news outlet, the bill provides for granting permits to foreigners and stateless persons “recruited for the defense of Ukraine as part of the territorial defense forces or voluntary formations of the territorial community” and the provision of temporary residence permits to their family members. The bill makes it possible for foreigners to acquire permits with expired passports, which is especially significant for Belarusians. In November 2023, the regime of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko banned Belarusian embassies from issuing new passports abroad. +-----+ #] Zelensky: No reports of artillery shortages for first time 17May2024 KI York https://kyivindependent.com/zelensky-progress-made-on-artillery-shortage/ Zelensky: No reports of artillery shortages for first time in full-scale war by Chris York For the first time since the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion, no Ukrainian brigades have reported a lack of artillery shells, President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on May 16. "And this has been happening for the past two months," he said, but added: "Everyone still has a lot of work to do." Over the winter months, Ukraine's Armed Forces suffered a critical shortage of artillery shells, in large part due to delays in U.S. military aid. In January, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said Ukraine was unable to fire more than 2,000 shells per day, around a third of Russia's average daily shell usage. A Czech-led initiative to buy artillery shells for Ukraine identified 500,000 155 mm shells and 300,000 122 mm shells outside Europe that could be bought and sent to Ukraine after the necessary funds were allocated to the initiative Defense Minister Rustem Umerov recently dismissed Brigadier General Serhii Baranov from his position as head of the Missile, Artillery, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Forces. The Missile, Artillery, and UAV Forces is a part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces that specializes in strategic planning and participation in combat operations with the use of missiles, howitzers, cannons, mortars, jet-propelled and anti-tank artillery, as well as drones. +-----+ #] Ukrainian drones hit military facilities in Russia, Crimea 17May2024 KI https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-war-latest-ukrainian-drones-hit-military-facilities-in-russia-crimea-amid-russian-claims-of-over-100-drones-downed/ Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian drones hit military facilities in Russia, Crimea amid Russian claims of over 100 drones downed Ukrainian drones attacked several military facilities in Russia and occupied Crimea overnight on May 17, a source from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) confirmed to the Kyiv Independent. The source said that it was a joint operation carried out by the SBU and Ukraine's military intelligence agency. "Today's operation proved that the Russians are unable to protect their main naval bases in Sevastopol and Novorossiysk," the source said. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed earlier during the day that 102 aerial and six naval drones had been intercepted and destroyed and did not report any damage or casualties. The drones were targeted at naval bases of the Black Sea Fleet located in occupied Sevastopol and the Russian city of Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai, the source said. The attack also impacted a power plant near Sevastopol, leading to power outages. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed 102 aerial and six naval drones had been intercepted and destroyed and did not report any damage or casualties. If confirmed, it would be the largest drone attack by Ukraine throughout the entire full-scale war. A previous attack in March saw the Kremlin claiming to have downed 65 drones. +-----+ #] Russia’s Kharkov offensive is far more than just a military setback for Kiev 15May2024 https://www.rt.com/russia/597626-latest-attack-russia-ukraine/ Here’s why Russia’s Kharkov offensive is far more than just a military setback for Kiev With Moscow’s forces advancing on Ukraine’s second-largest city, more and more voices are having to admit the reality of the situation By Tarik Cyril Amar, a historian from Germany working at Koç University, Istanbul, on Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe, the history of World War II, the cultural Cold War, and the politics of memory Without insider knowledge, we cannot know the exact aims that Moscow intends to pursue with this operation. We do know what it has achieved, at this point, in terms of territory and positions taken: more than 100 square kilometers, including a growing number of villages. According to Ukrainian officers and media, Russian forces are fighting in the town of Volchansk, a local center of military importance. It is hard to predict where this particular advance will stop. But given the – as of now, at least – comparatively small forces deployed in this operation, it is unlikely that it was meant to capture the city of Kharkov, Ukraine’s second-most-important urban center. It may, however, serve to bring it within the range of Russian artillery again, which could serve future and larger offensives. More interesting than these rationalizations of a worsening battlefield crisis are reactions that are both more candid and less optimistic. For one thing, the Russian advance is turning into not only a Ukrainian (and Western) defeat, but also a Ukrainian scandal reported in the West in an unusually forthright manner. In Ukraine, the quick and almost unresisted Russian march through what should have been a zone of fortifications, minefields, and traps has led to accusations of corruption on a level that can only be described as treasonous. Ukrainskaya Pravda, a traditional stalwart of pro-Western sentiment and patriotic mobilization rhetoric, is asking where the fortifications are. Pointing out that regional authorities have paid millions to fictitious companies to build what clearly either is not there or is so shoddy that it might as well be missing entirely. In the West, the BBC – no less – has given global resonance to a Ukrainian special reconnaissance officer, Denys Yaroslavsky, who says that he and his men saw Russian forces “simply walk in.” Something important that should have been there to at least slow them down, was missing: While Ukrainian officials “claimed that defenses were being built at huge cost,” as the BBC reports, the costs (and, for someone, profits) materialized, but the defenses did not. “Either it was an act of negligence, or corruption,” Yaroslavsky has concluded. “It wasn’t a failure. It was a betrayal.” Clearly, Russia’s operation in Kharkov Region is an ongoing battle within an ongoing war. It would be rash to predict outcomes, at least in detail. Yet, if we zoom out and focus on major developments, two things are certain: First, Moscow has and retains the initiative. That is why its forces are on the offensive and why it decides about the purpose of their attacks, while Ukraine and the West are now reduced to reacting. Second, despite the laboriously maintained facade of optimism and perseverance, both Ukraine and the West are openly showing signs of nervousness, and more specifically of a nervousness induced by Russian pressure. That, for now, is the most obvious effect of the Kharkov operation, even if it may be hidden in plain sight. +-----+ #] China slams US for ‘shifting blame’ over Ukraine conflict 17May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/news/597789-china-us-blame-shifting-ukraine/ Washington continues to harbor a “Cold War mentality,” according to Beijing US policies are directly responsible for the Ukraine crisis, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Friday, reacting to the latest accusations from Washington of Beijing’s supposed complicity in the conflict. On Thursday, US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel claimed that China can’t enjoy strong relations with Europe and the collective West while “continuing to fuel the biggest threat to European security” by “fueling Russia’s defense-industrial base.” In turn, Wang urged the US to “stop shifting the blame on China [and] not try to drive a wedge between China and Europe.” “This is a reflection of the Cold War mentality that still dominates US thinking, which bears unshirkable responsibility for the eruption and escalation of the Ukraine crisis,” he stated. The spokesman argued that Washington is clearly “looking for enemies instead of seeking peace” in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He further urged US authorities to stop “fueling the flame” with unfounded accusations and instead “start making real a contribution to finding a political solution” to the crisis. “China is not the creator of or a party to the Ukraine Crisis. We have been on the side of peace and dialogue and committed to promoting peace talks. We actively support putting in place a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture,” Wang stated. +-----+ #] India to get Russian Igla-S systems 17May2024 RY https://www.rt.com/india/597786-india-to-get-russian-igla-s/ India to get Russian Igla-S systems – media Moscow is set to deliver another batch of man-portable air defense systems ordered by New Delhi in 2023 in the coming weeks India is set to receive the next batch of Russian Igla-S short range man portable air defense systems (MANPADS) by the end of May to early June, as the payment issues that delayed the delivery have been resolved, The Hindu reported on Thursday, citing sources. Moscow and New Delhi signed a contract for the supply and licensed manufacturing of Igla-S MANPADS in India last year, Rosoboronexport, Russia’s main arms export body, announced. The weaponry is being assembled in India by Adani Defense Systems and Technologies Limited (ADSTL) under technology transfer from Rosoboronexport. While the missiles will be imported, some parts of the system such as sights, launcher, and battery will be assembled or manufactured in India by Adani defense, a source told The Hindu. The first batch of 24 systems and 100 missiles was delivered to the Indian Army in April, The Print reported. In 2021, India already purchased two dozen Igla-S systems under its emergency procurement program, though the current order is larger, according to reports. India’s latest order of Russian MANPADS is part of a broader planned initiative, executed under India’s Very Short Range Air Defense System (VSHORAD) procurement program, launched in 2010 with the goal of procuring 5,000 missiles, 258 single launchers, and 258 multi-launchers. While India is updating its inventory through imports from various sources, which apart from Russia include the US and Israel, it is advancing its indigenous VSHORADS missile programs developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). Meanwhile, the payment issues which had reportedly held up the deal have been resolved, official sources who were not named told The Hindu. Media reports earlier this month suggested that Russian companies trading with the South Asian country are finally able to find ways to utilize Indian rupees accumulating on their special accounts in Indian banks, which was made possible after certain regulatory measures. Russia continued to be India’s main weapons supplier from 2019-2023 and accounts for 36% of its arms imports, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. +-----+ #] China hopes to divide the West, knows weakest link 15May2024 RT Bordachev https://www.rt.com/news/597631-china-hopes-weaken-us/ China hopes to divide the West, and it knows where the weakest link lies Bejing knows the EU’s leading states don’t want to break off relations, and it’s placing its bets on them holding firm By Timofey Bordachev, Program Director of the Valdai Club +-----+ #] Chinese electric cars better than American – Putin 17May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/business/597799-china-electric-vehicles-putin/ The US has imposed tariffs on China’s EVs to stifle competition, the Russian president has said US authorities have imposed tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs) because they have become better, Russian President Vladimir Putin has told a press conference in the city of Harbin during his two-day trip to China. Putin suggested that Washington wanted to prevent strong competitors from entering the American market, and described the US approach as “unfair competition.” “Unfortunately, the way the world works today, sometimes situations arise related to unfair competition. This is how the Americans recently imposed tariffs on Chinese electric transport, on electric cars,” he said. “Why? Because Chinese cars have gotten better.” As soon as another country emerges as a manufacturing power and becomes more competitive, it is suppressed in the US and in the EU alike, Putin claimed. The International Monetary Fund warned last week that the escalating trade war between Washington and Beijing was threatening global economic growth. +-----+ #] Russia and India to hold talks on visa-free tourism 18May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/india/597815-russia-india-visa-talks/ The countries are considering whether to scrap visa requirements for groups of tourists, a Russian official said Moscow and New Delhi plan to start negotiations in June on potential visa-free travel for tourist groups, with a view to striking a bilateral deal by the end of the year, a Russian government official has said. The idea was raised in 2022 by President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan, with the Russian president calling for accelerated negotiations on an agreement. Speaking during the International Economic Forum ‘Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum 2024’ earlier this week, Kondratyev noted that an agreement with India would replicate the success of visa-free tourism already established with China and Iran. Moscow initiated visa-free group tourism with Beijing and Tehran in August last year. Since then, travel between the countries has surged, according to various reports. Chinese tourists accounted for almost half of visitors to Russia in the first quarter of 2024, according to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR). The data shows that overall, foreign arrivals more than tripled compared to the same period of last year. The other top-five countries making tourist trips to Russia were Turkmenistan, Türkiye, Germany, and the UAE. +-----+ #] West is worried, that’s why Blinken made an urgent visit to Kiev 17May2024 RT Dmitry Drize https://www.rt.com/news/597787-blinken-made-visit-kiev/ The West is worried, that’s why Blinken made an urgent visit to Kiev The US Secretary of State’s sudden trip to Ukraine belies the West’s concern about recent Russian advances By Dmitry Drize, political observer at Kommersant FM Blinken’s arrival was unexpected, and it betrayed the critical stage currently reached in the conflict. The US is urging Kiev to carry out an effective mobilization, and seems to hope society will reorganize itself in some way. By the way, this is the most important question: what do Ukrainians themselves think they should do next, and how do they want things to be? But let us continue. So we come to a very simple conclusion. If there are no results yet, that means they have to be achieved somehow. The question is how. The answer is obvious: by responding to the raising of the stakes. We would just like to point out that no one is talking about a peaceful scenario; the next round of confrontation has arrived. Perhaps it will lead to a sudden peaceful solution, but we should not be too optimistic. Another thing we would like to point out is that Western Europe is practically powerless without America, no matter how much Emmanuel Macron threatens to invade. And secondly, according to the West, Ukraine cannot, or at least should not, lose. +-----+ #] Russia ‘done’ with Western Europe ‘for at least a generation’ – Lavrov 18May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/597827-lavrov-europe-no-partner-for-generation/ Russia ‘done’ with Western Europe ‘for at least a generation’ – Lavrov An “acute phase of the military-political confrontation with the West is in full swing,” Moscow’s foreign minister has said >> well-written article with good perspectives +-----+ #] Putin and China’s Xi strengthen strategic ties at summit 16May2024 AJ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/16/old-friend-putin-arrives-in-china-for-state-visit-summit-with-xi-jinping ‘Old friend’ Putin and China’s Xi strengthen strategic ties at summit Leaders present relationship as stabilising force as Putin expresses gratitude to crucial ally in Ukraine war. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, have signed a joint statement on deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between their two nations at a summit that framed their relationship as a stabilising force in a chaotic world. Speaking at a joint press conference on Thursday, Xi said: “China is willing to … jointly achieve the development and rejuvenation of our respective countries, and work together to uphold fairness and justice in the world.” Putin condemned what he described as “closed alliances in the region”, she added, “no doubt referring to the AUKUS pact [between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States], which Beijing considers as an alliance designed to contain China”. Trade was an important aspect of the meeting, with Xi highlighting that bilateral trade had increased by 170 percent over the past 10 years with the potential to expand. Describing their initial session as “warm and comradely”, Putin outlined sectors where the two countries were strengthening ties, from nuclear and energy co-operation to food supplies and Chinese car manufacturing in Russia. +-----+ #] Zelenskyy warns Russia’s Kharkiv offensive may only be ‘first wave’ 18May2024 AJ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/18/zelenskyy-warns-russias-kharkiv-offensive-may-only-be-first-wave Zelenskyy warns Russia’s Kharkiv offensive may only be ‘first wave’ New laws overhauling army mobilisation rules in Ukraine take effect in effort to address acute troop shortages. Al Jazeera’s John Holman, reporting from Kharkiv, said that at present Ukraine is “outmanned in terms of soldiers” in parts of the front line even before the latest Russian attacks. “Ukraine said that there were seven Russian soldiers to one Ukrainian soldier, so that’s going to put fresh pressure on them,” he said. In an effort to increase troop numbers, Zelenskyy signed two laws, one to enable prisoners to join the army and another that increases fines for draft dodgers fivefold, which took effect on Saturday. “We need everyone. Older people because they’re more experienced in their specialty. But if we’re talking about some combat positions, where there should be endurance, physical condition and cold-bloodedness, those should be filled by young people,” Yaroslava Kashka, head of recruitment at the 12th Azov Brigade, told Al Jazeera. Speaking to reporters while on a visit to China, Putin said Moscow launched its attacks in response to Ukrainian shelling of Russia’s neighbouring Belgorod region. “I have said publicly that if it continues, we will be forced to create a security zone, a sanitary zone,” he said. “That’s what we are doing.” Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskii, said Russia’s new offensive has “expanded the zone of active hostilities” by almost 70km (45 miles) to attempt to force Ukraine to spread its forces and use reserve troops. +-----+ #] Is Russia’s assault on northeastern Ukraine already losing steam? 16May2024 AJ Mirovalev https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/16/is-russias-assault-on-northeastern-ukraine-already-losing-steam Is Russia’s assault on northeastern Ukraine already losing steam? Moscow’s troops have seized several villages in Kharkiv in recent days, but experts say Ukraine’s defence and Russia’s manpower woes will limit the advance. Mansur Mirovalev Ukraine’s second-largest city with a pre-war population of 1.5 million, Kharkiv has been bombarded almost non-stop in recent months. So far, the raid is Russia’s largest ground attack on Ukraine since August 2022, when the Ukrainian military kicked out the invaders from most of the Kharkiv region. “This is a successful combat reconnaissance, they advanced on a tactical level,” Lieutenant General Ihor Romanenko, a former deputy chief of Ukraine’s general staff of armed forces, told Al Jazeera. Russia’s aerial superiority One of the factors of their success is aerial superiority undisputed since the war began in 2022. Another great hindrance is a taboo on the use of NATO-supplied weaponry on Russian territory as Western leaders are afraid of antagonising Putin. Therefore, Moscow’s troops “are exploiting adjacent Russian land and airspace that have essentially become sanctuary from Western-provided long-range fire systems and munitions”, Davis said. “It is time for Western leaders to remove these externally imposed restrictions and allow Ukraine to defend itself effectively with all the means available.” Meanwhile, Russian servicemen pay a heavy price for their success. Those who refused to take part in front-line assaults on Ukrainian trenches – that typically leave next to no survivors – were killed by other Russian servicemen, according to Kyrylo Sazonov, a Ukrainian military analyst. Ukrainian counterattacks forced Russians to leave the village of Zelene which sits on the way to the city of Kharkiv. “On this segment of ‘Russia’s big advance towards Kharkiv’ its speed fell almost to zero,” military analyst Konstantin Mashovets wrote on Telegram on Thursday. Western analysts agree with him. The speed of Moscow’s offensive in Kharkiv “continues to decrease after Russian forces initially seized areas that Ukrainian officials have now confirmed were less defended”, the Institute for the Study of War, a think tank, said on Thursday. “This feels like a recurring nightmare,” said Oleksandra Bondarenko, a 42-year-old sales assistant who fled Kharkiv in 2022 to settle in Kyiv with her teenage daughter and two cats. “Europe and America are bickering about whether they should give us planes or missiles, voting on military aid, and the Russians are simply not stopping,” she told Al Jazeera outside the grocery shop in central Kyiv where she works, nervously puffing on a cigarette. “Democracy doesn’t seem to be working during a war, and for us, this means endless losses.” +-----+ #] New laws overhauling army mobilisation rules in Ukraine take effect 18May2024 AJ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/18/zelenskyy-warns-russias-kharkiv-offensive-may-only-be-first-wave Zelenskyy warns Russia’s Kharkiv offensive may only be ‘first wave’ New laws overhauling army mobilisation rules in Ukraine take effect in effort to address acute troop shortages. Zelenskyy conceded on Friday, in an interview with the AFP news agency, that Ukraine only has a quarter of the air defences it needs to hold the front line while the war grinds on. He said Russian forces managed to advance between five to 10km (3-6 miles) along the northeastern border before being stopped by Ukrainian forces. Al Jazeera’s John Holman, reporting from Kharkiv, said that at present Ukraine is “outmanned in terms of soldiers” in parts of the front line even before the latest Russian attacks. “Ukraine said that there were seven Russian soldiers to one Ukrainian soldier, so that’s going to put fresh pressure on them,” he said. In an effort to increase troop numbers, Zelenskyy signed two laws, one to enable prisoners to join the army and another that increases fines for draft dodgers fivefold, which took effect on Saturday. “We need everyone. Older people because they’re more experienced in their specialty. But if we’re talking about some combat positions, where there should be endurance, physical condition and cold-bloodedness, those should be filled by young people,” Yaroslava Kashka, head of recruitment at the 12th Azov Brigade, told Al Jazeera. +-----+ #] Russian court seizes two European banks’ assets 18May2024 AJ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/18/russia-seizes-european-banksassets-as-a-part-of-a-lawsuit Russian court seizes two European banks’ assets amid Western sanctions Freezing hundreds of billions of dollars in lenders’ assets was part of dispute over gas project halted by sanctions. A Russian court has ordered the seizure of the assets, accounts, property and shares of Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank in the country as part of a lawsuit involving the German banks, court documents showed. The banks are among the guarantor lenders under a contract for the construction of a gas processing plant in Russia with the German company Linde. The project was terminated due to Western sanctions. +-----+ #] Podcast: Should Ukraine continue to fight in the war against Russia? 11Mar2024 AJ https://play.headliner.app/podcast/_cpf_cl26fdw930000ejqk7xrtfurn/episode/987510c4-adc8-42cf-a4a5-b1300101750d?dtm_campaign=WI_cktj3ghn6000012oldnw5chzg_DV_cl1w8nhac00000xrz2nhhgw1j&dtm_content=Result1&dtm_medium=CPC&dtm_source=DiscoWidget&utm_campaign=WI_cktj3ghn6000012oldnw5chzg_DV_cl1w8nhac00000xrz2nhhgw1j&utm_content=Result1&utm_medium=CPC&utm_source=DiscoWidget Inside Story Podcast: Pope Francis calls for talks and an end to the war in Ukraine - in comments rebuffed by Kyiv but welcomed in Moscow. The war which has cost thousands of lives continues with little movement by either side. Should Ukraine talk or fight on? In this episode: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Chief Editor, Ukraine World. Pavel Felgenhauer, Independent Russian Foreign Policy Analyst, Moscow. Patrick Bury, Senior Lecturer, University of Bath. Host: Jonah Hull +-----+ #] Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 815 19May2024 AJ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/19/russia-ukraine-war-list-of-key-events-day-815 +-----+ #] Ukraine liveuamap.com: screen capture map for each day of last week to today /home/bill/web/ProjMajor/History/Ukraine-Russia/Ukraine liveuamap.com/240517.png 08********08 #] 12May2024 week ending +-----+ #] Syrskyi: Russia's breakthrough attempt halted, sectors 'changing rapidly' 12May2024 KI https://kyivindependent.com/syrskyi-4/ Syrskyi: Russia's breakthrough attempt halted, situation in several sectors 'changing rapidly' by Kateryna Denisova Russian troops continue their attacks in several sectors, but attempts to break through Ukraine's defenses have been halted, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported on May 12. The situation "is changing rapidly" in the Kupiansk, Siversk, Lyman, and Pokrovsk directions amid ongoing fighting, according to Syrskyi. "The enemy has partial success in some areas, and in others, (Ukraine's) Defense Forces are pushing the enemy out and improving their tactical position," the general said. Russia is also reportedly continuing its assault east of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast and has failed to regain lost positions near the village of Klishchiivka, located some five kilometers south of Russian-occupied Bakhmut. +-----+ #] Military: Russian forces in Kharkiv Oblast contained, fighting continues 11May2024 KI https://kyivindependent.com/military-russian-forces-in-kharkiv-oblast-contained-fighting-continues/ by Chris York Russian forces involved in the new offensive operation targeting Kharkiv Oblast are contained and have not advanced further, Ukraine's military said on May 11. Speaking to national TV, Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson of the Khortytsia group of forces, said Moscow's troops were being held back in the so-called "gray zone," border settlements that lie along the oblast's border with Russia. "The enemy is contained in the gray zone, and it is not expanding," he said. It remains to be seen if the Russian offensive is a limited action or the prelude to a larger attack on the city of Kharkiv itself. +-----+ #] Ukrainian government warns of possible full mobilization 11May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/597420-ukraine-society-full-mobilization/ Defense Ministry spokesman Dmitry Lazutkin declares end of “peaceful life” until Russia defeated The whole of Ukrainian society will need to make sacrifices and forget about their peaceful lives to defeat Russia, Defense Ministry spokesman Dmitry Lazutkin has argued. Kiev is overhauling its conscription system to boost troop numbers following a series of setbacks in its conflict with Moscow, with harsh reforms set to come into force next week. “Globally speaking, starting on May 18, when the mobilization law comes into force, first of all, the approach to this war will change,” Lazutkin told Espresso TV on Saturday. “This situation [where] some people are fighting at the front lines while others are living their quiet lives, is obviously coming to an end.” Life in Kiev is “strikingly different” from the situation in the east of the country, which is “abnormal.” “It would be normal if our enemy was weak. But with such an enemy, the whole country and the whole of society need to mobilize,” Lazutkin added. In response to the changes, there has been a surge in Ukrainian men seeking to flee the country. Border Service spokesman Andrey Demchenko recently said that around 120-150 people are caught trying to illegally leave Ukraine every day, while some end up dying in such attempts. +-----+ #] Germany’s conscription plans revealed – media 12May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/news/597452-germany-conscription-reform-plans/ The defense minister is expected to officially present reforms to the draft system in early June The German Defense Ministry has prepared several conscription reform proposals to tackle a chronic personnel shortage in the Armed Forces, Die Welt newspaper reported this week. Minister Boris Pistorius is expected to choose one of them and officially present it in early June, the paper said. Pistorius first raised the issue of reintroducing compulsory military service last month, when unveiling an ambitious military reform plan, aimed at making Germany better prepared for a potential armed conflict. “We have considered reintroducing compulsory military service,” the minister said at that time, while sharing few details on the plans. Germany abolished mandatory service in 2011. +-----+ #] Kiev to get first of West’s F-16s ‘within weeks’ – report 12May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/news/597455-kiev-f-16-within-weeks/ Ukrainian Air Force spokesman had earlier claimed that promised fighter jets could be supplied as early as this month Ukraine may receive the F-16 fighter jets promised to it by its Western backers “within weeks,” the British newspaper Evening Standard claimed on Friday, citing what it called a “high-ranking military source.” The aircraft were due to be supplied to Kiev either by June or July, the source said. The paper did not report on which nation would supposedly deliver the jets or what their total number is to be. In March, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said that Demark would be the first nation to deliver the F-16s and would do it at some point this summer. The Netherlands was to follow soon after and provide Ukraine with their batch of fighter jets “in the second half of the year,” the minister said at that time. The Ukrainian officials admitted that the country may face infrastructure difficulties in maintaining the US-designed jets. Some of the nation’s senior military officials also told Politico in April that the aircraft could even be no longer relevant, since Russia had already taken measures to counter them. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said last November that, although the F-16s would surely add to Ukraine’s capabilities, they would be far from “a silver bullet” that could fundamentally change the situation on the front lines. +-----+ #] 2024 election likely the last to be decided by US citizens – Musk 11May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/news/597404-musk-us-elections-citizens-migrants/ The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has called the “massive influx of illegals from every country on Earth” the main factor The continuing influx of illegal immigrants into the US could mean that American citizens could cease to decide the outcome of elections in the country in the not-too-distant future, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has predicted. The South African-born billionaire claimed that the Democrats are wittingly refusing to address the issue, in the hope of skewing the balance in their favor. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, Musk wrote that “Unanimous Democrat opposition to requiring citizenship for apportionment of House seats and Presidential electoral college votes says it all.” According to the entrepreneur, “the Democratic Party goal is to disenfranchise US citizens by importing as many illegal immigrants as possible.” “Given the massive influx of illegals from every country on Earth, 2024 will probably be the last election actually decided by US citizens,” Musk concluded. +-----+ #] Russia liberates more settlements in Kharkov Region – MOD 12May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/597446-ukraine-kharkov-losses-zelensky/ Four villages have been taken under control over the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry has said The fighting continued near the settlements of Degtyarnoye, Volchansk and Kazachya Lopan, with the Ukrainian military losing up to 100 troops, two tanks and two Kozak armored vehicles in this area, the statement read. It also reported that a French-supplied Caesar and two Czech-made Vampire multiple rocket launchers were among items of Ukrainian equipment destroyed by Russian counter-battery fire in this instance. It said that Ukrainian forces had suffered the most casualties in clashes with Russian forces over the strategic town of Chasov Yar and nearby villages in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic. In early May, Russia’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu confirmed that the country’s military had switched to an offensive posture, stressing that a steady supply of weapons and ammunition was needed to maintain the pace of the advance. In a separate comment a few days later, Shoigu revealed that the Ukrainian military’s losses since the beginning of the year have surpassed 111,000 troops, while Russia’s territorial gains during the period have amounted to 547 square kilometers, about 211 square miles. +-----+ #] Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 808 12May2024 AJ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/12/russia-ukraine-war-list-of-key-events-day-808 Fierce fighting raged overnight on the fringes of Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region as Moscow claimed it had captured five villages and was advancing in the Donetsk region. However, Kyiv said it was repulsing the attacks and battling for control of the settlements. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy admitted in his nightly video address that battles were going on around seven border villages in Kharkiv and called the situation in the southern Donetsk region “extremely difficult”. +-----+ #] Russia claims capture of villages in northeast Ukraine amid renewed assault 11May2024 AJ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/11/russia-says-it-has-captured-five-villages-in-northeast-ukraine Ukrainian officials say intensifying fighting in contested border areas has forced more than 1,700 civilians to flee. +-----+ #] Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 807 11May2024 AJ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/11/russia-ukraine-war-list-of-key-events-day-807 As the war enters its 807th day, these are the main developments. General Oleksandr Pavliuk, commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, has played down the significance of possibly losing the eastern town of Chasiv Yar, which is described as a gateway to other cities that Russia is targeting, like Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. +-----+ #] Poke the bear and find out 10May2024 RT Tarik Cyril Amar https://www.rt.com/news/597364-west-russia-warnings-nuclear/ Poke the bear and find out: Here’s why the West should finally listen to Russia’s warnings The latest scuffle over provocations which tested Moscow’s red lines shows that simply brushing off the Kremlin won’t work anymore By Tarik Cyril Amar, a historian from Germany working at Koç University, Istanbul, on Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe, the history of World War II, the cultural Cold War, and the politics of memory Addressing London, Moscow made clear that Kiev striking inside Russia with British missiles would expose Britain to “catastrophic consequences,” in particular, Russian retaliation against British forces anywhere. Regarding France, Moscow blasted its “belligerent” and “provocative” conduct and defied as futile French attempts to produce “strategic ambiguity.” The Western problem is that a defeat at Russia’s hands would be worse by orders of magnitude than the fiasco of the rout-like retreat from Afghanistan in 2021. Ironically, that is so because the West itself has charged its needless confrontation with Russia with the power to do unprecedented damage to NATO and the EU: First, by insisting on treating Ukraine as a de facto almost-NATO-member, which means that by defeating it, Moscow will also defeat Washington’s key alliance. Second, by investing large and growing sums of money and quantities of supplies into this proxy war, which means that the West has weakened itself and, perhaps even more importantly, revealed its own weakness. Third, by trying to ruin both Russia’s economy and its international standing; the failure of both attempts has resulted in a stronger Russia across these two domains and, once again, revealed more limits of Western power. Fourth, by radically subordinating the EU to NATO and Washington, the geopolitical damage has been, as it were, leveraged. In short, when the Ukraine crisis started in 2013/14 and then greatly escalated in 2022, Russia had vital security interests at stake; the West did not. By now, however, the West has made choices that have charged this conflict and its outcome with the capacity to do great, strategic harm to its own credibility, cohesion, and power: Overreach has consequences. That, briefly, is why the West is at an impasse and remains there after this crisis. The term “escalate to de-escalate” emerged in the West, not Russia, and this Western interpretation of Russian policy has played an important role in Western politics and debates and, thus, has its critics as well. In addition – but this is a separate question – some analysts point out that the idea of E2DE is less of any country’s national property than something inherent in the logic of nuclear strategy, that other nuclear powers have had similar policies, and that the whole idea, whoever adopts it, may not work. But there is the rub: The West has a history of obstinately not hearing Russian messages. That is how we ended up in this war in the first place. Russia had warned the West repeatedly since, at the latest, President Vladimir Putin’s well-known speech at the Munich Security Conference in – wait for it – 2007. The last major warning came in late 2021, when Russia – with Sergey Ryabkov, incidentally, in the forefront – offered the West what turned out to be a last chance to abandon its unilateralism and specifically NATO expansion and, instead, negotiate a new security framework. The West brushed this offer off. With nuclear weapons in play, it is time that Western elites learn to, finally, listen when Russia sends a serious warning. +-----+ #] Ukraine a ‘corrupt s**thole’ – ex-Boris Johnson adviser 10May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/news/597357-dominic-cummings-ukraine-corruption/ Backing Kiev pushed Russia and China into an alliance, Dominic Cummings has said We should have never got into the whole stupid situation,” Cummings told the outlet I News in an interview published on Wednesday, commenting on London’s full-throated support for Kiev. He also described Ukraine as a “corrupt s**thole that doesn’t matter at all.” “This is not a replay of 1940 with the pumpkin [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky as the Churchillian underdog,” he added. “This whole Ukrainian corrupt mafia state has basically conned us all and we’re all going to get f**ked as a consequence.” Western sanctions have been “more of a disaster” for the EU than for Russia, driving up the cost of living while pushing Moscow and Beijing closer together, according to Cummings. All the West managed to do is get into a war of attrition with Russia, “who we pushed into an alliance with the world’s biggest manufacturing power.” British sanctions failing to harm Russia – UK MP Read more British sanctions failing to harm Russia – UK MP Cummings also addressed the argument that Russian President Vladimir Putin needed to be “taught a lesson” about invading neighbors. “The lesson we’ve taught Putin is that we’re a bunch of total f**king jokers,” he said. “I mean, Putin already knew that before the war. But this has emphasized it and broadcast it to the entire world, what a bunch of clowns we are,” he added. Between the sanctions regime and the US trying to seize frozen Russian assets, the West is encouraging the emergence of alternative global financial systems, he explained. +-----+ #] American military would be wiped out in Ukraine, former US Army officer 09May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/news/597318-american-military-ukraine-warfare/ American military would be wiped out in Ukraine, former US Army officer The US’ capabilities for waging conventional warfare have been eroded by “endless guerilla wars,” Stanislav Krapivnik believes “Right now, it’s much worse. The endless wars that America has been fighting, the endless guerilla wars have totally sapped America’s capability to fight a conventional war. They are trying to up it right now, but it takes a lot of time to rebuild your forces,” Krapivnik stated. The ex-US Army officer also touched upon recent media reports that should US President Joe Biden be reelected, he, or “the collective Biden, whoever actually makes the decisions” could send American troops to Ukraine. “The problem is, that the people in Washington, the Biden regime is absolutely devoid of any sense of reality,” Krapivnik said. While the idea is bound to result in a crushing defeat for the US military, such a deployment cannot not be ruled out entirely, he suggested. “This is totally devoid of reality. The US Army is going to get wiped out, if they are going to Ukraine.” +-----+ #] A chill has descended across Europe - Cameron 09May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/news/597311-chill-descended-europe-ukraine-cameron/ The UK foreign secretary claims the world is more dangerous than ever before, stoking fears of a potential Russian invasion +-----+ #] up to 50,000 troops are poised to try and take Sumy and Kharkiv 09May2024 KI Psaropoulos https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/9/russia-could-open-new-front-as-ukraine-remains-weapons-poor-say-officials Russia could open new front as Ukraine remains weapons-poor, say officials Ukrainian experts believe up to 50,000 troops are poised to try and take Sumy and Kharkiv. By John T Psaropoulos Russian forces continued to exploit a window of opportunity to make small, tactical gains during the past week, as Ukraine began to receive parcels of long-delayed US military aid for the first time in weeks. Ukraine also reported that Russia was building up worrying numbers of troops on its northern border, and prepared to face a potential new front. Russian forces managed to steal another march on Ukrainian defenders in Ocheretyne. The village sits at the western point of a salient the Russians have gradually built west of Avdiivka after taking that city in February. They took advantage of a poorly executed substitution of Ukraine’s defending battalion to enter Ocheretyne in late April, but faced fierce resistance. Russia’s defence ministry announced Ocheretyne had fallen on May 5, Orthodox Easter Sunday. Satellite imagery appeared to confirm that, and three days later Russian forces consolidated their catch by advancing four kilometres (2.5 miles) north of the village and extending their gains to its south. Russian forces also failed to capture the strategically important town of Chasiv Yar in the east – a prize Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly wanted by May 9, the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s capitulation 79 years ago. Ukraine’s European allies have continued to send in weapons during the US hold-up, but they have not been sufficient to maintain even defensive operations because Europe’s defence industrial base has shrunk since the Cold War. Ukraine embarked on a strategy of building up its own industrial base last December, and invited Western investors to speed up that process. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called for a common European defence industrial space to remove redundancies and competing weapons systems, and for long-term industry contracts and planning of European defence. “If we want to preserve peace in Europe, we must move to a European wartime economy and industry,” he told the forum virtually. “Only in this way can we restrain Russia’s aggression – by demonstrating that Europe has the means for self-defence.” where are Ukrainians fleeing to 240418 AJ, Psaropoulos.png who controls what in eastern Ukraine 240418 AJ, Psaropoulos.png who controls what in southern Ukraine 240418 AJ, Psaropoulos.png who controls what in Ukraine 240418 AJ, Psaropoulos.png where are Ukrainians fleeing to 240509 AJ, Psaropoulos.png who controls what in eastern Ukraine 240509 AJ, Psaropoulos.png who controls what in southern Ukraine 240509 AJ, Psaropoulos.png who controls what in Ukraine 240509 AJ, Psaropoulos.png Ukraine’s deputy military intelligence chief agreed that Europe was not ready to defend itself. Vadym Skibitsky told Newsweek Russia could overrun the Baltic states in a week, whereas it would take NATO at least 10 days to begin the process of coming to their aid. From NATO’s perspective, the need to help Ukraine has been growing along with the Russian threat perception in the rest of Europe. Four months after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, NATO said it would create a standing force of 300,000 troops to defend its eastern borders, up from about 80,000 today. In January, a series of NATO defence chiefs sharing similar intelligence said the alliance should prepare for a potential Russian invasion of NATO soil in as little as five to eight years’ time. On May 2, NATO’s political decision-making body, the Atlantic Council, said NATO allies are “deeply concerned about recent malign activities on Allied territory”. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said a Russian campaign of hybrid activities including misinformation, espionage and sabotage was already under way in Europe. The Financial Times on Sunday quoted European intelligence officials saying Russia was preparing “covert bombings, arson attacks, and damage to infrastructure” in Europe. +-----+ #] Ukraine is facing a cement crisis 08May2024 KI Dominic Culverwell https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-is-facing-a-cement-crisis-could-a-deal-between-two-cement-giants-worsen-the-situation/ Ukraine is facing a cement crisis: Could a deal between two cement giants worsen the situation? Last summer, it was announced that CRH, one of the largest building materials companies in the world, was looking to buy two plants from Dyckerhoff, a subsidiary of Italian cement company Buzzi. The Italian firm wants to offload its assets in Ukraine in favor of doing business in Russia in a rare case among international businesses exiting Russia in droves in response to the full-scale invasion. Only three active cement producers — CRH, Ivano Frankivsk Cement, and Kryvi Rih Cement — will remain in Ukraine if the country’s antitrust regulator allows the deal to go through. Russian aggression has hit the cement industry hard over the last 10 years, swallowing three plants in occupied Donbas and Crimea. More recently, Russian forces destroyed a plant belonging to Kharkiv-based company Baltsem in 2022 while the “Pushka” Kramatorsk cement plant, Donetsk Oblast, was seized by the Ukrainian government from its Russian owners and nationalized last year. +-----+ #] Russian assault groups break into Krasnohorivka 08May2024 KI Kateryna Denisova https://kyivindependent.com/military-russian-assault-groups-break-into-krasnohorivka-blocked-at-plant/ Military: Russian assault groups break into Krasnohorivka, blocked at local plant Russian forces have been focusing their efforts near Chasiv Yar, which they see as crucial for further advances toward Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk, the Ukrainian military reported. Ukrainian troops retreated in late April west from the villages of Berdychi, Semenivka, and Novomykhailivka in Donetsk Oblast. The Khortytsia Group of Ukraine's Ground Forces said that Russian forces also managed to break in and gain a foothold in a part of the village of Ocheretyne in the region. Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR), said that Ukraine should expect to face a renewed Russian offensive in late spring or early summer, with the offensive intensifying around the eastern Donbas region. Russia aims to completely occupy Donetsk, Luhansk, and, if possible, Zaporizhzhia oblasts in 2024, said Oleksandr Pavliuk, Ukraine's Ground Forces commander. +-----+ #] Drowning in debt: The paralysis at the heart of the US fiscal crisis 08May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/business/596899-us-fiscal-crisis-debt/ Washington is doing nothing about its deteriorating finances because there is nothing it can do without risking major upheaval By Henry Johnston, a Moscow-based RT editor who worked in finance for over a decade No longer believing in victory, the US is not in any meaningful way helping Ukraine – nobody believes the recent aid package will actually change much. But a diplomatic solution could have the effect of laying bare America’s waning global influence and possibly even destroying NATO as a credible institution. With no good options, Washington is merely staggering along until events overtake it. But Ukraine is hardly the worst of it. A crisis shaping up to be far more potent and deep-rooted is America’s rapidly deteriorating fiscal standing. And here again, policymakers seem paralyzed by their lack of scope to address what JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon thinks is “the most predictable crisis we’ve ever had.” Broadly speaking, interest rates had been falling for essentially four decades, a state of affairs largely attributable to the effects of globalization and entrenchment of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. The integration of global financial markets allowed countries with high savings rates to subsidize American borrowing by buying US debt, thus putting downward pressure on interest rates. Another way to think about this is that for a long time the US was able to maintain low rates because it could export much of its inflation through global use of the dollar as other countries sterilized the newly printed dollars. The interest expense on the debt has already surpassed defense spending – no small feat since the US isn’t exactly frugal about protecting its hegemony – and is on pace to grow at a blistering 30% year-on-year pace this year to reach $870 billion. So paradoxically, higher interest rates amid high debt levels can actually create more inflation, not less. Another way to think about this is that when deficits are large, the stimulus effect from the fiscal side ends up overshadowing the constricting effect on private-sector lending that the higher interest rates produces. So to summarize, the return of inflation upset a balance that had evolved over many years whereby the US could run up ever higher debts without consequence. But the high interest rates blew out the deficit, which has meant more borrowing and, eventually, more inflation because high levels of deficit spending are inherently inflationary. The predicament is that it won’t be easy to bring down the deficit through austerity or by the type of financial tightening that would reduce asset prices – not least because the tax base is so dependent on asset prices. The warnings of an impending fiscal crisis are coming fast and furious now, and they sound very different than before. If in years past one might have heard a call for fiscal responsibility couched in idealistic rhetoric touting America’s strength and rectitude – “History will show you there’s no country in history that’s been strong and free and bankrupt,” an old-school former Congressman from Tennessee, John Tanner, once said – today’s warnings are stark, immediate, and specific. And in fact, Congress only debates 28 cents of every dollar it spends; the vast majority of federal spending is mandated by statute and takes place outside the budget appropriations process. These are primarily related to the major healthcare and benefits programs. Swedish commentator Malcom Kyeyune observed that “the single most dangerous period for a political system is when it has ignored a looming crisis for years and decades, and then finally, backs snugly perched against a wall that cannot be moved, tries to apply wide-reaching reforms.” Those holding the reins of power of the US government seem to sense the truth of Kyeyune’s words: they are doing as little as possible, because there is nothing they can do without wading right into that most dangerous period. +-----+ #] Russia confirms attack on Ukrainian energy sector 08May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/597220-russian-barrage-ukraine-energy/ The barrage was retaliation for Kiev’s continued attempts to damage Russian infrastructure, the Defense Ministry has said The Russian side said some of its targets were military factories rather than parts of the Ukrainian power sector. The strike involved drones and several types of missiles, including air-launched hypersonic Kinzhal weapons, the statement said, adding that the projectiles successfully hit all the intended sites. +-----+ #] Ukraine battles: https://liveuamap.com/ "$d_projMaj"'History/Ukraine-Russia/Ukraine liveuamap.com/' 240509.png 240214.png 240301 240315 >> best source for battles - but complement with [KI, RT, AJ] +-----+ #] Russian military reports new gains in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region 08May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/597240-donbass-kharkov-military-gains/ Russian military reports new gains in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region Moscow has also announced the liberation of another settlement in Donbass The Russian military has seized two settlements in Kharkov Region and Donbass from Ukrainian forces, the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced on Wednesday. Troops dislodged Ukrainian forces from the village of Kislovka, around 25km east of Kupiansk, a key Ukrainian logistics hub in the region, the ministry said. The announcement comes two days after the reported capture of the village of Kotlyarovka, immediately to the south of Kislovka. The development apparently signals an intensification of combat on the Kharkov axis, where the front line – which approximately runs along the border between Ukraine’s Kharkov Region and Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic – has remained largely static for months. Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has said Russian forces are in full control of the battlefield situation and are steadily advancing. Throughout April, Ukrainian forces lost around 1,000 soldiers per day on average, the minister said earlier this month, estimating Kiev’s military losses at 111,000 this year alone. +-----+ #] Turkey: We are in danger because of NATO membership 06May2024 RT Abbas Juma https://www.rt.com/news/597055-turkish-patriots-influence-nato-us/ ‘We are in danger because of NATO membership’: Turkish Patriotic party is sounding the alarm The chairman of Türkiye’s Vatan Party speaks about the influence of the US, Palestine, and Israel, and the future of NATO By Abbas Juma, an international journalist, political commentator, Middle East and Africa specialist When I told some of my colleagues and experts on Türkiye that I was going to Istanbul to visit the chairman of Türkiye’s Patriotic Party (Vatan Partisi), Dogu Perincek, the reactions were mixed. They ranged from complete indifference and irritation to great admiration. Skeptics said that both the party and its leader are “lame ducks” and have no future. However, Perincek himself disagrees with this opinion. “Just wait a few years and we’ll make it into the parliament, you’ll see,” says the 81-year-old politician. Perincek believes that with each year, the Turkish people are moving further away from Western values and the politicians that represent them. This is largely due to the position of the US, which regularly demonstrates unfriendly and even aggressive behavior in the region, and in regard to Türkiye as well. Three stages of separation According to Perincek, the contradictions between Ankara and Washington are mainly strategic, and cannot be solved in one day. Dogu Perincek: I would divide the history of Turkish-US relations into three periods. The first lasted from 1945-1980, the second from 1980-2014, and the third started after 2014. In the first period, the US tried to undermine Türkiye’s revolutionary achievements, but largely failed in this. After 1980, its main task was to integrate the Turkish economy into the global economy. Of course, integration with the global economy supposed the elimination of the country’s national economy, culture, and politics. [The West] even considered implementing this scenario by force. At the time, our party was the main political force that fought against this. At that time it was called the workers’ and peasants’ party. About 2,500 party members were thrown into prison where they were tortured. Moreover, the US attempted to create the “Kurdistan” project on Turkish territory. (Perincek calls it the “second Israel project”). We strongly protested against it and resisted it in any way we could. In 2014, we were finally able to free the officers and generals who were imprisoned in 2007. >> good article +-----+ #] Russia to undergo economic transition – deputy PM Belousov 09May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/business/597253-belousov-russia-economic-transition/ Major changes aim to boost GDP by 2030, Andrey Belousov has said “We need to create conditions in which the growth impulse will not be external, from monetary demand, but come from the production sector itself,” Belousov told the panel. Among the ways to achieve this are to introduce labor reforms, entrepreneurial incentives, increase efficiency and productivity – including through automation – and harness artificial intelligence, he explained. +-----+ #] Putin lauds ‘important center’ of emerging multipolar world 08May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/597252-putin-eurasian-economic-union/ A summit of the Eurasian Economic Union in Moscow coincided with the tenth anniversary of the group’s founding Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the important role being played by the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in the emerging multipolar world in comments delivered during a summit of the group on Wednesday in Moscow. The gathering coincided with the tenth anniversary of the signing of the EAEU’s foundational treaty that brought five post-Soviet states – Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia – together in a single integrated market. The group also has three observer states: Cuba and two other ex-Soviet nations, Moldova and Uzbekistan. Speaking ahead of the closed-doors part of the summit, Putin lauded the bloc’s development, stating the union has fared well over the past decade and established itself “as an independent and self-sufficient center of the emerging multipolar world.” The union strongly adheres to its “main principles of integration cooperation,” namely “equality, mutual benefit, respect for and consideration of each other’s interests,” Putin noted. Russian companies embark on massive expansion to ‘friendly’ countries READ MORE: Russian companies embark on massive expansion to ‘friendly’ countries “The economic indicators speak for themselves: according to available estimates, over the ten years the joint GDP of the EAEU countries went from $1.6 to $2.5 trillion. Trade with third countries grew by 60% from $579 to $923 billion, while the volume of mutual trade almost doubled: from $45 to $89 billion, with over 90% of transactions already made in national currencies,” Putin stated, noting that positive macroeconomic trends have been observed within the union this year as well. +-----+ #] Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 804 08May2024 AJ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/8/russia-ukraine-war-list-of-key-events-day-804 As the war enters its 804th day, these are the main developments. Ukrainian state prosecutors told the Reuters news agency they had examined debris from 21 of about 50 North Korean ballistic missiles launched by Russia between late December and late February, as they work to assess the threat from Moscow’s cooperation with Pyongyang. The prosecutors’ office said evidence so far suggested a high failure rate. Speaking during a visit to the US, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said he was open to discussions on sending a Patriot missile system to Ukraine. Romania signed a $4bn deal to procure Patriots in 2017, with the first shipment delivered in 2020. +-----+ #] Will the renewed US support for Ukraine be enough? 07May2024 KI Ian Bremmer https://kyivindependent.com/opinion-will-the-renewed-us-support-for-ukraine-be-enough/ Opinion: Will the renewed US support for Ukraine be enough? Ian Bremmer, Founder and President of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media Fears that Russia was preparing a major summer push for more Ukrainian land raised the specter – in Kyiv and in Washington, D.C. – that a big breakthrough could leave Ukraine on the verge of military defeat by the end of this year. The latest surge of U.S. material support now makes that much less likely. If Ukraine can build new fortifications along the front line and secure the air defense systems it needs to protect its cities and energy infrastructure (despite a shortage of these supplies created by the war in the Middle East), it can stabilize its defensive positions through 2025. But though America’s bid to close the ammunition gap between Ukraine and Russia can restore the on-the-ground stalemate established late last year, it won’t put Ukraine back on the offensive. That’s because Ukraine has another battlefield problem that its allies can do little to address: a shortage of soldiers. The U.S. aid package thus provides a lifeline that can keep the Ukrainians in the fight through the end of 2024. That will give Ukraine’s friends in Europe more time to produce and deliver more weapons and ammunition, and it could deal Zelensky a stronger hand in future negotiations to end the war. But it’s unlikely to help Ukraine avoid an eventual partition, one that cedes Russia some illegally taken land in exchange for the European future that most Ukrainians still want. After more than two years of brutal war, that is the painful reality Ukraine faces today. +-----+ #] Russia captures Kotlyarovka, Kharkov Region 06May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/597072-russia-gains-kharkov-region/ Russia makes new gains in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region – MOD Moscow has reported the capture of a village 25km east of a key linchpin in Kiev’s defenses In a statement on Monday, the ministry said forces from Russia’s ‘Western’ group had seized the village of Kotlyarovka in the north of Ukraine’s Kharkov Region. The settlement is around 25km east of Kupyansk, described as a key Ukrainian logistics hub, the capture of which would allow Russia to advance directly on the city of Kharkov or support further operations in Donbass. /home/bill/web/ProjMajor/History/Ukraine-Russia/images/gimps/Ukraine East [Kharkiv, Kramatorsk, Donetsk, Mariupol].xcf +-----+ #] Russian MP proposes state-run dating service 07May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/597162-russian-mp-gosuslugi-dating/ Russian MP proposes state-run dating service Vitaly Milonov has suggested using the government’s Gosuslugi digital platform to help citizens find a romantic partner Given that the platform requires users to confirm their identities using their passports, Milonov argued that this would allow for a dating platform free of scammers, escort girls, prostitutes, “gigolos” and other “scoundrels” and prove to be a safe, reliable and convenient way for people to find life partners. He has also suggested automatically banning married people from accessing the service while also blocking users who engage in too many relationships consecutively. Klimenko said that despite the exit of platforms such as Tinder, the existing ones are perfectly adequate. He also noted that while it is important to pursue the state’s demographic policy and encourage family formation, new dating services would not actually raise birth rates. +-----+ #] Belarus announces snap nuclear drill 07May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/597165-belarus-nuclear-platforms-drill/ Moscow ally announces snap nuclear drill Belarus is following Russia in testing its weapons platforms that can carry atomic payloads Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said a battery of Iskander missile launchers and a squadron of Sukhoi Su-25 close air support jets will be involved in the snap exercise. Washington has had a similar arrangement with several NATO members for decades. Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Türkiye are estimated to host several dozen B-61 nuclear gravity bombs on their soil. Moscow has long objected to that practice, as well as the training of other NATO members in how those weapons can be used. Those actions violate the spirit of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Russia believes. The country’s leadership cited Western policies as justifying the agreement it sealed with Belarus. +--+ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B61_nuclear_bomb The B61 nuclear bomb is the primary thermonuclear gravity bomb in the United States Enduring Stockpile following the end of the Cold War. It is a low-to-intermediate yield strategic and tactical nuclear weapon featuring a two-stage radiation implosion design.[5] +-----+ #] Russia now controls: Soloviove, E Donetsk; Kotliarivkam, Kharkiv region 07May2024 AJ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/7/russia-ukraine-war-list-of-key-events-day-803 Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 803 As the war enters its 803rd day, these are the main developments Russia claimed to have taken control of two more Ukrainian settlements – Soloviove in the eastern Donetsk region and Kotliarivka further north in the Kharkiv region. Ukraine’s military made no mention of either area in its evening report. +-----+ #] Xi refuses to back Zelensky’s unilateral ‘peace conference’ 06May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/news/597093-china-ukraine-peace-conference/ Xi refuses to back Zelensky’s unilateral ‘peace conference’ Any talks should be recognized by both Russia and Ukraine, the Chinese leader has insisted Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that he would support an international Ukraine peace conference only if it’s recognized both by Moscow and Kiev with equal participation of all parties. The upcoming Swiss-proposed talks are scheduled to take place on June 15-16 at the Burgenstock resort near Lucerne. More than 160 delegations from around the world have been invited to take part, including members of the G7, G20, BRICS, EU, and others. Russian diplomats are not among them. Xi, who met with with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday, warned against smearing China over the Ukraine conflict, insisting that Beijing was playing a “positive role” in trying to find a peaceful solution. Xi told reporters during a joint news conference: “We [China] are opposed to using this crisis to place the responsibilities on a third country and tarnish its image and incite a new Cold War.” +-----+ #] Russia issues military ultimatum to UK 06May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/597075-russia-military-ultimatum-uk/ Russia issues military ultimatum to UK Moscow has threatened retaliation for any attacks with British weapons Moscow will retaliate against British targets in Ukraine or elsewhere if Kiev uses UK-provided missiles to strike Russian territory, the Foreign Ministry told London’s ambassador on Monday. The US and its allies had previously qualified their deliveries of long-range weapons to Kiev by saying they could only be used on territories that Ukraine claims as its own – Crimea, the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, and Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions. +-----+ #] What’s behind Russia’s tactical nuclear drills 06May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/597085-tatical-nuclear-drills-explained/ Message to the West: What’s behind Russia’s tactical nuclear drills Moscow’s response comes after escalatory statements by US allies about the Ukraine conflict The US-led bloc’s policy of inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Russia is leading it towards “a further escalation of the Ukraine crisis towards an open military clash” between NATO and Moscow, the ministry added. As examples, the ministry cited Polish statements about the possible stationing of US nuclear weapons in Poland, but also recent French nuclear posturing and remarks by President Emmanuel Macron about the possibility of sending French and other NATO soldiers to Ukraine. +-----+ #] Russia announces nuclear weapon drills 06May2024 AJ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/6/russia-announces-nuclear-weapon-drills-after-provocative-western-threats Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after ‘provocative’ Western threats Military exercises involving tactical nuclear weapons to be held after top European leaders indicated deepening backing for Ukraine. The move marks an escalation of tensions that have risen since French President Emmanuel Macron said last week that his country would consider sending ground troops to Ukraine if Kyiv requests backup. A day later, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Ukraine could use British weapons against targets inside Russia if it wanted. Russian officials condemned both statements and warned Moscow would retaliate to what they called a “dangerous escalation trend”. Moscow has long warned that conflict with NATO would become inevitable if European members of the military alliance sent in their soldiers to fight in Ukraine. 08********08 #] 05May2024 week ending +-----+ #] Russia shoots down four US-made long-range missiles 04May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/596989-crimea-missiles-attack-attemption/ Russia shoots down four US-made long-range missiles – MOD Kiev’s forces have attempted to attack Crimea with ATACMS supplied by Washington, the Russian military has said On Saturday night, Kiev’s forces attempted “to carry out a terrorist attack” against the Russian peninsula using surface-to-surface Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) supplied by Washington, the ministry said in a post on Telegram. The strike was intercepted, it added. On Tuesday, the Defense Ministry claimed that six ATACMS projectiles had been downed in a single day, without specifying the location of the strikes. In total, 15 such missiles have been intercepted in the past seven days, Moscow reported on Saturday. In late April, US officials confirmed earlier media reports that the Pentagon had secretly shipped an unspecified number of long-range missiles to Ukraine as part of an arms package announced by President Joe Biden in mid-March. Moscow warns West of ‘retaliatory blow’ Read more Moscow warns West of ‘retaliatory blow’ The “goal” of supplying Kiev with ATACMS was to put more pressure on Crimea and allow Ukrainian forces to target the peninsula “more effectively,” the New York Times reported at a time, citing an unnamed Pentagon official. +-----+ #] WATCH video: Russian forces destroy US-made M1 Abrams, Bradley 04May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/596993-keep-striking-military-hardware/ WATCH Russian forces destroy US-made armor “We will keep striking” at Western military hardware supplied to Ukraine, Russia’s defense ministry has said, posting the footage Russia’s Defense Ministry has published a video clip from the front line with Ukraine showing the destruction of an Abrams M1 tank and a Bradley fighting vehicle, armaments supplied to Kiev by Washington. The American-made hardware was struck by Russian FPV-drones and artillery, the ministry said on Saturday. The Abrams tank was rendered inoperable by a Krasnopol guided artillery shell, it added. The ministry has provided no details on where or when the video was recorded. However, several Telegram channels had earlier claimed that the US hardware had been blown up near Avdeevka, in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic. Moscow’s forces captured the strategic town back in February after a lengthy battle. According to reports, the Bradley was hit during a failed attempt to assist the burning Abrams. +-----+ #] Israeli government shuts down Al Jazeera 05May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/news/597020-al-jazeer a-israel-netanyahu/ Israeli government shuts down Al Jazeera The Qatar-based news channel has called the decision “dangerous” and politically motivated The cabinet of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has unanimously voted to halt the operations in Israel of Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera, the government has said in a statement. Israel has long accused Al Jazeera, which remains one of the few international news channels to have correspondents on the ground in Gaza, of showing bias against it and of cooperating with Hamas militants. The broadcaster has been denying the accusations. Netanyahu took to X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday to announce the development, writing that “the government headed by me unanimously decided: the incitement channel Al Jazeera will be closed in Israel.” The death toll from Israel’s ongoing airstrikes and ground offensive in Gaza has already reached 34,654 people, while 77,908 others have been wounded, according to the Palestinian enclave’s health ministry. The campaign was launched in response to the October 7 Hamas cross-border attack on Israel, in which at least 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage. +-----+ #] political dynasties threaten India’s democracy 04May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/india/596974-political-dynasties-india-election/ The bloodline: How political dynasties are threatening the world’s largest democracy In India, the succession of elected officials allows families to run local economies, bringing wealth to the elite and power to the wealthy Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls parivaarvad, or dynastic politics, “the biggest enemy of democracy”. And yet India, which is pursuing its Lok Sabha (parliamentary lower house) election, is rife with examples of political inheritances. While “parivaarvad” is a useful dig during election rallies, politicians from across the spectrum tap sons, daughters, wives, brothers, sisters, parents and even sons-in-law and daughters-in-law as candidates with a view to retain or expand their political clout and wealth. >> interesting article! maybe read later? +-----+ #] Ukraine top spy Vadim Skibitsky: on brink 03May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/596934-skibitsky-battlefield-peace-talks/ Ukraine on brink – top spy Kiev lacks arms and motivated soldiers, but peace talks are unlikely before 2025, its deputy intelligence chief has told The Economist A lack of willing draftees is also undermining Kiev’s war effort, including those recruited under draconian new rules, the report stated. Skibitsky reiterated Kiev’s claims that Moscow intends to capture the Donbass city of Chasov Yar by May 9, when Russia celebrates victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. +-----+ #] Russian troops capture Ocheretino Donbass stronghold 05May2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/597015-ocheretino-donbass-military-capture/ Russian troops capture another key Donbass stronghold – MOD (VIDEO) The village of Ocheretino has been described as a major logistics hub for Ukrainian troops in the area Russian troops continue to make gains in Donbass, and have captured the strategically important village of Ocheretino to the north of Donetsk, the Defense Ministry has said. In a statement on Sunday, the ministry said the Russian “Center” group of forces had “completely liberated” the settlement “as a result of active [battle] actions.” Ocheretino is located some 25km northwest of the town of Avdeevka, which was taken by Moscow’s troops in February. Earlier reports suggested that Russian forces captured the southern part Ocheretino as they advanced along a local rail line. Due to its infrastructure and geographical position, it played a major role in Ukraine’s defense in the area, as it helped to provide supplies to Kiev troops. Western media have suggested that after capturing Ocheretino, Russia could try to envelop Ukrainian troops in the neighboring sectors of the front. According to Deep State, a Ukrainian analytical Telegram channel, the collapse of the defense in the area was triggered by a rotation blunder. The outlet claimed that the Ukrainian 115th Mechanized Brigade failed to relieve the 47th Brigade in time, leaving a portion of the front wide open to Russian attacks. The leadership of the 115th Mechanized Brigade has denied the accusation. +-----+ #] Germany accuses Russia of ‘intolerable’ cyberattack, warns of consequences 03May2024 AJ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/3/germany-accuses-russia-of-intolerable-cyberattack-warns-of-consequences Germany accuses Russia of ‘intolerable’ cyberattack, warns of consequences Foreign Minister Baerbock says group of hackers called APT28 is steered by Russia’s military intelligence service. “Today we can say unambiguously [that] we can attribute this cyberattack to a group called APT28, which is steered by the military intelligence service of Russia,” she said at a news conference in the Australian city of Adelaide. “In other words, it was a state-sponsored Russian cyberattack on Germany, and this is absolutely intolerable and unacceptable and will have consequences.” APT28, also known as Fancy Bear, has been accused of dozens of cyberattacks around the world. The attack on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s SPD was made public last year and blamed on a previously unknown vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook. Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior said German companies, including in the defence, aerospace and information technology sectors, as well as targets related to Russia’s war in Ukraine were also a focus of the attacks. The hacking campaign began at least as early as March 2022, a month after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, with emails at the SPD’s headquarters accessed from December that year, the ministry said in a statement. +-----+ #] Over 18,000 Russian troops have deserted 29Apr2024 KI Martin Fornusek https://kyivindependent.com/military-intelligence-over-18-000-russian-troops-of-southern-military-district-have-deserted/ Military intelligence: Over 18,000 Russian troops of Southern Military District have deserted by Martin Fornusek April 29, 2024 1:39 PM Military intelligence said that in total, over 18,000 soldiers of the Southern Military District have abandoned their posts, with around 12,000 of them belonging to the 8th Combined Arms Army – a unit often deployed in hostilities in eastern Ukraine. Of this number, around 10,000 are mobilized conscripts and 2,000 contract soldiers, the military intelligence agency said. In the Russian 58th Combined Arms Army, the desertion rate is at around 2,500 troops, according to the agency's statement. +-----+ #] Skynex: The German drone destroyer reinforcing Ukraine's air defense 30Apr2024 KI York https://kyivindependent.com/skynex-german-drone-destroyer-reinforcing-ukraines-air-defense/ Skynex: The German drone destroyer reinforcing Ukraine's air defense by Chris York April 30, 2024 10:45 PM "One of the key features of the war is the use of relatively low-cost delivery systems such as drones," Martin J. Dougherty, weapons expert and author of "Aircraft, Tanks and Artillery of the Ukraine War," told The Kyiv Independent. "Defense against such weapons requires a low cost per engagement and the ability to eliminate multiple threats in a short time. "The difficulty of detecting, tracking, and hitting such small targets is also considerable." Ukraine has relied on systems like the German-made Gepard and the more basic and not always effective tactic of shooting them down with large 50-caliber machine guns mounted on trucks. But it's the ammunition that is key – Skynex fires 35mm Oerlikon Ahead rounds. Instead of directly striking the target, they explode just before they reach it, releasing a cluster of tungsten sub-projectiles which increases the chances of successfully destroying the drone. How Rheinmetall’s Oerlikon Ahead Air Burst Technology takes down a target. (Rheinmetall) Crucially, it's also relatively cheap – taking out a target costs just over $4,000, significantly less than even the lowest price estimate of a Shahed. According to the manufacturer, it can also in theory take down cruise missiles, though it's not currently known if it has done so. "Skynex was developed to counter small, low-cost threats such as mortar rounds. This capability has transferred well to the emerging drone threat, and may be essential to a layered air defense system," Dougherty said. +-----+ #] Belarusian hackers claim to have infiltrated KGB computer network 03May2024 KI Yeryoma https://kyivindependent.com/belarus-weekly-belarusian-hackers-claim-to-have-infiltrated-kgb-computer-network/ Belarus Weekly: Belarusian hackers claim to have infiltrated KGB computer network by Maria Yeryoma May 3, 2024 3:38 PM Belarusian Cyber Partisans, a hacker group that emerged in the wake of 2020 anti-government protests in Belarus, announced on April 26 that it had broken into the Belarusian KGB's computer network. According to the group, hackers infiltrated the system in the autumn of 2023 and retrieved all the available information. To substantiate the claim, Cyber Partisans published the Secret Service's website database, a list of administrators, and server logs. Belarusian officials have not commented on the claim, but the website pages have been inaccessible for the past two months, with its pages only displaying an "under development" notice. The hacker group's spokesperson, Yuliana Shemetovets, says the attack was a response to allegations by the agency's head, Ivan Tertel, that the Belarusian opposition was plotting an attack against the country's critical infrastructure, namely, the country's nuclear plant at Astravets. "The KGB is carrying out the largest political repressions in the history of the country and must answer for it," Shemetovets said in comments to the Associated Press. The group published the contents of 40,000 denunciation reports gathered via the website between 2014 and 2023, including ones made against current and former political prisoners. +-----+ #] Kyiv may use British weapons to strike targets inside Russia, Cameron says 03May2024 KI https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-war-latest-ukraine-may-use-british-weapons-to-strike-targets-inside-russia-cameron-says/ Ukraine war latest: Kyiv may use British weapons to strike targets inside Russia, Cameron says by The Kyiv Independent news desk May 3, 2024 10:53 PM Key updates on May 3: Ukraine may use British weapons to strike targets inside Russia, Cameron says Military intelligence general: Chasiv Yar's fall probably a matter of time Military intelligence carries out cyberattack in Russia's Tatarstan Commander: Russia aims to completely occupy 3 oblasts in 2024 Media: Italy to give Ukraine SAMP/T air defense system in new aid package. +-----+ #] Battle of Chasiv Yar begins: On the ground with Ukrainian forces 03May2024 KI Farrell https://kyivindependent.com/battle-of-chasiv-yar-begins-under-a-drone-infested-sky/ Battle of Chasiv Yar begins: On the ground with Ukrainian forces defending city key to Russia’s plans by Francis Farrell May 3, 2024 12:52 AM >> great article showing drone-warfare >> they need robot-soldiers!! >> video: https://youtu.be/LYShkaNugKk These positions are manned by a reconnaissance team of Ukraine’s 56th Motorized Infantry Brigade, which has fought on the northern flank of the Bakhmut sector for over a year now. Once performing the tasks of a traditional on-the-ground reconnaissance squad, their work is all done with drones now. One team uses a Chinese commercial drone to maintain a constant vision of the zero line in the destroyed village of Bohdanivka, while another carries out bombing missions on Russian forces with an FPV (first-person-view) drone. Usually associated with one-way “kamikaze” missions against enemy equipment and personnel, FPV drones can be also used to drop grenades and other custom-made munitions, allowing one drone to be used many more times. Throughout the day, 28-year-old bomber pilot Andrii “Inspector” flies out from the dugout to peer over at the village’s debris-strewn streets in search of a target. For now, the Russian troops are sticking to their basements, so the pilot has been tasked with demolishing them, one grenade at a time. !!!!! “They follow a simple rule: if you managed to make it to the positions, dug in, and survived, good job,” he said. “The rest, the dead and the wounded, might be picked up at some point later but there is no guarantee.” !!!! “Just a few days ago in Bohdanivka they had a few wounded left behind during an assault. Nobody came to help them, and eventually they were all finished off.” Often given the crude label of “human wave” or “meat attack,” Russian assault tactics, using expendable infantry groups to swarm enemy positions and quickly entrench themselves, have nonetheless proved effective in exhausting Ukrainian defenders, as was the case in Bakhmut earlier in 2023. “This use of units that go up and dig as close to the Ukrainian units as possible and then have assault units use them; Wagner was doing that last year,” said Rob Lee, Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Eurasia program, to the Kyiv Independent. “Ninety percent of the wounded that come through here are targeted either by FPV or by drone-dropped munitions.” +-----+ #] Trump is Putin's only hope now 29Apr2024 KI Carl Bildt https://kyivindependent.com/opinion-trump-is-putins-only-hope-now/ Opinion: Trump is Putin's only hope now April 29, 2024 Carl Bildt, Former prime minister of Sweden +-----+ #] Rosatom is falling through the sanctions cracks 29Apr2024 KI Olena Lapenko https://kyivindependent.com/opinion-russias-nuclear-giant-is-falling-through-the-sanctions-cracks/ Opinion: Russia's nuclear giant is falling through the sanctions cracks April 29, 2024 7:25 PM Olena Lapenko, General Manager for Security and Resilience at the DiXi Group Rosatom controls over 40% and 17% of the global markets for uranium enrichment and reactor fuel, respectively. Close to 90 nuclear power units around the world are Russian-designed. Rosatom’s foreign order book is standing at $200 billion, with 23 nuclear power units in the world across several countries, including India, Turkey, and Egypt. Rosatom also ranks second in terms of global uranium reserves, especially after it acquired a 49% share of a major Kazakh mining operation in 2023. Major Russian propaganda and subversion efforts in the Global South – like in Niger, whose mines account for 25% of uranium imports to the European Union – threaten to derail global energy security and increase reliance on Russia. Cooperation between the Russian military and the country’s nuclear industry has actively expanded in recent years: Rosatom is developing standardized ammunition for the T-14 Armata tank; the Troitskii Institute of Innovative and Thermonuclear Research helped develop technology to increase the service life of artillery barrels; Rosatom’s Institute of Scientific Instruments showcased a system for detecting drones at the Russian Defense Ministry’s ARMY forum in 2023; the Novator Design Bureau and the All-Russian Research Institute of Experimental Physics jointly developed the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile. /home/bill/web/ProjMajor/History/Ukraine-Russia/images/ 240529 Rosatom production of nuclear ammunition: KI Olena Lapenko 08********08 #] 27Apr2024 week ending +-----+ #] US oil platform [supply depot, missile launcher]s for Pacific war 25Apr2024 RT https://www.rt.com/news/596583-navy-oil-platform-conversion/ US considers ‘mobile bases’ for Pacific war Civilian oil platforms could be modified into supply depots and missile launchers The US Navy currently lacks the capability to reload its missile launchers at sea. The supply MODEP would solve this by having two cranes capable of lifting 100 tons each. The missile base version could hold up to 512 Vertical Launch System (VLS) missile cells, or up to 100 new Large Missile Launchers (LML). The concept also “reduces risks and costs associated with land-based defense systems,” Leidos and Gibbs & Cox also said. Japan has considered using converted oil rigs as an alternative to its canceled Aegis Ashore missile defense program. The concept calls for the MODEP to have a range of 4,000 nautical miles without refueling, generate between 6-20 megawatts of power, hold up to 2.3 million gallons (8.7 million liters) of fuel and host a maintenance and repair shop for warships. +-----+ #] [Russia, US] propaganda against each other in cinema 28Apr2024 RT https://www.rt.com/pop-culture/596657-spy-games-in-cinema/ War and Peace on the Silver Screen: How Russia and the US conducted propaganda against each other in cinema The new Cold War revives the big-screen showdown between the Russians and Americans >> Howell : fun article Back in the pre-war years, Soviet cinema produced spy films in which certain sabotage or espionage groups tried to disrupt the USSR’s plans to build communism. But since the young state was opposed to capitalism in general, the nationality of the spies was not important. Anyone could act as villains. For example, in the 1924 film ‘Four and Five’, a Soviet pilot battles against five spies who want to steal a militarily significant invention. The film does not go into specifics or say where the spies came from, but it was clear to any viewer that these were agents of Western capitalism. The first film that directly addressed the Cold War was ‘The Iron Curtain’, which appeared in 1948. It is based on the memoirs of Soviet GRU agent Igor Guzenko, who worked as a cryptographer at the USSR Embassy in Ottawa, Canada. Three days after the end of World War II, on September 5, 1945, Guzenko stole documents containing information from Soviet agents and handed them over to the Canadian side in exchange for asylum. Despite the criticism in the press, ‘The Iron Curtain’ raked in money at the box office and turned out to be the film that broke the dam. Hollywood stopped being shy and began to produce movies about the Cold War and Soviet spies with enviable regularity. A year later, ‘The Red Danube’ was released to the big screen – a story of Soviet citizens who found themselves in the occupation zone of Western countries and were returned to their homeland after the war. Naturally, the picture showed a lot of people who did not want to return to the USSR. Some even hid from the special services and feared the NKVD and repression. +-----+ #] Burkina Faso banned BBC and VOA for two weeks 26Apr2024 RT https://www.rt.com/africa/596645-burkina-faso-killings-coverage/ African state suspends BBC and VOA Burkina Faso banned the outlets for two weeks after coverage of report accusing the army of mass killings >> Howell: AngloPhone philosophical-political stupidity makes things worse in the real world, much worse in our world [USA, democracy] is no longer attractive +-----+ #] MI5 to vet British academics for Chinese spy links 26Apr2024 RT https://www.rt.com/news/596639-uk-universities-china-espionage/ MI5 to vet British academics for Chinese spy links – media London’s espionage chief claims foreign states have been targeting UK universities >> Howell search "The Times, MI5 to vet British academics for Chinese spy links" https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/academics-at-uk-universities-face-vetting-to-counter-chinese-spies-3rqlznqg7 paywall, but the title DOES show up in search several times https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/mi5-plans-to-vet-academics-in-universities-to-root-out-foreign-spies/ar-AA1nG0Tm concerns seem to be that : Chinese will pervert academics in a way that is different from our [media, govt] Chances are that BETTER academics will arise than the shit we have now? good UK academics are sick of our shitHouse thinking, and recognize [Russia, China, India] gains and trends +-----+ #] Here’s why Iran decided not to attack Israel again 24Apr2024 RT Gurevich https://www.rt.com/news/596504-good-news-middle-east/ The threat of a major war in the Middle East has passed because Tehran has decided to bide its time By Kommersant FM political observer Mikhail Gurevich The reason for this peacefulness is probably that they envisaged a working alliance between Israel, Jordan and the Sunni monarchies of the Persian Gulf. This is precisely the nightmare that the Iranians have done their utmost to prevent. They even restored diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia in 2023. But apparently confrontation with the Shiites is more important to moderate Sunnis than dislike of the Jews. According to military analysts, if the Israeli Air Force did attack Iranian air defences, it means that they probably flew over Jordan or the Arabian Peninsula, and it is unlikely that this was done without the consent of the Hashemite Kingdom or the Saudis. As a result, the military alliance is not only defensive, which means that virtually all of Iran’s proxies in the region, including Hezbollah, the Houthis and the Shia militias in Iraq and Syria, are at risk. +-----+ #] Zelensky downplayed true scale of Kiev’s losses 28Apr2024 RT Washington Post https://www.rt.com/russia/596717-zelensky-downplayed-ukraine-losses/ The Ukrainian president does not want to disrupt an already-struggling mobilization drive, a local MP told the paper >> Howell: I could not search Washington Post site to confirm this article did find 28Apr2024 : https://www.azerbaycan24.com/en/zelensky-downplayed-true-scale-of-kiev-s-losses-wapo/ Zelensky downplayed true scale of Kiev’s losses – WaPo 28Apr2024 World Today : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8D04WyyRWg only 12 subscribers >> Howell conclusion: article probably not based on Washington Post Besides, WaPo is a long-time shit-bag of lies. Why would you build your lies on a known liar? 08********08 #] 27Apr2024 week ending +-----+ #] Russian forces strike train carrying Western weapons 26Apr2024 RT Russia MinOfDef https://www.rt.com/russia/596624-train-military-weapons-ukraine/ The attack took place in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic, according to the Defense Ministry Russian forces have struck a freight train carrying military equipment supplied to Ukrainian forces by Kiev's Western backers, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said. The combined attack involved aircraft, missiles and artillery, the ministry said in a statement on Friday. “A train with Western weapons and military equipment was hit in the area of the settlement of Udachnoye in [Russia’s] Donetsk People’s Republic,” it added.. Over the past 24 hours, Russian forces have also destroyed five US-made M777 howitzers, two American M102 105mm lightweight towed howitzers, a US-designed AN/TPQ-50 counter-fire radar, a British FH-70 howitzer, and other hardware, according to the statement. +-----+ #] Don’t ‘lecture’ Indians on how to run their country 25Apr2024 RT JPMorgan Chase CEO https://www.rt.com/india/596577-jpmorgan-%D1%81eo-hailed-india-leadership/ Billionaire Jamie Dimon has praised the policies of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done an “unbelievable job” running the country, Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase asserted. The billionaire, who was speaking at an event in New York, underlined that Modi's policies have lifted 400 million people out of poverty. Between 2005 and 2021 around 415 million Indians stopped being poor, according to the 2023 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). Modi’s government have been in power since 2014. “I know the liberal press here beat the hell out of him [Modi],” Dimon observed. He noted that while India wants to trade with the US, the latter can’t stop lecturing them, “fantasising about climate, labour, and how we think they should be running their country.” “He [Modi] has 400 million people without toilets… and we’re lecturing him how to do things?” he asked incredulously. +-----+ #] WhatsApp threatens to exit India 27Apr2024 RT https://www.rt.com/india/596678-whatsapp-threatens-to-exit-india The messaging service owned by Meta has claimed that complying with local law would undermine its encryption and violate user privacy +-----+ #] Blinken in Beijing: US tried to turn China against Russia 26Apr2024 RT Yusin https://www.rt.com/news/596632-blinken-in-beijing-russia/ Blinken in Beijing: The US tried to turn China against Russia – but did it work? Washington wants Beijing to disown Moscow so that it is isolated in a potential confrontation By Kommersant columnist Maxim Yusin Even with all this in mind, it was hard to imagine that Blinken would communicate in the language of threats and ultimatums. The first experience of this type of rhetoric between the administration of US President Joe Biden and the Chinese showed that hard and fast pressure does not work with the current leadership in Beijing. Blinken subsequently adopted a much more subtle game. He likely tried to drive a wedge between Moscow and Beijing by exploiting the fact that China’s peace initiatives to resolve the Ukraine conflict do not match the maximalist demands of Russian officials (at least in public). Here’s why Iran decided not to attack Israel again That may not have worked, considering that the Chinese openly stated on Friday that NATO was responsible for the Ukraine crisis. American strategists make no secret of the fact that the main, most dangerous and most principled geopolitical opponent of the United States is not Russia, but China. If that’s the case, what’s the point of Beijing meeting Washington’s demands and joining its pressure on Moscow? Only so that later, when the US achieves its goals in Russia, Beijing will have to confront it alone? This is hardly in the plans of Comrade Xi and his team. +-----+ #] Chasiv Yar. Why is it so important? 26Apr2024 KI Khalilova https://kyivindependent.com/russia-wants-to-capture-chasiv-yar-why-is-this-town-so-important/ Russia throws thousands of troops to capture Chasiv Yar. Why is it so important? by Dinara Khalilova Chasiv Yar stands on hills that serve as natural defensive structures. The town boasts the highest point in the area and is divided in the east by the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas canal, creating a barrier between the Kanal micro-district and the rest of the town. "Similar areas are rare in this direction. Keeping the Russians at Chasiv Yar helps Ukraine to limit the damages to various other cities," Emil Kastehelmi, an OSINT analyst with the Finland-based Black Bird Group and military history expert, told the Kyiv Independent. +-----+ #] The US weapons making their way to Ukraine right now 27Apr2024 KI Chris York https://kyivindependent.com/the-us-weapons-making-their-way-to-ukraine-right-now/ After months of delays and frustration, U.S. military aid is once again heading to Ukraine in significant quantities. Among the first to arrive will be a $1 billion package of weapons and equipment from U.S. stockpiles, the Pentagon announced on April 24. "This package will surge munitions, weapons, and equipment forward to support Ukraine's ability to defend its frontlines, protect its cities, and counter Russia's continued attacks," the Pentagon said in a statement. On April 26 the White House also announced a $6 billion package of military aid but crucially, the equipment pledged in this tranche won't be coming from existing U.S. stocks. Instead, these weapons and supplies will be procured from the defense industry meaning they will take much longer to arrive – months or possibly even years. "This announcement represents the beginning of a contracting process to acquire additional priority capabilities for Ukraine," the Pentagon said of the $6 billion package. There are two exceptions – according to the BBC, some of the Patriot missiles and 155mm artillery ammunition included in the larger package will be "rushed" to Ukraine. +-----+ #] Ukraine destroys Russian Ka-32 helicopter at Moscow airfield 26Apr2024 KI Khalilova, Denisova https://kyivindependent.com/source-ukraine-destroys-russian-ka-32-helicopter-at-moscow-airfield/ by Dinara Khalilova and Kateryna Denisova The Ostafyevo airfield, located in Moscow's southern suburbs, is owned by Russia's Defense Ministry and operated jointly with Gazpromavia, which is part of the country's state-run energy giant Gazprom, according to HUR. HUR said that the helicopter was burnt down and shared video showing a fire that purportedly engulfed the aircraft. The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify these claims. Ukraine has intensified strikes against military and industrial targets in Russia in recent weeks. A joint operation of military intelligence and the Armed Forces reportedly hit the Yeysk, Engels-2, and Kursk airfields on April 5. Russia allegedly lost seven military aircraft during the drone attack on the Yeysk airbase in Krasnodar Krai in Russia, a source at Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and Ukraine's military allegedly carried out an attack against the Russian Morozovsk airbase overnight on April 5, sources familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent. Su-34 fighter-bombers and Su-27 fighters were reportedly based at the airfield. At least six military aircraft were destroyed, and another eight were damaged, according to the source. Furthermore, about 20 Russian soldiers were reportedly killed or wounded. +-----+ #] Russia attacks Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight, casualties 27Apr2024 KI Khalilova https://kyivindependent.com/russia-attacks-ukraines-energy-infrastructure-overnight-casualties-reported/ by Dinara Khalilova and The Kyiv Ind Russian forces hit energy facilities in Dnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lviv oblasts in a mass missile attack against Ukraine overnight on April 27, causing damage and casualties, Ukrainian authorities reported. Russia launched 34 missiles at Ukraine, 21 of which were destroyed by the country’s military, according to the Air Force. Russian cruise and hypersonic missiles hit two energy facilities near Stryi and Chervonohrad in Lviv Oblast, causing fires and destruction, Governor Maksym Kozytskyi wrote. +-----+ #] Ukrainian consular offices will not provide services to fighting-age men 23Apr2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/596460-kuleba-consular-services-draft/ No hiding from draft abroad – Kiev Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has explained that Ukrainian consuls will not serve fighting-aged men residing abroad +-----+ #] Russia has seized initiative in Ukraine conflict 23Apr2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/596457-ukraine-russia- front-line/ Russia has seized initiative in Ukraine conflict – defense minister Moscow’s forces have liberated several more settlements in Donbass, Sergey Shoigu has said Russian troops are firmly in control of the battlefield situation and are steadily pushing back Ukrainian forces, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has said. Speaking at the meeting with top Russian commanders on Monday, the minister announced that Moscow had liberated the villages of Pervomayskoe and Novomikhailovka, west and southwest of the Russian city of Donetsk, as well as the settlement of Bogdanovka not far from Artyomovsk, known in Ukraine as Bakhmut. The latter strategic city was captured by Russia last year after months of bitter fighting. He added that the control zone was also being expanded in Berdychi and Georgievka, north and west of Donetsk. ”Our high combat potential allows us to constantly strike the enemy and prevent him from holding the defense line,” Shoigu noted, estimating Kiev’s losses at half-a-million troops since the start of the conflict. He also recalled that last year’s much-touted Ukrainian counteroffensive, prepared with the help of NATO instructors, had been a failure. “Our servicemen have dispelled the myth of the superiority of Western weapons,” he said. The Russian minister also hailed the national defense industry, saying it had ramped up output repeatedly. This “has significantly increased the combat capabilities of our armed forces. This is evidenced by the situation in the special military operation zone,” Shoigu said. The head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, Kirill Budanov, has predicted that Kiev will face “a rather difficult situation” in mid-May and early June. +-----+ #] Norilsk Nickel to transfer some copper smelting to China 22Apr2024 RT Russian miner Norilsk Nickel will create a joint venture to construct a new copper producing plant, its CEO has said Russian mining giant Norilsk Nickel will move some copper smelting production to China in the wake of Western sanctions pressure, the company’s chief executive Vladimir Potanin said in an interview with Interfax on Monday. The US and UK have targeted Russian-origin aluminum, copper, and nickel in an attempt to reduce Moscow’s export revenues. “This [sanctions] pressure forced us to think about how to get our goods to the distribution market in the right way,” Potanin told the news outlet, adding that “one of these non-standard solutions is to transfer part of production to markets of direct consumption.” The businessman highlighted that Norilsk Nickel would create a joint venture in China to build a new plant, which is expected to be constructed by mid-2027, and would supply it with about 2 million metric tons of copper concentrate a year. According to Potanin, the final product will be sold as Chinese goods, which are “much more difficult to sanction in China than Russian goods coming to China.” +-----+ #] Why is the West desperate to have India at a Ukraine summit? 23Apr2024 RT Kanwal Sibal https://www.rt.com/india/596409-switzerland-ukraine-ukraine-peace-india/ Why is the West desperate to have India at a Ukraine summit that Russia has rejected? The organizers of the Swiss-based event want New Delhi to be represented at the highest level to corner Moscow By Kanwal Sibal, retired Indian foreign secretary and former Ambassador to Russia between 2004 and 2007. He also held ambassadorial positions in Turkey, Egypt, France and was Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington DC. >> no brilliant, but still solid, balanced The EU wants to prepare for the eventuality (especially if Donald Trump is reelected) of the US watering down support for Ukraine, and is willing to accept more responsibility for arming and funding Kiev. To this end, Western European countries have increased their defense budgets and intend to build stronger military capabilities of their own. This is despite the fact that EU economies are not doing well and social unrest is growing. Farmers, particularly in Poland, are protesting against the flow of Ukrainian grain and other agriculture products into the EU as their interests are being hurt. This is ironic as the export of Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports disrupted by the conflict required the opening of an alternative route through Europe to sustain Ukrainian agriculture. Any proposals by the West should be preceded by genuine moves by it towards peace. On the contrary, the moves are for more arms for Ukraine, unremitting propaganda that Putin will attack the EU if he is allowed to win in Ukraine, more sanctions on Moscow, appeals to China to not support Russia while the US and EU themselves do not withhold support for Ukraine, and so on. At best, he could attend the G7 summit for a day and hurry back home. In any case, due to the manner in which the so-called peace summit is being organized, and considering reports of an increasing number of Western military personnel being sent to Ukraine in ‘non-combat’ positions, along with more arms supplies, India may not deem it appropriate for Modi to be present, and could instead decide – rightly so – on representation at a lower political level. +-----+ #] Over 20,000 Russian troops trying to storm Chasiv Yar; Budanov says 22Apr2024 Elsa Court https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-war-latest-over-20-000-russian-troops-trying-to-storm-chasiv-yar-budanov-says-ukraine-to-face-difficult-situation-from-mid-may/ Ukraine war latest: Over 20,000 Russian troops trying to storm Chasiv Yar; Budanov says Ukraine to face 'difficult situation' from mid-May by The Kyiv Independent news desk and Elsa Court +-----+ #] Thousands of European flights, suspected Russian jamming 23Apr2024 Chris York, KyivInd https://kyivindependent.com/thousands-of-european-flights-affected-by-suspected-russian-jamming/ Thousands of European flights reportedly affected by suspected Russian jamming by Chris York and The Kyiv Independent According to a report by The Sun based on data from the website GPSJAM.org, some 46,000 aircraft have reported problems over the Baltic Sea since last August, with most of them occurring in Eastern Europe near borders with Russia. Russia has been accused of jamming GPS signals in nearby countries such as Finland as far back as the 2010s, and several recent high-profile incidents of jamming have highlighted the issue. Most notably, Russia is believed to have jammed the satellite signal of a Royal Air Force aircraft used to transport U.K. Defence Minister Grant Shapps. The aircraft, which was traveling back to Britain from Poland on March 13, was jammed for about 30 minutes as it flew by Russia's Kaliningrad region. GPS signal and internet on board the aircraft were inaccessible for the duration of the aircraft's flight near Kaliningrad where the jamming signals are thought to originate. A spokesperson for U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed the incident at the time, noting it was "not unusual." +-----+ #] Russia’s energy infrastructure attacks depopulate Ukraine 22Apr2024 Aivazovska, Savchuk https://kyivindependent.com/opinion-russias-energy-infrastructure-attacks-are-depopulating-ukraine/ Opinion: Russia’s energy infrastructure attacks are depopulating Ukraine April 22, 2024 By Olga Aivazovska, Andriy Savchuk The number of people fleeing Ukraine, as well as displacing themselves internally, grew exponentially after the Russian military started to target the country’s energy infrastructure in October 2022. For example, the number of people leaving Ukraine increased by over 60% on Nov. 15 and Nov. 23 in 2022 after Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure led to large-scale blackouts. Over 2.7 times more people left Ukraine on Nov. 16 after the energy attacks the day before as compared to Nov. 14. Similarly, 3.5 times more people left Ukraine on Nov. 24 after the attacks the day before as compared to Nov. 22. Observations are similar regarding the energy infrastructure attacks on Zhytomyr Oblast, Lutsk, and Kovel in October 2022 and Lviv in December 2022. Crucially, the vast majority of those leaving in the aftermath of these attacks are part of Ukraine’s working age population. +-----+ #] WATCH Russian kamikaze drone hit US-made Abrams tank 30Mar2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/595171-abrams-kamikaze-drone-strike/ A new video has surfaced online showing a Lancet-family loitering munition striking a Ukrainian M1 Abrams A Russian Lancet-family kamikaze drone has scored a hit on a US-supplied Ukrainian M1 Abrams tank, footage that emerged online on Saturday shows. The new video, which was said to have been taken near the village of Solovyovo in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic, shows the loitering munition hitting a stationary M1 Abrams tank. The drone hits the tank on the roof of its turret, apparently setting off its smoke grenade launchers, which begin to detonate uncontrollably and obscure the view. The extent of the damage to the tank was not immediately clear. Washington pledged 31 M1 Abrams tanks and several M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicles – which are based on the same chassis – early last year ahead of the long heralded but ultimately disastrous Ukrainian counteroffensive. The batch arrived in full only by mid-October, by which time the counteroffensive was largely exhausted. +-----+ #] Moscow has destroyed 5 US-made Abrams in Ukraine, damaged 3 20Apr2024 RT NYT https://www.rt.com/news/596323-russian-drones-destroy-abrams-tanks/ $500 Russian drones destroying $10,000,000 American tanks – NYT Moscow’s forces have destroyed five US-made Abrams in Ukraine and damaged another three, the newspaper has claimed Expensive American M1 Abrams tanks delivered to Ukraine are increasingly falling prey to Russian drones that cost only a fraction as much, the New York Times reported on Saturday. Even “one of the most powerful symbols of American military might” is not invulnerable to the attacks, it said. At least five US-supplied tanks out of the 31 provided by Washington have already been destroyed by Russia, the media outlet said, adding that three others were “moderately damaged.” In most cases, the tanks have been destroyed by first-person-view (FPV) kamikaze drones, also known as loitering munitions. These drones are capable of maneuvering before hitting their targets. In at least one instance though, an Abrams tank was taken out in a duel against a Russian T-72B3 main battle tank. The Russian military has published upwards of a dozen clips, mostly taken from drones, showing the destruction of US-supplied equipment. According to the NYT, the tanks turned out to be “more easily taken out by exploding drones than some officials and experts had initially assumed.” The media outlet cited Austrian historian and military expert Colonel Markus Reisner, who described the situation as “unbelievable.” The paper also described the Russian UAVs as “highly-accurate, low-cost tank killers.” US-made Abrams tanks made their long-expected appearance on the front line in late February amid the Ukrainian effort to halt advancing Russian troops after the capture of the Donbass city of Avdeevka. A batch of 31 M1 Abrams tanks was pledged to Kiev early last year, ahead of the ultimately disastrous Ukrainian counteroffensive. The delivery was made in full by mid-October, when the ill-fated push had already largely been exhausted. +-----+ #] Airbus boss contradicts German leader on Ukraine missiles 20Apr2024 RT https://www.rt.com/news/596321-airbus-scholz-storm-shadow/ If Olaf Scholz wanted to send Taurus missiles to Kiev, he could find a “technological solution,” CEO Michael Schoellhorn has said Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and his officials have been asking Berlin for Taurus missiles for almost a year, but Scholz has thus far refused to consider the request. Speaking to the news agency dpa in February, the chancellor claimed that German military technicians would have to be deployed to Ukraine to operate the air-launched missiles, making them active participants in the conflict with Russia. Airbus Defense and Space CEO Michael Schoellhorn believes that Scholz has no desire to give the missiles to Ukraine, and is using the need for German involvement as an excuse. “The chancellor has decided on the issue. His argument is political,” Schollhorn told Der Spiegel in an interview published on Saturday. “If there was the will to deliver, technological solutions would be found to use the Taurus in Ukraine without German participation,” he continued. “But I can understand the political arguments.” +-----+ #] WATCH German-made Leopard tank towed to Russian trophy display 21Apr2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/596342-leopard-tank-ukraine-captured/ German media previously reported that Moscow’s troops had captured one of the tanks near Avdeevka The Russian military has seized a German-produced Ukrainian Leopard tank and plans to display it at a trophy exhibition outside Moscow, according to a new video circulating on social media. A clip shared by the Solovyov Live Telegram channel on Sunday appears to show the evacuation of the tank from the combat area by Russian troops. The video, filmed in the rural area in an undisclosed location, appears to show it being towed down the road by another Russian heavy vehicle. The German-made armor appears relatively undamaged from the outside, but it is missing tracks from both sides. The Telegram channel's editors explained that Russian troops had to devise a means of evacuating the tank from the battlefield, noting that they had to blow off the tracks with explosives to get it moving. +-----+ #] Modi’s battleground: Why the south is tough terrain for the Indian leader 21Apr2024 RT https://www.rt.com/india/596303-modis-battleground-tamil-nadu/ As the nation of 1.4bn votes in the general election, the incumbent PM seeks to use his charisma to break through in Tamil Nadu Dravidian ideology is predicated on the old theory that lighter-skinned Aryans came and settled among the darker-skinned Dravidians, driving the latter to the Indian peninsula’s south. Hence, the ideology has been against Brahmin hegemony, for social justice, and for strengthening the local language against the imposition of Hindi. In the Lok Sabha elections of 2014 and 2019, the BJP allied with the other Dravidian party, the All India Anna DMK (AIADMK). This time, however, the BJP ditched the AIADMK for several smaller regional parties. Though Modi claims that his party will win big in southern India, the situation on the ground reflects a different reality. The BJP’s claims of growth and development have not made a mark in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu. In contrast are the welfare measures of the ruling DMK government. The Kalaignar Women Entitlement Scheme, named after former Chief Minister M. Karunanithi, provides 1,000 rupees ($12) to women in a certain economic category, free bus travel for women, and a morning meal scheme for children in all government schools. These policies have been well-received by the state’s 31.4 million female voters. The BJP holds an edge among young voters thanks to its strong social media presence, but senior journalists and analysts believe that popularity will not necessarily translate to votes. +--+ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dravidian_nationalism Dravidian Nationalism was thus based on three ideologies: dismantling of Brahmin hegemony; revitalization of the Dravidian Languages (that include Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil) and social reform by abolition of existing caste systems, religious practices and recasting women's equal position in society. +-----+ #] Musk decries lack of ‘exit strategy’ in Ukraine conflict 21Apr2024 RT https://www.rt.com/news/596339-musk-us-aid-ukraine/ The billionaire’s comments come in response to new funding for Kiev being approved by the House of Representatives David Sacks, Apr 20, 2024 @DavidSacks Based on some simple math, the new funding bill that’s being widely hailed as saving Ukraine will buy precisely half of a Summer Counteroffensive. In February, Musk said the US should stop aiding Ukraine altogether as there was “no way in hell” Russia would lose the war. “This spending doesn’t help Ukraine. Prolonging the war doesn’t help Ukraine,” he stated at a forum on X Spaces. Last month, Musk also warned that the “real question” in the conflict now lies in how much territory Kiev will lose before it agrees to sit down to peace talks with Moscow. Russia has repeatedly said that it was open to peace negotiations if Ukraine accepts the “reality on the ground.” Moscow also warned that Western aid and weapons shipments to Ukraine only exacerbate and prolong the conflict. +-----+ #] Ukraine's obsolete S-200 missile systems to hit Russian targets 20Apr2024 KI Denisova https://kyivindependent.com/ukraines-obsolete-s-200-missile-systems-reportedly-back-on-track-to-hit-russian-targets/ Ukraine's obsolete S-200 missile systems reportedly back on track to hit Russian targets by Kateryna Denisova Rumors that Ukraine once again uses S-200 missiles began circulating in the summer of 2023. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that "converted" S-200 missiles had been shot down over Rostov, Kursk, and Kaluga oblasts, as well as occupied Crimea. Ukraine's military has not officially confirmed these claims while Kyiv is ramping up the production of domestically-made weapons, including long-range drones, which reportedly have already hit targets deep inside Russia. "In the current circumstances, we have to search for a way out. We have come up with these S-200s, and it seems to be working well so far," an unnamed government source told BBC News Ukraine in August 2023. It will not be possible to make new missiles based on the S-200 from scratch due to rather complicated technology, but it is possible to repair the previously produced ones to combat readiness, according to Kharuk. "I think we are not talking about modifying these missiles, but only about restoring their readiness. We can talk about modifying the ground equipment, introducing modern means of communication, and incorporating modern detection radars," he added. "If until now the crews of Russian strategic bombers felt completely unpunished, now they see that they can be reached. Let's hope this is the first such step." 240420 Russian Beriev A-50 AWACs spy plane: Denisova.png 08********08 #] 20Apr2024 week ending +-----+ #] US-African military frontier against Russia and China 19Apr2024 Westen Shilaho https://www.rt.com/africa/596240-us-joint-military-exercise-africa/ An increasingly multipolar world means Washington’s influence over the continent will wane as alternative strategic partners emerge Usually between 2,000 and 2,500 short-term rotational US military and civilian personnel make up the Combined Joint Taskforce Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), which covers an expansive region that entails the land and airspace in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Seychelles, Somalia, and Sudan, as well as coastal waters of the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Indian Ocean. With the challenges minimized, this partnership is glowingly portrayed: “Through collaborative training and shared experiences, the exercises foster a strong professional ethos and partner military forces, enhancing their ability to respond effectively to crises and contribute to lasting peace in East Africa.” In Niger, the decision to revoke military ties with the US was endorsed by trade unions. The inference is that the Nigerien civil society is in concurrence with the military establishment on the need to free Niger from condescending and exploitative partnerships. The mass support for military takeovers in the Sahel and West Africa was evidence of the backlash against puppet governments out of touch with the people. +-----+ #] Opinion, United States, China, Russia, NATO, Project Syndicate 19Apr2024 Ignatieff https://kyivindependent.com/opinion-the-threat-to-american-hegemony-is-real/ Michael Ignatieff is former Liberal Party leader in Canada The post-1945 world order – written into international law, ratified by the United Nations, and kept in place by the balance of nuclear terror among major powers – is hanging by a thread. The United States is divided against itself and stretched to the limits of its capabilities. Europe is waking up to the possibility that, come November, America may no longer fulfill its collective defense obligations under Article 5 of the NATO treaty. Faced with this new uncertainty, Europe is cranking up its defense production, and European politicians are screwing up the courage to persuade their electorates that they will need to ante up 2% of their GDP to guarantee their own safety. >> finally, free-loaders are putting on the table what they long promised to NATO? I doubt it +-----+ #] BREAKING: US passes $61 billion in aid to Ukraine 20Apr2024 KI Khalilova https://kyivindependent.com/breaking-u-s-house-passes-61-billion-ukraine-aid-bill/ The U.S. House of Representatives on April 20 passed a key foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and other allies after months of political infighting and a deteriorating situation on the battlefield. Over two months have passed since the Senate passed a similar bill on foreign assistance, and Democratic and Republican lawmakers, along with U.S. President Joe Biden, have been calling on House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring the bill to the House for a vote. The aid package provides $60.84 billion to assist Ukraine, including $13.8 billion for Ukraine to buy advanced weapons, $13.4 billion for replenishing U.S. stockpiles, $11 billion to support U.S. allies in the region, and another $13.8 billion to purchase U.S. defense systems for Ukraine.   Another $9 billion will be allocated to the war-torn country as economic assistance in the form of loans that can be forgiven by the president with Congress's approval. According to CNN, 101 Republican House members voted in favor of the Ukraine aid bill, 112 voted against, and one voted present. Meanwhile, among Democrats, 210 House members voted yes, with none opposing the bill. +-----+ #] Air Force: Ukraine downs Russian Tu-22M3 bomber for first time 19Apr2024 KI Hodunova https://kyivindependent.com/air-force-ukraine-downs-russian-tu-22m3-bomber-for-first-time/ Ukrainian anti-aircraft units shot down a Russian Tu-22M3 bomber for the first time, Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said on April 19. The Tu-22M3 bomber crashed in Russia's Stavropol Krai on the morning of April 19, just after Russia launched an attack on Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. According to Stavropol Krai Governor Vladimir Vladimirov, the Russian plane crashed in the region's Krasnogvardeysky District. Vladimirov claimed two pilots ejected from the aircraft. One pilot was allegedly killed and another crew member is missing. +-----+ #] Russia pounds Ukraine's [cities, front lines], air defences dwindle 18Apr2024 KI Psaropoulos https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/18/russia-pounds-ukraines-cities-and-front-lines-as-air-defences-dwindle Russia destroys Ukrainian power stations and defences as an expert warns Kyiv’s troops are ‘utterly exhausted’. And Kuleba is not just guilting Europeans. At NATO’s 75th anniversary, he aimed a barb at the entire alliance. “I’m sorry to spoil the birthday party, but who can believe that the mightiest military alliance in the world cannot find seven batteries of Patriots to provide them to the only country in the world that is fighting ballistic attacks every day?” A Russian bombardment using 82 missiles and drones destroyed the Trypilska thermal power station in Kyiv on Thursday, April 11. It was only the second time in the war that an entire power plant was taken out, and the first in the capital, which is supposedly the most heavily defended from air attacks. “This is facilitated by warm, dry weather, which made most of the open areas of the terrain accessible to tanks,” said Syrskyii. “Despite significant losses, the enemy is increasing its efforts by using new units on armoured vehicles, thanks to which it periodically achieves tactical success.” >> great article!!! "$d_projMaj"'History/Ukraine-Russia/images/' : Psaropoulos, AlJazeer: who controls what in Ukraine 18Apr2024.png Psaropoulos, AlJazeer: who controls what in southern Ukraine 18Apr2024.png Psaropoulos, AlJazeer: who controls what in eastern Ukraine 18Apr2024.png Psaropoulos, AlJazeer: where are people fleeing to 18Apr2024.png 250418 where are Ukraininas fleeing to: Psaropoulos, AlJazeer.png +-----+ #] Apple removes popular messaging apps in China 19Apr2024 https://www.rt.com/business/596265-apple-china-whatsapp-telegram/ The tech giant claims it was ordered by Beijing to pull WhatsApp, Threads, Telegram, and Signal from the local AppStore +-----+ #] The US is crawling away from Ukraine 18Apr2024 RT Dmitry Trenin https://www.rt.com/russia/596216-dmitry-trenin-us-is-crawling/ Dmitry Trenin: The US is crawling away from Ukraine Talk about victory for Kiev has disappeared as Washington becomes a ‘back seat driver’ Dmitry Trenin, a research professor at the Higher School of Economics and a lead research fellow at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations. He is also a member of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC). +-----+ #] Ukraine’s Bohdana howitzer - here’s what it can do 19Apr2024 KI Chris York https://kyivindependent.com/ukraines-bohdana-howitzer-is-rolling-off-production-lines-heres-what-it-can-do/ Ukraine’s Bohdana howitzer is rolling off production lines – here’s what it can do President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a significant milestone in Ukraine’s push to increase domestic weapons production on April 18, saying that Kyiv was on track to produce 10 Bohdana howitzers this month. The Bohdana – or the 2S22 Bohdana to give it its full title – is a self-propelled howitzer, essentially an artillery gun on a truck chassis with a 42-kilometer firing range. These types of gun give armed forces a "shoot and scoot" ability, a valuable advantage over towed artillery pieces. From the moment a towed artillery piece is fired, it is vulnerable to detection by the enemy, and moving it can be a time-consuming process that requires a suitable vehicle. A self-propelled howitzer can drive into position, fire off multiple rounds in under a minute and be out of range of counter fire before the enemy has had time to organize. "From the point of view of hardware – that is the actual artillery part – it fully corresponds to modern Western howitzers with a 155/52 barrel,” Andrii Kharuk, a weapons expert, told the Kyiv Independent. After three years of design and development, the Bohdana made its first public appearance in 2018 when a prototype took part in the Kyiv Independence Day Parade on Aug. 24. "Its crucial features are high mobility, precision, range capability, as well as rapid firing speed," Oleksandr Turchynov, then-chairman of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said at the time. +-----+ #] Beijing-funded shipping canal will reduce regional reliance on Vietnam 18Apr2024 RT Fomenko https://www.rt.com/news/596140-china-vietnam-cambodia-canal/ China wants to literally dig its way around geopolitical challenges A Beijing-funded shipping canal will reduce regional reliance on Vietnam, a fellow communist state and traditional rival By Timur Fomenko, political analyst This is because Vietnamese nationalism views Beijing with a suspicion that is historically rooted, with a legacy of seeking to sustain its independence against the Chinese dynasties of old. As China has risen again, this sentiment in Hanoi has increased, especially with the Sino-Vietnamese war of 1978 and overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea, known to Vietnamese as the East Sea. Similarly, China is wary of the idea of Vietnam potentially aligning with a foreign power as part of a containment coalition against it, itself an instigator of conflict. Although the two countries are not currently in a state of hostility and have worked to improve bilateral relations amid these strong points of contention, this mutual suspicion persists, which leads to them continuing to hedge against one another subtly, even as they co-operate on some projects, in an unspoken competition. For example, one may note Vietnam recently forming parallel strategic partnerships with the US, Australia, and Japan, moves which were unthinkable decades ago. As part of the BRI, China first gave landlocked Laos a new lifeline by building the China-Laos Railway. Opened in 2021, this high-speed and commercial freight route, and accompanying expressway, connects the Laotian capital Vientiane with China, meaning the country no longer must rely on Vietnam to access ports. This has allowed Laos to not only export goods to China but also to become an intermediary between China and Thailand, with more railways to form a complete route between Beijing and Bangkok underway. The China-Laos railway is a strategic gamechanger, but more important than that is the new Techo Funan Canal in Cambodia. This canal is a China-funded and contracted mega waterway that will span over 110 miles (180 km) from the Mekong River at Phnom Penh to the sea, with construction set to start this year. By building this canal, Cambodia now gets to bypass the Mekong Delta, which is in Vietnamese territory and subsequently transforms its capital city into a direct port. This canal strengthens China-backed Cambodia and deals a strategic blow to Vietnam, weakening its hold over its neighbor. Cambodia is thus transformed, from a historical subordinate to Hanoi into a commercial competitor. It is no surprise that the Techo Funan Canal has attracted Vietnamese fears and opposition. Vietnam has to dine at the table while ensuring it is not the menu. +-----+ #] SWIFT must be ‘killed off’ – top Russian banker 18Apr2024 https://www.rt.com/business/596165-kill-swift-vtb-kostin/ SWIFT must be ‘killed off’ – top Russian banker Digital banking will create sovereignty, VTB chief Andrey Kostin says A move away from conducting financial transactions through Western payment systems, including SWIFT, is vital for Russia and its trading partners, the head of the country’s second-largest lender has said. Speaking on Thursday at the Data Fusion 2024 conference, VTB CEO Andrey Kostin called for the promotion of digital financial settlements in Russia and allied nations. Such a step would end the dominance of the dollar and gain full sovereignty in the financial sector, he claimed. “SWIFT has announced plans to carry out digital payments soon, but we need to kill SWIFT in our settlements, we need to completely get away from it and involve our partners in this as well,” the banking executive insisted, highlighting major work that is being done by the Bank of Russia to achieve the goal. Earlier this month, Kostin admitted that the latest US sanctions had forced banks in several ‘friendly’ countries – Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan – to halt transactions with Russia and stop accepting Russia’s Mir payment cards. In February, the US Treasury updated its backlist of Russian individuals and entities, adding the operator of Russia’s Mir payment card system to it. +-----+ #] Swedish shell production plant 17Apr2024 KI Farrell https://kyivindependent.com/inside-the-swedish-ammunition-plant-at-the-forefront-of-europes-push-to-ramp-up-shell-production/ Inside the Swedish ammunition plant at the forefront of Europe’s push to ramp up shell production This facility is a large-caliber ammunition foundry belonging to Norwegian-Finnish defense company Nammo, one of Europe’s foremost manufacturers of NATO-standard shells. Munitions produced here range all the way from 40mm autocannon rounds upward, but it is the largest caliber that is most prized and most in demand: the 155mm howitzer shell. “We are in the middle of a transition (to focus on 155mm shells),” said Martin Stang, the site manager and vice-president for Nammo’s large-caliber operations in Sweden, on an exclusive tour for the Kyiv Independent. “It's a fairly quick switch,” he said, adding that the transition was driven by the initiative of European governments. Without giving concrete figures for monthly production targets, Nammo claims it will triple production in two years starting from 2024, with the help of funding from Nordic governments and EU funds. But while Russia has used this time to give its massive Soviet-era arms industry a shot in the arm, complimented by a huge shipment of shells from North Korea, Ukraine’s ammunition situation has only gotten worse. +-----+ #] Ukraine rejecting the Belarusian opposition? 17Apr2024 KI Sierakowski https://kyivindependent.com/opinion-why-is-ukraine-rejecting-the-belarusian-opposition/ Opinion: Why is Ukraine rejecting the Belarusian opposition? Immediately after World War II, the Paris-exiled Polish intellectual Jerzy Giedroyc (of Lithuanian origins, born in Minsk) coined a phrase that would come to define Poland’s foreign policy toward its eastern neighbors: “There will be no independent Poland without an independent Belarus, Lithuania, and Ukraine.” Since the fall of communism, it has been an article of diplomatic faith in Warsaw. Ukrainian patriots, who inspired current Ukrainian policies, have thought similarly. Even if Ukraine fully liberates its Russian-occupied territories, Poles and Ukrainians will not feel truly secure as long as Belarus’ longtime dictator, Alexander Lukashenko, continues his misrule. Therefore, an alliance between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration and the Belarusian opposition therefore seems natural. Unfortunately, nothing of the kind has emerged. Fortunately, voices in the Ukrainian press are pushing for the Ukrainian government to change its incomprehensible position. “Will Kyiv start communicating with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya at least sometimes?” asks an editorial by European Pravda. “She has become a symbol of the Belarusian opposition to the whole world, and Kyiv conspicuously ignores her.” Similarly, Bohdan Yaremenko, a Ukrainian member of parliament, wrote, “In front of us is a window of opportunity to protect ourselves and help restore freedom to our brotherly people, whose representatives defend the Ukrainian will in the same order of battle as the Ukrainians.” +-----+ Bartosz [redacted] Yesterday·Edited Well said. I noticed many Ukrainians, whether out of frustration or not, being opposed to people instead of regimes. What do I mean by that? I remember in 2023, when the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Svoboda Legion entered the theater on Ukrainians side, many Ukrainians either ignored them, or talked bad at them, even though these people were stationed at Bakhmut alongside their Ukrainian partners in arms and later led incursions into Russia to keep Putin’s forces occupied in Belgorod. Also, while the ⬜️🟦⬜️ have become the colors of Russian opposition to Putin’s fascism, I regularly see too many Ukrainians sneer at it. This is not good. This is not how you build coalitions and alliances against your enemy. This is another form of isolationism - dismissing help, when it is right in front of you. Say what you want about (former) Navalny, Khodorkovsky or Kasparov. But those people are actually helping you fight Putin, and by that, to survive! Fighting Russians and Belarusians, just because they are born and raised in Russia or Belarus is neither glorious, nor helpful. You got to be able to distinguish friend from foe. Otherwise, you will be left alone. That all being said, I understand the situation Ukrainians are finding themselves in and the frustration that mounts with it. Not being able to fight a war properly because of lack of western support, while also having to literally beg for every little bit of help and, in the meantime, trying to shield its western partners from Russia’s hybrid war because apparently they aren’t capable of countering it themselves. +-----+ #] Ukraine destroys Crimean [missile launchers, radar stations] 18Apr2024 KI Hodunova Military intelligence: Ukraine destroys missile launchers, radar stations at Russian military airfield in Crimea https://kyivindependent.com/military-intelligence-ukraine-destroys-missile-launchers-radar-stations-at-russian-military-airfield-in-crimea/ Ukraine destroyed several units of military equipment in an attack on a Russian military airfield in Dzhankoi in occupied Crimea on April 17, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) reported. Ukraine's military intelligence on April 18 said that Ukrainian forces had destroyed four S-400 launchers, three radar stations, a command post for air defense operations, and air space surveillance equipment Fundament-M in the attack. +-----+ #] Pavel Durov (Telegram founder): Apple and Google more dangerous than governments https://www.rt.com/news/596070-telegram-durov-reveals-pressure-us/ Apple and Google more dangerous than governments – Telegram founder Pavel Durov has slammed the tech giants for their attempts to curtail freedom of speech +-----+ #] Is China growing tired of Russia’s war in Ukraine? 17Apr2024 Maksym Skrypchenko https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/4/17/is-china-growing-tired-of-russias-war-in-ukraine There are signs that Beijing may be getting cold feet about its deepening entanglement. On the surface, China has emerged as one of the principal beneficiaries of the war. Its purchases of discounted Russian energy have provided the Kremlin with a vital economic lifeline amid Western sanctions. Moreover, the depletion of United States and NATO weapons stockpiles has led some to argue that an extended war could give China’s military a strategic advantage over rivals who are burning through their arsenals in their efforts to support Ukraine. Yet, the European military buildup, spurred by the ongoing war, could pose a significant challenge to any Chinese military ambitions. This dynamic suggests that a prolonged war in Europe may not be in Beijing’s best interest, contrary to some interpretations. If such private assurances were made, they spectacularly failed to anticipate Ukraine’s fierce resistance and the West’s resolve to arm and support Kyiv. Far from the display of overwhelming force that could have emboldened China’s ambitions towards Taiwan, the war has revealed Russia as a declining power whose military capabilities are no match for Ukraine’s defensive commitment. This miscalculation has forced Beijing to grapple with the sad reality. Rather than showcasing how a superpower can easily subdue a smaller neighbour, the war has exposed the risks, costs and potential for catastrophic miscalculation. +-----+ #] Iran’s attack on Israel is a major change 17Apr2024 Farhad Ibragimov https://www.rt.com/news/596091-irans-attack-victory-or-defeat/ Middle East redefined: Iran’s retaliatory attack on Israel signaled a major change in the region Was Tehran’s ‘symbolic’ attack on the Jewish state a victory or a defeat for the future? Almost two weeks of suspense followed as the world waited for Iran’s response, which seemed logically inevitable. Pundits and analysts mostly considered two obvious options that Iran could use: either give a mirror response and hit Israeli territory or one of its diplomatic offices in the region, or use its proxy forces, which are as much of a problem for Israel as Iran itself. But Tehran decided to take a third course, both launching a direct attack and using its allies in the region. This attack made history as it was Iran’s first direct assault on Israel. Among other things, it was the most massive drone attack on record, estimated to have involved more than 200 UAVs, as well as 150 cruise missiles, 110 Shahab-3, Sajil-2 and Kheibar surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, and seven Fattah-2 hypersonic cruise missiles. The strikes were launched from multiple locations including Iran, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and the part of Yemen controlled by the Ansar Allah Houthi group. +-----+ #] Kiev’s accession to NATO would risk a global war 17Apr2024 Slovakia’s prime minister https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/4/17/is-china-growing-tired-of-russias-war-in-ukraine NATO member explains why it will block Ukraine from joining Kiev’s accession would risk a global war, Slovakia’s prime minister has warned Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it views NATO’s continuing eastward expansion as a national security threat. Russia cited the bloc’s military cooperation with Ukraine as one of the root causes of the current conflict and described Kiev’s potential accession as a “red line.” +-----+ #] Opinion: A look at the drone arsenal Russia uses against Ukraine 16Apr2024 https://kyivindependent.com/opinion-a-look-at-the-drone-arsenal-russia-uses-against-ukraine/ Forposts The Forpost, a licensed replica of the Israeli IAI Searcher, is the most well-known of Russia’s drones from the 2010s. Russia likely only has around 30 Forpost systems, each comprised of three to six drones. Orlan-10s More abundant in Russia’s drone arsenal is the Orlan-10, which the Russian military started to use in 2013. Mass-produced due to its simple and cheap design, some sources indicate that it only lasts 10-20 flights. However, as Ukraine ramped up its drone countermeasures, the Orlan-10 became virtually obsolete. It has gradually been replaced by the more advanced ZALA and SuperCam drones. The Russian military has lost around 200 Orlan-10s as of early April, according to ORYX. ZALAs, SuperCams, and Eleron-3s Russian forces have used ZALA 421-16 drones against Ukraine since May 2022. Manufactured by the ZALA Aero Group in Russia’s Udmurt Republic, the ZALA 421-16 has a range of 50-70 kilometers (31.1-43.5 miles) and was initially sold for civilian use. It’s unknown how many ZALA 421-16s the Russian military has, but it has lost around 50 since the start of the full-scale war. Russia has used the SuperCam S350, manufactured by Unmanned Solutions in Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan, since early 2023. While it’s considered more resistant to electronic warfare, its range and flight duration are similar to that of smaller drones. It’s estimated that 15-20% of the drones used by the Russian military at the front in Ukraine were SuperCam S350s by the end of 2023. Verified losses according to ORYX amount to 23 drones as of early April. The Eleron-3, produced by the Russian company Enics, has been part of Russia’s tactical drone arsenal since 2012. Russian forces resorted to Eleron-3s on the front more frequently from the early fall of 2022 after significant Orlan-10 losses. The Russian military likely had 200 Eleron-3s at the start of the full-scale invasion and have lost three dozen thus far. Orions Russia’s attempt at a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drone is the Orion, which has been produced by the Kronshtadt Group since 2011. The Orion’s designers modeled the drone off of the American-made General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drone. However, it turned out much smaller and with a lower altitude ceiling than the American original, as it is equipped with a less powerful engine. While the American Reaper has an altitude ceiling of 15 kilometers (9.3 miles), the Russian Orion can only fly up to 7.5 kilometers (4.7 miles). It’s hard to estimate how many Orion drones the Russian military has, but the frequency at which they’re used at the front in Ukraine indicates that they are not mass-produced. Six Orions have been destroyed since the start of the full-scale war, according to Oryx. Kamikaze and Iranian-made drones Kamikaze drones, or loitering munitions, deserve special attention. Kamikaze drones “commit suicide” by loitering around a target area before attacking the target by crashing into it. Because they differ so significantly from traditional reconnaissance drones, we won’t dive too deeply. We will note, however, that Russia uses two main types of kamikaze drones: the tactical ZALA Lancet and the strategic Shahed-131 and -136. Russia sources Shahed drones from Iran, although it is trying to localize production at a plant in Tatarstan (which the Ukrainian military recently hit with drones). Notably, Shahed drones are used extensively to destroy military and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, as well as to inflict casualties. Trends in Russian drone production There are three main trends in the development of Russian drones amid its war against Ukraine. First, the Russian military is making an effort to patch up their drones’ vulnerabilities. Alongside traditional means of protection against electronic warfare and other countermeasures (e.g., changing the range of drones’ communication lines with their respective control stations), the Russian military has also been using less traditional methods. Drones equipped with optical navigation systems, for example, allow the drone to enter a reconnaissance area in “radio silence,” helping them remain undetected by electronic warfare. Second, there has been an increase in the range of Russian tactical drones – even small ones. Third, Russia has massively scaled up drone production to supply its troops on the front with as many as possible. This only highlights the importance of supplying Ukraine with more air defense systems to protect the Ukrainian military and civilians alike from Russian drone attacks. 08********08 #] 07Apr2024 week +-----+ #] Iran confirms ‘extensive’ strike against Israel 13Apr2024 RT https://www.rt.com/news/595879-iran-israel-strike/ 13 Apr, 2024 20:58 Iran confirms ‘extensive’ strike against Israel The Islamic Republic has launched multiple drones on the Jewish state, according to media reports +-----+ #] Israeli general reveals cost of defending against attack 14Apr2024 RT https://www.rt.com/news/595946-israel-high-cost-to-defend-against-iranian-attack/ Israeli general reveals cost of defending against attack – media It reportedly took upward of $1.3 billion worth of interceptor missiles and other materials to shoot down Iran’s aerial barrages Israel has claimed success in defending itself against Saturday’s drone and missile barrages by Iran, but that effort reportedly came at a high price. The interceptors, jet fuel and other materials expended in shooting down Iran’s unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and missiles cost about 4 billion to 5 billion shekels ($1.06 billion to $1.33 billion), Israeli Brigadier General Reem Aminoach told local media outlet Ynet News on Sunday. The estimate included only Israel’s direct costs, not counting the considerable weaponry used by the US and other allies in helping to defend against the attack. Aminoach, formerly the financial adviser to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff, said West Jerusalem used such munitions as Arrow and David’s Sling interceptor missiles, which have per-unit costs of about $3.5 million and $1 million, respectively. He also included sortie expenses for the fighter jets that did the bulk of the work in shooting down Iranian drones. Israeli military embellishes video of Iranian attack Read more Israeli military embellishes video of Iranian attack The general lamented that it was far cheaper for Iran to launch the attack than for Israel to defend itself. “The attack cost Iran less than 10% of what it cost us to defend against it,” he told Ynet. “In the future – in a year, two years, or five years – they can carry out 50 such attacks. And let’s say that if the IDF’s net budget in 2023 was 60 billion shekels, with less than double that you have no chance of reaching a situation where we can maintain the required amounts.” +-----+ #] Ukraine has a [, de]mobilization problem 13Apr2024 KI Lapatina, Farrell https://kyivindependent.com/this-week-in-ukraine-s2-e14-ukraine-has-a-mobilization-problem/ This Week in Ukraine S2 E14 – Ukraine has a mobilization problem by Anastasiia Lapatina and Francis Farrell April 13, 2024 5:12 PM Weekly host Anastasiia Lapatina Interviewee : Kyiv Independent reporter Francis Farrell Farrell: infantry is all gone: [kill, wound]ed, have to train new recruits from scratch Farrell: old head of defence wants 450-500k men, didn't give time period every military person requires 6 taxpayers to fund Zelenski says its too much demographics already dire, don't want to mobilize 18-25yr olds new military leader says new estimate is enough regional recruiting corruption no-one wants to take responsibility for un-popular measures Lapatina: corruption of recruiting system, companies +-----+ #] Syrskyi: eastern front has significantly deteriorated in recent days 13Apr2024 KI Ostiller https://kyivindependent.com/syrskyi-situation-on-eastern-front-has-significantly-deteriorated-in-recent-days/ Syrskyi: 'Situation on eastern front has significantly deteriorated in recent days' by Nate Ostiller and The Kyiv Independent news desk April 13, 2024 1:45 PM The situation on Ukraine's eastern front has "significantly deteriorated in recent days" amid an intensification of Russia's offensive efforts, the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said on April 13. The dire warning comes against the backdrop of a shortage of ammunition plaguing the Ukrainian military, which has been exacerbated by an ongoing impasse in Congress over U.S. aid. Syrskyi said that warm, dry weather has enabled Russia to increase its armored assaults in the areas of Bakhmut, Lyman, and Pokrovsk. +-----+ #] Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 778 12Apr2024 AlJaz https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/12/russia-ukraine-war-list-of-key-events-day-778 As the war enters its 778th day, these are the main developments. Ukraine needs military aid and air defence systems in the face of Russia’s intensifying attacks, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as he criticised his country’s allies for engaging in “lengthy discussions” and “turning a blind eye”. Ukraine risks collapsing under Russia’s onslaught without US support, a disaster that could embolden China and prompt a new crisis in East Asia, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told US lawmakers during a state visit to Washington, DC, urging them to overcome “self-doubt” about the country’s role on the world stage. +-----+ #] Zelenskyy slams allies as Russia intensifies attacks 11Apr2024 Al Jazeer ‘Turning a blind eye’: Zelenskyy slams allies as Russia intensifies attacks Ukraine president says country needs air defence systems and not ‘lengthy’ talks as Russia targets energy infrastructure. 11 Apr 2024 | Updated: 11 Apr 2024 02:27 PM (GMT) Ukraine’s parliament on Thursday passed a bill to overhaul its army mobilisation rules as it tries to generate fresh manpower to rotate its troops. The measure, which must be signed by Zelenskyy before it becomes law, would oblige men between 18 and 60 years to update their personal data with the military authorities, allowing draft offices to see more easily who can be called up in any region. The bill also does not set any time limit for wartime military service, meaning that soldiers who have been fighting since the beginning of the invasion will have no dembilisation date and a chance to return home. The final, amended text of the contentious measures was still to be published on the parliament’s website. Ukraine’s General Yuriy Sodol told parliament that Russian forces outnumber Ukrainian troops seven to 10 times in eastern regions. “We lack manpower,” said Sodol, who is commanding soldiers in the regions of Kharkiv, Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. +-----+ #] Zelensky- Russia has spies in Ukraine’s top military echelons 11Apr2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/595734-russia-spies-ukraine-counteroffensive/ Kiev claims its 2023 counteroffensive was derailed because the battle plans were leaked Russian influence has penetrated the US political system and warped the information field around the world, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky claimed in an interview with Politico on Tuesday. Zelensky was asked to comment on recent statements made by two Republican lawmakers: Mike Turner of Ohio and Mike McCaul of Texas. They claimed that “pro-Russian” propaganda has filtered into the minds of some of the members of Congress, which has failed to greenlight the $60 billion aid package for Kiev. The Ukrainian leader stated that Russia has succeeded in distorting “the information field of the world.” “They have their lobbies everywhere: in the United States, in the EU countries, in Britain, in Latin America, in Africa,” he said. “When we talk about the Congress — do you notice how they work with society in the United States?” he noted, adding that the scale of Russian influence in the US has been underestimated. He claimed that US citizens were helping Russia by spreading its ideas in the American media. “They pump their narratives through the media,” Zelensky said. “These are not Russian citizens or natives of Russia, no. They are representatives of certain media groups, citizens of the United States.” According to Zelensky, these people work in the US media and deliver the appropriate messages, which are sometimes “very pro-Russian.” He hasn’t mentioned any names though. Following the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine in 2022, Western governments launched a large censorship campaign against Russian media they deem to be ‘state-controlled’. Multiple Russian TV stations and media outlets, including RT, have been either blocked or prevented from operating in the US and some other Western countries. +-----+ #] Zelensky- US citizens backing Russia 11Apr2024 RT https://www.rt.com/russia/595727-us-citizens-back-russia-zelensky/ Moscow’s lobby has pierced American politics, the Ukrainian president has claimed >> Howell: Shades of WWII project by Dad & I, but far too primitive and hollow. Franklin Delano Roosevelty was a puppet on a chain in WWII. Things are even worse now, Biden may even be dumber than Roosevelt, and the voting public women definitely are dogShit, if that is possible +-----+ #] US: Huge Iranian counter-strike expected within hours 12Apr2024 RT https://www.rt.com/news/595821-iran-missile-drone-strike-israel/ Hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles could rain down on Israel over the weekend, American officials claim The US believes that Iran’s response will be “larger than usual,” but not substantial enough to provoke a reaction from Washington, American officials told Politico on Tuesday. The Iranians are “looking to calibrate it, so they essentially don’t overplay their hand,” one source said. Israel ready to attack Iranian nuclear sites – media READ MORE: Israel ready to attack Iranian nuclear sites – media Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Iranian sources said that Khamenei has been presented with a number of military options, including strikes on Israeli power plants and infrastructure with medium-range ballistic missiles. The Ayatollah has yet to choose his preferred response, one source said, adding that Khamenei is “weighing the political risk.” +-----+ #] Iran’s present should be Israel’s future 11Apr2024 Fyodor Lukyanov The Jewish state can’t change its location, so it must learn to embrace the Middle East >> well written, perhaps utopian +-----+ #] houses and streets underwater in Russia and Kazakhstan 11Apr2024 Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/4/11/drone-video-shows-extent-of-snow-melt-flooding-russia-and-kazakhstan Drone video shows rows of houses and streets underwater in Russia and Kazakhstan, where thousands of people have had to evacuate their homes due to flooding caused by unusually severe melting snow and ice. +-----+ #] Russia’s Angara A5 rocket blasts off into space 11Apr2024 Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/11/russias-angara-a5-rocket-blasts-off-into-space-after-two-aborted-launches Russia’s Angara A5 rocket blasts off into space after two aborted launches Russia wants to use rocket’s cargo capacities to deliver modules for a future rival to the International Space Station. The development of the Angara A5, a heavy booster rocket designed to ferry tonnes of equipment into space, has been beset by delays. The first Angara A5 test flight took place in 2014, and another followed in 2020, both from the Plesetsk space facility in Arkhangelsk, 800km (497 miles) north of Moscow. The Angara A5 is said to be much more environmentally friendly compared with Proton M, Russia’s heavy-lift rocket that has been in operation since the mid-1960s. Moscow plans to use the rocket’s cargo capacities to deliver modules for a rival to the International Space Station (ISS) that it hopes to construct in the coming years. Russia’s space programme has been hit by a number of high-profile setbacks in recent years. Last month, its launch of a Soyuz spacecraft to the ISS was also delayed for two days. Three astronauts – from Russia, Belarus and the United States – were strapped in and ready for takeoff when a “voltage dip” triggered an automatic shutdown seconds before blastoff. Russia’s first mission to the moon in almost 50 years failed last year when a lander crashed into the lunar surface. +-----+ #] DTEK thermal plants damaged in Russia's overnight attack 11Apr2024 KI Elsa Court https://kyivindependent.com/dtek-thermal-plants-damaged/ DTEK thermal plants damaged in Russia's overnight attack DTEK's facilities were targeted at least 10 times in March as Russia renewed its campaign of attacks against Ukrainian energy infrastructure, resulting in 80% DTEK's thermal generating capacity being damaged or destroyed. Russian forces launched a massive aerial attack across Ukraine overnight on April 11, targeting critical infrastructure in multiple regions with 40 drones and 42 missiles. According to the Air Force, the main direction of the attack was Lviv Oblast, where a gas distribution facility and a substation were targeted. A drone strike caused a fire at a critical infrastructure facility in Kyiv Oblast, which came under attack for over five hours, Governor Ruslan Kravchenko said. Energy infrastructure was also targeted in Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, and Kharkiv oblasts. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov told residents to expect power outages and said that the metro would be out of service for several hours. +-----+ #] Kyiv Oblast plant loses 100% of generation capacity 11Apr2024 KI Kateryna Hodunova https://kyivindependent.com/centerenergo-russia-strike-destroys-thermal-power-plant-in-kyiv-oblast/ Energy company loses 100% of generation capacity after Russia destroys Kyiv Oblast plant A Russian attack overnight on April 11 destroyed the Trypillia Thermal Power Plant in the city of Ukrainka in Kyiv Oblast, Andrii Hota, the chair of Ukraine's state energy company Centerenergo's supervisory board, told Interfax-Ukraine. Russian forces launched a massive aerial attack across Ukraine overnight on April 11, targeting critical infrastructure in multiple regions. Kyiv Oblast had been under attack with drones for over five hours. The Kyiv Oblast military administration reported as of around 7 a.m. local time that drone strikes caused a fire at a critical infrastructure facility. Centerenergo later announced that the Russian attack against the Trypillia plant led to the destruction of 100% of the company's generation capacity. Russian troops previously destroyed the company's Zmiiv Thermal Power Plant during the March 22 strike on Kharkiv Oblast. Another Centerenergo's thermal power plant in the city of Svitlodarske in Donetsk Oblast has been under Russian occupation since July 2022. "It is a dark day in Centerenergo's history," the statement read. The Trypillia Thermal Power Plant was the main electricity supplier to Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and Cherkasy oblasts. The Russian strike led to a large-scale fire in the turbine house of the plant, according to Hota. All the plant's workers who were on the shift during the attack survived, he added. Ukrainka's Mayor Oleksandr Turenko subsequently called on local citizens to make water stocks and charge all the devices without clarifying the consequences of the attack. Emergency services are currently working at the impact scene to extinguish the fire. DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company, previously said Russia damaged its two thermal power plants during overnight strikes on April 11 without specifying their location. Energy infrastructure was also targeted in Lviv, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, and Kharkiv oblasts. "$d_projMaj"'History/Ukraine-Russia/images' Kateryna Hodunova 11Apr2024: Kyiv Oblast plant loses 100% of generation capacity.png +-----+ #] China tells US it won’t be bullied on Russia 10 Apr, 2024 18:10 https://www.rt.com/news/595703-china-us-threats-russia/ China tells US it won’t be bullied on Russia Washington has repeatedly threatened unspecified “consequences” over the Ukraine conflict +-----+ #] Russian missile ship set on fire near Kaliningrad 08Apr2024 KI Nate Ostiller https://kyivindependent.com/russian-missile-ship-reportedly-set-on-fire-near-kaliningrad/ Russian missile ship set on fire near Kaliningrad, Ukraine's intelligence claims The Kyiv Independent news desk April 8, 2024 6:31 PM The Russian missile ship Serpukhov, which was docked off the exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, was set on fire on April 8, Ukraine's military intelligence claimed. In a post on Telegram, the agency said that the fire had "disabled" the ship and that "its means of communication and automation were "completely destroyed." The military intelligence also shared a video appearing to show a fire breaking out on the ship. A source from Ukraine's military intelligence confirmed to the Kyiv Independent that its operatives were behind the fire. It was the first such attack on Russian naval assets in the Baltic Sea. Russian authorities announced earlier on April 8 that the Russian ice navigation vessel Katerina Velikaya caught fire while undergoing repairs at the shipyard Dalzavod in the far eastern city of Vladivostok. One person was killed, and three others were injured, Russian authorities said, adding that the circumstances of the fire were under investigation. "$d_proMaj"'History/Ukraine-Russia/images/' Nate Ostiller 08Apr2024: Russian missile ship Serpukhov set on fire near Kaliningrad.png 08********08 #] 31Mar2024 month +-----+ #] Finland’s first 12 months in NATO.png 04Apr2024 AJ Giorgio Cafiero https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/4/a-year-of-living-less-dangerously-finlands-first-12-months-in-nato?traffic_source=KeepReading A year of living less dangerously? Finland’s first 12 months in NATO Finland’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been to move away from policy of self-reliance and embrace the alliance. "$d_projMaj"'/History/Ukraine-Russia/images/' Giorgio Cafiero, aljazeera 04Apr2024: NATO members 1949-present.png +-----+ #] SBU attack against Russia's Morozovsk airbase destroys 6 planes 05Apr2024 KI Fornusek https://kyivindependent.com/source-attack-on-morozovsk-airbase-carried-out-by-sbu-6-planes-destroyed/ SBU attack against Russia's Morozovsk airbase destroys 6 planes "$d_web"'ProjMajor/History/Ukraine-Russia/images/' Martin Fornusek 05Apr2024 Su-34 jet.png Kyiv Indep 05Apr2024 several Russian bombers, bear & other.png Russian Defense Min ?date? A Zircon hypersonic missile launched from Russia's Admiral Gorshkov-class frigate.png +-----+ #] Between life and death in front-line Krasnohorivka 06Mar2024 KI Farrell, Zashko https://kyivindependent.com/video/?slug=between-life-and-death-in-front-line-krasnohorivka by Francis Farrell, Olena Zashko Mar 8, 2024 The Kyiv Independent visited Krasnohorivka, just 15 kilometers west of the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk, in February 2024, just two weeks before Russian forces unsuccessfully attempted to break into the city. 800m to Russian positions +-----+ #] Is Ukraine running out of air defense missiles? 30Mar2024 KI Anastasiia Lapatina https://kyivindependent.com/video/?slug=between-life-and-death-in-front-line-krasnohorivka This Week in Ukraine S2 E12 – Is Ukraine running out of air defense missiles? Season 2 Episode 12 is dedicated to Ukraine's struggles with air defense, amid intensifying Russian missile attacks. ?Norwegian interviewee? - Farbgan Hoffman?, UofOslo Ukraine defenses : long-range defense systems: US Patriot, SAM-T French long-rangeL ballistic threats [Kinjal?, M2 ballistic], high alt missiles like [Zirkon, higher altitude cruise missiles like KH-22 anti-ship repurposed to land] medium layer : NASAMs (Norway-American), RST (Germany), sub-sonic (cruise missiles [H101, Calibur?, Shartron?]), low-lying threats cannot use for short-range ballistic missiles (radar, controls, range, optimistic) use different algorithms shorter-range point systems: German airbort?, legacy Russian systems that Ukraine already had closer to installations max 10-30 km range (electrical, other protection) guns etc against cr (Landats, guns) just a last measure Lapatina - Ukraine demands shifting to defense from previous offense statements ?Norwegian interviewee? - Russia war-time production, Ukraine always short Germany may have production 2026 of Patriot-like intercepts never had large arsenal, also true of Netherlands and other countries Lapatina - not offensive lkike [Hymar, ??] easier to sell politically ?Norwegian interviewee? - defense sysstems more expensive than weapon systems themselves financial cost makes it a tough sell Lapatina - how many weapons does Russia have? ?Norwegian interviewee? - 50-60 cruise missles/month, 5-19 short-range/month, now much up advantage for Russians to do large number of missiles in burts need stockpile : 100-200 [cruise, short range missiles] Lapatina - can Ukraine own defense systmes? ?Norwegian interviewee? - wouldn't be smart, opportunity costs use own attack systmes against sites in Russia Neptune anti-ship for land targets, Korshun? land attack missile (Soviet legacy + Neptune) subSAM short-range ballistic against maritime & aircraft facilities Ukraine has prioritized long-range drone producution should advance crise & missile programs subscribe to special discussion group Lapatina - F-16 defenses? ?Norwegian interviewee? - not good long-rage, maybe good FlyFox on Russian jets shoot down before can deploy FlyFox +-----+ #] What’s left of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet? (BSF) 02Apr2024 KI Andrii Kharuk Opinion https://kyivindependent.com/opinion-whats-left-of-russias-black-sea-fleet/ An early symbol of humiliation was the destruction of the Russian cruiser Moskva, the BSF’s flagship, by Ukrainian Neptune missiles in mid-April 2022. This marked the second time in history that a cruiser-class ship was destroyed in combat since the Argentine ARA General Belgrano was sunk by a British submarine during the Falklands War in 1982. The Moskva was the only ship in the BSF equipped with anti-aircraft missile systems, meaning it was capable (at least theoretically) of defending not only itself but also an entire naval formation from an air attack. After the Moskva was destroyed, the BSF could no longer operate freely in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, and plans for a naval landing near Odesa were finally put to rest. >> great detail on ships lost +-----+ #] How Ukraine hit a Russian drone factory 1,300 kilometers away 03Apr2024 KI Denisova https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-launches-long-range-attacks-on-russia-setting-shahed-type-drone-factory-as-a-target/ For the first time since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine attacked facilities in Russia's Tatarstan Republic, some 1,300 kilometers from the country's border. On April 2, overnight, drones attacked production facilities in the cities of Yelabuga and Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan Head Rustam Minnikhanov said. A source in Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent that the agency was behind the attack. The target – a manufacturing facility for the Shahed-type attack drones, which Russia regularly uses in attacks against Ukraine, including those targeting civilian and energy infrastructure. The factory is the first in Russia to produce the low-cost Iranian drones, vital for the Kremlin's war effort. Another target of the Ukrainian long-range drone strike was Russia's third-largest oil refinery in the city of Nizhnekamsk, a source in the Security Service (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent. The source added that the attack was a joint operation carried out by the SBU and HUR. Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian territory began in May 2023, with the recent uptick in attacks on oil refineries in 2024. In total, the latest attacks have disrupted between 12-14% of Russia's refining capacity, according to Bloomberg. It is unknown what kind of weapon was used to attack Tatarstan. After the video of the strike was published, the Russian media claimed that it might not be a regular drone used for an attack but a converted Ukrainian-produced Aeroprakt A-22 Foxbat light aircraft. Oleksandr Kovalenko, a military analyst and co-founder of the Information Resistance project, does not rule out that it is "quite possible" to adapt this aircraft to be used as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). "It is more than 1,000 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, and the Russians saw that this was a big problem. It turned out that this production facility in Tatarstan, in which they invested a lot of money, is not rare. Weapons are reaching there, and air defense will not save them. I think this is just the beginning," Kovalenko said. +-----+ #] Zelensky’s party falters, Ukrainian parliament drifts to standstill 03Apr2024 KI Januta https://kyivindependent.com/as-zelenskys-party-falters-parliament-stalls/ As Zelensky’s party falters, Ukrainian parliament drifts to standstill +-----+ #] Ukraine, Finland sign long-term security agreement 03Apr2024 KI Fornusek, Denisova by Martin Fornusek and Kateryna Denisova https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-finland-sign-long-term-security-agreement/ Apart from Finland, Kyiv has already signed bilateral security deals with seven other countries, including the U.K., Germany, France, Denmark, Canada, Italy, and the Netherlands. The agreements are based on a pledge made by the Group of Seven (G7) last July. Helsinki will provide Ukraine with long-term military and financial assistance, according to the agreement. The two nations also are expected to deepen cooperation in the fields of politics, finances, reform, and in the humanitarian sphere. Finland further announced its 23rd defense aid package to Kyiv worth 188 million euros ($200 million). This brings the total military aid provided to Ukraine by the Nordic country to around 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion). Finland has already joined the artillery and demining collations, one of many allied initiatives launched under the Ukraine Defense Contact Group to support individual areas of Ukraine's Armed Forces, and is considering to participate in others, "taking into account its capabilities and Ukraine's military needs," according to the deal. 08********08 #] Putin’s five fatal mistakes in Ukraine 06Oct2022 AJ Marwan Bishara https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/10/6/putins-five-arrogant-mistakes Opinions, Russia-Ukraine war Putin’s five fatal mistakes in Ukraine And how Biden’s hypocrisy feeds the Russian leader’s hubris. Marwan Bishara Senior political analyst at Al Jazeera. Published On 6 Oct 2022 Russia’s justifications for its invasion of Ukraine, like the United States’ excuses for its invasion of Iraq two decades earlier, prove that world powers have failed to learn the lessons of imperial hubris – theirs and others. From the ancient Greeks and Romans through to the more recent French, German and British powers, geopolitical arrogance is notorious for breeding fatal political stupidity. 1. First, the Russian president overestimated his military’s readiness for a protracted war of choice and misjudged Russians’ eagerness for empire by force. 2. a belief that Kyiv would surrender within days. 3. If Ukraine’s independent national identity was in doubt, Putin’s war has ended that, galvanising Ukrainian patriotism like never before, .... 4. That was Putin’s third miscalculation. He calculated that NATO was weakened by Donald Trump’s “America First” approach to Western security and would therefore be slow to react to events in the East. He also assumed that Europe’s dependency on Russian oil and gas would make it difficult to sever relations with Moscow over Ukraine. He was wrong. American boldness and European leeriness towards an emboldened and aggressive Russia have brought the two sides of the Atlantic ever closer. 5. Putin assumed that the US was in utter decline, weakened by its Afghan and Iraqi blunders, hindered by economic and domestic problems, and preoccupied with the rise of China, and would therefore react timidly to a wider crisis in Ukraine. 08********08 #] 10May2022 Putin is haunted by the loss of ‘real’ Russians https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/putin-is-haunted-by-the-loss-of-real-russians-3c996k3c7 Putin is haunted by the loss of ‘real’ Russians Population decline is the driver of the war — and may decide its outcome Dominic Lawson Sunday March 13 2022, 12.01am GMT, The Sunday Times 08********08 #] 13Mar2022 update newsFeeds once per week https://liveuamap.com/ conflict 220313 image liveuamap.com.png rip : https://kyivindependent.com/news-archive/ 14Mar2022 Fix [code, instruction]s of "$d_bin"'webPage scrape news.sh' : Change : +-----+ # 0. in "run $ bash" section below, uncomment function to run # 1. scrape (rip) news feeds : # copy-paste https://kyivindependent.com/news-archive/ page source to # "$d_temp"'kyivindependent.com page source.txt' # process with bash script # $ bash "$d_bin"'news kyivindependent.com scrape.sh' # outputs to "$d_temp"'kyivindependent.com news articles.txt' # key markers #
Sunday, March 6
# article id="post- # # copy-paste updated parts to this file # 2. remove redundancy # output goes to : "$d_temp"'' # copy-paste temp file to original news log file +-----+ To +-----+ Scrape (rip) news feeds : 1. copy-paste https://kyivindependent.com/news-archive/ page source to "$d_temp"'kyivindependent.com page source.txt' 2. process with bash script $ bash "$d_bin"'news kyivindependent.com scrape.sh' outputs go to "$d_temp"'kyivindependent.com news articles.txt' 3. geany regexpr edit of 'kyivindependent.com news articles.txt' search : ^(2022\-)Mar\- replace: \1Mar- 4. remove redundant news items - will write bash script later 5. copy-paste updated parts to this file +-----+ >> put insctions ONLY in "$d_bin"'webPage scrape news.sh' 08********08 #] 08Mar2022 Remove headline repeats from kyivindependent I added these back to the file 2022-03-07 01:30 Civilians flee in terror as Ukraine’s military deter Russia in Irpin

2022-03-06 06:55 Kyiv resident gives birth during war: ‘I forgot about the bombings only in labor’

2022-03-06 01:55 10 days of suffering. Russia’s war against Ukraine in photos

2022-03-05 20:33 Ukrainian loses parent to Russian propaganda: ‘I can consider myself an orphan’

2022-03-05 19:42 Payoneer, Paypal, Adobe suspend operations in Russia.

08********08 #] 08Mar2022 webPage comment - update format styles see "$d_sysMaint""/html/html codes notes.txt" 06Mar2022 geany regexpr cleanup (later - fix script, maybe add cleanup function to current) search replace .*
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    \n\n 08********08 #] 28Feb2022 'ukrinform.net news log.txt' cleanup & convert to html file webPage -> Menu -> -> Web Developer -> Page Source -> copy to this file at top of list of news items (below) 1. geany search : ^[ ]+ replace : null 2. $ cat "$d_webRawe"'History/Ukraine-Russia/ukrinform.net news log.html' | sed 's|

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