Oorlog in Oekra�ne #916 Patriots

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Op dinsdag 9 januari 2024 17:00 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Tja, als je geen democratie wilt kun je beter in China gaan wonen.

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Op dinsdag 9 januari 2024 17:06 schreef oheng het volgende:

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Het veto recht is vrijwel het tegengestelde van democratie.

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Op dinsdag 9 januari 2024 18:04 schreef michaelmoore het volgende:

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Het vetorecht is ingesteld om de kunstmatige superstaat de EU er door te kunnen drukken,

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Op dinsdag 9 januari 2024 18:17 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:

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En toen dat niet voldoende was hebben ze de oorlog in Ukraine ge�nsceneerd?

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Op dinsdag 9 januari 2024 18:29 schreef Digi2 het volgende:

RUSSIAN Ruble Collapse Damaging Workforce - 5 Million Shortage of Workers as Migrants Stay at Home

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Een commissie van het Oekra�ense parlement buigt zich over de kwestie. Deze week wordt een besluit verwacht over de vervolgstappen. Al duidelijk is dat de leeftijd waarop mannen in militaire dienst moeten, wordt verlaagd van 27 naar 25 jaar. Ook worden er hardere straffen voorgesteld voor het actief ontduiken van de dienstplicht, bijvoorbeeld beperkingen bij de aankoop van een huis of het aanvragen van een rijbewijs.

Het is een prangende kwestie. Het Oekra�ense leger heeft dringend behoefte aan nieuwe menskracht om de huidige troepen te kunnen rouleren. Sommigen zijn al sinds het begin van de Russische invasie actief aan het front. Daarnaast zijn er uiteraard verliezen.

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Op dinsdag 9 januari 2024 18:29 schreef Digi2 het volgende:

RUSSIAN Ruble Collapse Damaging Workforce - 5 Million Shortage of Workers as Migrants Stay at Home

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Op dinsdag 9 januari 2024 13:12 schreef 3rr0r het volgende:
[ twitter ]

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Op dinsdag 9 januari 2024 17:00 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Tja, als je geen democratie wilt kun je beter in China gaan wonen.

SPOILER

Om spoilers te kunnen lezen moet je zijn ingelogd. Je moet je daarvoor eerst gratis Registreren. Ook kun je spoilers niet lezen als je een ban hebt.

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Ukraine meets NATO: Asks for offensive weapons to hit Russia
Several NATO countries are considering whether to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles. Such missiles can reach military targets in Russia and Crimea, and could give Ukraine control over large parts of the Black Sea.

The short version:
• Several NATO countries are considering giving Ukraine long-range missiles to reach military targets in Russia and Crimea
• On Wednesday, the NATO countries and Ukraine will meet in Brussels to discuss the status and consider new countermeasures against Russia
• Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has asked for more air defense and ammunition, combat drones and missiles with a range of over 300 km
• His Norwegian colleague Espen Barth Eide believes it is smart that Ukraine attacks Russian forces harder in the Black Sea and Crimea
• Turkey will not allow British minesweeping vessels - a donation to Ukraine's navy - to sail into the Black Sea

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Canada backtracks on citizenship review for Russian antiwar activist
Blogger Maria Kartasheva was convicted of misinformation in Russia

A Russian antiwar activist living in Ottawa has been granted Canadian citizenship after all, despite a conviction in Russia that threatened to disqualify her.

Maria Kartasheva, 30, has lived in Ottawa since 2019.

She was convicted under a Russian law passed shortly after the full-scale invasion in of Ukraine in February 2022. The law prohibits "public dissemination of deliberately false information about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation."

Her convictions stem from two blog entries from March 2022, when she posted photos and wrote in Russian expressing her horror at the Bucha massacre. Russia's foreign minister has rejected allegations of atrocities in Bucha.

Under Canadian immigration rules, if an applicant is charged with a crime in another country that could be indictable under Canada's Criminal Code, their application can be revoked or refused.

A Canadian officiant motioned for her to step aside in the middle of her citizenship ceremony last spring, just moments before she was supposed to swear her allegiance to the Crown.

Minister announced news on X
According to a December letter from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the crime she committed in Russia "would equate to false information under subsection 372(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada."

That interpretation was criticized by a Canadian lawyer and professor who contend the law's real goal is to silence opposing voices.

Russian antiwar activist could lose Canadian citizenship bid over conviction abroad
On Tuesday afternoon, Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller said in a social media post that Kartasheva "will not face deportation and has been invited to become a Canadian citizen."

"Canada's citizenship eligibility rules are designed to catch criminals, not to suppress or punish legitimate political dissent," wrote a post from his account on X.

Kartasheva relieved, exhausted
On Tuesday, Kartasheva told CBC News she received the news by email just before lunchtime.

"I am still scared that this is a mistake," said Kartasheva, who immediately called IRCC to confirm.

"I kind of have a feeling that even after the ceremony I won't believe that it happened."

Her citizenship ceremony took place virtually around 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Kartasheva told CBC the experience has left her feeling exhausted and tremendously relieved at the same time.

"There was a long period of time when I felt that no one was interested in this and no one hears and no one would help," she said, adding she's grateful to all those who lent her their support after CBC first published her story, including her MP.

Kartasheva said this outcome will serve as a precedent for other Russians living abroad who openly oppose the Kremlin.

"I hope everyone will feel safe and understand that this is not going to happen to anyone else, that … Canada will support Russians in Canada who are against the war, and so we can sleep soundly in Canada and know that we are protected after all."

Conviction 'didn't seem credible': Miller
Speaking to Power & Politics host David Cochrane on Tuesday, Miller suggested Kartasheva had been unfairly punished by an immigration safeguard that was never meant to deny citizenship to political dissidents.

"We have a set of rules in Canada that prevents criminals from becoming citizens, Miller said. "Ninety-nine per cent of the time those types of rules are there for a very good reason and they do a good job in making sure that undesirable people with criminal pasts do not become citizens.

"You know, there can be situations where that rule doesn't work, this is one of them."

Miller did not confirm whether he personally intervened in Kartasheva's case, but indicated he was pleased with the outcome and that Canada's immigration rules had been misapplied in this case.

"It didn't seem credible to me. It looked like it was on the level of political dissent that is legitimate not only in a country like Canada, but should be in a country like Russia, and to penalize that person for having expressed herself and her views with respect to the Putin regime would be ludicrous, so she's been invited to become a citizen as she should have been in the first place."

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In Crimea, girls poisoned 46 Russian military personnel and shot FSB officers: a Hollywood story appeared on the Internet
In Crimea, still controlled by the Russians, they found two girls suspected of killing dozens of invaders and tried to detain them, but the saboteurs shot back and killed several employees of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, who were sent for detention.

The saboteurs were in Yalta in one of the private houses, they tried to detain them a few days ago, but they failed – the girls managed to escape, the Kremlin Snuff Box writes on Telegram, citing information, in particular, from sources in the FSB.

“…The suspects in the death of 46 fighters resisted; unfortunately, it was not possible to detain them… The saboteurs turned out to be well armed and (we did not expect this!) Well-prepared. Plus, someone could have warned them about our visit. As soon as the special forces came to arrest them, they opened fire on them with pistols and automatic weapons.” the Russian special service allegedly said.

The channel also says that the invaders only managed to fire a few shots in response, and then the girls fled in a car. Journalists learned that the saboteur’s car was abandoned on the outskirts of Yalta.

“We don’t know where the saboteurs are now. Three FSB officers were killed as a result of the shooting. Two more were wounded, one of them seriously. One of the criminals may also have been wounded, but it is unlikely that this wound was serious (she fled the scene of the shooting on her own). The search for the saboteurs continues,” the sources added.

Crimea news in focus – worth reading today
At the beginning of December last year, the media learned that on the Crimean Peninsula, girls handed over gifts to the military unit of the Russian invaders, and thanks to this, dozens of invaders were poisoned.

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Russia's Nuclear Deterrent Command Center Imperiled by Winter Freeze—Report
A Russian nuclear deterrent command center in Moscow has been imperiled by power outages that have impacted more than one-quarter of the region's cities amid freezing temperatures, a Russian Telegram channel has reported.

The VChK-OGPU outlet, which purports to have inside information from Russian security forces, reported that the 820th Main Center for Missile Attack Warnings—part of the Russian Space Forces, a branch of the country's Aerospace Forces—near Solnechnogorsk in Moscow is without power.

It serves as the space forces early warning network against potential ballistic missile attacks.

The development comes as Russians are reported to be suffering from power outages in their homes in the Moscow region caused by technical issues at plants amid subzero temperatures.

On January 4, a heating main burst at the Klimovsk Specialized Ammunition Plant in the town of Podolsk, which is about 30 miles south of central Moscow. Since then, tens of thousands of Russians are reported to have no heating in their homes.

Affected areas include the cities of Khimki, Balashikha, Lobnya, Lyubertsy, Podolsk, Chekhov and Naro-Fominsk, a map published by a Russian Telegram channel and shared on other social media sites shows.

Other Russian media outlets reported that in Moscow, residents of Balashikha, Elektrostal, Solnechnogorsk, Dmitrov, Domodedovo, Troitsk, Taldom, Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Krasnogorsk, Pushkino, Ramenskoye, Voskresensk, Losino-Petrovsky and Selyatino are also without power.

The Telegram channel said that at the 820th Main Center for Missile Attack Warnings, "the crew...is on duty around the clock."

"It is here that the decision on a retaliatory nuclear strike is executed," the channel said.

Newsweek could not independently verify the report and has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry by email for comment.

Power outages have also been reported in Russia's second-largest city, St. Petersburg, in the country's western Voronezh region, in the southwest city of Volgograd, and in Rostov, which borders Ukraine, a country that Russia has been at war with since February 24, 2022.

On Sunday, two shopping malls in St. Petersburg were forced to close because of problems with light and heating, reported local news outlet 78.ru. Hundreds of other homes in the city have had no electricity, water or heating for days amid temperatures of -25 C (-13 F).

Russian authorities have also been forced to compensate passengers of a train that ran from Samara to St. Petersburg (a 20-hour journey) without heating during -30 C (-22 F) temperatures. Videos circulating on social media showed carriage windows frozen over. A passenger also said the toilet didn't work during the trip because of frozen pipes.

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Russians living in ‘unfriendly’ countries could lose right to vote in presidential elections
Russian citizens living in countries designated “unfriendly to Russia” may be about to lose the chance to vote in forthcoming elections, the business daily Vedomosti reported on Monday.

The proposal, which is currently under consideration according to a Vedomosti source, would close voting stations at Russian embassies and consulates abroad ahead of the 2024 presidential race. It may not ultimately extend to all Russian consulates in the 49 countries Moscow has deemed “unfriendly”, but it is likely to impact a “significant number” of them.

When asked why the Russian government was considering the proposal at all, officials involved in the discussions cited the shortage of consular workers and concerns about “voter safety” given that voters sometimes have to queue up outside embassies and could face harassment.

In the 2018 presidential election, 474,000 Russians voted at 394 polling stations abroad. In 2024, those numbers are expected to be much higher, following the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Russians — many of whom oppose Putin’s regime — in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Voting stations abroad must be registered by 24 January, according to Russian Central Election Commission member Pavel Andreyev. According to another source in Russia’s Foreign Ministry, a final decision on the issue is expected by the end of the month.

Mystery fire breaks out at Putin family home near Moscow, Russia

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FIRE FURY Shocking moment mystery fire breaks out at Putin family home near Moscow as ‘sabotage’ suspected
This is the second property linked to the Kremlin top that was destroyed in recent events

THIS is the moment a mystery fire broke out at Vladimir Putin's family home near Moscow.

The property, which belongs to Putin's first cousin, was reduced to ashes after flames engulfed the entire building in Ryazan, 125 miles southeast of the capital.

The home was currently occupied by Roman Putin, 45, who is sanctioned by the West for links to the autocrat.

Roman is the son of Putin’s first cousin Igor, who officially owned the place.

His son was at the property when the blaze began but escaped without injury.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the cops amid suspicions of sabotage.

This is the second property with links to Roman and the Kremlin top that was destroyed in recent events.

Earlier a hotel where he had offices in remote Novy Urengoy was destroyed in successive arson attacks by unknown people, causing �8 million damage.

The incident came after Roman was linked to a scheme to host two waves of refugees from the Donbas area of eastern Ukraine, according to reports.

He offered to personally fund a third wave of 500 refugees in support of Putin's invasion, which may have triggered the arson attacks.

Reports say law enforcement has identified arson as the cause but made no progress in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

However, it is unclear if the arson was linked to opposition to Putin or his war against Ukraine.

Following the Kremlin top's footsteps, Roman began his career in secret services, serving in the FSB.

He eventually switched to local government before founding a company called Putin Consulting to trade on the famous family name.

The controversial businessman also founded the People Against Corruption party, but has been unsuccessful in getting a seat in the parliament

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Have any of you seen pics of the Russians having meetings in a camo office and had a roof? This image i snapped from a video shows (And you can clearly see) that their is no roof in the room and my guess is that its a box just that they have put up in a hangar or warehouse of some sort cus their is CLEARLY NO ROOF if you look at the picture.

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 05:20 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ twitter ]
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1671253659668344832.html
Niet de eerste keer dat wij zulke verhalen horen en dat wij beelden zoals deze zien vanuit Russische kant. Meer informatie onder de links.

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 14:24 schreef Ulx het volgende:

Klinkt als flinke paniek.

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 14:43 schreef oheng het volgende:

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Altijd een lastige keuze. Ben je veiliger in de APC/IFV, of er bovenop?

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 14:54 schreef zuchtje het volgende:

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Ik denk dat het onderbewustzijn die keus voor je maakt. Fight en flight rennen weg, freeze en fawn blijven zitten.
_{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight-or-flight_response}

Of misschien ligt het aan welke middelen je hebt gebruikt voordat je op die machine stapte. Cokeheads gaan rennen, en vodkaheads blijven zitten

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 14:54 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:

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En je allebei op hebt?

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 14:56 schreef zuchtje het volgende:

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Die luxe heeft alleen de bestuurder

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 15:15 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ twitter ]

Doomsayers incoming in 5....4.....3.....

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 15:15 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ twitter ]

Doomsayers incoming in 5....4.....3.....

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By November, capacity had risen again, though assessments differ. European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton suggested that Europe could now make some 400,000 rounds annually. Estonia’s Pevkur, speaking at a November media roundtable, put the figure between 600,000 and 700,000—and said it would reach one million rounds in 2024.

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 16:54 schreef HSG het volgende:
Je ziet op den duur de paniek toeslaan bij de Oekra�ner.

FULL! Rekaman Pertempuran Jarak Dekat Rusia Vs Ukraina, Unggul Mana?

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 16:57 schreef BlaZ het volgende:

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Het bericht is wat vreemd, alsof de EU er 1 miljoen produceert en ze dan ineens naar Oekra�ne stuurt. Dit komt ook niet overeen met wat de beste man gezegd heeft, het gaat namelijk om de jaarproductie.
[..]
Het is de vraag hoeveel shells Oekra�ne eigenlijk denkt nodig te hebben op dagbasis en hoeveel Oekra�ne er zelf kan produceren. In totaal zul je er toch eerder 3 miljoen per jaar nodig hebben denk ik (8200 / dag).

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 18:09 schreef Joppiez het volgende:

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Waarom post je overal een bij? Vind je het leuk dat er Oekrainers sterven ofzo?

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 18:20 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:

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Ik denk dat dat zijn standaard posticoon is.
Dat kun je instellen ergens.

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 18:13 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

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De jaarproductie moet veel hoger liggen dan 1 miljoen per jaar on er 1 miljoen in een jaar tijd te leveren, logischerwijs.

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 18:25 schreef Zwoerd het volgende:

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Wel vrij ongepast bij veel posts.

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 19:16 schreef RipCity het volgende:
Nou, Zweden ook al klaargemaakt voor oorlog. Gezellige jaren tegemoet zo

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 19:16 schreef RipCity het volgende:
Nou, Zweden ook al klaargemaakt voor oorlog. Gezellige jaren tegemoet zo

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 19:34 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:

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Bron?

En je kunt beter goed voorbereid zijn, en dat er uiteindelijk (daarom) niks gebeurt, dan jezelf onvoorbereid laten verrassen.

Als Oekra�ne beter voorbereid was in februari 2022 (immers niemand die dacht dat Rusland daadwerkelijk zou binnen vallen), dan had Rusland niet ongehinderd zover Oekra�ne in kunnen trekken.

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 19:44 schreef RipCity het volgende:

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https://www.hln.be/buiten(...)F%2Fwww.google.nl%2F

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 16:42 schreef HSG het volgende:
Oekrainse tank opgeblazen.

Ngeri! Militer Rusia Hujani Kendaraan Militer dan Personil Ukraina Berkali-kali

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 19:34 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:

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Bron?

En je kunt beter goed voorbereid zijn, en dat er uiteindelijk (daarom) niks gebeurt, dan jezelf onvoorbereid laten verrassen.

Als Oekra�ne beter voorbereid was in februari 2022 (immers niemand die dacht dat Rusland daadwerkelijk zou binnen vallen), dan had Rusland niet ongehinderd zover Oekra�ne in kunnen trekken.

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 18:46 schreef slashdotter3 het volgende:
https://www.reddit.com/r/(...)_there_is_no_one_to/
“The situation is catastrophic.” There is no one to work in Russia’s North Russia, especially its “depressed” regions, is suffering from a labor shortage. 5% of men aged 20-40 either ended up in the war or emigrated. White collar market dumps wages. Blue collar wages increased. Replaced with convicts.

reddit comment:
===============
Change the title to no one to work in Russia's resource industries and thier supporting occupations.

Oil and gas, mining and minerals, lumber, fishing, food all come out of the north and this is what powers the Russian economy and a easy life in Moscow. Not enough people means that the industrial and social infrastructure starts breaking down and production slows until it can be maintained by the people left. Migrants do not want to come and work anymore because they may end up on the front line so they do not even have that crutch. The Kremlin's problem is that eventually this starts to impact the privileged living in the big cities but now you have killed the golden goose so the gravy trains slows and stops

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The President of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda also said that the country approved a package of long-term military aid to Ukraine worth �200 million

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The lower house of the Italian Parliament voted in favor of a resolution to continue military support to Ukraine as well as supporting collective assistance within the framework of NATO, the EU and international forums.

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NATO allies in a meeting with Ukraine have made it clear they will continue to provide the country with major military, economic, and humanitarian aid in the face of Russia's almost two-year-old invasion, - Reuters

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 20:50 schreef 3rr0r het volgende:
[ twitter ]

SPOILER

Om spoilers te kunnen lezen moet je zijn ingelogd. Je moet je daarvoor eerst gratis Registreren. Ook kun je spoilers niet lezen als je een ban hebt.

SPOILER

Om spoilers te kunnen lezen moet je zijn ingelogd. Je moet je daarvoor eerst gratis Registreren. Ook kun je spoilers niet lezen als je een ban hebt.

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Op woensdag 10 januari 2024 18:09 schreef Joppiez het volgende:

[..]
Waarom post je overal een bij? Vind je het leuk dat er Oekrainers sterven ofzo?

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Fire feud Arsons across St. Petersburg may be part of a personal vendetta between a Ukrainian blogger and a Russian crypto trader
Since the end of December, there’s been a series of arson attacks in St. Petersburg residential buildings, all with the same MO. Arsonists have been placing tires outside the doors of apartments and setting them on fire. The St. Petersburg news outlet Bumaga identified seven buildings where the fires were set, all in different parts of St. Petersburg. In most cases, they were quickly extinguished, and the police caught the suspects. According to Bumaga, police have arrested at least eight people in connection with the arsons, six of whom are minors. One of the suspects said he set the tires on fire on orders from “a channel on a messaging app.” Others just said they were paid to do it.

Local media outlets have linked these arsons to a personal conflict between Ukrainian blogger Anatoly Shariy and a cryptocurrency trader from St. Petersburg. According to their findings, the fires are Shariy’s way of taking revenge against 21-year-old trader Pyotr Lunev, or “Odysseus.” (According to St. Petersburg outlet Fontanka, Lunev currently lives in Thailand.)

Shariy and Lunev reportedly launched a “crypto pyramid” together before a falling out in November 2023. Then, a video showing three addresses in St. Petersburg was posted on Shariy’s private Telegram channel. There were arsons at all three of the addresses.

According to Fontanka, fires were set at buildings where Lunev’s wife, parents, relatives, and business partners live. It’s unclear what exactly caused the conflict between the two, but Lunev’s father, who filed a police report, said that Shariy is trying to extort $8.2 million from his son. A post on Shariy’s Telegram channel implies that Lunev is a “scammer.” Shariy told the outlet 78.ru that he has nothing to do with the arsons.

On January 7, another arson took place. Tires were set on fire outside an apartment belonging to Trofim Tatarenkov, a host on Russia’s state-run Sputnik radio. On Telegram, Tatarenkov said the perpetrators “wanted victims,” claiming that “the lights were on in the apartment” and “visible from the street.” He added that it “smelled of Ukrainian involvement.”

The police arrested three suspects in connection with the incident. In a video released after their arrest, the suspects said they’d been paid $1,000 to set the fire. According to Fontanka, the arson at Tatarenkov’s apartment was also connected to the attacks on Lunev, and not to Tatarenkov’s work, but the publication didn’t specify exactly how the two know each other.

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Slovak PM decries Western strategy on Ukraine, says Russia 'also needs security guarantees'
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico broadly criticized the West's approach toward the Russia-Ukraine war in a column for the Pravda newspaper published on Jan. 9.

Elected in September on a populist, Ukraine-skeptic platform, Fico halted arms supplies from Slovakia's military stocks and repeatedly criticized both defense assistance for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia.

The Slovak head of government is also considered to be close to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is, in turn, broadly seen as the most Kremlin-proximate leader in the EU.

In his column, Fico claimed that the Western strategy has "failed," saying it did not succeed in collapsing the Russian economy and Moscow continues to control parts of Ukrainian territory.

While acknowledging that Russia broke international law by launching its full-scale invasion in 2022, Fico rejected what he called a "black-and-white perspective" on the war.

"The war has its roots in 2014 and Ukraine's political situation in relation to its citizens of Russian nationality," Fico wrote.

The Kremlin used false accusations of discrimination against the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine to occupy Crimea and initiate the war in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in 2014.

The Slovak prime minister again criticized Western military assistance for Kyiv, claiming that "Ukraine is incapable of a meaningful counteroffensive, as it became fully dependent on financial assistance from the West."

Fico called for the stabilization of relations between the EU and Russia and added that Moscow "also needs its security guarantees."

While indirectly attacking the discussed $55 billion in EU funding for Ukraine in the article, European officials indicated that Fico did not oppose the assistance during a December summit.

Several experts pointed out that despite fiery rhetorics, Fico is unlikely to go in direct opposition to the Western consensus in practical steps. The EU aid remains stalled due to sole opposition from Hungary.

Fico also wrote he does not oppose Ukraine's membership in the EU if Kyiv meets all criteria for the accession.

In another recent jab at Western unity, Bratislava did not join the nearly 50 countries in denouncing the reported deployment of North Korean ballistic missiles against Ukraine.

Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said he is ready to condemn military deals between Russia and North Korea after receiving relevant evidence.

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A scientist who worked on Putin’s longevity has died
In the city of St. Petersburg, Russia, Doctor of Medical Sciences Vladimir Khavinson, who fought against aging and promised longevity to Russian President Vladimir Putin, died.

According to Russian media, Khavinson did not live to see 77, although the expert himself, with his longevity, hoped to live to see his 100th birthday.

The cause of his death has not been officially announced. UAINFO.ORG writes about this.

Vladimir Khavinson was born in East Germany in 1946. He began teaching the topic of aging in 1970. The discovery of peptide bioregulators brought the scientist worldwide fame.

This also made it possible to preserve the health of people around the world, including the liquidators of the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident.

The study of aging brought Khavinson closer to Putin, who dreams of living for a long time.

They say that the scientist promised the Russian president a “full life” for another 20 years. In his interviews, Hevinson admitted that he was looking for ways to slow down aging.

He was sure that a person could live to be 110–120 years old. In 2017, Putin even awarded him the Order of Friendship for special achievements in the field of medicine.

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Major supplier of Defense Ministry subject to embezzlement probe arrested offering bribe to law enforcement
Ihor Hrynkevych, a businessman from Lviv, whose companies are investigated for allegedly stealing on army procurement, was detained while attempting to bribe a top official of the State Bureau of Investigations, according to the agency’s statement on Dec. 30 and reports in Ukrainian media that identified Hrynkevych.

Hrynkevych reportedly offered a bribe amounting to $500,000 to one of the Bureau's Main Investigative Department’s top officials to return his companies’ property seized as part of the criminal probe.

The State Bureau of Investigations opened an investigation into Hrynkevych’s businesses a couple of months ago. It found that out of the 23 contracts for supplying clothes for the military that his companies won, they have fully and timely fulfilled only two. The remaining ones were either not delivered at all, supplied partially, or with significant delays, and the prices were often inflated.

According to the investigators, these contractors were in fact construction companies that didn’t have capacities to produce clothes for the army. The estimated damage stands at Hr 1.2 billion ($31.6 million). Hrynkevych faces up to eight years in prison.

The Hrynkevych family has been attracting media attention for months. They initially came into the spotlight thanks to their lavish lifestyle.

In August 2023, Ihor Hrynkevych’s daughter Olga posted a picture of the interiors of the VIP train carriage that is used for official delegations, Ukrainska Pravda reported. Renting it costs from Hr 34,000 ($900) to Hr 350,000 ($9,230), depending on the terms.

Censor.Net later reported that, as of May 2023, Olga and her mother Svitlana were owners of Trade Lines Retail, a contractor of the Defense Ministry, which had failed to supply clothes to the army for the total amount of Hr 585,450 ($15,433) on time.

Another Defense Ministry contractor reportedly part of the probe is Construction Alliance Montazhproekt. According to Censor.Net, this firm failed to supply clothes to the army for the total amount of Hr 425,100 ($11,200).

Companies from the Hrynkevych family’s network are also subject to investigations into alleged embezzlement on army procurement conducted by the National Police and State Security Service, according to Censor.Net.

Multiple media outlets reported that family members of Ihor Hrynkevych have bought expensive real estate and cars since they became suppliers of the Defence Ministry after the start of the all-out war.

Read more about the allegations against Hrynkevych in Ukrainian here.

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Defense Ministry’s contractor known for procurement scandal buys hotels in Croatia
Tetiana Hlyniana, the businesswoman in control of the companies that sold food to the army at inflated prices in 2023, bought hotels in Croatia, according to an investigation published by Ukrainian media outlet NV on Jan. 6.

Early last year companies controlled by Hlyniana were at the center of the biggest corruption scandal Ukraine has seen since the start of Russia’s invasion – the Defense Ministry’s infamous food procurement deal that caused public outcry and made the ministry revoke the overpriced contracts and sign new ones. This was among the scandals that led to Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov's resignation in September 2023.

According to NV, Hlyniana, whose companies have been supplying food to Ukraine’s Defence Ministry since 1995, might have lately started a resort business in Croatia.

In the fall of 2023, Hlyniana spent 10 million euros to acquire companies allegedly owning four-star and five-star hotels in the resort town of Split in Croatia, NV reported, citing the Croatian business registries. The hotels include Mirari, Ora, Lux, and Posh.

Hlyniana also reportedly has a private residence in Brela, another resort town southwest of Split, since 2016.

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Energoatom chief allegedly conceals assets, using mother-in-law as proxy to buy real estate
The mother-in-law of Energoatom President Petro Kotin acquired expensive real estate worth millions of hryvnias, which she couldn’t have been able to afford, according to Schemes, an investigative project of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

According to the journalist investigation, in the summer of 2023, Kotin's 70-year-old mother-in-law bought a two-story house and a 300-square-meter land plot with access to a private pond – paying, on the paper, only Hr 7 million ($183,000).

Soon after the purchase, Kotin and his family settled in the house.

In 2021, Kotin’s mother-in-law bought three neighboring land plots in Kyiv Oblast for around $40,000.

On paper, this property cost her significantly less than the market price, Schemes reported. It could indicate an attempt to hide the real cost of the purchase to evade taxes.

But even at these low prices, Kotin’s mother-in-law couldn’t have afforded these purchases. She only made Hr 79,000 ($9,875) between 2000 and 2009 and currently most likely receives a state pension as a retiree, Schemes reported.

In a written response to Schemes, Kotin said that his mother-in-law had accumulated the money for the purchase by 50 years of savings, cash from close relatives, and loans. The journalists looked into the close relatives of Kotin and concluded that none of them appear to have a source of income that would allow them to chip in for the purchase.

Soon after the journalist investigation, the National Agency on Corruption Prevention began monitoring Kotin over his mother-in-law’s suspicious property purchases, according to lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak, one of the advocators for the check.

Part of the agency's responsibilities is monitoring discrepancies between officials' standard of living and declared income to determine potential illicit revenue sources and other violations.

Kotin, a former director of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (currently occupied by Russia), has headed Energoatom since 2020, being formally appointed as its president in 2022.

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Russian military aviators ask for aid as freezing temperatures
Russian military aviators stationed at the Millerovo Air Base, home to the 31st Fighter Aviation Regiment, are facing a pressing challenge despite Russia’s colossal defense budget.

Despite being part of a military force with one of the world’s largest budgets, these aviators find themselves struggling with harsh winter conditions, resorting to social media for aid in acquiring firewood to heat their airfield quarters.

The plea for assistance came from Ilya Tumanov, a prominent Russian military figure and propagandist, who, through his influential channel ‘Fighterbomber,’ called upon his followers to support their colleagues at Millerovo. Tumanov emphasized the dire situation, stating, “Aviators need help. They’re freezing f*ck. Need firewood to stoke the furnaces at Millerovo airfield.”

Millerovo Air Base, situated within a stone’s throw of the Ukrainian border, operates Su-30SM fighter jets known for their engagement in conflicts in eastern Ukraine since 2014.

The irony of this plea for firewood is starkly contrasted against Russia’s exorbitant defense expenditure. In the first half of 2023, Russia surpassed its initially projected defense budget by a substantial 12%, amounting to 600 billion roubles. This escalation in spending has driven defense expenditures to nearly one-third of the country’s total budget for the year 2024, as Moscow channels an increasing share of resources toward the ongoing military operations in Ukraine.

To fund the so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine, Russia plans to escalate state borrowing, aiming to restore financial stability through projected recoveries in oil and gas revenues.

The plea for firewood from Russian aviators at Millerovo, despite the vast defense spending, sheds light on the paradoxical challenges faced by personnel on the ground despite the nation’s robust financial allocation to defense.

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Trump vowed he’d ‘never’ help Europe if it’s attacked, top EU official says
‘By the way NATO is dead,’ the former (and potential future) US president added in private meeting.

BRUSSELS — One of Europe's most senior politicians recounted how former U.S. President Donald Trump privately warned that America would not come to the EU's aid if it was attacked militarily.

"You need to understand that if Europe is under attack we will never come to help you and to support you," Trump told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in 2020, according to French European Commissioner Thierry Breton, who was also present at a meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

"By the way, NATO is dead, and we will leave, we will quit NATO," Trump also said, according to Breton. "And he added, ‘and by the way, you owe me $400 billion, because you didn’t pay, you Germans, what you had to pay for defense,'" Breton said about the tense meeting, where the EU's then-trade chief Phil Hogan was also present.

Breton told the anecdote at an event in the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday, just days before the Republican Party holds its January 15 caucus in Iowa, the opening contest in Trump's bid to win the Republican nomination for a run at returning to the White House. Party members will cast their votes for candidates including Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who both trail way behind the ex-president in opinion polls.

Brussels is rife with fear about the possibility Trump will return to the U.S. presidency.

As the commissioner in charge of the EU's industrial policy and defense agenda, Breton has pushed for the EU to boost its own self-defense capabilities amid Russia's war in Ukraine, and on Tuesday floated a �100 billion fund to ramp up arms production in the bloc.

"That was a big wake-up call and he may come back," Breton said about Trump. "So now more than ever, we know that we are on our own, of course. We are a member of NATO, almost all of us, of course we have allies, but we have no other options but to increase drastically this pillar in order to be ready [for] whatever happens.”

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Powerful explosions reported in Rostov region, Russia
Powerful explosions were reported in the Rostov region of the Russian Federation during the night of January 11. Locals claim that air defense systems were activated, according to the Russian Telegram channel SHOT.

Residents of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, a city in the Rostov region of Russia, reported several powerful explosions in the sky above the city, at least three in total.

It is also reported that the first explosion occurred around 23:30 Kyiv time. Locals claimed that air defense forces were supposedly in operation.

The city of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky is located approximately 100 kilometers from the temporarily occupied city of Luhansk by the Russians.

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Op donderdag 11 januari 2024 10:04 schreef slashdotter3 het volgende:
https://www.reddit.com/r/(...)eral_frost_turns_on/
Russia’s fabled war ally ‘General Frost’ turns on Moscow

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Op donderdag 11 januari 2024 15:43 schreef oheng het volgende:
Gaat vandaag goed met de hulp aan Oekraine. 3 miljard van de VN, NAVO belooft "miljarden" in een nieuwe bespreking. De 50 miljard EU hulp komt ook dichterbij. De VS gebruikt een gedeelte van de bevroren tegoeden voor hulp dit jaar.
Verder heel veel militaire samenwerking tussen landen en bedrijven.

Dus het "de hulp gaat stoppen" argument kan bij het afval.

Ukraine War Update NEWS (20240111b): Military Aid & Geopolitical News,

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Op donderdag 11 januari 2024 16:05 schreef Nebelwerfer het volgende:

[..]
Dat de hulp gaat stoppen wordt niet zoveel beweert. Het opschroeven van de hulp zodat Oekra�ne eventueel zou winnen, daar zit het hem in.

Kwam vandaag nog de tekst tegen op twitter dat, als Oekra�ne dit jaar geen vorderingen maakt, dit volgend jaar een nog groter probleem gaat zijn gezien de verdediging die Rusland op zal blijven tuigen. Kan weinig anders dan het eens zijn.

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Op donderdag 11 januari 2024 16:50 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
Je denkt helemaal verkeerd. Deze oorlog gaat niet gewonnen worden door mijnenvelden heen te ploegen zoals we het afgelopen jaar hebben gezien.

Strategisch gezien zijn er vele tientallen, zoniet honderden factoren gaande. Denk bijvoorbeeld maar eens aan Wit-Rusland. In het begin van de oorlog kon rusland over dat grondgebied aanvallen. Nu kunnen de raketten niet eens meer over dat grondgebied vliegen. En op 25 februari van dit jaar zullen er parlementaire verkiezingen zijn....

Persoonlijk kijk ik daar meer naar uit dan dan gestaar naar Trump.

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Op donderdag 11 januari 2024 16:58 schreef Nebelwerfer het volgende:

[..]
Wat zie ik dan verkeerd? Ik ga in op jouw teksten over het roepen dat hulp zou gaan stoppen. Dat stoppen van hulp hoor je niet veel. De bedragen die je noemt houden ook nog niet echt over.

Verder bekijk ik het grote plaatje, Oekra�ne wil winnen door Rusland het land uit te schoppen, dit gaat niet lukken met de huidige steun.

Dat hele wit rusland heeft met dat alles weinig te maken. Ook is het maar te bezien dat een pro westerse zwaai daar positief uit gaat pakken.

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Op donderdag 11 januari 2024 17:21 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
Voor een land wiens GDP 160 miljard was in 2020, met slechts 3 tot 6 miljard aan defensie uitgaven is het enorm veel.

En dit was slechts het nieuws van vandaag.

De situatie voor rusland wordt met de dag penibeler, en hun grootscheepse herfst offensief is faliekant mislukt, met duizenden vernietigde voertuigen en tienduizenden doden.

Het is rusland die vast zit in Oekra�ne, niet andersom. Oekra�ne hoeft rusland niet eruit te schoppen. Dat is een verkeerde aanname. Oekra�ne hoeft alleen te wachten totdat rusland gedwongen wordt door economische/politieke/opinie factoren.

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Op donderdag 11 januari 2024 18:10 schreef Nebelwerfer het volgende:

[..]
Rusland heeft ook bijna 20% van Oekra�ne in handen. Dat ga je niet terug krijgen met wachten.

Sowieso een matige strategie, wachten tot de tegenstander genoodzaakt is op te geven. Zeker nu al 2 jaar blijkt dat wachten tot Rusland door zijn middelen is niet werkt.

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Op donderdag 11 januari 2024 18:19 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Maar daardoor ontstaat er ook een probleem voor Rusland. Het is nu al zo dat de Krim no-go gebied is voor Russische schepen, helikopters en vliegtuigen. Marineschepen die aanmeren worden direct opgeblazen. Dat gaat niet veranderen. Met de komst van de F16 zal het alleen maar onveiliger worden. Rusland zal echt iets moeten gaan doen om te zorgen dat dat stopt, en dat ze de Krim veilig gebied kunnen gaan noemen, want in de loop van dit jaar ontstaan er gegarandeerd wat flinke gaten in de Kerchbrug en ook de landbrug gaat het niet redden om de Russen in het zuiden en op de Krim effectief te bevoorraden. De schepen en de havens zijn dus hard nodig.

Maar ook Oekra�ne is aan het bouwen geslagen dus een doorbraak over land om zo het gevaar te beperken zit er voor de Russen niet meer in. Zelfs al valt een dorpje als Andiivka, is er voor Oekra�ne geen groot militair probleem. Die trekken zich zich een paar kilometer terug en gaan de Russen gewoon daarvandaan kapot schieten.

En de Russen moeten zien hoe ze dat kunnen stoppen. Alleen: Rusland is niet in staat om ze veel verder terug te dringen. Je hoeft alleen maar naar Krynky te kijken waar een paar honderd infanteristen al een paar maanden lang ladingen Russische tanks, IFV's en infanteristen tegenhouden om te snappen dat dat echt een kansloze zaak is voor Poetin en co.

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Op donderdag 11 januari 2024 18:25 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Het is een prima strategie. Stop nooit een vijand als die blunders maakt.

Daarnaast: Oekra�ne wacht niet, ze hebben de oorlog naar andere gebieden getrokken. Sabotage achter de linies. Droneaanvallen op Rusland. De marine uitgeschakeld. De helikopters verjaagd. Noem maar op. Daar zal Rusland ook wel wat aan moeten gaan doen. Dat los je echt niet op door weer enkele duizenden mobiks richting de Oekra�ense linies te sturen. Maar Rusland heeft geen antwoord behalve burgers bombarderen. Maar daar is in dat land niemand echt zo van ge�ntimideerd geraakt dat ze zich willen overgeven..

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Op donderdag 11 januari 2024 18:15 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:

[..]
Rusland zou in 3 dagen heel Ukraine veroveren. Dus die verdediging werkt prima.

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Op donderdag 11 januari 2024 18:10 schreef Nebelwerfer het volgende:

[..]
Rusland heeft ook bijna 20% van Oekra�ne in handen. Dat ga je niet terug krijgen met wachten.

Sowieso een matige strategie, wachten tot de tegenstander genoodzaakt is op te geven. Zeker nu al 2 jaar blijkt dat wachten tot Rusland door zijn middelen is niet werkt.