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Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 18:01 schreef Aether het volgende:
Sweden officially joins NATO
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_223446.htm

Sweden became NATO’s newest member on Thursday (7 March 2024), upon depositing its instrument of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty with the Government of the United States in Washington DC. With Sweden’s accession, NATO now counts 32 countries among its members.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: “This is a historic day. Sweden will now take its rightful place at NATO’s table, with an equal say in shaping NATO policies and decisions. After over 200 years of non-alignment Sweden now enjoys the protection granted under Article 5, the ultimate guarantee of Allies’ freedom and security. Sweden brings with it capable armed forces and a first-class defence industry. Sweden’s accession makes NATO stronger, Sweden safer and the whole Alliance more secure. Today’s accession demonstrates that NATO’s door remains open and that every nation has the right to choose its own path.”

Sweden’s flag will be raised alongside those of the other 31 Allies in a ceremony at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday (11 March 2024), and simultaneously at NATO commands across Europe and North America.

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Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 18:31 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

Die zag ik niet aankomen.

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Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 18:36 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Ja, want die man heeft fantastische diplomatieke carri�re gehad.

Het is een generaal. Die man weet amper iets van de diplomatieke wereld. Zoiets werkt echt niet goed hoor. Toen Joegoslavi� uit elkaar viel had men ook van dat soort stunts.

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Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 18:36 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Ja, want die man heeft fantastische diplomatieke carri�re gehad.

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Indi�rs en Nepalezen dupe van schimmige praktijken
Jongemannen erin geluisd: geen baan in warm Dubai, maar aan bloedige en koude front in Oekra�ne
Aangepast: Vandaag, 11:25Vandaag,

Jonge mannen uit India en Nepal die zich denken in te schrijven voor banen in Rusland, Duitsland of Dubai, worden erin geluisd en belanden uiteindelijk aan het front van de verwoestende oorlog in Oekra�ne.

Dat zeggen hun families in gesprek met The Guardian.
Ze hebben geen idee dat ze naar een oorlogsgebied worden gestuurd.”

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Als toerist naar Rusland
Deze week circuleerde op sociale media een video van zeven Indi�rs uit Punjab die beweerden dat ze als toerist naar Rusland waren gereisd voor Nieuwjaar, maar die naar Wit-Rusland waren gebracht. ,,De politie heeft ons overgedragen aan de Russische autoriteiten, die ons documenten hebben laten ondertekenen", zei een van de mannen in de video, ge�dentificeerd als Gagandeep Singh. ,,
Nu dwingen ze ons om te vechten in de oorlog tegen Oekra�ne."

Woensdag werd gemeld dat een andere Indi�r, Mohammad Afsan, is gestorven aan het front nadat hij in november naar Moskou was gereisd voor een baan als bewaker. ,,
Hij had geen idee dat hij naar een oorlogsgebied werd gestuurd", zegt zijn broer Mohammad Imran.

Nepal
Het probleem wordt volgens The Guardian nog duidelijker in Nepal, waar de regering burgers onlangs verbood in Rusland of Oekra�ne te werken, nadat naar schatting duizenden Nepalezen in het leger terecht waren gekomen

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Onze enige hoop'
Onder hen is ook Siddhartha Dhakal (22), die in november door Oekra�ense troepen gevangen werd genomen. Een video waarin hij om hulp smeekt, wordt veel bekeken op sociale media.

Dhakal, een toegewijde student, was naar Rusland afgereisd om medicijnen te studeren, maar ontdekte bij zijn aankomst dat hij was misleid. ,,
Hij is onze enige zoon, onze enige hoop", snikt zijn vader Biru Dhakal. ,,
Breng hem alsjeblieft naar huis."

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Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 18:31 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

Die zag ik niet aankomen.

quote:

Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 18:36 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Ja, want die man heeft fantastische diplomatieke carri�re gehad.

Het is een generaal. Die man weet amper iets van de diplomatieke wereld. Zoiets werkt echt niet goed hoor. Toen Joegoslavi� uit elkaar viel had men ook van dat soort stunts.

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Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 18:42 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Weet je wie dit is?

[ afbeelding ]

En je hebt blijkbaar geen notie van in welke mate dat soort hoge rangen met politiek te maken hebben. Waarvan akte.

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Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 18:44 schreef sturmpie het volgende:
ja joepie
de Saab Gripen, die gaat harder en heeft 'n grotere actieradius dan de F35

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Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 19:52 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:

[..]
Er is meer dan alleen harder vliegen en actieradius.

Major Brian Shul, USAF (Ret.) SR-71 Blackbird 'Speed Check'

quote:

Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 18:31 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

Die zag ik niet aankomen.

quote:

Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 19:52 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:

[..]
Er is meer dan alleen harder vliegen en actieradius.

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FSB officers shoot dead Belarusian activist in Karelia who they say was preparing terror attack
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that its agents shot dead a citizen of Belarus in the northwestern Russian region of Karelia on Wednesday, Telegram channel ASTRA reported on Thursday.

The FSB said that a man they identified as 49-year-old activist Nikolai Alekseyev had been preparing to blow up an administrative building in the Karelian town of Olonets on the orders of the Ukrainian security services. The agency also alleged that Alekseyev was a member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and was on the wanted list.

In the FSB’s account of events, Alekseyev opened fire on law enforcement officers as they attempted to arrest him, after which he was shot dead. The publication says that an improvised explosive device and a pistol and ammunition were found in Alekseyev’s possession.

One of Alekseyev’s four sons confirmed his father’s death to independent Belarus news outlet Our Niva.

Alekseyev is known to have participated in protests against Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko in 2020 and to have been critical of him on social networks.

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The Ukrainian Rapid Operational Response Unit received 10 tons of explosives

Soldiers of the Ukrainian Rapid Operational Response Unit received 10 tons of explosives and related equipment from Czech volunteers.

D�rek pro Putina, the Czech team of volunteers, announced this.

D�rek pro Putina transferred 10 tons of Black Dough explosives, which were purchased last July with funds raised by Czech citizens.

In addition to the explosives, the volunteers also donated 10,000 detonators and 10 kilometers of flash cord used for remote detonation.

Передана підрозділу "Корд" вибухівка чеськими благодійниками

The necessary equipment worth CZK 14 million, or about $600,000, was purchased specifically for the Ukrainian Rapid Operational Response Unit, whose officers operate on the front line.

The volunteers emphasize that such explosives are ideal for use by engineering units and special forces that need special explosives in a variety of shapes to perform precision demolition work to destroy unexploded ordnance or for other tasks.

The Czech ammunition manufacturer STV GROUP is the producer of the explosive known as Black Dough. The explosive is durable and powerful even for use underwater or in extreme temperature conditions.

In addition, it can also be useful for equipping ammunition for the FPV drones used by the unit.

Drones also pose an interest for volunteers. In December last year, volunteers and members of the Czech security forces founded the Group D association under the auspices of Karel Řehka, Chief of the General Staff of the Military of the Czech Republic, to launch a fundraiser for drones.

The Czech military and reserve soldiers have joined forces to raise $4.5 million as part of the Nemesis project for 10,000 FPV drones.

“The Russians have realized the importance of drones on the battlefield and are increasing their production during the war. They do it in prisons and schools. We understand that we need to react somehow,” Jan Veverka, investor and army reserve soldier, pointed out.

In addition, at the end of February, Czech billionaire Jan Barta donated $2 million for FPV drones for the Ukrainian military.

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Putin vowed to protect pro-Russia Moldovan region, its leader says
Not Transnistria; another one.

Transnistria isn’t Moldova’s only problem child.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said this week he would support Moldova’s autonomous region of Gagauzia after meeting the territory’s pro-Moscow leader, sparking further fears of destabilization in the Eastern European country as it races to join the EU.

Evghenia Guțul, who has been in Russia since last week, said Putin “promised to extend support to Gagauzia and the Gagauz people in upholding our legal rights, our authority and positions in the international arena.”

“I told [him] about the illegal actions of Moldova’s authorities who are taking revenge on us for our civic positions and for standing by our national interests,” she added, after meeting the Russian leader on Wednesday.

Gagauzia, a southern Moldovan region of about 150,000 people, is populated mostly by ethnic Turks and was granted autonomy from Chișinău soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Guțul’s comments come after authorities in Transnistria, a more prominent pro-Moscow breakaway territory in Moldova’s east that has hosted Russian troops for three decades, made similar calls to Moscow last month to “protect” it against “pressure” from Chișinău.

Tensions between the two regions and Moldova’s central government have spiked over President Maia Sandu’s strong support of Ukraine and pro-EU dreams. Moldova, wedged between Romania and Ukraine, is set to begin negotiations to join the bloc after the EU green-lighted the talks in December.

But the country’s Foreign Minister Mihail Popșoi dismissed claims Russia could order its troops into the country, despite the Kremlin’s all-out war on Ukraine raging near its border, telling POLITICO this week that Russia’s military power has waned “thanks to the sacrifice of the brave Ukrainian people.”

Separately on Thursday, Moldova’s prosecutor general said he had launched legal action against Guțul, who was elected the region’s leader last year, for unspecified “illegal actions.”

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Macron has started something with his brilliant little blunder
French President Emmanuel Macron’s diplomatic blunder on the steps of the �lys�e Palace put him ahead of his NATO allies last week. But his error is unexpectedly becoming a brilliant move, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has taken notice.

SPOILER

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After meeting with 20 European heads of state and other officials at the Ukraine Summit in Paris on Feb. 27, Macron openly contemplated in a press conference the possibility of sending European troops to Ukraine to help Kyiv win the war against Russia.

No such formal decision had been made during the summit, so this was a rather controversial statement. Yet what Macron had done was deliver a message to the Kremlin regarding NATO troops, that “nothing should be ruled out,” and that “We will do anything we can to prevent Russia from winning this war.”

Macron’s messaging actually had two intended recipients: Washington and Moscow. His patience with Capitol Hill over Ukraine funding had run out. “Should we give over our future to the American electorate?” he asked. “My answer is no. Let’s not wait for the outcome.”

Macron’s message to Putin was that he will not allow Ukraine to lose, and that it is therefore futile to continue the war.

Both messages were strong. But Macon, ever the geopolitical opportunist, had failed first to receive a buy-in from NATO or from the other European nations attending the summit. By getting out in front of his messages before achieving consensus from other European leaders, Macron committed a tactical error.

The Kremlin responded immediately, warning that “conflict between Russia and the U.S.-led NATO military alliance would be inevitable if European members of NATO sent troops to fight in Ukraine.” Subsequently, during his State of the Nation address, Putin warned that Western military intervention in Ukraine “could result in nuclear escalation.”

In response to Putin, Germany, Poland, Finland and Sweden quickly distanced themselves from the French president and issued rejoinders. NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg announced that “the alliance has no plans to send troops to Ukraine.” White House National security spokesman John Kirby bluntly declared, “President Biden has been crystal clear since the beginning of this conflict: There would be no U.S. troops on the ground in a combat role there.”

Once again, the familiar threat of nuclear escalation emanating from the Kremlin rattled Europe, leaving Macron standing alone as an army of one.

Or so it seemed, at first.

But as America abandons its NATO leadership role in Europe, Macron’s blunder actually has some merit as a broader part of the strategic argument. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas led the way in standing beside Macron with her statement that “everything is on the table to help Ukraine beat Putin.”

Her sentiment was then echoed by Czech President Petr Pavel, who stated, “There should be no limit regarding possibilities in the support for Ukraine…I’m in favor of looking for new ways, including continuing the discussion about a possible presence in Ukraine. Let’s not limit ourselves where we shouldn’t.”

Even Canada now expresses openness to sending troops to Ukraine, according to Defense Minister Bill Blair, albeit in a non-combatant role, “far from the front lines.”

Macron has clearly started something, and he is not backing off. He doubled down on his message in Prague on March 5, stating that “Europe has been cut in two by cowardice, by the desire of one part of Europe not to see the difficulties of the other, to abandon its destiny to totalitarianism.”

Macron’s blistering statement was undoubtedly a shot at German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who continues to resist deployment of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine despite German lawmakers’ support.

Scholz provided multiple excuses. Ukraine, he said, needs “ammunition at all possible distances, but not decisively this thing [Taurus] from Germany.” He then said he cannot give Ukraine “a weapon with a range of 500 km, which, in case of incorrect usage, could hit a certain target somewhere in Moscow…It is unacceptable to supply a weapon system capable of reaching great distances without considering how to control it. If you want control, it only works with the participation of German soldiers, so for me, this is out of the question.”

Russia is clearly rattled by Macron’s posturing. Putin’s threats were amplified recently by deputy head of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev. Standing before a map of Europe that depicted a tiny Ukraine the size of the state of Maine, centered around Kyiv, he stated that the very idea of Ukrainian independence “must disappear forever.”

Medvedev’s additional comment that “Russia’s borders do not end anywhere” sends a clear message to the U.S. and NATO that they must take seriously. Russia has a strategic plan that does not stop with Ukraine. Putin is intent on reuniting the entire former Soviet Union. He writes it, he says it, and his regime’s lackeys repeat it and act like it.

Last week, Moldova found itself again in Putin’s crosshairs when the Transnistria Congress of Deputies formally asked the Kremlin

Putin will not stop there either. Belarus and Russia continue to exhibit bad intentions toward Poland, trying to bait it into an armed conflict.

Macron is pushing buttons and making Western leaders increasingly uncomfortable. They need to be pushed in order to create a sense of urgency. The dirty little secret is now public that “boots on the ground” may be necessary if Russia is able to threaten Kyiv.

Ukraine’s withdrawal from Avdiivka, its severe shortage of artillery ammunition, the steady flow of Russian soldiers and equipment into Ukraine, and the Western public’s Ukraine fatigue are making this worst-possible scenario increasingly likely.

Ukraine is the last line of the West’s defense. NATO’s newest partners get that. Those countries once subjugated by Russian rule are not going to stand around and wait for Russia absorb them yet again. That’s why “just enough” is no longer enough in Ukraine. It is time to reinstate the Powell Doctrine and take care of business.

Half measures will not win the war. The West needs a plan and a message to send to Russia — that Ukraine will not fail, and that all options are on the table.

Macron’s blunder brilliantly brought that to the forefront.

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Explosion at Russian Shagonarskaya thermal power plant caught on camera

A video of the moment that the Shagonarskaya thermal power plant exploded, which occurred on March 6 in the Russian republic of Tyva, is being shared online by Russian channel Shot, which published a video on Telegram.

According to Russian media, 23 people were injured in the explosion at the plant.

Earlier, the TASS propagandist agency reported that an explosion and fire had occurred at the Shagonarskaya plant in the Republic of Tyva, injuring 18 people.

According to the authorities, the explosion at the Shagonarskaya power plant occurred at the fuel supply point with a tape container. The administration claimed that the boilers were allegedly intact.

Later, the head of Tyva, Vladislav Khovalyg, said that the fire at the Shagonarskaya was localized.

The republic also declared a regional state of emergency.

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The drone of the 47th Brigade destroyed the TOS-1А Solntsepyok in the Avdiyivka sector

Soldiers of the 47th Mechanized Brigade of the Strike Drones Company destroyed the TOS-1А heavy flamethrower system in the Avdiyivka sector.

Volunteer and blogger Serhii Sternenko announced this on his X (Twitter) account.

The attack was carried out using an FPV drone with a thermal imaging camera, which allowed for effective surveillance and detonation.

Ураження російської� ТОС-1А "Солнцепёк" на Авдійвському напрямку

No detonation occurred after the hit, as the vehicle was moving without ammunition.

This is not the first case of destruction of Russian TOS-1A in the Avdiyivka sector, where the enemy actively uses these systems.

On January 14, 2024, Ukrainian troops neutralized a Russian TOS-1А heavy flamethrower system operating in the Avdiyivka sector.

The Russians used the system to destroy light armored vehicles, manpower, and fortifications.

Militarnyi previously reported that work on a TOS-3 new heavy flamethrower system was ongoing in Russia.

The new system was named TOS-3 Drakon (Dragon – ed.).

It is developed on the basis of existing TOS-1 and TOS-2 systems, which Russians are actively using in the war with Ukraine.

According to the image, the TOS-3 will be based on a tank tracked chassis, like its predecessors TOS-1 and the TOS-1A Solntsepek, while the launcher will be borrowed from the TOS-2 Tosochka, which has its own ammunition loading mechanism that facilitates reloading.

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Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 22:20 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Wat wil Rusland doen dan met Moldavi�? Is het niet een beetje kansloos geklier? Staatsgreep lijkt me niet aannemelijk.

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Investigation into SpaceX due to use of Starlink by Russian troops
Democrats in the US House of Representatives have launched an investigation into Elon Musk’s SpaceX amid data on the purchase of Starlink terminals by the Russians.

The Washington Post reports this.

The publication writes that the purpose of the investigation is to find out whether the company took appropriate measures to prevent Russia from using satellite Internet service.

Thus, a letter was sent to the company demanding that it provide reports of complaints about illegal acquisitions of terminals.

Lawmakers also stressed that Russia’s proposed use of Starlink poses a serious threat to the security of Ukraine, the lives of Ukrainians, and U.S. national security.

Earlier, information appeared that the Russian military began to use Starlink satellite terminals.

The American military portal Defense One confirmed rumors about the appearance of Starlink in the Russian armed forces.

The portal published photos allegedly of one of the Starlink systems used by the Russians.

Ukrainian troops first discovered Russia’s use of satellite devices on the front lines several months ago.

VIDEO. Earlier, Elon Musk refused to answer questions about how he prevented a Ukrainian attack on Russian warships by turning off Starlink terminals.

The businessman was accused of helping Vladimir Putin by refusing to use the Starlink satellite network for the Ukrainian military.

Elon Musk refuses to answer if his 'ignorance and ego' cost Ukrainian lives

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Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 22:33 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Rusland bedreigt Armeni� omdat Armeni� opschuift naar het westen.

Op dit moment is Armeni� een vazalstaat van Rusland, maar dat wil Armeni� niet meer.

- de Armeense grens wordt bewaakt door Russische soldaten en de paspoortcontroles op het vliegveld worden uitgevoerd door de Russische FSB.
- De Russische FSB voert controles uit op de Armeense snelwegen
- de Armeense infrastructuur en de Armeense economie is grotendeels in handen van Russsen.
- Er zijn 2 Russische militaire basissen in Armeni�.

Gaat moeilijk worden voor Armeni� om van Rusland af te komen. Ik ben bang dat Rusland dit niet gaat tollereren.

[ x ]

[ x ]

[ x ]

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Russian Special Forces Commander 'Liquidated' in Ukraine: Kyiv
A Russian special forces commander was killed in Ukraine, according to reports, as Moscow's army continues to rack up high personnel losses since its full-scale invasion.

Eastern European news outlet Nexta posted on Telegram on Thursday that Alexey Ivanov, a commander with the "Peresvet" special forces (Spetsnaz) detachment, "was eliminated by aerial reconnaissance of the 30th mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine."

The X account Russian Officers Killed in Ukraine (KIU), which tracks high-level losses via public notices, obituaries and news reports, said he was "was eliminated in Ukraine by a grenade dropped from a drone."

Neither post gave a date or location of the incident, but KIU linked to a tribute written on March 1 on the Russian social media site VKontakte by Yaroslav Yaroslavtsev, who described how he fought alongside him.

Yaroslavtsev, whose handle describes himself as an authorized representative of Russian nationalist politician Sergey Baburin, wrote: "Sad news. While performing a combat mission, the commander of the 1st company of the sabotage and reconnaissance detachment with the call sign 'Fagot' died.

"I knew Fagot as a competent and experienced officer," the post said. "I remember one incident from a conversation with him—while on the line of combat, he received a shrapnel wound. When asked why he did not evacuate from his positions, he answered me, 'how can I leave my guys here?'

"This is the kind of officer and commander he was," the post ended. "Sleep well, brother."

Kislovodsk Medical College, in the Stavropol region, said Ivanov had worked there and served with Russia's armed forces until 2011, where he reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was awarded the Order of Courage.

After volunteering to fight in Ukraine in 2022, he "courageously stood up for the defense of the Motherland and died in the line of military duty as a true patriot of his country," a tribute on the college's website said.

Russia has lost a lot of officers over the course of its full-scale invasion with KIU's latest tally standing at 3,667. Among them is one lieutenant general, six major generals, 89 colonels, 218 lieutenant colonels and 618 captains.

Russian forces have also lost over 1,000 senior lieutenants, according to the X account, as of March 1.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's latest tally of Russian casualties stood at 421,430 as of Thursday, with 1,160 losses recorded over the previous day. Kyiv's figure includes both the dead and injured.

Newsweek contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment.

SPOILER

https://twitter.com/KilledInUkraine/status/1765644747316601291

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US Congress may begin collecting signatures on Friday to consider assistance to Ukraine bypassing House speaker
The United States Congress may begin collecting signatures this week to bring a bill to help Ukraine and other partners to a vote in the House of Representatives bypassing House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Source: Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick on Wednesday at a press briefing at the Capitol; quoted by Voice of America, The Hill; as reported by European Pravda

Details: Fitzpatrick claims that if Johnson does not put the project to a vote, the signature collection process will begin.

Quote: "This is a pressure point, to try to apply pressure to force something to the floor."

The congressman stated that if the House of Representatives cannot reach an agreement on the bill, "the alternative can’t be that Ukraine fails and our border remains open".

Fitzpatrick said that he is working with Johnson's office to bring the package before the House of Representatives.

The congressman added that he was "very confident" the initiative could get the 218 signatures needed to pass.

Fitzpatrick announced last week that he was preparing to bypass Speaker Mike Johnson in order to secure approval for Ukraine aid.

Earlier, Mike Johnson, Republican Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, stated that the bill for supplementary funding for Ukraine will be considered as soon as the federal government's financing issues are resolved.

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Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 22:35 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Ook een mogeliijk toekomstig doelwit dus voor annexatie/landjepik.

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The one clever trick Ukraine uses to shoot down Russian planes
A new piece of equipment that even the USA doesn’t yet have

The Ukrainian air force went on an unprecedented aerial kill-streak last month. In 12 days starting on Feb. 17, the air force – which operates Ukraine’s warplanes and also its ground-based air defenses – claimed it shot down a staggering 13 Russian warplanes.

It’s not possible to independently confirm all the kills, and it’s possible the real number of shoot-downs is somewhat lower – or even higher.

But no one disputes that, last month, the Ukrainians shot down a lot of Russian planes. On average since Russia widened its war on Ukraine two years ago, the Russian air force and naval aviation have lost four planes a month to Ukrainian action. In the 24th month of the war, they may have lost at least three times that average.

The question is, how? What changed to make Russian planes more vulnerable, Ukrainian air defenses more deadly, or both? And is there a lesson for the wider world in that February aerial massacre?

SPOILER

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It’s evident the Russian air force, which has deployed several hundred of its roughly 1,000 fighters plus several support planes for sorties over Ukraine, stepped up its operations in February. The Russian army was poised to finally push the ammunition-starved Ukrainian garrison out of the eastern city of Avdiivka – and the air force saw an opportunity to hasten the Ukrainians’ retreat.

The air force organized its 100 Sukhoi Su-34 fighter-bombers and similar number of Sukhoi Su-35 air-superiority fighters into flights of three, loaded up the two-seat Su-34s with satellite-guided glide-bombs and the single-seat Su-35s with anti-radar missiles and sent the flights to strike Ukrainian positions in and around Avdiivka.

The Russians’ overall sortie rate at the height of the Avdiivka battle in mid-February exceeded a hundred per day – likely matching their sortie rate during the headiest early days of the way two years ago. Every one of the planes was a potential target for the Ukrainians’ ground-based missile batteries.

All things being equal, more aerial targets means more shoot-downs. But the elevated pace of Russian flights might not be the only factor in the February kill-streak. For starters, the Ukrainians appear to have taken some of the components of their three American-made Patriot missile batteries – their best air-defense batteries – and organized them into mobile units.

Traveling quickly just behind the front line, a couple of Patriot quad-launchers, connected to long-range radars via a radio data-link, could ambush Russian jets as far as 90 miles away then hit the road before the Russians can fire back. It’s this tactic that seems to have allowed the Ukrainians to knock down several Russian jets late last year in what amounted to a preview of the bloodier February campaign.

But one key shoot-down, the destruction of a rare Russian Beriev A-50 radar plane over the Sea of Azov on Feb. 23, occurred 120 miles from the front line – too far for a one-ton Patriot. The only missile system that Ukraine has access to that ranges that far is the old, ex-Soviet S-200, which fires a hulking, eight-ton missile.

The Ukrainian air force retired its S-200s back in 2013, but reactivated some of them last year as surface-to-surface strike missiles. It’s possible – likely, even – that the air force is once again using the S-200s in their original surface-to-air role.

But what radars guide the S-200s? The original Soviet radars emit so much energy that they usually betray the coming missile-launch – and give the targeted pilots time to take evasive action. There’s a hint, however, that the Ukrainians have found a more subtle way of cueing their most powerful missiles.

Back in February 2023, 10 months before Russia-friendly Republicans in the U.S. Congress cut off U.S. aid to Ukraine, the administration of Pres. Joe Biden announced a $2.2 billion package of military aid that included this intriguing item: “equipment to integrate Western air-defense launchers, missiles and radars with Ukraine’s air-defense systems.”

Analysts widely read that verbiage as a nod to the U.S. Army’s Integrated Battle Command System, built by Northrop Grumman. IBCS isn’t a radar. It isn’t a missile.

No, it’s a suite of processors, radio links and algorithms that lets pretty much any air-defense radar and pretty much any air-defense missile work together. “IBCS enables the efficient and affordable integration of current and future systems,” Northrop Grumman explained.

The development of IBCS isn’t totally complete, yet, but it’s close. The Americans haven’t deployed any major IBCS components yet, but the Poles have. And the Poles, it’s worth noting, are among the biggest suppliers of air-defense equipment to the Ukrainians now that Republicans are blocking U.S. aid.

Even if it just got parts of IBCS, the Ukrainian air force could link up hundreds of long-range radars, including old Soviet models and the latest Western models, and use that comprehensive sensor coverage to guide all of its medium- and long-range missiles – again including Soviet and Western models.

Potentially all-seeing, heavily-armed and flexible, Ukrainian air-defenders may have been primed to take advantage of the opportunity Russian pilots presented them when the pilots surged into the air over Avdiivka. The shoot-downs didn’t slow until the battle in and around Avdiivka slowed.

If Ukraine did get some of the IBCS, its recent aerial kill-streak should be a ringing endorsement. That particular piece of kit works extremely well, and the United States and its allies should acquire it, as soon as possible.

quote:

Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS), USA
IBCS integrates multiple sensors and weapon systems into a unified network for improved battlefield capabilities.

he Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) is an integrated air and missile defence battle command system developed by Northrop Grumman, an aerospace and defence technology company based in the US.

The system is set to be deployed with the US Army units for frontline combat, with the US Department of Defence (DoD) having approved its full-rate production in April 2023.

The IBCS integrates multiple sensors and weapon systems into a single network, enabling faster decision making and more efficient engagement of targets in multi-domain battle operations. It can provide war fighters with enhanced situational awareness, improved operational efficiency and increased lethality, while enabling interoperability and high-level integration across coalition partners.

SPOILER

quote:

The system is being adopted as part of the US Army’s broader modernisation efforts to keep pace with emerging threats and maintain its technological edge over adversaries.

The US Army awarded a five-year contract worth more than $1bn to Northrop Grumman for low-rate initial production and full-rate production of the IBCS in December 2021.

The Polish Government has also selected the IBCS to serve as the centrepiece of its air defence modernisation strategy. It ordered six IBCS engagement operations centres (EOCs) as part of the Wisla medium-range air and missile defence programme in May 2019.

In July 2022, Northrop Grumman delivered the first IBCS EOC for Poland’s Wisla programme, which is aimed at replacing the country’s Soviet-era air defence systems with advanced, western-built technology.

The IBCS achieved initial operational capability with the US Army in May 2023.

IBCS flight test details
The first three flight tests of the IBCS conducted between May 2015 and May 2016 demonstrated the system’s capability to engage on composite track and simultaneously intercept cruise and ballistic missiles.

Northrop Grumman subsequently tested the system for the detection, tracking and simulated engagements of air targets in a three-week exercise led by the US Army at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in September 2018.

The system was used to successfully intercept a cruise missile at a long range with Patriot, Sentinel and PAC-3 interceptors in the flight test conducted in August 2019. IBCS also demonstrated the simultaneous interception of two cruise missiles and its interoperability with USMC TPS-59 radar and F-35 sensors in December 2019.

In August 2020, the US Army conducted additional flight tests to determine the ability of the IBCS to track, identify, engage and defend against diverse targets, including low-flying cruise missiles and high-flying ballistic missiles launched at different times, speeds, and altitudes, in extremely challenging and contested environments.

Furthermore, in a flight test conducted in July 2021, the IBCS integrated a wide variety of sensors, including one Marine Corps AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar (G/ATOR), two Army Sentinel radars, one Army Patriot radar and two US Air Force F-35 fighter aircraft, on an integrated fire control network (IFCN), for successful interception of cruise missile target in a highly contested electronic attack environment.

It was the last of the eight developmental/operational flight tests that demonstrated the IBCS’ scalability and resilience in offering joint all-domain command and control (JADC2) capabilities to the US Army and its allies.

IBCS design and features
IBCS is a state-of-the-art, software-defined, network-enabled air and missile defence command and control system. It is designed with a modular, open, and scalable architecture to establish a seamless, unified network with multiple sensors and weapon systems.

The system allows for integration with existing and future sensors and weapon systems in the battlespace, irrespective of source, service or domain. It can connect and fuse multi-service sensor data to multi-service weapons of existing and future systems, including assets deployed over IP-enabled networks, counter-UAS systems, 4th and 5th-generation aircraft, space-based sensors and more.

The main components of the IBCS include integrated fire control network (IFCN) relays, an engagement operations centre (EOS) that provides an interactive collaborative environment, and a common software, which fuses sensor data and creates a single integrated air picture allowing war fighters to select the most appropriate weapon to defeat air and missile defence (AMD) threats effectively and efficiently.

The IBCS integrates and optimises a wide range of sensors to quickly decide on the best effector to defend against incoming threats.

Future potential of IBCS
Extensive flight tests have demonstrated the IBCS’ potential to integrate diverse service sensors such as the Marine Corps AN/TPS-59 radars and sensors aboard Air Force F-35 aircraft and connect them with Patriot launchers.

The war fighters will be able to integrate the joint tactical ground station (JTAGS) and terminal high altitude air defence system (THAAD) into the IBCS. The system can also integrate the sensors under development, such as the Army’s lower tier air and missile defence sensor (LTAMDS).

The system’s capability to integrate international sensors and effectors has been demonstrated through a collaborative prototype development by Northrop Grumman with European defence companies MBDA and Saab. The prototype was developed with MBDA’s Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM) and Saab’s Giraffe radar in 2019.

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Russia’s ruling party to monitor voter turnout among government employees
Russia’s ruling party United Russia has developed an app to monitor voter turnout among government employees, voter rights NGO Golos revealed on Thursday.

Golos said that a video promoting the app had been sent out to several United Russia deputies tasked with encouraging government employees to download the app.

The app has a GPS tracking system that allows the voter to check in at their polling station and confirm that they have voted. It’s impossible to “trick the system”, Golos experts say, as the app only works at the polling station where the voter is registered.

Only voters in the party’s database will be able to use the service. Polling stations will have QR codes with a link to the service for those who forgot to download it in advance, the video says.

Golos said that monitoring turnout violates the principle of the secret ballot and freedom of expression, and impinges on voters’ rights.

The Russian presidential election will take place over three days on 15–17 March. For the first time ever, Russia will use online voting in 27 regions as well as in annexed Crimea, a system that has been criticised by election observers for its lack of transparency.

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Sappers Demined 115 Hectares in Kharkiv Region Over Week
KHARKIV OBLAST, Mar 7 — Between February 29 and March 6, sappers defused about 1,600 explosive devices and demined almost 115 hectares of territory in the Kharkiv Oblast.

In addition, they inspected 39 hectares of agricultural land, reported the press service of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration.

Pyrotechnics also demined 5.5 kilometers of roads and 20 other objects. They also worked on critical communications, demining 0.5 kilometers of gas pipelines and almost nine kilometers of power lines.

Specialists connected 562 subscribers to the power grid and restored power supply to 2,429 consumers.

On March 6, sappers demined almost 16 hectares of territory, 3.5 hectares of agricultural land, and one facility. On the same day, they inspected 1.6 km of roads and 1.5 km of power lines. Sappers also defused 293 explosive munitions.

As of February 29, 2024, 156,000 km� of Ukraine’s territory is potentially contaminated and requires inspection and further demining, said Serhii Reva, head of the Humanitarian Demining Department of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Sappers need to inspect and demine about 25.8% of the country’s territory. Over two years of the full-scale war, SES deminers defused more than 470,000 explosive munitions over an area of more than 1,170 km�.

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Zelensky signs off law on demobilization of conscripts
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine signed into law the bill on putting active conscripts to military reserve after they complete their term of service under martial law.
That’s according to the parliament’s website, Ukrinform reports.

The law establishes that in the circumstances of general military draft and under martial law, conscripts whose term of military service has expired during martial law and whose service term has been extended beyond the established one shall put to military reserve within the terms determined by a Presidential decree.

It is assumed that such servicemen shall not be called up for military service during the mobilization period for 12 months from the date of their release unless they have expressed a desire to continue serving with the defense forces.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the law on February 23.

A legal regime of martial law has been in effect in Ukraine since February 24, 2022. Persons are called into the defense forces upon mobilization. No new conscripts shall be drafted as this is prohibited by law.

However, to this day, the conscripts drafted before martial law was introduced have remained in service. Military conscripts are entitled to move to the service upon general mobilization.

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Behind the Lines: Innocence No Defense for Young Crimean
Leniie Umerova is 25-years-old and one of hundreds of Ukrainian political prisoners held in Russia. Her story underscores the harsh reality of returning to a homeland under occupation.

Umerova, a Ukrainian citizen from Crimea, has been held without trial for a year and two months, including 10 months in the FSB’s notorious Lefortovo detention center on suspicion of espionage. The charge could result in a 20-year prison sentence.

All because she tried to visit the occupied peninsula to see her father, who was recovering from cancer surgery, in December 2022

SPOILER

quote:

Umerova, a Crimean Tatar, had moved to Kyiv to finish high school following the annexation of Crimea in 2014 because her mother didn’t want her to have a Russian passport. She then entered the National Technical University of Ukraine, where she majored in chemical technologies before finding work as a social media manager for a Ukrainian clothing company.

“She would come every six months,” Rezvan Umerov, Leniie’s father, told Krym.Realii. “We thought this time would be the same.”

She was detained at the Verkhniy Lars checkpoint, on the Russian-Georgian border. After Russia’s full-scale invasion, it was almost the only option for getting to Crimea. She had to travel through Bulgaria, Romania, and Georgia’s border with Russia.

“At first, everything went as usual: documents and luggage were checked, citizens of Ukraine were told to hand over their phones for checking,” Umerova said in letters from the pre-trial detention center, published by her brother on Facebook. “Everything that happened next was like some kind of endless, terrible dream.”

Aziz Umerov, Leniie’s brother, is convinced her Ukrainian passport was the reason she was detained by Russian forces.

“She was the only passenger on the bus who didn’t have a Russian passport,” he said. “They began to treat her meticulously after realizing she was born in Crimea but never obtained a Russian passport.”

Officials said they found some information on her phone and laptop they didn’t like. After interrogations, Umerova was put in a taxi in the middle of the night and sent to a hotel near Russian Vladikavkaz, her brother told Suspilne Crimea.

The taxi was moving along the state border, which was forbidden for foreign citizens under Russian law, and traffic police officers stopped the vehicle and arrested her for being in a restricted area. The same night a Russian court ordered her “detention in an isolation cell for stateless persons and foreign citizens,” her brother said.

Umerova was held in the Center for Temporary Detention of Foreign Citizens near Vladikavkaz until March 2023.

After that, the occupiers initiated new “cases” against her, which led to a series of administrative arrests. She was kept in detention centers in Vladikavkaz and Beslan before being taken to Moscow. On May 5 she was arrested again, this time by the Lefortovo District Court of Moscow, on “espionage” charges.

The case was promptly classified as secret, and at her most recent appearance, Umerova’s detention was extended for a further two months, until May 4, 2024.

“When the FSB allege treason or espionage, they often force a lawyer to sign a non-disclosure agreement,” said Olga Skrypnyk, who chairs the board of the Crimean Human Rights Group. “In this way the whole case becomes a state secret.”

Leniie Umerova has been held illegally for 14 months, in violation of all human rights standards, Skrypnyk said. There is little point in hoping legal mechanisms or a fair trial will lead to her release, so diplomatic-political mechanisms are the best chance, she added.

“The most realistic thing for Leniie today is to be released through a swap between the Russian Federation and Ukraine,” Skrypnyk told CEPA. “In practice that can only be after sentence – and there are no guarantees.”

Moscow and Kyiv agreed on a swap of women prisoners in October 2022, in which 108 Ukrainian women, including 12 civilians, were swapped for 110 Russians, but since the full-scale invasion, no political prisoners from Crimea have been released through such exchanges.

A newly opened International Platform for the Release of Civilians Illegally Detained by the Russian Federation needs to work hard and adapt to find a mechanism for the release and return of Ukrainian civilians, Skrypnyk said.

“The platform was launched on February 26 by the Ombudsman of Ukraine, but without the participation of human rights organizations,” she said. “It is important to include such organizations as they have been taking care of this problem in Crimea and Donbas since 2014, keeping lists, collecting evidence, and providing legal and other assistance.”

An information campaign outside Ukraine is also necessary, she said, as it is difficult for politicians and diplomats around the world to understand that Russia is detaining and taking hostage not just military prisoners of war, but thousands of civilians.

The civilians being held are terribly tortured, raped, and die without medical help, so it is vital to act with urgency, she said.

More than 200 Crimeans are currently being held on politically motivated criminal charges, Skrypnyk said, and the longer the occupied territories remain under Russian control, the more civilian hostages there will be.

Ukraine’s Mission in Crimea says Umerova’s captivity is purely political and part of a propaganda operation against Crimean Tatars, giving cover for crackdowns on activists.

“By accusing a Crimean Tatar woman of espionage, the occupiers highlight the perceived ‘danger’ posed by this indigenous group,” the mission said in a statement posted on Facebook. “In such a way, they justify the fight with Crimean Tatar activists who advocate for Ukraine’s support and the peninsula’s liberation.”

Umerova’s second birthday behind bars – her 26th – will be marked in the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center, where Stalin’s secret police carried out some of their most brutal atrocities. It is still regarded as one of the worst in Russia due to its harsh conditions, cruel treatment of prisoners, and severe restrictions on communication with the outside world.

Her family says maintaining communication is extremely challenging. Letters are extensively censored, and her captors “advise” writing in Russian. Despite pressure, she persists in sending letters in her mother tongue.

She says she is determined not to let the Russians break her psychologically. In January she wrote a letter to all Ukrainians and thanked them for their support.

“They can take away my freedom, put me in a cage, turn my life upside down, but they cannot deprive me of my values ​​and principles,” she wrote. “These times are challenging for all Ukrainians. Let us proudly overcome our difficulties and reclaim all that is dear to us.”

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Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 23:08 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
Blijkbaar is er wel een systeem die dus met Patriot werkt. Die er voor kan zorgen dat meerdere systemen (waaronder oude sovjet meuk) met elkaar kunnen samenwerken. Waardoor onder andere ballistische raketten, maar ik neem aan ook vliegtuigen eerder gespot en getrackt kunnen worden. En dus makkelijker neergehaald kunnen worden door bijvoorbeeld de Patriot. Met gebruik van andere radar systemen in het netwerk.

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New Jersey man charged with trafficking 675 SpaceX Starlink terminals
• A New Jersey man was arrested on charges for allegedly trafficking 675 SpaceX Starlink terminals purchased with stolen credit card accounts or hacked Starlink billing accounts, police said.
• Kelvin Rodriguez-Moya of Newark was stopped by police Dec. 4 while driving 223 Starlink terminals in a pickup truck and trailer after leaving a residence in Lawrence Township, New Jersey, a criminal complaint said.
• Bennett Woo, SpaceX’s director of payment risk and fraud, called the seizure of the terminals SpaceX’s “largest fraud recovery to date by an order of magnitude.”
• Starlink terminals give customers high-speed internet access through SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation and have been sought after by military, government, and nongovernment organizations around the world.

A New Jersey man was arrested on charges for allegedly trafficking 675 SpaceX Starlink terminals purchased with stolen credit card accounts or hacked Starlink billing accounts, police said Wednesday.

SPOILER

quote:

The man, 35-year-old Kelvin Rodriguez-Moya, was stopped by police Dec. 4 while driving 223 Starlink terminals in a pickup truck and trailer after leaving a residence in Lawrence Township, New Jersey, a criminal complaint said. The terminals had shipping labels addressed to multiple different names at the same address.

Lawrence Township police had been tipped off about a suspiciously large number of Starlink terminals being shipped to that home, the complaint said. Detectives then witnessed Rodriguez-Moya loading a FedEx shipment of terminals onto the truck and trailer.

Rodriguez-Moya told police that he was paid $300 to drive the terminals to Newark, where he lives, for resale, according to the complaint.

The total value of the 675 fraudulently purchased Starlink terminals that police subsequently learned had been shipped to the Lawrence Township address is about $400,000, police said.

Bennett Woo, SpaceX’s director of payment risk and fraud, called the seizure of the terminals SpaceX’s “largest fraud recovery to date by an order of magnitude,” police said in a news release.

Lawrence Township Police Lieutenant Kevin Reading told CNBC, “The trafficking of the terminals is still under investigation.”

Reading said police are working with SpaceX to determine how the terminals were purchased.

Starlink terminals provide customers high-speed internet access through SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation. The terminals have been sought after by military, government and nongovernment organizations around the world.

Last month, Ukraine’s primary intelligence accused Russian military forces of using Starlink terminals in Ukrainian territory occupied by those forces.

Elon Musk, the billionaire who is the CEO of SpaceX, said the company had not sold Starlink terminals to Russia, nor was the company aware of indirect sales of the terminal to that nation.

Rodriguez-Moya was arrested Tuesday on charges of second-degree receiving stolen property, and second-degree trafficking stolen property.

He is being held in the Mercer County Correction Center pending a detention hearing scheduled for Friday in county court.

In a recorded interview with police at headquarters, Rodriguez-Moya said he had been involved in receiving and transporting the Starlink terminals since November, according to the criminal complaint.

“He vaguely described that he came into contact with ‘Alberto’ through mutual friends and that he suggested the address” on Roxboro Road for the shipment, the complaint said.

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Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 23:47 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
Het geeft je meer SA doordat de radars gekoppeld zijn maar je hebt nog steeds de radar van de Patriot zelf nodig voor de missile guidance. Eigenlijk is het een uitgebreid link-16 netwerk, zo moet je dat bekijken. Maar ik betwijfel ten zeerste of de Amerikanen dit in Oekraiene uitgerold hebben, het bevindt zich voor zover ik weet nog steeds in de test fase. Daarbij kun je gerust vergeten dat ze de oude analoge Sovjet meuk daaraan kunnen koppelen. Je oude CRT televisie zal ook geen netwerkverkeer genereren.

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Mehrheit gegen "Taurus"-Lieferung an die Ukraine
Im Streit �ber die Lieferung von "Taurus"-Marschflugk�rpern an die Ukraine beharrt Kanzler Scholz auf seinem "Nein" - und hat damit laut ARD-DeutschlandTrend die Mehrheit der Deutschen hinter sich.

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IBCS and Polish Patriot Systems Are Making Progress
The Integrated Battle Command System, which is being introduced to the US Army Air and Missile Defense Forces as well as to the Polish Armed Forces within the Polish Wisła project, is being prepared for the Full-Rate Production. Simultaneously, its capabilities are being developed. Deliveries for the Wisla program are taking place. As Bill Lamb, International Director, Northrop Grumman, installation of a training system for Wisła in Poland will commence soon.

SPOILER

quote:

IBCS is an Air and Missile Defence Battle Management System, which is set to broadly enable the "any sensor, any effector" principle in the US Army Air and Missile Defence principle force structure. Thanks to that, the various Air Defence Systems, such as for instance Patriot, will not be tightly bound to their own fire control radars. Instead, they will be able to engage targets that are detected by any available sensors integrated with IBCS, such as surveilance radars. Obviously, this will also work other way around. For instance, if a Patriot detects a target that does not have to be engaged by an expensive PAC-3 MSE missile, such as UAV, it could be engaged by other effector.

Currently, IBCS is being prepared to enter the Full-Rate Production. The Initial Operational Testing and Evaluation (IOT&E), that precedes a FRP decision, has finished in November past year. The IOT&E tests included both simulations using the Distributed Hardware in the Loop method, field exercises at training ranges against real and simulated targets such as fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as live fire Patriot missiles test.

– "Currently the results of IOT&E tests are being evaluated by the responsible US Army units. We expect the Full Rate Production decision to be taken at the end of the first quarter or in the second quarter of 2023 calendar year" – as Bill Lamb, International Director, Northrop Grumman, told Defence24.pl. – "The Initial Operational and Evaluation Testing were taking place under very challenging environment. The equipment was used by US Army soldiers, which will be operationally deployed with IBCS-enabled Patriot in the future" – added Bill Lamb.

3-43 US Army ADA Battalion will be the first unit that will obtain the Initial Operational Capability to use IBCS. The same unit has been taking part in IBCS tests. It is assumed that Initial Operational Capability will be achieved in the 2nd quarter calendar 2023. After that, IBCS-enabled Patriot systems will be able to be operationally deployed.

A Full-Rate Production decision on IBCS can be helpful for potential export sales of the system. After FRP is commenced, it will become possible to offer IBCS to other countries without using the yockey waiver procedure that Poland used within the first phase of Wisla.

In 2022 also a live fire test took place with the use of Remote Interceptor Guidance RIG-360 system, which enables an uplink to a PAC-3 MSE missile without using the Patriot radar. In a standard Patriot configuration the uplink system is placed on the Patriot radar. Thus, even if targeting data are gathered using other sources such as IBCS-integrated radars, the uplink to a missile in flight is taking place using a data link placed at a Patriot radar.

This causes some limitations of the use of Patriot, because the launchers are tethered in order to launch with a Patriot radar and to see the uplink. With RIG-360, you did not have Patriot radar at all in the architecture. In the architecture there were three Sentinel radars which have been in the inventory of US Army for years. We have demonstrated capability of IBCS to leverage the sensor data from Sentinel, which originally has not been designed to provide a fire control solution for Patriot, to act as a fire control radar for an engagement. And we have demonstrated capability to perform an uplink without an actual Patriot radar. This can help to optimize the range of the interceptor, increase the battlespace and the defended area of the ground
AS BILL LAMB TOLD DEFENCE24.PL

The introduction of RIG-360 may change the IBCS-enabled Patriot architecture entirely, as it will be fully independent from Patriot radars. This will significantly increase the flexibility of the use of the IBCS-enabled Patriot systems. After a live fire test that took place in 2022, it is required that the development works are completed. After that, the system will be fielded. " The first integration of RIG-360 was financed from the company funds. We know that the Department of the Army has made some investment in the system in Fiscal Year 2023, we also expect investment in FY 2024 to complete the development of RIG-360 and integrate it with the baseline IBCS architecture. Any decision on a potential export of RIG-360 for international partners would have to be made by the US Department of Defense" – as Bill Lamb, International Director, Northrop Grumman told Defence24.pl.

Simultaneously with the implementation of subsequent phases of the IBCS project, the preparation and deliveries of the equipment for the first phase of Wisla program are ongoing. "We are progressing on the production of all six Engagement Operations Centres for Wisła Phase one and the six Integrated Fire Control Relays. Production of the additional six Integrated Fire Control Relays is expected later this year" – as Bill Lamb higlighted.

A Pre-System Integration Checkout is the next step, to take place before the delivery of the system. "A Pre-System Integration Checkout will take place this year in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. All the elements will be gathered together and checked before they are shipped from US to Poland. More than 20 Polish soliders will take part in this process. They will receive some training on IBCS use" – added Bill Lamb.

Also, checkout and installation of the ADA RT (Air Defense Artillery Reconfigurable Trainer) will take place in Poland soon. Once the system is installed, it will be possible to train the Polish soliders in country. All in all, in 2023 the manufacturing and deliveries of all US-made IBCS systems for the Wisla phase one will be completed. At the same time, training of the Polish soldiers is taking place both in USA and in Poland. Already the first phase of Wisla includes establishing training facilities in Poland.

Separately, manufacturing of Polish components of the systems, such as the Mobile Communications Centers (MCC1) and the Command Shelters is taking place. Ultimately, the Command Shelters will feature the equipment that will be moved from ICE (Integrated Collaborative Environment). Those are being built within the separate agreements between the Polish MoD and the Polish companies, though Northrop Grumman is cooperating with WZE.

With regard to Wisła phase two, the US government is working over the response regarding the 2nd phase of Wisła and Narew project. Northrop Grumman is taking part in those efforts, but the company does not comment on detailed schedules, as those are dependent mainly on the government-to-government agreements.

Recently there is an increased interest in IBCS among potential international users, also due to the war in Ukraine. "War in Ukraine has highlighted the importance of having an effective integrated air and missile defence system. There are currently around seventeen users of the Patriot system around the world. When you have Patriot in your force structure and you are thinking of modernizing Patriot system, and you are thinking of defeating the current and future threats, including those presented in Ukraine, the two options are the integration of PAC-3 MSE missile and the integration of IBCS. War in Ukraine and the increased maturity of IBCS, which is going into full-rate production are two things that cause increased interest in IBCS
AS BILL LAMB TOLD DEFENCE24.PL.

Also, Northrop Grumman is working on integration the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) radar, developed by Raytheon, into IBCS within a separate Army project. In future, LTAMDS will become another option for Patriot upgrade. Also, in the future the integration of Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC Inc-2I), a short range air defence system with Multi-Missile Launcher and Sentinel radars is planned. In the long run other air defence systems will be integrated with IBCS, including components related to countering the new and emerging threats.

IBCS is envisioned by the Army to be used as a single command and control system for the Air and Missile Defence, to be used against all the kinds of threats, ranging from Rocket, Artillery and Mortars, UAVs, cruise missiles, fast attack aircraft that are flying inside atmoshpere, helicopters, ballistic missiles that are present both inside and outside the atmosphere. Ultimately that will be joined by the High Velocity/Hypervelocity Missiles, where you need to take into account how do you engage this kind of threat in various stages of flight. The Hypervelocity missiles are changing their trajectory in various stages of flight, so they are more difficult to defeat than ballistic missiles, but the capability to counter hypersonic missiles will be integrated with IBCS, just as another emerging threat such as drone swarms
AS BILL LAMB, INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR, NORTHROP GRUMMAN TOLD DEFENCE24.PL

quote:

Thanks to that, the various Air Defence Systems, such as for instance Patriot, will not be tightly bound to their own fire control radars. Instead, they will be able to engage targets that are detected by any available sensors integrated with IBCS, such as surveilance radars. Obviously, this will also work other way around. For instance, if a Patriot detects a target that does not have to be engaged by an expensive PAC-3 MSE missile, such as UAV, it could be engaged by other effector.

quote:

Currently, IBCS is being prepared to enter the Full-Rate Production. The Initial Operational Testing and Evaluation (IOT&E), that precedes a FRP decision, has finished in November past year. The IOT&E tests included both simulations using the Distributed Hardware in the Loop method, field exercises at training ranges against real and simulated targets such as fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as live fire Patriot missiles test.

quote:

In 2022 also a live fire test took place with the use of Remote Interceptor Guidance RIG-360 system, which enables an uplink to a PAC-3 MSE missile without using the Patriot radar. In a standard Patriot configuration the uplink system is placed on the Patriot radar. Thus, even if targeting data are gathered using other sources such as IBCS-integrated radars, the uplink to a missile in flight is taking place using a data link placed at a Patriot radar.

quote:

The introduction of RIG-360 may change the IBCS-enabled Patriot architecture entirely, as it will be fully independent from Patriot radars. This will significantly increase the flexibility of the use of the IBCS-enabled Patriot systems.

quote:

Daartoe behoren 1.000 kamikazedrones. Ook komen er onderwaterdrones waarmee schepen kunnen worden aangevallen.

quote:

Russia Adds British Journalist Tom Rogan To Its Wanted List

Russia's Interior Ministry on March 6 added Washington-based British journalist Tom Rogan to its wanted list on unspecified criminal charges. In 2018, Rogan published an article headlined Ukraine Should Blow Up Putin's Crimea Bridge in the Washington Examiner. Rogan's article sparked outrage among Russian officials, who demanded an explanation. Last month, Russian authorities added Rogan and Washington Examiner editor Hugo Gurdon to its "terrorist" registry. In May 2018, Russia's Investigative Committee launched a probe against Rogan on a charge of making public calls for terrorism. In response, Rogan published another article titled Why Putin Wants To Send Me To The Black Dolphin [Prison]. To read the original story by Current Time, click here.

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Intel agencies eye brief for Trump, amid fears he could spill secrets
It’s standard practice to share classified information with presidential nominees, but the decision to brief Trump if he becomes the GOP nominee this year is loaded with political and potentially legal risks.

U.S. intelligence officials are planning to brief Donald Trump on national security matters if he secures the GOP nomination this summer — despite concerns about his handling of classified information.

The decision would be in keeping with a tradition that dates back to 1952, but it would mark the first time an administration has volunteered to share classified information with a candidate who is facing criminal charges related to the mishandling of classified documents.

SPOILER

quote:

The Biden administration intends to share intelligence with the former president no matter the outcome of his trial in Florida, according to a senior intelligence official and a second person with knowledge of internal conversations. They, like some others interviewed, were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive internal deliberations.

The sit-down is not legally required, but for the last 72 years, incumbent administrations have tapped the spy agencies to read in the candidates of both major political parties on some of the most pressing threats to the country. While often this is just one meeting, sometimes candidates receive several briefings.

The briefings, which are managed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and approved by the White House, normally take place after the national conventions in late summer.

It’s unclear when Trump’s trial will take place or whether the case will be decided before the election.

Several current and former intelligence and national security officials who spoke with POLITICO said the normally humdrum decision was fraught with unusual risk this year due to the pending court case and Trump’s historically cavalier attitude toward national security information.

A former senior U.S. intelligence official, granted anonymity to avoid backlash from the Trump camp, noted that Trump still retains close ties with foreign leaders, including Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, and could use the information to support them or advance his own interests. Trump once spilled details of a highly classified Israel intelligence operation to senior Russian officials in the Oval Office. In another case, he tweeted a picture taken by a classified spy satellite.

“I’d be afraid about giving him stuff,” the former official said. “I mean, who knows what kind of riff he would do.”

ODNI and The National Security Council declined to comment. The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Shortly after Biden took office, he barred Trump from receiving separate intelligence briefings that are historically volunteered to former U.S. presidents, citing Trump’s erratic behavior. Biden noted that as a former president Trump had no need for the information and said he wanted to avoid the risk that Trump “might slip and say something.”

John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser and an outspoken critic of his former boss, said the pending court case could justify holding back the candidate briefing for Trump.

“We haven’t faced this situation before. But I think the logic could well dictate to Biden he’s not going to give Trump an intelligence briefing,” Bolton said.

But for the White House, opting not to extend the tradition to Trump would likely embolden the former president’s claims — in court and outside it — that the intelligence community is biased against him.

And, it could further sour his already fraught relationships with the same agencies Trump would have to lean on to navigate conflicts across the globe if he wins in November.

“It’s too politically dangerous for the White House as well as the intelligence community,” said Douglas London, a former longtime CIA case officer who has recently voiced concerns about what a second Trump term would mean for U.S. spy agencies.

If the White House didn’t give the briefing for political or legal reasons, it could backfire on the intelligence community “and taint them in the eyes of somebody who might very well be their boss again in a few months,” he said.

And, current and former officials noted, the briefings to presidential candidates — while classified — exclude sensitive sources and methods. There’s also nothing legally barring the administration from sharing classified material with Trump even if he is found guilty in his Florida trial, said a senior official.

The decision to brief Trump despite his Florida trial is bursting with novel legal and political questions.

Trump faces 40 counts related to retaining highly protected national security documents in his gilded Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, and obstructing government efforts to retrieve them. He also faces three other criminal trials unrelated to his handling of classified material.

But the officials who spoke with POLITICO said their overriding concern was making sure Trump — the possible next president — feels he can trust the intelligence agencies.

The current senior intelligence official said the intelligence community plans to brief Trump in largely the same manner it has briefed prior presidential candidates.

The candidate briefings are delivered orally and have not historically included the intelligence community’s most highly protected secrets — top secret and top secret/sensitive compartmented information.

By contrast, in the court case, Trump is accused of improperly retaining physical documents that did include intelligence classified at that level.

David Priess, a former CIA officer who has written a book on the intelligence briefings given to presidents, argued that the risk of Trump misusing sensitive information given to him in the briefing is low.

He noted that the intelligence typically shared with candidates is not all that sensitive, roughly resembling what top spies share in public testimony.

And since there are no legal requirements to the exercise, he said, the Biden administration can modulate what it shares with Trump to avoid any sensitive or hot-button topics. “There’s a way that the briefings could be done either ‘unclassified’ or ‘sensitive’ or technically ‘classified’ while very much protecting information,” he said.

Other former intelligence officials countered that the spy agencies would not want to withhold anything important from Trump — or even be perceived as playing it too safe.

“I can see him using the brief to denigrate the worth of the intelligence community, and saying, ‘you know, there’s nothing here I didn’t read in the Wall Street Journal,’” argued one of the former officials.

If the intelligence community is asked to brief Trump, “it won’t half-ass the job, but rather try to earn trust in its credibility and be as forthcoming as it can be,” added London, the former CIA officer.

Another concern is that Trump’s lawyers in the classified documents case could use the briefing to argue that whatever Trump did could not possibly be that bad, since the intelligence community still trusts him enough to share its secrets with him.

“These briefings would definitely be to Trump’s advantage,” argued Mark Zaid, a lawyer specializing in national security and whistleblower cases.

“It most certainly would give Trump a valuable talking point,” he said, even if it doesn’t amount to a robust legal argument.

quote:

Czech President Confirms Full Funding of Initiative to Purchase Artillery Shells for Ukraine
Czech President Petr Pavel says that the initiative to purchase 800,000 artillery shells for Ukraine is fully funded.

Ct24 reported on this.

The final contribution was reportedly made by Norway. According to the Czech President, the ammunition should be in Ukraine in the near future.

SPOILER

quote:

“As of this morning (Thursday), we have collected the total amount for the purchase of all ammunition, that is, 800,000 shells. The Czech Republic will provide information to all the countries that are providing the weapons about the schedule and how we will proceed,” President Pavel said.

President Petr Pavel declined to disclose the specific amounts contributed by individual countries.

“It would probably be unfair to those countries that contribute if we did not discuss this with them,” he said.

Militarnyi previously reported that Norway will allocate up to $153 million for the Czech initiative to purchase 800,000 artillery shells for Ukraine.

The Norwegian Prime Minister expressed hope that European support for the Czech initiative would help Ukraine receive the ammunition as soon as possible.

Militarnyi previously reported that Germany promised to allocate a “three-digit million-dollar sum” to support the Czech initiative to purchase 800,000 shells for Ukraine.

Previously, some European countries, including Lithuania, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, joined this initiative.

Within this initiative, countries participate in the joint procurement and transfer of ammunition to Ukraine by identifying possible stockpiles of ammunition or sources of rapid production available for purchase.

All for the sake of delivering military aid to the Armed Forces of Ukraine as soon as possible, which is necessary to confront the Russian invaders.

As was also previously reported, the Czech Republic has located about 800,000 artillery rounds of NATO and Soviet-era caliber in third countries that can be purchased for Ukraine.

According to Czech President Petr Pavel, the country’s officials managed to find about 500,000 155-mm artillery shells and 300,000 122-mm shells abroad.

The Netherlands, which will allocate �250 million to purchase the ammunition, and Belgium, which will provide �200 million, have publicly announced their participation.

France has also supported this initiative, but no funds have been reported. Overall, fifteen countries support the purchase of ammunition for Ukraine outside the EU.

As previously reported, German officials were holding secret talks with India on the purchase of artillery shells for Ukraine.

quote:

Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 23:47 schreef AchJa het volgende:
Maar ik betwijfel ten zeerste of de Amerikanen dit in Oekraiene uitgerold hebben, het bevindt zich voor zover ik weet nog steeds in de test fase.

quote:

A traditional Russian ally snubbed Moscow's latest fighter jets for competitors from Pakistan and Turkey
• Azerbaijan's biggest arms supplier has been Russia but it will likely acquire jets from elsewhere.
• The rumored deal suggests the longtime ally is detaching more from Moscow, a defense analyst said.
• Russia's answer to America's F-22 and F-35, the Su-57, has severe shortcomings.

The small, oil-rich South Caucasus country of Azerbaijan has big plans to upgrade its modest fleet of fighter jets over the next decade. However, rather than turn to Russia, its traditional arms supplier for decades, Baku will likely acquire modern fighters from Pakistan and Turkey.

SPOILER

quote:

The turn away from Russia shows that longtime allies like Azerbaijan are finding effective arms sellers who aren't afflicted by the problems of Russia's newest fighter jets.

Unconfirmed reports in Azerbaijani and Pakistani media surfaced in late February claiming Azerbaijan reached a deal with Pakistan to buy an undisclosed number of JF-17C Thunder fighter jets for $1.6 billion. Azerbaijan officially joined Turkey's TF Kaan fifth-generation fighter program last July, strongly suggesting it will acquire that jet. The Kaan made its maiden flight in February.

Russia previously marketed the 4.5-generation Su-30SM, Su-35, and MiG-35 fighters to Azerbaijan in the late 2010s. Azerbaijan's president said in 2018 that his country had spent $5 billion on Russian military hardware. But now it doesn't seem likely Baku will turn to Moscow for 4.5-generation aircraft. Azerbaijan is even less likely to invest in Russia's troubled 5th-generation Su-57 or Su-75 "Checkmate" jets.

Russia has been Azerbaijan's largest arms supplier until recent years, said Frederico Borsari, a defense expert at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA).

"However, things have progressively changed as Russia launched a reckless war of aggression against Ukraine and started to lose influence among countries in the Caucasus amidst growing difficulties in Ukraine and financial constraints," Borsari told Business Insider. "Turkey, among others, has exploited this situation from a security standpoint and started to expand its military cooperation with Baku, including through weapons sales."

Consequently, Turkish sales to Azerbaijan began increasing in 2017, while Russian arms exports halted around 2019.

"Against this backdrop, the rumored JF-17 purchase from Pakistan further consolidates this trend of progressive detachment from Moscow's fold and may also be the result of the poor performance of Russian aircraft (and the air force overall) in Ukraine," Borsari said.

Sebastien Roblin, a widely published military-aviation journalist, says it is understandable if Azerbaijan decides to use its oil wealth to overhaul its manned fighter fleet until the Kaan begins rolling off production lines "in quantity" around 2033.

"Given close relations with Turkey and ambivalent ones with Russia, its preference for the latter is understandable, particularly given Russia's own problems bringing Su-57s into service," Roblin told Insider.

Roblin noted that Azerbaijan faces "tricky considerations" when weighing a "politically reliable vendor" for new fighters.

"Neither Russia nor Western democracies are ideal suppliers, even though Russia has historically sold arms to Azerbaijan," Roblin told Insider. "Pakistan and Turkey, and through Pakistan, China, may seem like more reliable partners for Baku unlikely to cut off deals due to upset over human rights issues or future potential wars with Armenia."

Borsari said Azerbaijan's participation in the Kaan project is "first and foremost the natural consequence of a long-standing and growing security partnership" between Ankara and Baku that stems from their close political and diplomatic ties. Turkey provided training and arms that enabled Azerbaijan to defeat Armenia's armed forces in the 2020 war over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.

"For both countries, this appears to be a win-win solution," Borsari said. "This choice would allow long-term and robust cooperation that ensures the sustainability of Baku's air force in terms of logistics, training, maintenance, etc, with a close ally while providing Turkey with a long-term contract and client in the defense sector."

The CEPA analyst noted that "prospective problems" in the Russian military aircraft industry, the "huge disappointment surrounding the Su-57," and the "poor performance" of other Russian fighters in Ukraine are other possible factors that pushed Baku "to opt for Turkey's project."

While Russia has promoted the Su-57 as its answer to America's F-22 and F-35, the fifth-generation fighter has exhibited some severe shortcomings. Analysts have noted it lacks fifth-generation engines, and its body panels are not placed tightly enough together to reduce the aircraft's radar cross-section — a key feature in any stealth aircraft.

An Azerbaijani acquisition of the JF-17, which the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and China's Chengdu Aircraft Corporation jointly developed, would also be significant.

Azerbaijan's neighbor and rival Armenia acquired four Su-30SMs in 2020. The Su-30SM is more advanced than Azerbaijan's MiG-29s, although they did not face off against each other in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.

"The JF-17 is a modernization of the MiG-21/J-7 airframe with 4th-generation technology," Roblin said. "It doesn't outmatch the bigger, faster, heavier-payload lifting Su-30 twin-engine fighter in terms of raw performance and maximum radar search range."

Nevertheless, the Block III version Azerbaijan is set to acquire has significant advantages. Roblin noted its newer systems could give it an "electronics edge" over the Su-30SM, especially its powerful and purportedly jam-resistant KLJ-7A active electronically scanned array radar. Furthermore, if paired with China's PL-15E air-to-air missile, it could match Russia's equivalent.

"So, while not strictly an overmatch, JF-17Cs could hold their own against Armenian Su-30SMs to the extent that it would depend on tactics and training used by both sides in the event of an air war," Roblin said. "By contrast, Azerbaijan's Soviet-vintage MiG-29s purchased from Ukraine, while sound aircraft broadly speaking, have older electronics than the Su-30SMs and much inferior radar."

These latest rumors of Azerbaijan's interest in the JF-17 signal that Baku wants the former aircraft to replace its aging MiG-29s and serve as a stopgap solution until the Kaan is available.

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 01:10 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]
Amerikaanse ambassade in Rusland heeft deze alert uitgegeven.

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 01:24 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Dat is serieus een jaar geleden al de revue gepasseerd.

Oa. https://twitter.com/noclador/status/1650470511695085568 , https://twitter.com/noclador/status/1650224782191763456

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Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 00:28 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
@:Achja

https://defence24.com/arm(...)-are-making-progress
[..]

SPOILER

[..]

Een artikel die dieper er op in gaat dat de IBCS en RIG-360 systemen het gebruik van de Patriot missile guidance radar onnodig maakt. Dat zij deze taken over kunnen nemen/uit kunnen besteden.
[..]
En Oekraine is natuurlijk de perfecte testomgeving om dit soort systemen uitgebreid te testen.
[..]
Hier kun je lezen dat zij bezig zijn met het system in productie te brengen. En dat de initi�le testfase grotendeels voorbij is.
[..]
Hier wordt aangegeven dat er tests zijn geweest waarbij er direct een verbinding werd gemaakt met de PAC-3 MSE raket, zonder gebruik van de Patriot radar. En dat dit systeem dus de "missile guidance" kan overnemen met gebruik van andere radar systemen.
[..]
Met de introductie van IBCS en RIG-360 kan de Patriot dus geheel onafhankelijk van zijn radars functioneren.

Natuurlijk is er niet met zekerheid te zeggen dat Oekra�ne dit systeem op dit ogenblik al heeft. Maar het is ook niet compleet uit te sluiten. Daar Oekra�ne de perfecte testomgeving zou zijn. Natuurlijk zou dit in deze fase nog top geheim zijn.

Dit artikel was van mei 2023. We zijn ondertussen al bijna een jaar verder natuurlijk.

quote:

Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 22:15 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://thehill.com/opini(...)s-brilliant-blunder/
[..]

SPOILER

[..]

quote:

Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 22:20 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Wat wil Rusland doen dan met Moldavi�? Is het niet een beetje kansloos geklier? Staatsgreep lijkt me niet aannemelijk.

quote:

Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 23:08 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.telegraph.co.(...)shot-down-air-force/
[..]

SPOILER

[..]

https://www.army-technolo(...)and-system-ibcs-usa/
[..]

SPOILER

[..]

Blijkbaar is er wel een systeem die dus met Patriot werkt. Die er voor kan zorgen dat meerdere systemen (waaronder oude sovjet meuk) met elkaar kunnen samenwerken. Waardoor onder andere ballistische raketten, maar ik neem aan ook vliegtuigen eerder gespot en getrackt kunnen worden. En dus makkelijker neergehaald kunnen worden door bijvoorbeeld de Patriot. Met gebruik van andere radar systemen in het netwerk.

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Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 02:04 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

Die zijn groter dan ik had verwacht.
[ afbeelding ]
[ afbeelding ]
[ afbeelding ]

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Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 02:26 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:

[..]
Zie je wel, we moeten gewoon all-in. Dat is het enige waar Putin van onder de indruk is.

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Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 00:20 schreef Digi2 het volgende:
Meerderheid van de duitsers is tegen de levering van Taurus aan de Oekra�ne volgens opinie peiling
[..]

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 10:05 schreef over_hedge het volgende:

[..]
Mijn duits is niet zo goed Wat is de reden? De kosten er van? Of bang voor rusland? Of wat

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 10:05 schreef over_hedge het volgende:

[..]
Mijn duits is niet zo goed Wat is de reden? De kosten er van? Of bang voor rusland? Of wat

quote:

Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 22:20 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Wat wil Rusland doen dan met Moldavi�?

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 11:20 schreef Digi2 het volgende:

[..]
Scholz is bang dat Duitsland te veel bij de oorlog betrokken raakt. Taurus heeft een bereik van 500 km en kan doelen diep in Rusland raken. De vraag van de enqu�te was "bent U voor of tegen de levering van Taurus?" Om een motivatie is niet gevraagd.

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 11:24 schreef over_hedge het volgende:

[..]
Ja dat van Scholz wist ik. Maar was benieuwd wat de bevolking zelf er van vind. Maar zonder motivatie achter de antwoorden weten we nog niks

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 11:24 schreef over_hedge het volgende:

[..]
Ja dat van Scholz wist ik. Maar was benieuwd wat de bevolking zelf er van vind. Maar zonder motivatie achter de antwoorden weten we nog niks

quote:

Erhebungsmethode: Zufallsbasierte Telefon- und Online-Befragung (davon 60 Prozent Festnetz, 40 Prozent Mobilfunk)

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 11:50 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

Taylor Swift does what Republicans have been dreading

Taylor Swift plaatst een bericht op haar sociale media om vooral te gaan stemmen (meer dan 200 miljoen, vooral jonge volgers). Ze geeft niet eens aan op wie ze moeten gaan stemmen, maar de republikeinen gaat helemaal los op haar.

Republikeinen laten dus zien dat zij tegen de democratie zijn.

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 11:54 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:

[..]
Swift heeft het voor elkaar gekregen een groot deel van conservatief Amerika tegen zich in het harnas te jagen, geen idee waarom eigenlijk. Zie wel regelmatig memes en grappen over haar vlieg gedrag, maar als dat alles is

Taylor Swift clip TRASHING Republicans SURGES into spotlight

quote:

In First, Finland Sentences Businessman for Violating Sanctions Against Russia
A Finnish court on Thursday gave a businessman a nine-month suspended jail sentence for violating EU sanctions against Russia, the first case of its kind in the Nordic country, the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat reported.

Gabriel Temin, CEO of the Finland-based logistics and warehouse companies Luminor Oy and Siberica Oy, was arrested in September on suspicion of violating EU sanctions.

On Thursday, the Eastern Uusimaa district court found him guilty of facilitating the export of sanctioned industrial tools, valued at around 4,500 euros ($4,902), from Germany to Russia.

Though customs declarations filed by Siberica Oy indicated Kazakhstan as the final destination of these shipments, internal data at the company revealed that the goods went to St. Petersburg.

In addition to the suspended sentence, Temin, a French national, was ordered to pay 11,000 euros ($12,025) in damages to the Finnish state.

The prosecution had requested a jail sentence of up to four years, arguing that the businessman had exported more than 3,500 drones and other dual-use military goods to Russia.

But the court said Thursday that, while the goods had passed through Russia, there was not enough evidence to prove they had remained in the country, the Finnish state broadcaster Yle reported.

Temin denied all charges against him.

In September, the U.S. Treasury placed the French-born businessman, as well as his companies Luminor and Siberica Oy, on its sanctions list due to their involvement in shipping “a wide variety of electronics into Russia, including UAV cameras, high-performance optical filters, and lithium batteries.”

quote:

In the Leningrad region it was prohibited to publish photos and videos of the consequences of drone attacks
The authorities of the Leningrad region have decided to punish citizens who post photos and videos of the consequences of drone attacks on the Internet. The ban on such publications will be in effect “permanently,” the regional law and order and security committee reported following a meeting of the region’s operational headquarters.

In addition, new restrictions apply to the posting of photos and videos that “contribute to the disclosure of the locations” of the Ministry of Defense forces and important infrastructure facilities. The latter include the construction of communication systems, security of facilities of the fuel and energy complex, industry, bridges and port areas located in the Leningrad region.

A regulatory act with administrative liability for violating the ban must be developed by March 15.

The decision to limit the dissemination of information about the consequences of drone attacks was made after St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region were once again subjected to a drone raid on the night of March 2. One of them crashed into a residential building near the Ruchyi oil depot, the other fell on the territory of the St. Petersburg oil terminal.

After the drone attack, the governor of the Leningrad region, Alexander Drozdenko, reported on the defeat of “aerial targets” over the waters and coast of the Gulf of Finland and himself posted on his Telegram channel footage of the destruction of one of the drones, which clearly showed the flight path of the anti-missile missile and the terrain. After Drozdenko pointed this out in the comments, he removed the video and inserted a blurred screenshot instead.

The Leningrad region began to be subject to drone attacks on January 18. One of the largest was the attack on the terminal of Novatek, Russia’s main producer of liquefied natural gas. The fire was extinguished for more than a day. At the complex, which processes about 7 million tons of gas condensate annually, the technological process had to be stopped.

quote:

5 trampoline jumpers backing Russia's war against Ukraine admitted to competitions
Russian and Belarusian trampoline jumpers who support Russia's war against Ukraine have been allowed to participate in competitions under the auspices of the International Gymnastics Federation. These include Kirill Kozlov, Danil Kazimov, Angela Bladtseva, Yana Lebedeva and Ivan Litvinovich.

Source: Ukraine's National Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Youth and Sports

Details: These gymnasts may compete at the World Cup to be held in Germany at the end of March.

"These athletes attended a range of Kremlin propaganda events, participated in competitions amid banners featuring Russian military symbols and publicly expressed their pro-Russian position," the official statement said.

Ukraine's Ministry of Youth and Sports, the National Olympic Committee and the Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation addressed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Gymnastics Federation, pointing to violations of the IOC's recommendations on the neutrality of athletes from aggressor countries admitted to international competitions.

In the letter, Ukraine pointed to evidence concerning the views of the gymnasts and requested that the decision on these athletes be reconsidered, as it contradicts the criteria of neutrality set out in the IOC guidelines.

Background: The International Judo Federation has also violated the IOC's recommendations on the admission of representatives of aggressor countries to competitions.

quote:

ANALYSIS: Intense NATO Air Surveillance of Black Sea With Provocative Tracks Near Russia
America’s best robot spy plane just spent nearly twelve hours over the east Black Sea sometimes swinging within 100 km of the Russian mainland. It flew away unharmed.

The skies over the Black Sea and east Romania were buzzing with NATO aircraft on Wednesday with at least a half dozen spy planes and maybe a pair of fighter jets in the air at one time, and one of them – a US Global Hawk robot plane – pushing hundreds of kilometers eastwards to a close proximity with the Russian mainland.

SPOILER

quote:

The spike in activity was first recorded by the civilian air traffic watch platform flightradar24. Military aircraft monitoring enthusiasts widely confirmed the data and matched findings by Kyiv Post researchers checking posted flight routes.

According to the open-source flight information, at least six dedicated reconnaissance aircraft owned by NATO air forces were operating in air space over eastern Romania or the western Black Sea on Wednesday. In one important case, those surveillance operations continued well into the dark hours of Thursday and were flown well within missile range of Russia’s southwest coast.

The flights took place one day after Ukraine’s military used robot boats carrying explosives to sink the Russian heavy patrol ship Sergei Kotov some 500 km to the east.

The Atlantic Alliance in past months has routinely operated air surveillance flights over Romania’s Danube delta region, or seas just to the east, almost every day. Usually, the airborne overwatch is a pair of aircraft, typically a Boeing P-8 Poseidon naval surveillance aircraft and another plane designed to locate radar signals and intercept radio transmissions, often a modified Gulfstream corporate jet.

On Wednesday, according to radar track data, besides those routine aerial sniffer planes, NATO air planners deployed an advanced Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint, a flying eavesdrop aircraft with onboard computers and sensors capable of scooping up millions of electronic transmissions a minute and sorting through them digitally. The last time open-source observers had spotted a Rivet Joint in the air over east Romania was Feb. 26.

At a safe distance from the airborne radio and electronics interceptors above east Romania, according to indicated tracks staying over east Poland on Wednesday, flew an even rarer, and more expensive, AWACS plane called a Boeing E-7A Wedgetail.

Carrying a cigar-shaped radome on its back, the Wedgetail is a flying command post and early-warning platform with the primary mission of assisting NATO fighter jets locate and intercept targets. The Wedgetail’s observation range is classified but, by NATO air doctrine, above east Poland the plane was well-placed to monitor air space over the western Black Sea and, if necessary, to vector combat aircraft into battle.

But the most eyebrow-raising of NATO’s air activity on Wednesday, and by some measures of the entire Russo-Ukraine war, probably was the travels of a US Global Hawk spy plane, that penetrated previously little-monitored air space hundreds of kilometers of where NATO monitoring aircraft had dared fly in the past.

In a mission lasting well over 24 hours, a US Air Force Global Hawk based at Naval Air Station Signonella, Sicily on March 6 took up an observation station some 140 km due south of the Russia-occupied Crimea at about 10 a.m. local time and cruised lazily back and forth at speeds between 250-320 knots for the next eight hours.

Capable of flying up to 30 hours at extremely high altitudes, the $135 million Global Hawk is rated the most capable reconnaissance drone operated by any air force and one of the US military’s top air intelligence collection assets.

According to open sources, the Northrop Grumman unmanned plane can be configured to intercept radio communications, identify and triangulate radars and radio emitters, and create hi-resolution images of the ground, sea, and objects on it over swaths of hundreds of square kilometers.

At about 5 p.m. local time, as the sun set, Forte13 turned east and spent the next ten hours flying reconnaissance patterns due south of the Kotov’s sinking site, and close to 100 km from the Russian mainland and the resort city Sochi. The robot jet flew finger-like standard reconnaissance patterns for the next ten hours.

The nearest Kremlin-owned military facilities and infrastructure included some of the most sensitive military infrastructure in all of Russia, particularly the Kerch Bridge, the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s temporary main base Novorossisk, and irreplaceable drydocks and air defenses nearby.

Although the flight route flown by the US spy plane remained well outside Russian national airspace at all times, it was one of the closest confirmed passes, by any US military aircraft, to Russia’s Black Sea shores, since Russia's full-scale of Ukraine in February 2022. Not all US military flight routes are made public.

A Russian Su-27 fighter jet collided with a US Air Force Reaper drone flying over the Black Sea on March 14, 2023, knocking the American aircraft out of the sky. According to subsequent Pentagon statements, the incident took place over international waters near the island of Zmiiknyi. Russian military information platforms reported the US spy plane was flying without a transponder and that a pair of Russian fighter pilots attempted to divert it by dumping fuel in the Reaper’s path. The engagement ended when one Russian combat plane accidentally struck the US drone’s propeller.

The closest NATO and Russia appear to have come to an actual shooting incident took place in September 2022 when a pair of Russian Su-27 fighters intercepted a single British RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance plane, and one of the Russian fighter pilots attempted to fire a missile at the British military aircraft, following a misunderstanding of orders from Russian ground control.

British Defence Minister briefed parliament the next month that loss of life and a potential act of war by Russia against a NATO member was avoided because the Russian missile failed to launch. The incident took place off the Crimea coast.

Some monitoring sites reported that on Wednesday, during the jump in NATO air surveillance around the western Black Sea, and the US Global Hawk’s provocative sortie towards southwest Russia, two Royal Air Force-operated Eurofighter Typhoons based at Mihail Kogălniceanu International Airport near Constanza Romania likewise also were in the air, or prepped to launch, as a reaction force in case of Russian interference. Kyiv Post could not confirm those reports.

Aside from reconnaissance aircraft, and combat aircraft possibly providing overwatch to those flights, the skies over eastern Romania on Wednesday were buzzing with other military aircraft and air activity.

Most prominent were multiple flights by Romanian Air Force cargo planes, one traveling to Germany, and almost continuous movement by US Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters around the Danube delta region and to the seas immediately eastward. Kyiv Post researchers counted at maximum four general purpose and one medevac Blackhawks in the air at one time.

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 12:52 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/03/7/7445461/
[..]
Met de nieuwste dreigementen vanuit Rusland aan Duitsland lijkt het mij prima om hun gewoon geen visa te geven in verband met de staatsveiligheid ofzo. Al krijgen ze dan mogelijk hun visa via andere EU landen zoals Hongarije natuurlijk.

quote:

CV90 Infantry Fighting Vehicle Can Be Almost Invisible in Ukraine
The Swedish infantry fighting vehicle CV90 is highly praised by Ukrainian soldiers. According to them, this armoured machine has many advantages that they have not seen before. In addition, it can become almost invisible to the enemy.

“Our CV90 performs well. Armour and armament are the most important features. Its armour is very strong, it withstood a hit from a Lancet drone to the front. It also withstood a 120 mm blow to the rear,” said the commander of the 21st Ukrainian mechanized brigade.

The Swedish “Combat Vehicle 90”, CV90 for short, has been in service since 1994. This tracked infantry fighting vehicle, used by many countries, has been deployed in both Afghanistan and the United Nations Mission in Liberia – this is to say that the service in Ukraine is not the first time CV90 has seen combat.

The CV90 is still in production – the Czech Republic and Slovakia are waiting for their own CV90s, having placed orders in the last couple of years. Depending on the version, the CV90 can be armed with a 40mm Bofors autocannon, a 30mm or 35mm Bushmaster autocannon, a 120mm mortar, or some other weapons. There is always a 7.62mm machine gun there, sometimes grenade launchers or even Spike LR missile launchers are mounted on the CV90 as well.

The defenders of Ukraine are using CV90 with the 40 mm Bofors autocannons. The CV90s used by Ukraine have 407 kW engines and reach a maximum speed of 70 km/h. They are very well equipped. The CV90 has a crew of 3 and can carry 7-8 troops in its passenger compartment.

Only about fifty CV90s are said to have been delivered to Ukraine so far. Ukraine plans to buy a thousand CV90s – they liked these machines that much. They will be at least partially produced in Ukraine. The agreement about the production of the CV90 in Ukraine was signed in June of last year, but no deadlines were publicly stated. Some people were not happy with this decision, because Ukraine has its own new infantry fighting vehicle, but the CV90 will help Ukraine switch to the NATO standards and can be produced in larger numbers sooner.

The early CV90s were criticized a bit for their armour, but the Ukrainians received an improved version of this machine, the protection level of which is not inferior to the M2A2 Bradley in terms of armour. Ukrainians sing high praise for their CV90s. Especially their special camouflage.

The CV90 can be covered in Saab’s Barracuda camouflage, which also hides the machine’s thermal signature. This is important when operating at night or in poor visibility conditions, as it is more difficult for the Russians to see such covered vehicles using thermal imaging cameras. Ukrainian officer said the Barracuda’s camouflage “protects the machine from night vision devices and thermal cameras” and that the CV90 is “about 70% less visible than any other machine”.

In many ways, infantry fighting vehicles are the unsung heroes of the war. They carry infantry into the hardest battles, provide close fire support, perform medevac and other missions. They sometimes even engage tanks and other armoured vehicles.

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Ukraine war: India busts network trafficking people to Russia
India's federal investigation agency says it has busted a network of agents sending people to war-torn Russia under the pretext of giving them jobs.

The agents were luring people through social media, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said.

The network stretches across several states and about 35 people have fallen victims to the racket, the agency said.

The development comes after two Indians, who were duped into traveling to Russia, were killed in the war.

The CBI said in a statement that the traffickers were operating under an "organised network".

It said that agents were using social media channels like YouTube and their local contacts to lure "gullible" youth to travel to Russia by promising them "lucrative jobs".

Earlier, a man from Uttar Pradesh state living in Moscow had told the BBC that he had been lured to Russia by a YouTube channel, promising a monthly salary of 150,000 rupees ($1813; �1,415).

"We were not told that we are being drafted in an army," he said.

The CBI said it had found that trafficked Indian nationals were being trained in combat roles and deployed at front bases in Russia-Ukraine war zone "against their wishes, thus, putting their lives in grave danger".

The agency has filed cases against several private visa consultancy firms and agents, conducting searches at 13 locations, including Delhi and Mumbai.

The CBI said it has seized cash worth 5m rupees, "incriminating documents" and electronic devices from these places and have detained some people for questioning.

India's foreign ministry had earlier acknowledged "that some Indian nationals have enlisted for support roles with the Russian army".

It added that it was working with Russian authorities to get Indian nationals discharged from the army.

The ministry has also urged "all Indian nationals to exercise due caution and stay away from this conflict".

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Ukraine is Using Old Anti-Tank Mines as Ammo For Its Robots
The war in Ukraine is the first major armed conflict in the history of the world to see the use of such a wide variety of different robots. And not only for intelligence gathering, but also for direct combat engagements. What are they armed with?
Interestingly, they are usually armed quite cheaply. Drones often drop hand grenades or improvised explosive devices, kamikaze drones are sometimes armed with RPG-7 warheads, while the ground robots carry anti-tank landmines.

In fact, landmines are sometimes dropped on Russian heads by larger flying drones as well. Ukrainians have a lot of anti-tank mines and they are considered very cheap. Many of them remained in warehouses after the Soviet Union collapsed.

In addition, after driving the Russians out of the Kharkiv and Kherson regions, the defenders of Ukraine collected a lot of anti-tank mines there, which they now use in various ways. One way to use them is to return them to the Russians. Aggressively.

A video has been published online showing a Ukrainian robot carrying an anti-tank mine to Russian positions. The mine was then detonated, blowing a large hole in the Russian trenches. These landmines were meant to destroy tanks, so you can imagine that the explosion is really strong.

Ukrainian ground drone and ‘Baba Yaga’ air drones drop anti-tank mines on the Russians

Ukrainians have developed more than one system capable of using anti-tank mines as ammunition. For example, the photo above shows the small robot Ratel-S. It is quite small, but can reach a speed of 24 km/h. and can be controlled at a distance of 6 km.

The mass production of Ratel-S was reported back in October last year. A robot like that can be sent directly under a Russian tank, if only there is such an opportunity. The Ratel-S can be armed with an anti-tank mine or a pair of mortar bombs.

Meanwhile, the Baba Yaga is a drone that drops anti-tank mines on Russian heads. It is a large 6-rotor drone capable of carrying quite heavy loads. Anti-tank mines like the TM-62 weigh about 10 kg. Of course, Baba Yaga can use other ammunition as well – mortar shells, RPG-7 warheads, etc.. It is also interesting that although the Baba Yaga was created in response to the Russian invasion, the roots of this drone are older – the predecessors of the Baba Yaga were used in agriculture.

Anti-tank landmines are excellent ammunition that cost very little and are readily available. The Ukrainians are very short of artillery ammunition and are trying to compensate for this starvation of shells with drones and robots. The funding for the development and production of unmanned military systems is being increased all the time. And other countries must be watching this very closely. After it’s all said and done, robots of various roles might be the key to the end of this war.

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Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 13:24 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.technology.or(...)ammo-for-its-robots/
[..]

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Trump has suggested a workable and novel way to help Ukraine. Let's consider it

[...]

How to resolve the impasse and help Ukraine? Of all people, former President Donald Trump has suggested a workaround -- convert the cost of the weapons transfers into a loan. Trump even specified that the loan would bear no interest and would only be paid "if Ukraine ever strikes it rich."

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 13:58 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
https://www.foxnews.com/o(...)elp-ukraine-consider

En daar zou oekraine lachend mee akkoord gaan. In feite stelt hij een lend-lease voor.

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 13:50 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

Verklaart waarom alle pro-Rusland partijen zo fanatiek tegen windturbines zijn.

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 13:59 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
En dat is er nu nog niet?

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 13:59 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
En dat is er nu nog niet?

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This piece of bipartisan legislation recalled the historic program used by the United States during World War II to help supply its allies and ensure the defeat of Nazi Germany. Ukrainian diplomats worked hard to extend the Lend-Lease program beyond September 2023, but it expired on September 30

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 14:11 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
Er is alleen niet echt gebruik van gemaakt in 2022 en 2023 omdat de Biden administratie een preferentie had voor hulp zonder dat er iets vanuit Oekra�ne tegenover stond (dus geen lening/geen betalingen).

President Biden's State of the Union Address

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Takeaways from Joe Biden’s State of the Union address
President Joe Biden delivered a raucous third State of the Union address, one that could be among the most important speeches he gives during his presidency as he turns toward reelection.

His list of objectives was long: Tout his accomplishments in office, look ahead to a second-term agenda, allay concerns about his age and fitness and provide a contrast with Republicans, including his rival Donald Trump.

The result was a fiery speech that bore little resemblance to his States of the Union past. Intent on displaying his energy and eager to engage with Republicans, Biden delivered a starkly political speech that his aides hope can ease Democratic jitters about his political prospects.

Here are five takeaways from Thursday’s State of the Union:

SPOILER

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Biden takes on Trump
Biden may not have uttered his predecessor’s name during his remarks, but there was little question that Trump was at the center of the State of the Union, making Thursday’s speech a particularly politically tinged yearly address.

It was reflective of the extraordinary political moment Biden finds himself in, where the political norms of the past decades – ones Biden has openly pined for – have been largely swept aside.

The president took multiple swipes at Trump; his prepared remarks referenced “my predecessor” 13 times as Biden seized the bully pulpit, one of the advantages of incumbency.

In the very opening of his speech, he referred to “my predecessor” while lambasting the former president for his statement about encouraging Russia to invade NATO members who don’t meet defense spending targets.

Shortly after, he went after election lies following the 2020 election as the “gravest threat to democracy” since the Civil War.

By then, a pattern had emerged: on abortion, immigration, taxes and more, Biden repeatedly made the contrast with Trump, with Democrats in the audience backing him up with cheers.

It was as clear a sign as any of how Biden views the upcoming general election campaign, with nothing less than the future of American democracy on the ballot. And even as he works to tout his own accomplishments, as important for Biden was warning what might happen should Trump return to office.

Biden delivers an unpredictable, freewheeling speech
State of the Union speeches are often staid affairs, with predictable lists of policies and proposals. That was not the case Thursday, as Biden frequently veered off script to ad-lib lines and parlay with Republicans.

The result was the most raucous State of the Union in years, with the House chamber brimming with election year frission.

The casual jousts with Republicans – over their plans on taxes, Social Security and immigration – clearly lent the president energy as he was delivering his speech. Biden seemed to have built the moments into his speech after last year’s address, when his back-and-forth with Republicans in the crowd emerged as a standout moment.

The moments allowed Biden to show he was willing to engage with Republicans, but also – in his view – take apart some of their arguments.

When he was interrupted by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was calling attention to the murder of nursing student Laken Riley by an undocumented immigrant, Biden responded directly by picking up one of the pins the Georgia Republican had been passing out reading “Say Her Name: Laken Riley” and using the term “illegal,” which isn’t how Democrats ordinarily describe immigrants.

Biden shows up energetic and forceful amid concerns over his age
By now, questions over Biden’s age and fitness for office have become one of the principal backdrops to the presidential campaign. It’s one of the main reasons many Democrats say they would have preferred a different candidate.

So it was unavoidable that Biden would face the issue during his State of the Union, whether he wanted to or not. Apart from the substance of his speech, how he spoke and how he looked while he was speaking were important factors in how Americans absorbed his message.

The president came out fired up and gave an energetic speech that was a far cry from some of his more subdued efforts that have concerned supporters. He delivered much of the speech at high volume.

Biden spent most of the last week fine-tuning and meticulously rehearsing his speech, both at the White House and at the presidential retreat Camp David. That appeared to pay off in his forceful delivery Thursday night.

Aides acknowledged ahead of the speech it was a topic on voters’ minds and something the president was prepared to address, if not dwell on, in his speech.

His argument on that front – that Trump is almost the same age, but with an antiquated and vengeful outlook – sought to defuse the issue and turn it around on his opponent.

“When you get to be my age, certain things become clearer than ever,” Biden said in his speech, to some laughs.

He went on: “The issue facing our nation isn’t how old we are, it’s how old our ideas are,” adding later we “can’t lead with ancient ideas.”

The president makes a strong case for American leadership abroad
Foreign policy typically takes a backseat during State of the Union speeches; the intended audience is Congress and the American people and their concerns are usually within US borders.

But for reasons not entirely within his control, Biden is a foreign policy president at a moment of deep global tensions. The Russia-Ukraine war grinds on, with the future of American assistance in doubt. And Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, prompted by the terror attacks of October 7, has generated a humanitarian crisis that is dividing Biden’s political coalition.

So it was inevitable that foreign affairs would occupy a larger chunk of Biden’s time than in previous addresses, even if his aides acknowledge it’s not a topic that is always at the top of voters’ minds. It also led much of the early portion of his speech.

Even before he entered the Capitol, it was evident from protests along his motorcade route at the widespread discontent over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

In his speech, Biden made clear the imperative of allowing more humanitarian aid into Gaza, and announced he was directing the US military to construct a temporary port in Gaza that will allow more food, water and medicine to enter the strip.

The incumbent president takes a shot at reshaping and resetting the 2024 narrative
If there was one task Biden entered Thursday’s speech with, it was reminding American voters – many of whom may have tuned out the last three years – what exactly he’s been up to.

Polls show many voters are still sour about the direction the country is heading, despite an economy that is by most measures roaring back from the Covid-19 years. Asked in surveys, many Americans have little idea of the accomplishments Biden has been working on that have helped bring the economy back.

That is part of why Biden, in his speech, refers to “the greatest comeback story never told” — part brushback against what he views as persistently negative media coverage, part an acknowledgement he could do more to explain his agenda to everyday Americans.

At the same time, Biden’s team acknowledges there’s a balance to be struck, and that Americans with valid concerns about the economy don’t necessarily want to be lectured about positive economic indicators they aren’t feeling themselves.

That’s why Biden chose to focus heavily on populist themes, like raising tax rates on the wealthy and corporations and lowering the cost of prescription medication, which Democrats are confident will be winners.

So, too, do Democrats believe showing indignation over corporate greed and price gouging will play well, particularly as cost of living concerns continue to drag down Biden’s poll numbers.

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Fact checking President Joe Biden’s State of the Union

President Joe Biden delivered his annual State of the Union address on Thursday. His statements were mostly accurate, a CNN fact check found, but he also made a smattering of claims that were false, misleading or lacking key context.

Biden repeated his familiar misleading boast about how he had supposedly reduced the federal budget deficit, failing to explain that the decline overwhelmingly occurred because emergency pandemic spending from President Donald Trump’s tenure expired as schedule. He falsely claimed that “not anymore” would big companies be able to pay no federal income tax, overstating the impact of the 15% corporate minimum tax he signed into law.

He misleadingly cited an alternative calculation from economists in his administration as if it was an actual federal tax rate paid by billionaires. And he left out context in discussing Covid-19 deaths, suggesting that far more deaths occurred during the Trump era than actually did.

Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama made few specific assertions of fact during her official Republican response to Biden’s address. But Britt did falsely say, in present tense, that inflation is at a 40-year low; it no longer is.

Here is a fact check of these claims and others.

SPOILER

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Biden on Trump and the national debt
Biden criticized the fiscal management of former President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address, claiming, “They added more to the national debt than any presidential term in American history. Check the numbers.”

Facts First: Biden’s numbers are correct; the national debt rose from about $19.9 trillion to about $27.8 trillion during Trump’s tenure, an increase of about 39% and more than in any other four-year presidential term, in part because of Trump’s major tax cuts. But it is an oversimplification to blame presidents alone for debt incurred during their tenures. Some of the Trump-era increase in the debt was due to the trillions of dollars in emergency Covid-19 pandemic relief spending that passed with bipartisan support and because of spending required by safety-net programs, such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, that were created by previous presidents.

The national debt has continued to increase under Biden. As of the day before Biden’s address, it was about $34.4 trillion, federal figures show – an increase of about 24% during his tenure.

Biden says the economy has added ‘800,000 new manufacturing jobs’ during his administration
Biden claimed that the economy has added “800,000 new manufacturing jobs” during his administration.

Facts first: Biden’s figure is correct. The US economy added 791,000 manufacturing jobs from Biden’s first full month in office, February 2021, through January 2024, the last month for which Bureau of Labor Statistics data is available – though it’s worth noting that the growth largely occurred in 2021 and 2022 (with 746,000 manufacturing jobs added starting in February 2021) before a relatively flat 2023.

Biden on the deficit impact of IRA Medicare provisions
Just as he’s done on the campaign trail, Biden touted his administration’s efforts to reduce the burden of prescription drug costs. In his address, he also pointed out the savings for taxpayers.

“That’s not just saving seniors money, it’s saving taxpayers money,” Biden said, referring to the Inflation Reduction Act, which contained several measures to reduce drug prices. “We cut the federal deficit by $160 billion.”

Facts First: It’s true that two of the main drug price provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, which Democrats pushed through Congress in 2022, are expected to reduce the deficit by $160 billion, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. In total, the law’s drug measures are expected to reduce the deficit by $237 billion, though delaying the implementation of a Trump administration drug rebate rule accounts for the difference.

The Inflation Reduction Act authorized Medicare to negotiate the prices of certain costly prescription drugs for the first time. This measure is expected to save $98.5 billion over a decade, according to the CBO. Negotiations for the initial 10 drugs are underway. The final prices will be made public by September and take effect in 2026.

The law also requires drugmakers to pay a rebate to the federal government if they raise the prices of certain medications faster than the rate of inflation. This is expected to save $63.2 billion over a decade, according to the CBO.

Biden and the deficit
Biden said: “I have been delivering real results in fiscally responsible ways.”

“We’ve already cut the federal deficit – we’ve already cut the federal deficit of over $1 trillion,” he said.

Facts First: Biden’s claim leaves out such critical context that it is misleading. While the annual federal budget deficit was more than $1 trillion lower in the 2023 fiscal year than it was in both the 2020 fiscal year (under President Donald Trump) and the 2021 fiscal year (partially under Trump and partially under Biden), analysts have repeatedly noted that Biden’s own actions, including laws he has signed and executive orders he has issued, have had the overall effect of worsening annual deficits, not reducing them. As in past remarks, Biden didn’t explain that the primary reason the deficit fell by a record amount during his tenure was that it had skyrocketed to a record high at the end of Trump’s term because of bipartisan emergency pandemic relief spending, then fell as expected when that spending expired as planned.

“The deficit is a trillion dollars lower, roughly, than when President Biden took office. That’s true. But that’s driven not because he ‘reduced’ the deficit by a trillion dollars, but because when he took office it was the middle of Covid and we had been temporarily injecting huge sums of money into the economy,” Marc Goldwein, senior vice president at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, an advocacy group that promotes deficit reduction and tracks the issue, said in a February interview.

The deficit hit a record of about $3.1 trillion under Trump amid the hefty pandemic-related spending in fiscal 2020. The deficit then fell under Trump and Biden in fiscal 2021 (to about $2.8 trillion) and again under Biden in fiscal 2022 (to about $1.4 trillion). But it then rose in fiscal 2023 (to about $1.7 trillion). And the jump from 2022 to 2023 would have been much bigger, from about $1 trillion in 2022 to about $2 trillion in 2023, if not for a Treasury Department accounting decision related to the Biden student debt cancellation program the Supreme Court blocked before it came into effect.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects that the deficit will decline slightly in fiscal 2024, to about $1.5 trillion. Regardless, all of the Biden-era deficits are among the biggest in US history.

Factors out of a president’s control, like interest rates hikes, have played a role in keeping deficits high under Biden. And Biden has signed some deficit-fighting bills; his signature Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is expected to bring down deficits by a total of more than $230 billion over a decade, while the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 is expected to cut a cumulative $1.5 trillion from federal deficits over a decade.

Still, Biden’s actions have clearly added to deficits. These actions include a pandemic relief law, a bipartisan infrastructure law, a bipartisan law to spur semiconductor manufacturing, a boost to food stamp benefits and an extension of the Trump-era pandemic pause on federal student loan repayments.

Biden can fairly say that his policies have contributed to a strong economic recovery that has boosted tax revenues and thus eaten into deficits. On the whole, though, Goldwein said deficits under Biden have been “higher than they otherwise would have been because of legislation President Biden has signed into law and executive actions he’s taken.”

Biden claims record ‘15 million new jobs’ in three years
Biden claimed the economy created a record 15 million jobs in the first three years of his term.

Facts First: Biden’s claim is correct: the US economy added about 14.8 million jobs between Biden’s first full month in office, February 2021, and January 2024, more jobs than were added in any previous four-year presidential term. However, it’s important to note that Biden took office in an unusual pandemic context that makes meaningful comparison to other periods very difficult.

Biden became president less than a year after the US economy had shed nearly 22 million jobs over two months, March 2020 and April 2020, because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The jobs recovery then began immediately after that, under then-President Donald Trump, but there was still an unprecedented hole to fill when Biden took office.

Nonetheless, Biden is free to argue that his stimulus legislation and other policies have helped the country gain jobs faster than it otherwise would have. The US has had an extraordinarily strong labor market under Biden, and its overall economic recovery from the pandemic has outpaced those of many other major countries.

Biden on the corporate minimum tax
Biden cited a 2021 report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy think tank that found that 55 of the country’s largest corporations had made $40 billion in profit in their previous fiscal year but not paid any federal corporate income taxes. He said, “Remember in 2020, 55 of the biggest companies in America made $40 billion and paid zero in federal income taxes. Zero. Not anymore. Thanks to the law I wrote and we signed, big companies have to pay a minimum of 15%.”

Facts First: Biden’s “not anymore” claim is false, an exaggeration. While his 15% corporate minimum tax will reduce the number of big companies that don’t pay any federal taxes, it’s not true that “not anymore” will any big company – such as the ones on the list of 55 companies Biden mentioned – ever do so. That’s because the minimum tax, on the “book income” companies report to investors, only applies to companies with at least $1 billion in average annual income. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, only 14 of the companies on its list of 55 non-payers reported having US pre-tax income of at least $1 billion.

In other words, there will clearly still be some large and profitable corporations paying no federal income tax despite the existence of the tax. The exact number is not known.

Matthew Gardner, a senior fellow at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, told CNN in 2022 that the new tax is “an important step forward from the status quo” and that it would raise substantial revenue, but he also said: “I wouldn’t want to assert that the minimum tax will end the phenomenon of zero-tax profitable corporations. A more accurate phrasing would be to say that the minimum tax will *help* ensure that *the most profitable* corporations pay at least some federal income tax.”

There are lots of nuances to the tax; you can read more specifics here. Asked for comment in early 2023, when Biden made a similar claim, a White House official told CNN: “The Inflation Reduction Act ensures the wealthiest corporations pay a 15% minimum tax, precisely the corporations the President focused on during the campaign and in office.”

Biden claims that violent crime has fallen to lowest levels in ‘more than 50 years’
Biden claimed during his State of the Union address Thursday night that violent crime has fallen to one of its lowest levels in “more than 50 years.”

Facts First: This is true, at least based on preliminary 2023 data that should be treated with caution. The preliminary 2023 data published by the FBI, running through the third quarter of the year, showed that violent crime was down 8.2% compared to the same period in 2022 – a decline that would be “historically large” for a year, crime data expert Jeff Asher wrote in a December article. Asher wrote: “The quarterly data shows violent crime down in big cities, small cities, suburban counties, and rural counties, pretty much across the board.”

Asher, co-founder of the firm AH Datalytics, told CNN in late February that, if the decline in reported violent crime for the full year of 2023 ended up being greater than 1.6%, 2023 would have the lowest violent crime rate since 1970. The 2022 rate was the second-lowest since 1970, worse than only 2019.

As always, whether crime is rising or falling, it’s important to note that it is notoriously difficult to pinpoint the reasons that crime has increased or decreased at any given time, since there is a long list of economic, social and political factors at play; the impact of the president is unclear.

Biden on Covid-19 deaths
Biden, as he was discussing the state of the country four years earlier, said more than 1 million American lives were lost to Covid-19, implying it was under the Trump administration

Facts First: Biden’s figure needs context. Many lives were lost to Covid-19 during the Trump administration, but the US didn’t reach its millionth death until May 2022 when Biden was in office.

While there were a significant number of lives lost to Covid during the Trump administration, on President Donald Trump’s last full day in office the US death count reached at least 400,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. At that point during the pandemic there had been a winter surge in cases and someone was dying from the virus in the US every 26 seconds, according to KFF, a health policy and research organization. The death rate from Covid-19 in the US at the time was lower than in many other countries, but with the country’s large population, the death numbers exceeded all other countries at that time.

Officially the US surpassed a million deaths from Covid in May 2022 during the Biden administration. As of this February, more than 1.18 million people in the US have died from Covid-19 according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Biden on the unemployment rate
Touting the economy during his presidency, Biden said, “Unemployment at 50-year lows.”

Facts First: This needs context.

The unemployment rate did hit a five-decade low during two months of early 2023, 3.4%, and it has since remained close to that level – but the latest available unemployment rate, 3.7% for January, is higher than the rate was during nine months under President Donald Trump in 2019 and pre-pandemic 2020. (The rate then skyrocketed on account of the pandemic, and it was 6.4% the month Biden took office in January 2021.)

Biden claims that a record 16 million Americans have started small businesses
Biden said, “A record 16 million Americans are starting small businesses, and each one is a little act of hope.”

Facts First: Biden’s claim is accurate based on federal data, though there is an important nuance to note. More than 16.3 million business applications had been filed during the Biden presidency as of February 17, official federal data show, the most over any period of the same length since the data series began in the mid-2000s. It’s worth noting that not all business applications turn into actual businesses. However, so-called “high propensity” business applications, those thought to have a high likelihood of turning into a business with employees, have also set records under Biden.

The spike in overall business applications began in the second half of 2020 under President Donald Trump and accelerated under Biden in 2021; the number of applications then remained high in 2022 and then narrowly set a new record in 2023. There are various reasons for the pandemic-era boom in entrepreneurship, which began after millions of Americans lost their jobs in early 2020. Among them: some newly unemployed workers seized the moment of disruption to start their own enterprises; Americans had extra money from stimulus bills signed by Trump and Biden; interest rates were particularly low until the series of rate hikes that began in the spring of 2022.

Biden on child tax credit cutting child poverty in half
Biden once again touted the impact that the temporary enhancement to the child tax credit – a key provision in the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act – had on reducing the poverty rate among children. He called on Congress to bring back the now-expired beefed up credit.

“In fact, the child tax credit I passed during the pandemic cut taxes for millions of working families and cut child poverty in half,” he said.

Facts First: Biden’s assertions are true, though the benefit only lasted for the one year the temporary enhancement was in effect. Child poverty increased in 2022 to a rate higher than in 2020.

The American Rescue Plan Act, which Democrats pushed through Congress in March 2021, increased the size of the credit for certain families, enabled many more parents to claim it and distributed half of it on a monthly basis.

That sent child poverty – as measured by the Supplemental Poverty Measure – to a record low 5.2% in 2021, a drop of 46% from 2020, when the rate was 9.7% according to the US Census Bureau. The Supplemental Poverty Measure, which began in 2009, takes into account certain non-cash government assistance, tax credits and needed expenses.

But in 2022, child poverty soared to 12.4%, roughly comparable to where it was prior to the pandemic in 2019. It was the largest jump in child poverty since the Supplemental Poverty Measure began.

The House recently passed a tax bill that would again expand the child tax credit temporarily, though the boost would not be as generous as it was in 2021. However, the legislation is now stuck in the Senate, and it’s unclear whether it has the votes to pass.

Biden on US trade relationship with China
In his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden said that the gap between the amount of goods the US imports from China and the amount it exports to China was the narrowest in more than 10 years.

“Our trade deficit with China is down to the lowest point in over a decade,” Biden said. “We’re standing up against China’s unfair economic practices.”

Facts First: What Biden said is true but needs context. The US trade deficit with China in 2023 was $279 billion, the US Commerce Department reported earlier this year. That was the lowest it has been since 2010.

But the reason for the narrowing trade gap isn’t because of any Biden administration policy. Inflation has driven American consumers away from discretionary purchases, such as electronics – stuff that is primarily made in China. Instead, they’re buying more non-discretionary items, such as groceries.

On top of that, the Trump administration’s tariffs on Chinese goods, which Biden’s administration left in place, have made Chinese goods less popular for Americans, because of the added cost.

That’s why, for the first time in two decades, the US imported more goods from a country other than China: Mexico exported more goods to the US than any other country last year.

The US trade gap didn’t just narrow with China: It shrank dramatically with most countries. The total US trade deficit was $773.4 billion last year, a nearly 19% decline from 2022. That’s the largest annual decline in the trade deficit since 2009. Also contributing to the narrowing trade gap: a weaker dollar that made US goods cost less overseas.

Biden’s claims about what billionaires pay in taxes
Presidnet Joe Biden claimed during his State of the Union address that the average federal tax rate for billionaires is 8.2%.

Facts First: Biden used the 8.2% figure in a way that was misleading. As in previous speeches, Biden didn’t explain that the figure is based on an alternative calculation from economists in his own administration that factors in unrealized capital gains that are not treated as taxable income under federal law. In other words, while Biden made it sound like he was talking about a federal tax rate, he was actually citing a figure that is not based on the way the US tax system actually works at present.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with the alternative calculation itself; the administration economists who came up with it explained it in detail on the White House website in 2021. Biden, however, has tended to cite it without any context about what it is and isn’t, leaving open the impression that he was talking about what these billionaire families pay under current law.

So what do the wealthiest billionaire families pay under current law? It’s not publicly known, but experts say it’s clearly more than 8%.

“Biden’s numbers are way too low,” Howard Gleckman, senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center at the Urban Institute think tank, told CNN in 2023. Gleckman said that in 2019, University of California, Berkeley economists Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman “estimated the top 400 households paid an average effective tax rate of about 23 percent in 2018. They got a lot of attention at the time because that rate was lower than the average rate of 24 percent for the bottom half of the income distribution. But it still was way more than 2 or 3,” numbers Biden has used in some previous speeches, “or even 8 percent.”

In February 2024, Gleckman provided additional calculations from the Tax Policy Center. The center found that the top 0.1% of households paid an average effective federal tax rate of about 30.3% in 2020, including an average income tax rate of 24.3%.

Britt on inflation
Delivering the official Republican response to Biden’s State of the Union address, Britt said, “We have the worst inflation in 40 years.”

Facts First: This claim is false. Britt could have accurately said, in past tense, that inflation was at a 40-year high when it hit its Biden-era peak of 9.1% in June 2022. But inflation has declined sharply since that June 2022 peak, and the most recent available rate, for January 2024, was 3.1%. The Biden presidency aside, that rate was exceeded as recently as 2011 – far less than 40 years ago.

Like Britt, former President Donald Trump and other Republicans have repeatedly ignored the decline in inflation since June 2022 to criticize Biden in the present tense.

Britt on Biden suspending deportations
Britt said that just after taking office in 2021, Biden “suspended all deportations.”

“President Biden inherited the most secure border of all time. But minutes after taking office, he suspended all deportations.”

Facts First: This needs context. Hours after taking office, Biden did call for a 100-day pause on deportations, but not “all deportations.”

The moratorium excluded individuals suspected of terrorism or espionage, among other groups. But, more importantly, the suspension never actually took effect. A federal judge in Texas immediately blocked the action and it was never revived.

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Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 14:11 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
Ze zijn bezig om deze ook voor 2024 in werking te stellen.

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Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 14:39 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Ik kan daar 0 over vinden?

Niet dat het uitmaakt, er is toch geen intentie om ze daar gebruik van te laten maken.

quote:

Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, argued in July that “the option of leasing or renting weapons” should ideally remain possible through the Lend-Lease Act in the event of delays or difficulties securing weapons for Ukraine through other packages. She is currently working to extend the Act’s term of validity for another year so that the mechanism stays in place, should stoppages occur in the approval or delivery of other forms of aid. Valery Chaly, former Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, told the BBC’s Ukrainian service that there was still a possibility Lend-Lease will be extended due to amendments in the 2024 defense budget.

quote:

The former ambassador of Ukraine to the USA, Valery Chaly, draws attention to the fact that the amendment on the extension of Lend-Lease is included in the project of the defense budget of the USA for 2024. So, it is quite possible to talk about the end of this mechanism somewhat prematurely.

"There is still a possibility that Lend-Lease will be extended due to the amendment made to the defense budget for 2024 ( National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 )," the diplomat told the Ukrainian BBC. "And it will be right, because this instrument, in my opinion view, must be "at hand", i.e. within reach, so that it is in current conditions".

Back in July of this year, Chaly's successor as Ukrainian ambassador, Oksana Markarova, stated that she was "actively working" to convince the American Congress to extend the term of the Lend-Lease law.

"The availability of the option of leasing or renting weapons is very important so that it also remains possible," she noted in an interview with Radio Svoboda.

So far, the American authorities have obviously not listened to her requests.

Although on October 3, Ms. Markarova published a joint photo on Facebook with the author of last year's Lend-Lease law, Republican Senator John Kornyn.

She reported that she discussed with him the issue of extending the term of validity of this document for the next year.

"We aligned our clocks on the issue of joint work aimed at extending the Lend-Lease Law for the Defense of Ukraine's Democracy through the 2024 fiscal year. The law, in both the senator's opinion and ours, is an important back-up tool for obtaining weapons in addition to irreversible PDA programs, USAI and FMF".

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Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 14:56 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
Het artikel wat jij linkte:

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Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 14:59 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Ja, ok, dat oekraine die wet graag terug wil, incl. zoiets banaals als: er gebruik van kunnen maken, betekent bij jou dus dat 'ze ermee bezig zijn', helder.

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Poland’s Complicity Unveiled: Record Exports to Belarus Fuel Russia’s War Machine Amid Sanctions
Poland’s trade dynamics have notably shifted, showing a troubling increase in exports to Belarus, reaching a record $2.9 billion in 2023, as direct exports to Russia plummet due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. This surge in trade with Belarus, a known ally of Russia, raises significant concerns about Poland’s indirect contribution to supporting Russia’s economy amidst sanctions aimed at isolating it for its aggressive actions. Notably, a substantial portion of these exports, especially vehicles worth nearly $1 billion, alongside high-value shipments of plastics, mechanical equipment, electronics, and dual-use items, potentially funnel through Belarus to Russia.

The pattern of trade suggests an alarming trend of sanctions evasion, with Poland playing an unwitting or negligent role in facilitating the flow of goods into Russia. This includes dual-use goods, which hold civilian applications but can also be repurposed for military use, exported to Belarus with a portion valued at $7.4 million in the electronics category alone. Moreover, the export of goods that significantly increased from Belarus to Russia, like vehicles and electronics, indicates a clear bypass route for products originating from the EU.

This situation is not just a breach of trust among EU nations and their allies but a direct contradiction of the intended effects of sanctions against Russia. It undermines the collective efforts to curtail Russia’s capabilities amid its hostile actions. The record-level trade between Poland and Belarus, especially in goods that could bolster Russia’s technological and military capabilities, is not justifiable under any guise of humanitarian aid or civilian use. It necessitates a stern reevaluation of Poland’s trade policies and enforcement mechanisms to prevent further indirect support to a state implicated in terrorism and undermining international peace and stability.

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In Berdychi, Ukraine’s M-1 Abrams Tanks Made Their Last Stand—And Halted The Russian Advance
The Ukrainian 47th Brigade has lost three of its 31 M-1s

After blasting the Ukrainian army’s ammunition-starved 110th Mechanized Brigade out of the ruins of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine three weeks ago, the Russian army had the momentum.

As the 110th and adjacent units—including, north of Avdiivka, the 47th Mechanized Brigade—retreated toward more defensible terrain to the west, the Russians advanced ... for miles.

Those miles represented the Russian army’s biggest gains in a year.

SPOILER

quote:

But any prospect of the Russians breaking through the Ukrainians’ new defensive line and rolling into their undefended rear—and toward major population centers—ended this month, as the 47th Brigade and other Ukrainian units turned around, fought back and even counterattacked in some areas.

It was a costly turn for the Ukrainians. The 47th Brigade—the main operator of Ukraine’s American-made heavy armor including M-1 Abrams tanks, M-2 Bradley fighting vehicles and Assault Breacher engineering vehicles—lost (according to analyst Andrew Perpetua) nearly 10 percent of its armor, including: three of the 69-ton, four-person M-1s; at least four of the 34-ton, 10-person M-2s; and two of the 65-ton, two-person Assault Breachers.

But in making its stand in the town of Berdychi, five miles northwest of Avdiivka, the 47th Brigade inflicted many, many more losses than it suffered. The roads toward Berdychi are littered with the hulks of Russian tanks, tracked fighting vehicles and—especially—BTR-80 wheeled armored personnel carriers. Not to mention potentially hundreds of dead Russian infantry.

More importantly, the 47th Brigade—and the adjacent brigades to the south—has halted the Russian 2nd and 41st Combined Arms Armies.

In the heady two weeks following Avdiivka’s fall, the Russians rolled through, from north to south, the settlements of Stepove, Lastochkyne and Sjeverne. But only because the retreating Ukrainians chose to not defend those settlements as they headed for the settlements farther west: Berdychi, Orlivka and Tonen'ke.

Those settlements have water at their backs, making them harder to assault across and thus easier to defend.

The Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies summed up what happened along the Berdychi-Tonen’ke line this week. “On the Avdiivka direction, the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade successfully defends Berdychi, repelling the attacks from the enemy’s 15th and 30th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigades.”

The 3rd Separate Assault Brigade repelled an enemy assault in the area of Orlivka, where the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade assumed a defensive position. The enemy advances along the lakes to the south of Orlivka and infiltrated to the southwest of the Zoryansky pond, south of the village.

The 53rd Separate Mechanized Brigade is holding its ground in Tonen’ke, improving its tactical position by repelling an attack from the enemy’s 114th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 1st Army Corps, supported by the 55th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 41st Army from the Lastochkyne-Tonen’ke direction.
If there’s anything the Russians can boast about, as the Avdiivka campaign draws to a close, it’s that they’ve managed to infiltrate and dig in across the southeast corner of Tonen’ke—although only after brutally bombarding the settlement from the air and losing several warplanes in the process.

“The [Russian] 1st Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 1st Army Corps and the 35th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 41st Army attacked Tonen’ke from the south, but they did not achieve success,” CDS pointed out.

And with that, five months after it began, the Battle of Avdiivka finally is ending.

It’s a pyrrhic victory for the Russians. Yes, they captured Avdiivka’s rubble. But it cost them at least 16,000 dead, probably tens of thousands of wounded and nearly 800 armored vehicles. Ukrainian losses total, it seems, a few thousand killed, thousands more wounded and fewer than 100 armored vehicles.

The M-1s, M-2s and Assault Breachers the 47th Brigade lost in close street fighting in Berdychi could be some of the final losses of the campaign. They amount to 10 percent of the brigade’s tanks, five percent of its fighting vehicles and maybe a third of its engineering vehicles.

There’s just one reason the 47th Brigade can’t swiftly replace the vehicles it wrote off in its fighting retreat west of Avdiivka. It’s the same reason the low-on-ammo Ukrainians had to retreat from Avdiivka in the first place: Russia-friendly Republicans in the U.S. Congress blocked further U.S. aid to Ukraine starting in October.

Even cut off from U.S. support, the 47th Brigade still has plenty of combat power. Likely more than enough to hold Berdychi. What it and the rest of the Ukrainian army don’t have is the surplus of people, vehicles and ammo they would need to launch a major attack back toward the east.

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Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 13:47 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]
[ x ]

quote:

Russia claims a drone attack on the Volgograd region
Russia was attacked by drones on the night of Mar. 8. In some regions, the air defence system was allegedly working.

Russians complain about drone attacks
The Russians allegedly destroyed eleven drones over the territory of the Volgograd region. One drone had reportedly been destroyed over the territory of the Belgorod region. The Russians believe that the drones were allegedly Ukrainian.

A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was destroyed over the territory of the Belgorod region, and eleven UAVs were destroyed over the territory of the Volgograd region, the Russian MOD Telegram statement said.

Later, the Russian MOD announced the "downing" of four more, allegedly Ukrainian drones.

The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation reported the destruction of four more Ukrainian UAVs over the territory of the Volgograd region by air defence at around 07:00 Moscow time, Russian mass media reported.

The governor of the Volgograd region, Andei Bocharov, confirmed the attack and said that the Ministry of Defence allegedly destroyed all the drones. He did not specify the number.

This morning, a UAV attack was repelled in the Horodyshchensky District of the Volgograd Region. Unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed by the forces of the Ministry of Defence. The measures have been taken to ensure the safety of residents. There are no casualties or damage, Bocharov wrote.

The governor of the Belgorod region did not comment on what happened.

Drone attacks on the Russian Federation
Earlier, drones attacked three Russian regions on March 6. The airfield, warehouse and oil depot were under attack.

Drones also attacked an oil depot in the Belgorod region. The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine confirms it was a special operation.

quote:

The ban on the publication of oil and gas production statistics has been extended until 2025
The government has extended the ban on the publication of statistics on oil, gas and condensate production until April 1, 2025. Data publication was suspended on April 26, 2023. Initially, the ban was introduced for 11 months, until April 1, 2024.

The 2023 resolution presents a list of types of products for which the distribution of statistics was suspended. The list includes an oil-gas-water mixture (well fluid), dehydrated, desalted and stabilized oil, and unstable gas condensate.

The resolution also provided an additional list of activities for which data will no longer be published in 2024. This list includes oil and natural gas production, oil and associated gas production, natural gas and condensate production. The 2024 decree does not indicate whether the publication of statistics on these parameters has been suspended.

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 15:03 schreef byah het volgende:
Inb4 aanslag in Moskou door rebellen uit Moldavie/Zweden

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Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 15:44 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:

[..]
Om een of andere reden las ik Mogadishu/Zimbabwe.

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 17:30 schreef Hyperdude het volgende:
[ x ]

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 19:16 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Na die State of Union van Biden is het wel duidelijk dat Trump gaat winnen. Jezus wat een beschamend optreden.

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 19:24 schreef luxerobots het volgende:

[..]
Wat is er beschamend aan?

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 19:16 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Na die State of Union van Biden is het wel duidelijk dat Trump gaat winnen. Jezus wat een beschamend optreden.

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 19:25 schreef Barbusse het volgende:

[..]
Wut? Wat was er beschamend aan, behalve die maga idiots zoals MTG met haar maga outfit?

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 19:24 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Ging niet zo lekker, kijk maar samenvatting fragmenten.

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 19:24 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Ging niet zo lekker, kijk maar samenvatting fragmenten.

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 19:24 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Ging niet zo lekker, kijk maar samenvatting fragmenten.

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 19:30 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
De mensen die jouw MAGAt samenvatting niet hebben gezien, hebben geen idee waar je het over hebt.

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 19:26 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Nou, naast dat vooral ook zeker Biden zelf.

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Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 19:37 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Of het nou Trump idioten zijn of een seniele Biden maakt niet uit.

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Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 01:43 schreef RipCity het volgende:

[..]
Mooi. Laat de ‘normale’ Russen ook maar eens voelen dat het het oorlog is.

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 20:30 schreef Triggershott het volgende:
Die waarschuwing volgde op een bericht van de Russische veiligheidsdienst.

quote:

LIVE | Erdogan: Turkije klaar om Rusland te ontvangen voor vredesoverleg
Erdogan: Turkije klaar om Rusland te ontvangen voor vredesoverleg

Turkije is klaar om als gastheer op te treden voor vredesgesprekken tussen Rusland en Oekra�ne, zei president Recep Tayyip Erdogan na een overleg met zijn Oekra�ense ambtgenoot Volodimir Zelenski.

"We zijn klaar om een vredestop te organiseren waaraan Rusland zal deelnemen", verklaarde de Turkse president in een gezamenlijke persconferentie met Zelenski.

De Oekra�ense president zei op zijn beurt dat Rusland niet welkom is op een vredestop die later dit jaar in Zwitserland moet worden gehouden.
Volgens Zelenski is het wel mogelijk dat een Russische afgevaardigde wordt uitgenodigd voor een volgend overleg als Oekra�ne in Zwitserland met zijn bondgenoten tot overeenstemming is gekomen over een vredesplan.

Erdogan zei dat hij met Zelenski heeft gesproken over onder meer de ontwikkelingen in de oorlog tussen Oekra�ne en Rusland en de veiligheid op de Zwarte Zee, waaronder de ter ziele gegane graandeal.

Volgens Erdogan is het zijn "intentie om tot een akkoord tussen de partijen te komen" om de veiligheid van het commerci�le scheepvaartverkeer op de Zwarte Zee te garanderen.

Verder zei hij dat Turkije fors zal bijdragen aan de wederopbouw van Oekra�ne zodra de oorlog voorbij is.

Sinds het begin van de oorlog in februari 2022 heeft Erdogan zichzelf meerdere keren opgeworpen als bemiddelaar in het conflict..

quote:

12:51
Britten gaan meer dan 10.000 drones aan Oekra�ne leveren
Het Verenigd Koninkrijk heeft een extra 125 miljoen pond (ongeveer 146 miljoen euro) vrijgemaakt, om Oekra�ne te bevoorraden met drones die kunnen ingezet worden in de oorlog tegen de Russen.

Met het geld kunnen meer dan 10.000 onbemande drones worden geleverd, waaronder kamikazedrones en drones voor het aanvallen van Russische schepen in de Zwarte Zee.
"Drones veranderen de koers van de oorlog", verklaarde de Britse minister van Defensie Grant Shapps bij zijn bezoek aan Kiev. "

Ik roep onze internationale partners op om ook een inspanning te leveren."
Volgens de Oekra�ense president Volodimir Zelenski werd er ook gesproken over langeafstandsbewapening en over munitie.
De Britten maakten eerder al 200 miljoen pond vrij voor wapenleveringen aan het land.

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 19:43 schreef ExTec het volgende:

Gebaseerd op wat?

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Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 19:16 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Na die State of Union van Biden is het wel duidelijk dat Trump gaat winnen. Jezus wat een beschamend optreden.

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 19:38 schreef zalkc het volgende:

[..]
Hij was juist erg goed bezig dit jaar, zeker voor Biden. Zag ook al opmerkingen vanuit MAGA komen of hij aan de drugs had gezeten omdat hij energiek en coherent overkwam.

[ x ]

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 19:16 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Na die State of Union van Biden is het wel duidelijk dat Trump gaat winnen. Jezus wat een beschamend optreden.

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 20:30 schreef Triggershott het volgende:

[..]
Sta je daar nog steeds achter nu het mogelijk om Islamitische Staat (IS) gaat?

Nederlanders in Rusland gewaarschuwd voor mogelijke aanslagen dit weekend

De Nederlandse ambassade in Moskou waarschuwt Nederlanders in de Russische hoofdstad en andere grote Russische steden voor mogelijke aanslagen komend weekend. Dat meldt het ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken desgevraagd aan NU.nl.
De waarschuwing volgt na een vergelijkbare waarschuwing van de Amerikaanse ambassade. Ook de Britten, Belgen en andere EU-lidstaten hebben mensen gewaarschuwd.

"Vermijd komende dagen locaties waar veel mensen samenkomen (bijvoorbeeld drukke winkelcentra, concerten etc.). Wees alert en volg de aanwijzingen van lokale autoriteiten", heeft de Nederlandse ambassade gemeld aan Nederlanders in Rusland.

De Amerikaanse ambassade in Moskou laat weten berichten in de gaten te houden dat extremisten plannen hebben zich te richten op grote bijeenkomsten in Moskou, inclusief concerten. "Amerikaanse burgers moeten de komende 48 uur grote bijeenkomsten vermijden", meldt de ambassade.

Die waarschuwing volgde op een bericht van de Russische veiligheidsdienst. Die zei een schietpartij in een synagoge door een cel van de Afghaanse tak van IS te hebben verijdeld.

Een woordvoerder van het ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken kan niet zeggen hoeveel Nederlanders er op dit moment in Rusland zijn, omdat het ministerie dat niet bijhoudt. Ook is niet bekend hoeveel Nederlanders momenteel in Moskou zijn.

https://www.nu.nl/buitenl(...)gen-dit-weekend.html

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 19:24 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Ging niet zo lekker, kijk maar samenvatting fragmenten.

quote:

Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 00:07 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Dat de fabricage op stoom zou komen na een maand of zes was toch al eerder bekend?

- Je hebt contracten en vergunningen nodig om te mogen beginnen met het maken van explosieven en granaten.
- Contracten en vergunningen werden afgelopen zomer getekend en afgegeven.
- Veel explosieven moeten 4-6 maanden rusten om te stabiliseren.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +
Einde winter was te verwachten

quote:

Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 00:11 schreef zalkc het volgende:

[..]
We kunnen niet te veel goed nieuws gebruiken, de boodschap dat we meer moeten produceren zit er nog niet genoeg in geramd bij alle politici.

quote:

Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 23:59 schreef ExTec het volgende:
[ x ]

Schijnt ook dat de VS een eerder richting israel omgebogen levering, weer richting oekraine heeft geleid.

quote:

Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 00:24 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:
Zou toch wat zijn. Net als Rusland denkt dat ze vooruitgang boeken, schiet Ukraine ze weer helemaal terug naar Moskow.

quote:

Russian oligarch went to Moscow in effort to broker complex prisoner exchange that included Navalny, sources say

A multi-country prisoner exchange that might have freed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny was being discussed and progressing when he died last month, multiple sources have told CNN, and included the direct involvement of a Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich.

A two-year stop-start process exploring options to secure the release of Navalny began to accelerate when Abramovich visited Moscow in recent months, two of the sources said.

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had also embraced early efforts to win Navalny’s freedom, according to several sources.

Abramovich, who is sanctioned in the West and spends much of his time in the United Arab Emirates, met a US official as ideas for the complex exchange involving as many as seven people took shape, according to one source close to the process. Abramovich has kept a connection with the Kremlin since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and was instrumental in early efforts at negotiating an end to the conflict.

SPOILER

quote:

One source familiar with Abramovich’s movements said that he had traveled to Moscow to meet with officials at the Kremlin. CNN has been unable to confirm independently when Abramovich went to Moscow, nor reports in independent Russian media on Friday that he met Russian President Vladimir Putin hours before the prison authorities announced that Navalny had died at a penal colony in Siberia on February 16.

However, a source close to Navalny’s team told CNN that on the evening of February 15 they had received word that a message had been delivered to Putin. In what form though, they were unable to say. A key aide to Navalny, Maria Pevchikh, said soon after he died that Abramovich had become involved in exploring a deal, and had “delivered the proposal to swap Navalny” to the Kremlin. She added that he was acting as “an informal negotiator in communication with American and European officials.”

The source familiar with Abramovich’s involvement said he was “flabbergasted” to hear that Navalny had died even as he pursued the exchange.

On February 27, 11 days after Navalny’s death, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov side-stepped questions about Abramovich’s involvement. Asked whether he knew whether Abramovich had discussed a prisoner swap with Putin, he said: “You can ask Abramovich’s representatives. This is not a question to us.”

One Western diplomat told CNN last week that on a scale of one to 10, the prospects of a swap had “reached seven or eight” by the time Navalny died at the IK-3 prison colony.

Even so, the proposal was still at an informal stage, according to several sources familiar with the process, and a deal did not appear imminent.

“The offer can only be made once it’s been accepted informally. That’s how it works in these negotiations,” he said.

A US official concurred, telling CNN: “There was no formal offer extended to Russia at the time of Navalny’s death.”

An Aspen meeting
Back in the summer of 2022, Hillary Clinton was approached by Christo Grozev, who has worked with the Navalny team for several years, at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado.

According to someone familiar with the meeting, Clinton told Grozev that she had followed his work with Navalny, which included revealing the identities of the FSB team that had poisoned Navalny. Clinton said she had also seen the documentary that Grozev helped to make about Navalny. The documentary, which won an Academy Award, was partly based on an investigation into Navalny’s poisoning in August 2020 by CNN and the independent investigative group Bellingcat.

Grozev told CNN that Clinton agreed to reach out to officials in the Biden administration with an idea: exchanging Navalny for a Russian linked to the security service, the FSB, who had been convicted of murder in Berlin. Another name discussed was Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. (Bout was subsequently freed by the US in December 2022 in exchange for American basketball star Brittney Griner, held in a prison colony in Russia after being convicted of cannabis possession.)

Clinton “initially passed on the message” to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Grozev told CNN. A source confirmed Clinton had reached out to Sullivan. The National Security Council declined to comment.

Navalny adviser Pevchikh also said the Russian convicted of murdering a Chechen dissident in Berlin in 2019 was included in a proposed deal. Pevchikh said that “in early February, Putin was offered to exchange Vadim Krasikov, a killer and an FSB officer who is serving a sentence for murder in Berlin, for two American citizens and Alexey Navalny.”

German prosecutors said that Krasikov was sent by the Russian security services with a false identity to carry out the killing. He was sentenced to life in prison after his conviction in a Berlin court.

The Kremlin denied that he had been working on behalf of the state. But without naming Krasikov, Putin last month floated the idea of securing the release of a Russian “patriot” who he said was serving a life sentence for “liquidating a bandit” in Europe. Speaking to Tucker Carlson in Moscow, Putin implied the deal would be in exchange for the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been charged with espionage in Russia.

The final framework of the proposed deal is unclear, but an individual close to the Navalny team said that an expanded proposal included the possible release of both Gershkovich and another American imprisoned in Russia, Paul Whelan, in addition to Navalny.

“We had to find a way to package the German asset [Krasikov] into an American negotiation,” the source close to the Navalny team said. The Russians had initially proposed that a German-Russian dual citizen held in Russia on espionage charges be exchanged for Krasikov, an offer flatly refused by the Germans.

It became a complex triangular arrangement, he said. “It had to be explained to the Americans that the only way for them to get Whelan and Gershkovich is if the Russians get Krasikov. But the Germans would only hand over Krasikov in exchange for Navalny.”

“The German government was very serious about it,” the Western diplomat told CNN last week. But the diplomat added that it was unlikely the Russians would have agreed to trade three valuable prisoners - Navalny, Gershkovich and Whelan – for one – Krasikov - and would have wanted to expand the deal.

“There are other places bad Russians are. The question was how to get everybody aligned, so various ideas were being thrown around,” the diplomat added. “You have to be creative.”

Another Russian who could be included is Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, an alleged Russian spy who has been charged by the US Department of Justice with fraud and other crimes and is being held in Brazil. Russian and American extradition requests have been declined by Brazilian authorities.

Getting the message to Putin was one of the greatest challenges, the individual close to the Navalny team told CNN. “There was a lot of interest at mid-level, but whenever it got to ‘Oh, who’s going to tell Putin?’ people chickened out.”

Abramovich, according to multiple sources, did not chicken out. But exactly when and how he delivered the informal proposal to the Kremlin, or to President Putin himself, is still not confirmed. Ultimately, the process did not move swiftly enough to save Navalny.

And his aides remain convinced that Putin ordered the killing of the opposition leader, a claim the Kremlin denies.

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Biden projects a vision of strength that’s been missing from his presidency but will be needed in 2024 campaign
This version of Joe Biden could beat Donald Trump.

At the State of the Union address on Thursday night, the 81-year-old president set out to defuse his biggest liability: deep-seated fears among millions of Americans that he’s too old to serve a second term.

There is nothing worse for a president than looking weak. So every word, gesture, joke and admonition of Biden’s appearance was geared toward the goal of making him look strong.

And in the most important moment of the 2024 election campaign so far, Biden appeared to succeed. He projected vigor and forcefulness. His voice, which has seemed reedy at times, was sonorant. He was quick off the mark as he goaded heckling Republicans, who again walked into his trap by showcasing their extremism to millions of viewers. Biden was a trenchant master of the chamber of the House of Representatives, effectively wielding the theatrics of the presidency and commanding an hour of unfiltered primetime television.

SPOILER

quote:

At times, Biden reanimated the scrappy, twinkle-eyed, blue-collar street politician that has characterized his public image for decades — for instance, when he used the word “illegal” instead of the more politically correct term “undocumented migrant.”

Taking aim at another of his own weaknesses — over the border crisis — Biden attacked the GOP for sabotaging a bipartisan border bill that contained many of the policies that Republicans had been advocating for years, apparently because Trump wanted to deprive him of an election year win. The president pointed out that many Republicans had originally supported the measure, and he mockingly reacted to their boos by saying: “You don’t think so — you don’t like that bill, huh?”

Not for the first time in the speech, Biden appeared to be speaking directly to Trump, potentially watching at home in Florida, while trying to get under his skin. “If my predecessor is watching, instead of playing politics to pressure members of Congress to block the bill, join me in telling the Congress to pass it. We can do it together.”

And Biden slammed Republicans for forgetting the trauma of the January 6, 2021, mob attack on the US Capitol by the former president’s supporters. “My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth of January 6. I will not do that,” Biden said. “Remember your oath of office — to defend against all threats foreign and domestic.” The president’s intention appeared to be to remind voters of the extremes of the Trump years at a time when polls suggest growing nostalgia for his presidency among some voters.

Such an energetic performance from Biden has been in far less evidence as he’s perceptibly aged and been weighed down by the burdens of office. If he is to overcome the kind of low approval ratings that typically doom first-term presidents, he will have to emulate this performance over and over in the coming months.

Biden’s answer to Trump
It is unusual for a president to spend so much time calling out his electoral opponent in an annual address. Biden repeatedly took shots at Trump – whom he referred to only as “my predecessor.” In that sense, this year’s State of the Union represented one of the most overt examples of a president delivering a campaign-style speech from the podium in the House, as Democrats chanted “four more years.”

Trump has for years lampooned Biden as old, tired, doddering and weak, often with cruel impersonations at his campaign rallies. Any misstep or senior moment from the president on Thursday night would have immediately gone viral and had the damaging effect of confirming what majorities in polls think — that Biden is too old to be running for reelection.

Alabama Sen. Katie Britt may have hoped for a less robust performance by the president since her Republican response to his speech included the pre-written line, “Right now, our commander in chief is not in command. The free world deserves better than a dithering and diminished leader.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson took a similar approach as he accused Biden of behaving in a hyperpartisan manner.

“President Biden is clearly not on his A-game and I think that’s a charitable way to describe it. I thought tonight he was overly emotional. I thought he shouted at the audience. I thought so much of that was unnecessary,” Johnson said.

Of course, Republicans would have faulted any version of Biden that showed up on Thursday. Had he lacked energy, they’d have said he was too old. Since he put on a strong performance, they accused him of shouting.

Not only did the president seek to project strength, he also sought to redefine the concept of strong leadership in his favor. He suggested that while Trump projects a strongman’s persona, he’s really most interested in genuflecting to dictators and autocrats.

Biden started his speech with a strident demand for the House to lift its hold on his $60 billion arms package for Ukraine, which Trump opposes, portraying it as vital to continued American strength in the world.

He contrasted Trump with former Republican President Ronald Reagan’s thundering call on Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down” the Berlin Wall. “My predecessor, a former Republican president, tells Putin, quote, ‘Do whatever the Hell you want,’” Biden said, drawing boos from Democrats on the House floor. “That’s a quote. A former president actually said that bowing down to a Russian leader. I think it’s outrageous, it’s dangerous and it’s unacceptable.”

“We will not bow down. I will not bow down,” Biden said. “History is watching.” Biden also accused Trump of going soft on President Xi Jinping’s China, saying he had taken steps to bolster regional alliances to meet its threat and to protect US technology from being used in the country. “For all his tough talk on China, it never occurred to my predecessor to do any of that.”

While Biden was hale and lively in delivering his speech, it’s tough to know in the moment how it will affect voters agonizing over their vote and even wavering Democrats whom the president badly needs to show up in large numbers in November. And his political position is so perilous that no one speech can guarantee his reelection. The months to come will have multiple unpredictable events that could sway the result.

Republicans complain Biden politicized a great state event
Some Republicans faulted the president’s delivery and said he mistook loudness for strength. Former President George W. Bush’s ex-spokesman Ari Fleischer mused on X, for instance, that someone had told Biden to show energy but that he instead came across as “weirdly amped up” and was “bizarrely fast” in his delivery.

Other Republicans complained that Biden had polarized a great state occasion. “Maybe that was supposed to be the Democratic Convention speech,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas told CNN. “It was divisive. It was an attack ad against Republicans.”

The president’s use of the annual speech to the nation to repeatedly attack his 2024 opponent, if not by name, was indeed a political risk in that it could have offended some swing voters. But it also made the most of what may be Biden’s most potent political platform of the year.

And it’s rich for Republicans to complain about politicizing the State of the Union. Trump presented the Medal of Freedom to late conservative radio icon Rush Limbaugh one year. And he used the White House, which belongs to all Americans regardless of political party, as the backdrop for his Republican National Convention speech in the pandemic year of 2020.

The profound national crossroads that the 2024 election represents – between Biden’s traditional, American global leadership and Trump’s populist “America First” nationalism – has rarely come across as stark as Biden laid it out during his opening remarks on Ukraine. On Friday, Trump is set to welcome a European autocrat, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, to his resort at Mar-a-Lago. Orban’s suppression of democracy, opposition figures, the legal system and the press looks a lot like the second term of “retribution” that Trump is promising. Like Trump, Orban cozies up to Putin and backs the ex-president’s plan to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours — a process that could only happen on the Russian leader’s terms and reward his illegal invasion of a democracy. Orban is the kind of idealized strongman that Trump would like to become and frequently cites at his rallies.

The White House did not extend an invitation for Orban to meet with Biden, CNN’s Betsy Klein reports. And in his speech on Thursday, Biden was advocating a different kind of strength – one rooted in democracy rather than in trying to destroy it.

In summing up his remarks, Biden sought to make his age a virtue rather than a liability, arguing that Trump is a creature of a dangerous past, while he has a positive vision of the future.

“I know I may not look like it, but I’ve been around a while,” the president quipped. “When you get to be my age, certain things become clearer than ever. I know the American story. Again and again. I’ve seen the contest between competing forces in the battle for the soul of our nation.”

“Let’s build a future together and let’s remember who we are,” Biden said.

That debate about two vastly different visions of the meaning and the soul of the country will decide the fates of both Biden and Trump come November.

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Russian hackers breached key Microsoft systems

Russian state-backed hackers gained access to some of Microsoft’s core software systems in a hack first disclosed in January, the company said Friday, revealing a more extensive and serious intrusion into Microsoft’s systems than previously known.

Microsoft believes that the hackers have in recent weeks used information stolen from Microsoft’s corporate email systems to access “some of the company’s source code repositories and internal systems,” the tech firm said in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Source code is coveted by corporations — and spies trying to breach them — because it is the secret nuts and bolts of a software program that make it function.
Hackers with access to source code can use it for follow-on attacks on other systems.

Microsoft first revealed the breach in January, days before another Big Tech company, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, said the same hackers had breached its cloud-based email systems. The full extent and exact purpose of the hacking activity isn’t clear, but experts say the group responsible has a history of wide-ranging intelligence gathering campaigns in support of the Kremlin.

The hacking group was behind the infamous breach of several US agency email systems using software made by US contractor SolarWinds, which was revealed in 2020. The hackers had access for months to the unclassified email accounts at the departments of Homeland Security and Justice, among other agencies, before the spying operation was discovered.

US officials have attributed the hacking group to Russia’s foreign intelligence service. Russia denied involvement in the operation.

In the years since the 2020 hack, the Russian hackers have continued to break into widely used tech firms as part of their espionage campaigns, according to US officials and private experts. In the activity described Friday, the hackers may be using the information it stole from Microsoft “to accumulate a picture of areas to attack and enhance its ability to do so,” the company said in a blog post that accompanied the SEC filing.

“To date we have found no evidence that Microsoft-hosted customer-facing systems have been compromised,” Microsoft said.

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Trump posts nearly $92 million bond in E. Jean Carroll defamation case

Former President Donald Trump has posted a $91.63 million bond as he appeals the judgment against him in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case.

The notice of Trump’s bond and appeal was made with the federal court in New York on Friday.

In January, a federal jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in damages as a result of Trump’s defamatory statements denying he raped her, saying she wasn’t his type, and accusing her of making up the allegation to boost sales of her book. Carroll will not collect the award during the appeal.

Insurance company Chubb underwrote the bond for Trump, which the former president signed on Tuesday. Under the terms of the bond, Chubb will only secure the appeal of the $83.3 million judgment, not any future appeals.

The bond size is greater than the judgment because the district court generally requires a party to post 110% of the bond.

In a statement, a Chubb spokesperson declined to comment on the specifics of Trump’s bond.

“As a matter of policy, we do not comment on client-specific information,” the spokesperson said. “Our surety division provides appeal bonds in the normal course of business. These bonds are an ordinary and important part of the American justice system, protecting the rights of both defendants and plaintiffs.”

Trump also faces a March 25 deadline to put up another $454 million in the New York attorney general’s civil fraud case.

In Carroll’s case, Trump has argued that the jury award is excessive and should be reduced. During the trial, Carroll’s lawyers told the jury that Trump should be punished with a large number in damages so that it actually gets him to stop his defamatory behavior.

In addition to those two judgments against him, Trump is also facing mounting legal fees he owes on the four criminal trials he’s facing as he campaigns for another presidential term.

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France is negotiating the transfer of weapons from Arab countries to Ukraine
France is negotiating with Arab countries to return the sold French weapons for further transfer to Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced this during a press conference.

Macron said that his country would no longer supply shells and artillery systems to Qatar and Saudi Arabia in order to focus on supporting Ukraine.

Instead, the French government is negotiating with these countries to withdraw the equipment they have supplied and send it to Ukraine.

In addition, according to Macron, the governments of France, Germany, and Italy are also negotiating the return of weapons accumulated by Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia over the years.

He emphasized that building up the French army’s stockpile and deliveries to Ukraine would be a priority for France.

Arsenals of the countries of the Middle East
Given Ukraine’s urgent needs, it can be assumed that the main part of the negotiations is devoted to the stockpiles of artillery ammunition in the arsenals of Arab countries.

Given the context, it is also possible that the talks will cover other types of weapons, including artillery systems.

Saudi Arabia is armed with 156 Caesar self-propelled howitzers, as well as about 100 light 105-mm LG1 howitzers.

Qatar has a smaller artillery fleet, consisting of two dozen obsolete French 155 mm AMX F3 self-propelled guns and much more modern German PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers.

The United Arab Emirates has almost no French artillery system, but has a stockpile of SCALP (Storm Shadow) cruise missiles, which were manufactured to meet export restrictions and supplied under the name Black Shaheen.

The Black Shaheen differs from the original missiles by having a reduced range of 290 km to meet the requirements of the Missile Technology Control Regime.

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Ukraine blows up one of Russia’s most modern electronic warfare system

Ukrainian Special Operations Forces said on Friday that it had destroyed Russia’s advanced R-330 “Zhitel” mobile truck-mounted electronic warfare jamming communication system.

During reconnaissance operations in the Zaporizhzhia region, operators from the 3rd Separate Special Operations Regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces detected the R-330 “Zhitel” system.

Following surveillance of the target, special forces operators provided crucial intelligence to Ukrainian artillery units for further engagement.

The Ukrainian military released footage showing the moment of the attack on the Russian modern electronic warfare system. The video also captured fragments of intercepted communications among Russian military personnel.

🔥ЗНИЩЕНО ворожий комплекс � ЕБ «Житель»

The R-330 “Zhitel” system is engineered to detect, analyze, and jam satellite and cellular phone communication systems operating within the frequency range of 100 to 2,000 MHz. This jamming station is designed for the detection and disruption of enemy communications.

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Putin Ally's Social Media Rants Tied to Wine Shipments from Italy
Controversial posts on social media by Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's former president and prime minister, have followed the dates of his wine shipments from Italy, a Russian investigative news outlet has reported.

Medvedev, now deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, has made headlines throughout the war in Ukraine for regular social media rants that have ranged from calls for nuclear strikes on NATO members to suggestions that Moscow has no choice but to eliminate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

A report by Russian news site the Insider, published on Friday, connects the former Russian president's anti-NATO rants on his Telegram channel to shipments of alcohol from Italy.

SPOILER

quote:

"As it turns out, despite the sanctions, wine continues to be supplied to Russia from Medvedev's Italian vineyards, and the delivery dates each time surprisingly precede his scandalous publications," the publication said.

Medvedev has continued to receive shipments of alcohol from Tuscan winery Fattoria della Aiola, which was in 2017 registered with an offshore company in Cyprus owned by Ilya Eliseev, a former classmate and close friend of the official. The Insider noted that the winery's ownership structure has since changed, but part of the shares still belong to Eliseev.

After Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Medvedev continued to receive wine from this Italian winery, The Insider reported. It said that wine from Fattoria della Aiola arrived in Russia on June 17, 2022.

Two days later, Medvedev wrote a post on Telegram alluding to the demise of the European Union before Ukraine is able to become a member.

"Perhaps we would have Communism, if the [Soviet] Union had been preserved. But, unfortunately, the union died. Understand what I'm getting at?" he wrote. "So what if (knock on wood) the EU disappears by then? it's scary to imagine the scandal that would arise."

"Because what sacrifices have been made on the altar of joining the EU and what a disappointment to the expectations of the unfortunate Ukrainians?" he added.

A month later, on July 18, 2022, Medvedev received another shipment from the winery. Three days after that, he published a lengthy list on Telegram detailing the "sins" of the West, calling Europeans "fools" and describing U.S. President Joe Biden as a "grandfather with dementia."

And in October 2022 and January 2023, Medvedev published more social media rants days after receiving wine shipments from Italy, The Insider found.

The former Russian president has warned on multiple occasions that a nuclear war could break out amid the conflict in Ukraine.

In January, he warned in a post on his Telegram channel that should Ukraine attack missile launch sites on Russian soil using long-range missiles provided by the West, Moscow could respond with a nuclear strike.

Attacks by Ukraine risk infringing paragraph 19 of Russia's 2020 nuclear doctrine, Medvedev said, adding that all those who support Kyiv "should remember this."

The paragraph states that Russia could use nuclear weapons to respond to an attack using nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction, or to the use of conventional weapons against Russia "when the very existence of the state is put under threat," Reuters reported.

"This is not a right to self-defense, but a direct and obvious basis for our use of nuclear weapons against such a state," wrote Medvedev.

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A captured Russian was served a notice of suspicion of shooting a Ukrainian serviceman

The Security Service of Ukraine served a notice of suspicion to a captured invader of shooting a Ukrainian prisoner of war in the Zaporizhzhia region.

The SSU press service reported about this on Friday, March 8.

The Ukrainian intelligence service also released a photo of a captured Russian soldier.

The Security Service of Ukraine reported that it had collected evidence against another Russian invader who shot a Ukrainian POW.

The invader was Dmitry Kurashov, a repeatedly convicted shooter of the Storm-V assault unit of the 127th Motor Rifle Division of the Eastern Military District of the Russian Federation.

“According to the investigation and military counterintelligence of the SSU, on January 6 this year, Kurashov shot and killed a soldier of Armed Forces of Ukraine, who was captured by the Russian troops during the “meat” assault of the Russian Federation. He made at least 3 aimed shots at the captured Ukrainian soldier,” the statement said.

Soon, the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine counterattacked invaders and captured Kurashov and other Russian military.

“During interrogation by the SSU, another captured Russian soldier ‘ratted out’ Kurashov, and later the Security Service of Ukraine collected other indisputable evidence of the Russian soldier’s guilt in the murder of a captured Ukrainian soldier,” the SSU said.

SSU investigators served Kurashov with a notice of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with premeditated murder).

The Russian soldier is currently in custody. The investigation is ongoing to establish other facts of the invader’s involvement in war crimes. The offender faces life imprisonment.

As previously reported, the General Prosecutor Office of Ukraine launched an investigation into the execution of three Ukrainian POWs by Russian invaders near Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region. Russian soldiers committed the war crime on February 18, 2024.

It should be emphasized that the killing of prisoners of war is a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and is classified as a serious international crime.

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Only the first tranche: The Czech Republic has not completed fundraising for 800,000 artillery shells
Despite the Czech President’s statements, the international community has financed only a third of the 800,000 shells promised for Ukraine.

Den�k N reported on this with reference to Czech National Security Advisor Tom� Pojar, who coordinates the ammunition procurement project.

“Mr. President was probably talking about the first delivery, we have not yet covered the entire initiative,” Tom� Pojar told reporters.

Subsequently, the Prime Minister of the country Petr Fiala also confirmed the news about the unfinished project.

“So far, we have managed to raise enough money to purchase the first batch of 300,000 artillery shells,” he wrote on his social media.

A day earlier, on March 7, Czech President Petr Pavel said that the initiative to purchase 800,000 artillery shells for Ukraine is fully funded.

Czech initiative to help Ukraine
President Pavel announced the possibility of purchasing artillery shells for Ukraine from third countries at the Munich Security Conference in mid-February.

According to the Czech President, the country’s representatives managed to find about 500,000 155-mm artillery shells and 300,000 122-mm shells abroad.

The British newspaper Financial Times wrote that the total value of such contracts could be in the range of $1.5 billion. Czech officials did not comment on the value of potential deals.

According to Tom� Kopečn�, Government Commissioner for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, the delivery of ammunition to Ukraine will take several months. He emphasized that the money from the partners was promised, but it is not yet on the accounts of the entities that will purchase the ammunition.

In addition, Kopečn� also announced plans to expand the initiative, which will be announced after the first 800,000 artillery shells are financed.

“As soon as we manage to raise a larger amount of money, we will be talking not only about 800,000 shells, (…) but about a much larger amount of ammunition that we can deliver. It regards not only the existing ammunition, but also about the ammunition that will be produced in the coming months and years,” said Kopečn�.

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Bus carrying 34 draft dodgers detained at Ukrainian-Romanian border

A bus attempting to illegally transport 34 men of draft age was detained near the Porubne checkpoint on the Ukrainian-Romanian border, a Ukrainian journalist Vitaliy Hlahola reported on Telegram on March 8.

The detained men paid the organizer of the illegal border crossing EUR 10 thousand ($10.9 thousand) each, Hlahola said. The driver of the Mercedes Sprinter, who was the mastermind behind the scheme and was set to “earn” “earn” EUR 340 thousand ($372.2 thousand) was also arrested.

The Ukraine’s SBU security service in the Chernivtsi Oblast, along with border guards, conducted the detention. The SBU categorized the case under Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, on the illegal transportation of individuals across the state border. The potential punishment is imprisonment for a term of three to five years.

At least 25 draft dodgers have died while trying to cross the border illegally since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, the State Border Guard Service’s spokesman Andriy Demchenko said on March 7.

During martial law, all men from 18 to 60 years old are considered to be subject to conscription in Ukraine and are also prohibited from leaving the country, except in cases provided for by law.

quote:

A bus carrying 34 men was detained near the Ukrainian-Romanian border

They had the goal of illegally crossing the border of Ukraine for the organizer's money - 10,000 euros each. In total - 340 thousand euros. They also detained the organizer - the driver of the bus.

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At least 25 draft dodgers died trying to cross border illegally in two years of war, Border Guard Service reports
At least 25 draft dodgers have died while trying to cross the border illegally since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, the State Border Guard Service's (SBGS) spokesman Andriy Demchenko told the We Are Ukraine TV channel on March 7.

Most of these deaths occurred in the mountain rivers, with 21 fatalities reported during attempts to cross the Tisa River on the border with Romania.

Border guards record dozens of attempts by men to leave Ukraine illegally every day - both through "green zones" along the border and through checkpoints. In the past day alone, the SBGS discovered about 10 forged documents and detained several dozen people outside of checkpoints.

On Feb. 14, the SBGS reported that the body of a Ukrainian man who attempted to cross the border illegally was found in the mountains of Romania.

On Feb. 26, Ukrainian border guards in Zakarpattya Oblast detained two groups of men who had arrived in the border region to illegally cross the Tisa River into Romania.

Earlier, Ukraine's western Chernivtsi Oblast introduced additional temporary restrictive measures to prevent illegal border crossings.

On Mar. 6, the Defense Committee member Fedir Venislavsky said that the Ukrainian parliament currently considers stripping those evading mobilization of their driver's licenses.

During martial law, all men from 18 to 60 years old are considered to be subject to conscription and are also prohibited from leaving the country, except in cases provided for by law.

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Draft dodgers may lose driver's licenses under new mobilization bill
While debating the government's mobilization reform bill, the Defense Committee of the Ukrainian parliament currently considers stripping those evading mobilization of their driver's licenses, committee member Fedir Venislavsky said at a briefing on March 6.

The initial draft proposed to also prevent military-aged male citizens from using their bank accounts and traveling abroad, unless they register with local military recruitment centers.

"At present, MPs have reached a consensus, and we only consider imposing one restriction -- the right to operate vehicles if a person fails to comply with a recruitment center's summons or does not respond to update personal information," said Venislavsky.

According to him, the bill is expected to be brought before the parliament for a second reading by the end of March.

On Jan. 30, the government submitted the revised mobilization bill to parliament. It proposed lowering the draft age to 25 years, setting the demobilization term to 36 months, introducing voluntary mobilization for convicts, and establishing an electronic notification system for issuing draft notices.

On Feb. 7, the parliament supported the bill in first reading.

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IOC President responds to Lavrov's accusations, publicly condemns Russian authorities
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach is convinced that Russia is violating the Olympic Charter
This was reported by The Guardian.

Thomas Bach reacted to the statement of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who accused the IOC President of betraying the ideals of the Olympic movement

"Every day we are seeing even more aggressive statements from the Russian government and officials. What is remarkable is that this aggressivity is coming from the very same government that was behind the scandalous manipulation of the anti-doping system before, during and after the Olympic Winter Games, Sochi 2014," Bach said.

The IOC President is convinced that Russia has grossly violated the Olympic Charter.

"What is also significant is that the Russian government apparently is ignoring the fact that they forced us into action by their invasion and their annexation of parts of Ukraine. They even obliged the Russian Olympic Committee to also annex parts under the jurisdiction of the NOC of Ukraine. This is the origin of all this: the blatant violation of the Olympic Charter led us to our actions," said Thomas Bach.

The 2024 Summer Olympic Games will take place in Paris from 26 July to 11 August.

• On 8 December, the IOC allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete in the 2024 Games in neutral status.

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Painful Defeat for Putin? Russians Tuned Out
Although a recent survey showed that up to 82% of Russians would vote for Vladimir Putin in the upcoming presidential election in Russia, not nearly as many Russians are willing to watch Putin on television.

When Putin delivered his major annual address, about half as many people tuned in compared to the same time last year.

According to the Mediascope measurement company, as reported by Wiadomoscki, the broadcast experienced a nearly 50% drop in audience engagement.

Further analysis reveals that on Rossiya-1 and Kanal One, the speech did not resonate well with viewers, ranking 8th and 25th respectively among the week's top 100 TV programs. Other networks also aired the address, including Rossiya-24 and REN TV, but failed to make a significant impact, with the speech not ranking within the top 100 viewed programs.

In his address, delivered on February 29, Putin aimed to reassure the nation of the Russian military's enhanced combat capabilities since the onset of the full-scale war in Ukraine. He touted the army's "enormous combat experience" and praised the emergence of competent commanders who prioritize their troops' well-being.

However, the speech also contained ominous warnings to Western countries considering military support for Ukraine, with Putin asserting that Russia possesses weapons capable of striking targets within their territories, hinting at "tragic consequences" for any such intervention.

This year's diminished viewership of Putin's address to the Federal Assembly indicates a growing disinterest or dissatisfaction among Russians with their leader's messaging, amidst ongoing tensions and the protracted conflict in Ukraine.

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Russia Now Looks To Be Using Wire-Guided Kamikaze Drones In Ukraine
A drone with a wired control link would be immune to jamming, among other advantages, but this configuration could also present limitations.

Russian forces in Ukraine appear to now be using so-called first-person view kamikaze drones controlled via a physical fiber optic line rather than a wireless data link. This configuration offers a control method that is immune to radiofrequency electronic warfare, but that also imposes certain limitations on how the system can be employed.

SPOILER

quote:

Serhii Flesh (also sometimes written Serhiy Flesh), a Ukrainian servicemember who has been cited as an expert in "radio technologies," first posted pictures on the Telegram online messaging service of the apparent 'wire-guided' first-person view (FPV) drone yesterday. Where or when it was recovered is unclear. Flesh said he turned the drone over to the Birds of Magyar, a relatively well-known Ukrainian drone unit, for further analysis.

A picture Flesh shared showed a label on the spool of fiber optic line indicating that it, at least at one point, held nearly seven miles (just over 10.8 kilometers) worth of cable. One end of the line was linked to the drone's main control section.


The drone otherwise has a general configuration that is commonly seen among FPV types operated by Russian and Ukrainian forces. It is a commercial-type quadcopter with a warhead that looks to have originally been intended to be fired from an RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade launcher. FPV drones like this are designed to fly into a target and detonate.

FPV drones have proven to be incredibly effective on the battlefield in Ukraine, including against tanks and other armored vehicles. However, their control arrangement, which requires an operator to manually guide them via a wireless link, has always been a big advantage and something of a weak point. Russian and Ukrainian forces have been observed increasingly fielding various kinds of electronic warfare jammers, including ones mounted on vehicles, to help defeat these and other lower-tier drones using similar control arrangements.

The jammers do this by disrupting the datalink between the drone and the operator when in very close proximity to the vehicle. Oftentimes, this link already becomes degraded when the drone approaches its target due to the issues of maintaining line-of-sight radio connection between the drone and its operator as it gets very low to the ground. Terrain, man-made obstacles like buildings, foliage, and the curvature of the earth all work against maintaining this critical control pathway. The farther the controller is away and the higher or more complex the terrain is, the worse this problem becomes. So, using a fiber optic line that cannot be disrupted by these factors makes sense, even if as a backup system. You can read all about the line-of-sight issue and how it can be overcome, including by more autonomous drones infused with AI capabilities, in this past feature of ours.

This is not a new concept, broadly, either. Wire-guided anti-tank missiles have been in service around the world for decades now and many current-generation designs, such as some of Israel's Spike family, use fiber optic cables. The ubiquitous American-made TOW missile has that feature directly in its name: Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided.

It's also worth noting that many torpedoes also use a similar spooling wire command-link concept.

In his post on Telegram, Flesh also noted that the fiber optic line could allow for the operator at the other end to more quickly receive larger amounts of data, including a higher-quality video feed, from the drone.

Another major advantage to a wired FPV drone is that it would not radiate any energy, nor would the user some distance away, that could be detected. These electronic emissions are key ways drones are detected in the first place and they can also prove deadly for the operator if electronic surveillance systems can triangulate their position. There is no such vulnerability with a wire-guided FPV drone.

Using a wire-guided concept of operations for FPV drones could also help when it comes to the lack of certain components needed to build this class of weapon. Requiring no radio components may actually help in production when the components needed for that capability become scarce. This could also impact cost, although that should be relatively negligible.

Adding a physical tether to the drone could also present drawbacks. The effectiveness of FPV drones is due in large part to their high levels of maneuverability. A fiber optic line, especially one potentially stretching miles back to an operator, could easily get snagged on obstacles, wrapped up in its own rotors or around its body, and otherwise limit the drone's ability to rapidly change course or slip into confined spaces. This is further underscored by the fact that wire-guided anti-tank missiles are typically employed with a relatively clear line of sight to the target. It could also limit the drone's effective range, especially if elevated radio masts or other drones working as repeaters are used to extend line-of-sight connectivity. Recovering the drone if it is not used in a kinetic attack could also be much more problematic.

Wire-guided FPV drones would likely be most useful in established areas of control that are relatively open in terms of terrain, such as across a stabilized frontline area. Obstacles can be properly mapped and understood so as to avoid any major interaction with the wire, and so that distances to potential targets can be well defined. Using the weapons in shorter-ranged, nearly direct attacks or as near-distance loitering munitions is another good potential option. Also using tactics in which the drone maintains higher altitude before diving more directly down on its target, would also be an optimized profile for such a weapon.

If nothing else, the appearance of the apparent wire-guided FPV drone in Ukraine highlights how important these uncrewed systems have become in the fighting there. Both Ukraine and Russia are going all out to outbuild each other in terms of FPV drones, which officials have likened to now having an importance on the battlefield equivalent to artillery. With hundreds of thousands of these improvised weapons now being built each year, such innovation isn't all that surprising. It points to a very active cycle of development with regard to these capabilities, countermeasures against them, and then new counter-countermeasures.

It is important to remember that the threat posed by drones, including lower-tier weaponized commercial types, is not new, as The War Zone regularly notes. At the same time, the very visible use of FPV and other drone types in the fighting in Ukraine has rammed the point home that these are real capabilities and ones that are only set to become more dangerous, and ubiquitous on and off traditional battlefields, as time goes on.

This, in turn, has heightened demand among armed forces around the world, including the U.S. military, for various tiers of anti-drone defenses, and not just on land. The War Zone recently explored in detail how tanks and other armored vehicles, especially, now need localized protection against these threats, which hard-kill active protection systems could help provide.

The emergence of an apparent wire-guided kamikaze drone being used by Russian forces in Ukraine is just the latest evidence of how real this threat is now and how it is continuing to evolve.

quote:

102nd Territorial Defense Brigade Repels Assault in Zaporizhzhia Region

Soldiers of the 79th separate battalion of the 102nd Territorial Defense Brigade repelled a Russian assault in the Zaporizhzhia sector.

Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov reported about this on his Telegram channel.

The soldiers repelled the assault using remote mining, mortars, grenade launchers, FPV drones, and anti-tank weapons.

According to the journalist, the Russians lost one tank, five armored personnel carriers, one UR-77 mine warfare vehicle and several cars during the assault.

Recently, on March 6, 2024, Militarnyi reported that the Ukrainian tank crews of the 54th Mechanized Brigade drove up close to the Russian invaders and knocked them out of the forest strip in the Kharkiv region.

Воїни 79-го окремого батальйону відбили штурм росіян на Запорізькому напрямку

The battle took place northwest of the village of Orlianka, and the Russian infantry tried to gain a foothold in the forest of this area.

To repel them, the Ukrainian military sent two tanks, which began shooting at the Russians with high-explosive shells.

As previously reported, soldiers of the 108th Separate Mountain Assault Battalion launched an assault on an enemy position and captured two POWs.

During the assault in the Kupiansk sector, the Ukrainian fighters managed to capture two Russian invaders.

One of the POWs with the call sign ‘Shurup’ had previously served a 15-year prison sentence.

In November 2023, to avoid further imprisonment, he signed a contract and joined the war against Ukraine.

On March 5, it was reported that Ukrainian troops successfully repelled a Russian armored assault near Novomykhailivka in the Donetsk region.

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Serbia revokes an expulsion order for a Russian woman after a public outcry
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — After a public outcry, Serbia's authorities have revoked an expulsion order for a Russian woman who signed an open letter denouncing the invasion of Ukraine, a pro-democracy Russian group in the Balkan country said on Friday.

Police told Elena Koposova that her appeal has been granted and that she can stay in Serbia, where she has lived with her family since 2019, the Russian Democratic Society group said in a statement.

“The annulment of Elena's expulsion (order) is a great victory for us all,” the group said. “We are glad the Serbian state is correcting its mistakes but we are convinced this would not have been possible without active and warm (public) support."

Koposova was given no explanation when she was told in early February that she must leave the country. The 54-year-old literature translator, her partner and their two children, had built a house in Serbia and were seeking permanent residence.

Koposova was among a number of anti-war Russians in Serbia whose residence permits have been revoked for unspecified reasons of national security. She told the AP in a recent interview that the only reason she could think of was her signature on the March 2022 letter against the war in Ukraine.

Serbia has maintained its long-time friendly relations with Russia, refusing to join Western sanctions against Moscow over the war in Ukraine even as it formally seeks membership in the European Union. Activists and experts believe measures against some anti-war Russians reflect close political and security ties.

Serbian authorities have not commented on the issue.

The Russian Democratic Society statement said authorities told Koposova that her residence permit will be renewed in an expedient procedure. Koposova's case has rallied public support, with rights group demanding she be allowed to stay and thousands of people signing an online petition.

Tens of thousands of Russians have moved to Serbia in recent years, fleeing President Vladimir Putin's regime and Western sanctions, or to avoid being drafted to fight in Ukraine.

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Vyacheslav Frank congratulated the family of Hero of Russia Roman Blinov on the upcoming March 8
On the eve of International Women's Day, the mayor of the city, Vyacheslav Frank, visited the family of Hero of Russia Roman Blinov.

quote:

Together with him, the family was visited by Deputy Head of the City Administration for Social Policy Alexander Artemov, Chairman of the Committee for Social Support of the Population of the City of Barnaul Tatyana Koroleva, and Head of the Administration of the Industrial District Denis Letyagin. Vyacheslav Genrikhovich and the guests congratulated the widow of Roman Blinov, Leila Valekhovna, and the daughter of the Hero of Russia, Leia, on the upcoming March 8th.

The hostess of the house was given a bouquet of flowers and a yogurt maker. The youngest daughter, four-year-old Leia, was given a soft toy and candy. The older children, 14-year-old Danil and 13-year-old Ekaterina, are in Moscow these days, as part of the delegation of the Altai Territory they are participating in the event “First in Russia - the Land of Opportunities” as part of the International Exhibition and Forum “Russia”. In honor of the past Defender of the Fatherland Day and the upcoming International Women's Day, the children were given wristwatches. Their mother will give them a gift from the head of the city.

Vyacheslav Frank, congratulating the women and little Leah on the holiday, wished everyone good health, prosperity, patience and hope. The family's neighbor Tatyana Grigorievna (she helps Leila Valekhovna with her youngest daughter) thanked the head of the city for his attention to the Blinov family, the support and assistance that the city administration provides to Leila Valekhovna and her children.

The head of the city also inspected the courtyard of the house where the Blinov family lives. Last December, he promised Danil Blinov to consider the possibility of installing a children's playground near the house on Sukhbaatar Street, 16, which, according to residents, had never been there.

Together with the head of the administration of the Industrial District, Denis Letyagin, Vyacheslav Frank discussed the prospects of installing a children's playground in the courtyard of an apartment building. An instruction to further study the issue was given to the district administration together with the Committee on Construction, Architecture and City Development and the Committee on Energy Resources and Gasification.

Information: The title of Hero of the Russian Federation was awarded to Roman Blinov for courage and heroism shown in the performance of military duty (posthumously). A decree on this was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 18, 2023.

Senior lieutenant, deputy commander of a rifle company, Roman Blinov, died while performing his military duty in the Donetsk People's Republic.

The family was awarded the Gold Star medal and a certificate conferring the title of Hero of the Russian Federation on Roman Blinov.

SPOILER

quote:

A Swedish MP said that Ukraine could soon receive SAAB JAS 39 Gripen fighters
Member of the Swedish Parliament from the Christian Democratic Party Magnus Jakobsson expressed hope for the speedy transfer of Swedish SAAB JAS 39 Gripen fighters to Ukraine.

The politician made a corresponding statement in a commentary to Guildhall.

“From the very beginning of the war, I have been in favor of the transfer of air defense systems to Ukraine, and for more than a year and a half now I have been consistently advocating for the transfer of Swedish SAAB JAS 39 Gripen fighters to Ukraine. When I spoke with our Minister of Defense, it was promised that the Ukrainian air defense system would be strengthened with help from Sweden and I also heard that the situation with the aircraft was being considered,” the politician said

“If we compare what happened a year and a half ago on this issue and take into account that pilot Ukrainians trained on the JAS 39 Gripen, then I hope that in the near future Ukraine will receive not only ground-based weapons to destroy missiles, but also our fighters,” summed up Magnus Jakobsson.

Let us recall that at the end of 2023, Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, announced his country's readiness to transfer 18 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

On March 5, 2024, Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat reported that Ukraine had begun preparing runways for the F-16 - a process of adapting existing airfields.

quote:

Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 04:00 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://edition.cnn.com/2(...)-analysis/index.html
[..]

SPOILER

[..]

quote:

Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 08:32 schreef archito het volgende:

[..]
Ik ben geen moderator, maar je hoeveelheid posts met lange quotes maakt het topic moeilijk leesbaar.
Is het mogelijk het aantal posts te beperken en/of quotes in te korten?

Bovendien heeft POL zijn eigen topic over de Amerikaanse politiek, sommige van je posts gaan alleen daarover en niet over Oekra�ne.

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Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 08:50 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Ik heb de lengte van mijn quotes al ingeperkt door grotere artikelen gedeeltelijk in een spoiler te plaatsen. En de Amerikaanse politiek heeft op dit ogenblik direct verband met de oorlog in Oekra�ne.

Er zijn verkiezingen gaande in Amerika. De republikeinen met aan leiding Trump doen er alles aan om de hulp aan Oekra�ne tegen te werken. Trump is niet alleen maar een bedreiging voor de soevereiniteit van Oekra�ne maar ook voor democratie/rechtstaat in het algemeen. En zoveel berichten over de Amerikaanse politiek/de verkiezingen plaats ik nu ook al weer niet.

Tevens gingen de eerste 10 minuten ofzo van de State of the Union over de oorlog in Oekraine.

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Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 09:47 schreef grrrrg het volgende:

[..]
Dat klopt. De VS met Donald Trump aan de leiding zal een vijand van Europa worden.

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Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 14:15 schreef Digi2 het volgende:

RUSSIAN Ruble is Dead as a Global Currency as Russia Uses YUAN for Trade & Russian Company Debt

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Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 14:21 schreef skysherrif het volgende:
Heb het idee dat er of ergens een lek is, of de Russen een nieuw systeem hebben.

Het aantal belangrijke Oekraiense wapensystemen dat de laatste dagen vernietigd worden is vrij absurd (halve patriot batterij vandaag, enkele dagen geleden de eerste HIMARS)

[ x ]

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Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 14:33 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Waarom staat er dan in het filmpje S300?

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Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 14:37 schreef skysherrif het volgende:

[..]
Omdat de Russen of iig degene die het filmpje als eerste poste niet doorhad dat ze een Patriot systeem hadden geraakt.

Het pro oekraiense account lost war ukraine had het wel door en dat is ook wel het beste account om op te gaan wat er wordt vernietigd in een filmpje.

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Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 14:41 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Ik heb meerdere van deze filmpjes gezien, ik zie het er niet aan af. Komt erop neer dat enkelen zeggen: zijn patriot launchers - en we het daar maar mee moeten doen.

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Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 14:41 schreef ExTec het volgende:

Ik heb meerdere van deze filmpjes gezien, ik zie het er niet aan af. Komt erop neer dat enkelen zeggen: zijn patriot launchers - en we het daar maar mee moeten doen.

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Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 15:02 schreef over_hedge het volgende:
Ik heb het ook ff bekeken. En ik kan met zekerheid zeggen dat er een explosie was. Graag gedaan

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Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 14:50 schreef skysherrif het volgende:

[..]
Maar al zijn het S-300, wat het niet zijn, dit is echt een patriot systeem (niet alles van het patriot systeem is vernietigd overigens) blijft het punt, iets zorgt ervoro dat de Russen ze sinds enkele dagen duidelijk weten te vinden en raken. Ook s-300 systemen zijn belangrijk.

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Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 15:08 schreef skysherrif het volgende:
Dit is waar ze het deels op baseren:

[ afbeelding ]

[ afbeelding ]

Maar er is nog wel veel dsicussie over. Hopelijk is het iets anders, of slechts 1 launcher.

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Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 15:22 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

[..]
Zo aangeven in de vorm van wat je wilt zien slaat nergens op. Doe gewoon een rondje of vierkantje om het deel heen waarvan je denkt dat het overeenkomt. Zo word je om de tuin geleid.

Even los van of het een Patriot is of niet, dit is gestuurd plaatjes maken.

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Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 15:26 schreef skysherrif het volgende:

[..]
Zoals ik zei dit plaatje is gemaakt door (zeer) pro oekraiense bron, die hebben geen reden om iets te sturen richting iets wat negatief zou zijn voor Oekraine.

Maar het kan tbh ook wel gewoon een s300 zijn, alsnog wel minstens 2 s300s die er aan zijn. Wat ook vrij kut is.

Punt is meer dat om een of andere reden Rusland afgelopen 2 weken ineens heel veel systemen ver in de achterhoede aan het raken is vergeleken met de 2 jaar ervoor.

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Op vrijdag 8 maart 2024 14:05 schreef over_hedge het volgende:

[..]
Insert nafo meme met petje op de windmolen

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Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 16:01 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

quote:

Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 14:21 schreef skysherrif het volgende:
Heb het idee dat er of ergens een lek is, of de Russen een nieuw systeem hebben.

Het aantal belangrijke Oekraiense wapensystemen dat de laatste dagen vernietigd worden is vrij absurd (halve patriot batterij vandaag, enkele dagen geleden de eerste HIMARS)

[ x ]

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Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 16:56 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:
Tijd voor HISNICKERS

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Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 17:09 schreef zalkc het volgende:
Absurd veel is ook wat overdreven denk ik, en ik ga ervan uit dat patriot systemen aan het front misbaar zijn, de kritische systemen bij de grote steden zijn veel belangrijker.

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Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 17:09 schreef zalkc het volgende:
Absurd veel is ook wat overdreven denk ik, en ik ga ervan uit dat patriot systemen aan het front misbaar zijn, de kritische systemen bij de grote steden zijn veel belangrijker.

SPOILER

The Road of Russian Death near Kleshcheevka

SPOILER

twitter

quote:

Near Avdeevka, the leader of the French neo-Nazis, C�sar Aujard, who took part in hostilities on the side of the Ukrainian armed forces, was eliminated

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Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 20:28 schreef bleiblei het volgende:
Wat is dat met die debiele Chinese golfkarretjes die met dozijnen tegelijk verschroot worden?
Daar laat je je toch niet mee het battlefield op gestuurd worden .

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Op zaterdag 9 maart 2024 18:51 schreef Nyamuk het volgende:
[ x ]
[..]
Die zal niemand missen

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 02:01 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Oekra�ne gaat zijn land bevrijden.

Wees geduldig.

Zie draad

https://twitter.com/nocla(...)Q9gEaC8UU1jLkTA&s=19

quote:

Op zondag 10 maart 2024 04:00 schreef quirina het volgende:

[..]
Er staat niks, leuk geprobeerd.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 12:24 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

Update from Ukraine | Pope calls Ukraine to Surrender, Ruzzia Bogged down on the frontline

08 Mar: TERRIBLE IDEA. Russians Try Attacking ON QUAD BIKES. REGRET IMMEDIATELY. | War in Ukraine

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Ukraine Is Waiting For The Super Maneuverable CB90 Boats
Ukraine is getting all kinds of weapons systems from its Western allies. Tanks, howitzers, infantry fighting vehicles, armoured personnel transporters – these and many other weapons are flowing into Ukraine. However, one type of vehicle is rarely talked about – Ukraine is patiently waiting for Swedish speedboats.

The Stridsb�t 90 H(alv), better known as the CB90, is a Swedish fast assault craft. Essentially, it is a speedboat with an edge. That edge is three Browning M2HB machine guns, a grenade launcher, a set of naval mines and other weapons. CB90-class fast assault crafts have been in service since 1991 and are used by a bunch of countries, including Greece, Norway, the United States, the United Kingdom and, of course, Sweden. This list will soon include Ukraine.

This year already Ukraine will receive 10-13 CB90s (different sources cite different numbers) and that will be a great aid to Ukraine’s defensive effort. These boats really are amazing. Just look at them in the Norwegian Arctic at NATO’s exercise Nordic Response 24:

What makes the CB90 special? Well, there are several impressive features.

First of all, speed. The maximum speed of the CB90 is 40 knots (74 km/h). This is extremely fast for a boat. That is actually faster than some jet skis. The CB90 is 15.9 metres long, has a crew of 3, and can carry up to 21 amphibious troops with full equipment.

The speed comes from two Scania diesel V8s and partially ducted Kamewa FF water jets, which allow the CB90 to confidently sail through relatively shallow waters. How shallow? Very – it can go through just 0.8 metres of water. There are SUV’s that would be fording depths that this boat can sail through. This is because of those jets and an innovative hull design – a normal screw would be hanging lower.

The CB90 is not just speedy, but also extremely maneuverable. It adjusts both its pitch and roll angle on the fly and has submarine-like underwater diving planes, which means that it can execute extremely sharp turns at high speed. Again, while being in very shallow water. It is almost even more impressive that the CB90 has a braking distance of just 2.5 boat lengths from top speed.

Some of the CB90 versions are armoured. They have a great crew and passenger compartment, which has air conditioning and allows for quick disembarking for amphibious assault operations.

What will Ukraine use its CB90s for? Well, this will take some creativity. Maybe they will patrol the Dnipro River launching amphibious assaults to the occupied left bank, maybe they will take some shorter adventurous rides to the Black Sea. Or maybe they will keep them for the future when they have a better opportunity to use them.

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Before being appointed ambassador to Britain, Zaluzhny passed the VLK, where he was found unfit
He also wrote a report on his discharge from military service.
The ex-commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valery Zaluzhnyi, passed the VLK in the winter, where he was declared unfit for service in the army. He also wrote a report on his discharge from military service back in February. Sources of ZN.UA report this.

After being dismissed from his position, by the decision of the president, Zaluzhnyi was placed under the command of the Minister of Defense. Minister of Defense Umerov did not offer any significant military position, adequate level of training and experience, to Zaluzhnyi, just as President Zelensky did not offer it before.

Under these conditions, General Zaluzhnyi decided to resign from military service in order to have the opportunity and the right to do something else. Whether the Minister of Defense signed the report after the President announced his intention to send Valery Zaluzhny as ambassador to London - the editors do not know.

The several-week delay in resolving the issue was due to the fact that after the adoption of the law with the new list of military ranks, the corresponding change in the regulatory framework, in particular in the presidential decrees, was not completed; therefore, legally, there is no clear clarity as to who should dismiss Zaluzhny with the rank of General from military service — the Minister of Defense by his order, or the President by his decree, as earlier Generals of the Army of Ukraine were dismissed.

On the one hand, the departure of the experienced former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces from military service during the war, moreover, at an extremely tense stage of the war, is untimely. On the other hand, being at the disposal of the Minister of Defense, without the appropriate area of ​​responsibility and influence on the situation in the army, also makes no sense.

According to the current legislation, after two months of being at the disposal of the minister, the payment of financial support to a serviceman, except for the salary according to the military rank, is stopped. For General Zaluzhny, who has the highest military rank, this amounts to 1,762 hryvnias per month.

quote:

Op zondag 10 maart 2024 12:46 schreef Scjvb het volgende:
https://www.msn.com/nl-nl(...)edac05c744943b8&ei=6

Kopt met: "NAVO-troepen in Oekra�ne niet meer ondenkbaar"

Poetin stoppen heeft de allerhoogste prioriteit, maar of dit nou een verstandige overweging is..

quote:

Op zondag 10 maart 2024 12:46 schreef Scjvb het volgende:
https://www.msn.com/nl-nl(...)edac05c744943b8&ei=6

Kopt met: "NAVO-troepen in Oekra�ne niet meer ondenkbaar"

Poetin stoppen heeft de allerhoogste prioriteit, maar of dit nou een verstandige overweging is..

quote:

The United States imposes sanctions on companies in Russia and the Central African Republic
In a decisive move to curtail Russia’s pernicious influence within the Central African Republic (CAR), the United States announced sanctions on Friday against two entities linked to the Wagner Group, a notorious mercenary organization, as per the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The sanctions aim to hinder Russia’s covert operations in the CAR and dismantle the financial networks supporting Wagner’s operations.

The targeted entities include a timber company operating within the CAR and a Russian firm, both accused of engaging in the unlawful extraction of natural resources to financially and materially bolster the Wagner Group, along with other entities associated with the late Yevgeniy Prigozhin, Wagner’s erstwhile proprietor who perished in a plane explosion in Russia last year.

Specifically, the sanctions were levied against Bois Rouge SARLU, based in the CAR, for its connections to Wagner, and Broker Expert, situated in St. Petersburg, for its support to Bois Rouge. This action underscores the U.S.’s commitment to thwarting the activities that facilitate Russia’s shadowy endeavors in Africa and its exploitation of the continent’s resources.

Brian Nelson, the Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, underscored the strategic importance of these sanctions, stating that Russia’s exploitation of Wagner-affiliated firms not only seeks to augment its foreign revenue but also aims to consolidate its geopolitical influence in Africa, often undermining the sovereignty and welfare of its nations.

The imposition of these sanctions reflects the U.S.’s ongoing efforts to disrupt and dismantle the infrastructures enabling Russia’s illicit and destabilizing activities across Africa. The CAR, a nation with a history as a French colony, has emerged as one of Russia’s principal African allies, hosting significant operations by the Wagner Group mercenaries.

quote:

Op zondag 10 maart 2024 13:00 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Die gaat er echt niet mee akkoord dat Polen of Frankrijk grondtroepen stuurt.

quote:

De Russen verliezen enorm veel materieel en manschappen.
De Russen lijken er vanuit te gaan dat Oekra�ne nog zwak staat en die fout is ze duur komen te staan.
De laatste week zien we gigantisch veel verliezen voor de Russen.
Donderdag zag ik dat er 47 artillerie stukken van de Russen verloren zijn gegaan.

Dat soort verliezen is ook voor de enorme legermacht van Rusland niet vol te houden.

Het munitietekort voor Oekraïne is nu even verleden tijd Dat voelen de Russen

quote:

Live - Oekra�ne. Oekra�ens leger zegt bruggenhoofd bij Cherson te hebben uitgebreid o Oekra�ne slaat grootschalige Russische droneaanval

quote:

Op zondag 10 maart 2024 13:22 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
En er is nog een derde optie. Waar ook een precedent voor is. Het sturen van troepen vanuit de VN. Dit is ook gebeurd in de Koreaanse oorlog toen er vanuit de VN troepen naar Zuid Korea zijn gestuurd, inclusief Nederlandse troepen. Al was de Sovjet-Unie toen de VN aan het boycotten (over Taiwan) en hebben ze geen veto uitgesproken. Wat ze nu wel zouden doen natuurlijk.

https://en.wikipedia.org/(...)es_in_the_Korean_War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Command

quote:

Op zondag 10 maart 2024 12:35 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.technology.or(...)uverable-cb90-boats/
[..]
[ x ]
Leuke bootjes. En van ons krijgt Oekra�ne er 3.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 13:08 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Wat gaat de VS er dan tegen doen?

En da's nog los van dat je van geschiedenis echt geen bal weet. Als er 1 land is wat elke kans aangrijpt om een dikke vinger richting de VS te geven -> FR.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 13:29 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
De VS is het machtigste land met veel invloed. Als die dat niet willen, gebeurt dat gewoon.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 13:39 schreef oheng het volgende:
RIA: er zijn al NAVO troepen in Oekra�ne.

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Het hoofd van het Poolse ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken zei dat militair personeel uit NAVO-landen al in Oekra�ne is
Poolse minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Sikorski: sommige NAVO-landen hebben al militair personeel naar Oekra�ne gestuurd

quote:

Een dag eerder zei de diplomaat dat de overbrenging van soldaten uit westerse landen naar het grondgebied van Oekra�ne niet als ondenkbaar kan worden beschouwd.

Hij merkte ook op dat hij dit initiatief van de Franse president Emmanuel Macron waardeert .
Op zijn beurt sprak de Poolse president Andrzej Duda de mening uit dat Warschau een grote luchthaven moet bouwen om NAVO-troepen te vervoeren.
Eind februari verzekerde Macron dat Frankrijk er alles aan zou doen om te voorkomen dat Rusland 'deze oorlog zou winnen

quote:

Germany tells Rosneft 'find buyer or lose refinery'
Berlin has renewed threats to expropriate a Rosneft refinery in Germany if the Russian company cannot find a buyer within six months. The Economy Ministry said the sale should be final and Rosneft not allowed to return.

Germany's Economy Ministry on Friday said it had renewed its trusteeship of Russian oil company Rosneft's PCK refinery in the eastern German city of Schwedt but noted that it told the company it needs to present a buyer within the next six months or risk losing the facility altogether.

Berlin has acted as a trustee for Rosneft's German assets since September 2022, but refrained from nationalizing them as the Russian company had signaled a willingness to sell.

Germany says Rosneft will not be allowed to seek temporary owners that would allow the company to buy back its 54.17% stake in the Schwedt refinery, saying it wanted the company gone for good.

"It's now up to the Russian side to present possible buyers," said Michael Kellner a state secretary at the Economy Ministry.

"The question of expropriation remains on the table. It is clear that we need a permanent solution for the three refinery sites," Kellner said, referring to additional Rosneft holdings at Germany's MiRO and Bayernoil refineries.

Germany has already nationalized SEFE (Securing Energy for Europe), a former Gazprom subsidiary, and Russia has taken control of German assets, including Uniper and Wintershall Dea, in response.

Kellner said trusteeship over the Schwedt refinery was an important tool to ensure that both jobs and supplies remained secure until a new owner could be found, adding, "By renewing our trusteeship we have won time to allow Rosneft assets to be sold."

The Schwedt refinery has been supplied with oil from various non-Russian sources since early 2023 after Germany reassessed its dependence on Russian gas and oil in the wake of Moscow's invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. Most of the EU has stopped directly importing Russian oil as a result of the bloc's sanctions.

Schwedt is a town of roughly 35,000 people northeast of Berlin, right by the border to Poland.

quote:

Op zondag 10 maart 2024 13:43 schreef michaelmoore het volgende:

[..]
NATO moet stoppen met bang zijn voor kernaanval en gewoon van start gaan , Poetin die komt toch als ie Oekra�ne plat krijgt , dus dan maar erin
[..]
[..]

quote:

Op zondag 10 maart 2024 13:46 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Prima, maar moeten we ook niet huilie huilie doen en verontwaardigd zijn als het wel gebeuren. Dan moet je het gewoon nemen als een vent.

quote:

MOSKOU, 10 maart – RIA Novosti. De Verenigde Staten moeten zich terugtrekken uit de NAVO als het bondgenootschap troepen naar Oekra�ne stuurt, schrijft de Amerikaanse senator uit Utah Mike Lee in een artikel voor The American Conservative.
"
"We moeten een rode lijn trekken met de NAVO: Oekra�ne of de Verenigde Staten.

Als de bondgenoten troepen naar het grondgebied van Oekra�ne sturen, moeten we ons volledig terugtrekken uit de NAVO", zei de politicus.

Senator Lee Denounces Ukraine Proxy War in 4 Hour Filibuster!

quote:

Op zondag 10 maart 2024 13:46 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Prima, maar moeten we ook niet huilie huilie doen en verontwaardigd zijn als het wel gebeuren. Dan moet je het gewoon nemen als een vent.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 13:31 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Wat gaan ze doen dan?

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 13:48 schreef sp3c het volgende:

[..]
nee dan schieten we ze gewoon terug

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 13:48 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Gewoon, zorgen dat het feestje niet doorgaat. Zoals ze altijd doen.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 13:49 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Maar dan is er al wel geschoten.

quote:

Several alarms about drones over Sk�ne - the police are investigating
The police have been alerted about drones that have been seen in various places in Sk�ne during the night - mainly along the coastal strip.

SPOILER

quote:

The Swedish Armed Forces are also aware of the flights.

- We have taken a picture of this which will now be analysed, says Sara Andersson, press spokesperson at the police region south.

According to information to TV4 Nyheterna, drones have been seen at the nuclear power plant in Barseb�ck, over Malm� airport, in Svedala and in Ystad, among other things.

Both the decommissioned nuclear power plant and the airport are protected objects where photography is prohibited.

- We have drawn up a report on violations of the Protection Act and violations of the Aviation Act, says Sara Andersson.

Analyze the material
The police state that the drone alarm came from 10 p.m. on Friday evening.

- What we will start with is to analyze the material that we have recorded and then we will see what that analysis yields, says Sara Andersson.

The Armed Forces
The police tell TV4 that the armed forces will also take part in the collected material.

- We know that there have been flights, but it is a police matter, says Marie Tis�ter, on-duty communicator at the armed forces, to SVT Nyheter Sk�ne.

She says that the armed forces also normally cooperate with other authorities - including the police.

- But it has not been flown over any military protection objects, it is about civilian protection objects, says Marie Tis�ter.

Greater threat to Sweden
According to Magnus Christiansson, senior lecturer in military science at the Norwegian Defense Academy, the incident can be linked to Sweden's membership in NATO.

- There is a threat picture that is connected to international politics, he says.

He says that foreign power could have several different goals such as mapping or an attempt to intimidate.

- It may very well be that it is the cheapest and easiest way to create fear and attention after NATO membership, says Magnus Christiansson.

Can we expect more similar incidents?

- Yes, it is constantly ongoing. There is an ongoing conflict in which Russia is using various means of power across the spectrum, from economic to technological systems to disrupt.

quote:

Russia intensifies mobilization of local population in occupied Ukrainian territories
Oleksandr Striuk, head of the Sievierodonetsk City Military Administration, says that Russian authorities intensify male population mobilization in the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories
He spoke about this on Espreso TV.

"Unfortunately, there is no outflow of citizens from the temporarily occupied territories. Today it is very difficult to do so. Occupiers have imposed stricter rules for entry and exit to these territories. Currently, Russians have rewritten the population several times and are actively preparing for the pseudo-elections on March 17. Also, invaders are actively intensifying mobilization measures in the occupied territories," said Striuk.

According to Striuk, Russian appointees are conducting forced mobilization of the male population in the temporarily occupied territories.

Russians are adopting a more thorough and harsher approach to mobilizing men who remain in the temporarily occupied territories. We receive information that they are attempting to mobilize all men. All of this is happening coercively; there are hardly any volunteers, as there is no room for free thought in the occupied territories. Of course, there are collaborators who have been in service to the occupiers since the beginning of the full-scale invasion," he added.

• On March 8, the head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration, Artem Lysohor, reported that men of draft age are already being detained in several districts of the occupied Luhansk region. This order was received by the occupation law enforcement officers.

quote:

Doppelganger of the late Wagner boss Prigozhin is dead
A Russian doppelganger of the late Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has died in Ukraine. He was previously imprisoned in a Russian penal colony.

A Russian doppelganger of the late Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine . The independent Russian portal “agentstvonews” reported this on Thursday. Accordingly, Ruslan Yunusov, who took the name Yevgeny Prigozhin a few years ago, is on a Russian military list. There he is listed among the paratroopers of the 76th Airborne Division of the Russian Airborne Forces from Pskov who were killed near the Ukrainian village of Robotyne at the end of January. A family member confirmed his death to "agentstvonnews".

SPOILER

quote:

The “real” Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a plane crash in the summer of 2023 after he marched with his mercenaries towards Moscow and rebelled against the Russian military leadership. After his death, investigators found other people's fake passports with his photo in his house - for example in the name of Dmitry Geiler. This is reported by the Russian service of the British broadcaster BBC.

But other people apparently also had passports with their photo - but with Prigozhin's name. Ruslan Yunusov is said to have been one of Prigozhin's three look-alikes. They undertook trips to Europe for the Wagner boss when he was already on the sanctions lists of the European Union and the USA . In 2021, for example, Lithuanian newspapers reported that Prigozhin's doppelgangers had traveled to Vilnius.

Yunusov was arrested for a robbery
However, Yunusov, who was a security guard before his career as a doppelganger, is unlikely to have been among them. After taking the name Prigozhin in 2018, he was arrested in a robbery a few months later and sentenced to several years in prison in 2020. This is reported by several Russian opposition media outlets and the Russian-language service of the British broadcaster BBC.

Accordingly, Yunusov tried to get his former name back while in custody in a penal colony in August 2023. However, he was unable to do so because he would have had to appear in person at the relevant authorities. Yunusov is also said to have previously submitted an application for his sentence to be commuted "in connection with the conduct of a special military operation by the Russian Federation." However, a court rejected this.

Did Yunusov make another deal with Prigozhin?
At that time, recruiting prisoners from Russian prisons was not yet common practice. Only a few months later, the late Wagner boss Prigozhin went to the penal colonies to find new recruits for the war against Ukraine. In return, he promised them freedom after a certain period of service. The Kremlin has since canceled this promise, but recruitment from prisons is still common in Russia . Here you can read more about it .

Yunusov could also have previously agreed to the deal with the Wagner boss. At the time of his death, he would actually have had to continue serving his sentence in a Russian penal colony. However, according to interlocutors of "agentstvonnews", he went to the front in Ukraine as a volunteer. This cannot be verified independently. According to the report, Yunusov's family members did not want to comment on how he got to the front.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 13:49 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Maar dan is er al wel geschoten.

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UK's Cameron Opposes Sending Troops to Ukraine, Even for Training
UK Foreign Minister wades into the current debate in Europe about how best to firm up support for Ukraine

British foreign minister David Cameron said he opposes sending Western troops to Ukraine, even for training missions, in an interview with German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung published on Saturday.

Cameron said training missions are best carried out abroad, noting that Britain has trained 60,000 Ukrainian soldiers that way.

Placing foreign soldiers in Ukraine would provide targets for Russia, he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron set off a stir among his allies on February 26 when he did not exclude sending Western troops to Ukraine to help it fend off Russia's invasion.

Britain later confirmed that it had sent small units to Ukraine to help with medical training, but a spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the country does not foresee large-scale deployments.

On Friday, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said there were no plans for the moment to send combat troops, but that Ukraine's allies could consider specific training or de-mining missions.

In his interview with Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Cameron said Ukraine needed more long-range weapons and that he was willing to work with Berlin to lift its reticence to supplying German-made Taurus cruise missiles.

Cameron wouldn't directly address suggestions that Berlin provide Britain with Taurus missiles to free up the UK to send more British-French Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine.

Berlin has refused to deliver Taurus missiles to Ukraine, fearful that its 500-kilometre (310-mile) range would be used to hit targets deep into Russian territory.

Since last May, France and Britain have supplied Ukraine with Storm Shadows -- called Scalp in French and with a 250-kilometre range -- while the United States has sent ATACMS, which have a range of 165 kilometers.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 14:13 schreef sp3c het volgende:

[..]
dat suggereerde ik ook met terug schieten

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 12:46 schreef Scjvb het volgende:
https://www.msn.com/nl-nl(...)edac05c744943b8&ei=6

Kopt met: "NAVO-troepen in Oekra�ne niet meer ondenkbaar"

Poetin stoppen heeft de allerhoogste prioriteit, maar of dit nou een verstandige overweging is..

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 14:22 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Dat hangt er van af of wij eerst schieten natuurlijk.

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Russians have strengthened the protection of the bomb signal with the Kometa antenna

^{A Russian bomb with a UMPK kit under the wing of a Su-34 front-line bomber}

Russians developed a new Kometa configuration to protect navigation signals from intentional and unintended interference.

A photo with the new Kometa was shown by Serhii Beskrestnov, better known on the web as “Sergii Flash.”

An adaptive antenna array was found in the wreckage of the UMPK (unified gliding and correction module – ed.) bomb kits.

The new configuration of the Kometa received eight antenna systems.

Such an antenna provides a high level of signal suppression for electronic systems and can simultaneously neutralize 7 sources of interference.

^{Adaptive antenna array in the new Kometa configuration. March 2024. Ukraine. Photo credits: “Serhii Flash”}

Thus, our increase in EW funds is matched by the enemy’s strengthening of technology to combat it,” Sergii Flash said.

Possible use of such antenna systems with Geran loitering munitions will also weaken the effectiveness of the complex of protection of Ukraine.

The Kometa series of digital antenna arrays are made in several design editions with many different versions.

Previously, there were four digital antenna arrays instead of one antenna element, which made it possible to obtain spatial information about the direction of arrival of interference radiation and its compensation.

^{UMPK (unified gliding and correction module – ed.) bomb kits. March 2024. Ukraine. Photo credits: “Serhii Flash”}

It is also worth noting that all elements of the Kometa are created in a single case. Drones that are equipped with this system are almost unaffected by electronic warfare systems.

In Ukraine, the Russian military began using a version of Kometa-M for drones back in 2022 to protect them from suppressing satellite communications.

^{A series of Russian Kometa digital antenna arrays}

Initially, the Orlan-10 reconnaissance drone fell into the hands of the Ukrainian military, in which the Kometa-M was discovered. This Kometa used components of American companies Altera/Intel, Taoglas and Taiwanese Cirocomm. The new Kometa-M has already a size of 100*100*30 cm and weighs 150 grams.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 14:36 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://mil.in.ua/en/news(...)-the-kometa-antenna/
[..]

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 13:48 schreef sp3c het volgende:

[..]
nee dan schieten we ze gewoon terug

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 13:48 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Gewoon, zorgen dat het feestje niet doorgaat. Zoals ze altijd doen. Enige op wie ze geen invloed hebben zijn hun vijanden zoals Noord Korea, Rusland of Iran, maar Europa hebben ze in hun binnenzak. Dat gedoe met ASML was ook zo geregeld bij ons. Die straaljagers voor Turkije, en je hebt wel meer voorbeelden.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 13:46 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Prima, maar moeten we ook niet huilie huilie doen en verontwaardigd zijn als het wel gebeuren. Dan moet je het gewoon nemen als een vent.

quote:

Op zondag 10 maart 2024 13:47 schreef michaelmoore het volgende:

[..]
https://ria-ru.translate.(...)hl=nl&_x_tr_pto=wapp
[..]

Senator Lee Denounces Ukraine Proxy War in 4 Hour Filibuster!

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 14:40 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
En Poetin moet dat uiteraard ook. Of niet soms?

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 14:29 schreef Scjvb het volgende:
Aangaande het idee van Macron om troepen daarheen te sturen ontstond aanvankelijk enige verwarring. Later bleek het uitsluitend te gaan om het instrueren en trainen van soldaten, i.p.v. gevechtshandelingen.
Maar ja, wat is wijsheid en hoe groot is dan het risico op een volledige escalatie? Dat kan iemand zich afvragen wanneer leidende organen Gods water over Gods akkers laat lopen en het erop waagt sowieso troepen te sturen?

quote:

Macron says France has 'no limits' to its support for Ukraine
President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said France would not rule out any option to support Ukraine two years into Russia’s invasion, leaders of several major French political parties said.

SPOILER

quote:

Speaking after the two-and-a-half-hour meeting, the party chiefs said the talks with Macron left them concerned, with some accusing him of using the conflict to boost his coalition’s standing ahead of crucial European elections this summer.

The president had last week stunned many in Europe by refusing to rule out the dispatch of Western ground troops to Ukraine, pointing to Russia’s hardening stance.

And earlier this week Macron urged Ukraine’s allies not to be “cowards” in supporting the ex-Soviet country to fight off the Russian invasion.

Some party leaders on Thursday said Macron advocated a “no limits” approach to counter Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Green party leader Marine Tondelier recounted Macron saying Putin “obviously has no limits.”

She said it was “extremely worrying” to see Macron tell the meeting “we must show we have no limits,” too.

Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally (RN) party, said he had pleaded with Macron “not to go to war with Russia.”

The president’s thinking includes “no limits and no red lines”, said Bardella.

Far-left heavyweight Manuel Bompard added: “I arrived worried and I left even more worried.”

Weighing in from Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Macron “continues to raise the level of France’s direct involvement” in the Ukraine war.

‘Total solidarity’
France’s parliament will have a chance to vote on the country’s Ukraine strategy, including a bilateral security treaty signed with Kyiv last month.

Debates and non-binding votes will take place next Tuesday in the National Assembly lower house and in the Senate upper house on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Macron also met with Moldovan President Maia Sandu, pledging France’s “unwavering support” for her ex-Soviet country as tensions mount between Chisinau and pro-Russian separatists.

During the meeting the two signed a bilateral defence deal, as well as an “economic roadmap”, although no details were provided.

Later Thursday, France was also set to host a video conference of nearly 30 countries including Ukraine, which will follow up on the initiatives discussed at an international Ukraine summit hosted by Macron last week.

Ahead of Thursday’s meeting with the opposition, Macron had spoken to his predecessors Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace late Wednesday.

Speaking to journalists after the talks, Hollande called for more aid for Ukraine as well as European unity.

“The only possible response is to show that we are with the Ukrainians in total solidarity, that we are giving them all the support they need, without taking part in any combat ourselves,” Hollande said.

Asked about the possibility of sending troops, the Socialist former president said: “My position on military issues is: the less we say, the better.”

Election battle
On Wednesday, government spokeswoman Prisca Thevenot said that it was “quite obvious” that the RN was not aligned with Macron’s call to do everything to ensure Russia’s defeat.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has accused the RN of “supporting Russia more than Ukraine”.

The RN is the largest opposition party in France’s lower house of parliament and leads Macron’s alliance by a wide margin in European election polls ahead of the June 9 vote.

Most of Macron’s European allies have said they would not send troops to Ukraine, while French officials have insisted any such forces could be sent to back operations such as de-mining rather than fighting Russian forces.

In an apparent response to Macron, Putin has warned of a “real” risk of nuclear war and said “that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory.”

quote:

Territorial defense unit destroyed the Russian Grad-1 MRL in the east of Ukraine

The Ukrainian military destroyed the enemy Grad-1 122mm multiple rocket launcher.

Videos of equipment destruction were shown in the 100th Territorial Defense Brigade of Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Ukrainian defenders used FPV kamikaze drones for destroying the Russian MRL on the chassis of the ZiL-131.

For the destruction of the 9P138 Grad-1 launcher, several drone hits were required, which were equipped with shaped charge warheads.

These are warheads from a PG-7 rocket-propelled grenade, which is usually fired from a RPG-7 hand-held grenade launcher.

Тероборонці знищили російську � СЗВ «Град-1» [березень 2024]

These ammunition are specially designed to destroy armored vehicles. Also they are actively used to equip kamikaze drones.

“The hostile MRL caused considerable trouble to our units. But, “everything has its own termination” the military wrote.

Therefore, the soldiers of the FPV Drone Company “VORON 100” tracked down and with the use of FPV-drones destroyed the Russian Grad-1 rocket launcher.

Soviet 9K55 Grad-1 122mm MRL, the launcher of which under the designation 9P138, mounted on the chassis of the ZiL-131 truck, was created on the basis of the more common BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket system and has 36 tubes for rockets instead of usual 40.

The system was created as a lightweight alternative to BM-21 at the regiment level for motorized rifle regiments and marine units and is quite rare, because only 500 such MRL have been manufactured.

Before the start of a full-scale invasion, most of the Grad-1 in the Russian Federation were in storage. It is worth noting that the Ukrainian military has already captured Russian MRL of this type, during the liberation of the territories.

Earlier, the artillery of Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed two BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket systems of Russians in the Luhansk region.

quote:

Border guards destroy Russian howitzer and ammunition depot on left bank of Kherson region

Border guards on the left bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region used drones to destroy a howitzer and a warehouse with ammunition of Russian invaders.

The State Border Guard Service reported this and published a video, Ukrinform reported.

Аеророзвідники ДПСУ знищили гаубицю, склад БК та ворожу автівку на лівобережжі Херсонщини

"The State Border Guard Service's aerial reconnaissance aircraft are reinforcing the Defense Forces units on the left bank of Kherson region from the air," the statement said.

Throughout several nights, attack UAV pilots struck enemy positions and destroyed a howitzer, an ammunition depot, and a Russian car.

As reported, the Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to expand their bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnipro River.

quote:

France finds Baltic allies in its spat with Germany over Ukraine troop deployment
Macron raised the possibility that foreign troops could be sent to Ukraine, but Berlin and many other capitals object.

France is building an alliance of countries open to potentially sending Western troops to Ukraine -- and in the process deepening its clash with a more cautious Berlin.

French Foreign Minister St�phane S�journ� was in Lithuania on Friday, where he met his Baltic and Ukrainian counterparts to buttress the idea that foreign troops could end up helping Ukraine in areas like demining.

SPOILER

quote:

"It is not for Russia to tell us how we should help Ukraine in the coming months or years," S�journ� said at a meeting chaired by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis and attended by his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba. "It is not for Russia to organize how we deploy our actions, or to set red lines. So we decide it among us."

S�journ� repeatedly referred to mine clearance operations as a possibility, saying it "might mean having some personnel, [but] not to fight."

The meeting comes as Ukraine is suffering from an artillery ammunition shortage that is making it difficult to halt the fury of Russian attacks.

"Ukraine did not ask us to send troops. Ukraine is asking us to send ammunition at the moment," the French minister said. "We do not exclude anything for the coming months."

The Baltic ministers praised France for "thinking out of the box."

French President Emmanuel Macon last month raised the possibility that Western soldiers may have to be sent to Ukraine; immediately afterward most European countries -- including Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland -- said they had no such plans. However, the three Baltic countries -- the most exposed to any Russian attack should Moscow succeed in its war against Ukraine -- are much more open to the idea.

Warsaw is also shifting position.

"The presence of NATO forces in Ukraine is not unthinkable," Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on Friday in Poland, adding that he appreciated Macron's initiative, "because it is about [Russian President Vladimir] Putin being afraid, not us being afraid of Putin."

S�journ� raised concerns about Moscow setting its sights on the Baltic countries, which used to be part of the Soviet empire but are now members of the EU and NATO.

Lithuania's Landsbergis echoed S�journ�.

"There cannot be any 'buts.' We must draw red lines for Russia, not ourselves. No form of support for Ukraine can be excluded. We need to continue supporting Ukraine wherever it's most needed," he said.

Although Germany is by far the largest European military aid donor to Ukraine, it has come under fierce pressure for its reluctance to send Kyiv long range Taurus cruise missiles for fear of provoking Moscow. Kuleba took a subtle swipe at that reticence on Friday.

"I'm personally fed up with the ... fear of escalation," he said. "Our problem is that we still have people who think of this war in terms of the fear of escalation."

Kuleba continued: "What kind of escalation are you afraid of? What else has to happen to Ukraine for you to understand that this fear is useless? What do you expect Putin to do? 'Well I sent tanks but I did not send the missiles or troops, so maybe you'll be nicer to me than to others?' That's not how Putin thinks, that's not how he treats Europe."

quote:

Op zondag 10 maart 2024 13:00 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Een kernoorlog is ook niet ondenkbaar. Zelf weten hoor, maar er kan van alles gebeuren. Grondtroepen in Oekra�ne, kernwapens, Rutte die een hartaanval krijgt, een meteoriet op Amsterdam.

Al denk ik dat de VS daar zeker een stokje voor steekt. Die gaat er echt niet mee akkoord dat Polen of Frankrijk grondtroepen stuurt.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 14:32 schreef sp3c het volgende:

[..]
doen we nite

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 15:22 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

Nou ja, dat kun je nooit met zekerheid zeggen en dat snap je zelf ook wel. "Doen we niet, discussie klaar"

Tja, wat moet je daar nou weer mee.

quote:

'Trump is beholden to someone': Here's who's behind company footing E. Jean Carroll bond
Many people are now asking about Evan G. Greenberg, the CEO of the Chubb Group, which has a subsidiary that fronted the cash given to Donald Trump for his bond in New York for the E. Jean Carroll settlement.

Even if Trump intends to appeal the settlement ruled on by the jury, he must put the cash up as a bond to the court. Greenberg is the one who made it happen.

As legal analyst Allison Gill pointed out, he is not only a New York businessman, but was also brought on by Trump in 2018 to serve on the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. His term ended in 2022.

One internet sleuth, political advisor and researcher pointed to a release from the Rainforest Action Network that linked Chubb to polluters and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

SPOILER

quote:

Greenberg talks a big game about green energy, the report said, but RAN explained that Chubb has the insurance policies "underwriting the risks of digging new coal mines, building tar sands pipelines, and expanding oil and gas drilling in sensitive ecosystems across the world."

Greenberg's pro-green talk "ring[s] hollow when examining his company’s business practices. Chubb insures fossil fuel infrastructure in Russia that is bankrolling Putin’s war on Ukraine, oil and gas extraction off the coast of Brazil, exploratory drilling in the Arctic, and other fossil fuel projects globally," the report continued.

Century Indemnity Company was another Chubb subsidiary behind helping the Boy Scouts of America when they were forced to file for bankruptcy in 2020. The group was being sued and facing allegations from about 1,700 people who said scout leaders sexually abused them.

In an interview, Greenberg said that lawsuits are a key reason why litigation reform must be implemented in the U.S. His beef is with the hefty settlements that corporate America is being forced to hand over when they lose suits.

Century "and other Chubb companies will pay $800 million and obtain a broad release for all Chubb companies from BSA-related abuse claims," the company said in a 2021 release.

MSNBC's Lisa Rubin brought up the CEO's ties to Trump, but also pointed out that anyone could put up the money for Trump's fraud trial and there is a chance the American people would never know who gave him the money.

Rubin said she asked the New York Attorney General's office whether they would know the source of the funding, and their answer was, "We don't know." Host Rachel Maddow has floated that it means people like Vladimir Putin or the Saudi royal fund could put the money up for Trump and voters wouldn't know.

"One of the things I noticed when I was going through the bond today is that it actually only covers the appeal to the Second Circuit," said Rubin, speaking to MSNBC's Katy Tur. "It doesn't cover any appeal that he would take from the Second Circuit if it affirms the jury's verdict of $83.3 million. If he appeals further to the Supreme Court, he's going to need somebody else to come in and provide that security if he takes that appeal further. Otherwise, he will owe her that money within a certain number of days."

When speaking later to MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace, Rubin explained that Trump likely had to give anywhere between 1 to 10 percent in cash and pledge collateral to Greenberg's companies.

"They would want what we call unencumbered collateral where nobody else has a mortgage," Rubin said. "As you know, and everybody knows, Trump is mortgaged to the hilt and owes tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars outstanding on loans. I think what's interesting about this is how he obtained the bond and who he obtained it from because he is simultaneously telling an appeals court in New York State that he shouldn't have to post any bond and the New York Attorney General civil fraud case because he's just -- can't afford it. He's not liquid enough."

She noted that there might be a different story if there's a huge insurer willing to link themselves to Trump and sign off on the bond. It essentially says, "I will owe E. Jean Carroll, the money she is due if the Second Circuit Court of Appeals upholds the verdict and Trump doesn't make good on it, we're good for it."

Former prosecutor Joyce Vance, who now teaches at University of Alabama School of law, posted on social media, "This is an important point. Trump is beholden to someone and we don't know who. Reporters should ask him to explain all of the details. GOP leaders should, but probably won't be, especially concerned."

Retired Superior Court Mediator Howard Prince questioned if is "Quid Pro Quo."

See Rubin's clip with Wallace in the video below or at the link here.

Who is Evan Greenberg — the man who helped front Trump's E. Jean Carroll bond

quote:

Greenberg's pro-green talk "ring[s] hollow when examining his company’s business practices. Chubb insures fossil fuel infrastructure in Russia that is bankrolling Putin’s war on Ukraine, oil and gas extraction off the coast of Brazil, exploratory drilling in the Arctic, and other fossil fuel projects globally," the report continued.

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MSNBC's Lisa Rubin brought up the CEO's ties to Trump, but also pointed out that anyone could put up the money for Trump's fraud trial and there is a chance the American people would never know who gave him the money.

Rubin said she asked the New York Attorney General's office whether they would know the source of the funding, and their answer was, "We don't know." Host Rachel Maddow has floated that it means people like Vladimir Putin or the Saudi royal fund could put the money up for Trump and voters wouldn't know.

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Chubb is insuring oil and gas extraction and transport in Russia, fueling Russia's war on Ukraine. In fact, Chubb called Russian oil and gas "one of the most promising activities" of its Russian operations. The insurer was recently backing Nord Stream 2, a massive, controversial natural gas pipeline built by Gazprom, the world's largest producer of gas and a majority Russian state-owned fossil fuel company (which also happens to be funded by JPMorgan Chase). Following the horrific invasion of Ukraine, RAN joined more than 75 global organizations in sending a letter to Chubb and other financial institutions last week, urging them to end the financing, investing, and insuring of companies in Russia's coal, oil, and gas industries, and to divest from existing holdings. Bankrolled by oil and gas profits, Russia's war on Ukraine is yet another example of how fossil fuel extraction is linked to authoritarianism, violence, and war around the globe.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 12:46 schreef Scjvb het volgende:
https://www.msn.com/nl-nl(...)edac05c744943b8&ei=6

Kopt met: "NAVO-troepen in Oekra�ne niet meer ondenkbaar"

Poetin stoppen heeft de allerhoogste prioriteit, maar of dit nou een verstandige overweging is..

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 15:22 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Nou ja, dat kun je nooit met zekerheid zeggen en dat snap je zelf ook wel. "Doen we niet, discussie klaar"

Tja, wat moet je daar nou weer mee.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 13:59 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://global.espreso.tv(...)occupied-territories
[..]

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 15:37 schreef sp3c het volgende:

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ja weinig maar ik kan ook niet zoveel met het hypothetische geval dat wij beginnen met kernraketten schieten en dan niet huillie mogen doen als iemand terug schiet

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Biden slams Orb�n’s meeting with Trump
U.S. President Joe Biden criticized former President Donald Trump's meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb�n.
That’s according to The Guardian, Ukrinform reports..

Joe Biden has criticised his election rival Donald Trump for meeting Viktor Orb�n, saying the Hungarian premier was “looking for dictatorship”, the report reads.

“You know who he’s meeting with today, down in Mar-a-Lago?” Democrat Biden told supporters in a campaign rally. “Orb�n of Hungary, who stated flatly he doesn’t think democracy works and is looking for dictatorship.”

"I see a future where we defend democracy, not diminish it," Biden added.

The U.S. president also recalled Trump's statement that he would encourage" ussian leader Vladimir Putin to invade NATO countries, which Trump believes did not pay their financial dues to the Alliance.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb�n reportedly met with potential presidential candidate Donald Trump and asked him to "return to office and bring peace."

Previously, speaking at one of the panels of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, Orb�n referred to Trump "the only serious chance to end the war in Ukraine" in the event of his return to the White House.

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Orban asks Trump to "come back and bring peace"
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has met with presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and asked him to "return to his post and bring peace."
Reuters reported this, according to Ukrinform.

“The two discussed "a wide range of issues affecting Hungary and the United States, including the paramount importance of strong and secure borders to protect the sovereignty of each nation," according to a statement from Trump's campaign”, the statement reads.

The Hungarian Prime Minister expressed his belief that only Trump's return to the White House can bring peace.

"We need leaders in the world who are respected and can bring peace. He is one of them! Come back and bring us peace, Mr. President!," Orban said in a post on X after the meeting.

Read also: Trump doesn’t understand Putin because he has never fought him - Zelensky
The former U.S. president and a small group of close advisers met with the Hungarian prime minister on Friday evening at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence, informed sources told CNN.

One of the sources described the meeting as "social" with no agenda, while a separate source said it was "friendly."

As reported, the Hungarian Prime Minister called former US President Donald Trump "the only serious chance to end the war in Ukraine" if he returns to the White House. Orban said this at one of the panels of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum.

'Unsurprising': Ex-CIA Director breaks down Trump's meeting with Hungary's authoritarian leader

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 15:59 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

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Het gaat om het hele proces an sich. Of Rusland kernwapens gebruikt of wij grondtroepen sturen interesseert me niet zo veel. Het gaat om de mogelijke gevolgen.

Stel dat het wel tot grondtroepen komt, oorlog en kernwapens. Je weet het nooit. Tja, dan moeten het maar accepteren toch.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 16:00 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

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En wat wanneer het gaat over de mogelijke gevolgen van niks doen? Of niet genoeg? Denk je daar wel eens over na?

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 16:05 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Poetin gaat met aan zekerheid grenzende waarschijnlijkheid niet de NAVO binnenvallen.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 15:59 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

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Het gaat om het hele proces an sich. Of Rusland kernwapens gebruikt of wij grondtroepen sturen interesseert me niet zo veel. Het gaat om de mogelijke gevolgen.

Stel dat het wel tot grondtroepen komt, oorlog en kernwapens. Je weet het nooit. Tja, dan moeten het maar accepteren toch.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 16:05 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Denk dat die gevolgen zwaar overdreven worden voor de veiligheid van Europa. Poetin gaat met aan zekerheid grenzende waarschijnlijkheid niet de NAVO binnenvallen. Dat snapt hij zelf ook wel. En we hebben Finland en Zweden al bij de NAVO. We zijn een gigantische overmacht. Het leven gaat gewoon door zoals het altijd doorgaat. Gevolgen van kernwapens zijn veel groter. Jammer voor Oekra�ne, maar zo belangrijk is dat land niet voor ons en de VS.

Als een NAVO land wordt aangevallen is het een ander verhaal natuurlijk, maar dat is niet gebeurd.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 15:59 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Het gaat om het hele proces an sich. Of Rusland kernwapens gebruikt of wij grondtroepen sturen interesseert me niet zo veel. Het gaat om de mogelijke gevolgen.

Stel dat het wel tot grondtroepen komt, oorlog en kernwapens. Je weet het nooit. Tja, dan moeten het maar accepteren toch.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 16:17 schreef Confetti het volgende:

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Het leven en de wereld is toch eindig. Als de (Westerse) beschaving eindigt is de totale eliminatie van Rusland en haar handlangers zoals China geen slechte laatste daad. Er zijn beschavingen op een minder glorieuze manier ge�indigd.

Deze gedachtegang leeft in Rusland ook, dus gevaarlijk maakt dat ze zeker.

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Russian Weatherman Says Conditions 'Ideal' for Nuclear Strike on NATO
Russian weatherman Evgeny Tishkovets recently told TV host and Kremlin-back propogandist Vladimir Solovyov that conditions are "ideal" for a nuclear strike on member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

SPOILER

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It's been a little over two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As NATO countries back the Eastern European nation, which is yet to be a member of the military organization, there has been growing concern that Russia may expand its war.

During Russian President Vladimir Putin's annual state of the nation address in late February, he warned that Ukraine's allies risk starting a nuclear war if they deepen their involvement in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

"They must realize that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory," the Russian leader said. "What they are now suggesting and scaring the world with—all that raises the real threat of a nuclear conflict that will mean the destruction of our civilization."

Journalist Julia Davis, creator of the Russian Media Monitor watchdog group, posted a clip of Solovyov talking with Tishkovets on his show about Moscow attacking NATO members on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday.

"Most importantly you should clearly say how our missiles can precisely strike NATO targets and that the weather won't get in their way. Despite the challenging meteorological conditions, the missiles reached their targets, the Avangard struck. Paris is on fire!" Solovyov said, according to a translation by Russian Media Monitor.

"Today, the weather is ideal for conducting nuclear strikes against NATO countries," Tishkovets said. "The air currents are directed in non-traditional ways, not from the west to the east, but the east to the west. The radioactive clouds with travel towards those countries that are sending arms and mercenaries to fight against our army."

He added: "The death of our guys shouldn't be the price of victory. We should move up to a higher level of escalation."

Newsweek reached out to the Russian government via online form and NATO press office via email for comment.

Solovyov previously suggested launching nuclear strikes on NATO countries.

Andrey Sidorov, deputy dean of world politics at the Moscow State University, told Solovyov on his show that the issue is "not whether or not to use nuclear weapons." He said: "The issue is against whom to use them. You often talk about France or Great Britain."

Solovyov responded: "That's right, France, Germany, Poland, Great Britain."

As Ukrainian forces continue to fight against the Russian military, support for the war-torn nation from the United States, one of Ukraine's largest backers, is dwindling. A $95 billion foreign aid package, which includes $61 billion for Ukraine passed in the Senate, but has stalled in the House of Representatives as Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican who is opposed to additional Ukrainian aid, has yet to put the bill on the floor.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden, who has remained an ally to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, urged the House to "immediately" take up the aid package.

"I call on the speaker to let the full House speak its mind and not allow a minority of the most extreme voices in the House to block this bill even from being voted on," Biden said during a White House speech in February.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 16:14 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Niet alle acties van Putin hoeft een totale invasie te betekenen. Maar als wij nu Oekra�ne opgeven. En tegen Putin zeggen dat hij een deel van Oekra�ne mag houden in ruil voor vrede. Dan ziet hij dat als een open deur. Dat zal hij met dit in gedachte andere landen aan gaan vallen. Denk aan Moldavie, Armenie, Georgie.

En dan elke keer vrede sluiten in ruil voor wat land van deze landen. (als ze dit keer stoppen met slechts wat land) Met elke winst zal zijn zelfverzekerdheid/ego groter worden. Met elke winst zal zijn leger sterker worden, hij zal meer troepen krijgen, en ook meer materieel. Bij een totale overwinning op bijvoorbeeld Oekra�ne zal hij erg ervaren soldaten erbij krijgen. En erg modern materieel van onder andere ons.

Ook zal hij steeds meer steun gaan krijgen van andere landen. Want die willen natuurlijk wel aan de "juiste kant" van geschiedenis komen te staan. En op den duur zal hij zich wel degelijk sterk genoeg wanen om bijvoorbeeld d Baltische staten aan te vallen.

Jij geeft aan dat jij dit niet ziet gebeuren. Dat dit niet een rode lijn is die hij over zal gaan. Maar aan de andere hand ben je wel bang voor escalatie wanneer wij Oekra�ne meer zullen gaan helpen. Beide zijn rode lijnen toch?

Even om jou te quoten: "je weet het nooit"

Of deze: "Nou ja, dat kun je nooit met zekerheid zeggen en dat snap je zelf ook wel."

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 17:00 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.newsweek.com/(...)-strike-nato-1877580
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SPOILER

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 17:12 schreef QAnonn het volgende:

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Oekra�ne opgeven om de veiligheid in Europa te garanderen lijkt me geen slecht plan.

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Russian student jailed for pro-Ukraine wi-fi name
A student has been sentenced to 10 days in jail in Moscow after renaming his wi-fi network with a pro-Kyiv slogan.

The Moscow State University student had titled the network "Slava Ukraini!" which means "Glory to Ukraine!".

A Moscow court found him guilty of displaying "symbols of extremist organisations" on Thursday.

SPOILER

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Since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine, thousands have been handed prison terms or fines for criticising the invasion or supporting Ukraine.

The student was arrested on Wednesday morning in Moscow, after a police officer had reported the network name to authorities.

According to court documents, officers inspected his room within the university's student accommodation, and found his personal computer and a wi-fi router.

The court said he had used the network to "promote the slogan 'Slava Ukraini!' to an unlimited number of users within wi-fi range." The router has now been confiscated.

"Slava Ukraini" has become a rallying cry for supporters of Ukraine, and is regularly heard chanted during protests against Russia's full-scale invasion, which it launched on 24 February, 2022.

The student was found guilty of "public demonstration of Nazi symbolism... or symbols of extremist organisations". Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly made baseless claims about a "neo-Nazi regime" in Ukraine, and used it to justify his invasion.

The student is the latest in a long list of ordinary Russians who have been punished for their comments - or actions - about the war. Last month, hundreds of people were detained for simply laying flowers in memory of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died under suspicious circumstances in an Arctic Circle prison.

The conflict is not even allowed to be called a "war" in Russia - it must be referred to as a "special military operation".

According to Amnesty International, last year more than 21,000 people were targeted by Russia's "repressive laws" used to "crack down on anti-war activists".

The human rights group said "deeply unfair trials" were used to "dish out prison sentences and hefty fines to silence critics in response to the slightest dissent."

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 17:12 schreef QAnonn het volgende:

[..]
Oekra�ne opgeven om de veiligheid in Europa te garanderen lijkt me geen slecht plan.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 17:12 schreef QAnonn het volgende:

[..]
Oekra�ne opgeven om de veiligheid in Europa te garanderen lijkt me geen slecht plan.

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EU Fights Anti-Ukraine Propaganda Ahead of Vote
With European parliamentary elections approaching, pro-Russian social media posts support far-right and nationalist parties with false claims that Ukraine's refugees are criminals and welfare cheats.

As the European parliamentary elections in June move ever closer, experts warn that pro-Russian players are flooding social media with false claims about the war in Ukraine to boost support for far-right and nationalist parties.

Pro-Russian accounts have been pumping out posts on Facebook, X and TikTok that depict Ukrainian refugees as violent criminals or claim that Kyiv's government officials siphon off financial aid sent by the West to buy luxury yachts and villas for themselves.

Another theme with particular potency in countries closest to the conflict is that refugees receive higher state benefits than locals.

The aim of such propaganda is to weaken the EU's resolve and benefit anti-immigration parties like Germany's AfD, France's National Rally or the Party for Freedom in the Netherlands, said Jakub Kalensky, an analyst at the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Hybrid CoE) in Helsinki, Finland.

SPOILER

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Such disinformation will "definitely play a role" in the June 6-9 vote, when more than 400 million Europeans choose a new five-year parliament, he said.

"When you exaggerate the risk of Ukrainian immigrants, you boost anti-immigration parties," Kalensky said.

"I'm convinced that if it weren't for the Russian propaganda, movements led by leaders like Marine Le Pen (in France), Geert Wilders (in the Netherlands) or Robert Fico (in Slovakia) would have significantly lower election results."

Dietmar Pichler, disinformation analyst at the Center for Digital Media Literacy in Vienna, Austria, believes that anti-Ukraine disinformation is likely to intensify ahead of the June vote as Russia tries to promote Kremlin-friendly European parties.

He has identified two main topics that have already surfaced in EU campaigns -- the sanctions against Russia and financial aid to Ukraine.

"Actors aiming to halt this support for Ukraine are employing disinformation and Russian propaganda narratives to 'justify' this anti-Ukrainian position," Pichler told AFP.

But pro-Russian narratives also affect the policies of mainstream parties, sometimes silencing those who might otherwise throw their support behind Ukraine, according to the analyst.

"Some politicians are now afraid to address topics like Ukraine or Russia altogether because they fear attacks by Russian trolls, bots, and pro-Russian actors on the domestic level," he said.

Fertile ground
The pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign may find particularly fertile ground in countries such as Hungary and Slovakia, whose governments actively stoke anti-immigration sentiment and urge Brussels to make peace with Russia, according to Kalensky.

On the second anniversary of the Russian invasion on February 24, Slovak premier Fico -- who has repeatedly compared Ukrainians to Nazis, echoing Moscow's justification for the assault -- accused the EU of "hating the Russian Federation" and urged it to "come up with a peace plan for both countries."

Hungarian state media often suggest that the Ukraine conflict could lead to World War III or make unsubstantiated claims about the forcible recruitment of Ukrainian men for the battlefield.

Even Kyiv's staunchest allies, such as Poland, are not immune to the propaganda flooding the internet since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Angry Polish farmers have protested about cheaper Ukrainian grain imports and claims are rife on Polish social media that refugees flood the labor markets, undercut wages, or receive welfare payouts that locals can only dream about.

"The message is 'this is the Ukrainian gratitude for your help', 'they are using us' and 'they don't respect us'," said Andrzej Kozlowski, cybersecurity and disinformation expert at the Casimir Pulaski Foundation in Warsaw, Poland.

Farmers' protests across Europe in early 2024 have been weaponized by Russian propagandists and far-right parties in many European countries.

These protests "have become a top priority for the Russian disinformation machine" ahead of upcoming elections in Poland in April and the EU vote in June, Kozlowski told AFP.

According to an Ipsos poll from February 2024, the far-right Confederation -- the only party in the Polish parliament not to unequivocally condemn the Russian invasion -- is gaining support the fastest and could get 12 percent at local elections on April 7.

"At the beginning, we were laughing at Russian disinformation, but statistics show that support for Ukrainian refugees and immigrants in Poland is getting lower, and so is support for sending ammunition and weapons to Ukraine," Kozlowski said.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 17:21 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

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Daar garandeer je Europa's veiligheid niet mee. Sterker nog het wordt er onveiliger door.

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Op zondag 10 maart 2024 17:43 schreef QAnonn het volgende:

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Als Rusland NAVO aanvalt dan kunnen we altijd nog reageren. Rusland zal waarschijnlijk eerder NAVO aanvallen als wij ons met hun gaan bemoeien als dat wij ons er buiten houden.