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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 12:06 schreef ExTec het volgende:
Repost:

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 12:12 schreef Ulx het volgende:

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Dat is om de status quo te behouden.

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1 - Orel. Oil depot | 09.01.24
2 - Bryansk region. Oil depot | 19.01.24
3 - Leningrad Region. Novatek terminal | 21.01.24
4 - Krasnodar Region. OIL REFINERY | 25.01.24
5 - Saint Petersburg. Oil refinery | 31.01.24
6 - Volgograd. OIL REFINERY | 03.02.24
7 - Krasnodar Region. OIL REFINERY | 09.02.24
8 - Kursk region. Oil depot | 15.02.24
9 - Belgorod Region. Oil depot | 05.03.24
10 - Kursk region. Fuel tank | 06.03.24
11 - Orel. Oil depot | 12.03.24
12 - Nizhny Novgorod Region. OIL REFINERY | 12.03.24
13 - Ryazan Refinery 13.03.24

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 12:14 schreef ExTec het volgende:

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Hoezo, zit sholz er achter dan?

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 12:19 schreef Ulx het volgende:
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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 12:26 schreef Barbusse het volgende:

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Euhm...gaat echt lekker daar he? Hoeveel anti Putin Russische troepen zijn actief daar?

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 12:16 schreef ExTec het volgende:
Lijstje met welke raffinaderijen/infra allemaal klop hebben gehad.
[..]
Maar verkoop van geraffineerde producten is opgeschort voor 6 maanden, voorspelling: die opschorting wordt nooit meer ongedaan gemaakt.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 12:33 schreef oheng het volgende:

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Mogelijk kan Rostov ( Novoshakhtinsk ) aan het lijstje worden toegevoegd. Is nu net aangevallen.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 12:27 schreef Ulx het volgende:

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Enkele honderden minimaal denk ik. Alles bij elkaar.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 12:38 schreef Barbusse het volgende:

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Ik wens ze succes daar, lekker chaos schoppen

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 12:38 schreef Barbusse het volgende:

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Ik wens ze succes daar, lekker chaos schoppen

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 12:06 schreef ExTec het volgende:
Repost:

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 12:49 schreef Opnaarutrecht het volgende:
Ik heb vandaag 20 Days in Mariupol gekeken en ik ben steeds meer van mening dat we als NAVO moeten ingrijpen.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 12:49 schreef Opnaarutrecht het volgende:
Ik heb vandaag 20 Days in Mariupol gekeken en ik ben steeds meer van mening dat we als NAVO moeten ingrijpen.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 13:36 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:

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Dat had imo na mh17 al mogen gebeuren. En het had ook niet veel gescheeld of er waren westerse troepen geweest op de crashsite.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 13:45 schreef Opnaarutrecht het volgende:

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Helemaal mee eens. Rutte heeft toen inderdaad heel serieus overwogen militairen te sturen. https://www.ewmagazine.nl(...)og-oekraine-1048646/

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 13:45 schreef Opnaarutrecht het volgende:

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Helemaal mee eens. Rutte heeft toen inderdaad heel serieus overwogen militairen te sturen. https://www.ewmagazine.nl(...)og-oekraine-1048646/

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 13:58 schreef PzKpfw het volgende:

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Ach beetje borstklopperij achteraf dit.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 13:47 schreef Hyperdude het volgende:

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Denk dat er toen erg weinig militairen zin hadden in zo'n goed doordachte expeditie.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 14:05 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:

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Niet echt, er is gewogen of het de moeite waard was en dat was het simpelweg niet.
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Nee die melden zich dan gewoon ziek natuurlijk.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 14:14 schreef PzKpfw het volgende:

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Net of Nederland ook maar iets klaar zou spelen daar. Man man hoe naïef kun je zijn zeg. Die zouden al uit de lucht worden geschoten voordat ze ook maar konden landen.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 14:14 schreef PzKpfw het volgende:

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Net of Nederland ook maar iets klaar zou spelen daar. Man man hoe naïef kun je zijn zeg. Die zouden al uit de lucht worden geschoten voordat ze ook maar konden landen.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 14:18 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 14:14 schreef PzKpfw het volgende:

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Net of Nederland ook maar iets klaar zou spelen daar. Man man hoe naïef kun je zijn zeg. Die zouden al uit de lucht worden geschoten voordat ze ook maar konden landen.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 14:55 schreef PzKpfw het volgende:

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Echt een admin-waardige reactie dit, chapeau.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 15:01 schreef MaxMark het volgende:

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Zeg dan niet zoiets doms.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 12:49 schreef Opnaarutrecht het volgende:
Ik heb vandaag 20 Days in Mariupol gekeken en ik ben steeds meer van mening dat we als NAVO moeten ingrijpen.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 14:55 schreef PzKpfw het volgende:

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Echt een admin-waardige reactie dit, chapeau.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 15:07 schreef PzKpfw het volgende:

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Bemoei je met je eigen zaken ouwe sterrenlikker.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 15:10 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:

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[..]

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 15:15 schreef PzKpfw het volgende:

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Ik wist niet dat ik hier admin was.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 15:07 schreef PzKpfw het volgende:

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Bemoei je met je eigen zaken ouwe sterrenlikker.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 13:47 schreef Hyperdude het volgende:

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Denk dat er toen erg weinig militairen zin hadden in zo'n goed doordachte expeditie.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 13:44 schreef luxerobots het volgende:

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Het is jammer dat de eenvoudige strategie, geef Oekraïne de wapens die het nodig heeft om Rusland flink op zijn flikker te geven, niet tot stand komt.

Dan is NAVO ingrijpen niet eens nodig.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 15:07 schreef PzKpfw het volgende:

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Bemoei je met je eigen zaken ouwe sterrenlikker.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 15:10 schreef ipa84 het volgende:

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Ik heb die documentaire een paar weken geleden gekeken toen die op de npo was. Is denk 1 van de heftigste documentaires die ik ooit gezien heb. Ik snap wel dat mensen daarom willen dat de NAVO moet ingrijpen maar ik denk dat, dat nooit gaat gebeuren. Maar iedereen die nog steeds roept dat Rusland in zijn recht staat of dat Rusland nog mild is enzovoort kon ik al niet serieus nemen maar nu helemaal niet meer.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 16:47 schreef Opnaarutrecht het volgende:

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Iedereen zijn voeten optillen: PzKpfws niveau moet passeren!

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 16:45 schreef Opnaarutrecht het volgende:
Macron gaat 600 HAMMER glijbommen leveren. https://www.armyrecogniti(...)html#google_vignette

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 16:58 schreef PzKpfw het volgende:

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Lekker on-topic ook 👍🏻

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 15:07 schreef PzKpfw het volgende:

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Bemoei je met je eigen zaken ouwe sterrenlikker.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 17:11 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 13:47 schreef Hyperdude het volgende:

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Denk dat er toen erg weinig militairen zin hadden in zo'n goed doordachte expeditie.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 17:20 schreef Anton91 het volgende:
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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 14:14 schreef PzKpfw het volgende:

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Net of Nederland ook maar iets klaar zou spelen daar. Man man hoe naïef kun je zijn zeg. Die zouden al uit de lucht worden geschoten voordat ze ook maar konden landen.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 17:31 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Handig om het te vertellen. Kan Rusland er rekening mee houden.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 17:29 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Gerasimov is trouwens vervangen als opperbevelhebber. Geen reden gegeven, maar er gaan geruchten dat de man niet meer naar zijn werk kwam.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 17:50 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

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Wat voor een persoon is deze man? Geen wiki pagina heeft ie.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 17:54 schreef ExTec het volgende:

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Het is een orc.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 17:55 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

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Bedankt voor het serieuze antwoord.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 16:15 schreef Ulx het volgende:

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Wat ze nodig hebben zijn honderddertig atoombommen en een manier om die op Russische steden te gooien. Moet je opletten hoe snel de oorlog voorbij is. Zullen we die geven? Waarschijnlijk zeg je nee. Dus zo eenvoudig is het ook weer niet.

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Er zijn zoals ik het zie twee grote issues:

Westerse wapens niet mogen inzetten tegen doelen in Rusland. Dat begint alleen steeds minder belangrijk te worden als je ziet dat raffinaderijen op 800 kilometer van de grens nu kunnen worden geraakt met Made-in-Ukraine materiaal. Het zou mooi zijn als het wel mag, maar ik denk dat het het opperbevel in Kyiv ondertussen eigenlijk een rotzorg zal zijn. Hun spul is ondertussen nauwkeurig genoeg op grote afstanden zoals we zien. (Je hebt uiteraard lui die balen dat zo'n olie-installatie niet met een Taurus wordt opgeblazen want-voor-omdat-redenen, maar ja, jammer dan. Gebruik je wat anders.)

En het tweede probleem is wat nodig is voor de frontlinie. Daar hebben en krijgen ze wel spul voor, de leveringen staan gewoon op de kalender. De reparatie van bepaalde voertuigen doen ze al zelf. Europa begint meer munitie te leveren. Artillerie komt ook gewoon binnen. De VS kan daarnaast dingen als clustermunitie leveren die Europa niet heeft maar daar lopen ze te kutten in het Huis.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 17:50 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

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Wat voor een persoon is deze man? Geen wiki pagina heeft ie.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 16:56 schreef MissButterflyy het volgende:

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Heb een stuk gekeken net maar ben gestopt, ik vond het te heftig.
Nee Rusland is natuurlijk helemaal niet mild. En lees dat Putin ook weer heeft gesproken over de kernwapens die ze nog achter de hand hebben, als laatste stuiptrekking zie ik ze die nog wel gebruiken. Maar dat het zover komt, heeft niemand zin in, denk ik. Hoop ik.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 18:16 schreef spicymchaggis het volgende:

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Het is jammer dat er zo'n documentaire nodig is om in de westerse wereld duidelijk te maken hoe Russen oorlog voeren en zich als bezettingsmacht gedragen, terwijl we er decennialang voor gewaarschuwd zijn door landen die tijdens de koude oorlog door de Russen bezet zijn. Hadden we daar als westerse wereld naar geluisterd dan was het nooit tot deze oorlog hoeven komen.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 18:16 schreef spicymchaggis het volgende:

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Het is jammer dat er zo'n documentaire nodig is om in de westerse wereld duidelijk te maken hoe Russen oorlog voeren en zich als bezettingsmacht gedragen, terwijl we er decennialang voor gewaarschuwd zijn door landen die tijdens de koude oorlog door de Russen bezet zijn. Hadden we daar als westerse wereld naar geluisterd dan was het nooit tot deze oorlog hoeven komen.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 18:15 schreef luxerobots het volgende:

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Dit is natuurlijk een voorbeeld dat het in het belachelijke trekt.
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En dat gekut van de VS is juist het probleem. In Rusland bouwt men een oorlogseconomie op. En in de VS wordt er gesteggeld of er überhaupt wel munitie gestuurd moet worden.

We gaan er nu naartoe dat Rusland drie keer meer munitie produceert voor de oorlog in Oekraïne dan de VS en Europa.

CNN: Exclusive: Russia producing three times more artillery shells than US and Europe for Ukraine

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 18:22 schreef Ulx het volgende:

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Ze gaven atoomwapens op wegens veiligheidsgaranties. De ontstekers hadden ze wel kunnen reverse-engineeren. Dus hoezo is atoomwapens voor Oekraine belachelijk?
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De VS wordt gewoon minder belangrijk. Het is jammer, maar alleen al de EU + UK gaan Rusland in de loop van dit jaar al weer inhalen qua productie. We lijken sneller op te schalen dan de VS.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 18:16 schreef Nebelwerfer het volgende:

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https://nl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valeri_Gerasimov

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 18:22 schreef Ulx het volgende:

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Ze gaven atoomwapens op wegens veiligheidsgaranties. De ontstekers hadden ze wel kunnen reverse-engineeren. Dus hoezo is atoomwapens voor Oekraine belachelijk?

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De VS wordt gewoon minder belangrijk. Het is jammer, maar alleen al de EU + UK gaan Rusland in de loop van dit jaar al weer inhalen qua productie. We lijken sneller op te schalen dan de VS.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 18:30 schreef luxerobots het volgende:

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In vredestijd hadden we Oekraïne inderdaad kunnen voorzien van kernwapens. Dat is een mooie stok achter de deur om een vijandige macht op afstand te houden. Nu er eenmaal oorlog is, is het een slecht idee om kernwapens naar Oekraïne te brengen, niet alleen vanwege een mogelijke aanval op Rusland, maar ook vanwege mogelijke incidenten en aanvullen in Oekraïne zelf.
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Ik deel je optimisme niet, voorlopig gaat de productie in Europa nog niet om aantallen die doorslaggevend zullen zijn in Oekraïne. Daarbij zoals BEFEM zegt, verkopen we ook nog eens veel aan het (verre) buitenland van wat we hier produceren.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 18:18 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:

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Die docu's zijn heel handig om de geesten rijp te maken voor totalkrieg idd.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 18:41 schreef spicymchaggis het volgende:

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"Boehoehoehooooeeee!!! Mensen vinden mijn favoriete clubje stom!"

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 18:20 schreef Confetti het volgende:

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Door de langdurige vrede is in het Westen de mythe ontstaan dat alle volkeren en culturen in principe goedaardig zijn.

De geschiedenis zit echter vol met duivelse volkeren. Door de kernwapens kunnen we ze niet onderwerpen aan beschaving, dus waar het strandt weet niemand. Een ding staat vast, de Russen zullen nooit beschaving aanleren.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 18:25 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

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Je vergeet weer te vermelden dat die productie niet allemaal voor Oekraïne is. Als de cijfers al gehaald worden.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 18:58 schreef Ulx het volgende:

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Als de cijfers van de Russen kloppen lopen die nog wel even voor. Dat zomaar kunnen als de Russen de waarheid spreken. Dat klopt.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 18:25 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

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Je vergeet weer te vermelden dat die productie niet allemaal voor Oekraïne is. Als de cijfers al gehaald worden.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 19:10 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

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Goed argument, naar de andere partij wijzen.

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However, according to Borrell, industrial capacity is no longer an obstacle: what is hampering deliveries to Ukraine is the fact that European companies are exporting weapons to clients that are not at war.

"An important part of our production is being exported to third countries," the chief diplomat said, without naming the destinations.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 19:20 schreef BEFEM het volgende:
We hebben het niet over orders, we hebben het over productie. En dat weet jij best.

Van een paar weken terug:
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Geen cijfers maar een belangrijk deel. Mag je zelf een getal bij verzinnen.

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Poland's Tusk faults EU nations loudly declaring support for Ukraine while maintaining Russian trade
Half of Europe still trades with Russia and Belarus, continuing to circumvent sanctions, Polish PM Donald Tusk said

Sanctions against Russia should cease being fictitious, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in an interview with the TVN 24 channel.

Half of Europe still trades with Russia and Belarus, and many companies, including Polish ones, successfully circumvent sanctions, he stressed.

"Because for some reason no one is interested in strictly ensuring their compliance," Tusk said.

He noted that frozen Russian assets may be enough to ensure Ukraine's success in the war.

"Because in those capitals where we hear loud pro-Ukrainian messages, when it comes to this, for example, when we say: let's take these Russian assets, let's hand them over to Ukraine, it turns out there are some problems there," the Polish prime minister said.

The politician emphasized that Poland "behaves extremely rationally and responsibly, boldly, but without gambling."

Polish farmers started a nationwide protest on February 9, blocking roads throughout the country, including those leading to the border with Ukraine.

They also began to obstruct traffic at checkpoints from Ukraine, spilling Ukrainian grain from trucks and wagons.

On February 29, Polish Prime Minister Tusk, after a meeting with his Latvian counterpart, did not rule out that Poland could ban the import of Russian agricultural products.

On March 6, large-scale protests by Polish farmers began in the center of Warsaw, with demonstrators burning tires in front of the office of Polish premier Tusk.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 19:24 schreef Ulx het volgende:

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Dat is te vaag. Zijn het nieuwe contracten? Ik heb net de perspage van Rheinmetall bekeken maar daar zag ik niets genoemd worden. Of zijn het oude contracten met een langere levertijd (wegens bij afsluiten berekende capaciteit) want dan kunnen die door de genoemde extra capaciteit sneller worden afgerond. Dat is op zich geen slecht plan, scheelt een hoop juridisch gezeikstraal.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 19:29 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

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Contracten kan je niet in je loop stoppen, granaten wel. Daar gaat het linksom of rechtsom om. Je moet realistisch zijn in getallen die genoemd worden en niet doen voorkomen alsof de gehele productie naar Oekraïne gaat.

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HIMARS Will Soon Shoot Its GMLRS Rockets Twice As Far
The M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System has been in service since 1983. It is a tracked rocket launcher, carrying up to 12 rockets. In 2010 a new more mobile wheeled version appeared known as HIMARS – this system carried up to 6 rockets. The standard ammunition for these systems is GMLRS rockets, which typically have a range of 70 km. Ukraine is using them too. But it is time for an upgrade.

Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of HIMARS, reported successful tests of ER GMLRS rockets. This is quite important, because it will significantly improve the capabilities of these weapons, demand for which is growing.

GMLRS rockets, launched by the HIMARS and M270 systems, have a typical range of 70 km. However, Lockheed Martin has been developing a longer-range version of this rocket since 2017. ER GMLRS (ER – Extended Range) is exactly that. And new buyers of HIMARS will undoubtedly be very interested in these rockets, since their recent tests in New Mexico were successful and Lockheed Martin is moving towards series production of ER GMLRS rockets.

“The Army’s success in this operational test further demonstrates the readiness of ER GMLRS and overall capability of our family of munitions,” said Jay Price, vice president for Precision Fires at Lockheed Martin. “Our capabilities provide range options, affordability and of course the continued precision of this enhanced system.”

ER GMLRS will have a range of about 150 km. That is easily twice as far as the standard GMLRS. The manufacturer claims that both accuracy and reliability have been improved as well.

ER GMLRS in terms of its dimensions and launch mechanism is practically no different from its predecessors. This means that HIMARS launchers will not need any significant modifications. Overall, the advantage of the HIMARS and the M270 is their modular design. HIMARS can fire GMLRS rockets, which are smaller, or large, long-range tactical ballistic missiles ATACMS. There are also versions with cluster warheads.

The new rockets will be offered to existing HIMARS operators, but could also be supplied to countries that ordered HIMARS systems already after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. All Baltic countries are buying HIMARS now, as is Australia, Taiwan, Morocco, Italy. Of course, extended-range GMLRS rockets will also interest Poland, Ukraine, and other HIMARS users. Naturally, the US is going to be the first to use these rockets.

ER GMLRS doesn’t have the range or power of the ATACMS, but it is a much smaller rocket. Being able to engage targets 150 km away is very important, because that allows evading counter battery fire, staying away from enemy’s artillery and most drones. Such a reach advantage would be invaluable to Ukraine now, helping hit ammo warehouses and command posts deep behind the enemy lines.

The range and precision are two of the most important characteristics for tactical missiles. Hopefully, the ER GMLRS will soon reach production and will start its service.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 12:42 schreef sp3c het volgende:

Beetje rampokken!

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 16:18 schreef Ulx het volgende:
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Rusland heeft dus verbeterde verkenningsdrones en ze hebben geleerd veel sneller te schakelen. Kut.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 13:47 schreef Hyperdude het volgende:

Denk dat er toen erg weinig militairen zin hadden in zo'n goed doordachte expeditie.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 16:56 schreef MissButterflyy het volgende:

[..]
Heb een stuk gekeken net maar ben gestopt, ik vond het te heftig.
Nee Rusland is natuurlijk helemaal niet mild. En lees dat Putin ook weer heeft gesproken over de kernwapens die ze nog achter de hand hebben, als laatste stuiptrekking zie ik ze die nog wel gebruiken. Maar dat het zover komt, heeft niemand zin in, denk ik. Hoop ik.

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Ukrainian journalists film Poland's trade with Russia and were deported with their property seized – video
Rayon.in.ua, a Ukrainian news outlet, has stated that Polish law enforcers have detained two journalists who were investigating Poland's trade with Russia.

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Source: Rayon.in.ua

Quote: "Editor Yurii Konkevych and videographer Oleksandr Piliuk were detained on 7 March while recording the crossing of the border by lorries between the Kaliningrad Oblast of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Poland."

Quote from Konkevych: "Rayon.Zakordon travelled to the north of Poland, to the border with the Kaliningrad Oblast of the Russian Federation, to see how gas and grain from Russia are still flowing through Poland to Europe. We did not see any checkpoints of Polish farmers there, but instead saw Russian Railways cars. The Polish police detained us and seized our property, did not inform the consul, did not allow us to call [our contacts in] Ukraine, and the Internal Security Agency called us persons threatening the national security of Poland and expelled us."

Details: The journalists were reportedly detained in the city of Braniewo. It happened on 7 March at around 13:10 local time.

"The reason for the detention was that the journalists had been taking pictures of critical infrastructure facilities, namely Russian liquefied gas cars, for too long," Rayon.in.ua said.

It is also reported that police officers searched the journalists’ car without their consent. They seized an editorial laptop, three microphones, headphones, lighting equipment and other personal belongings from a backpack in the car.

Газ та зерно з РФ їдуть до ЄС, доки кордон Польщі та України заблокований | Район.Закордон

In addition, two smartphones, two cameras, a personal MacBook, memory cards, power banks and even selfie sticks were taken from the journalists.

As of the evening of 9 March, border guards brought the journalists to the Dorohusk-Yahodyn checkpoint and banned them from visiting Schengen Area countries for five years.

Rayon.in.ua reported that the journalists were fulfilling their duties – they had an editorial assignment to investigate the topic of freight traffic, assess the traffic flow and find out whether Polish or Russian vehicles were used to cross the border. They also had to talk to eyewitnesses and experts to assess the scale of such trade.

Rayon.in.ua called on the Ukrainian and Polish authorities to respond appropriately to this incident.

Quote from Ihor Denysevych, CID Media Group Director: "The editorial office has now started the process of appealing against the deportation, which prohibits our journalists from visiting Schengen countries for five years. But we are appealing to international journalistic organisations for support, as this reaction of Polish law enforcement officers threatens freedom of speech not just in relation to Ukrainian journalists. We also demand the return of property that is valuable and of material value. The lack of equipment largely blocks the activities of the news outlet."

Background:
• On 27 February, Ukrainska Pravda reporter Mykhailo Tkach reported an incident involving his detention by the police. Some Polish media outlets have also pointed to a connection between these two events.
• Mykhailo Tkach was working with a camera operator near the Polish-Belarusian border (the Podlaskie Voivodeship borders with Belarusian territory), shooting footage about the transit of freight between Poland, Russia and Belarus.
• Police officers approached him, showed him their ID, took him to the police station and searched his car and equipment before finally letting him go after four hours of questioning that involved special services.
• Sevhil Musaieva, Editor-in-Chief of Ukrainska Pravda, noted that the issue was only resolved after news about it spread and the Ukrainian embassy in Poland was involved.
• The Polish police initially denied detaining media representatives, but later acknowledged it. They explained that, before detaining the journalist Mykhailo Tkach from Ukrainska Pravda and his cameraman near the Polish-Belarusian border, they received a report from a 'concerned resident' about two men photographing and using a drone near the railway tracks in the village of Gołyszyn in Łuków County.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 19:53 schreef BlaZ het volgende:

[..]
Dit was overigens ook wel vrij ver van het front:

[ afbeelding ]

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 20:07 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Wel weer in ongeveer dezelfde regio als waar die mogelijke Patriots ook zijn vernietigd. Dat is wel opvallend. Zou er een aantal FSB spionnetjes/collaborateurs in die regio rondlopen? Of misschien een lek in het leger zelf ofzo.

Of ze moeten wel heel veel geluk hebben opeens met hun drones.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 20:11 schreef BlaZ het volgende:

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Ik denk dat we te maken hebben met een nieuwe generatie drones. Dit zijn drones met een bereik van 50km, waardoor de Oekraïners waarschijnlijk buiten bereik dachten te zijn.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 20:14 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Dat is inderdaad mogelijk. Al is het wel opmerkelijk hoe precies hun raketten opeens zijn. Al kan ik begrijpen dat ze met daadwerkelijke militaire doelen van hoge waarde wat beteren raketten gebruiken dan ze doen op scholen en appartementen natuurlijk.

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Russian Rebels' Plan to Topple Putin: 'Guns, Grenades and Armored Vehicles'
The pro-Ukraine Russian rebel formations fighting their way across the shared border between the two warring nations want the ongoing operation to spark an uprising against President Vladimir Putin, one volunteer has said.

The Freedom of Russia Legion, Siberian Battalion and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK)—all volunteer paramilitary groups operating under the umbrella of the Ukrainian military—on Tuesday launched a two-pronged incursion into Russia's Belgorod and Kursk regions.

Amid fierce fighting, Alexei Baranovsky—a volunteer of the Freedom of Russia Legion who goes by the call sign "Lutik"—told Newsweek that the rebel fighters intend to eventually "march on Moscow." The goal, he said, is "the ensuing liberation of Russia from Putin. We may not be able to pull it off now, but that is our overarching mission."

SPOILER

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The latest cross-border assaults come as Putin prepares for this weekend's presidential election, a carefully managed contest he is sure to win. The vote will also be held in the areas of Ukraine occupied by Moscow's forces in their full-scale invasion since February 2022. Baranovsky said the rebel operation has been timed intentionally.

"We may not be able to stop the federal election, but we can disrupt the regional votes, so we are doing what we can by bringing this 'air of freedom' to at least some parts of the country," he explained, describing the coming poll as "Putin's latest push to usurp power."

Russia's Defense Ministry reported attacks by "Ukrainian terrorist groups" at three locations along the border, and said all assaults were repelled.

Ballots and Bullets
Putin's re-coronation will come as no surprise, but it will represent another blow to Russia's embattled opposition movement. The Kremlin has used its war on Ukraine to further choke the Russian public and civil society of any hint of dissent.

The death of unofficial opposition leader Alexei Navalny in an Arctic penal colony in February served as a grim reminder of the fate awaiting Russians bold enough to stand against Putin's rule.

Zhanna Nemtsova—the daughter of murdered anti-Putin politician Boris Nemtsov—told Newsweek soon after Navalny's death was announced that Russian pro-democracy activists are "a species close to extinction."

Baranovsky said the rebel formations want to revitalize the cowed domestic opposition.

"As citizens of Russia, we decided that we also want to take part in this election—and this is our way of getting our voices heard," he said. "We are voting for an armed resistance to the Putin regime, for an uprising, a revolution."

"We lead the anti-opposition by example, showing that they are not alone, showing them that there are people ready to fight, not just shining flashlights into the sky [a reference to the "flashlight flashmob" protests of opposition groups] but through bearing arms, with guns, grenades and armored vehicles, of which we have plenty. And we call on all of them to join us in this fight against Putin."

The ongoing operation is the most ambitious yet for the Russian fighters now loyal to Kyiv. "While we've had some joint operations in Belgorod, and some were separate, it is true that today we formed a truly united front for the first time," Baranovsky said, referring to the Legion's coordination with the other two formations.

"In this, we are also showing the fragmented Russian opposition that it is possible to unite. In fact, we are the true Russian opposition."

"This marks a new milestone for the resistance movement and in the coming months we will continue to set more complex goals for our missions, so hopefully one day we will reach the main one—the destruction of Putin and his regime."

'Army of Killers'
This week's incursions are not the first. Attacks ran through 2023, with a May campaign forcing the evacuation of thousands of Russians from the border region and the dispatch of military reinforcements. Both sides should have a good idea of what the other can bring to bear. Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense ministry by email to request comment.

"Their ways aren't especially surprising for us," Baranovsky said. "We've seen their blockheaded 'meat assault' methods in Bakhmut and Avdiivka. It's the only military strategy they have, so if you can deploy some ingenuity and forward-planning, you can catch them by surprise."

"Their other strategy is to fire indiscriminately in the hope of a lucky shot. That includes civilian areas: they spared no civilians in Ukraine, and now they are sparing no Russians."

"So, if they think our troops are located in some village in Belgorod, they will start firing at us with grenade launchers and artillery, even after we are long gone. It's a deadly strategy from an army of killers. And that is exactly what we are fighting against."

"Our main criterion for success is minimizing losses on our side," Baranovsky said. "We are not Putin's cannon fodder, we value the life of every single fighter, so all the operations are very thoroughly planned and executed."

"Contrary to what the Russian Telegram channels may say, so far, we've not taken a single loss in this outing."

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 19:56 schreef Opnaarutrecht het volgende:

[..]
Dat kan ik me goed voorstellen. Ik barstte ook een aantal keren bijna in tranen uit tijdens het kijken van de documentaire.

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Gazprom’s Nord Stream sues insurers for more than $400M over 2022 Baltic Sea pipeline blasts
Nord Stream AG is seeking more than EUR 400 million ($436m) from its insurers for refusing to cover explosions in 2022 which ruptured pipelines designed to transport Russian gas to Germany, Financial Times reported on March 12.

London’s High Court documents show the Switzerland-based company brought a lawsuit last month claiming that insurers “failed to pay” for damage done by underwater explosions that mangled and deformed the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines at the bottom of the Baltic Sea.

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Nord Stream’s “preliminary and high-level estimate” of the costs to remove water from the pipelines and stabilize them, undertake a repair and replace lost gas is between ¤1.2bn ($1.31bn) and ¤1.35bn ($1.47), according to the legal documents.

The case is being levelled against Lloyd’s of London among insurers that provided the so-called primary policies, which take the first losses from any event. The second defendant is a group of insurers led by an arm of Bermuda-based Arch, which provided the so-called excess cover. Such policies typically kick in after the primary policies have paid out.

Nord Stream is arguing the explosions were a separate occurrence for the purposes of both sets of policies. The claim of ¤400m is split evenly between the primary and excess groups. The company also claimed for about ¤3.7m ($4.1m) for a damage survey, plus other costs.

The cause of the explosions, which took place in international waters in September 2022, has not been determined.

Russia was initially suspected of sabotage but has denied responsibility. Ukraine also denied involvement after media reports in the US and Germany suggested pro-Ukrainian operatives may have been behind the attacks.

Both Denmark and Sweden have dropped their investigations, saying they did not have enough evidence to charge anybody, leaving only Germany at present conducting a probe.

On the night of Sept. 26, 2022, three of the four Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines were destroyed by explosions at the bottom of the Baltic Sea in neutral waters.

Neither of the gas pipelines were in operation at the time – they were filled with pressurized methane. Supplies in Nord Stream 1 were halted by Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Nord Stream 2 never came into operation after Germany cancelled its approval process.

Poland and Ukraine accused Russia of the bombings, while the Kremlin regime, in turn, denied any involvement and blamed the “Anglo-Saxons” (probably referring to the United States and the UK, and possibly Australia and other English-speaking nations as well).

In November 2022, the Swedish security service confirmed that explosive remnants were found near the pipelines. The Swedish prosecutor’s office believes that the investigation into the explosions could end in the fall.

Earlier, U.S. newspaper the New York Times reported, citing U.S. officials who had reviewed early U.S. intelligence and spoke on condition of anonymity, that a “pro-Ukrainian group” may be behind the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines.

The German media, citing sources, claimed that the yacht used by the group of alleged bombers belonged to Ukrainian citizens. The news outlets also reported that one of the men who rented the yacht lived in Ukraine.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the President’s Office, said that Ukraine had nothing to do with the destruction of the gas pipelines. Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said it was “a rather strange story that has nothing to do with us.”

“I am the president and I give the appropriate orders,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in June, also denying that Ukraine was involved in the incident.

“Ukraine has never done anything like this. I would never do that,” Zelenskyy said.

RUSSIA Sues Over Nord Stream Bombings After Insurers Refuse to Pay Out on Damages Claim

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 20:21 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]
https://www.newsweek.com/(...)red-vehicles-1878730
[..]

SPOILER

[..]

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 20:14 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Dat is inderdaad mogelijk. Al is het wel opmerkelijk hoe precies hun raketten opeens zijn. Al kan ik begrijpen dat ze met daadwerkelijke militaire doelen van hoge waarde wat beteren raketten gebruiken dan ze doen op scholen en appartementen natuurlijk.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 20:31 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:

[..]
Zijn dit voormalige krijgsgevangenen?

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 20:31 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
De beelden zijn ook van stuk betere kwaliteit.

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Syrskyi decides to strengthen units fighting in eastern Ukraine
Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi has decided to strengthen a number of military units on the eastern front with reserves, ammunition, and electronic warfare equipment, which will ensure the stability of the defense in the future.
He announced this on the Telegram social media platform, Ukrinform reports.

According to Syrskyi, today he "moved to the area of operations in the sector of the enemy's active operations."

"I worked in two brigades, where the situation is gradually becoming more complicated and there is a threat of enemy units advancing deep into our military formations," he said.

After a detailed analysis and assessment of the situation, together with the commanders and staff officers, all necessary decisions were made to strengthen the specified military units with reserves, ammunition and electronic warfare equipment, which will further ensure the stability of the defense in this section of the front, the commander-in-chief said.

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“Concerned Russian Citizens Decided to Participate in Presidential Elections.” Interview with Freedom of Russia Legion Volunteer
On the morning of March 12, Russian volunteer paramilitary units Freedom of Russia Legion, Russian Volunteer Corps, and Siberian Battalion stated they had crossed the Russian-Ukrainian border. They reported they moved into the Kursk and Belgorod Oblasts of the Russian Federation to “free the territory of the country from Putin’s regime.” The spokesman for GUR (Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine) Andrii Yusov told Radio Svoboda, a Ukrainian media outlet, that [these] voluntary units can do what they think is necessary on the territory of Russia. When journalists asked where militias get arms, Yusov said they have trophy weapons.

Gwara Media journalists talked to a volunteer of Freedom of Russia, Aleksey Baranovskyi, call sign “Lyutic.”

SPOILER

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What units are you cooperating with within this operation, and why have you started it now?
Special liberating operation continues from yesterday [March 12, 2024 — ed.]. It’s being conducted in the territories of Kursk and Belgorod Oblasts. Three voluntary units are participating: the Freedom of Russia Legion, the Russian Volunteer Corps, and the Siberian Battalion. For the Siberian Battalion, this is the first [operation] in Russia. Before this, they only participated in defense operations on the territory of Ukraine.

This is the biggest raid of Russian volunteers on the Russian territory since the beginning of the full-scale war. It’s timed to coincide with the so-called election in Russia [dated March 17, 2024 — ed.] This is not an actual election. This is another stage of Vladimir Putin usurping power. As responsible Russian citizens, we decided to express our will about this election and tell what we think about Vladimir Putin. We believe he has to be tried by an international tribunal. The reboot of the entire political system in the Russian Federation has to happen.

What is the combat situation? What have you managed to achieve during this time?
The main efforts of the Freedom of Russia Legion are focused on the Tetkino settlement in the Kursk Oblast of RF. It became the main theater. The combat engagements continue; they fade out and then restart again. We’re holding certain positions, [we] caused damage to the Armed Forces of the RF. During one day, two units of armed equipment were destroyed: an armored personnel carrier (APC) and an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV). Another few units of Russian armed military equipment were damaged. We haven’t verified the [number of] killed [soldiers] as of now. Several mortars and howitzers on the positions of Russian armed forces were destroyed. At least two mortar and two artillery fire teams were destroyed, too. Several artillery units were damaged.

Apart from that, a command center of Russian armed forces was destroyed yesterday. If you saw a video in Legion’s telegram channel, [they have] a high-rise elevator building with a mesh of different antennas on the roof. Our FPV drone pilots hit them several times, and their connection have been disrupted. After that, the Legion’s mortar fire teams were able to destroy the Command Center located nearby. It’s not bad for the first day. The Legion, as before, has initiative. We’ll observe how the situation will develop.

What’s the situation in Tetkino? Did you manage to hold your positions or move further in?
Tetkino isn’t under Putin authorities’ control, [to say the least]. But we don’t establish our authority there, too. We’re preparing to move further. In a political sense, Tetkino will be under our control when we seize the city council and police department and raise a flag of free Russia there. Then, it will be under our control. That is, by the way, one of the ways of how we’ll liberate Russia from Putin’s regime, step by step. But for now we’re only talking about the military situation. In this sense, we’re staying in Tetkino and considering different options for moving further. I think we’ll see the situation develop soon, today or tomorrow.

Have you already talked to the locals?
The only interactions with locals [we had] for now is our shouting, “Hide!” to them. But they do that without our advice. That’s the correct reaction of the civilian population: when you hear the noise of a battle and shooting, hide in the basements. Yesterday, we were facing [the fact] that Putin’s army in Russia acts exactly the same as on Ukrainian territories. They don’t take civilian safety into consideration. If they assume the Legion units are on some street, they start shooting from every weapon they have. But we’re not there anymore. The civilian population suffers, buildings are getting destroyed. First, Ukrainian civilians faced Putin’s army, and now, Russian civilians face it.

What’s the situation in Belgorod Oblast? Were you able to move further [there]?
The situation is similar there. Because I am now near Tetkino — last night, we transported ammunition for our frontline groups, which is why I know a lot about the situation in Kursk oblast. The situation is close to the same in Belgorod: there, [our] UAV units are actively working, causing damage.

How did the Russian army meet you?
First, Russian armed forces reacted with retreat; [our actions] were very sudden to them. We used the element of surprise to our advantage. We don’t have trophy weapons yet, the combat engagement isn’t that close yet. Yet. Basically, we’re currently making conclusions about our first day. I think, today will be the continuation of the “celebration.”

Are Russians the only ones participating in this operation?
Correct. Concerned Russian citizens decided to participate in elections. Participating in a way we can.

What is your prognosis for the operation? Do you think you’ll succeed in affecting this election?
We’re already affecting elections, but we’ll build up upon [our] success. We have several tasks apart from that. In particular, our units distract the attention of Russian reserves. Because [of us], they have to keep a significant number of troops in Kursk and Belgorod oblast instead of sending them to occupied territories of Ukraine. We’re also sending particular messages to two audiences.

The first audience is the Russian opposition, anti-Putin activists that still remain in Russia. It’s not a secret that, after the murder of Aleksei Navalny, the opposition is very demoralized. We want to say to these people, “You are not alone. Volunteers who have taken up the arms and prepared to fight with Putin’s regime exist. We’re showing with our actions, not words, that we’re already close by. It’s not that far to Moscow from Kursk if [we’re] making a line on the map. So, not all is bad: fight, contact the Legion. We need information about the movement of Putin’s army on Russian territory and temporary military bases. Become our eyes and ears on the RF’s territory. This is your contribution to victory.”

The second audience is the West. We talk to top world media and American and European outlets. Our message is simple: “Dear Europe and America, you shouldn’t recognize this election. You shouldn’t recognize Vladimir Putin as the legitimate president of Russia. He’s a war criminal and should be treated accordingly. We’re Russian citizens against Putin and for freedom and democracy. We fight for our freedom, for Ukraine’s independence, for Russian freedom. We want the Western countries to notice us, too, [for them] to express their support [for us]. Only through decisive methods can we [close the chapter] with Vladimir Putin; otherwise, the war will continue for a long time.”

On May 22, 2023, the Russian Volunteer Corps and Legion “Freedom of Russia” reported combat engagement, shelling, and seizing settlements in Belgorod Oblast of the Russian Federation.

Institute for the Study of War analysts couldn’t confirm all reported movement of the Russian paramilitary units from March 12 in their recent report.

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EU ambassadors approve $5.5 billion for defense fund for Ukraine in 2024
EU ambassadors have agreed in principle on 5 billion euros ($5.5 billion) in defense assistance for Ukraine in 2024 within the framework of the European Peace Facility (EPF), the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council said on March 13.

The EPF has been a key tool for supporting Ukraine's defense capabilities since 2022 but has been largely depleted as member states disagreed on the best way to replenish it and unlock further cash for Ukraine.

"The (European Union) remains determined to provide lasting support to (Ukraine) & ensure that the country gets the military equipment it needs to defend itself," the Belgian presidency said on social media.

The funds to purchase military supplies for Ukraine will be disbursed via the Ukraine Assistance Fund, a newly created tool under the EPF.

The Financial Times reported on March 12 that EU member states are near the deal on additional funds for Ukraine's defense. According to the outlet, the agreement will prioritize weapons produced inside the EU but will not exclude those manufactured outside the bloc.

Larger states contributing to the EPF have previously complained that smaller countries with stockpiles of Soviet-era equipment sent outdated military gear to Ukraine and used the reimbursements to modernize their own arsenals.

The FT reported in February that countries like Germany and France want to phase out the reimbursement model this year and instead focus EU funds directly on arms contracts within the continent.

Foreign arms supplies are now critical for Ukraine as assistance from the U.S., a key military donor, has been stalled for months by domestic political infighting.

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Lead, follow or get out the way': House speaker urged to act on Ukraine aid bill
Republican Mike Johnson urged by Democrats and veterans to hold vote on Senate package

A group of congressional Democrats including the former House speaker Nancy Pelosi and armed services veterans urged the current Republican speaker, Mike Johnson, to "lead, follow or get out of the way" of more military support for Ukraine in its war against Russian invaders.

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"In the military, we have a great expression," Mikie Sherrill, a House Democrat from New Jersey and a former navy helicopter pilot, told reporters on Capitol Hill. "'Lead, follow or get out of the way.' That is exactly what our speaker has to do."

Last month, Senate Democrats and Republicans passed a $95bn foreign aid package covering Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel.

The Democrats who spoke on Wednesday faced vocal competition from protesters with Code Pink: Women for Peace opposing funding for Israel in its war against Hamas. On Ukraine policy, though, House Republicans have proved more obstructive than Medea Benjamin, the Code Pink co-founder, was able to be at the Capitol.

Under the direction of Donald Trump, the presumptive presidential nominee who openly favors Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, Johnson has shown no sign of bringing the Senate package up for a vote. The Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, recently emerged from meeting Trump to say that if Trump is re-elected, he will not give "a penny" to Ukraine.

Trump has said he will encourage Russia to attack US allies he deems not to pay enough to be members of Nato.

House Democrats have lodged discharge petitions, a mechanism by which the speaker can be bypassed. Despite significant Republican support for Ukraine aid such efforts remain unlikely to succeed. On Wednesday, one petition was about 50 votes short of success.

Johnson, Sherrill said, "has to show some leadership and put this bill on the floor so we can get an up-or-down vote on it. We know we have about 300 votes in favour.

"He can follow the Democrats: we have put our discharge petition on the board, get his members to sign this petition and again, support Ukraine. Or he could just get out of the way because we know that the American people are behind the Ukrainians.

"We know that each and every day that goes by is another day that Ukrainians are dying. We have members of the Ukrainian armed forces in my district, people who have lost legs, who have lost their vision, because they were standing in the breach ... We're fighting hard for this, Mr Speaker. Lead, follow or get out of the way."

Other Democrats who spoke to reporters included army, navy and air force veterans with service in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.

All saluted Ukrainian courage. More than one called the Ukrainians "MacGyvers", an admiring evocation of their make-do-and-mend spirit with meagre supplies, arising from a cult 1980s TV series starring Richard Dean Anderson.

The press conference in the House Triangle was staged in conjunction with Vote Vets and introduced by Alexander Vindman. A former US soldier of Ukrainian heritage, Vindman and his brother Eugene helped blow the whistle on Trump's attempts as president to extract political dirt from Ukraine, prompting his first impeachment. Both were pushed out of the military. Eugene Vindman is now running for Congress in Virginia.

Representing Vote Vets, Rick Harris, the father of Thomas Gray Harris, a former US marine killed in Ukraine, said: "It is hard to have lost my son but I am proud of what he did. If he were here today, though he would use much more colourful language than me, he would tell the speaker to call the vote now."

Dan Goldman of New York was not the only speaker to say Ronald Reagan, the Republican president revered in his party for standing up to Moscow, would be "rolling in his grave if he knew his party was not supporting democracy against Russia". Vote Vets unveiled a new ad, featuring Reagan saying "democracy is worth dying for" and set to be broadcast on Fox News.

On Tuesday the Republican leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, told reporters Johnson should "let the House speak". Asked about Republican proposals to offer aid to Ukraine as a loan not a grant, McConnell said it was more important to act quickly.

"The only way to get relief to the Ukrainians and the Israelis quickly is for the House to figure out how to pass the Senate bill," he said, adding: "We've got a bill that got 70 votes in the Senate. Give members of the House of Representatives an opportunity to vote on it. That's the solution."

Also on Tuesday, the White House said the US would send Ukraine aid worth $300m, the first such move in months. Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the funds came from unanticipated savings from Pentagon contracts and would be used for artillery munitions.

"This ammunition will keep Ukraine's guns firing for a period but only a short period," Sullivan said. "It is nowhere near enough to meet Ukraine's battlefield needs and it will not prevent Ukraine running out of ammunition."

US officials have also looked at options for seizing $285bn in Russian assets immobilised in 2022, then using the money to pay for weapons for Ukraine.

Also on Tuesday, Biden met the president and prime minister of Poland, to talk about Ukraine. On Capitol Hill, US intelligence agency chiefs pressed House members, saying new Ukraine aid would also discourage Chinese aggression.

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, told French media Kyiv had improved its strategic position despite shortages of weaponry, but suggested the situation could change again if new supplies were not forthcoming. He also said Russia was preparing a new offensive for late May or summer.

Zelenskiy has said 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the two-year war.

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Massive Fortification Efforts Underway in Kharkiv Region

Large-scale efforts have begun in the Kharkiv region to construct fortifications at hundreds of sites.

The Head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleh Syniehubov, stated that they install dragon’s teeth, dig anti-tank ditches, and erect strongholds and dugouts.

“To date, work has begun on almost hundreds more objects, having previously cleared territories,” added Oleh Syniehubov.

SPOILER

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Over 500 workers and more than 200 pieces of machinery are involved in the construction of fortifications.

“All schedules are agreed, reinforced concrete structures are supplied unhindered,” informed Oleh Syniehubov.

Builders work in extremely difficult conditions, sometimes under Russian strikes.

Defense lines of Kharkiv region
This month, a second line of fortifications began to be erected n the Kharkiv region along the border with Russia.

It consists of a network of platoon strongpoints, which are connected into company strongholds, creating a continuous strip of trenches and fortifications.

Each platoon strongpoint is preceded by both explosive and non-explosive barriers. Explosives are installed by the military when they begin to use a platoon strongpoint.

Non-explosive – anti-tank ditches and the so-called “dragon’s teeth” (concrete pyramids in three rows, which should stop the enemy’s armored vehicles) – are equipped by civilian builders right now throughout the region.

Dragon’s teeth are spaced approximately 2-2.5 meters apart from each other in staggered order. The anti-tank ditch has a depth and a width of 2.5 meters.

Behind such engineering barriers is a system of concrete and non-concrete fire positions, reinforced concrete underground dugouts, and trenches, either open or overhead protected.

Almost all fortifications of the second line of defense are being built in territories that were deoccupied in the fall of 2022.

The first fortifications were erected in Kharkiv and on its outskirts as the invaders were pushed back in early 2022.

Now it has actually become the third line of defense. The first line is the front line, and this is the position where the Defense Forces are now deployed.

Work on the construction of the second line of defense must be completed within two months.

This is the third stage of the construction of defensive structures in the Kharkiv region. It involves the construction of hundreds of platoon strongholds with trenches thousands of meters long.

�а Харківщині почали зводити другу лінію оборони: фортифікації будують 30 компаній

According to the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, the Kharkiv region in 2024 should receive UAH 3.9 billion for the new line of defense.

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Russia scrambled its Tu-22M3 bomber and MiG-31 fighters armed with hypersonic Kinzhal missiles in response to Sweden's decision to join NATO
Russia flew bombers and fighter jets, including some with hypersonic missiles, over the Baltic Sea. This is seen as a response to Sweden joining NATO.

Sweden's accession to NATO was not well received by Russia, according to the Defense Romania portal. The Russian Armed Forces sent a Tu-22M3 bomber and MiG-31 fighters armed with hypersonic Kinzhal missiles on a deterrence flight. We remind you of the capabilities of Russian weapons.

Shortly after NATO's show of force (when alliance aircraft appeared over Stockholm), the Russians responded in "their characteristic style," the report said.

The Russian Long-Range Aviation Command sent a Tu-22M3 bomber and MiG-31s over the Baltic Sea, accompanied by Su-30s and Su-35s. The show of Russian force also included aerial refueling. The flights carried out by the Russians "were carried out in accordance with international regulations on the use of airspace."

Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea
The Tu-22M3 bomber is one of the aircraft that appeared over the Baltic Sea. Nicknamed Backfire (in NATO code), the aircraft was manufactured by the Kazan Aircraft Production Association and was designed as a fast bomber capable of carrying weapons on long-range flights. This task is facilitated by its specific design feature, namely variable-geometry wings.

The Tu-22M3 has a maximum speed of 2,300 km/h and a cruising speed of 900 km/h. The operational ceiling of this bomber, capable of carrying a payload of up to 24 tons, is 14 km, and its maximum range is 7,000 km. The Tu-22M3 can be armed with Kh-15, Kh-22, and modern Kh-47M2 Kinzhal maneuverable missiles. The ammunition can be equipped with nuclear warheads.

In addition to the aforementioned bomber, the Russians scrambled MiG-31s, which - as we read - were to carry hypersonic missiles. The aforementioned aircraft are designs that can reach speeds of 2.8 Ma and are capable of operating at an altitude of 25 km. Additionally, they can cover a single range of up to 3,000 km, while carrying one of the most advanced Russian weapons - the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missiles. It was with them that the deterrence flight over the Baltic Sea was carried out.

Let us recall that this is a weapon that poses a real threat not only to Ukraine, but also to areas 2,000 km away from the launch site of the missile. This is the range of the hypersonic Kinzhal. The Kh-47M2 is said to travel at a speed of about 8 Ma, making it a difficult target to intercept, although - as the Ukrainians have shown - it is not impossible.

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Enough of red lines – Lithuanian President on foreign troops in Ukraine
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has supported discussions about possible deployment of foreign troops to Ukraine for exercises.

Source: LRT with reference to Nausėda, reported by European Pravda

Details: "I welcomed the idea of sending missions to Ukrainian territory as an idea, and I think we should discuss it. Of course, it would be best if we all unanimously agreed on the need for this and assessed the intelligence and other information we have very well," Nausėda said.

He also stressed that fear of a possible Kremlin reaction should not be a determining factor in making a common European decision.

"If we start saying that no, Vladimir Putin will not like this or that... we will never make a decision. And that's why I told both the President [Emmanuel Macron] and the media yesterday that we have to stop drawing red lines for ourselves," Nausėda said.

He stressed that by drawing red lines, the West is only helping Putin, "who is beginning to think that we are predictable and that he can control and manipulate us."

Background:
• Earlier, Macron said the deployment of Western troops to Ukraine in the future could not be ruled out, although he stressed that there is currently no consensus among the allies on this issue. France later clarified that the participation of foreign troops in the fighting was out of the question.
• Macron's words provoked a strong reaction from the governments of many allied countries, whose leaders were quick to state that they had no plans to send their military to Ukraine.
• Macron later noted that his resonant words had been carefully considered.
• Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba believes that the discussion between the allies initiated by Macron will "save Europe a lot of time" in realising that more needs to be done to support Ukraine.

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Footballer Quincy Promes re-arrested in Dubai as a fugitive from the Netherlands
Police in Dubai again arrested former Dutch national football player Quincy Promes on Wednesday. The athlete is considered a fugitive in the Netherlands due to a drug trafficking conviction in February. He was arrested because of an urgent bulletin the Netherlands issued via Interpol to alert other countries that he was a wanted man, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) announced. The Netherlands plans to file for his extradition.

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Promes was initially arrested late last month in connection with a hit-and-run car crash. The footballer was caught when he showed up at the Dubai airport intending to catch a flight out of the United Arab Emirates. Soon after, the Dutch authorities said they would begin discussing the possibility of extradition, but Promes was allowed to leave his jail cell while awaiting the legal system's next steps.

The 32-year-old was taken back into custody "after constructive cooperation between the authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Netherlands," the OM announced. "The arrest was made based on a Red Notice issued by the Netherlands."

After his release, Promes was reportedly posting photos and videos on social media showing him enjoying his freedom in Dubai's nightlife. He was also showed his lack of regard for the Dutch criminal cases in which he was convicted in absentia.

"The arrested man was reportedly staying in luxury in Dubai according to various media reports. However, he has been taken into custody thanks to the efforts of the authorities in both countries," Dutch prosecutors said. The OM stated it would not disclose more information to protect an ongoing investigation.

Promes was arrested in December 2020 after allegedly stabbing his cousin at a family gathering. Investigators alleged he admitted to this during phone calls which were tapped. While awaiting trial, he left Amsterdam football club Ajax and was signed by Spartak Moscow. He never appeared in court for the assault, but was represented by attorneys. He was convicted and sentenced to 1.5 years in prison last June, but will appeal the case.

A month earlier, prosecutors announced they would also put him on trial for importing 1,362 kilograms of cocaine spread out over two consignments that arrived at the Port of Antwerp at the same time on a single ship. He was convicted in that case in February, and was sentenced to six years in prison.

“He seems to think he is untouchable in Russia or abroad,” the prosecutor said during the trial.

Promes arrived in Dubai in January to train with his Russian football team. Weeks after he arrived, the District Court of Amsterdam issued its verdict in the drug trafficking case. The Netherlands then notified Interpol, who issued the Red Notice. Police in the UAE were somewhat unclear, saying that Promes was taken into custody by border control police at the Dubai airport for the Interpol notice, but also the hit-and-run crash.

Later, a sports reporter in Russia said it was rumored Promes would quickly rejoin Spartak Moscow in Russia. Authorities in the UAE were rumored to be under intense pressure by Russian officials to release the footballer.

The Netherlands and the UAE signed an extradition treaty in 2021, less than two years after Dutch organized crime boss Ridouan Taghi was arrested in Dubai after he spent years on the run. Taghi was handed over to Dutch authorities within days. The bilateral extradition deal was formally approved by the lower house of Dutch parliament in 2022, and the upper house this past summer. It took effect on August 1.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 21:41 schreef Aether het volgende:
FP: Poetin: 'Geen onderhandelingen, Rusland is klaar voor nucleaire oorlog'

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 21:41 schreef Aether het volgende:
FP: Poetin: 'Geen onderhandelingen, Rusland is klaar voor nucleaire oorlog'

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 18:27 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Ik bedoel die andere.

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Russia Opens Criminal Case Against Journalist Zygar Over ‘War Fakes’

Russian authorities have pressed criminal charges against journalist Mikhail Zygar for spreading “fake news” about the Russian military, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported on Wednesday, citing an anonymous law enforcement source.

According to the Baza Telegram channel, which is purported to have links to Russian law enforcement, Zygar is accused of spreading false information on social media about atrocities committed by the Russian army in the Ukrainian city of Bucha.

Russian troops occupied Bucha, located west of Kyiv, shortly after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in early 2022. More than 450 people were massacred during the Russian occupation, according to the Ukrainian authorities.

Moscow denied that its army carried out atrocities against the city's civilian population, instead accusing Kyiv and its Western allies of staging the scenes.

If convicted, Zygar, who currently lives outside of Russia, could face up to 10 years in prison.

Zygar, a former editor-in-chief of the independent broadcaster Dozhd, was added to Russia's list of “foreign agents” in 2022.

Since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian authorities have opened at least 297 criminal cases for spreading “fakes” about the war, according to the independent rights watchdog OVD-Info.

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EXCLUSIVE: Anti-Kremlin Rebel Drone Attacked Grad MLRS, Then "Self-destructed" Complex Cockpit
An exclusive video obtained by the Kyiv Post shows anti-Putin rebels' drones attacked an MLRS, after which a missile from the system descended and pierced the cockpit containing Russian army soldiers.

Kyiv Post's sources in the Ukrainian intelligence services provided an exclusive video showing how a drone of Russian anti-Putin protesters first destroys a multiple launch rocket system (MLRS), after which a missile from the system descended and pierced the cabin, which Russian army soldiers occupied.

The Russian crew was reportedly killed.

Kyiv Post source said that the “self-firing” occurred on Tuesday, March 12, near Graivopona in Russia's Belgorod region.

“Today the Grad was caught up,” the source in the special services told us.

“They destroyed the Russian Gradl and while it was burning, it spontaneously self-destructed in its own cabin.”

Multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) are an important component of artillery. Fire from such systems destroys both manpower and equipment.

Russian volunteers fighting for Ukraine said Tuesday, March 12, that they had launched a cross-border attack into the Belgorod and Kursk regions of Russia.

Fighters from the Freedom of Russia Legion (LSR), the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), and volunteers affiliated with the Siberian Battalion are engaged in this operation.

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Austria expels 2 diplomats from Russia’s Embassy in Vienna. An official says it’s related to spying
Austria said Wednesday it has ordered two diplomats from the Russian Embassy in Vienna to leave the country. An Austrian official said the expulsions were related to spying activities.

The Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement that the two Russian diplomats “engaged in acts incompatible with their diplomatic status” and were declared “personae non gratae.”

It provided no further details about the diplomats or their alleged actions. They were given until March 19 to leave Austria.

An Austrian official with knowledge of the matter said the expulsions were related to spying. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the expulsions.

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying that “Russia will give an appropriate response to Vienna’s groundless decision.”

The Russian Embassy in Austria issued a statement on its Telegram channel saying that it is “outraged by the decision of the Austrian Foreign Ministry to declare two employees of the Russian Embassy personae non gratae.”

“As in previous episodes of expulsions, this time we were not presented with any evidence of any kind, much less evidence of a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. This is a purely political decision of the Austrian authorities, which we categorically do not accept,” the statement read. “Moscow’s decisive response cannot raise any doubts. The responsibility for the further degradation of bilateral relations falls entirely on Vienna.”

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Russia says it is alarmed by 'insulting rhetoric' and ultimatums from Armenian leadership
Russia said on Wednesday it was alarmed by what it described as insulting rhetoric and ultimatums directed at Moscow from the political leadership of Armenia and advised Yerevan to use the proper communications channels instead.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was reacting to a statement made the previous day by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan who said his country would leave the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) unless the security bloc detailed its commitment to uphold Armenia's security in a satisfactory way.

Ties between Armenia, traditionally a close ally of Moscow and host to various Russian military facilities, are strained after Azerbaijan retook its breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in September last year despite the presence there of Russian peacekeepers.

The CSTO did not intervene either and the military action prompted a mass exodus of the area's ethnic Armenian population to Armenia.

Zakharova said on Wednesday that Russia did not object to any country's right to determine its own foreign policy based on its national interests, but said Armenia's behaviour was improper.

"We cannot but be alarmed by the ultimatums and sometimes insulting rhetoric from the Armenian leadership," she told a briefing.

"The consistent desire of parts of the Armenian elite to discuss the CSTO outside this organisation is puzzling."

She advised Armenia to discuss the future of its membership of the CSTO within the CSTO and to use two-way communication channels with Russia for anything concerning bilateral ties.

Pashinyan has in recent months expressed discontent with Armenia's longstanding ties with Russia and said Yerevan could no longer rely on Moscow to ensure its defence needs.

Armenian Foreign minister Ararat Mirzoyan said on Friday his country was also considering applying for European Union membership as it seeks to forge closer ties with the West.

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Occupied Ukraine encouraged to vote in Russian election by armed men
Moscow has launched a wide-ranging campaign telling residents of occupied parts of Ukraine to vote in Russia's presidential election.

For the first time, the national vote is taking place over three days (15-17 March), but additional early voting has already begun in the occupied parts of four Ukrainian regions: Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk.

One resident complained of pro-Russian collaborators with ballot boxes going from house to house looking for voters accompanied by armed soldiers.

Vladimir Putin will certainly win another term of office, but a high turnout would help the Kremlin's efforts to legitimise his continued rule.

It would also be used to justify Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin is one of four candidates on the ballot, but none of the others poses a realistic challenge.

All of his most outspoken critics have either been forced into exile, jailed, or have died.

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Coerced into voting
Voting normally starts early in remote parts of Russia, but the procedure has been extended to the four partially occupied regions of Ukraine "for security reasons".

There are a variety of ways in which Ukrainians under occupation are being coerced into voting.

Even though occupation authorities have set up polling stations, voters are not required to visit them as those same authorities have dispatched people with ballot boxes to their homes.

"Dear voters, we worry about your safety! You do not have to go anywhere to vote - we will come to your home with ballots and boxes!" the Russia-installed electoral commission in the Zaporizhzhia region said on social media.

Ukrainians under occupation are also put under pressure through a pro-vote campaign called InformUIK, ostensibly designed to inform them about the procedure of voting, as well as all the candidates.

It seeks to visit all remaining residents of Russian-occupied regions at home - and its representatives are often accompanied by armed men.

They collect personal data to compile lists of voters, and sometimes film local residents during such visits. Russia's electoral chief in the partly occupied Zaporizhzhia region acknowledged that locals were worried about the filming.

Ukrainians have already come under considerable pressure to take Russian passports, but Ukrainian passports are being accepted as proof of ID to make voting even easier.

Residents have been sent text messages informing them of the dates of the vote and tried-and-tested Soviet methods are also being deployed to attract them to polling stations, such as free concerts and food.

'It is abnormal when citizens collaborate'
Ukraine has dismissed the vote as an illegitimate sham, and those involved in organising it have been targeted by attacks.

The day early voting started in occupied parts of the Kherson region, on 27 February, there were two explosions in Nova Kakhovka: one targeting the offices of the Kremlin's United Russia party, and the other near a polling station.

Then last week Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate said a local woman helping the Russian administration hold the election had been "liquidated" in a car bombing on 6 March in the occupied town of Berdyansk in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Asked about who carried out the attack, the Ukrainian governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, Ivan Fedorov, told the BBC: "Somebody did it. Somebody who showed great resistance. Some heroes who do it on temporarily occupied territories.

"Our resistance shows that it is abnormal when our citizens collaborate with Russians. Somebody did not understand. That's why this somebody got killed."

When asked to clarify if people behind the attack were linked to the Ukrainian state, Mr Fedorov added: "Yes, of course. There is great co-operation between our resistance inside the temporarily occupied territories and our secret services."

While Russia-installed officials and media in occupied parts of Ukraine are busy promoting the vote, they do not focus too much on drumming up support for any particular candidate - and they don't need to.

Vladimir Putin is the mastermind of these regions' annexation by Russia, and nationally the vote is being presented as an endorsement.

The official symbol of the 2024 presidential election is the V-sign associated with his "special military operation" in Ukraine. The official slogan adopted by Russia's Central Electoral Commission is "Strong together - vote for Russia!"

Both the V symbol and the slogan appear in posters dotted around occupied parts of Ukraine, including at polling stations.

Kremlin media have already trumpeted early voting in Ukraine as a resounding success.

'This isn't democracy, it's a comedy show'
"It was a real holiday! With music, balloons and Russian flags!" the Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid said of the early voting campaign in the Kherson region, which concluded on 3 March. "Tens of thousands of people!"

Kremlin propaganda is using the election to paint a picture of unanimous support for Russia's invasion and annexation of Ukraine.

But these carefully choreographed images come at the expense of thousands of critics silenced, deported, jailed or killed. Many have left - especially young people - unwilling or unable to live under Russian occupation because of their views.

Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia governor, Ivan Fedorov, says local residents of his partly occupied region are being intimidated into voting: "They go to every flat and every house and ask - would you like to vote?

"Our citizens are very afraid. Of course if Russians with soldiers come to their flat and ask if they'd like to vote for Putin, everyone will say: OK, yes. Because everyone wants to save their life. But it does not mean that our citizens want to support Putin."

One resident of the Kherson region - the south-eastern part which is occupied by Russian forces - described to the BBC how voting was organised in his village.

We are unable to disclose his name or location due to security concerns.

"Pro-Russian locals visit households with ballot boxes, accompanied by armed military men. If they knock and no one opens, they move on to the next house. They don't break into houses, but they do visit," the local resident said.

They added: "This is ridiculous. What kind of election is it when there are two locals - one holding a list of voters and the other a ballot box - and a military man with a machine gun? This isn't democracy. It's a comedy show."

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Russia awakes to biggest attack on Russian soil since World War II
The biggest attack on Russian soil since the Second World War continues as waves of attack drones continue to fall on Russian oil refineries, military bases, and security services for a second straight day.

At least 60 drones were spotted over not less than seven Russian regions overnight on March 13, with at least seven more in a morning wave, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced.

A major oil refinery is ablaze in Ryazan, military bases were targeted in Voronezh, and an FSB building was damaged in Belgorod as multiple waves of drones continue to fall in regions across Russia.

A missile threat was also reported by the Governor of Kursk Oblast.

The waves of drones are a continuation of attacks on March 12 that saw Russia deal with at least 25 drones over nine regions that struck at least two oil facilities.

Russia claims to have “intercepted and destroyed” 58 of 60 attack drones in an overnight wave targeting the following regions:

• Belgorod Oblast - 11 drones
• Bryansk Oblast - 8 drones
• Voronezh Oblast - 29 drones
• Kursk Oblast - 8 drones
• Leningrad Oblast - 1 drone
• Ryazan Oblast - 1 drone

The report does not mention Lipetsk Oblast, where a UAV was also reported flying at night.

At least seven “Ukrainian UAVs” (unmanned aerial vehicles) were part of a morning wave, including 6 targeting Voronezh Oblast and another over Belgorod Oblast, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed.

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Oil refinery ablaze in Ryazan
At least four drones attacked the oil refinery in Ryazan, injuring three people and setting two oil processing units on fire, reported propaganda agency RIA Novosti, citing a representative of the emergency services.

The 175-square-meter blaze has reportedly been extinguished.

“The fire at the Ryazan oil refinery has been extinguished,” Ryazan Oblast Governor, Pavel Malkov claimed.

Military bases targeted in Voronezh
A Russian Air Force base in Buturlinovka and a military airfield in Voronezh were targeted in the mass wave of air strikes, an informed source told NV on March 13.

It is believed that the strike was organized by Ukraine’s SBU security service with other representatives of the Defense Forces, the source told NV.

The consequences of the attack are still being clarified.

Part of the city of Voronezh was blocked, including the Southwest Market, after a drone attack, while another community in the region was left partly without electricity.

Some districts in Buturlinovka are experiencing power outages following a drone attack, local outlet ASTRA reported.

Russian oil refineries remain primary targets
Major oil refineries in three Russian regions were the main targets of the overnight attack organized by the SBU, a source told NV.

“Our task is to deprive the enemy of resources,” he said.

Large oil refineries in Ryazan, Kstovo (Nizhy Novgorod Oblast), and Kirishi (Leningrad Oblast) – all among Russia’s five largest – were targeted in the mass drone attack, he said.

Judging by videos published online, the consequences of the attack were significant, he added.

The attacks are a continuation of a series of special operations against enemy refineries that the SBU had previously launched, the source said.

“We are systematically implementing a well-calculated strategy to reduce the economic potential of the Russian Federation,” the source added.

“Our task is to deprive the enemy of resources and reduce the flow of oil money and fuel that Russia directs straight to the war and the killing of our citizens.”

Oil refinery in Leningrad Oblast targeted
The KINEF oil refinery in Kirishi was the target of a drone attack, though Russian authorities claim to have intercepted the vehicle.

The “fixed-wing” vehicle was shot down on approach, Leningrad Oblast Governor, Alexander Drozdenko, claimed on Telegram.

“Production is operating normally,” he said.

“There were no casualties or damage. Responders have contained and cleared the crash site.”

FSB building damaged in Belgorod
An FSB building in Belgorod had its façade damaged and windows shattered in a drone strike, Russian propaganda outlet TASS claimed, citing operational services. No one was injured, the outlet alleged.

Eight drones spotted over Bryansk Oblast
At least eight drones targeted three centers in Bryansk Oblast, regional governor Alexander Bogomaz, claimed.

“There are no casualties or damage” after the vehicles were destroyed over three districts in the region, he claimed.

Suspected Ukrainian drones spotted over Lipetsk Oblast
Attack drones were spotted over Lipetsk Oblast, regional governor Igor Artamonov claimed.

“Unmanned aerial vehicles are approaching the region from the direction of Ukraine,” he wrote at 5:37 MSK, adding that he was receiving “information about possible UAV strikes near Lipetsk and Lipetsk district.”

Several communities without power in Belgorod Oblast
A gas supply line was damaged in the village of Bogoslovka in a drone attack, Belgorod Oblast Governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, claimed. Power lines were damaged near the village of Krugloye, leaving residents of Krugloye and Zalomnoye without power.

wo UAVs were eliminated near the village of Serebryanka in the Novooskolsky urban district, he claimed.

The town of Shebekino came under fire as “some of the shells landed in the industrial zone”, and an employee of an industrial enterprise was injured, he added. ⠀

During the shelling, windows were shattered in several apartments and “smoke” was seen on the grounds of an industrial enterprise. A power line was damaged.

Residents of Shebekino, the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka and Maslovaya Pristan are without electricity.

Missile threat in Kursk Oblast
Air defenses in Kursk Oblast were kept busy as at least six drones were eliminated in multiple waves of overnight attacks, Kursk Oblast Governor, Roman Starovoit, claimed.

He warned oblast residents of a missile threat at 3:24 MSK, adding that air defenses in the region were still working.

“According to preliminary information, there are no casualties,” Gladkov claimed.

“A barn is burning in one private household. Emergency services have arrived at the scene.”

Continuation of March 12 attack
The biggest attack on Russian soil since the Second World War began overnight on March 11-12 when at least 25 UAVs targeted at least nine Russian oblasts.

Early waves of drones targeted Russia’s oil infrastructure, damaging oil depots in Orel and Nizhny Novgorod oblasts.

A city administration building in Belgorod was also damaged.

Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) was behind the attack on the Lukoil oil refinery in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, an NV source in the special services said.

“This work will be continued,” pledged Andriy Yusov, a representative of Ukraine’s military intelligence.

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Belarusian Vacation Camps For Ukrainian Children More About Reeducation Than Recuperation

^{Children from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine visit a military site in Belarus as part of a purported camp to get them out of a war zone. However, there is evidence the camps are being used to indoctrinate Ukrainian youth with Russian ideology.}

They play hockey, visit a toy factory, receive gifts, and perform goofy dances. But they also train with automatic weapons, ride on armored personnel carriers, commemorate the Soviet Union, and learn a Russian pop song that proclaims, "Russia is behind us."

Belarus's organized vacations for children from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine are not just about escaping life in a combat zone. The trips come with a mission, evidence gathered by RFE/RL's Belarus Service and Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, indicates: teaching young Ukrainians to identify with concepts that both Moscow and Minsk promote.

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In a November 2023 study of Ukrainian schoolchildren's escorted trips to Belarus, the Yale School of Public Health's Humanitarian Research Lab deemed the transfers "systematic deportation" coordinated by Belarus and Russia as part of the two countries' so-called Union State. The study said the process involves "re-education," which it defined as "the promotion of cultural, historical, societal, and patriotic messages or ideas that serve the political interests" of both regimes. Military training, including by Interior Ministry troops, occurred with "at least six groups of children," according to the report.

"They are assisting the Russian Federation in eradicating the national identity of Ukrainian children," charged Ukrainian human rights lawyer Kateryna Rashevska, who called the vacations "a targeted operation" against Ukrainian children. "In their militarization. In their desire not to return to Ukraine, in turning these children into enemies of their own nation."

^{Ukrainian children are taught Russian patriotic songs at the camps.}

Authoritarian Belarus leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka, whose childhood town of Alyaksandryya has been a trip destination, asserts that it's all about good-hearted charity. At a 2024 New Year's celebration, he assured Ukrainian and other children that "there are no alien children in Belarus."

In their November report, titled Belarus' Collaboration with Russia in the Systematic Deportation of Ukraine's Children and published by the U.S. State Department supported Conflict Observatory, the Yale researchers estimated that between February 2022 and the end of October 2023 at least 2,442 Ukrainian children were transported from 17 towns in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine to 13 Belarusian locations, including five "health camps."

RFE/RL identified 50 of these Ukrainian children by examining e-mails from the Belarusian Red Cross, a key trip organizer, that were obtained by Cyber Partisans, a group of anonymous hackers that opposes Lukashenka's government.

Orphans and children without parental care also number among the transported Ukrainian children, according to reports on Belarusian state TV.

But unlike transfers of Ukrainian children to Russia, which led the International Criminal Court to issue war-crimes arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, Belarus' program "appears to rely on multiple non-state actors," the Yale study said.

^{Children board a bus in Russian-occupied Ukraine bound for a camp in Belarus.}

For some time, one of those nonstate actors was the Belarusian mission of UNICEF, the United Nations child-welfare agency, which financed two August 2022 camps for Ukrainian children in Belarus.

A March 16, 2023, Belarusian Foreign Ministry press release stated that UNICEF financed a summer 2022 program, May run by the Belarusian Red Cross, for the "recuperation" of Ukrainian children and for their "preparation for the school year."

A 2022 Belarusian Red Cross document specifies that an August 9-26, 2022, camp in the western Hrodna region, Beryozka, was part of this program. A second camp, Lipki, was held on August 6-23, 2022, near the northeastern city of Vitsebsk.

A video posted on an Instagram channel featuring the Lipki camp shows children in August 2022 riding on a Belarusian armored personnel carrier and in a troop carrier at the nearby Losvido training ground.

Some photos from Beryozka on Telegram have a similar theme, with children in bulletproof vests holding automatic weapons and a young boy with what appears to be a police pistol.



Other images show Beryozka children in August 2022 singing Kombat, a song by the Russian rock group Lyube that glorifies the Russian role in World War II.

UNICEF headquarters and its representative office in Belarus did not respond to RFE/RL's questions about UNICEF Belarus's involvement with these camps.

In a statement released the day after the RFE/RL report was published on February 22, UNICEF's Europe and Central Asia Regional Office acknowledged that UNICEF had cooperated with the Belarusian Red Cross between February 2022 and February 2023 to provide "education, mental health and psychosocial support, information counseling and child-centered recreation activities" for 1,421 Ukrainian children and 739 caregivers "legally residing in Belarus."

It did not explain how UNICEF had confirmed that these children legally resided in Belarus but emphasized it does not condone the international transfer of Ukrainian children.

"UNICEF never supports cross-border movements for recreational purposes, as this may lead to children being separated from their families, can delay reunification, and poses other risks during a time of conflict," the statement read. "We continue to be deeply concerned about incidents of cross-border movement of children that may put them at risk."


^{Ukrainian campers hold up a Belarusian flag.}

In its May 2023 press release, however, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry indicated that two UNICEF representatives -- Rustam Khaidarov, head of UNICEF Belarus, and Artashes Mirzoyan, an adviser to the UNICEF Europe and Central Asia Regional Office – previously were aware of the camps.

The ministry claimed that Deputy Foreign Minister Yury Azarevych discussed with the men what it described as the "growing politicization" of international discussions about Belarus "welcoming children from foreign states to recuperation in summer camps."

UNICEF Belarus's 2022 report states that "volunteers" organized "recreational and educational activities in 7 summer camps for approximately 90 refugee children," but did not identify the children's country of origin.

In its statement, UNICEF's Europe and Central Asia Regional Office did not address the August 2022 camps. Ukraine's human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, said UNICEF Belarus had "stopped funding [the camp program] completely" after August 2022.

The Belarusian Red Cross remains at the forefront of transfers of Ukrainian children to Belarus. The International Federation of Red Cross and Crescent Societies suspended the organization in December 2023 after it refused to remove its general secretary for his statements "on the movement of children to Belarus," among other things.

That general secretary, Dzmitry Shautsou, and another transfer organizer, Paralympian Alyaksey Talai, head of the Alyaksey Talai Charitable Foundation, now face U.S.and European Union sanctions for "assisting Russian government efforts" related to "the forced transfer" and "the deportation and the military indoctrination of Ukrainian children, including in Belarus."

Article 49 of the 1949 Geneva Convention on Civilians, to which Belarus is a party, forbids "individual or mass forcible transfers" and "deportations of protected persons" from occupied territory to locations abroad.

Parents of several children from Russian-controlled parts of the Donbas -- Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions -- told RFE/RL they welcomed the trips.

"We were glad that the children went," Oksana Teplikh, whose two adolescent children, Saveliy and Sofia, traveled to Belarus in August 2022 from Lysychansk in eastern Ukraine's Luhansk region. Aside from Belarus, the trips included travel to the Russian cities of Moscow and Kazan, she said.

"Information came from that side that children were being taken away without the knowledge of their parents," Teplikh said, referring to the Ukrainian government. "It's all a delusion."

^{Ukrainian children are shown military weapons and other gear at a camp in Belarus.}

The Belarusian Red Cross documents contained a parental consent form for a boy who traveled to Belarus from a Russian-occupied part of the Donetsk region, but RFE/RL could not establish that such forms are used systematically.

Russian-imposed authorities in the Donetsk region have issued parental consent forms that authorize "multiple" trips to and from Luhansk and Russian-occupied Crimea as well as to Dagestan in Russia's North Caucasus and to Abkhazia, a Russian-allied breakaway region of Georgia where Russia maintains troops.

Such forms, however, have no validity under international law, which does not recognize Russia's claims to any part of Ukraine or the authority of occupation officials.

Kyiv's repeated objections to the organized removal of children from Ukraine mean that "such consent is null" and does not negate "evidence of deportation," said Rashevska, who works for the Regional Center for Human Rights, a Kyiv nonprofit formerly based in Crimea.

Even if a Ukrainian child returns to his or her Russian-occupied place of residence, their trip to Belarus qualifies as deportation, Lubinets agreed.

Parents from Russian-occupied areas who spoke to RFE/RL did not say their children had been deported. It was impossible to determine whether they spoke freely.

Schools create lists of interested children and then tell parents what documents are needed, said Ivan Vorobyov, a resident of Mariupol, which Russian forces seized in May 2022 after a siege that killed thousands of civilians and razed much of the Azov Sea coast city. Vorobyov's 12-year-old daughter, Kira, spent three weeks in 2023 in the Dubrava camp, run by state-owned potash-fertilizer manufacturer Belruskali outside Minsk.

Belarusian state media cast the country as a safe haven amid the fighting in neighboring Ukraine, where Russia launched its large-scale invasion in February 2022 after seizing Crimea and starting a war in the Donbas in 2014.

In a November 2023 report on Belarus-1 television, one trip chaperone, Natalya Neshchadim, claimed Ukrainian children visiting Belarus "do not want to leave" since they have "seen security here."

Aside from bombardments, life in Russian-held parts of Ukraine includes periodic power outages and hot-water cutoffs as well as unreliable Internet and cell-phone connections, parents told RFE/RL.

Parents understandably could think "that their children will be better off in Belarus," said Volha Vyalichka, a Belarusian psychologist who was forced into exile for her criticism of the authorities and her role as an independent observer in the deeply disputed presidential election in 2020. "But they don't think about how they will be entertained, what cultural programs there will be, what will be put into their heads."

In June 2022, children from the Donbas visited the Belarusian Interior Ministry's special forces unit No. 3214, which participated in the brutal crackdown on protesters following the 2020 election in which Lukashenka claimed a landslide victory and a sixth term amid evidence of large-scale fraud in his favor.

In December 2022, 46 children from the Donetsk region laid flowers at a Minsk monument marking the centennial of the Soviet Union's founding. A July 2023 photo on Instagram that shows children visiting an apparent World War II military site bears the inscription "For Stalin!"

^{Exiled Belarus opposition activist Pavel Latushka reads from a file after he presented evidence to the International Criminal Court alleging the personal involvement of Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka in the illegal transfer of children to Belarus from Russian-occupied towns in Ukraine, at The Hague on November 7, 2023.}

A leader of the Belarusian opposition in exile, Pavel Latushka, said he presented a dossier to the International Criminal Court in November 2023 that he says implicates Lukashenka in the illegal transfer of children from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine to Belarus, but at this point the ICC has issued no warrant for his arrest.

Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Anatol Hlaz described the U.S. sanctions imposed in December 2023 over the transfer of these children as "pressure, racketeering, and blackmail."

In late January, one of the trip organizers, the Paralympian Talai, announced that his foundation plans to bring children from the Kherson region to Belarusian camps as well.

To stop the transfer of children from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, Lubinets said Kyiv needs to find "partners" -- particularly, international organizations focused on children -- "who can help us protect the rights of our children on the territory of any country."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's commissioner for children's rights and rehabilitation, Darya Herasimchuk, said she believes the only way to stop such transfers is to defeat Russia in the war.

"Ukraine must win, period," said Herasimchuk. "We can stop every action toward Ukrainian children only with victory. There is no other way out."

quote:

Russia used farmers' protests in the EU to undermine support for Ukraine
On February 26, European leaders met in Paris to demonstrate social unity and their continued solidarity with Kiev. It was a welcome act of reassurance at a time when EU policymakers are wavering over further military aid to Ukraine and struggling to reconcile their continued support for the embattled nation with domestic issues, namely large farmer protests taking place across the bloc.

The protests began at the grassroots level, but Russia actively used them for disinformation purposes as the Kremlin sought to sow division and undermine popular support for Ukraine's defense.

SPOILER

quote:

In recent weeks, pro-Russian social media accounts have shared an elaborate but grossly misleading video purporting to show French farmers dumping manure outside the Ukrainian embassy in Paris, which has since gone viral. In another recent incident in Prague, a farmers' protest was quickly hijacked by violent pro-Kremlin activists, leading one of the original organizers to complain that the demonstration had been "stolen."

Simply put, European farmer protests are proving fertile for Russian propaganda, and the Kremlin is aggressively seeking to amplify, and in some cases even hijack, them—all to the detriment of both European policymakers and farmers. And it's time for us to pay attention to this.

Moscow's attempt to weaponize various protest movements for its own propaganda purposes should come as no surprise—it is Russia's time-tested modus operandi. The same pattern has been seen in everything from Black Lives Matter and the January 6 uprising in the US to the anti-immigrant Pegida movement in Germany, the Yellow Vests in France and a number of anti-vaccine movements in between.

While the Kremlin was not directly behind the emergence of any of these movements, it has sought to maliciously fan the flames by amplifying them through social media and other digital channels, often spreading disinformation in the process. And this is exactly what is happening with the farmers' protests.

Of course, this does not negate the legitimacy of farmers' grievances. However, it is critical to understand how Moscow is using these events to its advantage.

No matter what kind of protest movement we are talking about, the Kremlin's first goal is always the same: to incite unrest, sow anxiety and discord, and undermine national cohesion. Distracting attention and thereby weakening Western governments in this way serves the dual purpose of making them less able to deal with Russian threats, as well as strengthening extremist parties that tend to be more complacent and even sympathetic to Moscow.

In the case of the farmers' protests, the Kremlin's immediate goal is to weaken Western support for Kiev by overemphasizing certain niche issues, in particular the import of Ukrainian agricultural products, primarily chicken and grain, into the European market.

After the EU cut tariffs on select Ukrainian goods in a show of solidarity with the war-torn country, European farmers complained bitterly, with some French groups targeting Ukraine's main poultry producer, MHP. However, the increase in poultry imports from Ukraine has had little practical impact on French poultry farmers, especially since it represents less than 1 percent of total imports into the French market. Indeed, Ukrainian chicken imports are taking market share away from other exporting third-country producers rather than from European farmers (93 percent of chicken exported to France comes from EU countries).

But, given the role of MHP in the “soft” defense of Ukraine, attacks on the conglomerate may well not be accidental. At the beginning of the war and throughout 2022, MHP was the largest supplier of food to the Ukrainian military, fulfilling this role at cost and free of charge to the general population. The company has also spent ¤20 million supporting the families of its many employees fighting in the trenches since the start of the war. Thus, the company has become one of many providers of both physical and psychological support that keeps Ukraine resilient.

So naturally, Moscow has an interest in continuing to increase farmers' concerns about Ukraine by hiding the facts under a barrage of disinformation.

This orchestrated chicken brouhaha fits into a broader pattern of shaming of Ukrainian agricultural products more broadly. Farmers from Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria have been actively lobbying their governments to maintain bilateral bans on grain imports from Ukraine since the EU allowed the bloc-wide ban to expire at the end of 2023.

But while such divisions within the bloc have certainly helped Russia increase tensions between the national and EU levels, a closer look once again reveals the shallowness of its panic.

In the case of wheat and corn - Ukraine's two main grain imports - there are few statistics to support claims of a massive influx into the EU, as import volumes have been "down from their peaks in the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023 even before the temporary ban was introduced.” These findings should not come as a surprise, given that Ukraine's agricultural products are mainly sent to third countries and do not remain in the EU.

Moreover, the issue of exports is only one of many issues related to agriculture and EU-Ukraine relations. For example, Russian trolls have proven adept at linking Ukraine's potential EU accession to concerns about its impact on European agriculture more broadly, focusing on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and exaggerating known misconceptions. But the truth is that Kyiv cannot hope to join the bloc until at least 2030, by which time the EU will have a new CAP regime. The negotiation process ahead of the expiry of the current framework in 2027 would be an opportune time to consider such impacts – but not now.

And let's not forget that it will also take a long time for Ukraine to return to its previous levels of production: the country suffered an ecocide, and much of its land mined by Moscow will not be exploitable again for decades.

Thus, it is necessary to reconsider the often-promoted view that Ukraine, which currently has less stringent environmental and phytosanitary standards than those of European agriculture, will lead to unfair competition. Moreover, this argument is absurd because if Ukraine wants to join the European bloc, its agricultural sector will have to apply the same standards as other members. The same applies to labor costs - Ukraine will have to adapt to EU standards, and the historical benefits associated with low wages will be reduced.

Ukraine's support goes beyond the provision of lethal aid and includes support for its critical agricultural sector. Allowing the import of chicken, grain and other products is not just a gesture of solidarity, but a strategic step to maintain Ukraine's resistance.

We must see through the Kremlin's web of lies. And, if Europe wants to protect both Ukraine and the interests of its farmers, policymakers must take farmers' concerns into account while guarding against Kremlin disinformation.

quote:

US to manufacture long-range missiles for HIMARS in Australia for needs of Ukraine - WSJ
The United States plans to open the first foreign factory in Australia for the production of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) for reactive salvo fire systems. The ammunition will be directed to the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, informs The Wall Street Journal.

The source notes that Lockheed company plans to hire six Australian engineers to prepare and launch production. The decision was made because the US defense industry cannot meet demand and quickly replenish rocket stocks.

"The rapid consumption of munitions in Ukraine and the Middle East—from missiles to artillery shells—has strained the ability of the U.S industrial base to meet demand and replenish depleted stocks. The Biden administration is seeking to develop multiple production lines across allied nations for critical weapons, though that isn't easy," writes WSJ.

Australian officials note that the first batch of 12 GMLRS rockets is planned to be tested by the end of 2025, and by 2030 the country expects to produce thousands of ammunition annually. Obstacles to the implementation of the plan may include a shortage of personnel, transportation difficulties, and a deficit of necessary production components.

Rocket production is planned at a military base on the outskirts of Sydney. The publication emphasizes that this is the first plant outside the US to produce such weapons.

GMLRS rockets are manufactured by the American company Lockheed Martin. They are equipped with a satellite guidance system and can hit targets up to 80 km away.

Military aid from the United States to Ukraine
On March 12, the United States announced a new package of assistance to Ukraine worth $300 million. Among other items, it includes artillery shells and GMLRS rockets for HIMARS.

Lithuania's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabrielius Landsbergis, stated that Ukraine needs not 40 but 400 HIMARS launchers to win the war against Russia.

Previously, the US tested new rockets for the HIMARS rocket artillery systems.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 08:13 schreef Perrin het volgende:
Mooi doelwit voor sabotage:
[ x ]

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 08:51 schreef Red_85 het volgende:

[..]
Waarom is dat nog niet gebeurd dan?

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 08:51 schreef Red_85 het volgende:

[..]
Waarom is dat nog niet gebeurd dan?

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 08:54 schreef Perrin het volgende:

[..]
Beetje lastig te bereiken, zo in het noorden van Siberië. Bovendien leg je meteen echt heel Rusland plat.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 08:59 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Omdat landen als oostenrijk en hongarije dan ook in de kou zitten.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 09:02 schreef Red_85 het volgende:

[..]
Dat krijg je er van als je gaat heulen met de vijand. Zat tijd gehad het om te draaien.

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Op woensdag 13 maart 2024 21:41 schreef Aether het volgende:
FP: Poetin: 'Geen onderhandelingen, Rusland is klaar voor nucleaire oorlog'

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 10:11 schreef icecreamfarmer_NL het volgende:

[..]
Ben benieuwd wat VEM2012 hier van vindt.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 10:11 schreef icecreamfarmer_NL het volgende:

[..]
Ben benieuwd wat VEM2012 hier van vindt.

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“In any case, in the coming year, I'm going to have to send guys to Odessa,” said the head of state in a relaxed manner in front of a handful of guests on February 21 after pantheonization

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 08:13 schreef Perrin het volgende:
Mooi doelwit voor sabotage:
[ x ]

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:01 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:
Wat is eigenlijk de status van die roadtrip in Ruzland?

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:05 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Die zijn nog lekker bezig. Artillerie beschietingen over en weer, orc-lijken in bossen.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:17 schreef Barbusse het volgende:

[..]
Ik vind het echt ronduit absurd dat een land dat een full scale invasie is begonnen tegen een buurland niet haar eigen grenzen kan beschermen. Nog erger is dat dit niet de eerste keer is dat dit gebeurd

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:20 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Wat ik er 'positief' aan vind is dat ze nu door lijken te zetten. IPV ff de grens over te yolo'en en daarna weer rap terug te gaan.

Nu gewoon klassiek gebied uitbreiden, wordt het vanzelf een probleem wat de bunkermidget niet meer kan negeren.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:20 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Wat ik er 'positief' aan vind is dat ze nu door lijken te zetten. IPV ff de grens over te yolo'en en daarna weer rap terug te gaan.

Nu gewoon klassiek gebied uitbreiden, wordt het vanzelf een probleem wat de bunkermidget niet meer kan negeren.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:25 schreef ExTec het volgende:
Sucks to be you. Vervelend hé, zo'n oorlog.

[ x ]

[ afbeelding ]

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:27 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
Ik denk het niet hoor. Dit is eerder een kwestie van het slagveld bepalen. Dat zie je ook bij Tsettino: er is maar 1 weg waardoor rusland moet aanvallen. Met in het westen een rivier.
En als je daarbij nog optelt dat rusland altijd nooddekking geeft met hun luchtmacht, dan is een "Patriot ambush" te verwachten.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:30 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:

Als is het symbolisch natuurlijk wel weer gieren.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:34 schreef Barbusse het volgende:
Ik wacht op de posts waarin Oekraïne verweten wordt escalerend bezig te zijn

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:32 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Zeker weten. Genieten. Met volle teugen.

Maar jij zal wel erg "concerned" zijn.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:37 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:
gebruiken ook westers materieel enzo.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:41 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Dat betwijfel ik. Ik zag ook ergens vaag filmpjes: "zijn bradleys!" - Nee.

En, al zou dat wel zo zijn, nou en, of is dat weer een denkbeeldige 'rode lijn', waar je erg "concerned" over bent ofzo?

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:48 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:
Jij geloof oprecht dat Russische insurgents het duurste materiaal meekrijgen voor een roadtripje moederland?

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:37 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:

[..]
Rode lijnen, NOEKS , alles.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:50 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Nee, juist niet.

Maar rus trollen die iets zien bewegen, en uitkramen: "bradley!", ja, die zie ik wel.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:54 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:
Er waren hier gewoon foto's te zien, die dus zijn verwijderd om onbekende redenen.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:34 schreef Barbusse het volgende:
Ik wacht op de posts waarin Oekraïne verweten wordt escalerend bezig te zijn

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:51 schreef Barbusse het volgende:

[..]
[ afbeelding ]
[ afbeelding ]
[ afbeelding ]

Fishermans Friend ad 1996

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:56 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Incl. geolocatie en weet ik veel wat?

Of zei rus het, en komt zo'n mooie "onafhankelijke denker" zoals jij dan al snel tot de conclusie dat het dan waar moet zijn?

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:59 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:

[..]
Gewoon gepost door de usuals hier. Of zijn dat ook Russische trollen?

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:57 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
[ x ]

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 12:03 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Want iedereen die hier iets post staat ook per definitie achter eventuele conclusies die getrokken worden in hetgeen gepost....?

Zalig zijn de simpelen.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:20 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Wat ik er 'positief' aan vind is dat ze nu door lijken te zetten. IPV ff de grens over te yolo'en en daarna weer rap terug te gaan.

Nu gewoon klassiek gebied uitbreiden, wordt het vanzelf een probleem wat de bunkermidget niet meer kan negeren.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 12:08 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:

[..]
Daar ga ik wel vanuit in deze prachtige echokamer.

quote:

Heb je hier ook geolocatie, bronnen, maps en foto's van? Of houd je er toch een dubbele standaard op na?

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 12:23 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Uh huh.
[..]
Ik denk dat weinig mensen betwisten dat oekrainse proxies daadwerkelijk in russia proper aan het gallen zijn.

Maar ik las dat putin zei dat ze allemaal gedood waren?

Nou, dan kan ik me voorstellen dat jij het zo zeker nog niet weet, nee.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:57 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
[ x ]

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 12:08 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:

[..]
Daar ga ik wel vanuit in deze prachtige echokamer.
[..]
Heb je hier ook geolocatie, bronnen, maps en foto's van? Of houd je er toch een dubbele standaard op na?

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 13:03 schreef Aether het volgende:

[..]
Vanavond maar weer eens Wargames (1983) kijken.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 13:16 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:

[..]
Blijf dan gewoon weg

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 13:30 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:

[..]
Mijn postgedrag is al stukken minder (uitgesproken) en beperkt tot lurken meestal.

En dat komt omdat je op username kritisch bejegend wordt terwijl (bijvoorbeeld net met ExTec) we het in de basis gewoon eens zijn. Vandaar echokamer.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:17 schreef Barbusse het volgende:

[..]
Ik vind het echt ronduit absurd dat een land dat een full scale invasie is begonnen tegen een buurland niet haar eigen grenzen kan beschermen. Nog erger is dat dit niet de eerste keer is dat dit gebeurd

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 13:35 schreef bianconeri het volgende:

[..]
Dit is sarcasme, toch......????

Wat is daar absurd aan?
Of denk jij echt dat een gigantisch land als Rusland dat alles wat het heeft inzet in Oekraïne alle grenzen gaat kunnen bewaken?
Als je dat denkt dan leef je echt in een droomwereld.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 12:04 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Die is wel erg... ziek.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 13:31 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:

[..]
Nee het gaat om dat vervelende toontje dat je aanslaat. Het zal me verder om het even zijn wat je mening is.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 13:47 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:

[..]
Dat ontwikkel je vanzelf wel als je DM's krijgt met achterlijke beledigingen of iedere keer voor kremlintroll of poetinpijper (wtf ) wordt versleten als je inhoudelijk wilt worden.

Maar goed, zal er op letten ja.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 13:48 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:

[..]
Die mag je gerust doorzetten naar mij of een andere fa want dat is echt niet de bedoeling.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 13:35 schreef bianconeri het volgende:
Wat is daar absurd aan?

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 13:58 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Misschien heb je wel eens zo'n videogame gespeeld. Waar je basis moet bouwen en dan de ander moet vernietigen.

Als je daar oliedom alles wat je hebt offensief inzet, komt je tegenstander met zeer minimale middelen naar je basis en maakt die alles met de grond gelijk.

Dus; ja, dit is absurd.

Kan zijn dat je al niet meer verwacht van rus, goed mogelijk, maar dat maakt het gedrag niet minder absurd.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 13:35 schreef bianconeri het volgende:

[..]
Dit is sarcasme, toch......????

Wat is daar absurd aan?
Of denk jij echt dat een gigantisch land als Rusland dat alles wat het heeft inzet in Oekraïne alle grenzen gaat kunnen bewaken?
Als je dat denkt dan leef je echt in een droomwereld.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 15:54 schreef capricia het volgende:
FvD in ons EP.
[ x ]

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 15:59 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:

[..]
Wat. Een. Idioot.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 15:54 schreef capricia het volgende:
FvD in ons EP.
[ x ]

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 16:00 schreef capricia het volgende:

[..]
Wat moeten we met dit soort mensen in godsnaam aan?

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 15:54 schreef capricia het volgende:
FvD in ons EP.
[ x ]

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 16:02 schreef Perrin het volgende:

[..]
In tijden van oorlog vallen ze onder het krijgsrecht.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 15:54 schreef capricia het volgende:
FvD in ons EP.
[ x ]

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 16:00 schreef capricia het volgende:

[..]
Wat moeten we met dit soort mensen in godsnaam aan?

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 16:03 schreef capricia het volgende:

[..]
Ja.
Er zijn kennelijk genoeg mensen die hierop stemmen. En het eens met zijn betoog zijn.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 15:54 schreef capricia het volgende:
FvD in ons EP.
[ x ]

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 16:08 schreef Simmertje het volgende:

[..]
Schaam mij kapot dat dit in het Nederlands is ook. Mocht het daadwerkelijk tot een oorlog komen dan weet je in ieder geval welke mensen je als eerst kunt oppakken voor landverraad.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 15:54 schreef capricia het volgende:
FvD in ons EP.
[ x ]

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 16:07 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:

[..]
Ik kan dat beter voor me houden als ik geen streepje door mijn naam wil

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 16:03 schreef capricia het volgende:

[..]
Ja.
Er zijn kennelijk genoeg mensen die hierop stemmen. En het eens met zijn betoog zijn.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 16:03 schreef capricia het volgende:

[..]
Ja.
Er zijn kennelijk genoeg mensen die hierop stemmen. En het eens met zijn betoog zijn.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 16:16 schreef Simmertje het volgende:

[..]
Waarschijnlijk onze Lagerwächter meisjes Eva en Raisa.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 15:54 schreef capricia het volgende:
FvD in ons EP.
[ x ]

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 16:17 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:

[..]
En usual suspects hier op Fok.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 15:54 schreef capricia het volgende:
FvD in ons EP.
[ x ]

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 16:18 schreef Mortaxx het volgende:

[..]
@:datismijnmening en @:bezsen vinden dit leuk

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 16:10 schreef Barbusse het volgende:

[..]
#ANONIEM

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 16:21 schreef Simmertje het volgende:

[..]
Heb gelukkig nog niet zoiets engs als dit voorbij zien komen, of zijn al geband misschien. Overigens lijkt die man wel bijna te hyperventileren op dat moment. Onder druk van Rusland?

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 16:00 schreef capricia het volgende:

[..]
Wat moeten we met dit soort mensen in godsnaam aan?

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 16:21 schreef Simmertje het volgende:

[..]
Heb gelukkig nog niet zoiets engs als dit voorbij zien komen, of zijn al geband misschien. Overigens lijkt die man wel bijna te hyperventileren op dat moment. Onder druk van Rusland?

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 16:50 schreef Hyperdude het volgende:
Straks ga ik nog D66 stemmen.
Dit soort idioten hebben tegengas nodig.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 16:51 schreef zalkc het volgende:

[..]
Behandeling bedoel je?

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 15:54 schreef capricia het volgende:
FvD in ons EP.
[ x ]

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 12:55 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:

[..]
Ik denk niet dat ze dood zijn. Maar zou ze ook geen enkele rol van betekenis toekennen.

Lollig is het wel.

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 16:21 schreef Simmertje het volgende:

[..]
Heb gelukkig nog niet zoiets engs als dit voorbij zien komen, of zijn al geband misschien. Overigens lijkt die man wel bijna te hyperventileren op dat moment. Onder druk van Rusland?

quote:

Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 13:58 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Misschien heb je wel eens zo'n videogame gespeeld. Waar je basis moet bouwen en dan de ander moet vernietigen.

Als je daar oliedom alles wat je hebt offensief inzet, komt je tegenstander met zeer minimale middelen naar je basis en maakt die alles met de grond gelijk.

Dus; ja, dit is absurd.

Kan zijn dat je al niet meer verwacht van rus, goed mogelijk, maar dat maakt het gedrag niet minder absurd.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 15:11 schreef Barbusse het volgende:

Grapje zeker? Er ligt notabene een actieve oorlogszone tussen, ìn Oekraïne. En die gasten rijden er gewoon doorheen, zonder gezien te worden? Met tanks, ifv's en alles? Ongezien?

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 17:38 schreef bianconeri het volgende:

[..]
Ja, die heb ik wel eens gespeeld.
En is natuurlijk wel heel simplistisch gezegd natuurlijk he.

Om maar 1 ding te noemen heeft de enemy in dit gevallen meerdere kampen en is iets groter dan een pixel op je beeldscherm.
En je hebt zelf ook meerdere kampen en bent ook levensgroot.
Het is niet even simpel een stenen muur om je kamp heen bouwen zodat de tegenstander niet binnen kan lopen.
[..]
Niet in alle grensdelen is er een ''actieve'' oorlogszone.
Zeker noordelijk van Charkov wordt momenteel niet heel actief gevochten.

Daarnaast zoals ik al tegen je zei: Oekraine en Rusland zijn wel even iets groter dan Nederland (ietsje).
Het is niet alsof je alleen maar je buurman zijn perceel in de gaten hoeft te houden en met duizend man hoeft te bewaken.

Rusland heeft alle troepen bijna nodig in Oekraine zelf, en moet daarnaast vele duizenden kilometers bewaken met soldaten (o.a. bij Finland, de Baltische Staten en Oekraine).

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 11:57 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
[ x ]

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 18:01 schreef Joppiez het volgende:

[..]
Hoeveel soldaten heeft Rusland nou aan haar (navo) grenzen bij Finland en de Baltische staten enz buiten een verdwaalde padvindersclubje hier en daar? Moet toch best veel zijn omdat de navo zo agressief is enz

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 15:54 schreef capricia het volgende:
FvD in ons EP.
[ x ]

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Judge Cannon skeptical of Trump's arguments that classified documents charges are "unconstitutionally vague"
Judge Aileen Cannon said it would be an “extraordinary step” for her to throw out the Mar-a-Lago documents case, as former President Donald Trump is requesting, on the basis that the relevant law is "unconstitutionally vague."

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The two hours of oral arguments Thursday morning focused on the unconstitutional vagueness request.

Trump is arguing that the law undergirding 32 counts of the indictment — prohibiting the unlawful retention of national defense information — is too ambiguous to be applied to his alleged conduct.

Towards the end of the morning arguments, Cannon told Trump attorney Emile Bove, “You understand, of course, that finding a statute unconstitutionally vague is an extraordinary step.”
Bove responded: “I understand that it is significant, but it’s warranted here.”

Trump’s claims that the Presidential Records Act requires the case to be dismissed will be argued in the afternoon.

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Prosecutors point to Bedminster meeting where Trump described classified records
Prosecutor Jay Bratt read a transcript of Donald Trump discussing classified documents at his Bedminster Club in New Jersey in court Thursday to show that the former president "never" deemed classified records personal.

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Judge Aileen Cannon asked Bratt whether Trump's challenge to the indictment under the Presidential Records Act is “premature.” The former president has argued he was allowed to take documents from the White House as his personal records.

"Not only is it premature, it never happened," Bratt said.

Reading from the transcript, part of which was included in the indictment, Bratt emphasized that Trump discussed the documents as highly sensitive.

"He doesn't say there, 'I can show you this because it's personal,'" Bratt said. "In fact, he's saying the opposite."

As Bratt recounted the Bedminster exchange between Trump, aides and a ghostwriter for Mark Meadows in 2021, Trump leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed.

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Key things to know about the Trump Mar-a-Lago documents case as hearing is underway
Former President Donald Trump is currently in court in Florida for a hearing over this alleged mishandling of classified documents. This case is one of four criminal cases Trump is facing, although it’s unclear when it will go to trial.

Here's what to know about this case:

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• What the case is about: The case centers around Trump’s handling of classified documents after his presidency and his resistance to the government’s attempts to retrieve the materials he took to Mar-a-Lago from the White House. Trump’s personal aide, Walt Nauta, and Carlos de Oliveira, Mar-a-Lago’s property manager, have also been charged. All three have pleaded not guilty.
• What happened before the charges: Before the initial charges against Trump were brought in June 2023, officials had tried – and failed – throughout 2021 and 2022 to get back the documents in Trump’s possession. The National Archives, charged with collecting and sorting presidential material, said in early 2022 that at least 15 boxes of White House records were recovered from the estate, including some that were classified.
• What was in the documents: The indictment unveiled last June claims that Trump retained documents related to national defense that were classified at the highest levels and some so sensitive that they required special handling. DOJ has singled out 31 documents — one for each of the 31 willful retention counts that Trump is facing. Several of the records concern the military capabilities of various countries, prosecutors say.
• Where the case stands now: Judge Aileen Cannon is reconsidering the trial start date, which was initially set for late May. At a hearing earlier this month, attorneys for Trump told the judge that the case should wait until after the 2024 election. Trump's lawyers are also arguing that the entire case should be tossed out.

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The Presidential Records Act will likely come up in today's hearing. Here's what it says
Lawyers for Donald Trump are pushing a series of arguments for why the judge overseeing the case concerning the former president's handling of classified documents should order the case to be dismissed. Some of those arguments include that Trump is shielded by presidential immunity and that his handling of classified material is allowed under the Presidential Records Act.

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What the Presidential Records Act says: The key sentence is, “Upon the conclusion of a President’s term of office, or if a President serves consecutive terms upon the conclusion of the last term, the Archivist of the United States shall assume responsibility for the custody, control, and preservation of, and access to, the Presidential records of that President.”

One section of the law lays out a process of communication between a sitting president and NARA’s chief archivist for instances in which the president wants to dispose of personal records, which are defined as records of “a purely private or nonpublic character” unrelated to the president’s official duties.

Another section of the law allows a president, before leaving office, to restrict access to some records (including personnel files and medical files, advice from aides, trade secrets and certain defense information) for up to 12 years — though these records must still be in NARA custody during the temporary restricted period.

Neither of these sections of the act is relevant to Trump’s case because:
• Trump was an ex-president
• He possessed indisputably official records
• Those official records were on his own property, outside of NARA custody
• He did not return these records even upon repeated NARA requests and a Justice Department subpoena

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Fact Check: Trump has made false claims about the Presidential Records Act before
A Florida judge overseeing the case against former President Donald Trump's handling of classified documents has set apart an entire day on Thursday to hear arguments on whether the case should be thrown out. His lawyers are expected to argue that Trump had presidential classification powers.

Trump has claimed before that he was abiding by the relevant law, the Presidential Records Act, by engaging in a post-presidency negotiation with the National Archives and Records Administration about returning documents.

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Facts First: Nothing in the Presidential Records Act suggests that there should be a negotiation between a former president and the National Archives and Records Administration over what presidential records should be turned over to NARA and when — much less that there should have been a months-long battle after NARA first sought the return of records from Trump in 2021. The law simply says that when a president leaves office NARA assumes control of all presidential records.

Jason R. Baron, former director of litigation at NARA and now a professor at the University of Maryland, said in an email: “Under the Presidential Records Act, at noon on January 20, 2021, all presidential records of the Trump White House by operation of law came into the legal custody of the Archivist of the United States. The Act does not provide for or contemplate that a former President can ‘negotiate’ the terms of surrendering physical custody of records that are properly owned by the American people.”

Timothy Naftali, a CNN presidential historian, New York University professor and former director of the Richard Nixon presidential library, said in an email: “The determination of what is a presidential document, and therefore public property, in the PRA isn’t subject to negotiation. Congress determined the definitions in 1978. I do not understand what the former president is referring to when he mentions a process of negotiation with NARA."

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Judge in Trump case will have one key thing to consider: could Trump keep any documents he wanted?
On Thursday, Donald Trump and special counsel Jack Smith will have the chance to debate in court Trump’s most-cited legal argument in the classified documents case against him: whether as president, he was allowed to keep any documents he wanted.

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Trump’s legal team have argued in several court filings that charges against the former president should be dismissed because, they claim, Trump had unfettered authority as president to decide what documents from his time in the White House he could keep as his personal records.

Judge Aileen Cannon, who is overseeing the case, has set apart an entire day to hear arguments on whether the prosecution should be thrown out on the basis of Trump’s claims about his presidential classification powers.

The hearing comes at a major inflection in the case. In the coming days and weeks, Cannon could rule on several big issues, including setting a new trial date – and whether it comes before the November election – as well as if Trump will get an evidentiary hearing over additional discovery he wants in the case from President Joe Biden’s White House, the FBI and beyond.

Trump is facing dozens of charges related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents, and for obstructing the Justice Department’s investigation. He has pleaded not guilty.

Read more about what Trump's attorneys will argue.

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Judge dismisses some charges against Trump in Georgia election subversion case
In the Georgia election subversion case — one of the other criminal cases Donald Trump faces — the presiding judge has thrown out some of the charges against the former president and several of his co-defendants.

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The partial dismissal by Georgia Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee does not mean that the entire indictment has been dismissed. Prosecutors can also seek to restore the six tossed charges with an appeal.

McAfee ruled that several of the charges in the 41-count indictment related to Trump and some co-defendants allegedly soliciting the violation of oath by a public officer lacked the required detail about what underlying crime the defendants were soliciting.

Trump was named in three of the counts specifically, meaning the former president is now facing 88 charges over the four criminal indictments in Georgia, New York, Washington, DC, and Florida.

“The Court’s concern is less that the State has failed to allege sufficient conduct of the Defendants – in fact it has alleged an abundance. However, the lack of detail concerning an essential legal element is, in the undersigned’s opinion, fatal,” McAfee wrote in Wednesday’s order.

What this means: CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig said the ruling “is an unforced error by prosecutors" and a setback for the case: “Essentially, prosecutors charged Trump and others with asking Georgia officials to violate the Constitution, but prosecutors failed to specify any underlying constitutional provision."

Michael Moore, a CNN legal analyst and former US attorney, said McAfee’s action may mean the judge doesn’t think the case will go to trial this year.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 16:28 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:

[..]
Nou, je kunt allerlei meningen hebben over deze oorlog en het van allerlei hoeken bekijken.

Maar als je de Oekraïners beticht van organenhandel, kennels om kinderen te fokken en pedo netwerken ben je echt door de ratten besnuffeld.

Wat een psychotische idioot zeg.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 18:18 schreef dudewhereismycar het volgende:

[..]
Ach, ze hebben geen vijanden nodig met dit soort onzin natuurlijk. De partij heft zich netjes op nu...

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 16:08 schreef RamboDirk het volgende:

[..]
Is deze man niet verkozen in de tijd dat FvD nog groot was? 6 juni zijn er weer Europese verkiezingen, hij zal dan wel verdwijnen.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 18:23 schreef BlaZ het volgende:

[..]
Dat laatste valt nog te betwijfelen. Het lijkt er sterk op dat men simpelweg de stemmen van de samenzweringtheoretici trekt wat neerkomt op grofweg drie zetels.

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SBU detains alleged Russian agent planning to blow up Kharkiv railway

A Ukrainian man suspected of working with Russian military intelligence and planning to blow up a railway in Kharkiv Oblast has been detained, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced on March 14.

The alleged saboteur is accused of trying to destroy power lines and rolling stock using a homemade improvised explosive device, in an attempt to disrupt fuel and ammunition supplies headed for Ukrainian forces in the Lyman direction.

The SBU said in a post on Telegram that the man’s plans were discovered before he had a chance to carry them out and the identities of his Russian contacts had been established.

“As a result of the special operation, an enemy saboteur who tried to detonate power lines of railway tracks and rolling stock near the junction station was detained,” the SBU said.

The attacker turned out to be a local resident who worked for the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (known as GRU),” the agency added.

“In addition, during the investigation, evidence was obtained of the defendant's performance of another task – he collected information about the locations of the bases of the Armed Forces units in Kharkiv and Pavlograd, in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.”

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Kastuś Kalinoŭski regiment may enter Belarus if ‘Lukashenko crosses red line,’ says United Transitional Cabine

“Appropriate conditions are necessary” for the Kastuś Kalinoŭski regiment to enter Belarus, the deputy head of the Belarusian United Transitional Cabinet, Pavel Latushko, said in an interview with Radio NV on March 12.

“The conditions are Lukashenko’s participation in a ground operation on the territory of Ukraine by the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus,” he said.

“Lukashenko is the aggressor, we understand that, but he is not directly involved in the war. In this regard, there are probably no legal or other grounds for the Belarusian soldiers of the Kalinoŭski regiment to enter the territory of Belarus.”

At present, the regiment is a part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and under its command. If it crosses the border with Belarus, Lukashenko’s regime will consider it an act of aggression, “which may provoke some actions on his part.”

“At the same time, if Lukashenko crosses this red line, I think there will be no obstacles for the Belarusian heroes of the Kalinoŭski regiment to enter the territory of Belarus. This option is also possible if they leave the Ukrainian Armed Forces, become a volunteer unit and enter the territory of Belarus to liberate it. For example, in case of Lukashenko’s death, in case of destabilization of the situation in Belarus.”

On Feb. 22, the monitoring group Belaruski Hajun reported that Belarus would hold joint military exercises with Russia on its territory in 2025.

In December 2023, the commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev, stated that the border with Belarus is currently calm, but the situation could change at any moment.

On June 24, 2023, during the rebellion of PMC leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, the commander of the Kastus Kalinoŭski Regiment, Denis Prokhorov, addressed the Belarusian people, calling on citizens to be ready to liberate Belarus from dictatorship and occupation.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 18:41 schreef ipa84 het volgende:

[..]
Is nog het kleine beetje harde kern wat ze over hebben. Dat zal inderdaad niet snel veranderen en voor Thierry en zijn vrienden is het gewoon een verdienmodel om die onzin te blijven roepen. Geld uit de kamer, eigen uitgeverij voor hun onzin boekjes, maaltijdboxen met Nederlandse producten zoals de bekende Nederlandse noedels enzovoort. Om hun luxe levensstijl te onderhouden. Het wordt pas lachen als die harde kern niet meer bestaat.

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RDK commander lauds POWs recruited from Wagner Group, Storm-Z fighting Russian troops in Ukraine
Convicts understand their crime, and therefore want to atone for their guilt, Commander Denis Nikitin said

Captives from the Wagner PMC terrorist group and the Storm-Z squads, where convicted criminals were recruited, are fighting in the Russian Volunteer Corps, reported the commander of the unit, Denis "White Rex" Nikitin, in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda.

The RDK has recently been recruiting former Wagner and Storm members.

He noted that they show themselves "brilliantly" on the battlefield.

"Better than everyone else. The commander of our armored group is now saying: I don't need volunteers, only captives," said Nikitin.

The convicts realize their crime and are therefore more motivated, the RDK commander said.

"This is the best contingent, because they understand that there is even more attention to them, and they want to atone for their guilt before their own conscience, this country, so they work to the maximum. They are super-motivated," he concluded.

Earlier, the Russian Volunteer Corps, the Russian Freedom Legion and the Siberian Battalion announced strikes on Russian military facilities in Belgorod and Kursk.

On the morning of March 12, the Russian Freedom Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps launched a new joint operation on the territory of Russia.

The Russian Freedom Legion announced that their fighters took control of the Russian village of Tyotkino in Kursk Oblast, located on the border with Ukraine. Later, it was reported there that fighting continues in the settlement.

The Siberian Battalion showed a video of a landing battle on the territory of the Russian Federation and reported the destruction of the position of the Russian army.

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Petrol prices in Russia hit six-month high following strikes on oil refineries
The price of petrol in Russia has hit a six-month high following a series of Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries across the country, Russian business outlet RBC reported on Thursday.

One tonne of petrol now costs 60,569 rubles (¤604), its highest price since September when fuel shortages led to prices reaching all-time highs, forcing Russia to introduce a temporary ban on exporting petrol in an effort to stabilise the domestic market.

Despite another embargo on exports introduced on 1 March, petrol prices continue to rise as oil refineries targeted by the strikes are forced to halt production.

On Tuesday production was halted at a Lukoil refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region of central Russia after a drone strike caused a fire at the facility — one of Russia’s largest — which processes around 6% of the country’s total crude oil.

On Wednesday a fire also broke out at a Rosneft refinery in the neighbouring Ryazan region following a drone attack, while operations were suspended at a refinery in Russia’s southern Rostov region after debris from downed drones damaged the facility.

Russia’s Energy Ministry said on Wednesday that the fuel situation in the country was “stable” and was being “monitored daily”, adding that it saw no risk of retail petrol prices increasing.

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European Parliament initiates debate on banning import of agricultural products from Russia and Belarus
The European Parliament will hold a debate on Tuesday on whether to ban the import of agricultural products from Russia and Belarus.

As repored by RMF24, the initiative was introduced by Polish MEP Andrzej Halicki from the largest political group, the European People's Party.

The request to hold this debate was submitted after the agenda for the session had already been approved, but it is expected that parliamentarians will support the inclusion of this discussion in the schedule.

"Two years after the war began, consumer goods from these two regimes are still entering the EU market," the MEP said, stressing that he considers this economically unjustified and morally unacceptable.

In his opinion, the embargo on products from Russia and Belarus is one of the steps that the EU can take in response to the protests of farmers in many countries.

In February, the Latvian parliament adopted a temporary import ban on agricultural products from Russia and Belarus until at least July 2025. Latvia said the move is aimed at severing economic ties with aggressor countries and complements EU-wide sanctions.

On 8 March, the Polish Sejm approved a resolution calling for sanctions on imports of Russian and Belarusian food products.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 16:27 schreef icecreamfarmer_NL het volgende:

[..]
Tribunalen en kampen.

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The 47th Mechanized Brigade destroyed a Russian armored convoy

M2 Bradley and soldiers of the 47th ‘Magura’ Separate Mechanized Brigade destroyed a convoy of Russian armored personnel carriers and troops in the Donetsk region.

The brigade’s press service reported on this.

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Ukrainian troops destroyed a convoy of three BTR-80 armored personnel carriers that were moving in the Avdiyivka direction.

“Another attempt to storm our positions has failed. This is what the interaction between anti-tankers, artillery, a company of UAVs, and the Bradley crew looks like,” the statement reads.

Знищенн� колони бронетехніки ро�і�н �илами 47 ОМБр [Березень 2024]

The video, captured by the thermal imaging lens of a Ukrainian drone, shows the 47th Mechanized Brigade destroying a convoy of three armored vehicles.

The lead vehicle of the convoy still manages to move beyond the intersection from the ATGM line of fire but is hit by an M2 Bradley autocannon. IFV shot down a Russian armored personnel carrier transporting infantry.

It can be spotted that the armored personnel carrier’s engine, located in the stern, probably absorbed most of the damaging elements, as after a long burst from the 25mm gun, the surviving infantrymen started to flee the vehicle.

Bradley, supported by artillery and soldiers of the 47th ‘Magura’ Separate Mechanized Brigade, finished them off in a forest near the road.

In total, according to the statement, the soldiers of the 47th Mechanized Brigade managed to eliminate 35 Russian servicemen while repelling the offensive.

“These are the units that, after our 47th Mechanized Brigade destroyed them, went to recuperate for two months and returned again. According to the documents found in their possession, they were mobilized on March 5, 2024,” the statement says.

This is not the first such episode of a “meat assault” by the Russians. In early March, the 47th Mechanized Brigade, using Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and FPV drones, hit a Russian APC-82 with its troops.

The Russian armored personnel carrier with infantry did not even manage to reach its destination – they were destroyed with heavy cannon fire on the way.

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German lawmakers reject Taurus missiles for Ukraine — again
The German parliament has voted against an opposition motion to allow long-range Taurus cruise missiles to be sent to Ukraine.

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Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, has voted against sending Taurus missiles to help Ukraine fight off Russia's invasion for the third time this year.

The opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) had called for the long-range weapon system to be deployed "immediately" as Russia makes incremental gains on the front line.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the missiles could only be deployed using soldiers from Germany's military, the Bundeswehr, which would risk dragging Germany into the war against Russia.

How did the vote play out?
Of the 690 lawmakers who took part in the vote, 495 voted against the delivery with 190 in favor and five abstentions.

While Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) have taken a line against the delivery, some within the ruling coalition — particularly from the Green Party and the business-focused Free Democrats — have declared themselves in favor.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the socialist Left Party joined the SPD in voting against the motion.

The debate saw Rolf Mützenich, head of the SPD parliamentary group, defend Scholz's policy saying that it was not a wise time to take political gambles.

"What is needed is understanding, prudence, and clarity. And that's what the chancellor is doing in his considerations as head of government," he said.

However, the CDU's deputy parliamentary group leader, Johann Wadephul, said determination and clarity were needed help and criticized the SPD's stance.

"Again and again, their supposed prudence has only ever fueled Mr. Putin in his aggression against Ukraine. That is the result," Wadephul said.

The conservative CDU/CSU bloc tabled similar motions in January and February that were voted down with the government arguing against the move.

The non-binding Taurus proposal would not have given the green light for the deliveries, with parliament instead serving as a forum for discussion. The matter would be discussed and decided in Germany's Federal Security Council.

What's so special about the missiles?
The Taurus KEPD-350 missile is considered one of the Bundeswehr's most modern weapon systems.

The missile, fired from the air by fighter jets, travels at almost the speed of sound and can strike targets as far as 500 kilometers (310 miles) away.

It flies at an altitude of only 35 meters, which makes it almost impossible for radar systems to detect, and constantly measures and reevaluates its position. Taurus is used against "high-value targets," which can include bunkers or command posts from which enemy troops control operations.

Before the actual warhead explodes, a charge blasts through the bunker's outer walls. Taurus can penetrate several floors of a concrete bunker before the actual warhead explodes.

The Ukrainian army already has similar weapon systems — but with a shorter range.

Ukraine could use Taurus missiles against Russian positions far behind the front line, destroying supply routes and command centers or hitting targets in Russian-occupied Crimea.

The government in Berlin has been reluctant to provide Ukraine with weapons that could attack targets on Russian territory, fearing that it could be seen as a provocation.

Moscow has repeatedly warned against the delivery of weapon systems such as the Taurus or the US ATACMS to Ukraine.

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Armenia’s EU dream faces a big obstacle: The Russian army
Armenia is looking West for security and prosperity — but may not be able to evict Moscow’s military on its own.

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YEREVAN, Armenia — A massive portrait of Vladimir Putin watches over the road along the Armenian border with Azerbaijan. “Together forever,” reads the slogan next to the Russian president on the billboard.

For three decades following the fall of the Soviet Union, Moscow’s troops have patrolled the frontier as part of a wide-ranging alliance. But now, they’re digging in their heels as their hosts work out how to send them home.

Armenia is in the middle of a major pivot away from the Kremlin and toward the West. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, it has broken off ties with Russia at an unprecedented pace — buying weapons from France and India, hosting military drills with the United States, and sending aid to Kyiv. Now, it’s even hinting it may want to try and join the European Union.

Over the weekend, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said that applying for EU membership “is being discussed” domestically as part of a host of options for the country’s tilt to a pro-Western foreign policy.

And, on Wednesday, the European Parliament backed a motion calling for the consideration of Armenia’s candidacy, based on “common values such as democracy, the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

However, the long road to Brussels is paved with Russia-shaped obstacles. After all, Yerevan hitched its cart to Moscow a decade ago.

While Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia charted a pro-EU path toward political and trade integration, Armenia’s previous government peeled off in 2013 to join the Russia-led Eurasian Customs Union.

Part of that calculation was how a close alliance with Russia could have prevented disaster in Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian enclave entirely within Azerbaijan’s borders. Ultimately, those hopes of Russian security support came to nothing as Azerbaijan seized Nagorno-Karabakh in a lightning invasion last year.

Russian boots on the ground
Since Armenia’s own 2018 “velvet revolution” that saw pro-Moscow elites ousted and a reformist government come to power, Armenia has bolstered civil rights and relaxed limitations on freedom of speech while refusing to support Putin’s war in Ukraine.

Now, Armenia is ranked as performing better on political rights even than neighboring Georgia — which has a clear path to the EU despite repeated warnings from Brussels that its government is failing to bring about key reforms and seeking closer ties with Russia instead.

That change of course has put Armenia at odds with its former imperial overlord — which controls not just the borders but also its energy network and railways, and has a virtual monopoly on imports of grain, gas and fuel. But beyond retaking control of its borders and markets, Armenia would need to work out what to do with the estimated 3,000 Russian army troops garrisoned around the country.

Despite formal obligations, Russia did nothing to support Armenia during a border war in 2022, and its peacekeepers stood back in September when Azerbaijan launched an offensive to seize Nagorno-Karabakh — sparking a mass exodus of its 100,000 Armenian residents.

With resentment building, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly hinted the Russians could be asked to leave, while Moscow’s border guards are being told to stand down from their role checking passports at the airport.

“There are significant fears that Azerbaijan could escalate again,” said Benyamin Poghosyan, a researcher at the Applied Policy Research Institute of Armenia, arguing the move is as much about security as ideology. “The government is looking to India, to France, and is now thinking maybe the final salvation of Armenia is the EU perspective.”

However, it’s unclear whether Moscow would willingly give up its foothold in the country, which lies at a strategic crossroads between Iran and Turkey, even if Armenia did move to exit the Russia’s CSTO military bloc and its Eurasian Economic Union.

“It seems impossible for Armenia to join the EU with Russian troops on its soil because they could, at any moment, intervene in the political process,” said Tornike Gordadze, a former European integration minister of Georgia.

Prisoners of Putin?
Armenia isn’t alone in this situation.

Georgia, which was granted EU candidate status last year, has two Russian-backed conflicts on its territory — in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, where Moscow’s troops are illegally stationed.

Moldova was likewise given a clear path to EU membership in November, despite a Kremlin-backed proxy state in Transnistria that plays host to hundreds of Russian soldiers.

The monumental decision to grant candidacy to Ukraine, a response to Russia’s brutal war of aggression, is complicated by the fact Moscow still occupies almost a fifth of the country’s territory.

Full integration into the bloc while Moscow’s troops are present opens up a host of practical, security and legal issues, even if aspiring members are able to deliver on rule-of-law and anti-corruption reforms. That leaves Brussels facing an impossible question: should Putin be able to hold Eastern Europe’s EU dreams hostage?

Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova are all hoping their accession talks can begin regardless. They cite the case of Cyprus, which became a member in 2004 despite the northern part of the island having been invaded by Turkish forces three decades prior, locking it into a frozen conflict. That precedent has nonetheless drawn criticism that will have to be weighed up by EU officials as they make decisions about future applications.

For Armenia, however, the problem runs back to its previous pro-Russian governments, which failed to put it on the same track as the other three former Soviet republics.

“The difference is Armenia chose its foreign policy back in 2013, when it completed talks on the EU’s Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area agreement — but then U-turned and joined the Eurasian Economic Union,” said Tinatin Akhvlediani, a research fellow at the Brussels-based Centre for European Policy Studies. This puts Armenia further from EU integration than other prospective members.

“Now, they’re reconsidering because Russia failed to intervene” when Azerbaijan overtook Nagorno-Karabakh, she went on, adding that Brussels would need to see more than just a desire for protection. “It’s now about getting it clear which stance Armenia wants to take — a decade after it decided to strengthen its alliance with Russia instead of the EU.”

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Russia warns Ukraine war could spin out of control due to action of one or two NATO countries
MOSCOW, March 13 (Reuters) - Russia warned on Wednesday that the war in Ukraine could spin out of control and expand geographically due to the ill-considered actions of one or two member states from the NATO military alliance.

The conflict has triggered the deepest crisis in Moscow's relations with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and Russia reacted angrily after French President Emmanuel Macron last month refused to rule out sending troops to Ukraine.

On Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin told the West that Russia was technically ready for nuclear war and that if the U.S. sent troops to Ukraine, it would be considered a significant escalation of the conflict.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters on Wednesday that the situation around Ukraine was becoming dangerous and that the risks were growing.

"As a result of the ill-considered provocative actions of even one or two EU or NATO member states, the Ukrainian crisis could absolutely go beyond its geographical borders, acquire a completely different scale and develop uncontrollably," Zakharova told a news briefing.

Zakharova said Moscow believed the West was now walking "on the edge of the abyss" and pushing the world to the edge too with its actions over Ukraine.

"Accordingly, the question today is how to avoid the risks of further escalation. They are obvious and frightening to all sensible people," Zakharova said, advising the West to give up on the idea of strategically defeating Russia and stop supporting Ukraine with money and weapons.

"The West will have to learn to reckon not only with its own geopolitical ambitions, but also with the legitimate interests of other countries," Zakharova said.

"I am well aware that this will literally cause gnashing of teeth, but it will have to be done at some point, and the sooner it is done, the fewer people will die, and the fewer people, in principle, will suffer," she said.

The West is grappling with how to support Kyiv against Russia, which now controls almost one-fifth of Ukrainian territory and is rearming much faster than the West and Ukraine.

Kyiv says it is defending itself against an imperial-style war of conquest designed to erase its national identity.
Russia says it sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022 in what it called a "special military operation" to bolster its own security against a hostile West and to defend the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine's south-east.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 19:35 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.reuters.com/w(...)two-nato-2024-03-13/
[..]
Alleen maar meer reden om troepen naar Oekraïne te sturen. Putin/Rusland is duidelijk bezig om ons uit elkaar proberen te drijven. En het sturen van troepen zal niet vanuit de NAVO gebeuren natuurlijk. Maar slechts vanuit individuele NAVO landen. Wat hun goed recht is.

Dit zijn dus loze dreigementen van Putin.

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The Moscow Times: EU firms supply equipment for the Novatek project worth 580 euros to Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 Project Despite Sanctions
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, European companies continued to supply equipment to the Russian Arctic LNG 2 project, supplying it with their products worth hundreds of millions of euros, despite it being under Western sanctions. The Moscow Times’ Russian service and the Arctida NGO reported in a joint investigation.

SPOILER

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When completed, Novatek’s Arctic LNG 2 project will extract and produce LNG on the Gyda Peninsula in the Arctic at an estimated annual production capacity of 19.8 million tons.

Its construction began in 2019 with French, Chinese and Japanese investors. In 2023, its construction cost was estimated at about $25 billion.

Novatek has a 60% stake in the project, while France’s TotalEnergies, China’s CNPC and CNOOC, and a consortium of Japan’s Mitsui and JOGMEC all have 10% stakes each.

Novatek’s largest shareholders are Leonid Mikhelson and Gennady Timchenko, whom Putin has called a “friend.” Other Novatek shareholders include Gazprom and France’s Total.

According to Russian customs data, from the moment the European Union introduced a ban on the supply of any equipment for the production of liquefied gas in May 2022 and until the end of January 2024, Arctic LNG 2 received products worth 580 million euros from European companies. About half of this amount came in 2022. In 2023, equipment worth over 220 million euros was imported into Russia, and in January 2024 – 24 million euros.

The largest suppliers of Arctic LNG 2 were companies from Italy (112 million euros), France (31.6 million euros), Germany (25 million euros), the Netherlands (12.8 million euros) and Spain (8 million euros).

The main supplier of equipment for Arctic LNG 2 in 2023 was the Italian Nuovo Pignone SRL, which produces equipment for the energy industry. She sent products worth 41 million euros to Russia. Among the French companies, the largest supplier was Optaperiph, which supplied six million euros worth of thermal insulation products, valves and other equipment to the Russian Federation. The German conglomerate Siemens, which announced its withdrawal from the Russian market shortly after the start of the full-scale invasion of Russian troops in Ukraine, supplied more than 4.8 million euros of its products to Arctic LNG 2 in 2023.

The investigation clarifies that European equipment for Arctic LNG 2 is imported to the Russian Federation mainly through China, since at least five Chinese companies are involved in the construction of the project modules. However, some equipment comes directly from the EU. For example, 11% of Italian shipments in 2023 came directly from Italy.

As oil and gas market expert Mikhail Krutikhin explained, it is quite difficult for manufacturers to track the end customer if supplies go through intermediaries. “But it often happens that the supplier knows who his end consumer is, so collusion at some level, perhaps with someone from the management, cannot be completely ruled out,” the expert added.

Arctida director Ilya Shumanov notes that some of the equipment supplied for Arctic LNG 2 is “quite specific.” “We therefore believe that managers of European suppliers should have understood which projects it could be used in,” he concluded.

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Putin Ally Found 'Hanged' in Own Office: Reports
Vitaly Robertus, the vice president of Lukoil, Russia's second-largest oil producer, was found dead in his Moscow office on Tuesday in an apparent suicide, according to local reports.

Multiple Russian Telegram channels, including independent Russian journalism project ASTRA and Baza, which is linked to Russia's security services, reported on Thursday that Robertus had been found "hanged" in his office.

This marks at least the fourth death of a top executive at Lukoil since Russia's war in Ukraine began on February 24, 2022.

SPOILER

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"The top manager committed suicide and died of asphyxia. He worked for the company for about 30 years," Baza said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Lukoil said in a statement on its website that Robertus had died "suddenly" at age 54. The cause of his death wasn't given.

"Before his death, he allegedly complained of headaches," ASTRA reported.

The VChK-OGPU outlet, which purports to have inside information from Russian security forces, said Robertus "did not have any chronic diseases or family problems, and on the eve of his death his acquaintances saw him in a sober mind and in good health," citing unnamed sources.

Newsweek couldn't independently verify the reports and has contacted the Russian Foreign Ministry and Lukoil for comment by email.

Lukoil said Robertus had been working with the oil giant for more than 30 years, starting as an economist, and that he had been awarded "state and departmental awards for his success in the development of the domestic fuel and energy complex."

"In our memory he will remain a talented leader, a versatile person, a sympathetic comrade," a press release on the Lukoil website said. "The LUKOIL team expresses deep condolences to the family and friends of Vitaly Vladimirovich Robertus."

Robertus is the fourth top manager of Lukoil to die in the last two years, Russian publication RTVI reported. Lukoil in March 2022 publicly criticized Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Its board of directors issued a statement at the time expressing "its deepest concerns about the tragic events in Ukraine."

In May 2022, a former top manager of Lukoil, Alexander Subbotin, died under mysterious circumstances at age 44. He was found dead in the basement of the home of a shaman in Mytishchi, a city northeast of the capital Moscow, after suffering an apparent heart attack, state-run Russian news agency Tass reported.

Tass reported that he went to the shaman's home "in a state of severe alcoholic and drug intoxication the day before" his death. His body was discovered in a basement reportedly used for "Jamaican voodoo rituals."

On September 1, 2022, Ravil Maganov, the chairman of Lukoil, was found dead after falling from a hospital window in Moscow. The circumstances surrounding the 67-year-old's fall remain unexplained. He had worked at Lukoil since 1993. The company's press service reported that he had died "after a serious illness."

In October 2023, Vladimir Nekrasov, the chairman of the company's board of directors, died at age 66, reportedly from acute heart failure.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 19:55 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 19:56 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Wat is dat toch met de brandfilmpjes steeds in dit topic? Een land van 135 miljoen inwoners, weet je hoe vaak daar brand is?

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 19:56 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Wat is dat toch met de brandfilmpjes steeds in dit topic? Een land van 135 miljoen inwoners, weet je hoe vaak daar brand is?

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 20:05 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

En we zien Rusland nu eenmaal graag branden.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 20:05 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
Sinds the oorlog gestart is zijn het aantal branden in Rusland flink omhoog gegaan.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 20:05 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Sinds the oorlog gestart is zijn het aantal branden in Rusland flink omhoog gegaan. Dus een groot deel van deze branden zijn een direct gevolg van de oorlog. Of het nu door ontevreden burgers of gedesillusioneerde soldaten gebeurd, of door het verzet, drones en raketten maakt dan niet uit. En dan zijn er natuurlijk ook nog de sancties die hier aan bijgedragen kunnen hebben.

Dat en we zien Rusland nu eenmaal graag branden.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 20:07 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Bron aub.

Edit: En 'flink' hé, ik wil een significante toename zien.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 20:07 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Bron aub.

Edit: En 'flink' hé, ik wil een significante toename zien.

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Russia on fire: the rate of fires has doubled in the last three months
In our previous publication, which is available below on the same page, we analyzed the dynamics of fires in the Russian Federation in 2022. This time, we added the first 3 months of 2023 to the calculation.

OSINT agency Molfar correctly predicted an increase in the number of fires during the first months of 2023. Although we were somewhat optimistic in our forecasts, the number of fires did increase. Compare for yourself: 414 cases during the whole of 2022, compared to 212 fires in the first three months of 2023. It should be reminded that during the same period (January – March) last year, there were only 64 fires across Russia, which is even three times less than this year.

Flammable objects: what catches fire most often in Russia?
Russian warehouses and factories burned the most – more than 70% of all cases occurred at these facilities. Shopping centers also burned quite well (12% of all cases) – note that all fires occurred at night, so there were no mass casualties.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 20:07 schreef michaelmoore het volgende:

[..]
niet alleen brandende raffinaderijen of munitie opslagplaatsen maar ook ontspoorde munitie treinen en zinkende schepen met munitie

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 20:34 schreef Anton91 het volgende:
[ x ]

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 20:44 schreef zalkc het volgende:

[..]
Was die blogger "Thirteenth" niet laatst in een gestrand schip omgekomen?

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 20:47 schreef capricia het volgende:
Franse troepen op weg naar mogelijke inzet Oekraïne.

[ x ]

Er zou ook een toespraak van Macron komen. Maar ik ben niet in de gelegenheid om te zoeken.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 20:49 schreef zalkc het volgende:

[..]
Ze zijn onderweg naar Roemenië, zodat ze snel ingezet kunnen worden, kleine nuance

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French regiments are said to be on their way to #Roumanie , in preparation for deployment in Ukraine against the Russian army, notably at #Odessa . Among them, the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment #Nîmes is mentioned.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 20:50 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
[..]
Volgens dat bericht is het ter voorbereiding van inzet in Oekraïne, vooral in Odessa.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 20:52 schreef capricia het volgende:

[..]
Dan verwachten ze dat Rusland die kant op wil bewegen. Om richting Moldavië te gaan.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 20:50 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
[..]
Volgens dat bericht is het ter voorbereiding van inzet in Oekraïne, vooral in Odessa.

Natuurlijk kan er wat vertaalfoutjes insluipen met automatisch vertalen. Dus laten we de speech van Macron afwachten. Die heb ik nog niet kunnen vinden.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 20:55 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Dat zou best kunnen. Maar dat is bijna onmogelijk. Daar ze op dit ogenblik niet echt een vloot in de zwarte zee hebben. En van de grotere landingsschepen zijn slechts 50 procent over. Ze kunnen nooit in de buurt van Odessa komen. En in de Kerson regio zitten ze ook vast. Dus via de land gaat ook niet.

Misschien dat zij luchtafweer gaan bemannen ofzo.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 19:56 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Wat is dat toch met de brandfilmpjes steeds in dit topic? Een land van 135 miljoen inwoners, weet je hoe vaak daar brand is?

Image of a powerful fire in the Tver region of Russia

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 20:57 schreef michaelmoore het volgende:

[..]
dit is wel heel erg
heeft niets met de oorlog te maken , maar hoe kan een flat zo vreselijk branden

Image of a powerful fire in the Tver region of Russia

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 20:57 schreef michaelmoore het volgende:

[..]
dit is wel heel erg
heeft niets met de oorlog te maken , maar hoe kan een flat zo vreselijk branden

Image of a powerful fire in the Tver region of Russia

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 21:00 schreef Starhopper het volgende:
Napoleon is ook tot Moskou gekomen

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 20:56 schreef Opnaarutrecht het volgende:

[..]
De speech begint om 21.00 uur. *Correctie: ik ben hier niet meer zeker van. Ik zie zie ook al fragmenten, wat betekent dat de speech al is begonnen.

Au 20h de TF1 et de France 2 sur le soutien de la France à l'Ukraine.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 21:00 schreef Starhopper het volgende:
Napoleon is ook tot Moskou gekomen

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 20:57 schreef michaelmoore het volgende:

[..]
dit is wel heel erg
heeft niets met de oorlog te maken , maar hoe kan een flat zo vreselijk branden

Image of a powerful fire in the Tver region of Russia

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 21:02 schreef over_hedge het volgende:

[..]
Dat was nou niet echt een succes te noemen

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 20:13 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 21:02 schreef Starhopper het volgende:

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Goedkope gevelpanelen want Rusland geeft geen neuk om de veiligheid van de bevolking.

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 21:04 schreef myShizzle het volgende:
[ x ]

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Op donderdag 14 maart 2024 21:02 schreef over_hedge het volgende:

[..]
Dat was nou niet echt een succes te noemen