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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 17:49 schreef ExTec het volgende:

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Ja, in die context is kruisje bij je naam zetten dat je verloren hebt, ook onderhandelen.

Maar wat leuk dat ook jij geen antwoord hebt op dat rus qua verdragen gewoon niet betrouwbaar is.

Zag ik nou niet aankomen.

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 18:17 schreef Aether het volgende:
[ afbeelding ] [ afbeelding ]

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 18:33 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:

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Dit leidt nergens toe, behoudens een eeuwig durende proxy oorlog.

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 18:44 schreef Digi2 het volgende:

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Zuid Korea vaart er wel bij, NK beduidend minder

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 18:15 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:
Rusland gaat kapot!

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 18:55 schreef quirina het volgende:

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Was dat maar zo h�?

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 10:04 schreef ExTec het volgende:

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Net zoals die nukes die 'ECH WEL!' zouden komen, zeg maar.

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 10:17 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:

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Ukraine word gesteund door de grootste economie�n van de wereld. Het is geen kwestie van granaten maar van politieke wil. En het Westen kan het zich niet veroorloven Putin zijn gang te laten gaan. Zeker niet na zijn oorlogsverklaringen (waaronder die van gisteren) en na Buscha.

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 20:00 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

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Feit is gewoon dat er mensen en munitie te kort zijn bij Oekra�ne. En dat dat vooralsnog niet lijkt te veranderen.

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 18:44 schreef Digi2 het volgende:

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Zuid Korea vaart er wel bij, NK beduidend minder

South Korea's fertility rate plunges to record low | REUTERS

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 18:17 schreef Aether het volgende:
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Oekra�ne wil Rusland pijnigen met droneaanvallen op oliesector

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Energie-expert Lucia van Geuns van het Den Haag Centrum voor Strategische Studies (HCCS) wijst erop dat de Russische olie-industrie enorm is. "Een droneaanval doet pijn, maar voor de hele industrie is het maar een speldenprik."

Het zijn volgens haar wel speldenprikken die regionaal impact kunnen hebben. "Schade aan raffinaderijen betekent ongemak, maar die - zo heb ik begrepen - kunnen ze vrij snel repareren.

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Marina Miron, defensie-expert aan King's College London, zet vraagtekens bij de effectiviteit van de droneaanvallen in Rusland. "Als poging om de Russische oorlogsfinanciering te dwarsbomen, verwacht ik er weinig van. Het is een druppel in een oceaan. Ze zijn hooguit van nut in pr-opzicht: de beelden van de aanvallen laten westerse bondgenoten zien: we vechten nog. Maar het is afleiding van wat er op het slagveld gebeurt."

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 20:19 schreef halfway het volgende:

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En waarom breekt het almachtige Russische leger dan niet door?

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 20:37 schreef 3rr0r het volgende:

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https://nos.nl/artikel/25(...)vallen-op-oliesector

Laatst postte iemand @:oheng (?) hier dat Oekraine juist de onderdelen van de raffinaderijen probeert te raken die niet even makkelijk te repareren zijn. Of dat zo is en of ze daarin slagen zullen we wel niet echt te weten komen. Maar de experts in het NOS artikel vinden het dus niks voorstellen en geen effect anders dan wat PR.

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 20:19 schreef halfway het volgende:

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En waarom breekt het almachtige Russische leger dan niet door?

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Colombia Refused to Give its Mi-17 to Ukraine, Now Struggles to Repair Them Due to Sanctions on russia
An interesting case showing how russians disguise themselves in attempts to bypass trade restrictions
Colombia's army has faced the problem of not being able to pay for repairs to its Mi-17 family helicopters under a contract with National Aviation Service Company SA.

Previously concluded agreements had to be suspended, as this contractor cannot receive payments due to Western sanctions against the russian federation. More specifically, this company was blocked from using the Swift payment system and was included in the so-called "Clinton list," Infodefensa reports citing DAVAA, the air force of the National Army of Colombia.

As noted, Colombia currently has about 20 helicopters of the Mi-17 type, only nine of them are currently in flight-capable condition, another nine are under conservation, and the other two are damaged and waiting for their time to be dismantled for spare parts.

Between 1996 and 2009, Colombia received a total of 26 Mi-17 in various modifications helicopters from the russian federation. For now, the Colombian military expects the rotorcraft still in service will be able to last until 2026–2027.

There are at least two interesting nuances about this predicament. One is that back in winter 2023, the United States offered multiple nations, including Colombia, to hand their Soviet- and russian-made helicopters over to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in exchange for appropriate compensation. But Colombia, like other Latin American countries, refused the offer. And now the Colombian military is trying to figure out how to maintain these rotorcraft at all.

Another interesting point is about how it happened that the above-mentioned contractor, tasked to repair the Colombian Mi-17s, ended up under sanctions targeted against russia. The hypothesis is that representatives of the russian defense industry disguised themselves as various legal entities in Colombia in order to maintain a presence in "their" spheres of influence in the world arms market. However, this is still only a speculation, which are yet to be confirmed or refuted.

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WSJ: The Czech Republic began looking for shells for Ukraine even before the Russian invasion
Representatives of the Czech Republic began searching for ammunition for Ukraine, as well as countries that could provide finance for its transportation, immediately before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops.

Unlike the United States, France and Germany, which are focused on increasing the production of ammunition and strengthening their defensive capabilities, the Czech Republic has decided to purchase existing ammunition from other states.

Czech officials "confidentially" visited numerous countries around the world to conclude deals for the sale and export of ammunition, as well as obtaining relevant licenses.

“We are like hobbits - we are small and peaceful, but in times of crisis we enter into an alliance with much more powerful countries and achieve results,” said Tomasz Kopeczny, the republican government commissioner for the restoration of Ukraine.

The specific place where representatives of the Czech Republic purchased shells is not specified, but it is alleged that among these countries there are “allies of Russia.”

According to Kopecny, the Czech Republic has acted and continues to act as a mediator, reaching out to countries that have production capacity or have the appropriate ammunition. Having agreed with suppliers, Prague turned to a Western country, which ordered shells and paid for their delivery. The Czech Republic then organized logistics, delivering ammunition through its territory or through third countries. Thus, the Czech Republic was able to maintain the confidentiality of the origin of the shells and their destination for Ukraine, as well as avoid retaliation from Moscow, the publication points out.

According to the publication, Germany, which allocated 500 million euros, is among the donor countries of the Czech initiative, along with Canada, the Netherlands and Denmark. However, the United States is not participating in this project. In total, the Czech Republic was able to negotiate the supply of about 800 thousand artillery shells from around the world and found an additional 700 thousand ammunition, subject to the availability of appropriate funding. Of the total amount of 800 thousand shells, 300 thousand are Soviet-standard ammunition, and about 500 thousand are Western-made shells, which will be delivered to Kyiv in stages until the end of this year. Interlocutors from the Czech Republic indicated that approximately 3 billion euros are required to purchase the entire volume of shells, approximately 1.5 billion units.

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 20:37 schreef 3rr0r het volgende:

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https://nos.nl/artikel/25(...)vallen-op-oliesector

Laatst postte iemand @:oheng (?) hier dat Oekraine juist de onderdelen van de raffinaderijen probeert te raken die niet even makkelijk te repareren zijn. Of dat zo is en of ze daarin slagen zullen we wel niet echt te weten komen. Maar de experts in het NOS artikel vinden het dus niks voorstellen en geen effect anders dan wat PR.

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Plastic Magura V5 Sea Drones are Invisible to Radars, Says Chief Operator

Group-13 reveals previously unknown specifications and features of the Magura V5, which has evolved
Previously known specifications of the Magura V5 sea drones need an update since the commander of Group-13 has shared some relevant details about this weapon that has become a menace to russian naval ships in the Black Sea, south of Ukraine.

Group-13, for a reminder, is a secret unit within the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine famed for maritime attacks on russian military vessels by swarming them with small and maneuverable explosive uncrewed boats. One of Group-13's targets was the Sergey Kotov patrol ship, successfully sunk on March 5th, 2024. The operation piqued the interest of journalists from the Ukrainian office of BBC.

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Commander of Group-13, a serviceman with a call sign "Thirteenth," told the reporters that Sergey Kotov was so far the toughest target to defeat, out of five ships this unit had engaged. The patrol ship was attacked repeatedly two times but only on the third one did Ukrainian drones manage to destroy it. Side note, earlier the elite unit commander revealed that a total of ten Magura V5 drones were engaged for the operation, it took six of them to sink the russian warship.

Magura V5 is Group-13's exclusive weapon made by an undisclosed Ukrainian company, one of the three unmanned surface vessels of domestic manufacture in service with the Ukrainian Defense Forces. Each one has its own features and roles, and "Thirteenth" specified some of the unique specs of Magura V5 to the BBC journalists:

"It doesn't emit much heat, so it's almost not visible to thermal imaging cameras. It is made of plastic, so even radars have a hard time seeing it," he said.

Moreover, according to the drone unit commander, the operational range of Magura V5 is 800 km, and payload capacity is 250 kg — contrary to the previously known data about this unmanned system, suggesting it can carry 320 kg of load. The figures come from a presentation from the Ukrainian government's defense export agency SpetsTechnoExport:

These 250 kilograms of explosive are enough to sink a warship, "Thirteenth" assures. Control of the uncrewed vessel is secured via internet connection, so the operator could be anywhere, their location is not tied to a specific link range. Defense Express adds that earlier such drones were seen with Starlink antennas providing network connection through satellites. There are also a backup control channels in addition to the main one, the commander said without any further details.

Also, the hull length has increased, compared to the previously known information – current 6 meters vs. 5.5 meters known earlier. While the cost for a Magura drone remains undisclosed, "Thirteenth" mentioned that all of those produced since early 2023 combined would still be cheaper than the Ivanovets missile corvette of the russian Black Sea Fleet which was sunk by the very same drones in early February 2024. Defense Intelligence estimates the cost of this battleship at $60–70 million, however, the exact number of Magura drones produced is not disclosed.

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 20:59 schreef cabe0002 het volgende:

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Ik zie 0,0 onderbouwing hier in dit artikel. Op jaarbasis kost Rusland dit miljarden aan gederfde inkomsten. Dus hoe is dit alleen wat PR-effect? En we zullen we zien hoe snel ze de schade kunnen repareren met alle sancties die ze nu hebben. En waarom heeft Rusland dan een export stop ingesteld als het geen effect heeft?

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Ernst and Krutikhin noted that unlike other oil infrastructure such as pipelines, a lot of complex machinery and sophisticated engineering goes into refineries, and they can take several months to fix. Some analysts say the repairs could take longer than usual because sanctions prohibit Western sales of certain components to Russia.

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Mikhail Krutikhin, an independent Russian energy analyst living in exile in Oslo, Norway, said the strikes had prompted Moscow to introduce a six-month ban on gasoline exports, starting March 1, to try to ensure that domestic demand is met while repairs are made to damaged refineries.

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Sergey Vakulenko, an energy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a research group, said Russia was producing far more diesel than it needed to supply its troops. "It will be quite a while before Ukraine manages to hit enough refining units to have an impact on Russia’s diesel capacity,” he said.

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On Thursday, Pavel Sorokin, Russia’s first deputy energy minister, suggested that Russia was pivoting again to meet a new challenge. He acknowledged that he expected the output of refineries to decrease this year, according to the Russian state news agency Tass. But he indicated that the country has options and would instead increase its crude oil exports.

"The situation is stable,” he said, according to Tass. "There is nothing critical because it means oil exports will be higher.

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 21:09 schreef 3rr0r het volgende:

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Hier wat uit een ander artikel van de Japan Times omtrent die drone anvallen en effecten ervan:

Paar maanden voor reparatie en wellicht langer door de sancties voor onderdelen.
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Analyst die zegt dat de ban het gevolg is van de drone strikes
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Expert die zegt dat het geen effect zal hebben voor diesel voor Russische troepen.
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Rus beweert dat ze gewoon meer ruwe olie exporteren dan. Kennelijk weten/denken ze dat er elders wel genoeg raffinagecapaciteit is, of hij praat onzin natuurlijk.
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https://www.japantimes.co(...)e-russia-oil-target/

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 20:48 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

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Omdat het al meer dan een jaar in een patstelling bevind. Wat Zaluzhny ook toegegeven heeft.

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 20:48 schreef BlaZ het volgende:

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Het is denk ik duidelijker als je ziet hoe groot een raffinaderij is en zo zijn er een stuk of 20. Je kan wel degelijk serieuze schade aanrichten, maar dan moet je het echt met tientallen drones weten te raken.

https://www.google.com.mx(...)%2F0281_08?entry=ttu

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 21:19 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:

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Zolang er massa's Russen dood gaan is er geen patstelling.

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 21:19 schreef 3rr0r het volgende:

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Je hoeft niet de hele raffinaderij plat te bombarderen om hem buiten werking te stellen lijkt me.

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 20:37 schreef 3rr0r het volgende:

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https://nos.nl/artikel/25(...)vallen-op-oliesector

Laatst postte iemand @:oheng (?) hier dat Oekraine juist de onderdelen van de raffinaderijen probeert te raken die niet even makkelijk te repareren zijn. Of dat zo is en of ze daarin slagen zullen we wel niet echt te weten komen. Maar de experts in het NOS artikel vinden het dus niks voorstellen en geen effect anders dan wat PR.

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 21:39 schreef BlaZ het volgende:

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Het zijn allemaal losse eenheden, het zijn eenheden die onafhankelijk van elkaar produceren. Zie het gebruik van "units" in het artikel wat je postte. Je schakelt dus bij een aanval een unit uit, niet de hele fabriek.
Maar dan nog is het aanzienlijke schade, zeker als je het aantal drones waarmee je kunt aanvallen kunt doen toenemen.
Bijvoorbeeld die Kinef fabriek heeft 20 raffinage�enheden.

In principe kun je zo'n fabriek wel tijdelijk uitschakelen, dan zul je echter het controle centrum moeten raken en dat is eigenlijk altijd wel goed beschermd.

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Putin may be the biggest dupe of his fake election landslide
With official results showing he won 9 out of every 10 votes, has the Russian autocrat overplayed his hand?

“The most important outcome of any Russian election is legitimacy,” Vladimir Putin told Russia’s top election officials when they gathered at his residence outside Moscow in November. “That is the foundation of political stability.”

On Sunday, after three days of voting, those same officials declared a landslide victory for the president, giving him a record 87 percent of the vote.

There is no doubt that Putin will use the outcome as proof of mass support. But such a distorted election — in which all challengers were crushed and even the dead may have voted for him — risks undermining the political stability he craves.

This election was a historic low for post-Soviet Russia.

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“Over the years, the presidential administration has created more and more favorable conditions for itself,” David Kankiya, of independent monitoring group Golos, told POLITICO. “But this time it reached an unprecedented peak.”

Even without taking into account the crackdown on the opposition, the vote was the least competitive in Russia’s modern history: Only three Kremlin candidates separated Putin from a Stalin-style ballot with one name.

It was also the least transparent: Never before have there been so few independent observers with so little access (tellingly, the head of Golos is in jail.)

And in another first, in some 29 regions, including those most prone to protest, voting took place electronically, described by independent election monitors as a “black box” method designed to facilitate vote tampering.

But perhaps the most flagrant violation in “this landscape of illegality,” says Ekaterina Schulmann, a Russian political analyst at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin, has been a voting army of “dead souls.”

This is especially true of votes cast from the “new territories” occupied by Russia in Ukraine, where electoral authorities said there were some 4.6 million potential voters. That figure is in line with old Ukrainian statistics from peacetime, but hardly corresponds to the current population.

“It’s obvious that in times of war, people get killed, they move away,” says Schulmann.

‘Pure fiction’
“There’s a war going on there and zero public oversight,” agreed Kankiya, adding that residents did not even need a Russian passport to vote. “So whatever result the authorities decided on, they got. We’re entering the sphere of pure fiction here.”

Then there were the tens of million of state employees and students who were coerced into voting.

Paradoxically, the queues which could be seen outside some polling stations on Friday — the day most were assigned to vote on, presumably to give election officials more time to tweak the result to satisfactory levels — were in fact a display of people “stripped of their voting rights,” said Kankiya.

“Like in Soviet times, when you were forced to vote, whether you wanted to or not.”

Across the country at polling stations people dressed in costume, presumably to infuse the election with some joy. But no carnival of animals could distract from the groups of identically dressed factory workers, fishermen and men on horseback who showed up to cast their ballots at exactly the same time.

“I’m convinced that an absolute majority of Russians won’t have much faith in the results of this vote,” said Kankiya.

Although a glaringly obvious circus, the Kremlin might not care that much.

Rather than a gauge of public sentiment, elections under Putin resemble a nationwide test of readiness for the state apparatus. And this time, like last time, it passed.

From state companies to libraries, universities and factories, superiors instructed their lower downs how and when to vote and then harassed them for evidence they had completed the task.

Even at the highest level, none of Putin’s three supposed rivals dared to even pretend they were going for the win.

The past three days of voting have provided Putin with the assurance that the power vertical is in place and Russians will do as they are told.

For the Kremlin that is useful confirmation ahead of what many predict will be turbulent times. Following the 2018 election, Russians were presented with painful pension reforms. The expectation now is that Putin might ramp up mobilization efforts.

In weeks and months to come, Putin will also overhaul the government, most likely to the benefit of hardliners, writes political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya, adding they were likely to double down on Russia’s commitment towards a war-time economy and a war-time morality.

The protesters and the elite
Putin will be beginning his fifth term on the back of the biggest anti-war protests since early 2022.

Heeding a call to assemble “at noon against Putin,” thousands of Russians on Sunday, scattered across some 95,000 polling stations and cities worldwide, came out in a show of dissent.

Coming on the back of queues for anti-war candidate Boris Nadezhdin and more recently for Alexei Navalny’s funeral, the flashmob underscored that despite unprecedented repression, Russians’ ability to offer resistance has not completely atrophied.

“The Kremlin has sustained three blows to its image,” in a matter of several months, said Nikolai Petrov, a consulting fellow at Chatham House.

“The image that Putin wanted has been ruined,” he said, although adding that there were not yet any visible political consequences.

At multiple polling stations across the country, some people also attempted to inflict damage on ballot boxes and polling stations, by pouring green dye and ink over ballots or starting fires.

Although it is unclear what exactly motivated these people (one version is that they were duped), many observers saw the sabotage acts as an expression of their own rage and frustration.

Finally, many Russians chose to invalidate their ballot by ticking several boxes and adding their own anti-war messages or writing down the names of opposition politicians, such as Navalny.

The messages won’t be read by Putin, but they will go through the hands of thousands of election officials — and higher.

“The main audience for the Kremlin is the elite, it is they who must be convinced that in the past six years, Putin’s position has not weakened, but has become stronger,” said Petrov.

But he added fooling them would be difficult precisely because they have been involved in the vote rigging and therefore know to what extent the official picture differs from reality.

Putin, however, won’t — as his entourage will undoubtedly present him with an airbrushed version of the past three days.

“This is where there could be a big rift,” says Petrov. “Objectively, the election has not strengthened the position of the Kremlin. But subjectively, Putin might be under the impression that he enjoys total support and he now has free rein.”

Ironically, more than anyone else, it is Putin himself who might be the biggest dupe of his own rigged vote.

“If the elite see that, under pressure from the Kremlin, they are reporting numbers today that are much different from the real numbers, they’ll draw their conclusions,” said Petrov. “They’ll be looking around and wondering who they should be placing their bets on as the next boss.”

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Czechia to propose EU-wide grain import ban on Russia, Belarus
Czechia is planning to propose a ban on grain imports from Russia and Belarus into European Union countries at next week's European Council meeting, Czech Agriculture Minister Marek Vyborny said on March 17.

Over the last year, 1.5 million tons of grain were imported into the EU market from Russia, which amounted to more than what was imported before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

“There is no reason why we should support the aggressor by buying Russian grain in Europe,” Vyborny said on Czech television, insisting that grain must be added to the list of sanctions.

The European Union has already implemented thirteen sanctions packages against Russia, including on trade restrictions, travel bans, and freezing of assets.

In February, Latvia’s parliament voted to ban a list of Russian and Belarusian agricultural and food product imports.

"This Latvian initiative to ban the import of agricultural and fodder products from Russia and Belarus... is an additional element to the common EU sanctions policy,” the Latvian government statement read.

Similarly, on March 14, the Lithuanian parliament adopted a resolution calling on the EU to ban Russian grain crop imports.

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Ukraine's Baykar factory: production plans for Bayraktar drones

Turkish Bayraktar drones, symbols of Ukrainian resistance, are soon to be manufactured in Ukraine, symbolizing deeper ties

The text covers the following:
• Bayraktar in Ukraine
• What is Bayraktar and what are its features
• What will the Baykar plant in Ukraine look like
• When will there be a Bayraktar plant in Ukraine

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Bayraktar in Ukraine

The first six units Ukraine purchased from Turkey in 2018. The following year saw the training of Ukrainian military personnel, who were instructed in both the theory and practical skills necessary to operate the system.

Bayraktars were put on combat duty in Ukraine in the spring of 2021. The drones were used mainly for reconnaissance and patrolling. The first combat use was in October 2021. The Bayraktar destroyed a Russian howitzer that was firing at Ukrainian army positions in violation of the agreements. Interestingly, two days after the incident, Russia banned the import of tangerines from Turkey.

At the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian defenders had approximately 20 Bayraktars ready to carry out combat tasks. Although military observers were skeptical of the drones' effectiveness against Russian air defenses, the course of the fighting, particularly when facing large columns of Russian vehicles in open terrain, contributed to the effective use of Turkish UAVs. British military expert David Hambling was impressed by the results shown by the Bayraktar TB2 in combat against Russian troops. He emphasized that the Bayraktars appeared to be the optimal solution in terms of efficiency-to-cost ratio. With a price tag within $6 million, they performed functions ten times more expensive than aircraft would.

During the first week of the major war, Bayraktars destroyed a column of military vehicles in the Kherson region, and in early March, they decimated a large amount of equipment in the Sumy region. It was the Bayraktar that diverted the attention of the air defense systems of the Russian cruiser Moskva before it was struck by Ukrainian Neptune missiles.

In the first four months after the full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian Armed Forces received up to 50 Bayraktar TB2 strike-reconnaissance drones from the Turkish company Baykar, as then-Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov disclosed. Regarding the use of Bayraktars by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, even the Russians complained to the Turkish government. They were told that Baykar Technologies is a private company.

What is Bayraktar and what are its features

The Bayraktar is a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed for strike and reconnaissance missions, introduced into service in 2014. It is capable of both autonomous (up to 27 hours) and remotely controlled flights, with extended endurance. In favorable wind conditions, the Bayraktar can hover in place.

In Ukraine, the Ukrainian Defense Forces most actively utilize the Bayraktar TB2 drone. This unmanned aerial vehicle, resembling a small aircraft (length 6.5m, wingspan 12m), is equipped with an internal combustion engine with a two-blade propeller. Each Bayraktar TB2 system consists of 6 aircraft, 2 ground control stations, 3 ground data terminals, 2 remote video terminals, and ground support equipment.

The ground control station is transported by vehicle. These stations are capable of intercepting control of drones from one another, allowing for rapid changes in tactics. Therefore, when discussing the communication radius with the control center (150-300 km, depending on the version), it is measured not from the launch site, but from the nearest control station.

The maximum takeoff weight of the Bayraktar TB2 is 650 kg, with a payload capacity of 150 kg. The drone can accelerate to 222 km/h, although its cruising speed is 130 km/h.

What will the Baykar plant in Ukraine look like
In March 2022, Baykar unveiled the new Bayraktar MIUS with a Ukrainian AI-25 engine. Earlier, the company's website announced the first prototype of the new drone. The National Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle System (MIUS) was named Kızılelma ("red apple"). Its prototype was presented in August 2022, and in September, it underwent its first tests.

The project to open a factory in Ukraine, the manufacturer asserts, was conceived even before the large-scale invasion by Russia. However, the plans remained unchanged, and in the summer of 2022, Baykar established a company in Ukraine and acquired a plot of land to build a factory for producing Bayraktar drones. Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar emphasized that this decision was not only political but also practical, as a significant portion of the components used in the factory's production will be of Ukrainian origin.

After meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar spoke about the Baykar center in Ukraine, spanning over 30,000 square meters.

Additionally, timelines were provided. Haluk Bayraktar reported that the company already had a completed architectural project at the time and was commencing construction. Bayraktar anticipated that the company would finish it within two years.

When will there be a Bayraktar plant in Ukraine
In July 2023, Ukraine's Minister for Strategic Industries, Oleksandr Kamyshin, announced that the Turkish company Baykar had already commenced construction of a factory for producing unmanned aerial vehicles in Ukraine.

"This concerns the production within the territory of Ukraine, the same large factory for Bayraktars that was negotiated several years ago, then there were delays, then scandals. Today, this plant is being built, and we have moved on to real steps," Kamyshin argued during the United News telethon broadcast.

The completion dates, however, have shifted. If previously it was mentioned for the second half of 2024, now it is set for 2025. In February, Baykar indicated that they would need an additional 12 months to complete the work.

Despite this, the scale has also increased. If last year the Turks talked about 300 employees, now the executive director of the Turkish company Baykar says that the plant will employ 500 people.

As for the capacities, the Ukrainian plant plans to produce about 120 drones per year. In total, the Turkish company intends to invest $100 million in Ukraine. These funds will go towards three projects - the plant itself, a service center, and the main office.

"Baykar Makina, with state support, is not afraid to invest in the enterprise and is deploying it directly on the territory of our country. They are confident in the implementation of this project, where about 500 employees will work. It is likely that drones will be manufactured at a sufficiently rapid pace, with production rates of up to 10 Bayraktar TB2 or even Bayraktar TB3 drones per month in Ukraine," noted Defense Express expert Valerii Riabykh on Espreso channel.

It is also important that other arms manufacturers have decided to adopt the experience of the Baykar company. Thus, three French companies will immediately produce weapons in Ukraine, announced the Minister of Defense of France, S�bastien Lecornu. This includes KNDS, which manufactures 155mm shells and the Caesar self-propelled artillery unit, as well as the drone manufacturer Delair and the company Arquus (armored vehicles and ground equipment). Additionally, the German concern Rheinmetall has announced plans to build at least 4 weapons production plants in Ukraine, including factories for ammunition, military equipment, gunpowder, and anti-aircraft weapons.

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Slovenia to help purchase shells for Ukraine
Slovenia will join the Czech Republic’s initiative to purchase and supply artillery shells for the Ukrainian Defense Forces outside the European Union.

The Ministry of Defense of Slovenia announced this on social media.

Thus, Slovenia will join other countries that have already supported the Czech initiative to jointly purchase and quickly deliver large-caliber ammunition to Ukraine.

For this purpose, the Slovenian government has allocated one million euros as part of its contribution.

President Pavel announced the possibility of purchasing artillery shells for Ukraine from third countries at the Munich Security Conference in mid-February.

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

To date, more than 15 countries have committed to finance the purchase of artillery shells. Among them are Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Lithuania, France, Norway, as well as Canada and Sweden and Portugal.

Currently, representatives of the Czech Republic do not comment on the cost of potential deals for the purchase of artillery shells as part of military assistance for Ukraine.

According to Tom� Kopečn�, Government Commissioner for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, the delivery of ammunition to Ukraine will take several months.

In addition, Kopečn� also announced the plans to expand the initiative, which will be announced after the first 800,000 artillery shells are financed.

Subsequently, the Czech Republic announced the possibility of purchasing another 200,000 artillery shells for Ukraine.

Militarnyi also recently reported that, in addition to the Czech ammunition procurement initiative, Ukraine wants to implement two more such campaigns by the end of the year and is already working with partners to finance them.

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 21:18 schreef cabe0002 het volgende:

[..]
Bedankt dat je mijn post onderstreept.
Reken nou nog even die paar maanden of laten we zeggen een half jaar om in harde euro's. En dat terwijl Oekra�ne nog maar een maandje bezig is met deze strategie....
Reken daarna nog even door wat het het verschil tussen ruwe olie exporteren tov van benzine/diesel etc.
Dit zijn miljarden aan gemiste inkomsten maat.

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 21:19 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:

[..]
Zolang er massa's Russen dood gaan is er geen patstelling.

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Volkov attack signals Russia’s return to cold war-era spying in Europe
Defence experts say Moscow is rapidly improving its intelligence operations after Ukraine invasion

It was a crude and violent assault, but as a bloody message, it was chillingly effective. An attacker ambushed Leonid Volkov, a close adviser to the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Nalvany, outside his home on the outskirts of Vilnius, Lithuania. The time was 10.06pm on Tuesday night as he arrived, after having filmed an anti-Putin video in time for this weekend’s election.

The assailant smashed open the car window and blasted Volkov with teargas, and repeatedly struck him with a hammer – about 15 times – breaking his left arm and bloodying his left leg before fleeing the scene. It was, Volkov said in the aftermath, “an obvious, characteristic, typical, gangster-style greeting from Putin” and the assault reflected an emerging truth: Russian intelligence operations in Europe are back.

On Thursday, Lithuanian intelligence said the plot “seems to be the work of the Russian special services”, though Darius Jauniskis, the director of state security, said Moscow had apparently using a hired hand to carry out the attack itself. Since the invasion of Ukraine, more than 400 and up to 600 Russian intelligence officers have been expelled from embassies around Europe. Rebuilding the network at speed is said by analysts to have required Moscow to tap into organised crime to help carry out its dirty work.

A month earlier, Maksim Kuzminov, a Russian helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine, was found dead with half a dozen shotgun wounds, on the Costa Blanca. He had moved to Spain in the hope of starting a new life. Although firm evidence was absent, Spanish intelligence concluded that he had been slain on Russian orders, probably by hired killers. After the shooting, they had run over his body and subsequently burned out their getaway car, before almost certainly fleeing the country.

Late last month, a sixth Bulgarian, Tihomir Ivanchev, a painter and decorator, was arrested and charged in the UK on suspicion of committing espionage. He is expected to stand trial this autumn, alongside five fellow nationals. All are accused of spying for Moscow in collaboration with Jan Marsalek, a former executive of the German company Wirecard, who is wanted by Interpol after fleeing to Russia following its collapse in 2020.

SPOILER

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Significantly, unlike prewar plots, Russia is showing a willingness to lean toward claiming responsibility. In the aftermath of the 2018 poisoning of the Skripals in Salisbury, efforts to deny involvement, however risible, were made by the two men accused. After Kuzminov’s death became public, Sergei Naryshkin, the director of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service, said the defector was “a moral corpse”.

It reflects a remarkable turnaround. The plan for Ukraine had been to rely heavily on the FSB domestic intelligence service to recruit turncoats who would be willing to support the Russian invasion once troops crossed the border in February 2022. Whatever the FSB promised it could do, it failed spectacularly. Ukrainian resistance was fierce, not just on the battlefield, but across society. For a time, Sergei Beseda, the head of its fifth service, responsible for Ukraine, was detained – but then released back into his post as before.

Andrei Soldatov, a Russian investigative journalist and intelligence expert now living in the UK, said the recovery in intelligence operations reflects Moscow’s belief that it is now engaged in an explicit struggle with the west. “They are in a warm war,” he argued, and in effect the Kremlin “was really good in changing its analysis” after what was meant to be a special operation to capture Ukraine failed. As Nato weapons have entered Ukraine in significant quantities, Moscow believes it is the start of “a big war” between west and east that was always inevitable, said Soldatov.

It is also a reaction to what happened with previous plots. The exposure of the hacking of Democrat party emails in the run-up to the 2016 US presidential election by GRU military intelligence was once seen to be an embarrassment, given that destabilisation operations are not supposed to be detected, but following the election of Donald Trump, it came to be seen as a positive. “From the Russian point of view, it made Putin a kingmaker in the most powerful country in the world,” Soldatov said.

Morale in the Kremlin has dramatically improved since the failure of Ukraine’s counteroffensive. The fear was that Kyiv would break through, or at least look like it was winning on land, but its troops only gained a few miles despite being supplied with western tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery. But with the war also still largely stalemated, other theatres of conflict have become more important. In Russia’s case, that includes the secret domain.

Analysts report a greater professionalism in Russian operations. Jack Watling, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute thinktank, and two colleagues last month published an analysis of how the GRU has restructured operations after Ukraine. Key to their plans is reforming the operations of its 161 Centre, responsible for destabilisation abroad, along cold war lines to better train agents, known as “illegals”, who will be deployed into Europe under deep cover.

“They are returning to some of the methods of the 1970s and 1980s,” Watling said. Some techniques used are elementary, with personnel no longer bringing mobile phones to the unit’s headquarters. A new subdivision, Unit 54654, has a focus on recruiting “cleanskins” – individuals with no prior security associations and generating cover stories to place individuals on the long-term spying missions that have been so highly prized in Moscow since Soviet times and the theft of atomic secrets by Klaus Fuchs from the Manhattan Project.

The changes in strategy are typical of how Russia approaches wars, said Soldatov. “Remember that in every war, the Russian army and the Russian agencies come into the war in a very bad shape. We talk about that in 1914, 1941 and even Afghanistan. Then gradually, just because of sheer numbers and because they don’t care about casualties, they get into shape. I think that is what is happening now.”

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Prosecutor General's Office: Over 128,000 victims of war crimes recorded in Ukraine
Ukraine has collected pretrial information on over 128,000 victims of war crimes, Veronika Plotnikova, the head of the Coordinating Center for Support of Victims and Witnesses of the Prosecutor General's Office, said on air on March 18.

War crimes include acts such as deliberate attacks on civilians, attacks on cultural sites or medical institutions, torture, and deportations.

Though the Coordinating Center is currently working with 170 victims of war crimes, "the real number of people who need help is much higher," as information on over 128,000 victims of war crimes has been recorded in the national register of pretrial investigations, Plotnikova said.

The Coordinating Center "provides a bridge between victims and those who provide help," Plotnikova said.

According to Plotnikova, staff at the Coordination Center are trained to use accessible language to tell victims and witnesses of war crimes which procedural actions are taking place, and to accompany them to court, while taking care not to retraumatize the victims.

"We are creating an ecosystem of support because no government body, no organization can provide for so many victims."

Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin said in November 2023 that Ukraine had collected evidence of 109,000 Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

"It's our commitment to decide to document, prosecute each and every incident, because each and every incident of war crimes has its victims," Kostin told Politico at the Halifax International Security Forum in Nova Scotia, Canada.

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Three Exhausted Ukrainian Brigades Guarded Robotyne. Just One Fresh Brigade—The 141st—Came To Help.
Robotyne, a town in southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Oblast, marks the farthest advance of Ukrainian forces in their summer 2023 offensive. As summer turned to fall last year, the weary Ukrainians dug in—and braced for the inevitable Russian counterattack.

When the Russians finally came, in October, the very same exhausted Ukrainian brigades that had liberated Robotyne now had to defend it. Nearly six months later, those same brigades still are there—and only recently have begun to receive some reinforcements in the form of the 141st Infantry Brigade, one of Ukraine’s newest combat formations.

SPOILER

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We know very little about the 141st Brigade. It apparently formed right as the Ukrainian offensive kicked off in early June 2023. The brigade reportedly combines six rifle battalions, each with probably a few hundred troops.

The brigade apparently spent the summer and fall in training. The first evidence the 141st had deployed for combat came on Saturday, when the unit posted a video depicting a strike on Russian infantry by one of its first-person-view drones.

The 141st arrives in Robotyne at a critical time. The Ukrainian garrison in and around the ruined town has been beating back nearly daily Russian assaults, but it’s doing so with tired troops and equipment—and with one fewer brigade after chopping the 47th Mechanized Brigade to the Ukrainian eastern command for the fight in—and now outside of—Avdiivka.

Losing the 47th Brigade left the army’s 65th Mechanized Brigade and the air-assault force’s 82nd Brigade in charge of Robotyne. Both brigades have been in combat non-stop for nine months. And as the spring settles in and the ground softens, the 82nd Brigade’s sole tank company is struggling to keep its under-powered, 71-ton Challenger 2 tanks un-stuck.

In reinforcing Robotyne, the 141st Brigade apparently isn’t bringing fresh tanks, however. It seems the brigade lacks the supporting forces—artillery gunners, engineers and, yes, tankers—that make a brigade a “mechanized” unit.

No, the 141st first and foremost is an infantry formation. That it may lack heavy equipment is a reminder that, after suffering heavy losses in last summer’s offensive, the Ukrainian military is struggling evenly to equip all of its brigades with tanks, fighting vehicles and artillery.

Tanks, fighting vehicles and artillery aren’t actually Kyiv’s most urgent needs, however. No, it needs infantry. “The basis of everything is the lack of people,” one battalion commander told The Washington Post last month. That’s a need the new 141st Brigade partially can meet.

But it’s only one brigade in a military that should have a hundred of them. Ukraine’s manpower shortage likely amounts to dozens of brigades. The 141st is part of a grouping of just three new infantry brigades that formed starting last summer. Kyiv around the same time also formed five seemingly under-strength mechanized brigades.

So while the 141st and other new brigades might shore up Ukrainian defenses in a few sectors, they are too few fully to replace the tired and depleted brigades that fought in the 2023 offensive. No, those units must remain on the front line until the politicians in Kyiv finally pass a new law that could mobilize hundreds of thousands of fresh troops.

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Defense fortifications are being strengthened and built in Odesa region

On the territory of the Odesa region new defensive lines are being renewed, strengthened and created.

This was told by Oleh Kiper, Head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, and shown by published corresponding photos.

According to the official, strengthening the defense capability of the region is a priority.

Kiper said that fortifications are being built in the region, and the barriers, dragon`s teeth, anti-tank ditches and other non-explosive barriers are being installed.

SPOILER

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About 150 people and 80 units of equipment were involved in these works.

“Our readiness to counteract the enemy, as well as a systematic approach to the construction of fortifications, is a powerful deterrent for the aggressor,” the Head of the RMA stressed.

As previously reported, according to the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, since the beginning of this year, the government has allocated UAH 20 billion for fortifications and the construction of defense lines in different regions of the country.

In particular, the Odesa region received UAH 1.5 billion for these needs.

In the daily mode, the relevant headquarters operates in Ukraine, where work is coordinated with the regional state administrations, the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense in order for the Defense Forces to have provided lines of defense and rear.

The funds were provided in order to create high-quality, mainly concrete fortifications and non-explosive barriers.

Also on February 25, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi announced an audit of fortifications that will help identify and eliminate weaknesses on the front line.

According to him, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi and Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov are responsible for the construction of fortifications.

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Russian Rebels' Raid Settlements Just 10 Miles From Nuclear Storage Site
Russian volunteer fighters who staged an incursion from Ukraine across Russia's border are within miles of an empty nuclear storage site.

The Freedom of Russia Legion, Siberian Battalion, and the Russian Volunteer Corps, are fiercely critical of Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion. Last week, they said they had crossed into the Belgorod and Kursk oblasts. On Sunday, the Siberian Battalion said on Telegram that "Russian liberation forces" had taken control of the administration building in the village of Gorkovsky.

The groups staged similar incursions in May 2023. Ukrainian intelligence service had said at the time this had led to Russian forces evacuating nuclear ammunition stockpiles from the Belgorod-22 facility in the region's Grayvoronsky district.

This was not independently verified amid doubts that it could take place unnoticed, while Kremlin-friendly Telegram channel Rybar said at the time nuclear weapons had not been at the site for a long time before the raid.

SPOILER

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However, the current proximity of anti-Kremlin formations to the site whose official title is Military Unit 25624 of the Russian military's 12 Chief Directorate was referred to by the Intelschizo account. This posts on X, formerly Twitter, about the war in Ukraine using satellite maps and open-source intelligence.

"(Two) lines of advance towards the now empty tactical nuclear weapons depot of Belgorod 22," the post said next to a map showing terrain where the fighting is taking place near Russian trenches and the Belgorod-22.

"Recent attacks by Ukraine backed Russian Forces took the town of Gorkovksy village, Belgorod region. Both lines of advance from Kozinka and Gorkovsky are 10 miles from the depot," the post added. When contacted by Newsweek, Intelschizo said there was no evidence to indicate that the groups were getting closer.

Meanwhile, Pavel Podvig, an independent analyst based in Geneva where he runs the Russian Nuclear Forces research project, told Newsweek, "I would doubt they would try to reach the place, it's very heavily guarded. Indeed, the guard is the main function of the garrison there." Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.

There is no evidence that the nuclear storage site is being targeted.

Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's military intelligence chief, said Saturday that Ukraine would help anti-Kremlin militias in their operations on Russian territory. They were no longer considered a "grouping", but were now "becoming a force."

As Newsweek previously reported, Freedom of Russia Legion volunteer Alexei Baranovsky said that the goal of the formations was to "march on Moscow" and ensure the "liberation of Russia from Putin."

In a video released Saturday, the RDK said that the Russian Ministry of Defense had lied when it said that the formation had been eliminated following last week's incursion.

The clip showed blurred images of soldiers the group says it has captured, as the RDK member called for a meeting with Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov to discuss their fate.

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 20:27 schreef BlaZ het volgende:

[..]
Zuid Korea doet het economisch gezien wel goed natuurlijk, maar het staat demografisch gezien op de rand van de afgrond met een vruchtbaarheidscijfer van 0,72 over 2023.

South Korea's fertility rate plunges to record low | REUTERS

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 21:56 schreef 3rr0r het volgende:

[..]
Als de boel goed in de fik gaat kan 1 drone alsnog meer installaties kapot krijgen misschien. Maar ze zullen op zo'n plek wel goed voorbereid zijn op het uitbreken van een brand en die snel kunnen blussen. Je hebt eigenlijk zo'n tungstenregen als bij een GLMRS van een HIMARS nodig om zoveel mogelijk buizen en torens te beschadigen.

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SBU Detains Two FSB Agents Coordinating Missile Strikes, Burying Russian Soldiers Near Kyiv
The investigation led to the detention of two individuals who previously served with Ukrainian law enforcement agencies and who received monetary “rewards” from Russia for completing their tasks.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has exposed two Ukrainians recruited by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) to coordinate missile strikes on Ukraine and bury the remains of Russian soldiers killed near Kyiv.

“The recruited father and son were preparing Russian missile strikes on the capital region,” the SBU's press service reported on Telegram.

SPOILER

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The pair are accused of providing their FSB handlers with geolocations of Ukrainian Defense Forces bases, including those of the Special Operations Forces (SSO).

They shared the coordinates of industrial workshops involved in the manufacture of for the Ukrainian armed forces. Russia planned to use the information passed to them from the two agents carry out targeted missile strikes on the Ukrainian facilities.

The report said that “The Security Service were able to thwart the enemy's plans.”.

The two individuals were exposed and detained following an SBU special operation within the Kyiv region.

The SBU also revealed that along with their target identification tasks the agents were also instructed to locate and recover the remains of Russian soldiers who had been killed during the battles for Kyiv.

“The individuals collected fragments of the occupiers’ bodies in containers, later burying them in the forest plantations in the capital’s region,” the SBU said.

They then sent a “photo report” to the FSB, showing the location and coordinates of the burial site.

“The investigation has revealed that these detainees previously served in law enforcement agencies,” the SBU said.

After their release from service, they were recruited remotely by an FSB personnel officer who took notice of them because they had posted anti-Ukrainian comments on YouTube.

“For their completed tasks, the traitors received monetary ‘rewards’ from the invaders deposited into their bank accounts,” the statement read.

The SBU has formally notified both suspects of suspicion under Part 2 of Art. 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (criminal liability for collaboration), for which they face potential life imprisonment.

At the beginning of February, the SB said it had “neutralized” an espionage network and detained five former and serving Ukrainian intelligence officers who were spying for Russia’s FSB.

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Romania agrees to train 50 Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighters – Digi24
According to the Digi24 news outlet, the corresponding decision was made by the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis

The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, has given his consent to the training of about 50 Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets at the training center at the Fetești Air Force base, reported local agency Digi24 with reference to an unnamed source in the country's authorities.

The Romanian leader reportedly sent a letter to the parliament in which he informed that he agreed to the training of about 50 Ukrainian soldiers on F-16 aircraft.
Iohannis also approved the transit to Ukraine of the equipment and material values transferred by Finland. On March 18, this letter was included in the agenda of the joint meeting of the leadership of both chambers of the Romanian legislature.

The interlocutor of the publication did not say when the training will begin, but Digi24 sources claim that Ukrainian pilots should arrive at the air base this summer, and the training will end at the end of 2024.

On January 5, 2024, it was reported that Belgium plans to send two F-16 fighter jets to Denmark and about 50 personnel between March and September 2024 to train Ukrainian pilots.

On February 15, the speaker of the Ministry of Defense Oleksandr Pavlyuk reported that the issue of F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine was not discussed at the 19th Ramstein format meeting, because all decisions had already been made.

On March 1, the then spokesman of the command of the Armed Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Yuriy Ihnat, reported that Ukrainian pilots are already practicing the task of striking air and ground targets on F-16 fighters, and training tactical techniques.

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EU condemns Russia's illegal election in occupied Ukraine, organizers to 'face consequences'
The results of Russia's election in occupied territories of Ukraine are "null and void," and the election organizers "will face consequences of these illegal actions," Josep Borrell, the European Union's top diplomat, said in a statement on behalf of EU member states on March 18.

Russia conducted a pseudo-democratic presidential election on March 15-17 that granted Vladimir Putin, who has been in power since 1999, six more years in office.

The Russian authorities organized the election not only in Russia, but also in regions of Ukraine under Russian occupation, namely parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, as well as Crimea, in violation of international law.

The EU "does not and never will recognize either the holding of these so-called elections," Borrell said. The U.S., U.S., and Canada also denounced Russia for holding the illegal vote.

Russian voters were denied "a real choice" in the presidential elections, which took place in a "highly restricted environment," exacerbated "by Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine," Borrell said.

"The shocking death of opposition politician Alexei Navalny in the run-up to the elections is yet another sign of the accelerating and systematic repression," Borrell said.

The EU also "regrets" Russia's decision not to invite OSCE election observers, which goes against Russia's commitments to the OSCE and "has denied Russia's voters and institutions an impartial and independent assessment of these elections."

According to Borrell, the EU "will continue to support the important work of Russian civil society organizations, human rights defenders, and independent media."

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 22:29 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Blijft ironisch dat jij het beter weet dan Zaluzhny en Zelensky hunzelf. Alleen jouw woorden zijn de waarheid.

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Czech Republic Helps Rebuild Eight Hospitals in Kharkiv Region
UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Mar 18 — Tomas Kopecny, the commissioner of the Czech government for the restoration of Ukraine, said that in 2024 the Czech Republic joined projects to restore eight hospitals in the Kharkiv Oblast.

He said this in a commentary for Radio Svoboda.

According to Tomas Kopecny, Ukraine lacks the infrastructure to assist war victims. Therefore, the Czech Republic and Ukrainian partners are developing and implementing projects to train medical staff and rebuild medical facilities.

“Over the past year, we [the Czech Republic, together with Ukrainian partners] have sent our medical teams several times to treat post-traumatic disorders, as well as to assist in the fields of surgery, intensive care, and burns. They [medical teams] not only perform surgeries and provide services to Ukrainians but also train local doctors,” the Czech official said.

In addition to the Kharkiv Oblast, the Czech Republic is also helping to rebuild two hospitals in the Dnipro Oblast. Kopecny stressed that such cooperation is also beneficial for Czech companies, which can acquire unique experiences.

As the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration reported, the Czech government has allocated $10 million in aid to strengthen medical facilities in the Kharkiv Oblast. This is the third time since the start of the full-scale war that representatives of the Czech Republic have visited the Kharkiv Oblast.

The Czech Republic has also provided financial support by purchasing power-generating units. Now, the units supply power to boiler houses that heat 36 multi-story residential buildings, ten hospital complex buildings, educational institutions, a children’s development center, and other facilities.

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 23:21 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]
[ x ]
Wat een onzin weer in beide gevallen.

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Belgium Agrees to Transfer Minesweeper to Ukrainian Navy

The Belgian government agreed to transfer the third Alkmaar-class minesweeper to the Ukrainian Navy.

This was announced to the Belga media by Ludivine Dedonder, Minister of Defense of Belgium.

SPOILER

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On March 15, 2024, the Belgian Council of Ministers approved a package of additional military assistance to Ukraine, according to which, in cooperation with the Netherlands, one more minesweeper will be transferred to Ukraine in addition to the two previously announced ones.

It is noted that Belgium will provide basic training to the crew on a ship of the same class, while the Netherlands will conduct the practical part of the exercises.

Le Soir reported that the Narcis ship will be transferred to Ukraine. Before that, it will undergo maintenance to ensure full readiness for service in the Ukrainian Navy.

Recall that in March 2023, the Dutch government agreed on the transfer of two minesweepers of the same class for the disposal of mines and the coast guard of Ukrainian waters.

Narcis minesweeper
Narcis (M923) – an Alkmaar-class (Tripartite) minesweeper was launched in 1990 at the Mercantile-Belyard shipyard in Rupelmonde and accepted into the Belgian Navy in March 1991.

This class of minesweepers was developed jointly in the interests of Belgium, France and the Netherlands, based on French Circ�-type minesweepers. A total of 35 ships were built for the three fleets in the 1980s and 1990s.

They are designed to search and neutralize mines at sea, but they can also perform logistical tasks for the transportation of goods and ammunition.

Minesweepers were upgraded in 2003. Narcis received advanced electronics, including the Atlas Elektronik INCMS Naval Tactical Data System. It was also fitted with Thales Underwater Systems TSM 2022 Mk III sonar.

To detect and neutralize mines, the ship is equipped with Atlas Seafox and Saab Double Eagle Mk.II autonomous unmanned vehicles.

The ship's crew includes 4 officers, 15 sergeants, and 17 sailors.

The 536-ton ship is equipped with a 1370 kW Werkspoor RUB 215 V12 diesel power plant, which allows speeds of up to 15 knots (28 km/h). The ship's range reaches 3,000 nautical miles (5600 km) at a speed of 12 knots (22 km/h).

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 22:58 schreef BlaZ het volgende:

[..]
Maar ook meer drones kan simpelweg hetzelfde effect sorteren. Bijvoorbeeld zo'n installatie als bij St Petersburg, als je die over 3 maanden met 200 drones raakt (stel 75% wordt neergeschoten) dan kun je alsnog prima de helft van de capaciteit beschadigen.
Momenteel heeft Oekra�ne die capaciteit nog niet, maar die capaciteit en daarnaast de actieradius van drones verbetert snel.

SPOILER

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test

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 23:12 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:

[..]
It's just logical deduction, dear Watson.

quote:

A Ukrainian soldier said that Ukraine's losses are so heavy where he's fighting that they struggle to recover the bodies
• A Ukrainian soldier says they're suffering heavy casualties and are struggling in the country's northeast.
• Part of this is down to Russia's increased use of glide bombs, per The Times of London.
• F-16s could help counter this threat, but they are not expected to arrive until the summer.

A Ukrainian soldier fighting near the country's northern front line has described the menace of Russia's bombardment, telling the Times of London that they are "losing so many people, there are so many bodies we can't even bring them all back."

Describing the fight as "fucking awful," the soldier, identified by the paper as Lemur, added that Ukrainian forces in the area can't move forward.

"We can barely hold the line," he said.

SPOILER

quote:

According to the outlet, Lemur is fighting at Kupiansk in Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast, around where the Institute for the Study of War has reported marginal Russian gains in recent days.

A major factor in the current Russian offensive is glide bombs, which Russia has stepped up the use of in the last three months.

These are Soviet-era bombs tricked out with guidance systems and wings enabling long-distance strikes.

As of last month, Russia was using them intensely around three flashpoints of the war: Kupiansk, the eastern city of Bakhmut, and Robotyne, a strategic southeastern village, the Kyiv Post reported.

Launched from aircraft at a distance and then guided to their target, the small radar signature and short flight time of glide bombs makes them hard for Ukraine's already-strained air defense systems to detect and shoot down.

Russia is reported to be ramping up its production of the bombs.

Related stories

Glide bombs were a factor in the Russian capture of Avdiivka in mid-February, its only major success in recent months. Their impact in Avdiivka was reported to be devastating.

Ukraine does not release official casualty figures.

Maksym Zhorin, a soldier in Ukraine's 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, said in a Telegram post during that battle that glide bombs "completely destroy any position," The Washington Post reported.

"All buildings and structures simply turn into a pit after the arrival of just one," he said.

Struggling to push Russian forces back, Ukraine has fortified its own defensive lines.

In Kupyansk, frontline fighting is backed by two miles of trenches, dragon's teeth, and minefields, The Times reported.

However, these present no barriers for glide bombs.

The aerial threat has placed a new urgency on getting F-16s to Ukraine.

Mykola Bielieskov, a military analyst at Kyiv's National Institute for Strategic Studies, told the Post that the F-16s' modified air-to-air missiles could help Ukraine counter the threat.

However, the aircraft are not estimated to reach Ukrainian skies until at least the summer.

quote:

Ukraine to Receive Armored Vehicles and Artillery Ammunition from Belgium
Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder announced to Belga local media that the Belgian government has agreed on a new tranche of military aid for Ukraine.

This aid package will include armored vehicles and artillery ammunition.

On Friday, the Belgian Council of Ministers approved �412 million worth of defense aid, including ammunition, multi-purpose and armored medical evacuation vehicles.

The first package of military assistance worth �32.9 million is a joint initiative of the Benelux countries. As part of the cooperation, the governments of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg agreed to purchase reconnaissance drones and an unknown number of armored ambulances, which will be modernized before being transferred.

In addition, artillery ammunition worth �373.1 million will be transferred to Ukraine. The ammunition will be sourced from Defence’s own stocks as well as through an international group purchase from various companies.

The statement also states that the Belgian Ministry of Defense will finally deliver about 300 Lynx armored vehicles to Ukraine.

As part of the package, Belgium also pledged to hand over a third Alkmaar-class minesweeper together with the Netherlands, as Militarnyi wrote about earlier.

Belgium will hand over the Narcis ship after performing maintenance to ensure that it is fully ready for service in the Ukrainian Navy.

The total value of the above-mentioned assistance is �412 million, bringing Belgium’s financial assistance to Ukraine to �575.7 million in 2024.

In addition to raising its own funds, Belgium is also considering the possibility of using the �1.7 billion received from frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine’s defense needs.

At the beginning of March, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said that the Belgian government is ready to finance Ukrainian defense contracts from the profits received from frozen Russian assets in Belgium.

“Belgium has declared that it has received �1.7 billion in revenue from Russian assets. Part of these funds were allocated to support Ukrainian refugees in the EU. Belgium is partially ready to finance Ukraine’s needs, including defense,” said Denys Shmyhal.

quote:

Op maandag 18 maart 2024 23:39 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Raar dat Zaluzhny of Zelensky dan dom zijn volgens jou.

quote:

‘Putin Devours Lives of People’ – Pro-Kyiv Militias Claim Over 1,400 Russian Military Casualties
Russian anti-Putin volunteers assert significant losses for Kremlin troops and a blow to Putin’s image amid ongoing operations in Belgorod and Kursk.

Russian anti-Putin volunteers have claimed that their operations in the Belgorod and Kursk regions have resulted in substantial losses for the Russian army, with over 613 military personnel reported killed as of Monday morning, March 18.

The Freedom of Russia Legion (LSR) and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) conveyed through their Telegram channels: “In just a few days of conducting a limited military operation against Putin’s troops, our enemy has suffered significant losses in manpower and equipment.”

The reported losses of the Russian army in the Belgorod and Kursk regions total 613 military personnel permanently lost, 829 with injuries, and 27 captured.

SPOILER

quote:

The volunteers also shared a list of destroyed Russian equipment, which included:
• Seven tanks (three T-72 and one T-72BZ)
• Twenty infantry fighting vehicles (BMP-2 and BMP-3)
• Six D-30 howitzers
• Four combat personnel carriers
• Four mortars
• Two MT-12 Rapier anti-tank guns
• Two self-propelled howitzers 2S19 Msta-S
• Two ZALA drones
• One BM 21 Grad multiple launch rocket system
• One mounted anti-tank grenade launcher
• One complex for long-range visual surveillance "Murom"
• One electronic warfare station
• One repeater
• Two armored vehicles
• Two excavators
• Fifty-seven units of various automotive equipment (heavy and light).

Additionally, the militias claimed to have disabled several Russian military assets, including:
• T-80PVM tank
• T-72 tank
• One infantry fighting vehicle
• One Grad multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) with TOS-2 thermobaric warheads
• One 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery unit
• One electronic warfare station
• An armored vehicle
• Twenty vehicles of various types (heavy and light).

The operations also resulted in the destruction or damage of various Russian assets such as personnel concentration areas, ammunition depots, dugouts, towers with antenna systems, fortifications, video surveillance cameras, a cellular communication station, and a bridge in the village of Gorkovsky.

The militias said that beyond the physical losses, the operation has dealt a severe blow to Putin’s image, stating, “The greatest damage was caused to Putin’s image as a figure who can supposedly keep the situation in the country under control.”

Their statement said that Putin has brought the war to Russia – “Russian cities are burning, Putin’s war machine has been reduced to ashes, Kremlin artillery is wiping out one Russian village after another.”

“And the most important thing is that Putin devours the lives of people – soldiers and civilians – solely in the name of maintaining his power,” pro-Kyiv militias said.

The raids and operations in the border regions mark a significant escalation in the war, with Kyiv-allied Russians undertaking the largest cross-border incursion since the full-scale Kremlin invasion began.

Despite Moscow’s claims of success in repelling the raids, the militias maintain that their forces are organized, on mission, and achieving their objectives.

The raids are ongoing, with panic evident among Russian troops and civilians alike. The extent of damage to civilian properties has primarily been due to Russian army units' shelling and bombing of private residences and businesses.

Earlier, LSR volunteer fighter Alexey Baranovsky, in exclusive comments to Kyiv Post, confirmed reports of civilian houses being shelled by the Russian army in combat with the anti-Putin fighters.

When the Russian military believes that rebel assault troops or Russian anti-Kremlin forces are present in certain areas, they unleash gunfire, mortars, and artillery indiscriminately, Baranovsky said.

“We are no longer in that vicinity, but this doesn’t stop [the Russian army] from wiping the residential buildings of their fellow citizens from the face of the earth,” he said. “This is the warfare style demonstrated by Putin’s army.”

quote:

Poroshenko Hands Over Mobile Command Complex for Ukrainian Aviators

MP Petro Poroshenko handed over the command and staff complex made by order of military pilots.

The news was published on Petro Poroshenko’s X account.

Petro Poroshenko, together with volunteers of the NGO Sparva Hromad, handed over the first command and staff complex, which should provide operation in the field for Ukrainian pilots.

Based on the DAF YA truck, the mobile complex consists of two parts: a headquarters and a rest area. The work area is located on the truck chassis, and the place for rest—in the trailer.

SPOILER

quote:

Poroshenko said that the first complex was already tested by the military and was put into operation. Its cost is about UAH 1.3 million.

😱 Що військові пілоти попросили у Порошенка?

The mobile complex is designed for the work of six people. For them, places are equipped in the working area: computers are installed, power is connected, and communication is established for constant exchange of information. The module is equipped with air conditioning, a heating system, and other necessary things for comfortable work.

In the module for rest for the crew, there are sleeping places, boxes for personal belongings, a power supply and a built-in refrigerator, a coffee maker, and a microwave oven.

It is noted that the complex is made based on cars and American containers purchased by the fund from 155 mm ammunition.

“This is all done by our team, we do not buy them, but produce them,” Poroshenko emphasized.

“This first complex is sent tomorrow for transfer to pilots, we will not yet say which part,” Poroshenko said.

It should be noted that in the field there are various units of the Air Force: those are pilots of army aviation operating helicopters, and even fighter pilots of tactical aviation.

Recall that at the end of last year, the Poroshenko Foundation transferred 29 units of vehicles for various purposes to the Ukrainian military. The batch included Foden, DAF and Tatra tractors, mobile repair shops, laundry and bath complexes, drones, truck tires, and other equipment.

quote:

Car industry insists 2,000% increase in sales to Azerbaijan has nothing to do with Russia
Sky News analysis found that over precisely the same period as British car exports to Azerbaijan rose sharply, there was a near-simultaneous rise in car exports from Azerbaijan to Russia.

Britain's car industry has insisted that an unprecedented 2,000% increase in vehicle exports to Azerbaijan has nothing to with Russia and is explained by the fact that the former Soviet state is a "flourishing market in its own right".

SPOILER

quote:

Sky analysis has found that the British car sector sent another �40m worth of cars to Azerbaijan in the first month of this year, raising fresh questions about whether those cars were being sent there to circumvent sanctions on Russia.

New data from HM Revenue & Customs shows that while direct car exports to Russia remain at zero, where they have been since the imposition of sanctions in 2022, in January �43m worth of cars were sent to Azerbaijan, the former Soviet state neighbouring Russia.

That meant Azerbaijan, which hitherto had rarely made the top 75 export destinations for British cars, is now the 12th biggest foreign market, by value, for British-made cars: above Switzerland, Canada and Spain.

UK carmakers have pledged not to send cars to Russia, with sanctions formally banning the export of "dual use" items which could be repurposed as weapons in the Ukraine war. There are separate sanctions specifically banning the trade of cars worth over �42,000.

However, Sky News analysis found last week that over precisely the same period as British car exports to Azerbaijan rose sharply, there was a near-simultaneous rise in car exports from Azerbaijan to Russia.

The average value of cars sent from the UK to Azerbaijan in January was just over �115,000.

quote:

General Command of the Armed Forces: unarmed unmanned aerial vehicle MQ9 Reaper of the US Air Force in Europe, performing a planned quarterly training at the airport in Mirosławiec, lost contact with the base. The ship is waiting for an emergency landing. The services were put on alert.

quote:

Trump is unable to make $464 million bond in civil fraud case, his lawyers tell court
Former President Donald Trump can’t find an insurance company to underwrite his bond to cover the massive judgment against him in the New York attorney general’s civil fraud case, his lawyers told a New York appeals court.

Trump’s attorneys said he has approached 30 underwriters to back the bond, which is due by the end of this month.

“The amount of the judgment, with interest, exceeds $464 million, and very few bonding companies will consider a bond of anything approaching that magnitude,” Trump’s lawyers wrote. (Trump himself was ordered to pay $454 million; the $464 million includes the disgorgement for his adult sons Don Jr. and Eric.)

An insurance broker, Gary Giulietti, who testified for Trump during the civil fraud trial, signed an affidavit stating that securing a bond in the full amount “is a practical impossibility.”

Potential underwriters are seeking cash to back the bond, not properties, according to Trump’s lawyers.

SPOILER

quote:

Trump’s lawyers have asked the appeals court to delay posting the bond until his appeal of the case is over, arguing that the value of Trump’s properties far exceed the judgment. If the appeals court rules against him, Trump asked the court to delay his posting the bond until his appeal to New York’s highest court is heard.

Last month, Trump was ordered to pay $355 million in disgorgement, or “ill-gotten gains,” by New York Judge Arthur Engoron in a civil fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James. Engoron wrote in his 93-page decision that Trump and his co-defendants – including his adult sons – were liable for fraud, conspiracy and issuing false financial statements and false business records, finding that the defendants fraudulently inflated the value of Trump’s assets to obtain more favorable loan and insurance rates.

The amount Trump owed surpassed $450 million with interest included.

Trump is appealing the ruling, but in order to stop the state from enforcing the judgment, Trump has to post a bond to be held in an account pending the appellate process, which could take years to litigate.

Trump posted a $91.6 million bond earlier this month as part of his appeal in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case.

But Giulietti said some of the biggest underwriters have internal policies that limit them from securing a bond in excess of $100 million. None of them, he said, including some of the largest insurance companies in the world, will accept real estate – they are only comfortable taking cash or stock.

Including fees and interest, he said Trump would need to come up with more than $550 million.

“Over the course of my career, during which I have been directly or indirectly involved in the issuance of thousands of bonds, I have never heard of nor seen an appeal bond of this size for a private company or individual,” Giulietti said. “After substantial good-faith effort over the last several weeks, obtaining an appeal bond for the Judgment Amount of over $464 million is just not possible under these circumstances.”

Alan Garten, the top legal officer of the Trump Organization, said in a sworn statement that Chubb, which underwrote Trump’s $91.6 million bond to cover the Carroll judgment, could not accept real estate to secure the civil fraud bond.

Garten called the lack of underwriters to accept real estate a “major obstacle” to securing a bond.

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung blasted the size of the fraud judgment.

“A bond of this size would be an abuse of the law, contradict bedrock principals of our Republic, and fundamentally undermine the rule of law in New York,” Cheung said. “President Trump will continue fighting and beating all of these Crooked Joe Biden-directed hoaxes and will Make America Great Again.”

quote:

Op maandag 18 maart 2024 23:21 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 01:15 schreef Zwoerd het volgende:

[..]
Echt, wat een zombies allemaal.

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 23:21 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]
Wat een onzin weer in beide gevallen.

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 07:14 schreef Momo het volgende:

[..]
Als Rus in Estland wonen en dan beginnen over hoe kut Estland is en hoe goed Rusland.
Of moeten ze daar enkel zitten zodat er wel een deel van de Estse bevolking Russisch moet zijn?

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 01:15 schreef Zwoerd het volgende:

[..]
Echt, wat een zombies allemaal.

quote:

Op maandag 18 maart 2024 20:48 schreef BlaZ het volgende:

[..]
Het is denk ik duidelijker als je ziet hoe groot een raffinaderij is en zo zijn er een stuk of 20. Je kan wel degelijk serieuze schade aanrichten, maar dan moet je het echt met tientallen drones weten te raken.

https://www.google.com.mx(...)%2F0281_08?entry=ttu

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 07:14 schreef Momo het volgende:

[..]
Als Rus in Estland wonen en dan beginnen over hoe kut Estland is en hoe goed Rusland.
Of moeten ze daar enkel zitten zodat er wel een deel van de Estse bevolking Russisch moet zijn?

quote:

Op maandag 18 maart 2024 20:48 schreef BlaZ het volgende:

[..]
Het is denk ik duidelijker als je ziet hoe groot een raffinaderij is en zo zijn er een stuk of 20. Je kan wel degelijk serieuze schade aanrichten, maar dan moet je het echt met tientallen drones weten te raken.

https://www.google.com.mx(...)%2F0281_08?entry=ttu

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 10:01 schreef ExTec het volgende:
Oef.

[ afbeelding ]

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 09:42 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Dat zegt dus totaal niks. Als je wel eens op zo'n object gewerkt hebt, weet je dat het redelijk normaal is dat als bepaalde processen stilvallen, bepaalde vloeistoffen afkoelen, stollen, of veel te dik worden. Betekent dat je complete leidingen mag vervangen. Ook heb je bij processen soms dat proces A afhankelijk is van proces B, en andersom. Betekent dat je bij opstart tankwagens met product A en B moet hebben staan, die de boel feeden tot dat het zichzelf bedruipt.

Allemaal nachtmerrie materiaal. Spul is bedoeld om permanent te draaien. Het is niet je broodrooster, waar je de knop om haalt, is uit, en daarna weer knop om en is weer aan.

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 10:01 schreef ExTec het volgende:
Oef.

[ afbeelding ]

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 10:14 schreef nixxx het volgende:

[..]
https://nl.m.wikipedia.or(...)olieraffinaderij.png

Dat schema laat het leuk zien. De atmosferische en vacu�m destillatie torens zijn echt het hart. En dat zijn enorme torens, die in het beste geval al ruim meer dan een jaar levertijd hebben. En Rusland zit nu zeker niet in het beste geval. Ik weet niet of ze die zelf kunnen maken zelfs, anders zijn ze van China afhankelijk. En voor het transport van zulke mega torens heb je ook wat speciale kennis en apparatuur nodig.

Zelfs reparaties zijn niet altijd mogelijk, als een toren een tijd aan vuur is blootgesteld dan verandert de structuur van het staal en kan het verzwakken of gevoelig worden voor verschillende corrosie mechanismen

quote:

👉 Blyat! Exchange prices for gasoline in Russia soared to the highest in six months after Ukraine struck the largest refineries

On Monday, a ton of AI-95 on the stock exchange cost 63,361 rubles - a record high since September 2023 and 12% more expensive than in early March. In time, the rise in prices directly correlates with attacks by Ukrainian drones on refineries in the European part of Russia.

At the moment, 13% of Russia's oil refining production capacity has already been damaged, Reuters estimates. Some experts predict that if Ukrainian drone attacks on refineries and oil storage facilities continue, this will not end with just an increase in fuel prices.

At a certain point, when a significant portion of the plants shut down, the volume of excess oil that would normally be processed at refineries will increase sharply. If it cannot be sold abroad, then Russia will find itself in a “anecdotal situation”: with a shortage of fuel, the country has an excess of oil.

quote:

Op maandag 18 maart 2024 23:30 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://mil.in.ua/en/news(...)r-to-ukrainian-navy/
[..]

SPOILER

[..]

Moet Turkije ze natuurlijk wel de Zwarte Zee in laten. Anders hebben ze er weinig aan op het ogenblik.

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 11:15 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
https://twitter.com/Beefeater_Fella/status/1770024421719163217

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 13:40 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
Toevoeging: rusland heeft al op 21 september 2023 de export van brandstof stopgezet, dus de prijzen zouden moeten dalen, niet stijgen.

Bovendien worden de prijzen zwaar gesubsideerd door de overheid. De prijzen waren de afgelopen jaren 40-50 cent per liter.

Nou kan de russische overheid wel de subsidie op brandstof verhogen, of erger nog: brandstof importeren ( ), maar dat gaat ten koste van de reserves.

Overigens zijn er in rusland 30 grote raffinaderijen en 86 kleinere raffinaderijen.

Bovendien moet de olie blijven stromen. Vergeet inflatie en gederfde inkomsten, het ergste wat er kan gebeuren is dat de olie stopt met stromen. Zelfs de oliebronnen kunnen dan dichtslibben. In dat licht zijn dit soort dagelijkse nieuwsfeitjes zeer interessant:
rusland heeft vervanger gevonden voor verkoop olie aan India, en dit bericht: rusland heeft nog steeds enorme betalingsproblemen met Turkse banken.

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 15:17 schreef uitkeringsgenieter het volgende:

[..]
Grotendeels eens met jouw post hoor. Maar ik snap het deel van dalende prijzen nog niet helemaal. Ik heb altijd geleerd als totale aanbod daalt en vraag blijft gelijk, dat dan de prijzen zullen stijgen. En dat is wat we nu ook zien toch of niet?

quote:

Russian rail maintenance companies are struggling to acquire enough spare parts to service locomotives. They also face a shortage of highly educated staff. As a result, Russian Railways (RZD) has had to suspend or delay almost 50,000 trains throughout 2023.

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 15:38 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
https://www.railfreight.c(...)-russia/?gdpr=accept

Maar gelukkig is russia stronK! Allemaal geen probleem, komt goed.

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 15:33 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Uitgaande van: afnemende (buitenlandse) vraag, is verbod op export immers, en gelijkblijvende productie

En nu is dat zeer aanwijsbaar, drones uit oekraine, maar verleden jaar, dus niet zo.

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 16:00 schreef uitkeringsgenieter het volgende:

[..]
Er veranderd niets aan de vraagkant imo. Wereldvraag veranderd niet. Rusland is 1 van de OPEC landen. Als 1 van deze landen hun aanbod verlaagd en er is geen andere land die dit gat aanvult, dan zullen de prijzen gewoon stijgen. Al heeft de prijs van Rusland wel een cap buitenom India/Rusland.
Dus ja als Oekra�ne zo doorgaat, dan zullen de prijzen wel gaan stijgen is mijn beeld.

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 16:19 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

[..]
Rusland is geen OPEC maar OPEC+

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 16:00 schreef uitkeringsgenieter het volgende:

[..]
Er veranderd niets aan de vraagkant imo. Wereldvraag veranderd niet. Rusland is 1 van de OPEC landen. Als 1 van deze landen hun aanbod verlaagd en er is geen andere land die dit gat aanvult, dan zullen de prijzen gewoon stijgen. Al heeft de prijs van Rusland wel een cap buitenom India/Rusland.
Dus ja als Oekra�ne zo doorgaat, dan zullen de prijzen wel gaan stijgen is mijn beeld.

quote:

Electric vehicles to displace over 5 million bpd of oil demand by 2030: IEA report
Oil demand from road transport is projected to peak around 2025 in the STEPS, with the amount of oil displaced by electric vehicles exceeding 5 million barrels per day in 2030.

quote:

Prospects for electric vehicle deployment At the global level, oil displacement by EVs reaches 1.8 million barrels per day in 2025 (over 5 mb/d in 2030) under stated policies. As a result, global demand for oil-based road transport fuels will peak by 2025.

quote:

Oil consumption in Russia from 2012 to 2022(in 1,000 barrels daily)

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 16:32 schreef Digi2 het volgende:

[..]
Er veranderd wel degelijk iets als de russen zelf steeds minder kunnen raffineren. De stroom olie zal noodgedwongen ge�xporteerd worden ten koste van het binnenlands verbruik. De situatie kan ontstaan dat de brandstofprijzen in Rusland stijgen terwijl er tegelijkertijd meer aardolie op de markt buiten Rusland terechtkomt.

Bovendien:
[..]
[..]
[..]

RUSSIAN Oil Refineries Catch Fire Following More Drone Attacks as Ukraine Targets Russian Oil Income

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 16:32 schreef Digi2 het volgende:

Bovendien:

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 17:14 schreef uitkeringsgenieter het volgende:

[..]
Iemand noemde dalende prijzen. En ik zei dat ik dat niet zie gebeuren. En daarnaast de vraag nu wijzigt niet, op lange termijn natuurlijk wel.

Benzineprijzen zijn nu 50% gestegen in Rusland.

Daarnaast heeft Rusland aangegeven "vrijwillig" minder olie te exporteren (500K vaten per dag in 2023 en recent nog eens 471K vaten per dag erbij).

Joe Blogs vanaf 10:03: "Demand has remained at the same level in Russia, but supply is going down, and simple economics tell you that prices are going up".

RUSSIAN Oil Refineries Catch Fire Following More Drone Attacks as Ukraine Targets Russian Oil Income

Dus conclusie: Rusland is zoiezo fucked. Of wij fucked zijn hangt er vanaf of andere olielanden het gat wat Rusland achterlaat gaat invullen, ja of nee.

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 17:14 schreef uitkeringsgenieter het volgende:

[..]
Iemand noemde dalende prijzen. En ik zei dat ik dat niet zie gebeuren. En daarnaast de vraag nu wijzigt niet, op lange termijn natuurlijk wel.

Benzineprijzen zijn nu 50% gestegen in Rusland.

Daarnaast heeft Rusland aangegeven "vrijwillig" minder olie te exporteren (500K vaten per dag in 2023 en recent nog eens 471K vaten per dag erbij).

Joe Blogs vanaf 10:03: "Demand has remained at the same level in Russia, but supply is going down, and simple economics tell you that prices are going up".

RUSSIAN Oil Refineries Catch Fire Following More Drone Attacks as Ukraine Targets Russian Oil Income

Dus conclusie: Rusland is zoiezo fucked. Of wij fucked zijn hangt er vanaf of andere olielanden het gat wat Rusland achterlaat gaat invullen, ja of nee.

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 17:33 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Waarom zouden andere landen Rusland's plek als tankstation niet overnemen? Het is toch een multipolaire wereld?

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 17:48 schreef uitkeringsgenieter het volgende:

[..]
Ik gok van wel tot op zeker hoogte. Maar vergeet niet: het is in belang van andere olie producerende landen dat de prijzen hoog blijven. Landen als USA en Saudi Arabi� zijn dus wel gebaat bij de huidige situatie.

Kijk je hier dan zie je dat USA meer olie produceert t.o.v. begin van oorlog., maar Saudi Arabi� weer minder (terwijl zij wel meer kunnen als ze willen gok ik)....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_oil_production

quote:

Oil Majors Pursue Projects with $30 per Barrel Breakeven

Feb 15, 2024, 7:00 PM CST
Oil majors are pursuing projects with lower breakeven costs.
The news projects are about half the break-even level for oil projects just a decade ago.
Improving drilling and cost efficiency have allowed oil companies to eke out a profit at much lower oil prices.
The U.S. and global oil and gas sector is currently enjoying a third year of relatively high energy prices with oil demand on a steady growth trajectory. WTI crude has traded above $70 per barrel for the better part of the past 12 months, well above the $54 per barrel average breakeven price for U.S. shale basins. However, U.S. oil majors are not allowing high energy prices to lull them into a false sense of security, rankled by the memories of the historic oil price crash of 2020. Oil majors are now hedging their bets by targeting new oilfields that can be profitable even at $30 per barrel oil, reflecting executives' belief that high prices are anything but guaranteed.

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 09:03 schreef nixxx het volgende:

[..]
Als je de atmosferische distillatie toren kunt vernietigen, dan heb je toch vrijwel de hele raffinaderij stilgelegd hoor, daar gaat praktisch al het product door.

quote:

US Senator calls for Ukraine's accession to NATO
US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has backed Ukraine's NATO membership as the country with the most combat experience.

Source: Graham during his visit to Kyiv, as reported by European Pravda

Quote: "Ukraine should join NATO.

My message to NATO is this: I respect you, allies, but none of you understand how to fight a war like Ukraine."

Details: He emphasised that Ukraine now has the best combat experience and can use the most advanced weapons to exceed expectations.

"If I had to choose people to go to war with, you would be at the top of the list! And this is not a slap in the face of our allies with whom we were in Iraq or Afghanistan; you simply now have the best combat experience and are able to use the latest weapons that you have been provided with, at a level that exceeds our expectations," said the senator.

As reported previously, Lindsey Graham will also ask the administration of President Joe Biden to recognise Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.

In addition, Graham, who sparked a debate about Ukraine's elections last year, agreed that holding them during a war was problematic.

quote:

Any EU member state that wants to purchase ammunition for Ukraine outside the EU can receive compensation from the European Peace Fund, - Borrell
Josep Borrell explained how funds from the European Peace Fund in the amount of �5 billion can be used.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to Ukrinform .

High Representative of the EU Josep Borrell , answering the question whether the allocated money is available not only to promote the production of military equipment in the EU countries, but also to develop the defense industry of Ukraine in order to manufacture these weapons and ammunition in the place for which they are intended, explained:

"The aid fund for Ukraine is intended to help Ukraine itself, not to develop the European defense industry. I made it very clear today that any member country that wants to buy ammunition outside the European Union has an offer or knows where to buy it - they can do it, and receive a legitimate compensation from the European Peace Fund."

He noted that member states wishing to deliver weapons and ammunition to Ukraine can get them from anywhere - from their own stocks, from the European defense industry, from any supplier in the world. For example, the initiative of the Czech Republic to supply Ukraine with 800,000 ammunition is absolutely legitimate in order to use the Ukrainian aid fund to partially compensate the costs of the member countries participating in this initiative.

"If member states agree to use the proceeds from frozen Russian assets, these resources can also be partially placed in the European Peace Fund, which will allow us to increase our aid to Ukraine. We have been talking about this for several months. This money will also be used to to increase the capacity of the defense industry sector in Ukraine. We should push such industrial capacity of the defense sector of Ukraine at home, and at the same time - continue to provide weapons for Ukraine. That is why we have this tool - the European Peace Fund," Borrell emphasized.

He reminded that such an extra-budgetary instrument as the European Peace Fund was created for a very simple reason. According to EU law, the budget of the European Union cannot be used for the purchase of weapons. At the same time, the intergovernmental off-budget fund is free from such legal restrictions.

"So we can say for sure - the Ukrainian Fund - it was created to help Ukraine, and only for this purpose," - the High Representative of the EU.

quote:

Moldova will hold a referendum on EU membership, - Sandu
This fall, Moldova will hold a referendum on joining the European Union. The referendum will vote to enshrine Moldova's bid for EU membership in the Constitution, which will ensure that future governments do not derail this bid.

This was announced by President Maya Sandu, informs Censor.NET with reference to Reuters .

"The member states of the European Union are more open than ever, we have the necessary political will for this step, and our citizens want to be part of the EU," Sandu said .

According to her, the referendum will prevent Moldova's pro-European aspiration to stop or turn back after the change of power.

"This should be confirmed once again and spelled out in the Constitution, so that no matter who is in the government, the people's vote for this direction of development is binding for the political class."

According to Sandu, the referendum may take place in October, although the date will be chosen by the parliament. It is not yet clear whether the Constitutional Court will allow a referendum to be held on the same day as the presidential election of Moldova.

quote:

Macron has every right to talk about sending French troops to Ukraine - White House
As the leader of a sovereign state, French President Emmanuel Macron has every right to consider sending his troops to Ukraine.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said this at a briefing on Monday, March 18, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"I can't speak for President Macron. Obviously, he continues to make his points publicly, and, obviously, he has every right to do that," Kirby said

At the same time, he recalled that the United States had made its position clear, which is that it is not indenting to send U.S. troops to Ukraine, and that President Joe Biden had actually reiterated that before the American people in the State of the Union.

"We haven't wavered from that position. We're not wavering from it today," Sullivan added.

Macron said last week that the war in Ukraine is existential for Europe. Therefore, he does not rule out the option of sending French troops to Ukraine if it is necessary in the future.

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 19:25 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://censor.net/ua/new(...)hlenstva_v_yes_sandu
[..]
Moldavi� wil zij bod tot toetreding in de EU gaan vastleggen in de grondwet en zal hiervoor een referendum houden. Zodat in de toekomst met nieuwe leiding er niet zomaar van afgeweken kan worden. Ik verwacht niet dat de door Rusland bezette gebieden mee mogen stemmen. Al zullen zij daar natuurlijk anders over denken. Net zoals Rusland.

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 19:31 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

[..]
Laat Moldavi� maar lekker buiten de EU

quote:

EU states urge European Investment Bank to rethink defence policy
Germany, France, and a dozen other EU countries want the EIB to change its policy on defence investment.

Fourteen nations have sent a letter to European Investment Bank (EIB) officials to call for more efficient funding of defence projects, according to Bloomberg.

The letter, dated 17th March, was sent to EIB President Nadia Calvino, European Council President Charles Michel, and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.

The EIB's current policy forbids it from investing in weapons, ammunition, and military infrastructure, but the bank is allowed to finance so-called "dual-use items", which can be used for both civilian and military purposes.

In the face of Russian aggression in Eastern Europe, a growing number of states would like this to change in order to improve the EU's defence capacities.

"We need to explore different possibilities that would enable the EIB to invest in defence- related activities beyond existing dual-use projects," said the letter. "This would mean discussing and re-evaluating current definitions of dual-use projects and the list of excluded activities as well as reconsidering its defence industry lending policy and other restrictive elements."

Signatures of the letter include leaders from Finland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden.

EU leaders will later this week meet for a two-day summit in Brussels where they will discuss security and defence, with Russia's war with Ukraine in mind.

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Poland and Germany to launch an armored vehicle coalition for Ukraine in March
On March 26, Poland and Germany will launch a coalition to supply armored vehicles to the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced this after discussions with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

The Polish Minister noted that this is one of the most important coalitions that have been created.

According to him, other partners, including the UK, Sweden, and Italy, have agreed to participate in the coalition.

Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized that Warsaw and Berlin would be leading this project.

As previously reported, Ukraine and the North Atlantic Alliance will establish a joint training center in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated this on February 15, after a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council.

“This center will allow Ukraine to share the experience it gained during the Russian-Ukrainian war and will create a structure that will enable the Armed Forces of Ukraine to learn and train side by side with NATO partners,” the Secretary General pointed out.

The NATO Secretary General emphasized that the joint center in Poland is necessary not only for Ukraine but also for NATO.

Stoltenberg did not disclose details about the center’s work, adding that it will facilitate the process of sharing experiences.

Poland started helping Ukraine develop its defense capabilities even prior to the full-scale Russian invasion.

Initially, Poland supplied the Ukrainian Defense Forces with Soviet-era armored vehicles, artillery, and aircraft, and their Polish-made versions. Warsaw also provided Kyiv with various small arms, ammunition, ammunition, and other military equipment.

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Europe’s soldiers keep quitting, just when NATO needs them
Western allies weigh up conscription or national service, as the threat from Russia grows.

PARIS — It’s no longer so much about recruiting new soldiers as it is about persuading existing troops not to quit.

This week, French Armed Forces Minister S�bastien Lecornu presented a talent retention plan to incentivize military personnel to remain in uniform.

That comes a few days after an annual report submitted to the German parliament showed that in 2023, some 1,537 soldiers left the Bundeswehr, reducing it to 181,514 personnel.

“Those conversations now exist in all capitals, in all democracies that have professional armies without conscription,” Lecornu said on Monday, mentioning the United Kingdom and the United States.

“At NATO meetings, we can talk about equipment, but now we also talk about ... the level of retention,” he added.

SPOILER

quote:

As Europe rearms in reaction to the war in Ukraine, countries such as Croatia are mulling bringing back conscription. Others, like Denmark, plan to expand it to include women. Germany scrapped conscription in 2011, but with many in the military ageing out of service there’s renewed discussion over some kind of national service system being reintroduced.

For countries relying on professional armies, the challenge is to make the armed forces attractive — something that's difficult to do in times of low unemployment, fierce competition from the private sector and widespread use of remote working.

Not only about money
In France, military personnel are staying in the armed forces on average one year less than they used to. In the U.K., there’s been an annual hiring shortfall of 1,100 troops — equivalent to two infantry battalions — even though the government contracted out recruitment to private firm Capita.

Money does play a part in getting people to stay. One of the French plan’s flagship measures is to boost retirement pensions by integrating bonuses; salaries are also being increased. But the problem is that the terms of service just aren’t that attractive, with chronic overtime, months-long absences from home and missed recuperation periods commonplace.

“The issue is not recruiting but retention, we need to retain also families,” Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the U.S. Navy’s chief of naval operations, said at a conference in Paris earlier this year.

In Poland, the new government earlier this year announced pay hikes of about 20 percent in an effort to retain troops. The minimum monthly salary for a soldier is rising from 4,960 złoty (�1,150) to 6,000 złoty. In response to the growing threat from Russia, the Polish military has grown from 95,000 in 2015 to 215,000 this year.

The French plan includes help finding housing and accessing healthcare and childcare. Couples who both work within the armed forces ministry, even if one is a civilian, will be able to transfer posts together.

"I'd rather have fewer recruitments to improve retention than to go on a recruitment spree in which the number of people retained are constantly falling," Lecornu said.

In Germany, as part of efforts to beef up national defense, the government wants to get its armed forces headcount to 203,000 by the early 2030s — but recruitment is only growing slowly.

The Bundestag’s special commissioner for the armed forces, Eva H�gl, has said that reinstating some form of conscription is one way to turn things around, but targeting women is a more obvious move to arrest the decline since potential there is “far from exhausted,” the lawmaker wrote.

Legislation passed last year seeks to make conditions more attractive, including more support for childcare and increased retirement pensions.

There aren’t just problems with the hours, but also basic infrastructure. "When I visit the troops, I no longer hear that helmets and protective vests are missing — but lockers," wrote H�gl in the annual report.

According to H�gl, fixing up barracks and military facilities will cost around �50 billion — equivalent to half the total special fund the government created to update its military forces in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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Poland is Getting Moscow-Reaching Cruise Missiles
Poland will receive a large shipment of American weapons, which will include AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II and AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, as well as JASSM-ER cruise missiles. This will significantly strengthen Polish national security as well as the security of NATO’s eastern border.

As Ukraine is still being torn apart by the Russian invasion, capabilities of long-range weapons like the JASSM-ER are very important for Poland and the entire region.

The JASSM-ER is a new version of JASSM with extended range (ER – Extended Range). It shares 70% of its components with the predecessor, but instead of the usual 370 km, it flies as far as 900-1000 km. Poland has become the second user of these weapons in the world and has about 70 missiles of this type. And now another large batch of these rockets could be coming.

This March, the US State Department approved the sale of up to eight hundred and twenty-one JASSM-ER missiles to Poland for $1.77 billion.

The JASSM-ER entered service in 2014. It is compatible with many different aircraft, including the American strategic bombers B-1 Lancer, B-2 Spirit, and the B-52 Stratofortress. It can also be launched by a range of jet fighters.

A bit more peculiar capability is launching the JASSM-ER from the Rapid Dragon module, which is basically a palletized cruise missile launcher, which can be deployed from regular military transport aircraft like the C-130 and the C-17. The JASSM-ER has a precision guidance system, based on GPS, inertial navigation system and IR sensors for target detection.

Poland will be able to launch JASSM-ER missiles from its F-16 jet fighters, and in the future, the F-35 will also be armed with them. The JASSM-ER is 4.3 m long and weighs approximately 1,200 kg. It can deliver a warhead weighing 450 kg to a distance of 900-1000 km. It is relatively difficult to detect and take down too, even if it is not actually stealth.

By the way, that 1,000 km range means that, at least theoretically, a JASSM-ER launched in Polish airspace could reach Moscow and St. Petersburg. Although it is only a cruise missile, Russia is clearly paying attention to the attack capabilities that Poland is trying to build up.

Poland reacted to the invasion of Ukraine with determination. It is buying new tanks, artillery systems, missile systems and other weapons. Within a few years, Poland will be one of the strongest military forces in Europe. Hopefully, this military might will not have to be put to combat use, but will work as a strong deterrence instead.

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 19:51 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

Uiteraard.

quote:

Trump ‘may recruit Paul Manafort to 2024 campaign’ – despite jail time and alleged ties to Russian spies
A bipartisan US Senate report previously described Manafort’s work for Trump in 2016 as ‘a grave counterintelligence threat’

Donald Trump is preparing to welcome his disgraced former campaign manager Paul Manafort back into the fold despite fears of Russian influence, according to reports.

Manafort, a veteran Republican fixer who helped run Mr Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, was convicted in 2018 of concealing millions of dollars he had made lobbying for pro-Russian politicians.

A bipartisan US Senate committee branded him a “grave counterintelligence threat” and a potential channel for covert Russian influence, but he was pardoned by Mr Trump in the dying days of 2020.

SPOILER

quote:

Now The Washington Post reports that Mr Trump is in talks to re-hire Manafort for his 2024 presidential campaign, citing four people familiar with the discussions.

Though no formal decision has been made, those people said that Mr Trump was determined to bring Manafort back into his inner circle, according to the Post.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Calls to a phone number associated with Manafort were not returned.

Manafort has helped elect and re-elect numerous presidents during his decades-long career in American politics, from Richard Nixon through George HW Bush to Mr Trump.

But he has also served as a prolific lobbyist for foreign politicians including Angolan rebel leader Jonas Savimbi, Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, and Viktor Yanukovych, the pro-Russian former president of Ukraine.

According to a 2020 report by the Senate Intelligence Committee, these two lines of work appeared to cross while Manafort was working as Mr Trump's campaign chair in 2016.

During that time, he shared internal campaign data with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian-Ukrainian political fixer whom the report describes as a “Russian intelligence officer”.

“Taken as a whole, Manafort's high-level access and willingness to share information with individuals closely affiliated with the Russian intelligence services, particularly Kilimnik and associates of Oleg Deripaska, represented a grave counterintelligence threat,” the report concluded.

The various investigations into Manafort's conduct eventually led to criminal charges, and in 2018 he pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to tamper with a witness, launder money, and violate foreign lobbyist registration laws.

After being pardoned by Mr Trump, Manafort released a book called Political Prisoner in which he denied any wrongdoing related to Ukraine and Russia and defended his former boss.

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 19:36 schreef AgLarrr het volgende:

[..]
Nope. Als we dit geopolitieke spel gaan spelen, en dat gaan we, dan moeten we het ook goed doen. Realpolitiek 2.0, inclusief spheres of influence en categorie A en B lidstaten. Moldavi� is van ons. Net als de Balkan, Armeni� en Georgi�. Brace for it..

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 19:49 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.politico.eu/a(...)rmany-soldiers-army/
[..]

SPOILER

[..]

quote:

At least 22 million fake votes cast for Putin in presidential election
In what represents record levels of fraud even for a Russian presidential election, at least 22 million votes cast for Russian President Vladimir Putin during last weekend’s election were fake, Novaya Europe can reveal.

The fraud was so wide-ranging that it is virtually impossible to establish with any certainty the proportion of real votes.

SPOILER

quote:

Novaya Europe used a method devised by mathematician Sergey Shpilkin to estimate the share of “irregular” votes in the election, based on data for 97% of votes processed by the Central Election Commission (CEC), collected by Telegram channel Nevybory.

The initial estimate put the number of fake votes at 31.6 million, but Moscow was later excluded from the analysis due to widespread online voting in the capital, a form of voting that makes it difficult to track turnout.

The 22 million fake vote estimate is a conservative one as it does not include online votes and voting in the occupied Ukrainian territories.

The total number of voters, not including online voters, stood at 74.5 million. According to the CEC, 64.7 million of them voted for Putin.

Shpilkin’s method reveals how many votes were added to the winner’s total either by stuffing ballot boxes or by rewriting the final tally. It compares the distribution of votes for different candidates with turnout at each individual polling station.

If the elections were fair, the distribution of votes for the leading candidate and all other candidates should be identical and should differ only in absolute value due to the different number of votes. However, stuffing ballot boxes for one of the candidates increases turnout and affects the proportion of votes going to each candidate.

According to the official election results published by the CEC on Monday, the incumbent president secured 87.28% of the vote.

CEC head Ella Pamfilova said that over 87.1 million Russians — 77.44% of the eligible electorate — had voted, a record turnout for a Russian presidential election in the modern era.

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 19:59 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

[..]
Daar wordt de EU en wij niet beter van.

Je kan ook invloed hebben op die landen zonder ze bij de EU te laten. Dat kost alleen maar geld en nog meer politieke verschillen tussen Oost en west Europa. Daarnaast gaan die landen nog erger leeglopen. Je zou Moldavi� bijvoorbeeld lid kunnen maken van de NAVO, dat heeft veel minder impact en bereik je hetzelfde mee.

Hoewel ik nooit echt begrijp waarom je landen zonder toegevoegde waarde en toekomst tot je sfeer van invloed wilt hebben.

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 19:31 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

[..]
Laat Moldavi� maar lekker buiten de EU

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Mobilization is being tested in Belarus

In Belarus, the military is practicing the mobilization of reservists and vehicles as part of a combat readiness test.

Militarnyi reports on this.

The combat readiness inspection of forces and military units was announced on March 11.

Within these activities, the military commissariat of the Minsk district conscripts persons liable for military service for military training.

According to Colonel Dmitry Godun, the commissar of this Belarusian district, they are fulfilling orders to conscript and register vehicles and people liable for military service.

SPOILER

quote:

“At this stage, we have notified persons liable for military service and vehicle suppliers. We are now gathering and sending reservists to the military units,” the military officer reported.

Before being sent to the military, Belarusian military personnel arrive at the assembly points of village executive committees and military commissariats.

It is also noted that certain equipment is coming from enterprises and organizations, is being inspected and is ready to be sent to military units.

In particular, the 19th Separate Guards Mechanized Brigade deployed a vehicle reception center.

The main task of the center is to receive vehicles from government agencies and organizations, and distribute and transfer equipment to units for further missions.

Judging by the published photos, trucks, dump trucks, and excavators are at the disposal of the military. This equipment is used to transport supplies and perform a number of other tasks. Military drivers also arrive with the equipment.

In February, the Belarusian government announced the introduction of a counterterrorism operation on the border with Ukraine. This took place in the border village of Lelchitsy, Lelchitsy district, Gomel region, where units of the Special Operations Forces of Belarus were deployed.

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 19:31 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

[..]
Laat Moldavi� maar lekker buiten de EU

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Ukraine veteran shoots business partner dead in St. Petersburg restaurant
A former prison inmate who was released to fight in Ukraine shot and killed his business partner in a St. Petersburg restaurant on Monday before sitting back down to finish his meal, local news website Fontanka reported.

The shooter, Alexey Isakov, said the shooting involved the 7 million rubles (�70,000) his business partner allegedly owed him, some of which he apparently brought to Isakov at the restaurant.

Fontanka posted footage of the shooting caught on the restaurant’s security camera, which shows Isakov pulling out a gun and shooting at the man sitting across from him. The man falls to the floor, at which point Isakov shoots him again at close range. He then sits back down and carries on eating.

Despite having time to flee the scene, Isakov remained at the restaurant and was detained and charged with murder shortly afterwards. The court is yet to rule on pretrial detention measures.

Isakov had recently returned from fighting in Ukraine, according to Fontanka, which added that he had likely been recruited to fight straight from prison where he had previously been serving a 3.5-year sentence for theft.

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Estonia expels Russian Embassy employee
An employee of the Russian Embassy in Estonia has been declared a persona non-grata and expelled from the country, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsakhna said on March 19.

Tensions between Tallinn and Moscow surged following the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said in February that authorities had "successfully stopped a hybrid operation by Russia's security services on our territory."

Earlier in February, Metropolitan Yevgeniy of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate announced he was leaving Estonia after the government decided not to extend his residence permit, citing public statements and actions he had made in support of Russia's military aggression.

In comments printed on the Foreign Ministry's website, Tsakhna said, "With its actions, the Russian Embassy has interfered in the internal matters of Estonia in an unacceptable way, more specifically in the judicial process, acquiring documents from a criminal case and contributing to their publication on Russian social media."

"By expelling the diplomat, we are demonstrating that Estonia will not allow any actions orchestrated by a foreign state on its territory," he concluded.

Tsakhna did not clarify the specifics of the diplomat's actions or which criminal case he referred to.

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Moldova expels Russian diplomat after Russian election held in Transnistria
Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi announced on March 19 that a Russian diplomat had been expelled from the country after Russian presidential elections were held in Transnistria, a region internationally recognized as part of Moldova.

Russian troops have occupied Transnistria since the early 1990s when Russia invaded the region under the pretext of protecting ethnic Russians.

"The Russian ambassador, Oleg Vasnetsov, has been summoned to the Foreign Ministry," Popsoi said on X.

"The Moldovan side expressed its protest against the presidential elections held by Russia in the Transnistrian region, against Moldovan authorities' stance."

"A diplomat was declared persona non grata," Popsoi said.

Russia conducted a pseudo-democratic presidential election on March 15-17 that granted Vladimir Putin, who has been in power since 1999, six more years in office.

News emerged shortly before the election that Russia was opening polling stations in Transnistria.

The Russian authorities also organized the election in regions of Ukraine under Russian occupation.

The EU "does not and never will recognize either the holding of these so-called elections" in occupied Ukraine, Josep Borrell, the European Union's top diplomat, said in a statement on behalf of the EU on March 18. The U.S., U.K., and Canada also denounced Russia for holding the illegal vote.

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Slovakia’s opposition sounds alarm over Russia tilt as election looms
Report alleges that candidate asked Hungary to help arrange visit to Moscow in 2020 – when prime minister – to boost popularit

Slovakia risks moving further away from the west, government critics have warned, as a report alleged that a presidential candidate aligned with the country’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, had previously sought an invitation to Russia to boost his position at home.

Slovaks will vote in a presidential election on 23 March, in what many consider to be a test for the country’s democracy and future within Europe.

Since returning to power after winning the election last autumn, Fico has shifted foreign policy in a more Russia-friendly direction and taken aim at independent institutions at home, including the special prosecutor’s office and the public broadcaster.

SPOILER

quote:

“Given the attempt to concentrate as much power as possible within the executive, the fight for the presidency has become all the more important,” said Tom� Val�ek, a member of parliament from the opposition party Progressive Slovakia. “[The presidency is] one of the last remaining sort of levers of power that can be a check on the power of the executive”, he said on Friday.

While a plethora of candidates are running, two are expected to advance to a second round in April: Peter Pellegrini and Ivan Korčok.

Pellegrini, a former prime minister and now speaker of parliament, used to be a member of Fico’s Smer party. He now leads the Hlas party, which is in coalition with the prime minister. Korčok is a pro-western former diplomat and ex-minister of foreign affairs.

“The presidential election will decide if Slovakia truly stays in western club or joins Hungary or Belarus,” Eduard Heger, a former prime minister, said on Sunday. “Our new government has turned Slovakia on the Kremlin side,” he said.

The fear, Heger stressed, is that Pellegrini “will act hand in hand with Robert Fico’s direction of foreign policy, which could have a devastating effect on Slovakia”.

With only a few days before the vote, a claim came to light on Tuesday that will put further focus on the future of Slovakia’s relationship with Russia.

The central European investigative outlet VSquare alleged that when Pellegrini was prime minister in 2020 he asked Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orb�n, for help arranging a last-minute trip to Moscow in the days before that year’s parliamentary’s election, to boost his credentials among pro-Russian voters in Slovakia.

According to VSquare, Orb�n entrusted the task to his foreign minister, P�ter Szijj�rt�, who communicated the request to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. In the end, Pellegrini was invited to Moscow a few days before the election, where he met Mikhail Mishustin, Russia’s prime minister.

VSquare’s report is based on intelligence material obtained by a European country and seen by VSquare, which shared it with the Guardian before publication.

VSquare sent requests for comment to the offices of Orb�n and Pellegrini, as well as the Russian and Hungarian foreign ministries. At the time of publication, only the Hungarian foreign ministry had replied.

The Hungarian statement said: “If the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade receives a request to help establish or maintain contacts with other countries, and the request is not contrary to Hungarian national interests, we are always ready to help. This is called diplomacy.”

The ministry referenced a recent public statement by Szijj�rt�, in response to criticism of his links with Russia from Donald Tusk, the Polish prime minister. “I think the prime minister of Poland would be surprised to know how long the list [is] of European politicians who have asked me in recent years to help them to make contact with the Russians,” Szijj�rt� said, adding that he had been happy to help.

Pellegrini was seen before Slovakia’s parliamentary election last September as a potentially moderating influence on Fico, but critics say he has not lived up to that role.

Milan Nič, a senior research fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations, said Pellegrini had “put the interest of being elected president above everything else. So therefore, he didn’t go into internal fights.”

“He needs Fico and the Smer voters – and their campaign machine – to be elected,” Nič added.

Slovakia’s internal politics are being watched closely in the region.

A senior central European official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Fico – who was previously known as a pragmatist – is now “more crazy” and that his foreign policy is perceived as a “domestic-driven” attempt to capitalise on voters who respond to Russia-friendly narratives.

Officials note, however, that Slovakia has not blocked any important EU or Nato decisions related to Ukraine.

Pellegrini did not respond to questions from the Guardian. Asked about the criticism directed at him, Katar�na Roth Neveďalov�, a member of the European parliament from Fico’s Smer party, said she believed he was “[a] very good and experienced politician who can represent the country well – and we can check his record already: nothing to worry about.”

But Val�ek, the opposition member of parliament who is also a former Slovak ambassador to Nato, has said that despite Pellegrini’s promise to maintain warm relations between Slovakia, Nato and the EU, “we have fewer and fewer friends with each passing day”.

He added: “We’re now somewhere to the east of Viktor Orb�n in our foreign policy terms. Mr Pellegrini hasn’t lifted a finger to stop that.”

quote:

Rheinmetall to build a gunpowder factory in Romania
Rheinmetall will build a gunpowder factory to expand its ammunition production capacity.

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced this on the Digi 24 TV channel.

Romania will receive a modern powder factory as part of a project developed jointly with the European Commission and Rheinmetall.

According to Marcel Ciolacu, the 300-hectare facility will be built near the town of Victoria, Brașov County. The investment is worth �400 million.

The Romanian Prime Minister noted that Romania already has capacities to produce NATO-standard artillery ammunition, but they are currently insufficient.

Romanian Economy Minister Radu Oprea shared that Rheinmetall officials have already arrived in Romania to start construction work on the new enterprise.

Rheinmetall’s European expansion
The large-scale deployment of the German defense giant’s production facilities across Europe is linked to plans to scale up arms production and reach an annual output of more than one million artillery shells by 2027.

According to Armin Papperger, Rheinmetall AG’s Chief Executive Officer, the company’s new production facilities across Europe, including in Germany, Hungary, Ukraine, and Lithuania, are expected to help the company reach the one million-unit target.

Rheinmetall plans to set up at least four weapons manufacturing factories in Ukraine.

It is planned that the new ammunition plant will produce a six-figure number of 155-mm artillery shells per year. The German concern Rheinmetall will own 51% of the shares in the joint plant, and the Ukrainian company will own 49%.

It is noted that it will be built on the model of an ammunition plant that Rheinmetall is building in Germany.

In total, Rheinmetall plans to produce up to 700,000 artillery shells and 10,000 tons of gunpowder at its plants in Germany, Spain, Hungary, South Africa, and Australia by 2025.

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 20:45 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]

quote:

Putin suffers election disaster – in Switzerland
Vladimir Putin has lost the Russian presidential election by a landslide, at least in Switzerland. This is shown by exit polls in Bern and Geneva. The result was the opposite of the 87% approval rating claimed by the official side in Russia.

In Bern, Putin received 16% of the vote, in Geneva 20%. In both cities, hundreds of Russians were interviewed in front of the embassy and the consulate general by members of the Russia of the Future/Switzerland association and volunteers. This was coordinated by the organisation Vote Abroad, Polina Petushkova from Russia of the Future/Switzerland told the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA.

Vladislav Davankov from the New People party, deputy head of the Duma parliamentary chamber, received the most votes. Alongside Leonid Slutsky and Nikolai Kharitonov, he was one of the three candidates authorised to stand for election in addition to Putin.

Davankov, 40, received 45% of the vote in Bern and 29% in Geneva, meaning he clearly outperformed Putin nationwide, according to the post-election poll. Around a fifth of voters spoilt their ballot papers.

Official regret
On Monday the Swiss government said it had taken note of the results of the presidential elections in Russia. The foreign ministry regretted that no OSCE election observer mission had been invited.

Relations with the Russian authorities would continue within the framework of international law, the foreign ministry added in response to an enquiry by Keystone-SDA.

The department once again condemned the so-called elections in the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. Switzerland does not recognise the annexation of Ukrainian territories by Russia. This constitutes a serious violation of the sovereignty and inviolability of the territory of Ukraine, it said.

quote:

Finland pledges $36 million to Czech-led shell initiative for Ukraine
Finland joined a Czech-led initiative to provide Ukraine with hundreds of thousands of artillery shells, pledging 30 million euros ($35.6 million) to the effort, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen announced on March 19.

Czech President Petr Pavel said in February that Prague had identified 500,000 155 mm shells and 300,000 122 mm shells outside of Europe that could be bought and sent to Ukraine after the necessary funds were allocated to the initiative.

Artillery shells are a crucial capability for Ukraine as the country faces critical ammunition shortages. Delays in U.S. military assistance, caused by disputes in Congress, have already had a direct impact on the battlefield, contributing to the loss of the key front-line city of Avdiivka.

Hakkanen discussed with Lieutenant General Karel Rehka, the commander of the Czech Armed Forces, how to boost support for European defense and Ukraine as well as Prague ammunition initiative, Finnish minister said on X.

Finland has already provided around 1.8 billion euros ($1.95 billion) in military aid to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Helsinki also joined the artillery and demining collations, one of many allied initiatives launched under the Ukraine Defense Contact Group to support individual sectors of Ukraine's Armed Forces.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on March 12 that the initiative has already secured the purchase of 300,000 shells and received nonbinding commitments for 200,000 more.

According to Fiala's security advisor, Tomas Pojar, the rounds could start flowing to Ukraine by June.

quote:

Russia Mulls Defense of Energy Sites with Anti-Aircraft Systems

The Russian government is considering options to cover its strategic energy facilities with Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft systems.

This was stated by Artem Verkhov, Director of the Gas Industry Development Department of the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation.

SPOILER

quote:

A Russian government official announced work on projects to protect oil and gas facilities from Ukrainian drone attacks.

“We are working together, including with colleagues from the National Guard of Russia, to cover facilities, to install protection systems of the Pantsir-type, respectively,” stated Artem Verhov, Director of the Gas Industry Development Department of the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation.

It should be noted that, despite the official statements of the Russian authorities, the most powerful air defense weapon that is currently in service with the National Guard of Russia is the ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun. The Pantsir system was in service only with the armed forces of the Russian Federation.

However, it is known that in the middle of last year, talks intensified about transferring tanks and other heavy weaponry to the balance of the Russian National Guard after the mutiny of the PMC Wagner mercenaries.

Pantsir on the defense of the capital
Russian anti-aircraft systems have already been seen as part of the layered air defense around the Russian capital. Such air defense has been built since the beginning of last year to protect against Ukrainian drones.

Modular SAMs were seen both on the roofs of buildings in the middle of Moscow near important administrative buildings, in particular around the Kremlin, and within the city installed on special towers.

According to its characteristics, the Pantsir-S1 air defense system is best suited for countering drone attacks compared to the other Russian anti-aircraft systems. It’s capable of autonomous operation, relying only on the data of its own radar, as well as relatively cheap means of interception – two 30mm guns and radio-command anti-aircraft missiles.

In addition, Pantsir is a multi-channel anti-aircraft system capable of simultaneously intercepting several targets, which is important in massive drone attacks.

However, Russia has a limited number of such systems, all of which are somehow used in the war against Ukraine or are protecting other facilities. Therefore, to protect the Russian refineries, these air defense systems will have to be removed from duty at other facilities, thereby weakening their defenses.

Recall that since January 2024, Ukraine has carried out several successful attacks on the Russian oil infrastructure, hitting ten large refineries, which led to their shutdown and a decrease in production volumes.

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 21:01 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 21:24 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 21:32 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:

[..]
[..]
Die Fransen maken de Russen helemaal gek. Zonder een voet in Ukraine of Rusland te zetten.

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 21:12 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Vaag idee ook, om zo'n tank te gaan halen. Is de PR die het je oplevert de potentiele verliezen je waard.

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 21:59 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
Ook hopen ze geheimen uit deze wrakken te kunnen halen. En mogelijk zwakke plekken aan het licht te brengen.

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In historic shift, Bulgaria seeks US help to escape Russia’s nuclear grasp
Bulgaria is stepping away from Russian nuclear fuel — a solid source of Kremlin revenue even as Europe slashes oil and gas buys.

Russia is losing control over Bulgaria's power grid to the last country it wants to see in Europe's lucrative energy market: the U.S.

Bulgaria, which built its only nuclear power station with Soviet Union support almost 60 years ago, is now waiting on new American-developed fuel rods that it hopes will make it among the first former Warsaw Pact countries to end its decades-long dependency on Russia.

SPOILER

quote:

In a statement last week, Tsanko Bachiiski, the chairman of Bulgaria’s Nuclear Regulatory Agency, said the fuel, made by U.S. firm Westinghouse, is set to be shipped from Sweden in the coming month and could be loaded into unit five of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Station as early as May.

The move represents a symbolic step for Bulgaria, which has long maintained close links to Russia politically and economically. It could also mean a loss of revenue for Moscow, which has relied in part on its multi-billion dollar trade in nuclear fuel to finance two-plus years of war in Ukraine.

"This a major change of policy — for decades Bulgaria was locked in long-term contracts for the import of Russian nuclear fuel," said Martin Vladimirov, director of the energy and climate program at the Center for the Study of Democracy.

Bulgaria also has "pro-Russian oligarchic networks" that spent years arguing the country's nuclear plans could only operate on Russian fuel, Vladimirov added.

Those warnings, Vladimirov said, "have been shown to be overblown." Bulgarian regulators say they don’t anticipate major issues switching from Russian to American nuclear cartridges. Still, the step is just the first in a series of moves that would break Moscow's hold over Bulgaria's energy security.

Hard to quit
Bulgaria isn’t alone in its reliance on Russia for nuclear fuel. The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Finland have all maintained Russian nuclear fuel imports since the start of the war in Ukraine, even amid efforts to divest from Moscow’s oil and gas.

According to a new analysis by think tank Bellona, EU countries effectively doubled their purchases of Russian nuclear fuel last year, paying a total of �686 million, compared to �280 million the year before. A fleet of 19 Soviet-designed water reactors, known by the Russian acronym VVER, constructed across Central and Eastern Europe over the past century, drove the demand.

But Westinghouse, the U.S. firm, will soon help fuel Bulgaria’s VVER power plant at Kozloduy — a watershed moment in U.S. efforts to meet Europe’s nuclear power demands. On top of that, Westinghouse is also working in Bulgaria to build two new reactors at a cost of around $14 billion. While the company declined to provide a comment, Tarik Choho, the president of its nuclear fuel, said in December that it is "proud to support Bulgaria on its path to ensure diversification and energy security."

American firms are separately working back home to reopen uranium mines previously shuttered amid declining demand, eyeing a resurgence in nuclear opportunities. The markets have responded, with uranium futures quadrupling over the past four years.

The European exception
The EU does have one major outlier when it comes to Russian nuclear energy: Hungary.

While its neighbors race to sever ties with Russia, Hungary is actively deepening its dependency on Moscow. Russian state nuclear energy firm Rosatom is working to expand Hungary's Paks II nuclear power station, with construction due to begin in 2025. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb�n, who has repeatedly defied Western pressure and maintained friendly relations with the Kremlin, has vowed to veto any sanctions on Russia’s civilian nuclear sector.

In November, Ukraine’s deputy energy minister, Farid Safarov, told POLITICO that Budapest’s approach undermined Europe's security.

"Russian imperialistic desire will likely spread out of the limits of Ukraine and therefore Hungary can potentially be the next victim of Russian aggression," he said.

Scrutiny over Russia’s role in the nuclear power industry has only grown alongside concerns over the occupation of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest.

Russian troops have held the site for close to two years, effectively keeping its staff as prisoners and stationing military hardware there as fighting rages nearby. The International Atomic Energy Agency has consistently warned of disaster if the situation deteriorates.

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 21:32 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:

[..]
[..]
Die Fransen maken de Russen helemaal gek. Zonder een voet in Ukraine of Rusland te zetten.

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China Expresses Discontent Over Russia's Request for a Loan
Tensions have arisen between Russia and China following Moscow's request for a loan, as reported by journalists from the People's Republic of China (PRC).

Over recent years, Russia and China have significantly strengthened their ties, considering each other as close friends and strategic allies on the global stage. They have embarked on numerous joint projects, and the leadership of both states frequently speaks of a partnership without boundaries. According to Chinese journalists, the relationship between Moscow and Beijing is indeed warm, and recently the Russian side asked its neighbor for a delicate favor—to lend money.

During the negotiations between the two countries, tensions emerged, as reported by the publication NetEase according to AB News.

"The behavior of Russia is becoming increasingly incomprehensible," said the authors of the Chinese publication.

Anton Siluanov, the head of Russia's Ministry of Finance, recently announced that negotiations were underway with China regarding a loan for Russia in yuan. However, the parties have yet to find mutual understanding on this matter.

Shortly thereafter, China's ambassador to Russia, Zhang Hanhui, confirmed that the sides had indeed been in contact regarding this issue, but negotiations are far from conclusion.

NetEase observers noted that China did not reject the Russian request outright but did not agree to it either. It seems that Beijing is biding its time, a situation that is categorically unsatisfactory to the Kremlin. On the other hand, China is also displeased with Moscow's behavior during these negotiations. It appears that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not willing to make concessions and intends to act firmly.

"Russia is not going to be led by China," stated journalists from the PRC.

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 22:45 schreef Perrin het volgende:
[ x ]

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US Reaper Drone in Emergency Landing Amid Russia GPS Attacks
A U.S. military Reaper drone made an emergency landing during a flight in Polish airspace on Tuesday, according to U.S. and Polish authorities, as spikes in GPS jamming across NATO's eastern flank deepen concerns over the airspace around the Baltic Sea.

A U.S. airborne drone made an emergency landing near the town of Mirosławiec in northwestern Poland at an unspecified time after 11 p.m. local time (6 p.m. ET), the Polish General Command of the Armed Forces said in a post to social media. Warsaw's military shared an image of an MQ-9 Reaper in the post, but Polish military officials did not offer an explanation for why the drone made the emergency landing.

The Pentagon confirmed on Tuesday that a remotely piloted MQ-9 used by U.S. Air Forces in Europe had made an emergency landing at the site, adding the drone was "conducting routine training operations when it lost connection with the command station, affecting their ability to operate the aircraft."

SPOILER

quote:

"Preparations for recovery are currently underway and investigation of the incident is in progress," the U.S. Defense Department added in a statement to Newsweek. "We are thankful to our Polish partners for their assistance."

The emergency landing has raised questions over whether the U.S. military's drone activity could be linked to the jamming or spoofing of Global Positioning System (GPS) and broader Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) signals that has plagued eastern Europe and the Baltic region. Interfering with these signals can confuse manned or unmanned aircraft, or make their navigation systems believe they are in a different location.

Officials and experts have pointed to Russian activity, particularly around the Baltic region of Kaliningrad. This is a Russian territory sandwiched between NATO members Poland and Lithuania and serves as a base for one of Russia's major naval fleets.

A senior Estonian military commander pointed the finger at Moscow earlier this year for upticks in GPS jamming across eastern Europe. Russia's skill at using electronic warfare is "quite strong," General Martin Herem, who heads up Estonia's Defense Forces, told Bloomberg in late January. Sweden's Lieutenant Colonel Joakim Paasikivi told Swedish media in the same month that he considered the GPS interference the result of "Russian influence activities or so-called hybrid warfare."

GPS interference can have military purposes, and Russia is believed to have significant electronic warfare (EW) resources based at Kaliningrad. "Russian armed forces have a wide spectrum of military equipment dedicated for GNSS interference, including jamming and spoofing, at varying distances, duration and intensity," a Lithuanian defense official told Newsweek earlier this month.

"Building an atmosphere of threat and a sense of helplessness in society is undoubtedly one of the goals that Russia is pursuing" with jamming and spoofing, a Polish Defense Ministry official added at the time.

Aircraft flying close to the Baltic region, and several NATO nations, have reported interference with their GPS signals. Unnamed pilots told Forbes earlier this year that they had started to switch off GPS navigation when passing close to the Baltic Sea and its surrounding countries in favor of other systems, such as inertial navigation.

In theory, Reapers should be impervious to such interference because they can use inertial navigation and other sources when GPS is impacted, weapons and military expert David Hambling told Newsweek on Tuesday. However, if the loss of drones like the Reaper can be tied to GPS interference, "then we may see a lot of issues with other drones and systems which rely on GPS," he said.

Publicly available GPS jamming and interference tracking shows high levels of interference in northeastern Poland on Monday, and spots of interference in the northwest of the country close to the drone's landing site.

The drone touched down in a "secured, uninhabited area," and an investigation is underway, the Polish military said.

The MQ-9 Reaper is designed for gathering intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data, as well as zeroing in on possible targets. It can also be used for precision strikes, and is one of the U.S. military's most-used drones.

However, the drone has a "very poor safety record and crashes are much more common than with other aircraft types," Hambling said, adding that the once-cost-effective uncrewed system now costs in excess of $20 million.

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 22:59 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:

[..]
Blijft verbazend zulke reacties.

Je ziet nu met de ontwikkelingen met drones dat je met een paar 1000 euro ettelijke miljoenen aan fregatten en tanks kunt uitschakelen.

Wat willen wij? Miljoenen naar fregatten en tanks.

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 22:59 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:

[..]
Blijft verbazend zulke reacties.

Je ziet nu met de ontwikkelingen met drones dat je met een paar 1000 euro ettelijke miljoenen aan fregatten en tanks kunt uitschakelen.

Wat willen wij? Miljoenen naar fregatten en tanks.

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 22:59 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:

[..]
Blijft verbazend zulke reacties.

Je ziet nu met de ontwikkelingen met drones dat je met een paar 1000 euro ettelijke miljoenen aan fregatten en tanks kunt uitschakelen.

Wat willen wij? Miljoenen naar fregatten en tanks.

quote:

Trump floats method for the Supreme Court to further delay his trial without giving him full immunity

Former President Donald Trump told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that future presidents could be vulnerable to “de facto blackmail and extortion while in office” if the justices did not accept his sweeping view of immunity against special counsel Jack Smith’s election subversion charges.

However, the presumptive 2024 GOP White House nominee also floated an alternative route for the justices – if they were unwilling to accept his maximalist theory of presidential immunity – that would still help him achieve the political goal of delaying a trial until after the November election.

Trump’s new Supreme Court brief also repeatedly referenced statements Justice Brett Kavanaugh made before Trump nominated him to the Supreme Court, in what appears to be an appeal to the justice’s past experience.

Trump is making his full-throated arguments for presidential immunity to the Supreme Court now that the justices have agreed to take up the issue, with oral arguments scheduled for April 25.

SPOILER

quote:

Trump told the justices that if they were not willing to grant him full immunity from Smith’s election subversion prosecution, they should send the case back to lower courts for more proceedings – a move that would push off a trial for many months – to determine whether any partial theory of immunity would apply in his case.

The alternative route could afford the court’s conservative majority an “off-ramp” that would hamstring the special counsel without taking a blanket view of immunity for former presidents.

“No court has yet addressed the application of immunity to the alleged facts of this case,” Trump’s lawyers wrote, adding that applying any doctrine of immunity the Supreme Court sets out may “require discovery about the specific facts and circumstances of charged conduct.”

Not only will the high court be delving into a mostly unchartered area of the law with far-reaching consequences for future presidents, it will also be pressured to keep an eye on the clock. By agreeing to hear the case at all, the justices have complicated efforts to start a trial before the year ends.

Rejecting immunity claim ‘would be the end of the presidency as we know it,’ Trump says
In the latest brief, the former president and presumptive GOP presidential nominee tripled down on the far-reaching claims of presidential immunity that lower courts have roundly rejected.

His arguments to the high court – after losing in two lower courts – sought to frame the issue as one that will define not just his legal exposure, but that of all future presidents.

“The consequences of this court’s holding on presidential immunity are not confined to President Trump,” the former president’s attorneys told the court in a new brief. “If immunity is not recognized, every future President will be forced to grapple with the prospect of possibly being criminally prosecuted after leaving office every time he or she makes a politically controversial decision.”

“That would be the end of the Presidency as we know it and would irreparably damage our Republic,” they wrote.

He also pressed forward with arguments that the Supreme Court previously signaled it was not focused on in on this case. Trump has claimed that he could only face criminal prosecution if he was first impeached and convicted by Congress for the same conduct. The Supreme Court had not asked the parties to address this issue in their briefings.

Appeals to a key justice’s past experiences
Trump’s brief repeatedly cited statements from Kavanaugh, who joined the court in 2018.

When Kavanaugh wrote the legal commentary that Trump is now quoting, Kavanaugh was addressing the prospect of criminal investigations and prosecutions of sitting presidents. Yet Trump’s lawyers argue that the logic applies to former occupants of the White House as well.

One citation is a 2009 law review article adapted from a speech Kavanaugh gave when he was a DC Circuit judge, in which he said that “a President who is concerned about an ongoing criminal investigation is almost inevitably going to do a worse job as President.” Kavanaugh said in his remarks that he was drawing upon his experience both as a judge and as a member of the executive branch, where he worked in the White House Counsel’s Office.

In those remarks, Kavanaugh was addressing the threat of criminal investigations against current presidents, but Trump’s attorneys on Tuesday said that the “conclusion holds if that criminal investigation is waiting in the wings until he leaves office.”

The new brief also references a Georgetown Law article Kavanaugh wrote in 1998, after he worked on the independent counsel investigation into then-President Bill Clinton. Kavanaugh wrote then that “prosecution or non-prosecution of a President is, in short, inevitably and unavoidably a political act.”

Trump argued to the justices Tuesday that, “This observation applies to former Presidents as well — and it applies most of all to a former President who is the leading candidate to replace the incumbent who is prosecuting him.”

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Fact check: Trump falsely claims he isn't allowed to appeal fraud ruling until he puts up big money

Former President Donald Trump made a series of false claims on Tuesday while railing against the judge who issued the $454 million civil fraud judgment against him.

SPOILER

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Trump posted the claims on social media the day after his lawyers said in a court filing that he had been unable to persuade any company to provide the appeal bond he needs in order to stop New York Attorney General Letitia James, who filed the successful lawsuit against him, from beginning to collect on Judge Arthur Engoron's judgment.

Trump baselessly accused Engoron and James of corruption and wrote that they are "asking me to put up massive amounts of money before I am allowed to appeal the ridiculous decision. Never done before." He also claimed that Engoron "wants me to put up Hundreds of Millions of Dollars for the Right to Appeal his ridiculous decision" and that "Engoron wants me to put up the ridiculous fine (I DID NOTHING WRONG!) before I get a chance to Appeal his crazed ruling - A first!"

Trump claimed in another post: "I shouldn't have to put up any money, being forced by the Corrupt Judge and AG, until the end of the appeal. That's the way system works!"

Facts First: Trump's claims are comprehensively untrue. He is allowed to appeal Engoron's decision without putting up any money. In fact, he is already appealing; he filed his notice of appeal in February, the first business day after Engoron made the ruling official. And what Trump is actually being required to do - put up cash or a bond for the full amount of the judgment to secure a stay that would prevent James from collecting during the appeals process - is not "a first" or something "never done before." The requirement is set out by New York law, and it is regularly applied in civil cases in the state.

"This is literally the way that the NY rules of court are designed to work, and actually work every day," said Mitchell Epner, a former federal prosecutor who is now a litigator in private practice in New York. He said the rules being applied to Trump "are applied every day in New York courts, on verdicts of all sizes," though the size of the judgment against Trump is notably large.

Epner added: "Donald Trump is either horribly misinformed or lying."

Given that Trump appealed Engoron's ruling before putting up any money, it is obvious that Engoron hasn't made the right to appeal dependent on putting up a large amount of money. "He's allowed to appeal regardless... he's already appealing," said Neil Pedersen, president of a surety bond agency in New York.

James gave Trump a 30-day grace period before she starts to collect on the judgment. It ends on Monday, March 25, meaning that this date is a de facto deadline for Trump to find the cash or a bond unless a New York appeals court panel agrees to his request to allow him to avoid putting up the money until the end of the appeals process - which could be years from now. (The appeals court could alternately allow Trump to put up a smaller amount of money.)

If Trump did not secure a stay, James collected on the judgment, and then Trump eventually won the case on appeal, James would be required to return any collected money to Trump along with interest, Epner said.

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 23:17 schreef Perrin het volgende:

[..]
Met drones alleen neem je geen terrein in.

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 23:23 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Uh huh, en daar hebben we voor landvoertuigen active protection systems voor. Bv deze. Zie je nu in gaza zeer succesvol RPG's afvangen, bv.

Vliegende drones zijn tegen schepen volstrekt kansloos. De boot-achtigen van oekraine zijn wat listiger, maar dat is een geavanceerd wapensysteem op zich.

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 23:27 schreef dudewhereismycar het volgende:

[..]
Dat snap ik dus ook niet. Deze oorlog maakt toch duidelijk dat tanks en schepen totaal kansloos zijn tegen goedkope drones...

Echt onbegrijpelijk.

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 23:27 schreef dudewhereismycar het volgende:

[..]
Dat snap ik dus ook niet. Deze oorlog maakt toch duidelijk dat tanks en schepen totaal kansloos zijn tegen goedkope drones...

Echt onbegrijpelijk.

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 23:59 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:
Waarom zou een kamikaze drone volstrekt kansloos zijn tegen een schip? Het door jou genoemde AP systeem helpt daar bijvoorbeeld niet tegen.

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 22:59 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:

[..]
Blijft verbazend zulke reacties.

Je ziet nu met de ontwikkelingen met drones dat je met een paar 1000 euro ettelijke miljoenen aan fregatten en tanks kunt uitschakelen.

Wat willen wij? Miljoenen naar fregatten en tanks.

quote:

Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 00:11 schreef zuchtje het volgende:
Het kan best zo zijn dat de tanks die we bestellen een anti-drone laser hebben.

quote:

Paladin tank in the field

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Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 00:38 schreef ExTec het volgende:
Maar goed; zoals opgemerkt - met drones ga je geen grond innemen, dat doe je met boots, soldaten.

En als soldaten beschoten worden, vinden die het fijn dat ze achter iets kunnen schuilen -> een IFV, ICV, APC, etc

En dan gaan IFV's vanzelf een keer IFV's tegenkomen en met elkaar moeten matten. En dan heb je ineens een IFV nodig die veel klappen kan hebben, en harde klappen uit kan delen -> een tank.

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Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 00:46 schreef LitmanenAFCA het volgende:

[..]
Ja hoeveel tankbattles hebben we gezien in dit conflict? En ik neem even alle pantservoertuigen onder een noemer als je het goed vind voor we gaan mieren neuken.

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Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 01:19 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Een Russische soldaat die aangevallen wordt door een FPV drone.

Is geen etnische Rus.
Lijkt op een Hindoestaan. Misschien een Armeni�r? Pakistaan?

[ x ]

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Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 01:35 schreef polderturk het volgende:
[ x ]

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Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 01:35 schreef polderturk het volgende:
[ x ]

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Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 02:59 schreef TheJanitor het volgende:

[..]
Gaar propaganda kanaal zeg.

quote:

Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 00:46 schreef LitmanenAFCA het volgende:

[..]
Ja hoeveel tankbattles hebben we gezien in dit conflict? En ik neem even alle pantservoertuigen onder een noemer als je het goed vind voor we gaan mieren neuken.

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One of UAE's largest banks curtails cooperation with Russians under US pressure – WSJ
Due to the US sanctions pressure, Dubai's main state-owned bank Emirates NBD has closed some accounts of Russian oligarchs and Russian oil traders.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Details: It is noted that Emirates NBD has closed its Russian subsidiary and many Russian accounts. The companies of Azerbaijani businessman Etibar Eyyub, who trades in Russian oil, were also hit.

Emirates NBD ordered the closure of the accounts of Coral, Voliton, Bellatrix and another company associated with Eyyub, Pontus Trading. These companies were the ones that registered old tankers carrying large volumes of Russian oil.

Emirates NBD also closed the accounts of Russian fertiliser giant Uralkali and Russian businessman Ivan Tavrin. In December, the United States imposed sanctions on Tavrin, who had been buying up foreign technology companies since the start of the full-scale war.

In addition to Emirates NBD, the Dubai branch of the Egyptian state-owned bank Banque Misr has also started to curtail its work with Russians.

Background: Emirates NBD will start transferring the assets owned by Russians to separate accounts, where all payments on securities owned by them will be received.

quote:

Ukraine takes note of who congratulated Putin on his "election" victory – Secretary of Ukraine's Defence Council
Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, has noted that Ukraine is closely monitoring those who congratulated Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin on his alleged victory in the Russian presidential election.

Source: Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, in an episode of Ukrainska Pravda. Summary

Quote: "We are now observing very closely who congratulates 'president' Putin on his alleged victory. It's quite an interesting list.

We have an understanding of what kind of interests they are pursuing – and whose interests lie with congratulating this modern-day Hitler on his alleged re-election."

Details: Danilov also mentioned that many countries put democracy first and seem to have forgotten that "history puts everything in its place".

quote:

Welsh miners send convoys of aid to Ukraine to repay help over 1984 strike
Askold Krushelnycky reports from Pavlohrad, southeastern Ukraine, where the latest in a number of convoys of vehicles and supplies is handed over to help Kyiv's forces defend against Russia's invasion

It is a bond forged during the miners' strike 40 years ago.

A trio of vehicles filled with drones, military equipment and medical supplies recently arrived in Ukraine – to help them defend against Russia's invasion – from Wales because of that bond.

One of the drivers was Wayne Thomas, who experienced the strike as a young miner and now, at 63, is vice-president of the UK National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).

Six volunteers set off with two Mitsubishi SUVs and a Volkswagen “Transporter” from Pontypridd in Wales, where the donated vehicles and supplies had been gathered at a NUM property. They overnighted in Folkestone and next day went by train under the Channel to Calais and drove through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland before crossing into Ukraine after four days.

SPOILER

quote:

The other principal convoy organiser was Mick Antoniw, 69, Welsh Assembly member and Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution of the Welsh Government (Wales’s equivalent of attorney general). A former member of the British Labour Party’s national executive, Antoniw was helping to bring convoys of aid to Ukraine for the ninth time.

This trip marked �1 million pounds worth of donations - 15 vehicles plus various supplies - the group has sent to Ukraine since the full-scale war began on February 24, 2022.

Antoniw made contacts in the NUM because the firm of solicitors he belonged to before becoming a full-time politician often represented the miners’ union.

Another former miner and the “youngster” of the convoy at 35, was Carwyn Donovan, now an official of the Broadcast and Entertainments Union. The fourth driver was Jan Michaelis, 56, the technical director at the Welsh National Opera, who learned about the aid convoys from Donovan who represented the opera’s union members in negotiations while Michaelis sat on the management side of the table. The fifth was Roman Kozak, 69, who was born in Leicester, trained as a doctor at the Royal London Hospital and has lived in Canada since 1979.

Antoniw’s mother was Danish and his father, a refugee from Ukraine during the Second World War, as were both of Kozak’s parent. Both men have been interested in supporting Ukraine in various ways all their lives. Because both have been his friends from childhood, this reporter was invited to chronicle the convoy’s journey for The Independent.

^{Soldiers from a miners union with a vehicle donated in the Welsh convoy – near the frontline in southeastern Ukraine ( Askold Krushelnycky)}

During the miners' strike of four decades ago, Ukraine was still a part of the Soviet Union and a delegation of miners, headed by an official called Mykhailo Volynets from Ukraine’s largest coal mining region in Donetsk arrived to show solidarity with British comrades.

In 1989, Volynets rallied Ukrainian miners calling for independence from the USSR and when that came in 1991 he formed the Independent Trade Union of Ukrainian Miners – which joined the broader movement for democracy sweeping his country. It played an important role in mass protests in 2004 and 2014.

Following the full-scale 2022 invasion, the Ukrainian miners reached out to the NUM for help with vehicles and other supplies for the thousands of their members who had joined the Ukrainian military to defend their country.

Thomas explained that the miners had become especially close with the Ukrainian miners.

“And so when we were asked in 2022 for assistance it was a case of not ‘should we help?’ but ‘yes, and what do you need?’ And the NUM immediately sent �20,000 to the miners in Pavlohrad,” says Thomas.

Thomas has made five wartime trips to Ukraine. “The resolve of the Ukrainian people, all the people we’ve spoken to of all ages, is amazing. Their belief that their culture and country are worth fighting for leaves an enormous impression,” he says.

He adds that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had contributed much surplus medical and (non-lethal) military kit including night vision equipment, trench cooking equipment, warm clothing, boots, helmets, body armour and medicines.

His daughter, Danielle Edwards, who has been involved with the army cadet force all her life – as a cadet and later as an instructor with the rank of major – has also helped enormously with the MoD’s goodwill.

^{(From left to right): Roman Kozak, Jan Michaelis, Mick Antoniw, Wayne Thomas and Carwyn Donovan in Poland en route to Ukraine (Askold Krushelnycky)}

Antoniw said individual former members of Britain’s armed forces have been among the largest donors.

Donovan said he first became aware of Ukraine through Antoniw who he had come to know when Antoniw was the miners’ union’s solicitor solicitor. He had told Antoniw to call him if he ever needed help over in Ukraine. That’s what Antoniw did one summer Monday morning in 2022 and by the next Friday Donovan says he found himself as the co-driver of a vehicle heading on the first of his trips into Ukraine.

He explains the connections that inspired the group: “First of all there’s that inexplicable bond that exists between miners whichever country, a will to help your colleagues.

He adds: “What first struck me was the Ukrainians’ sense of resolve, a sense of quiet determination, that Ukraine would not be destroyed. And Ukrainians have a sense of humour when faced with tremendous, real risks. I think that’s fairly similar to working underground.

“In all the times I’ve been out here [Ukraine], I’ve never seen anyone cry despite all the sorrow. People have told me they will cry because they’ve lost loved ones - but only after victory comes. I wish I was that strong.”

One of the other drivers, Michaelis, says he spent a lot of time visiting relatives in communist East Berlin and felt the absence of free speech and saw how his family had to be cautious about how they acted and what they said. “That gave me an understanding of what an oppressive regime can do to people from very early on in my life.”

He recognises Ukrainians face the same crackdown on freedom if they are occupied by Putin’s forces. “If Ukraine doesn’t manage to stop Russia now, Russia may well be in Poland next and if they are there they are only 20 minutes away from my hometown of Berlin. Ukraine is fighting the fight for Europe.”

^{Soldiers from a miners’ union with a vehicle donated in the Welsh convoy – near the frontline in southeastern Ukraine (Askold Krushelnycky)}

Kozak says that Ukrainians are living under conditions most of us can't even fathom. “I don’t think we can appreciate in the West, living in peace, the tension of an ongoing war with the risk of air attacks, bombing and shelling," he says. "It has been valuable to experience what Ukrainians are going through."

He adds: “I’m very impressed by the attitude of Ukrainians - they realise the risks but don’t allow the war to stop their lives or prevent them doing simple things, like going out for a beer and enjoying life. That spirit to keep going.”

Antoniw was born in England but fell in love with Wales and its culture when he studied law at Cardiff University.

He has worked hard to cultivate cultural links between Wales and Ukraine. Antoniw draws, as do Thomas and Donovan, comparisons between the suppression of the Welsh language and Moscow’s Russification program which threatened to eliminate the Ukrainian language.

Antoniw is proud Wales has welcomed 7,000 Ukrainian refugees, mainly women and children. Many of them have found homes in his constituency of Pontypridd. He has noticed on this trip a “gloom” among Ukrainians caused by the impasse in the US Congress that has led to a severe reduction of artillery ammunition and other supplies critical for Ukraine’s defence.

“I’ve noticed this time particularly concern but I don’t see less determination on the part of Ukrainians to carry on fighting," Antoniw says. " But the concern is to what extent can you rely on Western promises to deliver? People are being killed because promised military supplies haven’t come.”

He says he had faced criticism for spending so much time on aid for Ukraine, but responds that he uses his holiday time for the support work and “all volunteers pay for their own accommodation and food expenses so that every penny of donated money goes on aid.”

The three vehicles were handed over in Kyiv to people who in turn were driving them to military units where PRUP union miners from Pavlohrad serve.

Vitalyi Pyvovar, who picked up on of the vehicles, says some 5,000 of PRUP’s 25,000 miners are on the frontline at any time. About 400 members have been killed.

Pyvovar says: “We have had a long relationship with the Welsh miners. Many years ago they were facing hard times [because of the 1984 strike] and my father’s generation tried to help them. Now, when Ukraine is afflicted by troubles, they are helping us.”

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Ukrainian drones “have knocked out 600,000 to 900,00 barrels” of Russia’s daily oil-refining capacity

Ukraine launched a major new bombing campaign of Russia’s oil and gas industry infrastructure in January 2024 using domestically produced long-range drones

Industry experts estimate that Ukraine’s campaign of long-range drone strikes on Russia’s energy industry has already succeeded in knocking out between 600,000 and 900,000 barrels of Russia’s daily oil-refining capacity, Bloomberg reports.

Speaking at a conference in Houston on March 18, Gunvor Group CEO Torbj�rn T�rnqvist estimated the recent wave of Ukrainian drone attacks had reduced Russian capacity by approximately 600,000 barrels per day. Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase analysts report that Ukraine’s drone strikes have taken around 900,000 barrels of daily Russian oil-refining capacity offline and predict that it could be “several weeks, if not months” until capacity is fully restored.

Ukraine launched a bombing campaign against Russia’s oil and gas industry in January 2024 using domestically produced long-range drones. According to Kyiv officials, these air strikes are designed to starve the Russian invasion force inside Ukraine of fuel while also undermining the economic foundations of Vladimir Putin’s war machine. On March 1, Russia imposed a six-month ban on gasoline exports in a move widely linked to Ukraine’s drone attacks.

Since the beginning of 2024, Ukraine has successfully targeted more than a dozen Russian refineries, leading to production halts and damage to critical infrastructure. With the majority of Russia’s air defense systems currently deployed in Ukraine, the Kremlin is struggling to defend against Ukraine’s drone attacks.

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Luxembourg joins artillery coalition
Following a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (Ramstein-20), Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence has reported that Luxembourg has joined the artillery coalition led by France and Germany.

Source: Ukraine’s Defence Ministry on Telegram

Quote: "Luxembourg joins the artillery coalition led by France and Germany."

The ministry added that Luxembourg is purchasing drones for Ukraine jointly with Belgium and the Netherlands and continues to support Ukraine by supplying it with vitally needed equipment.

Background:
• Luxembourg announced on 8 March that it would join the Czech-led initiative aiming to purchase 800,000 artillery shells for Ukraine.
• Czech President Petr Pavel announced at the Munich Security Conference that Czechia had found up to 800,000 NATO-standard-calibre shells which it could send to Ukraine within a few weeks if funding for the delivery could be found.

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Ukraine tests "floating body armour" for its special forces – photo

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence is testing "floating body armour" for special forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Source: Ministry of Defence on Facebook

Details: Reports state that the Ministry of Defence is still testing two floating module samples produced by Ukrainian and foreign manufacturers. They are designed specifically for naval forces, pontoon units, special operations forces, and some special forces in air assault forces.

The floating module is attached to body armour and can support the weight of both the soldier and additional equipment weighing 27 kilograms.

The Defence Ministry’s Central Directorate is currently conducting a survey of fighters who have tested the floating body armour.

"If such body armour enters the water, then the air cushion automatically inflates and brings the soldier to the surface," explains Oleksandr Sharko, a specialist at the Central Department for Development and Support of Material Support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Quote: "The feedback from the soldiers is very important to us. After similar tests, we receive important information from the testing teams. This allows improving products so that the Ukrainian army receives equipment which creates an advantage over the enemy’s army."

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Australia to Withdraw Wedgetail AWACS Support to Ukraine at Mission End
Australia deployed an RAAF E-7A Wedgetail AWACS aircraft to monitor threats to aid supply routes for Ukraine for six months in October after a US request.

^{A Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail (R) and two US Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft on the tarmac at Perth international airport prior to departing to the search area in the southern Indian Ocean for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH 370. (Photo by CPL DAVID GIBBS / AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE / AFP)}

SPOILER

quote:

It was reported on Tuesday, March 19 that Australia was withdrawing a surveillance aircraft that has been providing oversight for the protection of deliveries of humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine. Contrary to some suggestions in the media, this is not the result of Canberra scaling back on its support to Kyiv but is simply the completion of the originally agreed mission.

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) E-7A Wedgetail, which is based on a Boeing 737-700 airframe, was deployed at the request of the US to assist in monitoring threats to supply routes for aid destined for Ukraine since October. It is based at the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

This Wedgetail is one of six such aircraft operated by the RAAF’s No. 2 Squadron. The aircraft is billed as one of the world’s most advanced airspace battle management platforms, able to coordinate all elements of a joint air, sea and land battle in real-time.

Simultaneous tracking of airborne and maritime targets is made possible through the recent addition of the Northrop Grumman Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) radar along with 10 state-of-the-art mission crew consoles.

The Wedgetail combines long-range radar surveillance, secondary radar tracking, tactical/strategic voice and data communications systems monitoring while providing airborne battlespace coverage of more than four million square kilometers.

Asked about any Australian involvement in targeting of Russian military or naval assets in Ukraine or the Black Sea, an Australian Defence Forces (ADF) spokesperson told the Guardian that the Wedgetail “operates outside of Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian airspace. It is not providing surveillance assistance to Ukraine.”

He was at pains to point out that the Wedgetail’s mission was simply to provide “early warning in the unlikely event of an act or threat from Russia, outside of Ukraine, against the gateway of humanitarian and military assistance.”

Asked whether there was any intention to extend deployment beyond the current April deadline, the ADF spokesperson said, “Any future requests for support from Australia’s international partners would be considered in the usual way.” The ADF official suggested that there would be no gap as the role would be filled by other Western monitoring assets.

Australia’s Foreign Minister, Penny Wong announced a further A$50 million ($33 million) grant to the UK-administered International Fund for Ukraine at the end of February. This brought Australia’s total overall support to Ukraine to A$960 million ($632.2 million), from which about A$780 million ($513.7 million) was in military aid.

NATO announced in November that it will replace its existing 14 aircraft Boeing E-3A Sentry AWACS fleet with Boeing E-7A Wedgetails. Six aircraft will be acquired to begin operations out of Geilenkirchen NATO Air Base in Germany with a target date of 2031.

The UK is in the process of purchasing three Wedgetail aircraft and Turkey currently operates four Peace Eagle E-7As. Additionally, it is believed that the US is likely to replace its aging fleet of 26 E-3G Sentry AWACS aircraft with the Wedgetail.

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EU renews suspension on import duties, quotas on Ukrainian agricultural exports
The European Parliament and the EU Council reached a provisional agreement to renew the temporary suspension of import duties and quotas on Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU until June 2025.

The free trade agreement first came into effect in June 2022. It was designed to help Ukraine's economy during the Russian invasion.

Upon the agreement's renewal, different rules will apply for "the most sensitive products," namely Ukrainian sugar, poultry, eggs, oats, groats, and honey, which will be capped at levels from 2022 and 2023. Tariffs would be reimposed if imports of these products exceeded the volumes in 2022 and 2023.

The Commission also emphasized that the EU would take action "if there is a surge of Ukrainian imports of wheat."

The import of Ukrainian agricultural products has been a source of protest for various farming groups in countries neighboring Ukraine, such as Romania and Poland. Farmers claim that the liberalization of import rules for Ukrainian products hinders their ability to remain competitive.

The current measures are due to expire in June 2024.

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Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 03:58 schreef sp3c het volgende:

[..]
Hoeveel bajonetcharges hebben we gezien?

Toch zullen ze er bijna allemaal 1 bij zich hebben

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Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 08:11 schreef Aether het volgende:
Video - Letland ontdoet zich van z'n Russische verleden
In Letland, een belangrijke bondgenoot van Oekra�ne, wonen sinds de Sovjettijd veel etnische Russen. De Letse regering vindt dat alles dat Russisch is, moet verdwijnen. Maar dat levert nieuwe spanningen op. Ook met Poetins Rusland.

https://nos.nl/l/2513452

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 19:36 schreef AgLarrr het volgende:

[..]
Nope. Als we dit geopolitieke spel gaan spelen, en dat gaan we, dan moeten we het ook goed doen. Realpolitiek 2.0, inclusief spheres of influence en categorie A en B lidstaten. Moldavi� is van ons. Net als de Balkan, Armeni� en Georgi�. Brace for it..

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Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 11:29 schreef icecreamfarmer_NL het volgende:
Het is momenteel nog wel een erg armzierig land.

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Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 08:59 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]
[ x ]

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Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 11:29 schreef ExTec het volgende:
If Rosneft, Lukoil and Gazprom do not show growth, then a serious gap will form in the budget.

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Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 13:27 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

Dot is omdat die lui bij Russische instituten werken die op de shitlist staan.

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Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 15:24 schreef zuchtje het volgende:
Slimme Rus en niet ge�migreerd? Lijkt me een contradictio in terminis.

quote:

Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 08:11 schreef Aether het volgende:
Video - Letland ontdoet zich van z'n Russische verleden
In Letland, een belangrijke bondgenoot van Oekra�ne, wonen sinds de Sovjettijd veel etnische Russen. De Letse regering vindt dat alles dat Russisch is, moet verdwijnen. Maar dat levert nieuwe spanningen op. Ook met Poetins Rusland.

https://nos.nl/l/2513452

RUSSIA Hit by Surge in Corporate Bankruptcies as Sanctions & Interest Rates Damage Russian Companies

quote:

Russian Financial Newspaper Kommersant has Reported that the number of Russian Corporate BANKRUPTCIES has SKYROCKETED in the first two months of 2024. In this video I look at the figures in more details, review the key drivers that are forcing companies into Bankruptcy and discuss the implications for Russia and the Russian Economy.

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Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 09:47 schreef LitmanenAFCA het volgende:

[..]
Beetje rare vergelijking maar goed

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Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 11:32 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Het is niet een erg populair standpunt, maar zoek eens op hoe de levensstandaard in bv polen of de baltics omhoog is gegaan, sinds ze in de EU zitten.

En het is niet zo zero sum dat dat louter is omdat ze geld krijgen van de EU. De landen ontwikkelen zich gewoon enorm.

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Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 15:03 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Triest voor de wetenschap. Al de Russen waar ik mee samengewerkt heb op de universiteit, weliswaar biomedische wetenschappen, waren echt verschrikkelijk slim vergeleken met de andere landen.

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Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 19:21 schreef ipa84 het volgende:
[ x ]
Nieuwe mobilisatie in Rusland.

quote:

Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 19:21 schreef ipa84 het volgende:
[ x ]
Nieuwe mobilisatie in Rusland.

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Op dinsdag 19 maart 2024 21:36 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Uh huh.

[ x ]

quote:

Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 20:55 schreef Cilantro het volgende:
[ x ]

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Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 20:27 schreef RamboDirk het volgende:

[..]
768.000
lol

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Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 22:04 schreef TLC het volgende:
Russen zijn weer eens boos want discriminatie

https://www.msn.com/nl-nl(...)a7fca785c6a7db&ei=68

quote:

Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 22:33 schreef Aether het volgende:

Derdelanders kunnen mogelijk toch blijven na uitspraak rechtbank

quote:

Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 22:34 schreef Aether het volgende:

[..]
Dat ze �berhaupt mee mogen doen.

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Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 15:30 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Mwah, tussen-gevalletje. Die mensen wonen natuurlijk allemaal in zwitserland. Maar de aard van het gebeuren is dat je daar ook werkt onder je eigen vlag. Dan hadden die mensen kunnen proberen zwitserse nationaliteit te verkrijgen, toen ze daar waren. Maar xenophobisch zwitserland kennende, en de setting van het alles, maakt dat mss niet mogelijk.

Jammer joh.

Overigens betaal rus er ook geen cent aan. Lekker profiteren.

quote:

Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 22:34 schreef Aether het volgende:

[..]
Dat ze �berhaupt mee mogen doen.

quote:

Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 23:27 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Alles wordt politiek. Helaas.

Coalition, bribery and campaign: political moves of chimpanzees | AI

quote:

Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 23:52 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

Footage of tests of a Ukrainian ground drone with an installed machine gun #warinukraine

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AfD “election observers” in Russia
Extras in Putin's production?
No OSCE election observers were invited to the re-election of Russian President Putin. People selected by Russia for this purpose. AfD politicians traveled from Germany - and were enthusiastic.

SPOILER

quote:

He should express his criticism of the presidential elections in Russia, which in the eyes of Western experts were only staged elections. Andreas Jurca, AfD member of the Bavarian state parliament, doesn't think twice. He does indeed have criticisms - but of a more technical nature: "Especially when it comes to transparency, in my opinion there are too many," says Jurca with a stern look, "so that would be unusual in Germany now." The AfD politician sits next to his party colleague Elena Roon in a television studio of RT DE, a propaganda channel close to the Kremlin, whose broadcast in Germany was banned by media regulators years ago.

The two are happy to give an interview here to talk about the experiences they have gained as so-called election observers at the invitation of Russia. tagesschau.de had exclusively reported in advance that three Bavarian AfD members of the state parliament wanted to accept such an invitation.

Now videos, distributed on the online service Right at the beginning of the interview, Jurca emphasizes that they came to Russia on their own responsibility. Roon, on the other hand, explains that they accepted the invitation "even in the current situation" because, after all, it is the AfD's line to maintain peaceful relations with Russia.

“Pleasant parliamentarians from the right-wing milieu”
When asked, Roon also raved about how the election days went: “The organization was very good,” she states. "There were even performances, there was even food and drink, everything was well looked after so that the electorate actually felt good and motivated.

"However, experts see it significantly differently. Concerts, lotteries or similar activities around the polling stations only serve one goal, explains Gerhard Mangott, Professor of International Relations at the University of Innsbruck: "It's about increasing voter turnout, but not out of a democratic ambition, but in general Mobilizing people to go to elections that many don't believe are free and fair.

"Roon is also the one who demonstrates the advantages of a Russian polling station in another video. One could mistake the four minutes in which she herself walks through the polling station in Vladivostok like a reporter, praising the "completely transparent" ballot boxes or the barrier-free voting booths, with an image film from the Kremlin.

Later in the television studio, the AfD politician can only think of a few differences from elections in Germany: the transparent ballot boxes that voters were so pleased with and the video recordings that were made in every polling station: "People have no problem with it, We've already spoken to several people."

Political scientist Mangott, on the other hand, still has questions. For example, why the ballot boxes were left unguarded on the nights of the three election days. He also adds: "In these polling stations there are hardly any assessors who come from the opposition, and that's why the door is open to manipulating the counting protocols the way it should be," says Mangott.

For him it is clear that the AfD members of the state parliament did everything the Russian leadership needed through their trip and the subsequent statements. After all, Western observers confirmed the democratic character of the election with them, although at the same time the OSCE observers were not invited, "but only obliging parliamentarians from the right-wing milieu," said Mangott.

No clear AfD line after re-election
Even the AfD federal executive board was not at all happy about this trip and had sent an email to MPs “strongly” recommending that they not go on the trip to Russia. The party leadership committee claims that decisions on the AfD's foreign policy matters rest solely with the federal executive board.

The suspicion that AfD MPs could be exploited by Russia comes at a bad time for the party. The S�ddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) has just reported on an internal report from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, according to which the party could possibly be classified as "certainly right-wing extremist". According to the SZ, the intelligence service also cites the “relationship with Russia” as a new point.

The uncertainty in dealing with this is perhaps also a reason why the AfD is not yet pursuing a clear line in the aftermath of Vladimir Putin's alleged election victory. Bernd Baumann, parliamentary director of the AfD parliamentary group, said in a press conference that Russia is "not a democracy by Western standards" - which sounds somewhat different than the experiences described by the Bavarian state parliament members. Neither he nor others “with us” congratulated Putin.

Co-party leader Tino Chrupalla does not want to offer any congratulations when asked before the parliamentary group meeting in the Bundestag. At the same time, on the Internet platform

A party friend of Chrupalla anticipates this. And not just anyone: the influential Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, who was part of the small leadership circle of the officially dissolved right-wing extremist wing of the AfD. Tillschneider is currently deputy state chairman of the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt. "Congratulations to him and to the Russian people," he writes on his social media channels - once in German and once in Russian.

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US outlines “red lines” for Ukrainian F-16s
The Pentagon has outlined “red lines” on the use of Ukrainian F-16s during the Russian-Ukrainian war.

ArmyInform reported on this, citing Patrick Ryder, the US Department of Defense Press Secretary, in an interview with RFE/RL.

Responding to a question about restrictions on F-16 use, Ryder replied that Western countries see the use of these fighter jets only within the sovereign territory of Ukraine.

According to the official, after receiving the fighter jets, Ukraine will have “a unique air capability that is intended to focus on Ukraine’s defense of its sovereign territory and within Ukraine’s sovereign borders.”

Militarnyi previously reported that Romanian President Klaus Iohannis approved the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets at a training center in Romania.

He also agreed to the transportation of international military aid for Ukraine through the country’s territory.

This issue is soon to be considered at a meeting of the leaders of both houses of the Romanian Parliament. The vote is to take place at the next joint plenary session.

On March 11, with reference to The New York Times, it was reported that the first six F-16 fighter jets will be delivered to Ukraine by the summer of this year.

The newspaper reports that twelve pilots so far are expected to be ready to fly F-16s in combat by this summer after 10 months of training in Denmark, Britain, and the United States.

At the same time, the article’s authors emphasize that by the time the pilots return to Ukraine, as few as six F-16s will have been delivered out of about 45 of the fighter jets that European allies have promised.

In addition, the publication claims that Ukrainian pilots have not yet arrived at the training center at the Romanian Feteşti air base, 150 kilometers east of Bucharest, where they were supposed to receive flight training on F-16s.

The publication writes that the F-16 fighter jets are ready, and pilot instructors are waiting at a new training center in Romania.

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Czech FM vows 300,000 shell shipment to give Ukrainian military 'several months' reprieve at front
Czechia could not simply watch as Ukraine remained without military aid, Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsk� said

The Czech Republic is nearing a decision to provide Ukraine with thousands of much-needed artillery shells, according to Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsk�, whose remarks were reported by The Guardian.

According to him, Czechia currently has 300,000 shells that will provide "a vital few months’ breathing space" on the front line.

The first deliveries will reportedly arrive by June.

"We have a direct experience with 40 years of being a satellite of Moscow, being a country which was invaded in 1968 by Russian tanks to curb the Prague Spring," Lipavsk� said.

The Czech Republic could not stand aside and watch Ukraine remain without military aid, the diplomat stated.

On February 17, during the Munich Security Conference, the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, announced that 800,000 shells could be sent to Ukraine within a few weeks, if funding is secured.

On March 7, Pavel stated that the Allies had collected all the necessary money for the purchase of 800,000 artillery shells for Ukraine.

On March 8, national security advisor and coordinator of the initiative Tom� Pojar denied the words of the president of the Czech Republic that the funds for the purchase of 800,000 artillery shells had been collected, and added that only 300,000 ammunition rounds were paid for.

quote:

St. Petersburg voter imprisoned for 8 days for writing ‘no to war’ on ballot
A St. Petersburg court has ordered a voter who spoiled her ballot paper by writing “no to war” on it in last weekend’s election be imprisoned for eight days for minor hooliganism and fined 40,000 rubles (�400) for “discrediting” the army, the St. Petersburg court press service reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, Alexandra Chiryatyeva went to vote at a polling station in St. Petersburg on Sunday, the third and final day of the elections, but instead of selecting a candidate, wrote “no to war” in red marker on her ballot paper before placing it in the ballot box.

“In so doing, Chiryatyeva spoiled state property and discredited the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,” the court press service said.

Human rights watchdog OVD-Info said that as of 20 March, police had detained more than 93 people in 24 cities across the country during the three-day vote.

In Moscow, one voter was detained and taken to a police station for writing “Putin is a murderer” on his ballot paper, independent news outlet SOTA reported on Saturday. Another voter was detained near Moscow for writing the word “boycott” on the voter register and for attempting to take his ballot paper away with him, OVD-Info said on Saturday.

quote:

“Murderer. The Hague is waiting for you. We will not give up and will see the beautiful future Russia that doesn’t include you. No to war” 2/10
“Go to hell, you son of a bitch” 3/10
“BURN IN HELL, BASTARD” 4/10
“Bring back elections!!! RUSSIA WITHOUT PUTIN. NAVALNY” 5/10
“PUTIN equals War! Peace to the world!” 6/10
“Putin is a piece of shit! Glory to Ukraine! [My vote is for] Alexey Navalny” 7/10
“Navalny is my president. Putin is a murderer, thief, dickhead! No to war! Glory to Ukraine” 8/10
"NAVALNY" 9/10
We explained Russian citizens’ protest vote tactics here. 10/10
https://novayagazeta.eu/a(...)sser-of-all-evils-en

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War against Ukraine to cost Russia $1.3 trillion in lost growth — Secretary Austin
The war in Ukraine will end up costing Russia $1.3 trillion in lost economic growth by 2026, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on March 19.

Speaking to reporters after another round of talks on sustained Western assistance to Ukraine, Austin specified that Moscow has already spent $211 billion in expenses for military procurement and troop training.

The secretary added that the $1.3 trillion figure is a projection of how much potential the Russian economy will end up losing if the war goes on into 2026.

Finally, Austin urged continued Western security assistance to Kyiv to enable Ukraine to further degrade the Russian military’s fighting capacity.

quote:

How Did Ukraine Lose 3 of Its Abrams Tanks? Important Lessons to Learn
M1A1 Abrams tanks are very important for Ukraine. They are modern, powerful and very well-protected. The US has provided Ukraine with 31 M1A1 Abrams tanks that were formerly used by the Marine Corps. These are extremely capable machines. However, the defenders of Ukraine have already lost at least three such main battle tanks.

Forbes analyzed how Ukraine lost three American Abrams tanks. This is important to understand, because Ukraine is hoping to get a new batch of these tanks in the future. As the US is struggling to come up with funding for weapons for Ukraine, this may take a while.

SPOILER

quote:

But initially, the US has pledged M1A2 tanks, which are newer and better. However, it was decided to send the M1A1 variant instead, because these tanks were in stock as the Marine Corps stopped using main battle tanks altogether.

The Abrams is an incredible asset to have. Yes, it is complicated and expensive to maintain, but it is an incredible weapon. However, the defenders of Ukraine lost at least a few of their Abrams tanks.

The first Ukrainian Abrams was attacked by a kamikaze-style drone in February or a little earlier. A fire in the ammunition compartment broke out and destroyed the tank. Drones are pretty much the main anti-tank weapons in this war and both sides use them expensively. However, Abrams tanks do have very good protection and they are more afraid of regular anti-tank missiles.

The second and third Abrams tanks that were lost in combat in Ukraine were defeated by Russian 9M133 Kornet anti-tank missile attacks. These missiles have a tandem warhead: the first penetrates the armour and the second explodes inside the tank completely destroying it. The Kornet systems are quite common, in service since 1998.

Forbes considers Russian anti-tank missiles to be the main, but not the only, threat to Abrams tanks in Ukraine. However, the biggest weakness is not the armour of the tanks, but the way they are being used. Good tactics could help the defenders of Ukraine save their tanks to fight again tomorrow.

Due to a desperate shortage of artillery shells, the 47th Mechanised Infantry Brigade, the only user of the Abrams in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is forced to use its tanks in very close combat. As a result, these tanks were lost, because they came into the range of Russian anti-tank missiles. These tanks went into an unprepared battlefield without proper artillery support and met the positions of Kornet missiles there. In other words, even Abrams losses are the result of a lack of artillery shells.

This is both good and bad news. On one hand, the defenders of Ukraine soon will have a lot more artillery shells. But on the other hand, Ukraine needs more tanks and the threat of Russian anti-tank weaponry is only going to increase as they learn the vulnerabilities of the Western armour.

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Aeroflot Takes Ever More Desperate Measures to Keep Flying
The one area where Western sanctions against Russia are really biting is in its aviation industry and its airlines are having to take ever more extreme measures to stay aloft.

The Izvestia news site reported on Wednesday, March 20, on the latest measures that Aeroflot, the Russian State airline, is trying to keep its aviation business going as the falling availability of its Western aircraft impacts ever more severely on its business.

It says the Aeroflot Group has decided to remove its business class on its budget Rossiya subsidiary’s Sukhoi Superjet 100s to compensate for the current lack of medium size aircraft to service its resort and tourist routes.

Removing 12 business class seats on nine of its Superjet aircraft will allow the addition of 25 economy places albeit at a cost of 331 million rubles ($3.6 million). This equates to one in seven of the available airplanes. This cost covers the purchase of unspecified aviation technical equipment, the cost of the reconfiguration work, new design documentation, and re-positioning the aircraft to Zhukovsky airport.

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Reconfiguration is more than just taking out three rows of business seats but also includes modifying the kitchen module and toilet, removing the class separator, installing the five rows of economy seats, providing additional oxygen containers, replacement of luggage racks, installation of additional internal panels, emergency escape route markers and painting of interior elements.

The plan will rely on the maximum use of cannibalized parts from unserviceable Superjets which, while supposedly of domestic manufacture contain a number of critical Western components as well as the issue of limited existing warehouse stocks.

PJSC Yakovlev, the manufacturer of the SSJ-100 estimates that, if the reconfiguration used a complete set of new aviation technical equipment, the cost would be closer to 900 million rubles ($10 million) – excluding VAT.

Aeroflot plans to have the modifications made this year during its high travel season which starts in September and estimates that it will be able to recover this outlay in one full year of operation. If the changes work, the airline says it may extend the idea to its other aircraft and routes.

This is just the latest attempt to overcome the problems associated with keeping sufficient aircraft operational to maintain some level of business. It is less extreme than some of the previous measures put in place to keep planes in the air.

In September Aeroflot, faced with an inability to replace worn brakes on its Airbus and Boeing aircraft deactivated the brakes on nine of its aircraft. It then instructed its pilots to land to just use thrust reversers to slow down the planes. While this is a recognized emergency procedure if brake failure occurs, it was never designed to be a permanent braking technique.

Other measures include sending aircraft to Iran for “uncertified” repair and maintenance. While Teheran is also sanctioned, at least (from Aeroflot’s perspective) it is able to get its hands on either smuggled or counterfeit components and keep at least some of its foreign aircraft flying.

In August, independent Russian media outlet Proekt reported that Aeroflot had instructed pilots and flight attendants to stop recording technical failures or malfunctions into the aircraft logbook and just verbally brief any problems to the captain.

It’s not just Aeroflot that is affected of course. Kyiv Post has run several reports on the problems faced by and the drastic measures its commercial passenger and cargo airlines have been taking as they struggle to survive. Some can be read here:

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Israeli defense firm selling anti-drone systems to Ukraine by way of Poland
Government appears to turn blind eye to sale, opting not to torpedo deal for ‘advanced defensive technology’ that Defense Ministry has barred companies from supplying to Kyiv

An Israeli defense contractor is supplying anti-drone systems to Ukraine’s military by way of Poland, The Times of Israel’s Hebrew sister site Zman Yisrael reported Monday.

A source in the firm told Zman that the equipment was being sold to Poland to circumvent Israel’s refusal to sell advanced arms to Ukraine.

The company reported to the Defense Ministry that the sale was to Poland and appeared to be claiming not to be aware that Warsaw was acting as intermediary to transfer the weapons to Kyiv, which has been using the Israeli systems to fight against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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Defense industry sources clarified that anti-drone systems — which can intercept and disrupt unmanned aerial vehicles — are classified as “advanced defensive technology” and therefore are not approved for sale to Ukraine. However, the Israeli government has appeared uninterested in torpedoing the deal.

There was no immediate comment from the Defense Ministry.

Israel deploys anti-drone systems along its borders with Gaza, Lebanon and Syria and is considered a world leader in developing the technology, which several Israeli firms are involved with — Israel Aerospace Industries, Elbit, MCTECH, Spear and the Avnon Group.

Israeli systems have been deployed by Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia and have also been sold to the US and countries in Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe.

While Western countries have supplied considerable weaponry to Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24, the Defense Ministry has opposed the sale of both offensive and advanced defensive systems to Kyiv on the grounds it would harm Jerusalem’s “sensitive relations” with Moscow.

Israel has sought to preserve ties with Russia especially due to the Russian military presence in neighboring Syria, where the Israeli Air Force has regularly has struck Iranian-linked targets — though relations have appeared to recently cool as Jerusalem has become increasingly outspoken over Ukraine. Russia, like Ukraine, also has a large Jewish community.

Prior to Russia’s invasion, Israel also reportedly sank a plan by the US to supply Ukraine with the Iron Dome, an Israeli anti-missile defense system developed with US funding that has been sold to several other countries.

While refraining from sending weapons, Israel has supplied Ukraine with basic defense equipment such as helmets and protective vests, along with humanitarian aid like medicine and blankets. In July, Israel began providing direct financial support for civil aid organizations operating in the war-torn country. It also operated a field hospital in western Ukraine for six weeks before closing in April.

Jerusalem’s refusal to send military aid has irked Kyiv, which has called for Israel to sell it the Iron Dome and other defensive weapons.

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Russia must be countered with military strength: Polish FM
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski criticized Germany for its lengthy decision-making processes regarding arms supplies to Ukraine during an interview with the dpa news agency. He also called on the country, as well as the whole of Europe, to confront Russian threats with military strength. “Weakness encourages aggression, strength deters,” he argued.

The delivery of German Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine “would have a significant impact on Ukraine’s ability to defend itself,” Sikorski emphasized.

Using cruise missiles received from other countries, Ukrainians have already forced Russians to move their logistics bases, including ammunition depots, further away from the front lines; the Taurus missiles, with a range of 500 km, “would force (Russians) to move even further away,” the Polish FM assessed.

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Germany may have “historical reasons to be nervous; we understand that, but we would like your discussions to proceed more quickly,” Sikorski told the agency.

He reminded everyone that time is crucial for Ukraine. “A decision made in six months will no longer be the same decision,” he stressed, referring to the months-long discussions in Germany about supplying Kyiv with Taurus missiles.

Sikorski called on Berlin and Europe as a whole to oppose Russian threats with military strength. “Weakness encourages aggression; strength deters,” he emphasized.

“Germany may perhaps feel that they have more time to react to Russian aggression because Poland lies between them and Russia,” Sikorski continued.

“But if Putin is as aggressive as some of us believe, then take another look at your security situation. In the Russian enclave of Kr�lewiec, there are Iskander missiles with nuclear warheads within range of Berlin,” the minister reminded.

In his conversation with the German agency, Sikorski also expressed understanding for the position of French President Emmanuel Macron, who recently did not rule out sending troops to Ukraine.

Putin first annexed Crimea, then started a war in Donbas in eastern Ukraine, and ultimately launched a full-scale invasion of the country. “And we are wondering how to deal with it,” Sikorski summed up.

“I understand President Macron’s strategic or, in this case, tactical logic of reversing the narrative. Let Putin worry about what we will do,” the Polish FM stated.

According to Sikorski, the decision to send troops still belongs individually to each country. “France has the right to do so on its own if it so decides,” he said.

Furthermore, he assessed that the presence of a certain number of soldiers from Western countries in Ukraine is already an open secret.

Sikorski also ruled out the possibility of Poland sending ground forces to Ukraine, citing historical reasons. “Ukraine and Poland were one state for 400 years. This would provide fodder for Russian propaganda. Therefore, we should be the last ones to do so,” the minister concluded.

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Nine Republicans Vote Against Resolution Condemning Child Abductions in Ukraine
Nine congressional Republicans voted against a resolution condemning the abduction of Ukrainian children by Russian forces. The measure overwhelmingly passed the House on Tuesday 390-9. No Democrats voted against the measure.

Thousands of children have been kidnapped since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Since that time, the Biden administration has sent weapons and other aid to Ukraine to help it fend off the invasion, which Russian President Vladimir Putin has said will not stop until Ukraine’s government is overthrown and the country is demilitarized.

The symbolic resolution against the abductions holds Russia responsible for the kidnappings and notes that they are illegal under international law. The measure also claims Russia is seeking to erase a generation of young Ukrainians and that the invasion has increased the chances of children being trafficked.

The nine Republicans to against the resolution are Rep. Andy Biggs (AZ); Eric Burlison (MO); Warren Davidson (OH); Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA); Clay Higgins (LA); Thomas Massie (KY); Matt Rosendale (MT); Chip Roy (TX); Tom Tiffany (WI).

Roy’s office issued a press release explaining the lawmaker’s position, which takes issue with the resolution’s use of the word “genocide.”

“The resolution before us makes a serious assertion,” the statement said. “Genocide’s definition in the 1948 international convention on the subject — later agreed to by the U.S. Senate as a treaty — makes a specific, legal, definition of a truly horrendous crime that has happened far too many times to too many groups throughout human history. Since the beginning of the current war in Ukraine, evidence suggests that Russia has committed atrocities that may rise to that level. But, over the past few months, this body has abandoned regular order and deliberation on far too many important issues, including this one.”

The resolution states in full:

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Condemning the illegal abduction of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation.

Whereas, on January 12, 1951, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (commonly known as the “Genocide Convention”), of which the Russian Federation is a signatory, came into effect;

Whereas, on February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation renewed their illegal and unprovoked large-scale invasion of Ukraine;

Whereas, on March 9, 2022, Russian Forces attacked a maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of 3 individuals and injuries to 17 other individuals;

Whereas, on March 22, 2022, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced that the Russian military had forcefully and illegally kidnapped 2,389 Ukrainian children from temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine;

Whereas, on June 2, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that 200,000 children are among the Ukrainians who have been forcefully resettled in Russia;

Whereas forcibly transferring children of one group to another group is a violation of Article II(e) of the Genocide Convention;

Whereas Maria Lvova-Belova, Children’s Rights Commissioner for the President of Russia, admitted to kidnapping Ukrainian children and facilitating forced adoptions to Russian families;

Whereas Ukrainian authorities have stated that a number of the kidnapped Ukrainian children have families who remain in Ukraine, but have been separated due to the renewed Russian invasion;

Whereas, on June 16, 2022, Russian authorities announced that children born in occupied Ukrainian territories after the February 24, 2022, invasion will be deemed Russian citizens;

Whereas, on June 22, 2022, the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner has verified at that at least 320 children have been killed since Russia’s renewed invasion began;

Whereas, on July 11, 2022, United Nations Secretary General Ant�nio Guterres ordered an investigation into the deaths and injuries of Ukrainian children; and

Whereas, on July 13, 2022, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken issued a statement calling upon Russia to “immediately halt its systemic filtration operations in Ukraine”, which have caused the disappearance, detention, or forcible deportation of between 900,000 and 1,600,000 Ukrainians (approximately 260,000 of whom are children): Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) holds the Government of the Russian Federation, under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, responsible for the wrongful and illegal kidnapping of children from Ukraine and officially condemns these actions in the strongest terms;

(2) declares that the facilitation of illegal adoptions is contrary to Russia’s obligations under the Genocide Convention and amounts to genocide;

(3) claims that the Russian Federation is attempting to wipe out a generation of Ukrainian children, thereby crippling Ukraine’s ability to nurture the next generation of Ukrainian citizens and leaders and to rebuild their country after Russia’s unprovoked war, with the purpose of demolishing Ukraine’s unique language, culture, history, and identity; and

(4) asserts that the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has significantly increased the risks of children being exposed to human trafficking and exploitation, child labor, gender-based violence, hunger, injury, trauma, deprivation of education and shelter, and death.

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Belarus is preparing sabotage squads on the border with Lithuania
As part of the combat readiness check (BG), units of the 19th mechanized brigade will be deployed on the outskirts of the village of Podolyan in the Postav district, Vitebsk region, Belarus. This is a strategically important move, given the proximity to the border with Lithuania, and the units will remain here until the second half of April. There is information about the arrival of the Mi-8 helicopter of the Air Force of the Republic of Belarus at the former Postavy airfield, which is probably related to the inspection of the training area.

Also, as part of the inspection of the BG, units of the 19th mechanized brigade will be deployed in the border areas of Oshmianskyi and Postavskyi, which is of strategic importance for covering the Lithuanian and Latvian directions. This is an indicator of the brigade's inclusion in the North-Western Operational Command of the Ground Forces.

At the same time, it is reported about the preparation of a special sabotage group on the basis of the GRU of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Belarus. The group, consisting of 5-7 specialists, underwent accelerated special training, including sniper training and hand-to-hand combat skills. The training was conducted in the conditions of the city at the Valovshchyna VV training ground of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Saboteurs of unremarkable appearance, aged 23-26, covering their ears with long hair, with characteristic Polish/Lithuanian/Western Belarusian phenotypes. They created an image similar to the "Aitishniks/hipsters" of the legendary KGB GUARDS. This group, most likely, was involved in a specific task related to the use of small-arms sniper weapons.

Analyzing the data and the mood of the Belarusian authorities, it can be assumed that some members of the group could already cross the Lithuanian/Polish border, while others are still preparing for the operation.

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Russian Filmmaker Gets 3 Years in Prison for Ukraine Posts
Prosecutors had requested he be jailed for nine years.

A Russian filmmaker who criticized the Kremlin's military offensive in Ukraine on social media has been sentenced to three years in prison, a Saint Petersburg court said Wednesday.

Russia made opposition to what it calls its “special military operation” illegal shortly after it sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, and thousands of people have been detained for simple acts of protest.

Vsevolod Korolyov, 36, had been in pre-trial detention since July 2022 on suspicion of “knowingly spreading false information about Russia's armed forces.”

Saint Petersburg's Vyborgsky District Court found him guilty of making “untrue” posts on the VKontakte social network in spring 2022 “about the massacres of civilians in Bucha and Borodyanka, as well as the shelling of Donetsk.”

“The court imposed a sentence of three years’ imprisonment in a general regime penal colony,” it said, adding that he had been restricted from using the internet for four years.

Prosecutors had requested he be jailed for nine years.

Under Russian law, information about Ukraine that does not come from an official government source can be deemed “false” and its dissemination is liable to criminal prosecution.

Korolyov's sentence comes a day after a court in Russia's southern region of Volgograd handed a local resident five years in prison for the same offense.

Since launching its offensive in Ukraine, Moscow has waged an unprecedented crackdown on dissent that rights groups have likened to the mass repression seen under the Soviet Union.

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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 01:35 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Is het ondenkbaar dat criminelen in de toekomst granaten zullen koppelen aan FPV drones en daarmee aanslagen gaan plegen op concurrenten?

Ik vrees wat de toekomst ons allemaal gaat brengen.

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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 01:46 schreef sturmpie het volgende:

[..]
dat is meer iets voor de drugscriminelen, denk aan de explosies in Rdam gerelateerd aan drugscriminaliteit, dan kunnen ze ipv 'n loopjongen de drone erop af sturen.

verder is 't natuurlijk zaak om te zorgen dat granaten binnen de muren van defensie blijven.

heb je trouwens 't nieuws gezien op nu.nl mbt gelukkige landen ? Finland komt er 't beste uit, daar hebben ze o.a. gratis gezondheidszorg en minimale corruptie. daar kan o.a. NL nog veel van leren

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Lithuania Allocates �35M to Support Czech Initiative for Ukraine’s Artillery Ammunition
Lithuania has joined the Czech initiative to purchase artillery ammunition for Ukraine and has allocated a corresponding financial package to support this effort.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida �imonite announced this.

On her X (Twitter) account, she reported that the government had allocated �35 million as part of a Czech initiative to purchase artillery ammunition.

“The Lithuanian Government has allocated �35 million to buy ammunition for Ukraine as part of the Czech ammunition initiative,” she wrote.

Lithuania has thus become one of more than 15 countries to join this initiative, which will speed up the procurement and delivery of the shells to Ukraine.

It should be noted that, in addition to Lithuania, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Norway, as well as Canada, Sweden, and Portugal, have joined this initiative.

At the beginning of February 2024, the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, announced during a debate at the Munich Security Conference that the country’s representatives had found about 1 million artillery shells for Ukraine.

The country’s representatives managed to find about 500,000 155mm artillery shells and 300,000 122mm shells abroad.

He added that those shells could be transported to Ukraine in a matter of weeks if funding is secured quickly.

In addition, European defense companies, such as Germany’s Rheinmetall and the UK’s BAE Systems, are expanding their production at a rapid pace.

German defense giant Rheinmetall plans to produce more than a million artillery shells annually by 2027.

By the end of 2024, the company should produce 700,000 artillery shells. New production facilities in Germany, Ukraine, and Lithuania are expected to help the company reach the one million-unit mark.

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Russia warns Romania over building "largest NATO military base" in Europe
Russian politicians and diplomats have reacted with threats to reports that Romania is building the largest NATO military base in Europe - a EUR 2.5 billion project initiated by Romania in 2019 and expected to take 20 years to complete.

The expansion of Romania's 57 Mihail Kogalniceanu air base on the Black Sea coast, which the Russian officials commented on, is supposed to consolidate NATO's eastern flank. However, it is important to note the long-term calendar of the project and the fact that it was initiated long before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, with the Middle East to be covered from the base as well.

As part of a series of warnings from Russian officials on March 18 and 19, vice president of the Committee for Foreign Affairs of the Council of the Russian Federation, Andrei Klimov, said the project represents a "threat for Bucharest."

According to Klimov, the larger the "anti-Russian" military base and the "closer it is to Russia's borders, the more likely it is to be among the first targets for retaliatory strikes.”

"If the Romanians like it, it's their business, of course, but the NATO suicide club drags ordinary civilians into such adventures that can end very badly for their families and children. I'm not trying to scare anyone, I'm just reasoning logically. There won't be any benefit for Romania from this, and there will be more threats, this is a fact," said the senator in a discussion reported by Russian media.

The development of the largest NATO base in Europe, at Constanta in Romania, is a continuation of the "erosion" of security in the Black Sea region, Konstantin Gavrilov, the head of the Russian delegation at the Vienna negotiations on military security and arms control, told RIA Novosti quoted by Radio Romania, Stiripesurse.ro reported.

In 2019, Romania's executive approved a project to expand Air Base 57 Mihail Kogalniceanu, which has been used by US forces since 1999, according to Defenseromania.ro.

The project will be financed from the national budget in several stages, out of which the first was awarded to contractors in 2022, started last year, and will end in 2030.

With a planned capacity of 10,000 military, the air base would still be less than one-fifth of the size of the Ramstein base in Germany but would be one of the largest in Eastern Europe.

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Submarine Decoy Appears On Russian Naval Base Pier
A painted submarine silhouette with an actual conning tower structure follows a trend first seen at Russian strategic bomber bases.

Satellite imagery shows that Russian forces have painted a silhouette of a submarine and built an actual structure mimicking a conning tower on a pier at an important naval base on the Black Sea. Broadly similar silhouettes of Tu-95 Bear bombers and other aircraft have appeared at Russian air bases in the past, a trend The War Zone was first to report on. These decoys look intended to help disrupt localized drone attacks and throw off Ukrainian weapons that use some form of autonomous image-matching guidance.

The U.K. Ministry of Defense released a satellite image calling attention to the submarine decoy at the Russian Navy base in Novorossiysk earlier today in a routine intelligence update on the conflict in Ukraine. Russian Kilo class diesel-electric attack submarines are regularly seen docked at this pier, including in the satellite image British authorities have now put out.

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Novorossiysk is located on the Black Sea in Russia's Krasnodar Krai region, which lies just opposite the occupied Crimean Peninsula. Ukrainian forces have targeted Russian military bases, oil refineries, and other sites in Krasnodar Krai in the past. Russia's military makes heavy use of bases in the region to support its war effort in Ukraine, including as launch points for missile and drone strikes.

"Russian military doctrine places high emphasis on the use of camouflage and deception techniques (often known as maskirovka) to enhance the survivability of Russian forces, as well as conceal their operational intent," according to the U.K. Ministry of Defense. "Russian forces have highly likely been making efforts to increase and improve their employment of maskirovka techniques to mitigate the heavy losses sustained over the past two years in both the Black Sea Fleet and Aerospace Forces."

"Silhouettes of vessels have also been painted on the side of quays, probably to confuse Ukrainian uncrewed aerial vehicle operators," the daily British intelligence update adds. It is not immediately clear if similar naval decoy silhouettes have been observed elsewhere.

This also follows a visit by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to the Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Crimea on Sunday. While there, Shoigu called for more defenses and better general preparedness against Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessels, which have been wreaking havoc on Russian ships in the Black Eea, as well as uncrewed aerial systems.

However, The War Zone has reviewed additional satellite imagery from Planet Labs that shows the decoy at the Russian Navy's base in Novorossiysk has been there since at least the end of February. The additional images also make clear that the faux conning tower is a three-dimensional structure and not just painted on the pier.

The U.K. Ministry of Defense's initial assessment that the Novorossiysk submarine decoy is intended "probably to confuse Ukrainian uncrewed aerial vehicle operators" may also just be one part of the reason for setting up such a decoy.

The types of drones that Ukraine is known to have acquired to date to execute longer-distance strikes on targets in places like Krasnodar Krai do not have any kind of operator-in-the-loop capability and are instead launched at a static set of target coordinates.

Ukraine does send out sabotage teams to conduct much closer-range attacks inside Russia, including using so-called first-person view (FPV) drones and other types with improvised warheads. It is unclear how likely a decoy silhouette on a pier would be to confuse a drone operator hunting for a submarine in port in any context. It could still have some value for deceiving enemies, especially in the heat of the moment and at night.

As The War Zone has noted in the past regarding the aircraft silhouettes at Russian air bases, it seems more likely that the goal is to confuse weapons with guidance packages that utilize autonomous image-matching to find their target.

The Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG air-launched cruise missiles that the United Kingdom and France, respectively, have supplied to Ukraine use an imaging infrared sensor in the terminal phase of flight. The land-attack variant of Ukraine's domestically developed Neptune ground-launched cruise missile reportedly also uses imaging infrared guidance in the terminal stage of an attack.

The War Zone has also questioned how effective a two-dimensional decoy silhouette might really be at confusing an imaging infrared sensor. The addition of the fake conning tower structure to the decoy in Novorossiysk gives it a useful extra layer of fidelity.

The threat of Ukrainian strikes, especially ones involving cruise missiles, to Russian ships in port is very real. Ukrainian forces significantly damaged, if not destroyed one of the Russian Navy's Kilo class diesel-electric attack submarines and one of its Ropucha class landing ships in a combined Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG and USV attack on the port of Sevastopol in Crimea in September 2023. Two months later, Russia's Project 22800 Karakurt class corvette Askold was at least severely damaged in another cruise missile strike as it sat in the Crimean port of Kerch. In December 2023, a Ropucha class landing ship docked in Feodosia, another port city in Crimea, exploded in a ball of fire as a result of a Ukrainian cruise missile strike, which also caused significant damage to the surrounding area.

None of this is to say that Ukraine's arsenal of aerial drones, including a growing number of types capable of carrying out longer-range kamikaze attacks, does not also pose a real danger to Russian forces and facilities. Ukrainian forces have recently stepped up drone attacks on oil infrastructure across Russia in particular. Uncrewed aerial systems can present threats to naval targets at sea, as well as in port.

Ukraine's use of cruise missiles, as well as aerial and naval drones, has already prompted Russian forces to implement a wide array of extra force protection measures at various bases, especially in Crimea. The submarine silhouette and mock conning tower on the pier in Novorossiysk are now part of that defensive mix.

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UN: Russia creating ‘stifling climate of fear’ in occupied territories
Russia is committing widespread violations of international law, including unlawful detention and torture, to create a “stifling climate of fear” in occupied areas of Ukraine, the UN said on March 20.

A report compiled by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights based on interviews with more than 2,300 victims and witnesses said Russian forces have been acting with “generalized impunity” to target “any person perceived to oppose the occupation.”

“The actions of the Russian Federation have ruptured the social fabric of communities and left individuals isolated, with profound and long-lasting consequences for Ukrainian society as a whole,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.

While Russia has occupied parts of Ukraine since the invasion of Crimea in 2014, the report focuses on those areas occupied since the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

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The report details several ways in which Russia has created this “climate of fear,” including arbitrary detention of civilians, torture and ill-treatment and what it said in some cases amounts to enforced disappearances.

Russia has also sought to take control of the information space, shutting down Ukrainian internet and mobile networks, TV and radio channels, with traffic re-routed through Russian networks.

Ukrainians have been encouraged to inform on one another, leaving them afraid even of their own friends and neighbors, the report said.

Peaceful protests, free expression and freedom of movement have also all been suppressed and Ukrainians have been pressured and coerced into taking Russian passports.

Homes and businesses have also been pillaged, according to the report.

The report concludes by calling once again on Russia to “immediately cease its armed attack against Ukraine and withdraw to internationally recognized borders.”

“Given the scale and depth of the violations suffered by those under occupation, a comprehensive approach to accountability that includes both criminal justice and wider measures promoting truth, and reparation, and which contributes to non-recurrence is needed,” Tusk said.

“The international community should support Ukraine in all these aspects.”

Russia’s presidential election was held in Ukraine’s occupied territories on March 15-17. There were reports that people in these territories were made to vote at gunpoint.

Sources in the occupied territories told the Kyiv Independent that Russian troops were taking people off the streets and forcing them into polling stations.

One video posted to social media allegedly showed a Russian soldier entering voting booths and checking who people were casting their ballot for.

In a statement on behalf of EU member states on March 18, Josep Borrell, the European Union's top diplomat, said the results of the election in the occupied territories were “null and void" and the election organizers "will face consequences of these illegal actions.”

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Russian Submarines Now Appear To Be Getting Anti-Drone “Cope Cages”
An apparent counter-drone screen on the ballistic missile submarine Tula’s conning tower speaks to growing drone threats Russia is facing.

Russia's Delta-IV class nuclear ballistic missile submarine Tula now looks to be sporting an armor screen, commonly known as a "cope cage," on top of its conning tower to help protect against drones. This appears to be the first instance of this kind of add-on protection, which is now routinely used by both sides of the conflict in Ukraine on tanks and other armored vehicles, being installed on a naval vessel of any kind. This underscores the growing ubiquity of drone threats, something that Russia's armed forces are not alone in having to contend with.

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Tula was first seen with the apparent drone countermeasure in a recent broadcast from the state-run Russia-24 television channel. The submarine, what is known in Russia as a Project 667BDRM or Delfin class boat, is assigned to the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet and is homeported in Gadzhiyevo in the country's far northern Murmansk region. Delta IV class submarines, each of which has a submerged displacement of around 15,500 tons, can be loaded with up to 16 R-29RMU Sineva submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

In the Russia-24 footage, which was reportedly shot earlier this month and a part of which can be seen in the social media post below, Tula is seen docked across from the Vepr, a Project 971U nuclear attack submarine, also known to NATO as the Akula II class. The far more streamlined Vepr has no screen on top of its conning tower.

Experts and observers have raised the possibility that the metal-framed structure on top of Tula's conning tower could also be part of a sun shade or be for some other purpose. It's also unclear what might happen to it if the submarine were to submerge with it attached. It would make the most sense for the screen to be relatively easy to install and remove as required, but it is unclear from what can be seen in the Russia-24 footage if this is the case.

Whatever the case, the screen's design, simple as it is, is completely in line with the kind of add-on counter-drone top armor that Russian forces first began installing on their tanks in the build-up to the all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Armor of this type has since become a common feature on Russian and Ukrainian tanks and other armored vehicles, primarily as a defense against FPV and other types of weaponized commercial drones. A wide array of different armor screen designs have now been seen on a host of different vehicle types. Many of these are locally fabricated field modifications, but Russia's defense industry is now offering factory-produced standardized types.

Cage-type anti-drone armor has also now appeared on Israel Defense Force (IDF) tanks and other armored vehicles. An improvised armored truck, or "Narco Tank," belonging to a Mexican drug cartel also emerged with a counter-drone armor screen over its cab last year.

Gadzhiyevo is more than a thousand miles away from the front lines in Ukraine and also is out of reach of Ukraine's long-range kamikaze drones, at least the ones we know about now. Sabotage teams have been able to carry out attacks inside Russia, including with shorter-range weaponized drones. Those operations have occurred as far north as Russia's Pskov region, but this is still hundreds of miles south of Murmansk.

Still, the open top of a conning tower on a surfaced submarine, especially a highly valuable strategic nuclear ballistic missile type, would be an especially attractive target for a drone attack. In addition, submarines sail on the surface when entering and exiting port and sometimes also do so when transiting in peacetime through other congested waterways. At the same time, they have limited maneuverability while on the surface and lack the kinds of close-in defenses found on surface warships that could be used against threats like drones.

A successful drone attack on a submarine could be disastrous. Even a drone with a relatively small warhead could potentially trigger a devastating fire. A major blaze onboard a nuclear submarine could have major impacts beyond its hull, especially if it isn't far out to sea.

FPV drones, in particular, are highly maneuverable and have already demonstrated their ability to get inside armored vehicles through open hatches and into buildings through whatever openings might be available. Weaponized drones configured to drop improvised munitions have also proven able to get their payloads into hatches and other small spaces. Smaller drones, especially ones that move erratically, are inherently difficult to spot and shoot down.

With their high degrees of maneuverability, FPV drones have shown their ability to get around certain cage armor designs. This has, in turn, led to the emergence of increasingly more elaborate armor screen configurations on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Altogether, questions remain about the apparent counter-drone armor screen on Tula's conning tower and how effective it might be in practice. The emergence of the fixture on the submarine, hundreds of miles away from Ukraine, underscores how concerns about the dangers posed by weaponized drones, which are real now across all domains and only steadily growing worldwide. These are realities The War Zone routinely highlights.

On Sunday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited the Black Sea Fleet's headquarters in Sevastopol on the occupied Crimean Peninsula. While there, he called for more defenses and better general preparedness against Ukrainian aerial drones and uncrewed surface vessels, the latter of which have sunk three Russian warships in the Black Sea since February.

So, regardless of how useful cage-style armor on top of the conning tower of a submarine might be, it does reflect threats that will increasingly need to be addressed, and not just by the Russian Navy.

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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 02:42 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Drone valt op 5 meter afstand neer. Toch allebei dood.

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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 02:07 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 02:42 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Drone valt op 5 meter afstand neer. Toch allebei dood.

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Op woensdag 20 maart 2024 22:47 schreef Wantie het volgende:

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Ik vraag me af waarom derde landers niet gewoon terug gaan naar hun eigen land.

Ze verbleven toch al tijdelijk in Oekra�ne, als student bijvoorbeeld.

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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 02:35 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.twz.com/sea/r(...)nti-drone-cope-cages
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SPOILER

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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 08:52 schreef AgLarrr het volgende:

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Lol, kun je dan nog stil varen onderwater? Of ben je dan als sub ineens tot fregat gedegradeerd?

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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 01:05 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://tvpworld.com/7652(...)y-strength-polish-fm
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SPOILER

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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 08:55 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:

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En scheurt zo'n ding niet af zodra het met langsstromend water te maken krijgt?

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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 01:46 schreef sturmpie het volgende:

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heb je trouwens 't nieuws gezien op nu.nl mbt gelukkige landen ? Finland komt er 't beste uit, daar hebben ze o.a. gratis gezondheidszorg en minimale corruptie. daar kan o.a. NL nog veel van leren

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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 09:40 schreef bianconeri het volgende:

Enige wat Nederland ook heeft zijn ongelofelijk zeikerds die altijd maar janken en doen alsof ze het zo slecht hebben.

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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 09:40 schreef bianconeri het volgende:
Enige wat Nederland ook heeft zijn ongelofelijk zeikerds die altijd maar janken en doen alsof ze het zo slecht hebben.

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Russen wanhopig na regen van raketten tijdens carnaval: ‘Help ons!’
De Zuid-Russische regio Belgorod ligt al weken onder vuur en kampt met invallen van Russische rebellen vanuit Oekra�ne. De bewoners zijn het beu en eisen aandacht en bescherming van Moskou. Op de staatstelevisie wordt hun ellende stelselmatig genegeerd. ‘Waar blijft de noodtoestand?’

De Zuid-Russische stad Belgorod en de gelijknamige regio liggen al weken dagelijks onder vuur van Oekra�ense raketten en drones. Al meer dan een week worden ze geteisterd door invallen van bataljons van Russen die vrijwillig vechten aan de kant van Oekra�ne. Er vallen doden en gewonden onder de burgers.

Rezvova zette op Vkontakte een video van vier seconden van een locatie in Belgorod, waar net een raket of drone was ingeslagen. Er is vooral veel rook te zien. Ze is niet de enige bewoner die zich laat horen. Een andere Belgorodse, Marina Podlegajeva, laat ook een noodkreet achter op Vkontakte: ‘Belgorod wordt van de aardbodem gevaagd! Autoriteiten, help ons!’

Anastasia Zazdravnych schrijft op hetzelfde platform: ‘Wat nou Maslinitsa? Waar blijft de noodtoestand? Waar blijven de reportages over de beschieting van onze stad?’ Die zijn duidelijk op de Russische televisie niet te zien. Afgelopen week wel veel verkiezingsnieuws, een begrafenis in Donetsk van oorlogsslachtoffers en feestgedruis (zij het weinig enthousiast) op het Rode Plein in Moskou ter ere van de tienjarige annexatie van de Krim.

Dode en gewonden
Volgens het Russische ministerie van Defensie vuurden Oekra�ners woensdagochtend nog raketten op Belgorod af, waarbij een dode en twee gewonden vielen. Moskou komt af en toe met summiere en tamelijk onwaarschijnlijke updates over hoeveel rebellen en materieel zijn vernietigd. Maar de inwoners van Belgorod zijn het meer dan beu.

Ze vinden dat de autoriteiten te weinig doen om hen te beschermen, en verwijten ze dat ze niets zeggen over het geweld. Ook niet dat afgelopen maandag maar liefst tienduizend kinderen uit Belgorod zijn ge�vacueerd.

Onlangs begonnen de inwoners onder de hashtag #BelgorodIsRusland op de site van de staatstelevisie te eisen dat er cameraploegen naar het zuiden komen om te laten zien met welke beproevingen zij te maken hebben. De reactie: een van de staatskanalen blokkeerde afgelopen zondag met spamfilters alle berichten die over Belgorod gingen.

Veel stadsbewoners zijn evenwel niet tegen de ‘speciale militaire operatie’, het eufemisme dat Moskou nog steeds hanteert voor het nu al ruim twee jaar durende bloedvergieten in Oekra�ne. Ze leggen niet het verband tussen het begin van de Russische inval in februari 2022 en het bestoken van hun stad door de Oekra�ners.
https://www.ad.nl/buitenl(...)l-help-ons~a6710dd4/

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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 11:16 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:
De noodtoestand uitroepen, of er zelf maar @:inslagenreuring aan geven is toegeven dat de Poetin niet (meer) de complete controle heeft over de situatie.

Die worden gewoon dood gezwegen

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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 12:26 schreef Frutsel het volgende:

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Gooi WO3 maar open als forum

Rusland maakt zich op voor grootschalige oorlog met de NAVO

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Meer troepen en provocaties aan de grens bij Servie en Kosovo

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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 12:38 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:
Ik zie echt niet in wat Putin te winnen heeft met een directe confrontatie.

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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 12:41 schreef bleiblei het volgende:

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Een plek in de geschiedenisboeken?

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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 12:38 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:
Ik zie echt niet in wat Putin te winnen heeft met een directe confrontatie.

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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 12:44 schreef Frutsel het volgende:

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Als je lijdt aan grootheidswaanzin denk je niet aan dat soort dingen.

Putin heeft zijn achterban te winnen want als hij die niet tevreden stelt dan valt hij ook een keer uit het raam en zitten we met de volgende nazi.

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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 12:38 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:
Ik zie echt niet in wat Putin te winnen heeft met een directe confrontatie.

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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 12:38 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:
Ik zie echt niet in wat Putin te winnen heeft met een directe confrontatie.

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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 12:43 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:

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Als de verliezer?

Hij wil zeker de geschiedenisboeken in, maar niet op die manier denk ik zo. Nieuwe gebieden annexeren zit er ook niet zo snel in of er moet een conflict ala wo2 onstaan en dat zie ik al helemaal niet gebeuren.

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Op donderdag 21 maart 2024 12:52 schreef voetbalmanager2 het volgende:

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Niets. Poetin heeft alleen wat te winnen met de dreiging tot zo'n grootschalige oorlog.
De waarde van die dreiging daalt alleen harder dan de Roebel als het een wekelijkse herhaling word.