SPOILER

quote:

Op zondag 31 maart 2024 00:14 schreef michaelmoore het volgende:

[..]
de graanprijs in de wereld staat ermee wel onder druk , waar je het ook heen brengt , er is gewoon teveel vreten in de wereld
of de armen hebben te weinig geld , dat kan ook

Er is teveel vreten in de wereld , door de stikstof kunstmest
[ afbeelding ]

[ afbeelding ]

quote:

Azov Brigade with the help of FPV drones destroyed the Russian IFV with infantry

Soldiers of the 12th “Azov” Special Purpose Brigade of the National Guard destroyed a Russian IFV with infantry during the movement.

To destroy the enemy, an FPV drone with a thermal imaging camera was used, which was transferred to the soldiers as part of Operation Unity Part II: Fireworks!

A video of the combat mission of the drone operators was published by the Come Back Alive Foundation.

In the video, it was recorded how on one of the sections of the front, a Russian, probably, infantry fighting vehicle was transporting troops that had been outside.

SPOILER

quote:

The Ukrainian FPV drones operator takes an enemy IFV on sight and catches up with it hitting the aft part.

Український FPV-дрон знищив російську БМП з піхотою [березень 2024]

After that, another Ukrainian drone records the results of the hit. Then the Russian IFV burns.

As a result of the successful combat mission of the soldiers of the Azov Brigade, probably, invaders suffered losses not only in armored vehicles, but also in the manpower that was on the IFV during the movement.

The Come Back Alive Foundation reported that to destroy the enemy, Ukrainian soldiers had used FPV drones with a thermal imaging camera, which had been acquired and transferred to defenders thanks to a joint project with United24 and Monobank called Operation Unity Part II: Fireworks!

The project was launched in December last year. Then in 3 days it was possible to accumulate more than UAH 226 000 000 for 5,000 FPV kamikaze drones and 3,000 with thermal imaging cameras for night time operations and 2,000 with daytime ones. The Come Back Alive Foundation received FPVs in March.

Strike drones with thermal imaging optics will allow the Ukrainian military to carry out operations in the darkness and destroy enemy equipment and infantry under any conditions.

Drones can fly from 12 to 20 kilometers and carry ammunition weighing up to 4 kilograms. Each drone purchased as part of the initiative is equipped with ammunition.

FPV drone models and ammunition for them are coordinated with the Ukrainian military. The Ukrainian industry produced the standardized warheads for these UAVs.

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Ukrainian POW sentenced to life for defending Mariupol in brutal Russian replay of fake occupation court ‘trial’
Russia has plunged to a new low with its staged ‘appeal’ and life sentence against a Ukrainian prisoner of war seized while defending Mariupol

A Russian court of appeal has changed to life imprisonment the 22-year sentence passed by an unrecognized occupation ‘court’ against Ukrainian prisoner of war Denys Rashplia. The sentences were clearly based on ‘confessions’ tortured out of the Ukrainian POW, with the ‘prosecution appeal’ and massively increased sentence an additional cruel form of torture.

SPOILER

quote:

Russia began mass ‘trials’ of Ukrainian prisoners of war in 2023, with Denys Rashplia one of the first victims. The vast majority of such ‘trials’ are held in the Russian proxy ‘Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics’ [‘DPR’/’LPR’], with massive sentences passed by kangaroo occupation ‘courts’ effectively in secret, and then reported by Russia’s prosecutor general or Investigative Committee. The prisoners of war [POW] are deprived of any access to independent lawyers, their families or international observers, and the only ‘evidence’ to back the charges is typically in the form of videoed ‘confessions’ which the POWs appear to be reading off by heart. The charges are almost always the same, with Ukrainians defending their own country against the Russian invading army accused of the latter’s war crimes, specifically its killing and ill-treatment of civilians.

On 23 June 2023, the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that Rashplia was to be ‘tried’ for supposed mass killing of civilians in Mariupol. It was clear from this first account that the Ukrainian POW, who is a driver from the 36th Maritime Brigade, was to be ‘tried’ by the so-called ‘DPR high court’, and that the ‘prosecutor’ mentioned was, in fact, a ‘prosecutor’ from this illegal formation. Both this ‘prosecutor’ and Russia’s Investigative Committee were claiming that, from 9 March to 9 April 2022, Rashplia had been deployed on three checkpoints and had killed 16 people and at least wounded nine others. It seems clear that this was based on Rashplia’s ‘confession’, with the Ukrainian having, allegedly, added (in the course of this ‘testimony’) that there could have been more victims, but that those wounded “had crawled into the bushes away from his fire”.

From almost immediately after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine until mid-May 2022, Russia subjected Mariupol to mass bombing and shelling, hitting apartment blocks, hospitals, schools and other civilian targets. The invaders also prevented civilians from fleeing to Ukrainian-controlled territory, with those who risked the journey in private vehicles likely to be shot at and killed. Russia’s attacks on civilian targets have been fully documented, and there is a huge weight of video and photographic footage and witness testimony. All of this has led to damning reports on Russia’s indiscriminate bombing of civilians by, among others, the UN’s Independent Investigative Committee on Ukraine and the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights. Both bodies have also condemned Russia’s widespread and systematic use of torture, including against Ukrainian POWs.

Russia’s fake ‘trials’ of Ukrainian defenders on charges pertaining to the killing, wounding and ill-treatment of Ukrainian civilians are of particular cynicism. The aggressor state’s use of horrific forms of torture (in particular, electric shocks) is a further war crime against members of a group who have protected status under international law.

If Russia genuinely had proof of any of the alleged killings of civilians in this case, they would not have hidden Rashplia and his ‘trial’ in occupied Donetsk oblast where he had no access to independent lawyers nor to observers from the UN or International Committee of the Red Cross. There are no grounds for believing that his ‘trial’, reported by Russia’s Investigative Committee after sentence had been passed, had anything in common with rule of law.

By 21 December, when Rashplia’s sentence was announced, Russia’s ‘trials’ had taken on a conveyor belt quality. The POWs are virtually always accused of the same charges under Russian legislation, and Rashplia’s case was no exception. He was accused of the murder and attempted murder of two or more people carried out by an organized group in a manner dangerous to the public and motivated by enmity and hostility towards a social group’ (various parts of Articles 105 and 30 of Russia’s criminal code); and of ‘‘using prohibited means and methods in an armed conflict’ (Article 356 � 1).

He was found ‘guilty’ by the so-called ‘DPR high court’ (presiding ‘judge’ German Ivanovich Aleksandrov) on 21 December 2023, with a sentence in total of 22 years in a maximum security prison colony.

The next that was heard was a press release on 21 March 2024 from Russia’s first court of appeal in general jurisdiction cases. This announced ‘examination’ of an appeal against the ‘DPR’ sentence lodged by Russia’s public prosecutor. While the press release mentioned Rashplia, the information about the course of the ‘trials’ on the website is ‘secret’, with it known only that the presiding ‘judge’ was Tatyana Nikolayevna Ulyanova. This blitzkrieg ‘appeal’ resulted in the claim that the original court had wrongly applied criminal legislation, and in a new, life sentence, with this to be in a special (especially harsh) regime prison colony. This new sentence is now, it seems, only subject to appeal through a cassation court.

quote:

Op zondag 31 maart 2024 08:57 schreef polderturk het volgende:

[..]
Is dat de prijs per ton?

quote:

Russian occupiers force residents of occupied territories to testify against Ukraine
Russian occupiers promise residents of temporarily occupied territories to pay up to 100,000 rubles for evidence of crimes by Ukraine, according to the National Resistance Center (NRC).

It is noted that to do this, one must write a statement that you or your family members, including children, have been affected by shelling by Ukraine. Residents of Mariupol, Severodonetsk, Lysychansk, and other cities in the east, which Russia wiped off the face of the earth during liberation, are encouraged to write statements.

These statements are then supposed to contribute to the narrative about the crimes of the Defense Forces, which, according to the logic of insane propagandists, shelled cities that they controlled.

"For the sake of forming a parallel reality, the Russians cynically promise money to people whom they have deprived of earnings so that they shift the blame for the crimes onto the other side," the message reads.

Situation in the occupied territories
Russian occupiers in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine are preparing to call teenagers to military service and are completing the formation of lists.

In addition, the aggressor is taking Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied territories and trying to assimilate them with Russians, killing their national identity.

Moscow also demands from the occupation authorities in the temporarily occupied territories complete passportization of the population by 2026. However, residents continue to ignore the issuance of Russian documents.

quote:

Defence Forces destroyed the Russian Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer in the Donetsk region

The Defense Forces destroyed the enemy’s 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer in the Donetsk region.

The Russian self-propelled howitzer was hit by a Ukrainian FPV strike drone operated by the operator of the Eyes of Retribution group of the 59th Separate Infantry Brigade.

Volunteer and blogger Serhii Sternenko published a video of the Ukrainian defenders’ combat mission.

Judging by the footage, the Russian artillery system was in a combat position in a ready-to-fire configuration.

SPOILER

quote:

The video captures an FPV drone destroying the Russian Gvozdika 122mm self-propelled howitzer. The incident took place near the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk.

ЗСУ знищили САУ «Гвоздика» на Донеччині [березень 2024]

After the Ukrainian drone hit, the self-propelled howitzer’s ammunition detonated, the explosion blew off the turret, and the ACS completely burned out, both inside and out.

A fire also broke out around the ACS. It is unknown what happened to the Russian artillery crew.

Also recently, the Ukrainian military hit the invaders’ Msta-S self-propelled howitzer near Avdiivka.

152mm self-propelled howitzers were hit in the combat positions of the Russian invaders.

Українські FPV уразили дві російські «Мста-С» під Авдіївкою [березень 2024]

Enemy artillery systems were attacked by FPV kamikaze drones controlled by the operators of the Muramasa group of the 109th Territorial Defense Brigade.

The Ukrainian FPV also hit an MT-LB multi-purpose light tracked armored tractor, which was moving on the road in the temporarily occupied territory.

Russians often use such tractors as armored personnel carriers to transport infantry and cargo.

quote:

Op zondag 31 maart 2024 11:33 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]
[ x ]
[ x ]

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Trump posted this controversial picture on social media. Hear how Biden responded
Former President Donald Trump posted a video that shows an image of Biden hog-tied in the back of a pick-up truck on his social media site Truth Social. The Biden campaign says Trump is inciting political violence. CNN's Steve Contorno reports.

quote:

Smerconish: 'A mistake' to ignore or disrespect Trump and his supporters
After Ronna McDaniel's hiring and firing, says CNN's Michael Smerconish, it's a mistake to ignore or disrespect Trump and his supporters. "Of course, no one's views should be aired without challenge. That's a journalist's responsibility...I'm advocating for balance. Why would anyone want to watch a discussion of the news that only reinforces beliefs, and doesn't challenge people to think?"

quote:

Ex-Trump defense secretary explains why he could end up voting for Biden
Mark Esper, who served as defense secretary under former President Donald Trump, says that he cannot vote for Donald Trump and every day the former president "does something crazy" he gets closer to supporting President Biden in the 2024 election.

quote:

'It's smart': Republican pollster reacts to new Biden ad that uses Trump's words
President Biden's campaign has released a new ad featuring presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump as part of a strategy to court former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley's supporters. Republican pollster gives his take on the strategy.

quote:

Op zondag 31 maart 2024 12:02 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://edition.cnn.com/v(...)-up-truck-nr-vpx.cnn
[..]
https://edition.cnn.com/v(...)ace-at-the-table.cnn
[..]
https://edition.cnn.com/v(...)biden-sot-nr-vpx.cnn
[..]
https://edition.cnn.com/v(...)s-luntz-ebof-vpx.cnn
[..]

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Central Asian migrants face xenophobic backlash in Russia after Moscow terror attack
The four men accused of a deadly terror attack on Moscow’s Crocus City concert hall last week were quickly identified by Russian authorities as being from Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic in Central Asia.

In the hours after the attack, videos began surfacing on Russian social media channels of the police detaining and brutally abusing the alleged attackers, with one appearing to show a suspect having part of his ear cut off and subsequently forced into his mouth. The men had been in Russia as migrant workers on either temporary or expired visas, authorities said.

Russians are understandably shocked and saddened by the attack. But in the days since, that emotion – combined with the disturbing videos – appears to have unleashed a wave of xenophobia from some towards Central Asian migrant workers in general.

SPOILER

quote:

On the social media platform X, CNN saw posts that showed people looking for taxis, asking for their rides to be cancelled if the driver was Tajik. One purported photo of a conversation said, “If you are Tajik, please cancel my ride.”

A torrent of abuse has also reportedly been directed towards a barbershop in the city of Ivanovo, where one of the alleged attackers worked. The owner of the shop told Russian journalists that her phone had been ringing “non stop” with death threats, and is quoted by a Russian daily newspaper, Moskovsky Komsomolets, as saying, “I’m pregnant and I don’t know what to do. I’m afraid to go outside.”

As a consequence, Russian President Vladimir Putin now finds himself in an increasingly delicate position with regard to migrant workers, who occupy vital roles in the Russian workforce — particularly while the country is at war.

Perhaps wary of a split in Russian society, Putin on Wednesday called for Russia to remain united.

“We must never forget that we are a multinational, multi-religious country. We must always treat our brothers, representatives of other faiths with respect, as we always do — Muslims, Jews, everyone,” he said.

‘It’s going to be a very, very tough period of time’
Migrants from the former Soviet Union’s Central Asian states — Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan — have traditionally been a valuable source of cheap labour in Russia.

Generally, they’ve occupied the jobs that many Russians feel are beneath them, such as taxi drivers, truck drivers or supermarket workers. The money they send back in the form of remittances has been an important driver of growth in their home countries.

But many now feel under threat. A well-respected lawyer and migrant activist, Valentina Chupik, told CNN that calls from migrants in Russia asking for legal assistance had skyrocketed from 150 per day before the attack to over 6,000 in total as of Saturday, and that “those numbers are changing with every passing minute.”

Chupik, a native of Uzbekistan who now lives and works in Illinois, runs an NGO focusing on migrant welfare called Tong Jahoni. Her organization offers legal assistance to migrants looking for help in Russia, only on a pro bono basis. She told CNN that the police are clearly cracking down on migrants, but believes the attack in Moscow is being used as cover, exposing a darker side to society.

“The police are trying to pretend that they are actively fighting ethnic crime and preventing terrorist attacks. Actually, they’re robbing migrants. I have dozens of complaints about migrants being stopped by police, and (the police) have stolen whatever they liked,” she said.

Human Rights Watch, in their annual world report said that “Russian police continued to racially profile non-Slav migrants and ethnic minorities and subject them to unsubstantiated ID checks and detentions, often prolonged, in inhumane conditions. Some have been physically assaulted”.

Temur Umerov, an expert on Central Asia at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin, told CNN that Moscow’s war in Ukraine has been accompanied by a rapid growth of xenophobia in Russian society, particularly among people who see themselves as Nazis, or neo-Nazis.

“It gave them permission to speak their mind freely and not be shut down or criticized by other parts of society because they’re fighting for Russia … whether it’s online, whether it’s on the real front (in Ukraine),” he said.

A CNN analysis of several pro-war Russian Telegram channels and their messages in the wake of last Friday’s attacks found a clear emergence of xenophobia.

In one channel called the GreyZone, which has half a million followers, a user posted a comment saying: “We need to boycott the service they provide: don’t eat in their cafes, don’t get your hair cut with them, don’t ride in their taxi, don’t BUY ANYTHING FROM THEM AT ALL. We need to spread the word.”

A user in another channel, with 200,000 followers, suggested there was no space for anyone to feel sorry for migrants in Russia. “It is important not to forget that they are not victims at all, but the real executioners and murderers of good Russian people,” the user wrote. “There is no reason to feel sorry for them, they only deserve contempt and being immediately kicked back to their home, into the cesspool called Tajikistan.”

Against this backdrop of simmering xenophobia, the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry issued a travel warning for its citizens Monday, saying they should refrain from traveling to Russian territory “until the removal of additional security measures and the regime of enhanced control of passage through the state border.”

“As a migrant, it’s going to be a very, very tough period of time in Russia,” Umerov said, speaking to CNN from the Uzbek capital, Tashkent.

According to Umerov, there are some 7 million migrants in Russia, of whom around 80% are from Central Asia.

“Migrants work for much lower salaries than ordinary Russians, and are more willing to work in much more difficult and harsh conditions,” he said.

The salaries offered by Russia, and subsequently the remittances that migrants send back to their families, serve the dual function of filling key jobs in the Russian labour market and boosting GDPs for migrants’ home nations.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development forecast in September 2023 that economic growth in Central Asia would hit 5.9% in 2024, with remittances playing a role. Tajikistan was expected to see the biggest GDP growth in the region, reaching 7.5% in 2023 and 2024, the report said, thanks in part to “the inflow of remittances from Russia.”

Umerov noted that since Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago, the economy’s reliance on migrant workers has increased.

“Migrants are crucial for several sectors of running the Russian economy. In several sectors, it’s impossible to have the level of stability it has without the labour force of migrants,” Umerov said. “Russia crucially needs it – without, it would be just impossible.”

Research by the Institute of Economics at the Russian Academy of Sciences, reported by the Izvestia newspaper in December and cited by Reuters, found Russia was likely short of some 4.8 million workers in 2023, with some of the key sectors affected being construction, drivers and retail.

The invasion of Ukraine has had a significant impact on the available Russian workforce. Thousands of Russian men have been mobilized to fight in Ukraine, where many thousands have already been killed, depending on estimates. Hundreds of thousands more are believed to have fled the country in September 2022, after Putin called for a partial mobilization.

Since the attack on Crocus City Hall, Putin and his advisers, including internal and foreign intelligence chiefs, have sought to level the accusation that Ukraine was somehow involved in the attacks, without presenting any concrete evidence.

Ukraine and Western nations have been quick to shut that notion down.

Putin has not, however, pointed the finger of blame toward Emomali Rahmon, president of Tajikistan, despite all evidence suggesting that the attackers were radicalized by the jihadist group ISIS-K, which is known to target recruits in Tajikistan.

On Sunday, the Kremlin said Putin had spoken with Rahmon and that special services in Russia and Tajikistan “are working closely in the field of countering terrorism, and this work will be intensified.”

Umerov notes that Putin is toeing a fine line. In a world where the Russian president has so few allies, having alienated the West with his war on Ukraine, he cannot be seen to be making enemies out of friends.

“Putin just cannot admit that there are problems in Russia-Tajikistan relations, especially right now,” Umerov said. “Tajikistan is one of the closest allies that Putin has, and when Russia is so isolated, it is not in a position to pick which countries it can be in relationships with.”

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European Parliament calls for action over Russian meddling reports
Following claims that Russia may have bribed certain MEPs to support its propaganda, members of the European Parliament demanded an immediate debate and inquiry.

Fearing the influence of the controversy on the approaching June European Parliament elections, political groups in the European Parliament announced that they would debate the matter and urge prompt action regarding the accusations of Russian meddling, Politico reported.

SPOILER

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Russia paid MEPs to promote its propaganda – Belgian Prime Minister
On March 28, Alexander De Croo, the prime minister of Belgium, said that Russia had contacted MEPs and “paid them to promote Russian propaganda”, Euractiv wrote.

The Belgian Prime Minister talked about the “close cooperation” of Belgian and Czech intelligence services in disclosing the Russian influence network.

President of Renew group asked for urgent debate in European Parliament
Val�rie Hayer, the president of the liberal Renew group and the front-runner for the European Union election for French President Emmanuel Macron’s party, responded with an open letter to European Parliament’s President Roberta Metsola.

We urge you to launch an immediate and transparent investigation, in cooperation with national authorities, to uncover the scale of the influence operation within this house and allegations of potential corruption. If sitting MEPs or candidates in the upcoming European elections have taken money from or been corrupted by the Russia Government or their proxies, they must be exposed.
From Val�rie Hayer’s letter to Roberta Metsola

Hayer demanded an urgent debate in the European Parliament and resolution in the next plenary session on April 10–11 in Brussels.

Czech officials disclosed Russia’s influence operation in Europe
This comes after an investigation by Czech officials revealed what it said was a pro-Russian influence operation in Europe involving pro-Russian Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, a close Putin’s ally who is now in Moscow, and the news website Voice of Europe, according to reports in the media.

Petr Fiala, the prime minister of the Czech Republic, stated on X that other nations have begun looking into pro-Russian spy networks as a result of their efforts.

As a result, ahead of the EU elections in two months, the political factions in the European Parliament are now calling for measures to protect the EU institution and its reputation.

The European People’s Party and the Socialists and Democrats, the two biggest factions of politics in Parliament, haven’t immedeately responded to the accusations.

The EU institutions have been preparing to defend Europe’s democratic processes against foreign meddling. In the wake of the 2022 Qatargate scandal, where a number of MEPs faced prosecution on charges of receiving bribes from Qatar in exchange for favorable influence, this is particularly relevant.

European Parliament’s resolution expressing alarm over Russian meddling in EU democratic processes
In February, the European Parliament passed a resolution expressing alarm over Russian meddling in EU democratic processes “through both traditional media outlets and social media.” It urged the European Commission to take immediate action to stop external meddling in the bloc.

For Russian media outlets listed on EU sanction lists, the European Parliament has blocked access to both the Parliament and its multimedia facilities.

This was a response to the disinformation that Russian media, notably through state-owned structures, created and disseminated over Putin’s all-out war against Ukraine started in February 2022.

quote:

Op zondag 31 maart 2024 12:02 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://edition.cnn.com/v(...)-up-truck-nr-vpx.cnn
[..]
https://edition.cnn.com/v(...)ace-at-the-table.cnn
[..]
https://edition.cnn.com/v(...)biden-sot-nr-vpx.cnn
[..]
https://edition.cnn.com/v(...)s-luntz-ebof-vpx.cnn
[..]

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 13:25 schreef sp3c het volgende:
Amerikaanse verkiezingen zijn gewoon relevant hier, zit niet zo te zeuren pls

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 12:43 schreef Kleffe_Dop het volgende:
[ x ]
Volgende ronde.

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 11:38 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]
[ x ]
[ x ]

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 13:25 schreef sp3c het volgende:
Amerikaanse verkiezingen zijn gewoon relevant hier, zit niet zo te zeuren pls

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 14:20 schreef bianconeri het volgende:

[..]
Whut???
Sinds wanneer zijn welke verkiezingen dan ook relevant voor Oek-Rus oorlog

We hebben het hier over een oorlog, niet over politieke verkiezingen
Wat een grap.

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 14:20 schreef bianconeri het volgende:

[..]
Whut???
Sinds wanneer zijn welke verkiezingen dan ook relevant voor Oek-Rus oorlog

We hebben het hier over een oorlog, niet over politieke verkiezingen
Wat een grap.

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 12:43 schreef Kleffe_Dop het volgende:
[ x ]
Volgende ronde.

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Om Russen enigszins te enthousiasmeren, staan er door heel het land borden en schermen met de propaganda tekst: "Ons beroep is het vaderland verdedigen" en "Sluit je aan." Ook worden er regelmatig wervingsdagen in Rusland gehouden voor nieuwe soldaten.

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 14:45 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:

[..]
Zonder politiek heb je geen oorlogen.

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 15:36 schreef LXIV het volgende:

[..]
Oorlog is niets anders dan een voortzetting van de politiek (met andere middelen)

Dat is het meest fundamentele wat er over p oorlog te zeggen valt. Al begrijpt meer dan de helft dit niet.

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 14:22 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:

[..]
Zeg me dat je geen kont van dit conflict snapt zonder me te zeggen dat je geen kont van dit conflict snapt.

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 14:45 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:

[..]
Zonder politiek heb je geen oorlogen.

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 15:36 schreef LXIV het volgende:

[..]
Oorlog is niets anders dan een voortzetting van de politiek (met andere middelen)

Dat is het meest fundamentele wat er over p oorlog te zeggen valt. Al begrijpt meer dan de helft dit niet.

quote:

Op zondag 31 maart 2024 14:20 schreef bianconeri het volgende:

[..]
Whut???
Sinds wanneer zijn welke verkiezingen dan ook relevant voor Oek-Rus oorlog

We hebben het hier over een oorlog, niet over politieke verkiezingen
Wat een grap.

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 19:21 schreef Nyamuk het volgende:


[ x ]

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 18:58 schreef Nyamuk het volgende:
[ x ]

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 19:25 schreef Wantie het volgende:

[..]
Er moet gewoon een leeftijdsgrens komen voor politici.

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 20:14 schreef sp3c het volgende:
De term NWS waardig krijg ik sowieso een slappe lul van

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 20:21 schreef sp3c het volgende:
Kaart het aan bij de fa's zou ik zeggen

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 19:29 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Zijn er filmpjes van die OMABs? Die dingen zijn net nukes joh.

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 18:45 schreef sp3c het volgende:

[..]
VS is de grootste wapenleverancier voor de Oekra�ners

Kandidaat A wil daarmee doorgaan terwijl kandidaat B ermee wil stoppen ... lijkt mij heel relevant hier
Turkse verkiezingen worden gewoon door Erdo gewonnen dus die zet het huidige beleid gewoon voort en Afrikaanse verkiezingen hebben in eigen land al nauwelijks enige impact, laat staan op het wereldtoneel

Maar als jij een lijntje kunt trekken tussen de verkiezingen in pak hem beet Equatoriaal Guinee en de oorlog in Oekra�ne ... have at it

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 21:03 schreef BlaZ het volgende:

[..]
Fab's en Omab's zijn verschillende typen bommen, er zijn honderden filmpjes van FABbombardementen te vinden op de normale kanalen op Telegram.

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 13:25 schreef sp3c het volgende:
Amerikaanse verkiezingen zijn gewoon relevant hier, zit niet zo te zeuren pls

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 22:04 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
OMABs zijn FABs on steroids zegt men.

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 22:04 schreef Zwoerd het volgende:

[..]
Die zijn pas over een half jaar, de hoeveelheid berichten over Amerikaanse politiek, die geen directe link hebben met de oorlog in Oekra�ne, vind ik ook overdreven. Maar als de rest er hier geen problemen mee heeft, hou ik er ook wel over op.

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 18:45 schreef sp3c het volgende:

[..]
VS is de grootste wapenleverancier voor de Oekra�ners

Kandidaat A wil daarmee doorgaan terwijl kandidaat B ermee wil stoppen ... lijkt mij heel relevant hier
Turkse verkiezingen worden gewoon door Erdo gewonnen dus die zet het huidige beleid gewoon voort en Afrikaanse verkiezingen hebben in eigen land al nauwelijks enige impact, laat staan op het wereldtoneel

Maar als jij een lijntje kunt trekken tussen de verkiezingen in pak hem beet Equatoriaal Guinee en de oorlog in Oekra�ne ... have at it

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 21:52 schreef bianconeri het volgende:

[..]
Dan kan dat lekker in POL besproken worden, dat is het subforum voor politieke besprekingen.
Niet een nieuws topic over de oorlog in Oekraine.

Letterlijk elke verkiezing in elk land heeft invloed op het standpunt van dat land tegenover dan wel het Westen dan wel Rusland.
Veel landen in Afrika hebben banden met Rusland, dus elke verkiezing daar is van invloed op de standpunten.

Maar heeft absoluut geen raakvlak met de oorlog zelf. Aangezien het politiek is.
Dus offtopic gedoe hoort niet hier, politiek hoort in het subforum dat daar speciaal voor aangemaakt is.

quote:

Op zondag 31 maart 2024 23:17 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Tja, dan kun je elke scheet uit de Nederlandse formatiebespreking hier ook wel gaan posten. De PVV van Wilders met zijn Russische vriendschapsspeldje heeft tenslotte de meeste zetels. Dus dat kan allemaal invloed hebben.

quote:

Op zondag 31 maart 2024 14:00 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
ZIjn er filmpjes van die ODABs? Dat lijkt wel een nuke joh.

Russian army used the heavy aerial bomb ODAB-1500 against Sumy region of Ukraine for the first time

quote:

1.) !! During the strikes in Sumy Region, the Russian army used the heavy aerial bomb ODAB-1500 against Ukraine for the first time

This information comes from Bild expert Julian R�pke, who referenced a video published by Russian channels.

2.) ?Russians used the ODAB-1500 heavy aerial bomb for the first time in Sumy Oblast, -- BILD.

It's thermobaric projectile from the USSR, which releases a flammable liquid in the form of an aerosol and sets it on fire approximately 10 meters before hitting the target.

quote:

Mavic drone destroyed the Russian T-90M near Avdiivka

A Ukrainian drone uses a grenade to destroy a Russian T-90M Proryv tank in the Donetsk region.

The Shadow unit published a video of the enemy tank’s destruction.

The abandoned T-90M of the invaders was discovered on one of the sections of the eastern front.

It is not known why the Russians abandoned their tank. However, Ukrainian defenders decided to destroy it.

SPOILER

quote:

A Mavic drone was used to drop a hand grenade into the open turret hatch. After the explosion, a massive fire broke out inside the enemy tank’s combat compartment.

Ваші дрони вже працюють 💪🏻🇺🇦

Presumably, there was ammunition inside, and the grenade explosion ignited the propellant charges for 125-mm shells fired by the T-90M Proryv tank.

The invaders’ combat vehicle burned out from the inside, which actually led to its destruction. It is preliminarily reported that the T-90M was destroyed near the village of Tonenke near Avdiivka in the Donetsk region.

It is worth noting that the Russian tank had an additional reactive armor installed on the top of the turret, which should have protected the tank from kamikaze drones and other threats.

Also, in the aft part of the turret, two electronic warfare (EW) systems are visible, which are designed to counter drones.

However, due to the fact that the crew was not in the T-90M, it was probably turned off and could not prevent the tank from being destroyed.

T-90M Proryv is an upgraded version of the Russian T-90 main battle tank. The vehicle received higher armor protection due to the new welded turret, the installation of spaced armor, and Relikt reactive armor.

Ukraine’s defense forces have repeatedly destroyed and captured Russian T-90M on the battlefield.

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Finnish foreign minister admits possibility of sending foreign troops to Ukraine
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen has not ruled out the possibility of sending foreign troops to Ukraine in the future, though she said there is no need for this at the moment.

Source: Valtonen in an interview with the Financial Times, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Valtonen believes that French President Emmanuel Macron did the right thing when he made Russia wonder what the limits of Western support for Ukraine might be.

"Now’s not the time to send boots on the ground, and we are not even willing to discuss it at this stage. But for the long term, of course we shouldn’t be ruling anything out," the minister stressed.

Background: In March, Macron stated that a possible deployment of Western troops to Ukraine "cannot be ruled out". He later added that his controversial words had been carefully thought through.

Later, commenting on the idea he raised, Macron stressed that if such a scenario were to be implemented, French forces would not go on the offensive against Russia.

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Paris mayor says Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be welcome in Paris during Olympics
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has stated that Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be welcome at the Olympic Games to be held in the French capital this year.

Source: French news agency AFP, citing Hidalgo, as reported by European Pravda

Details: "I want to tell Russian and Belarusian athletes that they are not welcome in Paris," she said.

The mayor also expressed support for Ukrainian athletes and the entire Ukrainian people.

Hidalgo made her comments during a trip to Kyiv, where she visited a training centre for Ukrainian athletes.

Russian athletes can attend the Olympic Games in Paris, which will run from 26 July to 11 August, but only on a neutral basis.

In addition, Russia and Belarus have been banned from participating in the opening ceremony, which will take place on the River Seine in the heart of the city.

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Swiss oil trader hired a lobbyist to avoid sanctions for transactions with the Russian Federation
Nils Trost, founder of Paramount, pays lobbyist Ankit Desai $100,000 a month to avoid US sanctions over his Russian oil deals. Source: AML

With the help of Desai, who served on Senator Biden's staff in 2005, Swiss oil trader Paramount Energy & Commodities SA LLC avoided potential sanctions from the US government after coming under scrutiny by the British government over its dealings in Russian oil.

As for Niels Trost, the veteran Dutch trader sought advice from Ankit Desai on whether the United States government was going to impose sanctions on him and his companies, a copy of a lobbying contract with the US Department of Justice revealed, a media source said.

SPOILER

quote:

The UK imposed sanctions on Paramount's Dubai unit in November 2023 and two months later also imposed sanctions on Trost and his Geneva-based company.

The US administration itself has imposed sanctions on companies believed to have supplied Russian oil in violation of Western regulations, but has not yet targeted individuals believed to have been involved in this act.

Desai's AND Partners LLC's filing in February said it was "exploring discussions surrounding possible sanctions by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control against Trost's various businesses and individuals associated with him," and this will also play a role in seeking and creating powerful influences, such as key US civilians and the government, to support their personal and business interests. The large amount of operating expenses is $100,000 per month.

According to media reports, Desai is required under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act to register and disclose information about deals he signed with foreign traders such as Trost.

The UK sanctions were imposed against Trost as a result of an investigation by Paramount Energy & Commodities. DMCC last year traded oil prices that routinely exceeded the agreed G7 limit, potentially violating restrictions Western countries have imposed on Russia to cut oil production.

A prominent Geneva-headquartered commodities trader known as Paramount SA has shifted its commercial dealings with Moscow to companies in the United Arab Emirates, which does not include sanctions on Russia at all.

Trost has argued for years that he had no role in running Paramount's DMCC holding, and because it is registered in the UAE, it is not required to be able to comply with Western bloc restrictions.

According to the UK Treasury manifesto, Trost was either the actual beneficial owner or director of Paramount DMCC and was accused of enabling the trading of oil from Russia and recklessly avoiding UK and G7 sanctions.

Trost's media representative declined to comment on any contract signed with Desai and explained that Trost had stopped trading Russian oil.

In 2017, Trost founded Paramount SA, which sold Russian ESPO crude oil, especially to China, in most cases exceeding the price threshold set by G7 countries. Trost is being assisted by Ankit Desai, a Democratic Party lobbyist with some ties to the energy industry. Desai has numerous legislative connections, including with Cheniere Energy and Tellurian Inc., and has been close to such prominent political leaders as Mark Warner and John Kerry.

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Militarization of children in Belarus
The authorities under the leadership of Alexander Lukashenko continue to actively involve schoolchildren in their “militia”. The next step in this direction was the provision of firearms to children.
Lukashenko’s “siloviki” regularly try to interest schoolchildren in working in the “police”, promoting the idea of ​​serving in the security forces as prestigious and noble.
According to reports and eyewitness accounts, children are traditionally given weapons, shields and helmets at public events marking various holidays or commemorative events. It's an impressive show that portrays schoolchildren as future "defenders of the regime," justifying their involvement in potentially dangerous situations.
This method highlights the trend towards militarization, which is part of the regime's overall drive to tighten control and suppress opposition.

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Budanov says Russian 1.5 ton bomb dropped on Sumy Oblast has been used before
Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov refuted on March 31 earlier claims by Ukrainian military officials that Russia dropped a 1.5 ton (3,300 lbs) bomb on Sumy Oblast for the first time.

The UPAB-1500B gliding bomb was first unveiled at a Russian arms expo in 2019.

The 117th Brigade of Ukraine's Armed Forces claimed on March 30 that Russian forces had used the bomb for the first time in an attack on the community of Velyka Pysarivka in Sumy Oblast.

Budanov said in comments on national television that it was not the first time Russian forces have used such a weapon in Ukraine.

"I can directly deny it," Budanov said.

"There's nothing new in this," he added.

The Ukrainian military-focused media outlet Defense Express, citing unnamed sources, claimed earlier in March that the bomb had been used for the first time, but did not specify where.

Residents of the vulnerable communities along Sumy Oblast's northeastern border experience daily attacks from nearby Russian forces. Russia has intensified assaults in recent weeks, leading to large-scale evacuations from the region.

Russia attacked 12 communities along the Sumy Oblast border on March 30, causing 254 explosions in the area, the regional military administration reported.

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Ukrainian Police Identify Over 100 Russian Soldiers Who Committed War Crimes in Bucha
Police say they’ve been able to gather a massive amount of data on the alleged war criminals, including their phone numbers and the names of their relatives.

Ukrainian police officers have identified more than 1,000 Russian troops who invaded Bucha at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 – including more than 100 military personnel who it alleges committed war crimes.

“The city was under occupation for 28 days. Kidnapping, torture, rape, looting and murder of civilians, including children, is not a complete list of what the Russian military committed there during this time. Ukrainian police officers carefully documented these war crimes for the International Criminal Court,” Ukraine's National Police wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday, March 31.

National Police investigators interviewed hundreds of witnesses and victims, conducted hundreds of interrogations, performed experiments and investigations at the scenes of events, and they studied terabytes of data from external surveillance cameras, Ukrinform reported.

The police say they gathered a detailed array of information about the Russian soldiers who were in Bucha including personal data such as the positions they held in the military, their division by platoons and departments, information on the weapons and equipment they carried, their places of residence, phone numbers and even data about their relatives.

“The information we received allowed us to map the movement routes of the occupiers with a specific time and place, and this, in turn, made it possible to identify the presence of a specific unit at the scene of the crime at the time of its commission. We were able to analyze the complete structure of the occupiers' strike groups of the so-called BTGs (battalion-tactical groups), the structure of their leadership, the types and demarcation of equipment and weapons,” senior investigator Ivan Dulkai said.

March 31, when much of the world is celebrating Easter, marks the second anniversary of Bucha’s liberation. In Bucha, the world saw some of the first evidence of large-scale atrocities being committed by Russian occupation forces.

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The Russians lost 12 tanks and 8 IFVs during an attempted assault near Tonenke

During an attempted assault near the village of Tonenke, located near Avdiyivka, Russians lost 12 tanks and 8 IFVs.

OSINT analyst Kriegsforscher reported on this in his X (ex-Twitter).

It is reported that the enemy involved 36 tanks and 12 infantry fighting vehicles in the assault on March 30.

The tanks belonged to the 6th Regiment of the 90th Tank Division, and it became known that the equipment was located around the coordinates 48.14551743810157, 37.621891960517885.

The means of destruction used to disable such a large number of armored vehicles are not disclosed, and the details of this battle remain unknown.

SPOILER

quote:

Militarnyi previously reported that a drone destroyed the Russian T-90M Proryv tank near Tonenke.

A Mavic drone was used to drop a hand grenade into the open turret hatch.

After the explosion, a massive fire broke out inside the enemy tank’s combat compartment.

On March 16, it was reported that in the Avdiivka direction, in the area of Berdychi and Tonenke, the Defense Forces inflicted losses on Russians, who were trying to advance to the Ukrainian positions.

The Ukrainian military said that in the area of the village of Tonenke, they had managed to disrupt the assault of Russians using FPV drones.

Drones hit the MT-LB armored personnel carrier, which transported Russian troops.

Then, the invaders’ infantry tried to escape, but Ukrainian FPV drones continued hitting them.

quote:

The Russians shot down their Kh-101 missile in the Saratov region

Russia shot down its own Kh-101 cruise missile over the Saratov region during the missile attack on Ukraine.

Militarnyi reports on this.

The local media of the aggressor country published photos of the missile wreckage. At the same time, Russia claimed that it had shot down an allegedly Ukrainian UAV.

In the early morning hours of Saturday, March 31, 2024, Russian invaders attacked Ukraine with missiles of various types.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the Russian invaders launched 14 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles from Tu-95MS strategic bombers from a launch area in the Saratov region.

SPOILER

quote:

Вибух над Саратовською областю 31 березня 2024

At the approximate time of the missile launches, an outdoor surveillance camera recorded an explosion in the sky over the Krasnoarmeysky district of the region.

The incident happened around 5 a.m. local time. Russian social media also posted reports about the work of air defense systems, and flashes in the sky observed by eyewitnesses. They claimed that a Ukrainian drone had allegedly been shot down.

It is worth noting that the Russian Defense Ministry has not officially reported on the work of air defense in the Saratov region.

In the morning, local telegram channels and other social media posted photos of the wreckage of an object that looked like an aircraft found by local residents in a field in the Krasnoarmeysky district. According to the photos, it was not a drone that was shot down in the Saratov region.

One of the photos shows wreckage that looks like the tail section of a Kh-101 cruise missile, which was shot down by Ukrainian air defense on several occasions, and images of their debris are publicly available.

There is currently no information on casualties or damage, and the Russian Federation has not officially commented on the incident.

На село у � осії впала ракета [2 січня 2024]

Previously, a Russian Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missile, launched at the territory of Ukraine on the morning of January 2, fell and exploded on a village in the Voronezh region of the Russian Federation.

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Russian Federation officially blames Ukraine for terrorist attack in Crocus City
Russia has officially accused Ukraine of involvement in the terrorist attack in Crocusa. This is stated in a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“The investigative actions carried out by the Russian competent authorities indicate that the traces of the latest terrorist attacks lead to Ukraine. Russia has passed a demand to the Ukrainian authorities for the arrest and extradition of all persons involved,” the statement reads.

Russia also demands that Ukraine arrest the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Malyuk, in connection with his statements about his involvement in the undermining of the Crimean bridge and the murder of a number of people in Russia.

The Russian Foreign Ministry threatened Ukraine with liability for “violating its obligations under anti-terrorist conventions”.


The Security Service of Ukraine has commented on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s accusations of terrorism and the arrest of its head Malyuk

“Trying to appeal to the norms of international law, namely the convention on combating terrorism, the Russian Foreign Ministry forgets that it is Putin who is officially on the international wanted list and is waiting for him at the Hague Tribunal.”

quote:

Russia demands extradition of Ukraine security chief and others for ‘terrorism’
SBU dismisses demand as pointless and hypocritical, ‘coming from the terrorist state itself’

Russia has demanded that Ukraine extradite a number of people, including the head of the country’s SBU security service, over claims they are connected with “terrorist” acts.

The SBU immediately dismissed the Russian demand as “pointless” and said the Russian foreign ministry had “forgotten” that Vladimir Putin was the subject of an international arrest warrant.

A Russian foreign ministry statement listed violent incidents that have occurred in Russia since the full invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, including bombings that killed the daughter of a prominent nationalist and a war blogger, and an incident in which a writer was seriously hurt.

The ministry said investigation of these incidents showed that “the traces of these crimes lead to Ukraine”.

“Russia has turned over to Ukrainian authorities its demands … for the immediate arrest and extradition of all those connected to the terrorist acts in question,” the statement said.

SPOILER

quote:

Among those listed in the statement to be handed over were the SBU head, Vasyl Maliuk, who has acknowledged that his service was behind attacks on the bridge linking Crimea to the Russian mainland. Russia seized control of Crimea in 2014 and the bridge was built after the region was annexed.

“The Russian side demands that the Kyiv regime immediately cease all support for terrorist activity, extradite guilty parties and compensate the victims for damages,” the ministry statement said.

“Ukraine’s violation of its obligations under anti-terrorist conventions will result in it being held to account in international legal terms.”

The SBU said the Russian demands “sound particularly cynical coming from the terrorist state itself … Any words from the Russian foreign ministry are pointless.”

It referred to the arrest warrant against Putin issued by the international criminal court in connection with the transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia and said: “The tribunal in The Hague is waiting for him.”

The Russian statement referred to the mass shooting this month at a concert hall outside Moscow in which 144 people died, but only in an oblique sense.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, and US officials said they had intelligence showing it was carried out by the network’s Afghan branch, Islamic State Khorasan Province, or Isis-K.

Russian investigators said last week they had found proof that the concert hall gunmen were linked to “Ukrainian nationalists”. Kyiv denies any connection with the attack.

Alexander Bastrykin, the head of Russia’s investigative committee, the country’s most important criminal investigation body, said on Sunday that work was proceeding to determine who was behind the attack.

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 00:10 schreef sp3c het volgende:

[..]
Ok ik hap

welke Afrikaanse verkiezingen gaan tussen voor en tegenstanders van de banden met Rusland en welke invloed denk jij dat eender welke kandidaat uit kan oefenen op de het lopende conflict in Oekra�ne?

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Trump posted this controversial picture on social media. Hear how Biden responded
Former President Donald Trump posted a video that shows an image of Biden hog-tied in the back of a pick-up truck on his social media site Truth Social. The Biden campaign says Trump is inciting political violence. CNN's Steve Contorno reports.

quote:

Op maandag 1 april 2024 02:47 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.facebook.com/(...)wl&id=61557191356830
[..]

quote:

Op maandag 1 april 2024 10:20 schreef bianconeri het volgende:

[..]
Het gaat er niet om of 1 van die verkiezingen net zo veel invloed zouden hebben, dat zegt niemand.

Alleen dat buitenlandse politiek niets direct te maken heeft met nieuws over de oorlog zelf.

Politiek bespreken doe je in POL.
Dit gaat over de oorlog.
POL is gwn off topic hier.

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Lesbian Power Couple: Top Sniper and Machine-Gunner Are Taking on Putin’s Army
Olga tells The Daily Beast that she and her machine-gun-toting girlfriend are taking the fight to Putin’s monsters.


“If I tell you the number of my confirmed kills, I’m putting a bounty on my head,” Olga, tells me with a grin and a twinkle in her eye. Her call sign is Cerberus, the mythical, multi-headed dog known as the “Hound of Hades.”

Olga is a sniper in the Ukrainian army where she “battles the hordes invading her homeland.”

The highly trained killer, who is also known as Ulster, asked for her surname to be withheld, for the safety of her family.

“I can tell you one thing. I was as calm as can be during my first kill. And I do not kill people, I kill enemies,” says this soon to be 24-year-old sniper. Olga is also openly gay, which is not easy in any military, and particularly not in Ukraine.

SPOILER

quote:

“I’m so used to shots and loud bangs that they are not annoying, and one might even say they are calming to us by now, especially when we pile up the Russians.” — Olga

I have spoken, off- and on-record, to many gay, lesbian and queer Ukrainian military members. While it’s often glossed over, most of them have experienced some form of harassment, ranging from being teased, to being beaten or even gang-raped. What is particularly hard is that on the frontline your “brothers in arms” should have your back, no matter what, and there needs to be complete trust.

Olga says her comrades don’t care that she is openly gay.

“Personally, being a lesbian girl in the army is not difficult for me, I did not have a bad experience. My brothers treat me well. They know that at the right moment I will have their back as they have my back,” this veterinarian-turned-soldier told The Daily Beast. She raised her voice as she proclaimed: “I fight for the rights of LGBTQ+ people wherever I can. This is important to me!”

Olga, who serves in the sniper platoon on the Kharkiv frontline, joined the army on Feb. 25, 2022, and was actively participating in hostilities a few weeks later.

“All of the battles and frontlines have been gruesome, grueling and a challenge. We live in squalor, it’s cold, we risk our lives. The fact that I am a female sniper gives me greater advantages and therefore I will say for myself that it is not difficult for me when it comes to my comrades. I have no problems with my colleagues and cannot allow myself to have any, we are fighting for the same goal—for Ukrainian victory,” says Olga, adding that “the war is impossible to forget, and most of all, the fallen comrades, those who cannot be brought back, remain in memory.” But she still wants to stay in the military even after the war.

Olga describes a very ‘G.I. Jane’ situation—“After serving as a sniper for 10 months, I was sent for two weeks’ training where I beat all my colleagues in the final competition. Three months later, I was sent to the same course again and I won it again, even though it was more difficult because I had had an operation to have a titanium plate placed in my leg, and I had only a month of rehabilitation behind me. The guys told the instructor that I have problems with my leg, and they asked him not to give me heavy loads, but I answered them that I am the same soldier as everyone else and I do not need indulgences or special treatment,” she said proudly.

In her free time Olga says she likes to hang out with her colleagues, grilling meat and trying to relax. She loves cats and always manages to have some around her, she even swears that they heal her when they lay on top of her and warm her back.

She saves up part of her income to spend on upgrading her gear.

“I use a semi-automatic SGD or Sniper Rifle Dragunov and PM pistol Makarov, and in the near future I will buy a bolt-action one in order to increase the distance to the enemy and increase the impact,” she said. Her girlfriend is also in the military. She doesn’t want to tell us what her partner does in civilian life but is not shy to talk about their relationship.

“I have lesbian friends in the military, and my girlfriend. She doesn’t like her photos to be shown, but she is a machine gunner by profession, and we have been together for over half a year,” Olga said. She also tells me that while she is vocal about her support to the LGBTQ community, she has never been to a Pride March.

“I’ve just been too busy. I want us to be given the rights we deserve, to live freely like the rest of the population of Ukraine. I want to be able to marry my partner some day and become a mother, especially since I do not have a mother. But not before the end of the war.”

I ask her what it is like to live never fully knowing will you see tomorrow, surrounded by death.

“Fortunately, I have not yet needed rescue, as in any task, first of all, you need to think about how to minimize the threat to your life. Personally, a day on the front line is a normal thing for me, I’m so used to shots and loud bangs that they are not annoying, and one might even say they are calming to us by now, especially when we pile up the Russians. The task of the day is given by the management, and I like to work alone,” she said calmly, almost in a detached way.

Her goals in life, I ask.

Having a family, staying in the military, marriage. Oh, and yes, “showing those Wagner monsters that they do not belong here and teaching them a lesson they will never forget,” Olga said.

quote:

Will France Really Be Giving All Decommissioned Weaponry to Ukraine, Including VAB APCs, Leclerc Tanks, Mirage Fighters?

^{Mirage 2000-5 aircraft being decommissioned by France}

If the words of the French Defense Minister are not just a statement, then we are talking about over a thousand VAB armored personnel carriers, a hundred Leclerc tanks, and dozens of fighter jets
French Defense Minister S�bastien Lecornu announced a decision to transfer decommissioned weapons to Ukraine.

"As we reinvest significant funds in our army according to the plan amounting to 413 billion euros for the years 2024-2030, we have a lot of equipment that is still operational and will be decommissioned. Instead of throwing it away or giving it to other countries, we are giving it to the Ukrainian army," said the head of the French defense agency in an interview with Var-Matin.

SPOILER

quote:

^{The AMX-10 RC is a French-armored fighting vehicle manufactured by Nexter Systems for armored reconnaissance purposes}

If these words indeed reflect a genuine commitment to support Ukraine, then it is about an extremely powerful source of weaponry.

First and foremost, there is the extensive SCORPION program launched in 2014, involving the rearmament of the French Army with Griffon and Serval armored vehicles, the Jaguar combat reconnaissance vehicles, and the modernization of Leclerc tanks to the XLR level.

Under this program, Griffon VBMR and Serval VBMR-L replace the VAB APCs. The approximate number of these armored vehicles in service in France is around 1800 units, but not all of them are combat-ready. The replacement has been ongoing for several years, and around 600 units of Griffon have been delivered.

^{VAB (V�hicule de l'Avant Blind�)}

Also arises whether the possible transfer includes another hundred Leclerc tanks, which are not eligible for XLR modernization and which are gradually being reduced.

^{Leclerc tanks}

Nevertheless, not all rearmament in France concerns only SCORPION and the ground forces. There is also a replacement in the aviation sector with the phasing out of Mirage 2000, which is gradually being replaced by Rafale. The latest Mirage 2000 aircraft to be phased out of service will evidently be the Mirage 2000D, which will undergo RMV modernization by 2025 with the integration of MICA missiles.

^{Mirage 2000-5 aircraft}

Therefore, the first to be replaced should be the Mirage 2000-5. In the combat-ready category, there are 27 single-seat Mirage 2000-5 and 7 two-seat Mirage 2000B aircraft.

quote:

Op maandag 1 april 2024 02:35 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/03/31/7448988/

quote:

Speaker Johnson pledges House vote on Ukraine aid package following Easter recess
The chairman of the intelligence committee of the US House of Representatives, Mike Turner, hopes to have time to vote before Congress recesses again

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, promised to vote on the bill to help Ukraine after the Easter recess, which should end on April 9. The Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence of the US House of Representatives, Mike Turner, said in a comment to ABC News.

"The speaker has made very clear statements that when we get back, it's the next top agenda. After having just passed all the bills that fund the federal government, I believe this is going to have overwhelming support in Congress, and we'll put a bill on the President's desk," Turner said.

He added that Johnson made it clear, in particular, to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he supports Ukraine.

Turner expressed hope that Congress will have time to approve funding for Ukraine before it goes on recess again on April 22.

"Well it's certainly my hope. As President Zelenskyy has made clear to Speaker Johnson, we are at a critical point. The CIA director and the Secretary of Defense everybody has made it clear that we are at a critical juncture on the ground that is beginning to be able to impact not only morale of the Ukrainians that are fighting, but also their ability to fight. Putin knows this. This is obviously an area where we cannot allow Putin to win," he said.

On February 14, 2024, US President Biden called on the speaker of the House of Representatives to immediately put to a vote the bill on aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

On February 29, Congress leaders at a meeting with Biden could not agree on aid to Ukraine.

On March 12, the United States announced $300 million in military aid to Ukraine, including artillery shells and ammunition for HIMARS. The supply of ATACMS has not been officially announced.

On March 21, the Democrats in the US Congress began to support the initiative of the Republicans to provide loan assistance to Ukraine.

quote:

Op maandag 1 april 2024 11:26 schreef Aloulu het volgende:

[..]
Die minister is knettergek.

quote:

FT: Over 50% of Russians blame Ukraine for Moscow terrorist attack, survey shows
More than 50% of Russians believe that Ukrainian leadership is responsible for the shooting at the Crocus City Hall concert hall outside Moscow, the Financial Times (FT) reported, citing a survey by OpenMinds, an Anglo-Ukrainian online pollster.

Around 27% of respondents blamed the Islamic State (ISIS), while another 6% pointed to the so-called "collective West," namely the U.S., the U.K., and NATO.

Several gunmen opened fire at the Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, Moscow's suburb, on the evening of March 22, killing at least 144 people.

Though the Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack shortly thereafter, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, along with other top Russian officials, sought to pin the blame on Ukraine without providing any evidence.

On March 31, Russia's Foreign Ministry called for the arrest and extradition of the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Ukraine and the U.S. rejected the Kremlin's allegations.

OpenMinds' survey showed that younger people aged 18 to 30 are more likely to blame ISIS for the attack than Kyiv, according to FT. Among those who oppose the war, 50% blame ISIS, compared to 12% of those who support the war.

Russians aged 31 to 50 have the highest number of those who believe in Ukraine's involvement in the shooting – over 50%, according to the poll.

A total of 652 Russians took part in the survey.

quote:

Op maandag 1 april 2024 10:50 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Er is een gebied tussen de politiek van Amerika en de oorlog in Oekra�ne in die beide beslaat. Er is een overlap dus. En dat is in dit geval Trump. En daar Trump meedoet aan de Amerikaanse verkiezingen. En Trump in direct verband staat met de hulp aan Oekra�ne (het tegenhouden ervan in elk geval), maar ook met zijn chantage aan het adres van Zelenski, waarbij hij ook dreigde al toegezegde hulp tegen te houden is Trump wel degelijk relevant in deze oorlog. En daardoor dus ook zijn legale problemen en dus ook de verkiezingen waaraan hij meedoet.

Waarvan hij al aangegeven heeft dat als hij weer president wordt hij alle hulp aan Oekra�ne zal stoppen, dat er geen cent meer naar Oekra�ne toe gaat.

Ook heeft Trump nog niet zo lang geleden bezoek gehad van Orban, ook zo'n tegenhouder van hulp en vriendje van Putin. Trump en Orban zijn de grootste vrienden. En dan moeten wij zijn bewondering van Putin ook nog niet vergeten.

Ik heb de berichten die ik plaats over Trump en de verkiezingen al tot het minimale gebracht.

En als we even eerlijk zijn, de berichten die jij in dit topic plaatst zijn minder relevant tot deze oorlog dan de mijne. Van mij zijn laat maar zeggen 9 van de 10 relevant. Die van jou is meer 3 van de 10. Dit hele gezeur bijvoorbeeld is helemaal niet relevant tot dit topic. En daar ben je je laatste 10 posts al mee bezig. Ook is daar een perfect topic voor: feedback

En uiteindelijk zijn het de mods van Nieuws & achtergronden die beslissen of ik dit soort dingen mag posten hier, en niet jij. Als die aangegeven dat ik er mee moet stoppen omdat het niet relevant is in dit topic dan zal ik mij daar aan houden.

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Defence Forces destroyed R-330Zh Zhitel EW system in Zaporizhzhia

Ukrainian defenders destroyed a Russian R-330Zh Zhitel EW system in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Special Operations Forces published a video of the hit of an enemy system with a HIMARS MRL.

The military said that during reconnaissance in the Zaporizhzhia sector, the operators of the 3rd Separate Special Purpose Regiment had discovered a R-330Zh Zhitel electronic warfare jamming communication station.

Ukrainian Special Forces adjusted the fire of the missile and artillery unit of the Defense Forces.

Judging by the footage of the video, the target effects of the Russian R-330 was carried out by a GMLRS rocket from the American M142 HIMARS multiple launch rocket system.

SPOILER

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🔥ЗНИЩЕНО ворожий комплекс � ЕБ «Житель»

The rocket exploded over the vehicle from the system and struck it with a large number of metal balls contained in its warhead.

The SOF noted that as a result of the coordinated work of Ukrainian defenders, the enemy Zhitel EW system had been destroyed.

The same Russian system was destroyed in Zaporizhzhia in early March. He was also hit by HIMARS, which was adjusted by SOF operators.

Also, with the help of an unmanned combat aerial vehicle, Ukrainian defenders hit the Zhitel EW system in the Luhansk region.

45 ОАБр: виявили та знищили ворожий � ЕБ «Житель». Східний напрямок

A hit was recorded on a KamAZ truck, which is part of the Zhitel system. After hitting two targets, the vehicle burned down.

R-330Zh Zhitel

The Russian R-330Zh Zhitel electronic warfare system is designed for automated detection, direction finding and analysis of radio emission signals in the operating frequency range.

It is stated that the R-330Zh provides the setting of radio interference of terminals of Inmarsat and Iridium satellite communication systems. It also interferes with the equipment of NAVSTAR (GPS) satellite navigation system users and base stations and terminals of cellular radio communication systems of GSM-900/1800 and 1900 standards.

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621 miles of fortifications and three defense rings built around Kyiv - Ukrainian general

After liberation of Kyiv Oblast, about 621 miles of fortifications were built around capital and three defense rings were created, Commander of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Pavliuk said on the nationanal TV on March 31.

Over the year when he was in command of the Kyiv Defense Forces, Chornobyl direction was also strengthened.

"We have done everything to ensure that there are no options for a surprise attack by the enemy," Pavliuk added.

Currently, the capital's defense is being reinforced, including the construction of long-term concrete fortifications, he said.

What is known about strengthening of fortifications on the northern border
In January, Armed Forces of Ukraine said that in recent months, border defense lanes in the northern operational zone had been equipped by 63%.

Concrete defenses, dugouts, firing positions are being set up on the border. Systems of engineering barriers, including explosive barriers, are being set up in front of the strongholds.

In the future, military plans to heavily mine certain sections of the border.

In early 2024, The Telegraph reported that Kyiv was strengthening its positions by building new concrete trenches and underground command centers along 621 miles long front. New defenses closely resemble the so-called Surovikin Line, a three-tiered system of trenches, tank traps, and strongholds that Russia successfully used to thwart Ukraine's counteroffensive.

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 11:26 schreef Aloulu het volgende:

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Die minister is knettergek.

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 11:34 schreef Ulx het volgende:

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Inderdaad, vanuit Finland wandel je zo naar St Petersburg. Dan schakel je een van de twee economische centra van Rusland uit. In Oekra�ne gaan staan is niet zo slim.

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 12:27 schreef luxerobots het volgende:

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Het is dat Rusland kernwapens heeft, anders waren ze inderdaad behoorlijk kwetsbaar geweest.

Rusland wordt helemaal beziggehouden door Oekra�ne, je zag maar hoe makkelijk ome Prigo op kon stomen.

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 12:26 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Dit zie ik ineens op twitter.

WTF?

Ze bieden een reis naar Rusland aan voor de dag van de overwinning.

Door wie worden ze betaald?
Rusland?

[ x ]

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 12:37 schreef quirina het volgende:

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Dus tussen 8 en 12 mei gaan de Russen de overwinning vieren?
Interessant.
Doen ze elke jaar.

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 12:39 schreef Aether het volgende:

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Vorig jaar met drie tanks, benieuwd hoeveel het er dit jaar zijn

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 12:54 schreef quirina het volgende:

Children's military parade in Rostov-on-Don

Mooie parade in Rostov on Don

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 12:35 schreef quirina het volgende:

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Prigo was heel snel dood. Dus eh..

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 12:26 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Dit zie ik ineens op twitter.

WTF?

Ze bieden een reis naar Rusland aan voor de dag van de overwinning.

Door wie worden ze betaald?
Rusland?

[ x ]

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 10:20 schreef bianconeri het volgende:

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Het gaat er niet om of 1 van die verkiezingen net zo veel invloed zouden hebben, dat zegt niemand.

Alleen dat buitenlandse politiek niets direct te maken heeft met nieuws over de oorlog zelf.

Politiek bespreken doe je in POL.
Dit gaat over de oorlog.
POL is gwn off topic hier.

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 12:26 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Dit zie ik ineens op twitter.

WTF?

Ze bieden een reis naar Rusland aan voor de dag van de overwinning.

Door wie worden ze betaald?
Rusland?

[ x ]

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 16:22 schreef sp3c het volgende:

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Ik vroeg niet om even veel

Welke Afrikaanse verkiezingen hebben volgens jou welke invloed op het verloop van dit conflict

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 16:58 schreef voetbalmanager2 het volgende:
Lol. net gelezen dat er een Ladoga tank is gesignaleerd op het slagveld. De Russen hebben in de jaren 80 slechts 5 van die legendarische tanks gemaakt en die bevonden zich tot voor kort allemaal in museums. Heel bizar dat die nu ingezet worden in Oekra�ne. Van de kosten van 1 zo'n tank kan je een heel peloton moderne tanks maken.

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Ladoga – Initially called Debut, this APC is designed for evacuation of Soviet government from Kremlin to airport under nuclear/chemical/biological attack. Ladoga uses tracks from the T-80U as well as suspension system and gas-turbine powerplant. The crew is 2 soldiers. It also has a four-seat cab equipped with a crew life-support facilities to protect the passengers against the radiological, chemical and bacteriological contamination of the environment

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 16:59 schreef quirina het volgende:
Ik dacht dat Rusland wel wat Tankjes had gekocht van China

Maar ik zie China er ook voor aan dat ze Rusland nog meer in de kont gaan nemen dan dat ze nu al doen met die banken.

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 17:06 schreef Hyperdude het volgende:

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Wat is dat voor een ding, en wat kan je er mee?

Dit vind ik op Wiki:
[..]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-80_models#Ladoga

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 16:52 schreef Zwoerd het volgende:

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Dat de Amerikaanse verkiezingen een grote invloed hebben op de oorlog in Oekra�ne staat buiten kijf. Maar dat betekent niet dat alles wat met die verkiezingen te maken heeft ook relevant is voor dit topic. Kijk bijvoorbeeld naar de post wat nu de aanleiding is voor deze discussie: je kan je afvragen of een bericht dat Trump een dom plaatje plaatst of dat een CNN presentator een mening heeft hoe je Trump supporters moet behandelen, in dit topic thuishoren.
Het is prima dat je het hier laat staat als de meerderheid er geen probleem mee heeft, maar het is niet helemaal eerlijk om te doen alsof mensen die zich er wel aan storen geen punt hebben.

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Op zondag 31 maart 2024 13:05 schreef bianconeri het volgende:

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Kap eens met dat Politiek VS gedoe.
Daar is het subforum POL voor......

Totaal off topic hier.
Of ga de verkiezing van Turkije van nu ook even posten?
Of van elk willekeurig Afrikaans land.
Want ''allemaal van invloed op de te lopen koers tegenover Rusland''.

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 16:58 schreef voetbalmanager2 het volgende:
Lol. net gelezen dat er een Ladoga tank is gesignaleerd op het slagveld. De Russen hebben in de jaren 80 slechts 5 van die legendarische tanks gemaakt en die bevonden zich tot voor kort allemaal in museums. Heel bizar dat die nu ingezet worden in Oekra�ne. Van de kosten van 1 zo'n tank kan je een heel peloton moderne tanks maken.

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 17:10 schreef voetbalmanager2 het volgende:

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Het is een tank die in de koude oorlog speciaal gemaakt is om een nucleaire aanval mee te weerstaan. Volledig van de buitenlucht afgesloten met grote hoeveelheden zuurstof en speciale filteringssystemen.

Bovendien gemaakt voor de hoogste officieren op het slagveld zelf. Voorzien van de meest luxueuze voorzieningen. Tegen een enorm prijskaartje dus en daarom zijn er ook maar 5 van gemaakt.

Het is alsof je met een roze Rolls Royce met allerlei luxe extra's rondrijd op het slagveld.

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Bescherming

NBC-installatie (nucleair, biologisch, chemisch) beschermt de bemanning tegen dergelijke aanvallen en maakt het rijden door besmet terrein mogelijk;

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 18:32 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

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Deze had ik een aantal dagen geleden gepost. 1 minder Ladoga tank dus.

[ x ]

Al zou hij het technisch gezien overleefd kunnen hebben. Daar wij niet de explosie zelf zien.

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 18:47 schreef AchJa het volgende:

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De meeste westerse pantservoertuigen zijn gewoon NBC beschermd, zit een overdrukinstallatie en een filtersysteem in.

De Leo-2 bv:
[..]
Het ontsmetten was wel een enorme kutklus overigens... Dan ging je door een onderdeelsontsmettingsstraat waar 101 NBC cie de scepter zwaaide.

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Op maandag 1 april 2024 22:37 schreef kibo het volgende:

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Maar wat deed dat ding daar in Ukraine dan?

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Putin’s university classmate lined up for Supreme Court top job
A university classmate of Russian President Vladimir Putin has been named the sole candidate being considered to take on the role of chief justice of Russia’s Supreme Court, the Russian Agency of Legal and Judicial Information has reported.

Supreme Court Justice Irina Podnosova, who graduated from Leningrad State University with Putin in 1975, currently heads the court’s judicial panel for economic disputes. She was put forward by a collegium of judges for the top post on Monday, after 10 minutes of deliberation.

Her predecessor Vyacheslav Lebedev, who served as Supreme Court Chairman since 1991, died on 24 February aged 80.

The collegium will now send its recommendation to a presidential judicial review commission. Once it approves Podnosova’s candidacy, the president will submit her appointment to the Federation Council, Russia’s upper chamber of parliament, for confirmation.

The Russian Supreme Court, a court of last resort for cases heard in Russia’s lower courts, consists of 170 judges, but is overseen by a praesidium of 13 justices.

The Supreme Court effectively operates as a rubber stamp institution despite having the power to refer presidential decrees and parliamentary bills to the Constitutional Court to challenge them. Its more controversial recent rulings include recognising “the international LGBT movement” as extremist, ruling that new censorship laws were constitutional and ordering the liquidation of Memorial, one of Russia’s oldest human rights groups.

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Russia demands Ukraine arrest and extradite SBU chief Vasil Malyuk
The Russian Foreign Ministry has said that it demanded that the Ukrainian authorities arrest the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Malyuk.

The Russian Federation has officially named the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Malyuk, as responsible for the terrorist attack in the Crocus shopping centre near Moscow and demanded that Ukraine arrest and extradite him. This statement was issued by the press service of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The statement also mentions events related to the murder of Daria Dugina, the bombing of propagandists Vladlen Tatarsky and Zakhar Prilepin, as well as raids by the Russian Volunteer Corps.

The SBU reacted to the statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry. The SBU told Ukrinform that such reports about terrorism "sound especially cynical against the background of the anniversary of the liberation of Bucha and the atrocities committed there by the Russians".

Any words from the Russian Foreign Ministry are null and void. The Russian Federation can really only make one statement worth paying attention to - to the whole world to announce its defeat in the war and the withdrawal of occupation troops from Ukrainian soil. The SBU, together with its brethren in the Defence and Security Forces, is doing everything possible to speed up this time. And brings Ukraine's victory closer every day," the SBU said.

The SBU noted that the Russian Foreign Ministry, trying to appeal to the norms of international law, namely the Convention on Combating Terrorism, forgets that Putin is officially on an international wanted list, in particular, he is awaiting trial at the Hague Tribunal for kidnapping Ukrainian children.

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Media: Russian planes dropped at least 14 bombs on Belgorod region in two weeks

^{A Russian bomb with a UMPK kit under the wing of a Su-34 front-line bomber}

In the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, cases of bombs falling from Russian planes flying to bomb Ukraine have been recorded.

In the last two weeks alone, 14 bombs of various calibers fell on the territory of the region.

The Russian publication ASTRA reported on this.

This happens during combat flights of Russian aircraft to bomb the territory of Ukraine.

In particular, on March 30, two 500-kilogram FAB-500 bombs were found two kilometers from the village of Kryukovo in the Belgorod region.

SPOILER

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^{A Russian OFAB-250 bomb with the UMPK kit, Belgorod, January 3, 2024}

On March 20, it became known about the fall of the FAB bombs in the villages of Vvedenskaya Gotnya and Zamostya.

In addition, on March 21, two FAB-500 bombs were discovered near the village of Antonovka in the Grayvoronsky district and near the village of Kryukovo in the Borisovsky district.

Two more 250-kilogram FAB-250 bombs were found on March 22 near the village of Shalaevo, Valuysky district, and 5 kilometers from the village of Kozynka, the same district.

^{The Russian village of Bessonovka on the map}

On March 25, a FAB-50 bomb was found near the village of Smorodyno in the Yakovlevsky district. However, since the photo of the bomb was not made public, it is not known whether the type of bomb was correctly identified. On the same day, a FAB-250 was found near the village of Zybyno in the Borisovsky district. Also on March 27, a FAB-500 bomb was found near the village of Bessonovka.

^{The Russian village of Bezymenne on the map}

On the morning of March 28, another FAB-250 was discovered near the village of Bezymenne. According to ASTRA, more than 140 villagers were evacuated. By evening, the bomb was removed and destroyed. On the same day, a FAB-500 was found in the village of Nechaevka.

^{A bomb that fell between the villages of Bessonovka and Vesela Lopan in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation. March, 2024. Photo credits: Pepel publication}

Also on March 28, a KAB-1500 one-and-a-half-ton bomb dropped by a Russian bomber was found near Belgorod between the villages of Bessonovka and Vesela Lopan.

^{A Russian OFAB-250 bomb with the UMPK kit, Belgorod, January 3, 2024}

The fall of Russian bombs on the territory of the Russian Federation adjacent to the border with Ukraine is either due to an abnormal munitions’ explosion or a malfunction of the UMPK kit, which Russians install on their bombs to increase their range and systematically strike at the territory of Ukraine. This is not the first time that Russian bombs have fallen in the Belgorod region.

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Car bomb kills pro-Russian official in occupied Ukraine

A car bomb in Russian-occupied Luhansk has killed a pro-Kremlin official, local authorities reported.

The deputy head of a state-run administrative agency was killed when “an unidentified device detonated in a car” on Monday afternoon, the local branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said.

The investigators posted a photo of a light-coloured SUV with its windows and doors blown out and wreckage strewn across the street in the town of Starobilsk, adding that an investigation into a “terrorist act” had been opened. “The circumstances of the incident and the people involved in the commission of the crime are being established,” it said.

Vladimir Chernev, a municipal head, named the victim as Valery Chaika, an official in Luhansk. “Our comrade is dead,” he wrote in a post on Telegram, calling on residents to be attentive and report any suspicious activity to the authorities.

Several Moscow-installed officials in eastern Ukraine have been killed in attacks orchestrated by pro-Kyiv forces since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

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The Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed Russian armored group in Ivanivske village

Ukrainian troops in the village of Ivanivske, Donetsk region, destroyed a Russian armored group that was trying to advance.

The Ukrainian military spoke about the battle in the Gostri kartuzy Telegram channel.

Fierce fighting continues in the Bakhmut sector for control of Ivanivske, parts of which are controlled by Ukrainian and Russian Forces.

Recently, the Russian command sent six armored vehicles with infantry into battle on a street to advance.

The armored group consisted of BMD-2 and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, which were supposed to suppress Ukrainian infantry with their 30 mm guns.

SPOILER

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В селі Іванівське ЗСУ знищили бронегрупу росіян

During the battle, the Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed four Russian armored vehicles, and two managed to retreat.

“Ivanivske is the outskirts of Bakhmut, which is being held by Ukrainian defenders in hell. The video shows an attempted enemy assault, six vehicles entered and two left,” the military told about the battle.

The commander of the Attack Drone Battalion “Achilles” of the 92nd Assault Brigade said that the Russian troops were always storming in the direction of Ivanivske.

“As for Ivanivske, Russian invaders are trying to align the front line in the direction of Chasovyi Yar. Indeed, a month ago, the enemy had a tactical success and occupied the front streets of Ivanivske. However, today it is too early to talk about the enemy’s complete control of Ivanivske,” said the military.

At the moment, according to deepstatemap, about 40% of Ivanivske is occupied by the enemy, while the rest remains with the Ukrainian military.

“Difficult and exhausting fighting continues in the direction of Ivanivske. Half of Ivanivske is now under the control of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, the other part of the settlement is occupied by Russian invaders. Invaders are also conducting assault operations in the direction of Klishchiivka and Andriivka. However, they are not having any critical success either,” said Commander Yurii Fedorenko.

On April 1, the Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian troops repelled eight attacks in the Bakhmut sector over the past 24 hours near populated areas: Bilohorivka, Luhansk region; Verkhnekamianske, Ivanivske, Klishchiivka, Andriivka, Donetsk region.

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Soldiers of the National Guard of Ukraine showed the destruction of Russian troops near Terny

The soldiers of the Donbas Battalion and the Azov Brigade showed the results of Russian attacks and destroyed Russian equipment in the Lyman sector.

Footage of the aftermath of the battle was posted online.

The Donbas Battalion of the 18th Sloviansk Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine repelled an attack by Russian invaders having been advancing toward the village of Terny in the Donetsk region.

The unit’s aerial reconnaissance group showed destroyed vehicles and infantry, including a BMP-3 and two BMP-2s, as well as more than a dozen dead invaders.

The soldiers said that after the battle, invaders brought most of the dead to one place for evacuation.

SPOILER

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Відбитий штурм росіян під Тернами, Донецька область [Квітень 2024]

Together with the battalion, soldiers of the 12th Azov Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine are actively fighting in this area, destroying equipment and infantry with the help of drones.

The Azov Brigade said that the fighting does not stop even at night, showing the elimination of Russian troops trying to operate under the cover of night.

In addition, operators of the drone company managed to destroy an enemy BMP-2 with infantry riding on top of the armor.

At present, the village of Terny has been virtually destroyed by Russian aircraft and artillery, but its surroundings remain an important strategic point in the defense of Ukrainian Forces along the Terny-Yampolivka-Zarichne-Dibrova line.

To assault Ukrainian positions, Russians are using massive assaults with large groups of infantry, as well as armored vehicles and aircraft. In particular, Russian invaders are actively using guided bombs in the sector.

Using its entire arsenal and pulling up reserves, the Russian military is trying to force the Ukrainian military out of the Zherebets River bridgehead and advance toward the Lyman.

Прильоти російських коригованих авіабомб по українським позиціям під Тернами

In addition to the above-mentioned National Guard units, this section of the frontline is also being defended by units of the 95th Air Assault Brigade, as well as the 60th, 63rd and 93rd Mechanized Brigades.

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Inside the ‘bodies corridor’ – where Russia and Ukraine meet to swap their dead
Convoy makes tension-filled journey into enemy territory for one of the only functioning levels of diplomacy left: the exchange of corpses

^{A Ukrainian convoy of refrigerated vans with the bodies of Russian soldiers drives to the north-eastern border with Russia}

The convoy snaked through Ukraine’s north-eastern Sumy region on a bitter February morning.

A police car led the way, followed by a unit of forensic officials and a refrigerated van containing the corpses of dozens of Russian soldiers.

The delegation was travelling into Russian territory for one of the only functioning levels of diplomacy between Kyiv and Moscow: the exchange of dead bodies from either side.

As the cars moved through the villages approaching the border, traffic stopped to make way.

A young boy stood in the road and waved. This same route is used to collect Ukrainian prisoners of war from Russian territory, and locals line the streets to greet their returning fighters.

“He thinks we’re going to collect prisoners of war,” said Vitaliy Matvienko, of Ukrainian military intelligence.

But once in Russian territory, this convoy would begin a more sombre task: passing over its load of dead bodies, then filling up with those of Ukrainian soldiers.

SPOILER

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The Telegraph observed the convoy travelling into Russian territory but did not cross the border.

Though a ceasefire is enacted for the duration of the exchange – which takes less than an hour – the process is nevertheless tense.

The border road must be de-mined to let the vans pass and mined again once they return.

^{Ukrainian border guards mine the road when the refrigerated vans return after the body exchange process at the checkpoint}

Russian forces regularly shell the area and snipers hide in the trees on the edge of the fields observing the exchange.

At the border, forensic scientists from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) carried out a spot check on the bodies.

The corpse-carrying vans then crossed into Russian territory to meet their counterparts, with Ukrainian rescue workers, members of Ukraine’s security services and representatives from the ICRC in tow.

“We go to their side because we don’t want Russian vehicles on our territory,” said Mr Matvienko. “It’s a risk, of course, but it’s a lower risk than if they came here.”

The repatriation of dead Ukrainian soldiers from areas now occupied by Russia is part of a huge effort by Ukrainian state agencies to find and identify some of the 24,000-plus registered missing Ukrainian soldiers and thereby give some closure to their loved ones.

In total, 2,495 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers had been returned through these exchanges, said General Dmytro Usov, head of Ukraine’s co-ordination centre, which oversees the bodies corridor.

“This corridor is the only way to return our fallen home,” said Mr Usov. “It [not only] means that all the dead will be decently buried in Ukraine [but also] that their relatives, and all the caring citizens of our country, will be able to pay their respects.”

The bodies themselves are recovered by the soldiers on either side – often at great risk, in heavily mined areas or from the no man’s lands between the two frontlines. Several soldiers have been injured and killed trying to retrieve their dead comrades.

^{Scientists in a Kyiv laboratory work with the biological samples of Ukrainian soldiers to get material for the identification of DNA}

At the meeting of the two sides, Ukraine’s security services – who travel unarmed in ICRC vehicles as part of the conditions – exchange lists of identifying marks of Russian soldiers and, when documented, their names. At the same time, the rescue workers from either side unload and load the dead.

“The ICRC’s presence at the exchange is designed as a signal of the security for both parties,” said J�rg Eglin, head of ICRC operations in Ukraine, at the exchange.

Under the Geneva Conventions, dead bodies and prisoners of war are meant to be exchanged only after the war. But in the Russia-Ukraine war, exchanges of both started in earnest after the first six months.

In summer 2022, the ICRC, which has offices on both sides, connected the two states to discuss bodies that ended up on the wrong side. They then helped to put together the corridor, said Oleh Kotenko, who headed body exchanges at the time.

“The Russians rang me and started to say how they were going to bury our guys in certain places in Russia and I said why? Let’s just exchange,” said Mr Kotenko.

As the convoy returned from the border, word had spread that it was carrying fallen soldiers and villagers came out to pay their respects.

^{Villagers kneel, paying their respects to the killed Ukrainian soldiers carried by refrigerated vans after the body exchange at the Russian border}

Families kneeled together on the snow and the elderly stood at the gates of their houses, hands clasped. Many were red-faced and weeping.

So far, the body exchanges, unlike the prisoner-of-war trades, have continued without disruption. Once the bodies are back in Ukraine, the identification process can take anywhere from 10 days to a year, or more, say officials.

Maksym Fedorenko, head of the Cherkasy region morgue, one of several morgues that deal with the repatriated bodies, said the hold-up was usually caused by the state of the bodies and the collection of DNA samples from relatives.

Cause of death
Most of the repatriated bodies are unrecognisable: charred, rotten and disfigured by explosives.

After the bodies are exchanged – between 60 and 100 soldiers at one time – they travel straight to a morgue for processing. The mortician and investigators note any physical identifiers, take pictures, extract DNA, compile a dental card and establish the cause of death.

The few whose documents survived or are physically well-preserved are prioritised.

Given the time needed to defrost a body and the morgue’s ability to examine three to four bodies per day, a single repatriation load takes the morgue at least a month to six weeks to process.

Once a body is processed, bits of skin, hair or tissue are sent for DNA extraction at state laboratories – a process which takes around four days. DNA certification is an obligatory part of the identification process for all dead soldiers under Ukrainian law.

But the state of the repatriated bodies means DNA samples are often of poor quality and sometimes impossible to obtain. If the first sample doesn’t generate enough data, lab clinicians may either take a different part of the sample for testing or request additional samples from the morgue. The bodies then need to be defrosted once more, another sample obtained and the lab work starts afresh.

“The main thing is not to make a mistake,” said Vasyl Aksyonov, who heads the DNA testing under Cherkasy’s police, explaining why the procedure cannot be speeded up.

Acute staff shortages
The other issue is the relatives’ DNA samples. When relatives are notified that the soldier is missing in action, they are encouraged to give DNA samples – a system that has improved since the early stages of the war but is nevertheless imperfect. There are acute staff shortages in some labs and at a local police level, and swabs can be incorrectly taken, say officials.

Kostyantyn Dubonos, deputy head of Ukraine’s state forensics bureau, said Ukraine has trained 1,500 lab clinicians and opened 13 laboratories since the invasion and plan to open a further five this year. Increasing capacity, he said, would mean that relatives would hear sooner.

“The work has increased year on year by 90 per cent,” Mr Dubonos said. “Even if the war ends now, with repatriations and discoveries, we will have enough work for a decade to come.”

But another factor slowing the process, and out of the control of the authorities, is that some relatives refuse to give DNA samples, wanting to believe that their loved ones are alive and being held prisoner. Even relatives of those who have been identified and buried have come back asking for additional DNA tests, said Mr Dubonos.

Mykola Shatniuk, a 33-year-old soldier from Ukraine’s 72 Brigade, was killed in Volnovakha, Donetsk region, in late October 2022 and exchanged through the corridor just over a month later, in early December 2022. But his body was not released to his family until six months later, in July 2023.

^{A family shrine to Mykola Shatniuk, a 33-year-old soldier who was killed in action and whose body was repatriated through the corridor}

His wife, Alina, who had been his childhood sweetheart since age 13, united with the wives of 25 men from Mykola’s unit who also went missing that day to find her husband.

For six months, Alina, together with the other wives, scoured Russian prisoner of war posts and pushed for news through every possible avenue in Ukraine and international organisations as well as relatives in Russia.

Lack of laboratories
Then in late April, she was notified of a possible DNA match. Her husband’s brother had submitted the first sample and she was asked to submit a sample from her son to be certain. At the time, the lack of laboratories in Ukraine and the blackouts meant two samples could not be processed at one time. “When they said there was a match: That was it. I screamed, I cried,” said Alina.

Two months later, the second DNA sample came back as a definite match and Mykola’s body was released and buried.

^{Alina with her two children, 14-year-old Ania and four-year-old Ignat}

While part of the issue was the length of time, the other was that Mykola’s fellow fighters and their commander declined to tell the wives what happened, so they hoped they might still be alive. “They couldn’t say he died because where’s the body?” she recalled.

Only once the body was released was she told how her husband’s position was surrounded when heavy equipment was relocated for the Kherson counter-offensive.

Mykola had been a contractor in the army on and off since 2014. For the first two months of the war, he was stationed in Kyiv region. But in May 2022, he volunteered to serve at a so-called zero-line in Donetsk region.

“He didn’t tell me that he was going to the zero-line because he knew I would have tied him up here,” said Alina. “He was like a rock for me… and he was brave, not afraid of anything.”

Mykola had tried to prepare Alina for the eventuality of his death, she said, sending her numbers of people she could call and telling her to take her driving test.

Mykola received a medal for bravery for his service in December. He is survived by his two children, 14-year-old Ania and four-year-old Ignat, who is a “copy” of his father, according to Alina. When Alina asks Ignat who his father was, he cries out: “A hero!”

The wives of the 25 men had agreed to hold a memorial service at the location where their husbands were surrounded when the area is de-occupied, said Alina.

“I thank God that he has returned the body, that we have it,” she said. “We know that it is necessary to go to church already to gain peace, and not to look for him among the living [prisoners of war]. But equally, I don’t believe it, I don’t want to believe that it is true.”

quote:

Turkish President Erdoğan discusses approval conditions for NATO secretary general candidates with Dutch PM Rutte
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has had a conversation with Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, about, among other things, T�rkiye's expectations for the new NATO secretary general.

Source: European Pravda with reference to the Turkish President's Office

Details: T�rkiye is one of the few countries that could become an obstacle to Rutte's appointment as the successor to the current NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

During the conversation, Erdoğan told Rutte about T�rkiye's expectations of the new secretary general.

In particular, the Turkish president said that the new secretary general should "best serve" the security and interests of Allies in the fight against terrorism and other challenges, strengthen Alliance unity and give priority to NATO's primary role, commit to the core values and established practices of the Alliance, and "take into account the specificities of non-EU allies".

Quote: "Erdoğan said that in the light of these principles, T�rkiye will make its decision on this issue (election of the new secretary general – ed.) in the context of strategic wisdom and justice," Turkish President's Office said in a statement.

Recently, a number of capitals have signalled their support for Rutte's candidacy for the post of NATO secretary general. These include such key powers as the United States, the UK, France and Germany. However, Hungary, which has already publicly expressed its opposition to Rutte's appointment, as well as T�rkiye, may become an obstacle to his appointment.

quote:

Severe fire broke out at multi-profile plant near Moscow
In the town of Khotkovo near Moscow today, on April 1st, a severe fire broke out at a plant producing electrical insulation materials, according to local Telegram channels.

So far, there is no information about the causes of the fire. The footage shows open flames, while a black cloud of smoke quickly spreads with the wind.

It is noted that the impregnation workshop may be on fire.

Electroisolit is the largest multi-profile plant in the electrical industry, where insulation materials are produced.

Later, the prosecutor's office added that the area of the fire was approximately three thousand square meters.

Fires in Russia
Today it was reported that a large fire broke out at the machinery factory Uralmash in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg. The fire spread over an area of several thousand square meters.

In February, a fire occurred at the MiG factory in Moscow, which is involved in the full servicing - from design to repair - of the MiG fighter jets, which participate in strikes against Ukraine.

quote:

Russians Are Trying to Protect Their Armour With Thin Spikes
Ukrainian kamikaze drones are terrorizing Russian soldiers in Ukraine. They destroy not only individual soldiers and their groups, but also armoured vehicles. And Ukraine has a lot of these drones. Russians are trying to protect their assets and are trying new innovative anti-drone protections. For example, one BMP-1 showed up spiky like a hedgehog.

Russians tried all kinds of ways to protect themselves from kamikaze drone strikes. They covered their tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and armoured personnel carriers with grilles, nets, mobile electronic warfare systems and other new toys.

SPOILER

quote:

The problem is that small drones are extremely maneuverable. They easily dive under those strange cope cages and smash the hatches of Russian equipment. Hatches and engine grilles seem to be the most vulnerable areas, but sometimes the drone hits right under the tank’s turret and still destroys it despite armour being quite thick there. This is to say that the age of drones has officially begun and tanks should be very afraid.

But all this is very new and Russians cannot stop experimenting. A photo of a BMP-1 decorated with many long spikes appeared online:

If you take a closer look, you’ll see that this infantry fighting vehicle has welded steel wire spikes. They are individually welded one by one – that has to be quite time-consuming. Also, these spikes are not as simple as they look and consist of two parts – a base and a long wire. A spring is coiled at the bottom of each spike, which helps them to stand up if they are bent down when the machine is driving through bushes or other obstacles. Each such spike was shaped and welded individually by hand, no automated system exists for this and they are not all identical.

The defenders of Ukraine say they have never seen such BMP-1s on the battlefield yet, so it is likely that this is a field invention and only one or two vehicles have this protection.

How does it work? Ukrainians and Russians often use nets to protect their trenches against drones. FPV drones are usually quite light and small. Sometimes they become entangled in soft webs and do not explode. The function of those thin spikes on the BMP-1 is similar. The drone should either fall softly and not explode or explode away from the armour.

It is difficult to imagine that this will work. Drones dive towards the target at a fairly high speed. Most likely, those steel wires will simply move out of the drone’s way. In addition, small drones are very maneuverable and can choose the most vulnerable place. In this case, one without that many wires, cope cages or other improvised protection.

quote:

Ukraine has attack drones with range of over 1,000 kilometers, says Fedorov
Ukraine has domestically-produced attack drones capable of flying over 1,000 kilometers, Digital Transformation Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said in an interview with Welt on April 1.

Kyiv has intensified its efforts to ramp up domestic production of drones, a critical tool on the battlefield, aiming to manufacture 1 million drones this year.

A series of attacks in recent months have targeted oil refineries deep inside Russia. Multiple refineries reportedly lost capacity after the attacks and Russia is planning to reduce diesel exports from its Black and Baltic Sea ports in April to the lowest level in five months.

"Most of the drones that attacked Russian oil refineries have a range of 700 to 1,000 kilometers, but now there are models that can fly over 1000 km," Fedorov said.

In February, he acknowledged Ukraine had drones with a range of up to 1,000 and said up to 10 companies were involved in their production and advancement.

Fedorov also said in the April 1 interview that the outcome of the war will likely depend on drone technology but at present it is impossible to say if Russian or Ukraine has the upper hand.

Fedorov also said prototype drones with AI technology could appear on the battlefield by the end of 2024.

President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree in February to create a new branch of Ukraine's Armed Forces specifically dedicated to drones.

The Unmanned Systems Forces will reportedly focus specifically on improving Ukraine's work with drones, creating special drone-specific units, ramping up training, systemizing their use, increasing production, and pushing innovation.Zelensky said in January that one of the main goals for 2024 was outpacing Russia in the production of drones.

quote:

Russia to start from scratch on some submarine parts amid sanctions


MOSCOW — Russia’ Ministry of Industry and Trade has announced three tenders for submarine parts in a move that appears to be driven by the country’s difficulties in obtaining foreign technology.

According to a March post on the official procurement website, 885M-class boats — otherwise known as fourth-generation Yasen-M nuclear submarines — are in need of parts for an auxiliary electric propulsion system or AEPS. This one contract is worth 286 million rubles (U.S. $3 million).

The ministry explained that during development work, foreign-made components were used as part of the AEPS because the domestic industry was unable to provide the required parts.

The West has hit Russia with economic sanctions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, making it difficult and sometimes impossible for the country to procure foreign-made components. As such, Russia is unable to carry out subsequent serial deliveries and repairs of the AEPS.

SPOILER

quote:

To overcome this, the ministry has proposed the creation of a modified AEPS based on locally made components — essentially the production of a new system. The move would see industry make Russian analogs of foreign-sourced nodes for a static frequency converter with a microprocessor control system as well as for a propulsion panel with a switching unit.

The nodes for the static frequency converter include the microprocessor control system of the AEPS, the secondary power supply system, the local control panel and the power unit.

The propulsion panel and switching unit nodes include an instrument for measuring insulation resistance and a section of the propulsion panel.

The ministry noted the propulsion electric motor and the transformers with a rotating field will not change in this system.

The work is to take place in four stages and conclude by Nov. 26, 2027. The approximate date for the implementation of the new system is 2028.

Remote control
The second tender, valued at 295 million rubles, involves the creation of remote control devices for circuit breakers, which provide protection against electrical overloads, short circuits and the like.

Some Russian naval vessels currently use switches from foreign companies, including France’s Schneider Electric and the Switzerland-based firm ABB.

The ministry noted the Russian-made VA16M circuit breakers cannot fully replace foreign-made switches since they do not come with remote control devices.

With Russian versions, the ministry could increase the service life and reliability of the electronic level controller, reduce operating costs due to the increase in scheduled maintenance intervals of the controller, and move toward full automation of the controller.

The work for this potential contract would end by Nov. 30, 2026.

Emergency power
The ministry also published a tender for 444 million rubles to modify the main components of the static inverter POS-650 for the 955A (Borei-A) and 885M (Yasen-M) submarine classes. This would also replace foreign-made options, which the ministry noted are difficult to source.

A static inverter is commonly used as an emergency power system.

The main modifiable components of the POS-650 include the transistor modular switch; power switchgear; upper-level control system; power output measurement system; AC filter unit; power cables and connectors; and the cooling system.

The government will determine the final composition and number of modified POS-650 components needed during the first phase of this effort, which involves developing technical solutions based on the results of an analysis of existing POS-650 components and the availability of domestic production.

The contract work is to conclude by Nov. 26, 2027. The estimated time frame for the system’s implementation is 2028.

quote:

RFK Jr. argues that Biden is a bigger threat to democracy than Trump
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. argued Monday that President Joe Biden is a greater threat to democracy than former President Donald Trump.

His argument made on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront" centered around being blocked on social media platforms during the Biden administration, which he labeled as an effort to "censor political speech" and undermine the First Amendment.

SPOILER

quote:

"I can make the argument that President Biden is the much worse threat to democracy, and the reason for that is President Biden is the first candidate in history - the first president in history that has used the federal agencies to censor political speech, so to censor his opponent," he said.

Kennedy pointed to his removal from social media platforms, which he attributes to pressure from the Biden administration, as evidence of the president's efforts to censor political speech.

Kennedy's Instagram account was suspended in 2021 "for repeatedly sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines" but was reinstated last year shortly after he announced his presidential campaign. Meta, Instagram's parent company, cited his White House bid as the reason for restoring Kennedy's account in a statement.

In December, the Supreme Court blocked Kennedy from joining a challenge to a case brought by the Missouri and Louisiana's attorneys general concerning the Biden administration's communications with social media companies about posts the government views as disinformation. Kennedy currently has a similar case pending in a lower court.

Kennedy, who has made freedom of speech issues a central focus of his campaign, testified last year before the House Judiciary's subcommittee on the weaponization of the federal government. Kennedy was invited by House Republicans to speak as part of their investigation into alleged censorship against conservatives at social media companies.

Kennedy said that while he believes Biden and Trump are both ill-suited to be reelected in November, he does not believe rhetoric suggesting either candidate would "destroy democracy.

He added that if he had to label one a greater threat to democracy than the other, he'd choose Biden because he feels the president has been "weaponizing the federal agencies" against his opponents.

The independent candidate acknowledged that Trump's attempt to overthrow the results of the 2020 presidential election "clearly is a threat to democracy," but maintained his belief that Biden is the greater threat.

"I think that is a threat to democracy, (Trump) overthrowing -- trying to overthrow the election clearly is threat to democracy," Kennedy said. "But the question was, who is a worse threat to democracy? And what I would say is ... I'm not going to answer that question. But I can argue that President Biden is because the First Amendment, Erin, is the most important."

"I'm not going to defend President Trump on that, and it was appalling. And there's many things that President Trump has done that that are appalling," he added.

The Democratic National Committee responded to Kennedy, saying in a statement that "there is no comparison" between Biden and Trump.

"With a straight face Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that Joe Biden is a bigger threat to democracy than Donald Trump because he was barred from pushing conspiracy theories online," DNC senior adviser Mary Beth Cahill said in a statement. "There is no comparison to summoning a mob to the Capitol and promising to be a dictator on day one. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. laid to rest tonight any doubts that he's a spoiler candidate by pushing his MAGA talking points in prime time."

In the interview, Kennedy minimized the potential risks of questioning the integrity of elections, as he's done in previous presidential elections, but said he feels it's important for voters who believe the election was stolen to not be persecuted for their belief.

"People who say that the election is stolen... we shouldn't make pariahs of those people. We shouldn't demonize them. We shouldn't vilify them. What we should be doing is saying, let's all get together, Republicans and Democrats, and fix the election system," he said.

Kennedy said during the interview he believes the 2000 presidential election was "stolen," and cited a Rolling Stone article he wrote in 2006 in which he questioned whether the 2004 presidential election was stolen.

Kennedy, 70, initially launched his presidential campaign as a Democrat challenging Biden in the primary last year, before pivoting to run as an independent in October. Last month, he announced attorney Nicole Shanahan, 38, as his vice presidential nominee at a campaign rally in Oakland, California.

He has never held office but has inspired a small contingent of supporters drawn to his advocacy against public health mandates and the influence of money on decisions made by government and private corporations. Kennedy has attempted to distance himself from his previous anti-vaccine rhetoric since launching his campaign last year, but he continues to attack Covid-19 vaccine mandates and pandemic-era lockdowns at campaign events.

Responding to family's rebukes
The son of former Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of former Democratic President John F. Kennedy, Kennedy Jr. regularly uses his family's legacy to bolster his campaign message - but several members of his family have criticized him for challenging Biden.

Kennedy called Biden "a 40-year friend to me and my family," but said he's not worried about running for president without his family's support, adding he feels "loved by them" despite their political differences.

Kennedy's comments come after members of his extended family, including some of his siblings, celebrated St. Patrick's Day at the White House last month and shared their support for Biden in a social media post. Biden replied to one post from Kennedy's sister, Kerry Kennedy: "From one proud Irish family to another -- it was good to have you all back at the White House."

And in a CNN interview last week, Kennedy's sister Rory Kennedy said she's concerned he'll undermine Biden's chances of defeating Trump.

Kennedy told Burnett on Monday that he grew up disagreeing with members of his family regularly and still loves his family members who support Biden for president.

"I have a big family, about 105 cousins on the last time we counted," Kennedy said. "I have a big family. I don't know anybody in America who's got a family who agrees with him on everything."

"I come from a family, from a milieu where we came home at night, and ate dinner with my father and he would orchestrate debates between us and we were - in the same way that his father did with him. And we could disagree on issues, and we could disagree with passion and information, but we still loved each other. And I love Rory. I love my family. I feel loved by them."

Kennedy also noted some members of his family are supportive of his campaign, including his daughter-in-law Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, his campaign manager, and his first cousin Anthony Shriver, who he said also works for his campaign.

Kennedy also downplayed concerns about playing the role of spoiler, arguing he believes neither Biden nor Trump will advance policy goals he wants prioritized, such as the national debt and the reduction of the US defense budget.

"I don't think either President Trump or President Biden are going to solve the debt crisis in this country, which is existential. I don't think either of them are going to get us out of foreign wars, this addiction that we have to forever wars," he said.

"The chance for me to actually change the nature of governance in this country, to restore democracy, to restore our nation's moral authority abroad, give us a foreign policy that is not based on war or projecting military power abroad, but on projecting economic power and moral strength. The chances of that happening are too great and too important for me to give up this contest," he added.

quote:

Trump’s net worth plunges $1 billion as his media stock tumbles
Shares of Truth Social owner Trump Media & Technology Group plunged Monday after the company disclosed that it lost more than $58 million and generated very little revenue in 2023. Former President Donald Trump is the company’s majority shareholder, and his net worth tumbled by more than $1 billion Monday as a result.

The figures underscore why some experts warn Trump Media’s multibillion-dollar valuation defies logic and is reminiscent of the meme stock craze.

SPOILER

quote:

In a regulatory filing on Monday, Trump Media said it lost $58.2 million in 2023, compared with a profit of $50.5 million in 2022.

The Truth Social owner generated just $4.1 million in revenue, although that was up from $1.5 million in 2022.

Not only that, but revenue tumbled 39% year-over-year in the fourth quarter to just $751,500. That’s not what investors want to see from any start-up, especially one valued at these levels.

Shares of Trump Media tumbled 21% Monday following the new filings, though they are still up nearly 200% so far this year.

Former President Donald Trump owns a commanding stake of 78.8 million shares in the newly public company. At Monday afternoon’s prices, that stake is now worth approximately about $3.8 billion. This represents a massive boost to Trump’s net worth, though it is down significantly from a peak of about $6.3 billion just last week.

The losses disclosed Monday are so severe that Trump Media’s accountants warned at the time they “raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern,” which is Wall Street for: We may not be able to stay in business. That warning echoes one made in November when accountants said Trump Media might not survive unless it soon completes its merger to go public.

That long-delayed deal was completed last week, paving the way for Trump Media to receive an influx of approximately $300 million in cash. The company can now use those funds to pay down debt and, importantly, build out its infrastructure.

“I believe the $300 million of cash should remove this ‘going concern’ risk,” said Matthew Kennedy, senior IPO strategist at Renaissance Capital.

Michael Ohlrogge, an associate professor at NYU School of Law, told CNN in an email that it will be more telling if accounts are still giving a “going concern” warning now that the merger has been completed because the cash infusion should give the company a “decent bit more runway.”

“Although it won’t take that long to burn through the cash it raised…if they keep losing it at the rate they are,” Ohlrogge said, adding that it’s possible Trump Media can raise more cash by selling additional stock.

Even though Trump Media is losing money and generating scant revenue, Wall Street has valued the company by as much as $11 billion based on the stock’s closing price Friday, according to Renaissance Capital. By Monday afternoon, that valuation tumbled to about $8.8 billion

While Trump Media made just $4.1 million in revenue in 2023, rival X (formerly known as Twitter) raked in more than 100 times that much — $665 million — in 2013, ahead of its initial public offering in November 2013. Twitter also generated just over $5 billion in revenue in the final year before it was taken private by Elon Musk.

In fact, Truth Social’s financials are comparable to that of The Messenger, the upstart digital news outlet that imploded earlier this year. Citing an investor deck, CNBC reported in January that The Messenger posted 2023 revenue of $3.8 million and a net loss of $43 million.

The problem for Trump Media is its main product — Truth Social — is shrinking.

Monthly active US users on iOS and Android plunged in February to 494,000, down 51% year-over-year, according to Similarweb. By comparison, X has 75 million monthly active US users. Even Threads has more than 10 times as many users as Truth Social, according to Similarweb.

“2024 is the make-or-break year for this company,” said Kennedy. “For TMTG the thing that matters now is getting in front of the cash cannon that is the 2024 presidential election. And the company does have one notable advantage. Trump-backed super PACs have raised millions. Where do you think they’ll spend their digital ad buckets?”

quote:

Judge expands gag order in Trump hush money case to include family members of court
The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial expanded a recently imposed gag order to include family members of the court and family members of the Manhattan district attorney, according to a late Monday ruling.

In the ruling, which comes after Trump leveled comments against Judge Juan Merchan’s daughter in recent days, the judge issued a warning that Trump’s rhetoric threatens to instill fear in those who might be involved in the proceedings for their loved ones.

SPOILER

quote:

“The average observer, must now, after hearing defendant’s recent attacks, draw the conclusion that if they become involved in these proceedings, even tangentially, they should worry not only for themselves, but for their loved ones as well,” Merchan wrote. “Such concerns will undoubtedly interfere with the fair administration of justice and constitutes a direct attack on the Rule of Law itself.”

“It is no longer just a mere possibility or a reasonable likelihood that there exists a threat to the integrity of the judicial proceedings. The threat is very real. Admonitions are not enough, nor is reliance on self-restraint,” he said.

Earlier Monday, the Manhattan district attorney’s office had asked the judge to expand the gag order to stop the former president from attacking family members of people involved in the case.

“This Court should immediately make clear that defendant is prohibited from making or directing others to make public statements about family members of the Court, the District Attorney, and all other individuals mentioned in the Order,” prosecutors wrote in a motion to Judge Juan Merchan on Monday.

Last week, soon after Merchan issued a gag order stopping Trump from making statements about witnesses, jurors, prosecutors, court staff or the family members of prosecutors and court staff, Trump launched a series of posts on his social media platform. The gag order did not cover District Attorney Alvin Bragg or the judge or his family.

Trump said Merchan was “compromised” and he identified by name the judge’s daughter who works for a political consulting firm. Trump then cited posts on X from an account he said belonged to the daughter. A spokesman for the court said the judge’s daughter deactivated her account two years ago and the posts were not from her.

Trump has argued he has a First Amendment right to defend himself and engage in campaign speech.

“Defendant knows what he is doing, and everyone else does too. And we all know exactly what defendant intends because he has said for decades that it is part of his life philosophy to go after his perceived opponents ‘as viciously and as violently’ as he can,” prosecutors wrote.

“But the suggestion that defendant is merely engaging in political counter-speech is an obvious fiction that this Court should emphatically reject,” prosecutors wrote. “None of defendant’s attacks in the past week consist of campaign advocacy. Instead, defendant has viciously and falsely smeared the Court and the family member for no reason other than the Court’s presiding over this criminal trial.”

Trump may appeal gag order
Trump’s lawyers opposed any expansion of the original gag order, which they said already went too far – indicating ahead of Merchan’s ruling that they might appeal the order.

“The Court should reject the People’s invitations to expand the gag order, which is already an unlawful prior restraint that improperly restricts campaign advocacy by the presumptive Republican nominee and leading candidate in the 2024 presidential election,” Trump’s attorneys wrote in an opposition filing Monday.

Trump’s defense team had argued that the gag order as it was originally written did not apply to family members of the judge or Bragg, pointing to news reports similarly interpreting the order to say that family members like Merchan’s daughter are fair game for Trump’s public criticisms.

“Accordingly, because the gag order expressly does not apply to family members of the Court or the District Attorney, and because the challenged social media posts were not intended to materially interfere with these proceedings, President Trump did not violate the gag order and no contempt warning would be appropriate.”

In his ruling Monday, Merchan accused Trump’s attorneys of a “farcical” argument.

“Defendant, in his opposition of April 1, 2024, desperately attempts to justify and explain away his dangerous rhetoric by ‘turning the tables’ and blaming those he attacks,” Merchan wrote. “The arguments counsel makes are at best strained and at worst baseless misrepresentations which are uncorroborated and rely upon innuendo and exaggeration. Put mildly, the assortment of allegations presented as ‘facts’ and cobbled together, result in accusations that are disingenuous and not rational. To argue that the most recent attacks, which included photographs, are ‘necessary and appropriate in the current environment,’ is farcical.”

Trump’s lawyers also asked Merchan to allow them to file a recusal motion to remove the judge from the case, now just two weeks before the trial is set to begin, “based on changed circumstances and newly discovered evidence.”

Merchan denied a similar recusal motion from Trump last year.

quote:

Trump posts $175 million bond in New York civil fraud case as he appeals
Former President Donald Trump has posted a $175 million bond as he appeals the judgment against him in the New York civil fraud case brought by state Attorney General Letitia James.

Trump’s bond pauses any action that James could take against Trump’s properties in response to the judgement until at least September, when the state appeals court also set a schedule to hear his appeal of the $464 million verdict against him.

The bond is underwritten by Knight Specialty Insurance, a California-based insurance company, but the court document does not list the collateral that Trump used to secure the bond.

SPOILER

quote:

Last month, Trump said at a news conference he would use cash to cover the bond, but claimed that he also wanted to use cash to fund his reelection campaign.

Yet asked if he planned to start personal funds into his presidential campaign, Trump said, “First of all, it’s none of your business,” before adding, “I might do that. I have the option.”

The bond amount was lowered by several hundred million dollars by a state appeals court last month after Trump’s attorneys argued that covering the full bond on the $464 million verdict against him was not feasible. (Trump himself was ordered to pay $454 million; the $464 million includes the disgorgement for his adult sons Don Jr. and Eric.)

In January, Judge Arthur Engoron fined Trump and his co-defendants, including his adult sons and his company, $464 million, finding they fraudulently inflated the value of the former president’s assets to obtain better loan rates. Trump had been given 30 days to post the bond for the full amount of the judgement while he appealed, as is required by state law, but his attorneys said he could not find an insurance company to underwrite that large of a bond. That prompted James to take steps to prepare to seize Trump’s assets in the event Trump failed to post bond.

When the 30-day deadline hit, however, the New York appeals court stepped in and lowered the bond to $175 million, giving Trump an additional 10 days.

“As promised, President Trump has posted bond,” Trump attorney Alina Habba said in a statement. “He looks forward to vindicating his rights on appeal and overturning this unjust verdict.”

Trump also posted a $91.6 million bond last month in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case while he appeals that verdict against him.

quote:

: The company that underwrote Trump's bond tonight in the NY Attorney General's civil fraud case, Knight Specialty Insurance Co., is owned by Don Hankey, the so-called "king of subprime car loans." But that's not all.
Hankey, who is #128 on Forbes’s 2023 list and #317 on the 2023 Forbes billionaires list, made his money in auto services. But he is also believed to be the largest shareholder in Axos Bank. ...

... If Axos sounds familiar, it's because it's the financial institution that refinanced Trump’s loans on Trump Tower and Doral in 2022. Specifically, Axos has loaned Trump $100 million in his refinancing of Trump Tower and another $125 million for Doral.
Both loans are not due until 2032, according to the Office of Government Ethics disclosure Trump made in August 2023. The list of his liabilities, as it appears in that filing and which references both Axos loans, is pasted below here.

quote:

Op maandag 1 april 2024 22:09 schreef Aether het volgende:
Seizoen 2

Putin and the West
https://www.vpro.nl/programmas/putin-and-the-west.html

quote:

Op dinsdag 2 april 2024 07:23 schreef Aether het volgende:
Uitbreidingsplannen Defensie stuiten op veel bezwaren: strijd om schaarse gro
https://nos.nl/nieuwsuur/(...)jd-om-schaarse-grond

[ afbeelding ]

quote:

Op dinsdag 2 april 2024 05:49 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://kyivindependent.c(...)meters-says-fedorov/
[..]

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Op dinsdag 2 april 2024 11:37 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Oekra�ne is nu mogelijk vliegtuigjes aan het ombouwen naar kamikaze drones.

Heel slim.

Had Azerbaijan ook gedaan met afgeschreven AN-2 vliegtuigjes.

Prop ze vol met explosieven en gaan met die banaan.

[ x ]

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Op dinsdag 2 april 2024 11:39 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:

[..]
Zonde, dat zijn prachtige vliegtuigen.
[ afbeelding ]

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The Belarusian military began military drills on April 2 near its borders with Poland and Lithuania to the west, and Ukraine to the south, the country's defense ministry said.

As the exercises were underway, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said that Belarus "is preparing for war" even though the country does not want to fight, the state-run media outlet Belta reported.

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Op dinsdag 2 april 2024 14:26 schreef byah het volgende:
Inb4 false flag.
[..]
https://kyivindependent.c(...)ers-with-eu-ukraine/

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Op dinsdag 2 april 2024 14:29 schreef oheng het volgende:
Als ze de wielen kunnen afwerpen na de start, kunnen ze vast wel 1500km+ halen. Eventueel met wat extra brandstoftanks. Dan komen steden zoals Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinenburg, Archelansk en Perm binnen bereik.

Benieuwd hoe rusland die steden denkt te verdedigen.

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Op dinsdag 2 april 2024 14:29 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:

[..]
Loekie kan mekkeren wat hij wil, itt Rusland staat de krijgsmacht aldaar niet vierkant achter hem

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Op dinsdag 2 april 2024 11:11 schreef icecreamfarmer_NL het volgende:

[..]
Het is hard nodig maar wat ik mij wel afvraag is waarom er niet meer rondom de wadden geoefend wordt met laagvliegen?

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Op dinsdag 2 april 2024 14:28 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:
Het Poolse leger maakt in 3 dagen gehakt van de Wit-Ruzzen.

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Op dinsdag 2 april 2024 18:44 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

Blinken zegt nu merde.

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Ukraine's military intelligence says it disabled power substation in occupied Sevastopol
Representatives of Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) blew up a power substation in the port city of Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea overnight on April 2, a source in HUR confirmed to the Kyiv Independent.

Local residents reportedly heard explosions at night, after which one of the districts of Sevastopol was partially left without electricity as a result of an alleged "accident at a substation," according to Krym Realii media outlet.

The Russian proxy leader in Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, denied the reports that a power substation was blown up, claiming that the reason for the power outage was "a short circuit."

Military intelligence occasionally reports on resistance forces' operations in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Ukrainian special forces reportedly landed in Russian-occupied Crimea and conducted a combat operation in the autumn of 2023.

Over the past weeks, Ukraine carried out a series of drone strikes aimed at damaging oil industry deep inside Russia. Moscow could have lost at least 10% of the country's refinery capacity after these attacks, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on March 23.

In an interview with the Washington Post on March 29, President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted that targeting Russian energy infrastructure is a legitimate military strategy.

The strikes serve as retaliation for Russian attacks on critical infrastructure and align with Ukraine's military objectives, Zelensky said.

The interview followed media reports that the U.S. had asked Ukraine to stop attacking the Russian oil industry.

Advisor to Ukraine's Presidential Office head Mykhailo Podolyak denied the reports, saying Kyiv did not receive such calls from Washington.

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Secretaris-generaal Stoltenberg: NAVO moet rechtstreeks wapens aan Oekra�ne gaan leveren
author avatar
ALEXANDER BAKKER

22 min geledenin BUITENLAND

BRUSSEL - De NAVO werkt aan plannen voor de oprichting van een vijfjarig wapenfonds van 100 miljard dollar voor Oekra�ne.
Daarmee zou het bondgenootschap voor het eerst rechtstreeks betrokken raken bij wapenleveranties aan Kiev.

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Binnen het bondgenootschap speelt de vrees dat de terugkeer van Donald Trump in het Witte Huis gevolgen heeft voor de uitgebreide Amerikaanse steun aan Kiev. Het lukt de huidige president Joe Biden nu al niet om een miljardenpakket voor Oekra�ne door het Amerikaanse Congres te loodsen. Met een nieuw NAVO-fonds krijgt Oekra�ne meer zekerheid voor de middellange termijn, zo klinkt het.

NAVO-lidmaatschap Oekra�ne
Op dit moment worden leveringen van wapens en munitie geco�rdineerd via de door Amerikanen geleide Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
Als het plan wordt goedgekeurd zou de co�rdinatie en financiering van wapensteun onder de NAVO komen te vallen.

Daarmee zou het bondgenootschap directer betrokken raken bij de oorlog van Rusland tegen Oekra�ne. Tot nu toe heeft de alliantie bewust gekozen om een zekere afstand te houden.

Het is de bedoeling dat het plan rond de top van Washington in juli wordt afgetikt
. Richting Oekra�ne zal het fonds worden verkocht als een brug naar toekomstig NAVO-lidmaatschap.
Diplomaten verwachten nog veel discussie over de opzet van het fonds en de financiering.

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Former advisor to presidential office charged with embezzling almost $2.5 million from Ukrainian Railways
A former advisor to Ukraine's presidential office was charged on April 2 with allegedly embezzling almost Hr 95 million ($2.4 million) in a wide-ranging corruption scheme connected to Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia).

The case was reported by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), but it did not disclose the name of the suspect.

At the same time, Ukrainska Pravda, citing unnamed sources, wrote that it was Artem Shylo, a former advisor to the president's office. A source from NABU told the Kyiv Independent they could not comment at this time.

Shylo also previously served as head of the Security Service of Ukraine's (SBU) department tasked with investigating businesses but was replaced in March 2024. He remained an official of the SBU after.

Shylo allegedly arranged the purchase of transformers for Ukrainian Railways at an artificially inflated price in 2022, following the beginning of the full-scale war.

The company that Shylo allegedly directed the contracts to was owned by a Belarusian citizen with connections to Russia, NABU said. The shell company, registered in Bulgaria, then reportedly purchased the transformers from Uzbekistan at double the sticker price.

The suspects then pocketed the difference, NABU said.

Investigators managed to seize Hr 53 million ($1.3 million) from the bank accounts of those suspected of carrying out the scheme.

Four people have been detained in the case so far, NABU said, and preliminary charges of misappropriation and embezzlement through the abuse of office have been brought.

There have been several cases of procurement fraud involving Ukrainian Railways previously.

Four people were charged in June 2023 for allegedly purchasing gas at artificially inflated prices, and the ex-chair of the railway was arrested in February 2024 for reportedly embezzling Hr 11.4 million (around $300,000).

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PepsiCo opened a snack production plant near Novosibirsk. The company announced its withdrawal from Russia after the outbreak of war
PepsiCo has launched the first line of a plant for the production of snacks and salty snacks near Novosibirsk, TASS reports citing the Minister of Agriculture of the Novosibirsk Region Evgeny Leshchenko. The official added that the company will use potatoes grown in Siberia.

Construction of the plant began in the fall of 2020, investments in the project were estimated at 12 billion rubles. According to the plan, the enterprise should produce up to 260 tons of products per day. According to Leshchenko, it is not yet clear when the plant will be able to reach its declared capacity, since difficulties have arisen with the supply of technological equipment. “It’s all imported and is subject to sanctions restrictions,” the minister explained.

In March 2022, shortly after the Russian army began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, PepsiCo announced that it would cease selling beverages and advertising activities in Russia. In September of the same year, the company announced that it would cease production of Pepsi, 7UP and Mountain Dew carbonated drinks in Russia.

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Ukrainian defenders shot down one of most expensive Russian drones
Ukrainian air defense forces shot down a Russian drone Forpost over the Black Sea waters. It is one of the enemy's most expensive UAVs, according to a statement by the spokesperson of the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Illia Yevlash, during a national telethon.

He mentioned that today, on April 1st, the Russians once again attempted to strike Ukrainian infrastructure objects. Specifically, they employed Kh-59 missiles.

"But that's not all. The Air Force today hit a fairly good target. We don't often encounter such targets, but we managed to hit one of the most expensive strike drones of the Forpost type," the spokesperson noted.

According to him, the cost of such a drone is around 7 million dollars. The target was destroyed by the Odesa anti-aircraft missile brigade over the Black Sea.

Yevlash specified that the drone can carry various combat payloads and carry out combat missions along the front line for an extended period.

The drone is analogous to the Bayraktar, as it is quite large, capable of reconnaissance, and carrying two missiles or other armament for ground targets destruction.

Destruction of the Forpost
The last information about the destruction of the Russian drone Forpost appeared in the public sources in September of last year. At that time, the Defense Forces of the South of Ukraine reported successful operations near Zmiinyi (Snake) Island.

Military officials noted that the danger of the drone lies in its ability not only for reconnaissance but also in designating targets for strikes.

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Border guards destroy enemy crossing over river in Luhansk sector
In the Luhansk sector, the border guard detachment named after the Hero of Ukraine, Colonel Yevhen Pikus destroyed an enemy crossing over the Zherebets River using a Vampir heavy attack drone.

According to Ukrinform, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reported this on Facebook.

Прикордонний «Вампір» знищив ворожу переправу через річку Жеребець

"Border guards from the ‘Pomsta’ [Revenge] Offensive Guard Brigade hit a crossing over the Zherebets River in the Luhansk region using a Vampire heavy attack drone," the statement reads.

As a result, the crossing was destroyed and the invaders’ logistics in the area was hampered.

As reported by Ukrinform, aerial reconnaissance men from the "Revenge" Offensive Guard Brigade planted the flag of Ukraine almost above the positions of the Russian invaders near Bakhmut.

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Op dinsdag 2 april 2024 20:48 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://theins.ru/news/270429
[..]
[ x ]

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Op dinsdag 2 april 2024 11:35 schreef polderturk het volgende:

[..]
Door de kromming van de aarde is het onmogelijk deze drones zonder het gebruik van satelieten te besturen.

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Ukraine uses drones with artificial intelligence to attack Russian energy facilities – CNN
Artificial intelligence helps drones better navigate the terrain and avoid obstacles, the source of the news agency explained

Ukraine uses drones with artificial intelligence to attack energy targets on Russian territories, reported CNN with reference to an unnamed interlocutor close to the Ukrainian drone program.

Such attacks aimed at Russian industry became possible thanks to the use of drones with a longer range and enhanced capabilities, in particular with integrated artificial intelligence.

Therefore, Ukrainian UAVs are better oriented in space and avoid obstacles on their way.

"Accuracy under jamming is enabled through the use of artificial intelligence. Each aircraft has a terminal computer with satellite and terrain data," the source explains.

The routes along which the drones fly are determined in advance together with the allies. The UAVs follow a precise flight plan to hit targets with one-meter accuracy, made possible by sensors in the drones, the news agency said.

"They have this thing called ‘machine vision,’ which is a form of AI. Basically you take a model and you have it on a chip and you train this model to identify geography and the target it is navigating to," said Noah Sylvia, an analyst at Royal United Services Institute, UK-based think tank.

Such drones are completely autonomous and do not require communication with satellites, he added.

On December 19, 2023, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine will increase the production of UAVs to at least 1 million units.

Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said that Ukraine can produce 1 million drones in 2024 or more, if FPV drones are included.

On January 16, 2024, Fedorov said that thanks to the "Army of Drones" state project, the Ukrainian army received almost 20,000 trained UAV operators.

On February 5, the Digital Transformation Ministry said that this project will provide more than 1 million UAVs – these will be FPVs that will hit Russian armored vehicles and guns.

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Op dinsdag 2 april 2024 20:57 schreef Kleffe_Dop het volgende:

[..]
En via Turkije vliegen ook gewoon Nederlandse servicemonteurs naar dit soort multinationals in Rusland toe, dat blijft niet alleen beperkt tot PepsiCo.

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Media: Greece plans to supply Ukraine with a large batch of ammunition through the Czech Republic
Greece is preparing to supply Ukraine with a large batch of ammunition from its own stocks through a Czech initiative.

The iEidiseis reported on this.

The exact amount of ammunition has not been disclosed, but Greece plans to be reimbursed �150 million for the supplied shells.

The article states that the ammunition will come from the stocks of the Hellenic Armed Forces, where it was assessed as “fit for use.”

According to the publication, the Greek government is currently seeking approval of the decision of the parliamentary committee on this issue.

In addition, the military noted that the shells for sale include those that have been used in exercises by the Hellenic Armed Forces.

In February, the Czech government officials managed to locate about 1 million artillery shells for Ukraine, including 500,000 155-mm artillery shells and 300,000 122-mm shells abroad.

This amount will be enough to provide a vital respite on the front line for several months.

Subsequently, the Czech Republic reported that it had located an additional 200,000 shells, but did not provide details on the caliber of the shells or other details.

To date, about 20 countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Norway, as well as Canada, Sweden, Portugal, and Lithuania, have joined the Czech initiative to purchase artillery shells outside NATO and the EU.

The full amount of about �1.8 billion has now been raised, which has been immediately transferred to pay for the artillery shells, and they are now expected to be delivered.

At the same time, European countries are expanding their own production of shells, as they understand the importance of supplying them to Ukraine and their own armed forces.

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Russian police accused of killing Chechen detained after Moscow concert hall attack
A Chechen man who was detained shortly after the Moscow concert hall terror attack on 22 March died in police custody within hours of his arrest, according to his mother, independent media outlet Agentstvo reported on Monday.

Masked police officers detained Askhab Uspanov at a bus stop on suspicion of involvement in the Crocus City Hall shooting, Chechen opposition Telegram channel 1ADAT reported on Friday

Once in custody, Uspanov was apparently tortured and killed, with police officers attempting to fake his suicide, 1ADAT claimed, posting videos from the morgue showing that Uspanov had several broken ribs, a broken spine, and had suffered blows to his head before being hanged.

Uspanov first called his wife from the police station and told her “not to come for him”, as the police had “nothing on him”, Agentstvo reported, adding that he had subsequently called her back asking her to come get him and telling her he had “said something rude” to the police.

When Uspanov’s wife arrived at the police station two hours later she was told that her husband had died. “How come he’s dead, if I’ve just spoken to him,” she asked police officers, who responded: “You spoke to him, and now you won’t”.

His mother, Taisa Uspanova, said that her son had been buried in Chechnya, but did not specify when she had received his body or what was given as the official cause of death.

Uspanov’s mother told Agentstvo she believed in “God’s judgement” for those behind her son’s death. “Let God judge them. Aside from that, I also hope they will be brought to justice according to the Russian law.”

Russian authorities had previously announced the arrests of 12 people they said were connected with the Crocus City Hall attack, 10 of whom have been named and remanded in custody so far.

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Germany to allocate almost �600 million for shells for Ukraine
Artillery Czech Republic Europe Germany Military assistance Procurement Ukraine War with Russia World
The German government will allocate funds to purchase 180,000 artillery shells for Ukraine under the Czech initiative.

Reuters reported on this, citing a representative of the German Defense Ministry.

Germany will provide �576 million to cover the cost of this number of shells.

Thus, Germany will account for 40% of the initiative’s contributions, the German ministry said, without providing any other details.

In March, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced a �478 million military aid package to Ukraine.

At the same time, he announced that Germany would support Ukraine with 180,000 rounds of artillery shells as a contribution to a Czech-led plan to buy ammunition for Ukraine.

However, back then, this referred to about �500 million. And now, according to Reuters, it is already �576 million.

As previously reported, the Czech government officials managed to locate about 1 million artillery shells for Ukraine, including 500,000 155-mm artillery shells and 300,000 122-mm shells abroad.

Subsequently, the Czech Republic reported that it had located an additional 200,000 shells, but did not provide details on the caliber of the shells or other details.

At the end of March, the media reported that over 15 countries had raised approximately �1.8 billion under the Czech initiative, which was immediately used to pay for artillery ammunition. The first deliveries to Ukraine are expected to take place in April.

This amount will be enough to supply Ukrainian artillery for several months of active combat operations.

At the same time, European countries are expanding their own production of shells, as they understand the importance of supplying them to Ukraine and their own armed forces.

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Ukraine shows combat operation of Ratel S suicide robot: occupier bridge was blown up – video

Підрив мосту

The Ratel S Suicide UGV-Drone from the participants of the Brave1 platform was shown in combat conditions by Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, who published the relevant video on Telegram.

With the help of the Ratel S, Ukrainian defenders blew up a bridge in the village of Ivanivske in the Donetsk Oblast, "significantly" complicating the logistics of the occupiers.

Ratel S is a ground robot from the Brave1 platform participants. The military uses it as a mobile warhead carrying anti-tank mines or as a combat module.

The minister said the robot operates remotely so that the operator can attack the enemy target from a safe place.

"We are working to increase the number of technologies in the army. If you have a cool development that will strengthen the military, submit it to Brave1 and receive grants for its development," Fedorov said.

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Op dinsdag 2 april 2024 21:23 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]

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Ukrainian Military Ordered Patriot SAM Mock-Ups
The Ukrainian military ordered dummy versions of the American Patriot air defense system from the local manufacturer.

The manufacturer of mock-ups told The Daily Telegraph that one mock-up will cost about $10,000.

Such dummies are needed for Russian missiles to be diverted to destroy false targets.

They are planned to be placed at a considerable distance from the front line.

In this scenario, they could only be destroyed by the Iskander operational-tactical missile system.

“The manufacturer can make a fake for about $10,000. The hope is that it attracts the attention of Moscow and its $3 million-a-pop Iskander cruise missiles,” the publication says.

The cost of the M901 launcher for the Patriot SAM is $10 million.

The main idea of these mock-ups is to tire out the enemy amid the delay in supplying Western military assistance to Kyiv.

In the war in Ukraine, good-faith ruse reached new heights amid reports of tank inflatable mock-ups, wooden rocket launchers, and other weapon layouts.

Over the past year, Ukrainian mock-up projects have spawned a kind of fake arms race, in which the better Russian troops find fakes, the more advanced the new models become.

“We are winning this race. Because they have a lot of missiles, and they are using them. They do not care about where to shoot them, so we are exhausting the enemy,” said the Ukrainian mock-up developer.

Recall that recently, volunteers from the Ukrainian city of Rivne have established the production of various mock-ups for the Ukrainian military.

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Op dinsdag 2 april 2024 21:26 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://news.liga.net/en/(...)orvan-most-okupantov
[..]

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President Zelenskyy lowers draft age to 25 – signs law
The document awaited signature for almost 10 months

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law lowering the draft age from 27 to 25 years.

The status of the law №9281 has been updated on the website of the Ukrainian parliament – today the document was returned with the president's signature.

The parliament adopted the law on May 30, 2023, and on June 5 the document was submitted for Zelenskyy's signature.

Thus, the law has been awaiting signature for almost 10 months.

The document means that men liable for military service, fit and partially fit for health reasons, aged 25 to 60 without military service experience, will be subject to general mobilization.

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Trump-proofing weapons for Ukraine: Allies consider moving arms group into NATO
Officials are expected to discuss gradually moving the organization — called the Ukraine Defense Contact Group — into the alliance’s control.

The U.S. and other Western countries are considering transferring to NATO a U.S.-led multinational group that coordinates the shipment of weapons to Ukraine, one of several new proposals that could help maintain the flow of arms to Kyiv under a second Donald Trump presidency.

During the NATO foreign ministerial meeting in Brussels Wednesday and Thursday, officials are expected to discuss a range of options, including gradually moving the organization — called the Ukraine Defense Contact Group — into the alliance’s control, according to three European officials and a U.S. official with knowledge of the internal deliberations. The goal would be to finalize the move at the NATO leaders’ summit in Washington in July, one of the officials said.

A second U.S. official said that another proposal would give NATO a more formalized seat at the table within the Ukraine group, as opposed to moving it under NATO control. The idea, from the U.S. side, would be to strengthen the ties between NATO and Ukraine for long-term support, the official said.

SPOILER

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The Ukraine group was launched in the early weeks of the war by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and then-Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley to coordinate Western support for Kyiv’s defenses. It’s credited with speeding tens of billions of dollars in equipment, weapons and other aid to Ukraine that have been critical in staving off Russian forces.

The discussions about NATO’s involvement with the group are happening “at very senior levels,” with the goal of formalizing European and alliance support for Kyiv, said the U.S. official, adding that one consideration heading into U.S. and European elections is to make the group “more enduring.”

Defense Department spokesperson Maj. Charlie Dietz declined to confirm the discussions, saying DOD had “no new announcements to make regarding the format or structure” of the group.

“We are constantly discussing how we can ensure that our support for Ukraine is sustained and how we can organize the support in the best possible way,” Dietz said.

Transferring the group to NATO would be a significant move toward cementing Western support for Ukraine’s war for the foreseeable future, amid Europe’s fear of the return of Trump to the White House. In the near term, domestic politics in the U.S. and other countries is already threatening to cut off funding to send Kyiv additional weapons.

Formalizing the group within NATO would go a long way toward protecting support for Ukraine from changes in U.S. and Western governments, experts said — and particularly from Trump.

“There’s a feeling among, not the whole group but a part of the NATO group, that thinks it is better to institutionalize the process just in case of a Trump re-election,” said Jim Townsend, a former Pentagon and NATO official. “And that’s something that the U.S. is going to have to get used to hearing, because that is a fear, and a legitimate one.

“Pulling this under NATO kind of isolates it from a Trump presidency, or even from a U.S. that might get distracted by China and can’t keep it going or can’t get his own funding act together,” he added.

If successful, the move would be the latest among a series of actions taken to shore up institutions in anticipation of another Trump presidency. Late last year, lawmakers approved a law to require congressional approval if a future president tried to pull out of NATO, and are considering further protection measures.

Austin and Milley established the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in the spring of 2022, weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine. The idea was to bring together defense chiefs from various Western countries to discuss what weapons and other military aid to send to Kyiv.

The monthly closed-door meeting, attended either virtually or in-person at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, has been a central force in equipping Ukraine with everything from modern battle tanks to F-16 fighter jets. Apart from NATO allies, the contact group also includes about 20 other like-minded countries from outside the Euro-Atlantic theater.

However, the group has run into obstacles in recent months as U.S. funding for Ukraine dried up. The Pentagon said in December it would not be able to send any additional weapons from its stockpiles until Congress appropriated additional funds for the war effort. The Senate passed a $95 billion supplemental package including additional aid for Ukraine, but the legislation has been stalled in the House for months.

The Pentagon cobbled together a new $300 million package of aid last month, including much-needed artillery and air defenses, by using cost savings from previous contracts. This allowed DOD to send additional weapons without harming U.S. military readiness.

The package will include a number of Army Tactical Missile Systems that can travel 100 miles and carry warheads containing cluster bomblets, POLITICO first reported. Ukraine has been asking for more of the missiles for months in order to attack targets deep inside Russian front lines.

But DOD officials now say they cannot send additional aid until Congress passes the supplemental.

“As you’ve seen us continue to urge, the most important thing that we want to see Congress pass is the supplemental,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said on Monday. “Hopefully, when the House is back in session next week, they will bring it to the floor, and then we can continue getting out those [packages] regularly.”

Julianne Smith, the U.S. ambassador to NATO, said the focus is on getting Ukraine additional ammunition and air defenses.

“So that tends to be the focus of our discussions, both in the US-led UDCG and among allies here in NATO headquarters, the way in which that we can ensure that the Ukrainians continue to have the upper hand and see success on the battlefield is to keep that assistance flowing,” Smith said.

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Op dinsdag 2 april 2024 21:30 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
https://mil.in.ua/en/news(...)e-in-donetsk-region/
[ afbeelding ]
[ afbeelding ]

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Ammunition production is delayed in Sweden due to lack of military training area

The production of new ammunition in Sweden is experiencing delays due to a shortage of military training areas.

Stefan Krol, President of the Bofors test center, said that this problem is relevant across Europe.

“The queues for testing new ammunition across Europe are long, and the need for ammunition is great,” said Stefan Krol.

The limited number of ammunition firing ranges in Europe results in batches of ammunition ready for immediate testing.

The Head of the test center of the Swedish arms company Bofors said that testing requires daylight, so “test centers that have to check all the batches that are delivered cannot work on the night shift.”

SPOILER

quote:

He also said that Bofors currently has a one-year waiting list.

Robert Limmerg�rd, Secretary General of the Association of Swedish Security and Defense Companies, acknowledged that Sweden is facing a crisis situation, prompting the search for solutions “necessary to improve our ability to supply Ukraine and other partner countries.”

He suggested opening another training area as a possible solution.

It is worth noting that a specialized test center needs to have modern test equipment and laboratories capable of testing everything from components to complete weapons systems.

The Bofors Test Center has a well-developed infrastructure with a 250 km long road network connecting many test sites, laboratories, offices and other buildings.

The range has an approximate maximum firing range of 25 km, an approximate width of 4 km, and provides a total confined test area of approximately 200 km�.

In March, it became known that Sweden would provide �30 million for a Czech initiative to purchase ammunition for the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

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Op dinsdag 2 april 2024 21:03 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
https://news.liga.net/en/(...)obektov-v-rossii-cnn
[..]
Ze dragen hun eigen satelliet data bij zich. Waar de AI gebruik van maakt. Al is het op dit ogenblik nog minimaal. Deze drones kunnen wel kleine aanpassingen maken om obstakels te vermijden. Het helpt ook om onder invloed van EW door te kunnen blijven vliegen op hun voorgeprogrammeerde vliegroute.

De ronding van de aarde zal dus geen enkele probleem meer moeten zijn hierdoor.

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Russia trying to discredit Ukrainian fortification construction: Purpose explained
Russian media, as part of the "fear propaganda" campaign, are trying to discredit the process of fortification construction in Ukraine and sow panic in the frontline regions, informs the Center for Countering Disinformation.

It is noted that the main message conveyed by the enemy's resources in their publications about the construction of Ukrainian fortifications is that Ukraine is supposedly incapable not only of returning to the borders of 1991 but also of defending the territories under its control.

At the same time, enemy propagandists spread fake news about a total lack of infantry and weapons in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and frighten with a new offensive, to which Ukrainians allegedly will have nothing to oppose.

SPOILER

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"This is the narrative part of the 'fear propaganda' campaign aimed at creating conditions for advantageous negotiations with the Russian Federation, which they insist on," emphasized Lieutenant Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation.

The Center also notes that despite the statements of the occupiers and their propagandists, Ukraine has managed to stabilize the situation on the front, and fortifications in the frontline regions are being built rapidly.

Strengthening defensive structures in Ukraine
In March, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the government head's report regarding the pace of construction of new defense lines - this concerns the fortifications in three sectors totaling 2000 kilometers in length.

As reported by the command of the Support Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on March 21, engineering troops are building fortifications 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

In addition, representatives of the authorities in Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Odesa, Kharkiv, and Zhytomyr regions also reported about the ongoing construction of fortifications.

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Russians make video with professional actors to undermine mobilisation in Ukraine – ISW
Pro-Russian channels are distributing a propaganda video about mobilisation in Ukraine, designed to undermine Ukrainians' trust in the government.

Source: Institute for the Study of War (ISW)

Details: Military analysts report that the propaganda video is highly costly and cinematically sophisticated, indicating that it is the product of a coordinated and well-resourced information operation.

Russian opposition outlets Agentstvo and Mediazone reported that the actors in the video were professional Russian actors who had previously appeared on Russian television shows.

SPOILER

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One of the actors refused to discuss his involvement in the video, claiming that he only appears in films and not in commercials.

The Kremlin has previously used high-cost propaganda videos as part of centrally managed information operations, and the characteristics of this latest video suggest that it supports the Kremlin's broader efforts to undermine Ukrainians' trust in the government, undermine Ukrainian mobilisation efforts and incite internal discontent.

To quote the ISW’s Key Takeaways on 1 April:
• A joint investigation by 60 Minutes, the Insider, and Der Spiegel strongly suggests that the Kremlin has waged a sustained kinetic campaign directly targeting US government personnel both in the United States and internationally for a decade, with the likely objective of physically incapacitating US government personnel.
• The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) is intensifying efforts to falsely implicate Ukraine in the 22 March Crocus City Hall terrorist attack while denying any Islamic State (IS) responsibility or involvement in the attack.
• Russian authorities are taking measures to further crackdown against migrant communities in Russia following the Crocus City Hall attack.
• Russian forces recently made confirmed advances near Avdiivka and in the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast amid continued positional engagements along the entire line of contact on 1 April.
• The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) continues to reassure the Russian public that Russian military conscripts will not deploy to most of occupied Ukraine nor participate in combat operations in Ukraine amid the start of the spring semi-annual military conscription call-up that started on 1 April.

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Op dinsdag 2 april 2024 22:00 schreef Glazenmaker het volgende:

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Techniek uit de jaren 80 is nu opeens ai...

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Op dinsdag 2 april 2024 21:12 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://mil.in.ua/en/news(...)-the-czech-republic/
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Zo te zien is Griekenland ��n van de landen waar ammunitie vandaan wordt gehaald via het initiatief van Tsjechi�. Het gaat om een een groot aantal. En als ik uit ga van een prijs van 1500 euro per stuk komen we uit op 100.000 shells. Al kan de prijs een aantal afwijken van mijn schatting natuurlijk.

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Op dinsdag 2 april 2024 22:44 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

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Is die techniek al zou oud dan? Zolang bestaat AI toch nog helemaal niet. Tenminste niet de geavanceerde vorm waarin hij tegenwoordig bestaat.

Heb je ook een bron? of in elk geval de naam van dit project? Daar zou ik graag meer over willen lezen.

Al weet ik wel dat er raketten zijn die zelf manoeuvres uit kunnen voeren. Maar of dat door AI is of door een combinatie van sensors en voorgeprogrammeerde acties zou ik zo niet weten.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 09:02 schreef icecreamfarmer_NL het volgende:

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Waarom zijn die dingen zo duur?
In principe is het een metalen schil met explosieven en een ontsteker erin dat is ongeveer het meest basis militaire product wat er is. Als je er miljoenen produceert zou die prijs toch veel lager dan een macbook moeten zijn waar veel meer high tech inzit?

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 09:02 schreef icecreamfarmer_NL het volgende:

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Waarom zijn die dingen zo duur?
In principe is het een metalen schil met explosieven en een ontsteker erin dat is ongeveer het meest basis militaire product wat er is. Als je er miljoenen produceert zou die prijs toch veel lager dan een macbook moeten zijn waar veel meer high tech inzit?

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 10:21 schreef Ulx het volgende:

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Als je zo'n ding binnen drie meter van een doel op 20km afstand wil laten landen is er wel wat precisie nodig bij het maken.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 09:02 schreef icecreamfarmer_NL het volgende:

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Waarom zijn die dingen zo duur?
In principe is het een metalen schil met explosieven en een ontsteker erin dat is ongeveer het meest basis militaire product wat er is. Als je er miljoenen produceert zou die prijs toch veel lager dan een macbook moeten zijn waar veel meer high tech inzit?

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Op dinsdag 2 april 2024 22:44 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

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Is die techniek al zou oud dan? Zolang bestaat AI toch nog helemaal niet. Tenminste niet de geavanceerde vorm waarin hij tegenwoordig bestaat.

Heb je ook een bron? of in elk geval de naam van dit project? Daar zou ik graag meer over willen lezen.

Al weet ik wel dat er raketten zijn die zelf manoeuvres uit kunnen voeren. Maar of dat door AI is of door een combinatie van sensors en voorgeprogrammeerde acties zou ik zo niet weten.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 10:50 schreef BEFEM het volgende:
Defensiemarkt is toch ook helemaal geen vrije markt. Daar zitten zoveel barri�res op dat ze hartstikke hoge marges kunnen vragen. Er is geen enkel bedrijf wat nu zegt 'oh, laten we maar 155mm granaten maken want daar kunnen we als nieuw bedrijf geld mee verdienen'.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 11:27 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

Dat lijkt me ook. Het zal wat anders worden als Rusland ineens raketten op Frankrijk gaat schieten, maar troepen in Oekra�ne hoeft geen artikel 5 te betekenen.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 12:46 schreef stavromulabeta het volgende:

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En hoge R&D-kosten in combinatie met relatief kleine aantallen. Dan kan de kostprijs per stuk wel laag zijn, maar onder de streep moet je je R&D-kosten er ook uithalen, inclusief alle mislukkingen die niets geworden zijn.

Naast dat de bedrijfsvoering ook niet goedkoper wordt als je je bij alles wat je doet, rekening moet houden met de mogelijkheid van spionage en sabotage. Even een autocad-bestandje delen met een leverancier wordt dan ineens een project op zich.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 14:09 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

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Ja dat zegt de farmaceutische industrie ook altijd en ondertussen hebben die gigantische marges. Daar moet je niet na�ef over zijn. We hebben het over granaten, niet 200 LeClercs die ontwikkeld en gemaakt zijn.

Zal eens kijken naar de winsten van grote defensiebedrijven. Daar komt het uiteindelijk allemaal op neer.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 14:28 schreef stavromulabeta het volgende:

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Ik zat net even op Morningstar te kijken. Maar de Return on Investment van BAE Systems of Northrop Grumman is niet beter dat die van een Unilever of Ahold.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 15:01 schreef Aether het volgende:
Effe Tikkie sturen.

NAVO roept bondgenoten op om 100 miljard euro in nieuw Oekra�ne-fonds te steken
https://nos.nl/l/2515305

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Hilversumse wethouder stapt op na publicatie over interesse in verhuizing naar Rusland
De Hilversumse wethouder Karin Walters is woensdag per direct opgestapt. Aanleiding is een publicatie van deze site, twee weken geleden, over haar interesse in een opmerkelijke emigratie naar Rusland of Belarus. ‘De ontstane discussie over haar toekomstplannen doet afbreuk aan haar functioneren en dat van het gemeentebestuur’, zo schrijft de gemeente Hilversum in een reactie.
https://www.ad.nl/binnenl(...)ar-rusland~a126d135/

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 18:23 schreef Aether het volgende:
[ x ][ x ]

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 09:07 schreef icecreamfarmer_NL het volgende:

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Wat omschreven wordt gebruikten de eerste Tomahawks al in de jaren 80.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 12:00 schreef Glazenmaker het volgende:

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De Tomahawk kruisraket is de eerste die ik weet en dit kon.

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Tercom uses an on-board 3-D database of the terrain the missile will be flying over. The Tercom system "sees" the terrain it is flying over using its radar system and matches this to the 3-D map stored in memory..

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 18:52 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

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Ik zie inderdaad dat de subsystemen van de Tomahawk grotendeels hetzelfde kunnen:
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Al zijn er wel een paar verschillen volgens mij:
- De Tomahawk is een 2 miljoen dollar kostende raket met erg dure subsystemen. Alleen al voor geleiding gebruikt hij 3 a 4 systemen. De drones die Oekra�ne gebruikt voor langere afstand kosten volgens mij enkele duizenden euro's.
- De Tomahawk is een stuk minder nauwkeurig (al is dat over de jaren heen wel flink verbeterd). De nieuwste versie heeft ongeveer een nauwkeurigheid van 5 meter, die drone van Oekra�ne 1 meter. Al heeft dat meerdere redenen natuurlijk. Die drones vliegen bijvoorbeeld niet zo snel als een raket. En de Tomahawk heeft een veel grotere explosieve lading, dus die hoeft niet op de meter nauwkeurig te zijn.
- Voor zover ik kan zien maakt de Tomahawk geen gebruik van AI. Al staat AI natuurlijk nog in de kinderschoenen, en weet ik ook niet hoever Oekra�ne nu is met de implantatie hiervan in zijn drones. En hoe geavanceerd deze AI dan wel niet is.
- De Tomahawk kan niet zelfstandig beslissingen nemen, tenminste niet op een breeder niveau. Doelwitten moeten in geprogrammeerd worden, of er moet directe communicatie zijn met een satelliet/externe radar/het afvuursysteem. De acties die hij dus "zelfstandig" kan uitvoeren zijn gelimiteerd. (al weet ik niet hoever Oekra�ne gevorderd is met dit soort dingen. Zoals ik al zeg het staat nog in de kinderschoenen)

Zo zijn er vast nog wel wat meer verschillen te vinden. Maar als Oekra�ne een AI bestuurd systeem kan ontwikkelen die een hele hoop subsystemen van bijvoorbeeld de Tomahawk kan overnemen. En die ook kan leren en zelfstandig beslissingen kan maken dan zou dat een hele grote stap voorwaarts zijn.

En op dit ogenblik is Oekra�ne natuurlijk de perfecte testomgeving voor dit soort dingen. Er is geschat dat ze zo'n 10.000 drones per maand gebruiken/verliezen. De beelden en zo die ze hiervan krijgen kunnen ze gebruiken om AI te trainen. Bijvoorbeeld in doelwitherkenning. Hoe langer de oorlog voortduurt hoe beter de AI zal worden. En uiteindelijk zou het zelfs zover komen dat drones geheel autonoom op AI kunnen draaien.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 09:02 schreef icecreamfarmer_NL het volgende:

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Waarom zijn die dingen zo duur?
In principe is het een metalen schil met explosieven en een ontsteker erin dat is ongeveer het meest basis militaire product wat er is. Als je er miljoenen produceert zou die prijs toch veel lager dan een macbook moeten zijn waar veel meer high tech inzit?

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Some of the reasons it is taking so long to increase artillery shell production are that the Army is establishing entirely new production lines for the shells themselves while also increasing production of the triple-base propellants that launch the projectiles and increasing the capacity to load shells with explosives, Bush said.

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“What takes the longest is acquiring and installing the machine tools and the machinery that makes the explosives and things like that,” Bush said during a media roundtable.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 19:05 schreef stavromulabeta het volgende:

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Je weet dat AI betekent dat de software leert van eerdere ervaringen, h�? Hoe zie je precies de meerwaarde van AI bij een raket die gemaakt is om ��nmalig een paar minuten te vliegen?

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 19:09 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

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Vraag en aanbod. Door de oorlog zijn ze al meer dan 4x zo duur geworden.

Op dit ogenblik is er een grote vraag en een relatief klein productie capaciteit.

Natuurlijk zijn er ook veel verschillende soorten van dezelfde shell. Bijvoorbeeld 155mm heeft een standaard versie, die zo'n 3000 euro per stuk kostte (is nu duurder). Maar ook ��n met zijn eigen gps, die voor meer dan 150.000 per stuk gaan.

De gehele US produceert bijvoorbeeld maar 28.000 shells per maand, en wil dit aan het einde van dit jaar omhoog krijgen naar 70.000-80.000. Er moet dus een veel hogere productie capaciteit komen. Waaronder in de EU zelf. Ik ben er zelf voor dat Nederland een eigen fabriek opzet.

1/3de van de Europese (EU) productie gebeurd in Tjechie. En dat gaat slechts om 80.000-100.000 per jaar. Dit willen ze omhoog brengen naar 150.000

Waarom ze maar zo weinig (kunnen?) produceren weet ik niet. Zowieso kost het iets van 3 dagen om een batch met shells te produceren. Mogelijk dat het probleem de explosieven zijn? Er is bijvoorbeeld een tekort aan buskruit.

Of mogelijk zijn er erg gespecialiseerde machines en personeel voor nodig.

https://taskandpurpose.co(...)%20with%20explosives
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European Council President labels support for Ukraine and EU accession talks as priorities
Charles Michel, President of the European Council, has stated that supporting Ukraine and opening its accession talks are among the key priorities for the European Union in the near future.

Source: Charles Michel's statements to the media in Vilnius, quoted by LRT; European Pravda

Charles Michel arrived in Lithuania on Tuesday for the second round of consultations on the EU's strategic agenda, with leaders of Lithuania, Czechia, the Netherlands, Sweden and Bulgaria.

Quote: "We face extremely serious challenges, so I see three priorities. Firstly, we have to build a strong and secure EU... We have to improve the defence capabilities of the EU countries. And we should help Ukraine as much as necessary. We have to mobilise all possible resources – financial, arms support, political support (...), and we have to start accession talks with Ukraine," the European Council President said.

In his comments, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said that the top priority should renain the same: supporting Ukraine and bringing Russia to justice.

"This is possible if we are strong and united," he said.

Background:
• In their decision of the March summit, the EU leaders called for the early approval of the negotiating framework for Ukraine.
• Reportedly, both the Ukrainian side and Brussels are working to ensure that negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU officially commence no later than the end of June, when Belgium's presidency of the EU Council ends and Hungary's six-month presidency begins.

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US not supporting Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, Blinken says
The U.S. has "neither supported nor enabled strikes by Ukraine outside of its territory," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at press conference in Paris on April 2.

The Financial Times reported in March that the U.S. warned Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries, allegedly out of concern that strikes could raise global oil prices and increase the risk of further retaliation.

In an interview with the Washington Post on March 29, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that targeting Russian energy infrastructure is a legitimate military strategy.

The strikes serve as retaliation for Russian attacks on critical infrastructure and align with Ukraine's military objectives, Zelensky said.

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Speaking at a joint press conference with French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne, Blinken said that the U.S. does "everything we possibly can to help Ukraine defend itself against this Russian aggression."

"At the same time, we have neither supported nor enabled strikes by Ukraine outside of its territory," Blinken said, responding to a question from a journalist about the Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries.

Sejourne responded to the same question by saying that "this brings almost no comment on our behalf."

"The Ukrainian people are acting in self defense, and we consider that Russia is the aggressor," Sejourne continued.

"In such circumstances, there is hardly anything else to say. I think you understood me."

The comments from Blinken and Sejourne come as Ukraine carries out increasingly ambitious strikes on Russian oil refineries.

An attack on March 17 targeted a dozen Russian oil refineries, amounting to about 12% of Russia's oil-processing capacity, Bloomberg reported.

According to a Kyiv Independent source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Ukraine used a long-range drone to target one of Russia's largest oil refineries on April 2, located in the city of Nizhnekamsk in Tatarstan, over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from Ukraine's border.

The Ukrainian drone hit the refinery's primary oil processing facility, which has an annual production capacity of around 8 million tons, amounting to 2.6% of Russia's total annual oil-processing capacity, the SBU source said.

"We continue to work systematically to ensure that Russia has fewer and fewer opportunities to finance the war of aggression against Ukraine," the source added.

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French Foreign Minister on strikes on Russian oil refineries: Ukraine acts in self-defense
Strikes by Ukrainian military on Russian oil refineries are an act of self-defense, stated French Foreign Minister St�phane S�journ� at a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"I will be quite clear and direct as to the strikes by Ukraine against Russian refineries. This brings almost no comment on our behalf. The Ukrainian people is acting in self-defense," emphasized the minister.

He also reminded that Russia is an aggressor, so "in such circumstances, there is hardly anything to – anything else to say."

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Strikes on oil refineries
Recently, explosions have been increasingly heard at Russian oil refineries. The reason behind them is drone attacks.

As repeatedly reported by sources from RBC-Ukraine, Ukrainian Defense Forces are behind the attacks. As of March 15, 2024, there have been 15 attacks against Russian oil refineries since the beginning of the year, resulting in significant damage to eight plants.

Today, on April 2, the Security Service of Ukraine and the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine attacked the primary oil refining unit at the refinery in Nizhnekamsk, resulting in a fire.

The capacity of such unit is 8 million tons of oil, which in turn represents 2.6% of the total annual oil refining in the Russian Federation.

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Espionage case in Austria
Marsalek's helpers in Berlin?


An Austrian ex-secret service agent is said to have sold information to Russia. The fugitive Wirecard manager Marsalek apparently orchestrated the betrayal. Now there are indications of helpers in Germany.

The case looks like the material of a spy thriller: Egisto O., once an employee of the Austrian Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Combating Terrorism (BVT), is said to have obtained and sold information for Russia. His former superior, department head Martin W, is said to have incited him to betray him. He, in turn, is said to have acted on behalf of the fugitive Wirecard manager Jan Marsalek.

The German authorities are now also interested in the suspected espionage case. According to research by WDR , "S�ddeutscher Zeitung" and the Austrian news magazine "Profil", there are indications that Marsalek also had helpers in Germany when obtaining information about the ex-secret service agent Egisto O. Marsalek is said to have sent couriers with cash from Berlin to Vienna to pick up a laptop with explosive contents and transport it to Russia.

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The Austrian judiciary has been investigating Egisto O. for several years. Among other things, he is said to have obtained information about numerous people from politics, business and the security authorities from official databases. Apparently also about those in whom Moscow is particularly interested, such as Bellingcat researcher Christo Grozev, who became known for several revelations about Russian secret services.

Egisto O. was arrested last week and is now in custody . New allegations have become known against the ex-secret service agent: According to the public prosecutor's office, O. is also said to have passed on three mobile phones belonging to high-ranking officials in the Austrian Interior Ministry to the Russian secret service - in June 2022, when O. had long been the focus of the judiciary.

The cell phones fell into a river during a canoe trip in the summer of 2017 and are said to have been stored at the then Austrian domestic intelligence service BVT for data backup. O. apparently had access to the devices at the time; they were said to have been temporarily stored in the apartment of his former son-in-law in Vienna, who was also briefly arrested last week. His lawyers told Austrian media that he knew nothing about the devices being passed on to the Russian secret service.

Spy ring in Britain
The prosecutor's new findings are based largely on Telegram chat messages that British authorities transmitted to Austria. They come from a case against a group of Bulgarians who are said to have spied for the Russian secret service on behalf of Marsalek. The chat messages suggest how the transport of the company cell phones from the Austrian Interior Ministry to Russia was organized and that the handover may have taken place in the apartment of O's former son-in-law in Vienna.

Not only the cell phones are said to have been handed over to couriers: in November 2022, after paying 20,000 euros, a so-called SINA laptop was also said to have been handed over. This is a laptop that is equipped with a special encryption program. In Germany, it is even approved by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) for the storage and transmission of data with the highest classification level of “Top Secret”.

Chat messages between Marsalek and Orlin Roussev, one of the Bulgarians now accused in Great Britain, show that the money was probably obtained in Berlin through dubious sources, which is said to have ultimately been paid for the specially protected laptop in Vienna. Marsalek is said to have written that the “laundry boys” would pick up the 20,000 euros and make them available in Berlin.

Brought laptop to Moscow
Several couriers, who were apparently traveling with fake passports, are said to have traveled with the money from Berlin to Vienna on Marsalek's behalf. They apparently took the crypto laptop with them and are said to have brought it to Moscow via Istanbul.

Marsalek is said to have later written in chats that the device was brought to "Lubyanka" - a name for the headquarters of the Russian domestic secret service FSB in the center of Moscow - without any problems.

After research by WDR , "S�ddeutscher Zeitung" and "Profil", the Austrian investigators noted that it must be suspected that secret data in which the Russian Federation had an interest was stored on the SINA laptop. Elsewhere it is said that there is a suspicion that the laptop contained secret official data from an EU state that was of interest to the Russian intelligence service.

Used in more than 30 countries.
It is still unclear where the encrypted laptop, which is said to have been handed over to Marsalek's middlemen in Vienna in November 2022, came from. According to the manufacturer, SINA systems are used in more than 30 countries worldwide. In Germany, among others, the Bundeswehr and security authorities such as the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) have such laptops.

In the past, Egisto O. had always denied betraying official secrets or even selling them to the Russian secret service. He claimed to be the victim of an intrigue within the Austrian security authorities.

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Op woensdag 6 maart 2024 09:19 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.spiegel.de/in(...)e6-92ad-583d94ba97e0
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Lang maar erg interessant artikel over hoe de ex Chief Operating Officer (COO) van Wirecard, Jan Marsalek, een Russische spion bleek te zijn. En hoe hij mede verantwoordelijk was voor het te gronde richten van Wirecard. Uiteindelijk is hij onder de naam van een Russische priester naar Rusland gevlucht via Wit-Rusland en de Krim. Vanuit Rusland is hij nog steeds bezig met zijn werk voor de Russische geheime dienst. Waar een rechtszaak van 5 Bulgaren in London eind vorig jaar bewijs voor is.

Het leest weg als een spionage roman. En ik verwacht dat er in de toekomst nog wel een boek en film over uitkomt. Wat een verhaal zeg.
[ afbeelding ]

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Op maandag 18 maart 2024 22:32 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.theguardian.c(...)-cold-war-era-spying
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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 19:53 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://kyivindependent.com/us-not-supporting-enabling-oil/
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https://newsukraine.rbc.u(...)sian-1712087147.html
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Over 100 Dead Dolphins Wash Ashore on Russia's Black Sea Coast
Nearly 140 dolphins and other marine mammals have washed up dead on the shores of Russia’s Black Sea coast over the past month, the dolphin rescue and research center Delfa said Tuesday.

“A total of 137 cetaceans died in the last month. This is a serious figure,” Delfa wrote on the messaging app Telegram, referring to the group of aquatic mammals that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises.

“In the last week alone, we recorded 101 dolphin deaths. On March 31, we were informed about 26 deaths,” the rescue center added.

Many of the animals showed signs of having been caught in fishing nets, including deep scratches, missing fins or tails, as well as torn stomachs. Some were entangled in ropes tied around rocks, which Delfa suggested may have been caused by fishermen trying to get rid of their bycatch.

“Of course, fishermen don’t kill dolphins intentionally,” Delfa said, adding: “But this amount is impossible to hide.”

According to the rescue center, the high number of dolphin deaths may also be linked to the authorities doubling the 2024 fishing quota for flounders in southern Russia’s Caucasus region.

“Flounder nets are the most dangerous for cetaceans,” Delfa said.

“If an alternative isn’t found or the fishing rules aren’t revised, the Black Sea will be left without dolphins,” it warned.

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With Lithuania & Estonia, Rutte now backed by 28 of 32 NATO states to be next leader
Both Lithuania and Estonia indicated their support on Tuesday for caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte to become the next NATO secretary-general. Sources within NATO said that Rutte now has the backing of 28 of the 32 allied nations.

Lithuania said it will support the Dutch leader's candidacy during Rutte's visit with President Gitanas Nauseda. The Lithuanian head of state said Rutte is "one of those politicians who recognised the Russian threat quite early" and radically adjusted his position accordingly.

Lithuania is considered hawkish within NATO and the European Union when it comes to the fight against Russia. The Baltic country has called for the toughest sanctions against Russia, and said Ukraine should receive the maximum possible amount of military, humanitarian, financial and diplomatic support. Lithuania shares a border with both Russia and its ally, Belarus.

Rutte emphasized during the press conference with Nauseda that NATO will defend his country's territorial borders. He also reiterated that the Netherlands will continue to support Ukraine for as long as necessary. Earlier in the day, Rutte visited Dutch soldiers currently located in Lithuania.

Estonia also gave its support to Rutte. Prime Minister Kaja Kallas announced her position on X on Tuesday. She previously made critical comments about Rutte's candidacy, pointing out that the Netherlands has not met the NATO standard for defense expenditure. She also argued that a country from Eastern Europe deserves a chance to be represented at the head of the alliance.

Kallas said she believes that a strong NATO should focus on Russia, increase defense spending and support Ukraine's membership. "I have discussed this in depth with Mark Rutte and he commits to these priorities. Estonia can back him for NATO's Secretary General," she said.

Many NATO members have already signalled their support for Rutte, including the United States, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The appointment must be unanimous, but Washington's vote has always been decisive in the past.

The other official candidate is Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, who Rutte praised at a meeting of European leaders last month. Hungary has said it will not support Rutte.

Prime Minister Kallas previously also seemed to want to make a bid to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as the leader of the Atlantic alliance, but she never officially put herself forward as a candidate.

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Kyrgyzstan To Stop Accepting Russian Payment Cards
Kyrgyzstan will stop accepting Russia's Mir payment cards amid concerns it could expose the country's financial sector to Western sanctions, the national payments operator said Tuesday.

The United States in February sanctioned the organization behind Mir — Russia's domestic card payments system — and is putting pressure on third countries over their financial links to Moscow.

Kyrgyzstan's Interbank Processing Center said Tuesday it would "stop servicing 'Mir' bank cards from 5 April" in order to "minimize the risk of secondary sanctions."

It cited the U.S. Treasury's decision to sanction Russia's National Card Payment System, the Mir operator, in February.

Banks in the Central Asian nation had mostly stopped using Mir cards in 2022, but the decision demonstrates the effect of escalating Western pressure being put on Russia's allies.

Some Western officials have expressed concerns Kyrgyzstan, a Russian ally that is part of a Moscow-led security alliance and customs union, has become a back door for goods to get into Russia.

Trade between several Western countries and the likes of Kyrgyzstan and Armenia have leapt since 2022 when the West imposed sanctions on Russia over its Ukraine offensive.

The United States has warned Moscow's allies and partners that they will be targeted if Washington suspects they are helping Russia avoid sanctions.

Armenian banks stopped processing payments through Mir cards over the weekend, also citing the risk of secondary sanctions.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 20:14 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

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Wat Frankrijk zegt is wel echt klinkklare onzin. Dat heeft niets met self-defense te maken.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 20:14 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

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Wat Frankrijk zegt is wel echt klinkklare onzin. Dat heeft niets met self-defense te maken.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 20:25 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Elk militaire doelwit in Rusland, en alle andere doelwitten die gebruikt worden voor logistiek en financiering van de oorlog in Oekra�ne zijn legitieme doelwitten voor Oekra�ne. En hebben zeker wel te maken met de zelfverdediging van Oekra�ne.

Zonder wapens, zonder geld en zonder logistiek aan Russische zijde zal de oorlog veel sneller voorbij zijn en zullen er veel minder slachtoffers vallen.

[ x ]
[ x ]

Rusland is de aanvallende partij. Oekra�ne is de verdedigende partij. Zelfverdediging tegen Rusland gaat verder dan wat er gebeurd binnen de landgrenzen van Oekra�ne.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 20:34 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
en zijn wij ook de dupe van bij de pomp

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 20:32 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Waar komt dat nou vandaan? Je was toch zo begaan met al die Oekra�ners die sterven? Wel, als Rusland geen oorlog meer kan voeren sterven er minder Oekra�ners. Dat zou toch prachtig zijn? Rusland amper meer in staat om wat te doen, zodat ze vrede moeten sluiten? Goed, wellicht ontstaan er in dat land dan wat relletjes. Of misschien sleurt een woedende menigte Poetin en zijn kliek uit het Kremlin en hakt men hen aan stukken, maar ja, small price to pay voor vrede.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 20:34 schreef over_hedge het volgende:

[..]
Het is wat

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 20:35 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Ik zeg alleen wat de VS gezegd heeft. Wat mijn mening daarover is doet er niet toe.

quote:

Overigens, daar gaat de olieprijs weer van omhoog en zijn wij ook de dupe van bij de pomp, wat ook een argument van de VS was.

quote:

Op woensdag 3 april 2024 20:34 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Overigens, daar gaat de olieprijs weer van omhoog en zijn wij ook de dupe van bij de pomp, wat ook een argument van de VS was.

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Netherlands opens Ukrainian war damage claims platform in The Hague
The Netherlands was named the host country for a new organization which will record claims filed by Ukrainians over damages caused by the war in their country. The Register of Damage for Ukraine opened in The Hague on Tuesday, with an initial mandate to review reports about damage to homes and real estate.

"We will also be discussing whether, and if so, how we can use frozen Russian assets, or at least their proceeds to support Ukraine in its self-defence, in its reconstruction efforts, and to compensate Russia's victims," said Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Hanke Bruins Slot at a press conference at the World Forum in The Hague.

SPOILER

quote:

The register formally opened during the Restoring Justice for Ukraine conference at the convention center earlier in the day. Bruins Slot spoke at the event, and the 44 countries that participated in the conference agreed to investigate if Russian assets can be used to compensate Ukrainian people for damages suffered.

Bruins Slot said over a hundred damage reports were filed within hours after the register opened. "It's a sign of how high the demand is, but it's also a sign of how thirsty people are for justice," said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba after touring the opening of the register's office.

The intention is to soon begin allowing Ukrainians to also file claims for damage unrelated to real estate, including personal injury claims. "As an international organization, the register will take all of the requests from Ukrainians from now on and assess them. It will be in charge of providing compensation."

"The register is the first step towards a fully fledged compensation mechanism, which will have the power to deny or grant registered claims," Bruins Slot said. The formation of a claims commission to evaluate the damage reports is the next step.

"The start of Russia's war full-scale war in against Ukraine left tens of thousands dead and injured, and millions more displaced. Over 100,000 alleged international crimes have been documented so far. More than 200,000 homes, almost 4,000 schools, and some 400 hospitals either lie in ruins, or are badly damaged,"

The Netherlands is also contributing 10 million euros this year to support investigations and prosecutions carried out by Ukraine.

quote:

397 Ukrainians Won Lawsuits Against Russia For War Damages Compensation
UKRAINE, Apr 2 — As of March 2024, Ukrainian courts made 397 judgments about compensations of damages Russia caused by its military aggression since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, reports Opendatabot, Ukrainian monitoring service.

Opendatabot says the number of cases like these is increasing. Courts made 44 judgments for damages compensations in 2022, 262 in 2023, and 91 in the first three months of 2024.

Out of those, 292 decisions were made in favor of citizens, and 105 — in favor of businesses. Currently, at least 487 cases for damages compensations against Russia are opened: 310 of them initiated by citizens requiring compensation, and 177 by businesses.

Opendatabot noted that it’s impossible to enforce these judgments for now because the “necessary mechanisms are absent.”

SPOILER

quote:

However, today, the ​​Register of Damage for Ukraine began operations in The Hague, reported Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. The Register will document the evidence of damages caused by Russia and the claims for damages or injury compensations. Their official website states that the Register is “a significant international effort and the first step towards a mechanism that will ensure justice and compensation for Ukraine and its people”

For now, according to the Register’s press center, they only accept applications that consider claims for compensation of property damage or destruction only, European Pravda (EP) reports. They’ll start to accept other categories of claims during the year.

Ukrainian citizens who suffered during Russian aggression can apply to the Register via Diia, a digital e-governance app in Ukraine.

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A ship carrying Russian timber was detained in Germany
German customs stopped the Atlantic Navigator II cargo ship, which was transporting goods from Russia to the United States. Source: Bild

The ship was forced to arrive at the port of Rostock due to damage to the propeller. During the inspection, customs inspectors found goods on board that were subject to EU sanctions, which led to a ban on the vessel’s continued voyage.

The Canadian ship Atlantic Navigator II, flying the flag of the Marshall Islands and owned by CSAL, was detained by German customs, the prosecutor's office said.

On board are 251 containers of birch wood, which is subject to European Union sanctions against Russia.

However, the Ostsee Zeitung newspaper claims that the ship also contained enriched uranium, exempt from sanctions, in its cargo destined for the United States.

Earlier it was reported that German customs would seize sanctioned goods from parcels from the Russian Federation.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 18:46 schreef oheng het volgende:
Het blijft bewonderingswaardig dat rusland nu 450 tanks en pantserwagens verliest per maand. De slachting bij Novomilkhailivka, Tonkenke en Terny is ongelofelijk.

Gisteren ook weer een lange lijst van Perpetua.
[ x ]

quote:

The largest LNG project in the Russian Federation has stopped due to sanctions
Plans to increase liquefied gas exports and increase Russia's share of the global market are facing obstacles due to military action launched by the Kremlin. The Arctic LNG 2 project, intended for supplies abroad, has encountered difficulties. Buyers cannot be found due to risks associated with possible sanctions. Source: Bloomberg

Read also: Western companies continued to build the Arctic LNG-2 project, which is important for Putin

Chinese companies Cnooc and CNPC, although shareholders in the project, also purchase LNG from the United States and do not want to risk their American supplies.

Other participants in the project, the French TotalEnergies and the Japanese Mitsui , have frozen their participation.

Novatek has also encountered problems obtaining ice-class gas carriers for export via the Northern Sea Route.

South Korea's Hanwha Ocean canceled the contract, and Japan's Mitsui OSK Lines is unable to receive or sell the tankers it ordered.

The company is also considering the possibility of finding buyers in India and hopes for more opportunities after the opening of summer navigation along the Northern Sea Route.

The Arctic LNG-2 project involved the construction of three technological lines with a total capacity of 19.8 million tons of gas per year.

Let us remind you that after the European Union imposed a ban on the supply of equipment for the Arctic LNG-2 project in the Russian Federation, European companies circumvented the sanctions and sent equipment worth 580 million euros.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 20:50 schreef RamboDirk het volgende:

[..]
Ik zie deze dude al twee jaar lang voorbij. Hoe telt hij al die losses?

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 20:42 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Welnee, want die geraffineerde producten zijn toch vooral voor binnenlands gebruik. Ze kunnen de ruwe olie wel exporteren, raffineren we het hier wel. De andere optie is de oliebronnen en infrastructuur laten verpieteren, maar dat zorgt voor grote problemen na een tijd. Dus als ze een gunstige prijs vragen mogen ze het uiteraard aan ons verkopen. En met gunstig bedoel ik gunstig voor ons. Het zou toch heerlijk zijn als je de Oekra�ners kunt redden en de benzinetank ook nog eens goedkoper kunt volgooien?

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 20:56 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
De discussie was of het een legitiem militair doelwit was. Jij haalt er van alles bij, maar daar ging het niet over.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 20:58 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Die Russische tanks rijden niet op druivensap maar op diesel uit die raffinaderijen. Dus ja, die zijn legitiem doelwit.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 20:34 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Zo kun je alles wel een militair doelwit noemen, inclusief burgers. Die betalen immers ook belasting waar de oorlog van gefinancierd wordt.

Nee, een olieraffinaderij lijkt me geen militair doelwit. Overigens, daar gaat de olieprijs weer van omhoog en zijn wij ook de dupe van bij de pomp, wat ook een argument van de VS was.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 20:50 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Videos vooral. De bronnen kun je vinden in het google docs document. En voor zover ik weet bekijkt hij elke video, en telt hij alle verliezen zelf. Wat ongetwijfeld een heleboel werk is en heel veel tijd kost.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 21:07 schreef RamboDirk het volgende:

[..]
Bewonderingswaardig.
Niet alles staat op film, dat zou impliceren dat de verliezen nog groter zijn.

quote:

Russia conducts influence operations ahead of South African elections
Moscow is using social media to try to influence election results around the world to support leaders who advance its interests, including in South Africa. Russia was previously accused of interfering in the 2016 US elections when social media was used to spread distrust in the electoral process and government institutions. Source: Bloomberg

More recent examples of Russian influence include support for pro-Russian military regimes in West Africa. According to the director of the Center for Information Resilience, Moscow supports politicians who act in accordance with Russian interests.

These actions highlight Russia's desire to advance its geopolitical interests by supporting allies in the international arena, including through social media manipulation. This approach is troubling and requires global attention to deter potential interference and preserve the transparency and integrity of electoral processes.

Zuma, who led South Africa from 2009 to 2018 and forged close ties with Moscow during his reign, announced in December that he would run for the uMkhonto weSizwe party, or MKP, rather than the ruling African National Congress in the upcoming elections. next month.

Several accounts on X, formerly known as Twitter, that praised Russia's invasion of Ukraine and drew parallels between the leadership of Zuma and Russian President Vladimir Putin were used to promote the new party, Center for Information Resilience (CIR) researchers said in a study.

The most prominent of these accounts on X, with about 170,000 followers, regularly posts support for MKP and Zuma, said Tom Southern, director of the independent London-based non-profit foundation. The account interacts with thousands of other users, amplifying its impact, CIR research shows. Sometimes these impacts exceed 1 million per post.

Reports of praise for Russia alternate with statements about its strengthening relationship with military governments in West Africa and criticism of current South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The accounts were also used to retweet so-called deep fakes of former US President Donald Trump expressing support for Zuma. Some say they are based in Russia and Burkina Faso, a West African country under military rule with close ties to Moscow.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 21:06 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]


Tanks zijn een legitiem doelwit ja. Wat een logica. Zelfde strekking als "burgers betalen belasting waar de oorlog mee gefinancierd worden ergo burgers zijn een legitiem doelwit.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 21:27 schreef Aether het volgende:
Russia says NATO, at 75, has returned to Cold War mindset
https://www.reuters.com/w(...)-mindset-2024-04-03/

quote:

In Ukraine, ‘shoot-and-scoot’ tactics helping Caesars survive

Ukraine has lost less than 10% of the truck-mounted Caesar howitzers it received from France and Denmark, with greater mobility resulting in a higher survival rate than for some other self-propelled or towed systems, according French manufacturer KNDS Nexter.

Losses for some other self-propelled or towed systems in Ukraine’s war with Russia amount to nearly 30%, the company said in a statement to Defense News, without providing specifics.

The French-built Caesar is the world’s lightest 155mmm self-propelled gun at 18 metric tons, according to Nexter. The howitzer can fire six shells within a minute before packing up and moving away, an artillery tactic known as shoot-and-scoot, and evolving battlefield threats mean that mobility is the Caesar system’s best protection rather than the cannon’s range, Nexter said.

SPOILER

quote:

“Use of drones and loitering munitions has become a real threat 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the front, where the Caesar operates,” Nexter said in the statement. “Its light weight and ability to leave its position in less than a minute to avoid counter-battery fire are therefore major assets.”

Ukraine has received 55 of the truck-mounted systems, with 36 supplied by France, including six purchased this year, and another 19 donated by Denmark. Besides the French cannon, Ukraine operates 155mm artillery systems including the towed American M777 and self-propelled systems such as the German Panzerhaubitze 2000, the Polish Krab and Sweden’s Archer.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and French Armed Forces Minister S�bastien Lecornu visited the Nexter site in Versailles outside Paris on Tuesday to discuss the French-U.S.-led coalition to supply artillery and ammunition to Ukraine.

France, Denmark and Ukraine have agreed on financing the purchase of 78 Caesar systems for Ukraine in 2024 as part of the coalition, Lecornu said last week. That includes the six already delivered this year.

Nexter has increased monthly Caesar production to six from two before the war, and the target “in the time to come” is 12 cannons per month, Lecornu said in a press conference following the visit. The target is to reach the new capacity within a year, and Nexter has already made investments to boost the output of the system’s components, the company said.

“For the time being, all Caesar production is earmarked for Ukraine and for replenishing stocks of the French Army, which may decide to make further divestments to Ukraine,” Nexter said.

France in December ordered 109 new-generation howitzers from Nexter for about �350 million, with first delivery expected in 2026. The updated cannon will have an armored cabin to protect against mines and small-caliber arms, based on the feedback from French deployments in Afghanistan and Africa’s Sahel region.

The Caesar MkII will get a new 460 HP engine more than double as powerful as the previous 215 HP one, a new six-wheel chassis from military-vehicle maker Arquus, and updated fire control software. The howitzer will keep its 155mm cannon, with a range of more than 40 kilometers, and will remain air-transportable, according to France’s armaments directorate.

After a Ukrainian advantage in artillery fire in the summer of 2023, Russia gained the upper hand, and Lecornu said in January the shell ratio was nearly one-to-six in favor of Russia. Artillery has been the greatest killer in the war in Ukraine, accounting for more than 70% of casualties.

Ukraine’s artillery deficit contributed to recent setbacks on the frontline, including the withdrawal from the city of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region in February. A stronger artillery capability is one of Ukraine’s key needs to win the war, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said in January.

quote:

Op woensdag 3 april 2024 21:06 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]


Tanks zijn een legitiem doelwit ja. Wat een logica. Zelfde strekking als "burgers betalen belasting waar de oorlog mee gefinancierd worden ergo burgers zijn een legitiem doelwit.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 21:32 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
Wat mij opgevallen is, is dat sinds die waarschijnlijke Patriot lanceerders uitgeschakeld zijn er zo goed als geen Russische vliegtuigen meer zijn neergestort aan/nabij het front.

Dat is wel erg toevallig.

quote:

Polish Embassy in Russia returned the propagandist book about the annexation of Crimea by Russia

Russian propaganda continues its efforts of undermining the support of Ukraine by its Western allies. On April 2 2024, Russian propagandist, editor-in-chief of RT Margarita Simonyan reported the Embassy of Poland to Russian Federation has returned the book that justifies the illegal annexation of Crimea.

The United Nations General Assembly also rejected the referendum and annexation, adopting a resolution affirming the “territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders”, and referring to the Russian action as a “temporary occupation”.

Simonyan specified in her Telegram post that this book has been sent to 146 embassies in Russia. Below the aforementioned post she added a vote with a question “Why didn’t they even start reading the book?” with three suggested answers:

• “They don’t want to know the truth”;
• “Diplomats are prohibited from reading such books”;
• “They don’t know how to read”.

So, a journalist, editor-in-chief of RT media company, that has reach of 100 million readers and viewers (as reported by RT itself) posts a manipulative piece of information and a vote with three almost identical options that mock Polish diplomats? Well, Russians seem to have a different view of standards of journalism.

Russian state-owned media have been pushing its imperialistic and anti-Ukrainian messages for decades on end. Combined with other influence operations, bribery of local and federal foreign politicians, financing of whole political parties, the post listed above represents another small element of Russia’s large-scale operation aimed at the deterioration of societies of Western states, harming the unity of EU and NATO, as well as disrupting the supply of military and financial aid to Ukraine.

quote:

The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine helped destroy Russian Buk SAM in the Zaporizhzhia region

Ukrainian forces managed to detect and destroy a Buk SAM in the Zaporizhzhia region.

The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine reported that the system was discovered on March 28.

To reconnoiter the Russian position, a Kabul 9 Special Purpose Unit of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, which was established at the beginning of the large-scale Russian invasion, was involved.

It was formed by veterans of the Ukrainian special services and the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the assistance and participation of Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.

The unit’s soldiers managed to detect the Russian air defense system near the village of Velyka Bilozerka.

SPOILER

quote:

� озвідники й артилеристи знищили російський З� К “Бук”

Ukrainian intelligence officers used the reconnaissance drone to adjust the artillery fire that hit the system.

“Kabul 9 Special Purpose Unit detected a Russian Buk SAM and guided our artillery fire at it,” the Defense Intelligence reported.

Presumably, the US M142 HIMARS rocket system was used to destroy the Buk SAM, which needed only one shell to destroy the system.

As a result, the Russian invaders lost the 9A310M1-2 TELAR of the 9K37M1-2 Buk-M1-2 system, which should weaken Russian air defense in the Zaporizhzhia region.

The 9А310М1-2 TELAR of the Buk-М1-2 SAM is fully autonomous and highly mobile and is capable of reconnoitering targets in airspace and launching missiles regardless of other units of the system.

Full autonomy and the ability to fire without associated radars are ensured due to the installation of its own radar on board.

As previously reported, the Ukrainian military destroyed a Russian fire-control radar of the Buk air defense system.

quote:

Op woensdag 3 april 2024 20:34 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Nee, een olieraffinaderij lijkt me geen militair doelwit.

quote:

Russia Lost Almost 1,000 Artillery Systems in March: Kyiv
Ukraine destroyed the highest number of Russian artillery systems taken out in a single month in March, according to Kyiv, as deep concerns hang over Ukraine's stocks of ammunition powering its own, vital artillery systems.

Russia lost 976 artillery systems last month, Ukraine's Defense Ministry said in a statement posted to social media on Wednesday. "Great job by the Ukrainian warriors," Kyiv added.

SPOILER

quote:

Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.

Artillery, and the ammunition to keep the systems firing, has been a key part of the land war raging for more than 25 months in eastern and southern Ukraine.

In updated figures published by Ukraine's military on Wednesday, Kyiv said Russian forces had lost a total of 11,142 artillery systems since February 2022. This tally includes the loss of 30 artillery systems over the previous 24 hours, Ukraine said.

Russia's Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that Ukraine had lost 8,629 field artillery guns and mortars in the more than two years of war.

It is not possible to independently verify the battlefield tallies published by either side. Western experts suggest the counts from Kyiv and Moscow will likely be higher than the true figure.

While artillery systems have featured high up on Kyiv's wish list of supplies from its Western backers, the priority for months has been the ammunition to keep the systems operational and useful. Ukrainian officials and Western analysts have said Ukraine's operations have been restrained by shell famine as Russian forces inch westward.

Kyiv's fighters are thought to be firing around a fifth of the ammunition Russia's troops are able to use up.

NATO allies have scrambled to find ways to keep Kyiv's artillery guns working, but it has proved a tall order. The European Union conceded last month that it would fail to meet the deadline it set the previous year to deliver 1 million rounds to Ukraine by the end of March 2024.

The bloc said in mid-March that it would deliver a little over 500,000 rounds by the end of the month, and 1 million before the year is out.

Last month, CNN reported that Moscow will likely soon produce three times the amount of artillery munitions that the U.S. and Europe can manufacture. "What we are in now is a production war," a senior NATO official told the network.

The Czech government has been leading an effort to drum up more ammunition for Ukraine from outside of Europe. Germany said on Tuesday that it would contribute 180,000 rounds to the initiative.

quote:

Azov Brigade’s night FPV drone destroyed the TOS-1A Solntsepyok in the Donetsk region

A night FPV drone of the 12th Azov Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine destroyed a Russian TOS-1А Solntsepyok heavy flamethrower system in the Donetsk region.

The brigade’s press service reported on this.

It is reported that the heavy flamethrower system was on its way to attack the positions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the Kreminna sector.

It was discovered and destroyed on the march near the village of Terny, located on the border of Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

The ammunition of the combat vehicle immediately detonated, leaving no chance for the crew to survive.

SPOILER

quote:

Знищення ТОС-1А «Солнцепёк» на Донеччині.

“This destruction was made possible thanks to the fundraisers for night drones. More such drones mean more destroyed Russian artillery systems,” the Azov Brigade emphasized.

On March 11, Militarnyi reported that a drone of the 46th Airmobile Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed the TOS-1А Solntsepyok heavy flamethrower system in the Donetsk region.

The incident took place near the Russian-held Mariinka in the Donetsk region, which continues to be one of the most active areas along the Russian-Ukrainian front.

The powerful explosion that completely destroyed the launcher after a Ukrainian FPV drone hit it indicates that it was carrying a munition that the invaders intended to use to fire at Ukrainian defenders.

On March 7, it was reported that soldiers of the 47th Mechanized Brigade of the Strike Drones Company destroyed the TOS-1А heavy flamethrower system in the Avdiyivka sector.

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

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

quote:

Op woensdag 3 april 2024 21:32 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
Wat mij opgevallen is, is dat sinds die waarschijnlijke Patriot lanceerders uitgeschakeld zijn er zo goed als geen Russische vliegtuigen meer zijn neergestort aan/nabij het front.

Dat is wel erg toevallig.

quote:

Op woensdag 3 april 2024 22:41 schreef AchJa het volgende:
Tsja, van beide (Patriot/Russische vliegtuigen)

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 20:50 schreef RamboDirk het volgende:

[..]
Ik zie deze dude al twee jaar lang voorbij. Hoe telt hij al die losses?

Fields of Tonenke (and Novomykhailivka): 2024-04-02

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 22:41 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
Tsja, van beide (Patriot/Russische vliegtuigen) nog steeds nul bevestiging... Dus misschien toch indianenverhalen?

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 22:46 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

Oekra�ne houdt sowieso bijna altijd hun mond dicht over hun verliezen. Maar van een aantal van die Russische vliegtuigen hebben we vanuit verschillende bronnen bewijs gezien. En wanneer het op nieuws aankomt over verliezen vertrouw ik Oekra�ne meer over Russische verliezen dan anders om. Al is bewijs natuurlijk altijd beter.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 22:45 schreef ExTec het volgende:
Je houd de vliegtuigen bij?

quote:

Russia’s friends beg EU to leave frozen assets alone
From China to Saudi Arabia, countries want the EU to reject pressure to confiscate over �200 billion of Russian assets.

Countries sympathetic to Russia are demanding the EU drop any notion it might have about a wholesale confiscation of Moscow's state assets.

Representatives of China, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia are privately pushing the EU to continue resisting pressure from the U.S. and U.K. to seize more than �200 billion of Russian state assets it immobilized after February 2022's invasion of Ukraine to help Kyiv's reconstruction efforts, four officials with knowledge of the proceedings told POLITICO.

SPOILER

quote:

“These countries are very skeptical about the idea,” said one of the officials, granted anonymity because the talks are so sensitive. The concern is, “this would create a precedent” ― in other words, these countries would fear they could be next to lose out.

For the time being, any plan to seize Europe's frozen Russian assets and use the money to help Ukraine is on the back burner. Western EU countries in particular are fierce in their opposition for fear of legal ramifications and the potential destabilization of the eurozone.

But with Washington and London keen ― as much as anything because tight budgets and messy domestic politics mean a different way of funding Ukraine's flagging war effort and reconstruction is an attractive option ― and the matter up for discussion at next month's meeting of G7 finance ministers, the countries that don't consider Vladimir Putin an enemy aren't complacent.

They have already seen the EU put forward a more limited proposal to skim off the profits accrued by investing the assets, worth about �2.5-3 billion per year, with 90 percent of the proceeds going to buy weapons for Ukraine.

And this might feed into the countries' lobbying motivation, too. As much as fearing a precedent, they could be acting on Putin's behalf and not wanting the EU to help Ukraine on the battlefield.

“I would admit that the Russians could have asked their friends to create this fuss,” said a senior diplomat from a non-EU country.

Acting as the middlemen
If so, these countries' lobbying would follow a similar playbook to the one seen since the start of the Ukraine conflict where governments which didn't necessarily come out in support for Russia did do some of Moscow's bidding nonetheless.

For example, Turkey, China and the UAE enabled Russia to avoid some Western sanctions imposed after the start of its full-scale invasion, giving its economy a boost and allowing it to finance its war machine.

And throughout the conflict, Gulf states have acted as middlemen, facilitating prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine and brokering a deal to allow grain exports out of the war-torn country. The argument given by these countries is that seizing Russian assets might prolong the war and force them to pick sides against their wishes.

An escalation of the war and the possibility of a Russian defeat go against the interests of Gulf states, said Theodore Karasik, senior advisor at the Gulf State Analytics consultancy.

“Gulf states do not want to see Russia fall apart,” he said, pointing to their investment in the country.

He added that using Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine might undermine their ambition of playing a leading role in the country's post-war reconstruction.

Lawsuits around the world
Confiscation could also spell legal trouble for these countries. Russian entities have already filed over 100 lawsuits in domestic courts demanding the release of Western assets currently frozen in Russia, according to officials with knowledge of the proceedings.

There are fears that these litigations might expand beyond Russia.

Moscow might push friendly jurisdictions such as China and Saudi Arabia to target target Western assets in their own countries, potentially tarnishing their reputation in the eyes of international investors.

Experts suggest that fears from these countries, that their assets in Europe might be next in line for confiscation if they fall out of favor with the West, are overblown.

“The only countries that should be concerned are those planning an illegal and unprovoked invasion of their neighbor,” said Tom Keatinge, a financial crime expert at the RUSI think tank. “And I don’t think any of those countries [China, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia] are planning this.”

Nonetheless, arguments focusing on financial risks resonate in some European capitals. The German government and the European Central Bank argued that confiscation might undermine investors’ confidence in the EU’s financial system.

Any potential but unlikely market turmoil caused by a full-scale confiscation might harm countries like the Gulf states which own huge stocks of foreign currency, Keatinge added.

If the G7 group of industrialized countries decides to seize Russia’s frozen assets, officials expect Russian courts to successfully challenge the decision. A court ruling in Russia could potentially leave a black hole in the balance books of the financial institutions holding the assets.

These bodies would have to tap into their cash reserves to make up the loss. This could involve using, as a last resort, other sovereign funds that are deposited in their accounts.

quote:

Op woensdag 3 april 2024 20:50 schreef RamboDirk het volgende:

[..]
Ik zie deze dude al twee jaar lang voorbij. Hoe telt hij al die losses?

quote:

Op woensdag 3 april 2024 22:48 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
Wat wil je nou weer suggereren dan?

quote:

Finland's President on refineries strikes: Russia only understands this language
President of Finland Alexander Stubb considers strikes on Russian refineries to be very acceptable, as Russia "understands only this language," as he says at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, RBC-Ukraine correspondent reports.

"The only language is the language of power. It is available in Russia. Whoever is responsible for these attacks in Russia, the question remains the same: is it a question of the oil price or do we have difficulties with it? War entails collateral damage, and whoever attacks (Russian refineries, - ed.) knows what they are doing, they do it skillfully, without endangering civilians, and this needs to be kept in mind," he said.

The President of Finland adds that war is undoubtedly brutal, it is heavy.

"But Russia only understands this way, only this language," Stubb noted.

Attacks on refineries in Russia
In recent weeks, Ukrainian defense forces have successfully attacked oil refineries in Russia. The consequences of such shelling have been critical enough for the Russian Ministry of Energy to acknowledge the shutdown of fuel production at several refineries and to announce the search for a solution to the problem.

Although the United States has called on Kyiv to stop attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, warning that drone strikes could lead to an increase in global oil prices, Ukraine considers refineries in Russia as legitimate targets.

The Insider has counted 15 drone attacks on 13 oil refineries in nine regions of Russia in 2024. Significant damage was inflicted on eight facilities.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 22:50 schreef ExTec het volgende:
LOL,

Ik vind het moeilijk om bij te houden wat wanneer is, en of er daarna concreter bewijs is geweest, dat is alles.

quote:

People are suffocating in the steam
Putin uses this horror bomb in Ukraine

Russia is using a new devastating weapon in Ukraine: the aerosol bomb. The explosion is weaker than with other bombs, but the consequences are fatal. Hardly anyone can protect themselves from it.

The Russian military dropped an ODAB-1500 aerosol bomb for the first time in the Sumy region of Ukraine on Friday. Video footage shows a gigantic white-gray cloud rising into the sky after an explosion, probably up to a kilometer high. The fatal thing: the smoke even penetrates tunnels and shelters.

The bomb is also colloquially called a compressed air bomb or vacuum bomb. It consists of a container containing a toxic substance. First, during the explosion, the fuel is distributed into the air, creating an aerosol. Then, about 150 milliseconds later, the aerosol cloud ignites.

Pressure cloud penetrates shelters
This pressure cloud is weaker than that of other bombs, but the fuel can even penetrate into bunkers, caves and tunnels. Places where people protect themselves from attacks during war. This is what makes them so devastating and, from the attacker's perspective, more effective at killing people.

Buildings and vehicles can also be destroyed under the pressure. The effect also lasts longer than with conventional explosives. The resulting vacuum draws the oxygen out of the air because the bomb uses atmospheric oxygen and does not contain its own oxidizing agent.

The weapon is usually detonated before impacting the earth, which is why the people around it do not die from the explosion and the resulting heat itself, but usually from lung damage and suffocation.

According to officially unconfirmed reports, the thermobaric bomb now used was said to have weighed 1.5 tons - heavier than previously used Russian bombs of a similar type.

quote:

Op woensdag 3 april 2024 22:57 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.t-online.de/n(...)icken-klaeglich.html
[..]
Wat meer informatie over die nieuwe bom.
[ x ]

SPOILER

Ja, bewuste typo.

quote:

Soldiers of the 60th and 63rd Brigades destroyed TOS-1A Solntsepyok

Soldiers of the 63rd Mechanized Brigade and the 60th Separate Mechanized Inhulets Brigade detected and destroyed a TOS-1А Solntsepyok heavy flamethrower system.

The 60th Mechanized Brigade’s press service reported on this.

The system was reportedly tracked for two weeks, it was protected by electronic warfare and caused a lot of damage to Ukrainian soldiers on the ground.

As a result, the TOS-1А Solntsepyok heavy flamethrower system was destroyed by FPV drones, while the 21st Mechanized Brigade and 95th Air Assault Brigade performed target illumination.

SPOILER

quote:

Знищення ТОС-1А «Солнцепёк»

Militarnyi previously reported that a night FPV drone of the 12th Azov Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine destroyed a Russian TOS-1А Solntsepyok heavy flamethrower system in the Donetsk region.

The heavy flamethrower system was on its way to attack the positions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the Kreminna sector.

It was discovered and destroyed on the march near the village of Terny, located on the border of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

The ammunition of the combat vehicle immediately detonated, leaving no chance for the crew to survive.

On March 11, Militarnyi reported that a drone of the 46th Airmobile Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed the TOS-1А Solntsepyok heavy flamethrower system in the Donetsk region.

The incident took place near the Russian-held Mariinka in the Donetsk region, which continues to be one of the most active areas along the Russian-Ukrainian front.

The powerful explosion that completely destroyed the launcher after a Ukrainian FPV drone hit it indicates that it was carrying a munition that the invaders intended to use to fire at Ukrainian defenders.

On March 7, it was reported that soldiers of the 47th Mechanized Brigade of the Strike Drones Company destroyed the TOS-1А heavy flamethrower system in the Avdiyivka sector.

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

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

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Pressure on AfDer Bystron is growing
The Czech Republic's secret service apparently has audio recordings that heavily incriminate AfD politician Petr Bystron. The party leadership demands an explanation.

BERLIN taz | The AfD member of the Bundestag and candidate for the European elections, Petr Bystron, has to explain his alleged connections to a pro-Russian network to the party leadership . “We demand a statement and explanation from Petr Bystron,” AfD leader Tino Chrupalla told the taz. He and his co-chairwoman Alice Weidel discussed it that way. Bystron is said to have received money from the network in Prague.

The Czech news portal Den�k N , citing government sources, reports that the Czech secret service has audio recordings that heavily incriminate Bystron. The head of the service, Michal Koudelka, informed the Czech government about this, and five cabinet members are said to have confirmed this information to Den�k N.

The deputy of the Green parliamentary group and chairman of the parliamentary control committee, Konstantin von Notz, is calling for clarification. “There are serious allegations in the room. We expect that the matter will be clarified in detail and that all criminal aspects will be examined quickly,” said von Notz to the taz.

The Czech government announced on Wednesday that it had exposed a propaganda network financed by Moscow that used the Prague-based website “Voice of Europe” to stir up sentiment in the EU against Ukraine's support in the war against Russia . The aim should also be to influence the European elections in June .

According to information from Denik N, money also flowed to politicians from Germany, Belgium, France, Poland, Hungary and the Netherlands. As Spiegel reported last week, this also includes two European politicians from the AfD. The AfD's leading candidate for the upcoming European elections, Maximilian Krah, explained through a spokesman that he had appeared twice on the pro-Russian website, but "of course did not receive any money for it."

Interviews with Bystron, who has Czech roots and is in second place on the AfD's Europe list, could also be found on the “Voice of Europe” platform in which he spread Russia-friendly representations. Last week, Bystron described the accusation of accepting money for this as “defamation” and announced that it would take action against the authors of the text and the news portal. They have now followed up with the new research results.

quote:

Invitation for Ukraine to join NATO will be same as membership - Stoltenberg
An invitation for Ukraine to join NATO, as soon as it is issued, will be the same as its membership in the military alliance.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this at a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday following the first day of the foreign ministerial meeting, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"All Allies agree that Ukraine will become a member. All Allies agree that we need to continue to move Ukraine closer to NATO membership. We made important decisions last year, we are implementing those now with the removal of the Membership Action Plan, we should not introduce something that is similar to a kind of two-step process. I think it's very important to maintain the one-step process for Ukraine to become a member, removing the requirement for Membership Action Plan and then ensuring that when an invitation is issued then that's the same as becoming a member as it is in NATO. That's the difference between NATO and the European Union. In the European Union, of course, when you're invited, it can take years from an invitation to membership. While in NATO, when you're invited, it's something that happens soon after.," Stoltenberg noted.

He said that regardless of the technicalities, there is a clear commitment for Ukraine to become a member. At the same time, it is necessary to realize that when this war ends, there has to be some kind of guarantees that this is really the end, that there is not only a pause, where Russia reconstitutes its forces, rests and then regroups and then attacks again. There was a similar pattern back in 2014, following the illegal annexation of Crimea and the seizure of part of Donbas. Then Russia took advantage of the ceasefire to start a full-scale war against Ukraine in eight years.

"Of course, when this war ends, we have to be absolutely sure that this is really the end, that it stops here. And therefore, we need to help Ukraine build their own defenses to deter any further Russian aggression. But there will always be a need for security guarantees and, of course, the ultimate security guarantee will be Article 5 and NATO membership," Stoltenberg said.

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Ukraine has right to attack military targets in Russia – Estonian president
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal received assurances of support during his meetings in Tallinn with Estonian President Alar Karis, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Riigikogu President Lauri Hussar.
That's according to Estonian broadcaster ERR, Ukrinform reports.

In particular, Karis emphasized that Ukraine has the right to strike targets behind the Russian lines.

"I consider Ukraine's attacks on military targets deep inside Russia quite legitimate – this helps slow the Russian war machine. [...] It is entirely legitimate in the war for the Ukrainian Defense Forces to destroy Russian infrastructure that is directly or more loosely tied to missile and drone attacks against Ukraine's civilian and energy sites," Karis said.

SPOILER

quote:

He also added that there could be no restrictions on aid to Ukraine, as this would only help Russia plan new strikes of aggression.

Kallas said at the meeting with Shmyhal that hopes for a quick peace during this war are a trap that should be avoided.

"Russia will use this only to mobilize and attack even more decisively. We all want to live in peace, but it must be a just and lasting peace. Estonia supports and actively participates in President Zelensky's peace plan, which is based on justice and territorial integrity of Ukraine," Kallas said.

In addition, according to her, in addition to military aid, it is already important to think about the rebuilding of Ukraine.

"The [Estonian] government has committed to long-term funding for both reconstruction and humanitarian aid. Estonia will continue to develop practical projects. We will focus on education, the social sphere and the reconstruction of buildings. We are mostly focused on the restoration of the Zhytomyr region," Kallas said.

She expressed hope that Estonia's actions to rebuild Ukraine, even as the war is ongoing, will be a good example for others. Kallas noted that cooperation in the field of cyber security remains one of Estonia's priorities in providing assistance to Ukraine.

Karis and Kallas also pointed out the importance of planned and long-term support for Ukraine, as well as the need for Ukraine to join the EU and NATO.

Hussar, in turn, noted Ukraine's success on its way to joining the European Union.

"We hope that you will be able to start accession negotiations already during Belgium's presidency [in 2024]," he said, adding that Estonia is ready to share its experience and knowledge with Ukraine.

Hussar also discussed the use of frozen Russian assets with Shmyhal. He noted that the Riigikogu is working on a respective bill. Both sides recognized that if the first step in this direction is taken, there is hope that other countries will eventually take similar measures.

They also discussed the situation at the front, the peace process presented by President Zelensky, sanctions against the Russian Federation, military aid to Ukraine, joining NATO, and the situation with children abducted from Ukraine.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 18:44 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Maersheimer heeft wel gelijk dat ze die 20% nooit meer terug krijgen, maar weet niet of ik het eens ben met het tweede. Lijkt me sterk dat Rusland nog meer terrein gaat veroveren, al weet ik niet helemaal hoe zo'n atrittion war uiteindelijk verloopt. Kan ook dat de boel instort natuurlijk.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 23:20 schreef grrrrg het volgende:

[..]
Rusland kan ook in elkaar storten. De Krimbrug kan instorten, dan wordt het moeilijk verdedigen voor Rusland in het zuiden van Oekra�ne.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 22:47 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
Een aantal ja... Niet die wat was het? 14 Su-34's ofzo???

En ook nul bewijs van die Patiot launchers dus ik geloof er geen reet van.

First Patriot Launcher (Likely Two) Destroyed By Russia -- In Donetsk

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 23:21 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Kans is veel groter dat dat met Oekra�ne gebeurd, maar alles kan natuurlijk.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 23:23 schreef BlaZ het volgende:

[..]
Dit is een pro-Oekra�nse bron aangaande die launchers.

First Patriot Launcher (Likely Two) Destroyed By Russia -- In Donetsk

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 23:33 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
Echt nul bewijs.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 21:49 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

[..]
In theorie kan het ook omdat de Russen minder zouden vliegen maar ik krijg niet de indruk dat dat zo is als je al die verhalen over die glijdende bommen leest.

quote:

How legal fights and stalling by judge could push Trump documents trial after election

A criminal case that was once viewed as the most open-and-shut prosecution against former President Donald Trump has been mired in delay, unresolved logistical questions and fringe legal arguments that appear to have hijacked the judge’s attention.

US District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed to the federal bench by Trump in 2020, has drawn out the case with an unusual, eyebrow-raising approach in her nearly 10-month oversight of the case, delaying rulings on what experts say are routine legal questions that must be resolved before the case can go to trial.

The longer it takes for Cannon to decide these issues, the more likely a trial would need to wait until after the November presidential election.

SPOILER

quote:

Prosecutors’ impatience was evident in fiery filings late Tuesday night, where special counsel Jack Smith said Cannon had asked for briefs that were premised on a “fundamentally flawed” understanding of the case that had “no basis in law or fact.”

Smith’s team previewed their desire to potentially appeal the dispute around how Cannon apparently views the case – which would further slowdown the timeline.

Regardless of whether they go that route, Smith has almost no options for speeding her up, as judges have nearly carte blanche authority to manage their dockets as they see fit.

“If the judge wants to drag it out, she can kind of drag it out,” said Alan Rozenshtein, a University of Minnesota Law School professor and former Justice Department attorney. “We invest enormous discretion in trial judges to run their cases, for better or for worse, and this case is – in that sense – like any other case.”

Frustration with how slowly a case is plodding along is nothing new in the criminal justice system, and slow-moving pretrial proceedings over the classified documents at the heart of the case were always expected. But Cannon’s critics view the pace of the Trump prosecution with added suspicion because of how she handled a separate, 2022 lawsuit Trump brought attacking the FBI’s documents investigation.

In that lawsuit, Cannon granted an extraordinary Trump request for a third-party review of the FBI’s 2022 search of his Mar-a-Lago resort for the classified documents. A conservative appeals court repeatedly reversed her rulings in the lawsuit, scolding her for giving Trump special treatment no other private citizen would receive, and shut down the review.

Now, critics accuse Cannon of – purposely or not – playing into Trump’s strategy of delaying the trial until after the election. If Trump wins the White House, he will presumably make the case go away.

Cannon’s rulings in the 2022 lawsuit were so “outside the bounds” that “people rightly became suspicious of her motives,” said Barbara McQuade, a former US attorney in the Obama administration.

“It is equally plausible,” McQuade said, while stressing she does not know what’s going on behind the scenes, “that she is very inexperienced and unsure of herself and is going as slowly as possible in the hopes that she won’t be first” among the Trump criminal cases to go to trial.

Stuck in legal rabbit holes
Legal experts have said that prosecutors have put forward strong evidence that Trump violated the law by keeping sensitive national security documents at his Mar-a-Lago club and by then allegedly obstructing the investigation into the documents’ whereabouts. Trump and his two co-defendants, who work for him, have pleaded not guilty.

But no matter how cut and dry the case may seem to outsiders, prosecutors won’t get a chance to put that evidence in front of a jury until Cannon works through a deep backlog of outstanding legal issues.

Cannon has yet to decide more than a dozen motions that have significant – and potentially fatal – implications for the criminal case, and legal experts are flummoxed by the massive amount of work she has left to do.

The case is about to truck past the May trial date she scheduled for it last year and Trump has eyed using the other criminal cases against him as an excuse to postpone this trial even longer.

Nevertheless, Cannon has rebuffed nudges from the prosecutors that the pace could be picked up.

“I can assure you that in the background there is a great deal of judicial work going on,” she said at a March hearing for considering a new trial date. “So while it may not appear on the surface that anything is happening, there is a ton of work being done in the background.”

After a flurry of hearings in the fall, proceedings in the case all but disappeared from the public eye as Cannon and the attorneys slogged through sealed proceedings that discussed classified information. The only hearings that have played out in public in the past several months are two proceedings in March discussing the trial schedule, Trump’s efforts to dismiss the case and his attempts to access additional information from the government.

Among the motions on the table are at least nine efforts by Trump and his two co-defendants to dismiss the charges against them.

That includes claims that Trump should have immunity in the case because he was still president when he first took the documents, that the Justice Department is selectively and vindictively prosecuting them, and that the special counsel doesn’t have the authority to bring charges.

Cannon has not yet ruled on any of those assertions. She also hasn’t ruled on a Trump request for information from a range of government entities including the Biden White House, nor has she decided a government plea that certain witness information be shielded from public view in court filings.

Perhaps most notably, the judge has yet to formally reschedule the trial, despite holding a hearing more than a month ago on the matter. Jury selection is ostensibly scheduled to begin in May, but Cannon has signaled that even a summer trial start date is now out of reach. It is unclear whether she is trying to wrap up some of the pending pretrial disputes, including the several bids by the defendants to get the charges tossed, before resetting the trial date.

“The delay seems unusual and, in light of her track record, it’s hard to give her the benefit of the doubt,” said McQuade, who now teaches at University of Michigan Law School.

A case that dissappeared from public view
Cannon has created a tedious process for attorneys to get permission to file redacted versions of their filings. That protocol has led to its own tangle of disputes over what information should be shielded from public release that appear to be preventing multiple major motions from even being docketed.

But some of the slow-moving proceedings are typical, experts say, specifically around how classified materials would be handled in the case.

“If you think about how an ordinary 21st century office works in terms of being able to print wirelessly to a printer, to work from home, to have your cell phone in your office – all of these are things you can’t do when you’re processing classified information,” David Aaron, a former Justice Department national security prosecutor, said in an interview with CNN.

“You have to be in a special room with limited equipment. You can’t bring your cell phone. You might not have internet access. You can’t file anything electronically,” Aaron said. “That adds friction to the way that you practice law.”

Debates over how classified information can be used are conducted almost entirely in secret, and often in hearings where only one side of the case is in the room at a time, known as an “ex parte” hearing. The unusual nature of how the hearings are conducted, Aaron said, can also slow down the process, which is governed by a law called the Classified Information Procedures Act, or CIPA.

“A lot of judges are seeing CIPA for the first time, and they’re often not initially comfortable with the idea of ex parte, or non-public, proceedings because that’s just not how American criminal cases usually go,” he said.

Cannon, appointed to the bench less than four years ago, has had limited trial experience both as a judge and in her previous role as a DOJ attorney.

According to what is on the public docket, Cannon has cleared key steps in that process. But in the non-classified legal fights playing out in public, particularly over Trump’s efforts to have the case thrown out, Cannon seems to have let tangential legal issues distract her from resolving the central questions, experts say.

“She is getting lost in arguments that any other judge would have dismissed right away,” said Mark Schnapp, a defense attorney in south Florida, where the case is proceeding.

‘Overcomplicating things enormously’
While Cannon has hinted that she views Trump’s far-fetched legal arguments with more sympathy than legal experts say is warranted, she has given little indication about how she’ll rule on Trump’s challenges, aside from one hearing in March when she heard arguments on two Trump claims for why the charges against him should be dismissed.

But court observers were shocked when Cannon summoned the parties to Florida to present their theories on the validity of the charges.

Hours after the hearing, Cannon rejected Trump’s first claim, that the national defense law he is charged under was too vague. She suggested, however, she could consider his arguments again when the case was closer to trial.

Rozenshtein, who is an alum of the DOJ National Security division during the Obama administration, said the order was an example of Cannon “kicking the can down the road.”

“This is in line with Judge Cannon’s approach to legal issues, where she is just overcomplicating things enormously,” he said.

She has yet to decide the second Trump claim from the hearing – his argument that a law known as Presidential Records Act gave him the power to take the sensitive government documents with him when he left the presidency. Trump’s arguments have been rebuffed by legal experts across the ideological spectrum, who note that the Presidential Records Act was passed to ensure that government records were being kept in government hands at the end of the presidency.

Even the National Archives itself said that Trump was misstating the significance of the law in an unusual rebuke on their website last year.

In the meantime, Cannon asked the attorneys in the case to engage in a thought exercise – what a trial jury would be instructed on reaching a verdict if Trump is allowed to argue that he had full authority to keep any documents he chose – leaving even experienced legal watchers questioning why she is pushing the attorneys into uncharted territory at the boundaries of the case.

“It’s such a clearly wrong legal argument,” said McQuade. “It’s hard to make sense of what she’s doing here.”

Prosecutors told Cannon Tuesday night that if she was going accept Trump’s arguments that he had the authority under the PRA to take at least some of the classified documents with him from the White House, that she should issue that ruling soon so Smith’s office could ask an appeal court to review it while the case continued to move towards trial.

“The real question is not any particular action that Judge Cannon makes,” said Rozenshtein. “It’s when you stack them all up on top of each other, you get a sense of someone who, in the best case, does not have her arms around this case, and in the worst case, could lead people to question her motives.”

quote:

Judge denies Trump’s motion to delay NY hush money trial until Supreme Court rules on presidential immunity
The judge presiding over former President Donald Trump’s upcoming New York criminal trial denied his motion to delay its start until after the US Supreme Court rules on Trump’s presidential immunity claim.

Judge Juan Merchan denied the motion Wednesday calling it untimely and noting Trump’s lawyers had months to file a motion over the issue.

SPOILER

quote:

“This Court finds that Defendant had myriad opportunities to raise the claim of presidential immunity well before March 7, 2024,” the order says. “After all, Defendant had already briefed the same issue in federal court and he was in possession of, and aware that, the People intended to offer the relevant evidence at trial that entire time. The circumstances, viewed as a whole, test this Court’s credulity.”

The criminal trial related to hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to adult film star Stormy Daniels is scheduled to begin with jury selection on April 15. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Merchan previously ruled that Trump’s lawyers can object when prosecutors introduce evidence at trial that they believe is tied to presidential acts but did not address the issue further in Wednesday’s ruling.

“The Court declines to consider whether the doctrine of presidential immunity precludes the introduction of evidence of purported official presidential acts in criminal proceeding,” the order says.

When Trump filed the motion on March 7, the trial was still set to begin on March 25. A week later the trial was delayed mid-April over a tranche of documents turned over by federal prosecutors.

quote:

Federal judge condemns ‘normalization’ of January 6 while sentencing defiant rioter
A federal judge on Wednesday blasted a convicted January 6 rioter for downplaying the US Capitol attack and using the kind of revisionist rhetoric that former President Donald Trump often uses on the campaign trial.

“This cannot become normal… We cannot condone the normalization of the January 6 US Capitol riot,” US District Judge Royce Lamberth said while sentencing Taylor James Johnatakis to more than seven years in prison.

The judge warned of a “vicious cycle … that could imperil our institutions” if Americans, upset with future election results, resort to the “vigilantism, lawlessness and anarchy” that occurred on January 6, 2021.

SPOILER

quote:

He did not reference Trump by name while sentencing Johnatakis, but the comparisons were clear. After Johnatakis’ conviction in November, he has mirrored Trump’s rhetoric in interviews about the insurrection, saying “everything about January 6 is just overblown,” and referring to the jail in Washington, DC, as a “gulag.”

Trump has similarly put what he calls “January 6 hostages” front and center in his campaign. He has pledged to pardon some of the people facing charges for their role in the insurrection. And he has played a song at political rallies that features the voices of January 6 inmates singing the national anthem.

The judge declared Wednesday that “the January 6 riot was not civil disobedience,” but instead was a “corrosive” and “selfish, not patriotic” affront to the nation, where Americans were “battling (their) own representative government.” He invoked the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Henry David Thoreau as examples of historic American figures who pursued “peaceful” but powerful acts of civil disobedience.

“There can be no room in our country for this sort of political violence,” Lamberth said.

Johnatakis briefly spoke during the hearing, only to say “I repent for my sins,” and to ask several questions common among so-called Sovereign Citizen conspiracy theorists who don’t recognize the authority of the federal government.

Lamberth, a senior judge appointed by former President Ronald Reagan, dismissed these inquiries as “gobbledygook.”

Johnatakis was found guilty in November by a federal jury of seven crimes, including assaulting a police officer and obstructing the congressional proceedings. He has been in the DC jail since his conviction.

According to evidence presented at trial, Johnatakis attended Trump’s rally on January 6 and then threatened to “break down doors” while marching toward the Capitol. Once outside the building, he incited fellow Trump supporters in the massive mob by spewing fiery rhetoric over a megaphone – and later led the charge to breach the police line by using a metal barricade to overpower the officers.

He has been defiant about his actions, saying in a recent interview that “we did nothing” on January 6, and writing about the “injustice” that he and other Capitol riot defendants are facing behind bars.

Prosecutors said he deserved a longer prison term because of his “continued lack of remorse.”

quote:

How Trump’s greatest policy triumph could derail his bid to win back the White House
One-term presidents who fail to win a second term are usually doomed by their failures. So it would be ironic if Donald Trump’s bid is derailed by what is likely to be his most enduring policy achievement.

The former president succeeded in constructing an unassailable conservative majority on the Supreme Court, which overturned the constitutional right to an abortion two years ago and set off an extraordinary cascade of consequences that now threatens his 2024 campaign to win a non-consecutive second term.

Trump is yet to come up with a coherent policy on abortion as conservative states enthusiastically try to dismantle those rights. His equivocating shows that he knows restrictive abortion policies are deeply unpopular and could weaken his already fragile appeal to suburban and women voters. But he can’t quite disown his big win in becoming the Republican president who sent Roe v. Wade crashing down.

SPOILER

quote:

The ex-president’s dilemma is back in the spotlight after Florida’s Supreme Court on Monday delivered a ruling that will mean that a six-week abortion ban – one of the most restrictive in the nation – will come into force next month. Trump originally blasted the six-week cut-off as a “terrible mistake” when he saw a chance to damage then-primary rival Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed the law. But on Tuesday, Trump declined to answer questions on the matter, promising instead to make a “statement” next week.

His punt doesn’t look like a sustainable position through November’s election.

Can the Biden campaign pin Trump down?
The Florida Supreme Court issued a separate ruling on Monday that could energize Democrats’ efforts to hold Trump to account on abortion. By clearing for this November’s ballot a proposed state constitutional amendment that would protect the right to the procedure, the court ensured that abortion will be at the center of this fall’s election in Trump’s home state.

The presumptive GOP nominee’s campaign on Tuesday tried to have it both ways, saying Trump “supports preserving life but has made clear that he supports states’ rights.” But his waffling on abortion hints at the risk it poses to him.

Last month, the ex-president made clear he was moving toward embracing a federal ban on the procedure at 15 weeks. “The number of weeks now, people are agreeing on 15, and I’m thinking in terms of that, and it’ll come out to something that’s very reasonable,” he said.

He seems to be trying to appease hardline conservatives in his party while also hoping to avoid alienating more moderate and independent voters who will be critical to deciding the election. But if Trump formally embraces a 15-week ban, President Joe Biden – who is vowing to enshrine abortion rights into law – would argue that Trump seeks national prohibitions on the procedure.

There’s every chance Trump might back away from even this level of specificity. His reticence shone through an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” in September, well before he’d secured the GOP nomination. “What’s going to happen is you’re going to come up with a number of weeks or months,” Trump said. “You’re going to come up with a number that’s going to make people happy,” he added, conjuring a scenario that blithely ignored Americans’ deeply felt, and often irreconcilable, positions on the issue.

The ex-president has long been wary of taking a definitive stand against abortion rights. He has, for instance, warned that Republicans risk alienating potential voters with tough anti-abortion laws that lack exceptions for rape, incest or risks to the mother’s health.

This posturing may be a relic of his more liberal past as well as a sign of political calculation. He’s gotten away with it in the GOP largely because of his honored promise to evangelicals to build a conservative court majority hostile to abortion. If he can maintain a fuzzy position for the rest of the general election campaign, the ex-president may be able to ride out the controversy – even as Republicans lower down the ballot may suffer on Election Day.

But the Biden campaign is trying to pin the ex-president down, seeking to revive an issue that drives Democratic voters to the polls. It laid into Trump with relish on abortion on Tuesday, releasing a new ad that will run in swing states. It begins with video of the presumptive Republican nominee saying: “For 54 years, they were trying to get Roe v. Wade terminated, and I did it, and I’m proud to have done it.”

How Democrats are finding an opening in a generational liberal failure
Democrats are confronting their own sense of irony. While Trump’s great success on the Supreme Court has created a big general election headache for him, liberals are now viewing one of the greatest policy failures of their movement – the loss of federal abortion rights – as a political opportunity that could send Biden back to the Oval Office.

The overturning of Roe v. Wade has unleashed policy mayhem across the country. Some Republican-led legislatures have passed tough abortion bans, while more moderate states have moved to safeguard reproductive rights. State-level ballot initiatives have sought to let the voters decide. Even in red states like Kansas and Ohio, voters have sided with the abortion-rights side of those ballot questions. But some Republicans are infringing the spirit of the Supreme Court ruling – which sent the issue back to individual states – by pushing for a national ban.

The loss of Roe has also set off fierce controversies over related issues. It paved the way for lower court decisions that have, for instance, paused some IVF treatments in Alabama and set off a battle over the availability of abortion pills nationwide that reached the Supreme Court. There are real human consequences for the patchwork of policies across the country; many women now have no access to abortion or must travel hundreds of miles to out-of-state clinics. The Florida ban effectively means there is no abortion provision at all across the southeast United States.

In a way, this nationwide chaos is symptomatic of Trumpism itself – a political creed characterized mostly by a willingness to overturn precedents, assumptions, behavior and rights that have long been taken for granted, without putting anything concrete in their place. The confusion over abortion policy might be a preview, therefore, for huge upheaval that could lie in store in a second Trump term that figures to be even more disruptive than his first for the federal bureaucracy, the legal system and other parts of the political system.

But first, Trump has to win back the White House. And Democrats believe they have an issue, in abortion rights, that could thwart him – despite Biden’s own unpopularity. “As we’ve seen in election after election, protecting abortion rights is mobilizing a diverse and growing segment of voters to help buoy Democrats up and down the ballot,” Biden’s campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez wrote in a memo this week.

Democratic happy talk on Florida
The prospect of abortion rights on the ballot this fall led to some optimistic talk among Democrats Tuesday that the elusive prize of Florida – once a perennial swing state, but one that Trump won in the last two elections – could be back in play in November.

Democrats are delighted since they have had considerable success in using ballot initiatives to protect abortion rights or reject further restrictions. They managed to turn the trick for example in Michigan, Montana, California and even conservative Kentucky in the midterm elections. In some places, the potency of the abortion issue ensured an invigorated Democratic turnout in statewide races. Even in reliably Republican Ohio, pro-abortion rights campaigners pulled off a remarkable win in 2023 as voters approved a measure that enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution.

Claims that Democrats can win Florida, which has trended toward Republicans, should be taken with a large pinch of salt at this stage. Trump carried the state by 1 point in 2016 and grew his margin to three points four years later. And DeSantis won a thumping reelection victory there in 2022. There’s no guarantee moreover that a voter who wants to preserve abortion rights will also choose Biden on the presidential ballot. Some Republicans will be needed to pass the measure since state constitutional amendments require a 60% threshold in Florida. And this is one state where Trump’s lack of specificity on the issue may help him.

Still, even if the early Democratic excitement doesn’t translate to the Sunshine State becoming more competitive this fall, it could force the ex-president to spend some of his limited campaign resources there, instead of using them to attack Biden in closely contested swing states.

There are also signs the ballot measure has injected new hope into the Democratic bid to unseat Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott, who has said that if he were still governor, he would sign the six-week bill.

Scott could be far more vulnerable that Trump statewide. The Republican defeated Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson by less than half a point in 2018, and he’s never run in a presidential year. The campaign of the Democratic front-runner to take him on, former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, called the Florida Supreme Court decisions a “game changer.” And she sent out multiple fundraising emails hailing the ballot initiative.

“This is a HUGE victory in the fight to defend reproductive freedom — but it’s just the beginning. Now, we need to get this initiative across the finish line, defeat Rick Scott at the ballot box, and codify abortion rights,” she said in one of the emails.

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Trump posts Fox News clip to his social media. Expert thinks it violates gag order
Former special counsel at the Department of Defense Ryan Goodman explains why he thinks a post made by former President Donald Trump to his social media may have violated a gag order instituted against him in the hush money case.

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'He's a damn fool': Marjorie Taylor Greene slams Mike Johnson over Ukraine
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) appeared on Steve Bannon's podcast to voice her frustrations with House Speaker Mike Johnson's handling of Ukraine funding.

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Poll: Most Americans want Supreme Court to reject Trump immunity claims

A slim majority of Americans support the Supreme Court's recent decision to keep former President Donald Trump on the ballot, according to a poll released Wednesday, but they are largely unconvinced that he should be granted immunity from prosecution.

The Marquette Law School poll found that 56% backed the high court's decision last month to keep Trump on Colorado's presidential ballot despite claims he violated the "insurrectionist ban" in the 14th Amendment with his conduct ahead of the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. Nearly 4 in 10 said they opposed the decision.

But 62% of respondents opposed granting "former presidents" immunity, compared with 20% who supported that idea. The poll landed as the justices prepare to hear arguments this month in a blockbuster dispute over whether Trump may claim immunity from special counsel Jack Smith's election subversion case. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has argued that his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results were part of his official capacity as president.

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Pollsters asked half of respondents whether "former presidents" should receive immunity and the other half whether "former President Donald Trump," specifically, should be shielded from prosecution. The share of respondents supporting immunity for Trump rose by 8 percentage points.

The difference, the poll's director said, appeared to be due largely to Republicans who generally oppose immunity for "former presidents" but who were more willing to support such protections for Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.

"The striking finding is that Republicans reverse themselves when asked about Trump rather than 'former presidents,'" said Charles Franklin, a professor of law and public policy and the director of the Marquette Law School poll.

"One implication is that Republicans are not paying enough attention to Trump's Supreme Court appeal to realize without prompting that the immunity case is about Trump," he added. "Only when the question directly says, 'This is about Trump' do they swing sharply, reversing what they would think about 'former presidents' in general."

The Supreme Court will hear arguments in the immunity case April 25, rounding out its scheduled arguments with one of the most closely watched cases of the year.

In another experiment, pollsters noted in interviews with half of the respondents that the court had decided the Trump "insurrectionist ban" dispute "unanimously" and omitted the description with the other half. Including the word "unanimously" led to a slightly higher approval of the decision but also a higher share of respondents who were opposed.

The court was unanimous in its bottom-line conclusion in the ballot case but split deeply over the reasoning.

Americans' support for the Supreme Court has slipped considerably in recent years following a series of controversial rulings, notably the 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 opinion that established a constitutional right to abortion. Several justices, meanwhile, have faced blowback over ethics and transparency controversies.

The new Marquette poll found 47% approve of the job the Supreme Court is doing, a slight increase over recent polling but well below where it stood just three years ago.

The poll, conducted March 18-28, is based on interviews with 1,000 adults nationwide conducted using the SSRS Opinion Panel. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Wow! Court Suddenly REJECTS Trump’s Bond

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 19:17 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

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De AI in raketten zouden getraind kunnen worden om bijvoorbeeld hun eigen doelwitten uit te kiezen en dan uit te schakelen. Of speciale geavanceerde manoeuvres uit te voeren afhankelijk van de situatie. Al is dat toekomst praat.

Maar ik had het vooral over AI voor drones. Daar ging mijn verhaal over. En toen iemand zij dat de Tomahawk zulke systemen hadden die dezelfde dingen zouden kunnen (wat AI in drones kunnen doen) was dat de insteek die ik gebruikte om dit uit te zoeken. Want ik dacht dat er bedoeld werd dat AI al aanwezig was in de Tomahawk raketten. Maar dat werd er volgens mij niet bedoeld achteraf gezien.

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 22:49 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.politico.eu/a(...)-china-saudi-arabia/
[..]

SPOILER

[..]

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Op woensdag 3 april 2024 23:03 schreef AchJa het volgende:

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Erg verassend allemaal....

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Ja, bewuste typo.

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The first attempts occurred during the First World War when incendiary shells (in German 'Brandgranate') used a slow but intense burning material, such as tar impregnated tissue and gunpowder dust. These shells burned for approximately 2 minutes after the shell exploded and spread the burning elements in every direction.[27] In World War II, the German Wehrmacht attempted to develop a vacuum bomb,[28] under the direction of the Austrian physicist Mario Zippermayr.[29]

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Op donderdag 4 april 2024 06:04 schreef Hyperdude het volgende:
Trump is weer aan het vertragen, zoals gewoonlijk.

Maar waarom bovenstaand verhaaltje zeer uitgebreid posten in dit topic?

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Op donderdag 4 april 2024 11:27 schreef bianconeri het volgende:

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Omdat de mods hier te lui zijn om politieke off topic verhalen te verwijderen en altijd alles wat off topic is maar toelaten.

En die dellenlil maar doodleuk zijn gang mag gaan met zijn off topic gedoe.

Nou kunnen we de rechtszaak van Trump volgen in een topic over de oorlog in Oekraine.

Moet niet gekker worden.

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Op donderdag 4 april 2024 11:46 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:

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Goeiemorgen zonneschijn

Nana Mouskouri - Guten Morgen Sonnenschein

Maarten van Rossem zingt Guten Morgen

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Op donderdag 4 april 2024 11:27 schreef bianconeri het volgende:

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Omdat de mods hier te lui zijn om politieke off topic verhalen te verwijderen en altijd alles wat off topic is maar toelaten.

En die dellenlil maar doodleuk zijn gang mag gaan met zijn off topic gedoe.

Nou kunnen we de rechtszaak van Trump volgen in een topic over de oorlog in Oekraine.

Moet niet gekker worden.

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Op donderdag 4 april 2024 15:23 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:
Het is weer lekker druk in de lucht hier

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Op donderdag 4 april 2024 15:26 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:

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Is de NWO weer aan het sprayen?
[ afbeelding ]

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Op donderdag 4 april 2024 15:27 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:

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Nee ze zitten nu erg laag dus ik verwacht dat ze de 5g antennes aan het calibreren zijn voor Pfizer jabbed mensen

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Op donderdag 4 april 2024 15:23 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:
Het is weer lekker druk in de lucht hier

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Op donderdag 4 april 2024 11:27 schreef bianconeri het volgende:

[..]
Omdat de mods hier te lui zijn om politieke off topic verhalen te verwijderen en altijd alles wat off topic is maar toelaten.

En die dellenlil maar doodleuk zijn gang mag gaan met zijn off topic gedoe.

Nou kunnen we de rechtszaak van Trump volgen in een topic over de oorlog in Oekraine.

Moet niet gekker worden.

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Op donderdag 4 april 2024 17:37 schreef over_hedge het volgende:

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Ah ja er elke dag over janken is een heel stuk meer ontopic dan zijn posts natuurlijk Hoeveelste keer is dit nu dat je er over zeurt? En meerdere mensen je al verteld hebben waarom dit wel als On topic beschouwd wordt... Inclusief een forum admin