Oorlog in Oekra�ne #961 Zal de hulp er nu toch echt gaan komen?

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Scholz: Ukraine may receive six more Patriot systems from NATO partners
Ukraine may receive additional air defense systems from NATO partners.

This was announced at a briefing by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Censor.NET reports citing RBC-Ukraine.

The German Chancellor said that NATO partners could supply Ukraine with six Patriot systems, in addition to the one already transferred by Germany.

"We have already provided two systems, and now we have provided a third, and we are the country that is making the most significant contribution to this cause. The last, third system that we have announced, which will be transferred to Ukraine and will be used there, is also our call to other countries to make similar decisions," Scholz said.

According to the Chancellor, the Alliance has made it clear that systems available in NATO countries can be transferred to enable Ukraine to better defend itself against numerous Russian attacks.

"And I would like to repeat this call and deepen it once again. We have heard about seven additional systems. One of them is ours. We are still hoping to find six more in the NATO context, and I have again used this opportunity in many talks to convey this message," he emphasized.

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Polish agent who offered Russia to kill Zelensky exposed
Agent who offered Russian security services an attempt on Zelensky’s life has been unmasked. The Daily Mail reports this.

The Security Service of Ukraine has said that together with Polish law enforcers they have unmasked a Pole who offered Russian special services an attempt on Vladimir Zelensky’s life.

So far, it is known that we are talking about a Polish citizen who collected information about the security of the airport Rzeszow-Jasienko.

This should have helped the Russian security services to plan an assassination attempt on the President of Ukraine during his stay in Poland.

The Russian agent has already been detained, the Polish prosecutor’s office has charged him with “willingness to act in favor of a foreign intelligence service.”

Message in the Telegram channel of the Security Service of Ukraine.


The charge of willingness to act in favor of a foreign intelligence service qualified under Article 130 �3 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Poland.

VIDEO. Earlier, Vladimir Zelensky said that he had survived six assassination attempts since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Zelensky reveals he's survived SIX assassination attempts since Russian invasion of Ukraine

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‘Enough Already!’ Don Jr. Turns Against Speaker Johnson With Damning Montage About Border Security
His father may be waffling, but Donald Trump Jr. appears to have made up his mind about House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).

In a post to X/Twitter on Thursday, Don Jr. laced into Johnson by sharing a minute-long montage of the speaker talking about the importance of the House addressing the southern border. On Wednesday, after long insisting that any aid package for Ukraine and Israel must be tied to a new border security bill, Johnson decided to split up the legislation and move a separate border security bill.

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73rd Maritime Special Operations Center Strikes Ammunition Depot in Southern Sector

The operators of the 73rd Maritime Special Operations Center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine located the position of Russian troops and an ammunition depot in southern Ukraine.

This information was provided by the press service of the Special Operations Forces.

The Special Operations Forces struck the targets using FPV drones, drones equipped with a payload drop system, and 122-mm D-30 howitzers.

As a result of the fire damage, the caponiers with ammunition and the location of enemy personnel were destroyed.

Ураження особового складу та об'єктів противника

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Ukrainian-born Republican Spartz proposes reducing military aid for Ukraine
Republican Congressional Representative Victoria Spartz, the only U.S. lawmaker born in Ukraine, has submitted amendments calling for reductions to the proposed Ukrainian aid package that is set to be voted on this Saturday in the U.S. House of Representatives.

One of Spartz's amendments suggests removing provisions from the proposed law regarding the PDA program, which allows the White House to supply weapons directly from U.S. military stockpiles to Ukraine.

Additionally, Spartz's amendments target economic aid included in Johnson's proposal. She proposes eliminating a clause of over $7.8 billion in loan assistance, as well as preventing the U.S. president from forgiving Ukraine's debt under specific conditions.

The fourth amendment eliminates $481 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services designated for refugees. Lastly, the fifth proposes barring countries affected by the war in Ukraine from utilizing funds within the FMF program, which allows for the direct purchase of weapons from manufacturers to support a U.S. ally's needs.

Spartz was born in a small city in Chernihiv Oblast, and moved to the U.S. in 2000. She became the first Ukrainian-born member of Congress in 2021 and has been known for her staunch support of former President Donald Trump.

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Takeaways from the day a jury was selected to decide Donald Trump’s fate in the hush money trial
Jury selection in Donald Trump’s hush money business fraud case began Thursday looking like the task of finding 12 jurors had run aground.

Two of the seven initial jurors who were seated Tuesday were excused. Judge Juan Merchan’s hopes to begin the trial on Monday with opening arguments appeared to be dwindling fast.

By the end of the day, the jury in the first criminal trial of a former president in US history had been seated. Only five alternates are left to be selected on Friday.

It’s also clear the trial will be a bumpy one. The Manhattan district attorney’s office, for instance, said it won’t let the defense know who its first witnesses are to prevent Trump from posting on social media about them.

A hearing over what prosecutors can say about Trump’s legal history is also likely on Friday.

Here are the takeaways from Thursday’s topsy turvy jury selection in Trump’s criminal trial:

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People in Slovakia buy bullets for Ukraine in defiance of Russia-friendly PM
BRATISLAVA - Slovaks have raised hundreds of thousands of euros for ammunition for Ukraine in a few days as part of a crowdfunding campaign, the organisers said on April 17, in defiance of a government that has refused to send military aid to Kyiv.

Thousands of people have already contributed �750,000 (S$1 million) since April 15, when the Peace For Ukraine group launched the initiative, organisers said.

Since coming to power in 2023, populist Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has stopped military aid to Ukraine and advocated peace talks with Russia.

“We, the residents of Slovakia, want to and can help,” said Ms Zuzana Izsakova, a representative of the fund-raising initiative.

“We want to show that it is not only the government and Robert Fico who decide on this matter,” she told AFP.

The organisation hopes to raise �1 million, and plans to funnel all of the money to an international initiative spearheaded by the Czech Republic to buy ammunition for Ukraine.

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Polish PM calls on farmers to stop blockade of Ukraine's border
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has called on Polish farmers to stop blocking the border with Ukraine.

Source: Polskie Radio, citing Tusk after the summit of the European Council in Brussels, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Tusk stated that Ukraine is in a tough situation after the recent series of Russian strikes and the near future may be decisive for the fate of this war.

Quote: "I want to appeal to everyone in Poland without exception [and ask] not to do anything that could harm Ukraine... We must make decisions that will protect the Polish border and border crossings."

More details: Tusk emphasised that the Polish government cannot allow the blocking of crossings, regardless of the justification the protests have.

"We cannot harm Ukraine in any way at a time when the fate of the war is being decided," Tusk pointed out.

He mentioned that border crossings, according to the government's latest decision, have critical infrastructure status and that the government is ready to provide further assistance to farmers who have lost some of their income.

"I am counting on them to reflect and abandon this form of protest," Tusk said.

He added that state services will work on clearing the border crossings. However, Tusk does not believe that direct coercive measures are necessary in this case.

Background:
On 18 April, CIA Director William Burns warned lawmakers that if the US Congress does not approve assistance to Ukraine now, Kyiv may lose the war by the end of the year.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Brown have stressed the need for Congress to approve aid to Ukraine as soon as possible, as the delay is already having consequences on the battlefield.

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Ukrainian troops eliminated a commander of the 59th Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces

The Ukrainian Air Force eliminated the commander of the 59th Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces during a missile strike on a military facility of the invaders in Luhansk.

Militarnyi reported on this.

The death of the Russian invader became known from the Russian media, which wrote about his funeral. He was Colonel Pavel Kropotov, who had fought in Syria before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian invader was killed as a result of a successful missile strike by Ukrainian Armed Forces aircraft on April 13 on the Luhansk Machine-Building Plant 100, which was used by the invaders for military purposes.

Russian media outlets explicitly state that the commander of the 59th Brigade of the Russian Ground Forces (military unit 28331) was killed by a “British missile strike.”

Colonel Kropotov was to be buried near the city of Rostov-on-Don, where his family lives.

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Husband of jailed Russian blogger signs up for Ukraine war to secure her release
Alexei Blinovsky reported to have joined unit popular with politicians and VIPs keen to curry favour with the Kremlin

When his wife, a prominent Russian Instagram influencer, was threatened with years of imprisonment over tax evasion charges, Alexei Blinovsky opted for what seemed the most viable means to secure her freedom in Russia today: he joined Vladimir Putin’s military campaign in Ukraine.

Months earlier, his wife, Yelena Blinovskaya, a former beauty queen turned famous self-help coach, made a last-ditch attempt to escape the country, but was arrested on the border with Belarus and charged with large-scale tax evasion.

On Tuesday, Blinovsky, who helped run his wife’s self-help business, was captured on film sipping tea alongside fellow soldiers near the frontline with Ukraine, trading his customary designer attire for khaki fatigues.

Blinovsky’s decision to join the war is merely the latest manifestation of a broader trend, wherein joining the fighting in Ukraine serves as a get-out-of-jail card for those deemed to have wronged the Kremlin.

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Why does Azov still not receive Western weapons?
Nonsense. That's the first word that comes to mind in the context of the current ban on the transfer of Western weapons to Azov.

Few people in Ukraine know about this, and almost no one speaks about it publicly. It's time to draw attention to this Kafkaesque situation and make it public.

Since 2017, a number of US Consolidated Appropriation Bills have contained the following amendment: "None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to provide arms, training, or other assistance to the Azov Battalion."

In 2015, Congressman John Conyers Jr, a Democrat from Michigan, proposed this amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Bill for the fiscal year ending 30 September 2016. The congressman made the proposal, noting that Foreign Affairs, as well as "other leading media outlets", had characterised the Azov Battalion as "openly neo-Nazi" and "fascist".

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Takeaways from the final day of jury selection in Trump’s historic hush money trial
Judge Juan Merchan swiftly moved through consideration of roughly 200 potential jurors to find a jury pool of 18 by midday Friday, swearing in 12 jurors and six alternates who will decide Donald Trump’s fate in the New York hush money case.

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Op zaterdag 20 april 2024 08:56 schreef Breekfast het volgende:
Een hele spannende dag vandaag voor Oekra�ne, met de definitieve stemming in het huis van afgevaardigden in de VS over een steunpakket van 61 miljard.

Ik hoop dat de VS alles logistiek al zo hebben voorbereid dat als het pakket erdoor is, er heel snel wapens in Oekra�ne aan zullen komen.

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Op zaterdag 20 april 2024 09:02 schreef halfway het volgende:

[..]
Een lening dus zodat ze wapens van de VS kunnen kopen.

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Dutch intelligence agency takes action against Russian hackers: report
“The Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) took action last year to restrict the digital freedom of movement of Russian hackers against the Netherlands and allies, including Ukraine. The service will continue to do so next year,” the MIVD wrote in its recent annual report.

According to the report, the Dutch intelligence agency sent intelligence to its Ukrainian counterparts regarding Russian cyber operations, enabling Ukraine to take action and stop leaks as a result. “This has contributed to the protection of Ukrainian government networks and vital infrastructure,” the MIVD noted.

“In addition, the MIVD shared intelligence and insights about Russian cyber operations with other partners and others, such as government services and the private sector… The MIVD itself has also disrupted Russian cyber operations,” the agency added.

“The threat from Russia is great,” MIVD Director, Rear Admiral Peter Reesink said in a press release regarding the recent report.

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Guardian: Half of British military defense fund for Ukraine remains unused
More than half of the U.K.'s 900 million pound (over $1 billion) military fund for Ukraine remains unused due to bureaucratic delays in handing out contracts, the Guardian reports.

The British Ministry of Defense manages a coalition of about nine countries called the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU). The IFU is a funding mechanism that was created in August 2022 and uses financial contributions from nine other countries to procure military equipment for Ukraine. Some of the other countries in the initiative include Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, Iceland, and Lithuania.

The IFU has been criticized for its slow provision of weapons to the frontlines. Of the more than $1 billion that's been donated by Western countries over the last two years, of which $600 million came from the U.K., only about $500 million has been committed or spent.

Some British officials even admitted that some of the materials that were purchased would not reach Ukraine until Spring 2025.

Delays have reportedly been caused by a need to assess each of the massive numbers of defense companies that have received contracts. A spokesperson from the Ministry reportedly told the Guardian that "thousands of responses have been received from industry to IFU requirements, each of which has had to be individually reviewed."

Defense Secretary Grant Shapps is actively trying to recruit new countries to join the fund but the initiative's negative record for distributing cash appears to be deterring potential donors.

Delays in Western aid have become a major issue for Ukraine's military, especially as critical ammunition shortages continue to undermine advances on the battlefield.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also called on international partners to expand provisions of air defense systems amidst increased Russian aerial attacks over the last few months.

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Russians destroy agricultural products on their way to Asia and Africa in Odesa Oblast port

Russian missile attack on the Pivdennyi (Southern) post in Odesa Oblast on the afternoon of 19 April destroyed containers with agricultural products which were supposed to be exported to Asia and Africa.

Source: press service of the Ministry of Restoration of Ukraine

Quote: "Two terminals specialising in shipping of agricultural products were struck in the Pivdennyi port. One of the terminals belongs to the world famous Singapore company Delta Vilmar, which has been operating in Ukraine since 2004 and also owns several plants for processing of agricultural products. These are over US$300 million of investments and almost 1,000 [people’s] jobs."

Details: The Ministry of Restoration notes that this is the 39th Russian attack on port infrastructure facilities in Odesa Oblast.

In total, 215 facilities, 153 means of transport and 8 civilian vessels were damaged and partially destroyed, and 26 civilians were injured.

Background: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russian forces had struck the Pivdennyi seaport on the afternoon of 19 April, hitting port facilities with missiles.

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Two suspects held in Poland after attack on Navalny ally in Lithuania
Two men have been detained in Poland on suspicion that they attacked Russian activist Leonid Volkov — an ally of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny — on the orders of foreign intelligence services, officials said.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk later said on social media that the two Polish “assassins” are under arrest, as well as a Belarusian working for Russia who had ordered the Poles to “assassinate” a Navalny associate. He said the Poles were linked to extremist football fan groups.

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Op zaterdag 20 april 2024 09:35 schreef michaelmoore het volgende:

[..]
Europa is te laks met hulp voor Oekraine en doet te weinig , ook zelf wapens en munitie maken gebeurt niet, Europa wacht tot de Rus de Balten en Moldova inpikt en doet dan nog niets
https://nl.marketscreener(...)n-te-halen-46473239/
De USA gaat met Trump ook niets doen ,
Tsjechie wil graag de vriend zijn van de Rus en is 1968 vergeten , Hongarije idem dito

nederland kan de helft van haar patriot systemen naar Oekraine sturen , maar doet NIETS
[..]

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NATO has air defense systems ready for Ukraine, Stoltenberg says
Announcements are expected “in the near future,” the NATO Secretary General said after Zelenskyy met with defense ministers.

BRUSSELS — NATO countries confirmed Friday they have available air defense systems that can be sent to Ukraine, the alliance's chief said.

Announcements are expected "in the near future," Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the media after a virtual meeting between Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO defense ministers.

The emergency meeting, under the format of NATO-Ukraine Council, was called by Zelenskyy two days ago amid Russia's escalating missile attacks against Ukrainian civilians. It comes just a day before a crucial U.S. congressional vote to decide whether to give Ukraine a $60 billion package of military aid.

"NATO defense ministers have agreed to step up and provide further military support, including more air defense. NATO has mapped out existing capabilities across the lines and there are systems that can be made available to Ukraine," Stoltenberg said.

"So I expect new announcements on air defense capabilities for Ukraine soon ... I expect concrete announcements in the near future based on the information that was shared with us," he added.

While the focus is on the Patriot system, "there are other weapons that allies can provide, including SAMP/Ts," the NATO boss said, adding: "Many allies who do not have available systems have pledged to provide financial support to purchase them for Ukraine."

NATO is also working with industry to ramp up production and to refurbish systems to make them operational and fit for purpose, he said.

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203mm shells of American production were spotted with Russians

^{American 203mm projectile. Source: Telegram channel "Ukrainian Informator"}

The Russian gunners were spotted with 203mm artillery shells of American production.

This was reported by the Telegram channel “Ukrainian Informant.”

The photo shows the ammunition and marked propellant charge “203-2S7.” Obviously, the projectile is designed to fire with a 2S7 Pion self-propelled gun.

The number 203 indicates that the shell received the name “Izdeliye 203.” Ammunition with this name was found in the Russian range tables, which were written in 2023.

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Strike on Zaporizhzhia: Russians attacked industrial infrastructure with missiles
Russian invaders during today's early morning air attack on April 20 targeted the industrial infrastructure of Zaporizhzhia with a missile strike. There were no casualties as a result of the enemy shelling, reports Ivan Fedorov, the head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration.

"Russian terrorist forces have once again launched rocket attacks on the industrial infrastructure of Zaporizhzhia," the official stated.

He added that the details of the enemy attack and its impact on the city are currently being clarified, and all consequences are being assessed. However, it is known that there were no casualties or injuries.

"There are no casualties," wrote the head of the Regional Military Administration in his Telegram.

Shelling of Zaporizhzhia region
Fedorov also provided an update in the morning on the situation regarding enemy strikes on the region.

"Throughout the day, occupiers struck Zaporizhzhia region 291 times. 7 settlements were under enemy fire," the official reported.

The adversary inflicted:
• 5 airstrikes on Robotyne, Mala Tokmachka, and Novoandriivka.
• 32 UAV attacks of various modifications targeted Huliaipole, Levadne, Robotyne, Mala Tokmachka, Malynivka, and Novoandriivka.
• 2 MLRS shelling hit Levadne and Robotyne.
• 252 artillery strikes were carried out on the territory of Huliaipole, Mala Tokmachka, Novoandriivka, Novodanylivka, Robotyne, Levadne, and Malynivka.

"There were 22 reports of housing destruction. Civilians were unharmed," the publication by the head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration stated.

Russian air attack on Ukraine on April 20
Earlier, it was reported that on April 20, closer to dawn, alarms were sounded in various regions of Ukraine due to the threat of enemy air attacks, including the use of ballistic missiles and other means of attack from tactical aviation.

Around five in the morning, explosions were reported in Zaporizhzhia due to a rocket attack by Russian forces. Additionally, the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine reported on air defense operations in the region, particularly in the Odesa region. Later, an explosion in Odesa was reported.

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‘Ghostly’ city: How Russia’s war in Ukraine is taking a toll on its own Belgorod region

Deserted streets, shuttered shops and silent restaurants. Damaged buildings and craters from missile strikes pockmarking the asphalt. Arrows on house facades signposting the nearest bomb shelters and stock of emergency supplies.

The once-tranquil city of Belgorod, some 25 miles north of Russia’s border with Ukraine, has been transformed into a kind of ghost town, its eerie silence interrupted by the regular wail of missile warning sirens – a reminder that the war raging in neighboring Ukraine looms ever closer.

Reporting from the region is complicated by media restrictions and government control over press freedom. Many Russians are afraid to speak openly for fear of prosecution.

Against that backdrop, residents of Belgorod have shared with CNN their struggle to navigate an uncertain future in the city, where everyday life has been irrevocably altered by the full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched by Russia in February 2022. Conversations were conducted by phone and audio messages.

Belgorod has been the launch site for many rocket and missile attacks on Ukraine, and a key military hub for Russia’s invading forces. In 2023, after a year of strikes on its towns and cities, Ukraine changed tactics and expanded its operations more overtly onto Russian territory, putting Belgorod region firmly in its crosshairs.

In recent weeks, the Belgorod region has been subject to almost daily shelling and drone attacks. Russian authorities blame Ukraine and report having repelled the attacks, while also admitting destruction and casualties caused by them. The Belgorod region has borne the brunt of the war compared to more distant Russian regions, which have been relatively untouched.

The governor of Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said on March 23 that 24 people had been killed and 152 injured in the span of less than two weeks.

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How a store manager from India ended up killed on the battlefields of Ukraine fighting for Russia

^{Asfan Mohammed, seen in a Russian military uniform, in an image provided by his brother, Imran. Mohammed Imran}

They opened the box on a Sunday in late March, getting their first look at Asfan Mohammed since he departed India for Russia four months earlier.

He was better dressed than when he’d left – a black suit, white shirt, tie and shoes replacing the casual attire he’d worn when family and friends saw him off.

But he had to be buried in line with his Muslim beliefs, so his body would need to be prepared; the neat clothes removed.

It was then Imran Mohammad, 41, saw the extent of what had happened to his 31-year-old brother while fighting for the Russian armed forces in Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

“I saw holes on the back of his shoulder, his ribs right down till his lower back,” Imran told CNN.

“There were six to seven holes caused by a drone attack. It ripped through his body. There was internal damage. Two teeth were broken.”

And now this tight-knit family in Hyderabad, southern India was broken too. A husband, father and provider gone.

Imran’s business was also in ruins, rotted by neglect as he’d focused all his energies on finding out what happened to his brother on the battlefield of Europe’s bloodiest conflict since the Second World War.

Imran noted the time.

“I opened the box at 11 a.m. Sunday. When I saw his body for the first time, it hit me that he’s no more,” he said.

“My efforts to look for my brother, my two-month fight for my brother, came to a painful end. I wanted to react looking at his corpse, but I just couldn’t. I went totally numb.”

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Op zaterdag 20 april 2024 20:02 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
[..]
Ergo, al dat "Patriot Ambush" geneuzel van laatst is alweer van tafel.

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UAVs hit a fuel and energy facility in the Smolensk region

Drones hit the fuel and energy facility in Kardymovo, Smolensk region, Russia.

The governor of the Smolensk region, Vasily Anokhin, announced this.

It is home to a gas condensate-to-petrol plant and an oil depot.

According to him, at about 2:00 a.m. in the Kardymovsky district of the region, a fuel and energy facility was attacked by allegedly Ukrainian drones.

Anokhin says that the drones were destroyed by air defense forces, but the falling debris caused a fire.

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One less enemy: Z-blogger Misha from Canada crashed in Crimea
Russian Z-blogger Mikhail Kasperov crashed on a motorcycle in occupied Crimea.

On the night of April 20, in occupied Sevastopol, the dangerous enemy of Ukraine, Mikhail Kasperov, said goodbye to his life.

Information about the death appeared in the morning on his own Telegram channel “Misha from Canada,” Dialog.UA reports.

A native of Russian Magadan, Kasperov moved to Crimea after the occupation. Living on the peninsula, he was engaged in propaganda, raising funds for the Russian military, and also persecuted local residents for their pro-Ukrainian views.

This night, while riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, he lost control and drove into oncoming traffic. There he collided head-on with a VAZ-2114 car. All that was left of the motorcycle was a pile of debris.

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Insta-Nazis: How Claims Of 'Rehabilitating Nazism' Are Molding A Militaristic Society In Putin's Russia

^{Alyona Agafonova appears in a Volgograd court earlier this month.}

A court in the southern Russian city of Volgograd sentenced a 23-year-old woman to 10 months of compulsory labor on April 5 after convicting her of "rehabilitating Nazism." The charge stemmed from a 2023 social media video that prosecutors said contained "cynical actions that disregarded the norms of morality and ethics."

In the video, Alyona Agafonova, a tourist from the mid-Volga region city of Samara, documented her visit to Volgograd and at one point, using a trick of perspective, playfully "tickled" the breasts of the enormous statue that dominates the city's memorial to the Battle of Stalingrad -- probably the most prominent icon of World War II anywhere in Russia. In court, prosecutors said she had "offended a symbol of the resilience of the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War."

The head of the investigations department of the Volgograd branch of the Investigative Committee, Vladimir Surkov, said the case should be a warning to others.

"Anyone who wants to hype themselves in a similar manner should think about this and not do it," Surkov told a local news website.

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After Congress finally does pass new funding, this is how the US can rush weapons to Ukraine
The Pentagon could get weapons moving to Ukraine within days once Congress passes a long-delayed aid bill. That’s because it has a network of storage sites in the U.S. and Europe that already hold the ammunition and air defense components that Kyiv desperately needs.

Moving fast is critical, CIA Director Bill Burns said this past week, warning that without additional aid from the U.S., Ukraine could lose the war to Russia by the end of this year.

“We would like very much to be able to rush the security assistance in the volumes we think they need to be able to be successful,” Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said.

The House approved $61 billion in funding for the war-torn country Saturday after Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., pushed a larger foreign aid bill toward a vote despite threats from within his party that doing so could cost him his job. It still needs to clear the Senate.

After the House vote, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said he was grateful “for the decision that keeps history on the right track.” He said on X, formerly Twitter that the House action “will keep the war from expanding, save thousands and thousands of lives, and help both of our nations to become stronger.”

President Joe Biden has said he would sign it “immediately.”

If that happens, “we have a very robust logistics network that enables us to move material very quickly,” Ryder told reporters this past week. “We can move within days.”

The Pentagon has had supplies ready to go for months but hasn’t moved them because it is out of money. It has already spent all of the funding Congress had previously provided to support Ukraine, sending more than $44 billion worth of weapons, maintenance, training and spare parts since Russia’s February 2022 invasion.

By December, the Pentagon was $10 billion in the hole, because it is going to cost more now to replace the systems it sent to the battlefield in Ukraine.

As a result, the Pentagon’s frequent aid packages for Ukraine dried up because there’s been no guarantee Congress would pass the additional funding needed to replenish the weapons the U.S. has been sending to Ukraine. The legislation would include more than $20 billion to restock the Pentagon’s shelves and ensure that the military services have what they need to fight and protect America.

The lag in weapons deliveries has forced Ukrainian troops to spend months rationing their dwindling supply of munitions.

A look at how the U.S. can quickly move weapons to Ukraine:

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Drones for Ukraine coalition raises EUR 500 mln so far: Latvian def min
A Latvian-led drone coalition has so far raised EUR 500 million to purchase drones in support of Ukraine, the Latvian Defense Ministry said on Saturday. Earlier on Tuesday Latvian Defence Minister Andris Spruds announced that the country is sending the first batch of unmanned aerial vehicles to Ukraine.

The ambition of the drone coalition member states is to provide Ukraine with 1 million drones. By signing a letter of intent, the countries pledged to invest in drone production, deliver drones and spare parts, conduct tests, train soldiers, and implement other technical solutions. Latvia pledged to contribute at least EUR 10 million a year to the drone coalition.

Riga also pledged to provide Ukraine with annual military support of 0.25% of its gross domestic product by 2026, and annual support of EUR 5 million for Ukraine’s reconstruction.

Latvia is the first of the Baltic states to sign such an agreement. The country also plans to train at least 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers in 2024, the Defense Ministry said.

The drone coalition
The drone coalition led by Latvia, the U.K., and Sweden also includes Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Ukraine and Poland.

The drone coalition was founded under the Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG), a coalition consisting of 56 members from NATO, the EU, and partner nations collaborating to coordinate military assistance to the Ukrainian government in response to Russia’s invasion.

In January, the UDCG established a drone coalition with the goal of enhancing Ukraine's unmanned capabilities. In addition to supplying aerial vehicles, participants are urged to offer spare parts, production services, logistical support, testing facilities, training programs, and related technical solutions for Ukraine.

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Latvian citizen accused of plotting sabotage operations in Ukraine
Latvia’s Prosecutor’s Office has charged a Latvian citizen on suspicion of travelling to Ukraine to commit acts of sabotage.

Source: European Pravda, with reference to Delfi

Details: The man’s name is Ivan Tarabanov, and his trial in Riga City Court is scheduled for 7 June.

Tarabanov is accused of attempting to illegally participate in an armed conflict and travelling for the purpose of terrorism. He is currently in custody.

Tarabanov travelled to Ukraine to take part in the war, violating Latvian law, in January 2022.

He received an assignment from a person who introduced himself as Aleksandr, and who remains unidentified, to conduct a sabotage operation involving arson in Ukraine.

Tarabanov travelled to Ukraine to carry out the plan. The prosecutor’s office did not disclose any further information.

Before being referred to the Prosecutor’s Office, the case had been investigated by the State Security Service of Latvia (SSSL).

The SSSL is currently verifying whether several other Latvian citizens were illegally involved in the war in Ukraine on the side of the Russian armed forces.

Background:
• Earlier in April, the Latvian state police opened a criminal case against a man aged around 22 for publicly supporting Russia’s war crimes and glorifying Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in the centre of the Latvian capital, Riga.
• The Latvian state police also detained two Latvian citizens who tore down a Ukrainian flag from a building in Riga.

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Russian disinformation efforts around US elections ‘kicked into gear over the last 45 days’: Microsoft
Russia’s disinformation operations around the U.S. elections have ramped up over the last month-and-a-half after a relatively slow start compared to previous cycles, Microsoft said Wednesday.

The operations use a mix of themes seen in 2020 campaigns with a “renewed focus on undermining US support for Ukraine” as well as efforts to turn U.S. citizens against NATO and to foster domestic infighting.

“Messaging regarding Ukraine — via traditional media and social media — picked up steam over the last two months with a mix of covert and overt campaigns from at least 70 Russia-affiliated activity sets we track,” Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) explained in the new report.

MTAC traced the activity back to several Russia-affiliated influence actors, but the most prolific was housed within the Russian Presidential Administration. Microsoft said the efforts have quietly pivoted away from intelligence services and the Internet Research Agency into a more centralized operation run by Russia’s presidential office.

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Georgia not ready for EU, says ruling party
The pronouncement comes as tensions fray between Tbilisi and Brussels over a ‘Kremlin-inspired’ foreign agent law.

Georgia is unlikely to join the European Union any time soon, despite having been granted candidate status last year, the chairman of the country’s ruling party said on Saturday.

“Last December, we became a candidate country. The next step is joining,” Irakli Garibashvili told reporters on Saturday. “Today, we are not ready to become a member country.”

Despite widespread protests, the Georgian Dream politician and former prime minister defended a controversial new bill that would label NGOs, campaign groups and media outlets that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad as agents of foreign influence. Critics say the legislation would drive a wedge between Georgia and the West and stifle opposition in the same way similar rules have in Russia.

“If we are told that tomorrow we will become a member of the EU, then it will be possible to very easily cancel it, revise, transform or adopt a new one,” Garibashvili said.

At the same time, he claimed that “there is no consensus a country can become a member of the EU today” because the bloc “is not ready for enlargement and it will take time and these next steps depend on many things.”

The EU has told Georgia the proposals, which have brought thousands onto the streets in protest in recent weeks, are incompatible with European values and should be withdrawn, while Washington branded the “Kremlin-inspired” legislation as an attack on civil society.

When the European Commission granted Georgia candidate status last year, it set out specific steps needed for the South Caucasus country to be admitted as a full member, including tackling political polarization and strengthening human rights protections. According to the bloc’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, passing the foreign agent law, as well as the government’s new proposals cracking down on LGBTQ+ rights, “would negatively impact Georgia’s progress on its EU path.”

A December 2023 poll conducted by the National Democratic Institute found that 79 percent of Georgian respondents supported their country’s EU membership ambitions.

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US weighs sending additional military advisers to Ukraine as Russia gains momentum
The troops would be serving in a non-combat role, officials said.

The U.S. is considering sending additional military advisers to the embassy in Kyiv, the latest show of American commitment to Ukraine as Russia appears to be gaining momentum in the two-year conflict.

The advisers would not be in a combat role, but rather would advise and support the Ukrainian government and military, according to Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.

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Op zondag 21 april 2024 08:51 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
Er is nog steeds nul bevestiging van die "heleboel vliegtuigen" en die "opgeblazen patriots"...

Een hoop verhalen hebben we gelezen, verder niks. Net als de aanvallen op een aantal vliegvelden een week of twee geleden. Dus het zijn geen "feiten".