Oorlog in Oekraïne #963 Incoming!

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Greece in talks to send one Patriot battery to Ukraine, but seeks US security assurance first
On April 22, FT wrote that some EU and NATO member states are putting pressure on Greece and Spain to provide Ukraine with more air defense systems

Greece may hand over a Patriot air defense system to Ukraine on the condition of monetary compensation from the US and security guarantees due to the threat from Turkiye, reported the Greek outlet Рronews with reference to government sources in the country.

According to the agency's interlocutors, Athens will hand over one Patriot Pac 3 battery to Ukraine, which can shoot down ballistic targets, in exchange for security guarantees from the United States. The journalists do not specify what security guarantees the country received.

In addition, if necessary, Washington will be able to transfer the Patriot to Greece from its own reserves, replacing it with the one that Athens will transfer to Kyiv, or provide monetary compensation from the aid package of more than $60 billion after the decision of the Senate and the signature of US President Joe Biden.

Greece will hand over only one battery to Ukraine, but later Kyiv will be able to receive a second one. Journalists claim that such a decision is likely to cause controversy within the country.

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Czech MEP Martin Hlaváček is Disrupting Free Trade with Ukraine
The Czech MEP, who is an ally of former Prime Minister Andrej Babi¨, is trying to win the support of his colleagues in an attempt to change the rules of free trade with Ukraine. Martin Hlaváček asked all members of the European Parliament to join him in submitting amendments to further tighten restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural goods as part of continued trade liberalization measures.

He made the move just before a plenary vote in Strasbourg, in which MEPs will vote on extending the free trade regime for a year, albeit with restrictions. If Hlaváček gets enough support, it would bring the process to a halt as the EU Parliament soon goes into recess ahead of the elections in early June. Then the term of Ukraine’s access to the EU market expires.

A protégé of Babi¨, a former prime minister who made his $3.5 billion fortune in agriculture, is again submitting the amendments after similar attempts failed in February and March. “The negotiations did not lead to satisfactory results for EU farmers,” Hlaváček stressed, referring to the tripartite talks between the European institutions. “That is why I still believe that our amendments can significantly contribute to improving conditions for farmers and address the shortcomings of the Commission’s original proposal,” he added.

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Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian Policy Charged With Corruption
Mykola Solskyi has been handed a notice of suspicion of illegal land acquisition. Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies accuse Solskyi of unlawfully seizing millions of dollars worth of land.

Officers of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) have presented the current Minister of Agrarian Policy, Mykola Solskyi with a notice of suspicion.

Solskyi is suspected of illegally seizing 2.5 thousand hectares of land in the Sumy region, according to a message posted by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) on Telegram.

The prosecutor suspects the former chairman of the Agrarian Committee of the Verkhovna Rada and the current Minister of seizing land in the Sumy region – an area of about 2.5 thousand hectares worth Hr.291 million ($7.3 million) – and an attempt to seize land with an area of about 3.3 thousand hectares for another Hr.190 million ($4.8 million).

The report further states that for the implementation of the scheme, its participants first ensured the destruction of documents on the basis of which state-owned enterprises had the right to permanent use of land.

Later, this became the basis for the regional StateGeoCadastre land registry service to draw up an act on the unauthorized occupation of these land plots by state-owned enterprises.

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Foreign Minister explains why Ukrainian consulates suspended services for men liable for military service
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has confirmed reports of suspending consular services to Ukrainian men liable for military service residing abroad.

Source: Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Twitter (X)

Details: Kuleba noted that the protection of the rights and interests of Ukrainian citizens abroad has been and remains a priority for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, in the current circumstances, the main priority is the fight for Ukraine's survival.

"How it looks like now: a man of conscription age went abroad, showed his state that he does not care about its survival, and then comes and wants to receive services from this state. It does not work this way. Our country is at war," Kuleba emphasised.

He reminded men liable for military service that the obligation to update their data at the territorial military enlistment offices existed even before the adoption of the new mobilisation law.

"If anyone believes that while someone is fighting far away at the frontline and risking his or her life for this state, someone else is staying abroad but receiving services from this state, then this is not how it works. Staying abroad does not relieve a citizen of his or her duties to the Homeland. That is why yesterday I ordered measures to restore fair attitudes toward men of conscription age in Ukraine and abroad. This will be fair," he said.

He added that soon the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide further clarification regarding the procedure for obtaining consular services for men of conscription age at diplomatic missions abroad.

Background:
• On 11 April, the Verkhovna Rada passed in full the bill on issues of mobilisation, military registration and military service.
• Meanwhile, Rob Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, considers additional mobilisation in Ukraine necessary.

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Swedish Navy chief says Russian 'shadow fleet' of oil tankers possibly conducting espionage in Baltic Sea
Russia's "shadow fleet" of oil tankers is possibly conducting espionage in the Baltic Sea as well as helping circumvent sanctions on the trade of Russian oil, said Swedish Navy chief Ewa Skoog Haslum, in comments to the SVT public broadcaster published on April 22.

The shadow fleet refers to aging and largely uninsured oil tankers that Russia uses to transport oil above the $60 per barrel price cap that the EU, the U.S., and the Group of Seven (G7) countries imposed in December 2022 as part of the effort to cut Moscow's fossil fuels revenue.

Haslum said some of the ships from the shadow fleet have been found to possess communications and signals equipment not usually associated with cargo vessels, leading to concerns they could be used in "hybrid operations."

The equipment could possibly be used to intercept communications or perform other acts of espionage, she added.

Beyond their use to bypass sanctions and possibly conduct espionage, there has been concern that the shadow fleet could be a potential threat to the environment. The Financial Times (FT) reported in November 2023 that Denmark could start inspecting and potentially blocking the transit of Russian oil tankers operating in its waters without Western insurance.

As Western insurance carriers will not cover ships violating the price cap, the move would likely cause a significant impact to the transit of oil through the Baltic Sea. It is unclear if Denmark has made any progress in implementing the plan.

Haslum echoed the concerns about the possible impact to the Baltic Sea, saying the shadow fleet could become both a "security and environmental tragedy."

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In Georgia they protested against a conference from the “institute” of former FSB employees - video
A conference called “Russia and the World: Dialogues - 2024” was held in the capital of Georgia, where issues of “traditional values” were discussed: activists came to protest against it. Source: Sirena, Agency

One of the co-organizers of the event was the National Research Institute for the Development of Communications (NIIKR), led by former intelligence and KGB officer Vladimir Gasumyanov. In the evening, Georgian activists threw eggs at the Tiflis Palace hotel, where the conference was held, expressing their dissatisfaction.

During the rally, they chanted: “Putin is f*cked.”

The Agency reports that NIIKR was founded in 2020. One of its founders was Lieutenant General Nikolai Gribin, a former KGB officer in Copenhagen and head of the 3rd KGB department, responsible for relations with Britain, Australia and the Scandinavian countries. Another founder was businesswoman Irina Zavesnitskaya, who, according to some sources, had a common address with Vladislav Gasumyanov, director of the Scientific Research Institute of Innovative Development.

According to Gasumyanov’s official biography, he worked in the KGB, SVR and FSB from 1982 to 2001. In addition, he served as deputy head of the Presidential Administration for Interregional and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries and was a member of the board of directors of Norilsk Nickel. Since 2015, he has been teaching at the Department of Corporate Security at MGIMO.

In addition to Gasumyanov and Gribin, the supervisory board of NIIKR includes other former employees of Soviet and Russian intelligence services, including Lieutenant General Anatoly Bolyukh, ex-deputy head of the FSB counterintelligence operations department Lieutenant General Boris Miroshnikov and former deputy director of the Federal Counterintelligence Service, as well as former secretary Security Council of the Russian Federation - Valentina Soboleva.

In addition to Georgia, it was decided to hold the “Russia and the World” conference in Belarus, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and South Ossetia (the occupied part of Georgia).

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Thousands of European flights reportedly affected by suspected Russian jamming
Thousands of flights to and from Europe have been reportedly affected by suspected Russian jamming of GPS systems.

According to a report by The Sun based on data from the website GPSJAM.org, some 46,000 aircraft have reported problems over the Baltic Sea since last August, with most of them occurring in Eastern Europe near borders with Russia.

Russia has been accused of jamming GPS signals in nearby countries such as Finland as far back as the 2010s, and several recent high-profile incidents of jamming have highlighted the issue.

Most notably, Russia is believed to have jammed the satellite signal of a Royal Air Force aircraft used to transport U.K. Defence Minister Grant Shapps.

The aircraft, which was traveling back to Britain from Poland on March 13, was jammed for about 30 minutes as it flew by Russia's Kaliningrad region.

GPS signal and internet on board the aircraft were inaccessible for the duration of the aircraft's flight near Kaliningrad where the jamming signals are thought to originate.

A spokesperson for U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed the incident at the time, noting it was "not unusual."

Aircraft rely on GPS for navigation but the U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) played down the risk to passenger safety.

"Aviation is one of the safest forms of air travel, and there are several safety protocols in place to protect navigation systems on commercial aircraft," Glenn Bradley, the head of flight operations at the CAA, told the Guardian.

"GPS jamming does not directly impact the navigation of an aircraft, and while it is a known issue, this does not mean an aircraft has been jammed deliberately."

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Russia Drops X-59 Missile on Belgorod in Latest Self-Bombing
Russia has mistakenly dropped a missile on its own territory near to the Ukraine border, marking the latest self-bombing incident in the ongoing war.

An X-59 missile was discovered in a field near the village of Krasnoye in Russia's Belgorod region on April 19, Astra reported on its Telegram channel on Monday. "The military had to destroy it on the spot. There was no damage [caused] or victims," the independent Russian outlet said.

Newsweek couldn't independently verify the report and has contacted Russia's Defense Ministry by email for additional comment. The Kremlin hasn't commented on the latest incident reported in Belgorod.

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Rishi Sunak vows to boost UK defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030
Rishi Sunak has promised billions more for defence to counter threats from "an axis of authoritarian states".

The prime minister said UK military spending would rise to 2.5% of national income by 2030, in a move that hardens a previous spending pledge.

He stressed the UK was "not on the brink of war" but claimed the extra money would put the country's defence industry "on a war footing".

Labour is also committed to a 2.5% target, when economic conditions allow.

Making the defence announcement during a visit to Poland, Mr Sunak said the UK was facing the most dangerous international environment since the days of the Cold War between the West and the former Soviet Union.

The investment was required because the UK was facing an "axis of authoritarian states with different values to ours," including Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China, he said.

These countries, he argued, were showing a "new assertiveness" and were increasingly working together.

It represents a significant increase in UK defence spending, but it will not change the size of the UK armed forces or reverse cuts to the size of the army.

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Russian Soldier Accidentally Films Detonation of Putin's Prized Howitzer
ew footage appears to show an explosion engulfing a Russian artillery system behind the front lines in Moscow-controlled territory as Ukraine gears up for an expected Russian summer offensive.

A video circulating on social media appears to show Russian forces filming the detonation of a 2S5 Giatsint-S self-propelled howitzer in an open field at an undisclosed location in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region. It is not clear what caused the explosion or whether the system was damaged beyond repair.

An open-source intelligence account sharing the footage said the video was filmed on Monday.

Newsweek could not independently verify the clip and has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.

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Ukrainian troops destroyed Russian 2S4 Tyulpan self-propelled mortar in the Luhansk region

Ukrainian Defense Forces artillery destroyed a Russian 240mm Tyulpan self-propelled mortar near Lysychansk.

The Division-TIVAZ Telegram channel published the video of the defeat.

The Russians set up a mortar firing position on the border of a forest and a field near a road on the temporarily occupied territory.

The authors of the video did not specify what weapons were used to hit the Russian 2S4 Tyulpan, but it is clear that it was hit by a high-precision munition, possibly from a HIMARS rocket system.

As a result of the strike, the ammunition of the Russian 240-mm mortar ignited and exploded, leading to the complete destruction of the Tyulpan self-propelled mortar.

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U.S. preparing new $1 billion military aid package for Ukraine – Reuters
According to Reuters sources, the aid package will include weapons that can "immediately be put to use on the battlefield"

The United States will provide a new $1 billion military aid package to Ukraine once the $61 billion bill is approved by the Senate and signed by President Joe Biden, Reuters reported, citing two American officials.

The sources told the news agency's journalists that the aid package will include vehicles, Stinger anti-aircraft ammunition, additional ammunition for high mobility artillery rocket systems, 155 mm caliber artillery ammunition, and TOW and Javelin anti-tank ammunition, among other weapons that can "immediately be put to use on the battlefield."

Following the signing of the Ukrainian-Israeli bill, funding for the replenishment of American stocks will be restored. This will allay the Pentagon's concerns about the use of presidential authority to reduce U.S. weapons to aid Ukraine, the publication noted.

Against this backdrop, Reuters reported that American defense companies expect to receive more government contracts as Russia's war against Ukraine continues.

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Op woensdag 24 april 2024 08:16 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]

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Ambassador: Ukraine in talks to set up joint production of Patriot systems
Kyiv is pushing Washington for the joint production of Patriot air defense systems to help Ukraine fend off Russia's war, Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova said in an interview with European Pravda on April 23.

Ukraine is facing a shortage of air defense systems amid an uptick in Russian attacks on population centers and energy infrastructure. U.S.-made Patriot systems are highly effective at intercepting Russia's ballistic and cruise missiles.

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine needs 25 Patriots to protect the country from Russian attacks, but Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he is for now focused on securing seven to protect Ukraine's largest cities.

The joint production of Patriots was one of the top issues discussed during Zelensky's visits to the U.S., according to Markarova.

"This is a major global strategic task and an element of economic cooperation. But it is also an increase in combat capability and production of the capabilities that Ukraine needs immediately," the ambassador said.

Representatives of Ukrainian and U.S. businesses have already reportedly met to discuss investment and cooperation not only in weapons, but also in materials needed to launch the production.

"We should start producing a lot of products ourselves, at least components, and at most already completed products," Markarova added.

Ukraine has agreements on joint defense production with a number of countries, including the U.S.

Kyiv and Washington signed a statement of intent on the co-production of weapons in December 2023.

The agreement between the two nations will reportedly contribute to the construction of production facilities in Ukraine to supply the military with arms, in particular air defense equipment and ammunition, as well as repair and maintenance services.

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NATO has no plans to deploy nuclear weapons in other countries – Stoltenberg
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that the Alliance currently has no plans to deploy nuclear weapons in other countries as part of its deterrence efforts.

Source: Jens Stoltenberg, at a press conference in Poland together with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on 23 April, European Pravda reports

Details: Stoltenberg was asked to comment on whether NATO countries are talking about expanding the Nuclear Sharing programme.

Quote: "There are no plans to expand NATO sharing arrangements, no plans to deploy any more nuclear weapons in any additional NATO countries."

More details: Nuclear Sharing is NATO's nuclear deterrence programme. It allows for provision of nuclear warheads to NATO member states that do not have nuclear weapons of their own.

Within the framework of this programme, NATO has deployed US nuclear weapons to Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Türkiye since November 2009.

The previous Polish government actively supported the idea of joining the Nuclear Sharing programme among NATO countries in response to Russia's decision to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

Recently, Polish President Andrzej Duda's statement about the possible deployment of nuclear weapons led to his public dispute with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

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In Ukraine, New American Technology Won the Day. Until It Was Overwhelmed.

Project Maven was meant to revolutionize modern warfare. But the conflict in Ukraine has underscored how difficult it is to get 21st-century data into 19th-century trenches.

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Op dinsdag 23 april 2024 21:08 schreef oheng het volgende:
Oja, ik weet niet of het hier al gepost is maar, Engeland zet de defensie industrie in "oorlogsmodus"

Defensie uitgaven gaan naar 2,5% in 2030.

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Senate overwhelmingly passes long-delayed Ukraine and Israel aid
After months of intense, multi-faceted fighting over foreign aid, the $95 billion bill that could also ban TikTok is headed to President Joe Biden's desk.

The Senate sent a $95 billion foreign aid package for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan to the president's desk Tuesday — a long-awaited result after months of congressional haggling over whether to provide funding for the allies.

The bill also included a provision that would require TikTok's parent company to either sell the social media app or face a ban, as well as a measure that permits selling off Russian oligarch assets.

Though the legislation passed with bipartisan support, 79-18, the political ramifications will be felt throughout the Capitol. It’s a win for Democrats and defense-focused Republicans on the critical issue of Ukraine aid, but a swath of conservatives are incensed with party leadership for allowing the bill through.

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Op woensdag 24 april 2024 06:18 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://news.liga.net/en/(...)ntii-ot-ssha-rronews
[..]

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Geld moet geen probleem zijn. Als de US dit niet wil betalen zijn er andere Europese landen die al aangegeven hebben deze te willen kopen. Waaronder Nederland. En veiligheidsgaranties kunnen wij toch ook prima geven. Griekenland zit in de NAVO tenslotte. Als Turkije hun aanvalt dan zijn wij verplicht om Griekenland te verdedigen lijkt mij. Ook al zit Turkije ook in de NAVO.