Oorlog in Oekra�ne #968 "The dead know only one thing..."

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Kosovo vows continued backing for Ukraine's defense despite lack of Kyiv's diplomatic recognition
Officially, Ukraine still does not recognize the independence of Kosovo, considering its territory to be part of Serbia. This will not affect its aid

Kosovo is convinced that Russia must lose the war so that the conflict does not spread further in Europe. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo Donika G�rvalla-Schwarz also declared her "unconditional" support for Ukraine, even though Kyiv did not recognize Kosovo's independence, she said in an interview with the Associated Press.

"Ukraine hasn’t recognized the Republic of Kosovo as a state, but we really believe that we know exactly what Ukraine is going through. And we know that there is only one solution, not only for Ukraine, but for Europe. It can only be Russia to lose the war and Ukraine to win this war. Otherwise, Europe should prepare for other conflicts on our continent," she said.

The country's top diplomat noted that Kosovo is a small state with "very modest possibilities to help", but the country still tried to be very helpful to Ukraine and did not hesitate to show "unconditional support and sympathy".

On March 19, 2024, the minister of defense of Kosovo announced the second package of military aid to Ukraine during a meeting in the "Ramstein" format.

On May 7, the minister of defense of Kosovo announced another package of military aid for Ukraine – with mortar shells, trucks and armored vehicles.

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Western military trainers could go to Ukraine, Lithuania minister says
Gabrielius Landsbergis also backs David Cameron and Emmanuel Macron on standing up to Putin

Lithuania’s foreign minister has raised the prospect of an ad hoc coalition of western countries sending military training personnel into Ukraine backed by ground-based air defence, days after Russia took an increasingly strident tone against what it sees as the threat of deeper western involvement in the war.

Speaking to the Guardian after meeting his British counterpart, David Cameron, in London, Gabrielius Landsbergis also backed the British foreign secretary for saying that Ukraine could use British-made weapons against Russia; remarks that alongside Emmanuel Macron refusing to rule out western troops in Ukraine prompted the Kremlin to threaten UK assets and order a tactical nuclear training exercise.

Foreign secretary in Lithuania for four years, Landsbergis has long called for tougher action against Russia, but his latest remarks have shown that there is support in parts of Europe for the muscular line recently adopted by the French president.

Macron has shocked some European colleagues and infuriated Russia by saying the west should not rule out sending troops to Ukraine.

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Russian Army Deserter Detained in NATO Country
Border guards report capturing a 41-year-old Russian army deserter believed to have been fighting in Ukraine before crossing illegally into NATO country Poland, from Belarus.

It marks what appears to be the first publicly-known case of a Russian army deserter attempting to cross into Poland, a strong opponent of Moscow's action against Ukraine.

The man was wearing plain clothes, unarmed and in possession of Russian military documents, including a contract with the army for participation in the country's ongoing war against Ukraine, said Polish radio station RMF FM.

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NATO to officially declare non-deployment of troops to Ukraine in July summit declaration
NATO is set to enshrine its refusal to send troops to Ukraine in a declaration to be adopted at the alliance’s summit in July, reports the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, citing what it alleges are already prepared drafts of the final statement. Russian media turned their attention to this publication on May 8. There is no official confirmation of this information at the time.

According to the publication, the declaration will also specify that military assistance to Ukraine will henceforth be coordinated not by the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, but by NATO headquarters in Brussels. Corriere della Sera notes that Ukraine has already been receiving the bulk of its assistance not from the US but from other NATO members. Nonetheless, there's a political aspect to consider: coordination of assistance by NATO structures will appear more united to the international community and to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the paper explains.

Otherwise, Corriere della Sera writes, NATO's approach to assisting Ukraine and countering the threat from Russia will remain unchanged. The North Atlantic Alliance will continue to bolster its eastern flanks so that, if necessary, up to 300,000 soldiers could be swiftly deployed from the Baltic nations to Bulgaria in defense.

NATO countries are also exploring possibilities to deliver to Kyiv a new batch of Patriot missile defense systems. Ukrainian authorities estimate that 25 such systems would suffice to protect the country's entire airspace, while seven Patriot systems would serve to shield major industrial centers from Russian aerial attacks.

However, Corriere della Sera points out, there are so far only preliminary agreements in place for the supply of two Patriot systems to Ukraine—one from Germany and one from Spain. The Netherlands has in principle agreed to provide their Patriot system to Kyiv but is discussing legal aspects, while both Poland and Greece have declined.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has repeatedly stated that the alliance has no plans to dispatch troops to Ukraine. However, in the midst of these renewed discussions, France’s President Emmanuel Macron, whose nation is part of NATO, has publicly contemplated the dispatch of troops to Ukraine several times in recent months, even mentioning conditions under which this might happen, causing a stir. In response to the revived conversation, Russia declared it would conduct exercises involving tactical nuclear weapons and summoned the ambassadors of France and the United Kingdom to its Foreign Ministry.

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Op donderdag 9 mei 2024 23:16 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://uawire.org/nato-t(...)y-summit-declaration
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Volgens dit artikel gaan wij ook een Patriot leveren aan Oekra�ne. Maar wordt er nog naar het legale aspect gekeken. Ook zal de co�rdinatie van hulp aan Oekra�ne verplaatst worden van het pentagon naar het NAVO hoofdkwartier in Brussel. En zal er een offici�le declaratie komen dat de NATO geen troepen gaat sturen.

Het artikel geeft wel aan dat dit onbevestigd is, al weet ik zo niet of dit over het gehele artikel gaat of over slechts een deel. Dus nog even afwachten op bevestiging. Maar die offici�le declaratie hoeft van mij niet. Het is beter om de Russen in het ongewisse te laten.

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Eleven Children From Kherson Region Successfully Rescued from Russian Occupation
Eleven children from the Kherson Region, including two orphans, who were illegally deported by Russian forces, have been safely evacuated from areas under temporary Russian occupation, according to the Head of the Kherson Regional State Administration Oleksandr Prokudin.

The evacuation effort involved collaboration between the charitable organization Save Ukraine, guardianship authorities, regional children’s services, and the children’s parents.

Two orphaned girls, aged 10 and 13, were successfully brought back to Ukrainian-controlled territory. Additionally, nine children were repatriated. These children range in age from 1 to 16 and include five girls and four boys.

“The children are currently in a safe place, receiving all the necessary medical and psychological support,” stated Prokudin. “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has assisted Ukrainian citizens in coming back to free Ukrainian land.”

This evacuation brings the total number of children successfully returned to the Ukrainian-controlled Kherson region to 78 since the beginning of 2024.

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Op donderdag 9 mei 2024 20:57 schreef ExTec het volgende:

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Kwam langs in de laatste van lazerpig.

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Hungary Opposes NATO Plan for Ukraine Aid, Calling It a “Crazy Mission”
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has rejected NATO’s plan to provide long-term military support to Ukraine.

“Hungary will stay out of NATO’s crazy mission despite all the pressure,” commented the Minister at a Facebook Live event in London.

The five-year plan, valued at 100 billion euros, would see NATO take on a larger role in coordinating the supply of arms, ammunition and equipment to Ukraine.

The move, in part, will enable the US-led Ramstein group to guard against potential reductions in future US support.

NATO has previously held back on directly supplying weapons to Ukraine, opting for non-lethal aid to avoid provoking Russia. However, member nations have individually provided billions in arms.

This isn’t the first time Hungary has clashed with NATO. Previously, Hungary delayed approving Sweden’s membership in the alliance. Additionally, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has maintained close ties with Russia, even after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The United States, a leading member of NATO, has expressed concern about Hungary’s stance. The US ambassador to Hungary warned of the risks associated with Hungary’s relationship with Russia and suggested that NATO may need to adjust its security approach if Hungary continues down this path.

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Workers leave oil refineries in southern Russia en masse due to Ukrainian drone attacks
Several oil refineries in Russia are facing staff shortages as workers are leaving en masse due to the fear of Ukrainian drone strikes, according to a report by the publication Vot Tak.

At least seven chemical analysis lab technicians left the Kuibyshev refinery in the Samara Region after it was attacked by Ukrainian drones in late March, according to the report. Vot Tak examined the vacancies at the refinery and found that the facility's operator launched an active search for new employees in April, posting close to 50 job openings. Most of the vacancies are related to engineering specialties or technical support positions at the refinery.

At the time of the strike, Russian State Duma MP Alexander Khinshtein claimed that the attack had passed “without any real consequences.”

The report also mentioned that dozens of workers had left the Slavyansk refinery in Krasnodar Krai. In April, the refinery began actively recruiting new employees. Out of more than 120 new vacancies, half of them are related to technical support of the enterprise.

According to calculations by Reuters, around 14% of Russia's refining capacity had been shut down by drone attacks as of late March, including Kuibyshev. Russia even ramped up gasoline imports from neighbouring Belarus to address possible fuel shortages.

Russia has also banned gasoline exports for six months starting from March 1 to try to prevent a surge in domestic fuel prices.

Vot Tak (lit. “The Way It Is”) is a Russian-language affiliate of the Poland-based broadcaster Belsat. Russia’s Ministry of Justice labeled Vot Tak a “foreign agent” in January.

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Ukraine to get first 180,000 rounds of ammunition under Czech initiative in June – President Pavel
Czech President Petr Pavel says that the first delivery under the Czech initiative to purchase ammunition for Ukraine is likely to take place in June: 180,000 rounds of ammunition are planned to be delivered
The Czech President said this in an interview with ARD.

“Together with our Prime Minister Petr Fiala, I assume that the first 180,000 units of ammunition will be delivered (to Ukraine - ed.) in June, and there are already contracts for a further five or six-digit number of shells,” he said.

Answering the question of why the deliveries are taking so long, the Czech president noted that one of the reasons is competition, delays in funding and a long decision-making process.

“Throughout the war in Ukraine, the West has been very cautious in its support. From the very beginning, the goal was to prevent the conflict from escalating, and each new stage was discussed for a long time before it was implemented. If we had skipped this period of discussion and risk assessment, Ukraine would have received this assistance several months, perhaps even years earlier, and the situation could have been different,” he explained.

The Czech president added that he hopes that Ukraine's partners will draw conclusions and provide Ukraine with assistance “as much as possible and as soon as possible to prevent Ukraine from losing even more territory and human lives.” He emphasized that Ukraine has shown great resilience in the face of extraordinary difficulties, so it is important for other countries to support it to “make it clear to the Russian aggressor that there is no point in continuing the war, that Russia will not achieve any further military success.”

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Op donderdag 9 mei 2024 19:29 schreef Ulx het volgende:

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Die hebben toch al vier nieuwe besteld?

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Intensive air strikes are being carried out on the border zone of the Kharkov region. There have already been dozens of arrivals of FABs in Volchansk and the Volchansky district - informs Actually in Kharkov.

Overall, many explosions along the border.

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Western soldiers in Ukraine: Salvini tells Macron to “get treatment”
Emmanuel Macron had once again raised the possibility of sending ground troops in the event of a Russian breakthrough.

Matteo Salvini , vice-head of the Italian government, deemed French President Emmanuel Macron “dangerous” on Wednesday and said he needed to “get treatment” after once again raising the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine to fight the Russia .

Customary of statements going against the grain of the pro-Kiev policy of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the leader of La Ligue (far right) reacted in front of journalists to recent statements by Emmanuel Macron and the former President of the Italian Council Mario Monti , according to whom it could ultimately be “necessary” to send soldiers to Ukraine.

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Confusion swirls over Western tank caveats in Ukraine
COLOGNE, Germany — The Dutch government, one of the architects of European Leopard 2 tank donations to Ukraine, has placed no caveats on the weapons’ frontline use by Ukrainian troops, as confusion swirls over a report that U.S. military leaders wanted American Abrams sidelined from combat.

“Ukraine itself determines how it wants to deploy the donated equipment; the Netherlands has not imposed any additional conditions on this, other than the obligations arising from the United Nations Charter and international humanitarian law,” a spokesperson for the Dutch Ministry of Defense told Defense News.

The statement follows a report by the Associated Press last month that quoted U.S. officials as saying the widespread use of drones by Russian had exposed the donated Abrams to the risk of being detected and destroyed.

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Drones attack oil refinery in Russia's Kaluga region
Russia has reported an overnight drone attack on an oil refinery in the Kaluga region.

That's according to the Russian Telegram channel SHOT, Ukrinform reports.

"Explosions were heard in the Pervy Zavod [oil refinery] area. According to preliminary information, air defenses were in action. According to eyewitnesses, at around one o'clock in the early morning, several powerful explosions were heard in the Dzerzhinsky district, not far from the Polotnyany Zavod station," the post reads.

According to residents, the sound of several UAVs flying was heard before that, and then a fire and smoke became visible in the area of the local oil depot.

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West should consider Macron's troop deployment idea for Ukraine - Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Estonia and other allies should be open to discussing the idea proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron regarding the possibility of sending NATO troops to Ukraine, stated the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Kyllike Sillaste-Elling.

"We should be open to ideas. Instead of constantly announcing what we're not going to do to help Ukraine, we should announce what we think we should do," said Sillaste-Elling.

At the same time, she added that currently there is no activity towards preparing for sending foreign troops to Ukraine.

"But in any case, all options are on the table for us. We are open to considering different possibilities," noted the Estonian diplomat.

According to her, it may not be about "direct combat with Russians", but rather about training or certain special tasks.

Sillaste-Elling also emphasized that Ukraine is currently a priority for Estonia.

“What is a priority for us is all about Ukraine. Because Ukraine's victory has a direct impact on our security. Ukraine is fighting primarily for us right now, for our security, so we are doing everything we can to help,” she added.

Macron's initiative to send Western troops to Ukraine
In February, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine.

He later clarified that he was not talking about sending troops directly to take part in combat operations.

Some NATO countries said they were ready to consider such a possibility, but most allies did not support Macron's initiative.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also opposed it, stating that “there are no plans for NATO combat troops on the ground in Ukraine".

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Bodyguard Chief Sacked After Failed Plot on Zelensky – Ukraine at War Update for May 10
After assassination plot, Zelensky fires security head; Pentagon works to stop Russian access to SpaceX satellites; Germany to send Kyiv three HIMARS; Ukraine goes after more Russian oil depots.

President Volodymyr Zelensky fired the head of his personal security detail on Thursday, a few days after a secret plot among two of the department’s officers to assassinate him was uncovered.

The chief bodyguard, Sergiy Leonidovich Rud, was removed from his post via presidential decree. A replacement has not yet been named.

Two colonels in the department are being detained on suspicion of collaborating with Russia’s security service, the FSB, after an investigation by Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

The plot included eliminating HUR chief Kyrylo Budanov before Easter. The plan allegedly was to recruit a Ukrainian agent who would relay information to the FSB about the movements of certain individuals, including Zelensky, and then launch a missile strike on the target’s residence. That would be followed by a drone attack on those remaining, while a second missile strike was intended to destroy evidence of the drone’s use.

One of the colonels, it is alleged, had personally provided drones and other munitions to a local agent to carry out the attacks.

Rud had overseen the department for about five years. Zelensky said last year that there had been at least “five or six” foiled plots against him of which he was made aware.

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