Oorlog in Oekraïne #980: Drone Wars 2

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Putin Jugend 2.0: How Russia Recruits Ukrainian Children and Prepares Them for War

Since the beginning of this year, the occupiers have initiated a new form of “military-patriotic” work with children in the southeastern regions of Ukraine, violating the Geneva Convention, which explicitly prohibits such actions with the population of occupied territories.

The Kremlin regime is providing military training to thousands of Ukrainian children through the activities of local branches of the so-called “Warrior” (Voyin in Russian) center, positioning itself as a “center for military-sports training and patriotic education of youth.” Simultaneously, Putin’s “Youth Army” initiative is unfolding. Yuriy Yuzich, a retired Major from the Ukrainian Armed Forces and an expert in youth policy, explains the essence and activities of the “Warrior” center.

After the attempt of full-scale capture of Ukraine failed, high-ranking Putin officials decided to “revive in Russia the system of voluntary military-sports training and patriotic education for youth.” The initiative came from the co-chairs of the Russian Union of Martial Arts, specifically from the first deputy head of Putin’s administration, Sergey Kirienko—a well-known specialist in informational-psychological operations against Ukraine, as well as from the deputy head of the Russian government and plenipotentiary representative of the president in the Far Eastern Federal District, Yuri Trutnev, who actively supports Putin’s war in Ukraine and illegally visited the Donetsk region.

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The Five-Headed Snake of Russia's Genocidal Propaganda Machine

Imagine yourself in a place where there are no consequences for going on live television and calling for the death of your competitors or just ordinary people. Where no one will bat an eye about the crazy stuff you say because the people tasked with oversight are also the ones paying your salary.

For many active online, the use of social media by prominent Russian propagandists to spread hate against Ukrainians—and others—is nothing new. But now, human rights groups are trying to hold them accountable. They have called on the International Criminal Court, which has earlier issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, to also investigate five Russian propagandists for hate crimes. For those not familiar with these personalities and some of their infamous rhetoric, we’ll introduce you to them here.

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Defenders of Verkhnokamianske defeated the armored group of the Russian Federation

In the Donetsk region, the Defense Forces defeated the armor of Russian assault men trying to break through to Verkhnokamianske.

Soldiers of the 54th Separate Mechanized Brigade showed footage with a small “cemetery” of Russian armor in their sector.

On one section of the road, the invaders lost two MT-LB armored personnel carriers, on one of which a turret from the BTR-70 and protective “grilles” were installed.

Also during the attack, the Russians lost an armored vehicle BMP-1 and a “tank shed,” which they tried to protect with a mass of grilles from all sides.

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One of the amphibious warfare ships from Novorossiysk spotted in Sevastopol

^{Illustrative photo with a landing ship. Source: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation}

One of the amphibious warfare ships that had been withdrawn from Novorossiysk arrived in occupied Sevastopol.

The Crimean Wind Telegram channel showed a photo of a ship in the city’s bay.

“Our eyes can see everything: a Project 775 amphibious warfare ship in Sevastopol Bay,” the Crimean Wind group said.

According to the Crimean Telegram channel, the Russian amphibious warfare ship arrived in the bay on June 7.

It is possible that the Ukrainian attack with naval drones on the night of June 8 was intended to destroy the ship.

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A Chinese agency working with Russia has been trying to source drone jammers

^{A handheld drone detection jammer is displayed during a security exhibition in Villepinte, a suburb of Paris, France, on November 14, 2023. Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images/File}

A Chinese government agency established to promote trade with Russia has been trying to source drone detectors and jammers, adding to concerns that Beijing may be supplying dual-use technology to Moscow.

Foreign companies were seeking “unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipment,” including drone detectors and jammers, according to a procurement notice posted on May 22 on the official WeChat account of the Guangdong Provincial Association for Promotion of Trade with Russia.

The association, overseen by the province’s Commerce Department, said buyers wanted “interference generators, drone detectors (trade names BorisTone, Assel Labs and Bulat) or other similar technology solutions, drone suppressors, and communication band jammers.

Bulat drone detectors were developed by 3MX, a Russian company. They are known for being used by the Russian army during its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The procurement document has been removed from the association’s WeChat social media account, but it still exists on the account of another government body in the same province.

The Yunfu City’s Association for the Promotion of International Trade posted the same notice on WeChat last week, asking any “interested company” with the products to submit their information.

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Meta Shuts Fugitive Moldovan Oligarch’s Facebook, Instagram Accounts: Report
Meta has shut down accounts belonging to pro-Russian fugitive Ilan Shor and his closest associates, branding them “dangerous”, Moldova’s Ziarul di Garda reported.

Facebook and Instagram owner Meta has shut down a number of accounts run by pro-Russian fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor and his closest associates, including MP Marina Tauber, Gagauzia region governor Evghenia Gutul and the leader of the banned Sansa Party, Alexei Lungu, Moldovan newspaper Ziarul de Garda reported.

The newspaper quoted Meta as saying the accounts belonged to “dangerous” organisations and individuals.

“We evaluate these entities based on their online and offline behaviour,” Meta told the paper.

Shor is wanted in Moldova to serve a 15-year sentence imposed in April last year after he was convicted of masterminding the theft of $1 billion from the Moldovan banking system between 2012 and 2014. He was sanctioned by the United States in late 2022 for allegedly working with the Kremlin to undermine the pro-European government and president in Moldova. Shor currently lives in Russia.

A lawyer for Shor said he planned to sue Meta and accused Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg of meddling in Moldovan elections and helping the pro-European government suppress its opponents.

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Polish firm opens production line for Patriot missile launch tubes

A Polish defense contractor inaugurated a production line on Thursday for the manufacture of launch tubes for the PAC-3 MSE (Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement) rockets used by the Patriot air-defense system.

Military Aviation Works 1 (WZL1), a unit of state-owned defense conglomerate Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) based in Dęblin in the eastern Lubelskie province, said production had already started and that the first order was in an advanced stage of completion while the company awaited export approval.

The factory has certification from the U.S. government and Lockheed Martin entitling it to produce the components commercially as part of an offset arrangement for Poland’s procurement of the Patriot system. Poland announced last year the completion of the second phase of a procurement process involving the purchase from the U.S. of up to 48 Patriot PAC-3 launchers and up to 644 PAC-3 MSE missiles in a deal valued at up to $15 billion. The contract includes offset arrangements under which service, repair and production facilities will be established in Poland to support the country’s ‘Wisła’ medium-range air defense program.

The director of WZL1’s Dęblin plant said demand for the launch tubes was brisk.

“Demand is so great that we can safely think about increasing production,” Bartłomiej Kacperczyk said, adding that while current production capacity was still being established, an output of 150 launch tubes per year was “realistic.”

The firm has invested in construction of a 2,500-square-meter production hall as part of its offset absorption costs and taken on over a dozen additional staff with a view to employing at least 40 to 50 more to add to the facility’s current headcount of 250.

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Security Service wants Kremlin fanboy and former MEP Mamikins prosecuted

On June 7, Latvia's State Security Service (VDD) said it had made a decision to urge the prosecutor's office to initiate criminal prosecution against a former member of the European Parliament "for possible glorification and justification of war crimes committed by the aggressor Russia in Ukraine."
A statement published by VDD did not name the individual, but it is understood to be former Member of the European parliament Andrejs Mamikins, who was elected to the European Parliament in 2014 for the Harmony (Saskaņa) party, but later switched his allegiance to the Latvian Russian Union.

According to the VDD: "Criminal proceedings against this person were initiated by the State Security Service on September 29, 2023, in accordance with Article 74.1 of the Criminal Law after evaluating the person's statements in the broadcasts of several Russian television channels loyal to the Kremlin, as well as on social networking sites. In the "Evening with Vladimir Solovyov" program of the Russian TV channel "Rossia 1" on September 21 of last year, the person expressed that Russia "does a mighty, holy work in Ukraine."

Mamikins appeared on the notorious show mentioned above.

VDD declared that the suspect was "a wanted person" though he is believed to be resident in Russia, the land of his birth.

Mamikins, who worked as a journalist and television presenter before embarking on a political career, has a long history as a Kremlin cheerleader.