Oorlog in Oekraïne #981: Drone Wars 3

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Russians falsely claim victory in battle for Ukraine village that hasn't existed for 37 years
The Russian Ministry of Defense fabricated the capture of two Ukrainian villages in Luhansk and Kharkiv oblasts

The Russians have once again lied about the seizure of several settlements, including one that has not existed for 37 years, Nazar Voloshyn, a spokesman for the Khortytsia Operational-Strategic Group, said in a comment to LIGA.net.

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On June 11, the Russian Ministry of Defense released a statement claiming that occupiers had taken control of the villages of Artemivka in the Luhansk Oblast and Tymkivka in the Kharkiv Oblast. Voloshyn said that the village of Tymkivka had been abolished in 1987. In addition, Artemivka was renamed Myasozharivka in 2016 as part of the decommunization process.

"Currently, Myasozharivka is under the control of the Ukrainian Defense Forces!" the spokesperson stated.

In response to LIGA.net's question about whether the Russians had penetrated the area formerly known as Tymkivka (20 km east of Kupiansk), Voloshyn confirmed that there are no occupiers there either.

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Ukraine Launches Unmanned Systems Force as New Military Branch

^{Ivan Havrylyuk, Deputy Minister of Defense against the background of the logo of the Unmanned Systems Forces, June 11, 2024}

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have introduced a new military branch aimed at supporting and developing units of unmanned systems, according to a report by Militarnyi.

Representatives from the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense presented the Unmanned Systems Force, a pioneering branch in the world of military organizations on June 11, 2024 in Kyiv.

The symbol for this new branch is a swallow.

The Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Vadym Sukharevsky, has been appointed as the Commander of the Unmanned Systems Force. During the presentation, he stated that the creation of this new structure is a response to modern battlefield requirements and is based on contemporary military experience.

“We showed the whole world today that Ukraine has moved away from a conservative approach. Today we set a precedent. Thus, we are ready to dictate the rules of this war for further success,” stated Sukharevsky.

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Baltic states to disconnect from joint Russian power grid in February 2025
The Baltic states will disconnect from the energy system shared with Russia and Belarus to join the European grid in February 2025, Interfax Russia reported on June 11.

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are the only EU countries not yet connected to the continental grid, instead being part of the BRELL system, which comprises the three Baltic states, Russia, and Belarus.

The Baltic nations initially aimed to join the European system by the end of 2025. However, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, they advanced the timeline by nearly a year.

Estonian Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Jaanus Uiga said the countries would disconnect on Feb. 8, 2025, and join the European system the following day through the Lithuanian-Polish connection.

"The desynchronization process, which lasted about 20 years, will be completed after the operators of the electric power systems of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania announce to Russia and Belarus that they will no longer continue to work in a joint synchronous space," Uiga remarked, as reported by Interfax Russia.

Tensions between the Baltic states and Russia have escalated significantly since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

A coalition including the Baltic states, Poland, Norway, and Finland agreed on May 24 to establish a "drone wall" to bolster their collective borders.

This development follows an earlier announcement by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in May, confirming Poland's contract to join the European Sky Shield Initiative.

This initiative, currently comprising 21 countries, aims to develop an Iron Dome-style air defense system to protect NATO members across Europe.

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EBRD to provide 1 billion euros for Ukraine's battered energy infrastructure
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has pledged 1 billion euros ($1.07 billion) to assist Ukraine in repairing its damaged energy infrastructure, EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso said on June 11.

Renaud-Basso said an agreement would be signed on the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin.

She emphasized a shift toward supporting distributed energy capacities, highlighting the importance of not only generating energy but also distributing it effectively.

"Efforts will now be focused on distributed energy capacities, not just on generating capacities, as was the case last year," Renaud-Basso said in comments reported by Ukrinform.

The EBRD has been actively supporting Ukraine, having invested 3.8 billion euros ($4 billion) between 2022 and 2023, with the investment reaching 4 billion euros ($4.3 billion) by February 2024.

In December 2023, the bank's board approved a 4-billion-euro capital increase to bring its capital base to 34 billion euros in order to sustain support for Ukraine long-term.

The latest tranche of aid will particularly benefit decentralized heating in Ukraine's Lutsk Oblast. Renaud-Basso underscored the significance of such assistance, stating that it enables people to remain in the country and continue supporting the war effort amid ongoing conflict.

Russian missile and drone attacks have reportedly destroyed 9 gigawatts (GW) of Ukraine's capacity.

The peak energy consumption last winter was 18 GW, and "half of that is gone now," President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the same conference on June 11.

In an interview with the Kyiv Independent on June 9, Executive Director of Ukraine’s largest privately-owned energy company DTEK Dmytro Sakharuk, said Ukrainians could face up to 20 hours of blackouts a day under a “worst-case” scenario if the country cannot repair and properly defend its energy infrastructure from Russian attacks.

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Aid worker makes 3,000 pizzas a day for Ukrainians

^{Tom Hughes and his team make about 3,000 pizzas each day to serve to Ukrainians}

A humanitarian aid worker, who went out to Ukraine two years ago to give out free pizzas, has been serving them up ever since.
Tom Hughes, from Hinton in Wiltshire, drives a truck with 11 ovens to bake pizzas for communities in the war-torn country.
He first travelled to the Poland/Ukraine border in March 2022, intending to stay a fortnight to help refugees fleeing from the Russian invasion.
He now manages a fleet of seven vehicles and two teams for the charity, HopeFull, one of which is based in Lviv and the other in eastern Ukraine where Russian bombardment is a daily occurrence.

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Victory in Ukraine would dramatically strengthen Putin’s war machine
What will Vladimir Putin do next if he wins in Ukraine? In recent months, more and more Western policymakers have reached the conclusion that a victorious Russia would almost certainly expand the war deeper into Europe as Putin seeks to rewrite the existing world order and continue on his crusade to return “historically Russian lands.” This realization is helping to rally support for Ukraine, with leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron now openly warning that a Russian victory would have disastrous consequences for the rest of Europe.

Not everyone is convinced, of course. Many skeptics point to the Russian army’s surprisingly poor performance during the invasion of Ukraine, and argue that Putin is clearly in no position to embark on further military adventures. According to the doubters, Russia’s obvious difficulties in Ukraine mean Moscow cannot be regarded as a genuine threat to the far greater military might of the NATO alliance. Indeed, some are convinced that any direct Russian attack on the West would amount to a suicide mission.

This argument is dangerously shortsighted. Crucially, it ignores the profound impact military success in Ukraine would have on the Kremlin’s ability to wage war. A Russian victory over Ukraine would transform the geopolitical situation, greatly strengthening Russia militarily, economically, and strategically, while at the same time severely weakening the West. Faced with such uniquely favorable circumstances, it is delusional to believe a triumphant Putin would simply stop and go no further.

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Argentine President changes plans to attend Ukraine Peace Summit
Zelenskyy's request influences Milei's decision – La Nacion

Argentine President Javier Milei has made a last-minute decision to attend the Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland this weekend, reversing his previous plans, after a specific request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to La Nacion.

Argentine journalists report that Milei decided within a few hours to change his route and fly from Italy to Switzerland to participate in the summit on Saturday, June 15, an event organized at the initiative of Zelenskyy.

According to sources, Milei reconsidered his plans after a "specific request" from Zelenskyy.

According to Clarin, Zelenskyy sent a special message to the Argentine president urging him to attend at least the opening ceremony of the summit.

On June 7, La Nacion reported that Milei would not be able to attend the summit due to "other plans" scheduled for that time.

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Netherlands allocates 60 million euros to purchase drones for Ukraine
Kajsa Ollongren, the Dutch Defence Minister, announced during a recent visit to Kyiv that 60 million euros would be assigned to "develop the potential of offensive drones for Ukraine".

Source: Dutch Ministry of Defence, cited by European Pravda

Details: Out of the 60 million euros allocated by the Netherlands, a third – 20 million euros – will be used to purchase FPV drones through a drone coalition, which was established earlier this year as part of the Contact Group on Ukraine's defence.

Another 17.5 million euros are allocated for the purchase of marine drones and their production in Ukraine.

The remaining funds will be used for bilateral supplies of various types of drones and will be allocated for purchases from the Dutch industry.

Background:
• The UK, together with Latvia, leads an international drone coalition formed within the framework of the Contact Group on Ukraine's Defence.
• Last week, they announced a tender for the supply of FPV drones to Ukraine worth ¤352,000.

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Ukraine finds Starlink alternative for targeting Crimea's waters
Ukraine has found a satellite communication system that could serve as an alternative to Starlink. This is necessary for drone strikes in the waters of Crimea, according to the Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Vadym Sukharevskyi.

"This issue is being solved (alternative to Starlink - ed.), and a working group was created for dialogue. An alternative exists, dialogue is ongoing, and in the near future, we expect a positive outcome in this dialogue," Sukharevskyi stated.

Ukrainian Armed Forces use Starlink
Ukrainian defenders use tens of thousands of Starlink terminals, actively employing them in the war against Russian forces.

Such satellite communication systems help Ukrainian soldiers to attack Russian forces using drones.

However, in September 2023, CNN reported that Elon Musk supposedly secretly instructed his engineers to disable the Starlink network near the coast of temporarily occupied Crimea, fearing that Ukrainians would use his satellite communication system to attack the Russian fleet.

Musk himself denied this information, claiming that the network near the Ukrainian peninsula was not operational before.

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EU proposes extending temporary protection for Ukrainians to March 2026
The EU believes that it is not yet safe for Ukrainians to return home

The European Commission has proposed extending temporary protection for Ukrainians who fled to the EU because of Russia's military aggression for another year, from March 5, 2025, to March 4, 2026, according to the European Commission's website.

"Given continued Russian attacks on the civil and critical infrastructure across Ukraine, safe and durable conditions for the return of people to Ukraine are not currently in place. The Commission therefore considers that the reasons for temporary protection persist and that it should be prolonged for another year as a necessary and appropriate response to the current situation," the statement said.

On June 13, the European Commission will submit the proposal to extend temporary protection to ministers at the Justice and Home Affairs Council, after which the EU Council will have to approve the proposal formally.

Currently, nearly 4.2 million Ukrainians in EU countries benefit from temporary protection status.

Temporary protection grants Ukrainians the ability to exercise certain rights in the EU, including the right to reside, access the labor market, housing, social, medical, and other assistance. It also helps member states manage the arrival of people in an organized and effective manner.

The EU activated the Temporary Protection Directive by unanimous decision of the member states on March 4, 2022, and it has been automatically extended twice for one year until March 4, 2025.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 14:42 schreef polderturk het volgende:
https://x.com/clashreport(...)5f1ZHlnn5bJbRww&s=19

En de reactie hierop.

[ x ]

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Russian real estate in Finland poses a security threat - Prime Minister
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said measures are being prepared to address potential security risks associated with the presence of Russian property near critical infrastructure. Source: Bloomberg

Read also: In Finland, transactions for the sale of real estate to Russians were blocked due to the issue of national security

For years, Finland allowed Russians to buy land and real estate without security checks. But after the war began, the Finns realized the risk that such assets could be used against them.

Since then, Finland has carried out a full inspection of the Russians' real estate, Petteri Orpo said. “We see a potential security threat in the fact that we have Russian and other foreign owners of real estate and land near critical infrastructure... Common sense dictates that if there is a real risk to national security, then we should be able to act,” he says He.

After passing a law allowing the state to intervene in real estate transactions before they are completed, Finland is currently drafting a complete ban on real estate purchases.

According to the preliminary version, the ban would apply to citizens of states whose homeland was found to have “violated the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of another state and may threaten the security of Finland.”

Decisions on such measures have not yet been made, and it is too early to say whether “we can retroactively strengthen them or expropriate property... This is a very complex legal issue, and therefore we need to carefully analyze how to proceed,” Orpo said.

Let us recall that the Finnish military entered into secret agreements with land owners for the construction of fortifications on the border with Russia.

Earlier it was reported that Finland will deny suspicious Russians asylum right at the border.

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Chinese company may receive contract to monitor Estonia's eastern border
A company with a Chinese owner may receive a contract to install monitoring equipment on the Estonian border. Source: Delfi

A company owned by Chinese conglomerate Hikvision, BK Eesti OÜ, is one of four bidders in the tender to install monitoring equipment on Estonia's eastern border.

Tender proposals were also submitted by G4S Eesti, Cybernetica and Hansavalve with subcontractor BK Eesti OÜ and Optimus Systems.

It is noted that all proposals comply with established requirements and are currently under consideration by the Police and Border Guard Board (PDB). The contract has not yet been concluded.

BK Eesti OÜ's involvement raises questions due to its connection with Hikvision, which is known for its close ties to the Chinese government.

The problem is that in Estonia there is no law prohibiting the use of technology or the participation of companies in government procurement for reasons of national security.

Estonian security services have repeatedly warned about the threats posed by the use of Chinese technology in critical infrastructure. The Police and Border Guard Board is aware of the risks, but cannot disqualify the company due to public procurement legislation.

It was previously reported that the Ministry of Internal Affairs intends to amend the legislation to prohibit third-country citizens from purchasing real estate in places that are strategically important for Estonia . However, the project is complicated by the state's reluctance to publish a list of such objects.

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Media: Explosions reported across occupied Crimea, Krasnodar Krai
Explosions were heard in missile attacks in multiple cities across occupied Crimea, as well as in a community in Russia's Krasnodar Krai overnight on June 12, the Telegram channel Crimean Wind reported.

At around 2:47 a.m. local time, explosions were heard in Sevastopol. Immediately afterwards, explosions rang out in the western cities of Yevpatoria and Saky, as well as the northern community of Krasnoperekopsk.

A small number of explosions was also heard in the community of Armyanskii in Russia's Krasnodar Krai around 4 a.m. local time, according to Crimean Wind.

According to Crimean Wind, unconfirmed reports suggest that an S-400 air defense system may have been damaged as a result of the attack. No official information is currently available on damage to infrastructure.

Russian-installed proxy Governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhayev claimed that there were damage of injuries reported as a result of the attack.

The Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify any of the claims.

Ukraine's Armed Forces have yet to take responsibility for the attack, nor have they provided comment.

Ukraine's General Staff confirmed on June 10 that Armed Forces attacked Russian S-400 and S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems in several areas in occupied Crimea overnight.

Ukraine has carried out a number of successful attacks against Russian targets in Crimea and its vicinity, heavily degrading the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

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Russia Can Be Forced to Pay for Its Crimes: A Proposal
A little-understood international court power opens the way for substantial and enforceable compensation rulings against Russia.

While democratic leaders debate the best way to use $260bn-plus in frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine, a far easier route is available and unused.

G7 leaders meeting in Italy from June 13-15 will consider a US-led proposal to use the assets as collateral for loans of as much as $50bn. But there are considerable legal and political hurdles to overcome.

Some ¤210bn ($226bn) of Russian Central Bank assets have been frozen in Europe since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. European Union (EU) officials have said there are no lawful options to seize it. In fact, one such option exists but remains overlooked. Russian state assets should be used to pay compensation awarded by the European Court of Human Rights, the court of the Council of Europe.

Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe in March 2022 following its all-out invasion of Ukraine. However, it remained a party to the European Convention on Human Rights until 16 September 2022 and the Court can still adjudicate on any violations that occurred up to that date.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 15:18 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:
En nogal epische BIEMS:

Huge Explosions on Russian Infastructure & Military Equipment Compilation Vol.1

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 15:27 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
De S-300 en S-400's op de Krim worden opgedoekt.

S-300 Launchers and Radars Confirmed by ATACMS Destroyed Near Yevpatoria, Crimea

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Explosions heard in occupied Crimea
Russian air defense systems are operating in Sevastopol, Yevpatoriya, Bakhchysarai, and Pervomaisk districts of temporarily occupied Crimea, according to Telegram channels TASS and Krymskyi Veter.

"Loud explosions are heard in Sevastopol," writes Krymskyi Veter, citing subscribers.

They also reported explosions from Yevpatoriya to Sevastopol.

"Strong explosions are heard in the Bakhchysarai district. A missile was seen flying in the sky, about 20 explosions were heard in the area of Belbek, a subscriber reported," according to one of the channel's posts.

At 3:20, TASS reported the repulsion of a missile attack in Sevastopol. Concerning the governor, the agency wrote that there are no ruins or casualties.

At 3:55, there are also reports of explosions in Saky, Krasnoperekopsk, Chornomorsk, and Simferopol.

Updated at 4:40. A source from Krymskyi Veter reported possible damage to an S-400 air defense system near Sevastopol, warning that this information needs confirmation.

According to the channel, the first explosions in Sevastopol were heard at 2:47. In Yevpatoriya, Saky, and Krasnoperekopsk, explosions were heard at 2:50. In the rest of the peninsula, people just heard all this.