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Suspects of Russian action with coffins detained in France
Three Moldovan citizens were arrested in Paris on charges of creating graffiti depicting coffins and the words “French soldiers in Ukraine.” The graffiti was discovered on June 7 in the seventh arrondissement of Paris. Source: Le Figaro

It is unclear whether the detainees have a connection with the individuals who placed coffins with French flags at the Eiffel Tower on the morning of June 1. The suspects are being tested as part of an investigation into Russian foreign interference.

The appearance of coffins at the Eiffel Tower occurred in the context of numerous news about plans to send French military instructors to Ukraine.

It was previously reported that the Russian Federation has intensified its destructive operations against France, aimed at destabilizing the political situation in the country and discrediting President Emmanuel Macron.

Let us recall that across Europe there is an active sabotage campaign organized by Russia as part of President Vladimir Putin’s growing efforts to undermine Western support for Ukraine. American and European officials have reported attempts to damage railroads, military bases and other facilities used to supply weapons to Ukraine.

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This country is asking for military assistance and stabilization from Russia
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa complained to Putin that the US was building military bases in neighboring Zambia, threatening the security and integrity of his country. He asked the Russian dictator for military support so that he could defend Zimbabwe from its Western-backed neighbor.

Mnangagwa meets with Putin during the St. Petersburg Economic Forum
Mnangagwa visited St. Petersburg, where the International Economic Forum, ignored by the West, is taking place. He began his conversation with Putin by calling him his dear brother, and then quickly moved on to criticize the foreign policy pursued by his northern neighbor.

“The West has just begun to consolidate its power in Zambia. You know, there was a time when Zambia and Zimbabwe were one, it was called Northern and Southern Rhodesia. It was one thing, but now we are separated. The Americans are consolidating their power in this country, both in terms of security and financial support for Zambia, to make sure that we will feel alone," Mnangagwa, 81, explained to Putin during a conversation, short fragments of which appeared on the Internet.

Mnangagwa's statement after his visit to Zambia and the SADC summit
Mnangagwa's announcement came just eight days after he visited Zambia in Livingstone to attend the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Chief Executives' Summit, where he was warmly received by Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema.

“There is something terribly wrong with our ability to govern. This presentation of the new SADC chairman against a member state in front of a foreign head of state is extremely unfortunate. I will stop here and say that I am extremely shocked by this recklessness," said Walter Mzembi, former foreign minister of Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe and Zambia relations and their historical significance
Zimbabwe currently holds the SADC Presidency. He is also the co-founder of this organization, which was established in Lusaka, Zambia in April 1980. Zambia and Zimbabwe have enjoyed very good relations since their liberation from British colonial rule in 1964 and 1980 respectively. Zambia has contributed significantly to its neighbor's liberation struggle.

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Smear Campaign On Social Media Aims To Discredit Georgian Protests

When a fringe Georgian politician with pro-Russia leanings opined in an interview that Washington was pulling the strings of a recent wave of protests in Tbilisi, the spreaders of disinformation sprang into action.

The video comments by Solidarity for Peace Party head Mikhail Zhgenti on May 15 were packaged by them as an article and posted to a website, earlier versions of which have churned out pro-Kremlin disinformation ever since Russia's February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (Some of those spreading the comments have been sanctioned by the EU.)

From there, freshly created X accounts bearing all the signs of bots began feverishly reposting the material, especially on U.S.-based accounts. That included the accounts of some well-known figures -- such as U.S. House of Representatives member Matt Gaetz (Republican-Florida) -- and even some legitimate U.S.-based news websites.

It was all part of a smear campaign targeting U.S. audiences with "content discrediting protests in Georgia," said the Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), a disinformation analytical unit of the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank, in a new report.

Georgia has been rocked by weeks of protests over a controversial "foreign agent" law that requires organizations and groups to register as "agents of foreign influence" if they receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad. Critics say it mirrors legislation in Russia, where it has been used to crack down on dissent.

The United States has been one of the most vocal critics of the legislation and, on June 6, Washington announced it was sanctioning Georgian officials and others because of the legislation.

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The move to impose travel bans on the officials, members of the ruling Georgian Dream party, law enforcement officers, lawmakers, private citizens, and some family members of those people came three days after Georgia's parliament speaker signed the measure into law following lawmakers' override of a presidential veto.

"There is widespread support in the U.S. for the Georgian protests and civil society and their struggle for democracy, and there is widespread criticism of the ruling party and its decision to pass this law. Also U.S. representatives call it the Kremlin-backed law," explained Eto Buziashvili, author of the DFRLab report. "So, it's more than hinting that this law leads back to the Kremlin and it is not only Georgian Dream, but it's the Kremlin supporting Georgian Dream with this law. So, given there is this strong support from the U.S. as well as strong messaging, this Russia-linked operation tries to at least divide society and decrease support for the protests," she told RFE/RL.

The smear campaign comes amid fresh warnings of the increased risk of the growing threat of disinformation and worrying signs that such efforts are becoming more sophisticated, largely thanks to artificial intelligence.

In Poland, a fake news report that Poland was preparing a mass military mobilization appeared on May 31 on PAP, Poland's national news agency. Authorities blamed Russia-sponsored hackers aiming to influence the upcoming European Parliament elections.

In the United States, one day after Washington said Kyiv could use U.S. weapons in limited strikes inside Russia, a deepfake video of a U.S. spokesman discussing the policy appeared online. The fake quote was reported as factual news by Russia's state-run TASS news agency on May 30 with reaction from a Russian official.

Microsoft warned on June 2 that "Russia is ramping up malign disinformation campaigns against France" ahead of this summer's Olympic Games in Paris.

France, Germany, and Poland have become "permanent" targets for Russian disinformation ahead of the European Parliament elections, European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova warned on June 4, in just one of the latest warnings from Western leaders about the rising threat of fake news.

Much of that disinformation has been pushed by a Russia-led campaign dubbed Doppelganger, which largely relies on spreading disinformation on websites designed to resemble legitimate news portals.

It was first uncovered in 2022, when such sites churned out pro-Russia disinformation in relation to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Individuals and companies linked to Doppelganger were later sanctioned by the EU, but it continues to target Europeans online and was exposed by French and German authorities in recent months.

One of these faux news portals is Real Reliable News (RRN), which has operated under different home domains and also figures in the Georgian protest social media smear campaign, DFRLab found.

Under the headline Video: Georgia Refuses To Become Another Ukraine -- a nod to another Kremlin-friendly narrative that Washington was behind the 2014 Euromaidan protests that led to the ousting of a Moscow-friendly president in Ukraine -- the interview with Gzhenti was posted to RRN on May 15.

Gzhenti is head of the Solidarity for Peace Party, which was recently formed and according to Georgian media is financially backed by Otar Partskhaladze, a former prosecutor-general closely connected to Georgian Dream. Partskhaladze was sanctioned by Washington for his ties with Russia's Federal Security Service and efforts to sway events in Georgia in favor of Russia.

Gzhenti was also the source of a RRN post on X on May 24 spinning a claim by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze that he was the target of a threat by an EU commissioner over the foreign agent law. The EU official denied the charge.

His earlier comments from the interview published by RRN were snatched up by 39 X accounts (all since shut down), which began rapidly reposting it, said Buziashvili, adding it was just one link in a "larger network."

"Actually, the 39 accounts were part of two sister networks. The first one, an originator network, which were generating [the X posts], not the copy-paste one, but similar ones that were pushing this interview, as well as claiming that the U.S. was behind the Georgian protests," Buziashvili said.

"Then there were the amplifiers, which I worked on. They [copied and pasted] this link to the U.S.-based users in the reply sections exclusively [on X]," Buziashvili added.

Whether the smear campaign had any impact is hard to say, cautioned Buziashvili, noting the following months ahead of Georgia's October parliamentary elections will be key.

"It is hard to judge at this stage how successful this campaign was or is first because the protests are still continuing in Georgia and, second, the law was just passed and the main processes will basically be beginning now in the coming days."

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Destroyed Russian ATS-59G tractor with an UMZ launcher near the village. Staromayorskoe, Donetsk region.

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Powerful explosions rock occupied Crimea, Russian air defense operating
In several regions of Ukrainian temporarily occupied Crimea, powerful explosions were heard. Additionally, the Russians have blocked the Crimean Bridge, inform the Crimean Wind Telegram channel and local public sources.

Eyewitnesses reported loud explosions in Yevpatoria due to the Russian air defense systems.

Later, residents indicated that judging by the flashes, missiles hit a target near Yevpatoria, and "nothing was shot down by Russian air defense."

In addition, residents heard two explosions in the Dzhankoy district. In the village of Uhlove in the Bakhchysarai district, explosions were heard coming from the direction of the sea.

Also, the occupiers have blocked the Crimean Bridge.

Eyewitnesses report the operation of Russian air defense near the village of Vorobyove in the Saky district.

In the Krasnoperekopsk district, residents counted up to eight explosions.

Additionally, five to six explosions were heard in the urban-type settlement of Pervomaiske.

Subscribers of the Crimean Wind Telegram channel report that, likely, a military object near the village of Naumivka in the Saky district was hit.

And in the village of Mykhailivka in the Saky district, power suddenly went out.

Situation in occupied Crimea
On the night of June 6, Ukrainian special forces destroyed another Russian military ship in the Black Sea near temporarily occupied Crimea.

At the end of May, the Defense Forces struck the Kerch crossing and sank one of the Russians' ferries.

The successful work of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has disrupted the occupiers' logistics in Crimea.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 09:24 schreef NeeOfTochJA het volgende:
[ x ]
De aap komt uit de mouw.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 09:24 schreef NeeOfTochJA het volgende:
[ x ]
De aap komt uit de mouw.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 10:00 schreef over_hedge het volgende:

[..]
Wat

Dat er grondstoffen in de grond zitten klopt ja. Dat zeggen we hier al een tijdje. Gek ook dat de precies op de plekken zitten die rusland in wilt nemen.

What happened to the story that "Putin attacked Ukraine unprovoked, and Ukraine was just defending itself, etc"?
Niks happened to that story. Want dat is het nog steeds? Daar veranderen grondstoffen in de grond weinig aan.

Wat probeer je nou precies te zeggen met deze post?

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 10:07 schreef NeeOfTochJA het volgende:

[..]
Dat de VS slechts om de grondstoffen in een land geeft net als in Irak en Afghanistan. Denken dat ze iets om de mensen geven daar is te na�ef voor woorden. Propaganda retoriek.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 10:07 schreef NeeOfTochJA het volgende:

[..]
Dat de VS slechts om de grondstoffen in een land geeft net als in Irak en Afghanistan. Denken dat ze iets om de mensen geven daar is te na�ef voor woorden. Propaganda retoriek.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 10:07 schreef NeeOfTochJA het volgende:

[..]
Dat de VS slechts om de grondstoffen in een land geeft net als in Irak en Afghanistan. Denken dat ze iets om de mensen geven daar is te na�ef voor woorden. Propaganda retoriek.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 09:24 schreef NeeOfTochJA het volgende:
[ x ]
De aap komt uit de mouw.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 10:07 schreef NeeOfTochJA het volgende:

[..]
Dat de VS slechts om de grondstoffen in een land geeft net als in Irak en Afghanistan. Denken dat ze iets om de mensen geven daar is te na�ef voor woorden. Propaganda retoriek.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 09:24 schreef NeeOfTochJA het volgende:
[ x ]
De aap komt uit de mouw.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 09:24 schreef NeeOfTochJA het volgende:
[ x ]
De aap komt uit de mouw.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 10:13 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:

[..]
Ah ja. Bin Laden had aanslagen van 9/11 laten plegen zodat de Amerikanen naar Afghanistan zouden afreizen voor de delfstoffen. Goed verhaal.

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Op zondag 9 juni 2024 22:33 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Dit is onder andere door de oorlog anders nu verwacht ik. Daar het juist de rechtse mensen zijn die het meest ontevreden zijn met deze hele situatie. De rechtse mensen die het geen probleem vinden dat Putin de oorlog wint, zolang deze maar ophoudt. De rechtse mensen (en partijen) waarop de Russische propagande juist gericht is.

Dat lijkt mij een prima reden voor hun om massaal te gaan stemmen dit jaar.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 10:13 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:

[..]
Ah ja. Bin Laden had aanslagen van 9/11 laten plegen zodat de Amerikanen naar Afghanistan zouden afreizen voor de delfstoffen. Goed verhaal.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 10:16 schreef over_hedge het volgende:

[..]
Het genen wat propaganda is. Is de tweet die jij net plaatst.

Van de rest kunnen ook gewoon 2 dingen naast elkaar waar zijn.

Rusland heeft geen goede reden om oekraine binnen te vallen.
en tegelijken: Us ziet liever niet die grondstoffen naar Rusland gaan.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 11:31 schreef NeeOfTochJA het volgende:

[..]
Niet verrassend dat je niet in gaat op mijn punten.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 11:44 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:
Als het de VS om de grondstoffen te doen was, dan hadden ze wel voorkomen dat de Ruzzen �berhaupt die gebieden in hadden kunnen trekken.

Maar dat zal wel te logisch gedacht zijn voor die eencellige complotidioten...

Want waarom zou je immers voorkomen dat de Ruzzen de grens oversteken, zodat je er meteen bij kunt?

Blijkbaar is het voor die mafklappers logischer dat de Ruzzen eerst vele jaren dat gebied bezetten, en dan maar hopen dat ze ooit een keer vertrekken

Echt

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 11:31 schreef NeeOfTochJA het volgende:

[..]
Niet verrassend dat je niet in gaat op mijn punten.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 09:24 schreef NeeOfTochJA het volgende:
[ x ]
De aap komt uit de mouw.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 11:27 schreef spicymchaggis het volgende:

[..]
Ik denk dat er meer dan genoeg mensen hetzelfde in de wedstrijd staan als ik; ik ben bepaald geen voorstander van de opvang van "vluchtelingen" uit landen als Eritrea, Afghanistan enz. omdat je met die mensen vooral heel veel problemen importeert. Maar geen haar op mijn hoofd die er aan denkt om op landverraders en collaborateurs als AfD, FvD enz. te stemmen.

Ik snap eerlijk gezegd ook niet hoe je enerzijds (niet geheel onterecht) tegen immigratie door moslims kunt zijn, maar anderzijds geen problemen hebt met een Europa dat steeds meer binnen de invloedssfeer van een minderwaardig barbarenvolk als de Russen dreigt te komen.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 12:47 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:

[..]
Welke invloedssfeer dan? Volgens mij stonden ze 40 jaar geleden nog tot in Berlijn. Nu zijn shitholes als Moldavi� EU-kandidaat en nemen we helemaal niets meer af aan grond- en brandstoffen (op papier).

Dat die zogenaamde russische invloedssfeer toeneemt staat haaks op de feiten.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 12:48 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:

[..]
Wat ook weer een belangrijke reden was voor Poetin om deze oorlog te starten.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 12:47 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:

Dat die zogenaamde russische invloedssfeer toeneemt staat haaks op de feiten.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 13:05 schreef ipa84 het volgende:

[..]
Klopt, daarom dat er ook zoveel frames zijn dat er een coup was ipv een revolutie, Russischtalige onderdrukte worden enzovoort. Allemaal Russische propaganda om te duiden waarom Rusland zogenaamd binnen moest vallen. Wat gretig aftrek heeft binnen de groep kritische denkers die anders niet snappen waarom het zo vriendelijke Rusland hun buurlanden zo terroriseert.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 13:18 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Maar dat gebeurt natuurlijk wel als we het aan bootlickers die niet te beroerd zijn om nog even wat kremlin talkingpoints te herhalen overlaten.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 11:44 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:
Als het de VS om de grondstoffen te doen was, dan hadden ze wel voorkomen dat de Ruzzen �berhaupt die gebieden in hadden kunnen trekken.

Maar dat zal wel te logisch gedacht zijn voor die eencellige complotidioten...

Want waarom zou je immers voorkomen dat de Ruzzen de grens oversteken, zodat je er meteen bij kunt?

Blijkbaar is het voor die mafklappers logischer dat de Ruzzen eerst vele jaren dat gebied bezetten, en dan maar hopen dat ze ooit een keer vertrekken

Echt

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 13:19 schreef spicymchaggis het volgende:

[..]
Deze oorlog heeft duidelijk gemaakt dat je Russische minderheden in je land onder de knoet moet houden of - beter nog - je land uit moet bonjouren naar hun geliefde moederland. De Russische diaspora vormt overduidelijk een vijfde colonne.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 13:26 schreef ipa84 het volgende:

[..]
Het probleem is dat Poetin ze juist niet terug wilt hebben en ze wilt gebruiken als usefull idiots in het buitenland. Dan wordt het al snel lastig om die mensen het land uit te gooien. Dat ze een probleem vormen zal niemand ontkennen. Jaren geleden volgens mij al voor de inval in de Krim heeft Poetin een wet aangenomen in Rusland dat het Russische leger een land mag binnen vallen als de etnische Russen worden onderdrukt. Wat natuurlijk makkelijk te framen is.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 13:22 schreef NeeOfTochJA het volgende:

[..]
Je vergeet voor het gemak dat de VS ook miljarden verdient met oorlog voeren.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 13:29 schreef ipa84 het volgende:
Ja en?

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 13:26 schreef ipa84 het volgende:

[..]
Het probleem is dat Poetin ze juist niet terug wilt hebben en ze wilt gebruiken als usefull idiots in het buitenland. Dan wordt het al snel lastig om die mensen het land uit te gooien. Dat ze een probleem vormen zal niemand ontkennen. Jaren geleden volgens mij al voor de inval in de Krim heeft Poetin een wet aangenomen in Rusland dat het Russische leger een land mag binnen vallen als de etnische Russen worden onderdrukt. Wat natuurlijk makkelijk te framen is.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 13:33 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Antwoord is eigenlijk dat dat wel meevalt.

Ja, leuke centen verdienen ze nu aan dat iedereen HIMARS wil kopen etc. Maar F-35s zaten bij werkelijk elk land al in de pijplijn.

Maar die miljarden die ze spenderen aan nieuw spul maken, als vervaning van spul geleverd aan oekraine, komt gewoon uit de VS schatkist.

Dan heb je het al met al over: de schoorsteen blijft roken. Leuk. Maar niet de gouden bergen die wappie zichzelf verteld.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 13:35 schreef spicymchaggis het volgende:

[..]
Dan moet je hen het leven z� onmogelijk maken dat ze je land vrijwillig verlaten.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 14:11 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

M-m-m-m-maaaaaar dan zijn ze formeel niet echt geleverd en snifsnotterboehoehoehoe.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 14:33 schreef Hugo862 het volgende:

[..]
Lijkt mij niet meer dan logisch.

Het zijn dure speeltjes, die wil je zoveel mogelijk buiten het bereik van Russische rakketen en drones houden. Dus trainingstoestellen, toestellen in onderhoud en reserve toestellen buiten Oekraine stallen is in dat geval geen gek idee.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 13:22 schreef NeeOfTochJA het volgende:

[..]
Je vergeet voor het gemak dat de VS ook miljarden verdient met oorlog voeren.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 14:11 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

M-m-m-m-maaaaaar dan zijn ze formeel niet echt geleverd en snifsnotterboehoehoehoe.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 15:05 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Lijkt me dat die F16's dan een beetje voor de show zijn. Zie het nog niet echt voor me.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 15:06 schreef sp3c het volgende:
ze zijn er ook nog niet

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 14:35 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:

[..]
Zijn reactie was denk ik meer bedoeld richting een bepaalde user

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 15:25 schreef oheng het volgende:
Schijnt een S-400 en twee S-300's in de Krim te zijn geraakt. Plus boten in de Zee van Azov.

Zal vast ook wel weer een raffinaderij zijn geraakt, ergens.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 16:24 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Er wordt ge�nnoveerd, maar het lijkt me sterk dat ze 3 bemanningsleden kunnen vervangen.

[ x ]

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 16:24 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Er wordt ge�nnoveerd, maar het lijkt me sterk dat ze 3 bemanningsleden kunnen vervangen.

[ x ]

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 13:18 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Maar dat gebeurt natuurlijk wel als we het aan bootlickers die niet te beroerd zijn om nog even wat kremlin talkingpoints te herhalen overlaten.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 15:05 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Lijkt me dat die F16's dan een beetje voor de show zijn. Zie het nog niet echt voor me.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 16:52 schreef MatthijsDJ het volgende:

[..]
Ja want als ze opstijgen vanuit een ander land zijn ze meteen minder nuttig...

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 16:52 schreef MatthijsDJ het volgende:

[..]
Ja want als ze opstijgen vanuit een ander land zijn ze meteen minder nuttig...

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 17:20 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Zeker wel ja, hoe ga je dat allemaal regelen met combined arms? Weet je hoe complex die operaties zijn laat staan zo'n ding te vliegen. Dat moet allemaal op elkaar afgestemd zijn. Opstijgen vanuit een ander land geeft zeker wel nadelen. Bovendien, die vliegers moeten dan ook in een ander land paraat staan.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 17:20 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Zeker wel ja, hoe ga je dat allemaal regelen met combined arms? Weet je hoe complex die operaties zijn laat staan zo'n ding te vliegen. Dat moet allemaal op elkaar afgestemd zijn. Opstijgen vanuit een ander land geeft zeker wel nadelen. Bovendien, die vliegers moeten dan ook in een ander land paraat staan.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 18:26 schreef Fietsenrek het volgende:
https://www.telegraaf.nl/(...)chadigd-na-aanvallen

Er staat verderop dat volgens Oekra�ne al meer dan een half miljoen soldaten van Rusland zijn uitgeschakeld. Nu is het waarschijnlijk aangedikt, maar zou het werkelijke aantal in de buurt komen? Best een pittig aantal mocht het zo zijn

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 18:41 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:

[..]
Dat aantal is het aantal geschatte doden �n dusdanig zwaargewonden dat ze nooit meer ingezet kunnen worden (waarbij er meer zwaargewonden dan doden zijn).

Dus geen 500.000 doden.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 17:20 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Opstijgen vanuit een ander land geeft zeker wel nadelen.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 18:26 schreef Fietsenrek het volgende:
https://www.telegraaf.nl/(...)chadigd-na-aanvallen

Er staat verderop dat volgens Oekra�ne al meer dan een half miljoen soldaten van Rusland zijn uitgeschakeld. Nu is het waarschijnlijk aangedikt, maar zou het werkelijke aantal in de buurt komen? Best een pittig aantal mocht het zo zijn

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 18:57 schreef Fietsenrek het volgende:

[..]
Ah oke, dat zou het een en ander kunnen verklaren inderdaad. Toch best pittig.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 19:02 schreef Albertooo het volgende:

[..]
Best pittig is een understatement, lijkt me. Half miljoen doden en gewonden in 2 jaar tijd. Bizar eigenlijk. Hier moet je psychopaat voor zijn.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 19:20 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
Dat hangt er vanaf, als je het vergelijkt met de oorlog in Afghanistan, die mede leidde tot het einde van de soviet unie, dan ja.

rusland heeft al 10 keer zoveel soldaten verloren in deze oorlog (150.000) dan in de hele oorlog in Afghanistan (15.000).
En dan ook nog in 2,5 jaar tov 9 jaar.
Oh en met de hulp van o.a. Oekraine, Kazachstan, Armenie, Belarus, etc.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 18:59 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Ongetwijfeld, maar je noemt er geen een.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 16:24 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Er wordt ge�nnoveerd, maar het lijkt me sterk dat ze 3 bemanningsleden kunnen vervangen.

[ x ]

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 19:39 schreef Albertooo het volgende:

[..]
Gekkenwerk

Hoe lang denkt men dat Rusland dit vol gaat houden. Ik begreep dat ze er vanuit gaan dit nog een aantal jaar (!) voort te zetten?

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 19:57 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

What airdefence doing?

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Drones attacked Russian tugboat and barge in Russian Taganrog bay
Drones attacked a Russian tugboat and barge in Taganrog bay. The barge was damaged, and the tug's captain decided to return to the port, Russian media outlet Baza reports.

According to the agency, the attack on the tugboat Inzhener Smirnov and the barge Sectsia 179 took place on the evening of June 8.

In the evening, the tug's captain reported that as a result of the attack, the barge had damage above the waterline, and the tug's windows were broken. Two crew members also received shrapnel wounds.

The tug's driving performance was not lost, and the captain decided to return to the port of Azov in the Rostov region of Russia, the report says.

Russian troops are trying to defend the Crimean bridge and have pulled 8 barges to it. According to UK intelligence, the previously installed structures were damaged by storms, which reduced their effectiveness.

Earlier it was reported that the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine destroyed a Russian tugboat Saturn of Project 498 in Crimea with marine drones.

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Gasproductie Russisch Gazprom bereikt dieptepunt

Het Russische gasbedrijf Gazprom heeft afgelopen jaar 13 procent minder gas gewonnen dan het jaar daarvoor. De totale productie kwam daarmee uit op 359 miljard kubieke meter, een nieuw dieptepunt.
Dat meldt het staatsbedrijf bij de bekendmaking van de jaarcijfers. Sinds de oprichting van Gazprom in 1989 in de nadagen van de voormalige Sovjet-Unie was de productie niet zo slecht als afgelopen jaar.

Het nettoverlies is opgelopen tot 629 miljard roebel (zo'n 7 miljard dollar). Dat is het eerste jaarverlies sinds 1999.

Vanwege de oorlog in Oekra�ne is Russisch gas in Europa grotendeels in de ban gegaan. Europa was traditioneel de grootste afnemer van het gas.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 20:09 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://newsukraine.rbc.u(...)arge-1718001745.html
[..]
Afgelopen weekend een sleepboot licht beschadigd en een binnenschip ook. Al valt het mee zo te lezen.

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Thanks to US help, Ukraine will restore military dynamics this summer – Senator Graham
American lawmaker says allies should allow Ukrainians to fly planes and long-range artillery to hit targets inside Russia

US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham believes that thanks to American assistance, the Ukrainian military will be able to regain momentum on the battlefield this summer, reports The Hill.

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Graham acknowledged that Washington did not provide Ukraine with weapons at an early stage to deter Russian aggression. However, now that the Ukrainian military is receiving help from American allies, there is a chance to "reset" this war.

The senator believes that Ukraine will regain its military momentum this summer. For this, it is necessary to mobilize the support of Ukraine from the Western allies, he added.

"Either we’re going to help Ukraine or we’re not. It’s now time to give them the F-16s, let them fly the planes, long-range artillery to hit targets inside of Russia. Go after Putin’s assets wherever, all over the world. Go on the offensive. I think the summer Ukraine will regain military momentum," said Graham.

In February 2024, Graham wanted to derail the Senate's approval of an aid package for Ukraine by unexpectedly opposing it. Such a decision by Graham caused indignation and anger even among his fellow party members, who counted on the support of the senator. At the same time, Graham continued to position himself as a "friend of Ukraine".

On June 7, 2024, US President Joe Biden announced a $225 million military aid package to Ukraine.

On June 8, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared a "very frank assessment" of the situation at the front in Ukraine during a meeting with the US leader.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 20:19 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
Ja, maar het tempo gaat wel omhoog. Eerst hier en daar een sporadische lichte aanval met amper schade, zoals de allereerste aanval op Sevastopol of het Kremlin. En nu zijn er al meerdere aanvallen met zware schade per dag.

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Ukrainian troops destroyed Russian Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer in the Belgorod region

The defenders of the Kharkiv region destroyed the Russian 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer.

The Russian self-propelled howitzer was detected and destroyed in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation.

The Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer was hit by FPV drones of the 71st Jaeger Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military published a video of the destruction of enemy equipment and positions, as well as the destruction of 122-mm self-propelled howitzer.

The invaders’ self-propelled howitzer was in a firing position in a deployed position in a field near the forest.

SPOILER

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Знищення САУ «Гвоздика» у Бєлгородській області [червень 2024]

“FPV drones detect the enemy near Vovchansk on both sides of the Russian border. The task is to prevent the enemy from gathering reserves for new attacks. The enemy’s self-propelled artillery systems, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and vehicles with Russian manpower and ammunition are burning brightly and regularly, no matter how the enemy tries to disguise them in the dense bushes,” the brigade said.

Ukrainian soldiers used several FPV kamikaze drones to destroy the Russian 2S1 Gvozdika.

After another hit, the Russian self-propelled howitzer caught fire from the inside, which led to the detonation of its ammunition. A powerful explosion destroyed the artillery system.

According to observers monitoring the course of hostilities, the Russian Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer was destroyed near the village of Leninskiy in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation.

In the same Russian region, a small ammunition depot of the Russian army was destroyed.

A small ammunition depot reportedly caught fire in Rakytne, a town about 25 kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border.

The Russian ammunition depot could be hit by an attack drone. Immediately after the start of the fire and explosions, the surrounding residential buildings were evacuated.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 20:21 schreef Ulx het volgende:
De Russische destroyer Admiral Levchenko staat in brand in de Barentz Zee.

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Local authorities deny alleged advance of Kadyrov's troops in Ryzhivka, Sumy Oblast
Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov announced the alleged capture of the village, the National Security and Defense Council stated that the Russians were struck

There are no Russian troops in the village of Ryzhivka, Sumy Oblast, the head of the Bilopillia territorial community Yuriy Zarko said in a comment to pulic broadcaster Suspilne. The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council said that the Russians tried to "probe the defense", but were hit by fire from Ukrainian defenders.

On Sunday evening, the dictator of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, announced the alleged occupation of Ryzhivka by militants of his group "Akhmat-Chechnya". The same information was replicated by Russian propaganda media.

However, the head of the Bilopillia municipality, which includes the village, denied this statement.

Deputy Mayor Volodymyr Viduyev stated that as of May 22, 2024, seven people remained in Ryzhivka.

SPOILER

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The village is located literally on the Russian-Ukrainian border and borders the village of Tyotkino in the Russian Federation.

The situation in Sumy Oblast as of 8:00 a.m. on Monday is not the beginning of what happened in Kharkiv Oblast after the start of the Russian offensive, said Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the NSDC.

"The Russians tried to probe the defenses in the direction of Ryzhivka, which is a 'satellite' of Russian Tyotkino. There are currently no notable actions in the border area. The Defense Forces are controlling the situation, the enemy has been engaged with firepower," he wrote.

The official noted that Kadyrov's troops are an "information army", and the bet in these actions is made precisely on the information component.

Kovalenko stressed that it is not worth comparing the situation in Sumy Oblast with Kharkiv Oblast as of 8:00 a.m., but the threat of Russian actions in the border area remains.

On May 13, 2024, in Sumy Oblast, a decision was made on early voluntary evacuation from the border towns of Bilopillia and Vorozhba.

That same evening, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the activity of the Russian troops against Sumy Oblast and Chernihiv Oblast was being recorded with sabotage groups and shelling, but Ukraine was responding to them with fire.

The head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, reported that the Russian forces "from the very beginning" were planning an offensive in Sumy Oblast similar to the one they are currently implementing in Kharkiv Oblast.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 20:22 schreef ExTec het volgende:
[ afbeelding ]

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Due to shortage of vessels, Russia now patrolling Black Sea with submarines, military spokesman says
Dmytro Pletenchuk stated that Russia has four submarines in the Azov-Black Sea region, three of which are carriers of cruise missiles

After Ukraine engaged and destroyed a number of vessels, the Russian military patrols the Black Sea with submarines, Dmytro Pletenchuk, the speaker of the Southern Defense Forces, announced on national television.

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"In the Black Sea, they [the Russians] are now carrying out tasks with submarines. They have already developed a practice where these submarines replace each other in the morning," he said.

According to Pletenchuk, Russia has four submarines in the Azov-Black Sea region, three of which are carriers of cruise missiles. Two such submarines periodically go out to sea.

As for the Sea of Azov, the speaker noted, it is "safer" for the Russians there – they think so and are trying to organize a training process for their ships there. Currently, there are three large landing ships of the Russian Federation and three more small missile ships of the Buyan-M project in the waters of the Sea of Azov.

On May 23, 2024, Pletenchuk reported that the Ukrainian military had deprived Russia of the Kalibr cruise missile carriers in Crimea, but the enemy still has similar ships in the ports of Novorossiysk.

On May 30, Ukrainian military intelligence destroyed two Russian KS-701 Tunets boats using Magura V5 surface drones. Defense Intelligence stated that two boats could not be restored after being hit, and later clarified that four Russian Tunets boats were hit and two of them were destroyed.

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US Confirms Ukraine's Patriots Downed Putin's Rare Radar Plane: 'Historic'

A senior U.S. Army officer has confirmed that Ukraine used one of its American-made Patriot surface-to-air missile systems to down a Russian Beriev A-50 airborne early warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft in January 2024.

Colonel Rosanna Clemente, the assistant chief of staff of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, said in comments at the Fires Symposium event last month that Ukraine's Western-provided Patriot anti-air systems are serving Kyiv in various roles.

Clemente said some Patriot launchers are "being used to protect static sites and critical national infrastructure. Others are being moved around and doing some really historic things that I haven't seen in 22 years of being an air defender. And one of them is a 'SAMbush.'"

"They're doing that with extremely mobile Patriot systems that were donated by the Germans because the systems are all mounted on the trucks."

Clemente said such mobile systems can be deployed close to the front and target Russian aircraft operating far from the contact line. Ukrainian anti-air teams, she added, used this tactic "to engage the first A-50 C2 [command and control] system back in January."

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 20:53 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:

[..]
Zulke karretjes zijn misschien al wel meer dan een eeuw populair onder Ruzzische veteranen. Waarschijnlijk hebben ze er zelfs wel een naam voor.
[ afbeelding ]
[ afbeelding ]
[ afbeelding ]

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Russian Federation intensifies attempts to discredit Ukrainian peace formula
The dissemination by Russian propaganda of the theses about the insubstantiality of the Ukrainian peace formula is part of the efforts to disrupt the Peace Summit in Switzerland.
Russian propaganda is intensifying attempts to discredit the Ukrainian peace formula as the summit in Switzerland approaches. This was reported by the Centre for Counteracting Disinformation of the National Security and Defence Council.

Among the manipulations spread by the propaganda of the Russian Federation regarding the Peace Summit, the following messages prevail:
• "The peace formula is meaningless due to the absence of key leaders of states at the summit"
• "This diplomatic project makes no sense without the participation of the Russian Federation."
• "The peace formula is detached from reality."
• "Russia is ready to sit at the negotiating table"
• "Ukraine and the West are not interested in peace"
• "Switzerland has compromised itself as a neutral state."

Spreading such theses is part of Russia's efforts to disrupt the Peace Summit. The enemy wants as few countries as possible to take part in the event," the report said.

At the same time, the Kremlin is trying to mislead the international community by continuing to talk about "readiness for peace".

It is noted that in fact the Russian Federation seeks to continue the war. The Russian Federation is carrying out information attacks against the Peace Summit, as the unification of the world community around the peace initiative of Ukraine is a threat to the plans of the Kremlin.

Earlier Socialportal reported that Zelensky received information from intelligence that the Russian Federation has a concrete plan to disrupt the Global Peace Summit.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 21:03 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Turtle power.

[ x ]

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 20:21 schreef Ulx het volgende:
De Russische destroyer Admiral Levchenko staat in brand in de Barentz Zee.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 20:21 schreef Ulx het volgende:
De Russische destroyer Admiral Levchenko staat in brand in de Barentz Zee.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 20:21 schreef Ulx het volgende:
De Russische destroyer Admiral Levchenko staat in brand in de Barentz Zee.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 21:26 schreef spicymchaggis het volgende:

[..]
Blijkbaar door technische problemen. Hopelijk is 'ie daarmee een "sitting duck" voor de Oekra�ners geworden en kan 'ie definitief gekelderd worden met zijn voltallige bemanning.

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Ukraine reconstruction agency chief quits day before recovery conference
Mustafa Nayyem says he has been undermined by Kyiv government and stopped from attending event in Berlin


Ukraine reconstruction agency chief quits day before recovery conference
Mustafa Nayyem says he has been undermined by Kyiv government and stopped from attending event in Berlin

The head of Ukraine’s reconstruction agency has resigned a day before an international conference on the country’s long-term reconstruction, saying he had been prevented from attending after being systematically undermined by the Ukrainian government from doing his job.

Mustafa Nayyem announced his resignation in a Facebook post on Monday after previously sending a strongly worded message to a number of foreign partners criticising the Ukrainian administration for a wide range of mistakes.

Nayyem said the final straw was when his permission to travel to Berlin was revoked.

SPOILER

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The two-day Ukraine recovery conference starts in Berlin on Tuesday and is due to be addressed by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

The German government has described it as sending an important signal to Ukrainians about the long-term future of their country. Critics have called for a refocusing to increase Ukraine’s current resilience, by for instance preventing prolonged energy blackouts this winter.

The conference will include the launch of 95 investment projects for which it is hoped western funding will be secured, as well as a range of reform targets. The country’s future accession to the EU will also be discussed, in what organisers have referred to as a “fourth dimension” of the conference agenda.

Hosted by the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, attendees are to include a range of senior international diplomats and foreign ministers, from Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine to the UK’s David Cameron. Several Ukrainian mayors from big cities including Kyiv and Lviv are expected to attend.

In Nayyem’s letter, obtained by the Guardian, and in his posting to Facebook, he was deeply critical of the style of governance around Ukraine’s reconstruction while stopping short of criticising Zelenskiy directly. He said effectively his job, which he described as “the most challenging work of my life”, was made impossible to carry out.

Included in a long list of complaints, Nayyem expressed regret at:
• The lack of “government approval for the payment of $150m (�118m) borrowed from the European Investment Bank for critical projects including water supply and energy protection”.
• Being “plagued by inexplicable bureaucratic delays”.
• A “significant reduction in salaries” at his agency (a senior expert now earns the equivalent of �320 [�270] a month) leading to a loss of a quarter of staff since January.

Nayyem said the “persistent opposition, resistance and the creation of artificial barriers” his agency had faced had “rendered it impossible to effectively fulfil my duties”. The delays and hold-ups had resulted in “loss of trust from the market, local authorities and citizens”, he said.

While admitting “mistakes and shortcomings” that he said were “inevitable in implementing projects of such complexity and under such conditions”, he said the agency had delivered a wide range of valuable successes, was now coordinating work on 353 construction sites across the country and had restored nearly 1,300km of roads and 330 bridges damaged in the conflict as well as building 155km of main water pipeline in the Dnipropetrovsk region, after the Russian military destroyed the Kakhovka dam.

Nayyem’s resignation follows the dismissal last month of the minister of infrastructure, Oleksandr Kubrakov, under whom he was appointed, and with whom he said he had worked closely.

In recent months, Ukraine’s foreign allies have become increasingly concerned over what they describe as centralising tendencies in Zelenskiy’s administration. Kubrakov’s firing has added to those concerns.

Kubrakov was widely respected by international partners. One diplomatic source in Kyiv described his firing just before the Berlin conference as “a bit of a disaster, image-wise”. This will be compounded by Nayyem resigning on the eve of the conference.

Nayyem said in his letter that Kubrakov’s dismissal had made the work impossible, and “the government’s recent decision to cancel my official participation in the Ukraine recovery conference in Berlin confirmed this”, he added.

As western diplomats expressed concerns over the dismissal of Kubrakov, not least the embarrassment of the conference taking place without him, Josh Rudolph, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund thinktank, said Kubrakov’s dismissal was regrettable, as he had been regarded as an innovator in fighting corruption and building transparency. “Central power has come to wipe out the team that was building a transparent system of national restoration and replaces it with loyalists,” he said.

Nayyem, who was born in Afghanistan but moved to Ukraine as a child, became one of the country’s leading journalists. In November 2013, he called for street protests against a decision by the government of Viktor Yanukovych to back out of a trade agreement with the EU under Russian pressure. The protests eventually became the Maidan revolution that toppled Yanukovych and his government.

After the revolution, Nayyem became an MP. In 2021, he was appointed deputy minister of infrastructure, and in early 2023 was made head of Ukraine’s state agency for reconstruction, tasked with dealing with the destruction wrought by the Russian invasion even as it continued. The job involved “planning with short-term horizons”, Nayyem told the Guardian last year, as it was never clear what Russia could strike next. But it also involved drawing up longer-term plans for when the war ends.

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I am leaving the post of chairman of the Recovery Agency. He made the decision on his own due to systemic obstacles that do not allow him to effectively exercise his powers.
Starting last November, the Agency team began to face constant opposition, resistance and the creation of artificial obstacles.

SPOILER

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FIRST. Our budget for road restoration and maintenance projects was completely canceled. I am aware of the limitations of resources and the importance of military spending. But the cancellation of funds for infrastructure maintenance will inevitably affect, first of all, the condition of defense roads and, as a result, all military logistics. If this does not change, next season we will face complications in military logistics and export of products.

SECOND. We began to have a "nightmare" with the bureaucracy, when documents for the payment of defense structures, fortifications, or restoration were agreed upon by the Government for months, returned six or eight times with ridiculous remarks, delayed for several months, and some have not been agreed to this day. Right now, for the third month, the Government has refused to pay almost 150 million euros, which were borrowed by the state from the EIB for critically important projects, including water supply and energy protection. All this has consequences, which I have repeatedly officially reported. Untimely payment of contractors undermines trust in the state; delay in financing - slows down, and in some directions - completely stopped construction works, and this is a loss of trust of the market, local authorities, and citizens. But the main thing is that all this has a negative impact on the country's defense capability, cargo logistics, protection of critical infrastructure and export of our goods. It is clear that sooner or later such actions should cause criticism of our team and dissatisfaction of international partners.

THIRD. In addition to this, since the beginning of the year, the Agency's wages have been significantly cut - the lion's share of employees have been cut to 68% of their wages. The government did this against all logic and common sense. And no, we did not have exorbitant salaries - the senior specialist of the Agency received a little more than 30 thousand hryvnias, and now - 14. As a result, since the beginning of the year, we have already lost 25% of our staff, about which I have repeatedly written letters to the Prime Minister of Ukraine , SBU, NAZK and the Ministry of Finance, and what was repeatedly discussed by G7 ambassadors at meetings with the Prime Minister. I believe that this was done deliberately so that the Agency, which to some extent became a model for building processes from "0", simply did not have any professional and motivated people left, and the Agency itself was recognized as ineffective and unnecessary.

Despite all these obstacles, during the entire time of the great war, we did not fail or stop a single project, a single military cargo, a single evacuation route. Today, the Agency simultaneously coordinates the work of 353 (!) construction sites for restoration throughout the country. This is the most difficult work in my life.

During the year, we managed to implement a large number of projects. After the de-occupation of the affected regions, we restored almost 1.3 thousand km of highways and traffic on 330 bridges. We repaired 29 of the largest checkpoints on the western border and started project work on the reconstruction and construction of two new checkpoints. After Russian troops blew up the Kakhovskaya HPP dam, we built 155 km of main water pipeline in the Dnipropetrovsk region, which will provide drinking water to 1.5 million people, in a very short time.

One of the largest projects of the Agency is the construction of protective structures against drones and missiles at 22 distribution substations of the NEC "Ukrenergo" and the protection of 103 energy facilities from shrapnel damage, which was entrusted to us by the decision of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. All work on protection against drones and fragments has been completed. And thanks to this, after the last shelling, the power industry managed to restore electricity supply in the Kharkiv, Odesa and Mykolaiv regions in the shortest possible time.

This was done without excessive PR, ribbon cutting and photo sessions. This was our job, not a feat. Working in incredibly critical conditions, we developed and implemented a large number of procurement standards, which gave results in the first year - hundreds of millions of saved funds and market recognition. We were also the first to start the practice of publishing prices for basic materials to ensure transparency and efficiency in the use of public funds and to protect trust in the Agency.

All this was possible thanks to the support of the Ministry and the Minister, who allowed us to make independent decisions and achieve results without waiting for backstabbing. With the dismissal of the minister, this became impossible, and the latest decision of the Prime Minister to cancel my official participation in the Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine in Berlin confirmed this.

I will not be ashamed of what we managed to do during a full-scale invasion.

Of course, there were mistakes and shortcomings, without which it is impossible to implement projects of such complexity and in such conditions. But we always reacted and tried to do better. After all, we have shown that the state apparatus can work more transparently, and civil servants can take responsibility and achieve results without excessive bureaucracy. And I will be truly sorry if our plans, processes and standards in this area are destroyed.

Obviously, we did not always fit into today's style and team of public administration. And I do not rule out that later there will be attempts to persecute and discredit our work in the public sphere. In fact, this has been happening for a long time. I am ready for this and before my dismissal I appealed to all law enforcement and control bodies with a request to take all measures to check the legality and transparency of the decisions made by the Agency.

Today I wrote a resignation letter and said goodbye to the Agency team and the heads of the Recovery Services in the regions. Understanding the responsibility that rests on our team, I will perform my duties until the Government makes a decision on my dismissal and hand over the affairs to my successors. I am ready to do everything that depends on me so that the Agency continues the implementation of projects of critical importance for the country. At this time, our entire team and Regional Recovery Services continue to operate as normal.

I was appointed head of the Recovery Agency at the request of Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, together with him we started work in the Ministry, where I was his deputy for almost a year, and where we jointly initiated the restructuring and cleansing of the Ministry and subordinate institutions from senseless bureaucracy and corruption. I am sincerely grateful to him for his trust.

I also thank my entire team, my deputies, the heads of the Reconstruction Services in the regions and numerous international partners and diplomatic institutions, who have been by my side all this time and helped restore Ukraine.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 20:59 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
Zijn de rolstoelen nog niet uitgevonden in Rusland ofzo?

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 09:24 schreef NeeOfTochJA het volgende:
[ x ]
De aap komt uit de mouw.

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Polish arms plant explosion starts fire, leaves 1 employee dead
An explosion in the Mesko arms factory in the southeastern Polish city of Skarzysko-Kamienna on June 10 started a fire and killed a 59-year-old worker, RMF 24 reported.

Another employee was hospitalized after inhaling smoke, but his life is not in danger, local authorities said.

"We had an explosion at the rocket fuel center, which was put into operation a few years ago," the plant's chair, Elzbieta Sreniawska, told RMF 24.

The company's services put out the fire and the incident's causes are currently being investigated.

This is not the first such tragic case to have taken place at the Mesko factory. In September 2021, an explosion killed a 41-year-old woman.

In yet another incident, a 48-year-old woman was seriously injured during a blast in April 2021, later dying due to her injuries.

Mesko, owned by state-run Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa SA, manufactures various defense products, including Grom and Piorun man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), Spike-LR anti-tank missiles, and small arms ammunition.

Poland has provided extensive military support to Ukraine, leading to local arms factories significantly increasing production. Mesko signed a contract in 2022 for the supply of ammunition of various calibers to Ukraine.

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Belarus to participate in Russia's nuclear drills
Belarus will participate in the second stage of Russian drills simulating the launch of tactical nuclear weapons, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin announced on June 10.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced in May it would practice the usage of tactical nuclear weapons in response to purported and unspecified "provocative statements" from the West.

Later on, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Belarus and met Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko to discuss the potential participation of the Belarusian military in Russia's non-strategic nuclear drills.

"We are consistently strengthening our defense capabilities. And our participation in the second stage of the Russian Armed Forces' drills using non-strategic nuclear weapons proves it," Khrenin said in a statement published by the ministry.

Russia allegedly carries out such planned drills to "ensure its own security," while Belarus does not aim to "create tension" in matters of regional security, Khrenin claimed.

Belarus has been a key ally to Moscow and supported Russian aggression against Ukraine, though it has not committed its own forces directly to hostilities. The country is also reportedly hosting Russian tactical nuclear arms on its territory.

The first stage of the exercises, which were ordered by Putin on May 6, involved missile units in Russia's Southern Military District, including the occupied territories of Ukraine.

Lukashenko ordered a sudden inspection of the country's tactical nuclear weapons launchers the following day. The nuclear weapons allegedly located in Belarus cannot be used without Moscow's authorization.

Putin has repeatedly made nuclear threats against Ukraine and the West since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. The threats have failed to materialize, and Russia continues to wage its all-out war without using its nuclear arsenal.

quote:

Dutch defence minister arrives in Ukraine on unannounced visit – photo

Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren has arrived in Ukraine on an unannounced visit.

Source: Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Facebook, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Shmyhal reported that a meeting with Ollongren took place in Kyiv, during which he thanked the Netherlands "for their support in strengthening Ukraine's air defence".

Quote from Denys Shmyhal: "I praised the Dutch-led initiative to supply Ukraine with Patriot air defence systems in collaboration with partners. We are also looking forward to the quickest possible delivery of the F-16 aircraft, which will help protect [Ukrainian] people and infrastructure," he added.

The parties also discussed joint defence production, technology exchange, the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland and Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration.

Kajsa Ollongren is known to be among the officials who called for restrictions on Ukraine's use of Western-supplied weapons to be lifted.

Later, she stressed that her country would allow Ukraine to use the F-16 fighter jets the Netherlands will supply, including for strikes on targets in Russia.

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Investigation finds that almost 50,000 Russian prisoners were recruited by Wagner to fight in Ukraine
Russia’s notorious Wagner mercenary group recruited at least 48,366 convicted felons directly from prisons to fight in Ukraine in 2022 and 2023, a joint investigation carried out by BBC News Russian and independent media outlet Mediazona published on Monday has revealed.

In the summer of 2022, Wagner Group military recruiters, including the group’s co-founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, began visiting Russian penal colonies to offer incarcerated individuals early release from prison if they signed a six-month contract to fight for Wagner in Ukraine.

Based on internal documents that detail compensation paid to the families of deceased Wagner fighters, the group recruited 48,366 soldiers from penal colonies all over Russia. Following Wagner’s success in enlisting prisoners, the Russian Defence Ministry also began to recruit prisoners for military service.

A months-long conflict between Wagner and then-Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu peaked during the Battle of Bakhmut when Prigozhin publicly blamed the Defence Ministry for the enormous number of casualties. Shortly afterwards, Prigozhin led an ill-fated mutiny, the failure of which heralded the end of the group’s preeminence.

Wagner lost 19,500 soldiers in the battle of Bakhmut, 17,100 of whom were former prisoners. Those that survived the battle, and recruited soldiers fighting elsewhere in Ukraine, returned to Russia as free men.

Prigozhin was killed when his private jet crashed in August 2023, after which Wagner fighters were given the choice of leaving Russia or signing contracts with the Defence Ministry. While no longer a significant force in Ukraine, the Wagner Group still wields considerable influence in Africa, where various governments have hired Wagner mercenaries to shore up their power.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 21:06 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Is die eerste technisch gezien wel een turtle tank? Dat is toch een cope cage. Die tweede is het duidelijk wel natuurlijk.

Of kan een turtle tank ook gewoon bestaan uit een shell van een cope cage, in plaats van bijvoorbeeld metalen platen? En gaat het er alleen om hoe deze er omheen zit.

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Ukrainian Missile Hits Russian 6th Army Command Post Near Shebekino

^{Command post. Photo credits: Dosye Shpiona}

The Armed Forces of Ukraine launched a missile attack on the command post of the Russian 6th Combined Arms Army.

The Dosye Shpiona Telegram channel reported on this.

It is reported that the facility was struck on June 9, 2024. The facility was located on the territory of the Nezhehol recreation center, near the Russian Shebekino village.

The command post was in charge of the units participating in the offensive on the city of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region.

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^{The territory of the recreation center. Coordinates: 50�22’56″N 36�49’16″E. Source: Google Earth}

As of now, eight Russian officers are considered missing.

According to the Dosye Shpiona Telegram channel, the recreation center was on the “target lists” of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and intelligence warned the 6th Army command at least a week before the attack.

Despite the information about a possible missile strike, no countermeasures were taken.

Militarnyi previously reported that the Ukrainian Defense Forces hit a Russian military barracks in the occupied city of Luhansk that was repairing damaged equipment.

According to local residents, there was a military equipment repair base on the territory, located at coordinates 48.537600,39.351385.

^{The Russian military barracks in Luhansk were hit. Photo from open sources}

On June 7, it was reported that during a night attack by drones on military facilities in the temporarily occupied Crimea, two Russian radar stations were damaged.

In addition, one Russian serviceman was reportedly wounded.

The radars were deployed on the territory of the Kazantyp Nature Reserve, where, according to satellite images from 2020, there are specially prepared positions for their deployment.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 22:26 schreef skysherrif het volgende:
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leftlaser is wel het levende bewijs van het hoefijzer

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 22:26 schreef skysherrif het volgende:
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leftlaser is wel het levende bewijs van het hoefijzer

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 22:41 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
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Eigenlijk zou Oekra�ne gewoon een stuk of 100 drones op moeten sparen en die allemaal massaal de lucht in sturen of verschillende frequenties. En dan zo'n heel vliegveld plat gooien. Zelfs als 2 op de 10 er succesvol door heen komen zouden ze zo'n heel rijtje bommenwerpers/vliegtuigen uit kunnen schakelen.

Al verwacht ik niet dat zij zo'n groot aantal lange afstandsdrones beschikbaar hebben helaas. Dat zou enkele maanden duren.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 22:34 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

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Wat een onzin. Er is helemaal geen reden om te bang te zijn, of zelfs te denken dat er onder deze F-16s atoombommen zullen hangen. Dat zijn Kremlin talking points.

Onder de vliegtuigen die Oekra�ne al heeft en gebruikt zouden ook atoombommen kunnen hangen.

Op de rug van een ezel die je de grens over stuurt zou ook een atoombom kunnen liggen.

Oekra�ne heeft geen atoombommen, die heeft Rusland namelijk van hun gekregen in ruil voor vrede en veiligheid (al zien we wel dat Rusland zijn kont heeft afgeveegt met deze garanties).

En hoefijzer? Heb ik iets gemist?

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Russians attack at Kupiansk, Siversk, Kramatorsk and Pokrovsk directions. Number of combat engagements increased to 66 - General Staff
The enemy is looking for ways to pierce into our defense and try to push Ukrainian units from the occupied lines. The number of combat engagements along the entire front line has increased to 66.

This is reported on the official Facebook page of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Censor.NET reports.

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Situation in Kharkiv region
In the afternoon, the occupiers continued to terrorize the Kharkiv region with air strikes from their territory. In particular, from the area of Belgorod (Russia), the aggressor launched two strikes with twelve unguided air-to-surface missiles on Ternove. During the day, the enemy unsuccessfully tried to attack three times near Vovchansk and Hlyboke.

Defense Forces repelled eight enemy attacks in the Kupiansk direction. Two combat engagements are still ongoing. In the area of Stepova Novoselivka, Russian aviation conducted two strikes with six GABs. As of now, according to preliminary data, the occupiers' losses in this area amounted to: 62 people killed and wounded, three tanks, one armored combat vehicle and one vehicle destroyed.

Hostilities in the East
All nine of the enemy's assault attempts in the Lyman direction were unsuccessful. Ukrainian troops are controlling the situation.

In the Siversk direction, the enemy attacked the Defense Forces four times near Spirne, Ivan-Daryivka and Verkhnokamianka. The attacks were unsuccessful.

In the Kramatorsk direction, since the beginning of the day, Russian troops have tried to push our units from their positions five times. Three assaults near Klishchiivka and Andriivka were repelled by Ukrainian troops. Two more attacks continue near Novyi and Ivanivske.

In the Pokrovsk direction, the enemy attacked Ukrainian troops 20 times near Yevhenivka, Novooleksandrivka, Novopokrovske, Karlivka, Yasnobrodivka and Umanske since the beginning of the day. 17 assaults were unsuccessful. Three more enemy attacks are ongoing.

The situation did not change significantly in other directions.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 22:44 schreef skysherrif het volgende:

[..]
Dat neemt ook het verassingseffect weg en kan rusland al hun vliegtuigen snel evacueeren zoals gebeurde maanden geleden bij Engelsk waar het wel een massale aanval was.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 22:48 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

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Dat is ook zo, de kans dat het een succesvolle aanval wordt is een stuk kleiner dan. Al is het sowieso al apart dat drones zover Russisch grondgebied kunnen binnendringen zonder opgemerkt te worden. Sommige versies maken flink veel lawaai en zijn duidelijk zichtbaar in de lucht.

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Czech PM suspects Russia of attempted arson of buses in Prague
Petr Fiala, Prime Minister of Czechia, has suggested that Russia may be behind last week’s attempted arson of city buses in Prague.

Source: European Pravda with reference to Reuters

Details: The police reported that they arrested a 26-year-old man on Saturday in connection with the foiled plot and charged him with terrorism.

"There is suspicion that the attack was organised and financed probably from Russia," Fiala said at a news conference.

He added that it was part of a hybrid war waged against Czechia by Russia, "against which we have to defend ourselves and which we must stop".

"Russia is repeatedly trying to sow unrest, undermine citizens' trust in our state," he noted.

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The police said the suspect was a Spanish-speaking man from South America. He had been in the Czech Republic for five days before the attempted attack on Wednesday night.

The police noted that the suspect failed to carry out the attack due to the alertness of staff at the Prague bus depot.

On 8 June, police in Czechia enhanced security measures in public spaces, shopping malls, public transport and at railway stations due to the information about a possible terrorist attack.

Background:
• At the beginning of May a series of big fires occurred in Poland – a shopping mall burned down in Warsaw, a big fire occurred in a car park near Katowice, there was also a string of lesser known incidents.
• Later there were reports about the detention of nine people, suspected of sabotage activity in the territory of Poland ordered by Russia.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 22:49 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Misschien is de superieure Russische luchtverdediging niet zo superieur?

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Canada’s Parliament rocked by allegations of treason
Foreign interference probe exposes links to “witting” lawmakers in Ottawa.

OTTAWA — The capital of one of the world’s most stable democracies is gripped by growing panic about foreign agents working in elected office. A bombshell report by Canadian lawmakers has unnerved Parliament Hill, alleging that unnamed politicians have been covertly working with foreign governments.

The revelation in heavily redacted findings released this week by an all-party national security committee adds intrigue to a separate and ongoing inquiry into foreign interference in Canada’s 2019 and 2021 elections.

The new report from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians is the first to suggest that lawmakers in Canada’s parliament may have helped foreign actors meddle in political campaigns and leadership races. Heightened anxiety in Ottawa about foreign interference comes in the middle of historic global elections where factors such as artificial intelligence and emboldened foreign powers are testing the resilience of democratic systems.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been on the defensive since the allegations broke Monday. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on the government to name names.

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“The national security committee indicates there are members of this House that have knowingly worked for foreign hostile governments,” Poilievre said Wednesday. “Canadians have a right to know who and what is the information — who are they?”

The findings put pressure on Canada’s national police force to investigate potential criminal charges. The report also refuels debate on the ability of the federal government’s deterrence mechanisms to curb foreign interference in a country whose political and legal system is considered one of the highest-performing in the world.

The all-party NSICOP said Monday that it has reviewed intelligence that suggests “semi-witting or witting” parliamentarians have worked with foreign missions to mobilize voters during a political campaign; have taken cash “knowingly or through willful blindness” from foreign missions or their proxies; and have shared privileged information with foreign diplomatic officials.

The committee with top-security clearance said it based its findings on more than 4,000 documents and some 1,000 pieces of evidence. Its report said China remains the largest foreign interference threat to Canada with India the second.

The intelligence included a claim that unnamed parliamentarians are taking direction from unnamed diplomats to “improperly influence” their colleagues or parliamentary business to the benefit of a foreign state.

One of the most damaging lines in Monday’s report points out Canada’s failure to address long-standing challenges in how national security information can be used in criminal proceedings. The report says this is one reason why criminal charges for the potentially illegal activities are unlikely.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters Tuesday that she takes the issue seriously. She deflected when asked if Canadians have the right to know the identity of the parliamentarians involved.

“We should recognize this is a new time,” she said, adding that authoritarians want to undermine democracies by sowing public distrust in government.

Freeland would not commit to releasing names, nor did she agree that “sunlight” on the issue would benefit democracy. On Wednesday, after her Liberal party’s weekly caucus meeting, she ignored questions on the topic.

The Trudeau government called an inquiry into foreign interference in September in the wake of claims that the Chinese government helped mobilize voters against a Conservative candidate in western Canada and helped elect another as a Liberal in the Toronto area.

It tasked Justice Marie-Jos�e Hogue with investigating foreign interference and election meddling, a topic that has also captured the interest of U.S. Congress.

Last fall, Conservative MP Michael Chong appeared before the congressional-executive commission on China to testify about being targeted by Beijing because of his defense of Uyghur issues.

Chong discovered through media reports that a Chinese diplomat had been assigned to collect information on him and his family. Canada’s spy agency has warned other Canadian parliamentarians, including NDP MP Jenny Kwan, that they were also being surveilled by China.

An initial report released by Hogue last month observed that the government’s messy handling of foreign interference has undermined the public’s faith in Canadian democracy.

Hogue’s early findings stated that foreign interference did not significantly influence the 2019 or 2021 federal elections in a way that would have changed the fact that Trudeau’s Liberals won back-to-back minority governments.

The Conservatives were initially quiet about this week’s revelations, but on Wednesday Chong pressed the government to identify the parliamentarians alleged to have colluded with foreign state actors.

“We all know that no responsible government would reveal names under these types of confidential circumstances,” Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc responded on the floor of the House of Commons.

LeBlanc remained resolute Thursday against calls to release any names based on preliminary information.

“It’s important for Canadians to understand that these names are contained in intelligence reports, in some cases, it’s uncorroborated or unverified intelligence information,” he told a parliamentary committee studying foreign interference. “The idea that there’s a perfect list of names that is entirely reliable that should be released to the public is simply irresponsible.”

David McGuinty, chair of the NSICOP, which published the buzzy redacted report, said the decision to publicize the names of lawmakers is outside of his control.

McGuinty and the nine other NSICOP members with top-secret security clearance are bound by Canada’s Security of Information Act and risk prosecution if they inadvertently reveal classified information, he said.

He wouldn’t say if he’s bothered by sitting in the same party caucus with potential abettors of foreign interference.

“I’m more concerned about the fact that now the government has to move forward on this,” McGuinty said.

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Hungarian president to skip NATO's eastern flank summit -Latvia
VILNIUS (Reuters) - Hungary's President Tamas Sulyok will not attend the summit of the Bucharest Nine, a group of European countries on the eastern edge of NATO in Riga on Tuesday, Latvian president's office said.

Hungary and the other central European nations have been at odds over Prime Minister Viktor Orban's continued cultivation of close ties to Russia and refusal to give arms to Ukraine.

"Hungary will be represented by the Ambassador to Latvia", a spokesperson for Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics told Reuters on Monday.

She did not give reason for this, and referred to Sulyok's office "for questions related to the Hungarian president’s agenda".

The Hungarian president's office did not immediatelly reply to the request for comment, which was sent outside working hours.

The presidents of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia are usually represented at the annual summits of the Buharest Nine grouping. Thare countries are members of both NATO and the European Union.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who will be at the Riga summit, will visit Budapest the next day "to discuss Hungary's staying out from NATO's Ukraine mission", Orban told state media earlier on Monday.

Hungary signalled last week it had no plans to abandon natural gas imports from Russia and sought to deepen business ties with Moscow in non-sanctioned areas.

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Former Google CEO and Tech Titan Eric Schmidt is Testing AI-Powered Drones in Ukraine
Tech heavyweight Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO, has been secretly building a drone company called White Stork, luring top talent from industry giants like Apple, SpaceX, and Google.

This startup’s AI-powered drones are now undergoing testing at Schmidt’s Hillspire estate in California and in Ukraine, as reported by Forbes.

News of White Stork became public in January, prompting Schmidt to reportedly rebrand and fast-track development. Sources familiar with the company say these drones boast advanced AI that assists with precision landing on designated targets.

Beyond California testing, Forbes reports that Schmidt’s team is collaborating with Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense. This collaboration involves testing drone prototypes and gathering feedback from Ukrainian personnel.

A recent test reportedly included the 14th Separate Brigade, a Ukrainian unit specializing in drone warfare. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has not yet commented on this partnership.

A vocal advocate for Ukraine, Schmidt personally visited the frontlines in 2023 to witness drone warfare firsthand. This act earned him praise from Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, who commended Schmidt’s “bold and heroic” actions.

“He cares about Ukraine and helps us a lot,” Fedorov told Forbes. “He is a legend and has created a lot with his own hands.”

During a visit to Kyiv last summer, Schmidt and White Stork advisor Sebastian Thrun met with Ukrainian officials Oleksandr Kamyshyn, Minister of Strategic Industries, and Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine, Schmidt has positioned himself as an expert on the question, writing columns about battlefield strategies and the new era of “network warfare.”

In a piece for the Wall Street Journal, he commented that kamikaze drones are dramatically changing the way wars are fought.

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Ukraine confirms attack on Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery, claims damage totalling $540 million
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces has confirmed it struck the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia's Rostov Oblast on June 5, claiming the attack destroyed 1.5 million tons of oil and oil products worth $540 million.

In a post on Telegram on June 10, the military said the attack had been carried out by "Ukrainian-made means," but did not elaborate.

At the time of the strike, Rostov Oblast Governor Vasily Golubev claimed the fire was caused by a drone attack.

In recent months, Ukrainian forces have launched a series of drone strikes aimed at damaging Russia's oil industry, which is crucial to sustaining Moscow's war efforts.

"Attacks on Russian oil refineries significantly complicate the execution of tasks by the enemy's troops in the course of armed aggression against our country," the General Staff said.

Ukrainian troops had targeted the facility earlier in the spring. Military intelligence spokesperson Andrii Yusov said on March 13 that the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery partially shut down as a result of a drone strike.

Rostov Oblast borders Ukraine to the southeast. Reports of drone attacks against the region's oil industry have increased in spring 2024.

The CEO of Russia's state-controlled oil company, Rosneft, asked the Kremlin in May to approve tax breaks to offset the cost of preventing drone attacks on the company's oil refineries.

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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 23:53 schreef polderturk het volgende:
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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 23:53 schreef polderturk het volgende:
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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 23:53 schreef polderturk het volgende:
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Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 00:58 schreef oheng het volgende:
Filmpje is van het begin van de oorlog. We hebben het er al eerder over gehad.

Zullen we anders weer eens een rondje zeurende horigen doen?

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Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 00:33 schreef Ulx het volgende:
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Op maandag 10 juni 2024 23:53 schreef polderturk het volgende:
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Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 01:13 schreef SillyWalks het volgende:

[..]
Volgende keer direct neerhalen.

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‘Please Accept My Condolences on My Death’
Lera Burlakova writes of the death of a close friend, and about her final letter.

It is only a few months since my friend, the frontline medic Iryna Tsybukh, wrote: “If a new day comes, it must be lived.” In late May, a landmine exploded beneath her vehicle and she was killed, along with her paramedic comrades. There will be no new days for Iryna.

She seemed certain that she would die, as so many others had died around her. She had experienced so many near-misses that it seemed just a matter of time, Knowing this, she wrote a final letter to be opened in the event of her death. She was just 25 years old. The explosion denied her a 26th birthday on June 1.

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We’re in the heart of Kyiv. Hundreds of people gather on the main square, the Square of Independence, to say goodbye to Ira, who is returning home to Lviv one last time. It’s always hard to believe in the death of these friends. Of the great ones. But it’s even harder when the coffin is closed. That happens only when a body is damaged too badly to be displayed. Ira’s coffin is closed and covered with a flag, so we all can hope that she is not inside. She’s not lying in this wooden box, instead, she’s gone somewhere she belongs.

She belonged in a lot of places. In newsrooms, where she was a bright young journalist. In school classes in the East of Ukraine, where she told children about the Revolution of Dignity of 2014 and the war. In the fields of Donbas, where she saved wounded soldiers’ lives as a combat medic.

Especially there. In one of her last interviews, Ira said that her parents hadn’t liked it when she joked about death. But she had to because that was how she prepared them for her goodbye. Because death happens. Death happens in war, she says. It’s normal.

“Please accept my condolences” — the first line of the letter Ira wrote and sent to a few people she trusted, quite some while ago.

“Please accept my condolences, I don’t like it when you are sad. But time will pass and this despair will dissipate, you will have to continue living your lives. So don’t waste time on suffering, live on,” she writes.

She writes that her frontline experiences taught her that there is no sadness in her death because had done exactly what she needed to: “My life is over and it was important for me to pass it with dignity: to be an honest, kind, loving person.”

Ira thanks everyone for their love and support. She states that freedom has the greatest value and she adds: “To have the strength to be a free person, one must be brave. Because only the brave have happiness . . . ”

One by one, the mourners approach the coffin, kneel, and lean their foreheads against the draped flag. People cry. Ira’s parents, both standing behind the coffin, are crying. Ira’s young brother covers his face with his hands. Some bring flowers, even though Ira asked them not to. Ira asked that they donate to the army instead.

And everyone sings. Because she asked us to gather, to recall the good moments, to sing Ukrainian songs — and so we sing.

We often say goodbye to soldiers here, on this square. We do now. We did 10 years ago, in 2014.

“People around us are getting younger”, a friend says to me. Now there are those, who were schoolchildren when the war started 10 years ago — already in military uniform. Now there are those, who were born during the war — like my son, who puts his stuffed dog next to the coffin. Living with air raids, power outages, and goodbyes on the square is his “normal”, just like Ira’s “normal” was the possibility of dying at 25.

It’s not normal, of course.

It’s just that any horror eventually becomes your routine if it continues, year after year.

But, let’s be honest, it’s still a horror.

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To Catch a Killer — Ukraine Needs Help on DNA
The invasion of Ukraine has underscored the critical role of DNA in the pursuit of justice. International aid is now vital to help expose Russia’s crimes.


Since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion, non-combatant casualties have mounted in Ukraine, with the United Nations reporting at least 10,000 civilian deaths, including over 500 children, and more than 18,500 injuries. The true numbers are much higher; many thousands of people are listed as missing.

The war crimes committed by Russian forces are not limited to attacks against the civilian population. Combatants have been tortured, and prisoners of war and wounded soldiers killed and grotesquely mistreated.

The brutality inflicted on the Ukrainian people presents a challenge to all legal systems to ensure justice is pursued and due process followed. One of the biggest obstacles is the collection of evidence; areas liberated to date have only highlighted the weaknesses of existing systems.

Some of the challenges relate to the circumstances of armed conflict and the lack of immediate access to the crime scene. Meanwhile, Russian servicemen have followed a pattern of destroying traces of their atrocities, frequently burning bodies, homes, and victims’ transport.

The massive volume of evidence also requires an extensive system of management as well as teams of people for its systematization and analysis.

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All three issues require resources to aid evidence collection and analysis. Central to this is mobile DNA technology and databasing, which can offer unmatched precision and reliability to investigators and prosecutors.

Such expertise is at the heart of criminal proceedings and, under the Ukrainian criminal code, the majority of violent war crimes require DNA evidence.

Because of the overwhelming quantity of war crimes, the shortage of DNA laboratories and obsolete technologies at the start of the full-scale invasion have created considerable obstacles.

Since then, as a result of international cooperation, Ukraine has made significant strides in integrating rapid DNA technologies and other advanced forensic tools. These include ground laser scanning systems and a DNA laboratory donated by the United States, which started operating in February.

These resources have been critical in speeding up evidence gathering and identification, enabling the authorities to keep pace with the urgent demands of ongoing investigations.

But the scope of Russia’s atrocities, and the sheer volume of evidence, demand urgent further investment in DNA database software and hardware. Establishing a more complex system for DNA research, cross-referencing, and record-keeping would not be merely a technical enhancement but is a fundamental requirement to ensure every victim is identified and every crime documented.

Such a system would enable faster processing of samples, integration of data from multiple sources, and more robust tracking of information through the investigative process.

Advanced databases would not only help identify the remains of those killed but also strengthen legal proceedings against perpetrators through irrefutable evidence. By linking DNA evidence directly to individuals and incidents, it will be possible to construct more compelling cases.

The creation of a comprehensive and sophisticated DNA database is essential to capture the full scale of injustice and brutality inflicted during the conflict. It would serve as a critical foundation for holding the Russian Federation to account and ensuring atrocities do not go unpunished.

The international community’s continued support and investment in these forensic capabilities is vital, not just to underpin Ukraine’s quest for justice but to reinforce global commitments to human rights and international law.

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Russia has caused over US$56 billion worth of damage to Ukraine's energy sector – Kyiv School of Economics
As of May 2024, the damage caused to Ukraine’s energy sector in the full-scale Russian invasion is equal to US$56.2 billion.

Source: report by the Kyiv School of Economy

Quote: "As a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the energy sector suffered damage and losses of US$56.2 billion, while the recovery needs, which include the complete reconstruction of destroyed facilities on the principle of ‘Build Back Better’, amount to US$50.5 billion."

Details: KSE estimates that direct damage in Ukraine’s energy sector as of May 2024 amounted to more than US$16.1 billion.

Reportedly, the largest losses were caused by the destruction of electricity generation objects (US$8.5 billion), transmission facilities (US$2.1 billion), and oil and gas infrastructure (US$3.3 billion).

The indirect losses of Ukraine’s energy sector are estimated at almost US$40.1 billion, with US$39.6 billion being lost revenues of energy companies. The remaining US$0.5 billion is the costs of debris removal and disassembly of damaged facilities.

Background:
• The Ukrainian agrarian sector has suffered over US$80 billion of damage and direct losses as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
• On Thursday, 11 April, the Russians launched another attack on Kharkiv Oblast. A thermal power plant that supplied the city of Kharkiv with power was damaged in the attack, and a transformer substation was completely destroyed.
• On the afternoon of 11 April the Russians launched an airstrike with guided aerial bombs on a thermal plant in the city of Sumy.

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Orban's party is the EU leader in anti-Western advertising on social networks
The pro-government camp in Hungary spent 4.3 million euros on advertising on Meta and Google, according to the Political Capital analytical center.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party and its allies have become the largest in the entire European Union in terms of the volume of anti-Western advertising on social networks. This is evidenced by the results of a study published on Saturday, June 8, conducted by the independent analytical center Political Capital .

Spending on political advertising in Hungary is very asymmetrical, as follows from the material. “While the pro-government camp spent �4.3 million on advertising on Meta and Google, all 14 opposition parties and their associated media spent less than a fifth of that amount, �839,000,” the study said.

Fidesz and its politicians alone spent �2 million - 2.6 times more than all 14 opposition parties combined, which spent �764,558. “This year, Fidesz was the largest advertiser on Google in the EU, paying for six of the 10 most promoted videos,” the material notes.

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Suppliers of propaganda hostile to the West
According to the authors of the study, Fidesz and its proxies are the main purveyors of disinformation narratives hostile to the West in Hungary. They account for 98.6 percent of the total �2 million spent on promoting such propaganda.

From February 4 to June 1, most of these funds (46 percent) were spent on anti-PR directed against opposition politician Peter Magyar . In second place (34 percent of expenses) is the promotion of the narrative about Russia’s war against Ukraine, which claims that “European pro-war politicians and their Hungarian minions want to start World War III.” In third place (9 percent) is propaganda against opponents of government forces allegedly serving foreign interests.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban recently said that his country should stay away from the war, into which, according to him, the Ukrainians will drag the European Union and the whole world.

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Geography problem: Why Russia spreads misinformation about capture of Ryzhivka and reality in gray zone

Russian saboteurs attempted to capture the village of Ryzhivka in the border zone between the Sumy and Kursk regions. The story ended with an unconvincing video, the enemy flag was destroyed, and the village is under Ukrainian control now.

Read more about how the Russian forces captured Ryzhivka in three days, what is really happening in the gray zone, and whether there is a threat of a breakthrough in the Sumy region in the material by RBC-Ukraine.

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How the capture of Ryzhivka by Kadyrov turned out to be fake
The day before, the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, posted information about the capture of the village of Ryzhivka. According to him, the settlement was seized in three days by the Akhmat regiment together with other units.

The post was accompanied by videos showing mortar fire, tanks, artillery, FPV drone strikes, and the advancement of sabotage groups in the east of Ryzhivka. Additionally, the footage depicted a Russian soldier with the Russian tricolor allegedly inside the village council building.

Information about clashes in the border region of the Sumy region was also spread by Russian war correspondents. However, they spoke not of large-scale offensive actions and the capture of the village, but of infiltration by sabotage and reconnaissance groups.

As the head of the Bilopillia municipal community, Yurii Zarko, stated, Ryzhivka is practically on the front line, and the state border runs through the village. This allows saboteurs to enter from time to time, taking advantage of geographic features such as rivers and forests. However, Kadyrov's footage does not apply to Ryzhivka.

“In the sense that there are no such buildings, no such river as we saw in the photos on social media,” he added.

In his opinion, the loud statements may be a response to the spring raid of the Russian Volunteer Corps to the village of Tyotkino in the Kursk region. Or it could be an information and psychological operation to sow panic.

"It's very difficult to say what logic is behind this. Maybe it's just a desire to divert our forces, sow uncertainty, primarily among civilians, that the situation may change, to create some panic. But it won't work because our people have already learned to distinguish information," he added.

The Russian independent Telegram channel Agency believes that only the last part of the video was filmed in Ryzhivka. Therefore, Kadyrov's statement looked like a fake from the very beginning. The Ukrainian OSINT project Cyberboroshno emphasizes that the military also learned about the capture of the village from the news.

"As a rule, after the shelling, the Russians bring in their sabotage and reconnaissance groups. The goal is to check the defense line, identify our firing points, conduct reconnaissance on-site, and try to spread our forces. In addition, there may be tasks regarding certain diversions, such as identifying and destroying air defense means," he explained in a comment to RBC-Ukraine.

What really happened: statements by Zelenskyy and the military
On the morning of June 10, the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, said that there were no active hostilities in the border areas of the Sumy region.

“As of now, this is not the beginning of what happened in the Kharkiv region. The Russians tried to check the defense in the direction of Ryzhivka, which is a satellite of the Russian village of Tyotkino. The defense forces control the situation, the enemy suffered fire damage," he noted.

He also added that Kadyrov's fake could have been a bet on the informational component. However, the threat of a breakthrough by the Russian troops remains.

According to the spokesman for the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Andriy Kovaliov, there are no Russian troops in Ryzhivka. The Russian flag that was hung on one of the buildings was mined.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces realized that this could be a deadly provocation by saboteurs or those bribed by the occupiers. Therefore, the flag was “demined using drones, and there is no more Russian flag in Ryzhivka, he emphasized.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also reassured Ukrainians. He stated that the Defense Forces fully controlled the situation in the Sumy region and successfully destroyed enemy sabotage groups.

"As for the village of Ryzhivka, the occupant attempted to carry out a propaganda operation there. As of this morning, the Russian flag in the village has been destroyed, and there is no presence of the occupant," he added.

The location of the village and the possibility of the Russian forces to get to the Sumy region
Ryzhivka is located in the Sumy region, near the border, just two kilometers from the settlement of Tyotkino in the Kursk region. The village is so close that it even shares a street with the Russian satellite.

It should be noted that fighters from the Freedom of Russia Legion, the Russian Volunteer Corps, and the Siberian Battalion, who fight for Ukraine, have repeatedly visited Tyotkino. The Ukrainian village has almost no people, and the road along the border is mined. Local head Serhiy Anikin said that as of June 10, nine people remained there.

According to DeepState analysts, the situation has not changed since 2022. Ryzhivka is located in a gray zone where sabotage groups regularly enter. That is, such an action could have been carried out on any other day.

The primary issue with Ryzhivka is its geography. DeepState emphasizes that there is no strategic value in deploying large Ukrainian forces there as this requires control over Tyotkino.

"Ryzhivka is located in a border strip. It is separated from Ukrainian territory by the Seim River and forests, allowing occasional operations by Russian saboteurs. However, active counter-sabotage measures are ongoing," explained Kovaliov regarding the village's geographic specifics.

Maps indicate that Ryzhivka is approximately 7 km from the R44 highway, leading to both Putyvl and Sumy. However, military expert Oleksandr Musiienko does not see the village as having significant tactical importance for opening a new front.

"Yes, they are probing the defense lines and conducting provocations, but there are no signs that an invasion with more forces will take place here," Musiienko explained.

Considering the current number of Russian forces along the Sumy border, it is unlikely that a major offensive is being prepared in this sector. The enemy's staging areas are still concentrated in the settlements of Sudzha (Kursk region) and Grayvoron (Belgorod region) towards Velyka Pysarivka.

"These forces occasionally relocate, and sabotage groups operate frequently in the Bilopillya community area and beyond. Of course, this is a probing of the defense, but I would not talk about a deeper and more serious offensive," Musiyenko concluded.

Why does Russia need a psychological operation with the capture of Ryzhivka
Ramzan Kadyrov often publishes videos of Chechen militants' trips and battles in Ukraine. Independent observers have repeatedly written that they have no real achievements and that the videos were filmed in the rear. Because of this, Kadyrov's troops are usually called “tick-tock troops.”

“It is known that the Kadyrov troops were in the Kursk region. Therefore, one of the units could have entered Ryzhivka but was repelled by our forces' fire. That's it, the question is settled," explains military expert Oleksandr Musiienko.

Therefore, the expert agrees with the military's opinion that the raid was an information and psychological operation.

"It's no secret that the leadership of the Armed Forces and military intelligence warned that there were threats to the Sumy region. The number of attacks is increasing. And the corresponding actions (psyop - ed.) are carried out to intimidate the population, sow panic, and provoke the redeployment of our troops,” he added.

Border Guard Service spokesman Andrii Demchenko said that the number of attempts by saboteurs to enter the Sumy region has recently decreased. Previously, enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups were pushed back several times a week.

"It is possible that this was the work of an enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group, but without combat clashes. In fact, they went there (to Ryzhivka - ed.) to take pictures,” he noted.

quote:

The Kozloduy nuclear power plant in Bulgaria has started using Robust Westinghouse Fuel Assembly (RWFA) nuclear fuel developed by Westinghouse. Source: Kozloduy NPP


Read also: Bulgaria will load American fuel into a nuclear power plant reactor for the first time instead of Russian

From the beginning of June 10, American fuel began to flow into operation at the fifth power unit, which was taken out of repair. According to the official statement, as part of a program to diversify nuclear fuel supplies, 43 RWFA cassettes were installed at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant, which is the first stage of a four-year process of converting the fifth power unit to this fuel.

The license to use the new fuel was issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Agency on April 22, 2024, following a thorough safety assessment.

SPOILER

quote:

In December 2022, the American company Westinghouse signed a 10-year contract for the supply of nuclear fuel for Kozloduy.

Kozloduy is the only nuclear power plant in Bulgaria, located in the north-west of the country, on the Danube River, and provides about 34% of the state's total electricity. Currently, only the fifth and sixth power units of the VVER-1000 type are operating with a total installed capacity of 2 GW. Thanks to the reconstruction, their service life was increased from 30 to 60 years.

In addition, Westinghouse plans to complete the construction of the sixth and seventh power units at Kozloduy.

Earlier, a ship called ADAMAS, flying the flag of the Netherlands, brought nuclear fuel from the American company Westinghouse to the port of Varna-Zapad for use at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant, equipped with VVER-1000 reactors.

quote:

Russian tanker sails 12,000 kilometres to carry out secret oil transfer to circumvent sanctions – Bloomberg
The first Russian oil tanker, sanctioned by the USA, has secretly transferred oil to another vessel off Singapore, sailing 12,000 kilometres to do so.

Source: Bloomberg

Details: The Primorye tanker was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control in October, after which it did not load oil for about six months. However, in late April, the tanker went to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk and picked up a cargo of Urals crude before embarking on a 7,500-mile (1,270-kilometre) voyage to a location about 70 miles east of Singapore.

This year, Russia has shipped about 3.4 million barrels of oil a day, worth about $37 billion, at the export point, and working around Western sanctions has been part of that process. State budget revenues from oil sales were up almost 50% in May compared to last year as oil prices rose and the country adapted to sanctions. Nevertheless, the distorted logistics involved in the Primorye tanker suggest that there are obstacles to trade.

Shortly after arriving east of Singapore, the 900-foot tanker disappeared from the automatic identification system used by commercial vessels to transmit their location and destinations for security reasons.

SPOILER

quote:

However, after its disappearance, satellite imagery shows that on 3 June, the vessel transferred its cargo to another ship, the Ocean Hermana. The secret transfer of cargo would theoretically help the buyer of the oil to distance itself from dealing with the sanctioned vessel and any risk of further action by the Treasury. Identification of the recipient vessel makes it difficult to conceal the origin of the cargo.

The Primorye tanker, which was carrying about 1 million barrels of oil, belongs to the Russian state-owned oil tanker company Sovcomflot PJSC.

Bloomberg identified the two vessels based on their size, deck configuration, and colour. TankerTrackers.com Inc., which is focused on interpreting satellite imagery to identify tankers in violation of sanctions, confirmed their identification.

Background: T�rkiye disguises Russian oil as its own and exports it to the EU, bringing Russia billions in profits by exploiting a loophole in sanctions.

quote:

Nordic countries ask EU to change migrant rules to prevent Russian hybrid attacks
Nordic countries including Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Finland and Denmark have called on the European Commission to review EU asylum rules. Source: Finnish Ministry of Internal Affairs

Read also: Finland considers Russia’s hybrid attack involving migrants an encroachment on its sovereignty

In a joint statement, Marie Rantanen, head of the Finnish Foreign Ministry, emphasized that countering and responding to hybrid attacks “is not only in the interests of individual member states, but also of the entire European Union.” She added that “the security environment is constantly changing and the EU must be able to protect its security in all situations.”

Countries call on the European Commission to provide “member states with more effective tools to combat the instrumentalization of migration,” including the possibility of a temporary derogation from current EU legislation in the case of “instrumental migration,” when migration is used as a tool to achieve other goals, such as political ones.

The statement also said the EU should seek comprehensive partnerships with third countries and consider establishing return centers outside the EU.

The proposal is part of wider efforts to tighten EU migration policies. In mid-May, Finland and 14 other EU member states already signed a joint letter from the European Commission calling for “innovative solutions” to the migration problem.

The European Commission is expected to present proposals to change asylum rules as part of its next programme.

Let us recall that earlier the German Interior Ministry stated that the Kremlin is waging a hybrid war against the West with the help of migrants and propaganda.

quote:

Switzerland encounters rise in cyberattacks and disinformation prior to upcoming Ukraine summit
In the lead-up to the global summit on Ukraine's peace formula, Switzerland has experienced a rise in cyberattacks and disinformation, Swiss government representatives reported on June 10.

The summit will take place in Burgenstock from June 15-16. Ukraine hopes the event will address several key areas, such as energy security, the exchange of captives, the return of kidnapped children, and global food security.

Amidst the increase in cyberattacks, Swiss President Viola Amherd was asked how the government has responded.

"We haven't summoned the ambassador," she said. "That's how I wanted it, because the disinformation campaign is so extreme that one can see that little of it reflects reality."

Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis acknowledged a definite interest in disrupting the talks, but did not specify who he thought was responsible for the attacks when questioned about Russia's involvement.

On May 24, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to derail the peace summit, stating that Putin has no desire to end the full-scale invasion.

Participants of the summit will formulate a common negotiating position on the outcome of the war and submit it to Russia, according to presidential spokesperson Sergii Nykyforov.

quote:

Rosaviatsia drops bombs on Belgorod region - Media reveal new cases

^{Russian aircraft continue to drop bombs on the Belgorod region (photo: Russian media)}

New cases of airstrikes with aviation bombs by the Russian Aerospace Forces on the territory of the Belgorod region have been recorded. They occurred on June 6 and 8, according to the Russian edition ASTRA.

According to Russian media reports, the bombs fell in the Shebekino city district and the Grayvoron district of the region. In Russia, such incidents are sometimes explained by the fact that bombs accidentally detach from military aircraft during airstrikes on Ukraine.

For example, on May 6, Russian aircraft lost two aviation bombs, one of which fell 2 km from the village of Batratskaia Dacha, and the other - 2 km from the village of Poliana in the Shebekino city district.

A few days later, a 1.5-ton high-explosive aviation bomb (FAB-1500) was dropped by Russian aviation 800 meters from the village of Novotroivka. Russian journalists note that the aircraft was about 30 kilometers away from the border with Ukraine.

According to the ASTRA, in these three cases, there were no casualties in the Belgorod region, and the evacuation of residents from the mentioned settlements was not carried out.

SPOILER

quote:

Falling of aviation bombs in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation and the occupied territories of Ukraine
According to Russian media estimates, over the last hundred days or so, Russian aviation has dropped a total of 86 bombs on the Belgorod region and the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

Earlier reports indicated, for example, that in mid-May, three FAB-500 aviation bombs fell in the Russian Belgorod region.

Additionally, at the end of May, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine published an audio interception in which residents of the Belgorod region express dissatisfaction in personal conversations that Russian forces continue to drop aviation bombs in the region.

quote:

81 combat engagements in frontline, AFU destroy Russian Su-25 in Pokrovske sector
During the past day, 81 combat engagements between the Defence Forces and Russian invaders took place at the front, in particular, 19 attacks were repelled in the Pokrovske sector and an enemy Su-25 aircraft was destroyed.
According to Ukrinform, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on Facebook, publishing an update as of 22:00 on Monday, 10 June.

"As of now, 81 combat engagements have taken place. The situation remains tense but under control. Over the course of the day, the Defence Forces struck 13 areas of concentration of enemy personnel, seven air defence systems, one artillery unit and a radar station," the statement said.

According to the General Staff, the Russian invaders launched two missile attacks using five missiles and 45 air strikes using 64 aerial guided bombs, using 486 kamikaze drones. The enemy also fired more than 2,900 times at Ukrainian troops' positions and populated areas using artillery, mortars, small arms and armoured vehicles.

SPOILER

quote:

In the Kharkiv sector, four unsuccessful enemy attacks took place in the areas of Vovchansk and Hlyboke. The Ukrainian military continues to take measures to strengthen defensive positions and borders.

The aggressor's preliminary losses in this sector amount to 64 occupants killed and wounded. One tank, seven vehicles and five units of special equipment were destroyed. In addition, two tanks, an armoured combat vehicle, three artillery systems and four vehicles were damaged. The enemy also destroyed 15 dugouts and an ammunition depot.

In the Kupyansk sector, the enemy tried to push our units from their positions near the settlements of Sinkivka, Stepova Novoselivka, Pishchane and Berestove. He was unsuccessful. No losses of positions and territories were allowed.

In the Lyman sector, the number of combat engagements increased to 12. Russian occupants attempted to advance in the areas of Druzhelyubivka, Nevske, Terny, Torske, Hryhorivka and Serebryansky Forest. All attacks were successfully repelled by Ukrainian defenders.

The situation in the Siverskyi sector did not change significantly. The enemy failed in four assault operations in the areas of Spirne, Ivan-Daryivka and Verkhnekamianske.

In the Kramatorsk sector, the aggressor tried to attack the Ukrainian Armed Forces seven times in the areas of Novyi, Ivanivske, Klishchiyivka and Andriivka. Six attempts by the Russian occupiers to break through our defences were unsuccessful. The situation is tense. The battle in the area of Novyi continues.

The situation remains the hottest in the Pokrovske sector. The enemy tried 21 times to break into the combat formations of the Ukrainian defenders near Yevhenivka, Novooleksandrivka, Novopokrovske, Yasnobrodivka, Umanske and Karlivka. 19 enemy attacks were repelled. Two more firefights continue near Novooleksandrivka and Novopokrovske.

The Ukrainian defence forces are making every effort to deplete and deter the Russian invaders. The aggressor's preliminary losses in this sector amount to 198 occupants killed and wounded. A Su-25 aircraft, one tank, an armoured combat vehicle, a cannon and four vehicles were destroyed.

The situation in the Kurakhove sector remains tense. Since the beginning of the day, the number of combat engagements has increased to 17. The invaders are trying to advance near Nevelske, Krasnohorivka, Heorhiivka, Kostiantynivka and Paraskoviivka. 14 enemy attacks were successfully repelled by the Defence Forces. Fighting continues in the area of Krasnohorivka. Measures are being taken to prevent the advance of Russian troops deep into our territory.

In the Vremivsk direction, the invaders tried to advance near Vodiane and Staromayorsk. The Russian occupiers' assault failed. The defence forces control the situation.

In the Orikhiv sector, the occupants made one unsuccessful assault near Kopani.

In the Prydniprovskyi sector, our defenders repelled two enemy attacks in the area north of Krynky. No positions were lost.

In other areas, the situation has not changed significantly, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine summed up

quote:

Ukraine shot down Russian Su-25 aircraft, military says
Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian Su-25 fighter jet in the Pokrovsk sector on June 10, Ukraine's General Staff reported.

Russia is carrying out intense attacks in multiple sections of the eastern front, which covers much of Donetsk Oblast, after it captured the city of Avdiivka in February. The Pokrovsk direction is the hottest spot on the battlefield, the military said.

The Soviet-designed Su-25, nicknamed "Frogfoot" by NATO, is a heavily armored ground-attack aircraft that provides close air support for Russian ground troops.

Several Russian Su-25s were reportedly shot down last month, including two on May 23.

Russia's total losses during the all-out war amount to about 685 aircraft — 359 planes and 326 helicopters, according to Ukraine's General Staff.

The General Staff's figure could not be independently verified.

quote:

A Su-34 aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces crashed in a mountainous area in North Ossetia during a scheduled training flight, the crew was killed, the Ministry of Defense reports.

The preliminary cause of the plane crash is a technical malfunction.

quote:

Chinese military harassed Dutch warship enforcing UN sanctions on North Korea, Netherlands says

^{This handout image released by the Dutch Ministry of Defense shows the frigate HNLMS Tromp. Netherlands Ministry of Defence}

A Dutch warship was harassed by Chinese military aircraft in the East China Sea on Friday, the Netherlands said, becoming the latest country to accuse Beijing’s forces of initiating potentially unsafe encounters in international waters.

In a statement Friday, the Dutch Defense Ministry said two Chinese fighter jets circled the frigate HNLMS Tromp several times, while its marine patrol helicopter was “approached” by two Chinese warplanes and a helicopter during a patrol.

“This created a potentially unsafe situation,” the statement said.

SPOILER

quote:

CNN has asked the Chinese government for comment on the Dutch accusations.

The Tromp was operating in the East China Sea in support of a multinational coalition enforcing United Nations sanctions on North Korea, known as the Pacific Security Maritime Exchange (PSMX), according to a statement from the European Union.

The UN Security Council has passed multiple resolutions since 2006 imposing sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear weapons program.

PSMX partner nations include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States, according to the US State Department.

^{This handout picture shows the Dutch frigate Tromp approached in the East China Sea by a Chinese fighter jet. Netherlands Ministry of Defence/X/Twitter}

Before patrolling in the East China Sea, the Dutch frigate had made a port call in Busan, South Korea, where it participated in exercises with the South Korean Navy, the EU statement said.

Tromp joins a growing list of vessels and aircraft that have accused China’s People’s Liberation Army of conducting possibly unsafe maneuvers in the East and South China Seas and beyond in recent years.

Last month, Australia accused a Chinese fighter jet of firing flares into the path of a naval helicopter operating from the destroyer HMAS Hobart over international waters of the Yellow Sea. The Hobart was also enforcing UN sanctions on North Korea.

“This was an unsafe maneuver which posed a risk to the aircraft and personnel,” a statement from Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said at the time.

China defended that action by its military and rejected Australia’s claim that the interception was unsafe.

“Under the guise of implementing United Nations Security Council resolutions, Australian warships and aircraft deliberately approached China’s airspace to cause trouble and provocation, endangering China’s maritime and air security,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters at a regular briefing last month.

“As a warning, the Chinese military took necessary measures at the scene. Relevant operations are legal, compliant, professional and safe.”

The incident was similar to an encounter in late October, when Canada said a Chinese fighter jet fired flares into the path of a Canadian military helicopter over the South China Sea.

“The risk to a helicopter in that instance is the flares moving into the rotor blades or the engines so this was categorized as both unsafe and non-standard, unprofessional,” Maj. Rob Millen, air officer aboard the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Ottawa, told CNN after the October incident.

China also defended its actions in that incident and accused Canadian forces of conducting an unspecified “malicious and provocative act with ulterior motives.”

Two weeks before the South China Sea encounter, a Royal Canadian Air Force patrol plane reported an unsafe intercept by a Chinese jet while it was supporting the UN enforcement of sanctions on North Korea.

China, which says its forces act in accordance with international law while protecting Chinese interests, has repeatedly claimed that US-led alliances in the Pacific are a threat to its security.

Earlier this month in a speech to the Shangri-La Dialogue defense summit in Singapore, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington had made “historic progress” in developing alliances and partnerships that have enhanced security in Asia in the past three years.

In a Q&A session, a Chinese colonel asked Austin whether the US is planning to build a NATO-like alliance system in the Asia-Pacific region, and also blamed NATO for the Ukraine war.

Hours later, a Chinese military spokesman accused the United States of “creating division and provoking confrontation” in the region.

“The US keeps creating chaos and has become the source of risks, as well as the destroyer to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region,” Jing Jianfeng, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department at China’s Central Military Commission, told reporters in Singapore.

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 09:53 schreef ExTec het volgende:
Ik denk dat luchtmachtbases in andere landen niet door rus raketten worden bestookt.

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Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 10:26 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

Oh yeah. Dat zal Budanov zeker interesseren....

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Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 10:23 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Op dit moment niet. Maar de oorlog komt wel denk ik, dus wil je het risico nemen?

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Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 09:40 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Dat geloof ik best. Maar om zoiets te zeggen terwijl Europese landen te weinig eigen systemen hebben en daarvan ook nog een gedeelte doneren is misschien niet heel handig. Luchtmachtbases in die landen hebben namelijk hetzelfde probleem.

[ x ]

NB: Het kan dat de vertaling niet helemaal klopt. Het is me opgevallen dat men 'lanceerders' 'batterij' en 'systeem' wel eens door elkaar gebruikt.

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 10:49 schreef polderturk het volgende:

[..]
Als de F16's er ��nmaal zijn, moet je wel.

Of ze moeten alle F16's op ��n of twee beschermde basissen plaatsen.

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 11:08 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Ik mag toch hopen dat ze afgelopen jaar wel wat zware bunkers voor die toestellen hebben gemaakt. Ze weten tenslotte al een tijdje dat ze komen. En als niet, dan vraag ik me wel af waarom de neuk niet? De Russen doen het niet en OekraIne weet wat de resultaten daarvan zijn. En trouwens, ook voor de Saabs zullen ze die nodig hebben. Dat zou echt krankzinnig incompetent zijn van de luchtmachtleiding.

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 11:18 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Voor hun sovjet meuk hebben ze dat natuurlijk net zo goed nodig/is dat net zo handig.

Maar goed; het wel hebben van bunkers betekent ook weer niet dat ze geen extra AA nodig hebben.

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Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 11:21 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Het zal, maar het is wel raar dat ze er nu pas mee aankomen.

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Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 09:53 schreef ExTec het volgende:
Ik denk dat luchtmachtbases in andere landen niet door rus raketten worden bestookt.

Maar de spoeling aan europese kant mbt patriots is al een tijdje nogal dun.

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Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 11:24 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Ik denk ze vanaf dag 1 al om meer AA vragen.

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Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 12:39 schreef BEFEM het volgende:
Ik denk nier dat ze daar nu opeens mee komen. Plus dat als die bij een vliegveld staan ze ook een stad of iets dergelijks verdedigen. Gewoon een extra drukmiddel om mee luchtafweer te krijgen.

Wij weten natuurlijk ook dat de vliegtuigen beschermd moeten worden...

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 12:52 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Extra drukmiddel? Dan snap ik niet waarom dat niet via Zelenskyy en de minister gaat, want waar hebben die het dan over? Hoeveel zijn er nu echt nodig? Geef aan wat nou echt nodig is en dan kunnen we er in het westen wat mee. Maar je trekt niet gewoon even een blik Patriot of SAMP/T batterijen open en tovert er dan effe snel een berg operators naast. Dat is ondertussen toch wel duidelijk? DIt is onhandig van die officier.

En met je laatste zin impliceer je dat we Oekra�ne bij het handje moeten nemen. Maar we moeten ook af van het micromanagen.

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 09:40 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Dat geloof ik best. Maar om zoiets te zeggen terwijl Europese landen te weinig eigen systemen hebben en daarvan ook nog een gedeelte doneren is misschien niet heel handig. Luchtmachtbases in die landen hebben namelijk hetzelfde probleem.

[ x ]

NB: Het kan dat de vertaling niet helemaal klopt. Het is me opgevallen dat men 'lanceerders' 'batterij' en 'systeem' wel eens door elkaar gebruikt.

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Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 13:05 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

[..]
Joh, het is oorlog. Er roepen er een hele hoop wat, er worden veel interviews gegeven etc.

Ze hebben gewoon meer luchtafweer nodig, hoe duidelijk wil je het hebben 'voordat we er iets mee kunnen'?

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Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 11:48 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
De VS heeft er 30

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Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 14:42 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Maar denk je niet dat het handiger is dat ze in Oekra�ne eerst even onderling overleggen wat er nou nodig is? Dat je niet de president laat vragen om 7-10 Patriots en vervolgens een of andere officier laat roepen dat er 15-20 nodig zijn? Naar wie moeten we dan luisteren? Dat is het probleem.

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 14:52 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

[..]
Dat is helemaal geen probleem en dat weet jij ook best. Net alsof ze teveel Patriots kunnen leveren

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 14:53 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Naar wie moet worden geluisterd? Die officier of de president?

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Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 14:54 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

[..]
Tis goed met je.

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Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 15:05 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Oh...Beetje opletten jongens...

[ x ]

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Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 15:28 schreef Ulx het volgende:
De tandjes. Daar zijn veel granaten ingeslagen.

[ x ]

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Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 15:20 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:

[..]
Zou toch een stunt zijn als Winnie the Poo nou een strafexpeditie op touw zet en Putin laat zien hoe een 3-daagse SMO eruit hoort te zien

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 15:20 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:

[..]
Zou toch een stunt zijn als Winnie the Poo nou een strafexpeditie op touw zet en Putin laat zien hoe een 3-daagse SMO eruit hoort te zien

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 11:48 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
De VS heeft er 30

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 14:54 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

[..]
Tis goed met je.

quote:

Ja, maar als ze het nu maar gewoon vragen/het formulier invullen/wat dies meer zei: dan komt het allemaal goed!

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Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 14:42 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Maar denk je niet dat het handiger is dat ze in Oekra�ne eerst even onderling overleggen wat er nou nodig is?

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 16:25 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Waarom veronderstel jij dat wat jij her en der leest het totaal is van wat er, ook via officiele kanalen, gecommuniceerd is?

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 16:58 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Omdat het Zelenskyy dat steeds riep. Waarom zou hij om minder gaan vragen? Hij wil waarschijnlijk dat Rusland weet dat het land vol met die dingen staat, zodat die wel even nadenken voordat ze een vliegtuig naar Oekra�ne sturen om daar de boel te bombarderen. Van sommige wapens wil je niet dat een vijand weet hoeveel je er van hebt, van andere wil je dat juist weer wel.

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 17:09 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Maar ik denk ook niet dat we ze teveel luchtafweer kunnen geven.

En copium a'la: maar het is misleiding, ze zouden best wel eens veel meer kunnen krijgen dan we denken! - doe ik ook niet aan.

De constante is redelijk dat oekraine van alles het absolute minimum krijgt. Voorbeelden te over, immers.

En ik heb het graag mis. Want dan zouden ze meer hebben dan we denken. En als jij het mis hebt, sterven er nodeloos mensen.

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Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 17:28 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Ik zie werkelijk geen enkel voordeel voor Oekra�ne of het zo aan te pakken.

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 17:28 schreef Ulx het volgende:

Natuurlijk willen ze er meer.

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 17:34 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Omdat:
[..]
En dat zeggen ze tegen iedereen die het wil horen, via elk medium beschikbaar.

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 17:46 schreef ExTec het volgende:
Het is prima, zullen we het erop houden dat ze in oekraine gewoon olie dom zijn, en als ze "nou gewoon duidelijk zouden zijn!" - ze heus genoeg patriot batterijen hadden gehad?

Want ik snap em, dat ene land dat er zat heeft staat te trappelen om ze te voorzien van, alleen ze zitten met hun handen in het haar, want "oekraine is niet duidelijk! "

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 19:41 schreef SillyWalks het volgende:
Hoeveel van de verschillende AA heeft Rusland eigenlijk nog, is daar zicht op?

Dus radars, launchers, etc.

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 19:46 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Genoeg

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 19:41 schreef SillyWalks het volgende:
Hoeveel van de verschillende AA heeft Rusland eigenlijk nog, is daar zicht op?

Dus radars, launchers, etc.

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 20:00 schreef BlaZ het volgende:

[..]
Dat is vrij lastig weer te geven aangezien verschillende voertuigen weer in productie gegaan zijn, van wikipedia:

130 Tunguska
430 Strela 1
950 Osa
860 Strela 10
300 Buk
20 Tor
70 S300 (ik meen 12 voertuigen per volledige eenheid)

De Pantsir staat daar niet in de lijst en wordt nog geproduceerd. Dit jaar heeft Saudi Arabi� er nog een lading aangeschaft nadat de VAE en Oman dat eerder al gedaan hadden.

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 20:04 schreef SillyWalks het volgende:

[..]
En met als wat er vernietigd is, hoeveel zouden ze er nog over hebben?

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 20:27 schreef Cilantro het volgende:
Goed nieuws: volgens de NOS wordt Ruben Brekelmans minister van defensie.

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 20:07 schreef TwenteFC het volgende:

[..]
Waar bewijs van is te zien op
https://www.oryxspioenkop(...)nting-equipment.html

Globaal;
Anti-Aircraft Guns (51, of which destroyed: 32, damaged: 1, captured: 18)
Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Guns (25, of which destroyed: 14, damaged: 2, abandoned: 2, captured: 7)
Surface-To-Air Missile Systems (247, of which destroyed: 181, damaged: 38, abandoned: 4, captured: 24)
Radars (73, of which destroyed: 44, damaged: 19, captured: 10)
Jammers And Deception Systems (82, of which destroyed: 61, damaged: 12, captured: 9)

Wat precies kan je op die site zien.

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 22:49 schreef polderturk het volgende:

[..]
Stijn Mitzer is ermee gestopt.

Site wordt al een tijdje niet meer onderhouden.

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 22:49 schreef polderturk het volgende:

[..]
Stijn Mitzer is ermee gestopt.

Site wordt al een tijdje niet meer onderhouden.

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 22:49 schreef polderturk het volgende:

[..]
Stijn Mitzer is ermee gestopt.

Site wordt al een tijdje niet meer onderhouden.

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 11:51 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Sure, maar de gevraagde aantallen fluctueerden tussen de 7 en 11 Patriotsystemen voor geheel Oekra�ne. Meer dan dat noemde Zelenskyy niet. Dan is het wat raar als ze voor drie vliegvelden (beredeneerde gok gezien het verwachtte aantal F16's) er ineens zes extra nodig zouden hebben. Dan heeft iemand bij de luchtmacht wat cijfers vergeten door te geven aan Zelenskyy. Of niet soms? Voor mijn part kopen we ze, daar gaat het niet om, maar kom op hee...Dit soort berichten vlak voordat de F16's worden neergezet? Wat zijn ze nog meer vergeten?

quote:

Zelensky: Ukraine needs 25 Patriot air defense systems to cover the country
President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview with national television on April 6, called on international partners to provide Ukraine with modern air defense systems to defend against Russian attacks.

Russian troops have intensified their attacks during the spring, mainly targeting energy and civilian infrastructure. According to Ukraine's Interior Ministry, Russia has conducted around 30,000 strikes on Ukrainian territory in 2024.

As Moscow increased its attacks, the shortage of air defense systems in Ukraine became more tangible, particularly in the territories proximate to the front line.

"I will not tell you how many Patriot systems we have. I can say that to cover Ukraine completely in the future, it is preferable to have 25 Patriot systems, with 6-8 batteries each," Zelensky said.

All the international partners are aware of Ukraine's need for air defense systems, Zelensky said, adding that some of the allies even know where systems must be set.

Zelensky said the Patriot's analogs could also be efficient against Russian strikes.

But the president also stressed that on the territories near the front line, Ukrainian forces need "combined defense" to oppose attacks conducted with guided aerial bombs.

According to Zelensky, such defense must include air defense systems, fighter jets, and "own anti-guided-aerial bombs weapons, which are currently being developed."

The president added that, in 2024, Ukraine's partners could provide 10% of the modern air fleet stock, which Ukraine expects to receive in the future.

"Ukraine knows for sure how much it needs to repel the Russian Federation's attacks," he said.

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 11:08 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Ik mag toch hopen dat ze afgelopen jaar wel wat zware bunkers voor die toestellen hebben gemaakt. Ze weten tenslotte al een tijdje dat ze komen. En als niet, dan vraag ik me wel af waarom de neuk niet? De Russen doen het niet en OekraIne weet wat de resultaten daarvan zijn. En trouwens, ook voor de Saabs zullen ze die nodig hebben. Dat zou echt krankzinnig incompetent zijn van de luchtmachtleiding.

quote:

Ukraine is building underground stores and bunkers to protect F-16s as the jets' arrival moves closer
• Ukraine is preparing ways to protect its F-16s while at base, its air force said.
• This includes building bunkers and dispersing the US-made aircraft when they arrive.
• Ukraine is expected to receive the first F-16s from its allies this summer.

SPOILER

quote:

Ukraine's air force said it is preparing for the arrival of F-16s by building underground stores and bunkers at its bases.

Major Ilya Yevlash, a spokesperson for the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that Ukraine's plans for how to keep the much-sought-after aircraft safe while at base are being carefully developed.

He said the effort "necessitates proper preparation of their basing locations. It involves substantial costs, including underground shelters and bunkers. Therefore, methods are being developed on how best to deploy them," according to RBC-Ukraine.

Yevlash also said that Ukraine will disperse the jets to different types of bases, making it harder for Russia to detect them.

Ukraine is due to get its first F-16s this summer, and its pilots have been training on the advanced jets in allied countries for months.

The planes will boost Ukraine's air force, which is smaller and older than Russia's, and will allow Ukraine to conduct more strikes against Russia, while also adding to its defensive capabilities.

Ukraine has been requesting US-made F-16s since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, but the US did not sign off on allowing allies to send them until last summer.

Military aircraft are often at their most vulnerable when they are sat at base, and countries concentrate weaponry like air defense systems around airbases as a result.

Ukraine has been able to take out Russian aircraft while they are grounded.

The Associated Press has reported that Ukraine may use Western air bases when it gets F-16s because the jets require high-standard runways and protective hangars.

But the air force's update suggests that Ukraine plans on keeping at least some F-16s in Ukraine during periods when they are not flying.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned last month that Western air bases that host F-16s for Ukraine would be "legitimate" targets for his armed forces.

Former US military pilots told Business Insider's Jake Epstein that Ukraine will be the most dangerous battlefield that F-16s have faced, even though they have been used for decades in heavy fighting.

quote:

Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 19:26 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:
Goed bezig die Duitsers

quote:

New tanks will be produced in Tr�ndelag
Levanger now gets its own tank factory.

^{SOON TO TR�NDERSK: Crown Prince Haakon visited the tank manufacturer outside Munich in autumn 2023, together with Defense Minister Bj�rn Arild Gram. Photo: Mattis Sandblad / VG}

An agreement between the German supplier and Ritek in Levanger opens up a separate production line for Leopard 2 tanks.

The agreement will be signed in Oslo on Tuesday morning.

- 37 of the 54 new Leopard 2 tanks that Norway has ordered from Germany will be assembled at Ritek in Levanger . This could be the start of a new Norwegian industrial adventure, says Defense Minister Bj�rn Arild Gram (Sp).

Large orders for new tanks from a number of countries to the Leopard manufacturer in Germany now open the possibility for a new industrial chapter in Tr�ndelag. The supplier Krauss-Maffei Wegmann needs new production lines.

One of the new production lines is now being set up at the Levanger company.

- This will be exciting. We will start production in 2026 and will deliver from 2028, says Morten Minsaas to VG. He is head of sales and marketing at Ritek.

SPOILER

quote:

Can deliver more
The production line is planned to be maintained after the Norwegian wagons are finished, so that Ritek can continue to produce tanks and wagons for other countries.

The Levanger company is now in the midst of a major delivery to the Swedish defence:

- We are now producing 44 CV90 tanks for Sweden. So we hope to be able to continue producing both CV90 and Leopard tanks at Levanger in the future, says Minsaas.

Ritek now has just over 50 employees. Minsaas suggests that they need to increase their production capacity by 50 percent in order to start a production line for tanks in the old military camp at Rinnleiret.

quote:

Not a joke – Belarusian officer thinks T-34 is fit to fight
Back in 2022, when Russia threw antique T-62s into the war in Ukraine, netizens started joking that Russia has a lot of T-34 tanks too – why not send them? These tanks, used heavily in World War II, are obviously incredibly old. But now Russia is dragging them to Belarus and officers are calling them “fit to fight”.

^{T-34 in a military parade in Moscow in 2023. It was the only tank there that year. Image credit: Mil.ru via Wikimedia (CC BY 4.0)}

Many would consider this a huge embarrassment but Russians have not laughed at the idea that the T-34 could be used in the war in Ukraine. It’s not a joke to them. One of the guests of the propagandist Solovyov said more than a year ago that the tanks standing as monuments In Russia are also a reserve. Some Russian commentators argue that this is not even such a crazy idea, especially if the T-34s get good electronic warfare systems that can defend them against drones. They rhetorically ask how the T-34 is worse than infantry fighting vehicles.

SPOILER

quote:

In the Soviet Union, the production of the T-34 was finished in 1946. Later they were produced in Poland and Czechoslovakia. In fact, as strange as it may sound, there are armies that still use T-34s. For example, North Korea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Vietnam. Several African countries keep them in reserve, although they are probably no longer operational. Russia has technically never been an official operator of the T-34, as all these tanks were relegated to historical equipment parks after the end of the Soviet Union.

It’s funny that this is being talked about at all, even if only in a joking way. But Russia will start to lack tanks already next year. Not because all long-term storage sites will be empty, but because Ukraine destroys Russian tanks much faster than Russia produces/refurbished them. And not only tanks, but also BTR, BMP and other Russian armoured vehicles are running out. Can the T-34 return to service as an infantry fighting vehicle?

At least ten T-34-85 tanks are now being moved to Belarus, where they will participate in the July 3 parade in Minsk. Deputy Commander of the Armed Forces of Belarus Sergey Tomchik says that these tanks are in excellent condition – “the T-34 tanks that arrived from the Russian Federation are in excellent technical condition and are ready not only to march ceremonially in the parade, but also to perform combat tasks if necessary.”

This is still highly unlikely. But for many Russians this is not a joke. If the defenders of Ukraine maintain this pace of destruction, Russian forces will start to run out of armoured vehicles next year already. On June 7 alone Russians lost 17 tanks in Ukraine. How many did they make? Maybe 4 or 5. And “new” tanks are being produced there by pulling old tanks from storage sites. They cannot go straight from the boneyard to the war, because they simply do not drive and shoot. Thus, at some point Russians will no longer have active tanks in Ukraine. And who knows, maybe T-34 will fight again.

quote:

Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 00:15 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
[ x ]
En Nederland is ook goed bezig.

quote:

The Only Country in the UN Security Council That Abstained From Voting For A Ceasefire in Gaza Was….Russia
On June 10, 2024, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution calling for an “immediate, full and complete ceasefire” in Gaza.

14 countries in the UN Security Council voted to back the US resolution on a three-part ceasefire. Only one country abstained, and that was Russia.

quote:

FT: NATO's B9 group considers barring Hungary from meetings
Diplomats of the Bucharest Nine (B9), a group of central and eastern European NATO allies, discussed the possibility of excluding Hungary from future meetings of the club, the Financial Times (FT) reported on June 11, citing its undisclosed sources.

The Bucharest Nine is a group of central and eastern European NATO members, namely Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. It was established in 2015 in response to Russia's aggression against Ukraine in Crimea and Donbas.

Riga will host the B9 summit on June 11. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is expected to join the leaders.

At recent meetings, Hungary vetoed the group's joint conclusions on increasing aid for Ukraine and approving any steps related to Kyiv's NATO membership, the FT wrote.

One of the newspaper's sources described the discussions at gatherings as "tough," saying that it will be difficult to organize future meetings if they do not become more collaborative.

Budapest once again refused to support the draft statement agreed upon by other countries, the officials told FT.

The discussions about Hungary's exclusion from the club are "very serious," another source said.

"We are likely meeting in this format for the last time," one of the people told the FT.

Budapest has repeatedly opposed Ukraine's accession to NATO and the EU, sanctions on Russia, undermined Western aid efforts for Ukraine, and maintained close relations with Moscow throughout the full-scale war.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban claimed in late May that NATO's current direction might result in a clash with Russia, adding that Budapest is working to redefine its position in NATO so that it could refrain from any actions outside of the alliance's territory.

quote:

Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance stays away from Selenski’s speech – AfD follows suit
Ukrainian President Selensky has given his first speech in person in the Bundestag. BSW representatives and most AfD MPs stayed away from the speech.

Berlin. The majority of the AfD parliamentary group and the Sahra Wagenknecht ( BSW ) alliance demonstratively stayed away from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky 's speech in the Bundestag on Tuesday . The AfD parliamentary group executive had previously recommended this. Only four of the 77 AfD MPs were present in the plenary session for Selensky's speech. None of the ten BSW MPs were present. Representatives of other parties sharply criticized this.

"We refuse to listen to a speaker in camouflage," said parliamentary group leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla. "The federal government should not give him a platform to beg for reconstruction. The citizens pay more than enough for military aid, EU aid and citizen's allowance for Ukrainians." Ukraine needs a peace president who is willing to negotiate.

SPOILER

quote:

The BSW said: “Unfortunately, President Selensky is currently contributing to promoting a highly dangerous spiral of escalation and is thereby accepting the risk of a nuclear conflict with devastating consequences for the whole of Europe (...) Therefore, he should not be honored with a special event in the German Bundestag (...)”.

Other parties were sharply critical. SPD parliamentary group vice-chair Dirk Wiese told the "Rheinische Post": "The Kremlin probably ordered us to stay away. I have rarely experienced such disrespect." The first parliamentary manager of the Union parliamentary group, Thorsten Frei ( CDU ), said: "With this, AfD and BSW are once again underlining their contempt for the victims of the Russian war of aggression."

Left-wing politician Dietmar Bartsch criticized his former parliamentary colleague Wagenknecht and called the behavior "absurd": Whatever one's position on Selenskyj or on arms deliveries, democracy is about at least listening and not about attracting attention, he told dpa.

The four AfD MPs Norbert Kleinw�chter, Joachim Wundrak, Albrecht Glaser and Rainer Kraft were the only AfD representatives in the plenary hall and some of them also applauded. "For us, it is a matter of course to listen to other heads of state when they are here on a state visit, even if we may not share their opinion," Kleinw�chter told the dpa afterwards. "The applause was calm, in the places where one can support it," but one could not read any euphoric enthusiasm from it, said Wundrak.

quote:

Russian attacks kill 4, injure 11 people in Kharkiv region over past day
UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, June 11 — On the evening of June 10, Russian troops shelled Staryi Saltiv in the Kharkiv region, killing a person, reported Oleh Syniehubov, Kharkiv Oblast Governor.

Towns and villages of the Kharkiv Oblast, especially border settlements, came under massive Russian artillery shelling and airstrikes since Russia launched a new ground offensive north and northeast of the region in the Vovchansk and Lyptsi directions on May 10.

As Syniehubov reported, on the morning of June 10, the Russian army dropped guided bombs (KABs) on Dementiivka in the Kharkiv region, killing one person and injuring three others. They also hit Novopokrovka community with ballistic missiles, killing a man and injuring another.

Also, on June 10, the Russian military dropped three glide bombs (UMPB D-30) on the Saltivskyi and Kyivskyi districts of Kharkiv. The Russian bomb attack killed one and injured seven people. They also damaged 35 houses, 86 garages, and 22 cars, Syniehubov reports.

The mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, reports that in May alone, the Russians attacked the city 76 times. This is almost three times more than in April. The Russians dropped glide bombs on Kharkiv 37 times. They also launched missiles, and conducted 12 Shahed UAV strikes, and three Lancet drone strikes.

Read more
• At night, Russian troops launched a drone strike on the village of Petrovske in the Zolochiv community in the Kharkiv region, damaging a house and its annex

quote:

Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 01:42 schreef SnertMetChoco het volgende:
[ afbeelding ]
https://www.reddit.com/r/(...)iamentary_group_was/

quote:

In Europe they are trying to block the new route of migrants through the Russian Federation
Only the hum of mosquitoes disturbs the tranquility of this idyllic corner among the forests and blue lakes of eastern Finland, on the longest border of the European Union with Russia. But Finnish authorities fear the peace and quiet of the area could soon be disrupted by the arrival of large numbers of asylum seekers - part of what Helsinki sees as a hybrid war Russia is waging against the West. Finland is increasing the number of border patrols, drones and electronic detectors, and building border fences. Source: Reuters

Parliament is expected to approve tough new legislation before the summer recess, which critics say will violate the country's human rights obligations.

SPOILER

quote:

Late last year, Finland closed all checkpoints to travelers on its 1,340km border with Russia indefinitely after around 1,300 migrants from countries including Syria and Somalia arrived along that route.

Since then, only a few dozen asylum seekers have crossed the border into Finland, but Helsinki believes the Kremlin is ready to send more migrants across the border at any moment.

Under the new legislation, Finnish border guards will be able to use thousands of reservists to patrol the border, detect migrants' phone signals, send them to detention centers and, most controversially, be able to expel them back to Russia without accepting asylum claims.

“Finland cannot simply allow the opening of such a new route (for migrants) to Europe... But in general, we are not talking about a migrant route, but about a situation where the authorities of another country help or even put pressure and push migrants to the Finnish border,” she told the agency Reuters Finnish Interior Minister Marie Rantanen, representing the nationalist Finns party.

Earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the restoration of the buffer zone on the border with Belarus amid the threat of sabotage.

On May 28, a Polish border guard was wounded by a knife inflicted by a foreigner who was trying to break through the barrier on the border with Belarus, near the border post in the village of Dubiche Tserkevne.

Let us recall that across Europe there is an active sabotage campaign organized by Russia as part of President Vladimir Putin’s growing efforts to undermine Western support for Ukraine. American and European officials have reported attempts to damage railroads, military bases and other facilities used to supply weapons to Ukraine.

quote:

The ousters of top reconstruction officials undermine the West's trust in Zelenskyy - Anti-corruption CEO
The resignations of Infrastructure Restoration & Development head Mustafa Nayyem and Reconstruction Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov are public administration "suicide" in Ukraine, Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC) CEO, Daria Kaleniuk, told Radio NV.

The moves are likely to affect international politics and trust in the Ukrainian state, she added.

She addressed Nayyem’s and Kubrakov’s resignations on the eve of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Germany.

What happened behind the scenes?
Kubrakov’s cooperation with National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) was one of the reasons for his dismissal, Mustafa Nayyem was involved as well, Kaleniuk said.

“Some unnamed MPs approached both of them with an offer of a bribe regarding a reconstruction project,” she said.

“They did not take a bribe, they documented all this, as it should be, together with NABU, and immediately became outcasts in governmental structures.”

“It would be much more reasonable to send Reconstruction Agency head to the (Ukraine Recovery) Conference in Berlin - as he was not yet dismissed. The Agency itself had worked with the German government for almost a year and our partners, in particular the Germans, trusted the Agency very much."

The Agency'slack of representation at the conference undermines Ukraine's reputation on the international stage

“This is a kind of suicide for Ukrainian public administration," Kaleniuk said.

SPOILER

quote:

What happened in the Presidential Office?
Kubrakov and Nayyem are considered "rats" since they cooperated NABU - and it is a normal practice to use such strong language in unofficial communication in the Presidential Office (PO), she said.

Kaleniuk is sure that the PO's unprofessionalism, rudeness, and short-sightedness will cost Ukraine billions of dollars for reconstruction.

“This is an opportunity to rebuild schools, hospitals, and large infrastructure projects. The ability to restore energy right now.”

“We enter winter without hope and without critical infrastructure that would provide us with warmth. That is, there is no guarantee that there will be heat, water, and sewage in apartment buildings of the main regional centers. Because Russia bombed most of the energy infrastructure.”

She also questioned reconstruction plans.

“Where is the Energy Ministry's report?” she asked rhetorically.

“Where is the plan to ensure Ukraine's critical infrastructure before winter? How will we go through winter?

"The Reconstruction Agency covered the tasks the Energy Ministry failed to do. There are no questions for the latter - but we call people who tried to provide results and build trusting relationships with the West - ‘rats’?”

How to ensure funding for Ukraine's reconstruction
The entire situation comes down to the central point - how will Ukraine attract investments if its governmental institutions are not considered credible?

“Ukraine may require more than trillion (dollars) to rebuild (its energy infrastructure),” Kaleniuk said.

“The reconstruction of our critical infrastructure alone will cost hundreds of billions of dollars. There isn't some secret big or charitable bank in the world that we can take a few trillion from to pay for all our rebuilding needs. The only way to attract money, apart from compensation from Russian assets, is private investment. This is when there are businesses — both German and others from around the world — that are ready to enter Ukraine for reconstruction projects."

It's all about trust, she said.

"It's about guarantees for businesses, for our partners who are thinking of investing in Ukraine," she said.

"It's also about our civil servants, Western-minded professionals, and a forward-thinking Reconstruction Ministry and Restoration Agency."

"There is no one to implement practical projects now, and trust in Ukraine has simply plummeted."

American pressure on PO regarding certain personnel decisions

The U.S. is aware of PO personnel shifts and challenges, and it does not agree with some of the Ukrainian government's decisions, U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken said on his last visit to Ukraine.

"Messages from all our partners (not only American, but from the G7 as well) were publicly voiced, it was clearly seen after Kubrakov’s resignation,” Kaleniuk assured.

“Each G7 embassy wrote how important it was for them to work with Kubrakov, how much trust there was, and how ‘it's a pity that he was fired'," she said.

It's clear that the ousters of popular high-ranking Ukrainian officials undermine the West's trust in Ukraine, she said.

“This is a sign that Zelenskyy and Yermak have reached the ceiling,” she said.

“How will we attract investments if Western partners finally lose trust in Ukrainian state institutions?”

quote:

Ships of the Russian Federation are hiding behind foreign civilian vessels
Ships of the Russian Federation are hiding behind foreign civilian vessels

Russian ships in the Sea of ​​Azov are covered by foreign civilian vessels, which creates potential international problems in the event of their damage.

Despite the official closure of the Kerch Strait, there are foreign civilian vessels in the Sea of ​​Azov. This was stated by the spokesman of the Navy of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Dmytro Pletenchuk, UNIAN writes.

Thus, several amphibious ships and three missile boats of the Russian fleet moved from Novorossiysk to the Sea of ​​Azov for exercises. Russians use foreign ships as a shield. Accidental damage to them can lead to complications in the international arena.

“They (note: Russian ships) went to Azov, but it is shallow. There are not many ways to travel. But now they move in a pile with civilian vessels. Another question is what these civilians are doing there, considering that the Kerch Strait is officially closed by Ukraine,” said Pletenchuk.

However, there are not only foreign ships in the Sea of ​​Azov, but also Russian ones. The latter take part in looting the occupied territories of southern Ukraine, using the ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk.

quote:

Croatia Prepares An-32B for Transfer to Ukrainian State Emergency Service

The air fleet of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine will be replenished with at least one An-32B transport aircraft, which is being handed over by Croatia.

A photo of the aircraft with the tail number 36 “blue” during the flight was published by the spotter Chris Lofting.

The picture was taken on June 8, 2024, at Zagreb International Airport.

This is one of two An-32Bs that have been in service with the Croatian Air Force since 1995, but since 2014 have not been operated and have been mothballed.

There is currently no official information on the this aircraft’s transfer conditions.

SPOILER

quote:

An-32 is a twin-engine turboprop light military transport aircraft designed to transport goods on short to medium-length lines. It can also be used for parachuting people and platforms with cargo, and, in the medevac variant, for transporting wounded.

It is worth noting that Croatia actively supports Ukraine in the fight against Russian invaders. Previously, the Croatian side handed over to the Ukrainian military Mi-8 helicopters within the framework of military assistance.

They were taken to Ukraine last spring.

The country handed over 14 helicopters: twelve Mi-8MTV-1 and two Mi-8T, which were decommissioned from the armed forces of Croatia.

In May 2023, nine aircraft arrived in Ukraine, and another five were partially dismantled and transported by ground transport.


In January 2024, the U.S. State Department approved the possible sale of UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to Croatia.

This potential deal includes the supply of eight multi-purpose helicopters, along with related equipment and weapons, at an estimated cost of $500 million.

quote:

Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 02:24 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]

quote:

Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 00:34 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
Can the T-34 return to service as an infantry fighting vehicle?

quote:

Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 01:51 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Op 4 na, en de gehele Sahra Wagenknecht ( BSW ) alliance was ook verdwenen. Kinderachtig gedoe weer.

quote:

Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 10:12 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:
De T-34, dat is toch die tank uit WW2 😱

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 10:41 schreef AgLarrr het volgende:

[..]
Yup. Deed het heel lekker... tegen de Pz.IV

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 10:52 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:

[..]
Kv85 was de betere tank, maar daar werden er niet zo ontzettend veel van gemaakt.

Tigers en Panthers wisten (uiteindelijk)wel raad met t34's, voornamelijk vanwege de beroerde of eigenlijk afwezige co�rdinatie tussen andere tanks.

Dat, of ze waren stuk. Herkenbaar beeld is het niet?

quote:

Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 10:55 schreef AgLarrr het volgende:

[..]
Het meest revolutionaire aan de T34 was de "sloped armor" en de eenvoudige wijze van fabricage meen ik. Je kon ze sneller bouwen dan ze stuk gingen. Een Russische Sherman, eigenlijk.

Wel ironisch dat er qua doctrine (kwantiteit boven kwaliteit) daar niets veranderd is idd.

quote:

Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 10:09 schreef over_hedge het volgende:

[..]
Can the T-34 return to service as an infantry fighting vehicle?

Altijd handig. Een ifv met vrijwel geen ruimte voor infantry

quote:

Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 10:55 schreef AgLarrr het volgende:

[..]
Het meest revolutionaire aan de T34 was de "sloped armor" en de eenvoudige wijze van fabricage meen ik. Je kon ze sneller bouwen dan ze stuk gingen. Een Russische Sherman, eigenlijk.

Wel ironisch dat er qua doctrine (kwantiteit boven kwaliteit) daar niets veranderd is idd.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 11:13 schreef oheng het volgende:
Ik zou de T-34 liever vergelijken met de Buhanka loaf, waarvan ik hierboven een russische review heb geplaatst. Het is troep, extreem slecht in elkaar gelast,

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 11:13 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
Sloped armor was al bekend in de 1e wereld oorlog, je kunt het zien bij een hoop tanks. Ook de Duitsers wisten ervan toen ze de bijv de Pz 1 maakten.
Je ziet ook als een T-34 geraakt wordt, de lasnaden losspringen. Als je bijvoorbeeld een Sherman van dichtbij bekijkt, dan kun je die honderd keer beschieten, de lasnaden houden.

Ik zou de T-34 liever vergelijken met de Buhanka loaf, waarvan ik hierboven een russische review heb geplaatst. Het is troep, extreem slecht in elkaar gelast, extreem oncomfortabel, extreem lage overlevingskansen. Enige voordeel is dat er heel veel van waren.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 12:22 schreef Gripper het volgende:

[..]
t is echt treurig dat al die Bukhanka's tot hoopjes rokend schroot worden gereduceerd, hier betaal je 30k voor een ge�mporteerde en dan moet je m nog tot camper ombouwen.
Een voordeel: als Rusland straks economisch helemaal op zn gat ligt, kan je ze misschien voor een prikkie importeren.

[ afbeelding ]

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Op dinsdag 11 juni 2024 23:43 schreef skysherrif het volgende:
Amerika gaat een patriot systeem aan Oekraine leveren jaaaaaa

https://x.com/mikepesoli/status/1800641806205440092

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 11:13 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
Sloped armor was al bekend in de 1e wereld oorlog,

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Ukrainian FPV Drone Destroys Russian EW System Station

^{R-330BMV station of the Borisoglebsk-2 EW system. 2019. Russia. Frame from the video "My GoPro Life"}

Mountain infantry destroyed the station of the Russian Borisoglebsk-2 electronic warfare system using an FPV-drone.

Volunteer Serhii Sternenko said that this combat mission was conducted by the soldiers of the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade.

“One of the most expensive targets is destroyed with an FPV. The Borisoglebsk-2 EW system is one of the most powerful in the service of Russians,” the volunteer said.

The R-330BMV station was hit by a drone of the mountain assault brigade’s ‘Taystra’ unit.

The mission was carried out at a rather long distance from the place of departure of the drone.

SPOILER

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FPV-дрон ЗСУ знищив станцію комплексу "Борисоглебск-2"

The Russians tried to hide the R-330BMV station in a wooded area.

The station of the Borisoglebsk-2 EW system was discovered by a Ukrainian reconnaissance drone.

The Ukrainian reconnaissance UAV continued to monitor the station even during the strike by the FPV drone.

The main task of the Borisoglebsk-2 system is to detect and suppress various communication channels and other systems using radio signals.

^{The Ukrainian FPV drone hits the Russian R-330BMV station of the Borisoglebsk-2 EW system. June 2024. Ukraine. A frame from the video of volunteer Serhii Sternenko}
First of all, these are tactical link communication and control systems, in particular satellite ones. In addition, it is possible to suppress radio navigation systems.

The Borisoglebsk-2 electronic warfare (EW) system comprises various types of equipment designed for a wide range of tasks. Specifically, it includes the R-330KMV control post along with the R-378BMV, R-330BMV, R-934BMV, and R-325UMV active jamming stations. All components of the system are mounted on the MT-LB self-propelled chassis, providing high mobility and passability.

^{Russian Borisoglebsk-2 electronic warfare system. Photo credits: Russian media}

Last year, the Ukrainian Defense Forces military destroyed a Russian R-934BMV active jamming station.

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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.

Stay updated with the latest news by following us on X (Twitter)

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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^{Vadym Sukharevsky, Commander of the Forces of Unmanned Systems of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, June 11, 2024}

Ivan Havryliuk, the First Deputy Minister of Defense, added that the new branch will enable further strikes on the enemy at all possible distances, from the front line to the Urals. According to him, Ukraine is the only country in the world that is already completing the establishment of such a branch.

Unmanned Systems Forces and Drones
As of today, the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) are already operating in test mode and will be further improved according to requirements and needs.

Speaking about tasks and functions, Vadym Sukharevsky said that the newly created branch will focus on interaction with existing units of unmanned systems, their support, strengthening and increasing capabilities.

“In no way will we remove units from the brigades that are on the front lines today, it will be destructive. We will take on specific tasks and provide support,” said Sukharevsky.

The branch will be tasked with providing units with drones, their support, recruiting and training specialists, as well as planning military operations involving unmanned systems.

In addition, USF will gather experience and interact with manufacturers of unmanned systems. According to the Commander, the new line of troops will focus on cooperation with manufacturers of domestic drones. The branch already maintains contacts with 90% of Ukrainian manufacturers and actively communicates with them.

^{Strike and reconnaissance drones at the Unmanned Systems Forces presentation, June 11, 2024. Photo credits: Militarnyi/Vadym Kushnikov}

Sukharevsky noted that today the government has currently contracted and is procuring products from over 125 manufacturers.

“The president’s task of producing more than a million FPV drones will be fulfilled and moreover, it will be exceeded. It’s guaranteed.

With regard to the supply and operation of other systems, their provision with all necessary components, there is a certain element here that we have manufacturers who are not ready for large-scale production. The state is working to scale production of the best models. This program, which the state is now launching, will allow for the next year to provide our units with the necessary means,” the Commander added.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 12:22 schreef Gripper het volgende:

[..]
t is echt treurig dat al die Bukhanka's tot hoopjes rokend schroot worden gereduceerd, hier betaal je 30k voor een ge�mporteerde en dan moet je m nog tot camper ombouwen.
Een voordeel: als Rusland straks economisch helemaal op zn gat ligt, kan je ze misschien voor een prikkie importeren.

[ afbeelding ]

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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.

SPOILER

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^{Tom Hughes travelled to Ukraine in March 2022, intending to stay for a fortnight to help refugees fleeing the Russian invasion}

"Most of the places we're working, there's absolutely no hope left," Mr Hughes told BBC Wiltshire.
"People are stuck in the middle of a horrendous war, feeling very forgotten, and there's nothing to smile about.
"The kids, especially, their lives, are ruined.
"We turn up and we put on upbeat music from loudspeakers and interact as much as possible to create a happy day," he added.

A 'luxury' food
The team produce about 3,000 pizzas a day - mainly for women, children and the elderly - as many of the men are involved in defending the country.
The charity describes it as baking pizzas to give people a "slice of hope", when they need it.
"Every day mothers tell me that their child has smiled for the first time since the war began," said Mr Hughes.
"This to me is the biggest part of our work - combatting the deep trauma from the endless explosions and grief caused by the Russian aggression.
"It's a really easy way to get nutrition to places as you can cook a pizza in about a minute.
"It's sort of a luxury food. That sounds crazy, but out here it is an aspirational food product."

^{The charity HopeFull tries to interact with residents as much as possible}

By November 2022 the charity was following the Ukrainian Army as it advanced towards the east of the country.
The team had to beware of anti-personnel mines scattered by the retreating Russian Army.
On one occasion Mr Hughes was working with colleagues in the newly-liberated Kherson, when they came under heavy artillery fire for five days and he said they were "lucky" to survive.
Since then the charity has stayed at least 25 km (16 miles) away from Russian forces to avoid danger.
"Every night we listen to missiles coming into every eastern town and, along with the whole population, pray that it isn't going to be our building that gets hit," said Mr Hughes.
"Every tiny village has a score of fresh graves, and every family is mourning a fallen hero."

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 13:13 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Was al bekend in de Amerikaanse burgeroorlog.

[ afbeelding ]

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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.

SPOILER

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The Russian army has clearly failed to live up to its inflated prewar reputation in Ukraine, but it would nevertheless be reckless to underestimate Moscow’s military potential. Putin’s commanders have learned a series of important lessons since the start of the invasion in February 2022, and have acquired combat experience that no other major power can match. With a battle-hardened and rapidly modernizing army backed by a defense industry operating around the clock, Putin is now arguably in a stronger position relative to his slowly rearming Western adversaries than any Russian ruler since 1945. Victory in Ukraine would further widen this already alarming gap in military capabilities.

The Russian and Ukrainian armies are currently by far the largest and most formidable fighting forces in Europe. If Putin triumphs in Ukraine, he will control them both. While many Ukrainian soldiers would doubtless continue to wage a partisan war or seek to regroup abroad, a victorious Russia would look to rapidly conscript hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians into military service, just as it has already done in areas of Ukraine under Kremlin control. In addition to a massive manpower boost, Russia would also take possession of Ukraine’s extensive military equipment stores, ranging from stockpiles of artillery shells and attack drones to Western-supplied tanks and missile systems.

Control over Ukraine would allow Russia to reintegrate the vast Ukrainian military-industrial complex that played such a central role in arming the Red Army during the Cold War. For much of the Soviet era, Ukraine produced a large proportion of the USSR’s missiles, tanks, aircraft, and warships. This colossal industrial inheritance was neglected during the first three decades of Ukrainian independence and fell into a state of disrepair, but a Russian occupation administration or Kremlin-loyal puppet regime in Kyiv would likely prioritize the revival of military production. This increased output would allow Russia to rapidly recover from the punishing losses of the Ukrainian campaign, while also enabling Moscow to overcome many of the obstacles created by Western sanctions.

Economically, the conquest of Ukraine would significantly improve Russia’s financial position and strengthen Moscow’s ability to shape world affairs. The Kremlin would acquire Ukraine’s sizable untapped energy reserves along with potentially trillions of dollars in mineral assets. Meanwhile, the famed Ukrainian breadbasket would enable Russia to establish itself virtually overnight as the dominant force on international agricultural markets. Putin has already demonstrated his readiness to weaponize global food security by blockading Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. Control over the Ukrainian farming industry would present the Kremlin with powerful new tools to reward allies and punish opponents.

Many in the Global South would not wait to be bribed with grain shipments or coerced by the threat of famine. Instead, they would readily recognize Russian victory in Ukraine as a major geopolitical turning point and would queue up in Moscow to pay their respects. The emphasis on diplomatic neutrality that is currently evident in much of Asia, Africa, and beyond, would be replaced by a scramble to strengthen ties with the Kremlin. Countries throughout the Global South would begin to ship arms and other military supplies to Moscow, while the West’s already limited ability to impose sanctions on Russia would become hopelessly compromised. Commentators everywhere would soon be trumpeting the dawn of a new post-Western era in international affairs.

Where would a strengthened and emboldened Putin be most likely to strike next? The Kremlin dictator has made clear that he sees the current war as an imperial quest to return “historically Russian lands.” Beyond Ukraine, there are more than a dozen other countries including Finland, Poland, the Baltic states, Belarus, and Moldova that were once part of the Russian Empire and therefore meet Putin’s definition of “historically Russian.” All would be potential targets. During the build-up to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late 2021, Putin underlined the scale of his ambition by calling on NATO to retreat to the borders of the former Warsaw Pact. It seems reasonable to assume that success in Ukraine will only make him more ambitious.

There is certainly little to indicate that Putin is in any way intimidated by the West. Quite the opposite, in fact. The Russian ruler has proven so skilled at intimidating his enemies that almost two-and-a-half years into the largest European invasion since World War II, Kyiv’s partners remain preoccupied with avoiding escalation and continue to impose absurd restrictions on Ukraine’s ability to defend itself. This escalation management is the appeasement of the twenty-first century, and risks inviting the same tragic consequences.

If Russia does expand the war further, the one thing Western leaders cannot do is claim they were not warned. Putin has placed the whole of Russian society on a war footing and is openly preparing his entire country for a protracted struggle against the West. The current invasion is an important part of this struggle, but it is only the beginning. Russian victory in Ukraine would set the stage for even bolder acts of international aggression. It would supercharge Putin’s war machine and radically increase the cost of stopping him. The only way to avoid this disastrous outcome is by making sure the Russian invasion of Ukraine ends in defeat.

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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 O�, 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 O� 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 O�'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.

SPOILER

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On 12 June, the Court will hold a major hearing in a case brought by Ukraine and the Netherlands against Russia. It covers hostilities in eastern Ukraine since 2014, including the downing of Flight MH17, as well as Russia’s full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022. There are three more Ukraine v. Russia inter-state applications and about 7,500 individual other applications about Russia’s aggression pending before the court.

While those cases are inevitably limited in time and subject matter, the European Court is currently the only international body on track to rule on Ukraine war damage, and potentially make a substantial award spanning years of armed conflict.

Russia’s current outstanding debt on European Court judgments, including default interest, exceeds �2.9bn ($3.1bn) in almost 1,500 cases. Those include two inter-state cases brought by Georgia, one of them about its 2008 war with Russia, as well as about 2,000 Moldovan applicants harmed by the Russian puppet regime known as the Republic of Transnistria. There is also a long list of awards in favor of Russian victims for extrajudicial killings, torture, religious persecution, crackdowns on peaceful protests, and many other human rights violations.

In March 2022, Russia ceased all communication with the Court and then passed a domestic law that said it would no longer comply with Strasbourg judgments. Yet, the Council of Europe’s response has been mostly limited to stocktaking of Russia’s outstanding obligations.

This is all quite extraordinary. Hundreds of judgments worth billions of euros rendered by the world’s most prominent human rights court have become a dead letter. They will remain so — and the forthcoming Ukrainian judgments will simply add to the pile — unless European countries step in to close this enforcement gap.

Member states of the Council of Europe holding Russian state assets should establish in their domestic laws a dedicated process for the enforcement of European Court judgments against Russia. Such a process would enable successful Strasbourg applicants to claim those funds before national courts or designated executive agencies. The Council of Europe should endorse this proposal and oversee its implementation.

There is a clear legal basis for seizing Russian state assets to collect its European Court debt. Under the European Convention on Human Rights, Russia not only accepted the jurisdiction of the Strasbourg Court but also undertook “to abide by the final judgment of the Court in any case” to which it is a party.

Moreover, as per its preamble, the Convention is premised on the idea of “collective enforcement” of rights. For the first time in its history, the Council of Europe faces an openly defiant expellee state that refuses to comply with any and all outstanding judgments. If other member states could not do anything about it, what would be left of that idea? In addition, other low-performing states would be tempted to defy the court, too

The most likely objection to this proposal is sovereign immunity. However, the rationale of sovereign immunity is to ensure that states do not sit in judgment against each other.

This concept cannot obstruct the enforcement of the binding decision of an international court. Here, domestic authorities would act solely as agents of international justice. Relevant international instruments such as the 2004 UN Convention on Jurisdictional Immunities of States and Their Property only cover the execution of domestic court judgments or arbitral awards.

Their drafters did not contemplate domestic enforcement of international court judgments and therefore this scenario is beyond their scope. There is no applicable rule of customary international law either — for lack of precedent, be it positive or negative. Now is the time to set that precedent.

Moreover, sovereign immunity rests on an assumption that there are alternative means of obtaining redress, either by diplomatic negotiation or through the respondent state’s own courts. That is clearly not the case for Russia. The Council of Europe has no leverage over a non-member. Contempt proceedings before the European Court would also be meaningless for that same reason. And Russian courts, in addition to lacking any independence, are bound by domestic law to deny enforcement.

Seizure of Russian state assets remains the only viable option to secure compliance with Strasbourg judgments.

In their 2023 Reykjavik Declaration, leaders of the Council of Europe’s member states affirmed: “The need to make every effort to ensure the execution of the Court’s judgments by the Russian Federation.”

The proposal outlined above is certainly unorthodox and unprecedented, but so is Russia’s non-compliance. It is time for radical new measures to compensate all victims of the Russian state’s crimes, in Ukraine and beyond.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 15:00 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
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S-300 Launchers and Radars Confirmed by ATACMS Destroyed Near Yevpatoria, Crimea

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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 15:04 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:
Lang artikel over dat Ruzzische vlootje dat op weg is naar Cuba en waar de u wel bekende trollen/propagandapushers op twitter al dagen vol over op het orgel gaan.
Russian Naval Group Shadowed Off Florida By U.S., Allies

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 14:15 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cljj57e2693o
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SPOILER

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

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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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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 15:33 schreef Ulx het volgende:

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Wat denk je? Komen ze Trump redden?

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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.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 15:38 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:

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Het is natuurlijk de schuld van linkse oorlogshitsers die Rusland hebben geprovoceerd!!!

Natuurlijk heeft deze "onafhankelijke" journalist ook een mening:
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