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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 15:41 schreef Ulx het volgende:

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Wat een eikel

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Ex-Commander of Russia's Airborne Troops Slams Putin's Military
A retired Russian general has slammed the country's defense ministry for providing troops participating in the war in Ukraine with poor quality uniforms.

The remarks were made by Russian State Duma Deputy Defense Committee Chairman Vladimir Shamanov, a former commander-in-chief of the Russian Airborne Troops, in an address to the lower house of parliament, local publication RBC reported.

Public criticism of President Vladimir Putin's military is rare, given that Russia's parliament passed legislation in March 2022 imposing jail terms of up to 15 years for intentionally spreading "fake" news about the country's army.

The Kremlin has used the law to crack down on those who veer away from Putin's narrative of the war, and it has even charged and jailed its own servicemen for "discrediting" the country's armed forces.

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^{Dmitry Medvedev (R) and Vladimir Shamanov during a working trip to the Southern Federal District of Russia. Shamanov has slammed Russia’s defense ministry for providing troops with poor quality uniforms.}

Shamanov led the Russian Airborne Troops from May 2009 to October 2016, and became chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee after leaving that position.

Addressing the State Duma, Shamanov compared the Russian military to a "partisan detachment," alleging that Russian soldiers are being forced to dress themselves as the military uniforms provided are of such poor quality.

"The quality of the uniforms that are brought and given out is simply not subject to any assessment," the retired colonel general said.

Reports about a lack of equipment within the Russian military began circulating just weeks into the war, in May 2022.

Several servicemen who spoke to independent online newspaper The Moscow Times' Russian Service on the condition of anonymity said they weren't being given basic items such as footwear, body armor, bandages and tourniquets, and claimed they had to purchase equipment using their own money.

"If they issue you a field uniform, you're in luck — you can save some money. We still have to buy the jacket and pants, at least as a change of clothing... I'll be happy if our outlay on the uniforms pays off and we don't get screwed out of our paycheck," one serviceman said.

"A Level 4 combat vest — which can stop pistol and rifle rounds as well as shrapnel—costs on average 70,000 rubles ($787). A helmet is another 10,000 rubles. Decent boots are about 5,000 rubles, and you really need two pairs. A tactical vest costs from 5,000 to 10,000 rubles. And you also have to buy a jacket, pants, T-shirts and pullovers. That comes out to about 200,000 rubles," he added.

In November 2022, Ukraine's military claimed that Russian conscripts deployed to the front line were being given the uniforms of dead troops. Newsweek couldn't independently verify those claims.

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Every Dollar Counts. To Pay for the War, Ukraine Embraces Privatization
The government hopes to sell off a range of companies to fund the military and stabilize the economy as the grueling conflict with Russia drains its coffers.

^{The Hotel Ukraine, which towers over the center of Kyiv, is up for sale for $25 million as part of a government privatization drive.}

Towering over Kyiv for six decades, Hotel Ukraine has witnessed some pivotal moments in Ukraine’s recent history.

Crowds gathered on the square in front of the 14-story hotel to celebrate the fall of the Soviet Union. Popular uprisings on what was later called Independence Square toppled Ukrainian leaders. Today, blue and yellow flags cover lawns near the hotel, serving as a reminder of the many lives lost in the war between Ukraine and Russia.

Now, Hotel Ukraine is up for auction as part of an effort to sell off some large state assets to help fund the military and bolster an economy battered by a grueling war that has drained the country’s coffers. The starting price for Hotel Ukraine is $25 million.

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Beginning this summer, the government will auction some 20 state-owned companies, including Hotel Ukraine, a vast shopping mall in Kyiv, and several mining and chemical companies.

The privatization push has two main goals: to raise money for a state budget that is short $5 billion this year for military spending, and to strengthen Ukraine’s flagging economy by attracting investment that will, officials hope, make it more self-sufficient over time.

“The budget is in the red,” Oleksiy Sobolev, Ukraine’s deputy economy minister, said in an interview. “We need to find other ways to get money to keep the macroeconomic situation stable, to help the army and to win this war against Russia.”

^{Inside the Irshank titanium mine in Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region on Wednesday. The mine, owned by United Mining and Chemical Company, will be one of the state assets that will be privatized.Credit...}

Still, the privatization will only go so far, and faces considerable challenges for a nation at war, with many citizens worried the sales could be subject to Ukraine’s pervasive corruption.

Ievgen Baranov, the managing director at Dragon Capital, a Kyiv-based investment firm, said that privatization would work only if the government “acts as a responsible seller who’s able to give guarantees and indemnities to prospective buyers.”

Mindful that investors may be put off by the conflict, the government has set itself a modest target of selling a minimum of about $100 million worth of assets this year — a sum that pales in comparison to the multibillion-dollar military aid packages sent by Western allies.

Ukrainian officials and experts acknowledge that given the risks posed by the conflict, assets are likely to be sold at lower prices than they would have been before the war. But they hope the privatizations will help prop up the economy by creating more jobs and tax revenue in addition to bringing in more investment. The situation is urgent, they say.

“The state is in desperate need of money,” said Michael Lukashenko, a partner at Aequo, a law firm that has advised companies on privatization. “If we don’t sell now and raise money, soon there will be nothing to sell because the property will be either destroyed or occupied.”

^{A statue in the window of Ocean Plaza, a shopping mall the government plans to sell as part of the privatization plan.}

After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Ukraine inherited many poorly managed and debt-ridden state enterprises. Today, it owns some 3,100 companies, with less than half actually operating and only 15 percent generating profits, according to official figures.

Last year, the five most unprofitable companies cost the state more than $50 million. “This level of cost is unacceptable, especially during wartime, when every expenditure must be carefully controlled,” Vitaliy Koval, the head of Ukraine’s State Property Fund, which manages state companies, said in a recent interview at the fund’s headquarters in Kyiv.

On the wall of his office hung a map of Ukraine with pins representing some 30 state-owned distilleries. Only four are operating, Mr. Koval said. The goal was to remove all the pins, he said.

Mr. Koval said he and the State Property Fund were advertising the privatizations at a conference in Berlin this week focusing on Ukraine’s recovery.

A former construction and transport entrepreneur, Mr. Koval said he saw state-owned companies as a “breeding ground for corruption and other illegal activities.” His fund was now conducting “triage” to determine which enterprises should be privatized, liquidated or kept under state control. “Privatization is synonymous with cleansing,” he said.

The government’s ultimate goal is to retain control of only 100 companies.

^{Vitaliy Koval, the head of Ukraine’s State Property Fund, which manages state companies.Credit...}

Mr. Koval said Ukraine did not currently have enough weapons to prevent its factories from being destroyed or captured by Russia and needed to quickly sell off assets to “buy more shells and air defenses” to protect them.

“Investing a few thousand dollars into shells today is more prudent than risking assets falling into Russian hands in the future,” he said.

Past privatization efforts have often been ill-conceived, economists say, allowing large assets to fall into the hands of oligarchs on the cheap, or have been delayed for years by unfavorable market conditions and legal disputes over the payment of company debts.

The government says the auction system will make the process more transparent. But it remains to be seen if the debt disputes can be successfully resolved.

One of the biggest assets up for sale is United Mining and Chemical Company, known as U.M.C.C., one of the world’s largest producers of titanium, a metal used in aircraft and medical implants. Three auctions were canceled before the war, though amid the pandemic and the threat of a Russian invasion, because of a lack of bidders.

The Ukrainian government is now hoping that a fourth auction, scheduled for the fall, will actually happen. Vitaliy Strukov, a managing partner at BDO Ukraine, the financial firm advising the government on the sale of U.M.C.C., said seven investors had already expressed interest in the sale, which will start at around $100 million.

^{The privatization push has two main goals: to raise money for a state budget that is short $5 billion this year for military spending, and to strengthen Ukraine’s flagging economy.}

In Kyiv, many people have mixed feelings about the privatization push. Some said that “every hryvnia counts” in supporting the war effort, referring to Ukraine’s currency. But they also expressed fears about potential corruption.

“Where this money goes, nobody knows,” said Olha Kalinichenko, 36, who was having breakfast recently in the restaurant of Hotel Ukraine, enjoying a view of Independence Square with the golden domes of cathedrals rising between Soviet-era buildings on the horizon.

Ms. Kalinichenko said the hotel held a special place in her heart since it was the site of many battles for Ukraine’s sovereignty.

“I myself came here during the Maidan revolution; many volunteers stayed at the Hotel Ukraine,” she said, referring to the popular uprising that ousted Viktor Yanukovych, a pro-Russian president, in February 2014 and foreshadowed the current conflict with Moscow.

^{The lobby of Hotel Ukraine. Many Ukrainians feel the hotel is culturally important since it witnessed so many events in the country’s recent history.Credit...}

Alla Sheverieva, an employee of the hotel for more than 30 years, said she remembered seeing Ukrainian riot police officers violently dispersing crowds that had gathered on the square during the Maidan revolution. Snipers also fired on the crowd from the top of the hotel.

“I heard shooting and there were crazy screams in the hallway as they started bringing in the dead and the wounded,” Ms. Sheverieva said, recalling how the hotel’s lobby was turned into a makeshift hospital, its marble floors smeared with blood.

Mr. Koval, the head of the property fund, said the hotel had accumulated $1 million in debt, and that the government should not hold onto it for its history. Many Soviet-era businesses were now “relics of the past,” he said. “Today we have to break free from this legacy.”

Ukraine is especially eager to attract foreign investors “to show that private investment is possible even during the war,” said Mr. Baranov of Dragon Capital.

But Ukrainian officials and economists admit that wartime conditions will make luring investors a challenge.

In April, Russian missiles destroyed a power plant operated by Centrenergo, one of the companies Ukraine had hoped to privatize. “There isn’t much to sell now,” Mr. Baranov said.

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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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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 15:36 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

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Vast als voorbereiding op de F-16. Maar natuurlijk zijn het sowieso al geweldige doelwitten. Hopelijk zijn er afgelopen nacht weer wat geraakt dus. Al waren er al wel geruchten dat Rusland bezig is om ze terug te trekken.

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Afghan man stabs Ukrainian woman in Frankfurt
A 19-year-old Afghan man attacked a 41-year-old Ukrainian woman with a knife in Frankfurt am Main on June 10, seriously injuring her, the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine reported on June 11.

A woman was sitting on a park bench near the river when the attacker quietly approached her from behind, grabbed her shoulder, and stabbed her several times in the head and neck, according to police.

Although the woman managed to break free and run away, the man chased her and continued to stab her. He only stopped when passersby noticed the attack.

Police quickly apprehended and arrested the attacker near the scene. The Frankfurt District Court issued a warrant for his arrest, charging him with attempted murder and grievous bodily harm.

The victim had no prior relationship with the assailant, and the motives for the attack remain unknown.

This follows an earlier report by German police that two Ukrainian citizens, aged 36 and 23, were killed in Germany on the evening of April 27. A 57-year-old Russian man was arrested on suspicion of murder.

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Murders of Ukrainians in Germany
Ukrainians, including 17-year-old basketball player Volodymyr Yermakov and 18-year-old Artem Kozachenko, were assaulted in Germany on Feb. 12. Yermakov died immediately from stab wounds. Kozachenko also died on Feb. 20.

The Kyiv Basketball Federation reported that the young men were allegedly attacked because they were Ukrainians.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleh Nikolenko later reported that the killer had been detained in Germany. The perpetrator is a 15-year-old schoolboy of German-Turkish descent from Gelsenkirchen. The Ukrainians were attacked after an argument on the bus, according to media reports.

Three more teenagers were arrested in Germany in connection with the murder, DW reported on Feb. 16.

A 27-year-old Ukrainian woman was found dead in Germany on March 14. The refugee and her mother had been previously reported missing, according to police.

Later, police found the child of the 27-year-old Ukrainian woman who was killed in Germany alive. The child was found in the possession of two men, who were later arrested.

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Abducted Ukrainian Kids Found on Russian Adoption Site: Report
Four Ukrainian children who were taken into Russia in the early days of Moscow’s full-scale invasion have been found listed for adoption on a Russian website—with no mention of them being Ukrainian, according to a new report. The Financial Times reports that the children, aged 8 to 15, are all listed in Ukraine’s database of missing kids. But on the Russian adoption site, one of them has been given a new name and a different age, and none of the kids are described as being from Ukraine. While they were apparently taken from state children’s homes in occupied territories of Ukraine, all four of them still have relatives and guardians in the country. Family members reportedly had no idea of their whereabouts and declined to comment to the FT for fear of jeopardizing the children’s return home. Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that 46 kids living in a children’s home in Ukraine’s occupied Kherson region were taken to Russia by Russian officials who then gave the children Russian citizenship. The Financial Times reports that it found 17 of those children on the Russian adoption site.

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Ukrainian children found on Russian adoption sites
FT identified and located four missing Ukrainian children in Russia, including one given false identity

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 16:12 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://english.nv.ua/nat(...)rested-50426408.html
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The Armed Forces destroyed the position with the Pantsir-S1 SAM in the Luhansk region

^{The 72V6 combat vehicle of the 96K6 Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile-gun system was destroyed in the Luhansk region. June 2024. Ukraine. Frame from the video of the Dosye_shpiona Telegram Channel}

In the Luhansk region, the Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed a Russian position where the Pantsir-S1 air defense system was on duty.

A video of the Russian military from the destroyed position was posted on the Dosye_shpiona Telegram Channel.

It is reported that the strike was carried out using American M142 HIMARS missile systems, which hit the position on June 10.

The MRL managed to destroy a 72V6 combat vehicle of the 96K6 Pantsir-S1 system.

The Ukrainian military managed to wound and eliminate part of the air defense system crew.

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На Луганщині ЗСУ знищили позицію з комплексом "Панцирь-С1"

The crew members included:
• Bariev Denis Andreevich, senior lieutenant, commander, wounded;
• Gertius Andrei Anatolyevich, senior sergeant, operator, died;
• Gusarov Igor Valerievich, senior sergeant, driver, died.

“The SAM belonged to a unit of the 1st Special Purpose Air and Missile Defense Army,” the report said.

The Pantsir-S1 was developed in Russia to destroy modern and advanced weapons used in air attacks.

The combat vehicle has been in service since 2008. The system’s main armament is two twin 30-mm 2A38M cannons and 12 57E6-E two-stage solid-fuel anti-aircraft missiles.

The destroyed 72V6 combat vehicle of the 96K6 Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile and gun system was supposed to cover the frontline from Ukrainian drones and HIMARS shells.

^{72V6 combat vehicle on the KAMAZ-6560 chassis of the 96K6 Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile system. 2016, Russia. Photo credits: Vitaly V. Kuzmin}

Since 2022, Ukraine’s defense forces have been actively targeting these systems using various means, including drones.

In January of this year, Ukrainian drones hit two Russian Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile and gun systems in the Belgorod region.

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Ukrainian forces destroy radars of S-400 and S-300 systems in occupied Crimea – General Staff
Defense Forces of Ukraine continue to destroy Russian air defense systems in the temporarily occupied Crimea

Overnight, the Defense Forces attacked Russian S-300 and S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems in the temporarily occupied Crimea. The damage to two has been confirmed, the information about the third is being clarified, reported the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military launched a group missile attack on one enemy S-300 anti-aircraft missile division near Belbek, as well as two S-400 anti-aircraft missile divisions near Belbek and Sevastopol. Hits in target areas have been confirmed.

As a result of the attack, two radars of the S-300 and S-400 complexes were destroyed, the information about the third is being clarified, the General Staff noted.

In addition, the military recorded further detonation of munitions in all three areas of deployment of anti-aircraft missile divisions of Russia.

At night, Russian propaganda channels claimed "repelling a missile attack," noting that "no objects were damaged."

On Monday, the Defense Forces hit Russian S-400 and S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

On May 23, the General Staff reported the destruction of the Russian S-400 and Su-25 attack aircraft.

On the night of May 30, the SBU drones "shut. down" the Nebo SVU radar system in Crimea, the cost of which is about $100 million.

Defense Forces successfully hit a Russian ferry crossing in Crimea with ATACMS missiles.

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Russians report on "nationalising" property of Ukrainians in occupied Crimea
The Russians have reported new "seizures" of Ukrainian properties in Crimea, including assets belonging to Arsenii Yatseniuk, former Prime Minister of Ukraine; Susana Dzhamaladinova, better known as Jamala, the winner of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest; and Kyivmiskbud, a Kyiv-based large construction company.

Source: Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency RIA Novosti, citing Russian occupying authorities in Crimea

Details: The Russians reported that Yatseniuk’s assets nationalised in Crimea include an educational building, a garage, and a large plot of land in the city of Yalta, Vladimir Konstantinov, Russian-installed "head" of the Crimean parliament, told RIA Novosti.

The "nationalisation" also targeted Jamala's property. The Russians said movable and immovable property, as well as two land plots in the settlement of Alushta, had been seized.

In addition, a flat belonging to the family of politician Vitalii Khomutynnik, a former member of the pro-Russian Party of Regions and co-chairman of the Renaissance group in the Ukrainian parliament, has been "nationalised" in the village of Livadiia on the southern coast of Crimea.

Property belonging to the family of former Ukrainian MP Lidiia Koteliak (the Fatherland party), the Dolphin Therapy Centre in Alushta (its beneficiary is a member of the Brovary District Council of Kyiv Oblast), assets belonging to the Kyivmiskbud company, and the Porto Mare Park Hotel (founded by Ukrainian citizen Vadym Vaispapir) have also been seized.

Property belonging to the private company Yalta Film Studio, the Bristol Hotel in Yalta, and Platinum Bank have also been "nationalised" by the Russian occupying authorities.

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They recruited me for money, a South American accused of terrorism told police

^{The twenty-six-year-old South American was only in the Czech Republic for a few days and set out to set fire to a large Prague bus depot.}

According to information from Seznam Zpr�v, the man arrested for the arson attack in Prague said that he did it for money. The security forces are working with the fact that the source of the funds is Russia. However, after being charged with terrorism, the suspect stopped talking.

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At the beginning, it seemed that the perpetrators of the attempt to set fire to the Prague depot, where hundreds of buses are parked, would be charged with arson by detectives. However, police are so confident of the evidence that the 26-year-old was working at the instigation of Russia that they are prosecuting him for terrorism. He faces tens of years in prison, and in extreme cases up to life imprisonment.

The suspect himself also gave the police a clue just after the arrest on Saturday. According to two Seznam Zpr�v sources familiar with the investigation, he told the detectives that he was hired for the event for money.

"Yes, he actually testified that he was recruited," one of the sources said. A Spanish-speaking man arrived in the Czech Republic just a few days before the failed act in the Prague garages on Kl�čov, where city transport buses are parked and there are also halls for around 180 cars.

Security forces are working with the information that the originator of the money was Vladimir Putin's regime, which, according to foreign security services, has initiated a number of arson attacks across Europe in recent months with the help of similarly hired and paid actors.

It won't stand up as a confession in court
However, according to Seznam Zpr�v sources, the police must deal with the fact that the suspect's original statement will not stand up as a confession in court.

As soon as the detectives accused the detainee, he refused to testify, so he did not repeat his motive in the police report, which has the weight of evidence.

But the information that the detectives found in his mobile phone, which they managed to access, also testifies against him.

How exactly and at whose instigation the young man from South America traveled to the Czech Republic and chose the bus depot to attack remains unclear.

It is being investigated by the police and the secret services, which refuse to publish any other specific information beyond Monday's announcements by the Prime Minister and the Minister of the Interior. The investigation is still ongoing and there is a risk that it would hinder the tracing of those who, according to the police's construction, were behind the hired assassin.

However, Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) indirectly confirmed the Russian origin of the money after Monday's meeting of the State Security Council. "Everything points to organization and financing from abroad. According to the information given to us by the Security Council, Russia is most likely involved," Fiala said of the detained man from South America.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 17:06 schreef Ulx het volgende:
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Interessant. Een tijdje terug was het verhaal dat Denemarken de eerste toestellen zou leveren en Nederland pas tegen het einde van het jaar. Nu is het weer andersom. Je zou kunnen denken dat ze Poetin aan het mindfucken zijn. Belgi� roept ook ineens dat hun toestellen eerder komen. Hopelijk gooit Noorwegen ook een duit in het zakje door weer wat anders te roepen en gaan de slowwalk-gillers helemaal uit hun dak omdat die een vaste leverdatum moeten hebben anders kickt de OCD hard in.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 15:44 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:

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Niemoller zouden we het land raam moeten uitjagen inderdaad.

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At least 7 dead, 20 injured in Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih

At least seven people have been killed and 20 others injured after a Russian missile strike on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the regional prosecutor's office said on June 12.

An explosion was initially reported in the city by Kryvyi Rih mayor Oleksandr Vilkul at 3:51 p.m.

Soon after, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast governor Serhii Lysak reported that a missile had struck a residential area in the city.

No further details on the missile used or the victims have been disclosed so far.

"My condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on Telegram.

"Every day and every hour, Russian terror proves that Ukraine, together with its partners, must strengthen air defense. "

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 13:11 schreef Ulx het volgende:

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Dan staan we op 7-8 stuks.

Duitsland: 2 (+ 1 onderweg, onderzoek naar levering vierde batterij)
USA: 1 (+ 1)
Italie/Frankrijk 1 SAMP/T (+1 onderweg uit Itali�)
Nederland: Een paar launchers, en ik meen dat we proberen met andere landen er een complete batterij van te maken.

Daarnaast zijn en worden er ook NASAMS, IRIS-T en Hawk systemen geleverd. En misschien nog wat S300's en zo of zijn die al op in het westen?

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What about Kharkiv?

Things aren't going very smoothly for the Russians.
The offensive, which has been going on for just over a month, has stalled.
For the past two weeks, our forces have been conducting counterattacks in general.

We have received permission to use Western weapons on the territory of the Russian Federation.
As for me, it is still very strange that we are defending ourselves, and still have to ask someone for permission to beat the enemy on the approaches to the borders.
It reminds me of the days of the anti-terrorist operation in 2016.
But not about that.

Haimars destroyed 4 S300 installations that launched missile strikes on Kharkiv, so now they do not risk driving up and shortening the distance to work around the city.
Air defense forces are hunting for planes that bomb Kharkiv with Kabami, and we can see last week that bombs only reach the ring road, but there are still victims, so it would be good to shoot down one or two planes.

We can also see a shortage of heavy equipment in the Kharkiv direction.
When they advanced on Liptsy, the assault and anchoring took place completely without equipment. Pure meat.
At Volchansky, they used equipment, but the Armed Forces successfully disposed of it.

I don't want to say "victory in 2-3 weeks".
And about tangible progress on our part.
And this also affects Kharkiv, which has become more protected.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 17:30 schreef skysherrif het volgende:
Staromayorske is heringenomen door de Russen, Urozhaine zal spoedig wel volgen en Robotyne ook bijna.

Toch een beetje pijnlijk.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 17:42 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

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Staromayorske ingenomen volgens de Russische ministerie van defensie is wat ik zo snel kan vinden. Dus daar hecht ik geen enkele waarde aan. Dit is ontkent door Oekra�ne.

Maar dat was een bericht van eergisteren. Dus als ik iets gemist heb hoor ik het graag. Volgens LiveUA map is het nog steeds van Oekra�ne.

En Robotyne proberen ze nu al bijna een jaar terug te veroveren. En de verliezen daarbij zijn zo verschrikkelijk groot dat zelfs als het hun lukt je niet van een success kan spreken.

Maar sowieso zijn er wel meer plekken die in gevaar zijn natuurlijk. En er zullen successen zijn dat is onvermijdelijk. Maar Oekra�ne vecht ook niet tot de laatste man voor deze plaatsen. Hun doel is om zo veel mogelijk schade te doen, en terreinwinst zo kostbaar mogelijk te maken.

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[UA]:”⚔️ Fighting continues on the northern outskirts of Staromayorskyi

🇷🇺 The other day, pods from a drone dropped flags on the house, presenting it as the capture of the entire village.

📋 Unfortunately, the Defense Forces have to prepare for the fact that sooner or later the enemy will enter the northern outskirts as well. The loss of a village with farms in the north will significantly worsen the tactical situation of the defenders of Urozhany. The latter is periodically stormed by the enemy, there were even breakthroughs into the center of the village, but they managed to be eliminated.

😎 For public attention, we want to share the publication of one of the fighters in that area. Due to the strange and quite probably unprofessional actions of the command of the 1st OTBr of the Defense Forces, they lost more than 15 square kilometers of territories that were so hard to gnaw away a year ago by the marines with the Teroboronov.

👤 From the words of the fighter:
As a result we have the following:
The defense of the legal flank has failed. The person in charge of defense was promoted;
The defense of Staromayorsky failed. The village is under the control of the enemy [ed. - actually everything]. Fighters who were surrounded in the village. They are not taken out, but they report to Kyiv that everything is under control;
The commander of the 1st tank brigade, who was responsible for the defense sector in general, Khoda L.O., is being promoted to OK "Zahid", to the position of general;
Most of the soldiers who could share experience, transfer knowledge in tactical medicine, tactics, knowledge of weaponry, equipment, weapons, or 200 or 300, and will not return to their duties”

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 17:45 schreef skysherrif het volgende:

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Van DeepstateUA (betrouwbaarder dan oekraiense MOD)

Dus nog niet helemaal, maar het is een kwestie van tijd en alleen het noorden is onder enige controle van Oekraine.

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The ratio of volunteers to those mobilized in the army is currently 1:3, - Ministry of Defense

Deputy Minister of Defense Natalia Kalmykova said that 22 recruiting centers have already been opened in Ukraine and three more are planned to be opened this week. "The results are impressive. As of May, the ratio of volunteers and mobilized people who joined the army is 1 to 3. This indicates that we still have the potential to defend Ukraine," the Deputy Minister of Defense emphasized . Kalmykova emphasized the importance of the personnel policy, which provides for the appointment of servicemen to positions in accordance with their expertise and competence. According to her, system changes are currently being implemented in the Defense Forces, a new personnel policy system is being created and a network of recruiting centers is developing.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 15:44 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:

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Niemoller zouden we het land moeten uitjagen inderdaad.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 18:57 schreef spicymchaggis het volgende:

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Of kapot HIMARSen.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 18:59 schreef skysherrif het volgende:

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Gewoon naar Rusland sturen.

Gebonden aan een aim-120 onder een F16

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Duitsland vraagt alle 18-jarigen voor het leger vanwege oorlog in Oekra�ne: '
Rusland kan een NAVO-land aanvallen'
author avatarROB SAVELBERG

Aangepast: 3 min geleden4 min geledenin BUITENLAND

BERLIJN - Duitsland vraagt alle 18-jarigen voor de Bundeswehr.
Zowel mannen als vrouwen krijgen post van het Duitse leger, maakte Defensieminister Boris Pistorius woensdag bekend.

Vanwege de Russische oorlog in Oost-Europa wil Berlijn de tekorten bij het eigen leger aanvullen.
,,De bedreiging is volledig anders dan nog een paar jaar geleden.,,

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LIVE | NAVO neemt inzamelen wapens voor Oekra�ne van lidstaten over: '
Een sleutelelement'
Aangepast: 1 min geleden3 min geledenin BUITENLAND

Na de Russische opmars van de afgelopen maanden lijkt Oekra�ne met hulp van nieuw aangeleverde westerse wapens een krachtig tegenoffensief te zijn begonnen.

Volg hier de laatste ontwikkelingen in de Oekra�ne-oorlog.

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NAVO neemt inzamelen wapens voor Oekra�ne van lidstaten over: 'Een sleutelelement'

De NAVO neemt de leiding over het inzamelen van wapens en het trainen van Oekra�ense militairen, verwacht NAVO-chef Jens Stoltenberg.
Dat vergemakkelijkt die assistentie en verzekert Oekra�ne dat het ook op de lange duur op de NAVO kan blijven rekenen.

De westerse militaire alliantie was aanvankelijk huiverig om de co�rdinatie en planning van de hulp aan Oekra�ne naar zich toe te trekken.

De NAVO liet dat liever aan de lidstaten over, om te voorkomen dat het bondgenootschap zelf in de oorlog zou worden meegetrokken. Maar dat is veranderd nu de nood van Oekra�ne zo mogelijk nog hoger is geworden en de angst voor escalatie is afgenomen.

De defensieministers van de NAVO-landen zullen de plannen volgens Stoltenberg donderdag goedkeuren als ze bijeen zijn op het hoofdkwartier in Brussel.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 19:32 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:

[..]
Nou en.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 19:32 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:

[..]
Nou en.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 19:33 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Is toch ook geen waardeoordeel?

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 19:37 schreef QAnonn het volgende:

[..]
We hebben genoeg geld dus we kunnen makkelijk uitdelen.

SPOILER

SPOILER

SPOILER

SPOILER

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 18:59 schreef skysherrif het volgende:

[..]
Gewoon naar Rusland sturen.

Gebonden aan een aim-120 onder een F16

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 19:29 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Oekra�ne leeft echt wel aan een infuus zeg.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 19:37 schreef QAnonn het volgende:

[..]
We hebben genoeg geld dus we kunnen makkelijk uitdelen.

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Russia Has Used Cluster Warhead Missiles in Tonight’s Massive Night Assault on Ukraine
During the massive shelling of Ukraine on the night of June 12, the Russian army used Kh-101 missiles with a cluster muniotion warhead for the first time since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

On the night of June 12, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation attacked several Ukrainian cities with missiles and Shahed-type drones. Ukrainian Air Force Commander, Mykola Oleshchuk, reported the mobilization of anti-aircraft missile units, mobile fire groups, and electronic warfare assets from the Ukrainian Defense Forces to counter the aerial assault.

Russia’s arsenal for the attack comprised four Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles launched from Tu-95MS strategic bombers in Saratov Region, an Iskander-M ballistic missile fired from Crimea, a Kh-47M2 “Kinzhal” aeroballistic missile from Tambov Region airspace, and 24 Shahed-131/136 combat UAVs launched from Yeysk and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia.

On 12 June, falling debris caused damage to civilian properties in the capital, and an industrial site in Kyiv Region caught fire. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised collaborative defense efforts, stressing the importance of resilience in saving lives. In Dnipropetrovsk Region, a drone strike resulted in injuries and damage, highlighting the ongoing threat.

Concerns mount over potential electricity outages for Ukrainian residents in the coming winter months due to attacks on energy facilities.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 19:37 schreef QAnonn het volgende:

[..]
We hebben genoeg geld dus we kunnen makkelijk uitdelen.

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US Unveils Sweeping Sanctions Targeting Russia Over Ukraine War
The United States announced a raft of new sanctions Wednesday aimed at constraining Moscow's war in Ukraine while raising the stakes for foreign banks that still deal with Russia, ahead of G7 talks.

The Treasury Department and State Department's sanctions hit more than 300 targets, including entities in Russia and in countries like China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

Those designated include the Moscow Exchange and several subsidiaries, a move set to complicate billions of dollars in transactions, as well as entities involved in liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects.

"Today's actions strike at their remaining avenues for international materials and equipment, including their reliance on critical supplies from third countries," said Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

"We are increasing the risk for financial institutions dealing with Russia's war economy and eliminating paths for evasion, and diminishing Russia's ability to benefit from access to foreign technology, equipment, software, and IT services," she added.

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken said separately that the United States "remains concerned by the scale and breadth of exports" from China supplying Moscow's military industry.

Russia vowed to respond to the "aggressive" the latest sanctions, according to the state-run TASS news agency, while Moscow Exchange said it would halt foreign exchange trading in dollars and euros.

Besides fresh sanctions, the Treasury is broadening its definition of Russia's "military-industrial base."

Until now, foreign banks could be sanctioned for supporting Russia's defense industry. The latest step expands the reach of so-called secondary sanctions to all Russian individuals and entities that have already been impacted by US sanctions.

This means foreign financial institutions could be hit for conducting transactions involving any blocked person or designated Russian banks like VTB or Sberbank -- with the list of exposed targets growing from over 1,000 to about 4,500.

Washington is also restricting the supply of IT services and software support to people in Russia.

The latest sanctions impact transnational networks, hitting more than 90 people and entities in China, South Africa, Turkey and the UAE.

The United States charges that goods and services from these foreign networks helped Russia to sustain its war and avoid sanctions.

A senior US official told reporters Wednesday that efforts to restrict Russia's ability to sustain the war in Ukraine have had a "significant impact."

"Global exports to Russia have fallen by almost $90 billion, and US exports to Russia have essentially halted for everything but certain medical items like vaccines," the official added on condition of anonymity.

The Treasury also expanded its list of information for five sanctioned Russian financial institutions to include addresses and aliases of their foreign locations.

In a separate statement, the Commerce Department said it was adding eight Hong Kong addresses to a blacklist, in a move targeting shell companies.

The addresses listed will impact almost $100 million in high-priority items including semiconductors, the US official said, adding that much of the circumvention appears to be going through entities in China.

Washington's actions come ahead of this week's G7 summit in Italy.

The White House earlier said that steps to aid Ukraine using frozen Russian assets would be announced during the gathering.

G7 leaders hope to reach a deal on using the profits from the interest on 300 billion euros ($325 billion) of immobilized Russian central bank assets to help Kyiv. The idea is to use the profits as collateral for a loan of up to $50 billion.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 17:28 schreef skysherrif het volgende:

[..]


Oekraine heeft vgm wel wat s300 systemen verloren vandaag.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 19:40 schreef zuchtje het volgende:

[..]
wat is het wel?

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 20:18 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Gewoon een constatering.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 20:18 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Gewoon een constatering.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 22:09 schreef oheng het volgende:
Nice! 50 miljard van de bevroren tegoeden gaan naar Oekraine!

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 22:30 schreef ExTec het volgende:
Rubles, get em while they're hot.

[ x ]

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 22:15 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Ze krijgen een lening van 50 miljard, en die wordt terugbetaald met de opbrengst van die bevroren tegoeden.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 22:36 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

Denken jullie dat deze beter tegen de inslag van een ATACMS bestand is dan de S400?

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 22:36 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

Denken jullie dat deze beter tegen de inslag van een ATACMS bestand is dan de S400?

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 22:52 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:

[..]
Die tier 1 wapens stonden van de Russen ook nog niet klaar?

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 23:03 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
Ik denk dat de S-500 een gehypte versie is van de S-400. Net als de rest van het russische leger.

Als Oekraine er 1 te pakken weet te krijgen, dan is dat de laatste nagel in de doodskist van de russische wapen industrie export.

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Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 23:25 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Precies. Net als die 1000 T-14s. Die komen nu ook zeer rap! Echt! En die 100en Su-57s! Niet die 2 die oekraine van de week opblies, dat waren decoys, de echte!

"Tier 1" komt er nu echt aan!

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Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 00:19 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:

[..]
Zullen ze daar ook een wunderwaffe verhaal afsteken?

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Russians transfer anti-aircraft systems from Sevastopol to western Crimea

The Russians are transferring anti-aircraft missile systems from the outskirts of Sevastopol, probably to the western or northwestern part of Crimea.

The Crimean Wind Telegram channel published the pictures of the equipment.

The photos show four launchers, most likely 5P85SE2, a 96L6E all-altitude radar station, and a 92N2E multifunctional control radar.

The 12th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment’s positions are on the outskirts of temporarily occupied Sevastopol, near Cape Fiolent, and the recorded equipment was relocated from there.

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Most likely, in this way, the Russians are seeking to compensate for the gap in air defense after the successful missile strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on June 10.

It should be noted that the missiles struck elements of the S-300 and S-400 air defense systems in the Dzhankoy and Saky districts of Crimea.

Recently, Militarnyi discussed the published satellite images of the damaged anti-aircraft missile systems.

They capture damaged equipment from the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system, which the Russians deployed near the village of Velyke, Yevpatoria district.

First of all, the 5N63S self-propelled command post, which controls the operation of the 30N6 anti-aircraft missile target acquisition radar station, was hit.

In addition, a satellite image of the position of the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system near the village of Rubinovka, Dzhankoy district, was published.

They show the moment when the equipment was deployed, and the positions of the Russian S-400 crew were changed, where the attack damaged the 48Y6-K1 Podlet universal search radar station.

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Flooding paralyzes Kyiv: Streets submerged, traffic halted; Residents share videos

Kyiv was hit by a powerful downpour on June 12, turning many streets into rivers, forming traffic jams, and disrupting above-ground public transport.

The most challenging flooding situation occurred in the Darnytskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, and Obolonskyi districts, the Kyiv City State Administration said on Facebook.

"To eliminate the flooding, water utility services are using motor pumps and pumping stations," the statement said.

"168 employees and 63 units of specialized equipment and tools for cleaning drainage systems are involved."

Residents already share the storm's aftermath on social media, showing "dancing" manhole covers and flooded bomb shelters.

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Putin retires top ‘hawk’ over unrealistic strategies

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin realized the war strategy against Ukraine proposed by the “Russian hawks” is unrealistic, according to Russian political scientist Abbas Gallamov in an interview with Radio NV on June 10.

Even Putin realized that the hawks are offering him a completely unrealistic strategy," Gallamov said.

"That's why the main hawk of Russian politics, Nikolai Patrushev, Former Security Council chief, was actually retired by Putin a month ago. He was offered position of presidential aide in charge of shipbuilding. This is actually a pension."

According to the political scientist, Russian establishment is now strengthening positions of “technocrats” who would like to end the war by agreeing to “get something so that it does not turn out that we fought in vain” and gradually minimize sanctions.

SPOILER

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Putin's puppets reshuffle
Vladimir Putin decided on May 12 not to reappoint Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who had led the ministry for almost 12 years. Instead, Andrei Belousov, the first deputy prime minister and former aide to Putin, will become the new defense minister. Belousov has no military experience.

Putin appointed Nikolai Patrushev, who had been dismissed from the post of Secretary of Russian Security Council, as one of his nine assistants on May 14.

On the same day, Patrushev's son, Dmitry Patrushev, who had previously been holding a Minister of Agriculture chair, was appointed Russian Deputy Prime Minister.

Patrushev had been head of Russian Security Council since May 2008, and Shoigu had been head of Russian Defense Ministry since Nov. 6, 2012.

Back in September 2022, Foreign Affairs named Nikolai Patrushev one of Putin's possible successors, noting that he was an unlikely candidate because he was even older than Putin. They also suggested that Dmitry Patrushev could become Putin's formal successor instead.

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At G7, Biden and Zelenskyy will sign a U.S.-Ukraine security agreement
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — President Joe Biden and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will sign a bilateral security agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine on Thursday when they meet on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Italy, aiming to send a signal to Russia of American resolve in supporting Kyiv, the White House said as Biden was headed to Europe.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the agreement would not commit U.S. troops directly to Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion — a red line drawn by Biden, who’s fearful of being pulled into direct conflict between the nuclear-armed powers. Announcement of the agreement comes as Biden heads to the summit of the world’s leading democracies with an urgency to get big things done, including turning frozen Russian assets into billions of dollars to help Ukraine fight Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war machine.

“We want to demonstrate that the U.S. supports the people of Ukraine, that we stand with them and that we’ll continue to help address their security needs,” Sullivan said, adding “this agreement will show our resolve.”

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This year’s meeting comes three years after Biden declared at his first such gathering that America was back as a global leader following the disruptions to Western alliances that occurred when Donald Trump was president. Now, there’s a chance this gathering could be the final G7 for Biden and other G7 leaders, depending on the results of elections this year.

Biden and his counterparts from Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan will use the summit to discuss challenges related artificial intelligence, migration, the Russian military’s resurgence and China’s economic might, among other topics. Pope Francis, Zelenskyy and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are joining the gathering at the Borgo Egnazia resort in the Puglia region of southern Italy.

The summit, opening Thursday, will play out after far-right parties across the continent racked up gains of surprising scale in just-concluded European Union elections. Those victories, coupled with upcoming elections in the United Kingdom, France and the United States, have rattled the global political establishment and added weightiness to this year’s summit.

“You hear this a lot when you talk to U.S. and European officials: If we can’t get this done now, whether it’s on China, whether it’s on the assets, we may not have another chance,” said Josh Lipsky, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center, an international affairs think tank. “We don’t know what the world will look like three months, six months, nine months from now.”

The G7 is an informal bloc of industrialized democracies that meets annually to discuss shared issues and concerns. Biden will arrive in Italy on Wednesday night, his second trip outside the U.S. in as many weeks. The Democratic president was in France last week for a state visit in Paris and ceremonies in Normandy marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in World War II.

While last week’s visit had a celebratory feel, this one will be dominated by pressing global issues, including how to keep financial support flowing to Ukraine as it fights Russia’s invasion. Biden’s trip comes a day after his son Hunter was convicted on federal gun charges, a blow sure to weigh heavily on the president’s mind.

Despite pressing global challenges, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said there’s still a sense of relief among world leaders in 2024 that “America was back,” referencing Biden’s 2021 speech at the G7 in England.

“Biden’s message then was that democracies need to step up and show they can deliver for their people,” Kirby said. “That’s true now more than ever.”

Kirby said the U.S. was prepared to work with democratically elected officials in the EU no matter who they are, though some of those being elevated have expressed far less support for Ukraine than current leaders.

“We have every confidence that regardless of who fills the seats in the European Parliament, we’re going to continue to work closely with our EU partners on all the issues relative to our shared interests across the European continent,” Kirby said. “That includes supporting Ukraine.”

Biden and Zelenskyy, who met last week in Paris, will meet again discuss continued support for the Eastern European nation, which is trying to fend off an intense Russian offensive in eastern areas of the country. They’re expected to hold a joint news conference. Biden is also expected to meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the pope and other leaders.

Biden, who’s been adamant “we will not walk away” from Ukraine, last week publicly apologized to Zelenskyy for a monthslong delay by Congress in authorizing additional American military assistance. The delay allowed Russia to make gains on the battlefield.

Sullivan called the security agreement a “bridge” to when Ukraine is invited to join the NATO alliance — a long-term priority of Zelenskyy’s that the allies have said will first require an end to the Russia-Ukraine war and that Putin has steadfastly opposed.

Biden’s back-to-back trips to France and Italy amount to a rare doubleheader of diplomacy in the midst of the presidential election. The president will skip a Ukraine peace conference in Switzerland this weekend to jet to Los Angeles for a campaign fundraiser with big names from Hollywood. Vice President Kamala Harris will represent the U.S. at the conference.

Despite the delays in military aid, the Biden administration on Tuesday announced it would send Ukraine another Patriot missile system to help fend off Russian strikes, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press. Biden approved the move, the officials told the AP, as Kyiv has desperately called for more air defenses in its battle against an intense Russian assault on the northeastern Kharkiv region.

Kirby said the U.S. would use the G7 summit to announce fresh sanctions and export control actions targeting those who have helped Russia procure what it needs for the war. He said the new measures would make it harder for financiers to support Russia’s defense mechanism.

Ukraine and many of its supporters have called for the confiscation of $260 billion in Russian assets frozen outside the country after the Feb. 24, 2022, invasion. But European officials have resisted, citing legal and financial stability concerns. Most of the frozen assets are located in Europe.

A European plan to just use the interest on the Russian funds would provide only a trickle of money every year — about $2.5 billion to $3 billion at current interest rates, which would barely meet a month’s financing needs for the Ukrainian government.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said recently that G7 finance ministers have been discussing the possibility of extending a loan to Ukraine and using the windfall profits of assets seized in Europe to pay it off.

Kirby said the U.S. was optimistic the group could agree on the matter.

Biden is also expected to discuss economic concerns brought on by Chinese manufacturing overcapacity, how to use artificial intelligence in a way that maximizes benefits but still manages national security risks, and global migration.

The U.S. and other G7 nations are struggling to manage large influxes of migrants arriving for complicated reasons that include war, climate change and drought. Migration, and how nations cope with the growing numbers at their borders, has been a factor driving the far-right rise in some of Europe.

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Russia Introduces “Pigeon” Drone Bomber

The Russian defense complex developed the Golub (Pigeon – ed.) quadcopter bomber, which is capable of carrying a large number of grenades.

The new strike drone was presented at the HeliRussia-2024 exhibition in Moscow. It’s claimed that the drone has already been tested in the war against Ukraine.

The Stratim company stated that the drone bomber is capable of carrying revolver-type systems that are capable of dropping 12 VOG-17 grenades or one 82mm mortar rounds.

According to the developers, the Golub drone is capable of delivering cargo weighing up to 10 kilograms.

“Over short distances [it] can carry up to 7-10 kg. Cruising speed – 40 km/h,” the developers said.

SPOILER

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The range is up to 10 km. The weight of the drone is about 7 kg. A special handle is provided for transferring the quadcopter.

The drone power frame is printed on the 3D-printer. The developers say that the drone is in pre-production form and on their site they can produce dozens of such products.

They also add that their drone is capable of auto targeting due to a “machine vision”.

“The drone can use “machine vision” technology to focus the camera in order to carry out bombing. Without the participation of the operator, it hangs above a specific square on the camera,” the developers assert.

The Russian company Stratim was created only in 2022 and has little experience in the production of drones. The claimed characteristics from the developers may not correspond to reality.

The Golub quadcopter bomber is in pre-production condition and has not been adopted by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Recall that in Ukraine, “machine vision” technologies are used for the Liutyi strike drone, which has already proven itself with precise strikes on targets in Russia.

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Netherlands to supply first Dutch-built CV90 IFVs to Ukraine in 2026
PARIS — The Netherlands will deliver the first Dutch-built and financed BAE Systems CV90 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine in 2026, the Dutch Ministry of Defence said.

The Dutch are investing �400 million (U.S. $430 million) in a Swedish fund to build the CV90s for Ukraine, the government said June 7. That amount is the Dutch share and will pay for “several tens” of vehicles, Netherlands Ministry of Defence spokesman Kaj Leers told Defense News in an emailed reply to questions.

The Dutch government also agreed with Sweden to set up CV90 production in the Netherlands, and expects to partly produce at least 180 of the vehicles, according to Leers. Negotiations are ongoing for local firm Van Halteren Technologies and a “whole chain” of Dutch suppliers to handle “an important part” of production, he said.

The Netherlands is joining an initiative by Denmark and Sweden to provide Ukraine’s armed forces with modern armor to fight off Russia’s invasion. The CV90 is “just what is needed at the front,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement in August on the occasion of a visit to Stockholm, and Ukrainian soldiers have reportedly praised the Swedish IFV for its armor, heat-signature reducing camouflage and firepower.

Sweden and Denmark signed a joint declaration in December to send additional CV90s to Ukraine, after an initial Swedish donation of 50 vehicles last year. Ukraine and Sweden in February discussed terms and conditions for purchasing more of the vehicles.

SPOILER

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Van Halteren will play “an important role” in supplying dozens of new CV90s to Ukraine, Sweden and possibly Denmark, which are buying vehicles to the same modernized standard as the Netherlands, Dutch State Secretary for Defence Christophe van der Maat said in a video posted on X on Friday. The Defence Ministry together with the Economic Affairs Ministry and Van Halteren is looking how the Dutch CV90 production line can be scaled up further, according to Van der Maat.

“We want to really help the Dutch know-how contribute to the growing requirement for CV90 fighting vehicles in Europe,” Van der Maat said.

The Netherlands last week took delivery of the first of its CV90s that are part of a more than �660-million mid-life upgrade aimed at keeping the IFV operational through to 2039. The Dutch are upgrading 122 vehicles, with final delivery scheduled for 2027.

The midlife upgraded for the Royal Netherlands Army is being done by BAE Systems H�gglunds in cooperation with Van Halteren, and includes a new turret with improved networking and observational capabilities, such as an electronic-optical panoramic sight. The upgrade also adds the Spike anti-tank missile by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, and 90 vehicles will get the Iron Fist active protection system from Elbit Systems.

BAE Systems signed a contract with Sweden in May for new CV90s built to the Dutch upgrade standard to replace the vehicles donated to Ukraine. Slovakia and Czechia last year agreed to buy CV90s in deals totaling more than �3.5 billion. Leers declined to say whether the Netherlands expects to order additional new CV90s once local production has started.

The Dutch Ministry of Defence also declined to say whether the CV90s for Ukraine will be delivered with a cannon. The CV90s operated by the Dutch Army are equipped with a 35mm Bushmaster III auto-cannon, while Sweden operates a version of the CV90 equipped with a 40mm Bofors auto-cannon in a stabilized turret, which is the version first delivered to Ukraine.

Separately, the Netherlands said Tuesday it’s buying 120mm mortar systems from BAE Systems H�gglunds to mount on its CV90s, replacing the unmounted 81mm mortars currently in use with the Dutch army. The mortar systems will be installed on the vehicles after their mid-life upgrade, which should be completed in 2028. Sweden also uses the 120mm mortar on its CV90s, according to the Ministry of Defence.

The new mortars will have a range of 7 to 12 kilometers, compared with 6 kilometers for the current system, as well as a higher rate of fire, and can be operated from inside the vehicle, the ministry said. The goal is to increase accuracy by adding GPS-guided munition.

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Slovak defense minister says sending fighter jets to Ukraine was 'treason,' files criminal complaint

Slovakia's defense minister has accused his predecessor of "treason" for sending fighter jets to Ukraine, and announced on June 12 he had filed a criminal complaint regarding the matter.

"Weakening the armed forces in this way, contrary to the constitution, cannot be described in our political dictionary as anything other than treason," Robert Kalinak said in comments reported by the Czech news outlet iROZHLAS.

"I don't know if it legally constitutes a crime, but he is a person who betrayed national values."

Kalinak was taking aim at his predecessor, Jaroslav Nagy, who while serving as defense minister from March 2020 and May 2023, sent Ukraine several MiG-29 fighter jets to help the country fend off Russia's full-scale invasion.

At the time, Nagy said the Soviet-era fighter jets were "unusable" for his country and therefore it was "the right thing" to provide them to Ukraine.

SPOILER

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When Kalinak took office in October 2023 as part of Prime Minister Robert Fico's new government, Slovakia said it would no longer send arms to Ukraine from its own military stocks, though it does still allow commercial arms sales.

Nagy responded to Kalinak's accusation on June 12, saying that all legal considerations had been taken into account before the signing of the deal to hand over the fighter jets.

"Based on that, the government made a decision as a collective body and approved the signing of an international agreement, which it had the right to do," he said.

He added that another similar criminal report regarding the MiG-29 transfer had been "swept off the table."

While the Slovak government has made its disdain for support for Ukraine clear, some of the country's people took matters into their own hands and launched a fundraising drive to purchase artillery shells for Kyiv.

Slovak citizens started their campaign "Ammunition for Ukraine" on April 16 to raise additional funds for the Czech-led initiative to procure shells around the world after the Slovak government refused to participate.

Within less than a month, over 65,000 people donated 4 million euros ($4.3 million), with one donor giving a single donation of 100,000 euros ($107,000).

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Zelenskyy arrives in Saudi Arabia – video

^{Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Mohammed bin Salman al Saud. Photo: Office of the president of Ukraine}
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived on an unannounced visit to Saudi Arabia.

Source: Zelenskyy on Twitter (X); AFP with reference to local state media

Details: The plane carrying Zelenskyy landed in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, where he was greeted by Saudi officials, including the national security adviser and ambassador in Kyiv.

Zelenskyy himself announced the visit.

SPOILER

quote:

Quote: "In Saudi Arabia, I had a meaningful and energetic meeting with His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. We discussed bilateral relations between Ukraine and Saudi Arabia, noting the good progress on previous agreements and our teams' effective cooperation. We will keep working together."

Details: He noted that the group also covered the Global Peace Summit's preparations, projected results, and potential implementation, as well as the road to real peace in Ukraine.

In addition, the parties discussed the current world situation and its potential for development. "Ukraine is grateful to Saudi Arabia for its support. We value His Royal Highness’ willingness to help restore peace sooner," the president stated.

According to AFP, Saudi Arabia is the world's top oil exporter, cooperating closely with Russia on oil policy and preserving relations with both Moscow and Kyiv since the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, the Saudis have positioned themselves as potential mediators in this conflict.

Background:
• Zelenskyy has been travelling the world in recent weeks to rally support for the Peace Summit, which is scheduled to take place in Switzerland this weekend.
• He travelled to nations in the Middle East and Asia with close ties to Russia, as well as traditional European Union allies.
• Earlier this month, the Ukrainian leader travelled to Singapore, the Philippines, and Qatar.
• It is estimated that representatives from over 90 countries would convene in Switzerland. Zelenskyy encouraged numerous officials to attend the meeting through personal visits.
• Saudi Arabia has yet to clarify whether it will attend the summit.

quote:

Zelensky is on an unannounced visit to Saudi Arabia. Talked to the prince.

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The US will limit the supply of chips in the fight against circumvention of sanctions against Russia
The United States intends to introduce a ban on the export of semiconductor chips to Russia through third countries if they were created using American technology or equipment. Source: Bloomberg

According to the agency, the new sanctions involve the introduction of additional export licensing requirements for chip manufacturers and suppliers. Before each transaction, they will have to apply to the US Department of Commerce to obtain the appropriate license and ensure that the supply does not involve military use.

US authorities will also identify third-party suppliers and warn them about the ban on sending American chips to Russia, the source clarifies.

Most microelectronics and chip companies that continue to cooperate with Russia are based in China, according to Bloomberg sources. Last year alone, Russia imported more than $1 billion worth of advanced chips that could likely be used to build missiles and other critical military equipment, according to the agency.

According to the same sources, Washington plans to blacklist eight companies based in Hong Kong that are suspected of supplying chips to Russia.

Let us recall that earlier, a member of the German Bundestag from the CDU/CSU, Carsten M�ller, said that the countries of the European Union need to work more intensively to identify companies, especially in third countries, that help Russia circumvent sanctions . In his opinion, it is necessary to sue companies that use this method of exporting their goods if they are really trying to circumvent sanctions.

quote:

Interrogation of 30 captured occupiers who were captured by the 3rd OShBr: "We were going to storm you on a UAZ." VIDEO
The 3rd separate assault brigade of the Armed Forces captured several large groups of Russian occupiers on their way to the Kharkiv region.

Journalist Tetyana Danylenko writes about this , Censor.NET informs .

"In theory, the brigade was supposed to recover there after 2 years of continuous stay in the worst points of the front. In reality, on the stretch where the 3rd OShbr was supposed to gain strength for new counterattacks, they are opposed by a very large group of the Russian army and every day in place of its 200th and 300th their adversary is bringing in new recruits.

The scale of the actions is also evidenced by the number of those taken prisoner - the media service of the 3rd OShbr is publishing interviews with 30 Russian servicemen at the same time," Danylenko notes.

"Мы ехали ШТУ� МОВАТЬ ВАС на УАЗИКЕ" —� розповіді росіян 3-й штурмовій

The journalist draws attention to the fact that among the captured occupiers are not only contract workers, but mobs. Some of them received a summons in May 2024.

quote:

The Swedish Parliament calls for the transfer of Gripen aircraft to Ukraine
Western countries should give Ukraine everything it asks for, including Swedish Gripen aircraft.

Magnus Jacobson, member of the Swedish Parliament (Riksdag), a representative of the Christian Democratic Party, a member of the coalition, stated this in a commentary to Guildhall .

“My personal opinion remains the same. We must give Ukraine everything it asks for. I know that Ukraine is asking for Gripen aircraft, and I think that we should sell them to Ukraine. But if I understand correctly, the issue is a political decision. I don’t work in the government, I’m just a parliamentarian, but I noticed that now there is some kind of deal between Ukraine and its allies, within the framework of which Western countries want to supply F-16 aircraft as quickly as possible. While I'm proud of the Gripen, the F-16 is also a great airplane. We ( Sweden - ed. ), in turn, supplied Ukraine with two long-range radar detection aircraft ( Swedish ASC 890 aircraft, known as Saab 340AEW - ed. ). These are some of the best aircraft of this type in the world, which will give Ukraine very good eyes, the eyes of a hawk,” the politician noted.

“I am sure that Ukraine should receive everything - both F-16 and Gripen aircraft, but Sweden does not act as a separate player, we act in coordination with air defense coalitions for Ukraine within the European Union. So from the information that I received, I understood that we were asked to provide the radar system, and the partners would provide the F-16. But I hope that Sweden will someday supply Ukraine with Gripen aircraft, even if not now,” the Swedish parliamentarian concluded.

Let us recall that the deputy of the House of Representatives of the Belgian Parliament, the head of the commonwealth of Ukraine and Belgium, Georges Dalemany, also called on Western countries to speed up the supply of F16 to Ukraine . He noted that European countries, and in particular Belgium, realize that the front line in Europe is now in Ukraine. Therefore, it is extremely important to deliver F16 aircraft to Ukraine as quickly as possible.

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Austria revoked accreditation of two Russian journalists
After a Russian journalist was expelled from Vienna, Moscow ordered the Austrian correspondent to leave Russia. Now it has become known that Austria deprived another TASS employee of her accreditation in April.

Austria has revoked the accreditation of two correspondents of the Russian news agency TASS in Vienna. The dpa agency learned about this on Tuesday, June 11, from the Austrian Ministry of the Interior. The day before, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported that the Austrian authorities ordered one TASS journalist, Ivan Popov, to leave the country.

However, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Vienna, in April, “due to a negative assessment by the security authorities,” accreditation was taken away from another of his colleagues from TASS. More detailed reasons for this step were not given. The agency's statement indicates that the Russian news agency may register other journalists, who will also be subject to reliability checks by the Austrian authorities.

In response, the Russian Foreign Ministry revoked the accreditation of Maria Knieps-Witting, a journalist for the Austrian television company ORF in Moscow, demanding that she leave the country. The Austrian broadcaster called the decision incomprehensible . The country's Foreign Ministry also considered Moscow's retaliatory measures "completely unfounded."

The German Union of Journalists (DJV) said that the Russian Federation’s actions “have nothing to do with media freedom.”

The Viennese weekly newspaper Falter in March reported on the activities of Russian intelligence services in Vienna , also mentioning TASS employees. They, according to the secret dossier cited by the publication, “under journalistic cover” obtained information about the political circles of Austria, and one of the correspondents was an employee of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation.

quote:

A journalist from Austrian Radio has to leave Russia just because Austria had previously expelled a Russian Tass correspondent.
This cheap retaliation has nothing to do with freedom of the press:
https://www.djv.de/news/blog/blog-detail/journalisten-als-pfand/

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Uniper terminates Russian gas supply contracts
• Formal end to gas supply relationship with Gazprom Export after positive ruling for Uniper in arbitration proceedings
• Arbitration tribunal has awarded Uniper the right to terminate its long-term gas supply contracts and an amount of more than �13 billion in damages for non-delivery of gas
• Uniper CEO Michael Lewis: “The ruling provides legal clarity for Uniper”

Uniper decided today to terminate its long-term Russian gas supply contracts and thus legally ended the long-term gas supply relationship with the Russian state-owned company Gazprom Export. The decision was made possible after an arbitration tribunal on June 7 awarded Uniper the right to terminate the contracts and awarded it an amount of more than �13 billion in damages for the gas volumes not supplied by Gazprom Export since mid-2022. Although only limited gas volumes had been delivered since June 2022 and no gas volumes since the end of August 2022, the long-term gas supply contracts between the two companies were still legally in force and individual contracts would have continued to exist until the mid-2030s.

After Uniper suffered substantial losses due to the Russian gas supply restrictions, the company initiated arbitration proceedings against Gazprom Export at the end of 2022. The option of dispute resolution via an arbitration tribunal was contractually agreed and had in the past in respect of other disputes been invoked repeatedly by both sides. The tribunal, seated in Stockholm, ruled in accordance with Swiss law. The arbitration ruling is legally binding and final.

SPOILER

quote:

This ruling provides legal clarity for Uniper. With the right of termination that we received in the arbitration ruling, we are ending the contracts with Gazprom Export. Uniper's legal position was also confirmed on the issue of damages. Any amounts would flow to the German federal government. From today's perspective, it is not yet clear whether significant amounts are to be expected.
^{Michael Lewis, CEO of Uniper}

Uniper took over and continued the contracts from its predecessor companies when it was founded in 2016. Since the 1970s, the contracts have formed the core of the German-Russian energy partnership. From June 2022, Gazprom Export initially supplied less natural gas to Germany and then none, although such supplies to this day are not sanctioned by the EU. Uniper had to procure gas for its customers by other means, in some cases at extremely high market prices, which at times led to additional costs for Uniper in the hundreds of millions of euros every day. Uniper was only able to bear these additional costs with state support. Uniper's insolvency was averted with the stabilization agreement of December 2022 and the entry of the federal government as the main shareholder in Uniper.

Our termination of the contracts with Gazprom Export is the latest in a series of consistent decisions over the last three years. During this time, Uniper has written off its share in the financing of the Nordstream 2 pipeline, its stake in the Russian subsidiary Unipro and allowed its coal supply contracts with Russia to expire. Since then, Uniper has worked hard to diversify its gas business and is now well positioned with its global LNG portfolio and pipeline gas supplies from various regions.
^{Michael Lewis, CEO of Uniper}

About Uniper
Düsseldorf-based Uniper is an international energy company with activities in more than 40 countries. The company and its roughly 7,000 employees make an important contribution to supply security in Europe, particularly in its core markets of Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

Uniper’s operations encompass power generation in Europe, global energy trading, and a broad gas portfolio. Uniper procures gas—including liquefied natural gas (LNG)—and other energy sources on global markets. The company owns and operates gas storage facilities with a total capacity of more than 7 billion cubic meters.

Uniper intends to be completely carbon-neutral by 2040. Uniper aims for its installed power generating capacity to be more than 80% zero-carbon by 2030. To achieve this, the company is transforming its power plants and facilities and investing in flexible, dispatchable power generating units. Uniper is already one of Europe’s largest operators of hydropower plants and is helping further expand solar and wind power, which are essential for a more sustainable and secure future. The company is progressively expanding its gas portfolio to include green gases like hydrogen and biomethane and aims to convert to these gases over the long term.

Uniper is a reliable partner for communities, municipal utilities, and industrial enterprises for planning and implementing innovative, lower-carbon solutions on their decarbonization journey. Uniper is a hydrogen pioneer, is active worldwide along the entire hydrogen value chain, and is conducting projects to make hydrogen a mainstay of the energy supply.

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AfD politician who fled to Russia wins elections in Hamburg
A politician from the far-right AfD party won the elections in Hamburg, despite her flight to the Russian Federation. source: Bild

Read also: The far-right of the European Parliament demand the expulsion of all AfD deputies

41-year-old Olga Petersen recently left Germany with her children, moving to Russia. This did not prevent her from winning a mandate in local elections in Hamburg.

The Alternative for Germany candidate received 3,460 votes in Hamburg's Hausbruch district. These votes are enough for her to join the district assembly. To complete the count, a small number of mail-in ballots remain to be counted. The AfD believes that these ballots will not affect the final election result.

Olga Petersen, born in Omsk in 1982, recently left for Russia with three children, informing the school about it via email. Petersen claimed that the authorities planned to take her children away from her, although in fact she was only reprimanded about their behavior at school.

After leaving, Olga Petersen, who called the elections in Russia “open and free,” was expelled from the Hamburg parliament.

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US sanctions pro-Russian Moldovan governor

The U.S. has imposed sanctions on Evghenia Gutul, the governor of Moldova's Gagauzia region, for her ties to pro-Russian oligarch and politician Ilan Shor, the U.S. Treasury announced on June 12.

Shor has been repeatedly accused of trying to destabilize Moldova, which he fled in 2019. He has been under U.S. sanctions since October 2022, as has his pro-Russian political party of the same name.

Gutul was elected governor of Gagauzia, an autonomous territory in southern Moldova that partly borders Ukraine's Odesa Oblast, in July 2023 as a Shor party candidate.

Gutul traveled to Russia in March 2024, where she was pictured shaking hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and attended the St. Petersburg Economic International Economic Forum in early June.

Moldova's Prime Minister Dorin Recean said he was "grateful for the U.S.'s commitment to support us in combating corruption and countering Kremlin interference."

SPOILER

quote:

"We'll continue to work with our partners to deny criminals the resources to perpetuate fraud in Moldova and beyond," Recean said.

The sanctions follow reports earlier in June that the former chief of the General Staff of Moldova's army had allegedly been an informant for Russia's military intelligence agency.

Days later, Moldovan President Maia Sandu approved changes to the country's treason laws, allowing some wartime treason laws to apply to peacetime, as well as extending punishments and creating a new category of laws for assisting a foreign state.

Sandu, a pro-European and pro-Ukrainian politician, has been president since 2020 but faces reelection and a referendum on Moldova's accession to the EU in October.

Chisinau has been supportive of Ukraine throughout the full-scale war and cracked down on Russian subversive operations at home, expelling dozens of diplomats and embassy staff in July 2023 after revelations of espionage activities.

SPOILER

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 05:24 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://ghall.com.ua/2024(...)a-vybory-v-gamburge/
[..]
Lol

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Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 03:52 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://english.nv.ua/nat(...)owhere-50426577.html
[..]

SPOILER

[..]

Onrealistische strategie�n, wie had dat nou verwacht.

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Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 05:11 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
Al is het maar de vraag of dit �berhaupt betaald gaat worden natuurlijk.

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Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 10:10 schreef ExTec het volgende:
NAV het laatste sanctiepakket heeft de financiele sector in rus het vandaag moeilijk.

[ x ]

[ x ]

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Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 10:10 schreef ExTec het volgende:
NAV het laatste sanctiepakket heeft de financiele sector in rus het vandaag moeilijk.

[ x ]

[ x ]

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Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 04:23 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]
Toegezegde wapenleveranties. En dat is alleen maar goed. Een belofte maakt schuld tenslotte.

quote:

Op woensdag 12 juni 2024 22:36 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

Denken jullie dat deze beter tegen de inslag van een ATACMS bestand is dan de S400?

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 11:32 schreef ExTec het volgende:
Weer een bank die een mysterieuze storing heeft.

[ x ]

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Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 11:32 schreef ExTec het volgende:
Weer een bank die een mysterieuze storing heeft.

[ x ]

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Net geen zeven miljard. Zoveel bedroeg het verlies van de nationale gasmaatschappij Gazprom in het jaar 2023.
Het is de eerste keer sinds 1999 dat die in het rood gaat.

Zo diep is het bedrijf sinds de oprichting tien jaar eerder nog nooit door het ijs gezakt.
Volgens de Poolse minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Radoslaw Sikorski is dat de reden waarom president Poetin lijntjes aan het uitleggen is.

,,Gazprom is nu een verlieslatend bedrijf", schreef hij woensdag op X.
,,Wat betekent dat het zakenmodel aan het instorten is.

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Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 11:32 schreef ExTec het volgende:
Weer een bank die een mysterieuze storing heeft.

[ x ]

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Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 10:35 schreef Glazenmaker het volgende:

[..]
Ik geloof dit soort hype berichten pas als het op de nos staat.

Al zou het wel heel mooi zijn.

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 10:35 schreef Glazenmaker het volgende:

[..]
Ik geloof dit soort hype berichten pas als het op de nos staat.

Al zou het wel heel mooi zijn.

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 12:46 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

Dat was te verwachten. Landbouw op de Krim is niet meer fatsoenlijk mogelijk zonder water uit het kanaal. En na het opblazen van de dam staat die droog.

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Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 15:55 schreef Idisrom het volgende:

[..]
Maar ik meende dat de toevoer van water uit dat kanaal al door Oekra�ne vanaf 2014 was stopgezet.

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 15:55 schreef Idisrom het volgende:

[..]
Maar ik meende dat de toevoer van water uit dat kanaal al door Oekra�ne vanaf 2014 was stopgezet.

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Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 17:02 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Iemand zin in een vijfde colonne?

[ x ]

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Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 17:34 schreef Perrin het volgende:

[..]
Laat die bloeddorstige imperialisten lekker thuis.

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Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 12:02 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Met een uitzondering voor Hongarije. Die gaan in ruil niet dwarsliggen. Prima. Fuck them.

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Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 19:35 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Heeft Hongarije wapens toegezegd dan? Dus hier zouden zij sowieso niet onder vallen.

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Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 20:11 schreef ExTec het volgende:
[ x ]

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Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 20:15 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]
[ x ]
[ x ]
[ x ]
[ x ]

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Jailed US reporter Evan Gershkovich to stand trial in Russia on espionage charges, authorities say


Evan Gershkovich, the first American journalist to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the Cold War, will stand trial in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg after prosecutors formally accused him of spying for the CIA.

The Russian Prosecutor General’s office said Thursday it had approved the indictment, more than a year after Gershkovich was first detained. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.

Gershkovich, the US government and his employer, the Wall Street Journal, have vehemently denied the charges against him. Less than two weeks after his arrest, Gershkovich was designated as wrongfully detained by the US State Department, which called for his immediate release.

Russian prosecutors said the country’s federal security service (FSB) had “established and documented” that Gershkovich was acting on CIA instructions in the month he was arrested, alleging he had “collected secret information” about a Russian tank factory.

“Gershkovich carried out the illegal actions using painstaking conspiratorial methods,” it said in a statement.

SPOILER

quote:

In the year since his arrest, the 32-year-old journalist has been imprisoned in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo Prison, and his pre-trial detention period had been extended numerous times.

Responding to Thursday’s announcement, WSJ Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker said Gershkovich is facing a “false and baseless” charge.

“Russia’s latest move toward a sham trial is, while expected, deeply disappointing and still no less outrageous. Evan has spent 441 days wrongfully detained in a Russian prison for simply doing his job. Evan is a journalist. The Russian regime’s smearing of Evan is repugnant, disgusting and based on calculated and transparent lies. Journalism is not a crime. Evan’s case is an assault on free press,” Tucker said in a statement.

Reporters Without Borders, an international group promoting press freedom, denounced Gershkovich’s indictment. “The espionage accusations must be abandoned and Evan immediately liberated,” it said in a statement.

US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy, speaking after Gershkovich’s pre-trial detention was extended in March, said: “Evan’s case is not about evidence, due process, or rule of law. It is about using American citizens as pawns to achieve political ends.” She called on the Kremlin “to let Evan go.”

Proposed swaps
Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted earlier in the year that “an agreement can be reached” with the United States to release Gershkovich, as he brought up the conviction of a “patriotic” Russian hitman in Germany.

Speaking in a lengthy and at times ponderous interview with American right-wing pundit Tucket Carlson in February, Putin alluded to the case of Vadim Krasikov, a former colonel from Russia’s domestic spy organization who was convicted of assassinating a former Chechen fighter in broad daylight in Berlin in 2019.

“Listen, I’ll tell you: sitting in one country, a country that is an ally of the United States, is a man who, for patriotic reasons, eliminated a bandit in one of the European capitals,” Putin said.

Russian government officials have previously requested that Krasikov be released as part of a proposed prisoner swap of notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for US citizens Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan according to US officials and CNN reporting.

Griner, a professional basketball player, was freed in a prisoner exchange for Bout while Whelan – a former US marine who says he was visiting Russia for a friend’s wedding when he was arrested in Moscow in 2018 – remains in prison.

Speaking to CNN in Berlin to mark the year since Gershkovich’s detention, Polina Ivanova – one of his closest friends and a reporter at the Financial Times – said he was doing “remarkably well” and passing most of his time writing letters “trying to make us feel better.”

“When you see Putin talk about it in very clear terms that this is what they want to see happen, that they are looking for a deal, it gives you hope that at some point he will be home. He needs to be home,” Ivanova said.

In recent years, Russia has detained a number of other Americans. Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva was detained in June 2023, Russian-American ballerina Ksenia Karelina was arrested in January, and American teacher Marc Fogel was arrested in August 2021.

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 13:50 schreef michaelmoore het volgende:
Gaat heel niet zo goed met de financien van Ruzzia

https://www.telegraaf.nl/(...)u-tegen-rusland-zelf

het tankstation van de wereld is niet meer
[..]

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Russia’s war with Ukraine accelerating global climate emergency, report shows
Most comprehensive analysis ever of conflict-driven climate impacts shows emissions greater than those generated by 175 countries in a year

The climate cost of the first two years of Russia’s war on Ukraine was greater than the annual greenhouse gas emissions generated individually by 175 countries, exacerbating the global climate emergency in addition to the mounting death toll and widespread destruction, research reveals.

Russia’s invasion has generated at least 175m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e), amid a surge in emissions from direct warfare, landscape fires, rerouted flights, forced migration and leaks caused by military attacks on fossil fuel infrastructure – as well as the future carbon cost of reconstruction, according to the most comprehensive analysis ever of conflict-driven climate impacts.

The 175m tonnes includes carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), the most potent of all greenhouse gases. This is on a par with running 90m petrol cars for an entire year – and more than the total emissions generated individually by countries including the Netherlands, Venezuela and Kuwait in 2022.

SPOILER

quote:

Historically, governments have accounted poorly for the climate cost of war – and of the military industrial complex more broadly. Official data is extremely patchy or nonexistent due to military secrecy, and there is limited frontline access for researchers. The economic cost of the greenhouse gases, which will have global consequences, is even less well understood.

But according to the new report by the Initiative on Greenhouse Gas Accounting of War (IGGAW) – a research collective partly funded by the German and Swedish governments, and the European Climate Foundation – the Russian Federation faces a $32bn (�25bn) climate reparations bill from its first 24 months of war.

The UN general assembly has said that Russia should compensate Ukraine for the war, leading the Council of Europe to establish a registry of damage, which will include climate emissions. Frozen Russian assets could be used to settle the costs. The reparations estimate draws on a recent peer-reviewed study that calculated the social cost of carbon as $185 for every ton of greenhouse gas emissions.

The IGGAW lead author, Lennard de Klerk, said: “Russia is harming Ukraine but also our climate. This ‘conflict carbon’ is sizeable and will be felt globally. The Russian Federation should be made to pay for this, a debt it owes Ukraine and countries in the global south that will suffer most from climate damage.”

The report is the most comprehensive analysis of the climate cost of any conflict – and the first time reparations have been calculated for war-related climate impacts.

The report found:
• A third of the warfare emissions come directly from military activity, with fuel used by Russian troops accounting for 35m tCO2e – the single greatest source of greenhouse gases. Other sources include the manufacturing of carbon-intensive explosives, ammunition and defence walls along the frontlines by both countries, as well as the fuel used by allies to deliver military equipment.
• Another third is attributed to the vast quantities of steel and concrete that will be needed to reconstruct the damaged and destroyed schools, homes, bridges, factories and water plants. Some reconstruction has already taken place and in some cases the replaced structures have been destroyed again. The scale of the carbon impact will, in the long term, depend on whether traditional, carbon-intensive or modern, more sustainable techniques and materials are used to rebuild, according to Neta Crawford, the author of The Pentagon, Climate Change and War.
• The final third was generated by fires, rerouting of commercial planes, strikes on energy infrastructure and, to a lesser extent, the displacement of nearly 7 million Ukrainian people and Russians.

Landscape fires have increased in size and intensity on both sides of the border since the invasion. In the first analysis of its kind, 1m hectares (2.47m acres) of scorched fields and forests were linked to military causes, accounting for 13% of the total carbon cost. Most fires took place close to the frontlines, but small blazes got out of control countrywide due to the redeployment of foresters, fire crews and equipment. Almost 40% of Ukraine’s 4,216 fire trucks have been damaged.

Russia deliberately targeted energy infrastructure, especially during the first months of the war, generating major leaks of potent greenhouse gases. The methane that escaped into the sea after the destruction of the Nord Stream 2 pipelines generated about 14m tCO2e. Another 40 tonnes of SF6 (equivalent to about 1m tonnes of CO2), is thought to have leaked into the atmosphere due to Russian strikes on Ukraine’s high-voltage network facilities. SF6 is used to insulate electrical switchgear and has nearly 23,000 times more heating potential than carbon dioxide.

Aviation fuel consumption has rocketed as European and American commercial airlines are banned from Russian airspace, while Australian and some Asian carriers have been taking circuitous routes as a precaution. The extra miles have generated at least 24m tCO2.

The forced movement of people – escaping the impact of war or conscription – has generated almost 3.3m tCO2e, the analysis found. This includes the transport-related emissions by more than 5 million Ukrainians seeking refuge in Europe as well as millions of internally displaced people and Russians fleeing Russia.

“The analysis is the most up-to-date and thorough snapshot we have of the climate consequences of Russia’s invasion, helping to lift the fog of war that exists also when it comes to the environmental costs of conflict,” said Ruslan Strilets, the minister of environmental protection and natural resources of Ukraine. “It will be an essential plank in the reparations case we are building against Russia.”

Overall, the climate consequences of war and occupation are poorly understood. Thanks in large part to pressure from the US, reporting military emissions is voluntary, and only four countries submit some incomplete data to the UN framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC), which organises the annual climate talks.

One recent study found that militaries account for almost 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions annually – more than the aviation and shipping industries combined. This makes the global military carbon footprint – even without factoring in conflict-related emission surges – larger than that of all countries except the US, China and India.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has triggered a surge in military spending, particularly in Europe, boosting demand for explosives, steel and other carbon-intensive materials that will inevitably lead to more military emissions – which will not be accounted for by countries or international climate action plans.

“The new monetary estimate of climate damage highlights the important role of greenhouse gas emissions accounting for conflicts,” said Linsey Cottrell, an environmental policy officer at the Conflict and Environment Observatory. “We critically need international agreement on how conflict and military emissions are measured and addressed.”

quote:

175 million tCO2e is more than the annual GHG emissions from a highly industrialized country
like The Netherlands, putting 90 million new petrol cars on the road, or building 260 coalfired power units of 200 MW each.

quote:

Russia accused of deliberate tactics of starvation in Mariupol as lawyers submit report to ICC
Lawyers calculated that 22,000 people died during the siege and capture of Mariupol at the beginning of the full-scale war

The Russian army used a "deliberate pattern" of starvation tactics during the 85-day siege of Mariupol in early 2022, which amounts to a war crime, reported The Guardian with reference to a new analysis submitted to the International Criminal Court.

This report was submitted to the International Criminal Court in The Hague by Global Rights Compliance lawyers working together with the Ukrainian government.

Russia and its leaders reportedly intended to kill and harm large numbers of civilians.

Lawyers calculated that during the siege and capture of Mariupol at the beginning of the all-out war, 22,000 people died, and a few days after the siege, civilians were left without water, gas and electricity, and the temperature dropped below -10 C.

Global Rights Compliance Partner Catriona Murdoch said the research aimed to "see if there was a broader narrative" of the Russian military and leadership's deliberate denial of food and other necessities of life — a strategy of starvation that could be equated to war crime

She noted that lawyers drew attention to four phases of the Russian attack:
→ attack on civilian infrastructure;
→ cutting out the supply of electricity, heating and water supply;
→ denial of humanitarian evacuation;
→ attacks while help could not come.

She said the staged shelling of Mariupol demonstrated that Russia planned to capture the city without mercy for the estimated 450,000 civilians by February 24, 2022.

The report concluded that approximately 90% of the city's health facilities and homes were destroyed or damaged during the siege, while food distribution points and humanitarian evacuation routes were bombed.

SPOILER

quote:

On April 30, the mayor of the city, Vadym Boychenko, said that 934 of the 2,000 high-rise buildings in Mariupol do not exist as they were destroyed by Russian aircraft. In total, 50% of the city does not exist, and the other half is damaged: 52,000 families from Mariupol are currently homeless.

On June 3, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Lytvynenko said that the Russian strategy for capturing cities may evolve as the war continues, in particular, the Russians destroyed Mariupol in part due to miscalculations in planning.

On March 16, 2022, Russian troops purposefully destroyed a drama theater in the center of Mariupol, where about 1,000 civilians were hiding from raids. At the same time, in the courtyards of the drama theater there were two large inscriptions CHILDREN, which were visible even from the satellite.

The clearance of rubble was complicated by shelling. On March 18, the city authorities reported that, tentatively, no casualties had been found.

On March 25, the Mariupol City Council, referring to the data of eyewitnesses, reported that about 300 people died as a result of the bombing of the drama theater.

On April 23, the city hall reported that the Russians were removing the bodies of the dead from under the rubble of the theater and taking them to Manhush, where they were dumping them in a 300-meter mass grave.

quote:

Germany blocks EU sanctions against Russia
The German government is blocking progress in negotiations on new sanctions against Russia. According to diplomats, Germany's position is the main reason why the EU sanctions plan has not yet been approved.

According to Censor.NET, this was reported by the German media outlet RND.

According to diplomats, Germany's position is the main reason why the EU sanctions plan has not yet been approved.

"Recently, there was a feeling that Germany was the new Hungary, the EU official said, referring to the fact that in the past, the Budapest government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban had repeatedly postponed a decision on sanctions against Russia," RND writes.

It is noted that the new sanctions are aimed at combating the circumvention of existing restrictions. Thus, the EU plans to stop the use of Western technologies that Russia still uses to produce weapons for the war against Ukraine. In addition, the European Union wants to impose sanctions against liquefied natural gas for the first time. In particular, the European Commission wants to ban the use of European ports for the transport of Russian LNG to third countries. This will result in Russia selling less LNG due to lack of transport capacity and investing less money in the war.

According to EU diplomats, Germany's warning relates to plans to make it more difficult to circumvent EU sanctions. Berlin is calling for the removal of the provision on the liability of branches of companies that may violate sanctions.

"The reason is apparently the fear that German companies could be held liable for violating sanctions," the German newspaper explains.

As a reminder, on 12 June, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions against Russian liquefied natural gas projects that Russia is currently trying to implement.

quote:

Russia Has Officially Declared US an Enemy State. What Does This Mean in Diplomatic Terms?
This marks the first official instance of the US being designated an “enemy” state by the Russian government. Why did this happen now and what are the consequences?

As global tensions over the war in Ukraine continue to mount, Russia-US relations have hit a new low. On June 11, Dmitry Peskov, Press Secretary to Vladimir Putin, declared the United States an “enemy country,” in an unprecedented and stark escalation from previous rhetoric.

“We are now an enemy country for them, just as they are for us,” Peskov stated during a press briefing.

The statement came after allegations from former American intelligence officer Scott Ritter, who claimed he was denied entry to St. Petersburg and had his passport confiscated by border officials.

Ritter has frequently been cited in Russian state media, echoing Moscow’s perspectives on the war in Ukraine.

Peskov’s response to reporters underscored that recent actions intended to obstruct Americans from engaging with Russia would be considered justifiable only if directly associated with Ritter’s past intelligence activities. Otherwise, Peskov suggested, such measures would be perceived as an effort to isolate Russia.

This may represent an escalation in rhetoric, as Moscow had previously referred to the US and its allies supporting Ukraine as “unfriendly states” or “opponents.” The shift in terminology is attributed to the ongoing war in Ukraine, particularly the latest permission to use US-supplied weaponry on Russian territory.

SPOILER

quote:

Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion, Ukraine has been asking the US for permission to attack targets inside Russia using American weapons. On May 31, US President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use American munitions for limited strikes within Russian territory. This request came as Russia intensified its assault on Kharkiv. Ukraine felt disadvantaged because Russian troops could retreat across the border to regroup and because Western weapons couldn’t be used to hit stockpiles of weapons in Russia. The decision followed the removal of restrictions on the weapon use by other Western allies.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg showed a clear stance of NATO and its allies on this issue before the meeting of defense ministers in Brussels, stating that self-defense, as outlined in the UN Charter, does not constitute an escalation.

He supported the allies' decision to authorize Ukraine to employ Western weaponry for strikes on Russian territory and urged to ease further restrictions. When asked about Ukraine’s potential use of F-16s to target sites within Russia, Stoltenberg asserted that Ukraine possesses the inherent right to self-defense.

“Ukraine has the right to self-defense, and the right to self-defense also includes striking legitimate military targets on the territory of the Russian aggressor.”

According to Agentstvo, an independent Russian investigative agency, this marks the first official instance of the US being designated an “enemy” state by the Russian government. However, while indeed unprecedented, experts suggest that this designation may be largely symbolic. They posit that, regardless of public pronouncements, the US has long been viewed by Russia as a primary adversary.

Matthew Bryza, former US diplomat and the United States Ambassador to Azerbaijan believes that the goal is “to intimidate European NATO members into believing that the United States is recklessly dragging them into a conflict with Russia.”

“The ultimate goal is to sow divisions within the NATO alliance, pulling its members away from each other and, particularly, from the United States,” he added.

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 21:14 schreef polderturk het volgende:
F35's ???

[ x ]

quote:

Ukraine is testing a ground-based drone for setting up smoke screens

Ukraine is testing a ground-based drone that carries smoke mortars to create smoke barriers on the battlefield.

The National Information Portal “Tysch” published the pictures of the ground drone.

Ukrainian engineers have mounted a battery of 15 Tucha smoke grenade launchers on a remotely controlled tracked platform.

The AEK-902 Tucha is a Soviet system designed specifically for mounting on light armored vehicles and tanks.

SPOILER

quote:

The smoke grenades are fired using an electric trigger, so their integration into an unmanned platform is relatively simple. The launchers themselves are stationary.

The system uses 81-mm smoke grenades 3D6, 3D17, and their modifications to create smoke screens. Depending on the type of ammunition, the time of appearance of a dense curtain and its characteristics differ.

Older 3D6 ammunition falls to the ground after being fired and then forms a dense curtain within 10-20 seconds that lasts about 2 minutes. The weak point of this ammunition is the time it takes to form a veil, during which the combat vehicle is still visible.

At the same time, more modern models of the 3D17 Purga-2 series detonate in the air after firing, immediately forming a dense, three-dimensional curtain. However, such a barrier remains in the air for about 20 seconds and then dissipates.

Дымовая завеса

Unmanned platforms adapted for smoke screens can be extremely useful both in offensive operations, where it is necessary to cover an assault group from enemy weapons, and during retreat.

The use of such systems on ground platforms allows the installation of a curtain anywhere on the battlefield despite the density of enemy fire. This makes it possible to accomplish the task unnoticed and without the involvement of third-party equipment or artillery.

On June 11, Vadym Sukharevskyi, Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, reported that separate companies of ground-based unmanned systems have already been deployed in the Armed Forces to perform tasks at the front line.

According to Sukharevsky, the companies of ground-based UAVs are tasked with fire control, mining and demining, kamikaze missions, and logistics operations, including evacuation.

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 21:14 schreef polderturk het volgende:
F35's ???

[ x ]

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 21:31 schreef Cilantro het volgende:
Waarom heeft Oekra�ne eigenlijk geen Bayraktars meer? Die waren vrij effectief aan het begin van de oorlog.

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 21:29 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

Mogelijk bevoorradingsvliegtuigen, verkenningsvliegtuigen of zo iets. Geen F-35s. Tenminste niet de nabije toekomst. Al zijn de Amerikanen daar volgens mij ook niet zo blij mee op het ogenblik. Dus wie weet in de toekomst.

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 21:14 schreef polderturk het volgende:
F35's ???

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 21:35 schreef AchJa het volgende:
Hoe is het met de oorlog hier? Ben op cursus dus lees niet heel fanatiek mee...

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 22:05 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:

De economische ellende in Rusland na de nieuwste Amerikaanse sancties? Of dat er nog steeds veel Russen dood gaan aan het front?

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 22:03 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Het gaat om fighter jet squadrons.

Dus het zou om F35's kunnen gaan. Maar ik denk eerder F15's en F18's. Die kunnen van autowegen opstijgen.

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 22:12 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
F35's kun je gerust vergeten.

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 22:08 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
Heeft Oekraine hier al gewonnen of is het nog niet zo ver?

De Germanen hebben er niet zoveel vertrouwen meer in gezien de dienstplicht plannen.

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 22:14 schreef polderturk het volgende:
[ x ]

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 22:17 schreef Anton91 het volgende:

[ x ]

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 22:03 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Het gaat om fighter jet squadrons.

Dus het zou om F35's kunnen gaan. Maar ik denk eerder F15's en F18's. Die kunnen van autowegen opstijgen.

[ x ]

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 22:17 schreef Anton91 het volgende:

[ x ]

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 22:15 schreef polderturk het volgende:

[..]
Waarom?

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 22:38 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Zijn die F16's er nou al?

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 22:40 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:
Al 40 jaar.

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 21:36 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
De Amerikanen zijn uitermate tevreden over de F35.

20240430 Full Committee Hearing: Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 23:06 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
Dat hangt er vanaf aan wie je het vraagt.

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 23:08 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
Vraag het gewoon de vliegers,

quote:

Ukraine will receive the first ordered CV90s in 2026 – Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands

In 2026, Ukraine will receive the first ordered CV90 infantry fighting vehicles made in the Netherlands.

Defence News reported on this.

The Netherlands is investing more than EUR 400 million in a Swedish fund to ensure the production of CV90 combat vehicles for Ukraine.

This investment from the government will also cover the acquisition of a share of the armored vehicles, which are planned to be produced in the Netherlands.

SPOILER

quote:

Currently, the governments of the Netherlands and Sweden have agreed to produce CV90 combat vehicles in the Netherlands, which will involve a large number of local companies.

“Negotiations are ongoing with Van Halteren Technologies and a ‘whole chain’ of Dutch suppliers who will handle an ‘important part’ of the production,” said spokesman Kai Liers.

It is expected that the total number of partially manufactured machines in the Netherlands will amount to 180 units.

“Van Halteren will play an ‘important role’ in supplying dozens of new CV90s to Ukraine, Sweden, and possibly Denmark, which are buying the vehicles to the same modernized standard as the Netherlands,” Christoph van der Maat, Dutch Secretary of State for Defense, reported.

He also noted that due to the large portfolio from European countries, the Netherlands wants to play a significant role in accelerating the delivery of these vehicles to customers, including Ukraine.

“We want to really help the Dutch know-how to meet the growing demand for CV90 combat vehicles in Europe,” Van der Maat said.

Militarnyi previously reported that the Netherlands joined the initiative of Denmark and Sweden to purchase CV90 infantry fighting vehicles for Ukraine.

In addition, Ukraine and Sweden declared their intentions to jointly produce CV90 infantry fighting vehicles in Ukraine.

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 23:20 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
"De Amerikanen" Dat zijn wel wat meer dan alleen maar de vliegers. Zoals ik zei als het werkt dan zijn zij er erg tevreden over. En de vliegers gebruiken ze alleen maar als zij werken. Dus hun ervaring is slechts een beperkt gedeelte van het geheel.

quote:

Russians told to mobilise to inflict 'maximum harm' on West in response to sanctions
June 13 (Reuters) - One of Russia's top security officials called on Thursday for Russians to mobilise to inflict "maximum harm" on Western societies and infrastructure as payback for increasingly tough sanctions being imposed on Moscow by the U.S. and its allies.

The statement by Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council and Vladimir Putin's predecessor as president, came as the West sharply escalated sanctions on Moscow in efforts to degrade its ability to wage war in Ukraine.

"We need to (respond). Not only the authorities, the state, but all our people in general. After all, they - the U.S. and its crappy allies - have declared a war on us without rules!," Medvedev wrote on his official Telegram channel, which has over 1.3 million followers.

"Every day we should try to do maximum harm to those countries that have imposed these restrictions. Harm their economies, their institutions and their rulers. Harm the well-being of their citizens, their confidence in the future."

Diplomats say Medvedev gives a flavour of hardline and high level thinking in the Kremlin, though Kyiv and Kremlin critics play down his influence, casting him as a scaremonger whose job is to deter Western action over Ukraine.

In his latest comments he spoke of the need to find critical vulnerabilities in Western economies, to target energy, industry, transport, banking and social services, and to stir up social tensions.

Western officials have already spoken about suspected Russian sabotage activities across the West, including arson, with some calling for Russian diplomats' movements to be curbed.

The Kremlin, which said on Thursday it was considering retaliatory action against the U.S. that would best suit Moscow's own interests, and the Russian foreign ministry have rejected the sabotage allegations as false.

SPOILER

quote:

'FAKE NEWS'
Medvedev, who styled himself as a Western-friendly liberal during his 2008-12 presidency before reinventing himself as one of the Kremlin's toughest hawks, spoke of the need to step up an information war against the West.

"Are they screaming about our use of fake news? Let's turn their lives into a crazy nightmare in which they can't distinguish wild fiction from the realities of the day, infernal evil from the routine of life," he wrote.

Medvedev also called for Russia to weaponise space and arm the West's enemies, as the new U.S. sanctions forced Russia's leading exchange to halt dollar and euro trading, obscuring access to reliable pricing for the Russian currency.

Other new U.S. measures included targeting China-based firms selling semiconductors to Moscow and a move to raise "the risk of secondary sanctions for foreign financial institutions that deal with Russia's war economy", effectively threatening them with losing access to the U.S. financial system.

Group of Seven leaders were meanwhile gathering at their annual summit in Italy on Thursday and looked likely to announce that they have agreed at least in principle on plans to issue $50 billion of loans for Ukraine using interest from frozen Russian sovereign assets to back the multi-year debt package.

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 23:29 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
Dus de ervaring van de vliegers ansich is ondergeschikt aan de politiek ofzo? Volgens mij zitten we vwb de PRTL/Gepard op een gelijk niveau. Iedereen vond het maar een waardeloos circus tot nu.

Bottomline, de vliegers zijn gewoon meer dan tevreden over de F35.

quote:

Germany to transfer a quarter of its Patriot systems to Ukraine, says no more can be sent
Germany promises to transfer the third Patriot system to Ukraine starting mid-April

Germany will not be able to provide Ukraine with more than the three promised Patriot air defense systems, as the country cannot deliver additional systems, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said ahead of the 23rd meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in the Ramstein format, as reported by Tagesschau.

Pistorius called on NATO partners to support Ukraine by transferring additional air defense systems. He believes that "others probably can give at least one system" to Kyiv, and it is not only about Patriot systems.

According to him, Berlin can provide only three Patriots, which is a quarter of Germany's total stock of these systems.

Ukraine has been waiting for the transfer of the third Patriot system from Germany since mid-April. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently promised that this system would be delivered to the Ukrainian army "in the coming weeks and months." Before this, Germany had already transferred two Patriot systems to Kyiv.

Pistorius stressed that Berlin cannot provide Ukraine with more than these three systems.

quote:

China lobbies other nations for its peace plan ahead of Peace Summit – Reuters
China, which will not attend this weekend's Peace Summit in Switzerland, is lobbying world governments ahead of the Swiss meeting to promote its peace plan.

Source: Reuters citing 10 unnamed diplomats, European Pravda reports

Details: The diplomats said that as the Peace Summit approaches, China has stepped up its outreach activities through meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries, phone calls and messages to foreign missions on the Chinese platform WeChat.

Beijing's special envoy for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, visited T�rkiye, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates last month and met with officials from developing countries at their embassies in Beijing, diplomats said.

In explaining why it will not attend the Peace Summit, China is trying to engage developing countries in a six-point peace plan it unveiled with Brazil last month.

In conversations with developing countries, China did not criticise the summit in Switzerland and did not explicitly ask them to refrain from attending, Beijing diplomats told the agency.

SPOILER

quote:

But one diplomat with knowledge of the outreach said Beijing told developing countries that the Peace Summit would prolong the war. Two diplomats said that China has been telling Western countries that many developing countries share its views on the Peace Summit.

The Chinese proposal envisages holding an international peace conference "at a proper time that is recognised by both Russia and Ukraine, with equal participation of all parties as well as fair discussion of all peace plans".

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested that China could organise such a conference. Russian leader Vladimir Putin expressed support for the Chinese plan, saying that Beijing fully understands what is behind it.

Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that 45 countries supported the Chinese proposal, and more than two dozen had either joined or were "seriously considering" it.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said last week: "China sincerely hopes that a peace conference will not turn into a platform used to create bloc confrontation. Not attending it does not mean not supporting peace."

Background: Switzerland has changed the troublesome provisions of the final document of the Peace Summit, which could have had undesirable consequences for Ukraine – the text of the decision has been changed in recent days.

As a result, several states that had planned to attend the Peace Summit in Switzerland decided not to go there after the draft decision was changed in favour of Ukraine.

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 23:06 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

Maar met slechts 29 procent die volledig missie gereed is,

quote:

NATO members to crack down on Russian spies after spate of attacks
NATO has announced that its member countries will clamp down on Russian espionage following what the alliance’s secretary general described as a “Russian campaign of hostile activities against NATO allies.”

Jens Stoltenberg made the announcement on Thursday, ahead of a two-day meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels called to discuss how to counter the threat. The NATO chief said alliance members had experienced a growing wave of sabotage, arson, cyber-attacks, and disinformation in recent weeks.

He said the pattern indicated increased Russian intelligence activity in NATO countries and that the response would involve enhanced protection of maritime and cyber-critical infrastructure as well as "tighter restrictions on Russian intelligence personnel across the alliance."

Hundreds of alleged Russian spies have been expelled from NATO countries during a recent period of heightened tensions, and Moscow has responded with tit-for-tat expulsions.

NATO itself has also expelled “undeclared Russian intelligence officers,” which it said had been working at the country’s mission at the alliance’s HQ in Brussels.

SPOILER

quote:

Latvia’s defense minister, Andris Sprūds, said a "hybrid war" was being waged by Moscow against the military alliance, which he said particularly affected Latvia due to its proximity to Russia.

"We see it in Latvia, but also all around NATO countries, we see those potential incidents," he said in Brussels. "We deal with an aggressor country which has undermined the international rules-based order. Its activities don't come as a surprise."

In early May, NATO’s political executive, the North Atlantic Council, said its members were “deeply concerned about recent malign activities on allied territory, including those resulting in the investigation and charging of multiple individuals in connection with hostile state activity.”

Those concerns led both the North Atlantic Alliance and the European Union to formally condemn a perceived Kremlin intelligence and sabotage campaign.

Malicious activities
Counterintelligence operations in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and the United Kingdom uncovered acts that NATO described as “part of an intensifying campaign of activities which Russia continues to carry out across the Euro-Atlantic area, including on Alliance territory and through proxies.” Such activities included a “malicious cyber campaign” aimed at a German political party last year as well as Czech institutions.

“Allies also note with concern that the same threat actor targeted other national governmental entities, critical infrastructure operators, and other entities across the Alliance, including in Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Sweden,” NATO said at the time.

NATO’s words were swiftly followed by a statement from the European Council saying that the cyber-attack in Germany, which was attributed by Berlin to Russian intelligence, demonstrated Moscow’s “continuous pattern of irresponsible behavior in cyberspace, by targeting democratic institutions, government entities, and critical infrastructure providers across the European Union and beyond.”

In addition to cyber-attacks, a number of apparent acts of sabotage have been widely attributed to Moscow. These include a vital undersea cable being severed between the Svalbard archipelago and mainland Norway in 2022 and German railway cables being cut the same year.

quote:

Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 00:15 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
De VS heeft drie versies in dienst. De F-35A bij de luchtmacht, de B bij het korps mariniers en de C op vliegdekschepen. Dus hoe is dit op te vatten? Is dat voor alle varianten? Of doet de A het wel maar zijn er issues met de B versie? En definieer "volledig missie gereed".

quote:

Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 00:15 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
De VS heeft drie versies in dienst. De F-35A bij de luchtmacht, de B bij het korps mariniers en de C op vliegdekschepen. Dus hoe is dit op te vatten? Is dat voor alle varianten? Of doet de A het wel maar zijn er issues met de B versie? En definieer "volledig missie gereed".

quote:

Eight foreign ministers urge EU to restrict movement of Russian diplomats
A group of eight foreign ministers, including Poland’s Radosław Sikorski, has petitioned EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to impose restrictions on the movement of Russian diplomats within the European Union.

Their initiative proposes confining Russian diplomats to countries where they are officially accredited, effectively curtailing their freedom of movement across the Schengen area.

In their joint letter, the ministers from Poland, the Netherlands, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Romania, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania underscored concerns over the activities of Russian diplomats, citing their alleged roles in intelligence gathering, propaganda dissemination, and potential involvement in acts of sabotage.

They highlighted previous expulsions of Russian diplomats across EU member states as evidence of ongoing security threats posed by Moscow’s operatives.

SPOILER

quote:

The proposed restrictions aim to enhance security measures by limiting the operational reach of Russian diplomatic missions and their personnel.

The ministers argued that such measures align with international law, specifically referencing the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular Relations.

Last month, Sikorski announced unilateral restrictions on Russian diplomatic movements within Poland, allowing them only within designated regions, a move he urged other EU nations to consider.

The ministers acknowledged that Russia could retaliate but emphasized the need for collective preparedness among EU member states to respond proportionately.

“The potential reaction from Russia carries significantly lower costs than the potential damage that Russian diplomatic agents can inflict in Europe,” said the letter.

The issue is expected to be deliberated further at an upcoming EU foreign ministers' meeting scheduled for June 24 in Luxembourg.

quote:

Russians withdraw warplanes from attacked Mozdok military air base

^{Mozdok military air base without planes. June 2024, Russia. Satellite image by Planet Labs}

The Russians have withdrawn almost all of their combat aircraft from the Mozdok military air base, which was recently attacked by drones.

The military air base without planes was recorded by the Planet Labs satellite on June 12.

A satellite image of the aftermath of the strike on the military air base was also released. It shows a trail of fire caused by the fall and explosion of the drone.

However, the impact site is located 400 meters from the nearest aircraft parking lot.

The June 12 image also shows that at least some aircraft disappeared from the parking lot of the Mozdok military air base after the drone attack.

SPOILER

quote:

<sup>The site of a drone strike at the Russian Mozdok air base. June 2024, Russia. Satellite image by Planet Labs

The site of a drone strike at the Russian Mozdok air base. June 2024, Russia. Satellite image by Planet Labs

Russian aircraft at the Russian Mozdok military air base before the drone strike. June 2024, Russia. Satellite image by Planet Labs

Mozdok military air base without planes. June 2024, Russia. Satellite image by Planet Labs</sup>

The only “plane” visible on the satellite image is a painted one, created to try to mislead those who monitor the base.

It is also worth noting that on June 11, a Su-34 fighter bomber took off from this base and crashed. The plane crash occurred near the village of Gorny Dzuarikau, where locals heard an explosion at night.

As previously reported, a group of strike drones attacked a Russian military air base near the city of Mozdok in North Ossetia.

This is the first time that an attack on this air base has been reported. Russian troops use it in the war against Ukraine.

^{The city of Mozdok on the map}

The distance from Ukraine to this Russian aviation facility is approximately 1000 kilometers.

It is likely that the Russian military facility was attacked by Liutyi drones. That day, Russian Telegram channels published photos of the wreckage of allegedly Ukrainian Liutyi drones shot down in North Ossetia.

^{Debris from drones that attacked the Russian Mozdok military air base. June 8, 2024, Russia. Photo credits: Mash Telegram channel}

On June 11, Russia acknowledged that Ukrainian drones shot two of the state-of-the-art Su-57 fighter jets at the Akhtubinsk air base in the Astrakhan Oblast.

quote:

Slovenian media reveal the amount of military assistance to Ukraine

^{Transportation of Slovenian BOV armored vehicles to Ukraine. Photo credits: 24UR}

Slovenian journalists reported on previously unannounced arms supplies as part of military assistance for Ukraine.

Details of the deliveries were published on the 24UR website.

Since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Slovenia has provided the Ukrainian Defense Forces with a significant amount of armored vehicles, including M-55S tanks, M80A infantry fighting vehicles, and HMMWVs.

In addition to the equipment, a significant amount of infantry small arms and heavy weapons were also transferred. These include machine guns, assault rifles, rifles, twin 20mm Zastava M55 anti-aircraft guns, and reconnaissance drones.

SPOILER

quote:

^{Transportation of Slovenian M80A infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine. Photo credits: 24UR}

In addition to the already known deliveries, Slovenia has also transferred to Ukraine a certain number of armored vehicles that had not been publicly announced since the beginning of 2024.

Journalists reported that the Balkan country handed over 26 BOV all-wheel-drive armored vehicles. Six of them were armed with 20-mm M55A4B1 cannons and the other 20 with 12.7 mm machine guns.

The BOV is a 9-ton all-wheel-drive armored vehicle that has been manufactured at the facilities of Tovarna avtomobilov Maribor (TAM) since 1977.

BOV armored vehicles are welded from 5-8 mm thick steel sheets that provide protection in accordance with STANAG 4569 in the first class. It is capable of withstanding fire from light infantry weapons.

^{Transportation of Slovenian BOV armored vehicles to Ukraine. Photo credits: 24UR}

After the transfer of 35 previously announced M80A infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine, the country’s government has also transferred three additional infantry fighting vehicles.

In addition to heavier weapons, Slovenia also supplied military aid in the form of assault rifles, ammunition, and helmets.

Slovenia has also recently joined the Czech initiative to purchase artillery ammunition for Ukraine, allocating �1 million.

Also, at the end of last year, the government allocated �1.5 million for humanitarian demining in Ukraine.

quote:

Former NABU agent on derailed anti-corruption investigation — interview

^{Yevhen Shevchenko (Photo:Yevhen Shevchenko / Facebook)}

Public activist, entrepreneur, and former NABU [National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine] agent Yevhen Shevchenko spoke in an interview with NV Radio on June 11 about moles in the agency, leaked investigations, and massive corruption schemes leading to senior officials.

NV: NABU is investigating the Big Construction program [Zelenskyy-championed infrastructure plan], focusing on how funding for road construction in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast was administered. Over UAH 1.5 billion ($37 million) was awarded to local contractors there. Yuriy Holyk, a consultant at the President’s Office (PO), is under scrutiny: his phone was seized by the NABU. That’s what the public knows from several leaks about the investigation.

We then saw NABU detectives being investigated for allegedly leaking case materials. Later, NABU First Deputy Director Gizo Uglava was suspended.

SPOILER

quote:

After another leak, incumbent NABU Director Semen Kryvonos says the agency is now investigating these leaks. Given that you’re familiar with NABU, how does the agency view this series of events?
Shevchenko: It doesn’t directly affect their daily work. They have ongoing criminal proceedings, which are being investigated, interviews, etc.

The fact there’s a leak in NABU has been known for a long time. In fact, these leaks took place earlier. The first major leak was recorded, I think, sometime in 2017. As it was later found out during an investigation, it happened through the secretary of Kyiv’s Solomianskyi District Court—the HACC (High Anti-Corruption Court) didn’t exist at that time. Later, there were also certain leaks through HACC through the secretary of this institution. This was also found out and recorded. Nevertheless, in fact, these leaks weren’t systemic and related to some isolated cases.

But somewhere in 2021, strange things started happening. Detectives would often find that phones they seized in a given investigation have been wiped in advance, suspects would have no documents at home or in their cars. That is, as if warned in advance, persons of interest would completely erase the paper trail of their activities. And such things began to happen regularly.

They were connected directly with the entourage of incumbent authorities, i.e. directly with officials or with people who helped them rob our country, participating in corruption schemes. Of course, this worried everyone.

The fact that it has now become more or less clear and known, both to the general public and to detectives, is usually taken positively by detectives. Because they realize the leaks are coming from a high level, they directly related to top officials, major corruption schemes, and the leak came from NABU’s leadership.

Of course, they hope to set the record straight soon, minimize possible losses to future or current criminal investigations.

Read also: NABU official leaked investigation data, says Ukrainian activist

NV: How can we estimate the impact of these leaks and investigations?
Shevchenko: I don’t want to name the people in question. But, I think, these names, at least one of them, are known to everyone. This is a top official who, in fact, makes many decisions in our country.

NV: Are you talking about PO Deputy Head Oleh Tatarov, or about Zelenskyy’s Chief-of-Staff, Andriy Yermak?
Shevchenko: You know, I don’t have all the facts right now, I don’t want to throw around names. At any rate, the investigation led [to top officials]. It’s clear that the former Dnipropetrovsk regional officials were not the ultimate beneficiaries of these corruption schemes.

That is, corruption schemes worth billions are impossible, unfortunately [without approval at the top level]. Just like under [former presidents – Leonid] Kuchma, under [Viktor] Yushchenko, under [Viktor] Yanukovych, under [Petro] Poroshenko, and yes, unfortunately, under [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy.

Indeed, in my 41 years, I remember all these stages, better or worse, but systemic corruption has been in Ukraine since the 1990s, unfortunately. And the largest schemes were possible only and exclusively with the participation of the current government and its most senior representatives.

Therefore, the investigation wasn’t aimed at arresting local Dnipropetrovsk Oblast officials. The detectives wanted and aimed to arrest top national officials, who, unfortunately, instead of protecting state interests, protected exclusively their personal interests and access to illicit enrichment.

This operation could have led to a change in Ukraine’s political landscape, the current government, the current administration. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen and won’t happen within this investigation. There are consequences measured in billions of dollars of losses for Ukraine, because these corrupt officials, who ransacked the country, remain in their posts. We understand they see Ukraine exclusively as an opportunity for personal enrichment.

Unfortunately, the consequences of their misconduct then reflect on the ongoing war. They are measured not only in billions of dollars lost, but also in concrete lives of our people. Because the more corrupt officials steal money, the less weapons, ammunition, thermal imagers, drones our military will receive... And all this ultimately leads to higher losses in the war, unfortunately. This is how I view it, personally.

Read also: NABU chief dismisses first deputy over potential information leak

NV: Let’s talk more about the leaks. Journalists mentioned Uglava’s several times. He’s the first deputy head (now suspended) and has been working in the agency since its inception. Why did the suspicion immediately fall on him?
Shevchenko: I can confirm 100% that he leaked the information. I can say this for sure. I hope he eventually gets charged with a crime, stands trial, and gets five to 10 years in prison. I don’t know exactly what article of the criminal code he’ll be charged with. But it would be very good.

I probably cannot say anything more at the moment. The investigation is still underway.

NV: Uglava is NABU’s First Deputy Director. What powers and what influence does he have in the agency?
Shevchenko: A very interesting question, indeed, because, from a legal point of view, he has no authority to control or conduct investigative actions. He has a purely administrative function, just like the NABU director, by the way. That is, their task is to provide detectives with everything necessary to do their jobs.

But in fact, Uglava’s influence eclipsed that of his boss, Semen Kryvonos. Uglava did everything to get rid of Andriy Kaluzhynskyi, who was the head of detectives for a long time and exercised control over all NABU operations, and who was also mentioned in the correspondence in the Bihus.Info investigation, where it was discussed how they really don’t like Kaluzhynskyi.

Uglava got rid of Kaluzhynskyi by changing NABU’s staffing structure. They simply abolished his position. After that, Uglava became the sole head of all detectives, the entire NABU, and gained enormous influence and control, access to all case files.

Read also: NABU conducts raids in Poland and Ukraine as part of investigation into arms sales

NV: What are the optimistic and pessimistic scenarios for this case?
Shevchenko: As for me, for a person who spent more than one year investigating corrupt senior officials, I know exactly how unfortunate it is when an operation that you spent half a year or a year on collapses (this happened to me too, unfortunately). Given this, there can be only one optimistic scenario.

All the people who were involved in the leak, in helping corrupt officials to avoid any consequences of their criminal activities, should be convicted and end up in prison. This will be a good and meaningful example for all other officials who may someday think about whether to engage in corruption or not.

The pessimistic scenario—not enough evidence to charge Uglava. But even if he isn’t charged, I don’t see how he can stay in office, given the resonance of this case. In fact, if he had any honor at all, he would have resigned, given the fact that he no longer enjoys any trust in the agency.

It’s important for the prosecution to have evidence that will be admitted in the courts and based on which the suspects can be charged. But very often it happens that the evidence isn’t enough, even though everyone understands the general picture.

And this is exactly the case when everyone understands the general picture, everyone understands that Uglava leaked the cases, that he negotiated with the current administration, and no one will work with him anymore. Of course, no one will do any business with him. So, I think one way or another he’ll definitely lose his position, but let’s wait and see.

quote:

The US ambassador explains Biden's statement about ‘peace in Ukraine without NATO’
Ukraine still has some work to be done before it becomes NATO member, US Permanent Representative to NATO Julianne Smith said on June 12 commenting on President Joe Biden's recent statement regarding Ukraine's “not-necessary” NATO membership.

She made her remark after US President’s interview with TIME, in particular, his words that peace in Ukraine will be achieved when Russia is unable to occupy the country, however, in his opinion, NATO membership was not necessary for this.

“Ukraine will become a member of the Alliance – NATO leaders confirmed it last year,” she said.

"The Ukrainians still have some work to do to meet the criteria and implement the reforms that are necessary for NATO membership – that is exactly what the President [Joe Biden] meant in that interview."

quote:

Armenia PM: I will not travel to Belarus from now on as long as President Alexander Lukashenko is there
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that he will never go to Belarus again. He announced this in his address during the debates on the Armenian government's 2023 state budget performance, in the National Assembly Thursday.

Speaking about the complicated relations between Armenia and the CSTO, the PM recalled the scandalous statement by the president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko.

"One of the heads of the CSTO states says that he participated in the preparation of the war [in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020], encouraged, believed, and wished for the victory of Azerbaijan. And after that, I will go to discuss something with the leader of Belarus in the format of the CSTO," said Pashinyan, at the same time allowing contacts within the CIS and EAEU.

"I declare that I will not travel to Belarus from now on as long as President Alexander Lukashenko is in Belarus. And in general, I declare that from now on, no official representative of Armenia will go to Belarus; at all," Pashinyan promised.

As for Armenia's membership in the CSTO, theoretically, Pashinyan does not exclude anything. For example, if Belarus itself leaves CSTO, or the president of Belarus finds words of apology and explanation for the people of Armenia, which will be acceptable to the people of Armenia.

quote:

Medvedev threatens space war with US in response to new sanctions
Dmitry Medvedev, a prominent Kremlin spokesperson, reacted sharply on Telegram to new restrictions that halted currency trading on the Moscow Exchange on June 13.

Unable to match the economic prowess of the United States, Medvedev resorted to threatening rhetoric, vowing to arm terrorist regimes and criminal groups opposed to the West with unlimited weaponry.

Medvedev escalated his threats by declaring a "space war" against the United States, intensifying his stance with provocative language. "They fear a war in space? They will get it," Medvedev stated, further cursing, "Let everything stop for them, let everything go wrong, let everything go to shit."

This outburst comes in response to increased international pressures and sanctions impacting Russia's financial systems and reflects a continuation of the aggressive posture adopted by Russian officials in the geopolitical arena.

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Deserter shoots at monastery in Russian Federation, woman wounded

A Russian deserter in an inadequate state opened fire near a monastery in Russia's Kaluga region.
In the Kaluga region of Russia, a previously convicted Russian deserter who escaped from the war in Ukraine staged a shooting attack near the Optina Pustyn monastery. He wounded a woman and engaged in a shootout with police officers. About it reports the Telegram-channel ASTRA.

The shooter turned out to be 31-year-old Russian serviceman Andrei Dymovskikh. He served in the 41772, previously convicted on 158 and 226 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Dymovskikh escaped from the war in Ukraine.

During the shooting, a local resident was slightly wounded.

In the region introduced a plan "Siren", the deserter Dymovskikh fled into the forest. At night, he opened fire at police officers during an attempt to detain him. The shooter was detained in the morning.

During the search for the shooter, the guard of the monastery accidentally shot at the police, mistaking them for criminals.

A video of the attack was published online. The shooter in camouflage with a machine gun threatens two women in scarves and shoots into the ground. Because of a bounced piece of asphalt, one of them was slightly injured.

Earlier Socialportal reported that the police in the Kirov region of the Russian Federation stopped the car with two occupants and the corpse of their colleague.

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Ukrainian Ministry of Defense contracts Wolly remote weapon systems

The Ministry of Defense has contracted Wolly remote weapon systems manufactured by the Ukrainian company DevDroid.

Yuriy Poritsky, founder of DevDroid, reported this to dev.ua.

The Ukrainian arms company DevDroid has received a government order to supply Wolly RWS for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

According to the contract, the order for 40 systems should be completed by July this year.

According to Poritsky, the cost of the system, which includes a robotic turret and a control panel, reaches $10,000.

“This is actually the price of a machine gunner’s life on the line of fire,” Poritsky notes. He added that in case of damage to the turret, a replacement unit for the system can be purchased for USD 5,000.

Currently, the Ukrainian military already uses Wolly robotic turrets at the front line. The company supplies the systems to the 3rd Assault Brigade at its own expense.

SPOILER

quote:

Wolly turrets
The Wolly turret is designed to mount 7.62 mm machine guns, including Soviet PKTs. The system operator can fire remotely at a distance of up to 100 meters from the turret.

The module is controlled via a tablet and gamepad. It can operate autonomously for 130 hours and weighs 30 kg (excluding the weight of the ammunition).

Турель Wolly

According to the developers, Wolly can be permanently installed in a trench with a control cable to the dugout.

A neural network is integrated into the equipment’s combat system, which automatically calculates the distance to the object and ballistics, thus increasing the accuracy of fire. The manufacturers also claimed the ability to recognize targets.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Defense contracted the supply of ShaBlya remote-controlled turrets.

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Ukrainian FPV Drones Successfully Strike Russian Military Targets in East

Warriors of the separate Special Operations Center “West” showed the work of FPV drone operators in the eastern direction.

The corresponding video was released by the press service of the Special Operations Forces (SOF).

During the combat mission of SOF operators, the enemy lost an infantry fighting vehicle and two cars.

In addition, two ammunition depots were hit, four Russian servicemen were eliminated, and three more were injured.

🔥Оператори FPV дронів ССО нищать росіян на сході

SPOILER

quote:

Combat missions of SOF
Recently, Militarnyi reported that the operators of the Special Operations Forces, with the help of strike drones, for the first time hit the Russian R-416GM communication station in the Kharkiv region.

The operators of the Special Operations Center “West,” while working in one of the operational directions, identified the Russian R-416GM Granit-M digital radio relay station.

Previously, on June 7, it was reported that the soldiers of the 73rd Naval Special Purpose Center discovered the location of the Russians and adjusted HIMARS fire on it.

The crew of the UAV of the 73rd Naval Special Purpose Center, during reconnaissance in the south direction, discovered the place of concentration of the invaders’ forces.

In addition to the enemy’s manpower, dugouts, ground shelters, and equipment were spotted.

It was also reported that the operators of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine hit elements of the Russian 35N6 Kasta UHF-band low-altitude two-coordinate radar system.

The video shows two vehicles from the system: a KamAZ-4310 truck carrying the antenna and a command post vehicle on the same base.

The hit of the elements of the system occurred using a kamikaze drone, which is similar to the domestic RAM II loitering munition.

quote:

Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 00:42 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:
Ik moet wel zeggen dat ik hier (hemelsbreed 14 kilometer van Volkel) tot op heden wel nog steeds meer, en vaker, F16's zie vliegen dan F35's.

Terwijl Nederland momenteel 24 actieve F16's heeft versus 33 F35's (waarvan 8 in de VS staan voor opleiding).

Dat valt me al maanden op.

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US should match NATO members' contributions to Ukraine's weapon fund – Stoltenberg
NATO Secretary General stated that this amounts to $40 billion annually, half of which should be provided by the U.S.

The United States should provide half of the funds for NATO's arms procurement fund for Ukraine, and this fund should total $40 billion per year, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced at a press conference.

According to Stoltenberg, on Friday, June 14, NATO is expected to approve a detailed plan for supplying weapons to Ukraine.

"Its volume will be $40 billion a year, and contributions to this fund should be proportional to GDP. The U.S. GDP is half of the total GDP of NATO countries so the United States will provide half of this fund, and European countries and Canada will provide the rest," Stoltenberg said.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is running for a second term, said in April that European countries should increase their military aid to Ukraine to match that of the U.S. He made the statement in the context of whether he would continue to support Ukraine if he wins the election.

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Russian warships in Cuba are no threat, US says

US officials have played down Wednesday's arrival of four Russian naval vessels in Cuba for military drills.
The visit of the vessels - which include a nuclear-powered submarine and a frigate - have been seen as a show of force amid Moscow's tensions with the West over the war in Ukraine.
They are anchored at the Havana Bay - some 90 miles (145km) from the US state of Florida.
"We of course take it seriously, but these exercises don't pose a threat to the United States," the Pentagon said.
The Russian moves were consistent with "routine naval visits that we've seen under different administrations," press secretary Sabrina Singh added.
Russia's defence ministry says the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and the Kazan submarine are both carriers of advanced weapons, including hypersonic missiles Zircon. They earlier conducted missile drills in the Atlantic.
But Cuba's foreign ministry says none of the vessels has nuclear arms on board, and their five-day visit does not pose a threat to the region.
US officials say they are closely monitoring the visit. The US Navy also used sea drones to shadow the Russian vessels as they got close to Cuba, BBC's US partner CBS reports.

SPOILER

quote:

Early on a grey and overcast morning, the Russian vessels entered Havana Bay, flanked by smaller support vessels, to a 21-gun salute.
In a statement, Russia's defence minister said the visit was unofficial, allowing the vessels' crews to "rest and get acquainted with local attractions".
Russia has sent warships to Cuba in the past and the two nations are long-standing allies - but the timing of these particular exercises stands out.
Coming amid growing tensions over Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the operation is being interpreted by some as sabre-rattling by Moscow.
Certainly, it appears to send a pretty clear message from the Kremlin to Washington about what they consider to be meddling in their backyard.
The visit is an important symbol of support to the communist-run government in Cuba and its socialist ally, Venezuela, where the warships may sail to next after they finish in Havana.
In essence, while the visit may be considered broadly routine, the context of wider global hostilities in which it is taking place is anything but.

SPOILER

quote:

Translation ( to clarify, these are Russians in the video watching their own guy being hunted):
"What a chad! Is he alone? There is a FPV drone! (drone explodes) Shit! He got hit in the leg! He is 300... Wait, he is crawling... Yep, it's his leg, but he is still a chad... Why did he go by himself? Is he shooting? Yes, he is! Is that a 'bird' flying? Yes... (Explosion) Fucking A! It got blown! He got it! Is he a Rambo or what? Fucking tiger! Would you look at that?! Fuck, there is a third drone coming! How many drones do they have? He is shooting at it... Get it, get it! It is circling around him... (Explosion) Fucking A! What a guy! I'm gonna have a heart attack with all this stress..."

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Estonian-made combat robots in Ukraine now come with Starlink

^{This picture taken on March 21, 2022, shows a view of Milrem Robotics' Estonian-built THeMIS (Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System) unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) on display at the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition (DIMDEX), in Qatar's capital Doha. (Photo by Karim Jaafar/AFP via Getty Images)}

Estonian-made THeMIS unmanned ground vehicles operating in Ukraine will feature Starlink satellite connectivity, enabling their operation from thousands of kilometers away, the robot manufacturer announced on Wednesday.

A vehicle equipped to that effect, made by United Arab Emirates-owned and Estonia-based Milrem Robotics, will be unveiled at the company’s during Eurosatory 2024 trade show that begins next week, according to a company statement,

SPOILER

quote:

Specifically, a THeMIS variant devoted to cargo transportation will feature the Starlink hookup, a constellation of internet satellites operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Milrem has given more than dozen THeMIS vehicles to Ukrainian forces.

The Estonian company sought out the expertise of the Dutch datalinks firm AEC Skyline for the integration of the vehicles’ latest add-on feature, Milrem said.

“By leveraging satellite connectivity, the THeMIS robotic vehicle, which is currently assisting Ukrainian soldiers in the war with Russia, can seamlessly transmit data, receive commands, and relay vital information in real-time, regardless of its location on the battlefield,” the Milrem statement reads.

Using the Starlink satellite system requires a ground terminal, which SpaceX started shipping to Kyiv only hours after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, according to the BBC. As of June 2023, the British broadcaster reported that there were tens of thousands of terminals in Ukraine, including 500 bought by the U.S. Department of Defense.

Starlink satellites operate in low-Earth orbit at less than 600 kilometers (370 miles) above the earth, according to the company. Being closer to Earth translates into better performance for the system’s intended applications.

Last month, Russian Telegram channels published photos of what they alleged showed a badly damaged, captured model of the combat robot. A Milrem spokesman declined at the time to comment, stating only that the company was aware of the images.

quote:

Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 01:21 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]
Dat zijn een hele hoop drones die Oekra�ne gebruikt, waarvan slechts een klein percentage bij hun doelwit aankomt en doen wat er van ze verwacht worden.

New deadly Veloce jet-powered drone for Ukraine to rival Iranian Shahed 238

SPOILER

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 01:59 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg66g0neweko
[..]

SPOILER

[..]

Filmpje in het artikel.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 01:54 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]
Al dat nucleaire gedreig steeds weer heeft inderdaad ervoor gezorgd dat het grootste gedeelte van de wereld hun niet meer serieus neemt wanneer het op dit soort dreigementen aankomt.

Net zoals het verzenden van dat schip en de onderzeeboot (met sleepboot/brandstof boot) naar Cuba toe ook geen impact heeft gemaakt. Het was ongetwijfeld de bedoeling om het westen aan het beven te krijgen. Maar ja ondertussen weten wij wel dat hun vloot een lachertje is.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 01:21 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]
Dat zijn een hele hoop drones die Oekra�ne gebruikt, waarvan slechts een klein percentage bij hun doelwit aankomt en doen wat er van ze verwacht worden.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 01:29 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
De meeste F-35's staan toch op Leeuwarden?

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VS en Oekra�ne tekenen veiligheidsdeal voor tien jaar

De Oekra�ense president Zelenski en zijn Amerikaanse ambtgenoot Joe Biden hebben een veiligheidsovereenkomst getekend met een looptijd van tien jaar.

olgens de tekst is de overeenkomst bedoeld als een stap in de richting van een Oekra�ens NAVO-lidmaatschap. De overeenkomst werd getekend in de marge van de G7-top in Itali�.

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"De partijen erkennen dat deze overeenkomst een brug slaat naar het uiteindelijke lidmaatschap van Oekra�ne van de NAVO", aldus de tekst.

Zelenski heeft al langer de wens om Oekra�ne lid te maken van de NAVO, maar het bondgenootschap wil nog niet zover gaan uit angst voor een directe confrontatie met Rusland.

De overeenkomst moet samenwerking regelen op alle mogelijke niveaus, ook met betrekking tot militaire uitrusting, training en operationele acties.

Bidens nationale veiligheidsadviseur Jake Sullivan zei woensdag dat de overeenkomst niet betekent dat Washington verplicht wordt om troepen in te zetten in Oekra�ne of om specifieke wapensystemen te leveren.

In de overeenkomst spreken de landen af dat bij een gewapende aanval op of dreiging tegen Oekra�ne topdiplomaten uit beide landen binnen 24 uur bijeenkomen voor overleg.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 09:49 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:

[..]
In het begin kwamen de F35's eerst naar Leeuwarden, pas veel later naar Volkel.

Momenteel hebben wij 24 actieve F16's en 33 F35's, waarvan er 8 permanent in de VS staan.
Dus 25 F35's in Nederland.

Je zou denken dat die inmiddels redelijk gelijk over Leeuwarden en Volkel verdeeld zijn.

Wellicht weet @:AchJa daar iets meer over.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 07:45 schreef Perrin het volgende:
[ x ]

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 09:54 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

Zo, benieuwd wat er geraakt is.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 01:59 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg66g0neweko
[..]

SPOILER

[..]

Filmpje in het artikel.

quote:

Op donderdag 13 juni 2024 23:27 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://mil.in.ua/en/news(...)-of-the-netherlands/
[..]

SPOILER

[..]

quote:

Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 11:53 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

quote:

Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 12:15 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Vreselijke beelden.
Zulke videos zouden niet gedeeld moeten worden door Oekra�ners.

Of misschien geblurred ofzo.

https://x.com/clashreport(...)i1jBmwI0Rgqrt4Q&s=19

quote:

Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 12:15 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Vreselijke beelden.
Zulke videos zouden niet gedeeld moeten worden door Oekra�ners.

Of misschien geblurred ofzo.

https://x.com/clashreport(...)i1jBmwI0Rgqrt4Q&s=19

quote:

Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 12:53 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:
Filmpje doet het hier niet (heb geen Twitter/X).

quote:

Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 12:53 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:
Filmpje doet het hier niet (heb geen Twitter/X).

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 10:57 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Deze is ook relevant:

[ afbeelding ]

Dan vraag je je serieus af wat voor zielig randvolk alhier precies de pro-rus uithangt? Dat zielige volk is gewoon een zeer extreem kleine minderheid, met een buitensporig grote smoel, voor hoe groot de aanhang voor hun fascistoide ideeen precies is.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 12:53 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:
Filmpje doet het hier niet (heb geen Twitter/X).

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 12:05 schreef Perrin het volgende:
Als het Kremlin het ontkent dan weet je dat het waar is.
[ x ]

quote:

Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 13:23 schreef oheng het volgende:
RIA: putin is bereid tot een staakt-het-vuren
... zodra Oekraine de Donbass, Kherson, Zaporizhia overhandigt...

quote:

Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 12:15 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Vreselijke beelden.
Zulke videos zouden niet gedeeld moeten worden door Oekra�ners.

Of misschien geblurred ofzo.

https://x.com/clashreport(...)i1jBmwI0Rgqrt4Q&s=19

quote:

Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 12:14 schreef polderturk het volgende:

[..]
CV90 klinkt als de nieuwe Volvo.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 13:31 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Nou ja, Oekra�ne loopt wel een risico. Zodra Steiner de aanval inzet zouden de Russen wel een kunnen doorbreken.

quote:

Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 14:00 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Ik vraag me af wat voor informatie hij krijgt voorgeschoteld.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 13:55 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
Is Steiner in dit geval de Kadyrovites of de 155e marine brigade?

Wel typisch dat putin uitgerekend nu 180 graden draait en nu ineens w�l wil praten met het "illegale nazi regime in Kyiv".
Hiermee geeft hij iig toe dat zijn strategische doelen, "denazificatie en demilitarisatie" onherroepelijk gefaald zijn.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 14:59 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Hij klinkt een beetje wanhopig. Ik zie geen reden om dat -cancelcultuur invoeren op sancties- te doen zolang Rusland ook maar ��n vierkante centimeter Oekra�ne bezet.

[ x ]

quote:

Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 14:38 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Of hij snapt dat hij zichzelf in de problemen heeft gebracht. Elke dag dat Rusland vecht worden ze zwakker, en elke dag wordt Oekra�ne sterker. Hij heeft tijd nodig om de rest van de puinzooi van zijn beleid ook op te kunnen lossen. Maar kan alleen als er geen oorlog is. Dus dan maar zo'n aanbod doen en dan hopen dat er druk vanuit het westen komt op Oekra�ne om toch maar te gaan praten. En dan kan Poetin een wapenstilstand met de huidige frontlinies als winst verkopen.

Maar daar trappen we niet meer in. Dat lukte hem in 2014, maar niet nog een keer.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 15:07 schreef koemleit het volgende:

[..]
begrijp het niet goed,
die sancties hadden toch geen effect? 0 last hadden ze er van.
ze werden er zelfs sterker door.

toch?

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 15:21 schreef Ulx het volgende:
En Poetin maakt duidelijk dat 'ontwapenen' en 'denazificeren' geen redenen waren Oekra�ne binnen te vallen. Dit voorstel bevestigt wat ik al sinds 2014 zeg: Het is gewoon doodordinaire landjepik.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 15:44 schreef TheFreshPrince het volgende:
Iemand enig idee waarom er net 10 straaljagers laag over m'n huis overkwamen (Frysl�n, net boven Drachten)? Zag er uit als F16's.

Zijn die voor Oekra�ne? Training?

quote:

Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 15:44 schreef TheFreshPrince het volgende:
Iemand enig idee waarom er net 10 straaljagers laag over m'n huis overkwamen (Frysl�n, net boven Drachten)? Zag er uit als F16's.

Zijn die voor Oekra�ne? Training?

quote:

Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 14:59 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Hij klinkt een beetje wanhopig. Ik zie geen reden om dat -cancelcultuur invoeren op sancties- te doen zolang Rusland ook maar ��n vierkante centimeter Oekra�ne bezet.

[ x ]

quote:

Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 15:54 schreef AgLarrr het volgende:

[..]
Volgens mij zijn ze zich in het Kremlin te pletter geschrokken en doet dit behoorlijk pijn.

quote:

Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 14:59 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Hij klinkt een beetje wanhopig. Ik zie geen reden om dat -cancelcultuur invoeren op sancties- te doen zolang Rusland ook maar ��n vierkante centimeter Oekra�ne bezet.

[ x ]

quote:

Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 15:52 schreef zalkc het volgende:

[..]
Nee, is persoonlijk tegen jou gericht om je lastig te vallen op je rustige vrijdagmiddag.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 15:53 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Nee, er komen 250 Su-57's aan.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 17:20 schreef Cilantro het volgende:
[ x ]

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 17:30 schreef xzaz het volgende:

[..]
Lijkt me weinig verandering.. de straaljagers waren al weg?

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 17:23 schreef TheFreshPrince het volgende:

[..]
[..]
Maar zonder gekheid, er vliegen hier heel wat militaire toestellen rond en ik heb ook ooit in het Westeinde van Leeuwarden gewoond met uitzicht op de vliegbasis maar het is wel even geleden dat ik 10 F16's in formatie zag vliegen. En nog steeds minder lawaai dan een F22 want dan trillen de kopjes in m'n keukenkastje

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 17:23 schreef TheFreshPrince het volgende:

...En nog steeds minder lawaai dan een F22 want dan trillen de kopjes in m'n keukenkastje

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 17:23 schreef TheFreshPrince het volgende:

[..]
[..]
Maar zonder gekheid, er vliegen hier heel wat militaire toestellen rond en ik heb ook ooit in het Westeinde van Leeuwarden gewoond met uitzicht op de vliegbasis maar het is wel even geleden dat ik 10 F16's in formatie zag vliegen. En nog steeds minder lawaai dan een F22 want dan trillen de kopjes in m'n keukenkastje

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 08:45 schreef Glazenmaker het volgende:

[..]
In Afghanistan was het zo'n 250000 kogels per kill voor de Amerikanen. Deze drone cijfers zijn dus al aardig goed hoor.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 13:23 schreef oheng het volgende:
RIA: putin is bereid tot een staakt-het-vuren
... zodra Oekraine de Donbass, Kherson, Zaporizhia overhandigt...

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 18:28 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
F22???

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 09:49 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:

[..]
In het begin kwamen de F35's eerst naar Leeuwarden, pas veel later naar Volkel.

Momenteel hebben wij 24 actieve F16's en 33 F35's, waarvan er 8 permanent in de VS staan.
Dus 25 F35's in Nederland.

Je zou denken dat die inmiddels redelijk gelijk over Leeuwarden en Volkel verdeeld zijn.

Wellicht weet @:AchJa daar iets meer over.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 13:25 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

Verstandig. Ze doen niet mee met militaire steun voor Oekra�ne dus het lijkt me ook hun zaak niet.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 18:40 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
322Sqn LWD en 313Sqn VKL zijn nu voorzien, 312Sqn VKL moet ze nog krijgen.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 18:35 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
Dat overigens wel inclusief opleiding, training en intern gebruik...

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 12:15 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Vreselijke beelden.
Zulke videos zouden niet gedeeld moeten worden door Oekra�ners.

Of misschien geblurred ofzo.

https://x.com/clashreport(...)i1jBmwI0Rgqrt4Q&s=19

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 18:46 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

[..]
Wat is intern gebruik los van trainingen? Teamkill?

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 18:46 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

Wat is intern gebruik los van trainingen? Teamkill?

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 18:55 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
Het is het totale munitieverbruik. Dus ook voor homeland security, bewaking, etc. Ze hebben gewoon de complete munitieproductie/-verbruik gedeeld door het aantal geschatte dode terroristen... Het is dus een beetje een simplistisch verhaal.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 18:42 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:

[..]
Thanks

Hoeveel F35's heeft/krijgt elk squadron?

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 18:35 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
Dat overigens wel inclusief opleiding, training en intern gebruik...

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 18:38 schreef TheFreshPrince het volgende:

[..]


Oh ja, F35.

Moest ff koffie drinken.

Jij zal die toestellen vandaag ook wel gezien of minimaal gehoord hebben?

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 17:42 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:
F
[..]
F22

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 19:04 schreef spicymchaggis het volgende:

[..]
��n keer in m'n leven gezien en vooral gehoord, net zo'n indrukwekkend geluid als de Avro Vulcan bommenwerper uit de koude oorlog.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 18:55 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
Het is het totale munitieverbruik. Dus ook voor homeland security, bewaking, etc. Ze hebben gewoon de complete munitieproductie/-verbruik gedeeld door het aantal geschatte dode terroristen... Het is dus een beetje een simplistisch verhaal.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 19:02 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
Neen, zit een stuk zuidelijker op een cursus.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 19:05 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:

[..]
Die heb ik jaren geleden mogen aanschouwen op Volkel, deed later ook een fly-over

Een van de 2 overgebleven exemplaren was dat.
Zeer indrukwekkend toestel

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 19:01 schreef Glazenmaker het volgende:

Heb jij voor je opleiding 100.000 kogels verschoten denk je?

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 18:38 schreef TheFreshPrince het volgende:

[..]


Oh ja, F35.

Moest ff koffie drinken.

Jij zal die toestellen vandaag ook wel gezien of minimaal gehoord hebben?

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Details emerge of security agreement between Ukraine, US to strengthen partnership
The agreement will be valid for 10 years from the moment of its signing

The President's Office published the full text of the security agreement between Ukraine and the United States, which was signed by the leaders of the two countries on June 13. The document contains provisions on military cooperation, development of the Ukrainian army, US assistance in Ukraine's implementation of reforms necessary for European and North Atlantic integration, etc.

Help in case of a repeated attack
In the event that Ukraine is again attacked by Russia or another country, Washington and Kyiv should immediately hold a meeting, preferably within 24 hours at the highest level.

By mutual agreement, decisions can be made on defense and deterrence measures in the economic, military or political spheres, in particular, it can be sanctions against the aggressor or export controls.

SPOILER

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Cooperation in the field of defense and security as a means of building the future Armed Forces of Ukraine
This includes cooperation in:
• Training and military education programs;
• Provision of defense articles and services;
• Combined military maneuvers and exercises;
• Increased defense industrial cooperation consistent with applicable agreements and arrangements between the Parties;
• Continued joint planning to confront threats to the Parties, including guiding principles, respective rules of engagement, and command and control, as appropriate;
• Cooperation to promote cybersecurity and protection of critical infrastructure;
• Cooperation to develop Ukraine’s capabilities to counter Russian and any other propaganda and disinformation;
• Cooperation to promote regional peace and security in the Black Sea;
• Cooperation to support unexploded ordnance removal and demining;
• Other cooperation as may be mutually decided upon by the Parties.

Ukraine and the United States also agree to promote appropriate intelligence sharing and deepening of cooperation between their intelligence services, the scope and order of which will be determined by their respective intelligence and security agencies.

US assistance in carrying out the reforms necessary for Ukraine to join the EU and NATO
Ukraine and the United States undertake to cooperate for the implementation of reforms of democratic, economic, defense and security institutions on the way to the EU and NATO.

According to the agreement, Ukraine should make efforts to:
• Strengthening Ukrainian justice sector reform to promote the independence and integrity of the judiciary;
• Implementing robust anti-corruption measures, including strengthening all independent state anti-corruption institutions such as the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine;
• Implementing reforms in law enforcement, security, tax, and customs institutions to resolve jurisdictional issues, and to improve transparency and accountability and strengthen the rule of law;
• Bolstering corporate governance to meet Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development principles in state-owned and defense enterprises to encourage foreign investor confidence and investment;
• Adopting NATO standards of transparency, accountability, and competition in the management and oversight of security and procurement policy and practice;
• Transforming defense planning and resource management systems to increase transparency, improve efficiency, and increase interoperability with NATO;
• Reorganizing command and control structures in accordance with NATO principles to increase interoperability and ensure effective civilian oversight;
• Modernizing defense human resource management and military education systems to align with NATO principles and standards.

In the agreement, the USA confirms that the future of Ukraine lies in NATO. The parties recognize that this agreement serves as a link to Ukraine's future membership in the Alliance.

Development of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
The United States undertakes to support Ukraine in building a multi-level, integrated air and missile defense system.

In particular, it includes:
→ development of movement and maneuver doctrine and capabilities, to include sustainment of legacy armored, mechanized, and motorized capabilities, and to work with allies and partners to support the acquisition of modern platforms to support Ukraine’s maneuver force requirements.
→ modernization of Ukraine’s Air Force, including working toward procurement of squadrons of modern fighter aircraft, sustainment, armament, and associated training to support fourth generation fighter capability (including, but not limited to, F-16 multi-role aircraft), as well as other air domain capabilities such as transport and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms (including unmanned).
→ The United States, in coordination with allies and partners, commits to support the improvement of Ukraine’s capacity to defend its territorial waters and promote Black Sea regional security.

The agreement will be valid for 10 years from the moment of its signing.

On April 28, 2024, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine's security agreement with the United States should be the most powerful among identical agreements already concluded with other allies.

On June 13, Zelenskyy and Biden signed a security agreement.

In total, Ukraine has already concluded 17 bilateral security agreements: with Britain, Germany, France, Denmark, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Latvia, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Sweden, Iceland and Norway, and Japan.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 19:17 schreef Straatcommando. het volgende:

[..]
Wel grappig dat je F22 zegt, want 35's zijn inderdaad luid. Een F22 full chat klinkt alsof de poorten van de hel openen.

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Cars and houses submerged in severe flooding in Moscow
Roads left flooded and vehicles underwater in parts of the capital after heavy showers on Thursday, according to Russian media

Moscow has been hit by heavy rainfall, with dramatic footage apparently showing severe flooding in the Russian capital.

Videos shared on social media and reported on Russian media site Meduza appeared to show cars and buses submerged in water, with people wading through the waist-deep flooding in some areas.

Roads were flooded in the north of the city, flooding underground car parks and shopping centres, it added.

The heavy showers on Thursday triggered an “orange” weather warning for rain and “yellow” alert for thunderstorms.

SPOILER

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Russian state media reported that almost a month’s worth of rain fell in some areas of Moscow in a few hours, citing the capital’s authorities.

Forecasters said that since the beginning of June, 162 per cent of monthly precipitation had already fallen in Moscow.

The transport department said that trains on the capital’s metro were disrupted due to the heavy rain.

The Russian news website Mash reported people “floating along multi-storey buildings on Klyazminskaya Street” north of the city.

“Cars are drifting nearby, the storm drain can’t cope with the volume of water. The street is blocked,” the media outlet said, adding that residents in the nearby Dmitrovsky Park apartment complex reported flooding in the underground car park.

It comes after the south-western city of Orenburg, near Russia’s border with Kazakhstan, was hit by extreme flooding in April, the worst seen since 1942, according to reports.

The floods submerged nearly 18,000 homes in the region, Russia’s Tass news agency reported, with Kurgan and Orenburg hit the hardest.

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In Photos: Moscow Partially Flooded By Torrential Rainfall
Parts of Moscow were flooded due to heavy rainfall on Thursday, disrupting public transport and submerging cars and homes across the Russian capital.

The rains caused one of the city's rivers, the Yauza, to overflow near Aqueduct Park in northeastern Moscow.

Muscovites could be seen navigating through thigh-deep water, while ducks from the Yauza swam along pedestrian paths, local media reported.

In the Moscow suburb of Shchyolkovo, two people were reportedly killed by a fallen tree.

The Moscow region has been hit by three “abnormally” rainy days in a row, with some districts in the capital receiving nearly a month's worth of rain, the Phobos weather center said.

Here is a look at scenes from the flooding:

SPOILER

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 19:12 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]
Ziet er altijd mooi uit. Heeft Rusland nog helicopters nabij het front? Want daar heb ik al meer dan een jaar niets over gehoord of gezien, nadat de een na de andere uitgeschakeld werd.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 19:44 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:

[..]
Inderdaad ja. Waar zijn de Kamov's?

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 19:12 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]
Heeft Rusland nog helicopters nabij het front? Want daar heb ik al meer dan een jaar niets over gehoord of gezien, nadat de een na de andere uitgeschakeld werd.

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'If Ukraine wins, what will be the benefit?': Trump criticizes $60 billion aid law
According to Reuters, this happened at a meeting with Republican congressmen on Capitol Hill

Former US President Donald Trump has criticized the $60 billion aid package for Ukraine, which was delayed for over six months, as reported by Reuters.

This happened at a meeting with Republican congressmen on Capitol Hill.

They noted that Republican Representative Don Bacon said that Trump, criticizing this aid law, said: "If Ukraine wins, what will be the benefit?"

The 45th president of the United States also proposed to reduce the income tax in the United States and replace it with tariffs, and also advised Republicans in the House of Representatives not to promote a national ban on abortion and called on them to abandon intra-party squabbles that hinder their effective work.

In addition, as noted by reporters, Trump called Milwaukee, Wisconsin's largest city, "horrible", which could potentially alienate the city's residents, who will determine the outcome of the election.

US military support for Ukraine ran out at the end of 2023. Back in October 2023, US President Joe Biden submitted a request to Congress for the allocation of $106 billion, of which more than $61 billion was intended for Ukraine, mostly for the purchase of weapons from the United States.

The US Congress failed to vote on this aid package until April 2024, but on April 20 the House of Representatives finally adopted the bill.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 19:57 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
Lol, dat viel mij ook al op deze week. De enigen die ik heb gezien waren de heli's die boven de begraafplaats vlogen (hierboven gepost).

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 19:33 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:
Is er eigenlijk ergens te vinden wat de vliegschema's zijn?

Ik woon hemelsbreed 14 kilometer van Volkel en zie ze (de F35's dan ) regelmatig vliegen.

Maar wil wel eens op zo'n spotters plek staan kijken.

Maar om dan op een willekeurige dag en tijdstip te gaan is ook weer zoiets.

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By the end of the year, the EU will produce 1.7 million shells per year
The defense industry of the EU countries is actively increasing the production of ammunition and plans to match the number of shells fired by Russia by 2025.

Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for the Internal Market, announced this.

The European Commissioner responsible for the defense industry spoke about the rapid growth in the production of artillery ammunition, which has already surpassed the volume of production in the United States.

“We have accelerated the production of ammunition. In March 2023, we were producing 500,000 shells a year in Europe and were already better than the Americans, who were producing only 300,000. But since then, we have doubled this capacity,” the Commissioner said.

According to Breton, the European Defense Fund is largely responsible for scaling up production, and Europe must continue to rearm in the coming years.

According to the official, due to rising tensions with Moscow, the EU should continue to increase defense purchases in line with possible threats.

“On January 24, we had a production capacity of one million shells per year. By the end of the year, we will have a production capacity of 1.7 million shells per year, and by 2025 we should reach 2.5 million shells per year. The production capacity is comparable to that of Russia,” Breton said.

SPOILER

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Scaling up capacities
Rheinmetall is one of the leaders in ammunition production and the locomotive of the arms industry in Europe. The German defense giant plans to reach a production rate of 700,000 rounds of ammunition per year by the end of 2024.

However, these volumes should only be an interim result on the way to producing one million rounds of ammunition in 2027. The company’s new plants under construction in Germany, Ukraine and Lithuania are expected to boost production.

According to Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG, almost all of the company’s ammunition is currently being shipped to Ukraine.

However, the bottleneck in the production of artillery shells in the EU remains the logistics and supply of raw materials for the production of explosives and gunpowder. Currently, the EU is actively engaged in import substitution of this nomenclature, much of which comes from China.

In particular, the European leader in the production of explosives, the French company Eurenco, has invested �500 million in the production of powders at its plants in Europe. The company plans to increase production volumes to 1800 tons per year.

At the same time, amid an acute shortage of explosives, Finland, together with its allies, plans to urgently build a TNT plant. The country’s minister noted that this was a joint project. The issue is being progressed in close dialogue with the Nordic countries and other allies. So far, no final decision has been made on where the new plant will be built.

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Coca-Cola Quietly Seeks Trademark Renewal in Russia Amid Ongoing War and Previous Brand Withdrawal
The Coca-Cola Company, which suspended operations in Russia following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, has filed new trademark applications in the country.

According to Meduza, citing Russian newspaper Vedomosti, The Coca-Cola Company submitted three separate applications for trademark registration with Russia’s Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent) in April 2024. The applications cover the company’s core brands: Coca-Cola, Sprite, and Fanta.

According to Russian law, trademarks could be terminated if they are not used for three years. Taking into account the fact that the Coca-Cola, Sprite, and Fanta brands were withdrawn from the market in 2022, their legal protection may be terminated early in 2025. Trademark expert Alina Akinshina, suggests Coca-Cola’s filings may be a way to maintain legal protection for their brands in Russia.

SPOILER

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Coca-Cola’s trademark filing in Russia is not an isolated case. Vedomosti newspaper reports that other international companies that suspended operations in Russia have also filed trademarks recently. For example, Starbucks submitted eight applications to Russia’s intellectual property office in May.

Coca-Cola, like many other large international companies, announced its withdrawal from the Russian Federation after the start of a full-scale invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine. Some companies managed to sell their Russian assets, whereas in some cases, the deal included the possibility of a buyback. A number of companies have refused to invest in Russian divisions or have reduced the range of products supplied to the Russian market.

While Coca-Cola officially stopped selling its core brands (Coca-Cola, Sprite, and Fanta) in Russia, these drinks are still available through independent importers. These are brought in under “parallel import” schemes from other countries.

Meanwhile, the former Russian division of Coca-Cola has rebranded as Multon Partners. They’ve also launched a new product, “Good Cola,” which is a cola-flavored drink but with a different recipe and taste compared to the original Coca-Cola.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 19:12 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
Ziet er altijd mooi uit. Heeft Rusland nog helicopters nabij het front? Want daar heb ik al meer dan een jaar niets over gehoord of gezien, nadat de een na de andere uitgeschakeld werd.

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TOS-1A Solntsepek rockets exploded in Shebekino – Russian media

^{Launching of rockets from TOS-1A Solntsepek. Photo from open sources}

In the city of Shebekino, Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, ammunition for the TOS-1A Solntsepek heavy flamethrower system exploded the day before.

This was reported by the Russian Telegram channel Astra.

It is reported that as a result of these explosions, three Russian servicemen had been killed.

On the evening of Thursday, June 13, in the Russian city of Shebekino, which is located near the border with Ukraine, powerful explosions sounded and a fire broke out.

After that, local media wrote that a bomb could fall on the city, which the Russian plane was supposed to strike in the Kharkiv region, but for some reason it fell on the territory of Russia.

SPOILER

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Вибух у Шебекіно Бєлгородської області � Ф [13 червня 2024]

Later, the governor of the region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, also announced the explosion on the outskirts of Shebekino, he announced the damage to 10 private households and one car.

He added that no one had allegedly been injured in the explosion and the causes of the incident were established.

And on Friday, June 14, Astra, citing emergency services of the Russian region, reported that the night before in the suburb of Shebekino, ammunition for the TOS-1A Solntsepek heavy flamethrower system had exploded.

^{Explosion and fire in Shebekino, Belgorod region of the Russian Federation. June 13, 2024. Footage from open sources}

According to them, the explosion killed at least three soldiers of the Russian invasion army. Currently, the causes of detonation of ammunition are unknown.

^{Russian TOS-1A Solntsepek in the Kharkiv region. May, 2022. Frame from the video of the mass media of the Russian Federation}

The Russians actively use the Solntsepek system for attacks on light armored vehicles, manpower, as well as for the destruction of fortifications.

The Ukrainian military has repeatedly destroyed and captured enemy TOS-1A and their transport and loading vehicles.

^{Command post. Photo credits: Dosye Shpiona}

Recently, the Ukrainian Defense Forces launched a missile attack on the command post of the Russian 6th Combined Arms Army, which was located on the territory of the recreation center near the village of Shebekino.

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Ukraine returns bodies of 254 fallen soldiers
This time fallen defenders who fought in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk sectors were repatriated

On June 14, Ukraine returned 254 fallen soldiers, reported the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

Stay updated with the latest news by following us on X (Twitter)

The bodies of 221 defenders who fought on the Donetsk axis, 25 fallen soldiers from the Zaporizhzhia axis, four fallen defenders from the Luhansk axis, and four dead soldiers whose bodies were transferred from morgues in Russia were repatriated.

Ukrainian Defense Forces will transport the repatriated bodies and remains to designated government facilities, where law enforcement officials and forensic experts will identify the deceased.

After identification, the bodies will be handed over to the families of the fallen defenders for a dignified burial.

SPOILER

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On June 5, during a propaganda event with Western journalists, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin announced the alleged number of captured Ukrainians and Russians. In a comment to LIGA.net, the representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Andriy Yusov, asserted that Putin's data do not correspond to reality and were voiced for propaganda purposes.

On January 31, Ukraine managed to free another 207 Ukrainians from Russian captivity: 180 privates and sergeants and 27 officers. Almost half are defenders of Mariupol.

On February 8, Ukraine returned home another 100 defenders from Russian captivity.

On May 31, Ukraine managed to return 75 people from Russian captivity.

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Op vrijdag 14 juni 2024 19:11 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
Nee, maar de rekensom die ze gemaakt hebben is gewoon veel te simpel. Ik heb er wel dagen bijgehad dat ik tientallen kisten verschoten heb met de MAG danwel .50... En dan telt het hard op.