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Op zondag 21 juli 2024 23:47 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

Er zijn verschillende verhalen, en ik ben het er mee eens dat het waarschijnlijk niet Oekra�ne is die de levering van Gripen op pauze wilde zetten, maar dit is niet 100 procent uit te sluiten. Maar ook is er nergens sprake ervan dat juist alleen Amerika hier achter zit.

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Ja maar mijn dem vrienden doen ech wel alles wat ze kunnen!

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Op zondag 21 juli 2024 22:35 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Dan moet je je focussen op de actoren.

Meneer sullivan heeft z'n carriere gebouwd op appeasen. Hij was de bedenker van hillary clinton's reset button, zoek het maar op.

Je hebt een national security counsel nodig waar tenminste wat ex-generaals in zitten, ofzo. IPV erfrechtadvocaten en journalisten.

En de kans dat de obama staff gewoon weer een rondje door mag, is gewoon zeer groot als harris het wordt.

En je geklets over budgetten, je hebt zeker gemist dat die laatste patriot vuureenheid de deur uit is gegaan in een pakket dat volgens het witte huis een waarde had van 250 miljoen.



Sta je dan met je: JA MAAR BUDGET!!!

The Putin Files: Jake Sullivan

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Op maandag 22 juli 2024 00:36 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
Het was in elk geval een nobel, maar erg na�ef streven wat zij hiermee hadden.

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Op maandag 22 juli 2024 00:37 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
En dat zijn je "dem vrienden".

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Op maandag 22 juli 2024 00:49 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
Ik begrijp die reactie niet helemaal.

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Rusland is gewoon niet te vertrouwen, maar dat kan je niet in de schoenen van de democraten schuiven.

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Op maandag 22 juli 2024 00:54 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Als jij hier bij voortduring mij in de schoenen schuift dat ik blijkbaar een pro-trumper bent, smeer ik jou aan dat jij een appeasende dem bent.

En als je dat niet bevalt, mss moet je mij dan niet uitmaken voor pro-trumper.
[..]
Maar hun lakende reactie daarop, die een enorme prijs aan oekrainse levens heeft, wel.

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Op maandag 22 juli 2024 01:06 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Ik zal het nog even verduidelijken. Ik begrijp die reactie niet helemaal op het bericht. Het heeft er niks mee te maken namelijk.

Die ontmoeting voor de reset was in 2009, in 2014 viel Rusland Oekra�ne binnen/begon de oorlog. Ik zie niet direct een verband. Behalve het feit dat de reset niet gewerkt heeft. Het blijft een nobel maar na�ef streven.

En ik zie dus ook niet in waarom de democraten door deze reset poging nu opeens schuldig zijn aan alle Oekra�ense levens die de oorlog gekost heeft. De oorlog waarbij er maar 1 schuldige is. En dat is Rusland/Putin.

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Op maandag 22 juli 2024 01:08 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Omdat hun na�eve insteek niet is veranderd?

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Op maandag 22 juli 2024 01:10 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Dus omdat de democraten streven naar een betere wereld is het hun schuld dat er in een door Rusland gestarte oorlog in Oekra�ne doden zijn gevallen? Dat is jouw standpunt hierin?

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France restricts access to 2024 Olympics for Russian, Belarusian journalists and technical support
French Interior Minister G�rald Darmanin stated that Paris has denied accreditation to nearly 100 journalists and technical support staff from Russia and Belarus to the 2024 Olympic Games over concerns about potential espionage and cyberattacks
He stated this in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche.

According to Darmanin, these individuals had applied for accreditation under different roles, such as media representatives, technical specialists, and physical therapy experts.

”They probably didn’t come here to commit terrorist attacks. However, aside from traditional espionage, there’s a risk they might try to access computer networks for a cyberattack,” Darmanin said.

He pointed out that while many Russian journalists were refused entry to cover the Olympics, those working for the International Olympic Committee were permitted.

French authorities reviewed 960,000 individuals planning to attend the Olympics to ensure security. Of these, 4,340 were denied entry. This group included 19 people on the Prevention of Terrorist Radicalization list, 139 on the S list (a list of individuals deemed a threat to state security), 257 radical Islamists, 181 far-left activists, and 95 representatives of far-right organizations.

• The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has published a list of ”neutral athletes” from Russia and Belarus admitted to the 2024 Olympic Games. Later, Russian wrestlers, who were admitted to the 2024 Olympic Games as “neutral athletes”, refused to participate.

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U.S. Patriot Missile Production Hampered by Boeing Component Shortage

^{MIM-104F anti-aircraft missile of the Patriot system}

Air Defense Japan Production of ammunition SAM USA
The American plan to boost production of Patriot air defense missiles is being delayed by a shortage of a critical component manufactured by Boeing.

Reuters news agency reported on this, citing four informed sources.

The United States plans to increase the production of interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense system from about 500 a year to more than 750 per year as soon as possible by scaling up their production at Japanese companies.

One important element of this plan should be the Japanese company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which produces about 30 PAC-3 missiles each year and can increase that number to about 60.

However, the key obstacle to increasing production is the pace of delivery of the missiles’ seekers.

“It could take several years before Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is able to raise output because of the shortage,” said one of the industry sources, who, like the others, refused to be identified.

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^{Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Photo credits: Lockheed Martin}

The main supplier of missiles’ seekers is Boeing. Boeing last year began expanding its seekers factory in the United States to increase production by 30%, although the additional lines won’t operate until 2027.

However, one of Reuters’ sources noted that even if enough seekers are available, expanding annual PAC-3 production in Japan beyond 60 would require Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to build more capacities.

That means that MHI or the United States would have to stump up the money to pay for a new PAC-3 factory, which could cost tens of millions of dollars or more.

Increasing the production of anti-aircraft missiles
In addition to Japan, the production of anti-aircraft missiles for the Patriot system is also planned to be established in Germany. At the end of 2022, Raytheon and MBDA Deutschland announced the launch of production in the German city of Schrobenhausen.

For the first time, the production of interceptor missiles is to be deployed in Romania. The local company Electromecanica Ploiesti has signed an agreement with Raytheon to launch production of the promising SkyCeptor interceptor missile, which is a version of the Israeli Stunner missile for the Patriot SAM.

^{SkyCeptor interceptor missile for the Patriot air defense system}

In April 2024, Lockheed Martin signed a memorandum with the Spanish company Grupo Oesia to localize the production of components for PAC-3 MSE missiles.

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Explosions heard near oil depot in Tuapse, Russia
In the Russian city of Tuapse, approximately five explosions were heard early on July 22. The blasts reportedly originated from the local oil depot, according to Russian Telegram channels.

According to preliminary information from the Shot channel, the city’s air defense system was activated, and the drones may have targeted the local oil refinery.

Residents told the channel that the explosions from the oil depot started around 3:30 AM, with about five loud bangs heard. Before this, witnesses reported characteristic sounds of drone flights.

No official information is available at this time.

TASS Telegram channel, citing the head of the Tuapse district, reports that the air defense system reportedly struck eight drones in the Tuapse area of Krasnodar Krai, with no casualties reported.

On the morning of July 20, explosions were heard in the Rostov region near the Millerovo military airfield, and fires broke out as a result of a drone attack in the region. An oil depot was also hit.

Satellite images revealed damage to facilities at least at three locations on the airfield.

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Translation of subtitles:

0:12 Fa**ot!

0:16 Gimme a mag!

0:21 I see the rolling grenade and yell "Guys, grenade!", and start to run, and shoot at the same time... And when I see him leaning out from around the corner, I step on his gun, and shoot him in the head... That was the scariest moment...

0:28 Grenade!

0:35 Fa**ot! Bitch! Are you for real, you fucking dick?!

0:43 Is everyone alive? I filmed him!

0:45 One guy caught some shrapnel. Everyone managed... I said "grenade" and everyone managed to run to safety...

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Ukraine’s border guards thwart attempt to smuggle out batch of collectible coins

At the Krakivets checkpoint on the border with Poland, a collection of valuable coins, some dating back to the 18th century, was found in a bag of what a minibus driver heading to Czechia claimed was children’s clothes.
That’s according to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.

The report says the oldest coin in the batch was minted in 1748.

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The driver claims he was only paid to haul the bag to the Czech Republic, being oblivious of the valuable content whose exports are restricted.

Border guards seized the coins for further expert examination.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, customs officers on the border with Romania prevented a violin with the inscription "Antonius Stradiuarius Cremomentis Faciebad Anno 1713" from being smuggled out of the country.

The illicit trafficking in cultural property is a criminal offense in Ukraine, punishable with up to seven years of prison time.

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Berlin’s Russian House Faces Scrutiny as Alleged Hub for Espionage and Propaganda
The Russian House in Berlin, located on Friedrichstrasse, has come under scrutiny amidst allegations of being a covert hub for espionage and propaganda, rather than merely a cultural center for Russian expatriates. Roderich Kiesewetter of Germany’s CDU party has labeled it an extension of Kremlin influence, citing concerns of it potentially circumventing EU sanctions and serving as a nexus for Russian intelligence activities.

Operated by Rossotrudnichestvo, an agency known for its ties to Russian expatriates and alleged agents, the Russian House offers amenities such as a Russian-language bookshop and a cinema screening Soviet-era comedies. Despite claims of being apolitical, the center has faced controversy, notably screening a film in 2022 that aligned with Vladimir Putin’s narrative on Ukraine, leading to accusations of spreading Kremlin propaganda.

While some European countries have closed similar Russian cultural centers, Germany has hesitated due to fears of reciprocal actions affecting institutions like the Goethe Institute in Moscow. The German government has sanctioned Rossotrudnichestvo, freezing its assets in the EU since July 2022, yet critics argue that more decisive action is needed.

German intelligence officials have highlighted the country’s susceptibility to Russian espionage, citing recent incidents of sabotage plots and espionage attempts linked to Russian interests.

The debate surrounding the Russian House reflects broader concerns over the intersection of cultural diplomacy and geopolitical strategy, raising questions about the balance between cultural exchange and national security in Europe’s political landscape.

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Op zondag 21 juli 2024 07:34 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
....knip....

20 Jul: Phenomenal MaxxPro Drive-By Raid: Ukrainian Forces CRUSH Russians! | War in Ukraine

...knip....

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Op maandag 22 juli 2024 09:44 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Dit is zo slecht.

Hopelijk veranderen ze van mening in het geval ze gekozen worden en gaan ze voor het landsbelang.

[ x ]

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Op maandag 22 juli 2024 10:32 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Ik vind het wel grappig, Dementia Joe.

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Op maandag 22 juli 2024 09:44 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Dit is zo slecht.

Hopelijk veranderen ze van mening in het geval ze gekozen worden en gaan ze voor het landsbelang.

[ x ]

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Op maandag 22 juli 2024 09:44 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Dit is zo slecht.

Hopelijk veranderen ze van mening in het geval ze gekozen worden en gaan ze voor het landsbelang.

[ x ]

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Patriot from Germany arrives in Ukraine – Zelenskyy
Obtaining the system is "far from guaranteed protection, but more power for Ukraine," the president noted

The Patriot air defense system from Germany has arrived in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in his evening address.

The head of state heard a report of the commander of the Air Force, Mykola Oleschuk: on the work of mobile fire groups in shooting down Shahed drones and on countering Russian missiles.

"We can already say: there is a strengthening of our air defense. The German Patriot has arrived in Ukraine, I want to thank Germany and the United States for this step. We will be able to do more in the sky," Zelenskyy said.

The head of state admitted that there is still a lot of work ahead, and receiving Patriot is "far from guaranteed protection, but more power for Ukraine."

On June 11, the Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany will deliver the third Patriot to the Ukrainian Defense Forces "in the coming weeks and months."

On July 5 , the German ambassador announced that Ukraine received the third Patriot from Germany.

On July 10, the US president announced that the state would provide Ukraine with an additional Patriot, and European allies would strengthen Ukrainian air defense with four more systems.

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Op maandag 22 juli 2024 09:44 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Dit is zo slecht.

Hopelijk veranderen ze van mening in het geval ze gekozen worden en gaan ze voor het landsbelang.

[ x ]

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Russia gathering forces in Kharkiv Oblast for fresh attacks, military says
Russia has deployed additional assault units near the village of Hlyboke in Kharkiv Oblast to prepare for offensive operations, Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson of the Khortytsia group of forces, told Interfax Ukraine on July 21.

The village of Hlyboke is located in the north of the Kharkiv Oblast, 7 kilometers (4.6 miles) from the border with Russia and 39 kilometers (24 miles) from the regional center, the city of Kharkiv.

Russia launched its offensive in Kharkiv Oblast on May 10, but the assault quickly stalled. Around 20,000 Russian troops were killed during the failed push in the northeastern region, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russia is currently massing new troops near the village of Hlyboke, including assault groups of the 155th Separate Marine Brigade of the Russian Pacific Fleet and the 18th Motorized Rifle Division of the 11th Army Corps, according to Voloshyn.

Russian troops use drones for remote mining of the area, the spokesperson added.

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Voloshyn said that in the central and eastern parts of the town of Vovchansk, which became the scene of some of the heaviest fighting in Kharkiv Oblast, Russian troops continue to regroup forces for further attacks.

"It has also been confirmed that an assault unit of the 153rd Tank Regiment of the 47th Tank Division of the Russian Armed Forces has been withdrawn for recovery, its positions have been taken by the personnel of the (Russian) 128th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 44th Army Corps and the 'Akhmat' unit," the spokesperson added.

The Ukrainian military also recorded the arrival of additional personnel from the 41st Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 72nd Motorized Rifle Division in the Belgorod Oblast village of Murom near the Ukrainian border to replenish the thinned ranks.

The Russian military switched to defense in the area of the occupied village of Lukiantsi in the Lypetsk community in Kharkiv Oblast, the Kharkiv group of forces reported on July 22.

Russian forces are regrouping personnel and reconnoitering the routes of advance using drones, the statement read.

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Russia systemically abuses its soldiers in Ukraine to 'maintain order,' The Insider reports
Russia uses a systematic program of "gulag-style" abuse directed at its soldiers in Ukraine in order to "maintain order" and punish perceived offenders, according to an investigation by the Insider published on July 22.

The abuse of Russian soldiers by their commanders and fellow troops since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine has been previously documented. Problems with military hazing and mistreatment of subordinates by their superiors date back to the Soviet era and were also widely reported in Russia's wars in Chechnya.

According to the Insider, the patterns of abuse of Russian soldiers in Ukraine "borrow heavily from Soviet labor camp traditions."

Russian units have employed "punishment squads" that seek out soldiers who are abusing alcohol, refuse orders, or are simply disliked, and then subject them to a variety of abuse, including beatings and "confinement pits."

One of the issues, the Insider found, is that typical verbal reprimands often work to discipline regular soldiers but not the tens of thousands of convicts who have been recruited to fill the gaps created by massive personnel losses.

"(Former) inmates are impossible to control," one officer told the Insider.

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Standard military disciplinary measures include fines, extra duty, or to simply verbally rebuke a soldier.

"These methods work on professional servicemen, but a man from the street, especially a convicted murderer, doesn't care," the officer said.

The enhanced disciplinary measures can only increase in severity, based on often arbitrary reasons.

In line with both Soviet and post-Soviet Russian military traditions, those who are at the end of their service or are performing punishment squad duties can keep away from more dangerous combat tasks.

Russia's use of human wave tactics that often result in heavy casualties only increases soldiers' desire to avoid being sent on what many think of suicide mission.

"No one would agree to participate in them willingly, so commanders have to resort to violence," the Insider wrote.

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Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to Visit China
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, will visit China from July 23 to 25 at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Wang Yi.

This was announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China.

"During meetings and negotiations, the parties will exchange views on the current state and prospects of bilateral relations. The main topic of discussion will be finding ways to end Russian aggression and exploring China's potential role in achieving sustainable and just peace," the foreign policy department stated.

In February 2024, Kuleba met with Wang Yi to discuss bilateral relations and trade, and briefed him on the Summit on Peace for Ukraine in Switzerland. "No matter how the international situation changes, China hopes that China-Ukraine relations will develop normally and continue to benefit the two peoples. We will continue to play a constructive role in bringing an early end to the war and re-establishing peace,” Wang Yi said.

China did not participate in the Summit on Peace for Ukraine.

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Georgia puts 300 members of the Georgian Legion on the wanted list

^{Soldiers of the Georgian National Legion}

The special services of Georgia, following the Russian authorities, put Georgian volunteers who fought on the side of Ukraine on the wanted list.

Mamuka Mamulashvili, a commander of the Georgian National Legion fighting for Ukraine, told The Insider.

According to him, about 300 people from the combat unit he led were put on the wanted list in Georgia. Most of them are now in Ukraine.

“I foresaw this development after Russia started putting us on the wanted list. This was done so that the Georgian government would have grounds to arrest us. Russian and Georgian Special Services are working in sync today. Many of our guys who were returning to Georgia were advised by the Georgian special services to leave. They were told: “There are a lot of Russians here, we will not be able to protect you anymore, we ask you to leave,” Mamulashvili says.

In June, a Russian court recognized the Georgian Legion as a terrorist organization. Russia’s Investigative Committee brought more than 70 members of the Legion to justice in absentia and put Mamuka Mamulashvili on the wanted list.

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^{Soldiers of the Georgian National Legion and its commander Mamuka Mamulashvili (center)}

At the same time, the State Security Service of Georgia also began summoning other Georgian volunteers who participated in the defense of Ukraine as part of other units for interrogation.

At least two volunteers, Nadim Khmaladze and Lasha Chigladze, were notified of being summoned to court.

Khmaladze posted on his social media that he had been charged under articles on coup d’etat and terrorism. Chigladze was also summoned to the Tbilisi City Court as part of the investigation into the coup d’�tat and “preparation of terrorism”.

“Now they told me that a year ago an investigation was launched into the coup d’�tat. They had some questions about this, they asked when I left, when I returned from Ukraine, there were some general questions,” Chigladze said.

Last year, Georgia’s Special Services announced the disclosure of a plot organized abroad to coup d’etat and seize power in Georgia. Among the suspects were members of the Georgian National Legion.

In response, Russian representatives expressed support for the Georgian government. In particular, the other day, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Andrey Klimov said that Russia was ready to help preserve the power of the ruling party Georgian Dream if Tbilisi made such a request to Moscow.

Earlier this month, the first ship of the Russian Navy entered the newly built military base in the occupied part of Georgia, the breakaway region of Abkhazia.

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Neutral Russian athletes accused of breaching rules on Ukraine war ahead of Paris Olympics
A report from a human rights group claims Russian and Belarusian athletes have broken strict Ukraine War-related rules regarding their neutral appearance at the Olympics

Russian and Belarusian athletes will continue to be banned from representing their countries at the Paris 2024 Olympics due to the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but some will be allowed to continue under a neutral banner.

However, those given the exemption are under strict conditions, which a human rights group claims they have breached. Athletes were first banned for the 2022 Commonwealth Games due to the invasion, and that ban is still in place for this summer's Games.

Those wishing to still compete must do so under a neutral flag, and cannot show any support for Vladimir Putin's invasion or offer pro-Russia views on the Ukraine war. However, according to human rights group Global Rights Compliance, ten out of the 15 Russian athletes have broken those rules.

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To be allowed entry to the Paris games, athletes from Russia and Belarus have to pass a two-tiered test, firstly by international sports federations before a final check by the International Olympics Committee [IOC].

The group claims a report was handed to the IOC [International Olympics Committee] - but no action was taken. The report, released last Thursday, names several Russian athletes and claims several Belarusians have also been involved.

"Despite being presented with clear evidence of violations by Global Rights Compliance, the IOC has failed to act in accordance with its own rules,” the group said in a statement. The group's report claims Russian cyclist Alena Ivanchenko 'liked' a social media post showing Russian dictator Joseph Stalin with the caption: "A truce with the enemy is possible after its destruction.”

Another cyclist, Tamara Dronova, was found to have engaged in pro-war behavior in public, as well as having links to national security agencies.

Tennis player Elena Vesnina is alleged to have 'liked' posts about Russian soldiers killing Ukrainians and posting the pro-war "Z" symbol. Mirra Andreeva, Pavel Kotov, two Russian tennis players, were also named in the report for having broken the IOC rules.

“If the IOC’s stated aim is to ‘Build a Better World through Sport’ then action must be taken by the IOC to demonstrate that it -– and its associated businesses -– do more than just play lip-service to ethics and human rights for all,” said Wayne Jordash, president of Global Rights Compliance.

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https://newsukraine.rbc.u(...)s-of-1721630568.html
Russia-Ukraine war: Frontline update as of July 22
Over the past day, July 21, 117 combat engagements were registered in the frontline. Nearly Russian 40 offensive and assault attacks were repelled in the Pokrovsk sector, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Over the past day, 117 combat engagements were recorded.

“Yesterday, the aviation, missile forces, and artillery of the Ukrainian Defense Forces hit a Russian control center, an ammunition depot, four artillery systems, two air defense systems, a radar station, and 15 areas of concentration of Russian personnel and military equipment,” Ukraine's General Staff writes.

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Sectors
In the Kharkiv sector, 12 firefights took place in the areas of Vovchansk and Hlyboke.

In the Kupiansk sector, 11 Russian attacks were repelled near Synkivka, Stelmakhivka, Berestove, and in the direction of Hlushkivka.

In the Lyman sector, Russians attacked 11 times near Makiivka, Nevske, and Terny.

In the Siversk sector, 9 Russian attacks were repelled near Verkhniokamianske and Vyimka.

In the Kramatorsk sector, 13 Russian attacks were repelled in the areas of Chasiv Yar, where more than half of the engagements took place, and Andriivka in the Donetsk region.

In the Toretsk sector, Russians attacked 8 times near the towns of Pivnichne, Zalizne, and Toretsk.

In the Pokrovsk sector, 39 Russian attacks were repelled in the areas of Vozdvyzhenka, Novoselivka Persha, Novooleksandrivka, Prohres, Kalynove, and Umanske in the Donetsk region.

In the Kurakhove sector, Russians tried to break through the defense of Ukrainian troops seven times in the areas of Krasnohorivka and Paraskoviivka.

A Russian attack was repelled in the Vremivka sector. At the same time, the Russians actively used aviation against Vuhledar, Katerynivka, Urozhaine, and Staromaiorske, Kostiantynivka, Rozlyv, Neskuchne, and Vremivka.

In the Orikhiv sector, 3 Russian attacks were repelled near Robotyne and Novodanylivka.

3 Russian attacks were repelled in the Prydniprovskyi sector.

Russia's losses in war against Ukraine
Over the past day, another 1050 Russian troops were eliminated. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia's losses in manpower exceed 567,000.

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OPFOR Battalion defeats Russian armored group in the Donetsk region

^{Destruction of Russian armored vehicles in the Donetsk region. July, 2024. Footage from the OPFOR Battalion video}

In the Donetsk region, Ukrainian soldiers defeated a Russian armored group that was trying to break through the defense in the Kurakhove sector.

The video of the destruction of the invaders was published by the press service of the 214th ‘OPFOR’ Separate Special Battalion.

The Russian command sent several armored vehicles with infantry to break through the Ukrainian defense near the village of Kostiantynivka.

The movement of the Russian armored group along a field road was detected by Ukrainian reconnaissance drones.

Then Ukrainian gunners of the 31st Brigade’s self-propelled artillery battalion began to fire at the enemy column.

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� озбита бронегрупа росіян на Донеччині [липень 2024]

Cluster munitions and drone strikes were used to destroy enemy infantry.

^{Destruction of Russian armored vehicles in the Donetsk region. July, 2024. Footage from the OPFOR Battalion video}

All this time, Ukrainian drones were adjusting artillery fire and detecting the invaders trying to gain a foothold.

Some of the enemy armored vehicles were destroyed, and the assault near the destroyed settlement was repelled.

^{Destruction of Russian armored vehicles in the Donetsk region. July, 2024. Footage from the OPFOR Battalion video}

“Another attempt by the ruscists to make a massive breakthrough in one of the hottest areas of the Donetsk region. The 214th ‘OPFOR’ Separate Special Battalion with the support of the 31st Brigade`s Self-Propelled Howitzer Battalion sent this trash to hell!” the video description reads.

Fierce fighting continues in the Kurakhove sector, as well as in other parts of the frontline. The Russian invaders are trying to break through the Ukrainian defense there. They carry out periodic assault actions involving armored vehicles and tanks.

Таврійська бригада розбила бронегрупу � Ф біля села Костянтинівка [Липень 2024]

In early July, the Ukrainian paratroopers defeated a Russian armored group with the help of artillery, minefields, and attack drones.

Then the occupiers tried to break through the defense with a T-62MV tank and BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles.

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Anti-war candidates barred from running in St. Petersburg local elections
All 83 candidates from Yabloko, the only registered party in Russia openly opposed to the war, were barred from running in the St. Petersburg municipal elections, independent news outlet Bumaga reported on Monday.

Yabloko’s spokesman Dmitry Anisimov told journalists that the party would appeal the authorities’ decision in court. Bumaga reported last week that Yabloko candidates had received rejection notices as the party had failed to give them their official endorsement, which its officials said was not true.

A number of candidates from pro-war parties have also been barred from running. A source from Russia’s Communist Party told Bumaga that 244 out of its 427 candidates were blocked from registering in the elections. The Communist Party believes an additional 50 candidates will be denied registration, though a decision has not yet been made.

Other candidates said they had failed to submit their documents in time because of overly long lines at the election committee office, which the nationalist political group Society.Future claimed were full of “fake candidates”.

Opposition candidates running in Russian elections are often forced to drop out, barred from running or face imprisonment. Yabloko, founded in 1993 and currently campaigning under the slogan “For Peace and Freedom”, is a registered liberal political party that hasn’t been represented in the lower house of Russia’s parliament, the State Duma, since 2007 and only has 11 seats in regional parliaments as of 2024.

St. Petersburg residents are due to go to the polls on 6–8 September to elect the city’s next governor and municipal deputies. The election campaign has been marred by controversy, with an 82-year-old anti-war candidate being forced to drop out of the race earlier in July after failing to collect 76,000 signatures required to register her candidacy — an election rule that her supporters said was “drawn up in such a way as to not allow a single independent candidate”.

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Mysterious Russia-Linked Companies Purchase Dozens of Vessels for Russia’s "Shadow Fleet"
Over the past year, little-known companies have bought dozens of vessels capable of transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG), probably for the Russian "shadow fleet", the Financial Times writes.

Industry insiders in the shipping sector report that a group of newly emerged companies, predominantly registered in the United Arab Emirates, have been buying LNG vessels during the last year. This surge in acquisitions has notably increased market prices, particularly affecting the value of older ships.

Kpler, an analytical firm that tracks shipping, has observed that several of the recently acquired tankers are now operating on routes traditionally used for transporting Russian gas.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, LNG has become increasingly vital to Russia's wartime economy. In June, the EU enacted restrictions banning the transfer of Russian LNG from large icebreaking ships to smaller vessels at EU ports. This move substantially restricts Russia's ability to distribute its gas worldwide.

Sergey Vakulenko, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, emphasized that it was a clear strategic move for Russia to expand its LNG dark fleets, especially under increasing pressure on Russian LNG.

In July 2024, the UK imposed sanctions on 11 oil tankers involved in aiding Russia's export of supplies to customers, including some linked to the “shadow fleet”.

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A rare Russian “Zemledeliye” complex has been destroyed

The Ukrainian military has destroyed a Russian engineering system for remote mining.

An artillery reconnaissance unit has discovered a rare Russian “Zemledeliye” complex.

“Zemledelie” is designed to promptly create minefields at a distance of 5 to 15 km.

The system fires rockets that ensure that mines are placed in a specified area.

The system completes minefields of any complexity, including ready-made passages for its troops.

With one salvo, this installation can replace an area equal to several soccer fields.

Thanks to Ukrainian defenders, the system went up in flames along with its ammunition and crew.

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Ukrainian cadets start practice on the ORP Wodnik ship of the Polish Navy

^{Polish training vessel ORP Wodnik (251). Photo credits: Armed Forces of Poland}

The cadets of the National University “Odesa Maritime Academy” have started an internship on the training vessel ORP Wodnik of the Polish Navy.

The press service of the university reported on this.

Ukrainians undergo maritime practice together with their Polish colleagues.

During the internship, they learn navigation, astronavigation, hydrometeorology and maneuvering skills, and get acquainted with the organization of the ship’s service.

SPOILER

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^{Ukrainian cadets on the Polish training ship ORP Wodnik. July, 2024. Photo credits: National University “Odesa Maritime Academy”}

In addition, the cadets get acquainted with the ship’s main technical facilities and improve their English language skills.

^{Polish training vessel ORP Wodnik (251). Photo credits: Łukasz Pacholski}

The cadets also practice other maritime training skills.

^{Ukrainian and Polish cadets on the Polish training ship ORP Wodnik. July, 2024. Photo credits: National University “Odesa Maritime Academy”}

The ORP Wodnik training vessel, which belongs to the Polish Navy Academy, is designed for long voyages and training trips.

The ship is just over 72 meters long, almost 12 meters wide and has a draft of 4.2 meters. It can reach speeds of up to 17 knots and has an autonomous cruising range of 30 days.

Thousands of cadets from the Polish Naval Academy were trained there.

The university said that the ORP Wodnik had taken part in Operation Desert Storm as a hospital ship in the waters of the Persian Gulf in 1991.

^{Training ship ORP Iskra. Photo credits: wikimedia.org}

Another group of Ukrainian cadets is undergoing an internship on the Polish training ship ORP Iskra. They are practically familiarizing themselves with the organization of the ship’s service and mastering the basic technical means of sailing. They also learn the rules of maneuvering ships and vessels.

Ukrainian cadets are trained on the Polish sailing ship ORP Iskra on a regular basis. It is carried out within the framework of the international cooperation.

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Op maandag 22 juli 2024 14:06 schreef Starhopper het volgende:
Haha! Die is genaaid

[ x ]

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Op maandag 22 juli 2024 09:44 schreef polderturk het volgende:
Dit is zo slecht.

Hopelijk veranderen ze van mening in het geval ze gekozen worden en gaan ze voor het landsbelang.

[ x ]

SPOILER

quote:

Translation, main points. Starlink is fucked, sat dish is fucked, but it belonged to the officers, the cooking pot is OK though.

SPOILER

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US Deploys Nuclear Bombers Near Ukrainian Border

^{A KC-135 Stratotanker from the 100th Air Refueling Wing, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, refuels a B-52H Stratofortress from the 2nd Bomb Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, La. (Source: US Air Forces)}

The United States has deployed two B-52 Stratofortress intercontinental strategic bombers to the Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Force Base in Romania, bordering with Ukraine. This transfer was announced by the US Air Force in Europe.

The American aircraft will operate as part of the 20th Expeditionary Bombing Squadron of the US Air Force and will begin integrating with NATO forces.

During a flight in international airspace over the Barents Sea, the B-52s were intercepted by two Russian aircraft at around 8 a.m. Central European Time, on July 21. Despite the interception, the US aircraft maintained their course and continued their scheduled flight plan without incident. The bombers completed their pre-planned mission, which included coordination with NATO fighter aircraft, before landing at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base.

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^{A B-52H Stratofortress from the 20th Bomb Squadron, Barksdale Air Force Base, La., makes its initial landing at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, Romania, in support of Bomber Task Force Deployment 24-4, July 21, 2024. (Source: US Air Forces)}

“In today’s global environment, it is vital that we be postured to deliver a range of sustainable capability from great distances. This iteration of Bomber Task Force offers an excellent opportunity to refine our agile combat employment tactics, techniques, and procedures,” according to General James Hecker, USAFE-AFAFRICA commander. “Through collaborative efforts with our Allies, the U.S. enables our forces to combat current and future threats.”

While stationed in Romania, the B-52s will integrate with NATO Allies and international partners to enhance capabilities and uphold security commitments across the US European Command area of responsibility.

“The US is dedicated to work alongside our NATO Allies and partners along the Eastern Flank to ensure we have the combined skills and coordination capabilities necessary to maintain regional safety, security, and stability,” said Hecker.

According to The Barents Observer, a Norwegian newspaper, these strategic bombers conducted a training flight over the Finland-Russia border before heading to Romania.

These regular and routine deployments of US strategic bombers underscore the readiness and commitment of the US and NATO to integrate with host-nation allies and partners, deter threats, and defend the Alliance.

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Bulgaria may transfer its surplus ammunition to Ukraine
Bulgaria may transfer its surplus of ammunition and other military equipment to Ukraine if these supplies are compensated by allied countries.

Source: Acting Bulgarian Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov, as reported by European Pravda citing Bulgarian news agency BNR

Details: Zapryanov said that the analysis of the Bulgarian Defence Ministry revealed what is surplus and unnecessary for the Bulgarian army.

"Part of these supplies – part of ammunition of certain types – can be provided to Ukraine. This package will also be linked to an agreement with an ally country on compensation, similar to the previous package we sent," he added.

Zapryanov noted that the Bulgarian government still has to make a decision on military assistance for Ukraine, then coordinate it with its allies and Kyiv, and provide logistics.

As of now, two packages of Bulgarian military assistance to Ukraine are publicly known, approved in late 2022 and June 2023. In addition, Bulgaria has unofficially supplied Kyiv with more than a billion dollars worth of ammunition and weapons.

Recently, Bulgaria was reported to be considering providing Ukraine with �80 million worth of military assistance, if the parliament agrees.

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Translation:
"Here is our modest meal for today: boiled nettle leaves and 2 spoons of meat stew... That's how we are fed... If not for nettle, we would've kicked the bucket by now... No supplies are coming today, so this can of stew is all we have for today... Fuck knows if we get anything tomorrow... And the stew is shitty too... So we'll eat this, and will boil some more, cause it doesn't really fill you up... No bread either... If not for nettle, we would be dead... And they keep sending us to dig new fucking trenches... Our army fucking sucks... It's fucked..."

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Since the start of the war, more than 50 activists and oppositionists have been sent for forced psychiatric treatment
Russian courts have sentenced 53 activists and opposition figures to forced psychiatric treatment during the war in Ukraine, according to calculations by the publication 7x7.

Historian Alexei Makarov, a member of the board of the human rights center Memorial, told the publication that in modern Russia, sending people for forced psychiatric treatment is not as widespread as in the USSR, but nevertheless, society does not have access to medical documents that could be used to determine how real a diagnosis is.

"We have few mechanisms to control what happens in psychiatric hospitals. There is a monopoly of the Serbsky Institute of Forensic Psychiatry, and nothing prevents the state and psychiatrists from expanding those practices and using them more crudely," Makarov explained.

He added that forensic psychiatry could very well return to the USSR levels if there is a “direct political order” for this.

Clinical psychologist and executive director of the Independent Psychiatric Association of Russia Lyubov Vinogradova agrees with him. According to her, since the early 2000s, psychiatry in Russia has been “becoming increasingly inhumane.”

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"In the 1990s, during the democratic reforms, a law was adopted on psychiatric care and guarantees of citizens' rights when it was provided. At that time, it was assumed that psychiatry was an exclusively voluntary thing, all involuntary measures were subject to a court decision. In the first years, when the law came into effect, everyone got used to it, and until the end of the 2000s, it really was a different time," she explained.

Vinogradova called for abstaining from the term "punitive psychiatry" in relation to the current state of affairs. She believes that there is no system of punishment using psychiatry. At the same time, she agrees that psychiatry in the Russian Federation has been tightened, as the terms of compulsory treatment have increased, the tendency to prescribe inpatient treatment instead of outpatient treatment and the widespread appointment of inpatient psychiatric forensic examination.

At the end of May, the Agency wrote that over the past year and a half, courts in the Russian Federation have sent at least 33 defendants in political cases for compulsory psychiatric treatment.

In total, since 2013, dissidents have been sent for compulsory treatment 55 times. Before 2020, this was no more than three people per year, in 2021 the figure rose to seven, but in 2022 it dropped again to three. Last year, however, the figure rose sharply to 25, and in the first four and a half months of this year, courts in Russia have made at least eight such decisions.

In May, the Leninsky Court of Nizhny Novgorod sent local resident Alexey Volsky for compulsory treatment in a case of "fakes" about the army. In November last year, a similar decision was made regarding St. Petersburg resident Victoria Petrova, also accused of "fakes". In October 2023, the court ordered compulsory psychiatric treatment for Nizhny Novgorod resident Alexey Onoshkin - he was accused of "fakes" and "calls for terrorism" for posts and comments on VK. Last year, Oleg Nepein, a deputy of the Saratov village of Khoperskoye, was also subjected to punitive psychiatry - for messages in a regional chat about the murders of residents of Mariupol and Bucha by the Russian army.

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Azerbaijan confirms the possibility of supplying its gas to Europe via Ukraine
Ukraine and the EU have asked Azerbaijan to supply natural gas to Europe via Ukraine after the expiration of the current contract with Russia at the end of the year, Babel informs.

This was stated by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

According to Aliyev, negotiations with Ukraine, the EU, and Russia are still ongoing, but all parties are interested in continuing cooperation.

Bloomberg reports that earlier this month, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is negotiating to supply natural gas to Europe from Azerbaijan. Ukraine wants to maintain its role as a transit country, but no longer wants to be a transit country for gas supplies to the EU from Russia.

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the European Union tried to cut off Russian gas, but some European countries continue to receive it through a pipeline that runs through Ukraine.

At the same time, Aliyev warned that if Russian gas supplies through Ukraine are cut off, states such as Austria and Slovakia could face serious difficulties, as they would have to spend much more money to buy gas from other countries. In addition, he said, Azerbaijan will try to “be careful” because in the past the country has been falsely accused of reselling Russian gas.

Aliyev also said that gas production in his country would increase due to new and existing fields in the Caspian Sea.

In 2022, Azerbaijan signed a memorandum of understanding with the European Commission, which provides for a doubling of gas exports to Europe to 20 billion cubic meters by 2027. According to Aliyev, the country is moving toward this goal. This year, exports to European countries will increase to almost 13 billion cubic meters from 11.8 billion in 2023 and 8 billion in 2021.

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Four helicopters, two planes previously owned by Crimean businessmen transferred to ARMA

Following the materials of the State Bureau of Investigation, four helicopters and two planes of the Crimean entrepreneurs, who had been exposed as financing Russian armed aggression, were transferred to the Ukrainian Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA).

The relevant statement was made by the Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

SPOILER

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“Following the materials of the State Bureau of Investigation, the management of four Mi-2 helicopters and two An-2 aircraft was transferred to the Ukrainian Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA). The above vehicles used to be owned by the Crimean entrepreneurs, who had been exposed by the Bureau as financing Russian armed aggression,” the report states.

In January 2024, the State Bureau of Investigation served with charges nine entrepreneurs registered in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, who were doing business in the field of recreation and agro-industrial business activities. They were suspected of financing the actions committed with the aim of encroaching on Ukraine’s territory (Part 3, Article 110-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

“They were doing business in the temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine and transferred tax payments to the aggressor state, providing financing for Russian armed aggression. The investigation established that the defendants in the case owned helicopters and planes on the Ukrainian-controlled territory. In order to prevent them from being re-registered on bogus persons, the court arrested them at the prosecutor’s request,” the Bureau noted.

According to the data from law enforcers, upon the sale of the aircraft fleet, the funds will be directed to acquire war bonds.

Procedural guidance in the case is provided by Cherkasy Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

A reminder that the Ukrainian Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) put up for auction through the Prozorro.Sale system over 67,000 liters of Russian-produced plant protection agents, which had been imported into Ukraine via Belarus.

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Czech Republic joins drone capability coalition for Ukraine
The Czech Republic has officially joined the international drone capability coalition for Ukraine, which is led by Latvia and the United Kingdom.
That's according to the Latvian Defense Ministry, Ukrinform reports.

"The Czech Republic joined the drone coalition for Ukraine led by Latvia and the United Kingdom after its delegation signed a memorandum of understanding during NATO's 75th Anniversary Summit in Washington, D.C, on Thursday, 11 July," the report said.

The number of drone coalition members has increased to 16 after the accession of the Czech Republic.

Coalition members include the United Kingdom, Latvia, Australia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Estonia, Italy, New Zealand, Canada, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Ukraine, Germany and Sweden.

"Every member state of the coalition can make a significant contribution to Ukraine's efforts and also support the development of their national industry at the same time," Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds said.

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Hungary blocks EU fund for Ukrainian weapons again
Hungary continues to block the next tranche of the European Peace Fund intended for military assistance to Ukraine, according to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

According to Borrell, at a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, the ministers discussed the need to strengthen support for Ukraine.

They also discussed the unblocking of the European Peace Fund, which compensates EU countries for military aid to Ukraine.

He said that the majority of member states insisted on the need to lift the blocking of payments that are delayed for a year. They also emphasized the need to move forward with a decision on a new fund to support Ukraine, which has been blocked by one member state for more than a year.

He noted that the EU member states insisted that this was unacceptable, but unfortunately, the situation of blockage persists.

Borrell did not name a specific country, but it is known that Hungary is the one that is vetoing the next tranche for Ukraine.

Back in May, EU High Representative Josep Borrell accused Hungary of blocking �5 billion in EU military aid to Ukraine.

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Op maandag 22 juli 2024 07:14 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
olunteers who has passed away in Ukraine.
Nog een boel andere vrijwilligers die gestorven zijn in het gevecht tegen Rusland, al zijn er veel meer natuurlijk, dit was de enige Nederlander die er tussen zat. Een echte held dus.

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Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 07:38 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]

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Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 06:43 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

Update from Ukraine | Awesome News Again! Ukraine Strikes Ruzzian Mil. Airfield and Biggest Refinery

22 Jul: Starytsia LIBERATED: Russian Western Flank CRUMBLES! | War in Ukraine Explained

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Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 11:17 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
RIA: Er is weer een trein-veerpont geraakt naast de Kerch brug.

Sowieso zijn er heel erg veel drones "neergehaald" over tig russische regio's.

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Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 06:42 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]

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Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 11:53 schreef icecreamfarmer_NL het volgende:

[..]
Nooit begrepen waarom dat niet eerder gedaan is.

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Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 11:41 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

Heb je net voor een ei gespaard, kun je die niet eens koken.

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Op maandag 22 juli 2024 19:36 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://mil.in.ua/en/news(...)-on-the-wanted-list/
[..]

SPOILER

[..]

Volgens mij kan ik wel raden wie met het idee van de coup en terrorisme aanklachten is gekomen

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Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 18:04 schreef Parafernalia het volgende:

[..]
Pfff. Eng om te zien hoe mijn tweede thuisland zich steeds meer achter Ruzzia schaart. Hoe halen ze het zich in hun hoofd

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Ukraine Military Boss: Russian Drones Flying Untargeted Due to ‘Total Shortage’ of MANPADS

Russian Air Force reconnaissance is finding so many targets that on Monday it set a wartime record for glider bombs dropped in a 24-hour period, an AFU statement says.

by Stefan Korshak | July 23, 2024, 4:50 pm
Ukraine Military Boss: Russian Drones Flying Untargeted Due to ‘Total Shortage’ of MANPADS
Kyiv Post screen grab series showing a Ukrainian Marine from 36th Naval Infantry Brigade engaging a Russian Supercam observation drone. The silhouette of the weapon is similar to that of a US-manufactured Stinger FIM-92 hand-held anti-aircraft missile system. According to the unit, the successful engagement took place in early July in the northern Kharkiv sector. The red circle shows the missile impact.

Russian observation drones are operating freely over the battlefield and can call in artillery, air and missile strikes without interference because the Ukrainian Ground Forces have little to shoot them with, Oleksandr Syrsky, commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), said in a statement.

Lt. Gen. Syrsky in comments published on Monday on his personal Telegram channel said that Ukrainian forces are facing a “total shortage” of hand-held anti-aircraft missiles and must find “new ways” to attack the Russian reconnaissance aircraft armed with advanced sensors and muti-spectral cameras. He suggested troops under his command improve jamming techniques and develop tactics for using one-way kamikaze drones to intercept and ram the enemy robot planes.

Two Ukrainian soldiers carry Soviet-manufacture Igla (left) and US-made Stinger (right) anti-aircraft missiles in an image published by the Kyiv-based military information portal Militarniy on April 21 2023. According to the report, both soldiers are members of the Azov Regiment’s special operations detachment.
A Tuesday statement by the AFU General Staff (AGS) reported the Russian Air Force on Monday set new numerical record with 132 glider bomb strikes against Ukrainian forces, most in support of the main Russian offensive effort toward Pokrovsk.

In an attempt to transform Ukrainian society so it is better equipped to defend itself, Ukrainian high-schoolers will be taught first aid and how to handle weapons and military equipment.
Russian state-run media has repeatedly claimed the Kremlin’s attacks across the front will ultimately succeed, because Ukrainian forces are unable to oppose long-range Russian air and missile strikes called in by observation drones Kyiv’s troops are unable to engage.

Kyiv Post research into images and drone video published by pro-Russia information platforms in the first half of July confirmed Russian observation drones are at least at times operating deep behind Ukrainian lines at multiple locations and are find targets and observer missile strikes on them, apparently without interference.

Camera-toting Russian drones have in the past two weeks flown as much as 50 kilometers into Ukrainian territory and recorded Russian long-range missile strikes in the Kharkiv, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa regions. Ukrainian troop-training bases, airfields, rail hubs, anti-aircraft systems, ammunition storage sites, and equipment warehouses were among the targets, Kyiv Post review of 15 videos published since July 10 showed.

Starting in Spring some Ukrainian air defenders have taken to the skies themselves aboard single-engine training planes, with the passenger armed with an automatic rifle or a shotgun, to hunt down free-flying Russian drones.

Ukrainian forces much prefer to use highly-effect hand-held, shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles to attack Russian drones, but supplies of those weapons have run short as Ukraine’s main suppliers of such weaponry – the US, Poland, France and the UK – have nearly emptied existing stocks and found local manufacturers unable to gear up quickly to manufacture more weapons.

Ukrainian army commander Oleksandr Syrsky (center, standing) poses for a photograph with officers and men of a brigade deployed to the Pokrovsk-Avdiivka sector, during a visit to a training area. July 19 official image. Syrsky said troops must practice combined arms tactics and use attack drones and jamming to deal with Russian observation drones they can’t shoot down.
According to US defense media, in 2023 Raytheon, the manufacturer of highly-successful-in-Ukraine Stinger anti-aircraft missile, called in retired engineers and technicians to restart production lines stopped two decades ago.

Skyrsky’s comments on the gap in anti-drone missiles – often called MANPADS (man-portable air-defense systems) in NATO vernacular, followed a two-day visit to front-line formations in the heavily pressed eastern Donbas sector, scene of repeated Russian ground assaults and massed bombardments in past weeks.

“The enemy is ignoring rather high levels of losses and is continuing to push,” Syrsky said. Russian forces currently are embarked on a broad-front offensive, he said, and are launching daily attacks against the Donbas towns and villages of Krasnohorivka, Progres, Zalizny, Stelmakhivka, Makiivka, Ivanovsky, Chasiv Yar, Ivanovsky and Klishchiivka. The Russian strategy is to use massed firepower to reach and capture its key objective, the Donbas transportation hub city of Pokrovsk, Syrsky said.

Syrsky said Ukrainian troops would stay on the defensive and should focus on inflicting maximum losses on Russian forces and keeping friendly casualties as low as possible, rather than regaining lost ground. Defensive tactics should incorporate fortifications, mine fields and particularly FPV kamikaze drones, one of the few weapons categories in which Ukrainian troops have a clear advantage over their Russian opponents, he said.

Kyiv Post screen grabs from recent video claimed by pro-Russian media to document successful Kremlin surface-to-surface missile strikes against Ukrainian forces, recorded by observation drones operating deep behind Ukrainian lines. The upper left image published on July 16 shows a cluster munition strike against a training area near the village Peresechne, Kharkiv region. The upper right image published on July 21 by pro-Moscow mil-bloggers documents a missile strike against Barvenkovo train station, Kharkiv region. The lower left image published on July 14 by Russia’s defense ministry documents a cluster munitions strike, purportedly, against a Ukrainian IRIS-T anti-aircraft system. The lower right image purportedly shows damage from a missile strike near the village Novopetrivka, Mykolaiv region. Kyiv Post was not able to confirm Russian damage claims or geo-locate all locations. However, the fact Russian drones appear to be operating without hindrance dozens of kilometers behind Ukrainian lines, in multiple sectors across the front, was confirmed.
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Syrsky visited soldiers, officers and commanders of the 47th Mechanized Brigade and 95th Air Assault Brigade. Both are longstanding fighting units stationed in the Avdiivka/Pokrovsk sector for months. Kremlin forces captured Avdiivka in February 2024 and since then have advanced 15 kilometers westward in heavy combat against sometimes bitter Ukrainian resistance.

According to soldiers in those units, Russian forces are often poorly trained and have only advanced at the cost of extremely heavy casualties.

Syrsky made no direct reference to the lost ground but praised troops for holding the line successfully, and in ceremonies in brigade command bunkers handed out medals for valor to soldiers from both units. He later observed soldiers training in trench attacks and defense.

Training to improve tactical efficiency is taking place even in frontline units like the 47th and the 95th; Commanders and their staffs need to prioritize making their units as lethal as possible, he said.

“[We need] mastery in the use of weapons and equipment, effective fire, maneuvering with fire, forces and means – that is, high-quality training of all categories of service members to perform combat tasks. It is important to prepare the staffs of all levels to maximize the combat capabilities of the troops and minimize our losses,” Syrsky said.

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Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 19:34 schreef BlaZ het volgende:

[..]
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/36257

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Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 11:17 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
RIA: Er is weer een trein-veerpont geraakt naast de Kerch brug.

Sowieso zijn er heel erg veel drones "neergehaald" over tig russische regio's.

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Russian lawmakers seek to punish troops using smartphones on Ukraine battlefields
Russia’s lower house of parliament has proposed punishing Russian soldiers caught using smartphones while fighting in Ukraine, state media TASS reported, amid growing concerns that electronic devices can reveal troops’ location on the battlefield.

According to a draft law supported by the State Duma Committee on Defense, carrying internet-connected cell phones whose data can identify Russian troops or the location of forces will be classified as a “gross disciplinary offense” punishable by up to 10 days of arrest. Multiple offenses could lead to up to 15 days of arrest.

The law would also prohibit the use of other electronic devices meant for “household purposes” which allow for video and audio recording and the transmission of geolocation data.

Both Russian and Ukrainian militaries have reportedly used enemy cell phones to identify targets during the war, scraping data from photos and messages to track coordinates and launch attacks.

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The United States and its “Five Eyes” intelligence allies – Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom – warned last year that Russian military hackers had been targeting Ukrainian soldiers’ mobile devices in a bid to steal sensitive battlefield information.

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) also assessed that Russian hackers had sought to infiltrate the Android tablets used by the Ukrainian military for “planning and performing combat missions,” using code designed to steal data sent from the devices to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite system, which have been crucial to Ukraine’s battlefield communications.

After a Ukrainian strike that killed nearly 100 Russian troops in the occupied Ukrainian city of Makiivka on New Year’s Day last year, Russia’s Defense Ministry said the “main cause” of the strike was the widespread use of cell phones by Russian soldiers, although some officials questioned that assessment.

Although the Kremlin has acknowledged the risks posed by soldiers carrying cell phones, Russian military bloggers have criticized the draft law, claiming it shows the Duma’s lack of understanding of the nature of modern warfare.

“The bosses live on another planet,” one blogger, called “Obsessed with the Z War,” wrote on Telegram on Monday.

Another blogger, Veteran Records, said: “Nowadays, gadgets are needed in war not just by individual specialists, now literally every soldier needs a gadget in war. And this is not a luxury or a whim – it is a necessity dictated by time and circumstances.”

Instead of “uncontrolled” gadgets like smartphones, the blogger suggested creating a “controlled” gadget that cannot reveal sensitive battlefield information. “If we can’t create a gadget ourselves, let’s ask the Chinese, they’ll do anything for money,” they wrote.

Russian soldiers are already banned from publicly distributing information that could reveal the identity or location of military personnel.

Under Russia’s legislative process, draft laws must first be considered by the Duma, before progressing to the Federation Council, the upper house. The Council cannot amend laws passed by the Duma, but can approve or reject them.

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Latvia sends a batch of more than 500 drones to Ukraine as part of the Drone Coalition

^{Illustration photo of FPV drone. Photo from open sources}

Latvia sent a batch of over 500 drones to Ukraine as part of the international Drone Coalition.

Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds announced this.

He also posted photos of the packed boxes with the drones inside, before they were shipped.

“A parcel with more than 500 drones is on its way to Ukraine,” the official wrote on social network X.

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.

^{A batch of drones for Ukraine as part of the Drone Coalition. July 2024. Photo credits: Andris Sprūds}

On July 5, the Latvian Defense Ministry announced that a batch of 300 drones would arrive in Ukraine in a few days.

^{A batch of drones for Ukraine as part of the Drone Coalition. July 2024. Photo credits: Andris Sprūds}

In total, more than 2,500 drones of various types and specifications will be handed over to the Ukrainian Defense Forces this month, worth �4 million.

^{A batch of drones for Ukraine as part of the Drone Coalition. July 2024. Photo credits: Andris Sprūds}

The drones are supplied as part of the international Drone Coalition, led by Latvia. The drones are manufactured by seven Latvian companies.

The Drone Coalition currently includes 14 countries: Latvia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and Estonia. Other countries may join the initiative in the future.

As of June, the Drone Coalition raised �549 million for unmanned aerial vehicles for Ukraine.

^{Illustrative photo of FPV drone. Photo from open sources}

In 2024, the Latvian Ministry of Defense alone allocated �20 million for the needs of the Drone Coalition, of which �10 million is intended to purchase drones from the Latvian defense industry.

The initiative to establish a drone coalition was announced during a meeting of its Minister of Defense of Latvia with the Minister of Defense of Ukraine in December 2023. On February 17, 2024, a coalition of 8 countries was formed.

At the beginning of June, the UK and Latvia opened the bidding for companies to supply FPV drones to Ukraine, on behalf of the Drone Capability Coalition.

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Boeing and Ukrainian aircraft manufacturer Antonov sign a memorandum of cooperation in the drone maintenance field

^{ScanEagle drone. Photo from open sources}

The American Boeing Corporation and Ukraine’s Antonov Company have signed an early agreement that will facilitate cooperation in the field of unmanned systems maintenance.

Breaking Defense reported on this.

The memorandum could pave the way for the two planemakers to work together on unmanned systems to support Ukraine’s defense industry.

In particular, the cooperation opens up the possibility for Antonov to receive engineering support from Boeing.

The memorandum of understanding lists training, logistics support, and maintenance of drones like Boeing’s ScanEagle as potential areas for collaboration.

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[img].
https://mil.in.ua/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/scaneagle_gallery2_960x600.jpg[/img]
^{ScanEagle drone. Photo from open sources}

“We’re pleased to continue working with the Antonov Company to support Ukraine’s development and economic growth,” Boeing’s defense CEO Ted Colbert shared.

Antonov CEO Yevhen Havrylov said today’s agreement could help enable the continued development of Ukraine’s defense industry, adding that the company was extremely excited to work with Boeing.

“This agreement brings a whole new level of opportunity to implement the latest and most effective solutions – in addition to the possibility of future projects with Boeing in the aerospace and defense industry,” he noted.

Militarnyi previously reported on the transfer of American ScanEagle unmanned aircraft systems to Ukraine back in August 2022. Reconnaissance drones are included in a new military aid package from the United States.

^{ScanEagle UAV launch. Photo credits: Marine Corps}

ScanEagle is an American unmanned aerial vehicle designed by Insitu, a subsidiary of Boeing. It was based on the SeaScan UAV, a commercial drone designed to monitor fish.

Drones’ main tasks are to provide reconnaissance from the air and help adjust artillery and other weapons.

The drone’s endurance can reach up to 24+ hours, depending on the system’s configuration. The flight range is 100 kilometers.

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Czech Republic says shells for Ukraine plan will fall short without more money
Prague’s foreign minister urges donor countries to pay extra to avoid 800k target being missed by over a third

A Czech initiative to supply Ukraine with 800,000 shells by the end of the year will fall short by more than a third unless donor countries come forward with more money, the Czech foreign minister has said.

“We have secured funding for half a million pieces of large-calibre ammunition, which we will deliver by the end of this year,” Jan Lipavsk� told reporters in Brussels on Monday.

But of the 18 countries signed up to the plan, three were yet to contribute. “We can deliver up to 800,000 [rounds] by the end of this year, if we can find the money – so we need money,” Lipavsk� said.

The first 45,000 shells arrived in Ukraine in June, with a further 100,000 due in July and August, and “from September these deliveries will accelerate”, Lipavsk� said.

Launched by the Czech Republic’s president, Petr Pavel, at the Munich Security Conference in February, the Czech initiative was created in response to an acute shell shortage on the Ukrainian battlefield.

It was a time when Russian forces were believed to be outshelling Ukraine by 10 to one, and the US Congress was withholding approval over a $61bn (�47bn) aid package. A separate EU initiative to buy 1m shells for Ukraine was on course at the same time to deliver just over half of its target within a year.

Unlike the European plan, which is buying exclusively EU-made ammunition, the Czech initiative sources shells from all over the world. So far most of the supply has come from outside the EU, including, according to Czech media, South Korea, South Africa and Turkey.

SPOILER

quote:

The Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Portugal, Canada, Norway and Sweden are among countries that have confirmed their involvement, but the Czech government is not naming other members or the three that have failed so far to deliver on their pledges.

Those unnamed three countries, however, were not responsible for the entire 300,000 gap, Lipavsk� indicated, describing the 800,000 goal as “the possibility which we see in the world market” to supply Ukraine with shells this year.

Tom� Kopečn�, the Czech government’s coordinator for the reconstruction of Ukraine, said the scheme began to have an impact on the battlefield as soon as May, once it became clear deliveries were imminent.

He said that reports, “especially” from Russian sources, indicated that in some places on the 685-mile (1,100km) frontline the Ukrainians were “outshooting” the Russian forces in June. “In some sectors of the frontline, the Ukrainian forces have now the upper-hand advantage in terms of numbers [of shells]. The overall picture though, is still in favour of the Russians.”

He added: “It really depends on the sector of the frontline.”

The initiative is helping supply Ukraine with 155mm shells and other Soviet-standard ammunition, but Kopečn� said Ukraine’s needs were evolving.

“We are moving to a point where 155 ammo will not be the most desperately needed but it will still be needed,” he said, pointing to a need for other Soviet-calibre ammunition.

Prague hopes to make the scheme endure for a couple of years to support Ukraine against a Russian aggressor that has moved its economy on to a war footing to maximise production. Countries that are part of the consortium will be invited to pledge further funds by September to ensure three to four months of internal procedural steps can be completed in time to guarantee shell supplies in 2025.

“The only bottleneck in the system is the finances,” Kopečn� said, adding that with more funds “a few million” shells could be delivered to Ukraine in the medium- and long-term. The three countries that had not delivered on promises “will probably not contribute eventually”, he added.

“We are stressing for our partners who have already contributed to continue in doing so that we would secure long-term deliveries for Ukraine in a sustainable manner,” he said.

The consortium has spent just under �2bn (�1.68bn) so far on sourcing ammunition, which mostly comes from outside the EU, reflecting the relative decline of the European defence industry since the end of the cold war. The Czech Republic is home to two of Europe’s biggest munitions factories and Kopečn� said they played a role in finishing ammunition from non-EU suppliers, ensuring it was battlefield ready. “A growing part of the supply chain is being done in Europe,” he said.

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Ukraine parliament extends martial law, general mobilization
The Verkhovna Rada supported the presidential bills: mobilization and martial law will still be in place from August 12 to November 9

The Ukrainian parliament extended martial law and general mobilization for another 90 days, Golos MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported.

Martial law was extended for 90 days from August 12 to November 9.

339 lawmakers voted for the motion, reports Zheleznyak.

General mobilization has been extended for the same period. The legislator noted that 338 MPs supported the initiative, that is, one less than for the continuation of martial law.

This is already the 12th extension of martial law since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submits relevant bills to the parliament every time when the three-month period of validity of the previous documents comes to an end.

In the future, the head of state must sign the bills adopted today.

At the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, martial law was imposed and extended for one month, and from May 2022 to this day, it is extended for three months ahead. From the very beginning, general mobilization was introduced for 90 days.

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Freedom of Russia Legion destroys enemy observation post worth $200,000 inside Russia – video

С помощью дрона-бомбардировщика "Баба Яга" легионеры уничтожили АПТН “Гренадёр” на Белгородчине

Soldiers of the Freedom of Russia Legion, which is fighting on the side of Ukraine, destroyed the Grenadier autonomous technical observation post of the Russian military in Belgorod Oblast, the unit reported on Telegram.

Combat work was performed by the pilots of the Legion's strike drone company, using the Ukrainian-made Baba Yaga drone.

The Legion writes that as a result of the strike, the Grenadier autonomous technical observation post in Belgorod Oblast was destroyed, which is worth over $200,000.

"We are developing and mastering new types of weapons. This is the first flight of our pilots on the Baba Yaga bomber drone, and the result was immediately fiery," the message reads.

The video shows the drop from the drone and a close-range hit to the Grenadier.

Ukrainian defenders from the 110th Brigade earlier shot down another Russian Su-25 aircraft near Pokrovsk in Donbas.

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Ukraine to receive $3.9 billion in non-refundable aid from US
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the decision to secure a $3.9 billion grant from the United States. The funds will be channeled through the structures of the World Bank, according to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during a government meeting.

"The government will allocate this money for the salaries of rescuers, teachers, and medical workers, as well as for social support programs. We expect to receive this grant in the near future," he said.

Shmyhal also mentioned that Ukraine has met the second quarter 2024 indicators for the Ukraine Facility program.

"We have received a positive assessment from the European Commission. This concerns reforms in the budgetary, customs, anti-corruption, and energy sectors," the Prime Minister said, adding that Ukraine expects the next tranche of �4.1 billion from the EU in September this year.

Ukraine has not received aid from the US this year. In April, the US Congress approved a support package for Kyiv amounting to $61 billion, most of which will go to military assistance, with part allocated for budgetary support.

Since the beginning of the year, Ukraine has received $14 billion in budgetary support from the EU, IMF, and Western countries. Kyiv expects the total aid for the year to reach $38 billion. Next year, aid will decrease, but Ukraine might receive a $50 billion loan backed by frozen Russian assets.

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90,000 Russians now in Zaporizhzhia Oblast with numbers growing – ZSU
Despite this number of occupiers, it's not enough for Russians to conduct active offensive operations in the south

Russia has concentrated about 90,000 occupiers in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, but these forces are insufficient for advancement, so positional battles predominantly continue in the south, Dmytro Lykhoviy, spokesperson for the Tavria operational-strategic group, said during TV marathon.

He said there are "quite a lot" of Russians in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast – almost 90,000. An increase in this number is observed – over the past three weeks, another 2,000 have been added.

"However, our intelligence says that there are no significant changes that would affect the nature of combat operations, and no signs of the enemy forming an offensive group have been detected," Lykhoviy said.

In other words, he noted that the number of enemy personnel in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts is not enough for Russians to advance further than the lines where the occupiers are currently positioned.

The Russians cannot conduct active combat operations on several fronts simultaneously. Their main activity is currently focused in the Donetsk and Kharkiv Oblasts, so more positional confrontations continue on the southern sections of the front.

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Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 20:53 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://news.liga.net/en/(...)-numbers-growing-zsu
[..]
Dus 90.000 in de Zaporizhzhia regio, 100.000-120.000 in de Kherson regio. En dat zijn dan de regio's waarin relatief weinig offensieven plaats vinden vanuit beide zijdes.

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Hungary stripped of EU meeting over Ukraine stance
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borell, has stripped Hungary of the right to host the next meeting of foreign and defence ministers over its stance on the war in Ukraine.

It comes weeks after Hungary assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, a role in which it would normally host the event, and amid anger over a meeting Prime Minister Viktor Orban held with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this month.

Mr Borrell said Hungary's actions should have consequences and that "we have to send a signal, even if it is a symbolic signal".

Hungary described the move as "completely childish".

Every six months, under each new council presidency, the EU's foreign and defence ministers hold informal meetings to discuss the biggest global issues facing the bloc.

The next set of meetings will take place on 28-30 August and were to be held in Budapest, but on Monday Mr Borrell announced they would instead take place in Brussels.

SPOILER

quote:

Citing comments made after the meeting with Mr Putin in which Mr Orban accused the EU of having a "pro-war policy", Mr Borrell told reporters: "If you want to talk about the war party, talk about Putin.

"I can say that all member states - with one single exception - are very much critical about this behaviour.

"I think it was... appropriate to show this feeling and to call for the next foreign and defence council meetings in Brussels."

Of the 26 other countries in the EU, only Slovakia has backed Hungary in the dispute.

However. Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel, told reporters that he would go to Budapest because a boycott would be "nonsense". Mr Bettel felt that it was better to tell the Hungarians the EU was unhappy with their actions as "ignoring or not choosing dialogue would be a mistake".

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski proposed that the August meeting should take place in western Ukraine, but that idea was blocked by Budapest.

Responding to Mr Borrell's decision, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote on Facebook: "What a fantastic response they have come up with.

"I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but it feels like being in a kindergarten."

Mr Orban's meeting with Mr Putin came as part of what he described as a "peace mission" - launched days after Hungary assumed the council presidency - that also saw him visiting the leaders of Ukraine and China, as well as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in the US.

The trip sparked condemnation from leaders across the EU, with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen describing it as "nothing but an appeasement mission".

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said Mr Orban had "no mandate to negotiate or discuss on behalf of the EU", while Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the trip sent "the wrong signal to the outside world and is an insult to the Ukrainian people’s fight for their freedom".

The episode is one of numerous occasions since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on which Hungary has been at odds with most of the rest of the EU about the appropriate response.

After winning re-election in April 2022, just months after the invasion, Mr Orban told a crowd of supporters that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was among the people he would have to "battle" in his fourth term.

Last year, he repeatedly used Hungary's veto to delay a �50bn (�42bn) package of non-military financial aid to Ukraine.

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Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 18:44 schreef Richestorags het volgende:

[..]
Ze zullen vast onder druk gezet zijn dat de grenspalen bij Abkhazi� en Zuid-Osseti� steeds verder gaan opschuiven als ze niet meewerken.

Rusland heeft altijd alleen mensen die "meewerken". Het is een Italiaanse maffia die ��n groot benzinestation runt dat zich voordoet als een land.

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Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 20:59 schreef inslagenreuring het volgende:

[..]
Het wordt op die fronten waarschijnlijk pas echt interessant als er een doorbraak komt en er moeten reserves weg.

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Russian Spending on Cemetery Expansion Triples Since Ukraine Invasion

Russian regions’ spending on cemetery expansion projects was nearly three times higher during the first two years of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine than it was during the two years prior, The Moscow Times has found.

According to data from the official state procurement portal, Russia’s regions spent more than 225 million rubles ($2.5 million) on cemetery expansion in 2023.

This is twice as much as in 2022 and almost six times more than in 2020, before the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

Authorities have already spent 136 million rubles ($1.5 million) for this purpose during the first half of 2024. This is compared to 38 million rubles ($432,000) spent by the regions to expand cemeteries in 2020, over 124 million rubles in 2021 ($1.4 million) and 122 million rubles ($1.3 million) in 2022.

In the two pre-pandemic years, 2018 and 2019, the regions spent a combined 1.1 billion rubles ($12.5 million) on cemetery expansion. However, during this period, Moscow conducted a large-scale cemetery renovation program, minus the spending of the capital region, Russia spent about 125 million ($1.4 million) cumulatively for two years.

SPOILER

quote:

.

Official statistics have not shown a surge in deaths resulting from the war in Ukraine. According to state statistics agency Rosstat, the number of deaths decreased year-on-year by 22% in 2022 and by another 7.6% in 2023.

Meanwhile, the independent news website Meduza analyzed the federal register of inheritance cases and estimated that about 120,000 people may have died in the war. Journalists from the BBC Russian service and Mediazona have managed to confirm the identities of more than 58,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine.

According to Rosstat, mortality in Russia increased by 18% in 2020 compared to 2019. Mortality rose by another 15.1% in 2021, reaching World War II-era levels.

Russia confirmed more than 680,000 deaths caused by Covid-19 during the first two years of the pandemic. A group of scientists led by the chief scientist of the Austria-based International Institute for Systems Analysis estimated that the real toll of the pandemic in Russia exceeds 1 million people.

But even during the pandemic, half as much was spent on expanding cemeteries as during the two years of the war.

The war in Ukraine is just one of the factors that explain the expansion of cemeteries over the last two years, says demographer Yan Bride.

Natural causes, such as an aging population and alcohol-related deaths, are also driving this process, he said.

But “the Covid effect has passed” and “the intensification of deaths at younger ages has also led to a growing demand for funeral services to create new territories,” Bride said.

The winner in terms of spending on cemetery expansion over the years is the Khanty-Mansi autonomous district, which at more than 262 million rubles ranks second among Russia’s regions with the highest economic potential after Moscow itself.

The other top regions spent much less: the Ulyanovsk region — more than 37 million rubles, the Sverdlovsk region — more than 31 million rubles, the Irkutsk region — 15.7 million rubles, the Yamal-Nenets autonomous district — 15.3 million rubles.

In the Khanty-Mansi autonomous district, cemeteries are being expanded in the settlements of Nizhnevartovsk, Kogalym, Langepas, Priobie and Talinka, according to government procurement data. Mortality in the region is falling: the number of deaths in 2023 decreased by about 4%, according to state statistics agency Rosstat.

More than 233 million rubles ($2.6 million) were spent over 2.5 years to expand the cemetery in Nizhnevartovsk, which according to government procurement data was carried out in four stages.

The exact area of the cemetery is not specified in the procurement documents, but it is known that more than three hectares of forest will be cut down for its expansion — roughly the size of four soccer fields.

The Moscow Times calculated that the Tyumen region, which includes the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, was one of the leaders in spending on funeral supplies for military burials in 2022-2023.

The Ulyanovsk region spent 37 million rubles to expand the Tiinsky cemetery in the city of Dmitrovgrad, even though the region’s mortality rate fell by 8% in 2023.

In the Sverdlovsk region, cemeteries were expanded in the settlement of Verkh-Neyvinsky, the village of Nizhnyaya Oslyanka, in the cities of Polevskoy and Kamensk-Uralsky. In the latter, the expansion affected the Volkovskoye cemetery, where two blocks were allocated for people who died while taking part in the war in Ukraine. At the same time, the region’s official death rate last year fell by 6%.

The least spent on cemeteries were the Lipetsk region (170,000 rubles), the republic of Udmurtia (273,000 rubles), the Zabaikalsky region (356,000 rubles), the Perm region (542,000 rubles) and the republic of Buryatia (602,000 rubles).

According to BBC Russian’s calculations, Buryatia is among the leaders in terms of losses in the war in Ukraine, with about 1,500 soldiers and officers having been buried there.

About 40% of all cemeteries being expanded are located in urban settlements and villages, while 60% are in small towns. Only three cemeteries belong to large cities or regional capitals (Moscow, St. Petersburg and Murmansk).

“For a small rural cemetery, 10-20 coffins that come from Ukraine is a lot, so they will certainly be expanded there due to the war, among other things. Plus, if some regions decide to bury fighters in rural cemeteries instead of within the city limits, this is another argument in favor of expansion,” said Sergei Krivenko, director of the Grazhdanin. Armiya. Pravo (“Citizen. Army. Rights.”) human rights group.

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Hungary Issues Ultimatum to Ukraine Over Blocked EU Military Aid
Hungary has issued an ultimatum to Ukraine regarding the unblocking of $6.5 billion in military aid from the EU. The Hungarian Foreign Minister, P�ter Szijj�rt�, stated that Hungary will continue to block the military aid funding program for Ukraine under the European Peace Facility until Kyiv restores the supply of Russian oil.

Szijj�rt� emphasized that the energy supply of Hungary and Slovakia is reportedly under threat because 33% and 40-45% of their crude oil imports come from the Russian company Lukoil, which transits through Ukraine.

According to him, the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine explicitly states that Ukraine cannot fully or partially interrupt the transit of energy carriers through its territory to EU countries.

Szijj�rt� suggested that it will be difficult for the European Commission to support Ukraine on this issue. However, Hungary will not limit itself to just lodging a complaint with the EU.

“I have made it clear that as long as this issue remains unresolved by Ukraine, everyone should forget about the �6.5 billion compensation payment for arms supplies from the European Peace Program. Because how would it look to make a $6.5 billion payment, while Ukraine threatens the security of our energy supply? I believe the situation here is crystal clear, and the European Commission should really press Ukraine to allow Lukoil’s oil transit through Ukraine again,” Szijj�rt� stated.

Recently, Ukraine ceased the transit of Russian oil from the Lukoil company to Hungary and Slovakia. Sanctions against Lukoil by Ukraine were initially imposed in 2018 but were reinforced this year, prohibiting the transit of oil.

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Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 21:29 schreef voetbalmanager2 het volgende:
[ x ]

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Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 22:01 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Welke negatieve media aandacht? Of gaat het om een minderheid die het hardst aan het klagen waren over dit bezoek? Want ik heb verder geen negatieve berichten over Azov gezien de laatste tijd. Eerlijk is eerlijk ik volg het Nederlands nieuws ook niet echt. Buiten het nieuws hier op Fok!

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Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 21:06 schreef ipa84 het volgende:
Leuk twitterdraadje over vreemde eend. Ook meteen waarom ik vreemde eend nooit serieus neem omdat hij er eigenlijk constant naast zit en daarna zijn fouten niet durft toe te geven. Het is een opiniemaker of propagandist maar met journalistiek en feiten heeft het niks te maken.

[ x ]

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Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 22:01 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Welke negatieve media aandacht? Of gaat het om een minderheid die het hardst aan het klagen waren over dit bezoek? Want ik heb verder geen negatieve berichten over Azov gezien de laatste tijd. Eerlijk is eerlijk ik volg het Nederlands nieuws ook niet echt. Buiten het nieuws hier op Fok!

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Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 22:03 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
De wappies zijn blijven hangen bij azov - nazi's!

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Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 20:36 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.theguardian.c(...)all-short-more-money
[..]

SPOILER

[..]

En er is weer meer geld nodig om de toegezegde shells te kunnen betalen, dat is nu de zoveelste keer dat de prijs omhoog gaat. Maar ja, het niet bekostigen hiervan is ook geen optie natuurlijk. En het blijft een kwestie van vraag en aanbod. Hoe meer shells hoe beter. En 2 maanden geleden waren het slechts 3 landen die al het toegezegde geld betaald hadden, waaronder Nederland, nu zijn het er 3 die nog niet betaald hebben. Dat is gelukkig ook de goede kant op gegaan. Al moeten die 3 landen een flinke trap onder de kont krijgen natuurlijk. Volgens Tsjechische media komen de shells onder andere uit Turkije, Zuid Afrika en Zuid Korea.

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Ukrainian Armed Forces Destroyed Buk-M1 Missile Launcher

^{Detonation of the Buk-M1 missile, July 23, 2024. Photo credits: 15th Separate Artillery Reconnaissance Brigade}

Aerial reconnaissance personnel of the Black Forest unit launched a missile attack on a launcher of a Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile system.

The footage of the attack was released by the press service of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Aerial reconnaissance personnel of the 15th Artillery Reconnaissance Brigade discovered a launcher of the Russian Buk-M1 anti-aircraft system.

The operators of the Shark reconnaissance system tracked the vehicle’s movement to the firing position and adjusted the fire of the Ukrainian artillery.

As a result of a direct hit, the system’s ammunition detonated, indicating the complete destruction of the combat vehicle.

SPOILER

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Знищення пускової З� К "Бук-М1" [23 липня 2024]

At the beginning of the month, fighters from the Black Forest unit spotted operators of a Russian Supercam unmanned aerial vehicle near Varvarivka in the Luhansk region during a reconnaissance mission.

After waiting for the Russian military to approach the UAV’s landing site, Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance personnel adjusted artillery fire on them.

The strike destroyed the Russian drone and eliminated part of its crew.

^{Destroyed Russian Supercam S350 drone and eliminated operator in sight of the Ukrainian drone. July 2024. Ukraine. A frame from the video of the “Black Forest” Brigade}

In late April, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine’s “Gusy-9” group, together with servicemen of the 15th Separate Artillery Reconnaissance Brigade, discovered and destroyed a rare Russian 48Ya6-K1 Podlet radar .

The enemy used the radar station to detect and transmit target coordinates to Russian S-300 and S-400 air defense missile systems.

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Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 22:10 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
Fun fact: rusland moet ��k munitie kopen op de wereld markt.

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Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 22:09 schreef Alarmonoff het volgende:

[..]
showiets? ?
[ afbeelding ]

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Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 22:09 schreef Alarmonoff het volgende:

[..]
showiets? ?
[ afbeelding ]

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The man with many identities
In Frankfurt, three suspected agents are said to have spied on a Ukrainian. Who is the man who claims to be on a "death list" in Russia?

Russian soldiers lie motionless on a street not far from Kyiv. Apparently killed. One is still alive, but is then also shot. Armed uniformed men cheer into the camera, shouting: "Glory to Ukraine!" The scenes come from a video that was shared on social networks at the end of March 2022, a few weeks after the start of the Russian war of aggression.

It could be evidence of a war crime - committed by a Ukrainian combat unit. Because it apparently shows the killing of prisoners of war. One of the Russians killed apparently had his hands tied behind his back.

The two-and-a-half minute long video is now also of interest to German security authorities. It features a man who may be at the center of an explosive investigation: three men were arrested in Frankfurt am Main in mid-June. The Federal Prosecutor General accuses them of spying on a person from Ukraine living in Germany for a foreign secret service - possibly in preparation for an assassination attempt or kidnapping.

The potential victim had previously reported himself to the Hessian police. The man explained that he had been contacted at the end of April via the messenger service Signal by a certain "Yaroslav" who had claimed to be a Ukrainian secret service agent. In fact, however, he suspected a trap set by the Russian secret service, the man is said to have told the police. Moscow was hunting him and he was considered a war criminal.

In consultation with the investigators, a supposed meeting was finally arranged, to which the three men, who are still in custody, appeared.

SPOILER

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The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the BND are also investigating
In recent weeks, WDR , NDR and SZ have been researching the seemingly mysterious case, which is now not only involving the Hessian State Office of Criminal Investigation (LKA), but also the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) and the Federal Intelligence Service (BND). At its core, it comes down to two questions: Who is the man who feels persecuted by Russia? And was the arrested trio planning an assassination attempt on him?

According to research, the man told the Hessian investigators a rather adventurous story: He entered Germany in August 2023 with a Georgian passport under a false name. His wife and children were already living in Hesse at the time. His real name is MS and he was originally from Georgia. He came to Ukraine in 2012, served in the military there from 2014 and fought against the Russian military as an officer in a combat unit from February 2022. But again under a different name: MK

In March 2022, he and his unit took a group of Russian soldiers as prisoners of war near Bucha near Kiev, the man reported to the Hessian police. Then there was a Russian attack and the prisoners were killed in the attack. There is also a video of this incident, which circulated online shortly afterwards. He can also be seen in it, and that is why he is considered a war criminal in Russia and is wanted. There is even a bounty on his head.

The man presumably has another history - a criminal one. According to research by WDR , NDR and SZ, a person with the name MS and the date of birth that the man gave to the Hessian investigators was on trial in Ukraine in 2018. Specifically for serious robberies. There is a video of the start of the trial, showing a strong man with a thick, black-gray beard.

He looks strikingly similar to a Ukrainian fighter who appears in the March 2022 video showing the killed Russian soldiers. A comparison with facial recognition software showed a high match - but that is not certain. However, the Ukrainian soldier was later identified by Russian media not as MS, but with another name.

Bodyguard of the Georgian ex-president?
MS confirmed to the German police officers that he was known in Ukraine under the Georgian name MK. He had been given this identity by the Ukrainian secret service and it was a fictitious name. He had also been the bodyguard of the former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

There are actually photos that show a bodyguard next to Saakashvili who looks very similar to the soldier in the atrocity video from Ukraine and the man who was on trial for the robberies in Ukraine - but at the time he didn't have a full beard. Here too, facial recognition software assumes that this is probably the same person.

Consequently, the man who now claims to be on a Kremlin death list may actually have previously worked as a bodyguard for the Georgian ex-president, then possibly stood trial in Ukraine for robberies - and finally may have fought against the Russian attackers under a different identity in a Georgian unit.

In June 2022, Russian media reported that the combat unit allegedly responsible for war crimes had been destroyed. The soldier with the black-gray beard was also killed, it was said. Which in turn raises the question: Is the man who appeared before German investigators lying - or did he simply take the opportunity or even deliberately fake his own death in order to go into hiding?

Apparently leaving via Poland
In any case, the man is said to have reported to the German investigators that he was seriously injured in Ukraine when his vehicle hit a mine. The Ukrainian authorities then asked him to leave the country. They then obtained a new Georgian ID for him and drove him to the Polish border.

When there were problems crossing the border, the man reported, he presented a document personally signed by a representative of the Ukrainian military intelligence service. He was then allowed to travel to Poland and to Germany to be with his wife and two children. Because of the video and his statement to the police, the Federal Prosecutor General is also investigating MS - for alleged war crimes against Russian prisoners of war.

Neither the Ukrainian nor the Georgian embassy responded to a written request to comment on the matter. A lawyer for the man was not immediately available for comment.

Security circles say that the case has parallels to the so-called Tiergarten murder - the only known Russian contract killing on German territory. In August 2019, a Chechen from Georgia was shot dead by a Russian in a park in Berlin. The court later ruled that it was an assassination on behalf of the Russian state. The murderer was probably recruited by the Russian secret service, and the victim was considered a terrorist and enemy of the state in Russia.

Now the Federal Prosecutor General in Karlsruhe is asking the question: Was something similar possibly planned in Frankfurt?

Target person spied on?
The three suspects, who were arrested in Frankfurt in mid-June, are suspected of spying on the man who sometimes calls himself MS and sometimes MK. When the three were arrested, passports, credit cards, a large sum of cash and a GPS tracking device were confiscated; but no weapons or poison. The investigators assume that the alleged agents were first supposed to find out where the target person was, where he lived and how he moved around.

Two of the trio told investigators that they were innocent, that they did not work for a secret service, and that they had only happened to be in the Frankfurt caf�. The lawyers of the three accused did not want to comment when asked.

The third person, an Armenian, remains silent. Investigators have now been able to recover several photos from his cell phone that had been deleted - they show the bearded soldier from the video from Ukraine.

quote:

Defense Forces strike Russia's last rail ferry in Sea of Azov
Occupiers used it to transport railway cars, vehicles, and containers for military purposes

On July 23, the Defense Forces struck the Slavyanin rail ferry at Port Kavkaz in Russia's Krasnodar Oblast along the Sea of Azov, according to a report from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The Ukrainian Navy, in coordination with other Defense Forces units, delivered significant damage to the enemy ferry Slavyanin in Port Kavkaz.

This ferry is the third and last that Russia had in the region.

It was used by the occupiers to transport railway cars, vehicles, and containers for military purposes, the General Staff noted.

Previously, Krasnodar Oblast authorities reported a drone attack on a ferry in Port Kavkaz, attributing the strike to Ukraine.

quote:

Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 22:56 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Je kan waarschijnlijk niet eens uitleggen wat nazisme is.

Anders dan: "JA MAAR PUTIN ZEGT DAT ZE HET ZIJN!

quote:

Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 23:16 schreef Alarmonoff het volgende:
The Azov Regiment has been a recurring theme of Russian propaganda.[22]

quote:

Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 23:20 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Yup.

quote:

Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 23:24 schreef Alarmonoff het volgende:

[..]
Ook dat valt niet te ontkennen.

SPOILER

quote:

Translation of the subtitles:

"Fa**ots thought that they can scare us away with their lame attempts to shoot our drone down with small arms. But, in fact, they just made us more eager to destroy that piece of arty. The second flight with proper correction happened right away, and as a result the cannon was bull's-eyed."

SPOILER

quote:

Translation:

"This thing was hit with the first shot... There were no one here, cause they left for the day... Here she is, a D-1, all smashed up... Dates back to 1944, probably shot at the Reichstag... As they say: "Our grandads were fighting the Germans with her, and now we also are fighting the Germans with her..." The aiming and recoil mechanisms are damaged, that's probably all... Theoretically she can be restored, yes... The wheel and the hand brake are damaged... You know that it's impossible to shoot from her without the hand brake... The recoil is crazy, so she will just keep burying herself deeper and deeper, and you would be shooting into nothing... So, yes, theoretically she is fixable, but there are no parts... You know, she dates back to the 1940s, what parts are we talking about? All has to be custom made... We used to take parts from different cannons, modify them, etc. This one is a third or forth modified piece of arty..."

SPOILER

quote:

Soldier1: salam

Camera: salam brother

S1: film me

Soldier2: can’t see a fucking thing

Cam: that’s how things are, we are working.

S1: (interrupts) we are here too hunh

Cam: (laugh)

S1: Who says that COs are (not) at the line of contact? we are all here…

other man: we are all here?

another man: [sounded like yeah да]

Cam: here’s a tank blyat, got blown up, so fuck, MTLB fuck,

Cam: That’s it, we are working.

SPOILER

quote:

"The explosive device was found during the survey of the territory of the village of Malinivka, Pokrovsky district.

Specialists of the State Emergency Service removed it and destroyed it by detonating it in a controlled manner in a special place.

Dear citizens! When detecting explosive or suspicious objects, immediately call the Rescue Service on the number 101!"- State Emergency Service of Ukraine

https:// t. me /dsns_telegram/30483

SPOILER

quote:

Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 22:07 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
Hier is de Thread link voor dit artikel.

quote:

Fake video of threat to Olympic Games appears to be from Russia, researchers say
Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center, which reviewed the video at NBC News’ request, said it appears to have come from a known Russian disinformation group.

A video spreading on X and Telegram of a man purporting to be a Hamas fighter threatening the Olympics in Paris is part of a Russian-linked disinformation campaign meant to disrupt the event, according to researchers at Microsoft.

On Telegram, Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq denied the video had come from Hamas, calling it a forgery.

Researchers from Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center, who reviewed the video at NBC News’ request, said it appears to have come from a known Russian disinformation group, noting that details of a previous video about Ukraine match it.

In the most recent video, a man with his face wrapped in a scarf stands against a gray wall and addresses the people of France and President Emmanuel Macron. He says in Arabic that “rivers of blood will flow through the streets of Paris” for what he said was France’s support of Israel in the war with Hamas and its welcoming Israeli athletes to the Olympic Games, holding up a severed mannequin’s head seemingly covered in red paint.

SPOILER

quote:

With the opening ceremony just days away, French authorities have reassured the public that it has taken every possible security precaution, which includes deploying tens of thousands of security personnel. Microsoft had warned that Russia was looking to scare people away from the Games.

The Microsoft researchers said Tuesday that a group known as Storm-1516, a small but prolific outgrowth of Russia’s infamous Internet Research Agency troll farm, appeared to be behind the video. The video has in recent days been spread by several popular accounts known to traffic in Russian propaganda, with some also trying to claim it came from Israel.

“This operation closely aligns with tactics, techniques and procedures observed in previous Storm-1516 operations, including a previous video that similarly pretended to be Hamas,” the Microsoft group said in a statement.

NBC News found similarities between the new video and the previous one about Ukraine, which was posted in October and had been identified by Clemson University researchers as having come from Russia’s Storm-1516.

In the October video, several men in scarves and face coverings stand against a gray wall. One of them thanks Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Arabic for “a new shipment of weapons and military equipment.” The post promoted a false claim that Ukraine had provided military assistance to Hamas, disinformation that Russian propagandists have boosted on social media.

In both videos, the man who delivers the message appears to be standing in front of the same gray wall wearing the same uniform. He also begins his speech with the same invocation to God.

Microsoft researchers said Storm-1516 campaigns are recognized by certain tactics, including creating videos in which actors allege a conspiracy and then posting those videos to relatively new online accounts with few followers. The videos are then laundered through Telegram, X and websites impersonating local news sites or as sponsored content on foreign news sites. Their goal is to reach mainstream audiences in the West.

In June, Microsoft’s threat analysis center said in a report that one of Russia’s goals was to create fear around the threat of violence during the Paris Olympic Games “to deter spectators from attending the Games,” wrote Clint Watts, general manager of Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center.

The fake Hamas video was initially posted Sunday on X by an account with the name “Hamas fighter,” which was started in February and has posted only a few dozen times.

Darren Linvill, a professor and director of the Media Forensics Hub at Clemson, said the fake Hamas video had been laundered through Kremlin-friendly Arab and French West African news outlets on Monday, in what he called “classic Russian placement and layering strategy.”

And early Tuesday it passed through pro-Russian accounts, first reposted by Simeon Boikov, an Australian propagandist for Russian President Vladimir Putin who is living in Sydney’s Russian Consulate and posts online under the moniker “Aussie Cossack.” It was then shared by pro-Kremlin Telegram channels, including Golos Mordora, to 169,000 subscribers, citing Arabic-language media reports.

Two hours after it was posted by Aussie Cossack, it was shared by Pravda-En, a known Russian propaganda outlet. The link is no longer active.

Some of those accounts claimed Israel may have been behind the video, an accusation also leveled by al-Risheq, the Hamas spokesperson. There is no evidence that the video came from Israel.

By the afternoon, the video had been posted on X nearly 4,000 times, according to PeakMetrics, a company that tracks online threats.

Grok, Elon Musks’ artificial intelligence model on X, which has struggled in its goal to curate the news without inserting misinformation and unverified claims, summarized the post as a trending topic, wrongly attributing the video to Hamas and adding, “This threat has sparked widespread concern and calls for increased security measures to ensure the safety of the event.”

“Grok can make mistakes, verify its outputs,” a warning label attached to the trending post read.

quote:

SBU detains Russian accomplice plotting arson at railway infrastructure, orchestrating strikes on Odesa
The Security Service of Ukraine detained a Russian FSB asset who is believed to have been preparing a series of arson attacks against the strategic facilities run by the Ukrzaliznytsia railway operator and monitoring the army deployment sites in Odesa to spot Russian missile strikes targeting them.
This was reported by the SBU press office, Ukrinform saw.

The perpetrator had been operating in Odesa region where his Russian handlers told him to locate primarily Ukraine’s air defense capabilities protecting the airspace over the city.

The suspect, a 39-year-old local resident, was also tasked with damaging or destroying railway infrastructure, including semaphores.

After the first arson episode, the SBU detained the culprit on hot pursuit.

The inquiry believes the perpetrator was plotting more arson attempts.

The SBU learned that the suspect had previously lived in Russia, where he was recruited by an FSB operative. Also, it is believed that his father still lives in the aggressor state.

The perpetrator is in custody, facing life in prison if found guilty of treason and sabotage under martial law, as well as illegal handling of ammunition.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the SBU and National Police nabbed a Russian accomplice who had been preparing a series of arson attacks at strategic facilities run by Ukrzaliznytsia in Kyiv.

quote:

Russia announces willingness to help Georgian ruling party stay in power

^{Georgian students stage a march to protest the controversial "foreign influence" bill in Tbilisi, Georgia on May 13, 2024. (Giorgi Arjevanidze / AFP via Getty Images)}

Andrei Klimov, Deputy Chairman of Russia's Federation Council, stated that Russia is prepared to assist Georgia's ruling party, "Georgian Dream," in retaining power if requested.

Klimov made these comments at a Friends of Russia Club meeting in Moscow, according to Georgian TV channel TV Pirveli.

He compared the situation to Syria, using Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as an example to illustrate that those who seek Russia's help receive military assistance. Russia intervened in Syria in September 2015 to support Bashar al-Assad's government against numerous internal opposition groups.

Russian forces operating in Syria have been accused by the U.N. and other organizations of committing war crimes in the country, including bombing hospitals and using "double-tap" attacks, a tactic Russia has repeated in Ukraine.

Russia has historically used its "assistance" and "protection" initiatives to expand the country's geopolitical influence and colonial efforts in various regions.

SPOILER

quote:

Klimov’s comments come amid a recent survey revealing that most Georgians view Russia as their main enemy, with this sentiment growing as Georgian Dream appears to be aligning more closely with Moscow, including plans to restore diplomatic relations.

The survey was conducted when the ruling Georgian Dream party passed the foreign agents law, which requires organizations that receive foreign funding to be labeled as "foreign agents" and mirrors repressive Russian legislation used to crack down on Kremlin regime critics.

The controversial legislation sparked large-scale protests in the country, which escalated to violent incidents as police officers tried to quell the demonstrations with water cannons and rubber bullets.

Washington and Brussels have denounced the bill as incompatible with Western values, and voices within the EU called for freezing Georgia's membership candidate status if the law is implemented.

quote:

Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 08:40 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:
Hoe bots te spotten:
[ afbeelding ]

quote:

Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 08:11 schreef Idisrom het volgende:
Komt er een algemene mobilisatie van Oekra�ne van 90 dagen van 12 augustus 2024 tot 9 november 2024?

Russian Breakthrough In Kurakhove Front

quote:

Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 20:42 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://news.liga.net/en/(...)general-mobilization
[..]
Dat zijn er toch meer dan 100 die tegengestemd hebben zo te zien. Er zitten 450 parlementsleden in het parlement. Gelukkig is een overweldigende meerderheid gewoon voor.

quote:

Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 01:46 schreef Parafernalia het volgende:

[..]
goeie God, is dit allemaal echt?
Als in geverifieerd?

Dat ie niet helemaal in orde was wist ik wel maar wat ik hier lees is compleet van de pot gerukt

quote:

Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 09:52 schreef Aether het volgende:
[ x ]

quote:

Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 09:44 schreef oheng het volgende:
Comment sectie is een bloedbad

quote:

Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 22:34 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Britse huurlingen gedood

quote:

Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 10:29 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
[ x ]

Maar goed, nu snappen we waarom je hier kreten rondslingert, en geen bronnen levert.

Omdat je gewoon trollen en tankies aan het nablaten bent.

quote:

Op dinsdag 23 juli 2024 22:34 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Britse huurlingen gedood

quote:

Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 09:53 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
Fun fact: Voor slechts 5 miljard roebels heb je al een battalion/dagvoorraad.

quote:

Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 10:29 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
[ x ]

Maar goed, nu snappen we waarom je hier kreten rondslingert, en geen bronnen levert.

Omdat je gewoon trollen en tankies aan het nablaten bent.

quote:

Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 08:35 schreef Starhopper het volgende:
Biem!
[ x ]

quote:

Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 13:14 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
Gaat het nou over de SAS of huurlingen?

quote:

Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 15:06 schreef ExTec het volgende:
Ik heb nog geen enkele huurling gezien in deze oorlog, maar volgens het kremlin is alles wat vecht en niet oekrainer is, huurling.

quote:

Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 15:18 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
Het is een beetje potato/potato (volunteer/mercenary) natuurlijk...

quote:

Maar het ging over "Britse huurlingen" en vervolgens gaat het over de SAS. Hebben jullie het dan over hetzelfde verhaal?

quote:

Intelligence "hacks" Russia's banking system: Sberbank, Raiffeisen, Alfa Bank down – source
From the morning of July 23, a massive cyber attack by Ukrainian military intelligence specialists on Russia's banking system began

The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense "hacked" the banking system of Russia, as a result of which Sberbank, Raiffeisen, VTB, Alfa Bank and others are down, a source of LIGA.net reported.

The interlocutor said that from the morning of July 23, a massive cyber attack by specialists of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence on the banking system of Russia began.

As a result of the attack, the work of payment systems, mobile applications of banks, personal accounts, payment systems for services in public transport, etc., stopped or was significantly complicated.

Interruptions in the work of the main mobile operators and Internet providers of Russia are also observed, the source noted.

SPOILER

quote:

Users throughout Russia complain that they cannot use the online services of Alfa Bank, Sberbank, Raiffeisen Bank, VTB Bank, RSKhB Bank, Gazprombank, T-Bank, and iBank online banking, he said.

In particular, due to the DIU attack, the operation of the national payment systems: the SBP Fast Payment System and the NSPK National Payment Card System was blocked or significantly disrupted.

Also, Russian users on social networks complain en masse about the impossibility of using mobile communications or mobile Internet from Beeline, Megafon, Tele2 and Rostelecom.

Russia has already admitted that the massive failure of online services is the result of an attack by "politically motivated hackers", and Ukrainian intelligence notes that the attack is still ongoing and far from over.

On July 18, sea and air drones of the SBU Security Service of Ukraine hit the Russian coast guard base on Lake Donuzlav.

On July 22, the military intelligence attacked an oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai: as a result, a fire broke out at the facility.

quote:

Russia's losses at front three times higher than Ukraine's – army chief Syrskyi
The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces refused to specify the number of casualties, because it is a "sensitive" topic that Moscow can use

Russia's losses in the war against Ukraine exceed Ukrainian losses "three times", the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi said in an interview for The Guardian.

The aggressor's losses are "even more" in certain sectors.

"Their number of killed is much bigger," he stated.

At the same time, Syrskyi refused to specify the number of losses, because it is a "sensitive" topic that Moscow can use.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces, as of July 24, the losses of the Russian army in personnel amount to about 570,120 soldiers.

On July 7, The Economist analyzed the leak of Pentagon data on Russia's losses in manpower in the war against Ukraine. According to estimates, the invasion forces lost 462,000 to 728,000 people.

From April to June, the Russian occupation army lost 82,000 people in the area of responsibility of the Khortytsia operational-strategic troop grouping i.e. the whole eastern front.

quote:

Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 19:07 schreef zalkc het volgende:
[ x ]

Wat ik steeds maar niet begrijp. Hoe kan Rusland nu bijna geen nieuwe tanks bouwen en toch de komende jaren wel ineens 1000-1500 kan gaan maken?

Welke nuance mis ik?

quote:

Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 19:12 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Niet. Is een onzinverhaaltje.

quote:

Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 19:07 schreef zalkc het volgende:
[ x ]

Wat ik steeds maar niet begrijp. Hoe kan Rusland nu bijna geen nieuwe tanks bouwen en toch de komende jaren wel ineens 1000-1500 kan gaan maken?

Welke nuance mis ik?

quote:

Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 19:07 schreef zalkc het volgende:
[ x ]

Wat ik steeds maar niet begrijp. Hoe kan Rusland nu bijna geen nieuwe tanks bouwen en toch de komende jaren wel ineens 1000-1500 kan gaan maken?

Welke nuance mis ik?

quote:

Russia can produce from 100 tanks each month - ISW
The Russian defense industry is able to produce at least 100 main battle tanks per month. This allows Russian troops to replenish battlefield losses and sustaine the current pace of hostilities.
That’s according to the latest report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank.

"The Russian defense industrial base (DIB) can produce at least 100 main battle tanks per month and is therefore able to replace battlefield losses, allowing Russian forces to continue their current tempo of operations ‘for the foreseeable future,’” the report reads, referring to the UK Ministry of Defense.

As noted, Russia’s sole tank manufacturer UralVagonZavod reportedly produced 20 tanks per month as of March 2023. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev claimed in March 2023 that Russia’s DIB could produce 1,500 main battle tanks in 2023, which suggests an average production of 125 tanks per month.

Analysts also noted that the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on January 30 that the Russian defense company Novator had fulfilled the state defense order for Kalibr cruise missiles and Iskander ballistic missiles in 2023. It is noted that Novator has already fulfilled 17% of the state defense for 2024.

"Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) Deputy Chief Major General Vadym Skibitskyi stated on January 15 that Russian forces have not included Kalibr cruise missiles in strike series against Ukraine since mid-September 2023 likely as part of efforts to build up a missile reserve and that Russia likely has difficulties producing Kalibr cruise missiles because they require many foreign components blocked under international sanctions," the report said.

Earlier, the director of the Army, Conversion and Disarmament Research Center, Valentyn Badrak, reported that Russia was pacing up tank production, and as of May 2023, was capable of producing about 150 new tanks per year. At the same time, the enemy has in its stocks from 11,000 to 29,000 older tanks, which are used for repairs, according to various estimates.

quote:

Zelensky: Ukraine is approaching the use of Ukrainian-made missiles

^{Korshun-2 is a promising Ukrainian subsonic cruise missile project. Photo credits: Militarnyi}

Ukraine’s defense industry has made progress in developing Ukrainian-made missiles.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky shared that the missile program has good dynamics.

Before this statement, he held a meeting where he listened to the reports of Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and Chief of the General Staff Anatoliy Barhylevych.

“Our task is to ensure the constant effective defeat of Russian troops, their logistics, their significant positions not only on the front line but also in all available depths by all methods and with all our strength,” the President said.

According to Zelensky, while Ukraine is waiting for its partners’ decisions, the Ukrainian authorities are seeking their own solutions and options.

The participants also discussed Ukraine’s missile program.

“Our missile program has good dynamics, and although it is a difficult task, we are gradually approaching the possibility of using our own missiles, and not just relying on supplies from partners. Ukraine should eventually reach maximum defense independence,” Zelensky said.

SPOILER

quote:

Missile program
Prior to the full-scale invasion, various missile programs were being developed and improved in Ukraine.

The R-360 Neptune anti-ship cruise missile, which is now hitting Russian facilities, was a successful project.

^{The launch of the R-360 Neptune. Photo credits: National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine}

The Ukrainian defense industry also had promising projects for the Korshun-2 cruise missile and the Coral anti-aircraft guided missile.

^{Korshun-2 is a promising Ukrainian project for a subsonic cruise missile. 2016. Photo credits: uk.wikipedia.org}

Ukraine was developing the Grom-2 operational and tactical missile system to engage single and group stationary targets at ranges from 50 to 280 km.

^{Hrim-2 tactical ballistic missile. 2018. Photo credits: TSN}

In 2022, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine was to be given the opportunity to work on the creation of a national missile shield. First of all, it was about resuming work on the Sapsan operational and tactical system.

quote:

Three Russian Shahed Drones Strike Romania, Causing Fire, Sources Say
Russian drones struck targets in Romania on July 24, causing fires near Niculițel, 7 km from the Ukrainian border, confirmed by the IAR-330 helicopter crew from the 57th Air Base.

Russian drones struck targets in Romania early Wednesday morning, July 24, during Moscow’s attack on the port infrastructure of Ukraine’s Odesa region, informed sources in Ukraine’s Security and Defense Sector exclusively told Kyiv Post.

Three Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) were recorded falling and subsequently causing fires in Romania.

Explosions from kamikaze drone strikes were reported near the village of Niculițel, 7 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

The fall of the UAVs was confirmed by the crew of an IAR-330 helicopter from the 57th Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base. After the explosions, the helicopter pilot reported a fire caused by the drone strikes.

Media reports indicate that Romanian border guards detected the approaching drones at 2:10 a.m. Simultaneously, the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations issued an alert for the northern part of Tulcea County, informing the population about the possibility of objects falling from the airspace in areas adjacent to the Ukrainian border.

After the UAVs fell, residents reported hearing explosions to local emergency services. The air raid alert in Romania was lifted at 3:46 a.m. There were 10 calls to the 112 emergency phone number based on the sound of explosions.

Russian forces attacked Izmail in the Odesa region with drones early in the morning of July 24. Local authorities report hits on port infrastructure and a five-story residential building.

quote:

Exiled Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar convicted in absentia for criticizing Russian army

^{Exiled Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar has been sentenced in absentia to eight years and a half years in prison for allegedly disseminating “fake news” about the Russian army. Malte Ossowski/SVEN SIMON/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images/File}

A Moscow court has sentenced exiled Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar in absentia to eight years and a half years in prison for disseminating “fake news” about the Russian army, the latest conviction in Russia’s campaign of legal retribution against independent and opposition media.

Zygar was found guilty of “public dissemination of deliberately false information about the use of the armed forces of the Russian Federation,” according to the statement shared by the court on Tuesday.

Under draconian media laws passed after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, discrediting the Russian military or spreading “fake news” about military operations can be grounds for prosecution in Russia.

“The court’s verdict is ridiculous but fortunately I’m fine - unlike those political prisoners who are currently held in Russian prisons,” Zygar told CNN following the court’s decision. “I urge everyone not to forget about them. At the moment, almost 3,000 are being prosecuted for political charges in Russia,” he added.

SPOILER

quote:

A founding editor-in-chief of the now-exiled channel Dozhd (TV Rain), Zygar lives in New York and writes as a columnist for the German news organization Der Spiegel. He is the author of several renowned books, including “All the Kremlin’s Men,” which details the inner workings of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s administration, and “War and Punishment,” which examines the historical pretexts for Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Zygar was designated a “foreign agent” by Russia’s Ministry of Justice in October 2022 and placed on an international wanted list in April 2024.

The court said Zygar’s sentence will commence upon his extradition to or detention in Russia, although the Russian government has not successfully extradited any prominent dissidents or critics since the invasion of Ukraine.

The verdict follows another conviction in absentia of a prominent Russian-American journalist, reporter and writer Masha Gessen, who lives in the United States. Gessen – an opinion columnist for The New York Times and the author of numerous books about Russia – was sentenced to eight years in prison for criticizing the Russian military last Monday.

Another Russian journalist and blogger, Oleg Kashin, currently based in the United Kingdom, was placed on the wanted list last week, according to the Russian Interior Ministry, which did not specify the charge against him. Law enforcement agencies told state news agency TASS that the move might be related to Kashin’s alleged violation of foreign agent regulations.

quote:

Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 19:35 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/36295
[..]
[ x ]
Wat meer informatie over de aanval vannacht. Volgens dit artikel is Roemeni� 3 keer geraakt en zijn er brandjes ontstaan hierdoor. Ze zijn tot 7km diep in Roemeni� gekomen.

quote:

Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 19:12 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Niet. Is een onzinverhaaltje.

quote:

Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 19:07 schreef zalkc het volgende:
[ x ]

Wat ik steeds maar niet begrijp. Hoe kan Rusland nu bijna geen nieuwe tanks bouwen en toch de komende jaren wel ineens 1000-1500 kan gaan maken?

Welke nuance mis ik?

quote:

US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva given 6.5 years in Russian jail in swift and secret trial

^{Alsu Kurmasheva, the editor for the Tatar-Bashkir service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, attends a court hearing in Kazan, Russia, May 31, 2024. Alexey Nasyrov/Reuters}

A Russian court has sentenced Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist, to six-and-a-half years in prison, state news agency TASS reported Monday.

The hearing, which was held behind closed doors, found Kurmasheva guilty of spreading false information about the Russian army, making her just the latest US journalist to be convicted in the country in recent months.

Kurmasheva’s charge was handed down in the city of Kazan on Friday, the same day that a court in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in prison, following a trial condemned by his newspaper and the United States as a sham.

The convictions of Kurmasheva and Gershkovich on the same day – both in rapid, closed-door trials – have raised questions about whether the Kremlin is intending to use journalists in a prisoner swap with the US. When asked about this possibility earlier Monday, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “I have no answer to this question. I leave this question unanswered.”

SPOILER

quote:

Kurmasheva, a Prague-based journalist for the US-backed Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), was detained in October 2023 after allegedly failing to register as a foreign agent, while on a trip to visit her mother in Russia. She was formally accused of spreading false information in December – charges her family and employer deny.

RFE/RL CEO Stephen Capus called Kurmasheva’s conviction “a mockery of justice” and demanded her immediate release.

“It’s beyond time for this American citizen, our dear colleague, to be reunited with her loving family,” Capus said in a statement, adding that “the only just outcome is for Alsu to be immediately released from prison by her Russian captors.”

Pavel Butorin, Kurmasheva’s husband, reacted to the court’s decision, telling CNN: “My daughters and I know Alsu has done nothing wrong. And the world knows it too. We need her home.”

Before her conviction, Butorin told CNN he was “so confident that she would get back to us that I bought Taylor Swift tickets” for August this year. “Little did we know that she would be arrested and taken away from us.”

Butorin told CNN that Kurmasheva had traveled to Russia to see her mother in May 2023, but was detained at the airport when trying to return home to Prague in early June. After her passports were taken, she was fined and placed under de facto – and then formal – house arrest for months, before being charged in December.

Butorin had asked that the US government also declare Kurmasheva as wrongfully detained, as it has done for Gershkovich – the first American journalist to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the Cold War.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Monday called for Kurmasheva to be released.

Speaking at a State Department briefing, Miller called Kurmasheva a “dedicated journalist who is being targeted by Russian authorities for her uncompromising commitment to speaking the truth and her principled reporting.”

“Journalism is not a crime, as you have heard us say on a number of occasions, and we continue to make very clear that she should be released,” he said.

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Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 19:41 schreef ExTec het volgende:
Moderne elektronica zal dan een dingetje blijven, maar dat vind de tsaar helemaal niet erg. Daarom bouwt hij er juist zoveel.

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Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 19:28 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://mil.in.ua/en/news(...)inian-made-missiles/
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Influencers zamelen via Nederland geld in voor uitrusting Russische militairen
https://nos.nl/nieuwsuur/(...)russische-militairen

Russische militairen ontvangen gelddonaties van mensen binnen en buiten Rusland om materiaal te kunnen aanschaffen voor de oorlogsvoering tegen Oekra�ne. Veel van die donaties lopen via een betaalplatform van een bedrijf dat is gevestigd in Nederland, blijkt uit onderzoek van Nieuwsuur. Volgens experts duidt alles erop dat de Russische eigenaar van het bedrijf op deze manier westerse sancties omzeilt.

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Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 19:40 schreef LethalNinja het volgende:
https://nos.nl/nieuwsuur/(...)russische-militairen

Wtf

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Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 19:45 schreef Aether het volgende:

[..]

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Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 19:43 schreef Joppiez het volgende:

[..]
Dat valt volgens mij wel mee.
China zal de electronica wel leveren.

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Russian chef arrested in Paris over alleged ‘large scale’ Olympic Games plot
• 40-year-old arrested in central Paris on Sunday
• Espionage suspected as man charged and detained

A Russian chef who has lived in France for 14 years has been arrested on suspicion of plotting with a foreign power to stage “large scale” acts of “destabilisation” during the Olympic Games in Paris.

The 40-year-old man was arrested during a raid of his apartment in central Paris on Sunday where a document linked to an elite Russian special forces unit operating under the command of the FSB, an heir to the KGB, was reportedly found.

A judicial investigation has been opened into allegations of sharing “intelligence with a foreign power with a view to provoking hostilities in France,” a crime punishable by 30 years of imprisonment. The alleged plot is not believed to have been terror related.

The man, who has not been named, was indicted on this charge on the same day and placed in pretrial detention.

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An ambitious opening ceremony of Paris 2024 will be staged on the banks of the Seine on Friday evening and there has long been concern that Russia could seek to meddle in events.

Gerald Darmanin, France’s interior minister, said that “other Russian individuals” had been arrested amid evidence at attempts to spread disinformation ahead of the Games.

“We think very strongly that he was going to organise operations of destabilisation, interference, spying,” Darmanin told BFM television. “He’s now in the justice system which will be able to confirm the suspicions of the police.”

Of other alleged attempts to spread disinformation, the minister added: “We saw a video which purports to be someone from Hamas... who announces an attack in the next few days and comes because France is going to welcome Israeli athletes. We’re not sure, but it looks like it is fake and has been spread by pro-Kremlin and pro-Russian channels.”

Prosecutors in Paris said the search of the apartment of the Russian national detained on Sunday had been carried out at the request of the French interior ministry.

According to briefings given to the French media, agents found evidence suggesting the man was preparing a “large-scale project” that could have had “serious” consequences during the three weeks of games.

The French newspaper, Le Monde, reported that the intelligence services had listened into a call two months ago between the individual and a Russian intelligence services handler in which the suspect had stated that “the French are going to have an opening ceremony like there has never been before”.

No details have been provided as to the nature of the alleged conspiracy to destabilise the games.

The paper reported that the detained man had been trained as a chef in Paris and that he had participated in Russian reality and cooking shows. He had described himself on his CV as a “private chef”.

He first arrived in France in 2010 and spent some time in Courchevel, a ski resort popular with the Russian elite, where he worked in a Michelin starred restaurant, before leaving for Paris in 2012.

According to emails dating from September 2012, and seen by Le Monde, the suspect had told his landlady, named by the paper as Viviane, that he was returning to Moscow to work as an official in the Russian government. But he took part in a civic training day, a mandatory integration step in France, in April 2013.

The intelligence services had tracked him for months. They picked up on his alleged phone call to his handler in May at a time when he was returning from a trip to Istanbul to his home in Paris.

He was turned away from his flight due to excessive alcohol consumption and instead returned via Bulgaria, at which point the conversation about the Olympics opening ceremony was monitored, according to Le Monde.

At 6am on Sunday, police officers from the elite ‘research and intervention brigade (BRI), called in by the General Directorate of Internal Security, raided the suspect’s home on Rue Saint-Denis on the right bank of the Seine. It is claimed that the police found “documents of diplomatic interest” among his possessions.

Last month Microsoft said Russia was seeking to undermine the Olympics with the creation of fake websites replicating authentic French media outlets and the use of artificial intelligence to fuel concern about violence and terrorism.

Darmanin, said this week that authorities had screened over one million people.

“We are here to ensure that sport is not used for espionage, cyberattacks or to criticise and sometimes even lie about France and the French,” he said.

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Ukrainian government awards Rheinmetall an order to build an ammunition factory
German defense concern Rheinmetall has now received its first order from the Ukrainian government to construct an ammunition factory in the Ukraine.

The intention is to start the ammunition production in the Ukraine within 24 months.

According to the report, the order covers the full technical equipment of the factory prior to commissioning.

This involves a total value ranging in a low three-digit million euro range.

It is foreseen to begin in the short term and to be completed within a few years.

The intention is to start the ammunition production in the Ukraine within 24 months.

Together with its Ukrainian joint venture partner, Rheinmetall will also be responsible for operating the plant.

Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG, shared:

“We are putting our words into action, and together with our partner, we will create a Ukrainian competence center for ammunition. The order underlines the confidence in Rheinmetall’s expertise and manufacturing capacities,”

Back in February this year, it was announced that Ukraine was preparing the necessary infrastructure.

In June 2024, Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG, and Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukrainian Minister for Strategic Industries, signed an agreement to expand strategic cooperation at the “Ukraine Recovery Conference” in Berlin.

Rheinmetall previously noted that personnel for the new plants were being trained in Germany. The first employees have already returned to Ukraine, and a base for further Ukrainian training is being prepared.

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Russians build a new military base near Rostov

^{Russian military base in Novocherkassk, Rostov region. July 2024, Russia. Source: Radio Svoboda}

The Russian military has built a new base in Novocherkassk near Rostov-on-Don.

Satellite images published by Radio Svoboda show that the base is located 200 kilometers from the front line.

According to satellite imagery, the Russian army set up the new military base between a penal colony and two unfinished secondary schools on the site of another abandoned military facility, Cooking School No.195, which was closed in 2011.

However, last summer, after twelve years of silence, changes started to take place on the abandoned territory of the former military school.

According to satellite images, the first military equipment appeared here at the end of August 2023.

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^{Russian military base in Novocherkassk, Rostov region. August 2023, Russia. Source: Radio Svoboda}

At that time, fifty military trucks were parked on the site, and a dozen tents were set up. Since then, the base has tripled in size in almost a year.

This base in Novocherkassk might belong to the 100th Military Logistics Regiment of the Russian Armed Forces.

The 100th Military Logistics Regiment of the Russian Armed Forces was established in 2014.

The regiment’s tasks include delivering military cargo to the combat zone and eliminating man-made disasters, such as fires and floods.

^{Russian military base in Novocherkassk, Rostov region. July 2024, Russia. Source: Radio Svoboda}

The possible partial redeployment of the 100th Military Logistics Regiment from the Moscow region to the Rostov region, closer to the front line, may be evidenced by the change in the geolocation of several of its soldiers’ phones.

Schemes journalists managed to record the cell phone of Andriy Polukhin, an officer of the 100th Military Logistics Regiment, on the territory of the new military base in Novocherkassk. In the leaks from Russian databases, Polukhin is listed as “deputy head of the unit” and “commander.” Another officer of the 100th Regiment whose phone was found by Schemes at the site of the new military base in Novocherkassk is Dmitriy Dubovik. According to leaks from Russian databases, he has the rank of captain.

^{Russian 100th Military Logistics Regiment. 2014, Russia. Photo credits: rosinform.ru}

Matvey Shokurov’s phone number was also located in Novocherkassk. According to Russian databases, he is registered in the area of the regiment’s permanent location near Moscow, as are Polukhin and Dubovik. However, since the beginning of July, Shokurov’s phone has been transmitting a signal in the location of a new military base near Rostov.

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HIMARS and UAV Coordination Destroys Russian Pantsir SAM

^{Russian Pantsir-S1 SAM in the sights of the Shark UAV. Photo credits: Shadow}

An M142 HIMARS rocket system, in coordination with an aerial reconnaissance drone, destroyed a Russian Pantsyr-S1 anti-aircraft missile and gun system.

The Come Back Alive Foundation published this news on its Telegram.

The Russian complex was destroyed 30 kilometers south of Donetsk, where it was supposed to provide air defense for enemy units.

Due to the “Shadow” aerial reconnaissance unit, the system was detected, and the coordinates of its location were transferred to one of the Ukrainian artillery units.

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Знищення російського З� ГК «Панцирь С-1».

Two missiles were used to destroy the Russian Pantsir-S1 SAM. The first missile damaged it, and the second caused enough damage to set the anti-aircraft module and the entire system on fire.

After the second missile strike, the crew of the system abandoned the vehicle and tried to flee across the fields toward their own positions.

HIMARS missile system, which use M31 precision-guided missiles, allows the Ukrainian Defense Forces to destroy Russian air defense systems at distances of over 50 km.

It should be noted that the Shark UAV, which was purchased by the Come Back Alive Foundation, was used to detect and correct fire.

^{Burning Pantsir S-1 after the second hit by an M31 rocket from HIMARS. Photo credits: Shadow unit}

“We handed over a brand new Shark to the scouts about a month ago, but the ground vehicle and mobile control center are one of 25 delivered to the Defense Forces as part of the “Eye for an Eye” project,” the Come Back Alive Foundation stated.

Previously, Militarnyi reported that the Marines received five mobile command and control centers for unmanned aerial vehicles from the Come Back Alive Foundation.

The control centers with workplaces for UAV pilots were designed by the Foundation’s specialists based on passenger vans, incorporating combat experience and the wishes of the marines.

These vehicles have been re-equipped with essential items to ensure the crews’ mobility and comfort during combat missions.

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Polish AEW&C Aircraft Conducts First Patrol Mission Near Kaliningrad

^{The first Saab 340 AEW&C aircraft for the Polish Air Force. Photo credits: Saab}

The Polish Saab 340 AEW&C airborne early warning and control aircraft has made its first patrol mission near the border with Kaliningrad.

This is reported by the monitoring resource Flightradar24.

This flight was the first patrol flight of the aircraft as part of the creation of round-the-clock radar coverage of the border areas of Poland.

The aircraft patrolled the border with Kaliningrad, where Russia has its own missile units and electronic warfare systems.

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^{A Polish Saab 340 AEW&C during its first patrol sortie. Photo credits: Flightradar24}

In addition to radar detection, the Saab 340 AEW&C can also function as a reconnaissance aircraft, significantly expanding its capabilities and a range of objects it can detect.

The reconnaissance complex is equipped with a modern Erieye ER S-band radar with an active antenna with electronic scanning. It was developed using a modern element base based on gallium nitride (GaN) from Saab.

The Erieye ER (Erieye Extended Range Radar) is characterized as resistant to radio interference, it increases the detection range of low-observable air targets by 70% and allows detecting cruise missiles.

The radar’s instrumental detection range is 450 km at an altitude of more than 20,000 meters, and the scanning area is 150 degrees on both sides of the antenna.

^{The first Saab 340 AEW&C aircraft for the Polish Air Force. Photo credits: Saab}

The aircraft that performed the patrol flight received the tail number “3401” and was handed over to the Polish Air Force.

The nose of the aircraft bears the emblem of the Gdynia Naval Aviation Brigade, as the aircraft will be based at the naval airfield.

In total, Poland has received two aircraft of this type, which, in addition to radar detection and reconnaissance, will significantly increase the coordination and control capabilities of the country’s air component.

Previously, Militarnyi reported that on May 30, 2024, the Swedish government announced the allocation of its largest military assistance package to Ukraine, which amounted to �1.16 billion, including Saab 340 AEW airborne surveillance aircraft.

According to Tom Samuelson, press secretary of the Prime Minister of Sweden, “the package includes two airborne surveillance and control aircraft (ACS890) that will help Ukraine identify targets at a great distance.”

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Azov officer files complaint against State Bureau of Investigation over case of controversial general
Lieutenant Colonel Bohdan Krotevych, one of the Azov Brigade's commanders, announced on July 22 that he filed a complaint with the court against the State Bureau of Investigation.

The complaint is related to a supposed lack of action regarding the case against the former commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Yurii Sodol, Krotevych said on his Telegram channel.

Sodol was the Joint Forces commander when the new Russian offensive started on May 10. He also headed the Khortytsia group of forces, which faces Russian forces in Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts.

The general was dismissed on June 24 after Krotevych filed an official complaint with the State Bureau of Investigation requesting an investigation.

Krotevych accused the general of abuse of power and incompetent command of the troops, which allegedly led to the loss of Ukrainian territory and personnel.

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Ukrainska Pravda reported on June 29 that the State Bureau of Investigation would assess Lieutenant General Yurii Sodol's command of Ukrainian troops during the Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast.

According to Krotevych, his statement against Sodol was merely added to the investigation case of the Russian breakthrough in Kharkiv Oblast in May, and law enforcement officers did not summon Krotevych to testify, although he had asked to be a witness.

On July 4, the Azov officer filed a complaint with the court against the State Bureau of Investigation to add relevant data to the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations and launch an investigation against Sodol.

Krotevych called the bureau's actions "a brazen violation of the law," similar to "deliberate inaction."

The court scheduled the hearing for July 10, involving a judge who was supposed to be on vacation.

Krotevych's lawyers managed to get a new automatic redistribution of judges, but the hearing was postponed again. According to Krotevych, the new presiding judge set the hearing for Aug. 19, as he also begins his vacation on July 15.

"These actions, as well as communication between different people and some calls, made it clear to me that there is an instruction from above not to let this case go on," Krotevych claimed.

The bureau has not yet responded to Krotevych's accusations.

The Azov Brigade's commander added that he had been approached by many service members ready to testify against General Sodol.

President Volodymyr Zelensky replaced Sodol with Brigadier General Andrii Hnatov.

Hnatov had previously served as the Deputy Commander of the Southern Operational Command since 2022.

Following the announcement, Krotevych wrote, "Hnatov is a very good officer. I hope the news at the front will get better."

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Police uncover draft-dodging scheme in Ternopil Oblast with monthly turnover up to $150,000 – photos

Поліція Тернопільщини ліквідувала корупційну схему представників районного ТЦК

The National Police of Ukraine reported dismantling a corruption scheme for draft evaders in the Ternopil Oblast, with officials from the territorial recruitment center arrested.

The suspects are officials from one of the region's territorial recruitment centers. Police estimate the scheme's monthly earnings at $100,000 – $150,000.

The National Police states that with the assistance of the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces leadership, law enforcement obtained information about recruitment center officials profiting from draft dodgers.

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The department notes that each service had its price, ranging from $1,000 to $15,000:

→ $2,000 for updating military registration data, placing a corresponding barcode on temporary certificates, and the prospect of avoiding mobilization;

→ $5,000 – $15,000 for influencing military medical commission members to disqualify individuals from military service;

→ The same amount for "assistance" in transferring from combat units to the rear with the prospect of discharge.

According to the investigation, the scheme's organizer was aided by five accomplices.

Regional police chief Serhiy Zyubanenko added that the suspects created artificial obstacles for those legally entitled to deferment and mobilized such individuals to boost the performance indicators of the territorial recruitment centers.

These individuals were then discharged for money – the National Police reports that almost 150 people were "helped" this way.

With the regional administration's assistance, law enforcement also discovered that civilian individuals were helping recruitment center officials – all involved parties are currently being identified.

Police reported conducting 38 searches in Ternopil and Lviv oblasts alongside KORD special forces: approximately $100,000, 80,000 euros (around $86,800), 2 million hryvnias (around $48,500), official documentation, computer equipment, and other potential evidence were found and seized.


The scheme's organizer was notified of suspicion during a meeting at the Ternopil regional administration, where recruitment center leaders were discussing the organization and implementation of human and transport resource mobilization.

The official is suspected of accepting an offer, promise, or receiving a bribe (undue advantage) in large amounts. This article carries a sentence of five to ten years in prison with confiscation.

Another suspect, considered an accomplice by the investigation, faces three to eight years, also with confiscation. He is suspected of accepting an offer, promise, or receiving a bribe for himself or another person to influence an official's decision-making, combined with extortion of such undue advantage.

Police are also considering charging the alleged organizer and five other suspects under the same articles but as part of a criminal organization.

The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.

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Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 18:53 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://news.liga.net/en/(...)s-army-chief-syrskyi

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Syrskyi is Ukraine’s new commander-in-chief. His unenviable task is to defeat a bigger Russian army. Two and half years into Vladimir Putin’s full-scale onslaught, he acknowledges the Russians are much better resourced. They have more of everything: tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, soldiers. Their original 100,000-strong invasion force has grown to 520,000, he said, with a goal by the end of 2024 of 690,000 men. The figures for Ukraine have not been made public.

“When it comes to equipment, there is a ratio of 1:2 or 1:3 in their favour,” he said. Since 2022 the number of Russian tanks has “doubled” – from 1,700 to 3,500. Artillery systems have tripled, and armoured personnel carriers gone up from 4,500 to 8,900. “The enemy has a significant advantage in force and resources,” Syrskyi said. “Therefore, for us, the issue of supply, the issue of quality, is really at the forefront.”

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There are three different videos here: the first one is from Belgorod Region, and the other two at 0:16 on are from the settlement of Shumy near Toretsk in Donetsk Oblast.

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Russia scrambles fighter jets to escort RAF Typhoons over Black Sea
Russia scrambled fighter jets to escort two British Typhoon fighter jets over the Black Sea, its defence ministry has said.

A Su-27 fighter jet had been mobilised to escort two British Typhoon fighter jets and an RC-135 reconnaissance plane, Russian authorities said on Wednesday.

After the approach of the Russian fighter, the British planes turned away from the Russian border, according to the ministry.

It comes days after Russian fighter jets buzzed two US bombers over the Arctic on Sunday in what Moscow’s ministry of defence described as an operation to defend its “state borders”.

The two MiG fighter jets were scrambled when radar detected two US air force B-52H bombers approaching Russian territory over the Barents Sea.

“As Russian fighters approached, the American strategic bombers turned away from the state border of the Russian Federation,” said the ministry.

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Attempts to intimidate Europeans with Ukrainian “neo-Nazis”
Ukraine’s 3rd Separate Assault Brigade launched its European tour aiming to promote a volunteer movement, which includes both the efforts to help the army and join its ranks. The very appearance of fighters from the 3rd Brigade on European soil made Russian talking heads and their financially motivated local minions literally throw tantrums.

As soon as the Brigade announced its EU tour, multiple media sleeper cells exposed themselves by revisiting a “good old” Russian narrative about Ukrainian “neo-Nazis”!

The Algemeen Dagblad, a Dutch daily, published an article with the rather scandalous headline: “Ukrainian battalion created by neo-Nazis comes to Rotterdam, Denk asks questions: “What is this signal about?”

The article criticizes the very idea of ​​the 3rd Brigade coming to Rotterdam and describes both the 3rd Brigade and the Azov Battalion in the most negative terms, while regularly applying a screaming label of “neo-Nazis”.

But the most interesting thing is who penned the piece, intended to provoke public protest against the Ukrainian brigade’s European tour and delivered in a style identical to that characteristic of the long-rotten Russian narrative?

The author is a Turkish woman, Iffet Subasi, who hasn’t conceived a single article on Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion and neither has she even spoke out on the war on her social media platforms. And then, out of nowhere, she comes out with an article claiming that Ukrainian “neo-Nazis” are starting a European tour! But did she really write the piece “out of nowhere”?

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The fact is that the obviously “honest” and “unbiased” journalist did a rather interesting bit in her career when in 2013–2014 she worked as a cameraperson for the Turkish national broadcaster, TRT, which also has its own Russian editorial office. And then, in 2018, she was hired as an editor by the Russian branch of Sputnik Media in Amsterdam.

Isn’t that amazing? So why am I not surprised that Dutch daily, which rather often posts manipulative articles on Ukraine, including those claiming that Ukrainians agree to concede part of their territories for the sake of peace, a journalist who previously worked for the Russian media, after three years of total silence on Ukraine, suddenly decided to write something about Ukrainians in the best traditions of Russian propaganda?

I believe this is pretty much a rhetorical question.

Separately, I’d like to note that at the moment, the long-term effort pursued by Russian propaganda to discredit the Azov unit is failing. Last month, the Joe Biden administration in the US allowed the Azov brigade to utilize American weapons, lifting a ban imposed years ago. And now, the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade is on a tour across Europe.

I can just imagine how hard Russian political bosses are pulling their hair upon hearing such news! All those years of sophisticated efforts gone to waste!.. So now, unable to come up with anything new, they try to intimidate Europe in the old-fashioned way with those Ukrainian “neo-Nazi” boogeymen. And as they always do (this has long become ridiculously embarrassing, really), they exploit certain dubious media outlets and journalists for this purpose.

B-o-o-o-o-o-ring, girls! Too boring!

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Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 20:54 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
Is een stuk uit een veel langer interview wat in the Guardian staat, ook wordt er gesproken over het hier eerder genoemde aantal tanks wat door sommigen een beetje als onzin afgedaan wordt.
[..]
The Guardian

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During exchanges, Russia returns bodies without internal organs - relatives of prisoners of war

The return to Ukraine of bodies of prisoners of war without internal organs may be evidence that they are used in Russia for transplantation.
This was discussed at a meeting in Ankara of representatives of the families of prisoners of war with the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar, the correspondent of Ukrinform reports.

"Today it is already known for certain that we receive the bodies of tortured people from captivity (during the exchange of bodies). We don't just get tortured bodies, we get bodies that are, unfortunately, without organs. That is, this confirms the fact that the black market of organ transplants in the Russian Federation is working. And, unfortunately, works with our prisoners of war. Therefore, I believe that it is necessary to tell the whole world about this in order to stop this crime," said the wife of one of the prisoners of war defenders of the Mariupol garrison.

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The woman appealed to the President of Turkey with a request to support the creation of a mixed medical commission, which will allow monitoring the health of both Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of war.

"And I would also like to ask Turkey to act as a patron country in solving all humanitarian issues related to the exchange of prisoners of war," added the wife of the prisoner of war.

She emphasized that Russia refuses to return and list for exchange the prisoners of war of the Mariupol garrison.

"Actually, they are telling very scary things, they are worried about their husbands and sons. And this is a real pain that motivates us to work faster and stimulate our international partners to take certain actions. One of the main demands is to create an international medical commission that would investigate the condition of our prisoners of war and help them deal with health problems... And this is one of the messages that was conveyed to the Turkish side," the ambassador of Ukraine said in a comment to Ukrinform Vasyl Bodnar in Turkey.

The diplomat expressed hope that Turkey, including in the role of a patron state, will actively participate in helping the members of the families of prisoners of war in order to collect information about their relatives and achieve exchanges.

"I am a mother myself, and the last connection - I know about my son in February, when there was an exchange. We see in what state of health our boys are returning. It cannot be expressed in words: they are thin, they need medical help. Each time their health condition worsens in captivity. This is the third year. And will we wait, and will they wait for this exchange? We dont know. And that is why we are worried... Many relatives did not wait for their children from captivity. This is very scary," emphasized the mother of a serviceman who has been in Russian captivity for the third year.

As Ukrinform reported, while in Ankara, representatives of the families of Mariupol prisoners of war defenders met with Yalcin Topcu, the chief adviser to the Turkish president, and Sheref Malkoch, the chief ombudsman of Turkey.

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Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 22:08 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://medium.com/@:zloy(...)o-nazis-03199e696fc7
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Aaaah, dus dit is ��n van de redenen waarom het bezoek aan Nederland nu gecanceld is? Een Russische spreekpop die even een artikel schrijft en Denk..... Waar dan ongetwijfeld overige media ook mee aan de haal is gegaan.

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Rusland wijzigt naam Europaplein naar Eurazi�plein
Het stadsbestuur van Moskou heeft besloten om het Europaplein, gelegen in het westen van de stad nabij een treinstation dat vernoemd is naar Kiev, om te dopen tot Eurazi�plein. Dit werd aangekondigd door burgemeester Sergei Sobyanin. De wijziging komt nadat Europese vlaggen al vorig jaar van het plein verwijderd werden. Het plein, dat ooit symbool stond voor Europese eenheid en voorzien is van een fontein gecre�erd door een Brusselse beeldhouwer in 2002, ondergaat deze naamsverandering zonder dat een offici�le reden is gegeven door het stadsbestuur.

Deze naamsverandering lijkt te wijzen op een toenemende afstand tussen Rusland en Europa, vooral in het licht van de recente spanningen over de Europese steun aan Oekra�ne. Russische staatsmedia interpreteren de wijziging als een teken van Moskou's verlangen om de focus te leggen op het concept van Eurazi�, een term die het samengevoegde continent van Europa en Azi� beschrijft waar Rusland geografisch deel van uitmaakt.

De naamswijziging van het plein wordt gezien als een strategische zet die past binnen een bredere context van Rusland’s verschuiving van Europa naar een meer Euraziatisch geori�nteerde identiteit. Dit wijst op een verdergaande geopolitieke herpositionering van Rusland in een tijd waarin de relaties met Europa onder druk staan door verschillende politieke en economische geschillen.

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Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 22:14 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.ukrinform.ua/(...)jskovopolonenih.html
[..]

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Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 23:14 schreef Perrin het volgende:
Het gaat eraan komen.
[ x ]

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Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 19:41 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Dat land komt om in de ijzererts. Naast dat het omkomt in andere grondstoffen.

En; ja, ben je dan 5-10 jaar verder, blijft tsaar putin dan werkelijk elke roebel die er binnekomt uitgeven aan wapentuig, heb je de bevolking verder gereduceerd tot slaven wiens bestaansrecht louter is om voor een beetje vreten in zijn fabrieken te staan, dan zijn er in die tijd genoeg fabrieken opgetrokken om tanks te maken, genoeg tijd om die productie onder de knie te krijgen, heeft hij geen waardeloze soldaten meer die 2 weken op een tank hebben gezet, maar gewoon jaren hebben kunnen oefenen, tja, dan wordt het feest (voor hem).

Moderne elektronica zal dan een dingetje blijven, maar dat vind de tsaar helemaal niet erg. Daarom bouwt hij er juist zoveel.

Dat is puur een functie van meedogenloos zijn richting je bevolking en zelf basis grondstoffen hebben.

quote:

Op woensdag 24 juli 2024 23:37 schreef Richestorags het volgende:

[..]
In plaats van een enorme tankvloot op te bouwen kunnen we beter grootschalig investeren in drone antitank capaciteit. Goedkoper en werkt prima laat Oekra�ne zien. Peter van 55 kan zo'n ding ook besturen.

Daarnaast is het niet onverstandig om er in ieder geval wel een degelijk aantal tanks tegenover te kunnen zetten ja.

quote:

NORAD intercepts Russian and Chinese bombers operating together near Alaska in first such flight

^{Day breaks at the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Point Barrow Long Range Radar Site, north of the northernmost town in the United States in Utqiagvik, Alaska, on February 4, 2023. US Air Force Tech. Sgt. Curt Beach/Reuters/File}

The North American Aerospace Defense Command intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what a US defense official said was the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.

The bombers remained in international airspace in Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and were “not seen as a threat,” according to a statement from NORAD.

The US and Canada, which together comprise NORAD, intercepted the Russian TU-95 Bear and Chinese H-6 bombers. The aircraft did not enter US or Canadian sovereign airspace, NORAD said.

It also marks the first time H-6 bombers, which are a derivative of older Soviet bombers, have entered the Alaska ADIZ, the defense official said.

SPOILER

quote:

The intercept was carried out by US F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, as well as Canadian CF-18 fighter jets, according to the defense official. Support aircraft were also part of the intercept, the official said.

]Russian flights into Alaska’s ADIZ are not uncommon. In May, Russia flew four aircraft into Alaska’s ADIZ, which NORAD said at the time “occurs regularly.”

But the presence of Chinese aircraft appears to be a new development. In March, the head of US Northern Command, Gen. Gregory Guillot, said China was pushing farther north into the Arctic and he expected to see aircraft there “as soon as this year potentially.”

“What I have seen is a willingness and a desire by the Chinese to act up there,” Guillot told a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “We have seen them in the maritime. We have seen them under the cloud of a technical or scientific research, but we think it is certainly multi-mission, to include military. And then I expect to see air activity in the Alaska part of the Arctic as soon as this year, potentially.”

“It is a very big concern of mine,” he said.

China considers itself a “near-Arctic” state and has worked to expand its presence in the far north, including through its cooperation with Russia.

quote:

Russian cruise missile Kh-101 crashed 365 km from the frontlines: Why do they lose guidance?
Cruise missiles are essentially one-way unmanned jet aeroplanes. They do not rely on rocket engines (not most of them, at least), instead being powered by jet engines from the aviation industry. Cruise missiles also do not follow the ballistic trajectory – they fly at a set altitude, sometimes coming up and sometimes going lower to avoid radar detection. They change their paths and manoeuvre just like tiny jet planes. But sometimes they get lost.

^{Warhead of a Kh-101 being disposed of in Ukraine. Image credit: Dsns.gov.ua via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)}

The Russian cruise missile Kh-101 has an estimated range of 2000-4000 km. No one knows for sure how far it can go, but definitely thousands of kilometres. Sadly, Ukraine is learning that in the most horrible way possible. Basically, the Kh-101 is a large unmanned aerial vehicle with the ability to fly very low and very far. It weighs around 2.2-2.4 tonnes, 400 kg of which is the weight of the warhead. The Kh-101 is powered by a TRDD-50A turbojet producing 450 kgf of thrust. Its normal cruise speed is 700-720 km/h, but it can accelerate up to 970 km/h, especially during the last stages of its flight.

The Kh-101 is a high-tech weapon. Its GLONASS and INS navigation/guidance along with the electro-optical sensor or imaging infrared system for target identification allow it to hit targets with accuracy of 6-10 metres. It is believed to be accurate enough to hit a vehicle and precise enough to fly at an altitude of just 30-50 metres. The Kh-101 is so high-tech that it has electronic warfare tools to combat jamming attacks and even fires flares to defend itself from IR-guided anti-aircraft missiles. However, all of that is good only when the Kh-101 is reliable.

SPOILER

quote:

On June 2, a wreck of a Kh-101 cruise missile was found in the village of Novoselsky in Russia. It was not launched by Ukraine, which does not have such weapons, but by Russia itself. This particular Kh-101 crashed 365 km from the front line, not even close to Ukraine. With missiles like this, Russia is usually targeting Ukraine’s energy facilities and industrial objects, which means that it might have missed the mark by more than 500 km or even more!

What happened? Nothing special. Cruise missiles are human-made technology, and technology fails. Russians are afraid of the long arms of the Ukrainian air defence system, so they launch their cruise missiles from very far away. It also gives them space to change trajectory in order to try and deceive the defenders of Ukraine who are waiting for these missiles.

This Kh-101 probably broke down, got lost and crashed in Russia. Considering the number of times Russians have accidentally dropped bombs over their towns and villages, this story isn’t even surprising. In fact, Kh-101 has crashed in Ukraine as well.

By the way, the estimated cost of one Russian Kh-101 missile is 13 million US dollars. And it just crashed randomly somewhere in a village in Russia.

quote:

Russia attacks Kharkiv and its region, kills at least 3, injures 13 people
During the day, Russia attacked Kharkiv and Lozova, a city in Kharkiv Oblast, with, according to a preliminary investigation, Iskander missiles, killing three people and injuring at least 13, reports Kharkiv regional Prosecutor’s Office.

Russia attacks Kharkiv and the surrounding region often because of its proximity to the border and the frontline, especially so since May 2024, when the beginning of Moscow’s new ground offensive from the north started.

According to the investigation, Russia’s attack on industrial objects in the Kholodnohirskyi district of Kharkiv injured nine people, damaging buildings and enterprise facilities, and blowing out windows in nearby high-rise residential buildings.

Russia also hit a plant in Lozova on May 24, killing three people (at first, one person killed in a missile strike was documented, and two were found under the rubble during the rescue operation) and injuring four.

During morning attacks on the region, Russia attacked the landscape park in the Kharkiv suburbs (see Gwara’s photo story from the impact site here) and damaged an office building of Geneva NGO, FSD, that specializes in demining.

quote:

Turkey seeks UN intervention as Russia ignores requests for access to Ukrainian POWs
QIRIM.News reports that Russia is ignoring Turkey's requests to grant access to Ukrainian prisoners of war and disclose the conditions under which these prisoners are held. During a meeting with the families of Ukrainian prisoners, Turkey's chief ombudsman S�leyman Malka� stated, "I wrote a letter to the Russian Embassy in Ankara on July 5, 2024. In the letter, I mentioned my visit to Ukraine and my inspection of Russian prisoners held there. I also expressed my intent to visit Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia."

Malka� added that he has yet to receive a response.

Moreover, the Turkish Ombudsman held an online meeting with Russia's Human Rights Commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova and sent her a similar letter, but to no avail.

Malka� noted that he has informed Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan about this issue and sought support to address the matter.

He also stated he is prepared to wait a bit longer for a response from Russia. However, should the situation remain unchanged, and the Russians continue to disregard Turkey's requests, he plans to appeal to the UN Secretary-General.

On July 17, with the assistance of the United Arab Emirates, 95 Ukrainian military were freed from Russian captivity.

On June 25, Ukraine succeeded in retrieving 90 servicemen from Russian captivity, including defenders of Azovstal and the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

quote:

Italian Prime Minister Meloni will pay a visit to China. He will talk, in particular, about Beijing's support for the Russian Federation, - Reuters

Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni will visit China from July 26 to 31. Among other things, the head of the Italian government plans to raise the issue of Beijing's support for Moscow in the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine.

This is reported by the Reuters agency with reference to unnamed persons involved in the planning of the visit, Censor.NET informs .

The politician is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Qiang.

During Maloney's trip, bilateral trade and industrial agreements are planned to be signed.

According to Reuters, China's industry ministry said earlier this month that it was ready to facilitate practical cooperation with Italy in areas such as automobile and shipbuilding.

In addition, during Maloney's visit to China, an Italian-Chinese business forum will be held in Beijing, to which a number of companies have been invited, including Italian tire maker Pirelli, energy group ENI, defense group Leonardo, wine producers and several Italian fashion groups, including Dolce & Gabbana.

It is also expected that during her stay in the People's Republic of China, the Prime Minister of Italy will raise the issue of the surplus of Chinese production. Among other things, Maloney will talk to the leadership of China about Beijing's support for Moscow in Russia's war against Ukraine.

quote:

The US imposed sanctions against China for supporting North Korea's missile programs
The United States has imposed sanctions against six individuals and five organizations in the People's Republic of China that contribute to the development of North Korea's ballistic and space programs in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

This is stated in the release of the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Treasury Department (OFAC), Censor.NET reports .

"The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions against a network of six individuals and five entities based in the People's Republic of China (PRC) involved in the procurement of goods to support ballistic missile development programs, and North Korea's space programs," the message reads.

The US Treasury also emphasized that Pyongyang continues to violate UN Security Council resolutions and launched a military satellite at the end of May 2024. The release also mentions that the DPRK delivered ballistic missiles to the Russian Federation, which the aggressor country uses in the war against Ukraine.

Earlier, the Ministry of Defense of South Korea reported that Russia has already received from North Korea more than 5 million artillery ammunition and dozens of short-range ballistic missiles for use in the war against Ukraine.

Also earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that NATO currently has no doubts that North Korea provides significant military support to Russia. This enables the Russian Federation to continue the war against Ukraine.

quote:

Op donderdag 25 juli 2024 07:06 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://censor.net/ua/new(...)nya_vidvidaye_kytayi
[..]

quote:

Op donderdag 25 juli 2024 07:06 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://censor.net/ua/new(...)nya_vidvidaye_kytayi
[..]

quote:

Op donderdag 25 juli 2024 08:23 schreef PippenScottie het volgende:

[..]
Waarom post je bronnen die het hebben over Giorgio Meloni, hij en Maloney?

Lees je wel wat je post? Kan je niet kritisch nadenken?

quote:

Russian attack helicopter crashes in western Russia, crew killed

^{Illustrative purposes only: A Russian Air Force Mi-28 on Aug. 6, 2012. (Artem Katranzhi/Wikimedia Commons)}

A Russian Mi-28 attack helicopter crashed in Kaluga Oblast in western Russia, Governor Vladislav Shapsha reported on July 25.

Preliminary evidence indicates that the cause of the crash was a technical malfunction. The helicopter's crew was killed, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The helicopter reportedly fell into a deserted area near the village of Klenki, lying over 100 kilometers (over 60 miles) east of the Ukrainian border. No damage on the ground was reported.

"A task force and rescuers are working on the crash site," Shapsha said on his Telegram channel.

SPOILER

quote:

The Mi-28, also known under the NATO reporting name "Havoc," is a two-seat anti-armor gunship helicopter developed in the Soviet Union during the 1980s.

Russia has deployed the aircraft in Ukraine during its full-scale invasion. According to the Ukrainian military, Moscow has lost 326 helicopters in combat throughout the all-out war.

The incident follows another helicopter crash last week.

A Robinson helicopter disappeared in the Yakutia region in eastern Siberia on July 19. Its wreckage was found soon after, with the pilot and three passengers killed.

According to unconfirmed reports by Russian media, the three killed passengers were officers of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).

There have been several cases of Russian helicopters and planes crashing during the full-scale war, sometimes resulting in fatalities. Russia's aviation industry took a heavy hit as a result of Western sanctions, often lacking the necessary components to maintain the aircraft.

quote:

China confirms it won't supply weapons to Russia, Zelensky says
China confirmed that it will not provide Russia with weapons, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on July 24.

His statement came after Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Guangzhou. This is Kuleba's first trip to China since the outbreak of Russia's full-scale war.

"There is a clear signal that China supports Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty. It was also confirmed what Chinese leader Xi Jinping told me — that China will not supply weapons to Russia," Zelensky said.

Beijing has positioned itself as neutral country but has simultaneously deepened economic ties with Moscow and backed Russia against Western sanctions. It has also shaped up to be Russia's leading source of dual-use goods that feed the Russian defense industry.

China denied it was supplying Russia with arms to use against Ukraine, while the U.S. said that Beijing gave Russia "every support behind the scenes," threatening to impose more sanctions against the country.

Kyiv has repeatedly appealed to Beijing to use its sway over Moscow to help bring an end to the war, but these efforts have been largely unsuccessful, as the East Asian country snubbed the June global peace summit in Switzerland.

Zelensky blasted China over supposedly trying to sabotage the summit efforts, drawing a rebuke from Beijing.

China proposed its own alternative peace plan, which would include a conference recognized by both Kyiv and Moscow.

During the visit, Kuleba said that Kyiv is ready to engage Russia in the negotiation process at a certain stage, when Moscow is ready to held talks "in good faith," adding that no such readiness is currently observed on the Russian side.

quote:

Ukraine downs 25 of 38 Russian kamikaze drones overnight Thursday
In the early hours of Thursday, July 25, Russia launched at Ukraine a swarm of Shahed-131/136 one-way attack drones.
The UAVs were launched from Cape Chauda (occupied ​​Crimea) and Primorsk-Akhtarsk region (Russia), according to the Air Force Commander, Mykola Pletenchuk, Ukrinform reports.

A total of 38 Shaheds were targeting Ukrainian infrastructure facilities in several regions, including in the region of Odesa and in central Ukraine.

As a result of air defense efforts involving mobile fire teams, surface-to-air missile units, and e-warfare capabilities 25 enemy drones were intercepted. Radars lost another three Shahed drones after they crossed into the Romanian airspace.

Air defense forces were activated across Odesa, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, Sumy, Zhytomyr, and Cherkasy regions, the report reads.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, no casualties or destruction were reported as Russian drones were destroyed on their approach to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, overnight Thursday.

quote:

Ukrainian Spokesperson: Russia has Pulled All Vessels from Sea of Azov

A spokesperson for Ukraine's navy said on Wednesday that Russia had pulled all its vessels out of the Sea of Azov, a body of water connected to the Black Sea.

"There are no longer any Russian naval vessels in the Sea of Azov," the spokesperson, Dmytro Pletenchuk, wrote on Facebook.

Ukrainian naval officials have said in recent months that successful attacks on targets in Russian-annexed Crimea and elsewhere in the Black Sea had forced the Russian navy to rebase its ships elsewhere.

quote:

Op donderdag 25 juli 2024 09:25 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.marinelink.co(...)russia-pulled-515447
[..]
Nu ook al geen schepen meer in de zee van Azov? Daar zijn ze toch veilig gebleken zover? Zijn de Russen iets van plan of weten ze meer dan wij weten?

quote:

Op donderdag 25 juli 2024 09:19 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://kyivindependent.c(...)apons-zelensky-says/
[..]
En nu moeten China maar op zijn mooie grote blauwe ogen vertrouwen? lol.

quote:

Op donderdag 25 juli 2024 11:55 schreef ExTec het volgende:
Kleine plottwist.

[ x ]

quote:

Op donderdag 25 juli 2024 13:42 schreef Perrin het volgende:
Gaat niet bepaald de goede kant op. Maar we modderen gewoon lekker door hier in Europa.

[ x ]

quote:

Op donderdag 25 juli 2024 12:14 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Dat loopt instant in de gaten als ze dat doen. En qua artillerie, gebruikt china 155mm, net als het westen, ipv 152 zoals rus.

Meer dan suffe golfkarretjes en halffabrikaten zit er niet in.

quote:

Teen suspect detained after nationalist Ukrainian former lawmaker shot dead

^{Iryna Farion, pictured in the western city of Lviv, Ukraine in April 2022. A suspect was detained after the former nationalist lawmaker was fatally shot last week. Yuriy Dyachyshyn/AFP/Getty Images}

An 18-year-old man has been detained on suspicion of killing a former Ukrainian lawmaker, local authorities say, after her fatal shooting in the city of Lviv.

Iryna Farion, 60, died in hospital last Friday after she was shot in western Ukraine, the mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadoviy, posted on Facebook.

A specialist team of Ukrainian security forces and criminal analysts tracked down the suspect on Thursday after 139 hours of investigative work, according to the country’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. Authorities scoured about 100 hectares of forest and identified him using surveillance cameras, the minister said.

“We checked every corner of the shooter’s escape route,” Klymenko posted on Telegram. “Identifying and detaining the offender was a laborious process that required the highest professionalism, endurance and discipline to avoid making any mistakes. I thank the entire team.”

SPOILER

quote:

.

^{Hundreds of people attend the funeral of Iryna Farion at the Garrison Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Lviv, Ukraine, on July 22. Olena Znak/Anadolu/Getty Images}

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised his country’s security forces.

“I am grateful to each and every one of them who added more facts to the picture of the crime every day and brought the full truth closer,” he said in a post on Telegram on Thursday.

A former nationalist parliamentarian and professor, Farion was known for her unfavorable attitude towards the Russian language, which is spoken in eastern Ukraine.

The Security Service of Ukraine launched a criminal investigation against the academic last year, after she published a social media post with a screenshot of a message from a pro-Ukrainian student in occupied Crimea, containing the name, surname and other personal data of the sender. That information became the basis for his persecution by the Russian special services.

During the investigation in November, Farion told authorities that she categorically rejected Russian-speaking members of the Armed Forces fighting against Russia’s full-scale invasion, according to Reuters, saying she could not call them Ukrainians.

Her statement triggered a wave of outrage among sections of Ukrainian society.

quote:

Poroshenko transferred drones and EW systems to the military

^{FPV drones handed over by the Petro Poroshenko Foundation to the Ukrainian military, July 2024. Photo credits: Petro Poroshenko}

MP Petro Poroshenko transferred a batch of more than three thousand FPV drones, reconnaissance drones, and dozens of electronic warfare systems to the military.

Petro Poroshenko reported on this.

The Petro Poroshenko Foundation has transferred one of the largest-ever batches of aid to the Ukrainian military, amounting to UAH 68 million.

The donors purchased 3382 FPV drones in 8- and 10-inch versions. Along with them, an additional 300 night FPV drones with a thermal imaging cameras were also shown.

In addition to the attack drones, the military will receive 134 Mavic 3 drones, which are used for close air reconnaissance and fire control.

In addition, to protect against Russian attack drones, Ukrainian soldiers received 40 Shatro electronic warfare systems.

SPOILER

quote:

.

^{EW systems transferred by the Petro Poroshenko Foundation to the Ukrainian military, July 2024. Photo credits: Petro Poroshenko}

Shatro 50-1M is an electronic warfare system manufactured by the Ukrainian company Unwave. It is designed to form a ‘dome’ of radio frequency interference with a radius of 100-250 meters around itself.

According to the manufacturer’s website, the EW system operates in the 900-1000 MHz frequency range and has a channel power of 50 W.

Ai-Petri EW system
In addition to local electronic countermeasures against drones, the Poroshenko Foundation is also actively investing in the development and procurement of Ukrainian-made Ai-Petri EW systems.

The Foundation transferred one such system to the military of the Counteracting the Technical Intelligence Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine along with related equipment, communications, and pickup trucks for their mobility.

The Foundation has fully funded the production of the system and the training course for the military who will use it.

^{Elements of the Ai-Petri SV system transferred by the Petro Poroshenko Foundation to the Ukrainian military, July 2024. Photo credits: Petro Poroshenko}

Poroshenko noted that the production of these systems has increased 3-4 times and is currently being carried out in two shifts despite power outages and attacks on critical infrastructure.

quote:

Czech Republic to engage five companies to supply Ukraine with shells in 2025
The Czech Ministry of Defense is preparing to launch a new initiative to supply Ukraine with artillery shells in 2025.

Czech ammunition manufacturers will participate.

Defense Minister Jana Černochov� announced this.

According to her, the project, tentatively titled Initiative 2025, will involve five Czech arms companies that will produce shells at the expense of donor countries that support Ukraine’s fight against Russian invaders.

Currently, the Intergovernmental Defense Cooperation Agency under the Czech Ministry of Defense is collecting information from arms companies about what they will be able to supply to Ukraine next year.

SPOILER

quote:

Černochov� noted that the Czech Republic will again act as an intermediary between donor countries and manufacturers who have already supplied ammunition under the first Czech initiative.

She emphasized that this is a continuation of an already working mechanism and explained the importance of timely funding for long-term contracts.

“This is a natural extension of the existing mechanism. In addition, the sooner donors allocate funds, the sooner our companies will sign long-term contracts,” the Minister said.

The donors should be mainly European countries. Negotiations on financial participation in the initiative may begin as early as the end of this summer.

According to the Czech publication Den�k N, the second project will involve five companies: Czechoslovak Group, STV Group, Omnipol, Colt CZ Group SE, and DSS.

Previously, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsk� stated that the Czech Republic is seeking funds to purchase ammunition for the Ukrainian Defense Forces in 2025 as part of its initiative.

The Minister stated that 18 countries had already joined the initiative, of which 15 had fulfilled their obligations and had made their contribution. Monetary contributions from the countries that have joined the initiative allow Prague to hand over 500,000 rounds to Kyiv by the end of the year.

quote:

57th Brigade was equipped with BMP-2 with “Parus” RWS

^{BMP-2 with BM-7 "Parus" RWS, July 2024. Photo credits: 57th Motorized Brigade}

The 57th Infantry Brigade has received a modernized BMP-2 with a BM-7 Parus remote weapon station.

The brigade’s press service released footage of the new equipment.

In addition to the new combat compartment and module, the upgraded combat vehicle also received new lighting equipment and ladders for simplified infantry landing.

Such profound structural changes could only be made by specialists at a specialized enterprise as part of a major overhaul or modernization.

SPOILER

quote:

БМП-2 з бойовим модулем БМ-7 "Парус", 57 ОМПБр [Липень 2024]

Replacement of the BMP-2 turret
The Kharkiv Morozov Design Bureau was developing a similar project to replace the archaic BMP-1 turret with a BM-7 remote weapon station before the full-scale Russian invasion.

The installation of the Parus with a modern fire control system, digital thermal imaging sights, and new artillery weapons significantly increases the firepower of the vehicle and the situational awareness of the crew.

However, this modernization also has obvious drawbacks. In particular, the vehicle does not have a separate hatch for the gunner, and the ceiling in his compartment is significantly lowered, which directly affects the possibility of comfortable work.

Militarnyi reported that in 2021, the design bureau demonstrated the turret installation process and the features of the prototype’s modernization to representatives of the National Guard. However, they were apparently not interested at the time, and the project did not develop.

^{BMP with Parus remote weapon station. Photo credits: NGU}

BM-7 “Parus”
As recently reported, the Parus RWS continues to be produced as part of the BTR-4E. It has also been seen on other vehicles, including the modernized MT-LBV and BTR-70.

Its peculiarity is that the weapon system and ammunition are completely separated into individual modules. The isolated combat compartment contains only the operator and the system control panel.

The BM-7 is equipped with a ZTM-1 30mm automatic cannon, an AG-30 automatic grenade launcher, and a 7.62mm machine gun.

^{BM-7 “Parus” RWS on BTR-4 armored personnel carrier}

The Barrier anti-tank missile system with a two-missile launcher is usually also integrated into the combat module. However, the modernized BMP-2 and a number of other vehicles do not have this ATGM.

quote:

Russia appoints new Air Force commander wanted by International Criminal Court

^{Lieutenant General Sergey Kobylash. Photo: Russian Defence Ministry}

Lieutenant General Sergey Kobylash has been appointed the new commander of the Russian Air Force, state-owned news agency TASS reported on Wednesday.

Kobylash, who was also appointed deputy commander-in-chief of Russia’s Aerospace Forces, served for eight years as the commander of the long-range aviation branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

Kobylash replaces career serviceman and distinguished military pilot Lieutenant General Sergey Dronov as head of the Russian Air Force. Dronov had been in the post since July 2019.

SPOILER

quote:

In 2023, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) accused Kobylash and the former commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Igor Osipov, of shelling civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. The SBU accused Kobylash of ordering mass air strikes on residential buildings, hospitals and critical infrastructure in Ukraine in 2022.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Kobylash and former Black Sea Fleet Commander Viktor Sokolov in March.

“Today, 5 March 2024, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court … issued warrants of arrest for two individuals, Mr Sergey Ivanovich Kobylash and Mr Viktor Nikolayevich Sokolov, in the context of the situation in Ukraine for alleged crimes committed from at least 10 October 2022 until at least 9 March 2023,” the ICC wrote in a press release.

quote:

British general: Russia needs five years to capture four Ukrainian regions
Roly Walker suggested that at the current pace, Russia will lose up to 1.8 million killed and wounded

Russia may need five years to fully capture the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, General Roly Walker, Chief of the General Staff of the British Army, said at a conference at the Royal United Services Institute in London, as quoted by Sky News.

If Russia continues its aggression against Ukraine at the same pace, it will likely take five years to "grind their way" to the minimum goal of full occupation of just four regions, with a loss of 1.5 to 1.8 million soldiers killed and wounded, Walker said.

Russia would also have to spend billions of pounds worth of military equipment to fully capture the partially occupied Ukrainian regions.

Walker warned that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin must be defeated in Ukraine, or he will target NATO countries.

"It [Russia] has just started in Ukraine, so it must fail in Ukraine otherwise where does it go next?" he said.

At the same time, the general noted that in a war of attrition, "there are no winners."

"It is an utter devastation for both sides and lost generations," he stressed.

quote:

Op donderdag 25 juli 2024 10:41 schreef LethalNinja het volgende:
https://www.forbes.com/si(...)ounded-near-prohres/

Hmm wanneer zouden deze worden terug gehaald?

quote:

.

At night, the fighters of the 31st OMBr managed to break out of the encirclement

⚔️Yesterday was an extremely dynamic and intense day north of Progress. Around 14:00, as predicted, a number of observation posts of the 1st and 3rd battalions were completely encircled. The brigade commander never gave the order to break through, so the personnel who were in that area confronted him with the fact that the boys would break through with a fight.

🤝With the help of coordinated actions by artillery, air reconnaissance and allied forces, and under the direction of officers on the ground, the boys of the 1st and 3rd battalions were able to break out of the encirclement in full force.

😰It was a very nervous and difficult operation. A delay of at least a couple of hours could lead to a second ring of encirclement. There is no need to explain how many informational reasons Katsap's propaganda would have received.

🫡The most important thing is that the fighters are alive and continue to restrain the enemy. 31 and 47 OMBr remain the main pillars of defense in that area. Of course, not without the help of seconded units, of which there are quite a few.

📋This case should serve as a reminder to many commanders not to neglect personnel and trust the NCOs and officers who are on the direct line of action.

quote:

Ukraine seeks to exchange pro-Russian collaborators for civilian hostages under new initiative
Ukraine's intelligence agencies launched on July 25 a project aimed at bringing back Ukrainian civilian hostages held by Russia in exchange for convicted pro-Russian collaborators.

The project, called "Khochu k svoim," (loosely translated from Russian as "I want to go to my people") is a humanitarian initiative developed by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs), military intelligence (HUR), the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and the Ombudsman's office.

The information about convicted Russian agents, traitors, and collaborators who helped Moscow in the war against Ukraine will be published on the website only with their consent.

"We are talking about people who do not consider Ukraine, European democratic values, or our state constitution theirs, but consider the aggressor state, Russia, their country. And they want to get there," HUR spokesperson Andrii Yusov told at a press conference in Kyiv attended by a Kyiv Independent reporter.

SPOILER

quote:

Since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion, the SBU has opened over 7,400 criminal proceedings related to collaboration and aiding Russia, said Artem Dekhtiarenko, the SBU spokesperson. More than 1,000 people have already been sentenced under such cases, he added.

About 500 of all convicts have agreed to be exchanged under the program, according to Dekhtiarenko.

"What do we want more: a fair punishment for the traitor or the rescue of our citizens? Within this project, we choose to save our citizens," Yusov said.

Ukrainians can anonymously fill in a form to report people who collaborate with Russia, which will be verified by the SBU. Those who are currently aiding Russia will have the opportunity to stop doing so "under certain conditions," the agencies said without elaborating.

A total of 3,405 Ukrainians, including 161 civilians, have been freed from Russian captivity as of July 25.

Kyiv aims to conduct an all-for-all prisoner exchange, which was one of the subjects at Ukraine's peace summit in Switzerland in mid-June.

The exact numbers of Ukrainian troops and civilians in Russian captivity have not been made public. In late June, Ukraine's Chief Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported there were more than 14,000 civilians.

Among the three categories of Ukrainians held by Russians – children, prisoners of war, and civilians – the return of civilians is "the most complicated," he said, because Ukraine does not have the option to carry out exchanges, and there is no legal process for their return.

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Train with T-54s spotted in Russia – are they going to Ukraine?
A train with tanks for Russian forces was spotted in the Moscow region. It is difficult to believe that all this antique equipment is going to go to Ukraine, but it is probably true – Russians are about to be reminded of what tanks were like in the 1950’s.

^{An early T-54 as a monument somewhere in Russia. Image credit: Vadim Indeikin via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)}

A train with T-54 tanks was spotted in the Moscow region. People observed the strange sight and filmed it, but there is no information on whether these tanks are being prepared for a trip to Ukraine. But it is likely that this is exactly what is happening. It appears that these T-54s are in decent condition, possibly recently repainted, but still very old.

The T-54 is so old that it can easily trace its roots back to the T-34 from World War Two. It is so old that it was considered a medium tank when it first entered service, not a main battle tank. Although its name might suggest that it entered service sometime in 1954, the T-54 appeared in military units as early as 1948. Admittedly, the ones seen in the video are a bit newer, but still a product of the 1950s. The T-54 eventually became the T-55, which was produced in the Soviet Union until 1981. In other words, even the very latest T-55s are way over 40 years old. And what you see in the video is not the latest T-55s either.

SPOILER

quote:

Are they going to the frontlines in Ukraine? Maybe they are going to a museum or some sort of a parade somewhere? The bizarre fact is, it is likely that they will indeed travel to Ukraine, where they will be greeted by swarms of Ukrainian drones. And this will not be the first time that Russian T-54/55 tanks have been spotted in Ukraine. This can be safely assumed, because the Russians are rapidly depleting their tank storage sites. Ukraine destroys three times more tanks than Russia can produce or refurbish from the long-term storage sites. Why did Russia keep these tanks for all those decades if it was not willing to use them? These T-54s will be used.

It is likely that these T-54s will be lightly refurbished and modified before entering the battlefield. A lot of them might get so-called turtle shells – sheet metal roofs that are supposed to protect armour against drones. The T-54 won’t be much help for the Russian invaders as this tank has a hard time reaching the speed of 50km/h and doesn’t have the strongest armour. And it won’t be fun for the Russian crews either, because the T-54/55 doesn’t have a modern climate control system and it’s a very hot summer in Ukraine right now. Of course, the heat from the Sun is borderline cold compared to the internal ammunition fire ignited by the Ukrainian drone.

On the other hand, this does show that Russia is willing to use all the resources it has. The T-54 is very old and unreliable, but it is still deadly and still wastes Ukraine’s anti-tank resources.

quote:

Following a complaint filed by the Ukrainian association AGA Ucra�na
Spain vetoes the Russian frigate 'Shtandart', which intended to reach Vigo, in all its ports

This Monday you could read in Counting Stars the complaint by the Ukrainian association AGA Ucra�na regarding the Russian frigate "Shtandart".
• A Ukrainian association denounces the arrival of the Russian frigate 'Shtandart' to the port of Vigo
• S�nchez continues to finance Putin's war with Russia as the second gas supplier

That ship, a civil ship that is a reproduction of a historical frigate from the 18th century, intended to arrive at the Spanish port of Vigo this Wednesday, July 24, sailing under the flag of the Cook Islands, a flag that AGA Ucra�na described it as "fraudulent." A few days ago, the French Navy prevented the arrival of that Russian frigate to the port of Brest, in Brittany, in application of European sanctions on this type of vessels, which include those that have recently changed flag. AGA Ucra�na sent a letter to the Maritime Captaincy of Vigo denouncing the intentions of the Russian ship and asking that it be prohibited from accessing this Spanish port.

SPOILER

quote:

This Thursday, la Russian state agency RIA Novosti has reported that Spanish ports have also vetoed that ship. The Kremlin-dependent agency refers to the words of the ship's own captain, Vladimir Martus, in which he states the following: "The Spanish ports do not let us enter. We received information that the Ministry "has sent a notice to all Spanish ports not to allow the entry of the Shtandart into the ports." The Russian agency points out that now the frigate "cannot leave the waters of the European Union due to lack of fuel."

Yesterday, the Russian media RBC.ru stated that this frigate is already in Spanish territorial waters, but without giving more details about its location. This medium cites the information published by Counting Stars about the complaint by AGA Ucra�na against that ship. In fact, no other Spanish website has published anything about it. RBC.ru also states that the captain of the Russian frigate is considering suing Spain and France for banning his ship from their ports, but does not explain what he would claim in this regard, since this ban is made in application of a European sanction for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, being an absolutely legal measure.

The Russian frigate intended to participate in the "Iacobus Maris" festival in Vigo. However, the programming published by this festival this Monday afternoon did not include any reference to the Russian ship. The veto of the Russian frigate in Spanish ports has also been published by the Russian edition of the American state media Radio Free Europe.

фрегату "Штандарт" запретили заход в порты Франции и Испании

quote:

Ukraine may receive Bell 407M attack helicopters

Ukraine has been offered to arm US Bell 407M light attack helicopters.

It is known that the talks were held during the Farnborough International Airshow, which is currently taking place in the UK. This is reported by Janes.

But the company at the moment refused to disclose the details of a possible deal.

It is only known that the sale of the helicopter is offered to Ukraine as part of a broad project.

SPOILER

quote:

The Bell 407M helicopter is a pragmatic combat vehicle that is based on the civilian 407 helicopter.

The helicopter’s armament supports the use of the high-precision missiles AGM-114 Hellfire and APKWS.

The helicopter is known to be equipped with armored pilot seats and ballistically stable blades.

There is also a fuel system pressurization system, means of detection and anti-aircraft missile countermeasures.

Earlier, it was reported that the German authorities may transfer Sea King Mk41 military helicopters to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military may receive six such helicopters along with a set of spare parts.

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Ukrainian police detain Russian recruiters for arson attacks in Europe

^{The National Police of Ukraine during the detention of Russian recruiters. Photo credits: National Police of Ukraine}

The National Police of Ukraine detained a group of recruiters who organized arson attacks in Europe on the instructions of Russian special services.

The National Police of Ukraine reported on this.

According to the plan developed by the Russian secret services, a group of people were supposed to recruit pro-Russian residents who were later taken to the European Union with forged documents.

These people performed “tasks” in the form of arsons, for which they received a significant monetary reward.

SPOILER

quote:

НПУ затримала вербувальників паліїв, які за вказівкою фсб рф здійснювали підпали на території ЄС

It is confirmed that as a result of the actions of these recruiters, several commercial establishments in Poland and the Baltic States were destroyed by fire. Also, the so-called “task” included the arson of one of the humanitarian aid centers for Ukraine in Poland.

As a result of the special operation, members of the criminal group were detained in the Ivano-Frankivsk region.

According to European police agencies, the arsonists included both people with Ukrainian citizenship and those with other citizenship, including European countries.

According to the police, Russian special services planned to set fire to shopping centers, warehouses, or critical infrastructure facilities to destabilize the internal situation and discredit Ukraine and its citizens on the world stage.

^{Detention of a group of recruiters. Photo credits: National Police of Ukraine}

“On July 18, officers of the Strategic Investigations Department, the Main Investigation Department, the National Police, the SSU Counterintelligence Service, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, with the force support of the Special Police Regiment and the Tactical and operational response forces, together with the Office of the Prosecutor General, conducted 40 searches at the suspects’ residences and vehicles in six regions, where evidence was found that the members of the criminal organization were connected to representatives of the Russian special services,” the National Police of Ukraine said in a statement.

The person received payment for this work in installments: first, an advance, and the rest of the money was transferred by the curators after the arson was committed and confirmed in media publications.

To confuse law enforcement agencies and prevent them from tracking transactions, payments were made to the crypto wallets of so-called “mules,” who provided the dealers with their accounts for a small financial reward.

Militarnyi previously reported that French law enforcement officers detained a native of Donbas who was assembling explosives.

quote:

An explosive-laden jet ski, believed to belong to the Ukrainian Navy, was found drifting off the coast of �atalca, Istanbul. It was seen that the kamikaze jet ski was equipped with an electro-optical camera and Starlink satellite terminal.

The unmanned marine vehicle, which is being examined by the gendarmerie, will be taken to the military zone.

quote:

The Ukrainian military destroyed a Russian cannon from the 1950s

A video of proof of the destroyed Russian M-46 cannon was published online.

This type of cannon began to be produced in the USSR back in the 1950s.

It is known that the retro cannon uses 130-mm shells, which have not been produced in Russia for a long time.

However, the Russian military uses this weapon thanks to ammunition supplies from Iran and North Korea.

Defense Express military analysts reported that the Russians are using North Korean-made OF-428M shells to fire the 130mm-caliber M-46 cannons.

Also, earlier, South Korea said that North Korea continues to provide the Russian military with artillery shells.

According to the head of the South Korean defense ministry, as of mid-July, they had received at least 11 thousand containers with weapons at the front.

It is known that the military aid included not only ammunition, but also ballistic missiles.

SPOILER

quote:

0:04 - watch out the mine.
0:10 - i will get their first, will storm (position) first, and will rest first . (*looks like some russian fated humor)

0:20 - (to radio) i hear the arms shooting. in my direction.

0:27 - zakat(sunset), ( i) hear the bird, is it ours?

0:33 - (radio answer) no, no, it is not ours.

0:37 - right above me ... STANDS (holds still)

0:43 - support (us) with fire.

0:50 (radio) - shoot at her (drone)

--(she) dropped something...

0:56 (radio) "yurist" ("lawyer" - call sign), don't (*unrecogn.), shoot at her.

1:04 (*prays) angel of mine, be with me... you are in front i am behind you.

1:21 (to radio) mortar fire
1:29 (to radio) short 40 meter , left from me.

1:33 (*drone sounds) another one bird!

1:46 (radio) SHOOT!

1:48 BLYAAAT' 1:51 BLYAT"
1:59 (to radio) (my) eye leaked out!

2:35 (radio chat)

2:37 (to radio) give... command to retreat...

2:51 - get up!
2:55 (wog explotion) (radio) ...oh well, let it be (да ладно)...(*unrecogn. , i hear some verb about moving and "faster than death")

3:03 (to radio) -front (position)! wog(hit me)!

SPOILER

quote:

"If you hit her, you're a dick-slurper...".

PS for the Ackchyually people: Not a literal translation, but a rhyme-y one, since the original rhymes... The literal translation of the kaka word is "someone who twists/weaves/braids dicks with others... But since one thing can lead to another, the above translation is valid.

SPOILER

SPOILER

quote:

Russian military crushes car with driver in Belgorod region with tank for the second time in a month

In the Borisovsky district of the Belgorod region, a tank crushed a Niva car - the driver of the car died, the local Telegram channel "Ash" reports . The incident occurred in the village of Berezovka on July 24. According to sources, the Niva was moving along the main road when a tank, which should have given way in accordance with the rules, drove out from around the turn onto it.

The photo shows that there is practically nothing left of the front of the Niva. As a result of the collision, the driver, 73-year-old resident of Berezovka Konstantin Lopatkin, died on the spot. According to investigators, he died of a "heart attack." Eyewitnesses claim that the tank crew "was in a state of insanity and laughed in your face."

A posthumous article about Lopatkin in a local newspaper says that he worked as an agronomist and also grew vegetables on his plot and took them to sell at the market in Belgorod. On the day of his death, he was driving home from the fair in Borisovka.

This is the second incident of a tank running over a civilian car in the Belgorod Region in the last month. In early July, under similar circumstances, drunken servicemen crushed the car of Grayvoron resident Andrei Alekseyev, who died. The tank crew tried to escape from the scene, but were still caught. Police conducted a medical examination of the detainees, which confirmed the presence of alcohol in their blood. A criminal case was opened against the soldier who drove the tank . He is in a pretrial detention center.

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Third Russian region starts paying for recruiting friends and relatives to fight in war
More and more Russian regions are adopting the network marketing scheme to involve citizens in recruitment activities to replenish the army. This time, the “bring a friend to war and get money” campaign was launched by the authorities of the Voronezh region, Verstka learned .

For each recruit who signs a contract with the Ministry of Defense, they promise to pay 15 thousand rubles. "You will need to come to the district administration and explain that this person signed up through you. Then you will receive 15 thousand rubles," an employee of the Voronezh center for recruitment for contract service said in a conversation with a journalist from the publication.

This information was confirmed by local entrepreneurs. The head of a company in the housing and utilities sector in Voronezh said that one of the district administrations quoted him the same amount. "To my silent question: 'Why so little?' - officials said that they were expecting a raise soon," the entrepreneur added.

The amount is actually almost 7 times less than in Tatarstan and the Yaroslavl Region , which previously launched a similar referral program encouraging citizens to recruit their relatives and friends. In both regions, bringing a volunteer to the military registration and enlistment office or administration to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense is estimated at 100 thousand rubles.

SPOILER

quote:

The country's leadership regularly reports that Russians are signing up en masse for the war with Ukraine. On July 11, the Ministry of Defense announced that since the beginning of the year, 190,000 citizens have signed contracts to be sent to the combat zone, and the average rate of recruitment is about a thousand people per day.

Verstka's sources in several regions claim that this is not the case and that the flow of volunteers is drying up. According to them, the "ideological" recruits have been replaced by those who are sent to the front under threats or for big money.

This information is confirmed by the fact that all employees of law enforcement agencies have received orders to engage in recruiting suspects and accused. The corresponding orders have been sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, the Federal Security Service, the Federal Customs Service, the Federal Bailiff Service and the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

The security forces are instructed to invite physically healthy defendants in criminal cases aged 18 to 65 to serve. Citizens who agree to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense are promised a suspension and then termination of criminal prosecution, as well as the removal of convictions.

In addition, Russian regions have increased payments for sending to war by 15 times. At least in three of them — Karachay-Cherkessia , Adygea and Krasnodar Krai — the amounts exceeded 1.25 million rubles. Moscow recently joined the generous bonus program for those recruited to fight. On July 23, the capital's mayor Sergei Sobyanin ordered that 1.9 million rubles be paid to those who sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense to go to Ukraine.

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In Kursk region, military personnel fired at a car with civilians and wounded a person
In the Sudzhansky district of the Kursk region, servicemen opened fire on a Lada Priora car in which there were two local residents. The 21-year-old passenger was wounded and hospitalized, Baza writes .

The incident occurred on the evening of July 24 near the village of Martynovka. According to eyewitnesses, the shooters were driving a car with the Z symbol and were dressed in military uniform. Around 6 a.m. Thursday, FSB officers detained four servicemen in the Kochegury tract based on a description — all of them were intoxicated.

Those who shot at the car with civilians were taken to the Sudzha police department. The Military Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia has launched an investigation.

This is not the first such incident. On June 13, Russian troops opened fire on a car with civilians for refusing to stop at a checkpoint in the village of Lyubechany in the Bryansk region. As a result, two people were injured and hospitalized.

On June 2, a tank with drunk soldiers drove out of a field and rammed a car with a family in it in the Graivoronsky urban district of the Belgorod region. The driver, Andrei Alekseyev, died . The soldiers tried to escape from the scene, but they were detained in the village of Krasivo, 3 kilometers from the accident. Local residents said that on the same day, this tank was driving around Graivoron and damaged curbs.

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Russia Must End Ukraine War to Avoid US Missile Deployment in Germany, Says Scholz
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has stated that in order to prevent the deployment of American long-range missiles in Germany, Russia must first cease its war against Ukraine. Scholz made this statement on Wednesday, July 24, during the summer press conference in Berlin.

Earlier, on the sidelines of the NATO anniversary summit in Washington, the governments of the USA and Germany announced that the USA intends to redeploy long-range missile systems in Germany starting from 2026, some of which will have a range extending into Russia.

According to Scholz, the placement of American missiles on German territory would serve as a deterrent, ensuring that Germany does not come under attack.

He also dismissed concerns that the planned deployment of American missile weaponry could escalate relations with Russia.

Scholz believes that Germany "needs deterrent capabilities in addition to what we already have, such as cruise missiles and conventional long-range weapons."

Furthermore, the Chancellor noted that he could only express his regret "on behalf of all of NATO" regarding Russia's "blatant disregard for all arms control agreements over the past few decades."

"We all wish to live in a world where arms control matters. But right now, it's about ensuring our security through necessary deterrence to prevent war," he emphasized.

Scholz is convinced that for Russia to prevent the deployment of American missiles in Germany, it must cease its ongoing war. "The first thing Russia should have done is to stop its dreadful aggressive war against Ukraine and abandon its attempt to conquer an entire country," he said.

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Pentagon finds accounting errors worth $2 billion in aid for Ukraine
The U.S. Defense Department has identified another $2 billion worth of accounting errors in its estimations of military aid sent to Ukraine, a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report revealed on July 25.

The Pentagon announced on June 21, 2023 that it had overestimated the value of arms sent to Ukraine over the past two years by $6.2 billion. Now, the discovery of additional errors brings the total unspent sum to $8.2 billion.

The Pentagon has struggled to accurately estimate the cost of defense articles shipped to Ukraine, the GAO report said.

U.S. Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) allows the president to allocate equipment from U.S. stocks, such as ammunition, vehicles, and medical supplies, to respond to crises abroad. PDA arises from the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.

The Pentagon's "efforts to properly value defense articles for drawdown are hampered because the Foreign Assistance Act does not clearly define certain terms and DOD lacks PDA-specific valuation guidance," according to the GAO.

Due to the errors, the Defense Department can send a further $2 billion in weapons to Ukraine to cover the amount already approved by U.S. President Joe Biden.

The U.S. Defense Department announced on July 3 a new package of military aid for Ukraine worth $150 million. The assistance includes air defense interceptors, ammunition for high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS), artillery rounds, and other critical capabilities drawn from U.S. stocks.

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Airstrike on Crimea - Saky airfield in Novofedorivka burns
As a result of an aerial attack in temporarily occupied Crimea, the military airfield Saky in Novofedorivka is on fire. There are reports of ammunition detonations, according to the pro-Ukrainian Crimean Telegram channel Krymskyi Veter.

Subscribers of the channel reported multiple powerful explosions across various parts of the peninsula. According to their information, the Saky airfield in Novofedorivka is burning, with ammunition detonations occurring there.

Additionally, subscribers reported strikes in the Okunivka area. Residents of Simferopol also heard loud explosions.

The channel's followers saw fire trucks and ambulances heading towards the Saky airfield.

According to the Krymskyi Veter source, an ammunition depot at the airfield has been hit.

Officially, the head of the Russian administration of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, only mentioned a ballistic threat initially and later canceled the missile threat alert.

Krymskyi Veter has published several videos, including footage of Russian air defense systems operating near Yevpatoriya.

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Traitor who tipped FSB on location of army training center near Kharkiv gets 15 years in prison
Thanks to the evidence base collected by the Security Service of Ukraine, another spotter of Russian missile attacks on the territory of Kharkiv region was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
That’s according to the SBU press office, Ukrinform reports.

"The perpetrator was part of the FSB human asset network, which was exposed in the regional center in June 2023. Then the SBU detained all three members of the criminal group, who were engaged in spotting enemy strikes on Kharkiv region," the statement reads.

Video of the day
The convict is a 64-year-old resident of one of the villages in Kharkiv district, who was remotely recruited by the FSB and tasked with seeking out sensitive information on the location of the Ukrainian Army’s training center, fortifications, and firing positions.

Read also: Czech court hands down first verdict for violating Russia sanctions
The suspect, who worked as a taxi driver, had been collecting such information including through small talk with his passengers.

The perpetrator would communicate with his handlers via a liaison – another traitor, Oleksandr Slisarenko, who after the capture of Kupiansk served as one of the leaders of the occupation administration.

In June, the SBU recalls, another member of the FSB human asset ring was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The investigation regarding the third suspect is in progress.

As reported earlier, in July, an FSB asset, a Lutsk philharmonic musician who helped Russia execute a strike on the local military airfield at the outset of the full-scale invasion, was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

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Ukraine downs 20 Shahed drones overnight Friday
Ukraine’s air defense forces intercepted 20 Russian kamikaze drones in the early hours of Friday, July 26.
That’s according to the Ukrainian Air Force, Ukrinform reports.

In total, the enemy launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile and 22 one-way attack drones of the Shahed type.

The missile was launched from Russia’s Rostov region, targeting Ukraine’s Donetsk region, while kamikaze drones were launched from Cape Chauda (occupied Crimea) and Kursk (Russia).

Of the 22 drones, 20 were shot down over Kherson, Sumy, Zhytomyr, and Chernihiv regions.

The air raid was repelled by mobile fire groups of Ukraine’s Defense Forces and air defense units of the country’s Air Force.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, an air raid alert went off across Kyiv region overnight Friday after a group of enemy drones was spotted in the airspace.

quote:

Op vrijdag 26 juli 2024 10:19 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:
Luchtgevecht....met een stok
[ x ]

quote:

EU geeft Oekra�ne 1,5 miljard aan winst uit bevroren Russische tegoeden

quote:

De Europese Unie maakt vandaag de eerste 1,5 miljard euro winst uit bevroren Russische tegoeden over aan Oekra�ne. Het geld kan worden gebruikt voor de aankoop van wapens, wederopbouw en humanitaire hulp.

Na de Russische inval in Oekra�ne op 24 februari 2022 besloot de EU tot het bevriezen van Russische tegoeden. In totaal is er in de VS, Japan, EU en Canada zo'n 260 miljard euro aan tegoeden van de Russische Centrale Bank bevroren. Daarvan staat een recordbedrag van 191 miljard in Brussel, bij Euroclear. Dat is een instelling die bij transacties op de financi�le markten als tussenpersoon fungeert.

De EU komt niet aan het geld zelf, maar keert de winst op die tegoeden, zoals rente en opbrengsten uit beleggingen, nu uit aan Oekra�ne. Het plan is om zo'n 3 miljard euro per jaar over te maken aan het land. Daarvan is de eerste helft nu dus vrijgegeven.

Het bevriezen van Russisch geld is een van de sancties van de EU-landen tegen Rusland. Op een samengestelde sanctielijst staan duizenden personen, bedrijven en andere groeperingen die te linken zijn aan het Russische regime. Door de maatregel werden al hun bankrekeningen in Europa geblokkeerd.

Er werd al twee jaar gesproken over de bestemming van dit geld. President Zelensky van Oekra�ne wilde dat alle bevroren tegoeden naar Oekra�ne zouden gaan. "Rusland moet de volle prijs betalen voor zijn agressie", zei Zelensky hierover.

In plaats daarvan werd er dus gekozen voor een 'winstuitkering' aan Oekra�ne. 90 procent daarvan gaat naar een fonds voor wapens en munitie, 10 procent naar humanitaire hulp en wederopbouw.

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Op donderdag 25 juli 2024 23:20 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]
Wat een circus weer. Rusland, de voorzitter van de veiligheidsraad, die een vergadering inplant om de militaire hulp aan Oekra�ne door het westen te veroordelen.

Gelukkig duurt deze voorzitterschap slechts een maand zie ik.

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Op vrijdag 26 juli 2024 12:50 schreef ExTec het volgende:
Centrale bank rente naar 18%.

[ x ]

quote:

Op donderdag 25 juli 2024 23:23 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
Zo te zien is sowieso 1 van de drones met een gepard neergehaald.
[ x ]
[ x ]

quote:

Pentagon officials were surprised by the allegation and unaware of any such plot, the two U.S. officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the confidential phone call. But whatever Mr. Belousov revealed, all three officials said, it was taken seriously enough that the Americans contacted the Ukrainians and said, essentially, if you’re thinking about doing something like this, don’t.

quote:

Op vrijdag 26 juli 2024 16:28 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
https://www.nytimes.com/2(...)ne-defense-plot.html

Ze leren het ook nooit daar. Bevalt wat oekraine doet je niet? Bel je ff naar je loopjongen austin en dan blaast die het wel af.

quote:

Op vrijdag 26 juli 2024 16:42 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:

[..]
Heb je enige informatie over dat 'plot'?

SPOILER

quote:

So, brief conclusions.

Airfields must have at least two armored vehicles on staff, which, among other things, will allow them to pull out the wounded in conditions where it is impossible to get to them by other means.
Although I wrote about this in 2018.

Every serviceman on duty should have a complete first aid kit on him, which he knows how to use.

crests' ping decreased from a couple of days to 6 hours.

Those. If we want to have something left in the area affected by storms, scalps and attacks, we need to roll over the planes at least every 5 hours.
Well, or take them out of the affected area.

It is necessary to intensify efforts to search for hidden enemy cells and agents around airfields throughout the country. From Crimea to Murmansk.

It’s pointless to write about reinforced concrete construction, and the fact that they would have leveled out all the losses over the last 24 hours. We will run out of aviation faster than we can build them. We have an unplowed field before reinforced concrete construction units have problems. We will leave the issues of reinforced concrete construction to future generations to decide, maybe they will be smarter than us.

Although, according to the experience of Laos, they will also shout that their grandfathers fought without reinforced concrete structures and won the war.😏

quote:

Op vrijdag 26 juli 2024 21:14 schreef oheng het volgende:
Saki is erg hard geraakt volgens de russen.
Fighterbomber heeft het volgende te zeggen.

SPOILER

[..]

quote:

Police: Russians used cluster munition for double-tap strike on Kharkiv for first time
In a double-tap attack on the Kholodnohirskyi district of Kharkiv, Russia used cluster Iskander munition for the second strike, reported Volodymyr Tymoshko, the head of Kharkiv region police, on July 24.

Russia attacks Kharkiv and the surrounding region often because of its proximity to the border and the frontline, especially so since May 2024, when Moscow’s new ground offensive from the north started.

Tymoshko said that Russia had been attacking the city on July 24 starting from 5 o’clock in the morning. During the day, they hit an industrial object, an enterprise, in the city, and after an hour, they hit the same place with a cluster missile. Police are sure Moscow troops utilized cluster munition to injure rescuers and police who arrived at the hit site after the first strike.

“It’s a miracle that rescuers and police left the facility 10 minutes before the second] strike. But they attacked with cluster [munition], [submunitions] blew up around a significant area, and people who were just passing [the enterprise] by or were in a residential area nearby got hit.”

Tymoshko also said that the munition Russians used was developed during the second quarter of 2024, according to the manufacture date on the remnants of the shell. “Everything goes from the assembly line right to the frontline,” Tymoshko said.

Law enforcement has already started pre-trial investigations into violations of laws and customs of war in relation to the attack.

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Op vrijdag 26 juli 2024 21:16 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Dat klinkt inderdaad hoopgevend. Hij heeft het over verloren vliegtuigen en verloren personeel.

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Probable ATACMS Missile Strikes Hammer Russian Air Bases in Crimea
A Russian milblogger had predicted the punishing attacks were inevitable, because of a cheeky Royal Air Force recon patrol over the Black Sea near where the missiles hit.

^{This handout photo taken on May 25, 2022 and provided by the South Korean Defence Ministry in Seoul shows a US Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) firing a missile from an undisclosed location on South Korea's east coast during a live-fire exercise aimed to counter North Korea?s missile test. (Photo by Handout / South Korean Defence Ministry / AFP)}

Powerful explosions followed the reported impacts of Ukraine-launched ATAMCS ballistic missiles striking a pair of Russian air bases in the Crimea peninsula early on Friday morning, causing casualties, sparking fires and damaging military infrastructure, news reports and social media said.

At the Saki military air base near the village of Novofedorivka, on the Crimean west seacoast, local media reported at least two heavy blasts occurring around 3 a.m. local time. Video geo-located to the area showed fires reaching more than 100 meters (330 feet) into the sky, billowing smoke, and more than a dozen secondary explosions.

The pro-Ukraine military information platform Krymsky Veter said an aircraft ammunition depot was destroyed, and that once the blaze got going, Russian Air Force air-to-air missiles in bunkers caught fire and flew randomly into the sky.

The independent Russian news agency Astra said two Russian service personnel were injured. Crimean social media told of multiple ambulances responding to the scene. At least two of the American-made ATACMS missiles carried out the strike, ASTRA reported.

According to those sources, another pair of nighttime explosions was heard and seen some five kilometers (3 miles) from Novofedorivka and Saky airfield, near Shelkovichne village, where a Russian Air Force radar station was reportedly damaged. Ukraine’s UNIAN news agency confirmed those accounts and reported a Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missile battery had been put out of action.

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US-made HIMARS launch system fires a long-range ATACMS surface-to-surface missile in an undated photograph published by the US Army. Ukrainian gunners probably fired four of these weapons to hit targets in the Russia-occupied Crimea peninsula on Friday.
Uncorroborated reports told of probable Ukrainian attack drones heard or seen in air space over Crimea and being shot down or hitting targets near the cities of Yevpatoria and Simferopol. Some accounts said two of the four ATACMS had been shot down by local air defenses.

Neither Russia’s Defense Ministry nor Ukraine’s Army General Staff, on Friday morning, made comment on the strikes. In past ATACMS strikes against Crimea, Ukraine’s army Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) has often taken credit for employing mixed drone-missile tactics in attacks.

The popular Russian Air Force milbloggers, FighterBomber, in comments published less than four hours after the missile strikes, complained it had been obvious the Ukrainian attacks were coming.

He said Kremlin military leadership ignored a Royal Air Force air patrol led by a high-tech RC-135W spy plane that spent hours on Wednesday cruising off the Crimean coast, over international waters, in a mission to collect data on Russian military sites and units for Kyiv target planners.

^{Russian S-300 radars are shown to be parked at a storage site north of the Crimean village of Novostepove in a satellite image purportedly recorded in mid-July. According to the pro-Ukraine milblogger Oko_Gora, Ukrainian ATACMS missiles destroyed the radars in a July 21 strike, substantially degrading Russian air defenses across the peninsula.}

On Wednesday, NATO air forces staged a complex, UK-led air operation over the western Black Sea culminating with the fly-by of Crimea’s coast by the RC-135 reconnaissance plane and a pair of RAF Eurofighter Typhoons. A Russian Su-27 fighter jet eventually intercepted the British military aircraft but did not interfere. Hard-core Moscow supporters have argued the Kremlin must somehow stop the NATO data collection flights, rather than just sending a Russian fighter pilot to wave at them.

“Once again, guys, it’s not a very good morning all. Well, did we manage to turn back the RC-135? Did we respect all international norms? Did it help? I told you about all of this already. Eternal memory to the dead,” FighterBomber told his 500,000+ followers in a post blaming Russian Air Force leadership for inaction.

Following a six-month US legislative ban on sending military support of any kind to Ukraine, Kyiv, starting in April, received new supplies of ATACMS surface-to-surface missiles, a precision-guided, long-range weapon Ukraine has mostly used to attack and degrade Russian air bases and air defenses, particularly in Crimea.

Prior to Friday, the most recent confirmed Ukrainian ATACMS strike took place on July 21, when at least a single missile impacted in the vicinity of a Russian S-300 anti-aircraft system NATO reporting name SA-10 Grumble) near the central Crimean village of Novostepove.

The missile’s cluster munitions destroyed main 9S19 radar, as well as four tracking and target acquisition radar, the pro-Ukraine Oko_Gora Crimea information platform reported, citing satellite images of a firing site geo-located to the north of village.

Other sources reported that an attack took place near Novostepove at that time, but did not confirm the damage. According to its manufacturers, the S-300B is one of the best air defense systems in the world.

On July 22, dozens of Ukrainian kamikaze drones hit an air base near the city Morozovsk, in Russia’s far-western Rostov Oblast, adjacent to Crimea, targeting S-300 and S-400 air defense systems, parked combat aircraft, and airfield infrastructure.

Official Russian sources said all the Ukrainian drones were shot down but Russian milbloggers, social media, and Ukrainian official and social media platforms said the strikes hit aircraft and ground facilities.

On Friday morning Russian authorities reported fires in Rostov Oblast’ following the alleged shoot-down of a wave of Ukrainian drones.

All incoming aircraft were shot down and there was no substantial damage to military or civilian property, those statements said.

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Ukrainian Forces Destroy Russian Pantsyr-S1 SAM in Kherson Region

^{Destroyed Russian Pantsyr-S1 SAM in the Kherson region. Photo credits: Russia no context}

The Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed a Russian Pantsyr-S1 anti-aircraft missile and gun system in the Kherson region.

The photos of the burned complex were published on the “russia no context” Telegram channel.

It is not yet known which weapon specifically targeted the Russian SAM, but judging by the published photos, the Pantsyr was completely destroyed by a strong fire.

There is a possibility that the Pantsyr-S1 was hit by a GMLRS precision-guided rocket, with the fire potentially starting due to the ignition of rocket propellant from the 57E6 anti-aircraft missiles.

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^{Destroyed Russian Pantsyr-S1 SAM in the Kherson region. Photo credits: Russia no context}

According to the “russia no context”, the Russian system was destroyed on July 25, 2024, in the Kherson region.

In addition, two of the Russian invaders are seriously wounded, and nothing is known about the fate of the others.

Judging by the lowered radar antenna and raised supports, the system was not deployed at the time of the attack and could have been moving on a public road.

It should be noted that recently, Russian air defense systems have suffered heavy losses, both from FPV drones that destroy them near the front line and in the rear, due to the use of GMLRS rockets by the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

^{Destroyed Russian Pantsyr-S1 SAM in the Kherson region. Photo credits: Russia no context}

Previously, Militarnyi reported that the M142 HIMARS, in cooperation with an aerial reconnaissance drone, destroyed the Russian Pantsyr-S1 anti-aircraft missile and gun system.

The Russian system was destroyed 30 kilometers south of the city of Donetsk, where it was supposed to provide air defense for enemy units. Two missiles were used to destroy the Russian Pantsyr-S1.

The first missile damaged it, and the second caused such damage that it set the anti-aircraft module and the entire system on fire.

After the second missile hit, the crew of the system abandoned the vehicle and began to flee across the fields toward their own positions.

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EU rejects request to urge Ukraine to lift ban on oil transit from Russia
The European Commission has rejected a request from Hungary and Slovakia to urge Ukraine to lift the ban on the transit of Russian oil from Lukoil.

The Financial Times writes about this, citing its own sources, Hromadske reports.

Hungary and Slovakia have asked the European Commission to start consultations on a trade agreement with Ukraine. However, EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis told the FT that Brussels “will need more time to gather evidence and assess the legal situation”.

On July 24, a meeting of EU trade representatives was held. At the meeting, 11 countries spoke in support of his position, and none of the parties sided with Budapest and Bratislava, three unnamed European diplomats told the publication. One of them noted that the trade agreement with Ukraine contains a security clause that could allow for the interruption of transit supplies.

Slovakian President Peter Pellegrini also reacted to Ukraine’s decision and warned that Slovakia could take “indefinite measures in response” to Ukraine’s ban on oil transportation by the Russian company Lukoil.

Hungary also voiced similar threats. Budapest has threatened to block the payment of 6.5 billion euros from the European Peace Fund to Ukraine if Kyiv does not agree to lift the transit ban.

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Russia arrests former deputy defence minister on corruption charge
Arrest of Dmitry Bulgakov is latest high-profile incident in ongoing purge within Moscow’s military top brass

^{Dmitry Bulgakov was detained by the FSB on Friday and placed in Lefortovo prison in Moscow. Photograph: Kirill Zykov/Reuters}

A former senior Russian defence official has been arrested and charged with corruption in the latest high-profile incident in an ongoing purge within the country’s military top brass.

Dmitry Bulgakov, who was a deputy defence minister in charge of military logistics for almost 15 years until he was dismissed in September 2022, was detained by the FSB security service on Friday and placed in the notorious Lefortovo prison in Moscow.

He was widely blamed for the Russian army’s logistical failures during the early months of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, which left troops severely undersupplied and stalled Moscow’s advances.

Bulgakov, who is the recipient of several top military and civilian awards, including the Hero of Russia award, the country’s highest honour, was one of the longest-serving defence officials.

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The purge began on 23 April with the shock arrest of Timur Ivanov, another veteran deputy defence minister. Then, in the span of several weeks, four other top defence officials were arrested on corruption charges, marking the most significant crackdown in the defence ministry in decades.

Vladimir Putin in the process also dismissed his longtime defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, replacing him with the technocrat economist Andrei Belousov,

The shake-up is largely seen by observers as an attempt by Putin to reduce corruption in the defence ministry and streamline military production for a long war against Ukraine that could largely be decided by industrial output.

The arrests also highlight the growing influence of the FSB, which is largely responsible for the recent developments.

Moscow has previously played down suggestions of a crackdown within the defence ministry. “The fight against corruption is consistent work,” the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters in May. “It is not a campaign, it is constantly ongoing work.”

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Styrofoam, plywood, and Ukrainian SIM cards. Ukraine's intelligence on new Russian drones
Intelligence reports that with the help of new cheap drones, Russia is trying to identify the location of Ukrainian air defense systems

Russia has begun employing new cheap drones in its long-range attacks on Ukraine, attempting to detect Ukrainian air defense, as was reported to Reuters by Andriy Cherniak, a representative of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense.

He said that two new types of drones that Russia has used in five drone attacks over the past two to three weeks are made from materials such as styrofoam and plywood.

One type has a camera and a Ukrainian mobile phone SIM card for sending images to the Russian military, he said.

"They identify where our mobile groups are positioned, where the machine guns are that can destroy them. They're trying ... to get a picture of where all our air defenses are located," Cherniak said.

He stated that the new drones likely cost only $10,000 each, despite their long range, making them much cheaper to produce than air defense missiles.

Cherniak also noted that such drones can fly at an altitude of 1 km, staying out of range of machine guns and automatic rifles.

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Op vrijdag 26 juli 2024 21:48 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]

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A dam on a reservoir broke in Russia

In Russia, a dam broke at a water reservoir, which is located in the Chelyabinsk region.

It is reported that due to a sharp rise in the water level due to prolonged rains, the dam broke.

Residents of dozens of settlements are advised to prepare for evacuation by collecting essentials and documents.

Local residents say that the water is getting closer to the houses very quickly.

Videos published on social networks show people fleeing the flooding on the roofs of houses.

In general, in Russia, everything is the same as always. People complain, the authorities frustrate and say that there is no money.

But at the same time, the Kremlin allocates huge funds for armaments and drives everyone to war in Ukraine.

And Russian propagandists will again blame the USA and NATO for the dam bursting and flooding of houses.

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Op vrijdag 26 juli 2024 21:58 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.theguardian.c(...)v-corruption-charges
[..]

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First Romanian Pilots Graduate from European F-16 Training Center

^{Romanian F-16 pilots trained at the European Flight Training Center. July 2024. Romania. Photo credits: Romanian Ministry of Defense}

The very first pilots have graduated from the European F-16 Training Center.

The Dutch Ministry of Defense stated that the first graduation consisted of Romanian pilots.

The Netherlands played an important role in the creation of the European Center and supplied 18 F-16 fighter jets to Romania.

During the training, they went through various scenarios. For example, they flew missions with NATO pilots.

“NATO’s strength is in cooperation. The European F-16 Training Center is a good example of this,” the Dutch Defense Ministry stated.

SPOILER

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^{Romanian F-16 pilots trained at the European Flight Training Center. July 2024. Romania. Photo credits: Romanian Ministry of Defense}

The ministry added that Ukrainian pilots will also be trained on F-16s at this center in the future.

“I am looking forward to the moment when the first Ukrainian pilots will be trained here. Ukraine really needs to strengthen its air defense,” added Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans.

In addition to F-16s for the training center, the Netherlands will also supply 24 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

In July, it was reported that a regional training center for F-16 pilots would be established in Romania.

Thus, Romania will join the ‘aviation coalition’ that supports the training of Ukrainian pilots and ground personnel, as well as the transfer of modern multifunctional fighters as part of military assistance.

^{European F-16 Training Center. July 2024. Romania. Photo credits: Romanian Ministry of National Defence}

The center was created jointly with other allies and Lockheed Martin, which is the manufacturer of these U.S. combat aircraft.

As previously reported, in July, Canada announced the allocation of about C$389 million (more than $280 million) to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.

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Op vrijdag 26 juli 2024 16:42 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:

[..]
Heb je enige informatie over dat 'plot'?

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How Russian Propaganda Capitalizes on the Olympic Games

^{A protester in Krakow holds a poster related to Summer Olympics in Paris and the words 'Boycott Russian Sport' on March 31, 2023, in Krakow, Poland. (Source: Getty Images)}

Russia continued the Soviet Union’s take on the Olympics as a means to show power. In this year’s Olympics, Paris 2024, a record-low number of Russian athletes will be participating in the Games. Only 15 Russian sportsmen will be competing as Individual Neutral Athletes.

Additionally, France barred nearly 100 foreign journalists, physiotherapists, and technical staff, citing concerns over potential espionage threats.

For the first time in 40 years, the Olympic Games will not be broadcast on Russian television, according to reports from Sports.ru and other publications.

Federal TV channels Perviy and Rossiya-1 have opted not to broadcast the Olympics due to political reasons. Earlier, Komsomolskaya Pravda reported that these channels deemed it "inappropriate" to air the Games given that only a limited number of Russian athletes will compete under neutral status.

How has Russia been using the Olympics to its advantage in its aggression against neighboring nations? More on it below.

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Olympics as a coverup for aggression
The strict restrictions on Russian athletes follow years of Moscow using the Olympics as a cover for preparing or executing invasions.

Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, just 4 days after the end of the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Similarly, Russia's 2014 invasion of Ukraine started four days after the Winter Olympics in Sochi, which Russia hosted.

Additionally, during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, Russia was engaged in a full-scale invasion of neighboring Georgia.

Olympic truce
One of the topics of manipulation of Russian propaganda regarding the Olympics in Paris several months before its beginning was the topic of the so-called "Olympic truce".

The tradition of the “Olympic Truce” was established in Ancient Greece between three kings – Iphitos of Elis, Cleosthenes of Pisa, and Lycurgus of Sparta and aimed to allow safe participation in the ancient Olympic Games for all athletes and spectators from these Greek city-states, which were otherwise almost constantly engaged in conflict with each other.

Russian propagandists have pointed to the UN General Assembly's November 2023 resolution supporting the Olympic truce for the 2024 Paris Games and the International Olympic Committee's 1992 proposal to revive the Olympic truce tradition.

Ironically, Russia has violated the Olympic truce principle under Vladimir Putin's leadership on at least three occasions: during the 2008 invasion of Georgia and twice during the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

In this context, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's February 2014 call to honor the Olympic truce before the Sochi Olympics and Paralympics, which lasted until mid-March, seems particularly cynical. This period coincided with the covert deployment of Russian troops to Crimea and the staging of a "referendum" for the illegal annexation of Crimea on March 16, 2014. Russia’s answer to the Olympics

Russia and its ally Belarus have been largely excluded from international competitions, including the Paris Olympics, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. That’s why Russia has been working on creating sporting events that would substitute the Olympics for the Russian viewers.
https://storage.united24m(...)b13aca7681423563.jpg
^{BRICKS Games coming to an end. (Source: BRICKS Games official website)}

Russia’s answer to the Olympics
Russia and its ally Belarus have been largely excluded from international competitions, including the Paris Olympics, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. That’s why Russia has been working on creating sporting events that would substitute the Olympics for the Russian viewers.

World Friendship Games
The 2024 World Friendship Games is a multi-sport event, which was planned to be held in Moscow and Yekaterinburg, Russia from 15 to 29 September 2024. The organizers have eventually rescheduled the Games to a non-Olympic year in order to "maximize athlete and official availability," according to the website.

The International Olympic Committee has opposed the revival of the Games, labeling it a violation of the Olympic Charter.

BRICS Games
The 2024 BRICS Games was an international multi-sport competition running from 12 to 23 June 2024 in Kazan, Russia, organized by countries belonging to the economic association BRICS.

These games garnered little international interest and faced disappointing turnout, with some events featuring only one competitor and performances falling short of expectations.

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The first Russian region has deployed patrols made up of "SMO fighters" on the streets
"In Vladivostok, a detachment for the protection of public order was created from participants in the war in Ukraine, said the governor of Primorye Oleg Kozhemyako.

"The Tiger-Law and Order detachment took up service in Primorye. Now their task is, together with law enforcement agencies, the police and the National Guard, to ensure public safety and order in the Far Eastern capital," he wrote on Telegram.

According to him, the detachment consists of former participants in the war in Ukraine who served as part of the Tiger volunteer formation. He noted that similar patrols should appear in other cities of the region, when the detachment has enough employees. At the moment, there are about 300 of them. Kozhemyako did not specify what kind of powers the volunteer patrol members have.

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"Right now, at the enterprise, where veterans of the Pacific Fleet marines also work, two vehicles are being created for the Tiger-Law and Order. One will be equipped with means of communication and surveillance from the air using drones, and the second will become a patrol bus," the governor stressed.

The creation of "voluntary squads" from among the participants in the special military operation, veterans of law enforcement agencies and other "patriotic" public is a decision made in the highest echelons of power, political scientist Abbas Gallyamov, who previously worked in the presidential administration, wrote with reference to his own sources.

According to Gallyamov's sources, the main task of this project is to "frighten thecapital's liberals" and national republics, where, as the example of Bashkiria has shown, thousands of protests are possible. Financing of the project, as Gallyamov notes, will be extra-budgetary, and the command to the governors through the plenipotentiary representatives of the president "has already been given."

The people's squad "Katukov Brigade", in particular, was created in the Oryol region. It was headed by former war veteran Denis Orlov, who was tasked with helping the security forces in "ensuring security".

In Novosibirsk, another practice is common - four war veterans will teach in schools and colleges, Sibir . Realii wrote.:-The Moscow Times

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And from the source itself

"The Tiger-Law and Order detachment entered service in Primorye.
In the ranks are members of the Northern Military District who served as part of our Tiger volunteer detachment.
Now their task is, together with law enforcement agencies, the police and the National Guard, to ensure public safety and order in the Far Eastern capital.
Such patrols will appear in other cities of the region when the detachment recruits employees. For now it will be about 300 people.
We provided the guys with three sets of uniforms for different tasks.
Right now, at the enterprise, where veterans of the Pacific Fleet Marine Corps also work, two vehicles for the “Tiger-Law and Order” are being created. One will be equipped with communications and aerial surveillance via drones, and the second will be a patrol bus."

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What is curious here is the oral instructions that the governor is giving. He speaks about migrants that, according to him, do not quite well know the rules of behavior, and need to be taken down a peg or two. So basically he is endorsing some kind of racial profiling.