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Op vrijdag 30 augustus 2024 21:47 schreef stinkielinkie het volgende:
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White House offers insight on lack of US-China consensus on Ukraine
The United States "very rigorously" adheres to the simple maxim "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine," Jake Sullivan said

The United States and China have not reached any concrete plan for a diplomatic solution to the Russo-Ukrainian war, largely because the United States adheres to the principle of "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine," said Jake Sullivan, adviser to the US president on national security issues, during a briefing.

He cannot say that the United States and the People's Republic of China have made progress in solving the Russo-Ukrainian war. Sullivan also noted that the Beijing has laid out its principles in this regard both unilaterally and together with Brazil.

The adviser said that over the past three days, the American and Chinese sides had the opportunity to exchange views on the war.

At the same time, they did not reach any specific plan regarding diplomacy – and in many ways this happened because the USA "very rigorously" adheres to the simple maxim "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine", the official explained.

Ultimately, it will be up to Ukraine to decide how it wants to proceed with diplomacy and negotiations, Sullivan added.

This week, the adviser visited China, where, in particular, he met with President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

You can find the "peace plan" developed by China in May here. Primarily, it proposes a freeze on the war.

China declined to attend the first Global Peace Summit—they stated that Beijing always supports efforts for a peaceful resolution of the war but will not attend the event without Russia.

The Ukrainian ambassador to Brazil stated that this country did not notify Kyiv that it was planning to present a "peace plan" together with China.

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The ban on Chinese drones from September 1 will cause a shortage in the Armed Forces, — Magyar
Starting September 1, 2024, China will impose restrictions on the export of drones and their components. Robert �Magyar� Brovdi, commander of the 414th Separate Regiment of Strike Unmanned Aircraft Systems (OPUBAS), sounds the alarm.

On Facebook, the most famous �drone pilot� of the Ukrainian Armed Forces advises to prepare �for a new test�. Magyar expects a greater shortage than with Western ammunition — at least they are periodically added. Robert Brovdi sees China’s restriction as an attempt to �make Ukraine sit down with� for negotiating with Russia on unfavorable terms.

�It will be expensive and small. And a couple dozen new millionaires will appear. Different �suits�.

In July, the Chinese government announced restrictions on the export of a number of UAV-related goods from the country. According to Brovdi, the important event, which has a significant impact on the course of the war, has received little attention in Ukraine due to a lack of awareness of Chinese affairs. He argues that the restriction will negatively affect many Ukrainian manufacturers.

�Although the developments are perhaps the best in the world, all imported Chinese components are assembled into finished products�.

The OPUBAS commander provides a list of goods and components that will be restricted. It is taken from a message from one of the Chinese carriers.

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• Carbon frame for quadcopter
• Carbon beam for a quadcopter
• Quadcopter
• Motor for a quadcopter
• A set of components for a quadcopter
• A set of frames for quadcopters
• Navigation camera for a quadcopter
• Flight controller for a quadcopter
• Landing gear for quadcopter
• Propeller for a quadcopter
• Frame for a quadcopter
• Signal amplifier for the remote control of a quadcopter
• Digital data transmission system for a quadcopter
• Digital radio communication detector
• Radio system
• Radio station
• Portable radio
• Video transmission system via radio channel
• RAB systems

The tone of Magyar’s message, with its many obscenities, also speaks to the seriousness of the changes. He talks about the gradual (through the accumulation of reserves) nature of the changes, comparing them to the stages of cancer.

UPDATE: Meest China would like to comment on this news and explain the terms of delivery from China:
“We understand the public outcry that was caused by the news about the ban on sending components for drones from China and our mailing to customers. But, as a logistics company operating in an international legal framework, we were forced to warn our customers about such global official restrictions from China.

However, in the context of the news, there is a critically important nuance, namely, the temporary impossibility of sending applies only to postal parcels directly from sellers, while the majority perceived this as a complete impossibility of delivery, or as a separate update of the company’s rules.

We are trying to clarify several important things. Firstly, we are talking about limiting delivery specifically in the format of a postal parcel for your own use, and specifically from mainland China. But there are also commercial shipments, which were not discussed. In this regard, for advice and subsequent orders, please contact us on the website https://meest.cn/.

Secondly, we have been preparing for this ban and are doing everything possible to provide other delivery options for such goods in the near future. Clients will learn about this by notification in their personal accounts.

Thirdly and most importantly, the changes are caused by innovations in Chinese legislation and concern the shipment of such goods to all countries of the world (this is not a separate initiative of our company, not a decision of the Ukrainian authorities) and we, as a carrier, will do everything possible to continue working in the new conditions.

As a Ukrainian business that also works to win, we understand all the responsibility that rests with us as a supply leader. Follow company news. Let’s stand together! “

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Op vrijdag 30 augustus 2024 16:06 schreef Elan het volgende:

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Koersk is een afleidingsmanoeuvre. Russische bommenwerpers vliegen over de frontlinie en schieten alles daar achter kapot.

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Russians lose Buk missile launcher in the Kherson region

^{9A317M TELAR of the 9K317M Buk-M3 anti-aircraft missile system with six 9M317M anti-aircraft guided missiles. 2018. Russia. Photo: Russian media}

The Russian invasion forces have lost a Buk TELAR in southern Ukraine.

The photo of the destroyed launcher was published by the Lost_warinua Telegram channel.

It happened in the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region.

Judging by the photo, the 9A317M TELAR of the 9K317M Buk-M3 complex was destroyed.

It was probably destroyed by the Ukrainian defense forces using one of the weapons in service.

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^{The TELAR of the Russian Buk air defense system was destroyed in the Kherson region. August 2024. Photo: t.me/lost_warinua}

The photo shows that before the destruction, the Russian installation was in a shelter, but it did not save it. It was completely burned and cannot be restored.

The anti-aircraft missiles with which it was equipped also burned. Presumably, the powerful combustion of their solid-fuel rocket motors was the main reason for the destruction of the Buk-M3 missile launcher.It is not yet known what weapons the Ukrainian defense used to destroy it.

It could have been either HIMARS or drones of various types, including a bomber that could have dropped a munition on the shelter where the occupiers’ gun was located.

^{Destroyed Buk-M2 air defense system of the Russians in the Kherson region. November 2023. Ukraine. Frame from the video “Balu HUB”}

In recent months, Ukraine’s defense forces have increased the number of strikes against Russian air defense systems in various sectors. This is evidenced by videos and photos published by the military.

For this purpose, Ukrainian defenders use a variety of means, ranging from tactical ballistic missiles with cluster warheads provided by the United States to attack drones of various types and high-precision rockets.

ЗСУ знищили пускову З� К «Бук» окупантів [серпень 2024]

In particular, the Ukrainian military recently showed a video of the destruction of a self-propelled missile launcher of the Russian Buk air defense system in one of the frontline areas.

It was located in a position in a forest belt and was detected by Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance. The gun was then hit by a high-precision munition, possibly from a US HIMARS rocket system.

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Ukrainian men deported from Russia stuck in legal limbo on Georgian border
A group of 17 Ukrainian deportees from Russia are currently stranded on the Russian-Georgian border without documents, independent news outlet Holod reported on Thursday.

One of the men, 31-year-old Oleksandr Shulgin, told Holod the group was living in a windowless basement at the Dariali checkpoint. He said his documents were taken from him when he was detained in Russia in January, and that he had been deposited at the Georgian border without them on 2 August.

Shulgin, who holds Ukrainian citizenship, said he had lived in Russia for 10 years but was detained by police in January for violating immigration procedures. He was taken into custody for seven and a half months before being released without charge and deposited at the Georgian border, where he has been ever since, he said.

He said none of his fellow Ukrainians stranded at the border, some of whom had been there for around two months, had been allowed to enter Georgia. The other men, whom Holod did not identify, are either former prisoners whose sentences had ended or migrant workers expelled from Russia for not having the correct paperwork. Some of the men have tuberculosis.

“It’s damp … and condensation drips off the pipes. We’re being held in captivity. We can’t go out onto the street and nobody tells us anything. … Volunteers bring us food once a week, thankfully. But we don’t know how anything works or who we should turn to,” Shulgin said.

This is not the first time that Ukrainians taking a circuitous route home from Russia via Georgia have become stranded at the border. In August 2023, six former prisoners waited 11 days at the border, while 17 former prisoners spent two weeks surviving in similarly bleak conditions there in October. In November, a group of eight former prisoners became so desperate that they threatened to self-harm in an attempt to draw attention to their plight.

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Ukraine Repatriates 14 Children and Their Families from Russia Occupied Regions

^{Ukrainian child repatriated from temporarily occupied territories. (Source: Ukraine’s Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets via Telegram)}

Ukraine has repatriated 14 children and their families from the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.

This was announced by Ukraine’s Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets.

One family had tried multiple times to leave the occupied areas on their own but was repeatedly threatened and sent back without explanation. Another family had been hiding from the Russian occupying forces due to their pro-Ukrainian stance.

During conversations with the Ombudsman’s Office, individuals reported fears of going outside and difficulties finding work without a Russian passport. Russian occupying forces threatened to seize their property and strip them of parental rights, while children faced restrictions in schools. Ukrainian books were burned, and valuable possessions were confiscated. The homes of Ukrainians were continuously searched.

Many of the returned children require schooling, psychological and humanitarian support, and social integration.

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⏺Bring Kids Back UA in action: it was possible to return 14 more children to their native land

Thanks to the assistance and painstaking work of our team, several families from the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions were returned to Ukraine.

❗️Courageous families with teenagers and very young children took a bold step of resistance, which shows the steadfastness of the Ukrainian spirit. They overcame many difficulties to find themselves in the territory controlled by Ukraine.

In particular, one of the families, which did not accept the new "mess" of the Russian authorities, tried several times to leave TOT on its own. However, she was sent back under threats without explanation. Another family was generally hiding from the Russians because of its pro-Ukrainian position. Fortunately, this is already behind us and our Office was able to help our citizens.

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👉During communication with the employees of our Office, people said that they were afraid to go out, could not find a job without a "Russian" passport, received threats to confiscate property and deprivation of parental rights, did not have the right to choose schools and became participants in groundless searches of their own homes . Found Ukrainian books were burned, valuable property was seized. The "new" government did not limit itself in anything.

Therefore, they made the right decision - to leave TOT, making a wise choice in favor of security, freedom and a dignified future, which reflects the strength and indomitability of the Ukrainian people.

ℹ️Currently, many of the returned children need placement in school, psychological and humanitarian assistance, and social integration. Therefore, the state, together with public and charitable organizations, will provide everything necessary to ensure a stable environment for the growth of small Ukrainians.

I express my gratitude to the BF "Right to Protection", "Caritas", "Rokada", "Posmishka", "Human Rights Group "Sich", NGO "Ataman", Coordination Center for the Development of Family Education and Child Care, and state bodies that participated in the reintegration and assistance to families.

⏺If your child has disappeared, and you, as his legal representative, do not know his whereabouts, be sure to report this fact to the National Police of Ukraine at number 102. If you are convinced that the child has been deported to the Russian Federation, or is in a detention center, then except the police should also inform us - the Office of the Ombudsman.

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Come Back Alive Foundation handed over strike drones to artillerymen

^{Ukrainian military with a Darts attack drone, August 2024. Photo credits: Come Back Alive Foundation}

The Come Back Alive Foundation together with the ANC pharmacy chain purchased reconnaissance and strike drones for the military.

The news was published on the foundation’s website.

The Come Back Alive Foundation raised UAH 2.2 million to buy several types of drones for the unmanned aerial vehicle units of the 44th Artillery Brigade.

UAH 1,000,000 was spent on a set of 23 Darts attack drones, catapults and other equipment. In addition, the amount also included a DJI Mavic 3 PRO drone.

An additional UAH 1,200,000 was also spent on three Molfar 8 FPV drones.

“These drones will help artillerymen fight the invaders’ equipment. They have already been handed over to a brigade operating in the Zaporizhzhia region,” the Foundation said.

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<sup>Drones for the 44th Artillery Brigade, August 2024. Photo credits: Come Back Alive Foundation


Molfar 8 FPV drone for the 44th Artillery Brigade, August 2024. Photo credits: Come Back Alive Foundation


Darts strike drone for the 44th Artillery Brigade, August 2024. Photo credits: Come Back Alive Foundation


Darts strike drone for the 44th Artillery Brigade, August 2024. Photo credits: Come Back Alive Foundation</sup>

Darts
Darts are Ukrainian-made strike drones based on components from FPV drones.

The fuselage of the Darts drone allows it to withstand numerous hits from small arms. This aerodynamic scheme allows more efficient use of battery energy and operates at a greater distance.

These loitering munitions from the Ukrainian manufacturer have a range of 40-50 km and a speed of 160 km per hour. The DARTS has a warhead weighing 4 kilograms.

These drones are used together with relay drones to operate effectively at maximum distances.

In addition to its relatively long range, the low price is also noteworthy—UAH 40 thousand, or about $1 thousand.

^{Ukrainian Darts drone}

As previously reported, the Come Back Alive Foundation provided four more units with equipment that will help them shoot down Russian drones.

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Ukraine has right to defend both on own soil, beyond its borders - Swedish MoD
Ukraine has the right to defend itself both on its territory and outside the country, while Sweden will support Ukraine for as long as it takes.
That’s according to Swedish Defense Minister P�l Johnson, who spoke ahead of the informal meeting of EU defense chiefs in Brussels on Friday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"Sweden adheres to international law. Ukraine has the right to defend itself inside and outside of its territory... It’s Russia who started an unprovoked full-scale aggression against Ukraine. So, Sweden's position is that Ukraine has the right to defend itself inside and outside of Ukraine... And we are going to be supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes," Johnson emphasized.

According to the official, Brussels will also discuss the issue of training Ukrainian recruits on Ukraine’s territory.

"We do not exclude this possibility in one way or another... We think it’s important also to keep unity within the EU for such measure, and, of course, we have to take into account military and political considerations, but we don’t exclude this possibility," the minister said.

Johnson recalled that Sweden had already delivered EUR 4 billion worth of defense equipment to Ukraine and is drawing conclusions in the delivery process so that it sees no delays.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, during a press conference in Brussels following the informal Council of the EU foreign ministers, EU High Representative Josep Borrell stated that the lifting of restrictions on the use of Western weapons supplied by EU countries to Ukraine for protection against Russian aggression will remain within the competence of the national governments of EU member states.

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The US Army has ordered Javelin missiles for $1.3 billion. More than 4,000 of these missiles are for Ukraine
The U.S. Army has ordered $1.3 billion worth of Javelin missiles, the largest one-year Javelin production contract to date, the manufacturers' joint venture said .

More than 4,000 Javelin missiles from this contract are being sent to Ukraine for resupply.

Manufacturers Lockheed Martin and Raytheon say the deal is part of a May 2023 contract to produce Javelin missiles and related equipment and services. This multi-year contract could reach $7.2 billion to produce an "unspecified number" of missiles between 2023 and 2026.

The manufacturers report that this contract involves the purchase of Javelin weapons systems and production support for the US Army. Javelin All Up Round (AUR) production is expected to increase to 3,960 per year by the end of 2026, according to the report.

"Now more than ever, Javelin is recognized as the most effective, battle-proven anti-armor weapon system in the world," said Andy Amaro , JJV president and Javelin program director at Raytheon.

The joint venture says it has more than 25 international customers worldwide and has so far produced more than 50,000 Javelin missiles and more than 12,000 reusable command launchers.

Javelin missiles are included in the vast majority of US aid packages. In particular, the latest aid package, announced on August 23 , included more than 10,000 Javelin anti-armor systems.

The first batch of Javelin missiles arrived in Ukraine even before the start of the full-scale invasion, and Ukrainian troops actively used these missiles in close combat against Russian tank columns.

But later, Russian armored vehicles tried not to approach the Ukrainian troops within the range of a javelin shot, and the Ukrainians began to save on expensive American missiles, Ukrainian experts explained in an interview with the mass media.

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Borrell: EU procures 700,000 artillery shells for Ukraine out of promised 1 million
700,000 155-mm artillery shells have been prepared for Ukraine by the bloc

The European Union has prepared 700,000 artillery shells out of the one million promised to Ukraine, announced EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell in Brussels.

"We are currently at the level of approximately 700,000 155-mm caliber shells. We are not yet at the target level, but the West is increasing its capabilities," Borrell said.

He emphasized that the industrial capacities of EU countries are still expanding and the production of ammunition continues.

"I want to stress: we will continue to support Ukraine and do not rule out the possibility of striking Russian territory," the diplomat added. At the same time, the head of European diplomacy noted that the bloc does not seek war with Russia but aims only to help Ukraine resist Russian aggression.

On June 25, 2024, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced that Ukraine had already received the first batch of ammunition purchased for the Defense Forces under the Czech initiative.

On August 20, Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochov� stated that part of the revenues obtained from Russian assets frozen in the EU would be directed towards supplying ammunition for Ukraine under the Czech initiative.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 00:17 schreef Parafernalia het volgende:
Hoewel ik weet dat veel Russen ook tegen de oorlog zijn en ze worden gedwongen om te vechten vind ik het toch elke keer plezierig om Orcse tanks de lucht in te zien vliegen.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 00:17 schreef Parafernalia het volgende:
Hoewel ik weet dat veel Russen ook tegen de oorlog zijn en ze worden gedwongen om te vechten vind ik het toch elke keer plezierig om Orcse tanks de lucht in te zien vliegen.

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Manhunt Launched In Russia After Former Inmate Recruited To Ukraine War Allegedly Kills 2
Police in Russia's Perm region on August 30 launched a manhunt to catch a former inmate, Artyom Buchin, who is suspected of killing a 28-year-old woman and her daughter after returning from the war in Ukraine. The victims’ bodies were found a day earlier. Local media published photos of the suspect and a physical description of him, according to which, the 28-year-old was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February 2023 on a murder charge. He was pardoned after he signed a contract with the Defense Ministry and joined Russian troops invading Ukraine. Buchin returned to his town of Chusovoi in November.

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Putin Awards Lukashenko Russia’s Highest Honor on His 70th Birthday
The Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle is Russia's highest state honor.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has awarded Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle on the occasion of Lukashenko's 70th birthday.

Outstanding Merits
This prestigious honor recognizes Lukashenko's significant contributions to strengthening the alliance and strategic partnership between Russia and Belarus, according to URA.

The decree, published on the Kremlin's official website, highlights Lukashenko's "outstanding merits" in fostering close relations between the two nations. Putin praised Lukashenko for his wisdom and his role as a devoted patriot of Belarus.

He expressed deep appreciation for their enduring friendship and underscored the importance of their continued collaboration.

A Strong Bond
In his congratulatory message, Putin lauded Lukashenko's high authority and the successful testing of their mutual relationship over time.

He emphasized the strong bond between their countries and expressed confidence in their ongoing efforts to enhance fruitful Russian-Belarusian cooperation.

Putin's message also extended heartfelt wishes for Lukashenko's health and well-being, reflecting the close and longstanding ties between the two leaders.

This recognition comes as both nations continue to navigate complex geopolitical landscapes, reinforcing their commitment to mutual support and collaboration.

The Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle, Russia's highest state honor, is awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to the nation and its international relations.

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Ukraine to draft controlled arms export concept
A strategic move to strengthen the country's economy could be to open up military exports.

A working group of lawmakers and defense industry representatives plans to develop a concept for controlled export of military products during wartime, as was announced by the Verkhovna Rada's Committee on Economic Development following a roundtable meeting held on August 28.

"Currently, only the issue of financing can compete with the question of scaling up production," said committee chairman Dmytro Natalukha.

The meeting discussed the problem of arms exports by Ukrainian companies. The National Association of Ukrainian Defense Industries (NAUDI) noted that military product exports could bring the state up to $2 billion in additional tax revenue over a year and a half.

The production capacity of Ukraine's defense industry amounts to $20 billion annually, while the state budget can only purchase weapons and ammunition for $6 billion.

It was noted during the meeting that, due to a lack of funds, defense enterprises may face bankruptcy, as all working capital has been invested in developing new technologies and expanding production.

Opening exports could be a strategic move to strengthen the country's economy and develop the defense industry. At the same time, additional taxes would be directed towards purchasing weapons and ammunition for the Defense Forces.

"Today, Ukrainian manufacturers have no direct legal prohibition on exporting their products, but in conditions of active war, the issue of allowing arms exports becomes particularly complex and important," said Oleksandr Marikovski, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Regional Cooperation and Trade.

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Putin, cash and guns prompt ‘explosive’ rethink of Swiss neutrality
After 500 years of non-alliance, a bombshell report recommends closer cooperation with the EU and NATO.

Switzerland isn’t keen on getting involved in wars but likes making money.

The clash between those values — plus worries that Russian President Vladimir Putin poses a risk to the whole of Europe — is prompting the country to rethink its defense stance.

In a bombshell report released on Thursday, a group of experts recommend to the government that the country, which has been neutral since 1515, work on a "common defense capability" with the EU and NATO.

"Since the Russian attack on Ukraine, neutrality has once again become the subject of political debate, both at home and abroad. Pressure on Switzerland to clarify its position is growing," reads the report, calling for a "revision" of its neutrality policy.

One of the many drivers is how Switzerland's neutrality has affected arms sales; another is how to better defend a country surrounded by two groupings to which it doesn't belong.

The potential policy upheaval is yet another sign of how Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine is changing Europe's security landscape. The unprovoked attack prompted Sweden and Finland to ditch their neutrality and join NATO.

The experts preparing the report — including diplomats, senior officials, a former head of the Swiss army and Wolfgang Ischinger, the former director of the Munich Security Conference — delivered their findings to Swiss Defense and Security Minister Viola Amherd, who is also president of the Confederation for 2024. The recommendations will inform Switzerland's 2025 security strategy.

SPOILER

Allowing arms exports
Switzerland's arms exports fell last year by 27 percent to less than 700 million Swiss francs (�746 million) compared to 2022 — due both to strict arms export provisions and to the one-off effect of Qatar ending air defense systems purchases tied to its hosting of the 2022 World Cup.

Bern bans the sale of weapons to countries at war, and that's had a ripple effect on relationships with other countries wanting to send arms to Ukraine that might include Swiss components.

"The re-export ban must be lifted," urges the report.

Switzerland has blocked delivery of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine from several European countries. It took months of pressure for Switzerland to agree to ship surplus Leopard tanks to Germany to replace those sent to Ukraine. Its refusal to allow Swiss-made ammunition in Germany's stocks to be sent to Ukraine for use in donated Gepard anti-aircraft systems helped prompt German armsmaker Rheinmetall to boost ammunition production in Germany.

Experts also want to strengthen the Swiss arms industry by boosting offset policies and gaining access to EU and NATO armament programs.

'Explosive' proposals
The report was controversial before it was even released, as opposition parties accused Amherd of appointing mainly NATO and EU enthusiasts to the experts committee.

It's likely to meet pushback in the Swiss parliament, especially from pacifist left-leaning parties and the nationalist far-right; Amherd is already under fire for the country's increasingly close ties with NATO.

"The report makes it clear that Switzerland is a Western country and therefore supports Western values," said Jean-Marc Rickli, the Geneva Centre for Security Policy's head of global and emerging risks.

However, "calls for increased military cooperation with NATO and the EU will very likely stir lots of debate within Switzerland," he added, agreeing with assessments that the report is potentially "explosive" domestically.

The experts stop short of suggesting that Switzerland entirely scrap its neutrality and join NATO, but they do urge deeper ties with the military alliance and the EU on joint training, defense against ballistic missiles and bilateral and multilateral exercises.

The report also calls for military expenditure to reach 1 percent of GDP by 2030. Switzerland currently spends 0.76 percent of GDP on defense — far less than any NATO member except Iceland, which doesn't have a military.

While it's unlikely Switzerland will be invaded, the country is already the target of hybrid warfare including disinformation, espionage and cyberattacks, according to the report. The experts recommend moving toward "global defense," meaning preparing the whole of society — not only the military — for a potential conflict.

Cozy with EU, NATO
In the past months, the Swiss federal council, which runs the country, has signaled a willingness to cuddle up to both NATO and the EU on security and defense.

On Wednesday, a Swiss delegation traveled to Luxembourg to meet with NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). One of the meeting’s goals was to assess potential synergies and opportunities for cooperation with the agency.

Earlier this month, the federal council also approved participation in two of the EU's Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) projects, one on military mobility that aims to facilitate border crossings and another one on cyberdefense.

According to Rickli, Switzerland wants to prove it's playing its part in case the neutral country needs military help from EU countries or NATO.

"There's a reputational element of Switzerland potentially seen as a free rider who doesn't cooperate with European states," he said. "If it wants to benefit from the help of its European partners, it has to give something back."

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Poland's double "no" to Ukraine
Poland will not shoot down Russian drones or missiles, nor will it train Ukrainian soldiers on Ukrainian territory. "We are not considering in any format what is one of the Ukrainian expectations, i.e. the possibility of shooting down missiles or drones from Polish territory," said Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski. The firm words were spoken during a meeting of EU defense ministers.

Deputy Minister Zalewski believes that "a radical strengthening of Ukraine's air defense by the West should be enough and does not require such support from the Polish Air Force." He noted that "Ukraine must have something to defend itself with," but emphasized that "NATO and EU countries are not parties to the war."

Thus, he firmly rejected the Ukrainian proposal for NATO allies such as Poland to shoot down Russian missiles or drones flying towards them, but still in Ukrainian skies. Zalewski equally firmly rejected Kiev's idea to train Ukrainian troops on Ukrainian territory .

The main arguments would be costs, organization and time. This idea is supported by France and some northern European countries. However, it has not gained unanimity in the EU countries. Above all, Germany and Austria believe that Russia may perceive it as a provocation. There are also concerns that the EU will not be able to ensure the safety of EU instructors.

Poland joins the opponents of this idea. According to Zalewski, training Ukrainian soldiers as it is currently done in EU countries (i.e. Poland or Germany) "is the most effective". In his opinion, on a bilateral basis, some EU countries can train in Ukraine, but as he emphasized - "Poland is not one of them".

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Situation in Donbas Spiraling Out of Control, Azov Brigade Officer Says
Azov Brigade officer Roman Ponomarenko warns that “our front in Donbas has collapsed,” while paramedic Kateryna Polishchuk “Birdie” predicts that “Pokrovsk has a few weeks left.”

The situation on the front line in the Donetsk region has spiraled out of control, according to Roman Ponomarenko, an officer of the 12th Special Purpose Brigade, “Azov,” of the Ukrainian National Guard.

“For a long time, the situation in Donbas was aptly described as ‘difficult, but controlled,’” Ponomarenko wrote on Telegram. “However, now it is out of control. Currently, it looks like our front in Donbas has collapsed.”

He stated that the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) is disorganized, with troops exhausted, weakened, and many units demoralized.

“The reinforcements we’re receiving are mostly ‘busified’” (a slang term for those who were forcibly mobilized, literally meaning they were ‘caught,’ put on a bus, and drafted into the army), Ponomarenko wrote. “This doesn’t help; in fact, it complicates the combat operations of the units.”

He added that Russian forces are not advancing deeper only because they are as exhausted as the Ukrainian troops. Despite this, Ponomarenko said that the Russians maintain a significant numerical advantage and have virtually unlimited ammunition supplies.

“Their offensive continues, and we cannot stop it at the moment. And the AFU operation in the Kursk region is not the reason for that,” he said.

“I have doubts that our command has any comprehensive plan for all of this,” the officer added.

SPOILER

In his view, counterattacks in other parts of the front may yield results, but they will only be meaningful if the front in Donbas holds.

Ponomarenko also said there’s a need for more effective measures to improve discipline in the army, warning that “the situation is on the edge, and forcibly mobilized reinforcements only exacerbate it.”

Ukrainian defender and paramedic Kateryna Polishchuk, known by the call sign “Ptashka,” or “Birdie” also commented on the dire situation on the Pokrovsk front line in a Facebook post.

“In the Pokrovsk sector, it's a full as a*s. No exaggeration. While everyone is cheering about Kursk, Pokrovsk has a few weeks left,” she wrote.

She said that towns where she had coffee just a month ago are now occupied, and First Person View (FPV) drones are already targeting the town where she had lived for the past two weeks.

“All the safe villages where I rested after the positions are now occupied. The deep rear, where I refueled the car and cared for the wounded, is now the front line,” Polishchuk reported.

“And I don't give a s**t about the command, their ambitions, stars, and interests. The guys need help... I can’t allow another Mariupol to happen,” she added. “I can’t let hundreds of my friends die because of a few high-ranking careerist imbeciles.”

Russian forces have been steadily advancing towards Pokrovsk and frequently claim to have taken control of nearby villages.

Russian tanks and infantry, supported by heavy artillery and air strikes, captured a key settlement and gained new ground in the eastern Donbas sector on Tuesday, Aug. 27, according to field and media reports.

Ukrainian troops, facing a 4-to-1 firepower disadvantage, were widely reported to have withdrawn from Novohrodivka, a sizable town with a pre-war population of 14,000, after three days of intense urban fighting against Kremlin forces. Despite this, by Wednesday morning, Ukraine’s military had not officially confirmed the loss.

Although total Russian control of Novohrodivka could not be fully verified by independent sources, it was clear that Kremlin forces had advanced 2 km (1.2 miles) in recent days, pushing deep into Ukrainian defenses, which were struggling to hold their positions, according to analysts.

Some Ukrainian milbloggers, without providing evidence, claimed that Kyiv’s troops evacuated Novohrodivka in a panic, abandoning weapons and fleeing in disarray. However, the ISW report suggested that at least some Ukrainian forces had retreated in an organized manner.

On Wednesday, some Ukrainian media outlets criticized the AFU for losing the town in just 72 hours, contrasting it with the bitter resistance seen in cities like Avdiivka and Bakhmut, where the Kremlin’s forces took months and suffered thousands of casualties to achieve similar gains.

In a Wednesday editorial, Ukrainian military journalist Yuriy Butusov warned of a potential collapse in Ukrainian defenses, stating, “The situation in the Pokrovsk sector is no longer critical; it is already catastrophic. Despite Zelensky’s promise, no substantial fortifications were built there. Now there is a complete loss of control at the operational and tactical levels.”

Speaking to reporters via video link, Ukrainian army commander Oleksandr Syrsky reported that military intelligence estimates the Kremlin plans to concentrate 50,000 to 60,000 troops for its Donbas offensive. He also said that roughly one in every three combat engagements along the entire Russo-Ukrainian War front is taking place in the Pokrovsk sector.

Syrsky described the situation in the Donbas sector as “extremely difficult.”

quote:

Unconfirmed Reports Suggest Potential Wagner Coup in September
These claims, originating from the enigmatic social media profile General SVR.
In recent weeks, rumors and speculation have surged regarding a potential coup in Russia, with the focus shifting to the Wagner Group, a private military company formerly led by Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Kremlin is Concerned
These claims, originating from the enigmatic social media profile General SVR, have yet to be confirmed but have sparked significant intrigue and concern.

According SE, General SVR claimed that former Wagner fighters are reportedly receiving mysterious directives urging them to be prepared for events in September. This has fueled speculation that a new uprising or significant political move could be imminent.

The profile, which purports to be run by former Russian intelligence agents, has not been independently verified, raising questions about its credibility.

The timing of these reports coincides with ongoing discussions within the Kremlin about Russia's involvement in Ukraine. The profile suggests that the Kremlin is increasingly concerned about the internal crisis and the possibility of a major shift in Russian military and political dynamics.

Could Still be Alive
Adding to the intrigue, there are renewed rumors that Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was thought to have died in a helicopter crash in August, might still be alive. Former Wagner members reportedly believe that Prigozhin could be orchestrating the recent signals and instructions from hiding.

This theory, if true, would suggest that Prigozhin remains a significant and active player in Russian politics and military affairs.

The possibility of a new coup or significant political maneuver involving Wagner fighters could have far-reaching implications for Russian domestic stability and its ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

quote:

Ukrainian MiG-29 Destroys Russian Shahed with R-73 Missile

A MiG-29 fighter jet of the Ukrainian Air Force has destroyed a Russian Shahed kamikaze drone with a R-73 missile.

A video of the interception of the enemy drone was posted by the fighter pilot on Instagram.

The video shows the launch of an R-73 air-to-air guided missile that hits a Russian Shahed-136 kamikaze drone.

The target was captured by the missile’s infrared seeker at a relatively short distance of 1.5 to 2 km.

SPOILER

Знищення російського «Shahed-136» українським МиГ-29

Intercepting small airborne targets using airborne weapons at such distances is quite dangerous, due to the possibility of debris hitting the aircraft’s engine.

Nevertheless, the pilot managed to successfully destroy the Russian kamikaze drone, which was immediately blown up by a R-73 missile.

The R-73 carries about 7 kg of explosives in its warhead, which is enough to destroy not only drones but also larger aerial targets.

In addition, the MiG-29 aircraft is capable of locking on an air target using both the onboard radar and the PrNK-29A electro-optical target acquisition designation system.

^{The moment of launching the R-73 missile from the MiG-29 aircraft. Photo: __denfix__}

Helicopters have also been involved in shooting down Russian kamikaze drones recently. Enemy kamikaze drones were intercepted by Mi-8 transport helicopters, which destroyed them with onboard turret guns.

One such incident occurred on August 20, 2024, when an onboard gunner of a Mi-8 helicopter of the Army Aviation shot down a Russian Shahed-136 attack drone.

When the helicopter and the kamikaze drone were at a relative speed level, the turret gunner with a FN MAG 7.62mm machine gun began firing in its direction.

Recently, a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter was shot down by a Russian Shahed attack drone with fire from a nose-mounted machine gun.

quote:

Russian Engineers Upgrade UMPK Kits Boosting Bomb Range

^{Russian FAB-500 bomb with upgraded UMPK kit, August 2024}

Russian designers have extended the range of bombs by upgrading the UMPK kits.

The photos were published by Russian propaganda Telegram channels.

The photos show that the UMPK module has received longer wings. Visually, it can be estimated that they have become 30% longer.

The design changes directly affect the aerodynamic qualities and, accordingly, the maximum range of the munition.

Reliable data on the characteristics of the updated system are unknown, but the basic kit increased the range of use to 60–70 kilometers.

SPOILER

^{FAB-500 bomb with the original UMPK (bottom) and a modified version of the kit (top)}

The photo also reveals that the Russians are using the new FAB-500T bomb, which has undergone significant changes from the original Soviet FAB-500 M-62.

The Russian-made bomb uses the more cost-effective TA-23 “mobilization” mixture, replacing the complex multicomponent explosive TGAF-5. This mixtures consists of TNT and 23% aluminum powder, which increases the explosion temperature.

In addition, the new munition has a more complex design with a collapsible tail section attached to the bomb with 8 screws. The innovation may be related to the technology used by the Russians to fill the bomb’s body with explosives.

The tail section of the new bomb does not contain explosives and can be replaced, making the bomb modular and allowing the tail to be swapped out as needed.

^{Russian FAB-500T bomb in Ukraine, 2023}

Western countries have long practiced a modular approach to building aircraft bombs, as evidenced by the widely used Mk.82 and Mk.84 bombs, which feature interchangeable tails.

This design allows for the straightforward upgrade of conventional unguided bombs by adding smart fuzes and alternative tail sections equipped with guided wings or a rocket booster, similar to the French AASMs.

^{Graphic model of the Mk.84 bomb with the Hammer-1000 kit disassembled}

Russian engineers have also developed UMPK kits to modernize heavier Soviet FAB-1500 and FAB-3000 bombs.

quote:

EU to Expand Ukrainian Military Training by 15,000

^{A Ukrainian military at EU exercises in Poland as part of the EUMAM Ukraine mission, December 2022. Photo credits: Twitter/Joseph Borrell}

Participants in the EU Defense Ministerial Council meeting agreed to increase the number of Ukrainian military personnel to be trained in the EU.

EU High Representative Josep Borrell said that the training mission would be increased by 15,000 people by the end of the year, according to Ukrinform news agency.

This increase will bring the total number of trained soldiers to 75,000.

“As for our military assistance mission, EUMAM, it was a great success. It is the most successful training mission the EU has ever carried out,” said Josep Borrell.

He emphasized that the EU aims to make the training mission as “pragmatic” as possible and to simplify access to it for Ukrainian military servicemen as much as possible.

SPOILER

^{Training for the Ukrainian military started in Poland under EUMAM mission, November 2022. Photo credits: General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces}

At the same time, the EU plans to involve Ukrainian instructors in the training and intends to ensure strong coordination of the mission’s activities with both Ukraine and NATO.

To this end, Borrell proposed to establish a small coordination center in Kyiv.

This will allow for direct coordination with the relevant instructors.

“This will not be an EU executive mission in Ukraine, on its territory. It will be a coordination structure in Kyiv that aims to increase efficiency,” Borrell said.

The EUMAM mission was established in October 2022 to help train Ukrainian military personnel.

^{A Ukrainian military at EU exercises in Poland as part of the EUMAM Ukraine mission, December 2022. Photo credits: Twitter/Joseph Borrell}

As part of this mission, exercises take place mainly in Poland and Germany, and less often in Belgium, but according to media reports, the EU is discussing moving some of the training to Ukraine.

This mission also became part of the Ukraine Treaty, which was signed at the NATO summit in Washington in July 2024.

quote:

Russia Uses UMPB D-30 Bombs to Strike Kharkiv

^{Russian airstrikes aftermath on Kharkiv on August 30 (Photo: REUTERS/Vitalii Hnidyi)}

Russian troops shelled Kharkiv with D-30 UMPB bombs from Su-34 aircraft from the Russian Dubovoe village, Belgorod oblast.

The head of the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, Oleksandr Filchakov, stated that this settlement is 25 kilometers from the state border.

The head of the Kharkiv Regional Police, Volodymyr Tymoshko, added that the invaders struck Kharkiv with five D-30 UMPBs.

The first two explosions occurred at 15:18, and another one a minute later. Two more explosions occurred at 15:27.

SPOILER

� осія для ударів по Харкову застосувала бомби УМПБ Д-30

The Office of the Prosecutor General clarified information about the consequences of the Russian attack on Kharkiv as of 20:30:
• five dead, including a 14-year-old girl. 59 people were injured, including 11 children. One person is reported missing;
• in the Industrialny District three people were killed and one person went missing as a result of a direct hit by an air bomb on a 12-story building. 34 people were injured, including three children;
• a woman and a 14-year-old girl died in Nemyshlyansky district as a result of a strike on a park, 18 other people were injured, including seven children;
• more than ten residential buildings, outbuildings, and cars were damaged in Slobidsky district. Seven people were injured, including a 16-year-old teenager;
• in Kyivsky district, an educational institution, administrative buildings, cafes, shops, and civilian enterprises were damaged.

^{Russian airstrikes in Kharkiv on August 30. Photo credits: National Police}

Kharkiv Region Governor Oleh Synyehubov said after the attack that there may still be people on the upper floors of the damaged building.

After today’s Russian air strike on Kharkiv, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget A. Brink emphasized the need to hold Russia accountable for war crimes.

“This afternoon, Russia launched a guided missile strike on a residential building in Kharkiv, killing several people and injuring many, including children. Our thoughts are with the people of Kharkiv as rescue operations continue. Russia must be held accountable for these war crimes,” Brink wrote.

UMPB
Universal Planning and Correction Modules (UPCMs) are used to modify an aircraft bomb.

^{Wreckage of the UMPB D-30SN bomb. Photo credits: Defense Express}

The kit allows the bomb to fly over a longer distance and thus take out a combat aircraft.

Not much is known about the parameters of the D-30SN UMPB. All we know is that it is a munition with an additional module with wings and steering surfaces. This allows for targeting and trajectory correction based on data from the navigation unit.

^{UMPB D-30SN in flight. Photo: AviaHub}

It has recently become known that Russian designers have increased the range of aircraft bombs thanks to modernized UMPK kits.

quote:

American Raytheon Fined for Exports to Russia

^{Raytheon Technologies (RTX). Photo credits: Simon Dawson/Bloom}

In the United States, Raytheon was fined $200 million for 750 violations of the Arms Export Control Act.

The U.S. Department of State said that employees of Raytheon Technologies (RTX) were involved in numerous illegal direct commercial sales.

In particular, this applies to unauthorized exports of defense goods.

RTX voluntarily disclosed all alleged violations and cooperated with the investigators.

Half of the fine, $100 million, will be suspended on the condition that these funds are used to strengthen Raytheon’s internal compliance program.

SPOILER

^{The H4 laser weapon system. Photo credits: Raytheon Technologies}

Colby Badhwar, a journalist for the English-language version of the Russian media Insider, published a document stating that the vast majority of violations were committed by Rockwell Collins prior to their 2018 acquisition by Raytheon.

But all RTX divisions have committed violations.

The prescribed destinations included Iran, Lebanon, Russia and the PRC.

The violations occurred between August 5, 2017 and September 29, 2023.

However, in February 2023, China imposed sanctions on the American Raytheon for selling weapons to Taiwan.

^{Assembly of the SM-6 missile at Raytheon’s facilities. Photo from open sources}

Raytheon Technologies develops and manufactures the latest technologies in the space and defense industry, including aircraft engines, avionics, cybersecurity, missiles, air defense systems, and drones.

As previously reported, Raytheon has been awarded a $478 million contract to supply GEM-T missiles to the German Patriot air defense system.

quote:

Russia’s FSB Detains Colombian ‘Mercenaries’ Allegedly Fighting for Ukraine
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Friday that it detained two Colombian citizens on suspicion of fighting as mercenaries on the side of Ukraine.

The detentions came after a Moscow court ruled Wednesday to place Jose Aron Medina and Alexander Ante in pre-trial detention until at least Oct. 22. Both men face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of participating in mercenary activities in an armed conflict.

The FSB did not specify how the two men were detained, but Colombian media reported that they may have been detained in Venezuela while traveling from Ukraine to Colombia. Venezuela, a longtime ally of Russia, has supported Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

A video released by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency showed photos of the two Columbian men wearing Ukrainian military uniforms, followed by footage of them in prison uniforms being interrogated.

Russian broadcaster RTVI recently estimated that 90 Colombian nationals who fought for Ukraine have been killed since Russia’s invasion in 2022.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 01:24 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
Could Still be Alive
Adding to the intrigue, there are renewed rumors that Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was thought to have died in a helicopter crash in August, might still be alive.

quote:

Marjana Bezoehla, het hoofd van de defensiecommissie van het Oekra�ense parlement, beweert dat de F-16 is neergehaald door een Patriot-luchtverdedigingssysteem van Oekra�ne zelf. Het land heeft meerdere van die systemen van de VS gekregen. De politica eist dat degenen die daarbij betrokken waren ter verantwoording worden geroepen.

Onderzoek loopt nog

Olesjtsjoek beschuldigde Bezoehla er vervolgens van de luchtmacht te belasteren en Amerikaanse wapenfabrikanten in diskrediet te brengen. Maar de luchtmacht van Oekra�ne heeft ook niet direct ontkend dat de F-16 door een Patriot-raket is getroffen.

Het onderzoek naar de crash loopt nog, met hulp van Amerikaanse experts. De VS heeft eerder gezegd dat het toestel niet is neergeschoten door vijandelijk vuur. Een Amerikaanse defensiefunctionaris meldt aan persbureau Reuters dat verschillende scenario's worden onderzocht, vari�rend van een fout van de piloot tot technische problemen van het toestel.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 02:40 schreef 3rr0r het volgende:

[..]
Die man zat in een vliegtuig. Ze zijn in de war met die pipo uit Iran zeker.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 03:09 schreef 3rr0r het volgende:
Als het een Patriot was die de F-16 neerhaalde, is het dan nog wel logisch dat iemand bij de luchtmacht wordt ontslagen? Die dingen vallen toch onder de landmacht?

Of moet de F-16 zich dan in gebied hebben begeven wat niet afgesproken was waardoor de vergissing kon ontstaan... Hoe kon zoiets uberhaupt, dat een Patriot niet ziet dat een vliegtuig een van je eigen is? Vraag ik even als leek zonder technische kennis ervan. Als het nou iemand is met een wapen op z'n schouder, maar zo'n high tech ding als een Patriot installatie?

Of ze willen verdoezelen dat het een fout was met een Patriot. Hoe dan ook is dat ontslag snel, normaal wacht je eerst onderzoek af toch, tenzij je eigenlijk al precies weet wat er overduidelijk mis is gegaan.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 03:33 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Het gehele gebeuren was gebeurd tijdens een massale aanval van Rusland, met meer dan 100 drones en 100 raketten, op Oekra�ne.

Het was ongetwijfeld een chaos tijdens het verdedigen hiervan en een fout is dan snel gemaakt.

Waarom die hoge pief van de luchtmacht ontslagen is is niet bekend. Al werd de link snel gelegd met het verliezen van de F-16 en zijn piloot, maar dit is volgens mij nog onbevestigd.

Tevens is het niet 100 procent zeker dat hij door een Patriot uitgeschakeld is. Dat is slechts 1 bron die dat aangeeft (een MP, member of parliament van Oekraine, dus zij zou er wel kennis van kunnen hebben).

Een ander verhaal is dat dit een fout door de piloot zou zijn geweest, dat was volgens mij de eerste verklaring die Oekra�ne naar buiten bracht.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 04:39 schreef 3rr0r het volgende:

[..]
Ergens wel genant als ze het als 'fout van de piloot' hem in de schoenen schuiven, terwijl hij is neergeschoten (even aanname) en dus slechts kansloos was en niks verkeerd deed. Terwijl het zo'n ervaren piloot was die ook nog eens je gezicht in de media was toch, veel inzet heeft getoond. In het gehele plaatje is gezichtsverlies blijkbaar erger.

Als fout van de F-16 zelf wegzetten (terwijl dat niet zo is), dan zet je Amerika (of Denemarken of Nederland) voor lul, alsof ze je een gebrekkige F-16 hebben geleverd net. Je kan maar beter eerlijk zijn denk ik, men begrijpt het wel beter als er chaos was, ook al lijk je incompetent.

quote:

Romanian government submits bill to Parliament on transfer of Patriot air defence system to Ukraine
Romania's Ministry of National Defence introduced a bill in Parliament that would transfer the Romanian Patriot anti-aircraft missile system to Ukraine.

Source: Romanian service of Radio Liberty, as reported by European Pravda

Details: According to the bill, the Romanian Ministry of Defence will provide Ukraine with the Patriot system in its most contemporary configuration, which it got from the United States. Romania is expected to receive only seven systems, four of which have already been delivered and two of which are operational.

To legally register such a transfer, the 2017 bill under which Romania purchased seven Patriot systems from the United States for over US$4 billion may be amended.

The bill also claims that in return, Bucharest will receive a new air defence system paid for by Ukraine’s partners, and the parliament must approve additional fees and commissions of around US$60 million.

The bill does not provide a specific date for the transfer of Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine, but states that it should occur "as soon as possible". Consideration of the bill will commence during the autumn session of the parliament, which begins on 2 September.

Background:
• In June, Romania decided to transfer its Patriot system to Ukraine.
• Kyiv's NATO allies offered seven air defence systems in total, but Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that some of the promised Patriot systems have not been delivered.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 01:24 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://www.dagens.com/wa(...)er-coup-in-september
[..]
Dat zou een geweldige actie zijn lol. Dat Prigozhin gewoon nog leeft een een tweede coup poging gaat doen. Maar er is niet veel van Wagner over op het ogenblik volgens mij. Dus er moet wel heel veel gebeuren voor zo'n poging om succesvol te zijn. Al wordt de onrust in Rusland wel steeds groter, ook op het hoogste niveau.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 04:39 schreef 3rr0r het volgende:

[..]
Ergens wel genant als ze het als 'fout van de piloot' hem in de schoenen schuiven, terwijl hij is neergeschoten (even aanname) en dus slechts kansloos was en niks verkeerd deed. Terwijl het zo'n ervaren piloot was die ook nog eens je gezicht in de media was toch, veel inzet heeft getoond. In het gehele plaatje is gezichtsverlies blijkbaar erger.

Als fout van de F-16 zelf wegzetten (terwijl dat niet zo is), dan zet je Amerika (of Denemarken of Nederland) voor lul, alsof ze je een gebrekkige F-16 hebben geleverd net. Je kan maar beter eerlijk zijn denk ik, men begrijpt het wel beter als er chaos was, ook al lijk je incompetent.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 10:13 schreef Parafernalia het volgende:
Elan!

https://www.nu.nl/310931/(...)domme-ons-leger.html

Volgens jouw theorie heeft Oekra�ne er grondgebied bij!

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 09:23 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Denk sowieso niet dat ze eerlijk gaan zijn, Oekra�ne gooit ook veel propaganda de lucht in. Als het een fout was van een Patriot gaan ze het niet melden. Ze zullen uiteindelijk wel iets zeggen van dat ie hero�sch een drone uit de lucht geschoten heeft en toen was neergestort oid.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 00:03 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

Update from Ukraine | The Truth! Why Ukraine is losing East?

quote:

Several North Korean workers in Russia have been detained by police after getting into a fight with a group of locals, Daily NK has learned.

Speaking anonymously, a source in Russia told Daily NK on Monday that three North Korean construction workers in Primorsky Krai, in the Russian Far East, had a scuffle with Russians in a restaurant.

The three North Koreans are military construction workers, part of a relatively small group of less than ten people. After finishing their work for the day, they stopped by a local restaurant for a meal and a drink.

Veteran workers in small groups are sometimes allowed to visit local restaurants if they finish work early.


The North Koreans took their seats in the restaurant, but 40 minutes passed without a server coming by.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 11:46 schreef sp3c het volgende:

[..]
Waarom zouden ze?

Friendly Fire is niet iets nieuws ofzo

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 13:40 schreef michaelmoore het volgende:
In 2014 voor de verovering van de Dombas door Rusland, was de ruble 0,35 tegen de Dollar en rente 4 procent,nu 1000 dagen na de drie daagse oorlog tegen de Oekra�ense nazis, is de rouble 92 voor een dollar en de rente 18procent

De trots van Putin, de Nord Stream gaspijpen zijn voor eeuwig weg , 600.000 jonge Russen dood en 400.000 ge�migreerd

Domme man

0

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 14:00 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Het is te beschadigend voor het imago van Oekra�ne. Ik geloof echt niet dat ze daar eerlijk over zouden zijn. Rusland doet dat ook niet.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 14:27 schreef Nebelwerfer het volgende:

[..]
Ik denk dat geen land het voor elkaar krijgt grootschalig oorlog te voeren zonder friendly fire.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 14:34 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Je leest er heel weinig over als je op Google zoekt naar Oekra�ne in ieder geval. Rusland wel wat meer.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 14:37 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Gast in de golfoorlog haalde patriots per abuis UK jets neer, dat wat lul je.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 14:44 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Jij probeert ook overal tegen in te gaan h�, gast wat wind je je toch op.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 10:57 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

[..]
Jij denkt van, laten we de hele 'discussie' van gisteren over doen zodat er weer een topic verneukt kan worden? Tering.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 14:48 schreef WheatWaffles het volgende:
Heel veel propaganda desinformatie van beide of meer kanten. Begrijp er helemaal niets meer van dit conflict. Ik wacht nog op de beloofde vergelding van ome poetin voor het betreden van de telkens nieuw getrokken rode lijnen. Beetje als Wiley E coyote en Roadrunner. Op deze manier denkt de VS dat ze alles kunnen maken als Poetin steeds niks doet. Waar wacht Poetin op. Tot de dollar eindelijk valt?

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 14:48 schreef WheatWaffles het volgende:
Heel veel propaganda desinformatie van beide of meer kanten. Begrijp er helemaal niets meer van dit conflict. Ik wacht nog op de beloofde vergelding van ome poetin voor het betreden van de telkens nieuw getrokken rode lijnen. Beetje als Wiley E coyote en Roadrunner. Op deze manier denkt de VS dat ze alles kunnen maken als Poetin steeds niks doet. Waar wacht Poetin op. Tot de dollar eindelijk valt?

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 13:40 schreef michaelmoore het volgende:
In 2014 voor de verovering van de Dombas door Rusland, was de ruble 0,35 tegen de Dollar en rente 4 procent,nu 1000 dagen na de drie daagse oorlog tegen de Oekra�ense ?nazis? , is de ruble 92 voor een dollar en de rente 18procent

De trots van Putin, de Nord Stream gaspijpen zijn voor eeuwig weg , 600.000 jonge Russen dood en 400.000 ge�migreerd

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 14:48 schreef WheatWaffles het volgende:
Waar wacht Poetin op. Tot de dollar eindelijk valt?

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 14:48 schreef WheatWaffles het volgende:
Heel veel propaganda desinformatie van beide of meer kanten. Begrijp er helemaal niets meer van dit conflict. Ik wacht nog op de beloofde vergelding van ome poetin voor het betreden van de telkens nieuw getrokken rode lijnen. Beetje als Wiley E coyote en Roadrunner. Op deze manier denkt de VS dat ze alles kunnen maken als Poetin steeds niks doet. Waar wacht Poetin op. Tot de dollar eindelijk valt?

China Turns Its Back on Russia: Why Nearly All Banks Are Cutting Ties?

Why Russia and China Have Quietly Fallen Out

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 14:34 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Je leest er heel weinig over als je op Google zoekt naar Oekra�ne in ieder geval. Rusland wel wat meer.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 12:57 schreef Idisrom het volgende:

[..]
Dit keer een goede inhoudelijke bijdrage van onze vriend Denys.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 15:25 schreef Nebelwerfer het volgende:

[..]
Eerste keer met een negatieve uitroep erbij ook.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 14:00 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Het is te beschadigend voor het imago van Oekra�ne. Ik geloof echt niet dat ze daar eerlijk over zouden zijn. Rusland doet dat ook niet.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 14:37 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Gast in de golfoorlog haalde patriots per abuis UK jets neer, dat wat lul je.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 14:00 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Het is te beschadigend voor het imago van Oekra�ne. Ik geloof echt niet dat ze daar eerlijk over zouden zijn. Rusland doet dat ook niet.

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 16:19 schreef sp3c het volgende:

[..]
Dat een Patriot per abuis een F16 neerschiet is beschadigend voor het imago?

Hoe dan?

Zelfs de Amerikanen zelf krijgen het voor elkaar, hoor je weinig over

quote:

Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 17:40 schreef BEFEM het volgende:
https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws(...)ie-levering-borrell/

Blijkbaar nog steeds geen miljoen granaten

Enige voordeel is dat er dus nog een hoop aankomen.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 17:50 schreef Nebelwerfer het volgende:

[..]
Grootste voordeel is de productie die verdrievoudigd is.

Volgens mij nu alleen nog de productie van praktisch al het andere keer drie.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 17:53 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

[..]
En sowieso nog x3 van je granaten. Dit is niet voldoende. Stel je voor dat we zelf moeten gaan vechten !

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 03:09 schreef 3rr0r het volgende:
Als het een Patriot was die de F-16 neerhaalde, is het dan nog wel logisch dat iemand bij de luchtmacht wordt ontslagen? Die dingen vallen toch onder de landmacht?

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Of moet de F-16 zich dan in gebied hebben begeven wat niet afgesproken was waardoor de vergissing kon ontstaan... Hoe kon zoiets uberhaupt, dat een Patriot niet ziet dat een vliegtuig een van je eigen is? Vraag ik even als leek zonder technische kennis ervan. Als het nou iemand is met een wapen op z'n schouder, maar zo'n high tech ding als een Patriot installatie?

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 14:27 schreef Nebelwerfer het volgende:
Ik denk dat geen land het voor elkaar krijgt grootschalig oorlog te voeren zonder friendly fire.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 18:07 schreef AchJa het volgende:

[..]
Hoeft niet eens een grootschalige oorlog te zijn he? De lijst van bv. Afghanistan is al heel lang en ook Nederland staat daartussen met een tweetal doden en een zwaar gewonde door eigen vuur:

Omgekomen militairen getroffen door eigen vuur.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 18:08 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Er gaan geruchten dat Lavrov dood is.

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Op vrijdag 30 augustus 2024 23:12 schreef michaelmoore het volgende:

[..]
dus als Ruzzia Oost Oekraine mag houden dan stoppen ze de oorlog??

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 18:17 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Wow.... Ik zie het niet direct gebeuren, maar het feit alleen al dat ze ermee bezig zijn...

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 18:10 schreef dudewhereismycar het volgende:

- gif van een gifkikker in een wond gesmeerd

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 18:08 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Er gaan geruchten dat Lavrov dood is.

[ x ]

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 18:38 schreef skysherrif het volgende:
https://x.com/FPVDronesUa

Random reminder als iemand denk ik wil graag oekraine helpen en ik wil een betrouwbare plek om te doneren, dan is dit een heel goeie optie.

Groep van jonge gasten die zelf drones maken (nu voor 43e brigade) en binnenkort zelf het leger in gaan.

[ x ]

[ afbeelding ]

Ze houden nu een kleinere fundraiser voor een goede drone voor de 43e vandaar dat ik hem even plug

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 15:30 schreef ipa84 het volgende:

[..]
Waarom zou het een slecht imago geven? Hebben wij in Nederland nu ook een heel slecht imago omdat er 2 Nederlanders zijn omgekomen door eigen vuur in Afghanistan in 2008?

Wat andere al zeggen friendly fire valt in de chaos van een oorlog niet te voorkomen. Er zullen wel al meerdere Oekra�ners daardoor zijn omgekomen maar ook meerdere Russen. Maar ik snap vanuit je pro-Rusland blik dat je graag dan van Oekra�ne wilt zien.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 18:56 schreef 3rr0r het volgende:

[..]
Je kan wel redeneren dat ze bang kunnen zijn, dat ze bepaald wapentuig minder snel krijgen in de toekomst omdat het Westen eerst wil dat ze beter getraind worden omdat ze anders kostbaar geleverd materieel onnodig verliezen. Maar dat zou bij een Patriot pas zo zijn als ze de ene na de andere fout maken lijkt me, niet eentje.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 19:46 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]
Ik denk dat ze eerder hulp vragen bij de leveranciers om uit te zoeken waar het mis is gegaan. En dat ze geen uitspraken doen over het lopende onderzoek is ook niet heel erg bijzonder in de eerste week.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 18:56 schreef 3rr0r het volgende:

[..]
Je kan wel redeneren dat ze bang kunnen zijn, dat ze bepaald wapentuig minder snel krijgen in de toekomst omdat het Westen eerst wil dat ze beter getraind worden omdat ze anders kostbaar geleverd materieel onnodig verliezen. Maar dat zou bij een Patriot pas zo zijn als ze de ene na de andere fout maken lijkt me, niet eentje.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 18:56 schreef 3rr0r het volgende:

[..]
Je kan wel redeneren dat ze bang kunnen zijn, dat ze bepaald wapentuig minder snel krijgen in de toekomst omdat het Westen eerst wil dat ze beter getraind worden omdat ze anders kostbaar geleverd materieel onnodig verliezen. Maar dat zou bij een Patriot pas zo zijn als ze de ene na de andere fout maken lijkt me, niet eentje.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 19:46 schreef Ulx het volgende:
En dat ze geen uitspraken doen over het lopende onderzoek is ook niet heel erg bijzonder in de eerste week.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 14:46 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Je hebt het over jezelf.

Hoe vaak moet je door wie precies vertelt worden dat dit gewoon vrijwel altijd voorkomt?

Of fantaseer je er nu bij dat de algemene consensus is dat oekraine zo fantastisch is dat het hun niet zou gebeuren?

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 20:39 schreef spicymchaggis het volgende:

[..]
Standaard reactie van discokremlintroll; wanneer iemand hem van repliek dient of zijn onzin weerlegt windt diege zich volgens hem op.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 20:51 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Het is een beetje de dubbele maatstaf steeds welke vervelend is.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 20:51 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Het is een beetje de dubbele maatstaf steeds welke vervelend is.

Edit: En Kremlin hou toch op, in het Isra�l-Hamas topic heb ik het over Poetin die op het bankje zit bij het ICJ. Maar of dat realistisch is? Natuurlijk niet. En als je zoiets zegt ben je opeens een Kremlintrol want "DWERG POETIN BAAAD WAR CRIMINAL BALBLABLA"

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 18:08 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Er gaan geruchten dat Lavrov dood is.

[ x ]

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 21:54 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
Hij was vanmiddag om 16:00 nog in het nieuws.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 20:51 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Het is een beetje de dubbele maatstaf steeds welke vervelend is.

Edit: En Kremlin hou toch op, in het Isra�l-Hamas topic heb ik het over Poetin die op het bankje zit bij het ICJ. Maar of dat realistisch is? Natuurlijk niet. En als je zoiets zegt ben je opeens een Kremlintrol want "DWERG POETIN BAAAD WAR CRIMINAL BALBLABLA"

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 20:29 schreef 3rr0r het volgende:
Ik ben wel benieuwd hoe dat gaat als je je F-16 inzet om drones en raketten te helpen neerhalen. Of dat hij gewoon het Oekrainse luchtruim doorkruist als het ware naar waar nodig. Of dat hij dan alleen in een bepaald gebied mag vliegen zodat men op de grond minder snel per ongeluk hem kan aanzien voor iets van de vijand.

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Ukraine urgently needs permission to hit targets inside Russia - France in UN
France understands Ukraine’s needs and support its right to hit military targets inside Russia.
That’s according to a Permanent Representative of France in the UN, Nicolas de Riviere, who spoke at the Security Council on Friday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“Russia hits the border regions of Ukraine from military facilities located across the border with Russia. Ukrainians should be able to hit the facilities from which Russia commits its aggression. Ukrainians have to neutralize military targets directly engaged in conducting operations against them. It is about the use of its right to self-defense, which is not restricted to Ukraine’s territory,” de Riviere said.

He stressed that France "will continue to provide Ukraine with the military assistance it requires to protect the territory and airspace in accordance with Article 15 of the UN Charter." "Russia clearly understands only the balance of power," the diplomat said.

It should be recalled that on Wednesday, August 30 the UN Security Council at Russia’s motion held a meeting in connection with the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine.

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A unit of special-purpose unmanned systems “Typhoon” has been created in Ukraine

^{National Guard soldier from the Typhoon unit. Summer 2024. Ukraine. Frame from the video of the "Typhoon" unit}

A new unit of special-purpose unmanned aerial systems called Typhoon was presented in Kyiv.

The presentation of the unit of the National Guard of Ukraine took place at the Art Ukraine Gallery, Ukrinform reported.

A separate unit will perform its tasks only with unmanned systems of various types.

The Typhoon team consists of experienced veterans of various Special Forces units.

SPOILER

Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Skliar, Head of the Unmanned Systems Department of the National Guard of Ukraine, introduced the members of the Typhoon team, including

• Mykhailo Kmetiuk, commander with the call sign “Michael”;
• Pavlo Hvozdenko, deputy commander for combat training, call sign “Minister”;
• Liliia, head of civil-military cooperation of the detachment, call sign ‘Troy’;
• Chief of Staff, codenamed ‘Kyiv’, Oleksandr;
• Ruslan, deputy commander, call sign ‘Iron’.

^{Soldiers of the National Guard`s Typhoon unit. Summer 2024. Ukraine. Photo credits: Ukrinform}

The Typhoon’s main task will be to provide operational support to combat brigades.

“Our groups will be able to maneuver quickly while performing combat missions. We are integrating the latest unmanned systems into our unit,” the unit says.

The unit’s commander also plans to invite various drone manufacturers to submit proposals.

According to him, the advantage of serving in the Typhoon unit is a guaranteed transition to it after selection and basic training, the ability to choose a service option and constant training.

В Україні створили підрозділ безпілотних систем спецпризначення “Тайфун”

“We are growing, today there are several dozen of us. We expect that by spreading the word, we will reach the number of people we need to recruit. I will not disclose it for security reasons, but we will grow,” the unit said.

The unit is provided with military equipment by the state and foundations.

<sup>Ukrainian drone at the Art Ukraine Gallery exhibition during the presentation of the Typhoon unit. August 2024. Ukraine. Photo credits: Ukrinform


Ukrainian drone at the Art Ukraine Gallery exhibition during the presentation of the Typhoon unit. August 2024. Ukraine. Photo credits: Ukrinform


Ukrainian drone at the Art Ukraine Gallery exhibition during the presentation of the Typhoon unit. August 2024. Ukraine. Photo credits: Ukrinform


Ukrainian drone at the Art Ukraine Gallery exhibition during the presentation of the Typhoon unit. August 2024. Ukraine. Photo credits: Ukrinform</sup>

In August, the government allocated an additional UAH 24 billion for the purchase of drones for the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

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Helicopter goes missing in Russia’s Far East with 22 people believed onboard
Rescuers are searching for a helicopter that went missing in Russia’s far east on Saturday with 22 people on board.

The Mi-8 helicopter took off close to the Vachkazhets volcano in the Kamchatka region, but did not arrive at its destination as scheduled, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency said in a statement.

It said it believed that 19 passengers and three crew members were on board.

The Mi-8 is a two-engine helicopter designed in the 1960s. It is widely used in Russia, where crashes have been frequent, as well as in neighboring countries and many other nations.

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The United States has ordered $3.43 billion worth of GMLRS rockets

^{GMLRS (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System) missile by Lockheed Martin for the M142 HIMARS and M270 systems, 2021. The USA. Photo credits: T. A. O’Brien}

The United States has ordered an additional batch of GMLRS precision guided rockets for HIMARS worth $3.43 billion.

The U.S. Department of Defense said it had signed an agreement with Lockheed Martin for the production of the projectiles.

Locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of October 2027.

The approximate volume of purchases can be seen in the March 2023 request for additional ammunition.

At that time, it was planned to purchase 5,016 GMLRS guided missiles from Lockheed Martin for $886 million.

SPOILER

^{Illustration of GMLRS rocket. Illustration by Anton P.}

This contract fits into the recently announced plans of the United States to dramatically increase the production of artillery ammunition and GMLRS rockets.

In 2023, the Pentagon’s Vice Chairman of the Army said that the United States planned to increase their production sixfold over the next five years.

Only the American company Lockheed Martin produces GMLRS rockets for the US Army and allies.

They are equipped with a satellite guidance system and can hit targets up to 80 km away.

^{Illustration photo of GMLRS rockets. Photo from open sources}

However, the company is trying to start production of the GMLRS outside the United States as well.

In January of this year, the Australian Ministry of Defense signed a $37.4 million contract with Lockheed Martin Australia.

This agreement provides for the start of production of GMLRS rockets in the country in 2025.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 23:04 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
[ x ]
Ik had hier volgens mij gisteren ofzo al een nieuws bericht over geplaatst. Maar hier zijn wat beelden van het gebeuren.

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Kremlin wages campaign to justify Putin's falling rating over situation in Kursk – ISW
Experts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have noted that the Kremlin is conducting a sophisticated information campaign to justify the fall in Russian leader Vladimir Putin's rating due to the Ukrainian operation in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.

Source: ISW

Details: American analysts pointed out that Russian state sociological agencies have acknowledged some growth in Russians' dissatisfaction with Putin and the Russian government in the wake of Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast.

The Public Opinion Foundation, a Russian state-owned sociological institution, published a poll on 30 August conducted on 25 August that showed 28% of respondents expressed outrage or dissatisfaction with the actions of the Russian authorities over the past month.

Experts said that this is up from 25% and 18% in polls conducted by the foundation on 11 August and 28 July respectively.

Respondents to the survey have not expressed such a high level of dissatisfaction since a poll conducted in November 2022, after the first month of unpopular partial mobilisation in Russia.

The Russian Public Opinion Research Centre, another state-run agency, said Putin's approval rating fell by 3.5% to 73.6% between 12 and 18 August. ISW notes that this is a record drop in Putin's rating, even among Kremlin sociologists, since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The Russian Public Opinion Research Centre released its latest poll on Putin's approval rating on 30 August, showing an additional 1.2% drop to 72.4% between 19 and 25 August.

SPOILER

Quote: "These polls from Russian state-owned polling agencies do not suggest particularly pronounced discontent nor are they reliable reflections of the actual sentiments in Russian society.

The polls do suggest, however, that the Kremlin assesses that it must recognise that societal discontent has risen since the start of Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast."

More details: It was noted in the review that the Kremlin likely hoped that limited acknowledgement of public discontent would protect it from accusations of ignoring Russian public concern over the Ukrainian invasion.

Quote: "The Kremlin appears to have launched an intricate messaging campaign aimed at justifying to its domestic audience why Russia is prioritising the maintenance of offensive operations in eastern Ukraine over immediately expelling Ukrainian forces from Kursk Oblast, and limited acknowledgments of discontent may be a part of this campaign."

To quote the ISW’s Key Takeaways on 30 August:
• European Union (EU) member state officials continue to express divergent views about Ukraine's ability to use European-provided weapons to strike military targets in Russia.
• Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian and Russian forces made marginal gains in Kursk Oblast on 30 August.
• Russian state-owned polling agencies are recognising limited upticks in Russian domestic discontent towards Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Russian authorities amid the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast.
• Venezuela extradited Colombian citizens who fought as members of the Ukrainian military to Russia, demonstrating growing Russian-Venezuelan cooperation and Venezuelan support for Russia's war.
• Hungary and Russia continue to deepen their bilateral cooperation.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk as Ukrainian Air Force Commander on 30 August.
• Russian forces recently advanced near Svatove, Pokrovsk, and the city of Donetsk.
• French outlet Le Monde reported on 30 August 30 that about 100 mercenaries from the Bears private military company from Russia departed Burkina Faso to join Russian forces fighting in Kursk Oblast.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 23:07 schreef LethalNinja het volgende:

[..]
Venezuela vriendjes met Rusland?

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 23:07 schreef LethalNinja het volgende:

[..]
Venezuela vriendjes met Rusland?

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A batch of Grey Widow 1 kamikaze drones was produced for the SSU

^{Batch of Gray Widow attack drones 1. Ukraine. Photo credits: "Nebesna Kara"}

The Security Service of Ukraine has received a batch of new Grey Widow 1 kamikaze drones.

The manufacturer of the drones, Heavenly Punishment, said that the drones had been delivered to the SSU’s Special Operations Center “A”.

“The tray of Grey Widow 1 drones is already with the pilots of “A”! Good hunting, pilots,” the statement reads.

It is stated that these attack drones are maneuverable and fast (up to 120 km/h).

SPOILER

^{A batch of Gray Widow 1 attack drones for the SSU. August 2024. Ukraine. Photo credits: “Nebesna Kara”}

“They fly far, with a hit record of 52 kilometers,” said the KOLO Foundation, which previously provided these drones to the Defense Forces.

To enable the drone to fly over long distances, it can be paired with a Matrice 300 repeater drone.

Безпілотник Grey Widow

This is a stable connection that provides a high-quality shot until the target is hit.

“Grey Widow is a sneaky bird that appears where it is not expected and is maneuverable enough to hit targets both on and above the ground, and possibly much higher above it,” said the drone’s users.

It is worth noting that Grey Widow drones are quite popular among charitable foundations and regional administrations, which buy them through a tender.

^{Batch of Gray Widow attack drones 1. Ukraine. Photo credits: “Nebesna Kara”}

In July of this year, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a resolution that allows the purchase of domestically produced drones through the closed Prozorro functionality.

With this resolution, manufacturers will have equal access to government contracts, and competition will help the government procure drones at a better price. A customer who wants to buy a UAV places a frame ad on Prozorro with a description of the drone he wants.

^{Gray Widow 2 drone. Ukraine. Photo credits: “Nebesna Kara”}

Sellers can register in this framework, and then they receive information about the terms, place of delivery, and other data necessary for the purchase. Then an auction is held, and the seller with the most favorable offer wins.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 23:18 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Koersk lijkt nu ook helemaal stil te staan.

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Russian Soldier Accused of Detaining and Sexually Assaulting Kherson Resident for a Month
A 37-year-old Russian soldier has been accused of unlawfully imprisoning and sexually assaulting a local woman during the occupation of the Kherson region. The suspect has been identified as Zunel Bratov, a serviceman of the 25th Separate Guards Regiment of the Russian Armed Forces.

The Kherson Regional Prosecutor’s Office has gathered enough evidence to charge Bratov with cruel treatment of civilians and other violations of the laws and customs of war. During the occupation of a local village, Bratov allegedly kidnapped a resident, forcibly took her to a residence he was occupying, and held her there against her will for approximately a month. During this time, the woman was subjected to repeated sexual assaults, forced to perform household chores, and suffered physical abuse when she disobeyed orders.

The suspect was identified through his social media profiles. On his “Odnoklassniki” page, Bratov indicates that he resides in Stavropol, is married, and has children. He frequently posts family photos, including images of his sons dressed in Soviet military uniforms.

Bratov has been serving in the Russian military for several years, as evidenced by a “For Combat Distinction” medal awarded to him by the Russian Ministry of Defense in 2021. His brother, Amir Bratov, works in the Russian police force and has also received state commendations.

If found guilty in court, Zunel Bratov faces a prison sentence of 8 to 12 years.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 23:00 schreef LethalNinja het volgende:

Pokrovsk Offensive Will Lead To COMPLETE Collapse In The Donetsk Region

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Defense forces shoot down 24 Russian drones overnight
On the night of Aug 30-31, the Ukrainian Defense Forces shot down 24 Russian Shahed-131/136 type drones, while 25 crashed on their own. Three drones flew to Russia and Belarus.
The Ukrainian Air Force Command reported this on Facebook, as seen by Ukrinform.

"On the night of August 31, 2024, the enemy carried out an attack using Iskander-M ballistic missile launched from Russia’s Voronezh region, four S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles launched from the occupied part of Donetsk region, and 52 Shahed-131/136 attack UAVs launched from Russia’s Kursk region," the message reads.

Aircraft, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units and mobile firing groups of Ukraine’s Air Force were involved in repelling the Russian air attack.

As a result of air defense battle, 24 Shahed-131/136 type UAVs were shot down, 25 were lost in location (crashed on their own). Two drones flew towards Russia, and one flew to the Republic of Belarus.

Air defense was activated in Kyiv, Poltava, Cherkasy, Dnipropetrovsk, Chernihiv, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv and Sumy regions.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on Saturday, August 31, the Air Defense Forces intercepted all Russian drones attacking Kyiv.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 23:21 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

[..]
Er wordt anders nog elke dag gebied door Oekra�ne in Kursk ingenomen. Niet op zo'n grote schaal meer als in de eerste twee weken natuurlijk. Maar vooral het gebied onder de rivier ligt voor het oprapen. Zolang Oekra�ne de bruggen/pontoon bruggen kan blijven uitschakelen uiteraard.

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Russian bomb attacks on Ukraine’s Kharkiv leave at least 8 dead, more than 100 injured

^{An emergency worker in Kharkiv surveys a burning building. Ukrainian authorities said 82 apartment buildings were damaged when the city was struck with five guided aerial bombs on Friday.}

A day of mourning has been declared in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, following Russian bomb attacks that killed at least eight civilians, including a child in a playground.

Six people were killed and at least 97 people were injured, including 24 children, when Moscow struck the city with five guided aerial bombs on Friday, according to Ukrainian authorities, in one of the most impactful Russian attacks on the region over the summer. Among the dead was 14-year-old named Sofia, who was in a playground when she was killed, according to Ukrainian authorities.

On Saturday, a further two people were killed and at least 10 injured, including two children, when Russian forces struck the Cherkaska Lozova village, also in Kharkiv.

“These horrific, cowardly Russian strikes targeted ordinary homes and a city park. Russia will be held accountable for all its evil deeds,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said following the attack on Friday, again pressing Western allies to step up their military support.

“We need decisions – decisions that our partners can make, decisions from those countries that have the power to ensure we have the capability to destroy Russian military aircraft at their bases, where eliminating these terrorists and their aircraft will be most effective,” he said.

SPOILER

Russian forces conducted Friday’s “massive bombardment” of the city using Su-34 fight jets that were deployed from the border Belgorod region, according to the head of the Kharkiv regional prosecutor’s office, Oleksandr Filchakov.

The 500 kilogram (1,100 lb) guided aerial bombs were launched from Russian territory and are very difficult to intercept, according to Ukrainian officials.

“This is a bomb with a control module, which means that the enemy was specifically targeting residential infrastructure,” the head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, Oleh Syniehubov, said Saturday.

Striking the airplanes that carry those bombs is the most effective way to prevent such attacks, Zelensky has argued, as he continues to urge the United States and Western partners to lift restrictions on using long-range weapons to hit military targets on Russian territory.

The guided aerial bombs hit civilian infrastructure in four districts of the city in the Friday afternoon attack, Filchakov said, adding that 82 apartment buildings, 11 private houses, three administrative buildings, two educational establishments, 47 shopping facilities, 57 cars, two warehouses, 10 garages and an enterprise facility were damaged.

In the strike Saturday, the Russian military used a guided FAB-500 bomb, which damaged about 20 houses, the regional prosecutor’s office said.

“A woman who was in the immediate epicenter of the explosion was killed, as well as her neighbor,” it said.

Meanwhile, civilian evacuations continue in the Donetsk region, where Russian forces aim to take control of the strategic town of Pokrovsk. The town serves as a key hub for the Ukrainian military because of its easy access to Kostiantynivka, another military center. Ukraine uses the road connecting the two to resupply the front lines and evacuate casualties.

Over the last three days, 86 children have been evacuated from Kostiantynivka and nearby areas along with their parents as Russian shelling intensifies, regional officials said Saturday. There were nearly 2,130 children living in the community prior to the mandatory evacuation.

Children and their parents are being taken out by armored vehicles from settlements located less than 10 kilometers (about 6.2 miles) from the front line, according to Ukraine’s National Police.

“We didn’t even think about leaving. We didn’t want to leave what we have. We are leaving because of the children, to keep them safe,” one of the evacuated mothers said.

At least one person has been killed in Kostiantynivka and at least 11 injured over the past week, according to police.

^{Ukrainian officials say that Russia specifically targeted civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv.}

Ukraine strikes Russia’s Belgorod
Meanwhile, Ukrainian attacks across the border into Russia continued on Saturday.

At least five people were killed and more than 50 injured across Russia’s Belgorod region over the last 24 hours, the regional governor said Saturday.

Most of the casualties occurred in the city of Belgorod, where three people were killed and 31 civilians, including three children, were injured. More than 20 people remained hospitalized on Saturday, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

Civilian infrastructure across the region was damaged, he said.

Ukrainian attacks in Russia’s Kursk region also continued, Moscow said Saturday. Kyiv’s forces have made further advancements in their incursion into the border region, Ukraine’s army chief said Friday.

Kyiv’s troops have advanced up to 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) further in some areas over the past 24 hours, taking control of an additional 5 square kilometers of the territory, Ukraine’s top commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said Friday.

In addition to the casualties in Kharkiv, Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory have killed at least three people and injured 16 over the past 24 hours, according to officials.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Saturday that Russian forces had attacked Ukraine overnight with an Iskander-M ballistic missile launched from Voronezh region, four S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles launched from occupied parts of the Donetsk region, and 52 Shahed drones launched from Kursk region.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 23:25 schreef Immerdebestebob het volgende:

[..]
Maar als Oekra�ne zo veel gebied gaat verliezen, kunnen we dan niet verwachten dat de EU en de VS een tandje bijzetten?

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 23:00 schreef LethalNinja het volgende:

Pokrovsk Offensive Will Lead To COMPLETE Collapse In The Donetsk Region

Russia ’determined to take key Donbas cities before winter' | Professor Michael Clarke

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 23:31 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Bron?

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 23:35 schreef LethalNinja het volgende:
Mja wellicht heeft Oekraine nog reserve troepen en is mijn filmpje te rooskleurig (voor Rusland) lets hope so!

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Ukraine gives the US a list of targets in Russia for ATACMS strikes

^{ATACMS launch. Photo credits: Office of Strategic Communications of the General Staff}

During a meeting with US officials, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umierov handed over a list of targets deep in the Russian Federation that the Ukrainian Armed Forces want to hit with US ATACMS missiles.

The minister himself said this in an interview with CNN.

In particular, these are airfields that Russian aviation uses to strike Ukrainian cities.

Umierov said that on Friday he had spoken with U.S. officials in Washington about lifting restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons to strike deep into Russian territory.

“We explained what means we need to protect our citizens from the Russian terror that the Russians are inflicting on us. And so I hope that we were heard. We have shown that the airfields they (Russians – ed.) use to strike our cities are within the range of long-range strikes,” he said.

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^{A M142 HIMARS rocket launcher launches the ATACMS missile. Autumn 2023. Ukraine. Frame from the video of the General Staff of Ukraine}

The Defense Minister said Ukraine insisted on lifting restrictions on the use of ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles to protect Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure.

“They (Russians – ed.) are killing our citizens. That’s why we want to deter them, we want to stop them, we don’t want their aircraft to come closer to our borders to bomb cities,” Umierov said.

US position
Earlier, the US media reported that Ukraine, against the backdrop of the Defense Forces’ operation in the Kursk region, had intensified its request to the Biden administration to allow ATACMS missiles to hit airfields in Russia.

However, the White House said that its official position on strikes by American weapons deep into Russian territory had not changed.

Also, a representative of President Biden’s administration told The Telegraph that Ukraine didn’t need to use Storm Shadow cruise missiles, which it received as part of military aid from the United Kingdom and France, to strike Russian territory.

^{Ukrainian “Lyutyi” attack drone in the sky over the Russian Federation, March 2024}

Long-range strike drones used by Ukrainian forces are already helping to destroy military targets in Russia.

He added that Ukrainian-made drones had demonstrated the ability to hit some of Russia’s military airfields, which were located outside the range of Storm Shadow/SCALP EG missiles.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 22:58 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
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Russian Soldiers Driven to Suicide by Kremlin Propaganda
A sense of hopelessness, no means of evacuation and instilled myths about conditions if captured by Ukraine, are pushing Russian soldiers to pull the trigger on their own lives.

Among Russian servicemen, the practice of committing suicide on the battlefield is becoming increasingly common. When Russian soldiers are wounded or find themselves in desperate situations, evidence suggests they quickly realize that they will not receive evacuation or help from their commanders, leading to a sense of despair, hopelessness and the perception that suicide is the only viable option.

The situation is exacerbated by Russian propaganda, whichactively spreads myths that soldiers captured as prisoners of war by the Armed Forces of Ukraine are subject to torture and abuse, thus making capture appear a worse alternative to death.

The issue has been covered in a statement by Ukraine’s “I Want to Live” project, a state initiative which launched a hotline in September 2022 and offers all Russian soldiers a mutually beneficial deal. It guarantees them life in exchangefor “normal, humane conditions under the supervision of the Red Cross.”

The recent statement reads: “[Russian soldiers] go on every assault as if it were their last, because they know that no one will come for the wounded, no one will pull them out, no one will help. Instead of radios and proper first aid kits, they carry instructions in their pockets on how to kill themselves with a grenade, pre-issued by bloated major political officers.”

Suicides are often the result of bullying, psychological pressure, and a feeling of despair among Russian soldiers, especially when they are left to fend for themselves. In addition, Russian army commanders on the front lines often threaten their subordinates with severe punishment or even execution if they surrender, making matters worse.

“How many thousands have killed themselves in destroyed houses, collapsed trenches, and burning forests, only God knows,” the state project statement says.

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“Pushed to suicide”
A Ukrainian military intelligence official told Kyiv Post on condition of anonymity that there has been a wave of suicides among Russian soldiers, with numbers growing: “Some are deliberately driven to such a step by bullying, threats, and a sense of total hopelessness. Others shorten their lives, abandoned on the battlefield,” the source said, adding that extremely low value is placed on the lives of ordinary Russians.

Any other way, Russia simply would not have enough human resources to conduct military operations on such a scale, especially when thousands of people are lost daily in “meat assaults,” the official explained.

“They are pushed to suicide. No modern army of the civilized world would ever allow such losses.”

In cases where a Russian soldier dies as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound or grenade explosion, their death is not considered to have occurred while performing a combat mission. As a result, the deceased's family is understood to not be entitled to state compensation of 5 million rubles.

“A suicide is not considered a battlefield death, and no 5 million will be seen!” the “I Want to Live” project states.

The project emphasizes that the reality of surrender is far from the myths being perpetuated within Russian ranks: “Unlike their commanders, we need them alive because they will be exchanged later, and we will return our people from the Russian GULAG.”

According to the project: “The conscripts from Kursk, who did not listen to their commanders and [Chechen Leader Ramzan] Kadyrov's bandits and surrendered instead of committing suicide, are a living example of this. 115 of them have already returned home through exchange rather than lying in the ground.”

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Firing of Air Force Commander Oleshchuk not connected to deadly F-16 crash, Umerov says
The dismissal of Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk was not connected to the deadly crash of an F-16 fighter jet earlier in the week, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said in an interview with CNN published on Aug. 30.

Oleshchuk's removal came a day after the Ukrainian military confirmed that an F-16 fighter jet, recently delivered to the country and flown by one of Ukraine's top pilots, Oleksii Mes, call sign "Moonfish," had crashed while defending against a mass Russian drone and missile attack on Aug. 26. Mes was killed in the crash.

The reason for Oleshchuk's firing was not listed in the decision published on the website of the Presidential Office.

"I would probably say this is a rotation," said Umerov. "This is two separate issues…at this stage, I would not connect them."

Umerov said that the crash and the death of Mes was "unfortunate" and that the incident was being investigated.

"We're analyzing what has happened," said Umerov. "We've also opened this file to our partners so they are also analyzing this and investigating along with us."

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Ukraine's Defense Ministry has established a special commission to investigate the cause of the crash. Oleshchuk said that Ukraine had received a preliminary report from the U.S., which he said is now part of the investigation.

At the same time, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said on Aug. 29 that she was "not aware of any assistance or requests for assistance from the Ukrainian side to us about this particular incident."

Singh declined to discuss the crash in more detail, repeatedly saying that such questions should be referred to Ukrainian officials.

Separately, an unnamed U.S. defense official told Reuters that the crash "did not appear to be the result of Russian fire" and said that other causes, including "pilot error" and "mechanical failure," were being investigated.

Citing unnamed officials, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Aug. 31 that the White House rejected a proposal from the U.S. military to send civilian contractors to Ukraine to maintain F-16s and other equipment.

The WSJ said the U.S. intelligence community deemed the plan too risky and "raised concerns over the prospect of Russia targeting American contractors in Ukraine."

Ukraine received its first F-16s by the beginning of August, a year after its allies formed the fighter jet coalition at the NATO summit in Vilnius to support Kyiv with training and aircraft.

On Aug. 31, Danish PM Mette Frederiksen told the Globsec conference in Prague that F-16 fighter jets donated by Denmark are "working in Ukraine."

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"There were Poles, French and African Americans. We held the line, held the line... But then they started making attacks - and we, you know, had to retreat."

The "heroic" defense of Malaya Loknya in Kursk region, according to a Russian soldier with the call sign "Zyoma", looked exactly like this. Russian motorized riflemen held a position in the women's correctional colony No. 11, which is located near the strategically important Sudzha-Lgov road, but were knocked out of there by Ukrainian troops with a bang.

The Russian Defense Ministry awarded medals to survivors and retreaters, and now Bradley witnesses and African Americans are being glorified by Russian propaganda.

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"The fire at the Rosrezerv Atlas base near the Astakhov farm in the Kamensk-Shakhtinsky district of the Rostov region has not yet been extinguished. This is evidenced by satellite images taken on August 31. The fire has been going on for four days since the Ukrainian drone attack on August 28. However, Atlas is still far from the "record" set by the same Rosrezerv oil depot in Proletarsk: it has been burning for 14 days since the Ukrainian attack." -Radio Svoboda(ru)(RFE) telegram channel

Source:https:// t . me /radiosvoboda/67526

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Security forces detained a former mercenary of the PMC "Wagner" for the murder of a girl and her daughter

Law enforcement agencies in Perm Krai have detained a former participant in the war in Ukraine in connection with the murder of a girl and a child in the city of Chusovoy, the regional Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation reports .

"A man involved in the murder of a woman and a child, whose bodies were found in an apartment in the city of Chusovoy in Perm Krai on August 29, 2024, has been detained. He will be questioned by investigators in the near future," the statement said.

According to Baza, the accused is a former Wagner PMC fighter, 27-year-old Artem Buchin. According to an informed source of the publication, Buchin told the security forces that he was very jealous of his girlfriend. He believed that Ekaterina was cheating on him while he was fighting in Ukraine. Ekaterina, 27, and her 7-year-old daughter were found murdered on the evening of August 29. The main suspect was Buchin, who returned from the front line on leave due to injury and was supposed to be in Chusovoy from August 13 to September 12.

Buchin had previously been convicted multiple times for failure to pay child support, robbery with violence, and murder. In 2022, he killed a girl; as Baza notes, the man committed the crime because he "lost his mind." An examination found him sane. In February last year, the court sentenced Buchin to 20 years in prison, at which time he signed a contract with a private military company and went to the front.

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Over the past two years, war veterans who returned from Ukraine have killed at least 107 people and maimed more than 100, Verstka calculated in April. The most common crime was intentional infliction of serious bodily harm dangerous to life (Article 111 of the Criminal Code). Journalists have found a total of 87 such cases.

The "veterans" also committed 76 murders (Article 105 of the Criminal Code). 44 people became victims of 36 ex-prisoners pardoned by President Vladimir Putin, another 32 were "accounted for" by 19 volunteers and military personnel.

Of the 134 published sentences, judges found participation in the war to be a "mitigating circumstance" in two out of three cases. In addition, courts cited "unlawful behavior of the victims" as grounds for reducing the sentence more than 40 times.

On February 29, the head of state in his address to the Federal Assembly declared the participants of the war with Ukraine the new "elite" of the country. Putin noted that they should be engaged in the education of youth and govern the regions. "Such people who think about the country, live its destiny, can be entrusted with Russia in the future," he noted.

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Media Investigation Identifies 66,000 Russian Soldiers Killed in Ukraine
According to Mediazona's breakdown, the region with the largest absolute number of deaths – 2,578 – is the southern republic of Bashkortostan, which has a large Muslim population.

Independent Russian media outlet Mediazona said Saturday according to its estimates more than 66,000 Russian military personnel have died during the war in Ukraine.

Mediazona has been drawing up a list of known soldier deaths in conjunction with the BBC Russian Service using open-source data.

Previously in April, they announced they had found more than 50,000 names of Russians killed.

Mediazona said Saturday that "as of August 30, we know the names of 66,471 Russian soldiers killed in the war."

The list has gone up by more than 4,600 in the last four weeks, it said, while stressing this was not a definitive figure since many soldiers' deaths are not made public.

Anastasia Alekseyeva, a journalist at Mediazona, stressed that the latest death numbers were "not linked to Ukraine's offensive in the Kursk region or Russia's advance in the east."

This is because researchers are still working through a backlog of death reports, she said.

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The report found that 172 conscripts doing national service have been killed in the war, with the highest figures in early months.

However these figures may be inexact since conscripts can sign professional army contracts and some may have done so without telling relatives, Mediazona editor Dmitry Treshchanin said.

According to Mediazona's breakdown, the region with the largest absolute number of deaths – 2,578 – is the southern republic of Bashkortostan, which has a large Muslim population.

The most represented age group overall was 33-35 (6,877 deaths).

More than 12,000 of the dead were prisoners, after Russia sought to recruit inmates by promising them freedom after a period on the front line.

But numbers have dropped recently, Alekseyeva said: "evidently the recruitment drive is not as active."

Mediazona and the BBC along with volunteers have been counting deaths since February 2022, using open-source information from official reports and the media, as well as using satellite images of Russian cemeteries to estimate the number of new graves.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in June that almost 700,0000 Russian soldiers were fighting in Ukraine.

Moscow rarely talks about the losses it has sustained in what it calls a "special military operation."

The defense ministry in September 2022 said 5,937 soldiers had been killed in combat.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in February that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in the first two years of the war.

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Denmark was ready to transfer F-16s to Ukraine even prior to full-scale war
Danish premier Mette Frederiksen has been ready to transfer Danish F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine from the very start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the prime minister said at the GLOBSEC conference in Prague, Czechia, on Aug. 31.

"I regret that the delivery of F-16s has taken so much time," she explained.

"I personally was ready to give them to Ukraine from the very start of the war. But there were long discussions about whether this was the right decision or not."

Frederiksen did not specify who in particular was responsible for the delivery delays, but asserted that her country still faces the task of ensuring all necessary Western arms reach Ukraine.

"Victory is impossible without arms," she stated.

"And the only path to victory is to give Ukrainians what they need."

Frederiksen confirmed that Denmark has not set any restrictions on weapons use by Ukraine – jets included.

"We are not setting any restrictions on the use of F-16s – only that they must be used in accordance with international law," she said.

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First F-16s in Ukraine - what we know
On July 31, U.S. financial news outlet Bloomberg reported that Ukraine had received its first delivery of F-16 fighter jets. Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis later confirmed this information.
According to UK newspaper The Times, this delivery consisted of six F-16s, transferred from the stocks of the Netherlands. A few more jets were scheduled to be transferred from Denmark.

UK newspaper the Telegraph reported that some Ukrainian pilots had already completed their first combat flights on the newly delivered F-16s. The Telegraph said that the jets were currently earmarked to serve as additional air defense during Russian mass missile strikes.

On Aug. 4, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine had received its first batch of F-16s and published a video with that information to his Telegram channel.

On Aug. 29, Ukrainian military command confirmed the loss of one of its F-16s. The plane was used in an air defense role during a mass Russian missile and drone strike on Aug. 26 – the largest since the beginning of the full-scale war by target count (Russia used 127 missiles and 109 strike drones during the attack, of which 102 missiles and 99 drones were intercepted.)

The lost pilot has been identified as 30-year-old Oleksiy Mes, alias Moonfish.

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Russia claims Ukrainian drones targeted refinery, power plants in Moscow, other regions in a mass attack

^{A damaged car is seen at an undisclosed location in the Belgorod region overnight on Sept. 1 following a drone attack. (Telegram)}

Dozens of drones reportedly targeted several Russian regions overnight on Sept. 1, including Moscow, Tver, Voronezh, Tula, Kaluga, Bryansk, Belgorod, Lipetsk, and Kursk, according to local officials.

Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that 158 drones were downed overnight.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin claimed that at least nine drones were downed in Russia's capital region. One of the drones was reportedly destroyed near the Moscow Oil Refinery, according to Sobyanin. One of the refinery's buildings was damaged and a fire was reported following the attack, Russia's state-owned Ria Novosti outlet reported.

The refinery, owned by Gazprom Neft, the oil division of Russian gas giant Gazprom, is located in southeastern Moscow. No casualties were reported.

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The Baza Telegram news channel, which is closely associated with Russia's security services, reported that loud explosions were heard near the Konakovo Power Station in the Tver region, one of the largest energy producers in central Russia.

At least three drones reportedly targeted the Kashira Power Plant in the Moscow region, according to Mikhail Shuvalov, the head of the Kashira city district. He said that the attack did not result in any fires, damage, or casualties.

The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify these claims.

Additionally, some 34 drones were shot down over the Bryansk region in southwestern Russia, the region’s governor, Alexander Bogomaz said via his official Telegram channel.

More than 10 drones were destroyed over the Voronezh region and several more were downed over Lipetsk, Kaluga, Ryazan and Tula regions, governors of the regions said in posts on Telegram.

Two more were also downed in the Kursk region, which has been partially controlled by Ukraine, said the region's acting governor, Aleksei Smirnov.

As Kyiv's incursion into Kursk Oblast enters its fourth week, Ukraine reportedly controls over 1,290 square kilometers (500 square miles) and 100 settlements, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Aug. 27.

Officials said that there were no reported injuries or damage according to preliminary information.

In Belgorod Oblast, some 14 drones were reportedly shot down. Several houses, cars, and commercial properties were damaged after repelling an aerial attack, according to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

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Ukraine's Representative to UN hints Lavrov may have already passed away
Ukraine's representative to the United Nations, Sergiy Kyslytsya, has made a provocative statement, hinting that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov may have died, according to Kyslytsya's statement on the social media platform X.

On August 31, Kyslytsya wrote that for Russian war criminals, a natural death would be a form of salvation. He explained that this would allow them to go straight to hell, bypassing purgatory.

In his post, Kyslytsya included a photo of Lavrov. He then suggested that rumors are circulating about the Russian Foreign Minister's death, although he did not mention Lavrov by name. Kyslytsya concluded his post by saying that he would prefer Lavrov to be alive, so he could see him in the defendant's chair.

"For some Russian war criminals to die in their bed in an elite suburban Landshaft community may seem to be the easiest way out. Even if they omit the dock, they will go directly to hell to burn there for eternity bypassing purgatory … Some say he has already kicked the bucket, and yet ironically I wish he was alive to see him in the dock …," Kyslytsya said.

There has been no official information confirming the death of the Russian Foreign Minister.

SPOILER

On Thursday, August 29, Lavrov participated in a joint press conference in Moscow with Senegalese Foreign Minister Yassine Fall. Moreover, today, Russian Telegram channels and state media outlets have published statements attributed to Lavrov himself. He notably stated that Russia would not negotiate with Ukraine over the Kursk region.

"We do not discuss our territory with anyone," Lavrov said.

He further added that Russia considers four Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson — to be part of its territory.

Recently, in the UN Security Council, Kyslytsya outlined two decisions that could expedite the end of Russian terror.

Firstly, he advocated for lifting restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons for strikes against military targets in Russia. Secondly, the official emphasized the need for partners to deploy air defense systems to intercept enemy missiles and drones near their airspace.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 07:39 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
https://newsukraine.rbc.u(...)vrov-1725140666.html
[..]

SPOILER

On Thursday, August 29, Lavrov participated in a joint press conference in Moscow with Senegalese Foreign Minister Yassine Fall. Moreover, today, Russian Telegram channels and state media outlets have published statements attributed to Lavrov himself. He notably stated that Russia would not negotiate with Ukraine over the Kursk region.

"We do not discuss our territory with anyone," Lavrov said.

He further added that Russia considers four Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson — to be part of its territory.

Recently, in the UN Security Council, Kyslytsya outlined two decisions that could expedite the end of Russian terror.

Firstly, he advocated for lifting restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons for strikes against military targets in Russia. Secondly, the official emphasized the need for partners to deploy air defense systems to intercept enemy missiles and drones near their airspace.

Nog steeds slechts een gerucht natuurlijk, zoals het nieuwsbericht ook aangeeft.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 23:14 schreef Delenlill het volgende:

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Ja, Maduro is uit hetzelfde hout gesneden als Putin en zij zijn grote vrienden. Sterker nog het is niet onwaarschijnlijk dat Rusland Maduro heeft geholpen met het winnen (of in elk geval het stelen) van de verkiezingen. Want het is wel duidelijk dat de oppositie deze gewonnen heeft.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 08:18 schreef Starhopper het volgende:

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Longkanker?
[ afbeelding ]

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 10:08 schreef halfway het volgende:
Wat ik van beide kanten niet begrijp is dat Oekra�ne wel mensen heeft om Kursk binnen te vallen en de Russen kloten al een paar jaar in hun eigen oorlogje terwijl geen van beiden vol op het orgel gaan.
Het is net of ze allebei niet willen winnen.

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 23:25 schreef Immerdebestebob het volgende:

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Maar als Oekra�ne zo veel gebied gaat verliezen, kunnen we dan niet verwachten dat de EU en de VS een tandje bijzetten?

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Op zaterdag 31 augustus 2024 23:36 schreef luxerobots het volgende:

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Dat is waar Clarke ook op wijst, dat Oekra�ne straks mogelijk een stuk(je) Kursk gewonnen heeft, maar Pokrovsk dan verloren heeft.

Russia ’determined to take key Donbas cities before winter' | Professor Michael Clarke

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 10:50 schreef Idisrom het volgende:

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Ik zie Pokrovsk voorlopig niet verloren gaan voor Oekra�ne. Juist door dat Koerskoffensief, kunnen de Russen zich geen stilstaande oorlog meer permitteren, zoals bij Chasiv Yar en nu ook bij Toretsk.
Er komt veel kritiek in Rusland op de bezetting van een deel in de oblast Koersk, en deze kritiek kan alleen maar gesmoord worden als er verder gebieden in de Donbass worden veroverd in deze maand september.

Dan moet je als Rusland niet je stoottroepen laten doodbloeden in Pokrovsk. Trouwens ze kunnen ook maar vanuit een richting Pokorovsk benaderen, en ga er maar vanuit dat de Oekra�ners deze route heus wel kennen.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 10:53 schreef AchJa het volgende:

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Als ze in staat zijn om voorwaarts te gaan zijn ze zeker in staat om statisch op te treden.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 11:05 schreef Idisrom het volgende:

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De grote veroveringen van de laatste week door de Russen hebben nu ook een keerzijde. Ik heb gelezen dat de helft van de inwoners van Selydove zich niet willen laten evacueren. Iets dergelijks zal ook met Novohrodivka zijn gebeurd, omdat dat daar nooit opnames van Russische vlaggen worden getoond, wat in de kleinere plaatsen wel steeds het geval was.

Of er is nu een tekort aan Russische vlaggen, en de Dokkumer Vlaggencentrale mag ook niet meer exporteren vanwege de boycot. Maar ik denk meer dat de controle op de veroverde gebieden nu veel meer arbeidsintensief is. Je moet nu deur voor deur filteren om eventuele toekomstige partizanen er uit te filteren.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 12:02 schreef oheng het volgende:
Feitelijk hoeft Oekra�ne alleen Moskou van het stroomnet af te sluiten voor maximum resultaat qua economische + politieke + morele schade.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 12:58 schreef sp3c het volgende:
Feitelijk moet Oekra�ne gewoon Russen blijven doden tot de Russen zeggen 'genoeg is genoeg man ... Wat de fuck is deze driedaagse speciale operatie dan???'

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 10:50 schreef Idisrom het volgende:
Ik zie Pokrovsk voorlopig niet verloren gaan voor Oekra�ne. Juist door dat Koerskoffensief, kunnen de Russen zich geen stilstaande oorlog meer permitteren, zoals bij Chasiv Yar en nu ook bij Toretsk.
Er komt veel kritiek in Rusland op de bezetting van een deel in de oblast Koersk, en deze kritiek kan alleen maar gesmoord worden als er verder gebieden in de Donbass worden veroverd in deze maand september.

Dan moet je als Rusland niet je stoottroepen laten doodbloeden in Pokrovsk. Trouwens ze kunnen ook maar vanuit een richting Pokrovsk benaderen, en ga er maar vanuit dat de Oekra�ners deze route heus wel kennen.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 10:41 schreef oheng het volgende:
RIA: 158 drones succesvol neergehaald. De mods werken overuren om alle comments weg te halen lol.

Suchomimus heeft een samenvatting van de score totnutoe.

Moscow gets Malleted -- Multiple Oil Facilities and Power Plants Hit by Drones Around the Capital

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 14:44 schreef luxerobots het volgende:

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Opvallend is wel dat Rusland de problemen in Koersk (min of meer) negeert, en niet kiest voor een snelle herovering, maar 'gewoon' aan blijft vallen in de Donbass.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 15:33 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

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Blijkbaar heeft het geen prioriteit en zijn ze niet echt onder de indruk, want als die er wel was hadden ze allang meer (elite-)troepen uit de Donbass gehaald ipv 5000 en de dienstplichtigen in Koersk.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 15:33 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

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Blijkbaar heeft het geen prioriteit en zijn ze niet echt onder de indruk, want als die er wel was hadden ze allang meer (elite-)troepen uit de Donbass gehaald ipv 5000 en de dienstplichtigen in Koersk.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 15:38 schreef ExTec het volgende:

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De orcs sorteren al voor op dat het gewoon nooit meer terugkomt.

[ x ]

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 15:51 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

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Denk dat ze er zelf wel weg zullen gaan uiteindelijk, want wat moeten ze er mee in godsnaam?

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 15:51 schreef Ulx het volgende:

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En dat is een enorme miskleun van Poetin. Burgers in Moskou zagen vandaag overal drones inslaan en de rookwolken hangen nog boven de stad. En als de omsingelde soldaten achter de rivier zich overgeven/verslagen worden wegens gebrek aan alles -en dat gaat gebeuren want elke pontonbrug wordt direct opgeblazen- helpt het juichen om een in puin geschoten stadje hem niet.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 15:16 schreef ipa84 het volgende:
Vreemde eend is ook weer lekker bezig. Een bekend feit over deze man is dat hij voor 2022 vaker is klaargekomen op een foto van Poetin dan in zijn eigen vrouw.
[ x ]

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 15:53 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

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Wat is hier de relevantie nou van mbt Koersk?

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 10:30 schreef Wantie het volgende:

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Maar waarom denk jij dat ze niet vol op het orgel gaan.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 15:58 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Alles plat gooien

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 16:08 schreef Ulx het volgende:

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De bezetting van Koersk een heel zichtbaar blauw oog voor Poetin. En aangezien imago alles is voor Poetin -de man rijdt niet voor niets elke dag met ontbloot bovenlijf gezeten op een Siberische tijger naar zijn werk- is dat nogal pijnlijk. En met de inslagen in Moskou vanmorgen erbij kun je stellen dat het twee blauwe ogen en een bloedneus zijn geworden waar hij nu mee rondloopt.

Hij zal iets moeten doen. En het veroveren van een stukgeschoten dorp ergens in de Donbas zal het niet zijn. Kinderziekenhuizen platgooien ook niet. Daardoor gaat Oekra�ne echt niet stoppen.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 15:58 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Gaat Oekra�ne dan in dan Koersk Rusland de-Russificeren?

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 16:09 schreef halfway het volgende:

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Waaraan zie jij dat ze dat wel doen?

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 16:06 schreef luxerobots het volgende:

[..]
Hij was toen in scheiding met zijn vrouw toch?

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 16:19 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Het is zeker een klap in het gezicht van Poetin, maar de strategische waarde ontbreekt volledig. Die drones in Moskou kan ik begrijpen, namelijk de oorlogsmachine kapot maken waar het geld mee verdiend wordt.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 16:28 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Laten zien dat Poetin en zijn kliek een stel incompetente slappelingen zijn is een van de strategische doelen.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 16:37 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Laat maar, man dat kleuterschool niveau van jou ook.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 16:09 schreef halfway het volgende:

[..]
Waaraan zie jij dat ze dat wel doen?

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 18:52 schreef Wantie het volgende:

[..]
De cijfers zijn ongekend voor deze tijd.
Alleen de Russische economie volledig op oorlog in te richten zou nog een stap hoger te zijn.
Er zijn heel weinig landen die het tempo waarop Rusland verliezen moet incasseren kan bijbenen.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 15:33 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

[..]
Blijkbaar heeft het geen prioriteit en zijn ze niet echt onder de indruk, want als die er wel was hadden ze allang meer (elite-)troepen uit de Donbass gehaald ipv 5000 en de dienstplichtigen in Koersk.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 11:05 schreef Idisrom het volgende:

[..]
De grote veroveringen van de laatste week door de Russen hebben nu ook een keerzijde. Ik heb gelezen dat de helft van de inwoners van Selydove zich niet willen laten evacueren. Iets dergelijks zal ook met Novohrodivka zijn gebeurd, omdat dat daar nooit opnames van Russische vlaggen worden getoond, wat in de kleinere plaatsen wel steeds het geval was.

Of er is nu een tekort aan Russische vlaggen, en de Dokkumer Vlaggencentrale mag ook niet meer exporteren vanwege de boycot. Maar ik denk meer dat de controle op de veroverde gebieden nu veel meer arbeidsintensief is. Je moet nu deur voor deur filteren om eventuele toekomstige partizanen er uit te filteren.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 20:06 schreef BlaZ het volgende:

[..]
Dat niet willen evacueren correleert vaak met het percentage entisch Russische inwoners in plaatsen; Selidove had voor de oorlog 36.7% Russische inwoners.
De Oekra�ners evacueren en het gebied wordt zo etnisch dominant Russisch, dat lijkt me echt geen toeval.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 20:06 schreef BlaZ het volgende:

[..]
Dat niet willen evacueren correleert vaak met het percentage entisch Russische inwoners in plaatsen; Selidove had voor de oorlog 36.7% Russische inwoners.
De Oekra�ners evacueren en het gebied wordt zo etnisch dominant Russisch, dat lijkt me echt geen toeval.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 20:09 schreef Immerdebestebob het volgende:

[..]
Die etnisch Russische mensen willen dood?

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 20:12 schreef Starhopper het volgende:

[..]
Of mensen vinden het gewoon moeilijk om wat ze hun leven hebben opgebouwd achter te laten?

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 19:57 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
Je hebt het weer helemaal mis. Er is een lange lijst met brigades (15-20 stuks) die naar Kursk zijn verplaatst. Ongeveer 30.000 man in totaal.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 18:52 schreef Wantie het volgende:

[..]
De cijfers zijn ongekend voor deze tijd.
Alleen de Russische economie volledig op oorlog in te richten zou nog een stap hoger te zijn.
Er zijn heel weinig landen die het tempo waarop Rusland verliezen moet incasseren kan bijbenen.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 19:57 schreef oheng het volgende:

[..]
Je hebt het weer helemaal mis. Er is een lange lijst met brigades (15-20 stuks) die naar Kursk zijn verplaatst. Ongeveer 30.000 man in totaal.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 20:27 schreef capricia het volgende:

[..]
30.000 strijdkrachten naar Koersk verplaatst?
Wouw.
Waar komen die vandaan. Enig idee?

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 20:29 schreef BlaZ het volgende:

[..]
Dienstplichtigen.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 20:51 schreef Elan het volgende:
https://www.bnr.nl/nieuws(...)l-het-heeft-geen-zin

Goh wie had dat nu verwacht

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 20:38 schreef capricia het volgende:

[..]
Ja okay.
Stagiaires zullen we maar denken dan.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 20:55 schreef voetbalmanager2 het volgende:

[..]
Heb jij dat stukje van minder dan 5 minuten ook daadwerkelijk geluisterd of alleen maar de titel gelezen?

Luister het eens en geef dan nog eens je mening erover.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 20:56 schreef Elan het volgende:
Ze hebben het totaal verkeerd ingeschat rondom Kursk en betalen daar nu de prijs voor.

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Het Oekra�ense offensief in Koersk lijkt nagenoeg stil te liggen. Oud-commandant der strijdkrachten Mart de Kruif denkt dat dat een strategische zet is van Oekra�ne: ‘Het effect is er eigenlijk al. Je dwingt de Russen om overal van het front, behalve in het zuiden van de Donbas, troepen naar Koersk te sturen.’
https://www.bnr.nl/nieuws(...)l-het-heeft-geen-zin

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 20:54 schreef sp3c het volgende:
Iedereen

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 21:01 schreef voetbalmanager2 het volgende:
Sterker: als je, zonder te luisteren, alleen de 3 inleidende zinnen bij je stukje had gelezen ipv alleen de kop dan had je al geweten dan je onzin praat. Is dat nu echt teveel moeite voor je?
[..]
Goh wie had dat nu verwacht

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 20:27 schreef capricia het volgende:

[..]
30.000 strijdkrachten naar Koersk verplaatst?
Wouw.
Waar komen die vandaan. Enig idee?

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 21:00 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Hoe belangrijk is dat eigenlijk voor Rusland? Wat nou als Rusland zegt bij onderhandelingen "Wij de Donbas, het Zuiden, etc., dan mogen jullie dat stukje Koersk wel houden. Wat moet je dan als Oekra�ne tijdens onderhandelingen? Dan hebben ze er een stukje bij. En dan? Oekra�ense scholen daar neerzetten? Wat geel en blauwe bloemetjes planten?

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 21:05 schreef Elan het volgende:
Strategische zet om het offensief te staken.

Dat klinkt heul niet als westerse propaganda

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 21:21 schreef TwenteFC het volgende:
[ afbeelding ]

Het machtige Russische leger weer precisiebommen aan het gooien op strategisch belangrijke doelwitten.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 21:11 schreef Immerdebestebob het volgende:

[..]
Ik neem aan dat het gebied onder de Seym zeker nog gepakt dient te worden.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 21:33 schreef Immerdebestebob het volgende:

[..]
Ze zagen een tunnel?

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 21:04 schreef voetbalmanager2 het volgende:

[..]
Dat het, volgens de Nederlandse experts, een succes voor Oekra�ne zou zijn?
Geen idee. In elk geval niet de Elan's en Za's van dit forum.

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 20:56 schreef Elan het volgende:

[..]
BNR is en blijft Westerse propaganda maar de context is duidelijk.

[..]

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 21:45 schreef spicymchaggis het volgende:

[..]

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 21:47 schreef ExTec het volgende:

[..]
Ja, het is niet het kremlin, dus is het westerse propaganda, logisch toch?

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Op zondag 1 september 2024 20:27 schreef capricia het volgende:

[..]
30.000 strijdkrachten naar Koersk verplaatst?
Wouw.
Waar komen die vandaan. Enig idee?

Russia and Ukraine on the Offensive - Kursk, the Donbass & Escalating Long-Range Strikes

quote:

Op zondag 1 september 2024 20:51 schreef Elan het volgende:
https://www.bnr.nl/nieuws(...)l-het-heeft-geen-zin

Goh wie had dat nu verwacht

quote:

Op zondag 1 september 2024 23:32 schreef Alarmonoff het volgende:
Loopt die nep nazi vs nazi oorlog nog of is er al bijna vredde?

quote:

Danish F-16s 'working in Ukraine,' PM Mette Frederiksen confirms
F-16 fighter jets donated by Denmark are "working in Ukraine," Danish PM Mette Frederiksen told the Globsec conference in Prague on Aug. 31.

In response to a question from the Kyiv Independent, Frederiksen said she was "extremely proud" the aircraft were in use, adding she had wanted to send them "from the beginning of the war."

"We had a long discussion about whether it’s a good idea or not," she added, in reference to the months-long debate among Ukraine's Western allies over whether or not to provide Kyiv with F-16s.

Frederiksen said Ukrainian pilots at the controls of the jets were "doing a good job," but added: "Unfortunately, we lost one of them recently."

Ukraine's General Staff confirmed on Aug. 29 that an F-16, which had been recently delivered to the country and was being operated by pilot Oleksii Mes, had crashed while defending against a mass Russian drone and missile attack against the country on Aug. 26.

Mes was killed in the crash.

Ukraine received its first F-16s at the beginning of August, a year after its allies formed the fighter jet coalition at the NATO summit in Vilnius to support Kyiv with training and aircraft.

This first batch was reported at the time to have been supplied by the Netherlands. It is not clear if these initial reports were incorrect, or if there have been further deliveries since.

When asked specifically if Danish F-16s could be used on Russian territory in Kursk Oblast, Frederiksen said her government was "not putting restrictions on F-16s as long as it’s within international law."

"I will not comment on specific operations," she added.

GLOBSEC Chat - European Security Landscape: What’s at Stake?

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Denmark supports lifting restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons


Denmark believes that Europe, the United States, and other partners of Ukraine should lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated this at the GLOBSEC security conference in Prague.

According to Mette Frederiksen, discussing “red lines” when a country is at war is a big mistake that plays into the hands of the aggressor country.

Europe, along with the United States and other partners, has been saying for 2.5 years that they cannot allow Ukraine to lose this war.

Mette Frederiksen noted that they need to change the approach and instead think about the provision that will allow us to win.

SPOILER

^{Volodymyr Zelensky and Mette Frederiksen against the background of F-16. August 2023, Denmark. Photo credits: Office of the President}

“We should stop discussing restrictions on weapons for the Armed Forces and raise the issue on the contrary, i.e., provide everything necessary for victory. Of course, without forgetting to comply with international law. Ukrainians must be able to defend themselves, and self-defense includes using long-range weapons,” Mette Frederiksen stated.

The Danish Prime Minister called on those who do not properly support Ukraine’s victory to “understand how dangerous the situation is.”

It was previously reported that Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak could present the US with a list of long-range targets in Russia that could hit the Ukrainian Armed Forces if Washington lifts restrictions on the use of US weapons deep inside Russia.

For months, the United States has stated that lifting the restrictions would not be of strategic importance in a war because Russia has moved its most important targets, including aircraft, away from the border and well out of range.

However, Kyiv has identified several important targets that it can reach with US-supplied missiles, and the list and Umerov and Yermak’s visit should try to convince President Biden to change his mind.

^{Rustem Umerov and Lloyd Austin (Photo: Umerov’s Facebook account)}

Some Ukrainian and U.S. lawmakers say they see signs that some in the Biden administration are considering lifting the restrictions.

Ukraine’s Defense Minister said the country insists on lifting restrictions on the use of ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles.

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Russians strike farm equipment, passed off as a military convoy, with Iskander missile

^{Damaged Ukrainian farmers’ equipment in the Sumy region as a result of the Russian invaders’ strikes. The night from August 31 to September 1, 2024, Ukraine. Photo: Press Service of the Sumy Regional Prosecutor's Office}

On the night of August 31-September 1, Russians fired Iskander missiles at farm equipment that was passed off as a military convoy.

The press service of the Sumy Regional Prosecutor’s Office reported on this.

As a result of the attack, a 23-year-old truck driver was killed, and four other drivers were injured.

According to the investigation, on August 31, 2024, at about 20:30, the enemy launched a missile attack on a convoy of grain trucks.

The convoy of farmers was on the Sumy-Kharkiv highway near the village of Verkhnia Syrovatka, Sumy district.

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^{Damaged Ukrainian farmers’ equipment in the Sumy region as a result of the Russian invaders’ strikes. The night from August 31 to September 1, 2024, Ukraine. Photo: Press Service of the Sumy Regional Prosecutor’s Office}

As a result, one truck was on fire, and about 20 vehicles were damaged.

“Under the procedural supervision of the Sumy Regional Prosecutor’s Office, a pre-trial investigation is being conducted into the violation of the laws and customs of war combined with premeditated murder (Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine),” the prosecutor’s office reported.

In cooperation with other law enforcement agencies, prosecutors are documenting the consequences of the shelling.

The invaders used two ballistic missiles from the Iskander tactical missile system with a cluster warhead and an airburst.

The invaders then launched more cluster missiles of another type, probably from a Tornado-S 300mm multiple-launch rocket system.

^{Russian invaders firing at a Ukrainian column of farmers in the Sumy region. The night from August 31 to September 1, 2024, Ukraine. A frame from the invaders’ Telegram group}

The shelling was controlled at night by a Russian reconnaissance drone.

Last year, the Russian Defense Ministry passed off agricultural equipment fired from a Ka-52 as Leopard tanks.

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Russian missile strike on Ukrainian second city Kharkiv injures at least 44

^{A burning shopping centre in Kharkiv following a Russian missile strike, 1 September 2024. Photo: Kharkiv Military Administration}

A Russian missile strike on three different areas of Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv has injured at least 44 people, the Kharkiv Prosecutor General’s Office said on Sunday.

According to Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synyehubov, the barrage of missiles struck the Kharkiv Sports Palace, a shopping centre in the Saltivskyi district and a residential building in the city’s Kyiv district.

The Russian military had “attacked in broad daylight places where hundreds of Kharkiv residents go every day,” Synyehubov said in a subsequent post, adding: “This is real terrorism!”

SPOILER

A search and rescue operation at the Kharkiv Sports Palace was ongoing, Synyehubov added, where he said that one employee had already been pulled safely from the rubble, but that there may still be others trapped underneath, after at least six incoming Russian missiles struck the sports complex and the surrounding area.

“Russia is terrorising Kharkiv again,” Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky wrote on Telegram shortly after the attack on Sunday, stressing that all the missiles had been used to target civilian infrastructure.

Urging the use of “all the world’s necessary forces” to end Russian terror, Zelensky reiterated the Ukrainian government’s frequently repeated call on Western governments to free the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) from its restrictions on its use of Western-donated weapons.

“This does not require extraordinary forces, but rather just sufficient courage on the part of the leaders — the courage to give Ukraine everything it needs to defend itself,” Zelensky continued.

quote:

Armenia has frozen its participation in the CSTO at all levels

^{Illustrative photo on the topic "CSTO/Armenia"}

The Armenian authorities have decided to freeze their participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced this during a press conference, answering a question about the possibility of Armenia’s withdrawal from the organization.

“The Republic of Armenia has frozen its participation in the CSTO at all levels. We consider this decision to be sufficient at this stage,” Pashinyan said, adding that this issue can be discussed.

The Armenian Prime Minister stressed that he personally respects all points of view, but the country’s authorities have decided to freeze its participation in the organization.

Pashinyan added that Armenia currently sees no need to make another decision on the CSTO, but this does not mean that it will not happen in the future.

SPOILER

^{Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. Photo from open sources}

Armenia has already taken certain steps to demonstrate its desire to leave the organization, which, according to Pashinyan, has only worsened relations with Azerbaijan.

Earlier, Pashinyan said that the CSTO knows about at least two countries that were involved in “preparing a war against us.”

Militarnyi previously reported that Armenia would not participate in financing the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which includes Russia and several other former Soviet countries.

“Armenia will refrain from joining the decision of November 23, 2023, “On the CSTO Budget for 2024” and thus from participating in financing the organization’s activities. At the same time, Yerevan will not object to adopting this decision in a limited format,” Badalyan said.

Although Armenia has not withdrawn from the CSTO, it does not participate in the organization’s activities, including joint military exercises.

Recalling the results of the second Karabakh war, President Nikol Pashinyan stated that the reason for this policy was the CSTO member states’ actual refusal to provide security support to Armenia.

In July, it was reported that the European Union would provide military assistance to the Armenian armed forces for the first time.

quote:

Ukraine Eyes Billions in Revenue from Controlled Defense Industry Exports

^{UAV assembly shop of the Ukrainian company Ukrspecsystems, 2022. Photo credits: Ukrspecsystems}

Ukraine will prepare a concept for controlled exports of weapons produced by Ukrainian defense companies.

The National Association of Defense Industry Enterprises of Ukraine (NAUDI) stated that the opening of military exports could be a strategic step to strengthen the country’s economy.

“At present, the issue of scaling up production can only compete with the issue of financing it,” said Dmytro Natalukha, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development.

The meeting participants discussed the issue of arms exports by Ukrainian companies.

NAUDI noted that the export of military products can bring the state up to $2 billion in additional tax revenues in a year and a half.

SPOILER

^{Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development, Dmytro Natalukha. Photo credits: NUADI}

The production capacity of the Ukrainian defense industry is up to $20 billion a year, while the state budget is able to purchase weapons and ammunition for only $6 billion.

“Currently, due to the lack of funding, defense companies may go bankrupt, as all working capital is invested in the development of new technologies and expansion of production,” the meeting participants noted.

The opening of exports could be a strategic step to strengthen the country’s economy and develop the defense industry.

At the same time, the additional taxes will be used to purchase weapons and ammunition for the Defense Forces.

“Today, Ukrainian manufacturers have no direct legal ban on exporting their products and goods, but in the context of the active war, the issue of allowing arms exports becomes particularly complicated and important,” said Oleksandr Marikovskyi, Chairman of the subcommittee on regional cooperation and trade.

^{Novator armored vehicle. Photo credits: Ukrainian armor}

In July 2024, Maryna Bezrukova, director of the Defense Procurement Agency of the Ministry of Defense, stated that Ukrainian companies should be able to export some of their weapons.

On August 12, Ukraine announced the creation of a working group to develop a mechanism for exporting military equipment from domestic factories.

quote:

72 OMBr thanked Maryana B. for disrupting the brigade's rotation.
Now the katsaps went on a frontal assault on Ugledar.

SPOILER

"I came back from Ukraine without an arm, and no one gives a shit about people like me in the Far East! Bandits meet us in Ussuriysk and steal our money!"

In Vladivostok, Putin's mercenary who returned from Ukraine was almost driven to suicide because of extortion. 21-year-old Nikita Nosov sent this farewell video to his relatives. A few hours later, he was found alive, but in serious condition. Now he is in hospital, but has not regained consciousness.

From a rather confused story, it can be understood that Nosov returned from Ukraine injured, having lost his arm. He was paid compensation, but local bandits began to extort money. At the police station, they tore up the statement in his presence, and this was the last straw for Nosov in his decision to commit suicide.

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Statistics of Iranian Shahed kamikaze drone launches against Ukraine from OSINT researcher Cyrus - the Russians increased the number of strikes in August. Despite this, the percentage of downings is also growing on average. Cyrus notes that Ukraine, despite the growing number of retaliatory strikes with long-range kamikaze drones, has not surpassed the Russian Federation. However, Ukrainian strikes are more effective - thanks to the already well-established system of reconnaissance, detection and targeting in Ukraine.

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"Russian occupiers have begun using "drone mines" to block the movement of units behind the front line. They are cheap FPV drones with an improvised explosive device that land on roads that Ukrainian fighters might follow. In most cases, they are equipped with an MVCh-62 fuse from anti-tank mines, although there are cases of such drones being found with target sensors." - @yigal_levin

SPOILER

quote:

British Army launches Top Gun academy to train best kamikaze drone pilots

^{British soldiers are being trained to become top drone pilots to increase their capabilities and adopt to the changes in warfare (Picture: British Army)}

British soldiers are being trained to become kamikaze drone pilots after earning a place at Strategic Command's new jHub Drone Academy.

Using First Person View (FPV) Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS), troops are learning how to use these one-way aircraft to deliver munitions onto targets.

The Ukrainian armed forces have been using similar tactics against Russian military vehicles with good effect.

Soldiers from 16 Air Assault Brigade ran a screening session at Merville Barracks in Colchester to find troops among its existing UAS pilots with the aptitude to join the jHub Drone Academy and develop their skills.

"This is a military skill that we can develop through a competitive hobby," said Sergeant Adam Barnes of 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment.

SPOILER

Lance Corporal Morgan McConnell, of 3 Para, who took part in training in Estonia with reconnaissance drones, said: "Flying drones is something that I enjoy, and it's been a different skill to develop.

"The Parrot [drone] has basically got an autopilot and you can be reasonably confident at flying it within a few hours.

"FPV takes a lot more effort and skill because you’ve got total control of it, and it's going to take time to get to the stage of flying it instinctively.

"I'm looking forward to the challenge and it's interesting to be working on a technology that is developing, particularly when it gets to adding munitions into what we're doing."

^{In addition to taking the fight to the enemy, the Army is developing countermeasures against enemy UAVs, like the SmartShooter SMASH sighting system (Picture: British Army)}

British soldiers are now being trained to fly FPV UAS and are being issued with the Parrot and Black Hornet drones to use for reconnaissance.

Each soldier must complete a three-week course to qualify as a pilot. These machines originated in drone racing, but can be flown via a laptop.

Under Strategic Command, jHub aims to increase the Armed Forces' capabilities through the faster adoption of innovative technology.

Working with the Army's Combat Manoeuvre Centre, the Drone Academy project has developed and delivered a distributed training solution for FPV flying for all three services.

As well as piloting the drones, the British Army is also training with the SmartShooter SMASH (Smart Weapon Sight Fire Control System) to shoot down UAV threats.

^{The jHub Drone Academy is looking to improve the skills of soldiers and create more drone pilots for the battlefield (Picture: British Army)}

quote:

Payment for shells: Putin gifts Kim Jong Un thoroughbred horses - The Times
Russian President Vladimir Putin gifted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un more than two dozen thoroughbred horses. This was part of the payment for North Korean artillery shells provided to Russia, according to The Sunday Times.

The agency notes that the North Korean leader has received a new shipment of horses from Russia of the Orlov trotter breed, signaling a deepening alliance with Putin.

The Veterinary Service of the Primorsky Krai of Russia, where there is a railway connection with the DPRK, reported that last Sunday, 24 horses—19 stallions and five mares—were transported across the border.

Orlov trotters are known to be Kim Jong Un's favorite horse breed. He often appears in propaganda images with horses of this breed. In 2022, 30 horses of this breed were sent to North Korea from Russia.

The Sunday Times, citing South Korean media, reported that the new shipment of horses was part of the payment for artillery ammunition that the Russian army received from North Korea for use in Ukraine.

DPRK's assistance to Russia
North Korea is one of the few countries that support Russia in its war against Ukraine. In addition, the DPRK provides military assistance to the Russian army. This includes artillery shells and missiles.

According to The Washington Post, North Korea could have transferred about 1.6 million artillery rounds to Russia from August 2023 to January 2024. Ukrainian intelligence also confirms the transfer of shells.

In addition, the DPRK provides Russia with ballistic missiles. Recently, Russia has begun to use them more actively to strike Ukraine.

Read more about the North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles in the material by RBC-Ukraine.

quote:

Op maandag 2 september 2024 09:46 schreef Starhopper het volgende:
Kinderen vermoorden. Weer een strategische zet van Poetin

[ x ]

quote:

Op maandag 2 september 2024 10:38 schreef byah het volgende:
We wanen ons veilig in Nederland maar de hybride oorlog tussen Rusland en het Westen is al lang gaande, nog een jaartje of 2 tot heel Europa door extreemrechts geregeerd wordt.

quote:

Op maandag 2 september 2024 10:27 schreef Elan het volgende:
NWS / EU importeert in 2024 meer gas uit Rusland dan uit de VS

EU subsidieert de oorlog inmiddels op twee fronten

quote:

LNG is een acroniem van de Engelse term Liquified Natural Gas (vloeibaar aardgas). Het is een natuurlijk gas dat wordt gekoeld tussen -120 �C en -162 �C: in vloeibare vorm neemt het minder ruimte in beslag en kan het makkelijk vervoerd worden.

quote:

Russisch gasbedrijf Gazprom schrijft voor het eerst in 24 jaar verlies. Voor het eerst sinds 1999 schrijft het Russische staatsbedrijf Gazprom verlies, meldt persbureau Bloomberg. Het gaat om omgerekend 6,3 miljard euro over 2023.2 mei 2024

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Op maandag 2 september 2024 11:19 schreef michaelmoore het volgende:

[..]
Met LNG schepen blijft de handel in gas toegestaan, om de zuid varen , dat is niet winstgevend met deze prijzen
[..]

quote:

Op maandag 2 september 2024 11:17 schreef Ulx het volgende:
[ x ]

quote:

Op maandag 2 september 2024 11:20 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

[..]
More than doubled is niet erg indrukwekkend

quote:

Op maandag 2 september 2024 10:27 schreef Elan het volgende:
NWS / EU importeert sinds bijna twee jaar meer gas uit Rusland dan


EU subsidieert de oorlog inmiddels op twee fronten

quote:

Vergeleken met het eerste kwartaal van 2024 daalden de leveringen uit Rusland licht, maar die uit de VS daalden sterker, aldus het onderzoek.

De grootste gasleverancier van de EU blijft Noorwegen met 23,9 miljard kubieke meter in het tweede kwartaal.

Tot februari 2022, toen Rusland Oekra�ne binnenviel, waren de Russen de grootste gasleverancier van de EU.

quote:

Op maandag 2 september 2024 11:29 schreef Ulx het volgende:

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Investeerders verdubbelen hun portefeuilles lees ik.

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Op maandag 2 september 2024 11:47 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

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We zaten historisch laag, er breekt een gigantische oorlog uit aan onze Oost-grens die ons ook allemaal militair raakt en alsnog doen we maar iets meer dan verdubbelen. Echt bizar.

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Op maandag 2 september 2024 11:34 schreef sp3c het volgende:

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Is al een topic over he, zie de link

Besides 'de EU' is nooit opgehouden, het is alleen radicaal veel minder dan het was en die trend zet gewoon door
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Niks mis mee, volgende keer ff verder lezen dan de TT pls, zoveel tekst is het niet

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Op maandag 2 september 2024 11:47 schreef BEFEM het volgende:

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We zaten historisch laag, er breekt een gigantische oorlog uit aan onze Oost-grens die ons ook allemaal militair raakt en alsnog doen we maar iets meer dan verdubbelen. Echt bizar.

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Op maandag 2 september 2024 11:48 schreef Ulx het volgende:

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Wat verdubbelt dan volgens jou?

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Op maandag 2 september 2024 12:28 schreef ExTec het volgende:
Creatief. Thermiet is zwaar nasty spul. Die troep wordt gewoon 2500 graden celsius. Daar zet je letterlijk alles mee in de fik.

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Op maandag 2 september 2024 13:08 schreef voetbalmanager2 het volgende:
Een goed inkijkje in hoe ziek de gedachtegang van de gewone Rus is

When Russians Start Taking Responsibility for Ukraine? | And Demonetization Update

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Op maandag 2 september 2024 16:10 schreef Momo het volgende:
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Op maandag 2 september 2024 16:41 schreef Starhopper het volgende:

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Je moet het maar durven, een school in Oekra�ne bezoeken. Kinderen zijn het favoriete doelwit van de Russen.

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Op maandag 2 september 2024 16:10 schreef Momo het volgende:
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Op maandag 2 september 2024 16:41 schreef Starhopper het volgende:

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Je moet het maar durven, een school in Oekra�ne bezoeken. Kinderen zijn het favoriete doelwit van de Russen.

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Op maandag 2 september 2024 17:55 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:

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Is een rode lijn waar de Russen zich al altijd aan houden. Die treinen met mensen uit het Westen worden met rust gelaten.

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Op maandag 2 september 2024 02:17 schreef Delenlill het volgende:
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Die Maryana B. is niet helemaal goed bezig zeg, eerst de verklaring over dat het neerhalen van de F-16 gebeurd is door een Patriot en dus "friendly fire" is. En nu brengt zij de 72ste brigade, hun vervanging en het front bij Vuhledar in gevaar door hun roulatie publiekelijk te verkondigen waardoor zij een grote aanval van de Russen heeft uitgelokt.

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Op maandag 2 september 2024 17:56 schreef Ulx het volgende:
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