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Ladybbird · 12-11-22, 15:00

Calls For President Vladimir Putin to be Toppled and Killed After Defeat in Kherson

An ultra-right-wing nationalist in Russia dubbed "Putin's brain" has broken silence and called for the Russian leader to be toppled and killed. Alexander Dugin expressed his fury at Russia's retreat from Kherson in Ukraine

Daily Mirror UK 12 NOV 2022

One of Russia’s key figures dubbed “Putin’s Brain” has called for President Vladimir Putin to be toppled and hinted he should even be killed after Moscow’s humiliating defeat in Kherson.

Ultra-right-wing nationalist Alexander Dugin has become the first major Russian to break silence over growing disgust at Putin’s failed Ukraine invasion.

But worryingly, the 60-year-old fascist strategist is thought to be part of a growing body of Moscow elite calling for Putin to escalate in Ukraine and sees Kherson as a massive blow to Russian pride.

Soon after he posted his outburst on Telegram, furious over the Kherson retreat and fears of many Russians killed there, his tirade against Putin was removed.

But the Mirror can reveal the long-haired philosopher and Ukraine invasion hawk quoted from a story of the Golden Bough by James Frazer in which a king is killed.

The king was killed in the fictional story because he failed to bring rain during a drought and has his stomach ripped open.

In his angry rant, Dugin wrote: "We give the Ruler absolute fullness of power, and he saves us all, the people, the state, people, citizens, at a critical moment.

Dugin cited a story in which a king was killed and his stomach ripped open because he failed to bring rain during a drought

“If for this he surrounds himself with s*** or spits on social justice, this is unpleasant, but if only he saves.

“Then - the fate of the 'king of the rains'."

Dugin, talking about the situation in Ukraine wrote that every ”real Russian” should now grieve and ”clench his teeth in pain” because of the current situation.

He went on to explain that Russia has “surrendered Kherson” and that if civilians are not upset over Kherson

Dugin's comments come after the Russian withdrawal from Kherson

Worryingly Dugin, along with other ultra-nationalists was merely upset over Russia’s failures in Ukraine and not over Russia’s atrocities.

It comes as a growing rift is developing between military figures blaming Putin for the failing invasion, civilians upset over the death toll of Russian troops and hardliners.

Dugin was one of the main proponents of the Ukraine invasion, having called for the expansion of Russian territory into Crimea, then the rest of Ukraine and beyond into the Baltic states.

Ladybbird · 14-11-22, 18:03

CIA in Secret Talks With Russia

CIA boss talks nuclear weapons and prisoners with Putin’s spy chief

Putin has repeatedly said Russia will defend its territory with all available means

BBC 15 NOV 2022.

CIA Director William Burns (above) met on Monday with Sergei Naryshkin in Ankara.

LONDON/WASHINGTON: US Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns was expected to caution President Vladimir Putin’s spy chief at talks on Monday about the consequences of any use of nuclear weapons, and to raise the issue of US prisoners in Russia, a White House official said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to Russian news agencies that a US-Russia meeting had taken place in the Turkish capital Ankara but declined to give details about the participants or the subjects discussed.

The White House spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Burns was meeting Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service.

It was the first known high-level, face-to-face US-Russian contact since Russia launched attacks on Ukraine in February.

“He is not conducting negotiations of any kind. He is not discussing settlement of the war in Ukraine,” the spokesperson said.

“He is conveying a message on the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons by Russia, and the risks of escalation to strategic stability ... He will also raise the cases of unjustly detained US citizens.” Burns is a former US ambassador to Russia who was sent to Moscow in late 2021 by President Joe Biden to caution Putin about the troop build-up around Ukraine.

“We briefed Ukraine in advance on his trip. We firmly stick to our fundamental principle: nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” the spokesperson said.

Putin has repeatedly said Russia will defend its territory with all available means, including nuclear weapons, if attacked. He says the West has engaged in nuclear blackmail against Russia.

MANY OUTSTANDING ISSUES

The remarks raised particular concern in the West after Moscow declared in September that it had annexed four Ukrainian regions that its forces partly control.

The US-Russian contact in Turkey was first reported by Russia’s Kommersant newspaper. The SVR did not respond to a request for comment.

Beyond the war, Russia and the United States have a host of outstanding issues to discuss, ranging from the extension of a nuclear arms reduction treaty and a Black Sea grain deal to a possible prisoner swap and the Syrian civil war.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, asked at a summit of the Group of 20 (G20) leading economies in Indonesia about the meeting in Turkey, said the United Nations was not involved.

Biden said this month he hoped Putin would be willing to discuss seriously a swap to secure the release of US basketball star Brittney Griner, who has been sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony on drugs charges.

Former US Marine Paul Whelan, who holds American, British, Canadian and Irish passports, was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in a Russian jail after being convicted of spying, a charge he denied.

Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer jailed in the United States, has been mentioned as a person who could be swapped for Griner and Whelan in any prisoner exchange.

Ladybbird · 15-11-22, 21:47

Poland in ‘Crisis Situation’ After Reports of Deadly Missile Attack

Russian Missiles Land in Poland, Killing Two

"If Russia continues to do this, then who knows what Nato’s response is going to be."

BBC 15 NOV 2022.

Were the reported Russian missile strikes on Poland an accident?

Two missiles have landed in Poland along its border with Ukraine, killing two people, local media reported Tuesday.

The Prime Minister has called an urgent security meeting with the Committee of the Council of Ministers for National Security and Defense Affairs, government spokesman Piotr Müller announced on Twitter .

“The Prime Minister called as a matter of urgency the Committee of the Council of Ministers for National Security and Defense Affairs,” Müller said.

A spokesperson for the Polish Embassy in Washington, D.C. confirmed the Prime Minister called the meeting and told The Daily Beast the meeting was ongoing as of 2:01pm ET. The spokesperson declined to share the purpose of the meeting.

Müller said the meeting was in response to a “crisis situation,” according to the AP.

The origins of the reported explosion were not immediately clear, local media reported. Quoting an anonymous senior U.S. intelligence official, the AP reported that the incident was the result of Russian missiles crossing into Poland.

The reported attack on Poland, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, could raise questions for the military alliance about whether Article V could be triggered and pull other countries into a conflict. If a NATO member is the victim of an attack, other members can consider it an attack on the alliance writ large and pursue retaliatory action.

The Pentagon is looking into the reports about missile strikes in Poland, Pentagon Press Secretary Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Tuesday. He declined to speculate about whether collective response through NATO is relevant in this case at this time.

The Biden administration could not confirm the reports Tuesday, a White House National Security Council Spokesperson said.

"We've seen these reports out of Poland and are working with the Polish government to gather more information," the spokesperson said. "We cannot confirm the reports or any of the details at this time. We will determine what happene

UPDATE

Massive Missile Attacks in Ukraine

BBC 15 NOV 2022.

As world leaders gather at the G20 summit to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine, a barrage of missiles was launched. Just hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky told the gathering in Bali that "now is the time" to end the war and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called for an end to the "barbaric" conflict, the Kremlin pounded cities and energy facilities in a fresh wave of strikes. A Ukrainian air force spokesman said Russia fired around 100 missiles in a countrywide assault.

Fresh bombardment struck residential buildings in Kyiv and prompted mass power outages. In the capital, at least one person was killed. Lviv in the west and Kharkiv in the east were also attacked. Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the president's office, distributed footage showing a blaze at a Soviet-era, five-storey residential building. Sherelle Jacobs argues in her latest column that the West declared total victory over Vladimir Putin far too soon

Russian Soldiers Fled Naked

A group of Russian soldiers ditched their weapons and gear to swim naked across the Dnipro River during Moscow's retreat from the city of Kherson. Ukraine's defence ministry released a video showing Ukrainian troops patrolling along a river bank – to find it littered with the belongings of Kremlin soldiers, who left all their equipment behind as they fled without clothes. After a long hibernation under Russian control, Kherson is nervously embracing a new dawn. Colin Freeman has our dispatch, in which he reports how locals are slowly adapting to months under Kremlin command and do not know who to trust.

To meet President Zelensky in Kyiv, dignitaries must take a gruelling 10-hour sleeper train. With air space closed and road travel too risky, guests hunker down for a 400-mile night journey on the Soviet-built railway from Poland's border. For politicians used to luxury air travel, it does not sound like the most relaxing of journeys. But they do have the nation's best cuisine at their disposal. Meet top chef Ievgen Klopotenko, who has been wooing world leaders with his exceptional on-board cuisine.

Ladybbird · 17-11-22, 02:47

Poland Strike Most Likely From Ukrainian Air Defence Says Nato Chief

Poland Says Missile Deaths Near Ukraine Border Was an Accident Caused by Misfiring Ukrainian Air Defense

Russia Denies Responsibility For Poland Blast

BBC 17 NOV 2022.

A missile strike that killed two people in Poland was 'most likely from a Ukrainian air defence' but Russia bears the "ultimate responsibility", Nato's chief has said.

Nato's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said "accidents happen" in war but that the onus is still on Russia.

He added the strike "would not have happened if Russia hadn't waged a brutal war of aggression against Ukraine".

He emphasised the need for these type of mistakes not to "spiral out of control", adding that there are lines of communication between the US and Russia, and between Nato and Russia.

Ladybbird · 17-11-22, 09:57

Ukraine War: Billionaire Andrew Forrest Launches $25BIL Fund For Reconstruction

Australian mining billionaire Andrew Forrest has launched an investment fund that is hoped will be worth at least $25bn (£21bn) to help rebuild war-torn Ukraine.

BBC News 17 NOV 2022.

Mining tycoon Andrew Forrest.

Mr Forrest and his wife have committed $500m to the fund, which its organisers say could eventually grow to $100bn.

The Ukraine Green Growth Initiative plans to invest in primary infrastructure such as energy and telecoms networks.

President Zelensky welcomed the move.

"We will take advantage of the fact that what the Russians have destroyed can readily be replaced with the latest, most modern green and digital infrastructure," Mr Zelensky said.

The fund said it had been working with Larry Fink, the chairman of investment giant BlackRock, and hopes to gain the support of sovereign wealth funds and other professional investors.

Since starting work on the investment fund in early March, Mr Forrest said he had discussed the plan with a number of world leaders including US President Joe Biden, then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

"The president [Zelensky] sees that as an opportunity to completely replace old coal-fired [and] nuclear power stations with brand new green energy," Mr Forrest told the BBC.

"That capital would be available the instant that the Russian forces have been removed from the homelands of Ukraine," he added.

Mr Forrest made his fortune from Australia's mining boom. He is the founder and executive chairman of iron ore giant Fortescue Metals.

In recent years he has turned his attention to sustainable technology, with initiatives to decarbonise his mining operations and become a major producer of green hydrogen.

Rebuilding Ukraine

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has seen large parts of the country's infrastructure destroyed or damaged.

Recent Russian missile attacks have targeted Ukraine's energy network including its electricity generation plants.

In July Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said it would cost $750bn for the country to recover from the war, which had caused $100bn of direct damage to infrastructure.

This week Russia angrily rejected international calls for it to pay for war damage it has inflicted in Ukraine.

It came after the UN General Assembly passed a resolution saying Russia should face the consequences of its actions, including paying reparations.

General Assembly resolutions carry symbolic weight but do not have the power to enforce compliance.

The Kremlin said it would work to stop the West seizing its international reserves to pay for reparations.

Ladybbird · 18-11-22, 20:08

Putin Tests 'Satan II' Missile

Putin test-launches ‘Satan 2’ nuclear missile to make West ‘think twice’

BBC News 19 NOV 2022.

Russia test-launched an “unstoppable” nuclear missile dubbed the “Satan 2” this week — with President Vladimir Putin yet again threatening the potential for nuclear war.

The Sarmat ICBM was launched Wednesday in northern Russia, with its practice warheads reaching mock targets more than 3,500 miles away on the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, the Kremlin said.

“The Sarmat is the most powerful missile that has the highest range in the world, and it will significantly bolster the capability of the country’s strategic nuclear forces,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Putin — who has repeatedly threatened to use his nuclear arsenal since invading Ukraine in late February — said the test should provide “food for thought” for the West.

“This really unique weapon will strengthen the combat potential of our armed forces, reliably ensure Russia’s security from external threats and make those, who in the heat of frantic aggressive rhetoric try to threaten our country, think twice,” the warmongering leader said.

He bragged that the missile “has the highest tactical and technical characteristics and is capable of overcoming all modern means of anti-missile defense.”

Ladybbird · 23-11-22, 08:44

Ukraine WAR Day 273: Ukraine: War and Words

Russian-Occupied Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant Zaporizhzhia May Be Worlds’ Most Dangerous Place

G7 nears a Russian oil price cap; Ukraine setting up ‘invincibility centres’ with heat and power for winter

BBC News 23 NOV 2022.

The Group of Seven nations are set to soon announce the price cap on Russian oil exports and the coalition will probably adjust the level a few times a year rather than monthly, a senior US Treasury official said on Tuesday. The G7, including the United States, along with the EU and Australia are slated to implement the price cap on sea-borne exports of Russian oil on 5 December, as part of sanctions intended to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainians needing basic services if Russia knocks out power stations and other facilities this winter can turn to special “invincibility centres,” president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday. Thousands of centres spread across the country will offer electricity, heat, water, internet service, mobile phone connections and a pharmacy, free of charge and around the clock. “If massive Russian strikes happen again and it’s clear power will not be restored for hours, the ‘invincibility centres’ will go into action with all key services,” Zelenskiy said.

Ukrainians are likely to live with blackouts at least until the end of March, the head of a major energy provider said, as the government started free evacuations for people in Kherson to other regions.

Kyiv will summon the Hungarian ambassador to protest that prime minister Viktor Orbán went to a football match wearing a scarf depicting some Ukrainian territory as part of Hungary, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said on Tuesday. Ukrainian media showed images of Orbán meeting a Hungarian footballer wearing a scarf which the outlet Ukrainska Pravda said depicted a map of “Greater Hungary” including territory that is now part of the neighbouring states of Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Croatia, Serbia and Ukraine.

Russia’s Gazprom has threatened to cut its gas flows to Europe via Ukraine as early as next week. In a statement, the Russian state-owned energy giant said some gas flows being kept in Ukraine were actually meant for Moldova, and accused Kyiv of obstructing the delivery of 52.52m cubic metres from transiting to Moldova.

In Crimea, Russian air defences were activated and two drone attacks were repelled on Tuesday, including one targeting a power station near Sevastopol, the regional governor said. Sevastopol is the home port of Russia’s Black Sea fleet. Russian-installed Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev called for calm and said no damage had been caused.

The Polish president spoke to a hoax caller pretending to be France’s Emmanuel Macron on the night that a missile hit a village near the Ukrainian border, his office has admitted. “Emmanuel, believe me, I am extra careful,” Duda tells the caller in a recording of the call posted on the internet. “I don’t want to have war with Russia and believe me, I am extra careful, extra careful.”

Explosions Recorded at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant in Ukraine

MORE:

British Army captain who broke curfew to get pizza on NATO frontline fined

Vladimir Putin critic Alexei Navalny shut in 'dog pen' isolation cell to 'keep him quiet'

Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhzhia may be world’s most dangerous place

Shelling at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant must stop, says UN watchdog

Entering the Russian-occupied nuclear power plant in Ukraine

Russian fighter jets fire missiles at Ukrainian targets from the sky

Ukrainian forces obliterate Russian vehicles with precision missiles

Moscow shows mobilised Russians soldiers training with live artillery in freezing Murmans

Ukrainians digging heels in for a harsh winter

Ladybbird · 28-11-22, 07:23

Russia on Brink of Major Retreat as Putins' Forces Could Flee Ukraine Nuclear Power-Plant

The head of Ukraine's state-run nuclear energy firm says there are signs that Russian forces might be preparing to leave the area.

Russian Official Staggeringly Admits 'We Have NO Socks Shorts Doctors, or Intelligence'

Russian Attacks on Energy Grid Amount to Genocide, Says Ukraine

BBC News 28 NOV 2022

Russia's attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure amount to genocide, a top Ukrainian official says.

Strikes on key facilities targeted "the full Ukrainian nation" and were an effort to force Kyiv to surrender, the prosecutor-general told the BBC.

The term genocide refers to an effort to wipe out a group of people. Russia denies having any such aim.

Millions of people across Ukraine are facing power cuts in freezing weather, following sustained Russian attacks.

Efforts are ongoing to reconnect homes cut off from electricity. Officials say Kherson has now been fully resupplied, following the city's recapture by Ukrainian troops earlier this month.

But people in 14 regions and the capital Kyiv remain under usage restrictions, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Genocide involves "the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group", according to a definition provided by the UN Genocide Convention.

Among the acts which may qualify are killing or causing serious harm to members of that group - or forcibly transferring its children elsewhere.

In his BBC interview, Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Andriy Kostin said that, as well as the attacks on the energy grid, 11,000 Ukrainian children had been forcibly deported to Russia.

Mr Kostin said his office was investigating reports of more than 49,000 war crimes and crimes of aggression since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on 24 February.

The "same pattern of conduct" was being seen in every Ukrainian settlement occupied by Russian forces, he observed.

A war crime constitutes a violation of the so-called "rules" of war set out by international treaties including the Geneva Conventions.

Among other things, the Conventions stipulate that civilians must be protected. Russia has been repeatedly accused of breaking this rule.

Shelling of residential buildings in Dnipro over the weekend left one person dead and 13 others injured, according to the governor of the wider region.

Meanwhile, police said 32 civilians had been killed by strikes in Kherson since Russian troops left the southern city earlier this month.

On Saturday, Ukraine marked the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor - a man-made famine that killed millions of people during Soviet rule.

Of the war crimes seen since Russia invaded in February, Mr Kostin said 260 people had been indicted and 13 verdicts had been issued by Ukrainian courts.

He called for the creation of an "international ad-hoc tribunal", supported by countries of "the whole civilised world" who opposed the invasion to hold Russia to account.

Russia-Ukraine WAR at a Glance: What We Know on Day 278 of The Invasion

Zelenskiy says Russia planning new missile attacks; Ukraine’s nuclear energy chief suggests Russian forces may be preparing to leave Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

The Guardian UK 28 NOV 2022.

There are signs that Russian forces might be preparing to leave the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the head of Ukraine’s state-run nuclear energy firm has said. “In recent weeks we are effectively receiving information that signs have appeared that they are possibly preparing to leave the (plant),” Petro Kotin, head of Energoatom, said on national television on Sunday. “One gets the impression they’re packing their bags and stealing everything they can,” he added. Russia seized the plant in March and repeated shelling around the site has spurred fears of a nuclear catastrophe.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, claims Russia is planning to launch new missile attacks on his country, warning defence forces and citizens to prepare for the strikes. “We understand that terrorists are preparing new strikes. We know that for sure. And as long as they have missiles, they won’t stop, unfortunately,” he said in his Sunday evening address.

The mayor of Kyiv has traded verbal jabs with Zelenskiy and his allies over how to help residents withstand power cuts. Former professional boxer Vitali Klitschko said 430 “warming centres” were helping residents cope with the effects of Russian attacks on power stations, and more than 100 extra centres were planned in case of extreme conditions. Klitschko said Zelenskiy’s allies had engaged in “manipulation” about the city’s efforts, including “incomprehensible photos” posted online. “I do not want to become involved in political battles, particularly in the current situation,” he said in a video posted on Telegram on Sunday. “That is senseless. I have things to do in the city.” Zelenskiy had previously said Kyiv had not done enough to help residents.

Hundreds of Ukrainians fled Kherson city on Sunday as Russian shelling intensified. The liberation of Kherson earlier this month marked a major battlefield gain for Kyiv, but inhabitants have struggled with a lack of water, heating and electricity. Evacuations began last week amid fears that damage to infrastructure caused by the war was too severe for people to endure over Ukraine’s harsh winter. The exodus has been exacerbated by Russian shelling, which has killed 32 civilians since Russian forces left the city on 9 November.

Britain will promise to maintain or increase military aid to Ukraine next year, according to an extract of a speech released by the office of the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, which he plans to deliver on Monday. “We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. We will maintain or increase our military aid next year. And we will provide new support for air defence,” Sunak will reportedly say.

The UK will provide Brimstone 2 missiles, a precision-guided missile, to Ukraine as part of its latest aid package. “This aid has played a crucial role in stalling Russian advancements,” the UK Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

Ukrainian authorities are gradually restoring power, aided by the reconnection of the country’s four nuclear plants, but millions of people are still without heat or electricity after the most devastating Russian airstrikes of the war. “We have been restoring electricity generation and supply day after day,” Zelenskiy said in his Sunday night address. “As of today, in most regions of the country, only stabilisation schedules of shutdowns are in effect.”

Russia is firing ageing cruise missiles stripped of their nuclear warheads at Ukrainian targets because Vladimir Putin’s stocks are so depleted, the UK Ministry of Defence has suggested. An intelligence update from the ministry said the desperate improvisation by Russia’s struggling forces were “unlikely to achieve reliable effects”. Russian forces have also suffered heavy casualties during fighting in Ukraine’s south-central Donetsk province and are unlikely to achieve a breakthrough there, the ministry added.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s survival may depend on his value to Vladimir Putin as a future bargaining chip, his chief aide has said. Leonid Volkov, speaking on a visit to London, added that Navalny had lost access to his family and was being permanently detained in a “8 by 12ft” cell after being forced into indefinite solitary confinement by Russian authorities last week. Only Navalny’s lawyers were allowed to visit his prison colony on weekdays, and even then, Volkov said, “they are not allowed to see him; they only can talk to him through an opaque glass”, meaning they cannot determine his physical condition.

Ghost of Kyiv' and dogfights: Russia Ukraine air war secrets revealed | Daily Mail Explains

Ladybbird · 02-12-22, 07:37

Russia Locked in New Battle of The Atlantic as it Eyes Up Waters Surrounding Britain

Royal Naval Ships Taking The Game Into Lair of The Russian Bear to Deter Putin

Iain Ballantyne says there has been a noticeable uptick in US Navy submarine numbers off UK shores since the start of the Ukraine war.

Fears Turkey is on Brink of All-Out invasion as Military Trucks Seen Rolling Into Syria

BBC News DEC 2022

The Royal Navy is “taking the game into the lair of the Russian bear” with frigate patrols in the Barents Sea to keep Vladimir Putin’s military aggression in check, a UK-based expert has said.

US Navy Submarine

Iain Ballantyne said the Russian President’s decision to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24 had triggered a “noticeable” increase in US submarine activity off UK shores in recent months.

But he also emphasised that the Royal Navy itself was also sending vessels into waters which equate to Russia’s backyard.

Turkey Puts Russia Alliance at Risk Qith Dangerous Missile Test

Turkey might be just days away from an all-out war with Syria as troops continue to attack northern parts of the country. According to Reuters, "Turkey's army needs just a few more days to be ready for a ground offensive into northern Syria and such a decision may come at a cabinet meeting on Monday".

The commander of the main US-backed Kurdish-led force in Syria said Saturday they have halted operations against the Islamic State group due to Turkish attacks on northern Syria over the past week.

Mazloum Abdi of the Syrian Democratic Forces told reporters that after nearly a week of Turkish airstrikes on northern Syria, Ankara is now preparing for a ground offensive. He said Turkey-backed opposition fighters are getting ready to take part in the operations.

Abdi added that Turkish strikes over the past week have caused severe damage to the region’s infrastructure.

Abdi said Turkey is taking advantage of the deadly November 13 bombing in Istanbul that Ankara blames on Kurdish groups. urdish organisations have denied any involvement in the Istanbul attack that killed six and wounded dozens.

Ladybbird · 03-12-22, 08:31

Ukraine WAR: $60 Per Barrel Price Cap AGREED on Russian Oil - Will Hit Putin Immediately

A new cap on the price of Russian oil will "immediately cut into Putin's most important source of revenue"

$60 Price Cap on Russian Oil to Cripple Putins' War Machin

BBC 3 DEC 2022

The cap - which was officially approved by Western allies on Friday - came after months of hard work.

The cap stops countries paying more than $60 (£48) a barrel for seaborne exports of Russian crude oil.

It is due to come into effect on 5 December or soon after.

Low and medium-income countries that have been heavily impacted by high energy and food prices will particularly benefit from the cap, Ms Yellen said.

She said it will also further constrain Russian President Vladimir Putin's finances and "limit the revenues he's using to fund his brutal invasion", while avoiding disrupting global supplies which could send petrol prices soaring around the world.

"With Russia's economy already contracting and its budget increasingly stretched thin, the price cap will immediately cut into Putin's most important source of revenue," she said in a statement.

...G7 and allies approve cap on price of Russian oil

The price cap was put forward in September by the G7 group of nations (the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the EU) in a bid to hit Moscow's ability to finance the war in Ukraine.

The European Union approved the price cap - which needed the agreement of all its member states - on Friday, after persuading Poland to back it.

Poland announced its support after being reassured the cap would be kept at 5% lower than the market rate.

It had been reported that the EU wanted to set the cap at $65-70 but this was rejected by Poland as well as Lithuania and Estonia as too high.

Warsaw had wanted the value to be as low as possible and had held out while it examined an adjustment mechanism which would keep the cap below the market rate as the price of oil changed.

In a joint statement, the G7, the EU and Australia said the decision to impose a price cap was taken to "prevent Russia from profiting from its war of aggression against Ukraine".

British Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the UK will not waver in its support and will continue to look for new ways to "clamp down on Putin's funding streams".

The agreement of a price cap comes just days before an EU-wide ban on Russian crude oil imported by sea comes into force, also on 5 December.

The price cap - which is meant to affect oil exports worldwide - is meant to complement that.

Countries that sign up to the G7-led policy will only be permitted to purchase oil and petroleum products transported via sea that are sold at or below the price cap.

Ukraine's western allies also plan to deny insurance to tankers delivering Russian oil to countries that do not stick to the price cap. This will make it hard for Russia to sell oil above that price.

Russia denounced the scheme, saying it would not supply those countries which enforced a price cap.

Senior Russian politician Leonid Slutsky, who chairs the foreign affairs committee, told Tass news agency the EU was jeopardising its own energy security with the cap.

Though the measures will most certainly be felt by Russia, the blow will be partially softened by its move to sell its oil to other markets such as India and China - who are currently the largest single buyers of Russian crude oil.

Graphic showing the percentage of total oil imports coming from Russia to selected European countries

Before the war, in 2021, more than half of Russia's oil exports went to Europe, according to the International Energy Association. Germany was the largest importer, followed by the Netherlands and Poland.

But since the war, EU countries have been desperately trying to decrease their dependency. The US has already banned Russian crude oil, while the UK plans to phase it out by the end of the yea

Vladimir Putin Issues Ultimatum to The West - Russian President Vladimir Putin is “open to negotiations” on Ukraine if the West meets Moscows' demands.

Old maps, burst tyres, no clothes: The Russian military 'will suffer this winter'

Ladybbird · 10-12-22, 07:19

Warning Over Defence Partnership Between Russia and Iran

Russia, Iran Moving Toward Full Defense Partnership

Ukraine WAR: Iran Now Russias' Top Military Backer

BBC News 10 DEC 2022.

The US national security council spokesman says the relationship is strengthening and could harm Ukraine and the international community. Also: one of this year's Nobel Peace Prize winners says President Putin must be held accountable for Russia's actions in Ukraine, and the sheepdog that's become an internet sensation for taking on a pack of coyotes.

The Biden administration is accusing Russia of moving to provide advanced military assistance to Iran, including air defense systems, helicopters and fighter jets, part of deepening cooperation between the two nations as Tehran provides drones to support Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Ladybbird · 12-12-22, 07:48

Ukraine War: Exiled Governor Reports Strike on 'Wagner HQ'

10 explosions rip through Russian barracks in occupied city in devastating Ukraine strike -

Neo-Nazi Russian Militia Appeals For Intelligence on Nato Member States

Move by Task Force Rusich raises fears of rogue paramilitary attacks on Baltic nations of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia

BBC 12 DEC 2022.

Ukrainian forces have struck a headquarters of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, says the governor-in-exile of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.

Serhiy Haidai said a hotel where the group met in Kadiivka, Luhansk, had been hit with major losses.

The BBC was unable to independently verify Wagner's presence at the hotel.

Fighting also raged in southern Ukraine over the weekend, with Russia targeting Odesa and Ukraine bombarding a target in the occupied city of Melitopol.

Wagner are state-sponsored mercenaries who act in the Kremlin's interests, according to Western experts.

The private military company, set up by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former restaurateur and close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has repeatedly been accused of war crimes and human rights abuses.

Wagner units have previously been deployed in Crimea, Syria, Libya, Mali and the Central African Republic.

In the Kadiivka strike, Mr Haidai said Russia had suffered "significant losses" and he expected "at least 50%" of the surviving forces to die due to a lack of medical treatment.

During a phone call with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, US President Joe Biden said Washington was prioritising efforts to help boost Ukraine's air defence systems.

The pair also spoke about Mr Zelensky's desire for a "just peace" with Russia "based on fundamental principles enshrined in the UN Charter", the White House said.

The attack on the "Wagner HQ", in the east, came amid further fighting in southern Ukraine.

On Saturday, the Ukrainian army said it had shot down 10 drones, with another five hitting energy facilities in the port city of Odesa - leaving some 1.5 million people without power.

"The situation in the Odesa region is very difficult," President Zelensky said in his nightly video address. "Unfortunately the hits were critical, so it takes more than just time to restore electricity. It doesn't take hours, but a few days."

Key infrastructure was hit by Russia's Iran-made drones, according to Ukrainian officials.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is due to host an online meeting of G7 leaders on Monday, where further sanctions on Russia and Iran will be discussed.

The proposed measures would target Iran over its supply of drones to Russia, while the ninth package of Russia sanctions would place almost 200 more individuals on an EU sanctions list.

In Melitopol, pro-Moscow authorities said a Ukrainian missile attack had killed two people and injured 10. Images shared by a Moscow-installed official there showed a big fire.

"Air defence systems destroyed two missiles, four reached their targets," Yevgeny Balitsky, the Russia-installed governor of the city, said on the Telegram messaging app.

He added that a "recreation centre" where people were dining had been destroyed in the attack, and that Ukrainian forces had used US-supplied Himars rocket launchers.

This weapon has played a key role in Ukraine's counter-offensive, being used to target locations away from the frontlines, including Russia's command posts.

Ivan Fedorov, Melitopol's exiled mayor, said scores of "invaders" had been killed.

Melitopol has been under occupation since early March and is a major logistics hub for the Russian forces in the south-east.

The city, in the Zaporizhzhia region, is strategically located between Mariupol to the east, Kherson and the Dnipro River to the west, and Crimea to the south.

Ukraine says its efforts to retake occupied territory are continuing, despite the arrival of winter.

In recent weeks, most of the fighting has taken place in the east of the country, especially around the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.

But on Saturday night, Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to President Zelensky, indicated that Melitopol could be a main target of Ukrainian forces.

"If Melitopol falls, the entire defence line all the way to Kherson collapses," he said in an interview.

If that happened, he added, "Ukrainian forces would gain a direct route to Crimea," the peninsula Russia annexed in 2014 and that the Ukrainians have vowed to retake.

Elsewhere, the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine came under fresh bombardment on Sunday. Images showed firefighters attempting to put out a blaze at a commercial building.

Ukraine has denied attacking the separatist-run city on many occasions during the war.

Firefighters put out a blaze at a toy shop after rockets hit downtown Donetsk

Map of Ukraines South and East

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What are Himars missiles and are they changing the war?

British man awarded one of Ukraine's highest honours after being sanctioned by Putin

Ladybbird · 14-12-22, 19:22

Desperate Putin is Preparing For Long Conflict as He Expands War in Ukraine

A confidential security assessment from allied figures suggests deluded Russian leader Vladimir Putin is still convinced his “hybrid warfare” will outlast western resolve

BBC News 15 DEC 2022.

Desperate Russian President Vladimir Putin is expanding his war in Ukraine, stepping up mobilisation and preparing for a long conflict, it has been claimed.

Remnants of shells and missiles used by the Russian army to attack the second largest Ukrainian city of Kharkiv

Damage after attacks at Borodyanka where citizens struggle to live under difficult winter conditions

A confidential security assessment from allied figures suggests the deluded Russian leader is still convinced his “hybrid warfare” will outlast western resolve.

The write-up says Putin believes his Iranian drones programme attacking energy infrastructure, cyber attacks, weaponsing of refugees, fake news and sabotage will prevail.

It says his delusion comes against a backdrop of disastrous casualties among raw recruits, many killed by their own side for fleeing and rock-bottom troop morale.

One young Russian man is quoted when asked why he fled his own country in the face of conscription, saying he: “...saw no reason to die defending his country when no-one was attacking it.”

Russian commanders, it is said, are using “blocking units” to “liquidate” anybody retreating, in a revival of eastern front WWII tactics.

The assessment also says Russian commanders are desperate for an operational pause, a break in operations to build-up defences against Ukraine’s counter-offensive.

And Russian troops are having to resort to “stand-off” engagements against Ukraine, using artillery, mortars and grenade launchers as they cannot “close with” Kyiv’s forces.

Moscow’s military is said increasingly to having to rely on the notorious Wagner Group mercenary unit for close quarter battles.

And it suggests Putin’s once near-allies are now backing away from Moscow, even including Kazakhstan and Belarus.

It also points to mysterious and extremely damaging attacks within Russia on military sites which may prove to be a step-change in the war in Ukraine,.

It says: “Regardless of the failures of his army in the field and the lack of enthusiasm amongst his generals for engaging with NATO, there is no sign whatsoever of Putin conceding that he is in danger of losing the war.

“On the contrary, not only is he not scaling down his ambition, he is doing everything to expand the war and Russia’s ability to wage it.”

The report goes on to say: “At home we are seeing strenuous and increasing efforts to expand Russia’s defence industry and to prepare for a new stage in the mobilisation process.

“This is exposing significant failings in the defence industry and in Russia’s economy generally.

“Whilst mobilisation has become less chaotic than at the start, it is still facing significant difficulties and is no more popular than when it was first introduced.

“Russians too are experiencing the impact of winter weather as their centralised heating systems break down due to so many heating engineers having been mobilised.

“Nevertheless, notwithstanding the obstacles and difficulties and the ever-increasing impact of sanctions, these war policies are being pushed through as a priority.

“Putin is preparing Russia for a long war.

Ladybbird · 17-12-22, 05:36

Ukraines' Second City Kharkiv Without Power After Russian Strikes

Ukraine Says Russia Planning Major Ground Attacks

Russians strike Ukraine with 60 missiles in one of worst barrages since war began

Deadly attack leaves retaken Kherson with no power

Putin's lover dances in Russia as missiles rain down on Ukraine

BBC News 17 DEC 2022.

Ukraine's second city of Kharkiv was for hours left without power after the latest wave of Russian strikes targeted energy stations across the country.

Local officials said as many as nine power facilities were hit as Russian forces fired 76 missiles and carried out drone attacks on Friday.

Kharkiv's mayor said the city suffered "colossal" damage. By the evening, 55% of residents had electricity back.

One resident, Anastaisa, told the BBC the strikes began on Friday morning.

"In a matter of minutes, the lights started blinking," the mother of a two-month-old child said. "Just 10 seconds later, we were out of power, everything just went still and that's it.

"At the moment, there is also no water because the pumping stations cannot work when there's no power in the city, so technically, what we have now is a city without power and water supply."

In the evening, Oleg Synegubov, head of Kharkiv's regional administration, said electricity supplies had been restored to 55% of city residents and 85% of those living in the north-eastern region. He added that energy sector employees were working to restore full power by midnight.

However, Ukraine's power grid operator, Ukrenergo, warned that the scale of the damage could mean it will take longer to restore supplies.

The body said in a statement that the energy system had lost more than half of its capacity because of the latest strikes, adding that priority would be given to "critical infrastructure - hospitals, water supply facilities, heat supply facilities, sewage treatment plants".

Defence Ministry adviser Yuriy Sak told the BBC that emergency services were working to restore electricity supplies, but the situation was "still difficult". Russia's frequent attacks mean that repairing the damage is getting harder.

Elsewhere, three people were killed and 13 more injured when a residential building was hit in Kryvyi Rih and a third died in Kherson. In the capital, Kyiv, the city's metro was left at a standstill.

The alarm was raised across Ukraine on Friday and Commander-in-Chief General Valeriy Zaluzhny said air defences had intercepted 60 of the 76 missiles fired, most of them cruise missiles.

Kyiv city officials said about 40 missiles had been fired at the capital alone - one of the biggest barrages since Russia's 24 February invasion. Thirty-seven were brought down by air defences, the officials added.

"It's very stressful, but now I'm used to this," said 42-year-old Oksana, who lives in the capital. "I don't want our children to live through this, to be in basements, shelters, I don't want this for them."

Ukraine has accused Russia of "weaponising winter" by striking essential facilities, as temperatures in much of the country are below freezing.

One person was killed when flats were hit in Kherson on 16 DecemberImage source, Kherson prosecutor's office

Friday's attack on Kherson was the third in as many days on the southern city, a month after Russian forces retreated

Russia's attacks also cut power in the north-eastern Sumy region that borders Russia, and also in the central cities of Poltava and Kremenchuk.

Fifteen rockets were reportedly fired at Zaporizhzhia in the south, while Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said several areas of the capital were hit. Damage to energy infrastructure had affected its water supplies, while city metro lines were for the moment not running, he said.

Russia has launched more than 1,000 missiles and Iranian-made attack drones since the wave of strikes began on 10 October, although most of them have been intercepted by air defences. The biggest barrage, in mid-November, involved more than 100 missiles and drones.

UN human rights commissioner Volker Turk warned on Thursday that further attacks on power facilities could "lead to a further serious deterioration in the humanitarian situation and spark more displacement".

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal described the latest wave of strikes as "another attempt to commit genocide against the Ukrainian people".

In some areas, electricity is available for just a few hours a day.

"I'm angry," said Yelyzaveta, 21. "They [Russia] are destroying our lives. We are used to it now. The most important thing is that Russia isn't here."

And Anastasia said that life was becoming more difficult as winter sets in.

"When it's daytime it is still OK, it is tolerable and I can manage the situation, but when it's dark outside, this is when my problems begin because I need to see clearly, to measure baby formula and also to attend to the baby - those are stressful," she said

"And, of course, just the effect that we are out of power creates a lot of tension and lots of stress. So we just survive through the night and when the day breaks, it gets a bit better, but we cannot compare it to our normal day."

The strikes came as the EU announced a ninth wave of sanctions against Russian officials and businesses. Almost 200 individuals and entities were added to an asset freeze and visa ban blacklist.

Among those sanctioned was Larisa Falkovskaya - head of Russia's Department of State Policy for the Protection of Children's Rights - who was accused of "the illegal transportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and their adoption by Russian families".

Several Russian regional governors were sanctioned on identical charges. The EU said the officials had been involved in the forced deportation and adoption of more than 2,000 Ukrainian children since the war began.

Ukrainian officials say the deportations amount to a war crime under Article 49 of the Geneva Convention.

Meanwhile, Russian-backed proxy officials in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region accused Ukrainian forces of shelling a town and a village overnight in the Luhansk region. Details of the deaths could not be confirmed.

Map showing areas controlled by Russia in Ukraine

Russian martial artists receive military training in Chechnya

Putin's lover dances in Russia as missiles rain down on Ukraine

Ladybbird · 19-12-22, 10:57

Ukraine: PUTIN to Deploy Musicians to WAR Front to Boost Morale

Russia says it will deploy musicians and singers to the front lines of its war in Ukraine to boost troops' morale.

BBC News 19 DEC 2022.

The defence ministry announced the formation of the "front-line creative brigade" this week, saying it would also include circus performers.

The UK's Ministry of Defence highlighted the brigade's creation in an intelligence update on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visited frontline troops in Ukraine, Moscow said.

Music While You KILL

In a statement posted to Telegram, the defence ministry said Mr Shoigu "flew around the areas of deployment of troops and checked the advanced positions of Russian units in the zone of the special military operation", referring to Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched on 24 February.

The ministry added that he "spoke with troops on the front line" and at a "command post" - but the BBC cannot confirm when the visit took place or whether Mr Shoigu visited Ukraine itself.

Commenting on Mr Shoigu's reported visit, Ukraine's military spokesman Serhiy Cherevatyi told Ukrainian TV channels: "I don't really believe that he is so brave" to travel to the battlefield.

This comes as UK defence officials said low morale continues to be a "significant vulnerability across much of the Russian force".

The UK said the new creative brigade - which follows a recent campaign, urging the public to donate musical instruments to troops - is in keeping with the historic use of "military music and organised entertainment" to boost morale.

But they questioned whether the new brigade would actually distract troops, who have been primarily concerned about "very high casualty rates, poor leadership, pay problems, lack of equipment and ammunition, and lack of clarity about the war's objectives".

According to the Russian outlet RBC news, the brigade will consist of troops mobilised under President Vladimir Putin's recruitment drive, as well as "professional artists who voluntarily entered military service".

The new unit will be tasked with maintaining "a high moral, political and psychological state [among] the participants of the special military operation," the outlet cited the defence ministry as saying.

Intense fighting has continued around the Ukrainian-controlled town of Bakhmut in the eastern Donbas region on Saturday, Ukraine's military said.

The area has seen heavy clashes between Ukrainian and Russian troops for months, as Russia seeks to fully seize the region following a string of heavy defeats in north-eastern and southern Ukraine earlier this year.

Western intelligence officials have previously said Russian attacks on the town are being spearheaded by Russia's private military contractor, Wagner Group.

Moscow hopes to use Bakhmut as a staging ground to launch attacks on the Ukrainian-held cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk further west.

Elsewhere, heating has been restored to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, after Russian launched widespread strikes on Friday that targeted power and water infrastructure, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Moscow launched 76 missiles on Friday, hitting nine power supply stations and plunging much of the country into darkness. Ukraine said it intercepted 60.

In a separate development, President Putin is due to visit Belarus on Monday, amid media reports that he will be putting further pressure on Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally, to officially join in Russia's war effort and send troops to Ukraine.

Since the start of the war, Russian troops have been using Belarusian territory as a launchpad - but Mr Lukashenko has so far resisted all Moscow's attempts to deploy his armed forces in Ukraine.

In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with top military and security officials to discuss the possible risks from Belarus, the country's northern neighbour.

"We are preparing for all possible defence scenarios. Whoever inclines Minsk to whatever, it will not help them just as any other sick idea in this war against Ukraine and Ukrainians," Mr Zelensky said in his video address late on Sunday.

UK RAF delivers aid package to Ukraine including Brimstone 2 missiles

Ladybbird · 22-12-22, 07:04

Ukraine War: Biden Tells Zelensky His Country Will Never Stand Alone

President Joe Biden has told President Volodymyr Zelensky the US will stick by Ukraine "for as long as it takes" in its war with Russia.

Zelenskys' Wartime Address to US Congress Comes 81 Years After Churchill Did The Same

BBC News 22 DEC 2022.

Zelensky follows in Churchill's footsteps

"You will never stand alone," Mr Biden told Mr Zelensky as he visited the White House on his first overseas trip since the Russian invasion began.

Mr Biden confirmed a new package of more than $2bn (£1.7bn) in assistance for Ukraine and promised another $45bn.

Mr Zelensky expressed his gratitude for Washington's backing.

At Wednesday's joint news conference, Mr Biden told reporters he was "not at all worried" about holding the international coalition together.

Amid concerns that some allies may be feeling the strain of the conflict's cost and disruption to global food and energy supplies, the US president said he felt "very good" about the solidarity of support for Ukraine.

Mr Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin had "no intention of stopping this cruel war".

As Ukraine's most important ally, the US has already committed $50bn (£41bn) of humanitarian, financial and security assistance - far more than any other country.

Mr Zelensky - wearing his trademark combat-green sweatshirt and boots - expressed hope that Congress would pass the extra $45bn in aid to Ukraine to "help us to defend our values, values and independence".

Republicans - who will take control of the House of Representatives in January - have warned they will not write a "blank cheque" for Ukraine.

But Mr Zelensky, who travelled on a US Air Force jet from the Polish city of Rzeszow, said that "regardless of changes in the Congress", he believed there would be bipartisan support for his country.

After the White House meeting, the 44-year-old Ukrainian president gave an address to a joint session of Congress, where he was welcomed with a standing ovation.

He told US lawmakers his country was still standing "against all odds" and predicted "a turning point" in the conflict next year.

While vowing Ukraine would never surrender, he said it needed more weaponry.

"We have artillery, yes, thank you," he told his audience. "Is it enough? Honestly, not really."

"For the Russian army to completely pull out, more cannon and shells are needed," he added.

Concluding his speech, Mr Zelensky presented Congress with a battle flag signed by the defenders of Bakhmut, a frontline city in the east of Ukraine that he visited on the eve of his Washington trip.

The package of security assistance announced by Washington on Wednesday includes a new Patriot missile system, which is expected to help Ukraine protect its cities from missiles and drones that Russia has fired at critical facilities.

A rare moment of levity arose in Wednesday's news conference as Mr Zelensky, a former comedian, answered reporters' questions.

President Putin said Russia would not militarise the country's economy

The Ukrainian president said: "What's going to happen after the Patriots are installed? After that we will send another signal to President Biden that we would like to get more Patriots."

"We are in a war, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry," he deadpanned in English, as the audience in the East Room laughed.

Mr Biden chuckled and said: "We're working on it."

Russia's foreign ministry has said the delivery of the advanced surface-to-air missile system would be considered a provocative step.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Putin said he believed his country was not to blame for the war in Ukraine, adding both countries were "sharing a tragedy".

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, the US military estimates that at least 100,000 Russian and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured, along with some 40,000 civilian deaths.

The UN has recorded 7.8 million people as refugees from Ukraine across Europe, including Russia. However, the figure does not include those who have been forced to flee their homes but remain in Ukraine.

Zelenskys' Wartime Address to US Congress Comes 81 Years After Churchill Did The Same

Ladybbird · 26-12-22, 17:20

Three Dead Explosions Rock Russian Airbase Housing Putins' Nuclear Bombers

Three people have reportedly died and more hospitalised after a Ukrainian kamikaze drone reportedly hit an airbase deep inside Russia used to house Vladimir Putin's nuclear bombers

BBC 26 DEC 2022

Three people have died after a strategic airbase housing Vladimir Putin 's nuclear bomber planes was hit by a Ukrainian drone.

Loud blasts were heard early on Monday at the airfield deep inside Russia, which is used by the military's Tu-95 and Tu-160 nuclear missile-carrying planes.

Early reports said three people were killed and four more hospitalised following the attack on the Engels-2 military base in the Saratov region, according to Russian news outlet Baza.

No nuclear material is thought to have been involved in the explosion.

The blast is believed to have been the latest long-range kamikaze drone attack on the base by Volodymyr Zelensky 's forces, with the nearest Ukrainian settlement located about 450 miles away.

The "incident" at the air base hundreds of kilometres from the front line of the war in Ukraine.

Video footage showed bright flashes around the base as air raid sirens sounded throughout the area, with the sound of gunfire also heard.

Russia's defence ministry says its air defences shot down the Ukrainian drone flying at low altitude at about 01:35 local time on Monday (22:35 GMT Sunday).

Three Russian servicemen died of injuries caused by drone debris, it adds.

Saratov governor Roman Busargin expressed his condolences to the men's families and friends and said there was "absolutely no threat to residents" in the town of Engels itself.

A local governor claimed reports of evacuations nearby were 'blatant lies' made by foreign enemies

He added that "all stories about the evacuation from the city are blatant lies" created by people outside Russia, and warned citizens not to give details about the incident online or face possible prosecution.

Earlier this month Russia accused Ukraine of a similar attack on the airfield, home to strategic bombers.

Kyiv has never publicly claimed responsibility for attacks inside Russia and Ukrainian officials have described such incidents as "karma" for Russia's invasion.

A local said on Monday: "When it hit for the first time (December 5), the sound of the explosion was stronger.

“I thought someone's gas had exploded, I ran out into the street, and all the car alarms went off in the area, although I live about two kilometres away from the airfield.

Vladimir Putin's military lost two planes in an attack on the base earlier this month

Ladybbird · 01-01-23, 09:36

Zelenskiy Delivers New Year Hope of Ukraine Victory as Russia Launches Fresh Strikes

President says country ready to fight for a return to normal life as Moscow launches third wave of attacks in matter of days

BBC News 1 JAN 2023

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and wife Olena Zelenska address the Ukrainian people on New Year’s Day.

Vladimir Putin

Fresh blasts were heard in Kyiv and around Ukraine in the first hours of 2023, minutes after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy delivered a New Year address in which he wished for one thing: victory.

Kyiv’s city military administration said 23 Russian-launched “air objects” had been destroyed, while mayor Vitali Klitschko said preliminary reports suggested there were no wounded or casualties, only a damaged car in the city centre.

As air raid sirens wailed across the country and air defences were brought into action, some people in Kyiv shouted from their balconies, “Glory to Ukraine! Glory to heroes!” Reuters witnesses reported. In Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities, an 11pm curfew had already precluded large New Year parties, with many marking the moment inside shelters.

There were also unofficial reports of blasts in the southern region of Kherson and the northern Zhytomyr region.

The attacks came minutes after Zelenskiy delivered his first wartime New Year address, with no end in sight to the conflict. He said: “2022 struck our hearts. We cried out all the tears. All the prayers were yelled. 311 days. We have something to say about every minute. But most words are superfluous. No explanation needed. Silence is needed to hear. Pauses are needed to realise.

“We don’t know for sure what new 2023 will bring us. I want to wish all of us one thing – victory. And that’s the main thing.

“Let this year be the year of return. The return of our people. Soldiers – to their families. Prisoners – to their homes. Immigrants – to their Ukraine. The return of our lands. And the temporarily occupied will become forever free.

“Return to normal life. To happy moments without curfew. To earthly joys without air alerts. The return of what has been stolen from us. The childhood of our children, the peaceful old age of our parents.

“May the New Year bring it all. We’re ready to fight for it. That’s why each of us is here. I’m here, we’re here, you’re here – everyone’s here. We’re all Ukraine.”

The New Year attacks followed a barrage of more than 20 cruise missiles fired at targets across on Ukraine on Saturday in what Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, called “terror on New Year’s Eve.”

Saturday’s attack – Moscow’s second major missile attack in three days – badly damaged a hotel south of Kyiv’s centre and a residential building in another district. A Japanese journalist was among the wounded and taken to hospital, Klitschko said.

Zelenskiy responded to Saturday’s attacks – and Vladimir Putin’s New Year address in which he blamed the west for provoking the war – with a message to the Russian people, delivered in Russian.

“Your leader wants to show he has the troops behind him, he is ahead. But he’s hiding. He hides behind the troops, missiles, his residences, palaces. He hides behind you, burns your country, your future,” Zelenskiy said. “No one will forgive for terror. No one in the world will forgive you. Ukraine won’t forgive.”

Separately, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the southern Russian region of Belgorod, bordering with Ukraine, said that as a result of overnight shelling of the outskirts of Shebekino town, there was damage to houses, but no casualties.

Ukraine has never publicly claimed responsibility for any attacks inside Russia but has called them “karma” for Russia’s invasion.

Ladybbird · 02-01-23, 16:00

Russian Deserters: Kremlin Hunts CONVICTS Who Fled War Training

Russia-Ukraine War- 11 Killed At Mobilisation Training, Mystery Death, Hunt For Draft Escapees

BBC News 2 JAN 2023

'If you desert, we'll execute you': 'Putin's chef' recruits convicts for war

The Russian oligarch known as 'Putin's chef' has been filmed making an extraordinary appeal to convicts, promising them amnesty on their sentences if they sign up to fight in Ukraine - and a bullet in the head if they desert when they get there.
.

Ladybbird · 08-01-23, 07:10

Vladimir Putins’ Regime Crumbling as Spies Defect and Russia Keeps Relatives Hostage

The unprecedented swapping of sides has left furious Vladimir Putin reeling with a warning fired that anyone else who abandons Russia could see family members jailed - or WORSE...

BBC News 8 JAN 2023

More than 20 Russian diplomats and spies have defected since the invasion of Ukraine in a sign Vladimir Putin’s flailing regime faces collapse over the war. Putin has taken steps to stop further walk-outs

The unprecedented swapping of sides has spurred the tyrant to put “Stalinist” restrictions on foreign postings.

Most of Moscow’s officials on foreign missions now have to accept family members being left at home during their posting, effectively kept hostage.

It is the latest of Vladimir Putin ’s cruel safeguards against further catastrophic defections as family members could be jailed or worse if an official swaps sides.

Even if family members return to Russia whilst a spy or diplomat is on an overseas posting they will be kept at home as collateral.

It is believed ex-KGB officer Putin personally intervened and insisted on the “hostage to fortune” measures to stop further defections.

The defections are also thought to be an indication his Kremlin regime is hugely under threat of collapse over their disastrous Ukraine invasion.

Bruce Jones, one of the UK’s top Russia analysts told the Mirror: “I have been told by very senior and well-informed sources that there have been a number of defections of both Russian diplomats and intelligence officers.

“Some of them are known about publicly but in the background there are many more, possibly more than 20 and this is indicative of an extremely hazardous time for the Kremlin.

More than 20 Russian diplomats and spies have defected since the war began

“It is likely this is being kept quiet for obvious reasons but these defections are not just to the west but across Asia as well.”

Close to one million Russian civilians have fled their homeland - many escaping Putin’s brutal draft of new recruits for the frontline.

It comes as troop losses in Ukraine frontline are soaring towards 110,000and increasingly Putin is relying on Wagner Group mercenaries.

As many as 2,000 members of the group have been killed, many on the eastern front as Russia is sometimes losing as many as 800 soldiers in one day.

Yesterday it emerged 50 Chechen political prisoners had been press-ganged to the front, adding to the legions of ex-lags now employed as cannon fodder by Wagner.

In one Ukrainian strike alone on New Year’s Day as many as 500 troops died after apparently giving their location away by using their mobile phones.

A Ukrainian source told the Mirror: “Losses of up to 500 in one strike are a disaster, a genuine blow to Putin and his position is becoming precarious.

“Defections do reflect this as people become increasingly nervous about the future of their country and it is not looking positive for Putin.

“If something happens to him and those close to him it will happen very fast and from within but these military defeats are a very poor reflection on his decision to go to war.”

Sources revealed one plan against further defections would be to hold show trials for friends and families as a warning against traitors.

Most of the defectors are diplomats who operate from embassies and are also involved in the shadowy intelligence world.

The Mirror has been told most of them jumped sides from postings in cities in Asia and Europe.

Colonel Richard Kemp, who has worked in the top UK government intelligence organisation the Joint Intelligence Committee said:

“Western intelligence will receive potentially very useful information on what is happening within Russia.
russia

The fighting in Ukraine has increasingly become a war of attrition in recent weeks

“This development could be extremely valuable. With the disaster that Putin has brought on Russia there will be many people in influential positions who are desperate to escape.

“There will be among them diplomats and intelligence people who are looking for an alternative.”

In 2017 Russian GRU spy Artem Zinchenko was arrested in Tallinn (corr spelling), Estonia but swapped back to Russia in2018.

Last year it emerged he had fled back to Estonia as he was so upset about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He said recently of the Ukraine war: “It is the worst scenario that could even be imagined in my mind and it was not only because my relatives live there but because of the huge number of innocent victims.”

And in May last year Russian diplomat Boris Bondarev, who worked at the UN in Geneva quit his job, branding Moscow’s war “intolerable.”

Bondarev said: “As a civil servant I have to carry a share of responsibility for that and I don’t want to do that.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr says Putin's Christmas ceasefire is a 'cover'

Putin Attends Orthodox Christmas Service Alone

U.S. Military Deploys HIMARS Defence Systems to Estonia

Ladybbird · 11-01-23, 12:04

Vladimir Putin Deploys HUGE NUKE Capable Weapon Dubbed Sledgehammer to Ukraine

The 2S4 Tulip self-propelled mortar is 240mm wide and is capable of firing nuclear bombs, but it is likely this would be limited to 'micro-nukes' aimed at destroying an area the size of a football stadium

Searching For Civilians Snatched by Russia

Away from the frontline, Ukrainian and Russian human rights commissioners are meeting this week in Turkey to discuss further prisoner of war exchanges.

BBC News.11 JAN 2023

Russian forces suffering massive frontline losses have deployed the world’s largest nuke-capable mortar weapon to the battlefield.

Dubbed “the Sledgehammer” the 2S4 Tulip - or Tyulpan - self-propelled mortar is 240mm wide - twice the size of NATO mortars which are 120mm.

Transported on its own tracks, it has a range of 12 miles and is used to obliterate large fortifications, military equipment, or troop positions.

It is capable of firing nuclear bombs, although it is likely this would be limited to “micro-nukes” aimed at destroying an area the size of a football stadium.

The heavy mortar weapon has already seen service in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Syria, with devastating effects.

It can also fire armour piercing, laser-guided, and outlawed cluster munitions, as well as tactical nuclear weapons.

Moscow’s commanders are desperately trying to hold back a ferocious counter-offensive by Ukraine’s forces all along the eastern front.

Ladybbird · 15-01-23, 07:58

Ukraine War: UK to Send MORE Tanks to Ukraine That Could Help Win The War Against Russia

The UK has confirmed for the first time that it's planning to send "game changing" tanks to Ukraine, pledging to accelerate its support with the kind of technology which could help Ukraine win the war against Russia.

BBC 15 JAN 2023

Poland has also pledged to transfer a company of Lepoard tanks, after President Zelenskyy met the Polish prime minister for talks in Lviv.

Ukraine has been asking western allies to provide hundreds of tanks - as fighting intensifies around the embattled eastern towns of Soledar and Bakhmut.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday pledged to provide 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, making it the first Western country to supply the heavy tanks Kyiv has been calling for.

The pledge saw a swift reaction from Russia which warned it would only "intensify" the conflict.

"Bringing tanks to the conflict zone, far from drawing the hostilities to a close, will only serve to intensify combat operations, generating more casualties, including among the civilian population", the Russian embassy in the UK said.

Sunak said the tanks were a sign of the UK's "ambition to intensify our support to Ukraine", according to a readout of a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukraine's European allies have sent Kyiv more than 300 modernised Soviet tanks since Russia invaded in February 2022.

But they have so far held off on dispatching the Western-made heavy tanks that Ukraine has repeatedly requested to push forward against Russian invaders.

Zelensky thanked the UK on Twitter for making decisions that "will not only strengthen us on the battlefield, but also send the right signal to other partners".

- Heavy Losses -

Ukraine's forces have taken heavy losses in the battles of Soledar and Bakhmut in recent months and have called on the country's allies to give it more support.

Russia said on Friday its forces had wrested control of the war-scarred town of Soledar in east Ukraine, its first claim of victory in months of battlefield setbacks, although Ukraine said fierce fighting was still under way.

"To win this war, we need more military equipment, heavy equipment," Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's presidential office, said.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also said that he had spoken with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and "emphasised the need" for Ukraine to receive Western-type tanks.

The UK will also send around 30 AS90s, large, self-propelled guns, operated by five gunners.

- Fears of Escalation - -

The tanks will arrive in Ukraine in coming weeks, a second statement from Sunak's Downing Street office said later Saturday, adding that the UK will also begin training the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use the tanks and guns in coming days.

Ladybbird · 17-01-23, 06:27

Alleged Ex-Wagner Group Commander Seeking Asylum in Norway

Russia’s Wagner Group ‘Have as Much Power in Kremlin as Ministers’

Andrey Medvedev, 26, deserted after reportedly witnessing War Crimes in Ukraine and is willing to reveal what he saw, his lawyer says

BBC 17 JAN 2023

Andrey Medvedev ex-Wagner Group commander seeking asylum in Norway

Yevgeny Prigozhin, who founded the group, with Vladimir Putin.

Andrey Medvedev, 26, deserted after reportedly witnessing war crimes in Ukraine and is willing to reveal what he saw, his lawyer says

An alleged former commander with the Russian mercenary Wagner Group has sought asylum in Norway, authorities say, after deserting the organisation that has played a central role in some of the major battles of the Ukraine conflict.

Andrey Medvedev, 26, reportedly crossed the border into Norway near the Pasvikdalen valley shortly before 2am last Friday, where he was arrested and detained by border guards.

The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) confirmed to the Associated Press that Andrey Medvedev sought shelter in the country but “for reasons of security and privacy … cannot comment further on this matter”.

Police, who did not confirm his identity, said in a statement to Agence France-Presse that a man was “detained by Norwegian border guards and Norwegian police at 1.58am (0058 GMT)” on Friday morning.

“He has applied for asylum in Norway,” said Tarjei Sirma-Tellefsen, chief of staff for the police in Finnmark, northern Norway.

Medvedev’s Norwegian lawyer, Brynjulf Risnes, told the BBC that Medvedev was being held in Oslo where he faces charges of illegally entering the country and that he deserted after witnessing war crimes in Ukraine.

Risnes said his client was no longer in custody, but at a “safe place” while his case was being analysed. “If he gets asylum in Norway that accusation [of illegal entry] will be dropped automatically,” Risnes said.

“He has declared that he is willing to speak about his experiences in the Wagner Group to people who are investigating war crimes,” the lawyer said, adding that Medvedev alleged he had served as a unit commander in charge of between five and 10 soldiers.

Norwegian police said they were notified late on Thursday by Russian border guards who discovered traces in the snow that could indicate that someone had crossed the border illegally. The man was detained by border guards and the arrest was undramatic, police said.

Medvedev’s lawyer told AFP on Monday that after crossing the border his client had sought out locals and asked that they call the police.

Medvedev has been on the run since he defected from the Wagner Group on 6 July, according to Norwegian news agency NTB.

He reportedly told a Russian human rights group that he was ready to tell everything he knows about the Wagner Group, its activities and its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire with ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Prigozhin confirmed to the BBC that Medvedev was a former Wagner soldier.
Ukrainian servicemen give first aid to a wounded soldier in a shelter in Soledar
Russia’s Wagner group fighting ‘heavy, bloody battles’ for control of Soledar

Rights group Gulagu.net, which advocates for prisoners in Russian detention, has published interviews with Medvedev, including one after his crossing into Norway, where he detailed his dramatic escape.

“When I was on the ice [at the border], I heard dogs barking, I turned around, I saw people with torches, about 150 metres (500ft) away, running in my direction,” Medvedev says in one video. “I heard two shots, the bullets whizzed by.”

According to Gulagu.net, Medvedev originally signed a four-month contract with Wagner in early July 2022 and claims to have witnessed executions and reprisals against those who refused to fight and wanted to leave.

According to Risnes, Medvedev said “he experienced something completely different from what he was expecting” after joining the private mercenary group, which has been at the forefront of key battles in Ukraine.

Wanting to leave and after claiming he witnessed war crimes in Ukraine, Medvedev said his contract was extended without his consent. “He understood that there was no easy way out, so that’s when he decided to just run,” Risnes said.

Medvedev then reportedly spent two months underground in Russia, before crossing the border into Norway last week.

The Guardian has not been able to independently verify Medvedev’s account.

The Wagner Group includes a large number of convicts recruited in Russian prisons who have spearheaded attacks in Ukraine.

The group has become increasingly influential in Africa, where it has been pushing Russian disinformation, building alliances with regimes and gaining access to oil, gas, gold, diamonds and valuable minerals.

Ladybbird · 19-01-23, 02:39

Wagner Chief Frees Russian Convicts Who Fought in Ukraine

Ukraine Helicopter Crashes Near Nursery, Killing Children and Minister

BBC 19 JAN 2023

More than 28,000 Russian prisoners including murderers and rapists freed to fight in Ukraine

The founder of the Russian Wagner private military company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, brought a group of former fighters who completed their service in Ukraine to the Republic of Karelia in Russia's north-west, Prigozhin's press service reported on Tuesday (January 17)

Ukraine helicopter crashes near nursery, killing children and minister

Ukraine's interior minister died Wednesday in a helicopter crash near the capital (Brovary) that killed at least another 14 people, including other officials and three children, authorities said. Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi, who overs

Ladybbird · 20-01-23, 09:00

Vladimir Putin Henchman Threatens West With Nuclear WAR if Russia Defeated in Ukraine

Ukraine War: Give us Tanks, Says Zelensky, as Western Allies Meet

BBC 20 JAN 2023

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is under pressure to allow Kyiv a supply of the Leopard 2 tank - pictured here last year

President Zelensky told ARD television that Ukraine needed the Leopard tanks for self-defence

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky has made a direct appeal to Germany to provide tanks ahead of crunch talks involving dozens of Western allies at Ramstein air base in southern Germany.

The US and European nations have already promised Kyiv more equipment to fight Russia's invasion.

Berlin is under growing pressure to allow its Leopard 2 tanks to be sent.

"If you have Leopard [tanks], then give them to us," Mr Zelensky told German public TV.

"These leopards won't go through Russia. We're defending ourselves," he said, in remarks criticising the German government's hesitant attitude.

Defence officials from more than 50 countries are due to meet at Ramstein, a day after the US and several European nations pledged more equipment to help Ukraine fend off any further Russian offensives.

Almost 11 months after Russia launched its war against Ukraine, Nato military officials believe Moscow is planning a renewed spring offensive with troop numbers bolstered by a partial mobilisation since the end of September.

The UK also offered 14 of its battle tanks recently - but Kyiv wants more.

As the nation of manufacture, Germany has to give its permission before countries such as Poland or Finland commit to sending their own Leopard tanks. However, Polish deputy foreign minister Pawel Jablonski indicated on Friday that Warsaw might do so anyway.

"We'll see. I think if there is strong resistance, we'll be ready to take even such non-standard action. But let's not anticipate the facts," he told Polish radio.

Ukraine's allies faced a "simple choice" on Friday, an adviser to the defence minister in Kyiv remarked ahead of the summit.

"Tanks for Ukraine are tanks for freedom," Yuriy Sak told BBC's Newsnight programme. If these were not sent, other countries might one day "have to use them themselves" against Moscow, he warned.

Berlin said this week that a decision on the Leopard was conditional on the US agreeing to send Abrams tanks, which it is not intending to do. But the new German defence minister, Boris Pistorius, said he was not aware of "such stipulation".

Late on Thursday, Germany said its position would become clear in the coming hours, AFP reported.

Mr Zelensky has repeatedly taken aim at Berlin's perceived hesitancy and on Thursday criticised suggestions that the US and Germany were only planning to commit vehicles if the other nation did the same.

"I don't think this is the right strategy to go with", Mr Zelensky commented, while calling for "strong decisions" to be made during Friday's conference.

Retired US Army general David Petraeus said there was "legitimate reluctance" in Washington on the issue of sending Abrams tanks because it was difficult to maintain and had a jet turbine.

He told the BBC it was "imperative" that any Western tank donations were made "early enough, so [Ukrainian soldiers] can actually train on them".

For its part, Russia has warned Western countries that providing tanks to its enemy would mark an "extremely dangerous" escalation in the conflict.

On Thursday, Western nations pledged to send more vehicles, artillery and munitions to bolster the Ukrainian war effort.

The US committed a new package worth $2.5bn (£2bn), saying this took its spend on Ukrainian support to $26.7bn since last February's full-scale invasion by Russia.

Tanks were not included in the offer, but the Pentagon did promise an extra 59 Bradley armoured vehicles, 90 Stryker personnel carriers and Avenger air defence systems, among other provisions.

The announcement came after nine European nations promised more support of their own following a meeting in Estonia. This included:

UK - 600 Brimstone missiles
Denmark - 19 French-made Caesar self-propelled howitzers
Estonia - howitzers, ammunition, support vehicles and anti-tank grenade launchers
Latvia - Stinger air-defence systems, two helicopters, and drones
Lithuania - anti-aircraft guns and two helicopters
Poland - S-60 anti-aircraft guns with 70,000 pieces of ammunition
Czech Republic - produce further large calibre ammunition, howitzers and APCs
Netherlands - support expected to be detailed on Friday

New £70 million ship bought to protect underwater cables from Russian sabotage

Ladybbird · 25-01-23, 07:29

Berlin Plans to Send German Leopard Tanks to Ukraine, According to Reports

US and Germany Ready to Send Tanks to Ukraine

Germany will send its 2A6 battle tanks in conjunction with other countries such as Finland, Sweden and Poland, say reports citing government sources

BBC 25 JAN 2023

Berlin has reportedly succumbed to huge international and domestic pressure and is set to announce that it will send German-manufactured tanks to Ukraine that Kyiv says it needs to push back Russian forces, according to media reports on Tuesday evening citing government sources.

It is reported to be planning to send a company of Leopard 2A6 battle tanks – usually comprising 14 of the vehicles – in conjunction with other partners, namely Scandinavian countries in possession of the units. Berlin is also understood to have said it would give its permission for export licences for countries such as Finland, Sweden and Poland who have bought the tanks from Germany, allowing them to be sent to Ukraine.

The decision is expected to be made officially on Wednesday and Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, is due to be questioned in the Bundestag in the morning in a debate likely to be dominated by the tank decision.

The head of Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s presidential administration immediately hailed the German reports. “This is what is going to become a real punching fist of democracy against the autocracy from the bog,” Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram.

The 2A6 version of the Leopard is the latest version of the tank, which was first developed for the West German army in 1979.

The decision marks a groundbreaking one for Germany, ending months of painful debate and soul-searching, with the move marking the first time that German tanks will have been used on the battlefield in Europe since the second world war.

Germany’s historical responsibility as the instigator of that global conflict has been used by those arguing it has a moral obligation to send tanks to protect the victims of Russian aggression.

But at the same time, Germany’s Nazi past has been precisely what has held back decision-makers who have been deeply fearful that increasing firepower through the deployment of tanks could escalate the conflict – and leave Germany in danger of being labelled as an aggressor.

No indication has been given on the timing of the tanks’ arrival in Ukraine. The Leopard manufacturer Rheinmetall has said they could be ready to be dispatched by March. The defence minister, Boris Pistorius, said on Tuesday after a meeting in Berlin with Jens Stoltenberg, the general secretary of Nato, that he was encouraging countries with Leopards to start training Ukrainian soldiers in their use.

Berlin’s decision, after months of insisting it would only act in an alliance, is thought to have come after high-level, often tense talks in the past few days between Berlin and Washington and to be directly connected to a decision reportedly in the process of being hammered out in Washington to send its Abrams battle tanks.

Kyiv, which has been appealing for the tanks since last April, has given repeated reassurances to Berlin in particular that the tanks would only be used for defence purposes.

Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, the chair of the parliamentary defence committee, who has been highly critical of Scholz’s hesitancy, welcomed the decision even as she said it had come very late. “The decision was arduous, it took far too long, but in the end it was unavoidable,” she said, calling it “redemptive news for the abused and brave people of Ukraine”.

The deputy chair of the foreign committee in the Bundestag, Thomas Erndl of the conservative CSU, welcomed the decision, calling it “inevitable”. He told the DPA press agency: “It is important that we are now leading a European alliance, so that Ukraine receives a significant number of Leopard 2 tanks and that the training [of Ukrainian soldiers in their use] can begin immediately.”

But he criticised Scholz for a “massive weakness in decision-making”, saying that it had led to an “enormous loss of trust in Germany, from Europe and the USA”.

Lars Klingbeil, the head of the Social Democrats and a close colleague of Scholz’s, defended the chancellor. “It annoys me immensely that this careful weighing up in this curtailed debate is presented as an attempt to disassociate ourselves from Ukraine,” he told the left-leaning Berlin daily TAZ. “Olaf Scholz carries the responsibility as the German chancellor for what is a historic situation – not those who are constantly giving sly advice on Twitter or in Talkshows.”

Earlier in the day, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US government was considering sending a considerable number of its Abrams tanks. France is also believed to be on the verge of announcing it will send its own tanks to Ukraine.

Ladybbird · 27-01-23, 09:13

Putins' Revenge After Tanks Offer-Arctic Bombers BLAST Ukraine

Ukraine Hit by Russian Missiles Day After Wests' Offer of Tanks

BBC 27 JAN 2023

Russia launched a wave of missiles at Ukraine on Thursday, a day after Germany and the US pledged tanks to aid Kyiv's fight against the invasion.

Eleven people died and 11 others were injured after 35 buildings were struck across several regions, the state's emergency service said.

It added the worst damage to residential buildings was in the Kyiv region.

Officials also reported strikes on two energy facilities in the Odesa region.

The barrage came as Russia said it perceived the new offer of military support, which followed a UK pledge to send Challenger 2 battle tanks, as "direct" Western involvement in the conflict.

In what was a sustained and wide-ranging attack, the head of the Ukrainian army said Moscow launched 55 air and sea-based missiles on Thursday.

Valery Zaluzhny added that 47 of them were shot down, including 20 around Kyiv.

Earlier, Ukraine's air force said it had downed a cluster of Iranian-made attack drones launched by Russian forces from the Sea of Azov in the south of the country.

A 55-year-old man was killed and two others wounded when non-residential buildings in the south of the capital were struck, officials reported.

The offensive was a continuation of Russia's months-long tactic of targeting Ukraine's infrastructure. The freezing winter has seen power stations destroyed and millions plunged into darkness.

After Thursday's strikes, emergency power cuts were enforced in Kyiv and several other regions to relieve pressure on the electricity grid, said DTEK, Ukraine's largest private power producer.

A day earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised to provide Ukraine with 14 Leopard 2 tanks, following weeks of international pressure. They are widely seen as some of the most effective battle tanks available.

The heavy weaponry is expected to arrive in late March or early April.

President Joe Biden later announced the US would send 31 M1 Abrams battle tanks, marking a reversal of longstanding Pentagon arguments that they are a poor fit for the Ukrainian battlefield.

Canada has also promised to supply Ukraine with four "combat-ready" Leopard tanks in the coming weeks, together with experts to train Ukrainian soldiers in how to operate them.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that 12 countries had now joined what he called the "tank coalition".

But for tanks to be "game-changer", 300 to 400 of them would be needed, an adviser to Ukraine's defence minister told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"The sooner we defeat Russia on the battlefield using Western weapons, the sooner we will be able to stop this missile terror and restore peace," Yuriy Sak said.

Speaking on the same programme, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said sending tanks to Ukraine would make a big difference to the country's ability to win the war.

He also warned that Russia was planning a fresh offensive, just as reports began emerging from Ukraine of missile strikes following drone attacks overnight.

On Thursday, the US designated Russia's Wagner group, which is believed to have thousands of mercenaries in Ukraine, a transnational criminal organisation.

It also imposed fresh sanctions on the group and their associates to "further impede [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's ability to arm and equip his war machine", Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in the statement.

Ros Atkins on… Germany’s Ukraine tank decision

Putin’s machismo obsession sees him wear Cuban heels while photographed with students

Paranoid Vladimir Putin installs personal rocket launcher to protect his family

Ladybbird · 30-01-23, 02:20

PutinTold Boris I Can KILL You in a MINUTE & Threatened Missile Strike

Ukraine: Boris Johnson Says Putin Threatened Him With Missile Strike

BBC 30 JAN 2023

Boris Johnson received a call from President Putin the day after he met Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv

Boris Johnson has said Vladimir Putin threatened him with a missile strike in an "extraordinary" phone call in the run-up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The then-prime minister said Mr Putin told him it "would only take a minute".

Mr Johnson said the comment was made after he warned the war would be an "utter catastrophe" during a "very long" call in February 2022.

Details of the exchange are revealed in a BBC documentary, examining Mr Putin's interactions with world leaders.

Mr Johnson warned Mr Putin that invading Ukraine would lead to Western sanctions and more Nato troops on Russia's borders.

He also tried to deter Russian military action by telling Mr Putin that Ukraine would not join Nato "for the foreseeable future".

But Mr Johnson said: "He threatened me at one point, and he said, 'Boris, I don't want to hurt you but, with a missile, it would only take a minute' or something like that. Jolly.

"But I think from the very relaxed tone that he was taking, the sort of air of detachment that he seemed to have, he was just playing along with my attempts to get him to negotiate."

President Putin had been "very familiar" during the "most extraordinary call", Mr Johnson said.

It is impossible to know if Mr Putin's threat was genuine.

However, given previous Russian attacks on the UK - most recently in Salisbury in 2018 - any threat from the Russian leader, however lightly delivered, is probably one Mr Johnson would have had no choice but to take seriously.

Nine days later, on 11 February, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace flew to Moscow to meet his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu.

The BBC documentary Putin Vs the West reveals Mr Wallace left with assurances that Russia would not invade Ukraine, but he said both sides knew it was a lie.

He described it as a "demonstration of bullying or strength, which is: I'm going to lie to you, you know I'm lying and I know you know I'm lying and I'm still going to lie to you.

"I think it was about saying 'I'm powerful'," Mr Wallace said.

He said the "fairly chilling, but direct lie" had confirmed his belief that Russia would invade.

As he left the meeting, he said Gen Valery Gerasimov - Russia's chief of general staff - told him "never again will we be humiliated".

Less than a fortnight later, as tanks rolled over the border on 24 February, Mr Johnson received a phone call in the middle of the night from President Zelensky.

"Zelensky's very, very calm," Mr Johnson recalled. "But, he tells me, you know, they're attacking everywhere."

Mr Johnson says he offered to help move the president to safety.

"He doesn't take me up on that offer. He heroically stayed where he was."

Putin Vs the West will be broadcast on Monday 30 January on BBC 2 at 21:00, and will be available on the iPlayer in the UK.

Ladybbird · 02-02-23, 07:50

Ukraine Confirms Putin Planning February Anniversary Attack With Half a Million Troops

Ukraine's defence minister has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin has amassed half a million troops and could use them for an 'anniversary' attack on the country

BBC 2 FEB 2023

Ukraine has confirmed fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be planning a February 24 'anniversary' attack on the country with half a million troops.Putin was enraged by the West's decision to arm Ukraine with its tanks

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov is the latest to warn Putin might try something on the one year anniversary of the initial invasion Reznikov has said that Moscow has amassed hundreds of thousands of troops and could “try something” on the one year anniversary of its invasion.

The major new offensive would mark another phase of the ongoing war, and comes after prolonged fears Russia might utilise the anniversary date to renew their efforts to take Ukraine.

The Kremlin shocked the world when, in February last year, it invaded the country and tried to seize Kyiv as apart of what it claimed was a "special military operation".

Any attack would also mark Russia’s Defender of the Fatherland Day on February 23 - which celebrates the army.

Mr Reznikov said the Kremlin has gathered half a million troops for the potential offensive.

In September last year, Putin announced a general mobilisation that bolstered his forces by an estimated 300,000 soldiers.

But Mr Reznikov warned the true figure could be far higher than this. Speaking to the BFM Network in France, he said: "Officially they announced 300,000 but when we see the troops at the borders, according to our assessments it is much more,".

This comes as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned there had been no indication that Putin had been deterred from his goal of total conquest of Ukraine.

He said: "That they are actively acquiring new weapons, more ammunition, ramping up their own production, but also acquiring more weapons from other authoritarian states like Iran and North Korea.

"And most of all, we have seen no sign that President Putin has changed his overall goal of this invasion - that is to control a neighbour, to control Ukraine. So as long as this is the case, we need to be prepared for the long haul."

The fighting itself has reached something of a stalemate in recent months despite heavy conflict in the Donbas region in the east of Ukraine.

Neither side has made significant territorial advances apart from Russia's seizure of the town of Soledar.

Emergency workers clear the rubble after a Russian rocket hit a multistory building leaving many people under debris in the southeastern city of Dnipro, Ukraine

But Mr Reznikov said Ukraine was hoping to "stabilise the front and prepare for a counter offensive."

He added: "I have faith that the year 2023 can be the year of military victory,".

The defence minister was in France to strike a deal to purchase more MG-200 air defence radars which Mr Reznikov said would "significantly increase the capacity of the armed forces to detect air targets, including winged and ballistic missiles, and drones of various types".

Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said that the infamous Wagner Group were supporting Russian forces in the intense fighting taking part in the Donbas region.

A local resident is rescued from under the rubble of her apartment on the 4th floor 16 hours after Russian forces bombed a residential building on January 15, 2023 in Dnipro

Prisoner of War Wagner Mercenaries Ask to be Swapped For Ukrainian Forces in Hostage Video

This footage reportedly shows Wagner Group prisoners of war asking to switched with Belarusian volunteers of the Kalinouski Regiment in a hostage video.

Putin's Top Army Boss Boasts Thousands of Convict Conscripts Have Turned Into 'Cannibals'

Ladybbird · 20-02-23, 03:47

Putin Will Aim Nuclear Missiles on London and Berlin if Victorious in Ukraine

Putin Amasses Half a Mil Troops to Use For 24 FEB Anniversary Slaughter

US Blinken Says China May Give Weapons to Russia

China is considering giving Russia weapons and ammunition for the Ukraine war, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.

BBC 20 FEB 2023

Vladimir Putin will set sights on other nations in Europe if successful in Ukraine, it is suggested. Britain and the West must be prepared for nuclear war, should Russia emerge triumphant from the conflict in Ukraine

Mr Blinken told CBS News that Chinese companies were already providing "non-lethal support" to Russia - and new information suggested Beijing could provide "lethal support".

This escalation would mean "serious consequences" for China, he warned.

Chinese foreign affairs Minister Wang Yi delivered a speech in Munich on Saturday
China has denied reports that Moscow has requested military equipment.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and is yet to condemn Russia's invasion - but he has sought to remain neutral in the conflict and has called for peace.

China's foreign ministry said it would not accept "finger pointing" and "coercion" from the US over its relations with Russia.

Mr Blinken was speaking to CBS after he met China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference.

He said that during the meeting he expressed "deep concerns" about the "possibility that China will provide lethal material support to Russia".

"To date, we have seen Chinese companies... provide non-lethal support to Russia for use in Ukraine. The concern that we have now is based on information we have that they're considering providing lethal support," he said.

He did not elaborate on what information the US had received about China's potential plans. When pressed on what the US believed China might give to Russia, he said it would be primarily weapons as well as ammunition.

The US has sanctioned a Chinese company for allegedly providing satellite imagery of Ukraine to the mercenary Wagner Group, which supplies Russia with thousands of fighters.

Mr Blinken told CBS that "of course, in China, there's really no distinction between private companies and the state".

If China provided Russia with weapons, that would cause a "serious problem for us and in our relationship", he added.

Relations between Washington and Beijing were already poor after the US shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon in early February. Both sides exchanged angry words, but equally both sides appeared embarrassed by the incident and seemed ready to move on.

But if China were to deliver weapons to help Russian forces in Ukraine, then US-Chinese relations would deteriorate much more severely.

Mr Blinken's warning seems to be clearly designed to deter China from doing that.

Mr Blinken also said the US was worried about China helping Russia evade Western sanctions designed to cripple Russia's economy. China's trade with Russia has been growing, and it is one of the biggest markets for Russian oil, gas, and coal.

Nato members, including the US, are sending a variety of weapons, ammunition and equipment to Ukraine, including tanks. They have stopped short of sending fighter jets, and Mr Blinken would not be drawn on whether the US would help other countries supply jets.

"We've been very clear that we shouldn't fixate or focus on any particular weapons system," he said.

He did, however, say that the West must ensure Ukraine had what it needed for a potential counter offensive against Russia "in the months ahead". Russia is currently trying to advance in eastern regions of Ukraine, where some of the fiercest fighting of the war has taken place.

The top US diplomat's remarks come ahead of a scheduled visit by Mr Wang to Moscow, as part of the Chinese foreign policy chief's tour of Europe.

Mr Wang said in Munich on Saturday that China had "neither stood by idly nor thrown fuel on the fire" for the Ukraine war, Reuters reported.

China would publish a document that laid out its position on settling the conflict, Mr Wang said. The document would state that the territorial integrity of all countries must be respected, he said.

"I suggest that everybody starts to think calmly, especially friends in Europe, about what kind of efforts we can make to stop this war," Mr Wang said.

He added that there were "some forces that seemingly don't want negotiations to succeed, or for the war to end soon", but did not say who he meant.

The Chinese President, Mr Xi, is scheduled to deliver a "peace speech" on the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Friday, 24 February, according to Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani.

Mr Tajani told Italian radio that Mr Xi's speech would call for peace without condemning Russia, Reuters reported.

During their meeting, Mr Blinken and Mr Wang also exchanged strong words on the deepening row over an alleged Chinese spy balloon that was shot down over the US.

Mr Blinken said during the meeting that the US would not "stand for any violation of our sovereignty" and said "this irresponsible act must never again occur".

Mr Blinken told CBS that other nations were concerned about what he called China's "surveillance balloon program" across five continents.

Mr Wang, meanwhile, called the episode a "political farce manufactured by the US" and accused them of "using all means to block and suppress China". China has denied sending a spy balloon.

And on Sunday morning, Beijing warned that the US would "bear all the consequences" if it escalated the argument over the balloon. China would "follow through to the end" in the event "the US insists on taking advantage of the issue", it said in a foreign ministry statement reported by Reuters.

Ladybbird · 22-02-23, 00:00

DERANGED Putin Suspends Nuclear Arms Treaty With America

Vladimir Putin Warns of World War 3 Global Conflict as He Issues Nuclear Threat

Putin Suspended the Last Remaining Nuclear Pact With the U.S. Here's What Happens Now

BBC 22 FEB

Vladimir Putin suspended his nation’s participation in the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement with the U.S. on Tuesday, condemning the West in a nearly two-hour speech that sharpened tensions over the war in Ukraine.

The announcement, which came a day after President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Ukraine, shows how the confrontation between Russia, the U.S., and Europe is approaching a perilous crossroads one year after Putin ordered Russian forces to invade. From the start of of the war, the U.S. and NATO have raised fears about the risks of wider war and sought to avoid escalation even as they provided Ukraine with billions of dollars’ worth of weaponry and military aid.

The possible collapse of the last arms control pact between the world’s two nuclear superpowers illustrates how the security situation is growing more precarious, not less, as the war enters its second year despite Russia’s struggles to gain ground in Ukraine.

Around 90% of the world’s nuclear warheads belong to Moscow and Washington. To remind the world of the high stakes, Putin has continually chosen to rattle his nuclear saber at the U.S. and NATO as they try to pressure him to abandon his military campaign. During Tuesday’s state-of-the-nation address, Putin announced he’s placed strategic missile forces on “combat duty,” while declaring the suspension of the arms-reduction treaty known as New START.

The 2010 agreement limits the U.S. and Russia each to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads—strategic weapons that can be placed on submarines, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and long-range bomber planes. It also includes monitoring and on-site inspection elements to help ensure compliance, which Putin blasted in his speech.

“The United States and NATO are directly saying that their goal is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. Are they going to inspect our defense facilities, including the newest ones, as if nothing had happened?” he said. “Do they really think we’re easily going to let them in there just like that?”

Vladimir Putin Warns of World War 3 Global Conflict as He Issues Nuclear Threat

Ladybbird · 26-02-23, 04:11

Russia-Ukraine WAR Kyiv and Moscow Welcome Chinas’ Intervention

Zelenskiy says some points in Chinese statement for peace ‘understandable’ while Kremlin adds Beijing’s involvement appreciated

BBC 26 FEB 2023

Kyiv and Moscow welcome China's intervention in peace process

Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, says Moscow appreciated China’s plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and said it was open to achieving the goals of what it calls its “special military operation” through political and diplomatic means.

She said:
We appreciate the sincere desire of our Chinese friends to contribute to resolving the conflict in Ukraine by peaceful means... We share the views of Beijing.

However, this would also mean recognising “new territorital realities” in Ukraine, Zakharova said, referring to Russia’s unilateral annexation of four Ukrainian regions - Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia - as well as of Crimea.

Her remarks came as Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said there were points in the Chinese proposals that were understandable” and “there are those that we don’t”.

“But it’s something,” he added at a news conference on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion.

Zelenskiy said:
China has shown its thoughts. I believe that the fact that China started talking about Ukraine is not bad.

But the question is what follows the words. The question is in the steps and where they will lead to.

Ladybbird · 04-03-23, 08:14

Inside Zombieland Russia With 'Brainwashed' People Cut Off and Unable to Buy Key Goods

Some Russians dream of a new life in the West, while others wave flags and repeat the daily propaganda broadcast. “The war is making people crazy – welcome to Zombieland,” says Nika, 31, from Moscow

BBC 4 MAR 2023

Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine was supposed to make Russia a superpower again.

The warmonger appeared on Russian television in February, 2022 to announce the beginning of what he called a “special military operation", with the then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson awoken in the middle of the night at 10 Downing Street with a call from one of his advisers.

Instead, it has brought back the dark days of the Soviet Union, as citizens struggle to get hold of basic goods and are cut off from the world behind a curtain of censorship.

Ukraine remains bruised by the devastation, the deaths of tens of thousands of people and the fleeing of millions more.

United Nations head António Guterres condemned Russia's actions as an "affront" to the world's collective conscience at a meeting of the General Assembly nearly one year on.

While for Russian people, some dream of a new life in the West, while others wave flags and repeat the daily propaganda broadcast. “The war is making people crazy – welcome to Zombieland,” says Nika, 31, from Moscow.

So what is it really like in Russia now?

Propaganda billboards - 'God is with us'

Billboards have sprung up across the capital and throughout cities across the country.

“History always repeats itself,” one reads, showing pictures of the Soviet Red Army fighting the Nazis in the Second World War.

Some feature portraits of soldiers on the front lines – “Glory to Russia’s heroes” – calling on locals to sign up.

Others display the pro-war “Z” symbol.
a building decorated with a huge letter “Z,” which has become a symbol of the Russian military operation in Ukraine

“I avoid going into the city centre because I can’t stand seeing these signs,” says Nika. “Some people even wear badges with them on to prove they’re ‘patriots’ – but they’re really just Z-zombies, brainwashed by the government.”

However, the propaganda now poisons almost every part of life in Russia. Earlier this month, a group of pre-teen girl cheerleaders won a competition with a dance set to a pro-war song that declares “Donbass is ours and God is with us”.

Meanwhile, school pupils aged just eight are being taught to handle AK- 47 by teenage girls in red berets.
Echoes of Soviet era

“The special operation will be over before the end of the year – and the West will kneel,” Chechen warlord and Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov announced earlier this month.

Despite the promises of victory, things are getting harder back home for Russians.

“The biggest problem is with banks,” says 46-year-old businessman Kolya. “We can’t pay with foreign cards or with our phones, and there isn’t enough cash to go around so you sometimes have to queue to get money.

Closed shutters on an Adidas store at a Moscow shopping outlet

“And prices in the shops are much higher – food, medicine, clothes and so on have become much more expensive recently.”

However, he adds, amid the crisis is opportunity. “I own a company that makes products for the Russian market. Because Western brands have left, there’s much less competition.”

Familiar products such as soft drinks have been replaced with locally produced alternatives, including CoolCola.

But locals say iPhones and luxury brands are still on sale in upmarket department stores, despite sanctions.

An isolated country out in the cold

Isolation isn’t going so well in some industries though, and new cars have stopped rolling off the production line because of shortages of foreign parts.

Even Ladas, a Soviet-era brand billed as the Russian car of the future, has had to limit sales because its factories have run out of paint. It means they can only be bought in black and white.
Ladas, a Soviet-era brand billed as the Russian car of the future, has had to limit sales because its factories have run out of paint

Ladas, a Soviet-era brand billed as the Russian car of the future, has had to limit sales because its factories have run out of paint

A senior economist working with Russian clients said: “Russia is now more isolated than it was during the days of the Soviet Union. Restrictions on things like microchips and semiconductors mean industry is grinding to a halt.

“The only reason there hasn’t been a massive collapse is because the economy was already bad for a decade before the invasion, and people have not been living well for a long time.”
Unhappy meal arrives as burger giant pulls out

Last May, McDonald’s announced it was closing its stores across Russia – three decades after the first fast food restaurant was opened following the fall of the Soviet Union.

Now, just off Red Square where the golden arches once stood, is a garish red and orange brand called Tasty – Full Stop.

It has taken over more than 800 of the American chain’s former locations, selling items like a Double Egg Muffin and the Big Special burger.

A worker removed McDonald's logotype from a restaurant in Moscow on June 17, 2022

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - JUNE 12: (RUSSIA OUT) People visit a newly opened fast food restaurant in a former McDonald's outlet in Pushkinskaya Square, on June 12, 2022 in Moscow, Russia. The first of the former McDonald's restaurants has reopened under a new brand called "Vkusno i tochka" ("Tasty and point") in Moscow, after the corporation sold its branches in Russia to a local businessman following sanctions after

However, the quality is dividing fast food fans. “There’s no difference,” says Pyotr, a 23-year old engineering student from St. Petersburg. “It’s the same as McDonald’s was.”

But office worker Olya, 25, disagrees. “I’ve tried it a few times in Moscow. The burgers were cold, and the fries are like cardboard,” she says.

A state of fascism

While Russians are used to living under authoritarian governments, many are surprised by how extreme the censorship and repression has become since the start of the invasion of Ukraine.

“Russia has gone through a fascist transition,” says Dr Ian Garner, author of a new book on Russia’s “Z Generation” – young people growing up in an increasingly angry and isolated country.

“Putin has always been drifting in this direction, but in the past year things have fallen off a cliff,” he says.

Show of defiance as a man holds a placard reading 'No occupation of Ukraine' during a protest at Pushkinskaya Square

“Any pretence of law and order has gone out the window, and the courts can just simply destroy you for opposing the government.”

Andrei, 25, an IT worker who left Russia for Dubai after a warrant was issued for his arrest for taking part in anti-war protests, said: “Everyone there feels depressed and burned out – people are openly talking about how to find a good psychotherapist.

“The other solution is to drink and smoke, or sit at home and watch TV non-stop. It’s like Russians are in prison, just trying to pass the time.”

RELATED

Ladybbird · 14-03-23, 07:37

Russia Turns to CRUEL Flesh-Melting Weapon as Thermite Bombs Rain Down in Ukraine Town

Thermite munitions - which have been used previously during the war in Ukraine - are particularly deadly because they burn rather than explode, reaching temperatures exceeding 2,400C that can easily sear through steel

BBC 14 MAR 2023

Vuhledar - a mining town around 60 miles north of Bakhmut - was where the footage was taken

...

Russia has turned to using flesh-scorching thermite as it pounds away at Ukrainian positions.

Amid Moscow's grinding onslaught on the frontline, Russia sustained its largest daily losses yesterday after they had 1,090 men slaughtered in 24 hours.

It beat its previous grim tally by 60, after 1,030 met their end on February 7.

As well as the human losses, eight of Vladimir Putin's tanks, four artillery guns and four air defence systems were destroyed in the day of bloody warfare.

Much of the fighting in Ukraine's east is playing out in Bakhmut, the first place Putin's soldiers made signifcant ground in after 12 long months of war.

Flesh-eating thermite rains down on Ukrainian positions

The incendiary devices burn rather than explode, making them particularly deadly

However, other towns have also come under fire, including the key strategic mining town of Vuhledar, where shocking footage shows so-called "thermite rain" plummetting on the town from above.

Thermite bombs have been used on a number of occasions during the war.

The lethal devices - which are made of metal powder mixed with metal oxide - are so deadly because they burn rather than explode.

The components burn at a temperature exceeding 2,400C, hot enough to sear through steel, and to burn human flesh to the marrow.

The thermite munitions have been branded the cruelest weapons in Russia's arsenal because they are indiscriminate.

They can cause "immediate and lifelong human suffering", according to Human Rights Watch.

While Russia looked set to capture Bakmut for weeks, one thinktank said Russia's campaign - which is now the longest-running ground battle of the war - may have stalled.

Julia, 68, who was injured by shrapnel after an explosion in Bakhmut

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said there were no confirmed advances by Russian forces in Bakhmut. Russian forces and units from the Kremlin-controlled paramilitary Wagner Group continued to launch ground attacks in the city, but there was no evidence that they were able to make any progress, ISW said late Saturday.

The report cited the spokesperson of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Eastern Group, Serhii Cherevaty, who said that fighting in the Bakhmut area had been more intense this week than the previous one.

According to Cherevaty, there were 23 clashes in the city over the previous 24 hours.

The ISW's report came following claims of Russian progress earlier this week. The UK Defense Ministry said on Saturday that paramilitary units from the Kremlin-controlled Wagner Group had seized most of eastern Bakhmut, with a river flowing through the city now marking the front line of the fighting. The assessment highlighted that Russia's assault will be difficult to sustain without more significant personnel losses.

Ukrainian servicemen on the frontline in Bakhmut

The mining city of Bakhmut is located in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk province, one of four regions of Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally annexed last year. Russia's military opened the campaign to take control of Bakhmut in August, and both sides have experienced staggering casualties. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed not to retreat.

In its latest report Sunday, the U.K. Defense Ministry said Sunday that the impact of the heavy casualties Russia is continuing to suffer in Ukraine varies dramatically across the country. The ministry's intelligence update said that the major cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg remain "relatively unscathed", particularly among members of Russia's elite. In contrast, in many of Russia's eastern regions, the death rate as a percentage of the population is "30-40 times higher than in Moscow".

MORE Wagner paramilitary group boss claims he intends to run for president in Ukraine

Ladybbird · 17-03-23, 01:03

Poland to Send Four Fighter Jets to Ukraine 'In Coming Days'

Poland will send four Soviet-era Mig fighter jets to Ukraine - becoming the first Nato country to send planes since Russia invaded last year.

BBC 17 MAR 2023

Polish President Andrzej Duda said they would be sent in the coming days, with others handed over in the future.

Though a welcome boost to Ukraine's air defence, the extra jets are not expected to be decisive in the war.

The deputy speaker of Ukraine's parliament Olena Kondratyuk said she hoped more countries would follow.

Other Nato countries are considering sending the Soviet-era planes, which Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly.

Ukraine has previously asked Western countries for modern fighter jets, such as the F-16.

The UK is training Ukrainian pilots on Nato-standard aircraft. But because of the long training times, it has warned that supplying Western jets would only ever be a long-term option.

President Biden has previously ruled out sending jets from the US to Ukraine.

What weapons are being supplied to Ukraine?

At the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine was believed to have around 120 combat capable aircraft - mainly ageing Mig-29s and Su-27s.

President Duda said Poland still had around a dozen Soviet-era Mig 29 aircraft in operation.

Ukrainian MP Kira Rudik told the BBC: "We need them to strengthen our air defence systems and to help our army in the spring counter-offensive.

"It's also a good sign to everybody that getting fighter jets to Ukraine is not something unspeakable or surreal - that this is something that can happen; that the only thing that is needed to make it happen is political will."

Yuriy Sak, an adviser to the Ukrainian defence minister, told the BBC the Polish jets would be used "very efficiently by our air force".

He said in the past 24 hours, the existing Ukrainian air force had carried out 16 air strikes on Russian personnel and equipment. But he stressed that Ukraine wanted "fourth generation" jets, such as F-16s.

"They are more universal platforms, they are more capable and of course they will make Ukrainian air forces more efficient," he said.
Poland is a strong ally of Ukraine one of the largest suppliers of military equipment. It is currently replacing its old Soviet-era planes with newer American and Korean models.

Graphic with details of MiG-29 fighter jet

Polish Pilots Helped The RAF Defeat The NAZIS in WW1. They are OUTSTANDING Pilots...

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Firefighters battle HUGE blazing inferno at UK hotel ‘housing Ukrainian refugees’

Ladybbird · 24-03-23, 05:16

Russia Will BOMB Any Country That Arrests Putin as Russia Continues Slaughter in Ukraine

Japans' Prime Minister Makes Surprise Visit to Ukraine

Norway Has Sent Eight Leopard Tanks to Ukraine

Ukraine WAR Has Profound Impact’ on Asia

Beijing is watching ‘very carefully’ how world responds to Russian aggression, says US secretary of state with eye on China’s ambitions

BBC 24 MAR 2023

Russia's ex-president Dmitry Medvedev has warned that Moscow would attack any country that detains Vladimir Putin using the International Criminal Court arrest warrant.

Attempt to arrest Putin would be declaration of war, says Medvedev

The ICC last week called Putin a war criminal over his alleged role in abducting thousands of Ukrainian children. Putin could consequently face arrest in more than 100 countries that recognise the jurisdiction of the ICC warrant. However, Mr Medvedev cautioned that any attempt to execute the warrant would be seen by Moscow as a "declaration of war".

Russia is not one of the ICC's 123 member states, and a future trial of Putin is therefore highly improbable. But the warrant is expected to have an impact on his ability to travel, because he could be arrested and sent to The Hague.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has made a surprise visit to Ukraine to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky.

After arriving in Kyiv, Mr Kishida toured the town of Bucha, where Russian forces murdered over 400 civilians.

Mr Kishida’s trip to the war-torn nation was kept secret until the last minute for security reasons.

Xi’s Trip to Moscow Didn’t Impress The West – But His Most Important Audience is at Home

US secretary of state Antony Blinken has warned that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has a “profound impact” on Asia, saying that China is watching “very carefully” how Washington and the world respond to Vladimir Putin’s war.

Speaking on the heels of a visit to Moscow by Chinese president Xi Jinping, Blinken told a Senate foreign relations hearing that if Russia was allowed to attack its neighbour with impunity, it would “open a Pandora’s box” for would-be aggressors and lead to a “world of conflict”.

“The stakes in Ukraine go well beyond Ukraine ... I think it has a profound impact in Asia, for example,” Blinken said, noting that Japan and South Korea had been major supporters of Ukraine in the conflict.

This week, Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida made a surprise visit to Ukraine, laying a wreath for the dead at a church in Bucha and meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, at the same time as Xi was being treated to state dinners and raising a glass of wine with Putin in Moscow.

Russia’s invasion has led to debates about how the war will affect China’s military thinking regarding Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing sees as sovereign Chinese territory, to be “unified” by force if necessary.

Blinken said on Wednesday that he agreed with the CIA’s assessment that China would have the ability to invade Taiwan by 2027.

“I think if China’s looking at this [war in Ukraine] – and they are looking at it very carefully – they will draw lessons for how the world comes together, or doesn’t, to stand up to this aggression,” Blinken said.

Predictions of an invasion within the decade are usually about China’s capability. The director general of Taiwan’s national security bureau and its defence minister have said China would reach full invasion capability by, respectively, 2023 and 2025. Later dates are often based on China’s intention, picking years with symbolic significance for the Chinese Communist party (CCP).

The number of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies is dwindling, with debt-ridden Honduras saying this month it would begin establishing ties with Beijing instead, claiming Taiwan did not respond to its request to double its annual aid to $100m. Now only 13 countries recognise Taiwan as a country.

Taiwan’s former president Ma Ying-jeou will visit China next week in the first visit by a current or former leader since the defeated Nationalist Chinese government fled to the island at the end of the civil war in 1949.

Despite the warm welcome Xi received in Moscow this week, Blinken said he did not believe that China had been providing lethal aid to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“As we speak today, we have not seen them cross that line,” Blinken told a separate Senate subcommittee hearing on Wednesday. “They have a marriage of convenience – I’m not sure if it’s conviction. Russia is very much a junior partner in this relationship,” he said, noting that China’s political and material support for Russia went against Washington’s interests.

Blinken has publicly warned for weeks that China is considering Russian requests for weapons to fight in Ukraine, with some reports indicating limited shipments by Chinese companies to Moscow.

Blinken was responding on Wednesday to questions about President Joe Biden’s $63bn budget request – a rise of 11% – to face threats posed by Russia and China.

“The post-cold war world is over, and there is an intense competition under way to determine what comes next,” he said.

On the first of two days of testimony to Congress, Blinken also said the US would encourage other countries to extradite Putin if he visits after an arrest warrant issued by the international criminal court (ICC).

“I think that anyone who is a party to the court and has obligations should fulfil their obligations,” Blinken said.

But he stopped short of saying the US, which is not part of the ICC, would do so itself, calling the question “hypothetical”.

“I don’t think he has any plans to travel here soon,” he said of Putin.

US B-52 nuke bomber is flanked by six Nato fighter jets in warning to Putin

Ladybbird · 31-03-23, 06:31

Russia Seeks Weapons From North Korea to Bolster Ukraine War

US security spokesman says new evidence suggests Moscow offering food to ‘rogue’ nation in return for dozens of kinds of weapons and munitions

‘Absurdity to a New Level’ Russia Takes Charge of UN Security Council

Monthly rotation of presidency of 15-member council has been unaffected by Ukraine war

BBC 31 MAR 2023

BLOODY MADNESS..Russia Takes Charge of UN Security Council

Russia says it will discuss the situation in Ukraine as it takes over the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council. The impasse between Russia and other nations over Ukraine highlights limits to the power of the council. CGTN's Sarah Walton reports.

Russia Seeks Weapons From North Korea

The White House says it has new evidence that Russia is looking again to North Korea for weapons and munitions to fuel the war in Ukraine, this time in a deal that would provide Pyongyang with much-needed food and other commodities in return.

It is the latest accusation that Russia, desperate for weaponry and restricted by sanctions and export controls, is turning to “rogue” nations to help it continue its 13-month-old war.

“As part of this proposed deal, Russia would receive over two dozen kinds of weapons and munitions from Pyongyang,” White House national security council spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday. “We also understand that Russia is seeking to send a delegation to North Korea and that Russia is offering North Korea food in exchange for munitions.”

The Ukraine war is deepening Russia’s ties with North Korea as well as Iran

Experts believe the food situation in North Korea is the worst it has been under Kim Jong-un’s 11-year rule, but see no signs of imminent famine or mass deaths. Kim has vowed to strengthen state control over agriculture and take a spate of other steps to increase grain production, North Korean state media reported earlier this month.

The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said last month that US intelligence suggested China was considering providing arms and ammunition to Russia, though White House officials have said they have yet to see evidence of Beijing following through with weapons delivery.

Last year, reports emerged that Russia’s ambassador in Pyongyang suggested North Korea could send workers to two Russian-controlled territories in eastern Ukraine to help rebuild the war-shattered infrastructure there.

Alexander Matsegora said there were potentially “a lot of opportunities” for economic cooperation between the North and the self-proclaimed people’s republics in Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine’s Donbas region, despite United Nations sanctions.

Earlier on Thursday, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions against a Slovakian national, Ashot Mkrtychev, alleging he attempted to facilitate arms deals between Russia and North Korea.

Kirby said Mkrtychev is at the center of the new North Korea-Russia deal, which has yet to be consummated. He added that the US does not have evidence that Mkrtychev was involved in the earlier transfer of weapons to Russia’s Wagner Group, whose mercenaries have been in the centre of a months-long battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

Between the end of 2022 and early 2023, Treasury said Mkrtychev worked with North Korean officials to obtain over two dozen kinds of weapons and munitions for Russia in exchange for commercial aircraft, raw materials and commodities to be sent to North Korea.

Mkrtychev worked with a Russian citizen to find commercial aircraft to delivers goods to North Korea in the exchange.

“Russia has lost over 9,000 pieces of heavy military equipment since the start of the war, and thanks in part to multilateral sanctions and export controls, Putin has become increasingly desperate to replace them,”

Treasury secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. “Schemes like the arms deal pursued by this individual show that Putin is turning to suppliers of last resort like Iran and the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea].”

Any arms deal with Russia would be a violation of UN resolutions that ban North Korea from exporting to or importing weapons from other countries.

North Korea is the only nation aside from Russia and Syria to recognise the independence of Russian-controlled territories, Donetsk and Luhansk, in eastern Ukraine.

The publicising of Russia’s efforts to get weapons from North Korea is just the latest example of the Biden administration loosening restrictions on intelligence findings and making them public over the course of the war in Ukraine.

The administration has previously declassified intelligence to present evidence that Iran sold hundreds of attack drones to Russia over the summer and that the Wagner Group, a private Russian military company, has taken delivery of arms from North Korea to help bolster its forces as they fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine.

The administration has said it has sought to disseminate the intelligence findings so allies and the public remain clear-eyed about Moscow’s intent and so Russian president Vladimir Putin thinks twice about his actions.

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Ladybbird · 03-04-23, 22:31

Bakhmut: Wagner Raises Russian Flag But Ukraine Fights On

St Petersburg Explosion: Pro-Putin Blogger Given Statue Before Cafe Blast -Dies in Blast With Bomb Disguised as Statue - Woman Arrested

Russian Commander Who Oversaw Slaughter of Hundreds of Ukrainians Liquidated

BBC 4 APR 2023

Footage shared widely on social media shows the moment prominent Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was presented with a small statue inside a cafe before it was ripped apart by an explosion.

Tatarsky was killed and dozens of people were injured by the blast, Russia's interior ministry said.

Official sources believe a bomb was hidden inside a statue - but it is not clear if we see it in the video.

The BBC has been unable to verify the source of the blast, and there are conflicting reports of what exactly happened.

Russian Commander Liquidated

Russian sources report that Lisitsky's body was found in his apartment in Stavropol in the south-west of the country.

Notorious Russian commander Lt-Col Dmitry Lisitsky has been found dead of a gunshot wound at the age of 48 amid conflicting accounts regarding the events surrounding his death. Ukraine claims he was "liquidated" in reprisal for the deaths of hundreds ..

Russian police release video of woman detained after military blogger killed

NATO Troops Perform Air Assault Drill in Romania

Ladybbird · 12-04-23, 06:26

Over 50+ UK Special Forces Present in Ukraine This Year US DOCS Leak Says...Over 100 UK Special Forces Were Sent to Ukraine.

Documents appear to list number of western special forces personnel in Ukraine in February and March

Ukraine soldiers storm Russian trenches and dodge artillery in terrifying footage

BBC 12 APR 2023

Over 100 UK Special Forces Were Sent to Ukraine.

Leaked US military documents indicate that the UK has deployed as many as 50 special forces to Ukraine.

The documents suggest that more than half of the western special forces personnel present in Ukraine between February and March this year may have been British.

It is unclear what activities the special forces may have been engaged in or whether the numbers of personnel have been maintained at this level....

The UK’s elite military forces, whose activities are normally shrouded in secrecy, comprise multiple units including the Special Air Service (SAS).

The UK government has not disclosed since the beginning of the war that special forces have been active in Ukraine. Prior to Russia’s invasion, in June 2021 the UK embassy in Kyiv said its special forces had conducted training activities with Ukrainian forces.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) declined to comment on the disclosures or answer questions about UK personnel in Ukraine in recent months. However, in a tweet the department said the leak has “demonstrated a serious level of inaccuracy”.

The leaked documents, which have not been verified, are part of a tranche of classified US military and intelligence files that were posted on Discord, a platform used by gamers. At present, the original source of the files remains unknown.

In recent days, the documents, which are now circulating on social media and in online discussion forums, have prompted a series of media reports about US military and intelligence assessments, primarily about the war in Ukraine.

Although some of the files shared online appear to have been doctored, US news outlets including the New York Times have reported that US officials acknowledge many of the documents are genuine and were initially shared online without alterations.

The Guardian has reviewed a portion of the leaked documents, which contain photographs of at least two “daily updates” relating to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Markings on the documents suggest they were prepared for senior US defence officials.

Labelled “secret”, the two daily updates appear to have been created in February and March this year. They contain updates about military operations, logistics, weapons deliveries and training of Ukrainian forces by its Nato allies.

In one section, titled “US/NATO SOF in UKR”, the documents appear to list the number of western special forces present in Ukraine. The documents appear to be dated February and March 2023.

According to the files, US officials assessed at the time that of the 97 special forces from Nato countries active in Ukraine, 50 were British.

This is considerably higher than the number from the US and France, which were said to have deployed 14 and 15 special forces respectively.

The documents appear to offer a partial snapshot of US military assessments of the state of the war and allies’ support for Ukraine. They do not contain any information about the purpose of the deployments of UK or other contingents of special forces.

The documents suggest the special forces could form part of a Nato special forces command coordinated by the military alliance’s special operations headquarters, but precise details of how the forces are organised are not specified.

The UK’s special forces include the SAS, the Special Boat Service, the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, as well as several other secretive military units such as the 18 (UKSF) Signals Regiment.

The units, which conduct undercover operations as well as covert surveillance and reconnaissance operations, are the UK military’s most secretive organisations.

Unlike the intelligence services, the special forces are not subject to external parliamentary oversight.

UK Sabotaging Putin's Forces In Ukraine? Russia Probes Presence of Two Squads Of Elite SAS

Ukraine Soldiers Begin Training in Britain as Part of UK-Led Military Programme

Ladybbird · 13-04-23, 18:47

Jack Teixeira: Suspect in Pentagon Documents Leak Named

Leader of online group behind suspected US military document leaks named

BBC 13 APR 2023

Jack Teixeira: Suspect in Pentagon Documents Leak

The New York Times earlier reported that the leader of an online gaming chat group where the files leaked in recent months had the same name.

The paper said he is a 21-year-old member of the intelligence wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard.

Its report did not identify Mr Teixeira as the alleged leaker.

The New York Times cited interviews with other members of the online group, one of whom said he had known the person who leaked the files for at least three years.

At least 50 but perhaps more than 100 secret documents were posted on Discord - a social media platform popular with gamers.

The documents contain a range of intelligence assessments about the war in Ukraine, but also sensitive intelligence about countries around the world, including US allies.

Ammuniton fired by Ukrainian troops

The leaked documents have included details of Ukraine's planned offensive against Russian forces

On Wednesday, the Washington Post published an interview with one of the members of the chat room where the documents initially appeared.

He described the leaker as a young, charismatic gun enthusiast in his early to mid-20s who works at an unnamed military base.

The Post reported that the man was the leader of a Discord chat room including roughly two dozen members who swapped "memes, offensive jokes and idle chitchat" and prayed and watched movies together.

The members included people from Russia and Ukraine and a number of other countries in Europe, Asia and South America, the paper reported.

At first the leaks were kept inside the small chat room, but in early March members began posting them on other Discord servers, including ones dedicated to the game Minecraft and a Filipino YouTuber.

From there they were posted on the fringe message board 4chan and on the Telegram chat app, particularly on pro-Russia channels. In some cases they were altered to increase Ukrainian casualty counts.

Earlier, while on a trip to Ireland, US President Joe Biden said investigators were close to finding the person who leaked the documents.

"There's a full blown investigation going on, as you know, with the intelligence community and the Justice Department, and they're getting close," Mr Biden told reporters.

The FBI has now arrested Mr Teixeira

MORE

Ladybbird · 13-04-23, 21:46

Watch The Arrest of The Suspected Document Leaker

FBI Arrests National Guard Airman Jack Teixeira

The FBI has arrested a suspect in Massachusetts as part
of their investigation into leaked US military documents.

The FBI arrested Jack Teixeira in connection with the leaking of classified documents that have been posted online. Teixeira, 21, is a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. His arrest comes following a fast-moving search by the US government for the identity of the leaker who posted classified documents to a social media platform popular with video gamers.

Ladybbird · 16-04-23, 01:55

Jack Teixeira: US Airman Charged Over Pentagon Documents Leak

The US airman accused of leaking confidential intelligence and defence documents has been officially charged in a court appearance in Boston.

BBC News 16 APR 2023

Jack Teixeira, 21, wore shackles and a prison uniform as he stood before a federal judge on Friday.

After a shout of "love you, Jack" from a person in the courtroom, the defendant replied "you too, dad".

Mr Teixeira faces up to 15 years in prison over charges of unauthorised transmission of defence information.

He is also charged with the unauthorised removal and retention of classified documents.

The airman faces up to 10 years in prison for the first charge, and up to five years in prison for the second.

The dozens of leaked documents had revealed US assessments of the war in Ukraine as well as sensitive secrets about American allies.

The leaks embarrassed Washington and raised fresh questions over the security of classified information.

Mr Teixeira was arrested by armed FBI agents at his family home in Massachusetts on Thursday.

The judge ruled that the suspect qualifies for a public defender - a lawyer employed at public expense in a criminal trial for people who cannot afford legal fees.

Mr Teixeira remains in custody.

US President Joe Biden thanked law enforcement in a statement for their "rapid action" to investigate the source of the leaks. He said he has directed US military and intelligence to secure and limit distribution of any more sensitive information.

'Top Secret Clearance'

The leaked intelligence material first appeared in a Discord chat room on which Mr Teixeira is said to have been an administrator. Its members would often discuss geopolitical affairs and wars.

The affidavit provided by FBI Special Agent Patrick Lueckenhoff to the court stated that the suspect began posting the leaked documents some time in December.

The initial leaks were in the form of paragraphs of text, according to the affidavit, but Mr Teixeira then moved on to posting photographs of documents in January.

It was not until intelligence material was posted outside the chat room group that Pentagon officials became aware of the leak, prompting a search for the culprit.

Mr Teixeira worked as an IT specialist in the intelligence wing of the Massachusetts National Guard, based at Otis Air National Guard Base in western Cape Cod.

The National Guard is a reservist wing of the US Air Force. They are not employed full-time in the military, but can be deployed when necessary.

Mr Teixeira's official title was cyber defence operations journeyman, according to the criminal complaint filed in the Boston court. He held the rank of Airman 1st Class - a relatively junior position.

The affidavit stated that Mr Teixeira held a "top secret" security clearance since 2021, and that he would have "signed a lifetime binding non-disclosure agreement" to take on his role.

Mr Luekenoff added the suspect "would have had to acknowledge that the unauthorized disclosure of protected information could result in criminal charges".

The affidavit also alleged that Mr Teixeira used his government computer to search classified intelligence reporting for the word "leak" on 6 April - the day when public reporting about the documents first emerged.

Prosecutors alleged that Mr Teixeira searched the term to learn whether US intelligence had information on the identity of the person behind the leaks.

MORE;

The biggest intelligence leaks in US history
What punishment will he face?

Ladybbird · 20-04-23, 15:10

Russian Jet Tried to Shoot Down RAF Plane as Ukraine Continues to BLAST Russia

Ben Wallace Accused Russians of Act of WAR Against RAF Plane.

Russian Jet Tried to Blast RAF Plane Packed With 30 Brits Out of Sky, Leaked Docs Say

15ft from disaster: Russian jets 'recklessly' buzzed NATO aircraft, it emerges after Ben Wallace reveals Putin warplane fired a MISSILE near RAF patrol above the Black Sea

BBC News 20 APR 2023

A Russian Su-27 jet shadowing an RAF RC-135 spy plane over the Black Sea 'released a missile... in the vicinity' of the British plane, it has been revealed

Two Russian Su-27 fighter jets were following the British plane when one suffered a 'technical malfunction' and fired a missile, Ben Wallace said (file image). Defence Secretary also said one jet went within 15 feet of a Nato aircraft

An RAF RC-135 Rivet Joint spy plane had been flying over international waters near Crimea at the time of the incident last month

Two Russian Su-27 fighters 'interacted' with British spy plane over Black Sea
One jet went within 15 feet of Nato aircraft, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said
Fighter fired a missile 'in the vicinity' of a British spy plane above Black Sea
Sergei Shoigu, Putin's defence minister, blamed 'malfunction' for the incident
Near-miss will do little to calm nerves that Ukraine war could spiral into WW3

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has accused Russia of using its jets 'recklessly' after one of Putin's fighters went within 15 feet of a Nato aircraft.

Mr Wallace also revealed that a fighter jet accidentally fired a missile 'in the vicinity' of an RAF patrol above the Black Sea.

Detailing what happened between the Russian fighter and the UK plane, Mr Wallace said: 'I would also like to share with the House details of a recent incident which occurred in international airspace over the Black Sea.

'On September 29 an unarmed RAF RC-135 Rivet Joint, a civilian-style aircraft on routine patrol over the Black Sea was interacted with by two Russian armed Su-27 fighter aircraft.

'It is not unusual for aircraft to be shadowed and this day was no different.

'During that interaction however, it transpired that one of the Su-27 aircraft released a missile in the vicinity of the RAF Rivet Joint beyond visual range.

'The total time of the interaction between the Russian aircraft and the Rivet Joint was approximately 90 minutes.

'The patrol completed and the aircraft returned to base.'

Speaking to the Commons, he said Russia was using its fighters in a 'reckless' and 'unnecessary' way, which includes flying 'very, very' close to Nato aircraft.

'In one event I was aware of, a Russian fighter went within 15 feet of a Nato aircraft,' he said.

Mr Wallace said two Russian Su-27 fighters had 'interacted' with an RAF RC-135 Rivet Joint spy plane on patrol above international waters to the south of Crimea on September 29 when one of them 'released a missile'.
Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, blamed the incident on a technical malfunction and Britain does not believe it was a deliberate attempt to escalate, Mr Wallace added.

But it will do little to ease fears that the war in Ukraine could spiral into World War Three.

Ladybbird · 20-04-23, 15:20

Ukraine Continues to BLAST Russia...

Ladybbird · 22-04-23, 07:40

Putin is Preparing to Attack The UK -Russian Spy Ships are Mapping Wind Farms and Key Cables Off The British Coast.

For a long time it was only speculation. Now we know for certain. . There can be only one reason for this – to learn how to sabotage UK and European critical infrastructure in the event of a full-scale war with the West.

BBC News 22 APR 2023

Russian Spy Ships Mapping Wind Farms & Key Cables

For a long time it was only speculation. Now we know for certain

The sobering truth is that our potential adversaries, Russia in the West and China in the East, are gearing up for wider conflict.

That does not mean that conflict will happen –preparation makes it less likely – but we must urgently recognise the extent of the threat to the current order. Our world is becoming markedly more dangerous. And Britain is not ready.

Our collective response over too much of the past 15 years was one of denial, oiled and encouraged by Russian money and influence in the US, UK and EU.

War in Ukraine opened our eyes – just this week Cabinet Office Secretary Oliver Dowden gave an “unprecedented” warning of cyber threats to our national infrastructure; and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has been consistently robust – but there is much more we can do.

Some of our closest allies, such as Poland, are re-arming on land at an unprecedented rate. Were the worst to happen, they will be ready to defend European soil.

But the Nato alliance remains dangerously exposed at sea.

Russia is probing for European vulnerabilities. Apart from food, the daily critical requirements of modern society are energy and communications. The underwater arteries of modern civilisation are surprisingly few. For example, just three pipelines deliver 43 per cent of our baseline gas supply. Five interconnectors deliver electricity to and from the UK and Europe (and one more between Britain and Ireland). There are more communications cables, about 70 in all, but a relatively small number of deep-sea sabotage operations could bring our world to a halt without a shot being fired. We were assured that wind farms would bolster our energy security, but few considered their military exposure.

For two decades, Putin has laid the groundwork for unconventional warfare. Current Russian military thinking sees conflict as combining military and non-military tools of state power – the “unification of everything” – into a seamless whole to serve the Kremlin’s aims. It is a form of total war, using everything from culture to cyber to conventional conflict.

It reflects the belief that, according to the head of Russia’s Armed Forces, the “very rules of war” have changed.

US may need MORE nuclear bombs as China & Russia cooperate to create terrifying arsenal

Ladybbird · 27-04-23, 02:09

Two Russian Nuke Bombers Skirt UK as Putin Orders Tu 160 Jets to Patrol Sea Near Shetlands Scotland

RUSSIAN nuclear bombers have been spotted skirting the coast of Britain in a chilling show of force by Vladimir Putin.

Two Tu-160 planes were seen north of the Shetland Islands and were accompanied by a MiG-31 fighter during the 14 hour mission, which comes amid mounting tensions between Russia and the West.

BBC News 27 APR 2023

The planes flew a 14 hours mission that skirted the Shetland Islands

The bombers were accompanied by a MiG-31 fighter

Russian Su-27 fighter were intercepted by RAF and German jets

One of the Russian jets banking in front of the British and German planes shadowing it

An Il-20 spy plane was also involved in the tense encounter with the RAF

Kremlin jets recently brought down an American drone with both sides then putting on shows of strength by nuclear bombers.

The latest display of Kremlin military might comes as Russia’s former President Dmitry Medvedev warned humanity stands on the brink of World War Three.

It is the third time in a week the Russian tyrant has staged patrols of his nuclear strike aircraft and the second time in 12 days they have overflown the Norwegian Sea with Tu-160s.

Video shows the bombers – nicknamed the White Swans – being refuelled in flight during the mission, which comes after a similar display back in February.

“Two Tu-160 strategic missile carriers of the Russian Aerospace Forces have performed a scheduled flight in the airspace above neutral waters of the Barents and Norwegian seas, lasting over 14 hours," said the Russian defence ministry.

"All flights of Russian Aerospace Forces’ planes are carried out in strict compliance with international rules of airspace use.”

The Tu-160 – called the Blackjack by NATO - is a supersonic variable-sweep wing strategic missile-carrying bomber dating from the Soviet era.

Along with Tu-95MS bombers, the planes are the mainstay of Russia’s long-range aviation.

Ladybbird · 03-05-23, 13:56

Did Ukraine Really Try To Assassinate Putin With Kamikaze Drone OR is Russia Trying to Cover Up a SECOND Assassination Attempt of Putin?

Kremlin Accuses Ukraine of Trying to Assassinate Putin

Russia says it downed two drones that targeted the Kremlin in Moscow last night and accused Ukraine of attempting to kill President Vladimir Putin.

BBC News 3 MAY 2023

The Grand Kremlin palace, left, and the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Moscow, Russia.

Unverified footage on social media appeared to show an object flying over the Kremlin before a small explosion.

Ukraine said it had nothing to do with the drone strike.

Russia said the drones were disabled using electronic radar assets. Mr Putin's spokesman said he was not in the Kremlin at the time.

In a statement, the Kremlin said: "Last night, the Kyiv regime attempted to carry out a strike on the Kremlin residence of the President of the Russian Federation with unmanned aerial vehicles."

The Kremlin said the drones had targeted Mr Putin's residence in the complex

It said it regarded this "as a planned terrorist act and an assassination attempt on the president", and Russia "reserves the right to take retaliatory measures wherever and whenever is deemed necessary".

Mr Putin has very high personal protection and the BBC's Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg says it is astonishing to think that drones could have got anywhere near the Kremlin. He was unhurt and his schedule would continue as normal, the Kremlin said. He was working in Novo Ogaryovo outside Moscow on Wednesday.

Footage posted on Russian social media showed smoke over central Moscow in the early hours of Wednesday.

Fragments of the drones had fallen on the Kremlin site but no-one had been hurt and there was no damage to buildings, the Kremlin said.

The Kremlin also noted the incident had come shortly before Russia's 9 May Victory Day parade, which foreign dignitaries were expected to attend.

The parade would go ahead as planned, Russian news agencies quoted the Kremlin as saying.

Moscow's mayor on Wednesday announced a ban on unauthorised drone flights over the city.

Drone flights would require a special government permit, Sergei Sobyanin said.

Several Russian cities had already announced they would scale back this year's Victory Day celebrations.

Russian authorities have cited security reasons and attacks from pro-Ukrainian forces for the changes.

Explosions and fires have occurred in Russia in recent weeks.

Why Russia fears a "major breakthrough" by Ukraine, according to UK intel

Ladybbird · 17-05-23, 05:28

Zelensky Met With European Leaders to Ask For HELP

Britain to Send Ukraine Suicide Drones With Twice The Range of Himars
--Announcement that Kyiv will get hundreds of the kamikaze devices to strike back at Russia came as Volodymyr Zelensky met with Rishi Sunak

Ukraine’s Zelensky Arrived in Berlin and Was Received by Germanys’ Scholz
--Zelensky met with Germanys' Chancellor Olaf Scholz and thanked his government for its "fantastic solidarity" as he secured a big boost in military aid on his first visit to the country since Russia's invasion.

Ukraine War: Kyiv Not Attacking Russian Territory-Zelensky, as Russia Bombards Kyiv
--Russia has launched its' most intense rocket barrages on the Ukrainian capital since the war broke out.

BBC 17 MAY 2023

Russia bombards Kyiv

Germanys’ Change of Heart is Now Pivotal to The War in Ukraine

Zelensky arrived in Berlin from Rome, where he met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Pope Francis. He flew on a German government plane escorted over German airspace by fighter jets of the Luftwaffe air force, arriving in the middle of the night.

Wearing his trademark khaki combat trousers and a black sweater, the Ukrainian leader was first greeted by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier before he headed to the nearby chancellery to meet welcomed by Scholz with military honours.

Olaf Scholz’s about-turn on military aid policy will be transformative – and shows how German attitudes to the war are shifting. Unlike British or French politicians, Olaf Scholz doesn’t do pomp. Nor does he do charm. A man who screws up his eyes when he tries to smile, the German chancellor welcomed Ukraine’s president to Berlin on Sunday with characteristic stiffness.

Yet of all Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s meetings with fellow European leaders over the past few days – from Rome to Paris to Chequers today for more hardware and more embraces with Rishi Sunak – his day in Germany may be remembered as the most important. The announcement on the eve of his visit of a doubling of military aid to Ukraine to a total of more than €5bn finally brings Germany in from the cold. The consequences may take months to be seen on the battlefield, but in geo-strategic terms they are immediate.

Zelenskiy knows that he has perhaps only six to eight months for his counteroffensive to make sufficient inroads to force Russia out of the areas it seized in 2022 and, better still, out of lands it annexed in 2014. Doing this would also demonstrate to the west the effectiveness of the support given so far. He knows that if he cannot finish the job this year, he will have to continue into next year in even more difficult circumstances.

He sees the Chinese, the French and others showboating diplomacy not necessarily on Ukraine’s terms. At the same time he is aware that public opinion in several countries is wavering.

Most of all, he sees the lumbering figure of Donald Trump coming into view. Even the prospect of a return to the White House of a man who cannot say which side he supports provides succour to Vladimir Putin and the forces on the far right and far left in Europe who put the vague notion of “peace” ahead of international law, self-determination and human rights.

That is why the debate in Europe, and Germany in particular, is so important. Germans are told to pull their weight but not to throw their weight about. They pride themselves on Vergangenheitsbewältigung, their coming to terms with their past.

Yet in recent years among some sections of society, particularly Scholz’s Social Democrats, one wrong lesson was learned. These “salon pacifists” reinterpreted the phrase “never again” to mean never again going war, rather than never confronting tyranny. The terrible invasion of Iraq reinforced that view.

Ukraine has now shattered that, inserting a concept alien to several generations of “the good war”. But it has required two heaves to get there. The first was the Zeitenwende, the speech Scholz gave three days after Putin’s invasion in which he declared a new approach to hard power and an extra €100bn to be spent on reinforcing Germany’s ailing armed forces.

Having broken the mould so dramatically, the German chancellor returned to type, second-guessing each step, fearful of a backlash from his party. Relations became so toxic that the German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, was prevented by the Ukrainians at the last moment from visiting Kyiv.

Zelenskiy feted all-comers but froze out the Germans, who complained they were not getting the credit for being one of the largest donors of military aid, amounting to more than €2bn. The problem was that it was offered grudgingly and delivered slowly.

Tensions reached a high in the autumn over the stalled delivery of German-made Leopard 2 tanks. Not only did Scholz refuse to send them, but he also held back re-export licences to Ukraine by other countries of the tanks. He eventually relented, arguing that his position had forced the Americans to release tanks too.

Zelenskiy Arrived in France to meet Macron After Germany visit

Russia Launched Exceptional Missile Attack on Ukrainian Capital Kyiv in Bombardment

Moscow is enraged by the British supply of missiles but Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said it would “not affect” the course of the war "but will lead to retaliatory actions by the Russian Federation”

Zelensky Met PM Sunak as More Ukraine Weapons Pledged

The UK will send hundreds of air defence missiles and armed drones to Ukraine on top of the Storm Shadow cruise missiles announced last week.

The move means the UK is going further than any other country in providing weapons with the potential to tip the battlefield in Ukraine's favour.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky met the UK's Rishi Sunak as part of his tour of Western allies.

Mr Zelensky said it was important for the West to send fighter jets as well.

Ukraine Receives Jet Fighter Support Pledge From UK & Netherlands

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Dutch premier Mark Rutte agreed to build an international coalition to provide Kyiv with F-16s fighter jets.

The UK prime minister said providing fighter jets was "not a straightforward thing", although he did say the UK would form "a key part of the coalition countries" providing that support.

Ukraine is continuing to prepare for a much-anticipated counter-offensive against Russian forces.

Last week, Mr Zelensky told the BBC his country needed more weaponry before it could launch the attack.

On Monday, the Ukrainian president had about two hours of talks with Mr Sunak at Chequers, near London.

He arrived on British soil for a surprise visit after a whirlwind tour of Western Europe that also took in Rome, Berlin and Paris.

Mr Zelensky said Ukraine and the UK were "real partners", while Mr Sunak's spokesman described the meeting as "warm and collegiate".

The Storm Shadow cruise missiles can be used to destroy Russia's positions on occupied Ukrainian territory.

If Ukraine can destroy Russia's command centres, logistics hubs and ammunition depots in occupied territory, then it may prove impossible for Moscow to continue resupplying its frontline troops in places.

This is what Ukraine did so successfully in Kherson last year, forcing the Russians to withdraw almost without a fight. It will now be hoping to repeat the process with the help of Western-supplied munitions.

President Zelensky's repeated calls for Nato to send F-16 jets are being met with delays and obfuscations, for several reasons.

The Ukrainian air force has trained its pilots on F-16s, which the RAF do not use, but such training takes months, not days.

Logistics, maintenance and the need to find suitable runways are all important too.

Finally, there is the question of escalation. Nato is struggling to balance giving Kyiv the maximum support it can, without getting directly drawn into this conflict.

If Nato does end up sending F-16 warplanes, however old they may be, then that, in Moscow's eyes, constitutes a major provocation by the West.

Mr Zelensky said he discussed the supply of Western fighter jets with Mr Sunak.

New jets were a "very important topic for us, because we can't control the sky", the Ukrainian leader added.

"We spoke about it and I see that in the closest time you will hear some, I think, very important decisions, but we have to work a little bit more on it," he said.

The UK has no plans to send fighter jets to Ukraine, according to the prime minister's official spokesman.

But No 10 said elementary training for Ukrainian pilots would begin this summer, along with British efforts to work with other countries on providing F-16 jets to Ukraine.

The prime minister's official spokesman also denied that any drones supplied by the UK would be used to hit targets inside Russia.

They would be used for the defence of Ukraine on Ukrainian sovereign territory, the spokesman said.

Mr Sunak said: "This is a crucial moment in Ukraine's resistance to a terrible war of aggression they did not choose or provoke.

"They need the sustained support of the international community to defend against the barrage of unrelenting and indiscriminate attacks that have been their daily reality for over a year."

In response, Russia said the new British weapons due to be supplied to Kyiv would only cause "further destruction".

"Britain aspires to position itself at the forefront of the countries that continue to pump weapons into Ukraine," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
European support

Ukraine secured a new defence aid package from Germany after talks in Berlin with Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday, taking its total military funding to nearly $7bn (£6.44bn).

Mr Zelensky described the new pledge of German Leopard tanks and anti-aircraft systems as "the largest since the beginning of the full-scale aggression" by Russia in February 2022.

France has promised dozens more light tanks and armoured vehicles after President Emmanuel Macron met his Ukrainian counterpart in Paris.

In February, Mr Zelensky visited London for the first time since the start of the war, during which he attended an audience with the King and addressed Parliament.

His latest visit to the UK comes ahead of a G7 gathering in Hiroshima, Japan, later this week which will also be attended by Mr Sunak.

Ladybbird · 17-05-23, 10:22

Massive Explosion Erupts as Ukrainian Air Forces Destroy Russian Ammunition...

Ladybbird · 20-05-23, 05:48

President Zelensky Met With Arab League in Jeddah to ask For HELP as al-Assad Returns to Arab Fold

Syria: Dismay and Fear as Bashar al-Assad Returns to Arab Fold

President Bashar al-Assad strode into the Arab League summit in Jeddah, relishing the clearest recognition yet that he has won his war for Syria.

BBC 20 MAY 2023

He was embraced by the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. A decade ago, the Saudis funded anti-Assad militias. Now the prince, known as MBS, wants to remake the Middle East, and he needs Syria onside.

In a speech, President Assad insisted that Syria would always belong to the Arab world. But other countries should not interfere with what happened inside its borders.

"It is important to leave internal affairs to the country's people as they are best able to manage them," he said.

By the people, President Assad meant the leader and his supporters. Between them, the princes and presidents at the summit have locked up many thousands of their opponents.

Events in Jeddah are being viewed with dismay by Syrians who blame the Assad regime for destroying their country, including all the Syrian refugees I have spoken to in Lebanon.

Lebanon, small and poor, has had to tolerate well over a million Syrians fleeing the war. That is the equivalent of a quarter of the Lebanese population - something like the UK accepting over 15 million refugees.

Now many Lebanese have had enough, making Syrians a convenient scapegoat for their own country's chronic economic and political problems.

A refugee camp in Lebanon

More than one million Syrians have fled to Lebanon, to escape 12 years of war in their home country

In the last few weeks, the army has deported around 1,500 of them back over the border at gunpoint, sometimes leaving children behind in Lebanon or forcing children out without their parents.

A refugee family speaking on condition that their identities were kept secret talked about life in a town near Beirut where a curfew has been imposed on Syrians.

The children have been thrown out of school. The turmoil in their lives is clear in their teenage daughter's anguished artwork. Their father views the authoritarian Arab leaders embrace of Bashar al-Assad with contempt - and fear.

"The Assad regime is a dictatorship - the same as the other Arab regimes. They're helping each other, cooperating against the people."

In a refugee camp in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, Assad's presence in Jeddah was another crushing blow. Nasser and Marwa, a couple who've been here since 2013, fear Assad's return to the Arab League might be an excuse for more deportations.

Marwa said she woke up every morning thanking God she hadn't been deported.

"Now we're always afraid of the raids. I always imagine that they will come and take all the men and deport them."

Nasser said he faced being drafted into the army if he went back. He escaped Syria to avoid fighting for the regime. He's desperately worried about what would happen to his wife and their 18-month-old daughter Lillas if they are forced back.

Nasser, Lillas and Marwa live in fear of deportation back to Syria

Nasser was disgusted with the Arab League's decision to readmit Assad's Syria.

"After everything that he's done, they're hosting him. I don't understand it, after all the killing and destruction, and the misery in Syria - it's not acceptable."

Syria, and the Assad regime, remain under US and European sanctions. Amnesty International, the human rights group, said that the president "turned Syria into a slaughterhouse".

The UK government, Amnesty said, should "strenuously oppose any attempt to bolster Assad's international standing".

Some members of the Arab League agree. Qatar, which also funded the armed opposition in Syria, does not approve of Assad's gradual return to Arab respectability.

But as well as the wider geopolitical plans of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who believe the Assad regime is a Middle Eastern reality and Syria a country they need to influence, there are other reasons for wanting to court Assad.

Jordan, as well as the Saudis, are fighting the spread of a narcotic drug called Captagon, which is made in Syria and smuggled into their countries. It is an amphetamine that was given to fighters to boost their endurance but is now widely used as a recreational drug.

The US and UK have imposed sanctions on named members of the Assad family who they say are heavily involved in the Captagon trade. Some estimates say the business is worth more than $50 billion (£40bn) a year.

Saudi officers holding Captagon pills
Other Arab states are fighting the trade in Captagon, made in Syria and smuggled abroad

At the United Nations, which runs a huge relief operation in Syria and Lebanon, there is cautious hope Syria's readmission to the Arab League might somehow become a circuit breaker that allows diplomatic progress.

Imran Riza, the UN's deputy special coordinator for Lebanon, tried to find a positive.

"If what's happening now in the region is going to help to get us to a political solution then it's a good thing."

But the UN does not support forced repatriation. It insists that Syrian refugees cannot return home until their country is safe and secure. That is a long way off.

President Bashar al-Assad broke his country to save his regime. There has been no justice for his victims.

But there is a lesson for ruthless, authoritarian leaders, not least his close ally, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, whose decisive military intervention in 2015 helped the Assad regime to victory.

Wait out the storm and you can outlast your enemies.....

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Lands in Jeddah For Arab League Summit

The Ukrainian president has landed in Saudi Arabia today and is expected to meet the Saudi crown prince on his first-ever trip to the country.

Setting out his priorities for the trip he said he wanted to discuss "political prisoners in Crimea and temporarily occupied territories, the return of our people, peace formula and energy cooperation"

12-11-22, 15:00	#201
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Battle of The Atlantic: Royal Navy Ships & US Subs Move in to STOP Putin Calls For President Vladimir Putin to be Toppled and Killed After Defeat in Kherson An ultra-right-wing nationalist in Russia dubbed "Putin's brain" has broken silence and called for the Russian leader to be toppled and killed. Alexander Dugin expressed his fury at Russia's retreat from Kherson in Ukraine Daily Mirror UK 12 NOV 2022 One of Russia’s key figures dubbed “Putin’s Brain” has called for President Vladimir Putin to be toppled and hinted he should even be killed after Moscow’s humiliating defeat in Kherson. Ultra-right-wing nationalist Alexander Dugin has become the first major Russian to break silence over growing disgust at Putin’s failed Ukraine invasion. But worryingly, the 60-year-old fascist strategist is thought to be part of a growing body of Moscow elite calling for Putin to escalate in Ukraine and sees Kherson as a massive blow to Russian pride. Soon after he posted his outburst on Telegram, furious over the Kherson retreat and fears of many Russians killed there, his tirade against Putin was removed. But the Mirror can reveal the long-haired philosopher and Ukraine invasion hawk quoted from a story of the Golden Bough by James Frazer in which a king is killed. The king was killed in the fictional story because he failed to bring rain during a drought and has his stomach ripped open. In his angry rant, Dugin wrote: "We give the Ruler absolute fullness of power, and he saves us all, the people, the state, people, citizens, at a critical moment. Dugin cited a story in which a king was killed and his stomach ripped open because he failed to bring rain during a drought “If for this he surrounds himself with s* or spits on social justice, this is unpleasant, but if only he saves. “Then - the fate of the 'king of the rains'." Dugin, talking about the situation in Ukraine wrote that every ”real Russian” should now grieve and ”clench his teeth in pain” because of the current situation. He went on to explain that Russia has “surrendered Kherson” and that if civilians are not upset over Kherson Dugin's comments come after the Russian withdrawal from Kherson Worryingly Dugin, along with other ultra-nationalists was merely upset over Russia’s failures in Ukraine and not over Russia’s atrocities. It comes as a growing rift is developing between military figures blaming Putin for the failing invasion, civilians upset over the death toll of Russian troops and hardliners. Dugin was one of the main proponents of the Ukraine invasion, having called for the expansion of Russian territory into Crimea, then the rest of Ukraine and beyond into the Baltic states. __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL** ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

14-11-22, 18:03	#202
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Battle of The Atlantic: Royal Navy Ships & US Subs Move in to STOP Putin CIA in Secret Talks With Russia CIA boss talks nuclear weapons and prisoners with Putin’s spy chief Putin has repeatedly said Russia will defend its territory with all available means BBC 15 NOV 2022. CIA Director William Burns (above) met on Monday with Sergei Naryshkin in Ankara. LONDON/WASHINGTON: US Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns was expected to caution President Vladimir Putin’s spy chief at talks on Monday about the consequences of any use of nuclear weapons, and to raise the issue of US prisoners in Russia, a White House official said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to Russian news agencies that a US-Russia meeting had taken place in the Turkish capital Ankara but declined to give details about the participants or the subjects discussed. The White House spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Burns was meeting Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service. It was the first known high-level, face-to-face US-Russian contact since Russia launched attacks on Ukraine in February. “He is not conducting negotiations of any kind. He is not discussing settlement of the war in Ukraine,” the spokesperson said. “He is conveying a message on the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons by Russia, and the risks of escalation to strategic stability ... He will also raise the cases of unjustly detained US citizens.” Burns is a former US ambassador to Russia who was sent to Moscow in late 2021 by President Joe Biden to caution Putin about the troop build-up around Ukraine. “We briefed Ukraine in advance on his trip. We firmly stick to our fundamental principle: nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” the spokesperson said. Putin has repeatedly said Russia will defend its territory with all available means, including nuclear weapons, if attacked. He says the West has engaged in nuclear blackmail against Russia. MANY OUTSTANDING ISSUES The remarks raised particular concern in the West after Moscow declared in September that it had annexed four Ukrainian regions that its forces partly control. The US-Russian contact in Turkey was first reported by Russia’s Kommersant newspaper. The SVR did not respond to a request for comment. Beyond the war, Russia and the United States have a host of outstanding issues to discuss, ranging from the extension of a nuclear arms reduction treaty and a Black Sea grain deal to a possible prisoner swap and the Syrian civil war. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, asked at a summit of the Group of 20 (G20) leading economies in Indonesia about the meeting in Turkey, said the United Nations was not involved. Biden said this month he hoped Putin would be willing to discuss seriously a swap to secure the release of US basketball star Brittney Griner, who has been sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony on drugs charges. Former US Marine Paul Whelan, who holds American, British, Canadian and Irish passports, was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in a Russian jail after being convicted of spying, a charge he denied. Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer jailed in the United States, has been mentioned as a person who could be swapped for Griner and Whelan in any prisoner exchange. __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

15-11-22, 21:47	#203
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Battle of The Atlantic: Royal Navy Ships & US Subs Move in to STOP Putin Poland in ‘Crisis Situation’ After Reports of Deadly Missile Attack Russian Missiles Land in Poland, Killing Two "If Russia continues to do this, then who knows what Nato’s response is going to be." BBC 15 NOV 2022. Were the reported Russian missile strikes on Poland an accident? Two missiles have landed in Poland along its border with Ukraine, killing two people, local media reported Tuesday. The Prime Minister has called an urgent security meeting with the Committee of the Council of Ministers for National Security and Defense Affairs, government spokesman Piotr Müller announced on Twitter . “The Prime Minister called as a matter of urgency the Committee of the Council of Ministers for National Security and Defense Affairs,” Müller said. A spokesperson for the Polish Embassy in Washington, D.C. confirmed the Prime Minister called the meeting and told The Daily Beast the meeting was ongoing as of 2:01pm ET. The spokesperson declined to share the purpose of the meeting. Müller said the meeting was in response to a “crisis situation,” according to the AP. The origins of the reported explosion were not immediately clear, local media reported. Quoting an anonymous senior U.S. intelligence official, the AP reported that the incident was the result of Russian missiles crossing into Poland. The reported attack on Poland, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, could raise questions for the military alliance about whether Article V could be triggered and pull other countries into a conflict. If a NATO member is the victim of an attack, other members can consider it an attack on the alliance writ large and pursue retaliatory action. The Pentagon is looking into the reports about missile strikes in Poland, Pentagon Press Secretary Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Tuesday. He declined to speculate about whether collective response through NATO is relevant in this case at this time. The Biden administration could not confirm the reports Tuesday, a White House National Security Council Spokesperson said. "We've seen these reports out of Poland and are working with the Polish government to gather more information," the spokesperson said. "We cannot confirm the reports or any of the details at this time. We will determine what happene UPDATE Massive Missile Attacks in Ukraine BBC 15 NOV 2022. As world leaders gather at the G20 summit to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine, a barrage of missiles was launched. Just hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky told the gathering in Bali that "now is the time" to end the war and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called for an end to the "barbaric" conflict, the Kremlin pounded cities and energy facilities in a fresh wave of strikes. A Ukrainian air force spokesman said Russia fired around 100 missiles in a countrywide assault. Fresh bombardment struck residential buildings in Kyiv and prompted mass power outages. In the capital, at least one person was killed. Lviv in the west and Kharkiv in the east were also attacked. Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the president's office, distributed footage showing a blaze at a Soviet-era, five-storey residential building. Sherelle Jacobs argues in her latest column that the West declared total victory over Vladimir Putin far too soon Russian Soldiers Fled Naked A group of Russian soldiers ditched their weapons and gear to swim naked across the Dnipro River during Moscow's retreat from the city of Kherson. Ukraine's defence ministry released a video showing Ukrainian troops patrolling along a river bank – to find it littered with the belongings of Kremlin soldiers, who left all their equipment behind as they fled without clothes. After a long hibernation under Russian control, Kherson is nervously embracing a new dawn. Colin Freeman has our dispatch, in which he reports how locals are slowly adapting to months under Kremlin command and do not know who to trust. To meet President Zelensky in Kyiv, dignitaries must take a gruelling 10-hour sleeper train. With air space closed and road travel too risky, guests hunker down for a 400-mile night journey on the Soviet-built railway from Poland's border. For politicians used to luxury air travel, it does not sound like the most relaxing of journeys. But they do have the nation's best cuisine at their disposal. Meet top chef Ievgen Klopotenko, who has been wooing world leaders with his exceptional on-board cuisine. __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

17-11-22, 02:47	#204
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Battle of The Atlantic: Royal Navy Ships & US Subs Move in to STOP Putin Poland Strike Most Likely From Ukrainian Air Defence Says Nato Chief Poland Says Missile Deaths Near Ukraine Border Was an Accident Caused by Misfiring Ukrainian Air Defense Russia Denies Responsibility For Poland Blast BBC 17 NOV 2022. A missile strike that killed two people in Poland was 'most likely from a Ukrainian air defence' but Russia bears the "ultimate responsibility", Nato's chief has said. Nato's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said "accidents happen" in war but that the onus is still on Russia. He added the strike "would not have happened if Russia hadn't waged a brutal war of aggression against Ukraine". He emphasised the need for these type of mistakes not to "spiral out of control", adding that there are lines of communication between the US and Russia, and between Nato and Russia. __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

17-11-22, 09:57	#205
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Battle of The Atlantic: Royal Navy Ships & US Subs Move in to STOP Putin Ukraine War: Billionaire Andrew Forrest Launches $25BIL Fund For Reconstruction Australian mining billionaire Andrew Forrest has launched an investment fund that is hoped will be worth at least $25bn (£21bn) to help rebuild war-torn Ukraine. BBC News 17 NOV 2022. Mining tycoon Andrew Forrest. Mr Forrest and his wife have committed $500m to the fund, which its organisers say could eventually grow to $100bn. The Ukraine Green Growth Initiative plans to invest in primary infrastructure such as energy and telecoms networks. President Zelensky welcomed the move. "We will take advantage of the fact that what the Russians have destroyed can readily be replaced with the latest, most modern green and digital infrastructure," Mr Zelensky said. The fund said it had been working with Larry Fink, the chairman of investment giant BlackRock, and hopes to gain the support of sovereign wealth funds and other professional investors. Since starting work on the investment fund in early March, Mr Forrest said he had discussed the plan with a number of world leaders including US President Joe Biden, then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. "The president [Zelensky] sees that as an opportunity to completely replace old coal-fired [and] nuclear power stations with brand new green energy," Mr Forrest told the BBC. "That capital would be available the instant that the Russian forces have been removed from the homelands of Ukraine," he added. Mr Forrest made his fortune from Australia's mining boom. He is the founder and executive chairman of iron ore giant Fortescue Metals. In recent years he has turned his attention to sustainable technology, with initiatives to decarbonise his mining operations and become a major producer of green hydrogen. Rebuilding Ukraine The Russian invasion of Ukraine has seen large parts of the country's infrastructure destroyed or damaged. Recent Russian missile attacks have targeted Ukraine's energy network including its electricity generation plants. In July Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said it would cost $750bn for the country to recover from the war, which had caused $100bn of direct damage to infrastructure. This week Russia angrily rejected international calls for it to pay for war damage it has inflicted in Ukraine. It came after the UN General Assembly passed a resolution saying Russia should face the consequences of its actions, including paying reparations. General Assembly resolutions carry symbolic weight but do not have the power to enforce compliance. The Kremlin said it would work to stop the West seizing its international reserves to pay for reparations. __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

18-11-22, 20:08	#206
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Battle of The Atlantic: Royal Navy Ships & US Subs Move in to STOP Putin Putin Tests 'Satan II' Missile Putin test-launches ‘Satan 2’ nuclear missile to make West ‘think twice’ BBC News 19 NOV 2022. Russia test-launched an “unstoppable” nuclear missile dubbed the “Satan 2” this week — with President Vladimir Putin yet again threatening the potential for nuclear war. The Sarmat ICBM was launched Wednesday in northern Russia, with its practice warheads reaching mock targets more than 3,500 miles away on the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, the Kremlin said. “The Sarmat is the most powerful missile that has the highest range in the world, and it will significantly bolster the capability of the country’s strategic nuclear forces,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement. Putin — who has repeatedly threatened to use his nuclear arsenal since invading Ukraine in late February — said the test should provide “food for thought” for the West. “This really unique weapon will strengthen the combat potential of our armed forces, reliably ensure Russia’s security from external threats and make those, who in the heat of frantic aggressive rhetoric try to threaten our country, think twice,” the warmongering leader said. He bragged that the missile “has the highest tactical and technical characteristics and is capable of overcoming all modern means of anti-missile defense.” __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

23-11-22, 08:44	#207
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Battle of The Atlantic: Royal Navy Ships & US Subs Move in to STOP Putin Ukraine WAR Day 273: Ukraine: War and Words Russian-Occupied Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant Zaporizhzhia May Be Worlds’ Most Dangerous Place G7 nears a Russian oil price cap; Ukraine setting up ‘invincibility centres’ with heat and power for winter BBC News 23 NOV 2022. The Group of Seven nations are set to soon announce the price cap on Russian oil exports and the coalition will probably adjust the level a few times a year rather than monthly, a senior US Treasury official said on Tuesday. The G7, including the United States, along with the EU and Australia are slated to implement the price cap on sea-borne exports of Russian oil on 5 December, as part of sanctions intended to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainians needing basic services if Russia knocks out power stations and other facilities this winter can turn to special “invincibility centres,” president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday. Thousands of centres spread across the country will offer electricity, heat, water, internet service, mobile phone connections and a pharmacy, free of charge and around the clock. “If massive Russian strikes happen again and it’s clear power will not be restored for hours, the ‘invincibility centres’ will go into action with all key services,” Zelenskiy said. Ukrainians are likely to live with blackouts at least until the end of March, the head of a major energy provider said, as the government started free evacuations for people in Kherson to other regions. Kyiv will summon the Hungarian ambassador to protest that prime minister Viktor Orbán went to a football match wearing a scarf depicting some Ukrainian territory as part of Hungary, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said on Tuesday. Ukrainian media showed images of Orbán meeting a Hungarian footballer wearing a scarf which the outlet Ukrainska Pravda said depicted a map of “Greater Hungary” including territory that is now part of the neighbouring states of Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Croatia, Serbia and Ukraine. Russia’s Gazprom has threatened to cut its gas flows to Europe via Ukraine as early as next week. In a statement, the Russian state-owned energy giant said some gas flows being kept in Ukraine were actually meant for Moldova, and accused Kyiv of obstructing the delivery of 52.52m cubic metres from transiting to Moldova. In Crimea, Russian air defences were activated and two drone attacks were repelled on Tuesday, including one targeting a power station near Sevastopol, the regional governor said. Sevastopol is the home port of Russia’s Black Sea fleet. Russian-installed Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev called for calm and said no damage had been caused. The Polish president spoke to a hoax caller pretending to be France’s Emmanuel Macron on the night that a missile hit a village near the Ukrainian border, his office has admitted. “Emmanuel, believe me, I am extra careful,” Duda tells the caller in a recording of the call posted on the internet. “I don’t want to have war with Russia and believe me, I am extra careful, extra careful.” Explosions Recorded at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant in Ukraine MORE: British Army captain who broke curfew to get pizza on NATO frontline fined Vladimir Putin critic Alexei Navalny shut in 'dog pen' isolation cell to 'keep him quiet' Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhzhia may be world’s most dangerous place Shelling at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant must stop, says UN watchdog Entering the Russian-occupied nuclear power plant in Ukraine Russian fighter jets fire missiles at Ukrainian targets from the sky Ukrainian forces obliterate Russian vehicles with precision missiles Moscow shows mobilised Russians soldiers training with live artillery in freezing Murmans Ukrainians digging heels in for a harsh winter __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

28-11-22, 07:23	#208
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	Re: Russia on Brink of Major RETREAT -Official Admits We Have NO MEDICS or Intelligen Russia on Brink of Major Retreat as Putins' Forces Could Flee Ukraine Nuclear Power-Plant The head of Ukraine's state-run nuclear energy firm says there are signs that Russian forces might be preparing to leave the area. Russian Official Staggeringly Admits 'We Have NO Socks Shorts Doctors, or Intelligence' Russian Attacks on Energy Grid Amount to Genocide, Says Ukraine BBC News 28 NOV 2022 Russia's attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure amount to genocide, a top Ukrainian official says. Strikes on key facilities targeted "the full Ukrainian nation" and were an effort to force Kyiv to surrender, the prosecutor-general told the BBC. The term genocide refers to an effort to wipe out a group of people. Russia denies having any such aim. Millions of people across Ukraine are facing power cuts in freezing weather, following sustained Russian attacks. Efforts are ongoing to reconnect homes cut off from electricity. Officials say Kherson has now been fully resupplied, following the city's recapture by Ukrainian troops earlier this month. But people in 14 regions and the capital Kyiv remain under usage restrictions, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. Genocide involves "the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group", according to a definition provided by the UN Genocide Convention. Among the acts which may qualify are killing or causing serious harm to members of that group - or forcibly transferring its children elsewhere. In his BBC interview, Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Andriy Kostin said that, as well as the attacks on the energy grid, 11,000 Ukrainian children had been forcibly deported to Russia. Mr Kostin said his office was investigating reports of more than 49,000 war crimes and crimes of aggression since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on 24 February. The "same pattern of conduct" was being seen in every Ukrainian settlement occupied by Russian forces, he observed. A war crime constitutes a violation of the so-called "rules" of war set out by international treaties including the Geneva Conventions. Among other things, the Conventions stipulate that civilians must be protected. Russia has been repeatedly accused of breaking this rule. Shelling of residential buildings in Dnipro over the weekend left one person dead and 13 others injured, according to the governor of the wider region. Meanwhile, police said 32 civilians had been killed by strikes in Kherson since Russian troops left the southern city earlier this month. On Saturday, Ukraine marked the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor - a man-made famine that killed millions of people during Soviet rule. Of the war crimes seen since Russia invaded in February, Mr Kostin said 260 people had been indicted and 13 verdicts had been issued by Ukrainian courts. He called for the creation of an "international ad-hoc tribunal", supported by countries of "the whole civilised world" who opposed the invasion to hold Russia to account. Russia-Ukraine WAR at a Glance: What We Know on Day 278 of The Invasion *Zelenskiy says Russia planning new missile attacks; Ukraine’s nuclear energy chief suggests Russian forces may be preparing to leave Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant* The Guardian UK 28 NOV 2022. There are signs that Russian forces might be preparing to leave the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the head of Ukraine’s state-run nuclear energy firm has said. “In recent weeks we are effectively receiving information that signs have appeared that they are possibly preparing to leave the (plant),” Petro Kotin, head of Energoatom, said on national television on Sunday. “One gets the impression they’re packing their bags and stealing everything they can,” he added. Russia seized the plant in March and repeated shelling around the site has spurred fears of a nuclear catastrophe. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, claims Russia is planning to launch new missile attacks on his country, warning defence forces and citizens to prepare for the strikes. “We understand that terrorists are preparing new strikes. We know that for sure. And as long as they have missiles, they won’t stop, unfortunately,” he said in his Sunday evening address. The mayor of Kyiv has traded verbal jabs with Zelenskiy and his allies over how to help residents withstand power cuts. Former professional boxer Vitali Klitschko said 430 “warming centres” were helping residents cope with the effects of Russian attacks on power stations, and more than 100 extra centres were planned in case of extreme conditions. Klitschko said Zelenskiy’s allies had engaged in “manipulation” about the city’s efforts, including “incomprehensible photos” posted online. “I do not want to become involved in political battles, particularly in the current situation,” he said in a video posted on Telegram on Sunday. “That is senseless. I have things to do in the city.” Zelenskiy had previously said Kyiv had not done enough to help residents. Hundreds of Ukrainians fled Kherson city on Sunday as Russian shelling intensified. The liberation of Kherson earlier this month marked a major battlefield gain for Kyiv, but inhabitants have struggled with a lack of water, heating and electricity. Evacuations began last week amid fears that damage to infrastructure caused by the war was too severe for people to endure over Ukraine’s harsh winter. The exodus has been exacerbated by Russian shelling, which has killed 32 civilians since Russian forces left the city on 9 November. Britain will promise to maintain or increase military aid to Ukraine next year, according to an extract of a speech released by the office of the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, which he plans to deliver on Monday. “We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. We will maintain or increase our military aid next year. And we will provide new support for air defence,” Sunak will reportedly say. The UK will provide Brimstone 2 missiles, a precision-guided missile, to Ukraine as part of its latest aid package. “This aid has played a crucial role in stalling Russian advancements,” the UK Ministry of Defence said in a statement. Ukrainian authorities are gradually restoring power, aided by the reconnection of the country’s four nuclear plants, but millions of people are still without heat or electricity after the most devastating Russian airstrikes of the war. “We have been restoring electricity generation and supply day after day,” Zelenskiy said in his Sunday night address. “As of today, in most regions of the country, only stabilisation schedules of shutdowns are in effect.” Russia is firing ageing cruise missiles stripped of their nuclear warheads at Ukrainian targets because Vladimir Putin’s stocks are so depleted, the UK Ministry of Defence has suggested. An intelligence update from the ministry said the desperate improvisation by Russia’s struggling forces were “unlikely to achieve reliable effects”. Russian forces have also suffered heavy casualties during fighting in Ukraine’s south-central Donetsk province and are unlikely to achieve a breakthrough there, the ministry added. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s survival may depend on his value to Vladimir Putin as a future bargaining chip, his chief aide has said. Leonid Volkov, speaking on a visit to London, added that Navalny had lost access to his family and was being permanently detained in a “8 by 12ft” cell after being forced into indefinite solitary confinement by Russian authorities last week. Only Navalny’s lawyers were allowed to visit his prison colony on weekdays, and even then, Volkov said, “they are not allowed to see him; they only can talk to him through an opaque glass”, meaning they cannot determine his physical condition. Ghost of Kyiv' and dogfights: Russia Ukraine air war secrets revealed \| Daily Mail Explains __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

02-12-22, 07:37	#209
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: EU/G7 Australia & Allies HIT Putin by Crippling Price Cap on Russian Oi Russia Locked in New Battle of The Atlantic as it Eyes Up Waters Surrounding Britain Royal Naval Ships Taking The Game Into Lair of The Russian Bear to Deter Putin Iain Ballantyne says there has been a noticeable uptick in US Navy submarine numbers off UK shores since the start of the Ukraine war. Fears Turkey is on Brink of All-Out invasion as Military Trucks Seen Rolling Into Syria BBC News DEC 2022 The Royal Navy is “taking the game into the lair of the Russian bear” with frigate patrols in the Barents Sea to keep Vladimir Putin’s military aggression in check, a UK-based expert has said. US Navy Submarine Iain Ballantyne said the Russian President’s decision to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24 had triggered a “noticeable” increase in US submarine activity off UK shores in recent months. But he also emphasised that the Royal Navy itself was also sending vessels into waters which equate to Russia’s backyard. Turkey Puts Russia Alliance at Risk Qith Dangerous Missile Test Turkey might be just days away from an all-out war with Syria as troops continue to attack northern parts of the country. According to Reuters, "Turkey's army needs just a few more days to be ready for a ground offensive into northern Syria and such a decision may come at a cabinet meeting on Monday". The commander of the main US-backed Kurdish-led force in Syria said Saturday they have halted operations against the Islamic State group due to Turkish attacks on northern Syria over the past week. Mazloum Abdi of the Syrian Democratic Forces told reporters that after nearly a week of Turkish airstrikes on northern Syria, Ankara is now preparing for a ground offensive. He said Turkey-backed opposition fighters are getting ready to take part in the operations. Abdi added that Turkish strikes over the past week have caused severe damage to the region’s infrastructure. Abdi said Turkey is taking advantage of the deadly November 13 bombing in Istanbul that Ankara blames on Kurdish groups. urdish organisations have denied any involvement in the Istanbul attack that killed six and wounded dozens. __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

03-12-22, 08:31	#210
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: EU/G7 Australia & Allies HIT Putin by Crippling Price Cap on Russian Oil Ukraine WAR: $60 Per Barrel Price Cap AGREED on Russian Oil - Will Hit Putin Immediately A new cap on the price of Russian oil will "immediately cut into Putin's most important source of revenue" $60 Price Cap on Russian Oil to Cripple Putins' War Machin BBC 3 DEC 2022 The cap - which was officially approved by Western allies on Friday - came after months of hard work. The cap stops countries paying more than $60 (£48) a barrel for seaborne exports of Russian crude oil. It is due to come into effect on 5 December or soon after. Low and medium-income countries that have been heavily impacted by high energy and food prices will particularly benefit from the cap, Ms Yellen said. She said it will also further constrain Russian President Vladimir Putin's finances and "limit the revenues he's using to fund his brutal invasion", while avoiding disrupting global supplies which could send petrol prices soaring around the world. "With Russia's economy already contracting and its budget increasingly stretched thin, the price cap will immediately cut into Putin's most important source of revenue," she said in a statement. *...G7 and allies approve cap on price of Russian oil* The price cap was put forward in September by the G7 group of nations (the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the EU) in a bid to hit Moscow's ability to finance the war in Ukraine. The European Union approved the price cap - which needed the agreement of all its member states - on Friday, after persuading Poland to back it. Poland announced its support after being reassured the cap would be kept at 5% lower than the market rate. It had been reported that the EU wanted to set the cap at $65-70 but this was rejected by Poland as well as Lithuania and Estonia as too high. Warsaw had wanted the value to be as low as possible and had held out while it examined an adjustment mechanism which would keep the cap below the market rate as the price of oil changed. In a joint statement, the G7, the EU and Australia said the decision to impose a price cap was taken to "prevent Russia from profiting from its war of aggression against Ukraine". British Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the UK will not waver in its support and will continue to look for new ways to "clamp down on Putin's funding streams". The agreement of a price cap comes just days before an EU-wide ban on Russian crude oil imported by sea comes into force, also on 5 December. The price cap - which is meant to affect oil exports worldwide - is meant to complement that. Countries that sign up to the G7-led policy will only be permitted to purchase oil and petroleum products transported via sea that are sold at or below the price cap. Ukraine's western allies also plan to deny insurance to tankers delivering Russian oil to countries that do not stick to the price cap. This will make it hard for Russia to sell oil above that price. Russia denounced the scheme, saying it would not supply those countries which enforced a price cap. Senior Russian politician Leonid Slutsky, who chairs the foreign affairs committee, told Tass news agency the EU was jeopardising its own energy security with the cap. Though the measures will most certainly be felt by Russia, the blow will be partially softened by its move to sell its oil to other markets such as India and China - who are currently the largest single buyers of Russian crude oil. Graphic showing the percentage of total oil imports coming from Russia to selected European countries Before the war, in 2021, more than half of Russia's oil exports went to Europe, according to the International Energy Association. Germany was the largest importer, followed by the Netherlands and Poland. But since the war, EU countries have been desperately trying to decrease their dependency. The US has already banned Russian crude oil, while the UK plans to phase it out by the end of the yea Vladimir Putin Issues Ultimatum to The West - Russian President Vladimir Putin is “open to negotiations” on Ukraine if the West meets Moscows' demands. Old maps, burst tyres, no clothes: The Russian military 'will suffer this winter' __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

10-12-22, 07:19	#211
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: PUTIN Sends Musicians to Front to Boost Morale >Music While You KILL Warning Over Defence Partnership Between Russia and Iran Russia, Iran Moving Toward Full Defense Partnership Ukraine WAR: Iran Now Russias' Top Military Backer BBC News 10 DEC 2022. The US national security council spokesman says the relationship is strengthening and could harm Ukraine and the international community. Also: one of this year's Nobel Peace Prize winners says President Putin must be held accountable for Russia's actions in Ukraine, and the sheepdog that's become an internet sensation for taking on a pack of coyotes. The Biden administration is accusing Russia of moving to provide advanced military assistance to Iran, including air defense systems, helicopters and fighter jets, part of deepening cooperation between the two nations as Tehran provides drones to support Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

12-12-22, 07:48	#212
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: PUTIN Sends Musicians to Front to Boost Morale >Music While You KILL Ukraine War: Exiled Governor Reports Strike on 'Wagner HQ' 10 explosions rip through Russian barracks in occupied city in devastating Ukraine strike - Neo-Nazi Russian Militia Appeals For Intelligence on Nato Member States Move by Task Force Rusich raises fears of rogue paramilitary attacks on Baltic nations of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia BBC 12 DEC 2022. Ukrainian forces have struck a headquarters of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, says the governor-in-exile of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. Serhiy Haidai said a hotel where the group met in Kadiivka, Luhansk, had been hit with major losses. The BBC was unable to independently verify Wagner's presence at the hotel. Fighting also raged in southern Ukraine over the weekend, with Russia targeting Odesa and Ukraine bombarding a target in the occupied city of Melitopol. Wagner are state-sponsored mercenaries who act in the Kremlin's interests, according to Western experts. The private military company, set up by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former restaurateur and close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has repeatedly been accused of war crimes and human rights abuses. Wagner units have previously been deployed in Crimea, Syria, Libya, Mali and the Central African Republic. In the Kadiivka strike, Mr Haidai said Russia had suffered "significant losses" and he expected "at least 50%" of the surviving forces to die due to a lack of medical treatment. During a phone call with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, US President Joe Biden said Washington was prioritising efforts to help boost Ukraine's air defence systems. The pair also spoke about Mr Zelensky's desire for a "just peace" with Russia "based on fundamental principles enshrined in the UN Charter", the White House said. The attack on the "Wagner HQ", in the east, came amid further fighting in southern Ukraine. On Saturday, the Ukrainian army said it had shot down 10 drones, with another five hitting energy facilities in the port city of Odesa - leaving some 1.5 million people without power. "The situation in the Odesa region is very difficult," President Zelensky said in his nightly video address. "Unfortunately the hits were critical, so it takes more than just time to restore electricity. It doesn't take hours, but a few days." Key infrastructure was hit by Russia's Iran-made drones, according to Ukrainian officials. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is due to host an online meeting of G7 leaders on Monday, where further sanctions on Russia and Iran will be discussed. The proposed measures would target Iran over its supply of drones to Russia, while the ninth package of Russia sanctions would place almost 200 more individuals on an EU sanctions list. In Melitopol, pro-Moscow authorities said a Ukrainian missile attack had killed two people and injured 10. Images shared by a Moscow-installed official there showed a big fire. "Air defence systems destroyed two missiles, four reached their targets," Yevgeny Balitsky, the Russia-installed governor of the city, said on the Telegram messaging app. He added that a "recreation centre" where people were dining had been destroyed in the attack, and that Ukrainian forces had used US-supplied Himars rocket launchers. This weapon has played a key role in Ukraine's counter-offensive, being used to target locations away from the frontlines, including Russia's command posts. Ivan Fedorov, Melitopol's exiled mayor, said scores of "invaders" had been killed. Melitopol has been under occupation since early March and is a major logistics hub for the Russian forces in the south-east. The city, in the Zaporizhzhia region, is strategically located between Mariupol to the east, Kherson and the Dnipro River to the west, and Crimea to the south. Ukraine says its efforts to retake occupied territory are continuing, despite the arrival of winter. In recent weeks, most of the fighting has taken place in the east of the country, especially around the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. But on Saturday night, Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to President Zelensky, indicated that Melitopol could be a main target of Ukrainian forces. "If Melitopol falls, the entire defence line all the way to Kherson collapses," he said in an interview. If that happened, he added, "Ukrainian forces would gain a direct route to Crimea," the peninsula Russia annexed in 2014 and that the Ukrainians have vowed to retake. Elsewhere, the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine came under fresh bombardment on Sunday. Images showed firefighters attempting to put out a blaze at a commercial building. Ukraine has denied attacking the separatist-run city on many occasions during the war. Firefighters put out a blaze at a toy shop after rockets hit downtown Donetsk Map of Ukraines South and East MORE What are Himars missiles and are they changing the war? British man awarded one of Ukraine's highest honours after being sanctioned by Putin __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

14-12-22, 19:22	#213
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: PUTIN Sends Musicians to Front to Boost Morale >Music While You KILL Desperate Putin is Preparing For Long Conflict as He Expands War in Ukraine A confidential security assessment from allied figures suggests deluded Russian leader Vladimir Putin is still convinced his “hybrid warfare” will outlast western resolve BBC News 15 DEC 2022. Desperate Russian President Vladimir Putin is expanding his war in Ukraine, stepping up mobilisation and preparing for a long conflict, it has been claimed. Remnants of shells and missiles used by the Russian army to attack the second largest Ukrainian city of Kharkiv Damage after attacks at Borodyanka where citizens struggle to live under difficult winter conditions A confidential security assessment from allied figures suggests the deluded Russian leader is still convinced his “hybrid warfare” will outlast western resolve. The write-up says Putin believes his Iranian drones programme attacking energy infrastructure, cyber attacks, weaponsing of refugees, fake news and sabotage will prevail. It says his delusion comes against a backdrop of disastrous casualties among raw recruits, many killed by their own side for fleeing and rock-bottom troop morale. One young Russian man is quoted when asked why he fled his own country in the face of conscription, saying he: “...saw no reason to die defending his country when no-one was attacking it.” Russian commanders, it is said, are using “blocking units” to “liquidate” anybody retreating, in a revival of eastern front WWII tactics. The assessment also says Russian commanders are desperate for an operational pause, a break in operations to build-up defences against Ukraine’s counter-offensive. And Russian troops are having to resort to “stand-off” engagements against Ukraine, using artillery, mortars and grenade launchers as they cannot “close with” Kyiv’s forces. Moscow’s military is said increasingly to having to rely on the notorious Wagner Group mercenary unit for close quarter battles. And it suggests Putin’s once near-allies are now backing away from Moscow, even including Kazakhstan and Belarus. It also points to mysterious and extremely damaging attacks within Russia on military sites which may prove to be a step-change in the war in Ukraine,. It says: “Regardless of the failures of his army in the field and the lack of enthusiasm amongst his generals for engaging with NATO, there is no sign whatsoever of Putin conceding that he is in danger of losing the war. “On the contrary, not only is he not scaling down his ambition, he is doing everything to expand the war and Russia’s ability to wage it.” The report goes on to say: “At home we are seeing strenuous and increasing efforts to expand Russia’s defence industry and to prepare for a new stage in the mobilisation process. “This is exposing significant failings in the defence industry and in Russia’s economy generally. “Whilst mobilisation has become less chaotic than at the start, it is still facing significant difficulties and is no more popular than when it was first introduced. “Russians too are experiencing the impact of winter weather as their centralised heating systems break down due to so many heating engineers having been mobilised. “Nevertheless, notwithstanding the obstacles and difficulties and the ever-increasing impact of sanctions, these war policies are being pushed through as a priority. *“Putin is preparing Russia for a long war.* __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

17-12-22, 05:36	#214
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: PUTIN Sends Musicians to Front to Boost Morale >Music While You KILL Ukraines' Second City Kharkiv Without Power After Russian Strikes Ukraine Says Russia Planning Major Ground Attacks *Russians strike Ukraine with 60 missiles in one of worst barrages since war began* Deadly attack leaves retaken Kherson with no power Putin's lover dances in Russia as missiles rain down on Ukraine BBC News 17 DEC 2022. Ukraine's second city of Kharkiv was for hours left without power after the latest wave of Russian strikes targeted energy stations across the country. Local officials said as many as nine power facilities were hit as Russian forces fired 76 missiles and carried out drone attacks on Friday. Kharkiv's mayor said the city suffered "colossal" damage. By the evening, 55% of residents had electricity back. One resident, Anastaisa, told the BBC the strikes began on Friday morning. "In a matter of minutes, the lights started blinking," the mother of a two-month-old child said. "Just 10 seconds later, we were out of power, everything just went still and that's it. "At the moment, there is also no water because the pumping stations cannot work when there's no power in the city, so technically, what we have now is a city without power and water supply." In the evening, Oleg Synegubov, head of Kharkiv's regional administration, said electricity supplies had been restored to 55% of city residents and 85% of those living in the north-eastern region. He added that energy sector employees were working to restore full power by midnight. However, Ukraine's power grid operator, Ukrenergo, warned that the scale of the damage could mean it will take longer to restore supplies. The body said in a statement that the energy system had lost more than half of its capacity because of the latest strikes, adding that priority would be given to "critical infrastructure - hospitals, water supply facilities, heat supply facilities, sewage treatment plants". Defence Ministry adviser Yuriy Sak told the BBC that emergency services were working to restore electricity supplies, but the situation was "still difficult". Russia's frequent attacks mean that repairing the damage is getting harder. Elsewhere, three people were killed and 13 more injured when a residential building was hit in Kryvyi Rih and a third died in Kherson. In the capital, Kyiv, the city's metro was left at a standstill. The alarm was raised across Ukraine on Friday and Commander-in-Chief General Valeriy Zaluzhny said air defences had intercepted 60 of the 76 missiles fired, most of them cruise missiles. Kyiv city officials said about 40 missiles had been fired at the capital alone - one of the biggest barrages since Russia's 24 February invasion. Thirty-seven were brought down by air defences, the officials added. "It's very stressful, but now I'm used to this," said 42-year-old Oksana, who lives in the capital. "I don't want our children to live through this, to be in basements, shelters, I don't want this for them." Ukraine has accused Russia of "weaponising winter" by striking essential facilities, as temperatures in much of the country are below freezing. One person was killed when flats were hit in Kherson on 16 DecemberImage source, Kherson prosecutor's office Friday's attack on Kherson was the third in as many days on the southern city, a month after Russian forces retreated Russia's attacks also cut power in the north-eastern Sumy region that borders Russia, and also in the central cities of Poltava and Kremenchuk. Fifteen rockets were reportedly fired at Zaporizhzhia in the south, while Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said several areas of the capital were hit. Damage to energy infrastructure had affected its water supplies, while city metro lines were for the moment not running, he said. Russia has launched more than 1,000 missiles and Iranian-made attack drones since the wave of strikes began on 10 October, although most of them have been intercepted by air defences. The biggest barrage, in mid-November, involved more than 100 missiles and drones. UN human rights commissioner Volker Turk warned on Thursday that further attacks on power facilities could "lead to a further serious deterioration in the humanitarian situation and spark more displacement". Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal described the latest wave of strikes as "another attempt to commit genocide against the Ukrainian people". In some areas, electricity is available for just a few hours a day. "I'm angry," said Yelyzaveta, 21. "They [Russia] are destroying our lives. We are used to it now. The most important thing is that Russia isn't here." And Anastasia said that life was becoming more difficult as winter sets in. "When it's daytime it is still OK, it is tolerable and I can manage the situation, but when it's dark outside, this is when my problems begin because I need to see clearly, to measure baby formula and also to attend to the baby - those are stressful," she said "And, of course, just the effect that we are out of power creates a lot of tension and lots of stress. So we just survive through the night and when the day breaks, it gets a bit better, but we cannot compare it to our normal day." The strikes came as the EU announced a ninth wave of sanctions against Russian officials and businesses. Almost 200 individuals and entities were added to an asset freeze and visa ban blacklist. Among those sanctioned was Larisa Falkovskaya - head of Russia's Department of State Policy for the Protection of Children's Rights - who was accused of "the illegal transportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and their adoption by Russian families". Several Russian regional governors were sanctioned on identical charges. The EU said the officials had been involved in the forced deportation and adoption of more than 2,000 Ukrainian children since the war began. Ukrainian officials say the deportations amount to a war crime under Article 49 of the Geneva Convention. Meanwhile, Russian-backed proxy officials in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region accused Ukrainian forces of shelling a town and a village overnight in the Luhansk region. Details of the deaths could not be confirmed. Map showing areas controlled by Russia in Ukraine Russian martial artists receive military training in Chechnya Putin's lover dances in Russia as missiles rain down on Ukraine __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

19-12-22, 10:57	#215
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Kremlin Hunts CONVICTS Who Fled War Training Ukraine: PUTIN to Deploy Musicians to WAR Front to Boost Morale Russia says it will deploy musicians and singers to the front lines of its war in Ukraine to boost troops' morale. BBC News 19 DEC 2022. The defence ministry announced the formation of the "front-line creative brigade" this week, saying it would also include circus performers. The UK's Ministry of Defence highlighted the brigade's creation in an intelligence update on Sunday. Meanwhile, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visited frontline troops in Ukraine, Moscow said. Music While You KILL In a statement posted to Telegram, the defence ministry said Mr Shoigu "flew around the areas of deployment of troops and checked the advanced positions of Russian units in the zone of the special military operation", referring to Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched on 24 February. The ministry added that he "spoke with troops on the front line" and at a "command post" - but the BBC cannot confirm when the visit took place or whether Mr Shoigu visited Ukraine itself. Commenting on Mr Shoigu's reported visit, Ukraine's military spokesman Serhiy Cherevatyi told Ukrainian TV channels: "I don't really believe that he is so brave" to travel to the battlefield. This comes as UK defence officials said low morale continues to be a "significant vulnerability across much of the Russian force". The UK said the new creative brigade - which follows a recent campaign, urging the public to donate musical instruments to troops - is in keeping with the historic use of "military music and organised entertainment" to boost morale. But they questioned whether the new brigade would actually distract troops, who have been primarily concerned about "very high casualty rates, poor leadership, pay problems, lack of equipment and ammunition, and lack of clarity about the war's objectives". According to the Russian outlet RBC news, the brigade will consist of troops mobilised under President Vladimir Putin's recruitment drive, as well as "professional artists who voluntarily entered military service". The new unit will be tasked with maintaining "a high moral, political and psychological state [among] the participants of the special military operation," the outlet cited the defence ministry as saying. Intense fighting has continued around the Ukrainian-controlled town of Bakhmut in the eastern Donbas region on Saturday, Ukraine's military said. The area has seen heavy clashes between Ukrainian and Russian troops for months, as Russia seeks to fully seize the region following a string of heavy defeats in north-eastern and southern Ukraine earlier this year. Western intelligence officials have previously said Russian attacks on the town are being spearheaded by Russia's private military contractor, Wagner Group. Moscow hopes to use Bakhmut as a staging ground to launch attacks on the Ukrainian-held cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk further west. Elsewhere, heating has been restored to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, after Russian launched widespread strikes on Friday that targeted power and water infrastructure, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Moscow launched 76 missiles on Friday, hitting nine power supply stations and plunging much of the country into darkness. Ukraine said it intercepted 60. In a separate development, President Putin is due to visit Belarus on Monday, amid media reports that he will be putting further pressure on Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally, to officially join in Russia's war effort and send troops to Ukraine. Since the start of the war, Russian troops have been using Belarusian territory as a launchpad - but Mr Lukashenko has so far resisted all Moscow's attempts to deploy his armed forces in Ukraine. In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with top military and security officials to discuss the possible risks from Belarus, the country's northern neighbour. "We are preparing for all possible defence scenarios. Whoever inclines Minsk to whatever, it will not help them just as any other sick idea in this war against Ukraine and Ukrainians," Mr Zelensky said in his video address late on Sunday. UK RAF delivers aid package to Ukraine including Brimstone 2 missiles __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

22-12-22, 07:04	#216
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Kremlin Hunts CONVICTS Who Fled War Training Ukraine War: Biden Tells Zelensky His Country Will Never Stand Alone President Joe Biden has told President Volodymyr Zelensky the US will stick by Ukraine "for as long as it takes" in its war with Russia. Zelenskys' Wartime Address to US Congress Comes 81 Years After Churchill Did The Same BBC News 22 DEC 2022. Zelensky follows in Churchill's footsteps "You will never stand alone," Mr Biden told Mr Zelensky as he visited the White House on his first overseas trip since the Russian invasion began. Mr Biden confirmed a new package of more than $2bn (£1.7bn) in assistance for Ukraine and promised another $45bn. Mr Zelensky expressed his gratitude for Washington's backing. At Wednesday's joint news conference, Mr Biden told reporters he was "not at all worried" about holding the international coalition together. Amid concerns that some allies may be feeling the strain of the conflict's cost and disruption to global food and energy supplies, the US president said he felt "very good" about the solidarity of support for Ukraine. Mr Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin had "no intention of stopping this cruel war". As Ukraine's most important ally, the US has already committed $50bn (£41bn) of humanitarian, financial and security assistance - far more than any other country. Mr Zelensky - wearing his trademark combat-green sweatshirt and boots - expressed hope that Congress would pass the extra $45bn in aid to Ukraine to "help us to defend our values, values and independence". Republicans - who will take control of the House of Representatives in January - have warned they will not write a "blank cheque" for Ukraine. But Mr Zelensky, who travelled on a US Air Force jet from the Polish city of Rzeszow, said that "regardless of changes in the Congress", he believed there would be bipartisan support for his country. After the White House meeting, the 44-year-old Ukrainian president gave an address to a joint session of Congress, where he was welcomed with a standing ovation. He told US lawmakers his country was still standing "against all odds" and predicted "a turning point" in the conflict next year. While vowing Ukraine would never surrender, he said it needed more weaponry. "We have artillery, yes, thank you," he told his audience. "Is it enough? Honestly, not really." "For the Russian army to completely pull out, more cannon and shells are needed," he added. Concluding his speech, Mr Zelensky presented Congress with a battle flag signed by the defenders of Bakhmut, a frontline city in the east of Ukraine that he visited on the eve of his Washington trip. The package of security assistance announced by Washington on Wednesday includes a new Patriot missile system, which is expected to help Ukraine protect its cities from missiles and drones that Russia has fired at critical facilities. A rare moment of levity arose in Wednesday's news conference as Mr Zelensky, a former comedian, answered reporters' questions. President Putin said Russia would not militarise the country's economy The Ukrainian president said: "What's going to happen after the Patriots are installed? After that we will send another signal to President Biden that we would like to get more Patriots." "We are in a war, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry," he deadpanned in English, as the audience in the East Room laughed. Mr Biden chuckled and said: "We're working on it." Russia's foreign ministry has said the delivery of the advanced surface-to-air missile system would be considered a provocative step. Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Putin said he believed his country was not to blame for the war in Ukraine, adding both countries were "sharing a tragedy". Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, the US military estimates that at least 100,000 Russian and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured, along with some 40,000 civilian deaths. The UN has recorded 7.8 million people as refugees from Ukraine across Europe, including Russia. However, the figure does not include those who have been forced to flee their homes but remain in Ukraine. Zelenskys' Wartime Address to US Congress Comes 81 Years After Churchill Did The Same __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

26-12-22, 17:20	#217
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Kremlin Hunts CONVICTS Who Fled War Training Three Dead Explosions Rock Russian Airbase Housing Putins' Nuclear Bombers Three people have reportedly died and more hospitalised after a Ukrainian kamikaze drone reportedly hit an airbase deep inside Russia used to house Vladimir Putin's nuclear bombers BBC 26 DEC 2022 Three people have died after a strategic airbase housing Vladimir Putin 's nuclear bomber planes was hit by a Ukrainian drone. Loud blasts were heard early on Monday at the airfield deep inside Russia, which is used by the military's Tu-95 and Tu-160 nuclear missile-carrying planes. Early reports said three people were killed and four more hospitalised following the attack on the Engels-2 military base in the Saratov region, according to Russian news outlet Baza. No nuclear material is thought to have been involved in the explosion. The blast is believed to have been the latest long-range kamikaze drone attack on the base by Volodymyr Zelensky 's forces, with the nearest Ukrainian settlement located about 450 miles away. The "incident" at the air base hundreds of kilometres from the front line of the war in Ukraine. Video footage showed bright flashes around the base as air raid sirens sounded throughout the area, with the sound of gunfire also heard. Russia's defence ministry says its air defences shot down the Ukrainian drone flying at low altitude at about 01:35 local time on Monday (22:35 GMT Sunday). Three Russian servicemen died of injuries caused by drone debris, it adds. Saratov governor Roman Busargin expressed his condolences to the men's families and friends and said there was "absolutely no threat to residents" in the town of Engels itself. A local governor claimed reports of evacuations nearby were 'blatant lies' made by foreign enemies He added that "all stories about the evacuation from the city are blatant lies" created by people outside Russia, and warned citizens not to give details about the incident online or face possible prosecution. Earlier this month Russia accused Ukraine of a similar attack on the airfield, home to strategic bombers. Kyiv has never publicly claimed responsibility for attacks inside Russia and Ukrainian officials have described such incidents as "karma" for Russia's invasion. A local said on Monday: "When it hit for the first time (December 5), the sound of the explosion was stronger. “I thought someone's gas had exploded, I ran out into the street, and all the car alarms went off in the area, although I live about two kilometres away from the airfield. Vladimir Putin's military lost two planes in an attack on the base earlier this month __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

01-01-23, 09:36	#218
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Kremlin Hunts CONVICTS Who Fled War Training Zelenskiy Delivers New Year Hope of Ukraine Victory as Russia Launches Fresh Strikes President says country ready to fight for a return to normal life as Moscow launches third wave of attacks in matter of days BBC News 1 JAN 2023 President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and wife Olena Zelenska address the Ukrainian people on New Year’s Day. Vladimir Putin Fresh blasts were heard in Kyiv and around Ukraine in the first hours of 2023, minutes after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy delivered a New Year address in which he wished for one thing: victory. Kyiv’s city military administration said 23 Russian-launched “air objects” had been destroyed, while mayor Vitali Klitschko said preliminary reports suggested there were no wounded or casualties, only a damaged car in the city centre. As air raid sirens wailed across the country and air defences were brought into action, some people in Kyiv shouted from their balconies, “Glory to Ukraine! Glory to heroes!” Reuters witnesses reported. In Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities, an 11pm curfew had already precluded large New Year parties, with many marking the moment inside shelters. There were also unofficial reports of blasts in the southern region of Kherson and the northern Zhytomyr region. The attacks came minutes after Zelenskiy delivered his first wartime New Year address, with no end in sight to the conflict. He said: “2022 struck our hearts. We cried out all the tears. All the prayers were yelled. 311 days. We have something to say about every minute. But most words are superfluous. No explanation needed. Silence is needed to hear. Pauses are needed to realise. “We don’t know for sure what new 2023 will bring us. I want to wish all of us one thing – victory. And that’s the main thing. “Let this year be the year of return. The return of our people. Soldiers – to their families. Prisoners – to their homes. Immigrants – to their Ukraine. The return of our lands. And the temporarily occupied will become forever free. “Return to normal life. To happy moments without curfew. To earthly joys without air alerts. The return of what has been stolen from us. The childhood of our children, the peaceful old age of our parents. “May the New Year bring it all. We’re ready to fight for it. That’s why each of us is here. I’m here, we’re here, you’re here – everyone’s here. We’re all Ukraine.” The New Year attacks followed a barrage of more than 20 cruise missiles fired at targets across on Ukraine on Saturday in what Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, called “terror on New Year’s Eve.” Saturday’s attack – Moscow’s second major missile attack in three days – badly damaged a hotel south of Kyiv’s centre and a residential building in another district. A Japanese journalist was among the wounded and taken to hospital, Klitschko said. Zelenskiy responded to Saturday’s attacks – and Vladimir Putin’s New Year address in which he blamed the west for provoking the war – with a message to the Russian people, delivered in Russian. “Your leader wants to show he has the troops behind him, he is ahead. But he’s hiding. He hides behind the troops, missiles, his residences, palaces. He hides behind you, burns your country, your future,” Zelenskiy said. “No one will forgive for terror. No one in the world will forgive you. Ukraine won’t forgive.” Separately, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the southern Russian region of Belgorod, bordering with Ukraine, said that as a result of overnight shelling of the outskirts of Shebekino town, there was damage to houses, but no casualties. Ukraine has never publicly claimed responsibility for any attacks inside Russia but has called them “karma” for Russia’s invasion.

02-01-23, 16:00	#219
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Putins’ Regime Crumbling Spies Defect & Russia Keeps Relatives Hostage Russian Deserters: Kremlin Hunts CONVICTS Who Fled War Training Russia-Ukraine War- 11 Killed At Mobilisation Training, Mystery Death, Hunt For Draft Escapees BBC News 2 JAN 2023 'If you desert, we'll execute you': 'Putin's chef' recruits convicts for war The Russian oligarch known as 'Putin's chef' has been filmed making an extraordinary appeal to convicts, promising them amnesty on their sentences if they sign up to fight in Ukraine - and a bullet in the head if they desert when they get there. . __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

08-01-23, 07:10	#220
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: UK Sends MORE Tanks to Ukraine & Troops to Train Ukrainian Forces Vladimir Putins’ Regime Crumbling as Spies Defect and Russia Keeps Relatives Hostage The unprecedented swapping of sides has left furious Vladimir Putin reeling with a warning fired that anyone else who abandons Russia could see family members jailed - or WORSE... BBC News 8 JAN 2023 More than 20 Russian diplomats and spies have defected since the invasion of Ukraine in a sign Vladimir Putin’s flailing regime faces collapse over the war. Putin has taken steps to stop further walk-outs The unprecedented swapping of sides has spurred the tyrant to put “Stalinist” restrictions on foreign postings. Most of Moscow’s officials on foreign missions now have to accept family members being left at home during their posting, effectively kept hostage. It is the latest of Vladimir Putin ’s cruel safeguards against further catastrophic defections as family members could be jailed or worse if an official swaps sides. Even if family members return to Russia whilst a spy or diplomat is on an overseas posting they will be kept at home as collateral. It is believed ex-KGB officer Putin personally intervened and insisted on the “hostage to fortune” measures to stop further defections. The defections are also thought to be an indication his Kremlin regime is hugely under threat of collapse over their disastrous Ukraine invasion. Bruce Jones, one of the UK’s top Russia analysts told the Mirror: “I have been told by very senior and well-informed sources that there have been a number of defections of both Russian diplomats and intelligence officers. “Some of them are known about publicly but in the background there are many more, possibly more than 20 and this is indicative of an extremely hazardous time for the Kremlin. More than 20 Russian diplomats and spies have defected since the war began “It is likely this is being kept quiet for obvious reasons but these defections are not just to the west but across Asia as well.” Close to one million Russian civilians have fled their homeland - many escaping Putin’s brutal draft of new recruits for the frontline. *It comes as troop losses in Ukraine frontline are soaring towards 110,000and increasingly Putin is relying on Wagner Group mercenaries.* As many as 2,000 members of the group have been killed, many on the eastern front as Russia is sometimes losing as many as 800 soldiers in one day. Yesterday it emerged 50 Chechen political prisoners had been press-ganged to the front, adding to the legions of ex-lags now employed as cannon fodder by Wagner. In one Ukrainian strike alone on New Year’s Day as many as 500 troops died after apparently giving their location away by using their mobile phones. A Ukrainian source told the Mirror: “Losses of up to 500 in one strike are a disaster, a genuine blow to Putin and his position is becoming precarious. “Defections do reflect this as people become increasingly nervous about the future of their country and it is not looking positive for Putin. “If something happens to him and those close to him it will happen very fast and from within but these military defeats are a very poor reflection on his decision to go to war.” Sources revealed one plan against further defections would be to hold show trials for friends and families as a warning against traitors. Most of the defectors are diplomats who operate from embassies and are also involved in the shadowy intelligence world. The Mirror has been told most of them jumped sides from postings in cities in Asia and Europe. Colonel Richard Kemp, who has worked in the top UK government intelligence organisation the Joint Intelligence Committee said: “Western intelligence will receive potentially very useful information on what is happening within Russia. russia The fighting in Ukraine has increasingly become a war of attrition in recent weeks “This development could be extremely valuable. With the disaster that Putin has brought on Russia there will be many people in influential positions who are desperate to escape. “There will be among them diplomats and intelligence people who are looking for an alternative.” In 2017 Russian GRU spy Artem Zinchenko was arrested in Tallinn (corr spelling), Estonia but swapped back to Russia in2018. Last year it emerged he had fled back to Estonia as he was so upset about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said recently of the Ukraine war: “It is the worst scenario that could even be imagined in my mind and it was not only because my relatives live there but because of the huge number of innocent victims.” And in May last year Russian diplomat Boris Bondarev, who worked at the UN in Geneva quit his job, branding Moscow’s war “intolerable.” Bondarev said: “As a civil servant I have to carry a share of responsibility for that and I don’t want to do that.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr says Putin's Christmas ceasefire is a 'cover' Putin Attends Orthodox Christmas Service Alone U.S. Military Deploys HIMARS Defence Systems to Estonia __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

11-01-23, 12:04	#221
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: UK Sends MORE Tanks to Ukraine & Troops to Train Ukrainian Forces Vladimir Putin Deploys HUGE NUKE Capable Weapon Dubbed Sledgehammer to Ukraine The 2S4 Tulip self-propelled mortar is 240mm wide and is capable of firing nuclear bombs, but it is likely this would be limited to 'micro-nukes' aimed at destroying an area the size of a football stadium Searching For Civilians Snatched by Russia Away from the frontline, Ukrainian and Russian human rights commissioners are meeting this week in Turkey to discuss further prisoner of war exchanges. BBC News.11 JAN 2023 Russian forces suffering massive frontline losses have deployed the world’s largest nuke-capable mortar weapon to the battlefield. Dubbed “the Sledgehammer” the 2S4 Tulip - or Tyulpan - self-propelled mortar is 240mm wide - twice the size of NATO mortars which are 120mm. Transported on its own tracks, it has a range of 12 miles and is used to obliterate large fortifications, military equipment, or troop positions. It is capable of firing nuclear bombs, although it is likely this would be limited to “micro-nukes” aimed at destroying an area the size of a football stadium. The heavy mortar weapon has already seen service in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Syria, with devastating effects. It can also fire armour piercing, laser-guided, and outlawed cluster munitions, as well as tactical nuclear weapons. Moscow’s commanders are desperately trying to hold back a ferocious counter-offensive by Ukraine’s forces all along the eastern front. __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

15-01-23, 07:58	#222
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Wagner Chief Frees Convicts/Helicopter Crash Kills Children & Minister Ukraine War: UK to Send MORE Tanks to Ukraine That Could Help Win The War Against Russia The UK has confirmed for the first time that it's planning to send "game changing" tanks to Ukraine, pledging to accelerate its support with the kind of technology which could help Ukraine win the war against Russia. BBC 15 JAN 2023 Poland has also pledged to transfer a company of Lepoard tanks, after President Zelenskyy met the Polish prime minister for talks in Lviv. Ukraine has been asking western allies to provide hundreds of tanks - as fighting intensifies around the embattled eastern towns of Soledar and Bakhmut. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday pledged to provide 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, making it the first Western country to supply the heavy tanks Kyiv has been calling for. The pledge saw a swift reaction from Russia which warned it would only "intensify" the conflict. "Bringing tanks to the conflict zone, far from drawing the hostilities to a close, will only serve to intensify combat operations, generating more casualties, including among the civilian population", the Russian embassy in the UK said. Sunak said the tanks were a sign of the UK's "ambition to intensify our support to Ukraine", according to a readout of a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukraine's European allies have sent Kyiv more than 300 modernised Soviet tanks since Russia invaded in February 2022. But they have so far held off on dispatching the Western-made heavy tanks that Ukraine has repeatedly requested to push forward against Russian invaders. Zelensky thanked the UK on Twitter for making decisions that "will not only strengthen us on the battlefield, but also send the right signal to other partners". - Heavy Losses - Ukraine's forces have taken heavy losses in the battles of Soledar and Bakhmut in recent months and have called on the country's allies to give it more support. Russia said on Friday its forces had wrested control of the war-scarred town of Soledar in east Ukraine, its first claim of victory in months of battlefield setbacks, although Ukraine said fierce fighting was still under way. "To win this war, we need more military equipment, heavy equipment," Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's presidential office, said. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also said that he had spoken with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and "emphasised the need" for Ukraine to receive Western-type tanks. The UK will also send around 30 AS90s, large, self-propelled guns, operated by five gunners. - Fears of Escalation - - The tanks will arrive in Ukraine in coming weeks, a second statement from Sunak's Downing Street office said later Saturday, adding that the UK will also begin training the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use the tanks and guns in coming days. __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

17-01-23, 06:27	#223
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Wagner Chief Frees Convicts/Helicopter Crash Kills Children & Minister Alleged Ex-Wagner Group Commander Seeking Asylum in Norway Russia’s Wagner Group ‘Have as Much Power in Kremlin as Ministers’ Andrey Medvedev, 26, deserted after reportedly witnessing War Crimes in Ukraine and is willing to reveal what he saw, his lawyer says BBC 17 JAN 2023 Andrey Medvedev ex-Wagner Group commander seeking asylum in Norway Yevgeny Prigozhin, who founded the group, with Vladimir Putin. Andrey Medvedev, 26, deserted after reportedly witnessing war crimes in Ukraine and is willing to reveal what he saw, his lawyer says An alleged former commander with the Russian mercenary Wagner Group has sought asylum in Norway, authorities say, after deserting the organisation that has played a central role in some of the major battles of the Ukraine conflict. Andrey Medvedev, 26, reportedly crossed the border into Norway near the Pasvikdalen valley shortly before 2am last Friday, where he was arrested and detained by border guards. The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) confirmed to the Associated Press that Andrey Medvedev sought shelter in the country but “for reasons of security and privacy … cannot comment further on this matter”. Police, who did not confirm his identity, said in a statement to Agence France-Presse that a man was “detained by Norwegian border guards and Norwegian police at 1.58am (0058 GMT)” on Friday morning. “He has applied for asylum in Norway,” said Tarjei Sirma-Tellefsen, chief of staff for the police in Finnmark, northern Norway. Medvedev’s Norwegian lawyer, Brynjulf Risnes, told the BBC that Medvedev was being held in Oslo where he faces charges of illegally entering the country and that he deserted after witnessing war crimes in Ukraine. Risnes said his client was no longer in custody, but at a “safe place” while his case was being analysed. “If he gets asylum in Norway that accusation [of illegal entry] will be dropped automatically,” Risnes said. “He has declared that he is willing to speak about his experiences in the Wagner Group to people who are investigating war crimes,” the lawyer said, adding that Medvedev alleged he had served as a unit commander in charge of between five and 10 soldiers. Norwegian police said they were notified late on Thursday by Russian border guards who discovered traces in the snow that could indicate that someone had crossed the border illegally. The man was detained by border guards and the arrest was undramatic, police said. Medvedev’s lawyer told AFP on Monday that after crossing the border his client had sought out locals and asked that they call the police. Medvedev has been on the run since he defected from the Wagner Group on 6 July, according to Norwegian news agency NTB. He reportedly told a Russian human rights group that he was ready to tell everything he knows about the Wagner Group, its activities and its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire with ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin confirmed to the BBC that Medvedev was a former Wagner soldier. Ukrainian servicemen give first aid to a wounded soldier in a shelter in Soledar Russia’s Wagner group fighting ‘heavy, bloody battles’ for control of Soledar Rights group Gulagu.net, which advocates for prisoners in Russian detention, has published interviews with Medvedev, including one after his crossing into Norway, where he detailed his dramatic escape. “When I was on the ice [at the border], I heard dogs barking, I turned around, I saw people with torches, about 150 metres (500ft) away, running in my direction,” Medvedev says in one video. “I heard two shots, the bullets whizzed by.” According to Gulagu.net, Medvedev originally signed a four-month contract with Wagner in early July 2022 and claims to have witnessed executions and reprisals against those who refused to fight and wanted to leave. According to Risnes, Medvedev said “he experienced something completely different from what he was expecting” after joining the private mercenary group, which has been at the forefront of key battles in Ukraine. Wanting to leave and after claiming he witnessed war crimes in Ukraine, Medvedev said his contract was extended without his consent. “He understood that there was no easy way out, so that’s when he decided to just run,” Risnes said. Medvedev then reportedly spent two months underground in Russia, before crossing the border into Norway last week. The Guardian has not been able to independently verify Medvedev’s account. *The Wagner Group includes a large number of convicts recruited in Russian prisons who have spearheaded attacks in Ukraine.* The group has become increasingly influential in Africa, where it has been pushing Russian disinformation, building alliances with regimes and gaining access to oil, gas, gold, diamonds and valuable minerals. __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

19-01-23, 02:39	#224
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: US & Germany FINALLY Agrees to Send Leopard Tanks to Ukraine Wagner Chief Frees Russian Convicts Who Fought in Ukraine Ukraine Helicopter Crashes Near Nursery, Killing Children and Minister BBC 19 JAN 2023 More than 28,000 Russian prisoners including murderers and rapists freed to fight in Ukraine The founder of the Russian Wagner private military company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, brought a group of former fighters who completed their service in Ukraine to the Republic of Karelia in Russia's north-west, Prigozhin's press service reported on Tuesday (January 17) Ukraine helicopter crashes near nursery, killing children and minister Ukraine's interior minister died Wednesday in a helicopter crash near the capital (Brovary) that killed at least another 14 people, including other officials and three children, authorities said. Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi, who overs __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

20-01-23, 09:00	#225
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: US & Germany FINALLY Agrees to Send Leopard Tanks to Ukraine Vladimir Putin Henchman Threatens West With Nuclear WAR if Russia Defeated in Ukraine Ukraine War: Give us Tanks, Says Zelensky, as Western Allies Meet BBC 20 JAN 2023 German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is under pressure to allow Kyiv a supply of the Leopard 2 tank - pictured here last year President Zelensky told ARD television that Ukraine needed the Leopard tanks for self-defence Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky has made a direct appeal to Germany to provide tanks ahead of crunch talks involving dozens of Western allies at Ramstein air base in southern Germany. The US and European nations have already promised Kyiv more equipment to fight Russia's invasion. Berlin is under growing pressure to allow its Leopard 2 tanks to be sent. "If you have Leopard [tanks], then give them to us," Mr Zelensky told German public TV. "These leopards won't go through Russia. We're defending ourselves," he said, in remarks criticising the German government's hesitant attitude. Defence officials from more than 50 countries are due to meet at Ramstein, a day after the US and several European nations pledged more equipment to help Ukraine fend off any further Russian offensives. Almost 11 months after Russia launched its war against Ukraine, Nato military officials believe Moscow is planning a renewed spring offensive with troop numbers bolstered by a partial mobilisation since the end of September. The UK also offered 14 of its battle tanks recently - but Kyiv wants more. As the nation of manufacture, Germany has to give its permission before countries such as Poland or Finland commit to sending their own Leopard tanks. However, Polish deputy foreign minister Pawel Jablonski indicated on Friday that Warsaw might do so anyway. "We'll see. I think if there is strong resistance, we'll be ready to take even such non-standard action. But let's not anticipate the facts," he told Polish radio. Ukraine's allies faced a "simple choice" on Friday, an adviser to the defence minister in Kyiv remarked ahead of the summit. "Tanks for Ukraine are tanks for freedom," Yuriy Sak told BBC's Newsnight programme. If these were not sent, other countries might one day "have to use them themselves" against Moscow, he warned. Berlin said this week that a decision on the Leopard was conditional on the US agreeing to send Abrams tanks, which it is not intending to do. But the new German defence minister, Boris Pistorius, said he was not aware of "such stipulation". Late on Thursday, Germany said its position would become clear in the coming hours, AFP reported. Mr Zelensky has repeatedly taken aim at Berlin's perceived hesitancy and on Thursday criticised suggestions that the US and Germany were only planning to commit vehicles if the other nation did the same. "I don't think this is the right strategy to go with", Mr Zelensky commented, while calling for "strong decisions" to be made during Friday's conference. Retired US Army general David Petraeus said there was "legitimate reluctance" in Washington on the issue of sending Abrams tanks because it was difficult to maintain and had a jet turbine. He told the BBC it was "imperative" that any Western tank donations were made "early enough, so [Ukrainian soldiers] can actually train on them". For its part, Russia has warned Western countries that providing tanks to its enemy would mark an "extremely dangerous" escalation in the conflict. On Thursday, Western nations pledged to send more vehicles, artillery and munitions to bolster the Ukrainian war effort. The US committed a new package worth $2.5bn (£2bn), saying this took its spend on Ukrainian support to $26.7bn since last February's full-scale invasion by Russia. Tanks were not included in the offer, but the Pentagon did promise an extra 59 Bradley armoured vehicles, 90 Stryker personnel carriers and Avenger air defence systems, among other provisions. The announcement came after nine European nations promised more support of their own following a meeting in Estonia. This included: UK - 600 Brimstone missiles Denmark - 19 French-made Caesar self-propelled howitzers Estonia - howitzers, ammunition, support vehicles and anti-tank grenade launchers Latvia - Stinger air-defence systems, two helicopters, and drones Lithuania - anti-aircraft guns and two helicopters Poland - S-60 anti-aircraft guns with 70,000 pieces of ammunition Czech Republic - produce further large calibre ammunition, howitzers and APCs Netherlands - support expected to be detailed on Friday New £70 million ship bought to protect underwater cables from Russian sabotage __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

25-01-23, 07:29	#226
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Putin to Aim Nuclear Missiles on London & Berlin/ US WARNS China on Weapons to Russia Berlin Plans to Send German Leopard Tanks to Ukraine, According to Reports US and Germany Ready to Send Tanks to Ukraine Germany will send its 2A6 battle tanks in conjunction with other countries such as Finland, Sweden and Poland, say reports citing government sources BBC 25 JAN 2023 Berlin has reportedly succumbed to huge international and domestic pressure and is set to announce that it will send German-manufactured tanks to Ukraine that Kyiv says it needs to push back Russian forces, according to media reports on Tuesday evening citing government sources. It is reported to be planning to send a company of Leopard 2A6 battle tanks – usually comprising 14 of the vehicles – in conjunction with other partners, namely Scandinavian countries in possession of the units. Berlin is also understood to have said it would give its permission for export licences for countries such as Finland, Sweden and Poland who have bought the tanks from Germany, allowing them to be sent to Ukraine. The decision is expected to be made officially on Wednesday and Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, is due to be questioned in the Bundestag in the morning in a debate likely to be dominated by the tank decision. The head of Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s presidential administration immediately hailed the German reports. “This is what is going to become a real punching fist of democracy against the autocracy from the bog,” Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram. The 2A6 version of the Leopard is the latest version of the tank, which was first developed for the West German army in 1979. The decision marks a groundbreaking one for Germany, ending months of painful debate and soul-searching, with the move marking the first time that German tanks will have been used on the battlefield in Europe since the second world war. Germany’s historical responsibility as the instigator of that global conflict has been used by those arguing it has a moral obligation to send tanks to protect the victims of Russian aggression. But at the same time, Germany’s Nazi past has been precisely what has held back decision-makers who have been deeply fearful that increasing firepower through the deployment of tanks could escalate the conflict – and leave Germany in danger of being labelled as an aggressor. No indication has been given on the timing of the tanks’ arrival in Ukraine. The Leopard manufacturer Rheinmetall has said they could be ready to be dispatched by March. The defence minister, Boris Pistorius, said on Tuesday after a meeting in Berlin with Jens Stoltenberg, the general secretary of Nato, that he was encouraging countries with Leopards to start training Ukrainian soldiers in their use. Berlin’s decision, after months of insisting it would only act in an alliance, is thought to have come after high-level, often tense talks in the past few days between Berlin and Washington and to be directly connected to a decision reportedly in the process of being hammered out in Washington to send its Abrams battle tanks. Kyiv, which has been appealing for the tanks since last April, has given repeated reassurances to Berlin in particular that the tanks would only be used for defence purposes. Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, the chair of the parliamentary defence committee, who has been highly critical of Scholz’s hesitancy, welcomed the decision even as she said it had come very late. “The decision was arduous, it took far too long, but in the end it was unavoidable,” she said, calling it “redemptive news for the abused and brave people of Ukraine”. The deputy chair of the foreign committee in the Bundestag, Thomas Erndl of the conservative CSU, welcomed the decision, calling it “inevitable”. He told the DPA press agency: “It is important that we are now leading a European alliance, so that Ukraine receives a significant number of Leopard 2 tanks and that the training [of Ukrainian soldiers in their use] can begin immediately.” But he criticised Scholz for a “massive weakness in decision-making”, saying that it had led to an “enormous loss of trust in Germany, from Europe and the USA”. Lars Klingbeil, the head of the Social Democrats and a close colleague of Scholz’s, defended the chancellor. “It annoys me immensely that this careful weighing up in this curtailed debate is presented as an attempt to disassociate ourselves from Ukraine,” he told the left-leaning Berlin daily TAZ. “Olaf Scholz carries the responsibility as the German chancellor for what is a historic situation – not those who are constantly giving sly advice on Twitter or in Talkshows.” Earlier in the day, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US government was considering sending a considerable number of its Abrams tanks. France is also believed to be on the verge of announcing it will send its own tanks to Ukraine. __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

27-01-23, 09:13	#227
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Putin to Aim Nuclear Missiles on London & Berlin/ US WARNS China on Weapons to Russia Putins' Revenge After Tanks Offer-Arctic Bombers BLAST Ukraine Ukraine Hit by Russian Missiles Day After Wests' Offer of Tanks BBC 27 JAN 2023 Russia launched a wave of missiles at Ukraine on Thursday, a day after Germany and the US pledged tanks to aid Kyiv's fight against the invasion. Eleven people died and 11 others were injured after 35 buildings were struck across several regions, the state's emergency service said. It added the worst damage to residential buildings was in the Kyiv region. Officials also reported strikes on two energy facilities in the Odesa region. The barrage came as Russia said it perceived the new offer of military support, which followed a UK pledge to send Challenger 2 battle tanks, as "direct" Western involvement in the conflict. In what was a sustained and wide-ranging attack, the head of the Ukrainian army said Moscow launched 55 air and sea-based missiles on Thursday. Valery Zaluzhny added that 47 of them were shot down, including 20 around Kyiv. Earlier, Ukraine's air force said it had downed a cluster of Iranian-made attack drones launched by Russian forces from the Sea of Azov in the south of the country. A 55-year-old man was killed and two others wounded when non-residential buildings in the south of the capital were struck, officials reported. The offensive was a continuation of Russia's months-long tactic of targeting Ukraine's infrastructure. The freezing winter has seen power stations destroyed and millions plunged into darkness. After Thursday's strikes, emergency power cuts were enforced in Kyiv and several other regions to relieve pressure on the electricity grid, said DTEK, Ukraine's largest private power producer. A day earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised to provide Ukraine with 14 Leopard 2 tanks, following weeks of international pressure. They are widely seen as some of the most effective battle tanks available. The heavy weaponry is expected to arrive in late March or early April. President Joe Biden later announced the US would send 31 M1 Abrams battle tanks, marking a reversal of longstanding Pentagon arguments that they are a poor fit for the Ukrainian battlefield. Canada has also promised to supply Ukraine with four "combat-ready" Leopard tanks in the coming weeks, together with experts to train Ukrainian soldiers in how to operate them. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that 12 countries had now joined what he called the "tank coalition". But for tanks to be "game-changer", 300 to 400 of them would be needed, an adviser to Ukraine's defence minister told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "The sooner we defeat Russia on the battlefield using Western weapons, the sooner we will be able to stop this missile terror and restore peace," Yuriy Sak said. Speaking on the same programme, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said sending tanks to Ukraine would make a big difference to the country's ability to win the war. He also warned that Russia was planning a fresh offensive, just as reports began emerging from Ukraine of missile strikes following drone attacks overnight. On Thursday, the US designated Russia's Wagner group, which is believed to have thousands of mercenaries in Ukraine, a transnational criminal organisation. It also imposed fresh sanctions on the group and their associates to "further impede [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's ability to arm and equip his war machine", Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in the statement. Ros Atkins on… Germany’s Ukraine tank decision Putin’s machismo obsession sees him wear Cuban heels while photographed with students Paranoid Vladimir Putin installs personal rocket launcher to protect his family __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

30-01-23, 02:20	#228
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Putin to Aim Nuclear Missiles on London & Berlin/ US WARNS China on Weapons to Russia PutinTold Boris I Can KILL You in a MINUTE & Threatened Missile Strike Ukraine: Boris Johnson Says Putin Threatened Him With Missile Strike BBC 30 JAN 2023 Boris Johnson received a call from President Putin the day after he met Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv Boris Johnson has said Vladimir Putin threatened him with a missile strike in an "extraordinary" phone call in the run-up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The then-prime minister said Mr Putin told him it "would only take a minute". Mr Johnson said the comment was made after he warned the war would be an "utter catastrophe" during a "very long" call in February 2022. Details of the exchange are revealed in a BBC documentary, examining Mr Putin's interactions with world leaders. Mr Johnson warned Mr Putin that invading Ukraine would lead to Western sanctions and more Nato troops on Russia's borders. He also tried to deter Russian military action by telling Mr Putin that Ukraine would not join Nato "for the foreseeable future". But Mr Johnson said: "He threatened me at one point, and he said, 'Boris, I don't want to hurt you but, with a missile, it would only take a minute' or something like that. Jolly. "But I think from the very relaxed tone that he was taking, the sort of air of detachment that he seemed to have, he was just playing along with my attempts to get him to negotiate." President Putin had been "very familiar" during the "most extraordinary call", Mr Johnson said. It is impossible to know if Mr Putin's threat was genuine. However, given previous Russian attacks on the UK - most recently in Salisbury in 2018 - any threat from the Russian leader, however lightly delivered, is probably one Mr Johnson would have had no choice but to take seriously. Nine days later, on 11 February, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace flew to Moscow to meet his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu. The BBC documentary Putin Vs the West reveals Mr Wallace left with assurances that Russia would not invade Ukraine, but he said both sides knew it was a lie. He described it as a "demonstration of bullying or strength, which is: I'm going to lie to you, you know I'm lying and I know you know I'm lying and I'm still going to lie to you. "I think it was about saying 'I'm powerful'," Mr Wallace said. He said the "fairly chilling, but direct lie" had confirmed his belief that Russia would invade. As he left the meeting, he said Gen Valery Gerasimov - Russia's chief of general staff - told him "never again will we be humiliated". Less than a fortnight later, as tanks rolled over the border on 24 February, Mr Johnson received a phone call in the middle of the night from President Zelensky. "Zelensky's very, very calm," Mr Johnson recalled. "But, he tells me, you know, they're attacking everywhere." Mr Johnson says he offered to help move the president to safety. "He doesn't take me up on that offer. He heroically stayed where he was." Putin Vs the West will be broadcast on Monday 30 January on BBC 2 at 21:00, and will be available on the iPlayer in the UK. __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

02-02-23, 07:50	#229
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Putin to Aim Nuclear Missiles on London & Berlin/ US WARNS China on Weapons to Russia Ukraine Confirms Putin Planning February Anniversary Attack With Half a Million Troops Ukraine's defence minister has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin has amassed half a million troops and could use them for an 'anniversary' attack on the country BBC 2 FEB 2023 Ukraine has confirmed fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be planning a February 24 'anniversary' attack on the country with half a million troops.Putin was enraged by the West's decision to arm Ukraine with its tanks Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov is the latest to warn Putin might try something on the one year anniversary of the initial invasion Reznikov has said that Moscow has amassed hundreds of thousands of troops and could “try something” on the one year anniversary of its invasion. The major new offensive would mark another phase of the ongoing war, and comes after prolonged fears Russia might utilise the anniversary date to renew their efforts to take Ukraine. The Kremlin shocked the world when, in February last year, it invaded the country and tried to seize Kyiv as apart of what it claimed was a "special military operation". Any attack would also mark Russia’s Defender of the Fatherland Day on February 23 - which celebrates the army. Mr Reznikov said the Kremlin has gathered half a million troops for the potential offensive. In September last year, Putin announced a general mobilisation that bolstered his forces by an estimated 300,000 soldiers. But Mr Reznikov warned the true figure could be far higher than this. Speaking to the BFM Network in France, he said: "Officially they announced 300,000 but when we see the troops at the borders, according to our assessments it is much more,". This comes as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned there had been no indication that Putin had been deterred from his goal of total conquest of Ukraine. He said: "That they are actively acquiring new weapons, more ammunition, ramping up their own production, but also acquiring more weapons from other authoritarian states like Iran and North Korea. "And most of all, we have seen no sign that President Putin has changed his overall goal of this invasion - that is to control a neighbour, to control Ukraine. So as long as this is the case, we need to be prepared for the long haul." The fighting itself has reached something of a stalemate in recent months despite heavy conflict in the Donbas region in the east of Ukraine. Neither side has made significant territorial advances apart from Russia's seizure of the town of Soledar. Emergency workers clear the rubble after a Russian rocket hit a multistory building leaving many people under debris in the southeastern city of Dnipro, Ukraine But Mr Reznikov said Ukraine was hoping to "stabilise the front and prepare for a counter offensive." He added: "I have faith that the year 2023 can be the year of military victory,". The defence minister was in France to strike a deal to purchase more MG-200 air defence radars which Mr Reznikov said would "significantly increase the capacity of the armed forces to detect air targets, including winged and ballistic missiles, and drones of various types". Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said that the infamous Wagner Group were supporting Russian forces in the intense fighting taking part in the Donbas region. A local resident is rescued from under the rubble of her apartment on the 4th floor 16 hours after Russian forces bombed a residential building on January 15, 2023 in Dnipro Prisoner of War Wagner Mercenaries Ask to be Swapped For Ukrainian Forces in Hostage Video *This footage reportedly shows Wagner Group prisoners of war asking to switched with Belarusian volunteers of the Kalinouski Regiment in a hostage video.* Putin's Top Army Boss Boasts Thousands of Convict Conscripts Have Turned Into 'Cannibals' __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

20-02-23, 03:47	#230
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	Re: Putin to Aim Nuclear Missiles on London & Berlin/ US WARNS China on Weapons to Ru Putin Will Aim Nuclear Missiles on London and Berlin if Victorious in Ukraine Putin Amasses Half a Mil Troops to Use For 24 FEB Anniversary Slaughter US Blinken Says China May Give Weapons to Russia China is considering giving Russia weapons and ammunition for the Ukraine war, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said. BBC 20 FEB 2023 Vladimir Putin will set sights on other nations in Europe if successful in Ukraine, it is suggested. Britain and the West must be prepared for nuclear war, should Russia emerge triumphant from the conflict in Ukraine Mr Blinken told CBS News that Chinese companies were already providing "non-lethal support" to Russia - and new information suggested Beijing could provide "lethal support". This escalation would mean "serious consequences" for China, he warned. Chinese foreign affairs Minister Wang Yi delivered a speech in Munich on Saturday China has denied reports that Moscow has requested military equipment. Chinese President Xi Jinping is an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and is yet to condemn Russia's invasion - but he has sought to remain neutral in the conflict and has called for peace. China's foreign ministry said it would not accept "finger pointing" and "coercion" from the US over its relations with Russia. Mr Blinken was speaking to CBS after he met China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference. He said that during the meeting he expressed "deep concerns" about the "possibility that China will provide lethal material support to Russia". "To date, we have seen Chinese companies... provide non-lethal support to Russia for use in Ukraine. The concern that we have now is based on information we have that they're considering providing lethal support," he said. He did not elaborate on what information the US had received about China's potential plans. When pressed on what the US believed China might give to Russia, he said it would be primarily weapons as well as ammunition. The US has sanctioned a Chinese company for allegedly providing satellite imagery of Ukraine to the mercenary Wagner Group, which supplies Russia with thousands of fighters. Mr Blinken told CBS that "of course, in China, there's really no distinction between private companies and the state". If China provided Russia with weapons, that would cause a "serious problem for us and in our relationship", he added. Relations between Washington and Beijing were already poor after the US shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon in early February. Both sides exchanged angry words, but equally both sides appeared embarrassed by the incident and seemed ready to move on. But if China were to deliver weapons to help Russian forces in Ukraine, then US-Chinese relations would deteriorate much more severely. Mr Blinken's warning seems to be clearly designed to deter China from doing that. Mr Blinken also said the US was worried about China helping Russia evade Western sanctions designed to cripple Russia's economy. China's trade with Russia has been growing, and it is one of the biggest markets for Russian oil, gas, and coal. Nato members, including the US, are sending a variety of weapons, ammunition and equipment to Ukraine, including tanks. They have stopped short of sending fighter jets, and Mr Blinken would not be drawn on whether the US would help other countries supply jets. "We've been very clear that we shouldn't fixate or focus on any particular weapons system," he said. He did, however, say that the West must ensure Ukraine had what it needed for a potential counter offensive against Russia "in the months ahead". Russia is currently trying to advance in eastern regions of Ukraine, where some of the fiercest fighting of the war has taken place. The top US diplomat's remarks come ahead of a scheduled visit by Mr Wang to Moscow, as part of the Chinese foreign policy chief's tour of Europe. Mr Wang said in Munich on Saturday that China had "neither stood by idly nor thrown fuel on the fire" for the Ukraine war, Reuters reported. China would publish a document that laid out its position on settling the conflict, Mr Wang said. The document would state that the territorial integrity of all countries must be respected, he said. "I suggest that everybody starts to think calmly, especially friends in Europe, about what kind of efforts we can make to stop this war," Mr Wang said. He added that there were "some forces that seemingly don't want negotiations to succeed, or for the war to end soon", but did not say who he meant. The Chinese President, Mr Xi, is scheduled to deliver a "peace speech" on the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Friday, 24 February, according to Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani. Mr Tajani told Italian radio that Mr Xi's speech would call for peace without condemning Russia, Reuters reported. During their meeting, Mr Blinken and Mr Wang also exchanged strong words on the deepening row over an alleged Chinese spy balloon that was shot down over the US. Mr Blinken said during the meeting that the US would not "stand for any violation of our sovereignty" and said "this irresponsible act must never again occur". Mr Blinken told CBS that other nations were concerned about what he called China's "surveillance balloon program" across five continents. Mr Wang, meanwhile, called the episode a "political farce manufactured by the US" and accused them of "using all means to block and suppress China". China has denied sending a spy balloon. And on Sunday morning, Beijing warned that the US would "bear all the consequences" if it escalated the argument over the balloon. China would "follow through to the end" in the event "the US insists on taking advantage of the issue", it said in a foreign ministry statement reported by Reuters. __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

22-02-23, 00:00	#231
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Putin Suspends Nuclear Arms Treaty With US & WARNS of World War 3 DERANGED Putin Suspends Nuclear Arms Treaty With America Vladimir Putin Warns of World War 3 Global Conflict as He Issues Nuclear Threat Putin Suspended the Last Remaining Nuclear Pact With the U.S. Here's What Happens Now BBC 22 FEB Vladimir Putin suspended his nation’s participation in the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement with the U.S. on Tuesday, condemning the West in a nearly two-hour speech that sharpened tensions over the war in Ukraine. The announcement, which came a day after President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Ukraine, shows how the confrontation between Russia, the U.S., and Europe is approaching a perilous crossroads one year after Putin ordered Russian forces to invade. From the start of of the war, the U.S. and NATO have raised fears about the risks of wider war and sought to avoid escalation even as they provided Ukraine with billions of dollars’ worth of weaponry and military aid. The possible collapse of the last arms control pact between the world’s two nuclear superpowers illustrates how the security situation is growing more precarious, not less, as the war enters its second year despite Russia’s struggles to gain ground in Ukraine. Around 90% of the world’s nuclear warheads belong to Moscow and Washington. To remind the world of the high stakes, Putin has continually chosen to rattle his nuclear saber at the U.S. and NATO as they try to pressure him to abandon his military campaign. During Tuesday’s state-of-the-nation address, Putin announced he’s placed strategic missile forces on “combat duty,” while declaring the suspension of the arms-reduction treaty known as New START. The 2010 agreement limits the U.S. and Russia each to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads—strategic weapons that can be placed on submarines, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and long-range bomber planes. It also includes monitoring and on-site inspection elements to help ensure compliance, which Putin blasted in his speech. “The United States and NATO are directly saying that their goal is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. Are they going to inspect our defense facilities, including the newest ones, as if nothing had happened?” he said. “Do they really think we’re easily going to let them in there just like that?” Vladimir Putin Warns of World War 3 Global Conflict as He Issues Nuclear Threat __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

26-02-23, 04:11	#232
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Zombieland Russia Uses CRUEL Flesh-MELTING Weapon in Bombs in Ukraine Russia-Ukraine WAR Kyiv and Moscow Welcome Chinas’ Intervention Zelenskiy says some points in Chinese statement for peace ‘understandable’ while Kremlin adds Beijing’s involvement appreciated BBC 26 FEB 2023 Kyiv and Moscow welcome China's intervention in peace process Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, says Moscow appreciated China’s plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and said it was open to achieving the goals of what it calls its “special military operation” through political and diplomatic means. She said: We appreciate the sincere desire of our Chinese friends to contribute to resolving the conflict in Ukraine by peaceful means... We share the views of Beijing. However, this would also mean recognising “new territorital realities” in Ukraine, Zakharova said, referring to Russia’s unilateral annexation of four Ukrainian regions - Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia - as well as of Crimea. Her remarks came as Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said there were points in the Chinese proposals that were understandable” and “there are those that we don’t”. “But it’s something,” he added at a news conference on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion. Zelenskiy said: China has shown its thoughts. I believe that the fact that China started talking about Ukraine is not bad. But the question is what follows the words. The question is in the steps and where they will lead to. __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

04-03-23, 08:14	#233
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Zombieland Russia Uses CRUEL Flesh-MELTING Weapon in Bombs in Ukraine Inside Zombieland Russia With 'Brainwashed' People Cut Off and Unable to Buy Key Goods Some Russians dream of a new life in the West, while others wave flags and repeat the daily propaganda broadcast. “The war is making people crazy – welcome to Zombieland,” says Nika, 31, from Moscow BBC 4 MAR 2023 Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine was supposed to make Russia a superpower again. The warmonger appeared on Russian television in February, 2022 to announce the beginning of what he called a “special military operation", with the then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson awoken in the middle of the night at 10 Downing Street with a call from one of his advisers. Instead, it has brought back the dark days of the Soviet Union, as citizens struggle to get hold of basic goods and are cut off from the world behind a curtain of censorship. Ukraine remains bruised by the devastation, the deaths of tens of thousands of people and the fleeing of millions more. United Nations head António Guterres condemned Russia's actions as an "affront" to the world's collective conscience at a meeting of the General Assembly nearly one year on. While for Russian people, some dream of a new life in the West, while others wave flags and repeat the daily propaganda broadcast. “The war is making people crazy – welcome to Zombieland,” says Nika, 31, from Moscow. So what is it really like in Russia now? Propaganda billboards - 'God is with us' Billboards have sprung up across the capital and throughout cities across the country. “History always repeats itself,” one reads, showing pictures of the Soviet Red Army fighting the Nazis in the Second World War. Some feature portraits of soldiers on the front lines – “Glory to Russia’s heroes” – calling on locals to sign up. Others display the pro-war “Z” symbol. a building decorated with a huge letter “Z,” which has become a symbol of the Russian military operation in Ukraine “I avoid going into the city centre because I can’t stand seeing these signs,” says Nika. “Some people even wear badges with them on to prove they’re ‘patriots’ – but they’re really just Z-zombies, brainwashed by the government.” However, the propaganda now poisons almost every part of life in Russia. Earlier this month, a group of pre-teen girl cheerleaders won a competition with a dance set to a pro-war song that declares “Donbass is ours and God is with us”. Meanwhile, school pupils aged just eight are being taught to handle AK- 47 by teenage girls in red berets. Echoes of Soviet era “The special operation will be over before the end of the year – and the West will kneel,” Chechen warlord and Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov announced earlier this month. Despite the promises of victory, things are getting harder back home for Russians. “The biggest problem is with banks,” says 46-year-old businessman Kolya. “We can’t pay with foreign cards or with our phones, and there isn’t enough cash to go around so you sometimes have to queue to get money. Closed shutters on an Adidas store at a Moscow shopping outlet “And prices in the shops are much higher – food, medicine, clothes and so on have become much more expensive recently.” However, he adds, amid the crisis is opportunity. “I own a company that makes products for the Russian market. Because Western brands have left, there’s much less competition.” Familiar products such as soft drinks have been replaced with locally produced alternatives, including CoolCola. But locals say iPhones and luxury brands are still on sale in upmarket department stores, despite sanctions. An isolated country out in the cold Isolation isn’t going so well in some industries though, and new cars have stopped rolling off the production line because of shortages of foreign parts. Even Ladas, a Soviet-era brand billed as the Russian car of the future, has had to limit sales because its factories have run out of paint. It means they can only be bought in black and white. Ladas, a Soviet-era brand billed as the Russian car of the future, has had to limit sales because its factories have run out of paint Ladas, a Soviet-era brand billed as the Russian car of the future, has had to limit sales because its factories have run out of paint A senior economist working with Russian clients said: “Russia is now more isolated than it was during the days of the Soviet Union. Restrictions on things like microchips and semiconductors mean industry is grinding to a halt. “The only reason there hasn’t been a massive collapse is because the economy was already bad for a decade before the invasion, and people have not been living well for a long time.” Unhappy meal arrives as burger giant pulls out Last May, McDonald’s announced it was closing its stores across Russia – three decades after the first fast food restaurant was opened following the fall of the Soviet Union. Now, just off Red Square where the golden arches once stood, is a garish red and orange brand called Tasty – Full Stop. It has taken over more than 800 of the American chain’s former locations, selling items like a Double Egg Muffin and the Big Special burger. A worker removed McDonald's logotype from a restaurant in Moscow on June 17, 2022 MOSCOW, RUSSIA - JUNE 12: (RUSSIA OUT) People visit a newly opened fast food restaurant in a former McDonald's outlet in Pushkinskaya Square, on June 12, 2022 in Moscow, Russia. The first of the former McDonald's restaurants has reopened under a new brand called "Vkusno i tochka" ("Tasty and point") in Moscow, after the corporation sold its branches in Russia to a local businessman following sanctions after However, the quality is dividing fast food fans. “There’s no difference,” says Pyotr, a 23-year old engineering student from St. Petersburg. “It’s the same as McDonald’s was.” But office worker Olya, 25, disagrees. “I’ve tried it a few times in Moscow. The burgers were cold, and the fries are like cardboard,” she says. A state of fascism While Russians are used to living under authoritarian governments, many are surprised by how extreme the censorship and repression has become since the start of the invasion of Ukraine. “Russia has gone through a fascist transition,” says Dr Ian Garner, author of a new book on Russia’s “Z Generation” – young people growing up in an increasingly angry and isolated country. “Putin has always been drifting in this direction, but in the past year things have fallen off a cliff,” he says. Show of defiance as a man holds a placard reading 'No occupation of Ukraine' during a protest at Pushkinskaya Square “Any pretence of law and order has gone out the window, and the courts can just simply destroy you for opposing the government.” Andrei, 25, an IT worker who left Russia for Dubai after a warrant was issued for his arrest for taking part in anti-war protests, said: “Everyone there feels depressed and burned out – people are openly talking about how to find a good psychotherapist. “The other solution is to drink and smoke, or sit at home and watch TV non-stop. It’s like Russians are in prison, just trying to pass the time.” RELATED __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

14-03-23, 07:37	#234
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Russia Takes Charge of UN & Seeks Weapons From North Korea in Return For Food Russia Turns to CRUEL Flesh-Melting Weapon as Thermite Bombs Rain Down in Ukraine Town Thermite munitions - which have been used previously during the war in Ukraine - are particularly deadly because they burn rather than explode, reaching temperatures exceeding 2,400C that can easily sear through steel BBC 14 MAR 2023 Vuhledar - a mining town around 60 miles north of Bakhmut - was where the footage was taken ... Russia has turned to using flesh-scorching thermite as it pounds away at Ukrainian positions. Amid Moscow's grinding onslaught on the frontline, Russia sustained its largest daily losses yesterday after they had 1,090 men slaughtered in 24 hours. It beat its previous grim tally by 60, after 1,030 met their end on February 7. As well as the human losses, eight of Vladimir Putin's tanks, four artillery guns and four air defence systems were destroyed in the day of bloody warfare. Much of the fighting in Ukraine's east is playing out in Bakhmut, the first place Putin's soldiers made signifcant ground in after 12 long months of war. Flesh-eating thermite rains down on Ukrainian positions The incendiary devices burn rather than explode, making them particularly deadly However, other towns have also come under fire, including the key strategic mining town of Vuhledar, where shocking footage shows so-called "thermite rain" plummetting on the town from above. Thermite bombs have been used on a number of occasions during the war. The lethal devices - which are made of metal powder mixed with metal oxide - are so deadly because they burn rather than explode. The components burn at a temperature exceeding 2,400C, hot enough to sear through steel, and to burn human flesh to the marrow. The thermite munitions have been branded the cruelest weapons in Russia's arsenal because they are indiscriminate. They can cause "immediate and lifelong human suffering", according to Human Rights Watch. While Russia looked set to capture Bakmut for weeks, one thinktank said Russia's campaign - which is now the longest-running ground battle of the war - may have stalled. Julia, 68, who was injured by shrapnel after an explosion in Bakhmut The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said there were no confirmed advances by Russian forces in Bakhmut. Russian forces and units from the Kremlin-controlled paramilitary Wagner Group continued to launch ground attacks in the city, but there was no evidence that they were able to make any progress, ISW said late Saturday. The report cited the spokesperson of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Eastern Group, Serhii Cherevaty, who said that fighting in the Bakhmut area had been more intense this week than the previous one. According to Cherevaty, there were 23 clashes in the city over the previous 24 hours. The ISW's report came following claims of Russian progress earlier this week. The UK Defense Ministry said on Saturday that paramilitary units from the Kremlin-controlled Wagner Group had seized most of eastern Bakhmut, with a river flowing through the city now marking the front line of the fighting. The assessment highlighted that Russia's assault will be difficult to sustain without more significant personnel losses. Ukrainian servicemen on the frontline in Bakhmut The mining city of Bakhmut is located in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk province, one of four regions of Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally annexed last year. Russia's military opened the campaign to take control of Bakhmut in August, and both sides have experienced staggering casualties. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed not to retreat. In its latest report Sunday, the U.K. Defense Ministry said Sunday that the impact of the heavy casualties Russia is continuing to suffer in Ukraine varies dramatically across the country. The ministry's intelligence update said that the major cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg remain "relatively unscathed", particularly among members of Russia's elite. In contrast, in many of Russia's eastern regions, the death rate as a percentage of the population is "30-40 times higher than in Moscow". MORE *Wagner paramilitary group boss claims he intends to run for president in Ukraine* __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

17-03-23, 01:03	#235
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,693 Thanks: 27,648 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Russia Takes Charge of UN & Seeks Weapons From North Korea in Return For Food Poland to Send Four Fighter Jets to Ukraine 'In Coming Days' *Poland will send four Soviet-era Mig fighter jets to Ukraine - becoming the first Nato country to send planes since Russia invaded last year.* BBC 17 MAR 2023 Polish President Andrzej Duda said they would be sent in the coming days, with others handed over in the future. Though a welcome boost to Ukraine's air defence, the extra jets are not expected to be decisive in the war. The deputy speaker of Ukraine's parliament Olena Kondratyuk said she hoped more countries would follow. Other Nato countries are considering sending the Soviet-era planes, which Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly. *Ukraine has previously asked Western countries for modern fighter jets, such as the F-16.* The UK is training Ukrainian pilots on Nato-standard aircraft. But because of the long training times, it has warned that supplying Western jets would only ever be a long-term option. *President Biden has previously ruled out sending jets from the US to Ukraine.* What weapons are being supplied to Ukraine? At the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine was believed to have around 120 combat capable aircraft - mainly ageing Mig-29s and Su-27s. President Duda said Poland still had around a dozen Soviet-era Mig 29 aircraft in operation. Ukrainian MP Kira Rudik told the BBC: "We need them to strengthen our air defence systems and to help our army in the spring counter-offensive. "It's also a good sign to everybody that getting fighter jets to Ukraine is not something unspeakable or surreal - that this is something that can happen; that the only thing that is needed to make it happen is political will." Yuriy Sak, an adviser to the Ukrainian defence minister, told the BBC the Polish jets would be used "very efficiently by our air force". He said in the past 24 hours, the existing Ukrainian air force had carried out 16 air strikes on Russian personnel and equipment. But he stressed that Ukraine wanted "fourth generation" jets, such as F-16s. "They are more universal platforms, they are more capable and of course they will make Ukrainian air forces more efficient," he said. Poland is a strong ally of Ukraine one of the largest suppliers of military equipment. It is currently replacing its old Soviet-era planes with newer American and Korean models. Graphic with details of MiG-29 fighter jet *Polish Pilots Helped The RAF Defeat The NAZIS in WW1. They are OUTSTANDING Pilots...* RELATED Firefighters battle HUGE blazing inferno at UK hotel ‘housing Ukrainian refugees’ __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES